a/n: I am sooo spoiling you guys. But after getting the most reviews ever for the last chapter, I wanted to thank you. (pssst! chapters come quicker if you review!) So here's chapter nine, only one week after chapter eight:D In here we have thinking and doubting and even Marluxia. Yay! I feel like things are really starting to shape up.

Anyway, as you know, KH is the property of Disney and Square.

Chapter Nine

In all his excitement, Roxas almost tripped in retrieving the bag containing his normal clothes and his clipboard. It was very sobering to have his nose come uncomfortably close to the pavement, a gut wrenching sensation that brought with it a multitude of equally gut wrenching worries.

What if Axel left before he got back?

And what if Axel hadn't left before he got back?

What if Axel saw completely through his disguise and got mad? Hell, Roxas would be furious in his place….but, then again, Axel had no reason to trick Roxas.

Just like he had no reason to speak to him so harshly.

I'm well within my rights, Roxas thought. If Axel was civil, if Axel was a normal human being, the situation wouldn't have even arisen. The bastard brought it upon himself.

And yet, the trusting look in his eyes…

Roxas shook his head furiously, shrugging out of his clothes after casting a quick glance around. He barely spared a thought to wonder at where his inhibitions had flown away to.

He brought it upon himself, Roxas thought firmly, stepping into his normal outfit.

It only took him two minutes to scrub his hair to its lackluster state and dress in his regular dull clothing. He shoved "Sora's" attire into the bag and picked up the clipboard, hiding it behind his back before walking out of the mouth of the alley---Axel was sitting on the curb with his back to him.

Roxas watched him watch the stars. There weren't many in the city, not really enough to waste your time on.

Then he cleared his throat, ever so softly. And in the dim light from the lamps high above he started to read.

"Axel. You have a cold exterior but I love you anyway. I hope someday you'll feel the same way."

Roxas tried to keep the disgust out of his voice.

Axel's head turned. The movement was impossibly slow, as if time flowed differently for the red haired man.

"You'll never know me, but that's okay. I'll just send you these posies and hope you'll have a good day….even though I believe to the bottom of my heart that we'd be perfect for each other."

His head was still turning. Roxas didn't realize that Axel wasn't moving slowly, he was reading so quickly his words were stumbling over themselves, running into each other in a breathless, convoluted line.

"Not everybody gives roses for love. You're a jackass and I hope I see your funeral."

"Have a nice life."

"I like your hair."

Axel was starting to stand up now.

"They say I'll be getting out of the hospital soon. I know how ridiculous it is for me to send you a message. You hate them so much. I wonder if the guy will even be able…to find you. It's harder than it looks."

And that was the end. Roxas exhaled giddily---only to inhale with fright at Axel's threatening proximity. The man's eyes were burning into his own. Don't recognize me, Roxas thought. Don't recognize me, don't recognize me…

"Are you done?" He asked softly.

Roxas is, really, a unique person. A person with a quick temper, and a tongue to match. It's a facet of his personality that his mother cursed and his fellow students used to marvel at. I say this only so you know how much fury his words were laced with when he replied:

"No. No, I am not done. I won't be done until the day I get fired, let me assure you. I have several things to say to you--" Roxas paused, realizing his voice was shaking.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Axel cut him off.

"Amazing. He already snagged a new kid."

Roxas blinked. "You don't remember me?" He hissed. He did, of course, remember Axel's assertion that he certainly wouldn't. But he hadn't really believed he'd made so little an impression.

Axel's blank face was answer enough.

"If you're waiting for someone," Roxas said finally, forcing as much ice as he could into the words, "I wouldn't stay long."

Axel only had time to raise his eyebrows and reach out before Roxas turned on his heel and walked hurriedly away.

If Axel wasn't so preoccupied with thoughts of Sora, he might have recognized that gait. If the sun had been shining on his hair, rather than the vague yellow glow of the street lamps, it would have been game over for Roxas.

He didn't.

It wasn't.

Axel sat back down on the curb and waited---firm chin in one languid hand and two eyes bright with anticipation.

Roxas stumbled into the flower shop well after midnight. He really didn't know why the door was still unlocked, and he didn't want to know--- Marluxia was watering the plants in the back of the room, paying delicate attention to every spring green leaf. It only took Roxas a cursory glance to see that he was the only one there.

"Jack," he said calmly. "I can't say it hasn't been interesting, but since you failed, I'm afraid I have to--"

"Here's the clipboard. I read him the messages at Namine Blanc's art show."

Marluxia dropped his watering can. Roxas looked down and watched the chemically enhanced liquid seep across the floor, missing the look of utter shock aimed at his head.

By the time he looked up, it was replaced with a self-satisfied grin.

"Lark's not lost her touch at all, then. Good job, Roxas. Come get your paycheck."

Roxas stared. "You just called me Roxas," he said numbly.

"I think you're imagining things, Jack," Marluxia snipped, but he was still smiling.

"I've only been working for two days…" Roxas hesitated. Marluxia was pulling out an envelope and writing down an amount that couldn't be right on a pink check.

"Messenger boys get paid for every successful task. I told you it's the most coveted job in the city, didn't I?"

"And the most looked down upon," Roxas intoned, remembering.

"I won't ask how a fellow like you managed it. I'll just tell you to do it again tomorrow. Here."

Roxas took the check between stiff fingers.

At least he didn't have to worry about money for awhile.

But…

"Why are you here so late?" Roxas asked, bracing himself for a nonsensical answer.

Marluxia cocked his head, a gesture that wouldn't have looked quite so elegant on anybody but his effeminate employer: several strands of his pastel hair escaped from behind his ears, falling to grace his porcelain, smoothly curved cheek. He shifted his position, leaning over to pick up the watering can, and smiled.

"Tonight is special," he said vaguely.

"Okay." Roxas nervously put a hand behind his head. "What do you mean?"

"Follow me."

Roxas started for the door Marluxia had dragged him through last time, to be met with his employer's aggravated sigh.

"No, not that door, this way." Marluxia gestured towards a set of double doors on the other side of the shop.

Roxas opened his mouth, shut it, and opened it again. "Were those doors always there?" He asked.

Marluxia gave him a strange look. "Not very attentive, Jack?"

"I used to think so," Roxas admitted, dumbfounded as he tried to remember their earlier state of existence.

"No matter, follow me."

Roxas obliged. The room he walked in to was decidedly colder than the shop itself, and the ceiling was made of panels of green and blue glass, as were three of the inwardly curving walls. It was quite lovely, and quite spooky as well.

Like the rest of the building, the floor space was packed with plants, only here there seemed to be just one variety. It was spread all across the room, rising knee high and dark green. The leaves held themselves higher than the springy bottom, and while it was nice, Roxas didn't understand the point.

"It looks just like grass, except for the leaves," he said.

"Exactly."

"Huh?"

"That's why tonight is special…watch, the moon's finally coming out from behind the clouds."

Roxas watched.

"The seeds were a present from a friend of mine, named Saix. They're unique to his hometown, and I've never seen a night-blooming species quite like it. Every time I see him I ask how he could have ever torn himself from the sight to come here. He says not everybody is obsessed with flowers. Well, Jack, what do you think?"

Whatever thoughts he had had about Marluxia being a shady person were swept away in the time it took for the buds he hadn't noticed before to unfurl and reveal pinwheel sized, sweet smelling blossoms of every color he could name and a few he couldn't.

"How are there so many?" He breathed.

"They're called L'arc de la Luna. According to Saix, they've been genetically altered. Pretty, n'est-ce pas?"

"No wonder he sounded bitter," Roxas said, registering Namine's inspiration. "If there had been anything so beautiful about my hometown…I wouldn't have left."

He was shaken out of his reverie by Marluxia's striking laugh. "You're full of surprises tonight, Jack! How did you ever capture the attention of Saix Mer?"

"I don't actually know. He almost knocked me over in the street."

"Hmm…well, there they go, the coy things."

Roxas watched the blooms retreat once in more in a sluggish wave. "They don't bloom for very long," he remarked.

"And only once a year."

"Once a year?!" Roxas spluttered.

"I told you tonight was special. Now, I think I'm going to lock up. Come on then, I'll grab you the next messages while I'm at it."

"Thank you for showing me," Roxas said quietly.

Marluxia shrugged. "You were there."

"Story of my life."

"At least you're never bored, then." Marluxia locked the double doors with a large, silver key.

"Marluxia?"

The man swung back around, shucking his apron off and onto one of the hooks in the wall.

"Why does Axel hate you so much?" Roxas didn't really expect his theory to be correct, until Marluxia froze for an instant.

"He doesn't hate me, he just hates what I do to him."

"And what do you do?"

"I send you, of course. I used to do it all myself, you know. But I'm getting old."

"You're not a day over twenty five," Roxas scowled.

"Jack. I've been doing this for six years. I know what you're really trying to ask."

"And why's that?" Roxas's scowl deepened. He took back his newfound trust.

"Because they all ask the same thing. Larxene…no, he was the most dramatic about it. Crying and flailing, almost drowning, he was." He tilted his head again. "I don't think anyone else has been quite as angry as you, Jack. And that's saying something. You shouldn't take it personally. What you want to know is, why does he dismiss you like he does? Right?"

"Something like that." The smaller man folded his arms across his chest.

"I'm afraid it's just one of those things you have to work through yourself. You know…" Marluxia hesitated, eyeing the messenger boy sharply. "I take back what I said to you before. About not having what it takes." Marluxia handed him back the clipboard. "Have at it, then."

Axel did not have as bad a night as one might think. Obviously Sora had had an engagement come up while he was gone, and so Axel only ended up waiting an hour before finding Xigbar and demanding his nephew's phone number.

"Nephew?" Xigbar said blankly.

"Yes. Your nephew. Yea tall, saved the day, etc?"

"Ohh…you mean that nephew. Heh. Sure, Axel. Wait, why don't you just ask him yourself?"

Axel's eye twitched. "He had to leave, and then I was ambushed by one of those goddamn pawns."

"How reckless is that kid?!" Xigbar exclaimed.

"Hey, calm down Xig, I'm sure he's fine by himself at night."

"Uh…yeah, right."

Axel frowned. "You're acting strange."

"Shhh! Demyx might hear you." Xigbar looked around wildly.

Axel rolled his eyes in ill concealed frustration. He toyed with the idea of telling Xigbar that that had been Demyx's exact response earlier in the evening, dropping it almost immediately. They didn't deserve it, not when they both specialized in wasting his time. It was especially hard to forgive the landlord, who wasn't nearly as adorable as his cousin.

"Whatever. Listen, just give me his phone number."

"Okay, there's no need to snap. What's got you so pissed off?"

"He said he'd come back, okay? And he didn't."

Xigbar blinked. "Oh. Well…I think you'll find that he disappears sometimes."

"Thanks," Axel said shortly, taking the scrap of paper the flustered landlord offered him.

He went to congratulate Namine one more time before vacating the area, feeling strangely disappointed. He didn't even feel like taking someone home with him, instead parting from the crowd of offers with an apologetic smile.

"Hi mum. I know. You were about to track me down and set me on fire. Yeah. Yeah. Uh-huh. Ye---no. I'm not coming back. Actually, I have got a job. It pays quite well. What do I do? Um. It's sort of free lance work…I…uh, I find people. Yes. No, not like a private investigator, but I guess you could call it that. Friends? Actually…yes. No, heh, they're not paintings. My landlord---he looks likes a pirate---is really nice. So is this girl I know who works at a bookstore. No, I don't think it would work out between us, somehow. Tell Hayner I say hi too. Oh, he and Olette got together? How nice for them. Yes, I think that's nice. No. I don't know any other girls. Mum, I don't really like girls. No! I didn't mean it like that! I'm sure I'll find one eventually. I'm not exactly looking. Okay. Sure. Yeah, I'm all unpacked. It's been three days, mum, of course I am. I must not know the streets too well yet? You'd be surprised…oh, nothing. I love you too. Your good china? Of course I'm using it…" Roxas cringed. "Of course. Bye."

After putting down the phone Roxas took in the horrible state of his apartment. The boxes hadn't been moved since he'd lugged them up the stairs, the walls had prints on them (left from the previous tenant. He didn't want to think about it.) and there was dust on everything. In the corners, on the window sill, not even the ceiling had escaped. He'd only set foot in the bathroom once, but it wasn't better off, not by any means.

If Roxas hadn't grown up in a nigh immaculate environment then it wouldn't have bothered him as much as it did. If he had spent more than a grand total of twelve hours in the apartment---eleven of which he'd slept through---he would have cleaned it already.

As it was he sighed and started unpacking.

He took out his clothes, and hung his wardrobe up in the closet, putting considerable space between the clothes he was going to use as Sora and his own.

Next came his books, which took twice as long. It was strange how the only furniture that didn't have any dust on it was the two piece set of shelves, tucked into the back corner of the room. Apparently Axel was an avid reader? Roxas frowned.

He didn't really know that much about Axel.

Roxas wondered, suddenly, how long the man had waited for him. An hour? Three? All night?

So what if it was, Roxas thought. This is strictly business.

Strictly business? A nasty voice in his head snipped. It seems to me like you're making this a personal vendetta. You were happy to think that he waited a long time. And do you know where personal vendettas lead, Roxas? They lead to issues and obsessions and all sorts of things which in connection to Axel would be horrific. They lead to all sorts of things you've learned to avoid. To drama, to trauma, to pure unadulterated hell.

It's my job, Roxas snapped.

Just make sure you keep it that way, the voice admonished.

Roxas continued his unpacking in a foul mood.

A few hours passed before his landlord stuck his head through the door.

"Hey, Roxy, wanna come get some---holy shit!"

"What?" Roxas's head snapped up from his novel. Xigbar was turning in a small circle, clearly dazed. "Your room is...sparkly," He said.

Roxas laughed at the clear distrust in his voice. "That's because I dusted. And vacuumed. And polished. And dusted again, because trust me, once was not enough."

"It looks nice. Kind of creepy, though. I'm used to wading through filth if I wanna drag a tenant out."

Cleaning wasn't the only thing Roxas had done. He'd moved the sporadically placed furniture, organized the few knickknacks he had scattered around---including but not limited to his collection of comic books, photos from home, a geo Hayner had given him, and other trinkets that had caught his eye---and opened all the curtains, letting the room be soaked in light for probably the first time since the walls were put in.

Fully cleaned and tidy as could be, it was actually quite livable.

Roxas wrinkled his nose. "I believe it. So, what did you want?"

"I just thought you'd like to come to lunch with me, meet some of my friends, that sort of thing."

"Do you mind if I go as Sora?" Roxas asked, realizing another valuable opportunity.

Xigbar frowned, a small shadow flickering across his dark eyes. "Whatever floats your boat, Roxy," he said. "Meet me downstairs, okay?"

"Sure."

"Sora. Guess you're not home. That's some disappearing act you've got…but I didn't see it quite clear enough. How about you show me again tonight? I'll be at club 13. Your good old uncle knows where it is if you don't. I want to see you again… I meant every word, you know. And…heh, now I'm trying to think about something clever to close with. So much for wit. Bye for now."
a/n: you can probably expect chapter 10 (oh my god, double digits coming up!) fairly quickly, regardless of the number of reviews. Next up we meet Zexion, I think.

I'd also like to apologize for the crappy flower scene...hmm...what else should I be telling you right now... this chapter was actually kind of tame, wasn't it? I'll make up for it in the next one, don't you worry. So, did anyone else feel sorry for Axel? raises hand Poor guy has no idea what he's getting into. Then again, neither does Roxas. Mwahahaha. Should we put it past Axel to jump Roxas at the club? XD

Anyway...more people have this on alert now! Isn't that awesome? I'd love to hear from some of you I haven't heard from before. I want to know what you're thinking!