~*Celestial Waterways*~
"I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars." –Og Mandino
O c c a s I o n a l l y Axel will get this really stupid urge to do something special for his friends. Almost as if he owed them something, though that made no sense…
Well "sense" had never exactly stopped the Flurry of Dancing Flames before. He could count on one hand how many times it had. Point being, he made his way over to Xigbar and asked the elder Nobody for a favor.
"Say, you can control space, right?"
Xigbar cocked an eyebrow at Demyx as they sat in the Gray Room, a white chamber with matching furniture and a large window that dominated the biggest wall. "Yeah, kinda, why?"
Axel winked. "Nothing big, but do you know any worlds preparing to have a meteor shower?"
Demyx exchanged a puzzled look with Xigbar.
"Well, poppet, there is one I know of…"
~***~
"Please?"
"No."
"C'mon, what do I have to do?"
This one sided argument had been going on steadily for the last hour or so. In the Castle that Never Was, a small corridor snaked off to the side and climbed up a tower. At that tower's tip, a certain memory witch, a white sorceress you could say, was being held in her room until her services were required at Castle Oblivion. Its preparations were nearly complete. But not quite.
Larxene was on guard duty for the evening that Axel's plans were on. It all fell onto her shoulders, whether or not she would be willing to negotiate with him. The jade eyed Nobody flicked a strand of her blonde hair aside with a lazy finger twitch, smiling, obviously enjoying his veiled agitation.
Dropping his voice to a soothing murmur, Axel asked, "Is there any way I could change your mind?"
"Maybe. You're asking me to let the prisoner out for one night, to interact with the little memory puppet—"
Axel flinched.
"Which is entirely against the rules, and the little Keyblade kid's Nobody, which is even more so against the rules."
"When did you care about rules?" Axel snorted.
Larxene tapped her chin. "I don't know. Maybe right now? Xemnas would skin me alive if he found out, or Marluxia would. You know how he's acting with his precious new 'Lord of Oblivion' title. Or something stupid like that."
"What if he doesn't know?"
"If he doesn't know…" Larxene drawled lazily, taking a step forward and twirling a finger on his chest. Axel rolled his eyes, used to her pointless flirting. "It changes things up by quite a bit." She flicked his nose sharply before withdrawing to her previous spot, leaning on the wall.
"What do you want?" Axel sighed, putting on a theatrical display of reluctance. The blonde Nobody shrugged.
"I'll keep it simple since you're such a baby."
"Great," was the sarcastic reply.
"Chocolate."
"What?" Axel had to check his ears, patting the side of his head.
"You heard me. There's one human memory that really sticks out, and that would be chocolate." Larxene looked amused at his expression. "Get me some, not the cheap kind either, and I'll look the other way when the witch leaves her prison."
Axel decided that it could have been worse. "Done."
"You've got a few hours then," Larxene closed her eyes and smirked. "I don't like white chocolate."
"Figures," he muttered before turning to leave. He reminded himself the results would be worth it.
~***~
Naminé was doodling absently, sketching across the white notebook paper. Gradually, a shape began to form, a delicate white dove, hunched and shivering in a cage, its wings clipped brutally short.
"You know, that's not healthy, from what I've heard."
She stiffened, brushing back a strand of golden hair.
"Relax, princess. It's just me."
A smile split her face. "Axel." She turned around and surveyed the weary looking but triumphant red headed Nobody. "What are you doing here?"
"You're going with me, Roxas, and Xion to see…something interesting." He offered her his hand, and Naminé took it, rising from her seat. After a moment's hesitation, she ripped off the symbolic paper and crumbled it before depositing the wad onto the white table's flawless surface.
"Something interesting?" She echoed, tilting her head slightly.
"Right. You were talking about a meteor shower in one of your…Sora's memories, right?" He flicked his wrist sharply, generating a howling black portal that began to suck in its own tendrils of darkness.
Naminé looked fearlessly at it, as if it was normal. Of course, it was for her. "The falling stars."
"That's right. We're all going to see one, and don't worry about Marluxia or Xemnas. Larxene's pretty content right now too."
The aforementioned female Nobody was on guard duty just beyond the door, only listening with half an ear, thinking chocolate tasted just as good as it did before she "faded into darkness".
"Are you sure?" Naminé asked a little fearfully, eyeing the doorway as if the two imposing male figures would stampede into the room like vicious Heartless, thirsting for her blood.
"Trust me. Or at least Roxas. He's on the other side of this portal."
Reassured, the white witch performed a fleeting look—taking in the white table, the white walls, and the splotches of color that were her drawings—before stepping into the cold blackness.
~***~
Xion had never seen this place before. She leaned forward, looking over the edge of the cliff. The sea crashed against the brown walls and heaved itself forward relentlessly, viciously assaulting the stone with the intent to erode away the foundation.
Behind her was a huge forest, before her the endless ocean. Above her, the evening sky, the sun sinking into the water, turning it blood red. She observed canoes, made from rawhide or something like it, pulling into the small native village that lined the shores. A young woman with long black hair wearing a tan dress decorated with white and red triangles glanced around once, and then held the flap of her tent open so a raccoon could scamper in, berries in its mouth. Performing another swift check of her surroundings, the woman then followed.
As the entire landscape settled down for the night, the nocturnal creatures not quite stirring, Roxas began to pace impatiently, his shoes scuffing the grass and bending the red flowers to grotesque angles. "Where's Axel?" He muttered, rubbing at his springy golden blonde hair.
"He'll be here," Xion assured him, though she was getting a little worried too. And cold. A breeze had picked up, and she fancied she saw leaves flowing in a certain direction, halfway down the cliff side, on a small path…
A single red leaf landed on the thin trail. A burst of darkness sent it flying, and Roxas stepped to her side as Axel and Naminé emerged from the gloomy world of the Dark Corridors.
"There you are," Roxas sounded relieved. He grinned at Axel before anxiously following Naminé as she made her way up the steep slope. She didn't seem to mind the fall to the side, or how cold it was, far too busy surveying every bit of nature she could. Her eyes were so large with wonder; Xion thought that the stars could fit in her cerulean pupils.
Smiling faintly, Xion said to Axel, "Problems?"
"Complications," he admitted, ruffling her raven black hair fondly. "Larxene wanted chocolates, above all else."
"Aren't they in Twilight Town?"
"Gourmet chocolates. As in from…" He gestured with one gloved hand vaguely. "Radiant Garden."
"Where's that?" Xion inquired curiously, the word sounding both strange and familiar. Her ears rang faintly, as if bells were chiming softly close by.
"Nowhere. It's nowhere," Axel muttered. "Hey, Roxas! Princess! This way."
With the younger Nobodies clustered behind him, they were led onto a skinny path through the thick forest. The trees seemed to be black behemoths that towered out of the land, as if they were extensions of the earth's bones. The new clearing they arrived at offered a better view of the sea, and the little native village was just a bit farther away. The ocean was completely silver and blue now under the careful guidance of the moon, which seemed almost like a great eye staring down at them.
Strangely, the thought was comforting. To Xion at least.
"Naminé knows what's coming," Axel began dramatically as he stood near the edge. "I know what's coming. You two, you don't know."
"You told Naminé what's about to happen?" Roxas sounded surprised.
The red headed Nobody winked. "Sure, let's say that. It's due to begin in one minute. We're right on time. Any questions?"
"Where are we?" Xion blurted out before anyone else could speak.
"We're on something the 'other folk' call the 'New World'. The natives down there, they call it home." Axel grinned at Xion's confused, slightly irritated expression.
"Great." Roxas remarked dryly.
Axel's green eyes glinted brightly, like emerald sparks. "Just wait and see."
He sat beside Xion, intertwining his fingers with hers, and the raven haired girl dipped her head and blushed slightly.
"Three, two, one…" Axel muttered either to himself, her, or both.
Xion tilted her head up and watched the heavens. Nothing stirred. Then…
"Oh!" She gasped, blue eyes wide as she saw a flicker of something dart across the sky. Roxas had seen it too. Before they could ask what it was, a half dozen streaks streamed through the night. They steadily increased in number until a spectacular river of stars were flowing, seemingly endless, an ivory blaze against the pale light of the moon.
The natives emerged from their huts in the village and began whooping with joy at the sight, and an old man hunched near the fire, sprinkling something into it. In response, a massive bolt of flames lifted skyward, trailing small orange sparks behind it. The makeshift firework only added to the celestial display. It seemed like a tawny phoenix had risen from the dark ashes around it to explode in a burst of fiery glory.
Xion couldn't take her eyes off of the continuous star shower, her hand unconsciously tightening around Axel's. He seemed amused, more than anything. The natural warmth his body generated seeped into her skin, the cold only a memory.
Naminé and Roxas were whispering, saying something to one another, but Xion couldn't make any of it out.
The river of stars trickled down to a thin stream briefly before abruptly flaring into an impressive line of pure silver. Xion leaped to her feet with a cry of astonished amazement, whirling around to tell Axel something. And ended up accidentally kissing him.
Her entire body stiffened in surprise, and Axel looked just as stunned. She skipped backwards, apologizing profusely, a blush creeping up her face. The stars were cascading so wildly now that she barely saw a hint of the black sky behind their white veil. They began to scatter, bouncing randomly here and there, tearing apart the very heavens, as if the moon was crying tears of crystalline fire.
Xion was surprised when Axel gently pulled her back down. She felt his lips near her ear. "Just watch the show, got it memorized?"
Fearful that she wouldn't be able to form a coherent sentence, she just nodded rapidly.
~***~
Naminé's face as she viewed the star storm was more priceless than the actual display.
Roxas shifted his position on the grass slightly, nose twitching as he felt the beginning of a sneeze. He was actually watching both the swirling sky and Naminé's eyes, which reflected the celestial waterfall perfectly.
He had never felt this way before. Not around Axel, or Xion, or any other Organization member. It was a completely unexplainable feeling. Like being on fire, but pleasant. A constant bubble of warmth seemed to materialize whenever he was with the white witch.
He didn't know why that was.
The glittering trail of stars only grew larger. At one point, Naminé spoke so quietly that he had to strain to hear. "Don't you wish…it could always be like this, Roxas?"
The blonde Nobody blinked in surprise. "Well, why can't it be? We could find a meteor shower every night if we wanted to. There has to be one going on somewhere in the universe, right?"
She smiled sadly; the flickering radiance from above seemed to shed strange shadows across her face. "Oh, Roxas…"
"Don't be sad," he urged her, tearing his gaze from the display. "What's the matter?" He was bewildered, and desperate to stop her quiet crying, he took both of her hands in his own, squeezing gently. "We'll always be together! At-At least in spirit." He had almost said "heart", but then he had recalled they were both Nobodies.
"Of course, Roxas." Naminé replied after a long pause, secretly thinking of Castle Oblivion. Roxas could not follow her there. She lifted her head and they stared at each other, their eyes locked, feeling a strange tension build up between them.
They had only just started leaning towards one another when Xion suddenly shrieked and retreated from Axel's side. Even in the gloom, Roxas could see her blush. He watched silently, amused, as she gradually relaxed from whatever had happened and settled back near the red headed Nobody farther up the hill.
Naminé smiled and turned back to the show. The amazing spectacle went on for seven minutes straight. Then everything stopped, just like that.
"Wow, Axel, that was—" Xion began, only to be interrupted by a huge splash as a meteor the size of Lexaeus plunged into the sea, sending up a sparkling burst of water that glimmered in the moonlight. The waves roiled out to strike at the village, but luckily there was no damage done, besides a boat or two that began to drift out to sea, torn from their ties.
"Look!" Naminé's soft exclamation was heard by her friends, and they all directed their attention back to the sky.
A single bright gold star bounded forward, making its lonely way home.
"Make a wish," Axel said with a grin.
Roxas, unsure what to wish for, decided to seize the moment before the magic left. He wished for Naminé's wish to come true. Pleased, and feeling strangely smug, he overhead Axel telling Xion they would be leaving soon.
"Roxas?"
"Hm?" He hummed a reply distractedly, still wide eyed from the effects of the recent meteor shower.
He gasped and felt heat rush to his face as Naminé softly brushed her lips against his cheek. "Let's go." With that, she was the first one inside the Dark Portal that Axel had opened, to everyone's surprise. Xion followed suit, but Axel waited for Roxas to move first.
"Yo, Roxas! Get a move on." He chided with a smirk.
"H-huh? Right." Wondering if his best friend had seen anything, Roxas quickly entered the freezing black abyss.
"Jeesh, one kiss and he turns so red he could rival my hair." Axel remarked once the blonde Nobody was gone. He gave the cliff and its clearing one more glance before exiting the world.
A hummingbird, emerald green, its thin wings beating faster than the eye could see, flicked into the meadow to see what damage the strangers had caused, if any.
~***~
"Well, you look smug." Larxene commented as Axel safely shepherded Naminé back into her cell.
"The shower was great, sparky. Shame you weren't there."
"You should have sent me one of those charming post cards then."
"Thanks for not ratting us out," Axel grinned and said, "Head to bed, I'll take over your shift."
"What, free chocolate and a short shift?" Larxene didn't wait for his reply, immediately striding out of the room with her usual domineering grace.
Axel leaned against the white wall and closed his eyes. Everything had gone according to plan. All worth it, in the end.
~***~
This is a gift for my friend, Dani-Chan-Sprite-Monster-13! Happy Birthday, hope you're having a great one! Tell me all about it sometime! XD The world they were in was wherever Pocahontas is.