This chapter almost didn't get finished at all, my computer got a virus. Thank god my friend is good with computers. He fixed it and I didn't lose any of my files. Then of course my cat decided that I wasn't going to be allowed to write. She bit me every time I tried to type and lay across my keyboard.
And let me tell you it is very hard to write locked in a tiny little bathroom! But enough with my complaints.
First of all I have cookies to deliver so… :Gives a cookie to SettingSunRisingMoon, The Winged Huntress, GurrenLagann, and Christina E. Lupin. : Enjoy! And a tip for making your own cookies, always make your dough by hand. Store bought is okay, but handmade always tastes better. Plus you can add a secret ingredient or two! (I always add just a little bit of oatmeal to chocolate chip cookies, it makes the chocolate really pop!)
Axel ran quietly across the fields after Roxas. Where is he going? Roxas ran up to the cliff wall and disappeared behind a boulder. When Axel reached the boulder himself he wasn't surprised to find a tunnel hidden behind it.
I wonder how Roxas knew this was here? The tunnel was pitch black, but he could see a light moving up it ahead of him. He followed swiftly starting to worry about his blond and what his intentions might be.
When he reached the top, he spotted that blond head jogging into the trees ahead of him and sighed before running after him. It must have been an hour or so before the blond stopped, leaning against a tree to catch his breath. Axel was out of breath himself, but he walked up and leaned against another tree nearby.
Roxas gave him an angry look. "What are you doing here? Go back!" Axel let himself slide down the tree to a sitting position and gave the blond sad eyes. "What did I do wrong Roxas?" Roxas blinked in surprise, "What? What are you talking about?" Axel sighed and fisted both hands in his hair. "I must have done something wrong or hurt you without meaning to, I just want you tell me what it was. Did I go too fast? Or push you to things you weren't ready for?"
He could feel tears starting to slide down his face and put his hands over his face to hide them. "Axel it's not that." He moved his hands to stare at Roxas, who had his eyes closed and a single tear dripped from his chin. "Then what? Was I just a one night stand to you then?" Roxas pushed away from his tree and went to his knees in front of the red-head, taking his hands as he looked into Axel's eyes.
"Never Axel, you mean everything to me. I love you." Axel felt his head swoon and he pulled his hands away to wipe the tears from his face. "I love you too Roxy. But why are you sneaking away?" Roxas sighed and stood up. "Because I love you."
Axel blinked in confusion as he stood up himself. "Uh… color me confused, but you're leaving me because you love me?" Roxas rubbed the bridge of his nose with one hand.
"I know it sounds stupid like that. But you are planning to fight Saix right?"
"Of course! He's gonna pay for what he's done!"
"And you'll let me fight with you?"
'No! You have to stay here! Well not 'here' here, but back in the village."
"Why?"
"Because you might get hurt or worse, and I just couldn't take it if something happened to you."
"Exactly."
Axel blinked as realization hit him, and Roxas nodded. "You see? Because I love you, I can't let you fight Saix. You will get hurt and you might die and I couldn't take it." Roxas stopped him from interrupting with a finger on his lips.
"V'pyr gives Saix power over blood. He can pull the blood from your body causing you to bleed, he doesn't even need to cut you. How can you fight while bleeding to death from every orifice? You can't Axel, but I can. I can heal even from that kind of damage, I've done it before, but you can't."
Axel grabbed his wrist and pulled him into a hug. "I understand, I really do. But I can't let you go alone, and you're forgetting something Roxy. I have a dragon now, so even if I don't go fight him he will come looking for me eventually." He watched as their entwined shadows grew slowly across the ground. The sun had come up while they talked.
He gripped the blonde's chin and lifted his face for a quick kiss. "Let's go back now ok?" A snapping sound caused them both to jump and Axel blinked at the spear point in his face. "Who…" A sharp thump to the back of his neck cut off the rest of his words, and he vaguely heard Roxas shout his name before darkness closed in on his vision.
He was standing in a pure white room. One wall was completely covered by windows, and a weird heart shaped moon hung in the sky beyond them. He glanced down at himself and sighed in frustration. He was wearing that stupid black cloak outfit again.
Not this crap again. But at least I can't get knocked off a building this time.
"You have weird dreams Axel."
He looked up in surprise. Roxas walked into the room, wearing the same black cloak.
"Roxas…what?"
He blinked, he had actually spoken out loud that time. Roxas sighed and walked over to the windows.
"Axel do you remember what happened?"
"Uh… you mean when you changed into someone else and knocked me off that tall building?"
Roxas spun around and stared at him with wide eyes. "What? When did I do that?"
"The last dream I had, or I guess it was nightmare."
Roxas stared at him some more then shook his head. "You do have weird dreams. But I meant in the woods, where you got knocked out."
Axel blinked, "Some guys attacked us… wait this isn't a dream this time is it?" Roxas shook his head.
"They knocked me out too, then they tied us up and they're taking us somewhere. I'm not sure where, but I don't think they work for Saix. They're going the wrong way for starters."
"How do you know? And why are you in my dream?"
Roxas smiled at him. "Our hearts are connected, and I heal myself remember? I'm just pretending to still be knocked out right now. But when we get where ever it is they're taking us, you can't tell them anything about me. Don't mention my powers, or Ja'en, and especially don't mention the crystal okay?"
Axel nodded and moved over to him to hug him. "We'll be okay I promise. I won't let them hurt you and Saix will never get his hands on you again."
The dream faded and he floated in a peaceful darkness.
"His companion already promised that they aren't working for Saix, do we really need to restrain him still?"
"That stupid little blond is still keeping things from us, he could be lying."
"Aww I thought he was adorable."
Axel's eyes shot open and he sat up. He was surprised to find himself sitting on a bed. He glanced quickly around the room. It didn't have a lot of furniture, just the bed he had been laying on and a large armchair nearby. The armchair was occupied by a boy, with bluish silver hair that draped over one eye. He held a large open book in his lap and was staring silently at Axel. Axel only gave him a quick glance over before turning his attention to the three people standing at the foot of the bed.
They all wore similar outfits of black pants and tunics. The tunics had long draping sleeves over the right arm, but the left was bare from the shoulder. But their clothes were all that was similar about them. The one on the right had long tapered pink hair and was smiling at him. The middle one towered over the other two and had short orangish-brown hair and was giving him a blank face, and the left one had long blond hair that hung down the sides of his face and he was sneering.
Axel growled and got off the bed to drop into a defensive stance. "Who the hell are you and where is my friend?" He growled again when the blond answered him with a greasy sounding laugh. He shouted at them, "If you so much as touched him I'll…" He tried to make a fireball in his hand and his head exploded in pain.
He gripped his head in both hands and groaned. "What the hell did you do to me?" He hissed as he sank down onto the bed again. He was glaring at Blondie, but it was the Giant who answered him. "We can't let you use P'rexen's power until we know that you aren't an enemy." The pain was already fading away, and Axel looked at them in surprise. Pinkie smiled and turned slightly. Axel stared at the swirling leaf tattoo on his arm. Giant sighed and turned to make his tattoo visible and made Blondie show his.
Giant had two 'F' shapes facing away from each other with two swirling circles between them, and Blondie had a snowflake made of several swirling circles. Axel grunted and stood up again, "Fine we are only enemies of Saix. And that's all you're getting from me until I see my friend." Blondie scowled at him and started to take a step forward but Giant stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "I'll take you." He opened the door and motioned Axel through.
Much to Axel's relief, Blondie shoved his way out the door first and vanished. Axel stepped out the door and looked around. To his right a set of stairs went up, and his left had a long hallway that Blondie was currently stomping his way down. In front of him was another hall that ended in a second set of stairs that went down. Giant stepped around him and led the way down the hall in front of them.
Glancing back Axel was slightly annoyed that Pinkie and Book Boy were following them. Book Boy's stare was starting to annoy him. "My name is Lexaeus, the grouchy blond is Vexen, and these two are Marluxia and Zexion." Axel grunted in response, "I'm Marluxia of course, just call me Marly." Pinkie said and Axel turned away and followed Lexaeus down the stairs.
Lexaeus looked at him, "This is the part where you give us your name." Axel's answer was a harsh glare and a crossing of his arms over his chest. Lex shrugged after exchanging a look with Marly, and opened the door at the foot of the stairs. It opened into another set of hallways and Lex turned to the left. They walked about a quarter of the way down the hall before Lex pointed to a door.
"In here." Axel swallowed hard, afraid of the condition he would find Roxas in, and opened the door.
MWHAHAHAHAWAHAHA! I am so evil leaving it here, but it's just such a perfect place to stop. Yay Marly, Lex, and Zexy! I don't like Vexy much but yea he's in there too. My head was so blank writing this whole chapter so it came out kinda poopy. And for those of you who are wondering, 'What about the other guys?' Don't worry I haven't dropped them out of the story, they will be back next chapter.
So R&R please! I need some constructive criticism here! And suggestions, god do I need some suggestions. TTFN!
June 25 update: I noticed that Lexy's tattoo was just a description of the earthbender symbol from Avatar; The Last Airbender. I redid it to make it more unique.