Kingdom Hearts 1. burnittotheground

-STARS ON FIRE-

**burnittotheground**

(It all started when Axel burned down a supposedly abandoned house.)

He called himself a fire-dancer: one who played with the element most feared. It was a difficult task, managing to tame the leaping fire between his hands, expand it, shrink it, and altogether just _dance _with it, a form of beauty and elegance not many people actually knew existed. Those who were aware, though… they paid a lot to see a show.

The money gained from fire-dancing went towards paying off the student loans from college, as well as the barely-used apartment. By day, Axel hung around the college whether he had classes or not, and if one couldn't find him there, he was likely hanging out at the nearby fire station, talking with the men about what they do best.

The funniest thing about those situations was that Axel was practically their arch-nemesis, and the firefighters didn't know it.

The redhead had burned down houses before. Never on purpose; he never had that much lack of control over the flames. Most of the time it was a request from someone who had a lot of cash and wanted something gone.

No one died in those fires. Axel made sure of that; he wasn't a murderer.

It was a group of four men, at least two of which probably attended the same college Axel did. They introduced themselves as Xigbar, Marluxia, Demyx, and Zexion, and all of them besides the last were drunk.

They pooled their money together—which was a lot—and paid him in full the moment he told them what he could do, so he'd be damned if he didn't give one helluva good show.

The five left the bar, four with happy grins and the fifth with a scowl. Marluxia had mentioned a place outside of town near an abandoned building where Axel could fire-dance freely without any restriction laws, so they hailed a couple cabs and headed out.

The building was a two-story, tall and narrow, like the ones often shown on ghost shows. The peeling paint had been white once, and old curtains still hung in a few of the windows.

Paying the house no mind, the group gathered to the right of it, probably too close to the wooden wall but not caring.

Demyx voiced his concern that Axel 'forgot his materials'. When Axel asked what he meant, it was soon made clear that the four thought he was a regular circus fire-eater.

He was going to prove them wrong.

"I've got all I need right here," he said, flipping open a zippo lighter and letting the small glow reach their faces.

Xigbar's confusion was obvious. "Wha' the 'ell're you gonna do with that tiny flame?"

Axel grinned the kind of grin that said, 'God' busy, can I help you?' and made smart people—much like that shorty Zexion—back up a few steps. "I can make it bloom."

On the last word, the flame from the zippo grew and twisted into a fist-sized fiery flower, and the crowd's eyes widened. Axel created a stem, the fire flower getting father from its source but never dimming.

Axel clicked the zippo shut, and all light faded from the world.

The four customers were forced to step back as Axel opened the lighter again, but instead of a tiny flame, a dragon emerged, swaying in the wind. It was large enough to spiral around Axel's body lithely…

And Axel began to dance.

There were so many shapes and pictures that blended into one another that the four watching would never be able to explain the show to the T, and Zexion just COULDN'T figure out how he managed to shape the flames at all. Axel's favourite shapes appeared to be circles and diamonds, and symmetry was present now and again. The dance was wild and intoxicating, the light show drawing in those watching.

The final motion that ended the dance a few minutes later was a large, sweeping move. Axel's arms spread to either side, and fire in the shape of devilish wings burst from his back. He was panting, and tired, but the applause and amazed grins from three of four was kind of worth it.

Oh, and the money. Don't forget the money.

When Axel put the fire away, leering at his crowd he noticed that even the quietest one seemed amazed, though he wasn't smiling. The light from the fire quietly reflected in the short guy's eyes…

Hang on a sec.

There shouldn't even be any light to see from—the dramatic effect usually adds to how amazing the show is—and his back was beginning to feel very warm…

Eyes narrowed and grin now missing, the facial expression alone was enough to let the strangers know that something was wrong as the redhead turned around and took in the sight of half the abandoned building burning down.

The group retreated, wide-eyed in surprise and a little fear of the law, wondering what was going to happen next. Should they call the fire department?

"I-it's just an abandoned building right? No one lives there, right?" Demyx stuttered.

Shit! People! What if there WERE people in there?! Even if there wasn't anyone who owned it, teens still liked to romp through 'forbidden' areas for a cheap thrill or a place to have sex. What if what if?

Axel sprang forward, doing his best to control the flames and keep them away from the door. Shouts of alarm erupted behind him as he entered the glowing building, but they were ignored as he covered his mouth and nose with a hand and kept his eyes open, searching for any sign of people. His ears caught a faint scream and a crack as a part of the building collapsed.

His heart raced in the fear. No one had ever died in his house fires before, and he wasn't going to blacken that record now. Whoever was in here, for there was certainly _someone_, he was going to get them **out**. No question.

It took another cry for Axel to pinpoint where the person was, and called out, "stay where you are! Breathe shallow! I know where you are, I'm coming to get you!"

Turns out, those stories he stuck around the fire station for ended up doing some good.

There was another answering scream and Axel moved, weaving about and calming the flames—but it wasn't the fire that he had to worry about. The building itself was caving in and toppling over, one rotten piece at a time, and even as the building collapsed on itself Axel could tell that it wasn't in great shape in the first place. It wasn't the kind of place adventurous kids would frequent at all.

So why was this person there?

A small, huddled form was curled up in the corner of an empty room with a narrow window that would barely fit a child through. Having ruled out one of the possible exits, Axel decided that the best way to go was back the way he came.

He climbed his way around a fallen chunk of ceiling—which was what probably made the boy in the corner scream—and calmed the flames around himself and the other, pulling the boy up and into his arms.

God, the kid was _light_. Lucky for that, because it made it easier to cradle the boy and manoeuvre his way about the burning house safely.

Well, about as safe is it could get.

The room crumbled inwards as Axel left, and the flames parted like the red sea as he hiked it out of there, the boy burying his head into the fire-dancer's chest to avoid breathing in the smoke or ash.

The outside air was heavenly to both as they hacked out the putrid air settled in their lungs. A safe distance away from the house, Axel placed the boy on the ground before falling over himself and letting Marluxia and Demyx fret over both himself and the boy he saved as Zexion gave orders for a cab to be called and water to be given.

Axel had charged through a burning building, thrown fire on its ass, and saved the life of a kid. He felt _amazing_, the most powerful thing in the world as he hacked up a lung, and there was no way the grin on his face was going to leave.

The boy's blond hair was riddled with ash, even as Demyx ran his fingers through to get the worst of it out. The entire group smelled like smoke, but that was no surprise.

"Wait a sec, where's the tall one?" Axel asked, finally taking note of the pirate's absence.

"He works at that bar we met in," Demyx explained, handing a bottle of water to each of the guys on the ground. "He had to leave early if he wanted to be there on time."

Axel nodded and drank.

Then spewed out half the water as the blond stood up and pointed at him accusingly.

"You burnt down my house."

"WHAT? _No one lived there!_"

"Well apparently _I did_," the blond made an angry gesture, "so either find me a new place to stay or give me the money to find one myself!"

"Wait—no. You are _not _my responsibility. I saved _your _life, so _you_ should owe _me!_"

"How am I supposed to do that if I'm a homeless bum on the street?!"

"Well what am I supposed to do, let you stay at my apartment?!"

"YEAH, that'll do!" Suddenly, the blond deflated, and Axel realized that the blond really _had _no other place to go.

The abandoned house was all the boy had, probably. "Fine."

The kid looked up in surprise. "Huh?"

"I'm not usually at my apartment anyways; hardly sleep. You can even take the bedroom."

"Wait, I was just planning to crash on your couch, not—,"

"Listen, kid, take it or leave it. I'm just giving you what you asked for." Axel frowned, trying to figure out the boy before him.

"…Thanks…" the kid mumbled.

"Huh?"

"Roxas," he said, louder this time. "M'name's Roxas."

"Well _I'm _Axel. Got it memorized?"

"I'm Demyx, and this is Marly and Zex!" Chimed in the excess person on the sidelines.

"_Marluxia,_" corrected one.

"Zexion," blandly stated the other.

Axel's grin was back.

* * *

**A/N: This is a test. I don't plan on getting any reviews or anything for this, but thank you so much if you do. I'm just testing this story, so I'm looking more for constructive criticism and suggestions on where this story could be going.**

**Thanks!**

**-HW-**


	2. outthroughthecurtain

-STARS ON FIRE-

**outthroughthecurtain**

"So why the hell were you living in an abandoned house on the edge of town anyways?" asked Axel as he and Roxas climbed the stairs to his unused apartment.

"None of your business!" Roxas snapped, arms crossed and body practically curled in on himself.

Axel decided it was about time they changed the subject. "You can use the shower first. I'll have to find some clothes that fit you, though, that'll be a little hard…"

"…why were you out there?"

"What?"

"Near my house. Why were you there?"

"I'm a fire-dancer. It's what I do, burn things. People pay a lot of money to see a show or for a building to burn cleanly from the inside out, no casualties kind of thing. I'm not on record or in a phonebook, though, so shows are rare. People usually know where to find me, though."

"Chatterbox."

"…?"

"You talk a lot."

"I talk if it interests me. I protest if it bores me."

"I see."

Conversation fell flat after Axel unlocked his apartment. Roxas found his way to the bathroom and started up the shower, and Axel dug through old clothes to find what would fit Roxas the best.

Roxas stepped out of the shower to find a set of Axel's old clothes sitting on the counter, and they didn't talk as he exited the bathroom and Axel slipped past him. Once Axel was clean, the following awkward moment was small enough to be looked over.

"I think I'm just going to crash," Roxas muttered, standing up.

"Uh, sure. Bedroom's second door on the left. If… if you get hungry, help yourself to the fridge, but there's not much."

"'Kay," the kid yawned.

"See you later. I'll just… leave. Yeah."

And Axel was gone, out the door, and down the street. Yet, he couldn't help but be curious about Roxas, about who the kid was, and decided to visit a 'friend' of his.

A private investigator, Xion.

The girl owned a desk at the public library, and worked the graveyard shift. Legally, she was a librarian, but in the shadows she had access to so many different files that when Axel came across something he didn't know about, he went to her.

Xion was a quiet one, for sure, which lowered suspicion on all fronts, but Axel realized—as he entered the old, stuffy building—that she could easily be compared to Zexion.

"Xion, I need you to look someone up for me," Axel began his usual greeting, leaning on his elbows over the desk conspiratorially and speaking low.

"Some_one_? Found another interest?" She smiled a response and typed something into the keyboard. "Alright, who're you looking for?"

"Uh, kid named Roxas."

"…That's vague."

"Is it?"

"Give me a little more details. Last name? What does he look like? How old is he?" After seeing Axel's relatively blank look, Xion sighed, brushing dark hair out of her face and behind her ear. "How much _do _you know about this kid, Ax?"

"Absolutely nothing."

"Helpful."

"He's blond, blue eyes. Probably five-foot something. Lives in my apartment—,"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm lending my apartment to him. I barely sleep there anyways." Axel fidgeted with a pen, clicking and unclicking it until Xion slammed her hand on top of his, cutting it off.

"You idiot, Axel, this kid could be a scammer, trying to get all your money. What street did you pick him off of?" Xion interrogated while typing, eyes not leaving the screen as she brought her hand back to the keyboard.

Axel resumed clicking the pen. "See, that's just the thing. I, uh, burned his house down."

"WHAT."

"Shh! We're in a library!"

"Axel, what the hell—,"

"No one was supposed to be in the house—,"

"—could've died _anyways_—,"

"—it was _abandoned,_ I was giving some guys a show—,"

"AHEM." Axel and Xion's argument was interrupted by Xion's boss, Xemnas, a creepy old guy who rarely left his office unless it was to greet someone important. Though he owned the library, he was actually a lawyer who just managed to collect too many books.

"Sorry, sir," Xion muttered, and Axel had the grace to look ashamed. (The section of conversation that Xemnas heard had given the man the impression that Axel was a whore—as most people thought when they didn't know the topic.)

Once the man left, Axel placed a finger over the girl's lips to prevent any counter-arguments while he spoke. "Some guys wanted me to give them a show. They knew of this place, near an abandoned building just outside town. Something went wrong, the house caught on fire, and I pulled Roxas out of there. Because it was my fault, I let him stay at my place. Good enough?"

"Abandoned building?"

"Yes."

"Outside the city?"

"Yes."

"This means he's probably not in the records."

"What?"

"Well, I only have access to the city records. If he lived in Traverse before losing his place of residence, than I might still be able to catch something, but if he's from somewhere else trying to seek his fortune, good luck. You're going to have to ask some… one…" Xion trailed off and pressed a single key, eyes again on the monitor. She frowned deeper than before, frustrated.

"What? What do ya got?"

"Absolutely nothing."

"Dammit!"

"—and don't start with the questioning, I ran through facial recognition in connection to the name, too, but there isn't a single kid named Roxas, blond or not, within city limits. I _did _get a list of blond blue-eyes, but there's at least a hundred below twenty years and six feet, and I'm not planning on handing you a list of faces and names."

"Is that supposed to mean something?"

"Only if you think it does. Are we done here?" Xion gave Axel a look that said, 'yes, we are done here, get lost'.

"Yes. Yes we are. Have a nice night, Xion!" Axel turned and high-tailed it out of there with a final wave over his shoulder.

"Try the West side, some people from there were looking up fire-dancing yesterday!" Xion called back before he disappeared.

West side it was.

A shower, what could have been a car accident and a sunrise later found Axel on the grounds of the local college, attempting to not be sought out by the guys from the previous night. Of course, he didn't have to worry, because the only people who had the character to search an entire college didn't go to school.

However, Axel did happen to stumble upon Demyx as the latter finally approached the college, attracted by the lovely thought of the food court.

"OH! AXEL! OVER HERE! COME SIT WITH MEEEEE!!!!" The blond's scream pierced several octaves and successfully got the attention desired. Axel sat with Demyx, if just to get the guy to shut up.

"Okay, so, I told some guys about the fire thing—not with the burning down that kid's house, though—and they thought it was cool and wanna pay for a show! How awesome am I?" Demyx bragged.

"…You're serious?" Axel was incredulous; because, believe it or not, most people didn't know about fire-dancing, and those few who did usually weren't willing to pay for a show. Most of Axel's customers were either repeats, because they were so damn rich, or connections from friends or previous customers.

Such as this case, which is easily classified as a connection from a previous (impressed) customer.

"Yeah! Deadly," Demyx proclaimed proudly.

"Sweet! Thanks, man! So they got a time and place, or do I have to meet them beforehand to sort things out?"

The people Demyx introduced seemed to be nothing special: three kids who called themselves Hayner, Pence, and Olette, from the rich side of town. Hayner was a real brat and kept doubting Axel's skill… up until Axel actually started up the fire, then he fell silent and his jaw dropped, a typical reaction for one of his type.

Axel had a horrible habit of judging before he got to know someone, but at least he gave those people a chance; like Demyx. It was a plus and a minus, and luckily enough they cancelled each other out before anyone could call Axel on it.

So the show went smoothly, and then the dear redheaded genius scrambled to the library, borrowed a camera from Xion, and charged headfirst into his apartment.

Roxas was sitting in front of the couch with the TV turned to the news, and a newspaper flopped in front of him. The boy was dejectedly flipping through classifieds, looking certainly more depressed than when Axel first saw him.

"Hey, Roxas, look up," Axel nearly shouted cheerfully, and Roxas looked up more so in surprise than blind obedience.

Snap! Axel had a full, good quality photo on the first try, and he was heading back for the door with an angry blond on his heels.

"What the hell was that for?!" was the last thing Axel heard from Roxas when he shut the door behind him.

The aforementioned door was slammed open once again as the kid stormed out of the apartment, yelling, "Axel, give me the fucking camera!"

Axel was pursued all the way out onto the street. He was halfway to the next block when he glanced over his shoulder and slowed to a walking pace, Roxas no longer following.

Roxas was standing in the middle of the street in front of the apartment complex, arms at his sides and shoulders deflated. He had been defeated, and Axel couldn't help but think that with the sadness on the boy's face and in his eyes, Roxas looked absolutely lost.

**

* * *

**

**A/N: No one updates on weekdays. **

**Apparently I do though. And I've got this dreaded test in Tech class tomorrow... **

**I should get some sleep.**

**As a note, though, this chapter isn't much to me. Just something to get from one place to another. There's a word for that... oh yeah. Filler. **

**Or maybe not.**

**But please look up the songs that I pick for chapter titles. They usually have something to do with fire, even if it's just a very small mention. (For this song, all you have to do is listen to the first few seconds.)**

**-HW-**

**P.S. Thank you to all the lovely people who sent me encouraging reviews. I want to reply to all of them, but It's too late at night. If you send reviews for this chapter, I'll be able to reply to them.**

**Love.**


	3. standingoutsidethefire

-STARS ON FIRE-

standingoutsidethefire

"_Here. _Is this better than just a first name?" Axel set the digital camera down on Xion's desk smugly, covering up the confusion from Roxas's reaction earlier that evening.

"What's thi…uh… Axel, what is this?" Xion picked up the camera and scrutinized the picture on the screen carefully, eyes narrowed.

"_That_ is a picture of Roxas. Can't you do some sort of face-recognizing thing-or-other?" Axel's tone was doubtful in an attempt to provoke his victim—er, _friend_, but there was no change in Xion's expression, and so he deflated. "Guess not."

"This kid looks like Sora."

"What?"

"Sora, my cousin. But I've never seen this guy before… he and Sora look so similar, though…"

"That's strange. Think I can talk to this Sora guy?" Axel nonchalantly scratched his face (in specifics, the tattoo under his left eye).

"Doubtful. He moves around too much. Your best bet is his friend Kairi—she should be in town, but I'm _not_ giving you any more information," Xion diverted her attention away from the camera and back to cataloguing some new books.

Axel slid around the desk and placed his arm on the girl's shoulders carefully, watching the desk as he did so. "Xion, hey, can't you do me _one_ little favour?" he pleaded.

"No."

"But—,"

"No matter what you come up with, Axel, the answer's the same."

"Dammit."

"Yeah. Get going."

Before Axel headed out, he found what he was looking for and calmly slid it into his jacket with the ease of a seasoned pickpocket—which he wasn't, but he was far too reckless to care.

The object he had— ahem—_borrowed _from Xion's desk was a photo of three people. On the right was a tall, toned silver haired boy. The left of the picture was taken up by a redheaded girl, and smack dab in the center was a happy looking brunet boy with an uncannily similar appearance to the boy in his apartment.

A block away from the library, Axel pried the picture from the frame and turned it over—just as planned, there were names. Kairi, Sora, and Riku.

Axel smirked.

He actually wasn't planning on doing anything about the whole Sora/Kairi thing. In truth, what could he do? Hire a private investigator? He was in debt as it was! So Axel asked around at his college, the bars he frequented, a few random but well-known stores based off of the clothes Kairi had been wearing in the picture he swiped.

And in asking, he picked up a few things. From the people that recognized her, Kairi must be a friendly person. There were a few guys who commented on her looks (and even a girl, too) and one person even said that she frequented the popular store, and some of the staff knew her personally.

That was how Axel met up with this hyperactive child one would call a Selphie.

Selphie was a childhood friend of Kairi's. Score one for the Ax-man!

Oh, hey, it's Kai-Kai!" Selphie exclaimed when she was shown the picture. "And Sora, and Riku! No way! Where did you get this picture? You can hardly get those three in the same room together anymore!" The girl clapped her hands a couple times and decided, without requiring any encouragement, to explain. "Sora travels everywhere, ya know? Riku goes with him sometimes, but Kairi refuses to leave the city. They used to be best buds, too, always, like, keeping each others secrets, and so on."

"Thank you," Axel said, before asking, "Do you know where I can find her?"

"Oh, of course! She lives nearby, usually walks to the store. Just down that street there, and take a right, it's apartment building 3409, number seven."

Axel sought out Kairi's place of residence before figuring out a plan of action. He couldn't tell if Selphie was correct about the apartment building, but at least the place existed, so he could relax a little bit for the time being.

His curiosity of finding out who Roxas was almost won over and Axel almost went inside and knocked on her apartment door to ask a few questions, but there was a limit to being reckless, and nearly stalking one of Roxas's possible relative's best friends was possibly a little over that limit.

So Axel retreated back to the usual bars and spots for the rest of the night without incident, and not one person bothered him for a fire-dance.

* * *

Axel was responsible.

Don't laugh! (He was also very smart, but that could be up for debate at any time.)

Axel knew how to shop for groceries. He was an expert at finding cheap but tasty TV dinners. So when he burst into his apartment with armfuls of great student-food for Roxas (and on occasion when he bothered to eat, let alone come back to the apartment, himself) he expected a little bit of an exuberant welcome.

He shouldn't have bothered.

Roxas was sitting in front of the couch again, TV on to the news again, with the volume down low. He was scowling, and the moment Axel caught sight of him, he happened to be rubbing at his eyes. His cheeks looked a little red, and his skin pale.

"So how's the food holding up for you? And the roof, apparently that stayed up too?" Axel asked, trying to lighten the mood and ignore the possibility of the kid crying.

"Hn."

"…Zombie."

"Wha..?"

"You sounded like a zombie. Minus the screaming for brains and rotting of the corpse, but you're not dead yet, so I'll cut you some slack."

"You talk too much."

"So you've said."

"…I have?"

"Yes. You have. I believe it was the second conversation we ever had. This would probably be the fourth. Not much of a memory you got there, huh?" Axel began to load up the fridge with the foodstuffs he managed to salvage from the store as he babbled. "I've always had a good memory. Must've been all those blueberries I ate as a kid."

"What the hell do blueberries have to do with remembering stuff?" Roxas carried an apprehensive tone, but his 'landlord' could sense the pure curiosity underneath the makeup, and smiled.

"Blueberries have certain things called anthocyanins that enhance your memory. Somehow they're able to cross the blood-brain barrier to do so, but I guess the guys in the white coats are still working on that." Axel finished his mini-speech with a flourish as he put the butter away.

"Know-it-all."

Axel laughed.

There was a silence as he finished putting away the groceries and sat on the couch behind his roommate of sorts.

"Here."

Roxas turned around curiously, and Axel could see that yes, the boy had been crying, and his eyes were puffy enough that even Axel started worrying. It made the redhead then ponder who else would be, or is, worrying about the blond.

"What? Stop staring." Roxas snapped.

"Uh, here," Axel handed Roxas the digital camera.

"What do you want me to do with this?"

"The, um, picture." Axel ruffled his spikes a little, then looked at Roxas out of the corner of his eye. "I'm sorry. I didn't, y'know, save it or print it or anything, so you can delete it off the camera yourself."

"…Okay." Roxas did so, then placed the camera next to him on the ground, bringing his knees up to his chin and focusing on the TV.

It was another fifteen awkward and silent moments before Axel spoke again.

"Hey, if you're looking for a job or something, I could help you out."

Roxas turned around again, focusing his blue eyes on the man with suspicion.

"You're always here when I come by, so I was just wondering—,"

"Axel, you come by after most people have gotten off work."

"Oh."

"Sure."

"Huh?"

"…Y'know..."

"Well, I might not."

"Could you… help me find a job?"

"Sure, Rox." Axel ruffled Roxas's hair as he stood up. "Actually, I'll do that right now!" Proudly, he placed one hand on his hip and gave a little wave. "Get some sleep, okay kid?"

"I'm not a kid!"

Ignoring the angry protest, Axel headed to the door. "Oh, how old are you? I need to know if you can serve alcohol."

"I'm eighteen."

"Okay, see you later!"

Axel was out the door by the time Roxas gathered himself up enough to say goodbye.

* * *

The rest of the night was spent barhopping until the sun came up, in which Axel stopped by the apartment again to shower and get a change of clothes. Roxas was sleeping on the couch with nothing more than a blanket, so Axel lifted up the kid and placed him into the barely-used bed and headed to the college without further ado.

Demyx came bouncing up to him the moment he was spotted and asked how Roxas was doing.

"Could you do him a favour and put in a few good comments about him in some places? I'm helping him get a job."

"Sure can do! I'll spread the word, talk to Xiggy and Marly. You remember them, right? Actually, I'm pretty sure Xigbar works at or owns of the bars, can't remember what it's called though. Roxas didn't look that old when I last saw him, is he really allowed to serve alcohol?"

"He's old enough," Axel lied, knowing that he had connection and that Xigbar probably had connections too, and if they needed another bartender they would easily look past the missing year of legality.

Axel took his lunch break to head to Xigbar's club, hoping that the pirate wouldn't give a shit about the rules and do a friend a favour. Hell, if he got into Xigbar's good graces by the end of the day, Axel's clientele base just might go up a little bit too. Bartenders knew a lot of things, and most of the time knew what to say when. Xigbar was a good person to know, just because of the job he has.

True to Demyx's word, Xigbar did in fact work at the bar, the Organization, and he was a manager, which explained the iffiness about whether he owned it or just simply worked there.

What was pretty awesome was that Axel was recognized and welcomed like an old friend. He was sat down on a stool and treated to a free beer, then asked what his business was.

"I'm wondering if you can offer a friend of mine a job," Axel inquired casually, sipping his beer.

"Depends on what friend, man," Xigbar replied.

"Quiet guy. Name's Roxas; he needs a bit of pocket change." Axel waved his hand about lazily.

"Hmm…"

"Please? At the very least meet him, if not interview him." Because Xigbar had left before the house caught on fire. He wouldn't even have an inkling as to who Roxas was, unless one of the other three had informed him, which was unlikely.

"Okay. Bring him 'round before five pm tonight and I'll give 'im a chance. What's so important about the bugger, anyway?"

"Uh, just a good friend of mine. He's staying at my place while he's in town, and we're kind of hoping he could pay for his own groceries."

"Ah. I get it. See ya t'night man!"

"Yeah, see you."

The moment Axel stepped outside, he inwardly cheered and ran back to the college to give Demyx the good news.

* * *

**A/N: And there's Axel, lying through his teeth and manipulating people once again. His acting skills are getting better, or something, but it'll always be difficult to fool Xion**

**Though no one's adressed the issue yet, I do think Xion's role in 358/2 Days was very Mary-Sueish, but all in all she had a good personality. I'd love to spill the spoilers as to why, but no one wants that. (She's a bit of an emo, though, so I might end up putting something like that in this story.)**

**I didn't actually expect to update. In truth, this is all I have of this story in reserves, and maybe a general storyline planned out. So Merry Christmas, because I have no idea when I'll be squeezing out another StarsOnFire chapter.**

**Learn the Fear is a whole 'nother story.**

**THANKS.**

**-HW-**

**P.S. The song used as a title is a very upbeat Garth Brooks (country) song. FYI. And the blueberry thing? True. The local grocery store had the needless information displayed on the random TV screens, and I used to eat blueberries a lot as a kid too (and as such, my memory is excellent).**


	4. onfire

-STARS ON FIRE-

Onfire

Demyx decided on his own that it would be a good idea to host a party. Of course, his plans were quickly interrupted by a protesting Axel.

The redhead's excuses—er, _reasons—_consisted of not wanting to overwhelm Roxas (the object of the celebration) and because Roxas's interview for the job was later that day. There wasn't time for partying yet, and Roxas—if he got the job—had to adjust to the flipped time schedule, seeing as he'd be working at night.

Besides that, the rest of the day passed smoothly and Axel was able to deliver the news to the one recipient that mattered.

He burst through the apartment door with his usual vigour, calling out, "Roxas!!"

The boy was no where to be found.

Axel shrugged. "Well, he can go out if he feels like."

"You're talking to yourself," Roxas commented from the doorway.

Axel jumped. "Hey! Don't sneak up on people!"

"I, uh, borrowed your scarf, if that's okay?" the kid ignored Axel's shouting and unwound said scarf from his neck, giving Axel a blank stare afterwards.

"Yeah, that's fine. Hey, uh, I got you a job interview! Bartending, though. That okay?"

Roxas looked stunned. "_Really_? That's fine! When is it?"

With a glance at the clock, the reply was, "in one hour."

Roxas panicked. "What? I'm not dressed properly! What do I say? I've never bartended before—don't you need experience?"

"Roxas!" Axel placed his hands on the kid's shoulders to ground him. "You'll do fine. Calm down. And if this doesn't work we could get you a job somewhere else. I've got a few friends who could help."

"…Yeah?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Fine, then." Roxas ran a hand through his hair in a failed attempt at grooming, and Axel decided that they should grab something to eat, because 'if you get the job, you'll be working right away and learning on the spot, with no time for chow, got it?'

So off they went.

* * *

"Axel." Roxas put down his hamburger.

"Yeah?"

"I've… never bartended before. And I have no idea what I'm supposed to say…"

"You've mentioned that before."

"I have?"

"Yes, pretty sure. You were panicking at the time. It was about ten minutes ago."

"…oh. Guess I just have a bad memory."

"Eat more blueberries. Y'know, anthocyanins." Axel said pointedly.

"Wh… Never mind."

"Don't go forgetting my name, now too! It's Axel, got it memorized? A-X-E-L."

"I _know _what your name is! …Alex." Roxas hid a smirk behind his hand, and Axel outright laughed.

At least Roxas wasn't a zombie.

* * *

They had to walk two blocks to get to the right bar, but somehow managed to be on time.

As mentioned previously, Axel was responsible.

Roxas nearly panicked again and tried to back out, but his companion shoved him forward and dragged him by the wrist inside the business, heading straight for Xigbar.

"This the guy?" the man asked, recognizing Axel. "Little short, ain't he?"

"Nah, he's eighteen. Old enough to serve," Axel stated.

"Sure, sure." Xigbar turned to the boy in question. "Now if you get the job, there'll be no drinking during work hours, got me?"

"D-Don't worry, sir. I don't drink," Roxas stuttered, attempting to adjust to the shift in attention.

"I'll just slide over here and ignore you guy. Give you some privacy." Axel slinked over to one of the tables near the entrance of the bar, keeping one eye on Xigbar and Roxas, and the other on the few quiet and not-quite drunk customers occupying the other seats.

The bar itself was a worn, comfortable place, already familiar to Axel even though he'd only entered once. It was welcoming. Most of the chairs and stools were scratched smooth wood, same with the floor, but the bar itself was a nice black marble. Bottles of alcohol were displayed behind the bar, and momentarily Axel worried about setting a kid up in a setting such as this.

Bars were dirty places. They held dirty people, and dirty thoughts floated the air.

But Xigbar's bar was more like a pub. Loving to anyone who entered and serving them without excess. Axel just hoped it wasn't a prostitution joint also.

Within thirty minutes, Roxas walked back over to Axel, a hesitant smile on his face. "Tonight's going to be a trial period," he informed the redhead quietly, feeling a need to do so mainly because Axel was his 'caretaker'. "If I do well, I'll get the job!"

Axel grinned, encouraging Roxas to do so as well. "So I guess I'll leave you here? When do you get off?"

"Uh, midnight. He says I get a break at eight pm, though."

"Okay, then, I'll come pick you up at midnight!"

"But, wait—," Roxas protested, as Axel stood up, "—don't you have to sleep, or something?"

Axel pretended to think. "Never was one for sleep. How many times did you see me enter the apartment to _sleep_?"

"Oh. …Okay, then."

Axel ruffled the blond's spikes. "See you later, kiddo."

"Don't call me that, I'm eighteen!"

Axel chuckled as he exited the building, waving to Xigbar on the way out.

* * *

Axel had a lot of free time. But soon enough, he found things to do, and his time was no longer free.

No body asked him for a show and no one requested his time, and so, unless he found something to do, his time was free.

But, no, wait, couldn't he talk to that Kairi girl about Sora?

Axel had no free time.

Kairi was standing outside her apartment, talking to a silver haired man—a grown Riku, more muscular and taller than the one in the photo—and a taxi waiting along the curb.

"Just wait a little longer. He'll come back," Riku was saying to her.

Kairi sighed, but Riku didn't notice. He gave her a hug.

"I'll see you later then," he said.

"Yeah, bye."

He was in the car and down the street.

Kairi sighed again. "Maybe… waiting isn't good enough."

Axel chuckled and stepped out of the shadows of the alleyway. "My thoughts exactly!"

Kairi jumped, startled, as the redhead walked towards her, stopping when they were only two meters apart. She held an arm to her chest defensively, stepping back, but it wouldn't do any good.

"Kairi, right?"

"Y-yeah. Who are you?"

"Name's Axel. Got it memorized?" Oh goodness. He didn't think he'd actually keep saying that after Roxas. Ah well.

"What do you want?"

"I want you to tell me about Sora." Axel held out a hand, a welcoming invitation to talk or step forward, but she did the opposite and retreated once more.

"What do you know about him? He's not in trouble is he? Leave me alone!"

"Listen, kid, I need you to tell me if he had any family members. Brothers, cousins… any sort of relation around his age."

Kairi was clearly confused. She'd immediately thought she was going to get kidnapped or raped, but no, this guy asked about Sora's family. Slowly, she shook her head. "No… not that I know of. Sora was always touchy around the subject of siblings. He has a cousin, I think…"

"Xion? Yeah, she's my friend. But… no one else?"

"No, I don't think so."

Axel sagged. "Aww. So you've never heard of the name Roxas?"

Kairi paused. "It… sounds familiar…" She scrunched her face up and looked to the left, trying to remember something. "When… when we were kids, Sora and I would eavesdrop on his parents' conversations. I think that name was mentioned a lot, but we could never tell what they were talking about…"

Axel's face lit up again, and he stood tall and grinned. "Thanks, Kairi! You're a great help!"

And he was gone.

Kairi frowned in confusion and headed up the stairs to her apartment.

* * *

"Xion! XION!"

"Axel, shut UP!" Xion threw a book at her overly exuberant friend, who ducked for cover before showing up at her desk so quickly, he might have teleported.

"Xion, I need you to look up the background of Sora's parents. _Please_," he whispered, knowing that Xion would easily know her aunt's and uncle's names.

"What? What's this about, Roxas again?"

"Yeah. I talked to Kairi," Axel flinched at the frown on Xion's face, "she said she heard Sora's parents talk about Roxas a lot when they were younger."

Xion sighed.

"If it makes you feel _any _better, I did a good deed today. I got Roxas a job opportunity." Axel put his hands together in a begging motion. "Please please do this for me! I'll bake you some brownies!"

"…Brownies?"

"Yup!"

"…Okay. But make sure you get me those brownies tomorrow."

"Yessir! I—I mean ma'am! Yes ma'am!"

Xion was typing again and ignoring all that Axel said until she found what she was looking for. Pressing print and sliding her chair over to the printer, she handed Axel four sheets of paper, two per parent on career/personal/relations information.

Axel glomped Xion with a thousand thank-yous before running out and finding a quiet evening café to examine the notes he was given.

* * *

Roxas was the missing younger brother of Sora. He had disappeared when he was six, and had been presumed dead two years later.

His father was a businessman in an electronics company. His mother passed away when he was ten; Sora would have been eleven. Regardless of only having one parent, Sora and his father were well-off.

And Axel found Roxas in an abandoned old building.

The sheets crumpled in his fists. He was mad. He was confused. Where was it that Roxas had gone? Was he kidnapped? Simply missing? Did he just wander off, or did his parents drive him away?

Axel had a few questions for Roxas to answer. Mainly ones about how he survived for so long—was he on his own? Did a nice family pick him up? He looked in too good health to have lived on the streets for eleven years.

But most of all, Axel felt guilty for even peeking into these records. It was the first time Axel had ever felt bad about invading someone's personal information, and there wasn't even much there on the boy.

* * *

He ended up wasting time wandering around the bars and other popular areas, and someone had heard through the chain who he was and asked for a bit of a show. Axel managed to make it to midnight without falling apart, and arrived at Xigbar's business.

Xigbar's place was certainly more popular at night than the day. The bouncer was a bear of a man with short, curly orange hair, who must have been alerted to Axel's presence before hand as he was let in on sight. The interior was packed to the point that it could be a fire hazard, and Axel was having a hard time moving through all the bodies to get to the counter.

When he arrived, he spotted Roxas and another guy at the bar, serving drinks at lightning speed like no tomorrow. The long-haired blond man on the other end was slightly faster than Roxas, and appeared to specialize in mixing drinks, but Roxas was better at filling the glasses perfectly with precision.

Axel knocked on the bar top twice to get Roxas's attention, and the boy turned to him, saying, "What can I get you?" but trailed off with an 'oh' and a glance to the clock.

Roxas tapped on his co-worker's shoulder and told the man that he was leaving. Axel discovered Xemnas at the end of the bar and asked, "What do you think?"

"Of your gravity-defying hair? Wonderful. Xemnas couldn't have done it better if he tried."

Axel chuckled, then specified, "about Roxas. Does he get the job?"

"Xigbar paused to consider. "I think he does. What's his number?"

"I'm not giving you his—,"

"Calm yourself. What number can I reach him at if we need him to come in?"

"Oh." Axel scribbled down his home phone number. "He's usually home, but don't be surprised if I pick up, though."

They said their goodbyes, and Axel slung an arm around Roxas's shoulder to protect the short boy from the mob of people.

The two collapsed on Axel's couch and sighed.

"What a night," Axel commented.

"Do you know how loud that bar is?" Roxas asked rhetorically. "And I don't even know if I got the job!"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure you got the job," Axel replied, and Roxas was on his feet again. Before the boy could say anything, Axel said, "I talked to Xigbar on the way out. Among random comments about celebrities and hairstyles, he told me you got the job. I gave him the phone number for this place, so don't be afraid to pick up if I'm not here, 'kay?"

Roxas nodded, sitting back down, but Axel nudged him off with his feet. "Go sleep in the bed, I'm too tired to move." It was one of those nights where sleep was required, insomniac or no.

Roxas frowned, then smiled and left the room. "Goodnight Axel."

"G'night Rox."

For once, sleep was okay.

…But Axel still felt guilty.

* * *

**A/N: I only finished this chapter because Utsuro promised fanart.**

**I'm serious. **

**Now, in all honesty, I can't tell if you're a girl or a guy, Utsuro. It's bothering me. I'm leaning towards girl, because we're cool like that. **

**So a bit more of Roxas's mysterious past is revealed, but if I want to be cliche, I'll say it's only the beginning. No really. Chapter 4 isn't that far into the story.**

**TOMORROW IS THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL YAY.**

**Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, whatever your religion, race, culture, sexuality, have fun and have a good holiday season.**

**LOVE for you all,**

**-HW-**

**P.S. The song On Fire is a Switchfoot one, by the way. Good song. If any of you know a song that has fire in it, lemme know!**


	5. whenthere'snothinglefttoburn

-STARS ON FIRE-

Whenthere'snothinglefttoburn

Roxas had woken earlier than Axel, some time around ten. He presumed that because the other man never really slept, the one time he let himself crash, he conked out for _hours. _So Roxas let him sleep, and set to making some sort of breakfast out of the groceries Axel occasionally restocked.

Axel got up at noon, in a panic about college and classes and being later—until he spotted Roxas, sitting alone at the kitchen table and quietly slurping some soup.

Axel got himself a bowl and sat across from his houseguest. "I am not going to school today," he told himself—or Roxas—firmly.

"Why's that?" Roxas asked, somewhat disinterested.

"I promised brownies for a friend of mine, and she's going to get them if it's the last thing I do!" was the proclaimed answer as Axel slammed a fist (still holding a spoon) down on the table.

Roxas blinked. Axel took it as a cue to explain, albeit vaguely.

"She found out a few things for me. She sort of risks her job, but I sort of saved her life once, so it's okay."

Roxas blinked again, in a more questioning manner, but Axel was silent.

"Hey, Roxas…"

"Mm?"

"What… what about your family? I mean, I know we have this unspoken rule about not asking personal questions, but…"

"I don't really remember my actual family," Roxas stated simply. The tone he held claimed the end of conversation.

"My parents died in a fire," Axel said, and Roxas wondered how the man could even hold fire in his hands after that, let alone do what he did.

For once, Roxas was sad for someone else, and not just his own misfortune. It was a guilty sadness.

* * *

Axel knew how to cook. It was a strange experience to watch, let alone participate in, because he gave the feeling that he burned everything he tried to make.

If that happened, it was certainly intentional. Never did he burn things by accident. The one thing Axel had complete control of was fire.

"Hey Roxas," Axel suggested, while whipping the chocolate batter around in the bowl, "wanna go to the firestation later today?"

"You go to the fire station?" Roxas scrubbed hard at the soup bowl in the sink.

"Well, yeah. They're all kind of my buddies."

"I hope you realize the irony in all of that."

"That's the point of going, isn't it?" Axel recklessly waved around the whisk. "I mean, I'm their worst enemy, and they don't even know it!"

"Should we bring them brownies too?" Roxas was being sarcastic, but Axel swung around to face him with enthusiasm.

"That's an _excellent_ idea!"

The blond kid wasn't sure if he should be cursing or laughing inwardly.

* * *

They ended up making a second batch, of course, because Axel claimed that Xion could eat an entire batch of cookies on her own, even if her coworkers didn't steal half the plate.

"So I'll run out and drop these off at my friend's work real quick, just pull the brownies out of the oven when the timer goes off, got it memorized?"

"Yes, Axel, I'm not going to forget. Go." Roxas had to shoo the man out the door amongst several teasings. It was only when the redhead was in the hall that he ruffled Roxas's hair and trekked down the stairs with a comical bounce in his step.

Roxas hoped he wouldn't trip.

"XION, DEAREST, I BROUGHT YOU YOUR LUNCH!" Axel cooed the moment he stepped into the library, saying it loudly _just _for the sake of it, and _just _so he could get shushed by five different people at once.

But when he looked over at Xion's desk, his joyful demeanor was taken over by curiosity as a boy with silver hair dressed in black grunge clothing, full of chains and safety pins—wasn't that the same guy Kairi had been talking to?—froze in the midst of a sentence and slinked away from the girl and towards some dark corner of the endless tomes.

Axel whistled. "Who was _that_? Can't have too many men jumping at sweet little Xion, now can we? Should I fight him off for you?"

"Ax, you know better than I do that I could kick your ass into next week if I felt like it. Now, what do you want?"

"Aww, can't even get a little love around here! C'mon, just tell me his name."

"No! You're way to nosy for your own good, and I need to stop fueling the fire."

"Oh, the irony." Axel mimed swooning like a girl, hand on his forhead, before straightening up and attempting to bribe Xion with, "I brought brownies. Can't you tell me _now?_"

"_Those _brownies are for the several yet-unpaid happenings where I stupidly complied to your will. Gimme." She held out her hands, sounding very much like a young child, but looking like she could rule the world if she wanted.

Axel handed them over without much further ado.

"Is that all?"

"Yes. I'd just like to inform you that Roxas's job is going well, and we're going to bring a batch of brownies down to the fire station seeing as the guys probably miss me dearly. Have fun, honey! Don't do drugs, have safe sex, use contrac— hey!" Axel was forcibly pushed out of the library by Xion, who (for once) had gotten out from behind her desk to do so.

"See you later, Axel," she said, disappearing once again amongst books and dust.

Axel smiled at himself, and thought that he must be blessed for having such tolerating people around.

* * *

Roxas was waiting with his arms crossed, looking very frustrated for having been kept waiting.

"Brownies are done," he claimed when Axel stepped through the door.

"Good! Let's go!" Without letting Roxas pout any longer, he slung one arm around Roxas's shoulders, picked up the plate of brownies, and directed them out the door.

* * *

"So, you know these fire fighters well, right?" Roxas asked, sounding insecure as they headed down the street and around the corner.

"Yup."

"What're they like?"

"Aww, is little Roxy nervous? Don't worry, you'll fit right in. They're all brooding assholes."

"Says the _annoying_ asshole."

"Exactly. See, _this _is why we get along so well." Axel laughed along with Roxas's chuckle, and regretted not being able to look behind at the boy trailing him to see if the blond had smiled.

Roxas _had _smiled, and it didn't disappear until he forgot what he was smiling about—which was about the time they arrived at the worn brick building well-known as the fire house.

Axel opened the side door like he lived there, Roxas following silently behind, acting confident but feeling way out of place. Axel had never introduced him to any of the man's friends willingly—this was the first. So as much as he wanted to make a good impression, he'd rather not be there at _all._

"Hey, guys," Axel greeted as he rounded a corner and entered the living room.

He received a chorus of grunts in response from the buff men lounging on the scattered and mismatching seats. "Ah, that's no way to welcome a friend. I even brought someone for you to meet!"

That got a bit more of an enthusiastic response. The brown-haired man in the corner perked up a little, the blond guy's eyes flickered over to Axel, and the man with the dreadlocks holding the remote to the TV scowled, but paid attention.

"This, dear, beloved friends of mine, is a plate of brownies."

Two of three jumped up, swiped the plate away, and huddled in the corner like starved animals, while the third (the man in dreads) scoffed and turned back to the TV.

"I thought you meant _someone._ Y'know, a girlfriend, or something Big boobs, small waist, so on…"

"Now, now, Xaldin, we all know here that I am tested and certified fully homosexually _gay._" Axel retorted with a confident wave of his hand. "Just like all you sweaty boys livin' here."

"For the fifty-seventh time, I'm _not gay,_" the blond man retorted from the corner.

"Keep telling yourself that, lovely."

* * *

Axel being gay was news to Roxas. The kid felt slightly betrayed, but quelled it with the reasoning that Axel was his landlord, nothing more. The man had no obligation to tell him anything.

But Axel _did _tell Roxas about how the man's parents died. Isn't that a personal issue? Did that mean that Roxas and Axel were getting closer, more to friends rather than acquaintances?

The idea almost made Roxas smile, but then he remembered where he was and was promptly tackled by an oversized, spikey puppy.

* * *

Okay, so it wasn't a dog.

It was Zack Fair, and Roxas now knew why the rest of the men didn't respond to Axel's enthusiasm anymore.

Zack's enthusiasm far outshined Axel's on a daily basis, and the ADHD symptoms didn't help any.

Zack had started off by tackling Roxas (who had been hiding behind Axel) and trapping the boy in a headlock while firing ten questions at Axel in the span of three seconds.

Once he gathered Roxas's name (and only his name; he didn't hear any other answers, or wait for them) he shook Roxas's hand a little too hard, perked up, sniffed the air, and asked, "Hey, are those brownies I smell?"

Leon and Cloud (as Axel introduced them) shuffled closer together, attempting to block Zack out of their world entirely. Xaldin (man-with-dreads) simply sat on the couch as if no one else existed but the Mythbusters.

* * *

After Roxas was (properly) introduced, he and Axel sat in an empty corner of the room, Axel acting like he belonged and Roxas thinking that maybe they shouldn't be intruding.

But after ten minutes of listening to Axel's chatter of "this-one-time-in-band-camp" type stories, Roxas eased into the beanbag and relaxed a little more, wondering why he was so tense in the first place.

Roxas now knew why Axel came to the fire station. Although he wasn't bothered by anyone, and everyone minded their own business, they were _people, _they were _friends._ It was familiar, and so very much like having a family.

Axel's apartment was empty and rather cold. Saddening. It was no wonder why the man never actually went to the place unless out of necessity. It was merely a storage room to him, and lately, the place to find Roxas.

Roxas realized that he was going to have to move out eventually, pay for his own place, or maybe find another abandoned house. But along this train of thought...

Roxas decided he liked Axel's company.

* * *

"Hey, Roxas."

That sentence seemed to be starting a lot of conversations and odd trains of thought, lately.

"Yeah?"

"So… you really don't know who your real parents are?"

"…What brought this up?"

"Just answer the question, 'kay?"

"No, I don't remember them. I have no idea who they are. That's… why I came to Traverse Town, actually. The one thing that's always stuck in my memory is this place. I came looking for my family."

"So you want to know who your family is?"

"Yes. I think that's the point of what I just said."

"Just… making sure." Axel reached into the largest pocket of his black jacket, pulled out a piece of paper, and handed it to Roxas. "Here."

"What's this?" Roxas, cautiously, unfolded the paper, put on edge by Axel's suspicious attitude.

"Your family," Axel told him plainly.

* * *

**A/N: Thank Utsuro. Again. She bribed me with fanart.**

**This chapter is moreso complied of a bunch of sections, rather than a full and complete chapter, but it fits together to form that. I hope you don't mind the one-too-many breaks, but I had too much fun with the dramatization of everything. Take, for example, that last line. Axel gave Roxas the sheets of paper that have Roxas's parents info on them-- and we, the author and readers, still don't know who they are.**

**Oh, the suspense.**

**So despite the pressures of sophomore year, I'm having a helluva time with my two stories here on . Just please don't expect anything until after exams (this month entirely) are over. Oh, and February 25 is national Skip School day.**

UNTIL NEXT TIME SWEET PEAS.

**(Utsuro, you better damn well gimme mah fanart.**

**That stuff's like crack.)**

**-HW-**


	6. Chariotoffire

-STARS ON FIRE-

Chariotoffire

Roxas was silent long enough to make Axel fairly unsettled and more than a little worried. The blond kid's hands shook as he flipped from one page to the other, examining every piece of information available.

Axel tapped his fingers on his knee. Roxas didn't budge.

"Uh, Rox? Everything okay?"

Silence. Roxas flipped back to the first page.

"I guess I should explain, huh?" Axel laughed humourlessly, certain that Roxas was going to murder him and never talk to him again. "I did some digging. Then, well, you said that you don't remember your actual family. So, uh…"

The boy sniffled, one hand letting go of the paper to create a death grip on Axel's wrist.

"Rox…? Shit, don't cry! Please! I'm sorry, it was none of my business, you don't have to stick around me anymore I just—,"

"Axel," Roxas whispered. He turned a tearstained face up to look at the taller man, with a small in incredibly genuine smile. "Thanks."

"You're… not mad at me?"

"No. This is… the nicest thing anyone has done for me. I… I want to meet them." Roxas carefully placed the papers down on his lap. "I have a family," he muttered.

Axel was quite happy at this establishment, and found himself wrapping his arms around the blond's shoulders and giving the boy a big hug. "Come with me," he muttered.

At the top of the first page, read a name.

ANSEM WEISS

* * *

Down the street, Axel finally began to explain. "Y'know the friend who I delivered the other batch of brownies to? Her name's Xion, she works at the library. She helped me figure out who you were."

"So…"

"She's kinda-sorta your cousin," Axel rushed out.

"Serious…?" Roxas's eyes were wide, and he was having a hard time processing everything that was happening at once. It was too much information, and he prayed that he wouldn't forget whatever happened from that point onwards. He wanted, more than anything, to meet his family, and he'd told Axel so.

Thus, spur-of-the-moment miniature family reunion.

The two arrived at the library with time to spare. It was practically empty, with only the dark-haired girl sitting at one of the secretarial desks.

"Xion," Axel called out, for once sounding relatively sober, "the man of the hour's here!"

The girl looked up, blue eyes too similar to Roxas's to be a coincidence. She spotted the blond and did her best to keep from letting her mouth drop open.

"Axel, you actually brought him here? I thought you were going to keep him a secret from the world or something!" Ecstatic, Xion rushed out from behind her desk and hugged Roxas.

"Uh…" Roxas scratched his cheek, not sure what to do or how to react once confronted with a family member.

"Oh!" Xion appeared to remember something, and she ducked back behind her desk for a second before appearing again with a picture frame in hand.

Axel recognized it as the one he snatched when looking for Kairi, and almost laughed. He supposed the next step would be to find Sora.

Roxas took the picture frame into one hand once Xion offered it, and the blond stood there in silence, staring at the photo.

"That's Sora," Xion pointed, "your brother. These are his friends, Riku and Kairi… Actually, Riku stops by the library on occasion, and Kairi lives in an apartment not too far from here."

* * *

A moment in time is just that; momentary, fleeting... and sometimes, the most beautiful thing in the world.

It takes small things, to make it beautiful. A rare and honest smile; true laughter, the perfect snowfall.

And most of all—think about this. Think about the moments you had that were just absolutely perfect. Were you ever alone?

Axel always knew that when he came across such a moment, he would be able to tell. He was right, of course; he usually was.

When Roxas let the hand holding the picture fall to his side, and when he looked up at Axel like there was nothing better in the world, the redhead could feel one of those moments coming on.

And then the kid hugged him, and the warm fuzzy feeling just didn't go away. Axel smiled giddily, and started making plans to contact Ansem Weiss. Maybe, Sora would be back in town and Roxas could meet his brother.

"Thank you, Axel," Roxas kept chanting, nearly in tears. "Thank you, thank you. Thank you so much. You are amazing. This is amazing. Thank you."

* * *

Xion let Roxas keep the picture of Sora, Riku, and Kairi, and it ended up on the side-table next to the phone.

Said phone was currently in use.

Ansem Weiss was difficult to get a hold of, and soon enough Axel gave up on the recorded answering machines and 'please hold's and the crappy music afterwards. Roxas had been sitting on the couch, impatiently tapping his fingers against the arm rest, but the day seemed to be almost out. And Roxas had to go to work.

After walking Roxas to Xigbar's pub (he'd given up on calling it a bar; it was too much like the owner's name), Axel found himself wandering the streets—and then Demyx showed up with Marluxia in tow.

Axel had never really gotten to know Marluxia. He figured any man with pink hair had to be a little strange, but then again, he wasn't one to talk.

Demyx scampered off, and Marluxia introduced Axel to a couple men in suits, businessmen who wanted to see some fire. They had money.

* * *

The flames rose from his hand, almost too dramatically, but not yet shaped. It looked too much like his hand was on fire, and Axel was quick to change that.

It was a fox, this time; a fox that rose to stand on his arm, then chase a fiery butterfly around his head and both creatures burst into fireworks not a metre above the businessmen. The fire turned into rain and sparks, and the sparks pulled together to create wheels of flame.

Axel spun them around, a practiced art as the wheels released their form and spiralled around his arms, up to his biceps, and fluidly dripped onto the concrete to lick at his heels.

The businessmen had amazed looks on their faces already, but Axel just grinned. That was the warm-up, the fancy designs to capture interest and to prove he had skill.

Then the flames shot up in a sudden burst as if orchestrated to music, creating a whirlwind around Axel. He couldn't keep up the tunnel for long; it would sap his air too quickly. It dispersed into a dragon, uncoiling from around his waist.

The real dancing began, with heat and swinging hips.

* * *

In a couple hours, Axel thought, he'd have to pick up Roxas. He should change before then, so he wouldn't smell like smoke.

* * *

Roxas figured he liked bartending.

Ignoring the drunkards that hit on him was easy. He knew he was pretty enough, but he supposed ignoring the men on the other side of the bar was better than Vexen, who seemed to be enjoying the comments.

He knew not to give freebies to the men claiming to have no money. The music was fairly catchy, too, and the 'dance floor' (the space that had less tables) picked up after eleven pm, and the lights could easily be considered light when reflecting off the many shifting bodies on the floor.

The bar was a fairly nice place to be, surprisingly, but Roxas knew that if he stayed longer than his shift he'd get a headache. It was getting late (nearing 1am) and he was getting tired. At one am, Axel should be there to pick him up.

* * *

True enough, the redhead made his way to the bar to pick Roxas up, and they headed out after checking in with Xigbar.

The night was calm and a little cool, the stars sparkling above like ice, and when Roxas breathed out, clouds floated up to meet the sparkles of ice.

Axel wrapped his scarf around the boy's neck, just to be nice, and he got a smile in return. Roxas was tired, Axel could tell, and the silence was pretty nice.

This is one of those moments, he thought. The kind that's beautiful in its simplicity. I'll remember this, I hope.

"Axel," Roxas said, "Why are you wearing pyjama pants?"

"Because pyjama pants are sexy," Axel stated.

* * *

**A/N: OH MY GOODNESS. So sorry for the delay. I know, Exams were over weeks ago. But then my computer wasn't working properly, so I couldn't crank ANYTHING out, but I finally got it working today. I figured you guys deserve SOMETHING.**

**I was going to make the chapter longer, but I would have just filled it with rambling. I didn't want to put in too much about finding Roxas's dad (let alone Sora) in this chapter, and my back is starting to hurt, anyways. (I bet Roxas's reaction surprised you! Most were thinking that he was going to be angry!)**

**LOTS to update on, but I can't remember any...**

**OH. FANART. I LOVE You, UTSURO( or Dannadolly. Whichever name you prefer).**

http:// dannadolly . /art/ Stars-On-Fire- 147174106 This is the first one.

http:// dannadolly . /art/ Stars-on-Fire-2- 150517416 This is the second one.

**I'm sorry for not putting the links in earlier! It was the main reason why I wanted to finish this chapter. If these links don't work, I'm putting them in my profile too, so check there too.**

**And pyjamas are VERY sexy. (though I'm sure Axel was just using that as an excuse.)**

**-HW-**


	7. Hellfire

-STARS ON FIRE-

Hellfire

The following afternoon (to them it felt like morning only because they'd woken up at noon) Axel and Roxas took a different approach to contacting Ansem.

They marched right up to the man's house and rang the doorbell.

Okay, so it was a little harder than that. The address itself was plastered right on the sheet of information that Xion had given them, but the house was a mansion, with gates and cameras, marble stone steps and giant double-doors. The grass was mowed perfectly, the bushes trimmed into exact rectangles, and there wasn't a spot on any of the three visible and very expensive cars in the drive.

The gate was easy—it was unlocked and unmonitored at the time, so Axel just boldly pushed it open and marched through, a nervous Roxas on his heels. When they reached the door, a maid opened it and asked them to wait in the entrance way while she spoke with the master of the house.

* * *

Two floors up, in his study, Ansem was on the phone. The man was hidden behind a huge oak desk covered with papers, and shelves of books and folders lined the walls, a single, tall window nestled between the shelves as if forgotten.

Yuna knocked on the door before entering, her presence not being acknowledged until the master himself saw fit.

"—your whole life, tossed away! How can you even consider—don't bring her into this! Your mother is gone, and that's that! Hang on a moment." Ansem pressed a hand to the mouthpiece of the phone and turned to the maid in the doorway.

Wise of the obvious family issue, Yuna bowed and said, "Sir, you have guests in the entrance hall."

"Send them away, I'm busy." He turned away from her and uncovered the phone, placing it next to his ear again.

"Sir… they mentioned a boy, Roxas."

Ansem breathed in once, sharply, and muttered the name again, as a question that hung in the air, not meant to be answered.

"He looks so much like you."

It was that that finally made Ansem put the phone down. His son, Sora, on the other line, had hung up the moment Ansem had said Roxas's name.

"I shall greet them. Don't prepare any food, they will not stay long."

* * *

Axel soon learned that Ansem Weiss was not to be messed with. He was tall, intimidating, and a voice that commanded even when asking to pass the salt.

Roxas was just plain unsure about how he should act around the scary man that happened to be his biological father.

Ansem had stormed into the room with anger and immediately addressed them. "What do you want?"

"You must be Ansem Weiss." Axel said, but Roxas squeezed the redhead's elbow, silently saying that he wanted to take care of this.

"I'm Roxas," the boy said, not sticking out a hand to shake, not making any move to elaborate at all, watching carefully to gauge the reaction of his father.

"You… should not exist," Ansem growled. "Get out of my house. I have no idea who you are, and you are not welcome here. Get _out_." The entire time, he had not raised his voice once.

Roxas stepped back once, not expecting _this_, and Axel frowned, displeased with the kind of person Ansem turned out to be.

They left. From the next room, Yuna watched with sad eyes.

* * *

Sora was half-way across the continent, likely in another country, but he wasn't sure. The only thing he was certain of was that he had gas, and cellphone reception, so he was able to pick up a call from his father.

His very _angry _father.

Ansem didn't approve of what his son was doing, and didn't even to bother asking _what_ his son was doing. He just wanted the boy back home, in a fancy suit, and looking pretty for the neighbours.

But there was a disruption on Ansem's side of the world, and he only had to hear the hissed 'Roxas' before making a split-second decision (because we all know by now that split-second decisions get you places).

Sora turned the car around and headed home.

Of course, it would be another day or two before he actually _got _home, but that was besides the point. In the meantime, he snapped open his cell again and called Riku, then Kairi.

* * *

Roxas, of course, was devastated by the reaction garnered from his biological father. He'd expected a bit more of a welcome, some sort of apology for not having found him, for not being able to take care of him as he grew up, but one look around the mansion itself showed that Ansem Weiss had more than enough money to do so if he felt like it.

Axel placed a hand on his shoulder as a silent comfort, and Roxas felt obliged to start talking. Axel, after all, was his only friend.

"I just… don't know what I was expecting."

"You were expecting a family. That wasn't it," Axel replied in confidence.

"…Axel, who am I now?"

"Huh?"

"I mean… Before, I was just Roxas. I didn't really have a last name. Not one that applied to _me, _because first it was an orphanage, then it was in and out of foster homes for ages. But… Should I refer to myself as Roxas Weiss, or just Roxas?"

"Well, you're not legally his son, not really. To me, all you need is a Roxas to brighten the day." Axel picked his hand off the boy's shoulder and slung it around, giving Roxas a friendly squeezing hug for a moment.

"Just… Roxas, then."

"I'm just Axel. No need for anything else. After all, who needs fancy titles when you go prancing about outdoors in your pjs?"

Roxas laughed, lifted from his depression a little. "You have a point, I guess."

"Don't worry, Roxas, you can stay with me. I'm not gonna kick you out or anything like that, not at this point. Got it memorized?"

Again, Roxas laughed, and Axel grinned down at the kid.

Just one of those moments.

* * *

Two days later, Sora arrived in town. He didn't alert his father to his presence, but instead crashed at Riku's flat before dragging all his contacts out to search the entire town for even an inkling of a Roxas. Kairi said a redhead named Axel had asked her about it, but ran off in a sort of hurry, and he didn't provide a last name. Yuffie (a scarily notorious gang leader) hadn't heard anything, but sent messages to Leon and co. at the firestation, and she sent out some of her members as well to search.

Finally, they struck gold when they called Xion's phone at her job.

"_Roxas? Oh goodness, Sora, you don't know yet! My friend Axel, he's taking care of the boy. Such a shy kid, too, he looks a lot like you—,"_

"Xion, where can I find him?"

"_Come to the library. Axel should be popping by any time now."_

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

_Click. _Beeeeep.

Sora was off, weaving the crowds with the ease of one who'd been at it for years, barely brushing the elbows of the people around him, Riku trailing not too far behind until the man got a phone call and said he had to leave for a job. (What, exactly, did Riku do these days? Sora should really touch base with his friends once this whole fiasco was over with.)

_Roxas. Gotta find Roxas…_

* * *

Xion was correct—Axel did, in fact, 'pop by', and it was not fifteen minutes after Sora had hung up. The redhead plopped himself down heavily in a chair behind Xion's desk chair and heaved a tired sigh.

"No dramatic greeting, this time?" She asked, expecting a frantic brunet to burst through the heavy library doors at any moment.

"It's… been an intense few days…" Axel was, for once, perfectly and completely sober as he spoke to his friend. Off to the side, Xion casually wondered if something had happened between Axel and Roxas, but figured she'd get an answer soon enough, as Axel was never one to keep quiet for very long, especially in a space as silent as a library.

"I'm a horrible person, Xion. I keep... I keep thinking, 'what if Roxas never finds his family?' And when the thoughts come up, I know that he'd stay with me, and as much as I want that… I'm being selfish.

"I just… don't want him to go away." He finished, and heaved a sigh again.

"Then tell him that," Xion said. Having turned her chair around once he started talking, the girl was able to stand and place a small hand on his shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

By Axel's expression, he was clearly befuddled, and he dropped his head into his hands and muttered, "what?"

"Heavens, Axel, Roxas doesn't know his family as well as he knows you! I mean, Sora's a good guy and all, but his father was never very pleasant to be around. Rox will probably still stay at your place, at least for another few months, just to get to know Sora."

"But after those few months…"

"Now that I think about it," Xion continued, completely ignoring Axel, "Sora doesn't even have a place of his own. He's probably crashing at Riku's."

That, for some reason, made Axel look up in shock.

"But… doesn't Riku live in town?"

"He does, why do you ask?"

"So Sora's in town?"

"He is. He's on—,"

"Why the fuck didn't you tell me? We gotta get Rox, he's just taking a nap at the pad before he heads to work—,"

As if Beings of Power had orchestrated the entire thing, the doors burst open in a dramatic flow of light, a boy with messy brown hair pushing them open with both hands, looking around as he did so, eyes finally setting on Xion and Axel.

"Xion!" the boy cried, face shining with sweat, chest heaving. He looked more scared than anything, as if his dog had just gotten hit by a car.

The girl in question smiled, and Axel had a brokenly hopeful look. "Xiie, is this…"

"Sora, over here!" She waved calmly to the panicked boy, and he rushed over, about to ask a string of questions before noticing the extra character in the background. "Sora, this is Axel, he's been taking care of Roxas."

That was all he needed to hear, apparently, because Sora turned to Axel and nearly shouted, "You know where Roxas is? Where is 'e? Can I meet 'im?"

"…Sure. _You're _Sora?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You look a lot like him, that's all. Nothing like…" He was going to say, '_nothing like your father' _but Sora's relationship with Ansem was on uncertain grounds, and it wasn't Axel's place to mention it.

Sora brushed off the drifting sentence and tugged on Axel's sleeve until the elder stood up and led the boy off. "See ya, Xion! Until next time, babe!" He called back enthusiastically with a wave.

"Thank you, Xion! Thank you so much!" Sora added, pretending his new companion wasn't freaking out the rest of the library staff.

* * *

Half a block away, Sora's phone rang. "Huh? Squall?"

"_That's LEON. And I have some news for you."_

"What's that?"

"_This kid you're looking for. Roxas. He came by the station a couple days ago with a friend of ours."_

"Hey, is that Leon?" Axel hurriedly reached over the smaller boy and snatched the neat-looking cell phone away.

"He-ey, Squally!"

"_A-Axel? How—what are you doing?"_

"Taking Sora to meet Roxas. You?"

"_I _was _going to tell Sora about Roxas, but I suppose you beat me to it."_

"On the contrary, Xion beat us both to it. She deserves more brownies."

There was a squeak on the other end of the line, shuffling, then a yelp.

"_Okay, I _know _I heard the word brownies." _Zack said, having successfully pulled the phone away from his coworker. _"When are you making them and where can I get some?"_

"Whoa, Zack, my brownies aren't _that _good."

"Um, is everything sorted out? I kinda don't want to waste any time…" Whether Sora meant waste his phone bill or waste time that could be spent meeting his long-lost twin brother, was up to the interpreter.

Axel got the gist, said his so-longs, and hung up in the middle of Zack's rant on sugary-chocolate-goodness-in-a-pan.

* * *

"Hey… Sora?"

"Yeah?"

"You're not going to… uh, demand you and Rox live together, right? I mean, you don't even know each other yet, and he's been living with me for…"

"Don't worry, I won't take him away from you." Sora had a satisfactory smile on his face for a strange reason, and Axel raised a sceptical eyebrow that asked the question for him.

Sora glanced at him, heaved a sigh, and said, "You're in love with him, aren't you?"

Axel stopped midstep and nearly fell over. "WHAT?"

Sora turned and crossed his arms, feet set decidedly in his path—there were a few tactics he picked up from the people he met while travelling. "You heard me."

"Yeah… Yeah, I heard you. I'm just not sure if I interpreted correctly." The redhead stood up awkwardly straight, one hand on his hip and the other playing with the spikes of hair on the back of his head. He looked off to one side, focused on nothing in particular.

"I—what I mean is…" Sora creeped closer and leaned slightly into Axel's line of sight. "The moment you saw me, you compared me to him. Once you knew for certain who I was, you sized me up, as if making sure I was fit to meet Roxas. And what you just said, you don't want him to leave you, right?"

There was a long, full silence, and neither moved. Softly, as if trying not to interrupt the moment, it began to rain.

Finally, Axel came to a decision.

"Yeah…" He rubbed his spikes once more before letting the hand drop to his side. "I guess I'm in love with Roxas."

If possible, Sora smiled even wider, and the two continued their trek to the apartment. "And 'sides... saying g'bye to Xion like that was _totally _gay."

* * *

"How come you were expecting that?" Axel asked, later, when they were almost at the apartment.

"I picked up a bit of behaviour psychology on one of my adventures. I met a lot of people. And I'm not prejudiced against gays because I _am _gay. I actually…" For the first time, Sora hesitated in telling a stranger something. "I actually like Riku. He doesn't even know I'm gay."

Axel raised his eyebrows higher, but shoved his hands and kept quiet until they reached the apartment and he had to pull out his key.

Sora, next to him, kept shifting from foot to foot, hesitant again, and nervous. The door opened.

"Roxas?" Axel called, and there was a mumbled, sleepy reply in return.

* * *

**A/N: Ho boy. Exams are coming up, aren't they? I should be writing my essay right now, but I decided to do something nice and procrastinate. I need to relax more. (I hope I can get to bed early tonight... Haven't been getting enough sleep.)**

**SHOW OF HANDS, how many were at Anime North in Toronto? I was cosplaying Sora on Saturday (yes, I was at the photoshoot in front of the congress). I want to see if anyone can guess which Sora was me, because there was a lot! Here's a hint- I had a Riku with me, and a few other characters in my group as well. If I tell you them all, it'll give it away, though.**

**I'm also heading to B.C. at the end of the summer to attend Anime Evolution in Vancouver- anyone going there?**

**Great Things: Glee (holy crap, season finale was so dramatic)**

**-HW-**


End file.

Kingdom Hearts, Friendship, Romance