The Journey or The Destination?

The Journey or The Destination?

AkuRoku, slight Ri/Ro, future Dem/Zex and Ri/So

Part One
It’s Tough To Have A crush
(OK!Go!)

"So, yeah, I was like 'You're kidding right?' and she was like-" Kairi rambled on for what seemed endlessly in the small booth in the restaurant, Sora and Namine avidly listening. Roxas sat off to the right, looking out the window not really paying much attention, the conversation nothing but white noise.

Listlessly, he gave a sigh, his mind elsewhere in those few moments. He didn't know why he suddenly lost interest in the conversation. Maybe because it seemed repetitive or maybe because he just didn't want to know what Selphie had said when she told Kairi she was crushing on Wakka. It just seemed to be a boring moment in their usually rich high school lives.

Coming across the subject looked back to his three fellow sophomores. Beside him in the booth with half his body stretched over the table was Sora, trying to get as close as he could to hear more. He cracked a small smile in his head, remembering how they had met.

It had been the first day of high school, as gruelling as it was, he remembered the energy filled boy plucking down beside him in the crowded cafeteria. He still sported the mass of spiking brown hair and cheeky grin as he had that day when he just suddenly came to Roxas, chatting him up out of the blue. At first the blonde was annoyed with him but soon found himself giving one syllable answers that turned into full sentences of dialogue. It was a nice memory, which lead him to meet Kairi and Namine.

They had met each other through Sora the next day. Not expecting Sora to show up again, with two other people, Roxas was a little taken about but quickly found himself moving in sync with the three of them.

There was the happily bubbling Kairi, a long time friend of Sora, who was always there with the newest gossip and fun facts. She was part of the more popular crowd, wearing ample amounts of shiny lip gloss and latest fashions but some how never got lost in it.

One time, after getting to know her more, Roxas asked once why she never sat with the fashionable clique. To which she gave a soft laugh before replying, "Sure, they're nice but it doesn't mean I'm going to drop everything for them, geez."

To that statement Roxas felt an immediate sense of respect for the redhead knowing that despite her popularity she didn't gain the vain personality that usually went with it. She only kept friends, not replaced them. Another aspect she seemed to share with Sora. It always baffled him how the two of them could make so many friends from so many different, for a lack of a better word, labels.

Like Namine, the quiet young girl who sat directly across from him. The petite blonde girl was very much the delicate wall flower although stubborn when she knew it was necessary. When he had first met her, he wondered what she was doing with such a straightforward couple like Sora and Kairi thinking her small voice would be drowned out. But those thoughts were quickly washed away as they interacted.

Her calm demeanor seemed to only complement them, meshing them together nicely. Namine's warm airs gave people the sense of ease and her advice was always wiser than she looked. She was motherly in almost every sense of the word, understanding and smart. She'd make a man very happy one day.

Back when they're friendship was merely a bud, Roxas had wondered where he fit in. It wasn't that he thought himself unworthy of friendship or entirely unsocial able, it was just he couldn't quite grasp how they wanted to talk with a boy of few words and even less social compatibility.

Roxas viewed himself as the studious boy who sat with the back of the class idly flipping through his text or looking out the window, much like he doing right then. He could admit he was more of an introvert than an extrovert, staying more in his head than the outside world.

The blue-eyed boy, who uncannily looked much like himself, had warmly taken his hand and pulled him out of his own head to enjoy the world around him. For that, he was forever grateful. He never really asked why Sora sat beside him that day because he knew it was just how the brunette worked, meeting new people was just something he liked to do and Roxas was happy for it. Who wanted to spend high school alone?

The fond memories gave Roxas the warm feeling of nostalgia, looking at his three closest friends. Sure he had his own friends, as did Sora and Kairi. Sora also had Donald, the small pale haired boy with pouting lips and a penchant for blue, and Goofy, towering over the lot of them with his large grin and much loved hat, while Kairi had not only the entire cheerleading squad but half the Blitzball team behind her. Roxas had Olette, Pence and Hayner.

Despite how their other friends would react to each other’s (i.e. Donald trying to take on the entire Blitzball team or Hayner eyeing up the cheerleaders) they always seemed to stick like glue. And although Roxas assumed Namine had other friends, he never actually saw them.

“Hey Roxas, you there?” The blonde jerked up for a moment before refocusing his eyes on a tan hand waving in front of his face.

“Eh?” He said, obviously having lost track of his thoughts.

Around him he heard Kairi and Namine giggle and saw a grin spread the brunette’s face as he took his hand back, making the other boy blush a little.

“Thought we lost you there for a sec,” Sora chuckled, lounging back in the booth.

“Oh, sorry.” Roxas said, scratching the back of his head that was covered in forward spikes.

“It’s okay Roxas,” Namine said, a soft smile on her face, “We’re used to it.”

“Yea but like, you haven’t zoned out that bad in awhile,” Kairi mused, taking a loud slurp of her soda, the loud burbling signaling it was empty.

“Something on your mind?” Namine asked, tilting her head to one side. Three pairs of eyes turned to him, making his face flush at the sudden attention.

“No,” He said quickly, his eyes down cast shyly, “I was just thinking is all.”

“About what?” Sora pushed before a sly grin crept across the round cheeks, “Could it be a giiirl?”

“Eh?” Kairi sat up in her seat, curiosity spiking. The quiet reserved Roxas having a crush?

“Hey back off,” Roxas tried to defend himself by moving further back against the window, putting his hands up.

“Well?” Sora and Kairi stretched the word in unison, leaning closer into Roxas’ personal space. Blue eyes whipped to Namine for support but found that even her eyes were filled with curiosity.

“No! Geez! I was just thinking about school!” He blurted, well, technically he was, right?

There was a short pause between his three friends who merely sat back in their seats disappointed. Sora crossed his arms and pouted, “Just when I was starting to forget about exams…”

“Only a week classes left,” Kairi gave a sullen nod, propping her head in her hands, “Then we have to suffer a whole week’s worth of cramming.”

“But remember the 3 months of wondrous vacation time afterwards,” Namine interjected, trying to sooth their worries.

“Some of us didn’t get exempted[1] from all their classes, Nam,” Sora said in mock accusation, pointing a finger at the small blonde.

Namine pushed the finger aside, “Well some of us studied and did our homework instead of playing video games and watching late night movies.”

Sora pouted, making Roxas and Kairi laugh.

“So, Roxas, how many exams do you have?” Kairi asked, looking to the other blonde.

“Three. Geo, Home Ec. and Science.” Roxas answered, fingering his cold fries, “You?”

“Four, mainly because my math teacher is a douche and my English teacher can’t spell to save her life[2].” The red head grumbled silently fuming.

“Aw! Lucky!” Sora groaned, running a hand through his hair. Roxas looked to him sympathetically.

“How many do you have Sora?” Namine asked tentatively, although she knew it would happen she still felt sorry for him.

Pressing his palm over his eyes in shame, Sora raised his hand forward, his fist fanning into an open palm. Namine sighed, Roxas blinked and Kairi gave a soft hiss of sympathy.

“What do you need to pass?” Namine asked trying to get a good look at the damage. Sora mumbled.

“Eh?” Kairi leaned in to hear him clearly.

“…70” Came the slow reply.

“For all five exams?!” Kairi squawked, appalled that her close friend could have gotten so very low. Sora nodded numbly.

“Oh wow,” Roxas said flatly, “You’re screwed.”

“Oh, don’t say that…” Sora gave a whine, pulling his hand from his face to reveal a gloomy pout, “I don’t wanna repeat any classes…”

“Well what the hell did you do?!” Kairi sat up from her seat, almost glaring at Sora, “You couldn’t’ve just forgotten a whole semester of homework! Did you just sleep your way through all your classes?”

“No…” Sora looked away from the prying lavender eyes to fiddle with his suddenly captivating shirt hem, “Well not all of them anyway...”

Kairi’s mouth flapped open and closed for a moment before they set in a grim line, “That’s it!”

Roxas and Namine’s eye brows shot up. “What’s it?” Namine asked.

The red head slammed her hands on the table, pushing her face a few centimetres shy of Sora’s nose. The girl looked like she snapped.

“Sora!” she shouted, not caring they were in a public place, “Unless you pass all five, and I mean all five exams, you are hereby banded from the end of the year party! No! Any of my parties!”

Everyone at the table gawked, looking positively gob smacked, not only to Kairi’s outburst but to her declaration. Sora and Kairi always went to each other’s parties, since grade school and maybe even beyond. The same if it was someone else’s party, if one didn’t go, neither would with out the other. It was almost this unspoken tradition between them to the point that Kairi even cancelled a whole house party because Sora was grounded. So to hear Kairi openly banning Sora from one was as crazy sounding as taking the chocolate out of a s’more, it just didn’t fit.

Sora stammered gibberish as the young woman snatched her bag up and took hold of Namine’s arm, “Let’s go Nam.”

The girl’s pale blue eyes shot an apologetic look before she was swept out of the booth and out of the restaurant by the red headed typhoon. Nearly identical pairs of blue eyes followed them, one devastated, the other just plain shocked.

“Well” Roxas started, “That was unexpected.” His comment was quickly followed by a thud on the tabletop. Turning his blonde head he saw Sora sprawled over it, his face flat on the surface and whimpering. The sight was pretty pitiful.

Sidling up closer to his friend, Roxas rubbed his back in soothing circles, “C’mon Sora, it’s not that bad. I’m sure you’ll make the grades.”

The spiky mop rolled over to show the moping expression on Sora’s face. He looked doubtful.

Roxas sighed, “Well even if you don’t, it just like, what, three parties tops?” Lord knew how Kairi got away with it, though it probably helped her parents usually away on business. This summer they were off to some far off place for vacation, leaving the girl in charge. “They’re just a crowd of hormonal teenagers herding towards booze and music.”

“They’re not just that though…” Sora mumbled, “Kairi’s never had one with out me… Why’s she being such a… such a jerk?”

Roxas gave a crooked smile, knowing Sora was never one for foul name calling, “Maybe because she cares?”

Sora heaved a deep sigh and sat up in the booth, “Yeah… I know.”

“Hey, cheer up,” Roxas patted the slightly hunched shoulder, “I’ll help you study, I’m pretty much set for all my exams anyway.”

Brown spikes almost seemed to perk up wards, filling Roxas with an odd sense of dread. The tan face abruptly turned to face the blonde with blue glittering blue eyes and a trembling smile.

Crap.

“Roxas you’re the best!” Sora cried, tackling the other in a crushing hug making them both fall off the booth and onto the tiled floor. Everyone in the restaurant stopped and stared.

-

“You’re not reeeally coming back this year, are you?” Demyx drawled playfully, leaning on Axel’s arm as they walked to the bar both in their casual street clothes. Axel wore a tight pair of dark jeans that complemented his long legs and a thick black hoodie, his shocking red hair falling down his back. The blonde musician instead wore stone washed jeans and a denim jacket over a black tee shirt with a random band slogan across the front in sloppy typewriter print. Though his hair wasn’t any particularly frightening colour, it was cropped in mohawk like mullet.

“Well, yeah,” The taller boy turned his lime green eyes to the other, puffing on his cigarette “Mom’s back home going ape shit that I had to drop out last semester.”

Demyx snorted, letting go off the long arm, “‘Had to’ he says.” The blonde suddenly found his face in a cloud of smoke, making him cough and sputter.

“It’s not my fault they don’t like tattoos,” His ran his fingers over the inked streaks down his cheeks. He had wanted them for the longest time and didn’t give a fuck who got on his ass. The night he turned 18 he had went out and gotten them done… His teachers less than pleased and his mother in hysterics. Whenever he was asked why he did it, as well as why he smoked, he always said it was ‘his life, his body’ and he firmly stood by it.

But the black tattoos were frowned upon and he was suspended for the whole semester. Suspended because they knew it’d look bad on them if they expelled him for self-expression and it wasn’t necessarily because he had tattoos, but that they were on his face. The school couldn’t stand one bad boy scaring the other students away or worse, inspiring them, because of his outward appreciation for body art. The whole thing was bunk.

“Don’t you have to cover them up at school?” Demyx asked as they neared the bar.

Axel rolled his shoulders and took another long drag of his cigarette, flicking the butt into a wide arch behind his shoulder, “Maybe, it’s be pretty stupid though.”

Demyx tilted his head to the side, Axel cracked a grin, “I mean, who’d wanna hide this gorgeous face?”

The blonde rolled his eyes before opening the door into the bar, “Narcissists love to be vain.”

“You know it,” Axel gloated, flashing his I.D. to the bouncer, Demyx doing the same then moving to sit at the bar. He paused a moment, not seeing the red plume of hair over his shoulder, the blonde scanned the room to see the Axel had moved himself to one of the smaller tables further back instead of sitting at their usual spot.

The bar wasn’t crowded tonight, mainly because it was a weeknight and there was plenty of free bar space and tables. The only few people that were there was Tifa, the bartender and a few business at the far end of the bar.

For a moment Demyx wondered if should just sit at the bar and wait for Axel to come to him but, seeing how the guy was as stubborn as an ox, he just ordered their drinks, paid and walked over.

“I thought we were going to the ‘bar’,” Demyx gestured behind him to the stools, Axel just shook his head.

“I thought a change would be nice,” The sitting boy averted his gaze and defiantly sat with his arms crossed and legs lax.

“And I think you’re trying to bullshit me,” Demyx crossed his arms, annoyed with the suddenly odd behavior, “I’ve got a little brother y’know, so it’s pretty hard to try and pull that shit on me.”

Axel sneered just as Tifa came up, her well-endowed chest bouncing as she walked over. Though the long haired brunette looked like a real heart breaker, she broke more bones than actual hearts, “Two beers boys. Why over here? Not sitting at the bar tonight?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

The two young men stared each other down. Tifa furrowed her brow before setting the bottles on the worn table top, “I’ll just make that a definite maybe.”

Once she had left the two of them alone, neither backing down from their stare down. With blinking Axel whispered, “Just sit down.”

“Will I get an answer to why we can’t just sit at the bar?”

“Dude, it’s the freaking bar, we sit there every night.”

“Yea, because you always insist we sit at the bar. Hell, one night you were close to a hissy fit.” Demyx said curtly before dropping himself into the chair, “But just your satisfaction, I’ll bite.”

Axel eyed the room warily before leaning across the table, making Demyx quirk one fair brow. What the hell? What got him all itchy?

“Okay, y’know that good lay I was seeing off and on?” He said quietly, watching the door.

“You mean that fling that turned into a clinger?” Demyx asked, taking a swig of beer while still giving the other a peculiar look.

“Yeah, that… I think they’re stalking me,” The blonde choked on his beer, a bit of spray coming from his mouth. On instinct Axel jerked back to avoid it as the other sputtered in choked laughter all the while glaring at the hunched form.

“Fuck man, I’m not kidding!” Axel hissed. Demyx attempted to compose himself, sitting back in his chair and wiping his grinning mouth.

“Okay, seriously? I think its vanity induced paranoia.”

Axel scowled before reaching into his hoodie pocket and took out two cell phones, the first one Demyx clearly knew was Axel’s and the other was a shiny new red one with black trim, with a camera lense. He slid his cell phone across the table to Demyx but kept the newer one in his hand.

“Check my calls,” He commanded before clicking through the newer one.

“You got a new phone?” Demyx asked trying to get a good look at theshiny new contraption but was met with a dead serious expression.

“Okay, okay. I’m checking.” Flipping the phone open he quickly clicked to the menu. Scrolling through the lists of numbers he saw his name and other people he knew but there were at least 2 to 3 calls by one number in between. There was no name but the number was repetitive.

“See?” Axel then whipped the old phone out of Demyx’s hand and replaced it with the new one, “Now look through the pictures,” And he did so.

There were only four, all having the same date. There were two from what looked like parking lots, one from inside a store looking outside the front window and the last one simply down the street.

“They maybe shitty but you can see his head in the parking lot and you can see more of him in the other two.” Demyx nodded looking up into the anxious green eyes then clicked back.

Low and behold, there it was. Although Axel was right about the quality being pretty damn bad, he could make out a gray hood from the abstract smudges and looking to the last two he had a clearer view. All he could really make out was the grey zip up sweater with black lines down the sleeves but how often do you see someone wearing that exact same sweater three times in one day?

Demyx let out a low whistle to which Axel nodded, “I told you I was being stalked.”

“Why don’t you call the police?” Demyx asked, handing back the cell and looking up at Axel, who gave him a look that said ‘cha, right’.

“I think the police would be more worried about what’s in my apartment then a love struck creep with too much time on their hands.”

“What if like, you came home and all your boxers were stolen? Or your hair brush is missing and your hair is currently being made into a voodoo doll?” Demyx cracked, smiling at the red head over their beers.

Axel smirked, “Then it looks like I’ll have to clean house before I call them in,” he then downed the last of it and let out a burp.

“Well, it hasn’t gotten that serious has it?”

“Naw, they’re probably just want—” Axel paused and turned to see Tifa straddling the chair between the two of them.

“Jesus!” Demyx shouted, jumping out of his skin.

“Will be coming a whole lot faster with that kind of language,” Tifa scolded then turned her attention to Axel, “You think it’s for attention?”

Demyx righted himself in his chair, trying to look like he made an idiot of himself.

“Could be.” He nodded, “No threats or anything… Just keeps calling me and following me. It still freaks me out though.”

Tifa put a hand on his shoulder, “Ah, I think they just have a big crush on you is all. They’re probably thinking ‘hey, a hot guy who’s single but I’m too shy to ask him out myself so I’ll just drive him crazy til he asks me instead’. Believe me, I know some crazy college girls that did that.” She laughed outright, slapping Axel on the back, who winced.

“Despite the fact you indirectly called me hot, this helps me… How?” Axel rolled his hand in front of him, signaling for her to go on.

“Just get a girlfriend,” Tifa chirped, “That’ll back her off.”

“Tif, won’t the stalker get all crazy psycho bitch about another girl going in on her territory?” Demyx interjected, taking part of the conversation again.

“Doubt it,” She swept her thick dark hair back over her shoulder, “Girl’s like that are usually really shy and insecure. Once they see a girl on this spit fire,” She patted Axel’s sore shoulder, “They’ll think they never had a chance to begin with. Sometimes they’ll cling a little longer in hopes it won’t last long but they always give up in time.”

“One problem,” Axel said, taking his thumbnail between his teeth.

Tifa rolled her eyes, “Seriously Axel, she’ll back off. Even if she starts shit, I’ll knock her crazy block off.” The woman winked while clenching one of her fists.

“Sounds good to me,” Demyx said, leaning back into his chair, “Both ways end with you stalker free and with option of cat fight.”

“Heh,” Tifa scoffed, “You’d only watch because it beats the stuff on your laptop,”

“Damn straight,” Demyx grinned, folding his hands behind his head.

“Guys,” Axel interrupted with a sigh, “It’s not a girl.”

-


[1] It’s when you get a high enough mark that you get excused from taking the exam. I didn’t know if everyone knew this so I just threw it in.

[2] Just a random note; I had an English teacher like that. Seriously, dumb as a doornail. She was asking us how to spell shit! Made me repeat the grade. (is still holding a grudge… even though she graduated)

And one more note just to make sure: This based off my province’s standards so drinking age is 18 and no smoking in the public places :)… which KILLS me btw ;.;

Read and Review pleeeeease <3!!!