Diclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

Note: Written for LJ's "30kisses" comm for Theme 16: Invincible/Unrivaled

Practice Makes Perfect

"You seem to be enjoying yourself." For some reason his greetings were always bitter. Karma, just maybe.

Axel turned his head, appearing to have just now noticed that Zexion had entered the room. "I am."

He turned back to the strings in his fingers, carefully and easily making the marionette dance and strut with each gentle tug of and pluck of each elegant finger. The little doll could do the Tango, and the Mambo, the Forró and the Samba all in time with the quick tune Axel was humming. He sat amused with his toy, facing away from the one-man audience.

"Isn't she magnificent?" he asked as his puppet bowed to Zexion. "So polite, too."

Zexion grunted in response, rather irritated that he was being ignored for a mere child's plaything. He held a certain respect for Axel, seeing in him the positive qualities the others wrote off as just more of his 'quirks.' It didn't necessarily include loyalty, but Axel seemed much more human than the others, with or without the steadfast fealty they swore. Axel at least had positive traits.

But Zexion also often had a short fuse around him-- Axel had a habit of forgetting whose subordinate he was. Zexion didn't like spending time around Axel if he had a new center of attention.

"See how she dances?" Axel continued, a pause in his light humming. He turned his head back slightly, still watching his salsa siñorita twizzle. "Can you make her dance, Zexion?"

Zexion looked at the puppet with annoyance, sore from having wasted the time to seek out Axel and his Lady Lambada. He spoke wittily, his sarcasm eating away at the integrity of his words.

"No, Axel, I've never played with toys like you." 'I play with real people instead.'

He liked it when everything he left unsaid was painfully obvious. He was gifted in his ability to control others, and he was quite confident in and because of it. Unlike Axel, he didn't need to play with toys; he could do the very same thing to his colleagues.

"Oh?" Axel asked, interested enough to quirk an eyebrow. But not to turn his head.

Axel didn't ask any further, thinking only of how conceded, overconfident, and simple Zexion was. Their master manipulator, their vile tactician, thought life was all about the show. Axel could practically read each thought as it passed through the other's head. In his parochial mind Zexion was mistaken. To him, not being looked at was the same as not being seen. Zexion's life was made up of the live performances and the shows on the stage. If it wasn't the real thing, it wasn't necessary.

Axel nearly chuckled out loud at the child's logic; the rehearsal is just as important as the opening night, little boy. All the more practice.

Zexion left without another word, thinking puppets were for children, and angry when Axel didn't look up as the door opened, seemingly still entranced by her graceful motions. She blew him a kiss goodbye as the door closed behind him. He didn't notice. So much he had missed.