You Are My Kingdom Hearts ➳ Axel

The Calm

Chapter 18: The Calm.

Jai's POV:

It had been a week since we'd left the Organization and begun hiding out in Twilight Town. We were the occupants of Room 13 in a quaint inn nearby, run by two very eccentric guys.

"I'm telling you, Vinnie, I've finished all my jobs!" Balthier wailed, slumping over the lobby's desk. Vincent stared down his nose at the dramatic Balthier.

"No, you haven't," Vincent muttered. "You skipped cleaning the lobby."

Balthier glared at the other inkeeper. "Oh? And how would you know?"

"Because I've been in the lobby all morning. Get to work."

Axel snickered as we wandered past. It was risky going out during the day, but we thought that after a week, we could take our chances. There was only so many movie marathons we could take consecutively.

"I swear, those two are crazy," I whispered lightly. Axel nodded his head in agreement as we stepped out into the street. The sky was its same rich colour, the warmth of the sun bathing our bodies. The air was fresh, the streets were clean, and we were excited.

"Now, to find an alleyway," Axel said with determination.

Okay, so it's probably strange that the one thing we look for after finally getting to go outside is an alleyway. We wanted a secluded area. Our reason was to train, of course!

It had been a little weird sleeping in the same room to start with, but we'd eventually fallen into the rhythm of it. Unfortunately, despite Axel's words, I'd found him snuggled up to me in the bed twice. His excuse was the armchair was uncomfortable, which was partially true. It didn't stop me from blushing and kicking him out of the bed as soon as I discovered his presence.

"What are your goals today?" he questioned, his eyes darting to my shoulder. Ah, yes, the injuries.

They were healing quite nicely, but Axel was still concerned. He'd bandaged me up gently, but since then, I'd found cuts and bruises randomly splattered on my torso. I had no idea where they came from, seeing as they showed up on the strangest occasions. I hadn't informed Axel that more marks appeared. He would only freak out, and I didn't want to put him through that. Or myself.

"Just wanna build up my strength," I responded with a shrug.

We headed down an alleyway, discovering a small, rectangular area. Axel set down the duffel bag he had been carrying, which held bandages and other first aid items. We were both dressed in black singlets, boots and jeans for convenience.

"I'll try and summon some Assassins," Axel informed me with a slight smile. "Be prepared."

I sent a nod his way, summoning my keyblade. Although Xemnas had told me the black cloak granted the power of darkness, Axel and I had discovered otherwise. Rather, Xemnas controlled the power of whoever wore the black cloak. Unlike me, Axel was a Nobody in his own right. He retained his power of controlling fire, so it was our hope that he could still use the power of darkness.

Sure enough, three Assassin Nobodies appeared in front of me. I was more than ready to fight, the familiar adrenaline coursing through my veins. I jumped towards the Nobodies as quickly as I could, finishing each one off in a few hits.

Axel placed a hand on my shoulder once they had faded into nothing. He straightened my back and pushed my elbow up slightly. "I didn't think a keyblade wielder would have such bad posture," he remarked playfully.

"How could you not notice before? You've seen me fight," I shot back with a grin. Axel rolled his eyes, summoning his chakrams.

"I did notice," he deadpanned. "I just thought my eyes were playing tricks on me."