Catalysis [Sora, Kairi, Axel]

[Castle]

Sora hesitated, in a ready stance, during the few seconds that Kadaj used to decide which one of them to attack next. He withheld offensive action only in the uncertain hope that his new enemy would decide that he was outnumbered and leave this world on his own. In the end, being hit by the chakrams moments before was apparently enough to turn Kadaj's focus to Axel.

Kairi's voice diverted Sora's attention to her. She was telling him to get out, but didn't seem to be indicating the battle itself. A quick glance revealed to him the burning branch. Then, a second later, Axel created an explosion of flames.

Sora shielded his face with his hands. As he lowered them, he saw that more of the forest was now alight. It wouldn't take long before the whole place was ablaze.

Common sense told him to run for it, but something else made him stay. There was no way he was going to give up this fight. Axel was tough, but that didn't mean Sora would just leave this to him. He had to finish what he started. And, judging from their environment, it had to be finished quickly.

"Kairi, stay out there and fight the Heartless! We got this!" he yelled over to her.

With that, he charged back into the fray, running at Kadaj for a horizontal swing.

[Fate]

Turn On the Ignition

This guy had a little more speed than Sora did, which definitely made this fight a challenge. He blocked his sword strike and tried to hit him with the other wheel-like weapon in his hand. Kadaj jumped away, though that truly didn't help matters much at all. Axel was around to his left side within the next moment and he had let go of his chakrams. Next thing he knew, a giant explosion was produced and he was sent flying. He went back several yards from it, landing on his feet as he usually did but skidding upon his landing. When he managed to look up, their part of the forest was on fire.

Okay, so Axel used fire. While he didn't like being blown back from the explosion, he had to admit that he liked it a whole lot better than a blizzard. He didn't have wind knocking him around or pieces of ice flying at his face. Sure, now everything was on fire and it was hot, but Kadaj never had a problem with fire. It really was too bad that he had orders to kill Organization members; otherwise, he wouldn't mind this guy too much.

Though, he minded Sora now. A lot. This kid just came running back at him and turned this into a two-on-one match. He grimaced as he held up his sword to block Sora's horizontal strike. He had to think if he could truly stay in this fight for too much longer. Sure, his speed was double theirs, but there was one thing that Axel had that he didn't; range. Kadaj's brothers both had that when they fought, both of them able to use guns at the very least. This silver-haired remnant was just able to use the sword that was half the length of Sephiroth's.

Anger again. He stopped thinking about what he should or should not do, going straight off of impulse and attacking Sora with a diagonal attack from the upper left and then going for a horizontal. Axel could hit him all he wanted with those wheels of his; he wasn't going to give up.

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[Axel]

This is the End... If You Want It
--------

If Kadaj thought that he could stay safe by ignoring the Flame and returning to attacking Sora, he had another thing coming. Specifically, he had another chakram flying at him to deflect the sword strike now headed Sora's way. But Axel didn't remain stationary, merely content to watch Kadaj fail at hitting Sora yet again. No, he was right behind his weapon, aiming a slash with his other chakram straight at Kadaj's face.

Whether the hit was successful or not, it would serve its purpose, namely separating Kadaj and Sora. Axel spared a brief glance at the kid over his shoulder. "How about you go check on your girlfriend? Or better yet, leave?"

That was all. He was obviously lacking in the rousing pep-talk department. His attention was now back on Kadaj. "As for you, you can do the same." Flames wreathed his weapons, and he began his signature attack, a true flurry of fire that had earned him his Organization title. Burning chakrams flew at Kadaj one right after another until at last his favorite part of the attack, the two giant pillars of fire, erupted beneath the silver-haired antagonist. Axel straightened to his full height and smirked, admiring his handiwork.

Dodge that.

[Summary:
Axel used Solar Flare.
Posts until next use: 5
Uses remaining: 3]

[Castle]

Before Sora could react to Kadaj's attacks, a chakram, closely followed by Axel himself, came between them. Sora jumped back to get out of the way. Axel suggested he regroup with Kairi and leave. However, Sora didn't go anywhere. He wouldn't just leave when he was told to. He didn't want to run away again.

A burning branch cracked away from its tree and hit the ground in a burst of sparks. The pungent smell of burning wood scathed the air. The forest fire was spreading. Sora wasn't sure how long they could afford to stay here. If it got too bad, he may have to make a run for it after all. He glanced toward Kairi again and saw that the path to her was still open, or at least open enough.

There was another explosion of fire, this time in the form of two pillars that erupted under Kadaj. Sora shielded his face with his arms and turned partially away from the blast of heat. He couldn't see right away what the outcome of that attack was.

[Fate]

Such a Sore Loser

Kadaj supposed that he probably shouldn't have gone back to attacking Sora since Axel just wanted to interrupt that anyway. The silver-haired remnant blocked the attack to his face with his sword, though that was about all he could do. Before he knew it, the wheels were on fire again and going straight for him. Unfortunately, there wasn't much for Kadaj to use to dodge these things since Axel had burned the trees. He was right in his range too, which just wasn't good. He attempted to block the chakrams when they came at him, but these attempts were rendered futile. Kadaj ducked and dodged, but he still got hit.

Though, that wasn't the least of it. Before he knew it, he was sent upward by flame pillars. He wasn't expecting it, therefore he was unable to dodge it. He dropped back down, his knee on the ground. Now he was burnt, breathing hard, and furious. Maleficent had left out what these Organization members could do and what they were capable of; if Kadaj had known they all fought with some sort of element thing, he could have approached the fight differently. But no, Maleficent didn't tell him anything; he would have to have a chat with her again soon. Maybe. Probably not.

Using his sword to help, Kadaj got himself back into a standing position. He was breathing harder, yes, but that didn't mean he was about ready to give up. It was an unfortunate trait he shared with Sephiroth, that ambition and inability to back down from a fight. It was probably a smart thing to do at this point too, especially since Axel had a lot of things going for him that Kadaj didn't. The remnant had speed and some power, but that was it. Axel had range and fire, hot fire.

"Fine, I see how it is," he said nonchalantly, or at least he attempted to sound like that. He put his sword back in its sheath on his back and let a faint smile come onto his face. "Another day I suppose. You're better than the other one I ran into." He directed these comments toward Axel, then turning around to walk the way he came in. It would be another failed mission, but at least he had some fun while he could.

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[Axel]

I Wasn't Prepared for This
--------

It turned out that all Kadaj needed was some persuasion of the fiery type to convince him to leave. Axel feigned disappointment with a sigh. That hadn't been much of a challenge at all, not nearly enough exercise to stretch the Flame's too-long-been-idle limbs. Kadaj wasn't pretending, either. When that sword went back into its sheath, Axel knew this was over. At least, for now. Kadaj implied he wouldn't mind going another round at a later date.

Apparently, he had already run into another Organization member, but he said that the Flame was much better than that one had been. Axel wondered which one he was referring to, and he would have asked Kadaj, but that silver hair was already disappearing into the distance. Oh, well. Perhaps the next time he ran into Kadaj, he could find out that information.

The smell of ash and inflamed foliage tickled his nose, bringing him out of the well of his thoughts. Right. Stuff was still burning. Sora and Kairi were still here. But the fire in the trees was smoldering down to less dangerous levels. There was no need for Axel to stick around any longer.

His chakrams vanished in a slow curl of flames. He knew Sora was somewhere behind him, but he didn't particularly want to turn around and look. He told himself there was too much to do. Jumping back and forth between Zexion and Saïx was time consuming, after all.

But he couldn't bring himself to summon a Corridor. Not yet.

Why?

"I thought I told you to leave."

[Aerith]

Don't Mind Me
--------

Axel's sudden appearance had jarred Kairi momentarily, but since it looked like he was helping Sora fight off Kadaj, she chose to stay out of the way. There was far too much fire sprouting everywhere for her comfort, anyway, and her attempt to get Sora to move farther away had bounced ineffectively off of him. There was nothing she could do.

Eventually, the heat proved too much for the silver-haired swordsman to handle, and he did leave. She expected Axel to disappear shortly, but he did not. Curiosity compelled her to make her way into the trees, and she approached Sora's side, a few feet away from him, though her eyes were on Axel's back. After catching what he had said, she gave Sora an encouraging look and silently leaned her head toward Axel, as if to say, "Well, go on. Say something to him."

[Castle]

Kadaj left before anyone could stop him. Sora hoped he'd learned his lesson about trying to destroy this world. Well, knowing villains, especially those close to Maleficent, he probably never would. In that case Sora would have to just keep this battle in mind for future reference. He had a feeling that he would see Kadaj again.

The forest fire simmered down with the fight. That was a relief, because both Axel and Sora were still standing in it, and neither were ready to move just yet.

"Sorry," Sora said flatly when Axel finally spoke to him, "but I'm not ready to leave just yet."

He heard Kairi's footsteps behind him and glanced at her. She gave him an encouraging look, and he nodded and turned his head toward Axel again. His free hand formed a loose fist.

"A year ago, you said that Roxas made you feel like you had a heart, and that I made you feel the same way. I know Roxas is the only thing you want from me, but the thing is, we're two parts of the same whole. I'm sorry I'm not good enough for you, but that's just the way it is."

He spoke adamantly, the apology made sincerely but without remorse. If Axel couldn't accept that he and Roxas were essentially the same, that was his problem.

However, Sora knew he couldn't just leave the oddball Nobody with that.

"We don't have to be enemies, you know."

There. Maybe that offer was open enough to keep Axel from immediately throwing it away. Even if he wouldn't accept outright friendship, this was at least something.

[Axel]

Unquestionable Desire
--------

Naturally, he had expected the kid to remain rooted to that spot. Roxas had been just as stubborn. But what Axel didn't expect was the speech, not quite the flowery friendship speech he had come to expect from Sora. There was an apology hidden in there somewhere, but it struck Axel as more defiant than anything else. Sora wasn't going to tear himself apart just for the pretend happiness of a Nobody he probably didn't care all that much about. No one, in fact, really cared that much about him.

Sora, in his usual blunt way, suggested that they didn't have to be enemies. Not friends, no. But not enemies. Almost friends. The hollowness in his chest tightened suddenly. Was this... regret? If it was merely imagined, this was far more vivid than usual. Axel was silent for several long moments, savoring the oddity. He would have stood there forever, transfixed by the ethereal drug that was possibly a real flicker of emotion. Others began surfacing. Sadness, despair. Loneliness. Real loneliness, not the mere knowledge that he was alone.

"I..." He turned then, confused eyes settling unabashedly on Sora. How he wanted so desperately for this to be the magical moment when he got his heart back. The kid was a miracle-worker everywhere else he went. Why not now? Already, he could tell the alien feelings were receding to dull whispers.

"Why? Why do you two--" Here, he shifted his eyes to Kairi as well. "Why do you both get to be whole? While I..." A hand strayed to his chest. Jealousy spiked somewhere just beneath his fingertips. "I didn't ask for this! All I want is..."

What did he want? Was it just Roxas? No. He wanted to feel, more than anything. Even if Roxas came back, though, he would just be a temporary bandage on a much bigger problem.

Axel looked away from Sora and Kairi. "I want my heart, dammit."

[Castle]

Those words were unexpected. Sora blinked, taken aback. It really shouldn't have been such a surprise; didn't all Nobodies want their hearts back more than anything? (Well, Xemnas wanted power, but there was a good chance the desire for a heart was still in there somewhere.) But for some reason, hearing Axel now, it was different. It was almost as if he really could feel that longing, even though that should be impossible. It was borderline contradictory.

He knew Nobodies were good at tricking people into thinking they had emotion. So, why did it almost seem like Axel wasn't pretending? This particular Organization member certainly was an odd duck.

He glanced at Kairi while he wondered what to say. It was hard to think of how to respond. Finally, Sora did what he usually did and spoke what he felt,

"If it's really bothering you that much, then maybe your heart is closer than you think," he reasoned.

[Axel]

Partial Surrender
--------

One final glimmer of an emotion flickered inside him. Hope. Axel wanted Sora to be right. But he wasn't exactly sure what the words could mean. Whenever this happened--these moments of confusing half-feelings--his heart always seemed farther away than ever. And why would his heart be closer than he thought, anyway? He had always thought that Kingdom Hearts was necessary. But the Organization was nowhere near rebuilding Kingdom Hearts.

The last remnant of hope faded, and the walls he had so carefully constructed went back up. The hollowness in his chest returned to its usual empty state. And his mind was already jumping forward to the plans with Zexion and the plans with Saïx. After the dust had settled in the wake of Xemnas' death, then Axel could worry about his heart.

In the meantime, he could agree with Sora's earlier assessment that they didn't have to be enemies. The next time he saw Zexion, he might mention to him that he could back off a little on the plan to corrupt Sora. Roxas, even though Axel did miss him and did want to see him again, was not the answer he needed. Getting the former Number Thirteen back wouldn't get him his heart, just the ghosts of emotion that would only drive the Flame crazy.

Returning his gaze to Sora, he finally spoke. "Try to stay out of the Organization's way. I know that there are... events in motion that will make things turbulent within their ranks for a little while. It'd be best for you if you left them alone until things have settled down."

Leaving Sora and Kairi with those cryptic words, he summoned a Corridor of Darkness and vanished.

[Aerith]

On a Mission
--------

Kairi had remained silent throughout the conversation. This was between Sora and Axel, after all. The red-headed Organization member wasn't trying to get Naminé back. Even when Axel's eyes had shifted to her, she chose not to say anything, leaving a response all up to Sora.

Though she knew that Nobodies could not truly feel and therefore only feigned emotion, Kairi couldn't help but think that Axel was being completely genuine right now. Kairi considered herself a decent judge of character, and everything she saw on Axel's face and in his body language and everything she heard in the tone of his voice told her this was honesty in its strangest form.

He left them with some odd words about staying out of the Organization's business for the time being. Something about events that might cause turmoil. But before she could begin to guess at what he meant, he disappeared through a Corridor.

Silence reigned for a few moments.

"Sora..." Her Keyblade, which she had forgotten she was still holding, vanished, and she enveloped Sora in a hug. "I think... you did okay." Looking up at him, she smiled. "Sure, you two didn't become best friends just like that, but I don't think you have to."

As interesting as it had been to see Axel and Sora talk, she quickly remembered her other encounter today. "Do you think we could go to the castle? I need to talk to Cinderella about something."

[Castle]

In the silence that reigned after Axel's departure, Sora found himself with a mixture of emotions. Firstly, he was relieved that this encounter went so well. It was good to know that things were finally cleared up between him and Axel. He didn't know for sure if Axel really would get his heart back, but Sora hoped so. There wasn't really any way for him to help with that; it seemed like something the Nobody would have to do on his own.

Then there was that cryptic message about Organization XIII. It had never been a very organized organization, and from what Axel said, it still wasn't. If anything, it sounded like things were getting worse. That either meant that they would become less of a danger, or more of one. Sora would have to stay alert for that outcome, and knowing what the heck was even going on would be nice, too.

Unexpectedly, Kairi hugged him. The Keyblade vanished in a flurry of sparks as he put his arms around her. He suddenly felt very relieved, for multiple reasons. Kairi was safe, Kadaj was gone, and the situation with Axel was pretty much resolved. All in a day's work, though Kairi took care of herself and Axel had helped out a lot with Kadaj...

"Yeah, you're right," he grinned when she spoke of the recent resolution. And hey, maybe if Axel really did get his heart back, they could try for friendship again in the future.

His grin turned to puzzlement at her request to go to the castle.
"Sure, but why do you need to talk to Cinderella?" he asked.

[Aerith]

What Happened While You Were Busy
--------

Kairi wasn't sure if now was the best time to explain to Sora what had happened to her during his fight with Kadaj. She hadn't let go of him yet, and his warmth was comforting. Unwilling to ruin the moment, she stayed silent for a few moments after he asked his question. This also gave her time to properly phrase what she was going to say.

Finally, she knew she had to say something. "While you were fighting Kadaj... the Champion came and talked to me." She paused, pulling away from Sora to look up at him. "He asked me to do something. He said the door you and Mickey closed needs to be opened to keep the balance from getting even worse. And to get to the Door, all of the Princesses of Heart are needed."

She completely let go of Sora and looked toward the castle. "Since we're already here, I thought I would stop by and see Cinderella. And I'll ask her what she thinks."

[Castle]

Sora's eyes became wide and startled when she revealed what had happened while he was busy fighting Kadaj. He suddenly remembered the wall of darkness he'd glimpsed, and his heart sank. He was that close to the Champion, the Champion had been that close to Kairi, and he totally missed it. However, what bothered him even more was what Kairi explained to him next. He just stared at her, baffled, until she let go and revealed why she wanted to speak with Cinderella.

"Okay, wait," he exclaimed, "You're saying the Champion of Darkness told you that the door we closed back then needs to be opened? And you believe him? Kairi... of course he would say that if he wants the darkness to take over again!"

Something really didn't feel right about this. Why would Kairi trust someone like the Champion of Darkness? Had he done something to her? Sora examined her worriedly, but she didn't seem like anything was wrong with her.

"And have you forgotten what happened the last time someone wanted you and the other princesses together in the same place?" he added rapidly.