Disclaimer – I do not own Kingdom Hearts, or the song "Keep Breathing" by Ingrid Michaelson

Disclaimer – I do not own Kingdom Hearts, or the song "Keep Breathing" by Ingrid Michaelson.
I don't own a lot of things.
But I write about them.
Just thought I'd mention that. xD

b r e a t h i n g;

a namixel in one act.

Naminé sits, thinking.

She'd seen his face so many times before. It was hard to forget.

And that voice. That raspy tenor voice that echoes in your head with every word he says. She knew it. She recognized it. It was everywhere. Those eyes followed her everywhere, haunting her from every corner.

She wanted more.

They'd met at a party – a place where there were many friends in common. Friends she went to school with, friends he used to work with. It was a harmless party. They met on whim. They didn't do anything. Just a few conversations and a cup of wine. She thought he was cute, and nice, and altogether a great guy. Maybe everything would go well, even if he was substantially older.

But Naminé had the slightest feeling that maybe this was wrong.

…the feeling was only slight, though.

So she sits, almost as if she's waiting for the red head.

--

Axel sits, thinking.

He doesn't feel like a good person.

In fact, he feels like a really, really horrid person.

"A nasty sinner," as a matter of fact.

But… there's something about her fragileness that's really attractive. She's got the pretty, pale blonde locks, and the paper white skin with the blush on her cheeks, and really she's just really cute. He wanted her. He really, really wanted her. She was younger, but she was pretty, and innocence was such a good thing.

But Axel had the slightest feeling that maybe this was wrong.

…the feeling was only slight, though.

Axel gets up quietly. He's one for indulging himself and satisfying his desires.

That nasty sinner.

--

Naminé, as strong as she is, is one to turn away when she's afraid. She might hide that, and hide that well, but she knows when she wants to run away from the world.

And now is one of those times.

She sees him through the curtains.

"How did he know I lived here?" she whispers to herself, peering through the curtains.

There's knocking on the door.

Naminé strides over to the door, and unlocks and opens it with thin, long fingers. "Hello," she says. Why does she feel so hopeless all of a sudden?

He smiles. "Hello, dear," he says. "How are you feeling?"

"I-I'm fine," she answers with a smile. As much as she wants to hold him and be with him, she can't tell her body to move out from behind the door. That feeling has grown.

It has on him, too.

But, for some odd reason, he can't really control himself, either. "That's good," he says, taking a step forward. She smiles at him, and clutches the door harder.

"How are you?" she asks, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm… I'm well," he says with another smile. "I've been thinking about you."

She swallows. "I've been thinking about you, too, Axel."

"Really?" His slender figure moves closer to little Naminé. "That's odd. We haven't known each other for that long."

"I know." She giggles nervously. "So… er… what are you doing here?"

"I don't really know, actually," Axel says. "I needed air."

What exactly does he mean by that?

Naminé swallows again. "I see," she says. "Understandable."

Axel chuckles, and takes another step forward. "Yes. I've been having a difficult time lately. I need to keep breathing. You know?"

Naminé nods, taking a slight step back. This man makes her breathless in many ways, but the way he's looking at her is beginning to scare her.

"Do you ever get that way, sweetheart?"

"Mmm," she answers. "All the time."

He nods, smiling. He lifts a pale, skinny hand, and runs it across Naminé's cheek. He sighs in pleasure. "I can breathe now," he says, his voice barely audible.

And it all goes downhill from there.

--

All Naminé can do is keep breathing. She wants to do something else, anything else, even walk through fire. But she can't get away. And, really, part of her doesn't want to get away, even though there's a tiny part of her that knows how wrong this is.

Axel almost wants to stop breathing. He can't help it, he loves her, he loves it so much. He's never going to want to stop, not ever. Even though a tiny part of him knows what he's doing is wrong.

All they can do is keep breathing…

…now.

The nasty sinner and the young, innocent martyr, together in what seems to be miscalculated intimacy, and all they can do is keep breathing.

--

And then it ends.

And every ending means a new beginning.

He's gone, and she's lying on her bed, shaking, hurting, crying. No. That's not what she wanted. Not at all. That was awful. And, strangely, if it were anyone else, anyone at all, she might've possibly enjoyed it some.

But no. It was him. She thought she loved him, but then he did that, and all trace of love and respect just vanished.

Naminé had to turn him in

Didn't she?

--

He walks home with a permanent smirk on his face. Yes, he thinks. Yes. He had done it. She was so cute; she was the only one.

It was, in a word, beautiful.

Anyone else would have vomited at that thought of such a thing being beautiful. But he couldn't imagine it any other way.

Axel's such a horrid person.

--

Funny thing is, the police found out.

Axel hurt her. And now he's in jail.

He was just getting what he wanted.

What was so bad about that?

Naminé sits on the other side of the glass. She's not sure why she's staring into those icy, cerulean, gorgeous eyes, considering the man behind them was anything but. Yet she's there, speaking to him.

"Why?" he asks.

She blushes. "You don't know what that did to me," she says darkly, looking away from the glass and the man behind it.

He's silent. "I didn't…" he starts, and then he sighs. "I'm sorry, Naminé," he says awkwardly.

She looks up at him, loving him, hating him. "You have no right to say my name," she says, reiterating her tone.

Axel smirks. "Really?"

Naminé's cross expression doesn't change. "I hate you, Axel."

The smirk grows. "I love you too, baby."

Naminé hates being a liar.

But all they can do is keep breathing now.

--

asdfjkghjk.
that was not that good.
sorry.
but on the up side, how was THAT for a comeback?
i missed you guys!
um. i probably won't be writing that much here. well, a few oneshots and stuff, maybe some chapters in fics, but other than that, i won't write AS much. but i'm here. yaaay.
:D

--kayleigh.