Meilin: I know I said I'd update other fics, but my sister Sakura all but held me at gunpoint to get me to write this for her. So here's the one-shot version. The full version is going on though I don't see a lemon in this for at LEAST three chapters, but there will be some making out.
Sakura: I wanted Mei-neechan to write what would've happened if Roxas had gone with Axel instead of calling for Hayner, Pence, and Olette.
Sasuke: Disclaimer: Meilin doesn't own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters. They belong to Tetsuya Nomura, Disney, and SquareEnix.
Meilin: Warnings: Shonnen-Ai, implied yaoi, randomness
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The red-robed man scowled as he appeared. "Roxas, this man speaks nonsense!"
The other man, a boy really, no older than 17, looked at me with pleading eyes. "Roxas, don't let him deceive you!"
"Roxas!"
"Roxas!"
I closed my eyes. Who to trust? Could I trust either of them? I looked at the man in red. I didn't like his eyes; they were yellow and glowed like a tiger's right before it bit your throat. I turned to the red-haired man, and the look in his sea-green eyes tugged insistently at my heart. Strange, foreign snakes of conversations floated back to me...
"No one would miss me."
"That's not true! I would..."
I didn't remember this person, but my heart told me he was important to me. I started to reach out my hand to him.
He grabbed it, pulling me into a hug. "Thanks, Roxas." I stiffened. This was NOT the reaction I'd been expecting. I could almost feel him stick his tongue out at the tiger-eyed man as we disappeared in a portal of darkness; moving to a world I didn't know. I learned later it was called Betwixt and Between.
"Roxas!" the guy called, still holding me about the shoulders. "It's so good to see you!"
"I still have no idea who you are."
The other man froze. He slowly let me go, though his hands remained on my shoulders. "You... What?"
"I don't remember you."
He sat down, sighing. "Guess DiZ did a better number on you than we'd hoped. The name's Axel; got it memorized?"
I nodded. "Yes." I said, voice utterly serious.
Axel laughed. "Don't be so serious! We're..." he seemed to hesitate a moment, "We were best friends."
I didn't understand. "What do you mean?" I asked, "Tell me, what is it that everyone ELSE seems to know about me, that I don't?"
Axel motioned for me to sit, so I did. It occurred to me that I should've been concerned sitting in what appeared to be thin air, but that thought quickly left my mind. Axel tilted his head downwards, eyes lidded, as he started speaking. "Roxas... Do you remember anything about... something called the Organization?"
After searching my memory a moment, I shook my head. "No, but... It sounds familiar. Was that guy from it?"
The answer surprised me a little. "No. We are." Axel had responded stonily, his face an unreadable mix of seriousness and amusement.
"We are, meaning me, too...?"
"That's right. Number 13. Roxas."
I was starting to feel frustrated. "You've said that before. What do you mean?"
"It means you were the 13th being recruited into the Organization. That's all you need to understand now." He said as he helped me to my feet. "Everything else has to come later."
"Why?"
Axel waved his hand, another portal appearing ominously behind him. "Xemnas, or more likely Saїx, is waiting to see if you came back with me."
"Who?"
Axel just laughed as we walked through the portal together. I was going to ask more, but I got cut off when another person -with blond hair and the same coat as Axel- appeared out of nowhere and hugged me. "ROXAS! You're back!"
Axel shook his head. "Let him BREATHE, Demyx." He said in an exasperated tone of voice one might use with an immature co-worker; or a boisterous older brother.
The man, Demyx, loosened his hold on me slightly. VERY slightly. "It's so good to have you back, Roxas!" he called, picking me up and swinging me in a circle like an elder brother would his smaller siblings.
I looked pleadingly at Axel. He must've caught my distress, because he gently pried Demyx off of me. "Dem, he doesn't know you..." Axel mumbled softly.
"What'd you mean; of course he knows m- Oh." The blond released me dejectedly.
I found I almost missed being held. "I... I'm sorry..." I said to him.
Demyx waved me off. "Forget it. The important thing is, you're safe." He backed away a step and gestured at the castle. "C'mon. Saїx and Xigbar are waiting to see you again."
We walked through the shadowed city, Demyx in the lead, Axel and I behind. Dark creatures with glowing eyes surrounded us every few feet, lining our paths like a parade route, silent sentries, antennae waving to and fro. They unnerved me somewhat, and I found myself bumping into Axel often in my attempts to keep away from them. Axel's warm arm on my shoulder relaxed me a bit, and we walked silently past the many buildings. The last skyscraper we passed seemed familiar, but beyond that I didn't' recognize a thing. Past that tower, the castle hung before us; a tall and majestic building of another age, simply floating in midair on a backdrop of stars and a moon shaped like an uncompleted heart.
The two men waiting for us there looked as predatory as the creatures in the city had. Both bore obvious scars, and both wore the same black coats as my two escorts. The man on the left shrugged his black hair over his shoulder and surveyed be with hawk-yellow eyes. "Roxas. You've come back." He said is a smooth voice.
An identical eye peered at me from the right; the black haired man smirking. His eye patch distorted his appearance, but both presences made the hair on the back of my neck bristle; I didn't trust these two.
I nodded wordlessly. Axel scratched the back of his head. "He... Xemnas was right. His memories are gone."
Both of their smirks grew wider. "Ah, Pity." Saїx said in his sultry voice, giving me an unnerving once-over from half-lidded eyes.
Axel stepped in front of me protectively. I assumed he was glaring at the other two, because Saїx's smirk immediately hardened into a scowl reflecting utmost dislike. I felt Demyx put a reassuring hand on my shoulder until the hawk-eyed pair disappeared into darkness. Axel sighed and turned back to me. "C'mon, Roxas. Maybe seeing our room will jog your memory."
He grabbed my hand and led me off the cliff and up to the castle. He and our blond escort led me down a corridor and onto a large lift. Once it had reached the top, he led me up several flights of stairs. We stopped in the doorway at the stairwell's peak to look out over the expanse. The strange moon hung just outside the windows, and I could see the beautiful skyline of the neon city below. Axel smiled and nudged my arm. "It's some view from here, eh?"
"It's beautiful."
Demyx grinned. "It's called Twilight's View. You'd sit on the edge here and stare at space for hours."
I blinked. "I guess I can see why..." I said as Axel pulled me away. I found myself resisting slightly, wanting to sit and watch the seemingly ever-changing moon.
We went through the next room, a large open space where the gymnast white-things that had plagued Twilight Town were sparring. Those who were spectators to the match turned and bowed to us as we passed.
"Axel, what was that about?" I asked as we began to climb ramps on the exterior of the castle. It occurred to me how inconvenient this in-and-out travel was becoming.
"What, you don't remember the Dusk's either?" the redhead asked. He must've seen the slight sag of my shoulders then, because he quickly continued. "Don't worry about it. I'll explain later."
Demyx passed on our left as we walked. "I'm going on ahead to inform the others, Axel." He said as he brushed passed. "I don't trust Saїx and Xigbar to report to the Superior promptly."
Axel nodded. A minute later the two of us had gone through two doors into a room that looked disturbingly like a graveyard. Tiles were lined in rows upon the leveled floor; some red, some blue, some with doors above them and some not. Axel pointed to two blue doors on opposite sides of the first level. "Both these doors lead to our room." He said as he herded me to the one on the far right.
I looked down. The tile bore an image of crossed keyblades; and an inscription.
"The Key of Destiny..." I mumbled, "That's... Me, right?
Axel nodded excitedly. "That's right! You remember?"
"Kind of... It's really... Fuzzy." I said, putting a hand gently on my head. I was starting to get a serious migraine.
I felt him grab my hand from my face. "C'mon! Maybe you'll remember when we're inside!" he called as he dragged me through the blue portal.
We were instantly transported into a room very unlike the rest of the castle. The walls were black with muted red-and-gold trims and blood-colored designs on the top, bottom, and center of the walls, like borders. There was a computer on a desk on one wall, and a writing desk on another. The wall across from the entrance was actually a window, looking outside directly towards the moon. Part of the city could be seen twinkling on the farthest right side of the window. Next to the window, was one large bed with black sheets and drapes; covered in gold-trimmed plush pillows. It looked like a closet was next to that...
I froze as my mind registered the objects in the room a second time. One bed... One. I put my hands to my head again as I remembered at least a small part of my forgotten past.
"Roxas!?" I heard Axel call out in alarm.
"Liar..." I heard myself mumble. "We weren't best friends... Were we?" The ringing in my ears was driving me crazy. I shook my held head, trying desperately to rid myself of it.
"You remember?"
"Axel..." I murmured. I tried to take a step forwards, but I felt myself starting to black out. The edges of my vision blurred as I tried to move. Axel grabbed my arms as I fell, holding me upright as my head flopped onto his chest. "Were we... Lovers?"
I thought I saw him smile as he wrapped an arm around me, picking me up bridal style. I heard him reply as I fell unconscious. "Yes."
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Meilin: Well, there it is, dedicated to Frozen Inferno, AKA Frono, and Sakura.
REIVEW ME!
Riku: Just do it. She'll torment us less that way.