To all the American readers out there, happy Memorial Day.

Disclaimer: yadda yadda yadda, I don't own, yadda yadda yadda, Kingdom Hearts, yadda yadda.

Warning: I portray Cid like he was originally portrayed in Final Fantasy VII – he was just too…stable…in Kingdom Hearts. If his accent is difficult to read, I'm sorry, but I live around people who talk like he does, so I know how to type it out…

.oOo.

Kingdom Hearts: Nonexistence

7: Real Obstacles

.oOo.

Inside a small house in the middle of a quaint little village, a young girl with dark, short-cropped hair sat in a chair with her feet propped up on a computer console's keyboard. She flipped her hair out of her eyes, as she had let it grow long in front, only to let it fall back directly into them. She sighed and leaned back, bored out of her mind.

"Wish there was something exciting going on," she said loudly. It was times like this that she enjoyed being obnoxious – it was fun to see what the others would do.

"If you're so bored, Yuffie, go run around the town," a kind woman in a pink dress suggested. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail that draped down to her belt line and her bright green eyes were sparkling as she read a large novel on the bed across the room.

Yuffie sighed again. "You don't understand, Aerith. I need excitement, not exercise."

Aerith closed her eyes, followed by the novel. "You think because I'm in my twenties that I don't remember what it was like to be sixteen."

"C'mon, Aerith, we're totally different people," Yuffie countered. Aerith couldn't argue with that, so she remained quiet. Yuffie paused for a moment before saying, "Wonder where Cid is."

Just then, a well-built man entered through the large front door of the house and fingered the stalk of grass in his mouth. He wore a tight-fitting white t-shirt and baggy blue trousers. "What the hell ya think you're doin' puttin' yer feet on my computer, kid?"

Yuffie yelped and dropped her feet to he ground with a thump. She stood up and ran over to the man, throwing her arms around his shoulders and crying out, "Cid!"

"Hey, woah!" Cid shouted, pushing Yuffie off of him. "What the # do you think you're doin', kid? I ain't no playground!" He looked over at Aerith. "Any news on the Heartless situation 'round here?" he asked her.

Aerith shook her head, already interested in her novel again.

Cid sighed. "Leon n' I couldn't find a single one, either," he said. "Things're getting' dull 'round here, if'n ya ask me."

"Yes! Definitely!" Yuffie cried. "I hate to say it, but I wish that the Heartless could come back."

"Yuffie, that's a terrible thing to say!" Aerith cried. "We must never wish something like that. Ever!"

"Aw, I know. It's just…" Yuffie was interrupted by a cry from outside. "Was that Leon?"

The door opened in haste as Yuffie and Cid rushed outside. A tall man with longer brown hair and a magnificent weapon resembling a sword with the handle of a revolver stood opposite a black-cloaked figure with flaming red hair.

"Leon, who is that?" Yuffie asked.

"Look at the clothing," Leon replied. "He's a member of Organization XIII. He wants to know where Sora is."

Yuffie gasped. "But didn't Sora take all of them out?"

Axel raised an eyebrow. In Nonexistence, there were still a few members missing, which means that they had not been killed in this realm. "Well, actually-" he began.

"Shut up," Leon growled. "Doesn't matter if Sora didn't kill you. That just means that I'll have the honors."

"Wait! Woah, hollon there!" Axel cried, waving his arms. "I just wanted to talk!"

"Fat chance!" Yuffie replied with a grin on her face. She had somehow dodged into the house to grab her massive shuriken, and now stood next to Leon with it at the ready. Cid was on his other side with a large spear ready for action.

Axel cringed. They weren't going to listen to him. "I just want to see Sora," he tried again.

"Sure. So you can turn him into a Heartless or something," Yuffie countered.

Axel shrugged with one shoulder. "Well, kinda…" A moment's silence, then, "No, wait, that isn't what I meant."

"Save it for someone who thinks you're worth a damn, ya damn bastard," Cid said with a sneer. He twirled his spear into a more ready position and charged, causing Axel to take a jump to the side in order to avoid the attack. Cid, grasping the spear with his right arm, swung wide and the tip of the head snagged on Axel's sleeve, tearing a small hole in its fabric. Axel made a noise and jumped back further, out of immediate danger.

"He's not even arming himself," Yuffie mocked. "He must know that he's gonna die already." She launched herself into a front flip that released her shuriken in the middle. Its four deadly points spun viciously towards Axel, who realized that he wasn't going to survive unless he at least attempted to defend himself. One chakram later, the shuriken was flying off in another direction, finally coming to stick out of the roof of a nearby building. Yuffie didn't seem distraught, however, as she leapt onto a crate and jumped to the roof of her own house, then turning to run towards her lost weapon.

"Will you please listen to me?" Axel cried as he dodged another skewering attack by Cid.

"Don't make me get involved," Leon replied in a voice so low that Axel almost didn't hear him.

Axel armed his second arm with his other chakram and parried Cid's next attack, throwing him off balance, but the redhead jumped away from the teetering lancer to look over at Leon. "Come on, I said please!"

Whirring in the air alerted Axel of the incoming danger from behind him. Spinning around and swinging his left arm wide, his chakram deflected Yuffie's shuriken again, but this time its arc seemed to change directions as Yuffie jumped high into the air. She met with her shuriken and landed almost gracefully on the ground a short distance from Axel.

Axel turned around and parried another spear attack, only to turn around and flip backwards over the shuriken as it ricocheted off the ground directly under his feet. Using the back flip as leverage, Axel twisted the spear out of Cid's grasp, sending it spiraling off to the other side of a building.

"What's the matter with you people?" Axel cried. "I just wanna talk!"

Leon was on Axel as fast as he could blink. Crossing his arms, Axel's chakrams were barely able to repel Leon's gunblade as he brought its sharp blade down on the redhead's form. Metal struck metal time after time as Leon relentlessly hammered down on Axel.

Axel could feel it happening – something inside of him was welling up and he knew the outcome of the battle if he allowed it to surface. He wanted to ask these people questions, not hurt them.

Leon continued to slam his blade down on Axel's defenses. At this rate, flames would engulf the swordsman and Axel would be responsible. He couldn't allow that to happen. He didn't have anything to do with these people. Axel waited until the gunblade came in contact with his weapons again, then quickly slashed to the sides with both chakrams. The points on his weapons caught the flat sides of the gunblade and it went flying into the air. Axel reached up with a foot, planted it on Leon's chest, and heaved off, throwing the swordsman away from him. Axel somersaulted backwards just as the gunblade sliced into the ground where he had just been.

"Will you please listen to me," Axel asked through gritted teeth.

Leon, slightly winded, stood up straight and pointed an open palm at Axel. Red energy sizzled around his fingers and a large fireball suddenly erupted from his palm. The force from the spell sent Leon staggering back a step or two, but the fireball continued to plow on towards its intended target, whose gritted teeth transformed into a horrified stare.

No!

The fireball slammed into Axel, but instead of hurting him like Leon had undoubtedly intended, Axel felt the pressure inside him billow up even stronger than before. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and gritted his teeth again, this time from sheer pain from trying to force the flames from erupting from within. The pressure continued to build despite Axel's wishes. They would soon be beyond his prevention.

In his moment of pain, a picture flashed through Axel's mind. A sandy beach with several palm trees, a small dock with a few boats attached to it, and a seaside shack with many footprints leading to and from it. Something about it was calling to Axel. Something he wanted was there. He'd never been there – how could he have seen such an image?

The pressure began to cloud Axel's mind. Flames seemed to find their way into his mind's eye, permeating every thought he could muster. Time around him seemed to have halted as the pressure continued to build upon itself. He didn't have much time before they forced their way out of his body. Instead, Axel realized that he knew a different way to use them.

Axel stood up in spite of his pain and raised his hands over his head. "You won't tell me anything, I'll find someone who will," he cried as flames erupted into the air above him. A ring of fire appeared and fell to the ground. As it passed over Axel's body, he disappeared, until the only thing left to mark his former presence was a scorched ring on the pavement.

Leon stood upright, winded, and gazed at the ground where Axel had been. "Gone," he whispered. Something wasn't right – he hadn't fought back at all, when Leon knew that the Organization members were hardcore fighters. The only use of his special powers were used to defend himself and to teleport away.

"Gee, d'ya think we mighta overdone it?" Yuffie asked. "I mean, he didn't fight back at all." She had retrieved her shuriken again and was now standing on the opposite side of the scorched ring.

Leon scratched his head as he tried to make sense of what just happened. "I don't know," he admitted. "Maybe…"

Cid appeared from around a corner with spear in hand. "Where'd that #$ go?" he demanded.

"Gone," Yuffie replied with a shrug. "Can't explain it. He just kinda got mad at Leon and left in a hurry."

"Seemed to know where he was going, too," Leon said in thought. "I wonder if he knows a way to find Sora."

Yuffie made a hushing sound. "He might still be here, listening, hoping we'll spill something about Sora," she whispered.

Leon nodded. Normally, Yuffie's imagination got away with her, but this time she could have easily been right. "Cid, Yuffie, search the town. I'll get Aerith to look, too. We're not just looking for Heartless anymore, but also that Organization member."

Yuffie gave Leon a sort of salute before leaping high into the air to hop up to the upper stone ridge leading to the bailey. Cid headed towards the marketplace, leaving Leon to head into their house to speak with Aerith.

- - -

Axel's feet landed on soft sand on a long beach that ran around a small island. He could see the mainland in the distance, not fuzzy at all, just a little farther than he had gone.

Sora could be on this island, though. I'd better search here, first.

Axel took a step, but his eyes found their way to the sky. The blue of the sea's sky was deepening as night approached. Axel turned around to look at the seaside shack. The light was turned off.

He'd be on the mainland. Too many houses. I'll stay here for tonight.

Axel nodded to himself as he made up his mind. He made his way up to a tall tree on the other end of the island, where a small shelter had been constructed, undoubtedly for the children that played here during the day – it would come in handy in case of storms. Axel sat down in the shelter, which had a nice view of the mainland, and settled down with his arms wrapped around his knees, which he had drawn up to his chest. He rested his head on his arms and stared out at the mainland as the sky continued to deepen.

Don't worry, Roxas. Soon.

.oOo.

Shorter chapter, I know, but it's getting late and I like keeping up a quota. It makes be feel like I'm accomplishing something.

Hope you enjoyed – I'm only halfway enthused about the emotional aspects of this chapter.

Reviews are highly welcome, good, bad, or indifferent.