Moon Sprout

Hey there. The name's Isa. Not much to say; I'm just a regular teenager spending boring regular days with my best friend, Lea. One of these days, though, I'm gonna get out of this town.

[sleepingassassin]

lunasprout started following you

[sleepingassassin]

Something about those words struck Axel for just a moment.  Of course Isa looked like just a kid to him, but if he wasn’t…if somehow he’d survived, once Axel changed the past like he intended…

Nah, he couldn’t afford to start thinking in that direction.  There was still so much for him to do.  If he didn’t pop out of existence the instant he finished rescuing Lea, then he’d have to use whatever time he had let to make sure nothing happened to Roxas.

Then again…maybe changing the past this much would ensure that Roxas never existed in the first place.

Depressing thought.  But as long as he was effectively erasing the entity known as Axel from existence, Axel was already eradicating that friendship.  That made him reconsider for a moment, but really, he’d be better off this way.  They all would.

And it was too easy to slip back into a playful mindset with Isa, for the ten years that existed between them.  “Oh, sure,” Axel drawled, a smirk tugging at his lips; “if I need a precocious little vandal to make a couple’a break-ins or get in my way, you’ll be the first one I call~.”

[lunasprout-blog]

Isa couldn't know the depths of Axel's thoughts, but it was clear he was worried, and Isa wanted to put that to rest. He couldn't even imagine spending so long bereft of Lea, and the thought of Lea alone for so long was hardly better. Isa would have to make sure that fate didn't befall either one of them.

But right here and right now, he offered 'Older Lea' a cocky smirk, drawing his eyebrows up in false insult.

"I'd hope so! Can't forget about your best friend, can you?" His smirk twisted slightly around the edges, softened towards the older man.

"...I'll remember this. I'll get me and Lea out safe. Don't worry about us."

[sleepingassassin]

lunasprout started following you

[lunasprout-blog]

Isa glanced over at the man when he heard the laugh.

"You don’t think it’ll be that simple, huh?" And well, maybe he was right. ‘Older Lea’ would definitely know more about the situation that Isa did. Shouldn’t he be handling it then, instead of leaving it to a couple of dumb kids? Isa rolled his eyes in return.

"You think I’m dumb for believing you?" Isa asked with a snort. "Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t believe a word of this out of anybody else. But coming outta your mouth, well," and Isa shrugged, "What else am I supposed to do? It’s you.”

[sleepingassassin]

"Nahhh, ‘course not."  It felt weird as hell to be ruffling Isa’s hair, but Axel did it anyway because it probably would have amused Lea.  "Really.  I’m touched."  He didn’t say it like he was, but it for once wasn’t a facetious statement, either.  "But somethin’ tells me that Ansem, wise as he is, isn’t gonna take the word of a couple’a kids."

If Ansem were all that wise to start with, Axel figured he should have been able to stop this before it started, anyway.  Who hadn’t noticed how sketchy Xehanort was?  Apart from the apprentices he’d cut down right before Lea’s hollow eyes.

Axel looked back towards the castle for a moment, trying to see the magnificent structure that Lea had found so full of promise.  It still looked nostalgic, but all the other mysterious castles in Axel’s memory had robbed it of its mystique.  “The corruption over there runs pretty deep,” he said with a nod in that direction.  “But we’re probably better off cutting it off at its source.”

Reaching back with both hands, Axel tucked his hair back into his hood and pulled it back down, fixing bright gold eyes on Isa from underneath.

"Think you can keep this between us?"

[lunasprout-blog]

Isa ducked his head, playfully batting 'Older Lea's hand off with a mock-petulant glare.

"Hey! I'm not a kid, whatever I look like to you," he said, but his tone was light and playful, not actually offended. The playfulness faded with the man's change in demeanor. He seemed...sad. But Isa guessed if he'd been faced with a ghost ten years gone, he'd be pretty sad, too. That resolved it. Nodding his agreement, Isa suddenly reached up to punch the man lightly in the shoulder.

"I'm not gonna let you be by yourself either. Not if there's anything I can do to stop it," he promised. "Get that memorized."

[lunasprout-blog]

leaember started following you

“There you are,” Isa said, strolling up to the redhead with his hands in his pockets.

"I’ve been looking all over for you. Where’ve you been hiding, huh?"

[leaember]

"Who says I’ve been hiding?"

Lea tossed one of the frisbees again in a wide arc, letting it sail around behind Isa and smack against his hand again.  His grin wasn’t too far removed from the facetious one splitting the frisbee’s front.  “Maybe I’ve just been exploring.”

[lunasprout-blog]

"Exploring? Without me?" Isa pressed his hand over his heart, just as facetious as the redhead was. "I'm crushed."

Isa sauntered over, to lean beside the redhead. He crossed his arms, leaning one foot against the wall as well.

"So, find anything interesting while you were 'exploring' all by yourself?"

[sleepingassassin]

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[lunasprout-blog]

Isa looked back up at the castle, and his eyes narrowed. An apocalypse from up there…naturally, he’d want to save Lea’s neck first, and his own second before anyone else’s, but to know such a disaster was coming and only save themselves…

"We’ve gotta do something," Isa said. "Maybe…if we warned the king, Ansem would be able to do something to stop it. If we still have a few months, then there’s time, right?"

[sleepingassassin]

Axel let out a soft, bitter laugh at the thought.  It would be nice, but somehow he doubted that the Xehanort who later became Xemnas would permit that much screwing with his plans.

Then again, maybe if Lea never became a Nobody, Xehanort would never have that idea in the first place.  That much was worth a try, and if it didn’t stop Xehanort, well…

Axel would just have to apply a more direct approach.

"Guess it couldn’t hurt," he said with a shrug and a suggestive roll of his eyes back towards Isa.  "After all, you believed me from the very start.  Convincing a man as wise as all that should be a snap, right~?”

[lunasprout-blog]

Isa glanced over at the man when he heard the laugh.

"You don't think it'll be that simple, huh?" And well, maybe he was right. 'Older Lea' would definitely know more about the situation that Isa did. Shouldn't he be handling it then, instead of leaving it to a couple of dumb kids? Isa rolled his eyes in return.

"You think I'm dumb for believing you?" Isa asked with a snort. "Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't believe a word of this out of anybody else. But coming outta your mouth, well," and Isa shrugged, "What else am I supposed to do? It's you."

[sleepingassassin]

lunasprout started following you

[lunasprout-blog]

Isa nodded in response to that instruction. He most certainly would stick near the old soldier, that was for sure. Isa doubted trying to warn Cid would get them very far, so they’d just have to be diligent in keeping on top of him.

Isa’s gaze followed the older man’s thumb to look up at the castle in question.

"…so then there IS something shady going on in that castle," Isa said in a tone that screamed ‘I knew it.’ His eyes flicked back to the black-cloaked man. "Can you tell me what they’re up to? Is that where the monsters come from?"

[sleepingassassin]

That prompted another sheepish scratch at Axel’s head.  He’d been entirely too frank with this kid to start with, but now was not really the time to start giving Isa reasons to ignore him.

Especially if Xemnas found out.  Axel’s loyalty to him was entirely circumstantial, but he sometimes wondered if those very circumstances hadn’t been engineered by Xemnas himself.  The testing he’d endured as one of the first Nobodies—if not the first—had paved the way for those Organization members that followed.  But, Axel figured, Xemnas would find a subject somewhere.  It didn’t have to be him.

"…Yeah."  Following Isa’s gaze with a slow turn, Axel wondered for the first time if his own and Isa’s sad situation was the only one he’d be able to prevent.

[lunasprout-blog]

Isa looked back up at the castle, and his eyes narrowed. An apocalypse from up there...naturally, he'd want to save Lea's neck first, and his own second before anyone else's, but to know such a disaster was coming and only save themselves...

"We've gotta do something," Isa said. "Maybe...if we warned the king, Ansem would be able to do something to stop it. If we still have a few months, then there's time, right?"

[lunasprout-blog]

leaember started following you

"There you are," Isa said, strolling up to the redhead with his hands in his pockets.

"I've been looking all over for you. Where've you been hiding, huh?"

[sleepingassassin]

lunasprout started following you

[lunasprout-blog]

Isa rolled his eyes at the chuckle. Maybe it just sounded like idiot teenage bravado to Axel, but Isa did mean every word. If it ever came to a choice between himself and Lea, Isa would pick Lea every time. 

Still, if there didn’t have to be a choice at all, that was much, much more preferable. His neighbor’s name surprised Isa, and he nodded, leaning forward with renewed enthusiasm.

"I know Cid! I can- wait." Isa paused, staring openly. "Did you say-…other worlds? Oh man.” Isa rubbed the back of his head with one hand, trying not to grin at the idea when things were so serious. “That really dwarfs breaking into some dumb castle.”

[sleepingassassin]

It absolutely did sound like idiot teenage bravado to Axel, in part because he was relatively certain it was the kind of thing he’d hear out of himself if he were to track Lea down.  But in the interest of avoiding some kind of reality-splitting paradox, he should probably refrain from trying that.

Apart from keeping his hood down when he pulled himself free of that inkspill of Heartless, anyway.

Isa’s comment put a wry, nostalgic grin on Axel’s face.  He certainly remembered the days when breaking into a castle was an ill-advised plan of his own instead of a mission.  “Sounds exciting, huh?” he drawled, figuring if Isa thought that it might keep him focused.  “Yeah.  Y’see?  You’ll be just fine, just stick close to Cid.”

He paused.  “And speaking of castles, might be a good idea to stay away from that one,” he added, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder at Radiant Garden’s.

[lunasprout-blog]

Isa nodded in response to that instruction. He most certainly would stick near the old soldier, that was for sure. Isa doubted trying to warn Cid would get them very far, so they'd just have to be diligent in keeping on top of him.

Isa's gaze followed the older man's thumb to look up at the castle in question.

"...so then there IS something shady going on in that castle," Isa said in a tone that screamed 'I knew it.' His eyes flicked back to the black-cloaked man. "Can you tell me what they're up to? Is that where the monsters come from?"

[sleepingassassin]

lunasprout started following you

[lunasprout-blog]

Isa relaxed somewhat, just from the knowledge that evidently there wasa way out.

"So then, it’s possible we could escape before all this happens," Isa filled in. "Get away from Radiant Garden, and we’d be safe…right? Got any tips on that? ‘Cuz…" Isa hesitated, frowning softly and glancing down at the ground for the first time in their discussion.

"…I…don’t wanna be separated either," he said quietly. "But I mean…if…we couldn’t escape in time…if being separated meant you, at least, would survive, then…” Then Isa would do what he could to keep himself in one piece, but if he failed, at least one of them would keep going.

[sleepingassassin]

Axel blinked, not at all comprehending what Isa was saying at first.  Then he couldn’t help chuckling at exactly the kind of self-sacrificing, noble crap that he’d expect to hear out of someone like Roxas or Sora.  And Isa too, for that matter, but Axel had only remembered so much about Isa.  Seeing him again was reminiscent, but also disarming.  So many qualities had been softened by time that remembering Isa was and had always been just another person like Lea was…disappointing wasn’t the word.

"Let’s not play hero just yet.  You’ve still got time, but if I were you I’d get in touch with that Cid guy who runs the one shop.  He’s got a Gummi ship and yanked a buncha survivors offworld, last I heard."  Come to think of it, Axel shouldn’t be speaking up about other worlds, either.  But that was a foregone conclusion at this point; it was far more important that Isa escape than it was to maintain the separation of the worlds, in Axel’s mind.

[lunasprout-blog]

Isa rolled his eyes at the chuckle. Maybe it just sounded like idiot teenage bravado to Axel, but Isa did mean every word. If it ever came to a choice between himself and Lea, Isa would pick Lea every time. 

Still, if there didn't have to be a choice at all, that was much, much more preferable. His neighbor's name surprised Isa, and he nodded, leaning forward with renewed enthusiasm.

"I know Cid! I can- wait." Isa paused, staring openly. "Did you say-...other worlds? Oh man." Isa rubbed the back of his head with one hand, trying not to grin at the idea when things were so serious. "That really dwarfs breaking into some dumb castle."

[sleepingassassin]

lunasprout started following you

[lunasprout-blog]

Isa was startled by Axel’s reaction, not quite enough to push back but definitely enough to take a step away. Once recovered, though, he glared back at the redhead. Isa didn’t understand what he meant by ‘hearts,’ but one thing was very clear, and that was that ‘Older Lea’ was still alive to tell the tale.

"Is that worse than being dead?" Isa asked. "Because that’s what you’re warning me about, isn’t it? Either I turn out like you, or I die, is that right? Unless you’ve got a way out?" Isa challenged him.

[sleepingassassin]

Axel shifted his jaw with an uncertain noise.  He definitely didn’t want Isa to go through what he had, to question his own identity—to change half as much as Axel had already changed.  But Isa had a point in that all that was a lot better than being dead.

"It doesn’t have to be that simple," he snapped in turn.  "There were others.  Not everyone got killed or turned into an empty shell like me, so which outcome do you think I want for us?”

Still, he could only keep up the angry act for so long and his face softened again at another thought.  “Either way…it’s better if we’re not separated, right?”

There were so many times when he could have used Isa’s viewpoint.  But all that was in the past now; if he could rewrite history, Axel wouldn’t hesitate.

Even if that meant giving up another friendship that never was.

[lunasprout-blog]

Isa relaxed somewhat, just from the knowledge that evidently there was a way out.

"So then, it's possible we could escape before all this happens," Isa filled in. "Get away from Radiant Garden, and we'd be safe...right? Got any tips on that? 'Cuz..." Isa hesitated, frowning softly and glancing down at the ground for the first time in their discussion.

"...I...don't wanna be separated either," he said quietly. "But I mean...if...we couldn't escape in time...if being separated meant you, at least, would survive, then..." Then Isa would do what he could to keep himself in one piece, but if he failed, at least one of them would keep going.

[sleepingassassin]

lunasprout started following you

[lunasprout-blog]

Isa’s expression settled into a soft frown, eyes searching the older man’s face. He didn’t flinch back from the tap on his chest, any more than he would have flinched from Lea.

"…How, then? How do we both survive? The same way you did?” What way could there be to escape the destruction of their entire city, except to get out of it? And he and Lea had already been trying to do that all along. Idly, Isa’s gaze drifted up to the castle overlooking the city.

"…How did you survive it, then…?”

[sleepingassassin]

"What—no!”  Before he even had to think about it, Axel was wrapping both hands around Isa’s shoulders, just like he would have with Roxas or…or anyone else Roxas’s size.  The instinct to shake that idea out of Isa’s head was just too strong.  “No.  Not like that, don’t even think about—…”

Shaking his head, he relaxed with an annoyed sound at his own compulsion.  It was definitely important to him that Isa not make some stupid mistake that landed him alongside Lea in his dire straits, but it probably didn’t merit quite this much acting.

"Those creatures are after only one thing.  Our hearts," he said, drawing back.  "The only reason they didn’t attack me is because they already have Lea’s."

[lunasprout-blog]

Isa was startled by Axel's reaction, not quite enough to push back but definitely enough to take a step away. Once recovered, though, he glared back at the redhead. Isa didn't understand what he meant by 'hearts,' but one thing was very clear, and that was that 'Older Lea' was still alive to tell the tale.

"Is that worse than being dead?" Isa asked. "Because that's what you're warning me about, isn't it? Either I turn out like you, or I die, is that right? Unless you've got a way out?" Isa challenged him.

[sleepingassassin]

lunasprout started following you

[lunasprout-blog]

Isa shivered. For all his bravado, being told in no uncertain terms that he and everyone he knew were going to die was a bit much to handle with aplomb. Then he flinched, at the idea of Lea wanting to ‘erase his existence.’

"Don’t say that," Isa immediately snapped, and then went quiet again with a shudder. Radiant Garden attacked. ‘Fallen.’ That didn’t seem like the kind of thing that one stupid teenage boy could make a difference in.

"…Why are you telling me this…?" Isa asked in a near-whisper. "It’s not like…I could do anything to stop an invasion. So how…do you expect me to change anything?"

[sleepingassassin]

Something close enough to regret made Axel groan out an exhale.  This was heavy stuff to be dropping on a kid’s shoulders, and that was exactly why he’d tried to avoid it. 

"It’s not like it was my first choice," he griped, scratching his temple awkwardly.  Without any real concept of how this sounded to Isa, he didn’t have the empathy to treat it with gentleness.  "Besides, I’m not expecting you to change anything.  Radiant Garden will fall to the Heartless, there’s no point in pretending like it won’t."

He shifted like he wanted to set a hand on Isa’s shoulder, but that would have felt awkward to him.  “All I want is for both of us…that is.  Both of you.”  So he settled for tapping the boy meaningfully in the chest instead.  “To make it outta there with your ears on.”

[lunasprout-blog]

Isa's expression settled into a soft frown, eyes searching the older man's face. He didn't flinch back from the tap on his chest, any more than he would have flinched from Lea.

"...How, then? How do we both survive? The same way you did?" What way could there be to escape the destruction of their entire city, except to get out of it? And he and Lea had already been trying to do that all along. Idly, Isa's gaze drifted up to the castle overlooking the city.

"...How did you survive it, then...?"

[sleepingassassin]

lunasprout started following you

[lunasprout-blog]

Isa’s eyebrows went up incredulously. 

"The ‘assbags,’" he repeated, trying not to smirk. Sure, he knew what ‘Older Lea’ meant, but the disconnect between the seriousness of the discussion and the ridiculousness of that name was pretty comical. Not to mention the humor of the man obviously trying to censor himself for Isa’s benefit, like he was a little kid or something. Isa was 16 years old; he knew the word ‘asshole.’

But the rest of the answer sobers him up, and the mirth dropped right off Isa’s face. ‘Older Lea’ was dodging his question, and Isa didn’t like the implications of that at all.

"Seriously, this vague schtick is getting old," he complained, crossing his arms over his chest. "Say I buy this whole ‘back from the future to warn me’ thing. If you’re trying to tell me I’m going to bite it, you’re gonna need to be more specific."

[sleepingassassin]

Axel couldn’t resist a smirk.  Just like he remembered, Isa’s tolerance for bullshit was low, and he was still about as skeptical of this situation as Axel was.  If it hadn’t been for the setting around him, Axel would have a hard time believing Isa was from the past himself.

"Fine," he said grimly.  "You’re gonna bite it.  Everyone does, once Radiant Garden is attacked.  The only reason I make it is because the Heartless don’t come after me."  One spidery black hand splayed over his chest.  "They’ve got what they wanted.  So…"  His eyebrows turned up and he closed his eyes against a one-shouldered shrug.  "I figure, as long as I’m all the way back here anyway, I’ll take this opportunity to erase my own existence.”

It’s about time someone did.

[lunasprout-blog]

Isa shivered. For all his bravado, being told in no uncertain terms that he and everyone he knew were going to die was a bit much to handle with aplomb. Then he flinched, at the idea of Lea wanting to 'erase his existence.'

"Don't say that," Isa immediately snapped, and then went quiet again with a shudder. Radiant Garden attacked. 'Fallen.' That didn't seem like the kind of thing that one stupid teenage boy could make a difference in.

"...Why are you telling me this...?" Isa asked in a near-whisper. "It's not like...I could do anything to stop an invasion. So how...do you expect me to change anything?"

[sleepingassassin]

lunasprout started following you

[lunasprout-blog]

Okay, so Lea would ultimately be alright, apparently, if somewhat the worse for wear. Immediately after he thought that, Isa caught himself, realizing he was already trying to plan for danger. Radiant Garden had always been peaceful, for the most part. Even the little monsters that had been around for a few months weren’t that big of a deal.

This man, though, clearly wasn’t talking about a minor thing - and his use of Lea’s catchphrase, as natural as if he’d been saying it all his life, clinched Isa’s trust in him. Something bad was going to happen. Isa scowled, staying attentive. But two things bothered him.

"What’s a ‘Heartless’?" Isa asked. He’d never heard the word before. But one other thing bothered him more; Isa felt a sudden chill go down his spine.

"…What happens to me?”

[sleepingassassin]

Axel opened his mouth to respond to that and hesitated.  “Oh,” he said instead, briefly disarmed.  It had been so long since someone asked him that question that he hadn’t expected to hear it out of Isa of all people—Isa who witnessed it—but neither one of them had known, when the Heartless were swarming across Lea’s vision, exactly what threat they were facing.

"They’re a bit like the, uh."  Axel made a fruitless, coaxing gesture, searching for a word that hadn’t been in his vocabulary for several years.  "Assh—assbags."  Lea had been only so creative when it came to naming the Unversed that plagued Radiant Garden.  “Y’know, the monsters.  They’ll be showing up on you any day now, and…well.”  He spread his hands to indicate himself.

The other question isn’t one he wants to answer, but Isa’s being so stubborn about it that Axel is left with little choice.  Still, he cuts his eyes from Isa’s and narrows them at a corner.  “I can’t say what happens to you.  I’m not there when the Heartless take Radiant Garden.”

[lunasprout-blog]

Isa's eyebrows went up incredulously. 

"The 'assbags,'" he repeated, trying not to smirk. Sure, he knew what 'Older Lea' meant, but the disconnect between the seriousness of the discussion and the ridiculousness of that name was pretty comical. Not to mention the humor of the man obviously trying to censor himself for Isa's benefit, like he was a little kid or something. Isa was 16 years old; he knew the word 'asshole.'

But the rest of the answer sobers him up, and the mirth dropped right off Isa's face. 'Older Lea' was dodging his question, and Isa didn't like the implications of that at all.

"Seriously, this vague schtick is getting old," he complained, crossing his arms over his chest. "Say I buy this whole 'back from the future to warn me' thing. If you're trying to tell me I'm going to bite it, you're gonna need to be more specific."

[sleepingassassin]

lunasprout started following you

[lunasprout-blog]

This ‘Lea’ had gotten serious, and Isa believed him. Every word. Sure, Lea could be a sneak and a liar, but not to Isa; he could always see straight through Lea’s bullshit. Grown-up and wrong though he was, this man set off every spine-tingling bit of recognition, and Isa trusted his ability to read him just as he would read Lea. He was telling the truth; and that meant-

"…What do you mean, ‘still around?!" Isa demanded. “What happens to him? Does he…does he leave? What inconvenience? What…" Isa scowled, less worried for himself and much, much more curious. "…What happens to me?

[sleepingassassin]

Axel raised his eyebrows in mild surprise at the questions, slipping back into sarcasm mode, but when Isa asked that last question he shifted his jaw.  An inhale rustled against his throat and Axel avoided eye contact.  “We~ll…I happen.  So, as you can see…"  He uncrossed his arms and made a thoughtlessly graceful gesture to indicate himself.  “Couple’a dings and dents, nothin’ to write Ma about."

Setting a hand back on his hip, Axel used his free one to scratch his head sheepishly.  “Still.  Somethin’ tells me it’s gonna go better if he’s not off recovering while the shhhhhhhhh—while things get hairy over here, so let’s head off that particular Heartless attack.  Got it memorized~?"

[lunasprout-blog]

Okay, so Lea would ultimately be alright, apparently, if somewhat the worse for wear. Immediately after he thought that, Isa caught himself, realizing he was already trying to plan for danger. Radiant Garden had always been peaceful, for the most part. Even the little monsters that had been around for a few months weren't that big of a deal.

This man, though, clearly wasn't talking about a minor thing - and his use of Lea's catchphrase, as natural as if he'd been saying it all his life, clinched Isa's trust in him. Something bad was going to happen. Isa scowled, staying attentive. But two things bothered him.

"What's a 'Heartless'?" Isa asked. He'd never heard the word before. But one other thing bothered him more; Isa felt a sudden chill go down his spine.

"...What happens to me?"

[sleepingassassin]

lunasprout started following you

[lunasprout-blog]

Something…changed, in the other-Lea’s demeanor, softened into something less scary and more defensive. Maybe someone else wouldn’t have picked up on it, but Isa did, because this man was so like his friend, and Isa always knew when Lea was distressed. It softened Isa’s own features too, and his spine straightened and fists relaxed. The man’s answer drove away the last of the aggression. Isa’s eyes widened in surprise

"To me?" 

[sleepingassassin]

Isa’s startled repetition snapped Axel back to the reality of the situation, just briefly.  Assuming this wasn’t some weird nightmare or a particularly bad trip, he was deliberately messing with time, and it just didn’t seem like it could be that simple.  This kind of convenient bullshit happened in stories, not reports to Xemnas.

Not that any of this would ever reach Xemnas’s ears if Axel could afford to avoid it.

"Mmh."  He dipped his chin in a sober nod.  “If I—if Lea’s still around, you got at least a few months before it does."  He never had gotten a straight answer on how much time he spent in the bowels of Radiant Garden’s castle, and Xemnas certainly hadn’t kept him in a lucid enough state to be sure.  “So I can at least curb that little inconvenience."  The tap just under his eye was part thoughtfulness, and part because he didn’t expect Isa to recognize the markings left under his eyes.

[lunasprout-blog]

This 'Lea' had gotten serious, and Isa believed him. Every word. Sure, Lea could be a sneak and a liar, but not to Isa; he could always see straight through Lea's bullshit. Grown-up and wrong though he was, this man set off every spine-tingling bit of recognition, and Isa trusted his ability to read him just as he would read Lea. He was telling the truth; and that meant-

"...What do you mean, 'still around?!" Isa demanded. "What happens to him? Does he...does he leave? What inconvenience? What..." Isa scowled, less worried for himself and much, much more curious. "...What happens to me?

[sleepingassassin]

lunasprout started following you

[lunasprout-blog]

Isa stumbled back with one foot, yanking his sweater straight again with a tight, aggressive movement of his hands. He kept his glare trained on the man, ducking his head a bit belligerently.

"Changed? That’s putting it lightly; you’re ten years too old to be Lea. And your eyes are all wrong," Isa said, in large part just to be contrary. But his own words made a connection in his mind, to the fact that the man had asked if his friend had disappeared ten years ago…

"…Unless you’re saying something’s gonna happen to Lea?" Isa tried to stay aggressive as he said it, but even if this situation seemed totally nonsensical, Isa couldn’t take any such threat as a joke. Lea was too important for Isa not to take it seriously.

[sleepingassassin]

Axel’s crossed arms were there to cut him off from Isa, but also to keep another altercation from happening—not that he expected one now, while he was hammering a few hard truths into this kid’s head.  And come to think of it, it was strange to think of Isa as a kid, even if that came naturally to him now.  Isa was the one who hadn’t grown at all, and yet Axel couldn’t help feeling left behind.

"Worse," he said, and hesitated.  Already, Isa was a snarky little bastard; the prickly shadow of the adult he never got to become.  There was still innocence in his eyes and Axel didn’t want to tell them this much, but even now, he could only care so much about that.  Isa needed to be aware first.

"Something’s gonna happen to you."

[lunasprout-blog]

Something...changed, in the other-Lea's demeanor, softened into something less scary and more defensive. Maybe someone else wouldn't have picked up on it, but Isa did, because this man was so like his friend, and Isa always knew when Lea was distressed. It softened Isa's own features too, and his spine straightened and fists relaxed. The man's answer drove away the last of the aggression. Isa's eyes widened in surprise

"To me?" 

[sleepingassassin]

lunasprout started following you

[lunasprout-blog]

Isa was startled by how easily his hand was slapped away, even moreso when the thin-looking man lifted him off his feet. Isa’s feet kicked, his hands wrapping around the man’s wrist. He didn’t look strong enough to pick Isa up like this, and yet…

Isa squirmed in his grip, jaw clenched tight. He was ready to shoot back with a nasty dig, asking why it should matter to him if Isa got himself killed. But his confession stopped Isa once more. 

It wasn’t as if the thought hadn’t already crossed Isa’s mind, but it was so impossible that it was hard to believe. He’d seen Lea just that afternoon, when they parted after school. How could he have turned into this that quickly?

"How am I supposed to believe that?" Isa grunted, prying at the man’s fingers on his jacket. “Just look at you."

[sleepingassassin]

"Have I changed so much~?"

Axel hid the disappointment with sarcasm like always.  It was easier to do that than let the sentiment become real, and as long as he wasn’t real in the first place that seemed appropriate enough.  “You’re the one who asked.  But it doesn’t matter who you think I am because I don’t have to prove it to you, and I haven’t got any nasty ideas in mind for Lea, either."

Isa wasn’t too much bigger than Roxas, but the act of lifting him with one hand was a little optimistic.  Axel could only manage it for so long and he knew it, and so well before his muscles could start to burn or shake he let Isa’s heels come back down with a light, thoughtless shove that wouldn’t take him off his feet so much as force him to shift his weight back.

"So relax."

[lunasprout-blog]

Isa stumbled back with one foot, yanking his sweater straight again with a tight, aggressive movement of his hands. He kept his glare trained on the man, ducking his head a bit belligerently.

"Changed? That's putting it lightly; you're ten years too old to be Lea. And your eyes are all wrong," Isa said, in large part just to be contrary. But his own words made a connection in his mind, to the fact that the man had asked if his friend had disappeared ten years ago...

"...Unless you're saying something's gonna happen to Lea?" Isa tried to stay aggressive as he said it, but even if this situation seemed totally nonsensical, Isa couldn't take any such threat as a joke. Lea was too important for Isa not to take it seriously.