So, here we have my novel attempt at making a comeback into the fanfiction world! This is, of course, an akuroku…another one to add to the ever growing pile. Not that I'm complaining – the more the merrier. Hehe.

This is a first person fic with both Axel and Roxas' POV used. It'll be made clear whose POV is being used, but I'll probably swing into the whole Axel – Roxas – Axel – Roxas, etc, thing.

And this is the disclaimer: The thing I have to say that tells you all that all that I own of Kingdom Hearts are my own copy of the games. Basically put: I own nothing.

Plot: Axel – your average guy with nowhere to go. Larxene - his best friend with ambitions and a taser. Dyme - gender bender armed with a sitar. Roxas - the guy who sees himself and some other kid all at once. Marluxia - the one living a secret lie. Some things just have to work.

(Subject to change. I have a lot of ideas with no clear way of stringing them together yet. But they will be. I hope. So maybe I'll think of a better plot description eventually o.0 That one seems a little off to me… maybe not XD)

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Chapter 1: The Way Things Are

In my experience, it's pretty damn rare to find a guy who's perfectly content with his life. It just doesn't come that way, y'know? It's all ups and downs and victories and defeats, and then you die anyway, whether it be with a gun to your head or kicking it the good old natural way. The point is, if you were to ask me whether I was happy and content back then, you wouldn't have been getting a good answer. To me, to be happy is to lounge about with beer in hand and some mates to kick back with and relax, and just then it was anything but. To anyone who calls living on your own with no way to pay rent for the past three months, plus being expelled in the last year of school for being a 'flaming homo' (their words, believe it if you will – my school was pretty fucked up), I have no doubt that you're completely insane. Simply put, I was an 18 year old with nowhere to go from where I was but down. Down and straight out.

Name's Axel. Now, normally that's where my trademark phrase, 'got it memorized' would go down, but it got a little washed out after Larxene kept predicting when I was gonna say it and getting it right every damn time. So eventually I stopped using it, and in turn she shut up about it. To be honest, I have no idea where it came from, anyway.

Oh yeah, Larxene. The only one left I can actually trust. See, there was this gang of us – myself, Larxene, and these three guys - Marluxia, Saix and Xigbar. Everyone thought we were a cult – I mean, it's not every day you come across so many people with x's in their names. To be honest, I was hardly the ringleader – Saix pretty much took that job the day we all met – so I don't know the origin of it all. Me, I've been called Axel since the day I was born, so I was just a co-incidence.

Thing was, one day we came in and Saix told us that Marluxia was gone. He never elaborated, and we never asked. To put it plainly, we never saw him again and we never found out whether he had actually died or not. Soon after that, Saix and Xigbar stopped talking to me and Larxene. In the end they betrayed us. Luckily, Larxene's fucked up enough to carry some sort of taser around with her, so when Xigbar came up behind her with a knife she grabbed it… and… I'll leave you with the fact that Xigbar may or may not be infertile right now. We never found out, because after that Xigbar left, too. Saix… well we thought it'd be better to block him out, which was easy 'cause he never tried saying anything to us again. For a ringleader, he was pretty quiet. One of those enigmas.

So that's how me and Larxene ended up being close friends – not lovers. Never, ever anything like that. A lot of people thought it, but what they didn't know was that I wouldn't have gone for Larxene anyway.

Heh heh.

She didn't go to the same school as me anyway. Her school was… well, I remember the conversation we had about it pretty clearly. It was just after I'd been kicked out. I called her up, and we met at some local coffee shop.

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"Damn, and you made it so far." Larxene quipped, tipping her chair back and resting her feet on the table, ignoring the glares of the staff directed her way. But that was Larxene for you – she couldn't be more laid back if she tried. That wasn't to say that was her permanent mood; she wasn't one of those types of people who spend their whole life whacked out in lala land. Nah, she could be a lot more hot-headed than I can ever get. I was pretty docile, considering

"Can't say I'm particularly bothered. That place was a shit hole, anyways" I grinned. Larxene laughed, shaking her head a little.

"Yeah, yeah. So you got any plans now?" She asked. I shrugged.

"Can't say I do. I'm winging it from here." It sounded easy when I said it. If only it was.

"The 'easy life', huh?" Larxene's sarcasm was hard to miss.

"Hey now, I never said it'd be easy. I mean, for one I've only just got enough money to pay this month's rent. From there on… I dunno. I guess I'll have to find a job…"

"Aww, poor wittle Axel's gonna have to go and find a job!" Larxene smirked, obviously having heard the incredible amount of enthusiasm I had portrayed when talking about jobs. I shot her back a glare as she laughed to herself for a second. "Well aside from jobs, if you want to get anywhere you're gonna need to take that last bit of school, right?" She asked.

"Well, yeah." As if that wasn't glaringly obvious. "I was getting there, alright?" I said when she gave me one of her looks. She had one for every occasion, I swear. This was her 'are you sure you're thinking ahead enough?' stare.

"Well if you have trouble finding one, you could consider mine." She shrugged before tipping herself back down onto the floor and resting her elbows on the table, her head balanced on her linked hands. "I mean, for one, it's a lot more liberal than the one you just got so nicely kicked out of." I gave her this blank look as if to say 'and that's gonna persuade me… how?' "I mean it!" She carried on. "You come to my school and you can be as gay as you like!" She added to this proclamation by punching the air enthusiastically.

"Yay." I said plainly, feeling this was one of those moments you get where you feel like waving a tiny flag around to show your incredible enthusiasm. "Is that the only redeeming quality about it? You get to be gay?" I asked, folding my arms across the table.

"Pfft." Larxene scoffed, folding her arms right back at me. "Well, y'know. It's got its weirdos as well. You could meet some interesting people."

"Basically… you go to a delinquent school?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow at her.

"Nooooo…" Larxene waved her hand pathetically at me.

"Can't say you're doing much to sway my decision here, Larx." I grinned, sitting back in my chair. It wasn't that I didn't want to take her up on her offer, it was just that we had this thing. I only accepted help from her if I got into an emergency, and vice versa.

"Eh, well, it's your choice." She shrugged, before glancing towards the clock on the wall behind me. "I got somewhere I gotta be." She announced, pushing her chair out and going to stand up.

"Right." If Larxene had 'places to be' it was hardly ever of an innocent nature. I just didn't bother asking anymore.

"Seriously!" She said, grabbing her long, almost gothic black coat from the back of her chair. She wasn't a goth or anything. She just liked their coats. Just like she liked vinyl pants and stuff. Yeah.

"Right, well, all you've proved to me is that I'd have to be desperate to go to your school." I said, grinning as I followed her lead.

"Yeah but… I can see that happening" Larxene said as she began to push open the door. I did the rest of it for her as punishment, pushing her out so she had to catch herself before falling face first onto the pavement. Larxene would never live with that sort of humiliation. "See you later, Ax." She grinned, punching me lightly on the shoulder in retaliation before walking away.

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Unfortunately, she had been totally right. I had become desperate. I had been looking for around a month but absolutely no job opportunities had popped up, and I was therefore broke. My only source of money – a monthly pay from my parents through my bank account – had suddenly stopped. Oh. I mentioned I live alone, right? Well, the simple explanation for that would be that one day my parents just up and left me. They left a note on the fridge saying it was urgent, and that they'd come back every few months. This became the norm for about 2 years until eventually they stopped bothering, and took to instead giving me the monthly sum of money. Now they'd stopped that, it seemed I didn't have much hope left. Every so often I'd scrounge some money off of Larxene, but she was starting to catch on. Although every day it seemed more and more that I would just have to go ahead and tell her.

And of course, eventually, I got that desperate. I picked up my mobile that I hadn't used in a few months – I had decided to keep the little credit it had left for an emergency, and luckily for once my insight had done me a favour. Although, the favour it had done me was giving me the chance to beg to Larxene, something I would never, ever consider normally. So I grit my teeth, flipped open the phone, and hit Larxene's speed dial button.

"Heeeey!" Larxene greeted me. She must have had caller recognition on her phone or something. Whatever, that wasn't what was bothering me just then. "Well this is a rarity. What d'you want?" And that was Larx. No, 'how are you's' and formalities – straight to the point, and if anything that just made it harder for me to tell her what was going on. I was already forfeiting my pride as it was.

"Aah, well, you see… things have gotten a bit… out of hand?" I grinned nervously at the wall in front of me as I flopped down onto the sofa, even though I knew she wouldn't see. Although, even though I couldn't see her, I could practically see the smirk she wore when she spoke.

"So you got desperate." It made me twitch. This was not supposed to be happening.

"… I guess you could put it that way." I muttered darkly, trying to send some of my hatred down the phone line.

"I suppose you never found a job, then?" She asked.

"It's like you're psychic." I rolled my eyes at the phone, leaning back into the sofa and propping my free arm over the back.

"Well, I might just have a proposition for you." The smirk was back, I just knew it. But unfortunately I didn't have any choice just then.

"Go on."

"BUT! Only if you join my school. It starts up again in a week and I'm guessing you haven't found one of those either."

"… Yeah, sure, whatever. If they'll take me in." I had known that was gonna crop up again, and honestly I wasn't getting anywhere fast on that front either, so I guessed I might as well suck it up and take whatever I could get.

"They'll take anyone in." Larxene reassured me. "Hell, just turn up on the first day, give 'em you're name… it'll be fine."

"Right, yeah." So that was that sorted out. "But, this proposition."

"Oh, right. So I know this guy called Xaldin." I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows at this somewhat.

"Do you just have some knack of making friends with people who have x's in their names?" I asked. Larxene laughed.

"Maybe. Anyway, he owns a restaurant."

"… Larxene, since when have I been able to cook anything aside from heat-and-go meals?" I asked.

"Yeah, I know. But it's not a chef he's looking for. So…"

"Lemme guess. Waiter, right?" I asked. So that was something I could do. Probably. I'd just have to learn the magic trick of balancing thousands of plates on my arms at once.

"Now whose the psychic?" Larxene grinned. Or rather, I was guessing she was. She was pretty predictable sometimes. "So, you think you'd be up for it?"

"Anything for some cash, Larx." I said in my best 'duh' tone.

"Alright, I'll be over tomorrow with an application form." She paused. "Aaand… I guess I'll give you a good word in as a bonus."

"Great. Hey, Larx…"

"Mm?"

"You wouldn't happen to know how to do that insane balancing thing, would you?"

"…Maaybe…" She drawled. "I was a waitress a few months back, remember?"

"…Oh yeah.." It hadn't gone too well, as I remembered. She was great with the carrying food in and out bit, but she socialised a tad too much, ending up with her having lots of orders to take through that weren't going. She didn't last long. "So, you think you can give me a bit of a tutorial?" I asked.

"Ooh, I guess so."

"Thanks, Larx."

"No problem. So, tomorrow, then?"

"Yep."

"Be awake." She said, before hanging up. I grinned at the phone as I took it away from my ear before flipping it back down.

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I had never realised how stupidly long application forms could be. I swear I sat there for at least half an hour just filling in the damn thing whilst Larx crashed out on my sofa. She would have been watching TV if the licence hadn't run out the month before, so instead she had taken to watching my every move. Eventually I got it done.

"This alright?" I asked, handing it to Larxene. She poured over it for a few minutes before giving a satisfied nod.

"I'll go give it to him today." She said, folding it up and sticking it in her pocket. "So, this tutorial. Go and get some plates, and we shall begin your training…"

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An hour and a half later and I could successfully balance 4 plates on my arm without dropping anything. I had already destroyed two plates, but Larxene promised she'd make it up to me.

The next day I went in to have an interview. It was all pretty nerve wracking stuff.

The boss, Xaldin, was an… interesting kinda guy. He had this weird psuedo-English accent, which freaked me out a little at first. Eventually I got used to it, but occasionally he would slip this strange accent in that sounded like a paedophile who'd spotted a small kid. Aside from the weird accent, he could chop things like… well, I dunno what like, but… damn. Sometimes I got caught up just watching him cook.

So I had a trial run in the restaurant, eternally grateful for Larx's balancing act tutorial. That, plus my obvious charm and Larx's testimony for me was eventually what got me the job. (The whole charm thing – I'm serious, Xaldin wanted someone extroverted who at least didn't go around frowning the whole day. Of course, the whole extrovert thing was something I thought to be one of my redeeming qualities.)

I started properly the next day and met my co-workers before people started coming on. (an added bonus of being a waiter was that we didn't have to go in until 10, as it opened to the public at 12. Honestly I would have taken anything Larxene could give me back then, but it was even better getting one that didn't involve getting up at some insane time like 6 or something) They were a pretty normal lot. Tifa was my waitress-in-arms, a nice girl… with these insane boobs. Really, I've never seen any so… in your face. Before I had even met her, the other waiter, Zell, told me not to mention them.

"Huh? Why?"

"Trust me, you'll see." Zell warned me. "She can get vicious if you mention 'em. She may look cute and pretty but she sure packs a punch."

It's a good thing Zell warned me, too, otherwise I probably would have frozen where I was in shock. I had to try really hard to stop myself from staring. It seemed as though I was doing a good job – she smiled at me in greeting and I made myself focus on that.

"Hi, I'm Tifa Lockhart."

'Focusonthewords, focusonthewords...'

"It's nice to see a new face around here." She said, holding out her hand. I grinned and took it.

"Axel." I said, my mind still on the constant 'don't slip up' loop. "Tit's nice to meet you."

Hold on.

Stop.

Rewind.

Oh. Shit.

Talk about clichés.

"Err, I mean…" Tifa's face darkened slightly, but she seemed to hold back, instead nodding and turning away. When I looked round I saw Zell staring wide-eyed at me.

"What?" I asked, frowning.

"She… she didn't beat the crap out of you." He murmured. I smirked.

"Bad experiences?"

"Oh yeah.." Zell nodded. I laughed, patted him on the shoulder, and went to see Xaldin to see what I needed to do for the day.

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All things considered, my first day went surprisingly well. I didn't break anything, which was an accomplishment in itself. Plus, I got on well with my co-workers, even after the first slip up with Tifa. And to top it all off, I got money! Flimsy bits of paper of which I had not seen the likes of for months! MONEY!

A loud cough drew me from my little world of happiness, and I whipped round in surprise to see Larxene casually leaning against the door, watching me in amusement.

"Glad to see you're having a good time." She said, pushing off the door before walking over.

"It's money, Larx." I bounded over to her before she could even start getting past the tables and thrust it into her face. "The stuff that's going to save me!!"

"Hey, I think that should be attributed to me." Larxene folded her arms, grinning. "I'm the one who saved your sorry ass from poverty in the first place, remember?"

"Oh, yeah…" I murmured. "But still, money!" I couldn't help it – finally things were going my way. Larxene wasn't about to dull my high!

"Anyway, I came round here to drag you with me… somewhere." She said cryptically, something that was very rare of Larxene. So rare in fact that I wasn't quite sure whether to accept or not. The last time she said she was going to take me 'somewhere', I had ended up on a plane to Japan. Now that had been interesting. But that was another thing entirely.

"'Somewhere.'" I quoted plainly, hands on hips.

"Oh no, this isn't another 'lets go to a foreign country' somewhere.'" She explained, grinning. "Far from it."

"…Fiine." I sighed, nodding. "But only 'cause you landed me a job here. Seriously Larx, you're a lifesaver." She was turning around as I said it, but I caught what seemed like a genuine smile, which was pretty rare on her part.

"Yeah yeah, I know." She was starting to walk out the door, and I quickly followed, stashing the money into my pocket. "Consider it a one-off, okay?"

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And there you have it, the start of what I hope will be a story both myself and you guys'll enjoy. … 'cause it'd be a bit pointless if neither of us did, right?

Reviews are dead awesome. Hinthint And yes, I can guess some people are gonna be like, WHERE'S ROXAS. The answer: he is here, somewhere. I'll find him. Promise.

Trivia: The title of this fic probably has nothing to do with the fic. It just sounded cool. XD


Until next time!