Talking to the brat... again... and stuff...

[dork_of_keys]

Who: Sora, Roxas, Hazel, Riku
What: Sora's still trying to do something for the uncooperative brat
Where: The shack, Sora mind and Temple Town
When: A few days after Sora's first attempt to talk to Roxas without the weirdness of dreams.
Warnings: Mild language, mild violence... and that's just the narrative
Notes: Ongoing



Sora was not completely discouraged by his first encounter with Roxas. If anything, he was somewhat saddened by the lot the other side of his heart had drawn. If he could, he at least wanted to make the situation more bearable for Roxas somehow. The question was how he could do that. All he knew for certain was that Roxas was unhappy and he couldn't do anything without talking to the stubborn brat some more.

So it was that some time later, when he had the time to commit to it, he was trying again to reach the stubborn Nobody. On the plus side, the meditation went a little more smoothly this time. It was easier to clear his mind and focus on his goal. He went right for the stained glass this time, though he wasn't particularly surprised when he didn't find Roxas there. That meant the Nobody was either hiding elsewhere in Sora's memories or possibly even hiding out in his own memories. Sora hadn't the foggiest idea of how he could access Roxas's memories, but he knew he'd have to try. Still, it seemed like maybe searching his own memories first might be a better idea. At least he knew what he'd encounter there, although...

It was in this that he received another indication that Roxas could be a bit of a prick, as he found the robed one in his memories of the crazy battle in Hollow Bastion. More specifically, he was at the castle gate, watching what had happened shortly before Sora had found himself on Daear.

Wow, I didn't think Demyx was actually that capable in battle. Whether Roxas was aware right away that his thoughts were heard or not, Sora didn't have time to ponder. He noticed he wasn't alone as soon as Sora was within about ten feet of him and his response wasn't remotely civil.

Actually, his response was a well aimed Strike Raid that only missed because Sora had decent reflexes... or maybe it was because he didn't actually want to hurt Sora and so was not actually aiming for him, though Sora wasn't sure why he thought that.

“Why can't you leave me alone?” he asked. There was a low, threatening tone to his voice. It was a tone that didn't seem to fit and for the first time, Sora found himself thinking he'd heard this voice a very long time ago. But this was really not the time to be thinking of that.

“Why do you want to be alone?”

The memory they stood in faded, melting away to leave them on the stained glass. Roxas was quiet for a very long moment before he answered.

“How many reminders do I need that mine was an existence that wasn't meant to be?” That was about the most painful way he could word it and he scoffed when he realized that was how Sora saw it.

“Whether you were meant to exist or not and whether anyone even has any right to decide who can exist and who can't, you do exist. No one can take that from you.”

“You did.”

Now it was Sora's turn to take a long time to answer. Although what Roxas had said really wasn't true, Sora couldn't exactly refute it either. Anything he could say, true or not, would just sound like an excuse. Just as Roxas's own life had begun because of Sora, so it had ended as well and he was angry about it.

He had every right to be angry.

Do I really?

“Yes, you do.”

Having his thoughts answered startled Roxas and set him on the defensive again. He had his Keyblades in hand within the span of a heartbeat, but was clearly confounded when Sora didn't summon his own Keyblade.

For his part, Sora held out his hands, palms out in a gesture universally accepted as meaning that the person putting himself in such a vulnerable position had no intentions of bringing violence to the situation, “I don't want to fight you, Roxas.”

For a moment, Roxas didn't move, Keyblades still at the ready and his thoughts such a jumble that even though they were open to Sora, he couldn't make them out.

“Just leave me alone,” he said finally, dismissing his Keyblades and fleeing, Let me fade...

Fade? Did he really want to fade? Sora didn't like the sound of that. Concerned, he set off searching for Roxas again. His own memories were free of any signs of Roxas, which meant he had to try somehow to access Roxas's memories.

Why it occurred to him and why he went with it, he didn't know, but he found himself starting with his own memories of Twilight Town. Admittedly, he wasn't very familiar with the town, but he had the distinct impression that Roxas was. This impression proved to be accurate as he found himself knowing more about the town than he felt he should know. What possessed him to head up to the clock tower, he would never know. It wasn't a place he'd ever seen, but he saw it clearly, as if he was visiting it for real rather than just in his mind.

The hunch proved fruitful and he did find Roxas, sitting on the ledge... with his hood down. Sora didn't know what he was expecting when seeing Roxas. When he'd found himself catching a peek under the hood in their previous encounter, he had noticed the similarities in facial features, but he hadn't really seen any more than that. To his surprise, the Nobody's hair was blond rather than brown and though messy and spiky, it was not nearly as messy or spiky as Sora's hair.

Roxas didn't notice immediately that he had company and Sora really didn't want to startle him. He stayed where he was, just around the corner on the ledge, observing. He wasn't quite sure, but he thought maybe Roxas was crying. What he could catch of the other's thoughts was a jumble, but much of it was about the same topic: why was he still here rather than having faded away or being completely merged with Sora?

There was probably an answer in the more recent exchange they'd had, though. He could say he wanted to fade, but it likely wasn't true. He was... frightened? That made sense. Fading would either be dying or giving up the last of what made Roxas his own being. And that truly was a frightening thought either way. It also brought some explanation to some of the Organization's actions when dealing with Sora. Hadn't that knucklehead with the cue cards muttered something about releasing the subject's true nature or something like that? Did that mean they'd been looking to bring Roxas to the fore?

Lost in his own thoughts and forgetting he was observing someone who might take violent action upon discovering he wasn't alone, Sora shifted, his shoes scuffing the brick ledge. The scraping noise was enough to get Roxas's attention and he was up, alert and armed before Sora realized his error. It was when he looked up to see if he'd been heard that he knew there was going to be trouble. He was off guard and Roxas was already moving when it registered for Sora that he needed to move and move now. His furious backpedaling softened the heavy blow aimed at his middle somewhat, but he still had the wind knocked out of him and he was knocked back, sent sprawling again. Had the angle been different, he'd have fallen from the tower. Randomly, he wondered if that would have the same effect as falling in a dream, where the fright of a bad fall would shock the dreamer awake, but really, this was a bad time for random thoughts. He was about to get his ass kicked. Again.

As it was, he found himself prone and with a weapon pointed right at his face again. Roxas stood over him, blue eyes glimmering with confused anger and Sora found himself wondering if he looked quite so dangerous when he was angry.

“Can't you take a hint?” Roxas asked, his voice trembling even as his tone carried his anger with it.

Sora was tempted to make a snappy remark here, but he had the same questions about what would happen if he was struck down here that Roxas had had last time. The Nobody was already upset, angry, confused and frightened. If he was at all like the original heart that had created him in the first place, he was very dangerous at the moment. Someone had to be calm here and it looked like Sora was it.

Now that he could get a clear view of Roxas's face, it was obvious he had actually been crying. The temptation for a snappy comeback died altogether with that realization.

“I get that you want to be left alone,” Sora replied as calmly as he could, “But I don't think it's going to help or solve anything.”

“Then what will?” was the angry retort, each word punctuated with a prod in the chest, the sharp point of Oblivion breaking the skin. Since they were within their shared heart and mind, there was no blood, but the jabs felt real enough. Sora winced and found himself reflexively backing away a little before regaining his composure.

“That why I want to talk to you, to find out what we can do.”

That earned a bitter laugh and a cold reply, “We? Like I have a say in the matter?”

“You do. Why else are you still here?”

Roxas advanced on him then, pinning him down with the tip of Oblivion at his throat, “You tell me.”

“I didn't know about you until recently. If you truly wanted to fade, how could I stop you? I would have to have kn--” His words were cut off as Roxas flicked Oblivion up, smacking him in the jaw with the weapon before settling the tip against his adam's apple.

“That's bullshit and you know it.”

“Is it? How could I keep you here if I didn't even know you were here in the first place?”

It was clear that Roxas didn't have an answer for that and that fact seemed to add to his frustration. He was quiet for a very long moment, various emotions playing across his face. When he finally spoke, he was very obviously trying not to sound like he wanted to cry, “What do you even think you could do?”

“Whatever I can.”

“And what would that be?”

Sora couldn't blame him for being skeptical. Especially when his answer to the question wouldn't be helping matters any, “I don't know yet. But, anything has to be better than just fading away, don't you think?”

“Right, like being imprisoned in someone else's heart is better. Just your own little pet Nobody, how cute.” Whether Roxas was trying to find the cruelest ways he could to word things or it was just coming natural, Sora wasn't sure, but the tone of his voice didn't quite bear out the malice his words implied. Besides that, Sora was starting to realize that he could at least sense what Roxas was feeling. His guess about the mix of anger, confusion and fear had been right, though Roxas seemed to be calming down a little bit. It was odd now that Sora actually thought of it. Roxas had seemed to be in a much better mood when he'd poked into Sora's dreams to nudge him about the alternate universe issue. Had been taunting him actually. But the first time he'd tried meditating to talk to Roxas, he'd found himself dealing with a very angry, very violent and very pessimistic Roxas, though admittedly, his own stubbornness had played a part.

Personally, Sora felt confinement a better fate than death, especially if the one keeping you confined wanted to make the situation better for you if they could. But he knew he couldn't say that now. It was liable to get him hurt or worse.

“I wish it wasn't this way. It would have been better if we could have met under different circumstances. But we can't change what happened.”

“Tell me something I don't know. Like... how exactly is talking supposed to help? I don't think I can make it any more obvious how I feel about this crap.”

“Well, no, you probably can't. But it's surprising how much talking can help.”

Once again, Roxas stayed quiet for a long time, though this time he didn't seem quite so agitated. His expression wavered between curious and irritated before he finally spoke up, “You know, trying to help me somehow wasn't your original reason for wanting to talk to me.”

It was again Sora's turn to be quiet, though this time it had a lot to do with being ashamed. He hadn't thought of how the situation might be affecting Roxas until they'd come face-to-face without the surreality of dreams interfering. Eventually, he sighed, “That's true. And I'm sorry. I didn't even know about you until a short while ago. I didn't think you'd even still be here like this and when I found out, it didn't occur to me what it might be like for you.”

Roxas's silence this time was accompanied first by a look of irritation, then by a look of anger, only to wrap up with a fairly devious look and an unnerving remark, “You want to know what it's like?”

That was all the warning Sora got before Roxas raised his Keyblade and brought it down hard and fast, aiming for Sora's head. By what luck Sora managed to get his own Keyblade in hand and up to block before he could take a crushing blow, he wasn't sure. A half relearned Aero spell forced Roxas back a little and Sora got to his feet, fully on the defensive. The memory around them faded, leaving them once again on the stained glass platform. Roxas had not only an advantage in speed, but a full repertoire of spells and an aggressive style that left Sora wondering how best to fend him off without causing him undue harm. However, if seemed that even if he was willing to strike back, he just couldn't. Roxas already had the advantage and he pressed it for all it was worth. Eventually, he sent Sora's Keyblade flying and left him no time to even think about recalling it as he struck with a vicious downward diagonal slash across Sora's middle. Knocked to the ground again, his vision swimming, he heard Roxas comment on understanding why one party at least had wanted them to merge.

“He wasn't kidding. You really are too nice for your own good.”

That was the last thing Sora was aware of for a good long while...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Waking from a dream...

Coming up through the subconscious path Sora had taken to find him in the first place felt like waking from a dream to Roxas. Taking a real breath for the first time in over a month was odd too, more like the startled gasp of one waking from a nightmare, except that he was already sitting up and properly conscious. He was a bit disoriented at first, but he supposed that was to be expected. It passed quickly and it wasn't long before he was looking around the room, curious. He was pretty sure the only reason it wasn't cluttered was that Sora and Riku had only just moved in to the place a few days ago. As a result, the room was rather bare, containing only the bed on which he sat at the moment and a small dresser. Sora had deliberately picked a day when Riku was working and he was not to do this, so for the moment, except for the other half of his Heart, Roxas was alone.

After a moment, Roxas slid off the bed and reluctantly went looking for a mirror, not entirely surprised that the only mirror in the place was the bathroom mirror. He was pretty sure of what he would see and he was right about it, but it did bother him a little bit. Granted, as far as size and build went, he and Sora were identical simply for being two parts of a whole. So the only real differences between his appearance and Sora's were hair, skin tone and clothes. Sora's wild brown spikes just defied explanation, description and gravity. As for his clothes, well, Sora hadn't had any plans to go anywhere and so had been lounging around in his pajamas when he'd decided they needed to talk. Roxas tugged at the pajama top in mild exasperation.

“Chocobo prints?” But he snapped his/Sora's mouth shut as soon as the words were out. That was not his voice. Then again, this wasn't his body either and he had already had one instance of hearing Sora's voice as if it was his own, but that was an occasion he didn't like to think about.

He might have reflected on it more except that it was at that moment that he realized Sora had gone a good portion of the day without eating, if the grumble in his/Sora's stomach was any indication. This wouldn't have been too much of a problem except for the fact that he knew they didn't have a whole lot of food in the house, since they hadn't had a chance to stock the pantry yet. There were no leftovers of anything either. Not that Roxas couldn't cook, but he really didn't feel like it and anyway, the recipes he knew weren't possible with what was on hand. This narrowed his option down to calling for take out or going into one of the towns which was pretty much what Sora and Riku had been doing for the time being. Not only did they need food, they needed cooking utensils.

That kind of settled it for Roxas. He went back into Sora's room to find clothes, noting that even with what little the other side of his heart owned, there was still a considerable amount of disorganization. Sora had acquired other clothing to use for work or to wear around, mercifully. Personally, Roxas didn't care for the big yellow shoes or the excessive zippers and belts. He dug out the plainest article of clothing he could find... which were a pair of dark blue jeans with cargo pockets and slightly lighter blue long sleeve shirt. Apparently, when he didn't have more pressing matters, Sora noticed that the climate was cooler than his home world. The only other shoes Sora had besides the clown shoes were the work boots he'd gotten after nearly dropping something on his foot that would have crushed his toes. They were still over sized, but at least they were a less obnoxious color, being a very dark gray. Roxas wondered if he should go to the trouble of getting something else, but decided he'd put that off until he knew for sure what was going to happen from here. For all he knew, it might be easy for Sora to regain control and he might well have established himself as a threat.

It wasn't that he intended to keep control. There were too many reasons not to, chief among them being Riku. Alternate universe or not, dealing with him wasn't something Roxas felt like doing. But besides that, for all that he was fairly angry about his lot, he knew it wasn't exactly right to take it out on Sora. And the stubborn dork really did want to help him somehow. His frustration with that was in exactly how. This was not what Roxas wanted to be thinking of at the moment, though. What he wanted to be thinking of was what he was doing. He was hungry, because Sora seemed to have forgotten to eat and even though it really hadn't been that long, Roxas had forgotten what being hungry felt like to begin with, never mind going too long without eating. So, first order of business was...

First order of business was finding out where Sora kept his money, although that really wasn't hard. It was in a pouch sitting on top of the dresser in his room. After pocketing that, Roxas headed over to the bus stop not far from the shack. He had plenty of time to decide which town he was heading into before a bus to either arrived, though ultimately, he figured heading into the Temple Town might be better. The Port Town may have had access to some goods, being a trading center, but Roxas had been paying attention when Sora had found out the best place to go for some of the things he'd wanted for the kitchen was the smithy in the Temple Town. There were also better food options in the Temple Town. And that was the first thing Roxas headed for when he got off the bus, ultimately finding his way to a ramen stand simply because the smells wafting out of the place had been that appetizing. It seemed he wasn't the only one. The little stand was busy, but there where a couple of seats open and he didn't have to wait too long for his order. While he was waiting, though, he just watched people walking by on the street and considered where he was going after he ate.

Comments

[mediocrespells]

It wasn't really unusual for Hazel to see familiar faces in the Temple Town. She may not know most of their names but, she was known by most of the locals.

What was unusual was coming across someone she wouldn't mind talking to for more than a few seconds. She may not have known Sora for very long but, he didn't make her feel as awkward as most people did.

She debated stopping for a few seconds. Even though she wasn't really that hungry yet it was only a matter of a few minutes until the embarrassing tummy grumbles started.

She was supposed to be on her way home from studying at the temple but, it wouldn't hurt to have some ramen now. It was certainly a more appetizing option than the granola bar she had in her pocket. Sure having a snack after studying helped her recover her energy quicker but, she really needed to start picking them out herself.

Her mind made up she took an empty seat next to Sora.

"Hello Sora," she greeted quietly. "Nice day, isn't it?" She supposed it was better than talking about her studies. Hopefully she'd get some food before her stomach decided to join the conversation.

[dork_of_keys]

It would be when Roxas had decided to turn away from his people watching that someone would approach and strike up a converstaion. Not that he'd completely written off any possibility of meeting people Sora new, but he hadn't expected to bump into the shy witch at a ramen stand either. All he knew about her was her name, that she was shy and that she was studying to learn how to make the portals that could get people back to their home worlds. If Sora had learned anything about her besides that, Roxas hadn't been paying attention.

Still, he didn't want to raise any suspicion if he could help it, so the best course of action was to go ahead and chat with her.

"Uh, hi. Yeah, is kind of nice today." Well that was lame, but he was reasonably certain Sora would have said something along the same lines.

[mediocrespells]

Roxas was probably lucky that Hazel still didn't know Sora very well. And she was distracted with ordering some ramen. It would probably take something much more obvious for her to notice that something was off.

"Mmmhmm, would've been nicer if I wasn't studying all morning." Not that she could really blame nice weather for her dislike of studying in the temple. If she hadn't grown fond of Granny she might have given up on the whole portal thing by now.

[dork_of_keys]

For his part, Roxas stayed calm enough and he soon had the excuse of his order coming up. At least it would give him an excuse for not seeming to want to talk. Not that he would ignore her if she spoke to him but he might seem a little distracted, at the very least until he finished eating.

He couldn't really sympathize on studying, but he supposed work keeping one from enjoying a nice day was close enough and there had been days with the Organization where he'd wished he wasn't on a mission so he could just enjoy the day.

"Mmm. Well, the day's not over yet."

[mediocrespells]

For a few moments it seemed like Hazel wouldn't try to continue the conversation. She wasn't even sure she wanted to but, she didn't have anything better to do while she waited for her food.

"I'm probably not going to feel up to doing anything by the time I get home." Having to walk over a mile home didn't really help with her lack of energy. She considered asking her mom to get her a bicycle or something. Of course she hadn't ridden one since she was about nine but, she was sure she could still do so if she tried.

[dork_of_keys]

"Oh..." For lack of anything better to say and with a bowl of noodles plunked down in front of him, Roxas turned his attention to his lunch for a moment, once again mentally grumbling about Sora managing to forget to eat all day.

'If we are stuck coexisting like this, he has some habits he needs to break...' he thought, before trying to think of something more intelligent to say to Hazel. Unfortunately, he was drawing a blank and so there was only awkward silence.

[mediocrespells]

The conversation might have ended there if Hazel hadn't been wondering about something she's heard recently.

"So is it true that one of those Chocobos followed you home like a lost puppy?" Blurting it out like that probably wasn't the best way to bring it up. She likely should have reworded it instead of saying it the way she heard it too.

If she thought about it later she'd probably blame being tired and hungry.

[dork_of_keys]

At first, the question caused Roxas a mild bit of panic. He had no idea what she was talking about until he recalled that when Sora had finally gotten some information on the alternate universe issues, he'd been riding a Chocobo. But that was all he was sure of. On the plus side, he could pass off his surprise as being surprised at her bluntness rather than at the question itself.

Still, it sounded about right for Sora to manage to bring home a stray and it did explain the random thought Sora had had one day about the headache of acquiring tack and saddle for an avian mount in an area where horses were the preferred beast of burden. Personally, Roxas thought that was a headache that Sora should have expected.

"Uh, yeah," he replied, hoping she didn't press for any details. He had no idea what Sora had named the bird, if he even had, though it was obvious the bird hadn't been completely wild if it was already trained for riding.

[mediocrespells]

His reaction kind of worried her. Not that something might be off with him but, that she might have said something wrong. It wasn't that strange to blurt something was it?

"Ah, sorry. That was kinda random wasn't it?" Was the subject unpleasant? She'd gotten the impression that he liked the birds from a previous conversation. Was she wrong?

She poked uncomfortably at her noodles when they were set in front of her. If they weren't too hot at the moment she might have started eating just to avoid saying something else that was awkward.

[dork_of_keys]

"I-it's okay," he said quickly, "Yeah, it was a little random." He wasn't so sure about the situation being unpleasant, though he did know that reason Sora had been riding the bird almost as soon as he'd befriended it was because he'd had his ass handed to him by... Tonberries, were they? All he knew for sure on that was that Sora hadn't been expecting the things to be as dangerous as they were.

For the record, Hazel was right about Sora liking Chocobos. On the other hand, Roxas had yet to even meet the bird or get to know it, so he had no idea.

He would have left as soon as he finished eating, but that seemed like it might be a bit rude. Instead, he got a refill of tea and resumed his people watching. If Hazel wanted to continue the conversation, that was up to her.

[mediocrespells]

Hazel stalled her reply by eating some of her noodles. It gave her a few seconds to come up with something less awkward at least.

"So um... How's Riku doing?" It was kinda lame but, it was a safe subject... Wasn't it?

[dork_of_keys]

It might have been a safer subject if Roxas hadn't been in the middle of taking a sip of tea when the question was asked. Unfortunately, he was and that resulted in him choking on said sip of tea.

On top of that, he really didn't have an answer for the question. He knew Riku was probably at work, but where that was, he didn't know. Still, he could probably give a bullshit answer. It wasn't likely that Hazel would be meeting up with him later.

He certainly hoped she wouldn't be meeting him any time soon. Things might get awkward then. In any case, he didn't answer the question right away.

[mediocrespells]

That was odd. Hazel didn't want to assume anything but, if that wasn't because of her question she didn't know what else to think. She didn't really want to think Sora just randomly choked on his tea for no reason at all. But what could possibly be wrong with asking about his friend?

"Are you okay?" She wondered if she should really be as worried as she was starting to feel.

[dork_of_keys]

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Don't know what happened there." Both points were lies, but like hell was Roxas going to say anything that might cause problems... not because he particularly gave a damn, but because causing problems for Sora and Riku was a sure way to make things more miserable for himself than they already were.

He reached for a napkin as he thought over what he was going to say next. It would look stupid if Sora didn't know how Riku was doing. Sora wasn't quite that inattentive, though if Riku was making enough of an effort, Sora might not be aware if anything was wrong.

"Um, Riku's fine," he said after a bit of thought. He was quiet a moment before adding, "At least I think. He does hide stuff sometimes..." He was pretty sure that was something Sora knew about and was probably concerned about.

That she seemed to be getting a little suspicious did not go unnoticed, but he wasn't going to address it unless she gave him a reason to.

[mediocrespells]

It was possible that he just had some tea go down the wrong pipe and the timing was a coincidence. She couldn't really shake the uneasy feeling she had though.

"Okay..." She wasn't sure she felt much like eating anymore and pushed her half eaten ramen away.

[dork_of_keys]

Roxas really hadn't intended to make Hazel uncomfortable and now he kind of felt bad for it. He supposed that the least he could, and probably what Sora would have done, was offer to pay for her lunch.

"Sorry, I'm... just having kind of an off day." He fished some money out, "Here, let me get that. I didn't... mean to make things so awkward." Awkward was putting it mildly, he knew, but he didn't think it really needed more commentary than that.

[mediocrespells]

Well at least he managed to distract her from worrying about him for a minute... By making her feel even more awkward about something else.

"You don't have to do that. I don't really need the money for anything." And she didn't. Her parents got her all she needed. If he ended up paying she'd feel really bad since he needed money not only to pay for a decent place to live but, also to get home.

[dork_of_keys]

He knew damn well what Sora's financial situation was and what effect that had on how soon they could return to their own realm. Paying for Hazel's lunch wasn't that big of a setback.

"Are you sure? It's really not big deal..." He wasn't going to press any further is she refused it again.

[mediocrespells]

"I'm sure." It was a good thing he didn't plan to push it. That may have made her want to crawl under a rock.

She dug her money out and stood to go.

"I should probably get home." By then she kind of looked like she needed a good nap. "See you around I guess." She hoped maybe next she saw him she'd have managed to shake that uneasy feeling.

[dork_of_keys]

"Uh, see you."

Well that had been a bit on the lame side. At least she hadn't figured out that she wasn't actually talking to Sora, despite appearances. That would have made things even more awkward, if that was possible. Still, it occurred to Roxas that maybe he ought to finish up what he came into town for and get back...

[dork_of_keys]

The day hadn't been a total waste. Roxas had managed to have himself a day out without anyone realizing there was something 'off' with Sora. Amazingly, he didn't find Sora trying to wrest control back from him. Either the stubborn dork was really out of it or he was deliberately staying back for some reason. In either case, Roxas was enjoying actually experiencing things and being certain of what he was feeling, rather than wondering if he was feeling it because Sora was or if it was something in his or Sora's memory.

He still wasn't sure why he'd gone and picked up a few things he knew Sora had intended to pick up anyway, though he supposed it helped, especially on the possibility that Sora had told Riku he planned to get those items.

Speaking of Riku, that was a small dilemma there. While this alternate reality stuff was kind of intriguing, it did sort of present a problem, especially with what had happened to this Riku. Not that Roxas thought it was entirely undeserved, though he supposed the other him could have handled things a bit differently. Still, it meant this Riku was quite unlikely to trust him. On the other hand, it was probably not as big of an issue as it seemed and the only reason Roxas was over thinking it was that he was sleepy, but not entirely certain he wanted to go to sleep just yet. However, eventually, sleep won out once he decided to lie down and make himself comfortable. He supposed he could pester Sora some more in the morning...

[silentcoast]

Speaking of pestering, Roxas would have to address the nuisance that had just popped up. Or rather laid down on top of him, as Riku had just flopped down on the bed, draping himself across his best friend's legs. Or who he thought was his best friend, anyway.

Maybe it was because they hadn't been around one another all day, but so far, Riku had failed to notice anything off with Sora. Thus, Roxas was greeted with a smile and a small wave.

[dork_of_keys]

The sudden weight over his/Sora's legs was a wee bit startling to Roxas's sleepy mind. So it was that he rather quickly propped himself part way up to look and see just who or what was there... and stared blankly for a moment as he realized it was Riku. Now, logically, he should have realized that there would be no violence forth coming, even if this Riku was from an alternate universe where Roxas was the one responsible for his inability to speak beyond a whisper seeing as the one whose face Riku saw at the moment was Sora.

Logic, however, has no place in a still half asleep mind and Roxas scrabbled to dislodge Riku from the bed, intending to jump off on the other side of the bed. However, whether or not that would work depended largely on Riku's response to Roxas trying to knock him off the bed...

[silentcoast]

Well, that wasn't what Riku had expected to happen. Usually Sora didn't freak out at Riku just for being there, and thus Riku was extremely confused. And startled, since he had no warning at all when Sora/Roxas tried to kick him off of the bed.

Fortunately for Roxas, it worked...for the most part. Riku didn't particularly want to be on the floor, and on his way off the bed, attempted to grab onto his friend's leg to avoid falling.

[dork_of_keys]

And now Roxas was being dragged to the floor with Riku... not that he wanted to be on the floor either. Although, by this point, he was semi-aware of his mistake. It didn't make hitting the floor with a lovely THUD any more bearable, but at least he was awake enough now to realize that no this wasn't back when he'd been kidnapped. Unfortunately, it also meant he got to deal with Riku now, which he hadn't wanted.

Rather than get up right away, Roxas found himself staring, half dumbfounded and half annoyed. What was Riku even doing flopping into Sora's bed like that? His irritation probably showed more than his puzzlement and the glare he gave, which he really didn't intend to at the moment, was probably enough to tip Riku off to just who he was dealing with.

[silentcoast]

Riku stared right back, equally annoyed, but also confused. Usually, if Sora was angry for whatever reason, Riku could tell and would avoid him, but that hadn't been apparent until just a minute ago, when they were both still on the bed.

"What's your problem?" he hissed, glad that even at a low volume, he could still sound irritated.

[dork_of_keys]

So he didn't realize it. Roxas was quiet for a moment, realizing he might be able to salvage the situation and keep Riku from realizing who he was talking to. Maybe. Hopefully. If his voice didn't give him away...

"You... you startled me." He knew it sounded lame and he realized it might not help his case. Lying especially wouldn't help his case, although he wasn't really lying about being startled. It was whatever topic might come up after that he might have to bullshit his way through...

[silentcoast]

Riku huffed. So far, Roxas was doing a decent job at pretending to be Sora, even despite his flaily response to Riku just a few minutes ago. But it still stood that he was juuust a bit irritated.

What happened next depended on how much sign language Roxas had managed to pick up from hanging around in Sora's subconscious, because Riku's response consisted of a sign, followed by spoken words mixed with some gestures.

"Didn't have to push me," that part was emphasized by a sweeping gesture. "Off the bed."

[dork_of_keys]

Unfortunately for Roxas, he'd only picked up about a quarter of the signs Sora had and that only because he tended to eavesdrop on Sora's conversations. The sweeping gesture was not one he'd picked up and he had no way of knowing if Sora knew it. As such, it had him pausing to try to puzzle it out from context, of which there was plenty given that Riku had spoken as well.

"... Sorry." Probably also unfortunately for Roxas, it was fairly obvious from his tone that the apology was not really sincere, whereas with Sora, it would definitely have been sincere. He realized as soon as the word was out of his mouth that Riku might pick up on that. Whether or not Riku realized from it that he was talking to Roxas and not Sora was another story, though...

[silentcoast]

Unfortunately, Riku had know way of knowing what signs Sora had picked up or managed to remember, but the sweeping one wasn't an actual one as far as Riku knew. Not one that was in the book he had read...at least half a year ago.

He did pick up on the tone of Roxas' apology and stared at him suspiciously. That was a bit unusual. Cue suspicious staring for a few seconds longer before Riku grabbed the front of Roxas' shirt. Not roughly, but just firm enough to keep him there if he decided to move.

"Sora...?"

[dork_of_keys]

The suspicious stare was hint number one that Roxas might have been caught. Being grabbed by the front of his shirt was hint number two. The second point also startled him enough to cause him to try to scoot away, though he realized rather quickly that it might be a bad idea. Then again, his answer now was probably also a bad idea, but he doubted he could cover up now.

"... No."

Hate youuu html

[silentcoast]

Riku kept his hand there, eyes narrowed while he waited for the response. And right when he got it, that expression changed completely, from suspicion to surprise.

"...Roxas?"

He hoped it wasn't. He didn't want to deal with Roxas. Not at the moment, anyway. He wanted to talk to Roxas when he didn't look like Sora, because regardless of which universe he came from, he still had a very strong urge to punch the blond kid in the face if he had the chance. Hell if he was punching Sora.

I was feeling mean...

[dork_of_keys]

Roxas only nodded in response, though he kind of wanted to ask who else it would possibly be. But he was pretty sure snarking the guy that sort of had him pinned down was a bad idea, even if a good Aero spell would knock him on his ass. So he left his response at a simply nod.

Truthfully, though, Roxas really didn't want to fight with Riku. What happened to him in his own reality really shouldn't have and Roxas wasn't sure he wanted to know how his alternate self could have come to the decision to do that.

Indeed

[silentcoast]

There wasn't much he could say to a nod. There was certainly a lot he could do at that moment, and he curled and uncurled his free hand a few times, debating those things. It wasn't his Roxas. It was silly to exact revenge on someone that wasn't the person he had an issue with, despite the fact that they were pretty much the same person.

"Go away."

He didn't punch Roxas, as he wanted to, but shoved him roughly away and stood up, intending to leave Roxas alone.

[dork_of_keys]

Roxas didn't miss the curling and uncurling of the hand that was not restraining him. For a long moment, he was afraid Riku would hit him, would disregard that he'd also have to hurt Sora for that. It was a relief when he didn't.

What Riku said, however, rather irked him, though the rough shove delayed him from commenting.

"'Go away' you say. Where am I supposed to go?"