She wondered where Marshmallow had been sent when she had wished him away.

To be honest, Elsa didn't really know.

It's not like he was just gone, completely erased from existence or anything like that. He was a part of her and even though he had a mind of his own, they still shared a link of some sort, an… awareness, for lack of a better word. She could still sense him, could still bring him back at the snap of a finger, should she so choose. He lived on in some form or another, of this she was certain.

As certain as she was that this had been the very same Marshmallow that had existed back on Arendelle. Not a clone or imitation of the original. She had conjured Marshmallow himself to her defense during the fight against Axel.

That knowledge raised so many questions in her mind… such as, could she do the same with Olaf? Summon him to her side? If she were to do so, would he be able to give her news of Anna and her whereabouts? Even if he did have the information she so desperately sought, should she bring him here? If he was currently with Anna and helping her in some way, Elsa wouldn't want to take that aid away from her sister. She wasn't sure if she'd know how to send him back. She wasn't even sure she could send him back.

It all came back to how little she knew of her own powers, despite having them all her life. Thank goodness her training with Merlin had begun. With his help, perhaps as she learned to better control her abilities, she'd develop an understanding that would help her deduce answers to these very questions that plagued her mind.

It had now been a couple days since her first session with the old wizard. It had mostly been answering his queries about her history and experience with her powers, as well as him asking her to perform various feats using her ice magic so he could test her limits and assess the full extent of her capabilities. A good place to start, to be sure. However, the days that followed had been filled with exercises that felt rather pointless to her.

Take now, for example. She sat on a stool at the table in the middle of Merlin's home. The current assignment involved conjuring her magic in the form of snowflakes interconnected across the tabletop while constantly shaping and reshaping them, so that their intricate designs were ever changing.

Simple enough… but the catch? She had to do it completely devoid of emotion.

Admittedly, it was a little more difficult than she had expected. Clearing her mind and heart of everything was the easy part. Conceal, don't feel. It was a mantra she had been practicing all her life. But it had always been to stop her powers. Never before had she willingly called upon her magic while trying not to feel anything at all. And she was discovering that this exercise, while far from impossible, was a bit of a struggle. It was hard to put the sensation into words but if she were to try, she'd say wielding her powers normally was akin to running like the wind, free and unrestrained… whereas using them like this, empty of her emotions, was more akin to slogging her way through waist-deep mud.

It was interesting to learn, but ultimately a waste of time as far as she was concerned. She had asked for Merlin's help so that she could better contain and restrict her ability, not give it more opportunity to go on a rampage. She should consider herself lucky it only seemed to run wild if an emotion got the better of her. How unfortunate it would be if her magic could have free rein when she was feeling nothing at all.

Elsa glanced towards the sorcerer out of the corner of her eye. Merlin had seated himself at the table with her, but after charging her with her task for this lesson, had picked up a book and was now fully engrossed in reading it. It seemed he had decided that his work here was done, at least for the moment. He hadn't even enlightened her on what exactly this little chore was supposed to teach her. She wondered if he even knew. Perhaps she was supposed to figure it out for herself. Or perhaps it was just busy work.

Her eyes shifted over slightly further towards Cid on the other side of the room, once again seated at that computer contraption of his. She was beginning to think the chair on which he perched was an extension of his body, for she never saw him leave his post there. Sadly, that odd device at which he typed had yet to locate her kingdom or her sister. She was told to be patient and to give it more time, it had only been a few short days and they had the whole cosmos to sift through. Logically, that made sense to her. But it did nothing to ease her worries and fears and the clawing need to be doing something to help in the search. Being told to sit idly by while others looked for her sister was driving her crazy, and it didn't help that there had been no word from Sora yet either. Luckily, she was very good at suppressing her emotions.

With a barely contained sigh, she directed her gaze back to the snowflakes sprawled across the wooden surface before her. She supposed, when it came right down to it, these sessions with Merlin helped. Even if some of the exercises did seem quite useless, they at least served as a distraction from her restless thoughts. Inhaling slowly, she banished her feelings and raised her hands, pointing her fingertips at the ice once more and focusing.

With a low crackle, the ice began to dance and bend to her will, curving and splitting apart here, looping and merging back together there. Abstract, frozen images would emerge suddenly and vanish just as quickly, replaced with new and entirely different forms. She let herself get lost in those pictures as it helped her maintain her meditative state. That image in the ice over there looked kind of like a castle. And this one here made sort of a face. The one next to it-

"Whatcha doing?"

The low voice right next to her ear startled a gasp out of her. She reflexively spun around in her seat to face it, hands still raised, a cold blast leaping from her fingers before she even realized it. The magic struck the owner of the voice square in the face and coated it in a thick layer of frost, causing him to stumble back in surprise. Finally recognizing her ambusher - the bright red hair being a dead give away - she relaxed slightly, puffing out a breath and resting a hand over her racing heart.

Already calling upon his own powers to melt the frost, Axel used a sleeve to wipe some away from his mouth, grumbling, "Jeeze, hasn't anyone ever told you it's not nice to surprise someone with a face full of ice?"

She crossed her arms as she narrowed her eyes up at him from her seat. " And hasn't anyone ever told you not to sneak up on people like that?"

With one more swipe that cleared the last of the frost from his cheek, he rolled his eyes. "Pfft. I wasn't sneaking." Bending forward to bring them face to face, he planted one hand on the table beside her and used the other to poke the tip of her nose with something he was holding. "You weren't paying attention."

The thing in his grasp was an ice cream stick, sans ice cream - presumably already devoured. He must have just come from Mr. McDuck's shop. She scowled at it, then at him.

Elsa wondered why he had now on more than one occasion jabbed her in the nose. He must take great pleasure in the gesture. She certainly didn't. Perhaps it was some strange custom on this planet.

She also didn't know why he felt the need to be so close to her at this particular second.

It was unnerving.

Placing a finger on the offending item to gingerly push it to one side, she said, "If you had announced yourself at the door-"

"Announced myself?" he repeated, a barely suppressed chuckle behind his words. "Snowflake, what century are you from?"

"Now now, settle down, children," Merlin interjected, putting his book down as he rose from his chair. Whether him addressing them as such was a remark on their squabbling or simply because to his ancient eyes they practically were children, was hard to tell. "Should you decide to drop in during one of these sessions in the future, Axel, you will announce yourself at the door. You're lucky this little accident didn't cause you any serious harm."

Bringing himself back up to his full height, Axel regarded the wizard with a half-grin. "I'm touched, old man, but if you think a little frost can hurt me, you got another thing coming."

Elsa looked down. She knew exactly what Merlin meant by his words. She had after all told him her entire history with her powers, including the incident as a child when she had unintentionally struck Anna in the head with her ice magic. Axel was very lucky indeed that her surprised reaction hadn't left him in a coma or worse. This was exactly the reason she needed to get a better grasp on her abilities.

Deciding not to comment on that subject, she instead said, "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I am curious as to the answer to that myself," Merlin looked to him sternly. "I presume you made use of a Corridor of Darkness to once again leave the training grounds I conjured for you and Kairi?"

"Bingo," he tapped a finger to his nose with a bright grin. "Got it in one."

"And our little talk the other day about traversing the dark pathways?"

Axel shrugged. "In one ear and out the other."

The wizard sighed with a shake of his head. "So be it. If you wish to continue to risk your heart in the Corridors, I wash my hands of you. But here's another thing to keep in mind: every time you leave that magic forest, you're losing out on invaluable practice. Exactly how much will vary… could be days, could be weeks, could be months. Simply put, do you wish to fall behind?"

"Eh, don't worry about it," he waved a hand dismissively. "I'm just giving Kairi a chance to catch up and get on my level."

Merlin harrumphed, puffing out his mustache before plopping back down into his chair and grumbling, "Said the fool whose keyblade still rarely heeds his call."

"Hey now!" Axel pointed at him with a scowl. "...accurate, but still, cheap shot!"

Keyblade? That was the weapon Sora fought with, wasn't it? Axel had one too? And what was this about it not heeding his call? Just what exactly was the deal with these mysterious weapons? Brushing her curiosity aside, Elsa said, "You still haven't answered the question. What are you doing here?"

Planting the ice cream stick between his teeth, his lips now stretched into a wide smirk as he shrugged again. "You weren't at the ice cream place."

Eyes snapping up to meet his, she quirked one eyebrow. "...so?"

"So how am I supposed to have ice cream if you're not there?"

She gave him a dull stare. "There are others there that can serve you," she pointed to the stick as evidence, "as you are fully aware."

"Allow me to rephrase." Popping the stick back out, he thrust it into the air. "How am I supposed to enjoy my ice cream if you're not there, having us peasants working you raw for minimum wage? I demand my entertainment!"

Making a soft noise in her throat that was half sigh, half growl, she closed her eyes, pinched the bridge of her nose, and shook her head.

Her first days working for Mr. McDuck had been an… interesting experience, to say the least. It was strange to think that her powers seemed to be the least of her worries there. It was almost simple really, keeping the storage space in the back at a chilly temperature specified by her boss so that all the ice cream wouldn't melt. It surprisingly didn't even require much effort or thought - kind of like when she had brought the magical winter to all of Arendelle without even trying, only on a much smaller scale and with her much more in control. She supposed she could even look at it as another form of training for her powers in a way.

With that in mind, there was still plenty of room left for her to focus on the brand new world of "customer service" that she had been inducted into. She had of course been anxious at first at the idea of dealing with so many people, especially since she had spent so much of her life doing the exact opposite. But the people of Radiant Garden were kind and patient, and she had quickly discovered she had worried over nothing. In a way, it was not unlike being a queen serving the needs of her people. Only in this case, the people had one very specific need, that need being frozen sugary treats.

All in all, her new job wasn't bad. Not bad at all.

...is what she would have liked to say, if it weren't for one wrinkle.

Axel.

If previously she hadn't been sure what to think of the man, now the list of thoughts seemed to be without end, and not one pleasant inkling among them. It was little surprise it had all began the day Mr. McDuck had suggested Axel be a practice customer for her. If his antics had ended there, then perhaps Elsa would have been able to let it go and move passed it. However, that had only been the start. The very next day - her first official day on the job - he had returned to wreak havoc.

He'd complained about the menu being unreadable, he'd demanded to taste test every single flavor (twice) even though they both perfectly well knew which one he was going to choose in the end, he'd had her take back ice creams for being too blue or for not being blue enough. And that was only to name a few. Once he had finally deemed his purchase acceptable and stepped to the side to let the long line of customers that had been growing behind him place their orders, he didn't leave. Instead he took station at a little table in one corner of the parlor and started calling out every tiny mistake she made, all with that maddening smirk of his while slowly nursing his ice cream.

In short, he had made quite the nuisance of himself.

And that was just the first shift.

Suffice it to say in the days that followed, it appeared Axel had come to the decision to drop in and indulge in his cravings for ice cream and sadism on a daily basis. Today being her first day off since taking the job, she had thought she would get a much needed break from his mischief.

It would seem however that she had thought wrong.

"And if the entertainment won't come to me," he went on, "then I bring myself to the entertainment. So here I am," he stretched his arms out to either side of him, before letting them fall and planting his hands on his hips. "So, whatcha doing?"

"You already asked that," she said flatly.

He shrugged. "Still waiting on an answer."

She said nothing, just twisted her lips sourly and turned away from him. She didn't know why he had decided to make her the target of his mayhem, and at this point she was beginning not to care. Wasn't it enough he was making a pest of himself while she was at the ice cream shop? She didn't need the same treatment here while she was trying to improve herself. Perhaps if she ended the conversation here and ignored him, he'd leave her alone.

The silence stretched. Having retreated back into his book, Merlin flipped a page, while Cid kept typing in the background. Elsa watched Axel out of the corner of her eye as he frowned, his gaze shifting from her to the currently motionless ice decorating the table. Finally, he gave a soft harrumph. "Fine. I can take a hint. Message received, loud n' clear." Sliding the ice cream stick back into his mouth, he turned and began to meander towards the door. Placing a hand on the knob, he tossed casually back over his shoulder, "Oh, by the way… challenge accepted."

She blinked a couple times. "...challenge? What challenge?"

Spinning on his heel to face her once more, he grinned. "Oh, you know. When you went all 'hello face, meet ice' on me a moment ago."

Her brow furrowed. "That was an accident."

"That, Snowflake, was you throwing down the gauntlet. I already told you once, I don't back down from a fight."

"You… want to fight?" she tipped her head to one side.

Axel snorted. "Keep up," he snapped his fingers rapidly. "Yes, fight. The way I see it, you and I have some unfinished business anyway. So it's time to settle the score. And this time, leave the giant snowman at home. Just you and me. Head to head. One-vee-one. Mano e womano."

Sometimes she didn't entirely know what Axel was saying. She suspected there were moments even he himself did not know. It wouldn't have surprised her if he just strung random words together with the express intent of confusing her. After all, she was still adjusting to the strange dialect of this odd place, something he was perfectly aware of and she wouldn't put past him to have fun with. Still, she had understood enough. She rose to her feet, hands balling into fists at her sides. "It wasn't a challenge, and I am not going to fight you."

"Sure. Okay. I get it," his eyes crinkled slyly. "Her Royal Frostiness is scared."

Elsa bristled at that. "Don't be ridiculous. I am not-"

"Then prove it," he taunted, before holding up one finger. "Time: High noon." He struck up a second finger to join the first. "Place: The castle gate." He pointed them at her, adding, "Be there or be square."

She didn't know what it meant to be square, nor did she particularly want to find out. Looking to the clock in the room, she frowned. "Noon? But that's only a few minutes away."

He turned and opened the door. "Better get your rear in gear then. Hop to it, chop chop."

Before she could reply, he'd exited the house. With a frustrated huff, she rushed to the door, calling out through it, "I don't know where the castle gate is!" She stiffened, then added hastily, "Not that I've agreed to any of this foolishness!" Despite her words, she hesitated for only a second more, then groaned softly and ran out after him.

As the door clicked shut behind her, the tapping of the keyboard finally quieted as Cid gave a low snerk and shook his head. Eyes still glued to the monitor, he muttered, "Cats n' dogs, those two. Guess some people are just born to hate each other."

"On the contrary," Merlin settled his book in his lap and flipped a hand palm up. "One who has been forcing herself not to feel anything for over a decade and only just recently started letting emotions in again." Up went his other palm. "One who has been incapable of any feelings whatsoever for nearly as long and is newly reacquainted with the complexities of such human quirks." Bringing his hands together to steeple in front of his face, he concluded, "Is it any wonder they don't know what to do with - much less even recognize - what's happening to them? It is not unlike children pulling at each others pigtails or shoving each other to the ground."

Cid pivoted in his seat to face Merlin, giving him a long, hard look. "...you saying those couple of twenty-somethings are just discovering puberty?"

The wizard cleared his throat and adjusted his spectacles. "Quite."

There was a long pause. Then Merlin's hovel all but shook with Cid's laughter.

Where had that insufferable man disappeared to?

Elsa had chased after Axel through the streets of Radiant Garden, though try as she may, she had never quite been able to catch up to him. She didn't know how he managed to stay so far ahead, especially since he hadn't even seemed to be walking all that fast. There were a couple times where she thought she had even lost him, but then she'd spot a flash of his red mane turning the corner across the way and she'd be off once again.

Her pursuit had eventually led her away from the bustle of the crowded city center as she followed him down deserted lanes and alleys and eventually through a darkened archway. Bursting out the other side, she slowed to a stop, for he had been out of view once more. It only took her a second to recognize the place in which she stood - this was where she had first woken up in this world after the attack on Arendelle. Another second and her eyes caught sight of him again at the base of a set of stairs off to her right. She had rushed down them and out through a gap in the wall when she reached the bottom.

Which had brought her here, to the center of a large square. Some sort of… courtyard, it would seem? Its cobblestones were a mixture of sharp green and varying shades of rich blue, coming together in an embellished design that resembled a massive four leaf clover. It appeared she was now on the outer edges of the city, for instead of stone walls, she was surrounded by sheer cliffs. At her back, the spindly spires of the eerie, mysterious castle reached high over the rooftops of the town. Before her, beyond a crumbled grey pillar, a barren open expanse of craggy cobalt hills stretched as far as the eye could see.

And Axel was nowhere to be spotted.

Elsa heaved a heavy sigh. What was she even doing here? She should have stayed back at Merlin's house. Hopefully the sorcerer wouldn't be cross with her for leaving with the lesson unfinished. She wasn't even fully certain why she had decided to follow Axel in the first place. Surely, she wasn't actually planning on going along with his preposterous proposal to duel!

...maybe that's exactly what she wanted to do. If she could best him in combat, maybe she could finally abolish that smug grin that seemed to be eternally plastered to his face and get him to leave her alone. There was no doubt that victory would be hers. She may have struggled the first time she had faced him, but that was only because she had been surprised, thrown off by coming across another magic wielder able to counter her powers so easily. But this time she knew what she was up against. This time she would not fail.

But that still left one question… where was this castle gate he had mentioned? Had she taken a wrong turn somewhere? Had he slipped around a corner and down a path she had not seen? She couldn't be too far off, perhaps if she-

The hush around her was broken by a faint crackle and pop before a giant column of roaring fire suddenly shot up from the ground directly in front of her. With a squeak, she stumbled backwards from the unbearable heat and watched as the flames died down just as abruptly as they had appeared.

With her heart pounding loudly in her ears, she almost didn't hear the snort followed by laughter that began to echo around her. Eyes darting about swiftly, they finally landed on the source crouched atop the stone pillar, green eyes dancing with glee.

Glaring up at Axel, she snapped, "I wasn't ready!"

His cackling died down as he cocked an eyebrow at her, then tapped a finger to his wrist. "Check your watch. It's high noon, on the dot. Ready or not, this fight's a go."

With a start, she glanced around the place. Did that mean then that… this was the castle gate? She supposed, now that she took a second look, that the broken pillar on which he was perched may have been part of a gate once upon a time, before whatever it was came along and shattered it to all but rubble. She then looked at her bare wrist and grumbled, "I don't have a watch."

"Not my problem," he plopped down on his rear, kicking out his feet and propping an elbow on one knee as he hunched forward. "Be thankful it was just fire and not one of my chakrams."

"Chakrams?" she frowned.

"You know. Spinning flaming spiky wheels of death?"

Oh. So that's what those weapons of his were called. That, or he was just spouting made-up nonsense again to fool with her.

He continued, "Figured that'd make it all even steven. No Frosty for you, no weapons for me. Just a straight up brawl of raw power. No sweat, right? Nothing to be afraid of."

She squared her shoulders and narrowed her eyes. "I am not afraid."

"Huh," he chuckled, pointing at her feet. "Coulda fooled me."

Looking down, she realized a frozen ring of spikes had erupted from the ground around her. When… had she done that? Was it when the fire had sca- ...ahem, startled her? Returning her gaze to him, she lifted her chin. "I was just… preparing to defend myself."

"Really now?" One side of his mouth twitched upward. "Okay then… defend against this!" He suddenly whipped one hand forward, launching a fireball at her.

Gritting her teeth, she threw up an ice wall barely in time, the flames exploding as they crashed into it. Tossing her hand to one side, the ice crumpled and scattered as she raised both hands to counterattack, but then she froze.

The space atop the grey pillar was now empty.

Blast it, now where had he gone?

"Boo."

That single solitary syllable whispered just behind her sent a chill up her spine, and sent her stumbling forward, scrambling to spin around as she thrust out her arms and shot off several icicles. Axel leapt back and raised his hands, palms swirling with flames that he used to block each and every single one of them, reducing them to nothing but steam in an instant. "Ha! Was ready for you this time," he crowed, before disappearing into a dark portal.

Her body tensed, her gaze darting about looking for him. What was this, a battle or a toddler's game of hide-n-seek? She called out, "No fair! You said-"

"I said powers only." At the sound of his voice, she whirled around to find him seated on the stairs leading back up towards Radiant Garden. "Nothing about strictly fire and ice. So my Corridors of Darkness are totally fair game." He beamed and asked innocently, "That won't be a problem, will it?"

She scowled at him, the air around her becoming chillier as the icy barbs at her feet grew larger. A few tense seconds ticked by as she simply stared him down. Abruptly, her lips melted into a wicked smirk as she responded just as sweetly, "Not at all." Then she flung her hands up, one after the other, and several of the spikes in front of her exploded free and flew in a barrage towards him.

He didn't even so much as flinch as they smashed and sunk into the dirt and stone around him. As the last one crash landed not an inch away from his thigh, he breathed a soft snort and shook his head. "Ya missed."

Her grin didn't falter. "Did I?" With a flick of her wrist, the frozen stakes around him bent and shifted, pouncing onto Axel and encasing in ice whatever skin they came into contact with. He watched with mild curiosity as it expanded swiftly, covering more and more of his lanky frame by the second. It had gotten as far as cocooning the lower half of his body when he gave a tiny shrug and once again vanished into a swirling, inky black void.

Elsa huffed as the ice, hollow now that it was bereft of its prisoner, shattered in on itself. This was impossible. She couldn't restrain him quickly enough. Even if she had somehow successfully managed to trap him from head to toe in solid ice, she was beginning to suspect he still could have teleported himself out of it. She needed to come up with a different tactic. She needed to-

"Clever girl."

Ugh. Again with that low, teasing voice just over her shoulder. Whipping around to face him once again, she stamped her foot, frost crystallizing on the cobblestone beneath it, crackling as it spread out. She snapped, "Would you stop that, you-"

"Ah ah ah." He waggled a finger in front of her nose and with a tiny smirk, sing-songed, "Temper, temper."

...oh, the absolute nerve of this man. The frost beneath her snapped and popped as it clawed out further across the clover design. This smug, pompous fool. The ice spikes re-emerged, gleaming sharply as they slowly stretched upward from the ground. This arrogant, conceited braggart. Flecks of snow shimmered in the air and began to whirl around her in a freezing gust of wind. This swaggering, odious, egotistical-

"Stop that," he muttered, bringing a hand up to her forehead where she suddenly felt a swift but light sting to her brow.

The flurry around her immediately died, sending the snowflakes fluttering to the ground as Elsa stumbled back a step. Incredulous eyes grew round as one hand flew up to cover the sore spot. She blinked once, then twice.

Did… did he just… flick her?!

"That's your problem, you know." He tapped a finger to his temple, "You're too in your head."

A third blink. "...my problem?"

"With your powers."

Her head rocked back. He knew?! "How did you-"

"Pfft. Like you'd spend your day off with Merlin just cuz he's such a party animal. No offense to ol' Long Beard, but come on. Once I found out where you were and who you were with, it wasn't hard to put two n' two together." He shrugged, then flashed a smug smile. "I'm right, aren't I? You don't have complete control over your powers, do you?"

She couldn't decide which was more irritating, the fact that he was correct or that he had guessed it so quickly. Crossing her arms and turning her head to one side, she grumbled, "I fail to see how that is any of your concern."

As she spoke, a tiny flash of white glimmered into existence, floating between them. Axel was swift to snatch it out of the air before holding it out to her, "And from the looks of it, I'd say the trouble lies with your magic being tied too closely to your emotions."

Elsa stubbornly continued to not look at him, but couldn't help a furtive glance out of the corner of her eye, spotting a single snowflake nestled within his palm. She gave a muted harrumph and said nothing. She'd be damned if she gave him the satisfaction of knowing he was right.

Unfortunately, if the way his grin widened was any indication, he seemed to already have that. The fleck of ice flittered to the floor as he dusted his hands together. "You worry too much. And don't ask me how I know that, it's plain as day. You're an open book, Snowflake. You way overthink things. And if you think about it all too much, fearing what could go wrong, it will go wrong. So don't think about it." He struck up an index finger, "That's lesson one."

She stiffened, eyes finally snapping back to meet his. Lesson? Her eyebrows knit together. "You're... training me?"

"Duh." Axel snorted. "Beats being stuck in that cramped, dusty room with ol' Long Beard, am I right? I've found people learn better out in the field with a more hands-on approach."

Giving him a pointed look, she muttered, "Depends on the teacher."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't think about it?" she echoed his earlier words, one eyebrow arched, before shaking her head. "As if it were so simple."

"Maybe because it is. Listen, just… tell your brain to shut it. Brains are big know-it-alls that think they're right about everything, but they're not. Not about this. Put a muzzle on those negative thoughts and just… trust yourself. Don't think, just do. Got it memorized?"

Trust… herself?

Easier said than done.

He wasn't wrong, she did worry. A lot. But could it really be considered too much? After all, a mere sneeze from her could result in her unwittingly freezing the person standing next to her into an ice statue. When it came to a problem like that, she felt she worried just the right amount.

Even after learning love could undo any damage her powers might wreak, it didn't make her feel any better that accidents could still happen in the first place. Ever since the incident with her sister when they were children, fearing the worst had practically become second nature. Her way of life. It was subconscious. A part of who she was. Something like that couldn't simply just be cut off.

...could it?

Hm. It seemed she was going to have to give this whole 'not thinking about it' thing some more thought.

He was waiting, looking at her expectantly. She chewed her lower lip, twisting her braid between her fingers. Finally she said, "I have a question."

He nodded, "Shoot."

Her head tilted slightly. "Shoot? Shoot at what?"

A smirk tugged at one corner of his mouth as he shook his head. "I meant ask your question."

"Oh." What a strange expression. "Well, I was just curious… what is that word you used a minute ago? I believe you pronounced it… 'duh?'"

Axel blinked, then snerked softly. "It's said to someone who's stated the obvious."

How odd. Regardless, she was one step closer to comprehending his, shall we say... unique speech patterns. She was beginning to suspect there was no ridding herself of him, not if the way the past few days had gone were any indicator. She wasn't sure what exactly she had done to earn the headache. But if there was one thing she was sure of, it was that she was going to start decrypting his gibberish. Maybe his company would be more pleasant if she understood him.

Though, admittedly… the past few minutes hadn't been all that bad.

Perhaps she was getting used to the constant thorn in her side.

"Alright," he said suddenly with a clap of his hands, snapping her out of her thoughts. "I think that's enough for today, class. School's out."

"Eh?" She turned as he walked past her to make his way back to the city. "But what about our fight?"

He glanced at her over his shoulder. "We'll call it a draw this time." His eyes crinkled. "But I expect a rematch. And next time, bring your A-game."

Again with the puzzling manner of speech. However, Elsa found herself grinning despite herself. She didn't know what this "A-game" was, but there was one thing she was certain of. When she found out, she was damn well going to bring it.

A/N: And so it was in this chapter that we learn from Merlin's sage observations that these couple of kids are just about the two most incompetent people to be falling in love xD Yeah, as I said, we're in for a bit of a rough ride with this pair, but I like to think that it'll be a fun one too! And hey, they got a lil more "get to know ya" time this chapter and there's at least a glimmer of a shaky friendship starting to form xD But boy, you guys might be getting tired of Radiant Garden by now and are wondering where this adventure is that I promised you? Worry not, the adventure shall at last be set in motion next chapter! With a few small cameos to boot :D

As always, MUCH praise and MUCH worship to the talented and superb Daughter of Kyne and ScarletEmperor for being amazing betas for this chapter! Also, special thanks to Mad Oni, Daughter of Kyne, Spiderfan626, ScarletEmperor and SoraKairiRikuNamine for being so generous as to take some time to leave their reviews! Your feedback is always appreciated and your support really means everything to me! You're all such sweetie pies, I'm not worthy!

Super teeny fun fact this chapter (not revisions related as while there were a couple, they weren't really noteworthy): the place where Axel and Elsa had their "duel" this chapter? Was the place where Sora fights Demyx in Radiant Garden in KH2! Perhaps some of you already realized that and recognized the place? Does anyone out there know with any certainty if that location actually made an appearance in KH3? I don't think it did, but I couldn't recall for certain from when I played KH3 and haven't had the time to really go back and double check. I wrote it as it appeared in KH2 (all broken and whatnot), but I worry that maybe it did show up in KH3 and was shown as repaired. If it DID show up in KH3 and you can point me to the associated scene, please let me know! It's an easy correction for me to make to this chapter if needed!

Anyhow, thanks again for reading, I super duper appreciate it! See you at the next update, lovelies, which will be coming at you real soon! Much love, peace out, word to your mothers, and other such phrases that shouldn't be coming out of the likes of lil ol' me!