Walk on By
A/N: My sister gave me the drabble challenge "Walk on By." This phrase made me think of the song, so here is a drabble inspired by the hit. This drabble is more serious than my usual stuff, so I decided to post it separately.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its affiliated characters. I do not own the song "Walk on By," originally performed by Dionne Warwick.
"If you see me walking down the street, and I start to cry, each time we meet… walk on by."
…
Life 0:
"…in the next life."
"…I'll be waiting."
…
Life 1:
8:00 AM
…Morning coffee.
"Can I get you something to drink?" the red-haired barista asks.
Roxas inhales the friendly Starbucks smell… and feels at home, somehow. He opens his eyes, which briefly meet the green of the man in front of him, behind the counter.
Déjà vû.
"Yeah," Roxas says after a pause. "Just a cup of cappuccino, please, smallest size you have."
"No problem." The red-head takes Roxas' money and goes to make the blonde's drink.
Roxas reads the boy's tag – Axel.
Roxas feels a headache coming on, so he grabs his drink, mumbles a thank you, and leaves the coffee shop.
"Just walk on by."
…
8:00 PM
The city is cold in many ways on a December night, and Roxas shivers as he waits for the 'walk' signal.
As he crosses, a flash of red hair catches his attention.
The redhead, who looks awfully like the boy who made Roxas's drink this morning, walking in the opposite direction, notices the blonde, and feels like he should stop.
Neither do.
…
Maybe he knows, and just doesn't care.
Safe under his covers, Roxas feels the urge to call a friend he doesn't know.
How preposterous.
…
Sometimes, Axel dreams of another life.
Dreams of fire.
Friendship.
Nothingness.
But –
The pillow feels so cool and refreshing under his head, and he just can't bear to dwell on the dreams, for they are just too painful.
…
Sometimes, he wonders. Wonders if maybe there is something he's forgetting.
He ties back his long red hair and frowns as he walks along the street, following the sidewalk.
He pauses in front of the ice cream shop.
A blonde boy, familiar from class and from work, when he needs his morning cappuccino, passes Axel and heads into the shop.
Axel wonders for a moment how the kid can go for ice cream in this cold wintertime.
He wonders why he never became friends with the boy.
He shakes his head and continues on his way.
…
One day, he knows.
The dreams are too real to be just dreams, and the faces too familiar.
"Maybe in the next life…"
But is this the next life?
He doesn't like the thought that he hasn't always been… Axel.
At least, not this Axel.
So he puts his chin up, and marches into the world.
His eyes trace the boy waiting outside the elevator as the doors open and he knows.
But he keeps his mouth shut and his head up.
After all, if this truly is the next life, Roxas should talk to him first, right?
He left, after all.
Their eyes meet, and Axel exits the elevator as Roxas enters.
"Foolish pride. That's all that I have left… so walk on by."
…
Another day, Roxas knows.
Their desperate struggle for survival, for mere existence had been so great, it could not help but cross over into the next life.
It couldn't help infiltrate his dreams.
Roxas knows but feels ashamed.
Axel knows but is in pain.
It is summertime now and a black-haired, delicate girl jogs down the street. The sunlight illuminates her music player, engraved with four letters: X-I-O-N. She stops for a swig of water, when she sees two young men, on their way to different places.
She turns down her music, lowers her headphones, but she really doesn't know why.
All she knows is these two look familiar, and that makes her nostalgic.
She watches as their paths cross and they glance at each other in curiosity, one with bright red hair that shines in the morning rays, and the other with blonde locks the color of the sun itself.
As they pass each other with a second glance, the girl feels her eyes well up with tears and she struggles to maintain her composure on this public pathway, to keep the precious droplets from falling.
If you were to ask her, she could not tell you why she is so sad.
Someday she'll know, and cry some more.
"The tears and the sadness you gave me, when you said goodbye…"
~Fin~
Ok. That was depressing. Axel and Roxas and Xion are supposed to meet in the next life and be the best of friends
Excuse me while I go bawl now.
: (