Are you Crazy Too?

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, nor do I own the characters, names of things, etc.

Warning: There may be some spoilers snuck in here.

Different warning: This story will contain foul language, violence, homosexuality and sex; not necessarily in that order. There may be dashes of straight on occasion too. If you are offended by any of this please do not read. Thank you!

Chapter 3

~Roxas~

The rest of the day passed without issue, and when five o'clock hit and the last customer had left Axel poked his head around the door of the kitchen. Roxas was sitting at one of the tables he had just cleaned, resting his feet after the nine hour shift.

"Give me five more minutes and we'll go." The redhead called out. Roxas just nodded, too tired to argue or offer help. Marluxia stopped by him on the way out.

"You did well for your first day. Your only drawback appears to be the coffee machine, and I would be only too happy to take that over now that I do not need to clean the tables myself for a week." The tall man smiled serenely and put a hand on Roxas shoulder. "I certainly hope that you make Axel happy... As happy as he allows himself to be. Have a good night."

Once Roxas managed to process what had been said, he opened his mouth to protest but the pink haired man was gone. Instead he felt a delicate finger tap him on the shoulder. "Congrats." Larxene spoke, twirling a lock of her hair around her fingers. "It looks like you aren't completely useless after all."

"Uh, thanks." He replied, not wanting to incite her to more violence.

"Whatever Kid, just don't let it go to your head. I still can't figure out why he hired you, you know, besides the obvious."

"Larxene, I haven't slept with Axel."

The woman chortled behind her hand like an old British dame might. "Not what I meant at all. Good to know though. No, he hired you because you don't fit at the other place, or anywhere really. This cafe is a place for people who don't belong. Have you even seen our customers? Poor little boy, did you think it was because he lurrved you? So sorry to disappoint, but Axel doesn't love anyone, let alone little boys with a crush."

"But I don't-"

"Sure. I'm not the one you're going to have to prove it to though. Buh bye!" She gave him a condescending pat on the head as Axel came out of the kitchen and threw a wink the redhead's way before sweeping out of the building.

Axel handed Roxas the leather gloves he had borrowed, now wearing his own again. "Ready to go, Roxas?"

Roxas nodded despondently and stood, good mood ruined. "Where are we headed?"

"You'll see when we get there." The taller man switched off the Open sign and ushered the blonde out onto the street. "Think you can trust me this time?"

Another nod. Roxas only needed to make sure that Axel stayed in front of him to walk straight. He let his mind wander to what his two new colleagues had said. He had always shied away from thinking of men as attractive simply because it wasn't the socially acceptable. This was stupid. The others were definitely trying to get a rise out of him, though Marluxia seemed infinitely nicer than Larxene. It was as though she was only happy when she was irritating someone else. She also seemed to have a thing for Axel (and if she was to be believed that "thing" was mutual) which was even more bad news as both she and Marluxia thought that they were having sex.

'I met him yesterday.' Roxas thought irritably 'And between getting me suspended and vomiting in my apartment he hasn't exactly made a good impression so why the hell would I-.' Despite the mild change in Axel's behaviour towards him, Roxas still felt overly wary. Was he supposed to trust this guy after two days? It was irrational given their first and second meetings, but everyone back at the restaurant seemed to trust him, to like him. 'Is there something wrong with me? Of course there is but-' He hadn't realized that Axel had stopped walking and consequently bumped into him.

"Easy there Tiger, we're here. Well, sort of. We still have to climb but I gotta grab something. You go on ahead and I'll be up in a minute." The redhead grinned and winked to punctuate his statement.

Roxas looked around, seeing that their walk had brought them to the station plaza but the only thing left to climb was... "The tower?"

"Yeah, why? You afraid of heights?"

"No, but-"

"Nothing bad is going to happen. I promise. I'll see you up there, Kid."

Roxas waited a long moment before finally starting to climb. While there were no actual steps, no one stopped people from climbing on the sturdy building, though few did anymore. The blonde was not entirely thrilled by the prospect of being atop a building with a potentially fatal fall and a man whose vomit he'd spent the last night cleaning, but he decided to give Axel the benefit of the doubt. This man was after all trying to make up for everything that had happened. Not that that made him an entirely good person. It was too confusing, and so Roxas vowed to withhold all further judgements until he knew enough to form a proper opinion of the man.

With a quick hop up, he had reached the balcony and what he saw almost took his breath away. A gorgeous gold and red sunset glowed across the sky; just dim enough that it did not blind him and just bright enough that the warmth in the light was almost palpable.

"Amazing isn't it?" Came the now familiar voice of Axel behind him. He started, whipping around to see the spiky haired man holding up two sticks of ice cream. "Pretty soon now it'll be too cold to do this anymore, so I figured, better get it in while we can, right?"

Roxas took the ice cream that was offered to him tentatively before sitting down and swinging his legs over the edge. "...I just don't get you." He said finally.

"What's there to get?" Asked the redhead sitting beside him.

"Just... everything. I never know what to think about you. Why did you bring me here?"

"To show you the sunset." Axel replied, easy as anything. "My turn. From your first day working at the cafe, what would you say is better and worse than at the Organization XIII?"

"Well, besides having Larxene at the cafe I guess I'd say the location. It's hard for customers to find who aren't looking for it. The alley is especially sketchy so people might not want to pass through there."

The redhead nodded thoughtfully. "Good points. Eat your ice cream; I want you to tell me what you think."

Roxas bit off the top of his ice cream and the first thing he could taste was salt, but before he could spit it out a gentle sweetness filled his mouth. Shocked, he looked over at Axel's grinning face and couldn't help but smile himself. "What is this?"

"Sea salt ice cream; it's my favourite flavour. Ansem got me hooked on it as a kid, but anyway, is there anything you prefer at Castle Oblivion?"

To the blonde's surprise he could think of several things off the top of his head, but only one shone above the others. "You don't have candles."

Axel laughed. "No, no we don't. That's one of my legal restrictions actually. Why don't you like candles?"

"I just don't." Roxas cursed himself for bringing the topic up in the first place, scratching under his armband furiously. "Why can't you have candles?"

"The lawyer told me pretty clearly, but it gets harder to remember the details. I think it went something like 'blah blah unsound mind blah mental state blah'. Nothing too important. Me again, why do you always look at me like I'm going to stab you and stick my dick in the wound?"

The blonde burst into a fit of helpless laughter. "Partially because you say things like that. Mostly though, it's the way you interact with people... with me. I've never really known how to interpret even casual touches, but when you start flirting and grabbing... I don't know. I guess it scares me a little because I can't figure out what it is that you want from me." He went back to his ice cream to make himself stop talking.

The redhead nodded thoughtfully though, finally saying. "Alright. I'll try not to touch you anymore. I can't guarantee I'll be able to keep my word on that but I'll give it my best shot. If you change your mind though and want to get some, you know, practice in for some special young lady, you let me know." Roxas head snapped up to the spiky haired man's shit eating grin before the taller one said, "Your turn."

Roxas looked at the darkening horizon for a while, thinking as Axel watched him. Finally he spoke. "What the hell made you decide to date Larxene? I mean, I get that you like to stick it in the crazies I guess, but-"

"Woah, woah! Back up there tiger! Date Larxene? Do I look like I have a death wish to you? Why would you think that?"

Roxas chewed his lip. "When she said 'He left my bed for you' I thought-"

A relieved sigh shot past the lips of the older man. "Thank god, I thought for a second you knew something I didn't. Yeah, I have sex with Larx sometimes but we aren't dating."

Roxas squirmed a little uncomfortably but kept his silence, waiting for the next question. Finishing his ice cream, he lay on his back to watch the first few stars come out, feigning ignorance of the redhead's continued gaze.

"I was fucking Marly too, last night. 'Course, I don't usually bottom but in that kind of situation what choice do you really have? Here's a warning for your future kid: threesomes, while fun make you really sore and are not to be done all the time."

The blonde's mouth dropped open. "Axel!" He could feel his face getting red. "I swear to god you're just doing this to get a rise out of me!"

"Yeah, but that doesn't make it any less true. I have a lot of sexual partners, Roxas. I mean, I'm pretty careful and I get checked out all the time but-"

"Oh god..." Roxas covered his face with embarrassment. The quaver in the redhead's voice as he tried not to laugh increased the more he spoke.

"Hell, I've probably had sex with a lot of people you know. It's not that big of a town."

A groan forced its way from between Roxas' hands. "Dammit Axel!" He heard the other man burst out laughing before he felt the thud of the redhead falling down next to him. Chancing a glance beside him, he saw Axel's eyes streaming in mirth.

Finally, when the man's laughter had faded into soft chuckles, he smiled. "You're just too fun to tease Xion."

Something tense filled the air then and Roxas turned his head just in time to see Axel sitting bolt upright, jaw clenching. "Who's Xion?" He sat up and the redhead jumped to his feet. "Axel? I asked-"

"It's getting dark Kid, we should go." And before Roxas could even stand Axel was halfway down the building.

"Hey!" He jumped up and scrambled down the side of the building. When he finally got to the bottom Roxas was relieved to see that the spiky haired man had not entirely abandoned him in the dark. He expected Axel to hit on him and tell him a joke, but the man was just standing there. It was then that Roxas looked a little closer and realized that the reason Axel hadn't bolted wasn't out of any loyalty to Roxas; it was because he simply hadn't thought to. Eyes glazed over, staring at the sky the redhead finally picked up on the fact that he was being watched and a very fast grin snapped into place.

"Sorry about that Roxy, forgot you were there. Do you need me to walk you back to your apartment?" The grin was straining.

"No, I think I'll be fine; but if it's okay, I do have on last question. Why do you always smile when you aren't happy?"

The grin finally broke. "Goodnight Roxas." He murmured, and before Roxas could say anything else, the taller man had already faded into the night in his hurry to get away.

'That was odd,' he thought as he retraced his steps back to the dark cafe, and then through the alley. He kept his apartment keys between his knuckles for protection as he wondered about Xion, and what this person could have meant for the redhead to have reacted that way. "It's not my place to ask, he just took me up for ice cream; we aren't friends." He felt stupid, he had already formed an impression of Axel and it hadn't been a good one. Roxas just wanted... he didn't even know. 'I don't want anything.' He told himself firmly. 'He lets me have my secrets, the least I can do is give him his.'

Had he been paying attention, he would have seen the light under his door before he unlocked it shocked out of his reverie by the flood of light that greeted him. Stepping in cautiously, he looked around with his keys back between his knuckles. A man was sitting rigidly on his couch, sharp boned face devoid of any emotion. He had long wheat blonde hair and piercing green eyes, but unlike Axel's, they held no spark of wicked humour, only cold calculation.

He closed the door and relaxed his grip on the keys before guiltily straightening his posture. "What are you doing here Dad?"

~Axel~

Axel shouldn't have left Roxas there in the dark. Somewhere in his head he knew that but he couldn't bring himself to care. The grin was gone and all he could think was. 'Stupid stupid STUPID! How the hell could I have called him Xion! Shit!' Variations of this ran through his head as he tore through the now almost pitch black streets, not knowing where he was going until he reached a familiar door and pounded on it, hyperventilating to get air back into his lungs as the door swung open revealing a diminutive young man with a sour expression.

"I need to talk to Demyx." The redhead wheezed out.

"Demyx is sleeping, go away." The smaller man brushed the long bangs out of his face before he was shoved out of the way by the blonde man, who, after taking one glance at Axel pulled him in.

"Axel what is it? Are you okay?"

The redhead allowed himself to lean on Demyx, still panting. "It's that kid..."

"Axel, I did warn you not to sleep with him."

"I didn't." He whispered hoarsely. "I gave him a job."

"Oh." Demyx nodded before freezing. "Wait, what?"

"I felt bad about him getting suspended... He's barely getting by as it is so I asked him to work for me for the week. You know what? He did great, he's good at what he does and he even put up with Larxene with minimal problems so at the end I took him out for ice cream."

"Oh Axel..."

"On the clock tower."

"Oh god..."

"We talked, told each other a bit about ourselves. He made me laugh like I haven't laughed in... shit, I can't even remember when... and then I called him Xion."

Demyx swore before pulling him into a tight hug.

There was the sound of a throat clearing and when the two turned, the now fuming door greeter sent a glare of condescension their direction. "The next time you decide to have a chit chat with your friend over sex with your boyfriend please let me know ahead of time so I can get some actual work done instead of buying condoms." And with that he turned and stomped back to the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

Axel pulled away from the hug gently. "I'm sorry, I should go. I didn't realize that you two were back together when I showed up."

But Demyx shook his head. "Don't. It doesn't matter, we got back together this morning; we're just fighting again sooner than I thought." The redhead didn't resist getting pulled to the couch while the blonde settled next to him. "Axel, you came here looking like I haven't seen you in years, you wouldn't have come at all if it was something you thought you could've handled by yourself."

The redhead swallowed and shot a glance at the door before his shoulders slumped. "Alright, so what should I do?"

Demyx gave him an almost pitying look. "You have to get away from him. You know that. Now since you've already given him a week long job that's not going to be easy but when you do have to interact with him keep it professional and brief."

There was a long pause before the spiky haired man spoke again. "I need a favour Dem."

"No."

"You don't even know what I was going to ask!"

Pale blue eyes glared at him. "You want me to find out more about Roxas."

Axel rubbed the back of his head guiltily. "You are the recon man." When a stony silence was all that followed the red head let out a long sigh. "There's something about him, and I'm not just talking about my name swap thing. Why did Xemnas hire him if he causes so many problems? Why is he so twitchy? Is he really Sora's cousin? There's something... I just can't put my finger on it. Please."

Demyx closed his eyes and shook his head. "No. This will end badly. I agree with you, I think Xemnas is connected to him somehow but that's just another reason for you to stay away from the kid... Go home Axel. Please, for once just follow my advice."

The redhead chewed his lip. Eventually he stood and stretched. At Demyx's questioning look he said, "Alright, I'm going to try. See you later Dem."

His blonde friend stood and walked him to the door before pressing a soft kiss against his cheek. "Just promise me something." Demyx murmured. "Don't go to Larxene and Marluxia tonight."

Axel forced a grin on to his face and batted the blonde away almost playfully. "Sure thing, don't worry about it." He strode out into the street and heard the door shut quietly behind him. The grin slid off his face leaving Axel numb with exhaustion. As he made his way back to the cafe, climbing the rickety steps in the back to the small apartment above it, he told himself that he could at least try to follow Demyx's advice. It couldn't be that hard could it? 'He looks so familiar.' He thought as his head hit the pillow.

A knock on the door was what woke him early the next morning. Axel cracked his eyes open and saw pale light pouring in from his window. "Whozere?" he slurred out, rubbing his eyes.

"Special delivery for an Axel?"

Green eyes snapped open. He knew that voice! Running to the door and jerking it open he saw a silver haired young man grinning from ear to ear. "Riku!" He laughed and pulled the man into a hug. "I thought you weren't coming for another week!"

"Nah, change of plans."

"Have you gone to see Sora yet?"

"I thought I'd surprise him, but then I found this guy wandering around." Riku gestured behind him and Axel's heart sank when he saw that blonde head of hair. "Roxas says he's doing my job for a week so I thought I'd come get you and we could all get breakfast together."

The redhead jerked his eyes away from Roxas to focus on what Riku was saying. "Well I'm not sure if you remember, but I do have to open up the cafe at 8:00 this morning."

"That's fine; by the time you change we should still have an hour and a half."

Axel processed this for a moment before it clicked. Six thirty in the morning. He swore internally and pulled them both inside, knowing that if anyone else had knocked on his door that early he would have stabbed them and gone back to bed. They had no idea how lucky they were.

~Roxas~

Roxas had never felt as unlucky as he did that morning. He hadn't slept. Couldn't sleep with that man in his apartment and when he finally couldn't stand it anymore and left at five, he came to the crushing realization that he had nowhere to go. He thought about taking a cab down to Sora but quickly dropped that idea when he remembered his money situation. Which was what led to his current predicament.

After standing in front of his apartment building for a moment he decided to pick a direction at random and walk. It was certainly getting colder at night and Roxas stuck his hands in his pockets to keep them warm.

It didn't really surprise him when he stopped at the Castle Oblivion. The inside was still dark but the building itself still seemed to radiate with an eerie glow in the pale light. Roxas was about to crouch in the door way for a while when a hand clamped down on his shoulder.

Roxas whirled around, letting out a startled yell when he saw a silver haired man he hadn't seen in months.

"Sorry! Sorry! I thought you heard me calling you. I didn't mean to scare you."

Riku. Roxas stomach flip flopped uncomfortably. It wasn't that he disliked him exactly, there was always just this feeling coming off the other man that Roxas could never really put his finger on. Maybe it was because he felt protective of Sora and his cousin always seemed so sad when he talked about Riku, or maybe it was the look the silver haired man would give Sora when the brunette looked away; something intense and dark. Realizing that Riku was expecting a reply he shook his head quickly.

"Don't worry about it." He mumbled. "When did you get back?"

"My train got in about half an hour ago and I was going to stop by and see my future employer before he opens the cafe."

"Oh... Oh!" Roxas eyes widened. At Riku's questioning look he explained what had transpired in the last few days and when he finished, the older man looked thoughtful.

"That's weird, he doesn't usually hire new people."

"Yeah, well..." The blonde looked away. "It's just for a week while I'm waiting to get back to my job." His stomach let out a long groan and he laughed uncomfortably. "Sorry, I forgot to eat dinner."

Riku thought for a second and smiled. "I have an idea, come with me, we'll grab Axel and go for breakfast."

"I don't think-"

"It should be fine. Hell, I'll be the one asking him and you need food. Listen, it's my treat." And before Roxas could protest further, Riku had climbed a set of creaking steps at the side of the building and was knocking on the door. Figuring that all was said and done at this point, Roxas followed him, making sure to stay behind the silver haired man just in case Axel tried to kill them.

The redhead's reaction to Riku surprised him, but what got to him more were the looks of pure anxiety Axel was shooting him, even before he pulled them both into his room. Roxas averted his eyes as the older man dressed and looked around his apartment instead. When Axel had changed into a clean black outfit (much more casual than the one he had worn to Organization XIII) they three set out. Roxas followed behind the two, wanting to listen to them if only to ignore the interchange between his father and him the previous night.

They ordered their food, Roxas finally being pulled into the conversation by Riku. "So, it's been a while since we talked kiddo, have you found a special girl yet?"

Not exactly the most scintillating topic, but he felt like he should appreciate the gesture, replying: "No, not really. I don't know enough girls to be interested in any of them, and the girls I do know, know me well enough that they aren't interested in me either."

"Well have you asked any of them out?" Riku pressed. "You can't be alone forever; people will start to think you're weird."

Roxas knew the silver haired man didn't mean anything by it, but it still sounded too much like something his father might say and so before he could stop himself, he had already snapped "Is that why you've never gotten a girlfriend?" He put a hand over his mouth but it was too late, the other two sat there shocked but seemed to recover quickly.

"Roxas." There was a warning note in Axel's voice.

Roxas looked away, hating the way those green eyes seemed to bore into him. "I'm sorry," he started, but jumped a little as Riku's hand touched his. He didn't mean to jerk it away and he was relieved when Riku didn't seem to be offended.

"It's fine. But you should know that the reason I don't have a girlfriend isn't because I'm a little off, it's just... How do I explain this delicately?"

Axel snorted. "Don't shelter the kid, he's not that delicate. Roxas, Riku is gay."

The blonde opened his mouth but no words came out. Gay? Like, Gay gay? He waited for the shock of this new revelation to set in as Riku flinched and muttered, "Thank you Axel." After a minute, when everything still seemed normal, Roxas closed his mouth.

What surprised him most was that it didn't surprise him. Riku had always been Riku, and this didn't really change that, in fact, it explained quite a bit. The way he had never really looked at girls, the way he had only ever really looked at... OH. The silver haired man still seemed to be waiting for a response and so he said the most practical thing that came to his head. "You're in love with Sora."

There was a long pause in which the colour first drained, then filled Riku's cheeks. Axel burst out laughing, slapping his hand on the silver haired man's shoulder. "Well there you go Riku, let it not be said that Roxas is an idiot!"

The blonde hadn't blinked, waiting for Riku to make eye contact. "Have you told Sora anything this? The two of you are best friends, right?"

The man across from him held his gaze but his face had taken on a strained, pinched look. "Sora was the first person I told that I was gay. But I told him not to worry because I'd never come on to him. I meant that and Sora can't know about this. He's happy; I don't want to mess that up."

Roxas thought about that for a moment before nodding. "I won't tell him."

There was an awkward silence in which their food arrived and Roxas, famished, dug into his pancakes. The matter seemed to be settled because the other two had begun wolfing down their food too. Still, feeling eyes on him his glanced up to see Axel look back at his food quickly.

"Uh, Axel?"

"What's up kiddo?"

"Is there any way I could get off work half an hour early today?"

The redhead looked up again, confused. "If you tell me why."

Roxas exhaled and stabbed at the pancakes. "Uh, well, my Dad's in town and he needs... He needs me to be home early."

Now Riku looked up, he gave Roxas a searching gaze before saying "I can cover the end of Roxas' shift."

Axel looked at them both before shrugging. "S'fine. As long as the work gets done and you don't mind that money not going on your paycheck. "

Roxas gritted his teeth. Great. He knew it was completely fair to expect less pay and he wasn't angry with Axel for it. The workplace was just something else his father would be trying to control, like every other part of Roxas' life. He remembered the conversation that had taken place the previous night and he gripped his fork tighter.

"So, this is where you live now? These conditions are hardly acceptable for rats, let alone a young man."

"I like it here. It's secluded, it's within walking distance of everything I need and I can afford it. Is this a social visit? Or did you have a special reason for breaking into my apartment?"

Those cold green eyes never changed their gaze of mild disinterest. "I hardly broke in. I simply got a duplicate key cut when you first moved in."

"You have GOT to be kidding me! You can't just-"

His father stood, voice finally taking on an almost deadly tone. "You will watch your mouth and show me some respect before I take away every inch of freedom I have allowed you." Roxas swallowed hard, watching as his father drew nearer. "You convinced me that you were well enough and capable enough to live on your own. Was I incorrect in believing you could?"

Roxas voice came out as a choked whisper. "No, Sir."

The older blonde man gave him a poisonous smile. "Speak up boy I can barely hear you."

"No Sir!" Blue eyes didn't dare to close lest he lose his nerve.

The smile was gone, the bored look returning as the older man walked around the room, silently investigating things with mild disdain. Roxas didn't move a muscle, waiting for the green eyed man to speak again.

"You have been taking your medication?"

"Yes Sir." He hesitated "Well, sometimes." At the look he was given he blurted out "I'm nineteen! If I was going to grow anymore don't you think I would have done it? And the anxiety pills don't really feel like they help me. I'm tense with or without them... Sir."

His father waved a dismissive hand. "I can alter the dosage on both drugs without a problem. In the mean time however we need to talk about your current employment or lack thereof. As it is too late to go and ask for your job back tonight, we will be leaving first thing in the morning to have your suspension lifted."

"How did you even find out about that? You live out of town! Also, I've taken care of it. I have another job to tide me over until then so you don't need to worry about it."

"Do you now? Regardless, tomorrow we are going to get your old one back. If you must insist on attending you current employment we will leave at 5:30 tomorrow. Don't be late."

And then his father turned away from him in dismissal. He doubted the man had even noticed his bruised cheek, or the fact that he was walking home in a bad end of town at night. He knew that the older man didn't care where he was working now, as long as he could get him back under his thumb. Back to medication. Back to his handpicked job. He would go back to being a violent, panicked time bomb and his father didn't care- NEVER cared. As it was the man was settling down onto the top covers of the bed and closing his eyes, not asking if he could spend the night, not even offering to sleep on the couch. Roxas knew that the man lying on top of the covers seldom really thought of him as his son. He was barely more than an experiment.

"Roxas!"

His head jerked up and he suddenly became conscious of the piece of twisted metal in his hand that had once been a fork. Guiltily putting it down he looked at Axel's face, not accusing, just curious and... worried? Suddenly, the redhead wasn't looking at him anymore, but at something behind him. Eyes wild, jaw tight, Axel's hands clenched and unclenched rapidly. Riku saw whatever it was too, but his reaction was much different.

"Time to go guys, you two wait outside I'll pay the bill. Axel, come on." He tried to pull the redhead out of his seat but Axel seemed fixated on something over Roxas' left shoulder. Finally the blonde turned to look.

Fire. Candles and alcohol and a small fire on a folding table, still controllable but Roxas could still see the black creatures twisting inside it; tiny, but growing steadily with the flame. There was a waitress apologising but her voice was fading out quickly as Roxas began to hyperventilate, a roar like too much wind forced through a cave filled his head, and when the patron stood and knocked it over, sending still burning ash flying towards him everything went black.

~Riku~

It was not easy being a friend of both Sora's and Axel's. Too many responsibilities piled up as a result, and frankly, Riku didn't like responsibility. No one else seemed to understand this however, as he was constantly told "Look out for so-and-so."

"Look out for Sora." Kairi said.

"Keep an eye on Axel." Namine said.

"Please, if I'm not there, can you watch out for Roxas?" Sora had asked.

And he had. He watched out for so many people that his head spun until finally, despite his feelings for his best friend and the impending talk there, he left for university. 'Good riddance.' He had thought as he packed his things and headed off. 'No one is going to rely on me anymore!' He hummed cheerfully on the train ride to the new city. 'No one is going to need me anymore!'

He got to campus and the smile dropped off his face. "No one is going to need me anymore." He thought again with a sudden horrific realization. His friends would get by without him until they forgot him completely. Sora would forget him if he wasn't needed to look out for people.

So he studied, took extra classes, anything to get out of there earlier. He had made a mistake in going away, he knew that but once again he would take responsibility and finish it. "God, when I get back I don't care how many people I have to look after, just let Sora still need me." Every night for three years he murmured that prayer, only half believing in the deity he spoke to.

Well, he decided, whatever was watching over him certainly paid very close attention to what he was willing to do. He hadn't been back in town more than two hours and already two people needed help.

It was just breakfast! How could everything go so wrong so early in the morning? He knew when he saw the exhausted waitress handling a customer's alcohol while setting up the candles that something would go wrong. Who the hell orders rum at 7:00 in the morning anyway? But then something odd happened. He saw the leg of the person sitting in the booth behind Roxas swing out and trip the woman, causing her to stumble and hit the side of the folding table she had just set up. Clear alcohol dribbled over the table as a lit candle wobbled before rolling onto its side, setting the table alight.

Shit. He tried to move the transfixed redhead and get them both out of there before Axel was blamed and Roxas went catatonic with fear. 'Don't look Roxas.' He tried to will the information into the blonde's brain. The kid did not need this, especially with his dad hanging around. Riku himself had only met the man a few times but- Roxas looked. The silver haired man's brain almost froze at the look of terror that crossed the blonde's face.

"Axel, come on! We have to go!" He grabbed onto the green eyed man's arm, ready to haul him out by force and come back for Roxas when the customer stood up, sending the flaming liquid flying at them. A bit splashed on Roxas sleeve setting it on fire so that Riku had to reach over and smack it out before it spread. "Roxas, get UP!" He yelled, but it was obvious to anyone watching that the kid wasn't in his own head anymore.

Upon hearing his name however, the blonde's body seemed to react, hurtling himself across the table and into Axel, babbling wildly as he clung to the spiky haired man. Thankfully, this seemed to shock Axel out of his own immobile state and Riku only had to move out of the way before the redhead, holding onto Roxas with one arm, threw himself out of the booth and then out of the restaurant.

A fire extinguisher was brought in immediately afterwards and the fire was put out. The silver haired man slapped some money down on the table and turned to head out after his friends but was stopped by a voice like dark velvet.

"Rum is highly flammable, wouldn't you say?"

The blood seemed to freeze in Riku's veins as he turned. "Xehanort."

"You know perfectly well that's not the name I go by anymore. You'll have to forgive the mess; I am so very clumsy sometimes. Twitchy though, aren't they?"

Riku tore his eyes away from that amber gaze, so angry he felt sick to his stomach. "That... You-"

Xemnas let a cruel smile twist his lips. "It was a pleasure speaking to you Riku. I'll be sure to let Sora know you're in town. No doubt he will be thrilled. Good day." And the man turned his back, resuming his seat as the waitress apologised profusely.

He had no time to drag the man out back and beat him though he dearly wished to. Instead he let the matter drop and dashed outside to help- no one. They had taken off to god knows where, though, if he thought about it, they had probably just gone back to the apartment. Riku checked his watch. He had been back for three hours. He turned his face to the sky and spoke softly.

"Very funny God."

End chapter 3

Sorry about the late update! We are in exam season now and though I should have seen it coming I am absolutely swamped and will be so for the next few weeks. Thank you for being so patient everyone!

To my awesome reviewers!

FatefullDestiny: Sorry again for being late. I'm glad you like it and your question will be answered in the next chapter!

Roxas-Key of Destiny: Hee hee! As you've probably noticed, Roxas doesn't like to take things lying down. I'm glad you're enjoying it!

Alright guys, much love and freshly baked goods to all of you! Please continue to read, review and enjoy!