"Roxas!" Leon called. Roxas shut his locker.

"Hey Leon," Roxas greated.

"You ready for the chemistry exam today?"

"I guess so." Leon laughed.

"You'll do fine. You always do."

"Who's he?" Cloud asked at lunch.

"The new kid," Leon explained.

"He looks like trouble."

"He can't be that bad," Roxas protested.

"You never know. Looks can be deceiving," Leon reminded.

"It can't hurt to say hello." Roxas stood and walked by the kid while bringing up his tray. "Hey."

"Sup," Xigbar replied.

"Try and focus, Xigbar," Roxas reminded as they sat in the library. Xigbar balanced a pencil on his nose.

"I'd rather do a hundred things than biology," Xigbar complained.

"You just have to think positive."

"Hey Roxas." Roxas shut his locker.

"Hey…Aerith." Roxas's face blushed.

"Are we still going out after school today?"

"Yeah! Where do you want to go?" Aerith giggled.

"The movies, remember?"

"Oh, right." Roxas chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"Are you okay, Xigbar? You're kind of jumpy today," Roxas noticed.

"Nah, I've just got big plans for tomorrow," Xigbar explained.

"For a Wednesday?"

"Oh yeah. Big plans. You won't want to miss out."

"Sorry, Roxas. You're just a dead weight," Xigbar scoffed. Roxas stared at the gun in his face.

"What the Hell are you doing? You've lost your mind!" Roxas protested.

"No, just his school. Think about it, Roxas. No more teachers, no more books…"

"You're sick!" Xigbar grappled with Roxas. Roxas was over powered quickly. Xigbar pressed the gun into his hand.

"Feel that? That's real freedom." Xigbar held his free hand over Roxas's mouth, his arm chocking off his air supply.

Screams rose from the hall as the first wave of students fell to the ground. Panic rose as the code lockdown was initiated. Xigbar laughed wildly as he held Roxas at bay. He was taller than Roxas so the blonde could barely touch the ground with his toes when Xigbar stopped walking. His brain could hardly function as the air to his lungs was cut off. Then he passed out.

"Wakey wakey, Roxas. We still have so much to do," Xigbar chimed. Roxas struggled against the bonds holding him to the chair but the duct tape held firm. Xigbar kicked Roxas's right arm backwards, causing him to scream in agony.

In front of him, Cloud, Leon and Aerith were taped to chairs.

"Time to say goodbye." Xigbar forced Roxas's broken arm from its bond. Then he pressed the gun against Roxas's palm again. Xigbar put some pressure on Roxas's finger. The gun fired and Cloud was knocked backward, a bullet in his chest. Roxas cried but the tape over his mouth drowned out the sound.

Xigbar had him pull the trigger again, shooting Leon in the head. Then he dragged Roxas's chair closer to Aerith. He ripped off the tape from her mouth. "Beg!" Xigbar commanded.

"Roxas, I'm sorry," she whispered. "It's not your fault. I lo…" The bullet lodged into her throat. Aerith gurgled and blood splashed on Roxas's face.

"Excellent! Now it's time to finish the job. There's two bullets left, Roxas. One for me and one for you. You can do it. Come on, kill me. Look what I did to your friends. Roxas's hands shook. "Come on, kill me!" Xigbar shoved the gun under his chin. Roxas closed his eyes and pulled the trigger by his own free will. Xigbar fell in a shower of blood droplets. Roxas screamed.

There was one left.

Roxas pointed the gun at his chest and pulled the trigger.

He woke in the hospital six weeks later. Only one set of flowers sat on his bed stand.

The court ruled him not guilty. He was to do a hundred hours of community service.

The first day of school. His classmates would understand.

Hundreds of cold gazes.

"You killed them!"

"Murderer!"

He was beaten after school. The ritual continued.

Two weeks into school. His parents stopped talking to him. Roxas stopped leaving the house.

October. Roxas turned to the sounds of heavy metal to drown out the other students.

November. His emotions were locked away.

December. He changed everything about him. He was no longer the same person.

Graduation senior year. Five students gave speeches. One did not. The school forbad it. He was lucky enough to walk. When he name was called, there was silence. His parents hadn't even bothered to show up.

XxXxX

Roxas opened his eyes. He was still in the hospital. The memories of his past were haunting him again. 'Just when I thought they went away.' No one came to visit him. He felt a sense of déjà vu. He missed a week of school since he felt to real need to go back right away. Pence helped him keep up to speed but even he was worried about Roxas's change in condition.

Xaldin was banished from the campus. He was only visiting during the time of the Halloween party but Marluxia made sure he would never return to the campus. His words had hurt not only Roxas, but Axel as well. Axel was like a shell. Marluxia hadn't seen him act like that since he first met him. The nights Axel would quietly slip away to a cold shower grew larger.

Roxas returned to school in November. He didn't return to Axel's apartment. He went to the library for help with his math but only if he desperately needed it. Roxas didn't talk to Axel in English Literature. Roxas changed seats and ignored everyone. Sadly, Axel did the same. Axel never called, nor did Roxas. They never attempted to speak to each other. They were going out of their way to avoid each other. Roxas didn't care. He preferred to be alone. Axel felt torn. He knew it was better if they stayed apart, but every time he Roxas in class, his heart felt like it was being ripped in half.

The semester passed by and Roxas managed to get the grades he needed to pass with the 4.0 he needed to keep his scholarship. December was half way through when the semester ended. Roxas didn't go home for the holidays unlike the majority of the campus. The streets were quiet and empty as snow would softly fall, bringing in winter.

Pence was worried about Roxas being left behind the entire break so he decided to stay until Christmas eve to make sure he was alright.

Marluxia remained behind on the campus as well. He normally went home for the holidays but he didn't want to risk leaving Axel behind to do something irrational.

Roxas felt completely disjointed from the world. Nightmares kept him up at night and he didn't want to go to school. He didn't want to be anywhere.

Axel sat in the shower and let the cold water run. His hair clung to his cheeks. His mind couldn't block out images flashing in his brain. Axel wrapped his arms tighter around his knees and prayed they would leave him alone.

XxXxX

December 23rd. The eve before the eve. Roxas grabbed his car keys and slipped on his jacket. Pence was putting the finishing touches on his packing.

"I'm going to the store before it closes. You want anything?" Roxas offered. Pence felt a sense of relief wash over him as Roxas seemed to have returned to his normal self.

"Um, sure. Just pick up two of whatever you're having." Roxas nodded and headed out.

Pence pulled up a movie on his laptop. It wasn't until he was twenty minutes in he noticed Roxas had left his phone behind.

"That's weird. He never goes anywhere without his phone," Pence mused.

He grew more worried by the minute. It got to the point he couldn't concentrate on his movie. The store was ten minutes away. Roxas had been gone for an hour.

Two hours passed and Pence knew something was definitely wrong. He went to Roxas's phone. Axel's name was second behind someone called Aerith. Pence hit the call button. It took three times before Axel picked up.

"What?" he barked.

"Axel?! It's Pence."

"Pence? What are you doing with Roxas's phone?"

"Roxas isn't here. He went to the store and he hasn't come back. He left his phone behind."

"How long has he been gone?"

"Two hours, maybe two ten." Axel hung up. "Roxas, where are you?" Pence asked the phone.

XxXxX

Axel floored it out of the parking lot. He didn't care if he was wearing his flips flops when there was snow on the ground. He didn't care he was in a tank top and PJ pants. He didn't care he was driving 70 mph through campus. There was only one thing he cared about: finding Roxas.

Axel searched everywhere. All of the campus buildings were locked and most of the stores had closed for the holidays. The blonde was nowhere in sight. Axel swung through the parking ramp and found his car was missing. Axel wondered if he left campus. He headed towards the front gate, hoping he would find Roxas alive. Finally he spotted the white sports car on the bridge that led away from the campus. Axel got out of the car, not even bothering to turn it off. "Roxas!" he screamed. He ran across the bridge, the wind freezing his skin. He saw a figure farther down the bridge.

Roxas stood on the outside of the railing of the bridge. He watched the icy river flow beneath him. He didn't know how long he had stood there contemplating his choices. His fingers were numb from the cold. Roxas finally decided. He sighed, closed his eyes, and let go.

"ROXAS!"

He was grabbed from behind and forced backwards. His back crashed into Axel's chest. Axel's arms trembled as they held him tightly.

"Don't you dare jump!" Roxas realized Axel was sobbing. "I'll do whatever you want, tell you whatever you want, just don't jump. Please…I can't lose you too." Roxas stood still, unsure what he should feel: disappointment or gratitude. He glanced down at the river below him.

'Anoter day.' He thought. Axel buried his face in Roxas's hair. Roxas could feel the cold tears drip onto his scalp. Axel's grip tightened around Roxas.

"Roxas, if you want to go, then take me with you," Axel whispered. Roxas's eyes went wide.

"Don't be stupid!" Roxas protested, turned around in Axel's arms. He instantly wished he hadn't. Axel was a wreck. His eyes were red and puffy. The tears on his face had started to freeze and his small shoulders were shaking from the cold. Roxas climbed back to the other side of the railing. Axel let him go so he could move on his own but as soon as he was safe on the other side, he crushed Roxas in a hug. Tears streamed down his face.

Roxas pulled out of his grasp and unzipped his jacket. Then he put it around Axel's shoulders. It was too small for the tall man but it helped to keep him warm.

"Roxas…" Axel murmured. Another set of headlights pulled up from behind them. Pence jumped out of his van and sprinted over to them.

"Axel! Roxas!" he shouted. Axel clung to the jacket around his shoulders. Roxas avoided Pence's gaze. "Thank goodness you're alright." Pence put placed something in Roxas's hand. It was his phone. Roxas scowled and pulled his arm back to throw it. Someone caught his wrist, stopping him. Roxas turned to find it was Axel. He ripped his arm from Axel's grip and started walking towards the edge of the bridge again. Axel lunged at him, wrapping his arms so tightly around him Roxas couldn't move.

"Let me go!" Roxas roared.

"Not until you start thinking straight!" Axel barked.

"I am thinking straight!"

"No you're not!" Pence watched in horror as he realized what Roxas intended on doing. Axel was working like a strait jacket but Roxas was fighting back. Pence walked over to them. Then he slapped Roxas across the face. Roxas was shocked. Pence was a peaceful guy who never resorted to violence. Pence grabbed the front of Roxas's shirt, his face livid.

"You had better be in our room when I get back from holiday!" Pence shouted. "There's no way in Hell I'm getting another roommate. You were the first person I met here and for the first time in my life you didn't tease me. You didn't give me dirty stares. You treated me like an equal. Sure you were being all emo but I didn't care. I still don't. All I care about is our friendship. If you let go, then it's over. How does that make me feel? I'm not garbage, Roxas!" Roxas flinched as Pence spat out his name.

"Pence, I'm sorry. This had nothing to do with you."

"Roxas, stop being stuck in the past!"

"I'm not stuck in the past!" Pence grabbed Roxas's phones and showed him his contacts. Aerith, Cloud, and Leon were still there.

"They're dead, Roxas. Let them go."

"Who gave you the right to stick your fucking nose in my shit?!"

"When your shit became my problem!" Pence ripped the phone from Roxas's hand.

"What the Hell are you doing?"

"Helping you move on." Roxas's eyes went wide.

"Don't you dare." Pence hit the options key on Aerith's contact. "I will make your life Hell…" The option "Are you sure you want to delete this contact?" popped up on the screen. Roxas squirmed against Axel but he couldn't break free.

Pence hit yes.

Roxas screamed in rage. Strings of strong curse words rang from his mouth as Pence then went to delete Cloud and Leon's names as well. Tears fell from his eyes.

"You fucking bastard," Roxas growled. Pence scowled back at him.

"You have to move on, Roxas."

"I can't!"

"Then read this!" Pence dug a sheet of paper out of his pants pocket and shoved in in Roxas's face. It was a news article from a couple weeks ago. "I thought I recognized the name Aerith on your phone but I couldn't place where I saw it. Then I remembered reading this."

The article was a recap of the school shooting incident. The court had finished wrapping up the last of the cases related to the incident. Near the bottom were the names of all of the victims. Then there were quotes from the parents of the students. Roxas felt his insides freeze when he saw one was from Aerith's mother.

"I true tragedy. I cannot express the pain I feel every day now that my beautiful daughter is missing from this world," Roxas read silently. He turned his gaze away, his heart burning in pain. Pence turned the paper towards him and continued reading the quote aloud.

"For some, we were truly hurt. For others, traumatized. I can't come to understand how we put the blame on one child. For years we treated him like a martyr. When I look back, I realize now I had been wrong. We all were wrong. He [sic] was forced to pull the trigger on his friends and colleagues. He made the decision to destroy the monster that took our children away. If he hadn't done it, wouldn't have we? Having the shooters life be spared would not have made the situation any less painful. Having him killed won't bring our children back. I just want to make sure the community knows this: I don't blame Roxas for anything. If I could, I would wrap him up in my arms. Out of all of the students, his ordeal was the worst. We should honor him for his bravery, not scorn him for his lack of strength. And I think that was our greatest weakness. With the shooter gone we wanted someone to blame. We were wrong. Despite everything that happened, I will still gladly accept Roxas into my home with open arms, and an open heart."

Pence stopped reading and looked up at Roxas. The blonde teen was silent.

"I don't know what happened back then, but I like you for being you, Roxas. Flaws and all."

"Pence…" Roxas reached out and pulled his roommate into a hug. "Thank you," he whispered.

"You're welcome. Real friends aren't pricks to each other." A forced smile broke on Roxas's face. Roxas let Pence go and Axel relaxed his grip on Roxas.

"I'll see you January?" Roxas asked. Pence gave one of his signature sheepish smiles.

"You bet! I'll bring back so many Christmas cookies we'll have to roll to class."

"I look forward to it." Pence handed Roxas his phone back.

"Hey Axel." The red head looked up at the mention of his name. "Keep your eye on him while I'm gone." Axel nodded.

"Thank you," he mouthed. Pence grinned and went back to his van. Then he drove back towards the dorm. Roxas let out a sigh.

"You should get someplace warm," Roxas suggested softly.

"Will you be okay?" Axel asked.

"I think so. I just need some time to think. My head's still fuzzy."

"There's room at my place if you want to stay."

"'Kay." Axel let Roxas go and handed back his jacket.

"I'll follow you." Roxas walked back to his car and climbed inside. Axel followed him back to his apartment. When they opened the door, they were greeted with a trio of worried faces.

"Axel! You just took off and we were worried what happened!" Demyx exclaimed. Roxas took notice he had been holding hands with Zexion until the door opened.

"You both look terrible," Marluxia commented. "Come on. Hot showers for both of you." Marluxia ushered them upstairs. Roxas and Axel split at the stop of the stairs and showered off. Once they were warm and pink, they slipped into some clean clothes. Roxas wore some of Zexion's clothes since they were the closest in size. It consisted of a grey t-shirt and black shorts.

As Roxas stepped out of the steamy bathroom, he saw Axel heading back to his own with a different shirt. Roxas's eyes widened at the sight of Axel's chest. It was littered with tiny scars. When Axel turned his back, there was a large scar down his spine. Axel slipped inside the bathroom and shut the door.

Marluxia had Roxas stay in his room so he could keep an eye on both of the troubled pair. Roxas cleared off Axel's bed and sat down. He shivered as the cool apartment air brushed against his skin. Roxas slipped under the covers and settled down. It was the first time he was in someone else's bed. Axel's pillow had a spicy scent to it. He started dozing off.

He wasn't sure how long it was until he felt the covers being drawn back. Roxas was half asleep. He felt something warm being pressed against his forehead. Roxas cracked open his eyes to see Axel lying next to him. He settled down and let out a drawn out sigh. Roxas closed his eyes and let sleep take him.

XxXxX

Roxas woke up warm and rested. For once his dreams weren't plagued by blood and screams. He buried his head into the sheets. There was movement behind him. Roxas remembered Axel was sleeping there next to him. He suddenly realized Axel was sleeping really close to his back. They were practically touching. When he tried to scoot an inch to the left, he found his way was barred by Axel's arms wrapped around his waist.

Roxas felt his face flush. 'Does Axel know or did this happen on accident?' Roxas wondered. He sloppily rolled over so he was facing the sleeping man. Axel's face looked strained. Roxas poked his finger on Axel's nose. The man's face twitched. Then he groaned loudly.

"Go away, Marluxia," he grumbled.

"Axel, it's me," Roxas clarified. Axel cracked open an eye.

"Oh. Morning Roxas."

"Do you mind letting me go?"

"Eh?" Axel noticed his arms were wrapped around the blonde's waist. "Oh. Sorry." Axel snaked his arms out from underneath Roxas and rolled onto his back.

"Axel?"

"Hmm..."

"What happened back in high school?"

"What do you mean?"

"All I remember was something happened during Christmas break my freshmen year. Before then you were the loud, popular guy in the senior crowd. After, not so much." Axel blinked, thinking back to high school.

"Weren't you the kid who stopped to talk to me as I was leaving?" Roxas's cheeks blushed lightly.

'He remembered.' "Yeah." Axel chuckled.

"Now I remember. You were different back then. You had this innocent cuteness about you." The blush on Roxas's face deepened. Luckily, Axel was staring at the ceiling. "First you have to tell me where you learned to dance."

"I used to go clubbing a lot with my friends. My friend, Cloud, and I started training professionally. We did some competitions before…well, before he died." Roxas's face fell.

"I see." Axel sighed. "I was kind of an idiot in high school. I would go to parties and drink. You know, stuff the cool kids did." Axel glanced at Roxas. His blue eyes stared back at him. "I was at a Christmas party. My friend, being the responsible one, wasn't supposed to drink. He got him to drink a few before we headed home. I was too wasted to drive so he kept to his word and drove me home. The roads were slippery that night. I just remember he over corrected and we were sent flying into a guard rail on the back road with the cliff. I was smart and wore my seat belt. My friend wasn't. He was ejected and I rolled helplessly down the cliff.

"When I came to, I was in the hospital in critical condition. I overheard my friend had died on impact with a tree, which had impaled him through the chest. By the time the paramedics came, my blood alcohol level was normal so they never knew we had been out drinking. I had a spinal cord injury so I went through eighteen hours of surgery.

"After the break, that Xaldin kid pushed the Student Council on me to turn myself in. They knew I had been drinking and thought I deserved juvey. I finally couldn't take it anymore and changed school over spring break. I met Marluxia there and we became friends. I met Demyx during my first semester here in a Music Literature class. He became friends with Zexion the next year and we moved out here. You can pretty much figure out the rest."

"What was your friend's name?" There was a pause before he answered.

"Saïx. We were childhood friends."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"Right." Roxas curled up tighter under the covers.

"Say, how do you know that one song?"

"Which one?" Roxas asked.

"Passion. It takes me ages to make out the lyrics to new songs, not to mention those in a different language. You seemed to know the song by heart."

"It's stupid." Axel rolled so he was facing Roxas.

"Try me."

"It was our senior song, or at least the English version was. I didn't know what the song was so I looked it up. One of the recommended links was the Japanese version. I sort of looped it until it would get stuck in my head. When they played it during the graduation ceremony, all the students started singing along. Being the rebel, I sang the Japanese version just to rub it into their faces."

"You have a good voice. I'm sure you out sang everyone there."

"Under my breath?" Axel leaned in close so their foreheads were touching.

"Even then." Roxas felt his face flush softly. "Roxas."

"Yeah?"

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what?" Axel rolled so he was on top of Roxas. Roxas's heart beat quickened, pounding in his ears.

"You're so innocent. I can't help it that I find it attractive."

"I…uh…um…" Roxas couldn't think again. He kept losing himself in Axel's eyes. 'Why can't I think when he looks at me like that?' Roxas swallowed hard. Axel intertwined his fingers with Roxas's, pressing their palms together.

"It's almost like you want me to come after you." Roxas felt his heartbeat get even faster. His breathing became shaky. Axel leaned his head down so their foreheads touched. Roxas leaned upwards and their lips met. When Roxas pulled back, Axel stared at the teens face. It looked like a lost puppy seeking his master's approval. Axel smirked.

"You know what? Fuck society," Axel growled. He pulled Roxas into a deep kiss. Roxas closed his eyes.

'Oh God, what am I doing?! I'm kissing a guy, Axel for that matter! But DAMN does it feel good.' They deepened their kiss. Roxas slipped his hands from underneath Axels and wrapped them around his neck. Axel ran his fingers through Roxas's hair.

When they broke apart, they were breathless. Roxas's cheeks were bright red while Axel's had a light blush dusting them.

"Axel?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah?"

"I…I think I like you," Roxas whispered. Axel raised an eyebrow. He leaned forward and kissed Roxas on the neck. Roxas let out a small gasp as he licked a sensitive spot.

"You want to know what's funny?" Axel asked.

"What?" Roxas asked, his breathing heavy.

"I think I like you too." Roxas felt like his body melted. He let out another strangled gasp as Axel continued to devour his neck.

"Don't ruin your appetite on Roxas now." Axel shot up in surprise, Roxas propping himself up on his elbows. Marluxia was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed across his chest and a smirk on his face.

'Shit!' Roxas thought.

"You two ready for breakfast?"

"Um, yeah. We'll be down in a minute," Axel replied. Marluxia rolled his eyes and left them to head downstairs. Axel rubbed the back of his head. "I guess that was a bit uncalled for," he muttered. Roxas sat up fully and kissed Axel under his jaw. Axel's eyebrows shot up.

"Our secret," Roxas stated. Axel smirked.

"You got it, Roxy." Axel kissed him on the lips one last time, drawing it out for as long as he could. Then he got out of bed and headed for the kitchen. "Let's eat!" Roxas jumped out of the bed and hurried after him, a smile kissing the corners of his lips.