Half-Blood.
"I'm hungry," Xion mumbled. She tugged on Roxas's arm and smiled at him, her blue eyes glinting in the moonlight. "Let's get a kebab."
He shook his head. "I don't eat meat, remember?"
"Oh yeah." She looked around the street with drunken eyes, swaying as she walked and holding her friend close. "Could get you a salad…"
Roxas shook his head and looked up at the dark sky. It was a muggy night, and a light fog had started to seep in-between the buildings. The street was quiet and empty. Every light around them was off except for one dull streetlamp that flickered as they walked past it, and their steps echoed loudly around them.
It was Sunday and the party-animals were either inside or had already been thrown into a cab and sent home. Half four was the line between sane and insane, and the only people out at this time were alcoholics, druggies, and the occasional nutter.
What category do we fall into? Roxas thought.
"You could—hic!—could have a cucumber, Rox, eh?" she sang, waving her finger in the air like a wand and giggling. "And a tomato! And lettuce, and pickles. Wha' else? Oh! A leek. Yes, a leek."
"How much did you drink?"
"Hey! Do not change the subject, Roxy." She focused on him, her eyes narrowed as she poked him in the nose. "I know you're hungry, too."
He shrugged, his hands deep in his pockets and his chin bowed to his chest as he guided her away from a solemn alley and down another street.
"Roxy?" She smirked at him, swinging their hands back and forth. Her teeth elongated just slightly until her sharp canines were lightly pinching her lips. Her eyes turned a shade darker. "Let's go find a bite to eat. We can get whatever we want."
"Like?"
She stopped and he stopped with her. She reached up with fumbling fingers and straightened his tie, brushing down the front of his suit and tilting her head to the side. "Why do you wear black? It doesn't suit you. You should wear gold and silver and red!"
"Shh!" He pushed her hands away and held her up with an arm around her back. "You're going to wake everybody up."
"Yes."
"No, not yes. And put your fangs away. What if someone sees?" he hissed.
"Then I can chomp 'em! Raar raar raar!"
She doubled over in a fit of laughter and Roxas rolled his eyes.
"No, Xion. No humans."
"What about dog?"
"No."
"Or cat."
"If you don't behave I'm telling your brother."
"Awwww, you're so mean," she pouted, but her small fangs retracted and her eyes returned to their usual blue. "I know! Let's go to another bar—"
"I'm working, remember? I'm lucky Reno let me leave to pick you up."
"Reno-shmeno, let's go have fun, Roxy!"
"I need the money, Xion. Maybe another night."
"But I'm hungry. You can't let a girl go home on an empty stomach, can you? I thought you was a gentleman?"
"You shouldn't even be outside. You know the rules."
"Urgh. You sound just like Dad."
Roxas laughed and kept her steady as they wandered down different streets. Xion kept talking, more to herself then him, but he listened with half a heart and glanced anxiously at his watch. He physically winced and chewed his tongue.
Reno is going to kill me.
Ten minutes later they finally made it to the bust-up cabby office with the neon sign declaring a twenty four hour service. Xion struggled to climb the step, her wonky vision and faltering balance kept her tumbling backwards and forwards. She fell into Roxas's shoulder, laughing loudly against his chest. Sighing softly, he picked her up and carried her over the threshold.
The cab office reeked of piss. The coffee coloured wallpaper was covered with cream stains and the wall was littered with leaflets and flyers of events that were three years out of date. The sofa in the middle of the narrow room had all of its stuffing picked out and someone had carved Dez 4 Shanny deep into the wooden arms.
Roxas didn't want to put Xion down on the tattered sofa. Instead he held her with one hand, her arms wrapped tight round his neck, and approached the bulletproof glass with the small holes.
On the other side of the glass a woman with neat brunet hair looked down at a crossword in yesterday's paper, chewing her pen thoughtfully. "Back again, Rox? You should work for me instead of Reno. You'd make a good cabby."
He leaned against the counter and smiled. "It isn't that bad, Tifa."
"I'm sure it isn't." She lifted the old cord-phone to her ear and called for one of her drivers to start heading back. Her eyes skimmed over to Xion and darted back to Roxas. "Who's this one, Rox? Not like you to pick up strangers."
"Friend of the family. Her Dad gave me a call when he couldn't get hold of her. Thought I'd best pick her up before she hurt someone."
"Reno know you left the doors?"
"Riku's covering for me, but he knows. Not very happy, though."
"I can imagine. There hasn't been any trouble, has there?"
"Only the usual."
She frowned. ""You sure Riku's going to be able to handle it on his own?"
"Are you kidding?" Roxas laughed and opened up one of the many newspapers to page three. "Riku could kick my ass if he wanted to."
A car honked outside and Tifa checked something on her monitor. A light blinked on and she nodded in his direction. "That's for you, Rox."
"Thanks." He gave her a small wave. "I'll see you soon."
"See you soon, Rox. Take care of yourself… And tell Cloud I said hey!"
Outside was freezing. The temperature had slowly dropped throughout the night but now it was at its peak.
Roxas took a deep breath and jumped the step, grunting when he heard Xion's snores in his ear and felt her grip slacken. There was a nice trail of spit making its way down his suit, too. A battered red car pulled up with the taxi number stickered to its side. Roxas opened the door and gently settled Xion into the back seat, making sure her seatbelt was on.
"She gonna be alright, mate?" the driver asked.
Roxas took Xion's bag from her and glared at the man. "She'll be fine. Her father's waiting for her when she gets out. You know, because you can never be too careful."
"You sayin'—"
"My unconscious friend is in your cab and I am making sure she gets home safe. I have your license plate and her father's waiting for her. You're going to MidTurn Street. Number eighty one. Don't try anything funny, ok? It's not worth it."
Roxas slammed the door shut.
The cabby rolled down his window and spat in the street by the blond's feet before driving off.
Roxas rummaged through Xion's purse and found her smartphone. Grateful that it wasn't locked, he swiped his thumb across the screen and skimmed her contacts. He made his way down through the backstreets and held the phone to his ear.
It only needed to ring twice.
"Xion, where are you?"
"It's Roxas, Xaldin. Xion's in a cab on her way home now."
"Thank god. Where did you find her?"
"Fighting in Glory Bar."
"Fucking hell. Is everyone alright? She didn't…?"
"She didn't change. Just normal fist fighting. She'll be home in ten minutes."
"Thanks, Roxas. Wait, I thought you was working? What was you doing in Glory Bar?"
"A friend rang me and said he'd found her. I just picked her up."
"Well thanks mate. I'll send her round to yours when she sobers up. Make sure she apologizes for her drunk ass and makes it up to you."
"No problem. I've got her bag anyway. I didn't want to put her in the cab with it, but she can come get it from me when she's sober." He looked up at the club in front of him with the streaming lights. The queue was around the corner, full of snogging couples and tipsy singles. "Sorry, Xaldin, I've got to go. I've left Riku on his own and that…"
"Ok, Roxas. Thanks again. I'll send Xion round in morning."
"Ok, see ya soon."
Roxas ended the call and placed Xion's phone back in her bag. He made his way down to the front of the line, nodding to a couple of the regulars and feeling slightly self-conscious of the red clutch bag tucked under his arm.
Club Roughe was the largest nightclub in the entire city, and by far the most popular. It was a large building that was made of black stone that was incredibly rough to touch, like sandpaper but the colour of marble. It was entirely plain on the outside with nothing but a modern CRoughe in purple neon lighting up the front. Inside hundreds of people crowded onto three floors, each platform hosting an array of different lasers, smoke, and music so loud it permanently damaged people's eardrums.
Roxas found Riku at the front of the line, smartly dressed in a white shirt that he'd tucked into his slacks. He pressed his hands against the wall to block a trio of large lads from entering the club. The men staggered and blinked dumbly down at the hand in their way before they pushed it aside and scoffed.
Riku frowned and straightened his back. He was only slender, but his muscled frame and strong shoulders blocked the men's access to the club entirely. "Sorry guys," he said, "you've had too much already. Go home and sober up. Come back another night."
"What the fuck? Who the… who do you think you are?! Wha' the fuck you doin'?"
"Go home," Riku repeated slowly.
"Fuck off! Jus' let us in."
"I think you should do as he says, mate," Roxas said. He walked up to Riku and stood beside him, seeing his friend's raised eyebrow but saying nothing.
The men turned on him, their faces scrunched into ugly bafflement and their fists clenched. "Or wha'?" one of them yelled, poking Roxas in the chest so hard the blond took a step back. "What you gonna do, eh kid?"
Roxas smacked the hand away. "Don't touch me."
"You need to leave," Riku said coldly. "Now."
The man on the far left ignored him and staggered towards the bar, shoving past a leaving woman. She shrieked, her drink flew out of her hand and splattered down her white dress, and the glass shattered over the floor.
Riku yanked the man back by his jacket with untameable strength and slung him into the middle of the road. The man sank into a crumpled heap with a sickening thud! blood dribbling from his busted nose and the large graze on his cheek.
Riku glared at him, his aquamarine eyes unflinching. "I told you to go home."
People in the queue began whispering and laughing, poking their heads around each other for a better look.
The man on the floor picked himself up, his chest heaving and the blood dripping onto his lip and chin, staining his shirt collar. He roared and charged at Riku, his head bent low. His friends copied him, all aiming for Riku, three on one.
Riku sidestepped the man with blood on his shirt easily and the man kept going until he smashed his skull into the wall. His hand shot to his mouth instantly and he whimpered, scampering back into the middle of the road to nurse his bruised, broken and bloody face before he slumped down unconsciously.
The second man changed trajectory and swung at Roxas. The blond ducked beneath the fist aimed at his face, grabbed the man's arm, pulled it forward, and snapped the elbow back on itself with a loud disturbing crack! The man shrieked loudly and crawled away with his broken elbow hanging loosely at his side, whimpering like a kicked dog.
Flexing his knuckles, Roxas turned and saw Riku holding the last of them in a headlock. It was bizarre to see Riku holding the larger man in a tight hold, completely dwarfed by the guy's frame. The man struggled, but with a quick jerk of his arm Riku tightened his hold and the man couldn't move.
"I'm going to tell you again," Riku said calmly, "You and your mates are going to take yourself to A&E and you're not going to come back and give us any hassle. Or else we'll make sure you can't come back. Understand."
The man sobbed and nodded radically, stumbling over his own feet when Riku released him. Backing away from Riku and Roxas, he gathered up his unconscious friend and his crying mate and staggered into the night.
"Gonna be a fun night," Roxas mumbled.
Riku smirked and stood beside his friend in front of the club doors. "Just like usual."
Together they filtered through the night's mess, allowing entry to some but turning away most. By the time the club was close to closing, Roxas's watch told him it was 05:20 a.m. and with every breath he was holding back a yawn. The cold had finally begun to seep through his jacket and it chilled his skin so that with every gust of wind he'd shudder and hold his breath.
Riku stood next to Roxas, his hands in his pockets and his long silver hair blowing back with the wind. He couldn't feel the cold. Roxas knew it was for the exact same reason that Riku never yawned, and he never sighed, and he never seemed to really take a breath.
A group of giggling women left the club and thanked them. Roxas waved and watched them leave before he closed and rubbed his sore eyes. He stretched his arms up and listened to the muscles pop in his shoulders, feeling every joint ache with stiffness.
"You alright?"
"Huh?" He peeked an eye open and glanced at Riku. His friend looked concerned, his brows furrowed and his mouth a small frown, but his eyes were still full of life. Roxas smiled at him, slightly jealous that he wasn't anywhere near as awake as Riku. "I'm fine. Can't wait for the end of shift, though."
"Thought you could handle the night shift?"
"I can," Roxas defended, straitening his stopping body. "But I'm an early bird, remember? This overtime is really taking it out of me."
"You want me to watch things for the rest of the night? You can go home if you want."
"Roxas!"
Roxas tensed and glanced at the entrance-way of the club. His boss, Reno, stood in the archway with an unimpressed, slightly grumpy, glare on his face. His long red hair was combed back, but his fringe spiked out in all directions and his thin ponytail rested over one shoulder. His frame was lanky but toned, and he towered above both Roxas and Riku. The bags under his blue eyes were a deep purple, and he seemed less than thrilled as he half-carried, half-patrolled a drunken redhead from the bar.
"Didn't know I paid you to lean," Reno said.
Roxas quickly jumped away from the wall he'd been leaning against with a sheepish smile. "Sorry."
"It's fine, you've both done good work tonight. I need your help." He heaved the staggering redhead up further and ignored the man's protests and pushes to be free.
A harsh gust of wind rushed through the area and Roxas shivered. He dunked his fists into his pockets and hunched his shoulders up to keep warm, looking between the two men with one eyebrow raised. There was, to say the least, an alarming resemblance between them.
"What's up?" Roxas asked.
Reno dragged the other redhead to the side of the road. The man took several deep staggering breaths and clutched the railing for dear life until his knuckles turned white.
"Reno…" he gasped, eyes shut tight and sweat dripping off the end of his nose. "Reno, I think I'm gonna hurl—blurgh!"
It was too late. Before he could finish his sentence he spewed over half the road, down the railings, and all over his shoes. He grabbed his stomach and rested his head on the cool railing, spitting bile onto the street.
"Fuck's sake, Axel," Reno mumbled, stepping away from the pool of chunky sick. He turned to Roxas and Riku and pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly. "I think he's been spiked. He's only had about three drinks so some fucker's clearly had at him. He isn't in any fit state to be out now." He searched his pockets, pulled out a neat set of keys, and tossed them to Roxas. "I want you to take him back to mine and keep an eye on him for the night."
"What? Why me?"
"Because I need Riku to stay on the doors until I lock up and then help me sort out inside. Riku'll be fine managing things on his own, right, Riku?"
Riku shrugged. "Sure."
Reno nodded and turned back to Roxas. "Besides, you look dead on your feet. You can crash at mine for the night. It'll save you having to drive across town."
Roxas looked past Reno. Axel was shivering madly and clinging to the railings, his eyes squeezed shut and his knees shaking like they were on the verge of buckling. His chest jumped like he was trying to wretch something up, and Roxas winced when he heard the dry sound of heaving.
"Doesn't he have any family you can call?" Roxas asked. "Friends even?"
"I am his family, Roxas," Reno said flatly. "And his friends are all off their faces on god knows what. Just take him back to mine and I'll be home at eight. I'd appreciate it if you kept an eye on him, too. Who knows what the hell he's had." Reno patted Axel on the back, earning a small grunt of acknowledgement, and headed inside. "See you later, guys. Have fun."
Roxas groaned and looked at the redhead hugging the railings. "Fuck's sake," he muttered. "Riku, keep an eye on him, will you?"
"Where are you going?"
"To get my damn car."
Another strong gust of wind blew outside the club and Riku smiled. He had never been able to feel the cold, but the wind was different. He could feel it brushing against him, but there was never a change in temperature, never a chill or a shiver, it was like it was just hitting him and bouncing off. It was the main reason he loved being what he was. That, and the late night perks were an added bonus.
Axel still shivered near the railings, but other than the occasional quick check to make sure he was still alive Riku left him to it. There was something odd about him, Riku noticed. Something very, very different… Like Reno. He didn't know what it was exactly, but he knew it was definitely something important. It was like an instinct deep down inside of him was warning him about something… but that was stupid, he'd known Reno eight years and they were great friends, nothing bad had ever happened between them.
But why had Reno never mentioned Axel before?
In the darkness Riku saw a pair of car lights turn the corner before Roxas pulled up alongside the club on double yellow lines. He looked less than thrilled in his brothers borrowed black Jaguar as he slung his coat and Xion's bag in the back seat and rolled the window down.
"You wanna get him in for me?"
Riku smirked. "You can't do it yourself?"
Roxas rolled his eyes. "You know I can't."
"I was only joking, Rox, don't worry I'll help out," he said, winking at his friend.
With one hand Riku jumped the railing and opened the car door. He helped guide Axel down the crossing and over to the car before letting him sprawl out in the back seat.
"Tha…fuck… never trust a fairy…" Axel mumbled, his eyes closed and his chest heaving.
Roxas laughed and nudged Riku playfully with his elbow. "Think he said thank you."
"I think he's delusional. He probably has a fever."
"Do you think hospital will be better for him?"
Riku shook his head. "Reno probably wanted him taking home for a reason. He could have just had too much to drink… or mixed his drinks. Are you going to be ok?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine. I know where I'm going."
Riku closed the car door and walked around to Roxas's side, leaning in through the window. "I meant are you going to be able to stay awake. I don't want you falling asleep at the wheel."
Roxas laughed. "Riku, I don't think it'll matter. Even if I do crash it's not like I'm gonna die, right?"
"Yeah, but I think Cloud might be pretty pissed about his car."
"Then I'd die," Roxas said, offering his friend a small smile. "I'll see you tomorrow night, Riku. Have fun."
"You too."
Roxas waved and rolled the window up, pulling away from the curb. In the rear-view mirror he saw Riku wave for as long as possible, then he turned back to the doors and the traffic lights hit green.
In the back seat Roxas's passenger fell sideways and began to snore softly with his head buried in the car seat. Roxas turned the corner so he was off the main road and headed down a collection of smaller streets. He rummaged in his trouser pockets for his phone and punched in a familiar number.
Six agonizingly long rings and one red light later, someone answered.
"'Lo?"
"Cloud? Hey, it's Roxas."
"R's? Time's it?"
"Early. I'm just letting you know that I won't be back until tomorrow. My boss asked me to do him a favour and I kind of couldn't say no."
"Wha'? What time you bringing back the car?"
"Ten… ish. That ok?"
"I start work at twelve. You'd best make sure it's back by then."
"It will be, I promise." Roxas chewed his tongue and looked both ways down the street. His light was green, but the main road on the right would take him right round the city… He turned the car left and headed down a curvy shortcut on an empty road. "Anyway, I'd better get off while I'm driving. See you soon."
"What? Hey, wait a minute! Roxas, wai –"
Roxas hung up and threw his phone onto the passenger seat. His stomach growled loudly and hunger pains shot through his belly. He groaned and scrunched his nose up disgustedly.
He could smell blood. Even in the car he could smell it. It was so strong, so pungent, and the further he traveled down the street the worse it got until it was overpowering. He gagged and raised his arm to his nose, trying to block the stench with his sleeve.
He tried to see where the smell was coming from, but he couldn't see anybody around. The streets were empty. He checked his interior mirror and saw Axel asleep, without any sign of blood or cuts on him anywhere, so it wasn't his.
Wherever it is, there's a lot of it, he thought.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he slowed his car down in the middle of the street, without any light in sight. Ahead of him the road bent to the left with houses on both sides, but all of the lights had gone out and the road was in complete darkness.
Roxas's grip tightened on the steering wheel and he narrowed his eyes at the road.
Something wasn't right.
He locked the door and took a deep breath.
I can make it, he thought. Whatever's out there, if I put my foot down… But if we get stopped or something happens…
"Ngh…" In the back seat Axel rolled over, his face covered in sweat. "No. Don't, just… ngh-ow…" He curled in on his belly and groaned.
"You really don't look good," Roxas said. "Better not risk it."
Putting the smell of blood to the back of his mind and trying to calm his nerves, Roxas did a U-turn in the middle of the street and sped back to the main road, away from the smell.
Behind him, in the darkness, a pair of glimmering grey eyes shone brightly. Fanged teeth were covered in blood and small drops pattered against the pavement. A creature raised itself up onto its hind quarters and sniffed the air, its tongue lolling out of its mouth. By its feet was a collection of gnawed bones and ripped tendons from a large corpse. It took a deep long breath of air and snorted.
It had caught the scent.
Hi guys! In case you don't recognize me, I used to be called The Unwritten Promise, but I've started to dislike the name so I'm now Luna-Atlas :)
I love this plot so much that I had to return to it! I really hope you guys enjoy this! A review would be warmly welcomed and constructive criticism will be adored! :D