Story Title: Concealed

Author: geLz (keischara.green)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story. I only own Namine's coat; Axel and Namine's "feelings" and the raging river.


...Concealed…


She stayed inside the white room in the mansion for as long as she can remember. There was nothing on her mind about her except the image she sees every time she faces her reflection. She sat on her bed with a sketchpad in her hand. Different images rushed through her head and she draws it on paper. She was about to finish a drawing of a person with bright red hair and sharp eyes…

"Namine!" Axel cried from the other side of the door. Then seconds later, the door dropped to the ground. He stood there staring at her for a while. His fiery red hair always stood out. It wasn't a surprise to her that Axel did that to her door. She looked up and didn't say anything. "Get ready! We're leaving!"

"Why?" Namine muttered but Axel didn't reply. Namine threw on a white coat and white sandals. She grabbed her sketchpad and followed Axel. She didn't want to anger him in any way. Axel took big steps and walked out of the room.

"Where are we going?" Namine asked. Axel didn't reply. Namine continued to tail him. She glanced at the view outside. It was dark. It was her first time to leave her room. Axel opened the door at the back.

"Stay close," Axel whispered before they stepped out. Namine glanced at him. He was so serious. She knew there was something wrong but she didn't know what.

"Axel," she whispered. Axel hushed her. He took her hand and they both ran into the woods. They continued to run and Namine still had no idea of what was going on. They suddenly stopped running. Axel pulled Namine to one side. People passed by – probably around three of them.

"What's happening, Axel?" Namine asked. Axel glanced at her and sighed. It was the first time Namine ever saw Axel so soft.

"They're after you. They need you to do something for them and if you don't cooperate, they'll force you to do it," Axel explained.

"What do they want me to do?" Namine asked. She looked up at him. Innocence painted all over her face.

"Hurt people. After doing what they want you to do, they're going to kill you," Axel replied.

"Who are they? Why are you saving me?" Namine asked. Axel didn't reply. Instead, he dragged her to her feet and they started running again to another direction. It was dark and Namine's clothes caught branches and thorns. She tripped on a rock and fell on the ground, scratching her knee.

"Stand up! Hurry," Axel ordered her. She followed. They were standing at the edge of a cliff, about 50 meters high. The raging river was just below them.

"You're not thinking of…" Namine's words trailed off as she stared at the river below. Axel glanced at her and shook his head. A few seconds later, Axel suddenly pulled Namine behind a tree. They could hear the people coming.

"Come out, Axel! We know you're with her," a voice boomed. Axel sighed.

"Do you want us to catch you and kill you right away? Or would you like to come out and negotiate?" Another asked probably smirking. Axel and Namine glanced at each other. He knew what she wanted to say. Axel shook his head. Namine gave a slight nod. Axel closed his eyes for a while and sighed. Namine smiled slightly. They both came out from their hiding place. The three people looked at them. The three who were following them were Demyx, Marluxia and Sa'ix.

Axel glared at them. Namine stood close beside him.

"You feel like a hero now, huh?" Demyx drawled.

"I'm not playing hero. I'm just doing whatever feels right," Axel said.

"You can feel now," Marluxia said sarcastically. Axel didn't reply. Namine glanced at him.

"Did that witch get to you already!" Demyx cried.

"She's not a witch!" Axel snapped. Axel brought out his weapon.

"See! You're defending her already!" Sa'ix pointed out. Namine glanced at Axel again. She couldn't tell how he felt (if ever he could).

"I'm here to negotiate. Set her free and I'll be forever loyal to the organization," Axel said. The three laughed.

"How can you get the organization's trust back? You already betrayed us," Sa'ix replied with a smirk. Axel didn't reply. There was nothing to say.

"Then I'll just have to defend Namine," Axel whispered. After a second, a battle transpired – one against three. Namine watched. She was paralyzed of some sort. She watched as the three overpowered Axel. Axel was pushed to the tree. She inched forward then set her mind.

"Stop!" She went beside Axel and stared at the three who were about to charge again but stopped. They couldn't hurt Axel, Namine was in the way and they couldn't hurt her, they needed her.

"What the –" Marluxia glared at her.

"Namine, don't," Axel whispered. Namine glanced at Axel and smiled warmly at him.

She didn't know what happened next but she was dragged away from him. Axel stood up to get her back but the other two charged at him right away. Namine tried to free herself from Demyx. Axel managed to dodge Sa'ix and Marluxia's attack and caught Demyx off guard. Axel pulled Namine beside him. Namine could hear the raging river just below them. The three recovered in a second and surrounded them.

"How do we get her?" Marluxia asked. Demyx glared at him.

"Hell! Let's just find someone else to use and kill them both!" Sa'ix said impatiently. Marluxia and Demyx didn't argue.

The three charged at them. Axel tried to push Namine out of the way but Namine held on to Axel. Namine wrapped her hands around him. They were thrown off the cliff. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

"Namine," Axel whispered.

Namine glanced at him and until that moment, she was still smiling at him.

Axel could feel. He felt it inside him. It was unusual. He was supposed to be a nobody.

Namine could feel it too. She knew there was something growing inside of her.

Their fall down the cliff was witnessed by Demyx, Marluxia and Sa'ix. Axel wrapped his arms tight around Namine to protect her from the impact they were about to face.

Axel whispered three words to Namine before they hit the water.


..END..


Author's Note: This just popped out of my head. Hope you like it. I was planning a sequel for this if it turned out alright. I was thinking the next one would involve Roxas. Please Read and Review. Thanks in advance.


. . GeLz . .