Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters

Chapter: 11 "259 Days Left"

Author's Notes: Hi everyone! Thank you to all those that reviewed! I think it was a total of 8 people or so? Thank you for taking time out of your day to leave a review! It really does motivate me to write more. Double whammy my bbys, two chapters in one week. Fucking fantastic.

'You have got to be kidding me.' Roxas thought, his brow furrowing a little in awe. 'This guy has pink hair! I didn't even think that was possible! What the hell is this?' As the student began fumbling for rational explanations as to why his tutor had pink hair, said tutor made his way over to Roxas and simply looked down at him. 'There's no way he's from here…someone from outside Radiant Garden maybe?' Immersing himself with possible theories, Roxas didn't notice the raising of his tutor's brow until a soft cough caught his attention.

"Allow me to introduce myself." He said with a strong voice, catching Roxas slightly off guard. Almost as if he was surprised by the power and tone of this man's voice, Roxas nodded slowly. "My name is Marluxia Farron and I will be your tutor for the rest of the semester. I am a senior here at Radiant Garden University and the major I am specifically pursuing is Plant Sciences. As such, I have a wide understanding of phytochemistry as well as organic and general chemistry. Your fathers have arranged for us to meet at least three times a week at this scheduled time."

The blond nodded once again in understanding. "Okay, that sounds good." Marluxia simply hummed in reply, removing his school bag and placing it on the table beside Roxas. From what he could see, Marluxia seemed like a confident individual, one that was patient and hard-working. Roxas could practically feel the graceful aura that the college senior exhibited off of him. Feeling more at ease, Roxas began to introduce himself. "I'm Roxas and I go to Radiant Academy. I'm not really sure yet what I want to do in life but I do want to graduate high school first." He then grinned a little and rubbed the back of his head. "To get there though, I have to pass chemistry and I'll admit that I'm struggling really badly with understanding it all. I just can't seem to get it down."

'How very interesting and admirable.' Marluxia thought. When the boy's fathers propositioned him to tutor their son a couple of days ago, he agreed half-heartedly – anyone would jump at the chance for some easy money. It's not like this was the first time someone had hired him as a personal tutor too but this, this was interesting. 'Most of the time, my students are too embarrassed to admit that they need help. Roxas however does so with a certainty; he knows he needs help.' Marluxia allowed himself to smile curtly at Roxas' response and he gestured to the table. "Let's get started, shall we?" As the two shifted into a sitting position in their respected chairs, the pink haired man crossed his arms, "What is it that you're struggling with?"

"I don't really understand thermodynamics but I'm not being tested on that just yet so we still have a lot of time to work on it. For now, is it okay if we work on some general chemical properties?" Marluxia nodded swiftly.

"Of course." Gesturing to a section in Roxas' textbook, Marluxia pointed out to the pages tilted 'Ions and Salts'. "We'll begin with the subject of ions. An ion is basically a charged atom or molecule that has lost or gained one or more electrons. When an atom loses an electron and has more protons than electrons, they are referred to as 'cations' or just positively-charged ions. Likewise, when an atom gains an electron and has more electrons than protons, they are called 'anions' or negatively-charged ions." Taking Roxas' pencil, Marluxia began to demonstrate the transfer of electrons. "An easy way to differentiate between the two is that the 'T' in 'cation' symbolizes a positive sign and the 'N' in 'anion' represents the word 'negative'."

Roxas tapped his pointer finger on his desk before humming thoughtfully. "So a cation is positive and an anion is negative." He said, repeating after Marluxia. Taking back his writing utensil, he began jotting down notes in the margins of his college-rule paper. "There are additional names for ions with multiple charges right?" Roxas questioned, looking towards Marluxia for confirmation.

The older man nodded. "Yes, you are correct. An example would be a dianion which constitutes an ion with a -2 charge."

"So that means a dication would be an ion with a +2 charge?"

"Are you asking me or are you telling me?" Marluxia asked back, his voice laced with amusement. He watched as Roxas' own brow furrowed in thought and he could practically see the gears in his head working.

A few seconds passed before Roxas grinned and nodded. "I'm telling you." He confirmed with confidence. Although he had been initially taken by surprise the first time he saw him, Roxas found himself appreciating Marluxia's teaching methods. Over at the Academy, the teachers seemed a little robotic and unfeeling while Marluxia radiated coolness. Being a student himself, Marluxia probably could explain things to him a lot easier simply because they could relate to one another better being currents students and all. He obviously knew which methods worked and what didn't – there was a sense of realism there. As the minutes progressed, the pink haired man gave Roxas a series of practice questions in which he would have to identify the amount of electrons lost or gained and then state whether or not they were cations or anions. A companionable silence fell between them as Roxas got to work. Whilst the boy completed his practice questions, Marluxia pulled out a lab report to look over when the blond broke the silence. "Thanks again for tutoring me, Marluxia. I really appreciate it."

Marluxia simply hummed. "It is my pleasure." At the older man's response, Roxas grinned a little and turned back to his assigned practice problems. They lapsed into a working silence once more and before the two knew it, two hours had passed. Gathering his own personal notes and setting them aside, Marluxia turned towards Roxas who leaned back in his chair. "That is enough tutoring for now. I will look over your work and then you may go." Nodding his head, Roxas allowed his tutor to review his work.

'I'm pretty sure I got at least two wrong but that's better than what it could have been had I not gotten a tutor." Taking out his phone, the blond sent a quick text to his brother, signaling to him that he was ready to be picked up. Only a fare few minutes passed before Marluxia nodded as well and gave Roxas back his paper. Scanning downwards with his blue eyes, Roxas saw that Marluxia had marked four problems wrong. "Ah damn." Roxas said to himself, his brow turning downwards in displeasure.

The college student chuckled "I didn't expect you to get them all correct right away. Considering that we just went over the bare basics, you still got a majority of the problems right and for that, I applaud your effort." With a smile on his face, Roxas beamed and thanked him. "Don't mention it," Marluxia said kindly, "I'm glad I was able to help." Putting away all of his things, the pink haired man slung his messenger back over his shoulder and stood to his feet. "Roxas, continue going over the material we covered today and I will assess you again on Wednesday when we meet next."

Standing up as well after gathering all of his things, Roxas nodded respectfully. "Thank you again for taking time out of your day to tutor me, Marluxia." Rubbing the back of his head, the blond smiled goofily. "You really did help me a lot." Chuckling softly, Marluxia accepted the boy's thanks and gestured to the door. Together, they made their way out of the study room with Marluxia lifting a hand to say his goodbyes. "Have a good day at class!" Roxas called in after him, waving back. After Marluxia left for his next class, Roxas walked towards the parking lot, spinning his phone in between his hands. 'Well, I think today's tutor session went pretty well. It certainly was productive.' Upon reaching the place that Riku and Sora had dropped him off earlier, Roxas rocked back and forth on his heels and pulled out his phone to read Sora's reply. Truthfully speaking, Sora had texted back nearly three seconds after Roxas had sent his initial text. Out of respect for Marluxia, Roxas waited till now to check the response. '"Riku and I will be there in 8 minutes."' He mentally read out loud. Mentally calculating the time it took for Marluxia to look over his work and the time he sent Sora the text, he concluded that it wasn't much longer before he would see Riku's Behemoth sports car pulling up to the parking spot.

Three minutes later, Roxas heard a chorus of "Hey Roxas!" and looked up to see said Behemoth driving up to the parking spot. Sora waved a hand out of the window as Riku parked his car. "How was tutoring? Was your tutor nice?" Sora questioned, turning to look behind him as Roxas settled into the back seat of the car.

"Yeah, he was pretty cool. He's a senior here named Marluxia." Stretching out his stiff limbs, the blond groaned tiredly before reaching over to fumble with Riku's touchscreen radio just like he had done so many times before. "How was practice for you guys?"

Riku hummed a little as he began driving out of the university. Easing his foot off the gas pedal a little, he applied slight pressure to it and drove towards the back exit. "It was alright, I suppose. Sora seems to be getting slower though." Almost instantly, the brunet came back with a response.

"What! You were the one lagging behind in the endurance run today!" Watching the two argue, Roxas allowed himself to smile a little. After the fiasco that happened at the plaza in which both he and Sora learned about the identities of their soul mates, both Riku and Sora grew distant. The two best friends hadn't spoken to one another in weeks and it wasn't until their meeting at President Shinra's party that they reconciled with one another. Not many words were exchanged between the two at the moment of their rekindling but perhaps they didn't need any; anyone with eyes could see they missed one another and that alone was enough for them. Despite knowing the fact that Sora and Riku were indeed one another's soul mates, they went back to their usual routine before either knew such incredulous things.

'It's almost as if they too are resisting fate.' Roxas thought, thinking back to the conversation he had with Sora two days prior. After repeating the very words his fathers had said to him, the blond told his older brother that he too could defy his fate. And like him, Sora grinned whole-heartedly – all he needed was Riku to be his friend. Anything more than that would only yield unwanted stress between the two. Looking out the window, Roxas turned his attention to the sky. The sun was setting, showcasing an interesting array of orange, reds, and yellow that Roxas couldn't help but appreciate. Watching the sunset was always a favorite pastime of his and even now, he still loved to watch it.

Red.

To anyone with able eyes, red was the color of blood and strawberries. It was the color of rubies and roses. Roxas then frowned. But how could you explain the color red to a blind person? What would you say? You could say that the color red is like a burning flame, hot and sharp to the touch. You could say that the color red is passionate and beautiful, much like a rose. You could even say that red was like anger, fiery and intense. 'You could even say that red is love.' The blond found himself saying. Raking his eyes over the sunset once more, his blue eyes zeroed in on the reds in particular. It honestly reminded him of someone he probably shouldn't be thinking about. 'Axel's hair is red.' Roxas thought, picturing the older man's wild spikes. Glancing down at his covered timer, he suddenly realized something as his brows furrowed.

'Red is the color of fate.'

A total of nine days had passed since his first tutoring session with Marluxia and Roxas honestly felt like he was actually learning chemistry. As per the agreement agreed by Marluxia and Leon, Marluxia was to tutor Roxas three days out of the school week. Although Roxas still did struggle with a few things, after studying with Marluxia, he would always come out with a better understanding of the material than when he was first taught it during class. In the many meetings he had with the older man, the blond found that he rather appreciated Marluxia's company and a friendship was forged between them.

They traded witty banter and generally got to know one another. Roxas told Marluxia about his friends and his older brother Sora while Marluxia in turn told Roxas about his two sisters, Lightning and Serah. Beings friends made studying easier as that initial awkwardness was nowhere to be found but as always, studying with friends can lead to distractions. Despite all that however, the college student was very diligent as a tutor, never allowing for too much goofing off. Marluxia would always steer Roxas back into studying and likewise, Roxas would comment back that Marluxia should probably continue working on his lab reports too. Currently, Roxas was getting situated into the usual study room that he usually used with Marluxia. Today's session was extremely important for it was the tutoring session before his midterm exam. This next exam would determine Roxas' midterm grade for the semester and he really wanted to do well – he was hoping for at least B+.

Roxas hummed to himself as he pulled out his textbook and notes from class earlier that day. Taking his phone out, he set it down beside his pens and pencils. 'Alright, I really have to do well on this next test. If I come home with anything less than a C as a midterm grade, my ass will be grounded.' Hanging his backpack on the back of the chair, his ears perked up as he heard a set of approaching footsteps. 'That must be Marluxia.' He concluded, still not looking up as he hurried to organize his study space.

"Hey, Marluxia couldn't make it today so he sent me instead." A voice called out apologetically as the footsteps got increasingly louder. Roxas looked up as the person of the unknown voice found made their way into the study room and he blinked, studying the person before him. All he saw was a head of flaming red hair when –

"Axel?"

Axel stilled and blinked as well, just now paying attention to who he would have to be tutoring due to Marluxia's absence. He had been so distracted and preoccupied with getting to the assigned location on time that he had failed to notice who he had to tutor until right now at this very moment. His eyes found their way forward and he locked gazes with Roxas' sky blue eyes, his throat drying slightly. 'Oh fuck, I shouldn't have agreed to this.' Not even fifteen minutes ago, he and Marluxia were in the same class when Marluxia kindly asked him if he could fill in for him since he had an unexpected family emergency back home. Marluxia always supplied him with class notes when his own notes were lacking and so in return, Axel readily agreed. How could he have known it was Roxas who Marluxia was tutoring? His fight-or-flight instinct told him to run; he didn't want to be anywhere near this kid. After all, it was because of Roxas that Kairi had been taken away from him. As Axel contemplated his next move, unbeknownst to him, Roxas was also mentally struggling with what to do.

'He looks mad, is he going hit me? He should, I deserve it.' Taking a step back so he practically knocked into the wooden chair behind him, Roxas bit his lower lip. 'What do I say? Do I apologize? I probably should.' Inhaling slowly and exhaling just as slowly, Roxas took a tentative step forward. "Axel, I-" His voice was small as he spoke but as he attempted to continue, the crimson haired man silenced him with a shake of his head.

Reaching upwards, Axel ruffled the back of his spikes and looked away briefly before looking back at the younger boy. "Listen, Marluxia told me that you have a pretty important midterm tomorrow… Let's just get started, huh?" Taking off his bag and hanging in on the chair adjacent to Roxas', the redhead cleared his throat and sat down. "So, what's going to be on your test tomorrow? Did your teacher tell you the format?" In all honesty, Axel really did want to run. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to be practically six inches away from Roxas. This was the kid that punched him randomly out of the blue and got his sister taken away from. Any sane person would just up and leave – who would want to be in the same room with someone they hated? Certainly not Axel, but despite all that though, Axel wouldn't leave. 'As much as I can't stand this kid, I'm not going to let something as petty as that jeopardize this kid's chances of doing well on his midterm.' Axel was an adult, a mature one at that, he wasn't one to deny someone's chance to succeed.

Almost as if he hadn't expected for Axel to talk to him, let alone ask such a thing, Roxas fumbled with his notes as he began shuffling though them, attempting to find the answer to Axel's question. "Um, yeah, I'm pretty sure I wrote them down somewhere." Upon finding the paper detailing the format of the test, Roxas looked towards Axel. 'If he's going to be civil and mature about this, I might as well be too. If anything, I owe him a lot for just staying here to willingly tutor me.' Although he considered Axel to be somewhat of a wild and uncontrollable person (based on their earlier interactions), Roxas couldn't exactly blame him for his actions. 'It sucks to admit that I was the source of all the confrontations.' In the weeks that he hadn't seen Axel or Kairi, he was honestly tormented by what had happened at the party. A part of him still hadn't forgiven himself for being the cause of the siblings' separation. 'I don't even know what I would do if Sora had been taken away from me like that…'

"What's the verdict?" Axel asked, growing tired of waiting for Roxas' response.

Resisting the urge to blush hotly out of embarrassment, Roxas grunted lightly. "Sorry, I was thinking. Anyway, it's a 50 question test with 25 being multiple choice and the remaining 25 being a combination of true/false and short answers." Humming in reply, Axel nodded and gestured to Roxas' notes.

"Is there anything you want to go over right now? Anything you didn't understand in class today?"

"No, I'm fine for today. The lecture we had today won't be on the test so I don't think I'll worry about that just yet." Reaching underneath his stack of notes, Roxas pulled out his notebook. "I do have a review packet though." Suddenly feeling nervous, he involuntarily began rubbing the back of his head. He had completed the packet prior to this scheduled tutoring session but he had done so with the mindset that Marluxia would be the one looking it over. Having worked with Marluxia for the past week and a half, he wasn't overly embarrassed when he would get something wrong because Marluxia wasn't the type to tease him about it. Axel on the other hand was a different story, other than being his 'soul mate'; he had no ties to Axel. He was just another stranger. 'Is he going to laugh if I get something wrong? I need to get a good grade though.' Roxas considered himself to be a proud individual, he was downright cocky and arrogant at times too, but this was different. For some reason, he didn't want to be seen as unintelligent or incapable in Axel's eyes.

Studying the boy before him, Axel allowed himself to watch Roxas if only for a few seconds. 'He looks uneasy, almost as if something is bothering him.' Looking back and forth from the packet in Roxas' hand to the nervous way in which he was rubbing the back of his blond head, Axel could only conclude that he was feeling embarrassed. It was almost cute, almost barbarically so. "I'll look over it; just give me a few minutes." Holding his hand out with the palm side up, Axel waited, his brow raised slightly.

Almost mechanically, Roxas complied, picking up his packet and placing it Axel's waiting hand. Before either of them had any chance of touching one another, Roxas pulled his hand away quickly and returned his attention to the notes before him, not wanting to interact with Axel any more than he had to. It was either Axel didn't notice or he did and simply didn't say anything about it. Perhaps Axel also did not want any unnecessary confrontations or conflicts to occur between them. 'I feel like I should say something.' The blond thought, frowning slightly as he absentmindedly began looking through his notes. 'I still haven't apologized to him for what happened at President Shinra's party...'

Not even a minute passed before Axel cleared his throat, "It seems like you have a bit of a problem with differentiating the Groups of the Periodic Table." He said, bringing the packet down to lie flat on Roxas' wooden desk. Reaching over, Axel pointed with a thin finger. "Can you tell me the names of the different Groups?

Leaning closer to get a better look, Roxas frowned again. "There are metals, nonmetals and metalloids."

"Those are subgroups." Axel said lightly, correcting the younger boy. "What I'm asking for is the Group by way you identify the elements on a table." Penciling in the numbers one through eighteen across the top and then one through seven down the Periodic Table, Axel pointed at the number one. "This is Group 1 also known as the Alkali Metals. They have a valence of one and have an ion charge of +1." Watching as Roxas made a note for himself on his notebook, Axel waited patiently before continuing. "They are extremely reactive and are only found in compounds and can be extracted from compounds by using electricity. These metals react violently with water and cause hydrogen gas and a base to form." Seeing the blank look yet thoughtful look on Roxas' face, Axel hummed lowly. "An easy way to remember the Alkali metals is just remembering the fact that they are the first group and follow hydrogen directly down the Periodic Table."

"Right."

"Moving on, Group 2 consists of Alkaline Metals. They have a valence of two electrons and have an ion charge of +2. They are also very reactive and are only found in compounds. Unlike Alkali Metals, they can be extracted from compounds using chemical reactions. They also can form hydrogen gas and a base when reacting with water." Moving his finger to the right, Axel pointed at the number two. "Just like with Group 1, Group 2 elements go directly down Beryllium." Sneaking a glance at Roxas, Axel studied the boy's face. He was quiet as he listened but that furrowed brow on his face suggested that he was thinking but hopefully he also understood the concepts. "Groups 3 through 12 are called Transition Metals and the number of valence electrons varies between them all. Their charges range from +1 to +7 and it's a mix of reactive and nonreactive capabilities. Some can be found in their pure forms such as copper, silver, and gold." Gesturing to the middle section of the Periodic Table, Axel circled the Group numbers involved with the transition metals.

Looking over at his textbook briefly, Roxas extended a hand out and pointed to Group 17. "And these are Halogens, right? They've got a valence of seven electrons and have a charge of -1." Studying the blond once again, Axel nodded. Humming to himself, Roxas stilled, racking his brain for the properties he remembered reading about during class. "They can be extracted from compounds by using electricity and they aren't corrosive."

"Close, but no." Axel again corrected. "They are actually extremely reactive and are corrosive." Cursing under his breath, Roxas sighed. Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his arms.

"Damn, I don't feel prepared at all for this test now." Tapping his foot against the floor, Roxas frowned once again before pushing himself upwards into a proper sitting position. Turning towards Axel, he spoke in a soft tone, "Do you think I'll do okay on this test?" Their eyes locked and it was like something out of a dream – a jolt of some kind surged through them, almost as if some unknown energy source had been awakened and was now resonating within them. Had those blue eyes always seemed so endless? And had those emerald orbs always been so lonely? Was this what it felt like to be in the presence of one's soul mate?

Clearing his throat slightly, Axel inclined his head. "Honestly, I think you'll be fine." He said somewhat quickly, wanting to push away that feeling he just had. It felt foreign and strange but also somewhat… pleasing? 'What am I even thinking about at a time like this? Endless blue eyes? Goddess, what the hell are you doing to me?' Averting his eyes, Axel let out a mental sigh. 'I need to get away from this kid.'

Roxas slid his review packet closer to him and began gesturing towards the noble gases. "I think I'm okay with the noble gases. How about I study the properties real quick and then recite them back to you?"

Axel simply shrugged and without another word, the high school student got to work. Wanting to look elsewhere and also just because he wanted to distract him a little from helping Roxas study, the crimson haired man turned towards the window at the right side of the room. 'Damn, I have to work in three hours.' A part of him wanted to skip work but then again, he wouldn't actually ever do that. 'Hopefully it's not a chaotic mess tonight.' A tap on the desk made him look back at Roxas who nodded that he was ready. Roxas recited back the information flawlessly, even Axel was impressed. They continued on studying and just like that, an hour had passed. Roxas was finishing up the last of the stoichiometry problems Axel had written up for him when he stilled and set the pencil he was using down on the table.

"…Have you talked Kairi lately?" Roxas questioned softly, knowing he was treading on dangerous. 'I hope he doesn't flip shit.' In actuality, he was quite thankful to Axel for taking time out of his day to tutor him. Especially with the history between them, it was rather nice of him to do so. 'Of course, it's not like he or I knew it would be the other but, he didn't leave and well, I'll admit, that was really nice of him.' Almost instantly, Axel visibly tensed and it certainly did not go unnoticed by the younger boy. His voice grew small as he watched Axel glare at nothing in particular, his once emerald eyes now shifting into a more deadly and acidic green color. An uncomfortable silence fell between them before Axel finally answered.

"No, no I haven't."

"Why not?"

The crimson haired man inclined his head slightly, his fingers curling into fists by his sides. Truth be told, he honestly felt like punching Roxas straight across the face right now. How dare he ask such a thing? 'Is this kid being for real? When it was him…he was the one!' Axel exhaled slowly, willing himself to relax, at least enough to answer the boy. "They've blocked my number. I can't call her and I certainly can't find her."

Moving his arm to the left, Roxas' fingers flexed over the plastic object on the table. "Would you like to?" He asked, picking up his cellular device and flipping it around so it laid available for Axel to use should he choose to do so. The crimson haired man quickly turned towards Roxas, his eyes returning to their former green luster as his mouth a dropped a little in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"You said they've blocked your number, right? Just use my phone. I actually was able to talk to her a couple of weeks ago." Feeling nervous under Axel's intense gaze but not wanting to waver, Roxas confidently looked up to meet those mysterious emerald green irises. "This is my thanks to you for tutoring me today. I know we don't have the best history between us but it really means a lot to me that you would stay just to help me. It's not much but it's all I can really think of doing for you right now." Thrusting his arm out slowly, Roxas nodded encouragingly. "Here, call her." And for the first time today, Roxas finally saw positive emotion in those eyes. Axel looked absolutely star-struck and even he found himself liking this side of Axel more. It certainly seemed like a more enjoyable side to Axel; Roxas definitely preferred this side of Axel over the guarded and stoic one from before.

Axel tentatively reached out, struggling with the right words to say. He was absolutely dumbfounded as his eyes zeroed in on the phone in Roxas' hand. He couldn't believe it, he finally would have the chance to talk to Kairi, and maybe he could even find out where she was and bring her home! Stumbling over his words, the redhead took the touchscreen phone from Roxas' hand, their fingers brushing against one another's ever so slightly. The moment they touched, it was like instant warmth and relief began surging through their veins. Just like before, some sort of energy encompassed them both, rocketing up their spines and flashing like lights in their brains. This, this is what it meant to have a soul mate – to have someone so close to you that you could practically feel their emotions. The energy from before when their eyes had really and truly locked seemed so miniscule now. Whatever it was that tied Axel and Roxas together, whether it be by the red string of fate, or something even more unexplainable, this, this is what felt to be in the presence of your soul mate. The crimson haired man looked up and once again, their eyes locked. His mouth opened a little to mumble a word of thanks but Roxas silenced him with a small smile; he didn't need the words. Feeling like he should leave Axel to his privacy, Roxas made a move to get up when the older man shook his head, telling him to stay put.

Swiftly dialing Kairi's number, having dialed it many times before, Axel hurriedly pressed the phone to his ear, listening to the dial tone. He counted three rings before a voice he hadn't heard in so long chorused in his ear. "Hey Roxas, what's up?" Her voice seemed a little tired, immediately causing concern to wash over him.

"Kairi? Kairi, it's me." Goddess, he hadn't heard her voice in so long. Right now, Kairi's voice was like music to his ears. Feeling his heart warm considerably, Axel smiled for the first today.

"Axel? Axel, is that you?" Kairi asked back, her voice lightening ever so slightly. She heard a chuckle from his end and she paused slightly. A few seconds passed before Axel heard the distinct sound of a door closing and she was back on the line. "Axel! I can't believe it! I've missed you so much! I tried calling but I could never get the chance to! These Turks watch me like a goddamn chocobo!"

Laughing freely at his sister's lovely choice of words, Axel closed his eyes briefly in his happiness. "It's all good, it's all good. I couldn't connect with you either. I'm sure it's all those Turk bastards' doing." Getting comfortable in his chair, he glanced sideways at Roxas who was looking over his work yet again. His brows were turned downwards in thought, wanting to make sure they were absolutely right before having Axel look it over. "Where are you? Want me come get you?"

"I'm in the Turk section of the Upper Sector but I hate it here. I want to come home so badly." Kairi admitted truthfully. "I miss you, Demyx, Xion, Naminé, and everyone else! I just want to come home." Sympathizing with his little sister, Axel sighed softly, his heart aching for her.

"I know; you definitely belong here with me." The redhead agreed, reaching over to take Roxas' paper, ignoring the protests from the younger boy. 'It's not finished yet!' Roxas whispered hotly to Axel. In reply however, Axel simply ignored him and moved the phone so he had it cradled against his shoulder and collarbone. His eyes scanned Roxas' paper, twirling his red pen in his hand. "I'd come get you if I could."

Kairi sighed. "I wish you could but it'd probably be bad. Dad would have a bitch fit and I don't want you getting hurt. For now, I'll stay here with them." Her tone then turned completely determined. "And when they least expect it, I'll leave on my own. They won't know what's going on." She swore, causing him to smile curtly. The auburn haired girl then paused as she suddenly remembered something, having been so distracted with just being able to talk to Axel – she forgot the most important thing. "Why are you calling me with Roxas' phone? Does that mean you and him...?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Axel answered immediately, shaking his head. Spying a slight mistake in Roxas' mole-to-mole conversion, he circle it with his trusty red pen and slid the paper over for the blond to see. Watching as Roxas looked at it confusingly, he underlined the section that was incorrect. Not even a second passed before Roxas grinned sheepishly and hurried to fix the mistake. "How long do we have until -" He heard a shout from Kairi's end followed by a sharp curse and he frowned sadly. '…we have to get off.' He finished mentally.

"I have to go now, they're calling me for dinner. I'm really sorry, Axel. We'll get to talk again though, right? Sometime soon?" Another shout was heard and Kairi pulled the phone away. 'Alright already, shit! I'm coming!' She immediately responded back and honestly, Axel would have laughed if it had been he who she was talking to, but alas, it wasn't. She was leaving and that was the harsh reality of it all. "Promise we'll talk again soon?"

Resting his elbow on the wooden table, Axel covered his face with his right hand. "Of course, I'll always be here. I'll call you as soon as I can." Running a hand through his spikes, Axel exhaled slowly. "Kairi, I love you. Stay strong for me, we'll get through this."

"I love you too, Axel. I'll see you very soon." After thanking him for calling her, Kairi regrettably ended the call. Axel lingered slightly, his chest rising and falling slowly, and listened to the blankness that was the phone line. Not even a second ago, he was talking to Kairi – if only he could turn back the hands of time now and relive that moment. He'd do anything just for that much. Grabbing the phone, he handed it back to Roxas.

"We've been at this for a while; we should probably end here." Axel stated as he stood to his feet. "You'll be fine for your midterm, just remember to take your time. Little mistakes can make the difference between a passing grade and a failing one." Roxas nodded, understanding completely. Although it was true that they had been studying together for quite a while, Roxas knew that Axel probably wanted to have some time to himself. He understood of course, had the tables been turned, he probably would have wanted the same.

Gathering his things together, Roxas hummed in agreement. "Thanks again for helping me study." Upon finishing doing just that, Roxas hooked his arms through his backpack's straps. Looking up, he raised a brow. Their tutoring session was over, why was Axel still here? Before he could even ask, Axel cut him off with a reply.

"I'll drive you home." Not exactly giving Roxas the chance to answer, Axel left his side and pulled out his car keys as he walked. Twirling them with his pointer finger, he listened for Roxas' footsteps and when he heard them, he smirked. Roxas quickened his step in order to catch up to the older man and the two walked side by side. After sending a quick text to Sora saying that he didn't need a ride, Roxas followed after Axel swiftly.

"Are you sure?" Roxas found himself asking. "I mean, I could always have my friend pick me up." When Axel didn't reply, the blond rolled his eyes. "Alright, whatever, thanks for the ride in advance." Glancing down at Roxas from the corner of his eyes, Axel smirked once again. They were quiet as they walked; the only sound audible was the sound of their footsteps as their shoes met concrete and pavement. When they reached the parking lot, Axel led the younger boy to his car. 'Well, it's certainly not a Behemoth.' Having been driven around by Riku for so long as well as having a fancy Chimera model that he shared with Sora, Roxas honestly forgotten what a normal car look like. Once they both got situated into the car and were buckled in safely, Axel fired up the engine, applied pressure on the brake pedal and lowered the hand brake. Looking over his shoulder, he checked for any stray idiots roaming the parking lot and upon seeing that the coast was clear, Axel pulled out of his parking spot and leisurely began driving.

Resisting the urge to fumble with the radio, Roxas crossed his arms and looked out at the sky. There was a sense of awkwardness that waft about in the air but neither commented on it simply because if they were to do so, it would only get even more awkward. Leaning back in the his driver's seat, Axel rested his left elbow on the windowsill of the door, touching his cheek to his fist as he used his right arm to control the steering wheel. 'I feel like I should thank the kid for letting me use his phone.' Axel thought mentally, frowning a little. 'But we've such asshats to each other though.' Coming to a stop at the red light, the crimson haired man glanced at Roxas quickly. 'Demyx was right though, the kid wasn't too bad, at least for today anyway.'

'He certainly is a safer driver than Riku.' Roxas mentally concluded. Other than telling Axel the directions to his house, the two did not exchange any sort of pleasantries. But then again, perhaps that was a good thing. This was a new territory for them now. Not even five hours ago, they had harbored ill feelings towards one another but in the span of only three hours – they regarded one another in a new sense. Axel was a responsible and mature individual; Roxas could agree with that statement whole-heartedly. Likewise, Axel's view of Roxas changed as well; he was understanding and didn't seem to ask for too much in return. Even now, neither Axel nor Roxas could outright say that they despised or hated one another anymore. Clearing his throat, Roxas nodded. "This is it, thanks again for the ride home and tutoring session." Unbuckling the seatbelt, he looked over at Axel quickly. "If you ever want to talk to Kairi or something, just let me know. You can use my phone and stuff."

"That would require me getting your number first." Axel said immediately with a roll of his eyes. Like many times before, his smug sharpness and clever tongue acted on their own accord before he thought his actions through. Bingo, awkward. Seeing Roxas' eyes grow wide, the redhead was quick to correct himself. "Don't listen to me, I wasn't thinking." Shaking his head, Axel mentally begged Roxas to get out of his car. 'I really need to get my head on straight.'

"No, you're right." Taking out a scrap piece of paper, Roxas quickly jotted down his number and placed it in the ashtray that Axel kept in his car. His movements were fluid, suggesting that it was ultimately up to Axel if he wanted to take it or not. Slipping out of the car, Roxas held his right hand up in a goodbye. "Thanks again for the ride and study sesh." As he made a move to turn around, he heard a soft hum.

"Nah, thank you for letting me talk to Kairi, Roxas." Feeling a little embarrassed at having now just said Roxas' name for the first time today, Axel brushed a thumb across his nose. "Good luck on your midterm. Remember what I told you and you should be fine." Without giving Roxas a chance to reply again, Axel stepped on the gas pedal and drove away, not once looking back at the rear view mirror. Roxas watched as the redhead's car got further and further away before he shook his head and began walking up to the front door.

'These are some dangerous grounds right now.' The blond concluded. 'Strangely enough though, he's not as much of an asshole as I thought.' Inserting his house key into the keyhole, he unlocked the front door and stepped inside, removing his shoes and aligning them neatly beside the rest of his family's. 'He's still an asshole, but definitely not as bad as I had initially thought.' Shoving a hand into his pocket, Roxas wrapped his fingers around his phone. 'Why do I feel like I want him around? Then again, maybe we could just be friends. We could be like Riku and Sora, just best friends and nothing more.' He sighed loudly, his mind growing tired. Roxas felt like he was going through some sort of inner turmoil and he wasn't sure what side of him was winning right now. Walking into his room, he collapsed on the bed tiredly and looked up at the white ceiling above him. 'I hope he calls.'

Author's Notes: Bam! Double whammy! Two chapters in one week! Am I boss or what!? I even made this one up to like 7k words or so. I haven't written a chapter that long in ages! I definitely think I deserve some reviews for that huh? :) I'm just teasing. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter because I definitely did. I got really excited writing this because it was really nice to write a pleasant interaction between the Axel and Roxas.

Also, Demyx's soul mate is Xigbar. If you knew me, you would have known but I kept it subtle so no one could possibly find out. That one's for you Sabrina, I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY. Of course, Xiggy will be making a reappearance sometime soon for the Zemyx interactions. I need to write me some SoRiku too. Dayum, so many things to do. For now, I hope you enjoyed the growth in relationship between Axel and Roxas. Like always, horribly unedited. I'm dead tired. I promise to edit this in the morning.

Review, fave, follow, any of that stuff :) Reviews make my heart go doki doki though :)