New World (Axel/Rikku, T)
Title: New World
Rating: T
Pairing: Axel/Rikku (or Axel & Rikku Friendship)
Word Count: 2,643
Warnings: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, or Final Fantasy X. They are owned by Square Enix, and Disney. <3
Summary: Axel only wanted to find Roxas. He didn't think his navigational skills were that bad. [Kingdom Hearts x Final Fantasy X crossover. ]
A/N: Um...I forgot how I spawned this idea. <3 But, yeah. Hope you like it. Set after Roxas leaves the Organization, but before the beginning of Final Fantasy X. ...:D
Oh yeah. I remember -- all the Kingdom Hearts characters have the Al Bhed Eyes (being swirled). ...Yeah. <3
Oh. And there is Al Bhed. But it's translated. ♥.
Stumbling over another sand dune, Axel squinted as he scanned the horizon. Realizing that there was absolutely nothing in sight, he resisted the urge to fall to the sand and collapse without a care.
After he had fought against Roxas and lost, and disappeared into the darkness to heal, he felt Roxas’s being disperse. It was almost like he simply knew that Roxas was no longer a part of the world - that he’d gone to allow Sora to bring back his memories - and that was exactly what Axel didn’t want.
So the Nobody quickly opened a portal of darkness, hoping to find his best friend’s Somebody in one of the worlds he would happen to come across, defeat the boy, and save Roxas from his nonexistent fate.
Axel, however, did not know half of the worlds that he stumbled upon. Between falling into a thicket, and almost bumping into a cross-dressing girl-turned-warrior, to stumbling into a world where jack-o-lanterns filled the air and his outfit became abnormally gothic, Axel realized that this might take some time. So he promised himself that the next world he stopped in, he would not leave until he found someone that he could get directions from.
And...well, he’d been stuck here for about four hours.
Axel finally collapsed to his knees, using his chakram as a support to keep him from collapsing into the sand completely as he stared out into the distance. What world was this? He never remembered the Superior assigning this type of world…
A quick glance up showed that the relentless sun was not planning to let up soon, and he gave an almost embarrassed chuckle. “Sorry Roxas,” he mumbled aloud, before his eyes closed, and he passed out on the sand dunes.
Five minutes after Axel had collapsed, a small machine drove past where he was. Realizing that a person was there, the driver instantly stepped on the brakes before she ran him over. “Fruy! [Whoa]" She exclaimed, shaking the sand out of her blond hair, and pulling her goggles off of her eyes. Kneeling next to the fallen man, she poked his cheek. A few pokes later told her that he was no longer conscious - okay, that could be changed. But she couldn't bring him back to Home if he was a Yevonite....
Suddenly, the redhaired person groaned, and she almost jumped away. "Rao! Yna oui ymeja un hud?! [Hey! Are you alive or not?!]” She shouted to him, as the man stopped moving again. Quieting for a few moments, she heard his faint breathing, and gave a frown. "Bubc fuimt ryja so rayt ev E pnuikrd y Yevonite du Home... [Pops won’t like it if I brought a Yevonite to Home…]"
She sighed, before reaching for his eyes, and pulling one lid down. Then, she jumped away. Wait-a-minute. Why did this mysterious man, with flaming red hair and the most unusual clothing taste, have the signature Al Bhed swirly green eyes? She gave him a grin, before lugging Axel onto the back of her machine. “Tuh'd oui funno ypuid y drehk, socdaneuic syh! Rikku femm dyga lyna uv oui! [Don't you worry about a thing, mysterious man! Rikku will take care of you!]”
Rikku gave a grin back to Axel, before taking off at full speed.
--
When Axel awoke, the first thing he realized was that he was cold. Not cold as in “I just pissed off Vexen, and I’m now incased in a block of ice,” cold. No - he would’ve noticed that feeling instantly, and the ice around him would have melted.
But…it more or less felt as though he was in an air conditioned room. Hm, that was certainly odd. He knew he’d passed out on a sand dune, after realizing that his navigational skills were much to be desired…
A quick glance around the room showed him that it had to be some type of workshop, with all the machines and tools around him. He was currently lying on some bed, in some room, in a place where he had no idea what the people were like (well, perhaps people. He’d heard stories about the Pride Lands from Demyx; that was one place he’d never want to go to) - but he would be alright.
He was Axel, after all.
Suddenly, noises appeared outside of the door that Axel was currently in. He half thought about teleporting out of there, but before he could force his body to react, the door was flung open, and a girl and a guy stormed in, approaching him.
"Rikku! Zicd palyica ra ryc uin aoac… [Rikku! Just because he has our eyes...]" The guy commented, pointing to Axel, and almost jabbing his eye out. Axel glared up to the person -- he didn't really matter now. He was going to get a chakram in the back -- and the girl pouted.
"Lusa uh! Uin aoac ynah'd lussuh, yht ra fyc byccat uid eh dra tacand! Oui fuimt'ja tuha yhodrehk vun yho kenm oui sekrd ryja caah! [Brother! Come on! Our eyes aren't common, and he was passed out in the desert! You would've done anything for any girl you might have seen!]" She retorted, poking him in the chest. Axel refused to stare opened mouthed at both of them at the sheer fact that he couldn’t understand them.
That sounds strange, but overall, seeing as no matter where a Nobody went, they could understand the language, it was reasonable that Axel was so surprised.
The guy let out a groan that sounded more like a whine, before turning to Axel. “You…watch …sister…right?”
Axel raised one eyebrow, and the guy rolled his eyes before turning back to the girl. “Pa lynavim, Rikku, [Be careful, Rikku]” he advised, before walking out of the door and slamming it shut.
After the guy had been gone for about a minute or so, Axel cleared his throat. “I’m going to leave now-”he attempted, before the girl almost choked him in a hug.
“Ah! I can’t believe it! Someone that has our eyes, but can’t speak Al Bhed!’ Pulling back as to allow Axel to speak, she tugged on his hair. “And such unusual hair…”
Shoving her off, Axel narrowed his eyes. “Either explain to me who you are, or I’m leaving.”
The girl nodded intently. “Name’s Rikku, and I’m the Princess of the Al Bheds! Doesn’t stop me from working for Pop, though,” she scoffed, but her good humor laced her features. “Anyway, you’re at Home, which is where all Al Bheds - well, most, at least - live.”
Axel smirked, before stretching his arms. “Well, Princess, I’m afraid I’m not the type of guy you want to get involved with.” She blinked, and tilted her head. “I’m a heartless bastard, girl. So how about you let me go on my merry way, and I won’t take yours.”
“My what?” She repeated, irritating Axel. “And just because you’re heartless doesn’t mean you can’t change…”
He ran a hand through his hair, before trying again. “Princess…”
“Name’s Rikku,” she interjected with a frown. He rolled his eyes.
“Whatever. Look, I’m a Nobody -heard of them? We don’t have hearts. And because of the lack of hearts, we can’t feel emotions either.”
Rikku let out a soft laugh. Axel was debating whether it would be beneficial to drive his chakram through her petite body when she suddenly leaned her head against his chest, her smile ebbing away as she listened. “You…I hear no heart beat,” she commented in awe. Axel simply gave a sigh.
“Isn’t that what I’ve been trying to tell you before?” He muttered, as she jumped away in surprise.
“You…” she pointed a finger at him. “You shouldn’t be alive! Maybe you’re a machina!” She grinned, before hopping off the bed, and rushing to the work bench, grabbing one of many tools.
Axel climbed off the bed as well, internally peeved at the lack of his shirt. He, personally, didn’t want to know where it had gone, and was glad that his pants were still on his person. “A what?”
“A machina!” She repeated, turning back to him with a monkey wrench in hand. “Perhaps if I fix you…”
An almost blinding light appeared, and Axel was holding his chakrams in hand, glare etched on his face. “Touch me, ‘Rikku,’ and I swear I’ll be the last thing you’ll see.”
Metal clanged against metal as Rikku smirked up to the redhead, her claw attached to her right hand pressing against the chakram with little effort. “May I remind you,” she spoke softly, before smiling up to him. “If you hurt me, every person in Home will come after you with vengeance.”
Axel didn’t want to push his luck, even if he could’ve simply teleported after killing her, so he lowered his weapon with a smirk. “Interesting weapon choice, Princess.”
She grinned, before lowing her weapon as well. “Thanks! Thought it up myself - Pops would kill me if he knew I attempted to use it on a guest!” Unlatching her weapon from her arm, she then turned back to Axel with a questioning stare. “Why are you here? You don’t even seem to be from Spira…”
“…Spira?” he repeated, raising his eyebrow. “I thought you said this was Home…?”
She frowned, before muttering under her breath, “...Drec sekrd pa duikran dryh E vencd druikrd... […This might be tougher than I first thought]” and sitting on the bed. “Well, how’d you get here?”
“None of your business,” he grinned, before sitting on the bed as well. When she scowled at him, he gave an innocent shrug. “Let’s say I appeared here out of magic. Work with that.”
“Okaaay…” she pursed her lips, and tapped her chin. “Alright. Better question -why are you here?”
When Axel didn’t give her a response - cocky or serious - she turned to face him, only to see that his face had become serious. “I’m…looking for someone.” He admitted after a few moments of silence. “I haven’t been able to navigate the worlds correctly, and …I ended up here.”
“Worlds!?” Rikku echoed, excitement laced in her voice.
Axel shot her a look, and shook his head. “Magic, Princess.”
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “No - magic is like… fire, water, or…” she gave a small shudder, “thunder. Magic doesn’t have to deal with appearing and disappearing from places. And Spira is the only world, I hope you know.”
Axel shook his head in amusement. “Alright.”
When he didn’t continue, she poked his side. “Annd? Who is this someone? A girlfriend? A lover? A guy who stole all your gil, and refused to pay you back? Brother’s done that to me a lot - quite annoying, actually…”
“Gil?” Axel repeated, raising an eyebrow. “What is that? And no, remember? No heart equals no love. Can’t have a girlfriend without a heart.”
Rikku rolled her eyes. “Gil? Money? Yeesh, where do you come from? I mean, even the Ronso use Gil, and they’re… …well, they’re not exactly human. But anyway,” she waved her hand, as though dispersing the issue. “What’s her name then, if you’re serarching so intently for her?”
“Him,” Axel correctly, lying back onto the bed. “His name is Roxas.”
When Rikku gave no response (which was odd for the girl), he sat up, and looked over to her. She was currently grinning at him, almost nervously, as she fiddled with her hair. “A guy, huh?” She gave a wider grin, and poked him in the chest. “I wouldn’t have thought you swung like that.”
“No heart, no love.” Axel repeated, shaking his head. “And he’s my best friend, so lay off.”
She frowned. “But…no heart, means no feelings, right?” Axel gave a nod, and slowly clapped his hands. Rikku narrowed her eyes and slapped his hands away. “But… no feelings means you can’t have a best friend, right?” Axel closed his eyes, and turned away, avoiding the question. “Answer me! I could always chuck you right back in the desert, you know.”
“Fine, do so.” He retorted, with a shrug. “It wouldn’t matter if I died - can’t care, anyway.”
She froze, before moving away from him, her bright features falling. “Don’t say that,” she mumbled, shaking her head. “Someone out there cares for you, they have to. Even if they can’t show it.”
He rolled his eyes, but glanced back to her. Axel could only stare as she sniffled, before wiping her eyes. A few minutes passed, and she gave a small laugh. “I guess you really can’t feel, huh? No pity for a girl crying?”
Axel shrugged. “I probably should, but no, I really don’t.”
She shook her head, and wiped the remaining tears out of her eyes. “Well, it shows that you tell the truth, anyway.”
He gave Rikku a bemused look. “Was that a joke?”
“No!” She exclaimed, giving him a light shove. He narrowed his eyes at that, but she continued, as though she didn’t see it. “I was just thinking…to back when my mom died. But of course, you can’t care about anything, so I probably shouldn’t have.”
Axel blinked, before exhaling. “Sorry.”
“What are you sorry for?” She laughed. “You can’t be sorry, anyway, right?”
“Least we got that through your skull, huh?” Axel smirked, as she continued laughing. His smirk faded when the door slammed open, and an older man was standing there, eyes wide and angry.
Rikku, noting that Axel wasn’t looking at her anymore, followed his gaze to the door, in which her smile fell. “Uh oh… Hi Pops.”
The old man gave him another glare, before shouting at her in that strange language again. She responded, and climbed off the bed, jabbing him in the chest. This went on for some time, and Axel simply sat watching, half of him curious as to what in the world they were talking about (although it wasn’t that difficult to guess, seeing as the old man kept glaring over to him), and half wondering what had happened to his shirt, boats, and cloak.
By the time Rikku’s father had finally left (in which he made sure to add a loud "Oui ghuf fryd kioc mega res yna yvdan, Rikku. [You know what guys like him are after, Rikku]”), Axel had located his garments, and was currently dressing himself. Rikku approached him, scowling.
“Pops…I swear, sometimes, he’s so old!” She groaned, pulling at her hair. “He thought that I’d brought you in for… ugh.” Waving her hands in the air, she flopped onto the bed. “Sorry about that.”
Axel shrugged, and straightened out his cloak. “So you say I’m at Home, right?” He asked, without turning around. Rikku nodded, and hopped off the bed.
“Yep! I don’t know where you’re going, but since you’d never heard of Spira, I’ll assume it’s not here. So,” after rummaging in her drawers, she pulled out a map. “Here. It’s a map of Spira - kinda outdated, sorry - but at least you’ll know where to avoid.”
He nodded, taking the map, and placing in into an internal pocket of his cloak. “Thanks.”
Holding up a hand to create a portal, Axel gave a grin over his shoulder. After the portal was created, he moved to walk into it, when Rikku grabbed his arm. “Wait! I just realized…you never told me your name!”
He shrugged her off, and gave her a wave. “It’s Axel. Remember it, Princess.” With a smirk, he walked off, and the portal disappeared.
Just as soon as it did, her room door slammed open again. “Rikku!” She turned over, to see two guys - one being her brother - walk into her room.
“Hey, Buddy,” She smiled. “What’s up?”
Buddy shook his head. “Apparently, there’s a reading of an old air ship near the ruins of Baaj temple! Come on!”
Rikku grinned widely, grabbing her claw off her desk. “Sure, be right there!”
Rating: T
Pairing: Axel/Rikku (or Axel & Rikku Friendship)
Word Count: 2,643
Warnings: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, or Final Fantasy X. They are owned by Square Enix, and Disney. <3
Summary: Axel only wanted to find Roxas. He didn't think his navigational skills were that bad. [Kingdom Hearts x Final Fantasy X crossover. ]
A/N: Um...I forgot how I spawned this idea. <3 But, yeah. Hope you like it. Set after Roxas leaves the Organization, but before the beginning of Final Fantasy X. ...:D
Oh yeah. I remember -- all the Kingdom Hearts characters have the Al Bhed Eyes (being swirled). ...Yeah. <3
Oh. And there is Al Bhed. But it's translated. ♥.
Stumbling over another sand dune, Axel squinted as he scanned the horizon. Realizing that there was absolutely nothing in sight, he resisted the urge to fall to the sand and collapse without a care.
After he had fought against Roxas and lost, and disappeared into the darkness to heal, he felt Roxas’s being disperse. It was almost like he simply knew that Roxas was no longer a part of the world - that he’d gone to allow Sora to bring back his memories - and that was exactly what Axel didn’t want.
So the Nobody quickly opened a portal of darkness, hoping to find his best friend’s Somebody in one of the worlds he would happen to come across, defeat the boy, and save Roxas from his nonexistent fate.
Axel, however, did not know half of the worlds that he stumbled upon. Between falling into a thicket, and almost bumping into a cross-dressing girl-turned-warrior, to stumbling into a world where jack-o-lanterns filled the air and his outfit became abnormally gothic, Axel realized that this might take some time. So he promised himself that the next world he stopped in, he would not leave until he found someone that he could get directions from.
And...well, he’d been stuck here for about four hours.
Axel finally collapsed to his knees, using his chakram as a support to keep him from collapsing into the sand completely as he stared out into the distance. What world was this? He never remembered the Superior assigning this type of world…
A quick glance up showed that the relentless sun was not planning to let up soon, and he gave an almost embarrassed chuckle. “Sorry Roxas,” he mumbled aloud, before his eyes closed, and he passed out on the sand dunes.
Five minutes after Axel had collapsed, a small machine drove past where he was. Realizing that a person was there, the driver instantly stepped on the brakes before she ran him over. “Fruy! [Whoa]" She exclaimed, shaking the sand out of her blond hair, and pulling her goggles off of her eyes. Kneeling next to the fallen man, she poked his cheek. A few pokes later told her that he was no longer conscious - okay, that could be changed. But she couldn't bring him back to Home if he was a Yevonite....
Suddenly, the redhaired person groaned, and she almost jumped away. "Rao! Yna oui ymeja un hud?! [Hey! Are you alive or not?!]” She shouted to him, as the man stopped moving again. Quieting for a few moments, she heard his faint breathing, and gave a frown. "Bubc fuimt ryja so rayt ev E pnuikrd y Yevonite du Home... [Pops won’t like it if I brought a Yevonite to Home…]"
She sighed, before reaching for his eyes, and pulling one lid down. Then, she jumped away. Wait-a-minute. Why did this mysterious man, with flaming red hair and the most unusual clothing taste, have the signature Al Bhed swirly green eyes? She gave him a grin, before lugging Axel onto the back of her machine. “Tuh'd oui funno ypuid y drehk, socdaneuic syh! Rikku femm dyga lyna uv oui! [Don't you worry about a thing, mysterious man! Rikku will take care of you!]”
Rikku gave a grin back to Axel, before taking off at full speed.
--
When Axel awoke, the first thing he realized was that he was cold. Not cold as in “I just pissed off Vexen, and I’m now incased in a block of ice,” cold. No - he would’ve noticed that feeling instantly, and the ice around him would have melted.
But…it more or less felt as though he was in an air conditioned room. Hm, that was certainly odd. He knew he’d passed out on a sand dune, after realizing that his navigational skills were much to be desired…
A quick glance around the room showed him that it had to be some type of workshop, with all the machines and tools around him. He was currently lying on some bed, in some room, in a place where he had no idea what the people were like (well, perhaps people. He’d heard stories about the Pride Lands from Demyx; that was one place he’d never want to go to) - but he would be alright.
He was Axel, after all.
Suddenly, noises appeared outside of the door that Axel was currently in. He half thought about teleporting out of there, but before he could force his body to react, the door was flung open, and a girl and a guy stormed in, approaching him.
"Rikku! Zicd palyica ra ryc uin aoac… [Rikku! Just because he has our eyes...]" The guy commented, pointing to Axel, and almost jabbing his eye out. Axel glared up to the person -- he didn't really matter now. He was going to get a chakram in the back -- and the girl pouted.
"Lusa uh! Uin aoac ynah'd lussuh, yht ra fyc byccat uid eh dra tacand! Oui fuimt'ja tuha yhodrehk vun yho kenm oui sekrd ryja caah! [Brother! Come on! Our eyes aren't common, and he was passed out in the desert! You would've done anything for any girl you might have seen!]" She retorted, poking him in the chest. Axel refused to stare opened mouthed at both of them at the sheer fact that he couldn’t understand them.
That sounds strange, but overall, seeing as no matter where a Nobody went, they could understand the language, it was reasonable that Axel was so surprised.
The guy let out a groan that sounded more like a whine, before turning to Axel. “You…watch …sister…right?”
Axel raised one eyebrow, and the guy rolled his eyes before turning back to the girl. “Pa lynavim, Rikku, [Be careful, Rikku]” he advised, before walking out of the door and slamming it shut.
After the guy had been gone for about a minute or so, Axel cleared his throat. “I’m going to leave now-”he attempted, before the girl almost choked him in a hug.
“Ah! I can’t believe it! Someone that has our eyes, but can’t speak Al Bhed!’ Pulling back as to allow Axel to speak, she tugged on his hair. “And such unusual hair…”
Shoving her off, Axel narrowed his eyes. “Either explain to me who you are, or I’m leaving.”
The girl nodded intently. “Name’s Rikku, and I’m the Princess of the Al Bheds! Doesn’t stop me from working for Pop, though,” she scoffed, but her good humor laced her features. “Anyway, you’re at Home, which is where all Al Bheds - well, most, at least - live.”
Axel smirked, before stretching his arms. “Well, Princess, I’m afraid I’m not the type of guy you want to get involved with.” She blinked, and tilted her head. “I’m a heartless bastard, girl. So how about you let me go on my merry way, and I won’t take yours.”
“My what?” She repeated, irritating Axel. “And just because you’re heartless doesn’t mean you can’t change…”
He ran a hand through his hair, before trying again. “Princess…”
“Name’s Rikku,” she interjected with a frown. He rolled his eyes.
“Whatever. Look, I’m a Nobody -heard of them? We don’t have hearts. And because of the lack of hearts, we can’t feel emotions either.”
Rikku let out a soft laugh. Axel was debating whether it would be beneficial to drive his chakram through her petite body when she suddenly leaned her head against his chest, her smile ebbing away as she listened. “You…I hear no heart beat,” she commented in awe. Axel simply gave a sigh.
“Isn’t that what I’ve been trying to tell you before?” He muttered, as she jumped away in surprise.
“You…” she pointed a finger at him. “You shouldn’t be alive! Maybe you’re a machina!” She grinned, before hopping off the bed, and rushing to the work bench, grabbing one of many tools.
Axel climbed off the bed as well, internally peeved at the lack of his shirt. He, personally, didn’t want to know where it had gone, and was glad that his pants were still on his person. “A what?”
“A machina!” She repeated, turning back to him with a monkey wrench in hand. “Perhaps if I fix you…”
An almost blinding light appeared, and Axel was holding his chakrams in hand, glare etched on his face. “Touch me, ‘Rikku,’ and I swear I’ll be the last thing you’ll see.”
Metal clanged against metal as Rikku smirked up to the redhead, her claw attached to her right hand pressing against the chakram with little effort. “May I remind you,” she spoke softly, before smiling up to him. “If you hurt me, every person in Home will come after you with vengeance.”
Axel didn’t want to push his luck, even if he could’ve simply teleported after killing her, so he lowered his weapon with a smirk. “Interesting weapon choice, Princess.”
She grinned, before lowing her weapon as well. “Thanks! Thought it up myself - Pops would kill me if he knew I attempted to use it on a guest!” Unlatching her weapon from her arm, she then turned back to Axel with a questioning stare. “Why are you here? You don’t even seem to be from Spira…”
“…Spira?” he repeated, raising his eyebrow. “I thought you said this was Home…?”
She frowned, before muttering under her breath, “...Drec sekrd pa duikran dryh E vencd druikrd... […This might be tougher than I first thought]” and sitting on the bed. “Well, how’d you get here?”
“None of your business,” he grinned, before sitting on the bed as well. When she scowled at him, he gave an innocent shrug. “Let’s say I appeared here out of magic. Work with that.”
“Okaaay…” she pursed her lips, and tapped her chin. “Alright. Better question -why are you here?”
When Axel didn’t give her a response - cocky or serious - she turned to face him, only to see that his face had become serious. “I’m…looking for someone.” He admitted after a few moments of silence. “I haven’t been able to navigate the worlds correctly, and …I ended up here.”
“Worlds!?” Rikku echoed, excitement laced in her voice.
Axel shot her a look, and shook his head. “Magic, Princess.”
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “No - magic is like… fire, water, or…” she gave a small shudder, “thunder. Magic doesn’t have to deal with appearing and disappearing from places. And Spira is the only world, I hope you know.”
Axel shook his head in amusement. “Alright.”
When he didn’t continue, she poked his side. “Annd? Who is this someone? A girlfriend? A lover? A guy who stole all your gil, and refused to pay you back? Brother’s done that to me a lot - quite annoying, actually…”
“Gil?” Axel repeated, raising an eyebrow. “What is that? And no, remember? No heart equals no love. Can’t have a girlfriend without a heart.”
Rikku rolled her eyes. “Gil? Money? Yeesh, where do you come from? I mean, even the Ronso use Gil, and they’re… …well, they’re not exactly human. But anyway,” she waved her hand, as though dispersing the issue. “What’s her name then, if you’re serarching so intently for her?”
“Him,” Axel correctly, lying back onto the bed. “His name is Roxas.”
When Rikku gave no response (which was odd for the girl), he sat up, and looked over to her. She was currently grinning at him, almost nervously, as she fiddled with her hair. “A guy, huh?” She gave a wider grin, and poked him in the chest. “I wouldn’t have thought you swung like that.”
“No heart, no love.” Axel repeated, shaking his head. “And he’s my best friend, so lay off.”
She frowned. “But…no heart, means no feelings, right?” Axel gave a nod, and slowly clapped his hands. Rikku narrowed her eyes and slapped his hands away. “But… no feelings means you can’t have a best friend, right?” Axel closed his eyes, and turned away, avoiding the question. “Answer me! I could always chuck you right back in the desert, you know.”
“Fine, do so.” He retorted, with a shrug. “It wouldn’t matter if I died - can’t care, anyway.”
She froze, before moving away from him, her bright features falling. “Don’t say that,” she mumbled, shaking her head. “Someone out there cares for you, they have to. Even if they can’t show it.”
He rolled his eyes, but glanced back to her. Axel could only stare as she sniffled, before wiping her eyes. A few minutes passed, and she gave a small laugh. “I guess you really can’t feel, huh? No pity for a girl crying?”
Axel shrugged. “I probably should, but no, I really don’t.”
She shook her head, and wiped the remaining tears out of her eyes. “Well, it shows that you tell the truth, anyway.”
He gave Rikku a bemused look. “Was that a joke?”
“No!” She exclaimed, giving him a light shove. He narrowed his eyes at that, but she continued, as though she didn’t see it. “I was just thinking…to back when my mom died. But of course, you can’t care about anything, so I probably shouldn’t have.”
Axel blinked, before exhaling. “Sorry.”
“What are you sorry for?” She laughed. “You can’t be sorry, anyway, right?”
“Least we got that through your skull, huh?” Axel smirked, as she continued laughing. His smirk faded when the door slammed open, and an older man was standing there, eyes wide and angry.
Rikku, noting that Axel wasn’t looking at her anymore, followed his gaze to the door, in which her smile fell. “Uh oh… Hi Pops.”
The old man gave him another glare, before shouting at her in that strange language again. She responded, and climbed off the bed, jabbing him in the chest. This went on for some time, and Axel simply sat watching, half of him curious as to what in the world they were talking about (although it wasn’t that difficult to guess, seeing as the old man kept glaring over to him), and half wondering what had happened to his shirt, boats, and cloak.
By the time Rikku’s father had finally left (in which he made sure to add a loud "Oui ghuf fryd kioc mega res yna yvdan, Rikku. [You know what guys like him are after, Rikku]”), Axel had located his garments, and was currently dressing himself. Rikku approached him, scowling.
“Pops…I swear, sometimes, he’s so old!” She groaned, pulling at her hair. “He thought that I’d brought you in for… ugh.” Waving her hands in the air, she flopped onto the bed. “Sorry about that.”
Axel shrugged, and straightened out his cloak. “So you say I’m at Home, right?” He asked, without turning around. Rikku nodded, and hopped off the bed.
“Yep! I don’t know where you’re going, but since you’d never heard of Spira, I’ll assume it’s not here. So,” after rummaging in her drawers, she pulled out a map. “Here. It’s a map of Spira - kinda outdated, sorry - but at least you’ll know where to avoid.”
He nodded, taking the map, and placing in into an internal pocket of his cloak. “Thanks.”
Holding up a hand to create a portal, Axel gave a grin over his shoulder. After the portal was created, he moved to walk into it, when Rikku grabbed his arm. “Wait! I just realized…you never told me your name!”
He shrugged her off, and gave her a wave. “It’s Axel. Remember it, Princess.” With a smirk, he walked off, and the portal disappeared.
Just as soon as it did, her room door slammed open again. “Rikku!” She turned over, to see two guys - one being her brother - walk into her room.
“Hey, Buddy,” She smiled. “What’s up?”
Buddy shook his head. “Apparently, there’s a reading of an old air ship near the ruins of Baaj temple! Come on!”
Rikku grinned widely, grabbing her claw off her desk. “Sure, be right there!”