Chapter Three: A Familiar, Artificial Relaxation

A girl stood in front of him, her blue eyes full of concern, her short black hair framing her face. She was about a head shorter than he was—and she was gorgeous. He almost couldn't believe he was standing this close to her.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"Um… no. That hurt my face. But I'll forgive you," Axel said, "because you're beautiful."

"Oh—what?"

"Nothing. I didn't say anything," he amended. "Sorry—what was your name, again?"

She smiled. "I never told you what it was." At first he thought she'd stop there, walk away, leave him behind and never speak to him again, but instead she told him, "I'm Xion."

"Xion," he repeated. "I'm—uh, I'm Axel."

"Axel," she began, one hand drifting to her hip, "what were you doing standing behind the door like that?"

"I was… uh… I was…" Axel stammered. "Waiting for someone, yeah. But I don't think they'll show up."

"A girl, I bet." She smiled again.

Oh my God, if she doesn't stop doing that, I'm gonna freaking melt, Axel thought. "Well, now that you mention it," he began, forcing a smile back, "I didn't realize I was waiting for any particular girl, until you showed up."

She laughed, and he watched the blush spread across her face. "Riiiight."

He could feel the effects of the medication setting in. His hands had stopped shaking, and he felt a familiar but artificial relaxation spreading through his limbs, weighing them down and making them feel warm. The chaos in his head had subsided. "I'm guessing you have to go back to class."

"Yeah." She looked down at her shoes, as though she was reluctant to leave.

"Sorry to hold you up."

"Oh, it's no problem," Xion reassured him, shaking her head.

"Hey, what year are you?" he asked suddenly, holding a hand up to forbid her from walking away just yet.

She blushed again. "Um—I'm a freshman."

"Ahh." He grinned. "I see."

"Well, I'll see you later, Axel," she said and turned to face the rest of the student center.

"You can call me any time, Xion," he called after her with a wave.

Seconds later, of course, he realized she hadn't asked for his number.

"Goddammit!" Axel exclaimed, pushing the door to his dorm room open so hard that it slammed back into the opposite wall and bounced back, almost hitting him in the face and causing a repeat of the incident earlier that day.

"What's your problem this time, Axel?" Saïx asked from where he sat at his desk across the room, several textbooks spread out in front of him.

"Well, you see, Larxene kind of broke up with me, and then I got hit in the face by a door, and after that I met this really attractive girl, but since you didn't let me take the rest of my meds—"

"Are you really going to bring everything back to that?" Saïx asked, slamming his hand down on the desk. "You do realize that if I had let you take the rest of those pills, you could very well still be unconscious, or in a coma, or worse."

"All right, all right, point taken." Axel sighed. "Anyway, I felt really jittery and I didn't know what the hell I was saying."

Saïx's scowl morphed into a smirk. "Somehow I don't think the drugs had anything to do with that."

Axel laughed. The only problem was, once he started, he couldn't stop.

"You're insane," Saïx told him before turning back to his homework.

"No, no, listen," Axel said when he could find the breath to do so. "Saïx, come on. We were friends once, yeah?"

Saïx licked his lips and leaned on the desk sideways, his elbow falling into the crease between textbook pages. "Well, Axel, I would still consider you a friend—if I didn't have to carry your unconscious body to Zexion every single day."

"Whatever. Anyway." Axel looked up at the ceiling, his eyes developing a dreamy shine. "You wouldn't happen to know a Xion, would you?"

"Xion?" Saïx asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, Xion. That was her name. Isn't it just the prettiest name?" Axel asked. "I can't believe I said all that stuff. I'm surprised she didn't walk out on me. Or refuse to apologize for slamming the door literally in my face. What the hell—I'd get a hundred doors slammed in my face if she was the one behind all of them. No, not a hundred. A thousand maybe. A hundred thousand!" He threw his arms out to his sides.

Saïx stood up from his desk chair and put his hands on Axel's shoulders. He pushed the redhead sharply against the wall and looked him straight in the eye.

"You're not clean," he stated, clenching his teeth. "You're way above sea level. I don't think there's enough oxygen up there."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" Axel asked him, trying to struggle out of his grasp. It didn't work—Saïx had him pinned.

"It means you're so high that you don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm not high," Axel protested. "I'm perfectly okay."

"Then where's this euphoric shit you're saying coming from?" Saïx demanded.

"Like I said," Axel told him. "I met a girl. She was beautiful."

Saïx sighed and squeezed his eyes shut. "Are you sure you didn't hallucinate her? I don't know anyone by the name of Xion."

"Saïx, give me a minute, okay?" Axel asked. "I need to reflect on what's just happened to me."

His roommate rolled his eyes. "We're going to Zexion."

"No," Axel said, dragging out the word and holding his hands up in front of him. "I told you I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine."

Saïx grabbed Axel's arm and dragged him out the door, though the redhead kept up a string of protests.

Zexion rolled his eyes when the door to the infirmary opened. Saïx made a face in response and jerked his head toward Axel, who was totally oblivious.

"What's wrong this time, Axel?" Zexion said loudly.

"Hell, I don't know. I think Saïx just wanted someone to come with him to the infirmary so he could talk to you about his feelings. I mean illnesses. Yeah, that's right, illnesses."

Saïx gave a short shake of his head, and Zexion sighed. "Axel, sit down." When the redhead didn't obey, Saïx put a hand on his chest and shoved him backward in the direction of one of the cots. He stumbled backward and fell onto it.

"What's your problem?" he demanded.

"That's what we were trying to ask you—" Saïx began, but Zexion jerked him back, and he trailed off midsentence.

"Axel, you need to stop doing this," Zexion commanded.

"I didn't do anything."

"Don't make me give you a blood test again."

"Oh, God, not that," Axel responded, jolting back as if by instinct.

"So do you agree that you'll try to stop doing this?" Zexion tried again.

"I would if there was anything to stop doing."

"I'm going to have to bring in Vexen if you keep this up."

"Why don't you just let me go so you can treat people with actual injuries?" Axel asked. "The only reason I'm causing you a problem right now is because Saïx brought me here. And besides, he stole all of my goddamn medications."

"With good reason," Saïx put in.

"If he took all of your medications," Zexion asked, "then why did he have to bring you here?"

"I don't know."

"What I mean is—where did you get more?"

"That's the point," Axel said, spreading his hands as though it was obvious. "There's nowhere for me to get any more. So let me go, and this whole entire conversation will be over."

Saïx and Zexion both sighed at the same time.

"He's completely freaking high," Saïx said through his teeth to Zexion. "You should have heard what he was saying to me earlier."

"Speaking of that," Axel said, a grin spreading across his face, "Zexion, do you know anyone by the name of Xion?"

Zexion tipped his head to the side, studying Axel with a strange, unparalleled curiosity. "Actually," he answered, "Xion is… my sister."

Axel responded to this by bursting out laughing once again. "You see?" he said, turning to Saïx. "She exists. I didn't make her up." He stood up from the cot and walked toward the door. "Zexion, if you want to listen to Saïx, you'd better ask him about his own problems, not mine. I think that's what he's really here for."

Before either of them could say anything in reply, he pushed open the door and stormed out.

A/N: Sorry it's been a while. Too much school. Anyway, thanks for the follows and favorites to those of you who contributed them, and I hope you're still enjoying this story. :)

Anyway, feel free to review and tell me how I'm doing. Until next time!