A/N: This is a one-shot I wrote for a AkuNo/RokuNo Contest #A-R-R is having on deviantART. I thought I'd post it up here, see what you all think of it. :) So, yes, the couple in this story is AxelxReno. Sad, I know, no AxelxRoxas, but it's actually a pretty interesting story! Tell me what you think!

"Axel, please." Roxas smiles beside him as they walk down the sidewalk of the busy street, cars zooming past the two. "You promised you would go."

Axel's lips turn down in an ever-present frown, his eyebrows squishing together in a worried fashion as he glances over his shoulder. He licks his dry lips, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his baggy jeans. "I-I-I know Rox, I know, I p-p-promised." His tongue darts over his dry lips again, and he glances behind him again, his heart pounding in his chest. "I just d-d-don't think this is a good idea."

"Axel." Roxas stops in the middle of the sidewalk, looking up at his tall brother-in-law. The short blonde brings a hand up to block the sun from shining in his bright blue eyes. His eyes examine his brother, noticing his green eyes were focusing on the ground. The familiar black tattoos under his eyes contrast with his pale white skin and vivid red hair. "Please? For me?"

Axel bites his bottom lip tightly, threatening to draw blood from the delicate pink skin. Roxas sends him a sympathetic look, and the redhead stops instantly. He swallows, looking around the almost pedestrian-free street as he unconsciously rubs a hand up and down his arm.

The sun is high up in the sky this afternoon, with hardly a cloud in the sky, yet the redhead still wears a jacket. The hood is on, and it covers his hair. He's hunching over, and he looks at Roxas with pleading gaze.

The two stare off for another moment before Roxas smiles softly at him in comfort. "I promise he won't hurt you. Reno's been a friend of mine for years. He wouldn't hurt a fly."

Axel gives a small nod, looking over his shoulder again in worry before Roxas takes Axel's hand and leads him across the street. They leave behind the bustle of the busy street as Roxas leads the redhead deeper into a suburban community.

The redhead pulls his hood closer over his head; as if he's afraid that someone is going to recognize him. Roxas glances back at his brother and feels a deep longing shoot through his heart. No one deserves to go through what he has; and Roxas will do anything to help his brother feel better.

"In here." Roxas takes a key from his back pocket and walks up to the door of one of the houses in a cul-de-sac. Axel looks up at the house warily; it looks just like all the other pretty, white houses on the street. Quiet and normal. He takes a deep breath and stands behind Roxas. The blonde sticks the key in the lock and hears Axel whisper behind him. "I'm scared."

"It'll be okay." He squeezes Axel's hand before letting go to push the door open.

The two enter the dark room together. Once the two are inside, Roxas closes the door behind Axel, turning around to face the house. "Reno, we're here!"

There's a slight pause before the lights in the room flood on. Axel's eyes widen slightly, and his body tenses up, the instinct for flight on every nerve. Roxas gently brushes his fingers against Axel's to calm him down. With the touch, Axel relaxes, though he remains wary.

"Roxas! I was wondering when you'd show up!"

The voice comes from the middle of the room, and Axel looks over to see a man getting up off the floor, where he'd been meditating moments earlier. His hair is a bright red, just like his own, only this man has his hair tied up in a neat ponytail. His eyes are green, and his lips are spread in a wide smile as he walks closer.

The lights are on now, so it's easier for Axel to see around. He notices that all the windows are now open, with sunlight streaming inside. The floor is carpet, and the ceiling is wood. All around the room there are candles and dozens of potted plants. Overall, a rather cheery atmosphere.

The man walks over to Roxas, and the two give each other a big hug as a greeting. They exchange easy words as Axel looks over the man. He doesn't look dangerous; in fact, quite the opposite. He's wearing a pair of beige sweats, and a white wife-beater, no shoes. There are no markings on his face, but he has an industrial bar in one ear, and a tattoo of a lotus blossom on his left shoulder. He smiles easily and he laughs quite often as he chats with Roxas. Axel can feel his heart rate slowing down a little bit; there is something that's making him feel a little bit calmer.

"So, Axel is it?" Axel notices that Reno is looking at him, biting his bottom lip and smiling as he glances up and down his person. "You're cute."

Axel's face flushes furiously at the compliment, and he stuffs his hands deeper into his pockets, looking down at the carpet.

"Awww." Reno turns to Roxas, delighted by how cute his guest is. "I'll try whatever I can to help Roxas. Are you going to leave, or would you like to stay?"

"Oh, I'll stay." Roxas glances at his brother, worry etched into the lines in his face. "I don't want him to freak out on you."

Reno nods, smiling softly at the adorable redhead in his apartment. "Well, just sit in the other room then. I'd like to see what I can get out of him on his own."

"Hey, Axel," Axel glances up to look at Roxas, who smiles at him. "I'm just going to be in the other room, okay? Just holler if you need me. But you shouldn't, Reno is very kind."

Axel nods, swallowing, and licking his dry lips again as Roxas smiles at him and walks down the hallway into the adjoining room. Reno then smiles at Axel once Roxas is gone. "Shall we?"

Again, Axel nods and follows Reno back to where he'd been meditating earlier. Reno sits down on the floor, on top of a quilt. He gestures for Axel to follow suit, and carefully, the tall, gangly redhead sits down in front of Reno.

"So," Reno starts, looking at the man opposite him to admire his green eyes and soft facial features. He feels a twinge of pain in his heart looking into his sad eyes. "Do you know what you're here for?"

Axel nods.

"Can you tell me?" Reno gently probes, his voice soft and encouraging.

Axel nods again, licking his bottom lip. "R-R-Roxas said you c-c-could help me." He swallows, glancing over his shoulder before looking back to Reno. "With my p-problem." He pauses a moment. "He said you were a psy-psy-psychic."

Reno resists the urge to pinch Axel's cheeks. His stutter was just so cute! Reno sits up a little straighter in an attempt to be a little professional. Roxas had neglected to mention how cute his brother was. Of course, Roxas knew that Reno was gay, so he probably left that part out on purpose.

"Yes, I am a psychic. And I'll do whatever I can to help you, okay Axel?" When Axel doesn't reply, Reno decides to just start. "And what kind of problem do you have dear?" Reno asks softly.

Axel doesn't answer. He glances around the room a few times, and when he moves his hands, Reno notices that they shake ever so slightly. Then, Reno watches as Axel unzips his jacket, revealing a black t-shirt, and slowly sheds the jacket from his body. The jacket discarded on the ground, Axel turns his arms over, and Reno looks up and down his white skin; sighing sadly at the dozens of red cuts.

"I h-h-hurt myself." Axel stutters, licking his bottom lip. "And I'm scared."

"Why do you hurt yourself?" Reno asks softly as he stands up. "Please answer, I'm just going to light some candles to set the mood in the room. It should help you calm down, and help with the flow of energy."

Axel nods, and Reno walks around the room to light a couple candles as Axel speaks. "I'm t-teased. At school." He swallows again. "Th-they make fun of me."

"What do they make fun of you for?" Reno asks softly, lighting a candle.

"For being g-g-gay." Axel licks his bottom lip again. "For being a l-l-loser. For my d-d-dad."

His dad. Reno recalls Roxas saying something about Axel's dad. Something about him being a horrible father, but Roxas has never gone into any detail. Reno knows that Roxas' father married Axel's mother, and that's what made them brothers. But as far as Reno knows, Axel's father is dead.

He finishes lighting all the candles, and takes in a deep breath as he smiles to himself, a small joy lighting up deep in his spirit with the fresh scent of daises. He lets out the breath and walks back over to Axel, sitting down in front of him.

"Now, Axel, before I can do anything to help you repair the damage, you're going to have to tell me everything. Are you okay with that?"

Reno watches Axel carefully. He's had nervous customers before, but nothing like this. Most of his customers just came for readings, and the few that came for cleansing were just really stressed because of their work, or their parents, or their spouse. He's never seen anyone as scared as Axel looks now.

The redhead glances over his shoulder again, and then looks back to Reno. He licks his bottom lip, and then his head tilts slightly. "What's that?"

"What's what?" Reno looks at Axel, a confused look crossing his face.

Axel lifts a hand, his fingers shaking slightly as he points to something on Reno's chest. He glances down and smiles, laughing slightly. "Oh, that."

He reaches behind his neck and unclips the necklace, holding it up for Axel to see. "It's a pendulum." He smiles softly at the pure white crystal hanging from the silver chain. The sunlight streaming into the room glitters off the crystal in a beautiful way. "It used to be my mother's. She was a psychic before me, and she taught me everything she knew before she passed away. This was her favourite pendulum to use, so I like to keep it close."

"What does it d-do?" Axel's eyes are glued to the crystal, his gaze almost calm as he stares at it. His hands drop to his knees, and his fingers stop shaking.

"Well, you can ask it yes or no questions, and it'll answer them for you." Reno holds the crystal by the chain and waits for it to stop moving. Then he simply asks out loud, "Is my hair red?"

Slowly, the crystal begins to move vertically. Axel's eyes widen slightly, and Reno smiles, delighted in his reaction. "When the crystal moves like that, it means yes. If it moves horizontally, it means the answer is no."

"That's cool." Axel whispers, his eyes transfixed on the moving crystal.

Reno smiles. "That's not all the crystal does. It'll also point to something or someone you're thinking about." He pauses. "For example, if I think about a candle..." Reno floods his thoughts with a candle to his right that was giving off the most fragrant jasmine scent, and the crystal stops moving, and then changes direction to point towards the candle.

"Wow." Axel whispers, looking towards the candle, and then back to Reno. "Can I try?"

Reno looks up at Axel, and smiles softly at him. "Of course."

Gently he holds out the chain for Axel, and with trembling hands, the redhead gently takes the crystal. He holds the chain between thin fingers, his gaze intent on the crystal. Axel licks his lips as the crystal steadies. "Am I safe?"

Slowly, the crystal moves in the direction that depicts the answer yes. Something makes Axel's lips twinge upwards, but the moment Reno sees it, it vanishes. But Reno does notices that Axel's shoulders drop, as if a sudden weight was taken off of them.

Axel looks up at Reno, and their eyes lock. Reno smiles softly at him, and the corner of Axel's lips twist upward in response. He holds his hand out to Reno, offering the crystal back. Smiling, Reno gently takes it back and hooks it back around his neck.

"So, Axel," Reno smiles up at him, deciding not to freak him out. "Did you like that?"

Axel nods. "It was cool."

Reno smiles. "Well, I have another little trick I can do too. Would you like to know what it is?"

Axel nods, looking slightly more excited now. Reno smiles and holds out his palms, revealing a few small scars on his wrists. Axel's eyes widen slightly as the other redhead speaks. "I'm able to circulate emotions. Once you tell me everything, like I told you earlier, I'll be able to cleanse the emotions swirling around inside you. All you have to do is gently touch my hands."

Axel reaches forward, his index finger gently tapping a light scar on Reno's wrist. "You h-hurt yourself t-t-to?"

Reno smiles fondly down at the cuts. "I used to. A couple times a few years ago. It was when my mother had just died, and I felt like my entire world had just shattered." Reno gently rubs his thumb against a cut on his wrist as Axel moves back to a sitting position. "There was this one time..."

Reno bites his bottom lip, looking up at Axel. His expression was innocent, like a child searching for comfort. That face. Reno shakes his head slightly. Now he understands why Roxas is so protective of him.

He lets out a deep breath, looking up into Axel's eyes. "There was this one time... I remember it as clearly as if it had happened yesterday. I'd gone into my room, planning to end the pain once and for all. But then, I thought to myself," Reno tilts his head slightly, a slight smile tugging on the corners of his lips. "What would my mother want? Would she want me to join her, or would she want me to live a bright and happy life and die as an old man?"

He chuckles slightly to himself, smiling at Axel as he keeps his hands palm up. "Well, I knew the answer to that. And so, I dedicated my life to being as happy as possible. And I took up being a psychic like my mom in order to help others be as happy as possible."

A broad grin spreads over his face, and Reno scratches the back of his head sheepishly. "It's really something though. I always feel so good about myself every time I help someone. I get this kind of happiness high from helping people."

He looks up to see Axel watching him intently, and he bows his head for a moment as his face blooms into a colour a rose would envy. Reno looks back up, smiling sheepishly at the man across from him. "I'm sorry, that was really personal. I'm supposed to be helping you right now, not talking about myself."

"It's okay." Axel tilts his head slightly, the corners of his lips barely turned upward. "I l-l-liked that." He pauses for a moment, his tongue snaking out of his mouth to lick the corners of his lips. "I think you're a g-g-good person."

Reno practically beams at him, resisting the urge to giggle. Axel feels his lips turn up into a real smile. He feels like the psychic has a really contagious smile, and he feels warm inside just watching him.

"So," Reno breaks the smiling silence as he brushes a red strand of hair out of his eyes. "Would you be willing to let me into you a little now?"

Axel nods solemnly, swallowing hard. "My d-dad wasn't n-n-nice." He pauses again, and Reno notices that he tends to talk in short fragments. "He yelled. A lot."

He takes a deep breath, his fingers brushing against the scars on his arms. "He s-smelled like b-b-beer and smoke. He h-hit my mom."

Axel licks his bottom lip and Reno listens to his story, empathy spreading through his body as he talks. "I felt worthless. I d-d-didn't speak much. When I d-d-did, he yelled."

He glances over his shoulder, and Reno notices that his hands tighten into fists for a moment as he looks back. Axel bites his bottom lip, looking up at Reno with his green eyes practically shaking with fear.

"It's okay Axel." Reno leans forward, pure instinct compelling him to gently brush his fingertips against the redhead's fingers. "You can speak freely here. No one will hurt you."

The gangly beanpole seems to calm down at the touch; something that only Roxas has previously been able to do. He closes his eyes and slowly counts to ten.

Reno waits, watching Axel carefully for a reaction. When the redhead lets out a deep breath and opens his eyes, Reno smiles at him in relief before Axel drops a bomb with soft words. "He raped me."

Reno's eyes widen slightly, shocked into silence. He knows it's possible for men to be raped, and he knows it happens, but Reno has never met anyone in that situation before now.

Axel continues talking, his eyes cast on the ground. "It was only once. B-b-before he left. B-but I haven't recovered. Only R-Roxas knows."

Reno lets out a deep breath as Axel looks up into his eyes. "That's it."

Then, Axel reaches out his hands to gently brush his fingers against Reno's open palms. Reno glances down at the pale fingers pressed against his skin before looking up into the emerald eyes. The corner of Axel's lip turns up. "I trust you."

Reno smiles brightly, holding Axel's hands a little tighter. "Thank you." He directs his smile at Axel, knowing his cheeks are flushing from the butterflies swirling around in his stomach. "Now, just close your eyes and relax."

Axel nods willingly and closes his eyes. Reno smiles softly at him, and then closes his own eyes and starts to cleanse the redhead.

"Hey there Axel." Roxas smiles at his brother when he walks into the room the blonde has been waiting in for the past three hours. When the redhead gives a small smile back, Roxas almost falls out of his chair in shock.

"He was absolutely wonderful." Reno walks out from behind Axel, standing between the two brothers. "I hope I managed to help him."

"I hope you have too." Roxas stands up, placing a bookmark in the book he was reading earlier as he watches Axel glance at Reno and smile ever so softly.

The blonde shakes his head, smiling in disbelief and wonder. He turns to Reno, shaking his hand. "Thanks so much for this Reno. What do I owe you?"

The psychic waves his hand. "Free of charge." He glances at Axel and smiles before looking back to Roxas. "Although, I would like it if you'd bring him back a couple more times."

"Please?" Roxas looks over at his brother when he speaks up, noticing how his face seems to light up a little bit at the prospect of coming back. The blonde gazes at him in amazement. His dark and scared brother was changing in front of his very eyes. Inside his head, the blonde laughs. He should have taken him to his sunshine filled friend way earlier.

"Of course." Roxas smiles at him before glancing at Reno. "Same time next week?"

"It's a date." Reno smiles, his eyes only on Axel. The redhead smiles back, a slight blush rising into his pale cheeks to highlight his tattoos. "A date."