Hey, thanks for the reviews =] I actually meant to have this chapter finished a few days ago then I got all busy with other stuff, but it's still a pretty fast update i think...=]

Am i supposed to have done disclaimers? Oh well, i'll do one now

Disclaimer: If I owned kingdom hearts, Sora wouldn't be half as cheesy "kindgoms hearts...is LIGHT!"

Commiserations

Even before he was a Nobody, Axel had never been one for sympathizing.

Something about a casual one-arm hug and a meaningless "I'm so sorry" just made his head hurt and his stomach churn with embarrassment. It was all so fake. It wasn't even that he didn't care, in many cases he cared a little too much, it was just that he knew how little the sympathy of others meant to him. Why would his apology for something he didn't do make anyone feel better?

The same rules applied after he lost his heart. A wiseass remark fit the bill just as well as a reassuring smile, and he was far better at those. Besides, cracking a joke always had a way of pulling out a grin; one way or another.

"Hey, Axel, did you see Xion today?"

Axel, with a mouthful of icecream, shrugged. "Can't say I have," his muffled voice answered. "I think she got a pretty hard mission today. She probably went back to her room."

Roxas sighed, eyes trained on his half eaten sea-salt icecream. "Yeah probably," he murmured. "Seems I keep missing her lately."

Axel cast his friend a sideways glance. "You'll bump into each other eventually," he said confidently. "The castle's not that big."

Roxas smiled thinly. "I guess so."

Axel rolled his eyes. "Geez, calm down Mr Enthusiasm, you're embarrassing yourself."

Roxas looked up, eyes wide. "What?"

"You're, like, misery wrapped in a Roxas-shaped box. What's the deal?"

Roxas frowned and looked away again, taking a large and furious bite from his icecream. "You're imagining things," he insisted, his voice tight and stifled. "I'm fine."

"He growled," Axel chuckled, offering his friend a Cheshire cat grin

In return, Roxas attempted to shoot Axel an unsmiling glare; although he managed to achieve the exact opposite. He felt the corners of his lips tugging upwards and suddenly he couldn't hold in a laugh.

Although he was more relieved than amused, Axel found himself laughing too. He wasn't sure why, when he hadn't said anything particularly funny, but he soon felt his stomach cramping from the force of his laughter. He managed to drop his icecream mid-hysterics, and something about the action made Roxas laugh harder.

"Oow," Roxas moaned after a while, clutching his stomach between stifled chuckles. "What…Something's wrong…"

Axel noticed his friend's anxious expression and shook his head. The smile wouldn't wipe itself from his face, though. "It's 'cause you're laughing too much," he pointed out, gently patting his own stomach. "Good exercise for your stomach muscles."

Roxas stared; first at Axel, then at his sore stomach. "Huh? Really?"

Axel smirked. "Yup. Not that you have any, though."

"H-hey!" Roxas exclaimed. "They're there…I've seen them! It's not my fault this stupid coat-"

"Whoa!" Axel chuckled, raising his hands. "Take a joke, man."

"I can take a joke!"

"He growled."

"Stop saying that!"

Axel laughed. He reached out and slapped Roxas on the back, hard enough that the young Nobody almost toppled over the edge of the clock tower.

"Well, I'm turning in for the night," Axel abruptly decided. He yawned widely and stood up, stretching his longs arms over his head. He didn't want to leave yet, but leaving avoided the awkward conversation he had been trying to steer clear of for days.

"Already?" Roxas asked.

"Yup. The land of unconsciousness calls." Axel scratched the back of his head, an old nervous habit that he never lost, even when he became a Nobody. "What about you?" he asked.

Roxas shook his head and turned back round, facing the familiar sunset. "Nah," he said, smiling. "I think I'll just sit here and…think."

"Well…OK," Axel muttered. "Don't hurt yourself."

Roxas chuckled. "See you at home."

Axel, despite actually wanting to head back and sleep, found himself hesitating. He wasn't sure if Roxas sensed he was still there; but if he did, he didn't say so. And something about the way he was sat - comfortably leant on his knees, smiling at the gentle warmth of the setting sun - made him look more at peace than his recent behaviour let on. It was comforting for Axel to see, especially after all that Xion had told him. From what she had said, he had almost expected to find Roxas cooped up in his room, weeping over a tub of chocolate icecream. But still, Xion seemed to think that Roxas had been acting strangely.

"He's always strange," Axel had responded, several days earlier.

"In a bad way," Xion insisted.

"Bad, how?"

"He's…sad."

"Sad?"

"Look, Axel, I just wondered if you could talk to him? You've known him longer than me. He'll probably feel more comfortable talking to you."

And that was how Axel found himself not talking to Roxas. He couldn't find the appropriate time to say "Hey, so, Xion says you're crazy. What's with that?". Even if there really was something wrong with him, Axel doubted that he would be the best candidate for a round of 'caring and sharing'. It would only make him uncomfortable, and then Roxas by extension.

Maybe I'll try again tomorrow, Axel thought with a sigh. He felt bad, but there was nothing he could do just yet. Resigned, he turned and headed down from the clock tower; accompanied by the sound of his footsteps, rather than his best friend.