I felt my heart jump into my throat as a million different thoughts ran through my mind. These people were dangerous… Then again, they were so kind… Was this a trap!? Where would Sora and I stay? I frowned in frustration, and indecision. I was grateful when Aerith said in a scolding tone,
"Axel, I know you mean well, but let's let them meet the rest of our rag tag band of misfits and have a chance to relax before posing such a huge question."
Demyx looked disappointed, but shook it off in favor of saying brightly "Well have them eat dinner out here with the rest of us then."
Aerith looked at me questioningly. "Do you feel up to it Roxas?"
I gave her a small tired smile "I can handle it. Sora needs to come too. I won't make any decisions without him."
I saw Axel smile and turn to leave. He said brightly, "Excellent. Come along pet."
My world came to a screeching halt and I let out a small gasp. My vision blurred. I knew it! This was a trap! We we're going to be made into pets! They were going to—" 'CRACK!' I gasped when I saw Riku's furious look on his face and Axel stood with his head turned to the side. No one moved or dared to breathe but Riku who panted in his anger.
Suddenly Riku's expression turned from one of anger and spite to a look of horror. He stuttered
"A-Axel! I—"
Axel raised his hand and Riku silenced himself. Axel pressed is other hand to his jaw and jerked it. I heard a sickening 'pop-pop' sound. Axel stood straight up and shook himself. When he did I felt a ripple of heat fill the room before fading to the normal temperature.
Riku looked ready to cry, but Axel reached out and pulled him to his chest. Riku gasped, but Axel said softly,
"Stop. I deserved that. It was a slip of the tongue, and it won't happen again. I promise. I'm sorry that I said it."
I gulped when Axel turned and said "I'm so sorry if I offended either of you as well. I swear I meant no harm by it. I genuinely only meant it as a term of endearment."
I was rendered speechless by the combination of his sincerity and all my accusations being disarmed so completely. His emerald green eyes locked onto mine and I heard Sora say
"S'okay i-if you really didn't mean it."
Axel's gaze shifted to Sora and I breathed easier at the warmth in Axel's eyes toward Sora. He stroked Riku's long silver hair one time before releasing the tall neko, who was still blushing furiously. Demyx just stared in shock. He looked at Riku and spoke with a mix of horror and anger "Dude.. you just hit Axel! After all he's done!?" Riku looked ready to burst into tears again and Axel looked ready to kill Demyx, but to every one's shock it was Sora who spoke up.
Sora's amazing amount of stamina coupled with the chance to rest that we'd gotten, allowed him to march confidently, ears flat, up to Demyx and stand protectively in front of Riku. Sora put one hand on his hip and pointed the other at Demyx, scolding vehemently,
"Hey! Axel already said that it was okay! He said it was his fault and that Riku wasn't in trouble. You may not understand what that word means to us, but trust me if Riku gets flashbacks half as badly as Roxas does then you're lucky Riku didn't do more than just hit Axel!"
Sora's eyes shined with his indignation on Riku's behalf. He sniffled "If making each other feel terrible about every misunderstanding is what family does, then I really don't want one!"
His little chest heaved ant the tip of his tail twitched in anger. I sat paralyzed with fear at what would happen next and looked to Aerith for guidance, but she held me stiffly, watching everything play out. Demyx had enough sense to look ashamed, Riku was shocked, and I looked over to see Axel beaming proudly at Sora.
He walked over and scooped up Sora who gave a small squawk. Axel chuckled "Look at you little tiger." He poked Sora's nose and Sora wrinkled it, scrunching up his face and letting out a little sneeze. Axel scratched his ear and Sora cuddled his chest. Axel smiled and said,
"Sora is absolutely right. Family shouldn't act in such a way. I should know better by now than to say those kinds of things." He looked at Demyx and said quietly,
"I know that you and many of the others still feel as if you owe me some sort of debt Demyx, but I have told you over and over again. Anything and Everything I've done for any of you, I did because I wanted to. Because it made me happy to see you happy. Do not treat anyone as if they owe me a debt, and Stop acting like it yourself. Do you understand?"
Demyx nodded "I'm sorry…I-I just know that without you I wouldn't have my soulmate. I'll never forget that."
Axel snorted "Well go find him. I'm sure he's very worried about where you've run off to this time. Make sure everyone is at the fire pit will you?"
Demyx brightened, but before he left he stuck out his arm to Riku. After a moment Riku gave him a small smile and they clasped arms to show that their bond was still strong, and that all was forgiven.
After Demyx left Riku stepped closer to Axel and Sora blushed when Riku gave him a soft smile and said "Thank you for that. You didn't have to step in. It wasn't your affair."
Sora stuttered "W-well he was being m-mean. People who love each other shouldn't say mean things to each other. Even if they are really mad."
Sora's whole face was red and he hid in Axel's shoulder. Riku had a thoughtful expression on his face. Axel just smiled and rubbed Sora's back gently for a second before saying softly
"You certainly are something special aren't you little one?"
Sora giggled softly and looked at me smiling "Roxas, like Axel. I don't think he wants to hurt us like the others."
Axel's gaze shifted to me and as he looked me over, I couldn't help but agree. He didn't have that cold, hungry look that my previous masters and the few merchants I'd had the displeasure of running into did. He looked at me with eyes full of concern, and understanding. Surprising myself, I realized that I felt safe. I was still nervous, but I felt nowhere near the amount of fear I felt towards even the people of my own city.
Aerith smiled and stood, carrying me towards the entrance and therefore closer to Axel. She said brightly "Well, Now that this nasty mess is over, I think it's time for a proper introduction."
Axel smiled "I couldn't agree more."
We were carried out of Aerith's cabin and as we approached the fire pit, I felt fear begin to gnaw at my belly, but took comfort in the gentle smile that Aerith gave me and put on a brave face.
I counted twelve people around the fire and trembled under the gazes of some of the more intimidating men. It seemed that the only females in the troupe were Aerith and Larxene. I suddenly felt very afraid. Aerith must have sensed my discomfort because she glared at the men and said scoldingly,
"Stop staring at the poor things! You're making them nervous!"
Most of them looked away, accept for the one I remembered was Xigbar. He snorted "Sorry Aerith, but I can't help it. I wanna know what the tyke who made Axel finally stand up to that pompous ass in the palace, looks like."
I saw a muscular brunette with a scar on his face lean forward. His expression was blank, but his eyes held a keen interest and small glimmer of humor, and in a surprisingly smooth voice he said,
"I don't believe it matters what they look like Xigbar."
A blonde beside him that I didn't recognize nodded, "Leon is right Xigbar. You're just being a lecherous old fool."
I felt an arm wrap around my waist and I found myself flush against Sora and very warm. Axel sat down and plopped us on his lap gently and chuckled,
"Oh please Cloud. Leon only said that to keep his bed warm tonight. Their cuteness is undeniable."
The man identified as Cloud turned to glare at the muscular brunette who in turn glared at Axel. Just as I began to feel akward, Larxene crossed her arms and huffed,
"Can we please get down to business?! I am ready for bed and Marly needs his beauty sleep or else he's gonna be cranky all day tomorrow."
The man I remembered was Marluxia, gave her an indignant look, but blushed ever so slightly. I wondered for a brief second if he was truly dumb enough to eg her on, but to my relief, he showed remarkable intelligence by staying silent.
Axel gave a long suffering sigh and finally said " Alright, first of all, this is Sora," he tilted Sora's small frame towards the band and Sora gave a nervous wave before ducking back into Axel's chest.
I felt him shift his hold on me and press his hand on my head gently "And this, is Roxas." I looked up hesitantly and saw him smile before I looked out at the others and offered a tiny smile. Demyx smiled brightly back at me.
Axel told them to go around and tell us who they were and what abilities or trades they mastered.
First was Xigbar. He grinned "Saw that little disappearing act Larxene and Axel both pulled?" I nodded and he lifted Marluxia's wrist and pointed to a bracelet with one of those colored disks I'd seen on Zack's workbench. This one was dark blue. "Everyone here has their own special ability, but mine is particularly hard to manipulate. Zack found that by taking a stone infused with our blood, one could temporarily "borrow" the gift of someone else as long as you channel your own power into it. My specialty is teleportation."
I was blown away "You can be anywhere you want?"
He chuckled as Marluxia snatched his hand away, and hrugged saying "Well there are rules ya know. Distance and obstacles can be problems depending on what the obstacle is or how far I'm trying to go."
Sora asked softly "Whats the farthest you can jump in one go?"
Xigbar smiled "About 10-12 miles give or take"
I was impressed and Sora sucked in a deep breath "Wow! That is so cool!" Xigbar looked pleased and Marluxia huffed and said in a much deeper voice than I expected,
"Alright you big oaf, let someone else dazzle the little darlings."
He looked at me and I really looked at him. His hair was the shade of cherry blossoms, and fell to his shoulders in airy layers and his frame, though not bulky, was muscular and lithe. I realized I'd been staring when he smiled and something flashed in his light blue eyes.
He stood and walked over to us and Sora looked excited, but I shrunk back slightly in fear. He chuckled and raised his hand in front of his chest and made a smooth upward motion with his hand. A small patch of beautiful purple flowers sprung from the ground and Sora's eyes got huge. He touched one of the petals ever go carefully to see if they were real before looking up at Marluxia in awe. I said softly,
"They're beautiful. H-how did you do that?"
He grinned happily and said in the tone of a school teacher, "Well you see, I have a gift for nature. I can make anything I want grow at any time. Therefore, I make a living by selling exotic plants and seeds that are guaranteed to flourish in any soil."
I nodded in understanding and Demyx jumped up excitedly "Ooh! Me next! Watch!"
"NO!" almost everyone had yelled in warning, but it was too late. A huge wave of water crashed down on all of us, putting out the fire and soaking us through. I felt Axel heat up and glanced up to see the fire roar back to life, despite the wet wood, and steam seeped off of all of us as his heat dried and warmed us. Everyone was glaring at Demyx, who stood looking abashed.
Larxene shrieked "Demyx you idiot!" Lighting flashed in the sky and coated her hands as she stood with one hand clenched into a fist and the other raised to hurl a ball of lightning at him.
Sora screeched in terror and I pulled him close, stroking his hair and murmuring, "Sh-sh-sh. It's alright Sora. I'm here. You're okay shhhh."
He trembled in my arms and sobbed. Axel Pulled his arms in and rocked us gently "Hey, hey, hey little tiger. What's wrong?"
I sighed "Sora hates storms. Thunder and lightning remind him of his old master. The man used to lock him outside with no shelter in some of the worst weather when he had guests over."
Axel and the others looked sad, but didn't seem too surprised. Larxene let go of her anger and dispelled her element immediately. Everyone looked unsure about what to say or , a short boy with blue hair that hung over one of his right eye, stood and whapped Demyx on the head as he passed to come and stand before us. He shifted as if he was nervous, but then looked at me with one bluish violet eye and said very quietly,
"Sora? Look at me please."
Sora obeyed hesitantly and Zexion waved a hand in front of himself and suddenly, we were no longer in the old part of the city, but on a beach with sparkling white sand as the sun beat down warmly. Sora's tears stopped and he took everything in. He looked at Zexion, asking in awe,
"You can teleport too?"
Zexion gave the tiniest of smiles and shook his head "No, I'm afraid that I do not have the ability to travel great distances physically, but illusions are my specialty. I can make you experience anything from terror to pleasure. However, my place in our little ragtag band of miscreants is my wealth of book knowledge. I serve as a translator in most cases."
Axel chuckled and Zexion released the illusion bringing us back to the circle of carriages. "Zexion is also Demyx's better half. At least, the brains of it." Demyx pouted
"Hey!"
Sora chuckled wetly and sniffled, drying his eyes. "It's okay Demyx. I still think your water stuff is cool." He looked at Larxene and stuttered shyly
"Y-you must be really s-strong to be able to control something like l-lightning."
Larxene's face softened for a fraction of a second before she shrugged "Eh, what can I say? When it's your job to keep all these bozo's in line, you have to be more intimidating than they are. But thanks for the compliment kid."
Everyone laughed and introductions continued. Cloud and Leon were swordsmen who acted as guards both on the road and when they were home. Both had an affinity for wind and could manipulate air to levitate other objects. They displayed an amazing maneuver where they manipulated the air and managed to appear as if they were flying. Also, Leon had quite the head for numbers and kept tabs on all of the trade systems back home.
I was blown away by the special abilities of these people. I had never seen or heard of such talents and I was having a very hard time wrapping my mind around it.
After Cloud and Leon, a mountain of a man introduced himself as Lexaeus rumbled in a deep voice " I cook, and I have an affinity for earth." He looked to be done speaking, but Demyx jumped in,
"Oh he's being modest. He can made stone into any shape he wants and he build our whole keep in like two days!"
Axel suddenly interrupted "Alright guys. It is getting late and these two have been through hell today, and I'm tired. Sit down and listen."
They all obeyed and Axel sighed "Now, first of all, we now own the territory to the south of here that produces the sweet oranges that Xigbar and Demyx love so much, but it is imperitive that we leave early tomorrow. We are technically enemies of the Noxinian Kingdom. I told the king that we are no longer going to supply him with goods unless he puts a ban on slavery and gives Nekos rights. He refused, so our exports will no longer cross over this territory. Am I clear?"
Leon nodded "I'll see to it when we get back."
Axel gave him a swift nod. "Anyways, I knew things were bad for Nekos here, but until today, I didn't see just how hard it was for Nekos in this country. Intolerance such as this cannot be tolerated. I'm sick of seeing people so mistreated for being different."
Everyone seemed to be pleased with this reasoning. Axel let all of the information set in for a few minutes and then said,
Now then, to the important business. "Sora? Roxas?"
He looked down at us and smiled gently "Have you decided weather or not you would like to become part of our family?"
I gulped and Sora looked at me. It didn't come as a surprise that he was pleading with me to accept. He was tired of us always being alone and afraid. He was tired of hiding. I cleared my throat and said softly, "I don't know what to do…"
Axel cleared his throat and said "How about a deal Roxas?" I looked up and lowered my ears in suspicion, "A d-deal?"
He nodded "Well, obviously you want Sora to be safe right? Safe from men like Luthor, who want nothing more than to hurt you?"
I flattened my ears and nodded. He grinned "Well, If I give you my word that you and Sora will never have to be afraid again, will you agree to be my squire? That way you have a place among us as a family and a job."
I was terrified "W-what would I have to do? And what would Sora's job be?"
Axel puzzled over it for a moment before saying,
"Well, as my squire, you'll basically be my assistant, running errands and the like but you will earn wages. You'll be taught how to fight and in all honesty, you're responsible for keeping me safe if I am unable to protect myself for some reason. As for Sora, I'm positive he would make a wonderful page. They run messages throughout our keep and to the farmers and other people outside, but to be safe, he'll only run messages inside the keep. What do you say?"
I thought it over, and I knew it was the opportunity of a lifetime. We'd be free to walk around without fearing for our lives. Sora would be safe, and I knew Axel would protect us. I took a deep breath and said softly,
"We would be honored to be accepted."
Everyone let out a cheer and Aerith hugged us gently saying, "Oh you two are going to love it in the mountains. It's beautiful there. I can't wait for you two to see your new home!"
I teared up and hugged Sora. We had a home, and a family! Sora sniffled into my chest, feeling the same overwhelming joy.
Axel stood with us in his arms as Aerith released us. "I think that the little kitten's are a bit in shock. I'm going to put them to bed. Everyone but Leon is dismissed. Go to bed. It is very late and we have to get going in the morning."
They all dispersed and Axel carried us to one of the other seven carriages besides Zack and Aerith's. This one smelled entirely of Axel and was full of soft red fabrics and a pallet of furs in the far corner. Soft, fluffy pillows littered the pallet, and Axel planted the both of us on it gently and said softly,
I don't feel safe letting you boys wander back to your home. Luthor may have convinced the King that his intentions were just. I don't want to take the chance of you two getting hurt."
I nodded nervously before asking, "W-will you be joining us?"
He smiled "Not until later. I have to discuss a few issues with Leon before we get ready to leave in the morning. You two should get some sleep. I won't disturb you when I come in. I will make up another pallet on the other side. I'll respect your space kitten."
I felt relieved. I trusted Axel, but not nearly enough for him to lie in the same bed as Sora and I. At least, not yet. I whispered "Thank you for understanding."
He smiled and ruffled Sora's hair "Trust me, I already went through this with Riku when he first joined us. I know that there are just too many walls to break through for it to be rushed."
Sora yawned and fell back against the pillows. Axel gave a small chuckle and scratched behind Sora's ears before leaning in and kissing his forehead. He turned back to me and put a gentle hand on my chest, and pushed me back onto the soft pillows, and drew the covers up between us and tucked them around Sora and I before leaning in and kissing me on the forehead as well.
"Go to sleep kitten, I'm watching over you. Alright?" I nodded and yawned, pulling Sora to me. He dimmed the oil lantern hanging on the wall and left us be.
My head spun with the events of the day, and I sighed, giving up on trying to make sense of everything. Axel and the others would protect us and one day, I would be able to return the favor, all the while keeping Sora happy. That was all I could have ever wanted and so much more. I rolled over and tucked Sora against my side protectively as always, and allowed myself to drift to sleep. I could still feel the spot where Axel had kissed me tingle and sleep overcame me.
