The Sacred Sneer
A.k.a: The Diary Adventures
By Zess

Summery: Prequelish to The Holy Smirk. (That means you got to read the Holy Smirk to understand any of this o-k?) Kidding. Daily posted blurbs about Roxas's & Axel's days in the Guard.

Other Stuff: 2 page chapters of a long ass oneshot, broken down because I felt like it. Mostly Shonen-Ai some Yaoi way later, AU, Kingdom Hearts Based, AkuRoku, Zemyx, Rated M To appease my hentai mind. Language. Humor/Romance/Action/Adventure/Drama. I own nothing but this story.

Time: Two or so Centuries ago.

Place: Castle XIII, Noivilbo, and Ynitsed Isle. (Mahwah Turn your Monitor backwards)

A/N: This is the second time I'm writing this, so it's much more rushed then the first time around, but I hope you still like it. Um . . . Dedicated to everyone who loved The Holy Smirk and especially Neferet10210, because it was requested! Yay! So if you like this, send your thanks.

Now read it already dammit!

Five:
Axel's Down Low

Axel liked to think that he was a regular run of the mill kid, but it just wasn't true. He had always been gifted with hand to hand combat techniques and had a very quick wit. Many times that wit had gotten him into much trouble, but our dear Axel had learned to weasel his way out of anything. It helped a little bit that all of the kids that had lived in the same village as he did knew that he was a fighting genius. The only reason no one else knew was because Axel was well. . . just not impressed by fighting. He didn't like it because it was quite troublesome and there wasn't much of a point to it. If you hated someone enough to actually want to cause them bodily harm wouldn't it be better to make them suffer a little bit and then just get over it? And if you were fighting for no reason, that was just plain stupid. He would rather plot and plan and trick and prank everyone else. It was much more personal. Pranking had a meaning to the red head, it meant you really truly had something to do with the other person. A sort of odd way to show that he cared if that makes any sense. And even if it didn't, he always had the fall back plan of just running his hands through his hair and looking a bit sheepish then saying "whoops, well, I'm just a kid, you can't really expect me to know any better."

And that's how he had grown up, running with the local kids, and doing what kids do. Getting into trouble and studying to become a blacksmith. His father had been a blacksmith and it was just normal for him to follow in his father's footsteps, it was how things were done back then. It wasn't what Axel really wanted though.

When Axel lay in bed at the end of the day he would smile at the wooden rafters and dream about becoming a valiant knight in some high ranking position in the Castle XIII Guards. Glory, honor, and fame. It would all be his. Not to mention all the dragons that he would slay and all the beautiful princesses he would rescue. Before his mother had died she had told him all kinds of bedtime stories about Princes and Knights rescuing beautiful girls and becoming heroes of their country. He had laughed at his mother at the time, telling her it was silly because there were no real dragon's anymore, and there was only the heir to the throne, no princesses around. But then his mother had passes away, and Axel had cried. He had only been eight then. And on his mother's grave he had made a promise with his tears that he would go and become a knight like she had told him about, so that she could smile down at him and be proud of him when he grew up. So he had trained with all of the other boys that were waiting to go over to Noivilbo to become true warriors, but, one by one, they had all gone away, and left Axel alone with his dreams.

Finally, his dreams became a reality. It was then that his father was supposed to name him top apprentice in his shop, and hand over his own leather apron, a sign of approval. Axel knew that if he stayed in this little town any longer that he would never be able to leave. So the night before the apprentice ceremony he had run away, brining only what he and his pony could carry for the short journey. He had made it to the small enclosed town of Noivilbo by the time the sun had risen. Axel didn't really know what to do once he got there, since it had been a hastily constructed plan.

"Uhm, excuse me?" He queried to one of the nearby guards standing sentry inside the village gates.

"What'd ya want kid?" The man had a gruff accent and his eyes were like beetles, always skittering back and forth among the "crowd" if that's what you could call it. Really, besides Axel, there were only one or two people about at this time of morning.

"I was wondering if you could tell me where to go. I want to be a page you see and well-"

He was cut off by clipped and short directions. "Go to the main house, you can't miss it, it's the big stone building in the middle of town. Talk to one of the Guard there. They wear a black cloak with a chain fastening."

And the man said nothing more and turned away from him. Axel got the hint and started heading down the main road, the dirt well worn from heavy traffic and hoof-prints. His heart was pounding in his chest. What if they didn't accept him? He really had no home to go back to since he had left; his father would never take him back now that he had disgraced the name. Oh well, he would figure something out if it really came to that, he always did.

But, as it went, he didn't have to worry about figuring out a second plan. The Castle XIII Guard was currently in a deficit concerning their number of members and were welcoming anyone who wanted to join, no matter their lineage or family affairs. This was, of course, great news to Axel. He didn't have very many things but he still followed his guide to his room on the page's wing and deposited his lone bag inside his new quarters. The room was small, but he wasn't complaining. Axel still hadn't come down off the high of just being able to be part of the guard, or at least the training to become one.

"Now, this is your room, this whole floor is dedicated to pages like yourself, first through fourth year. The training has already begun for everyone else so you're going to have to try hard to catch up with everyone else."

A little bit of the air deflated from the balloon that was our precious Axel. He had forgotten that it wouldn't just be all fun and games, he'd actually have to work and practice a lot to be able to fulfill his dream. Oh well, you win some you lose some, and he did really want to make his mom proud.

So, once the guide had left Axel changed into his practice clothes and took himself out of his room, locking the door behind him and heading out the way the guide has said was towards the practice grounds. Maybe a few rounds with a Quentin would do him some good.

Things, however, hadn't quite turned out as he had planned. First, he had received unneeded attention and then he was getting into a fight that he hadn't ever wanted to start in the first place. And on top of that, the boy was nothing short of. . . well, cute. In fact, he was adorable. His big blue eyes caught Axel off guard and for some reason he just wanted to protect the short kid. It was almost like. . . fate. Not that he believed in that kind of crap. His mom had believed in fate and look where she had ended up. Axel didn't like thinking that someone else had control of his life , and he would never accept the thought that he had no control over the one thing he should, his own life.

His hand gently brushed off a wayward lock of blonde hair from the unconscious boys face after their fight as he laid him onto the dirt. He was genuinely glad when he could see the shrimp's eyelids begin to quiver. So, he was about to wake up. That was good. As he stood up to walk away Axel hoped with much more of his being then he understood, that the two of them could be friends.

He smiled a little, his hands finding the pockets in his jerkin when he heard the first taunting remark behind him.

"Awe, The Runt got beat into the ground again. He really is nothing more then a weakling."

A/N: Please read and review, not making things longer, and I love you all.