Velvet Sky
First off, I'd like to say that this was inspired by Ten things before bedtime :D by coobearrocks. I loved the idea of Axel telling his kid stories about Mom before bed, so I'mma use it except with what else but Aku/Xion and varying differences that you'll find out when you read it. ;)
As usual, I don't own any of these characters that belong to Square Enix. I forget to say that a lot.
xxx
Axel hunched over his large oak desk, causing his black swivel chair to creak and groan in protest as he glared at the paperwork in front of him with all his might. He was staring at it as if it would catch fire from his imagined laser vision- and actually, it probably would catch fire if he looked at it too hard. He leaned back and allowed himself to fall into the sleek cushions that lined the back of the chair, running an exhausted hand through unkempt, wild hair as he did. Letting out a groan, he resumed his staring contest with the unwavering stack of papers. A loud voice and quick thumping found their way into the room he had been holed up in for hours, and he soon lost concentration as well as the contest. He sighed almost inaudibly as he pushed himself from his seat that had taken his form into its fabric as a slowly disappearing stamp. The voice and stomping grew louder until it became a scarlet and pale blur that soared into the room with pink pajamas flapping like an excited, exotic bird. Said blur latched itself onto Axel's legs, the flying fabric stopping midflight to hang about in the air for a long moment, eventually settling back down.
"Now, now, Kairi, it's time for bed." Patting her head with his right hand, Axel attempted to pry her away with his left to no avail. Wide cerulean eyes looked up at him pleadingly, her lips stuck out twice as far as normal to ensure the proper puppy dog face. Emerald eyes stared back down with the clear expression of not giving in, but just like every night, he cracked a grin on a work-weathered face and bent down to haul her up in his arms. She wrapped an arm around his neck and squealed with joy as he flew her around the house and to her room, the two making whooshing noises and laughing heartily. Giggling in delight, Kairi landed in her bed with her arms stretched wide like wings of an airplane and came to an abrupt halt on her pillow. She turned over and flung her arms in the air, eyes sparkling and wishing for him to whisk her off on another flight. Instead, he flopped onto the bed with a loud "Oof!" and began a session of tickling her until her throat was dry from the excessive laughter.
Every night this was their routine- the play acting, the soaring like airplanes, and the tickling. Kairi was only five, but if there was one thing she knew, it was that Daddy would never miss the opportunity to make her happy, this being part of the flexible schedule that was her life.
"Daddy, Daddy! Tell me another story!" She jumped out of his grasp and launched herself a few feet in the air, the bedsprings squealing. Snatching her in mid-jump, he pulled her back down to Earth with strong arms. Struggling against his hold was useless as she learned, so she went limp like an animal playing dead. She found herself with covers tucked up to her petite chin in one fluid motion from her father. Bed sheets wriggled and crinkled with her as she snuggled beneath them, looking up at Axel with curious sea blue eyes.
"You know, I think I've told you every single story I know," he laughed, jade eyes twinkling mischievously as a smirk stole across his lips. She was indignant, propping herself up with the palms of her hands, crumpling the pink comforter.
"No, there has to be some story that you haven't told me! Please, Daddy? Pleaaaase?" she begged him to search the endless shelves of his mind for a fresh story, perhaps a dusty one that had gone untouched for years.
"Nope. Guess we'll have to retell some, or grab one off these shelves." Shrugging with mock hopelessness, he pulled himself off the bed and over to the nearby bookshelves that contained countless tales of princesses and Prince Charmings.
"Tell me about Mommy!" Axel's hand stopped midway through its stretch towards the endless amounts of childhood stories. His body went stiff all over, hand still hanging as if frozen in time.
"Daddy?"
Suddenly thawing, he sighed and sat back down on the bed and flattened the crinkled comforter with his left hand as he stroked her auburn hair with the other.
"Why are you asking about that now, honey?" His cheerful voice seemed suddenly unnaturally hoarse and worn, its quiet tone making Kairi shrink into herself.
"Well, you never tell me about her, and the other girls talk about their mommies all the time, but I never can..." she replied quietly, the last part turning into a sniffle and whisper.
"Sweetie..." He pulled her closer with the arm he had been stroking her hair with, tucking her protectively under it. His chin rested on the snuffling girl's head, and he craned his neck over to kiss her forehead gently. He smiled gently instead of grinning or smirking like usual.
"So what do you want to know, honey?"
"What was she like?" It was an innocent question from an innocent child, one whose eyes told the unspoken tale of her mother.
"She..." He ran his hand through his crimson locks and looked down at the young girl leaning against him. He smiled again, this time the tiniest bit sadly, his eyes faintly glazed over by memories.
"You two have the exact same eyes. While you got my crazy hair-" He pulled at the spiky strands that pointed at the ceiling haphazardly. "-you also got her eyes. The most beautiful eyes anyone could have." He tapped her nose playfully, and she let out a small giggle.
"And she had black hair, as black as, well, as the sky right now." He pulled her up and over to the flowing curtains, their creases constantly swaying and changing with every movement in the room. Flinging them back, he revealed a moonless velvet sky studded with the twinkling jewels of night reflected in the endless wrinkled sheet of ocean. Kairi stared out with wonder at the sight she could see from her room as if she was in some seaside treehouse where the sky provided all the light ever needed.
"That look of amazement on your face- she'd have that too, when I'd say or do something she found so extraordinary that was normal to me." Kairi broke out of her wide-eyed gazing to smile at him sheepishly.
"And when I said something about her being so amazed at things that were so simple, she'd smile just like that." The two plopped back down on the bed. Kairi giggled sleepily, yawning and rubbing her eyes with the side of her hand.
"Her laugh was amazing too- it could make anyone else laugh." Axel smiled at the memories that passed over his eyes. Pulling himself back to reality, he found her nestled against his side, nearly asleep. He carefully picked her up and cradled her in his arms before letting her back down with her head on her pillow. As he was in the middle of pulling the covers to her chin, she slowly sat up and gazed into his eyes with intelligent, curious ones.
"Was she like you?" She pulled her arms out from under the sheets to clumsily place her tiny hands over his lightly breathing chest. He looked down at her in surprise, not sure if what he believed her to be saying was what she had intended to imply.
"I hear you and Roxas talking to each other, Daddy." Her voice was a soft whisper, something that flitted about and disappeared quickly but lingered. Hands still resting over his chest, she searched for the pulsing taps that seemed like so little but meant so much. He slowly brought his right hand to place over hers.
"No, she wasn't like me." His voice was hushed as well, the words never reaching anywhere but Kairi's ears in a soft puff of warm breath.
"Do different people stay together because when one can't do something, the other can for them?" Axel looked at her innocent and wide-eyed face with a mixture of surprise and the same amazement he spoke of earlier. He looked down at his chest, now warm from the two little hands that lied over hollow space.
"Maybe... that's exactly why, sweetie. What's more is that I loved her, maybe all just because of her, and I never will stop loving her- just like with you."
Slowly, he slid her hands from his chest and tucked her in for a last time. Kissing her goodnight, he stroked her soft hair and flicked the lights off. Two exchanged "goodnights" hung in the air as he unhurriedly closed the door, glancing through the crack a final time before it clicked shut. Kairi looked at the door cautiously before sliding out of the covers, making her way to the open window and pushing the curtains back once more. She looked out the window longingly and wished she could be at the edge of the water, because from there she now knew she could watch the reflection of her mother dance over gentle rippling waves under a starry, velvet sky.