New Years Eve, and there was Axel, sat there, very much alone...
Having not realised what day it was, he had failed to make plans with anyone, and so the whole castle was empty with everyone having organised at least something to do, even if it was just scheming like Marluxia and Vexen were likely to be doing... That or something else... Which Axel wasn't really too fond of thinking about if he was honest.
Even Roxas was away seeing his friends and celebrating with them, and Axel always felt out of the loop when he saw them with Roxas. Well, for starters, there were the obvious height differences, age and style of clothing... And the fact that they were a lot more mature than he was. Which didn't really help things. Overall, he had decided that celebrating the start of the New Year would be better by himself instead of cramping his best friend's style.
Besides, he was better off alone. He didn't need anyone else to have a good time! Nah, he'd find something to occupy his time with. That in mind, Axel summoned his chackrams and started throwing them at the various targets he had dotted about the room for times of rage or boredom, such as this one. Needless to say, this quickly got boring after he ran out of people he hated which he was pretending to hit through the head (Siax being the first one he thought of, naturally). So Axel resigned himself to slumping onto his bed and looking round his incredibly messy room which was filled with piles of clothes, food and probably some other stuff if Axel had the patience to make the list.
It was just after Axel drew and incredibly long sigh that a portal opened in his room. Curiosity kicked in, as Axel frowned and stepped through it, although not without his chackrams drawn. He was curious, not stupid. Stalking through the spiralling darkness, a certain musky smell encased him, as well as a distinct smell of fire and spices. Looking around him, he was surrounded by high walls of red and gold with a floor of marble. In the distance, he could hear people talking. Too many to make out anything apart from the fact that he couldn't understand a word of it. Slowly, he walked forward, following the curves and turns of the seemingly endless corridor that all looked the same, apart from a few ornate doors that appeared on occasions. The only thing that kept him going was the fact that the noise of people was getting louder, meaning he was getting closer to wherever he was meant to be. Turning yet another corner, there was a large pair of white doors, with golden leaves embedded into it. Not being one to question interior decor, Axel simply opened the doors wide.
What greeted him was a stream of people, all wearing all different means if Chinese dress and smiling as if they had not a care in the world. The poor were talking with the rich, sharing hugs and handshakes. There was happiness all over. However, while this spectacle of friendship and people was heart-warming, Axel didn't have a heart so he just stood there, looking for a way to get through the crowd and dreading it. Rather conveniently, he heard a chirping next to him. Looking round, he saw a heartless with a bow round its neck. Raising an eyebrow, Axel stepped towards it. As he did so, the heartless stepped back, chirped again then ran off. The pyro would have ignored it if it hadn't have stopped and looked at him before running round a corner. Letting out a noise of distain, Axel dutifully followed the strange heartless.
After several flights of stairs and doors, all of which were decorated to a ridiculous extent, the heartless finally stopped at the top of a flight of spiral stairs. Axel looked at it in confusion but all it did was indicate at the door. Frowning, Axel went through them.
He was welcomed with a huge bang as soon as the doors opened as fireworks of every shape, colour and size were set loose upon the sky. Walking towards the ever-changing canvass of the night sky, Axel noticed a figure sat upon the railings of the balcony he was standing on. Slowly, Axel stood next to them, trying to see who they were, and in the flashes of light, a slim figure of a sitar player was illuminated, with a cheeky grin on his face as he looked at Axel.
The red head couldn't help but grin back, and as he leaned into the other man's lips, he whispered a simple phrase as the year came to a close.
"Thank you."