Rosie

Saying he'd get Cloud to help was one thing- actually putting those thoughts into action was entirely another. Demyx was more than a little freaked, and he knew for certain he couldn't leave Namine alone there, not in that state. He was half terrified if he so much as let go of her, she'd fall apart- let alone abandoning her for minutes at a time. He fumbled in his pockets, cursing softly under his breath as he scrabbled through coins and lint; he was regretting wearing pants with deep pockets. Still, he plucked his phone out of one after some searching, one arm still supporting Namine. He struggled hopelessly, keying in the number with one thumb, and lifting the phone to his ear. The conversation was short- Cloud wasn't a man of many words, and didn't even seem particularly concerned as to the details- and he moved suprisingly fast, still on the line when he arrived. Thankfully, he owed Demyx quite a lot (not that either of them mentioned it) and didn't even object to pratically running a taxi service for the Senior. "You're lucky it was only a Freshman class," he grumbled. "Get going before I change my mind." Fighting a smile, Demyx turned his attention back to the blonde girl in his arms, asking, voice gentle; "Nami? You okay to stand?" There was a glint of barely surpressed glee in the kid's eyes, which only pissed Axel off more. He struggled for a retort, making a low, frustrated grunt in the back of his throat. He couldn't believe- that this little punk-! He wasn't used to being challenged, and he damn well didn't like it- it was like being a dog on a chain, being baited and yet knowing you couldnt just beat the hell out of your provoker. But he couldn't, no matter what the little bastard said. It was what he wanted, Axel could see that clear as day. And he was damned if he was falling for it, even though his vision was blurring a furious red and his head was pounding like crazy. "I'm not afraid of anyone- 'specially a firetrucking little runt like you."

When she tried to push him away, Demyx didn't put up any kind of resistance- he just ducked back, half dropping his arms from around her. He still didn't let go, however, not totally. Instead of freaking out like he wanted to, like the little voice in the back of his head was screaming at him to, he just willed himself to stay calm- he couldn't mask the panic, the fear in his eyes, plastered across his face, though. At a loss, he fought desperately in his head for an answer, for the magic words that could solve Namine's every worry... They didn't come. The words never just came to him, not when he was freaked inside. Not when he couldn't think because she was bleeding at it was serious and...! And he couldn't just let her bleed like this. "F-fine. Not the school nurse- um- h-hospital! If I... if I call him, I'm... totally sure Cloud- I mean, um, Mr Strife-'ll drive us-!" She might have said no, but no way was he just gonna give up. "I," snapped Axel in response, "never lose. And I- firetruck- I don't care if I get caught! I don't give a single damn!" His breathing was hitched now, ragged again- his fisted hands were trembling. He succeeded in not moving, at the very least- ha, as though someone like him would step back from a confrontation. With an irritable flick of his head to dispel the red spikes off the sides of his face, where they were brushing annoyingly against the pale skin of his cheeks in just the way to tick him off. "And you don't know a thing about me, so shut the hell up." He hissed.

I... I'm really sorry.[hugs] My dad tried to do the same thing- and my mom, too. They read my IM history, found drabbles and fanfiction links and art and ohlord how they freaked. Just... give it some time for you both to cool off about it, and then maybe just speak to him calmly about it- just... try and use euphemism. Claim it isn't as bad as he thinks. My parents are deeply homophobic, but try and present it at just an interest...? If it's only shonen-ai, it isn't like it's that explicit...

What color had been in Demyx's face drained away the moment he saw the blood- he went white to the roots of his dirty blond hair, his eyes looking unnaturally green and somewhat out of place against the sudden pallor. He hissed something under his breath, presumably an expletive. That was one of the many silly quirks he had- Demyx usually refused to swear in public, in the presence of other people (this was pretty strange, considering he hung around with Axel of all Seniors) and, since old habits die hard, despite his shock he still dropped his voice in order to actually do it. With some effort, he kept his fingers from gripping any tighter, in the fear of hurting her more; he didn't want to do that, he wasn't a complete idiot. For what felt like a very long time, Demyx just didn't move. His breathing was very even, overly controlled in its rhythm- and he wasn't looking up at her anymore, fixated on the injury. Then, eventually, as it had to, that stillness broke as he, adjusting his now awkward position to a comfier one, on his knees, leant forwards and hugged the fragile girl against him. "Nurse. We'll get you-" his voice cracked, and he paused, swallowing hard. "Get you to the nurse." There was a flush to the blond's cheeks that filled Axel with a smug sort of satisfaction- well, until the brat actually started speaking again. Ugh, for some reason, that damn tone, the look on the kid's face... They were seriously grating with him. Grinding hard on his nerves, pushing and pushing and- God damn it. No. He wasn't going to rise to the bait, he knew if he did it would all be over too soon... "I can do what I damn well please. Some- some bleached firetrucking bimbo like you isn't gonna get me screwed over, ya know? And I know how to get around any of the shitty restrictions people try and shove on me- I've been at this game f'r years."

Demyx didn't miss how she shied away from him- he tried for a moment to surpress a hurt look, and felt like kicking himself. It was obvious something was seriously wrong, and here he was trying not to get pouty over her just not being particularly open with him today. Still, he threw that stupid childish thought right out the window, and instead dropped his gaze for a moment himself, biting at one side of his lip as he tried to think of what to say, to do, to make her admit she was lying, that she wasn't okay, that she... Instead of trying to talk through things, for once, Demyx kept his mouth shut, and just gently reached out, worn fingertips brushing her arm, still wrapped around her waist. Uncertain for a moment, he didn't really move- until he shifted forwards just a little, letting his fingers catch her wrist. His grip was light enough, barely touching her- but, at least, it was something. After a long moment, he spoke, keeping his voice low, nearly a mumble. "...I think we both know that isn't true." Turning most of the way around, Axel didn't even notice that he'd taken a step back- just for a second, he glanced down at his own feet, half angry just at himself for allowing such a slip up, a dumb move... Deliberately stomping hard, he took a few steps back towards the blond to compensate. He would have shoved his balled fists into his pockets if he could, but Axel's jeans didn't really allow for hands in ockets, let alone fists- they barely allowed for Axel, which was saying something since he was practically a rake. "Quite the contrary, firetrucker." And how that statement would have sounded insightful, were it not for the crude insult tacked on the end; then again, Axel assumed sounding insightful equalled sounding like a pansy, and that was definitely not his style. "That just wouldn't be enough fun- as fun as it was stripping you." The redhead couldn't help but smirk as he finished, the scene replaying in his head- and that helped. Helped him stay calm. Helped him think of just how to hurt this damn Sophomore who thought he was all that.

Has anyone read them? Or, well, even heard of them? I just finished City of Fallen Angels, so I'm kind of desperately searching for anyone who's also a fan, since no one I know has finished and I can't share spoilerrrrs...!

((I kind of have the internet back, but it's... flickery, to say the least. And my brother's away, so I get his laptop for tonight, at least.)) Fine? Demyx's ass she was fine. Okay, so he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, but he wasn't stupid- not when it came to reading people, at least. Knowing that something was wrong. He'd always been able to tell, even though, as a kid, people obviously just assumed that he couldn't understand, took him for oblivious. Took him for an idiot. And, well, fine. He was okay with that, and it didn't bother him- it made it easier for him to just observe most of the time, take people in. Get them. And, okay, he hadn't quite sorted out in his head the situation with Namine just yet, but he knew enough. Crossing the room in a few strides (practically surprising himself, since he never moved quickly of his own volition), he crouched down to her eye level- which wasn't too much of a pain, since she was only seated and wasn't, like, sprawled on the floor. "...That's funny," he said, though it wasn't funny at all. His voice was softer than usual now, though, so at least the reply didn't sound harsh. "'Cause you sure as hell don't look like it's just a stomach ache." Sighing, the blond narrowed his eyes for a moment. Scrutinising. "...Did... someone hurt you?" "I'm not afraid of you." The redheaded Senior stopped short, the sole of one boot emitting a piercing squeak as it scraped against the linoleum. His shoulders tensed, his whole posture tight, he kept his back to the... the damn punk, just about resisting the urge to whirl around and slam his face into the lockers a couple hundred times. Just for good measure. Instead, he clenched his fists, digging his nails into his palms, hard- enough for it to hurt. "Then you firetrucking will be." Axel spat, allowing himself just to look over his shoulder, casting the strongest glare he could muster at the younger boy.

(( Ugh, sorry for being disgustingly late, our internet's down and the connection from next door sucks. )) Ew. Demyx found himself remembering just why he hated exerting himself in the first place- sweating was gross. At least he could easily steal some other sap's deodorant, which didn't smell too offensive or unlike the one he had at home. Still, being all gross and sticky, no matter how short the period of time, had cramped his cheery mood a little- still, it wasnt like that stopped him actually walking with a little pace to get to the room from yesterday, although he doubted the shy blonde would be there yet, since it wasnt even part of the way through first period yet. So he was surprised to see he was wrong about that, pausing in the doorway when he actually looked up and acknowledged she was there. "Oh, you early too?" he asked, with a broad grin- that smile faltered, faded, when he realised something wasnt right- she didnt look well, pale as a ghost, and she was practically hunched over- He started forwards without even consciously asking his legs to move. "Namine?!" Axel just grinned wider, and then slowly, overtheatrically, took two steps back. Given the length of his legs and that those steps were actually more of strides, this put quite a few feet between them- although he was still leaning over, one spider-like pale hand still pressing hard at Roxas' shoulder. "You're gonna regret firetrucking up my car, Sophomore. Catch you around." And at that, he finally let go of the blond, only to slap him, quite hard, across the face, before turning on his heel with a laugh and walking away. Hurting the kid now wouldnt be good enough. He had to actually PAY- and, hell, Axel was angry, but so much that he'd moved past the blind rage, direct violence; descending into sadism was probably the best route for him now. The only way he'd well and truly hurt Roxas was to just get to him, get right under his skin and make sure he knew whatever firetrucked up with his life, or the people he cared about.... Well, the redhead had always been a sucker for revenge.

It was the moment he actually coughed up blood that Demyx had to admit maybe he could do with upping his fitness a little. Still, it gave him something to show the teacher, insistantly waving his spattered palm as proof, until the brunet begrudgingly agreed for him to go and change. Typically forgetful, Demyx had forgotten to bring any kind of kit with him, and was just in rented stuff from a scrubby box at the back of the Gym changing room- so, although it was hanging off him, the T-shirt in particular swamping his slight frame- and, in his haste, he tugged it off as he was walking back to the school, fanning the material in his flushed face. Okay, so he was super-early, but no one would really care, would they? Seeing the unmasked fear in the blond's eyes, Axel's snarl turned into a smirk, but it was still twisted with anger, nearly feral. The hand with the knife didn't waver, although it seemed for a moment he might step back from the way his shoulders relaxed. He didn't move. "Knew it," was all he hissed, staring in thought at the knife for a moment. "I firetruckin' knew it was you. You're gonna pay, you know that?" The redhead paused, then pocketed the knife; however, he made sure to make the threat in his words clear when he leant even closer, so he was right up in Roxas' face. "Just you wait. You're gonna pay."

He'd been running for what felt like hours, and everything hurt- his arms and legs were aching like crazy, his heart thumping erratically in his chest. Demyx was sure it had to be over, that the period had to be nearly done- which was why he let himself collapse onto the track, lying there with arms and legs splayed. Chest heaving, he closed his eyes and waited for the nausea in his gut and the dull taste of copper in his mouth to pass- but they were nowhere near when he felt a sneaker prod at his skinny side. "I'm dying, I'm dying..." he moaned weakly, squeezing open one green-blue eye to squint up at the dark figure towering over him. "DeCayce, you've been running for five minutes." It was Mr Terra, arms crossed, which, annoyingly, just showed off his muscle tone more. He didn't run with his students often, and only tended to step in when the slackers like Demyx weren't pulling their weight. It didn't help he was sore and pretty sleepy still, after spending the night on the couch, or that he hadn't been to Gym in months. Either way, knowing that didnt make him feel any better. "Personal record?" the blond groaned, attempting a weak smile- but then suddenly strong hands were on him, hauling him to his feet. The brunet man just slapped him hard on the back, looking ever so slightly exasperated. "Get going." Giving a sharp, humourless laugh, Axel refused to move the knife, keeping pressed up against Roxas to try and minimalise his attempts to struggle. "Don't firetrucking lie to me. You've gotta recognise your own knife, right? And I dont like it very much when little brats screw around with my firetrucking property!" His voice, previously a venemous snarl, rose to a shout as he hit the end of the sentence, his anger finally starting to peak.

"Axel- Ax, please, just take a breather and think about what you're doing-!" Demyx yelled as he stumbled after the furious redhead, effectively moving easily through the corridor since he was still just at the tail end of the path of destruction. If someone was in his way- and that wasnt many, only an idiot would keep in Axel's path when he was in this state. Even lagging behind as he was, Demyx could see his fellow Senior's pale hands shaking, hard, with surpressed rage- they were balled into fists so tight he wondered if Axel might be hurting himself to keep them that way. The younger kids, particularly the Freshmen, seemed scared out of their wits as the deliquent redhead passed by, storming his way along- Dem supposed they'd never seen what was a full-on Axel rampage- he hadn't had one like this since Junior year, and the first semester of that. But then, throwing a glare right at Demyx, Axel suddenly turned and grabbed the blond. Dem couldnt help it, he panicked for a moment, a tiny squeak slipping from his lips as he thought, for just a second, that Axel really was going to hit him- but the older boy just shoved him, fairly gently given how utterly in a rage he was, into the open door of a classroom- by the time Demyx skidded out, Axel was gone, and- oh, god, he was already going to be late for first period at this rate. The other days it hadnt mattered, but now, of he gave Mr Terra any reason to hold him back for second period, he'd waste his chance to talk to Namine, or at least part of it- and, since he figured the problem was close to home, he knew deep down that finding out sooner rather than later was the only option- until he could find a way to help whatever was going on, she'd keep going back to it... And so, instead of heading after Axel, he hugged his bag to his chest and walked off for Gym. When Axel finally came across the blond Sophomore whose bastard face he'd been searching for since he got there, he didn't even pause to announce himself- he just flung himself at Roxas with a snarl, pinning him against the wall. Throwing a disappear-or-else look at the stragglers in the hallway, he tugged the pocketknife out of his pants, the one he'd torn out of his car's hood that morning. Come to think of it, there were still some flakes, remnants of his car clinging to the blade- and, without any hesitation, he held it right at the younger boy's throat. "You happy now, you twisted little- little firetrucking son of a bitch?" he snapped, still breathing unevenly, like he'd been running all that way.

About five minutes after he suddenly hung up, Axel turned up on Demyx's doorstep, looking exhausted- he must have completely sprinted there, which wasn't really an Axel kind of thing to do. He was flushed to the scarlet roots of his hair, green eyes watering; for a moment, Demyx stared at him in disbelief, until he remembered something the redhead had said, the last time he'd been caught..."leaking", as he put it. "People don't firetruckin' cry cause they're sad, asshole. It's when they're too overwhelmed to do anythin' else-!" And it was pretty clear that Axel was completely past pissed off, enough to be reduced, well... to this. His breathing was hitched, and not just from the running- even Demyx, lazy slacker extraordinaire, could manage to sprint between their houses without getting a stitch, and Axel was a lot fitter than he'd ever be. It wasn't often his fellow Senior was at a loss for words, but it seemed he'd actually run out of even the curse words to express his anger. Pretty much a sight to behold, but the blond was cautious of the fact that when Axel got like this, he tended to blow up suddenly and completely cause a scene, so to save his scatty neighbors the drama, he tugged the taller boy over the threshold and into the house. Luckily, since it wasnt their fault they had no ride (Axel refused to accept any responsibility for what had happened to his car), Demyx's mom offered to drive them in her minivan, on the condition that the redhead didn't treat her disrespectfully or cuss. As such, Axel was completely fuming by the time they pulled into the school's lot, silently seething away in the backseat. He stomped out of the car the moment it came to a standstill. "He says thank you, Mom!" Demyx called, as he jumped out to catch up with Axel.

"Well, I'm not paralyzed but I seem to be struck by you, I wanna make you move--" That ringtone was blaring right in his ears, and yet it still took Demyx nearly a full half-minute to actually roll over and pick it up off the floor, yawning deafeningly loudly as he lifted it to his ear. Still, the actual waking up somehow gave him the energy to get up from the couch, stretching his arms above his head and wincing as his back cracked, sore bones popping insistently as he trailed upstairs in the vague search for a shirt. In all that time, all he heard over the line was a constant stream of cursing- some words he was sure the caller had just made up on the spot. Only after he'd actually tugged the first top that came to hand- a long sleeved, dull green jumper that probably succeeded in making him look skinnier than he already was, did he actually attempt to interrupt. "Axel, okay, man, slow down, jeez... What happened?" he sighed, wrestling his pants on as the redhead tried to slow his ranting enough to get his point across. Demyx winced, holding the phone just away from his ear, as Axel practically screamed into the line; "firetrucking shitty piece of motherfiretrucking- the brat- that firetrucking brat- my baby-!" "Ax, you know I have no idea what you're goin' on about, right?" Demyx spoke over his continuing ranting, flopping down so he was sitting on his bed, crumpling the previously neat duvet. He rubbed at his eyes, stifling another yawn, as Axel finally attempted to make sense, although still choked with rage. "My car is firetrucked."

So, his dad was out again. Big deal. His mom nagged a little about homework, but Dem just started to wheedle about guitar practice, and she seemed to thankfully forget all about it. Still, he had to stop when their neighbors complained (as they did every time he plugged in his amp, seriously) and, since they were all but throwing a fit, decided just to laze in front of the TV until he fell asleep, whenever that happened. It wasn

A normal Axel behind the wheel was scary enough, but an incredibly self-satisfied, more arrogant than usual Axel was freakin' terrifying. Not only was he following his usual driving pattern, which involved barely keeping on the road and swerving madly at every corner, but he was also deigning to recount exactly how he'd gotten the better of Roxas, which meant he was paying even LESS attention to the road... Needless to say, Demyx was very grateful when the ride was over, and had (very overdramatically, to his watching mother's amusement) fallen to his knees and pretended to embrace the ground, all the while declaring "I'm alive! Thank god, it's a miracle!" at the top of his lungs. As Axel sped pff, flipping him the bird, he got up and trudged to the house, yawning and immediately heading to the kitchen to hopefully find something edible to fill his stomach. He only paused, mid chew, as he wandered into the front room, just to ask, cheerfully enough; "Dad at work again? Or are you guys planning another trip?" His redheaded friend, however, wasn't quite so homely- he basically just dumped his car and headed straight out again, on foot- he didnt talk to his parents much (he wanted them to firetruck themselves most of the time) but at least he had Lea, sort of. That had to count for something.

Demyx just sighed as she vanished into the crowd, absent-mindedly dragging a hand through his hair as he ducked through the rush of people, calling out apologies, to grab his bag, which had skidded some feet away when Marluxia tackled him. With her absence and the sudden burst of noise, the voices and the general sound of a lot of people dashing along to escape school, the back of his head was starting to throb, a slow, painful ache that, while not debilitating, didn't exactly make for a pleasant addition to his afternoon. Slinging the satchel over his shoulder, he trailed along in the midst of the stragglers- the kids not in such a rush as to run, but who still weren't keen on staying to swot up on things, or stuck in detention. Travelling at the lazy pace he was, it took a few minutes before he actually reached the doors, and actually cottoned on to the bubble of laughter- and, he couldn't help it, instantly his thoughts flew to Axel. Ohh, what has that big lummox done now? he complained, not saying anything ut loud because obviously he didn't want weird looks. The redheaded Senior threw Roxas the biggest of grins, bundling up the younger boy's clothes in his arms, along with the plastic bag, and as good as swaggering off, not losing the huge, satisfied smirk even as he got further away, very deliberately dumping the clothes in some random Senior's pickup as he walked past. He turned around, snorting out a laugh himself as he finally lit up that damn cigarette, poking it in his mouth and taking a deep drag. As he blew out the smoke, he spotted a familiar dirty blond mullet amongst the group. "Demyx, get your lazy ass over here! I need to get the firetruck outta here, STAT- promised Lea I'd make it on time for once-" Demyx just shut him up with a finger held to his lips and a loud shush as he walked up- he just swung past the redhead, into the passenger seat. Luckily for him, Axel never locked his car, and he was able to get inside before he started groaning about how, one day, his friend was just gonna push it. Axel didn't really pay attention to the rant, even as he jumped into the car, too- watching with a dark sort of glee as the truck he'd dumped Roxas' clothes in rolled out the parking lot, either completely unawares, or not wanting to risk ruining his fun. He just caught "kid's only a Sophomore, Ax..." out of the whole "this is bad" talk he was so used to these days, before with a loud cough and a long whine, he kicked the car into gear, still grinning at the view of Roxas through the windshield.

Those big blue eyes were just staring at him, dammit, and he was seriously worried for a moment she was just going to cut tail and run, or burst into tears or something equally hard to deal with. Despite himself, a small twinge of panic pricked up in his stomach at the thought of anything like that happening- oh god, crap, what would he do, he wasn't good at planning this kind of thing but at the same time he could never be sure he'd know what to do if anything did happen- it was as frustrating a conundrum as you got, since he would feel useless either way. But, to his relief, nothing so big and dramatic happened as that. He was beginning to get it a little- Namine wasn't the type to cause a scene, even if they really were alone. He could be thankful, at least, for that, although it made trying to read her a lot harder, since he wasn't too good at the subtle things. Demyx did pick up on the hesitation, the reluctance, in her voice, though, just towards the end- and, glancing warily at the clock, conscious it wasn't very long before the hallway was rammed with people, before the day ended, he just asked, quietly; "But... that isn't... okay, is it? Home... what, you... wait, I got it, there's something there, at home-!" he realised he'd raised his voice in the moment of thinking he'd figured it out, and covered his mouth with a muffled apology- but at least it wasn't like anyone was around to hear it quite yet. As the pain lanced in his foot, Axel swore colourfully, a stream of the worst obsceneties he knew- and, before he knew it, the chill suddenly was stinging at his legs, pale and gangly and- firetruck, that's it! He didn't attempt to pull them up, just glaring at the blond in front of him, pure, white-hot rage; and, with a hissed insult that he didn't even care about- like it really mattered what he said, words were just words- he, in what was pretty much a practised movement by that point, hooked the metal object he'd grabbed out of the bag as Roxas had stamped on his foot on one finger and tore at the blond's shirt, tugging it up over his head. Before it was even off properly, he shoved the other boy down, metal in his fingers glinting as, fairly expertly, he handcuffed him, looping the chain through the handle of the already open door. "Let's see you bitch your way outta that, huh?" he breathed, and then, considering the cold, ducked to tug up his jeans, shoving them haphazardly back over his hips, just trying to keep his decency in case anyone was gonna trail out just before the actual bell. Okay, fine, he barely had any time- a couple seconds, maybe- but he still wasn't done, not after the Sophomore's attempt to embarrass him. Axel wasn't that easily duped. And so, that was why, instead of just walking away, he crouched down over Roxas, practically straddling him, to grab at his pants, ignoring the blond's attempts to struggle- like they were gonna work, he didn't have his arms to fight with and Axel was as good as sitting on top of him as he tried to wrestle Roxas' pants off. "Looks like you lose today, Blondie. Count yourself firetrucking lucky you're not losing your underpants here; piss me off again, and I won't be so... nice. Don't cross me."

As clarified before, Kairi's never produced a Keyblade on her own. The flowery, lovely girly one (I... think it's called Destiny Place or something along those lines) was one that Riku... brought up, summoned, whatever, when thinking of home. The light novels, which are... mostly canon, kind of like the manga, pointed this out. So it's Riku who summoned it, and Kairi really had no hand in that. And then all she did was bash like, two Shadows when Sora and Riku can take out tons upon tons of tougher foes with just their normal attacks as a duo, let alone their limit. Also, all Kairi does is get kidnapped and rescued and provide an axis for the two boys to revolve around (Riku much less so, later on in the series, when it became all about helping Sora since Kairi was already home and safe). She's literally a princess character- they don't tend to do much buttkicking, and she simply isn't meant to. Namine works the same way- while Aqua is portrayed as strong, as a fighter- and, oh, shocker, she's the weilder out of the three. (I ignore Xion here because, although she's technically the same personality/character type as Kairi and Nami, she's a freakin' copy of Sora). I wouldn't expect her to even be shown fighting, let alone taking the Mark of Mastery exam.

Demyx frowned for a moment at the refusal, but shrugged, pushing his hands into his pockets and trying to just let it pass. He knew getting Axel mixed up in it might just make everything worse- he kind of got how she might not want to attract attention to herself, from a outside perspective. It didn't bother him in the slightest, personally- but that was more because he was used to it, and because he usually found that he tended to pass under the radar despite spending a lot of time with the redhead. He wasn't intimidating or badass or enough of a delinquent to stand out when his friend was around, and he was perfectly okay with that- it was a comfy place to be, not feared or talked about, but still, well... not really an option for bullies. "You doing okay, though?" he suddenly asked, as the thought occured to him- dammit, he was supposed to be considering all this stuff, that was part of his... his job, wasn't it? The cold hit him, and involutarily, Axel shivered- his jeans weren't exactly high, and his shirt that day was pretty flimsy and ineffectual at keeping out the cold. Normally, he would have lit up just for a tiny bit of heat, but obviously that wasn't an option right this second, dragging the blond Sophomore as he was. Besides that slight shudder from the chill, though, he didn't falter- until Roxas started talking again. Damn firetrucker can't keep his mouth shut, can he? was the first thought that crossed his mind, until he actually started to listen- and then he halted abruptly, turning on his heel, and spat once, in the other boy's face. A grin flickered lazily into his expression, and he looked for a moment back at the school before seeming to change his mind, starting to walk back up- until he stopped again, just short of the doors, awkwardly rummaging through the bag with one hand as he tried to maintain his grip on Roxas. "Just making sure no one'll miss ya, staying here," was all he said, that same grin still on his face. It widened for a moment when he actually found the damn things, but he was more preoccupied with Roxas, well, not making a run for it.

For a long, probably very uncomfortable moment, Demyx just stared at her, nonplussed- and then, slowly, he just said; "...Shit..." Sighing, he started to get up, taking it slower that time, and finding that the dizziness had passed. While it had all rushed in before, making him completely disorientated, it wasn't anywhere near as much of a bother- the edges of his vision fuzzed a little bit as he stood upright, but he could deal with it- and he just smiled at her properly, the tense set to his shoulders slumping away, as he offered her a hand to help her up. "Well, I guess they saved you the trouble of having to tell me. And, if they try and bother you again, just lemme know- I might not be so great at getting them to back off, but a threat from Axel should get 'em the message." Slowing for a moment, Axel made a rough, irritated noise, tugging harder at Roxas' arm in an attempt to keep moving at the same pace. He didn't bother to turn around, didn't grace the kid with a single look- it was better to just leave him panicking. The more they freaked out, the funner it was to pull stuff like this- and it wasn't like he'd get in much trouble. What, they might find out it was him, and give him dentention? Big deal. They couldn't suspend him if his victims, so to speak, weren't physically hurt- and that was that. Rules were rules. It was probably the only time rules actually worked to his advantage, come to think of it. "Oh, no, kiddo. Playin' the hero and wimping out now? And yet I'm the coward," he hissed in response, trying to take the quickest route down and out- towards the front of the school, as annoying as it was trying to keep Roxas up with him.

Demyx groaned, going to wave her away, insisting under his breath that he was fine- stupidly, though, when he brushed past her to try and stand up, he nearly lost his balance, head swimming, and with a slightly annoyed hiss sat back down, glaring at the floor like it was its fault he needed a moment to recover. Which, technically, it might have been, but that was besides the point. At least Marluxia, who could have layed into him the moment he'd fallen, had actually chosen to try and help Seifer for the time being, even if that still left him close- close enough to lash out again if he wanted to. "I'm fine, really- freak's strong, that's all, got me by surprise," the blond muttered, glancing at Namine and frowning. "Do they gang up on you like this a lot?" If Axel had been angry before, it was nothing compared to how he was now. With a barely-held snarl, he twisted at his grip on the blond, starting to stalk along the corridor, dragging him along at such a pace he was nearly falling over himself. He didn't speak- couldn't try to, he was just that far pissed- and only paused, very abruptly, to slam his palm against his own locker as they passed, hard enough for it to spring open. In one motion, still keeping a hold of Roxas's upper arm with one hand, digging his nails in enough to know the boy wouldn't struggle free, he tugged a trashed, pretty dirty plastic bag out of the locker and slammed it shut, before resuming his rushing down the hallway, tugging the blond out, towards the stairs.

Flicking pink hair out of his eyes and turning around, completely infuriated after seeing Seifer taken down so pathetically- by someone like Demyx, no less- Marluxia allowed his grip on Namine to tighten, hurting more than before, but only temporarily- just long enough for him to lean in and hiss in her ear, so low it was nearly a snarl; "I'm not done with you yet." And then, he let go, shoving her slightly as he stepped back slowly, not turning around, not yet. Thinking he saw an opening, Dem ran at him- but, of course, he should have expected Marluxia would be faster, stronger build not even seeming to slow him down. An arm caught around his waist, striking hard, and he winced as Marluxia pretty much threw him to the ground, sneering when the blond's head whacked against the tile. Swearing softly under his breath, Demyx started to pick himself up, and tried to throw Namine an approximation of his normal careless grin- it looked a little off-kilter, given how clearly pissed off he was- well, what had his mom called it? Scary calm, that's what she'd said it was. "S'alright, Nami. I can deal with a couple douchebags. I mean, c'mon, this guy looks like he had a fight with a candyfloss machine- and lost." "Ohhh, really?" Axel said, mocking cheeriness- then he just grabbed at Roxas, pulling the younger boy up against him, dropping the smile. Even during the lighthearted side of his act, his eyes had been full of untamed hostility- and now he let that spread back over the rest of his face. "Then why d'you think a punk like you has the right to try and firetruck with me, huh?" The Senior's hold on Roxas wasn't particularly tight- well, by his standards, at least- but it was enough so that he wouldn't just be pushed away.

The blond Senior scowled, stepping slowly and very deliberately forwards, until he was close to Seifer- intimidatingly close. Despite being older, he wasn't exactly tall, not anything like Axel or the others; this left him a few inches shy of even Marluxia and Seifer- but the no-nonsense glare in his eyes, the challenge in the way he held himself, helped to make up the difference, to an extent. His hands were fisted at his sides, and although he seemed angry, it was a controlled, calm sort of anger. Which, sort of, had more of an impact than losing it would ever have, especially considering the contrast to his usual goofy, lazy persona. He didn't lose his temper- it frayed, sure, of course it did, but so long as he could help it, Dem tried to stay focused, not to let the rage take over- which it was actually threatening to. All he could think was how deeply unfair it was, and just how much of a bad start it was if he stood by and let her get beaten up and picked on, right after making what he thought was a pretty okay first try at talking to her. Besides, he'd never been able to stand by and be a spectator to anything like this; he just wasnt wired up that way. He couldn't stand it. And that, along with a million other little reasons he probably might remember later but couldnt care less about right now, was why he chose to knee the other blond boy in the gut. "Shut the hell up," he said, still as calm as ever, like nothing had happened. Axel just walked closer, grinning widely for a moment, before leaning down, stretching up so that, while not on his tiptoes, he towered even more over the younger boy. He scratched absent mindedly at his ear, brushing flame red strands of hair further back where they flared up around the sides of his face. "Not so brave now, are ya?"

(( NO. D:< ...Kidding, kidding, of course~ Although, I'm warning you, only time I've ever played Marly before, he was a pedophile and a rapist who tormented Zexion for years and years of his childhood... [/shot] )) Marluxia was smirking, dark blue eyes narrowed, and didn't answer for a moment, just stepping forwards and twisting a few strands of Namine's blonde hair between his fingers, almost gently, mocking- "Of course. Stupid attention-seeking little girls need to be taught a lesson, after all," he sneered, giving her hair a sharp tug, and trying to grab at her bag; usually to throw it at Seifer, he expected. Unlike some guys, who considered chivary and all that shit, he had no problems with laying the hurt on a girl, no matter how small or defenseless- although he knew that, sometimes, Seifer had problems with the actual hitting. So, it was simply more convenient to pass him the easier job, the one that would have her stupid ass running around the campus, searching for her stuff, and was sure to mess up her chances to catch the bus and get home on time. But, before he could get there, there was a shout from the end of the hallway. "Hey!" For a moment, Marluxia actually looked a little surprised- it wasn't often he'd witness Demyx shouting, the kid was so laid back, too lost in his own music to stand out much. Next to Axel, he was just a kooky little blond shadow, and god knows why they even bothered with each other. And, yet, here the idiot musician was, coming up to Marly like... like he actually had some kinda authority here. It was laughable. "You two gonna pick on someone your own size?" was all he said as he practically marched up, not physically trying to intervene yet, just crossing his arms over his chest and staring them down. "Or am I gonna have to break up another stupid fight today?" Okay, so, Axel would normally have, were anyone else there, immediately got the jump on this kid, showed him just who was boss by probably slamming his head inside the locker. Standard practise. But, then again, no one was gonna see. No one was gonna care. So he could mess with him a little. "You know, I'm not a retard. I can see you in there, Blondie." He didn't bother to light up, shoving the lighter and spare cigarette back into his back pocket as he sauntered towards the younger boy, a huge, grim smirk spread across his face. Oh, man, he did not know what he'd started.

Pretty impressively, Demyx managed to doze through a couple periods without being interrupted once- okay, so he'd actually fallen asleep through Chem and Social Studies, the former subtly, against a somewhat unwilling and pissy Axel's shoulder (though he managed to resist the urge to shove Dem off, or doodle on his face in magic marker like usual) and the latter, splayed out on the desk, clearly out for the count. The only reason he needed to nap so late in the day was that he wasn't really that much of a sleeper at night, and it didn't help that eating anything make him pretty dozy and lethargic, so throwing down his squashed up sandwich on the way to Chem certainly hadn't helped him stay awake. And, of course, the classes were totally boring. Sometime between Chem and Social Studies, Axel had cleared off- but the blond Senior wasn't ditzy enough to forget that his friend had some kind of session of his own late in the day, and hoped he'd actually bothered to go. He guessed it was pretty ironic that he was effectively trying to do for Namine what Axel's mentor was meant to be doing for him, since he wasn't exactly responsible and he was best friends with Axel, of all people. But, while Namine seemed to need support and a hell of a lot of spirit lifting, Axel was in for anger management- not that it seemed to be working, the guy still blew up at lots of little things, drove like a psycho, and needed about twenty cigarettes to function, in a single day. But for last period, he had what Professor Ansem had called a "study" period- he just treated it like a free, though, of course. The idea was that, since Demyx was hardly the most applied of students, he might be able to catch up on the work he inevitably forgot to do or slacked off on. But, of course, he didn't study in that period, so the entire idea was pretty pointless. Still, it meant he could just aimlessly wander about, which was what he did best, once Cloud told him to get out after a little while of loitering in the music room. He'd tried to go to the session, at least, but Axel couldn't stand the damn snooty prick they had as his mentor therapist... thing, and had basically stormed out and slammed the door on the idiot, trying to head for the pack of smokes he kept in his locker for emergencies- he'd already lit up all the ones in his pockets, to his annoyance, by the time Chem was over. The teacher hated him smoking, of course, but like she was gonna stop him! He banged the locker door shut hard, turning on his heel and stalking off as he fumbled in the back pocket of his jeans for his lighter- but he paused , zippo halfway to the cigarette jammed between his lips, when he spotted the all-too-familiar blonde head along the hallway, headed his way. "Well, ain't that just firetrucking perfect," he muttered. (( UNINTENTIONAL TITLE SONG DROP. [/shot] ))