Author's Ramble: Chapter five! I was in a bit of a Death Cab for Cutie mood... I also just got Narrow Stairs for my birthday, so I needed to listen to I Will Possess your Heart. It's suiting for this story, actually. Anyways, usual warnings apply, especially with this chapter. Roxas gets a little lonely... XP And thank you to all who have faved, alerted and the lone one who has been brave enough to review. Don't be shy to tell me what you think! I'm dying to know.
Oh, and this one was sort of a birthday present to myself. So... HAPPY BIRTHDAY ME. XD

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, The World Ends with You (Yeah, I sort of am making this a cross over...), the band Death Cab for Cutie or their songs I Will Possess your Heart and Someday You Will Be Loved.

There are days when outside your window
I see my reflection as I slowly pass,
And I long for this mirrored perspective
When we'll be lovers, lovers at last . . .

- I Will Possess your Heart, Death Cab for Cutie

Present

The next day, Roxas started his real work. He looked up Destiny Islands on the local library’s computer. The Islands were about a hundred miles south of Oldtown, and ten miles out to sea. A little place away from the rest of the world. No wonder Riku had wanted to leave there so badly. With a population of only five hundred people, Riku must have been pulling the hair out of his head to get off that place.

Roxas blinked a few times, turning away from the computer screen. He’d been trying to find everything he could dig up about the islands for the past two hours. He hadn’t gotten much, just a bunch of tourist offers mostly. But he had dug up a list of apartments that were leasing, plus the cost of getting out to the islands. Over all, it would cost 15,000 munny for Roxas to get there, get a ferry across to the island, rent an apartment and get some furniture. That was 15,000 munny he didn’t have. Not to mention food. With a tired groan he rested his head on the keyboard and closed his eyes.

The person at the computer next to him stood up and bumped his rickety desk station as they hurried past. Roxas’ eyes flew open and he sat up, realizing that he needed to get a move on finding some sort of job. As the man in a dark sweatshirt with the hood up retreated and the tired blonde looked after them, he noticed a crumpled piece of paper that must have fallen out of his pocket. Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, Roxas leaned over and picked up the flyer. Flattening it out, he read:

Ready to make some NOISE?

The band NOISE is currently holding auditions for a new lead singer. Yes, that’s right. It’s your big chance to leach onto our awesome talent. We’re that cool to let you common people have the chance at awesomeness. The person we find worthy will get a fair share of all munny earned at gigs.

Auditions are being held at 867 Traverse Street on the 19th, 20th, and 21st from one to four. No need to call or anything, just show up. But only show up if you have talent. Please.

Roxas wasn’t sure if he should laugh or not at the flyer in his hands. But he thought about how much munny one of those gigs could get him… it would get him closer to Riku too… wouldn’t it? But what if they wanted a full-time lead singer?

Who cares? Roxas finally decided, his jaw set as he stood up and grabbed his backpack. Today’s the last day for auditions. If I don’t go now, I’ll never find out. Plus, this is what I promised I’d do. I’d get on with my life.

He threw his backpack over his shoulder and headed down the stairs of the library. Before heading outside to his bike, he stopped and asked the librarian where Traverse Street was located. It was about a good two miles bike away, but Roxas had time. It was only noon. The blonde took a deep breath as he stepped out of the stuffy confines of the library and into the crisp fall afternoon. Roxas had biked three miles from Marluxia’s apartment to there. The library was very close to the old conservatory in the downtown district. Roxas wondered if he should go back, but caught himself before he began to pedal in that direction after mounting his bike. There was nothing there, and he’d just be wasting more time. As the autumn wind picked up again, Roxas began biking towards the quaint shopping district, passing by the display windows showing cider and pumpkins to carve. He turned into the more suburban streets and was caught up in the beauty of the trees lining the road. Though a lot of trees were already stripped of their leaves, many still held bright colors of red, orange and yellow. He passed through the neighborhoods until he found the street he was looking for.

Traverse Street held two rows of older homes that all showed they needed a bit of renovation. They were small and squat and were set back far from the street. Roxas followed the rows until he ended up at the foot of a driveway of a house with yellow pastel siding (which was a pretty common house color in the area) and a front porch. Offset from the house was a pretty big garage that had its door open. A guitar and an array of electronic keyboards and computer equipment were set up inside, and two people who appeared to be in their mid-teens were sorting out wires and microphones.

That was when it struck Roxas that he was being pretty desperate to come to a garage band ensemble for a bit of munny. But he had to admit to himself it wasn’t just the munny. It was a chance to sing again—to sing and be heard. The singer got off the bike he’d borrowed from Marluxia and walked it up the driveway. The two teens paused in their work to stare at him. The girl who was fiddling with the guitar had a large hat that covered most of her pink hair, though some of it poked out. She wore boots that reached past her knees, a mini skirt and a skimpy belly shirt. The boy who was plugging in a pair of headphones he wore over his spiky orange hair looked rather disinterested. But that could have just been his shirt that’s collar covered a part of his face from view. After a moment, the girl smiled and stepped forward.

“Are you here for tryouts?” she asked, smiling widely and holding out her hand.

“He’s half and hour early,” came a flat remark from the orange haired boy.

“Neku, cut it out! We need people to tryout and you know it!” the girl shot at the boy named Neku who merely shrugged and continued to set up his equipment.

Turning back to Roxas, the girl smiled and offered her hand again. Roxas shook it with a weak smile. “I’m Shiki, and this is Neku. We’re the two remaining members of NOISE. Have you heard of us?”

Roxas gave an embarrassed shrug and admitted, “Er… well actually, no. I mean, I saw your flyer, but I just came to town.”

“Oh, a drifter?” Shiki said, giving a coy smile. “Where you from?”

“Twilighttown.”

“Wow! You’re pretty far from home! Oh, and I didn’t catch your name.”

“I’m Roxas… is it okay that I showed up early?” The blonde looked at Neku for this answer. He’d just finished setting up a computer and speakers. He nodded once and put his hands deep into his pockets. Roxas parked his bike against the garage and left his backpack near it. Shiki offered him a mike.

“How long have you been singing?” she asked, going over to her guitar and pulling the strap over her slim shoulder.

“Well… um… I haven’t sang in a few years…”

Neku rolled his eyes at Shiki, who bit her lip nervously. “Why’d you suddenly think it was a good idea to start again?” he challenged as he stepped towards one of the keyboards.

Roxas’ grip on his microphone tightened and his cerulean eyes narrowed at the younger teen. “Because I need to.”

Shiki and Neku exchanged looks once more. Neku shrugged and Shiki smiled. “Want us to play something, or do you want to sing solo?” she asked, giving a supportive pat on her guitar.

Roxas racked his brain for something he could sing. “Well… what’s your guys style?”

“Alternative punk… with synthesizers,” Shiki said with a giggle. Neku glared. “We’re looking for something a bit different. Something you don’t hear everyday? Just give us what you got!”

Thinking once more, Roxas gave a nod. He knew something he might be able to dish out. Making sure the mike was on and telling Neku and Shiki that he didn’t need them to play anything he took a deep breath and opened his mouth to sing for the first time in about five years.

“I once knew a girl in the years of my youth

With eyes like the summer all beauty and truth

But In the morning I fled, left a note and it read

Someday you will be loved . . .”

After Roxas finished the first part of the song, he took a deep breath and looked around. He’d been staring out the street while he sang. Shiki and Neku were silent, giving each other a staring contest. It would appear they were communicating through eyebrow movements.

Finally Neku turned to Roxas, his face giving nothing away.

“Our first gig’s in a week. How quick can you learn four songs?”

Roxas returned to Marluxia’s apartment tired and satisfied. It was about six o’clock and getting dark, and he’d been out all day. Marluxia was flopped on the couch, still in his clothes that were permanently stained with dirt from the botanical gardens. The pink haired gardener looked up from the TV show he’d been watching as Roxas walked in with a broad smile on his face.

“From the way you look your day’s been rather successful,” Marluxia noted blandly. He flicked the TV off and motioned for the younger boy to sit down beside him. “Happy hunting, I presume?”

“It’s going to cost me 15,000 munny to get down to Destiny Islands and stay there long enough to find Riku and… well, god I don’t know what I’m going to do when I find him but I don’t really care! I just need to get there and I need to—“

“Whoa! Slow down!” Roxas had hopped onto the couch, his whole body shaking with excitement as he spoke. Marluxia put his hand on the blonde’s shoulder and patted him lightly. “You’re going to give yourself a heart attack. Since when did you get so excited? Ever?”

“I… I don’t know!” Roxas said, jumping to his feet as he began to pace the flat’s living room. He ran his hands through his messy hair as he spoke, azure eyes wild with a fire that hadn’t been there in a long time. “I just… I’m going to be singing again. I got a job with a band and I’m going to be doing shows so I can find Riku and… I don’t know… I just haven’t felt like this in a long time.”

Marluxia stared over his shoulder to watch Roxas pace, a smirk on his face. “Don’t you get it, kid?”

“What?”

“You’re alive again. Welcome back.”

Yeah, Roxas thought with a laugh he let escape his lips. I’m back.

That night, as Roxas lay in bed he let his eyes close and his mind wonder. The room was dark; aside from the light of a streetlamp that painted interact pictures of shadow on the wall. He wondered what it would be like to see Riku again. What would happen? He wandered into memories of broken curfews and forgotten rules. Of crinkled sheets and lazy Sundays.

What had happened to them?

Roxas felt his fingers slip down from where they’d been resting on his stomach as he stared at the ceiling, giving up on keeping his eyes closed. Those fingers were the physical embodiment of where his mind was going. From crinkled sheets and lazy Sundays, to what happened before those mornings. On those heated Saturday nights, no matter the weather outside Riku’s dorm.

His hand was betraying him. He had pointedly erased those memories so he wouldn’t have nights like this, lying in bed unable to stop himself. But his hand slipped past boxer elastic anyways.

And it felt good to pretend it was Riku. It felt good to pretend that he was lying in the silver haired teen’s dorm room at midnight, cradled between his legs. Good to pretend Riku was breathing hot on his neck, excited and needy. Roxas arched his back, believing that it was all really happening again.

Eyes closed tightly once more, it was easy to pretend as he felt a warm, sticky substance signal the end of the fantasy.

When it was all over, Roxas didn’t feel the same. He felt dirty for using his memories for sick nightly fantasy. After cleaning up the mess and crawling back into bed, he felt a few quiet tears slide down his face before he closed his eyes for the last time that night so he may finally fall asleep.

And as he did, one of the shadows on the wall shifted as the man standing outside the window began to walk away from his hiding spot in one of Marluxia’s elegantly crafted bushes. As he neared the streetlamp, he took off the hood of his sweatshirt, the eerie golden glow illuminating chaotic flaming red hair.