Minds Collide [Roxas/Axel/Vanitas]

It was only a matter of time before Roxas was to be challenged to some sort of odd spar with his new friend. He had been spending the day with Vanitas, doing things aimlessly and goofing around as the blond showed him things that he did in his everyday life. They had ice cream atop the clock tower, the young Nobody filling him in on all of the times he had sat up here with Axel and Xion back in the days of the Organization. What he had come to find was that Vanitas wasn't that much of a talker and was a person of few words, but whenever he did speak, it was usually something curt and could be viewed sometimes as brash or rude. To Roxas, however, there wasn't anything wrong with that. He was patient the entirety of the time they were together, and he would answer every question with an enthusiastic smile, and it wasn't a fake one. 

Honestly, he was just happy to be making a new friend. That didn't happen every day. 

Their day had been going great, and eventually, they had gotten onto the subject of their keyblades. One thing lead to another, and Roxas was then challenged to a duel by the golden-eyed hellion. Having Sora's competitiveness stowed away inside of his very being, the Nobody was quick to respond positively to it, assuring the other that he wouldn't be losing. Axel, having overheard the conversation between the two, was quick to come along. In a way, that made the Key of Destiny feel a sense of pride; he didn't want to lose in front of someone who was so important to him. 

The ideal spot that they had come up with, due to remoteness, was the beach on Destiny Islands. When they had arrived through the dark corridor, the sun was already beginning to set, casting an orange-red hue over everything. The blond stood in the sand, the water lapping up to the shore not too far away. Holding out his hand, the Kingdom Key spawned in a beam of light, and he began to ready himself to brace himself for any attack. He could feel Axel's eyes upon him, and he took in a deep breath, preparing for the worst. 

By the looks of it, Vanitas was going to be a very tough opponent, but Roxas wasn't one to give up easily, and he would be sure to give it everything he had. He was smiling in a challenging manner, but his friendliness still found a way to shine through prominently. 

"Let's go!"

Axel stepped out from the darkness into the fading daylight of Destiny Islands. Roxas might think that he was here just for a big of fun, but he wasn't sure he trusted Vanitas. He didn't know the dark haired kid well, but his tone let the redhead know a lot about him. He, himself, had that tone plenty in the past and there was a lot of negativity there. This wasn't exactly someone he wanted the sunspot around but he wasn't quite that controlling.

When he had first found the two, he almost thought Roxas had Sora with him. However, the hair was too dark and the eyes were certainly all wrong. It was strange. The Key was befriending someone the exact opposite of his Somebody while the Flurry did, in fact, befriend the Somebody himself. He supposed his relationship wasn't too farfetched, having helped the young Keybearer twice, but it still wasn't something that he saw himself really growing attached to.

Well, whatever. He stepped away from the makeshift battlefield to lean against a tree. His emerald gaze was locked on the blond for now, silently willing him to be extra careful. This new member of this odd little group they had here was dangerous. Whether the small Nobody liked it or not, if Axel was not happy with how things were going in the spar, he was stepping in. Until then, he could cheer from the sidelines. Alright, Roxas. Fight, fight, fight!

[[[OOC : I'll leave most of the thread to you two, perhaps make a small post in the middle, but I'll get more involved toward the end of the spar.]]]

So here he and his new friend stood, facing each other. Oh, and Axel was there too, but on the sidelines. He couldn't tell what the other really thought of him so far, but it gave him an off feeling when he caught those emerald orbs trained on him. At the very least he could tell he wasn't trusted by Axel, but he didn't need the redhead to trust him. Roxas was the one he favored, not Axel. 

And so here he found himself, standing with the Void Gear summoned to his hand in preparation of this little spar. It wouldn't be a real fight, he told himself repeatedly, this was supposed to be for fun. He wouldn't have to fight for his life here. He could relax. He could let this be fun, not just another fight to get him closer to a goal. 

A grin split his face when he heard Roxas' cheering section and then shortly after the call for their little brawl to start. Vanitas was happy to find that he could move just as agile as ever, even if his powers had been affected at least he was still at his physical peak. He swung his blade slower than he usually would have, aiming for his ribs with an easily blocked shot, he didn't want to beat Roxas into the floor after all, just give him a challenge. 

"Can you keep up?"

Hearing Axel's words of encouragement gave him that much more incentive to do well in this little challenge was finding himself faced with. His azure eyes narrowed as soon as he spotted movement in his opponent. His friend, if they could be called that at this point, was rushing towards him with speed that Roxas had to admit he wasn't entirely expecting. Vanitas was a bit more bulky than he was, so him having so much agility on his side was surprising; in the end, however, the blond was able to protect himself with a swift movement of his keyblade. The blades clanked together, loud enough to almost create an echo on the island, though it might not have reached over the sloshing waves.

"Why don't you find out?" He retorted with a smile, jumping back a few paces, the keyblade in his hands filling him intense determination. Although Roxas was a kind soul, he was one that didn't exactly enjoy the concept of losing anything. He could be coming to find soon that his opponent wasn't to keen on it himself.

He tilted his head to the side, feeling the bone inside crack; he was obviously readying himself to go on the offensive as well, his body rearing back and his feet beginning to lunge his entire figure forward, and he was heading straight for the black-haired mirror of his somebody. The look on his face was pure enjoyment - there was something about spars that always got him fired up. The keyblade began to brim with magic, the spells being summoned up from the core of his being, and he would be sure to try and get the jump on Vanitas. He pulled the blade back as though he were about to give a simple attack, when he used his lower muscles to jump into the air, carrying him up above the others body.

He twisted in the air and turned, pulling the magic to the end of the Kingdom Key, blasting it at his "foe."

"Fire!" He called out the name of the attack to fully initiate it, feeling quite proud of himself for already believing he was one step ahead. Being connected to someone in the way that they were, however, would probably prove itself to maintain pros.. And cons.

Vanitas gave a laugh that was just as crazy and unhinged as ever, but at least it was alight with real joy as Roxas blocked him. Apparently his opponent here was just as tenacious and eager to 'win' as he was, even if neither of them could really be a loser just a spar. He could practically feel the magic that was going to be fired his way, preparing a Dark version of the magic to fire back, he danced backward on the sand with fleet feet and when Fire erupted his way, he shot a dark fireball right back. Another joyful noise coming from his chest as the collided and neutralized. 

This was already so much fun, giving him a proper outlet for his aggressions without sending Unversed out to be destroyed. He darted forward again and followed Roxas up into the air, spinning himself to gain momentum for a purely physical attack. He wasn't going to use magic much here, just enough to counter and match the blonde. Which he was starting to match him, too well really. Their movements falling into sync as if they had done this hundreds of times. It was unsettling just to begin with. 

Attack and block, block and attack, almost perfect movements, quickly gaining on them. It was startling and terrifying to say the least. 

What had been fun was now beginning to turn into something.. A little strange. Roxas gulped down some of his own saliva in a fit of nervousness as his mind attempted to collect its thoughts to figure out what was going on here. It was like every movement he made had already been anticipated before his body even acted them out. And it was the same vice-versa as well. He looked at Axel and made a face of confusion, as if he was non-verbally asking him what was going on between the two of them; unfortunately, however, there were some questions that his lover simply didn't have any answers to.

Having great intuition and knowing what to expect was one thing, but being superfluous and looking at a mirror-image was a harsh difference; the blond didn't know what he was doing that made him so easy to read.. Or maybe this was much deeper than anything he could have imagined. He moved a certain way, only to find that Vanitas had done the exact same thing, and when his blue eyes gazed into golden, he could see the same annoyance and confusion that he was experience at that current situation.

The Nobody fired a few more magic shots of fire and thunder, only for them to be countered by the same spell. He could only watch as they canceled each other out, and then the two would be lunging for each other all over again, the Kingdom Key clanking mercilessly against the Void Gear. They would stare into each other whenever they got the chance, as if they were trying to read each other, and they mimicked each other whenever they couldn't come up with anything to help themselves.

"How are you doing that?" Roxas finally asked, blocking an attack that he somehow knew was coming; he was beginning to feel that he could simply rely on his instincts to be safe in this sparring match.. It was disturbing beyond belief.

How am I doing that?

The Key of Destiny stood, his feet digging into the sand as he tense his muscles, preparing himself to anything that would come his way. He would be more than prepared for it.

The fun was turning into something terribly aggravating, each time Vanitas attacked, Roxas block and vise versa. And so he continued to move faster, more aggressively, just to be blocked again. His eyes were narrowed now with each swing of the Void Gear. They moved as one which was disturbing enough. And so Vanitas made a split second decision, dancing back lightly only to charge forward at full speed drawing back to slam his Keyblade against the other. He rushed him and then something very, very strange happened, it felt like he was passing through Roxas.

And then he was stuck. 

His mind was a scramble of emotions and thoughts, both his and Roxas'. Vanitas was more aware of his body than anything else, the feeling of warm metal in both hands. Both Keyblades were still in their hands as he started to realize what had happened and why this body felt more right than the one he had been inside before. Void Gear dispelled from his hand for a moment as he felt along his chest, searching for the beat of a heart instantly as his mind began to race into a jumble once more.  

Once blue eyes were stained pure gold as they landed almost manically on Axel, Vanitas was, in his way, expecting a bad reaction already, Void Gear summoning back to his hand. He felt whole now, he didn't want to be apart. Roxas didn't want it either, he could hear the other boy's voice in his head. Yes. This was his head now too. 

His voice echoed, followed closely by Roxas giving it a duo-tone and disturbing quality,"....We're whole." 

"....We're whole."

What.. What was happening? What was this feeling...? One of their hands moved to the midst of their chest, and the strong sense of a beating organ was overwhelming. Roxas could feel... Like he had never felt before... It was wonderful. This was everything he had been striving for since the moment he was brought into this world! Every memory that he had was tucked away somewhere that he couldn't even begin to access, not that he had the will to in the first place. The creature before the redhead took in breaths, as if it were filtering out the life force of the air around it - a strange energy washed over the Kingdom Key in the fusion's right hand, transforming the Kingdom Key into a strange new weapon, a bein that consisted of both the Oathkeeper and Oblivion; Two Become One.

"We're... Finally..."

The Void Gear was brought back into the opposing hand that had lacked a weapon for a few moments. New Golden eyes were looking at everything, darting back and forth, looking at things in an entirely different perspective. Eventually, they were bound to find their way to the Nobody that was staring at them - there was tension in the area, and it could now be easily sensed. Perception had become a breeze, and all of the things that the blond boy had tried so hard to understand was.. Coming to him as though it had been there all along. There was something in his chest, and it was strong...

Strong...

The being began to walk toward the other, a mixture of both Roxas and Vanitas, two halves that had somehow found a way to be whole with each other, but the fit was obviously imperfect; their voices were still singled out and could be told apart, but at some intervals, the pitch was distorted. It was nothing but an undertone, but distinguishable. Its eyes were wide, filled with mental instability, but that was nothing but a minor casualty. None of that mattered - the most important thing was accomplished. Roxas' soul we beginning to relax, leaving the mind to do whatever it wanted, and he could feel Vanitas' doing the same thing. The two were simply basking in the glory of each others warmth, their entire beings being meshed together.

Vanitas?

Yeah?

The creature twitched its head to the side, its blinking happening erratically, and to make matters even more eerie, sometimes, they wouldn't do it simultaneously. It was a few paces before the redhead now, grinning maliciously; Axel was now reduced to only a challenge - a way for this mutant and godless creature to prove its worth.

What is it, Roxas?

It's nothing, I just.. This feels good.

It does.

"Who are you?"

Vanitas.. Can we stay like this?

Yeah, we can.

Forever?

Forever.

The Flurry gave the pair most of his attention. It didn't seem necessary that he get too involved as the pair sparred seeing as that he felt he had taught Roxas well enough that he could handle himself in a bit of fun. The only concern was Vanitas. He didn't know quite enough, but he was rather good at reading others. He could see that flash of fire in him, that anger. He knew it because he was well acquainted with that rage himself. It made him worry but he wasn't going to ruin the fun just yet.

His concern did start to grow as the supposed pretend fight continued. It seemed that they were so evenly matched despite Vanitas' years of experience. A frown pulled at his features as he pushed off the tree he was leaning against. Each swing was met with a block. Every move was mirrored, anticipated, reacted to before it even started. There was something terribly wrong here. Rox, He called, worry clear in his tone. They were too far entrenched in what they were doing to hear him though. What the hell had Sora and Ventus done that their other selves could react like this to each other.

He stepped forward as Vanitas finally decided to try something different. He charged the blond and things went completely wrong from there. Axel froze entirely, unable to breath as he watched the strangest thing happen. They weren't separate entities anymore. There was this strange mix of each as they melded into each other, creating something else. His green eyes were wide as those beautiful blue eyes he so cherished turned amber. Those weren't his Keys eyes. That hair ... Those golden locks turned white and all he could see was Xemnas.

What hurt worse was this ... thing turning to him, Keyblades in hand, and asking who he was. For a moment Axel's eyes welled up. No, he wouldn't believe this. He wouldn't allow himself to think that Roxas forgot him just because of some weird metaphysical nonsense. In that moment the Flurry realized that he would never be able to keep his promise to himself. He swallowed, trying to force what little heart he had back down out of his throat. He held his hands out wide, keeping them clearly in view to show that they were entirely empty.

Roxy, I know you're in there. I need just you to answer me right now, He said cautiously, eyes pleading with this stranger. These two were not whole. Whatever they were feeling was not completion. Clearly Ventus and Sora had such a strong connection that Roxas and Vanitas had one too. They weren't meant to complete each other though. There were still things missing. Somehow, using that logic seemed like a really bad idea. Those Keyblades were certainly not his friends, not when they were aimed at him.

They continued to move as one, approaching Axel with obvious threat. It was the Void Gear that rose to point at Axel, the dissonant voices repeating themselves.

"Who are you?" 

They clearly weren't recognizing him, either one of them, too wrapped up mentally in this complete feeling. They didn't feel like two puzzle pieces forced together from separate puzzles entirely, instead they felt like they belonged like this. So desperate were they both to feel like something more than a cast aside piece. 

Something in him must have heard Roxas must have heard Axel's question but it didn't seem to bother him much more than a slight furrowing to his brow before they swung back with the Void Gear to strike him. 

Forever. 

The word kept echoing through Van's thoughts especially. He wanted it. Wanted it so much it was nearly painful in his mind as they moved as one to attack the redhead. It was mostly Van wanting to, he had felt the redhead's distrust and he was so desperate to keep a friend that he would fight. Although that line was blurred into attack Axel and not much else, no good reason for it, just that for some reason he wanted him gone. 

Roxas wasn't as with that though, that particular keyblade hand was slower to respond, if Axel was lucky it wouldn't require much beating to break them up. 

But really, when were any of these three ever lucky?

The completion.. Was overbearing. Roxas could barely make out what was going on in the outside world around the two of them; all he wanted to do was shut everything off and simply bask in the glory of this feeling for the rest of his existence. He remembered this.. This is what it felt like to be joined back with Sora, but when he had awoken, that memory escaped him. His sad existence as a Nobody was nothing compared to what this was like, but the more he remained in this state, the more his memories were starting to slip away. 

Roxy, I know you're in there. I need just you to answer me right now. 

The words were distant, but he could hear them, and it caused him to become slightly more aware. When he attempted to peer outside of the realm his soul was in, he saw a blurred vision of Axel, though the focus was finicky, and he couldn't make sense of the situation he was in. 

What...? Did you say something.. Axel...? 

He saw the Void Gear lift, beginning to aim towards his best friend and lover, filling his side of the fusion with confusion and a hefty amount of fear. Why was Axel being attacked, and was he controlling it? 

Vanitas... Stop... 

The plea was weak, as his vision was continuing to fade away, tough he tried his best to maintain the focus. It was difficult to hold on, forcing himself to not succumb to the slumber threatening to take him away. The being that he was infused with would then have full control. The direct link he had to the keyblade in the opposing hand trembled, aiding to Roxas' call and reaching out, though not to attack the redhead. 

Instead, the Void gear was blocked, the sound of metal clanking harshly echoing in the surrounding area. Roxas was fighting with the entirety of what he was, putting his all into taking control over the force that was Vanitas. They were both not in their right minds.. There had to be a way to maintain this peacefully - of course there would never be a way. Roxas didn't want to accept that; he didn't want to break the connection and end this wonderful feeling that he was in the midst of, but he couldn't stand for Axel getting hurt, or worse. 

The creature's face contorted in an ugly way as the two struggled against each other, but Roxas pushed past the broken soul, though he hoped that it wouldn't be taken too maliciously. The Keyblades dropped to the ground as its hands moved to its face. 

"I won't."

Roxas' voice was much more prominent in those two words, and it faltered, stumbling back a few paces in obvious pain. It was clutching its chest, beads of sweat forming on its forehead as it trembled in a horrid struggle. 

Please.. Don't hurt anyone... 

Don't tell me what to do. 

I'm begging you- 

Shut up. 

Vanitas, 

Shut up!

"Shut up!"

The two were clashing against each other, proving that they were not the perfect mesh that they felt like. It was horrendous, but Roxas would struggle as much as he could before he let anyone get hurt because of his actions. He pressed his being against Vanitas', hoping that it would help deter him, but he could feel himself slipping, and fast. It wouldn't be long until his energy would fade, and he would be forced down into a slumber, giving the creature free roam. 

And if anyone.. Got hurt.. 

It would be all because of him.

This strange mix of the two boys was not working well. While Vanitas didn't really know him, he did know Axel's name. He knew who he was, so whatever this was, it was robbing both of them of who they were as individuals. When it came to the redhead, there was no reason that Roxas' mind shouldn't have sway over this situation. They had been best friends for how long? Recently, there was much more to it and it was a strong bond. Axel had thought it a strong bond, so why did they have to ask who he was? He stung that he was forgotten ... again.

His expression contorted into anger. Fine, I'll play, He hissed, emerald eyes showing the rage starting to burn brighter as the Void Gear lifted toward him. Roxas might be in there, but this was not his Key. Vanitas was in control and obviously didn't like the redhead. Darkness and flame pooled in his hands as he called the Eternal Flames from nothing. The Flurry growled, The name's Axel. Got it memorized? For a moment, his eyes seemed to flash yellow, a gold so pure that it matched that of Vanitas, of this ... thing they had created.

He braced himself for that attack that he saw coming, despite noticing that the Two Become One hesitated. What he didn't expect was for the Keyblades to clash, one protecting him as the other tried to do him harm. There, that was his chance to end this without hurting Roxas too much. His little sunspot was in there, aware. He dropped the chakrams to the sand along with the Keyblades and rushed forward. He ignored this odd mesh of the boys talking to itself and gently took its .. his .. their? face into his hands.

There was a moment where he wasn't sure what he should do. Did he play to Roxas and ease him out gently, or did he knock the Vanitas out of him out of sheer spite for the dark haired boy. They thought they were whole, so he could somewhat understand their fight to maintain it, but it was a lie and he wouldn't allow for Vanitas to fight for it like this. Only Roxas would have any say in Axel's continued existence and the darker of the two would just have to suck that up. Well, they were a mesh of the two right now, so he could give them a bit of both.

For Roxas, he leaned forward, pressing his lips to the being's in an effort to give something that the Key could latch onto and fight harder for. He needed the blond to be in control and maybe their connection could give that to him. The fire starter pulled away, one hand dropping to form a fist. Sorry, Roxy, He said before pulling his hand back and aiming his punch at the creature's jaw. That could actually go one of two ways -- piss Vanitas off more, or keep them off balance enough that their connection started to waver even more. He hoped for the latter.

Physically they were already fighting each other, and their form was shaking as they disagreed over the red head. Vanitas wanted to hurt him because he was afraid of being kept away from Roxas now, and Roxas? Well Roxas loved Axel of course so that wasn't really an issue. 

What caused them both to halt was the kiss, the sweet press of lips against their form's. Vanitas felt a rouse of curiosity as he felt other emotions shoot through Roxas mind. And he started to chase that, holding them together by sheer force of will to learn what those feelings were first hand. 

And then Axel hit him. Roxas felt confusion, and then understanding, letting his thoughts remain peaceful, Vanitas turned angry and tried to swing back, his arm moving oddly when he formed a fist to swing back. No, no, they were starting to come apart. An angry snarl managed to rip from the being they were still meshed into more Vanitas than Roxas in sound, the blonde was keeping him from really hurting Axel now. 

It wouldn't take much more to push them back apart, hopefully. 

[attr="class","tiacon"]

[attr="class","tiabox"]

♡TAGS: @vanity Axel @
♡NOTES: this is hurting me more than either of you will ever know

For a moment, a split second, Roxas could feel the other side of the being that had been created calm, and he swore there was a second where he could have reached out, and the connection that the two of them had could have eased slightly, maybe.. Maybe the anger and rage inside of it could have dissipated, but that simply wasn’t in the ards for them. They would never be able to find true solace this way, as much as they willed themselves to be able to find it. No.. No, that would be much too convenient. The fit that they had wasn’t a perfect one, in fact, it was extraordinarily flawed. They were being meshed together by sheer power of will and the need to be completed.

This wasn’t the correct way of going about that.

The blow from the redhead’s fist truly did knock them both out of balance, and the movement of their left arm was unsynchronized, meaning that the connection that they shared was truly falling apart. Roxas could see through blurred vision the discontent and obvious pain that Axel was going through having to hurt something that looked so much like the person that he loved, and it was hurting the blond to the ends of the world.

He didn’t want to be the cause of that. He couldn’t be the cause of that.

I…

The vision that had once been disfigured was now turning into clarity, and he could make things out much easier. Somehow, the husk was managing to push back the force of the broken hearted

I won’t..

The body’s eyes began to rapidly change change color from golden back to blue, the wavelength of their joining being disrupted even more so than it had been.

I won’t hurt him.

The creature’s hand suddenly opened, the Keyblade that belonged to none other than the Nobody inside phased into existence, and the arm shakily turned it around, aiming the end towards its own chest.

I’m so sorry.

He pushed the keyblade forward, and the end of it dove into the entity’s flesh, separating the two halves that had been conjoined forcefully. The keyblade soon vanished, and Vanitas’s body was ripped apart from Roxas in the worst-feeling experience he had ever encountered. Being separated from someone.. And having recollection…

It hurt.

Roxas was panting heavily on all fours, as his body couldn’t withstand the strength to hold itself up. The boy was cringing and trembling, all of his energy seemingly zapped from his body. His head hung down low, his neck limply attaching it to his body.

God.. It hurt.

thanks tia and kaigra!

[newclass=.tiabox]opacity:0;transition:.6s all linear;[/newclass]
[newclass=.tiacon:hover .tiabox]opacity:1[/newclass]

It seemed like his rash actions worked. The kiss had stopped any retaliation and the physical harm threw them more off guard. Hopefully Roxas would forgive him for that one, but Vanitas needed to be put in his place. He didn't care if they thought that they felt complete, they weren't. This wasn't the way to get there and when exactly had he become a threat in the first place? He barely knew Vanitas and the dark haired boy certainly didn't know him.

Axel glanced at the creature's hand as it tried to form a fist, moving disjointedly. They weren't working in unison, proving just how imperfect this union was. It wasn't meant to be and their internal conflict showed. Still, the redhead shifted to react. His gaze returned to the thing's face only to be greeted with the deep blue oceans he loved so much. Roxas, He said quietly, his braced stance shifting a little. He wanted to move forward, to do something that would continue to help the blond regain control and break this connection.

The Key didn't seem to think of anything quite so nice, or so painless. He flinched at the appearance of a Keyblade not caring that it was Roxas'. He reached forward, uncaring for his own well being and only thinking to stop him from doing something stupid. He wasn't fast enough though, he was just far enough away that he couldn't stop Roxas from impaling himself. The gold that had threatened to take over the emerald of the Flurry's eyes was gone, washed away with fear for the blond.

The pair separated and Axel rushed forward. He was by his lover's side as the Keyblade vanished and Roxas fell to his hands and knees. The fire bug laid a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder as he knelt in the sand, unsure if doing more would make him feel worse right now. Hey, Roxy, you okay? He asked quietly, knowing that it was a stupid question. He didn't have a better one though and he certainly didn't know how to handle someone stabbing themselves with a Keyblade and surviving.

Sadly, it wasn't just the two of them. Vanitas was not his favorite person right now and he really didn't want to spare him a second thought. However, this was Roxas' friend so he should try to be a good sport and attempt to make nice with someone that the blond would most likely still want to keep close. He leaned over enough to properly look at the angry being that had just been forced out of a connection. That must have hurt like hell and thrown him for a loop being run through. They were both lucky that they were breathing. You okay there, kid? He asked, tone a lot less warm and only a little less concerned.