There were many things form childhood that Axel remembered.

He could recall quite a bit actually. Sometimes he would catch himself reminiscing on the colorful fall leaves that fell during autumn (he knows that Lea had loved fall for the yearly bonfires) in his home world, and the gardens, and his family, and yes, even his crummy old high school.

Memories flood in and out of his conscience as a nobody; sometimes as day dreams, or nightmares. There was one inconvenient instance where a memory had flash flooded like an unstoppable vision. It paralyzed him in his room for hours, and left him thinking all week. So much, that he could barely focus with Roxas on his missions. Those were only a portion of the threads that popped and snapped in the back of his mind. Some of his most vivid memories were depictions of his best friend, or of what he was.

Isa—he's obviously known as Saïx now—was a berserker even before his transformation into a nobody. Of course, Lea didn't know this, until he knew.

Isa's family always appeared odd, and tribal (that was the only word Axel could think of). They almost never let Isa out past a certain time of day. There were things Isa couldn't eat, or touch, or look at. It had seemed ridiculous back then. Isa's dad, Björn, was a hard looking man who always spoke with his face rather than his mouth. Axel remembered him. He was intimidating. When time was up he scooped Isa up and away. Lea could never really tell if Björn liked him or not. The man was of few expressions and scary in his yellow eyes; like he fought harshly in the army on some daunting war.

Isa's mother was nice though. She was a short, quiet house wife with curly baby blue hair, and light brown skin. She had a thick accent and always offered Lea foreign candies. When Lea first met her, she had never seen a ginger before and was fascinated with his hair color. Really, Isa's parents where nice people for the most part, he just had never understood why they were so strict.

However, one day in winter—Axel remembers because it was the day the chemistry teacher decided she wanted to ruin everyone's lives—that he noticed something was particularly odd about his friend. Isa was quieter than usual, and well, Isa was (and still is) a quiet person. Lea would ask Isa a question or crack a good joke, but there was no enthusiasm. He barely got a reply.

"Geez, Isa, what's the matter with you today?" he'd throw a pencil to catch his waning attention.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it," Isa would lay his head down like he was sick staring with dull eyes.

"I don't buy it," He had known Isa enough by now. Lea had had his suspicions, but he let it go.

Later that winter day, after school, when the snow began to pile thick over the flowers, Lea looked only to find Isa speaking with his father out in the courtyards. He shook Isa's shoulders firmly like he was warning him of something. Maybe he was trying to keep his son earthbound. Lea didn't want to intrude on what looked like something personal, so he kept his distance out of sight.

"It vwehl pass soon, Isa, it is vwht owll of us have had to bear," Björn had spoke in his deep set voice dipping lightly in an accent Axel still couldn't decipher. That was all Lea could hear, and all that Axel could recall.

What was going to pass? What was wrong in the first place? Lea didn't like being left out on a secret.

The next day, Isa looked flushed. His hair was a mess, and he kept scratching at his arms even though nothing itched. School wasn't out, and Lea was going to take him with him to see the light show. Christmas countdowns were always fun, and Lea couldn't ignore the opportunity for free food. Coincidentally, going to see the light show required that they both skipped school. They've done it before, but for some reason Isa denied. Lea was disappointed. He and Isa ditched their cruddy school to view the lights and buffet tables every year.

"No. I'm sorry, but I can't this time," Isa looked as if he was in pain. Axel remembers his facial expression very well, because his of his teeth. Isa was gritting his teeth, and they were sharp. Isa's teeth weren't sharp? Were they?

"Isa, what's. wrong. with. you?" Honestly, it was starting to scare Lea. What was happening to his best friend? In retrospect, Axel would have considered that normal behavior.

"I can't tell," Isa whispered setting his head down back on the desk.

"Fine," It was frustrating.

Seven school periods later, and both boys had found themselves in detention. Isa had flipped a whole freakin school lunch table. It was all solely Isa, and as amazing and sweet as it was for him to flip the entire heavy ass table, Lea had to serve detention just for being a known associate. Oh well, what was he going to do? Detention was fun anyways. He just snuck out and visited all the "fun teachers".

"Isa?" Lea turned, and whispered. The other boy was growling and seething in some kind of unmentionable pain. Lea could hear his nails scrape against the underside of his assigned detention desk.

Lea had turned back around to check the old hag at the front. She was snoring away as her glasses slid tediously down her long crooked nose. He then looked out to the window. The snow fell heavily to where he could barely see the moon, and the glow from the houses of Radiant Garden told him the show was almost over. Axel remembered being disappointed, maybe even a little angry.

"Isa?" he had turned around quickly to see his jail mate. He was planning an escape plan, he knew he had to take his friend home. (Looking at this Axel also now understands why Isa's father had pardoned the reason for his detention.)

"Isa…?" He trailed. His friend had looked insane.

Axel had always hated the principle. He was a plump man who obviously didn't know how to run a school of 'happy' high-schoolers. Lea had put that aside when he had been at that moment. The principal and six other teachers were frantic and set on only one thing: pinning down all of Isa's arms, and legs.

Lea had been shocked, and scared. Axel remembered the feeling of his heart pounding frantically against his rib cage. Isa was growling, not like normal people growl when they are annoyed. No, he was baying, and snarling, and all out roaring like he was some kind of crazed animal.

The teachers had been working as a team to strap Isa to a nurses' room bed, but there had been no success. He was thrashing about uncontrollably and snapping his teeth. The pupils of his blue-green eyes were tinnier than the circumference of the tip of a pall point pen. He raged again, and managed to kick the chemistry teacher in her nose. Lea heard the crack and gasped. He allowed himself to snicker before he saw the blood.

"Jesus! What the hell is wrong with him?" she had cursed holding her nose in her hands.

"Nothing is wrong with him," Björn had sighed deeply when he entered the small nursery. He locked eyes with Lea before taking strides to claim his son. He had done so so casually. Axel remembered it bothering him a little. Isa's father seemed to have seen nothing wrong. As always, he scooped his son up, and took him away. He was unfazed by Isa's frantic wriggling and screaming. Isa even kicked a nice circular crack into one of the room's windows on his way out.

"Lea," Björn had paused in the door was his son's waist clapped against his side and if he were caring a long log of wood rather than a human body.

"Um, sir?"

"Come with me,"

They had left all of the teachers startled, confused, and shaken as they exited into the school's lot. The snow had lessened for a short while, and the lights had been dim. Lea had stared out into the night barely able to see the breath in front of his face. Axel remembered not liking the cold. Björn had turned to Lea slowly staring at the boy, and then gesturing to his son. He seemed to calm. His breathing was jagged, his cheeks red, and his arms dangled down along with his head and legs towards the snow covered ground.

"Huh?" Lea was confused.

"I vwill, only say this because you arh' heis friend, and I assume he trusts you,"

"Oh, okay,"

"Isa turned feifteen this month. Yes?"

"Yes, sir," And then the man grew silent and gestured at the pale light coming from the full moon.

Axel remembers that in that moment he just kind of knew.

"Go home Lea, and tehll your mother to call. Isa eis fine,"

Axel remembers that Saïx was always kinda weird. Axel remembers, because he just does.