Author's Note:
Hello, this is my first foray into fan fiction, which is a genre that I honestly never thought I'd find myself writing. I was just reading updates on the new KH games ('cause I can't afford to buy the damned games/consoles), and fell right back into my old AkuRoku obsession. I needed a little break from my newest novel, and this is what fell out.
Make no mistake people, this story is about a boy x boy relationship, and I'm not changing it due to someone's bigotry, so if you don't agree then don't read it. Got it?
Anyway, this chapter is called Secrets, and part one is from Roxas's p.o.v. Just thought of it, and wanted to write it out. ;) Honestly, I never planned to write from Roxas's p.o.v., so this was a bit of a surprise for me, but there it is. The next one is from Axel's p.o.v. Not sure if/when you'll next see from behind Roxas's blue eyes, but I'm not ruling it out, at this point.
Word Count: 1356
Disclaimer: I obviously don't own these characters... if I did, I would be getting this published in book form. ;)
Roxas was having a bad day. His palms were sweaty, and he kept seeing... bright light coming from their centers. His teachers had told him that this sort of thing was to be expected, but that did not make this any easier for Roxas. Why hadn't he been one of those lucky ones without special abilities? He did not want to grow up to be the wielder of anything, let alone these special weapons they seemed to think him capable of someday holding, though the elders here were determined not to give name to them in his presence. 'You must find out for yourself,' they told him again and again.
"What if I don't want to find out," he shouted to no one in particular. His words echoed down the empty hallway, then reverberated back at him causing Roxas's face to grow hot. He was still angry, but now he was embarrassed, as well.
Seeing a door to his right, he yanked it open without thinking to check who might be inside, flinging it aside like some unwanted object, and stomping through. However, the moment he saw what was on the other side, Roxas froze.
There on the floor, clothes singed almost completely beyond recognition, was Axel, and he was trembling so violently that Roxas thought he'd been, well... on fire or something just a moment ago. Roxas could not take his eyes off of Axel. He never could when the older boy was around, but this time he noticed details around the red head that made him worry more about Axel than about himself.
Round, once-wooden practice weapons were outlined in ashes on the floor beside Axel, his long, thin fingers outstretched towards them as though wishing they still existed in a less destroyed form. His black gloves, seemingly always covering his hands for Roxas had never seen him without them, were gone revealing pale skin beneath, and the line of wetness falling from his eyes revealed marks on the older boy's cheeks that Roxas had taken for granted before; triangular purple teardrops.
It seemed fitting that the boy in school who was so good at making everyone he disliked, which was just about everyone, feel miserable, would have teardrops on his cheeks that were facing the wrong direction. Almost as though they indicated that he had never and could never cry. Then again, here he was, and in the split second of time that it took Roxas to notice this, Axel began regaining his composure.
No, it wasn't his composure he was regaining, it was something else. The older boy began to breath faster, his eyes, which had been focused on his disintegrated practice weapons of choice, closed only to reopen immediately focused upon Roxas who still stood frozen in the doorway. Why hadn't he checked that the room was empty before storming in?
Roxas raised both of his hands before him, palms facing Axel, and inhaled to say... to say what? To say something that would clear this whole thing up, but Axel beat him to it.
"Get out," he shouted with a voice much steadier than Roxas would have imagined he was capable of considering his trembling was getting worse. The room was starting to feel sweltering, and Roxas was having a hard time breathing, so without even thinking, he spun on his heel and vaulted through the entryway, slamming it shut behind him.
He was about ten steps away from the door when he stopped. Wait just a minute, he thought, who is Axel to order me around like that? I'm not just some puppet, and I don't take orders from anybody, especially not someone who treats me the way he does. He turned around again, intending to have words with Axel no matter how he felt around the red head, when what sounded like a battle cry erupted from the room. A moment later, an explosion rocked the corridor, and the ground trembled beneath Roxas's feet making him reach for the wall beside him for stability. What was that?
Then a sharp twinge stabbed at his chest: was Axel okay? He ran the remaining few steps, taking long strides to get to the door, and flung it open for the second time. What he saw inside made him gasp, and then cough when he inhaled the smoke within. "Axel," he choked out, trying to feel his way inside despite being unable to breath. "Axel, are you alright? Where are you?"
He felt his way around in the room to the place he remembered seeing the older boy last, and though he knew that this might just make Axel hate him even more, Roxas knelt down to reach for him. He had to make sure the older boy was alright, he just had to. There was animosity between them, yes, but Roxas also knew that Axel was important to him somehow. He could not bear it if... if...
His fingers located the delicate hand, which was surprisingly hot to the touch, and Roxas traced it down to an unmoving wrist to check for a pulse. Axel's skin was so hot that it was uncomfortable to even attempt to locate his veins, but Roxas found himself squeezing the skin almost in desperation. "Please don't be dead," he pleaded with Axel, gasping for air. "Please be alright."
Before he managed to find a pulse however, a hot hand grabbed hold of his wrist causing Roxas to jump, gasping and choking again on the slowly dissipating smoke. Two bright green orbs flashed at him, and he tilted backwards from them without thinking. "I don't need anyone's help," he heard Axel say, "Got that memorized?" Though the tone of his voice was angry, it was also weak and... he thought, a little surprised. The hot fingers released Roxas's wrist, and he pulled it into himself protectively, realizing that his palms were glowing... again.
He had to get out of here before the light really started shining, and then Axel would know his humiliating secret. Except that, well what was Axel doing in here anyways that could start a fire if he wasn't... if not for... Roxas looked up at the other boy's silhouette as Axel rose slowly to his feet. "You should go," he said, but Roxas only shook his head.
Realizing that Axel would likely be unable to see the action, he swallowed, and managed a 'no.' The older boy growled, and Roxas wondered why he was feeling so brave around him all of a sudden, or if he was just being really stupid. "Then I'll go," came the final growled remark, and he heard boots stomp angrily against the ground towards the door just before it slammed shut.
Roxas sighed, coughed, and then let his body fall backwards to the floor. He felt dizzy and he knew that he should get up before he passed out, but the light coming from his palms was getting brighter. The moment of hesitation would've been too long, but just then someone came in, hurried over to him, scooped him up, then lifted him and carried him out, before setting him on the floor outside of the room.
Gulping the fresh air in relief, Roxas opened his eyes just in time to see Axel's back, long black coat billowing behind him as he walked quickly away from Roxas down the hallway. It seemed that Axel could not leave him in harm's way either, though they would soon see if the older boy was capable of even more hatred than he had previously shown Roxas, for now the younger boy knew of his secret. Did Axel yet know that they shared it?
