Disclaimer: Axel and Riku are © Disney

This has the same setting for "Unasked". Our (Caelum and I) Destiny Islands.

Voice

--oOo--

Another night, another opportunity. It was the theme of the evening as the sun set and the nights festivities began. Music, parties, open shop vendors and food stalls alike all seemed to look better underneath the early November moon. The sun may have bathed the world in childish warmth during the day, but the moon brought out the bewitching and rebellious sides of people. Night in Downtown Destiny Island was for the artists, the lost souls of the population, and those of clear thought and semi-wicked ways.

Soft, ebony paws traveled across the fake wooden floor, their sound equivalent to that of muted fairy kisses. Eyes as green as a maharaja's sacred emerald peered at a pair of bare, dainty feet splotched with dirt and dried paint. A meow, loud enough to stir the dust in the air, caused the owner of dainty feet to peer down from their studious work atop a cheap fold out table.

"Baby, I'm busy," was the reply which seemed to anger the feline, for she promptly hopped onto the table with the utmost grace. Her long, delicate tail swiped across strewn pieces of wire and organized precious stones, not caring that some things fell onto the floor and bounced across the one light lit kitchen.

"Bageshri!" Riku cried, his lips turning into a pout at seeing the rolling lapis lazuli and rose quartz. Bageshri tilted her head at her owner who only picked up the stones that he could see without searching, before she bounced off the table and towards the front door. She rose her paws to the white, graphite covered door and began to scratch at it mercilessly.

Sighing, Riku tossed his wire cutting pliers onto the table, and grabbed an overly large hoodie off the chair. He shrugged on the garment, pulled his hair out of the back, and grabbed his half-way finished cup of coffee off the counter. Another loud meow emitted from the small cat which made Riku smirk as he padded to the door to let her out.

"Alright, you brat, there you go," he said, allowing Bageshri to scamper between his feet and out into the hallway of the open air apartment building. Riku watched her disappear around the corner towards the stair case before he half-heartedly walked over to the railing that overlooked Beach Street.

Palm trees swayed in the cool, bay breeze that caused hanging plants to sway, wind chimes to protest, and windsocks to gambol. On the sidewalk below him, a street band was just finishing its last song; and a confident looking red head stood amongst the instruments, swinging a microphone in a fashion similar to a windmill or a helicopter. Riku smirked, as he placed the cup by his feet and draped himself over the cool aluminum railing.

"This one goes out to all those starving artists out there, you know, people like me," he said, a trade mark, toothy grin spreading over his handsome face. Riku's eyes seemed to glow just a little bit brighter as the first chords of the song filtered up towards him. The red head's voice was just so perfectly rough it fit in with the air itself. It was entrancing to listen to and it soothed Riku's nerves. He was their voice. The voice of the starving artist.

It didn't take long for the song to end, either that, or the band had shortened the song thanks to the dropping temperature or the waning night. In any case, it startled Riku to hear the song come to an end that it took him a minute to come out of the faux high it had created for him. And just as expected, it didn't take long for that red head singer to turn his head towards Riku's building and to the third floor where he was currently standing.

"Riku! Hey!" he yelled, flagging an arm like a crazed airplane director. Riku, feeling as though it would be somehow rude not to respond, lazily straightened himself up and wagged a few fingers back at him.

"Back in town, Axel?" he asked pretending he didn't see the others motion for him to come down. Axel was like this warm gulf wind that blew into the port of Riku's heart and roused his dreams. But all winds are rarely caught and leave just as quickly as they arrive.

"Oh, c'mon. You know I'm never that very far, anyway," Axel said, dismissing the haughty greeting and going back to trying to get him to come down. "What, you don't want to see me?"

Riku sighed, a small grin on his face as he shook his head lightly and pushed away from the railing completely. He decided to give in, if only to have some entertainment for a little while, and came downstairs. As soon as he stepped onto the sidewalk leading up to his apartments, the tall red head had him scooped up off the ground and into a large hug.

"Sometimes I wonder why I can never go too far from this city, and then I think about you and I have my answer," Axel told him between nuzzles to his neck.

Riku frowned a little, but his hands roamed Axel's back in return and he did feel grateful that his bare toes were off the cold concrete. Axel sat him back on his feet and held him at arms length, just starring down at him, which made Riku squirm a little.

"What?" he asked with a bite, shrugging back on his jacket for it happened to slip off one shoulder in the red-head's hug. Axel simply smiled at him and dug his fingers into his black jean pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

"Oh, nothing. Just looking at how pretty you are," he commented, a little off-handedly as he lit up and expertly dodged the glare from about six inches below him.

"That's really not funny, you know," Riku commented, walking away from him. He had to pretend he was angry that Axel immediately started to follow him, even though he knew it was part of a small game they played. Riku was the one that was "hard to get" and Axel, the illusive musician that never came around too long after he got what he wanted.

A hand was draped casually over Riku's shoulder, the smell of cigarettes and incense coming along with it. "Don't be mad, Ku. You know I hate it when you get mad, it makes me feel all cold and stuff."

Riku smirked just a little, his arms cuddling against his upper body. "Then stop making me angry." He began to try and walk ahead of the red head once more but was pulled back rather unceremoniously against Axel's awaiting chest.

"Stop it, Riku," came the husky, nicotine laced voiced from a pair of rose lips directly beside his ear, "stop running away from me."

Aqua eyes roamed up a pale neck to awaiting emerald orbs that caught his soul and refused to set him free. All this time, he had refused to let his heart come too close to Axel. A broken heart and a bad hangover were the only things he was sure to receive if he allowed himself the pleasure of loving Axel. The red head was one of those people who needed freedom, needed to be able to chameleon into anything they so desired, needed to feel that pulse of life and adrenaline at any moment.

Riku, however, was a scared little son-of-a-bitch that refused to give in to Axel. But after all of their midnight rendezvous, their secret sunrise mornings where no one dared to say a word but just allowed innocent sunlight to creep up their not-so-innocent bodies, one would have to wonder if Riku was really just scared anymore or was it something else?

"I'm not running away, Axel. I've always been right here." It was a stupid come back, he knew, but what else could he say? Besides, it was the truth. Riku never did run away. Axel was the one that left.

Axel tilted his head, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. He gripped the sides of Riku's shoulders and held him at arms length. "What's gotten into you, Riku? What's the matter?"

"Sometimes I wonder why I can never go too far from this city, and then I think about you and I have my answer."

Sighing, and being unable to face the questioning and almost accusing eyes of the other man, Riku simply tilted his head up, eyes crinkled closed in a half-assed smile. He drew Axel's hands off of his shoulders and secured them on his hips, before he closed the distance between them in a sloppy, subject-changing kiss.

For a moment, everything seemed to be fine, everything seemed to be the way it had always been. There was Riku and there was Axel. And that was all that there had to be.

Smiling and drawing away from the bruising pink lips, Axel brushed soft bangs out of Riku's eyes. "Tell me about it later?"

He couldn't help but notice the small pang in his heart, and the way it was suddenly horribly hard to breathe, but Riku smiled, and nodded. Later, save it for later.

Axel seemed pleased with the response and drew Riku back into his arms, their lips connecting once again. If anyone seemed to give a damn about two men kissing in the middle of the sidewalk no one dared to object. They looked natural, content.

Fingers soon found hems of shirts, waist-bands, buttons and zippers. Their kissing became too heated, too much, not for the middle of the street. Stumbling through the dark and over invisible obstacles they tumbled into a back alley. With the open road on one end, the start of a dark bay on the other, they carried on, uncaring of any prying eyes.

"Don't you want to...go upstairs...?" Riku asked in between kisses and small mewls. The majority of his clothes lay at his feet, as well as for Axel's shirt which was the only article of clothing he managed to remove. He could feel the playful smirk against his collar bone as Axel hoisted him up against the cool brick wall.

"Let 'em stare, I could give a damn about anyone else right now, Riku," he told him, and watched a coy smile spread across his lovers face. Riku's legs tightened about Axel's hips, as he brought his lips down to gently kiss the crown of his forehead. It was out of character for Riku, and he knew it. But moments don't last forever, and with that one little kiss he sure hoped Axel could understand just how sorry he was.

As Axel eagerly entered Riku's awaiting form, time all but seemed to stand still. With each thrust, each shaky breath and each cry of pleasure they were simply killing loneliness. If that meant taking themselves down as well, it didn't seem to matter as Riku's body bobbed against the wall, his arms tightening about Axel's neck.

In moments, it was over, the rush, the heat, the passion. They were left in a somewhat shaky silence mixed with the distant echo of rolling waves and a whistling wind. Axel gently let Riku to his feet, and the younger of the two began pulling clothes back on. Reaching inside his pocket, Axel drew out a pack of cigarettes, and lit one up.

"I forgot to tell you, we landed a gig at the House of Blues all the way across the bay tomorrow night," the red head started, taking a slow drag and watching with satisfied eyes at the curling gray smoke, "we've been wanting to perform there for years."

Riku looked up at him, as his arms slid back into the arms of his hoodie. He wore a small smile at the fact that Axel was finally getting somewhere that he wanted to be. It had always been his dream to get out of this shit-hole town, to see the world and spread his voice. It was a voice that didn't need any restrictions, it needed to soar and spread a message.

"Won't you come?" Axel asked, turning hopeful, almost child-like eyes over at Riku, as he walked up beside him.

A tiny sigh, and a small shake of the head, was the response, and although Axel almost knew it was coming, he was disappointed anyway. He nodded though, and with a grin he grasped Riku's hand as they walked out of the alley. His apartment wasn't that far away, and although he didn't want to admit it, Riku silently wished they had more time.

"I'll be back soon, okay?" Axel told him, kissing his temple.

"Promise me something?" Riku asked, lacing his fingers with Axel's.

"Anything."

"Don't wait for me."

"What?" Axel asked, his mouth opening and closing in astonished question. To put it lightly, he didn't understand.

But Riku simply smiled, as he brought Axel's face down for one last kiss. He turned from him then, heading back to his home, his awaiting cat and many unfinished creations and silent broken dreams. He didn't want to know what he could have had with the ambitious red head because he already knew what he had lost with him. A voice.

--oOo--

Fin

Bageshri – A Hindustani classical raga (In Indian music, a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is founded)

Disclaimer:The line "Axel was like this warm gulf wind that blew into the port of Riku's heart and roused his dreams." Is based off of the song lyrics "If I am a sailor. You are the warm gulf wind. And you've blown into this little town and roused my dreams again." From the song "Almost" by Sarah Harmer