From Eternamente -- Heya, thanks for reading this one-shot. I wanted to take a bit of a break from writing out my other stories, and I had also just played this scene in the game. So, I thought I'd write about it from Axel's perspective. I hope you enjoy it. Reviews are much appreciated!
Disclaimer -- All Kingdom Hearts references belong to Disney/Square Enix. Sora would belong to me if allowed. So, instead I'll just borrow him for a while instead for my master plan of world domination. Or something like that. I'm sure he wouldn't mind.
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I'll Dance For You…
A flame-haired man sits huddled in a corner of seemingly endless space. White beings prance around the area as if they owned the place. Enshrouded in a black coat, he looks around at the otherwise calmness of the area. Sighing, he stands up and starts to think out loud.
"Betwixt and Between. How many times have I come here, I wonder?" He runs a hand through his hair. "This area was created by the Organization to travel into the virtual Twilight Town, where Roxas was kept trapped away." Sighing, he continues his monologue to no one. "Roxas. I miss him so much. He was within my grasp several times, but I couldn't break through to him. I just wanted him back. Damn DiZ for taking him away from me! He was the only one I ever liked…"
Suddenly his thoughts are interrupted as a group of three suddenly enter the spacious nothingness. "Hmm, I know those three. Yeah, that's the duck, dog, and the kid with a Keyblade who smells like him…" He smiles as he recalls Roxas' scent. "It was an unmistakable scent. A mixture of the ocean, sand, and calm breezes. Funny how someone can smell like that, but Roxas did. And this kid does as well, although only faintly." He sniffs the air. "He smells like Roxas, but with traces of battle."
He silences his thoughts as he listens in on the trio. The kid begins to speak.
"What is this place?" he thinks out loud as he looks around in wonder.
"Hmm," the duck responds as he glances around. "Well, which way should we go?"
Suddenly the kid breaks out in a run and rushes headlong into the nothingness shouting names. "Riku! Kairi!"
"Sora." Axel's mind stated. "Roxas' true self. And his friends, Donald and Goofy. I recognized him when we met in Hallow Bastion. Well, Radiant Garden now, from what I hear. Yeah, the Keyblades, the look, the face, the smell… it's not hard to put two and two together." He placed a hand over the spot where his heart would be. "I stole Kairi in hopes that the true form of Roxas would come looking for her, but Saïx stole her from me when she struggled. I didn't realize at the time how frantic this kid would become." He sighed as he saw the Dusks around him tense up at Sora's presence, as they prepared for battle. "I owe Sora big time. May as well fulfill my debt. I'll dance for you, Roxas."
Sora's feet flew towards the other end of the spacious nothingness, but his sprint was interrupted as he was surrounded by a group of Dusks.
"Grrrr! I don't have time for you!" Sora shouted as he summoned forth a powerful version of his keyblade. Lunging at the white creatures, he easily disposed of several dozen but soon became overwhelmed. The duck and the dog tried to keep up, but soon collapsed of exhaustion.
"Gee, Sora, I don't think there's an end to this!" the dog said as he struggled to stand.
"There's gotta be! Kairi and Riku are counting on us. They're waiting for us beyond this place, I know it!" Sora cried out as he took down Dusk after Dusk. "I just know it."
The numbers swarmed the Keyblade master, and eventually it was too much for even him. He slumped down as the Dusks began to claw at him. Sadly he admitted defeat. "It's no use," Sora said gravely as he allowed himself to be clawed away. Tears of defeat rolled down his cheeks as wierd white hands groped his chest with glee as they made attempts to capture his heart. "I'm so close... it's over..."
Angered to hear Roxas' true self giving in so easily, Axel jumped into the fray. With his chakram he sliced away at the Dusks overtaking the exhausted boy. "Don't stop moving, or the darkness will overtake you!" he shouted as he sliced away at a few more Nobodies near the keyblader, allowing him time to gather the strength to get to his feet. Axel continued to fight away at the Nobodies as Sora pulled out an elixir and drank it down quickly. Once standing, Sora nodded and readied himself once more for battle.
"What are you doing? Get going!" Axel snapped as he swatted away another Dusk.
"Why?" Sora replied as he lunged at another Dusk.
"Don't ask. Just do it!" Axel shouted back as a Dusk clawed at him. "He has to save Kairi. It wasn't fair for me to take her away from this kid. I don't know. I just feel sorry for what I did. It was a stupid idea, and I don't even know how I would have gone about turning Sora back into a heartless, but… it was a good idea at the time, I guess." His chakram glowed as they blazed with fire. "I just wanted to see Roxas again."
Without warning, Axel fell to the ground as two Dusks pulled him down. They clawed at his back, and he cried out in pain. Suddenly, the offending nobodies were smacked away and disappeared into nothingness once more. Sora stood over Axel and offered his hand.
"You okay?" the kid asked as Axel accepted it and got to his feet.
Axel sighed. "I kidnapped Kairi, but she got away from me. After that, Saïx caught her. He's a member of Organization XIII. Saïx. Got it memorized?" He leaped at a Dusk closing in on the pair. "Now go save her!"
Another Dusk appeared behind Sora, but he easily whirled around and vanquished the offender. "Leave us alone!"
Axel grinned. "You ready?"
"Let's go," Sora said.
The unlikely duo fought against the encroaching horde of Nobodies. Axel smiled as he fondly recalled times when he and Roxas would be sent out on missions from their superior, Xemnas.
"We make a pretty good team, Roxas," Axel laughed as they vanquished a swarm of heartless in the alleyways of The World that Never Was.
"Heh, well, I kinda like the company," Roxas replied as he easily defeated foe after foe. Oblivion and Oathkeeper glimmered and gleamed in the pale moonlight as they took down the horde.
"I hope Xemnas can help us find our hearts soon," Axel smiled as he took down another heartless. "I'd like to be friends with you when we're whole again."
"I think I'd like that, Axel," he said as he dismissed his keyblades. The blonde smiled wide at his companion. "I really think I would."
Axel watched Sora from the corner of his eye, and smiled at how similar his form was to Roxas' "It's as if Roxas is here fighting with me. I really miss the kid. But, he's whole again. And technically, he's here beside me. I only wish I were whole right now. I think the real me would have liked to know Sora." He parried a strong attack from an offending Nobody, and then readied his chakram for a blazing attack. "Burn, baby!" he cried out as a group of Nobodies were wiped out from Axel's onslaught.
Sora whirled his keyblade around easily, taking down foe after foe. He held one of the keyblades Roxas had in his employ: The Oathkeeper. Sora didn't realize it, but the sight of the familiar keyblade tugged at what would have been Axel's heartstrings. Axel took note of the delicate slenderness, but power of the ivory keyblade. Sora handled it with a grace that matched Roxas', and perhaps even bettered his other self in style and grace. "He's a natural," Axel thought as he watched Sora easily stand his own ground, as if a new sense of strength erupted in his mind. "No wonder the keyblade chose him. He's amazing with the weapon. And he's got an amazing heart. An amazing heart for his Nobody to befriend a nothing like me." He heard the boy mutter something along the lines of 'Saïx, gotta save Kairi, Saïx, gotta save Kairi.' "Looks like he's got it memorized," he chuckled.
Axel frowned as the relentless horde of Nobodies advanced towards the duo. It truly was endless, as if each one they defeated was soon replaced by three more. Glaring, he retreated back to Sora. "You know, I think I liked it better when they were on my side."
Sora grinned. "Feeling a little… regret?"
Axel laughed. "Regret? Nah. So long as I can save Roxas, I'd never feel regret." He winked at Sora. "Nah, I can handle these punks. Watch this."
Axel began his ultimate attack before he could even second think of himself. His mind raced with thoughts as he knew this would be his final performance. "Roxas, this dance is for you. If you can sense me, if you can hear me, if you… I've missed you so much. You were the only friend I ever had in this existence. I'm just glad you found your other self and got your heart back the way you did. Be strong!" Flames erupted from Axel's body and revolved around him, and the Flurry of Dancing Flames began. His chakram flew around and struck every Nobody in the area with a powerful attack. In one swift motion the entire horde was obliterated of every kind of Nobody that had come to take down the group. Gasping, Axel slumped down to the ground and laid himself to rest.
Sora had shielded his eyes, so he only caught a glimpse of the awesome display that had occurred. Upon realizing that the Nobodies had been defeated, he brought down his hands and looked around. "Woah…" he said in amazement. He then saw Axel lying on the ground, and bits of black dissipation were curling upwards. Axel was dying.
"Axel," Sora stared wide-eyed at the Nobody before him. He knelt down in concern. "Axel, you're fading away."
"Well, that's what happens when you put your whole being into an attack," Axel said with a sigh. "You know what I mean? Not that Nobodies actually HAVE beings...right?" he laughed sarcastically. "Anyway, I digress. Go, find Kairi. Oh, almost forgot... Sorry for what I did to her."
Sora shook his head. "When we find her, you can tell her that yourself," he stated with a clenched fist.
"Think I'll pass. My heart just wouldn't be in it, you know? Haven't got one," Axel said with a weak laugh.
"Axel," Sora began as he looked at the disappearing being before him. "What were you trying to do by taking Kairi?"
"I… I wanted to see Roxas," the flame-haired man stated as he struggled for the words. "He...was the only one I liked... He made me feel...like I had a heart." He then looked deep into Sora's sapphire eyes. The same shade of eyes Roxas once shared. "It's kind of...funny... You make me feel...the same... " Axel gathered the strength to will a portal open for Sora. "Kairi's in the castle dungeon. Now go." Axel quickly fished in his pocket and handed Sora a small keychain. "This is for you. I wanted to give it to Roxas some time ago, but I never got the chance. So, I want you to have it. So he'll always be reminded of me."
"Axel…" Sora smiled sadly as he accepted the keychain. It was in the shape of a tiny chakram, a momento modelled after Axel's own weapons. "Thank you." He nodded solemnly, and helped Donald and Goofy to their feet. Grasping the keychain tightly, he stood before the portal Axel made for him and stepped through.
"I did it all for you, Roxas. I just wanted to see you again," Axel thought as his body faded from existence. "You found your heart, though. I think I can live with that. My dance is over. Good-bye." His body now faded from existence, but for a brief moment a ghost of a satisfied smile remained in the spot where Axel laid defeated.