Note to the reader: In this story, Axel is 14, his hair is not spiked, he doesn't have the marks under his eyes (yet), and he lives in Twilight Town.
And: To those who have read my story 'Roxie', this has absolutely nothing to do with it.
Twilight Town, Day One
Axel woke up to some one knocking on his door.
"Wake up! It's morning!" a voice called cheerfully to him.
"Don't you mean evening?" he mumbled.
"Come on, Axel, I made pancackes for breakfast!" the voice replied.
"Mom, I... well... alright, I'm comin', I'm comin', he said.
"You better, because your friends are waiting," she said, "They even dropped by to see you."
"Dema, Kemikah, and Setzer already came by?" he said, going over to the door and opening it.
"Yes," she replied, "and come on, or your breakfast will get cold."
When he got into the kitchen, there was his dad at the table.
"Morning, Axel," he said cheerfully.
"It's Twilight," Axel said flatly.
"It's always been that way," he replied, frowning.
"Yeah, but how can you say 'morning' whenit's twilight?" Axel asked as he sat down.
"Here's your pancackes!" his mom said, placing a large stack of pancackes in front of him.
"Mom, I can't eat all of this!" he exclaimed, staring at the edible tower as it swayed dangerously.
"Can't you at least try? You're just so thin!" she pleaded, "You're growing after all." she placed a fork beside the 'leaning tower of pancackes'.
"I'll try..." he said, picking up the fork and the nearby bottle of syrup.
Axel poured on the syrup, then ate five pancackes. But not being very hungry, stopped, and leaned back in his chair.
"Done," he said.
"Are you sure?" his mom asked sweetly, and he nodded.
"Well, in that case..." his dad said, pulling the plate towards himself, "Can't let these go to waste."
"YOU, FOR YOUR INFORMATION, WILL GROW OUT, NOT UP," she said loudly. Axel laughed.
"Better listen to her, dad," he said, then added, "I'm going." He then left as his parents waved good-bye.
He walked down to the place where he and his friends usually met up at. On the way, however, he stopped as two little blonde haired boys, a boy with black hair, and a brunette girl ran by. Next, another boy with blonde hair, followed by an even bigger boy and a girl with silver hair chased the first group, but stopped.
"You and your friends better run, Hayner!" the blonde boy yelled.
"What's going on?" Axel asked the boy, stepping in front of him.
"They entered our area!" he replied.
"Who are you?" Axel inquired, narrowing his eyes.
"Seifer," the boy said with a smirk.
"And your friends?" he said, pointing to the other two.
"Fuu," the girl said calmly.
"Name's Rai, y'know?" the other boy said.
"And you are?" Seifer asked, crossing his arms.
"The name's Axel," he replied, "By the way- how old are you?"
"I'm five now and so are they," Seifer said, pointing a thumb back at Fuu and Rai.
"Oh, so your a hanfull now, I guess," he said, scratching his head.
"Yeah, a whole handfull!" the little boy said, holding five fingers up.
"That's not exactly what I meant..." Axel said slowly.
"Hey, Axel! Come on!" a voice called. He turned and saw Kemikah waving to him. He waved back, then turned back to Seifer, Fuu, and Rai, but they were gone. So he ran over to meet her.
"What took you so long?" We've been waiting," she said, hands on her hips.
"Yeah, yeah, I heard," he replied.
"You slept in didn't you?" she asked with a smile and eyebrow raised.
"Maybe... but let's go see Dema and Setzer, O.K.?" he said hastily.
When they entered the room, they saw that Kemikah's twin brother, Dema, was sitting on a worn out cushion on the floor as usual, and Setzer was holding a peice of paper, which he seemed absorbed in.
"Hey, guys, Axel finally woke up!" Kemikah said happily.
"Look here!" Setzer said, showing them the paper, "The Struggle Battle is the day after tomorrow!"
"And lemme guess," Axel said casually, "Your gonna try and win it."
Dema added, a sly grin across his face, "I can see it now: the girls screaming, 'Setzeeer!' Yeah, right..."
"It could happen!" Setzer pouted, sticking his lower lip out.
"Sure... and I don't really come from Twilight Town, and you guys aren't really my friends," Axel said sarcastically. Setzer looked as though he was going to protest, but Kemikah spoke first.
"Guess what I got? Ice cream!" she said, pulling out four ice creams, and handed them each out, "Grape for Setzer, blue rasberry for Dema, cherry for Axel, and lemon for me."
"Hmmm... I heard that there's another kind, sis," Dema commented, "Maybe we should try it. It's called 'Sea Salt ice cream'.
"Maybe," she replied, "Why don't me and... and..."
"I'll go with you," Axel volunteered, and they left.
As they approached the ice cream stand, Axel began to feel dizzy.
"Are you O.K.?" Kemikah asked, trying to help him stand up straight.
"I... I don't know..." he replied, then fell, unconsious.
"Axel!" she called.
When he woke up, he was leaning up against a wall, near to where he had collapsed. Kemikah wasn't there. Instead, there was a man in along, black coat.
"Who are you?" he asked the man.
"My name is Vexen, if you must know," he replied, pulling his hood down, to reveal a pale face with long, graying, blonde hair, "And I was sent to bring you back to my leader."
"What?!" Axel exclaimed, getting up, "I'm not going with you!"
"I'm afraid that you don't have much of a choice, and, I was ordered to give you this," he said, handing Axel two something-or-others, wheel shaped, with spikes.
"And these are...?" he said, staring at them.
"Chakrams, I believe they are called. Here! Take them!" Vexen said, and thrusted them at him. However, when he did, it hit Axel below the eye, leaving a black scar.
"OW!!!" he cried, with a hand on the mark, "What are these things made of?! Fire?!"
"My apologies... but you must come with me," the old man said calmly. Axel with the chakrams now in one hand, was grabbed by the arm by Vexen.
"Let... go... of... me...!" Axel grunted, trying to pull away.
"The Superior wouldn't allow it," he replied, "So, now, be good and come with me, boy." Angered, Axel, with one free hand, shoved the man's sleeve up, showing his pale skin. He gripped his arm tightly, and felt a strange flow of power through his body. Vexen let out a shriek, and when he pulled back his hand, there was a dark mark.
He had burned Vexen.
Axel began to run, now free of that strange man's grasp. As he ran, he could here Vexen call out, "Hah!" then, suddenly, ice patches began to form on the ground. He fell several times on them, but managed to get away. He then ran straight into Kemikah.
"Sorry," he said, panting. Dema and Setzer helped them both up.
"It's O.K., and I see that your awake," she said, "I went to get help from Dema and Setzer, after you passed out."
"What were you running from?" Dema inquired.
"Some creep named Vexen was trying to take me away," he answered, still breathing heavily.
"Take you away?!" his friend repeated in unison.
"Are you alright?" Dema asked.
"Why did he want you?" Setzer inquired.
"Did he give that scar under your eye?!" Kemikah asked, concerned.
"Wait, wait! Look, I'll explain everyting that happened when we get back to the usual spot, alright?" Axel said.
As he said, Axel told them about what happened when they returned to the usual spot. He also realised that the chakrams he had were gone. The rest of the day passed normally, and they even tried Sea Salt ice cream. But instead of Axel, Dema went with Kemikah, just in case. Once they had finished their ice creams, they bagan to talk of the up coming Struggle Battle.
"Hey, I've got an idea!" Setzer exclaimed.
"And what's that?" Axel inquired, leaning back in the couch he normally sat in.
"What if we all compete in the Struggle Battle?" he suggested.
"Yeah!" Dema agreed, "Then we'll have an even better chance of sharing the prize!"
"What's say?" Setzer said, stretching his hand forward.
"I'm in," Kemikah said, placing her hand on Setzer's.
"I'm definitely in!" Dema exclaimed, and put his hand on Kemikah's.
"It's a promise," Axel said, and placed his hand on top of the others'.
A while later, the large Twilight Town clock tower's bell chimed, and they each dispersed for home. Axel's parents were terrified when he explained to them about Vexen, and scolded him for not coming earlier. He went to bed early, his thoughts drifting on that strange man, Vexen, as well as the Struggle Battle.