I tend to name my stories after Death Cab For Cutie songs…

But yeah, here's like, my millionth unfinished story. Sorry. But I like the idea.

Sorry for my absence too…My dad found my yaoi stash xD He was…less than pleased. We had an interesting talk about it though.

Plus, school has gotten in the way of seriously writing. But it's almost over, so I'll begin to be active again.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed to my stories while I've been dead. It means a lot *gives pocky*

And so much has like...changed since i've been on fanfiction -_-" It just makes me feel worse...blahh...

Anyway, read and enjoy.

--

--

Passenger Seat

Axel rested his head in his hands as his wife continued whispering at him in an angered tone. If Kairi hadn't been in the other room, she would have been yelling as loud as she could at the redhead, who was sitting on the couch, unable to make eye contact with his soon to be ex-wife.

"I don't understand…" Axel muttered, finally looking up at her, his cheeks stained with his tears as she made the announcement. "Why…?"

"I can't stand living with you. It's like, I'm just the caretaker for our child. You're always late and you're never in the mood to talk or be close to me!" She hissed, her red hair covering most of her pretty face. Looking into her eyes reminded him of the first time he had laid eyes on her, way back in high school. He had always liked her, even while she had those disfiguring braces and glasses, before she had dolled herself up for the boys. He was still in love with her, and his head couldn't take it if she left him. The thought left him empty and cold.

"It's just been rough at work, love…" Axel told her, never breaking eye contact with those beautiful blue eyes. He reached up to take her hand in his. The apartment they lived in wasn't huge, which keep them at close proximity at all times. "I'll come home sooner, I promise…we can eat dinner together every night…"

"I don't want your promises," she spat, snatching her hand back from him. "I want you home at five, when you get off. I want you to come home and make dinner with me. I want you to spend time with your daughter instead of just handing her off on me every night while you go to bed early."

"I will…just, don't leave…" Axel pleaded, retracting his hand and setting it on his knee, defeated.

"I'm already packed. Goodbye, Axel."

--

"Yes, I need a babysitter."

"Well, I'll be busy this summer…"

Axel growled quietly, bringing the phone away from his mouth as he muttered, "Stop that," to his daughter, Kairi. She was currently having a tea party at the little table in her room. This is where Axel was sitting, still dressed in his suit since he just gotten off of work, surrounded by little stuffed animals. His eye twitched as Kairi poured even more water into his cup on the table, though he just told her not to.

"But maybe my brother can take over? He was looking for a summer job anyway."

Axel nodded, focusing more on making sure his suit didn't get wet from the 'tea' being spilled everywhere. "Sure, Sora. Anything, as long as he's good with kids."

"Yeah, he'll love to take care of Kairi for you."

He nodded, thankful he had found a nanny for over the summer on such short notice. For the past few summers it had been Sora that was nannying for him, caring for his four year old daughter, but Axel had forgotten that Sora went off to college this year, leaving him babysitter-less.

"Thanks. And just send him over at the usual time, thanks, Sora." Axel waited for Sora's reply before hanging up the phone and taking the teapot from Kairi. "Dear, you've made an awful mess."

"Hai!" Kairi told him, grinning from ear to ear as she got up from the table, running into the kitchen.

Axel sighed, taking his blackberry from his soaked pocket and placing it on the table, noticing the pink sticker was finally coming off of the screen. He had a feeling it was going to be a long summer.

--

A guttural moan escaped Axel's lips as he was forcefully poked in the leg with a blunt object. "Daddy!"

"Yes…?" He lifted his head, wiping the sleep from his glazed over eyes as he looked over to where Kairi was standing next to his bed, holding a fairy wand in her hand. She was wearing her favorite nightgown, one that slightly resembled a pink princess dress with white ruffles around the base that sparkled as she squirmed impatiently.

"Daddy…"

Axel looked over at the clock and noticed it was five to eight o' clock. Roxas would be here in five minutes. His damn alarm hadn't gone off again today!

He swooped up Kairi in his arms as he slipped from bed, taking her down the hallway and down the stairs, turning the corner to enter the kitchen. He sat her at her place at the table, letting her wiggle herself into her booster seat by herself. He glided over to the refridge and took out her unfinished glass of milk and a bowl of fruit and set it in front of her, rushing to answer the doorbell as it rang.

There was Roxas, Sora's younger brother, standing on his porch. Axel had always thought he was rather cute, though recently he'd started leaning to the indie look, wearing tighter jeans and dark band shirts. It was completely different from Sora, who wore the plaid shorts and brightly colored shirts. But Axel knew he was a good boy with good grades, so he wasn't too worried about letting Kairi stay alone with him.

"Roxas." Axel nodded, noticing that Roxas was a little freaked out that Axel answered the door wearing his pajamas; boxers and a t-shirt. "Come on in. Kairi just woke me up, so excuse my outfit."

Roxas nodded in reply as he followed his new employer into the house.

"This is the kitchen…" Axel led the blond into the kitchen where Kairi was eating her strawberries. "And you know Kairi…Kairi, this is Roxas."

The little girl grinned and mumbled something in her undecipherable language.

Axel just sighed. "Anyway, let me get dressed and everything and I'll give you the run down before I leave for work."

--

"I roll the window down

And then begin to breathe in

The darkest country road

And the strong scent of evergreen

From the passenger seat as you are

Driving me home…"

Axel turned up the volume for this song as the mellow sound of Death Cab for Cutie rolled through the speakers in his car. It helped him calm down before he would enter the hectic world of work. The company where he worked, Kingdom Hearts, was perhaps the most popular company in Twilight Town. They were the energy company, the people who made the electricity for the people, but they were also involved in charity work and they sponsored a lot of other stuff, like food fairs and outdoor markets in the summer. Axel, who was in charge of making all of this happen, though his title was 'The Advertisement Manager', was also in charge of babysitting the other managers in the company, which was not in his job description.

He pulled into his reserved parking place and right as he shut the door to his new black BMW, his assistant, Demyx, pounced him. "Axel, I neeeeeeeed you to tell me what's going on."

"What's going on?" Axel asked, looking at his blond assistant out of the corner of his eye as he walked into the building, flashing his ID at the guards inside the large entry hall.

The interior of the large, glass skyscraper known as Kingdom Hearts Headquarters, or KHH for short, was furnished in dark marble, flowing over the floor and all of the counters where the prissy little secretaries were stationed around the main floor.

"Yes…Xemnas just shot me an email asking what the plans for publicity were for the newest branch opening in Agraba on Friday…" Demyx was breathing heavily now as they reached the elevators, which would take them to the 8th floor where Axel's office was stationed.

"Xemnas told me Xigbar would be taking over that." Axel muttered, leaning against the marble stained wall as the elevator picked up speed upwards.

"Well, I guess not." Demyx huffed as he let his head hit the elevator wall with a small thud. "He's asking who all has been invited to the press conference and when you'll be there."

Axel sighed as the doors opened up to reveal his floor and the cubes of everyone that worked here with him. He stepped out into the naturally lit room with a shrug. "We'll have to figure that out now, I suppose."

--

Roxas eyed the little girl sitting at the table in front of him. Axel had given him directions as to what was for lunch and what he should be doing with her the rest of the day; he was always a little awkward around kids. He didn't have Sora's social grace, lacking the natural skill of communication with other human beings. However, children were especially difficult. Everyone his age and younger made him clam up, unable to express basic emotions. This earned him the social label 'loner' at school, though he was definitely able to hold conversations with adults and teenagers older than him.

Kairi tossed a piece of strawberry his way and he wondered how he was going to make it through the summer. The pay was excellent, which left him more money than most of the other teenagers his age, but he had to be around this four-year-old everyday. Not to mention Axel, whom he'd had a small crush on since the redhead had moved in down a few streets a couple of years ago. Axel was the vision of manliness. He held a good job, making more money than most people in Twilight Town, and he was taking care of his one daughter all alone. Roxas hadn't heard the story behind Axel's divorce, since he rarely talked about his ex-wife, but that didn't mean Roxas wasn't curious.

"Woxas…"

Roxas looked up at Kairi again, after giving the kitchen a good run down. This was the first time he'd been in the house after the open house when it was for sale, and Axel had changed it quite a bit. All of the kitchen appliances were stainless steal and the table they were sitting at was made of dark wood. Very expensive. Being here made Roxas feel a little…out of place in his skinny jeans and Pink Floyd t-shirt, which Axel had commented on before he left. Apparently the redhead liked good music too.

"Yes, Kairi?"

"Woxas, I's hungie."

Axel had told Roxas that if Kairi was still hungry after her fruit breakfast, Roxas could find her more food, along the lines of some cereal or something equally as messy. "What do you want to eat?"

"Eggs!"

At least Roxas knew how to make eggs, since he had just learned from Sora in the past month. Roxas pretty much failed at any kind of cooking, which was the complete opposite of his older brother who could cook nearly anything. It was frustrating for Roxas, since his brother could do almost anything, leaving Roxas feeling inadequate.

Roxas got out two eggs after hearing Kairi yell, "Scrambled!" He took out a frying pan after finding it and spraying it down with PAM. "What are we going to do today, Kairi?" Roxas asked as he watched the egg fizzle and begin to darken as he stirred it all together.

"Dolls!" came her first reply. After a moment of moping, on Roxas' part, she exclaimed, "And Princess Movie!"

Axel had also warned Roxas that Kairi might want to watch her favorite Princess movie, which Roxas was actually hoping Kairi would ask for. Watching a movie or sitting the kid down in front of the TV was the fastest way to waste time while babysitting. Getting paid for watching TV was perfectly alright for Roxas.

--

Axel opened the door to his house, sighing quietly as he shut it behind him. He set the black briefcase next to the table like he did every night and walked into his nearly silent house. "Roxas?" He called, slipping his shoes off onto the mat by the door.

"We're in the living room!" came the reply.

Axel made his way into the living room, trying not to grin as he looked over to where Kairi and Roxas were playing.

Newspapers were spread out on the floor, covering their work area. Roxas was on his elbows, his stomach pressed again the floor as Kairi applied lipstick to his pale lips. The younger boy's eye's had been shadowed in a lovely bright purple, his cheeks dusted in pink blush, no where close to matching the blue lipstick Kairi was applying.

"Is Roxas getting a makeover, Kai?" Axel asked, seating himself on the dark couch, grinning at the blond.

"Yes," Roxas replied, as Kairi was too busy concentrating to reply, "A makeover that has taken over an hour so far." He flared out his fingers, showing off the messy purple nail polish that covered most of his fingers.

Axel laughed, resting his head on the back of the couch, his arms draped over his thin frame. "Well, doesn't he look lovely."

Kairi smiled up at her father, finally putting the lipstick away. "Yeah, Daddy! Woxas is pitty!"

"Yes, very pretty indeed." Axel sat up to move closer to where his daughter was working, laying down on the floor next to Roxas. He sighed, happy to finally be home, away from the work world. Ever since his divorce, he was sure to get back home by five at the latest.

"How was your day?" Roxas asked, trying not to move out of fear that Kairi might get angry at him for messing up his makeup as she was collecting the barrettes to put in his spiky blond hair.

"It was…alright." Axel placed his head in his hands, held up by his elbows which were seated on the floor comfortably. "Stressful, since I was assigned a project I didn't think I would have to deal with…" He rubbed his temples as the snapping of barrettes filled the air.

"That sucks." Roxas replied, trying to keep still as Kairi played with his blond mess. "Like, just out of no where?"

Axel laid over on his side, nodding. "Yeah, kind of. I was assigned to construct a press conference for the opening of the new KHH in Agraba, but my boss took me off of that, and gave it to a co-worker. My assistant nearly attacks me this morning when I drive up for work because he got an email from the boss asking what our plans were."

"Ahh…" Roxas frowned thoughtfully as a purple barrette was snapped into his bangs. "Your boss is a douche."

Axel chuckled and opened his eyes. "Yeah, well. I have to deal with it. It's my job. But anyway, why don't you go get cleaned up and I'll drive you home before I make dinner."

"I'll help you." Roxas felt bad, leaving Axel all alone with Kairi the rest of the night when he was so obviously stressed. "I'll watch Kairi if you want to work a little more…it's sounds like you have a deadline to meet…"

Axel stood up and brushed off the invisible dust from his black suit, shaking his head. "I won't make that mistake again…" He got quiet for a moment, before moving on at Roxas' confused expression. "Thank you though, Roxas. I think I can manage tonight."

Roxas stood up, following Axel as he scooped up Kairi and started towards the car he had parked in the garage. Roxas wanted to decline a ride from Axel, since it was only about 5:24, and it was still pretty light out. Walking home would be no big deal, but he felt like Axel didn't really have anyone else to talk to. Roxas knew that he needed someone to listen to how his day was at work and things like that, or someone besides Kairi who could lend a sympathetic ear.

Axel buckled Kairi into her booster seat and let Roxas into the passenger seat. He sat down in the drivers seat and turned on the car, letting Death Cab fill the air once more.

"If Heaven and Hell decide-"

Axel reached over to skip to the next song, silently wishing he hadn't had this CD in the car with him. They had played this song at the wedding and it was difficult for him to listen to, even four years after the divorce.

He noticed Roxas looked over at him as the new song came on, trying to push the dark memories from Axel's mind.

"The looking upwards

I strain my eyes and try

To tell the distance between shooting

Stars and satellites

From the Passenger sear as you are

Driving me home…"

It was quiet for a moment, even with Kairi in the back, until Roxas nearly whispered, "I like this band."

Axel, thankful that the subject had been changed without a question, broke his gaze for a moment to look at Roxas with a grin. "Yeah? Death Cab is pretty soothing. It's nice to listen to after work."

Roxas chuckled, nodding. "What's the name of the CD? I'll go buy it if Mom will quick take me to the store."

"Nah, that's alright." Axel told him as they pulled up to Roxas' house. "Take this CD." He ejected it from the player and handed it to the blond nanny. "You can copy it and give it back to me tomorrow, eh?"

Roxas nodded back enthusiastically as he took the CD. "Of course! Thank you, Mr. Hatikaji."

"You can call me, Axel." The older man pointed to his temples with a grin as Roxas shut the door with a final nod.

"Alright. See you tomorrow, Axel."

The redhead put the car in reverse as Roxas ran up his front walk. Today had been good, with the little help of a certain blond boy, Axel thought with a small smile.

--

Roxas ran upstairs and put the CD into his computer, letting it load before he synced it into his iPod. He pulled the little device from the computer and popped in his headphones, jumping onto his bed, though it wasn't even six o' clock yet. He let the songs fill his mind, the blue eyes closing as his body relaxed into his dark blue comforter, completely forgetting about the makeup that donned his face.

"I roll the window down

And then begin to breathe in

The darkest country road

And the strong scent of evergreen

From the passenger seat as you are

Driving me home…"

--

Axel placed the plate of Mac and Cheese on the table in front of his little girl. Kairi happily scooped a pile into her mouth, oohing and ahhing over the taste. Easy Mac was her favorite.

Axel sat down across from her, again, skipping dinner all together. He placed his elbows on the table as he rested his head in his hand, his thoughts skipping to his wife again. Every time he looked at Kairi, he was reminded of her; she looked just like her mother, it was astounding. Those blue eyes and the red hair, but also the nose and the curve of her soft pink lips. It was difficult being so close to her without breaking down into an emotional wreck every time he was alone with her, but Axel loved his little girl more than anything. He couldn't give her up, even if he nearly started crying every time he looked at those beautiful blue eyes.

He hadn't heard from her in years. They kept in contact for a bit after the messy divorce, just for Kairi, but after a while she stopped calling and emailing back. Axel assumed she had remarried and didn't want any part in Kairi's life now that she had a new one.

The redhead sighed. "Well, it's probably bath time for you, Kai."

Instantly, it ruined her mood. "Daddy…"

"Come on, love. We don't want Roxas to think you're smelly." He stood and walked over to her seat, picking her up with a little difficulty now that she wasn't half as small as she used to be. "We'll make it fast and we can watch a princess movie before your bedtime."

She giggled, placing her head on her father's shoulder. "Okay, Daddy."

--

--

Hatikaji- Hati meaning eight and kaji meaning fire (or destructive force). Poor Axel. Even his name is morose.

And no, it's not going to be a KairiXAxel fic. That would be so nasty. In so many ways.

Anyway, schools almost over and I'll start being active again :( sorry about the delay.

Review?