Wind’s Four Quarters (Kingdom Hearts 2 Axel/Sora)

[belladonna12.livejournal.com]

Title:  Wind’s Four Quarters
Author: belladonna12
Rating:  PG13
Word count:  1199
Summary:  In all things there must be balance… three’s not a balanced number, but four is.
A/N:   Meh, mixed in another song along with the requested lyrics, helping to set this up.  Kind of a strange piece, but another one I like.  And yes, I know most playable characters can’t use 4^th level or -ja spells except for Curaja, but I’m bending the rules in this fic.

Disclaimer: I don’t own the ideas for Kingdom Hearts, Disney and Square Enix do.  Nor do I own either song used in this.  I’m making no money here, so please don’t sue me.
Prompt: Kingdom Hearts, Axel/Sora: shadows- "And on a hot summer night-" "Say anything about wolves and I hit you."

 

 

Wind’s Four Quarters

 

Wind’s four Quarters

Air and Fire

Earth and Water

Hear my desire

Grant my plea

Who stands alone

Maiden, Warrior

Mother and Crone --- Winds Four Quarters, Mercedes Lackey (I think)

 

It’s a week after the incident with Xemnas that Sora first sees him.  He’s sitting in the shadows, huge headphones jamming that mane of red hair down, eyes closed in bliss, and singing approximately three notes off key, but it’s him.  Sora can’t believe it.

 

“Eastern wind blow clear blow clean, cleanse my body of its pain, cleanse my mind of what I’ve seen, cleanse my honor of its stain.  Maid whose love has never ceased, bring me healing from the east.”

 

He’s gone before Sora can stop him, disappearing deeper into the shadows even though all that bloodfire red hair and moonpale skin should prevent such a talent.  The next day, a medium large Heartless attacks the school, and Kairi shows Mastery of a magic neither Sora nor Riku can effectively control, Aeroja.  Sora wonders as he turns the song over in his mind if that is because of him, if he’s manipulating them for some reason or power again.  Manipulation is something that he’s always been good at. 

 

Three days later, Sora catches sight of him at the docks, sitting on a pier with his bare feet dangling in the water, a fishing rod, and the same headphones.  It’s a different verse today, and Sora gets the odd feeling that one’s been skipped, moved from the order it’s supposed to be in.

 

“Western wind blow stark blow strong, grant me arm and mind of steel.  On a road both hard and long, Mother hear me where I kneel.  Let no weakness on my quest, hinder me wind of the west.”

 

Sora would go and confront him, but his mother grabs him and hauls him along, gushing about this cute new outfit she’s seen and how he has to try it.  When Sora looks back, he’s pulling up his fishing rod and slipping his shoes on, clearly leaving for the day.  Hours later a swarm of small and persistent Heartless show up, burrowing underground to keep away from Keyblades and most spells until Sora strikes down and calls out a spell he has never heard before.  Terraja.  The resulting miniature earthquake takes care of the Heartless, and a small section of the town that the council’s been planning to tear down anyway.  Kairi gives him utter hell for it.

 

It’s a whole month before he shows up again, and Sora begins to both hope and fear that he won’t show up again.  This time, he’s sitting on the Paopu fruit tree, bold as brass, still singing off key.  Unfortunately Riku’s along with Sora this time, and Sora can barely restrain him from launching and shouting questions.

 

“Northern wind blow cruel blow cold, sheathe my aching heart in ice.  Arm around my soul enfold, Crone I need not call you twice.  To my foes bring cold of death, chill me north wind’s frozen breath.”

 

There’s a flicker, not the blackness of the portal’s he originally used but bright twisting shades of red and gold and orange.  He’s gone again, and Sora feels bereft.  Within a week, a Heartless made of living magma attacks, and Riku eventually brings it down.  Blizzaja.

 

Sora consults Merlin, who seems frankly surprised.  The spells are 4^th level, not something commonly seen save for in healing.  Merlin proceeds to teach them better control over the spells, also showing them the 4^th level for healing so that they can keep their health up along with their damage abilities.  Time passes, Sora and Kairi date for a while, but they break up and Kairi drifts to where Sora’s always known she would go.  She and Riku make a cute couple, so Sora doesn’t begrudge them. 

 

He’s sitting in the secret place, adding scribbles of their adventures to the walls, when he hears him again.  He’s sitting on the Paopu tree again, singing the verse he skipped before.  The verse is hesitant, uncertain, as if he isn’t quite sure how Sora will take it.

 

“Southern wind blow hot blow hard, fan my courage to a flame.  Southern wind be guide and guard, add your bravery to my name.  Let my will and yours be twined, Warrior of the southern wind.”

 

He doesn’t disappear or run off this time, sitting there breaking a chocolate bar into pieces, licking chocolate and some kind of sticky filling off of his fingers.  Grinning, he offers the bar to Sora.

 

“Soft toffee filling.  Want some, Aibou?”  Sora doesn’t know how he knows that particular kind is one of his favorites, then it hits him.  Roxas, his Nobody.  Figures they’d have the same tastes in candy.  He takes the bar, snapping a piece off before returning it.

 

“What are you doing here, Axel?”  The Nobody, (or is he a Nobody anymore?  He no longer quite matches the old Axel, only about Riku’s age, and the eyes no longer look flat and empty and dead but alive and burning and intense.) grins even wider, looking disturbingly like a certain cat.

 

“Mystical balance and crap like that.  The high mucky mucks of Light, Darkness, and Nothingness held a council.  Apparently, someone made a goof in the space time continuum and dumped me slightly ahead of you guys.  I was supposed to be born here, near you.”  Axel’s eyes and face go serious.  “Kairi’s our Heart and Mind, You and Riku are our Sword and Shield, I was supposed to be our Body and Soul.  Air, Earth, Water, and Fire.  Guess that’s why the Heartless took me.  I was an easy target, all alone.”  Surprisingly, it’s not that hard to accept, so when Axel scoots over to make room for Sora on the tree trunk, he climbs up there without a second thought.  They sit for awhile, sharing the supply of chocolate Axel’s brought with him and staring at the rippled moon on the water.  Axel finally pushes his luck though.

 

“And on a hot summer night…”

 

“Say anything about wolves and I hit you.”

 

“Red roses?”  Axel’s laughing as Sora smacks him upside the head, settling down again.  “You’re so mean, Aibou.  You beat your own boyfriend.”  Sora just shakes his head, amused.

 

“Since when were we boyfriends?  Oh yeah, do you have…”

 

“Since always.  And yes, I know the 4^th level for fire.  Firaja.  Kicks major ass when used right.”  The night finally begins to get chilly, and Sora finds himself cuddling close to Axel for warmth.  Looking back, he can see how they’ve always been an unbalanced group.  If Axel had been there from the beginning, would he have been less clumsy and unconfident?  Would Riku have been more humble and less easy prey for the Heartless?  Would Kairi have been surer of her own heart and not kept them balanced on a precarious edge?  Who knows?  That is the past, Sora realizes, and this is now.  Axel is here, and it shouldn’t take too much convincing to get Kairi and Riku to accept him.

 

After all, the wolf’s come with red roses and what seems to be a lifetime supply of chocolate.

 

~Fin~