Disclaimer: KH © Square Enix and Disney and any other people involved.

Chapter 6: Beginning

Monday morning rolled around quickly, much to Axel's excitement. Roxas however…he was worried about leaving Sora him those first two days.

"I'll be fine!" Sora smiled. "If worse comes to worse, I'll run to Namine's house for a while until dad cools off. Namine would understand."

Roxas shifted uncomfortably. "…If your sure…"

"I am."

"Okay. OH! Before I forget." Roxas pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "I asked Axel if it would be okay for you to call his phone while we're gone. Take this. If you need to talk or anything, call Axel's number. It's the first one in the address book." He placed his phone in Sora's pocket.

"If you call," Axel yawned, "we'll pick up. Either me, Roxas, or Demyx."

"You can't ALWAYS pick up," Sora muttered.

This caused Roxas to laugh and Axel to raise a brow. "Wanna try me?"

They laughed for a moment. Riku mussed Sora's hair. "Don't worry, I'll take care of sunspot starting Wednesday. He'll be safe with me."

Roxas was about to comment when Xaldin could be heard over the crowd of students. "In the bus! Now!"

The twins hugged. "You be careful, okay?" Roxas whispered in Sora's ear. "Don't piss off dad until Wednesday."

Sora chuckled. "I'll try not to. Go have fun, kay?"

"Kay." Roxas kissed Sora's forehead, had his hand grabbed by Axel, and waved vaguely as Axel pulled him onto the charter bus. Roxas darted for the back of the bus, slamming himself into a window seat and pulling the window down. "RIKU!"

Riku looked up. "What?"

Roxas gave him a pleading look. "Tonight and Tuesday, please check on Sora. Give him a call and check up on him, please?"

"Sure."

Roxas let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you!"

Riku smiled, and flung a rubber band through the window at Axel. "You are most certainly welcome." The rumble of the bus engine resounded in everyone's ears as the bus began moving forward. Axel had managed to get the window fast enough to fling the rubber band at Riku's face. "Asshole!"

"Damn straight!" Axel yelled out the window as the vehicle left campus. He then sat down between Roxas and Demyx. Demyx was talking with his band mate, Li, who was also rooming with them. Roxas was staring at his feet, which were kicking the seat in front of him slightly. Axel stared at Roxas for a moment. "…What's wrong…?"

Roxas looked up, slightly startled. "Uh…nothing…just thinking a bit too much. Why do you ask?"

Axel sighed. "I've been thinking about what happened last week in Chem. class. You know, when you yelled at me and ran out…?"

Roxas' eyes darkened ever so slightly. "Oh…that…"

"Yeah…" The two fell silent for a moment, glancing awkwardly at each other. "Uh…was it something I did or said?"

"No, it was me. I just…haven't been myself lately…" The blond looked up at the Red head. "…I'm sorry. I guess I over reacted. You deserve an explanation…but…I can't give it to you…"

"Why not?" Axel asked curiously.

"Because I'm scared…" Roxas muttered, curling his knees to his chest.

Sora walked into the house, sighing as he climbed the stairs to the room he and Roxas usually shared. "Man, I miss Roxas already." He winced hearing his dad yell downstairs. "Uh-oh…what'd I do now…?" Setting down his school bag, he retreated back down stairs. "Yes sir?" He yelled in response, hoping everything was going to be okay.

Mr. Hikari wheeled around, grabbing Sora's arm roughly, making the boy wince in pain. "Where the hell is your brother?"

"He…he had the class trip, remember?"

"What class trip?"

"For history. You signed the paper last week. You told him he could go."

The man's hand struck Sora's face with a force that would have knocked Sora to the floor if his father didn't have a hold of his arm. "Like hell I did! I wouldn't let that boy go anywhere if his life depended on it! He ran away from home again, didn't he!" He jerked the boy's arm forward. "Where the fucking hell is he!"

"He really is on a school trip!" Sora sobbed, feeling pain shoot through his muscles. "You were watching TV when you signed it!"

The man stared at Sora for a moment. He then backhanded him and shoved him into the wall. "Get the hell out of my sight, you worthless piece of shit." He then walked into the kitchen, muttering something about Sora's mother.

Sora scrambled up the stairs, tears stinging his eyes as he made his way back to his and Roxas' room. He stared at himself in the mirror. Both cheeks were red, and one had a scratch on it. It had to have been from the wedding ring his father had never gotten rid of. He smiled. He remembered back when their mom was around. Things were never like this.

He glanced at an old photo on Roxas' desk. It had all four of them on it: Mom, Dad, Roxas and himself. He and Roxas were about seven at the time. He smiled. Roxas looks a lot like mom… This was true. Roxas had been given his blond hair from their mother, and if people didn't know better, most probably would have thought the two were younger brother and older sister. But what always caught Sora's attention was the identical sparkle in their sapphire orbs. It was a sparkle Sora hadn't seen since his mother died. He sighed sadly. "Can't change the past…"

Xaldin was walking down the bus at about 9:00pm while the bus was having a pit stop. Most students were asleep or reading, but he decided it was best to get the wild one's under control. It was only another half-hour until they reached the hotel. He headed to the back, where he saw Demyx and Li playing Rich man Poor Man in whispers, and Axel stroking a sleeping Roxas' hair. The history teacher had to smile. If what Xemnas suspected was true, than Axel was good for the boy. And vice versa, really; Axel had been a wild one before he met Roxas. Always having to be suspended, and was expelled once, having to be picked up from the police station-you name it, and Axel had done it. But when he met Roxas, it turned his world upside-down.

Xaldin took a seat in the empty row in front of Axel. He faced him. "So…Have things been cleared up?" He asked, knowing of the predicament of last week.

Axel kinda shrugged off-handedly. "Sorta, but not really."

"Well, you have a whole two weeks to figure it out."