Chapter I
A Deviant - a special child that's born with insane abilities, usually manifesting in their teens, varying from person to person. They are set apart by equally unique markings, tattoos, as beautiful as they are dangerous. Fearing the unknown, a private sector of the army tirelessly works to track down Deviants and eradicate them. Because of this, Deviant's are largely feared, causing most to hide, try to protect themselves and their loved ones. A certain few, however, refuse to go down willing. AU. Various undecided parings, main AkuRoku.
This was actually an original story that I began to write a year and a half ago and abandoned after two short chapters. The writing was horrible, but the plot I had so far- I liked. Sadly, I completely forgot my plans for the story; so, I rewrote it, making it about the fifth fanfiction I'm working on right now. Enjoy!
He slowly walked across the dusty plain, kicking a rock with his foot, the once expensive shoe enclosing it worn and tattered. He could've gotten new ones, but he felt no need when he had the chance previously. Not like Roxas had anyone to impress. Though, his feet were starting to ache- the next time he passed a town or city he'd have to replace them. More comfortable ones, at that. Walking constantly didn't do anything to help the ache of the distances he was having to travel, after all. He looked rather run down and ragged, if he had to be honest; His once black jumper had faded into dark grey, small strands of thread poking out at the edges and fraying at the ends, a hole in one of the sleeves. A black hoodie was marked with dirt and other various stains, the material scratchy. The black jeans he was sporting had dirt marks over them, fading in the same manner as his jumper. A dirty backpack slung across his thin, slouched figure; carrying bare essentials, obviously. He'd never kept hold of things for long.
Walking for days on end was starting to take it's toll on the blonde, as he was incredibly thirsty and tired, vision swimming every so often as sleep tried to take it's way over. It felt like somebody was searing his throat, sticking a hot brand there with nothing to soothe it. He'd drunk the little water he could get days ago, the lack of hydration starting to make him feel lightheaded, almost stumbling every few steps. No matter what, he had to carry on. Roxas didn't even know the full reason he was walking in this direction in the first place; he chuckled at the fact, but the action only seemed to elate his pain. If it was up to him, he would've stayed in that nice hotel he didn't pay for. The free chocolate pancakes called to him.
The blonde did know why he was running. Yes, that was clearly obvious. He just didn't know where he was going.
"Xion... You better have a good reason for leading me this way..." He sighed deeply, his voice hoarse and scratchy, the dust and dirt blowing around not remedying it in the slightest.
The male darted his eyes around, looking for any sign of activity he could. After seeing none, he gave the signal for his troop to progress forward, continuing their search. He was a rather young man to be commanding a group of soldiers, but nobody doubted his abilities to lead them well. He got the job done, cleanly, and that was all that mattered. He was around twenty-one years of age, with long-ish flaming red hair, spiked up in all directions. It was just like him; couldn't be told what to do.
Despite his age, he flew through the ranks and made it to the top due to his talent with a blade. The man was fast, and not a single opponent had overpowered him.
Nobody knew him as a person, however. Just the 'soldier version' of him. He'd prefer to keep it that way. Learning not to get attached was the first thing you needed to stick with in the army. When you regarded your teammates as your friends, you become careless, emotions controlling. He never let his emotions get the better of him- some people wondered if he even had any. Part of him wished he didn't have emotions.
None of the troops had heard him mutter more than a couple words, the man mysterious as he was deadly.
The troops followed behind him, all carrying guns, minor protective gear equipped. They had to be cautious, as anything could happen at any moment. They seemed reluctant the more they walked, though, looking around apprehensively.
"Why are we heading this way? It looks deserted..." One of the 'newbies' proclaimed rather loudly, an edge of complaint to his voice.
"Hush. He is this way." He spoke simply and quickly, although the sheer intimidation of his voice didn't egg the soldier to carry on. Almost as if it was a coincidence, Axel managed to spot a figure in the distance- him. He gave the signal to go, albeit carefully, a glint in his eyes. He'd been tracking him for years, and now it seemed they might finally get their chance.
Oblivious, the timid, warn out boy carried on. His legs almost gave out from under him, and he contemplated lying down for a moment, the pressure on the limbs getting increasingly painful. The thought quickly vanished when he heard footsteps; crunches on the ground, seeming to be rapidly getting closer. Fear coursed through him. He'd been careful. How did the find him?
Roxas spun around, the fear jolting him awake, spotting a number of figures quickly advancing towards him, soon surrounding him.
'Xion! Why didn't you warn me?' He thought, trying to spot any way he could escape but coming up with nothing; the soldiers knew what they were doing and quickly blocked any escape. The leader, it seemed, split apart from the group, sword in one hand and his other was clenched into a fist. He slowly walked towards Roxas, his crimson spikes bouncing slightly with every step, his eyes narrowed but a smirk played on his lips. He was wearing a long black coat with a large zip travelling from top to bottom, the sleeves almost covering his hands. The contrast between black and red stood out, almost seeming as if his hair was blazing against the sun.
'Well, it's not over yet. They'll have me over my dead body, Xion. Where the fuck are you? I need you!' Roxas began to panic, not letting it show, however. If they saw even the slightest bit of unease or nervousness, they could overpower him.
'I needed to see how you would be able to deal in this situation. I won't be there for you to call-upon whenever you feel like it, Roxas.' The voice scolded, a slight playful present in her tone. With that, she fell silent.
The leader stopped, a fair way away from Roxas, his green eyes twinkling with excitement and various other emotions of what was about to come. His eyes fixated in the blonde's, studying them for a reaction before he spoke.
"I'm gathering that you won't just come along quietly?" He asked, tilting his head upwards slightly, the question sounding more like a rhetorical one, leaving no room for an answer. His voice was calm despite being faced with someone who was known to have strong abilities- what abilities though, he had no clue. Roxas chuckled at him, not fazed.
'Just be here if I need you, okay?' Roxas projected, feeling the ghost of a reluctant agreement from the entity that was always close by, just often wouldn't show it.
"Oh, you know me too well. Though I guess that would come from being relentlessly chased after for longer than I can remember." He sneered, facing away from the leader. "I guess you're not going to let me go either, will you? Looks like we're stuck in quite a pickle, aren't we?" Roxas placed his hands on his hips, almost pressing for a reaction from them. He might as well have his fun while he was at it.
"Oh," he turned, motioning to the leader, finger outstretched almost menacingly. "You might want to take your hand off your sword. You don't want this to get messy, do you? But then again, unless you let me go, this won't end very good." He threatened, eyes darkening, the soldiers shrinking back, expecting the worst. Since the blonde had been so efficient at hiding, they hadn't physically seen his powers, nor been given any information. Barely anybody had. Roxas was careful, he had to be.
'It depends what I get in return...' the voice, although rather late, answered Roxas' plea before drifting off, its presence lessening, letting the boy focus on his enemies. He could still feel Xion, as always, but she was barely a ghost of a touch, a whisper in the breeze.
The man let out a chuckle of sorts, his green eyes casting downwards. "I would never let an enemy just slip away, no matter the cost. Those are my orders and I obey them, simple really." He stood straight again, ignoring the surprise of the soldiers around him. "You don't know what I'm capable of, boy. Yet you still threaten me? How naive." With that he finished, a faint smirk tugged at his lips, his eyes still fixated on the blonde's.
Said blonde grinned wildly in response, shaking her head. 'Idiots.' The soldiers probably thought all they were going to do was eliminate some nobody, a person with a big ego or some crap like that.
"Well, your orders must have been a death sentence, because that's all you're getting today. Considering I don't plan on dying today or getting taken by you pussies. So, you can go fuck yourself. Or, better yet, you can fuck each other; I'm sure that'll be pleasant."
"Hmph..." The man standing opposite Roxas put his fingers at the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes in an almost pissed-off manner. "You certainly know how to act all high-and-mighty don't you? How about we see just how well you can back up your words- shall we?" His eyes opened, a rage burning in his eyes that was unseen by anybody before, he wanted to fight him, wanted to kill him, or be killed himself. Roxas could tell. His look was similar to one of blood-lust. It was amusing, to say the least. He thought he'd have a chance. Poor delusional man. Part of him wondered if the troops even knew what the blonde was.
The man drew his sword, the blood-lust look in his eyes just growing stronger by the second, though he shook his head when the troops around him began to ready their guns. Roxas cocked his head slightly in confusion, blue eyes narrowing.
"A-are you crazy?!" One of the youngsters asked in shock, eyes wide. The blonde had to agree with him with that. Their leader basically left himself alone, even more defenseless against Roxas. He didn't want to use his abilities, but if he had to, he...he would. Even if it went against everything he'd promised himself.
The red-haired man simply took a fighting stance and sighed. "You want to live, correct?" His gaze watched his comrades take a step back warily. Roxas crossed his arms, studying him.
"You should listen to him. Run. I don't intend on leaving any survivors that are in my sight."
With that, the soldiers turned on themselves and almost sprinted away, a few of them tripping over in the process, scrambling on the ground. Only the leader remained, his hands still steadily holding his sword, the point of the blade pressed into the ground, waiting for Roxas' next move. The blonde walked over to him, putting his forefinger against the leader's neck.
"You seem very angry..." Roxas put his lips up to the man's ear, feeling him tense under his touch. "Are you one of the many that wish to kill me?" He whispered almost seductively, stepping back with a grin. The redhead growled in response, baring his teeth.
"I am doing as I was told to do..." He spoke, but his tone was unconvincing - Roxas was sure he had other motivations, he just needed to find out what. Two soldiers that had remained, although further back, turned and quietly walked away, clearly afraid of what was to come.
Not that it appeared to bother him.
He shut his eyes, sucking in a breath, speaking rather hastily, an angry glint in his eyes, almost a glare. "You can't seduce yourself out of this situation."
"Fine then." Roxas shrugged, crossing his arms. "Not like I'm some whore, but what do you know. Let's cut to the chase. What do you really want with me?" Roxas pressed, looking the taller male in the eye. He couldn't shake the feeling that this guy was familiar, but the blonde didn't concentrate on that. He had a feeling the anger in the other man's eyes would erupt soon.
"Because, let me tell you, I do not want to be fucked around with. So you can save your lectures about how the army needs me, blah blah blah, because I'm not interested in becoming a military weapon, or dying, thank you very much."
"Did I honestly say anything about you being used? No." The man narrowed his eyes- the anger was almost radiating off of him. "I don't know what they want with you. My orders aren't to kill you." Lie. "Probably so you can repay crimes you've committed. Or, maybe, deaths you've caused?"
Roxas froze, stepping back slightly. "N-No..."
'Xion...' It fell on deaf ears. Xion already knew what had had happened that night, knew it struck a cord on the boy. He outright refused to use any of his abilities after that, solely relying on her and the various things she could do to get by. The voice wavered silently, sticking by, waiting to see how Roxas reacted.
Green eyes opposite widened for less than a second, then narrowed into slits. "So it really is you..." His grip on his sword tightened, taking a few deep breaths as to not rush in and stab her right then and there.
'Hm? Did that hit a nerve? He seems to know something about the incident, based on his reaction.' The voice pitched in, not really being helpful but rather stating the obvious. Xion really did choose her moments to provide help.
'Just shut it for a second. Let's see how I can play this.' Roxas silently spoke to her, crossing his arms tightly. His calm had cracked slightly but he couldn't let his opponent notice, though with his luck he probably already had. "You're not with the army, are you? You think I did something. Well, you've got no proof."
'I will be quiet when I want to be quiet...' Xion didn't have the edge in her voice like usual though; she seemed to be intrigued, wanting to see how it would play out. That made two of them.
"Oh, I am with the army. I just have my own, seperate motivations." The redhead stepped closer, his eyes still narrowed. "Maybe I'm here because I wanted to see if it was really you... Roxas." He spat out the words almost as if they tasted bitter in his mouth, his knuckles going white from the tight grip he had on the handle, a slight shake to his arms.
It them dawned on the boy exactly who was standing in front of him, their figures dangerously close.
"A-Axel?" Roxas whispered, his knees buckling. How didn't he notice sooner? Those green eyes, that familiar red hair... The memories he'd desperately tried to run away from hit him at full force. All the guilt, crashing against him in waves. The day the blonde had tried so hard to forget. A single tear ran down his face, dropping off his chin, evaporating into the dust on the ground as quickly as it had came. Axel growled at the helpless sight.
"How do you think I feel? She was my sister." The redhead took a step closer but Roxas didn't try to move or react, just sat still, single tears dripping off his face in an increasing manner. "My goddamn sister. And you took her away from me."
"You want to kill me, right?" The blonde looked up to angry eyes. "Just do it." His face crumpled, eyebrows furrowing. "Just fucking do it! I'm tired of running."
'You're so pathetic. Giving up because 'he' comes along!' Xion's words were emotionless as usual, but he could sense her unease and worry. If Roxas died, so did she.
Axel raised his sword and placed it near the blonde's neck, the sharp metal inches from his skin. "Do you honestly think that death will suffice for losing my sister?" He asked, surprising Roxas with the amount of emotion in his voice. The hand holding the sword was still shaking, occasionally touching his neck with the cool metal. Silence hung in the air, both of them lost in their pasts. The blonde was still an emotional wreck, memories of his best friend swimming in his mind, the guilt eating at him, his resolve shattered. Axel just stared, keeping his eyes fixated on the figure below him and nothing else. Words, sentences, paragraphs, more and more things of what he wanted to say kept floating in his mind, yet his attempts were useless; his mouth was suddenly dry, nothing forming on his lips.
A thin, almost invisible purple-like shimmer appeared in a circle around the boy and Axel's sword was knocked from his grasp, landing on the ground near them, the clashing deafening compared to the silence. Roxas gasped, looking up into an equally surprised face. The redhead's expression the turned fierce again, Xion's actions obviously snapping him out of his past-fueled daze.
Before he could react to Axel coming closer with his murderous stare, his surroundings shifted and his vision blurred; his whole body felt like it had been shifted around and turned upside down, the world spinning a hundred miles a minute. The abruptness made him vomit somewhere near him, his stomach heaving as he lost his grip on everything around him. Roxas closed his eyes and tried to calm his breathing, his stomach still doing flips as he accustomed to his surroundings. When he was sure he could open his eyes without emptying the contents of his stomach, he cracked them open slightly, eyes widening in surprise when he came face to face with a brick wall and a very appealing pile of sick.
'The barrier was just a precaution, his sword was touching you too many times. He caught your neck slightly, Roxas.' She sighed before continuing. 'And... I had to tap into your abilities.'
'What? I can't fucking teleport, Xion.' The blonde growled, leaning back against the wall. He wiped his neck and sure enough, there was blood. He didn't even feel the sting. Although pissed at the fact she'd somehow used his abilities, his mind was still reeling at the sight of Axel.
'That's just it, Roxas. You've only used your abilities once by accident. You have no idea what you can do.'
Ignoring her, the blonde stood up, bracing himself through the slight wash of dizziness and slowly made his way to the end of the alley he'd appeared in, blending with the busy shoppers on the street. He'd turned up in a city, it seemed; by the amount of people and how large the buildings towered. Either that would be a blessing or furthering his troubles.
'You might want to wipe your nose. You appear to have a nosebleed.'
Roxas stopped at a nearby cash machine, wiping the blood away with his sleeve, pretending to press some buttons while a large wad of money slid out. Xion's influence was useful, he had to admit. She could access anything that was electronical and also create barriers around Roxas, giving him support when he needed it.
'There's a small bed and breakfast a couple streets down. Elderly couple, it seems. If you can manage it, I'd advise going there.'
At least that was one thing they could agree on. He desperately needed to rest, even if just for a couple days. He could worry about new clothes tomorrow- Xion must have been feeling generous because the cash now stuffed in his pocket was more than she usually took for him. Roxas pulled his hood up, his head cast downwards. His mind was buzzing, questions racing, clouding his thoughts. Axel had joined the army just to get to him. To make him pay for what he did.
It was an accident. He would never hurt her... But he knew Axel would never see it like that. The murderous stare in his eyes, that wasn't the kid he knew.
'Roxas, here.' Xion's unusually gentle voice snapped him out of his daze and he stilled, looking up to a small building, littered with colorful flowers and a glowing 'vacancy' sign hanging out the front. Checking his surroundings to make sure nobody had followed him, he entered, only to be met with a kind smile of an lady cleaning near some old, vintage-like chairs.
"Hi, darlin'. You lookin' for a room? Only fifty pounds per night, includin' meals." She glanced at him warmly, vaguely reminding him of his mom. Roxas rarely thought of her- the sharp reminder of what he'd lost felt like a stab to his heart. She must have noticed because her face fell. "You okay hun?"
"Yeah, I'm fine... How about that room?" Roxas mustered a forced smile, running a hand though his hair, which was filled with dirt and dust, some of it falling to the floor. The woman didn't seem to notice though, and if she did she didn't seem to care.
"Sure! Follow me." The grey-haired woman put the vacuum to the side and led him upstairs, handing him a key. "You're number twenty-two. Just ask if you need some help. You can pay at the end of your stay, if that's what you'd prefer." The blonde nodded his thanks, walking along the corridor. "How long you lookin' to stay?"
"Just a couple nights." As if he could stay more. They'd track him everywhere he went; he could never stay in one place for long. Roxas didn't really want to give them trouble either, since the lady seemed nice...
"Okay hun, that room's not booked for another week so if you decide to stay longer, just let me know!" She almost dripped with cheerful-ness. Roxas was glad, when he opened the door, just to relax- after drinking more water than he could manage, he collapsed on the bed, drifting off to sleep as soon as his head touched the pillow, troubled thoughts evaporating.
Axel couldn't sleep.
He turned over in his bed, the springs slightly creaking at his movement. A blanket laid loosely over his frame, the warm night's air providing more than enough heat to suffice.
Something knocked away his sword. Or someone. Someone was protecting him. They'd thought he was working alone, but how was he that hard to track? It was blatantly obvious. All those years he'd spent, trying to track down his sister's killer. Only for Roxas to fall from his grasp.
One thing was for sure; if he ever saw the blonde again, he wouldn't let the past drag him down. He wouldn't stop until Roxas was dead, his sword being the cause. He owed that to her. Axel owed that to Kairi.