Disclaimer: We do not own Kingdom Hearts…. If we did the pairings would be cannon! (And Vexen wouldn't exist!) x3

Warnings: This story contains malexmale relations (YAOI) and mentions of various forms of past abuse. Don't like, don't read. :]

Rest in Peace

Chapter Six

Go. Fish.

The silver haired headmaster sat behind his desk with his hands folded into a tent shape in front of him. He was looking over the wooden surface lazily at one of his teachers and someone who was assumedly his new student teacher. To his side sat one of his other teachers, Saix. All of the students knew that the blue haired science teacher spent the hours he was not teaching with the headmaster of the school. Although no one knew why he did so or what occurred while they were there together.

"So Cid, I take it there is a good reason that you both are in my office," he said calmly.

The shorter of the two blondes spoke first. "Look, I was just going to the classroom I'm assigned to, okay? You told me to call Roxas to the office for you. When I got in the class room, he freaked out. Then, him and this weirdo redhead kid hightailed it outta there." Seifer explained, crossing his arms.

"He's right, Xemnas... They just up and left. Something about 'crazy pills', but I don't buy that," Cid sighed, chewing nervously on the toothpick in his mouth.

Xemnas hummed in acknowledgment, lifting one hand and flicking his fingers. Immediately, Saix rose and slipped out of the room to do the head master's bidding. The silver haired man watched him go before resettling his eyes on Cid.

"I expect you to show me the proper respect and use the proper titles when addressing me," Xemnas said as he narrowed his eyes at the pair. He did not appreciate being called by his name. "Do you regularly just let your students walk out of your class Cid?"

Cid flinched slightly at the reprimand. "Sorry, Headmaster. Of course, I don't let the student leave whenever they want to; it just happened way too fast... And - I really have no excuse, sir, I'm sorry," he sighed, running a hand through his short hair.

"It wasn't his fault, sir," Seifer defended. "It was mine, actually..."

"Really?" Xemnas stated lazily. "How exactly was it your fault what his students do?"

Seifer bit the inside of his cheek, his eyes flickering to the ground. "I... Roxas's reaction was my fault... I don't know what Red's deal was..." He amended, his conscience nagging. He couldn't let it slip about what he'd done. But, with the headmaster's withering stare, he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold up. Glancing up from the floor, he couldn't pull his eyes away from Xemnas's bright yellow irises. After only seconds, he snapped. Almost like a robot, he spoke:

"I'm the reason Roxas transferred here. Three months ago, I raped him while I was intoxicated and he's been afraid of me ever since."

Cid took a step back in shock. His mouth dropped open slightly and the toothpick fell out. Flustered, he caught it and looked between Seifer and Xemnas, waiting for reactions.

Xemnas's expression didn't change but his eyes glittered. "You did, did you? I assume by your presence here that you were not reported to the police. I also assume that that explains this morning's events?" he directed to Cid.

Seifer merely nodded, unable to speak. Cid's eyes were wide, but he released a breath through his nose and put the toothpick back in between his teeth.

"I guess it does, then, doesn't it?" The blonde man said quietly, putting his hands in his jacket pockets and staring at Seifer with disbelieving eyes.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Well, see… I know you aren't telling me something. I always find out what it is. So," Axel slid forward and slipped his hands on Roxas's sides. "We can do this the easy way, where you just tell me what I want to know. Or, we can do this the hard way…"

With a grin, he twitched his fingers lightly along the blonde's side to demonstrate his point.

Roxas let out a small squeak as Axel's hands landed on his sides. He looked up, eyes wide, biting his lip as he usual did. His eyes flickered to the side and back to Axel's face. He couldn't help but let out a small giggle after Axel started to tickle him. Roxas cursed himself for his horrible ticklishness. "I-i'm not telling!" He meeped.

"Really? Well then," was the only warning Roxas got before Axel's fingers began to steadily wiggle along the blonde's sides.

Roxas squeaked, again, and tried to squirm away from Axel. He giggled and tried to slap the redhead's hands away, but failed to because he was laughing too hard. "St-hop it!" He laughed.

"Tell me what it is that you just thought of!" Axel declared with a laugh of his own.

"Never!" Roxas giggled, trying in vain to turn out of Axel's hands. He backed up further against the wall.

"Oh, I beg to differ!" Axel declared as he followed Roxas to the wall. Roxas let out a struggled laugh. Axel was fully intent on carrying out his torture until it elicited the desired information from the blonde; however, there came a knock on the door. Roxas caught his breath as Axel paused at the sound but grew worried as to who could be at the door. His entire body tensed and he felt himself start to shake.

"Axel," Saix's distinct voice sounded from outside the room. "The Superior wants to see you and Roxas."

Axel growled under his breath. "You can tell Xemnas he can suck it!"

"Axel, you really don't want to go there," Saix said lightly in a way that the red head knew he was smirking outside the door.

"Damn it," Axel muttered. "Come on Roxas. We'd better go. We don't wanna piss off the head master." He leaned forward and enveloped Roxas in his arms for a minute. "I won't leave you, no matter what," Axel said seriously. Then, he was releasing the blond and moving to the door, which he tore open. Roxas was comforted momentarily by Axel's arms and stood along with him.

"Evening Saix."

"Axel." The red heads eyes glanced backwards. "Don't think about it Axel, you won't need them as long as you behave," Saix leaned in close. "If you're really good we'll even keep secrets from your roommate for now."

Axel growled lightly under his breath before turning and extending his hand to Roxas. "Come on," he called softly.

Roxas looked at the two questioningly. Frowning, he took Axel's hand childishly and shuffled towards him, casting a wary glance at the blue-haired man.

Axel tightened his fingers protectively around Roxas's hand and used that hold to lead the blond down the hall after Saix. He was less than thrilled to be going to see the Superior for any reason, yet he knew he couldn't get away with not doing so.

Roxas felt like a little kid. He was scared out of his wits for a reason that he didn't even know. As they walked, Roxas gravitated closer to Axel and brought his other hands to his mouth, nervously chewing on his thumbnail. It was a nasty habit of his, but one that he couldn't break.

Saix swiftly lead them from the building to the headmaster's office situated in the same building that housed the cafeteria. When they arrived Saix knocked once before opening the door and gesturing for Roxas and Axel to enter. Axel stepped into the room, not releasing Roxas's hand, and pulling the blond in behind him.

As the blue-haired man - Saix, Roxas reminded himself - opened the door and lead them in, Roxas froze. His hand dropped from his mouth and his eyes widened. He forced himself to pull his hand away from Axel's, immediately feeling cold and alone. Roxas shook his head slowly and backed up, his eyes fearfully trained on Seifer the entire time.

"Ah, just the people we were talking about. Axel, I trust there was a good reason that you left class this morning… And this must be Roxas," Xemnas said calmly.

"Yeah, this is Roxas," Axel said as he shifted closer to the blonde and draped a protective arm over his shoulder. "What do you want?"

"I believe our young student teacher may have something to say to Roxas," Xemnas said with authority towards Seifer. Axel nearly growled at the man but he held his tongue.

Roxas half wanted to yell 'No, I'm not Roxas! You have the wrong kid!' But, he couldn't find his voice, for he was on the verge of hyperventilating. His eye flitted around the room before settling back on Seifer. What could he have to say to Roxas? Nothing could take it back. Nothing could make him feel any better. Nothing would ever take that memory away. Tears clouded his eyes and he shrunk back against Axel, feeling helpless and weak.

"Look, Roxy -"

"Don't call me that!" Roxas suddenly exclaimed, finally finding his voice.

"Roxas... I... 'I'm sorry' doesn't even cover it, but, really, I had no ide-"

"No idea, my ass, Seifer," Roxas snarled, his face contorted into a disgusted sneer. "To say that 'I'm sorry' doesn't cover it, is the understatement of the century! Sorry doesn't take back what you did! Sorry doesn't make me feel any different! ..." Roxas glared at Seifer with burning blue eyes, tears leaking down his cheeks. The other blonde looked lost.

"Sorry," he began, again, softly, coldly. "Doesn't make me feel any. Less. Violated. Seifer. Sorry doesn't change the fact that Axel's the first person that's even so much as touched my hand since you raped me," he hissed, his lip twitching in anger. Roxas wiped the tears streaks from his face and clenched his fists in attempt to stop his body from shaking so violently. Seifer opened his mouth to talk, and Roxas glared at him pointedly.

Axel was not quite as controlled as Roxas was. Suspecting what had happened and knowing were two very different things. Add that to the fact that the man who had hurt his roommate so deeply was in the same room as him just made everything that much harder for the redhead to control.

So, when his fists clenched in anger, he did nothing to stop the swing that shot out and caught Seifer across the jaw. "You son of a bitch!" Axel snarled.

He looked as though he had every intention of following through with another hit when Xemnas voice rang out. "Axel." Although he only said the red heads name and with much the same tone as he had spoken before Axel froze as if several hands had just caught him and held him steady.

Emerald eyes filled with fury flashed to Xemnas but neither said anything further.

Roxas sunk to the floor, on his knees, as if he'd been the one punched. This was too much... His body shook violently and he wrapped his arms around himself in attempt to make it stop. He didn't like this drama, this situation. In his head, he thought 'don't hurt him, Axel. Don't sink to his level...' But he couldn't say it.

The sound of Seifer's jaw cracking had brought everything back into prospective for Roxas. He was a seventeen-year-old that had been raped three months ago. The rapist had just been punched by his roommate-slash-crush. Though there was little to decipher, Roxas's head spun.

A whole new round of tears welling in his eyes, Roxas blindly reached a hand out and tugged on the fabric of Axel's jeans, lightly. He looked up to where he thought the redhead's head to be and shook his head slightly.

Axel glanced down at the blond. "Don't you dare come near Roxas again until he says it's alright for you to," he snarled at Seifer. His eyes flashed to Xemnas, "Find him somewhere else to work, if he comes near Roxas, I'll kill him."

"Axel, return to your room and take your roommate with you. I expect you both to attend the meeting tonight. You are to remain in your room until then. Someone will bring you food. You are dismissed."

Axel didn't say anything further he simply turned and carefully pulled Roxas's hand from his jeans. "I'm sorry, Rox," he mumbled softly before he leaned down and scooped the blonde into his arms. With his burden cradled carefully to his chest he moved to the door which Saix opened for him, and out into the hall.

"Seifer, I expect you to find a way to make up what you have done to Roxas. Know that I will not tolerate drinking or any other actions like the ones you have committed. If I find you committing them on my campus the consequences will be much, much worse. You are to report to Cid after first block. First block you will spend with Saix, in the science lab. Do you understand?" Xemnas stated calmly.

"Yes, sir," Seifer said numbly, massaging his jaw.

"Good, you are both dismissed," Xemnas told Cid and Seifer with a wave of his hand.

-o-o-o-o-o-

As they walked, Roxas clung tightly to Axel. He bit his lip and shook his head.

"I'm sorry... I'm such a freaking cry baby," he mumbled. He wiped angrily at his eyes and sniffled. Roxas let out a short, humorless laugh. "Thank you, though..." He added.

"Ah, you're not that bad," Axel told Roxas as he set him on his feet once they were out of the building. "You should see Dem sometimes. I swear that kid is a freaking waterworks."

He slung his arm around the blonde's shoulder and used it to guide him back towards their dorm. "Don't thank me just yet, though. I just got you into some shit that you probably shouldn't want anything to do with. Hopefully, Xemnas will just let you watch tonight."

Roxas creased his eyebrows and looked up at Axel. "What're you talking about?" He questioned, slightly uncomfortable with the fact that secrets were being kept right under his nose.

Roxas had never enjoyed being out of the loop for anything, even though he usually was. He was the last person to know about any major gossip at school. He was the last person to know about the drama in his best friends' lives. Roxas had several insecurities that he didn't really like - not that anybody liked insecurities to begin with...

"Well… It's kinda hard to explain. I'll just wait for tonight and you can see for yourself. I'm up tonight anyway so you'll get to see me in action," Axel said with a wink. Being a very open person to begin with Axel didn't like keeping things from anyone but in this case the words he spoke were true. It would be very hard to put into words what exactly went on. It would be even harder for someone on the outside to believe it without seeing it.

"After you," Axel said lightly as he reached their dorm and held the door open for the blonde to enter.

Roxas's frown deepened and his eyes narrowed. Stupid, stupid secrets... At least he trusted Axel to live up to his words. It was odd, really, how much Roxas had trusted Axel from the get-go.

Sighing, he smiled slightly and shook his head. Stepping to the side of the door, he grinned mischievously at Axel and bowed.

"Ladies first," he teased, sticking his tongue out.

"Why, thank you," Axel gushed in an over dramatic tone. Never one to pass up a genuine excuse to screw around and flirt at the same time, the red head was bound to jump on this one. He smirked and slipped in the door being sure to move his hips in a decidedly feminine way all the way up to their room.

Roxas smiled, but his mind was preoccupied, so it didn't very much reach his eyes. He rolled said eyes at the redhead and walked in after him. Looping his arm with Axel's, he asked, "So, Miss Axel, what exactly are we going to do until then?"

In truth, if Roxas's mind hadn't been somewhere far away, he would've been blushing like a tomato at the contact, though it was nothing like how Axel had been holding him, before. It struck Roxas that stupid epiphanies changed everything. 'Duh.' He reprimanded himself, in his head.

"Well Mr. Roxas, I can think of several things a gentleman like yourself could do with a lady like me for entertainment," Axel said with a wink. He opened there room with a smirk plastered on his face and pulled Roxas into the area after him. "Several very entertaining things."

Roxas tried to think of a witty remark, but his mouth was frozen open in shock. He felt his face flush embarrassingly. Inner-Roxas was having a freak-out-fest, bouncing off the walls of his cranium and screaming at him to say something not stupid. But, Real-Time-Roxas obviously wouldn't have any of that... Real-Time-Roxas actually liked some of the fantasies that came to mind as soon as those words left Axel's mouth.

"Well..." Was all he could say, a smile growing on his face, eyebrows raised, as he tapped the door closed behind them.

Axel let loss a hearty laugh at Roxas response. "Well, I think perhaps we can start with this." He sauntered over to his desk and snatched up a deck of cards before spinning to face the blond again.

"I play a mean game of go fish!" He exclaimed wiggling the deck.

Roxas raised his eyebrows even further, if at all possible, and the smile turned to a smirk. "Do you, now?" He mused. "I think I'll challenge you on that one; it's all I played in my prison days," he said smugly, making a fist to show off a non-existent bicep.

"Well then, we shall see if you can hold up to that," with a grin Axel settled onto the bed and took out the deck and began shuffling.

To Be Continued…

Mikey ~ Woot-ay! I have no words… It makes me sad…

Kat – Another chapter done! We are getting closer to our twists and turns! There are already small hints! I can't wait! All shall be revealed soon! (Could I possibly use any more exclamation marks…)