Lunar Cycles [Axel]

Axel pocketed the cash he had just earned. One of the syndicates had someone that kept link jumping and avoiding paying up. He had been contacted to bring him in after they had heard of a few other successful catches. It was a little worrisome that he was doing some of the same things that the Organization had him doing. Hunting people down this way was a little bit better since he wasn't going after people he knew. He also wasn't being promised anything more than money and more work.

In fact, he had been given some information on their next target that they wanted brought in and he was a local. Nexus was busy and it was going take a little bit of time to find this guy then run him down. He was going to take a little more time with this one than he might need, but that's okay. He had no trouble wasting a little time; he was still getting paid for it. Not to mention, if they were having trouble getting him themselves, then that meant he was a slick target and he could reasonably say that he gave him the slip a time or two.

Good thing he still had his fire which would make he work a hell of a lot easier. A small smirk pulled at his lips as he lost himself a little in thought. If he had been more alert he might not have been caught off guard, or caught at all. Axel's attention snapped back and his eyes flicked down to the hand on his wrist a moment before he was spun around. His back his the bricks and air was knocked out of the lungs at the harsh suddenness of it.

He wasn't able to take a gasping breath as a hand was at his throat now. Emerald eyes blinked at the amber staring at him. Oh, look, another former friend. Why was this link suddenly filling up with those? "Hey, Saix," He choked out around the hand that didn't want him to breath. "Nice to see you didn't get run through, too." If he didn't feel so threatened, Axel might have tried for a more civil greeting. However, the last time he saw Saix, that Claymore of his went straight through his side, giving him very few options. He chose to give Sora his big chance at the last of the Organization and maybe pay Big Blue here an equally painful injury.

Whether he had been hurt was still in question seeing as Axel shouldn't exist - as usual - and yet here he was. The Flurry lifted a hand to tug at the one at his throat a little for just a bit of room to breath. "So, you after someone, too, or just looking for a bit of friendly conversation?" If it was the latter then this was a hell of a way to say hi. Somehow he didn't think it was the former since he had never been sent out to collect anyone before. Not that it mattered either way, just to long as Saix didn't keep choking him.

The Flurry glared at Saix as he lost himself in whatever thought floated into his mind. If it weren't for the hand at his throat, he really wouldn't care. It wasn't like there hadn't been times that Isa stared off into space contemplating some plan, or Saix had been considering what few options they had in their scheme. Thankfully, the grip wasn't so tight he couldn't get a little air and a small touch was all it took to get his attention. The firebug really should have touched the blue haired Nobody on sight for what he had done, but Axel couldn't bring himself to do it yet.

He rubbed a hand over his neck as he was released, frowning at his longest known ... whatever they were now. "Right, I'm just the attack dog. Woof," He sneered back. He would have continued with a more cutting remark, but old habits kicked in. There was the slightest twitch in Saix's form. It would have been imperceptible to anyone else, but they had been together for far too long for Axel not to notice. His emerald gaze darkened and he glared at the intrusion. Someone had been nearing them and obviously Saix knew them. The hard look the redhead gave still didn't let up until the man was out of sight after taking Saix's wordless order.

Well, it seemed the Diviner had settled right in here, already having lackeys. He turned his attention back to the aggressive Nobody and let his expression soften just a little. It wasn't a flat out glare, but as previously stated, they weren't friends. "What can I say? I'm hard to kill. The apprentices couldn't do it, Sora didn't, you couldn't. I couldn't even do it right." There was a hard, bitter note in his voice as he listed the times he had come closest to ceasing to exist. He wondered briefly if Sora had mentioned that Axel had put his entire being into an attack and allowed himself to fade. Had Saix thought that Sora killed him? Did he care?

It didn't matter. They weren't being nice to each other anymore. Axel crossed his arms over his chest and scowled. It was almost a pout that Lea had once upon a time, but a little too serious. There was a little too much pain in that look that he couldn't quite quash. "The links are odd. They just pull people in. From what little I know so far, it's at random. No rhyme or reason so far." Axel offered up the information out of habit. They weren't friends, they should be fighting right now considering how things ended. The Flurry should have the Diviner trapped in a ring of flames, but instead he defaulted to sharing what little bit he knew. Years together as Somebodies, and years as Nobodies plotting behind everyone's back kicked in a lot stronger than the rage of being run through. A part of him just couldn't cause Saix more pain, not yet anyway.

The redhead kept pushing at the pain, shoving it down into its little box to be forgotten. That was harder said than done, but other than a little pouting, it wasn't that hard to hide. He and Saix became masters of cover up what they were feeling, or not feeling rather. They were experts at keeping secrets, even from each other. That was the hardest part. They had been so close to the point that they knew everything about each other, then it just stopped. They stopped sharing, became more distant, and things fell apart.

It didn't matter now. Axel had done a lot of almost dying and he found that without those he was closest to, it didn't much matter. One thing Lea had been certain of was that living forever would be important. But it hadn't just been him. If he was alive in other people's memories, Isa was, too, because they were part of a whole when they were young, before everything. He was making sure Isa lived on as well. Once Saix severed their ties, he lost something. He lost everything when Roxas walked away. No matter how hard he chased, how tightly he tried to cling, there was nothing left for him. If he didn't have them, why should he live forever? Axel shrugged it off and glanced away. He was used to the admonishing tone, but slightly surprised that was all he got for trying to fade.

He shifted slightly and was glad to get back to the oddity of their newest predicament. His lip curled in distaste at the memory of waking up somewhere strange again. "It has a habit of dropping you in icky places. Whitegrove is awful. It's like Arendelle but ten times worse," He complained. Right, he shouldn't bother since Saix didn't care. He was just going to get some snide or biting comment back. No one he knew would care that he had woken up alone and actually a little cold for once. Whitegrove was much more Vexen's place than his. No, Axel hoped Vexen got dropped into a volcano if the Chilly Academic ended up here.

Axel found himself lost in thought like Saix had been and straightened up a little as he realized where he had been. There were those memories of things long since passed sneaking up on him. Things that he didn't care to recall and had gotten his revenge for once. Since he didn't think he would be seeing the blond scientist again, the once would just have to do. His thoughts wanted to go darker again but he couldn't allow that. He needed something else to focus on.

"Who was the bozo? And whose the boss?" He asked, latching onto whatever small detail he could. That brief distraction had offered one. While he hadn't registered it in that first moment, he knew now Saix had a new boss. Again the thought that he had settled in here quickly passed through his mind. Then again, Saix was great at making himself a damn near perfect second in command. It had been part of why they had been successful in their own plans for so long. Xemnas had shared with the Diviner and in turn number eight would know everything as well. Somewhere along the way the line of communication stopped and it became harder, but that didn't matter now. There were no plans between them, no need for more interaction than on a professional level if Saix ever found himself in need of information or someone hunted down. It turned out that that was all the Flurry had been good for.

Axel's gaze drifted off toward the direction the "annoyance" had disappeared. It wasn't like Saix to suffer such a person all that often, and he commented on it. "You never did have patience for more than one of those" Of course, he had been talking about himself. Lea had been a chatty kid, and to keep up appearances, he hadn't been that much different. He played up how angry he was at first, how oblivious he was. Saix had put up with him through it all til the end. He hated that it had changed.

When Saix spoke again, avoiding answering who he was working for, the Flurry blinked. Really? He was going to blame everything on him? He knew how close he had become with the Key of Destiny had been the final straw, but that was kind of the plan. There had been a reason Axel was the one to train the kid. His brow pinched and his lips set into his own scowl. He pushed off the wall and pointed at the Diviner. "You think our little break up was fun for me? You think I wanted that?" He snapped back. That hotheaded persona he had crafted came out. He wasn't going to just stand there and be told he was the only one that messed up. Yes, he could be impulsive and not all of his plans worked out, but he wasn't the only one at fault here.

Axel stepped a little closer, invading Saix's space even though it wasn't the smartest thing to do. After the last time they met, a little caution would be a good thing. However, part of him was still in denial that it happened. How could his best friend, the person he had know his entire existence, do that to him? Plus, with such close quarters, the Claymore was harder to hide in its summoning than his chakrams were. So, Axel got up in the other Nobody's face, rage and pain clear in his eyes.

"You pulled away. You shut me out." It came out as a harsh snarl. Saix wasn't the only one who could growl here. He wasn't the only one who felt betrayed. Saix was also not the one who put himself out on the line every time to accomplish some of their goals. He had put himself at the right hand of the enemy to work at his side so he could later manipulate what he could. Axel had been the one to go out and do things. He had eliminated others of the Organization. While it had been easy to do, it still could have exposed him. And Saix would have let it happen. So he chased Roxas, someone he thought had come to care so much about him, had been so relieved when he had come back from Castle Oblivion. The kid left him too.

He hated feeling like he was the only one that was doing the wrong thing. He didn't want to be the only one that had any responsibility in his relationships crumbling, no matter how true that fact was. "But, no, keeping the Key close like we wanted was the wrong move. I'm the only traitor here." Axel clenched his jaw, silently daring Saix to argue.

Arguing was okay, strangling was not. Again Axel's hand shot to Saix's at his throat. They might both be angry about the whole thing, but talk about unnecessary roughness. Axel had never been afraid of getting hurt or pain, Saix would know that, but really? Twice in the last couple of minutes was he shoved against the wall and choked. Not cool. His hands started to warm as Saix spoke, not caring that Saix had thought it best to keep him in the dark because he thought that would protect him? And what about the Diviner? Who was going to protect him from the big bad Superior?

Then he had been gone. He had left in more ways than one. As the grip on his throat loosened, his grip on that hand changed a little. It was more holding than trying to keep from being throttled. "You could have said he knew. I would have helped," He said just as softly. He couldn't remember if they had ever said it out loud, but they were always there for each other. They were damn near two halves of a whole. He had always kept Isa and Saix from snapping at someone more than necessary, and his recklessness had always been kept in check. He had always been over the top while Saix had been his polar opposite of being stoic and keeping a lower profile. It was had been a great partnership.

He would have pressed forward to get close to his former friend, but he was quite wedged between him and the bricks at his back. There was no closer to get. So he just lifted his free hand to put on the other Nobody's arm. "I don't know which "gone" you mean, but I didn't have anything left. Anything I cared about walked away." He gave a sigh and rested his head back, closing his eyes. He needed to bite back the pain that was threatening to come up. He needed something else to talk about. He needed away from the things that would shove him down a dark path.

With a deep breath, the Flurry's signature irritating smirk appeared. "Well, I guess you had to try to fill the giant void I left. Is your new annoyance any good? Do I need to give him lessons?" He offered, knowing he would immediately be turned down. It was better to play that up then continue down their hellish memory lane. There were so many things that hid in the darkest parts of their past that he was happy to pick at something else. It was easier dealing with a cranky Saix because of something stupid than something that would stab deep at both of them.

Axel could see the anger as Saix glared at him. Obviously his words were hitting a nerve, but did it matter? They weren't friends so what should he care? Lea wouldn't let him be a complete dick though. Whatever was left still wanted his friend back, still longed to cause mischief with Isa. Not only that, years of habit as a Nobody still plotting and planning with Saix were ingrained in him. It wasn't that easy to break a habit created when he was still a Somebody.

He took a deep breath as Saix answered and pulled away a little. "He can't be that good if he has to be quiet for him to be helpful," The Flurry sneered, lip curling in distaste. A proper useful nuisance could talk and still be effective. He shook his head and sighed. "Don't worry. I'll hunt him down and fix that for you. If I can't help him, then we need to get you a new partner." Okay, that was a lie since he knew Saix didn't have the patience for anyone else but him to work that closely. He needed a long list of single serving minions to rotate through so none of them met the business end of his Claymore like Axel had already done.

The redhead watched Saix move away as he thought about that. He shouldn't bother being nice, being civil. There was nothing left between them, right? So why wasn't he dead again? Third time was supposed to be a charm so if the Diviner really hated him, wouldn't he try again and make the redhead's end stick? Yet, here they were, being civil enough, damn near friendly for how they left things. Axel raised a brow as the blue haired Nobody came to a stop, waiting for him to catch up. Yeah, way too friendly for how they parted ways.

It seemed Isa was still in there after all. Axel pushed off the wall and fell in beside Saix as the other began moving again. He lifted his arms and laced his fingers behind his neck. He looked the very picture of ease though his stomach was knotted. He didn't know how to take things right now. He wasn't sure how to really handle this situation, but he was going to pretend like nothing ever happened.

He glanced over at the other male. He had looked at the time and decided the he needed to go. "Where are we going? Are you going to be late for a very important date?" He asked, poking at the white rabbit a little. The little rodent had been obsessive about being late. He knew Saix better than that, but the question still remained. Where were they going, and why did it have to be now? Okay, it was two questions, but one at a time. He still had to tread a little lightly.

Axel considered the question at hand as they walked. Had Saix ever been late? Actually ... "Yes." The answer was quick and a sly smirk followed with it. When they had first become Nobodies, Axel had still been a little too much like Lea. For as on time as Isa had made sure he was so long ago, Lea had done the exact opposite on occasion. His antics had caused them to be a little behind now and then until the eighth lost some of his childishness.

He wasn't going to go into much detail now, letting Saix choose which memories he wished he could forget. Those had been much simpler times, and part of him wanted to go back, but he knew better than to long for something so stupid as that. This was what they were stuck with now, and had to deal. At least they were being civil to each other which was one major step up from where he thought they would be. The Diviner had been Xemnas' semi-loyal dog by the end and his anger at the redhead had reached a fevered pitch. He didn't think there was anything that could help them get back to at least a tolerable place.

It seemed that a severe shift in location and who was around them was just the thing. So Axel took the chance to whine like he used to just to test the limits of this tentative place of peace between them. Why Saix chose to walk the entire way and not say a damn word was just as irritating as the Flurry not shutting up. They used to be able to call darkness and just walk right though, getting to where they wanted to go in an instant. Wouldn't that be easier? Quicker? Walking took forever. So, maybe his complaints were a little exaggerated. He was pushing buttons a little too much, but he had to get a good gauge somehow, right?

Finally, they came to a building that was obviously their destination. "Why do you insist on walking? You have a perfectly good lift available and you take the stairs," He whined while they made their way up. The floor they stopped at made Axel chuckle, wondering if Saix had requested it. It was too big a coincidence that they were on the seventh floor that would house the seventh member of the Organization. Once they got into the correct apartment, Axel was almost certain that this had been a purposeful request.

Green eyes stared at the starkness of the first room he walked into. Other than the floor being black, they might as well be back in the castle. "Wow, Saix. Who does your decorating? I need someone to make my place look this good," He said in a voice befitting the blandness of the room he was standing in. If this was a decorator's idea, then he wouldn't hire them even if he had a place of his own. Now that he had to go ahead to enter, the place was his to explore.

The firebug ventured further in, moving through whatever rooms he could to see much of the same drab color scheme. He saved the kitchen for last, peeking in all the cabinets and the fridge. "Okay, first, you need to get yourself a color scheme for this place. We aren't in the castle anymore. Second, do you not eat now that I'm not around to cook? There's nothing in here," He snapped, turning on the blue haired Nobody and motioning to the fridge that would never be full enough unless he did the shopping. What was the point of having a fridge if Saix wasn't going to have a full variety of food items?