A/n: I don't usually do requests but, I got asked nicely by -the crows eye- to do a story for Bully Awareness Month on Bullying. So that's why this' coming about and I've just been rolling along with it. I think I needed a fresh idea. I've been in a bit of a writing rut.

If anyone's unfortunate enough to be going through bullying, I've been there and I want you to know that it gets better. In the meantime, surround yourself with people that won't bring you down. And while the future can look very bleak, don't let someone who's full of hate and is truly despicable bring you down. You're better than they will ever be.

Also, I'm sure you've seen this but on the net but, I adore this kid who stood up to a bully for his gay classmate:

"Dear kid bullying the only openly gay boy in class,
I dare you to lay a finger on him.

Sincerely,
The linebacker with two amazing dads."

C: I may feel like pulling a bit of inspiration from it (I wish I'd had someone so courageous in my class), so I'm disclaiming it as well as the Kingdom Hearts characters (which I always forget to do x_x).

ALSO I'm taking a stab at naming my chapters :'D

Enjoy~

Rating: M

Summary: "Sometimes all you have to do is believe in yourself and trust in who you are and you'll see that everything will be alright." AkuRoku. Requestfic for The crows eye for Bully Awareness Month. Rated M for possibilities.

Believe

~o~ Chapter One ~ Curiosity ~o~
"Bullying builds character like nuclear waste creates superheroes. It's a rare occurrence and often does much more damage than endowment." ― Zack W. Van
~o~

A small blond with disheveled hair, best described as permanent bed-head simply because he didn't care enough to style it, exhaled heavily though his nose a he paid for his lunch. It was his second semester of his freshman year at Oblivion High and he wasn't looking forward to it one bit. Already, his life was complete hell. He couldn't imagine getting through three and a half more years if he didn't fail any more classes.

He was Roxas Strife—the small slender boy that nobody talked to, the little petite boy that made all of the girls jealous because he had a better build than them, coupled with gorgeous blue eyes and windswept blond hair. That weird quiet kid that wore glasses and was always drawing. The boy that was far too much like his sister who had graduated right before he'd entered high school- beautiful, kind, smart, polite, artistic, talented, and…

Roxas cringed when he rounded the corner and a familiar figure blocked his way. The captain of the Blitzball Team, Seifer Almasy. Roxas cringed inwardly but didn't look to anybody for help. He was well aware of how things were by now. All his classmates were good for was turning their backs on him. He was used to being ostracized. It didn't hurt anymore. At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

"Fag!"

The blond's shoulders visibly tensed. It had all started with his sister, Naminé. She'd gone out with her best friend of five years, Xion, risking public scrutiny and hostility. Lucky Roxas had gotten dragged into the mess when someone pointed out that he was 'the dyke's little brother' on the first day of school, and assumed that he was gay. When he didn't say a word in his own defense, the rumor spread throughout Oblivion High like wildfire.

Little did they know that their assumption was entirely correct. However, Roxas would never give them the satisfaction of knowing such a thing. Roxas bit the inside of his cheek. He was absolutely miserable and it was reflecting on his life outside of school, as well as his schoolwork. He was grounded by cruel laughter.

"Aww, look Rai, the little fairy is afraid to talk to us." His lackeys Rai and Vinni smirked while the girl, Fuu, rolled her eyes, calling him stupid for not answering when spoken to by Seifer. Roxas' lower lip trembled as Vinnie stole his milk. Laughing cruelly, Seifer grasped the honey haired blond's tray, shoving it into him and dumping the food all over Roxas. Then he hit him hard, sending him to the floor, still laughing. He laughed harder as Vinnie poured milk all over him. "Have a nice lunch, cupcake." Roxas shuddered.

"Teacher's comin' man," Vinnie warned. Immediately, Seifer helped Roxas up, giving him a warning glare as he did.

"Roxas! What happened to you!" Roxas shook his head.

"Nothing Ms. Hikari… I tripped," he said quietly to the wine haired teacher. She looked unconvinced.

"Well go get cleaned up, kiddo. Unless you want to wear your lunch all day. I'll write you a pass."

"Yes ma'am."

~o~
"Circumstances are beyond human control, but our conduct is our own power." –Benjamin Disraeli
~o~

Roxas' first two weeks back were hell. He continued to 'trip' because he was 'clumsy' and began wearing darker clothing, fearing staining the ones he liked. More bruises showed up on his pale, delicate, skin, so he wore arm socks to hide them. His eyes were always downcast and hopeless. He never, ever, smiled anymore.

When Monday marked the fourteenth day, the blond found himself in the back of his favorite classroom, doodling in his sketchbook fiercely and not looking forward to his fourteenth day of not having lunch. He needed a way to vent, to let out his frustration and so he was doing exactly that. Ms. Hikari's voice got his attention and snapped his mind out of its haze.

"Class, we have a new student transferring in from Radiant Garden," she said, almost excitedly.

He clenched the pencil more tightly, snapping it in half. Great. Another kid to make his life complete hell. He glanced at the tall, lanky red-head with disgust before scowling at his broken pencil. Just what Oblivion High needed. Another pretentious jock.

"Yo! Name's Axel. I'm pretty well rounded," he began to explain before Roxas tuned him out as he said something that made the girls giggle. Of course. Axel was just perfect, wasn't he? The short blond rolled his eyes and picked at his eraser for a few moments, barely catching what the red-head said next. "Did the brooding little blond in the back of the room catch all of that?" Roxas cheeks flushed in both anger and embarrassment. It worsened when the rest of the class laughed at him.

Roxas wanted to fall into a hole and never come out. Like Alice from Wonderland. Then he'd be far, far away. Away from stupid red-headed jerks and the rest of the miserable town he lived in.

He glanced at the boy and groaned inwardly as he grinned. It wasn't just an ordinary grin either. It was of Cheshire proportions. Like that mischievous Cheshire cat. Roxas glanced away as his mind pointed out that he'd made another Wonderland reference.

"Axel, why don't you have a seat next to Roxas," Ms. Hikari murmured. The seats surrounding the blond were the only open ones in the entire room. Nobody sat next to the 'weird four-eyed gay kid'. Roxas tried not to notice how handsome the red-head was when he gave the teacher a charming smile.

"Sounds good to me." Roxas fought the urge to bang his head against his desk as the boy sauntered toward him. He also tried to ignore the way that his heart was racing. He couldn't. So, he opted for banging his head against his desk hard.

"Hey," the red-head said quietly.

"What?" Roxas groaned.

"I know I'm awesome and all but I didn't think you'd faint because of it." The blond glared darkly as his classmates snickered.

"You are the furthest thing from 'awesome' that I've ever seen." The red-head smirked and Roxas rolled his eyes. "I feel sorry for your parents."

"Me too," the red-head whispered lowly enough so that only Roxas could hear, "I've heard that it's hard, raising a sexy beast." Roxas glared distastefully.

"Your mother must be so proud." Axel shrugged.

"Wouldn't know. I don't have one." Roxas' brows furrowed.

"I'm sorry…"

"Axel! Roxas! Pay attention please!" The blond flushed before facing the front. He paid close attention to the lecture until Axel poked him in the side, making the boy squeak and blush again. It deepened when he realized that there was a note on his lap. Quickly he read it. It's alright. Have lunch with me.

Roxas watched the red-head in his peripheral vision but said nothing. Nonetheless, Axel was oozing with confidence. Roxas contemplated it. Perhaps company wouldn't be so bad, he reasoned. Not that he'd let the red-head know that, of course. Besides, he was curious about his new red-headed classmate.

~o~

A/n: Thoughts? Thanks (:

Oh and, remember, bullying isn't cool, mmkay? It can lead to bullycide, (suicide caused because of bullying).

I'm posting this as I write, even though it's early, 'cos currently, I'm uncertain of how long it will be.