Chapter 15

I'm alone again.

It should be a feeling I'm used to by now.

So, why is this time different?

Why...why does it hurt so much?

Riku was sitting down at the table in the kitchen, facing a blank sheet of paper. Used to a sword, the pen he was holding felt strange. He hadn't been to school in so long that it almost felt like he had forgotten how to write. Two days had passed, and he had come nowhere closer to finding a way to capture Roxas without using Naminé. He didn't know what he could do, other than try to fight Roxas again without telling anybody. Riku was sure that Diz had thought of that however, so he would never be able to slip away undetected. Not only that, but he was not capable of flying the gummi ship. Riku thought that he and motorised vehicles should be placed as far away as possible from each other. Well, he had no problem sitting in one, but controlling one was a whole other matter.

Naminé walked into the kitchen, but stopped as soon as she saw Riku in front of her.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I'll just-"

"No," he replied. "I should, you are, I don't-"

"I was...planning to make dinner, but I can leave it for an hour if you're busy."

"It's okay. I won't bother you. You can make it now if you want."

Naminé hesitated for a moment more, before nodding. "Okay, right....um, I won't be long." She walked over to the table, but stopped as she saw the sheet of paper in front of him.

"It's strange to see you with a pen," she noted. "What are you doing?"

"It's nothing," he said dismissively. "Just some things I was thinking about."

"Alright," she replied, hoping he would try to at least be civil. "I'd better-"

"Diz told me you were planning to go after Roxas," he offered, seeing the dejected look on her face. He hated being like this, but he just didn't know how to act around her anymore.

"Yeah," she muttered.

"Why did you agree to it?" he asked.

"I, guess we don't have that many choices left, you know? And I'm glad I can finally help for once."

"You'll help plenty when we get Sora back," he argued. "No one can do what you can do. If you die fighting Roxas, then he'll never get better."

"Have you got any other ideas?" she countered angrily. Riku looked at the blank sheet of paper in obvious dismay.

"No," he replied quietly. "I guess not."

They both stared at the floor, knowing their attempt at conversation had come to an abrupt end. Naminé didn't want this to be it. She had to come up with something. Anything.

"Take a walk with me?" she asked him. Riku looked up at her in surprise. "Like we did then," she continued. "Our time on the road, you enjoyed it, didn't you?"

"Our talks were interesting," he relented.

"Yeah." She paused, half-turned, as if expecting him to follow her. "They were that, if anything else."

Riku rose and walked outside with her.

Their walk was a quiet one. Naminé didn't know how to start the conversation and Riku wasn't helping her out at all. She had no destination in mind, but their feet seemed to guide them in a large loop of the town. The silence didn't bother her that much. The sound of their rhythmic footfalls was comforting. For so long now she had been alone, and the silence she experienced then was a different, harsher one than this. When she had been by herself, all she had was her own footfalls to counter the vast stretches of quietness that surrounded her. Though it didn't seem like much, having Riku there filled her with a strange sense of assurance. The dull thud his shoes made against the cobblestones, the faint rustle of his clothes, even the soft sound of his exhaling breath were all signs of his presence. They were signs that she wasn't alone.

Before she knew it they had reached the train station. It was late evening, and the last train had arrived a long time ago, leaving it deserted. She stopped, unconsciously knowing that this was where they would talk.

"I missed this," she said.

"Naminé-"

"I know, I wasn't honest about who I am." She laughed, despite herself. "Sorry, let me correct myself. I wasn't honest about what I am."

"You're a nobody," he said.

"Yes."

"You have no heart."

"That's also true."

"You aren't human."

"I-" Naminé said, but couldn't finish. Not able to bring herself to look at him, she turned away. She didn't want to see his face of utter disappointment. How could she reply to that? Sure, she knew how her mind was reacting to his hurtful words, but was that only caused by an extended expression of her other self? What was it like to be "human"? Did anyone, even humans, know what that felt like? If they did, she would never know. That thought should have made her heart plummet, but as Riku had so eloquently put it, she didn't have a heart. Instead, she could only feel...empty.

"Did you," Riku said in a low voice. "Did you ever mean what you said? Were those tears you cried for me real? Everything you felt, everything you said, every way you acted... Was that all just a lie? Was any of it everreal??" His voice held a quavering timbre that Naminé couldn't place.

"Were we ever even friends?"

A rage Naminé couldn't explain seemed to well up inside her in an uncontrollable fashion. Before she knew what she was doing, she strode to where Riku was standing and slapped him across the face, hard. Riku flinched at the contact, but did not try to counter. Instead, he put his hand to his cheek absently, saying nothing.

"Where do you get off thinking up such ridiculous ideas?" she hissed angrily. "We're friends, Riku, we really are, and I don't know how you can't see that!"

Riku shook his head and moved away from her. He walked over to the precipice and looked down, rubbing his forehead in exasperation.

"I need to think," he said quietly.

"No!"

Riku turned to look at her. Naminé had her arms folded and stared back at him intensely; blue eyes set and determined.

"It has been more than since you found out, Riku. We're going to talk it out, right here, right now."

"You don't get to decide that," he replied.

"If our friendship meant anything to you," she stated. "You will stay and talk to me, rather than going back to being the selfish, immature boy you've been all month!"

"You think I'm selfish?" he exclaimed. "Oh, that's really rich! If you had told me about this earlier, then we wouldn't be in this mess!"

"Why is it such a big deal?" she yelled. "At least I didn't turn my back on my friends because of my overpowering ego!"

"At least I have friends!"

That shot hit Naminé in a way she hadn't expected. Riku's words had a way of cutting her more than other people could.

"Well," she laughed shortly. "You're right. You're definitely right about that anyway." Naminé's arms loosened from their defensive, folded stance and moved to wrap around her fragile, slender frame. His words, they were so true. In fact, Riku was the first friend she had ever really made. The friendship they had created took a lot of time, and a lot of effort, and she saw how easily his trust in her had been shattered. Her friendships in the town had been distorted, as she always had to try so hard to hide her abilities from everyone. And Sora...well, everything she had ever had with him were based on false memories. Riku though, had been a person she had never had to hide from. Their friendship had not been built on pretence or deception. No, it was something much more, much bigger than that. She could be herself around Riku. Well, everything except a nobody. Through her own selfishness, she had lost him, and, in a way, she had lost a part of herself.

Riku noticed the dramatic change in her demeanour, and his face faltered. He had gone too far, again. He had tried so hard to work on that flaw, but when he was around her, he felt so insecure of himself, yet safe at the same time. He wanted to hurt her, but he wanted to keep her safe. He didn't know how such a paradox could exist...

But then again, Naminé shouldn't exist either, and there she was, standing right in front of him.

"Look, Naminé," he said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Just forget it, Riku. Forget it."

"Why didn't you tell me?" he inquired, imploring her to answer.

"Because I was scared, okay?"

"Of what?" he asked with a disbelieving laugh.

"Of this!" she exclaimed. "You reacted exactly how I thought you were going to react! I didn't want you distancing yourself from me, or looking at me in that way."

"What are you talking about?" he questioned bewilderedly. "Look at you in what way?"

"Like...I'm a monster." Her words were said in a voice barely above a whisper, so low that Riku could only barely hear her.

"I don't-"

"Don't lie to me, Riku! You do! That monster that almost killed you-"

You're different from him, Naminé."

"When you saw what I was, it was like you hated the fact that I even existed. Because we're freaks. We shouldn't exist. We are only here by pure accident after all."

"Hey, don't talk like that-"

"Look. You had a reason for coming into this world Riku. Your mom and dad decided they wanted a kid and they had you. My real self, she didn't want her heart to be taken by darkness, but it happened, and it's only because her will was so strong that I came into being."

"Naminé-" he started, but became silent as she raised her hand.

"Please, let me finish." Riku nodded, albeit reluctantly. Taking a deep breath, she continued.

"I don't...have a future. I don't have much of anything really. When the time comes for me to meet my true self, I'm going to disappear. If I'm killed, it won't matter." She paced around at the edge of the cliff, looking down into the swirling nothingness of twilight.

"The thing is, I shouldn't be here. I should never have met you. To be honest, I shouldn't feel....anything for you."

Riku hung his head in silent resignation. "I see."

"But, having sea-salt ice-cream, going all those places, walking with you...they're my memories. My other self never did them, so she shouldn't know what it feels like, how happy it made her." She turned and looked up at Riku, the barest hint of a smile on her face.

"I really did love the time we spent together."

"Naminé," he sighed. "I just can't..."

"I'm still me!!" she screamed. "The person I was a month ago, she's still right here! Why don't you want to see that?!"

"I-" he started, but found he couldn't say anything else.

"Do you...really hate me that much?" Compared to her initial outburst, she said it quietly, as if she was afraid of his answer.

"N-no," he said quickly. "It's just..."

"It's just, what, Riku?" said a different voice.

The pair turned sharply towards the sound. It's owner was a red-haired man who was making his way leisurely up the path. They had been so absorbed in their conversation that they had not noticed his approach.

"Axel," Riku muttered sharply.

"No, please, don't mind me." He laughed. "I'm just so interested in where you're going with this."

"Get out of here," he said. "We're in the middle of something."

Axel stretched his arms over his head, and walked closer.

"Well, you see, I can't do that now can I?" he said.

Riku fixed his fighting stance and called his Soul Reaper to materialise in his hand.

"You forced my hand, Riku. I couldn't have been more polite. I asked you sooo nicely to stay away from Roxas, and what do you do? You go behind my back and fight him anyway!" Axel stopped about six feet from Riku, and continued.

"I must admit, the blindfold was a nice touch. Roxy didn't see that one coming, but he's a smart kid. He knows how to improvise." Axel tapped his index finger against his forehead knowingly.

"Too bad," Riku replied. "Next time I won't go so easy on him."

"Oh, I think this is where I think you and I are going to part our civil little ways." Axel's green eyes narrowed, and the sparkle that was ever present faded into an angry lust for destruction. "You see, Riku, I get what I want. Take your Nami-Nami for instance. All I had to do was start a little fire, and poof! She's blubbering like a little girl."

His face turned to take in Naminé's horror stricken reaction. Her eyes were wide, and her whole body was trembling with the realisation his words brought.

"No hard feelings, sweetie."

"You, you didn't..." she whispered. "I, I drew...it was me."

"Do you honestly think you would wish for the destruction of your parents? No matter how much you tried, you would never have truly wished it, and the change couldn't happen. I just had to get a little creative, that's all."

"No," she gasped in disbelief, her hands covering her mouth, almost as if she were afraid to say the word. She thought she should have been relieved that it wasn't her fault, but all she could feel was a churning sickness. Her home, her friends, her family, her life.... Everyone she had ever loved, all the people who had called her a witch, forced her from her home, her time at the Organisation....it was all his fault.

"You took EVERYTHING from me!" she screamed. She charged towards him, nothing else but hatred and revenge on her mind. She wanted to hurt him, tear him apart for what he did to her.

A firm hand caught hold of her wrist and pulled her back forcefully. Naminé plummeted to the ground. She looked up to see Riku standing in front of her, a shield between her and Axel.

"What are you doing?" she yelled.

"Stay there!" he commanded sharply.

Naminé got up quickly and tried to push him to the side, but Riku grabbed her arms forcefully, his tight grip demanding her to be still.

"Can't you see, Naminé? That's exactly the reaction he wanted from you!"

"I've got to hand it to you, kid," Axel said with a sly smile. "You've got a mind underneath all that brawn."

"You stay away from her," he snarled.

"Oh my," he replied in feigned shock. "And here I thought you hated her, now that you know she's just. Like. Me."

"I'm not a fool, Axel," Riku shot back, his voice calm. "I don't fall for stupid tricks." Nonetheless, he had never thought of that before. She was like Axel, like Roxas. So, why? Why wasn't she a bad guy like the rest of them? How did she remain so untainted, even after all the things she had done?

Axel smiled. Even though Riku wasn't biting, the words had had their desired effect.

"So, you still do care," he commented. "Perhaps this won't be such a wasted trip after all."

It was mutually understood that those words signalled the start of their fight. Riku and Axel lunged at each other; Axel sweeping his chakrams horizontally while Riku brought his Soul Reaper down vertically. The force of the resulting clash left Riku barely holding onto his sword. He had been right when he had made his first assumption of Axel. The man was sleight, but unbelievably skilled and powerful. Leaping back, both took in a pause before attacking once more. Axel used the same move as before, which Riku had anticipated and easily dodged. He jumped high into the air and threw his sword at Axel. Unaware of his reckless nature, Axel only barely avoided the blow, but managed to get nicked in the arm. Pumped full of adrenaline, it was a wound that was barely felt.

Axel smiled. He liked a challenge, and Riku was proving to be more skilled than he had thought. Sure, the boy had already defeated Lexaeus and Zexion, but the former was only brawn, and the latter only brains. Neither of them had the full qualities of a warrior. Axel was not one for boasting, but he knew he could take care of himself.

"Playtime's over," he sneered. "It's about time I actually got serious, you know?"

"You don't even know the meaning of the word," Riku hissed, tightening his grip on his sword.

A sudden gust of wind blew quickly around Riku, and immediately, he could feel his muscles tightening and strength increasing. He turned in shock to look at Naminé, who shrugged.

"Well, I didn't know Aero," she said simply. "So I thought I should learn."

He didn't have time to thank her. Axel advanced on him quickly, jumping high into the air and propelling his chakrams forward. Riku dodged it cleanly with a deft back flip, but wasn't ready for how fast Axel appeared at his side. Discs still in the air, Axel brought both his hands forward and shot a fire attack straight into Riku's torso. Considering how little time Axel had to release the spell, it was a pretty weak attack, but nevertheless Riku doubled over, winded.

"Riku!" Naminé screamed. "Above you!"

He looked up. He had forgotten about the discs. Gritting his teeth, he got to his feet and deflected the deadly weapons with his sword. Axel caught them easily and laughed.

"I thought you were going to show me a good time today, Riku."

"Shut up," he snarled, clutching his burnt stomach with his free hand.

"And here I thought I was being considerate and all, giving you some time to recover." Axel smiled, spinning his chakrams in the air for his own amusement.

"Shut UP!" Riku repeated, doubling his grip on his sword. He made a lunge for Axel, who side-stepped his attack and forced his weapon upwards in a beautiful arc, headed straight for Riku's chin. Riku, seeing the move too late, turned desperately to avoid it. While it missed his chin, the spikes from the weapon created a deep, long gash along his upper arm. The pain made his whole hand convulse dangerously, and he dropped his sword. He gripped his arm desperately, trying to stop it from shaking so badly. He wasn't himself today. Usually his attacks were more controlled and precise, but now, he seemed to be fighting worse than ever. If he failed this encounter like he had failed the fight with Roxas, there was no way he was going to live with himself.

Axel jumped away from them and landed neatly on top of the train station roof. His expression taking a more serious look, he started to perform another fire spell, this one decidedly more powerful than the last. If Riku hadn't been so otherwise occupied, it would have been wonderful to watch. The energy Axel needed for his attack seemed to originate from deep within his body and flow through him, gathering more strength as it touched each cell it passed.

Riku reached for his sword with his uninjured, left hand.

"Naminé," he clipped shortly. She stepped up beside him immediately.

"Yes?"

"Aim a spell at him to stop his attack, I can't reach him from down here!"

"What kind of spell-"

"ANY ONE!" he interrupted angrily. "Just cast it!"

"Okay," she replied, deciding upon a weak blizzard spell.

"Not happening, sweetie," Axel said, releasing his own spell at the same time as Naminé. His attack was weakened somewhat by the ice, but the power of the spell was much greater than hers. It melted the ice almost effortlessly and hit Naminé directly. She was thrown back by the sheer force of it, losing consciousness immediately.

"Naminé!" Riku cried, running over to her. Hesitantly, he put his two fingers to her neck. There was no pulse.

"Please, Naminé," he said desperately. "Naminé, please, no, please...." Not receiving a response, he turned slowly to face Axel, his eyes set and determined.

"You bastard," he growled. Dark tendrils started to escape from his heart and wrap around his lithe frame. Spreading his arms wide, his body lifted into the air of its own accord as the darkness became more dense. An angry scream ripped through his throat, and faster than Axel's eyes could follow, Riku's form changed. He was released from his suspended state, and as soon as his feet touched the ground, his Soul Reaper materialised in his gloved hands.

"Impressive," Axel said in admiration. "But that's not going to change any-"

Axel couldn't finish. Riku had appeared right behind him and thrust his sword through Axel's stomach. Axel's eyes widened in shock and pain, taken completely unawares by the attack. A blast of darkness left Riku's hand and struck against Axel's back, sending him flying off both the sword and the station roof. He landed hard on the steps of the station platform.

"How?" he spluttered, trying to rise up, but weakened and winded by the force of his attack.

Riku jumped down and grabbed Axel's cloak; hauling him roughly to his feet. Rage burning within him, he slammed his knee into the wound on his enemy's torso. Axel crumpled to the floor, but Riku picked him up again and repeated the process. Folding his arms, he stood above Axel, his face a picture of hate.

"Get up," he said lowly.

"Would it.. would it make your day if I said I couldn't?" he replied derisively, holding his stomach tightly to try and stop the bleeding. Riku knelt over Axel's body and grabbed his throat.

"Why?" he yelled, pummelling the nobody's face with his fist as if he were a rag doll. "Why won't you leave us alone?"

Axel coughed, and a trickle of blood escaped his mouth. "I...won't stop," he said. "As long as, as long as you try to capture my friend, I'm not going to go away."

"Then I need to make you disappear," Riku said through gritted teeth, placing his Soul Reaper against his enemy's throat. Axel nodded, closing his eyes in acceptance.

"I understand," he acknowledged with a smile. Despite his awaiting fate, Riku was surprised that Axel wasn't afraid. "Sora, Naminé...just as I have someone I need to protect, so do you."

"Riku! Don't!!"

Riku turned around quickly, relief flooding through him at the sound of her voice. Naminé had pulled herself to her knees. Badly burnt, she was barely keeping herself together, and looked to be in serious pain. How could she have survived an attack like that? He hadn't felt a pulse...

Then it hit him. She was a nobody. She didn't have one. Tears pricked in his eyes to know she was alive, but they burned with the knowledge that Axel was the cause of so much of her suffering.

"No, Naminé," he said firmly, turning his attention back to Axel. "Look what he did to you, what he did to your family! I'm not going to let him do it to anyone ever again!"

"I know that!" she yelled. "But still..." Even after all he had done, he had been kind to her in Castle Oblivion. He had been the only one who would talk to her without looking for anything in return, and when Larxene and Marluxia had left, he had let her go...

"Please, Riku..." she begged. "Please..."

Riku pressed his sword further into Axel's neck, but, his resolve failing, he released his foe from his grasp, throwing him roughly onto the pavement in angry exasperation. His darkness falling away, he reverted back to his light form.

"Don't you dare come near me, or Naminé ever again," he warned.

Axel laughed painfully, ripping open a dark corridor to fall through. "That's not a promise I can keep, kid."

Riku waited until Axel had disappeared before lowering his sword. He ran over to Naminé and raised her up in his arms.

"Hey," he said gently. "You still with me?"

"Did you..." she asked weakly. "Did you, let him go?"

"Yeah," he replied softly with a nod. Her face fell into a smile.

"I'm glad," she said with a sigh of relief, and fell back into unconsciousness.

Author's Note:

This chapter was obscenely long, so I decided that I really did have to cut it in two. I think ten pages is enough for an entry anyway. As the rest of the chapter is written, I'll have it up in the next couple of days, so don't despair! (as if you would!)

The fight with Axel was extremely difficult, and in all honesty, was the cause of the delay. I just, didn't know how to write it. Any critique would really be appreciated on this part.

Thank you for all the reviews, if you have the time keep them coming! And once again, thank you all for reading.

LastCetra.