A/N: Ah ha! I finally came up with a basic story line! It's kinda dumb…. But hopefully it'll be enough to keep you interested.

~*~*~

The word spread pretty fast about Mr. Leonhart's first period class. About Axel's reaction to Hayner's welcome. The rumors also started pouring out.

"I've never seen them in Twilight Town"

"That Axel is way to old to be a High School junior. He hast to at least be in his 20's."

"I heard they all came from some asylum."

"I heard the office say something about them being from Hollow Bastion."

"I heard Axel killed a man."

Roxas was getting tired of everyone's fascination with these kids. So they seemed…. a little different. But some of these things that people were saying were just obscene.

At lunch, Roxas sat with his friends Hayer, Pence, and Olette (and Sora at the end of the table trying to butt in every now and then and being ignored every time). The three new boys sat by the window, they seemed to be in a heated argument. Axel vs Demyx and Zexion. Although their words were inaudible, they're body movement were very noticeable. At one point, Demyx grabbed Axel's hand and it appeared that he was trying to pull off one of Axel's wool, fingerless gloves. Axel yanked his arm back and gave the other two one last gut-wretching glare before storming away.

"You have to start over someday!" Demyx yelled before Axel had exited the swinging glass doors.

Start over? Start over from what? What was up with these guys?

And that certainly wouldn't help the rumors….

~*~*~

The first week of school was as dull as ever. Teacher after teacher stressing how important it is to do your homework and to study for tests. Review from last year. It was all too easy. Roxas now greatly regretted that he had accepted to take advanced classes.

Axel had gone home that first day after lunch. But he found from his name being called as absent that he was in Roxas' painting class. Demyx and Zexion were in his composition class but he made no attempt to speak to them and they kept mainly to themselves as well.

On the second day, Axel returned but seemed to be keeping away from Demyx and Zexion, which was strange because Roxas had gotten the impression that they had all been friends before they showed up at TTPrep. Axel wore those black gloves, everyday Roxas noticed. And he also seemed to have a nervous habit of rubbing his palms together.

One day, in art class, the assignment was to use different shades of one color mixed with white. While getting up to rinse his brush, Roxas stole a peak at Axel's canvas. It was simple lines of white red, and slightly darker red.

Weird…

~*~*~

"You know," Hayner said, almost off handedly. "I feel like I've seen them before somewhere."

"Who?" Roxas asked, flipping through his calculus book.

"Those new kids."

"I really wish people would give it a rest about them." Roxas settled on a page and he began doing his homework that was due the next period. "I don't know what the big deal is."

"This is a small school, Rox," Hayner explained. "Everyone wants to everything about everybody. The freshman spill themselves in the first few days trying to find someone who thinks they're cool and will accept them. But those three. No one knows anything other than their names. It's human nature to be curious. And the fact that they won't let anything get out makes everyone enthused in the chase."

Roxas nodded and Hayner was silent for a while.

"I remember!" Hayner exclaimed.

"Remember what…"

"Where I saw them! Well, saw Axel at least."

"Where?" Roxas pretended to not be interested even though he was dying to know.

"In Hollow Bastion," Hayner explained. "There were fliers posted everywhere. Some sort of traveling carnival. I didn't get to go because it had gone through town the week before I went. The posters were just leftovers. It looked really sketchy though. There were a few people on the posters. But Axel was definitely one of them."

Roxas chuckled. "So he's a circus freak?" He hadn't heard that rumor yet. It certainly wasn't anything as bad as killing a man.

"I don't know…. I only saw him on a piece of paper. I didn't pay much attention to the details since it had already left."

Hayner was once again silent, having said his piece. Roxas was now rather eager to get to art class.

~*~*~

He stood behind Axel, watching him paint. It had been over a week and nothing on the canvas had changed. It looked like Axel was continuously going over it with the same colors.

"Circus tent?" Roxas mused, quite proud of himself for figuring out what the painting represented.

Axel's brush stopped moving. He was perfectly still and Roxas wondered if the red head had even heard him.

"Fuck off," was all he replied, returning to his brush strokes.

"Is that it?" Roxas let a smile twitch on his lips, letting his ego get the best of him. " So I can finally put those rumors to a rest."

Axel's brush stopped again. He turned around on his bench, looking up at Roxas.

"Look kid," he growled under his breath. "I don't know what you know, or how you've come to know it, but leave me alone. I'm not here to make friends. In fact, if it was up to me, I wouldn't even be here. So please, just leave me alone and pretend I don't exist."

He turned back around and Roxas just stared at him for a moment. He then went back to his own seat to dwell on what had just happened.

~*~*

A couple periods later, after composition, Roxas was meted outside the classroom door by Demyx, Zexion standing close behind, but no Axel.

"Roxas is it?" asked Demyx.

"Yeah… but how did you—"

"Don't worry about it," Demyx replied. "Where did hear about what you mentioned to Axel?"

"What?" Roxas felt very awkward. "All I said was that his painting looked like a circus tent."

"Just tell us who."

"My friend Hayner," Roxas answered. "Why?"

But Demyx and Zexion had already turned to leave.

~*~*~

After school, Hayner was waiting by the front gate.

"What's up?" Roxas asked casually.

"That new guy Demyx talked to me today," Hayner replied. "He said not to mention that carnival flyer or Axel to anyone ever again…"

~*~*~

A/N: Oooooooh really crappy dramatic angst. I'll update when ah feelz liek it.