You Are My Kingdom Hearts ➳ Axel

Reprieve

Chapter 24: Reprieve

Jai's POV:

Fire barrelled in my direction. I barely had time to deflect, the spheres of flames glancing off my keyblade. I shifted my weight, applying pressure to the balls of my feet as I vaulted from the ground and to the fire escape of the building above us.

Aiming the end of my keyblade at my enemy, I released a shot of Gravira. The dark purple magic bolted down in the shape of a missile, crashing into my foe's body with enormous impact. A Gunblade clattered to the ground, bouncing away from the area my magic hit. Coughs sounded from below. I dissolved my keyblade and stretched my limbs.

I jumped from the safety of the fire escape, grabbing the hilt of the Gunblade from the ground. One hand on my hip, I waited for the smoke and remnants of my magic to clear.

There, sat on the ground and covered in spell fragments was Leon. He peered up at me as I pointed his weapon at him.

"Give up?"

Leon grinned. "This time."

I used my free hand to help him to his feet and he clapped a hand on my shoulder. The smile that lit up his face was the most genuine I'd seen in a long time.

"Learned some good moves, sis. Seriously, who the hell taught you advanced magic?"

Sora bounded over to us with a wave of his hand. "Guilty!"

My smile widened. "I'm lucky I didn't have to figure it out on my own like you did."

Sora threw his arms around Leon and I. Being so much shorter than Leon made the group hug comical. Leon's expression soured as he peeled Sora off him.

"Moment ruined."

Leon skulked away, passing a smirking Cloud as he exited the alley. The blonde looked at me, jerking his thumb at Leon and mouthing 'jealous'. Poor Sora. He'd unknowingly begun the Battle of the Brothers.

Since Axel and I first arrived in Twilight Town, more rooms at the inn had opened up. While we had paired up for rooms, my entire family took up a fifth of the whole space. No one was particularly happy about me staying with Axel, but I felt safest that way.

Sharing a room with the Redhead had been awkward once, but now it was comfortable. It felt as natural as breathing.

Axel voiced his concerns when Leon agreed to spar with me, but I'd rested for an entire week. The only toll on my body now was an emotional one - the toll of losing Demyx. The agony loss brought about was entirely new to me. I yearned for the day that it would end. The only way I felt that it would be over was with the demise of Organization XIII.

There was a war to be won. A war against the Organization, and against the Heartless that had invaded my home. The world weighed heavily on my shoulders.

Sora held my hand in his, an earnest gleam in his eyes. "I am so proud of you."

I let out a breath I didn't realise I'd been holding and nodded at him. "I know."

-x-

I laid in bed staring at the clock on the wall. 5:00pm. As if conjured by magic, Axel appeared by my side, wielding a cup of familiar, blue liquid. Twice a day everyday, I had to have my medicine. Axel was incredibly vigilant, ensuring that it was neatly stocked in our fridge, and that I always had it on time.

It didn't exactly cure me. It seemed to combat the negative, physical effects of my pathokinesis. With that, my temper cooled. Something still didn't feel right