AN: Here's a little something I was working on a while back, found it sitting around inside my old flash drive.
It's not finished but I have a good amount of chapters to post so yeah enjoy.
Disclamier: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of it's character used in this story.

SOMETHING LIKE REAL LOVE

Chapter I
Trouble

The pain in Axel's head only grew as the day went by. The headache not only kept from getting work done but from getting out of bed at all. He just sat there doubled over clutching and rubbing the back of his head. The headaches weren't new in the least bit. He'd had them on and off ever since he could remember but recently they'd been mind numbingly more frequent. The pain wasn't the only thing that was bugging the fire haired man though, it was also the fact that with the pain came strange, yet vaguely familiar images.

He gave a heavy sigh and picked himself up from his bed and stared for his bathroom. He didn't dare turn on the lights because it would only make his head hurt again.

Opening the medicine cabinet he reached knowingly for the aspirin and popped a couple of the white pills from the bottle and into his mouth, Axel shuttered at the feeling of the pills running down his throat. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and was not suspired by what he saw. He looked like shit plain and simple. The beginnings of dark circles were noticeable under his now lack luster green eyes, and his usual shock of fiery hair was sad and dead.

Lumbering back into his room and into the comforting darkness, he fell into the warmth of the soft sheets of his bed. As the redhead just began to settle into the comfort a knock resounded throughout the walls of the room, causing a deep groan of disappiontment to escape Axel.

"What?" He said from his bed loud enough to make his head ring.

"It's Xigbar, now open up."
Axel groaned again and forced himself off the bed, making his way over to the door. Opening it he came face to face with the Free Shooter.

"What do ya want huh?"
Xigbar just smiled at the sight of the redhead.

"You look like shit" the older Nobody said in a very matter of fact tone.

Axel just gave the older man a smug look.
"Yeah, thanks for pointing that out. Now what do you want?" Axel said stepping out into the hallway and closing his bedroom door behind him.

"Xemnas wanted me to come down and see why is it that you've been missing meetings for the last three days."

"Oh and why is it that he couldn't come and see for himself?"

"Come on Axel you know how he is."

"Yeah I know" Axel said ruffling the back of his hair and leaning up against his bedroom door.

"So what's been wrong with ya huh?"


Axel just shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know. I've been having really bad headaches lately." The redhead informed the older man.
Xigbar just nodded in understanding.

"Well I don't know if it's any consolation, but Demyx has been worried about you."
Axel nodded and looked up at Xigbar.

"I know I'm not getting off that easy. I'm guessing Xem wants to see me?"
Xigbar gave a small laugh and started to walk away.

"You got it Red" and with that disappeared into a portal of darkness.
Axel just shook his head and sighed. Xemnas would have his head if he didn't go to the meeting today.
Making up his mind he headed back into his bedroom and got dressed and took two more aspirin.
Standing in his bathroom he took one last look at himself in the mirror. He still looked like shit.

In the large meeting room, Axel sat in his designated white chair in a slump with his head propped up on his hand awaiting Xemnas' arrival. He was in trouble there was no doubt about that, he just wished that the punishment would come sooner.
As if on cue The Superior appeared in his throne above. Axel looked up at the silver haired man, who in turn was looking down at him with an expressionless face.

"So number VIII, I'm going to guess that you know why you're here?" Xemnas said in his usual slow monotone. Axel just nodded. "So why is it that you've been missing so many meetings?"
Axel just sighed and straightened up in his chair.

"I haven't been feeling very good lately, really bed headaches and stuff." The redhead explained. Xemnas just nodded in mock understanding.
Axel who was no longer staring up at The Superior but straight ahead turning over the action in his head that he had just received from Xemnas, the bastard couldn't care less about what was wrong with him.

"Number VIII."
Axel turned his emerald gaze back to the silver haired man.

"I have an assignment for you this afternoon."

"Yes"

"You are to go Twilight Town to retrieve our newest member for me."
Axel nodded.

"What's he look like?"

"Oh, you'll know when you find him he's…different." Axel cringed inwardly, because when Xemnas spoke the last word a smile broke out across his face. That man's smile was something he was sure could kill any living being.

"Alright…is that all?" despite himself he had to ask, it all just seemed too simple.

"That is all Number VIII. Until next time" the silver haired man said before disappearing into darkness.
Axel slumped back into his chair with a sigh as he raked his hand through his mane of hair.

"Fuck" he said under his breath.
He still couldn't believe it. He had survived with his life, he was staring to think that all the stuff Vexen had told him about his meetings with Xemnas had been lies, but then again Vexen was the one causing trouble for him. Axel shook his head and disappeared from the meeting room.

Back in The Hall of Empty Melodies, the redhead made his way to his friend's room. Once he came upon it he could hear and feel the low beat of music admitting from behind the door. He knocked as hard as he could to be heard over the music. A few seconds later the door opened and a young blonde with a wide smile on his face appeared on the other side.

"Hey there" said the blonde in a rather chipper tone before stepping aside and letting Axel into his room. Axel walked in watching his step as not to step on anything on the blonde's messy floor.

"So what's going on?" The blonde asked as he tugged on a t-shirt, "Heard that you had to go and see Mr. Xem" he walked over and took a seat on his bed beside Axel, "What for?"
Axel sat back propped up with his arms behind him and his head thrown back.

"Well you know that I haven't been feeling too great lately and missing meetings and stuff? Well he gave me an assignment for this afternoon." The redhead said turning and looking at the blonde with a smirk on his lips. The blonde backed away and stared at Axel with a questioning look on his face.

"Well what's he making you do huh, oh I know, he's sending you to go and kill a whole bunch of Heartless like he did to that creep Vexen right?" The blonde blurted out almost too cheerfully that it made Axel mentally shutter.

"No" Alex picked himself up off the bed, "He told that he wants me to go to Twilight Town and retrieve a new member" the redhead explained as he walked in a semi-circle around his friend's bed.

"New member?" Demyx questioned.

"Yeah I know it's like, that's it? I was seriously thinking he was going to send me to some uncharted part of nothingness or something equally retarded." Axel paused and ran his hand through this hair, "But I guess I can't complain, at least I got off easy right?"

The blonde shrugged.
"I guess. If you ask me I think it's pretty unfair" The teen said. Axel's face contorting into a scowl,

"Demyx are you still pissed about that mission that Xem sent you on?" the blonde just threw the redhead a spiteful glare.

"Alright, alright I get it so you got your ass beat, it's alright it happens to the best of us."

"Yeah it just seems to happen to me a lot more often" the teen sulked.

"Whatever Dem. Listen I gotta go or else I'll be even more trouble. I'll catch ya later" said Axel as he ruffled the blonde's mullet and headed out of his room.
Heading down the hall to his bedroom the redhead almost lost any sense of wit he had about him when suddenly Xigbar descended from above him suspended in midair upside down, his face right in front of him.

"So what happened?" The older man piped up and smiled at the priceless expression on Axel's face. Axel scoffed and rolled his eyes, walking past him.

"What's it matter to you huh?" The taller man snapped.

Righting himself and regaining his ground,
"What man, I thought we were buddies?" Xigbar said with a dumb smile on his face, once he caught up with his subordinate.
Axel just groaned and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Come on tell me"

"When did that become established?"

"When did what become established?"

"That I was your buddy Xiggy"
the older man stopped for a second but then continued onward with Axel who had stopped in front of his bedroom door.

"Well I just though since you're so cool with everyone ya know"
Axel wagged a finger at the shorter man.

"Correction, you're buddies with Xaldin and Luxord not me. As for your earlier question though you'll know when I get back." The redhead said as he opened his bedroom door leaving Xigbar out in the hall with nothing more than a dismissive wave of his hand.

Once inside Axel walked into his bathroom turning on the faucet he splashed some water in his face in an attempt to wake himself up.
"Are we buddies? Fuck, hell if I know" he muttered to himself as he left the bathroom and walked over to his dresser and grabbed up his gloves and pulled them on. He paused in his actions and dropped his arms to his sides considering something.

"I mean it's not like I try to make friends with them do I? I mean it's them that come to me looking for a friend…right?" he grabbed his coat and shrugged it on. "Whatever" he whispered to himself as he disappeared into darkness.

AN: Well hope you guys liked that.
Please post reviews of any kind they make me smile and want to better my writing.