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Description
Chapter two.

::Second Impressions::
Innocence is in the eye of the beholder.

Warnings: Shounen-ai/Yaoi, AkuRoku, Roxion(implied), implied wet dream, randomness, and Sora's obvious distaste towards our dear Axel.

Warnings that you probably don't need: This is a lot different from the rough draft, much more descriptive as to how Roxas got ready for his date.
...Why am I changing it?
Because I like being descriptive and when I don't describe a person's clothes when I write fan-fics, I re-read my stuff and have to get the mental image of them being naked out of my head(not that they really are naked, that's just how my brain works).

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Maybe I should have tried to clear my mind of Axel, Akuseru... whatever name he's going by, before going to bed. I had an... interesting dream last night involving Axel, me, and what I assume was supposed to be a waterbed.
Thing is, seemed more like a memory than a dream.
The other thing is I woke up at one a.m. because of it, and couldn't fall back asleep.

Anyways, today is my date....
Like I said, I couldn't fall back to sleep, so I was ready in the sense of what to wear, by about three a.m.. Were it not for the fact that big brother is a light sleeper and has his room right next to the backroom, I'd've already showered as well.
To be honest, I don't know why I agreed to meet up with Axel again, especially considering he groped me at our first meeting...
Should I be reconsidering this?

Sora woke up at about five. And instantly decided to call me a bathroom hog since I claimed the shower instantly. As soon as I came back out he started bugging me about why I was going on a date with someone I just met.
The conversation went along the lines of: "Roku, you're 14. You shouldn't be seeing strange guys that you meet in a legally closed park that normally only you go to.; Roku, are you SURE you want to see this guy again, he seems like a punk(the funny thing about this is I only told Sora that I met Axel by crashing my RC plane into his head, and that he'd asked me on a date).; ROKUSASU! Why in the world would someone like you want to date someone you just met?" yeah. Obviously, Sora's an over-protective bitch. XD

Anyways. At about 8:45, we set out for Dunn Bros. Me in a black muscle-shirt and skinny-jeans that probably should only be worn by girls; a little bit of eye-liner, some red-ish eye-shadow, and a small amount of lip-gloss.
No, I don't want Axel to rape me, they're just the cleanest clothes I had and they don't look right without the emo-look. This is completed by my hair spiking up a little more than usual with the help of a little gel.
Sora was wearing more belts and zippers than he'd ever worn before.
Punk. T-T
And he still hadn't shut up about why I'm seeing Axel again... time to pull in the trump card.

"Sora, if you don't shut up, I'm going to inform Riku that you've had a monster crush on him since the first grade." Strange how a space cadet like me can say one thing that sounds menacing, and somehow effectively shut up Mr. Talk-a-lot.
How'd that happen again?

Anyways, we reached the coffee shop at 8:55. Five minutes early... damn, and I was purposely walking slow so that I wouldn't have to wai-... never mind.'
Axel was already there, looking for all the world like he hadn't sleep in a week...
He wore a black t-shirt over a long-sleeved red-shirt and tight black pants with silver chains hanging from the belt-loops. His hair was down today, apparently it was naturally spiky since there obviously wasn't a drop of gel or hair-glue in it.
Like me, he wore eyeliner, unlike me, he wore it thick.
He was sipping at a cup of mocha or something. Tired eyes brightening after he noticed we were there.
I think I might have been drooling a little, and I swear that Sora was bristling.

"Rokusasu, are you sure we can trust him?" I heard my brunette brother ask. This snapped me out of my 'stare/drool' contest with Axel, that’s right Axel… I saw that hungry look in your eyes…,. I smiled, nodding at him.

"Hai, I'm sure." Sora gave me an uncertain look before letting me drag him over to where Axel was sitting, Axel pointedly pulled one of the chairs over next to his so I could sit there. "Ohayo." I greeted cheerfully, ignoring Sora's perplexed look and Axel's tired grin.

"Mornin', gomen... my twin decided to throw a party last night. Couldn't sleep." he voiced, explaining his tired appearance. I saw Sora's eyes light up.

"Ah man, that bites. Guess you two can't go out today then." he chirped with a grin, only to yelp loudly as I pointedly kicked his shin under the table. Axel chuckled.

"Urasai, onii-san." I growled, ignoring that he had no idea what I was saying. Axel laughed again when the perplexed expression fell across Sora's face.

"Mou, you weren't joking when you said he was over-protective, eh Roku?" Ah, he was sticking to the agreement of calling me 'Roku'. Good Axel. ^-^
I shook my head while smiling, oblivious to Sora's frown.

"He always has been." Sora glanced at me.

"Well someone needs to make sure you don't trip on air and get hit by a car." he pointed out. I pouted at him.

"I may be a space-case, not an idiot, I CAN take care of myself... or are you forgetting that I'm the one who can work the stove when you won't even touch the micro-wave?" Axel laughed as I said this while Sora glared at us. The redhead ignored the glare.

"So... you have a twin?" Sora questioned, deciding he didn't like the former topic. When Axel nodded he continued. "What's his name?"

"Reno. If you need to know anything else, he looks like me but with blue eyes, spike-defying hair, and red marks under his eyes instead of black ones. No, these are not tattoos." Axel replied, at which point I noticed the black upside-down teardrop marks under each eye. Sora gave him a suspicious glare.

"How old are you, where do you go to school, and what clique are you in?" I blinked, even Zexy hadn't gotten that thorough of a questioning... then again, he’d been my friend since I was… um, three? So Sora had already known a bit about him.
That’s starting to make me wonder why Sora hates all of the friends that I have except for Namine.

"I'm seventeen, born the eighth of August in a small city called Edge. I moved here to Destiny Islands when I was four because my parents were able find better jobs than the once they had. I go to Radiant Garden Academy/University. I'm in my Junior year of High school. And I'm not in a 'clique' per-say, so much as a group of outcasts who sometimes get together. No, we are not a gang." he paused. "No, I'm not really dating anyone unless this date right now counts in your books. And Yes, I'm a virgin."

I stared at Sora's expression and was forced to laugh, it was just too priceless to see that 'deer in head-lights, oh God what just happened' look on my normally serious big brother's face. I briefly wished I had a camera.
And then Axel continued, adding to my list of reasons for laughing.
"No, I did not read your mind. My brother is just an insane person who likes to drag me, his boyfriend, two of my friends, and a girl we knew in elementary school, to watch cheesy romance flicks. So I have the basic gist of what you'd be asking." he paused, grinning at Sora's now even more 'oh God what have a done to deserve this verbal beating that's more of a -thou-asked-me-a-strange-question-thou-shalt-now-pay- thing'. "And the only reason I pay attention to the flicks is because 'nii-chan conveniently hides the matches at those times."

This snapped Sora back to reality and allowed me to stop laughing long enough to catch my breath.

"Matches? Why would he hide the matches?" Sora questioned.

"'Cause I'm a pyro-maniac and unless the matches are hidden, I amuse myself during movies by playing around with anything that creates fire." Sora stared at him again and I chuckled. "Anyways, you guys have any interest in plays or musicals? I've got a job over at the music hall and could get us in for free." he offered.
Now, part of the reason I think I'm weird. I'm a guy who actually likes plays and shit. Other people think I'm insane. Sora included.

"Eh... I'd rather not, plays and stuff really aren't my thing." no, they weren't. Sora was a jock.
Me on the other hand...

"I'd love to." I actually managed to say this with out blushing. "What's playing?"
Axel grinned, apparently not caring about whether Sora wanted to go or not.

"Mostly kids stuff, nothing really there for people our age. TLK, which might be sold out even though it's not the Broadway version, HSM(1), Wicked, which is actually pretty cool if you can get past 'Popular', but I'm pretty sure it's sold out. And some mystery thing for old ladies. Out of what for sure is left, none of the stuff is very interesting, but we'd really only be going to kill time." he pointed out. This got Sora's full attention. I felt a sense of dread at that dark grin he managed to put on.

"Why would we want to kill time? Why don't we just talk, learn more about each other, and then head to our respective homes?" there was a venom in his voice that I'd only heard once. And that was when some dude decided to pick on Kairi three years ago.
It was a tone that meant he hated whoever he was talking to.
I couldn't understand why he'd decided to hate Axel after not even an hour of talking. Glancing at Sora's watch, I realized it had been far over an hour and was about 11:00... when did that happen? Or more... HOW?
I also realized I was biased, I was naturally pretty trusting. Sora was just the opposite.
But still, he wasn't even this openly hostile with Zekushion, and he'd downright loathed ‘my’ emo friend before he moved. (He had a huge ass crush on Riku, who is the ultimate emo.)

This wasn't the first date I'd ever been on, but I'd only been on one that Sora wasn't there for, and that was that weird date with Namine that had her and I having awkward silences for a month.
That's the date that we learned we really weren't into the opposite sex.

I felt a surge of relief when I noticed that Axel had picked up Sora's tone and was confronting him about it.
I listened quietly as Sora and Axel duked it out verbally about onii-san's attitude and how over-protective he was.

I hardly noticed when he left though, since at some-pointed I'd returned to drooling over Axel's outfit. I did notice when Axel moved and tapped me on the shoulder.

"Hey, Rox. You want anything to drink?" I blinked, nodding absently.

"Small cappuccino, please." I replied, then looked around confusedly when I realized Sora wasn't there. When Axel came back from getting my cappuccino and another mocha for himself, I gave him quizzical look. He shrugged.

“You brothers’ a sore loser. He lost our little ‘argument’ and stalked off.” He explained. That made sense. “Something tells me he’s going to be stalking us for a little while now, though. Anyways here’s your cappuccino.” I smiled, taking the beverage gratefully.

“So… about Sora… this is the first time he’s left me alone with someone.” I voiced, hoping Axel wouldn’t freak out because I’d been on other dates.

“By, ‘alone with someone’ you mean left in the middle of a date?” he questioned, I nodded absently. “How many other’s have you gone on?” his tone was a little dejected. I glanced up, I could count on one hand the number of dates I’d been on. Yes, it was that few.

“Four. Two with my first crush, one with some kid who I only agreed to go on a date with him so he’d leave me alone, and then one with my other friend.” I replied. “What about you?” I turned my head to look at the beautiful redhead. Not sure why I didn’t do a double take after thinking that… Because he’s mine. Where the HELL did that thought come from?
Axel seemed to think for a moment before sighing.

“Lost count. My first crush is the only person I ever dated until now, and this date with you, but… he turned out to be a whiny bitch that needs to learn a little bit about respect and how not to cheat on someone.” He replied, tone darkening. I felt my chest tighten. Had I not been afraid of hearing something I didn’t want to hear, I’d’ve asked how long ago that was.
Sadly, it turns out Axel can read my mind. “That was about… five years ago? Yeah, five. Don’t worry, I’ve gotten over him. Glad I did, too.” He smiled at me suddenly and I relaxed. Five years… it wasn’t recent. “And you, how long ago was your last date?” I blinked and made a startled sound.

“Um… sometime towards the beginning of last year…? Which… was actually the one date Sora didn’t tail me for… not sure why he thinks I’m straight. I’m about as straight as a circle.” I was suddenly stumbling over my words. Not sure why, or how that had happened. But it got a reaction out of Axel.

“You dated a girl?” he asked incredulously. I blushed and dropped my gaze to the floor.

“I… I wanted a ‘normal’ date. One that Sora wouldn’t tail me on… and I wanted to know for sure if I was gay, straight, or bisexual… in the end, Nam and I managed to figure out that the opposite sex just isn’t very appealing. That was the most awkward day of my life… so far at least.” Axel blinked.

“Nam?”

“Namine, she been my friend since we were in diapers, and Sora’s convinced that I’m going to marry her one day. Which I doubt, she likes girls, I like guys. Simple as that.” I explained. “As for the other two… one of them, the date to get the guy to leave me alone… he used to be my friend. One of the few that Sora actually liked. Then I figured out that he’s a druggie, and will stop at nothing to get in someone’s pants. Namely mine. That… wasn’t fun. That was the one date I was actually GLAD Sora was there for. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be a virgin right now, and Hayner would probably be fucking me into a mattress against my will.” I noticed Axel’s eyes darken a bit. Though they lit up again at the ‘against my will’ part.

“And the other person? ‘First Crush’?” he questioned. I’d lifted my gaze from the floor, and now dropped it right back to the tiles.

“I… I really, really liked him. I wouldn’t say I was in love, but… Sora hated him though… loathed him, actually. He… was my first kiss. First and… for now, only. Sora figured out real quick what we’d done behind his back… and we never got another chance. That’s not the only thing that kept us from kissing again. A while later, he admitted to something that had been bugging me as well.” I paused, continuing to stare at the ground. I could picture the kiss clear as crystal, and every time I did, the same overwhelming guilt settled firmly in my gut. “See, afterwards… we both felt this weird… extreme guilt over it. Like we’d cheated on someone.” I fell silent for a moment, knowing full well that Axel was waiting patiently for me to continue. “He had to move away about a month later. We’ve kept in contact… sort of. It’s kind of detached. He’s always been a pretty studious and quiet kid, so he really only uses the computer for homework and stuff, and I can’t write a letter to save my life…” talking about Zexion again, with someone who was actually listening, was nice. Very nice. I missed him, the emo bastard. “I think he’s supposed to be a Sophomore, but he skipped a grade. That’s the last I heard from him. Now I’m waiting for a reply to my most-recent e-mail.”

“Do you know where he goes to school?” I looked up again.

“Same school as you. Zekushion, Genkaku Zekushion. He prefers Zexion or Zexy. Not sure why.” Axel blinked, then broke into a grin.

“Ah, you mean Zexy Emo. That’s his newest nickname courtesy of me. He’s not to happy with it though, throws his damn Tome at me every time I call him that.” He laughed. This had my interest REAL quick.

“Zexy emo? I’m assuming that comes from ‘Zexion/Zexy’ and his old nickname of ‘Little Emo’. As Eleaus used to call him?” Axel nodded. Apparently, the coffee was starting to take effect. “Wait a sec, you know him!?” Axel’s grin said it all.

“Yeah, He’s a smart kid no doubt. He tell you he has a boyfriend?” He asked. I nodded, yeah, Zexy had told me about his new boyfriend. I’d asked for a picture and he’d sent a picture of a childishly cute blonde with what appeared to be the love child of a Mohawk and a mullet for hair. I’d been happy for Zexion, cause something told me he wasn’t going to be feeling guilty about this one. Then Axel was talking again and I had to tune in quickly. “Still, wow, you and Zexy were going out. That’s neat. How about I play messenger for you two. That way you don’t have to use the e-mail version of snail-mail. He used to talk about you all the time. Well, when he actually decided to talk instead of throw his book at people who interfered with his studying. Wow, maybe I should have made the connection sooner.” He was grinning. And I was blushing. Zexy used to talk about me… why did that not surprise me?

--
“You know Roxas. If things had gone differently, if Demyx and Axel weren’t factors, I’d be the one trying to win you over.” Number VI purred.
“Funny, I was about to tell you the same thing.” A voice similar to my own… but so cold.
“Hey you two, we’re willing to have a foursome if it’ll keep you loyal!” VIII was yelling while IX nearly died laughing in the background.
--

“Rox?” I heard Axel question, pulling me out of that weird flash-back thing, I knew the ‘Numbers’ that matched with the people from my dreams, Except for that second speaker... I glanced at Axel, trying to decide why he’d decided to call me by ‘Roxas’ and his various ‘pet-names’ again. Then remembered that Sora wasn’t there.

“Did we know Zexion in our last life?” I asked. Axel nodded.

“We knew Demyx, his new boy-friend, too. Why?”

“I think I just remembered something… Axel, were you and I… ‘intimate’ in our last life?” Axel stared at me for a minute, then smiled, his eyes softening in a way that made my heart flutter..

“Sorry Roxy, can’t answer that. Something you’re going to have to figure out by yourself.” That would be the only response I would receive for months, the reply that meant that the subject was closed.

We were quiet for a little while longer.
And then:

“Let’s get to one of those plays. I’m kind of board.” I offered, it wasn’t so much that I was bored. It was that I wanted to get away from the smell of coffee and that some old dude in the corner of the shop was giving me looks that suggested things I don’t even want to imagine.
Axel laughed, a warm sound that had my heart fluttering again as I turned into butter. For how he was making me feel without even trying, I figured I might as well have worn Valentines colors instead of my emo get-up.

“Alright, which one?” His question had the same warm note as his laugh.

“Doesn’t matter, whatever isn’t sold out.” I replied. Axel laughed again, getting up and waiting for me to fallow, I did so.

As we left the shop, I realized Axel wasn’t pulling out any car keys or anything like that. I gave him a questioning look and he smiled sadly.

“Reno decided to steal my car for they day.” Well that explained it.

--

Well, the only thing that wasn’t sold out was the mystery thing that Axel had been talking about earlier. ‘Seeking Susan’ or something like that.
As Axel had said before, it was aimed towards anyone except for boys our age. More like Old Women. Like I said before, everything else was booked though, and Axel doesn’t have a special seat in the back for people who work here at the Music Hall.
All I have to say is: Thank God it’s free.

So here we are halfway through Act one. I’m half-asleep, and the last time I checked, which was about five seconds ago, Axel looked like he wanted to burn the place down.

“Did I not make it clear that I’d do anything for you?” voice like honey, hot breath whispering against slightly parted and panting lips.

I snapped back to reality with Axel putting his hand on my upper thigh. Glancing at his face, I saw his almost concerned expression. My gaze went back to his hand. Normally, I’d’ve flipped out and fled the scene. But somehow, having his hand there felt right, it wasn’t like he was reaching for my crotch or anything like that, so I let it be.

“You okay?” he asked, startling me so my gaze snapped back to meet his. I swear I heard my neck snap in the process. I smiled.

“Yeah, this play has me bored out of my mind though..” I replied, trying to ignore that I suddenly felt tired.

“Want to leave? We got in for free so I’d have no problem with it.” I nodded gratefully.

“Think we could go to my park?” I requested, he seemed to understand what I meant by ‘my park’.

“So long as you don’t mind walking, it’s quite a ways from here.” He responded with a smile, standing up and offering his hand to help me. I allowed him to pull me out of my seat.

Ignoring the hisses, glares, curses, and shouts being sent our way as we walked out.

--

As we neared the park, I began to notice that it was actually pretty late in the day. I absently wondered how that had happened as I glanced around my small part of town.

I lived in one of the nicer parts of town, big white houses with dark roofs. My own house being an exception as it was blue with a white roof. But anyways. The houses were currently stained with a golden hue by the setting sun. The gardens in front of the houses were painted an even wider array of colors than normal with the sunset. It was beautiful, and I suddenly felt a sense of sadness at my normal five o’clock curfew. That had been extended to ten for today, since I was on a date.
I’m pretty sure Axel noticed my staring, as he grabbed my upper arm and led me further away from the street.

I only noticed that we’d reached the park when Axel cleared his throat, stopping and accidentally causing me to bump into him. We were standing near the same bench I’d tended to his cut on, yesterday.

“Hey… Roxas, you alright space-case?” he inquired, sitting down. I smiled and nodded in reply.

“Yeah, just the first time in years that I’ve been past five. Sora’s not the only one who’s over-protective of me.” I explained, sitting down beside him and almost grinning when he put his arm around my shoulders. I leaned into his side. Letting his cinnamon-y scent fill my nostrils.

“Sometimes, it’s almost like I was born from the Twilight instead of a Somebody.” a soft voice, so similar to my own I almost thought I’d spoken.
“Maybe you were. Whose to say we’re really born from Somebodies?”
“Axel?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think we have hearts?”
“Well, I know I don’t.”
“Nani?!”
“Because I gave it to you, Silly.”

I blinked. Another one?

“Rox, you spaced out again.” I heard Axel voice, making me blush.

“G-gomen… er… Axel? What types of conversations did we have, in the last life I mean?” I questioned. Axel smiled and leaned against the back of the bench.

“Oh… just… anything really. A lot of ‘heart-to-heart’s, more than our fair share of arguments, especially at the beginning… we gave each other cold shoulder and the silent treatment more than once. But mostly… it was normal casual conversation. There were a couple of times when we just said stuff randomly and somehow made it sound like a conversation. The people around us always gave us weird looks those times, and often asked if we’d developed our own form of code.”

“…What about our… um… ‘birth’?” He cocked an eyebrow.

“Nani?” He questioned before realization dawned on his face. “Oh, ‘birth’, uh… why are you asking?”

“…I’ve… be remembering little snippets of conversations and stuff like that all day.” I admitted,  felt myself falling into an almost trance-like state. “…Born from Twilight… Born from Hearts…” my idle thoughts were cut short as Axel abruptly pulled me into his lap. “A-Axel?” He buried his nose in my hair, his breath felt hot against my scalp. From my position with my ear somehow pressed against his chest, I could hear his heartbeat. It was a relaxing and soothing sound.

“Rox…”

“Do… do I still have your heart? Or did you take it back?” the words left me before I knew that they’d even formed. The voice speaking them almost didn’t sound like mine.
I looked up when he removed his nose from my hair, his emerald eyes had a warm light in them. “Well?” my tone was soft, commanding and maybe a little snippy, but soft. I still don’t think it was really my voice though.
The light in those emerald eyes became even warmer, and before I could continue to press the issue of if I still had his heart or not, a pair of soft, warm- almost to the point of being hot, lips were pressed against mine.

Immediately, my brain began making comparisons between Axel and Zekushion. First, Axel’s kiss was warmer. He wasn’t a ‘shy-kisser’ like Zexion and I… hell, when Zex and I kissed, it happened to quickly and so briefly it was like it had never happened.
Also, like Zexion, Axel didn’t try to force his tongue down my throat, hell, he wasn’t even trying to force his way into my mouth. Really his kiss was more of a firm peck than anything else.

Absently, I began to kiss back. Hardly noticing when his hand crept up the back of my shirt and rested just below my shoulder blades.

After a short while, we pulled apart.  Was panting slightly, having forgotten that humans can breath through their nose when their mouths are otherwise occupied.

“Does that answer your question?” Axel asked, I felt my face curve into a smile.

“Yeah.” It was my own voice again, my own happiness. Not that I knew why I was happy, aside from the fact that he’d just kissed me. Axel smiled, his eyes catching the remaining sunlight in just the right way, making them gleam like a pair of twin flames.

“You’ve changed Roxas. But… I think I like the changes.” I blushed at his compliment. “Anyways, I’d better get you home before your parents and your brother flip out.” He laughed. A sound like the taste of honey and filling the air around us like bird-song. It was contagious and soon I was laughing along with him.

Somehow I didn’t mind when his hand slipped out from under my shirt to give my tail end a playful squeeze. Though the gesture was met with a half-hearted slap on the wrist and a yelp of protest. As well as me sliding out of his lap.
But… something told me that coming from Axel, especially after that kiss, that grope was as innocent as a newborn infant.

His laugh affirmed this theory as he stood and once again offered his hand to help me up. I took his hand gratefully and let him pull me to my feet.  I wrapped my arms around his skinny mid-section when he wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

Maybe it was because of my light-hearted mood, but the park seemed even prettier than usual. The sun left long shadows in just the right places and bathed the rest in a hazy golden glow. The sky was streaked with pastel colors and a pretty purple and blue.

And the feel of Axel’s arm around me as he walked me home… It helps that I didn’t trip over our feet and send us both down to meet the pavement like I had after my fist date was Zexion. That had embarrassed me to the point off not talking to Zexy for two weeks for fear of him hating me for it.
Considering the way  was having to walk to keep my arms around his waist, it’s a wonder I didn’t trip.

I didn’t ask why that kiss had felt so right, so nice. Nor did I question the sense of security that came with being around Axel.

All I questioned was the aching in my chest as my house came into view.

It never bothered me, or even crossed my mind, that Axel knew where I lived without me telling him.
Maybe I should have worried that he was a stalker?

“This the place?” Axel asked, his tone almost dejected. I blinked myself out of my thoughts and stared at the sky-blue monstrosity that was my home. I grimaced when I noticed a familiar blue eyed gaze from an upstairs window. Not Sora’s. Guess I should have mentioned that Axel isn’t the only one with a twin. Hesitantly, I pulled out of Axel’s hold, letting my own arms fall to my side. I didn’t want to part from the redhead quite yet.

“Yeah.” Awkward silence decended and I tried not to look at my Twin’s bedroom window. I already knew he was smirking. I made no move to go inside, and Axel made no move to leave.

“I’m… sorry that play was so boring.” I shrugged off the apology.

“Not your fault. You didn’t know everything else was booked. ‘Sides, like I said before, I’ve been remembering snippets of conversations all day. I’m pretty sure I remembered something then.” I chuckled, Gods… why was this so awkward? “…I… actually had a pretty nice time today, boring play aside. Thank you.” I noticed my twin leave his window out of the corner of my eye, and that Axel relaxed considerably at my words. Enough to grin.

“You’re welcome… so… call me? Or should I call you?” he replied. I laughed.

“You call me. I don’t like the phone.” I admitted. It was true, I rarely called anyone unless it was an emergency or something like that. Or if my twin decided to  disappear randomly. Than it was my job to call him. But that didn’t count.
Axel laughed.

“I understand. Call you soon, k?” he voiced, turning to leave. I nodded, then felt a sudden dread. And tackled him. The dread faded.

“Call real soon. Please?” I requested. Axel laughed again, I’m not sure how he’d managed to stay standing when I tackled him, but he had. And he was patting my hair now.

“Alright. Now, get off before your parents think something happened and traumatized you while you were out today.” He commanded playfully. I let my arms fall away from his waist. “I’ll… see you around, k Ro… Roku?” he inquired. I nodded excitedly. He grinned again, then waved as he walked off. Back to wherever the hell he lived.

“Na tana*, Roku!” he called over his shoulder.
“Na tana, Axel!” I called back. At which point we broke into a simultaneous run, him down the street, and me back inside.

Once I got in and informed my parents and Sora that I was home, I started walking up the stairs. As I passed a certain door, I realized that a certain someone was laughing. Turning to glare at the door of my twin’s bedroom, I also realized that the door was open. This intrigued me, since he never opened his door for any reason other than when he left his room to eat.

“Nii-san?” I questioned. He laughed again and I realized he was sitting in a chair by the window. His blue eyes caught the last bit of the setting sun just right, making them glow.

“I like him. I want to see how this turns out.” He voiced. “Don’t let Sora and our parents get you down about him. You can see it in his eyes, he really really likes you. Roku. Don’t let him get away… don’t lose him like I lost Terra.” At this point he made a shooing motion with his hand, sending me along the hallway with his words still running in my ears.

‘Don’t lose him. Don’t let him lose himself like Terra did.’

Easier said than done. Besides, Axel was perfectly sane. I shouldn’t have to worry about him losing his mind.

‘Don’t lose yourself’ is what he should have said.

:fin:

Description
Chapter two.

::Second Impressions::
Innocence is in the eye of the beholder.

Warnings: Shounen-ai/Yaoi, AkuRoku, Roxion(implied), implied wet dream, randomness, and Sora's obvious distaste towards our dear Axel.

Warnings that you probably don't need: This is a lot different from the rough draft, much more descriptive as to how Roxas got ready for his date.
...Why am I changing it?
Because I like being descriptive and when I don't describe a person's clothes when I write fan-fics, I re-read my stuff and have to get the mental image of them being naked out of my head(not that they really are naked, that's just how my brain works).

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Maybe I should have tried to clear my mind of Axel, Akuseru... whatever name he's going by, before going to bed. I had an... interesting dream last night involving Axel, me, and what I assume was supposed to be a waterbed.
Thing is, seemed more like a memory than a dream.
The other thing is I woke up at one a.m. because of it, and couldn't fall back asleep.

Anyways, today is my date....
Like I said, I couldn't fall back to sleep, so I was ready in the sense of what to wear, by about three a.m.. Were it not for the fact that big brother is a light sleeper and has his room right next to the backroom, I'd've already showered as well.
To be honest, I don't know why I agreed to meet up with Axel again, especially considering he groped me at our first meeting...
Should I be reconsidering this?

Sora woke up at about five. And instantly decided to call me a bathroom hog since I claimed the shower instantly. As soon as I came back out he started bugging me about why I was going on a date with someone I just met.
The conversation went along the lines of: "Roku, you're 14. You shouldn't be seeing strange guys that you meet in a legally closed park that normally only you go to.; Roku, are you SURE you want to see this guy again, he seems like a punk(the funny thing about this is I only told Sora that I met Axel by crashing my RC plane into his head, and that he'd asked me on a date).; ROKUSASU! Why in the world would someone like you want to date someone you just met?" yeah. Obviously, Sora's an over-protective bitch. XD

Anyways. At about 8:45, we set out for Dunn Bros. Me in a black muscle-shirt and skinny-jeans that probably should only be worn by girls; a little bit of eye-liner, some red-ish eye-shadow, and a small amount of lip-gloss.
No, I don't want Axel to rape me, they're just the cleanest clothes I had and they don't look right without the emo-look. This is completed by my hair spiking up a little more than usual with the help of a little gel.
Sora was wearing more belts and zippers than he'd ever worn before.
Punk. T-T
And he still hadn't shut up about why I'm seeing Axel again... time to pull in the trump card.

"Sora, if you don't shut up, I'm going to inform Riku that you've had a monster crush on him since the first grade." Strange how a space cadet like me can say one thing that sounds menacing, and somehow effectively shut up Mr. Talk-a-lot.
How'd that happen again?

Anyways, we reached the coffee shop at 8:55. Five minutes early... damn, and I was purposely walking slow so that I wouldn't have to wai-... never mind.'
Axel was already there, looking for all the world like he hadn't sleep in a week...
He wore a black t-shirt over a long-sleeved red-shirt and tight black pants with silver chains hanging from the belt-loops. His hair was down today, apparently it was naturally spiky since there obviously wasn't a drop of gel or hair-glue in it.
Like me, he wore eyeliner, unlike me, he wore it thick.
He was sipping at a cup of mocha or something. Tired eyes brightening after he noticed we were there.
I think I might have been drooling a little, and I swear that Sora was bristling.

"Rokusasu, are you sure we can trust him?" I heard my brunette brother ask. This snapped me out of my 'stare/drool' contest with Axel, that’s right Axel… I saw that hungry look in your eyes…,. I smiled, nodding at him.

"Hai, I'm sure." Sora gave me an uncertain look before letting me drag him over to where Axel was sitting, Axel pointedly pulled one of the chairs over next to his so I could sit there. "Ohayo." I greeted cheerfully, ignoring Sora's perplexed look and Axel's tired grin.

"Mornin', gomen... my twin decided to throw a party last night. Couldn't sleep." he voiced, explaining his tired appearance. I saw Sora's eyes light up.

"Ah man, that bites. Guess you two can't go out today then." he chirped with a grin, only to yelp loudly as I pointedly kicked his shin under the table. Axel chuckled.

"Urasai, onii-san." I growled, ignoring that he had no idea what I was saying. Axel laughed again when the perplexed expression fell across Sora's face.

"Mou, you weren't joking when you said he was over-protective, eh Roku?" Ah, he was sticking to the agreement of calling me 'Roku'. Good Axel. ^-^
I shook my head while smiling, oblivious to Sora's frown.

"He always has been." Sora glanced at me.

"Well someone needs to make sure you don't trip on air and get hit by a car." he pointed out. I pouted at him.

"I may be a space-case, not an idiot, I CAN take care of myself... or are you forgetting that I'm the one who can work the stove when you won't even touch the micro-wave?" Axel laughed as I said this while Sora glared at us. The redhead ignored the glare.

"So... you have a twin?" Sora questioned, deciding he didn't like the former topic. When Axel nodded he continued. "What's his name?"

"Reno. If you need to know anything else, he looks like me but with blue eyes, spike-defying hair, and red marks under his eyes instead of black ones. No, these are not tattoos." Axel replied, at which point I noticed the black upside-down teardrop marks under each eye. Sora gave him a suspicious glare.

"How old are you, where do you go to school, and what clique are you in?" I blinked, even Zexy hadn't gotten that thorough of a questioning... then again, he’d been my friend since I was… um, three? So Sora had already known a bit about him.
That’s starting to make me wonder why Sora hates all of the friends that I have except for Namine.

"I'm seventeen, born the eighth of August in a small city called Edge. I moved here to Destiny Islands when I was four because my parents were able find better jobs than the once they had. I go to Radiant Garden Academy/University. I'm in my Junior year of High school. And I'm not in a 'clique' per-say, so much as a group of outcasts who sometimes get together. No, we are not a gang." he paused. "No, I'm not really dating anyone unless this date right now counts in your books. And Yes, I'm a virgin."

I stared at Sora's expression and was forced to laugh, it was just too priceless to see that 'deer in head-lights, oh God what just happened' look on my normally serious big brother's face. I briefly wished I had a camera.
And then Axel continued, adding to my list of reasons for laughing.
"No, I did not read your mind. My brother is just an insane person who likes to drag me, his boyfriend, two of my friends, and a girl we knew in elementary school, to watch cheesy romance flicks. So I have the basic gist of what you'd be asking." he paused, grinning at Sora's now even more 'oh God what have a done to deserve this verbal beating that's more of a -thou-asked-me-a-strange-question-thou-shalt-now-pay- thing'. "And the only reason I pay attention to the flicks is because 'nii-chan conveniently hides the matches at those times."

This snapped Sora back to reality and allowed me to stop laughing long enough to catch my breath.

"Matches? Why would he hide the matches?" Sora questioned.

"'Cause I'm a pyro-maniac and unless the matches are hidden, I amuse myself during movies by playing around with anything that creates fire." Sora stared at him again and I chuckled. "Anyways, you guys have any interest in plays or musicals? I've got a job over at the music hall and could get us in for free." he offered.
Now, part of the reason I think I'm weird. I'm a guy who actually likes plays and shit. Other people think I'm insane. Sora included.

"Eh... I'd rather not, plays and stuff really aren't my thing." no, they weren't. Sora was a jock.
Me on the other hand...

"I'd love to." I actually managed to say this with out blushing. "What's playing?"
Axel grinned, apparently not caring about whether Sora wanted to go or not.

"Mostly kids stuff, nothing really there for people our age. TLK, which might be sold out even though it's not the Broadway version, HSM(1), Wicked, which is actually pretty cool if you can get past 'Popular', but I'm pretty sure it's sold out. And some mystery thing for old ladies. Out of what for sure is left, none of the stuff is very interesting, but we'd really only be going to kill time." he pointed out. This got Sora's full attention. I felt a sense of dread at that dark grin he managed to put on.

"Why would we want to kill time? Why don't we just talk, learn more about each other, and then head to our respective homes?" there was a venom in his voice that I'd only heard once. And that was when some dude decided to pick on Kairi three years ago.
It was a tone that meant he hated whoever he was talking to.
I couldn't understand why he'd decided to hate Axel after not even an hour of talking. Glancing at Sora's watch, I realized it had been far over an hour and was about 11:00... when did that happen? Or more... HOW?
I also realized I was biased, I was naturally pretty trusting. Sora was just the opposite.
But still, he wasn't even this openly hostile with Zekushion, and he'd downright loathed ‘my’ emo friend before he moved. (He had a huge ass crush on Riku, who is the ultimate emo.)

This wasn't the first date I'd ever been on, but I'd only been on one that Sora wasn't there for, and that was that weird date with Namine that had her and I having awkward silences for a month.
That's the date that we learned we really weren't into the opposite sex.

I felt a surge of relief when I noticed that Axel had picked up Sora's tone and was confronting him about it.
I listened quietly as Sora and Axel duked it out verbally about onii-san's attitude and how over-protective he was.

I hardly noticed when he left though, since at some-pointed I'd returned to drooling over Axel's outfit. I did notice when Axel moved and tapped me on the shoulder.

"Hey, Rox. You want anything to drink?" I blinked, nodding absently.

"Small cappuccino, please." I replied, then looked around confusedly when I realized Sora wasn't there. When Axel came back from getting my cappuccino and another mocha for himself, I gave him quizzical look. He shrugged.

“You brothers’ a sore loser. He lost our little ‘argument’ and stalked off.” He explained. That made sense. “Something tells me he’s going to be stalking us for a little while now, though. Anyways here’s your cappuccino.” I smiled, taking the beverage gratefully.

“So… about Sora… this is the first time he’s left me alone with someone.” I voiced, hoping Axel wouldn’t freak out because I’d been on other dates.

“By, ‘alone with someone’ you mean left in the middle of a date?” he questioned, I nodded absently. “How many other’s have you gone on?” his tone was a little dejected. I glanced up, I could count on one hand the number of dates I’d been on. Yes, it was that few.

“Four. Two with my first crush, one with some kid who I only agreed to go on a date with him so he’d leave me alone, and then one with my other friend.” I replied. “What about you?” I turned my head to look at the beautiful redhead. Not sure why I didn’t do a double take after thinking that… Because he’s mine. Where the HELL did that thought come from?
Axel seemed to think for a moment before sighing.

“Lost count. My first crush is the only person I ever dated until now, and this date with you, but… he turned out to be a whiny bitch that needs to learn a little bit about respect and how not to cheat on someone.” He replied, tone darkening. I felt my chest tighten. Had I not been afraid of hearing something I didn’t want to hear, I’d’ve asked how long ago that was.
Sadly, it turns out Axel can read my mind. “That was about… five years ago? Yeah, five. Don’t worry, I’ve gotten over him. Glad I did, too.” He smiled at me suddenly and I relaxed. Five years… it wasn’t recent. “And you, how long ago was your last date?” I blinked and made a startled sound.

“Um… sometime towards the beginning of last year…? Which… was actually the one date Sora didn’t tail me for… not sure why he thinks I’m straight. I’m about as straight as a circle.” I was suddenly stumbling over my words. Not sure why, or how that had happened. But it got a reaction out of Axel.

“You dated a girl?” he asked incredulously. I blushed and dropped my gaze to the floor.

“I… I wanted a ‘normal’ date. One that Sora wouldn’t tail me on… and I wanted to know for sure if I was gay, straight, or bisexual… in the end, Nam and I managed to figure out that the opposite sex just isn’t very appealing. That was the most awkward day of my life… so far at least.” Axel blinked.

“Nam?”

“Namine, she been my friend since we were in diapers, and Sora’s convinced that I’m going to marry her one day. Which I doubt, she likes girls, I like guys. Simple as that.” I explained. “As for the other two… one of them, the date to get the guy to leave me alone… he used to be my friend. One of the few that Sora actually liked. Then I figured out that he’s a druggie, and will stop at nothing to get in someone’s pants. Namely mine. That… wasn’t fun. That was the one date I was actually GLAD Sora was there for. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be a virgin right now, and Hayner would probably be fucking me into a mattress against my will.” I noticed Axel’s eyes darken a bit. Though they lit up again at the ‘against my will’ part.

“And the other person? ‘First Crush’?” he questioned. I’d lifted my gaze from the floor, and now dropped it right back to the tiles.

“I… I really, really liked him. I wouldn’t say I was in love, but… Sora hated him though… loathed him, actually. He… was my first kiss. First and… for now, only. Sora figured out real quick what we’d done behind his back… and we never got another chance. That’s not the only thing that kept us from kissing again. A while later, he admitted to something that had been bugging me as well.” I paused, continuing to stare at the ground. I could picture the kiss clear as crystal, and every time I did, the same overwhelming guilt settled firmly in my gut. “See, afterwards… we both felt this weird… extreme guilt over it. Like we’d cheated on someone.” I fell silent for a moment, knowing full well that Axel was waiting patiently for me to continue. “He had to move away about a month later. We’ve kept in contact… sort of. It’s kind of detached. He’s always been a pretty studious and quiet kid, so he really only uses the computer for homework and stuff, and I can’t write a letter to save my life…” talking about Zexion again, with someone who was actually listening, was nice. Very nice. I missed him, the emo bastard. “I think he’s supposed to be a Sophomore, but he skipped a grade. That’s the last I heard from him. Now I’m waiting for a reply to my most-recent e-mail.”

“Do you know where he goes to school?” I looked up again.

“Same school as you. Zekushion, Genkaku Zekushion. He prefers Zexion or Zexy. Not sure why.” Axel blinked, then broke into a grin.

“Ah, you mean Zexy Emo. That’s his newest nickname courtesy of me. He’s not to happy with it though, throws his damn Tome at me every time I call him that.” He laughed. This had my interest REAL quick.

“Zexy emo? I’m assuming that comes from ‘Zexion/Zexy’ and his old nickname of ‘Little Emo’. As Eleaus used to call him?” Axel nodded. Apparently, the coffee was starting to take effect. “Wait a sec, you know him!?” Axel’s grin said it all.

“Yeah, He’s a smart kid no doubt. He tell you he has a boyfriend?” He asked. I nodded, yeah, Zexy had told me about his new boyfriend. I’d asked for a picture and he’d sent a picture of a childishly cute blonde with what appeared to be the love child of a Mohawk and a mullet for hair. I’d been happy for Zexion, cause something told me he wasn’t going to be feeling guilty about this one. Then Axel was talking again and I had to tune in quickly. “Still, wow, you and Zexy were going out. That’s neat. How about I play messenger for you two. That way you don’t have to use the e-mail version of snail-mail. He used to talk about you all the time. Well, when he actually decided to talk instead of throw his book at people who interfered with his studying. Wow, maybe I should have made the connection sooner.” He was grinning. And I was blushing. Zexy used to talk about me… why did that not surprise me?

--
“You know Roxas. If things had gone differently, if Demyx and Axel weren’t factors, I’d be the one trying to win you over.” Number VI purred.
“Funny, I was about to tell you the same thing.” A voice similar to my own… but so cold.
“Hey you two, we’re willing to have a foursome if it’ll keep you loyal!” VIII was yelling while IX nearly died laughing in the background.
--

“Rox?” I heard Axel question, pulling me out of that weird flash-back thing, I knew the ‘Numbers’ that matched with the people from my dreams, Except for that second speaker... I glanced at Axel, trying to decide why he’d decided to call me by ‘Roxas’ and his various ‘pet-names’ again. Then remembered that Sora wasn’t there.

“Did we know Zexion in our last life?” I asked. Axel nodded.

“We knew Demyx, his new boy-friend, too. Why?”

“I think I just remembered something… Axel, were you and I… ‘intimate’ in our last life?” Axel stared at me for a minute, then smiled, his eyes softening in a way that made my heart flutter..

“Sorry Roxy, can’t answer that. Something you’re going to have to figure out by yourself.” That would be the only response I would receive for months, the reply that meant that the subject was closed.

We were quiet for a little while longer.
And then:

“Let’s get to one of those plays. I’m kind of board.” I offered, it wasn’t so much that I was bored. It was that I wanted to get away from the smell of coffee and that some old dude in the corner of the shop was giving me looks that suggested things I don’t even want to imagine.
Axel laughed, a warm sound that had my heart fluttering again as I turned into butter. For how he was making me feel without even trying, I figured I might as well have worn Valentines colors instead of my emo get-up.

“Alright, which one?” His question had the same warm note as his laugh.

“Doesn’t matter, whatever isn’t sold out.” I replied. Axel laughed again, getting up and waiting for me to fallow, I did so.

As we left the shop, I realized Axel wasn’t pulling out any car keys or anything like that. I gave him a questioning look and he smiled sadly.

“Reno decided to steal my car for they day.” Well that explained it.

--

Well, the only thing that wasn’t sold out was the mystery thing that Axel had been talking about earlier. ‘Seeking Susan’ or something like that.
As Axel had said before, it was aimed towards anyone except for boys our age. More like Old Women. Like I said before, everything else was booked though, and Axel doesn’t have a special seat in the back for people who work here at the Music Hall.
All I have to say is: Thank God it’s free.

So here we are halfway through Act one. I’m half-asleep, and the last time I checked, which was about five seconds ago, Axel looked like he wanted to burn the place down.

“Did I not make it clear that I’d do anything for you?” voice like honey, hot breath whispering against slightly parted and panting lips.

I snapped back to reality with Axel putting his hand on my upper thigh. Glancing at his face, I saw his almost concerned expression. My gaze went back to his hand. Normally, I’d’ve flipped out and fled the scene. But somehow, having his hand there felt right, it wasn’t like he was reaching for my crotch or anything like that, so I let it be.

“You okay?” he asked, startling me so my gaze snapped back to meet his. I swear I heard my neck snap in the process. I smiled.

“Yeah, this play has me bored out of my mind though..” I replied, trying to ignore that I suddenly felt tired.

“Want to leave? We got in for free so I’d have no problem with it.” I nodded gratefully.

“Think we could go to my park?” I requested, he seemed to understand what I meant by ‘my park’.

“So long as you don’t mind walking, it’s quite a ways from here.” He responded with a smile, standing up and offering his hand to help me. I allowed him to pull me out of my seat.

Ignoring the hisses, glares, curses, and shouts being sent our way as we walked out.

--

As we neared the park, I began to notice that it was actually pretty late in the day. I absently wondered how that had happened as I glanced around my small part of town.

I lived in one of the nicer parts of town, big white houses with dark roofs. My own house being an exception as it was blue with a white roof. But anyways. The houses were currently stained with a golden hue by the setting sun. The gardens in front of the houses were painted an even wider array of colors than normal with the sunset. It was beautiful, and I suddenly felt a sense of sadness at my normal five o’clock curfew. That had been extended to ten for today, since I was on a date.
I’m pretty sure Axel noticed my staring, as he grabbed my upper arm and led me further away from the street.

I only noticed that we’d reached the park when Axel cleared his throat, stopping and accidentally causing me to bump into him. We were standing near the same bench I’d tended to his cut on, yesterday.

“Hey… Roxas, you alright space-case?” he inquired, sitting down. I smiled and nodded in reply.

“Yeah, just the first time in years that I’ve been past five. Sora’s not the only one who’s over-protective of me.” I explained, sitting down beside him and almost grinning when he put his arm around my shoulders. I leaned into his side. Letting his cinnamon-y scent fill my nostrils.

“Sometimes, it’s almost like I was born from the Twilight instead of a Somebody.” a soft voice, so similar to my own I almost thought I’d spoken.
“Maybe you were. Whose to say we’re really born from Somebodies?”
“Axel?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think we have hearts?”
“Well, I know I don’t.”
“Nani?!”
“Because I gave it to you, Silly.”

I blinked. Another one?

“Rox, you spaced out again.” I heard Axel voice, making me blush.

“G-gomen… er… Axel? What types of conversations did we have, in the last life I mean?” I questioned. Axel smiled and leaned against the back of the bench.

“Oh… just… anything really. A lot of ‘heart-to-heart’s, more than our fair share of arguments, especially at the beginning… we gave each other cold shoulder and the silent treatment more than once. But mostly… it was normal casual conversation. There were a couple of times when we just said stuff randomly and somehow made it sound like a conversation. The people around us always gave us weird looks those times, and often asked if we’d developed our own form of code.”

“…What about our… um… ‘birth’?” He cocked an eyebrow.

“Nani?” He questioned before realization dawned on his face. “Oh, ‘birth’, uh… why are you asking?”

“…I’ve… be remembering little snippets of conversations and stuff like that all day.” I admitted,  felt myself falling into an almost trance-like state. “…Born from Twilight… Born from Hearts…” my idle thoughts were cut short as Axel abruptly pulled me into his lap. “A-Axel?” He buried his nose in my hair, his breath felt hot against my scalp. From my position with my ear somehow pressed against his chest, I could hear his heartbeat. It was a relaxing and soothing sound.

“Rox…”

“Do… do I still have your heart? Or did you take it back?” the words left me before I knew that they’d even formed. The voice speaking them almost didn’t sound like mine.
I looked up when he removed his nose from my hair, his emerald eyes had a warm light in them. “Well?” my tone was soft, commanding and maybe a little snippy, but soft. I still don’t think it was really my voice though.
The light in those emerald eyes became even warmer, and before I could continue to press the issue of if I still had his heart or not, a pair of soft, warm- almost to the point of being hot, lips were pressed against mine.

Immediately, my brain began making comparisons between Axel and Zekushion. First, Axel’s kiss was warmer. He wasn’t a ‘shy-kisser’ like Zexion and I… hell, when Zex and I kissed, it happened to quickly and so briefly it was like it had never happened.
Also, like Zexion, Axel didn’t try to force his tongue down my throat, hell, he wasn’t even trying to force his way into my mouth. Really his kiss was more of a firm peck than anything else.

Absently, I began to kiss back. Hardly noticing when his hand crept up the back of my shirt and rested just below my shoulder blades.

After a short while, we pulled apart.  Was panting slightly, having forgotten that humans can breath through their nose when their mouths are otherwise occupied.

“Does that answer your question?” Axel asked, I felt my face curve into a smile.

“Yeah.” It was my own voice again, my own happiness. Not that I knew why I was happy, aside from the fact that he’d just kissed me. Axel smiled, his eyes catching the remaining sunlight in just the right way, making them gleam like a pair of twin flames.

“You’ve changed Roxas. But… I think I like the changes.” I blushed at his compliment. “Anyways, I’d better get you home before your parents and your brother flip out.” He laughed. A sound like the taste of honey and filling the air around us like bird-song. It was contagious and soon I was laughing along with him.

Somehow I didn’t mind when his hand slipped out from under my shirt to give my tail end a playful squeeze. Though the gesture was met with a half-hearted slap on the wrist and a yelp of protest. As well as me sliding out of his lap.
But… something told me that coming from Axel, especially after that kiss, that grope was as innocent as a newborn infant.

His laugh affirmed this theory as he stood and once again offered his hand to help me up. I took his hand gratefully and let him pull me to my feet.  I wrapped my arms around his skinny mid-section when he wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

Maybe it was because of my light-hearted mood, but the park seemed even prettier than usual. The sun left long shadows in just the right places and bathed the rest in a hazy golden glow. The sky was streaked with pastel colors and a pretty purple and blue.

And the feel of Axel’s arm around me as he walked me home… It helps that I didn’t trip over our feet and send us both down to meet the pavement like I had after my fist date was Zexion. That had embarrassed me to the point off not talking to Zexy for two weeks for fear of him hating me for it.
Considering the way  was having to walk to keep my arms around his waist, it’s a wonder I didn’t trip.

I didn’t ask why that kiss had felt so right, so nice. Nor did I question the sense of security that came with being around Axel.

All I questioned was the aching in my chest as my house came into view.

It never bothered me, or even crossed my mind, that Axel knew where I lived without me telling him.
Maybe I should have worried that he was a stalker?

“This the place?” Axel asked, his tone almost dejected. I blinked myself out of my thoughts and stared at the sky-blue monstrosity that was my home. I grimaced when I noticed a familiar blue eyed gaze from an upstairs window. Not Sora’s. Guess I should have mentioned that Axel isn’t the only one with a twin. Hesitantly, I pulled out of Axel’s hold, letting my own arms fall to my side. I didn’t want to part from the redhead quite yet.

“Yeah.” Awkward silence decended and I tried not to look at my Twin’s bedroom window. I already knew he was smirking. I made no move to go inside, and Axel made no move to leave.

“I’m… sorry that play was so boring.” I shrugged off the apology.

“Not your fault. You didn’t know everything else was booked. ‘Sides, like I said before, I’ve been remembering snippets of conversations all day. I’m pretty sure I remembered something then.” I chuckled, Gods… why was this so awkward? “…I… actually had a pretty nice time today, boring play aside. Thank you.” I noticed my twin leave his window out of the corner of my eye, and that Axel relaxed considerably at my words. Enough to grin.

“You’re welcome… so… call me? Or should I call you?” he replied. I laughed.

“You call me. I don’t like the phone.” I admitted. It was true, I rarely called anyone unless it was an emergency or something like that. Or if my twin decided to  disappear randomly. Than it was my job to call him. But that didn’t count.
Axel laughed.

“I understand. Call you soon, k?” he voiced, turning to leave. I nodded, then felt a sudden dread. And tackled him. The dread faded.

“Call real soon. Please?” I requested. Axel laughed again, I’m not sure how he’d managed to stay standing when I tackled him, but he had. And he was patting my hair now.

“Alright. Now, get off before your parents think something happened and traumatized you while you were out today.” He commanded playfully. I let my arms fall away from his waist. “I’ll… see you around, k Ro… Roku?” he inquired. I nodded excitedly. He grinned again, then waved as he walked off. Back to wherever the hell he lived.

“Na tana*, Roku!” he called over his shoulder.
“Na tana, Axel!” I called back. At which point we broke into a simultaneous run, him down the street, and me back inside.

Once I got in and informed my parents and Sora that I was home, I started walking up the stairs. As I passed a certain door, I realized that a certain someone was laughing. Turning to glare at the door of my twin’s bedroom, I also realized that the door was open. This intrigued me, since he never opened his door for any reason other than when he left his room to eat.

“Nii-san?” I questioned. He laughed again and I realized he was sitting in a chair by the window. His blue eyes caught the last bit of the setting sun just right, making them glow.

“I like him. I want to see how this turns out.” He voiced. “Don’t let Sora and our parents get you down about him. You can see it in his eyes, he really really likes you. Roku. Don’t let him get away… don’t lose him like I lost Terra.” At this point he made a shooing motion with his hand, sending me along the hallway with his words still running in my ears.

‘Don’t lose him. Don’t let him lose himself like Terra did.’

Easier said than done. Besides, Axel was perfectly sane. I shouldn’t have to worry about him losing his mind.

‘Don’t lose yourself’ is what he should have said.

:fin: