Kingdom Hearts x Fem!Reader: The Lost Princess

Chapter 73

Warnings: Axel's resting scene along with Rumi and Ansem's resting scene

Rating: SFW

In Twilight Town, Axel sat atop the clock tower with three bars of sea-salt ice cream. He bit into one with a sad look on his face. (how the hell does that not hurt?!)

"Well, Roxas... I shoulda been there for you by now, but here we are," he said.

"Shouldn't you say good-bye to your REAL home?" someone asked. Axel looked up, stunned, as Saïx entered from around the corner.

"Why..." Axel said. Saïx sat next to Axel on the ledge.

"I'm not here to fight. Relax," he said as he took an ice cream bar from Axel.

"Hey!" Axel said.

"You can't eat all this. Why did you buy three of them? One for Roxas..." Saïx said. Axel looked at the bars. "...and two for good luck?"

"I dunno. Because I felt like it, okay? Why are you here?" Saïx began to eat his ice cream.

"Got it memorized? Back when we were still friends, we used to sneak into the castle," he said.

"Yeah..." Axel replied.

"And we made a friend there, a girl. We apprenticed to Ansem the Wise to rescue her."

"Yeah, and we failed. One day she was just gone!"

"You gave up." Those words stung Axel.

"I did not give up. One day we're apprentices, the next Ansem the Wise has up and vanished, the day after we're Nobodies, day after that we're doing icky jobs for Muki. I couldn't keep up with you," he said.

"Following Xehanort's Nobody was the only way to discover what happened to her. She was his lab rat," Saïx said.

"So? You found her? I helped you rise up the ranks, so I hope it paid off."

"I'm afraid not. Nary a trace. I started to wonder if we'd imagined her. Maybe she never existed. And then, in time, I awakened to a new purpose. I realized I could be stronger."

"Well, then, you blew it! Wise up already and just quit."

"Face it. Roxas is just like our other friend." Axel's eyes widened. "Gone forever. You need to accept that."

"You wish. I'm getting her back. All of 'em!" Axel looked at the second ice cream. "Especially Roxas! I'm even dragging YOU home."

"The marks under your eyes. They're gone."

"Yeah. Don't need 'em." Saïx stood up slowly.

"Always told you they'd stop you from crying. The upside down tears," he said.

"Would you get lost? I'll clobber you tomorrow," Axel said.

"I expect no less." He disappeared in a corridor of darkness and Axel's face softened in the light of the eternal sunset.

Over at the mansion, Rumi and her family were having a silent dinner. Only that, no one could eat. It didn't feel right.

"I'm gonna head to bed," Rumi said. She stood up and headed for her room. Ansem sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Will we ever get mom back?" Olette asked as she played with her food.

"I hope so. You guys have already suffered enough. You don't need anymore," Ansem said.

"Someone should check on Rumi," Pence said.

"I'll do it," Hayner said. He stood up and headed for Rumi and saw her crying on her bed.

"Hey," he said. Rumi looked up and spotted him.

"Hey," she said as she wiped her tears away.

"You okay?"

"If by okay you mean, wishing none of this happened then yeah, I'm okay." Hayner sighed and sat next to her.

"We didn't deserve all of this," he said.

"No one did," Rumi replied.

"I know you and dad will save mom. You saved us."

"Yeah. I wonder how she's doing."

"Fighting. That's all I can tell."

"Yeah."

"Come on. I know Pence wanted to watch Sailor Moon for the 100th time." Rumi giggled and followed Hayner to the entertainment room where she and her family watched every single episode and movies of Sailor Moon.