Questions left Unanswered

Warning/Disclaimer: Do I need to define what a spoiler is? No? Well… let's just say that there could be possible spoilers in here so you may not want to read this if you haven't played very much of Kingdom Hearts 2 or any of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.

A never ending path that seemed to lead nowhere in his life; a life in which he hoped for the light which seemed far off in the distance. The keyblade master wandered aimlessly through the misty morning he was stuck in. What was he searching for besides his friends?

A home?

A family?

Whatever it was that had Sora wandering by himself, lost in a rare moment of deep thought, wouldn't leave him in peace. Where did he belong in this journey for the light of all worlds? The light of his heart was diminished. There were far too many questions dancing in the back of his mind. The gaps in his memory hadn't bothered him at first but now, they were all that consumed him.

Yet there was so much more out there for the brunet to discover. He'd made countless friends during his journeys, more than the boy had ever had in his young life. But when he asked his questions to his friends, they didn't have the answers he was looking for. He sighed, stopping on a lonely strip of beach, sitting down and staring out at the ocean, rippling in, nipping at his bare feet.

"And what brings you here?" a familiar voice asked of him.

Spinning around, Keyblade appearing in a flash of light, its master was greeted by a man of firey red hair, eyes the colour of aqua and garbed in black stood before Sora, smirking. He stood leisurely, comfortable in his stance as the two watched each other, one set of eyes wary, the other completely relaxed.

"You didn't answer my question," Axel continued. "What brings you here?"

"I want answers –"

"That you're not ready to accept." The nobody interjected.

"Tell me!" the keyblade master pleaded.

"Tell me why I should tell you."

"Because they're my memories and I have a right to know."

"That's not good enough," Axel replied, turning to walk from the boy who so reminded him of his best friend. "I won't tell you. You're better off not knowing."

"They're my memories," Sora returned, indignation clear in his tone, blue eyes narrowing into a heated glare. "And you know what happened to me, to Kairi… to Riku. So tell me already!"

Axel sighed, memories of Roxas coming to mind as he watched the keyblade master's face fall to his feet. "You're not ready," was his reply, his own voice ringing with the chords of finality.

"Why…?"

"Because you're better off not knowing. Why do you continue going around in this circle?"

"I won't give up!" Sora spat at the redhead.

Axel smirked, the fire that was his to command, flared around the keyblade master in the unexpected attack which not even the most experienced fighter could reply. The fire surrounded the boy as the round weapons that were Axel's and his alone appeared with ease in his hands. The quadruple bladed weapons soared through the air, slicing through the fire with effortlessness, singing their song as they sliced through cloth and lacerated skin.

The weapon laced past Sora's face, leaving a line of crimson to match the deeper wounds on arms and legs. The boy was completely defenseless, the magical fire proved to be impervious to the strikes of his weapon or the strongest of his magical attacks. The fire danced on his skin, reddening it instantly, gloved hands went to cover his face. "Stop!" he begged.

"Are your memories truly worth your life!" Axel roared at the master of the keyblade. "Are they worth the agony that you're feeling, the wounds I'm inflicting on your body? Are they? Is it truly worth this much pain for a few measly memories of someone you're never supposed to know! ANSWER ME BOY!"

Is it truly worth this, Sora thought to himself. There were so many other things that he had to do in order to save the worlds along with finding Kairi and Riku. His arms dropped to his sides, blood pouring from the deep lacerations on his heated flesh. Memories were not worth this pain, in his heart, mind nor being inflicted upon his body. There was nothing more sacred to Sora than life itself; it was something he strongly strived to save for everyone who hadn't yet lost their hearts to the darkness.

"No…"

Axel's ears quirked at the quiet reply coming from the keyblade master. "I didn't you hear you Keyblade Master."

"No…" Sora replied again, with more force than necessary. "It's not worth my life to know my memories. It isn't worth the pain, the hurt… the loss!"

And with a single admittance which brought the brunet to his knees, body shaking from the sudden, rapid temperature change, Axel laughed loudly, cruelly. "Now you get it," the redhead resounded, boots clapping against the ground before stopping in front of the one he'd gone out of his way to injure. Crouching down, the eighth member of the organization grabbed Sora's chin roughly and brought it up to face him. He smirked at the defiance in the boy's eyes even though they were obviously laced with pain.

It pained Axel inside to see Sora in pain, but he didn't show it. Instead, he went for a trusty smirk as he balled his fist and brought it to the side of the boy's head. The first sign of the blow working was when the brunet's eyes rolled into the back of his head. The second and last sign shown was when Sora's body fell forward into the nobody's arms, limp, eyes shut loosely.

"My dear friend Roxas, I'll never see you again and I'm sorry," Axel murmured, laying the Keyblade Master on the ground for his friends to find and care for. A portal forming behind him, Axel left the beached area of the fated islands of destiny for the world of darkness.

A world of darkness where questions of the hearts and the memories contained within were always left unanswered.

It was better left that way.