The road sped past as the hours continued to drag on. Roxas sighed as he hit the six hour mark. 'Just a little longer.' He thought happily. As he turned off of the freeway, he soon came back to civilization. Passing over a hill, he saw what was going to be his new home for the next 9 months: KHU. A massive University filled with the most eager minds of the age, or so the pamphlet claimed. Roxas leaned forward to get a better look at the campus from afar. It looked more like a castle than a traditional University. He sat back and took a deep breath. He would've been lying if he said he wasn't nervous for college life. Roxas was leaving his family to go to a high end college only because he earned a scholarship that paid for half of his tuition.

His car slowed to a stop as he approached the main gates. A huge line of cars were already waiting to get inside. Roxas could make out hundreds of students and parents milling about the campus either moving into the dorms or trying their best not to get lost finding what buildings their classes were located in.

Roxas turned the music down in his car. Without the hum of the road in the background, his music was blaring in his ears, not that he minded. He just didn't want to get in trouble before school even started. The sounds of Bullet for My Valentine echoed in his ears as he crept forward in line. Upon reaching the gates, he rolled down his window.

"Name?" a staff member asked.

"Roxas," the student answered half-heartedly. The staff member scowled and punched his name into a tablet. A printer started spitting out paper to the man's left. He ripped off the sheets and handed them to Roxas.

"Here is your parking information, dorm room assignment, class schedule, and book list. Don't have too much fun now," the man said sarcastically.

Roxas took the papers. "Right…" He pulled forward and the staff member waved for the next car to pull forward. Roxas crept through the campus until he came to the parking ramp. There he found a spot and turned off his car. The sudden silence caused his ears to ring. He sighed, stepping outside to stretch. Then he loaded his arms with as many bags as he could carry from his white Lexus LFA.

His dorm was a five minute walk from the parking ramp. He was staying in Destiny Hall, an all-boys freshman dorm. "Room 506," Roxas muttered as he pushed past the waves of unpacking freshman. He reached his room and found his roommate was already there.

"Oh! Hey there! I'm Pence," the boy greeted. He stood and moved aside so Roxas could set down his belongings. Pence wore a red sports jersey and black shorts. He noticed Roxas's outfit was a bit odd but didn't comment. The newcomer wore white pants and a black tank top. His wrists sported several varieties of bracelets and cuffs while a black dog collar hung low on his neck. His ears were pierced with a pair of small black loops, ending in a point behind his lobes. Pence couldn't tell if the look was punk or gothic.

"Roxas," the blonde introduced without much emotion.

"Cool. Is that all you brought with?"

"No. I have more in my car."

"Need any help?" Roxas paused for a moment.

"Sure. I'll need to stop by the front desk first to get my keys."

"No sweat! All of my stuff is pretty much here. My parents are bringing in the last of it now." The boys went downstairs. Roxas got his room keys which where pass cards shaped almost like crown. Then he and Pence walked back to the parking ramp to pick up the last of his belongings. Pence stopped short at the sight of Roxas's car.

"No way! You drive this?!"

"Yeah, sure," Roxas responded.

"That's so cool. I just got my mom's van." Pence gave a sheepish grin. Roxas opened the trunk and they gathered the rest of his stuff before heading back to their room. When they returned, they found the room was even fuller than when they left. "You didn't bring much," Pence noticed.

"I didn't really want to bring much, honestly."

"Oh." The boys unpacked around each other. Soon their wardrobes and desks were covered with their belongings. Their beds were lofted so they each had their own personal space underneath. Since Roxas didn't bring much, Pence offered to let him use his mini fridge and microwave. They each set up posters on the wall. Pence had a Deathly Hallows poster while Roxas put up several posters of his favorite bands: Slip Knot, Disturbed, Five Finger Death Punch, Apocalyptica, and System of a Down. Pence eyed the posters pensively, noting his roommate's taste.

"Hey, I have to go meet up with my folks. You're welcome to come with," Pence offered.

"Nah. I need to get to the bookstore before if closes."

"Okay. See you later!" Pence took his leave, leaving Roxas to his thoughts. The blonde shut the door behind him as he left his room behind. Then he went on his way to the bookstore. As expected, it was packed with students and parents talking way too loud over what they should buy for the semester. Roxas examined the paper containing his book list.

"English Literature, Chemistry I, Physics I, Introduction to Engineering, Introduction to Architecture, University Studies, Advanced Trigonometry and Algebra," Roxas muttered. He soon found all of his books and went to wait in the long line at the checkout. Roxas snapped out his phone and started roaming the internet while he waited. All of his books were in a basket by his feet. The English Literature books took up the most room mostly because he needed eight different books for the class.

"Hey, no cutting!" he heard someone growl. He was shoved forward into the girl in front of him.

"Watch it!" she spat. Roxas turned to glare at the people behind him. A tall blonde man with a hat and white vest scowled back. Roxas looked beyond the angered student to see the line snake behind to all the way to the back of the store. He sighed, picked up his basket and shuffled forward.

After finally getting out the bookstore, he stopped outside to check his class list. His classes were spread out across the campus. Roxas sighed and figured he had better figure out where the buildings were while he still had the chance. He shoved the paper back into his pocket as he started his trek.

Roxas slammed into another person and bounced off.

"Watch it!" the man protested. His mullet wearing companion giggled and rolled his eyes.

"Freshmen!" the man laughed.

"Excuse me," Roxas replied flatly, watching the pair stroll around the campus. The man he ran into had a large mass of red hair, which Roxas wondered how his neck wasn't sweating with the end of summer heat.

It was over an hour before Roxas made it back to his room. Pence was still missing so Roxas had the room to himself. He rolled his sore shoulders as he put his books away. Then he lay back on his bed and stared at the ceiling.

Pence arrived later and offered Roxas to come eat with him. Roxas agreed since he didn't have anything better to do. They made their way to the dining hall which looked more like a five star restaurant. There, Pence introduced his friends Hayner and Olette. Roxas didn't say much but he liked the trio well enough not to hate them.

Pence and Roxas returned to their room. There, Pence watched a movie on his laptop with a bag of popcorn while Roxas dully searched the internet. He spent hours staring at sites he didn't care about. When Pence finished his movie, they got ready for bed. Pence went to sleep immediately, snoring softly. Roxas put on his bulky headphones and turned on his MP3 player. The sounds of heavy metal crashed against his ears, sending him to sleep.

XxXxX

The next morning the students had the day off except for the freshmen. They were required to go to an assembly to learn about the University, codes of conduct, honor systems, and the works. Roxas sat with Pence, Hayner, and Olette although none of them really paid attention. Hayner fell asleep half way through, his arm propped up on the arm rest and his head resting on his fist.

Once the assembly finished, Roxas left Pence and his friends as they went into town. The town was actually part of the campus so they didn't need to go far for what they needed. Roxas returned to his room and had a warm soda as he flipped through the books he was supposed to read for his classes. He cringed at the sight of his math book. It was enormous and Roxas hated math. He wasn't bad at it, but it took him twice as long to learn than everyone else.

The rest of the day he wasted in his room, only leaving to eat supper. He wasn't interested in the freshmen activities offered on campus. Pence joined him later at night and they spent the rest of the evening watching a Japanese horror flick.

Morning came too early. Pence had class at 8:00 so he trudged out of bed at 7:00 to get ready. Roxas didn't have class until 8:30 so he lay silently in his bed, having been woken up to Pence's alarm. At 7:15 he rolled out of bed and started getting ready for the day. He grabbed half of a toasted bagel to nibble on while he walked to his first class: English Literature. Roxas didn't like breakfast but his mother warned him to eat at school so he wouldn't pass out in class again.

He found a seat in the back of the classroom and waited for class to start. More and more students streamed into the room as the class time loomed closer. Roxas put his phone on vibrate and shoved it in his pocket. Then he noticed something familiar.

The man with the red hair.

He was sitting right in front of Roxas. 'Who is this guy? He's obviously not a freshmen.' He didn't get a chance to find out since their professor started the class. Professor Xehanort spoke in a very monotone manor, yet he was still intriguing to listen too. He made Roxas feel like the stories were actually important instead of pieces of dying literature.

During the middle of the lecture, the boy next to Roxas received a text, announcing to the class with a loud PING! Master Xehanort stopped his lecture as the student awkwardly turned his phone on silent. Roxas noticed the man in front of him had turned his head. A glint of green reflected from his eye before he faced the front of the class.

'Huh…' Roxas wondered. 'Why do I feel like I've seen him before?' The class ended at 9:50 and the students hurried to their next classes. Roxas followed the man with red hair for awhile, blending into the crowd. When he caught another glimpse of his face, Roxas felt he was sure he had seen the man before. 'But where?'

That evening, he mused over the familiar face as he chewed on the end of his eraser while reading his first English Literature book: A Tale of Two Cities. It had been over an hour and he was still on the first page. He glanced over at Pence. His roommate was staring blankly at his notes.

"What'cha reading?" Roxas asked. Pence jumped at the sound of his roommate's voice. Roxas was normally quiet so it was odd to see him start a conversation.

"Anatomy. We have to memorize the anatomical terms by Thursday," Pence replied with one of his sheepish smiles.

"Like axillary and sacral?"

"Yeah! I see you're not really interested in your book." Roxas closed the cover and placed his pencil on the desk.

"It wasn't my idea to take the class."

"Elective?"

"Yup."

"Bummer. I got stuck with Pottery I. Pottery! What am I supposed to use pottery for when I'm in the working world?"

"What are you going for?"

"Undecided. You?"

"Not sure. I was looking at engineering or architecture."

"Heavy stuff! I heard you need crazy high grades to make it in those programs."

"I'm not worried about the grades."

"Oh yeah, you got that scholarship. Lucky for you. My grand-dad's paying for my tuition for the first year but then I'm on my own."

"Are you working?"

"Not yet. I'm trying to get a job in town. Are you going to work? I suppose not."

"I've never really had a need."

"Got'cha." Pence stretched and glanced at his clock. "Well, I'm going to turn in early. Whoever thought 8am classes were cool should be checked into a metal institution." Roxas chuckled. Pence's smile widened. "So you do smile!"

"You sound surprised."

"Gee, I wonder why?" Roxas laughed again.

'Maybe college won't be as bad as I thought.'

XxXxX

'I hate college. I hate math. I hate my life.' Roxas stared at his text book as he attempted to figure out what the graph was trying to tell him. Pence was at a night class so Roxas was left alone to smash his brain uselessly against the evil he considered algebra. He eventually texted Olette for help but she hadn't started the homework yet. Roxas sighed heavily. His phone literally screamed at him as he got another text.

*Try a tutor*

Roxas frowned at Olette's text. He never liked being taught by other people let alone being around other people. After ten more minutes of frustration, he packed his bag and headed for the library. They had tutors there for students who needed help.

Unfortunately, Roxas forgot they closed at 9pm. It was 11pm. He sighed, mentally slapping himself. As he turned to leave, he glanced at the few students who remained in the library before it closed at midnight. One in particular caught his attention.

'You again…' Roxas stayed rooted to his spot, watching him from afar. The red head was reading at a table. His hair was pulled back from his face and a set of ear buds were buried in his lobes. A pair of thin glasses sat on the lower part of his nose bridge. Roxas felt his feet moving towards the man. Before he realized where he was going, he was standing in front of him on the far side of the table.

It took a minute before the red head noticed someone was standing in front of him. He looked up suddenly, his green eyes holding a hint of mischief. He was tall and thin, almost as if he had an eating disorder.

"Can I help you?" he asked in a smooth voice. Roxas blinked. There was a long pause.

"No," Roxas finally replied, and turned to leave.

"Alright. See you tomorrow then." Roxas paused midstep.

"You know we're in the same class?"

"Well, duh. You sat behind me yesterday. Besides, you're not exactly a blend in kind of guy." Roxas frowned, realizing he was right. His style did stand out from the rest of the students. "Did you read the chapters for tomorrow?"

"No shit," Roxas replied. The man smirked.

"Just asking. My name's Axel, by the way."

"Like the car part?"

"Yeah. Got it memorized?" Axel tapped his temple with his finger.

"I think I should be able to remember that."

"Good. And you're name?" Axel interrupted as Roxas moved to leave again.

"What?"

"You're name, dummy."

"Why do you care?"

"Look, I'm not asking for your social security number. Just a name." Roxas sighed.

"Roxas. Got it memorized?" he asked coldly.

"Sure do. See you around, Roxas." Axel returned to his book, as if they never had a conversation. Roxas finally left and went back to his room. Pence was asleep when he arrived so he retired early.

As he rolled over, he felt his mind tick silently. "Axel," he murmured. Roxas put on his headphones and blasted his favorite playlist until he fell asleep.

A/N: Hi all! This is my first KH fanfic. Hope you like it! (I tried to get all of the spelling errors out but I edited this at one in the morning so don't kill me if I missed one!) Cheers! (Now with section breaks!)