Kingdom Hearts (AS): "Cold Feeling"
Featuring: Axel, Roxas, Namine
Words: 760
For: triptych
Third Holiday present, ready to go! Happy holidays, Nako!!
The snow was coming down in sheets, white on white on white as far as the eye could see. It was the kind of cold that got into your bones, deep, aching until you were too numb to feel the ache. Not his favorite type of weather, by any fucking means.
Roxas said, "It can't be too much farther," but Axel had no idea where he got his confidence from: they couldn't see anything except more snow in the distance. Whenever the wind picked up, the open field they were slowly crossing became a blizzard. Loose snow blowing everywhere, zero visibility.
The little witch was falling behind again, her breathing heavier than theirs. In a moment, she would force herself into a burst of speed to catch up with them, and then she would walk beside him for a while. Struggling to match his long strides.
"Where are we even going?" Axel called ahead, not for the first time.
At first he thought Roxas was ignoring him, and he would have respected that -- after all, it was getting harder all the time to keep talking: they were tired. But the blond tightened the scarf around his neck and said, "You know where we're going."
Axel grinned, closing his eyes, and confessed, "Maybe I just want to hear you say it."
Another silence, not as long this time. Roxas gave an irritable sigh: "Fine. We're following the faun's directions."
"And?" Axel prodded.
"And we're looking for a beaver," Roxas finished reluctantly.
It sounded completely and utterly ridiculous. But Axel was getting used to completely and utterly ridiculous. Maybe he was even starting to like it.
"Animals... talk on -- some worlds," Namine puffed out. Her cheeks were red from the cold. "What's so silly... about -- looking for a beaver...?"
"Point," Axel conceded, bemused. It probably said more about him than it did about her, but he was still slightly startled whenever the witch actually spoke to him.
Again the wind gusted across the field, and again Axel's vision turned white. He burrowed deeper into his coat and was quietly grateful for the thick furs they had found when they emerged from the dark corridor. It didn't stop his cheeks from stinging or make his feet any less frozen solid, but it was keeping the rest of him at something not too far below room temperature.
"Seriously," he said when the wind had died down again. "Why don't we just leave? This place can't be that important."
Roxas tossed him what looked suspiciously like an amused glance over one shoulder. "I thought you were the Flurry of Dancing Flames. Can't you even keep yourself warm?"
Axel grimaced. He hadn't exactly mentioned this part yet. "Yeah, you'd think so, but believe me -- I've been fucking trying. There's something wrong with this snow, it won't melt. And without melting the snow, I can't do anything permanent."
"I think you're just making excuses," Roxas laughed, and Axel gave him a smile that was mostly teeth, letting it drop. "What do you think, Namine? Is he just making excuses?"
No reply. Axel turned to look for her, thinking at first that the witch had just fallen behind again and ready with a caustic remark -- but no, she wasn't a few feet back and hurrying to catch up. She had actually stopped walking this time, her eyes trained on the sky overhead.
Roxas padded back to her and Axel followed him. "Namine? What are you looking at?"
She pursed her lips, but smiled at them both and quickly started moving forward again. "It's probably nothing," she explained as they hurried to walk beside her. "I'm just not used to seeing birds. There were none in Castle Oblivion, and in Twilight Town I hardly ever..."
There was a brief, awkward pause. She looked at Roxas. Roxas smiled for her, reassuring.
"It's okay," he said. Axel wondered if he meant it; if he would ever really mean it. "Just tell us what you're thinking."
Namine shook her head. "I'm not sure," she murmured. "It's just a feeling, really. But... haven't there been crows flying overhead ever since we left Mr. Tumnus's house?"
Axel glanced up. He counted four crows -- no, five. It wouldn't have struck him as particularly unusual for birds, except that they didn't seem to be flying in a flock. Just five individual black specks in the air, maybe even at different altitudes. A glance at Roxas found the same concern on his face.
"I think," Roxas began grimly, "we really need to get where we're going. Come on, let's cut through the forest -- if it's thick enough, we might be able to lose them."
Words: 760
For: triptych
Third Holiday present, ready to go! Happy holidays, Nako!!
The snow was coming down in sheets, white on white on white as far as the eye could see. It was the kind of cold that got into your bones, deep, aching until you were too numb to feel the ache. Not his favorite type of weather, by any fucking means.
Roxas said, "It can't be too much farther," but Axel had no idea where he got his confidence from: they couldn't see anything except more snow in the distance. Whenever the wind picked up, the open field they were slowly crossing became a blizzard. Loose snow blowing everywhere, zero visibility.
The little witch was falling behind again, her breathing heavier than theirs. In a moment, she would force herself into a burst of speed to catch up with them, and then she would walk beside him for a while. Struggling to match his long strides.
"Where are we even going?" Axel called ahead, not for the first time.
At first he thought Roxas was ignoring him, and he would have respected that -- after all, it was getting harder all the time to keep talking: they were tired. But the blond tightened the scarf around his neck and said, "You know where we're going."
Axel grinned, closing his eyes, and confessed, "Maybe I just want to hear you say it."
Another silence, not as long this time. Roxas gave an irritable sigh: "Fine. We're following the faun's directions."
"And?" Axel prodded.
"And we're looking for a beaver," Roxas finished reluctantly.
It sounded completely and utterly ridiculous. But Axel was getting used to completely and utterly ridiculous. Maybe he was even starting to like it.
"Animals... talk on -- some worlds," Namine puffed out. Her cheeks were red from the cold. "What's so silly... about -- looking for a beaver...?"
"Point," Axel conceded, bemused. It probably said more about him than it did about her, but he was still slightly startled whenever the witch actually spoke to him.
Again the wind gusted across the field, and again Axel's vision turned white. He burrowed deeper into his coat and was quietly grateful for the thick furs they had found when they emerged from the dark corridor. It didn't stop his cheeks from stinging or make his feet any less frozen solid, but it was keeping the rest of him at something not too far below room temperature.
"Seriously," he said when the wind had died down again. "Why don't we just leave? This place can't be that important."
Roxas tossed him what looked suspiciously like an amused glance over one shoulder. "I thought you were the Flurry of Dancing Flames. Can't you even keep yourself warm?"
Axel grimaced. He hadn't exactly mentioned this part yet. "Yeah, you'd think so, but believe me -- I've been fucking trying. There's something wrong with this snow, it won't melt. And without melting the snow, I can't do anything permanent."
"I think you're just making excuses," Roxas laughed, and Axel gave him a smile that was mostly teeth, letting it drop. "What do you think, Namine? Is he just making excuses?"
No reply. Axel turned to look for her, thinking at first that the witch had just fallen behind again and ready with a caustic remark -- but no, she wasn't a few feet back and hurrying to catch up. She had actually stopped walking this time, her eyes trained on the sky overhead.
Roxas padded back to her and Axel followed him. "Namine? What are you looking at?"
She pursed her lips, but smiled at them both and quickly started moving forward again. "It's probably nothing," she explained as they hurried to walk beside her. "I'm just not used to seeing birds. There were none in Castle Oblivion, and in Twilight Town I hardly ever..."
There was a brief, awkward pause. She looked at Roxas. Roxas smiled for her, reassuring.
"It's okay," he said. Axel wondered if he meant it; if he would ever really mean it. "Just tell us what you're thinking."
Namine shook her head. "I'm not sure," she murmured. "It's just a feeling, really. But... haven't there been crows flying overhead ever since we left Mr. Tumnus's house?"
Axel glanced up. He counted four crows -- no, five. It wouldn't have struck him as particularly unusual for birds, except that they didn't seem to be flying in a flock. Just five individual black specks in the air, maybe even at different altitudes. A glance at Roxas found the same concern on his face.
"I think," Roxas began grimly, "we really need to get where we're going. Come on, let's cut through the forest -- if it's thick enough, we might be able to lose them."