Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and all of its respective characters, places, etc. belong to Square Enix and Disney.
This entire fic is dedicated to the awesome Bond of Flame08. Yus.
xxx
Main Pairing: Axel x Xion
Rated: T - just to be safe. There shall be no cursing or the like, just drama and some violence.
Updates: Kinda sporadic, sorry.
Please do enjoy.
Echoes
Whispers. Voices. Echoes down a dark corridor. The fleeting rustle of lilting melodies, trickling into her ears. Eyelids fluttering so their tips brushed the smooth surface of consciousness, but never breaking it. Lips twitching in anticipation, as if to join in with the voices.
It's my lucky charm-
Well what do you want to do...
I'll be there.
Be sure to bring it back to me!
I'll come back to you...
Come back with us.
I guess-
...someone very special.
I'm just sad.
I'll always be there to bring you back!
Free them?
Who else will I have ice cream with?
I promise!
...Xion.
There was loud snap, her body being sucked back to consciousness through black waters. Invisible fingers ensnared her coat, dragging her down to deep and unknown depths. But the force pulling her was stronger and yanked her through like she was a rag doll tossed over raging, foaming waves.
The musical whisperings of the voices slowly lost their breathy rustle until they became normal whispers, ones one would hear coming from the concerned faces of friends or very kind souls. Eyelids broke from the stony hold they had on one another with silent cracks. Fresh air flowed through her nose and slightly parted lips. Her lips and chest shuddered feebly in a violent heave as if she were coughing up streams of darkness.
"Are you ok?" The question was muffled, and she tried to run a hand over her ears to check for an obstruction but found her arms useless.
"Are you ok?" Someone was shaking her gently with a sense of urgency, his or her voice much clearer than before.
"Look, she's coming to, she's coming to! She's moving!" A second voice joined in- now identifiable as male. The contrast between the first and the latter proved the first to he female. Scrunching her face up in concentration, she tried to move an arm and found a few fingers to actually twitch at the command. Feeling was regained up her arm until she could wriggle her fingers with ease.
"Maybe we should get help..." A third now, another male. The sensible words were late and obviously not accustomed to the boy's tongue.
"It's a bit late for that, don't you think?" the girl scolded, and she could only imagine that the girl would have her hands on her hips at the time.
"Well I'm sorry, I didn't expect to-" He was cut off by her more frequent stirring. Her eyes forced themselves open until she was staring at an orange-tinted sky, imbued with winding streaks of crimson and flecked with thin wisps of clouds. Sitting up slowly, she found a comforting hand helping her up from her back.
"Are you ok?" the girl repeated for a third time, not at all irritated at asking again.
"Y-" Her voice started to crack so she chose to simply nod instead, doing so as quickly as possible to cover up her wavering voice.
"Phew, we weren't sure for a minute!" the second boy sighed cheerfully. She looked around to allow her eyes to meet them instead of her ears examining their voices.
Behind her, the first thing she found were startling green eyes upon a friendly face, belonging to a young teenage girl with brown locks. At her right was who she assumed was the second boy, one of the same age as the girl with a cheerful, plump face and sparkling brown eyes to match his hair. The third, kneeling in front of her, was obviously the leader of the three. His haphazard blonde hair almost matched his chestnut eyes that seemed to blaze despite their color.
"So who are you? I've never seen you around before." He held a slight hint of suspicion in his question, his head just an inch or two above hers so he could peer down at her over his nose with a sense of superiority.
"I-" She looked away and down at her gloved hands, flexing them as the material squeaked quietly when it was pulled taut over her knuckles. Stopping, she recalled what the voices had said in that... that place before she came to... this place, this place of sunsets.
"...Xion."
xx- two weeks previously -xx
"I definitely had imagined that was supposed to be... I dunno, more graceful?" Axel rubbed his back and then the back of his jungle of spikes. He had practically fallen from nowhere and landed on his butt in the middle of the pavement. Brick was quite a hard substance, as many learn the hard way.
"Twilight Town..." he breathed, looking around at the numerous clusters of buildings bathed in the familiar light of sunset. Stopping in the middle of the breath to let his mind wander, he soon found himself exhaling sharply to let in another breath. His chest heaved slightly, lungs filling and emptying, but the both familiar and unfamiliar ticking was still absent. He was still him. Axel. Not Lea.
Shoving his hands in his coat pockets, he slowly walked off to wherever his feet decided to carry him. They scuffled along the reddish brick pavement with drawn out scrapes. When he realized where they were taking him, he laughed humorlessly to himself.
The clocktower. Of course he'd automatically go there; it was habit of course. But it wasn't a habit he necessarily wanted to break.
He meandered along slightly faster, but still dragging his heels with his head lowered and chin to his chest. Everything was said and done; his best friend was safe, even the worlds were he assumed. But what was he going to do? He had nothing, had no one. The darkness was a great temptation, one he had the power to claim at his fingertips, but he had become acquainted with the odd workings of fate.
"Fate sure has a strange way of showing its appreciation," he grumbled to himself, running long fingers through his swaying hair.
The clocktower loomed above him like a peaceful giant, the wind its warm breath as it rested in quiet slumber. Gazing at it with hidden intensity, he let his boots tap dully to a slow stop. Eyes wandered over the countless ridges and still glass doors until they fell on the plaza with an empty stare.
Gone.
The word echoed in his mind.
Remember, remember, remember, it whispered.
Suddenly a hand flew to his head, gloved fingers clutching a fistful of crimson locks. Vaguely the memory of Roxas kneeling on the ground in unbridled pain touched his mind for a sudden moment before he found himself in a near identical situation. Gripping the ground for balance, he couldn't even feel its borrowed warmth; it was as if his entire body had gone numb. Normally he would have laughed at the similarity between now and what had happened to Roxas in the vacant halls of Castle Oblivion, which he so fondly called C.O. in his mind, but all such thoughts were pushed away to give space for incoming ones. Whether they were his thoughts, those of someone else, or memories, it was difficult to differentiate.
A low, crimson sun. The heat of day- and perhaps battle- lingered with heavy humidity over his hanging head.
Too late, too late, too late...
Nothing else. An empty lot showing no signs but telling all. Imaginings of what had happened, and disbelief. Imaginings of what could have happened if he had been there sooner, and anger. Gritting his teeth in frustration and clenching his hands as if it would change anything.
Anything, I'll give anything...
But what was the use? Gone.
Waiting for acceptance, but it never came. Five stages went unfinished at four, and closure forgotten as everything else was.
The whirl of memories- were they memories?- vanished.
This-
Axel pushed himself from the ground. Feeling came back to him, or at least in his body. Heat came back to the air around him, but he didn't care.
"I guess... there really isn't anything left for me."
He slowly made his way to the top of the clocktower to watch the sunset alone.
I deeply apologize for the shortness of this chapter, though it is just an intro. I'm planning for the rest to be longer than this one.
Your reviews and support are much appreciated, though flames and cursing/bashing/etc. in your reviews are not very much appreciated... they make this author(ess?) sad. :C