Axel's Love story, a kingdom hearts fanfic

Summary – Juniper came from the planet called Utopia; but the pressure of an over protective mother drives her to run away. She finds a new home; and a new family. But something happens that she doesn't expect.

Disclaimer – Okay; for those of you who actually think I might own Kingdom Hearts; then you are freaks. Just because I added a few people and a planet does not make me the owner of it. (By the way I probably messed up the timing; because we only have the first game. I have yet to try the second. Plus I'm a very new fan so try to give me some credit for even trying)

Enjoy, review; and now for-

Axel's Love Story

Juniper was the outcast of her village; she had powers that no one could explain. Juniper could change her surroundings at will; she mostly enjoyed thickening the air. Swimming was one of her favorite things to do so she would make the air around her as thick as water. She had been adopted when she was four months old; her mother told her she'd come from the stars. Junipers appearance was even more unusual; she had pale skin lightly tinted blue; her hair was a strange dark and light blue with all different shades. Her eyes were the strangest of all; different shades of blue and glazed over making them look like ice. Her shoulder length hair always seemed to be in her eyes; but over the years she got it to stay off to one side of her face. One of her favorite things to do was light a bunch of candles and watch the fire dance.

"Juniper, get down here this instant!" Her mother cried.

Her mother always freaked out when she swam in the sky; she never understood. Once her small feet touched the grass the arms of her mother took her by surprise. "Juni, never do that again, never never," pleaded her mother.

Back in their house dinner was on the table; and after dinner her mother tied her leg to the bed post. She was very good with knots; she was afraid of Juni; of her ability.

The golden sun streamed in through the window as the smell of pancakes drifted into Junipers room. Not long after did her mother come in and untie her; after she ate Juni went outside thickening the air she took off. She'd stayed here for far too long and the pressure of over protective parents (although her father had died long ago) had finally taken its toll on her. She didn't know where she would go; but it had to be far away.

Once she was free from the planet she'd been stuck on for her whole life she began looking for a new home; since she could change her surroundings she had made a big bubble of air around her. As she swam through space her limbs kept getting heavier and sore; how long had she been at this. It felt like days before she came into view with another planet; she looked back but hers was nowhere to be seen.

Once on the planet she collapsed; after she reopened her eyes she realized that she'd passed out and the darkness of the new world she was in scared her. The still thick air she was in nearly crushed her; she managed to change the air around her back to normal. Gravity pulled her to the bare land; a feeling she had almost forgotten. She lifted her heavy head to look around her; the taunting darkness was all she could see. After laying her head back to the harsh course grass she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

"Where did she come from?"

"I'm not sure."

"What should we do with her?"

"Wake her and demand she tell us who she is and where she came from."

"Why, she doesn't even look old enough to oppose us even if she tried."

"Guys she's waking up."

The voices stopped and Juniper opened her eyes to a bright world. Strong hands lifted her heavy body from the ground; supporting her. "Where am I?" Juni whispered.

"You are safe now," the man holding her up said gently.

The world around her began blurring and darkness took her once more. She once more opened her eyes to a brightly lit room; a blonde boy sat on the edge of the bed watching her with a bowl in his hands. He didn't look much older than seventeen. "Hey, are you hungry?" He asked staring curiously.

"Yeah, who are you?" She whispered.

"My name is Roxas," he said handing me the bowl and a spoon. It looked like a vegetable soup; but it was food and it was warm.

"I'm Juniper," she said before taking a spoonful of soup. It felt good on her sore throat.

"So where are you from?" He asked still watching me intently.

"A place I never intend to go back to if that's what you're asking," she said focusing on the soup.

He nodded and said he'd be back, telling her to wait here before he rushed out. A tall silver haired man walked in about five minutes after the blonde ran out; the blonde trailed in after him. He got closer; his yellow eyes examining her.

"Hello, my name is Xemnas, and you are?" He asked calmly.

"Juniper," was the short reply. This man scared her.

"Well, Juniper, welcome to The Castle That Never Was. I am very curious as to where you came from," he said still watching her with those eyes. Those eyes reminded her of the mountain cat that killed her one true friend two years ago.

"Don't take me back, I won't go," she growled before looking away.

"We won't I promise. Just tell me where, and what your business is on this planet."

"I came from the backwater planet by the name of Utopia," she said reluctantly. "And I have no business here, I ran away," she confessed.

"Well, I guess you can stay here. If you are willing to do as I say," he proposed; it sounded wonderful and she took the chance. Maybe the people here would appreciate her powers; unlike the family who claimed to love her.

Xemnas nodded and Roxas smiled at her before both turned and left. Juniper had no idea what Xemnas had up his sleeve, nor did she really care right now. But it could cost her much more than she planned.

A man with pink hair came in holding a black dress; it was floor length with a single strap on the left side. "The superior said you might like new clothing," he said holding it out to her. "My name is Marluxia, Xemnas told me your name was Juniper, is that right?"

"Uh, yeah," she said taking the dress. He nodded and left leaving her alone to change. Once done she opened the door looking around; the hallway was completely empty. Curiosity got the better of her; the wandering began. The hall was big and silent; she opened a door to find a library. Interest filled her. Reading was one of the few things she truly enjoyed.

She passed shelf after shelf; she stopped to find a boy with bluish gray hair that fell into his face; he was curled up in an old looking armchair reading a brown leather bound book. Suddenly he looked up; frozen with fear she watched as he stood rather fast and a weapon appeared in his hand. She spun on her heel and ran trying to escape; it was no use, he was faster. She immediately thickened the air around her and jumped into the air.

"Zexion," a voice called. "There you are, I thought you'd be in your chair," Roxas called running towards him. Zexion simply pointed up; Roxas looked and laughed. He explained who the floating girl was and where she came from and why she was here. But Roxas had to admit he was somewhat scared, or as close to scared as he could be; he didn't know the girl was capable of flying. "Juniper, you can come down now," he called up to her. Zexion's weapon disappeared as she slowly descended. She returned the air back to normal; gravity took the place instantly sucking her downward. She straightened herself once more; but she never got the hang of the heaviness she felt after the thickness of the air.

"You weren't in your room," Roxas said as her feet touched the smooth cool floor.

"I'm sorry," she said looking down.

"Xemnas wanted you to meet Axel, so if you'd be so kind," he said holding out his hand. She took it and followed him out of the library.

They walked in silence through many halls; he opened a door and lightly pushed her through closing it securely behind her. A tall redheaded boy was sitting calmly on the bed on the far wall; he patted the bed beside him. She went to sit beside him.

"Hello, my name is Axel; how are you?" His voice was so calm, so controlled; so, seductive almost.

"I'm Juni, it's nice to meet you," she said, her heart beat rapidly speeding up.

"I do hope you find the castle to your liking," he said taking her hand with a smile.

Oh. My. Gosh, his hand was like fire on her skin. His vibrant green eyes watching her own clouded blue eyes with a sense of knowing his point was getting across.

"It is an amazing place," she said remembering the long hallways and thousands of doors.

"I just hope you plan to stay here with us," he said still holding her hand; and she could've sworn he scooted closer.

"I have no reason to go yet," she said feeling something new and strange inside.

"Well, I have a mission; so would you wait here for me?" His seductive voice made her tremble; his warm hand softly rubbing hers while his other reached up to hold her head. He leaned down and lightly kissed her cheek before rising abruptly and leaving her alone in his room. Her sanity slowly returned; she was in the room of a boy, no, he was no boy; he was a man.

What did he mean by 'wait here', was she supposed to stay in his room?

She went over to the door and looked out; the hall was as she'd left it, vacant of any living being. Sighing she closed the door and lay back on the bed; why did they need such a big place if it was mostly empty. She closed her eyes wondering how long this 'mission' would take. A dreamless sleep fell on her; the strange darkness enveloped her.

Axel assumed she had left the room and sighed; he opened the door to find a sleeping girl on his bed. So she did stay here. He smirked and went to the child on his bed; they could've chosen someone who was much younger to do this job. But they chose the fire user; because if she refused and tried to escape he could keep her here. But so far there was no sign as to her departure; this was good news. He unzipped the top half of his Organization coat, then went to the sleeping girl.

"Juniper, wake up," he cooed. "Baby, its Axel, wake up; I'm back." She stirred slightly. He shook her shoulder; her eyes opened slowly. "Axel?" Her soft voice questioned.

"Yes, it's me," he cooed. "You waited for me," he said sounding touched.

"Of course I did," she said softly.

Her eyes were drawn to his exposed chest; blushing slightly she looked away. He chuckled at her obvious embarrassment.

"Juniper, would you like to stay in my room for the rest of the night?"

"What?" She asked startled by the question.

"I should think in a big castle at night your first time ever being here, that you might like company," he said compassionately.

"Oh, I would appreciate that," she said smiling.

Axel smiled inwardly, the progress he was making brought him to believe that this poor child was too open for her age; but her naive attitude towards the new life before her amazed even him. He should think that a girl her age would be scared to be here; in strange new surroundings with strange new people.

He unzipped his coat completely and slid into bed wearing nothing but his pants. She slid her dress off before crawling in beside him wearing her under things. "There we go," he whispered. "Good night."

The darkness still scared her, but with the strong arms of Axel around her she shrugged the feeling off and closed her eyes. Though she didn't completely understand why he was doing this; after all they had just met.

Sun began streaming through the window; Juni opened her eyes to find Axel sitting in bed holding a tray of food. "Good morning," he said holding the tray out for her. She set in down in front of her and began drowning her pancakes in syrup. "I'm going to have to go on another mission, but will you wait for me," he asked.

"How long will you be gone?" Juni said once she swallowed the mouthful of pancake.

"About three days," he looked down.

"Well, there's a lot to do here; don't be sad, I'll be fine," I said trying to cheer him up, he just looked so sad. And she didn't want the boy who was so nice to her to be upset.

He looked up smiling; he softly kissed her cheek before getting up to go. He said goodbye and left her alone again.

After dressing she began wandering the halls again; this place was a labyrinth. You could walk for hours and still have made little progress. She figured this out. She turned a corner and ran into Roxas; knocking both to the floor. Juniper opened her eyes to see the flustered eyes of Roxas staring at her. She got off him and helped him up; while apologizing.

"So, you're exploring the castle?" He asked smirking at her now dark pink face.

Yeah, I'm a little lost," she admitted hoping the boy could help her.

He laughed and grabbed her hand pulling her along they made their way back to Juniper's room. "Thanks, I don't think I'll ever be able to do that on my own," she said remembering the many hours she'd spent wandering.

"Don't worry; you'll learn. Are you hungry, it's about noon now; what would you like?"

"Can I have a fruit platter?" Juni asked curiously.

"Sure," he said smiling enthusiastically.

"Thanks," she said before he left to get it for her. She looked around her room; and there to the right was a closet. She stood and went over to get a closer look; and upon opening it she found it was full of dresses and other things that looked to be about her size. Axel probably had it filled while she slept.

She pulled out a pretty dark blue tank top and mini skirt set; she tossed it to the bed. Roxas reappeared to find her at her closet; he smiled and told her Axel filled it for her. He placed the tray on the bed; just as a man who had a mullet slash Mohawk looking hairstyle appeared in the doorway; he had blue eyes and a big grin.

"Hey, I wanted to meet the new girl," he said coming in. "Juniper, meet Demyx," Roxas said motioning to the other blonde haired boy.

"It's a pleasure to meet you my dear," he said trying to sound dramatic, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"No my good friend the pleasure is all mine," she said mimicking his sarcasm.

Roxas left waving his goodbye; Demyx stayed and filled the hours with mindless blabber; which Juni found to be very interesting. How is it that he lives here and yet still has so much to talk about. His exited voice was strangely comforting to her. He made jokes and asked lots of questions; willing the hours away till it was dark outside. He offered to get her some dinner; and while Juni ate he played his giant blue sitar. Apparently he was kind of hungry because every once and a while he grabbed something off her plate.

Soon Demyx brought the tired girl back to Axel's room; and on her request stayed till she fell asleep.

"Juniper, I love you," he said embracing her. His green eyes looked deep into her clouded icy blue eyes. She pulled him closer resting her head on his chest. The blush on her face practically burnt her skin; but the man holding her almost did burn her. He was so warm. He pulled back long enough to press his lips against hers; licking her lips begging for entrance. She responded with enthusiasm and deepened the kiss. Every inch of her being pressed closer to the redhead she'd come to love. "Juniper," he said after pulling away for a breath. She looked at him.

"Juniper."

"Juniper," her eyes flew open to look into the blue eyes that belonged to a certain blonde haired friend, Demyx. Juni smiled at him before stretching her arms and yawning. Demyx placed a bowl into her hands. "Good morning," he said smirking. She simply thanked him for bringing her breakfast and started eating. "So did you sleep well?" He inquired.

"Yeah, thanks, she said pondering the dream she had just woke up from."

"Sure thing," he said smiling.

"Hey Demyx, I was wondering; could you take me to the library today?"

"Sure, I guess you're already sick of me," he said sounding very pathetic and sniffling a lot.

"Demyx, there's one thing you should know; I will never get sick of you; plus you're really nice."

His face lit up and he bounced over to Juni, he jumped her and they both fell down and burst out laughing. Demyx stayed on top of the poor girl who was still laughing; and was in serious need of air. He sat up watching her, his eyes shining brightly; a smirk plastered to his face.

"Get off me" she gasped.

"Hmmm, let me think. No, I don't think I will; this is too funny," he said bouncing on her.

Both began laughing again; Juniper began to beg. Demyx gave in and got off of the breathless girl. Juni sat up panting hard; for a boy who looks so thin he sure isn't light.

Demyx stood and held out a hand to her. "Shall we begin the terribly long walk to the library my dear," he said in his best accent.

"We shall," Juni replied imitating his accent; she accepted his hand. They arrived and he said he would wait by the door; he wanted to play his sitar. He didn't look like he hated the library and he didn't look upset that she would be going in without him; so she nodded and went in.

The library was huge, and most of the shelves were so tall you needed a ladder to reach most of the books. She scanned the books wondering how the hell she was supposed to find a book she would like to read first; Juni's eyes stopped on a book with a golden brown color. She pulled it off the shelf; the title was 'Utopia wildlife' with a picture of her hometown mountain range. Juniper immediately ran off to find a comfortable chair; and began to read.

Juniper's eyes flew from word to word; page to page; watching as her child hood home unraveled before her all over again. Tears of joy and tears of anger spilled from her eyes as she read; places of happiness and places of sadness; memories she'd thought were long forgotten. Sadness hit when a picture of a mountain cat came up; she could've sworn she saw blood on the cat's teeth.

"Juniper," a voice rang out abruptly as a tear slid down her face; she looked up to see the face of a very concerned Demyx. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said wiping her face dry. She looked back to the book to find she'd read almost the entire book. "How long have I been sitting here?"

"Like five hours," he said smirking.

"I am so sorry," she said hanging her head in shame; now he was sure to hate her.

"Whoa, don't feel bad," he said sounding like he had just stabbed himself. "I didn't mind, really."

She looked up at him. "Besides, it was entertaining to watch you read; you cry and laugh and say stuff. You get real into the book; I was sitting here for about an hour watching you. Very entertaining," he said still smirking.

Juniper turned several shades of red causing Demyx to laugh. They sat there a half hour longer to let Juni finish the book before returning to Axel's room. She crawled into the bed and once more asked Demyx to stay till she fell asleep.

He sat on the edge of the bed and waited; and when it looked like she was asleep he left; she wasn't though. She was very close to sleep; but once the door closed her eyes opened and she sat bolt upright in bed. Demyx was gone and the strange darkness seemed to be laughing at her, mocking her. The room began spinning in her vision; her breathing increased rapidly. "Juniper," A voice called out; it sounded very far off but arms began pulling her into a warm chest. She buried her face into it and wrapped her arms around the stranger; but his voice was so familiar. Her fingers gripped his coat and tried pulling closer; his arms pulled tighter. "What's wrong?" The voice whispered in her ear. The one word she managed was "darkness" and her grip on his coat tightened.

Suddenly a bright light filled the room scaring away the strange unforgiving dark; she began to feel very warm. Juni opened her eyes to see what it was; a hand was stretched out and a flame danced on it. She turned her attention to the man holding her; unforgettable green eyes stared back with such soothing warmth. Her breathing returned to normal and her grip loosened a little bit as she lost herself in those eyes. A smile slowly appeared on his face as he watched her go from terrified to peaceful just by looking at his eyes; and being in his arms didn't help her much either.

"Feeling better," he said more as a statement than a question.

She just nodded and slumped back into his warm chest. "Are you afraid of the dark?"

The question took her by surprise; she looked back up at him. "No, this place is still very new to me; the shadows are strange," she said remembering how taunting the shadows were. "When Demyx left; they…" she said trailing off and falling back into the warmth of his chest.

"I understand," he said softly. "Why Demyx was here?" He wondered aloud.

"He promised to stay in the room for me till I fell asleep," Juni answered.

Axel just nodded and kissed her hair lightly. "Will you be alright if I extinguish the fire and join you in bed?" He asked. She nodded and soon the darkness enveloped them; he pulled his coat off and covered himself and Juni. He held her tightly till they both drifted off to sleep.

Juni walked down the empty hallway, time was beginning to slip away from her. She had forgotten how long she'd been living here; she came to memorize the halls just as she had been told. Axel was her best friend; she told him everything. Xemnas had assigned her a few missions of her own; she was allowed to use a ship for transportation. One day Axel had told her that Xemnas was very proud of her work; and that they were no longer suspicious of her. Juniper was becoming a part of Organization XIII. Only she had a heart; everyone else was a nobody; she was never told this though.

Juni had never heard of nobodies; and therefore didn't know that Axel was only pretending.

A portal opened and SaÏx stepped through four feet in front of Juni. She had never really gotten along with this particular nobody; he annoyed the hell out of her. "Hey Jupiter," he sneered. That was the name he'd given her; and it stuck. "What do you want SaÏx?" Juniper said walking up to him. "I have noticed you have taken a liking to you dear redheaded friend," he smirked.

"So, your point is?"

"My point is he doesn't feel the same way about you."

"What are you saying; you don't know what he feels."

"Oh yes I do, he's a nobody."

"A what?"

SaÏx began explaining what a nobody is; which is not what she wanted to hear.

"You're lying, he does love me; he does," she said hiding the emotions that now flooded her head.

"Ask him yourself," SaÏx said before backing into the still open portal. "See ya later Jupiter," he said before the portal disappeared. She stood there paralyzed; he had always been a jerk to her; but he never lied. He had to this time; Juni refused to believe him. Once she regained use of her body again she thickened the air around her and swam back to her room. Juni changed into one of her floor length dresses before swimming over to her bed and changing the air back to normal so she could let gravity pull her to her soft bed below. Axel was away; he had left before the sun rose.

"Juni, I brought you a tray of fruit," a muffled voice called out from behind the door as a steady line of thumps sounded.

"Roxas, is that you?" Juni asked running to the door. She opened it to see Roxas smiling at her holding a tray of all different kinds of fruit. "Thanks Roxas, you're the best," she said as he handed her the tray. "You can come in if you want," she offered.

"No, I'm wanted elsewhere; but I'm glad I could put a smile on your face," he said before turning away. Juni closed the door and sat back on her bed; he looked so normal. Does he really not have a heart? She picked at the fruit little by little. Of all the places to have wound up on, it had to be here. Though, she wouldn't have had it any other way.

"Juniper," Axel's soft voice rang out. She turned to see his smiling face as he sat down beside her. SaÏx's words echoed in her head.

"Axel, do you love me," she asked looking down to her hands avoiding his eyes.

Axel froze; he didn't want to tell her; but he didn't want to lie either. When he didn't answer she looked up to meet his shame filled eyes. It was true. His lack of response had answered her question clearer than words would have. "Juni," he said, it came out more like a whimper. He felt a strange pain in his chest as he looked upon the face of the girl he had been told to get close to by Xemnas. She looked sad but with an air of acceptance.

"Juniper, because of you; I have come so close to feeling, so very close," he said taking hold of her hands. Little did Juni know just how true those words were.

"Axel, I love you," she said interlacing her fingers with his. Axel wanted to be able to say he loved her too but it wasn't true.

"Juniper, I can't truthfully say that I love you too; but I can say I find you to be very attractive. And I'm not just talking about what I can see; the you I've come to know is the who I find to be the most attractive," he said watching her clouded eyes melt.

"If that is the best you can do, I am grateful for whatever I can have," she said as a tear slid down her face. Axel wiped her face dry and kissed her cheek. She was so thankful that she'd ended up on this planet and not any other one that might be out there.

"Juni, would you like to come back to my room for the night?"

She looked at him with longing; but no, she needed some time alone to organize her thoughts. She shook her head with an apologetic smile; Axel seemed to understand and kissed her cheek again before leaving.

The darkness around her no longer scared her; her mind felt numb. Words that were spoken only moments before became jumbled and blurry. Unshed tears fell down her face freely as she buried her face in her pillow. Though she had to admit this was more than she'd hoped for; she thought he would only be a friend; but no, not when he had done so many things to seduce her. No, she'd thought she was going to end up being his 'toy'; and love would have blinded her into thinking that what he was doing was because he loved her too.

Juniper opened her sore eyes to sunlight streaming through her window; 'when did I fall asleep,' she wondered. She rolled over to find someone had left a tray of fruit beside her bed on a small wooden table; how thoughtful. Whoever keeps doing this had found out she really liked fruit; and it always put a smile on her face to find a tray full of it.

She scooted closer and began eating bits and pieces slowly; she needed to be alone for much longer. Juni needed to find a way she could do this without making it look like she was avoiding Axel; or anyone else for that matter. Xemnas; he could give her a mission. She concluded that the only answer was to go and ask him to send her away for a while. But would he do it; would he actually allow her to go off for a while. If not she would just have to avoid Axel and her other friends for a while; and the library was a good place to hide.

Juni went to her closet and chose an outfit that would be easy to 'swim in' if she had to hide. Most people don't look up when they look for people so that was what she would try. She wore really short shorts; a tight tank top; and no shoes. Well; she never really wore shoes; so she wasn't about to start. The tank top just barely showed off her bellybutton; and made her chest look slightly bigger.

Juniper made her way to the giant library; she pulled a book from a shelf that looked somewhat interesting before looking for a good secluded area. The book she pulled out turned out to be a romance novel; how appropriate. It sickened her; but she couldn't bring herself to stop reading, she needed to finish it or it would drive her nuts not knowing how it ended.

But as she continued she realized this one wouldn't have a happy ending; just like her. The woman in the book had to face the fact that he only wanted her for his own physical lust; but she had become blinded from her own love for him that she couldn't leave him. This book was describing herself and Axel; almost too perfectly.

Once she finished it she morphed the book; turning it into an angel food cake. At least one good thing came from the horrid story. Ever since Juni was a baby she could change her surroundings at will; her parents were scared of her and kept her locked in her room. She could control her ability better now; and over the years her mom had let her play up around the mountains.

Axel stepped through the portal to Juni's room only to find it empty. Great, she was avoiding him now. Or maybe she just went to the library; it was one of the few places she went to. He stepped back through the portal and into the library. Axel began walking through looking for her; she had found a secluded area once; he knew this because she had told him. But where was it; she never said. She only said it was small and comfortable.

Well this was going to be fun.

Wait, who was that? He stopped and went back to find Zexion curled up in a chair reading a very thick book. "Hey, Zexion; have you seen Juniper?" Axel called out to the boy.

"Yeah, she went that way about four hours ago," he said pointing.

"Thanks," Axel replied before running in the direction Zexion had pointed. It didn't take him long to find a small opening among a cluster of shelves. He ran to it to see a sleeping Juniper curled into a ball in a cozy arm chair with an open book in her lap.

Axel walked over to her careful not to wake her; and took the book in her lap putting the bookmark in and shutting the book. He placed it on the small table that was beside the chair; and he carefully took her in his arms. He opened a portal and stepped through to his room; he laid the sleeping child on the bed covering her with the blanket.

Axel crawled in after her once he took his coat off; he pulled her gently into his arms and held the sleeping form close. He truly wanted to feel; and had come so close to feeling. It was just too far for him to grasp.

'How did I get here?' Juniper thought when she opened her eyes to a familiar room and warm arms around her. 'Axel must have found me and brought me back' she concluded. She wriggled free from his arms not realizing he was awake; she looked back down to the redhead who still looked fast asleep. She did a quick nod before running back to the library to see if he had saved her spot in the book. And thankfully he had the decency to put in the bookmark and put the book on the table. The book was all about something called a paupu fruit. It was enough to raise wonder in her; maybe if Axel and her shared one he might just be able to love then. Juniper didn't know if it'd work, but it was sure as hell worth a try. The book was a good read; full of information that would be very helpful later on.

Axel sat up after she closed the door and wondered what she was up to; maybe she went back to the library to finish that book. He shrugged it off and pulled his Organization coat on before Marluxia opened the door telling him that Xemnas wanted to speak with him.

Juniper closed the book finished; she smiled and tried to think of a way to get her hands on one of those paupu fruits.

"Juniper," Axel's all too familiar voice rang out before he appeared in the 'door way' of her secret place. He was holding a folded piece of paper out to her, "it's from Xemnas," he said.

She unfolded it before reading the neat hand written letter; Xemnas wanted her to go to a place called Destiny Islands; the same place she'd learned that the paupu fruits grew in abundance. Xemnas wanted her to go find something called the Key Blade; but while she was there she would find one of those yellow star shaped fruits.

Axel looked at her with curiosity; though it was probably just a mask. So he hadn't read it.

"Xemnas wants me to go find something called the Key Blade," Juni explained; leaving out the part she had planned to do while on the island. Axel shook his head before saying "I don't want you to go, it's not safe. I'll go; if you will excuse me I need to tell Xemnas about this," he said and turned to go.

"No, I want to go!"

The shout made Axel jump and face Juni; he never knew she could be so loud and demanding. "Juniper, it's not safe; I don't want you to go," he said softly. But she was angry; this might be her only chance to get a paupu fruit and nobody was going to stop her; not even Axel. She could and would, do this.

"No," she shouted again.

"Juniper," Axel begged. "Please lower your voice; this is madness."

"I don't care, let the whole Organization know that you don't trust me," she yelled. "Axel doesn't think I can do anything on my own," she said to the air still yelling.

"Juniper," Axel said sounding angry. "Stop this; you're just a child; it's too dangerous."

Juni's eyes were fixated on his; they looked almost like they were about to burst into flames at any moment. It almost hurt him to see her look at him like that.

"You're not my mother," she said lowering her voice to a sinister tone. "I ran away from her; and I can do it again. She kept me locked in my room for most of my life; always tying me up at night. That still didn't keep me from running away."

Axel stood there paralyzed. "If you can't trust me enough to let me do this; then I guess you have turned into my mother, and I must escape again," Juniper said still keeping her voice low enough to almost scare Axel. It sounded hate filled; like all this anger had been built up over many years and it had just burst. She walked up to him and lightly pushed him out of the way before running off. Axel still frozen; somehow came back to his senses and his mind began functioning again. Reality hit after a few seconds; Juniper, had yelled at him; she had screamed at him, with all her might she had tried to hurt him. And oddly enough; he felt something; a slight pain in his chest. But what he didn't know was that at the same time Juniper was crying hard; and had to delay her trip because flying in her state would be dangerous.

She hurt much more than Axel could even dream of; she had taken all her anger; from all those years; she had taken it all out on him. The man she had held her heart out to; the man who now held it; she had entrusted her glass heart to a fire user. And he had used his fire on it only moments ago; showing Juni that he could never love her; because love without trust cannot; and will not end happily. But she still had to try; something in her told her she had to stumble on; though a dark cloth had been put over her eyes she had to press on. She had to believe that Axel could 'love'; she had to believe that one day he would 'love'. And if he didn't; couldn't; her glass heart would surely shatter, and she would be just as void and emotionless as the man she had loved.

Once Juniper had regained control of herself she washed her face and packed a few outfits and had some help stocking the ship with enough food. She soon flew away; this was her only chance and she wasn't going to blow it.

Axel sat on his bed still feeling the slight pain; wondering what was wrong with him. A knock on his door startled him. "Axel, are you in there?"

"Demyx?" Axel called running to the door.

"The one and only," he said smiling once Axel had opened the door. Roxas was there too; these were the two who had always kept an eye on Juni when he wasn't there. They were her best friends as were they his; they were the ones who made sure she was okay. "Come in," Axel said smiling.

"Zexion told us about the argument in the library so we came to see if you were alright," Roxas answered; knowing he couldn't be too upset since he couldn't truly feel. They probably came to see if Juni was fine because she could feel.

"I'm fine, but I'm not so sure if Juniper is," he said almost feeling a tad bit of shame rise up within him.

"So what happened exactly?" Demyx asked sitting down on the bed beside Axel; Roxas followed his lead. Axel began explaining the argument; with precise detail. He didn't skip over anything; Demyx and Roxas listened and watched Axel's expression change so much it looked like he really felt what he was describing. When he finished the two just stared at him with a look of wonder in their eyes.

Juniper walked barefoot through the sand on the beach; she had hidden the ship well. All she had to do was search the island for that key thing; and the fruit that was said to intertwine two people's destinies if it was shared between them.

She walked all over that blasted island without success; she had although found what she wanted to find; just not what Xemnas had wanted he to find. The island did hold an abundance of those yellow star shaped fruits.

The first night began with the most beautiful sunset; it almost looked like the ones she had seen on her home planet. "Oh, uh, hello," a voice behind her said startling her. She turned to see a brown haired boy who looked to be around her age; his hair stood up in all different directions reminding her of Axel's gravity defying hair. His blue eyes reminding her of Demyx's; and his demeanor remarkably resembled Roxas. Shoot this boy reminded her of her three best friends back in The Castle That Never Was; one of those friends being the man she loved.

"I'm Sora," he said smiling. "And you would be?"

"Juniper, it's nice to meet you Sora," Juni said smiling. Sora sat down beside her in the sand.

"Beautiful isn't it?" He asked looking to the sunset with a look of true awe.

"Yeah, it reminds me of my home," Juni said looking down sadly. Even though her mother had held her prisoner for most of her life, she still missed her home. The mountains; the smell of wildlife; the fresh smell after the rain; all of it was what she truly missed.

"You sound sad," he said looking to her with sympathy. "Do you miss your home?"

"More than words can say; but I can't go back," she said, her eyes tearing up and a knot formed in her stomach.

"Why," he said, his heart reaching out to the girl who just seemed so sad.

"My, mother; she basically held me captive; away from the world for most of my childhood. I only had one friend; and she was killed by a mountain cat," Juniper said looking out over the water at the sunset.

She was startled when arms pulled her into one of the warmest embraces she'd ever felt; it was full of sympathy and compassion and a tender care. He held her for a while before pulling away and wiping her tears.

"Hey, do you want to stay at my place for the night?" He asked worrying that the girl might not have a place to sleep.

"No, I'm fine; but thank you," she said smiling at the boy.

"How long will you stay here for?" He ventured.

"Not sure; not too much longer though," she said shifting uncomfortably.

"Will you be here tomorrow?"

"Yes, but, I might have to go tomorrow night."

"Okay, I guess I'll see ya tomorrow then," he said eyes full of hope.

"Yeah, see you then," she said looking up at him smiling.

"Bye," he said waving at her, she returned his wave and he ran off.

The sun fell and color turned to darkness; storm clouds hung heavily above. She ran back to the ship just in case it decided to rain. Once she was safe inside the ship she looked out a window; she wanted to see if she had been followed. Or maybe it was just the shadows; but no, shadows don't make sounds. The hair on the back of her neck stuck out; and she truly had felt like she was being followed.

She fell asleep by the window only to be awoken by thunder. Juni looked out through the window to see Sora beating the crap out of these weird shadow looking things. Juni jumped up and ran out unsure of why she was doing this; Sora ran across a bridge to a silver haired boy who looked older than Sora. Juniper became distracted when the shadows came after her; she turned them into grains of sand and looked back to where Sora now stood alone; but there in his hand was a giant key. "The Key Blade, that's what Xemnas wanted!" Juniper exclaimed.

But before she began walking over to Sora an even bigger and more terrifying shadow creature appeared. "Sora," Juniper shouted, but her cry was lost in the whirlwind of sounds. Wind was blowing harshly; if she wasn't carful she would get blown away. Sora began fighting with the shadow; Juni ran back to the ship; if she was lucky she could save Sora. But by the time she had shut the door the wind picked it right off the ground. Steering was difficult but she managed; Juni watched helplessly as Sora held onto a branch so he wouldn't get sucked into the giant black portal looking thing in the sky. He lost his grip and was thrown upward. "Sora," Juniper screamed even though he couldn't hear; no one could hear. She watched him disappear while her ship began shaking hard. She had to get out of here before she too got sucked into the black thing.

Juniper watched from the stars as the planet disintegrated to nothing. Sora's home was gone; Sora himself was gone, and she had no way of knowing if he was okay; or even alive. Sadly Juni began flying home; her precious cargo safely stored away.

Axel lay on his bed staring off into space. Did it really take her five; almost six days to do what Xemnas had asked of her. He had become very impatient; she was only a child. "Axel," Juniper stood in the doorway watching him. He jumped up and ran to her; he pulled her close until she pulled back.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you," she said looking down; what was that, a tint of pink on her cheeks.

"No; it was all my fault; I should have trusted you," what the hell was he saying.

"I should have just told you; I wanted to go beca…" she cut herself off; she looked away. How could she tell him this; when the last thing she'd said to him was intended to hurt him. No, she had to wait and make it up to him. But what would happen; she loved him so much. And when you find someone you love this much; you know you want to spend the rest of your life with that person; and you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. No, it couldn't wait.

Juni stared into his questioning green eyes before grabbing his hand and lead him to her room. She had taken all her things back to her room; including the special fruit.

"Axel, if you could love me; would you do anything to make that possible?" Juniper said staring deeply into his eyes.

"Of course I would, I would do anything for you," he said; and it looked like he truly meant every word.

She went to her small chest and pulled out the fruit that was wrapped in a white cloth; she slowly unwrapped it and went back to Axel.

"Would you share a paupu fruit with me," she said hoping he wouldn't reject her.

Axel knew what the star shaped fruit would do; but wasn't entirely sure. He'd heard about it; but what could this do to Juni and him. He looked into her clouded blue eyes and said without hesitation, "yes."

Juniper smiled and cut it in two handing Axel one half; while she held the other. For one second they looked at each other and smiled before eating their half of the fruit.

When both were finished Axel place a hand lightly on her face; he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. She responded by reaching up to put her hands on his shoulders; he held the back of her neck arching her head up while pulling her close with his other hand. Deep within Axel he felt something; very small but it was there. He felt a small thump; his face grew warm. Soon a steady rhythm sounded; softly; thump, thump, thump. If he didn't know any better he would think he might; possibly have, a heart. Axel felt strange; but he liked it; it was new and scary, and yet comforting.

When they finally pulled apart panting; the steady thumping softened just slightly; but it was still there. Juni stood there blushing, and what she said to him next made sense of the strange thumping in his chest.

"Axel, I gave you my heart; we are now one."

It all made crystal clear sense to him now; why she vehemently refused to stay. She wanted to find one of those fruits; she was willing to risk everything for him.

A month later while walking down one of the long empty hallways Juni began wondering what had happened to her mother. Her heart yearned to see the land she had grown up on; if only for a moment. But she wondered where she'd come from before; her mother had told her she'd come from the stars; but where was her birth land.

"Axel," Juni said one afternoon, "I was wondering if I could go back to my home planet for a few days; I miss it so."

"Would you oppose to me coming?" Axel responded slyly.

"Oh no, I would love it if you came," she said wrapping her arms around his waist her head on his chest. Juni enjoyed hearing the steady thumping of the shared heart beat inside Axel.

They stocked the ship with food and Juni tossed three outfits in a bag and also put it in the ship. Axel told Xemnas their plans; he didn't like the idea. Though, after much dramatic begging from Axel he gave in; just because it was kind of funny seeing him on all fours. Once in space Juniper turned the ship in the direction of her homeland.

It took them thirty four hours before it came into view; though it took fifteen more hours just to get to it. They landed in a clearing in the trees bordering the mountains; neither Juni nor Axel wanted to arise suspicion in the people who lived in the small village on the border of the trees beside a small pond. Juni led the way through the dense trees; they came to the clearing and Juni's eyes widened.

"No," she said before running towards a big oak tree. Axel studied it for a minute before realizing the big stone in front of the great tree had writing on it. Axel went over to Juniper who was now on the ground; tears flowing from her eyes. She didn't really like her mother but it still grieved her heart.

"The house burnt to the ground; she didn't make it out. Here lies Jaime O'Conner and husband Andrew O'Conner…" Juni read faltering.

Axel knelt down beside her placing a comforting hand on her back; not knowing what else to do.

"Juniper," a surprised voice rang out from behind them. She turned to see the mother of her best friend; and she was her mother's best friend. "It is you, oh Juni!" The woman cried out before running up to her embracing her. "I knew you'd come back; you mother entrusted this to me to give to you once you returned," she said reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small locket. The smooth gold held only two initials; D and R. Juni opened the locket to find two small pictures; and the two people remarkably resembled her. The man had the same colored hair she did; and the same clouded blue eyes; but the woman had her face shape. The woman had her smile and pale features.

"Mother, Father," Juni said as her eyes misted.

"You look just like them," Axel said softly.

Juniper nodded and smiled. "She told me to tell you that your parents have been searching all over for you," the woman who was still standing behind them said softly. Juniper perked up, a wide grin spread across her tear stained face. "Would they still be here?"

"Oh, yes actually; your mother told them you might return so they took up residence in the village," the woman said.

"Let's go Axel; come on hurry," Juni said rising to her feet and started walking towards the rest of the village.

"Juni, what have you got running through your mind now?" Axel said catching up.

"I need to meet them; I need to," she said mostly to herself.

Juni began asking people if they'd seen two people who resemble her; they kept pointing, she kept following the fingers. She asked once more; and this time she got a finger pointed to the building across the street from them. She yelled her thanks as she ran into the building; it was an Inn. She asked the keeper about her parents; he grinned and told them the room number.

Juniper ran to the hallway with lots of doors on it; once she'd found it she hesitated. Would they like her; would they even care? Hell, they had to; they were looking for her.

She knocked lightly on the door. No answer; Axel reached over her head and knocked louder. Shuffling could be heard; seconds later the woman from the locket opened the door.

Juni and her exchanged looks before the woman gasped and embraced her. "Devin come quick; Juniper; baby hurry," she cried out.

Devin came running too; took one look and wrapped his arms around the mother and child.

"Rosalynn, our baby girl; look how she's grown," he said, his clouded blue eyes watered.

"Mother Father," Juni said, "this is Axel; he's my best friend." Juniper said pointing to the redhead who hung back to allow them their family reunion. "I hope you've taken good care of my baby; she's still just a child," Devin said smiling up at Axel.

"I have sir," he replied smiling.

"Good, thank you very much; for caring for her," he said to Axel. Then to Juni he said, "baby go collect your things; we must celebrate."

Juni's eyes widened. They couldn't mean to take her away.

"What?"

"You heard me silly; go get your things; we must get home as soon as possible. They are many people who have been just as worried about you as we have," he said questioning her resistance with his eyes.

"But father I have a home and friends; you don't mean to take me away from them; do you?" Juniper said backing into Axel's chest.

A look of shock crossed both her parent's faces; then a look of acceptance. "Baby, your father and I have talked long and hard on this particular subject. And we decided to not force you to come back; it's your choice," her mother said, a sadness in her eyes.

"I want to come back; but not forever. I want to live with my friends; I promise to visit you; if you give me a map and show me where you live," Juni said, somehow managing to put sadness and happiness in her voice. Her mother grinned widely and father took her in his arms.

Axel was at the wheel because Juniper was too busy studying the map she had been given. The reunion at her parent's house was big and loud; but very sweet. Though she was glad to be on her way back to the Castle That Never Was; back home to her adopted family. She put her hand on the locket around her neck; where it would forever stay. And forever it would stay; ever since she and Axel shared the paupu fruit she had not changed; her hair still grew but she didn't. She was stuck in time with Axel; just as Axel was now forever bonded with her heart.

They landed and as soon as they opened the door Demyx and Roxas popped in looking for Juni; they really missed her. When they walked out of the ship Marluxia was standing there too; he embraced Juniper warmly. Something she never thought would ever happen; she took this chance and pulled him close. He allowed it to an extent before pulling back. SaÏx stepped forward; of course he would be here; he needed someone to taunt. But he didn't; instead he gave her a quick hug.

"Marluxia wants me to be nice; but tomorrow I will be back to normal," he said smirking. "Besides, you're my little Jupiter," he said his grin widened slightly.

This family reunion had to be almost as good as the one with her parents; only with a lot less people.

Juni lay on Axel's bed waiting for Roxas to come back with the fruit tray he promised to bring her. Demyx sat beside her talking about everything that happened since she'd left. Axel was told to go talk with Xemnas. He probably wanted to know everything that happened while they were away. "Here Juni," Roxas said smiling as he handed her the fruit tray; she thanked him before picking away at it.

It amazed her how much more at home she felt when she was here; she thought she would've felt this way back on her home planet. The planet she'd lived on for most of her life.

She thought of all the things that had happened to her since she ran away; now I'm not saying that running away is the thing to do. I do not support the idea of running away; but for her; it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to her.

Demyx and Roxas left her alone after she'd asked them to leave; she told them she was tired and needed to rest. They left saying they'd be back in the morning. Axel came back into the room and told her that Xemnas wanted a report of their journey. He had told Xemnas everything; and he had asked Xemnas if he had permission.

"Permission for what?" Juniper asked curiously.

"Permission to marry you; that is if you want to," he said smirking.

Juni's eyes grew big and her smile widened as she jumped up to embrace him. "Yes, I want to," she said excitedly.

"There is only one more problem to consider," Axel said looking at her seriously.

"What, what is it," Juni asked wondering what he could possibly mean.

"Where," he said as a statement.

He was asking where she wanted to hold the ceremony; and she knew just the place. In front of the big waterfall with a pond surrounding it; she would marry him barefoot with sand between her toes.

Once she told him where she wanted it to be he smiled.

"My heart skipped a beat and fell in step with yours," Axel said smiling.

"You're heart is my heart, we are one," Juni said kissing him.