FicWad

HEARTLESS HUNTER AXEL
By Axel Ingleson

-Chapter Two-

Sora sat on the edge of his bed that evening, unable to sleep.

Had that been Axel who had sped out of who-knows-where to aid them in bringing down the Heartless? If it was, then what? Was Organization XIII going to come back? Or was it just him? If it wasn’t Axel, then who was it?

“It has to be him,” Sora told himself. “It just has to be. But how? Why?”

He was about to change into his pajamas when there was a knock on his window.

His upstairs window.

Annoyed, he went to the window, and saw Riku hanging there upside down.

“Sorry to bother you, but I really could use a little help,” the older keyblade master told his friend.

Then Sora saw what Riku was hanging from. Another Heartless was holding him up by one ankle. It didn’t look very comfortable and Sora said so.

“It’s not,” Riku agreed. “Now stop making stupid comments and get me down from here.”

“How come you can’t do it?” Sora asked.

“Broken keyblade arm.”

That wasn’t good. Sora grabbed his keyblade and leapt out of the window, realizing at the last second just how stupid a move this was.

Fortunately, Riku was fast enough to catch him before he fell.

“Nice going, Sora,” he said, after he tossed Sora up towards their foe.

Sora sliced the appendage that was holding Riku, causing the lilac-haired youth to topple to the ground and land on his already broken arm.

“Sora!” Riku screamed at his younger friend. “If my arm wasn’t broken, I’d …”

Sora shot Riku an apologetic look, which placated the older of the two friends, then returned to his battle with the Heartless. He moved out of the way just as a chakram zipped past him, the mysterious cyclist having returned.

“Who are you?” Sora asked.

The cyclist did not reply. He was far too busy helping Sora defeat the new threat.

Using Sora to distract the Heartless, their unknown ally threw one chakram at its slender neck, slicing off its head, and burning its neck, cauterizing the wound. Even the fabled Hydra would not have been able to grow a new head in those conditions. Sora was grateful for that. But it brought up a new problem, and Sora voiced it when he and Kairi were in the hospital waiting room waiting for Riku to emerge from the room where they were setting his broken arm.

“That Heartless wasn’t a shadow. It was solid.”

“So, what does that mean?” Kairi asked. “And who was that man with the bike? That’s twice he’s shown up”

“I’m not really sure,” Sora said. “But I think he’s a friend of mine.”

•

“Those two Heartless who showed up were bigger than the normal variety,” Sora observed as they stood in line for some sea-salt ice-cream at the local vendor. “And a lot more solid.”

“They’re also smarter,” Riku added, looking down at his arm, which was in a cast and a sling. “That one knew enough to disable my keyblade arm.”

“So, what does that mean?”

“It means you guys are going to need my help,” a voice told them.

They turned and saw the man who had aided them against the two new Heartless. He was leaning against his bike, looking perfectly casual about the situation. His helmet was resting on the handle of the motorcycle, his familiar face revealed to them.

“Axel! It is you!” Sora went to hug Axel, but the fire-mage held out a hand to stop him.

“You’re not on my list of favorite people, Sora,” He told him. “You killed my boyfriend.”
“Your boyfriend?” Sora blurted out. “But you’ve got no heart. How can…? Did he know about you? Did he know what you are?”

“Demyx was a Nobody, too,” Axel replied. “But he was unique. Unlike the rest of us, he never completely lost his heart. And what he retained held an amazing brilliance. He was what kept me alive after I’d lost everything. He arrived shortly after me. I was the one who initiated him in the Organization. We hit it off right away.”

“Demyx?” Kairi asked.

“The water-mage,” Axel explained.