Musebox

[heartismyown]

 I need to practice with Roxas! Please drop me a line.


Roxas finished smashing the computer, the one that ruined his life. He swung around angrily and stalked off into an unknown room where he found Sora, fast asleep.

DiZ appeared before him. His eyes narrowed, his hand clenched tightly around the keyblade as he swung it back and forth wildly, attempting to attack him. He was familiar. He was the one who did this to him. It was all about that Sora!

"My heart is my own!" Roxas cried, spinning around. Everything has gone white.

When Roxas awakened, he found himself face to face with....

Comments

[by_heart]

Geez, you don't hold back, do you?

[Lea crosses his arms and looks down and away from Roxas.]

I don't know if anyone really has the answer to that question. I guess...[How to put this in words?]...it's kind of how you know you have a heart. When you don't, you can like someone and even care about them and it doesn't feel all that different. It's emptier, but not too far off. You can't love someone, though, because there can't be anything empty about that.

[heartismyown]

Oh, I see.

[Roxas looks down, mulling over what Lea's said about it. It's a little sad, actually.]

I guess I still don't understand what it's like to have a heart. Sounds nice though.

[by_heart]

[Lea can only nod. Only Roxas can really tell them whether he has a heart or not, since he's always been a bit different from other Nobodies, but Roxas has never known what it's like to have a heart. How would he be able to tell the difference? Lea wants to believe that they've succeeded and he does have one, but it's times like these that make him doubt himself.]

It's not always that great.

[heartismyown]

Why not? What doesn't sound great about that when you can like someone more?

[Roxas just doesn't understand. He feels the same as he always did, whatever that means.]

[by_heart]

[Lea reaches out and ruffles Roxas' hair, still not meeting his eyes.]

You can like someone more, but that doesn't mean they're automatically gonna like you back the same way, dummy.

[heartismyown]

Oh...that would be sad, I think.

[Roxas nods, understanding, at least he thinks he does.]

[by_heart]

Yeah, hope you never have to deal with that one. No standing under the mistletoe waiting for someone who's not gonna show.

[Why does he keep bringing up that stupid plant? It just comes out.]

[heartismyown]

Did that happen to you? Are you sad right now?

[Roxas tries to look into Lea's eyes, curious. He seems a little off.]

[by_heart]

Nah, I'm fine.

[He still won't meet his eyes, though. He's always been bad at keeping a poker face. It's...not that he's ever really been in love with someone like that. The worst heartache he ever felt happened when he didn't even have a heart to feel it. Maybe it's thinking about all the Christmas stuff or something...another Christmas without the person who used to be his best friend and his first Christmas with the person who holds that spot now...except things can never just be simple when it comes to Roxas.]

Just thinking about some stuff.

[heartismyown]

Oh...

[Roxas isn't sure what to do when Lea doesn't say anything more. He doesn't understand it, but he looks sad so he squeezes his arm.]

Don't be sad, Axel.

[by_heart]

[Lea slips his arm around Roxas' shoulders and hugs him to his side for a moment, but, as Roxas probably should have been expecting, it's followed soon after by Lea popping him one on the head with his other hand.]

Do I need to start wearing a name tag? Lea. L. E. A. Lea. Obviously you don't have it memorized.

[heartismyown]

[Roxas did curl his arms around him experimentally. Sora seemed to hug everyone, and he thinks it looks fun, but he drops his arms when he's popped in the head.

He gives Lea puppy eyes.]

I have it memorized, just...it's hard!

[by_heart]

[Arrrrgh, the puppy eyes!]

It's not like it's complicated or anything.

[Puppy eyes or not, he's still going to grumble about it.]

Maybe if you start getting it right, Sora will pick up on it too and I won't have to hear "Axel Axel Axel!" anymore.

[heartismyown]

[Roxas looked at his feet, kicking one of them.]

What if I can't get it right? Are you gonna eliminate me?

[by_heart]

What? No! You'll get it right eventually. Maybe I'll write it on my forehead for a while until you guys finally figure it out. It's not like it's a hard name to remember.

[Mostly he just wants Roxas to turn off the puppy eyes.]

[heartismyown]

You don't have to do that. I'll remember, okay?

[by_heart]

Get it memorized by Christmas and I'll buy you an extra present.

[That ought to put the puppy eyes away.]

[heartismyown]

Ummm okay! [Roxas brightens.]

I can do that! Then Santa will come right? Do I have to give him anything? Wait, Sora met him right, does he know what Santa likes? When is Santa coming? Do I have to wait long?

[by_heart]

[Lea throws his hands up in the air. Those two and Santa, really, it's ridiculous.]

Santa comes in two weeks, you don't give him anything, and I thought we talked about all these questions! Class dismissed! Professor Lea's office hours are over!

[He shoos Roxas down the hallway and back into the living room.]

[heartismyown]

[Roxas sighs a little, walking obediently towards the living room.]

But Axel, who am I supposed to ask my questions ?

[by_heart]

Professor Axel doesn't work here anymore. His heart wasn't in it. [Lea shrugs and shakes his head.] You gotta start trying to find things out for yourself. No one's hiding anything from you anymore. If there's something you need to know, it's out there. Trust me on this one. Go out there and find out what you need to know, then you can come back here and tell me all about it instead of getting me to tell you.

[heartismyown]

If you tell me though, it saves me a lot of time.

[Roxas could go bother Lea's neighbours. That seems like a good alternative.]

[by_heart]

Oh, so that's how it is! You're just lazy!

[Lea takes up his usual spot on the couch again.]

No way I'm going to encourage that! Go do your own homework.

[heartismyown]

Fine, I will. I'm going out to learn more about Santa.

[Roxas crosses his arms and makes to leave again.]

[by_heart]

Have fun! Don't steal anything!

[Well, if Roxas isn't going to sit, he's going to take up the whole couch again. So there.]