~Axel's POV~
After my weird encounter with other me, I tried opening every door I could see. Most didn't open, and the few that did revealed dark rooms that I dared not to enter. I heard the screams of Riku and Sora, but I paid them no attention, I mean, panicking was going to help me right now. So, just as everything had gotten quiet, I opened a door, and found that it did not end up in a dark room, but in another hallway. I decided to take my chances here. I mean, what could be worse than I had already endured? I turned my first corner and stopped in my tracks.
A large gold picture-frame encased a very clean, very beautiful painting. But it wasn't the cleanness that stuck me odd; it was the people in the painting.
"Roxas…" I murmured, walking up to the painting. I brushed my hand against the fabric and stared into Roxas' cold blue eyes. Sora stood with his hand around his twin, a huge smile on his face, while Roxas just held a smirk. I walked down the hall, carefully looking at each picture. I saw Cloud, and people I didn't even recognize, but I could tell were part of Sora and Roxas' family. There was only one person who wasn't part of the Strife family that was in the hall's pictures, Riku. Finally I reached the end of the hall and turned to see more photos.
These people had blue eyes, but they weren't the same as Roxas' and Sora's. These blue eyes were more shallow. Their hair was fairer and tamed. I passed by Luxord and Namine'. Shivering, I continued on. The last hall I reached made my eyebrows shoot up.
I stood staring at a painting of myself. No, it wasn't me… I had tattoos. Reno, my brother, was in the next picture. The one after that, my mom. I wondered down this hall taking in all the familiar, yet unknown pictures into my mind. There was nothing more at the end, so I turned fully prepared to go back. Roxas blocked my path and before I knew it, I was falling. I fell onto a platform in a swampish-like area.
There were two doors, and stepping stones between them. I took a close look at the water…. I didn't really want to go across, but I had no choice as I was just in the middle. I carefully picked my way to the door closest. Just as I had reached the door, something jumped from the water and dragged me in. I fought it, just as anyone would, and then soaking wet, I was dropped in a yard.
A yard… the grass was brown and yellow, trees were dead, and there were a lot of doors and walls, but it was a yard. It seemed fine… until the rumbling started. Looking slowly behind me, I saw 'It'.
'It' was the times my height, and very wide, which would make sense. The body did have to support its heads. Not head, heads… with an s. Three massive snarling and drooling dog heads. Complete with glowing red eyes and very sharp teeth. I screamed, and ran.
"Fuck!" I tripped and watched as the grass grew up on my hands, holding me still. I fought it, and broke free before running again. I could hear the dog thing behind me, and it didn't make me happy.
"I really couldn't care less! Now tell me how to save Riku!" Sora's voice echoed out, causing the dog to stop chasing and the grass to stop tripping me, but only for a few seconds. I had stopped, too, in those few seconds, trying to clear my head of the echos Sora's voice had brought. I shrugged it off and began running, getting a oen second head start. The dog chased after, and just as I was reaching the end I saw salvation. A door opened, taking my chances, I raced in, spun around and kicked the door shut with all my might.
Leaning against the wall panting, I didn't notice the two staring at me until a few minutes later.
~Riku's POV~
Darkness was all around me, that's all I could see. I could hear things moving around, scuttling and scurrying to their destinations, but the creatures who made the sounds seemed to leave me alone.
"Riku…" I blinked at eth sound of my own voice… although it sounded off. "Riku…" Suddenly the sounds stopped. A new sound entered my hearing, someone was screaming. Why were they screaming, who was screaming. Then I realized I was the one screaming. I felt coldness take a physical form and grab my wrist. Then I knew I was being carried, by that same coldness. I couldn't stop crying and screaming.
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you…just stop, please stop… I know it hurts…" That's the problem… I'm not in pain… I'm just screaming and crying randomly. Great, I've turned emo.
"Sora, I found him!" Sora? Sora was here… suddenly I felt the coldness everywhere… it was strange and creepy… the thought of death entered my mind before I shoved it away.
"What happened to him!?"
"He was in a garden… dangerous places, they are. No doubt he had been looking for you, fouling sounds of your shouts or screams… but this place twists sounds, so you can't rely on that." Well, that would have been helpful to know before.
"Thank you, Riku." Wait… I thought I was Riku… curse this dark place I was in. The coldness disappeared, and was replaced with the hard floor. It felt a lot like that stone chair. "Will he be ok?" Sora sounded so close…
"It depends on how bad the flowers got him… violent things they are. Merciless."
"What did they do to him?" I could feel Sora holding my hand.
"They listen with silence… when they hear someone, usually bugs are released which have a poison in them that works as a tranquilizer. At this point the 'Stone Chair' is produced. Really it's just a tangle of tiny vines… the person sits there, just wanting to rest. At that point they fall asleep, and leave the wines to work. First they bound the person around the wrists and ankles, before bounding the upper and lower body. Then it bounds the neck. By that time, the vines would have tightened themselves several times, digging their thorns in… and the poison."
"Poison… he's going to die?!" The grip tightened. I wished I could tell I wasn't going to die anytime soon, but my mouth wouldn't work.
"Let me finish. The poison is deadly, but that's not the beauty of the plants. They tiny vines produce flowers, first eth color of blood, and produce blood droplets. Then the flowers absorb other features of the person. By the time I got to Riku, the roses had his blood, hair, eye and skin color, almost done with him."
"So he'll die?" I felt something wet drop on my hand. Tears…
"There's a very small chance he won't…"
"Is there anything I can do? That can stop his death?"
"There was someone…"
"Who?"
"She is gone now… turned… destroyed… my fault…"
"I really couldn't care less! Now tell me how to save Riku!" Sora's demand echoed in my mind, and I could hear it echo out of my mind. It had felt so… weird… not like him… I think the person left as silence answered Sora.
"You shouldn't yell so loud, Sora…"
"Namine'… can you fix him." Namine'? What was she doing here?
"I think so… if the Dreamer does so dream for me to draw it as such." Dreamer? What the fuck? Apparently I'm dying and she's talking about dreams and drawings.
"Namine'… he could really care less…" There's the voice that pissed Sora off… so he didn't leave.
"So I, and everyone in the mansion heard." She giggled. "He is having problems…"
"Stop gossiping and help him!" There's Sora… I was wondering when he would intervene.
"I won't be able to cure the poison, but I can cure the cuts… and maybe dilute the poison enough for him to live a couple more days…"
"Do it, please." I heard nothing more, but felt small cold hands press against my chest and forehead. Suddenly I could see again. It was like a curtain had been lifted and there was light. The first thing I saw was the girl… she stared curiously down at me…then turned to her right.
"Is that what your eyes look like?" What? I looked to see… me. Freaky. I was wearing an organization cloak and a blindfold, but it was me.
"Riku!" Suddenly I was being crushed. I smiled and hugged Sora back, rubbing my hand in circles on his back.
~Sora's POV~
Riku was alive! He was alive! True he just had an encounter with death, and met a weird blind him, but he was alive! I pulled back to see him smiling reassuringly at me. I smiled back and hugged him again.
"Carful… don't kill him." Namine' advised. She then stood, looked Riku over once or twice and walked off. Other Riku watched her go, nodded at me and followed. Laving me with my Riku.
"Sora…" Riku's voice was shaky.
"Why did I see me?"
"I have honestly no idea… I met Namine' a while ago… she helped me, then I met blind Riku. He offered to help look for you… and I agreed."
"Blind me?" He whispered. "What the fuck is whit this place. Killer flowers with annoying insects; Roxas is just plain weird…"
"Roxas… You saw him?"
"Yeah… he was at an end of a hall. Axel chased after him and I haven't heard from Axel since. To tell the truth, Axel slipped my mind until now…" A shout from the door nearest to us, drew both of our attention. It was slammed open then kicked shut. Speak of the devil and he shall come. Panting, Axel leaned against the wall.
"Oh, hi guys." He muttered once he noticed us staring at him. "Have you gone nuts too, or am I the not only sane one here?" I blinked at him.
"Umm… I think I'm sane…"
"Besides being eaten by flowers and being fine with it… I think I'm sane" Riku responded.
"Eaten by flowers? Is that why you look so bad, Riku?" Riku looked like a model compared to what Axel looked like. One leg of his pants was torn completely, his shirt was in shreds. Dry blood coated him. Grass stains covered his pants, making his once blue jeans a strange red and green color. He was also sopping wet… making the blood stains not so dry… but they didn't look fresh either. All Riku had was torn clothes and a few blood stains.
"Me look bad, try looking at yourself…" Riku was obviously offended.
"Yeah, well, I've been Alice trapped in wonderland." Riku's eyes narrowed, it couldn't disagree with the action. Axel was talking like he had been way worse then we have, and although he looked it, I somehow doubted he had.
"Let me tell you guys what I've been through and what is on the other side that that door."
So… I couldn't help with it Axel in this chapter… I man… its just so fun to play with him… and Sora and Riku were having a nice safe little talk, so someone had to be doing something interesting. I think Axel's adventure counts as interesting… and yes… the dog is Cerberus, or Fluffy (if you're into Harry Potter.) Feel pity for Axel! No… fell pity for Riku…… Sora gets no pity, nothing really bad has happened to him yet.
To answer Cloaked Shadow's review… Marluxia is not involved… although I suppose I could fit him in there later on… and as for the colors… think really hard about that.
