Summary- What do you do when you run into a stranger on the street, and then you learn your whole life is a lie? Axel's finding out. AkuRoku. M for Violence and Mild Sexual Content.

AN- this story was greatly inspired by an absolutely awesome movie called The Truman Show. If you've never seen it, go watch it. Its a great story, and it makes a great point about society and our all-consuming need to be nosy. It also happens to be the only movie with Jim Carey that I actually like. Its not comedy... which is why I like it. Call me crazy if you wish, but I just don't find Jim Carey funny.

Anyways, enough of my rambling. I hope y'all enjoy!

Warnings- Swearing. Some might say there is an excessive amount, but hey, I figure, if I was in Axel's situation here, I would be doing an excessive amount of swearing, too.

Disclaimers- Nope. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

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Axel stepped out of the brick apartment building and into the pouring rain. Well, shit, he thought to himself. Why does it have to pour for the first time in a month on the ONE day I have to look good? His umbrella was up, but it did little to prevent the rain splashing up, soaking his khakis. He stepped gingerly around the puddles, hoping to avoid the worst of it. His interview was in a half an hour, and he desperately needed the job. Being an artist was all fine and good, but he needed something to pay the bills until he was able to get his graphic novel published. He had hoped to be in the editing process by now, but so far, he'd struck out.

Lost in his private musing, he didn't even notice the blonde until he was almost on top of him, and by then, it was too late to step out of the guys path. He was running full tilt, and crashed straight into Axel, knocking them both to the ground.

"Oh, my God, I'm so sorry!" the blonde exclaimed. "But please, can you help me? I need to hide! Please!"

Picking himself up off the ground, his entire back soaked, Axel could only stare, dumbfounded at the scared-looking man before him.

"Please! They'll be here soon!" the stranger cried, looking more and more alarmed.

Without pausing to think it through, he said "follow me," and began jogging back to his apartment.

"Oh thank you, but shit, we gotta hurry!"

Axel just grunted and hurried up the steps to his building. The blonde followed him up to his apartment, where Axel paused, realizing just how crazy an idea this might be. He turned to the stranger and asked, "Why the hell am I helping you? Who are you? And who are you running from?"

"I'll explain in a moment!" the blonde exclaimed, panicking. "I'll tell you everything, just please, let me in and lock the door!"

Axel sighed. He couldn't very well just leave the poor guy here. He might really be in trouble. Besides, Axel was a lot bigger than the scrawny guy. If it came to a fight, Axel was pretty sure he could take him. "Why am I doing this to myself..." Axel grumbled as he let the blonde guy in and locked the door.

Axel's apartment was small, but cozy. The little kitchen was tidy, the living room was sparse, with only a couch, a small TV, and a large worktable. The worktable was covered in the detritus of an artists craft, and half finished panels and pencil sketches were strewn about. Beside the table on the floor sat graphic novels, mangas, and books on drawing and composition. Beyond the table, though, the room was quite tidy.

The blonde strode into the room, headed straight for the desk. He picked up the lamp, examined it, and then pulled of the base. He yanked some wires out of it and then put it down. He was headed for the kitchen when Axel stopped him.

"What the hell are you doing? I don't even know you! You cant just come in and start breaking my shit after I just saved your ass!" Axel demanded, but the blonde just ignored him completely, continuing to the toaster, which he picked up and slammed down, shattering the knob. "What the fuck!" Axel screamed.

"You'll thank me for it after I explain a few things to you, Axel." the blond said, reaching up to the ceiling light and popping of the decorative knob on the bottom of the shade. Axel just stood there dumbstruck as he dropped it on the floor and ground it under his heel. He grabbed a magnet off the fridge and slammed it into the counter. "There, I think that's all of them in this room."

Axel just continued to stare. "How do you know my name...? Who are you?"

The stranger looked him dead in the eye fro the first time. "My name is Roxas Allen. And this city is not what you think." he said. Axel just looked at him, still completely dumbfounded. The blonde sighed and continued. "There are certain people here, like you, who are being used. Each of the things that I smashed, they were here before you moved in, were they not?"

Axel went to reply, but the stranger continued, seeming to not actually want an answer. "And in each of them there was a hidden camera. Unknown to you and a few others in this place, your entire life is being watched, and controlled, for the viewing public. Your a damn TV show, Axel, and you don't even know it. That job interview you were headed to? You wouldn't have gotten the job. Your the 'starving artist' and you need to look pitiful. that's why you haven't gotten a single on of the dozen jobs that you've applied for. And that's why every time you try to send out your manuscript, it gets confiscated in the post office and thrown out, so that you wont go anywhere."

Finally Axel found his voice again. "What the fuck! This is crazy! Is this some kind of sick prank? Or are you a fucking stalker or something? Because I swear to Go-"

"How many times have you left the city by yourself in the last year, Axel?" the blonde cut him off.

The redhead glared. "I don't see how this-"

"Just answer the question."

"Well, three weeks ago I went to my parents house-"

"With Larxene Tucker, from down the hall. She drove you to their house, saying she had to go that direction anyway, correct?"

"Yeah, but I don't have a car, and its expensive to rent-"

"And before that?"

"Well... a few moths ago, I went to that concert in-"

"In Traverse Town, with Zexion and Xion Kantz, the couple that live on the floor below you. It was an outdoor concert, and you got rained out. You haven't been outside of this city completely by yourself since you moved here, have you?"

"Well... no. I guess not. But how-?"

"I'll tell you in a minute. First, you need to realize that there is something seriously weird going on here. Your whole life since the day you moved here has been a lie. Almost everyone you meet is a paid actor. Your a reality TV star, and you don't even realize it."

"Lets say this is true, and you not just a crazy stalker screwing with me. Whats the point? Why would someone go to such elaborate lengths to create a television show?

"Because Axel, the American people were becoming bored with the scripted reality shows that were on the air. Ratings were going down. Companies were losing money. Then one day, a producer came forward with an idea. What about a truly real reality show? If the people don't know they're on camera, they'll be more real, more lifelike, more likeable. And so, The Twilight Town Project was born. For seven years, the production company built this city from the ground up, making it pretty, bringing in actors, creating the perfect set. And then, they found the stars. People like you, Axel. People to move into the city, unaware of the cameras. Didn't you ever stop tot think that it was strange that you moved in with that guy Demyx, and then you came home two months later and he was completely gone?"

"Yeah, it was weird, but he was never really happy here, so I just figured he'd had enough."

"He was fired, Axel. He felt awful about lying you your face every day. He planned on telling you the truth. So the bigwigs removed the problem. They packed up all his stuff and sent him on his merry way."

"This is incredible..." Axel sat down on the couch, pushing his fingers through his red hair. "But why me? Why was I picked?"

Roxas grimaced. "Because, Axel... that producer? The one whose idea this whole thing was? He's your godfather, Xemnas."

Axel's head shot up. "What? Xemnas hasn't even talked to my parents in over-"

"Over a year, right? That's because your parents didn't like the way he was using you, his own godson." Roxas looked at Axel gently, his voice softened. "But then your mom got sick, right? And your parents were really strapped for cash. He paid them a hell of a lot of money, and they grudgingly allowed you to become part of the show."

"My god... but my parents never said a thing! I can't believe they wouldn't even try to-"

"Believe it." Roxas interrupted. He looked sad. "If they breathed a word to you, they would lose all the money Xemnas ever gave them. The money they needed for her treatments. It was in the contract. He's blackmailing them."

"I cant believe all this! Xemnas couldn't use someone like that! His own godson! He's been family since the day I was born!" Axel couldn't even process everything being thrown in his face.

"Xemnas is a heartless sonofabitch who could, would, and is using anything and everything available, family or not." Roxas said derisively. He looked at his watch, and looked back, worried. "We need to get out of here, Axel. There will be people here any minute to get rid of me, to convince you I'm a fucking lunatic. Do you trust me?"

"... I don't even know... how do I even know this isn't some kind of elaborate joke?"

Roxas gave a growl of frustration. "AXEL! WAKE UP!" the blonde screamed at him. "I'm trying to save you! Please, just come with me! I'll answer all your other questions and if you still think I'm full of shit, you can always walk away. But we have to go. NOW!"

The blonde strode over to him and held out his hand. "Please, Axel, lets go."

Axel looked at Roxas for a second. The nervous, worried look on Roxas' face made Axel want to go with him, just to make that look disappear.

I must have lost my fucking mind...

He took the offered hand.

Suddenly, there was a banging on the door. "Shit! It's them! Quick, out the fire escape!" the blonde pulled him towards the window.

Axel paused for a second, unsure. But then he heard the voices outside the door.

"Axel, don't listen to that crazy bastard!"

"Don't do anything stupid, man."

"Let us in, we wont hurt you."

He just shook his head, looked to Roxas, and said the five words that would change everything.

"I believe you. Lets go."

Roxas grabbed his hand and ducked out the window into the rain.

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Watch for the next chapter, guys, it'll be up in the next couple days. Let me know what you think!