Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Kingdom Hearts. Okay? Yeah.
Axel hugged onto his brother tightly as he hid his face in his neck, trying to get away from the woman who was trying to take him away. "Stop! I don't want to!" the eight year old cried as he tried to hide his tears. Reno held his brother close, trying to calm Axel down as he looked over at the nurse to try and apologize.
"Axel," he whispered in his ear as he used his free hand to brush over his very short red hair. "We have to give you medicine; don't you want to get better?" Axel shook his head, only giving Reno a tighter squeeze around his neck in desperation.
"I don't like needles, they hurt! I'm tired of hurting!" He started to cry harder then, Reno himself feeling like he was going to cry at any moment. He didn't want his brother to be sick anymore. To be diagnosed with cancer at such a young age, he could only imagine how his brother was feeling right now. He never knew that something was going to happen to him like this, not so soon. The two had recently lost their mother to cancer not even a year before. It was heart breaking to think that he might lose the only other person in his family.
Giving his brother a soft squeeze, he went over to sit on the hospital bed, cuddling the sniffling red head close. The nurse followed of course, keeping her distance as she waited. Reno slowly pulled his brother back, gazing into his wet bright green eyes. "I know it hurts," he whispered as he brushed the wet tears off of his face. "I know it does, but you have to let her help you. Don't you feel better after the medicine goes in you?" he asked softly.
Axel nodded, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand. He looked down, hugging his slim arms over his tiny frame. Hospitals were so cold all the time. Normally he had his blanket but, when the nurse had shown up with the needle in hand, he had become so scared that he had jumped out of bed only dressed in his underwear. "Will you hold me close when she does it?" he finally said as he looked over at the nurse.
"Of course Axel, I'll always be here. You will always be here."
Axel opened his eyes slowly, staring at the darkness of his wall. A quiet tear slowly slid down his face, the now sixteen year old boy turning in his bed as he hid his face in his pillow. He never liked having those memories, ever. Even though he was in remission for his leukemia, there was always that small thought in the back of his mind that he would once again be stuck in that small room to be stuck with needles and given harsh medicine that did little good but make him feel even more sick. Besides that, he feared for his brother. Reno had been a wreck when he had been that sick. Of course, his brother had only been fourteen at the time. He was going through puberty and at the same time had to think of the possibility that his little brother was going to die. Axel never understood how Reno had the strength to do what he did. He managed to help him when he needed him most and had also managed to keep himself sane. Although they had pulled out together as a team, Axel knew deep down inside that Reno wouldn't be able to handle it again.
Trying to untwist himself from his sheets, Axel sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the time. It was after 6:00am, which meant his alarm was going to go off pretty soon anyway for school. He hated having to wake up so early, but then again, didn't every teenager? Careful not to trip on the clutter of clothes and books all over his room, he made it to his own private bathroom and switched on the light. The brightness caused him to hiss in discomfort, a hand shooting straight to cover his squinting eyes. When he could handle the light, he shut the door and went to the sink to wash his face. A few splashes of cold water made him more awake as he rubbed his face dry with a towel and glanced at the mirror.
He looked over at himself, staring at his spike red hair that had grown for the past few years. His baby fat was now gone, his body now standing at a height of 6'1 with lean muscles, a sun kissed tan, and tattoos that covered both ribs along his sides. The only thing that remained the same was his acid green eyes. They were still bright as ever, the years only making them more beautiful. Whenever he looked at himself he remembered his mother. He and Reno both had her startling eyes, but both didn't get her lovely blonde hair. It was too bad. They had their father's hair which was something of an annoyance considering he never met the asshole. After their mother had died, the two had been living with their grandmother until Reno was eighteen and decided to move out with Axel and his still current boyfriend Vincent. They moved to Phoenix Arizona when he was twelve and had been living here ever since. Life was better for them now and Axel hoped that it would stay that way.
Wiggling out of his boxers, Axel busied himself with taking a hot shower before he made his way back into his bedroom. He flipped on the switch and began to search for clothes to wear. After figuring out what was dirty and what was clean, he dressed himself in a pair of black slim fit jeans and a simple band t-shirt. He brushed his red locks away from his face, gave himself a final look over before he headed out of the room and down stairs to the kitchen. Right on time his morning was starting like a typical day. Vincent was already sitting at the table sipping coffee and Reno was currently on the phone about work while he walked around the kitchen trying to get breakfast done.
Axel didn't say much, the teen sitting down as he tried to relax his nerves. He still had his old memory stuck in his mind and he only hoped it would go away. From across the table, Vincent watched quietly, studying the teen's face with his crimson colored eyes. It didn't take a genius to see that there was something wrong with the youth. He could tell that he didn't seem to have slept well. Sipping the coffee in hand, he shifted his stance in his seat before he addressed the other male across from him.
"Morning Axel. You okay?" he questioned in his soft voice. Axel didn't answer right away, his eyes rising to lock onto Vincent's intense stare before he turned away first.
"I'm fine Vince. Just didn't sleep well," he finally said as he turned to receive his glass of juice from his brother as well as a plate of eggs. He wasn't really hungry at the moment but if he didn't eat, Reno would throw a fit. His older brother still worried about Axel even though he had been having a clean bill of health for the past few years. Reno was just such a worried wart if you didn't put him back in line. Thank goodness for tall dark and handsome over there.
"Axel, you okay bro, you don't look so good."
Crap.
"Reno, don't start, it's too early and I'm trying to eat," Axel muttered as he stuffed a few scrambled eggs into his mouth. Reno only frowned, ready to fire off at some remark before he was distracted by Vincent. Axel sighed with relief when Reno left to get whatever his lover had asked for. Again, thank you tall dark and handsome.
Trying to finish most of his food, he finally pushed his plate aside as he drank the rest of his juice. "I gotta go. Riku should be waiting for me," he told Vincent as he went to grab his bag in the living room. Once it was slung over his shoulder, he went to the front door in time to say good bye to his brother before he was out the door.
The hot august weather made the air sort of thick as the teen started to head down the street towards school. It was already 7:30am and the sun was already pretty high in the sky. The light wind that normally came with the daily weather was basically nonexistent; a clear sign that today was going to be hotter than most days. Even if sweating wasn't Axels' favorite past time, he would rather have the sun out than be cold. When they did get cooler nights, he huddled up in his room, not really wanting to be out. The cold reminded him of the months he spent in the hospital when he was younger and that was something that he was trying desperately not to think about at all.
"Hey Axel, over here!"
The red head stopped in his tracks, casting a gaze over to his left near the corner of the opposite sidewalk to see a teen with shoulder length silver hair headed his way. He was dressed in a black muscle shirt, a pair of baggy blue jeans buttoned around his waist. Chains hung around his belt loops on his left side, an old pair of Chucks tied and laced up in a disorderly fashion.
"Hey Riku," Axel greeted as he gave his best friend a little nudge with his shoulder. "Where's Sora?" He looked around, surprised the brunette wasn't trailing behind the other male. The two were in separable most of the time and it was even more serious since the pair had been dating the past year.
"Oh, his cousin is coming to start school with us remember?" Riku reminded his friend. "He said that they would both meet us at the steps in the back of the school when they were done getting him his schedule and stuff."
Axel nodded, the pair finally making their way to school. Within fifteen minutes the pair were walking the school grounds and headed towards the other side of the building. They passed the typical students that consisted of jocks, cheerleaders, band geeks and pot heads. It was the first week since school had started so there were many people entering the school to start new, the freshmen learning right away that they were easy targets if they weren't careful. The red head remembered his freshmen year. It was a nightmare and something he didn't want to put upon anyone.
Finally reaching their destination, the two boys immediately see that some of the group had already arrived. Zexion once again had his face in another book, the teen not even glancing up as he pressed himself against the brick wall of the building to get comfortable. A few feet away, Naminé was sitting with Demyx and Kairi, the trio playing with a deck of cards before they all set out a greeting to the two boys. Axel gave them a small wave, Zexion looking up to share a nod with Axel before once again he went back to his novel. Axel dropped his bag on the side, taking a seat as Riku scooted close to him and fished out his pack of cigarettes. He easily handed his friend one, the pair lighting up the cancer sticks right on time before Sora appeared.
"Hey guys, sorry I'm late!" he said quickly enough as he smiled at the group. "There was a long line at the register's office and you know how that goes." He tossed his bag near his feat before he turned around to wave to a blonde kid following close behind him. "Guys, this is Roxas, my cousin. He just moved here the other day. Roxas, this is everyone. Demyx, Zexion, Axel, Riku, Naminé, and Kairi." Roxas looked at everyone, muttering a rather small "Hi" before he got quiet again.
Taking a slow drag, Axel slowly raised his eyes to see the new arrival before he slowly exhaled the smoke from his parted lips. As acid green eyes locked onto aqua orbs, the red head couldn't help but feel a small twinge of excitement. His life was obviously going to change.
