Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or the characters. I also do not own Lewis Carroll's poem.
A one-shot I wrote in a half hour or so. First ever completed one-shot fanfic, and forst completed fanfic in general. Enjoy.
a u t u m n f r o s t s
Roxas's eyes slowly opened to the twilit skies of his hometown. He slowly sat up in bed and looked out his window, sighing.
Today's the last day…
Roxas carefully got dressed, slipping on his usual array of accessories, his usual jacket, his usual shoes… He scratched his head and looked in the mirror.
Looks fine.
He rushed out the door and made his way down the stairs of the apartment building where he lived alone for as long as he could remember. There was never anyone else in his life other than his friends that he could recall. And that was completely normal to him.
He walked into the back alley where he would always meet his friends. Their usual spot. His second home.
As he walked through the curtain separating their hideaway from the rest of the world, he could already hear his friends planning.
"Well, this is the last day of summer. We need to do something awesome!" said a boy with short blonde hair.
"Of course!" said another rounder boy.
Roxas approached the group smiling. He went to slap the blonde boy on the back.
"Hey Hayne, what u--"
He stopped mid-sentence. His hand had just gone through the other boy, as if his friend were a ghost. Or maybe it was Roxas who was the phantom?
"Well, whatever we do, it has to be something special, just the three of us!" the girl said as the group of three ran right through Roxas, as if he wasn't there at all. He ran after them, ripping through the curtain, pleading that somehow it was just all a bad dream.
And that's when he saw him.
A man with bright red hair, pointing out at every angle, with bright green eyes that seemed to tear right through Roxas.
The man held out his hand, and whispered, "Roxas, it's time you come back to me."
Roxas went to grab the man's hand, the one person in the world who actually acknowledged his existence, it seemed. He was something he needed, something he was longing for, anyone, anything to call him by his name.
The moment their hands touched, the man began to disintegrate, darkness swallowing him up slowly, Roxas watching helplessly as his one source of recognition slipped away from between his fingers.
"Come to the mansion Roxas. I'll be waiting," he heard the man's voice say before the last bit of darkness disappeared.
Roxas sprinted toward the empty mansion on the outskirts of town. He had to see that guy again, he was the only one that would be able to tell Roxas the truth…
The truth…
But did he really want to know?
As he came to the front of the mansion, he barged in, sparing no time to look around. His body knew exactly where to go, almost as if the red-haired man was a magnet, and he was the metal, getting sucked to him. He could sense the other's presence as he drew nearer, as he traveled farther down into the basement of the forsaken house.
As he approached a final door, he froze.
Axel…
The name popped into his head, as he saw himself, walking away from the man, the older begging him not to leave him alone. A memory from what felt like the distant past.
He grabbed the handle to the door and flung it open to see the man who was just seconds ago on his knees begging in his memories standing in front of him, weapons drawn.
"They say I have to kill you Roxas…unless you come back with me again," the stranger said.
"Shut up, Axel. I don't know what it is I left, or why I did it, but not even you begging could stop me, so I guess it was a mighty important reason."
"Heh, you remember my name," Axel said, as he lunged toward Roxas, ready to attack.
Instinctively, Roxas held out his hands and two blades appeared, shaped like keys. It all felt so natural… Fighting like this. He gracefully blocked the blow from Axel and took an offensive stance, ready to attack.
At that point flames erupted all around him, Axel's eyes burning with fury. Roxas lunged toward the demon man and attacked, a blade slicing Axel's arm. Axel grabbed his arm and stood still for a moment, watching his own blood ooze out and drip slowly onto the ground.
Before Roxas could make another move however, Axel's eyes were filled with rage again, and lunged once again toward Roxas, this time cutting his face with his chakram, drawing blood.
Out of instinct once again, Roxas made a final move at Axel, impaling the man with one of his keys right through where a heart should have rested.
Axel's blood splashed out, coating Roxas's face as he removed his blade, the older man falling limp to the ground. His breathing was steady, but he wouldn't move.
"Do you remember those summer sunsets?" he asked Roxas, quietly, as the younger boy stood over him, breathing harshly, hands covered in the blood of a dying man.
"We would always watch them together, you and me. We'd eat that ice cream that you liked. Do you remember?"
Roxas dropped his blades, making a loud clanging noise as they fell to the blood-red floor.
"And… Do you remember that evening in July…?"
The wind was blowing softly. Together they sat, watching as the sun died away on the horizon. He looked at the other man's strong face, those two tattoos that rested under his eyes. The man looked back. Axel grabbed Roxas's face, tenderly bringing it towards his own.
Long has paled that sunny sky…
Their lips met, Roxas said nothing, simply melting away into the bliss of the moment.
I love you Roxas…
As the memory flashed through his head, he looked down at the man, now coughing up blood, whom he had once so dearly loved. Then green glint in his eyes slowly began to fade as the darkness once again began to consume him.
Echoes fade and memories die…
Roxas turned his back on Axel, now vanishing into the shadows. He slowly wandered down a hallway, to a desolate white room. In the center, was a sleeping boy.
Roxas shivered as he got closer to the sleeping boy. He wrapped his arms around himself in a futile attempt to keep warm. He slowly removed his hands and looked down at them. They were blood-red, covered in the blood of a past summer's dream.
Autumn frosts have slain July…
"Looks like my summer vacation is… over."