Scallops

Chapter One: Sand

The room was quiet, a soft, warm breeze rustling the long, blue translucent curtains draped around the room's only window. A wind chime could be heard somewhere nearby.

Lately, things hadn't been going very well. They hardly ever did now. It was painful to think about, but Roxas supposed that he would have to if he were ever to get over it. He shook his head very slightly, his eyes half-closed. No more thinking about it for now. It could be done later.

Roxas lifted his chin from his fist, his cobalt eyes flicking upward and gazing out of that one window. The sea was shining and rippling, alive. It seemed to draw a breath with every wave that crashed on the slowly corroding beach. Gulls circled and happy voices drifted into the room.

Roxas drew a deep breath and held it, letting his lungs tighten. He released it, his eyes sliding shut. He leaned backward, his hands moving up to his thick blonde hair and creating a prop.

The boy sighed and smiled, opening his eyes. "Today... is going to be a good day."

Roxas was wearing a white t-shirt and keyblade-decorated shorts as he walked out before the beach, barefoot. It was quiet, in a whispering kind of way. The sea sang its endless tune, and the gulls added to its melody with their distinct cries. An unclothed foot poked the sand. It was hot -- too hot to sit or stand on. He wondered if Sora or Kairi were around. They would probably have some sort of towel to sit on. He walked off of the cool grass and into the scorching sand, the bottoms of his feet warming instantly. He winced at the heat and quickly walked across the sand, wishing he'd brought flip-flops.

Roxas' feet were burning up. He started making little yelping noises, hopping about in the sand. Roxas looked around frantically. He had to get to the grass, since the sea was quite a way away, and was bound to sting his increasingly tender feet. He hopped, yelling in pain, to the grass, falling over when he finally reached its cool, soft comfort.

Roxas sat, crossing his legs so he could look at the soles of his feet. He frowned and rubbed them, severely regretting not having brought sandals of some kind. He wasn't sure how bad the burns were, but he knew they would hurt for a while. He sighed, his head drooping slightly. "I guess today isn't going to be so great after all…"

A voice behind him interrupted his thoughts. Someone was laughing at him. The laugh was light and sounded friendly. Embarrassed, Roxas turned, scowling, and faced the person laughing at him. He almost forgot how irritated he was when he looked up and saw the man before him.

He had long, spiky hair that was a red as fresh blood. His eyes were a clear green that reminded Roxas of the undersides of scallop-shells, if you held them just right. His skin was a nearly seamless pale tan that glowed in the sunlight. The only thing that broke its perfection was two tiny triangles directly below his eyes, on his cheeks. He was wearing a long black coat that was hooded and had intricate decorations on the front. His hands were concealed with black gloves, and he wore large black boots as well. Roxas gazed up at him, his mouth slightly open.

The man stared down at Roxas, smiling broadly. He shifted his weight to his right side and cocked an eyebrow. With a playful sniff, he said, "See something you like?"

The spell over Roxas broke and he glared up at the man. He studied his face, growing irritated by the carefree playfulness there. "Why did you laugh at me?"

The man shrugged, his head turning slightly to his left as he tried to look innocent. "Laugh at you? I wouldn't do that!"

Roxas clenched his teeth, now angered by his blatant lie. "You laughed at me! After I humiliating burned my feet, you made me feel so much better with your little bout of laughter over there! I should get up and beat your ass—"

Roxas attempted to stand, thoroughly enraged, but fell back down. He yelled out in pain. His feet were incredibly tender now. His eyes moistened from the pain, and he wanted to hold them, but couldn't. He winced and the man above him watched, growing nervous. "Hey, kid, if you need some help—"

His face flushed with anger and embarrassment, Roxas snapped his head in the man's direction and said, "Just leave me alone! I don't need help, especially not from you!"

The black-coated man walked over to Roxas, leaning down next to him and putting a hand on his shoulder. Roxas shrugged it off with a resentful grunt. The man leaned closer to him and said, "You obviously need help. Let me help you."

Roxas glowered at him, but knew that he would never be able to walk away on his own. He grunted again, turning away from the man so he couldn't see how red his cheeks were. After seriously burning his feet and being laughed at by some pretty-boy stranger, he wasn't in the best of moods. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked up at him. "I can't stand. How are you going to help me?"

The man smiled, his teeth as perfect as his skin. Roxas blushed even harder, looking away again. "Don't you think I should at least introduce myself first?"

"Fine. Who are you?"

"Well," he said, "you might think my name's a little weird, but it's Axel."

Roxas looked at him, his mouth turning up in an amused slant. He looked over Axel and snorted, "Axel, eh? Well, great. Now, if you want to help me, could you please tell me how you intend to do it?"

Axel shrugged, getting annoyed by Roxas' openly taunting manner. "Since you can't walk, I suppose I'll carry you. The question is, though, to where?"

He looked around rubbing his chin with a gloved hand. "Hmmm… I wonder where I should put you… Maybe I should throw you into the road over there?"

Roxas' eyes widened, the smirk wiped from his face. "What?"

Axel grinned, baring his teeth dangerously. "Or maybe I ought to climb a tree and put you out on a branch!" He started getting louder. "I know! I'll throw you into the sea!"

Roxas narrowed his eyes at Axel, suspicious. "You don't have the balls."

Axel laughed, throwing his head back. "Ah, but I DO! That's the beauty of it!"

And with that, Axel scooped Roxas into his arms and started walking quickly toward the sea. Roxas was dumbfounded, but only for a moment. He started kicking, grabbing Axel's arms and struggling fiercely. He shouted for help as they neared the fast-moving water. "Help me! Someone help me! This man is going to kill me! SOMEONE!"

Roxas struggled violently, grunting and kicking Axel everywhere. Axel grimaced and reached the edge of the water. Roxas continued to shout, but no one was near enough to hear him. With a mighty heave, Axel threw Roxas into the air. The boy only screamed out, startled, and fell into the water, sending a wave of salty liquid onto Axel. He surfaced, sputtering, and turned to face Axel. "You son of a bitch! I'll kill you!"

He growled and tried to stand again. This time, the cool, salty water soothed his throbbing feet. He was able to stand, but not steadily. Axel smiled and held his arms out, as if to say, "Come and get me."

Roxas tightened his fists, his face on fire with anger and embarrassment. He must have looked foolish, standing there, soaked and resembling a drowned rat. His shoulders slumped and he fell back into the water. He sat, letting the shoulder-high waves caress his skin. He looked back up at Axel, defeated. "Please, just leave me alone. I don't know how I'll get across that sand, but I'll make it somehow. Thanks for ruining my day even more."

The cloaked man leaned his head to the side, his face taking on a tone of guilt. He looked away, a hand passing nervously through his hair. He looked at Roxas, not entirely sure of what to say. He waded out into the water toward Roxas, his head held low. When he got to the boy, he helped him stand. Roxas wasn't angry anymore. He listlessly accepted Axel's help, standing slowly. When Axel lifted his feet from the ground again, he let him. He didn't care anymore.

He started thinking about it again... Roxas tried to push the memories away, but like an irritated lion coming home to its den, it was bound to happen.

End Chapter One: Sand