Chapter One: The Blossom of Athens
The tall, muscular man stood in the darkened room, shadows flicking about the room as the candlelight danced on the walls. The blood gleamed off of his sword, a dark ruby color. The smell of blood filled his nostrils, the invigorating scent almost like incense to the celebrated warrior.
The young woman's cries fell on his ears like a soft breeze. They meant nothing to him, nor did he feel any sympathy for the woman. She clutched the young man's dead, blood body to her own, her white dress now stained red. She was probably beautiful, but now her face was contorted with sadness and stained with tears. Her brows were scrunched in a mixture of fury and woe.
"Why?" She screamed at the redheaded man who was now wiping off his sword on one of the rugs.
"He deserved it for running from his punishment. He was a coward." The man growled, his green eyes glowing in the soft light. They were cat like, like a ferocious beast that could snap at any moment. He sheathed his sword and turned to leave from the dwelling when another outburst came from the woman.
"Please! Kill me!" She sobbed out, her cries reverberating throughout his being, filling him with anger. "I can't live without him!"
He turned quickly on his heels. "You're a foolish woman!" He yelled at her. "He was a traitor, and yet you love him! You can find a husband much more worthy!" He hissed.
"Aphrodite!" She pleaded, closing her eyes and tilting her head towards the heavens. "Oh please… Aphrodite…" Her voice was hoarse, and now becoming a whisper.
Axel's lips made a snarl before he turned and stalked from the home. He wasn't sure why the woman's pleas for death affected him so much. It could never understand how someone could love another human being so much as to want to join them in death. Especially a woman.
He spat on the dirt outside and continued back to his quarters.
That night he had the strangest dream. A woman, whose looks he could not remember, came to him in the night. He remembered her words and her voice perfectly. "Axel," She spoke to him in a voice so melodic that any man would fall to his knees for it, "You, who live without love, without mercy, will pay for what you have done. You will find someone you love more dearly than anything, even your own life. They will love you back. But they will die. With much pain, with much horror. You will watch it with your own eyes… you will want to die. But you will not be able to. You are now immortal, and your love will be reincarnated every three hundred years, and every three hundred years you will be cursed to watch them die. Again. And again. Each death more traumatic than the last."
He woke up drenched in sweat, but quickly dismissed the dream as just that, a dream.
Months passed. Axel put the dream out of his mind, locked away somewhere he wouldn't think about it. Athens was in a time of peace, so there wasn't much use for a warrior such as himself. He spent most of his days patrolling the streets, making sure they were safe. He trained daily for the next war, hoping it would come quickly so that he would be able to put his skills to good use. He was growing weary of catching petty thieves.
It was a sweltering summer's day when he met the boy. Axel was leaning against a building, watching the market bubble with activity. What caught his attention was the voice. It was smooth, gentle, and stirred something deep within Axel that the man had thought was long dead. His eyes widened and looked around, finally catching sight of the one who had caused such a feeling inside of him.
The boy was the epitome of beautiful. He was young, about fifteen. His skin was supple and the color of milk, meaning he was very high in society. The toga around his body was loose, and would flow each time someone walked by the boy, exposing more of the perfect skin. What really caught his attention though, was the blond hair and blue eyes. Both were signs of immense beauty, and this boy had it. Axel wasn't sure what the boy and his friend were talking about. He couldn't look past those beautiful eyes.
The two young boys stopped at a vendors stall when the brunette boy blinked at Axel and whispered something to his blond friend, who looked up at Axel, blushed, and quickly turned away. Axel smirked. He took the blush as a challenge.
Axel saw the boy several more times in the market. He found out his name. Roxas. He knew that the boy was a musician in training, the lyre his main instrument. Every now and then, Roxas would feel Axel's gaze upon him and turn to look, then blush and look away. It wasn't until a few weeks had passed before the two of them actually spoke.
"Why do you always stare at me?" Roxas asked, not daring to be less than five feet away from Axel.
Axel pushed his smirk into a soft smile. "You're beautiful." Was his simple answer. The blond flushed and quickly fled from the scene. Axel chuckled to himself.
A few more days passed by and there the blond was again, five feet away from Axel, his hard glare now a curious and puzzled look.
"Why do you think I'm beautiful?" Was the question.
"Because you are." Was the answer.
Another week passed before Axel saw the blond again. This time the blond was a mere inch away from him when the whisper came.
"Tonight. Here."
Axel blinked, and the boy was gone.
Night came, and he found the boy waiting for him in the deserted market square, squatting in Axel's usual spot. As the warrior walked up to him, he stood.
"Roxas." He said.
"I know." The boy blinked, seeming confused. "Axel." He offered. Roxas smiled slightly and nodded.
Axel led the boy back to his quarters, which he shared with no one, so they had complete secrecy. They talked late into the night. About everything. Axel about his battles, Roxas about his music. It almost seemed as if they had nothing in common, but both of them listened eagerly to the other's tales. As the sun began to rise, Roxas slipped out and back to his house, promising to come back soon.
Nights passed, and Axel got little to no sleep. He was anticipating when the blond would return. He was about to give up when one night, just as he finished his light dinner, there was a knock on the door, then it opened.
Standing before him was the most divine creature Axel had ever seen. Roxas was dressed in fine cloth, jewels and gold decorating his earthly vessel. He smiled brightly at Axel. That's when the warrior noticed Roxas was still gripping his lyre.
"I couldn't come sooner. I was performing for my instructors each night…" But before he could finish his tale Axel pushed the door shut, and pressed the blond against the wood with his own body. Their lips connected and Axel heard a sound that must have been Roxas dropping the instrument.
The boy's hands clutched at Axel's exposed back, holding him close as their tongues danced together. His knees gave way and the two of them slowly sunk to the floor in front of the door, still connected. Axel snaked a tan hand up Roxas's toga, rubbing at his thigh before moving between his legs. Soft sounds escaped the blond but Axel silenced him.
He took Roxas first there, by the door, pressing the boy against the frame with each thrust. The blond held his hand against his mouth, trying to suppress the sounds of pleasure escaping his mouth. It was futile.
Axel moved them onto the table next, Roxas's arms accidentally pushing dinnerware off, but neither of them cared. With the boy's legs wrapped around his hips, Axel thrust deeper and deeper into the warm cavern.
It wasn't until they were headed to the bed, and Axel couldn't take it any longer so he had Roxas on the floor that they felt truly as one being. When they reached the bed both were exhausted but neither wanted to stop. So Axel took him there as well. The redhead couldn't get enough of this divine creature. He stared down at the sweaty, panting boy beneath him as they finished, wondering just how he got so lucky. Roxas looked up at him, flushed and through half lidded eyes and Axel needed him again. The two were connected until dawn, when Roxas needed to leave.
Roxas couldn't walk, so Axel was going to carry him home. When they were almost out the door, Axel recalled their first time against it, and he quickly took Roxas once again against the door.
"Axel, Axel, Axel…" Was all a breathless Roxas could manage this time.
Axel let out a soft groan and whispered, "I love you."
They met countless times over the next few months. Sometimes they could twine together all night, wanting nothing more than to just feel physically close to each other. Other nights they would sleep next to one another, or talk all night.
Then the announcement came.
Athens was going to war.
Roxas and Axel spent every waking moment together until Axel was called away. As the troops marched out, Roxas handed Axel a single flower.
"I love you." He mouthed to the man as he passed by. Axel tucked the flower away and continued to march.
Through the months of war, Axel kept the flower close. It became dried out, and he stuck it into his boot. Even though it was crushed to pieces, he kept them all, knowing one day he would return to his love.
The war ended and he was ready to return home. But something was off as he marched into Athens. His blond beauty wasn't among the crowd of greeters. He chalked it up to him not being able to see Roxas amongst the hundreds and hundreds of people.
As the day wore on, he became more and more worried. Roxas wasn't at the celebration for winning. Roxas wasn't at the music school when he sneaked away from the parties. Roxas wasn't at the market place. Roxas wasn't home either. Axel had nowhere else to look as midnight crept up, so he returned to his quarters.
What he found there was a horrendous sight.
Roxas was pinned to the wall, a spear through his body. It must have happened only moments before Axel returned home.
"Roxas!" Axel shouted. The boy looked up, the look of a wild animal being killed in his eyes.
"A-Axel!" He got out before a cough wracked his body, blood spilling from his mouth.
"Who did this to you?" Axel demanded as he pulled the spear from the blond's body, holding the boy close as they sank to the ground.
"A-a woman…" He croaked. "She wasn't normal…" His body heaved and blood poured over Axel's clothes. "She was strong… Said revenge…"
Axel immediately thought back to that night over a year ago and instantly knew who Roxas's attacker was.
"I'm so sorry Axel…" Roxas began to weep, his skin cold and clammy as he nuzzled into Axel's chest.
"No…No…" Axel quickly scrambled for something, anything, to wrap around Roxas's wound to keep him alive. He wrapped the bed cloth around Roxas's midsection. "Hang on, I'll go get someone!" He was frantic. More frantic than he ever had been.
"N-No… Axel…" The blond croaked. "St-stay…" He was beginning to shake. Axel obeyed and wrapped his arms around the blond, holding him close. The small boy's body purge itself of the blood a few more times. "I…love…you…" He whispered.
"I love you too…" Axel kissed his forehead. And like that, Axel could see the life leaving Roxas's body. The light that had once been his soul disappearing, his blue eyes wide and emotionless.
Axel slowly closed the beautiful sapphire orbs. He kissed the blond's lips one last time, tears streaming down his cheeks. After hours of sitting there, cradling the dead boy's body, he recalled the dream from many moons ago. He wiped the tears off of his cheeks and set Roxas aside. He picked up the spear that had taken his love's life from him and plunged it into him. After the initial shock, he pulled it out and watch his abdomen slowly heal. He yelled curses at the heavens, wishing and praying for death but in the back of his mind he knew no reprieve would come. He was stuck. Living. Without Roxas. For another three hundred years.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.