Chapter Two - "The Legend"

Halcyon Day Four, Cont'd

"I wouldn't give up just yet, you two. No matter how hopeless you are."

Axel and Reno looked up simultaneously towards the front door, heads snapping to attention. The clicks and scrapes against the door continued. Axel was the first to move, jumping from the couch to the entrance and opening it. For someone who had spent most of the afternoon moping about in a comatose state, the red-head moved surprisingly fast. His reaction speed, however, came to a stuttering halt at the unexpected visitor.

The kingfisher from before fluttered before him, still radiant in her blue, yellow, and white feathers. All Axel could do was stare.

There was a slam of a door far off at the other end of the corridor, but Axel's eyes were too riveted to the object of his dreams before him to even notice.

"Um… you…" He muttered, hands tightening around the doorknob. Cautiously, he reached out a hand to check that the creature wasn't a hallucination, which was a possibility that he surely would not have put past himself, but the bird only alighted onto his finger, wings folding to rest.

"Me?" The bird replied innocently, beak almost curved into a smile. It was definitely a female bird, judging from her voice. The creature's bright and unnatural feathers surprised Axel, but considering Reno's own bizarre fur color, it was probably only to be expected. Muses didn't have to fit in to the regular rules of the animal kingdom.

"You're a kingfisher."

"And you're perceptive." replied the muse with an audible chirp that sounded distinctly like a laugh. Her warm, beaded eyes looked up at the red-head. "My name is Naminè."

"Naminè…" Axel said slowly, brain still not functioning. His eyes barely moved in their sockets, looking the bird over as if she was made from shining gold. "And you're-"

"I'm Roxas's muse, yes." She flicked her tail briefly. "And I don't have much time, because he just left, so let me just tell you this, Axel Kohler."

Reno managed to sneak up over Axel's shoulder at that moment, but wisely remained silent. Naminè glanced up at the ferret briefly before speaking again. "You haven't completely scared Roxas away, but I warn you to be careful in the future or he'll completely avoid you. His open-mindedness only stretches so far, and I know how much you need him."

"I'm surprised he hasn't already called for the loony bin." Reno abruptly sniggered, tail waggling in amusement.

"He doesn't think I'm completely insane? I still have a chance for my Halcyon Days?" Axel completely disregarded his muse, as always, blinking instead in disbelief, hardly able to take the information all in, or the presence of Naminè herself. It was too good to be true.

Naminè clicked her beak. "Yes, but he's confused, so you can't just go rushing into this. Roxas isn't just your ticket to those fourteen days of peace. And neither am I."

Reno finally spoke. Leaning his long nose over Axel's shoulder, he sniffed inquisitively at the kingfisher. "So can he see you? You probably know as well as I do that we shouldn't even be having this conversation."

"He hasn't acknowledged me…" Naminè looked back to the red ferret. "… yet. It's a little complicated, really."

Axel was still flummoxed. He looked to the two muses, then focused on the bird. "So what do you want me to do? I mean, I know I believed in the myth, but I didn't actually expect a kingfisher. I thought it was more symbolic."

The bird ruffled her feathers, twittering in laughter again. "That's because you haven't found the right one yet, until now."

"But how do you even know about this? Why? I just… this is too convenient." concluded Axel dully, frowning slightly now as his previous elation dimmed. "And what am I supposed to do about Riku? The possessive bastard'll flay me alive if he sees me going after Roxas. Why are you even helping me?"

"Perceptive, but suspicious, I see. Don't worry about it. Just keep at what you're doing, don't stress too much. Tomorrow's Saturday, right? Your first Halcyon Day attempt." Naminè hopped from Axel's hand to his arm. "You'll be fine. Everything will sort itself out eventually. Or, if you want to be specific, ten days."

Reno snorted. "You sound confident about this."

"I have faith in you." replied the bird cheerily. "It's been pulled off once, you can do it again, I think. Just… with better results."

Before Axel could even begin to form a question, the bird flitted away from him, taking flight. "Good luck, Ceyx!"

A single feather, bright blue, fell from her tail as Naminè soared away down the hall, quickly disappearing, leaving the red-head and his ferret to follow the descent of the single feather down to the floor, where it gently settled on an envelope that Axel hadn't noticed before.

"Well, like muse, like owner. Both only seem to leave confusion behind them." Reno commented airily as Axel bent over to snatch up the mysterious letter, as well as the feather. "Why'd she call you Ceyx, anyway?"

A startling change had come over the illustrator. Axel held his tongue, a strange, glazed look in his eye as he moved slowly, stepping back into his apartment and shutting the door behind him. The silence was so uncharacteristic of the man that Reno grew worried. Nudging his nose into the man's ear, he released a soft growl.

"What? What's wrong?"

"One second." His steps jerky and slow, Axel finally made it to his beloved couch and sat down, limbs still stiff and eyes oddly frozen. His fingers mechanically skimmed over the envelope, prying open the edges and eventually managing to tug out the letter that was tucked inside. He set aside the envelope with the feather to the side as Reno scampered down to sit the man's lap. Without shaky fingers, Axel unfolded the note. Still, no word of confirmation on anything escaped the red-head's mouth.

In silence, the pair read the letter which, as it so happened, was from Roxas. The handwriting was jerky and appeared to have been written quite quickly, but Axel liked the style. It was quite unlike Sora's neat, tiny handwriting. Axel eyes flicked quickly over the words that spoke of Roxas wishing to meet up again later and not to worry about the fiasco from the previous day. At the end was a scribbled address of the café where Roxas worked and a post script suggesting that Axel visit him soon there, if he wanted.

As soon as the two were done, Axel folded up the letter again and sat back to stare at the opposite wall, features blank. Reno scuffled down to sniff briefly at the letter, then spoke.

"That was certainly something. At least that confirmed what Naminè said. He doesn't think you're crazy."

"Yes. At least there's that." mumbled Axel, the tips of his lips beginning to slide toward his chin. "Even after that shit we pulled yesterday, he seems to be willing to give me a second chance."

"So what's the problem? He likes you!"

Axel suddenly let out a sigh of frustration, leaning down to bury his hands in his hair. "That's exactly the problem!"

"Ok, you've lost me." The ferret hopped to rest on the couch instead, giving Axel more room to angst. "I thought you wanted Roxas. You were the one who was just whining this morning about how you would never be able to talk to blondie again."

"This morning was different. This morning, I didn't think that kingfishers would be turning up at my door and making this whole situation related to Greek mythology."

"But I thought the whole Halcyon Days bit was related to Greek mythology?"

Axel only tugged at his hair harder, "Yes, but... but…" The red-head ended his sentence with an aggravated growl, crumpling the letter in his fist. He stared down gloomily at the paper, then quickly reconsidered and gingerly smoothed it out again, eyes lovingly skimming over the adorable handwriting and the blonde's signature at the bottom.

Reno only stared at the other's odd behavior. "Ok, I know I'm your muse and everything, but I don't speak Grunt. You're gonna have to expand on this subject a little."

The man forced himself to take a deep breath, then sat back against the cushions of the sofa. "Alright. You know the whole Halcyon Days myth. The one about the kingfisher that brings about 14 days of calm seas so that she can build her nest."

"Obviously. It's pretty much your life story." Reno flicked his tail, a motion for him to continue.

"Well, there's another myth behind the Halcyon Days. About Alcyone and Ceyx." Talking seemed to help the illustrator; his limbs were already beginning to relax.

"They were a married couple who, for the most part, lived a happy life and loved each other and all that nonsense. But they eventually started calling each other "Hera" and "Zeus," which angered the big man himself, 'cause it was a bit blasphemous. So when Ceyx went out sailing, Zeus killed him by throwing a thunderbolt at him. Ceyx never returned, but he appeared to his wife in an apparition to tell her of his fate. Alcyone, in her grief, flung herself into the sea and killed herself."

"Bummer." Reno said as Axel paused for breath.

"Yeah, pretty much. In the end, though, the other gods changed the two into halcyon birds, kingfishers, out of compassion."

"And Naminè calling you Ceyx is bad because…"

"Because according to the myth, those two ending up dying!" Axel threw up his arms. "That's why! And knowing my luck, that's probably what'll end up happening if I go after Roxas! We'll fall in love, and then Riku will kill us both or something!"

Reno tilted his head in thought as Axel stood up and began pacing, letter still in hand. "Y'know, I can see how that's a bit of a problem. But, I mean, your own situation's so different compared to the myth. And you like Roxas! He's cute, he's smart, and he seems to respect you, at least. Are you going to let some old, dead people keep you away from that?"

"But he's taken, and considering the circumstances right now, what with the beginning of the 14 days, Naminè, and this just whole…" Lacking the right world, Axel simply gestured around the whole thing. "Whole thing! Things won't end well. Naminè probably wants me to go after him and, y'know, fall in love, happy ending, then we can end up dying and living on as birds or something. That's what she was talking about, when she mentioned how this had been done before, and that we could probably do it with different results."

"Yeah, she doesn't think you two will die at the end, either. Axel, I do think you're overreacting a lit-"

"No!" Axel waved the letter at Reno angrily, voice level quickly rising as his eyes began popping out of his head in distress. "I am not overreacting! I am looking at this from a logical point of view! For one, I can't technically go chasing after Roxas because he's not available."

"A valid, but easily dismissible point."

"Second, we have absolutely no proof that Roxas is willing to return my feelings!"

"I think Naminè's talk with us, as well as the letter, is proof enough that with a little persuasion, he'll be more than willing." Once again, Reno had the perfect reply.

"Thirdly…" Axel suddenly stopped and sighed, looking down at the letter. "I just want my Halcyon Days. That's all. That's all I ever wanted out of this. I always thought that they'd come about just through friendship or something. I mean, when I was stalking after Sora, I wasn't falling in love with him, I just kinda wanted him to rub off on me."

"Roxas is different, that much is obvious already." The ferret's ears stiffened suddenly with a dawning realization. "Damn, I think I might be rooting for you two already."

Axel pointed a threatening finger at his muse. "Don't even start! We're not going there. We're not. I'm keeping this relationship completely clean and as soon as my fourteen days are over, I'll leave him alone."

However, Reno's patience was steadily wearing thin. "Look, Axel." The ferret bounded from the couch to scamper up to the red-head's shoulder. "I know you. I'm your muse, we're connected. You're scared of hurting the kid and putting him through more trouble than he deserves."

Axel raised an eyebrow at the sudden comforting words. "Yes, but…"

"But I think Naminè's right. For all you know, maybe you can avoid angering the gods or whatever and just get a happy ending."

The idea was tempting. Tempting, but the ending result was impossible, anyway. Axel shook his head and tossed the letter to the nearby coffee table. "This is reality, and I'm not the kind of person to get happy endings. I've already decided. Just Halcyon Days. Nothing else."

The ferret visibly slumped. "You give up too easily."

Axel shrugged, a small, but bitter smile curving his lips. "It's the easy way out. Something I learned years ago."

With a last dismissive glance at the letter, Axel left the room. The single feather from Naminè's tail that remained on top of the discarded envelope slowly faded away in the empty room.

Axel-

So I'm going to assume that yesterday was just your way of saying hello? Heh, in any case, no hard feelings about that. We should hang out, preferably somewhere outside our apartments. I know that sliding a letter underneath your door is a little cliché, but I was actually ridiculously late to work and had no time to wake you up (It's before 12:00, right?).

In any case, maybe you can stop by my coffee shop sometime? It's called Twilight Café and pretty hard to miss. Who knows, maybe I'll even give you a discount.

-Roxas

P.S. I'm working from noon to close for the next few days. Just a hint.

Halcyon Day Five, Saturday

"RISE AND SHINE, LOVELY, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL MORNING!"

Axel grunted and rolled over. Reno continued to bounce over his head, tail wagging furiously. The ferret was acting as an alarm clock today, which the illustrator did not approve of.

"Alright, let me be more specific. It's a beautiful Saturday morning, and the bright, cheery sun outside is reminding you that there just might be a chance that this is your big Halcyon Day!"

That certainly got the red-head's attention. His eyes sluggishly opened to let in the sunlight that his room was flooded in.

"… wh'timesit?" Axel mumbled, smothering his face in his pillow. The ferret still did not desist in bouncing.

"Five minutes to noon, Axel! I figured that you should get a nice early start to this wonderful day!"

The cheeriness of the muse only stung the illustrator, who had never been a morning person. Still, the coaxing warm sun and the prospect of a Halcyon Day was enough incentive for the man to finally, ten minutes later, crawl out of bed after shoving Reno under the pillow to shut up him.

Axel proceeded to skip breakfast after an invigorating shower, settling for a warm mug of tea as he wandered about the apartment, getting ready. Reno followed excitedly after him, whining for him to hurry up as the red-head tugged on slacks and a shirt, feet still bare as they skirted over the soft, cream colored carpet of the apartment.

"You're taking too long! C'mon, let's go! You need to get out there, do your thing!"

Axel calmly took a sip of his hot drink, not allowing himself to be hurried. He chose to ignore the strange fervor with which Reno was urging him on, hoping that it wasn't based off of the visit to Roxas's café that he would possibly be indulging in later that day.

"Yes, it is because you are going to see Roxas today that I'm excited. In case you were wondering." Reno grinned in his ferrety way, scampering up the side of the sink to watch his partner attempt to tame his damp hair.

Of course. Why'd I even bother hoping? The red-head replied with only a snort, deciding on tying the hair back and nixing his contacts to slip on glasses instead. Complete with a loose scarf over his long-sleeve shirt, the overall arrangement proved satisfactory to the man after a long look-over in the full-length mirror hanging in the hall.

After all, if Axel was going to have a perfect day, he wanted to look good and even Reno admitted that the man could pull of the artsy, stylish look.

Fully-dressed, Axel cradled the mug in his hands by the doorway as he shoved his phone, wallet, and other necessities into the pockets of his jeans. "Time?"

Reno flicked his tail from his perch on the table by the door. "Half-past noon."

"Excellent." Axel grinned, then took a deep breath. "Alright."

"I swear, this bizarre ritual you go through every Saturday worries me sometimes."

The red-head shrugged, glancing at his reflection one last time. Still perfect. He glanced back at the ferret with a smirk. "Weren't you the one rooting for me and Roxas? I need to look impressive if I'm going to win him over."

"That's right!" Reno nearly fell from the table in surprise at his own blunder. "Good! I see you've dropped the denial. Don't you feel lighter already at admitting to your attraction?"

"Oh yes." Axel opened the door with a roll of his eyes. "Light as a feather. See you later tonight, then."

"Go get that blonde, then! And find me some ferret girlfriends!" Reno called after Axel, just as the door shut.

The red-head released a soft breath and tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans, setting off. Alright. Time for another attempt at a Halcyon Day, kingfisher or not.

Unconsciously, his hand curled around the letter from Roxas that he had carefully folded and taken with him.

… Hopefully.

Ahh, a plot emerges. This was shorter than expected. In fact, it's exactly half of what I had hoped to post up, but I'm running with a ton of things on my hands and time constraints to boot, and I wanted to update somehow. Especially with the unexpected swell of readers xD Mostly in thanks to MemorialFire from dA (who drew amazing fanart and I love her forever), but still. I'm rambling.

ARR and Special Discount next. Promise. In any case, I'm off to NYCC tomorrow, Saturday, to see T.M.Revolution and it's going to be full of awesome. xD

Don't forget to review!