lucetilogs | Burning the Yellow Brick Road

Burning the Yellow Brick Road

Who: Axel & Riku & Aros
What: "Collecting" another member for the trip to Oz.
When: Presently
Where: The woods
Summary: Axel meets with Riku and invites him to join Axel and Aros on their trip to the Malnosso.
Rating: Possibly PG-13 for language?

"Still have that fighting spirit, huh?"

It never ceased to amuse Axel how easy it was for a Nobody to sneak up on someone. Even the most alert soul could be taken off guard; it said something, something grim about the nature of their nonexistence, but fortunately Axel wasn't exactly in a position to be disheartened by that thought. In another world, at another time, Riku probably would have been one of the few people upon whom he could not pull such a trick -- but here, in this place, it was easy. He stood back, face shadowed in the hood of his coat, but made no move to attack. He was curious to see if Riku would come willingly (even though, with his coat and his smirk and his cold eyes, he might as well have said, "Hey kid, I've got some candy in my van.")

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

To say the least, Riku hadn't been expecting someone to sneak up on him, of all things. At first he gave a slight jump before he turned to face Axel, his expression stern. To say the least, the black cloaked figure seemed somewhat suspicious, especially considering that he had never met anyone from the Organization prior to this (not that he even knew the cloak implied that much). Regardless, he crossed his arms, appearing far from intimidated.

"I'm not about to give up," he said. "There has to be at least some way out, and once I find it, I'll be leaving. The longer I take, the better chance that Kairi might not get her heart back."

He then proceeded to roll his eyes; why was he even bothering with this guy? The whole ordeal with Kairi was hardly anyone else's business, but it wasn't as if he could take back what was already said. Instead, he simply waited for a response.

Axel's grin grew a little bit wider. He had expected as much - even clutched within someone else's fist, as he so often was, Riku was stubborn. Axel briefly wondered how things would have developed if the boy had lacked that particular trait, and then cast the thought aside to be dealt with later.

"Nobody knows the way out, and plenty have tried to find it. The only ones who know the way out are the Malnosso. Of course... you could always try asking them," he said, spreading his arms as though to say, 'why not?'

Already Riku could tell that he didn't like this guy. It felt almost as if he was trying to mess with him, to throw him in a loop, or just get him to give up. But no, that wouldn't happen. He wouldn't let it happen.

"Malnosso... right, the guys who kidnapped us," he muttered quietly before adding, "And how, exactly, am I supposed to ask them? It's not like I even know where they are."

"I do."

His voice this time was quieter, without the sarcasm of his previous jabs. He crossed his arms over his chest while he waited for Riku's response, his grin all but gone.

Riku came to a pause at Axel's remark. Although he claimed to know where the Malnosso were, it seemed strange to just trust someone he didn't even know. What if this was all a trick or a trap? For all Riku knew, this guy could be working for the Malnosso or just taunting him out of spite.

Shaking his head, Riku replied, "And I'm supposed to believe that because...?"

"You don't have to believe me - I certainly don't have to convince you I'm telling the truth. So far everyone has simply stood around, weeping and moaning and waiting to be picked off. Or they charge blindly forwards, and then mope about when they lose something."

Axel leaned against a tree, arms still crossed, regarding Riku from beneath his hood.

"I wouldn't ask them to come with me because I know they're not prepared to make the sacrifices necessary to do what needs to be done. I had a feeling you were different, though."

His smirk returned faintly, and he shrugged.

"Maybe I'm wrong, though. You tell me. Are you willing to risk your safety in order to gain your freedom?"

And yet again, Riku found himself pausing, as Axel toyed with him. His expression grew more tense, as if he were not only frustrated, but even growing impatient with this guy and his antics.

"I am different," he snapped, his arms no longer crossed, but rather in tense fists, making his frustration all the more apparent. "In fact, if you really did know where they are, I obviously wouldn't sit here. It's more or less that I'm not sure if I should just trust you. For all I know, this could be a trick."

"...I have no reason to trick you," Axel said wryly, and although it wasn't true, it wasn't completely a lie, either.

"Killing someone here is pointless. The Malnosso bring them back. Thievery is pointless - the shops provide us with what we want free of charge. And don't think that I'm asking you to join me out of the goodness of my heart," his voice dipped into blatant sarcasm on that last word, "I have as much to gain from your company as you do from mine. Strength in numbers, right?"

He stood away from the tree and spread his hands.

"So what do you think? Interested?"

[[OOC: Axel's response to that icon: "Of course it's a playground. Just because someone kicked sand in your eyes doesn't make it less fun for the kid on the monkey bars." ...I should just stop letting him say things. >.>;]]

What Axel said took a moment to absorb. If death was temporary, then it did seem somewhat pointless to trick him. With free items in the shops, that, too, would add to the fact that Axel could very well be telling the truth. Although he hated to admit it, Riku was beginning to think that Axel had a point. Giving a faint groan, he nodded, albeit reluctantly.

"I guess you've got a point. Sitting around here won't do much, anyway, so..."-- and it was here that he knew he would regret this decision-- "I guess you could say I'm interested."

"Wonderful!" Axel said, stepping in front of the boy without hesitation. The action had the effect of bringing him well within Riku's personal space, but also allowing him to see the face underneath Axel's hood - a face which was smiling in a deceptively friendly manner.

"My friend is waiting for me in the woods, he'll be glad to see we have another traveling companion. You need anything from the store before we head out?"

Riku took a step back, not wanting his personal space invaded. He rolled his eyes and gave a rather annoyed glance, but it didn't make much of a difference. At this rate there really was no point in simply disagreeing. Besides, if there was a chance that they'd find a way out, that was good enough for him.

His expression changing to a faint smirk, Riku said, "I don't think there's anything I need, but who is this 'friend'?"

Axel stepped past, waving his hand dismissively.

"Simply another prisoner who doesn't feel like waiting for the gallows. I think you'll like him - you two have a lot in common," he said lightly, although he was smiling faintly to himself.

"Strength in numbers, remember?"

With a slight nod, Riku took a few steps forward. At any rate, it would be ridiculous to simply wait around when they could be trying to find those Malnosso, not to mention that he was curious about this 'friend' of Axel's.

"Like me, huh?" he said, still ambling forward. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

Axel led the way into the woods, pleased that he had managed to persuade Riku into joining him without violence. He certainly didn't have anything against violence - in fact, he thought it might be kind of fun to look into those cool turquoise eyes through a haze of flame - but in a place like this, weaker than ever, it would be advantageous to save his strength. Especially since he had no idea how the meeting between the silver-haired boy and their resident Heartless would turn out. Either way, he was confident it would be interesting.

"Oh, you know..." Axel said as they walked, scanning the trees for any sign of Aros. "Stubborn, brave...fearless."

Of course, silently, quickly... the heartless had been watching them they entire time. This was the Riku from Sora's memories -- the one he knew and the one he wanted so much to seeandripandtearand... ... He hissed lightly, to himself. His talons wraped lightly around the branch he was on, tendrils of darkness pulling out and all-but-wrapping around it.
...This Riku was smaller than the one in Sora's recent memories.

...It didn't matter. Riku should know him. The heartless touched its chest, as if to confirm that the hollow chest cavity was still there. As if to confirm that his hesitation was not fear.
...Because it could not be fear. He did not fear. He could not fear. What that cretin Axel had just said was right. ...Even if Axel had no pulse to track him with, Riku's screamed at the heartless. So long as that boy was near...

With a hiss, and in a movement which must've appeared to be a blurr in one's vision, the shadow dropped from the branches and into the shadows a few yards in front of the two. For a time, he lay still with his eyes closed. But then, abruptly, the yellow orbs shot open, staring blanky, hollowly, directly at Riku.
Directly at one of the two things most important to Sora.

To say the least, Riku had not expected to see this...whatever it was that stood before him. Its appearance clearly resembled a heartless, but, for some reason, it had traits similar to Sora, almost like the heartless he had summoned on Captain Hook's ship. Even so, there was something...different about this heartless, although Riku couldn't put his finger on it.

Narrowing his eyes, he reached out, as the Soul Eater materialized in his hand. Though he wasn't sure what this heartless was, let alone what it was going to do, at this point it was better to be safe than sorry. Besides, he was strong enough even without the darkness, or so he believed. Getting his weapon into a ready position, Riku shot a glance back at Axel.

"What's this supposed to be?" he snapped. "Some kind of trap?"

Axel raised his hands in front of him, palms out, as though to say 'not me!' He feigned shock.

"Not at all! This is my friend...Aros. Don't let the hissing fool you, he can be quite chatty when he feels like it."

Aros crawled forward on all fours... his hollow yellow orbs never leaving Riku's face. He didn't recognize him... which meant that he wasn't the Riku in Sora's memories. That... stirred something in the heartless, but before that he needed to deal with the toy being pointed at him. He hissed, and opened one of his talons wide. There was no need to attack Riku, not here, not yet, but he could still put out a warning.

In one swift movement (for if nothing else, Aros was fast) he rushed clean past Riku, pulling Soul Eater from the others hands. He spun as he completed the movement, his yellow orbs staring blankly back at the other two, Soul Eater firmly gripped in one of his talons.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Burning the Yellow Brick Road

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject