A/N: Hey everyone (who have stumbled upon this fanfic)! Yes, this is my very first fanfic I have ever posted online. I hope that this is at least partly interesting; it will get better in the later chapters! Anyway, please feel free to contact me or leave a comment, though I will not be pleased with flamers. If I upset you somehow with my story, please tell me kindly and I will try to make things better. Thank you and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters used in this story (or some of the names of places)! I wish I did though...but I do own the plot (and story as a whole). The rest belongs to Square Enix (Tetsuya Nomura).

Chapter One- The Dream

Drip.

He stopped in his tracks, listening for the previous noise. Only silence greeted him so he picked up his steady pace along the road.

Drip, drip, drip.

He stopped again and tried to find the drip's source. An idea entered his mind and he outstretched his hand- palm turned upward- and waited for a few seconds. At last, a drop of rain fell into his smooth palm, and he shook his head, knowing that he had worried for nothing. He stuffed his right hand back into his pocket and trudged forward on the sidewalk.

He took a right onto Struggle Lane, already deciding that he should head back home in case a storm was brewing. It wouldn't take too long to reach his destination, just about five minutes- perhaps four, now. He squinted his eyes and searched for his house further up. Finally his eyes rested on the blue-painted, old-fashioned, two-story house near the center of Oblivion Circle. He hurried his pace this time, knowing that in a few minutes he could snuggle up in his-

Squish.

The dirty-blond haired male stopped for the third time and glanced down at his foot. Slowly and cautiously, he raised his left leg and took a step back which revealed a small doll. The boy raised an eyebrow curiously and kneeled down, scooping the doll into his hand. However, he made a disgusted face once he felt how squishy it was- most likely due to the rain which had soaked it completely.

He examined the doll closely, making out the black buttons for eyes, the white fabric for the skin, the simple white dress adorning the doll, and the light blonde hair made of a material close to nylon. He had no idea who could have dropped this-but, by the looks of it, a young girl most definitely- so he chose to leave the doll there should the owner ever come to search for it.

Crick. Crack.

The teenager furrowed his eyebrows and looked back at the doll which was already halfway on the pavement. He brought it back up and, finding nothing suspicious, he lowered his hand again. Suddenly, the doll's arms ripped open and real, human hands sprouted out. He immediately dropped the doll yet stayed rooted to the spot even though his mind screamed at him to run. Legs sprung out next and then the doll was entirely destroyed, leaving a single girl there who looked exactly like the doll, instead in human form.

By now, he had finally taken a step back but was instantly frozen again when the girl looked up at him from her place on the ground. Her eyes held such strong pain that it wrenched at his heart. Then, as fast as lightning, her hands reached forward and gripped his shoulders. He squeezed his eyes shut, expecting a hard, hurtful grip but when he felt only soft hands place themselves squarely on his shoulder pads, he cracked his eyes open to stare at her and realized that she looked too fragile to produce physical pain.

The girl's face was contorted in an expression of utter sorrow as she searched his eyes. They were both soaked from the rain now, but he couldn't tell if the water rolling down her face were tears or the raindrops. Before he had further time to contemplate it, her mouth opened wide and he heard his name tumble from her quivering lips in a loud voice which seemed unnatural for her.

"Roxas! Roxas! Please! Roxas!"

Roxas sprung into a sitting position on his bed. His eager eyes checked his surroundings and, realizing that he was only in his bedroom, let out a deep exhale of breath. His shoulders slumped back, and he wiped the sweat from his hot forehead.

It was just a dream, he said in his mind. Just a dream...

He lied back down to resume his slumber, but found that he could no longer sleep. Each time he closed his eyes, the girl from his dream would appear, displaying her miserable face to him again. In the end, Roxas decided to climb out of his bed and take a long, cold shower. After all, he did have an appointment soon that day, so why not get ready early?

He stripped out of his clothes and sauntered into the shower. After turning the knob to the cold side, he leaned his body against the shower all, trying his hardest to relax his muscles. At first, it worked and he was able to enjoy this shower, but right when he rinsed out his hair of conditioner, the dream came back to him.

Roxas shut his eyes, pushing it to the back of his mind, but then the water sprinkling down his back reminded him of the rain in his dream- the one which had soaked him, and more importantly, that 'doll' which had-

Roxas slammed the knob down, effectively turning off the shower. He hurriedly dried himself off and dressed up for he was determined to get out of the house as soon as possible. After grabbing his wallet and house keys, he exited the house and walked out of the neighborhood. He took a left and made his way to the grocery store where he simply bought five sea-salt ice cream before leaving the building as swiftly as he had come.

He continued on his random journey until he settled on sitting at a bench in Twilight Park. He closed his eyes for the umpteenth time and laid his head back as the sun warmed his skin.

I really need to stop thinking about that dream; it meant nothing, is nothing, and certainly has nothing to do with me. He thought and sighed deeply. He knew the he would think about it all day since it wasn't the first time that this had happened to him...

"Hey, Roxas!"

"Gack!" Roxas let out in surprise and sat straight up. He turned around to look for the voice's owner only to find himself staring at his friend's grinning face. "Ugh, Axel..."

The teenager, Axel, grinned wider and took a seat next to his friend. "Scared you, didn't I?"

Roxas shot him a meaningful glare. "Unfortunately, yes, and you better not do that again."

Axel waved off his comment, unaffected by Roxas' threat. "Yeah yeah, whatever." his catlike green eyes traveled down at the wooden bench and at the plastic grocery bag. "What's that?"

"Ice cream, " Roxas answered simply.

Axel snuck his hand inside the bag and pulled out on of the items. "Oh, sea-salt! How did you know this is one of my favorites?" he smirked as he ripped the cover off.

Roxas stared at him in alarm. "Wait, don't-" But he was too late for Axel had already shoved a fourth of the ice cream into his mouth.

"What?" he asked, blinking innocently. "Were you going to give this to someone?"

Roxas smacked his forehead and let out a frustrated sigh. "Yes. There's a reason why I bought exactly five, you dolt."

"Ah, well, what's done is done, right?" Axel replied nonchalantly and gave his dirty-blond haired friend an encouraging smile, "Don't worry about it."

He shot him a peeved look before rolling his eyes. "Says the one who didn't buy the ice cream in the first place."

There was silence between them for a while- Roxas with his chin in his palm as he rested his elbow against the bench arm, and Axel lounging on the bench casually, spiky red hair trembling in the breeze and ice cream dissolving in his warm mouth. Once he finished it though, he threw the stick over his shoulder and turned his eyes to his quiet friend.

"Hey...are you okay?" he asked uneasily.

Roxas snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Axel. "Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"You sure? You look down." Axel frowned disapprovingly. "Being depressed isn't good for you, you know."

"I'm fine, honestly," Roxas said, though his deep voice had a hint of stress in it.

"Okay..." Axel said into the uncomfortable atmosphere. Suddenly, a thought came to his mind. "It's the dream again, huh?"

"Well, yeah," Roxas admitted. "But don't worry about it; it'll go away soon enough."

Axel gave him an unconvinced look. "Yeah, right. Didn't you say that you have that dream at least twice a week? And it's been going on for three weeks already, right?"

"So? What can I do about it?"

Axel subconsciously massaged the underside of his chin with his right hand. "Hmm...maybe you can talk to a psychiatrist. Wait, your dad is one! Why don't you tell him about it?"

Roxas shook his head. "No way. First of all, it's not really bothering me-" here, Axel gave him a 'yeah, right' type of expression, "okay, maybe it is sort of, but secondly, it'd be awkward. Also my dad has been awfully busy lately so I don't want to bother him any more than necessary."

"Aw," Axel reached out and ruffled Roxas' hair, much to his friend's annoyance, "you're such a sweet kid! Touching, really."

"Agh! Stop that!" Roxas cried, shoving Axel's hand away. "You're so annoying..."

"I try," Axel responded with a shrug of his shoulders. "By the way, you father must be a great psychiatrist if he's been busy a lot lately. Or maybe he's just stressed over someone's condition...hey, if he starts to get more money pouring into his pockets, why don't we go to a concert or-"

"Oh, no!" shouted Roxas, gaining the attention of a few people passing by. He ignored them however and jumped up from his seat.

"Um...Roxas?" Axel asked. "You okay there, buddy?"

"No!" Roxas replied truthfully. "Sorry, Ax, but I have to go; I forgot that I was supposed to be helping my dad out today. Maybe if I run, I'll only be ten minutes late..."

"Then why aren't you leaving already?" the red-head questioned.

"Man, I also said that I'd go to the Usual Spot today. Well, maybe they'll forgive me this time..." the panicked teenager continued.

"Can I have the rest of the ice cream?" Axel inquired.

That seemed to catch Roxas' attention. "No! Those are for Hayner, Pence, Olette, and my dad! I also would have one to eat if someone hadn't eaten it by now without asking me first!" he glowered down at his friend while snatching the grocery bag.

"Well then, go on before your dad throttles you when you arrive. And stop by the Usual Spot if you can, since you think your friends there are better than me..." Axel told him, sounding a bit insulted at the end.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Axel, you know it's not like I prefer Hayner, Pence, and Olette over you. You're all equally my friends...except that they don't really like you- well, at least, Hayner doesn't. Plus, you keep teasing him, way more than what is healthy. Anyway, I really need to go now, so-"

Axel nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I know, I was just messing with you. Go on now- run like the wind!" he shooed him off in a playful manner.

Roxas glared at Axel one last time before taking off down the street. In less than a minute, Axel could no longer see him. "Oh well, it was nice while it lasted." He stretched his limbs and headed in the opposite direction. "Right now, some barbeque roasted chips sound very tempting..."

Roxas collapsed into one of the rolling chairs outside his father's office. He rested his forehead against the main desk as he caught his breath. Before his arrival at the building, he had taken Axel's advice and sprinted to the Usual Spot-which was his and his other friends' hangout. He had explained his current situation, dropped off the majority of the ice cream, and, with a quick apology, rushed out of the place and off to Destiny Center where his father worked.

Then he had quietly tip-toed until he reached the main office and, having been acknowledged and greeted by the receptionist, made his way inside. All the while, he looked about him, making sure that he didn't run into his dad or else he would have been scolded without a doubt. However, he realized that his father was currently preoccupied with a patient and that all his swift maneuvers to get inside safely had been a complete waste.

Therefore, he had considered upon just taking his seat and organizing his dad's files. Of course, he didn't have to come to this center every week; there were many workers here who would organize and file things accurately. But he enjoyed helping his father out- psychology to him was like solving the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. So he had persuaded his father to let him help out and learn more about the subject. And, after some deep thinking, his father and agreed in a pleased manner which was why Roxas would come into Destiny Center and work around.

Ever since that day, his dad had treated him like the average employee- with a few exceptions since he was still young- and that was also why he ordered for his son to be on time and take up calls appropriately. And even though it seemed tough at times, Roxas did not regret his choice.

Ring! Ring!

Roxas blinked stupidly for a moment then dived for the phone on his left. He cleared his voice and smoothly said into the receiver, "Destiny Center residence, how may I help you?"

The voice on the other side was deep and carried much wisdom. "Is this Dr. Takano?"

Roxas idly drummed his fingers against the cool marble of the desk he was sitting at. "No, Dr. Takano is with a client at the moment. May I ask who is calling?"

"Well..." there was a minute of silence before the man spoke again, "Please just tell Dr. Takano a little message; he'll know it was said from me."

"Um, please hold on for a second, sir, as I get a paper and a pen," Roxas informed him politely as his right hand fumbled in the desk drawers and brought out a sticky note and a blue-ink pen, "Alright, you can begin."

"'Have you heard the whereabouts of him?'" the man said slowly, allowing Roxas to easily scribble the quote down. Roxas stilled, waiting for the man to continue but only received a cough.

"Is that all, sir?"

"Oh, yes, thank you," the man on the line answered.

"Alright, thank you for calling; I'll make sure to give this message to Dr. Takano once he has a break." Roxas promised.

"Ah, yes, thank you." The man repeated. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye, sir." Roxas hung up the phone and stared down at the note. 'Have you heard the whereabouts of him?' Who is he talking about? And how will my dad know that the message was from that man? He pondered over the matter and then shook his head, Oh well, he promised to give the message to his dad, and he would dutifully do so. In the meantime, he had some files to sort out...

He carefully and diligently placed folders holding important documents of each client in alphabetical order by last name. After he had done that- it hadn't taken him that long for he had sorted the files just a few days ago- he settled upon going through each folder and searching for the essential papers. If any were missing, then he would have to report that to his father.

But, thought Roxas, somehow I doubt that he'd be missing anything. My dad is very serious and clean when it comes to his work.

Ten minutes had passed until he finally reached the O section of the folders. His eyes skimmed over the contents of each folder, his mind recognizing the clients most of the time. Even if he didn't remember fully what each person looked like, he often felt a sense of familiarity once his eyes glazed over the name. However, as Roxas picked up a folder and flipped it open, he found that there were no other important documents within it save for a review of the client and the signing in form. Shouldn't his father's notes be in here as well?

Roxas focused on the name and realized that it did not seem familiar at all. Naminé Omura? How come I don't remember her? He looked at her description. So she was fifteen- his age. Strange, I don't normally see kids my age coming here...

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Naminé," a deep, congenial voice echoed down from the hall. Roxas looked up expectantly, instantly recognizing his father's voice. He immediately stuffed the folder back into the drawer, not wanting to seem like he was going to stalk anyone by reading their profile.

Wait...did he say Naminé?

Roxas got up onto his feet and stumbled to the desk with a wince since he had acquired pins and needles from sitting on the floor for so long. He flipped open the book containing all the appointments scheduled for the day and went to the contents for room 213, his father's office. He scanned the writing and found the name Naminé.

Of course! No wonder dad didn't have any notes about her yet- she's a new client! Roxas slapped his forehead for his stupidity. He looked up and saw his father approaching the main desk and closed the appointment book. Deciding to deliver the message left by the man, who had called not too long ago, he trudged forward to meet his father with the note in his hand.

His father, noticing Roxas walking towards him, stopped his pace as well as his conversation with the girl by his side. "Oh, Roxas, for a minute I didn't think you would come." He said lightly.

Roxas laughed nervously, knowing that his father actually meant 'What took you so long? You better tell me afterwards.' Then he remembered the note sticking to his hand. "Oh, right! A man called earlier for you."

Curiosity filled his face. "A man? What was his name?"

"Umm..." Roxas began. "He didn't tell me his name. He told me that you'd know who he was if you heard the message he left for you."

His father stood still, obviously thinking of the possible men in his head. Alas, he couldn't come to one solid answer. "Do you have the message?" he finally asked.

Roxas looked down at the note. "It says: 'Have you heard the whereabouts of him?'" he looked up at his father this time and tried to read his face.

Recognition lit up in his father's face. "I see. I must return the call at once then. But..." he gazed at the girl beside him. When he did this, Roxas finally noticed the quiet, petite girl next to his father. Her light blonde came a few inches past her shoulders and was swept over her left shoulder. Her eyes were glued to the ground so he couldn't see much of her face. Yet he could see clearly the pale, fair skin and the simple white dress she was wearing. Blue dress shoes were clasped onto her feet with star-shaped silver pins attached to the straps.

"Roxas." Roxas snapped out of his trance and met his father's eyes. "Would you be so kind as to escort this young lady out?"

"Oh. S-sure," Roxas replied with a stutter. He hoped his father hadn't noticed.

"Excellent," he said, having either not noticed his son's stutter or choosing to ignore it. "Thank you for coming, Naminé, and I'm sorry that I cannot escort you out on your first day here." He smiled warmly at said girl named Naminé and she looked up into his eyes.

"No, thank you," she said in a tender voice which was almost inaudible to Roxas. "And it's alright, I can go out on my own."

His father chuckled. "Oh no, don't worry about it. My son, Roxas, here, would be glad to guide you out. Wouldn't want you accidentally getting lost, right?"

She smiled politely and nodded her head. Looking more closely at her, Roxas realized that she appeared to be quite familiar now for some reason. The dainty, yet not complete smile...as if she was holding back something...

"Well, I better call my friend now," Roxas' father said. "I'll leave the rest to you, Roxas. See you tomorrow, Naminé." And then his figure disappeared back into his office.

Roxas turned his attention back to the girl in front of him. "Shall we go down, then?"

Naminé turned in his direction and lifted her eyes to meet his fully. Yet he had not been expecting to see the pain and sorrow filling her blue orbs. It took him a few seconds before Roxas understood why the immense emotion tugging at his heart strings seemed so memorable. His eyes widened.

She's...the girl from my dream...

--

A/N: Well, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! It took some time thinking up the surnames, roads, and whatnot (even though it may not look like it, lol) and I think they all turned out okay. Anyway, I'll be sure to get chapter two out once I finish typing and editing it! (And ah!! School is in ten days!!)

-Hatsuya (Ha-chan)