Playing with Fire.

An Axel based Fan Fiction.

VIII x

From my love for the character of Axel from Kingdom Hearts, I always wondered about his background and what he did before he became a Nobody. Please, give me feedback on this, I love constructive criticism. If you notice anything which does not make any sense, please just tell me and I'll happily edit, that goes for spelling also but please bare in mind I am English so my spelling differs from the American kind.

I do not own any of the characters mentioned, nor do I own the places.

This fan fiction will be updated when I feel like it as I am more interested in my main one, being "Third Time Lucky", please also give me opinions and reviews on that. I'll be very happy: D

VIII x.


"Off with his head!"

Those thunderous words, echoing through the mazes and back to the quiet joker, who was sat on a small rock. He always tried so hard to impress the Queen of Hearts and hoped he never heard those fateful words. Luckily, he was good at his job but never good with the girls who seemed to like to surround him. He preferred to be alone, practicing his fire based tricks. He was a hot headed joker, be it eating fire or using flaming Chakrams for a firework display. Looking upwards, his emerald green eyes sparkled. The rooftops of this enclosed forest always seemed so much more interesting than talking to those mad, fan girls.

Thinking for a moment, he wondered why each day he would put himself through such strenuous activities but seeing that overweight queen chortle with glee somehow made him stay. Shifting off of that comfy rock, the bells on his shoes jingled merrily. Looking down at his costume, it never ceased to make him laugh. The shoes he wore curled at the end and were split into red and black, like the colours of card suits. Around his ankles, he wore sock which especially had white frilly tops, so his tight fitting red and black trousers would tuck into them. Around his waist a white, loose fitted belt swung and over his chest, he typically covered it with a tight fitted red and black shirt which he accessorized with a white frilly cravat and the end of the sleeves were also frilly and white. Typically on his face he wore more makeup than his mother, dark eyeliner and two lines down his cheeks which was common with the joker's of the time.

He leapt from one foot to the next, skipping, as he once more practised with his pyrotechnics. Within both palms, two small bursts of flames began to flicker. Smirking, he pushed off from that small rock and into the air, bringing his body into a backflip, before shooting the two flames into the air and when they collided, small embers fell to the floor similar to how a petal falls from a flower. This joker landed on his knees, before swinging one arm infront of his stomach and the other stayed out by his side. He stuck out his tongue and upon it a burning ember suddenly lit into a full fledge flame, tilting his head back he swallowed this burning flame. Inside his mind, the crowd were going wild. Standing on their feet and applauding this pyromaniac joker. "Thank you, thank you! The name is Axel, got it memorized?" He said in a joking manner, so that no one would forget the best joker that this land had ever seen.

Snapping back into reality, his eyes opened widely smelling a disgusting stench. Noticing his spikey, red hair had set alight he swaggered to the nearby pond, sticking his head fully in. Stupidly he snorted up a mouthful of stagnant pond water. In disgust, he pulled his head from the water, amazing his makeup had not smudged at all. Coughing violently, he banged constantly at his chest until all the water left via his mouth. "..Not good." He grumbled, before thinking and turning his attention to a nearby frog which croaked it's song.

Moving to be sat cross legged, this joker placed his head in his palm as he though aloud, "I wonder if I convince the Queen I swallowed a frog she might spare me my head, tomorrow?" Mumbling to himself he failed to notice a young, blonde girl behind him. She began to giggle softly before tapping him on his shoulder. "You're that joker, aren't you? The one who uses fire? Wow! Will you tell me how you do it?" She wore a elegant looking dress, though it was cut rather short. Kneeling down next to him, she smiled widely, before smearing her hair back from her face.

Axel sighed, getting up and the bells on his shoes again jingling which left this blonde with a wide grin upon her face. Seeming slightly creeped out by this blonde who appeared, Axel leapt back from her but as he had not thought out his landing, he ended up swinging his arms trying to catch his balance. The blonde thought he was trying to entertain her so she was naturally in a fit of giggles. "What do you want?" Axel demanded, swinging his arms infront of him in refusal to do anything else but stand there but the sight of him was amusing for this girl and as was how he spoke. Growling, Axel's hands seemed to give off a light red glow but to his shock this girl whom he had never met before stepped up, finally having stopped laughing and around her fists, flickers and jolts of electricity sparked.

"Oh.." He muttered, before looking down at the floor and shifting his feet, the jingles of the bells left this blonde hair to keel over, snickering. "How am I meant to take you seriously?" She asked, before shaking off the electrical current from her hands. Axels face screwed up and he was about to speak but the frog from the side of the pond leapt from the lily pad it was sat on and obviously thought Axel's head looked more comfortable.

Knowing he had to practise his routine for the next day, his gloved hands swatted at the frog on his head, which in its turn allowed a ribbit to rumble in its large throat. It then leapt from his head back to it's lily pad, knowing at least that would not swat at it. Axel then turned his attention to this blonde girl, seeming unimpressed that she was still there and cackling at whatever he did. Growling he then grasped her by her shoulder and shook her violently, "Do you not understand, missy, if I do not do this that tomorrow you might not have a Axel to woo over? Damn it! Why can't you take your admiration to a guy who appreciates it, I could not care less if you enjoyed my pyrotechnics nor if you think I'm attractive!" He shoved her back and soon a wall of flames surrounded the angered joker, who then in an strop moved to sit with his legs crossed in the circle of flames.

He kept up that fiery wall as he began to think of what he could do for his routine until that annoying blonde left the premises. Afterwards, the embers fell to the floor in a shower. Sighing, he knew he had to do something but had no idea what. Tapping at his temple with one of his lengthy fingers didn't really help either. Infact, it added to his headache which was thumping against his forehead and over both of his eyes, which made it practically impossible for him to think.

Unfortunately for this joker, morning came faster than the day before. He was due to perform in under, what?! A minute?! Rubbing at his hair, he realized he must have fallen asleep from that pain. Panicking, he straightened up and then despite the race his heartbeat thumped at inside of his chest, he attempted to walk calmly towards the center where that pig of a Queen would be sat with her fat fist on that throne as usual.

The cool, calm, collected Axel was overrated and as he came into the spotlight, he tripped up over his own feet, the cheery jingles of the bells on his shoes seemed to add comedy to each move he made. Luckily though, this joker had a answer for anything which could go wrong. So he was quick to roll along the floor and position himself so he was on one knee and the other leg was outstretched infront of him. His arms outstretched over his head and wide grin beamed over his face, he was lucky enough to manage to fool the Queen and her ignorant subjects to think it was intentional.

Swinging his body in an awkward fashion, he performed a backflip and landed firmly on his feet. A burst of applause accompanied this move before the Queen's heavy fist banged against the side of her throne, showing she was becoming increasingly fed up. Thinking quickly on his feet, Axel swung both of his arms elegantly infront of him, as flames burst from his palms and as he tamed his fiery partners, he leapt onto her left foot and used his right to propel him as he spun around on one foot. The fires began to spread and take their place in the air like fiery ribbons surrounding this pyromaniac.

Summoning the pair of Chakrams he typically worked with was his next point of call, allowing the flames to pass onto it as he began to spin them both in a similar fashion to a baton. He brought his arms up but at that moment, that fat fist smashed against the side of the throne a final time. The Queen's loud voice bellowed through the air, "Off with his head!" The pair of Chakrams Axel wielded disappeared in thin air as from behind two soldiers, which were actually two animate cards carrying a spear, grabbed one arm of each. Axel's jaws dropped as then his life flashed before his eyes, his heels being dragged along the floor as he was to meet his demise.