Full Summary: In a world where war is raging between a country's (the Kingdom's) Military and its Church, Sora is a child of the Gods; an Angel. He is the only Angel of the Church that has ever been able to hear the Gods, along with the rare power of pure light. His Guardian Riku came out of nowhere with a mysterious, terrible past and a heart
filled with darkness. On the other side of the desert to the East, Roxas is a simple dog of the Military that has the never-before-seen power of being able to detect Angels among the normal population. His best friend Axel has a
strange affinity for fire, which puts him at the top right beside Roxas. After a chance meeting between the Military dogs and Church disciples, strange occurences rise and take hold of Roxas and Sora. All the while the inner politics and outer conflicts of war rage, building steadily towards a disastrous climax.

AN: This is a change-of-pace sort of story. It revolves around a civil war type setting, as stated in the summary, between the Church and the Military of the country. Despite the AU status, the characters are as accurate as I could make them, and all will be explained in time. If not, leave me a review with your questions and I will respond at the beginning of the next chapter. This is the most extensive plot I have ever written, so I apologize if there are ups and downs that don't add up.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

RATED T for cursing and violence.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy; all credit goes to Square Enix and Disney.

PROLOGUE: War

War. It is both the problem and the resolution of the imagined or defined problems of a world, nation, or people. There are always two or more sides involved in a power struggle, trying to gain the authority to put their beliefs into action or create law and an understanding. There is always another viewpoint to argue, morals to contradict, and people to destroy or command. There is always one side in power, and another that bends and obeys. Leaders and followers. Otherwise, there is supremacy conflict and instability that necessitates using force to show that neither side is going to back down. Thus, war is started.

The midlife- the time axis of the evolution of a species- is riddled with wars and dominating figures clawing their way to the top of the food chain to try and steer the whole of society in their direction. Before, in the primal stages of a species, unity is a necessity. And after, in the advanced and nearing final stages, the species is in unity out of knowledge, equality, and superior intellect. The midlife, though, is a cluttered variety of opposing intellects working in a world where life is only lost in illness, old age, and murder. There are no feelings that force thousands, millions, of people together in companionship; instead, there is anarchy.

In a small world where man struggled through the midlife of its species, a Kingdom was led by its Military, which was led by men who only sought to invade and control the rest of the planet through violence and hatred. Slowly, one by one, many countries fell to the soldiers of the Kingdom, no matter how many thousands of miles of water separated the lands. Thousands of people died on their knees, begging for their lives; leaders and kings brought their palms to the ground, sacrificing their pride to save their people, only to be mocked and cut down in cold blood. No one was spared. Only enough were left alive to keep the lands running and to keep the steadily growing ranks of soldiers fed and wealthy.

But an ostensibly quiet, although steady, unrest was budding underneath the iron gauntlets of the Military. War had commenced around the world, and now civil war was about to break out in the Kingdom. Words of hope and fear were whispered at every corner, telling of the Church's outrage against the Military. The Gods did not look kindly on murderers and the greed of man, and the Kingdom was beginning to look like a country of cutthroats and cowards. The Church would not stand for the careless bloodshed and suffering brought by their Military.

Every heart, every face, began to take a side. The Church and the Military, Light and Dark, Good and Evil. The Military wanted power and profits, the Church just wanted peace. And so the prince of the Kingdom, a man named Lamar Shinra, called upon the leader of the Church, Aerith Gainsborough. She entered his office hoping to sway her prince's heart and make him see the devastation his Military was causing inside and outside the Kingdom, but she left barely alive in the arms of her closest disciples. She had only just let a smile grace her lips for her prince before bullets were ripping through her body.

And so, war broke out.

The people of the Kingdom separated like ink being torn from a page; there were no more gray areas, there was only black and white. The Church moved immediately across the desert to the West, as far from the Military bases as possible, while attempting to nurture their beloved leader back to health. The first attack was by the Military, but the one that began the heavy struggles was the Church's retaliation. The Western Branch command center of the Military, the closest Military building to the desert that separated the two sides, was blow apart and torn to the ground by hundreds of rebels dedicated to the Church. Hundreds of soldiers were wounded but not one person lost a life. When the Military destroyed a sacred chapel on the far edge of the desert, they were not as kind. Fifty three civilians lost their lives trying to protect their chapel, and another seventeen were taken into Military custody, to never be seen again. Years passed, yet the civil war remained everlasting. Troops were brought home, all focus now on keeping their own country from falling into ruin. The Military far outnumbered the Church, but the Church had powers of which the Military could never duplicate. The Church had the Gods on their side.

CHAPTER ONE: The Dogs and The Angels

Year 2149

"I mean, why the hell couldn't we even have a ratter or a seven miller cycle? Saix must be crazy to send us out like this. It must be like, what, a hundred and seven freaking degrees out here? Man, why the hell-

"Axel, shut up."

It was entirely too hot for Axel's mouth to be running like this, in a way that made Roxas's skin heat with frustration. The sun beat down without mercy, sand spraying over them with the harsh, dry wind to scrape and scratch skin until blood began to bubble to the surface. It was like stumbling through a thick marsh while shards of glass were whipping past, some catching onto pale, fragile skin and searing a trail of red. Their boots left marks in the sea of tan grains only to be swept away moments later, and the coats and scarves they wore only caught the sweat that poured off of them, giving little shelter from the force of the elements. Exhaustion had come two hours ago, and all their movements through the desert were fueled on desperation and rage. Roxas clicked on the handheld radio yet again and spat into it,

"8-13 to base, coordinates!" silence for many long moments, and the young blonde snarled, "Saix, coordinates! We're stuck out here and have no directives! We need a little help, here!"

Again, like the countless times before, there was no response.

Roxas stopped abruptly, making Axel come to a halt behind him.

"Damn it!" The radio hit the sand with barely a soft thunk, and Roxas collapsed beside it, legs crossed tightly. His elbows braced on them, and he hung his head in his hands silently. The wind roared around them still, having no care for their dire predicament. Roxas could get up and keep moving, but the desire for rest swirled over his body, and as soon as he stopped moving his muscles practically vibrated and cried their gratitude. Nothing would silence the aches crawling around his skull, though, and he let out a heavy sigh, ignoring when footsteps made the sand around him shift. Axel kneeled next to him, attitude now switched from snarky and petulant to soft and concerned. His scarlet mane of hair danced in the wind, having escaped from the black scarf wrapped around his shoulders, neck, and over half his face. He tugged down the fabric so that Roxas could see the downward perk of his lips.

"Roxas, come on. Get up, man, it's not like we're going to die out here or anything."

"I know that," The blonde snapped, "but it's going to take days to get out of this desert. I can't believe Xigbar didn't pick us up. You think something happened?"

The red head smirked wryly, "The Cyclops probably got drunk halfway through the drive and forgot where we were meeting. We can still find our way back, but to do that we need to keep moving."

"The sun's going down and we've been walking since sunrise. I need a break."

The teenager turned his face back down and moodily buried his nose in his gloves once more. A hand clapped onto his shoulder and squeezed slightly in comfort.

"Fine, we'll settle down for the night. But why don't we do it at that oasis over there; I'm sure moping in the shade of one of those trees would be more appealing."

"Oasis?"

Dark blue eyes shot back up and scanned the sandy horizon Axel was pointing towards. Sure enough, trees were sprouting up like tiny skyscrapers from the flat land, barely visible through the sandstorm. Roxas shot to his feet without further prodding and practically sprinted towards salvation, leaving the abandoned radio without a second thought.

Axel sighed, pulling the cloth back up to cover his face, and scooped up the device before trotting after his younger companion. They'd only been in the desert for a day and a half but the blonde was already about to burst, snarling at everything Axel said to try and lighten the mood or voice his own frustrations. It was such a simple mission. Xaldin drove them through the desert to the West, dropped them off, they conducted a quick sweep and collected the data required. He supposed it started falling apart when they waited a day at the location Xigbar was supposed to meet them at before taking off into the desert on their own. It should have taken just a day, and now they were already bordering on three. The situation was wholly ridiculous and skin-crawling. He might have brushed off his concerns to appease Roxas, but Axel feared something much larger had happened back at base other than Xigbar's usual drunken forgetfulness.

The soldier watched the legs of his young companion kick up the cursed sand that could only be found in the slim patch of desert that separated the two forces of unrest in their country, and wondered to himself once more. Roxas was far too young to be in the Military, having joined when he was only twelve, but he was a genius at developing weaponry and picking up the smallest bits of information when no one else- not even experienced soldiers like Axel- would have been able to find a thing. So the redhead understood why the Military would want to keep the little blonde in their network of atrocities, but that didn't mean he had to like it. When Axel had met Roxas he'd felt the overwhelming intensity of pure emotion for the first time. He wanted to protect the boy, and had told General Xemnas exactly that. The man had laughed at him, but conceded. Ever since that day nearly four years ago, Roxas and Axel had gone on every mission together and had formed a bond that no one else in the military had. Well, besides Cloud and Leon maybe. They were friends, they watched each others' backs, and they kept smiling for each other even when they were lost in the middle of a God-forsaken desert.

The point is, Axel knew Roxas. So as soon as the teenager skidded to a halt at the rise of the hill shielding the oasis and his body stiffened, Axel knew something was very, very wrong. The boy's legs tensed into a defensive crouch and his hand went to his hip where his sword was strapped at the ready. Axel broke into a sprint, already drawing his rifle and clicking off the safety in one smooth motion. His breath halted in his throat when he slowed to a stop at his partner's side, the muzzle of his rifle pointed down at the figures under one of the huge palm trees. Acid green eyes glanced into the sights of the rifle before he lowered the weapon to his side, non-offensive but still at the ready.

"They're unconscious or dead, either way they're not moving," he murmured quietly.

Roxas gave a sharp nod and let his hand fall from the hilt of his blade before silently climbing down the side of the bowl-formation that shielded the oasis. Axel followed two steps behind him, eyes scanning the rest of the area for a hint of any other people that may be nearby, but he saw nobody or anything that could indicate that there were others. Just about a dozen palm trees scattered about in the sand, surrounding a pond of crystalline water about twenty feet in diameter. The two people were collapsed in the shade of the palm tree closest to the water; the taller one's toes were touching the edge of the water.

All they could see at first was that the people were clothed completely in white, and as they got closer they could tell that they were younger. When they were upon them, Axel's brow raised as he glanced at Roxas, who looked equally stupefied.

They were both male, one a boy around Roxas's age with wildly spiky blondish brunette hair and tan skin that held a healthy glow. An older teenager had the brunette tucked securely against his body, one arm tight around the tiny waist with his other hand locked in a tight grip on the kid's shoulder. This one had striking hair that gleamed like liquid silver where it spilled over the sand and across his pale face, with coal-black eyelashes and just the smallest of scars tracing from the corner of his jaw up diagonally to his right cheek bone. The silverette looked just a few years younger than Axel and had lean limbs that contained significantly more muscle than his small companion. Their chests rose and fell slightly with breath, so they were asleep and not dead, and though their intimate positioning looked awkward they were obviously comfortable and familiar with it.

Once more, Axel's eyes rose from the two to flicker around the surrounding area. He couldn't believe these people- for God's sake, they were teenagers- would leave themselves defenseless without having someone on guard. Even out-of-country travelers knew to keep their guard up, but these two looked as if they hadn't a care in the world. But there was no one else around; they wouldn't have let Axel and Roxas get this close if there was.

Roxas's voice was barely a whisper as he turned to Axel, "They're from the West."

"How do you figure?" Axel responded just as quietly, attention locked on the slumbering boys at their feet.

The blonde simply pointed at what Axel had missed; there were gold silk symbols stitched lightly into the somewhat dirty fabric of their clothes, just under the collar in the center of the chest and on each shoulder. They were elegant, swirling designs of a double-sided key bound by what might have been a halo. Another giveaway was the silver combat boots and rings of the same shade of metal encircling their wrists and arms.

Axel was just about to click off the safety of his rifle and execute them when Roxas's boot toe moved forward to nudge the shoulder of the brunette. As soon as it made contact, the older boy's eyes snapped open to reveal animalistic tropical green-blue. Before the soldiers grasped what was happening the teenager was on one knee, crouched defensively over his friend. A hand opened at his side and darkness suddenly rose from within the lithe body to curl around his hand and move outward to form a black sword in the shape of a demon's wing.

Caught off guard, Axel instinctively flicked off the safety as he jumped back and raised his gun without a second thought, finger tightening around the trigger. But Roxas's hand shot out and pushed the muzzle toward the ground, making the redhead stumble slightly, before he could even aim. The more experienced soldier shot his friend a scathing, disbelieving look, but the blonde was focused on the armed Church disciple, palms out in a gesture of peace.

No one said a word for many long, tense moments. Guarded aquamarine eyes were darting between the young soldiers, and to the rifle that was still held at the ready. Finally, Axel conceded with Roxas's silent expectation and grudgingly holstered the weapon at his hip, but their adversary looked as if he had no intention of banishing his weapon of darkness.

"Who are you?" the silverette asked when his comrade began to stir from an apparently deep nap.

Roxas was the first to speak up, so Axel stayed quiet, letting the kid take the lead,

"I'm Roxas and this is Axel. We're just passing through; we have no intention of harming you."

A bitter smirk crawled across the pale- almost pretty- face, "You're Military dogs, and we're with the Church. I doubt you're thinking of walking away with us alive."

The blonde merely smiled slightly, "All I'm thinking about right now is getting out of this damn desert. I can't say I don't care who you are and I'm not interested in why you guys are out here, because you're presenting an awfully curious picture, but I don't want to kill anyone today other than the idiot beside me. I don't know what to say to make you trust me; I'm just hoping we can be a little civil here for a moment. So… ceasefire?"

The smirk fell into a puzzled frown, and another long while passed with a new pair of fearful eyes locked on the soldiers as well. The sharp aqua eyes fell to meet expressive blue ones, just shades lighter than Roxas's, and words seemed to pass through the connection. The brunette nodded slightly at last and the guarded disciple let the darkness around him disperse and draw back into him through his skin. Eyes were still defensive and mistrustful all around, though.

The brunette boy spoke up for the first time, pushing his defender to the side lightly,

"I'm Sora, and this is Riku. We're from the Cathedral of Keys, but we live at the Cathedral of Hearts."

He gave a disarming smile that took Axel off guard but outwardly had no effect on Roxas.

"We're from the Military's North Branch."

The silverette- Riku- raised an eyebrow delicately and raked his fingers through his disheveled hair, "Research and Development, huh? What are you doing all the way out here, collecting cacti milk to create an energy source?"

Axel couldn't help but snicker lightly at the image that brought, of Vexen running around the desert chopping down the green plants violently and making Marluxia carry them. Roxas also smiled with amusement, as if he was sharing the same thought, and just like that all tension seemed to drift away from the four youths.

Roxas lowered his arms and went through a few stretches before plopping down into the shade, just feet from two people who were considered sworn enemies of their government. Axel didn't bother warming down and settled into a lazy sprawl at Roxas's side, feeling the ache the day had caused for the first time, which made him groan and lean back on the heels of his hands near the tree, sheltering him from the whipping sands of the storm. The scent of bark and water was another blessing that washed over the oldest of the group of travelers like a wave of pure serenity. If he had the strength, he might have gotten back up and dove into the precious, clear water that teased him just feet away, but his muscles had already drained of energy and locked into position, demanding rest.

"Man, you guys look beat," piped up Sora, who was still grinning happily as he leaned against the now-sitting Riku's shoulder, "how long have you been out here?"

Axel groaned, figuring that 80% truth would be easier than lying, "About two days now. Our colleague didn't pick us up so now we're pretty much lost."

"So what were you doing?" Sora continued curiously, with no hint of suspicion at all, "If you're scientists, you're not soldiers, right?"

Riku tensed, and Sora must have felt it because he peered up into his buddy's face questioningly.

Roxas answered with a grim smirk, "In the Military, everyone's a soldier."

Sora's face fell slightly, "Well… in the Church, everybody works to help each other out, but there aren't any soldiers, really."

"Sora."

The harsh reprimand surprised Axel. With the way they were acting, he had been beginning to think that Riku was Sora's servant in some way, or guardian, with the way the silverette watched over him and apparently left the decisions to him. But just the snapped name was enough to make the young teenager wilt with a small frown.

"I'm just trying to make conversation, Riku."

"You need to keep your mouth shut, Sora, we're not with friends you know. We might be 'hanging' with these guys, but that does not mean they're not our enemy all of a sudden. Got it?"

The boy nodded sullenly. Axel's lips quirked in sympathy, and he abruptly smiled for the first time,

"Hey, how about this; let's just relax and talk and whatever, and when we part ways we'll just act like this never happened. Don't tell a soul and we won't. That sound good?"

Sora brightened again, "Sounds great! Is that okay, Riku? Can I talk now?"

"… Whatever, Sora."

Roxas and Axel shared a quick glance and smiled slightly. It was nice to just relax for the first time in way too long, even if it was with enemies. To hell with the Military for now, they were both pissed at the higher ups anyway.

Axel grunted as he pushed himself straighter, crossing his legs and letting his elbows hit his knees as his shoulders sagged, "So, are you two alone out here or what?"

"Yep!"

"Might you have any idea where the hell we are?"

"Nope!"

"… How'd you guys get out here?"

"Not telling!"

Axel sighed and gave up on talking to Sora. The kid was too bubbly for his sluggish mind right then. The redhead patted Roxas's head, making the kid glare at him in an affectionately detesting way, and chuckled softly.

"Well, Rox, I don't know about you but I'm beat. Let's get some sleep, okay?"

The blonde slanted a look towards the two disciples, which made Riku sigh.

"Go ahead and go to sleep. The Church doesn't take kindly to its followers stabbing people in the back. As long as you don't try anything with me, I won't try anything with you."

That being said, Riku stretched out on the sand on his back and pulled Sora down to his side, where the boy looped an arm over the elder's body unconsciously. Axel followed suit and ignored Roxas's exasperated sigh as the blonde stumbled to the base of the tree and curled up beside the trunk by himself. Axel's eyes drifted shut but he couldn't fall asleep, even as the breathing patterns around him changed to signify that everyone else had. When he opened his eyes again, there were stars scattered across the sky, and the moon was inching its way up to join them. The redhead rolled his eyes and struggled to his feet, walking with a slight limp to where Roxas was nestled against the tree.

He just looked at the kid for a moment; at the shadows scored under his lashes and the messy blonde hair that had less life than usual, at the too-pale skin and basically malnourished body. The boy was shivering and it was then that Axel realized the desert was probably cold at night. No sand was tearing at him in the fits of a storm, so he knew he could part with his coat and scarf. He peeled off his outer layers of clothing and draped them over his young friend, tucking the edges around the small body to capture and hold warmth. That being completed, the soldier unhooked his belt and let his rifle fall to the cool sand beside Roxas. Easing himself down once more, he turned onto his side and stared up at the sleeping blonde's face, and thought, not for the first time, that Roxas looked too much like an angel to have already killed twenty seven people in his short lifetime. Axel closed his eyes and drifted into dreams of fire, darkness, and light.

Parting the next day was a relief, because even though it was a pleasant feeling knowing that in the middle of a desert oasis people from conflicting sides of a war can come together in peace for a night, it was an even better feeling to be setting off with only his Roxas at his side once more.

Their goodbyes had been brief, with Axel and Riku looking at each other tensely but smiling all the same.

"I guess this is it. It was a pleasure meeting you," Riku had said.

Axel had smirked, "Yeah, let's not meet again."

"Agreed."

Nearly an hour later, Axel was still smiling lightly, glad that Roxas had woken up in a better mood. The blonde had been quiet all morning, thinking to himself, which meant that he was returning to his normal self and leaving his PMS episodes back in the desert where they belonged.

Something came over Axel though, and soon he was glancing around warily, especially behind them.

"What's up?" Roxas asked casually.

"How do we really know they were alone? They could come back with a group of psycho religious nutcases and hunt us down."

"They were alone."

The blonde's confidence caught him off guard, and Axel frowned, "How do you know that for sure, Roxas?"

"Angels can't lie."

Silence rang out as Axel froze in place abruptly. His mouth dropped open slightly as he stared at his companion in slightly horrified shock. In that single moment he could almost feel the temperature against his skin drop and coldness wash over him.

"Angel…?"

"Angels can't lie, Axel. The Gods may have gifted them with certain powers, but in turn Angels have many restrictions… So you didn't notice. I didn't think you would."

Dark blue eyes were shaded as they glanced back at him, completely serious even though a tiny, vicious smile twisted Roxas's lips.

"Yes, Sora is an Angel and Riku is his Guardian."

Dismay washed over the redhead so strongly that his knees nearly gave out, but then anger and fear began to build, at and for his righteous bastard of a best friend.

"Damn it… Roxas… what have you done?"

AN: Please review and tell me how I did, I would really appreciate some constructive criticism since this isn't exactly my area of expertise when it comes to writing. Thank you for reading!