Axel: Mars?!
Mars: Hey, what's up?
Tidus: Nothing for six months and all you have to say is "what's up"?
Riku: You seemed really depressed the last time we saw you.
Axel: Yeah, yeah, she's got problems, can we talk about how there's a story about me?
Mars: It's an AU story.
Axel: About me!
Mars: All right, this is something I thought up while drawing the pic used for this story. It's up on DeviantArt if you wanna see it. I'll tell you more about this AU after the fic.
Tidus: Judging by the pic, I don't like the looks of this AU.

Disclaimer: I do not own Axel or Kingdom Hearts, Square does. Why do I even do these things anymore?

Flames of Dereliction

It was here that Axel stood at a crossroads.

Was he to betray the Organization, abandon the only life he's ever known and fight alongside the warriors of light? Or stay and fight for a cause he no longer believed in—if he ever believed in it at all.

His earliest memory was with the Organization, after they saved him and Saïx, back when they were first known as Lea and Isa. They took them in and essentially became their family. The moment they were old enough to fight in the conflict, they began their training and abandoned their former names, their former lives and truly joined the Organization's ranks.

But after ten years of serving in their ranks, Axel wondered if it was really worth it. Every day, he would see comrades fall at the hands of the warriors; he even lost a few friends. He told himself it was for the cause that they chose to fight for, that they were fighting for a better future.

Then she joined.

She was not like any of the other members, she was not born into the Organization or taken in by it, she joined the cause. She abandoned her own name and identity to fight for what they believed in, what she believed in.

That made her different. That made her special. The Organization resented her for that. So they sent her off on an assignment that knew would be too much for her to handle.

And it was.

Axel held her limp body in his arms for hours until they took her away. For the first time in his life, he wondered if following the Organization was truly the right thing to do.

It was the spark that set the flames. He began to see how futile the war was. How neither side was getting anywhere. How many had given their lives in a vain hope for a better future. He was even beginning to wonder if the warriors of light knew what they were fighting for anymore. The fighting had gone on for so long, the generation that started the conflict was long gone, and probably never told their children the truth about it.

Axel decided had to defect, he had to find a way to end the war, for everyone.

For the Organization.

For his fallen comrades.

For Xion.

Axel: Okay I'm a little confused.
Mars: The warriors of light and the Nobodies are at war. What's there not to get?
Riku: Why?
Mars: People kept quiet about Nobodies' true nature and used them for slave labor.
Tidus: That's kinda dark.
Axel: I'll say, have you been watching Deep Space 9 lately?
Mars: What's that got to do with anything?
Axel: Sounds like this came from a place of grey in terms of morality.
Mars: It's a fic inspired by a pic inspired by a feeling, don't look too deep into it.
Tidus: Hey maybe people will want more from this AU.
Riku: Now that you've said it, they won't.
Mars: Good, I have enough on my plate as it is.