Text Bokutachi No Hibi (Our Days) A Roxas And Xion Story

[Yuya Sakaki 5,212]

Good work partner

I can't wait fo see everyones reactions to the ending muehehehe...wait for it

Haha, indeed.  Thank you dear.  And yes, only you and I know the ending, mowahahahahahahahaha! *thunder crackles.* 

 

What could you two possibly be cooking up? O.o At least leave some subtle hints in the story.

 

Okay, despite being a short chapter, it really gave some insight about Roxas and Xion's thoughts at this present time. I loved that dramatic irony about how both thought the other was sleeping soundly but really weren't Dramatic irony is truly great...

 

I managed to find a typo/misspelling:

 

"a man who had made so many people laugh, turned out to be a person who hided his suffering."

 

The word should be "hid". Though I'll admit that allusion to Robin Williams was a nice tribute to him. It's such a shame he's gone

 

Not sure if I have mentioned this before, but your writing is decent at creating images in one's head, which is very good! Creating distinct images really goes a long way!

 

As always, I'll be on the lookout for the next installment.

 

Peace!

Edited September 2, 2014 by CaelumMare

[Keyblade101 526]

Great chapter. I can't wait for the next one.

[Kirie 3,489]

What could you two possibly be cooking up? O.o At least leave some subtle hints in the story.Okay, despite being a short chapter, it really gave some insight about Roxas and Xion's thoughts at this present time. I loved that dramatic irony about how both thought the other was sleeping soundly but really weren't Dramatic irony is truly great...I managed to find a typo/misspelling:The word should be "hid". Though I'll admit that allusion to Robin Williams was a nice tribute to him. It's such a shame he's gone :(Not sure if I have mentioned this before, but your writing is decent at creating images in one's head, which is very good! Creating distinct images really goes a long way! :DAs always, I'll be on the lookout for the next installment.Peace!

I won't spoil you

[Yuya Sakaki 5,212]

I won't spoil you

Please don't XDNothing worse than spoilers.Peace!

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

Hey there everyone, good evening, here’s another chapter!  Thank you for your patience, comments and support!  And my apologies for taking so long to post this chapter!  I hope that I’ve been able to please you all with posting the chapters as often as I do!  I hope that you all enjoy the chapter!  Read on, my faithful followers!

 

Chapter Seven: A Long Day Ahead

(Start Song Here)

  Roxas was practically sleeping on the bus.  He was so sleepy that he hadn’t even eaten breakfast!  Ventus and Vanitas were in the front seat, and Ventus kept glancing back, worrying for his brother.  Vanitas didn’t bother much, as he simply leaned back on the seat and yawned and fell asleep as well.  Ventus then looked at Vanitas irritatingly and then rolled his eyes.  As the most responsible brother, it was his duty to keep tabs on his two siblings, but seeing as how things were going, it seemed that this was out of his control.  The other students in the bus were talking to each other, and Ventus could hear different types of conversations ranging from video games to fashion to the latest movies to even perverted things.  Ventus then glanced over to Roxas again, who was sleeping soundly.  From the looks of it, Roxas hadn’t had a good night’s rest, and that worried Ventus greatly.  He wanted to know what was going on.  He wanted to be of help to his brother, and so he shook Vanitas awake and then looked at him with a concerned face.

 

  “Vanitas, I think Roxas wasn’t able to sleep well last night…” he said in a hushed tone, as if no one else could be allowed to get in on their conversation.  Vanitas simply scoffed.

 

  “Jeez, Ven, you have a tendency to overreact over such simple things. Okay, Roxas didn’t sleep well, everyone has rough nights!  I’m sure it’s nothing, we just have to let him sort things out for himself.  He has to learn to grow up.” he said, sounding like a jerk, but speaking true words.

 

  “I know, but still, I can’t help but worry about him.  Aren’t you worried about him at all?” Ven asked curiously, keeping his gaze on Vanitas.

 

  “Well of course I’m worried about him!  I may be a jerk, but I do care, just so you know!  But as I said, we have to let him sort things out.  Hey may love us and care about us, but I bet that he wouldn’t tell us what’s on his mind, at least not easily.  He doesn’t like to bother anyone with his troubles.  That’s just the kind of kid he is.  Pfft, the moron, always caring for other people except himself.  He really is something else.  But one day, he’ll need someone to rely on.  And I think that someone isn’t too far off. For all we know, things might turn in a different direction now.” Vanitas said, as he rolled his eyes and faced forward and leaned back on the seat again, resuming his nap.  Ventus agreed with Vanitas’ words and decided to let the matter drop.

 

  The minute the bus stopped, Vanitas woke up from his nap and then chuckled to himself, and Ventus, feeling curious as to Vanitas’ mischievous laughter, looked at him questioningly.

(End Song Here)

 

  “Now what are you up to?” Ventus asked.

 

  “Oh, me?  I’m just gonna hit on the hotties.  Now that I know the school perimeter better, it’s time to ditch classes and hang with the ladies, you know how it goes!” Vanitas said, as he trailed off the bus in search of girls to flirt with.  Ventus rolled his eyes and then shook Roxas gently awake.

 

  “Hey, we’re here.  You slept the whole trip.” Ventus said with a smile.  Roxas yawned and rubbed his eyes.  Then he slowly woke up.

 

  “Sorry about that Ven…I couldn’t sleep last night, and I didn’t even eat breakfast.  I’m sorry.” Roxas said apologetically, and Ventus smiled and shook his head.

 

  “Don’t worry about it.  Now come on, time to go to class.” Ventus said, as they walked out of the bus and went their separate ways.  Now Roxas was walking towards the classroom.

 

  I struggled to stay awake.  With every step I took, I felt sleepier and sleepier.  I should’ve just stayed at home.  Maybe then I could’ve been able to get a decent rest.  But there was no turning back now.  The only thing that panicked me was that Professor Watanabe would skewer me if she saw my drowsy face.  So I had two decisions: ditch class or struggle to stay awake in class.  Nah, I couldn’t risk ditching class, the professor would have my head for it!  Unwillingly, I decided to keep going towards the classroom.  Then I remembered the score I had to settle with Seifer.  He’d be around, just waiting to pounce on me and beat me up!  But to my surprise, he was nowhere to be seen…which was a little odd, considering that Seifer was the type of person that looked like he’d never back down from a fight…but hey, what do I know?

 

  “Look out!!!” a voice boomed from across the hallway.  Before I even had the remote chance of getting out of the way, I was bumped to the ground and I landed with a thud.  When I looked up, it was none other than Tidus who had bumped into me!  He seemed to be in a rush.

 

  “Oh, sorry about that Roxas, I can’t talk right now, I’m late!” was all Tidus could say to me, as he disappeared just as suddenly as he had appeared.  I had to give the guy credit, he was one hell of a runner.

 

  As I finally made it to the classroom, I made sure to sit on the very last seat at the corner of the classroom, facing the window.  I figured the professor wouldn’t be paying much attention to the back of the classroom, so being in this far away seat was the convenient thing to do.  As class began, I tried to stay awake, doing my best to write down notes, but halfway through the professor’s lesson, my body felt so heavy and my eyes so tired that I couldn’t help but lay my head on my desk, yawning and falling asleep.  I tried to fight against my urge to sleep, but I just couldn’t resist.  The desk felt so comfortable, and since some clouds had decided to block the sun, I didn’t feel hot from the sun’s rays.  And well, considering the classroom had air conditioning, this was practically the perfect setup for falling asleep.  With that being said, I lost the battle of staying awake and fell into slumber.  As I slightly moved my head to get more comfortable, I started to have the same dream as always. But this time, everything was blinding white.  There was nothing surrounding me, just white from horizon to horizon.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “What is this?” I asked to myself, shifting my head from side to side, hoping to see something, or someone, anything!  But I was drifting in that empty white space for who knows how long, and without anyone to pull me out.

 

  “Help me…please…help me…” a distant voice said.  I quickly turned around and saw the blurry image of the girl that was always in my dream.  She was calling out for help?  Did she need me to help her?  Was there anything at all that I could do to help her?  Slowly, I made my way to the girl, but the closer I got, the further away I felt from her!

 

  I felt as if though my body was fighting against me, like if it was preventing me from reaching the girl.  It was the strangest feeling I had ever felt!  I couldn’t explain why my body felt this way, but it did!  As I struggled with my own body, I heard the girl’s voice calling out to me again, this time sounding weaker and further away.  I desperately tried with all my might to chase after the girl, and suddenly, I was pulled down abruptly by nothing at all.  It felt like I had been thrust into a tornado though, I mean seriously, that’s how it felt like!  Have I ever been in a tornado?  Well no, no I haven’t, but I’ve seen how it looks like in the movies, so I imagine this had to match the feeling very closely!  Anyways, I kept chasing after the girl, continuously feeling heavier and slower.  I don’t know how I had the strength to keep on going!  What was it that was driving me to do this?  What was it that was making me go to this much trouble to help an unknown girl?  Whatever it was, I hated it.  Why is it that these dreams had to put so much strain on me?

 

  “Help me…” the girl said again.

 

  “I’m trying, but I can’t reach you!  Stop running away!” I called out to her, hoping that she’d stop.  Oh God, please, make her stop!

 

  “Running?  I’m not running…I’m fading away…”  the girl said, rather sadly.

 

  “Fading away?  How is that possible?” I asked her, feeling rather confused about this myself.

 

  “Keep a strong heart and don’t give up.  She needs you…” she said to me, and then I stopped to think on her words.

 

  “What?  What do you mean she needs me?  Who needs me?” I asked, but before I could get an answer, I was yanked out of this surreal dream and back into reality.  After waking up from the dream, I saw the professor’s angry face, and then my worst fears were confirmed.  The principal was by her side…

(End Song Here)

 

  “Come with me, young man.  We shall talk in my office.” the principal said calmly, and preparing for the worst, I followed him..

 

  As I was walking through the hallway with the principal, I could feel everyone’s eyes staring at me, like if I was being pierced by poisonous arrows.  It was very unsettling.  Then I heard some people laughing and wondering why I was going to the principal’s office. This was by far, a very humiliating experience.  I kept my head bowed down, not daring to look at anyone that was ahead or behind of me.  The principal remained quiet, his back arched and his two arms behind his back, walking like if he was some kind of evil villain straight out of a video game!  I’m not kidding, that’s how he looked like!  It was pretty cool, but at the same time so creepy!  Anyways, that was beside the point.  What surprised me the most as I entered the principal’s office however, was…

 

  “Xion!?” I asked aloud, feeling a bit shocked.  Why was she here?

 

  “Roxas!?” she asked back.  Apparently, she had the same reaction as me.  I sat beside her and stayed quiet, and then I felt the principal’s eyes staring at us, and we didn’t even dare to look at him.

 

  “Now, now, there’s no need for you to keep your heads bowed.  It’s not like I’m some kind of evil overlord.  Now then, I probably haven’t introduced myself yet.  My name is Xehanort Igarashi, and as you two both well know, I am the school’s principal.  As principal, it is my duty to assure that every student here receives the utmost level of education, as the professors I hired prepare them for their futures.  And in being prepared for the future, one must always be alert and awake at all times.  It seems that both of you were caught sleeping in your respective classrooms by your professors.  That, as you know, damages the image of my school, and as such, I must not allow such things to happen again.  Now then, explain yourselves.” the principal said calmly, putting his hands on his desk.

 

  “W-well, you see, the thing is, principal Igarashi…I couldn’t sleep last night.  I was restless, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get to sleep.” Xion said.  That was quite the surprise for me.  Here I thought she had slept well.  Now it was my turn to explain.

 

  “And as for me, principal Igarashi, I wasn’t able to sleep either. I can’t explain why, but I just couldn’t.” I said, being as honest as I possibly could.  Xion seemed surprised at my answer.  Perhaps she thought I had slept well.  The principal then leaned back on his chair and stroked his goatee and then got deep in thought.

 

  “Um, principal?” I asked, feeling uncomfortable.  The principal suddenly came back from his train of thought and looked at both of us.

 

  “Well, judging by your eyes, I can tell you are not lying.  But it seems as though you two have some kind of problem.  I’ll bring in the social worker to help sort things here.  Please wait here.” the principal said, as he walked out of his office.

 

  “What do you think is going to happen to us?  Are we going to get expelled?” Xion asked in a whisper, her face filled with worry.  I shrugged and tried to look calm, even though I was breaking down inside.

 

  “Nah, I don’t think we’ll receive that harsh of a punishment.  We just dozed off in class.  It’s not like we were in a fight or anything.” I answered her.  That seemed to calm her down, and then I felt relieved.  Suddenly, the principal came back with the social worker.

 

  I had expected the social worker to be some kind of old woman, but to my surprise, the social worker was a serious looking man, who from the looks of it, was around the principal’s age or perhaps a bit younger.  He had long, black hair, and he had some of his hair tied up in a bun, and a strand of hair ran from his forehead down to his chin, which was pretty cool.  He looked like a samurai warrior, but well, with his social worker uniform, which was basically a formal, tan colored buttoned shirt and pants, well, that’s how I knew he wasn’t a samurai.  Or was he?  Nah, just kidding!  He looked more like a supervisor than a social worker, but hey, each person has their look, so I don’t get to decide how people look.  Now then, the social worker obviously grasped what had happened to us, as he was eyeing us out individually, almost as if he was examining us.  He looked at the principal and then looked at us again, and then he stroked his chin.  Oh, did I happen to mention that the social worker had a badass moustache?  After looking at us, he looked at the principal and nodded.

 

  “Send them to my office tomorrow.” were the only words that he said.  The principal nodded.

 

  “Right.  Then it shall be so.” the principal replied, and with that, the social worker left and the principal escorted us out of his office.

 

  “The social worker shall see you both tomorrow.  When the time arrives, I shall escort you two to his office.  Have a good day.” he said, as he went back into his office.

 

(Start Song Here)

  Xion and I stood there in the hallway for a good, long while.  It was already lunchtime, so we didn’t have to go to class right now, but at the same time, we couldn’t bring ourselves to move.  I think she had the same question in her mind that I had: Why did we both have the same problem?  I mean sure, everyone has restless nights, but for two people to have a restless night, precisely the same night, at the same time, was kind of weird.  Then again, it probably happened constantly throughout the world, but to me, it felt strange.  I could feel Xion’s uneasiness on the subject as well.  We both headed for the lunchroom, and we both remained silent.  We took our lunch, which was Ramen soup with eggs, fried chicken breasts and apple sauce, and we sat down on a table. We both ate our lunch without saying a word to each other.  I felt bad for practically not saying a word to Xion, but I didn’t know what to say.  I still kept thinking of the words that the girl from my dream said.  I just couldn’t put my finger around it.  It just didn’t make sense!

 

  I wanted to break the silence between Xion and me.  It just didn’t feel right for us to be so silent to one another.  But every time I tried to say something, I couldn’t find the words, and instead I found myself eating my food instead of talking.  I really wanted to talk to Xion, to ease her mind, but I knew that she had to sort things out for herself, so I just couldn’t bring myself to speak.  I felt so weak and helpless, like a jerk that couldn’t do anything to help.  But still, I just couldn’t help but shift my thoughts to the girl’s words.  “She needs your help.”  That’s what the girl said.  But help for what?  I was so confused and frustrated, so I kept eating until I finished my plate.  Xion finished right after me and then she looked down on her plate, and I could have sworn that I heard her cry.

 

  “I’ll only bring you trouble…” she whispered to me, and then she got up and ran away from the lunchroom.  I was left there, speechless and clueless.  I then got up and chased after her.

 

  “Xion, wait!  Xion, come back!” I screamed, as I chased her through the school courtyard, keeping her in my sights.  It wasn’t long until I caught up with her, and then I pulled her towards me and hugged her tight.  She dug her head into my chest and cried uncontrollably.

 

  “You aren’t any trouble at all.  Please trust me on this Xion…” I said to her, comforting her in my arms.  I guess this was the only way the silence between us could be broken.

 

  As I hugged her, she clung onto me, crying and hiding herself in my arms.  She looked so cute, so small and fragile…it was a perfect moment, well, it would be if she was my girlfriend, but since that’s not the case, well, let’s just say I felt kind of…blush-like.  I tried to hide my blushing face, and I think I did a pretty good job of hiding my red face.  Then again, Xion had her head on my chest the whole time, so she obviously couldn’t see me.  I held her in my arms for a few minutes, and then she calmed down and pulled away, and I noticed an adorable blush stain her cheeks.  She looked oh so cute when she blushed!  I mean seriously, she was a keeper!  My heart suddenly raced, and I felt so weak all of a sudden.  Seeing Xion smile at me somehow gave me shivers…the good kind.

 

  For the rest of the day, everyone went back to normal.  This time, I made sure to stay wide awake so I wouldn’t be sent to the principal’s office again.  I couldn’t afford the luxury!  I was even paying attention in math class!  Math class, for crying out loud!  I felt on edge, so I really didn’t think sleeping was such a good idea at the time.  And then, after the school day was done, I went outside to look for Xion, but she was nowhere to be found.  I felt disappointed, as I boarded the bus, Ven and Vanitas sitting in their usual spot.  I sat behind them and quickly closed my eyes, pretending to take a nap.  I really didn’t feel like talking to them.  I didn’t feel like talking to anyone.  All I wanted to do was go home, eat dinner, take a shower and go straight to bed.  And that’s precisely what I did.  Ven and Vanitas didn’t speak to me the whole time, and I was thankful to them for it.  I wanted to sort this out for myself.  I might try talking to them about my problems, but now isn’t the time to do so.  And so, I went upstairs, took a shower, and then fell on my bed, exhausted and already asleep.

 

  The strangest thing though, is that I didn’t have the dream this night at all.

(End Song Here)

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

 

What must Roxas do to help the one whom the girl of his dreams refers to?  What awaits them tomorrow at the social worker’s office?  Will they be expelled?  Stay tuned for Chapter Eight: “Sudden Meetings.”

 

Well everyone, that was the chapter!  I am so sorry that I took so long to post this chapter!  Forgive me for my delays, but I’m trying my best to post the chapters as often as possible!  Anyways, tell me what you all thought of this chapter!  Until then, stay tuned for the next one!

[KHLegendIII 709]

Interesting.

[Josuke Higashikata 2,141]

 

Ventus then looked at Vanitas irritatingly and then rolled his eyes.

You can get rid of this false pride the second then here.

 

seen…which

Should be a space between the ellipses and which.

fight…but

 

Same thing.

 

“Help me…please…help me…”

Once again... spaces.

 

“Running?  I’m not running…I’m fading away…”

You get my point. No need to reiterate myself. So I'll stop quoting those errors.

 

The principal remained quiet, his back arched and his two arms behind his back, walking like if he was some kind of evil villain straight out of a video game!  I’m not kidding, that’s how he looked like!  It was pretty cool, but at the same time so creepy!

 

"It’s not like I’m some kind of evil overlord."

What you did there, I see it.

 

  It just didn’t make sense!

There are two spaces here. You'll want to correct that. In fact, it seems most of the sentences after this start with two. Maybe I'm just seeing things.

 

Well, apart from those small errors... I loved this chapter! And I'm looking forward to more!

[Yuya Sakaki 5,212]

Expelled for falling asleep in class? That's a bit harsh, don't you think? O.o

 

I'm loving the fluff going on between our favourite Days couple. It's just too sweet! I think I'll need to brush my teeth after this...

 

Those dreams sure are baffling... Meh, I'll just wait for the answers

 

Peace!

[Keyblade101 526]

I love Roxas' comments about Eraqus possibly being a samurai. That was a great chapter. Keep going.

[Killua0707 194]

This was such a great chapter! 

 

Awww... I'm not really a Roxas x Xion fan, but this might actually change my mind. (MAYBE) 

 

Anyways, keep it up! I'm really looking forward to the next chapter! 

Edited September 6, 2014 by ventusluv006

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

Hey there everyone, how’s it going?  Well then, here is another chapter of the story!  I have to say, I’ve been really enjoying making this story, it’s fun to see everyone getting so excited to read new chapters, which makes me very happy! And I'm sorry I take so long to update my story! D: Now then, without further ado, here’s the next chapter, which will be from Xion’s perspective!

 

Chapter Eight: Sudden Meetings

 

  I had been awake for quite some time now.  It was ten minutes to seven o’clock, and I was sitting on my bed, quietly looking at my feet.  I slowly stood up and went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, took a quick bath and then put on my uniform.  I checked on my father, and he was sleeping soundly in his bed.  He almost seemed to look like a caring, loving, understanding father, but I knew for a fact that he wasn’t.  I sighed and then made myself some French Toast and spread butter on them, and I boiled two eggs.  I then served myself a glass of Orange Juice and then sat down and ate.  Today Roxas and I had to go to the social worker’s office.  Oh God, whatever he had to say, I just hoped that it wouldn’t be anything about suspension.  I didn’t want to get suspended from school, and I certainly didn’t want Roxas to get suspended either!  I ate my breakfast quickly and then headed towards the bus.  A few minutes later, the bus appeared, and I noticed Roxas was there, and I felt so much better!  I felt so relieved!  As I got on the bus, I decided to sit by him and he seemed to be happy.

 

  “Oh Roxas, am I glad to see you!  Are you doing okay?” I asked him, and he nodded.  He seemed to be okay indeed.

 

  “Yeah, I can’t complain, how about you?” Roxas asked me, as he sat straight on his side of the seat.  I blushed a little and sighed.

 

  “Well, a little nervous about our appointment with the social worker…” I said to him, and at that, Roxas covered my mouth and then suddenly looked alarmed.

 

  “Shh, don’t say it so loud, or my brothers will hear you!” he said to me.  Okay, so he was nervous too.  I thought so.  And now that I think of it, I hadn’t met Roxas’ brothers.  Then again, I don’t think he had even mentioned that he had brothers, well, at least, that’s what I thought.  My memory could be hazy sometimes.  At that, I saw someone peek their head from the seat in front of us.  I think that was one of Roxas’ brothers.

 

  “Um, what is it Vanitas?” Roxas asked, trying to sound relaxed.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Oh ho ho, it looks like you have yourself a girlfriend here, don’t you?  Roxas, you sly dog!” Vanitas said teasingly.  At that, I immediately blushed.

 

  “N-no, it’s not like that at all!  She’s not my girlfriend!  She’s just a good friend of mine I made!  A-anyways, um, so, how has school been for you?” Roxas exclaimed, steering the conversation in a different direction.  Luckily, Vanitas bought it.

 

  “Well, if you must know, I’ve been relaxing, getting to know the various ladies of this fine school, and I have to say that this school has quite the variety of charming ladies.  Each of them has personality and spice!  Even the nerdy ones are deadly cute!  Plus, I’ve been trying to hit on a cute redhead.  She’s one of the most popular girls in school, and the blonde girl that’s always with her is also an eye pleaser!  So yeah, pretty much, in general, everything’s been going pretty smoothly.  I’m going to try and see if I can swoon the cute redhead today.  I know she’ll take a shine to me.  After all, I do have a reputation of being a lady killer.”  he said with a devious smirk.  I had to admit, he was very handsome, but his repulsive ways with women were not so admirable.  Then Roxas’ other brother peeked his head towards us.

 

  “Oh, hello there, I’m Ventus, nice to meet you!  Please forgive my idiot brother’s insensible behavior miss, I hope he didn’t make you feel uncomfortable.” he said politely.  Now Ventus really did look like Roxas, and he looked to be much more mature than Vanitas.

 

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever, geez. Killjoy…” Vanitas muttered, as he turned around and leant his back on his seat.  Apparently, he was going to take a nap.

 

  “Oh, so you must be a friend of Roxas’ then.  That’s good!  What’s your name?” Ventus asked with a smile on his face.

 

  “Oh…I-I’m Xion… Xion Fuyibayashi…” I answered shyly.

 

  “Well then, let me tell you Xion, you’ll never find a better friend than good old Roxas here.  He’s a little bit of a spaced out person, but you can rely on him.” he said with a smile.

 

  “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean!?” Roxas shouted out with a pout. At that, all of us laughed.  It was nice having a conversation with friends.  It was quite relaxing.  We talked for the rest of the way, having a fun time.  Minutes after, we arrived to school.

 

  “Well then, it was nice having this chat.  I’ll be seeing you!” Ventus said, as he got off the bus.  Vanitas then got up from his seat and stretched his arms.

 

  “See you two later.  I’ve got a redhead to pursue!” he said with a sly smirk, quickly getting off the bus.

 

  “Okay, let’s get going then!” Roxas said, as we both got up from our seats and then made our way off the bus.

(End Song Here)

 

  As we got into school, we felt a slight air of nervousness seep into our skin.  Roxas and I looked at each other uneasily.  Who knows what the social worker was going to tell us?  As we walked further down along the hallway, principal Igarashi was outside of his office, waiting for us.  He seemed calm as usual.  But it was his calmness that unsettled me.  Something about his calm demeanor really crept me out.  Maybe it was just me.  But anyways, as we went towards the principal, he eyed us over and then began escorting us to the social worker’s office.  Along the way, I could hear some of the students laughing, and others muttering about us.  Who else would they be muttering about?  The journey to the social worker’s office seemed agonizingly long.  But then, we finally arrived.

 

  “Here is the social worker’s office.  Have a good day.” the principal said, as he walked away calmly.  Roxas and I looked at each other nervously, and then we went inside.  The social worker was looking out the window of his office, with his arms behind his back.  He seemed like a wise man.  He then turned around and saw us.

 

  “Ah, good morning young ones.  Please, have a seat.” the social worker said, with a strict but caring voice.  With that, Roxas and I sat down, and he sat down as well.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Firstly, I would like to introduce myself.  My name is Eraqus Jinguuji, and I am this school’s social worker.  Now then, let us proceed.  Principal Igarashi told me that both of you were sleeping in class, and he told me that it was because both of you could not sleep at all in the previous night before?” he asked, while pretty much summarizing the situation.

 

  “Yes, that’s right.” Roxas confirmed.

 

  As we explained the situation to Eraqus, he listened to us thoughtfully and pensively, stroking his moustache.  He seemed to be the person that was really patient with cases like this and with students in general.  Maybe that’s the reason why he was a social worker.  After all, one of the key things of being a social worker was having patience with students.  After giving a detailed explanation of the situation, there was a small silence invading the room.  Soon after, Eraqus stood up and walked towards the same window he had been looking out of when we got in his office.  He seemed to be thinking of what to say to us.  I bet he was thinking of how to tell us that we were going to be suspended in a way that wouldn’t sound so cruel.  Roxas and I were ready for whatever he had to say.  But come on, being suspended for sleeping in class?  That was a little bit harsh!  But either way, there was the possibility of suspension.  After a few seconds, Eraqus turned around and then sat down and looked at us, placing both hands on his desk.

 

  “Well, it seems to me that it is quite curious that both of you could not sleep for the same exact reasons.  With that being said, there may be something between you two that needs settling.  How long have you known each other?” Eraqus asked.  At that, Roxas and I looked at each other cluelessly.

 

  “Um, we only met just recently.” I pointed out to Eraqus.  At that, he chuckled softly.  He then shook his head.

 

  “Well then, you two may be just starting to get to know each other, but things do happen for a reason.  Either way, this may all just be a big coincidence.  The only way to find out for sure is if you two have another sleepless night at the same time.  If that happens again, then that will surely alert you two that there is indeed something between you that has to be settled.  Until then, I suggest you go on about your daily routines and keep on doing your best to keep your grades up.  Just make sure not to sleep in class again.  You must understand that principal Igarashi is a man of discipline.  He may be strict and at times irritating, but he is by no means a bad person.  He’s a very wise man, and has been my lifelong friend.  He wants only the best for you and all of the students of this school.  So don’t mind him.  But please refrain from sleeping in class again.  I will deeply appreciate it.” Eraqus said with an earnest smile.  Roxas and I were so relieved to know we weren’t getting suspended!

 

  “Thank you so much!” Roxas and I both said in unison, as we bowed and made our way out of Eraqus’ office.  Outside on the hallway, we sighed of relief and started laughing.

 

  “Well, at least that’s settled!” Roxas said in a relieved tone.  I smiled and agreed with him.  Suddenly, the bell rang.

 

  “Oh, I have to go to class now.  See you later Xion!” Roxas said to me cheerfully as he darted towards class.  I waved goodbye to him and smiled, and then I walked towards my classroom.  Suddenly, I accidentally bumped into someone.

(End Song Here)

 

  Before I could say anything, I took a good, long look at the person I had bumped into.  He was a tall looking guy, with long gray hair.  He looked like an anime character!  His bangs covered his turquoise eyes, and his face was smooth and gentle looking.  The strangest thing though, is that he didn’t have our school uniform.  Naturally, I felt curious about it.  But at the moment, I wasn’t thinking of any words, I was just looking at this guy.  He turned around and looked at me straight in the eye.  I felt a bit paralyzed looking at him.  I had to admit, he did look deadly handsome, but I felt slightly uncomfortable having him look at me.  I was about to say something, but then I decided to stay quiet.  Sensing my nervousness, the mysterious man decided to be the one to speak.

 

  “I’m truly sorry about that miss.  I didn’t mean to bump into you like that.” the man said a gentle voice.  I simply shook my head and smiled.

 

  “Don’t worry about it, it’s my fault.  I’m sorry.” I replied back, bowing down and then walking past him. 

 

  “Wait, before you go, can you help me?  You see, the thing is, I’m looking for my best friend.  Maybe you know him?  He’s got brown spiky hair, a goofy smile, and he’s generally a happy go lucky kind of guy.  Have you seen anybody who fits that description?  If you have, could you kindly point me out to where he is?  You see, I’m having a little trouble finding my way through this school, so I’m trying to see if I can find him.” the man said with a calm smile. I was going to keep walking, but I didn’t want to seem rude.  But then again, I didn’t know who he was talking about, so I couldn’t help him.  Still, at least it was better to tell him I didn’t know who he was talking about than just simply walking away.  And with that, I turned around and walked towards him.

 

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t know anyone who fits that description. Try going into the principal’s office.  It’s right down this hallway.  Maybe there you could get directions.” I said to him as politely as I could.  The man smiled and bowed appreciatively.

 

  “ Thank you.  By the way, my name is Riku Kurosawa.  It’s nice to meet you.” the man said, as he kept smiling calmly.

 

  “It’s nice to meet you too.  My name’s Xion Fuyibayashi.  Well then, have a nice day!” I said to him, as we both parted ways.

 

  And well, judging from what he had said, he was obviously not from this school, which could only mean that he was either a student from another high school or maybe a college student. Either way, I did my best to help him.  I hope he finds the friend he’s looking for.  I wonder if I’ll get to see him again?  Anyways, after helping Riku, I went to my classroom and sat down and started taking notes.  I then wondered what Roxas was doing.  Then I ripped out a page from my notebook and started drawing on it.  Don’t get me wrong, I kept writing down notes, but whenever the professor would stop writing for a few moments, I’d continue drawing.  By no means was I an exceptional artist, but drawing helped kill time, so I did so, even if my drawing skills sucked.  As the minutes went by, I continued writing down notes while drawing, until eventually the bell rang.  The rest of the day was pretty easygoing.  I wish that every day were so simple, without so many problems to plague my mind.  It’s days like these I enjoyed the most.  And so, the time came to take the bus, and I searched for Roxas.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Hmm, I wonder where he could be?” I asked to myself, as I kept looking around for Roxas.  He wasn’t at the bus stop.  He wasn’t near the entrance either, so I decided I would just wait for him at the bus stop.

 

  “Hey there miss, waiting for your boyfriend?” Vanitas said as he approached me.  I instantly rolled my eyes, and he just smirked and laughed.

 

  “He’s not my boyfriend, we’re just friends!” I exclaimed, trying to sound mature.

 

  “Well, if that’s the case, then would you be willing to go out with me?” he asked in a teasing way.  I immediately blushed.  Sure, he was handsome and all, but I didn’t want to date him!  Luckily, Ventus came around and saved my skin.

 

  “Now, now, didn’t you say that you were going to hit on the redhead?  Or am I wrong?” Venuts said with a cocky smile.  Vanitas then backed off.

 

  “Geez, killjoy…” I heard Vanitas mumbled under his breath.

 

  A few minutes later, the bus came to pick us up, and right on cue, Roxas came running as well.  I felt so relieved that he was here now!  I went towards him and smiled, and he smiled back at me. With that, we all got on the bus and the journey home began.  As Cid kept dropping off students one by one, Roxas and I were engaged in simple conversation.  It was of the most simple things, and I enjoyed every moment of it.  We even mocked some of the teachers that were a little bit too strict.  Ha, let me tell you, it was very funny.  Vanitas tried to hit on me every chance he got, but thanks to Ventus, I was spared Vanitas’ flirting nature.  I looked at Roxas to see if he was even the least bit jealous. I don’t know why I was wondering that.  Come to think of it, why was I waiting for him to be jealous at all?  We’re just friends…nothing more…but still, I yearned for him to get at little bit jealous…gah, I’m just thinking nonsense.  Anyways, as the bus came to another stop, I realized that it was already time for me to get off.  I said my goodbyes to Roxas and his brothers and then went into my house.

(End Song Here)

 

  “Father, I’m home!” I said as I opened the door.  As usual, there was no answer.  He was probably down in the lab working on another one of his experiments.  I locked the door and then went to the kitchen to prepare myself some dinner.

 

  As I looked over the counter, I mentally mapped where I would place all my cooking utensils and ingredients, and in a few minutes time, I already had everything prepared to make dinner.  Tonight I was going to make some mashed potatoes along with some fried pork.  I started to mix in the ingredients and I stirred the bowl where I had put the mashed potato mix, and then went on to cut the pork into even pieces.  I cut six pieces.  Three for me and three for my father. I put some granulated garlic, parsley, mashed pieces of garlic and then cooking oil, and then I poked some holes into the pork so that all the seasoning could seep in.  I then turned on the frying pan and set it to low heat, and then I washed my hands and headed towards the living room and turned on the TV.

 

  I laid my head on the sofa cushions and I snuggled myself up with a small blanket, and I started surfing channels until I got to MTV.  I decided to leave it there so I could see the latest music videos.  I always liked watching music videos.  There were times when they were emotional, at times that they were laugh out loud funny, and even a bit strange at times.  That’s just how the world was.  I made sure that I wouldn’t sleep on the couch since I had to keep an eye on my food.  Then my thoughts shifted towards Roxas, and then to the point when I was wondering about how we both couldn’t sleep at precisely the same night.  Sure, it could happen o anybody, but it was still strange.  A few minutes later, I went to check on my food.  The fried pork was looking delicious and golden.  Only ten more minutes, and it’d be done!

 

  “Mmm, that smells good.” I said to myself as I sniffed the whiffs of steam that came out of the frying pan.  The smell of fried pork was delicious indeed!

 

  After ten minutes had passed, I turned off the frying pan and served myself the three pieces of pork I had picked out, and then I served myself two spoonfuls of mashed potatoes, and then I went back to the living room and started to eat.  I had arranged father’s food as well, so whenever he wanted, he could eat the food.  Even though I didn’t practically talk to my father, at least he would always appreciate the food I made.  That in itself gave me comfort, I guess.  As I kept eating my dinner, I stood up for a moment to look for a glass of water, and then I came back and finished eating my plate.  I then chugged down the whole glass of water.  If there’s one thing I loved, it was water!  After I finished, I turned off the TV and then washed my plate, putting it in its respective cabinet after drying it.  I then went upstairs, contemplating on taking myself a shower.  I then took off my clothes and locked the door and got in the shower.  I suddenly felt so hot right then, as if my whole body had an immense fever.  W-why was I feeling this?  Why…?

 

  All I could think of right now, was Roxas…

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

 

“A scattered dream, that’s like a far-off memory…a far-off memory, that’s like a scattered dream.  I want to line the pieces up…yours and mine…”

 

“Roxas…”

“Xion!”

“What’s happening…?”

 

Stay tuned for Chapter Nine: “A Scattered Dream…Or A Nightmare?”

 

Okay, that was the chapter everyone!  Forgive me for taking so long to post the chapter!  Since I have work, I often don’t have time to write, so please forgive me for not posting the chapters more often, but I do promise that I’ll keep posting chapters of the story!  Once I start a story, I finish it!  So yeah, tell me what you all thought of the chapter, and until next time, stay tuned for the next one!

[KHLegendIII 709]

Good work on the Chapter.

[Josuke Higashikata 2,141]

Another great chapter! No noticable errors, except maybe a double space, where there shouldn't be one.

[Killua0707 194]

Yes! I was waiting patiently  

 

Good job!

[Keyblade101 526]

Great chapter. I'd like to say that Eraqus definitely fits the social worker role. :lol: And what the heck is going at the end there? I wanna know! Please, keep going!

Edited September 15, 2014 by Keyblade101

[Yuya Sakaki 5,212]

I thought you had given up on this for a moment I'm just kidding.

 

Quite an interesting chapter as always, but... does Vanitas have to pursue Kairi? (I think we can all assume she's the "redhead") *eye twitches* It makes no sense to me since they never even met each other in the games Well... not on-screen anyway, but that's another can of worms for another day. I know this is AU (alternate universe) but it still bothers me a little.

 

SOKAI FOR-E-VER! VANKAI NE-VER! SOKAI FOR-E-VER! VANKAI NE-VER! SOKAI FOR-E-VER! VANKAI NE-VER!

 

Sorry Now that that is off my chest... on we go with the chapter review.

 

I'm really glad Riku has finally made his debut here because let's face it, what's a Kingdom Hearts fanfiction without Riku? Now what purpose will he serve, I wonder? O.o I like Eraqus' character too.

 

Is Xion on the verge of fainting or something? Because high fever can contribute sometimes. Or is it something else? Please let her be okay... And as I said: Suspension is too harsh of a punishment for sleeping in class So I was right. Something that must be settled between Roxas and Xion? *foreshadowing alert*

 

I found ONE mistake/typo:

 

Sure, it could happen o anybody, but it was still strange.

 

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that should be "to." No harm though; it's only minor.

 

By the way, sorry for this essay of a review If you read most of my reviews on fanfiction.net you'd see that a lot of them are quite lengthy, especially when I enjoy the story which is definitely happening in this case Keep it up, my friend!

 

Peace!

Edited September 15, 2014 by CaelumMare

[Kirie 3,489]

ARE YOU CRAZY YOU THINK IM GONNA READ ALL OF THTAT? why...gaby whyyyh!

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

Thank you all so much for the awesome comments, they mean so much to me!  And well, I want to take this opportunity to apologize for the lack of chapters lately!  I realize that it's been ten days since I posted my last chapter, and I am truly sorry for not posting any more.  As many of you are aware, I recently reemerged from the hospital after six days of being sick.  As such, during my time in the hospital, I wasn't able to write any chapters, but now that I'm back and recovering, I promise you that I shall post another chapter as soon as I can!  Rest assured, this story will continue, make no mistake of that!  Please look forward to the next chapter!  I appreciate your patience and understanding everyone!

[Yuya Sakaki 5,212]

Thank you all so much for the awesome comments, they mean so much to me!  And well, I want to take this opportunity to apologize for the lack of chapters lately!  I realize that it's been ten days since I posted my last chapter, and I am truly sorry for not posting any more.  As many of you are aware, I recently reemerged from the hospital after six days of being sick.  As such, during my time in the hospital, I wasn't able to write any chapters, but now that I'm back and recovering, I promise you that I shall post another chapter as soon as I can!  Rest assured, this story will continue, make no mistake of that!  Please look forward to the next chapter!  I appreciate your patience and understanding everyone!

 

It's all good man. We definitely understand Don't stress yourself about it.

 

Peace!

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

Hey there everyone, how’s it going?  Good evening to you all!  Yes, I am finally back!  Here is another chapter of the story!  Again, my apologies for taking so long, I hope that this chapter makes up for the long wait you’ve all had to endure!  I hope to post more chapters as often as I can!  So for now, enjoy this latest chapter!  It’ll be from Roxas’ perspective!

 

Chapter Nine: A Scattered Dream…Or A Nightmare?

(Start Song Here)

  Pitch black silence.  That’s all I could, well, feel.  Everything was dark, and there was absolutely no noise to be heard.  Nothing to be seen, nothing at all.  It was all quite alarming to me.  I don’t know what happened to me.  Was I sleeping?  Was I daydreaming?  All I knew is that I wasn’t in reality.  Not by a long shot.  And so, with this mysterious turn of events, I did the only thing I could do: walk forward.  And that’s exactly what I did.  I walked through the expansive darkness, trying to make sense of what was going on.  I tried pinching myself to wake up, but so far that wasn’t working out at all.  I really wish I wasn’t the type of person that would have these dreams, if that’s what you could even call them.  I felt tired of it all.  I just couldn’t handle this anymore.  Why did I have to have these strange occurrences happen to me?  Why couldn’t they happen to some other guy?  Why did I have to be the one to go through this?  Why?  All these questions continued to swirl around in my head, and sadly, there were no answers waiting for me.

 

  “Roxas!” a voice suddenly called out.  At first, I ignored the voice, but then it called to me again, and this time, I tried to follow the voice.  It was her voice.

 

  “You again!  What do you want from me!?” I shouted, hoping that the voice would answer my question.  Only a grim silence followed afterwards.  But then, I heard her voice again.  This time closer than before.

 

  “Roxas…please…help her…” she said.  Again, with the same comment.  Who was this girl, and who did she want me to help out so bad?

 

  “Who is she?  Who do I have to help?”  I replied, looking around to see if I could find the girl that was speaking to me.  For some reason, she felt very close.

 

  “When the time comes…she’ll need you more than ever…” the girl said, and with that, the landscape suddenly changed into a blinding white.  I had to cover my eyes.

 

  What followed now was so surreal.  Slowly, the landscape began to have color, as if the entire white horizon was some sort of giant canvas.  I slowly followed the colors as they continued to bring life to this gigantic white space, and all I could do was stare in awe.  My mind really loved to do some magnificent tricks to me, because if this wasn’t a figment of my mind, then I didn’t know what it could be.  Silently, I continued gazing at the slowly colorful landscape unfolding before me, until the final bits of white were covered in radiant blue.  Now I could see a clearer picture of where I was.  It seemed to be some sort of giant meadow, kind of like the ones you see in beautiful paintings and whatnot.  I didn’t recognize this place.  If I would have been here, I would have remembered.  That’s how I knew this was another dream.

 

  But the strangest thing of all was the fact that for the first time in what seemed to be like forever, I was having a different dream.  Not the same one in the island, but a different one now.  This beautiful meadow was evident enough.  I walked in a daze, admiring the smooth, low cut grass, the magnificent trees looming in the distance, the calm rivers flowing throughout the landscape, and small batches of bushes and flowers peppered here and there.  Then, in the distance, I saw someone who was sitting down.  Whoever the person was, he or she was sitting down under the shade of a considerably big oak tree.  As the person sat, I walked towards said person.  As I finally reached the person, I couldn’t see who it was.  It was as if the person was cloaked in shadow.  It was so strange, considering the sun was shining brightly.

 

  “Who are you?” I asked, hoping to get an answer from the person.

 

  “The question is…who are you?” the person asked, turning out to be a young man.  I stood there puzzled for a moment but then answered the young man’s question.

 

  “I’m Roxas Harada…now answer my question.” I stated, trying not to sound threatening.  The young man simply laughed and laid his back on the tree.  He still wouldn’t show his face.

 

  “I am anybody, but then again, I could be nobody.  In the end, I am what people imagine me to be.” the young man explained, sounding like a scholar.

 

  “Look, I hate riddles, so please get to your point.” I said, feeling a bit irritated.

 

  For some reason, talking to this young man felt strange.  It felt like I had heard his voice sometime before, but I couldn’t exactly point my finger at it.  It was a very irritating feeling.  I stood there, expecting the young man to say something, but for a few minutes, only a calm silence loomed, and the wind started to blow in gentle gusts, messing up my hair a bit.  I closed my eyes and felt the air course through my body.  I embraced the feeling, and it felt quite good.  The wind sounded magnificent, and it was all so soothing and reassuring.  After the wind died down a bit, I opened my eyes, seeing that the young man still had his back leant on the tree.  I crossed my arms now, feeling very impatient.  The young man didn’t seem to be too keen to talk to me, and for some reason, I kept standing there like a moron, waiting for the young man to speak.  After what seemed to be half an hour, the young man stood up from where he sat and then he walked towards me.  The most bizarre thing was that even though he was now standing face to face to me, his face still wasn’t shown to me.  His face was…blank.

 

  “So, you are the one whom she’s crying out for help.” the young man said, walking around me in circles, as if he was examining me.

 

  “What?  You’re also here to tell me about this girl?” I asked, hoping to get some sort of answer, though at this point, it was highly unlikely.

 

  “Correct.  But…you must first experience a scattered dream…that’s like a far-off memory…a far-off memory, that’s like a scattered dream…” the young man said. Before I could even make sense of what he said, he put his hands on my head, and I suddenly started to feel immense pain.  It was more than I could bear!

 

  Suddenly, the entire landscape warped and distorted into something completely different.  It was like my body had been tossed and turned all over the place, until I fell harshly to the ground.  My body felt so heavy…all I could feel was a feeling of great sorrow.  I slowly lifted my head up, and then I saw a horrifying sight.  There was a town, and it was burning!  I could hear the screams of agonizing people, like if they were right by my side!  Everything looked too real and too horrifying, it was eating me up!  Left and right, all I could see were burning people, and as much as I tried closing my eyes, I couldn’t bring myself to close them.  I could feel the heat on my face, as drops of sweat rolled down my face and dropped to the ground.  I started to cry.  I couldn’t take this anymore.  Why was I seeing this?  Why was I bearing witness to this horrible nightmare?  Why did I have to be the one to see this!?  I suddenly started to feel heavier, as if I was about to be consumed by the flames.  Then, all of a sudden, I was once again overcome by an immense pain.  Then, I blacked out.

 

  “Roxas…Roxas…” I heard the young man say, as I slowly drifted back into consciousness.  Then I realized I was still trapped in this dream.  Well, it was more of a nightmare than a dream.

 

  “Why did you show me that?  Why did you show me all of those dying people?” I asked, clenching my fists.  The young man stood there, silent for a moment, and then helped me up.  He then crossed his arms.

 

  “Because, you must know immense pain if you are to help her.  She needs your comfort more than ever.  Especially with what’s about to come.”  the young man said grimly.

 

  “And what’s about to come?” I asked, now feeling concerned.

 

  “In time, you will come to know many things.  These things may bring great shock to you.  Or they could open your eyes to a whole new view on life.  Or, it could end up warping your thoughts on everything you know.  You must be prepared for whatever comes.  Especially when it comes to her.  You must do all in your power to protect her, to comfort her, to guide her, to be a shield for all incoming things.  She has yet to learn so much, for she is still learning.  She is frail and weak, and she needs a strong hand to guide her, to give her purpose.  You must be the one whom she can rely on, count on, someone she can trust.  There will be times when the two of you do not see eye to eye, but when those moments arrive, you two will know what to do.” the young man explained.  I figured this was as best an answer as any.

 

  “Xion…she’s the one who needs my help, doesn’t she?” I asked, realizing that this had to be the answer.  At that, everything around me collapsed, and the young man disappeared, and then I woke up harshly, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath.

(End Song Here)

 

  Of course, how could I be so stupid?  Xion is the one who needs me!  I should have known this since the moment I met her!  She’s the girl from my dreams!  She’s the one that’s always been in my dreams!  She’s the one who needs my help!  I sat on my bed and hit myself on the head for being so stupid and not figuring it out sooner.  But God, why did I have to have strange dreams and cryptic nightmares to find out these sorts of things?  Oh well, I guess that’s the way things work.  Realizing this, I sat on my bed for a long time, thinking of the dream/nightmare I had just had.  Thankfully I hadn’t screamed in my sleep, otherwise Ven and Vanitas would have already stormed into my room.  I calmed down and eventually stood up from bed and went to the bathroom to take a shower.  After all, I had to get all this sweat off me.

 

  As I went into the shower, I kept thinking about Xion, and about all the crazy things that had ensued in the past few minutes.  As the water dropped on my sweat covered body, I closed my eyes and let the water ripple against my skin.  The relaxing feeling kept me calm, and soon all the sweat was gone.  I stayed in the shower for a while.  There was still enough time for me to sleep, so I figured, why shouldn’t I stay in the shower a bit longer?  I remained with my eyes closed, but I remained careful not to fall asleep in the shower.  After a few minutes, I got out, and then I dried myself up and put on my pajamas and headed back to my bed.  I felt much more relaxed and refreshed, and then I laid on my bed and yawned.  I looked at the ceiling, thinking of the words that I had been told by the people in my dream.  Xion needed my help.  And I also had to be prepared for anything.  Apparently, a lot of things were going to happen all at once.  I still had my head filled with all of these thoughts, and I had to sort them out somehow.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Roxas, can I come in?” I heard Ven ask as he knocked on my door.  Realizing he wanted to check on me, I didn’t refuse.

 

  “Yeah, sure, the door is unlocked.  Come right in.” I said, sitting on my bed as he came in.  He looked worried.

 

  “Hey bro, I just wanted to talk to you for a bit, if it’s okay with you.” he said, sitting on the edge of my bed.

 

  “Okay, sure, what do you want to talk about?” I asked him, pretending that everything was fine.  I didn’t want him to know that I was expecting him to ask what was wrong with me.

 

  “Well, you see…the thing is that lately I’ve noticed that something’s wrong with you.  I’ve wanted to talk to you about this for a while now, believe me, I have, but I’ve been following Vanitas’ advice about leaving you alone to sort things out for yourself.  I’ve been patient, I’ve been quiet about this for a long time, but I think that I can’t keep this inside me anymore.  Roxas, if there’s something wrong with you, please don’t hesitate to talk to me about it.  You know that I’m here for you, and you know that you can also count on Vanitas.  We’re both here for you.  Roxas, please tell me what’s wrong.  If someone’s bullying you, if someone’s messing with your head, don’t keep it to yourself, let me and Vanitas know.  As I said, we’re here for you.  I know that lately things have been difficult for you, but you have to realize this is all part of growing up.  Anyways, I’m just going on and on here.  You’ve already got my point.  So Roxas, is something wrong?” Ven asked.  He sounded so sincere and so supportive that it hurt me.  I wanted to tell him, but at the same time, I didn’t want to tell him anything.

 

  “Ven, thank you for being such a good brother.  I appreciate how much you’re worrying about me, but trust me, I’m okay.  It’s just that this transition to High School has been a bit overwhelming, that’s all, but don’t worry, it’s nothing that you should worry over.  Besides, I’ve already made friends like Tidus and Xion, so in terms of friends, I’m okay.  It’s just that sometimes I feel all this is a little too much for me, that’s all there is to it.  But don’t let it bother you, I’m fine, really.  If there’s ever anything wrong with me, believe me, I’ll tell you and Vanitas about it.  You two are my brothers, and I know I can count on you both, so I can rest easy.  I know that.” I said to Ven, trying my best to put his mind at ease.  I knew I could rely on my brothers, but I wanted to face my problems on my own.

 

  “Well, okay, if that’s how you really feel.  Just remember that Vanitas and I are always here for you.  Anyways, we should get some rest, school’s tomorrow.  Good night Roxas.” Ven said with a smile as he stood up.

 

  “Okay, good night, and Ven…” I called out to him.  He then turned around to look at me before closing the door.

 

  “Yes?” Ven asked, as he waited for what I was going to say.

 

  “Thanks.” I said to him with a smile.  At that, Ven smiled back and he nodded and looked at me.

 

  “Of course. That’s what brothers are for.” he said with a smile, and then closed the door shortly afterwards.

 

  “What brothers are for, huh?” I asked to myself as I laid down on my bed.

 

  I appreciated the fact that my brothers worried about me so much.  I really did.  I felt loved by them, because I knew they’d always be there for me.  Maybe I was being a little too selfish by not talking to them about my problems, but then again, I knew it was best not to worry them with my troubles.  Despite everything, I smiled, knowing that my brothers would always have my back, and I’d always have theirs.  It was a comforting thought.  I looked up at the ceiling and felt much more relaxed and confident.  I knew now that whatever came my way, somehow, someway, I’d be able to overcome any obstacle.  I knew in my heart that I’d be able to help Xion to the best extent of my willpower, and I knew I’d be able to be there for her, just like my brothers had always been there for me.

 

  With that in mind, I started to close my eyes.  Sleep had finally caught up with me again.  My thoughts drifted to Xion as I closed my eyes.  She was all I could think about now.  I suddenly felt my heart race, like if it was beating a million times per second.  I suddenly felt my cheeks get red, and for some reason, I felt warm.  Why did I feel this way?  Could this be what people experience when they like someone?  No…that’s nonsense.  I barely know her!  And yet, it doesn’t seem like such a strange thought.  My heart continues pounding against my chest, and then I suddenly feel the urge of seeing her right now.  Like quite literally, I could just open the window, get out, run to Xion’s house and go to her room just to see her.  I felt such a rush come over me all of a sudden.  God, this feeling was so surreal!  And then, after a few minutes, the feeling went away.  I calmed down, and my heartbeat returned to normal.  I then scratched my head in confusion.  What had I felt just now?  Well, all I knew is that whatever I was feeling…it felt quite good.

(End Song Here)

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

 

“Attention everyone, the school track competition is starting soon!”

“Xion, you should participate in the competition!”

“Do I have what it takes?”

“Only one way to find out!”

 

Next time, be prepared for Chapter Ten: “An Interesting Proposition.”

 

Well everyone, that was the chapter, I hope that you all enjoyed it!  Now that I’ve fully recovered, I promise to post chapters sooner rather than later!  Again, I apologize for having taken so long to post this chapter, but since I had been hospitalized, I hadn’t been able to access my laptop.  But the important thing is that the chapter has been posted!  I hope you all enjoyed it!  Be sure to comment on it!  Until next time, stay tuned for the next chapter!

[Josuke Higashikata 2,141]

 

And so, with this mysterious turn of events, I did the only thing I could do: walk forward.  And that’s exactly what I did.

I... might be pernickety here, but isn't this repetitive?

 

Apart from that... I liked it!

[Killua0707 194]

This chapter... oh my God.  10/10  

[KHLegendIII 709]

Nice job on the new Chapter.

[Keyblade101 526]

Wow that chapter was amazing. I love the dream sequence and the Clannad songs seriously fit with what's going on at the time. Keep going.

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

Good evening everyone, I hope that all of you are doing okay!  Now then, here’s the latest chapter of the story!  It’ll be from Roxas’ perspective!  I’m getting a good feeling you’ll all enjoy this chapter quite much!  Read on and immerse yourselves in the story, my dear followers, and enjoy the chapter!

 

Chapter Ten: An Interesting Proposition

 

  The next day, everything went normally at school.  Nothing out of the ordinary happened, and you know, I was still keeping an eye out for Seifer and his gang.  They hadn’t been seen around ever since what happened a few days ago.  Well, this school is big, so I’m not surprised that I haven’t seen them around.  They could be anywhere in the school, or they could just be ditching class.  Anyways, I spent the day writing down notes, and during lunch break, I hung out with Xion, and Tidus came along by too, and I introduced him to Xion, and then we talked about random things, from anime to music to books and stuff like that.  Funny, I never figured Tidus as a lover of books.  He had quite a fondness for detective novels.  Sherlock Holmes to be more specific.  Xion and I exchanged impressed looks at each other, and we continued on having our conversation.  We also went to the lunchroom together, and today’s menu was pretty delicious!  It was sushi and sweet potatoes and a slice of apple pie!  It was all very delicious.  Then, all of a sudden, the loudspeakers turned on.

 

  “Attention all students, you are to gather at the gym for a special P.E session with coach Nikishido.  That is all.” the principal said.  At that, Tidus beamed with excitement.

 

(Start Song Here)

  “Aw yes, we’ll probably get some extra drills and some rigorous new exercises!  I’m so psyched!  I’ve even got a concept of a new sport to discuss with the coach!” Tidus proclaimed with much excitement.

 

  “Oh, really?  What’s this new sport you’ve come up with?” Xion asked curiously.  Tidus then waved his hands dramatically, and he then stood proud and tall, his expression quite cocky.

 

  “I call it...Blitzball!” Tidus yelled from the top of his lungs, as if the words he shouted out were the most important words of his life.

 

  “Blitzball?  How does that even work?” I asked him, feeling a bit confused.  Tidus just gave me a mischievous look and he chuckled to himself.

 

  “Oh, don’t worry, everything will become clear to you in time!” he said with a wise tone.  Xion and I smiled at each other and rolled our eyes and went towards the gym.

 

  As we arrived to the gym, we noticed that there were a lot of girls that were more than a bit excited.  And as for the guys, well, they were standing in a corner, and they looked pretty pathetic.  Rumors had been flying around that there was a new gym teacher, and apparently this was true.  The last gym teacher left because he was transferred to another school.  I couldn’t blame the guy.  He was constantly laughed at by the students because he wasn’t exactly the spitting image of what you expect a gym teacher to look like.  But apparently this new one was the real deal.  Xion, Tidus and I looked at each other and then walked closer to the crowd, and we caught a glimpse of the new gym teacher.  Now I understood why the guys were looking all pathetic.

 

  “Everyone, please, settle down!” the gym teacher shouted out.

 

  “Wow, the new gym teacher’s more impressive looking than I thought he’d be!  Oh yes, just from the look of him, I can tell that he’ll love my idea of Blitzball!” Tidus said excitedly.

 

  “Um, how do you even know he’ll accept your idea?  You can’t seize victory yet.  But well, I wish you the best of luck!” Xion said politely, and at that, Tidus smiled.

 

  “Oh, don’t worry, I have a feeling in my gut telling me that my idea will be like a revelation to him!” he said cheerfully, and with that, he went into the crowd.  I then caught another glimpse of the new gym teacher.

 

  He was pretty tall.  I think he’s like six feet tall or maybe a bit more than that.  He had some really stylish spiky hair for a gym teacher, and his skin was a mix between white and tan.  Not too dark and not too light.  He had a lean build, and had a pretty muscular shape.  No wonder the guys were feeling sorry for themselves.  They couldn’t make fun of this gym teacher.  Heck, this gym teacher could make fun of them!  But looking at him made me realize he wasn’t the type of gym teacher that’d enjoy making his students feel bad.  I could tell you this though, I don’t know if he pretended not to notice, but the girls were practically falling head over heels for him.  I glanced over at Xion, and she didn’t seem to be reacting like the other girls.  For some reason, I felt relieved.  I don’t even know why!

(End Song Here)

 

  “Okay, settle down everyone!  My name is Terra Nikishido, and from this day forth, I’m going to be your new gym teacher.  Now then, for starters, I want all of you to run five laps around the gym, so hop straight to it!” he said, blowing the whistle and then crossing his arms.  We all changed into our gym clothes and then started to run the laps.  Tidus in particular ran with glee.

 

  “Well, he seems nice enough.  And he looks pretty cool.” I said to Xion while running, aiming to get a reaction from her.

 

  “Yeah, he seems pretty cool indeed.  He kinda looks like a character straight from a video game!” she said while laughing.  She didn’t even mention his muscles.  Again, I felt a sense of relief, but I don’t even know why!  I smiled and laughed with her, and then we kept running the laps until we finished them.

 

  “Good, good, you all did great!  Now, run five more laps!” he said, as he blew the whistle again.  The girls happily kept running, while the guys just groaned, already feeling tired.

 

  As Xion and I were running together, I took a moment to notice her from top to bottom.  Usually I’m not the type of guy that stares at a girl’s body for too long, but for some reason, I felt compelled to look at her.  Her legs looked really smooth, I mean seriously, unbelievably smooth, like a baby’s skin!  Her legs looked strong, and her arms looked firm as well.  And well…I looked at her features too.  She looked really cute.  I’m not gonna lie, this girl is hot.  And the way her body moved while she ran was spectacular.  Oh God, now I sound like a pervert!  Anyways, as we kept running, Xion ran a bit ahead of me, and then all of a sudden she was bumped abruptly by another girl.  For a moment, Xion was about to fall, but she was able to sustain herself and then she kept running.  I tried to eye out the girl who bumped her, because I knew that whoever did so had done it on purpose.  For now, I wasn’t able to see the girl anywhere.  Then, after a few seconds, the girl appeared again and bumped into Xion, knocking her down abruptly.  The coach quickly blew the whistle.

 

  “Time out!  You there, that’s no way to treat a fellow student.” the coach said as he walked towards us.  I finally caught a glimpse of the girl who had knocked down Xion, and it was none other than Fuu!

 

  “Irrelevant.” Fuu said, crossing her arms.

 

  “Now you listen here, you don’t push other students out of the way, this isn’t a competition, this is an exercise drill.  Now apologize to your fellow student.  What’s your name?” the coach asked, looking at Xion, who was still in the floor, with an embarrassed look on her face.

 

  “Xion…Fuyibayashi.” she answered in a discouraged tone.

 

  “And you?” the coach asked to Fuu.

 

  “Fuu Ouma.” she answered coldheartedly.

 

  “Well then Fuu, I expect you to apologize to Xion.” the coach said, crossing his arms and waiting for her to apologize to Xion.  Everyone remained silent, and then, I noticed Seifer and Rai a little far off in the group, smirking.  Clearly, something was up.  But I don’t think Seifer had noticed me.

 

  Fuu didn’t budge.  Apparently, she was waiting for Xion to get up on her own.  If there was any intention of apologizing, Fuu didn’t show it at all.  The coach started to tap his foot on the ground, and the students were now starting to have concerned looks on their faces.  Seifer and Rai remained smirking, and Xion was about to burst into tears.  I couldn’t stand the sight of this.  I had to do something!  Xion looked at me, her beautiful blue eyes piercing into mine.  Her eyes looked so sad.  She just wanted to come running to me and  hug me, I could feel it in my gut.  But she held back her tears and she remained in the floor for a bit longer.  It felt like this was going on for minutes, when it was actually seconds.  Then, Xion slowly started to stand up on her own, her face changing expression.  She changed from an embarrassed expression to an angry expression.  She then walked towards Fuu, who had quite a sly look on her face.  But Seifer and Rai had surprised faces.  Apparently they hadn’t expected Xion to get up. Things were about to get interesting.

 

  “I don’t want an apology.  Coach, I want to run five more laps, but this time, I want to run one on one against Fuu.” Xion proclaimed with such a confident tone that not even I could believe it when I heard her say those words. The coach then looked at both girls.

 

  “Well, if that’s how you want to go about it, then that’s how it’ll be.  Is that okay with you Fuu?” the coach asked.  Fuu simply nodded.

 

  “Affirmative.” she said with a smirk on her face.  At that, the rest of the students took their seats on the bleachers.  Tidus came by my side and tugged at my shirt.

 

  “Dude, this is gonna be awesome!  Let’s sit over here, that way we’ll be closest to the action!” Tidus said excitedly.

 

  “Um, okay.” I replied.  I then looked at Xion, who was glaring at Fuu.  God, this was going to be a heck of a lap run.

 

  And so, everyone remained silent, and the coach went over the specific rule that there would be no cheating to win this lap run.  Xion and Fuu kept glaring at each other like if this was some sort of epic deathmatch.  Well, in a way, it kind of was.  And Fuu was the one that had started it.  And so, they took their positions, and they stretched out to warm up their bodies, and they each looked deadly concentrated.  These girls meant business.  I glanced over at Tidus, who was looking forward to this like if he was watching a climatic scene from an insane action movie.  All the guy needed was some popcorn and he was set!  I then turned my attention to Xion.  She momentarily looked at me and smiled.  I smiled back at her.  She knew I’d be rooting for her to win.  And then, the coach blew the whistle, and they both darted off.

 

  “Wooo!  Go Xion!” Tidus yelled from the top of his lungs, watching the lap run with excitement.  Everyone was in an uproar!

 

  “Well, it looks like those two are quite competitive.” the coach said as he sat beside me and Tidus.  Immediately, Tidus noticed the coach sitting beside us, and he quickly rushed to his side.

 

  “Ooh, ooh, coach Nikishido-“ Tidus began to say, but the coach cut him off.

 

  “Heh, kid, call me Terra.” he said with a smile.  Tidus nodded happily.

 

  “Okay then, Terra, listen, I need to talk to you about something…” he said, and off started his conversation with the coach about his pitch for Blitzball. I would have kept listening to the conversation, but I was too worried about Xion to care, so I paid attention to the lap run instead.

 

  “Come on Fuu, leave Xion in the dust!  Make her eat your dust, ya know!?” Rai shouted out from higher up in the bleachers, while Seifer remained calm with his arms crossed.  And yes, now he had noticed me.

 

  When I turned back, I saw that Xion and Fuu had already finished the first lap, and now were heading halfway into the second lap.  Both of them showed no signs of slowing down.  It’s like they’d taken an overdose of steroids before starting the run!  Yes, it was that unreal!  I looked at Xion, and she looked determined, probably more determined than I have ever seen her since I met her.  She was determined to prove herself, and well, from the looks of it, she was aiming to make Fuu look like a fool.  I was crossing my fingers and biting my lower lip, hoping nothing bad would happen.  Even though the coach had gone over the rule that there would be no cheating, I knew that Fuu would try something to get ahead in the lap run.  As I glanced over to the coach, he and Tidus had already finished their conversation, and his eyes were glued to Xion and Fuu.  Good.  He’d notice if Fuu would suddenly try something funny.

 

  “Come on Fuu, show that stupid puppet who’s boss!” Rai shouted once again.  Damn it, now he was really pissing me off!  And then, that’s when it happened.

 

  The moment Rai had mentioned the word puppet, I saw Xion slow down.  She had heard that stupid jerk!  Now I was really worried!  Fuu was now ahead of her.  Damn, I should have know something like this was going to happen.  Knowing that she couldn’t cheat, I’m guessing Fuu was relying on Rai’s annoying cheering to break Xion’s will.  And unfortunately, it was working.  The students suddenly looked concerned for Xion.  I could hear their whispers.  They were wondering what was wrong.  It was heartbreaking seeing Xion break like this.  She was so determined to win this lap run, she had a fiery look in her eyes, and yet, Rai’s stupid insult broke her.  It was more than I could bear.  She and Fuu were now finishing the third lap.  Now I was panicking.  Xion was way behind, and Fuu was breezing buy effortlessly.  Tidus and I exchanged worried looks at each other, and we continued to watch.  I looked up at Rai and Seifer.  They were both quite pleased with themselves.  Those jerks…but wait!  A thought had come to me.  Now I knew what I had to do!

 

  “Come on Xion, pull yourself together, I know you can do it!  Kick Fuu’s butt!  You can do it Xion, win this lap run!  You can do it!” I shouted from the top of my lungs, with all my might.  I then looked at Tidus and smiled, and he smiled back at me.

 

  “That’s right, we know you can do it!  Come on Xion, you go girl!  Come on everybody!  Xion, Xion, Xion!”  Tidus yelled as he pumped his fist into the air, and everyone started cheering Xion’s name.

 

  “Xion, Xion, Xion!!!” the rest of the students cheered excitedly.  I looked back at Seifer and Rai, and now they were panicking!

 

(Start Song Here)

  As I looked back at Xion, I noticed that her expression changed.  At first she looked shocked, but then she started to smile.  And it was a cheek to cheek smile!  She then directly looked at me, and for a moment, my heart stopped.  She was looking at me with such fierce eyes, and I could tell that she was saying thank you with that determined look.  With that, she picked up the pace, and I swear, she ran like a speed demon!  Fuu looked back and wasn’t even able to catch her breath as Xion practically dashed past her.  Oh God, the look on Fuu’s face was priceless!  She looked like she had been punched hard in the gut!  Now both of them were almost finished running the fourth lap.  Now the crowd was going insane.  I couldn’t help but get in on the hype as well.  Xion was about to win this!  God, why wouldn’t I be excited!?  Xion was way ahead of Fuu, and she was already halfway through the fifth lap!  The excitement could be felt from the students, and well, I think the gym was about to explode at any moment!  And then, she finally finished.  She had officially won the five lap run!

(End Song Here)

 

  “Alright, the winner of the five round lap is Xion Fuyibayashi!” the coach said as he raised Xion’s arm up triumphantly, and the students ran down and gathered around Xion to celebrate, and Tidus joined in as well.  I remained outside the crowd, but could see Xion clearly.  And she could clearly see me.  She was smiling, with a tear rolling down her face.

 

  “She’s counting on you.” the coach said as he stood by my side.

 

  “Yeah, I guess she does.” I replied while smiling.

 

  “She was able to find her strength the moment you cheered for her.  She was able to regain her spirit after having been broken down.  You gave her the strength and confidence to finish what she started.  You’re a positive influence on her.  Keep up the good work.” the coach said as he put his hand on my shoulder and then walked away.

 

  I thought about the coach’s words for a moment.  He was right.  I had been able to give Xion the confidence she needed to finish this challenged that had come before her.  And now she had proven herself, and well, let me tell you that Fuu’s face of defeat was worth it!  Seifer and Rai had come down to Fuu’s side, and then they saw me and glared at me.  I personally just wanted to laugh at their faces, but I wasn’t that heartless.  Even though Fuu lost, I wasn’t just going to brag or anything.  I then walked towards the crowd and cheered on for Xion.  This was her moment, and I’m sure it would be a memory she would cherish forever.  I could see her blushing and laughing with the other students.  I smiled at the fact that she looked so happy.  It was definitely worth seeing her smile.

 

  “Attention everyone, the school track competition is starting soon!  Alright everyone, class is dismissed. Hey Xion, could you come here for a moment?” the coach called out to her.  At that, the rest of the students left, and Xion approached the coach.  Naturally, I walked over to Xion’s side, and the coach didn’t seem to mind.

 

  “W-what is it coach?” Xion asked, suddenly becoming quite shy.

 

  “I have to say Xion, your running skills are quite impressive.  I don’t think I’ve seen a student run so fast as you have.  I’d like to register you for the school’s national track competition.  So, what do you say?” the coach asked.  At that, Xion gasped in disbelief.

 

  “Y-you want me to enter the competition?” she asked the coach, still not believing what she had heard.  Tidus then came running by, having overheard what the coach had said.

 

  “You should enter the competition Xion, you’d win for sure!” Tidus proclaimed with confidence.

 

  “Do I have what it takes?” Xion said while blushing.

 

  “Only one way to find out.  Coach, sign Xion up!” I said, and at that, Xion looked at me nervously, but then her nervousness faded away into a more willing expression.

 

  “You know what?  I don’t see why not.  Sign me up coach!” Xion said, and at that, the coach smiled and nodded.

 

  “Alright, I’ll talk to the principal to make the arrangements.  We’ll discuss more details about your training schedule tomorrow.  Well then, have a nice day everyone.” he said as he started walking away.  Tidus then rushed over to him.

 

  “Ooh, ooh, coach, did you give thought to my idea of Blitzball!?” Tidus asked with beaming excitement.  At that, the coach smiled.

 

  “I’ll think about it.” he said as he walked away.  Tidus then came back to us.  His expression was priceless.

 

  “He’s thinking about it!  He’s really thinking about it!” he said, and then he left.  It was only me and Xion now.  She then tugged at my arm and looked at me.

 

  “Roxas…I wanted to thank you.  I didn’t know what to expect from this lap run today, and to tell you the truth, I hadn’t expected to win.  I was actually afraid as I was running.  I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to prove to myself that I could stand up to Fuu.  But somehow, I kept going, and I yearned to win.  And well, when Rai called me a puppet, I felt all my energy fade away…I felt useless.  But then, when I heard you cheering for me, something inside me clicked.  It’s like you had awakened me.  I immediately regained my confidence, and I was able to beat Fuu.  I wanted to thank you for having faith in me.  It really means a lot…I had never felt this way before.  T-thank you.” she said to me as she looked into my eyes.  I swear, I could just stare into those eyes all day.

 

  “Y-your welcome.” I said to her.  Those were the only words that would come out of my mouth.  As we went out, we saw Fuu along with Seifer and Rai.  Xion walked up to her.

 

  “Hey Fuu, you sure ran fast today.  You really have some great running skills.  You did good out there.” Xion said, as she extended her hand so that Fuu could shake it.  I felt surprised by Xion’s good sportsmanship, but that just proved how good of a person Xion was. Then, I actually saw Fuu extend her hand, but Seifer instantly interfered.

 

  “Come on Fuu, let’s bail.  You don’t need to shake the hand of this stupid puppet.” Seifer said as he glared at us.  I felt disgusted by Seifer.  Fuu actually wanted to shake Xion’s hand, and Seifer had to just be a sore loser.  I was going to speak up, but Xion signaled me to not do anything.  And so, they walked away.

 

  After taking the bus and arriving home, Ven, Vanitas and I sat at the couch in the living room. It had been a long time since the three of us had sat together.  It felt kind of awkward.  But then, the awkwardness was broken, as Vanitas turned on the PS3 and brought out the controllers.  He was bragging about how he was the best player in Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, and at that, Ven and I exchanged smirks at each other.  It was about time we beat Vanitas and rub that smirk off his face.  This was gonna be fun.  Ven and I decided we would take turns fighting since there were only two controllers.  At first, Vanitas beat us to a bloody pulp, and it was…messy, to say the least.  But then Ven and I came back with a vengeance, and I have to tell you that Vanitas’ face was priceless on so many levels!  It was over nine thousand!  Ha, yeah, I just had to use that reference, I know that it’s overused.  But yeah, that’s how everything went for the rest of the day.  I enjoyed this peaceful moment with my brothers.  And well, it was a moment I’d cherish forever.

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

 

“Wow, those girls sure are talented!”

“They’re amazing!”

“She’s so beautiful!”

“Woo!!! Encore!!!”

 

Stay tuned for Chapter Eleven: “Spira Girls”

 

Okay everyone, that was the chapter, I hope you all enjoyed it!  I really love how this story’s coming along, and I’m really happy that all of you enjoy the chapters each time I post them!  Now then, please be sure to leave your comments on what you thought of the chapter!  Until next time, stay tuned for the next chapter everyone!