_____
Chapter Seven: The Burning Wind.
"So this is where she did a number on my nobodies?" Axel asked himself as he stepped out of the portal onto the pavement. The redhead tilted his head around his surroundings and mused on the damage unleashed on the area surrounding him. "Man oh man, did this girl do a number on this place or what? And the way she handled them? Oh goodness gracious, I had her underestimated." commented Axel, still amazed at the opposite he expected from a supposed princess happened to Ino. "Hell, you gave me a shocker pulling that out. You're the first girl since-" He paused, almost vomiting at almost mentioning a certain callous vixen's name that he dare not say. "-in a while to impress me."
After all, she did do a decent job in defeating them.
Axel had to give Ino credit when it was due. Even then, the redhead couldn't imagine that a mere princess defeated nobodies, especially his elite regiment of loyal Dusks and Assassins. Not that I think it's weird or anything for girls to fight or anything... He knew better to make that assumption from his experience working with a certain witch back in the month he spent at Castle Oblivion those many years ago. It's not that but I expected this to be somewhat different.
According to the information DiZ briefed him on concerning his target, he was in the assumption that all he had to do was find the girl and following that, bring her back to Hollow Bastion. It sounded like a more or less easy assignment to accomplish, a contrast from the other outlandish odd jobs done before. Either way, no mention was ever made about a Keybearer running about freely around especially considering that he was in the assumption that they had been long gone.
“Really, you could had mentioned that she was one of them for Christ's sake." Axel muttered softly under his breath, emphasizing the word them with a hint of poorly conceived anger. Then again, why didn't they bother telling me? Unless DiZ happened to not know about it. Pausing his chain of thought, the redhead shook his head. Nah. I doubt that he wouldn't know anything about that. Call Axel suspicious but he had a hunch that DiZ had other reasons of having him retrieving Ino from wherever she happened to be hiding at than he was letting on. He has to. There's nothing that says otherwise.
Hm. I wonder. Scratching the small goatee hairs forming on his chin, Axel thought. I'll ask Saix if he knows anything about DiZ's reasons behind wanting to get Ino. Tilting his head up at the night sky, he shot up his arms and in a fiery burst, his two chakrams appeared mid-air and slowly paused from movement, descending down towards the ground. Catching his signature weapons, the redheaded nobody thought. Until then, I have a girl to capture and bring back. His emerald gaze took in the images of Ino and began playing them like a video, watching the black haired girl summon the Kingdom Key and swing it at the nobodies, smashing the blades' crown teeth at their heads.
Just like the Keyblade's Chosen One...Number XIII Roxas...my best friend.
Coding.
From the warm glowing light in front of them, Axel and a blond boy dressed in the same black coat sat on the edges of some unknown clocktower overlooking a small village. Feeling the intense light glistening on their slightly tanned bodies, they spent their time eating ice scream as they watched the sunset.
Fizzle, fizzle, crack.
"Roxas." Axel addressed the blond boy, pausing momentarily. He tilted his eyes' attention from the ocean located at the distance to his friend. "Are you sure that you don't have a heart?" asked the redhead as he silenced himself again, awaiting a response from him.
"I-"
Brief static.
In midst of static buzzing in his mind, that specific memory he had of himself and Roxas disappeared. In better words, it was like he had a picture and clenching it tightly in his hands, he set it on fire then opening his hand to allow the empty winds of nothingness to blow the destroyed pieces away. Despite his feelings for his deceased best friend, the last thing the pyro needed was a meaningless memory or two hold him back from completing his mission. He wouldn't rest until he met his goals in apprehending the Keybearer. No matter how many obstacles Ino would throw at him, he would do what it took to retrieve her.
“Well then...” whispered Axel as he lowered his hand and looked back out at the scenery before him. “Where the hell could she be?"
Fin
_____