Title: Not a Bad Plan, Really.
Word Count: 433
Notes: For KH Drabble's "Crash" challenge. How Axel goes about obtaining a heart. Spoilers for KHII: FM+ and Re:CoM.
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The last thing Axel wonders before he fades away is if a heart that can't be stolen can be grown. He's not entirely sure what just happened, but he thinks he's won.
He likes to think that his is a noble death (though it is not without ulterior motive). It is, however, spectacular and fiery. And memorable.
The first problem with Saix is that he has no sense of humor. The second is that he's insufferably smug when inflicting damage. In retrospect, being turned into a Dusk might not've been so bad after all.
The timid canary and her darkness-stained friend are unexpected allies but Axel needs any foothold he can find in this upheaval. Besides, they all want the same thing, give or take an identity or two.
Kingdom Hearts takes away but never gives back. Surely Axel's not the only one who has a problem with this.
Demyx once sang about a man who went out looking for fear, only to discover that he had it in him all along. Xigbar teased him for it and ended up under a pile of water clones and Dancers. It's a good memory.
The sea-blue ice cream is a mess of contradictions (salty and sweet? at the same time?) and therein lies the appeal. A heart's not really much different.
Axel likes word games and obfuscation but abhors real illusions and that's maybe why he grins when Fake Thing holds Zexion up in the air by the throat and squeezes.
Marluxia is methodical in his own way (he can't help it - plants grow by their seasons) and slow to react to Axel's sudden, yet inevitable, betrayal. The Graceful Assassin had stumbled long before he even realized it.
The soft patter of Namine's feet is accompanied by some sensation Axel can't name. There it is again, nestled deep within his chest. Well, well, is this what they called a feeling? How funny.
Encounters with Roxas are like brushfire, the event itself vivid and jarring and the effects long-lingering. Axel doesn't mind when he starts caring; it's only the aftermath of the collision.
After Larxene had explained the memory chain concept to him (with the aid of illustrative electricity metaphors), he first comes up with the idea. All memories are connected to the heart - wedge himself into the hero's memories completely and he's sure to get a share when the happy ending rolls around.
Sora's eyes are very blue and his slashes are sure and confident. Axel smiles at the familiarity, lifts his chakrams, and meets him in an explosion of light and fire. He's gotta make this an introduction the Keyblade Master never forgets.