Chapter 14: Parting
Axel looked around himself as he started to feel desperate.
There was no end on the stream of heartless coming at him.
He'd managed to clear a wide space for a few minutes, but they were slowly crawling back towards him, regrouping and multiplying.
He formed another ball of fire and threw it at the cluster nearest to him, watched them flee or disintegrate, only to be replaced by another mass, bigger than the first one.
What really bugged him was that there seemed to be no way out.
No matter how far he backed away from his entering-position, no matter how clearly he showed signs of retreat, the blasted things kept coming at him, intent on annihilating the intruder.
Not for the first time he cursed his stupidity in trusting Xemnas and also not for the first time this made him think of Roxas and the position all of this would put him in.
He threw out a tail of the protective fire to enclose himself in a circle that would hopefully keep the horde of slithering shadows at bay for at least a little while.
The first line of heartless that came in contact with his safety measure were instantly put out of existence and he dared a smile. But already the next line of viruses managed to take a few steps inside the fire before vanishing and Axel's heart sank.
The next line took out the fire as they passed through it and he had to once more collect the energy to set off a blast that cleared the nearest area enough for him to keep off the on-coming army that soon followed.
He was starting to feel weak and exhausted.
Every ounce of strength he had, he put into fighting off the black mass out to get him and he'd been doing it since he got here, waking up to the sound of feet whispering against the invisible floor of ever shifting colors.
He didn't dare think of for how long he'd really been here, because he couldn't tell anything of it, but that it had been a very long time.
He wished to sleep, to rest, to eat.
He wished to be with Roxas, to make sure he was alright.
But most of all, he wished for it all to end.
Axel knew his only chance to survive was through outer influence, and since the only way for that to happen probably meant that Roxas gave in to Xemnas, he tried not to believe in the facts.
He most certainly did not want Roxas in here.
Axel threw away a pitiful fireball and readied himself to start fighting with his bare hands.
The fact that Roxas hadn't showed up yet probably meant that he either hadn't been addressed by Xemnas yet, or that he hadn't and wouldn't give in to his demands.
As much as it hurt him to think of it, Axel hoped for the last of these alternatives.
Axel roared as he threw a heartless off his chest.
They were too many for him, but he simply wouldn't give up and let them take him that easily, so he fought on as more of them managed to get a hold of him.
Just when he felt his last remaining powers fade away, the darkness surrounding him suddenly exploded with light and every last particle of the shadows vanished with no sight of the cavalierly of duplicates coming to take their place.
The entire vast space of this digital world in shifting shapes and colors was now empty as far as his eyes could see.
Not entirely empty though.
Axel blinked away the white spots that were dancing before his eyes after the blinding light had faded.
"Are you alright?"
Axel's heart skipped a beat as he tried to decide whether he should feel good or bad about hearing that particular voice behind him.
Slowly he turned his head to face the blond young man he loved.
Roxas stood about three or four steps away from him, dressed in a black full length hooded leather coat. His sapphire eyes were sharp with concentration, but the worry that could be read in them was deep.
Axel pulled himself up on his feet and noticed the weapon in Roxa's hand. It was the size of a sword, but shaped like a silver key with a golden grip.
He almost fell back down as he recognized the weapon. He'd heard a description of it before.
A keyblade.
And not just any keyblade, but the Kingdom Key.
"Rox…" was all he could press forth over his lips.
The pain and sadness that filled that one word made Roxas let go of the self preserving control he'd been using on his emotions and with no more than two flying steps he was holding Axel in his arms, pressing himself tightly to him, afraid to let go and lose him.
Axel stood stunned for a moment, before he let his own arms enclose Roxas in a responding embrace.
"I'm so sorry, axel! I didn't know… I was so darn stupid!" Roxas said, his face against Axel's chest.
Axel let his fingers run through the blond spikes of hair on Roxas' head and shushed at him.
"Don't apologize, Rox. I suspected him earlier and hesitated to say anything before I was sure on my suspicions being right. If someone's a fool here, then it's me."
"But I gave in to him, Axel," Roxas objected weakly. "I just couldn't leave you here to the heartless!"
Axel put a finger to his chin and forced his face upwards for him to meet his eyes.
"Look at me, Roxas. I don't blame you for any of this, OK? Right now I'm just too happy to see you again, alive. I've been so worried for you…"
Suddenly Roxas reached up, let his hands rest on Axel's shoulders and closed his lips over the other's.
At first, Axel was too surprised by the act to do anything, but soon he relaxed, lifted Roxas' shorter slender body from the ground and responded the kiss, deepening it with all the recent held back emotions and longing.
He tasted salt as tears from Roxas' eyes found their way to their lips and he slowly forced himself to open his eyes and pull away.
"What's wrong Roxas?"
Roxas quickly dried his eyes with the back of his hands and inhaled deeply.
"It's just… so damned unfair," he said with a shaky voice.
"What is?"
"That just when I finally remember everything, when I finally know what I feel, I'll have to leave you."
Axel went cold at those words and tried to bring him back into his arms again, but roxas was faster than him.
In an instant, the keyblade was back in his hand and directed at Axel's chest.
"What are you…" Axel started to ask, not knowing what to say or think.
"I'm sorry Axel, but I have to do this. Forgive me."
The key started to glow and Axel felt his heart shrink in his chest.
"I love you," Roxas said, the tears back in his eyes.
Axel was about to say something to stop him, but before he could do so, the blast of light hit him full on and he woke up with a gasp for air, trying to pull himself out of the chair that held him, before he realized where he was and forced himself to calm down.
"Welcome back Axel. Did you have a nice trip?"
Xemnas stood before him in a black coat, similar to the one that Roxas had been wearing, and smiled his chesshire grin.
Axel wanted to spit in his face, but his mouth was too dry. Instead he leaned back into the chair and stared at him in silent rage while he tried to force his voice back into function.
Xemnas chuckled at him and stepped up to his side.
"You seem to be a bit upset," Xemnas mused. "I thought you would like to get out of there, or was I wrong?"
Axel grit his teeth, his eyes almost glowing with the rage he felt.
"You're a back-stabbing shit-pile of crap, you know that?" he muttered with a raspy voice.
Xemnas only laughed at this.
"And you're just as good with words as ever, I hear. Now don't you want to have a look at your sweet hero? He's right next to you, really," he said and pointed to a place over at Axel's right side.
Axel involuntarily turned his head to where the man pointed, only to see Roxas in the same horrifying lifeless state that he'd been in during the past two years before Axel had manged to save him. He could almost feel something breaking inside of him as he noticed the wires connected to the young blond, keeping him in touch with the computers in front of them.
"What did you tell him to make him do it?" Axel asked, fearing he already knew the answer.
Xemnas raised his eyebrows in an pretended gesture of surprise.
"What, he didn't tell you?" he said and walked over to Roxas. He leaned down over him and placed a gloved hand on his cheek, caressing his face.
"Your brave little savior simply wanted you out of there in one piece."
"So you threatened to unplug me if he didn't go through to the Heart after he got me out, am I right?"
"Something like it, yes," Xemnas smiled. "Which reminds me that I promised to let him hear from you before he started."
Xemnas walked back to Axel's chair and flicked on a switch on the side of it.
"Now you're on the chat-line. Say hi, will you?"
Axel grunted his displeasure with the situation, but did as he was told, not seeing any other choice.
He moved his fingers rhythmically over the touch keys on the ends of his armrests as he typed a message, using his personal coding to certify his identity to Roxas.
*[I'm awake, and as far as it goes, alive and breathing. Be careful, Rox. The lord of darkness isn't one to trust with the power of a grand heart. I will do my best to get you out alive. I love you. With all my heart. / Axel.]*