Disclaimer Tag; Nothing below is mine, except the twisted plot that has been weaved

Mind Games

Chapter 38: Mercy

Seeing Riku again was something Axel had been hoping to avoid for at least a few more days. But as fate would have it, he had to face the entire Destiny Islands trio within the span of a few hours. Simply marvelous. Axel couldn't believe his luck, literally.

He was standing in a cold, dark hallway with a man who could beat him to a pulp if he tried hard enough. Riku's muscles were apparent even through his dark gray, winter coat and navy scarf, or maybe Axel was just hyper-aware. The intensity of his aquamarine eyes was more unnerving than Axel cared to admit, and he hoped that the level of intimidation he felt wasn't obvious. So much for not getting on Riku's bad side.

"So..." Axel found himself muttering, "How have you been?"

"I'll cut to the chase."

Axel ran his fingers through his hair, feeling like Riku had just stabbed a needle into his foot. "Well, go right ahead then."

"I told you to take care of her. Please explain to me how any of what happened was doing that?" Riku questioned gruffly. Axel opened his mouth to begin his explanation, but Riku kept talking. "Not only did you break her heart and lie to her, but you didn't even come back after. She's been looking for you this entire time, stuck between feelings of guilt and betrayal, and terrified of her own judgement."

Axel was at a loss for words. He'd never bothered to think about what turmoil Kairi must've been in while he was off the grid. It'd been easier to think she was better off without him. "I've been selfish," he admitted, "I get it."

He couldn't tell if Riku was surprised by his admission or if he was still glaring at him. The guy really needed a haircut. "Do you?" Riku asked, "Because if you do, you'll make certain that doesn't happen again." Riku was starting to sound like a protective father. Axel was slightly miffed by his tone, but he couldn't really be angry. He deserved it.

"I'm not asking you to never hurt her again," Riku added with an almost softening sigh, "Hurt is a part of all relationships, I understand that. But I am asking you to be more considerate. If you're going to be a part of her life, just remember how big and pure her heart is and don't walk all over it. If you fight, fix it."

"All right," Axel relented, "I get the message." Riku stiffened. Axel's hands shot up in surrender. "No, seriously, I do. I'm not being sarcastic."

"That's a first," Riku scoffed.

Axel slouched against the wall and folded his arms across his chest. "You're right. Is that what you wanted to hear? Look, I know I was a piece of work and I know why."

Riku's eyes seemed to bore deeper into his face. Was nothing he said satisfactory? "Go on," he urged without any emotional expression. Axel couldn't tell if Riku wanted to pound his face in or give him a pass.

"Kairi may be the first woman I ever loved, but she's not the first person I ever felt so connected to. And unfortunately, the first time is what sets the precedent for all the other times. I've mentioned Isa to her before, but I didn't mention what lengths I went to try and stop the inevitable."

"Who's Isa?"

It'd been years since the day, but the pain still flowed through him. And it seemed, despite his best efforts, controlled his actions. "He was my best friend growing up. After my parents died, he was all I had in the world. I would've done anything for him; spying, stealing, murder, you name it." Axel glanced at Riku's hardening visage. "Which, I didn't for the record. I was just trying to paint a picture," Axel quickly added, "Sheesh, maybe in an alternate universe."

"Better be such a far-fetched one that there's a replica of me running around, fighting people," Riku muttered, attempting to blow the long bangs out of his face.

"Anyway, Isa betrayed me. He framed me, got me blacklisted, and stole my research. But even that wasn't enough to get me to leave him alone. For months, I stuck around Radiant Garden, trying to talk to him. I thought if I could just get him alone I could knock some sense into him and all could be forgiven," Axel admitted, "But I was wrong. You know what he told me? I'd ceased being useful to him."

Axel felt his body stiffen as the image of Isa's icy eyes and vibrant, blue hair came into his mind. The image of his back turned, walking away, would forever be burned onto his retinas.

"Your talents were never suited for this line of work. I'm surprised you deluded yourself for so long for the sake of friendship."

A flash of cold, golden eyes and a stern expression. The casual toss of his blue hair, as though, he could care less what his words were doing to his oldest friend.

"Do I mean that much to you? Pathetic."

He turned, the edge of his white coat flying up as he did. His steps echoed, bouncing off the bronze, metal walls and pipes that surrounded them.

"I cannot believe I tolerated you all these years. Goodbye, Lea."

Axel took in a breath to calm himself, clenching his fist so his hand would stop shaking. "All those years together amounted to those words...I was never anything more than a pawn. That betrayal has haunted me since that day. It's hung over all my relationships, including the one I had with Kairi. I thought I could prevent that happening again if I made myself indispensable."

Riku was frowning, almost as if his sad tale had touched him. Instead of expressing any trace of sympathy, Riku asked, "You realize you were wrong now?"

"Yeah," Axel grumbled, "I won't make that mistake again."

"That's all I needed to hear."

"Aren't you warm and fuzzy today," Axel retorted, "We done here?"

The smile that formed on Riku's lips caught him off guard. "Not quite." Axel raised a brow. What more could Riku want from him. "Consider this a warning. Sora is back in Kairi's life too and he's ended things with Naminé. I'm sure I don't have to spell out what that means for you."

As if his mood couldn't drop any lower after reliving his memories of Isa. Not that he expected to have another chance with Kairi, he truly was grateful she would even look at him. However, that didn't mean he wanted to watch Sora attempt to put the moves on her either. The scene at the Christmas party was enough for a lifetime.

"Why are you telling me this?" Axel deadpanned.

Riku stepped closer to him. He flinched but soon realized Riku wasn't trying to hurt him. "Axel, I don't think you're a bad guy, but I don't want you to make the same mistakes with her. Try not to go ballistic if you see something you don't like." He seemed to hesitate before adding, "I can't claim to know how you feel, but I have gone through a similar thing with Sora. I can understand your fear of not being enough, I've felt it myself. But I can tell you, Kairi isn't like that. She's a light-"

"-In the darkness," Axel finished. He paused, feeling less angry with Riku by the second. "Thanks." Riku moved to open the door, but Axel stopped him with his arm. "Actually, you don't have to answer this. I just want to know. Does she want to be with him?"

Riku smirked. "Rather than answer that, I'll let you decide for yourself how she feels. You're bound to see them together soon enough." Axel hated how humorous Riku obviously found his question. The glee in his eyes was short lived, and quickly replaced by a subtle hostility. "That said, I also want to say this. I suggest you avoid putting hands on Sora in the future. I may not be so forgiving if it happens again."

Axel sucked in his breath. It was scary how Riku could go from friendly and understanding to fierce and deadly at the drop of a hat. But he supposed Sora and Kairi were his Roxas and Xion. Axel wouldn't be able to hold back if someone threatened either of them, no matter who it was.

"Right, I appreciate the pass you're giving," Axel replied, "And the information too."

Riku shrugged. "The only favorite I'm playing is Kairi. Whatever she wants, I'll support her, no matter what."

He wasn't going to say so, but Axel respected that. No reason for him to let on how he enjoyed Riku's company or how he was beginning to feel an almost brotherly affection for him. No way. So all he said was an 'okay' and followed him back inside.

Kairi was stooped over her pile of belongings when they entered. Axel was surprised to see all the boxes open. She'd been industrious during their little conversation. She straightened her back and smiled at them. His heart fluttered at the sight. How could he have been such an idiot? Riku was right to call him out on his bullshit.

"I've had a wonderful idea," she announced with a look that made Axel waver slightly, "I'll have a house-warming and invite everyone over." Her eyes drifted to his. "We have a lot to celebrate, after all."

As flattered as Axel was by her implication, the announcement shot a cold blow to his gut. Did Kairi mean to invite everyone over? Did she mean…? He supposed his first test was coming sooner than he thought.

A/N: Short update, I know. I think this is actually the shortest chapter of the batch that is to come. Thank you so much for your reviews and comments. I really enjoy reading them. Word on the street is the weather may be bad tomorrow so you may or may not see another update on Tuesday. If not, look for something from me late on Friday (Central Time). Have a great week and Happy MLK Day for those of you that celebrate!