Been awhile, right?

Axel and Roxas development here, as well as the return of a certain character.

Happy Reading!


Chapter 12

"You'll have to keep this on if we're to go to town," Roxas said to Axel as they both walked over to the carriage.

What he was talking about was the collar, the thing that bothered Axel to such a huge degree. Axel had asked just as he took his first step outside of the huge building, following Roxas and making his way to the carriage. It bothered his neck quite a bit, especially now being that he had to dress heavily in order to combat the cold weather. Of course, all those clothes made Axel uncomfortable as well, but there was no avoiding it. The collar though, it just didn't seem necessary for him to wear at all.

"Why not," Axel asked. He stopped and stared at the huge animals that were tied to the carriage. He had never seen such strange creatures. They looked like giant birds.

"You can get into quite a bit of trouble," Roxas answered. "All Nekos must comply and wear the collar that signifies their servitude to their master; otherwise they're seen as wild or escapees."

"…"

Were any of his kind free outside of home? Axel pondered whether going along with Roxas would be worth the trip. Roxas had offered him a small tour of the nearest town, telling him he could learn quite a bit from the outside world by showing him the infrastructure of the local economy. Axel had agreed, but only because he wanted to get his lessons over with and find Luxord as soon as possible. He didn't really care about human life; he had already figured it to be less than inviting.

"Are any…Nekos free," Axel asked, turning back to Roxas.

"There are a few," Roxas answered, "but none up here in the north are, unless they're wild."

"Wild?" Axel asked. "You mean…like me?"

Roxas nodded his head. The blonde opened the door and gestured Axel inside. The redhead looked inside the small compartment and hesitantly made his way inside. He stared at the seat and sat himself down, his hands grabbing on to his new, strange clothes. Axel didn't bother to look up as he felt the carriage wobble a bit, Roxas making his way into the confined space.

"There are three breeds of Neko," Roxas said. "You're a southern type."

Axel lifted his head up and stared peculiarly at Roxas.

There were other of his kind wandering about this land? And what did Roxas mean by southern type? Was he to assume that there were others that lived up in the north? In this cold?

"There are two other types," Roxas went on, smiling just a bit. Axel figured his expression must have amused the boy somehow, as though the realization that there were others like him was supposed to be common knowledge. "You have northern, which have small ears and tails. They have an extra layer of fur though, so it appears that their ears and tails are actually longer and larger. Their hands and feet are a bit larger too, and their claws are shorter, but a lot thicker than yours."

Axel couldn't help but want to ask why. It made no sense to him. You needed long tails to balance better when maneuvering around, and short claws would make climbing trees difficult. How could you assure that you were safe when your claws were too short to sink into the bark? Axel turned and looked outside the small window, staring out into the snowy plains.

There weren't too many trees.

But there were quite a few mountains. Some bigger than the ones that he had back home!

"The other specie are the ones that live on the islands, right by Haii," Roxas said.

"Haii," Axel murmured to himself. "What's a Haii?"

"It's a country," Roxas answered. "Like this one, though it's much bigger."

"You mean…there's more to this world?" Axel asked. "The land I'm on right now, it ends, right?"

"The land ends at the sea, but there are other pieces of land out there," Roxas answered. "Some of them are big, some of them are small."

"And there are Nekos that live on an island?" Axel asked.

"A small piece of land," Roxas said, "predicted to have broken from the south many years ago."

Axel's jaw dropped a bit. Land could break? But how? And how could his forest home have torn away without anyone noticing? Surely he would have been told such a story, something that that would have made such an impact…

"The Nekos there have taken the same skin color from those of Haii," Roxas said. "Their eyes are golden, sometimes silver, and their skin shines copper. But, for the most part, they appear as you do."

Dark skinned Nekos? But wouldn't that make them stand out more?

"Anyways," Roxas went on, "most free Neko in this country are from Haii. None of them are citizens of the country though, and I doubt they'd ever be, but they're allowed the same freedom as any other, so long as they follow the rules."

"Are there any free citizens?" Axel asked hopefully.

"A few Nekos are freed by their masters," Roxas answered. "But most of them leave for Haii, where they can be recognized as first class citizens."

Axel frowned.

"First class?"

"Yes."

"What does that mean?"

"It's rather difficult to explain," Roxas said in a hesitant tone. "You know very little about human ways…I doubt you'll take what I have to say with an open heart." He frowned and shook his head. "I'd rather you learn more important things first…"

Axel nodded his head, though deep inside he was quite frustrated with Roxas. He couldn't believe a child was treating him this way! Roxas acted as though he was ignorant to understand. Axel hissed under his breath as he remembered his current situation. He would have to get along with Roxas for now, at least until Roxas held his end of the bargain. Though, Axel doubted he would last long with Roxas. It was so hard to get along with the boy.

"..So when we get to the town, everyone will think I'm your…slave?" Axel asked in a very unenthusiastic tone.

"Well, of course," Roxas answered. "…But, you know Axel, technically you are my property. I bought you."

"You can't buy people," Axel muttered disdainfully.

"Correct, but you're not a person, are you," Roxas said. "You're a fiend. You're not the same as I. There's a difference between us."

"I don't see how that makes it alright," Axel said. "And for you to think so really worries me, Roxas."

"Don't be worried for my soul," Roxas said as he leaned forward a bit. "That's the last thing you ought to be lecturing me about…"

"…soul?" Axel asked.

"My point exactly," Roxas said.


Marluxia uttered a soft sigh as he stared up at the ceiling, not wanting to leave his bed.

Oh, he was not looking forward to today.

He leered over and the sleeping body that was curled up next to him. Marluxia groaned as he remembered the wonderful things that had occurred last night. Luxord was a quick learner, and for that, Marluxia was very thankful.

Unfortunately, just as things were beginning to look good, this happens.

"Larxene," Marluxia muttered to himself.

She would most likely be coming over today.

Marluxia groaned again as he raised both his arms up and gave a good stretch before committing to the rest of his body. He lurched himself up, his hand rubbing his head as he gave a glance over at the window. He could see the sunlight, telling him Aerith would be over soon. Marluxia knew he would have to get up now, as well as Luxord. He couldn't have Aerith catching him, especially now Larxene on her way.

Marluxia let his other hand on the sheets, letting it slip through and navigate its way under till it found Luxord's shoulder. He let his fingers graze the warm body, curious to see whether he would get some sort of reaction from the sleeping Neko. Luxord continued to peacefully sleep, not taking any notice in Marluxia's play. He frowned.

"Luxord…" Marluxia said in a soft tone.

Of course there was no reaction to his calling, but he couldn't blame himself from trying.

No, when Luxord slept, he might as well be in a coma. If Marluxia was to try to stir him awake, he was going to have to shake him-roughly.

"Luxord," Marluxia said his voice not nearly as calming as it was before. His hand had grabbed hold of Luxord's shoulder and gave it a small shake.

Luxord made an incoherent sound and curled up more. Marluxia rolled his eyes and gave Luxord another shook, much harder this time.

"Wake up Luxord," Marluxia said, lowering his head. "Come on…"

"Mmm," Luxord murmured underneath the sheets.

"You have to get up," Marluxia said. He sighed and let go of the platinum blonde. Marluxia let his legs hang a bit before finally letting them touch the cold floor, muttering tiredly to himself as he forced the rest of himself up and out of the bed. He could hear Luxord move a bit, as well as give off something close to a whine.

"I want you up and clean in an hour," Marluxia said. "I need to discuss something important with you later, so hurry up."

"...what?" Luxord murmured through the sheets.

"We have a visitor coming over today," Marluxia said, grabbing fresh clothes from one of his drawers. "I'll need to go over a few rules with you…during the time she's here."

Marluxia heard the sound of sheets being moved about. Now Luxord was eager to get out, if only to figure out what was going on. Yes, Marluxia had laid out rules for Luxord, back when he didn't know whether Luxord was owned or not, but since then Marluxia gave Luxord freedom to do whatever he pleased, with only a few restrictions.

"…can't tell me now?" Luxord asked lazily.

"No, because if I do, you'll never get up," Marluxia said as he dressed himself. He turned and faced the Neko, who was still in bed, though Luxord was at least sitting up, and said; "I'll be taking a quick bath. I hope you'll be dressed and in your room preparing for the day when I'm out."

Luxord pouted.

"Sleeping all day isn't good for the soul," Marluxia added. "It makes you lazy."

"I don't mind," Luxord said with a small smile. He let himself fall back into the bed.

"Well, I do," Marluxia said, walking over to the messy sheets. He leaned over and stared down at Luxord. "We need to have everything ready for today. Larxene will be expecting everything to be perfect for her arrival."

"I thought you disliked her," Luxord said, his smile growing smaller.

"I do, but we can't let her know that," Marluxia said, lowering his head more so that the two were close. "She's a guest, and we treat our guests as we would like to be treated…no matter how annoying or intolerable they may be."

"That makes no sense," Luxord responded back. "If you don't like her, then why let her in?"

Marluxia smiled and kissed the Neko.

"I wish it were that simple, I really do," he muttered. Marluxia lifted himself back up. "But we all can't go by such simple, selfish logic…" Marluxia began to make his way over to the door. He could hear Luxord get out of the bed. "Don't worry though, she'll only be here to ruin the mood for a few days, a week tops!"

"A week…?"


Fuck.

Marluxia bit his lip as he undressed himself. He glanced over at the tub full of water and then over at the door.

He wished he could just lie in the water all day and pretend the outside world did not exist.

Larxene would definitely make things worse for him than anyone else in the castle. He knew Aerith would be less than thrilled to have to deal with the woman, and that would be as good as trash in her eyes, but Marluxia would have the worst of it.

Why?

Because he would have to be the one to tell Aerith he was sorry, and he would have to be the one to explain to Luxord why Larxene was such a horrid bitch.

If he was lucky, he would be able to explain to Luxord a good enough reason. Of course, honesty would probably make things a bit tense between the two. Nut Marluxia had a hard time thinking of any option; it wasn't like he could keep Luxord in his room till Larxene left.

Now that he thought about it, there wasn't much he could do with Luxord.

Larxene would probably let it pass if he was friendly with the blonde, but only because he never owned a slave of his own before, only having servants whom he treated with respect and friendliness. He could expect there would be comments, and he figured Larxene would try to teach him a few things, but it wasn't anything too problematic. But there was no way Marluxia could get away with being close to Luxord. There would be too much risk in sneaking into the Neko's room, or having Luxord go into his.

Marluxia sank into the warm water and closed his eyes.

Already this was bothering him.

He wanted the Neko all to himself, and now he was going to have to go without the extra attention till Larxene realized he wanted nothing to do with her…or till he gave in to her needs.

Marluxia slowly opened his eyes as the last few words sank into him.

And once he and Larxene…if they did…? …what would happen then?

Marluxia felt his teeth clamp tight together as he realized what a predicament he was in. It wasn't like he could continue his current sexual escapade with Larxene around…

Married to a woman like her, there was no way he could get away with sleeping around, especially with Luxord. Bad enough Marluxia would have to deal with her attitude, her rules, and her never-ending complaints; if he married her he would have to go without a sex life.

"…there's always Xion," Marluxia muttered to himself. "Or I can marry a girl from outside this country…as long as her family has a name." Xion was dumb enough and easy to control, and she was young enough to order around without having to worry about getting into trouble. Though, how he would persuade Vexen to hand his daughter over would be a huge difficulty.

A girl from outside the country could work, but Marluxia found that other cultures could be so…unsophisticated. People from Haii had strange superstitions, and women from Jhova and Teladorne practically ran the house on their own. And everyone else just wasn't an exception.

He was stuck with Larxene.

There came a soft knock on the door, causing Marluxia to drift away from his thinking. He looked over at the door and gave a soft sigh.

"Yes?" He asked.

"It's me," Aerith's voice said from the other side. "I was wondering if you were feeling alright."

Marluxia smiled, "I'm surprised you came. I thought you didn't get along with Larxene?"

"She doesn't get along with me, Marluxia," Aerith voice said though the door. "I try my best to work with her though, for your sake."

"Do you know what time she'll be over," Marluxia said loudly.

"Three hours time," Aerith said. "Perhaps less with this weather…"

"I see…"

Marluxia sank into the water, most of it covering his face.

There wouldn't be much time to talk with Luxord after this.

"I spoke with Luxord," Aerith said.

Marluxia lifted his head back up and turned back to the door. "What?" he asked.

"I told him about Larxene," Aerith said. "I'm sure you warned him about a few of her traits…but just to be sure…"

Marluxia felt a small pang of guilt hit him as he wondered what Aerith could have possibly said to Luxord. Even worse, how did Luxord react to what she had told him?

"What did you say?" Marluxia asked cautiously.

There was a long pause.

"Aerith," Marluxia said in a nervous tone. "What did you tell him?"


In the end, Axel couldn't bring himself to enter the town. From within the carriage he had seen so many people moving about, running around or raiding strange creatures or being carried in other carriages as well, and he had felt ok about it. He even saw a few others of his own kind, and it made Axel feel a little less lonely. He hadn't been allowed to associate with the others in the mansion, and being so close to another was a welcoming change. However, when Roxas had offered for them to exit the cramped space, all feelings of curiosity and excitement dwindled. Suddenly, Axel didn't feel so safe, and all he could think about was his situation in this strange world. He was a Neko, and people used them as slaves and servants. He had seen this. He had seen a few Nekos, and from what he could tell, they seemed alright, but that may not be the case. And what if a human demanded him to do something? Surely he would have to obey them, right? Was that not how slavery over another worked?

So it was a failure. Axel never stepped foot on the cold land, and he didn't show himself in front of the strange humans. Roxas seemed disappointed in him, but Axel felt devastated. He knew he had halted any progress of getting back home. And it killed him…

"Axel?" Roxas called out.

Axel looked over and stared at the boy who was sitting next to him.

The two were outside, several feet from the carriage, in the outskirts of the small town. From this distance, Axel didn't seem to mind being seen by any humans, as few as there were now. Axel could see a few humans ordering small, white, fluffily looking creatures around, but they were a distance away. Axel was comfortable where he was, cold winds aside. Axel kept his legs and tail close to him, trying to keep himself warm enough as he stared out at the amazing view.

"Yeah?" Axel huffed, his eyes locking on the steam that escaped his mouth.

He couldn't believe how big the world truly was. So many mountains lay ahead of him, each one covered in snow. According to Roxas, there were towns and a city located way up there…and deep within the woods were Northern type Nekos.

What was life up there like? It was so cold where he was, Axel couldn't imagine living high up in the mountains, where the air was thin and the weather was unpredictable. No tribes or triblets that he knew of lived on the huge mountain…

"What was your home like?" Roxas asked.

Axel's eyes widened, all his attention leaving the scenery as he stared shockingly at Roxas.

"Huh?" He asked.

"Your home," Roxas said. "What was it like?"

Axel couldn't help but crack a smile.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked. "I mean…I though you wanted to teach me your ways or something…not learn from mine."

"The best teachers were once students weren't they," Roxas said, smiling back. "I do want to try meeting you halfway though…it'll make things easier, you know?" Roxas inched his way closer to Axel, his arms crossing. "We ought to head home though…unless you want to stay a bit longer?"

"…I like this," Axel said.

"We'll stay a bit longer," Roxas concluded. He continued to stare at Axel. "But do you mind telling me a little about your history…your life?"

Axel huddled a bit before giving a sigh.

Where to start? Axel never really considered his life something to talk about. Axel never thought his life was special enough to talk about…

"Well…," Axel started off, pausing as he tried to think of something that might be of actual interest to talk about. "…I have a brother."

"A brother," Roxas said, giving a nod of approval. "Older or younger?"

Axel shook his head, "we from the same birth."

"Twins?" Roxas asked.

"What? What's a twin?" Axel asked.

Roxas shook his head. "Never mind, so you have a brother. Do you have any sisters?"

Axel nod his head.

"I have two younger sisters," Axel said with a small smile. "They were born during the cool season."

"I'm guessing they were born on the same day as well?"

"Well, yeah," Axel said with a small chuckle. "Would be weird if they were born a few days apart now, wouldn't it?"

"Ugh," Roxas said with a roll of his eyes.

"What?"

"Nothing," Roxas said. The blonde got up and jumped up and down a few times, rubbing himself in an attempt to keep his temperature up. It was amusing to Axel, but it did worry him a bit.

"We can go back, if you're really that cold," Axel said, getting up. He looked down at his clothes and brought his hands down to wipe away the specks of dirt and snow. "You don't have to stay out for me…you'll get sick."

Axel frowned as he saw the snow melt and sink into his pants. His frown grew as he felt wet warmth suddenly touch his skin.

"Gross," he muttered.

"Snow's just frozen water," Roxas said with a laugh. "There's nothing you can do about that." he turned around and began to make his way back to the carriage. "Come on…let's go. You can tell me more about your family on the way back."

Axel stopped his fruitless attempt to clean himself up as he looked up and smiled at Roxas.

"Ok, he said.

Axel lifted himself straight and followed Roxas. He looked up and stared at the clouded sky, squinted as he made out a few speckles that were floating down to the earth. It never snowed back home. It rained, but it never snowed. Guess it was too warm for it to snow.

"…your friend?"

Axel looked back at Roxas; "what?"

"What about your friend?" Roxas asked. "What was his name again…Luxord?"

Axel pouted. How was Roxas supposed to locate Luxord if he couldn't very well remember his name?

Axel sighed. "It's Luxord," he said. "What about him?"

"Does he have any siblings?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah, of course he does," Axel said. "Let's see, he's got his two sisters from the same birth, two older sisters from another, and a younger bother and sister."

"That's…a lot!" Roxas said in a shocked tone.

"Not really," Axel said. "Actually, my family is pretty small compared to anyone else. I'll admit, most don't have a third, but his family is still pretty average."

"A third?"

"His mother," Axel said. "Most of our women will usually have two births, so it was a bit unusual. But she did end up taking another mate, so I guess it was only natural…"

Axel silenced himself as he saw Roxas' strange expression. The boy had stopped walking, and they were still quite a distance away from the carriage.

"Mate," Roxas said in a peculiar tone. His eyes lowered as he slowly nodded his head. "Right, I guess it would be that word now, wouldn't it?" Roxas crossed his arms and thought about it for a few more seconds. "Axel, was his mother already with his father when she decided to take another mate?"

"Well, yeah," Axel said with a shrug. "You don't just break away from them. The only time two would separate would be in death or something just as serious."

"So…she had two men at the same time?"

"Yeah," Axel answered, feeling a bit wary of Roxas' questions.

"Hmm…I guess something like that would be ok…for your kind…" Roxas muttered.

Axel nods his head, though he wasn't all too sure what Roxas had meant by that. Roxas soon went on, and the two made there way in to the cozy, but warm, carriage.

"Axel," Roxas said as the two sat in silence.

"What?"

"Do you know what marriage is?" Roxas asked with much interest.

Marriage? No, Axel had never even heard of the word before.

"No," Axel said.

"Do you want me to explain it for you?" Roxas asked the Neko.

"That would be nice," Axel said, as he looked out the small window.

"It's when you and another person make a very special agreement," Roxas said.

"Like a deal?"

"No, not like that," Roxas said. "It's when a man and a woman get together and decide to spend the rest of their lives together. They have children together, raise a family, and make business decisions together…they devote all their time to the other, and stay committed to just that one person." Roxas stared at Axel, who was now looking back at him. "Is that what a mate is…to you?"

Axel didn't have to think very hard about the comparison.

"No," he answered. "Not really."

"I see," Roxas said. "Then your lifestyle is more different than we thought." He relaxed into his seat and sighed. "It's a real shame that you don't experience the same traditions your northern cousins do."

"I don't see how," Axel muttered.

"Well, how could you?" Roxas said. "Spending your life with one person…not two or three, there's a huge difference."

"I don't see how," Axel said in all honesty. This was true. How could Roxas say there was a difference in the number of mates you had? His mother seemed just as happy with his father as another member who had two mates. Perhaps it had to do with ranking? Axel knew only certain members could acquire another mate, perhaps things worked differently up here? Was that what marriage was about?

But what was this decision? How do two people come to the same agreement, at the same time, over something as serious as that? And it seemed preposterous to spend all your time with just that one person. Axel couldn't bring himself to go a whole day listening to just his brother, or having to go through Yuna's never ending worries, or Rikku's annoyances, and he was supposed to believe that someone would spend all their time with another.

"I think your marriage thing is the stranger," Axel said finally. "You just don't know my ways…"

"Explain then," Roxas said. "Tell me about your parents."

"They were happy," Axel answered.

"Did either of them have another mate?" Roxas asked.

"No." Axel answered. "Neither of them were ranked high enough."

"Having a high rank means you can gain another mate?"

"Well, there are other things as well," Axel said, "but that is one of them."

"So your parents were not high in your social order?" Roxas then asked.

Axel shook his head, "No. Anyone is entitled to pick another. But you should never try to claim someone who's higher than you…"

"Why not?"

Axel couldn't come with an answer. He didn't have one. No matter where he looked, the only reason he could come up with was simply "that's just how it is" and "because you just don't". Axel knew those answers would not suffice to Roxas.

"It's foolish," Axel answered.

He watched the blonde stare at him for a long while before giving a nod.

"And Luxord's mother had two," Roxas then muttered. "A female in your race, in your society, took two males-no-claimed two males?"

"Yeah, why not?" Axel asked with a shrug. "I mean, Celes was a healer, and she was a storyteller too. She knew so much about everything. Even when we moved around, she always knew where to find the freshest ingredients for medicines. And she's one of the few members who teaches the younger ones about our faith."

"You have a religion? !" Roxas said in astonishment.

"She knows everything about our beginnings," Axel said. "Celes is a very special member…I don't see why it would be strange for her to have the authority to have more than one mate."

"The beginnings," Roxas said in a quiet tone. "You mean your creation? Your god?"

Axel smiled and nodded his head.

"It's her job to teach the younger members about how we came to be," Axel said.

"Yes, I suppose that would be a very important job. Religion and faith keeps the soul safe, assuming your religion promotes such," Roxas said in disdain. "…lets' go back to talking about mates and ranking, I'd rather we keep away from the religion topic for now…"

"Roxas?" Axel asked.

He could see that the talk had made the boy a bit angsty. Axel couldn't see why talking about such a subject would make another nervous.

"What's a soul?" Axel then asked Roxas.

Roxas had said the word before, and Axel had not known what it meant. And now Roxas had said it again, this time when making a comment about the beliefs he was taught.

"…not now, Axel," Roxas said.

"Why not," Axel said, getting over to the other side where Roxas sat. "I want to know what it is and what it means."

"because, Axel, your idea of what it may be, would be wrong," Roxas said, giving a small sigh. "If I were to attempt to explain it, no….there wouldn't be any way I could without correcting your idea about what the meaning of life is, or what god is, or what your place on this world is!"

Axel bit his tongue as he leaned against the corner.

There was a meaning to life?

Axel had always thought life was boring, at best, and that there was more to it. He knew that life back home was not satisfying enough for him, and leaving it in order to discover something greater would give him some sort of purpose…was that what Roxas meant?

But then, he was here, right now, with a strange collar around his neck. If there was a meaning he was supposed to find, then what did his current situation say about him? Or was this the meaning?

"Axel..?"

"Yes," Axel said, still lost in thought.

"Did you have a mate back home?" Roxas asked quietly.

"No," Axel said. "I…never got a real chance to find that person."

"Did anyone every try to…claim you," Roxas added on.

Axel smiled, "yeah…but I never saw him as anything more than a friend." Axel chuckled a bit. "Plus, I couldn't stand the thought of sharing him…so I would just fight back and do whatever I could to keep our relationship from growing too much." Axel's smile shrank a bit as he felt a small sharp pain hit him in the chest.

"He?"

Axel turned to Roxas.

"He who?"

"No," Roxas said, "I mean…another male wanted you?" Roxas face gave a small blush as his eyes darted around, trying to find something to fixate on instead of Axel.

"I also had girls flirt with me," Axel then added. "I was pretty popular…very popular."

He watched the boy's face heat up deep red and look away. Axel couldn't help but break into laughter. Roxas was such a child…

"Wasn't it a big deal that males wanted to claim you as a potential mate?" Roxas blurted out nervously. "I mean…two males…"

"I don't get it," Axel said.

"You know, two of the same can't have children, right?" Roxas then asked.

"I know where infants come front," Axel said in a modest tone. "I've seen it…"

"So, why let two men or two women waste a chance at having a normal family? If you can only have one mate, and you wanted children, wouldn't another male trying to keep you get in the way of that," Roxas said to Axel.

Axel shrugged.

"I never really thought of it that way," Axel said. "I mean…I knew everyone. Anytime I was approached, I knew them well enough, and got along with them…"

"But what about a family?" Roxas asked. "Wouldn't you want to have children of your own?"

"Well, it would be nice," Axel said. "But…even if I did pick myself a female, what if she didn't want children? I'd have to respect her wishes…"

"Wouldn't you be upset," Roxas asked.

"Of course," Axel said.

He frowned.

"But…you can't always get everything you want," Axel then muttered. He felt a guilty pang as he thought about Luxord again. Why did he drag him all the way out of here? "It would be wrong to think that you could have everything in the world, because everyone else wouldn't have enough. All you need is enough to be happy and content, there's no need to saturate yourself."

There was a long wake of silence, both Axel and Roxas either looking away or down in order to evade each others glance. Axel wasn't sure why Roxas was so quiet or indifferent about the talk, but in the end he could only conclude that life was different outside of his forest. A female having power or two males loving one another obviously was not normal to Roxas, otherwise his reactions wouldn't have been so alarming. And then there was the talk about religion and the, hopefully, eventual talk about what a soul was. Roxas had said he wanted to teach Axel, but so far it seemed as though Axel was doing the teaching.

"…can't always get what you want," Roxas muttered. The boy played around with his fingers and then gave a small cough.

"No, you can't." Axel replied. "You just can't."


Luxord rested himself against the window as he peered down below. He could see miles of trees developing green leaves and small buds, and from the distance he could make out colors of rooftops that made the village.

His icy blue eyes then lowered and locked on the deep red carriages that were rested in front of the manor. He could see a swarm of the servant girls, grabbing large items from the carriage and handing them to one another. Luxord recognized most of them, but a few of them, who were dressed in strange, heavy attire, he did not. Luxord could see Marluxia, standing proudly and smiling to the unknown female who had exited from the bigger, more luxurious carriage. Luxord couldn't deny that she looked rather appealing.

"She doesn't seem so bad," he muttered.

"You need to spend time with her," Aerith's cool voice said from behind.

"Marluxia said to stay away from her at all costs," Luxord responded, looking over to the older women.

Aerith let down her book and smiled at Luxord.

"And why do you think he told you that?" Aerith smiled as he continued with her reading. "He's trying to protect you from her…"

Luxord went back to staring, focusing all his attention to the blonde figure. She didn't look threatening, not in the slightest.

So, this was Larxene?

Marluxia had said she would be a pain, and Aerith had warned him that should would not be kind and treat him fairly. But all Luxord could see was a young woman, dressed up and smiling and looking quite lovely. Luxord wasn't sure why he had felt so worried this morning.

"A week doesn't seem so long," Luxord said.

"But if it is," Aerith said, "you're more than welcome to spend your time with me at my place."

"I know."

Luxord then glance out at the village, staring hard as he tried to make out all the buildings. It seemed very far away, although Marluxia had said it was only about two hours away on foot. Luxord had never been to the village. He had exited the front gated before, though only to take a look around the area. A quick look. He never felt comfortable enough to break away from the huge building. Luxord never found a reason to leave. Hearing Aerith's offer though, it did make him curious. She knew him well enough to know why he felt so safe here, so it did bring some worry that she was willing to take him away from the only home he knew just so he could avoid this woman.

"Larxene…and…Marluxia," Luxord muttered.

"A match made in heaven," Aerith said.

"Marluxia said people married out of love," Luxord said as he pulled away from the window. "Like you and Zack."

"Sometimes it's our duty to do things we don't wish to do," Aerith said to Luxord. "But we have to do them, no matter what."

Luxord didn't understand, and it caused a strange pain in him.

A very familiar pain.


Now, Roxas and Axel's conversation does bounce around a bit. But hopefully you were able to get a couple of things about Axel's life before the story.

Next chapter will have some LM...and I'll try to help develop some sort of AR relationship, since those two are still pretty indifferent.