A/N:
OHMYGOSH THANK YOU ALL!!! I'm so happy this got such a response in the time it did :D
I hope I let none of you down, great reviewers! -bow-
Disclaimer: Yeah, Riku and Axel are totally mine. -shifty eyes-


"So, you never told me your name,"

Riku had actually shut off the TV, and was engaging in conversation with the ghost. He sat on the couch, his knees pulled up close to him so that he could rest his chin on them. "It's not important." He muttered.

"What the hell?" The ghost laughed. "Emo."

Riku frowned. Not the first time he had been called that, not the last. He had nothing against them, he just thought that he wasn't. "Riku."

"Axel," the ghost said. "So what's this about ghosts murdering you with their problems?"

"They just sit there until I come home, and they tell me everything."

"Doesn't sound that bad to me," Axel said, shrugging. Riku's eyes narrowed.

"That's it--it doesn't sound that bad to anyone else."

"You've talked to other people about it?" Axel asked, his eyebrows raising slightly. "Maybe you're not as emo as I--"

"I just know what to expect of other people."

There was a moment-long silence.

"...emo." Axel chuckled.

"Shut it." Riku said, then added to himself, "Bastard."

"So kind," Axel laughed. "So really, who in their right mind would tell you their problems? You don't take it very well."

"They...they just do," Riku said. "I'll make my comments, but they don't stop. They just keep rambling. It's funny, really." He laughed, though it was partially forced. "To just keep talking, even if the person doesn't want to hear it? To just ramble away, about the brutal murders you caused, about the people you betrayed, about your death."

Axel shifted, leaning back. "How long have you had to put up with that crap?"

"Twelve years," Riku said bluntly. Axel leaned foward.

"Wow, seriously? That sounds so...sucky,"

"Indeed." Riku put his feet back on the ground. "Now I feel hypocritical, telling you all that. It's fine. I'm fine."

"What the hell?" Axel asked. "You're mentally scarred or something, aren't you?"

"I'm fine," Riku repeated. "You're a weird ghost, you know that? Shouldn't you be haunting your one true love or something?"

Axel chuckled. "About that."

"Or making ammends for something wrong you did before you died?"

Axel began to laugh. "I could kill two birds with one stone!"

Riku was silent. "...the hell?"

"Nevermind, you wouldn't care," Axel said, looking around the room. Riku nodded.

"You're right, I wouldn't."

Axel laughed again, while sighing. "You're on lost cause, kid."

"Better than being a wandering soul," Riku muttered, scowling.

Axel shrugged. "Touche."

They sat there in silence a while, Riku looking out a window as the black sky began to turn a navy blue. "It's almost 4:30," Axel said, breaking the silence. Riku turned back to him. "Shouldn't you be at least trying to sleep?" Axel continued.

Riku shook his head. "No point. I'm beyond it now. I just wish they'd put something interesting on the TV once and a while."

"There has to be something worthwile on," Axel said. Riku scowled, and stood up.

"I'm going to bed."

"I thought you just said--"

"I just said I'm going to bed." He repeated, louder this time. He turned away, storming to his room.

Axel smirked. "Emo," he muttered.


Riku rolled over in his sleep, and woke up as the sun beat into his eyelids. He turned away, letting his eyes take as long as they wanted to fully open. Usually ghosts didn't come in the morning, making his room a haven for the few hours. He sat up, rubbing one eye.

"Don't you have school or something?"

The voice frightened Riku; he jumped, clutching his comforter to his body. "D-Dammit Axel!" Riku yelled, glaring over to the ghost. "Ghosts are never in my room this early in the day!!"

"Forgive me, I'm new to this." Axel said, shrugging. He blinked. "O-Oh," he laughed awkwardly. "You...You didn't sleep in the nu--"

"GET THE HELL OUT!!!"


Riku slipped out of his door, his face still painted pink from blushing too hard. "No, I didn't." He said, not making eye contact with Axel, who laughed.

"But you didn't have a shirt on..."

"It's perfectly normal for a guy like me to sleep in his boxers, alright?!" Riku yelled, glaring up at Axel, who was considerably taller than him.

"'Like me'? What, are you some kind of superhuman new race or something?" Axel asked, following Riku down the hall and down the stairs.

"I meant my age." Riku replied, monotone. Axel nodded.

"You're what, eighteen? Shouldn't you still be attending high school?"

"I'm seventeen, and I'm not going today," Riku replied, making his way to the kitchen. "That's why I never bothered trying to sleep last night, that's why I didn't set my alarm, that's why I didn't wake up."

Axel blinked. "How often do you ditch?"

"Dude," Riku said, turning to him, his eyes angry. "You're not my mother. Now either shut up or get the hell away from me: you choose."

Axel looked away, into the den. "You eating in there again?"

"I'm not eating," Riku said, standing in front of the refrigerator. "Th-There's nothing here." He slammed the door harder than he meant to, and stared at his hand, eyes wide.

"...Riku?" Axel asked, stepping toward the boy.

Riku's wide eyes pulled away from his hand, and he said, "Town. Let's go into town today. What do you say?"

Axel frowned. The kid's freaking bipolar! He nodded. "Sure, whatever."

Riku smiled. "Cool. I'll be ready in a few."

Axel smiled as well, watching Riku run back up the stairs. Or maybe not.

Suddenly, Riku stopped and turned around, scowling. "It's not a freaking date, pervert. So don't go expecting anything from me."

"What the hell?!" Axel asked. "Who said I wanted you?"

No, no, I'm pretty sure he is.