damned_institute | Day 27: Breakfast

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Day 27: Breakfast

Day came too soon.

Sora hadn't been able to find Rena, had instead been forced to crumple onto the grass of the recreational field and bleed all over himself, and hadn't even accomplished what he'd been sent out to do. What he'd been entrusted to do. He didn't know how he was going to be able to face Renji and the others, but he also knew he wasn't going to hide from them, either. That would just be low, after all, and he was ready to face up to the consequences.

He didn't try to make excuses for himself. Even though there had been a Special Counseling patient, they had managed to take her down by sheer numbers. The fact that he hadn't seen any sign of Rena was what had him the most worried. He hoped he could find her today.

The boy laid in his bed for a good while that morning before his nurse finally came in to collect him. She clucked over the bandages wrapped tightly around his chest and leg, and asked him if he was okay to walk.

Once Sora assured her he was fine (he didn't really want to use crutches, as that would just attract attention to himself, and he didn't need others worrying over him), they made their way to the cafeteria. Sora yawned and winced against the bright light of morning - it seemed even earlier than usual, and he realized why when they entered the cafeteria and found it empty.

The boy shuffled over to grab a chocolate chip pancake, a bowl of cereal, and a glass of milk (good for the bones, or so his mom had always told him) before settling at a table. He kept an eye on the door, hoping he would see Rena walking in soon.

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Since Axel didn't mention anything drastic like Kairi somehow getting injured or him losing track of her, Sora didn't press the subject any further. After all, if he kept just asking about her, Axel would probably make some comment about how he didn't care about him or... something weird and silly like that.

Instead, he just decided to answer the question. He didn't really want to talk about it, but he knew Axel wasn't going to judge him for it. He took a gulp of his milk (and then wiped off the offending mustache) before speaking up.

"I was supposed to go get stuff from the activity shed with Rena, but there was a special counseling patient on the field, so I helped knock her out, but after that I couldn't find Rena then and I was kind of out of it 'cause I was bleeding a lot, so..." He trailed off then, figuring Axel would be able to infer the rest.

Even though Axel was listening to every word Sora said, he couldn't help but glare at the tanned figure that strode into the Cafeteria with that ever pompous attitude. The redhead murmured something along the lines of 'Useless bastard who does nothing more than make moves on Saïx's ass' before stabbing his fork right into the middle of his pancakes.

"You look pretty good for someone who almost bled to death." The redhead commented with a grin, tearing his eyes away from the source of overwhelming hatred and back towards the brunet sitting across from him.

"So that's what all the commotion in the field was? I guess I should be thankful since we didn't have a problem with hopping the wall."

When Axel turned to look at something else, Sora couldn't help but follow his gaze - and was able to pinpoint exactly who the Nobody was watching. Xemnas. Sora had been able to avoid the Organization's leader thus far, but he got the feeling he wouldn't be able to keep it up forever. He wondered why the Superior had kept his distance, but he wasn't going to jinx himself.

When he saw Cid (a different version, but Cid nonetheless) approach the man, he almost wanted to go over and warn him away from Xemnas, but he was able to refrain. For one thing, that would just be inviting himself into a ton of trouble, and for another, he doubted Cid would even appreciate the favor. He could take care of himself, right?

So he eventually turned back to Axel, barely catching what he said. "Hey, I didn't almost die!" he protested. "And I'm fine now." That wasn't exactly true, but he could still hope Axel would believe him. "You guys must have come after it all happened," he agreed. Which was good - Kairi didn't need to get involved in a big fight like that.

If Axel had known anything about the old man, he would've urged the blond to take one for the team and shove his fist right into one of Xemnas's eyes.

But the moment had long since past, and the redhead had other things to do than pour excessive amounts of hatred at a single woman. Axel certainly didn't believe Sora's words, suddenly reaching forward to give a hard poke onto the middle of the brunet's chest.

"It sounds like we did," He finally said with a nod, slicing his pancakes haphazardly before continuing. "There was something in the Courtyard too, but there was another group there so we managed to slip by that one as well."

Though remembering that he was trying to dodge the subject of last night, Axel quickly steered the conversation in another direction.

"So what are your plans for today?"

Luckily, his injury was on his back rather than his chest, so Axel's poke didn't cause Sora to yell or even wince. The bandages had been misleading, and he didn't like to think that Axel had intended to jab at his wound, but at least no harm had been done in the end.

"Ahh, sneaky, sneaky," he said with a grin as the redhead explained. Once again, though, he was glad they had been able to avoid anything dangerous. As he watched Axel cut his pancakes (and worried a little that the man might end up hurting himself, considering the way he was going about it), he realized that he had his own food to eat, and started working on his pancake.

"Uhh, nothing, really," he responded around a mouthful of food. He had noticed the pink-haired girl from the night before, though, and he kind of felt like he should talk to her when he got the chance. She probably need some reassurance, and he could certainly help with that. Then again, with how many people had been involved in that fight, someone might beat him to it.

The redhead frowned in dismay when he didn't even get a squeal out of his jab, lifting his fork as if preparing to throw it at Sora's face but instead stuck it on his own plate, pulling it out carefully so a good amount of food would stay.

Axel couldn't help but chortle at the brunet's lack of proper answer, stuffing the food in his mouth before swallowing it all whole. "You're so useless when it comes to casual conversation, but I guess I'll forgive you."

Of course, he said in a way that was hardly meant to be condescending, sneaking a grin before taking another bite.

"I saw that you were talking to Sir Bottle Blond at Lunch yesterday." He finally started up. "Was the guy harassing you for munny? He's usually prone to doing that."

These chocolate chip pancakes were really good! Sora was so focused on that that he didn't really catch Axel's not-so-nice words, though even if he had heard them, he would have known that the redhead didn't mean any real harm. Axel was just weird, and that was about the extent of it.

Though when the Nobody started going on about something else entirely, Sora was left confused for a moment. He stared blankly across the table at Axel as he tried to recall what he had been doing yesterday at lunch.

"Oh!" he said once he'd finished swallowing his bite of food. "You mean Luxord?" Sora shrugged. "He was just being weird and trying to upset me. He was messing with his cards, too." At that, he glanced back over to Xemnas, and then turned to Axel with a quieter tone. "What I'm wondering is why he hasn't talked to me yet." Maybe Axel would have some insight on the matter - he knew them all pretty well, right?

Axel wanted to know if his and Kairi's assumptions were true, but he'd probably end up with a fork to the face if chose to voice it out. Instead, the redhead gave a firm nod, sneaking a chuckle from the back of his throat when Sora glanced suspiciously at his ex-employer of sorts.

"Mom doesn't bother with the little people," Axel murmured back, slipping back into the habitual state of giving his Superior various nicknames. "He isn't really the type to approach anyone since it means giving up a little humility. So as long as you stay in crowded places he'll probably end up leaving you alone for the whole duration."

He snickered, picking at one of the tater tots from underneath a pancake and swallowed it whole.

"Either that or he's afraid you'll beat him up again. I mean, it's pretty humiliating to have your ass handed to you by a teenager who's barely passed puberty."

The name was a little random, but Sora decided he wouldn't focus on that. He did make a funny face upon hearing it, though. It was good to know that he was probably going to be able to continue avoiding Xemnas, though - unless they ran into each other at night, which was always possible. Though if their rooms were far enough apart, maybe it would be okay?

As for that last comment, Sora was inclined to agree until puberty was mentioned, and then he just ended up blushing and staring at his pancake.

"I guess he has more reason to avoid me than I do to avoid him, huh?" Except that being around any of the Nobodies whose ends he'd been responsible for made him exceedingly uncomfortable. Luxord and Xigbar were the only ones who bothered him often, at least.

Axel didn't count. He'd died by... other means.

Which brought him to another point, something he hadn't considered for a while. "Hey, what's Roxas been up to, anyway?" If anyone was going to know, it would be Axel.

"Pretty much, but that doesn't mean to drop your guard. The bastard's pretty conniving when he wants to be." Though Axel felt he was giving his Superior more credit than he deserved. Nonetheless, the redhead's exhaustion was slowly fading as the morning progressed, and Axel was well on his way to being his own charismatic self.

... Or at least, until Sora asked about Roxas.

He practically felt the mechanical heart plummet right into the pit of his stomach, finding it difficult to breathe as he set his fork down. For a split second he gave the brunet the most pained expression, but it was quickly replaced with a light, but equally worrisome frown.

"Actually, that was one of the reasons why I came to you. I..." Axel didn't bother to hide a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "I haven't seen him in three days."

And if Sora had been the one asking...

"So I guess you haven't seen him either?"

Sora still intended to keep an eye out for Xemnas, of course, but he wasn't going to worry quite as much about it anymore, since he now knew that the Superior wasn't actively seeking him out. With his luck, the Nobody would come looking for him the moment he forgot about him, and Sora didn't intend to let that happen.

The look Axel gave him was enough to make Sora freeze in place. If that was his response to a question about Roxas -- at first, the boy assumed the worst. He'd been killed, something had murdered him, his Other was...

Missing.

He actually seemed relieved to hear that, since it was better than him being confirmed dead. "N-no," he informed Axel with a frown. If neither of them knew where he was, there was a good chance something was wrong, but Sora couldn't help trying to find some logical explanation. "Maybe he's just been really sick these past few days?" He was grasping for straws.

"Maybe." But the damage had been done, and Axel's thoughts began to wander to the very words Luxord spoke of yesterday. He refused to give into the blond's petty plucking, but it was starting to look more like the inevitable had finally reached his friend. The redhead's appetite waned considerably, and Axel soon found himself pushing his plate aside before resting his elbows on the hard surface of the table.

"What if he shows up one day without any memory of what happened here? Everything we said, everything we promised..." It was a distressing thought, even though logic was chiding at him for being silly. Couldn't he just start over if such a thing happened? Well, yes, but that didn't make it any less painful. Of course, Sora had probably gone through a few Rikus himself, but the brunet's last memories of him hadn't been one where his best friend was leaving.

Axel promptly ran another hand through his hair, doing his best to shake out those thoughts before offering a weak smile.

"I guess we just have to hope for the best."

"It's... possible," Sora admitted with a frown. He wasn't about to lie to Axel when he had experienced it so many times. It had been hard, but the amount of time Riku had been around hadn't been quite as long, so when his memories were washed, the impact wasn't quite as bad. Roxas, on the other hand, had been around for a while, and he had been with Axel for most of that time.

There wasn't much he could say to reassure the Nobody, but it seemed wrong to leave things on such a bad note. So when the redhead provided that slightly optimistic outlook, Sora jumped at the opportunity to go along with it.

"Yeah! I mean, what happens, happens, and even if Roxas comes back and doesn't remember anything, he's still your friend, right?" And it would be better than the alternative.

Though he had to admit - knowing for certain that his Other was missing made him feel a little lonely. It was probably just his mind playing tricks on him, but...

"Right, he's still my friend..." But what if there came a time where Roxas just tossed that all way? It already happened once, so he wouldn't put it past the blond to try it again if he had the opportunity. Sora's optimistic words didn't do much to help Axel in the least, but he had to give the brunet props for at least trying, and so rewarded him with a wider smile.

"Must be hard not having your Nobody close by, it's almost like losing a part of yourself." He sighed quietly, wanting nothing more to do with the subject and attempted to steer the conversation elsewhere.

"So..." Axel started, clicking his tongue once. "What did you do back on your Island anyway?"

After having surveyed Sora's memories he already knew the answer to that question, but it was something that tore away from what they'd been talking about just moments before.

It was kind of weird that Axel had almost been able to read his mind, but it was something he must have been through himself, right? Sora knew that he and Roxas were a special case, since he had returned to his original body after becoming a Heartless. All the other Nobodies had never really gotten the chance to know their Others... It was kind of sad.

He wanted to ask about it, but it was more than a little obvious that Axel was done with that subject. Sora wasn't completely oblivious, so he let it drop and answered the question instead.

"Not much. Swim around in the water, spar, race, collect coconuts..." Or at least, that was how it had been before they had left. He hadn't had much time to get used to island life after returning, since he'd been brought here, but he figured that response would work well enough.

"Collect coconuts..." Axel repeated with a snort, thoroughly amused at the brunet's choice of words. "Did you guys ever do that thing with the coconut bras and grass skirts?"

Though the redhead could never imagine a life so simple, seeing as that he barely remembered anything from his own past. After having spent so many years with various amounts of research, it felt a little odd that he'd been given so much free time. Of course, this didn't technically count as a vacation of sorts, but it was definitely something above what he was used to.

"It's hard to imagine doing something like that for almost 14 years. Don't you ever get bored?"

"Huh?" Sora just gaped at Axel for a moment, having no clue what he was talking about, but then he recalled something along those lines being mentioned when he was at the Pride Lands, and he started snickering. "No, no! Though that does sound like something Selphie would enjoy." She always liked trying out new things like that. Kairi, on the other hand, might think it was weird... or she might like it. It was kind of hard to guess with her.

As for Axel's other question (he was really curious today!), Sora smiled and shrugged. "It was all we knew for a long time. We had a whole play island to ourselves, and there was six of us, so we could come up with some pretty fun games... Though Riku didn't usually go along with it," he said with a pout.

"But we did get bored eventually. I mean, that's why we decided to leave in the first place, you know?"

"Ah yes, I remember the naiveté." It was certainly a feat to do regarding the fact that they were nothing more than optimistic island kids back then. Axel chuckled quietly to himself, smearing a forkful of pancakes along the surface and chewed diligently at the contents.

Whether it was his good mood or an attempt to recover from losing Roxas, he suddenly reached over and let his hand linger on top of the brunet's spikes before ruffling them lightly. It had been only 11 days since he arrived (maybe more or less, he couldn't really remember at the moment) but a lot had certainly happened within the span of two weeks.

Axel didn't remove his hand just yet, leaving it there for nearly half a minute before finally deciding to pull back.

"Kairi told me what happened to her the other night." His voice was barely audible by then, letting his eyes linger about the Cafeteria before spotting the aforementioned girl talking to what appeared to be another redheaded... girl.

"You remember?" Sora asked, blinking as Axel's hand reached out and planted itself in his hair. It forced his bangs down into his eyes a little, but the gesture was appreciated, so all he did in response was laugh lightly. While he didn't like being treated like a child, there wasn't anything overly patronizing in the way Axel had gone about it, so he didn't mind.

Once the hand was removed, though, Sora made an effort to put his hair back in order. Luckily for him, it usually just reverted back to how it was supposed to be on its own.

When Kairi's condition was mentioned, however, whatever light-hearted mood he had been in was extinguished. He gave Axel a very sober look and nodded. "Yeah, it... I can't believe that happened to her, but Riku says that he knows a way to fix it, so I think it'll be okay." He had to keep his chin up about this!

"Back when we were monitoring you in Castle Oblivion." The redhead answered calmly, once more forgetting that the latter's memories had been completely wiped of what happened back then. But from what he managed to accomplish in that short amount should've been enough to tell him that he preferred it this way.

Axel grinned weakly at Sora's words, nodding calmly all the while letting the tips of his fingers press up against his chest. He'd gotten used to the constant clicking by then, something that surprised even him. But maybe it was nothing more than a false sense of hope that maybe things could change for the better. It wasn't really his forte to let fate decide his life, but at the moment it didn't look like he had much of a choice.

"Sora." He made a decision then, something he'd surely reprimand himself about later on, but it wasn't as if he was really risking anything. "Kairi wasn't the only one that was taken."

Oh, that again. The events of Castle Oblivion always left Sora a bit unnerved. While he had been informed of what happened there, he knew there was no way he could get every detail of it, not to mention he had no sense of what his particular experience of it had been. His inner thoughts and feelings during that time were gone forever, and seemed to only come back in vague phantom emotions when he was around someone who had been involved in it.

He knew his memories had been a large portion of that incident, so it looked like Axel had gotten a glimpse of them. The fact that the Nobody knew about his past was a little weird, but there was luckily nothing to hide there.

Axel's next words made Sora stiffen up as he stared at the man. "What do you mean?" he asked quietly. He could be implying any number of things, but either way, the boy got the feeling that it was serious.

Axel couldn't help but laugh at Sora's reaction, pushing away his half eaten plate since his appetite had all but left.

"Well, what I'm trying to say is..." He started, crossing his arms onto the table and let his head lean against his shoulder. "Once you get over the shock of having your chest sawed open, the whole procedure isn't too bad. I mean, it could've been worse."

The casual tone in his voice would've been found to be quite disturbing by most, but Axel hadn't bothered to struggle back then. There wasn't much information to be gained, but the entire thing was almost harmless in a sense since half the Organization was entirely apathetic about it, and he knew he wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

But it still hurt like hell.

"What?!" Sora was half-standing out of his chair, his hands planted down on the table (luckily, he had avoided his plate of half eaten food) as he stared at Axel. Something like that had happened to him, and this was the first he'd heard of it?

It wasn't fair. Here was someone else who had been taken and toyed with by the institute, and Sora hadn't been there to do a single thing to help in Axel's case. He eventually fell back into his seat, but his shoulders were slumped and he looked very worn out all of a sudden. It wasn't even like he had been forced to bear any burdens, or be put through any pain - but when his friends were hurt, so was he.

From the sounds of it, Axel's procedure had been even more brutal than Kairi's. Sora closed his eyes for a moment before making eye contact with the Nobody again. "I'm sorry," he said firmly. "I wish you had told me sooner, I wish I had been there to..." To do what? Be there to pick up the pieces? He knew now that there was no way he could have stopped what happened.

He stopped himself, and then sighed. He needed to focus on the important details. "What... did they do?"

Axel didn't react to Sora's sudden outburst, idly grabbing a hold of his glass of orange juice to keep its contents from spilling when the table rattled. He waited until the latter had enough time to compose himself before giving him a look as if that would answer the brunet's question. However, it quickly dissipated and was replaced by a weak attempt at a smile, letting his hand rest on top of Sora's shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly.

"Hey, there's no need for an apology. It wasn't like you didn't have your own problems to worry about." He gave a laugh, and a genuine one at that. There was a twinge of sorrow in the mixture, which ultimately grew into something akin to guilt for dumping this on Sora, but he was almost touched by the fact that the teen cared.

"And besides," He continued. "My roommate was there when they took me away, so he ended up forming a rescue team and led them where I'd been taken. Bastard even carried me all the way back to our room by himself after we all got separated."

Axel would admit that he’d been ridiculously lucky about that. He hadn't expected for Ashton to make a vow before he'd been dragged out, and was truly grateful that the man kept his promise. Yet this meant that his laundry list of favors was growing, but he guessed he could make a few exceptions.

At Sora's next question the redhead looked over at him carefully before he reached down and took the latter's hand and coaxed it over to his side of the table. Axel didn't bother to explain, simply pressing it firmly onto the middle of his chest and waited.

It was definitely a relief to hear that there had been people to help Axel after the fact. Sora was glad that Axel had such a good roommate, and that he hadn't been on his own once whatever had been done to him had finished. "That's good," he said quietly. "That's really good."

When his wrist was tugged across the table, though, Sora got a little more nervous. He didn't know what Axel was doing, but figured that if he went along with it, things would become clear.

The moment his palm touched the other's chest, he could feel it. A heartbeat, slow and steady and there. It was kind of comforting, even though it was technically out of place.

"What does it mean?" he asked with a blink. Was Axel not a Nobody anymore? Had he finally gotten a heart back? That didn't make sense, though. The people who did experiments in this place would never have done something so helpful, which meant that there had to be a catch. Either way, Sora wasn't getting his hopes up about this.

Day 27: Breakfast

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