First Flame - Something is very wrong here

[fineinthefire]

At Home

[He woke with a start, breathing heavily. This...wasn't what he expected. He was pretty sure the thing beneath him was a bed. He shifted and turned on to his side, staring at the very human shaped lump laying in the bed next to him. Propping himself up on his elbow, he got a better look at the woman that shared his bed. Blond hair, pinned up in curlers during her sleep, perfect skin, looked like an angel. It almost made him sick to his stomach. He rolled out of bed and landed silently. Something wasn't right.

He grabbed the first pair of pants and shirt he could find before staggering out into the hallway. There were pictures everywhere of a loving family smiling back at him. Him, that blond woman, two children smiling emptily. It made his skin crawl. Who were  these people? That's when he saw the phone.]

-=-PHONE-=-
  Hello? This thing work? Tch. If anyone can tell me what's going on here, that would be just peachy.

Around Town (open Action)
-=-STREETS OF MAYFIELD-=-

[It didn't take him too long to decide to get the heck out of that house. He didn't exactly want to be there when the woman who was supposedly his wife woke up. He couldn't handle that. Not right now. His heart was beating a million miles a minute and he had no idea what was going on. So what was he doing? Snooping around. Like any Organization XIII member would. Not that any of the houses were different from the ones next to them. He checked the numbers on the houses, noted street names, glanced in windows as he passed by. Something about this place was really strange.]

The hell...?

-=-JOHN DOE PARK-=-

[He slipped his hands in his pockets and decided to walk around the park more casually. From what he picked up so far it might just be better off if he hid in plain sight. Either way, this park wasn't much better than the houses that surrounded it. He glanced back at the statue at its center. A shiver ran down his spine. It felt almost like he was being watched. He took a moment to sit down on one of the many benches and try to calm down.]

-=-THE PUBLIC LIBRARY-=-

[By the time he got to the library he was pretty sure he wouldn't have much time to be in it before it closed. He did his best not to give the librarian a weird look as he walked by and searched the shelves for something, anything, that might be helpful. He settled for a couple of books about mens standards of living. Maybe that would at least be helpful for figuring out the local standard so he could better blend in.]

Comments

[chosenreplica.livejournal.com]

You're right. People get hurt for it.

[Her heart stops. Frozen a moment, it takes too long for her to grasp that hand.]

Nice to meet you, Axel. [She tried to keep the emotion from her voice.] I'm Xion.

[fineinthefire.livejournal.com]

Not so friendly a place, this one. Oh well. It isn't much I'm not used to.

[You can try all you like, your eyes say it all. His breath catches for a moment when her hand slips in to his and he isn't sure why, but he doesn't let go.]

Xion...

[He paused, as if rolling the name around in his mouth.]

This might sound crazy but have we....met before?

[chosenreplica.livejournal.com]

The people here are nice.

[Oh. Way to make her tense up, eyes widening. She couldn't get lucky. Shaking her head vehemently, Xion dropped her eyes.]

If we knew each other you'd remember, right? Maybe I'm just familiar.

[fineinthefire.livejournal.com]

At least there is that much, eh?

[Nope. He's taking her chin in his hands and making her look up at him. He searched her eyes for something, anything. This wasn't just familiarity.]

Maybe...

[He started to let him go when he got a flash of a memory. It was the clock tower. He was with Roxas eating ice cream and they were laughing...but was that...a girl's laugh? The memory seemed to physically hit him and he took a step back.]

No. That can't be it. [His hand was placed firmly over his heart, gripping the fabric of his shirt. This feeling...was it guilt?]

Where are you from?

[chosenreplica.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you can make a lot of friends here.

[Xion's shocked at the movement, foot moving back a step but otherwise paralyzed in motion. Her heart racing in her chest as she tried to look anywhere but at Axel.]

[His question makes her falter, voice caught. She speaks quietly.]

You know that, Axel. It's there-- Castle Oblivion. [She smiles weakly.] Got it memorized?

[1/2]

[fineinthefire.livejournal.com]

Have you made a lot of friends here?

[His breath catches in his chest. Pieces of his memory that he didn't know had ever really existed came flashing back to him and in each of them, this girl was there. He remembered carrying her, both of them nearly broken, and then...]

Xion.

[2/2]

[fineinthefire.livejournal.com]

[Then he was hugging her. Suddenly, two people he never thought he would see ever again were back in his life. And the constant pounding in his chest, the clenching pain, was a constant reminder that he had been given something else once more as well.]

You're alive.

[chosenreplica.livejournal.com]

Yes! Nina, Nena, and Yuna are some of the very best friends you can ask for.

[In taking a breath at her name, Xion was stuck in the paralyzed emotion before she felt... Axel was hugging her. Gasping, instinct took over when she latched onto him. Forcing back the moisture in her eyes.]

I am. [Her voice softens.] ...It's nice to see you again, Axel.

[fineinthefire.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear it.

[Nope, he wasn't letting go. Not any time soon. You know how it felt? Waking up to find out that the people who were important to you were gone? It made his un-heart ache and now that he actually had one again... Everything he was feeling was on overdrive. It was almost too much to handle.]

Nice is an understatement.

[He pulls back and smiles down at her, his own eyes a little glassy.]

Guess I don't need to chase you this time, huh?

[chosenreplica.livejournal.com]

[It's okay. She's fine staying like this. She's gotten to meet Kairi and see Namine again... And now Roxas and Axel. She shouldn't be able to, but there's a part of her that's so glad to have seen all of them again. The chance was too real.]

What would you call it then?

[Her smile's soft and sad. But she shakes her head.]

Even if you did, it's not like we can leave this place.

[fineinthefire.livejournal.com]

[The fact that he's still alive was enough for him, but Xion's here. And so it Roxas. It's like someone, somewhere decided to give him a strangely wrapped present before letting him pass on.]

Oh I dunno. Wonderful? Fantastic? A miracle? Something words can't describe?

Even if we could I would never take you back there. Not again.

[chosenreplica.livejournal.com]

[She chuckles some in response, taking a step back and shaking her head.]

If we weren't here, it's not like you could, Axel. Once we leave here everything's back to normal.

[fineinthefire.livejournal.com]

Then I guess we better make good use of what time we have, huh?

[Because he's been without you guys for a while now and going back would mean disappearing too. But why worry you, Xion?]

[chosenreplica.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you're right. [She smiled, looking down.] Roxas just got here, too.