Hey guys! The return of Axel is here! Yay! Oh and just to let you all know, remember, Raene found out that she was gonna disappear in the morning and she went to Hollow Bastion later that day. She was with Riku the next day. So it was only like yesterday that she found out about it. Just letting you know that so as not to confuse you all. Enjoy!
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What Xigbar had said really got me thinking. Was it my fault that the others were dead? If I had said something, would they still be alive? Then I got sidetracked. What day was it? What time was it?
I walked down the hall further trying to remember. I passed one the hundreds of lounges in the castle and popped my head in the arching doorway. A large clock on the wall read 8:26. All of a sudden Saïx stumbled in the room from another doorway and dragged his feet towards a chair.
"Stupid kid! He just sings and sings and sings. He woke me up early," he mumbled pulling a quilt over him and resting his head on the back of the seat.
It was morning. I decided. I started to think back. I must have been asleep for most of yesterday where Riku was keeping me.
I walked back out of the room and trudged to Axel's room. We had to talk. I needed to let him know how I felt about the situation. Before I knew it I was standing in front of Axel door. I took a deep breath and walked in. Axel's cloak, shoes, socks, gloves, and his shirt were scattered about the white floor.
Axel was lying peacefully on his bed, shirtless, while quietly snoring. The plush covers were under him but thrown around messily. His arms lay by his side. I smiled and walked over to the other side of his bead. Him finally getting some more sleep would give me more time to figure out what to say.
I carefully climbed onto the bed. My black clothes disappeared and were replaced by my casual outfit. I lied down and propped my elbow up with my head resting in my palm. With my other hand, I pulled the tossed cover around me.
Axel was as still as a statue as he slept there. His bare, pale chest stood out against the pitch-black color of his pants.
When Axel did sleep, he was like a rock. Barely anything could wake him when he slept. I placed my fingertips on his stomach. I shot my eyes to his to make sure that I hadn't woken him anyway. He remained still and snoring.
Although he didn't look it, Axel was quite toned. His muscles were the kind that didn't show on his skin but that you could feel. His abs were invisible against his baby-soft skin but they were strong.
I slowly started tracing the muscles on his chest and stomach. Every few minutes I looked up only to find that his dark green eyes were still shut tight. I traced little doodles and designs along his skin. I traced a circle around his bellybutton and he made a sighing sound. I thought he was gonna wake up but he merely yawned, smacked his lips and then continued snoring.
I sighed and continued to lay there with my hand resting on his chest. His skin was freezing cold but I didn't care. I began to hum the song from my jewelry box quietly to myself as I gently drummed my fingers on his chest.
All of a sudden, Axel began to stir again. I looked up. He brought his arms up and stretched them out as his head dipped into his shoulders and he yawned. After he was done stretching he placed his arms down but one hand fell upon mine.
His eyes flashed open, his pupils growing small by the light. As soon as he realized that I was there he jumped up and fell off the other side of the bed. He scrambled to throw a shirt on but he was having some difficulties.
I sat up pulling the covers around my waist and laughed quietly at him. "And what may I ask is so funny?" he said.
"It's not like I haven't seen you shirtless, Axel. You can chill," I replied.
He sighed, threw the shirt back on the ground, and sat down on the bed. He sat quietly and so did I. Neither of us knew what to say.
A small pitter-patter broke the silence. We both looked over at the window. It was beginning to rain. I smiled and walked over to it. I swung open the out-swinging doors and looked into the morning. The sky was cloudy all over except for an opening in the purple clouds revealing the large moon.
Axel came to my side. The two of us knelt down on the ground and rested our elbows on the window seal. Axel reached his hand, palm down, into the rain.
"It's warm," he whispered.
"What?" I asked.
"It's warm rain; the sign that summer is ending," he said twisting his hand around in the rain, coating it with the warm droplets of water.
I stuck my hand out too. I always loved the summer's end rain. Every year I would go out into the city and dance around in the mist caused by the warm water hitting the cold streets. Sadly, I didn't feel anything this time. I could see the rain bouncing off my skin but didn't feel the warmth; not even the small tap of the drops.
"Huh?" I said.
Axel turned to me while pulling his hand back inside and tucking under his other arm. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"I—I can't feel it—nothing." I said staring at my hand.
He raised his eyebrow. He grabbed me by the shoulders and turned me to face him. "Close your eyes," he said. I did. "Now tell me if you feel anything," he continued.
I waited a minute. "Did you feel that?" he asked.
"Feel what?" I answered. I opened my eyes. He was holding my wrist with one hand and poking the palm with the other hand. I shook my head.
He nodded. "Close you eyes again," he told me. I did and waited again. "Anything?" he asked after a moment. I shook my head and opened my eyes.
"It's weird. I could feel like five minutes ago. Why not now?" I said throwing my arms in the air.
He patted my back softly. "It's ok, Raene," he said kindly. "But let's get off this subject." I nodded. "So how ya been?" he asked.
"Ok I guess. I just wanted to come here and settle this. Now before you object, I just want you to know how I feel about it, ok?" I said.
"Uh huh," he answered.
I walked over to the bed and sat down again. He followed. "Well, first I would just like to say that—well, I understand why you got so upset over me not wanting to be saved. I just know that you can't. I don't doubt your ability; I just know that there is no way to save me. I'm flattered, Axel, I really am—but please see it the way I do, please—"
He smiled. "I understand. I just don't wanna lose you, Raene. You're my best friend," he said.
"I'm not going anywhere; not without you, ok?" I said. He smiled. "I just know that my destiny was decided a long time ago—and fate signed the deal a long time ago too."
"Ok," he simply said.
I smiled. "Guess what?" I said cheerfully.
"What?" he asked.
"I had a dream—I wanna tell you about it," I said.
"Ok," he replied.
"Ok…well when I had it—it was kinda like I couldn't see everything," I started. He nodded. "It was like I was being told a story with a few pictures. I was on the tower and I was there with someone else. We were talking and laughing. I didn't know who it was at first. All I knew was that he had green eyes."
Axel raised an eyebrow. "Green eyes, eh?" he asked.
I nodded and continued. "He said that he loved me," I stated. Axel's eyes widened. "He said that he had two things to say about Xemnas' plan to make us whole again. He said one, that he didn't need to become whole. He said that he didn't need to gain the ability to have emotions because he could already do that. He said that the emotion he felt was love—for me."
Axel nodded, "And the second one?" he asked.
"The second was that if we became whole, we most likely would be separated and that none of the members might never see each other again."
"What happened then?" he asked.
"We kissed," I said quietly.
I couldn't quite understand the expression that was on Axel's face when I said that. It was some what surprised, questionable, and something else. "You—you kissed him?" he stuttered.
I nodded again. "And that's not the strangest part," I said. He raised one of his eyebrows again. "I found out who the guy was—It was Demyx."
Axel went silent for a minute. I had no idea what he was thinking or what he would say or do next. Then he just started laughing. He fell back, his head bouncing on the cushiony bed.
"Demyx! Man, that's funny. You—and Demyx! Ha!" he went on clutching his sides from laughing.
"It's not funny!" I protested. He continued laughing and rocking side to side on the bed. I pulled him up with one hand and slightly socked him on the shoulder with the other. "I said it wasn't funny!" I threatened.
He stopped. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's just…" he sighed. "Never mind."
"That's better," I said.
It was silent for a minute again.
"Ahhhh!" Axel screamed suddenly.
"What! What is it!" I said jumping in alarm.
Axel wrapped his arms around me and was crushing me against his bare chest. "Oh, Raene, I just remembered. I had a dream! A good dream! It was about the girl and me, and AHHHHH!" he yelled again spinning me around in a circle, my feet hanging out in the air.
"Axel—can't breathe!" I choked out.
He dropped me on the bed. "Ok! I was in the dream and so was she. My name was Ale. And we had just moved out on our own. We were living together, and oh Raene, we were in love!"
Axel sounded like a teenage girl and a slumber party squealing the way he did. I smiled laughing as his voice went up another octave.
"She was so beautiful, Raene. Her hair was this gorgeous shade of red and she had the darkest blue eyes. She had a heart shaped face. Raene, you're like her twin," he squealed again.
I blushed. Had he just called me beautiful?
Axel didn't notice that my face had turned a delightful pink and continued. This time his voice wasn't in a high-pitched tone; it was back to normal. "But I was doing some stuff."
"What kind of stuff?" I questioned.
"Well apparently I started drifting away from everyone. I thought that the world we lived in was evil—darkness. I started trying to make my way to the other world thinking it was the light. Of course I was wrong. She noticed though and tried to pull me back saying that I was in the light and that I was heading to darkness."
Axel stopped and looked up at me. He had had his face turned down ever since he stopped talking in a girly voice.
"She kept say things like how she wouldn't follow me to the other realm and that I wouldn't be with her anymore. She said that I was throwing away everyone that cared for me," he continued.
I couldn't help but realize how familiar that sounded to my life.
"I told her that if she came with me we would be able to live together forever in the light and never be separated."
"So what happened?" I asked quietly.
"I didn't listen," he replied. "No matter how many times she warned me—I still didn't listen."
I tried to pull the corner of my mouth into a half smile to show that I was feeling sympathy but I had no success.
"Eventually she disappeared," he said. "She faded away saying 'I love you,'"
I tried to put on a half smile again but I failed once more. Instead I asked, "What did you do next?"
He took a deep breath then replied, "I got mad. I threw myself on the ground saying that the Darkness had taken her away forever. I was getting so angry that—I too faded away."
"Do you think that's how you became a Nobody?" I asked.
He nodded.
"What was her name?" I asked.
"Amaya," he replied.
"Amaya—night rain." I said quietly.
"A child of darkness born in the light," he said.
"I guess we are twins," I said slightly laughing trying to lighten the mood.
"That's what Naminé said," he said.
My eyes shot up from looking down. I could feel them as they grew to the size of golf balls. "Wh—what?" I said stuttering.
"I heard Naminé's voice in my head. She sent me the dreams of my past life. She told me that I couldn't save Amaya because I was turning to the darkness thinking that it was light. She said that you are her."
I tilted my head to the side.
"She said that you were like a reincarnation of her. She said that saving you would make up for not saving her," he continued.
"Axel—could we please not go back to talking about that?" I pleaded.
"I just thought that I could save you—I mean you are just like her," he pressed.
"So?" I said furrowing my eyebrow.
"You look like her, you're my best friend, you're both children of darkness born in the realm of light, must I go on?" he said.
"No, no. Don't. I get what you're saying, Axel. It's just that…" I started to say.
"It's just what, Raene!" he said getting louder.
Why was it that every time Axel and I had a conversation, there was always fighting in it? "Don't get mad at me for what I'm about to say," I said lowering my voice.
"Ok," he said. "What?"
"I've been thinking about this for so long. I guess over the past year or so. Ever since the Age of Prophecy started," I said.
"And?" he prodded.
"And—well I've been thinking about how Xemnas and the other members got the Organization together early and how that effected what was meant to happen."
"What do ya mean?" he said.
"Well—with you, Larxene, and Demyx—your memories. You're supposed to see the memories from when you became a Nobody, right?" I said.
"Yeah, and?" he said again.
"The three of you only came to the Organization at the ages of two and three. You do realize that those memories you're seeing aren't yours, right?"
"What's that supposed to mean? Of course they're ours," he said.
"Axel. You became a Nobody at the age of three. Xemnas and the others took you at the age of eighteen and took away fifteen years. For fifteen years the other members didn't grow up. You, Larxene, and Demyx only were alive for those few years before you became a Nobody."
"I don't understand what you're trying to say," he said.
"Ale didn't exist those years that you see. He never did grow up to eighteen. He grew up to three then he became a Nobody because of Xemnas and the others. Those memories you see aren't really real."
"Of course they're real!" he said getting angry. "Why would I be in them at an older age than three if they weren't real?"
"Because they're implanted!" I yelled back.
He calmed down. He had had his back straightened up with anger, but now he had relaxed.
"Axel, they're the memories of what would have been your past life. Ale only existed for three years," I said calmly.
He relaxed some more. His shoulders sagged more and more with each passing second. His eyes grew darker too.
"Axel, the reason I told you this is because those people from your dreams aren't the same people as who they really are. Amaya—she probably doesn't remember an Ale. You may never have even met her in the few years you were Ale. Your parents, they had a kid named Ale, but he's not there anymore. He's gone. Ale is a forgotten name in the minds of the people from your memories. Just like Myde or Dyme or whatever Demyx's name was isn't real anymore than you are. It's the same with Narele or whatever Larxene's name was."
"Why did you have to go and spoil this for me, Raene?" he said. "I was finally happy because I remembered my name and hers—and then you have to go and tell me that those memories aren't real. You had to show me that those great things that happened in my dreams are fake and that they never happened."
"I told you not to get mad. I just was throwing this out. I wanted to just start a conversation about this earlier. Friends talk. I didn't mean to upset you."
"It's ok. It's just in those dreams, I've never seen myself—well him—so happy."
"Really?" I asked.
"Well—no—I've been happier with—" but he was cut off. The door swung open behind me.
Both of us looked up to see Xaldin standing there. "Come on, Xarene," he said sternly. Why was it that no one could just call me Raene?
"Why?" I asked.
"Mission time," he simply said.
"Mission?" I asked more myself then him.
"Luxord did tell you that you would be going on a mission today, right?"
Then I remembered. "Oh yeah," I said getting up. "Catch ya later, Axel," I called over my shoulder as I stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind me.
"So what mission is it?" I asked Xaldin who was walking slightly ahead of me.
"You're going to do a little work with Hades," he replied.
"Hades?" I asked myself more then him again.
"And you have a partner," he commented.
"Who?" I asked.
"Demyx," he said opening a door and throwing me in.
When the door closed behind me I realized now that I didn't want to be within a hundred feet of the guy I was having dreams about.
"Hey, Raene," he called from across the room.
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Hey guys! Hope you like this one. I know I liked righting it. I do know now that the next chapter will take FOREVER to get out I think. It will be a while because I have no plot line for the Olympus world. I'll try to come up with it tonight so I can start righting soon. Enjoy the pics I put on my profile.
Thanks for reading and being such great fans. I love you all. R&R :)
