Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix, Disney, McDonalds, Ford, Dodge, or eHow where I learned about proper makeup contrasting because I know absolutely nothing about it.

HEY. READ: I have changed the POV. Regular Narration, I suppose.

We are two halves, you and I.

Together, we make one.

I would do anything for you.

It is what must be done.

Because you are the better half, Sora,

And I am only Roxas.

(...)

"Why do you think this?" Someone mutters into the darkness of Roxas' bedroom. A young lady sits on the edge of his bed, beside the sleeping blonde. She brushes his gold locks away from his closed eyes, and continues, speaking with a quiet voice, "I know that it's true, but…it shouldn't be. No one deserves to be a sacrificial pawn…"

The young lady lifts her head, looking up to the window that lets the moonlight in. The light shines enough to dimly radiate herself and Roxas. She has a solemn expression on her face as she returns her gaze to Roxas.

"…Especially us."

(...)

Hold me~ Whatever lies beyond this morning~ Is a little later on~

Roxas grunts as he searches around for his phone. When he does, he shuts the alarm off and slips out of bed, making his way to the bathroom.

I'm getting really tired of that girl. He thinks to himself as he turns on the shower. I didn't even know her before that one dream, and now she's everywhere. How does someone you don't know get into your dreams?

He sighs as he scrubs shampoo into his hair. Maybe I'm just going crazy… He turns toward the water, and lowers his head, watching the shampoo suds slide down his body, onto the floor of the tub, and down the faucet. It calms him, makes him think straight. I know how to fix this. Next time I see her, I'll confront her. I'm not playing her game anymore.

(...)

"Roxas!" The yell for the blonde stops him from climbing into his car after his first official work day at McDonalds. He turns around, just as Sora and Riku stop in front of him from hurrying across the parking lot. Sora smiles, having been the one that had called him, "Hey, Roxas, where were ya today? I didn't see you at school."

"Oh…" Roxas scratches the back of his head, and looks to the side. "Well…I have actually been meaning to tell you…"

The smile from Sora's lightly tanned face slips away, replaced by one of confusion. "Wait…why were you here at work?"

"I was working." He states the obvious since that's the only thing he'd do at work. He would not be eating here. He knows what goes on behind the counter…

"But they don't let you work this early." His twin stares at him, eyebrows raised high up above those sky blue orbs.

"I dropped out of school." Roxas says bluntly.

Those orbs, the ones that flourish with life like the bright sky, they widen in surprise. They stare at Roxas with mixed feelings of surprise, confusion, and betrayal. Roxas keeps the eye contact, his expression fierce and determined like always. Soon, Sora shakes his head and lowers his gaze, staring at Roxas' big shoes.

Roxas can't help but scowl at the sight before him. It reminds him too much of that girl, the one who was so weak and cowardly that she couldn't even keep eye contact with him, much less have a decent conversation, despite barging into his life and practically ruining it.

Okay, he might've gone a little far with that thought, but still…he needed eye contact. It just made him feel like there were no lies in what the person was saying if they looked him dead in the eye. And also, not being able to look someone in the eye shows submission. He didn't want to see that in his twin. Roxas knew that Sora was a strong young man, always ready to fight for his friends, family, and even strangers he had just met. Still, he often came off as a naïve pushover and was often taken advantage of. Roxas was not like that at all. He never fell for someone's tricks, and outwardly barked at the perpetrator for trying to mess with his head.

He grits his teeth. Damn that girl! He should've done that to her by now. He's been so much unlike himself lately…

"Roxas…" His brother's voice shakes him out of his thoughts. He looks to see Sora glaring at him with eyes now the color of the dark ocean, eyebrows furrowed, and white canine teeth shining as he opens his mouth to yell, "How could you! ? You're such a hypocrite! You did exactly what you forbade me to do! I had wanted to do it so you wouldn't drop out, but it happened anyway!" His fists clench and tremble at his side.

"I'd rather this happen to me than to you, Sora."

Immediately, Sora's whole body relaxes, his shoulders sagging, his hands loosening, and a frown replacing the scowl. "That's not right. That's so wrong…in so many ways…Why do you think you have to sacrifice yourself for someone, especially one who doesn't want to be saved? I want to help you for once. I'm tired of being something you need to protect."

Roxas shakes his head, "Sora, I don't mind. I'm doing this so you don't have to, so you can stay in school and make a better life for yourself." The brunette doesn't seem to be affected much by his twin's words, so Roxas places a hand on his shoulder, steps closer, and smiles warmly, "You have to, Sora. You have so much potential. Don't let it be wasted."

"You can't do this to yourself." Sora says weakly. "You have potential too, Roxas."

"It doesn't matter; I have to do this. I may be your twin, but I'm completely different from you. With our differences, we have a different fate. You," His grip on Sora's shoulder tightens. "You are bound for greatness. I'm just here to help you get there. You're making my job a little hard though, so…how about you just stay in school, have some fun, and let me do what has to be done?" A weak, sort of sad, chuckle escapes his lips. Roxas always became a little melancholy when it came to his brother. Just the thought of anything bad happening to him, even a paper cut, made him suddenly depressed.

He pats his twin's shoulder, waves goodbye to Riku behind him, who had respectively remained silent the whole time, and climbs into his Ford Escort. Within seconds, Roxas was gone. Riku stares at Sora's back, hoping that maybe he could tell what the brunette was thinking by his body language. His body is relaxed, like it usually is. It seemed like he didn't have a care in the world, like so many people thought. Riku had known Sora since they were children though. He knew the hardships his family went through, and that it affected Sora greatly.

Sora turns toward Riku, a fake smile plastered on his face. Green looks deep into blue, searching them for any response to what his brother had said and done. Those eyes, sky blue again, just shine with the happiness that was usually there. Still, Riku notices the glassiness of his eyes, ready to overflow with tears.

"Roxas is right! I should be having fun! So, what do you wanna do, Riku?" He begins to walk toward the elder's dark blue Ford Mustang.

"There's a place I wanna show you." Riku says, and follows Sora to the car.

Once they were both buckled in, Riku turns on the car, and pulls out of McDonalds. A few minutes of the radio faintly playing some pop song later, Sora finally pipes up,

"So, where are we going?"

There wasn't even a warning on Riku's face. Sora would've never been able to tell that he was going to do what he did by facial expressions.

Riku just suddenly pulled the emergency break, and drifted into a side street. Sora didn't even have the chance to react. An 'ah' just escaped his lips as he was pushed against the passenger seat by the force of the turn.

Immediately, Riku climbs out of the car and begins to walk around the front to get to Sora's side. The brunette begins to get out to confront him. He stands up straight, hand on the car door.

"Hey, what's wrong with yo-"

"Stop it." Riku says, deep and stern, making Sora shut his mouth. The taller grabs the front of Sora's shirt, gripping it in his fists. "Cry."

"What?" Sora asks in surprise.

"Cry."

"No, what're you do-" He's interrupted again when Riku pushes him against the door behind the passenger one. He does so roughly, making Sora inhale sharply. "Ri-Riku, please."

"Stop holding it in and pretending it's nothing, Sora. You need to cry. You'll get sick again if you don't."

Sora's eyes widen, immediately looking into Riku's light green ones. "Wha-what?"

For a second, Riku's grip on Sora loosens, those shocked orbs of blue making his stomach churn. He didn't want to hurt his friend, this probably wasn't a good way to express his intentions, but he needed to cry. He had to. If he didn't, it'd build up inside him and make him ill.

Riku remembered when Sora would get sick and Riku would visit. Sora would try to act like he was fine, but Riku could tell from the dark circles under his eyes, the redness of them, and his weak limbs. He'd literally get sick whenever he held in his sadness.

The only way Riku found this out was when Sora was sick for a week, the longest he's ever been. Riku asked his best friend what was wrong. That's all he said: "What's wrong?" And Sora burst out crying.

It happens to many when something is bothering them. Someone asks them if they're okay and they just burst out crying, having been reminded of all the things bothering them.

After calming the brunette down, Sora confessed that Roxas had gotten a job. He said nothing else as the silver haired boy held him and let him cry. Afterwards, Sora suddenly became healthy again and they acted as if nothing happened.

Now, he knows when Sora is sad. Practically nobody else does, despite the fact that he hides it badly. Kairi notices sometimes, but Sora always reassures her that he's fine. Even if he told her, she couldn't do anything about it.

Riku knows that Sora has to let out these sad feelings for him to get better, but the best person for him to do this with is Riku. Riku is the only one that understands Sora this much. Riku is the only one that loves Sora this much. Riku is the only one for Sora, period.

A faint blush creeps onto the teen's face at these thoughts. Where the heck did that come from?

"Sora," He looks into the other's eyes, forcing himself to forget those thoughts for a second.

Sora tries to look away, but Riku grips his chin, making him look at him. The sky blue eyes turn glassy, tears threatening to spill. Riku slowly lets go, taking a step back as Sora lowers his head, and wraps his arms around Riku in a hug. He hugs him back, placing one hand on his spiky brown hair and the other on the top of his back. They stand there for a few seconds until Sora mumbles his confession,

"Roxas is giving up his life for me."

Trashcans clattering to the floor pull them apart from each other. Cats wail in agony from the surprise, upset that it had either awoken them from a nap or scared a rat away. Sora chuckles lightly, wiping away the tears on his face. He looks up at Riku, smiles a legitimate smile, and says,

"So, wanna go play some video games? Bet I'll beat ya."

Riku laughs and ruffles the shorter one's hair. "Yeah, right!"

They climb back into the car, their usual happy vibe returning. They pull out of the side street and head to Riku's house, leaving behind a young lady, her back against a brick wall. She peers out around the corner, looking to the side street the two teens had once stood in. She had jumped around the corner and hidden when she accidentally kicked the trashcan in rage to find out what Roxas had done. She curses under her breath and tries to calm her nerves. She needs to learn how to channel her anger better. Maybe she should start punching and kicking these kids instead of those hospital wall bucket things and alley trashcans.

"No," She mutters as she steps away from the wall. "That'll defeat the purpose of my mission." She laughs, forgetting her worries for a second, and clenches her fists before her, looking as if she's ready to fight. "Right, my mission! I can't let the boss down!" She sprints out of the side street, canine teeth flashing in her grin. "I can't let Roxas down either!"

(...)

"A-AHHH!" Roxas screams as shards of glass stick out from his soap covered hand.

He steps back from the sink, staring at the blood mixing with dish water.

"Roxas!" Xion whines, tears strolling down her cheeks.

Roxas falls onto the floor, back against the counter. He's at a loss for air, taking deep, desperate breaths. His vision becomes blurry, and his eyes struggle to stay open. Xion kneels beside him, screaming for help. The other's come in, all in shock at the sight before them. Axel steps forward, kneeling beside Roxas.

"Roxas! No!" He screams, throwing his head back in agony. "WHYYYYYYYYY! ?"

Finally, Roxas' eyes slowly shut, Zexion's advice floating around in his mind, "Don't shove your hand inside."

"Don't you think you're over exaggerating?"

"Of course, but you have to consider the worst possible situation."

Roxas shakes his head and continues to wash the dishes. Zexion continues,

"Just don't shove your hands too far inside the large glasses. The pressure from inside will make them burst and you'll get cut."

"Okay, okay. I'll be careful, Zexion."

The elder nods, "Oh, and we're missing a few things. I need you to go to the store and buy them. Here's the list, and enough munny to cover it." He shoves the items into Roxas' pocket.

The blonde stares up at him in shock, not at his actions, but at his order. "What if someone sees me?"

"What do you mean?" Zexion tilts his head in confusion.

Roxas steps back from the sink and gestures to the uniform his bosses had picked for them tonight. It's the same uniform as last night, but now, Roxas looks like a girl attempting to dress like a boy. With the help of Xion, his eyes look bigger and a darker shade of blue, his lips a shinier pink, he has a cute, little pin in his hair, and he seems to have a hint of breasts. At first, Roxas refused to let Xion put a sports bra filled with bean bags on him. She convinced him to do it when she reminded him that everyone else was doing it. Who knew that line could work?

Axel decided this would be a good step to make Roxas become more accustomed to the job. First, a regular male butler outfit, then a girl in a male butler outfit, and then…well, Roxas has a faint idea. Even though this is Axel's way of easing the newbie into the job, Roxas didn't like it. He didn't want to become some reverse cross dresser. What is it called when a boy dresses like a girl who dresses like a boy? !

"People will think I'm a freak! And if I run into someone I know, I'll never live it down!"

"You'll never live down losing this job. Which is worse? Choose wisely, Roxas."

The blonde scowls, realizing the pay is so good that getting a little humiliated is just a little sacrifice. He shouldn't really complain about the uniform; it actually looked quite attractive on him.

Wait…uniform, attractive, humiliation.

All these things made him remember Marluxia and the rules his flamboyant boss had told him the day of his interview!

"The uniform can't leave the house! I'll get fired if I go anywhere but here in it." Roxas says, excitement overflowing when he realizes that he's outsmarted the elder of the butlers. "That's a rule, isn't it?"

Zexion's eyes narrow. He opens his mouth, ready to snap something back, but is interrupted by a long, slender arm plopping down around Roxas' shoulders. The blonde looks up at a fiery-red haired man.

"Zexion knows that. He was just testing you, Roxas. You pass." Axel smirks down at Roxas, and then turns his gaze to Zexion. His face hardens, "I'll go with him, okay?"

The blunette just nods. Axel leads Roxas out of the room, patting Zexion's shoulder as they walk past. Zexion keeps his eyes locked in front of him, and waits until they're gone. Then his cobalt blue eyes wander up, and meet sea green ones, the only other pair of eyes in the room right now.

"Roxas outsmarted you once, so what?" Demyx shrugs, getting right to the point. "It happens to everyone eventually, but you," He pokes Zexion in the chest, fingertip hitting a bean bag, and making the dirty blonde chuckle, but he becomes serious once again to continue, "You've never had this happen before; usually you're the one outsmarting."

"Are you rubbing it in?" Zexion snarls.

"No, I'm reminding you. Everyone makes mistakes and has flaws, especially me, right?" Demyx jokes. Zexion silently shakes his head, completely disagreeing, but the other ignores it. "So, don't put too much thought into that little mess up. The pros of Zexion outweigh the cons."

Zexion looks up at Demyx, the latter grinning down at him. He looks alright as a girl. Xion made his green eyes pop with a brown eye liner and light brown eye shadow. The eye shadow is barely noticeable but it helps a lot. The mullet/mohawk sort of makes him look like a lesbian though…

Zexion stifles back a laugh at that. They probably all do, but still, Zexion can't stop staring into Demyx's eyes.

"Hey, quit staring. You need to get in the zone for work." Demyx says, snapping the shorter one out of his thoughts.

"What? Since when did you care about work?"

"I always have!" Demyx playfully slaps Zexion's arm, but instead of letting his hand fall to the side afterwards, he lets it stay on his arm. He lets it wander down to the small of Zexion's back, and steps closer, pulling the other closer to him as well.

"Liar…" Zexion places his hand on Demyx's chest, and grumbles, "You lazy liar…"

"I know. I hate work." Demyx places a chaste kiss on Zexion's lips, careful not to smear the lip gloss. "I hate this job especially."

Zexion's hand on Demyx tightens, gripping the tux in his fist. He hates the job too, but they both need it. Watching Zexion be in the arms of another was the price to pay for them to survive. Demyx holds Zexion tighter, his lips burying into his navy blue hair.

Neither of them wanted to let go. Neither of them wanted to get to work. Neither of them wanted to watch the other suffer.

Still, it was a sacrifice they needed to make.

(...)

"Roxas!" At first, he hears the faint calling of his name. Then, he hears it again, except with the rough shaking of his shoulder. "Roxas!"

"Huh? ! What? !" Roxas shoots up in his passenger seat, looking around to realize that he's in Axel's car: a black Dodge Challenger.

"Are you okay? You just zoned out, and while I was talking too." Axel explains with a pout at the last sentence.

"Sorry, I was just thinking…"

"Really? It takes so much effort for you to think that you just shut down? Do you overheat from the effort?" Axel let out a laugh that sent his head back. When he stopped, he peeks at Roxas and notices that he's just staring forward, a scowl on his face. "Sorry, Roxas, I was just joking."

"Yeah, I know…" Roxas sighs, and rubs the back of his neck.

"Hey, what's wrong? If it's about Zexion, don't worry. There's a fifty-fifty chance of him moving on, which are good odds. You should actually be pretty excited right now. I've never seen anyone outsmart him, especially over simple job rules."

"Oh, well, I'll apologize to him later. I didn't mean to offend him. I just really didn't want to be seen like this."

"Why not? You look nice." Axel mutters.

Roxas turns his head to look at his boss. He's just focused on the road though, the smile that was on his face gone and replaced with a serious one. "Thank you." He replies, almost whispering.

"So, do you wanna tell me what's bothering you for real? Zexion can't make you zone out so deeply."

"It's nothing, really. Just an argument I had with my brother." Roxas hesitates for a moment, carefully thinking out what he should say. "We fought last Monday, and he hasn't spoken to me since."

"Sibling trouble? I actually have a brother too, a twin, actually." Axel confesses.

"Really? Me too!"

"Wow, what a coincidence. Let's just hope we don't accidentally sleep with the wrong people."

Roxas laughs, "No, that could never happen to you. You'll be able to tell the difference. I don't know about your twin, but mine and I are exact opposites."

"How so?"

"He has brown hair and he's a little tanner too. Plus, he's cheerful, energetic, and just so full of life. I'm not like that anymore…I think when we were younger, we were exactly alike, but once we went through different situations, we just changed…" Roxas fumbles with the bottom of his vest as he speaks. "Him for the better, myself for the worst."

Immediately, Roxas regrets saying that. What propelled him to even say something like that? He figures it was because of the fact that Axel is always talking, and just having him silent for once made Roxas appreciate the moment and spill things. He frowns, upset with the messed up relationship he'll now have with his boss.

"Does your brother think that?"

"Wh-what? I think so."

"You have to be sure. You can't just assume things about him. It makes you do irreversible things." Axel chances a glance at Roxas, who's staring at him, paying full attention. "I assumed that my brother wasn't happy, did the same with my mom. I did something, thinking I could fix it. Now I'm stuck in Twilight Town, hosting gay parties every Friday night. I've hired a few people, made my house a hang out spot for some friends, most of them are Marluxia's, and just created something that I can't abandon. I could, maybe, but Marluxia always says that it's not the same without me. Plus, I owe that guy so much…" Axel parks in the parking lot of a general store. He turns off the car, and looks to Roxas, blue meeting green and staying that way.

"I've reached a dead end, Roxas, because I thought that I knew what was best for my family. I did things that kids my age wouldn't do. If you're in the same situation,…" Axel lets the sentence fade away, waiting for Roxas to confirm it.

Once the seventeen year old realizes this, he shakes his head and quickly climbs out of the car. "N-No, I'm fine! Come on, we've gotta get the items!" And with that, he hurries to the general store.

(...)

"Okay, so…we need…" Roxas pulls out the list Zexion gave him and reads it out loud to Axel. "Whipped cream, strawberries, wine, and…" His face turns redder than Axel's hair. He yelps, "Condoms?"

Axel bursts out laughing and pats his employee on the back. "Good thing I came. You're too young to buy wine."

"Axel…condoms!" He shouts in a whisper, waving the list in front of him.

"Yeah, I know. We might have to get different sizes. I know I need extra large." Axel says, and heads down an aisle, not even chuckling to signify that it was a joke.

All the blood that had rushed to Roxas' face in a blush has now flowed away, leaving him pale faced.

(...)

Roxas didn't think he'd never hear that voice again. He knew he'd run into the person eventually. He just didn't think it'd happen tonight.

"Roxas?"

The voice makes him stop dead in his tracks. Axel slows down, looking over his shoulder at the dirty blond a few feet behind Roxas. The boy, probably the same age as Roxas, calls him again,

"Roxas, is that you?"

Slowly, he turns, confronting the boy. "Hi, Hayner."

"What are you wearing? Actually, never mind. Where've you been?" Hayner steps closer to Roxas. "You've got Olette and Pence worried."

"But not you, right?" Roxas laughs weakly.

"Of course not." Hayner replies glumly, suddenly becoming interested in the canned soups on the shelves beside them. He shakes his head, snapping out of his mood. "Answer me. Where've you been?"

"Working...fulltime."

"But…that means…" Roxas can see Hayner slowly realizing things. Hayner scowls and grabs Roxas' arm. "What the hell's wrong with you? !"

"Hey," Axel snaps, and steps forward to help Roxas.

He stops when Roxas says, "I'm fine, Axel.

"Hayner, I can't explain right now."

"You don't have to. I'm not Pence, Roxas; I can figure things out on my own." He lets go of his old friend. "I know what you've done."

"Tell them I'm sorry for me?"

"And what about me?"

Roxas lowers his head, and wraps his arms around Hayner in a tight hug. "I'm sorry, Hayner, but…thank you…for always sticking by me. Don't tell the others, but I'll miss you the most." He whispers, barely loud enough for Hayner to hear. He catches it though, and hangs on with all his might, just like he is now with Roxas.

Why does this kid have to play with Hayner's heart like that? Just a simple goodbye would've made it easier to forget him, but just confessing that he'll miss him the most out of their group of friends will make Hayner wonder for the rest of his life if Roxas ever had certain feelings for him. Hayner had a faint hint of special affections for Roxas, never becoming stronger due to his friend's constant disappearances. It made him think that Roxas didn't care enough about him in that way; if he did, he would've wanted to spend more time with him. Hayner knows though that with Roxas, he'd give up anything for his family. Friends came second to family. Hayner could respect that, even if it hurt.

It hurt even more now to let go of his best friend. He had expected to do this in two years, after graduation, not on a Friday night in their local general store.

Hayner slowly lets Roxas go, taking one last look at his glassy, sapphire blue eyes, threatening to overflow with tears. They held so much more beauty than his own ordinary brown ones.

Roxas smiles weakly, and takes a step back, hanging onto Hayner's hands for a second. At this distance, Hayner observes Roxas' appearance more. The blond actually looks cute with a faint hint of makeup, enough to make his best features pop out: those enticing eyes and luscious lips. Still, Hayner would rather see a little dirt on that face from a good Struggle match.

He realizes that from now on, Roxas would be going through harder things than school and Struggle matches. Hayner reluctantly takes his hands away and softly ruffles the other one's hair, grinning as he does so.

"Be careful, Roxas."

Those blue eyes widen in surprise for a second, but he quickly regains composure. He nods, a stern face of determination now replacing the sadness. He turns and joins Axel, confirming that he is alright when the older man asks. Together, they begin to walk away from Hayner. For a second, he spots something in their basket: some whipped cream, condoms, and other things he can't quite see. He scowls, the thought of that repulsive man doing anything to his best—former—friend making him sick.

Before he can do anything about it, a sweet, smooth voice stops him,

"Hayner?"

"Yeah," He turns to Olette, who had called him, and their friend, Pence. "I'm coming."

He steps up to his friends, and despite the terrible urge to, he doesn't look back.

However, down the aisle, just as Axel and Roxas make a turn, Roxas looks over his shoulder, and takes in the last time he will ever see his friends.

(...)

A/N: Please Read.

Thank you for your reviews! And for staying loyal! I'm sorry for taking so long to update!

Joxas: Yes, this is far from over.

AikoRose: I'm glad I updated it in time to cheer you up! I hate dentists! The worse I've had are cleanings though. When they attempted to fix one of my cavities, which I rarely get, I ran out of the room, refusing for them to get near my mouth with a NEEDLE. O_O" And thank you. You're review DID make your thoughts clearer. I hope there were parts in here that you enjoyed.

mudkipluvr4ever and robotmonkeys: Thank you for telling me what parts you liked. I hope you found more in this chapter.

Random things I must mention about this chapter:

I hope you guys are noticing the "Be careful, Roxas." moments.

I do NOT know the word for those hospital wall folder things.

Does anyone else cry when someone asks if they're okay or what's wrong?

You have witnessed the introduction of the Zemyx side pairing which will one day have a side story! Please comment on it! And also on the side SoRiku!

Okay, so I've been researching and I've realized that I didn't portray Sora and Roxas correctly. There's more to them than smiles and frowns. I think I did better in this chapter.

Do you like the new POV? I plan to keep it like that, I think…