Soo... Hey. 8D This is my second attempt at a story on FanFiction... My first one never made it past one little lame chapter, haha. (I kept it up, though, for fond memories. 0: ) But, hopefully, this one will last longer. I really like this one so far, and I've got some ideas for future chapters. :3 Sooo... I hope people like it! It's my try at Sayner or Heifer, Sayfer, or Heiner or whateveritscalled. I call it Sayner (or is it Heiner?! =O), but that's just me.

Every since my friend showed me an amazing Sayner story, I've been obsessed with these two. I guess that, since we don't see much about them in KH2, it gives writer-people a little more freedom to mold them to do whatever they want. :3 Y'know? Well, that's my thinking, anyway. Here's to the end of this schpeal. Whee.

Also:
- - - Yes this story contains guy on guy. Guy/guy. Mano e mano. ManxMan. Teenage boys getting hot at the idea of other teenage boys pants. Deal with it, or hit the back arrow. Please post no flames of any kind against homosexuality. Thanks, kbai. - - -

Also: There's some Axel/Roxas, too. AkuRoku

Anudder Summary: When Hayner finds himself on the streets at the beginning of Winter Break, he needs to find a place to crash at for the next three weeks. When an event at the train station brings him to meet his new roommate, what will become of the two teen enemies as they struggle to share the same living space? And whatever is up with this guy Axel, Hayner's not happy about it. Rated T for Teen. Sorry kiddos. No boylove for you. D;

Disclaimer: If I owned Kingdom Hearts, you'd be paying to read this! :o! Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square Enix and Disney and who/whatever else owns it. Whoo.

\e\x\i\t\ Next Exit /n/e/x/t/

A Kingdom Hearts Fanfic by Mayfall

- - - - - - - Chapter One: Trouble at the Twilight Train Tracks - - - - - - -

It was hot. And he was tired. So it wasn't his fault he wasn't thinking straight.

After all, he had gotten no sleep the night before. Instead, he had been up all night studying for his math midterm.

...

Alright, well, that was lie. The same lie he had told his parents.

...

Yeah. They hadn't believed him, either.

Well, to be honest, he had stayed up late. And he had studied. Just... not at the same time. He had managed to squeeze in a bit of studying for his midterm as he was eating his after-school snack (two pieces of leftover pizza and three cokes), before putting down the books and moving on to the video games. He had been planning on only playing for a little while - a few hours or so - and then moving back to school work, but... Well, he had gotten distracted.

Until 3 am.

I really should put a clock in my room...

So, needless to say, after only three hours of sleep, he failed his midterm the next morning. Or, rather, that morning. This morning? Whatever. Point is, he failed.

And, naturally, his parents flipped.

After all, the final 'C-' grade he got in math wasn't exactly a grade to be proud about. And even though it was just a quarter grade – that is to say, a grade that most schools didn't include on the transcript – his school not only included it, but made sure colleges saw it. And that, to his parents, was the most important thing for him – getting into a good college. But how could he do that if he got such bad grades?

So, after enduring his mother's tears, his father's scoldings, and both parents threats for over an hour, he lost it. He was tired, he was cranky, and he knew he screwed up. So why did they need to tell him that over and over? He had had enough. Hayner, in a burst of rage, went stomping out of his house as his parents' indignant cries followed him until the door slammed shut behind him, cutting off their voices. He managed to make it down the driveway and past their two cars, before the door opened and he heard the angry voice of his father.

"You get back here right now, young man! Don't you dare disrespect your mother and me like this!"

Hayner ignored his father, and instead the brown-eyed teen slammed their gate open with his foot, earning a satisfying clang as it banged against the fence surrounding their property. It was a house built for a family with a dog – but both his parents hated dogs. Hayner, however, loved them.

It was just something else they disagreed on.

"That's it! Don't you dare darken our doorstep again until you've learned the error of your ways, you ungrateful little ingrate!"

Words fueled by anger. Sure, his parents and him didn't exactly get along all the time, but there was always love there. But now... now, his father sounded really mad. More mad than Hayner could ever remember. Yeah, well, he was angry too.

"Screw you, old man!" Hayner shouted, whirling around and flashing his father the bird. But the front door was closed before his finger had made it all the way straight, and Hayner was left staring at the white wooden door with the address 1213 tacked on by bronze letters. The lock clicked shut, and then there was silence from the front doorstep.

Staring at the house before him, Hayner felt an odd mix of emotions spinning through his stomach. Anger, dread, resentment, and hunger circled the most prominently, making his overall mood a total compilation of 'Yucky.' As he noticed his neighbors peeking their nosy little faces through their curtains and watching him curiously, Hayner decided it was time to get out of there.

So, with a last grimace to his parent's house, Hayner flung his hands into his pockets and huffed once, before turning on his heel and getting the hell out of there.

x-x-x-x-

And so here he was now. In all his splendor. The 17-year-old ran a nervous hand through his hair as he glanced back and forth. Boy, he looked suspicious. He felt it, too. Each curious glance sent his way made him feel like the people on the street around him knew his secret, and about what had just happened, and were all silently judging him as he passed by. He frowned to himself, sighing lightly as he turned a street corner. Both his hands buried themselves into his pockets again, and he watched his feet as he walked, trying to avoid the burning eyes directed at him. He always put his hands in his pockets when he got nervous, and now was definitely one of those times.

What had he been thinking, anyway? He had been the one to screw up in the first place, after all. His parents were only trying to be good parents by lecturing him, right? Trying to teach him life lessons... Well, he was 17 now - almost 18 - and he couldn't stand to be treated like a child anymore! He wasn't as rebellious as his hair might lead one to think - he wasn't a bad kid, really. He hardly ever disobeyed his parents, but this time, it had all been too much. Something about the combination of lack of sleep and the fresh failure of his math grade, had sent him over the edge like boiling water in a pot too small. In fact, it was just his pride that was keeping him from running back now. He was just too stubborn to let them win. And he had been in a bad mood for the past few days anyway, so this was letting him work some of it out. After all, he was currently in a large... dispute between himself and one of his best friends, Roxas, which made him a little more than tense.

"Fuh," Hayner hissed to himself, looking up suddenly, and glaring at the head of the man in front of him. Just thinking about Roxas was making him feel angry all over again. He primarily blamed his close friend for his lack of concentration when it came to studying - it wasn't easy to be a happy person when Roxas was mad at you.

But why should he be! I was only trying to look out for that little... that little... oooh! Hayner spat on the side of the sidewalk, earning a disgusted look from a passing stranger - whom he promptly ignored - and instead watched his feet again.

It started three days prior, when Roxas had suddenly made an announcement to his closest friend - Hayner himself - that he was madly, head over in heels, tickled pink, in love with another person: a man by the name of Axel.

Stressing the word man, Hayner thought bitterly.

The guy was a college student, for goodness' sake! He was four years older than Roxas at 20, and three - almost two! - years older than Hayner himself. And, frankly, Hayner didn't like the thought of his shorter and younger friend being around such an old man. So, being the caring soul he was, Hayner had voiced his concern in a thoughtful, articulate manner.

"Haha, there's no way in hell I'll let you go out with a guy in college, Roxas. Better luck next time." And he patted Roxas on the back.

"... What's that supposed to mean?" Roxas had asked, throwing off his hand. "I wasn't asking for permission from you Hayner - I was telling you."

Hayner mirrored Roxas' look of growing anger, and looked uncertainly into Roxas' eyes. Slowly, he said, "You're... not joking, are you?"

"Why would I joke about this?" Roxas flicked his hair out of his eyes in an angry manner, and his hands curled in on themselves slightly.

Hayner raised an eyebrow. "Well, Roxas, first off, you said you met this guy in a coffee shop... What was he doing there?"

Roxas frowned. "All college students drink coffee, Hayn -"

"Yeah, but on their school campus' coffee shop!" Hayner waved his arms around to make his verbal point physically stronger. "Not in the shop alongside the high school! I dunno, Rox - this guy sounds like a suspicious character to me. What, did he enter the coffee shop, and you two locked eyes and instantly fell in love? Ha! I don't believe it!"

Roxas narrowed his eyes and took a step back away from Hayner. "You're... you don't..." Hayner flinched.

"Oh, god, you're not about to start crying on me, are you? C'mon, Roxas, grow up..." He finished uncertainly as he warily watched the tears growing in those blue eyes of the boy across from him. Roxas merely wiped his eyes with a pale fist, and looked to Hayner with eyes already starting to turn red and sore.

"You're... such a jerk!" And off Roxas had gone, letting his anger and frustration be expressed in one last sentence, before he fled the scene, running from Hayner's attempts to stop him.

...

Alright, so, maybe he could have handled it better. But he had been taken off guard, that was all! Sure, Roxas had hinted he had liked guys - and Hayner's opinion of him hadn't changed at all since then (in fact it had explained some of Roxas' odd behaviors of sniffling and pouting like a school girl) - but to hear that Roxas had suddenly nabbed a college boyfriend in only a few hours of meeting him made Hayner incredibly apprehensive. What if the guy was some kind of creep who was looking to exploit the teenager? Wouldn't he be considered a bad friend if he hadn't voiced his concern?

Clearly, Hayner had had only the best intentions at heart... Now, if only he could make Roxas see that. But he wasn't exactly clear-minded or coherent when it came to talking about emotions and feelings. He just wasn't good with the stuff. He knew how he felt, after all, and he should just be able to say 'I'm mad', or 'I'm happy', and be done with it. Roxas always was one to go more in-depth in that kind of thing, which made communication between them difficult sometimes.

Sighing, Hayner tried to forget about Roxas, and instead looked up at the sky, feeling the warm rays of the sun beating down on his tanned skin. Tomorrow was the start of a three-week long winter break, but Twilight Town's weather was always unpredictable. It had been hot for the past week or so, but Hayner had heard warnings about rain coming soon, with some snow expected next week. But for now, it was almost 90 degrees out, and Hayner was feeling it despite the sleeveless shirt and vest he wore. It was hot and humid, and it wasn't helping the fact that his body was so low on sleep – the heat felt nice, and he felt relaxed.

Yawning, Hayner came to a street he wanted to cross – for, even though he had run out of the house unexpectedly, he already had a plan starting in his mind.

After looking both ways, Hayner stepped off the curb and crossed the street. He couldn't hide in his and his friends' secret place – a small club-house like area hidden behind a chain link fence and rugs, located near the Sand Lot in the other half of town (the houses and downtown area were separated by a train ride) – because he knew his parents knew where this hideout was, and he didn't want them finding him. Again, his pride was telling him to disappear for the whole three weeks until his parents finally broke down and started calling the police about their missing son.

But that meant finding someplace to stay for the duration of break. And that's where the problem lay.

Pence and Olette were both away for Winter Break, which ruled out the thought of staying with one of them. There was always Roxas' house, but… No. Roxas had been unfair to him and hadn't understood what he had been saying before… No, no, no, he wasn't going to let Roxas know where he was, either. If Hayner were to suddenly disappear off the face of the planet for three weeks, then all the people who had treated him badly – his parents, Roxas… - would be worried sick, and he'd get his revenge. They would think he had been kidnapped, or possible lost in the wilderness… Like there was wilderness anywhere near Twilight Town.

It was a great plan, but he just needed to figure out his living arrangement. Digging into the pocket of his pants, Hayner pulled out his wallet and cracked it open.

Thank god I still have money after that movie on Friday... Normally, Hayner kept his money in a pickle jar in his room, but a week ago he had gathered it all up and put it in a wallet for the movie, as he had been running late and didn't have enough time to sort out how much he needed exactly. So, he had about 400 to 500 dollars on him. That was enough for three weeks, right? Sure, it sucked to spend all his money like this, but maybe – hopefully – his parents would cave before then, and Hayner would return home on his own with apologies and a welcome as warm as the cookies they would surely make for him. However, right now, Hayner wasn't sure he even wanted to get home – he was still kinda mad at them. And he was almost an adult anyway, right? Even though he had been held back a year in elementary school, that didn't change the fact that he was almost eighteen – even if he was still a junior is high school.

Crossing another street with a small yawn, Hayner started up the street toward the train station. So his plan was this: Hop on the only train that went out of Twilight Town, rent himself a small apartment, and then pig out on junk food and cable for the three weeks until it was time for school again. It sounded like a pretty nice plan, actually. He was proud of himself for figuring it out.

The only problem was that the train only came once every other day. After all, not a lot of people wanted to go to Twilight Town, so there was no real need for a bustling train that took tourists to and fro. People only used it to get out of the town for vacation, before returning shortly afterwards and resuming their quiet life. So Hayner had to just hope that this would be the day it was coming, or else he would have nowhere to go for the night.

So, taking his hands out of his pockets, Hayner started to jog a little toward the train station. He could see the train clock from here; it was almost three, and the train would arrive – if it was coming at all – at three exactly, so he knew he should hurry.

But he was so tired! And as he ran, yawning, he felt the sunshine once more. He was tired, and it was hot out. He just wanted to curl into a ball and fall asleep right there on the sidewalk, but he knew that would never work. He would have to get on the train, and get the apartment first, and then fall asleep once his plan was secure. He couldn't sleep right now…

Taking the stairs two at a time – and then sincerely wishing he hadn't, for the pain it caused his tired body – Hayner made it to the train platform. He glanced behind him at the stairs as he walked to the ticket counter. Once, him, Roxas, Pence, and Olette had all been here at the station, counting the stairs that led to and from this platform. It was for a summer assignment he summer before last – something about 'The Wonders of Twilight Town'. It was over a year ago, but he still remembered the event as if it had been yesterday…

"Can I help you, sir?" Hayner looked forward with a slight shock as he realized he was standing in front of the counter, with the woman behind it giving him a weird look.

"Uh, yes..." Hayner stammered, pulling out his wallet again. "Is the Huntington Express coming today?" Huntington – the name of the next town over.

"Yes, sir, it is. Would you like a ticket going both ways?" The woman turned away from him and started typing on her computer, already filling out his order.

"Uh, no – one-way, please." She read off the total amount for the ticket, and Hayner fumbled around, finally producing the required payment, and passed the money over the counter. "Thanks," he mumbled, accepting the ticket.

"The train will be arriving shortly – on the far platform. Please watch your step and have a nice trip."

After mumbling his appreciation again, Hayner turned away from the counter and looked at the train tracks. He sighed once, before stuffing his hands in his pockets.

His mind was getting away from him, thinking about the past like that... Jeeze, it wasn't like he was never going to come home again – he shouldn't act like this was the end. He was just tired, that was all.

Hayner yawned yet again as he came to the edge of the platform. He would have to cross the train tracks to get to his platform... He yawned again as he glanced back and forth. He was so tiiired... He stuffed his hands – one holding the ticket, one holding his wallet – back into his pockets as he stepped forward. So tired, so tired...

He jumped down into the tracks after making sure the area was clear. He stepped over the tracks of the Twilight Shuttle, which was the train system that took people of the town back and forth between the two sides of Twilight Town. There were two sets of tracks for the shuttle; every fifteen meetings the trains would switch stations, so that there would always be a shuttle at each station. It was a good system, considering how many people rode it every day.

As Hayner was stepping over the second set of tracks, yawning, his eyes closed, he felt his foot bump into the metal railing on the tracks. With a rush of adrenaline, Hayner felt himself suddenly falling forward. With a small cry, Hayner tumbled forward onto the last set of tracks, his hands still caught in his pockets so that he couldn't stop his fall. He fell on his shoulder, and felt his arm bang against the metal tracks. His feet fell last, landing on the gravel that separated the tracks.

With a hiss, Hayner rolled onto his back. "Jeeeze!" He seethed through his teeth, feeling fresh, burning pain along his arm. He hadn't broken anything, and he wasn't severely hurt, but it was more embarrassing than anything. To have fallen down so ungracefully – what was he, a two-year-old who didn't know how feet worked?!

With embarrassment, Hayner pushed himself up to a sitting position, and refused to look at the platform full of people who had witnessed his fall. He heard someone say, "Is he alright?" and he heard another one laugh. The laugh sounded familiar, but Hayner was in too much pain, and too tired to think about it. He wanted on that train more than ever now – just so that he could leave this horrible town behind, at least for a little while.

As he started dusting himself off and getting to his feet, Hayner felt something tug at the end of his pants. Looking down, Hayner realized the bottom of his pants had become wedged in-between one of the spikes that held the track down and the metal railing, so that his pants were pinned. He frowned, and bent down to tug his pants out of the track.

After a few seconds of twisting and pulling, Hayner was finally free. He dusted himself off once more as he stood up, and then heard a scream. Hayner, in his sleepy and bruised state, wondered why their scream sounded so high pitched and echo-y. It sounded again, and Hayner froze. This time, someone really did scream. But the last two times... those weren't screams. They were whistles.

Train whistles.

As though refusing to believe it, Hayner turned his head slowly sideways, and looked into the two pinpoints of light that were steadily growing larger. He felt his body seize up, and all he could do was concentration on the way his heartbeat was sounding in his ears. He was looking into the face of his death, and was unable to move, or do anything.

Forever seemed to have come and gone as the train grew larger and louder, getting closer and closer. The driver put on the breaks, but it was impossible to stop as they were so close together...

There was no way out...

Hayner was going to die.

As Hayner felt his limbs go numb, he stared straight into the face of the train, his mouth opening in a slight gasp. He knew it was inevitable – he had delayed too long, stood around watching for too long.. he couldn't save himself now…

As Hayner stared into the blinding headlights, he felt something connect with his chest, and he was suddenly flung backwards.

It felt like infinity passed as he was thrown through the air, watching the buildings and the ground rush away, and then come back. Finally, his back met the ground on the other side of the tracks, and he tumbled backwards, feeling a strong gripe encompass his chest. He felt like a snake had crawled out of the ground, and wound itself around his chest, holding onto him for dear life. He skidded slightly on the gravel, earning a few injuries, but he was more concerned about what had just happened.

He watched with startled eyes as the train passed in front of his eyes, and he felt the gust of wind that followed it. It threatened to suck him back into the danger he had somehow just avoided, but it was moving slower now, and he was able to remain rooted to the spot, the snake around his chest holding him tightly away from it.

It was only as the train slowed to stop, and people started shouting, "Are they okay?!" and "Did they make it?!" did Hayner realized the snake coiled around him was none other than a pair of strong arms – the same arms that had just pulled him out of trouble.

Hayner blinked as he stared at the sky, the adrenaline coursing through him keeping him from feeling sleepy anymore. The person next to him moved slightly, so that he knew they were okay. He realized he was partially laying on them, so he moved a bit, starting to sit up. As he did, he looked at the well-tanned arm across his chest, and wondered dimly,

Who.. saved me?

Did anyone get my reference? "Watch your step and have a nice trip." NICE TRIP. AND HE FELL. HAHA.

That was actually not intended. I'm just so funny I don't even have to plan it.

... I'm kidding, of course. You know that, right? D: I'm not that egotistical!

Comments and reviews are sooo super appreciated! You have no idea how much those float my boat. They'll even make me update faster! Well, if you want me to update faster... If anyone likes this...

And it's not that interesting yet, I know. But more'll happen next chapter! Reeeaalllyyy...

-- Also, ask me if you have any question. Since I'm the author I know what's going on. And sometimes I assume you know, too. So I may not make everything clear. In fact, here's some questions I thought I would get, and some answers:

Q: Where is Hayner walking around?
A: I thought I would make it so that Hayner and his friends all lived not in the main Twilight Town, but in that place that they go in the second game to investigate the Wonders of Twilight Town... That's why I included Hayner's little flashback. So, there's a bunch of homes and stuff there in my world now. x--x;; And that's where he's walking around now.

Q: Is Huntington a real town in the game?
A: Nu-uh. I made it up. It's a stupid name, but it popped into my head, and then I kept calling that, and I never got around to changing it. If someone wants to suggest a name change, please do and help me. ;333;

Q: Why did you make such a big deal about Hayner being sleepy? I survive off of two hours of sleep during the week...
A: Hayner was originally going to fall asleep while crossing the tracks and then the train whistle would wake him up, but I didn't think that would actually.. happen. So, instead he fell. But now he looks clumsy, which is cute. :) Also - you should get more sleep! Two hours isn't good! D:!!

Q: Will Roxas and Axel be in this story?
A: Ohyes. I've set them up to appear in later chapters. And it gets awkward when Hayner first meets Axel... But you'll find out more about that later.

Q: Was it Seifer who saved Hayner?!
A: We'll find out! :O!!

... That's all I can think of. Ask me questions, and they shall go here! DD:

I hope you liked what you read, even just a little biiiit. :3

...
And some people may/may not have recognized the title... It's from an Interpol song, called Next Exit. It's not, like, my all-time favorite song, but I do like it a lot. :3 And.. the title'll fit the story later.

...

I hope.