Miss Valentine
Castaway
Chapter 1.
"So, what is it you're really looking for?"
Axel turned his head, taken aback by this sudden question. His mind had been working overtime, turning over the events of the last few weeks, again and again. So much of it made no sense to him, but of course, that was nothing new to Axel. How much of his existence had ever made sense? Here he was, flitting between worlds, looking for some small piece of reality he could grasp in his hands, but what exactly was that? Hearing that very question shooting into his ears from someone else caused Axel to lose his train of thought, leaving a blank void once more.
"Don't make me laugh, Leon" Axel replied, suddenly embarrassed by his silence. He had been sent to interrogate Leon, as the Organization knew he had been helping the Keyblade Wielder, the one they knew as 'Sora'. Axel knew that Leon had probably sensed that his mind wasn't exactly on the job.
"Fascinating, really. And here I was thinking that you Organization XIII members had no feelings....."
"Get over yourself, Leon!" snapped Axel. "I have a job to do. Didn't come here expecting a psyche lesson from a guy who likes fur collars..."
"Petty, just petty," replied Leon, barely moving an inch. Leon's straight poise and cool head irritated Axel. He could never understand how anyone could appear so calm, so un-phased by the chaos unravelling itself around him. Hollow Bastion was once more under siege. The Organization seemed sure that the Keyblade Wielder would have to make his return soon, and they had to be ready for him, and his unusual guardians. Axel had been surprised by how ruthless the Organization had become in their manhunt. He and Leon had been watching for the past three hours as hordes of Nobodies had gathered in every corner of this solemn, almost deserted town, with its huge dilapidated fortress leaning over it like a tree that steals the light from the flowers at the base of its trunk, casting an eternal shadow.
Axel had an overwhelming feeling that he should be out there, elsewhere.... anywhere, just not here, trapped in this small building where he had placed Leon to be guarded. He had to be sure that Leon couldn't help if the Keyblade Wielder showed up. The tiny house suffocated him, and Leon's placid demeanour made him want to set him on fire, just so he could only once see him show some kind of emotion.
"Tell me something, Axel. Is there anyone in this world that you care for?"
"I'll ask the questions around here, you know where the Keyblade Wielder is, and I wanna know...."
"My question startles you, you're hiding something."
Finding it hard to focus, Axel could feel something rising up into his chest from his stomach, almost choking him. Was it anger, hate? Or was it intense sadness?
"You don't have to hide it, Axel. You're feeling. I doubt we'll be moving from this house any time soon, so why not just let it out now? Do you have a heart in there somewhere?"
This was too much. How dare this enemy try to understand the complexity of being an Organization member? Axel knew he no longer had a heart, so how was it that he could feel so much anger and pain? How could Leon attempt to understand something that he himself couldn't understand?
Only one word could find its way out of Axel's mouth-
"Roxas..."
"Hmmm?" Leon looked surprised for once.
"Roxas," Axel repeated, suddenly lost for any other word. That was what he had been looking for, and had caused such pain to rise in his chest. Roxas made him feel, and Axel wanted to know why.
"Who is this 'Roxas'? Is he a friend of yours? Another member of Organization XIII?" Leon was once again probing, but this time he seemed genuinely concerned. The cool exterior was gone. Axel felt his guard lower.
"I don't know, I don't know what he is anymore. I just know I want to find him. Then I can find out why...."
"Why what?" Axel could tell that Leon didn't want him to trail off. Leon's sudden interest was almost creepy.
"Why I can feel things that people with a heart can...."
Leon leaned back in his chair, taking it in. He had a puzzled look on his face, like he was trying to solve an impossible equation.
"I've been trying to understand how you Organization members work, what's going on in those minds. You seem so ruthless, and you constantly test the Keyblade Wielder's strength. But whose side are you really on? I saw how you fought against Maleficent, you must have known that you were somehow helping.... heh, it's almost like each of you has a different motive!"
Axel looked up at Leon. His head had been hung, resting on his chest, his scarlet hair hanging down around his face. Weary from this endless battle with his own emotions. Yet he couldn't help but almost smile- he'd been thinking the same thing about his own comrades since day one.
Leon read the agreement in Axel's half-smile. It was almost comfortable, having someone else sharing the same thoughts.
"So then, what is it you're really looking for, Leon?" Axel turned the question back, trying not to feel awkward about this rare moment of understanding.
"Me?" Leon sighed. "I guess I'm looking for..... myself."
"Did you lose it, or never really have it?"
"Lost it, I guess. We only ever miss what we had before." Leon turned away to look out of the window.
Axel's mind turned back to Roxas. Seeing him like that in Twilight Town, he'd seemed so alive surrounded by those other kids. So.... happy. Pushing that image from his mind, Axel thought of the way he remembered Roxas the most, in his hooded black cloak that all Organization members wore without question. He knew Roxas had hated the cloak, whilst he himself never even thought about it....
"So, what is it you're really looking for?"
Axel turned his head, taken aback by this sudden question. His mind had been working overtime, turning over the events of the last few weeks, again and again. So much of it made no sense to him, but of course, that was nothing new to Axel. How much of his existence had ever made sense? Here he was, flitting between worlds, looking for some small piece of reality he could grasp in his hands, but what exactly was that? Hearing that very question shooting into his ears from someone else caused Axel to lose his train of thought, leaving a blank void once more.
"Don't make me laugh, Leon" Axel replied, suddenly embarrassed by his silence. He had been sent to interrogate Leon, as the Organization knew he had been helping the Keyblade Wielder, the one they knew as 'Sora'. Axel knew that Leon had probably sensed that his mind wasn't exactly on the job.
"Fascinating, really. And here I was thinking that you Organization XIII members had no feelings....."
"Get over yourself, Leon!" snapped Axel. "I have a job to do. Didn't come here expecting a psyche lesson from a guy who likes fur collars..."
"Petty, just petty," replied Leon, barely moving an inch. Leon's straight poise and cool head irritated Axel. He could never understand how anyone could appear so calm, so un-phased by the chaos unravelling itself around him. Hollow Bastion was once more under siege. The Organization seemed sure that the Keyblade Wielder would have to make his return soon, and they had to be ready for him, and his unusual guardians. Axel had been surprised by how ruthless the Organization had become in their manhunt. He and Leon had been watching for the past three hours as hordes of Nobodies had gathered in every corner of this solemn, almost deserted town, with its huge dilapidated fortress leaning over it like a tree that steals the light from the flowers at the base of its trunk, casting an eternal shadow.
Axel had an overwhelming feeling that he should be out there, elsewhere.... anywhere, just not here, trapped in this small building where he had placed Leon to be guarded. He had to be sure that Leon couldn't help if the Keyblade Wielder showed up. The tiny house suffocated him, and Leon's placid demeanour made him want to set him on fire, just so he could only once see him show some kind of emotion.
"Tell me something, Axel. Is there anyone in this world that you care for?"
"I'll ask the questions around here, you know where the Keyblade Wielder is, and I wanna know...."
"My question startles you, you're hiding something."
Finding it hard to focus, Axel could feel something rising up into his chest from his stomach, almost choking him. Was it anger, hate? Or was it intense sadness?
"You don't have to hide it, Axel. You're feeling. I doubt we'll be moving from this house any time soon, so why not just let it out now? Do you have a heart in there somewhere?"
This was too much. How dare this enemy try to understand the complexity of being an Organization member? Axel knew he no longer had a heart, so how was it that he could feel so much anger and pain? How could Leon attempt to understand something that he himself couldn't understand?
Only one word could find its way out of Axel's mouth-
"Roxas..."
"Hmmm?" Leon looked surprised for once.
"Roxas," Axel repeated, suddenly lost for any other word. That was what he had been looking for, and had caused such pain to rise in his chest. Roxas made him feel, and Axel wanted to know why.
"Who is this 'Roxas'? Is he a friend of yours? Another member of Organization XIII?" Leon was once again probing, but this time he seemed genuinely concerned. The cool exterior was gone. Axel felt his guard lower.
"I don't know, I don't know what he is anymore. I just know I want to find him. Then I can find out why...."
"Why what?" Axel could tell that Leon didn't want him to trail off. Leon's sudden interest was almost creepy.
"Why I can feel things that people with a heart can...."
Leon leaned back in his chair, taking it in. He had a puzzled look on his face, like he was trying to solve an impossible equation.
"I've been trying to understand how you Organization members work, what's going on in those minds. You seem so ruthless, and you constantly test the Keyblade Wielder's strength. But whose side are you really on? I saw how you fought against Maleficent, you must have known that you were somehow helping.... heh, it's almost like each of you has a different motive!"
Axel looked up at Leon. His head had been hung, resting on his chest, his scarlet hair hanging down around his face. Weary from this endless battle with his own emotions. Yet he couldn't help but almost smile- he'd been thinking the same thing about his own comrades since day one.
Leon read the agreement in Axel's half-smile. It was almost comfortable, having someone else sharing the same thoughts.
"So then, what is it you're really looking for, Leon?" Axel turned the question back, trying not to feel awkward about this rare moment of understanding.
"Me?" Leon sighed. "I guess I'm looking for..... myself."
"Did you lose it, or never really have it?"
"Lost it, I guess. We only ever miss what we had before." Leon turned away to look out of the window.
Axel's mind turned back to Roxas. Seeing him like that in Twilight Town, he'd seemed so alive surrounded by those other kids. So.... happy. Pushing that image from his mind, Axel thought of the way he remembered Roxas the most, in his hooded black cloak that all Organization members wore without question. He knew Roxas had hated the cloak, whilst he himself never even thought about it....
