Hello All. End Transmission here with another addition to the One-shot KH universe. First and foremost, I would just like to warn you all that this is the very definition of a crack fanfiction. NOT in the sense that its funny or humorous, just that the pairing itself is crack. Its actually a very serious one-shot. I would like to put it on the records that I have an extreme dislike for Vexen, and personally believe that he doesn't deserve anyone. Not very nice, I know, but I can't help it. The guy freaks me out so much.
On the other hand, I've recently found this song ((thanks to a very lovely video called Nobody's Lullaby, which can be found on youtube.)) and I knew that I had to put it to some relationship, in exactly this way. And, this just happened to be the first scene from any of the Kingdom Hearts games that popped into my head. So, with that in mind, please do NOT flame me. If it makes you feel better, I really don't endorse this pairing. It's just a random thing that popped into my head at a time when I really needed to write something. Yes, it's very weird, yes its total crack, and yes, omg, it's yaoi. Deal with it. Also, so I don't get any flames about this, YES, this is a REMAKE of this scene. No, this is not how it happened, and yes, some stuff was made up in order to make this work. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the song, or any Kingdom Hearts Characters.
EDIT: There was a huge, glaring mistake in one of the flashbacks, where the sentances had gotten all mixed up. I dont know how I didn't notice that before, but I'm quite sorry. I fixed it, however!
Complete Summary: Betrayal hurts. Especially when it comes from the person who was supposed to love you forever. So, when Vexen commits the ultimate betrayal, Axel realizes that he now knows the meaning of the word "Nobody." A re-make of the scene in CoM in which Axel slaughters Vexen.Set in Axel's POV. One-Shot Song-Fic, set to "Room Of Angel" by Akira Yamaoka/Mary Elizabeth McGlynn.
Flashback:
"I'm sorry, so sorry! I didn't mean…I didn't know that would happen!" The redhead backed up, his hands shaking fiercely in front of his face. The blond snarled once at him, one arm swinging as if to show Axel just how much damage had been done.
"Didn't know, huh? Didn't realize that lighting a fucking beaker on fire might have some very real consequences? That potion was of utmost importance to the Superior! And now it is gone, and I must start from scratch. Do you think he'll be very happy about that? Absolutely not. But will he blame you? Oh, of course not. No, he will blame me, for it was my experiment, and my duty to make sure nothing messed it up! I hope you're happy, number eight. Because I'll be lucky not to be turned into a dusk for this mess!" Throughout his tirade, Vexen had walked closer and closer to the Redhead, and now stood a mere foot away, his snarling face only inches from the other's.
"I really am sorry! I was…just trying to help. It was cold!" Axel insisted, trying, and failing, to back away from the angry academic.
"It was supposed to be cold, you moron!" Came the scathing reply. But suddenly, Axel's eyes, usually so full of spark, went dull, and the redhead looked away. His next words were soft.
"I know that now. I'm so, so sorry. I just thought I could help…guess I messed that one up pretty bad."
Vexen sneered, although with a twinge he realized it was almost half-hearted. "No kidding. Why the hell would you want to help me, anyways? You've always avoided me like the plague before."
"No!" Axel said suddenly, looking up, right into Vexen's eyes. "No, I never avoided you. Well, maybe sometimes. But it wasn't out of…of dislike or something like that. Actually, it was...no, nevermind. Do you want help cleaning this up?"
Vexen reached out suddenly, grasping the front of the redhead's robes in his hands. "Don't change the subject. Why did you always avoid me, if not because I repelled you?"
Axel bit at his lip, letting out a sigh. "Because you fascinated me." He replied quietly. Vexen blinked in surprise, before realizing that he had let his angry face slip, and immediately replaced it.
"Pardon? I fascinated you? Axel, by all laws of design, we should repel each other. Fire and ice don't mix." Vexen responded, ever the realist.
"I know that. But I couldn't help it. I'm a known troublemaker, and not exactly the smartest nobody, obviously. But then there was you, always so intelligent, so…well, mysterious in your experiments and life. At first, yes, I thought you were a little odd…but eventually I came to respect that you were just…well, you. And…at some point, that respect turned to something more." The last words were barely a whisper, and Axel had turned his face away again.
But suddenly a strong, icy grip had his chin, and he was forced to look back into Vexen's eyes, but for once those eyes were full of something other than the famed icy look. If Axel was in his right mind, and he wasn't so sure he was at that point, he would have called it gentleness. There wasn't much time to think on the subject, however, as his mind was suddenly wiped blank when Vexen leaned up, and pressed his lips into the redhead's.
It was hard to say how long it lasted. Time was nothing to either side, and neither felt anything but bliss. When, finally, Vexen pulled away, they spent a long time looking into each other's eyes. It was Vexen who was first to speak.
"You've always fascinated me as well…Axel."
End Flashback.
"You lie, silent there before me…
Your tears, they mean nothing to me."
He didn't know how it had come to this. Or how his heart, once full of so much love for the blond before him, had turned to this. It was as though Vexen's very actions had frozen Axel's heart, and with that one last betrayal, had shattered it completely. Now there was nothing. No feeling. And even as Vexen turned his face to look into Axel's, wet marks running from haunted eyes, there was no remorse for what had to be done.
Flashback:
"Vexen!" The blond startled as his lab's door was thrown open, and a very distraught looking redhead tumbled in. "Vex!" Axel said again, standing there for a minute as though trying to catch his bearings. Vexen hurriedly sat down the sensitive beaker he was holding, and then quickly approached the redhead. When he was only a few feet away, Axel suddenly lurched forward, throwing himself into the icy blonde's arms.
"Axel? Axel, what's wrong?" Vexen asked quietly, perplexed by his lover's behavior. Axel was almost always strong, sarcastic, and witty. It was what attracted Vexen to him. But this Axel…he had only seen this Axel once. And that had been the day that Axel had blown up a very important experiment. The day they admitted their feelings to each other. And now, well, here they were again.
"He left." Came the soft words, and much hit Vexen all at once. First, recognition. Roxas. The young blond had waltzed into the Organization, and had instantly pulled some string of Axels. And although the redhead was ever loyal to his icy lover, he had still pursued a strong friendship with number thirteen. But Roxas had never been happy with his life as a Nobody. The young boy had persisted that there was something besides this half-life. And Vexen knew that he had finally gone to find that something…leaving his best friend behind. The second thing he realized was that Axel was crying. And it scared him.
"Oh Axel." Vexen sighed lightly, reaching up to shift a hand through Axel's wild mane. "You had to know it was coming, love. He was never happy here."
"I know. I know he wasn't. But he just up and left! If I hadn't seen him leaving, he wouldn't have even said goodbye. Did I mean so little to him?" Axel asked, his voice dejected and tired.
"Of course not. He just didn't know how to say goodbye, Ax." Vexen replied, even though he knew it was not quite the truth. The young Roxas had always been very pensive. And he had never bonded as strongly to Axel as Axel had to him.
"I didn't want him to leave. He was my best friend."
"I know."
"…Vexen?"
"Yes, Axel?"
"…Would you have left me too?" Vexen froze, his hand tangled in the redhead's hair. Vexen had never wanted to leave, and so the first answer he thought of was no. But then, what if he had needed to leave? To see the world? Would he, in his rush to leave, have left the redhead who had given so much to him? So much he didn't know of before? …Never.
"Of course not."
"Really?" There was a pause as Axel considered this. "I don't believe you." Axel's words struck some cord in Vexen's body, and he tightened his grip on the distressed nobody.
"Oh? Well then, what if I were to promise you something, Axel?" Vexen asked, his voice calm despite what felt like a racing heart.
"Promise me…what?" Axel asked, looking up into the other's face.
"Hm. I know. I'll promise you forever, Axel. I won't ever betray you like Roxas did. Or leave you." Vexen said, planting a small kiss on the other's forehead.
"Really? Forever?"
"Forever."
End Flashback
"The Wind, Howling at the Window.
The Love, You Never Gave,
I Give To You…"
Forever. It had seemed like a real promise at the time. But now he knew better. Forever was in the eye of the beholder, and could mean so much. To Axel it had seemed like eternity. To Vexen…well, obviously forever was only as long as it took for the blond to find someone, or something, else. Something more important then the redhead.
And now look where they were. Axel had tried to warn him, hadn't he? Had tried to warn him of Marluxia's treachery. And now, well, Vexen had been backstabbed, and Axel had been sent to "rid them of the traitor". There was a time, only a few short days ago, when he would have stood up to Marluxia. A time when he would have died rather than turn on Vexen. But that time was gone. Vexen had destroyed the link between them. And now, well, he really didn't care much.
Flashback:
"Why can't you see that you're being used?" Axel ground out between clenched teeth. His fists were by his side, clenched to the brink. "Marluxia is using you and your intelligence to help him overtake the Organization!" The redhead stared in agony at the stiffened back of the older, blond Nobody. Vexen's shoulders were hunched, his breathing hitched.
"You're wrong, Ax. Marluxia is only trying to do what is best for the Organization as a whole. With Sora as the Organization's puppet…"
"But that's just it!" Axel interrupted, throwing out a hand in exasperation. "Sora won't be the Organization's puppet! Not if Marluxia has his way. No, Sora will become his puppet. Then with the Keyblade master at his side, he will be able to overthrow the Superior and all that are loyal to him. That includes you, Vexen! He'll use you, and then throw you away. Are you just going to let him do that?"
At this the blond turned around, his icy eyes blazing with a cold fire. "You needn't worry about me, Axel. I'm not so weak as that. If I were being used, as you so lovingly put it, I would know. Do not insult my intelligence." The words were as cold as the ice the nobody controlled, and just as biting.
Axel dipped his head, backing away slightly. "Never. Vexen, you know I think you're the smartest person I've ever met. I didn't mean to insinuate that you weren't. But you should still be careful. You may be smart, but Marluxia is sinister and wily. He spins tales of grandeur and success for the Organization, but I don't believe a word of it. He wants Sora as his puppet…don't let yourself become one too. I couldn't stand it if that happened."
At the redhead's last words, Vexen's face softened slightly. "Ah, so that is the problem." He said softly, as he approached the Flurry Of Dancing Flames. He leaned up, crossing the slight height distance between them, and quickly touched his lips to Axel's. As he pulled away, his expression remained neutral, although his words were kind. "You needn't worry about me leaving, love. Didn't I promise you forever?"
"Forever and ever. Don't forget it, Vex." Axel replied, the slightest of smiles crossing his lips. "Just, for God's sake, be careful." He added one last warning before opening a dark portal and stepping through it, leaving the Chilly Academic to his musings.
End Flashback.
"Really don't deserve it,
But now, there's nothing you can do.
So sleep, in your only memory…
Of me…"
The chakrams appeared in his hands at his beckon, filling his body with that familiar rush of fire. Vexen stared up at him, looking so much like a kicked puppy dog. Looking so innocent. But Axel knew better. Vexen should have realized what his betrayal would have wrought. Axel had shown him a tender side, a hurting side of him that no one else had seen. But that did not make him weak, and he would prove it now.
The Keyblade Master; Sora, he remembered; was standing nearby, looking slightly tired from the fight with Vexen. A fight that had been fought mere moments ago. But now he watched with some fascination as the redhead walked closer to the crouching blond, whose eyes were now full of fear.
"Axel, what are you-" Vexen began, wincing when Axel cut in.
"Just stopping you from saying things you shouldn't be. And finishing you off."
"No, wait-"
"We just exist. We are Nobodies. But your memories and existence end here…aren't you happy?" Axel sneered.
Although much of this was spoken in a loud voice, the next words were less than a whisper. "So, forever ends now?" Vexen asked, his voice becoming scathing.
There was a hard pause. "How dare you?" Axel asked, his voice also lowered to allow their conversation to be private. "How dare you mention forever? No, Vexen. Forever doesn't end now. It ended when you chose that toy over me."
To his private joy, Vexen's face froze in fear at the comment.
Flashback:
This was it. He knew what would happen now. Marluxia's plan was so obvious, and it was exactly what Axel had feared. He would send Vexen to destroy Sora…but it would be a faux mission. It was really Vexen's death the Graceful Assassin planned for. And Axel would not. Let. That. Happen.
He would warn Vexen. And this time he had proof; the other would have to listen to him. Marluxia and Larxene had actually let him be privy to their plans. So now he knew everything, and soon Vexen would to. And they could leave together, and perhaps even warn the rest of the Organization. Get the two traitors turned to Dusks, and they wouldn't have to worry anymore. They could live happily ever after. Well, as happily as possible for people like them, anyways.
The redhead approached the door to his lover's lab. His hand was on the knob before he realized that there were voices coming from inside. He removed his hand, and instead pressed his ear to the door. One voice, a voice that was imbedded in his very soul, he knew to be Vexen's. The other voice took a bit longer to recognize. Although, he soon realized that it was Vexen's puppet. The replica Riku.
"You'll have to kill him?" The replica was asking, and although it sounded as though it was supposed to be a worried sentence, the neutral tone in his voice said that he really didn't care.
"Unfortunately. Orders are orders, I'm afraid." Axel's eyes narrowed slightly at the sound of Vexen's voice. It wasn't the cold, uncaring one that he used with almost everyone else. It was more like the one he used when it was just him and Axel. Softer, less frigid.
"Well, at least he won't get in my way." The replica replied after a brief pause. "I'll be able to protect Namine without him interfering."
There was a soft sigh from Vexen. "Does that girl really mean so much to you? I've told you, time and time again, that you aren't real. That those memories aren't real. That if you just let me…"
"No way. I've told you, real or not, those memories are mine. I don't need you 'making new ones' for me. Besides," Suddenly the replica's voice turned scathing, "what about your little pyro? What would he think, if he knew what you've said to me before? What do you think it would do to him, if he found out you've been…well, I suppose the only real word for this is 'courting,' me? I don't think he would be too happy, would you?"
Axel's hand tried to grip into the punishing wood of the door, but when there was nothing to grab, he instead dug his nails in. Surely the replica was just trying to get a rise out of the other nobody. Vexen would never-
"He is not to know. I…do not believe that Axel will survive this. Marluxia already knows him as disloyal. If I am to avoid death's hands…this cannot go on." Vexen's voice was quiet, but Axel heard every word.
He backed away from the door. He had always thought the term 'heartbreak' was a stupid way to talk about feelings. But now as he thought about what Vexen had just said, what he was implying, he knew that it was a real symptom. He also knew that, no matter what the others said, he had a heart. And that in that moment it shattered into a billion pieces.
And so it was that he began avoiding his once-lover. And when the day came when he was given the order to kill Vexen, he found that it did not fill him with dread. In fact, he felt nothing. Just an urge to obey. Larxene and Marluxia needed to trust him, after all, if he was to turn on them later. And what better way to earn that trust then to obey orders and "rid them of the traitor"?
End Flashback
"Axel. Hear me out, please. You don't understand." Vexen's voice had turned pleading. And with a slight sneer, Axel registered that it really didn't fit him.
"Sorry, no can do. I heard everything, love." He spat the endearing term Vexen had once used for him. A word that sounded like poison in the mouth now. "Every word that you said to that puppet. A puppet that would never return your feelings. Not that it matters now; soon enough there won't be any feelings to return. You can't feel much when you're dead, so I've heard."
"Axel!" Vexen said in agony. "You wouldn't, would you? I gave so much to you!"
"Yeah. And then you ripped it all away!" Axel was snarling now, one chakram held above his head, poised to strike. "Sorry, Vex, but you can't use someone and expect them to forgive you, just like that. You can't expect that from anyone, but I've never been very forgiving as it is. So, sorry."
Vexen just stared at him, knowing that there was no way to talk himself out of this one. That he had messed up. And the worst thing was, despite what he had said, and despite what he thought he had decided on in his very heart, what he knew now was that he never really believed it. He had promised forever, and now, well, he wanted to keep that promise. But he wouldn't get the chance.
"Well. See you." And with that, Axel brought the chakram down. There was no blood, no screaming, and no cries of agony. There was just a brief moment where they looked each other in the eyes, when Axel thought that maybe, just maybe, there was some remorse in those icy orbs, and then he was gone. Faded, just like that.
And so goes the end of Forever.
"Heres a Lullaby to close your eyes (goodbye)
It was always you that I despised.
I don't feel enough for you to cry (oh well)
Heres a Lullaby to close your eyes…
Goodbye,
Goodbye,
Goodbye."
Well! I hope you enjoyed that. Once again, terribly sorry for such random crack, but I thought it turned out pretty good. Yes, I know it's a very odd pairing, and yes, I know that a lot of this was pulled out of thin air, but don't flame me, alright? If you didn't like it, fine, don't review. Whatever. But no flames. Constructive Criticism and Supportive reviews are fine though. In fact, they make me quite happy!
P.S. Ok, So a few things. I dont know for sure if Roxas would have left around the time or not. BUT, I think its likely, cause in CoM, they already know about Twilight Town and stuff. Also, the first bit of conversation between them that wasn't a flash back is pulled directly from the English-Subbed clip of the scene, found on kh-vids.