Well. I must say this is sad. I mean, how can you do this to your OTP? I remember shedding a tear or two when I wrote this a while back. *sigh*
This is a fic I've been trying to convince my self to put up here for a while. It'll be a long-ish one, and I might include other pairings. (SoRiku will definitely be in here though) I'm not sure. But it's mainly AkuRoku, and that's what I'll focus on. Since it's an AU, there will probably be ooc-ness. If this does not please you, well, that's your problem. Find another fic.
Sadly, I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Disney or Final Fantasy. If I did, I wouldn't be here writing fanfic. And AkuRoku would be canon, as well as SoRiku.
Chapter One: Red
"Where am I?"
The cliché, overused question everyone asks when they wake up in what is obviously a hospital room. It made him want to throw up. Or maybe it was the grossly clean smell that made him sick. Or the obnoxious, incessant beeping, or the stiff and uncomfortable bed. Maybe they were all guilty as charged.
"Where do you think?"
The unfamiliar voice came from his left, the side that hurt most. He couldn't remember why he hurt, but he knew he should have been able to. Knew it was... important.
"...Why am I here?"
Moments passed before the voice spoke again. "You went months without eating and you were hurting yourself, so you were in a bad position to begin with. And then you decide to cut deeper, down a bunch of pills, and shoot yourself. Not smart, Roxie."
Oh. Right.
"How... How long have I been asleep?" Roxas took a deep breath before he opened his eyes. He turned his head to his left, anxious to see who this stranger was. "Oh... I know you...?"
The man had long, flaming red hair- how he got it to be such a bright, unnatural color, Roxas didn't know. He had odd, tear-shaped tattoos underneath vibrant green eyes and his skin was very, very light compared to Roxas' naturally tan body. Roxas knew him. But he didn't know who he was.
Roxas was confused.
"Who... Who are you?"
The man smiled. "Don't got it memorized, huh? Oh well. Suppose you have a reason. I'm Axel. Your... your friend." The male with the red hair smiled before stretching and yawning. "Damn chairs are uncomfortable."
"My... friend?" Roxas tested the words. It didn't feel right. "Friend. Fr-ien-d." He sounded out every part of it. It was wrong. He was wrong. Roxas didn't have any friends. Roxas had nobody.
The man- Axel- smiled a sad smile and reached out to touch Roxas' hand. The boy jumped and Axel quickly pulled his hand back. "Sorry. I guess you're... I just missed you, ya know?"
Nobody will miss you.
Roxas frowned. "Nobody missed me. Nobody would miss me. I should've... I should've died. I wasn't meant to be here. I'm... a nobody."
I wish you'd never been born.
Axel shook his head, angry. "I missed you, Roxas! Every second of every day you were... Gone, I missed you. That fucking scared me, ya know?" Axel stood up, towering over Roxas. He glared at the younger male for what seemed like an eternity. But a strange sadness was woven into that glare. Sadness and loneliness and…. Something else. Something Roxas couldn't quite name.
Roxas stared back. His eyes were dull and lifeless, no longer the bright, shining blue they used to be. Axel's glare softened and Roxas was genuinely surprised when the redhead leaned down to wrap his arms around him.
"I missed you," Axel whispered.
I won't miss you.
Roxas found this behavior weird, though he didn't know why. He just felt the redhead should be... livelier. More fun. Loud, bright, obnoxious. Not this sincere, sad being. Roxas wished he could remember who this man was exactly.
Roxas' arms stayed at his sides while he was hugged. He tried not to wince when Axel's chest touched his own- but it hurt, and he couldn't help the quiet "ow" that befell his lips.
Axel jumped back. "I... I forgot. Sorry babe." A pained expression crossed his face. "I- I mean Roxas. Sorry, Roxas." He scratched the back of his neck while awkwardly standing an awkward distance from Roxas in this awkward silence. It was... Awkward.
And then a nurse walked in. "Oh! You're finally awake!" She turned to Axel with a disapproving frown. "You were told to contact us as soon as he-"
Axel waved his hand at her. "Yeah, yeah. I know. Excuse me for being more concerned about speaking to him for the first time in a month than calling a nurse in the second he opened his eyes."
The tiny nurse with the mouse-like features- light brown hair, big brown eyes, petite frame, timid but determined- huffed. "You still should've contacted one of us so we could come check on him."
"He's breathing, isn't he?"
The nurse ignored Axel and moved around him to get to Roxas. "How are you feeling, sweetie? Anything hurt?"
"Everything," the boy monotonously replied.
"Oh... Well what hurts the most?"
"My chest."
Roxas paid no attention to her as she checked his vitals, gave him some drugs to help with the pain, and reassured him that everything was all right. He pointedly ignored her.
When the mousy nurse left the room, Axel moved closer to Roxas. He took the boy's hand and held it tight so he couldn't pull away. "Why don't you get some sleep, Roxas? I've got something I need to do real quick anyway."
Roxas felt a slight wave of panic wash over him. He squeezed Axel's hand and looked at the older male with his sadness in his eyes. "D-Don't go. Don't leave me." He didn't know why he wanted this... this stranger with the crazy hair and unusual tattoos to stay by his side, but Roxas felt as if he'd miss him if Axel left.
"But it's important, Rox. I gotta go."
Roxas stubbornly held on to the redhead's hand even though his grip started to loosen slightly. He was suddenly fighting to keep his eyes open. "N... No..."
Axel sighed. "You're about to pass out anyway. You won't even know I'm gone. I'll be back before you wake up. Promise." The redhead leaned down and looked Roxas in the eye. "I love you."
Roxas felt his heart flutter and he wondered why a stranger was saying such a thing to him. But... Was he even a stranger? Or did he know Axel?
Axel stayed holding Roxas' hand until the boy's eyes had finally closed and the once tight grip on his hand went slack. The redhead sighed and turned around. He made his way over to the door and looked back at the sleeping blonde, watching him for a moment before shaking his head and finally leaving the room.
So. What did you think? If I can get even one review and one favorite or something, I will work my ass off and try and have another chapter up and ready on Christmas Day. Or before the end of this year. Whatever. Just depends on when I get said review/favorite. I just need motivation to continue this, otherwise I might not be able to go on with it.
