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The day was sunny and the temperature was high as a fresh new week dawned on the city of Reo. A young boy by the name of Roxas was currently skating around the sidewalks and streets toward a skating park he usually went to. Considering summer vacation had just started, Roxas should be very relaxed and excited to enjoy the vacation. This wasn't the case at all. Lately the teen has been very stressed... For the past week he has been arguing with his father to the point where Roxas even storms out of the house to only return hours or even a day later. Usually he would just ride around in his skateboard but even that was a problem as well... Lately, his tricks have been getting dangerous. So dangerous that he almost snapped his arm in half if it wasn't for the fact he managed to fall on his back and not his arm. All of this started right after he began to have those... Dreams. Roxas could vividly picture them. Running... Darkness... Creatures in black chasing him. Grabbing him and dragging him into an abyss. Each night he would wake up sweating unable to go back to sleep night after. Roxas grew restless. But now he had to try and calm himself down.

"Maybe I could play baseball later..." He muttered to himself. "Or go to one of those Mo0nFir3 concerts..."

Zexion walked around on the empty stage watching as employees unloaded supplies from the trucks in the back lot. He wondered if it was even worth doing these shows anymore. He knew one of these times someone was going to get hurt because of these crazy illusions. He sighed and sat down on the edge of the stage letting his legs dangle over the edge. The lights were flickering periodically as the stage crew prepared for tonight's show. Shouting could be heard from back stage as his manager ordered the poor employees around. He heard a record number of people has purchased tickets to come see it and he knew his manager must be worried about his tricks as well. His stunts had been growing more and more risky and he worried that something might go wrong, then he would be done, probably arrested. He shook his head and pulled out his notebook from his back pocket.  He slipped on his plain black framed glasses and began to go over the mechanics of the tricks he had planned. After only a few minutes Zexion became restless and snapped it shut. He pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm going for a walk!" He called to a random employee before hopping off of the stage and out of the theater. 

The back alley club was a mixture of sounds, blacklights, and thumping music. Four stages took up three walls, while the entrance took up the fourth. In the center was a circular bar serving all the drinks, though most eyes were on the two girls currently dancing on the main stage. Clearly younger than 18 each, no one really mattered. They were a mesmerizing combo to watch.

 

Their stage names were Chocolate and Vanilla - which fit. The black haired one had the far less modest costume on, which left little to the imagination. The blonde though, was a bit better in dress, which only added to the stark contrast that came about as they danced.

 

Their number came to an end eventually, and the two retreated to the back for clothing. It was a backroom club essentially, so...it took liberties. Ones that meant the girls were tugging on shirts and shorts...among others. Glitter covered their skin still, and as Namine sat down, Xion plopped on her lap. Sighing, the blonde held her close, the two winding down from their number.

"How much longer?"

"Now, Xi. We can get going."

 

Getting them up, Namine took the girls hand and gently led her to the office, where they and the secretary started counting the gathered money. Taking their cut (which generously was 60%, since what they did was highly illegal and the manager liked his money makers) they headed outside and started walking home to their small apartment down the block.

"Almost...maybe next week, we can get a car." Namine said, pulling Xion close. The black-haired girl nodded, laying her head on her friend's shoulder.

It had been a tiring, but fruitful night. Time to get home and shower.

The sun shone bright overhead that summer afternoon as Xigbar pulled his shades out of his jacket to protect his eyes.  His shift at the bar didn't start for another few hours, and to kill time--since he really didn't have anything to do back at home--he decided he'd go for a motorcycle ride.  Some people were close to family, while others adored friends.  Not Xigbar: he adored his bike.  Whenever he wasn't working, drinking, or sleeping he was riding, out into the wilderness and beyond.  He found himself most when he was out riding.  It cleared his head and made him more capable of thinking.

 

Today, however, his bike wouldn't start.  Apparently he'd left the headlights on overnight in his drunken state, and the battery died but good.  Thankfully the battery was relatively new, so all he would need to do was jump it.  He wandered the streets, but he didn't see many who he thought would be up to something such as helping him.  He was no longer very popular with the ladies, and the kids couldn't help him because they didn't own cars of their own or didn't have jump cables.  Of course Xigbar didn't possess them, because why would he?

 

It was just his luck that he stumbled upon a familiar face as he strolled the street.  He waved to his silver-haired acquaintance.  "Hey, Zexion!  Got a bone to pick with ya."  Of course the two weren't "friends," because Xigbar had none, but it was better than flagging down a complete stranger to stare at him buggy-eyed.  "Have time to jump a motorcycle?"

~Larxene~

 

"Ugh. How could things get any worse?" The blonde grunted as she threw herself on her own bed, keeping the phone she yelled into by her ear. "I need to find someone to share this room eith... and a job, too?" She scoffed. "They're asking far too much from me!" After a few mumbles under her breath, Larxene dropped the phone to the matress and stormed out of her apartment.

 

It was a really nice day out, but Larxene didn't seem to care. She sever years of her life, studying as much as she possibly could, to attain the scholarship that had granted her a full ride to the local college, RC&U. All that was risked, however, when she had a little fight with a professor only a few days before. How could she possibly know that the mitochondria was the power house of the cell? How could the professor mark her down for that? That didn't matter now though. Because of this disturbance, Larxene no longer has the privilege to a paid apartment near the school. She had only till the end of the month to find a roommate and a job, or else she would not be able to live there. Disgruntled, Larxene headed out to the streets, carrying a handful of fliers, hoping that someone would see them, and give her a call.

Up ahead from where Xion and Naminè were walking, Roxas was in his own little world as he pondered what the hell was going on over the past few days. Was he stressed? Did he need a break from something? All of this confused him. The dreams didn't help him either. Lately Roxas was feeling disconnected from life. Why was he feeling such a way? As Roxas pondered on this feeling, he didn't notice a car about to hit him due to a green light. He saw Larxene across the street, handing out fliers.

"It's that mean lady who lives on my street..." He uttered to himself.

Xion and Namine saw the car, but Xion was quicker. Like lightning she reached out and yanked Roxas back, seconds before the car would have flattened him.

"Pay attention." She said emotionlessly, before continuing on. Namine jogged up. "Damn...seriously?" She waved to roxas. "Pay attention!"

 

And she ran after Xion, who was already entering their apartment complex.

Axel yawned as he shuffled bare foot into the living room/studio he and Saix co-owned.

"You're up early." He heard Saix say dryly.

He turned to see his partner working on a laptop, with some papers laid out on the coffee table.

"Not all of us can do a late show and still be fresh as a daisy." He grumbled as he went through the kitchen door to the fridge for some orange juice. "What are you even doing? You said you had some mixing to do."

"Just going over our current finances." Saix answered as he continued his work.

Axel looked around the door jam, orange juice carton half way to his mouth, a concerned look on his face.

"We good?" He asked hesitantly.

Saix nodded.

"Yes, I'm just budgeting our current resources." He replied. "Your hot tube didn't make the budget."

Rolling his eyes, Axel plopped down in a lounge chair and drank some juice. He knew better then to argue with Saix over money matters. Wasn't worth the trouble.

"Maybe after the album goes out." He said, whipping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Speaking of which, I would like you to rerecord the lyrics for track 8." Saix said. "The words needs a little more anguish in them."

Axel thought about which song Saix was talking about. Oh yeah, 'Like You'.

"No problem." Axel said, taking another gulp. "I was hoping to get another crack at it."

He pulled his phone from his pajama pants to check the date.

"Though it'll have to be tomorrow. We got a show this evening."

Saix's forehead wrinkled for a moment, then recollection dawned.

"Ah, yes." He said, then looked down at he book keeping. "Can you get things set up?"

Taking a long gulp, Axel gave his best friend a thumbs up. After a shower, of course. And maybe some food.

Zexion studied Xigbar for a moment before checking his watch. "Yeah come on." He motioned for the older male to follow him. He had left his car by the theater. Luckily he had only made it a few blocks before Xigbar ran into him so it wasn't a long walk back. "Is it at your place?" Zexion asked digging his keys out of his pocket. He hoped he still had his jumper cables in the trunk. Once the theater was in sight, Zexion noticed all the trucks had gone. That was strange, maybe they had to move because of parking violations or something. He shrugged it off for the moment and unlocked the trunk of his car. "Your lucky I have my cables." Zexion said grabbing them from his trunk and tossing them to Xigbar. He sat down on the driver's seat and unlocked the passenger side door. He motioned for Xigbar to climb in before turning on the car.

Roxas certainly wasn't expecting the sudden yank back. Nor was he expecting the loud sound of the horn from the car that almost hit him. It completely startled him, especially the fact that he almost died just now. Did he seriously not notice the car coming.

"T-Thank you..." Roxas said, who was shaking a little bit from the sudden event. He really didn't know what else to say. He was going to reach out and talk to the girl and her friend more, but they already left while shouting at him to pay attention. Roxas stood there and sighed softly while he rubbed the back of his head.

"Am I... Just dreaming...?" He asked himself, looking both ways this time before crossing the street. He looked over to Larxene handing out fliers and contemplated on if he should crack a wise comment or not. After all, she looked vulnerable for once and he felt kinda bad for her.

Namine unlocked the front door of their apartment and walked in, flicking the light on. It was only a one bedroom one bath place, with a small living room and a kitchenette. Namine put her bag down and turned to receive a small kiss from Xion, who then left her there blushing furiously at the sneak attack. Not giving the black-haired girl anything, she went into the kitchen and pulled out...ramen.

Dinner of champions.

Xion turned on the TV, tuning into the news.

 

______________________________

 

The Stalker found its prey, but what it didn't know was that it was the stalked. From the shadows dropped a woman in a black hood, sword gleaming in the moonlight. It turned to face her, but it received that strange sword. Barely blocking, the monster pressed in...but this warrior was fast. It was confused, never having faced such a foe...then the sword cleaved it's head off.

 

Eclaire Farron, Claire to friends and Lightning to most, stood up tall, sheathing the Blazefire Saber. She had been hunting Stalkers for days, and they kept losing. It was good, but soon it would not go well...

Her phone buzzed, and she checked. Huh. Someone wanted her for her night job, and was willing to pay a hefty sum.

 

Might as well wind down...

It certainly was a relief that Zexion had brought his jump cables.  Otherwise Xigbar would have to rely on some random person on the street, and wish him luck with that.  "Thanks, man.  You're a life-saver.  My bike is at the apartment complex just over that way"--he gestured lazily in the direction of his place, ironically one where a huge majority of Nobodies lived--"and it should be easy to see from the street."  The older man climbed into the passenger seat, sighed loudly, and clasped his hands behind his head.  He leaned back casually in the seat, relaxing as though he'd been best friends with Zexion for ages.  "So, dare I ask why the nice attire?  Don't tell me you've got another one of your shows tonight?"

Edited September 3, 201510 yr by Mystics Apprentice

-Faux-

The young man heard the buzzing from Lightning's phone. He dropped down from what appeared to be out of nowhere. He stood to the side, watching as the Phantom dissapear into darkness after being defeated. He was clutching his shoulder, signaling that he may have been hurt.

"It's alright if you want to take your other job now." He said. "I'll cover for you while you're gone. I don't have to go into work until four in the morning." Four in the morning. Faux hardly ever slept. He often overworked himself, hunting Stalkers for most of the day and night then proceeding to unload goods from delivered trucks to the store he worked at very early in the morning. His shifts usually were from as early as 3am to 10:30am. Sometimes he would sleep during the day once in a blue moon. But there as work to be done. And more work now than ever.

"I fear something may happen tonight... The Stalkers have been getting rowdy. They're waiting for an opportunity."

{Axel}

After a shower, a meal, and a coffee run, Axel was in the van with Mo0nFir3's live equipment, heading for the club that was hosting the show that night. Most of the general equipment was supplied by the club, but there was a few computers and some guitars to bring, and Axel wanted to customize the drum set layout to his liking. He sipped at his coffee and contemplated the dream he had last night. He never remembered the details, he just woke up with a feeling of dread. It had to be stress. The new album he and Saix were working on could make them famous outside of Reo.

"I wonder if Saix has these problem to?" He asked himselff, though he doubted it.

He finally pulled up to the back of the club and started unloading.

Zexion nodded slightly, "Yeah I do." He said plainly, his nerves about the upcoming illusions had caused him to become rather closed about the subject. Before long he spotted the apartment complex and pull up in it. He cut the engine to his own car and pocketed the keys. He opened up the hood the car and attached one end of the cables to his own battery. "Bring your motorcycle out here." Zexion said to Xigbar holding the unconnected end of the jumper cables. Zexion turned his head to watch people walk passed him on the street, not really taking interest in anything he saw, Zexion moved his gaze up to the apartment building itself. It really could be worse he supposed. It seemed exactly the place he would expect Xigbar to live now that he thought of it, he didn't know too much about the man. Just his name, his job, and his love of his motorcycle. 

-NaXi-

The black-haired one got untangled from her friend and sat up. Looking around, she dimly realized the room was a disaster. Sighing softly, she located her underwear on...a firetrucking lamp. Sigh.

 

Finding a fresh shit, she stumbled out of the bedroom and found herself in the living room. The PS4 was on rest mode; Namine probably was downloading something. Rubbing her eyes she stumbled towards the fridge. Thankfully her yogurt was there, so she ripped the top off and licked the foil clean, before finding a spoon. Sitting down, she had her small breakfast in silence.

 

Then Namine laid across her lap. The dark-haired girl looked down.

"..."

"Cold."

Xion finished her yogurt rather quickly, then pulled a nearby blanket onto them. With the girl made happy, Xion turned on the TV.

 

-Lightning-

Her second job was over. After cleaning up (and accepting a light dinner from the client, who insisted she leave with a full belly) she was back in normal clothes and heading for her motorcycle. Parked nearbye, she threw her leg over and revved up the engine. Custom-made, she roared off into the waning night, having napped at the clients house. She tapped a Bluetooth headset she kept in her ear.

"Faux. Any more reports on Stalker activity? Or has it died down for now?" She hoped so. A little more sleep never hurt anyone.

-Roxas-

Roxas was currently blasting music in his ears as he walked around. Where the hell was he going now? The skatepark was a great option, but his heart just wasn't in it. There was some time to kill before the magician's show started and the Mo0nFir3 concert started, so a little more exploring couldn't hurt. After a few minutes, the short exploring payed off because he noticed right in between a few buildings was one of the singer's himself; Axel.

"No way..." Roxas uttered to himself. He walked right into the alley to the back of the club and approached the singer.

"Hey!" Roxas called. "You're Axel from Mo0nFir3 right? I'm listening to one of your songs right now."

 

-Faux-

Meanwhile Faux sat on top of one of the building in Reo, eating a small meal of Chinese food with some chop sticks. Cheap food was always the best. Especially Chinese food. While his feet dangled at the edge of the building, he was able to see an entire street.

"It's silent." He responded, with some food in his mouth. He honestly didn't care about most manners. "They stepped back... They're definitely waiting for something. I can feel it. Just get some sleep for now Lightning. I'll call you if anything comes up."

-Light-

 

The woman sighed with relief. "Good. I'm exhausted..." she changed lanes and headed for home, which took over the top floor of a skyscraper. The penthouse was given to her by whoever sent her here, and as she pulled into the garage below, she wondered if she could get her hands on some form of aircraft...nah, too costly.

Stepping into the elevator, she tuned out the horrible music on the way up, and stepped out into the spacious living space.

 

Initiated a clothing change, Lightning changed into her underwear before tugging an oversized shirt from her closet. Now feeling at home, she opened her freezer and withdrew her giant gallon of cherry-vanilla ice cream. Sitting down, she began to eat, a snack before bed.

She got through a pint before putting it away and collapsing into her bed.

Xigbar cocked a grin and jerked a thumb in the direction of the apartments.  "Yeah, it's just over there.  Hold on a sec."  The dark-haired man left Zexion's side and made his way down the street, where a sleek motorcycle stood.  From its shiny bumper and clean tires (or as clean as tires could get) it was apparent that Xigbar just recently got it washed--and perhaps even polished.  He dragged the bike over to Zexion and his car, his ponytail falling over his shoulder in front of him.  By the time he was done he was panting, jerking the handles of the cables from Zexion's hands and clipping them onto his battery.  "Y'know, they say that it's best not to jump a motorcycle, but come on!  I just bought this battery last month."

 

Xigbar leaned against the car, eyeing his beloved bike before turning his gaze on to Zexion.  He didn't think it was his imagination that the young man seemed more on edge than usual.  Something seemed to be bothering him, and he was willing to bet that it had something to do with that show.  The bartender crossed his arms.  "So, this show that you've got going on . . . .  Is it the same ol' thing?  Got any seats left?  I'm supposed to be working, but I could probably get one of the gals to cover my shift instead.  They tip like nobody's business on Friday nights."

Axel paused in pulling out the guitar cases from the vans to look at Roxas. After a moment he placed the cases on the ground, then crossed his arms as he looked Roxas up and down.

"Let's see, for you, I'm guessing either 'Got It Memorized?' or 'Ready, Aim, Fire'." He said, grinning. "Always good to meet a fan. You got a name, kiddo?"

~Larxene~

 

Posting a few fliers on a bulletin in the middle of town, Larxene continued to mumble to herself. She had heard the words 'mean lady' from a distance, but somehow managed not to scream st whoever said it. Instead, she continued to hand out the fliers to random passers-by's. Eventually she came across a young man with blonde hair (roxas). She handed him a flier, and, for a moment, thought he looked familiar.

"Hello there, my name is Larxene, and I... I'm sorry but, what's you're name? You look familiar."

Zexion glanced at Xigbar out of the corner of his eye,

"Uh yeah pretty much the same old thing..." He took his wallet out of his back pocket and riffled through it. "I was pretty sure there was a few extras....oh here"

He pulled a black ticket out of his wallet and handed it to Xigbar.

"Help yourself, i was gonna toss them anyways." 

He sat in the front seat of his car, "You ready for me to start it?" He asked putting his hand on the key.

-Faux-

After he was done with eating his Chinese food, Faux decided he still wasn't full and some more food couldn't hurt. After all, he had more time to kill and he didn't feel like sleeping until nighttime. As a result about a half an hour later he was currently sitting in the corner of Lightning's bedroom, eating some dumplings. He had a small box of Chinese food next to him in case Lightning wanted some.

"Hm...." He munched on some more dumplings. How lovely boredom was.

 

-Roxas-

Roxas nodded excitedly as Axel predicted the exact song he was listening to. It was pretty sweet getting to meet a musician like that.

"Yeah! Got It Memoried. It's my favorite!" He chuckled and held his skateboard at his side. "My name is Roxas. It's so cool to meet you." Roxas was going to say more, until he suddenly heard a voice from behind him. It was Larxene, who gave him a flier. He glanced down at it.

"It's Roxas." He repeated. "You live in that apartment building near my house."

     It has not been a very eventful day so far for Marluxia. Just a flurry of thoughts, theories and possible solutions to all of the odd dreams he's been having as of late. He was sure to be the only one having them, and sort of frustrated him. But, at the same time, he felt...special in a way. He was just thinking about it too hard, though. He had to get out for a bit, maybe have some interaction for once. He needed to find something anyways. So, he got up from the chair he was sitting in, walked over to the door and headed out of his own apartment. He made sure to lock the door so that nobody would try to steal his stuff or let some other odd event happen.

 

     He started his way down the streets, just mindlessly at first, until he noticed someone giving away fliers as well as posting some on a bulletin board. Curious, he walked over the board, paying no attention to anybody else around him. He was correct about there being various asinine events later, and mumbled to himself.

     "Will there ever be anything worthy of attending in this pit of a city? It seems like these events just become more and more foolish every year that passes.", he sort of stared at the board for a bit, fathoming in what things on it seemed to humor him.

-Lightning-

 

The woman put the ice cream away and stepped into her bedroom, then flinched.

"Dammit Faux, how many times do I have to firetrucking tell you. Stop eating in the corner of my room its firetrucking creepy as hell she seethed, crossing her arms. She couldn't exactly switch to her night dress with him around now.

"Get. Move. Let me sleep without you being creepy."

{Axel}

Axel grinned that he got the song right. "Got It Memorized" was his favorite song to work on and preform. Saix usually rolled his eyes when Axel added it to the song list for a show, but never objected. The arrival of Larxene further brightened his day. Talking with Roxas was fun, but the kid wasn't a hot girl.

"Hi." Axel greeted Larxene in his smoothest tone.

In the back of his mind, he knew he should get back to unloading, but this promised to be fun.