Sora held the injured ex-angel carefully, not wanting to put any pressure on the wounds. Roxas held the man's other side while Riku unlocked his door and opened it. He motioned Sora and Roxas through, directing them to a long couch in the small living room. They set Axel down carefully, but he still hissed as one too-quick movement pulled on his back.
"Anything we can help with?" Sora asked. Riku shook his head.
"We'll probably see you tomorrow- Axel will probably be well enough to visit the beach with everyone tomorrow." Sora nodded, forcing a smile on his face. He ignored the odd look Riku gave him, as though Riku could see right through his false happiness.
"Great! Better get going then." Sora said as he turned and walked out of the apartment without looking back.
"Later." Roxas muttered, turning and following Sora.
Scene Change
Riku watched them leave, a puzzled look on his face.
"Trouble?" Axel asked, more mocking than concerned as was his nature.
"Not really... just Sora seemed sad." Riku said, muttering the last part to himself. Axel caught it, however, and smirked.
"The brunette, right? That's Sora?" Riku nodded. "You like him." Axel stated confidently. Riku froze.
"What makes you think that?" he asked stiffly. Axel laughed, craning his neck to look at Riku.
"You mean I was right?" Riku glared at his new housemate. "Okay- more of the frosty glares for me, I get it. You don't have to react so violently, jeez."
"What's it to you who I like?" Riku asked. He had so far managed to successfully keep his feelings known only to himself. That someone he barely knew managed to pick up on it...
"Nothing, actually. I could care less, but..." Axel's expression turned serious suddenly. "... you should be careful- Organization XIII enjoys using hostages, and he'll be first on the list if they catch wind of this." Riku was still regarding him suspiciously. Axel sighed.
"Would you make me some food, already? I'm dying here!"
"Somehow I doubt that." Riku said, heading into the kitchen. He felt a responsibility to the ex-angel, as it had been his fault Axel had been banished.
Scene Change
Glumly, Sora kicked a stone on his way home. Roxas walked beside him, kicking the stone every time Sora hit it too far to the side Roxas walked on.
"Riku probably saw through that." Roxas commented.
"Through what?"
"The fake smile. When I left he seemed concerned."
"Concern enough for a friend." Sora sighed. "I guess it's kinda hopeless, huh?"
"If you can save the worlds, Sora, I'm think- no, I know- that you can get him to like you too." Soon enough, they reached their house. Sora went right up to his room, saying he needed some time to just be alone. Roxas allowed Sora his space, shutting himself up in his room to think.
Scene Change
Axel winced at the bright sun. As Riku had predicted, Axel was well enough to jump around the day after he had woken up. They had gone to the beach when Roxas and Sora had come to get them, Axel borrowing some of Riku's old clothes until they found him some of his own.
Kairi and Namine remembered him, so there was no need to do much explaining. Axel just said that he was going to be moving here soon, and Riku was letting him sleep in his apartment until he found a place of his own. They spent a few hours sitting around and talking when Axel felt something strange.
Eyes on his back. He turned around quickly, vaguely aware of Riku doing the same. Riku glared into the shadows of the trees.
"Who's there?" he demanded. A slim, black-cloaked figure walked from the forest, walking straight to their little group. Sora's eyes went wide as he recognized the robe.
Riku and Axel stood, standing in between the black-haired and cloaked man.
"Xaldin." Axel hissed turning his own fiery gaze on the member of Organization XIII.
"Axel, Riku. Alive, I see." Xaldin turned his gaze farther, seeing the humans looking at him in surprise. "Friends, right?" He smiled, gears obviously turning in his mind. "I would like to meet them, if you don't mind." There was obvious threat in his voice- Riku stepped closer, making sure to block Sora from Xaldin's view.
"What do you want?" he demanded.
"To continue this conversation elsewhere." Suddenly, Sora stepped forward in front of Riku, glaring at the angel in front of him.
"You'll have to come back another day- we're busy." In the background, Kairi and Namine could be heard expressing shock at how rude Sora had just acted, but Sora could care less. He didn't like the fact that the man was obviously an Organization XIII member, or the fact that he had almost bullied Riku- and Axel,he reminded himself- into fighting.
Xaldin's eyes widened slightly.
"Keyblade Master... and you'd take the side of criminals?"
"I will when the judge and jury is worse." Sora shot back. Xaldin snarled, backing up.
"So you know- this changes things." With that, Xaldin disappeared into the trees, no doubt going back to Xemnas to report.
Sora blinked, confused.
"The Keyblade is a very powerful but strange weapon. Not only can it kill those of the darkness, it can kill those of light depending on the heart of the user." Riku told him softly. Sora nodded. All three turned back to their group, all of whom had puzzled expressions.
"Criminals?" Kairi asked. Riku laughed, slightly nervous and apprehensive.
"He exaggerated. No one here is a criminal."
"What does Sora know that we don't? Who was that man?" Namine asked. Sora took a deep breath.
"Maybe we should tell them?" he suggested.
"Tell us what?" Roxas asked.
"Might help if they knew." Axel commented. Riku sighed, outnumbered.
"Neither Axel or I are human. We're angels- fallen angels to be precise. I failed to protect Sora, and Axel failed to kill me, instead trying to hide my existence from Organization XIII- an angel assassin group. Those are the crimes we have been officially condemned for, but unofficialy it's because we know what created us." Riku explained. The three who didn't know this were shocked, unable to speak. "We've lost both of our wings and can't go back, and since we're considered a threat Organization XIII will send more assassins after us."
"You're kidding, right?" Roxas asked. Axel shook his head.
"Nope- that's the truth. Got it memorized?" Axel drawled.
"Sora?" Kairi asked, sounding desperate. "This isn't true, is it?"
"It's true. I found out not too long ago- it was the first time I saw Axel. He had wings. That's when Riku explained it to me." Sora said quietly.
"If you're really angels, don't you have wings?" Namine asked dumbly, obviously not having heard much beyond 'we're angels'.
"We've lost our wings because we broke the laws. Now they're after us to kill us." Riku explained patiently. "You don't have to believe us- just be wary of anyone you see in a black robe. They're members of Organization XIII."
"I didn't really believe it either, at first, but..." Sora shrugged. "It's kinda hard not to believe, especially when you've seen one or two people with wings."
"Can you prove it?" Roxas asked hesitantly. "I mean, if you can prove it then I'll believe, but... it's kinda hard."
"Yeah- I guess I'll believe it too if you prove it." Kairi said, though she clearly didn't expect them to.
"And how do you expect us to do that?" Axel asked, irritated.
"You'll just have to trust us." Sora said, a bit hurt that his friends- his own brother even!- didn't believe it, but he could understand.
"Well..." Kairi looked doubtfully between Axel and Riku. A man she just met, and a friend she had known for years before he nearly killed them all and then spent a year in Kingdom Hearts.
"There are many things in this world we don't understand. It's possible that there are angels." Namine said, smiling. "I'll believe it." Riku smiled.
"Thanks, Namine." Axel rolled his eyes.
"Well this is touching and all, I'll see you later." Axel turned and began walking away from the group.
"Where are you going?" Riku asked him, puzzled.
"Exploring. Makes sense to know home base before inviting the enemy, right?" Riku nodded.
Roxas watched Axel walk away, feeling the sudden urge to follow him. Not sure why, he quickly made an excuse and followed the spikey redhead.
"Namine and I should get going- we told our parents we'd be back home by now." Kairi said. She sighed, then looked driectly at Riku. "I'll try, but you do know this is kinda hard to swallow, right?"
"It's fine, Kairi. We'll see you tomorrow." Riku replied. The girls waved goodbye and began walking away, talking about something quietly- Riku couldn't quite hear.
"That went well." Sora said hopefully. Riku shrugged.
"As well as could be expected." Riku looked around, seeing no one in sight. "Well, now what? Should we go after Roxas and Axel?"
"Probably not." Sora said. He thought for a moment. "I got it! Why don't we spar?"
"Spar?"
"Yeah- we haven't done that in ages!" Riku smirked.
"Eager to lose again?"
"Hey!"
"Practice swords, or..." Riku's voice trailed off. Sora thought hard for a moment.
"I don't think we have those practice swords anymore- and aren't we a bit old for them? Let's use..."
"You use the Keyblade and I'll use my own weapon." Sora nodded, happy.
"Rules same as always?" he asked. Riku nodded, then looked around again.
"Not here- how about further down the beach?" Sora nodded. The two walked down the sandy land, heading farther away from town so they had fewer distractions.
Scene Change
Roxas silently followed Axel. Neither had said a word since Roxas had begun following the ex-angel about- Roxas checked his watch- ten minutes ago.
"So, are there any good places to hide on this island?" Axel asked, startling Roxas out of his thoughts.
"Huh?"
"Places to hide? Know any good ones?" Axel asked, seemingly amused.
"Well, there is a small cave we used to hang out in all the time." Roxas said. "You have to crawl through a tunnel to reach it, but it's big enough to stand up in once you're inside."
"Really? Want to show me?" Roxas nodded, taking the lead. They walked quietly, Roxas dying to ask about what he had learned just a few minutes ago.
Was Axel really an angel? Was it some big prank?
"Here it is." Roxas said, yanking himself out of his thoughts as he found the small cave entrance. He dropped down to his hands and kness and began crawling. "Follow me." he said to Axel over his shoulder. After a few minutes of crawling, they arrived in the heart of the cave. Roxas stood, dusting off his outfit.
"Whoa- this is nice. Hard to find too." Axel said appreciatively, looking around. He began walking around the secret area, looking at the drawings on the wall. He chuckled at some of the badly drawn ones. Roxas just watched the redhead walk around, content, but... he longed to do something. He wasn't sure what. Just something.
"Hey- Roxas- what's this?" Axel asked, pointing to a small drawing. Roxas blinked, then quickly gathered his wits and walked over to see what Axel was pointing at.
It was a picture of a boy with spikey hair, and a picture of a child with long hair. Roxas smiled. The two figures were sharing a Paopu fruit.
'I'm probably the only one who knows that that isn't a picture of Kairi with Sora.' he thought. Sora had confided to his brother that he had been trying to draw Riku, but Kairi had walked in when he had been drawing it and automatically assumed that Sora had been drawing her.
"They're sharing a Paopu fruit." Roxas said. He pointed to the spikey-haired boy. "That's Sora."
"Who's the other one?" Axel asked. "And what exactly is a Paopu fruit?"
"Rik- er, Kairi." Roxas said. He didn't like lying, but Sora had begged him the day Roxas found out never to tell anyone.
Axel noticed the slip however, and smirked.
"That so?" he asked. "And the fruit?"
"It's a local legend." Roxas explained. "If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined and they'll stay a part of each others lives, no matter what." Roxas smiled a bit sadly. "It's basically a sign of undying love."
"Really? Hmm... you ever had one?" Axel asked, watching Roxas closely. He didn't like the sad expression Roxas wore- it didn't suit him nearly as much as his smile, Axel decided.
"No. Haven't had anyone to share one with..." Roxas glanced at Axel out of the corner of his eye, a bit unnerved to find Axel staring at him. Unnerved, but not really displeased.
"Haven't found someone... special yet?" Axel asked casually, fingers tracing the outline of the Paopu fruit carved into the wall. A strange hope bubbled in Roxas' chest.
"N-no..." Axel stopped tracing the Paopu fruit suddenly.
"Well, think I'm done looking here. Know any other good hiding places?" Roxas felt slightly disappointed but didn't look too deeply into it.
"This is the best on the island. There really aren't many more..."
"Okay. See you later then. Roxas." Axel turned and got ready to crawl out of the cave, but Roxas spoke again.
"Are you really an angel?" he blurted out. Axel looked over his shoulder.
"Huh?"
"Well, what kind of powers do you have... if you really are an angel?" he asked, curious. Axel smirked.
"I'm a pyro. Wanna see?" Axel wasn't one to randomly show off his power to just anyone who asked, but... Roxas was special. Roxas nodded. Axel lifted a hand, telling the air above his palm to combust.
At his command, bright red flames sprung to life, crackling merrily. Roxas looked surprised, entranced...
"You control fire like that?" he asked. Axel nodded, proud of himself to have put that look of wonder on the blonde's face. The hothead in him was begging to show off.
'What could it hurt?' he wondered, then began 'dancing' with the fire.
"Now don't move, Roxas." he said. Roxas nodded, confused.
"Why?" His question was answered as Axel commanded flames to appear three feet from Roxas in a circle, about waist-high. The flames 'danced', moving up and down in random patterns. It was almost comical, and Roxas found himself laughing as the small fires began playing a sort of 'follow the leader' and moved away from him in a chain, moving up and down and then encircling Axel. Roxas wasn't sure when, but the chain grew and grew, then condensed into a ball and exploded into the far corners of the room, looking almost like large fireflies. Axel smirked, amused. He created two dancing figures doing a small waltz among the balls of flame.
'He looks like he's enjoying it.' Axel thought, eyes on Roxas. Roxas was watching the dancers, smiling just like a little kid in the candy store.
Axel wiped the sweat from his brow. He wasn't hot, but doing intricate work like that- especially for an extended period of time- was exhausting his already low energy reserves.
He snapped his fingers, causing the flames to blink out, all at the same time. Roxas blinked, surprised. Axel had to stifle the urge to laugh- Roxas was just adorable like that.
"Sorry- show's over." Axel said. Roxas nodded, smile returning shyly.
"Thanks for... showing me."
"Anytime."
A/N: Okay, so it was kind of a filler chapter. very, very soon though, we will have plenty of action! Five more chappies to go, and that'll be it.
Hopefully neither Axel or Roxas was too OOC, but I felt like adding in a bit to show some of their budding relationship. Cute, ne?