Beyond the Red of the Sunset (Axel)

[Kuu]

The last of the day's sunlight was disappearing behind the mountains and the night-time festivities were already underway for the New Year celebrations. Firecrackers snapped about in a blistering chaos while the cacophony of drums, bells and people shook the evening air. Lanterns of all shapes and sizes were lit on stands, raised into the sky or left floating on the still water of the nearby ponds, lighting the streets with a scarlet and gold haze as the kites chased the remains of the fireworks in the sky.

If there ever was an uncomfortable place for Roxas to find himself, this was it. Crowds of unfamiliar faces that bore down on him from all sides, laughter and shouts that threw his hearing off-focus and distracting sights that made it difficult for him to pin down anything he saw. This would all come together to make an unmitigated disaster of any recon mission. But this was particularly uncomfortable for Roxas because of the fact that it was him was walking through this brightly-coloured hubbub. He never had been a fan of crowds, and he certainly had not been a fan of all this excess noise. It sounded like there were about a hundred Demyxes all in one place. Slowly making his way through the babble of smiling people in a hood - faceless, nameless - made him feel very out of place. Crowds that were smiling carelessly, laughter that seemed such a long way away, and sights that brought back memories of that blissful, ignorant week which was torn from him.

Roxas didn't enjoy the feeling of not belonging.

But unfortunately, he had to be here - having wandered about without finding anything much, he had heard whispers of disorder here in the Land of Dragons. Darkness behind the scenes, discord between the borders, an unbalance in the air... all of this stank of the Organisation. Roxas didn't feel that it was time to confront them just yet, but if this was what had to be done, then he guessed that there was no helping it. With thoughts of the Organisation came thoughts of the one member he had considered to be his friend - of course, standing against the Organisation meant he had to face him some time or another... or did it?

Roxas turned his head briefly to the mountain, where the remains of the sunlight was fading away.

'Hey, Roxas. Bet you don't know why the sun sets red.'

[Era]

The gossip of the Lantern Festival back in Traverse Town was enough to interest anyone. Light. Fire. Darkness - all of it combined into celebration signifying new beginnings. It was a perfect foreshadowing.

From his position along the top of the wall, hood concealing his zealous red hair and most of his facial features, sharp teal eyes glistened in the reflected light as they swept slowly across the large palace square below. Lanterns floated along the edge of the waterway or hung on sticks, crossbeams, poles, anything and everything that could house a little red beacon. The lights within them flickered, their unease soothing to the soul.

The banter of hundreds of people filled the square. Despite the gathering, their noises were somewhat quiet. A few awed gasps and sighs leapt from the throats of the onlookers as a few more fireworks exploded into the sky, their glittery flashes dancing into the night.

"The Lanterns bring a wonderful burst of life to the world. It's breathtaking... Like nothing you've ever seen before!" he'd recalled overhearing one of the older women in Traverse Town's Café reflecting about her travels as he passed smoothly by.

"What do you know? The old hag was right!" his voice was quiet, inaudible above the livened bustle of the locals.

The black cloak, a false evidence of the side he chose, did little to hide the silhouette's dead giveaway identity; that waist was undoubtedly unmistakeable. With arms crossed ominously across his chest, and stature saturated with the signature, straight poise of his pride, his presence screamed with all the self-respect of a Lion. Thankfully, no one's gaze had been on him, despite his pride, and his location.

Axel had taken this trip to the Land of Dragons as more of an escape, but he'd already come up with an excuse to be here, on the off-chance he were caught: Recon Mission. After all, this was one of the worlds that the Organization had very little information about, and thus it stood as enough of a justification to keep him out of (too much) trouble... Not that he really cared regardless.

Life was taking a different course now, though he'd kept his cloak, and some of his presence in the Organization, in order to keep the option of being destroyed or hunted at bay for awhile.

Even with the peaceful sights on the outside, his mind's eye was reeling with recent events. That cold teal gaze drifted across the flickering lanterns again, from the large red and gold paper Dragon, to the stars and circles. They stopped on a Heart-shaped lantern. “I get it. You're desperate for your heart,” Kairi's words came back to him as he thought about his newly-altered course. Part of his mind still questioned its probability for success, but he had decided to go with it due to preferable alliances, not to mention that the Organization had loads to promise, but little to make good on. So what was wrong with him taking a step in a different direction? “So how about this,” he'd remembered those stark, blue eyes staring up at his own. “I forgive you, and you let me help you find your heart..." There was a certain allure in those words. Those were the words that had made him take her bait -- and he planned to hold her to it.

His peripheral vision triggered a tilt of his head toward a break in the ocean of people. It was like a fisherman's line, parting the water in its wake. The figure wasn't like the commoners - not only in his choice drab, but also because, unlike the meandering citizens of the Festival, this guy had a destination. Just where was a mystery, but with a little observance, the Flurry got the feeling he could find out.

Even from his distance, the silhouette on the edge of the Western wall had a gaze that could slice steel. It watched the peculiar other continue to weave through the crowd, the splashes of red and orange from the sunset tinging the world behind the Nobody in a blaze of serene Fire.

The Sun always set in the West.

[Kuu]

'Hi! Would you like to buy a firecracker?'

Roxas raised his hand in declination and shook his head. The vendor immediately moved on to the next individual who happened to pass, knowing a lost cause when he saw one. In a flurry of dark hair and smiling faces, he knew that his own blond spikes and sullen expression wouldn't do anything to help him keep a low profile, so he merely lowered his head a little more so that the shadow of his hood obscured his features even further.

Everything seemed normal. Admittedly, he'd never been that good at reconnaissance missions, so perhaps it wasn't the most reliable conclusion, but as far as he could honestly see, this was just another world having a festival - just another bunch of people trying to have fun. Or was it that they were simply trying to drive away darker thoughts and doubts with fiery celebrations and energetic cheering? Roxas didn't know. It was all so much louder than the form of happiness he had been used to - just him and Axel on that tower above the station, with a bar of sea-salt ice cream in place of the stalls of steaming food and multi-coloured rice sweets. Maybe the reason it was so loud... could be because of the darkness lying in wait at the edges of the night.

Another, different sound cut through the delirious babble of the crowd. He turned his head, and spotted a child crying at the foot of a tree - his kite had become tangled in its branches, and it was obviously far too tall for him to climb. Roxas glanced up at the disappearing sunlight. The sun had almost set, and night was almost completely upon them. He sighed and changed course to head towards the boy.

Might as well do my last good deed of the day.

Looking up briefly to gauge his distance, he leapt high into the air, and kicked off the air at the peak of his jump to land cleanly on the higher branches of the tree. The kite was caught pretty bad - it didn't look like he'd be able to pull it free any time soon, and it wasn't like he exactly had time to spare. Nothing else for it. Summoning his Keyblade, he made a series of swift slashes before dismissing it again. The weapon was out for barely a second, and in a flash of light, the kite was free. He landed lightly back down to the ground, kite in hand, and handed it back to its young owner. Not waiting to acknowledge the boy's thanks, Roxas turned around and disappeared back into the crowd, but the small, happy 'thank you' that followed him didn't stop the edges of his lips from twitching slightly into a satisfied half-smile.

Well, at least I've done something good during my visit. Though it looks like there isn't much of what the rumours were talking about around here. Guess I'll just have to - wait, what...?

For a brief moment, Roxas thought that out of the corner of his eye, the remnants of the scarlet sunlight had flashed in a very unnatural way - like there was just a spike of red that hadn't quite belonged there. It had been innocuous, but it was enough for Roxas to reassert his guard. Nothing could be allowed to be overlooked if the Organisation were involved.

[Era]

A gaze of teal daggers had never left its target, only faltering when a taller citizen meandered through the path of his vision, obscuring his ability to see his mark. Such diversions didn't last long. With a little waiting, the other hooded figure would emerge into his line of sight once again. And being dressed like that, it wasn't exactly hard to isolate him from the rest of the population. It wasn't exactly like this guy fit in very well.

A slight wind picked up, the breeze a telling breath of a Summer evening. With those hands on his tellingly small hips, Axel continued to analyze. The Nobody couldn't help but get a little bit lost in his memories at the other's choice garb. A bud of remembrance bloomed in his mind. It was a bitter prick, if Axel could even have the right to say he felt.

"Today makes 255."

He still remembered the wooden flavor of the empty Popsicle stick resting in his mouth, and his brow furrowing at Roxas's strange statement. "What's that about"?

"It's been that many days... Since I first joined the Organization. Man, time flies."

"So, you've got the number memorized, do you?" He pulled the small wooden stick out of his mouth, using it to gesture toward the other Nobody.

The smirk on Roxas's mouth at that instant was priceless: it whispered of hope, despite the probabilities of a Nobody actually feeling such a thing. "Yeah. You have to hang onto something, right?"

He blinked, the memory fading away. The empty spot in his mind where it once was would give birth to a plume of anger: anger at his inability to keep Roxas with him. Anger at the fact that, for all his work, he still had no heart to prove for it... And most of all, anger at Roxas, for ever having left in the first place.

The Nobody's brows scrunched together, almost painfully, and he touched his gloved palm to chest. This wasn't the first time echoes had come back to him. It was likely that it wouldn't be the last. Strange, though, that the echo of a feeling would come to him now: here, of all places.

He brushed it off, gaze returning to the out-of-place stranger. The attire this stranger chose to wear was remarkably similar to Number Thirteen's choice clothing. Similar enough to Roxas's own attire to resemble his cherished blonde friend, yet just different enough to tell Axel that it wasn't the same. And therefore, despite his drive to find his best friend, this couldn't have been the same pers --

!!!

-- A familiar glimmer of white sparkles brought a Keyblade into existence. It was a short, sweet few seconds, but enough time to totally derail the Flurry's previous thoughts, and start him off with a new train: You see, Axel knew two people with that model of Keyblade. And both of them would've been good subjects to find alone. If it were Sora, he'd have a reunion to tell Kairi about. Of course, he knew she'd immediately ask him why he didn't bring Sora back to her himself. But if it were Roxas, which seemed far more likely, well...

The Flurry froze, his prideful posture with all the arrogance of a young Lion. He had sensed that the familiar stranger below locked onto his position. To some extent, Axel was aware that the bright red of his hair could've been an illusion - a play on the fractured light from the scarlet sunset behind him; enough to bend the light just right. Perhaps what caught the other's attention was only a trick of the eye.

Regardless, the Nobody wanted to know if he'd been recognized. From this distance, facial features were hard to distinguish, but with the sun at the Number Eight's back, it played perfectly off of most of the citizens in the Court. Highlighted in the warm glow of the final rays of sunlight, Axel thought he could see a few blonde locks, brushed to the side of the distant face that stared back at him.

A flair of irritation was welling up inside of him as the last of the sun's rays dimmed on the horizon. He wasn't comfortable with being looked at directly on, as the prey of his gaze had chosen to do. So, he waited for the other's interest in him to be lost. And, just like a Lion after its target, so were his movements once his prey had looked away.

He slid down the ramped wooden roof of a closed kiosk - the manager was probably on a bathroom break. A few of the ornaments hanging inside shuddered and fell to the ground as the light Nobody padded his landing. Feet hitting the ground, Number Eight's posture curled like a hunter after its victim, and he proceeded to make his way through the crowd, black hood concealing his features. His rate of approach was alarming, but he knew he could get away with what he was about to do.

On any other day of the year, it would have been taboo, but today, it would've been played out as either a ploy between friends, or perhaps a part of the experience: a dramatization, perhaps?

The tall Nobody emerged from a wave of citizens, now standing a mere thirty feet from his target. A few meandering locals still cluttered the court yard between him and his mark, but it was nothing he couldn't work around.

A plume of flame shot from the Nobody's hand, and it raced along the ground as though on a predestined track toward its destination. The Fire rolled across the cement, arcing around the citizens in its way, and hurdling straight toward the prey.

Axel, in all his flashy appeal, would get to the bottom of this. There would be no more hiding. No more evasion. It was everything or nothing.

Like a spark in a dry forest, so was his anger. It had caught, and was rapidly burning. Through thick, hazy smoke the kind Axel had been clouded over, lost in the heat of his anger, the bite of his perceived betrayal, and his own confusion.

[Kuu]

Roxas rejoined the crowd amongst the streets, trying to be more alert of everything around him. His eyes strove to follow every face that passed, attempting to read between the lines of each and every expression while flicking his gaze about the bright lights and thrown shadows for abnormality, for lingering signs of an unnatural darkness. It was difficult, and there were a million things around to distract his attention and divert his focus. Under his hood, Roxas gritted his teeth in frustration.

I really am not good at this recon thing...

There had definitely been something. It had been tiny, but Roxas knew that this was exactly the way the Organisation worked - in little, innocuous sleights of hand in the shadows that manipulated the state of play without any of the participants knowing that they were being moved about on their board to serve their own ends. He had to be more wary than ever - he was moving on his own, with no backup, with no partner, and no shelter. If he ran into trouble he'd be - !

Leaping to the side, he rolled away safely as a fireball almost collided into the stand behind him, but close enough to light a bunch of firecrackers and fireworks being sold there, sending sparks and fiery rockets spiralling into the air with loud cracks and whistles. His ears ringing slightly, Roxas whipped his head around, his blue eyes tearing apart the crowd for the assailant. When he found it, his heart (figuratively speaking) dropped to the ground - a tall figure in a black coat stood not too far from him, and he didn't need to look any further to double check. It was an Organisation member.

Roxas didn't waste any time. Summoning his Keyblade, he rushed his target, leaving a blinding lens flare behind him as he shot towards the figure in the black coat, firing off two projectiles of light to lance through the enemy, while bringing up his weapon to deliver a powerful strike from below. In an instant, he was within striking distance, and he caught sight of his attacker's face from the shadows of his hood -

Axel?!

[Era]

Axel had given himself the liberty of summoning up his Charkrams as the initial welcoming statement was sent to Roxas's attention.

A blink of light behind his target as he wove through the crowd had confirmed what he had already known; this was, in fact, the friend he'd died once to find; and unlike their reunion in the Sandlot of Twilight Town, this time, Number Thirteen was ready to fight back.

The concept was a blindside that the Flurry had very little time to react to. It would be typical for Axel to dodge faster than the enemy could figure him out, but what the Nobody had failed to take into account was the element he was pitting himself against: the speed of the projectiles had outmatched his own pride and glory. Despite his quick attempt to dodge, both streaks of light had met their mark in blindingly quick succession, one below Axel's left set of ribs, the other just below the right collarbone; and he growled through the pain and anger, but it would take more than this to bring Number Eight down: his pride would make sure of that.

A Somebody might declare that Nobodies didn't feel, and therefore couldn't understand the thrill of battle; but Axel would beg to differ. He had a kind of heightened muse when it came to a good fight, and not just due to wit. And now, either out of thrill or out of simple instinct, his body and his mind had empowered him to fight on, coating his wounds with a numbing agent. That wasn't to say that the wounds didn't hurt, but that he could will himself to fight on in spite of them. In keeping with his style, he would keep the opponent at bay, except when making direct stirkes with his Charkrams. His willpower re-harnessed after staggering from the blows of Light, the elusive Nobody leaned backward. He narrowly avoided Roxas's Keyblade, sharp green eyes focussing momentarily on the familiar weapon. The dull and bent reflection on its silvery surface mirrored very little in the darkness, outside of himself, and what fires still glistened lightly around them.

With momentum, the thin and flexible Nobody pushed himself backward, tossing his Charkrams flat on the ground. They scraped with a metallic sound across the pavement below, shifting under his hands as he used them for stability, executing a quick reverse flip.

His new injuries whined with jolts of pain, somewhat dulled in the heat of the fight. He knew fully well that they would hurt worse once the battle was over and he was tending to them, and these two would be quite enough; he had no desire to gain more, but Axel's anger had hardly been sated. As futile as it was, fighting Light with Fire, a greater element with its lesser, Axel was using this fight to cope with scars much deeper than physical injuries could ever reach.

Right after coming to his feet, the Flury coated both weapons in a light layer of flame, and sent both Chakrams to spiral around each other, one right after the other, toward his target.

What Axel had difficulty understanding was how his loyalty and friendship could be put on the back burner without so much as a second thought. Was he really that low on Roxas's priority list? Well, he wasn't about to go down without a fight, and if he'd had to remind the other Nobody of his presence and importance, he was going to do it with force. "Am I ringin' any bells yet?" the sentence was laced with venom.

The last time they'd fought, Axel had lost to Roxas. There was no reason it would be any different this time -- but this time Axel wasn't fighting to win; he was fighting for other reasons entirely... reasons his conscious mind may not have been fully aware of.

[Kuu]

The shock at recognising his old friend's face made the Keyblade Wielder's usually unerring strike falter, and Roxas barely brought his weapon up in time to bat away the two fiery projectiles before they sliced through him. Even as he readied his stance once more, his mind was utterly thrown. He'd known that he would have to come across Axel sometime, but he hadn't expected him here, in this world, so soon after what had just happened... he'd thought that he'd be able to take his time, that maybe after that major operation he'd been part of, Axel would stay back in the Castle to be debriefed or recover for a little while longer - he'd never thought that he'd have to carry out the deed now. He hadn't even managed to think how he'd do it, how he'd make it so he wouldn't hate himself over what he was forcing himself to do. He hadn't even worked how how he'd say sorry...

"Am I ringin' any bells yet?"

It was ringing plenty, but Roxas gritted his teeth and forced his mind to stay focused. Axel had no idea what was going on, why Roxas was here, what his intentions were. It seemed that Axel had worked out that he was the real, actual Roxas - no surprises there. But right now, he was playing a different role, and if Axel was here, he could never be too certain about who was watching. He had to play his part right - maybe he could pull this off by improvising a little. Raising his Keyblade, he pointed it at Axel's chest, and spoke.

'Silence, Number VIII.'

Cold, monotone, lifeless. He suppressed a shiver at just how unfeeling it sounded - even for a Nobody, there was a frightening clarity about it that was somewhat unnerving. But hopefully it had done the job. Roxas fell into the dark portal he summoned beneath his feet, only to reappear right behind the red-haired Nobody, his Keyblade flashing up to his throat so that he wouldn't be able to move.

For now, I have to get him away from these people. Too many civilians here, and I can't get a feel for who's watching who shouldn't be.

Roxas opened up another portal below them, warping them right above the mountain path he had seen on his quick recon sweep of the world. Now he had to start his least favourite part - taking Axel down.

Launching himself into the air away from Axel, who no doubt would launch his counterattack immediately, the blond-haired Nobody called forth five blade-like pillars to surround him in a protective shield even as he began spinning his Keyblade rapidly, unleashing a volley of incandescent spheres of light upon Axel to home in on the Flurry without relent. It was not a weak technique - this was an attack of one who was fully intent on bringing the enemy down.

Under his hood, the Wielder set his jaw as he continued raining down his unforgiving barrage on his friend.

[Era]

Once deflected, the wheel-weapons returned to Axel's hands, one right after the other, as faithfully as they'd ever been, resting, and ready for Axel's next move, but his planning would be cut short. A keyblade was at the Flurry's throat before he could figure out what was going on. His eyes shifted backward, trying to get a look at the Blonde, and a growl escaped him, irritation seizing his expresion. True to his Cat-like nature, Axel hated to be caught, hated to be cornered… and hated to be bested.

He was still turning over in his mind the rancid reward he'd received for his loyalty; it was illogical. The patterns: his loyalty, the well-played cards he'd been setting up since the beginning; By rights, he should've been winning. By rights Xion and Roxas should've remained at his side, working toward the mutual goal of Kingdom Hearts together, preparing in the long-run for a friendship trio that would last a lifetime, the sweets of their efforts to be fully recognized when they'd all received their Hearts. But those two never were very good at seeing things in regard to the long run…

…Another memory assaulted his mind as he was muscled through a portal, and out of the range of the clapping audience, who had undoubtedly witnessed the best performance of their lives. The memory's grasp was far beyond unwelcome. It was there and over in the blink of an eye:


"Why do I always get stuck with the icky jobs?"
"Axel…"
"Xion, what are you gonna do?"
"I've decided that I have to go back to where I belong."
"Well to be honest, I always felt that was best right from the very beginning. But you know, it still really bugs me. Something about this just stinks."
"It's for the good of everyone"
"But how do you know that?" Everybody thinks they're RIGHT…"
"This is right"
"They're gonna destroy you!"
--The sharp sound of a drawn keyblade--
"Please don't hold back Axel. Promise."
"WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM? You both think you can do whatever you want… And I'm sick of it! Go on. You just keep running…"

"…but I'll always be there to bring you back!"

If anger were possible to trigger before, it had now evolved into full-blown Fury. Perhaps because of the truth he told Xion that day: the truth of his dogged commitment to his friends and the goal of their Hearts. Truth was a funny thing though, because the truth was, despite his best efforts… his unrequitted attempt to keep his friends --everything-- together, he was about to lose them both.

He was aware of his Captor's quick release as the cold metal Keyblade stock pulled away from his neck but he was a little slow to fully come to, blinded by what was going on in his mind; the memories silently driving him mad. And the pieces of his sanity were beginning to falter.

An explosion of pain slapped his consciousness back to reality, and the situation he had to deal with at present. A loud grunt came from the redhead as the first orb of Light struck his back. He wasn't sure if it was supposed to be possible for a Nobody who couldn't feel, all he knew was what was happening now; he'd been turned to the point that his blood was boiling. Right before Xion's defection from the Organization, things were beginning to fall to turmoil, one by one…

…And since then, they had hardly improved on any front. His brief association with Kairi a few days earlier was a small glimmer, but the Darkness for him was outweighing the Light. Pure frustration was evident in his shout; as his voice often did, it embodied everything he was thinking inside. "WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM? I thought we were friends." Roxas had already demonstrated that he'd won this duel, and still he continued to reign down his judgement.

And as the attacks continued to come, Axel did his best to dodge the next spheres, blocking two with his Chakrams -- one headed in a Bee-Line for his torso, the other just above his head. The sheer force of the attacks were driving him backward an inch or two at a time. He'd successfully blocked two with some effort, but luck would betray him on the next four.

The attack was cruel and constant. One right after the other, the compact orbs slammed into his body, exploding upon impact with the Nobody's ribs, back, and stomach; it was a very unpleasant experience. Did Roxas intend to make him suffer, or was that just a side-effect of those victims he was slow to kill? Either way, the Flurry of Dancing Flames had had enough.

One of the Chakrams that had slid out of his hands during the assault fell to the ground, vanishing in an array of silver sparkles. The ginger was sure to quickly re-summon it. Having survived that attack, he used the Chakram to catch his weight. The explosions had left him staggering, body now harshly battered. He was panting for breath, eyes sharp, brooding, cold, but sincere: if a Nobody's ever could be. His words were stark, blunt, and despite his natural element, acerbically frigid. His voice was filled with both venom and the truth he hoped would bite as hard as he was hurting. A forlorn growl arose deep in his throat, justly expressing his confusion, frustration and helpless before he made his point… the words were sharper than a newly-sharpened sword. "Xion died for you, Roxas! And so did I…" His gaze flashed with the fury contained within, deep-seeded anger apparent in his cold face. He didn't know why Roxas was choosing to act as he was, but one thing that Number Eight had decided was that he was going to take another stand, despite the odds. He'd give this train wreck one last ride.

Axel staggered to his feet, straightening his posture. Flame wove up his arms, accumulating around his Torso and his back -- this was the visual statment that he was about to use his powers to their most potent extent. "…Don't expect me to do it again!" For a Nobody without a link to emotions, his words were so powerfully deceiving; so strog, so pungent… so loaded.

The enraged Flurry leapt toward his attacker, slamming both Chakrams onto the ground as he landed. The force of the counter-attack erected a wall of Fire much larger than he had ever created before. It would be followed by several pillars of red and blue Flame, each attack aimed for his opposition, each intended to knock Roxas off his high horse: to make him see that Axel wasn't the enemy.

And perhaps, each was for naught.

[Kuu]

He couldn't help it - Roxas' eyes widened as he saw the sheer size of the fiery wall that Axel summoned. It wasn't just the scale of the attack which he now had to counter, but he knew all to well what this meant - Axel was throwing the last dregs of his power into an all-out offense which would likely destroy them both. He gritted his teeth, tightening his hold on his Keyblade. He sure wasn't making it easy for him, but at least this way it would be convincing, should someone be watching.

Roxas raised his weapon, and directed the light shields around him to fly into the very centre of the wall, and then followed behind, his entire frame glowing with light as he rocketed forward at inhuman speed, leaving a lens flare in his wake. The speed of his movement as well as the brief opening that his shields had created in the wall of fire allowed him to burst through while being protected by the light that surrounded him. Nevertheless, it was unlikely that he would be able to get through an attack of such power unscathed, and he resisted a wince as the flames burnt his skin as he passed through. But then he was past the wall, and Axel was right in front of him. Roxas drew his weapon backwards and brought it slashing down with unerring accuracy.

'It's over.'

There was a blinding pulse of light as Roxas released the light he had been building up en-route, flaring up to illuminate the night-covered mountain path. From the city in the distance, the celebrating villagers looked up to see the sudden blaze and said to each other knowingly, 'the dragons must be celebrating too'. When the light dissipated, only a hooded figure holding a peculiar key-shaped weapon was left, hovering a few inches above the ground. He looked about him briefly, as if checking for signs of life, then with what seemed like a tiny nod of satisfaction, allowed the darkness at his feet to swallow him, and the mountain path was silent again.

Roxas reappeared at a small cave near a mountain village which had once been destroyed in a war. The cave lit by an assortment of lanterns and candles, and the smell of incense hung gently in the air. An ornate throne of sorts stood at the head of the cave, and on it, flanked by two scented candles, was slumped a tall, red-haired figured dressed completely in black.

He had been able to time it well - when he had slashed down with his Keyblade in one hand, his other released the blinding light to cover his actions. In that instant, Roxas had passed Axel, striking the back of his head with the butt of his Keyblade to knock him out, while summoning a Dark Portal beneath him to warp him away to safety. To anyone who would have been watching, it would have been as if Axel had been completely wiped out by the immense light attack which Roxas had unleashed on him. Now, at least briefly, Axel was safe, and his plan was still in effect.

As he looked at his friend, the Keyblade disappeared from his hand. He wondered why Axel had stayed with the Organisation for so long, why the Axel he knew would stand by them despite everything that had happened. But then, of course, it was the obvious answer.

'You get on their bad side and they'll destroy you!'

He raised his hand, and summoned up the green light of a Curaga spell, the streams of magic spiralling up above Axel's had before it scattered into a gentle rain of healing sparks that seeped through his skin. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best that he could do at the time. He was sure that he'd given a sufficient enough show to make it seem like Axel had been eliminated, and Nobodies didn't leave any traces upon destruction. He'd be safe, at least until he recovered. He'd leave a Barrier spell on the entrance just in case.

'Axel... Sorry.'

He turned to leave.

[Era]

In his mind it was slightly justifying to let Roxas absorb a few waves of flame, though he could not really say how it felt; for such notions were out of his jurisdiction.

To be fair, despite his feral streak, a suicide and a murder were not on his agenda today. No, he had come here on his own accord, simply to sight-see based on hear-say. And then, to his surprise, he encountered Roxas, and on the point of a needle everything changed.

Axel had hardly comprehended the reasoning behind the escalating turn of events. Hardly had he realized the gravity of the situation until the retaliating light that Roxas had unleashed as his counter attack bleached everything around them in an explosion of pure white.

The Flurry had prepared another barrage of attacks in his mind, the line up perfect for a second combo; he would arch around, and unleash his Chakrams after flanking Roxas, then he'd set a ring of fire around the blonde, and use his elusiveness to jump in and out of the ring, like a Lion pouncing from his ready positing in the reeds. Plans solidified, he leapt forward to unleash the follow-up.

But his surroundings only, rapidly, got brighter. He could feelt the warmth of the light, and the blinding brightness had cranked up so far that it was beginning to burn his eyes.

While his thoughts said to muscle through it and fight back, instinct forced him to pause mid-leap and cover his eyes before he went blind. And, as the light continued to grow, he was forced to toss up his arms and protect his vision.

All he remembered after that scene was a harsh pain on the back of his skull. Then blackness.

The Curaga spell that Roxas cast on him did its part to bind the major wounds: it would definitely keep him alive, even if less than comfortable. As an added side-effect, whether it was supposed to or not, it also brought him to.

His vision blurred a few times, brows furrowing to try and make sense of the swathes of grey and orange. He tried hard to make out the colors he was seeing, and after forcing his vision to clear, and a brief analysis, it clicked: he was in a cave. Well well, looks like it's not the end of the road for me after all.

It was uncomfortably cold in here, but the gently flickering candles and lanterns gave it a homey touch.

His thoughts sobered as the pounding headache beneath that mess of red hair voiced its frustration. And, as the blonde had made his apology, they were further brought to a stand-still, taken aback by Roxas's chosen method of departure. Wait, so after all that he'd just been though, he wouldn't even get to catch up?

Luckily, the Curaga spell had finished working into his wounds, and by now, had even helped clear his mind. Well, cleared up for someone who'd just come to, that is.

He drew in a quiet breath, jade gaze catching the dark silhouette of his old friend against the shafts of moonlight illuminating the mouth of the cave. For some reason, whatever it might be --mercy, loneliness, some third party-- Roxas hadn't destroyed him. But, that didn't make everything right. Roxas was still planning to leave. And that meant he wouldn't be able to tell Roxas the truth about his decision. About meeting Kairi... or any of that.

"So that's it?" planting his feet on the ground below the chair he'd awakened sloppily upon, he pushed himself to sit up straight. He could feel the gentle scarring on his chest slide open in that movement and he grimaced. A few shadowy ribbons escaped the wound in his torso in protest, bleeding softly from somewhere inside. Holy dang, how that first attack had hurt!

"You're going to beat me down, apologize, then walk out on me?" his pointer finger tapped the arm of the throne; a Cat, ears back, twitching his tail in frustration.

"Someone who died for you deserves more than that," as Axel had been so good at doing in the past, the way the sentence came out clearly expressed his disappointment. The phrasing was gentle, but the words would find a way to burn like a concentrated flame. He let his disregarded disposition sink in for a moment, and then made a poor attempt to stand up. His body had taken a beating, and it trembled when he used his arms to push himself to stand.

If his strong words hadn't made his point as clear as crystal by now, his icy gaze told of the frustration in his mind... the growing bitterness of his memories. He hadn't come this far to lose, and the Flurry wasn't ready to go home empty handed.

"Sorry to burst your bubble Roxas," it was like bitterness rolling off of his tongue. The words escalated, the fire behind them igniting a strong, infuriated blaze. "But this time, sorry's not enough!" One hand reached up, shooting a ball of flame toward the mouth of the cave. The fire erected into a thick plume which quickly grew to block Roxas's exit.

Roxas was going to have to explain, or finish the job he'd started in blood.

[Kuu]

Out of the corner of his eye, Roxas spotted Axel stir in his seat, his mouth opening only slightly in surprise from the shadows of his hood. He made a move to help him when he attempted to rise from his limp position on the throne, wincing slightly as he noticed the wound still not fully healed. He almost missed the movement of Axel's arm and he followed the path of the fireball that shot forth from his fingers, flying past him and landing on the step of the entrance, immediately erupting into a towering wall of fire that denied him access.

Roxas continued to stare at the flames for a moment, watching the flickering finality of their blaze. He wondered if he ought to just extinguish the fire and be on his way. Axel was safe, hopefully believed dead once Roxas made sure to have it known amongst the Organisation, and so there was really no need for him to be here. He could leave. He had planned to do so from the very beginning. But even as he watched the fire that blocked his way, he turned back around to face his friend again.

'Axel...'

He paused again, wondering how he ought to go about explaining himself when there really wasn't much to explain. He didn't really have much of an idea himself what was really in the works - he just wanted his friends to be safe. Did that really take much explaining?

'... I don't want to fight. We both know what would happen. We both know what did happen.'

He gestured at the flames behind him. 'Look at us. Is this really what you wanted? Chasing after things for reasons you don't know so that you can kid yourself you're not running away?'

Opening up his hand, he summoned up a sphere of light in the midst of the burning barrier, which expanded outwards, pushing the flames into the edges of the stone surrounding the entrance, extinguishing them. 'This isn't the way things were meant to be,' he said. 'Don't you understand? Everything they told us was a lie. Everything we did was all lies. So how could you go back?'

Roxas looked down at the corner of the cave walls, not wanting to meet Axel's eye. 'I didn't want to fight. I didn't want any of this to happen this way. But I wanted... I wanted to give you a chance to get away. Away from everything.'

He breathed out a silent sigh, then his Keyblade flashed into existence in his open hand. 'I'm going to the Organisation to make sure they think you're dead. If you keep yourself hidden and your head low, you should be free. You can either go and do what you need to do or go back to the Organisation. I just... wanted to give you the choice to do what you think is right. Just like you did for me.'

[Era]

The glower remained in those fiery eyes as crimson brows furrowed with frustration. The Flurry's expression softened, in part, with time. He listened, however platonically and gratefully, to Roxas's explanation... Not that the kid had done him any favors: everything was still clear as mud. What was his old friend even blabbering about?

_{'Don't you understand? Everything they told us was a lie. Everything we did was all lies. So how could you go back?"}

Me? Go back? How much there was that this youngster didn't understand about the sly Nobody who'd taken him under wing in the first place. Not much has changed since the good old days, eh buddy?

_{'Look at us. Is this really what you wanted? Chasing after things for reasons you don't know so that you can kid yourself you're not running away?'}

Sometimes you gotta fight for what you want in life. The lithe Nobody continued to think, body slumped forward, left hand holding his chin, the right hand holding the left elbow for support. Those eyes - green daggers - wanted to say so much that his tongue refused to spill. If there wouldn't have been repercussions, I would've told you and Xion about my plans back at Headquarters.

[/color]

_{'I didn't want to fight. I didn't want any of this to happen this way. But I wanted... I wanted to give you a chance to get away. Away from everything.'}

Oh?

Axel's mind worked over the strange set of phrases, trying desperately to understand the true intentions Roxas had assigned them. A few beats of silence and a little more of the image clicked with understanding. His expression adjusted accordingly. His left hand balled into a fist, and he slapped his open right with it as though reaching a mental breakthrough. "Oh yeah!" The fist took on a new shape as Axel's pointer finger singled out the blonde on the other side of the cave.

"You still think I'm with Xemnas's band of misfits, don't you?" well, that would bring a sliver more clarity to the reason for his beat-down. "You got it wrong, smallfry…" the ginger's gaze bored into his blonde friend for a moment. He'd remained uneasy, but would explain everything with ti--

_{'I'm going to the Organisation to make sure they think you're dead. If you keep yourself hidden and your head low, you should be free. You can either go and do what you need to do or go back to the Organisation. I just... wanted to give you the choice to do what you think is right. Just like you did for me.'}

Another stab of pain on his chest: one which he quickly dismissed. The wound would be heal over soon enough.

A new fire; an old one of a different flavor, arose just then. He stood straight, face grimacing a second with momemtary lack of composure. And Axel moved with haste, depsite a stagger from the pain of his wounds, to block Roxas's exit a second time. If he couldn't hold Roxas in here with Fire, he knew he could do it with a more solid object. Himself, for instance. Roxas wouldn't be going anywhere until the Flurry could talk some sense into him.

His right hand moved quickly from the chest injury he'd been cradling to slice through the air out flat. "You can't go back there!" he'd heard how venemously they spoke of Roxas back at Headquarters. If he returned, they'd surely slay him; or worse yet, turn him into nothing but a lowly Dusk! The statement he made to Roxas was non-negotiable; it was a full-blown command. "They'll kill you!" A red flag waved in the back of his head, whispering that Roxas would not listen; he was a wild card, and one that couldn't hear reason when his mind had been set… But he was also Axel's best friend -- the person he'd jumped worlds and put everything, including his first existence, on the back burner to find.

"Just wait a sec! Let's work out something more reasonable... like uh..." the ginger's gaze wavered from Roxas to the side of the cave as he tried to toss something out on the spot. His voice had wavered, faltering from its typically-stalwart appeal. "...World-hopping and going incognito!" Eh... well. It was as good an idea as ever, right? They could change clothes, alter their appearances, and get serious about alternate methods of finding their hearts...

But who was Axel kidding? He was trying to catch the wind, and he knew it. Buying himself time, perhaps, but Roxas was highly unlikely to listen to him. And Axel was once again prepared to put everything on the line to chase Roxas back to The World That Never Was, if that was truly what it took.

Despite his best attempts, the family he'd been creating for himself since the beginning was in ruin; there was no denying it. He couldn't save Xion, and there was no way in the Underworld he'd let Roxas succumb to the same fate.

No, if Roxas was set on going back, Axel was sure to follow, just as he always had.

They were connected: Sunlight and Fire.[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Kuu]

Roxas grimaced as Axel moved to block his path again, this time with his body. It really looked like he wasn't going to let him get away, but that wound still hadn't completely healed (he wasn't in the Organisation for his medical skills after all). 'You shouldn't be moving -' he bagan to say.

"You can't go back there! They'll kill you!"

That took him back a bit, the surprise on his face hidden by the hood. When was the last time he'd heard something like that? What had he said back then? Nobody would miss me. Well, it certainly looked like the case, considering how intent Axel was about him returning - it looked as if the Organisation's memory of him had soured even further in his absence. Ha. Their memories. Almost as if he didn't have anything he could call his anymore.

"Just wait a sec! Let's work out something more reasonable... like uh... world-hopping and going incognito!"

It didn't take long for Roxas to register what Axel was saying, and for a fleeting moment, he was struck by an image of the two of them being able to travel together again, be friends again. How was that not a picture he couldn't long for? It was right there, all he needed to do was take it - but of course, how could anything be that simple? As long as the Organisation was on their backs, there was nothing that they would be able to do. And two people moving together, with their skills and fighting styles so distinct - incognito would be impossible. No, they had to think he was dead.

'Do you really think the Organisation wouldn't notice?' he asked him. 'They would never let it slide. The only reason they haven't caught up to me is because they think I'm gone. Being dead is the only reason I've managed to stay those few steps ahead. Two... two people travelling would attract way too much attention anyway.'

Roxas swung his Keyblade with an easy motion to rest on his shoulder. 'Don't worry, it's not like I'm going to go back as me. They don't know who I really am. He thinks that I'm another Replica of Sora that Vexen cooked up in one of his experiments that got loose - it's all part of the plan.'

He wondered if it was worth telling Axel about his meeting with Marluxia, and the arrangement that had gone on between them. But no, it was better that he had less to worry about. He needed to keep his head down from now on, and he didn't want to give him any reason to come out of hiding.

[Era]

As Axel listened to his old friend speak, his own thoughts hit him all at once. It was like a truckload of bricks had suddenly been dumped onto him. There were so many different layers to this. It wasn't like someone he hardly knew was going to help him break the Organization's hold on him. Not like if things went awry it would just be superfluous. Of all the individuals in the universe, this was Roxas. And that only made the situation heavier.

There was fire in Axel's eyes, sternly burning as his mind reeled desperately for another option. The situation had his back to the wall. He was low on options. He didn't like no-win situations. Didn't like options that had room for losing. Truth be told, the sly Nobody only gambled when he had to. He preferred options that, even if things went poorly, still somehow left him the winner.

A moment of silence went by as his scrambled thoughts raced through all the possibilities in frantic search of the best scenario. What could he settle for? Surely there was something... some option that wouldn't have so much room for error. Where the risks would be lower.

His thoughts had picked up several simultaneous layers, and he was struggling to process them all in time to give Roxas an answer.

What if. . .

Wasn't life just full of What Ifs?

What if Roxas had made a mistake? If his plan had faltered, the Organization had sniffed him out, or he'd otherwise gotten caught?

Axel would never allow Roxas to return without some form of supervision. The Flurry of Dancing Flames was a legend of speed and power. He had also been overprotective of the few he had deemed worthy of his friendship.

Jade eyes of cold fire stared at the previous Number Thirteen.

And what if they had decided to kill him?

It would so easily mark an end to everything that Number Eight had so diligently worked for. His family had already fallen apart, but a small sliver of stubbornness still told him to hang on and keep trying. And he had been. With everything Axel had, every fiber of his being: every thought, every decision. Every action... he had been working secretly to get his inner circle of friends back together, in whole or in part. If things went poorly in the next few hours, it would unravel all of his efforts. His fortress in the sand could so easily crumble.

Worse yet, what if they destroyed Roxas and reverted Axel into a Dusk, to live out the remainder of his days naught but a symbol of humiliation, never to have achieved his heart or his friends, and never to have another shot at doing so?

He wouldn't have put it past Xemnas to make a lesson out of him to the rest of the Organization: an example of what awaited betrayers. Even the idea of such a fate - it was a blow to not only his ego, but the essence of his entire existence.

But what if... Just on the slight chance, everything went according to plan?

The culmination of all of his efforts was going to be on the line now. There was no way around it. Roxas was rooted in making this work; braving the slippery slope of sacrifice so that Axel would have a slim shot at freedom. There was no changing the blonde's mind. Once it was set, it was easier to keep the sun from rising, than to make Roxas reconsider.

Axel knew that. He knew that, even buying time as he was, it was time to play it big, and cross his fingers. Their next few moments would be critical. Irrevocable.

The Nobody's threatening posture straightened again as he closed the gap between himself and Roxas, the expression on his face turning dark and steely. It seemed he was trapped. A wolf pinned in a corner. Given the circumstances, this path seemed to be their only option. And it was also pure foolishness.

A foot of space between them, and Axel's fist slammed against the rock wall at his side, a strange strength accompanying the slap into the cold stone. It was likely close enough to startle, even if Roxas didn't have a heart to freeze up with the sudden outburst.

Axel's wordless composure seemed to be getting the point across, and he turned around, unable to look Roxas in the face. If he had to give in to an option this unsteady, he wouldn't have been able to acknowledge his best friend's wishes face to face.

It was with disproval that the Flurry agreed to this plan, to seal his fate, and very likely walk into the unfurling of everything he'd strived for. Everything he held dear. There was a little acid in his words. This whole event was becoming a very hard pill to swallow.

But his facial expression lightened up, mock sadness evident as he peered over his shoulder, if nothing else. "If things go badly, this will be the second time I die for you."