I started this story in 2012 when I was 15 years old, now it's 2018 and I'm finally back to fix it up and finish it! The first four chapters of this story were already written, but I am replacing them with rewritten versions of the story. This is the updated chapter 1. The first 6 chapters of this story take place 14 years before the main story line. If you enjoy it, I'd really appreciate a review :)

Chapter summary: Axel is adopted into a new life by two men named Marluxia and Vexen, who seem to be co-workers. He is taken to Hearts Research Facility, where he begins his new life, and meets a new friend.

As a disclaimer, I don't own any of the characters mentioned, they all belong to square enix

Hello. My name is Axel Pereira and I am 7 years old. Three weeks ago, I was adopted by a man named Marluxia and he took me here to my new home! This man named Vexen is really important here, I think he is kind of my new dad! Vexen bought me this journal yesterday and he told me to write stuff in it every day. Like my thoughts and stuff? I don't know really. Oh! Okay, journal, so guess what! This home is a big fancy building, it doesn't feel much like a house, more like a place grown-ups would go to do their jobs. It's pretty cool. It feels like I'm rich living here! Vexen doesn't let me call him daddy, so I have to call him Doctor Vexen. I think that is SO cool. Also! My room is like so big. I wish I could show you, or put a picture in here! It's big and white and it has lots and lots of room for me to play. I don't even have to share it with other boys like I did at my foster house! Vexen says I'm not allowed to leave unless I ask. That's okay because it was like that in my old house too. It's fun to be alone sometimes, because I can play any games I want without having to ask other people if they want to. Vexen said I'm not allowed to have real toys because they can be dangerous, but I have a small blanket and I play with that. It's kind of fun to like make shapes out of it and stuff like that. Well. I'm not sure what else to write. Vexen says I am very important to him and I will be very helpful with his job! I'm excited because he said I get to help him tomorrow. We're gonna be best friends, journal! You and I! See ya!

Axel scribbled a small picture of himself into the corner of the journal's page that was unused. He colored in his hair. He didn't have a red crayon to show that his hair is red, so he drew an arrow pointing to it and explaining to his journal the way that he looks. When he was satisfied with his entry, Axel smiled and closed his brand-new journal, stuffing his tiny pencil into the pocket of his shorts. Leaning over the side of the rickety bed, he slid the thin book under the mattress, where he decided he would keep it. Safe and sound! Vexen would be so proud of him for taking up a whole page on the first day he got the journal.

Axel smiled at the thought of his new dad. Vexen didn't really seem like the most playful guy in the world, but he was nice and he seemed very smart! Plus, he was told that it was Vexen's idea to have him adopted, and that was the nicest thing anybody could have done for Axel. He had always wanted a mom too, but Vexen told him that 'no lady could ever compare to a child.' It hadn't made sense to the boy at the time, but he came to terms with the fact that Vexen just says some weird stuff sometimes. Axel thought it was funny.

A grumble came from the small boy's tummy and he giggled at the sound. He knew that dinner would be soon, and Vexen promised him he would have a really good dinner today. He hoped it was ice cream.

In excitement, Axel jumped to his feet and clambered up onto his bed. His room was devoid of furniture minus the full-sized bed in the corner of the large square room. Axel had considered asking Vexen or Marluxia if he could have some other stuff in his room, but also didn't want to ask too much of the nice people that took him away from his foster home. He knew that, eventually, Vexen would probably surprise him with a race car or something.

Standing atop his bed in his socks, Axel swung his arms back behind himself as far as he could. He imagined he was up high on an airplane soaring thousands of feet in the sky and he was about to jump with nothing but a parachute! A large smile spread across the small boy's face at the thought and he leapt as far as he could off the bed, landing with a loud thump. A grin threatened to rip his face in two as he clambered to his feet again and pulled his pencil out from his pocket again. He leaned over and marked the spot where he had landed as his new record distance. The door swung open.

"Axel, child, come." Vexen's demanding voice echoed through the empty room and Axel jumped, startled at the sudden sound. He quickly spun around to look at Vexen who was smiling softly at him with his arms crossed as he waited in the doorway.

"Daddy! You scared me!" Axel giggled and pocketed his pencil again before making his way over to Vexen. He grinned up at him and pointed to the new mark he had made on the floor. "Look how far I jumped!"

"That's nice, Axel." Vexen regarded the marks on the floor with a passing glance before slotting his hands into the pockets of his long, white coat. He glanced down at Axel. "Come along, it's time to eat. And you are not to call me 'daddy'. Understood? We are still getting to know each other, Axel." He lectured as he made his way down the facility's hall, leaving Axel's door open behind him. Axel ran to follow him happily.

"Oh yeah! Sorry, Doctor Vexen!" Axel apologized as he caught up to Vexen. He reached up and offered his hand to his adoptive father, expecting Vexen to hold his hand as they walked. Vexen regarded Axel's hand before pulling his hands out of his pocket and tying his long blond hair into a tight ponytail. He then reached down and ruffled Axel's fiery locks before delicately taking his hand.

"You will be very helpful to me, Axel." he mentioned as he smiled down at the boy. Axel beamed up at him.

Axel had never felt so wanted before in his life. He had been left in the care of his old foster parents at the age of 2 after his parents had snuck him into the States from Portugal. His foster mother, Arlene, had explained to him that his parents probably could not support him and most likely wanted him to have a fair chance at a successful life in America. Still, Axel often wondered if that were true, as he never heard from his birth parents again.

He squeezed Vexen's hand tight as the pair veered into the dining hall. Immediately spotting the plate on the lone, white dining table, Axel cheered.

"Spaghetti!? I LOVE spaghetti, Vexen!" He exclaimed in excitement as he plopped himself onto one of the too-big-for-kids chairs. He vaguely noticed the lack of members at the table today. Usually, there were a bunch of guys in white coats like Vexen's that would join him for dinner.

"Your old caretaker informed me of your interest in this cuisine." Vexen spoke matter-of-factly and joined Axel at the table. He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled with an interested gaze set on the boy. Vexen's long face seemed to stretch even longer whenever he smiled. "Just tell me or Marluxia whenever you would like to eat it, okay? Marluxia will be happy to cook it up for you."

Marluxia served as Vexen's chef at the Hearts Research Facility. He was an old college colleague of Vexen's, and the two of them stuck together after their schooling to open up a Research building just north of the boundaries of the city of Leide. Marluxia had been the man tasked with retrieving Axel from his old foster parents and bringing him to Hearts Research. Marluxia had taken an immediate liking to the boy considering he was the first child at the Facility that was to take residence under Vexen's wing of the building. Axel loved the attention and took advantage of every moment he had to talk to Marluxia over dinner. He had been intrigued by Marluxia's long pink hair. It took him a couple days to realize that the chef was kidding when he said his hair was made out of bubblegum.

"So, you're saying I can have spaghetti whenever I want?" Axel inquired with wide, hopeful eyes up at Vexen who nodded with a smug smile. "No way! Wow, you are sooooo cool!"

"I'm glad you think so." Vexen's voice trailed off as he pulled a pad of paper out of the pocket of his coat and scribbled something down onto it. He lifted his head to speak to Axel again but stopped himself when he saw that the boy was already messily shoving noodles into his face, red sauce smeared all over his cheeks. He shook his head with a quiet sigh as he stood up from the table. As he reached the doorway of the dining hall, he turned around briefly.

"When you are finished eating, I would like to see you in my lab. You know where that is. Please, do not go anywhere else."

Axel hummed in acknowledgement and continued to eat his spaghetti happily. He could not believe his luck with this new family. There was no way his old foster parents would let him eat his favorite meal every day! He was lucky if his foster mother made spaghetti once a month. As he ate his full, Axel rubbed his tummy in satisfaction. He smiled to himself. His life was going to be so great, and his mind reeled at all the possibilities for fun to have in the future with Vexen and Marluxia and the other men who hung around his home.

Jumping off the chair, Axel picked up his empty plate and padded through the empty room to the drop-off window. He held the plate with both hands like Vexen had told him to and stuck his tongue out in concentration as he stood on the tips of his toes to place the plate gently onto the surface.

Usually, Marluxia would take his dish for him, but since he didn't seem to be around, Axel thought he'd be nice and just do it for him! The boy leaned his head through the window and scanned the kitchen. Maybe he's in here…

He cupped his hands around his mouth as a makeshift megaphone and shouted as loud as his lungs could carry into the kitchen.

"MARLYYYY!"

He waited a few moments before a response came.

"Axel?"

A grin spread across the boy's face and he leaned against the window to try to get more of himself through the small hole. Soon, Marluxia's soft pink hair came into view and Axel giggled as the chef tweaked the child's nose.

"Hi Marly!" Axel gave the man a toothy grin and pointed to his plate. "Look! I brought my plate over here for you!"

"No way!" Marluxia exclaimed over dramatically. Axel giggled and nodded his heath enthusiastically. "Wow, thank you, Axel! I'm proud of you." He smiled warmly and ruffled the boy's hair. "Hey, didn't Vexen want to see you after dinner, honey?"

"Yea. I just wanted to see you first!"

Marluxia chuckled softly and smiled down at Axel through the window. "You see me every day little guy."

Axel grinned and nodded. "Yup! That's why I had to see you!" He leaned back because his arms were getting tired of holding his weight up to the window. "Vexen said you'll make me spaghetti, like, whenever I want it!" He shouted excitedly up at the window and placed his hands on his hips proudly.

"Oh, did he?" Marluxia laughed and replaced his head in the window to look down at the beaming redhead who nodded happily. "Well, I guess that's that, then! Spaghetti tomorrow?"

Axel nodded quickly and grinned at Marluxia before he turned around and wiggled his butt at the man before running off to find Vexen.

Marluxia felt his heart warm up. It was a refreshing sight to see Vexen spending time bonding with one of the children they had taken in. While all the others lived in the separate wing, Axel was the first to share a living space with Marluxia and Vexen. If he didn't know any better, he would start to think that maybe Vexen actually wanted a family.

Shaking his head with a roll of his eyes at the thought, Marluxia grabbed Axel's plate to wash. Vexen would never be a kids kind of guy. Whenever Marluxia would muse about his girlfriend in college, his friend would disregard his statements and continue to talk about his work. Marluxia had gotten used to the fact that Vexen just didn't care much for close relationships.

Still, he couldn't help but feel a sliver of hope for the boring scientist with the new fireball child running among them.

Axel skipped down the hall and laughed when he skidded around the corner. His new home was so big.

I bet the other kids that got adopted don't live in a place this big!

As he ran down the hall, he loved the way that he slid around on the polished floors with his socks. Before heading into the lab to see Vexen, he backed up to run down the hallway again. He stopped picking up his feet halfway and slid across the floor, throwing his hands in front of himself to stop himself from running into the wall. Hands pancaked against the surface and face nose-to-nose with the wall, Axel giggled to himself as he caught his breath.

As Axel pushed open the door to Vexen's lab quietly, his face was beat red from laughing and running around. He stepped into the large, brightly lit room and cocked his head to the side when he noticed Vexen hunched over a table, working intently at something.

"Come, Axel." The man spoke, startling Axel. How did he hear him come in? He had been so quiet!

"Watcha doin'?" the child whispered, afraid to pierce the loud silence that enveloped the room. He padded over to the table and tried to peek over the edge, but he was too short. Vexen patted his own lap.

"Come. Sit. I must show you something."

Axel smiled and lifted his arms as the scientist pulled him up in one swift motion. He dangled his legs as he looked down at the table. There, on the cold metal table, was a small metal box that sat on top of a multitude of papers. The metal object was a shiny bright red, much like the color of his hair, Axel noted.

"This is for you." Vexen's voice came from behind Axel and the child felt the man's breath on his neck when he spoke. He giggled.

"What is it?" He turned his head and glanced at the scientist with big, green eyes. Vexen nodded his head towards the table and picked up the object to hold it in front of Axel.

"It's a lighter. It makes fire," he explained, flipping the corner of the lighter up to reveal a small gear. "You see, the metal container here is filled with pressurized liquid gas as a means of ignition to produce the flame." He tapped on the body of the lighter with his other hand.

Axel watched with wide eyes as Vexen turned the object, allowing Axel to get a good look at it. He didn't understand anything Vexen was saying, but he was amazed at how complicated the explanation sounded for such a small item.

"Cool," he half whispered, reaching out with one hand to cautiously poke the lighter. He heard Vexen exhale quickly through his nose in amusement.

"And this," the scientist continued, placing his thumb over the metal gear atop the lighter, "is a gear that sits atop a piece of flint inside the lighter here." He rubbed his thumb over the gear slowly. "If the gear is spun quickly," he explained softly behind Axel as he flicked his thumb down against the gear and a small, steady flame appeared, "it creates a spark, which catches the fumes from the liquid gas and ignites a flame."

Axel's eyes widened impossibly large at the flickering flame in front of his eyes. He had seen fire before, of course, but he had never seen it be created. He had watched Vexen create the dancing flame out of seemingly nothing.

"That…" he began quietly and turned his head to look at Vexen, "is the coolest thing I have ever seen."

Vexen smiled at Axel and closed the lighter before placing it in Axel's hands and cupping his own hands around them. "Make sure to be careful with flame, Axel, it could cause a lot of destruction," He raised his eyebrows as he spoke sternly to Axel, looking into the boy's eyes, "but if harnessed and controlled carefully, it can be the most beautiful thing on this planet."

Axel nodded quietly, eyes wide. He was slightly intimidated by the seriousness of Vexen's tone, but he also felt a swell of pride knowing that Vexen was entrusting him with such important information.

"This is yours to keep, Axel."

That night Axel laid awake in his bed hours into the night, flipping the lighter on and off repeatedly. He loved the quiet sound of the flame bursting into existence every time he flicked his thumb over the gear. In the darkness of his cold room, Axel stared into the flame, getting as close as he can until he started to feel the warmth with his face. It seemed as though he could run his hand right through it, and it would feel like silk. He knew better, though. Vexen had trusted him to be careful because fire was dangerous.

As he closed the lighter and blinked into the darkness, Axel thought about what Vexen might expect of him. Vexen had told Axel that the boy would be helping him with his work. He wondered if teaching Axel about the lighter had anything to do with that.

With a proud smile, Axel leaned over his bed to tuck his new lighter under his mattress right next to his journal where it would be kept safe and sound in his collection of important things. He then curled up under his sheets with his red blanket and drifted off to sleep.

Axel was startled awake by the sounds of slamming doors.

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Axel reached for his red blanket and shuffled off his bed. The fabric dragged on the floor behind him as he stumbled over to the door of his room sleepily to listen to what was happening.

"S-s-stop!" A young voice came from beyond Axel's door and his eye's widened. Another kid? Was the kid crying?

"I wanna go home! Please!" The child was shouting, but even then, his voice sounded weak. Axel frowned. He was confused and slightly nervous about what was going on.

"Shush up, child."

Vexen! Axel clutched his blanket tighter and felt relieved at the sound of his dad's voice. If somebody was sad, Vexen was sure to fix it.

Content with the fact that his new dad had the situation under control, Axel dragged his blanket back to his bed and clambered back on top of it. He turned on his side away from the door and covered his ear with his blanket. The screaming subsided to panicked sobs, and Axel clutched the blanket tighter to his head, attempting to drown out the scary sound. Once the banging and crying stopped, he released his death grip from his blanket and stared at the wall across from him as he tried to curl up into a comfortable position to fall back asleep.

The door to his room opened then, and Axel panicked momentarily, turning to his side quickly and laying still to appear as if he were still asleep. His eyes wide with his back to the door, Axel listened as shuffling sounds were made and a quiet thud reverberated through the room before his door closed again.

A light sniffling enveloped the room and suddenly Axel's curiosity got the best of him. He looked over his shoulder to see that, sitting in the middle of the floor holding his knees to his chest, was a small blond boy. The boy dug his face into his knees and held his hands over his head as he cried quietly.

Axel watched the boy for a few short moments before he turned around fully and hopped off of his bed. The new boy's sniffling stopped immediately, and his head snapped up. He hadn't noticed there was anybody else in the room.

"Hey. I'm Axel." Axel stated awkwardly. He rung his blanket between his hands and sat down crisscross in front of the other boy. When the blond boy only stared at him for a few moments, Axel looked down at his blanket and mumbled, "Why are you crying?" He couldn't fathom why this kid could be so upset in his home. Especially when he definitely heard Vexen outside his door with the kid.

The boy didn't respond. He just stared at Axel with big, blue eyes and brought his knees closer to his chest, hugging them tight again. His shaggy blond hair fell in his face and he bowed his head into his arms to cover his eyes.

Axel furrowed his eyebrows in frustration when the boy started shuddering again, his tiny body shaking. He was so small, probably younger than Axel.

"Hey," Axel tried again. He wanted the boy to talk to him. He can't just come into his room and cry without talking to Axel! "Stop crying," he demanded bluntly.

The shudders halted again, and the blond boy looked up cautiously.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, so quietly that Axel could barely hear him, "I'm scared." His voice broke on the last syllable and his big eyes started flooding over again as his lip quivered. Axel watched the boy and slowly reached forward to touch him. When the boy didn't flinch, Axel thought it was okay to place his hand on the tiny shoulder.

"You're so tiny." He mused aloud and laughed. "Come on! Don't be scared. Uh.. do you wanna see me lighter?" He shook the boy's shoulder to try to get him to stop crying again and the blond's eyes widened in astonishment. When he didn't reply, Axel found himself laughing. "Come on!"

Axel then stood quickly, pulling the blond along with him as he went to his mattress.

"This is my secret hiding spot," he spoke as he reached his arm under his mattress, "so don't tell anyone where it is!" He stuck his tongue out as he moved his arm around, looking for his new toy. "Ah-ha!" he exclaimed, and a grin cracked on his face as he held up the lighter proudly.

The blond boy didn't know how to respond. His eyes flickered between the beaming boy in front of him and the object in the boy's hand.

"Vexen gave it to me," Axel explained further, and he pushed the lighter in the boy's face.

The timid child's eyes widened at the mention of the scientist and he shook his head in a panic. Axel noticed the tears starting up again, and this time he sighed loudly.

"Don't you cry again! Boys don't cry!" He pouted as he put his hands on his hips and looked down at the quivering mess in front of him.

Staring at Axel, bewildered, the boy brought his dirty arm up to wipe at his face. In consequence, he only smudged dirt all over his face. Axel burst out laughing.

"What are you, ha-ha! Why are you so dirty?" he asked between chuckles. The boy stepped back timidly, looking down at himself then. He was really dirty.

Axel noticed the boy staring at himself with a blank expression. What's with him? He leaned forward slightly when he thought he heard the blond say something. "What'd you say?"

The child looked up at him timidly before trying again.

"Roxas," he repeated, rubbing his arm, "I'm Roxas."

A/N: Thank you for reading

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