"We'll always be together right?"

"...Right, always. I promise."

The words echoed in the young man's head, ignoring the lecture that was being taught and letting his mind wander to the past. To a time where he was happiest. He could still remember everything about that place. From the way it always smelled like salt and vanilla to the way the sand felt in between his toes, but mostly he remembered that boy.
"Mr. Erryl!" The redhead jumped at the sound of his professor screaming his name, "Would you care to pay attention or would you prefer this ruler being chucked at your head?"

"Uh...I'd rather not have the ruler chucked at my head."
"Then I suggest you get your head out of the clouds and back to chemistry."

"...yes, sir."
"Good, now then class I would like your chemistry papers handed in next we-."

The creaking of the heavy door caused silence to strike the class. All heads turned to the young blond poking his head through the door. The blue eyes scanned the room, not a word escaping the blond's lips, and then he entered the room.

"Um...I'm sorry. I'm looking for Freshmen Seminar. Is...this it?"

"If you had checked the paper on the door before entering and interrupting my class you would've figured out that it had been changed to a different room," the professor spat.

The blonde's eyes grew wide with fear, a tinge of pink caressing his pale cheeks from embarrassing, "I-I'm sorry." Without another word the boy disappeared behind the closing door and class had continued focusing their attention onto the professor. Everyone, but the wide eyed redhead sitting in the back with his mouth hanging open.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Mom I'm telling you it was Roxas!" Axel shouted, frantically pacing around the small picnic table he and his roommate had stolen and dubbed their 'dining table'.

"Axel honey we've talked about this countless times. Roxas is dead. He died a long time ago. You know this." The redhead rolled his eyes at his mother's words. He had told her countless times that he had seen Roxas in town, but the woman had refused to believe him. Thirteen therapists visits later Axel decided it was best to just agree with her or not say anything at all.

"Mom I'm serious. He was there. He sounded like him, looked like him and he even acted like him!"

"You said he was there for five seconds. How can you tell he acted like him in that short amount of time?"
"I...I just know he acted like him. He had that same...innocent atmosphere around him..."

"Sweetie you're just trying to convince yourself it was Roxas. I know you miss your friend, but it's been how long?"
With a shaky sigh the redhead replied, "...It's been ten years since he died..."

"That's right. Ten years. It's time to accept the facts Axel. You're in college."
The man shook his head at the words. He could never accept the facts. There was still hope that Roxas was out there.

"...I can't...I won't." Before his mother could utter another word he hit the end button and slammed the phone down in the receiver, but that didn't stop the redhead's frantic pacing. Long ago his therapist told his parents that the pacing was a habit he would do during these 'episodes.'

"Hey I'm home!" Axel stopped in his tracks and turned to his roommate, "...another episode?"

"What gave it away?" Axel asked.

"Well you have that crazed expression on your face again." The blond set down his guitar and climbed onto the counter top, "Come on. Tell Demyx what's wrong."

The redhead stared at him for a moment then continued to pace the floor, "I...thought I saw Roxas."

"Your old best friend? Dude, why are you always freaking whenever you think you see him?"

"Because...I'm not suppose to see him...he's suppose to be dead and yet...today I was in chemistry and he walked right into the classroom! It sounded and looked like him!"

"Wait, wait what? He's dead? You never told me that!"

"...Yeah I did..."

"...Did you tell me while I was high?"
As if physically looking for the answer, the redhead looked up at the ceiling trying to remember if the sandy blond had indeed been high as a kite, "...Yeah I think I did."

"Well that explains it idiot! Tell me again!"

Sighing, the man took a seat in one of their crappy plastic lawn chairs and looked down at the ground, "...When I was younger I lived on Destiny Islands. I was friends with a boy named Roxas...he was...different than the rest of the kids. He was quiet, kind of shy, a go with the flow kind of kid. When I was ten I moved here, Twilight Town."

The man watched his hands begin to shake from the anxiety and the words he was about to speak once again, "...three years after that...Roxas went missing. He had been kidnapped and then...they gave up the search and proclaimed him dead..."

"...Let me guess...you think he's still alive," Demyx stated. The redhead nodded. "but why cling onto a slither of hope? Isn't it best to just move on?"

"Ugh, you sound like my therapist."

The blond raised an eyebrow at the statement, "You go to a therapist?"

"I WENT to a therapist. Throughout my childhood I kept seeing Roxas. My mother thought I was hallucinating and needed professional help."

"Ah I see."

"...You think I'm crazy."

"Nahh, I think that your reasons for hoping are rational though I don't know if they're healthy."

"Says the one who smokes pot and eats nothing but junk food."

"Speaking of which, we're out of chips!"

"I'll go to the market and get some...I need to clear my head anyway."

"Kay!"

The redhead grabbed his coat, slipped it on and headed out the door. He jammed on the down and walked into the empty elevator. He was about to hit the one button when he suddenly heard someone calling to hold the elevator. With one swift movement he stuck his arm between the doors and stopped it just in time.

"Thank you!" The doors opened up for the stranger, allowing him to walk in.

"Hey no prob...lem..." Axel stared at the man, his face losing all of its color.

"Um...are you okay?" The teenager asked, his blue eyes looking up at the shocked redhead.

"Y-Yeah I'm fine...sorry you just...uh...what's your name?" He couldn't contain the excitement in his voice. He wasn't hallucinating! This was Roxas! He was sure of it!

"It's Ventus. Yours?"

Axel didn't know much about heartbreak, he had never been in a relationship before nor had he ever been rejected by anyone, but he was pretty sure his heart was breaking into tiny little pieces as the words hit him hard.

"...It's Axel..," He said bitterly, though he didn't mean to make it sound like that.

Suddenly feeling unwelcome, the blond shuffled towards the wall of the elevator and avoided eye contact, "...nice name."

"Thanks." Stupid, Stupid, stupid! You were just mean to a nice kid for no reason! "...So where are you headed?"

"Class. I'm late. Thanks again for holding the elevator. I would've been later if you hadn't."

"No problem...so you're a freshmen right?"

The blond looked at him in shock. He obviously hadn't seen Axel in the chemistry class earlier, but Axel saw him. Oh boy did he see him.

"...Yeah I am. How did you know that?" The teen asked.

"You came into my chemistry class earlier. The professor yelled at you for interrupting."

"...Oh!...You saw that?" Axel couldn't help but smirk at the shakiness in the freshmen's voice. He was obviously embarrassed about the whole situation. A typical reaction for a freshman.

"Yeah I saw that. You should learn to check the door before you interrupt a class. Professor's hate that. Especially that on in particular," Axel explained.

"There was no sign on the door."

"What? There usually is."

"Well there wasn't one this time. Doesn't matter anyway. The course was cancelled for the semester so I don't have to worry about it for now."

"Ah..." the monitor shined a bright number one and the doors opened. Both men gathered their things and walked out. "Well good luck in your classes. Don't get yelled at."

"I'll try not to. Nice talking to you Axie." With those words the blond began his journey to his classes, leaving a shocked and frozen redhead.

"...Only...one person called me that name..."

A/N: Okay guys! Chapter 1 is done! I hope you guys like this story. I'm already starting to! Also Axel's last name is an Irish name meaning promise. Ha~ Ha~? See what I did there? :D Anyway please review! I would love to hear what you guys have to say! :)