This Isn't Fate, It's a Game of Tag

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

Oneshot

---

"What do you want?" A very angry blond asked in annoyance to the towering redhead above him. He eyed the taller boy with suspicion when he refused to answer. "If you want nothing from me, then get lost. I don't have time for slackers." Roxas shut his locker after taking out some of the books from within. The inside of his locker was practically a library. In it were books that ranged from mangas, math book, history books, english literature books and even magazines.

"My name's Axel." The redhead said smoothly. "And I hear you're the school's genius."

"I'm only a genius to those morons that can't even take reading a book for more than two minutes." Roxas scoffed. He glanced back up at Axel with hardly a change in expression. "You wouldn't happen to be one of those morons, would you? If you are, then you're seriously wasting my time."

"Ouch... You're really quite cold-hearted you know that?" Axel made a fake cry as he placed the palm of his hand to his chest. As soon as he saw that his object of attention was hardly amused, he smirked as if liking the response he got.

"Get out of the way. You're blocking the door." Roxas nudged his head slightly toward his locker door. "So what do you want with me?" He shut the door slowly as the redhead leaned out of the way. He couldn't understand why, but he liked having this guy's presence around him. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but there was something odd about this one. There was something besides his wild, red hair and his enchanting green eyes. It was perhaps the charisma emanating from his very figure or maybe it was the way he spoke to him.

Whatever it was, Roxas didn't want it.

"There's a difference between wanting something and liking it, y'know." Axel stated. He followed Roxas along the school hallways casually with his hands jammed into his pockets.

"What are you talking about?" Roxas questioned. He rolled his eyes when he once again received no response. "What is it exactly that you want from me?" He turned on his heel to face the boy behind him, but found no one there. "What the...? Where'd he go?" Roxas looked around him and still no trace of the previous annoyance. "Freak..." Roxas mumbled with a shake of his head.

The bell rang throughout the school grounds notifying all students that it was time for the day to begin. At around this time, Roxas was sitting in his seat mindlessly flipping through the latest book assigned to them by their World Literature teacher. Unlike all the other lazy students around him, he had finished the book after a mere three days after receiving it. The one thing on this genius's mind though was not of school or family, but of another single boy that interested him far beyond the words of a fantasy book or the lectures of an old englishman.

"Axel, huh?" Roxas muttered, making it hardly even a whisper.

"You called?" Came the all too familiar voice from that morning.

Roxas jumped as he saw the redhead appear suddenly into the seat beside him. "When did you get there?" He asked with his heart pounding against his chest as if wanting to burst out. "You nearly scared me half to death!" The blond lowered his voice once he noticed the stares he was getting from his other classmates. Roxas was after all the quiet genius. No one could get near him, so no one knew that his voice could reach beyond that of a whisper.

"I take it that you're seducing me," Axel licked his lips as he leaned forward towards him. In turn, Roxas leaned back in the opposite direction. "You don't know what you do to me, do you?" He smirked as Roxas as clueless as ever gazed at him with wondering eyes.

"What... What are you talking a-about?" Roxas stammered hopelessly. "How am I...? How could I possibly...? I...! I'm not doing anything that could even c-cause something like that..." He drifted off as he hid his face behind his hand. "I don't understand you at all." Roxas fixed himself on his desk and faced the front of the room. "Just get away from me."

"Now don't be like that, Roxas." Axel cooed. The way he said it made it as if he were talking to some little child that was pouting over a lost toy. "I'm just playing around." Axel grinned a bit before whispering to Roxas. "So do you wanna play with me?"

Roxas's face reddened even more as Axel finished his question, making sure that Roxas could hear every word, every syllable. "I don't have time to play. A-And what are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be in class already?" The blond tried to make his escape with using school as his shield.

"Ah, but I am." Axel replied with absolute confidence.

Roxas paled. "What?"

"For a genius, you ask a lot of questions." Axel smirked as the blond got flustered even more so than he already was. "I have this feeling that... I'm going to be seeing you a lot lately Roxas. So much that I think I might even call it fate." He grinned as he propped his elbow onto the table and rested his chin on his hand.

"Don't bet on it," Roxas mumbled, hoping that no one could see him. He burrowed his face into his arms and tried to cool his face down by pressing his forehead onto the smooth desk. "I honestly don't think that someone like you can be on par with me."

"Someone like me?" Axel frowned and displayed mock hurt once again. "You really only know how to hurt people, don't you?"

"If you don't like it, then get lost," Roxas saw a light of hope.

"What if I said I actually do like it?" Axel smiled a bit at Roxas's hidden face.

"Then you're a masochist." The genius replied with disappointment, but truth be told, he was actually finding it a bit funny. He'd never actually talked to someone this much before. He was loner and when people did try to talk to him, he responded the same way he did with Axel and ended driving them away. This time though, Axel wasn't running away. In fact, he was actually being drawn closer, and this was a little bit frightening.

"I suppose I am," Axel chuckled. "But if it means that I get to talk to you like this, then I'm alright with being a masochist."

Roxas stayed silent a bit, unsure of what to say to that comment. He just wasn't used to someone being so friendly to him, but then again, this guy was acting a little bit more than just friendly. He probably had an ulterior motive for wanting to befriend him. Maybe his reason was something like wanting to cheat off of him or using him to ace tests or something. That was probably it, definitely.

"Most people become friends because they want to spend time with that person Roxas, not because they have any hidden notions. If I want to be someone's friend, I will definitely not cheat them by doing something as low as having a motive for doing it. I'm not like that." Axel said with a frown. "I hope you believe me on this."

Roxas paused. "How'd you know that I was thinking that?" He asked with a puzzled expression. He never got an answer since the teacher chose that time to enter the room with a large pile of books, apologizing to everyone for being late and unprepared. When Roxas turned back to Axel, he simply had a small smile across his lips and at that moment he entranced Roxas.

The smile wasn't being suppressed, that was something he could tell. It was simply a small smile that seemed to lack any real emotion. His head was still resting on his hand and his eyes were focused on something in front of him. He looked mysterious and alluring, but at the same time he still seemed like the same annoying redhead with just a lot more appeal. It was like in one of those cheesy movies where everything suddenly changes to slow motion on only two people while the rest of the world seemed to pass by at incredible speeds. Roxas felt like he was looking into a fantasy movie because all of a sudden, Axel seemed to surpass all human characteristics.

His breathing picked up along with the beat of his heart. With this sudden reaction, Axel froze as if being able to hear Roxas's unnerving thoughts. The blonde averted his gaze quickly before he could be seen, but not even this change of posture could fool his heart. He was still thinking of him and with each thought, his mind went closer and closer to the brink of nothing.

He could hardly think of the lesson and of the teacher that stood before him. He could feel the green eyes staring him down. That thought alone made his hand shake, making him unable to write anything. Roxas had a feeling that this boy would be the end of him. Yes, if the great genius would fall, then the reason would be this: he cannot stand against this boy.

---

"Roxas," Axel suddenly said sternly as he grabbed the shaking blond's arm. "The two of us are not the only ones playing this game. There are others, so watch your back." Emerald eyes stared into pale blue ones in a long silence. Axel waited for a response, but assumed that him warning Roxas was enough. "Sorry, just take care, ok?" His breathing was ragged and even though he had a firm grip on Roxas's arm, it was still shaking. Whether it was because he was just shaking enough to make both of them tremble or if both of them were in shaking simultaneously, Roxas couldn't tell. All he knew was that both he and Axel were not the same as when the class first began.

Axel released Roxas from his grip and walked briskly out of the classroom, leaving the blond alone once again. He could barely hold himself back, it was driving him crazy. If that class had been any longer, a massacre would have occurred, or at the very least a terrifying murder. He was shaking and his mind a blur, so he continued on. Axel paced around the schoolyard at almost inhuman speeds. He couldn't think, he could hardly see, but he could hear, oh yes, and he could smell. He could smell it even now as if he were still beside him.

"You really don't know what you do to me, Roxas," Axel breathed as he came to a stop in the school yard. His fists had clenched together tightly, trembling with his resistance. "Heh, at this rate, I'm not sure I'll be able to hold myself back..." He chuckled a bit before letting an all out crazed laugh into the morning sky.

---

"What was that all about?" Roxas muttered as he sat in his 2nd period class, trying to regain his composure.

"Hey, hey, have you guys seen that new transfer student with the incredibly red hair?" An extremely high pitched girly voice inquired happily to her just as annoyingly 'cute' friends.

Roxas's ears perked up. A transfer student. Huh, no wonder he'd never seen him before. A guy like Axel is hard to miss anyway. He'd have been the talk of the school long before now had he been attending it in the previous years. Roxas listened intently although his exterior would say otherwise. He carefully made it so that his eyes scanned the book below him with great interest, but in truth he was trying to hear every word spoken about his new mystery.

"Yeah, I saw him earlier! I think our eyes met briefly! It was like a dream!" One girl chimed in. Roxas didn't even have to turn around to see that glazed over expression over her face.

"Stop dreaming," Roxas muttered to himself. "Like he'd have any interest in an annoying girl like you."

"Oh yeah right! I tripped earlier and he helped me up! It was just like in one of those 'love at first sight' moments because we just stared into each others eyes for a good five minutes lovingly." Yet another girl sighed dreamily.

"Just your imagination." Roxas countered even though he knew they couldn't hear him.

"Ugh whatever! I just want to know if you girls feel the same way that I do," the girl that first brought him up said with a slight hesitation. "Don't you guys feel that even though he acts all casual and carefree, he's really mysterious? He just has that air of wonder around him that brings people in. I think that's so..."

Roxas stopped listening to them rave about Axel. So he wasn't the only one that thought that Axel seemed to have questions hanging around him. Everything around him was a mystery and no one seemed to know anything about him.

"Well just as long as they don't do anything to annoy me, I don't care," Roxas stated, finalizing his thoughts about the redhead. He took his pencil into his hand and began to write his name nonchalantly on the white paper.

"Oh dear me, are you jealous Roxas?"

SNAP!! Well there goes Roxas's pencil...

Roxas's eyes dilated as he froze on the spot. He gulped visibly and inched his head towards the direction of the voice. "A-Axel?" He uttered in a whisper. His body was still unmoving and immobile, his mind not any different from the rest of his body.

"Roxas, hun, that was a mechanical pencil that you just broke..." Axel pointed out as he grabbed the two pieces to show him. "Are you that excited to see me?" He grinned widely in a teasing manner.

"Shut up. You just scared me again." Roxas cursed as he was no longer able to look at the redhead in the eyes. "And who's jealous? Who could I possibly be jealous about? You?" When he was finally able to move, he grabbed his dark blue backpack from underneath and searched the inside, fumbling about for a pencil that he could use.

"You're not jealous of me. You're jealous because of me." Axel replied with a smirk. He leaned forward so that his lips were only about two inches away from Roxas's cheek. "You're jealous of the girls who like me, isn't that right? Because..." He trailed off, knowing the exact way to push Roxas.

"Because... of what?" Roxas stopped what he was doing and decided to listen to the other boy.

"Because you... like..." Axel trailed off again, leaving the rest to Roxas's imagination.

"Because I like who? You--!?" Roxas whirled his head to his side where Axel faced him, but unknown to him, Axel had actually gotten closer to him than when their conversation had first started and so now here they were, locking lips in the front of the whole classroom for everyone to see, even the gay home ec. teacher that chose this time to come in.

Roxas paled while he stared into Axel's bewildered eyes. The girls that were just gossiping about who Axel was really in love with all screamed and fainted, each one falling on top of another creating a nice pile of fainted female flesh. The guys on the other hand didn't seem to pay much attention since they were either sleeping or smacking each other with their home ec. textbooks. As for the teacher...

A beet red Roxas was steaming in embarrassment as he pushed himself away from Axel. "G-Get away from me!!"

"But you're the one that did it, Roxas," Axel laughed as he took in the genius's expression. He was sitting stiffly in his seat and tried to sit up straight like a good student, but only further proved that he did feel something for Axel. "You're not fooling anyone Roxas. You're as red as... my hair."

Roxas turned to Axel and then to top of his head where there was the most hair. He laughed a little bit and casually became more calm. "Yeah... right..."

"Aw, is the show over?" The two looked up at their teacher who was seating on the edge of his seat eating cookies and drinking tea as he watched them with observant eyes.

The two flushed, looked to each other and then in the opposite directions, unable to look at each other a moment longer, but both shared one last laugh.

---

"Why are you following me?" Roxas asked irritably.

"It's not like I try to. We just live in the same direction, y'know?" Axel grinned.

"Are you sure?" He eyed the redhead with suspicion.

"Hm... Well I did say this was a game, didn't I?" Axel laughed. "But as long as we enjoy it, it doesn't matter right?"

"Whatever." Roxas sped up towards his next class in hopes of getting rid of the one trailing behind his every time step. First Axel was at his locker when he got to school. Then he was in the same classes. And now he even lived near him?! It's like wherever Roxas went, Axel would be there soon after like he was chasing after him. ...Could it be that this was his game? A game of chase? "But he can't change his classes however he pleases and I live in the rich people area..."

The blond stopped in front of his house and as usual, Axel appeared beside him with all his attention focused on Roxas without any shame. Roxas glanced up at the redhead briefly before looking down immediately after.

'What is this?' Roxas questioned to himself. 'Why am I acting like some love-struck school girl towards this guy? It's sickening!' He mentally scolded himself and could barely catch the chuckle coming from said boy.

"So where do you live?" Roxas asked, trying to get the other boy to talk instead of him.

"There." Axel responded as he pointed to the house just to the right of the house that they were standing in front of.

"You're kidding..." Roxas replied in disbelief. "You live... next door?!"

"Convenient, isn't it?" The redhead chuckled as he made his way to his house. "I'll see you in the morning Roxas."

Roxas snickered. He could just leave incredibly early and avoid having this guy tag along after him.

"And just so you know, I'm an early riser so no matter what time you leave, I'll be up before you." Axel said cheerily as he unlocked the door and waved goodbye to Roxas before disappearing behind the elegantly white door.

Oh God, so no matter what he did, he couldn't escape the grasp of this new predator. It sent chills down Roxas's spine, but he wasn't entirely afraid. "Just when I thought I could have an easy school year this time..." Roxas shook his head and was about to head up the driveway before the door to Axel's house swung open.

"Oh, one more thing Roxy, there's a difference between chase and tag. When you chase someone, most likely you won't catch them, and if you do, they can still run away again, but in tag, you just have to touch them and they've already been captured. I preferrably like to play tag instead of mindlessly chasing something." Axel grinned sneakily. "Catch my drift?" He laughed rather contentedly after seeing the confused expression on Roxas's face. "Think about it and come to me when you realize what I'm saying." He disappeared once more behind the doors, leaving yet another impression on Roxas.

"...Did he just call me Roxy?"

---

That next morning, Roxas was stood up. He had waited by their houses for a good hour before heading off to school on his own in a fuming rage. The jerk said he'd wait for him no matter what time he decided to leave and he wasn't there!! Roxas cursed his name for a good half of the walk to school. He continuously chanted jerk in his head even after he entered school grounds. No one dared to get close to him, not that they dared before, but today was just ridiculous. Everyone with 5 feet ran for their lives!

Roxas reached his locker and took out his stuff. No Axel.

He entered his first period. He watched the door for the redhead's entrance and still no Axel.

By the time it was time for home ec. hate waves could be detected from coming off of Roxas from a mile away. The poor students that were sitting beside him were trembling in fear and were frozen in their seats, unable to even breathe normally.

"Uhm.. Roxas, perhaps you should go to the nurse..." The home ec. teacher suggested, slightly trembling himself.

"Why's that?" Roxas snapped as he narrowed his eyes at the teacher.

"You just seem a bit troubled, that's all," the teacher tried to reason with the genius. "I'll gladly send you there..."

Roxas sighed. He couldn't concentrate anyway. He was even getting a headache now for being so angry. "Fine, please give me a slip." The teacher as well as the students all sighed in relief as Roxas left the classroom, the air now becoming breathable now that there wasn't any stuffy feeling in the air.

"What a jerk... Now I have to be excused from class because of him." Roxas grumbled in annoyance as he entered the nurse's office. He looked around an found that she was probably out. The curtains were pulled around one bed so he took the empty one next to it. "I'm going to get back at him ten fold for this..." He said as he laid himself down onto the bed.

"Get back at who?" A familiar voice asked as the curtain to the other bed was pulled open. "Oh, Roxas, what're you doing here?"

Roxas's jaw dropped. "I could ask you the same thing."

"Ah... this... I was sleepy." Axel chuckled sheepishly.

"So you ditched me... to go to sleep?!" Roxas was infuriated. He immediately dropped his feet to the floor, smacked Axel upside the head and stormed out of the office, not even bothering to listen to whatever Axel was trying to say. "He left me so he could sleep?! That's the worst excuse I have ever heard of!" He stopped at the school's largest cherry blossom tree and glared at it. If looks could kill, that 100-year old tree would have decayed and turned to fertilizer in mere seconds.

"Hey kid, you alright? You're just kinda glaring at that tree. It hasn't done anything to you has it?" The voice came from above so naturally, Roxas's head went in that direction.

"Stay out of it!" Roxas growled. "I don't need other people making my day any worse!"

"Ok, sheesh, I was just trying to help." The boy that had spoken had silver hair and eyes just as mesmerizing as Axel's. "The name's Riku. ...Have we met somewhere before?" Riku jumped down from his perch on one of the branches to stand in front of Roxas. He inspected every inch of Roxas's face, searching for some clue of familiarity.

"N-No, sorry." Roxas stuttered as he looked away from the other boy's eyes. Something about him reminded him of Axel, but what was it? "I'll just go..."

"Wait," Riku grabbed Roxas's arm and felt a sudden jolt between them, causing both of them to jump back. "What... Don't tell me. It's you." The silver haired boy stared in awe at the smaller boy. "Or should I say you're it. ...But you're weak and, if I may so, innocent! What could that guy possible see in you?" Once again Roxas was put under inspection but this time for a different reason. "Heh, no matter. If I take you away from him, then I might be able to see him fall."

"What are you talking about?" Roxas questioned, not liking the look he was receiving from Riku.

Riku took a step forward and in turn, Roxas took two steps back. "Oh, so he hasn't told you yet. All the better. I guess I'll break it to you then." Riku smirked with a glint in his eyes. "Do you believe in vampires?"

"Vampires? No such-!" Roxas was cut short when the boy before him suddenly became a blur and unable to catch by his eyes. Before he knew it, Roxas was pinned against the cherry tree by Riku without any hope of escape.

"Believe in them now?" Riku grinned, a pair of fangs coming into view for Roxas to see.

Roxas couldn't say anything. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, could barely breathe, but the only thing on his mind was 'where the heck was Axel when you actually needed him?!'

"What do you want with me?" Roxas asked, feeling a slight sense of deja vu. Why is it that he only attracted weird, extremely attractive guys?

"Me? Well let me ask you. What do vampires drink?" Riku's grin widened as he watched Roxas's expression change from dumbfounded idiot to all knowing genius. "Bingo! Come now, what else would I ask from you?" Riku leaned his head down to the crook of his neck. "I'm gonna enjoy this..."

"Sorry but you're wrong. I was tagged. I'm it." Axel growled rather threateningly. "And guess what? I'm going after you next."

Riku's skin crawled as he felt the strong killing intent behind him. The only thing he could utter before being sent flying across the school was, "Oh crap..."

Axel caught Roxas before he could fall to the ground. The blond's legs had given way and were no longer enough to sustain him. "Hey hey, you okay? I really am going to kill that undead retard if he hurt you..."

"N-No, I'm fine. I just... You're a vampire." Roxas said, making it more as a statement rather than a question. He stared at Axel in disbelief.

"Yes," Axel nodded to confirm the suspicion. "And I drink blood, and yes, I want yours, but clearly I'm not as low as to take it by force."

"So then what's this about someone being it? What is it?" Roxas questioned.

"Just as it sounds. We're playing a game remember?" Axel grinned. "And since I'm touching you right now, you're it."

"...What does that have to do with anything?" Roxas exclaimed in confusion. He smacked Axel's chest with his palm and glared. "Explain! You owe me at least that much!" Roxas pouted in Axel's arms as the redhead laughed at him.

"You actually dared to hit the Prince of the Vampire Clan? What nerve!" Riku muttered, suddenly being perched onto his tree branch again. "As much of a show off this guy is, I still have to respect him for being stronger. He's the strongest among the vampires, said to even surpass his father, the King. I can't believe he chose you... What a waste..."

Axel glared hard at Riku; his whole being turned into another person. He shook his head in disapproval. "You respect me yet you tried to take him away from me, what kind of logic is that I wonder?"

"I was just curious," Riku muttered. "You got here on time so no harm done."

"Tch. You're lucky I just threw you. If we were alone..." Axel was clearly sending threats in Riku's direction that only the two of them could understand. Once Axel felt like he was done, he turned his attention back to Roxas. "Sorry, I guess I should explain. When vampires go after the one they want to spend the rest of their lives with, we play tag. It's just what we call it, don't think that I'm just messing with you. We do everything humanly possible to capture you and then if you're willing, turn you into one of us."

"Capture?" Roxas inquired.

"Your heart." Axel said as he poked Roxas's chest. "Y'know that thing that beats incredibly fast everytime I get near you."

Roxas's face flushed. That means that even from the first time they sat together he could hear... He glanced at Axel who was grinning widely and nodding as if confirming his questions. The blond's head hung down in defeat. He couldn't hide anything from this guy, nothing at all.

"And also to show that we're playing tag, the vampire that begins puts a mark on you after the first touch, making sure that when other vampires touch you, they'll know, but because people know me, they might come after you so sometimes when a certain vampire plays, other vampires try to win the game instead. I warned you though remember? That we weren't the only ones playing?" Axel glared at Riku who was glanced away from the superior vampire. "Vampires like Riku here could have tried to take you away."

Roxas couldn't decide anymore. Which Axel did he like more? The serious one with incredibly good looks or the annoying one that kept him company? ...Eh, just as long as he had both it didn't matter.

The redhead looked down at Roxas and started to laugh hysterically. "That was quite straightforward there, Roxas."

"Wh-What? I didn't say... Oh no... You can hear my thoughts?!" Roxas blushed profusely. "How much did you hear?"

"Everything since I'm always beside you. Even when you're asleep..." Axel laughed once more when he earned himself yet another smack to the head.

"Stay out of my head!" Roxas glared.

"Well that's entirely up to you Roxas. Just don't think about me," Axel challenged. "Think you can do that?"

Roxas paused. "...Shut up and get to class." He said after hitting him yet again. "I can't help that anymore... And because of you, I have to watch my back know! I'm holding you responsible if anything happens to me, understand?"

"...So you're alright with being with me?" Axel asked with a light of hope in his eyes.

"Yeah, but me becoming a vampire will have to wait." Roxas said.

"Why's that?" Axel asked curiously.

"I need to get taller than you first. I'm not going to be the girl of this relationship." Roxas stuck his tongue out at Axel who froze at the thought. He started to protest against the idea of waiting until Roxas grew any more. "That's my only condition Axel! Live with it!" Roxas made a run for it back to the classroom.

Axel made up every excuse he could think of until he became desperate. Once he saw Roxas running for him, he was using his last resort. "No!! I can't be uke! I've never been uke! Reconsider this Roxas! I was born to be SEMEEEEEE!!!!"

---

C: Wow... my first one shot. :P I didn't think I'd write it in this tone, but seeing as though I can't really make anything funny when I write about vampires, this is how it turned out. I thought it was going to turn out to be a crack fic to be honest.

M: Hey, why'd you publish this without telling me?

C: Cuz you were in another country. -.- Besides, you'd find out anyway. No use in telling you.

M: But I wanted to do the talky thingy between us! T-T

C: Oh.. well.... that sucks. :P Maybe next time.

M: There won't be a next time will there?!

C: ....Well that's the end of the story! If you like my writing, better hope I write again. :) No, seriously, my writing inspiration only comes once every other year. Anyway, thanks for reading! Even if I don't get many reviews, that's fine, I just like to show my love for Akuroku. :) As long as I spread the love it doesn't matter. :D See you guys all in a couple of years! XD