Welcome, glorious reader! Every day, I get a ton of AkuRokuShi ideas. It's a side-effect of being a writer, as I'm sure most of you know. :) Sometimes, I strike something that would be really good for a major story arc, like with Stupid Questions or Castle Cleanup, but most days, I just get a lot of short stories—AKA, 'drabble'. At first, I was posting them individually, but then it occurred to me that more people would read them if I just stuck them all in one, continually-updated collection. That's what this thing is. If you're looking for stories starring the trio from 358/2 Days, your search is finally over!
Some notes right off the bat for you newcomers. First, I like actually like Xion. *dodges tomato* Mostly the manga version! Read the manga, it did Days better in general. Anyway, if you don't like Xion, you'll probably find some stories without her, but for the most part, you'll want to add her to the 'Without' filter and try again.
Second, all relationships are platonic at press time, and will probably stay that way. Can I just say that, for the record, I think whoever thinks Axel and Roxas are in a romantic relationship is reading way too much into their friendship, or else doesn't have the word 'friend' in their vocabulary? :P That's all I'll say on the matter.
Third, almost all the stories here are humorous. Sitcom-like, even. The most disorganized Organization ever just lends itself to that sort of thing. If you were looking for serious, dramatic, tearful tales of sorrow, keep looking, because you won't find any here. It just isn't what I generally write. Heck, I have a grudge on the ending of Days for being so darn shoot-the-shaggy-dog, so I'm not going to emulate it.
Finally, all of these stories take place in my official AkuRokuShi universe, the Reluctant Father. There is a (currently) short series of fics that it builds off of. At press time, there are three major differences. First, Castle Oblivion hasn't happened yet, and Organization XIII is fully staffed. Second, due to events in Castle Cleanup, Xion is a full member of the Organization, with a Round Room seat and a title. Third, Saix is a lot less of a jerk, because I read Raberba Girl, and AkuSai is her specialty. (If you haven't read Raberba Girl, you haven't read fanfiction yet, read her now) You don't need to read the other fics to enjoy this, but it will probably help you understand things a little better if you do.
Whelp, this is dragging on way too long, so let's get started. May I recommend that you start each story by playing your preferred version of 'Dearly Beloved' in the background? :)
DISCLAIMER: Kingdom Hearts belongs to Disney and Square Enix. I do not stand to profit from this work in any way. Creators of KH, thanks for making the most awesome RPG ever. I promise I'll be careful with your toys. :)
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Sea-Salt Stories
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They say the worlds share one sky. That's true. We are one universe. What they don't tell you is that there is something else the worlds share. What is that, you may ask? Well, we share stories for one thing. That's something. But there is something else, too.
There is a trio of Nobodies. One lost his heart long ago, the other two don't remember when they had one. One is a fire-wielding assassin with a personality as hot as the flames he throws. One is a clueless boy who doesn't understand much, but is proficient at hitting things with a giant key and is getting good at being a friend. One is a beautiful, shy girl who can be gullible at times, but is kind and honest. In most situations, this would be terrible chemistry. However, they share an unbreakable bond. This might have something to do with their shared obsession with sea-salt ice cream, but it could also be something more.
These are the memories of the adventures that caused the worlds to share more than a sky. These are the stories of a group of friends trying to find their way in that little thing called life. These are the tales of a beautiful friendship, perhaps even a family.
These are the sea-salt stories.
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The Other Football
Or, 'That Weird Super Bowl Special'
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"Axel, what's the Super Bowl?"
No one knows how Roxas came across a reference to a uniquely American sports event. His mission that day had been to Disneyville, which of course was a very patriotic place at least three times a year, so maybe that was the cause.
Whatever the cause, it was a very fortuitous coincidence that Axel had been the only person in Radiant Gardens who was into the sport when he was a Somebody. Probably something to do with the fact that it mostly involves large, muscled men slamming into each other with great force. That sort of thing had appealed to Lea.
Axel looked at his friend. "Do you know what football is?"
"Yeah, you said Xaldin is constantly using your TV to watch it."
"The other football."
"There's another football?"
"That reaction brings me back…"
Axel bit off the last chunk of his ice cream and stood up. "Xi, do you like sports?"
Xion shrugged. "I don't know. All I really know about sports is from that goat in Olympus Coliseum. And I hate that place."
"One of these days, I'm going to take that goat's head off with my chakrams," Axel muttered under his breath. "Come on, let's RTC. Bring your ice cream. I've got something to show you."
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Junk food was not common in Organization XIII. When you have to go out and fight creatures that never waste a moment that could be spent trying to kill you in various ways every day, you get with the necessary diet quickly. This is called 'natural selection'. However, Demyx occasionally managed to sneak the stuff in, and so, Axel shamelessly raided his junk stash.
This was how it came to pass that the sea-salt trio was sitting in Axel's room (it had the only real television in the Organization), watching American football while stuffing their faces with chips. The Flurry of Dancing Flames had even acquired a pack of football-shaped sugar cookies, which he was saving for when someone won. Axel was sitting on the bed with a bag of plain chips, while the Keybearers sat next to each other on the floor, wrapped in a blanket (it looked just as cute as it sounds) and sharing a gigantic bag of salt-and-vinegar chips.
Axel wasn't rooting for any side in particular. He hadn't watched the sport in years, so he had no idea who was worthy of fandom. He was just in it for the muscular men hitting each other. Roxas seemed to be bouncing back and forth between the two teams, rooting mostly for whoever was winning at that moment (it was a close game). Xion had no clue what was going on, but soon decided that football was a sport she was definitely not suited for. She stuck around for the junk food—again, it wasn't common, and the sight of it gave her cravings.
On the screen, an impressive tackle occurred. Roxas' eyes went wide. "That was awesome!"
Xion jumped. "Awesome? It looked like it hurt a lot to me."
Axel laughed. "It's official—among teenage Keybearing Nobodies, sports are more popular with boys than girls. That, my Keybearers, is called a focus group."
Xion turned her head. "Don't people ever get injured playing this game?"
"Yes, yes they do. It actually happens a lot. A lot of people don't even make it to professional league because they broke something important practicing for professional league."
The girl shuddered and turned back to the screen. "I think I'll stick to poker. I'll always lose against Luxord, but at least I won't get actually hurt."
As cute as this scene was, there wasn't much of a story at this point. That makes it lucky for us that there was a knock on the door a few minutes later. Axel got up to see who it was.
It was Demyx. "Have you seen my junk food? I couldn't find it."
Axel facepalmed. He may have neglected to inform Demyx of his raid. "We're eating it right now, while watching football. American football."
"You're WHAT?"
"There wasn't anything else available. I promise I'll get you a new stash tomorrow."
Demyx pouted. "…Are Roxas and Xion with you?""
"Yeah, why?"
"…Mind if I join in? Just for the snacks, you know."
And thus, Demyx started watching the game with the trio. He took two bags all for himself, but the Keybearers decided it was only fair, since it was technically his food. Demyx, of course, hadn't watched this sport before either, and his reaction was about the same as Xion's. The Bright Shadow and the Melodious Nocturne mostly bonded together with a conversation on the finer points of matching lyrics with music—Xion's singing was only getting better, and Demyx wanted to be the band sitar player.
The game was lulling at this point, and Axel decided to start talking football trivia. "Can any of you guess what that football is made of?"
The Keybearers shook their heads. "No fair!" Demyx said. "We've never watched this game before, remember?"
Axel smiled. "It's made out of leather now, but it used to be made out of pigskin."
Xion pulled back in disgust. "They used to be made out of pigs? The poor pigs!"
"It really isn't any different from when you eat a hot dog, Xi."
"Of course it's different! At least I don't throw it around and run all over it. And I'm vegetarian anyway, remember?"
"…Do you know what leather is made of?"
"No."
"Actually, knowing you, you probably don't want to know…"
Soon, there was another knock on the door. It was none other than Saix.
The blue-haired Nobody took a look at the room. "I wasn't informed that you were converting your room into Axel's Home for Chronic Slackers."
"I told you, Saix, there is such a thing as time when work isn't happening."
Saix just sighed in response. "What are you doing?"
"Introducing the Keybearers to football. American football."
"I don't think that is a healthy sport for them to play."
"Not playing, just watching. It's the Super Bowl today, apparently. Want to join in?"
"Axel, it's a stupid sport where men overcompensating for their low intelligence run into each other at high speeds and then beat each other to the ground. Why would I ever want to watch it played?"
In a bold move, Axel forcibly pulled Saix into the room. The Luna Diviner actually rolled his eyes this time, but he was watching the television. A very close touchdown played out on the screen, ending the game in a victory for the team who pulled it off. Roxas cheered and grabbed the box of sugar cookies—he'd been staring at them longingly all game, as had Xion and Demyx.
Saix snorted. "The other team has terrible strategy. They had the perfect chance to tackle the quarterback and they let him go. I would make them go through training again."
Axel just grinned.
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THE END
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Yes, I did just pull off a Kingdom Hearts Super Bowl special. Yes, I am the King of Platonic AkuRokuShi. Yes, I did have Saix watching football. Yes, you may stop gaping now. :)
I liked writing this story, even if it was a little short. I like taking odd ideas and making them work. It gets my creative juices pumping. That's why I like taking on giftfic prompts—the public comes up with some very out-of-left-field ideas that I am pretty much forced to make work somehow. If you ever want to try such things, remember, it helps to think outside the box and stay flexible. It's easier when you don't outline.
If you old-timers are wondering about Xion's change of title, well, as it turns out there is someone on this site with the username XionTheBlackRose. Total coincidence, I swear. I PM'd her, and she told me to change it. It's been changed in Castle Cleanup and Interesting Situations as well. Why must all the good names be taken? :)
Anyway, this is where all the fluff will go from now on. Unless I'm doing a different fic at the time, I will try to update this daily if I can. I'll probably put giftfics in here, too, unless the person specifically states that they want their fic to be multiple chapters.
I hope you enjoyed this short story. Remember, reviews are always appreciated. Question for reviewers: Do you think the Organization would make a good football team? Why or why not? Best answer gets a giftfic, because I'm awesome that way. :)
Thanks for reading, and tune in next time for more from the sea-salt trio!
