AN: Whahahaaaa!!! Sorry, I'm a little psyched out! In my personal author's opinion, this is a REALLY GOOD CHAPTER!!! We learn about Axel's past in this one!! And, there's gonna be some Akudemy in the next chapter! XD Although, I will admit, the beginning kinda sucks a bit. I didn't want to make this chapter about Roxas, but I wanted to start out with him waking from a dream. I needed a reason for Axel to talk about his past. Anywhosits, on to my reviewers:
Riku-Stalker-What do you mean you envy my writing skills? Your writing is so much better than mine! Look at how many more reviews you have on The Icecream Man! Now that story is pure gold.
WishingYouWereHere-He's not exactly bi-polar, but he is a bit...mentally unstable. That was proven by that breakdown back in chapter 3
the masochist and the sadist
Silver Tears 11
hermione494
Sora Keyblader
Tsuzuki Misaki-XD
sanestinsanepersonever
KayChan4U-He won't always be. After the next chapter, Roxas is gonna realize his feelings. Won't be long now. :3
Terranei Parker
3-2-1xGLOMP
Aly the Trickster-Aw, be nice. He's going through a lot of crap. But he gets better from here on in.
Darkest Soul of Sadness
Shetan Teh Bandit
Yami Dragoness of Dark-I don't think I mentioned you in the last chapter, I'm sorry! -Glomp!- It's hard to keep track of everyone, so sometimes I get a little mixed up. In fact, I can't remember if you reviewed on this chapter or last chapter. -Clueless-
I love you all! I give everyone on this list free rights to use the Orange Leprechauns to seek revenge on anyone they choose! XD And thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday. Don't stop reviewing on my story, or I'll stop writing it because I'll have dropped dead. Seriously, the only reason I breathe anymore is because of the wonderful reviews so please for my sake don't abandon me! Also, if anyone is wondering, the tea they're drinking is Ginkosharp. Why, you may ask? Because Ginkosharp is my fave! Alright, on with the story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. I also don't own McDonalds, Starbucks, Wal-Mart, or any of the business companies taking over the world. It's not that they're in this story, I just don't own them. .o
Sora's face, eyes full of sadness, bore down on him. Roxas couldn't look away, no matter how hard he tried. "Roxas," came the sad voice, "Why did you kill me? I thought you loved me?"
Roxas bolted up in bed, heart pounding. He had been starting to have recurring dreams about his brother. Every time he closed his eyes, there he was. It was odd, because there had been a whole long period between Sora's death and these nightmares. What had caused them?
The blonde jumped as the door to his room opened. Axel stood in the doorway. "I…heard you crying. Are you alright?"
Roxas lay down with his back to the redhead, pointedly ignoring him. Axel sighed. "Look, I know you don't want my help, but…"
"But what?" Roxas growled, "It's as simple as that. I don't want your help, so stop trying already."
He heard footsteps cross the room and the bedsprings squeak as the redhead sat down.
"Go away," he mumbled.
"No," came the usual response, "I won't go away. Roxas, what is it that makes you so afraid to trust me?"
Uh-oh. Now here was the question the blonde teen wanted most to avoid. In truth, there wasn't any reason for not trusting Axel. He was a nice person and put up with him even when he was being difficult. I guess, he thought to himself, It's because I know I don't deserve his kindness. I know I'm not worth it. So I push him away. Nothing I do can ever repay him. And maybe if he hates me instead…
"Roxas?" The teen was pulled from his thoughts by Axel's inquiring tone. What to say, what to say…?
"Well," he said indignantly, "It's not like I really know anything about you, is it? I mean, why would you expect me to open up to you if you're practically a stranger to me?" Score. Maybe that would shut him up for a while.
There was a long silence, then, "You want to know more about me? Fine." The springs squeaked again as the redhead stood up. "Come on, I'm not talking in here."
Roxas rolled over, incredulous. He was just trying to get him to back off, but Axel seemed more than willing to talk about himself if it would help. Was he being serious? One glance at the redhead's face revealed that he was, indeed, serious. His hand was outstretched towards the young teen and Roxas took it without thinking, allowing Axel to haul him to his feet.
The redhead set a cup of tea in front of the blonde as he sat down across from him with his own cup. They had gone into the kitchen and were currently sitting at the table. For the moment, it was silent, each of them sipping their tea quietly. Finally, Axel said, "I don't really know where to start. It's…a little complicated."
"What about at the beginning?" Roxas suggested quietly, "Most people find that the best place to start."
"Right…" Was Axel nervous? It was a strange thing for him, since usually he was so cheerful and upbeat. Roxas took another sip of his tea and waited patiently for him to begin.
"Um…just…don't interrupt me, alright? I just wanna get through this as quickly as I can."
Roxas frowned, confused, but nodded in agreement. Axel took a deep breath and finally began.
"I suppose…I should start where I can remember. I grew up in foster care. They told me my parents had abandoned me at some church when I was only a few days old." He took a deep breath. "I always used to hate my foster parents, no matter how nice they were to me. Why?" He chuckled grimly. "Well, now it seems kind of stupid. But I guess to a kid it made sense. Maybe I took out my feelings towards my parents on them. I can't really say…
"Anyway, I remember I was bounced around from house to house. I changed from one sibling to being an only child to having dozens of siblings constantly. School was no better. All the kids used to ask me why my parents didn't love me, and where were they now. I guess they didn't really understand, as most kids don't. Because of that, it was hard to make friends. Except…Demyx." He laughed a little at a memory. "We used to get into all sorts of trouble. But, no matter how bad it got for Demyx, he always used to say it was okay because I was there." He took a sip of his tea.
"I remember this one time in middle school; a bully was constantly picking on Demyx. Well, Dem isn't much of a fighter at all. So, when the bully punched him and gave him a bloody nose, all he could do was sit and cry. Naturally, I hated seeing my best friend hurt, so I beat him up." He smiled sadly. "Although…I suppose I just made things worse for Demyx. Nobody wanted to be near him anymore because they were afraid I would hurt them. But he never complained, not once."
Axel paused and for a minute Roxas thought he was finished. But he took another deep breath and continued. "In high school, I used to think that Demyx would abandon me. You know how it gets when you're in high school. You grow apart. I thought that maybe he would want a normal life, but when I told this to him he only laughed and said, 'Don't be silly. You're my best friend, why would I leave you?' He'll never know just how grateful I am for that. High school wasn't the greatest experience of my life. I couldn't blame it all on ignorance anymore. The kids made fun of me constantly, saying my parents didn't love me, that nobody loved me, that I was a black mark on society, stuff like that. Even the teachers hated me."
He swallowed. "I used to get in a lot of fights because of it. I couldn't control my temper at all and when they said things like that…I just couldn't stop myself. It's not like I proved them wrong or anything, and I knew that. Still, I guess I just wanted to hurt them like they'd hurt me." Another long pause. Axel took another drink of his tea, draining it, before going on.
"I was suspended a lot in high school, due to the fights. But…I made sure not to miss too much school. I made sure to do at least enough to pass. I didn't want to spend more time in that hell-hole than I had to." He drummed his fingers on the table, looking like he didn't want to continue. Nevertheless, "At graduation, I was so happy. Not only did this signify that I could leave high school, it meant I could officially leave foster care and live on my own. I already had a job, and had my eye on a nice apartment. I knew that it would be hard, but I was willing to go through it because I was tired of everything. Tired of being made fun of, tired of being pitied, tired of being supported by people who barely knew me. Just…tired. I thought that at graduation I was home free, but…" His voice caught a bit and he swallowed, "Some…some guys…I recognized them from the Junior class…probably put up to it by the Seniors…they thought it would be funny to throw eggs at me while I was walking across the stage."
This time it was unmistakable. The redhead's eyes were shining and Roxas could tell he was trying to hold back the tears. "Do you want to stop?" The blonde said quietly. Axel shook his head and wiped at his eyes. "No, I've gotta finish. I'm already this far in." He took another deep breath.
"I remember that everyone, even the teachers and the people in the audience were laughing. It was the most humiliating experience of my life. I ran off the stage and just…ran off. I can't remember the journey there, but I do remember ending up at the old park. You know, the one in the middle of town? Well, no sooner had I sat down to rest when Demyx showed up. Turns out he had followed me all the way from the school, even though he hadn't gotten his own diploma yet. 'I can get it later,' he said. ' Right now, my best friend needs me.' He'll never know how much that meant to me either."
Axel smiled, and looked relieved, almost like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "I remember telling Demyx, that day in the park, that I would never, ever let anyone else feel this way if I could help it."
Roxas stared into his now-empty cup. So that was why the redhead was always trying so hard with him. He felt like such an ass for treating him the way he had. "Hey, Axel?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry."
Axel looked confused. "Why are you sorry?"
"For always being such an ass to you, for causing that fight with your friend," He paused, "For burdening you."
The redhead chuckled. "You're not a burden, Roxas." He leaned forward and ruffled his blonde locks. "But I guess…reliving my past, I can understand why it is you act the way you do. As for Demyx…" he trailed off. "I guess it doesn't matter anymore."
Roxas' head snapped up. "That's not true. He's your best friend, you should make up with him." He stood up and stalked across the room, picking up the phone. "Here," he said, thrusting it into his hands, "Call him. Right now."
Axel looked down at the phone in surprise. "Right now? But, Roxy, it's 3:00 on the morning."
"I don't care. If he wants to make up as bad as you do, he won't mind. Now call him."
Axel stared at him, and a slow smile began to creep its way across his face. "Alright, you win. I'll call him. But you need to get to bed. You look like you're about to keel over."
"Do not," Roxas protested, stifling a yawn. Axel lifted an eyebrow at him and the blonde decided it would be wise to just go to bed instead of risking the redhead carrying him. He said good night and went to his room. But instead of going to sleep, he stayed with his ear against the door.
Axel dialed Demyx's number hesitantly. I shouldn't be doing this now, he thought, but that little twerp won't leave me alone if I don't.
After dialing, Axel held the phone to his ear. One ring…two ring…three…
"Hello?" Came a sleepy voice on the other end. Axel heart leaped. Holy crap, what should he say?"
"Hello?" This time the voice was a little annoyed. Axel cleared his throat and silently willed Demyx not to hang up before he said, "Ah, Dem-Demyx…hey…"
There was a pause before, "Axel? What the hell are you doing calling at 3:00 in the damn morning?"
"Well," Axel said sheepishly, "I just…I wanted to apologize. But I don't want to do it over the phone. Can you come over?"
"Now?" Demyx groaned, "Axel…can't it wait until morning?"
"It could, but I really don't want to wait until then."
Another groan. "Fine," he said, "But you owe me. And you have to let me sleep while I'm there."
"Deal," Axel said, relieved. "I'll, uh…see you when you get here, okay? Bye."
"Bye."
Random side-note: Anyone here like doing RPGs? Then please go to my homepage! That's practically all we do there. It's a lot of fun and plus you make new friends. Pleeeeaaaaaase? -Googoo eyes- We're in short supply of RPGers who can write coherent sentences. But...don't tell the current members I said that.
