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Knights and Guards	By : TasogareNoRaikou Category: Kingdom Hearts > Slash/Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1258 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. If I did, the boys wouldn’t be straight. I don't write for money, this is just for fun.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Knights and Guards

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. If I did, the boys wouldn’t be straight.

Warnings: This is yaoi, and I take full responsibility for all the dirty little fantasies in your head. If you don’t like boys doing naughty things to one another, find something else to read.

Pairings: ???

The Shadow Guards:
Roxas - Spectre
Riku - Raven
Zexion - Venom
Paine - Katt
??? - Skye

The Burnished Knights:
Zack - Black Lightning
Tifa - Steel Fist
Rikku - Pixie

Plot: Roxas and Riku have been best friends since middle school, right about the time they both found out that they weren’t exactly…normal. Not that anything about Haven City is normal nowadays, not with the Knights and Guards fighting to the death almost every night. Growing up in a city prone to superhero battles has been a way of life the boys have come to embrace; especially now that they’ve found out they’re superheroes too. Let the sweet drama of high school, young love, and learning how to deal with superpowers commence!
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Chapter Two: Rain and Sudden Threats

By the middle of the week Roxas was exhausted. Over the break between school years they had been able to learn from their fellow Guard, train hard and sleep late, but now with school back in session doing both things at the same time was utterly draining. Roxas found himself sipping at Rockstar energy drinks in the middle of class, willing himself to wake up long enough to half-way pay attention to the chaos around him. Not that the teachers were teaching anything worth listening to, but he did need to be on high alert for anything unseen. Like Riku texting him, or that sudden anxious feeling to overwhelm him when he knew something was about to happen. But nothing happened, not for three whole days, until finally on Thursday of the first week of school he had that feeling again, pulling his phone out of his pocket and instantly receiving a text from Riku. Axel was sitting beside him in second period, nudging the boy’s shoulder and leaning in to whisper, “You skipping class again?”
Roxas looked up and met his eyes. “Yeah, sorry, gotta go.”
Axel nodded, replying sarcastically, “I’ll be sure to write down anything important for you.” He grinned, returning to sketching a rather amusing picture of Demyx, who was sitting across from them at his desk, asleep atop his backpack with his mouth slightly open.
“Yeah, thanks for that,” Roxas replied with a soft laugh, the red-head smiling a bit wider.
The blonde grabbed his backpack, slipped unnoticed behind the teacher who was writing several long paragraphs on the whiteboard at the front of the room, and slid through the classroom door and into the hallway. No one was there to tell him to go back to class, so Roxas walked unhindered through the hallways to a side door, letting himself out and shutting the door quietly behind him. He walked through the tall grass towards the shadows of the blue office building to the west, Riku standing there waiting for him. “Hurry up, slowpoke. We’re going to miss all the action!”
Roxas yawned, running a hand through his hair and replying, “Do we get nap time when we’re done?”
Riku laughed, walking into the abandoned parking garage beneath the office building and beginning to strip. “You and me both, Rox. We’re gonna have to figure out something, because in a month from now we’re actually going to have to concentrate at school.”
“Don’t remind me.” The blonde said, tugging his shirt off and unwrapping a strip of platinum cloth from around his upper arm, tying it around his eyes and exhaling slowly. He felt a rush of energy wash through him, his mask molding to his face then expanding to wrap around his body, coating him in tight black and blue latex-like fabric before hardening into something tougher. Roxas still wasn’t sure exactly how the masks worked, or what they were made out of, or how they adapted to everyone’s powers individually, but as long as they continued to work he didn’t really care about the physics behind it all.
A moment later Riku had donned his mask as well, the boy looking over at him from behind his black mast, his white braid slung over one shoulder. “Well then, shall we go?”
Spectre nodded, walking up to his friend and clasping his hand on Raven’s shoulder. “Yeah, we wouldn’t want to keep Skye waiting.”
Raven clasped his arm in turn, the boys exhaling together and feeling the ground shift around them, reappearing a moment later a few blocks downtown, stepping out of the shadows of a tall building and quickly making their way across the roof to jump to another. The sky had been grey all day, the sure signs of a spring shower to come, and sure enough as they jumped along the rooftops it began to rain. The rain felt different somehow, cold like ice, it seemed to descend onto of the city like a thick blanket, hiding those who were battling high above the city. Thunder rumbled, thick dark clouds rolling in to accompany the rain.
Raven called to his friend as they came to a halt on top of a large wide building, looking up into the sky, “You think that’s Rain’s doing?”
“Yeah, feels like her,” Spectre replied, “and Black Lightning must be there too. She’s never been good with making her own lightning.”
The taller boy walked to the edge of the building, looking across the rooftops for any sign on the other members of the Guard. “Looks like they might actually be fighting this time. Can you feel that bursting energy in the air?”
Spectre nodded, clenching his fists and drawing his powers to his center, an eerie blue glow emanating from his gloves. “Can you see them yet?”
“I see Katt and Steel again, there, on top of that tower.” Raven pointed to the right, Spectre picking up on the sparks of light coming from the top of another building. There were flashes of bright green, then red, then pink, the sound of metal against metal clanging through the breaks between thunder. “Let’s see if we can find Venom. He’ll know what we’re supposed to do.”
“Right,” Spectre agreed, stepping forward and taking Raven’s arm, shoving off of the building hard and throwing them through the air, the boys landing with a loud crash on the building adjacent to the tower where the fight was occurring, thick black ooze padding their landing.
“You’re getting good at that you know.” Raven commented, drawing his cape around his shoulders and smiling at his companion.
Spectre grinned back at him, and then looked out across the tops of the buildings for the other Guard. He quickly noticed a small petite girl with short black hair, wielding a giant throwing star. The girl was wearing various dark colors; black, brown, and green, with a long-tasseled black mask across her face, the excess waving sporadically in the gusty rain behind her. “There’s Rain,” he said, drawing his powers and setting to work covering the roof in thick sticky ooze, focusing his attack at the girl opposite his fellow Guard. The Knight wasn’t wearing a mask, her indigo eyes and long magenta hair bright against her pale skin. She was sucking on a sucker, reaching in to retrieve candies from various pouches covering her light brown gloves and the pockets of her pink petticoat, several more pouches strapped around her small waist. “…and there’s Candy…do you see her sister?”
Raven nodded, running across the edge of the roof as he spoke, “There, on the side. Venom is with her.”
Spectre glanced over to see Venom, the boy tossing small bombs at a petite blonde girl, her white and pink skirt and socks stained with bright green ooze. “It doesn’t look like the new acid has much effect on the twins either,” Spectre called to Raven, the older boy shrugging and leaping into the air, drawing back his hands and forming a large violet bow, pulling back the drawstring and firing several glowing purple arrows at the Knight fighting Rain. The girl did a series of flips and cartwheels, expertly dodging his attacks, Raven landing beside the small dark-haired girl and letting out an exasperated sigh.
“Better luck next time,” the Knight called, adjusting the goggles on top of her head and taking her lollypop out of her mouth long enough to stick her tongue out at them. Raven drew back his bowstring again, several arrows forming as he prepared to fire, Rain running ahead with her shuriken at her side, rearing back and throwing it at her opponent full-force. When she turned to leap away, Spectre latched onto her with several vines of tar, the girl squealing her surprise as the shuriken hit her dead center, knocking her off of the building and into the side of another, breaking several windows as she was thrown into one of the floors.
“Same goes for you, stupid girl.” Rain called, catching her shuriken as is boomeranged back into her waiting hand, the girl wiping her mouth and turning to look at the boys. “Thanks Spectre, I owe you one.”
The blue-haired boy nodded, “Where is Skye?”
“Where do you think?” the girl replied, looking up into the clouds. “I’m sure those two are on the highest tower they could find, probably the shopping district’s parking garage.”
“The big oval one?” Raven asked, lowering his bow, the arrows disappearing. “Over by the gates leading to the Inner City?”
Rain nodded. “I don’t know what set them off this time, all I know is Tarot told me to come, so I did. She just said to keep the others busy and let them fight alone for now. I’m sure Skye would call us if he needed to.”
Spectre and Raven exchanged a glance, the taller boy shaking his head. “So what does that mean exactly?” Spectre asked. “Are we supposed to fight anyone who goes looking for them?”
“From what I gathered, yes.” She replied, lifting her star and motioning to the other side of the building. “Though, Tarot didn’t say anything about killing any of the Knights, so you might want to get Venom off of Sugar before he ends up pissing Skye off.”
“I’ll go get him.” Raven said with a sigh, running off and melding into the shadows, appearing behind the alchemist a moment later, catching his wrist when he went to throw another vial.
Rain and Spectre stood there together, listening to the boys arguing under the deafening sound of the endless rain. “He’s been really agitated lately, hasn’t he?” The boy asked, looking over at the other Guard.
“Yeah, I think there’s something going on with him on the inside. He told me about what Black said to him the other day. It really…bothered him.”
Spectre searched the girl’s expression for a moment. “Did he say why?”
“I think he feels like he’s not as useful as the rest of us. Since he doesn’t really have any powers, other than his ability to memorize everything, and create poisons and other random things like bombs and vials of acid…” She looked up at Spectre. “I mean, even I have my strength and training as a ninja, and Katt has her bloodline traits. And you two boys have powers of your own, and then of course there’s White Skye.” The girl looked back towards the commotion on the other side of the roof, “Zexion has a bit of an inferiority complex, I guess you could say.”
The boy was silent, following Rain’s gaze to watch as Raven slowly pulled Venom away from the wounded girl, the Knight trembling visibly and chanting something under her breath, light dancing across her skin and healing her wounds. The Knight got to her feet a moment later, skirting the edge of the roof then jumping into the air and hovering over to the other building where her sister had fallen.
Venom and Raven were at their sides a moment later, Rain crossing her arms and looking up at the taller boys. “You two need to calm down. We’re just meant to be a distraction. Killing their healer would be the worst possible thing you could do at a time like this.”
“If we kill her now she won’t be able to save them later.” Venom retorted, motioning off towards the building where Candy had fallen, smoke billowing out of the side of the structure. “It’s an endless cycle of us beating the shit out of them, and then them healing one another and coming back for more.”
“You forget the many times that they have beaten the shit out of you too, Venom.” Rain replied, “Don’t get cocky just because you have a few new toys to play with.”
The boy laughed shortly, fingering the vial in his hand. “If only those two were human. I would be able to kill them for sure.”
“What have you done to Candy!” a girl’s voice shouted, the Guards turning to see a blonde girl flying above them, a golden halo of light encasing her entire form, an upset look across her face.
“Oh shit, not this one again…” Rain said, gritting her teeth and running away from her companions. “Scatter, now!”
Venom was the first to act, throwing the vial he had in his hands up into the air, Raven taking aim and hitting it with an arrow, the mixture exploding into a ball of emerald fire. Spectre’s ooze bubbled, a thick black fog rising up from the rooftop to conceal those below, Raven and Rain taking the opportunity to launch glowing purple arrows and dozens of tiny razor-sharp knives at the Knight. Pixie tossed her hands to the side, a wall of light shooting away from her body, casting back the darkness that had been creeping up to her feet and deflecting both attacks with a flick of her wrist. Raven was at Spectre’s side a moment later, the older boy whispering, “She’s different than before. How do you think we should go at her?”
“I don’t know,” the other boy replied, looking up at the glowing girl, “We’ve never seen her fight…”
“What did you do!” the girl called again, orbs of swirling yellow energy forming around her hands, a beam of bright light slamming down onto the roof and cutting through Spectre’s tar, the boy recoiling away from the stinging sensation in his feet.
“Get behind her, do your thing,” Spectre said to Raven, the boy nodding and melding into the shadows, slinking to the other side of the roof, “…I’ll distract her.”
Spectre was good at using his powers, but there were some techniques that he was still perfecting, some that Skye told him were powerful and dangerous, and to not use often until he knew fully how to control them. His black ooze and his blue fog were two of his mastered powers, but he had also been working on something else. Something darker. Something that would help him actually fight back instead of just stopping the enemy from attacking him. He took a deep breath, letting the fog around him settle, Pixie instantly picking him out of the shadows as he lowered the shadows around him in an arcing circle. She moved her arm to point at him, yellow light gathering around her hand in a large glowing orb. Spectre reached deep within him, reached for that feeling of hate and anger and rage, and felt his skin prickle as small sparks of red lightning began to form across his shoulders, racing down his arms and forming in his palms just as the Knight released another bolt of light. He threw his hands up, red bolts of lightning scorching the air with their heat, crashing into Pixie’s bolt of light and tossing them both backwards, Spectre rolling several times and quickly getting to his feet, looking up to see the Knight was quickly recovering and readying another attack. Spectre did the same.
The other three Guards joined in after a moment, Riku lifting himself out of the shadows behind the girl and spreading his cape wide, shadows cascading from him in the form of thousands of pitch-black feathers, pushing the girl towards the roof, where Rain and Venom were waiting. The dark-grey boy threw several small orbs at the Knight, the attacks exploding on contact, Yuffie tossing her giant star and the golden girl with a battle cry. Pixie broke out of the wave of feathers just in time to dodge one of the orbs and the shuriken, but two other explosions sent her flying across the roof, landing near Spectre’s feet, the boy gathering ooze around her and encasing her in a giant black egg of feathers mixed with tar. He could feel that it wouldn’t hold her for long though, and he quickly backed away, the boy watching as cracks formed in his small prison, yellow light pouring out and piercing the darkness, Pixie erupting out of the shell with a furious shout, firing beams of light at her attackers as the Guards scrambled to dodge. One bolt hit Rain in the leg, the girl screaming and falling to the ground, tossing her shuriken again. It zoomed past Pixie’s shoulder and managed to cut her arm and side, several braids falling to the ground to be absorbed by Spectre’s ooze. Raven was at Rain’s side, helping her to her feet, the girl limping to the point where she couldn’t walk, crying out in pain.
“What hit me?” she asked, Venom taking hold of her leg and inspecting the wound.
“It’s some sort of energy ray, the cut looks clean. I should be able to mix up something that will close the gap to it can heal properly, but not if she hits you like that again.” The boy looked up at Raven, who was holding the girl to his side. “Raven, get her out of here. Go find Tarot and see what she can do.”
Raven nodded, picking up the girl, much to Rain’s dismay, “Wait, no stop! I can still fight-”
“No you can’t, now stop squirming or I’ll drop you on purpose.” The boy said, scowling at her. “We’re here to help you. So let us help.”
The girl settled down, lifting her shuriken slightly, careful that the ends wouldn’t touch Raven as she pouted. “Fine! You big meanie…”
Bright yellow light seared towards them, Spectre lifting up a wall of ooze to protect them, red lightning dancing across his hands. “Get out of her, Raven! We can take care of this.”
“I’ll be back as soon as I can!” the boy replied to his friend, melding into the shadows and disappearing out of sight.
Venom stood at Spectre’s side, watching as the thick black wall of ooze slowly began to thin from the continuous assault of energy from the other side. “Any plans, Spectre?” he asked, pulling several handfuls of orbs from his pouches, eyes darting around the side of the wall.
“Yeah, just stay out of the way,” Spectre replied, throwing the wall to the side and running towards the floating Knight, drawing back his arm and punching the air, sending a bolt of red lightning right at the girl, the sudden attack catching her off guard and striking her on the same shoulder that Rain’s shuriken had nicked before. She cried out, moving back and cradling her arm, blood pouring from the wound for a moment before the girl’s skin stitched itself back together. Something seemed off though, and Spectre quickly realized that his lightning had somehow bound itself to her blood, the girl convulsing slightly despite the fact that she was no longer bleeding. Well, maybe if Venom can figure out a way to bottle lightning, he might be able to do some serious damage… the Guard thought to himself, watching the girl for a moment, readying another bolt incase she moved to attack. She seemed thoroughly confused at the way her body was reacting, holding her hand out in front of her and flinching as something zapped her internally.
Venom was at his side a moment later, “The other two are back,” he said, Spectre turning to look at the side of the building, noticing the two Knights from before were standing there watching with wide eyes, the blonde holding onto the magenta-haired girl as if keeping her back. “Stop it, Candy. Don’t fight them…”
“What, and just leave Pixie there to die?”
Spectre turned to look back at the golden girl, noticing the way her eyes were flashing red and she was convulsing, the girl slowly floating down to the top of the building to stand on wobbly legs. He blinked in surprise, had he really hurt her that badly? Maybe that’s why the other girls were keeping back, if lighting was their weakness then he could seriously hurt them all…
“Well, what now?” Venom asked, “You going to finish her off?”
Spectre’s heart was racing, the thought of actually killing another person sour in his throat. “No, Rain said that Tarot told us to distract them, not kill them. We had better wait for word from Skye.” He reached out his hand, allowing the lightning gathered there to fade, and then breathed in deep, drawing his energy back from the other girl. Red mist began trickling out of her pores, and then a moment later she collapsed, breathing hard. She looked hurt, but she was no longer twitching as she breathed. Candy escaped Sugar’s grasp, the girl rushing past Venom and Spectre to Pixie’s side. The older girl was blinking, looking up at her with a dazed expression, the red-headed girl cradling her head.
The two boys watched for a long moment, then turned when Sugar began to walk past them as well, the blonde girl watching with wary blue eyes, her white clothing torn and discolored from her fight with Venom. The boy glared at her, Sugar quickly walking over to her fellow Knights, looking over her shoulder at the Guards cautiously before beginning to chant under her breath and heal the older girl.
“She’ll be fine,” Spectre said to the other boy.
“I know,” he replied, “That’s the problem.”
Suddenly there was a rushing sound above them, and a spotlight appeared, shining down them with a glaring light. “Come on, let’s get out of here before more news crews show up.” Spectre said, taking Venom’s arm and pulling him to the side of the roof, the two boys escaping into the shadows and racing away from the helicopter overhead. It circled around and seemed to stay focused on the Knights, allowing the Guards to hide and wait. Venom peeked around the corner of the building, looking up to the sky. The rain was slowly fading away, and the dark clouds were beginning to thin, revealing small blue patches of sky.
“I think they might be done now.” Venom said, Spectre looking up as well.
“Look, up there.” He pointed at the side of a building, several shadowed figures jumping against the windowpanes up the side of the building before reaching the top, racing off to the south. “That must be the Knights. Let’s go find the others.”
It wasn’t that hard to find Raven, Spectre could sense him easily among the abandoned buildings near the edge of Downtown. He was standing watch nearby several large broken windows, smiling at the other boys’ approach. “Hey, how’d it go?”
“Spectre had the new girl down; she was beaten for sure…” Venom said, the other boy grinning and looking away. “He let her go in the end, but we could call tell. He had her.”
“It’s good that you withdrew.” A voice said, red eyes gleaming out of the shadows as Katt stepped forward, standing beside Raven. “Skye would not have been pleased if Black had felt the need to go and intervene to save one of his own.”
“Where is White Skye?” Spectre asked, meeting Katt’s eyes.
“He’s with Tarot and Rain, in the back.” She replied, motioning over her shoulder.
The boy nodded, walking past her, Raven going with him and leaving Venom and Katt to stand guard. The two boys walk together through the dark, cluttered remains of what was undoubtedly a business at one point, until they came across a dimly lit room, Spectre pushing open the door silently. An older girl looked up, her long black hair cascading down her shoulders and back in waist-length braids, several glowing charms lining the walls of the room to light her work. She was applying some sort of salve to Rain’s leg, the girl laying on a table in the middle of the room, biting her lip and clutching her shuriken in pain. “There, there. You’ll be alright.” The older girl said, her voice soft and deep. “Hold onto your star while I stitch you up.”
“Thank you, Tarot…” the girl said, closing her eyes and biting her lip again, the older Guard creating a shining thread between her fingertips and threading it across the girl’s skin. She did it quickly and effortlessly, the traits of a master seamstress, Rain opening one of her eyes to watch the other girl’s work. “Wow, it doesn’t even hurt anymore...”
“You have Venom to thank for that,” Tarot replied, retrieving one of the long needless crisscrossed in the back of her hair, running it against her tongue and then pressing it against the stitches she had just made. They sizzled and settled into the girl’s skin, Rain gasping and hissing sharply. Tarot chuckled softly, “I’m sure you managed to feel that though, didn’t you little one?”
Rain pouted as Tarot pulled away, sliding the needle back into her hair, the belts of her dress chiming as they brushed against one another at her movements. “Very good.” Another voice said, calm and low, footsteps echoing against the hardwood floor. A tall, lean, older boy stood there in the shadows, his blue eyes glowing with something unnatural. “It looks like it will heal just fine.”
“Of course it will.” Tarot replied, a smile on her lips.
The blonde boy nodded to her, his eyes shining in the dim light cast by her charms. “You have my thanks, as always, Tarot.”
The older girl bowed slightly, then left the room, leaving the others in silence. Rain shifted and rose off of the table, looking up at the older boy. “Should I go now Skye?”
Skye searched her eyes for a moment, a thoughtful look across his face, then he nodded. “You may go.”
Rain smiled shyly, then hopped off of the table and stepped past the other two Guards, passing through the door and not bothering to shut it behind her. Raven took a step forward towards the older boy, saying, “She fought bravely, she did not wish to leave, but Venom told me to bring her to Tarot.”
“You’ve done well, Raven. You have my gratitude. You are indeed a valued addition to the Guards.” The white-haired boy smiled, bowing his head slightly. Skye watched him for a moment before directing his gaze to Spectre. “How did you and Venom manage without Raven and Shimmering Rain there beside you?”
“Luckily it was two against one,” the boy replied, “The new Knight, Pixie, she was the only one fighting against us. We held our own against her.”
“So it seems.” The older boy replied, a small smile across his face. “Do you two think you are ready to fight the Knights? To really, truly fight them?” He took a step forward, looking between the two boys. “Do either of you imagine yourself capable of dealing the final blow, and ending your opponent’s life?”
Raven looked over at Spectre, then said to Skye, “If it were to save a comrade, then yes. I would deal the final blow.”
Spectre nodded, “If it was needed, yes. I would too.”
Skye nodded, his blonde hair shifting slightly with his movements, eloquently disheveled atop his head. His mask was white and black, accenting his strange blue-green glowing eyes. He seemed to think to himself for a moment, then said, “The new recruits of the Knights are powerful, and capable of fighting against you one-on-one. I think we should meet that advancement. I hereby give you both permission to engage and battle another Knight, whether you are within ranks or solo. Remember, what you do will eventually circle back to me.” His eyes gleamed, looking between the two younger Guards. “I will always know what you are up to. Think wisely before you act.”
“Yes Skye,” the boys said in unison, bowing together and backing away, leaving their leader in the room alone. Spectre’s heart was racing as they returned to the others by the windows, Raven’s swirling energies proving he was in much the same state.
“Well?” Venom asked as they approached, the others turning to greet them as well.
“I think we’re officially in.” Raven said, smiling at the other boy. “He said we could fight solo.”
“Congratulations boys,” Katt said, propping herself up with her broadsword and grinning like a fox. “This is the first day of the rest of your lives as members of the Shadow Guard.”
“Woo-hoo!” Rain cheered, tossing her hands up in the air, Tarot behind her smiling softly and nodding to the two new initiates. Raven and Spectre exchanged a glance then clasped hands, sharing one another’s excitement. This was it, this was what they had been waiting for. And it had only just begun.
-x-x-x-
Roxas felt a bit more at ease as the days passed. There were small fights now and then, but it almost seemed that now that he was allowed to fight alone, the fights had died down for the time being. By the beginning of the next week Roxas was itching for some action, sparring with Riku after classes to help pass the time. The grassy fields surrounding the high school were proving to be good, even ground with enough cushioning that if the boys knocked one another about they wouldn’t be too awfully hurt, so they tended to spar there. It was almost nice, being out of the bustling city, not stuck in their apartment… It almost gave a feeling of tranquility, lying side by side in the tall, thick grass, throwing blades of grass at one another now and then between scuffles. Their repeated mock-battles had not gone unnoticed, however, and soon Axel, Demyx, Larxene, and Marluxia were joining them after class, along with another boy named Sora. Riku had met Sora in one of his art classes, and Demyx knew the boy as well. He was quiet and shy, watching them spar with a slight sense of awe, and a certain look of admiration whenever Riku was around.
“So whatta ya think?” Demyx has asked him one day, just out of earshot from the two boys, who were talking softly and laughing now and then.
“About what?” Roxas had asked in reply, looking over at the dirty-blonde boy.
“You know, about Riku and Sora.” The boy had raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed.”
Roxas, turning to look over at the two boys, did notice something. Something that usually only happened when Riku was around him. He was smiling, genuinely smiling, a lighthearted, sweet expression of pure enjoyment and comfort. He asked Riku about it one night, the other boy blinking and blushing at the subject. “He makes me laugh, that’s all.” The other boy replied, running his hands through his long silver hair absently. “I like it. He’s the only normal person I’ve ever really considered being friends with.”
Roxas nodded, smiling in understanding. He felt much the same way about his newfound friends, the normal kids from the West Side. He had never imagined getting to know anyone outside of the other members of the Guard, but somehow talking with Axel and the others put his mind at ease, and for a few brief hours at school he was allowed to feel like a normal teenager. It was nice.
Friday came before he realized it, Roxas slipping into the lunch room and easily picking out the others by the back wall. It was their usual spot to sit during lunch, and he was warmly greeted as he came to sit down. “Hey Rox! Where you been?” Axel asked, patting his shoulder as the blonde settled down next to him.
“Sorry, I forgot my backpack again.” He motioned to the pack at his side, laying it down by his feet.
“You’re always running off to grab something you’ve forgotten,” Larxene teased, the girl poking at her jello with a spork, “Though, I guess it’s okay since you eventually remember what you’ve forgotten, instead of just forgetting altogether.”
Marluxia nudged her, replying with a haughty tone, “I told you I was sorry I forgot to read your article, girl. I read it as soon as you reminded me about it.”
“The point is you shouldn’t have forgotten!” she retorted, poking at her jello a bit more forcefully, leaving tiny holes in the gelatin. “I wouldn’t have forgotten to come to one of your recitals, you stupid queen…”
Marluxia rolled his eyes, flipping his rosy hair over his shoulder. “You are so dramatic right now. I was going to tell you what a good job you did, but now that you’re being all snippy about it…”
“You thought it was good?” Larxene said, looking over at the boy with a questioning look.
“Well of course it was good,” he replied, winking at her, “You wrote it didn’t you?”
She laughed, swatting him, “Flatterer.”
While the two juniors teased one another, Demyx was harassing Riku and Sora, the older of the two boys gawking at the dirty-blonde. “What, I’m just asking! Have you ever kissed another boy before?”
Sora was blushing innocently, and replied in a soft voice, “Well, a boy tried to kiss me in elementary school, but I sort of shoved him away. I think I was too young to realize what he was trying to do.”
Demyx grinned at the brunette, “Aww that’s cute! What about you Riku?”
The silver-haired boy blushed crimson and the dirty-blonde’s questioning gaze, Sora looking up at him as well. “I-I have to go.” The older boy stuttered, grabbing his things and going for the side door, Sora calling after him in concern.
“Riku! Wait! I’ll come with you!” he gathered his books and looked over at Demyx, “I think you upset him Dem…”
The other boy put his hands behind his head, leaning back in his seat. “Sorry! Didn’t know it was such a touchy subject!”
Roxas watched the exchange with a mixture of mild concern and curiosity. It wasn’t like Riku to let something like that get to him, unless there was something else going on Roxas didn’t know about. Maybe he was too embarrassed to talk about what had happened between him and Roxas back in middle school, or maybe he thought it would make things awkward around their new friends. “Is your friend okay?” Axel asked, Roxas looking up at him, meeting cat-green eyes.
“Yeah, I think so. I guess he just didn’t want to talk about his past with you guys yet.” He rested his chin in his hand, the red-head doing the same and watching the younger boy. “It’s not something we’re used to, getting to know other people and talking about ourselves and all that. We mostly keep to ourselves.”
Axel smiled, saying softly, “Yeah, I guess that is kinda personal to me asking when we’ve only known you guys for a week. We’re the exact opposite, we talk about everything with one another. Demyx didn’t mean any harm.”
Roxas looked over at the dirty-blonde who was pouting slightly, watching the side door that Riku and Sora had disappeared through. “It’s okay Demyx. He’ll be fine.”
The other boy looked over at him, grinning sheepishly and rubbing the back of his head. “Yeah, sometimes I don’t know when to keep my big mouth shut.”
“Amen to that,” Larxene and Marluxia said in perfect unison, looking over at one another and laughing at their timing.
“Hey, shut up you two!” Demyx said, tossing them glares.
Roxas laughed, looking from the juniors back to the senior at his side, noticing that the red-head had been watching him the whole time. “What is it?” he asked, searching the other boy’s eyes.
“Nothing, it’s just you’re so different than I expected.”
“I thought we established this last week?” Roxas asked with a grin, pushing himself up from the table and gathering his things. “Well I guess I’d better start heading to third period. The bell’s going to ring soon.”
As the blonde turned to head back towards the hallway leading to his next class, Axel grabbed his bag and quickly caught up with him, Roxas looking up at the other boy questioningly. “Thought you might like some company.” The older said, smiling so that the small tear-shaped tattoos on his cheeks curved upwards.
Roxas, not sure what to say, just laughed softly and allowed the senior to accompany him down the empty hallway, watching him out of the corner of his eye. He wondered about the older boy, the looks he would catch from him now and then. It resembled the way Sora looked at Riku, though Roxas was blissfully unaware as to what it was. Maybe Axel really wanted to be his friend, a close friend, like Riku. “Axel,” Roxas said, stopping in the middle of the hallway to look up at the taller boy, “do you like me?”
The red-head seemed startled, watching him with a curious look across his face, “What do you mean, do I like you?”
“I mean, do you like me the way that Sora likes Riku?”
Axel seemed to think for a moment, noticing the innocence in Roxas’ tone. “And in what way does Sora like Riku?” he asked, watching the blonde boy carefully.
Roxas thought about this for a moment, glancing away and remembering the way Demyx had pointed out the brunette’s far-away expression when looking at Riku. “I think that Sora feels connected to Riku somehow. Like they share the same pain, and he wants to be close to Riku to help comfort him.” He looked back up at Axel, adding, “I’ve never been close to anyone besides Riku since I was a kid, so I don’t really know how to describe it really. The idea of being close to someone else is still so new to me…”
“You mean, you think Sora likes Riku like a best friend?” Axel asked, smiling softly at Roxas.
“I don’t know,” the boy replied, beginning to walk again, “I think it’s more than that somehow, but yes, I suppose that it is similar to being best friends, the way Riku and I are best friends.”
“Do you want to be best friends?” the older boy asked, walking at Roxas’ side, one of his hands in his back pocket while the other held his bag over his shoulder.
“I like you, so yes, I think that would be nice…” he glanced up at the red-head, who was watching him with an amused expression. “Do you want to be friends?”
“I thought we already were friends, Rox.” Axel replied, offering out his hand. “Here, give me your phone.”
Roxas retrieved the device from his pocket, passing it to the other boy. Axel played with the device for a minute or two, then handed it back to the blonde. “I just programmed in my number so you can get ahold of me now.” He hesitated, then added gently, “You can text me any time, day or night. Whether you’re bored or you just need to vent about something. No matter what it is, you can text or call me, okay?”
The younger boy looked at the phone in his hand, heart racing. He’d never had someone else’s phone number before. Not someone normal, anyway. The numbers for the various members of the Guard were there for emergencies, and Riku’s number of course…but no one had ever given him their number before. He smiled, replying, “Okay, I’ll text you tonight then, when I get home.”
Axel nodded to him, “Alright then. Talk to you tonight, Rox.”
The blonde watched the boy turn and walk back towards the lunch room, waving goodbye over his shoulder, Roxas clutching the phone in his hand, wondering about the way Axel had looked at him just then. It felt different than it did with Riku, something stirring inside of him that he had never felt before. What was that feeling? He couldn’t find words to express it, any kind of affection from another human being so foreign to him he didn’t know what to do with it. Kindness, gentle words, soft smiles…no one had offered him these things until he met Riku, and then when he and the other boy had first met the Guard. All he knew of his childhood was hate, and anger, and loneliness. Growing up in an orphanage and quickly being labeled a freak didn’t exactly earn a lot of fond childhood memories. Growing up alone, having to hide who he was from everyone, never being able to talk about his abilities, keeping everything locked up inside…
Roxas shook off the cold feelings creeping up inside him, forcing them back down. No, Axel wasn’t like that. Axel was different. Maybe someday he would be able to tell Axel about who he really was. Maybe someday, he would finally feel understood by someone on the outside. The blonde smiled, turning to walk into the classroom, finding his desk and sitting down, staring out the window and waiting for the bell to ring. He would just have to wait and see.
-x-x-x-
Axel walked out the back door past the lunchroom, shouldering his backpack and catching a quick glimpse of Riku and Sora standing with their backs against the outside of the school building, talking softly together. He smiled to himself, then turned and headed to the nearest grove of trees, near a tall, white tower that had once been a radio station. The building was closed now, but it made perfect cover for someone trying not to be seen. Being seen was the last thing Axel wanted at a time like this, the boy’s heart racing as he entered the shadows, searching for his friends among the trees. It was unlike them to call for him during school hours, and he fleetingly wondered if something was wrong.
“We’ve been waiting for you, Axel!” a girl’s voice called happily from above him, the red-head looking up to meet eyes with Kairi, the magenta-haired girl smiling down at him.
Tifa was there as well, the girl tossing her long dark hair over her shoulder impatiently. “We text you a half hour ago, what took you so long?”
Axel grinned, not responding, Kairi making a gasping sound then tisking at him. “It was a boy, wasn’t it?” The red-head turned his face away from her, sighing in exasperation. The girl laughed triumphantly, jumping down from the tree and walking over to him, nudging his arm playfully. “I knew it! It’s that boy you were talking about before, right?”
“Maybe,” the red-head replied, nudging her back. “Come on, I’m here now. Let’s get going.”
“Mmm-hmm, changing the subject when it comes right down to it, like always,” Kairi said with a knowing smile, “You talk about him well enough until someone brings up the fact that it’s because you like him…”
“Hush up, brat.” Axel said, mock-punching her arm before looking up to the branches above them, meeting smiling brown eyes. “Where to Tifa?”
The older girl jumped down as well, her long black coat brushing against the ground as she walked. “Zack and the others are at the hideout waiting for us. They said they need to talk to you about what happened the other night. He thinks you’re ready.”
Axel blinked in surprise, “You mean he’s ready for me to start fighting?”
Tifa nodded, smiling at the boy. “I think so.”
The red-head’s heart began racing, grinning from ear to ear. Zack was going to let him start fighting? That meant he would be able to help his friends more, be able to defend them against the Guards. He’d heard stories from the twins about the battle that had happened last week, about how badly people had gotten hurt… He clenched his fists, adrenaline pumping through his veins. If he was able to fight the Guard now, maybe he could stop his fellow Knights from getting hurt again. Maybe he would finally be able to do something good with his powers.
Warm, golden-red fire erupted from his hands, swelling up his arms and flickering across his shoulders. “Yeah, I’m so ready for this. Let’s go!”
Tifa grinned, handing him a small strip of platinum cloth, then taking her own mask from around her wrist and tying it around her eyes, Axel following her movements. A moment later his fire had engulfed his body, leaving behind a suit of red and gold, a mask concealing his face, his hair bright tawny gold. Steel Fist looked back at him, her eyes shining from behind her dark mask. Kairi stepped up between them, pulling her pink petticoat tighter around her waist and adjusting her belts, looking Axel over in approval. “I like that rendition of the mask, it suits you well, Blaze.”
“Alright, keep to the sky as much as possible. We don’t need anyone following us around.” Steel said, jumping back up through the trees, Blaze following after her, Candy right on his heels. The girl pulled her goggles over her eyes, blocking out the glare from the sun shining high overhead, laughing merrily as they began racing through the city.
“I bet you can’t catch me!” she cat-called, Blaze following after her, running so fast that flames licked at his heels. Steel watched them with mild amusement, the two darting between buildings in a lightning-fast game of tag. Valiant Blaze of the Burnished Knights…it had a nice ring to it. She smiled to herself, racing with her comrades towards the western sea. Blaze would make an excellent addition to the Knights. She only hoped that it would be enough to help them stand against the Shadow Guards.
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Featured in this chapter:

The Shadow Guards:
Roxas - Spectre
Riku - Raven
Zexion - Venom
Paine - Katt
Yuffie - Shimmering Rain
Lulu - Tarot
Cloud - White Skye

The Burnished Knights:
Zack - Black Lightning
Tifa - Steel Fist
Rikku - Pixie
Kairi - Candy
Naminé - Sugar
Axel - Valiant Blaze

The members of both the Burnished Knights and the Shadow Guard are strengthening their forces for the battles that are about to take place, but when Spectre meets Blaze for the first time chaos erupts that neither side was prepared for.
Superhero battles aside, Riku and Sora are beginning to realize there is something between them, and Roxas and Axel are in much the same state. But with the boys drawing closer and closer out of battle, it seems only inevitable that something will drive a wedge between them when normal life and the battles between Spectre and Blaze collide…

More next time, in Chapter Three of Knights and Guards!
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- 3
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Knights and Guards