Author's Note: *whispers* you have no idea how excited I am for this chapter...
"I think we lost them," Axel panted as they came to a stop in an alley between two buildings. "We can rest here, but only for a minute. I don't want to give them a chance to catch up."
His words were just senseless noise to Elsa's ears. Hardly anything had registered with her since they had escaped. She had concentrated everything on keeping one foot moving in front of the other, focusing on anything to distract her. But now that her feet were no longer moving, her mind began running. The events just moments earlier started replaying in her mind, assaulting her with alarming clarity, and she flinched, as if she had been physically struck.
"Hey, are you okay?" Axel asked. He was standing in front of her, bowed forward so his eyes were level with hers, his head tilted to one side.
She looked away from him and gave a soft, half-hearted laugh. "Am I okay?" she repeated. She contemplated the question.
"Well, let's see. So far tonight, I nearly killed my boyfriend just for trying to kiss me," she ticked off on one finger, then moved onto the next. "The whole school and who knows how many other people now know I'm some ice-powered mutant weirdo. I'm being hunted by shadow monsters. My parents and sister are missing. Olaf is captured or worse. Aforementioned boyfriend doesn't care about me, never did in fact and wants to hand me over to the Heartless and someone called 'Her Ladyship' for god knows what purpose. And it seems my only ally right now is some eyeliner-wearing pyromaniac who I only met a couple hours ago.
"So am I okay? Oh yeah, I'm just dandy," she chuckled tiredly. Only the chuckle came out more of a sob. She stifled it and squeezed her eyes shut, but a tear still managed to escape and slide down her cheek. Snow started swirling around the two of them, like a slow tornado. She muttered something under her breath.
"What?" he asked, his crimson hair stirring as the flurry gained strength.
She took a deep breath and spoke up. "He was too understanding. After I practically impaled him. He brushed it off like it was nothing… like it could have happened to anyone. Like I had just accidentally poked him in the eye or something. He didn't freak out about seeing my powers for the first time. And he didn't bat an eye when I told him about the Heartless, he just accepted it. Why didn't I notice that or think it strange? I mean, most people would have been carting me off to an asylum or calling the government or, I don't know, running for the hills.
"He knew. He knew all along and he manipulated me and wanted to deliver me to his boss… like merchandise." She pressed the heel of her palms into eyes, oblivious to the snowstorm she was inciting around them.
He had to raise his voice to be heard over the wind as it began to howl. "Let me take you to the people I told you about. They can protect you. You'll never have to worry about being hurt again, or-"
"What's the point?!" she snarled, throwing her arms down and balling her hands into fists. "I shouldn't be protected! What if I can't even be trained? All I've ever done is lie and keep secrets and close myself off from everyone. I've only caused pain to those I care about, and have been used by those who I thought cared about me. Things would be better for everyone if I just disappeared! I-"
Her words were cut off as a sudden warmth embraced her unexpectedly. It took her a second to realize her cheek was against Axel's chest, his arms wrapped around her. He smelled of burnt timber and cinnamon. He was…
...hugging her?
"No!" she shoved him away, raising an unsteady hand between them and shaking her head. "I… I understand and… appreciate what you are trying to do, but I can't let you! My gloves…" She flexed her naked fingers. "I left them behind. If I let you touch me, you'll freeze to death. I don't want to hurt you! So just- just go. Please." She begged as she backed away from him, her braid whipping about in the gale.
"Elsa, you couldn't turn me to human-popsicle even if you tried," he snorted, taking a step towards her.
She blinked incredulously and shouted, "Stay back! Do you think I'm joking?"
"Oh, I don't doubt that if I were anyone else, you'd probably have me dead as a doornail faster than you could say hypothermia. But that's not going to happen to me." He reached out his hand towards her. "Trust me."
His words echoed Hans' from earlier that night at the dance, when they had been on stage, right before he had kissed her knuckle. Right before she had catapulted him across the gym. She winced as the image flashed through her mind anew, like re-opening a wound. She turned her head away from him.
"Just take my hand. It'll be okay," he insisted.
"No, it won't be, and you don't seem to understand that. You're asking me to kill you!" In a moment of thoughtlessness and frustration, she slapped his hand away. Faster than she could react however, he had snatched her hand in his and held tight. Elsa gasped and tried to jerk her hand away, but he refused to release her. "Let go, you idiot!"
He just shook his head as frost began to crystallize on his fingernails. Her eyes widened on seeing that and she frantically redoubled her efforts to free herself, to no avail. Ice started forming on his fingers as well and spread to his knuckles, coating them like a frozen exoskeleton. It should have been hurting him, but he stared impassively as the ice continued onward, enveloping his entire hand.
"Stop it!" she practically shrieked, violently pulling her arm back. This time, finally, he released her. But as she looked down at his hand, she knew it was too late. The damage had been done.
Or so she thought. She stared at it, perplexed. Is… is his hand glowing? A dim, amber light seemed to be pulsating from within the ice. It steadily grew in intensity and the ice began to glisten, then melt. Slowly, it shrunk until it vanished entirely, leaving Axel's hand looking damp and slightly red, but otherwise looking no worse for wear.
He flexed his fingers as they returned to a more natural color bit by bit, and smiled at her. "See? Not even a hint of freezer burn."
Elsa stared at him, mouth agape. "…your powers…?"
"Yup. They shield me from yours. That's what I was trying to show you, so you don't have to worry." He raised his hand, palm facing her.
She stared at it a moment. Then, as if in a trance, she raised her own hand and started reaching towards his. She stopped with an inch between them, her fingers curling, hesitating. But the pause only spanned a heartbeat, before she closed the distance, her palm touching to his.
She stared at their hands in wonder and disbelief. Her fingers were splayed out against his, and his were so much longer. His palm felt so warm, a sensation that was so unfamiliar and alien to her. How long had it been, she wondered, since she had had skin contact with someone, anyone, and not been terrified of hurting them? How long had it been since she had given up hope of safely touching the bare skin of another ever again?
His hand did not freeze over this time. Perhaps he had upped the heat going into it. Perhaps it was due to Elsa's emotions being pacified, if the weather was any indication anyway. The blizzard had died down around them, only light snowflakes falling now. She did not notice any of that however, so focused was she on their hands. Was this a dream? If it was, she hoped to never wake up. Her eyes began to mist over.
Axel suddenly shifted his fingers to interlock with her and he gently pulled her towards him. She did not resist. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her once more. And this time, she let him. One of his arms folded around her back, and the other slipped around to rest a comforting hand on her head. Choking back a sob, she wrapped her arms around his waist, her fingers digging into the fabric of his hoodie. She felt him settle a cheek against her forehead, and she broke down.
She didn't know how long she cried for, but Axel was silent and patient. His hold on her never faltered as he gave her time to get it out of her system. She wasn't sure why exactly he did it. Maybe he just knew how much she needed someone to be there for her at that particular moment. Finally, she began to regain some of her composure.
Her timing, it seemed, was impeccable as she heard Axel mutter, "We have company."
She looked up, then pulled away from him and spun around, wiping away the last of the tears. A small, round shadow that had nothing to cast it was on the snowy ground, in the middle of the opening into their alley. It darted from side to side, almost seeming excited. Then from around the corner of the buildings on either side of them, several more just like it scurried in and joined the first.
Elsa took a step back, then turned to check the opening on the opposite end of the lane. More black silhouettes gathered there and were growing in numbers.
"Escape route is blocked, huh?" Axel asked, eyes still on the threat in front of them.
She swallowed hard and nodded. "I'm sorry. This is my fault, I drew them here. Even if I hadn't summoned up a freaking blizzard that was most likely noticeable for blocks, they probably sensed me broadcasting my negative emotions like a beacon."
"Don't worry about it," Axel shrugged. "They would have found us sooner or later, dark vibes or not. Besides, we got this. I'll take this side, you take that side," he pointed a thumb over his shoulder.
Looking at the ever growing horde, sets of amber eyes started to pop into existence in the mass and several Heartless rose from the ground. She chewed her lower lip, then glanced at him again. "But…"
"Don't worry. You'll do fine," he reassured her before holding his hand up to his lips, palm face up. A small flame danced along his finger tips and he blew on it. It erupted in a cone before him, overtaking the first line of Heartless coming in on his side, burning and eating away at them.
She turned to face the other side to find several charging at her. There was no more time to dwell on her heartache, nor even time to think. She just had to act. Her hands flew up and with them, ice sprung up from the ground beneath her attackers' feet, huge blocks of it completely encasing the little monsters and freezing them mid-dash. Her fingers arched into claws as she clenched her hands into fists, and the ice columns shattered, their prisoners within evaporating with the action. She then slashed her arm through the air and the sharp fragments of broken ice that remained flew forward, pelting and tearing through the next wave of Heartless coming in behind the first. Several more dissolved into nothing, while the rest slowed down as they were forced to either dodge or stumble over the glacial chunks now in their path.
Pumping her fist triumphantly, she glanced over her shoulder. Axel was squashing one Heartless under his red Converse as it roasted in a slow, smoldering death. His hands had formed finger-guns and from them he was shooting thin beams of fire like bullets, rapidly head-shotting any shadows that got stupidly brave and moved too close.
By chance, Elsa saw it. A black blur launching itself through the air at Axel and he was looking the other way, focused on another Heartless. Elsa snapped her arm up and a stream of icicles shot out as if fired from a gatling gun. The offending Heartless was pierced multiple times and Axel turned his head in time to see it dissipate.
He grinned at her and gave her the thumbs up. "Heh. Thanks!"
"Don't mention it," she answered, watching as he held up his other hand, his index finger steaming. He blew it out like a smoking pistol.
Shaking her head, Elsa returned her attention to her end of the alley. Some of the Heartless had managed to pass the ice debris and were galloping towards her once more. Feeling like she was getting the hang of this, she crossed her arms in front of her and then sliced them outward in horizontal arcs. Scythes of ice formed from both hands, a yard wide each, and swiftly sailed through the air, cutting through the Heartless like butter.
On Axel's side, he had erected a barricade of fire before him, spanning the width from building to building on either side of them. He made a shooing gesture with his hands and the flames rushed forward, devouring the scrambling Heartless.
Could it be? Were they actually going to be able to fight their way out of this one? Elsa actually began to hope.
That is until she spotted it. Her eyes widened and she froze. "Z… Ziggy…?"
Axel turned, following her gaze and blinked. Standing a few feet away was a Heartless, twitching one of its antenna at them. Its crooked, misshapen antenna. There was no mistaking it for any other Heartless.
"They don't die," Elsa voiced her sudden realization, her words void of emotion. "There's no stopping them. No matter what we do, they'll just keep coming back. Even as we kill these ones, they might just be reforming in the back. We may have already killed all of these ten times over, we would never know. We could be fighting them… forever."
A fresh army of Heartless gathered round behind Ziggy. It seemed to take strength in the presence of the rest, and from somewhere within its chest, a gurgling, threatening sound rumbled as it eyed her. It then hunched forward, preparing to pounce.
And then abruptly, something from above impaled Ziggy in the head and sliced down into the snow. The Heartless had a split second to squirm before it exploded into a puff of black smoke. In its place, only the weapon that had pierced it remained. Holding onto the handle, crouched close to the ground, was a boy with spiky chestnut brown hair. As for the weapon itself...
It was a blade in the shape of a giant key.
Author's Note: Oh. Em. Gee. Bet you didn't see THAT one coming! Ahhhh, it feels like I've been waiting an eternity for this little debut xD And it'll feel so good to finally mark that little "Sora" checkbox for this story in the FFN settings xD Now I patiently await the day there will be a little "Elsa" checkbox for me to check...
Special thanks to Mistress of the Arts and Juuromaru for posting their reviews! And thanks to the rest of you who favorited, followed, and PMed me about this story! You're all glorious goddesses and gods! *worship* As always, be back next week to see what happens next!
