Disclaimer: I barely own this disclaimer, yet alone Kingdom Hearts.
Out of the corner of my eye...
I spy neon numbers flickering once again,
The four turns to five and the nine turns to ten.
Is it too early or is it too late?
Is this a dream or is it just fate?
Together under the covers our limbs are tangled messily in one another as we sleep in this restless place. This city is awake in the early hours of the morning. This city is awake in the late hours of night. My head resting on yours, I am forced to gaze at the brightly lit metropolitan in the distance that shines ominously through the window at the far side of your bedroom. A view of tall glass buildings. They remind me of my mother's greenhouse. She tended to the plants inside until they grew and grew and after a while they grew too big and she had to buy another greenhouse. She brought another, and then another, and then another until our porch was filled with crystal clear houses. My father did the same, she once said, but instead of plants he grew people. He watered and feed them until they grew and grew and eventually he had a whole army of glass buildings that towered over the city, containing clone after clone of mindless metropolitan workers.
You said that you didn't care. You said that your father was the same. You said that we could still see each other, be with each other. You said a lot of things, Roxas, and nearly all of them had got us into trouble. We've got enough proof of that to last a lifetime.
The remnants of our past lay scattered throughout your room. Pictures, souvenirs, laughs and tears; precious memories we've created together. Mud on the bottom of my discarded shoes and beneath your unkempt nails are symbols of the things we've got through, the things we've done. These things are ours and ours alone; we share them with no one else. I trace over the scars on your arm with my fingertips. Your warm despite embracing my eternally cold torso. I'm always cold, even when I'm close to you. When you hold my hand you get shivers down your spine and when you kiss me, the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. You think I don't notice but I do and it hurts me so much. I'm so sorry Roxas. I'm so sorry that I'm so cold.
I brush the hair out of your eyes and you stir slightly. The low glow from an outside streetlight illuminates your skin. It makes you look like an angel and I hold you closer to stop you from flying away. I always keep you down; it's selfish, I know. I just can't let you go, no matter how hard I try. I've anchored myself to you and I can't find it in me to cut the rope. The tie that holds me to you stretches longer and longer as time passes and one day, you'll be out of my sight and reach. Until that day comes, Roxas, I'm just going to have to hold you closer because I know that come daylight...
I'm going to have to let you go.
Wave after wave of large, white lorries which bore the Strife crest proudly on their bonnets had come and gone from their new front drive since nine am this morning. Beds, wardrobes, paintings; they had all been squeezed, pushed and rammed through the big but obviously not big enough front door. Men in dark blue overalls had been hard at work filling this monstrously gargantuan house with all the ridiculously expensive trinkets and thingamajigs that his parents saw some kind of financial value in. To be honest, this whole moved seemed totally idiotic to Roxas. He had been happy at his old school with his old friends in his old town. He had spent his whole life, a hefty seven years, in Twilight Town and he just wasn't ready to leave yet.
"Can you believe it? I know, I know. I'm shocked that she even thought that she could get away with it! Not there you buffoon. To the left... THE LEFT! No, not you..." The clicking of heels against cold marble floor and one-sided conversations into a small silver box . That was the sound of Roxas's step-mother, Tifa, as screamed profanity at the very scared looking moving man.
Tifa, the new woman in his and his father's lives. She and his father had met two years ago and she had been quick to sink her claws into him. Cloud Strife was, after all, one of the world's most eligible bachelors. Rich and handsome, Cloud was the perfect candidate for women like Tifa Lockheart to spend the rest of their life with.
Despite loving his mother very much, Cloud seemed very much happy with Tifa which in turn made Roxas happy. Sure, she could be a bit over-controlling at times but in the grand scheme of things it really wasn't that big of a deal. She made his father smile and laugh again so he tried his very best to like her even if he felt he was betraying his mother.
His mother. A rush of sadness swept over the seven year old as thoughts of the past rushed from the back of his mind to the front. His breathing became increasingly maniacal and he reached for his inhaler as he headed to the front lawn. Roxas had a severe case of asthma which was often triggered by not only pollen and exercise but by his mother as well. Sounds ridiculous, right? Yeah, he knew. It didn't stop it from being any less true however.
Long breath out. Inhale in. Repeat
Roxas plunked himself down on the centre lawn, ignoring the worried glances that the overalls men were giving him. After a few minutes he recovered his breath and fell onto his back in victory. Before he could relax and enjoy the surprising comfort of the grass, his eyes were caught by the neighbouring house.
"Wow." Roxas didn't even mean to say it out loud. He was that impressed. It was... huge. He thought his house was big but next door's had blown away all of his previous proportions. Someone could get lost in a house like that. 'I wonder what type of people lives there,' Roxas wondered as he shuffled across the grass to get a better look. 'Maybe aliens?' Roxas's imagination supplied but the more rational side of him, for he was a very rational, mature boy, disagreed on the proposition for it was impossible since aliens did not exist.
Though, the rational side considered in deeper thought, if it didn't belong to an extraterrestrial then why did it seem so... cold. The colour, for starters, was light blue combined with solid grey to make a sort of pale teal/pewter mixture. That colour on such a huge house seemed strange to him, it made Roxas think that even in the summer that house would still be cold on the inside. Also, everything about this house seemed to perfect. Not a chip in the paint or an ornament of place. Even the grass was cut to perfection. He just wanted to grab a hold of the house and shake it till it looked like it had been lived in.
It may not seem strange to some, in fact Roxas could voucher that his step mother would be overjoyed that they had such pristine neighbours. To Roxas, however, this whole building seemed empty and hollow which would probably result in him not finding any children his age near him.
Roxas sighed. His old best friend Hayner had lived next door to him and he had hoped that he would have found the same friend in his new next door neighbour. No such luck, obviously. Roxas began to stand, grabbing some fistfuls full of grass in frustration as he went. He was making his way back to his own house when he thought he felt the eyes of another gazing at him. The blond turned around quickly and scanned the premises.
A flicker.
A flicker of drapes in the neighbouring house's first story window. Roxas thought he had imagined it but it was defiantly there. A definite movement in a previously thought empty house. The blue eyed boy waited a couple of seconds for any other sign of life.
His patience was rewarded with a boy. A boy his age. A boy with the brightest red hair he had ever seen and the most piercing green eyes in the entire universe. Such a pretty green, Roxas thought, captivated in the rush of colour in contrast to such a bleak house. The redhead caught sight of Roxas and with a look of shock, he disappeared from sight.
"Wait, don't go..." Roxas began, his arm slightly outstretched and his legs headed for the teal door which would hopefully lead to this mysteriously shy boy. He halted only centimetres from hitting it and then proceed to straighten himself up and knock three times.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
No answer. The bang's echoed pointlessly around the empty hallways of the hollow house. Roxas tried again, using the door knocker to really get his point across. This time, the door swung open and a woman appeared.
She was... beautiful. Long, curly blond hair and a floor reaching evening dress on, it looked like she was expecting company. Her face was as white as chalk and her figure was small and fragile. She looked like she'd break from even just opening the heavy wooden door.
"May I help you?" She asked in a sweet and friendly tone, not what Roxas had been expecting from a resident in such a cold, unfriendly house. Roxas suddenly got very bashful in the presence of such a beautiful lady and began to twiddle his thumbs and stutter.
"Um, y-yes, thank you!" He piped, avoiding eye contact as best as he could. "I was w-wondering if you knew if, um, any other c-children lived near-nearby? Oh! I'm R-Roxas, by the way. I-I just moved in next d-door."
Roxas thought he saw a dark look pass through the woman's expression but it was gone before he could register it, a sweet smile adorning the woman's features once again.
"Laila. Laila Tzimtzuma. I'm sorry dear, no children live for a couple of miles from this place. You're the first neighbours we've had in years." She stopped briefly and looked Roxas up and down before returning her gaze back to his eyes. It seemed strange. Roxas was almost positive he had seem a boy in that second story window. Why would the woman try to cover it up? The whole thing seemed a little off.
"If that's all..." she continued, an subtle tone of irritation lacing her voice. She obviously didn't want Roxas prying any further into the matter,
Roxas snapped back into reality. "Y-yes! Thank you very much!" With a nod, the woman began to close the door slowly as she watched Roxas's retreating figure leave the area. Roxas, however, was
seven and thus a determined and curious soul. A mystery... No, an adventure! An adventure like this was too good of a proposition for Roxas let it slip by. Now more then ever he had to find out who that green eyed boy was.
It was midnight. The sound of insect applause for Roxas's daring feat was the only noise in the night. Light footsteps carefully made their way to the mysterious house next door. A faint glow seemed to emit itself from the walls as the pale rays of reflected sunlight bounced off the moon and into the reach of multiple glass houses. Roxas wondered how he missed all those greenhouses before; there were dozens of them. The light hit them in such a way, it all seemed to direct back towards the house. It was a wonder that he hadn't even registered them. In fact, he could've sworn that the lawn was barren a couple of hours ago. Then again, he'd apparently seen a child when there wasn't supposed to be children for miles.
Even more determined for answers, Roxas sneaked underneath the windowsills of the ground floor and made his way to the canopy supporting the grape vine that lead to first story window where he had previously seen the redheaded child. Utilizing his climbing expertise, Roxas swung from rung to rung. He was doing quite well until a creaking noise was made and the construction gave way slightly.
'Hold. Please hold' thought Roxas desperately, holding his breath and clutching the wooden rungs as tightly as he could. After a few seconds, the blond gathered his courage and continued his trek upwards. A few more vertical steps and Roxas hand reached the cold stone that made up the windowsill he had been striving towards. Cautiously, he pulled himself up. He messily collapsed on the stone, taking several deep breaths and reaching for his inhaler.
After regaining his energy, Roxas peered inside through the surprisingly dirty windowpane. Perhaps this place wasn't as perfect as it seemed, Roxas thought fleetingly as he tried to get a good look through the translucent glass. Steaming the glass up with his breath and wiping it down with his sleeve, Roxas pressed his right eye to the area in order to see more clearly.
The hazy figure of a human made itself known as it came towards the window, making a gesture to open it. Suddenly panicked, Roxas moved to escape but his arm was grabbed by something unbelievably cold that it stopped him right in his tracks.
"Wait, don't go..." A small voice piped. Icy fingertips travelled gently down his arm until they reached his hand. Roxas grabbed the arm of the stranger and pulled himself inside of the room, not even wondering about the possible implications this action may cause.
Inside the room, Roxas eyes began to travel upwards until they were met with wide emerald orbs. Realizing the chilly atmosphere around him, Roxas withdrew his hand and hugged himself in an attempt to warm up. Trails of steam came from his mouth as he began to introduce himself.
"Hi, I'm Roxas." He said, pretending like everything was perfectly normal when it obviously wasn't. He had just jumped through someone's window in the dead of night for god's sake! There wasn't anything normal about that.
The figure retreated into the corner, looking at Roxas with shock and unfamiliarity. Roxas, unsure of what to do, stepped closer, reaching for a light as he did so. He felt something like a light switch and proceeded to push it, hoping that the stranger would feel more comfortable if he could see that he was not in danger.
A dim light went on and Roxas got a good look of the shy being in front of him. In simple terms; he was beautiful. His skin was pale like his mothers but he had this amazing spiky red hair that contrasted perfectly against his startlingly green eyes. Roxas was gob smacked. He wondered why any mother would deny having a son that was so... flawless. He looked like a porcelain doll, standing there with that soft, cold, ivory skin.
"I'm not going to hurt you." Roxas continued, stepping closer to the boy, closing the distance between them. "I just wanted to meet you at least once. " He stopped in front of the now crouching redhead and sat down beside him. Curling himself up for warmth, Roxas persisted his one-sided conversation. "What's your name?"
A soft whisper came from the boys lips and if Roxas hadn't been listening so intently, he probably would have missed it. "Axel." the figure said, slowly turning to face to Roxas.
"Axel, huh? That's an interesting name." Axel nodded in agreement, slowly opening himself up from his huddled position. "How old are you, Axel?" Roxas said, pleased that he was making progress with the strange, mysterious, unfamiliar being.
"Axel is eight years, ten months, three days and forty seven minutes old." Axel said, giving Roxas his full attention.
"Wow... How do you remember all the that?" Roxas exclaimed, surprised at the accuracy in the redhead's answer.
"There's nothing else to do here. Axel counts time for fun." Axel actually seemed happy that time existed as a plaything for him. It made Roxas have a sudden wave of sympathy for Axel; what kind of child counts time for fun? "Axel, you can't be serious. I mean, what about all the fun things to do outside?"
Axel broke eye contact and stared down at the ground. "My mummy say Axel isn't allowed outside."
"Why not? That's so stupid!" Roxas had never heard anything quite so ridiculous in his life. Not allowed outside? No one could live a life indoors forever, right?
"Axel gets hurt when he goes outside. The sun hates Axel so Axel can't go outside." Roxas had never heard of anyone who couldn't go outside before. He couldn't even imagine how that must feel. The boredom, the loneliness... Roxas's heart ached at the sudden empathy he had for Axel. In all honesty, Roxas pitied him and he knew that Axel didn't want that kind of sympathy. He might not even know that anything was wrong. He was a prisoner in his own room.
"I saw you watching me today." Roxas said, shuffling closer to Axel. Axel's eyes turned to face the floor, his introverted ways resurfacing. "Why did you hide when I saw you?"
Axel fiddled with the hem of his shirt and looked away sheepishly. "Mummy doesn't want Axel near windows. Especially in the day. Axel will burn like green eggs and ham." Axel laughed at the thought of this, imagining his hair turning to ham and his eyes to eggs. The thought of having it for breakfast and making smiley faces with it made him laugh so hard even Roxas joined in simply because the redhead's laugh was so infectious.
"Roxas looks really pretty when he laughs." Axel said, a smile still gracing his features. Roxas, slightly taken aback by the compliment, blushed fiercely. He had never been called pretty before and the fact that another guy was calling him that seemed to make the compliment even more blush worthy.
Axel's smile grew as he watched the blond get embarrassed from a few simple words. He decided that he really did like Roxas very much despite only meeting him today. "Roxas, are we friends now?" Axel questioned, the excited buzz of sharing words with another person still running through his veins.
Roxas smiled at the strange boy. "Yeah, Axel, we are friends." His smile faltered a little as continued, "In fact, you might be my only friend here. There doesn't seem to be any other kids our age in this place."
Axel was really happy. It was written all over his face. He didn't understand, however, when tears started coming down his cheeks.
"Axel is sorry Roxas, Axel doesn't know why he is crying. Roxas is Axel's first friend. Roxas is the second person to ever talk to Axel." He stopped, the tears making him a bit hard to understand. "Axel is so happy he met you, Roxas." Roxas didn't know why he did it but a sudden urge came over him and he reached over to hug Axel. Axel was cold but Roxas continued to hold him, pulling him closer as wet tears fell from the others cheeks.
"Thank you, Roxas." A muffled cry came from the redhead and Roxas just put his head to the redheads ear and whispered that it was alright, that there was no need to thank him. They just sat there, relying on one another. Neither of them had really been in a situation like this before so as they pulled away, they weren't really sure on what to do.
Roxas supporting himself on the wall as he stood up and took Axel by the hand and pulled him up as well. He was a lot taller then he had previously thought, standing at around 5 inches taller then Roxas despite being only a little older, "I have to go soon. My parents might get worried if they see that I'm gone."
Axel looked dejected but seemed to understand. Roxas began to make his way to the window and Axel followed obediently, even going as far as to grab Roxas's shirt as he led them to the exit.
"Alright, I have to go now Axel." Axel still held onto the shirt tightly, his eyes gazing into Roxas's as he slightly begged for him to stay. "I'll be back tomorrow." The shirt was loosened slightly, but the look was still there. Roxas tried again. "I promise." To make his point, Roxas linked his warm pinkie with Axel's cold one and made one fluid gesture with it.
"What does that mean?" Axel looked at Roxas and then at his fingers in wonder. Roxas laughed a little at his naivety. "It means that we're bound together by magic; I'll come here every night on pain of death!" Roxas made a dramatic gesture and began to make his descent to the grass below.
Before Axel was out of hearing range, Roxas decided to ask him one last question. "Hey, Axel? Is there anything you'd like?" Axel looked confused, not really understanding the question. Roxas elaborated slightly, "you know, from the outside world."
"Books."
"Books?" Roxas gave Axel a questioning look this time, leaning out of the canopy to get a better look of the redhead.
"Axel likes books." The redhead smiled, watching the look on Roxas's face as he tried to comprehend anyone actually liking books.
"Alright Axel." Roxas jumped down the remainder of the construction, waving to Axel as he ran backwards across his lawn. "I'll bring you books." And with that, he was gone, leaving Axel with a feeling that replaced loneliness. He didn't know what to call it but he once read that most people refer to it as happiness.
A/N; First chapter done! This isn't the end, there are many more chapters to come! Review if your enjoying it so far and constructive critsism would be great! Seriously, my writing style bores me so god knows what it's doing to you guys! The last scene is a bit cheesy I know, I love cheese. Cookies for anyone that can guess the diese Axel has and who his mother is married to! Her last name gives you a hint but I doubt you'll find it, it's kinda oblivious. You are honestly a super genius if you get it! See you next update!
P.S. sorry for any mistakes, I betaed it myself and I do a loosy job! I can't spell for chocolate.