After Mr. Leonhart dismessed the detention class, Roxas stood outside in the hallway as Mr. Leonhart scold Axel for passing the note. After a few minutes, Axel emerged.

"I have to go tell Demyx and Zexion that I'm not going home with them today. I'll meet you at the front gate." And with that, Axel took off down the hallway and disappeared around a corner.

Roxas walked by Sora, who was at his locker, and ignored the boy when he started chattering about what all he did during detention. When would Sora realize that no one cared about what he had to say?

Roxas wasn't waiting long at the front gate until he felt Axel brush up beside him and motion to follow.

"Why do you want to—" Roxas began but was interupted

"Let me introduce myself," Axel said airily as they walked to the coffee shop down the street. "My name is Axel. My parents died before I could remember. I have no blood relatives that I know of. I'm bisexual. I'm a vegetarian. Yes, my hair is naturally red. My favorite color is green. And I like ant eaters. Your turn."

"Uh," Roxas didn't quite know how to respond. "I—I'm Roxas. I'm 16. I have twin younger sisters but they don't look alike. Um…." He tried to remember some of the things Axel had said to supply his own answers. "My favorite color is blue. And, uh, I'm gay."

"Well obviously," Axel said. It almost seemed like he chuckled but it could have been the natural gruffnedd of is voice. "Sorry but I've noticed how you look at girls," he continued, reacting to Roxas' angered look. "Absolutely nooo interest whatsoever."

They arrived at the shop and took their place in the always lengthy line.

"I—I don't understand," Roxas said. "What's with the sudden 'Hello, my name is?'"

"Well," Axel thoughtfully chewed on a straw he grabbed on the way in. "I never formally introduced myself. I figured that if we were going to be friends then we might as well know a little about each other.

The each ordered their respected drinks—Roxas a pumpkin spice latte and Axel a cinnamon apple hot chocolate—and took their seats at a near by table for two.

"You're not very good at interacting with others are you?" Roxas mused.

"How could you tell?"

Roxas shrugged. "You're very defensive… and just seem very uncomfortable."

"Mmm" Axel took a sip after blowing on the liquid for the past few minutes to cool it. "Never really had friends. I was in an orphanage for most of my childhood. Kids thought I was weird…. Liked to pull me hair… then I ended up in foster care. And… well… that just didn't end well in the least. And all the time after that I was always traveling. Had no time to me friends. I guess my only real friends are Demyx and Zexion. And I don't really even know how that happened. They're not the sort of people I would normally gravitate to. I normally gravitate to people like... well…"

"Me," Roxas supplied.

"Well yeah I guess. You're…. quiet. But I know that there is something going on up in your head. You're complex. It interests me somehow."

There was silence for a moment.

"Demyx and Zexion," Roxas pried. "Were they in the circus with you?"

"First of all it was a carnival. Not a circus. No where near as plush. And yeah. I met them there."

"Um... Axel," Roxas was hesitant. "What exactly did you guys do there? What was so bad about the place?"

Axel's grip tightened on the Styrofoam cup. Roxas would afraid that the scalding liquid would explode from it.

"Listen, Roxas. Things happened there to me that would put most people in a nut house. When I think about it I should probably be in one too. I did some bad shit… which landed me into some even worse shit." He tugged on his fingerless gloves that Roxas had never seen him without. "If you knew… god if you knew…."

"I want to know, Axel. If you told me I could help."

"No, Roxas," Axel shook his head, his shoulders tensing. "You couldn't help… you couldn't bring him back…"

Suddenly, Axel stood and almost ran form the café, leaving Roxas sitting alone at the table very very confused.

~*~*~

The next day at school Axel came to class as cocky as ever. But he gave no notice to Roxas today. Roxas surprised himself by how annoyed it made him. So much for being friends.

After 7th period, Roxas went out back for a smoke—having learned nothing of the consequences it received the day before— and wasn't surprised to so Axel on the stone bench doing the same. Roxas sat at the adjacent bench, pretending not to pay attention to the red head. It seemed like hours went by.

"So…" Roxas mused. "Who's Cloud?"

Axel froze, his cigarette halfway to his lips. "What?"

"Cloud," Roxas repeated. "I hear you guys talking about him a lot during homeroom."

Axel was silent for a moment. "Cloud is Demyx's older brother. We live with him."

New information. "Oh, so you three live together?"

"Yes."

It was obvious that Axel would like to be done talking. But Roxas wasn't.

"Listen, Axel," Roxas said quietly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything yesterday. I don't know what you've been through, although I admit that I'd like to. You said you wanted to be friends with me. Friends let friends in. They tell each other stuff. And they help each other get through the tough times. I wasn't trying to make you angry. So I don't really think you have any real reason to be pissed at me.

"Fuck, Roxas…" It was barely like Axel said anything. Only words taken form an exhale. "You said it yourself. I'm not really a people person… I don't know how to let people in. I barely even spill anything to Demyx or Zexion and they're the only people I know who I could really call friends."

"Well, Axel. Maybe it's time you changed that."

Axel turned his head and made eye contact with Roxas for the first time that day.

"Meet me by the gate after school. I'll take you back to our place. I'll tell you my story.'"

~*~*~

A/N: Oooooh are you all excited?!?!? I'M EXCITED!!!!!!! It's gonna be kinda hard to write Axel's story tho…I have his all planned out. Demyx and Zexion, on the other hand… not so much… bits and pieces but no where as much as Axel. It might take a few chapters to get them all in there. Review and I'll get them out faster!!!