Moth To The Flame

Chapter 9-Part 2-Angels in Flight


Axel perched himself atop the clock tower of Twilight Town, leaning against the brick as he gazed out at the setting sun. He was in the process of accepting his defeat...his failure.

[I tried Roxas...I really did...]

He sighed and ran his fingers over the torn piece of leather he had found in Hollow Bastion. A final remnant of Demyx...

The thudding in his chest was steady and all he could think about was how right Roxas really was all along. Maybe nobodies really do have hearts...or something like it. Roxas brought Axel the only emotion he had ever felt in his nobody existence and now he was gone, leaving Axel to stew in his newfound feelings. A slight anger came over him as his thoughts wandered to Sora. Every time he saw the key blade wielder, he saw Roxas and it tore him apart to know he could never gaze into those eyes or kiss those lips ever again.

Axel bit his lower lip and closed his eyes, making sure he could remember every inch of Roxas from his endless blue eyes to the softness of his blonde hair and the sound of his voice every time he said his lover's name.

This was it...

Axel opened his eyes and knew, he had nothing left to truly live for. The Organization he had revolved his life around was out to kill him, the only friend he ever made faded away into darkness and his love...his Roxas had disappeared and forgotten about him.

He had to do something to finish this off...find Sora.

~*~*~*~*~

"Way fall right into their trap..." Axel's voice calm and finalized as he leans calmly against a rock face in Hollow Bastion. His wild emerald eyes meet Sora's for the first time since there meeting in Castle Oblivion. Sora has no memory of the past events as Axel smiles at him like an old friend. The pounding in Axel's chest returns as he sees Roxas staring back at him confusingly.

"Come on...it's a set up by Organization XIII...Xemnas is using you to destroy the heartless...it's his big master plan..."

Sora stares deeply at Axel, wondering why his enemy would be helping him in any way. His heart aching in his chest unfamiliarly as Axel steps closer to gaze down at him.

"Every heart slain with that key blade releases a captive heart...that's what the Organization is after!" Axel continues to inform Sora in an attempt to help Roxas one last time.

"You!...You...kidnapped Kairi!" Sora exclaims as if he ignored every bit if information divulged to him by Axel.

"The name's Axel...Got it memorized?" Axel replies calmly. "...Look...about Kairi...I'm sorry..." His voice almost uncaring as he eyes Sora, almost losing himself in those sapphire pools.

Axel sighs and moves closer to Sora, leaning forward to get a more detailed look at the key blade wielder. Sora swallows hard and steps backward as he can almost feel Axel's breath against his face. Axel closes his eyes and inhales Sora's scent as painful fingers wrap his non-existent heart in their grip.

Suddenly, a portal opens behind them and Saix steps through. Axel reels around and panics. He growls in frustration and steps back quickly into a portal, locking eyes with Sora once more before disappearing.

~*~*~*~*~

Axel felt as if his final quest was becoming more and more useless as the Organization infiltrated every attempt he made at seeing Roxas...Sora.

He found solace in the middle lands, feeling himself drowning in the nothingness around him. He sighed softly and waited...knowing it was only a matter of time before Sora came.

An endless number of dusks materialized into the emptiness, gathering and searching for their prize.

"It's no use!" Sora's voice rang out through the oblivion, catching Axel's attention as he slashed through the dusk nobodies, only to be surrounded once more.

"Don't stop moving or the darkness will overtake you!" Axel exclaimed as he leapt through the air, ending a few nobody existences as they attacked Sora.

The nobody knew that if he could only help Roxas succeed, he could experience a fleeting moment of happiness again.

"Axel!" Sora cried out, surprised to see Axel fighting with him, saving him from imminent destruction.

"Get Goin'!" Axel yelled back as he fought back the hoards of dusks overpowering the middle lands.

"Why?" Sora questioned as he watched a group of nobodies attack Axel, knocking him to the floor.

Axel's body was exhausted and his spirit tired, ready to give in at any moment. Normally, he would use a dusk as a tooth pick but his heart(if he had one) just did not have the will to truly fight back any longer. He just wanted to help Roxas, regardless of the distance between them.

Axel confessed his plans in kidnapping Kairi to Sora and explained where she is being kept by Saix. "Now go save her!"

Something inside Sora refused to leave Axel alone, sensing his weakened state and ignored the nobody's orders. "Leave us alone!" He cried out as he began to protect Axel with strong determination.

Nobodies disappeared left and right under the key blade's wrath, only to be replaced by more. The numbers were absolutely overwhelming.

A creature burst forth from oblivion and darted towards Axel with hungry teeth. Axel lifted his gaze and before he could defend himself, Sora jumped in front of him and destroyed the creature. Axel smiled softly as Sora turned to make sure he was alright...Roxas' blue eyes showing deep concern for him.

The two men backed away from the growing crowd and stood back to back, reminding Axel of Roxas' first mission as they stood in the alley against the heartless. He saved Roxas that night, giving him the strength he needed to carry on in battle.

Axel looked over his shoulder, gazing at the angered expression painted on Sora's face as he held the key blade in his white knuckled grip. He sighed and smiled softly as the world around him seemed to disappear and Sora looked over his shoulder back at Axel with Roxas' face gazing deep into the nobody's emerald eyes, darkened with a burned spirit.

Axel focused the last of his energy...the last spark of flame smoldering in his broken heart into the eternity of Roxas' eyes. He thought he heard Roxas' voice echo throughout the air as the final realization of his fate was revealed. [Axel...]

His eyes filled with tears as he turned away from Sora and threw himself into the ocean of dusks dancing around the couple. This was it...

Thud Thud Thud Thud

Crossing his arms over his chest, Axel bowed his head as his chakrams spun wildly around his burning figure. The heat radiating from his spirit caused his body to scream out as the pounding in his chest shut out the sound of Sora's voice, calling out to him. [Roxas...]

[Axel...I love you...] Roxas' whisper mingled with the violent flames as Axel's lips parted. He closed his eyes tightly, seeing nothing but his lover's face behind his fire lit eyelids. [I love you Roxas...]

Axel cried out as his spirit lit the fuse on the final spark burning in his heart and his arms stretched out towards the sky, embracing the flames as they burst forth from every inch of his body.

Darkness came and the pounding in his chest slowed from the devastating attack. Axel lay calmly on his back, smiling softly to himself as he fell into a trance, gazing up at the flittering pieces of darkness rising from his being.

"You're...fading away..." Sora's voice sounded distant and soft as the last embers of Axel's element diminished against his coat.

Axel turned his head toward Sora gazing down at him. His blue eyes wide with fear and sadness. "Yea...well...that's what happens when you put your whole being into an attack...know what I mean?"

Axel shifted his gaze back towards the sky, watching the oblivion swirling above him and his trademark smile painted softly across his face. For the first time since he could remember, he felt peace and his body felt lighter than it ever had before.

"Axel, what were you trying to do?" Sora voice almost shaking as he watched Axel carefully, a part of him aching inside at the sight of the nobody dying before him. [The memory beyond...]

"I wanted to see Roxas..." Axel admitted, a slight sadness overcoming him as he thought of the blonde. "He was the only one I liked...he made me feel...like I had a heart..." [You make me forget why I even joined the Organization Roxas...]

"It's kind of funny..." Axel's emerald eyes gazed straight through Sora. "You make me feel...the same..."

Sora frowned and reached out, placing his hand on Axel's face. His eyes widened slightly as he could not place the sudden emotion he felt toward the nobody.

Axel closed his eyes at the feeling of Sora's hand on his cheek and furrowed his brow, the darkness becoming deeper around him.

"Axel..." Sora's voice became weak and Axel opened his eyes one last time. His vision was blurred but he could see Roxas staring down at him sadly. [Smile Roxas...Please...]

A small smiled spread across Roxas' tear streaked face as if he heard Axel's inner plea and he smiled in return, letting his eyes slide shut with the final vision of his lover's face imbedded in his memory. [I love you Roxas...]

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Axel sacrificed himself for Roxas to live on as a whole being. In the beginning, Roxas felt himself drawn to Axel like a moth to the flame...but in the end, it was the flame that needed the moth to burn, to give it purpose to be. When the moth flew away, the flame was doused by endless tears of a broken heart.

Which answers the everlasting question...nobodies can feel...they do have hearts...and they do fall in love.


Fin <3

Please R&R- I worked very hard on this story!!