I decided to update again because I'm really liking the way this story is progressing. I apologize for the length of this chapter; it's just under 2000 words, so it's pretty short. I do not own the characters.

PLEASE NOTE: There is some slightly graphic self-harm in this chapter. If you have dealt with self-harm, it could be triggering, so please do whatever you need to keep yourself safe.

Roxas visited Axel every day for the next week. They spent their time talking mostly about Roxas since the redhead would simply keep his mouth shut when he was asked about himself. Roxas, however, didn't mind. He felt better after telling Axel how he felt, even if Axel didn't say anything. There was something about his presence that was strong and yet comforting at the same time, a presence that Roxas didn't feel from anyone else, not even Vincent. And although the redhead didn't show it much, Roxas had a suspicion that Axel appreciated the company.

The rain finally stopped on the afternoon of Roxas's next appointment with Vincent. The blonde ventured out of his room when he heard the psychiatrist speaking with someone in the kitchen. Roxas found this somewhat curious: Aeris had taken Namine and Zexion shopping with her, Cloud, Leon, Riku, and Demyx were at the gym, and Tifa was in bed with a cold. He found his answer, however, the moment his bare feet hit the linoleum floor.

Axel was sitting on the kitchen counter near the sink, wearing a pair of jeans and a hooded sweatshirt. His chin was in his hand and the heels of his boots tapped impatiently against the cabinet door beneath the counter. His eyebrows were furled slightly above his bright green eyes, an annoyed expression on his face. Vincent stopped speaking as soon as Roxas entered the room.

"Hello Roxas," the tall psychiatrist said kindly. "Are you ready?"

The blonde nodded, but his eyes wandered over to Axel.

"Yeah, I guess," Roxas said vaguely. He was a little perturbed by Axel's blatant irritability. He had been a lot more calm during Roxas's visits to the attic. As he followed the psychiatrist into the formal sitting room, the blonde raised his hand to Axel in silent greeting. The redhead did not return the gesture.

Roxas sat down on the upholstered chair on the other side of the table as Vincent closed the door softly. They were both quiet while the psychiatrist extracted his notebook and pen from his bag.

"Well, Roxas," Vincent said as he settled himself in the chair across the table. "How have you been?"

"I've been feeling a lot better," Roxas said truthfully. "I think the medicine has been helping."

Vincent nodded and scribbled something in his notebook.

"Any nightmares? Panic attacks?"

Roxas shook his head.

"That is certainly good to hear," Vincent replied, jotting down a few more short notes.

"I still have some anxiety, though," Roxas admitted.

"That is to be expected," the psychiatrist replied. "The medication does not cure you of your condition; it only can make the symptoms more bearable."

The two sat in silence for a moment. Roxas felt again as if he were being x-rayed as Vincent gazed shrewdly at him with those crimson eyes.

"I have been told that you have been talking with Axel," Vincent said, his voice suddenly stern. "I would like for you to tell me how this came about."

Roxas shifted uncomfortably. One of the caretakers had probably noticed that he had been visiting Axel, but he was slightly surprised that Vincent was asking him to tell him about it.

"I was worried about him because I never see him," Roxas began. "Last week, I asked Aeris if I could go see him. She said it was okay, so I went upstairs to visit him. I enjoy his company, and…I think he enjoys my company, too." He hesitated, then said uncertainly, "Why? Is there a reason why I shouldn't?"

Vincent watched him silently for a few minutes, and then stood and went to the French doors, where he stopped and looked out over the garden.

"Roxas, I'm sure you have heard that Axel has bipolar disorder," the psychiatrist said quietly, his voice maintaining a stern tone. "Bipolar disorder is a very serious illness. Once you have it, it never goes away. Axel has been here since the day Twilight Sanctuary opened. He is very ill, and he has an ugly past.

"I am a bit surprised that you even worry about someone so much that you would visit them everyday, especially someone like Axel. It is generally known and even accepted that the only people who care about him here are myself and the other caretakers. I don't know if the other patients do not like him because of the way he is, or if they don't know what to do with him, but I can tell you this: Axel has always been alone since the day he came here.

"The horrors in his past have taught him not to trust other people. However, that does not prevent him from being lonely. He is trapped inside his mind, a mind that is disturbed and even dangerous at times, with no relief. He has expressed to me that he wishes he had friends, people who care about him and understand him, but he does not know how to trust. I have tried to get him to come out of his shell, even just a little, but my efforts have been fruitless, until today. I was shocked when I saw Axel sitting downstairs when I arrived here today. This is the first time he has come out of his room during the daytime, when other people may be around, in over a year."

"He came downstairs last week, when Zexion relapsed," Roxas said. "Axel helped him."

"I was informed of that when I came to examine Zexion," Vincent continued. His back was still turned to Roxas. "And I was surprised by that information as well. I knew there had to be something going on."

The psychiatrist fell into silence then. Roxas gazed out at the sky outside. It was threatening rain again.

"Roxas, I would like for you to try to help Axel," Vincent said, turning to him at last. Roxas had never seen him look more serious. "But I must warn you: Axel can be sensitive, unpredictable, violent, and even dangerous at times, especially when he is transitioning between moods. But I believe you may be the only one to teach him to trust again."

"What happened to him?" Roxas asked. He remembered what Demyx had told him about having nightmares even when he was awake if he found out what had happened to Axel.

"I cannot tell you that," Vincent said firmly. "And I forbid you to ask Axel about it. Do not mention anything to him about his past, at least not any time soon. Just continue what you have been doing, but I want you to be careful. If he shows any signs of becoming aggressive, very irritated, or depressed, tell me or one of the other caretakers immediately. He is currently at what I believe is the end of his depressive cycle. He will probably become manic within the next few weeks. Now, do you have any questions for me?"

Roxas gazed at the psychiatrist. He had so many questions and a daunting feeling whirling around in his mind, but he had no idea which to ask first, or if he should ask at all. Slowly, he shook his head.

"I want to see you again in three weeks, then," Vincent said, and he seemed to relax a bit. "There will be no change in your medication; keep taking it the same as I prescribed."

Roxas waited for Vincent to pack up his bag again before following him out of the formal sitting room. When they stepped into the kitchen, Axel was nowhere in sight.

"He probably went back upstairs," Vincent said with a sigh. "He was getting a bit annoyed with me earlier when I was asked him about you. I'll leave him alone for now."

Roxas bid Vincent good day, and the psychiatrist left to return to his clinic.

The house was quiet after the door swung shut behind Vincent. The only sound was Tifa blowing her nose from her and Aeris's room on the other side of the house. Roxas wondered where Axel had gone off to, and decided to go upstairs to check on him.

As he neared the end of the hallway, he noticed that the bathroom door was slightly ajar. A strip of light fell across the dark, hardwood floor. Roxas was about to go back to the kitchen to wait for Axel when he heard a wince echo around the tile bathroom. The blonde drew closer and peered curiously around the door, and gasped at the image reflected in the mirror.

Axel was standing in front of the sink, his sweatshirt missing. In his right hand he held a disposable razor. A horizontal slash was clearly visible on the inside of his left forearm.

Roxas was pushing the door open before he could even think about what he was doing. Axel spun around and dropped the razor, where it clattered to the floor.

"Axel?"

The redhead tried to hide his injured arm, but his expression, full of shame and guilt, gave him away. Knowing Roxas had seen, he dropped his gaze to his boots.

Roxas slowly stooped and picked up the razor. Placing it on the counter, he assessed the cut on Axel's arm.

"Sit on the toilet," Roxas said softly.

The redhead's expression changed slightly from ashamed to bewildered and curious, but he didn't say anything. Mutely, he sat on the lid of the toilet.

Roxas opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out the first aid kit. He opened it and took out gauze pads, antiseptic treatment, and an ace bandage. Quietly, he crossed the bathroom and shut the door before sitting on the floor in front of the toilet.

"Let me see," Roxas said, keeping his voice gentle.

Axel stared at him before thrusting out his arm, and Roxas saw a small flame of defiance in his eyes before dropping his gaze to the injury.

Roxas was relieved to see that the two-inch cut was more shallow than he had originally thought. However, blood was beginning to ooze down Axel's arm. Quickly unwrapping one of the sterile gauze pads, the blonde pressed it firmly to the cut.

He was surprised to feel that Axel was shaking a little. Roxas placed his hand on the other side of Axel's arm and slowly applied more pressure against the gauze pad.

"Why are you doing this?" Axel asked. Roxas looked up, but the redhead was gazing at his knees.

"You're hurt," Roxas said simply.

"No, that's not what I meant," the redhead said. Roxas could almost feel his frustration. "Why do you talk to me? Why aren't you like everyone else?"

Roxas shrugged and checked to see if the cut was still bleeding. He noticed other cuts on Axel's upper arm that were healing. There were also dark scars. He didn't want Axel to know what Vincent had told him.

"You've been doing this for a long time, huh?" Roxas asked, hoping he didn't come across as accusatory. The redhead was silent.

"Does Vincent know about this?" the blonde continued, opening another gauze pad and uncapping the antiseptic treatment.

"Probably," Axel said dully, leaning his head against the wall. He winced a bit when Roxas applied the antiseptic treatment to the injury, but he didn't pull away.

"Sorry," Roxas whispered, removing the gauze pad. Picking up the bandage, he began to wind it snuggly, yet comfortably, around Axel's arm. When he was finished, he placed a hand gently over the bandage.

"Axel, if you feel like doing this again, can you come talk to me? I don't want you to feel like you have to hurt yourself," Roxas offered.

"I can't make any promises," Axel replied hesitantly.

"Can you try?"

"…I'll try."

They heard a key unlocking the front door, and Roxas met Axel's gaze before standing and packing up the first aid kit and replacing it in the medicine cabinet.

"Come on. Let's go before someone asks what we're up to."

I printed off this entire story, including this chapter, and I was astounded at the sheer length of it. So please forgive me if this chapter was a little too short for you.