Chapter Six:

An Awkward Plot Twist

"What do you think of the new girl, Axel?" I was in the courtyard, spinning my chakram back and forth. Practicing, I guess. Demyx's question caught me completely off my guard. So completely that one of my chakram hit me in my gut. I grunted.

"What do you mean?"

"Well…I don't know…" I studied him as he stuttered. Was that a blush I detected about his cheeks? I sighed. Demyx…little fool. I could read him as easily as I could read myself. Probably better, considering that I hardly knew myself these days.

"Demyx…you like her? You haven't even talked to her." I laughed. "She seems like a bitch."

"She's not!" He instantly jumped to her defense, then bit his lip in that nervous way he had. "I mean…you were pretty mean to her, too, you know. And she was nervous. What was she supposed to act like?"

"…Trust me." I said. I wondered that I didn't feel angry that he was attracted to her. My mind was telling me I should be more possessive. But really, I had no claim to Raxet, did I? "She's not your type."

"What do you mean?"

"You can't tell? Ice and Water don't mix very well. One of them has to give."

He had been strumming on his Sitar, and now he stopped, examining me as I allowed flames to escape my fingers and crawl along my chakram. I had gone back to throwing them.

"Neither do Fire and Ice." I caught my chakram and allowed them to dissipate, turning as he continued. "Those don't mix well, either. I saw how you looked at her when she came in." I think his words stung more than I'd like to admit. Tera and Alex…they had personalities that complimented each other well. Axel and Raxet…we were polar opposites. Should Tera ever become complete again…would this affect her memories of me? I hastily corrected my thought. Would it affect how she felt about Alex? Would her memories of him be tainted by the actions of Axel?

"She has a nice body." I dismissed his claim of attraction with typical muscle-headed masculinity.

"Pig," He accused.

"Oh, and what about you? I've talked to her at least. You just watched her." He flushed even deeper.

"…but…I feel like there's a connection between us." I felt an old ache rise up in my chest.

"A connection?" I asked, as casually as I could. Why I couldn't just out and tell him about his 'connection' I don't know.

Or maybe I did. I don't think that, at the time, I quite trusted him.

He was a nice kid, but he was a little too naive. He meant well, I knew, but I didn't think that was enough to cause me to put my trust in him. There was too much at stake.

"Yeah. I don't know, it's weird. I have the same sort of connection with you." I looked at him, my eyebrows arched.

"Not like that!" He exclaimed, waving his hands. "But…man…we were brothers, you know? That's gotta mean something, even now."

I brushed my hair back, running my hand through it as I turned away. "Nothing that was is anything, anymore, Demyx. What was is dead, alright? That's your problem," I denounced loudly. "If you can't let go of what you were, you'll never be able to accept what you've become." I looked back at him over my shoulder. "Kid—don't get me wrong. I care about you. But I'm not your brother anymore. You're not my brother. We are Axel and Demyx, two Nobodies. Got it memorized? Nobodies. With no hearts, no 'connections'. Let it go. Forget about Raxet."

"I don't think you mean that," He said, softly. "I don't think you've let your past go. Your memories. That's all we are, Axel. Memories. Maybe you're right—but if you are, you're in the same boat as me. I can tell. You haven't let anything go. You're still in love."

"…I don't believe in love anymore, Demyx. Love is an imaginary thing you tell children about so that you don't destroy their perception of adult life."

"That's awfully depressing," He sighed. "I'm glad I didn't ask you to help me write her this song."

"Song?" I had been about to just leave. But that made me turn around, gape at him. "You're writing her a love song and you haven't even introduced yourself?"

"…I'll get around to that when I've finished the song," He grinned. "Wanna hear what I've got so far?" He didn't wait for me to answer.

"And I love you so

People ask me how

How I've lived 'till now

I tell them I don't know…"

"Er….Demyx? It's really good," I told him, "But…"

"I know," He told me. "You don't believe in love."

"That's not it." I replied quickly. "Just…for your own good…when you sing that for her…make sure you really mean every single word of it."

"Don't worry," He grinned. "I do." He shouldered his Sitar. "I'm gonna go finish writing it right now!"

My chest felt as though someone had jabbed a lance right through it. And still, I wasn't angry with Demyx. I felt…lonely, if anything. Regretful.

I shook myself. I needed to be working, thinking. How was I going to get Raxet to consent to Fade back into Tera? As long as Tera's body remained in stasis back in Radiant Gardens…Hollow Bastion…whatever…as long as Tera's body remained in stasis, should Raxet Fade or give in to her memories, Tera would become whole.

I didn't think the answer lay in Raxet, herself, though.

I still didn't know what Xemnas was planning, but I had sufficiently worked up the willpower to go and ask him myself. I pushed a portal open, and stepped back inside the castle.

I could have portal-ed myself right to Xemnas.

I didn't.

I think better when I pace.

And Castle Oblivion is huge. I had lots of steps between the inner courtyard and Xemnas' tower. I planned to think the entire way there, so that when I confronted the sorry son of a bitch I could be sufficiently eloquent about it.

How many different ways are there to say, "I hope you burn in hell, you bastard!"?

Author's note: Song bite from Don McLean's 'I love you so,' which is a brilliant and beautifully melodious ballad. 3