-o-o-o-

A Nobody With A Heart

By: Elie

-o-o-o-

Prologue:

Climax and Beginning


Loud footsteps cluttered against the white steel floors of Organization XIII's building as Axel tried to escape as soon as he could with Kairi clinging beside him like a lost pup. The warmth of Kairi's arm hovered around him like some protective sheet. This made him continue running.

Sometimes, you just had to let go of your own personal goals in life to pursue someone else's. That's what happened to Axel. Later he realized that life without Kairi would be meaningless after all for he knew that no matter what he'd do, Roxas would never return. Kairi was like the light to him. He felt like he had a heart.

He could feel any emotion just like human beings would.

And he felt pain.

He experienced losing Kairi once, and he'd described the feeling so very weird. He didn't realize, though, that he was actually in pain. He felt that…he was like losing Roxas again.

With only the sound of their footsteps within the hall, Axel heard a soft giggle behind him. He smirked to see it was Kairi, looking as if in bliss in their hefty fleeing. Ever since they'd been together, or it would be best to describe that, ever since he'd kidnapped her, a weird feeling stabbed his heart again - a good one and it was happiness.

Another turn to the left of the corridor and they'd be outside the building soon. But when Axel was about to lead left, images of Sora convincing Kairi to return to them flashed through his mind like a gush of water coming from cold falls. He stopped abruptly in a corner, mindlessly letting go of Kairi's wrist as she ran ahead of him.

"Kairi, stop!" he cried, heavily breathing.

Turning gracefully as if the situation was just like of a pure game of scavenger hunt mixed with chase, Kairi stood still, her face bright and somewhat happy.

"What is it?" she asked, panting, her voiced mixed with enthrallment.

Axel didn't move an inch. Instead, he stared at her with a stoic expression plastered in his face. He'd expect her to come to him, though, and so she did. He gazed down on her face as if memorizing its features real carefully, never wanting to forget such a rare kind of beauty he'd find only once in his lifetime.

"Axel, we have to go." Kairi pleaded, although her voice possessed no worries at all. "What's wrong with you? Are you tired?"

The moment her hands touched his shoulder, Axel pulled her close, their bodies colliding against each other like rock against rock. He wanted to hold her again, as if to protect her unnecessarily.

His lips barely grazed the flesh of her neck as he bent his head down on her shoulders and whispered in her ears, "Are you sure you wanna do this? I mean, escape from…Sora…and the rest of your friends?"

Kairi fought back the tears she had kept for a while and tried not to lose them right here on the spot. Honestly, she didn't care anymore, wrapping her arms around Axel's own neck.

"I want to be with you more than I want to be with them. If we can't be together, I'll never know what to do. I'm not trying to escape from them…I just want to show them that…that I want to be with you more than anything in this world!"

Axel could've sworn he felt something squeeze inside his body, right where the heart's located. The thing is, he didn't have one. "But I'm only a Nobo-"

"I don't care," Kairi held him tighter.

He tilted her chin up, stared at her emerald orbs for a moment, and then captured her lips with his. For a moment, they allowed their tongues to dance with each other, loving the intoxicating feel of each other's passion. Except that one of them wasn't so sure if the feeling was real.

After all, probably he's just a Nobody with a heart.

"Axel, Kairi!"

They turned. They saw him - the one with the keyblade…with eyes fiery as the weapons Axel possessed. Kairi broke the kiss, and craned her neck to see Sora staring at them with angry, sorrowful eyes. She looked up at Axel who calmly greeted Sora.

"Fight with me!" The keyblade wielder growled.

"Sora, there are more things to-"

"Shut up! Just fight with me!"

Kairi glared at Sora in disbelief. "Sora, what's the matter with you!"

She felt Axel's glove on her shoulder, pushing her aside a little bit before summoning his weapon. "Stay away from this Kairi, I'll do it."

Kairi stared at the two boys in horror. She looked at Sora. He seemed so different. He looked so strong and…furious. She looked at Axel. He looked like the very Axel she had met before. The calm and stoic one.

And right before her eyes, the two charged at each other in full speed. "Axel, Sora! Stop it both of you!" Her heart yearned for Axel, but then, she felt her world turn dark.

Today was Saturday and Kairi decided to walk on the beach shore, taking short glances at the small island from afar. Deep in her heart, she knew, that there was someone right there…right there waiting for her. The only thing she could remember, though, was his name. It's Sora.

Yesterday, she was here with Selfie, catching sunset after school before getting back home. Well actually, she was trying to figure out all the empty memories that have been haunting her. Like, there was this particular person who's really a big deal in her life, yet she couldn't even remember that he'd existed.

But maybe, there was a way for her to find out. So she wrote a message in a bottle. A message she was hoping that'd reach its destination precisely. And even before the bottle could travel an inch from her, someone she didn't even know said something in her head. So, it was Sora indeed.

Her view of the island was cut short when she heard a soft bark behind her. Craning her neck, she saw Pluto, the dog she swore she remembered from somewhere.

"Hey there little fella'," she gestured kindly, reaching out an arm for the dog. Probably, Pluto was just a bit too playful so he began to run around.

Kairi laughed, and sooner, found her own self chasing after the dog real slow as the sand made it hard for her to run with big shoes. As she played, the wondrous breeze blew freshly at her pink sundress and her now long tangerine hued hair.

"I'm getting tired…" she eyed Pluto and smiled, taking a seat on the soft sands of Destiny Islands. "Let's rest for a while, okay?"

It seemed that the dog wasn't paying attention to her at all, running around and barking some more. Kairi sighed, bringing her knees up to her chest. "Somehow, I feel that a part of me is missing…I don't understand."

Suddenly, a shadowy haze appeared before her, almost sending the ends of her hair to shoot up. She heard Pluto bark again behind her only to see that he was heading straight to the haze. "Pluto, where are you going?"

Too late – the dog had already gone in. Kairi bit her lip and shakily stood up. Slowly, she went closer to the haze, her heart pounding vividly within each step.

The answers…must be inside…I will never know if I don't take the risk…

Without further examining the whole figure, she stepped inside, and then, she felt herself rapidly being dragged by the shadow.

"What's with all the loud commotion?" Axel asked himself as he peeped carefully at some teenage kids' "usual spot". He had just arrived here in Twilight Town and he was eager to find out if Sora and the others have come by also.

Groaning at the impossible view, Axel moved a little closer. He stealthily went near the fence to eavesdrop at the conversation.

"Hey Pence, what is she doing here?"

"Wrong question Hayner…you meant – who in the world is she?"

"Break it up guys, you're scaring her."

"Talk to her Olette, will ya?"

Meanwhile, Axel could see three bodies. Two boys and a girl forming a circle or something like that. But at that very moment, he also saw a tangerine head stick out. He didn't notice a small smirk creeping upon his lips.

Upon overhearing the whole conversation between the kids, Axel grinned to himself and decided to walk away to wait for the opportune moment to get together with Kairi.

Yes, that was her name. And she was looking for Sora, too, just as he was. Indeed. He was thinking of the right thing. Kairi was the perfect bait.

TBC

-o-o-o-

Elie's Note: So, how was it for my first KH fic? Should I continue? Or leave this, pages by pages under the Kingdom Hearts category?