Another update! And so quickly, might I add. I figured that the first chapter was more of an introduction to the characters, therefore it wasn't really enough to leave you story drinkers quenched. Or whatever that means...

By the way, if you can somehow imagine the first chapter, imagine it like the begining sequence to Final Fantasy X-2 where it's all YUNA after she sings and RIKKU after she beats up that guy. Only with my profiles. (Dorky, I know.)

I would say that cookies go to Dark-Sephy and Idrymytear54u but unfortunately I'm saving up my money for an official Roxas T-Shirt from their merchandise store thing. So instead I'll give you guys virtual hugs! You two really made my day, since those were my first reviews ever!

"If you can film people while they are being obnoxious or rude, you can film anything." The man whispered to Roxas as they stood in the middle of the sidewalk.

Roxas held up the child sized video camera nervously, glancing into it briefly before turning back to the man.

"Won't it embarrass them?" Roxas asked hesitantly. He wasn't hesitant for fear of the brick, or the whip, or even being cut by the knife. No, he knew the man could do him no harm in the public, not with his reputation as high as it was.

Roxas was hesitant for what would happen when he began to film. It scared him sometimes, what he was becoming. Once he found something interesting to film, he filmed it, disregarding others' feelings or how it would affect their lives.

The man did not teach him humanity.

Therefore Roxas did not have it.

And that was why, during these early stages, Roxas was hesitant to use his gift. It could destroy him far worse than the man ever could.

Stage Two: A Good First Impression

The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.

-Carl Jung (1875-1961)

Roxas stepped out of the elegant white limousine that morning, armed with a determined smile and the most advanced video camera money could buy. His weapons of choice however, were both disarmed at the sight of what literally appeared to be the entire neighborhood.

"What did you expect, Roxas, looking all sexy and suave coming out of the limo like that?" His best friend and limo driver, Hayner whispered in his ear. That only seemed to make Roxas even more self-conscious. Some best friend he was!

Hayner was his best friend back in Twilight City, his old home. They hadn't been BEST friends long, but Roxas had recently promoted him, so to speak. Hayner originally started off being his limo driver, but after inviting him to sit in the front seat, they got to talking. And after that, they became inseparable.

Hayner had his own style though. He couldn't stand violence, Roxas loved violence. He loved army colors and apparel, Roxas hated the style. Hayner liked to have one night stands and flings, not to mention his ever changing hair. Roxas had more of a reserved persona, only having flings occasionally, and his hair remained in it's combed over, neatly shaped style.

But you know what they say. Opposites attract.

"Uh…hello?" Roxas tried, giving the people a little wave. Immediately everyone turned to the individual next to them and began to whisper in a completely obvious and rude way. But Roxas wasn't fazed…in fact, he was inspired!

Thanks citizens of Destiny Drive, for being so rude!

Destiny Drive…that's where Roxas was going to be living from now on…was a large neighborhood in the center of Fate Island. It was the biggest and most expensive neighborhood on the entire island, and it seemed to contain the most teenagers.

Not that it mattered. Roxas had never been able to stomach teens and their hormones much.

Okay, okay, so he was fifteen. Still! His opinion stood!

"This is what I like to call, 'unnecessary rudeness.'" Roxas spoke quietly into his camera, filming the oblivious gossipers. Hayner snorted as he passed him, carrying their luggage into the fairly large house that now belonged to his best friend. Hayner knew Roxas enough to know when his friend was pissed, and today was just one of those days.

Making sure his camera was not turned off yet, Roxas placed the item around his neck using the harness, a little annoyed. He hated rude people. They repulsed him. It was like, did their parents not teach them manners? It was an entirely different story, of course, if they actually didn't have anyone to teach them manners, but most rude people DID.

And that repulsed him.

Roxas turned to the house, taking in its previously used appearance, noting the subtle but visible indicators. The hinges were tilted and peeling. The flowers looked like someone had walked along and cut off all of the petals through some sick, flower torturing fetish. And don't even get him started on what was supposed to be a roof. Did someone fall through it? There were about three medium sized holes smiling down at him.

But repairing a used house was just another stage of his life. See, Roxas always had this idea that there were set stages that a person had to go through in order to obtain the quote on quote, "good life."

That was actually the reason he came to Fate Island. He heard many good things about the place, like the fact that it was so open in its views many groups of people who had been discriminated against simply flocked to it. In fact, Roxas heard that the majority of the people there had at least three people in the family who were attracted to one of the same gender. But that wasn't the reason he was here.

He was here because Roxas had yet to live life in a small, close net group of people. Being good director meant he had to have experiences of all kinds. Besides, if Roxas planned to make a movie about the stages of life, he had to make sure he was going through the rural ones as well, and not just the urban.

Anyway, preparing to follow Hayner into the house, Roxas spun on the heel of his battered converses, kicking up dirt as he did so. But something grabbed his arm, forbidding him to move. What the-

"Whoa! Sorry about that, new kid! My best friend, Namine, pushed me. She was under the illusion that you were the man of her dreams, and therefore not real. Not the brightest banana in the bunch, right? No, no, I tease, I tease. She's actually pretty smart-" Apparently the something that had grabbed him was not a thing at all. It was a he. A red-headed, confident, beautiful he.

"Uh…" Roxas found himself unable to say anything but that one line of stupidity. This guy…he was beautiful!

He had wild, shoulder-length red hair that stuck up slightly in the back that brought out the clear ridiculously green eyes of his. It reminded him of the grass that sprouted up on the football fields when the early days of spring had just begun. It was that green.

Anyway, he was wearing a black AC/DC shirt, which accentuated his faint muscles quite perfectly. The faded, slightly baggy jeans he was wearing added to the look to bring a complete, dazzling effect to his presence.

"I'm Axel. I live right next door to you. Oh, and don't mind the neighbors. They like to gossip, but they aren't trying to be rude. Well, I mean I guess it is rude to do it in front of the person. But you've got to admit that takes guts!" Axel chuckled, punching Roxas in the arm. That hurt!

"Right… Well, I'm Roxas." Roxas introduced himself, masking the pain. Being a director, he found it fitting that he was also an excellent actor.

Axel seemed to mull the name in his head for a while. Finally, he looked right into Roxas' eyes, causing his heart to literally stop beating.

"You're the guy who made the movie about the boy who could wield a keyblade?" Axel asked, but it was more of a statement than anything else.

"It was great! Wait, great isn't a strong enough word to describe how awesome it was. How about, it was crazy great?" Axel complimented him enthusiastically. Roxas actually found himself blushing. He wasn't recognized often for his accomplishments, so when he was, he never knew how to handle them.

"Oh, uh, I…thanks." Roxas sputtered, chewing on his thumb nail. It was what he did when he didn't know what to do. It was a horrible habit, he'd had enough nail infections to know that, but he never could resist it.

Axel blinked at him and gave him a strange look before awarding Roxas with a pat on the back. Unfortunately Roxas was so light he toppled over, almost smashing his beloved camera. Axel looked embarrassed.

"Oops, I'm so sorry Mr. Roxas." He stammered, helping the boy from the ground. Roxas fought back the urge to growl. He didn't like being touched and he especially didn't like his camera being fumbled around with, even on accident.

"I'm fifteen." Roxas sneered at the other teen beside him, giving him an irritated glare. He wasn't an adult yet, for goodness sake. Roxas' annoyance seemed to bring back his voice. Axel seemed to be taken aback.

"Actually, now that I look at you, you look about twelve years old. I just kind of assumed you were an adult, because of your talent…" He faltered upon noticing the face of the growlingly pissed off director.

"That's what a lot of people tend to think. That because of my age or my size I must not be adequate or professional or talented. It's all a form of judgment, and that's not something I want to encounter from my new home, and especially not from a peer." Roxas finally snapped, clutching his camera. It gave him a sense of power, and maybe a little bit of inferiority over this teen, who seemed to have labeled him already.

"Age is nothing but a number, Axel. Remember that the next time we meet and maybe some good karma will flash your way. Excuse me." Roxas finished, striding into the house past the now silent neighborhood residents.

Hayner, who had been watching their exchange from the open door, offered Roxas his sandwich as he passed, but his friend simply strode on by, not bothering to speak to him.

Upon hearing one of the bedroom doors slam, Hayner slunk sadly into the plastic covered couch, grabbing his cell phone and dialing the numbers he knew by heart.

A pause as a few rings went by unanswered. Finally a woman's voice filled the silence on her end as she picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Hayner. Listen, I believe you now."

"So you agree to help Roxas fall in love, despite your feelings for him?"

Another pause, as Hayner considered what he was giving up.

"Yes. And I know the perfect candidate for Roxas' lover."

"Already? Who?"

"His name is Axel."

It wasn't until Axel was lying down on his black king-sized bed, staring up at the ceiling that he realized this Roxas guy was absolutely beautiful.

Wait, what? Axel mentally slapped his forehead. He was NOT going to fall for the new kid again. It just created unwanted drama…and he had more than enough drama in his life.

Still, those eyes! Such a unique color of cerulean! Axel had never seen that shade before. It was like a metallic colored sky blue…it was so complex, yet simple. Just like Roxas himself.

And there he went again, thinking of Roxas. It wasn't like he was his long lost lover reincarnated or anything! They'd just met! Why is he so strung up on him, then?

"This is impossible!" Axel groaned. Fine, if he couldn't figure this out, Namine definitely could. He began to dial a couple of digits that led to her cell phone number, but a thought occurred to him: Namine liked Roxas. She wouldn't take too kindly to Axel having these thoughts about him, obviously.

Great. Namine was his best friend. If he couldn't talk to her, who would he talk to? There was Riku, sure, but Riku seemed to be guarded around everyone but Sora. That didn't stop him from telling Axel all of his secrets, though. So did that mean it was okay to return the favor? He had to try.

After punching in the numbers, Axel held his breath as he waited for Riku to pick up.

Ring.

This wasn't a good idea.

Ring.

What if Riku thought he was a horrible guy for thinking about Roxas when Namine so obviously liked the guy?

Ring.

Riku wouldn't pick up. Why should he? He wasn't Sora…

"Hello?"

Then again, Riku wasn't such a bad guy. He was a guy with more inheritance money than Paris Hilton, but chose to hang out with the less fortunate.

"HELLO?"

But still, Axel had never told Riku he was bi. Namine and Kairi were the only two that knew he also liked guys. He just never wanted to freak out Sora and Riku.

"Axel? Is that you? I can hear you mumbling to yourself, you loser." Riku scoffed, fumbling with the phone on his end. Axel immediately stopped mumbling and blinked. Oh! Riku was on the phone!

"Oops. Hi, Riku! Sorry about that." Axel apologized, letting the butterflies in his stomach subside for a moment as Riku laughed. He liked hearing Riku laugh. It was a rare treat for anyone who was friends with him. Even for Sora.

"Don't worry about it; it's one of your habits that I've gotten used to. So, what's up?" Riku finally asked, going right into Axel's reason for calling. Not that Riku would say it like that. Riku may be arrogant and cocky, but he wasn't rude.

"I wanted to ask you a personal question. And don't take it seriously or anything, I was just curious. Actually, I wasn't curious at all. A friend of mine was curious, and-"

Axel rambled until Riku stopped him by clearing his throat.

"Get on with it."

"Have you ever…have your ever thought about guys in that way?" Axel started. He'd figured this was as good a question as ever to begin with. There was silence on Riku's end, but he could hear his steady breathing.

"Why?" Riku asked instead. Axel rolled his eyes. He was so guarded sometimes. It was a yes or no question.

"I don't know. I was just thinking about the new kid and everything…" Axel said.

"What's that have to do with my sexuality?" Riku wanted to know.

"Nothing! I just thought maybe you guys would make a good couple." Axel lied. It really was a huge lie. They would be a horrible couple. Roxas and Riku seemed almost too similar.

"Oh really?" It didn't take a genius to hear Riku's trademark smirk. "Because by what I saw, you and the new kid had some serious chemistry."

What?! What in the world did Riku see? Axel recalled being scolded and scowled at by the perfect blond for accidentally pushing him.

"But…yes." Riku said after a pause.

"Huh?" Axel asked confused. What was he talking about?

"Yes, Axel, I have thought about guys in that way. Actually, one guy in particular." Riku confessed. Axel thought he could hear Riku running his hand through his hair, a dead giveaway that he was stressed out about something.

Wait a minute…was Riku throwing him a come hither?!

"Uh…Riku, you know…you're an attractive guy, but uh…you're not exactly my type." Axel stammered, blushing slightly. He heard Riku scoff.

"And you're not my type either, loser. I was talking about Sora." He corrected him. Axel reeled back in shock. WHOA! Riku had a thing for Sora?

"Our Sora? Cute little Sora who thought a condom was a type of sock?" Axel exclaimed, raising his eyebrows.

Last summer when Sora was an incoming freshman and Axel and Riku were both incoming sophomores, they had decided to go out and buy condoms. Sora had bought the jumbo sized box and Axel and Riku each bought large. When they got back to Riku's house to try them on, they both emerged out the bathroom to see Sora wearing the condoms on his feet.

So naïve, that one was.

"I don't know... it's endearing that he's so innocent! Don't tell anyone this, but it makes me want to taint him." Riku whispered. Axel processed this in silence until he realized what Riku meant by 'tainting him.'

"God, Riku! Don't you think that's crossing the line?" Axel demanded, feeling a little dirty at his friend's confession. Jeez, they weren't that close!

"I can't help it! I want to hear him moan and cry out my name in ecstasy while I take his precious virginity. Then when he's ready, I want to screw him against every surface of my house raw. And I'll be sure to decorate his neck in visible, attractive love bites that let everyone at school know that he belongs to me." Riku growled into the phone, getting all hot and bothered.

Riku paused upon hearing silence from the other end. "Axel?"

Axel had hung up on him the second he'd heard Riku moan.

Roxas sat in his all white bedroom, watching the day's footage. There were a lot of scenery scenes from when he was sitting idly in the back of the limo, since Hayner never let him ride in the front seat during long trips. He supposed he could call that stage: Environment. He fast forwarded through all of that.

Then there was when they entered the neighborhood. Down around the beach area there were two children, splashing in the waves with a tall blond boy with a weird mullet. Stage: Family.

Roxas fast forwarded some more.

They passed a less fortunate part of the island, to which Hayner wryly tried to speed up until Roxas stopped him.

"No. This is beauty in its ruins." Roxas replied to Hayner's questions of why they were stopping. Roxas had lowered the window and coaxed a man to talk to him, by cocking a finger.

"Excuse me sir, but do you mind telling me the reason you are living in a part of town less fortunate?" Roxas wanted to know, indicating to the video camera. The man, probably in his late twenties, smirked into the camera. He had an eye patch over one eye and an unnatural grey streak in his dark unruly hair.

"Sure. I'm Xigbar McCoy, twenty-seven years old and deathly bankrupt. The reason I'm so broke leads to one simple conclusion," Saix paused, turning to the other men who had gathered to see the commotion, "Thirteen Hearts, Inc."

Stage: Failure.

Roxas laughed, as did the rest of the men and tapped Hayner for him to move on, but not before handing out a single hundred dollar bill to each of the nine men standing there. Roxas may be emotionless, but he wasn't cold-hearted.

Stage: Generosity.

And last on the tape there was the "moving in masquerade" as Roxas liked to call it. He had managed to film his little encounter with Axel. Watching it again, Roxas was able to dissect every choice of words that Axel had used and the body language to go with it.

Axel hadn't been trying to offend him at all! In fact, he looked more embarrassed and offended of the two. Perhaps Roxas had judged this Axel character too quickly?

Stage: Stereotypes. But Roxas had never truly partaken in that sort of stage before. Could it be that Axel was bringing out the side of him that he had locked away?

Does anyone else find Mr. I-Have-A-Stick-In-My-Butt Roxas a tad bit OOC? I do, but I just can't stop! His personality is taking a mind of its own! Stage three will bring on the chatting skills of one hesitant red head and one serious blond cutie!

Next Stage: Communication