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Just a quick note before moving on to the chapter. What you are about to read contains copious amounts of Axel and all the charms that come with him. The relationship he has with Kairi is very borderline and can be interpreted in multiple ways. There was never much seen between Axel and Kairi in the games, so their relationship is never really defined (the whole kidnapping episode is incredibly vague). I'm going to leave it to you whether or not you want the two of them to be more than friends or not in this story.

And for those who want more of Sora, fear not! There's going to be plenty of Sora/Kairi in the chapters to come.

Additional note: people have been telling me that I left out Kairi's introduction, saying that she never told Axel her name even though he knows it. This was intentional. You'll find out more later.

Now enjoy the chapter.

I was convinced that the person who invented lunch-hour practices was a horrible, sadistic person who enjoyed making people suffer and sweat. If it wasn't bad enough to be missing out on the glorious hour-long break from classes that could have been spent peacefully enjoying a reprieve, the time was instead spent on running back and forth, swinging a moderately sized racket at a fuzzy, green projectile. To make matters worse, Miss Fa was sure to work us twice as hard in order to make up for time lost searching for me. She was a great teacher and coach and everything, but Miss Fa certainly took things seriously… a commendable trait all the girls on the team thought was her strong point until she compressed a two hour after-school practice into a less-than-one-hour lunch period so that she could have lunch with her boyfriend, Li Shang, on Tuesday.

There wasn't much time to clean up after practice before fourth period started, so I just stuck my head under a faucet to rinse the sweat out of my hair and reapplied deodorant. There was just enough time to change clothes before I had to leave the locker room in fear of being tardy. I slung my bag over my shoulder and gathered my hair into a quick ponytail as I scurried to Mrs. Rose's music class.

Mrs. Rose was one of my favorite teachers. A free spirited woman, she believed the flow of music to be incredibly spiritual and personal. As a result, she allowed students to wander, reflect, and seek inspiration either by themselves or with friends during the period in order to find the most meaningful songs and muses. The music instrument itself was flexible to Mrs. Rose and students could pick whatever they wanted to play from tubas to trumpets to harps to cellos to drums to voice. Whatever they wanted, so long as the school had it, they could play it. I myself dabbled in singing and had just started learning guitar.

I bustled to the music room in the hopes that I'd make it on time for class with enough time to grab a guitar. It was always first come, first serve when it came to instruments and if I was late, I would be out of luck in regards to my guitar lesson for the day. Wary of the hall monitors scouring the corridors for miscreants and students attempting to play hooky, I all but sprinted to Mrs. Rose's class.

I skidded to a stop outside the music room and dashed inside. Flinging my bag beside a random chair, I immediately turned my attention toward the instrument closet. "Closet" was a tame word for what was really a giant vault built into the side wall of the classroom. It was essentially the Narnia of all instruments, with shelves and rows upon rows of various music equipment. There was usually a minimum of two instruments per, with a maximum of five or six of the more popular, conventional ones.

To my luck, there was a single guitar case left on the shelf. A grin spread across my face as I reached for the handle, marveling at my good fortune. However, my elated smile disappeared as a hand came from my left and snatched it, proceeding to pull the instrument off the ledge to their side.

I took a step back and stared in a stupor at the offender, my jaw hanging open slightly in upset and then in awe. My eyes bulged as I took in the man in front of me. The guitar thief was absolutely gorgeous! At least six feet tall, he towered over me, his toned chest straining the tight white tee of his school uniform and directly in line with my gaze. When I managed to pry my eyes off his pecs, they drifted straight to his hair. Bright red, like angry flames engulfing a rose, his locks were tamed into long spikes that slicked back and framed his face. The crimson hue offset his emerald eyes beautifully, and highlighted the two strange, blackish-purple, reverse-teardrop tattoos under his eyes. The rest of his body seemed lithe but well sculpted, like a lean guy who kept in shape. I nearly melted at his voice.

"Oh, hey, sorry," he said, in an easy, flowing voice. He held up the guitar case. "Did you want this?"

Surprisingly, my voice didn't betray me. "I'm trying to learn," I explained, attempting to stay calm and friendly. "But you can use it if you'd like. I can always sing for the period."

"Nah," he said, shaking his head and grinning carelessly. He held out the case to me. "You take it. I'm pretty good on the violin, believe it or not, though not as good as I am on the drums. But I'm not going to take the time to drag out a set –especially when we get to wander around the school during the period." When I didn't take the handle, he pushed the case into my hands. "Take it. There're still three violins left."

I eventually accepted the guitar. "Are you sure?"

"Of course. Anything for a pretty girl like you. I should be playing more violin anyway. I was a regular Vivaldi when I was younger; made girls swoon left and right."

I smiled at the joke. There was something about this guy that just put me at ease. At first glance, he looked like a ne'er-do-well and his general appearance seemed daunting and dangerous. But his personality was calming and I felt like I could joke around with him and be myself, like he was an old friend. "Oh, I bet."

He gave me a wink. "And that was before puberty." I giggled. He knelt down to the bottom shelf where the smaller string instruments were kept. He looked up at me as he pulled out a case. "You laugh, but I was quite the little lady's man."

"Was?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow teasingly. "You aren't now?"

"No," he said, standing. "Now I'm a bona fide Casanova. Girls just line up to date me. Want an express pass?"

I laughed. "A tempting offer, but I'm the type of girl that likes to get to know guys before dating them."

"Well then let me introduce myself," he smiled charmingly. "The name's Axel O'Brian. Got it memorized?"

"I'm sure I can handle remembering. It's a simple enough name."

"Simple, yet elegant," Axel joked. "The name of legends. I want everyone to remember me for years and years to come."

"That shouldn't be a problem," I said. "I've only known you for a few minutes and I already feel like I've known you for years. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget you."

A sad look crossed his face. He looked away. "That's what they always say."

We fell into silence. Axel was obviously upset about something that I wasn't aware of and I didn't know how to console him. I shifted on my feet until the bell rang. The sound allowed me to change the topic. "We better find a place to practice before all the good spots in the school are taken. I'd rather not have to end up playing guitar in the girls' washroom. Do you usually play by yourself? I've never seen you around before."

Axel perked up, clearly pleased to move on to different conversation. "I typically come early with my friend. We grab instruments and head off to a secret spot in the school to rehearse. We go during the break so no one can follow us. We like to keep our secret spot a secret."

I was disappointed with his words. He was so easy to be around, I wanted to spend more time with Axel. "I see. Well, I'll let you go meet your friend then. It was nice to meet you, Axel." I turned on my heel and headed for the soundproof room at the back of the class, hoping it was unoccupied, but something caught my wrist.

I looked back to find Axel, one hand on his violin case, one hand curled on my forearm. He looked at me, affable and amiable. "Hang on there! Where are you going? Did you think I wasn't going to invite you to join us?"

I was slightly taken aback. "Well you did say you wanted to keep your spot a secret. I figured…"

"You figured wrong. You're a pretty cool chick, Kairi. I'm sure my friend won't be bothered by you playing with us. The only problem is the secretiveness of our spot. We want to keep it hidden from the other students, so…" he set his violin on the floor and undid his tie. Snapping it off his neck, he took the ends in his hands and wrapped it around my head, above my eyes.

"Hey!" I protested, flailing, but not fighting. "What's the big idea?"

"This is for your own protection," his voice said in my ear. "We can't have you being kidnapped and tortured for information, now can we? Don't worry, I won't do anything weird. It's only a few minutes away. Just hold tight and don't let go of my hand, okay?"

I gave a mute nod and allowed Axel to lead me out the class and through the corridors after grabbing my school bag. Fourth period had started, so the only noise in the halls belonged to those in our music class that were still searching for a place to practice. I could hear their curious murmurs at Axel's hand intertwined with mine but the blindfold-tie spared me from their glances. I figured I must be a hot topic of gossip around the school by now, with all the boys seemingly giving me special treatment. I hoped Selphie would help pacify the buzz around me in the rumour mill. I hated drama.

True to his word, Axel did nothing but guide me through the hallways. The trip was also as short as he said, and we stopped after a couple of minutes. Axel left me for a second, telling me to stay put for a little, and there was a strange clanking and jangling. The noise didn't last long. I heard a door open and shut behind us as Axel ushered me inside flipped a light switch. Within a few seconds, I could feel him untying his tie from the back of my head. The silky fabric slid from my vision, grazing my nose and neck, and I took in my surroundings. Before me were racks and tables and shelves and cases full of costumes and props. There were dresses, hats, boas, swords, shoes, canes; the list went on and on for as far as the eye could see. This kind of drama I loved.

My eyes had to be the size of Frisbees. "What is this place?"

"Cool, huh?" Axel grinned, pleased with my amazed daze and slack jaw. "We stumbled on it a few months ago during an after school game of unauthorized Hide-and-Seek. I'd come across the door and picked the lock. Turns out this is the school theatre's prop house. They don't use it that much anymore, as you no doubt know, since the school hasn't put on a performance since the beginning of last year."

"And you practice here?" I asked, still looking around the room and it's splendor in absolute wonder.

"Yup. I've got pretty good skill with a lock pick, so we just lock up when we leave and no one is the wiser. We try to leave everything the way we find it –not that anyone would notice if anything was misplaced or missing. But it's secluded and the acoustics are surprisingly good."

"Oh yeah?" I asked, curiously. I sang out a smooth "hello?" to test the alleged sound quality. I sent Axel an impressed eyebrow-raise when my voice echoed back decently.

"Told ya," he smiled, walking up to a table to set down his violin case. "You've got a nice voice, by the way. You sure you wouldn't rather sing?"

"Nice try," I smirked. "But I'm not giving you the guitar."

"Are you positive? It's been a while since I've played the violin. I could make your ears bleed."

"You should have thought of that before you gave me the guitar."

He chuckled as he flicked the metal clasps open and lifted the case lid. "Alright, alright. I concede defeat. Curse my manners." He gingerly lifted the polished violin and bow from the velvet. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"What about your friend?" I asked, looking around the room, finding no one. I quirked an eyebrow. "You didn't lie about him so you could get me alone in a room, did you?"

A jocular, sultry glaze covered his features as he smirked. "Now there's an idea. I'll have to get that one memorized."

"I'll take that as a no then."

"Of course I didn't make him up," he said seriously, his lopsided grin betraying his sombre countenance. "I'm not that kind of guy. He's just late. He tends to get caught up every now and then. He'll be along."

"Whatever you say, Slick." I said, setting my guitar on the ground to open the case. Axel rustled through some sheet music. "We're supposed to be learning 'Ave Maria', right?"

"Yeah," Axel sighed, disheartened. "While I appreciate the classics, I wished Mrs. Rose had picked something more contemporary. You know, like something we'd actually like to play outside of school?"

"What? You don't like playing opera at home?"

Axel chuckled and bonked the top of my head lightly with the strings of his bow. "For your information, missy, I'm in a rock band."

While admittedly impressed, I continued to tease. "Violin in a rock band, huh? I'll bet your rendition of 'Highway to Hell' is very inspiring."

"Not violin, smart ass," he chided, poking my side this time. "Drums. And I'll also have you know that the violin can compliment any genre of music."

"Whoa," I said, withholding a snort. "Touchy."

"Passionate," he corrected, flourishing his bow. "I took lessons for six years, so I was kinda forced to develop an attachment to the violin. I will not have anyone, no matter how hot they may be, insult its integrity."

"Are you going to keep being melodramatic, or are you going to play?"

"Getting impatient now, are we?" he smiled. Swaying on his feet in playful arrogance, he brought his violin to his chin. "I suppose I could grace you with the honor of hearing the magnificence of the great Axel O'Brian's bow. Any requests, milady?"

"'Ave Maria', if you please, good sir," I grinned.

"As you wish," he said, taking a gracious bow. When he straightened, he gestured to a velvet upholstered throne tucked away along the wall with the various other large props. Taking the cue, I went to sit upon it. The velvet was soft and cushioned and I settled right in, putting on regal airs. Axel grinned. He spied a tiara on top of a high shelf amidst numerous caps and other hats and took it down, plopping it unceremoniously on my head. He stepped back and bowed again before bringing the violin back to his chin. "And now, if it would please your majesty, 'Ave Maria'."

Above all other instruments, it was always the strings that made my breath catch. Even when I was little and my mom would play the piano, I would be drawn to the sounds coming from the upright. I'd watch the hammers in the back hit the steel strings with rapt interest, my ears gleefully taking in the trill of the notes. When I was introduced to the guitar, I fell in love and yearned to learn but never had the resources until high school to do so. Soon I was immersed into the world of string instruments, and I adored the sound of them all. I'd melt at the cello, sigh at the mandarin, shiver at the bass, and now, as I listened to Axel, I was lost in a trance. He played with skill and precision, running his bow along the strings of his violin elegantly. The air sang the melancholy notes and I was almost moved to tears. I'd never heard "Ave Maria" played so emotionally.

A little over halfway into the song, when tears were threatening to well in my eyes, Axel played the wrong note and his performance came to a halt two minutes too soon. "Damn," he said, lower the violin to his side. "I forget the rest."

I was breathless. "That was beautiful."

"You think?" he asked, trying and failing to keep the pride out of his voice. "It sounds a lot better when someone's singing with the violin. Care to accompany me?"

I shook my head vehemently. "Not a chance. I don't know the words. They're all German."

He brandished the sheet music, which had been conveniently printed with the song's lines. "Thank God for lyrics then, huh?"

"Not going to happen," I insisted. "Besides, I'm trying to learn it on guitar first."

"But won't it be good to learn to sing the song too? Might make it easier to learn the chords."

"Maybe. But I'm not going to sing today."

Axel pouted. "Spoil sport."

"Hey," I said, pointing to the tiara still on my head. "That's 'Queen Spoil Sport' to you! And if I'm the queen," I smirked, prancing from my seat to a hat rack near the door and snatching the jester's hat I had spied earlier, "that makes you the fool!" I hopped to reach his head and yanked the hat over his lion's mane of hair.

Axel looked ridiculous with the hat but still managed to keep his overall cool demeanor. He looked up at one of the bells dangling in front of his nose and gave it a flick. It jangled and bounced around. He focus turned to me as he took in my amused expression and a devious smirk alighted his lips. "So her majesty wants me to make her laugh?"

His green eyes glinted mischievously. I backed away as he advanced on me. "Axel…" I warned. "Axel, don't!"

I turned on my heel to run, but he was too fast. His hands flew out and grabbed my waist, pulling me back into his arms as his fingers began to torment my skin. Laughter ripped from my lungs as he relentlessly tickled my sides. I squirmed and squirmed to no avail as Axel used his height to his advantage and effectively trapped me in his ticklish embrace.

"Hey, Axel. Sorry I'm late. I got caught up in a group of girls and they…"

All at once, Axel's fingers stopped their attack and we stood silent, locked in a hug that would certainly look romantic to the bystander in the doorway. His eyes were wide as he looked at us, his face frozen in a look of pure shock and confusion like a dear in headlights. A bass guitar case dangled numbly at his side in one hand and his other was caught running through his hair, stuck there from the surprise of seeing us.

Axel didn't seem fazed by his presence or our posture, but I was nearly mortified. I broke free from the redhead and fixed the wrinkles Axel caused in my uniform. I tried giving him my best smile as I greeted him. "H-hey, Roxas. How's it going?"

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