A/N: Another short one I cooked up in the University library.
What's in a Name?
Axel was the first one to see him. Hell, he introduced him to the rest of the Organisation. So really it was only natural that the boy cling to him for his first few weeks.
But man was it ever annoying. He wasn't used to having someone follow him around – even on missions. All he had to do was turn around and he'd be there, staring at him silently. He didn't talk much, he didn't even respond much. That drove Axel up the wall as well. He liked to talk but he also liked conversation and he'd be damned if the boy denied him that.
So he turned to Demyx.
"Demyx!" He watched as the blond – not dirty blond as he'd been told more than once – turned towards him with a cautious smile. The hallways of the Castle That Never Was remained empty as Axel drew closer to his target.
"Axel!" The other said brightly, the smile broadening when he realised who was talking. Axel would have felt insulted that the other couldn't recognise him by the sound of his voice but he let it pass. If he needed a favour, the best way to go about it was to be nice. And it wasn't as if he and Demyx talked that much anyway.
"Yeah, Axel. You know, A-X-E-L. Talk about your memory blocks," he couldn't resist the quip but he carried on in an effort to keep Demyx on his good side. "I'm having a little trouble with the kid."
Demyx looked blank. "Kid?"
Rolling his eyes Axel nodded, casting a furtive look around for said kid. His shadow seemed absent for the moment but he could, and probably would, return any minute now. He'd managed to give the boy the slip in Traverse Town but damn the kid was resourceful so he had to hurry. Make this quick and painless.
"You know, the new recruit? Number Thirteen?"
Realisation dawned on Demyx's face and he nodded eagerly, "Oh yeah! Can't believe I forgot about that..."
"It's fine. Look, er, do you think you can look after him for me?" The empty walls seemed to echo the words back at him and he winced slightly before straightening his back. He needed to do this otherwise he might go insane. And no one wanted that. Least of all him.
"Aw, but I'm no good at babysitting."
The sound of tapping reached his ear before he felt the soft touch. Moving to the side Axel looked over his shoulder to see the boy standing there, one hand loosely holding onto his black robe. He wondered how long he'd been there before shrugging the thought off.
"Oh! So you're the new kid. We haven't met properly yet, right? I'm Demyx," moving his sitar to the other hand the blond-haired man held out his hand. Axel winced as the boy remained motionless.
"Aw, don't be mad. I won't hurt you." Axel couldn't help but snort and grabbed the boy by the shoulder, waving his hand for Demyx to stay still whilst he took him aside.
"Look, I need to go on an important mission and it's kinda hard for me to concentrate when you're there with me, right?"
The boy scowled. But even then he still didn't say anything. He did materialise the keyblade however and Axel looked at it warily. The kid wouldn't actually attack him would he?
He didn't even have time to say anything before the weapon was swinging around him in an arc. The Heartless behind him vanished in a poof of air and the keyblade returned to its master.
And damn if said master weren't smirking at him.
Axel sighed. "Oh well, come on then."
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"Wait here a sec, I'm just gonna, you know. Check it out." As soon as the words were out his mouth Axel realised he shouldn't have bothered. The kid was happy enough to ignore his commands at the best of times. When he was currently sulking? No chance.
Sighing Axel tightened his hold on his chakrams and made to go first when the boy jumped ahead of him, swinging his keyblade around like a bat. "Hey, wait!" Running to catch up Axel only just managed to kill off the Soldier Heartless that was almost on top of him. Did the kid not know the meaning of 'teamwork'?
It took them almost an hour to dispose of all the black creeps and Axel grabbed the boy's arm, prepared to drag him back to the World That Never Was when the kid yanked his arm back as if he'd been scolded.
Raising an eyebrow Axel was prepared to question the move until he saw the look on the kids face. It was...he couldn't put his finger on it. Angry? Not quite. Annoyed? Close but no dice.
Well, whatever. Axel wanted three things, mainly food, a bath and sleep. And if the kid stood there all day he wouldn't get any of them.
"Hey, times a-wasting, you know. Can we get going sometime today?" He didn't know if his impatience shone through or if he'd just had enough but the kid grabbed hold of his arm, putting it in an iron grip and giving him a small grin.
"Let's go."
Axel grinned back. For the first bit of communication in days that was pretty good...
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"Hey, I just thought of something." Axel looked over at the kid who was currently reading through various books. Axel hadn't even realised the castle even had a library until the boy had forcibly dragged him to this one. And now here he was, surrounded by moth-eaten, smelly old pieces of text. Demyx would die laughing if he ever found out.
"Huh?" The kid looked up, blue eyes filled with bemusement looking straight at his own.
Even if it had taken him sometime Axel had discovered that the boy did talk – just not in the usual way. He spoke with his eyes more often than not. It was strange, to Axel who liked to hear people speak, but he wasn't going to make a big deal out of it. Hell he was glad that he'd finally noticed. It finally felt like the kid was actually listening for once.
"You don't have name yet right?"
The boy continued looking at him, a crease forming in between his eyes as he shook his head back and forth. "I do."
"What?"
"I do have a name."
Axel spluttered. "Why did you never bother to tell me?"
"You never bothered to ask." The kid looked at him but Axel remained speechless. He stayed that way as the boy sighed and put his book down, beginning to walk out the library. Without him.
Striving for something to say Axel finally said the first thing that came to mind. "So what is it?"
The kid turned, "What's what?"
"You name."
Axel watched as the boy smiled, feeling slightly amazed and not just a little awed. It was the first real smile since he'd become a part of the Organisation and he was the first one to see it. He wasn't really sure how he felt about that but he knew it'd come to him, probably later. "It's Roxas." The boy said, turning and walking out the door.
This time it was Axel who stood up and followed the boy out, the boy's name on his tongue as he called for the other to slow down.
"Roxas!" And damn if it wasn't a good name.