Heeeeey, guys! Nice to see you! I really hope you'll enjoy this lil' ole story of mine. It's been in the makings for a while now, at least, in my head. I'm very open to constructive criticism (but no flames). (Speaking of, does anyone know the alt code to make the 'I' in 'Saix' correct? It's been bugging me.) Anyways, disclaimer!
DIS CLAIMER SAIZ I HAZ NO COPYRIGHTS. NO COPYRIGHTS, NO OWN.
Axel watched from the virtual rooftop of Twilight Town, overlooking the Struggle Tournament as some punk faced off against the disguised Dusk.
He had to admit, the computer's layout of Twilight Town was almost an exact copy of the original, down to the last leaf in the woods. The sunsets looked reminiscent of the ones the three- no, two- of them would watch together. Even the ice cream tasted the same.
However, something was… off. The people would blink either too slowly or too quickly, sometimes. A hair would rise and fall the same way with two different breezes. Sometimes a finger or hand would twitch- repeatedly. Over and over and over. None around the oblivious prisoner, of course. The creator, DiZ (What a lame name, Axel mused), was too careful to allow the Nobody to suspect something wrong with his dream reality.
The "main characters", of course, were absolutely perfect. The trio surrounding the blond Nobody was as flawless as the surrounding Town. Each NPC (for lack of better word) reflected their non-virtual persona like a mirror. Even the "Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee" was among those perfected. However, the midget that followed Seifer's gang like a puppy, was not given the same attention to detail.
Which made him the perfect candidate to be swapped with a Dusk to face off with Roxas.
Axel's gaze returned to the boy in question as the announcer proclaimed the Dusk as the winner against Seifer. The blond's eyes were narrowed at Vivi, who had frozen, apparently waiting for the next match. Unease radiated off Roxas when the disguised Dusk refused to look away. Number VIII frowned as he felt the air around him lock up. The Nobody cursed.
DiZ had found him.
Axel quickly vanished to avoid the suffocating air, reappearing in the entrance into the Sandlot, just in time to watch Roxas begin his Struggle match against the Dusk. Surprise flashed across his gaze as the Dusl lunged as soon as the bell signaled the beginning of the match. Roxas quickly parried, retaliating with a quick flurry of swift strikes. Axel gave a minute smirk as he recognized the combo as one he himself had helped Roxas learn. Determination settled onto Roxas's face as he collected the orbs he had knocked from the Dusk.
"Always so expressive," Axel muttered bitterly, recalling the cold glare Roxas had leveled a Axel the last time they'd spoken. The redhead tugged a battered picture from his pocket. Upon receiving the picture from the Dusks, the assassin of Organization XIII had gleefully gratified the three from Twilight Town, leaving only Roxas unscathed. Number VIII spared a tight smile for the grinning boy in the picture before tucking the picture back into his pocket. He glanced up as Roxas moved to lay the final blow on the Vivi doppelganger.
Axel waved his hand, the virus he had planted earlier set in, and the town froze.
Roxas started, eyes widening in panic as Vivi's form sprang into the Dusk's typical forn.
"Again?" Axel had to chuckle at the aggravation in Roxas's voice. His grin dropped as the Struggle bat was replaced with the Keyblade. "Again…?"
Why do I have the Keyblade? I have to know!
Roxas needless to say, made quick work of the lithe, white Nobodies. Axel grinned.
Showtime!
"Roxas! Alright!" He cheered playfully as he clapped. Roxas spun around to face Axel. Blue clashed against emerald. "Fight, fight, fight!" Something in Axel's chest twisted at the lack of recognition in the blond's gaze. "You really don't remember? It's me. You know…Axel."
He thought he saw something flicker in Roxas's gaze as the redhead removed his hood. "…Axel?"
Axel paused expectantly, then sighed. "Talk about blank with a capital B-" Axel ran a hand through his hair. "Not even the Dusks are going to crack this one."
Damn facades, he growled mentally as he summoned his chakrams. Roxas gasped.
"W-wait a sec! Tell me what's going on!"
Axel frowned, glancing around. Gotta be quick… "This town is his creation, right? That means we don't have time for a Q&A."
Emerald eyes widened as the Sandlot landscape around the two rippled. He was running out of time. A decision needed to be made. "Uh oh."
No one would miss me.
That's not true!
He made his decision.
…I would.
While Roxas was watching the town around him shift, Axel crouched. He sprang as Roxas turned back to him. A quick chop to the back of the blond's neck sent the boy collapsing into his arms. Roxas groaned against Axel's Organization XIII cloak as the redhead bent to settle Roxas over his shoulder. He stood just as the red-coated bastard showed up.
"Set him down, Nobody," DiZ rumbled warningly.
"I don't think so. Roxas is the Organization's Axel laughed, calling up a corridor. The landscape trembled beneath his feat. He tapped his temple with his free hand. "Get it memorized."
The buildings and people began vanishing, fading away into green zeroes and ones. DiZ's enraged roar followed Axel and Roxas as the Corridor wrapped safely around the Nobodies, tucking them away from the shattering virtual Town. Axel re-emerged in the real Twilight Town, on top of the Clock Tower. Dismissing his weapons, he gently laid Roxas against the stones, away from the ledge, and sat down to wait for the boy to wake.
There was no way he could allow the Organization to get their hands on Roxas again. The blond left once, nothing was to stop him from leaving again, especially if he didn't remember Axel. Saix and Xemnas only saw him as a means to an end- and Axel would swear it wasn't the same end the Organization was always told. Xigbar was creepy as hell. The rest of the Organization wouldn't care at all to protect Roxas. He always got along with Demyx, but it was too much work for the mullet-ed man to go for it. Axel was all on his own.
He really doesn't remember me.
Axel tucked his hands behind his head. He needed a plan. A good one. Running from the Organization wasn't easy.