Xion breathes, but she doesn't need air. When she's being charged, there's a quiet hum as her fans whirl, and Axel wonders while he's lying in bed, 'Why did I take her out of the computer? There's nothing for her. It's dangerous. It's painful. There's nothing for me, let alone her.' But he doesn't tell anyone that he knows his father's secrets. How Xion is a masterpiece even if her main code is a little cumbersome. For Xion is the first of her kind, not a Level 7, but something more than that. A Nanomachine Controler, or as he likes to call it, a NC.

Her labyrinths of complexities are endless as she asks him to be human and wants fingers, toes, and to feel, and he ignores the laws of creation, so his father's dream to live can go on. Xion was created to control the nanomachines that are still oh so experimental, and in doing so, she can fix every blocked artery and repair every bad kidney that has and ever will exist. The human way of living forever. She and the nanomachines will take the surprise of death away, or some will think, as they promise to release the soul into a soft end of eternal sleep. She can stop the effects of Panguin and let someone with it have a normal life.

That isn't why he brought Roxas to meet her. No, his desire to know Roxas or even talk to him predated that. Growing up is hard regardless of everyone being equal; even if all color, creeds, and sexualities are accepted there's still those moments of embarrassment or bullying. Ever since fourth grade when Axel had watched the blond stand up for a girl in the hallway at school, he had felt something fuzzy inside when the younger boy's name was mentioned.

Roxas: a five letter word used to pour trepidation into Axel's heart.

He always had to make sure his hair was just right, and that he hadn't spilt anything on his shirt. The redhead had to ensure that there was nothing caught in his teeth, or his appearance was messy. Roxas made him flustered and his face hot. All he wanted to do was talk to the other, and that desire for contact became a distant watching as the blond began to evolve into an independent individual. Axel was gay. Really gay, but as he got into middle school, his crush faded and he worked on his AI. A flight of fancy occurred with two other personages over the years, but it was hard to find commitment in a society that didn't know what that meant.

In his Freshman and Sophomore year, his focus became friends. He poured his time and efforts into finding others like him. It was hard. In a community built on the fortune of AI, it proved difficult to unearth others who wanted to follow in their parents' footsteps, so he left for the city.

There were small communities of kids who were into heavy robotics, and there the redhead thrived among them. Sora, the smallest of them all, enjoyed design. He loved to build frames and help with parts. He was a walking junkyard with his ratchets, screwdrivers, and bolts. The chocolate haired boy's pockets hung heavy with metal, and if there was an issue with the hardware, he was on it. Dark blue eyes would always look up to Axel with untamable whimsy and greet him loudly. A quality not found in most computer geeks, but that made the redhead appreciate it all the more.

In contrast was his best friend, Riku, a master of code. He could move a virus through a system and have a banker's money out from under him in minutes. The black haired boy dyed his hair silver, and it framed nicely his aquamarine eyes. Having been caught a couple times for his mischief, he was known for being in and out of the darker side of AI. The 'rule breakers'. Axel didn't feel like he was on that end of their community, but at night, when he was helping Xion become more and more lifelike, he had to confess that he was. He and Riku were friends who weren't friends. If one of them got in a pinch, the other would bail them out, but their average days together consisted of conversations filled with insults.

Kairi, the third musketeer, wasn't really into computers so much as the idea of it. She was their mediator. Her gift with words and people was special, and she was the best at handling the real world out of all of them. If Axel was straight, he would have probably tried to date her. She was definitely cute with her auburn hair and beautiful blue eyes. He couldn't tell if she had a thing for Sora or Riku (or maybe both?).

Freshman year, he had spent the summer with them learning all he could. Riku taught him how to do better emotional commands, and Sora taught him how to properly pressurize the oil to make a frame run smoother. Kairi helped him with his English homework because he really, really sucked at writing essays. In return, he supported them in every project, decision, and goal.

One night on his way back to the bus to head home, he was walking down a main street. There were people out, and the streetlights illuminated the way. In his mind, this meant that he was perfectly safe and there should be no problem with his journey. The suburban boy quickly found out differently when he was confronted at knifepoint for his wallet, "Give it over." Axel refused and called for help. There were people around, so clearly a fellow human would reach out and save him.

Nothing.

He called again, and his mugger laughed at him, "Don't you get it? They don't care. They don't want to die. They're afraid of getting stabbed."

Handing over his last fifteen dollars and a groupon, the redhead stood silent after his attacker had left. Thoughts loud, he held back tears.

'They don't care. No one cares. This is all meaningless. We've already lost the war on our humanity.'

It wasn't the city or the threats there that scared him.

It was the people themselves.

How deep they must hurt to care so little.

Thank you Layla~ Please review :3