:::Chapter 2:::

:::The Past and The Present:::

"Alright, first dinner shift, fall in line," A guard commanded. Standing tall and proud, he flipped his black braids behind him and watched the prisoners file out. Only one of them dared glance at the guard as they passed him—Axel.

"What are you staring at, punk?"

"Nothing much," Axel replied coolly.

"You'd better watch that mouth of yours boy, or you'll be spending the night in the hole."

In all of the times the redhead had been in prison, he'd never had the pleasure of spending time in the hole. He had only heard stories of people who were put in there for talking back—little petty stuff that immature inmates do. 'The Hole' doesn't sound that terrible, Axel thought, Can't be any worse than the cells.

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The dining hall was already crowded by the time he entered. Luckily, the lines weren't too long. He grabbed a tray. Studying the room, he searched for a place to sit once he got his food.

"Axel?" A high voice asked.

The man looked up. A girl—probably 19 or 20 years old—was behind the counter smiling at him.

"Hey Kairi," Axel grinned as he handed her his tray. "Miss me?"

"What are you doing here?" She scooped some of the yellow-brown substance onto the tray. "Didn't you just get released?"

"What can I say? I just couldn't resist the Tuna Beef Surprise."

"How long?"

"Forty."

"Any chance of parole?"

"If I'm good," Axel laughed. "which isn't going to happen. It's physically impossible for me to stay out of trouble. Wreaking havoc is hardwired in my DNA."

He turned and faced the busy lunchroom.

"Uh, where to sit, where to sit," He muttered to himself.

The only table Axel could find had five or six convicts already sitting at it. He walked up to it and cleared his throat. They all looked up.

"Well, I'll be." One of the men gasped. "It's Axel Flurry."

"So whadya do this time?" One of the others asked. "Driving drunk, selling illegals?"

"Can I sit here?" The redhead asked.

"Nope, sorry," The first one answered. "No room."

"This is my table. I will sit here."

The second guy scoffed, "It doesn't have your name on it so it can't be yours."

Axel set his tray on the floor, walked over to the end of the table and grabbed it. With ease, he flipped the table over; the other cons still sitting at it. He pointed to a section of the table. Carved into it was "Property of Axel Flurry".

"That's fucking bullshit!" One of the others growled.

"What?" The first guy shook his head.

"Is that even possible?" The second guy breathed.

"Come on guys, let's beat it," Another man told them.

With that, the others left. Axel smirked, "That's what I thought." He flipped the table back the correct way, picked up his tray and sat down.

He was about halfway through eating when another inmate sat across from him. "Axel Flurry." The redhead looked up. A man with an eye patch over his right eye and a scar up the left side of his face was there, studying him with his one yellow-gold eye.

"Remember me?" The man asked. "Because I remember you….partner,"

"Listen, I've worked with many people. I can't memorize all of them."

"We were working a drug lab together, making crystal meth? When the FBI showed up, you tried to blame it all on me and we ended up fighting? You tore out my eye and dragged a knife up this side of my face?"

"Hm," The redhead sighed. "You think I'd remember a guy I tore an eye from…" He suddenly remembered who it was. "Xigbar, right?"

"Right on the nose, kiddo," Xigbar nodded. "As I recall, we have some…" He searched for the right term. "Unfinished business."

The man let out a battle cry and tackled the unsuspecting redhead to the ground. They wrestled, although Axel was—without a doubt—far stronger than his challenger. Axel managed to get on top of Xigbar; he grabbed his arms and forced them behind them. Xigbar yelped.

"I'll ask nicely," Axel hissed. "Back off."

"No, I won't! It's your fault that I'm in this god forsaken hellhole and I'm going to make you pay for it!"

"Wrong answer," Axel growled as he snapped the man's neck. He went limp and Axel removed himself from the dead body. The guards dragged the dead body away and Axel brushed himself off. The guard with the black braids approached the redhead.

"Are you the one responsible for all of this?"

"He was a…former partner of mine. He threatened to kill me."

"I see," The guard nodded. "Well, you still killed him, so I believe a week of no dinner should suffice."

"What?" Axel yelped. "That's not fair; you can't just-!"

"Can't just what?"

Axel sighed, defeated. "Nothing, never mind."

"That's what I thought you said. Back to your cell,"

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Lexaus locked the cell behind Axel. He sighed, shook his head and then climbed up into the top bunk; only to find that someone else had beat him to it.

"What the fuck?" The redhead growled. "Who is this kid?"

He climbed down, trying to figure out how to go about this. Axel stood on the edge of the bottom bed and slugged the blonde stranger in the side.

"Ow!" The kid yelped.

"You're in my bed," Axel hissed.

"Oh," He frowned. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"Save the sentimental dribble," He snapped back. "Just get the hell out of my bed!"

The boy nodded and climbed down, his left hand grasping his right forearm innocently. He looked down at the ground as the defensive redhead passed him and climbed into the bed. Axel curled up under the covers, which had already been pre-warmed from the kid who seemed to have been sleeping there for a while. Axel wasn't ready for a new cellmate. He almost wanted Demyx back. Demyx was great; knew how to take a joke, and he had a bit of a sensitive side. Axel would almost go as far as saying that he loved Demyx, but this new kid…no, just no.