To Save a Life

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters associated with Kingdom Hearts or Kingdom Hearts II. I'm merely borrowing them.

The 5th Day

It was raining, which wasn't a good sign. Good days never came from rainy days. It was just a fact of life.

The day started out normally enough. Roxas got up, got dressed, and met Axel at the café like he had been the past couple of mornings. He didn't ask about Zexion's presence; he had gotten used to the dark silver-haired boy after the first morning. They talked about anything that came to their minds. Roxas had started to come to enjoy his little meetings with Axel. He found he could express himself a lot more freely than in front of Hayner and the others. Even with Zexion there, he felt more at ease than he did with the others. He knew the two of them wouldn't judge him by what he looked like, or what he said. And he treasured that.

After breakfast, Roxas went to the local bookstore to pick up a book he had his eye on. Axel and Zexion, not having anything better to do, tagged along. They ended up spending several hours there and grabbed lunch at the café. Roxas had more fun with them than all the summers he spent with Hayner and the others combined. He reluctantly said goodbye to Axel and Zexion and headed home with the intention of curling up in his bed and reading the book from cover to cover.

Of course Fate had something else planned for him.

When he got home, there were two pairs of shoes by the door instead of one. His mother had gone to the market early that morning so they couldn't be her shoes. The only alternative was that Kairi was over, a thought that made Roxas shudder. He had come to really hate Kairi in the past couple of days. Roxas left his shoes by the door and took his book upstairs. At the top of the stairs, he halted; he heard what sounded like passionate moans. He crept forward, his heart pounding in his throat. His eyes widened when he saw what was going on. Sora and Kairi were having sex. In the room he and Sora shared. After everything that had happened, Sora didn't believe him. Even worse, he broke the promise he had made to Roxas long ago.

Roxas shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I wanna talk to you about Kairi."

Sora looked surprised. "What about her?"

"She just makes me feel uncomfortable. Don't…mess around with her or anything."

"What? Like have sex?" Sora laughed. "Oh god Roxas, I'm not going to have sex with her. I'm totally not ready."

"Okay. But can you promise me that you won't, just for now at least?"

"No problem. I promise."

Something inside Roxas broke when he saw Sora and Kairi in bed together. He turned and ran from the room, ignoring Sora's protests. He didn't even bother to put his shoes on as he burst out into the storm. Within moments, he was soaked. The thunder muffled his sobs and the lightning illuminated his path through the rain-soaked streets. He had never felt so much pain before in his life. He felt like his chest was being torn in half. He slid through a puddle and landed facedown in an even larger puddle. Fate was laughing at him. He picked himself up and slid into an abandoned alley where he sat with his knees pulled up to his chest. He was cold, wet, and miserable. Still sobbing, he sat with his arms wrapped around his knees and his face buried within his jeans.

He barely even heard the soft footsteps.

"Roxas?" A quiet voice asked.

Roxas looked up at the cloaked figure, tears and rainwater dripping down his face. The figure brought down its hood.
"Zexion? What are you doing here?" Roxas asked.

"I should be asking you the same question," Zexion replied.

Roxas held up his hands helplessly. Zexion squatted down next to him with much difficulty.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

Roxas shook his head. He sobbed harder. Zexion sighed softly. This was not something he was used to dealing with. He only had one choice; taking the boy to Axel. He would know what to do with him.

"Can you stand?" he asked. Roxas nodded. Slowly, he got to his feet. Zexion mirrored his actions, though he found it much more difficult. He turned to Roxas. "Do you think you can walk?"

"I'll…try," Roxas sniffed softly. The two of them walked down the street together, ignoring the falling rain. Slowly, they went up the stairs at Axel's apartment complex and wearily, Zexion knocked on Axel's door.

Please be in. He thought.

The door opened and Axel's head poked out.

"Zex? What the hell are you doing here?" he asked hoarsely. "You know you shouldn't be out in the rain like this."
"I'm sorry Axel. I had nowhere else to go. I…need your help," Zexion replied.

As much as it kills me to say it. He thought.

"What do you mean?" Axel asked. He gave a low gasp when Zexion stepped out of the way, revealing Roxas. "Roxas?!"

Roxas looked up when he heard his name but his eyes were strangely blank. No pain, no anger, no happiness, nothing. It was as though he had put up a wall.

"Roxas? What's wrong?" Axel's soft voice broke through the wall in an instant. Roxas broke down.

Sobbing, he told Axel about Sora's promise to not mess around with Kairi and how that promise had been broken. He talked about how Kairi had spread lies about him partying hard and doing drugs and had turned pretty much everyone against him. Axel let him talk while slowly guiding him inside. He gestured for the silver-haired ten to follow, which he did. Roxas cried and talked in Axel's embrace while they sat together on the couch until he had exhausted himself and fallen asleep.

Slowly, without waking the sleeping boy, Axel detangled himself and managed to get Roxas to lie down on the couch. He covered him with an afghan and motioned for Zexion to follow him into the bedroom so they could talk.

"How did you find him?" Axel asked in a soft voice.

"I followed his scent," Zexion answered unflinchingly. "I picked it up as I was returning from Demyx's and I could sense that he was unhappy so I followed his scent and found him huddled in the alley crying. I didn't know what to do so I brought him here."
"You did the right thing, Zex. I can look after him for a while."
"What will happen after that?" Zexion was barely able to contain the curiosity in his voice.

Axel sighed softly and ran his fingers through his red locks. "I'm not sure Zex."

"Do you think Xemnas will allow him to join the Organization?"
"I don't know." Axel rubbed his forehead. "Do you think it's the best thing for him right now?
"At least he'll be protected," Zexion pointed out.

"Yeah, you're right. All right, I'll go and talk to Xemnas later."

"I'll go. I was going to go up to the Organization headquarters anyway…"

"Oh no you don't," Axel instantly interrupted. "You are not going out in the rain, not in your condition."

Zexion scowled. "I'll be fine."

"You remember what happened the last time you were out in the rain for so long? You almost died and you had a miscarriage. That's not happening this time."
"It's not even your baby," Zexion pointed out.

"It doesn't matter," Axel snapped. "You're my best friend. I care about you. And your child." Axel pointed to Zexion's stomach. Zexion flushed angrily.

"Fine. I'll stay behind," he said reluctantly.

"Thank you. I'll be back as soon as I possibly can. Call me if Roxas wakes up, but know that I won't answer if I'm with Xemnas."

"Right…"
Axel left. Zexion peeled off his soaked cloak and hung it up in the shower so it could dry. He grabbed a towel and hastily dried his hair. In his heart, he knew that Axel was right. The redhead hadn't explicitly stated it, but he knew that Zexion was still weak from his near-death experience a couple months ago. And it didn't help that he was pregnant. He had already lost the first child. This second one meant a whole lot more to him because it was conceived with a man who actually cared about its existence.

After he had finished, Zexion hung up the towel and went out to the living room to check on Roxas. He was still fast asleep, his young face streaked with tears.

Poor kid. Zexion thought. He felt bad for Roxas. He really did.

Zexion grabbed a book from Axel's bookshelf and settled himself into a chair to read.

After a while, a soft noise interrupted his reading. He looked up. Roxas was moaning and tossing and turning in his sleep. Zexion closed the book, put it down, rose, and walked over to the couch. Roxas's face was glistening with sweat.

He must have a fever. Zexion thought. He went into Axel's bathroom. Now if I were a thermometer, where would I hide? He spotted the medicine cabinet. He opened it, but there was no thermometer. Damn it. Guess I have to do things the old fashioned way.

He had read several books on medicine so he had a faint idea of what to do. First, he went into Axel's kitchen and got out a bowl. He filled it with cold water and left it on the table in the living/dining room. Then, he got a washcloth from the bathroom, wet it with cold water, and brought it over to Roxas. He set it on the blond's forehead. This was going to be a long day…

--

When Roxas woke up, he was in a place he didn't recognize. He sat up. An afghan fell off his shoulders. He looked around. He was in a nice, but sparsely furnished apartment. Whoever lived there didn't have a lot of money, but kept the place in good shape. Directly in front of the couch was a coffee table with a bowl of water on it. There was a washcloth sitting inside the bowl. Roxas looked around more. There was a small table with chairs around it and a kitchen attached. The pale blue walls were bare. The apartment was small but comfortable. Roxas's attention was caught by a small black-clad figure stretched out on the floor on the other side of the coffee table. Dark silver hair was plastered against the peacefully sleeping Zexion. On his left wrist, there was a black bracelet-like tattoo that proved he belonged to Organization XIII. He wasn't in Zexion's apartment, was he?

He frowned as he tried to remember what happened. He, Axel, and Zexion had breakfast together, then went to the bookstore. Yes, then they had lunch and went their separate ways. And then Roxas had discovered Kairi and Sora in bed together…having sex. After that, he frowned, he couldn't remember. There was a lot of lightning and rain.

He jumped as Zexion stirred. Slowly, his blue violet eyes opened and he heaved himself up. His hair was sticking up in every direction imaginable and for the first time, Roxas could see both of Zexion's eyes. They were much lighter than Roxas first thought, more blue than violet, really. Both of them focused on Roxas and widened when they saw him sitting up.

"You're up!" he gasped, heaving himself to his feet, using the coffee table as a prop. He arched his back and Roxas stared at his bulging stomach. It looked like…he was pregnant, but that was impossible, right? Zexion caught him staring, realized that he wasn't wearing his cloak, and let out a low growl that sounded like a curse.

"Roxas look…" he hastily said, trying to cover himself up.

"Are you pregnant?" Roxas blurted out. Zexion stared at him. "You don't have to tell me how…or why. Just tell me if you are or not. Please. I just…want to know the truth. Are you?"

Zexion's first instinct was to lie, but Axel was trying to convince Xemnas to let Roxas join the Organization and if he was successful, it wouldn't matter if Roxas knew or not. He'd find out eventually about what Xemnas was doing. There wasn't a guarantee that Axel was going to succeed, though. He weighed his options quickly and then decided to just tell the truth. He could trust Roxas. And he didn't trust anyone.

He gazed at Roxas sadly. "Yes. I am pregnant."

Just then, Axel walked through the door.

"I'm so great!" he declared.

He saw Roxas staring at Zexion's stomach and by the expression on Roxas's face, he judged that Roxas knew Zexion's secret. Zexion was the first to respond to Axel. He turned to his red haired friend.

"Why are you so great?" he asked wearily.

"I managed to convince Xemnas to have an audience with Roxas. There may be a chance that he'll let you join the Organization. Would that be okay Roxas?"

"Sure," Roxas said sadly. "It's not like I have anywhere else to turn to."

"We can go now if you want," Axel offered.

"Okay." Roxas nodded.

"Just one thing." Axel grinned as he tossed Roxas an umbrella. "You may want this."

Roxas scowled, but held onto the umbrella.

"I'm coming with you," Zexion said, unexpectedly stepping forward.

"Zex…" Axel immediately protested.
"Axel, this rain probably isn't going to stop for hours. Besides, if Roxas is accepted into the Organization, I'll have to be there. You know this."
"Yeah." Axel sighed softly. "Fine."
Zexion went into the bathroom to fetch his cloak. Axel and Roxas were waiting, Roxas wearing a pair of Axel's old sneakers. The three of them left the apartment. Roxas put up the umbrella and Axel and Zexion put up their hoods. The walk to the Organization headquarters was rather far. The headquarters itself was an old abandoned-looking mansion on the edge of town. Roxas knew the place well. The gates were always locked to keep out trespassers and there was a very high wall to make sure no one got in. Axel unlocked the gates with a key he wore around his neck and they went through. Zexion closed the gates behind him. They automatically locked.

"Come on," Axel said softly.

He pushed the doors open revealing a modern building. Roxas blinked. He definitely wasn't expecting a modern building. Axel laughed at Roxas's expression. Even Zexion looked slightly amused.

"Come on. I'll take you up to see Xemnas." Axel led Roxas up a staircase to the second level where there was a row of doors. Each one was marked with a number in Roman numerals. Axel knocked on the door labeled I.

"This is Xemnas's room. He's a bit…scary. Don't speak to him unless he speaks to you first. Be polite. Above all else, be respectful. Oh and whatever you do, don't look him in the eye. Let's just say that it won't be pretty if you do. Okay?"

"Yeah." Roxas nodded, slightly nervous.

"You'll be fine," Axel said reassuringly.

"Enter," a loud booming voice ordered. Roxas gave a soft squeak and fumbled to open the door. Axel gave Roxas a reassuring pat on the shoulder before he went in.

Roxas blinked. He wasn't expecting the lights to be so bright. He was in a sitting room with several comfortable-looking couches. He did not dare sit in them, however. His attention was focused on the figure seated in the throne-like chair in front of him. Roxas quickly looked at him. The man was about twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old with medium length silver ahir. Light silver hair. He caught the Look in the man's frightening bronze eyes and lowered his gaze.
"You are Roxas?" he asked in a slow, melodramatic voice.

"Yes sir," Roxas answered.

"How is it you've become acquainted with Number VIII?"

Number VIII? Roxas racked his brains. He had to be referring to Axel.

"I…I've known him since kindergarten. I…I've b…been in s…school with him s…since then." Roxas couldn't stop stammering.
"Indeed. And why do you wish to join Organization XIII?"

"Um…" Roxas said nervously. "Axel told me a little bit about Organization XIII and it sounded like…a good group to join. He told me that…you guys were a bunch of people who didn't quite fit in and now more than ever, I can relate to that. I don't know if you've heard the rumors going around about me…"
"I have heard the rumors," Xemnas cut him off. "I never believe what I hear from other people."

"O…okay."
"Stay here." Xemnas unexpectedly rose and went into another room.

Roxas fidgeted nervously. After a long time, Xemnas returned with another silver-haired man in tow. His hair was much longer, reaching down his back. He had tawny eyes and an X-shaped scar across his face.

"Number XIII, let me introduce you to Number VII, SaÏx. SaÏx, this is Number XIII, Roxas." SaÏx said nothing, staring at Roxas, and giving him the feeling that he was being x-rayed. "SaÏx, fetch Number VIII and instruct him to show Number XIII around and get him acquainted with everything. Get everyone gathered for the initiation of our new member, Number XIII."

"Yes sir." SaÏx nodded. He turned to Roxas. "Come Number XIII." Roxas scrambled after the strange silver-haired man. They ran into Axel outside Xemnas's quarters. "Number VIII, I have orders from the Superior for you. You are to show Number XIII around and get him ready for the initiation ceremony. Oh, and tell everyone about tonight's ceremony."
"Okay," Axel responded with a curt nod. SaÏx turned and went…somewhere. Axel turned to Roxas, grinning. "Congratulations Roxie! You did it! You're in!"

"I thought you agreed to not call me that," Roxas hissed.

Axel clapped him on the shoulder. "Lighten up, Roxie." He knocked on the door next to Xemnas's quarters. "Yo Xiggy. You in?"

The door opened and a man around Xemnas's age came out. He had dark grey hair and a scar across the bottom of his left cheek. One yellow eye glared at them; the other was covered with an eye patch.

"What do you want Axel?" he drawled.

"I've got a new member for you to meet," Axel said with a smile.

"What? Seriously?"

"Yeah. This is Roxas. Roxas, this is Xigbar, Number II."

"So you're Number XIII, huh?" Xigbar peered at Roxas curiously. "You don't look like much."
"That's quite enough Xigbar. Get ready for the initiation ceremony. Xemnas's orders."

Xigbar vanished back into his room.

"Come on." Axel took Roxas's hand and pulled him along the corridor. "As you can tell, these are the bedrooms. There's one for each member. Most members stays here full time, though you don't have to. Demyx and I are currently the only ones who don't live here full time, though Demy's been hanging out here a lot more lately." Axel knocked on the next door. A man with black hair and pale violet eyes opened the door.

"Yes Axel?" he asked in a deep voice.

"New member. Number XIII, Roxas. Roxie, this is Xaldin, Number III."

Xaldin studied Roxas for a moment.

"I'll see you in a bit," he finally said. He closed the door.

Roxas frowned. "They're not really friendly."
"No, they're not," Axel agreed. "Most of them aren't."
He knocked on Number IV's door. The one to answer this time was a creepy-looking man who looked like a child molester with straggly blond hair, watery green eyes, and a rather pointy chin.

"Number VIII, what do you want?" he asked.

"New member," Axel answered coolly. "Roxas, this is Number IV, Vexen. Vexen, this is our new member, Number XIII, Roxas." Vexen didn't offer any sort of a greeting. He examined Roxas from head to toe.
"So I'm guessing there's going to be a meeting?" he asked.

"Yes."
"Very well then."
Axel and Roxas moved onto the next one. Number V was a big, muscular redhead named Lexaeus. He didn't say much.
"You'll know the next one. It's Zexion." Axel smiled.

"Oh?" Roxas raised his eyebrows as Axel knocked on the door. The door opened and Zexion came out.

"Hello Axel. To what do I owe the pleasure?" he said pleasantly.

"We did it! Roxas is in?" Axel grinned.

Zexion's visible eyebrow rose. "Really?"

"Yup."

Zexion turned to Roxas. "Congratulations Roxas. This is a very happy day for you. Welcome."

He gently clasped Roxas's hand and gave the blond a genuine smile.

"Ooh what a pretty smile, Zex. You should smile like that more, especially around Demyx," Axel said sincerely, giving his own smile. Zexion said nothing. "You wanna come with us as we meet the rest of the Organization?"

Zexion shrugged. "Why not? I have nothing better to do."
He joined them as they moved past Number VII's room.

"You've already met him. Number VII is SaÏx," Axel explained. He passed by Number VIII's room as well. "That's…my room. I don't think you want to see it. It's messy." He knocked on Number IX's door.

Demyx answered. His eyes lit up when he saw Roxas.

"Guess what Demy?" Axel said with a huge smile. "Roxas is now a part of the Organization."
"Really?" Demyx turned to Roxas.

Roxas nodded. "Xemnas allowed me to join."

"That's great!" Demyx beamed. He gave Roxas a huge hug. He also joined them as the met the rest of the Organization.

Number X was a tall, thin man with whitish-blond hair and several earrings in both ears, Luxord. According to Axel, he liked to gamble, and especially liked to play poker. Number XI was Marluxia who had pink hair and was very sensitive about it. It was very pretty, Roxas thought, a soft rosy pink. It hung down to his shoulders in thick waves. He and the last member, Larxene, the blonde Roxas knew from the café weren't very nice.

"Don't worry," Axel said reassuringly. "Don't take it personally. Marluxia and Larxene hate everyone."

"You know that's not true," Zexion said with a ghostly smile. "Marluxia loves himself."

Axel, Demyx, and Roxas looked at him in surprise. Axel burst out laughing. Demyx and Roxas followed. Zexion looked sheepish. Axel patted him on the shoulder.
"So mean, but oh so true Zex. And you, of all people should know that."
Zexion's eyes narrowed. "You promised to not speak about that Axel. Remember?"

"Ooh yeah. Right. Sorry Zex."
"It's okay." Zexion sighed softly.

"Come on Roxas. I'll show you to your room." Axel cleared his throat nervously.

He opened the last door that didn't have a label on it. They went in. The entire room was bare.

"It's…bare," Roxas commented.

"Yeah." Axel rubbed his forehead. "We're going to have to get you some furniture even if you're not going to live here full time."
"We can deal with that later," Zexion said.

"Right. I'll give you the tour." Axel grinned. "But first…" he brought out a pile of black clothes—a T-shirt, pair of pants, socks, boots, and a cloak. Roxas went into the bathroom and pulled them on. They were slightly large on him, but very comfortable.
"Wow Rox. You clean up nicely," Axel commented.

The blond glared at him. "Shut up."

"I mean it Rox. Now here are the rules about dressing. When you're in private, at home, in a hotel somewhere, whatever, you can wear whatever the hell you want. When you're out in public, you've gotta wear the uniform. Hood is up when walking outside. You don't have to wear it when you're inside, like at school. And when you're here, youv'e gotta wear the uniform. When you're in your room, the cloak is not mandatory. The cloak is only mandatory when there's a meeting. I'll show you the place. We call it "Where Nothing Gathers". Don't ask me why."
"Okay." Roxas shrugged.

He followed Axel, Demyx, and Zexion back to the first floor. The kitchen was large and spacious with all the most modern of equipment. The attached dining room had a long wooden table with thirteen chairs. In the center, there was a strange symbol carved into the wood.

"This," Axel said, pointing to the symbol, "is the symbol of the Organization."

They left the dining room and moved past a single door on the left side.

"That leads to Where Nothing Gathers," Axel explained. "I wanna show you the basement before we go in there."
They went through a different door and down a set of stairs. The basement featured a large screen TV and numerous couches and chairs as well as a pool table, a poker table, a full bar, and much more.

"The Organization holds several parties during the year and this is where they're held," Axel explained. They heard footsteps on the upper floor. "Sounds like it's time for the meeting." They went back upstairs and followed the black hooded figures into Where Nothing Gathers.

It was a large, brightly-lit room made almost entirely of white marble. There were thirteen throne-like chairs around the room, at all different heights. The Organization members shuffled into the room and took their respective seats, Zexion and Demyx among them. Axel, however, stuck by Roxas.

"Xemnas's chair is obviously the largest. It's the one directly across from him. On his right are the even-numbered members, and on the left are the odd-numbered members," Axel whispered. "The higher chairs are members who have completed more missions."
"Missions?"
"You'll see."

When everyone gathered, Xemnas stared a long, winded speech about the Organization and what it stood for. Roxas got the feeling that Xemnas just liked hearing himself talk. He made Roxas swear his loyalty to the Organization and to never reveal the secrets that he'd learn. Roxas quickly agreed.

"Number XIII, are you willing to do what's necessary to gain our trust?" Xemnas asked.

"Yes," Roxas answered calmly. He didn't feel frightened at all.
"Very well. Let us go."
They left the Organization headquarters and silently walked to a local tattoo parlor. Roxas had passed by it too many times to count. He felt a lump in his throat as he remembered how Hayner had teased him about getting a tattoo. Now it was finally happening, for a completely different reason. They were met by a girl around twenty or so with light brown, almost silver hair and many piercings all over her body.
"I'm Paine. I help out the Organization when they need me," she told Roxas. "Xemnas told me that you need a tattoo, the standard?"
Roxas swallowed hard and nodded. "That's right."
"Come on." Paine led him over to a chair with armrests and made him sit down. The rest of the Organization stood around him."Are you left or right handed?"
"Right?"

Paine got the tools ready. "Just relax."

Roxas nodded and tried to calm down. Axel stepped forward and took Roxas's left hand.

"Don't look at her. Look at me," he urged.

Roxas turned and looked at Axel. He felt Paine roll up his sleeve and numb the skin. He swallowed hard.

"Axel, talk to me," he said.

"What?" Axel asked.

"Talk to me! Distract me! Please! Otherwise I won't be able to get through this!" Roxas's voice rose.

"Okay…what do you want to talk about?
"I don't care. Something. Anything," Roxas hissed.
"Easy Roxie. Don't be bitchy."

"I'm sorry." Roxas tried to breathe. "I'm just nervous."
"Don't worry. It'll be easy."
"I'm ready to start," Paine announced.

"Okay." Roxas gritted his teeth. He stared at Axel.

"Roxas, I have a confession to make," Axel unexpectedly said. "I know this is going to sound really weird, but…I love you." Everyone stared in shock.

"Why?" Roxas wanted to know. "What's so great about me?"
"Well, you're smart, funny, sassy in a good way, and incredibly good-looking."
"Is that all?"

"Of course not. You're a great person to be around. You're fun to talk to…and even more fun to torment. Did I mention good looking? Wow you're hot Roxie. Incredibly hot." Roxas laughed. "You have a lot of good qualities. You just don't see them."
"You know…at first these feelings I had toward you were those of hate, but I was wrong," Roxas said slowly. "My feelings for you are…love. I love you."
Axel's face lit up.
"Really?" he asked.

"Yes," Roxas whispered. Axel could tell he was telling the truth. He could just tell. "So…um…Axel…what does this make us?"

Axel leaned in closer. "What do you want us to be" His breath tickled Roxas's neck.

"I…I don't know. What do you think?"

"I think this would be qualified as us being…boyfriends." Axel chose his words carefully.

"Are you asking me out?" Roxas blinked.

"Maybe…why?'
"Cause I'd say yes."

"Okay I am asking you out."
"And I'm telling you okay. You're my boyfriend."

Axel grinned.

"All done!" Paine announced. Roxas stared. He hadn't felt a thing. He looked down at his wrist. There was the tattoo that Axel and all the others had.

"Congratulations Roxie. You're now officially a member of Organization XIII." Axel leaned down and stole a kiss from Roxas's lips.

"Wow." It was all Roxas could say.

"Now, it's time to party." Axel helped Roxas up. They walked back to the Organization headquarters with the rest of the group.

"You owe me ten bucks," Zexion whispered to Demyx.

Demyx grumbled something under his breath, but forked over the money to the smug silver-haired teen.

"I am gonna get drunk tonight!" Axel cried to the stars. Zexion and Roxas rolled their eyes at the same time. "I'm talking about totally plastered!"

"Well, please don't drink yourself to death Axel," Demyx said. "I'm sure Roxas here wouldn't like to see you die on his first night in the Organization."

Axel gave a goofy grin. "Aw, come on Demy. You know I don't have a problem. I know my limit."

Zexion muttered something that was probably inappropriate under his breath.

Once they reached the Organization headquarters, everyone headed for the basement. Everyone, that is, except for Demyx and Zexion. The two of them headed for the kitchen.

"Aren't you guys going down there?" Roxas asked curiously.

"Naw, those two don't drink. They stay as far away from the alcohol as possible. Besides, we need someone to be sober in case anything happens. Like if someone drinks too much or something," Axel answered. "It's not a problem at all."
"Oh. Well…" Roxas looked slightly relieved. "If you don't mind, I want to stay up here with them. I…don't like drinking."

Axel looked surprised. "Oh. Okay Rox. I won't force you." He looked slightly disappointed but was still smiling as he headed downstairs with the others.

Zexion, Demyx, and Roxas sat at the table with non-alcoholic drinks.

"I have a feeling that there are other reasons why you don't wish to drink, but I won't pry," Zexion said softly.

"It's okay," Roxas replied. "My father…was an alcoholic. He didn't beat us or anything, but he drank way too much. One night, he drank too much and he died. I was seven. My mom has had to raise my brother Sora and me all by herself. I've promised myself that I'm not going to touch alcohol ever because I'm afraid that once I start, I won't like be able stop like him and one day, I'll drink myself to death like him."

Zexion and Demyx were silent for a few minutes.
"I can understand your fear," Zexion murmured. "I can totally understand it."

I can relate to him on so many levels. He thought sadly.

Roxas smiled and they talked of other things. For the first time in his life, Roxas felt like he actually belonged somewhere, that people actually wanted him around. He did have a loving family and he was thankful for that, but he still didn't feel like he belonged. However, the Organization welcomed him with open arms (for the most part) and he felt like had found his family.

He was home.

End.

A/N: Not only do I make Axel left handed, but Zexion too?! What's wrong with me?! I feel like there should be at least one other left-handed Organization member so I chose Zex. Not really sure why. For some reason, he strikes me as a left handed kind of guy. Yes, I know SaÏx's name isn't supposed to have the "I" capitalized, but it was the only way to get the stupid little accent over it. If anyone knows how to get the accent up without having the "I" capitalized, please let me know how to do it. I'd greatly appreciate it. I could NOT resist poking fun at Marluxia. I don't like him that much. :P Roxas's reasons for not drinking are based off my reasons for not drinking. I'm not sure if I'd call my dad an alcoholic, but he does like to drink a lot and he can be quite a bastard if he's had a bad day at work. Anyway, he drinks a LOT and I just can't stand it. And he is still alive. I don't know what my family would do without him. So…yeah. I don't drink. Period. Oh yeah, and I have a friend who was in an accident involving a drunk driver and now she's in a wheelchair. Like forever. I also don't smoke. I lost my grandpa to lung cancer because of it and now my grandma has emphysema because she used to smoke. Did I mention that there's a history of heart disease on my mom's side of the family? Yeah, I'm pretty much screwed. But enough of my dysfunctional family. I listened to Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture while writing the last bit of this. It's a long song, but it's so pretty! The ending is the best. If you heard it, you'd immediately recognize it, especially if you've seen V for Vendetta. Anyway, this is it I guess. I feel sort of sad that it's over with but I'm excited because I've got two new projects coming, the sequel to this and Zexion's side story. So leave me a review and let me know what you thought of this. Any comments, concerns, or questions are welcomed. I'll answer them the best I can without revealing some things that will come up in To Create a Life and Tattered Soul. And a big thank you to those of you who reviewed:

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