"Wait, it's going to take how long?!"
Snowflake's voice rung out through the ice creamery as Axel entered, causing him to quirk an eyebrow. The shop was a ghost town at the moment with not a customer in sight. That would change shortly for soon the afternoon rush would be upon them. But there was no one even stationed behind the register, which was a bit more on the odd side.
Scrooge's voice could be heard answering, his hasty words drifting through the door behind the counter leading into the back rooms. "Don't you take that tone with me, lassie! You have to consider the magnitude of the expenses involved! There's provisions to be purchased, a crew to be paid, maintenance costs to get the ship in tip-top shape, not to mention-"
"Enough!" he heard her snarl back. There was a familiar, soft crackling sound and if he squinted, Axel could spot the first hints of ice crystallizing around the edges of the door through which the argument was being carried. He watched it creep a few inches out along the walls before his ears picked up the stomping of footfall, followed by Snowflake herself emerging through said door with a scowl on her face. She snapped over her shoulder, "I'm taking my ten!" It seemed she hardly even noticed Axel, who had to scramble to get out of her way as she stormed out the front door, the small bell clanging angrily as she shoved it open.
Both eyebrows now shooting up his forehead, only a second ticked by before the redhead was following her outside. Normally he'd have no trouble keeping up with her with his naturally long strides, but now he had to jog not only to catch up but to keep pace as well. She didn't acknowledge his presence, just continued her brisk gait while glaring straight ahead.
Right. Now to find something to say. An ice breaker, if you will…
Heh. Pun intended.
Clearing his throat, he tried, "Lookit you, brushing up on the lingo. If someone had told you to take a ten a couple days ago, you would have asked ten what?"
She said nothing, just kept marching along, destination unclear... if there even was one. He had a sneaking suspicion there was not.
Okay, strike one. Let's try that again. Looking to her once more, he realized for the first time that instead of her usual loose french braid, her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail today. It trailed down to her lower back and swayed heavily with each furious step she took. Alright, take two. "Trying something different with your hair, I see."
"Not now, Axel," she grumbled, still hard set against looking at him.
Annnnnnnd strike numero dos.
Flecks of snow floated down in her wake, scattering across the ground. He frowned at this. Seemed like his advice from the other day had gone in one queenly ear and out the other. "What did we just talk about, Missy? I believe something about learning to keep your... cool?"
Man, as far as puns went, he was on fire today!
Now she stopped, narrowing her eyes up at him. If looks could kill, he'd be deader than a doornail in that exact moment. He held his hands up in surrender, laughing nervously. A soft huff emitted from her throat before she turned to walk away once more, this time picking up the pace.
Oh no. She wasn't going to lose him that easily. Maybe they weren't exactly friends. Hell, they were still probably leagues away from that territory. But Axel liked to think after their little heart to heart at the castle gate, somewhat of a truce had formed between them. To be fair, a truce that was shakier than a house of cards in an earthquake, but still, a truce all the same. Whatever was eating at her, she was gonna spill.
He quickly moved to get in front of her and block her path, again bringing up his hands in front of him. "Hold it. Alright, what's the deal? What's got your goat?"
She slowed to a halt and blinked, her brow furrowing. "Goat? There is no-"
"I know. I know there is no goat," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. She may have picked up a bit of the vocab here and there, but girl still had a long way to go. "I meant, what's wrong?"
Face twisting into a grimace once more, she crossed her arms and looked down at her feet, not responding right away. At first, he thought he wasn't going to get any sort of reply period. But then finally, after a long pause, she muttered sourly, "Mr. McDuck paid me for the first time today."
"...the fiend."
She looked back up at him, eyelids drooping into a dull stare. Okay, a lot of things went over Snowflake's head, but apparently sarcasm wasn't one of them. She bit out, "I still don't have a complete understanding of the value of your munny system, so I asked him at this rate how long it would take to pay for passage on his gummi ship. His answer was a month. At least."
"...well yeah, you sell ice cream. That's not exactly a six-figure career, what'd you expect?"
A growl of frustration escaped her as she turned from him, beginning to pace back and forth. "I expected to be out there looking for Anna already!"
"Listen, unless you're a certain defender and champion of the galaxy whose name rhymes with 'flora,' space travel ain't cheap. Do you have any idea how expensive gummi ships are?"
"It doesn't matter, I don't have a month. My sister doesn't have a month. I can't just sit here, safe and sound and doing nothing while she's out there somewhere, possibly hurt and in trouble or… or…"
Releasing a loud, agitated breath, her pacing came to an abrupt stop. Throwing her left arm out to one side, the air shimmered with flecks of snow and ice that swirled around it and coated it from shoulder to wrist. Stretching her other arm out, another sleeve of frost glimmered into existence before spreading down her torso. Her ordinary clothes that Aerith had bought for her were replaced once more with a frozen fabric, but it wasn't the same dress as the one she'd worn the day she'd appeared in Radiant Garden. No, this new look seemed to take a bit of inspiration from the blouse and leggings she wore, now forming a sort of leotard with long legs under an airy, translucent skirt.
Her ankle boots were overtaken by ice and stretched and grew, stopping just short of her knees. Yet another layer of frost appeared over the rest, forming a long, high-necked coat with ice beads dangling from the hem at the bottom. Its front laid open except for a belt cinching it at the waist. A soft, gauzy cape sprouted from her shoulders, falling the same length as her coat and split down the middle, making it almost appear like a set of gossamer wings. Seemingly done with the wardrobe change, Snowflake turned to him once more, her expression hard.
He blinked. "...okay… what was with the magic girl transformation there?"
"What do you think?" she asked, her tone even and cool.
He pointed at her updated footwear. "I think those boots were made for walking."
She shook her head before pushing past him. "I have to go."
He snorted. "Go where exactly?"
"To look for her! Or to look for Arendelle! Or… I don't know, just anywhere but here!"
He'd thought as much. The new outfit definitely looked the part of someone who had made some travel plans. But it seemed one tiny detail had slipped her mind. "And what part of being on a whole other planet don't you understand?"
She froze in her tracks, her spine snapping straight, before whirling around to glare at him. "...am I? Really? Or was that just a lie I was told to make me stay put, keep me complacent and do as I was told? If I were to go beyond the castle gate, what would I truly find out there?"
Admittedly, if you're from a place where intergalactic gallivanting is nothing but an unattainable pipe dream, it can seem like a bit of a stretch for you to just randomly wake up one day on a completely different world. Truth be told, he had actually been surprised that Snowflake had accepted their explanation without question for this long. It had really only been a matter of time before doubt reared its ugly head. Stretch or not though, it was the truth. And now it was going to take more than just some words and a few cheap holograms to make her believe that.
Rubbing the nape of his neck, Axel puffed out a sigh. Then he began to unzip his Organization cloak.
She frowned, a crinkle forming between her eyebrows. "What are you doing?"
He shrugged out of his coat and held it out to her. "Put this on."
Her eyes shifted from him to it and back a couple times. "...I'm not cold."
He huffed through his nose. "Would you just wear it?"
This could be done the easy way or the hard way.
"Whatever new trick this is, I don't have time for it," she muttered, turning to march off once more.
Fine. Hard way it was then. She'd brought this on herself.
Axel tossed his cloak over her head. Given the considerable height difference between the two of them, it easily swallowed her whole, draping over her like a child in a tablecloth ghost costume with several inches dragging along the ground.
"What the-" she yelped as her world went dark, her hands flying out to fight her way free. Before she could escape however, he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, making sure she remained firmly wrapped up in the coat. Bits of snow were popping up in the air again, dancing in a chilly gust swirling around him.
Oi, had to make this quick before she made a popsicle out of him.
Her voice came out muffled through the fabric, "Unhand me at once, scoundrel!"
He opened his mouth to respond, but instead let out a grunt as she kneed him in the gut. Oof, that smarted. "Hey, play nice," he wheezed. "I gotta show you something." And with that, he summoned up a Corridor of Darkness and disappeared through it with her.
Axel had never used the Corridors without wearing his cloak before. It didn't come as a surprise however to find it wasn't exactly a pleasant experience. He could feel the darkness pressing in all around him. Could feel it needling away at his heart, seeking entry. Sorry, bucko, no solicitors allowed.
This was why Snowflake was the one in his coat and not him. He figured he knew what he was up against, so he could take it. His heart had been chow for the Heartless once before. It already had some wear and tear, what would be a few more nicks and scratches here and there? Maybe that was why his heart had never felt quite right since getting it back. It was damaged goods.
Luckily, their passage through the Corridors was a short one and soon they were popping out at their destination. Immediately it was like a weight had been lifted and he breathed a sigh of relief. He almost forgot about his unwilling cargo. Said cargo reminded him of her presence with another sharp kick to the stomach.
Wincing, he dropped her unceremoniously to the ground, where she stumbled but managed to stay on her feet. Grabbing a fistful of his coat, he cleared his throat, "And Axel said… let there be light!" With one swift tug, he yanked it clean off her.
Eyes wide, she blinked a couple times, adjusting to the sudden lack of utter darkness. The pale wisps of hair free of her ponytail were a frazzled mess. The sight she made would have been hilarious if it weren't for the scowl she was now directing up at him.
Scratch that. It actually made it even funnier.
"How dare you," she said, her voice dangerously low. "You think you can simply-"
"Oh, would you just zip it for one second and look." He placed his hands on her shoulders and spun her one-eighty. She gasped.
He had brought her to Yen Sid's tower. A place where the stars seemed so close that you could all but reach out and pluck one straight out of the sky. If you can't bring the girl to the cosmos, you bring the cosmos to the girl. It makes it kind of hard to argue with space travel when it's all but smacking you in the face.
She stared out into infinity, her mouth working but no sounds coming out.
Axel snerked as he started to slip his coat back on. "Quite the view, huh?"
She at last found her voice long enough to whisper, "Where…?"
"On another planet," he shrugged. She tore her eyes away from the breathtaking sight and directed them his way. "That's right. Not Arendelle. Not Radiant Garden. Another one. That's three planets you've been to now. Congratz, that's two more than most people."
The corners of his lips turned down and he scratched a spot behind his ear. "Though planet may not be the right word. It's more of an asteroid… or a meteoroid… either way, place is tiny. It'd take you longer to walk from one corner to its opposite in Merlin's shoebox of a hut than it would take you to cross the entire length of this floating island. Speaking of which, if heights make you squeamish, I'd suggest not looking down."
Of course, the first thing she did was promptly look down. A quick intake of breath and she was staggering a step back from the edge. But then her head tipped to one side as she seemed to consider the bottomless void inches from her feet. A few seconds passed before, with all the airs befitting her royal station, she delicately took a seat on the grass right at the precipice, primly tucking her legs beneath her. All pomp and circumstance was thrown out the window however when she bent forward to look beneath the island.
Axel jolted, scrambling to grab hold of the back of her coat to make sure she didn't fall.
Well, that had been unexpected.
Honestly, he wasn't entirely sure if it was even possible to fall off this lil rock of a planet. He'd never tested stepping foot off it to see what would happen. He'd never particularly wanted to find out.
"Jeeze, Snowflake, what are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?" he grumbled.
She ignored him as she precariously dangled the upper half of her body over the edge, her ponytail swinging slightly as her head swiveled about, taking in the substratum of Yen Sid's little corner of the universe. When it seemed she had seen enough, she straightened back up and rose to her feet, a thoughtful frown tugging at her lips.
"Satisfied?" Axel asked dryly. The only reply he got was her dashing past him to the other side of the island, taking no notice of the tower whatsoever. No surprise there. Towers... she had seen before. Giant magic space rocks... not so much. Coming to a stop at the opposite edge, she kneeled down again. Axel called, "Seriously? You're going to-?"
Once more, she leaned forward and dipped her head beneath the underside of the islet.
"Annnnd there she goes," he muttered. Shaking his head, he unhurriedly made his way over to join her.
On her head be it if she tumbled off into space. He'd tried.
She was pulling herself back up as he came to a stop beside her. This time however she remained seated, staring out at the stars once more, her eyes distant as she worried her lower lip between her teeth. "...I'm really… on another world…"
Finally the hard truth was actually sinking in. Exhaling slowly, he sat down next to her, letting his feet hang over the brink as he leaned back on his hands. "Well… yeah."
"I can't just… walk beyond the city limits and try to find my sister… or my way home…"
He shrugged. "Afraid not."
Elsa looked down at her lap and rubbed her elbow. She was quiet for a moment. Then, "I knew. Deep down, I really did know, but… it was easier telling myself it was all a lie… That it was as simple as leaving and beginning my search on foot."
Pulling one knee up to his chest, he propped his elbow on it and scratched his cheek. "Cid and his computer haven't had any luck? No word from Sora either?"
"No," she shook her head. There was another stretch of silence between them. "I'm sorry," she murmured at last. "About losing my temper." Her gaze rose to meet his now. "But you understand, right? Just doing nothing… feeling so helpless, so powerless… I just can't stand it. Have you ever lost someone you cared about and all you wanted was to be at their side?"
He stiffened.
Had he? Honey, take your pick. Roxas… Isa…
In a way, even that girl with black hair in an Organization coat that he had dreamt about too. Was still having dreams about. Nothing as chilling or as real as that first one had felt. No, they were now more hazy and vague. Images that were broken and scattered, like a puzzle he was missing more than half the pieces to.
Did he want to be by this girl's side? He wasn't sure… but he sure as hell felt like he had lost something.
He still didn't have the foggiest as to who she was. He was still stuck at that dead end when it came to digging up info on her. Exactly zero progress made since his visit with Ienzo and the other former Nobodies now residing at the castle of Radiant Garden. Problem was, he really had nowhere else to go. All other ties to the Organization he could think of were still MIA.
Well... MIA or incommunicado.
AKA Roxas.
He breathed out a big sigh and tiredly ruffled his hair. "I get it. Trust me, I really do. But you can't just-"
"Well look who it is!"
Axel winced at the sound of the new voice, before twisting where he sat to find Kairi standing behind them. Her fists were planted against her hips and one foot tapped as she narrowed her eyes at him.
He stood up, dusting the grass stains from his clothes and giving a weak chuckle. "Hey, Princess." Insert finger guns. "Shouldn't you be back at Merlin's mystical lil pocket dimension?"
She crossed her arms. "Could say the same to you, bucko. What, you think you're the only one who gets to come and go as they please? At least I'm here under Merlin's permission. I-" she stopped as her eyes drifted past him, her head rocking back slightly. "Eh? Who's this?"
"Hm?" He followed her gaze to Elsa, who had also risen to her feet by now and was eyeing them both curiously. "Oh, right." Some introductions were in order. "Princess, Snowflake." He swept his hand from one woman to the other, then back, "Snowflake, Princess."
"Kairi," the redhead corrected, rolling her eyes.
Placing a hand on her chest, Snowflake did the same, "Elsa." Bowing her head, she added, "Apologies, I did not realize I would be meeting a fellow dignitary, Princess Kairi."
She snerked. "Not that kind of princess." As Elsa's words began to fully sink in, Kairi looked her over, tipping her head to one side. Then realization struck like a lightning bolt and her lips formed a perfect O. "So you're the ice queen Axel keeps talking about!"
"Wha- Hey! Do not!" He gave her shoulder a shove.
Putting a delicate finger to her chin, Kairi smiled innocently and said, "You never mentioned how cute she was. No wonder you're bamfing off to Radiant Garden all the time!" He tried to swat the back of her head this time, but she quickly dodged and darted to hide behind Elsa before peeking out from behind the other woman's shoulder to stick her tongue out at him. Looking somewhat uncomfortable, Elsa remained silent, wisely deciding to stay out of this. Snickering, Kairi tacked on, "I can see why you keep risking a beating from Merlin for your little field trips!"
"Yeah, for the ice cream!"
There was now a wicked gleam to her eye. "Really? That's your story? Cuz if you just wanted ice cream, there's no need to use the Corridors of Darkness. You know you could just ask Merlin and he'd summon you a whole lifetime's worth!"
"Shut it," he ground out. True, his visits to his homeworld were becoming more frequent as of late, despite the number of reprimands it had earned him from ol' Long Beard. First of all, he was a free spirit. There was no tying him down, he did what he wanted! Second of all, everyone knew Mr. McD's sea salt ice cream was the best in the whole galaxy. Merlin wouldn't have bothered going all the way to Radiant Garden for it though, he would have just conjured the stuff up out of thin air and it would have tasted as good as sawdust. Axel was just in it for the five-star, quality ice cream, that's all! It had absolutely squat to do with how cute Snowflake was.
...not to say he thought she was cute.
Er, not to say that she wasn't!
...best to just not say anything.
Was it just him, or was it warmer than usual on this tiny little planetoid? Must be all that global warming. Cuz that'd make sense on an asteroid. But then, mysterious towers owned by ancient sorcerers on floating islands in space usually had little to do in the way of logic. Clearing his throat and rubbing the back of his neck, he grumbled, "Seriously, what are you doing here?"
Kairi shrugged. "Got bored being in the enchanted timeless forest by myself all the time. Was getting some mega cabin fever. So I asked Merlin if he could jailbreak me for a bit and he brought me here. What a coinkydink running into you two here at the same time!" She clapped her hands together with a smile before giving them both a sly look. "And what are you doing here anyway, hm? Wait, don't tell me. Let me guess. Far off secluded spot for two, magical romantic ambiance… is this a da-"
"So help me, Princess, if you finish that sentence..."
She blinked, then there was a devilish curl to her lips. As she opened her mouth to seal her doom however, new voices coming faintly from the other side of the planetoid could suddenly be heard.
"I still can't believe it! We were monsters!"
"We know, Sora."
Ahhh, saved by the dork brigade.
Across the way, a familiar boy with spiky brown hair could be seen taking the lead on his way to the front doors of the tower, but then stopped to spin around and face his companions. "No but… we were monsters! Real live monsters! I had fur and claws and fangs! Like this!" He opened his mouth wide, curling his fingers in front of it, mimicking said fangs.
Goofy ambled along with a chuckle while Donald released a long drawn out sigh, "We know, we were there!"
"No but…" he pointed to the taller of his two friends, "you were green and had eye stalks!" His index finger shifted, "And you had wings and just one-"
"We know!"
"Sora!"
"Huh?" his head jerked towards the sound of his name just as Kairi flung herself at him, knocking them both over into a tangled heap on the ground.
"Well look who the cat dragged in," Axel snorted as he too made his way over, but in a much more leisurely fashion.
Sora winced as he slowly sat up, his childhood friend still tightly hugging him around the waist. With a soft smile, he rested a hand atop her head. "Kairi? Axel?" Then he blinked in surprise as his eyes focused on something behind Axel. "Elsa?! What are you doing here?!" Goofy gaped and Donald squawked in surprise.
Axel crossed his arms with a smirk. "Maybe you'd know if you checked your phone once and awhile."
"My…?" he fished it out of his pocket with a frown. "But I do! Most of the time anyway… I mean, I don't usually when I'm on a planet cuz I'm normally too busy fighting things. But as soon as I'm off world, I answer if it rings! I just talked to Ienzo the other day!"
"Figures the bookworm would forget to mention that to us," Axel rolled his eyes with a shake of his head. "But you do know how to check voicemails, right?"
Sora cocked his head. "...what are voicemails?" At the long suffering groan from Axel, he scowled. "Whatever! Will you just tell me why all of you are here?"
"Well it's kind of a long story…"
Elsa glared.
The large wooden door at which her displeasure was directed seemed unimpressed.
With a low, almost inaudible growl, she went back to staring at the stone step beneath her feet as she paced the length of it to and fro, taking care to not peek over the edge at the long drop below. She now found herself at the top of a floating staircase inside the highest point of this whimsical little tower she'd been brought to. Keyword here being herself. She was alone. The others were on the opposite side of that door that'd been the focus of her ire.
They'd had the audacity to tell her to wait out here while they talked. Said it was official keyblade wielder business of which she was not a part of. The nerve of these people. Elsa knew very well they were discussing her. This was her life, her future, her world, her sister! She had every right to be included!
Her feet stilled once more and she looked to the door again with a sour twist to her lips. Their infernal secrecy be damned! She wanted answers! Taking a step forward, she placed her hands against the door and cautiously pressed one ear to it.
"You mean to tell me she's a Princess of Heart?!" Axel cried out. In the room beyond the door, otherwise known as Yen Sid's study, everyone was gathered round the sorcerer's desk. When the group had entered a few moments earlier, they'd discovered Master Yen Sid himself already waiting, as well as Merlin, Riku, and King Mickey.
"Is princess really the right word now?" Goofy asked, glancing upward while squeezing one eye shut and scratching a finger to his temple. "I mean, if she's a queen n' all…"
Axel tossed his hands up, "Fine, one of the New Seven Hearts or whatever the Organization is calling them now. We'll argue semantics later, whatever! But you're saying her?" he thrust a finger at the door behind them. "She's one of them?"
"Actually, I'm not all that surprised," Kairi chimed in, placing a hand over her heart. "I think… a part of me knew when I met her. I could feel her light. I just had no idea the power could be passed on, so I didn't realize that's what I was sensing."
Folding his hands behind his head, Sora's lips pursed to one side. "That still doesn't explain what happened to her and Anna back on Arendelle, or how she ended up in Radiant Garden."
"On the contrary," Yen Sid rumbled in his deep voice, "I think we're able to deduce exactly what occurred now."
"Wha?" Both eyebrows flew up Sora's forehead.
"It's Organization XIII," Riku explained. "They've decided to go after the New Seven Hearts. Sounds like they may have succeeded with Anna, but botched the job when making the grab for Elsa. Maybe her ice powers caught her kidnapper off guard while in the Corridors of Darkness and sent her hurtling back out. She could have wound up on any planet, it was just her luck it turned out to be Radiant Garden."
Sora frowned. "But why? Back on Corona, Marluxia told me Rapunzel and the other New Hearts were just a backup plan. We're doing what they told us to do, we're gathering seven Guardians! Why can't the Organization just leave them alone?"
"Powerful though we may be," Merlin said looking to his fellow mage, "it is beyond even our abilities to divine the inner workings of the minds of our enemies. It is unlikely knowing the why would help us much anyhow. All we can do is react. Make decisions. Starting with our esteemed guest just outside this room."
"With Sora's help, we now know the precise location of her world," Mickey piped up. "Maybe returning her to her home would be the best place for her. We can also keep a protective watch over her in case the Organization decides to rile up more trouble and-"
"Absolutely not!" The door banged open and they all turned just as Elsa came storming in, blue eyes flashing dangerously. "I refuse to stand idly by while this… this Organization, whoever they are, have taken my sister prisoner for some nefarious purpose! I demand to be taken on whatever rescue mission you're planning!"
With a heavy sigh, Merlin stepped forward, removing his spectacles to fix her with a steely look. "We've been over this already, your Majesty. We can't have you traipsing from one world to the next in a foolhardy attempt to rescue your sister, it is not your place and it is too dangerous. Even before we knew Organization XIII was after you, it was out of the question, but now? A complete impossibility! Please trust that we have your best interests at heart and will decide the most ideal course for keeping you safe."
Her nostrils flared and her eyes narrowed as they darted from one person to the next. Beneath her boots, small patches of ice crackled and stretched outward. "Fine," she ground out. "If you won't help me, then I'll just do it myself." Then she whipped around and ran out the door.
Silence reigned supreme in the room for a good few seconds following her exit. Axel was the first to break it. "Heh… on that cryptic note," he jerked a thumb over his shoulder, "I'll go after her High and Mightiness to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."
Before anyone could tell him otherwise, he sprinted off after her. Girl certainly knew how to hustle, for she was already long gone. Wouldn't be hard to track though, not with the oh so subtle trail of frost she had left in her wake. He was quick to follow it down the stairs, through a couple topsy turvy rooms, skipping the last several steps in one big leap to the lobby floor, landing in a crouch before rushing out the front doors. His feet skid along the grass as he came to a stop, glancing around.
Given how tiny Yen Sid's little world was, she wasn't hard to spot. She stood a few yards off at one edge of the floating island, rigid back to him as she stared off into the stars, her long coat dancing and snapping in a breeze. Given that this place had always had absolutely zero wind factor before, it was a good guess she was conjuring the gust herself.
Yeesh, such a drama queen.
"What's the plan, Snowflake?" he asked as he walked towards her. "Gonna just hurl yourself off into space and cross your fingers that you land on the next planet over? Cuz I'll tell you now, I'd pay good munny to see that."
She flinched at his words, before there was the barest hint of a slump to her shoulders. But then she whirled around, eyes desperate as she snatched up one of his hands in both of hers. "Let's go! Please!" she all but begged.
His eyes widened and he took a step back. "Go? Who go? Go where?"
"You and me! Your dark portals, that's how you got us here, right? We can use those to get to other worlds and we can search for her! For where the Organization is holding her captive!"
"Oh." Axel averted his gaze, scratching the back of his head. "...I'm not sure that's such a good id-"
"Please! She's my sister." Her voice almost broke.
His gaze flicked down to where she still had a firm hold on his hand, her grip tightening. Normally, Snowflake wasn't big on the touchy-feelies. So it wasn't lost on him that this gesture, insignificant though it may appear, was in fact a big deal. Intentional too, and one that had probably taken a lot to bring herself to do. She was trying to get a point across, convey how much this meant to her and the depth of her resolve.
Plus… it made his hand tingle beneath her slender fingers.
…she was probably just giving him frostbite through his glove. Had to be it.
Clearing his throat, he gently freed himself from her grasp and sighed with a shake of his head. "Sorry, Snowflake, no can do."
"But I can," a new voice purred.
They both jumped as a giggle filled the air. Then a Corridor of Darkness exploded into existence a few paces away from them and out sauntered a figure in a black cloak almost identical to the one Axel wore. The blonde with a very distinctive signature hairdo came to a stop, jutting a hip out to one side and planting a hand on it as she smirked at them both.
"Larxene!" Axel snarled, immediately moving to stand between her and Snowflake. He whipped a hand out to his side, trying to call his keyblade to him. Flames sparked and swirled in his palm, but ultimately sputtered out with a puff of smoke, leaving him empty handed. He released a frustrated hiss through his teeth.
Great. Flipping fantastic. Perfect time for the dumb thing to call in a sick day.
"Aw, experiencing some performance issues, Firecracker?" Larxene pouted, using a finger to mime a tear rolling down her cheek. "Poor baby, you must be so embarrassed! Don't worry, I'm sure it happens to all guys every now and then."
One corner of his lip curling in a sneer, he now stretched his arms wide in either direction, fingers splayed. Fires roared to life in both his hands, spinning at blinding speeds before erupting into his chakrams. Pointing one of them at her, he bit out, "Big mistake showing your face around here. You got exactly five seconds to slink your sorry rear back to whatever wall socket you crawled out of before I-"
"What did you mean?" Elsa asked the newcomer, stepping up beside Axel as she scrutinized her.
He grit his teeth. "Snowflake? What are you doing?" His eyes kept flicking up to the top of the tower, silently praying someone, anyone would take one damn measly second to glance out of one of those dumb little moon-shaped windows and realize they were currently playing host to an unwanted visitor.
Larxene ignored him, gracing the other woman with a half-grin. "You've caused me so much trouble, little queen. We've spent days scouring other worlds for you. It was only blind chance that I just so happened to peek in on ol' Master Conehead's little tower here at this exact moment to see if the goody-goodies were up to anything interesting. Imagine my shock to find you here, slumming it up with this loser."
She lifted her chin ever so slightly. "When Axel told me he couldn't help me, you said you could. I ask again. What did you mean?"
"Oh, that," she shrugged, inspecting her nails. "Today's your lucky day, sweetie. I know exactly where your sister is and I'll only be pleased as punch to take you right to her. All you have to do is come willingly."
"Don't listen to her!" Axel growled. "She's with the Organization!"
"Don't you think I know that?!" Snowflake shot back before looking away with a frown. "But Anna… she needs me…"
Eyes crinkling, Larxene cooed, "That's right. She's been so sad and scared and alone without her big sister there to protect her. Besides, you're a total badass with that ice magic of yours, right? Surely once you get there, you can beat up all us baddies and save the day, no problem." She stretched out a hand to her. "So just be a good girl now and come with me."
Elsa clasped her own hand to her chest and hesitated, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. A few long seconds ticked by. Then her expression hardened and she took another step towards Larxene, her fingers reaching towards the other's.
"Nope." A high pitched metallic whine pierced the air. Larxene's head snapped up with a scowl and her palm sparked with electricity, summoning knifes between her knuckles and raising them just in time to parry the blazing chakram coming straight for her before it could get all close and personal with her skull. "Nuh uh." Axel chucked his other arm forward, sending his second chakram on another high speed collision course with Larxene. "Not happening." He grabbed Snowflake's hand and threaded their fingers together before bolting, throwing a wall of fire up behind them to block Larxene, buying them the precious few seconds he knew they'd need.
"Wha-?!" Elsa yelped before stumbling into a run to keep up. It was that or be dragged. "What are you doing?! You can't just-"
"I can and I did. Deal with it!" He snapped back before thrusting a hand forward. A Corridor of Darkness burst forth in front of them, blacks and purples churning within its depths. "Hold tight and don't let go, Snowflake. We're blowing this popsicle stand!"
"No!" Elsa cried, trying to jerk her hand out of his grasp but to no avail. Still being forcibly pulled along, she glanced back over her shoulder. The final sight of this planet she saw was Larxene surging forward through the raging flames, daggers fanned out in both hands, lightning flying every direction as a snarl twisted her face. And then Larxene, the tower, the world, everything was swallowed in an all consuming black.
A/N: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS! Hope ya'll enjoyed that chapter, it was pretty fun to write! Side note regarding Elsa's new duds, they're her outfit from the Frozen 2 trailer! So if I did a fail job describing them, just go check that out and you'll get a better idea of what they're supposed to look like xD The ponytail is also from that trailer, tho I get the feeling it's only for that one scene of the movie and not a permanent thing, but she's gonna be rocking the ponytail for a while now in this fic, cuz you know what? She looks hella cute with it, fight me! And what'd I tell ya? All the cameos this chapter! It was kind of a struggle to fit them all in and make sure everyone had a chance to be included in the conversation without it getting too messy and crowded, but I think I pulled it off! And then there's Larxene... that badass babe is always a pleasure to write xD In any case, it's off to a new world next chapter! Bet none of you can guess which one it'll be xD Regardless, I'm gonna warn ya now, Elsa is gonna be a bit peeved with Axel for taking away her chance to rescue Anna! Was it a dangerous thing for Elsa to try to do? Yes. Did Axel have every right to stop it? Yes. But Elsa is not going to care, and honestly, if roles were reversed and Axel had been in the same position to rescue Roxas or Isa or Xion (if he remembered her x'D) and it involved putting himself in danger, you know he would have done the same damn thing as Elsa and he would have been just as pissed if someone stopped him! So... just let Elsa be mad for a lil bit and don't judge her too harshly for it, capiche? People aren't perfect! Let them be flawed and, in fact, love them for those flaws, damnit! Alright, rant over xD Sorry, I just could already see possible complaints coming from a mile away, so I wanted to just try and nip it in the bud and get ya'll mentally prepared for what's to come!
As always, MUCH praise and MUCH worship to the glorious and magnificent Daughter of Kyne and ScarletEmperor for being spectacular betas for this chapter! Also, special thanks to Mad Oni, Spiderfan626, SoraKairiRikuNamine, Daughter of Kyne, ScarletEmperor and one anonymous Guest 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! The depths of your kindness knows no bounds, I'm not worthy! Also, quick note to that anonymous guest - I like to PM my thanks to all my reviewers if I can, but I could not with you since you were on anon, so you get your reply here! Don't worry, more positive/passive/neutral interactions are coming between these two! That said, as mentioned earlier, things are about to get a bit... angrier first xD BUT AFTER THAT I swear to you things will start to smooth out between our happy couple and in fact start to warm up a bit ;) And hey, you did get a Kairi cameo this chapter and her teasing did get our dear Axel a tad flustered xP In any case, I'm so glad you're enjoying my story so far, and must apologize, because the waits between chapters are about to get a bit longer I'm afraid Dx But we'll get to that in a sec, cuz first...
IT'S FUN FACT TIME: This chapter used to have a completely different last half to it! I mean, it still ended the same, with Axel and Elsa in a Corridor popping off to a new world, but the journey up to that point was QUITE a bit different xD But with Elsa being officially a Princess of Heart now as of KH3, and my original version of this chapter being written before I knew that and so she was NOT a Princess of Heart when I was writing it the first time, the last half of this chapter needed some serious changes due to that. In fact, the original second half got completely scrapped and I started over from scratch! I wonder if anyone (who hasn't read the original xD You know who you are!) can tell the exact point where the new half that was added begins? Hopefully if I did my job well, the transition is seamless and you cannot spot it xD But if anyone wants to guess, I'll tell you right now that, no, it's not at the line break!
And now it is with a heavy heart I must inform you all that this is unfortunately the last of the pre-written chapters I have prepared. Pre-written chapters are the best and the very reason why I was able to give ya'll updates so quickly! To those of you that this is the first story by me that you're reading, you know those sloths from Zootopia? I sadly must say I write stories about as quickly as they would xD No joke. Dead serious. So you're about to be in for a bit of a wait for the upcoming chapters, I'm so sorry! That said, I've been hard at work on chapter 11 and it's getting real close to being done, so I hope to have it ready for you soon! Not "in 3 days" soon, but still... soon... ish xD And in fact, chapter 11 is turning out longer than I expected and the more I look at it, the more it feels like too much for one chapter, so chapter 11 is probably going to become chapter 11 and 12. So when I DO complete it, I'll actually have 2 new chapters for you, yaaaaaay! But after that... expect longer waits between updates... ehehehehehe, so sorry! Trust me when I say I do my damnedest tho to get these updates to you as quickly as possible! All that being said, now would be a great time for you to follow and fave this story (if you haven't already) so you know exactly when the next update is out :3 Be sure to keep an eye on my profile too, I (try to, at least) keep it updated with whatever I'm currently working on and how close it is to being complete! And while you wait, maybe reading some of my other Axel x Elsa stories will tide you over ;D
Whew, long AN this time! Sorry, didn't mean for it to get away from me like that, but once you get me rambling, it's hard to make me stop! Thanks again for reading, I super duper appreciate it! See you at the next update, lovelies! Much love, peace out, and catch ya'll on the flip side!