Stigma

Chapter 1

"Dammit Axel!"

I could hear the redhead snicker from the hallway. Written in huge, bright red letters, in what I believe to be permanent marker, the words 'PROPERTY OF AXEL' were plastered on my forehead. My blue eyes were hard at I glared at the words in the bathroom mirror.

I'm going to KILL him.

Heaving an annoyed sigh, I retrieved a washcloth from the counter and ran it under some scalding hot water. Then I proceeded to scrub vigorously at the infuriating mark. Luckily it hadn't been permanent and it came off after about ten minutes.

Muttering a few curse words under my breath, I trudged down the stairs into the kitchen. Hopefully there would still be food. Some of the guys in the Organization were practically savages when it came to breakfast, and that included Axel among others. As I stepped through the doorway, I was met with muffled giggles and occasional snorts from Demyx and Axel. I shot the two a quick glare and went to the freezer to get some waffles.

"Good morning Roxas, Axel, Demyx!"

I turned and smiled as Xion walked in. She was one of the few Organization members I actually liked, let alone could tolerate. "Morning Xion," I greeted politely.

Her dark brows drew together, and she took a step closer to analyze my face. "Roxas, what happened to you," she questioned curiously, "Your forehead's really red."

Axel and Demyx snickered again, and I shot them another glare. "It's nothing," I growled, "Oh, hey, do you know if Saix started handing out mission assignments yet?"

Xion shook her head. "No, I haven't been downstairs yet, but I don't think he has."

"Good," I sighed, relieved. Saix had been riding me pretty hard lately. For the past two weeks it's been nothing but, 'Roxas, make sure to fill your quota', and, 'Roxas, you're working a double shift today, make sure to fill your quota'. I couldn't tell you how glad I would be to get a day off, or at least explore a new world or something. Anything other than just collecting hearts.

Xion gave me a sympathetic smile and joined the other two at the table. I snatched my freshly toasted waffle and sauntered back up to my room, giving the redhead a much needed and rightly deserved smack on the back of the head along the way. I couldn't see his face, but I could tell he wasn't too pleased with me judging from the protested whine and the mumbled cursing. AH SUCCESS!

Locking the door behind me, I flopped onto my bed and pulled out my PSP. I have absolutely no idea why we even have locks on our doors to begin with. Organization members come and go as they please. A locked door isn't going to stop them, though I figured it would at least slow them down. I wanted to do everything in my power to make the most of my free time.

After a few minutes I gave up on God of War, and switched to my PS3 to play Assasin's Creed. Yes, I was entirely devoted to Sony, and absolutely despised Xbox and Nintendo. I didn't bother to look up as a dark portal materialized in my room, and a very annoyed Axel stepped through.

"That hurt ya know," he huffed and plopped down next to me.

"Shut up ya big wuss," I muttered, totally engrossed in my video game, "You totally deserved it, and since when am I your 'property'?"

"Since I claimed your adorable little ass as my own," Axel grinned, stalking slowly toward me on all fours like some sort of jungle cat. Before I could blink he takled me to the bed, pinning my arms and legs to the mattress.

"Ugh, Axel. AXEL! Mmh, mmph!" I protested and tried to wriggle free, but he crushed his lips to my own, dashing any hope of escape. It was pointless to struggle, so I did the only thing I could; I paused my game and wrapped my arms around the redhead's neck, grabbing fist fulls of crimson hair and pulling him close.

After a minute or so he pulled away, a cocky smirk etched on his face. "Told ya so."

I snorted and shoved the overly confident redhead off of me, then returned to my game. It was about a half an hour before we were interrupted as another dark portal appeared in my room. Accept, only this time, I did acknowledge the person that stepped through.

""Hey Sai," Axel greeted nervously as the cerulean haired male glared at us.

"You two should have been downstairs a long time ago," Saix chided, "Axel, you need to go to Twilight Town for recon. Roxas..." he pulled out his clipboard and flipped through the pages until he came to the desired paper, "you'll be exploring a new world today; a place called 'Midgar'. Keep in mind while you're there that you'll still be performing heart collection as well."

"Y-yes sir," I stuttered and jumped off my bed, careful to keep my eyes locked with his so he didn't think I was disrespecting him by looking away.

"Good. I'll expect you both to leave immediately. Don't make me come and get you next time or there will be consequences, of which I'll ensure you won't be too fond of." With one last hard stare, he turned on his heel and walked back through the portal he came in. Axel and I exchanged a quick glance and began cracking up.

"Man, for a second there, I thought we were in some deep shit," the redhead laughed, extremely relieved.

"Same here," I chuckled, "I'm just glad I get to do something other than just heart collection."

"Yeah, have fun at that new world. Just hope it's not like the last one."

I shuddered at the thought. The last new world I was sent to turned me into a lion cub. It was a week before I stopped coughing up hairballs and chasing Saix's lazer pointer during the meetings. I'm positive he's still pissed at me for that.

"Thanks," I sighed and gave him a quick peck on the lips, "Have fun with recon."

"Don't remind me," he grumbled. We both laughed and went our separate ways.

Hey people of fanfiction!

This has been chapter one of my BRAND NEW story! And I'm proud to say I ACTUALLY know where this one is going! Yeah, I have a rough draft and everything... Not to say I don't know where my others are going, but you know...

SO! Please review, I am eager to hear from you. I will actually be sure to acknowledge everyone who does at the beginning of my next chapter to show how much I appreciate your input. Thank you all SO much!