A/N: Special thanks to Raberba girl's Raindrops & Whiskers for inspiration and jcthegirl for spreading the AkuShi virus. Other inspiration came from the fact that it was raining and I was really sleepy in health class. Mostly written to get some fluff out of my system before writing the next chapter of Dance, Everyone, Dance!. Oh, and I'm sorry for the lack of updates with Will Prank For Food. I have the next chapter done, I just need to type it.
So yeah, major fluff alert.
"That's rain, Xion, got it memorized?"
Rain. Another drop fell on Xion's nose, and she laughed.
"It tickles! But where does it come from?"
Axel lifted his face to the sky, allowing the cool orbs to splash on his cheeks and forehead. "The clouds. I won't go all Vexen trying to explain it scientifically, but basically when they get too full of water some falls out as rain."
He could tell from her confused expression that she was still brimming with questions, but any way he tried to explain it would only lead to more.
"What's water doing way up in the sky?" She asked, tracking a drop from her eyelevel until she lost it somewhere before it hit the ground far below. "I thought it just came out of the pipes in the kitchen and bathrooms."
Axel mentally facepalmed, but to her it was probably a logical question. Man, it would be nice if the zombies could learn something on their own for once. I know it's not their fault they were born without memories, but I can't explain everything in the universe.
"The water has to get into the pipes somehow," he said, trying to formulate a non-answer that wouldn't lead to more questions. The rain was peaceful, echoing off the bells of the clocktower with gentle chimes, and Axel felt like he could go to sleep with the steady drumming. Just because he was fire-elemented didn't mean he had to hate water.
"Hmm, I guess that makes sense," Xion said, pushing a wet clump of bangs behind her ear, but didn't ask anything else. Not knowing everything made it seem more magical. The soft patter of drops on the cobblestone far below lulled her mind into a kind of half-consciousness. "It's so pretty…"
Axel grinned. He could hardly remember the days when he'd been so awed by something so simple. Lying back with his hands behind his head, he watched the clear shimmers fall from some distant point, slightly flattening his red spikes.
"Yeah." He closed his eyes and let the rain beat on his eyelids, breathed in the misty air. He vaguely wondered where Roxas was, but he didn't mind not dealing with the endless questions the other Nobody would have shot at him.
Xion missed the sunset, obscured by soft grey clouds, but the change was nice. The white noise muted her thoughts, and she found herself lying back as well. Her cloak blocked the rain from touching any part of her skin but her face and neck.
They rested in peaceful silence, ice creams long since eaten, as the light shower turned into a harder shower, a torrent, a thunderstorm.
A jagged claw of light split the dark sky, followed quickly by a harsh boom.
Xion squealed, sitting up and almost tipping over the ledge. Axel caught her shoulder, steadying her.
"Wh-what was that, Axel?" She whimpered, stifling a shriek when it happened again, but Axel's warm hand stopped her from trying to run or fight on reflex.
"Relax, Xion. It's just lightning." His voice was like the rain, soothing.
"But it's scary!" Xion protested. "It looks just like the magic the Yellow Operas use."
Scary? You can't be scared without a heart… can you? But he'd been having doubts about exactly what required a heart and what didn't lately. "It doesn't come from Heartless, this lightning comes from the clouds, like the rain. You said you like the rain, right?"
"Yes." The rain was beautiful and turned the whole world into a realm of glittering diamonds. "But why? Why's the lightning come from the same place?" It was hard to think that pretty things and scary things could both come from the fluffy cottonballs in the sky.
Xion jumped at another bolt, and Axel was glad he hadn't removed his hand from her.
He ruffled his hair with his other hand. Knowing she wouldn't understand a detailed explanation, he came up with a different idea.
"Well, up in the clouds, three rivals live together, and they each use a different kind of magic."
Xion scooted closer to him, hanging onto his words. "What kinds of magic do they use?"
"One uses water, another fire, and the last one light. Fire and Light argue over who is stronger, but Water calms them down," Axel made up on the fly, his voice melting into the constant splash of drops. "When Water leaves the clouds, Fire and Light battle and their magic combines because they're evenly matched. That's what makes the lightning."
"What about the noise?" Xion asked, flinching as it boomed again.
Axel smirked, immersed in his tale. "That's the sound of their battle cries, you just can't make out the words from here. It's called thunder."
Xion frowned, inching closer to Axel. The rain was falling harder, and she wanted to hear him more clearly over the sound. "They should just get along."
"They do, eventually. After they clam down, Light makes a sign of peace in the sky."
"What's it look like?" Xion asked.
"Bright bands of color. A rainbow."
"Rainbow…" Even the word sounded beautiful. "Will we get to see it?"
"If we wait through the storm," Axel replied.
Xion wasn't so scared of it after Axel's story. The lightning wasn't coming to attack her, and Fire and Light would be friends again, with time.
She shivered unexpectedly. "It's getting cold." The rain had sucked warmth from the spring air.
Axel scooted the last half-inch towards her so that their coats touched, and he stretched his arm around her. She looked up at him in surprise as heat flowed into her back and flushed her cheeks.
"What? You said you were cold."
Xion smiled, leaning into him. "Thank you, Axel."
"No problem." He grinned back. Way better use of my powers than heating up leftovers.
Even though the thunder was loud, the rain pounding, lightning flashing, Xion felt more calm than when there had only been a light drizzle. She didn't quite understand it, but it made her feel warm on the inside as well as out. Feel…
"Something wrong?" Axel asked, feeling her tense slightly.
How does he always know what I'm thinking? "I was just wondering… What is it that makes me so warm?" Her eyes locked onto his.
Axel rolled his eyes. "Maybe the fact that you're sitting next to the human fireplace."
Xion shook her head, almost giggling. "No, I'm warm on the inside too, I mean."
"That's an easy one. You're happy."
Axel's eyes shone, and Xion wondered if he could feel the warmth inside too, and if it was different from his fire-heat. There was the word 'feel' again.
"But isn't happiness a feeling? Can we really be happy?"
"What's stopping you?"
The question caught her off guard. "Well, don't we need hearts for that?" She didn't even flinch at the next strike of lightning.
Axel cupped her face in his hand, making her eyes meet his. "If it didn't make us happy, why would we choose to be here?"
Xion stuttered for an answer, came up with none, smiled.
"That's better." Axel smiled back and ruffled her hair. We can be happy without hearts. I've learned that much.
They went back to watching, feeling, the storm. Xion was no longer cold or scared, but warm, at peace, and sleepy. It may have just been the dark clouds, but it felt later than usual. Guess Roxas won't show up.
But the thought was less than a whisper among the other thoughts in her mind. Thoughts that spoke to her in a lullaby. Thoughts said in Axel's voice.
Axel looked down at Xion's sleeping face, resting softly against his chest.
"Just don't drool on my coat, okay?" He said mostly to himself. "Man, I could almost pass out too. Maybe it's contagious…"
The thunder growled softly in agreement as Axel rested his cheek on top of Xion's head.
XXX
Axel's own snore woke him. He panicked for a moment, seeing only empty air in front of him, then remembered that he had been asleep. Snoring's a better alarm clock than a nice long fall to my death. This probably isn't the safest place for a nap.
"Saïx's gonna kill me, I've had my mission reports in late all week," he muttered. He's such a pain these days. He just realized Xion was still in his arms, asleep. It was like it was natural for her to be there.
"Xion, wake up," he said softly, tapping his fingers on her back.
Xion, startled by the sudden movement, jumped up. Not a good idea when your feet are hanging over a pretty long drop.
Axel grabbed her under the shoulders without difficulty, as she was already in his arms. He set her down gently on the ledge. "I just wanted you to wake up, not hurl yourself over the edge."
Xion blushed. "Did I fall asleep?"
Axel nodded. "For about an hour, I'm guessing. It's gotta be past curfew." It was always sunset in Twilight Town, but his internal clock told him it was somewhere around ten at night. Saïx and his rules. Too bad we can only be out late if we're on an important mission. He'd enjoyed the peaceful evening, for as much of it as he'd been awake.
"Roxas is probably worried." Xion frowned, but it flipped upside down when she looked at the sky. "Fire and Light, they stopped fighting!"
"Huh? Oh, right. Yep, there's your rainbow."
To Xion, it was like an exalted sunset laid over the eternal one – skinnier, but arching all the way across the sky, with all the colors she loved. Purple, the seashells she collected. Blue, the sea itself, and her and Roxas's eyes. Green, Axel's eyes. Yellow, Roxas's hair. Oragne, that one was tougher, but sometimes Axel's fire was partially orange. And red, maybe her favorite color – Axel's hair, and the setting sun. She realized most of her favorite colors had to do with her friends. It made sense, as they were her favorite people.
"Wow," she breathed. What else could she say? "It's… perfect."
"Not the only perfect thing I can see," Axel whispered to himself.
"What?" Xion asked, tearing her gaze away from the rainbow.
"We have to go back now," he said, covering up his previous sentence.
Xion sighed sadly. "Of course. But Axel… Thanks for teaching me about storms, and rainbows."
"'Course, Xion." Axel flicked a still-damp strand of hair out of her face as they stood up. "What are friends for?"
"But you've taught me almost everything I know. I can't teach you anything," Xion pointed out. If friends are supposed to teach each other, am I not a good friend?
Axel laughed, opening a dark corridor. "Trust me, you teach me more than you'll ever know."