Hey, hey! (waves)
So, you guys are probably all wondering "Rose, what are you doing, writing a multi-chapter AkuRoku when you have 'Stroke of Midnight' and 'An Encounter of the Mary Sue Kind' to update?"
Well, I got this idea after having a dream where Roxas and Axel worked in a hotel, I was a guest, and there was a murder.
I decided to fix it up a little, work out the glitches, and put up my first AkuRoku! So, here it is!
And, this story takes place somewhere in the late 1800s-early 1900s. Use your imagination!
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. That is the brainchild of Disney and Square-Enix.
Also, this is the first of a yaoi mystery trilogy. Second in the series will be Zemyx, and it will end with SoRiku.
Let the AkuRoku goodiness begin! Enjoy! Oh, and happy AkuRoku day!
As soon as he stepped into the lobby, he smelled it.
Granted, he didn't have a phenomenal sense of smell, but the scents were obvious to him. Anyone who stopped to think about it could smell it as well.
Blood.
Lust.
Money.
Lies.
And hatred.
A deep-rooted family grudge darker than the young man's jacket he wore that fateful December evening when he first set foot into the hotel. Yes, Axel Dylan definitely smelled something fishy brewing at the Starflower hotel, and it was not on the menu.
However, the Starflower hotel was not a dingy, shabby little inn in a backwater town. It was a high-end, five star hotel in Twilight Town's ritzy district. Its' lobby was laid with white tiled floors, painted with a dark purple starflower design (hence the name of the hotel). Gold garland wrapped around white marble columns that held up the ceiling, and a simple fountain splashed in the middle of the lobby. Though it may have been simple, it gave a sense of welcome to the hotel, the splashing water mingling with the clicking of shoes on the polished tiles, the low murmur of conversation, and the jingling of room keys.
But the scents lingered in the air, and if Axel took a deeper sniff, he could accurately detect a more sinister sense in the air, amidst the cheerful conversations of the upcoming Christmas holiday.
Yes, it looked to be the typical hotel murder mystery. And, being the youngest son of a Private Investigator, Axel was absolutely one hundred percent positive that he was going to thoroughly enjoy his week here.
Especially if it involved that delicious blonde over at the front desk.
He had soft, spiky blonde hair, and lightly tanned skin. His eyes were like finely cut turquoise jewels that glittered and danced in the lights. A dark grey jacket hid his light frame, and a red scarf was wrapped around his neck. He seemed a bit shorter than Axel, and was around his age, too. Nineteen, or in his early twenties, give or take a few years. The slightly battered suitcase in his hand showed that he was a guest that did not venture here often.
Smirking, Axel picked up his own suitcase and began making his way to the blonde.
A very interesting week lay in store for him.
And most of it would circulate around the blonde, as it would turn out to be.
Roxas Fortuna gave a sigh. He felt so out of place at this fancy hotel he was staying at for the week. He was a pianist at Twilight Town University, and could not believe his luck when the Starflower hotel asked him to play the piano for the holidays. The hotel was a place Roxas had been to only once. And that was when he was five years old.
Running his fingers through his hair, Roxas stopped to take a look around the lobby. It was still as beautiful as he remembered. Lights twinkled in the garland that was wrapped around the marble columns, and the air smelled of...
Roxas took a deep breath. Cinnamon, peppermint, gingerbread, and...
Blood.
The blonde grinned. He loved murder mysteries with a passion, almost as much as he loved playing the piano.
This is going to be quite a week, it seems. Roxas gave a chuckle, and turned back to the front desk to fetch his keys.
"Here are your keys...oh! Axel!" The girl at the front desk handed Roxas his keys, but turned and gasped at the man standing nearby.
The blonde turned, too, and he also gasped. For a few minutes, Roxas had to re-teach himself how to breathe.
The man before him was stunning. His long, red hair let off a fiery aura around him, and his eyes were finely cut emerald gems set into a porcelain face. His lips were curved into an upward smirk, and his red jacket dressed his slender figure. A black scarf was wound around his smooth neck, and the quality of the cloth of both scarf and jacket flaunted his wealth.
A pink flush danced across Roxas' cheeks as the man stepped next to him. A scent of burning maple and something warm and sugary overtook him, sending Roxas' senses reeling. It was all he could do to stop himself from fainting at the man's feet.
"Good to see you, Axel. How are you?" The girl asked, fetching a key from the spot marked "315".
The man named Axel smiled. "I'm good, Amanda. And you?" He took the key from her hand.
"I am also doing well. Have a good stay, Axel." She smiled at him.
"Thank-you." Axel left the lobby, suitcase in tow.
And Roxas just stared. Finally, he found his voice. "Who is that?"
Amanda sighed. "Axel Dylan. He comes here every year for one week during the Christmas season. I think this is the first time he's come alone."
Roxas spluttered. "A-Axel Dylan?! As in, the son of Jordan Dylan, the private investigator?"
Amanda nodded. "The very same. I heard Axel wants to follow in his father's footsteps."
"Wow." Roxas was definitely counting his blessings. One: He got to stay at a ritzy hotel for a week. Two: He got paid for staying in the hotel, doing what he loved. And Three: An extremely breathtaking guest was staying there as well.
Axel grinned as he watched the blonde boy check into his room, which was down the hall from his own.
"Ohh, you're in for a world of surprise, blondie." With a smirk, Axel checked into his own room.
"What?" Axel turned to see the blonde staring at him. "You said something to me?"
Axel blinked. There was no way the blonde could've heard him! "Uh, yeah. How'd you..."
The blonde chuckled and pushed some hair behind his ears. "I have what my friend Demyx calls Musician's Ears. I hear better than most people do. I'm Roxas, by the way. Roxas Fortuna." He shook Axel's hand, his crystal blue eyes glittering.
Axel snickered. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Roxas. I'm Axel Dylan. Aren't you that child genius that plays the piano over at Twilight Town University?"
A neat blush dusted Roxas' cheeks. "Yes, that would be me. Seems I'm famous. And aren't you Axel Dylan, the youngest son of Jordan Dylan, the Private Investigator?"
Axel grinned. "It seems that fame has plagued us both. Well, Roxas, just let me know if you need help with anything."
Roxas nodded. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind." With that, he bounded down the hall to the stairs.
As the blonde went down to the dining hall, he couldn't help but laugh a little and smile slightly. Possibly the most gorgeous man in the hotel knew his name! Roxas was positive he was among some of the happiest people on earth right now.
"Wooow! The dining hall is so beautiful!" Roxas' eyes were as wide as the sun as he stepped into the dining hall, where he was to play the piano for the several dinner parties that occurred during the week. The ceiling was held up with marble columns, and decorated with beautiful mosaic tiles in the pattern of a beautiful night sky to give the illusion that you were dancing under the stars. A gorgeous crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, giving the room a sparkling glow. The floor was black, the tiles polished to a beautiful shine. The walls were painted with purple starflowers, the windows dressed with white curtains. Balconies were placed here and there on the higher walls, the railings hung with silver curtains. The black grand piano was placed near the door, on a polished white marble pedestal.
"I know. Ten years ago, a rather large amount of money was donated to the hotel for the dining hall to be renovated." Roxas turned to see his guide, a black-haired man by the name of Alan Mick.
"I love the dining hall. I come in here all the time just to see it. It just never gets old." Alan gave a sigh. "Well, I've got to get going. Let me know if you need anything!"
The blonde waved to Alan as he left the dining hall, closing the doors behind him.
Roxas smiled and strolled over to the piano, going up the marble steps to the piano, the music he was to play at the party tucked under his arm. He gently fingered the keys, wincing as he went. The piano was slightly out of tune, possibly from old age or the cold.
He sighed. "Oh well. No worries." Placing the music on its stand, Roxas sat down and began to play and tune the piano.
He smiled. It was quite a beautiful old piano. With a happy sigh, Roxas closed his eyes and began to sing.
The shining stars.
Oh, beautiful stars.
Take me away.
Far, far away.
From this world
That I must come.
The stars that shine-
He stopped singing as something landed on his forehead.
"What? What's that?" Roxas reached up and touched his forehead. He brought his finger to his eyes to see a drop of red on his finger.
Another drop landed on his forehead, next to the other one.
Roxas looked up at the balcony above the piano and turned pale. His eyes grew wide. He opened his mouth and screamed.
Strolling the halls, Axel stopped and smiled as he heard piano music coming from the nearby dining hall. "Roxas." He murmured to himself.
Turning the corner, he heard singing. It was a beautiful tune, lifting, sailing, soothing. Like an angel's voice. The piano was just as beautiful, they mingled together like a smooth, graceful waltz.
And then, in the middle of the song, the voice stopped singing. The piano stopped playing. It was silent.
Axel furrowed his brow. "What's going on? Why did he stop?"
That's when his thoughts were broken by a shrill scream from the dining hall.
Axel picked up his pace fast, breaking into a run towards the dining hall.
As Axel rounded the corner, facing the dining hall's double door, Roxas came running out, his face pale, and two drops of red on his forehead. He fell into the redhead's arms, shaking and gasping.
"Roxas, what's happened? Is there something wrong?" The redhead examined the spots on Roxas' forehead. They appeared to be blood.
The blonde tried to calm himself down, to no avail. "I-I...Axel, there's a...in the dining hall...help me!" He grabbed at Axel's grey shirt, glancing over his shoulder.
"Calm down! Breathe!" Axel held the sobbing blonde in his arms. Slowly, he stepped into the dining hall, cradling a shivering, gasping Roxas.
"Axel, it's there. Above...right above the piano." He sobbed loudly on Axel's shoulder. "H-hanging on the balcony. Th-there."
Curious, the redhead stepped in front of the piano and looked up.
There was a body hanging from the balcony, dripping with blood.
And that's when Roxas fainted in Axel's arms.
Ooh, a cliffhanger! Mwahahaha....
Yes, I did write that song! I was reminded of a song called "Child of the Universe". It's a very nice song.
And no, Roxas is not the murderer. Neither is Axel. The murderer will appear later.
But, the real question is....
Whodunit? (plays dramatic music in the background)
I know who it is! You're going to have to either find out at the end, or find it out yourself.
Who do you think did it? Are there any special little quirks you want me to add? Did I miss anything?
Have fun investigating!
-Rose