The Midnight Roads

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A/N: Hey guys. :) The random idea came up, and all. Anyway. My first try at writing a dark fic. :) Tell me how I did, please. XD Also, if there are any typos, I'm very sorry. I'm kind of sleepy right now, and my keyboard isn't cooperating with me. DX Review please! :D Be nice though. XD If it wasn't as disturbing as I wanted it to be, I'm really sorry. ):

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Kairi continued to bounce her head in time to the beat, losing herself in the rhythm of the music.

A vibration from her pocket interrupted her drifting thoughts, and she took her phone out of her pocket, seeing that her parents had already messaged her for the third time to go home. Her eyes wandered to the corner of the screen, seeing it was 2 minutes to midnight. Maybe she should get going…

She waved goodbye to the people she was dancing with and made her way through the crowd that was still dancing, the smells of alcohol, sweat and even some smoke and even perfume all merging into something that couldn't help but make her gag. The redhead made sure to check if she still had everything she came with before leaving through the Club's entrance, surprised by the silence of the night that greeted her.

Twilight Town during midnight…they were so still and peaceful. You could hear the distinct sounds of crickets, and the roads were dimly lit by the occasional streetlight, while nearly all the lights in the houses that were along the streets were off. The quiet and the dark made the atmosphere almost…a bit creepy. Still, Kairi shrugged that fear off and began walking.

Her footsteps echoed along the paved road, filling the open space with the sound of her clicking heels. The pattern was almost rhythmic…it was steady and continuous. Desperate to try and get her mind off the feeling that walking alone at this time of night was scary, she tried to calm herself by listening to the calm pace of her footsteps.

Click….clack…click…clack…

She found herself stopping after a few minutes. Was that…no, it couldn't be. It was probably just her imagination.

Calm yourself Kairi. You're safe. Don't worry.

She breathed out a sigh and began walking again, hesitantly at first; but slowly regaining her usual pace of walking. The silence was unnerving, and she found herself wrapping her arms around her, because she found herself shivering slightly from the cold.

Click…clack…click…clack…

Wait. Was that really her imagination? She stopped and tried her best to listen to the almost-deafening silence. No…no footsteps. She turned around slowly, afraid of what she would see behind her. Seeing as there wasn't anyone, and after reassuring herself that there was absolutely no one there, she started walking again.

Shit. She was fairly sure there were footsteps aside from her own. And…the hairs on the back of her neck raised up as she realized she felt a pair of eyes on her…constantly on her as she walked.

Time to hurry. She sped up her walking, cursing the fact that she had decided to wear heels. Damn it, damn it! Wrong choice, what was she thinking?!

Well, she didn't expect her ride home would become too drunk to drive, that's for sure.

She was positive there was now a second set of footsteps, now also just as fast as hers. Hell. This wasn't good. The redhead quickly stopped and hurriedly removed the straps on her heels, and took them off gingerly; feeling some blisters on her foot. Still, if this would help her get home faster; so be it.

Once the shoes were off, she held them in her hand, and found herself practically running, panting and panicking as she heard the footsteps speed up. No, she couldn't let that person catch up, whoever it was…damn it, her parents warned her about this…why didn't she listen?

"Argh!"

She stopped just in time, but lost her balance and fell back on her bottom, just avoiding bumping into the person who was suddenly in front of her. Struggling to see his face in the dark, she squinted her eyes and looked up.

"Hey, watch yourself."

By the voice, she could tell it was male. She saw he extended a hand to help her up, which she reluctantly took. She stood up and dusted herself off, and got a better view of the guy's face.

He was tall, skinny, and pale. His features showed that he may have been a few years older than her…maybe 21. Flaming red hair that stood up in unruly spikes framed his face, and somehow contrasted with the disturbingly bright green eyes he had. She also noticed he had tear-drop shaped cuts under both eyes, one under each. Overall, she had to admit he was handsome…he had this strange charisma that pulled people in…but she could also tell he was extremely dangerous.

"So what's a girl like you doing out so late?"

She wondered if she should answer or make a run for it. Estimating that she still had a pretty long walk and that he was taller and was probably faster…running might not be the smartest things to do.

"…I'm coming home from a party."

"Ah, interesting."

"I have to get going…my parents will be worried."

"Oh..please, let me make sure you get home safely."

"…I'd rather not talk to strangers." She attempted to start walking away, and sighed in despair and fear as she saw he started walking with her.

"Ah, someone definitely learned from their parents." He ran his hand through his hair and smirked. "The name's Axel. A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?"

"…yeah."

"So, now I'm not a stranger. You know my name, I know yours."

"What? I never told you my name."

His teal-colored eyes glistened in the dark, holding a mysterious amusement in them, almost as if he was playing a game. Maybe he thought he was. Kairi tried to speed up walking, only to see that he could catch up with her quite easily.

"No, Kairi…you haven't."

"H-how do you know my name?" Panic struck, and her heart started beating fast enough, and she could hear it ringing in her ears. This man wasn't safe to be with…she had to get away. Now.

The nerves in her arm jumped and she felt herself get goosebumps as she felt his arm with an unnatural heat grab at her shoulder.

"I'm telling you now…don't run."

"Why not? I'm not going to let you kill me without a fight."

A low, disturbingly soft chuckle escaped his lips.

"Because..." she shuddered when she saw the look in his eyes.

"Running only makes things more fun for me."

"Get away from me, you sicko!"

In a moment of complete desperation, she kicked at his shin, and seized the opportunity to run like hell once the pain he felt made him let go of her shoulder.

Shit. Shit. SHIT. I have to run…I have to run until I get home…I have to scream…

Kairi stopped after what felt like an eternity of running, feeling like her legs gave. She tried to catch her breath, leaning on her knees; exhausted. Still, it was quiet. Maybe he was gone…

And that reassuring thought disappeared as her eyes widened when she felt a warm hand clamp over her mouth, instantly smothering her attempts at screams. Another arm wrapped around her, holding her close to the guy who called himself Axel.

She felt herself shaking in fear, and cringed when he leaned in closer to her ear and whispered;

"Did you honestly think you could run, Princess?"

A piece of cloth was slowly tied around her mouth, despite her desperate struggles to break free, cursing him for being so much stronger than her…and her gasp of pain was muffled by the gag when he struck a match against her leg and she stared at the small flame as he held it up in front of her face.

Axel kicked at her knees, causing her to fall slightly, then he kicked her ribs, and Kairi curled up in a ball from the intense pain.

"Goodbye, Kairi."

Those were the last words she ever heard, because after that he dropped the match on her, and Kairi watched in complete horror and helplessness as the fire started to spread through her.

No one heard her muffled screams as she slowly burned to death.

That is, except for the twisted pyromaniac who was watching the whole time with intrigued, glistening eyes. The one who chuckled when her screams began to die. The one who gave a crooked smile when he kicked the girl's head to the side, seeing the now-lifeless look in her blue eyes.

The one who ran a hand through his unruly red hair and started walking along the peaceful roads of Twilight Town at half-past midnight.