After the action had settled down, everyone left Sora and Kairi alone to talk. Riku didn't make a fuss about it, but you could tell by the look on his face that he was frustrated.
Axel being the eaves dropper that he was, couldn't help but watch them as they reminisced. He couldn't hear anything, but at one point he saw Kairi interrupt Sora in the middle of a sentence with a passionate hug. Sora was shocked, but then he promptly put his arms around her waist and they stayed that way for a while.
Axel felt a small amount of sympathy towards Riku and Sora, but mostly Sora. He too loved someone that didn't know about it. But then there was a feeling of spite that overshadowed that emotion. There was spite because Axel couldn't see any reason why either boy wouldn't confess his love to that girl. All of them were presumably single and heterosexual, so what was the problem?
Unlike the three of them, Axel did have reasons for bottling up his love for Roxas. First, Roxas seemed to be straight. Second, Namine was now in the picture. Any attempt at romance with Roxas would surely be the biggest mistake of his life.
Then Roxas shot him another one of those looks that he had been giving him previously. Axel caught it this time, and he began to wonder what it could mean. There was always that possibility… but no. It wasn't a possibility.
Or was it?
"Alright, guys," Sora's voice broke in, "It's time to get moving again."
The seven of them began walking again, and it became apparent by the way that she was looking at him that Kairi had feelings for Sora as well.
Yet another reason that made it ridiculous that they hadn't ended up together already.
So much looking and not enough doing lately, it seems. Axel thought with a sigh.
When they finally reached the top of the castle, there was Xemnas. He was facing towards the moon chanting, "Kingdom hearts… kingdom hearts…" over and over again in a ritualistic way that creeped Axel and everyone else out.
"Xemnas!" Riku shouted at him, "We have you cornered. Surrender now and we will spare your life."
The chanting stopped, but Xemnas did not turn around. Instead, he chuckled darkly while continuing to face the moon. "So," he began, "It seems as though you all have thoroughly defeated the other Organization members. I must say, well done."
"Not us," Roxas exclaimed, "Me and Axel are still alive, and now we're going to kill you!" A keyblade appeared in his hand and he leaned forward as if to run up and strike Xemnas through the head, but not before Axel was quick enough to restrain him.
"Stop--" Axel warned Roxas in a loud voice. When he had successfully calmed him down a bit, he said in a voice low enough that the others couldn't hear, "I don't want you being more reckless than you have to be if that will get you killed."
He had knocked the fight out of Roxas that easily, and he was now looking up at Axel with the eyes of a child receiving a lecture. The keyblade disappeared, and the hint of a pout appeared on his lips. He settled down and let Sora and Riku do the talking.
Xemnas let out an evil laugh. "You two always were the more difficult ones," he said in an odd nostalgic tone, "Always looking after each other instead of caring about the best interests of the Organization. Like brothers. Or maybe even… lovers?" On the last word he turned and smirked at them mockingly.
Both of them blushed deep shades of red then, looked at the floor and pretended to ignore that last sentence; they failed miserably.
"Fuck you," Axel mumbled in defense.
Xemnas laughed again. "Enough of this!" he shouted after becoming serious, "It's time to fight, because there's no way in hell I'm backing down. I willhave my kingdom hearts!"
He then began to rise up into the air, growing to the size of a Cyclops.
The seven of them tensed to fight, but then Sora had an idea, and whispered it to Riku. Riku nodded, and created a portal.
"Kairi!" Sora shouted, "This is a portal to Destiny Islands. Go through and stay there until we're done fighting Xemnas."
"What?" she said, "You can't be serious."
"You have to, Kairi! I don't want you being more reckless than you have to be if that will get you killed."
Those were the same words Axel had said to Roxas, even though there was no way Sora could have heard them. He truly did care for her.
Kairi was silent then "Okay," she said, and gave in.
"If you're going," Namine suddenly said, "I'm coming with you." Apparently, she had the same connection with Kairi that Roxas had with Sora. It was like they couldn't ever be apart now.
"Alright," Kairi said. They held hands, and walked up to the portal. At the last second they looked into their respective crushes eyes. "Goodbye," they said, and they walked through.
Axel was standing right by the portal as he watched them leave.
I guess I better put my game face on, he thought, and took out his fiery weapons, ready to battle.
All of a sudden, he felt a violent tremor shake through the castle. It was so strong, it caused Axel to almost be knocked over, leaving him trying to regain his balance by wobbling on one foot.
A second shake.
This caught Axel off guard, and he fell into the portal at the last second before it disappeared.
"Axel!" he heard Roxas shout just before falling through.
He was lying on the ground, and felt sand surrounding him. He was on the beach at Destiny Islands.
No, he thought. No, no, no, no, no.
He brought himself up to his feet, and tried to locate the portal that would take him back to the castle and Roxas. It had disappeared.
Axel fell back onto the sand in despair with a somehow expressionless face.
Kairi and Namine were standing only a few feet away, staring at their new island companion.
"Hi," Kairi said in shock, "Do you need some help getting up?" She leaned down to him with an outstretched hand, smiling.
He looked at her blankly, and then finally took her help without words.
Kairi and Axel sat on the palm tree that gave a good view of the sunset, and he explained to her how he had ended up there.
"…And now I'm stuck here while Roxas could be out there getting killed at that damn castle!" He looked down into the water below as tears began to form in his eyes.
"I'm sorry," Kairi simply said. She then took a look over at Namine, who was standing with crossed arms over on the beach some yards away. She was frowning, and looked as if she were about to burst into tears herself as she stared out at the open sea. The red sun reflecting on the ocean's surface was showing in her eyes, and it gave her that devilish appearance that she had had earlier with Roxas.
"You love him, don't you?" Kairi asked Axel out of nowhere. She didn't have to say who.
Axel lifted his head with only a dismal amount of shock, still gluing his eyes to the water, "More than anything," he said with a dreamy passion trailing in his voice. He decided that he didn't care if she knew.
"And Namine couldn't be more pissed about it, am I right?" she continued.
"That's what I figured., yeah." he replied.
"Well," she said, "why do you think she would be like that at all if she didn't know that Roxas felt the same way you do?"
He looked fiercely at her now. "Of course he doesn't!" he suddenly burst out, "How could he ever…?" he trailed off.
"He does," she said, remaining calm, "I can see it in the way he acts with Namine, and the way he acts with you."
He lost the ferociousness in his eyes, and now he just stared at her, listening.
"Look," she said, "all I'm saying is that there's no reason to hold back with him the next time you see him. Tell him how you feel right away. Tell him how he's the first thing you think about when you wake up, and the last thing you want to see before you close your eyes at night. Tell him how even the most ridiculous things he does make you like him just that much more. Tell him…" she stopped herself.
Axel let himself laugh. "We're not talking about Roxas anymore, are we?"
After a second, she blushed with a smile as she stared at the sunset.
"I'm sorry by the way," Axel said.
She looked at him with confusion. "About what?" "You know…" he said, "about kidnapping you and smuggling you to the castle dungeon? Remember?"
She slapped her palm against her face. "Oh," she said, "That's right. Silly me, forgetting that I was kidnapped and brought to another world though a portal of darkness." They then both broke into hysterics and settled back into there spots on the palm tree.
As they waited for the men that they loved to return, Kairi and Axel were starting what looked like what would be a beautiful friendship.