Welcome to 'Why?', a scrumptious taste of 2009's magic! Here you will catch a taste of another beautiful pairing. I fervently hope I'll be able to provide a beloved angel with inspiration. I also hope to provide you with merriment, fun and everlasting love. I'm taking a break from the usual doom and gloom to endow you with radiant jubilation. Sit back, relax, and prepare yourselves for immense fluff! I hope you enjoy, with every fiber of my itty bitty heart.
'Why?' is another tribute to the breathtaking, ethereal Zephyr. She is a miracle worker with the art of friendship, and equally wondrous in the art of writing. We haven't even met the year's midpoint, and she has already risen to my heavens. Here are my bright, rapturous hopes for our future!
Disclaimer: The elements of Metal Gear Solid don't belong to me. The same applies to the guest character, and the components of his world. If I could be attached to either world, I'd be stark-raving happy. But don't rub it in. I'm sensitive. XD
I don't own the setting either. That should become obvious, once you dig deeper into our wee tale.
Warning: Boy/boy abounds in this tale. In addition to that, Old Snake exhibits (le gasp) human weaknesses. If you're allergic to either of those elements, please take your leave. Thanks for dropping by!
The scent of hot dogs, sugary sweet pastries and popcorn wafted through the air. Disney characters took to the skies in balloon form, released by immeasurably energetic children. Winds swept all of those elements through the crystal blue heavens, blessing the mortal world. A sweet sense of innocence covered every last inch of a child's dreams, bouncing off noses with the merriment of a pixie. Children of all ages coursed through the creamy, rapturous stream of life, holding hands while forming memories for eternity. Disney characters shook the hands of children and elders alike, endowing their kindness upon the world. The day's magic knew no end, even as time passed.
Carefree souls tossed off burdens once they crossed through an enchanting gate. Cares, worries and responsibilities were shed, leaving behind a blank palette. A heart became a wide-open canvas, open to splashes of joy. Imagination assumed the form of a spirited painter. Beyond a mystical gate, the world was at ease. Only one soul found themselves uncomfortable, unable to remain still in the midst of balloons and chocolate covered pretzels. Mickey Mouse himself couldn't lighten his heart. Only one individual had the power to lift his spirits, but he was a few minutes away. Why, oh why did he have to run off? Did he really have to buy him something to drink? He didn't need it, didn't want it, and would have preferred dehydration over a certain someone's absence.
He was a puppy sitting on a bench, waiting for someone with a sugary sweet frown. He would have followed that particular person, if it hadn't been for the condition of his damn body. The summer heat placed tremendous weight on his frail, old form, gradually dragging him down. He became a thousand years older, breathing through several tons of iron. The apple of his eye didn't mind, but he couldn't have been angrier. They were in Disneyland, for crying out loud! Main Street, to be precise! The angel of his life wanted him to see the sights, but he could hardly breathe-let alone move! What a horrible load of bullcrap!
Pain had become a close friend of his. It was a wicked, deceptive friend, promising solace but only delivering poison. It promised him peace, tempting him with the end to life. When exhaustion rattled his bones, pain promised him peaceful sleep. Whenever he looked in the mirror, pain promised to erase every last one of his wrinkles. A part of him relished the edge of life. After all, he was nothing but a black blot on a clean sheet of paper. He was unneeded, dirty and disgusting. Who in their right mind needed a black blot in their lives? Some people might have been dumb enough to love him, Hal Emmerich being one of them, but the word 'dumb' explained everything. Just what were they doing, attaching their hearts to something so foul? He was only good for one thing, and that happened to be warfare.
One particular person shoveled on grief. He gave an old soldier unparalleled, indeterminable love, but its recipient felt unworthy. A dirt-ridden, ugly beast didn't deserve unfathomable luminosity, but a Keyblader shoveled it on him. The young beacon treasured every second of his life, adoring every one of his syllables and cradling his heart. They were of different worlds, but their hearts were placed on the same page. The wielder of young legends blanketed him in lullabies, endowing upon him notes of serenity. Words of all languages failed to express the Keyblade hero's splendor, and it was splendor a beast didn't deserve. He certainly couldn't think of any words to uphold Roxas' sweet qualities. But despite his absence of worth, he was miserably lonely. The petals of his heart ached for sunshine.
Whenever Roxas left his side, a meteor of anguish crashed into his heart. The young star had been responsible for soothing his pain, relieving him of nightmares and worries. He had sent loving hands through his silvery hair-the same set of locks he fervently loathed. He adored his bandana, which remained on his arm in times of peace. The Keyblade wielder even tied one around his arm, and another round his Keyblade. The words 'separation anxiety' could easily come to mind, for a mercenary became immensely uneasy during Roxas' absence. Hal used the magic of their infinite friendship to calm him, but he was just as available as Roxas. He was off with Sunny and two of Roxas' friends, Terra and Aqua. The three of them wished to give a certain duo 'bonding time' (as Terra put it). The entire group spent an entire day (and night) in the warm magic of Walt Disney's creation, so they got in abundant family time. Lovers needed the time to blossom, and a trio knew that all too well.
He shuddered, immeasurable loneliness piercing his veins. He was a forlorn puppy, hoping to catch a glimpse of a loved one's face. A predator was in fierce pursuit of him, and he wished to be removed from his path. Whenever he was alone, nightmares riddled his mind. He couldn't stop thinking of the devil's face, even as children pranced with cotton candy in their hands. He couldn't stop thinking of a particular demon's laughter. Couldn't stop thinking of hellfire, red eyes and blades. Couldn't stop thinking of shrill, ecstatic cries of bloodlust. Couldn't stop thinking of the restless souls that drank his blood, laughing as they did so. Couldn't stop thinking of-
"Hey! You in there?"
A gasp popped out of his mouth. His eyes widened, filled with bliss that knew no end. A warm smile blanketed his soul, holding what appeared to be a tray of wafflebowls. "Sorry I took so long," a soft voice said, each word caressing his cheeks. "The line was killer. It was worth it, though. I heard that place sells the best ice cream around."
An old legend gazed at him, love struck and breath taken. Roxas treated him as if he hadn't aged beyond twenty years, looking far beyond the wrinkles and weary eyes. "See, I heard their strawberry ice cream rocks the world," the Keyblader went on, describing the ice cream treats with puppyish eyes. He was nineteen years of age, but he had the innocence of a two year old explorer. "I ordered a strawberry and vanilla bowl. Pick which one you'd like, skyflower."
It was cute. Roxas looked as if he had made both bowls himself. The Main Street Cone Shop was everything its visitors made it out to be, evidenced by the painstakingly decorated bowls. The waffle material alone was enough to drool over, even for someone that had never dabbled into the world of ice cream. With the face of a bewildered canine, Dave shyly removed the strawberry bowl from Roxas' tray. The Keyblade wielder obsered him, face devoid of a smile but eyes dipped in golden, sunlit affection. "Want to try some of mine?" he asked, voice burning with desire. Every last one of those desires were clearly visible to the puppy. The request might have been harmless enough, but Dave knew the rogue beneath Roxas' innocent surface. A simple question could conjure fifty fantasies. "No thanks," the old hero said, shaking his head with cherry red cheeks. Upon the first bite of his bowl, Roxas rose a hand in warning.
"Watch it, now. Don't eat it too fast, or else you'll end up with brain freeze."
As Donald Duck and Captain Hook made their way to the Main Street Fruit Cart, Dave continued to stare at Roxas. Just what kind of entity was he? He had the flesh and blood of a human (due to an extensive set of events), but he certainly didn't have the heart of a one. What planet was he born on? Why did the heavens see fit to bring them together? Why did Roxas have such bad taste? There were so many questions to ask. Luckily, there was enough time to ask them.
"Roxas..."
"Yeah?" the Keyblade wielder asked, heart soaring because of a familiar, raspy voice. A face dove into another vortex of blushing.
"Do you have shitty taste, or are you giving me a pity party?"
For a moment, Roxas looked as if Dave had shoved grasshoppers down his throat. Then he adopted a nonchalant smile. "That's supposed to be one of my questions," he said, then took another bite of his sprinkle-encrusted bowl. "Since you stole that one, I'll give you another one from my list. How many angels brought you to life?"
A frown mingled with unbridled happiness. "I'm being serious," an old legend said, voice weighed down by pain. "Answer the damn question, please."
"Fine," the young male said warmly, stretching his hands. "I'm going with 'C'. I don't have 'shitty taste', and I'm not throwing you a pity party. I'm madly, desparately in love with you. Fine time for you to bring up a questionnaire, by the way."
A beam of sunshine spread across a beloved treasure's face. "I need to find out why you're in love with me, you moron. You're not making any sense to me!"
"And you're not making any sense to me," Roxas shot back instantly, pretending to be peeved. "I can't understand how your eyes can be that beautiful. There's so much I have to figure out."
Chuckling to himself, Dave picked up the baton. He knew the direction Roxas wished to take. They were meant to engage each in duel of hearts, minds and beliefs. He was about to dive into a tornado of dark oblivion, but Roxas poured a cauldron of sunshine all over it. "I don't understand a damn thing about you," he said with a chuckle, suddenly invigorated by life's luster. Starlight fell into his eyes-eyes that were once distant. Weak. "Why do you have to make everything so easy?"
"Why do you have to be amazingly beautiful?"
"Why did you forfeit your life to be with me?"
"Why can't you see yourself through my eyes?"
"Why do you love a broken-down, old piece of junk?"
"Why do you defy every piece of reality?"
"Why are you so damn nice to me?"
"Why did Hal memorize every episode of 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' and 'Fruits Basket'?"
Dave just had to laugh at that question. Not only did Roxas steer away from the serious topic at hand, he just had to bring up Hal's anime obsession. "Why did you give him a custom-made Keyblade?" the smiling legend asked, wreathed in happiness. Roxas took another bite of his withering ice cream, then happily threw out another question. "Why does your voice hypnotize me?" he asked, face wreathed in unfathomable affection. Anyone passing by would have seen his hypnotic trance. He was lost in immeasurable happiness, clearly oblivious to all of life's dangers and submerged in a single treasure: love. Setting down his ice cream bowl, he rose to his feet and began to dance. A lively marching band happened to be performing Disney melodies, giving him the chance to put his words into song. At that moment, they were performing their interpretation of Ariel's anthem 'Part of Your World'.
"How you breathe, the way you move Entrances every part of me I want to dream, with you by my side With you in my arms!"
The Keyblade wielder had the voice of an angel. The birds certainly knew it, chirping merrily at the delivery of his voice. Children and their mothers exchanged smiles, surprised to hear such an amazing singer. Someone else was enthralled by the sound of Roxas' voice, but he was also embarrassed. Not only was he unused to having serenades delivered, but he was painfully unused to having Roxas at his side. In his eyes, an old bear didn't belong with a beautiful young star. Clasping his hands together, he suddenly felt sick to his stomach. Sadness pushed his ice cream onto the sidelines. Roxas was stunningly beautiful, wrapped up in cascades of sunlight. He was on the other end of the spectrum, a hellish vision of wretched misery. "Baby," he asked, his small voice an adorable whimper. A question teetered on the edge of his lips, and he was afraid to ask it.
"Why haven't you touched me yet?"
There. He asked the question that would not only end their game, but their wonderful day altogether. There wouldn't be any more ice cream. There wouldn't be any more waffle bowls. There wouldn't be any more rides, parades, Mickey-shaped pretzels or pirates. He had ruined everything, asking a question that should have remained hidden. It was a question he needed to ask, but a stupid one nonetheless. And he already knew the answer. They held hands, kissed and embraced, but due to the intensity of their love, a puppy was stupid enough to want more. Why would Roxas be idiotic enough to touch something like him? Why would a young, perfectly healthy and wickedly incredible being want to love a wretch like him?
Roxas dropped his smile off the face of the earth. At first he appeared to be offended, and shocked to even hear such an inquiry. Then he became pensive, as if he had received the hardest set of math equations. "To tell you the truth, sunrise," he said, sadness edging into his warm tone. Guilt penetrated his demeanor, falling into his crystal blue eyes. He had been an energetic, jubilant performer-and his performance was just popped like a balloon. "I just don't know how."
That answer was unexpected. "What?"
"I don't know how, okay? And I'm not talking about the technicalities. I know how lovers connect, and blah blah blah. The thing is, you're unlike any other mortal on this planet. In this galaxy! I'm not referring to the circumstances around your birth, either. You're a monument to life, a statue that deserves to be sent among the heavens themselves. I don't know why Yen Sid was idiotic enough to grant my wish, but he did, and...well, now I have you, and to tell you the truth, I don't know what to do with you. It's like...trying to contemplate the worship and adoration of legends, sovereigns and deities. How were people able to adore the icons of their life properly? How was Romeo able to adore Juliet properly? How can the birds sing loud enough for the heavens to hear? Is it really possible for someone to describe a shooting star, or the miracle of birth?"
He lowered his head, clearly rueful and defeated. "If I can't figure that stuff out, how am I supposed to love you? How am I supposed to even think about touching you, when I can't even figure out ancient, oldtime romance?"
The day was full of questions. Roxas' latest questions brought a slew of tears to Dave's eyes, placing him between two options. He could either burst into sobs, or confess a little something. Hands wringing at one another, he chose the latter. "I...I d-d-don't...need much," he stammered, shyness boiling over. "Babe, I j-j-just...I just w-w-want you. That's all. You're...you're all I need. I'm happy with you...b-b-by my side."
"You light up my whole world," a puppy declared happily, drawing his mate into an infinite kiss. A grandmother and her three young grandchildren brought their kiss to an end, presenting the day with another question. Meanwhile, the children were quite content with their churros.
"Excuse me. I happened to overhear your conversation, and I think you two are the loveliest kids around. Are you married, by any chance?"
Roxas, appearing to be nonchalant but immensely touched by all around him, shook his head. "No, ma'am," he said cheerily, eyes twinkling. "We're not married. Mortals don't marry angels."
Dave's face became a bundle of frustrated wrinkles. "Is that the only reason we aren't married?" he growled, eyes snarling with the words: 'you're the angel around here, not me'. One of the children giggled at his facial expression, even pointing at him.
"Granny, granny! That's what Duke looks like whenever he can't get a treat!"
Roxas broke into an instant fit of laughter, holding himself by the sides. "She thinks you look like a dog!"
"I do, do I?" the dog asked, rising to his feet. He alarmed Roxas in the process, but shoved his lover's concern underneath a carpet. He had just confessed something immensely important, only to have his confession followed by name calling! On top of that, Roxas declared his inability to marry him! He wanted his deepest desires to come true, more than anything, and Duke cropped up!
Noticing the dog's newly adopted demeanor, the grandmother gently hurried her children along. Meanwhile, Roxas continued to walk down the path of anxiety. "What's the matter?" he asked gently, thoroughly worried over Dave's attitude. His puppy, for reasons not yet known, turned completely sour. "I didn't hurt your feelings, did I?"
"Nothing's wrong with me. I'm just tired."
"Don't hide from me," a heart begged, latching onto his arm. Fearful, sorrowful blue eyes met angry orbs. "Listen," a gentle voice said, as a hand stroked the side of a wrinkled face. "I'm sorry."
"You're damn right you are."
In the blink of an eye, Dave tore himself out of Roxas' grasp. In the blink of an eye, he attempted to vanish forever. Wanting to banish the possibility of losing Dave forever, Roxas instantly grabbed onto the fleeting figure's arm. "What's this all about?" the Keyblade wielder asked, eyes doused in pain. He attracted attention once again, but it wasn't a happy occassion.
"What did I do wrong? Just tell me, sunrise!"
Eyes doused in tears, Dave balled his hands into fists. "I'll tell you what you did wrong. You did everything wrong, dammit! What in the hell is wrong with you?! Why can't you look at me, Roxas? Is it that hard for you to face the damn truth?!"
Witnesses saw their clash as a ping pong match. All eyes went over to Roxas, awaiting his serve. "I am facing the truth," he said indignantly, his hands balled as well. "I'm facing it, and I'm not afraid of it. I love you, David Emmerich, and regardless of everything you say, I'm not going anywhere. You'll have to kill me to push me away from you. You're a perfect fit for my heart-a heart I thought would waste away in the darkness. In case you've forgotten, I was once a Nobody-in more ways than one. You gave me a purpose. You brought me to life."
Tears bloomed in a set of beloved eyes. Knees threatened to cave in, but a set of arms caught a falling body. "Come on," a tender voice said, fondling a heart. "I'll take you back to the room."
Sniff sniff. "You d-d-don't have t-t-to. W-w-we can st-st-stay...a bit longer."
"Nah. We can just as easily come back in. Don't forget about the stamps we get at the gate. Besides, there's something I've got to do. I'm ready to take care of it."
'I'm ready to take care of you', loving blue eyes said, as two lovers departed from Disneyland's Main Street. Meanwhile, on another page of the storybook, another tale found its end. Upon a stage, a beast was transformed into a prince-and he was forever bound to his beloved Belle. A small maiden watched the tale's conclusion, holding a set of words deep within her little heart.
You finally have your happy ending, Epyon, and I'm really glad!
This little ditty was composed to the Kingdom Hearts II OST (how fitting XD). I previously wanted this fic to be named after the KH II Theme Song (Passion), but after going through the lovers' questionnaire, I decided to change the name to 'Why?'. XD
The Roxas/Old Snake pairing was a teensy bit odd, for it was a new venture. XD However, it was a great deal of fun! I've always adored Roxas, and thought he was perfectly voiced by Jesse McCartney in Kingdom Hearts II. I tried to figure out a date for our beloved Hal, but couldn't come up with one. So he ended up with characters slated to appear in a future Kingdom Hearts (Terra and Aqua). From what I've heard, they're meant to be Keyblade pals of Roxas. XD By the way, Yen Sid is a revered magician of the Kingdom Hearts realm. He assisted Sora in the saga's second installment, and won immense praise from Sora's pals. XD The original Yen Sid appears in the legendary 'Fantasia'.
'Fruits Basket' and 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' are anime series. XD Let's not forget Hal's anime passion!
For the record, I altered Roxas' age to nineteen. I think he's supposed to be younger, but I upped it to stay away from the 'underage scandal' stuffies. XD Besides, I wanted him to be wiser. Mature. XD
It's nice to see the nickname 'Epyon' is sticking around. And to think, I was going to name our Dave after another Gundam...XD
You might see more Roxas/Old Snake oneshots in the future. Thanks to history's greatest and most beautiful muse (not to mention phenomenal friend), I hardly know what's coming next. So stay tuned to Aurora Productions!
