Sapphire Night
By: Nanaki BH
"But Axel is dead! I saw it with my own two eyes!" Sora threw his arms up in the air and let them linger, time feeling as though it was being slowed around him. Riku had to be joking… He mustn't have known what he was talking about. Either that or somebody was playing a really cruel trick on him.
Riku shrugged and sat up a little, trying to make himself more comfortable on his bed. "Look," he said, reaching out and touching Sora's arm. "I wouldn't know. I wasn't there, remember?" He was right. Riku wasn't there when Axel died. A little spark of hope shone in Sora's eyes. "But I know what I saw. I would know Axel's face anywhere and I'm sure that it was Axel. He looked really sad and desperate."
"So what happened to your face, then? How'd you get that cut on you?"
Dismissively, he waved his hands in front of Sora. "Easy. He said he wanted to see you, right? Er… Roxas, rather. That guy is very persistent, you know. From what I'd seen of the Organization, I'd never trusted Axel. He was with them so that made him the same as them; the lowest of the low – probably one of the sneakiest and most under-handed people I've ever met. Just seeing his face alerted me to the fact that something was up."
Clearly, nothing Riku said was satisfying Sora. He was sitting now in between his legs, clutching at the bed sheets as though they were his lifeline. Sora nodded instantly, encouraging him to continue with his story. "Go on, what happened?"
"Give me a second to recall, will you?" He tilted his head back and closed his eyes again, crossing his arms over his chest. He took in a deep, cleansing breath and then opened his eyes again and they seemed clearer somehow. "Okay. As I said, I knew something was up. So I told him that I would never tell him where you were. Obviously, that made him angry and he came at me. He made those two flaming rings of his appear and the two of us started fighting. I guess I've still got it. Way to the Dawn appeared in my hand so I could fight him. It was kind of weird," he mused, rubbing his temple.
"Way to the Dawn? You mean your Keyblade?"
"Yeah. It just appeared in my hand out of nowhere like it usually does. I didn't expect that since we're back here at home and all. I lost though." He laughed gently, making Sora blush. "I guess I really was tired, after all!"
Sora sighed, sinking back down onto the bed. "So Axel was the one that hurt you."
"Don't be so depressed, Sora. I'm fine. Honest."
Actually, it depressed Riku even seeing Sora being so sad. It was weird; unnatural. Similar to the way that Sora relied on Riku to be the strength and guiding force of his life, Riku relied on Sora to be the cheerful sunshine that brightened up his darkest corners. Right then, Sora wasn't looking like his bright and happy sunshine. Instead, it looked like a deep shadow had fallen across him, bathing him in sadness. He looked troubled and it troubled Riku in turn to see him in such a way.
He wanted to reach out and hold him, but he held himself back from doing so. Sora just looked so lost in whatever it was he was thinking. Whatever it was, it had put him into that dark place and Riku wanted so badly to help him out of it.
"Well, Sora? What do you want me to say?" He wanted to help him anyway he could to bring him out of his sudden misery, but at just the sound of his voice, Sora flinched.
A brief silence followed.
"I want you to tell me you're joking," he said.
Unable to keep himself back any longer, Riku reached out to his lonesome lover and gathered him into his arms. Gently, he ran his fingers through Sora's soft, spiked hair, easing his head down until it rested against his chest. "I don't know what else I can tell you," he said, continuing to stroke his hair. "I just hope you understand what you're dealing with because I don't."
"He wants my Nobody, Riku. The whole time I was looking for you, that guy followed me around and kept asking me – Roxas – to return to him. He looked at me the way that I look at you, like I'm his lover or something. What in the world was Roxas doing? I wish I could talk to him the way I talked to him back in The World That Never Was again. He wasn't just 'Roxas: Part of Organization XIII'. No, Riku, he was 'Roxas: Axel's boyfriend'."
Riku looked away, out his window… which he noticed was opened for once. It wasn't often that he opened his window and it brought a small, happy smile to his face. He glanced down at Sora and realized that he had slowed in his caresses. Sora sighed, eyes lidded.
"But he wasn't a bad guy. He may not have had a heart but he was a good guy on the inside. Or maybe… Maybe Roxas made him like that."
Riku grinned a cheeky smile. "I can relate," he said, placing his chin on top of Sora's head.
Sora waved a dismissive hand at him and rolled away from his hold, just enough to plant his feet firmly on the ground. He walked over to Riku's window and placed his elbows down on the sill, staring out at nothing in particular. His eyes were just as clouded as his mind; unable to understand how it was possible that Axel had lived. But perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing. He knew – Axel was a good guy. Why would he still be pursuing Roxas, though? Did he really love him enough to rise up from beyond the grave to come searching for him? That sounded like true love.
But was true love worth hurting someone else for? Probably, Sora thought, considering his own love for Riku. If someone was holding Riku captive, similar to the way that Sora was "holding" Roxas, then he wouldn't think twice about coming after them to free him. If he could find a way to come back to life to do it, then by God, he would do it.
Having Axel wandering their streets was a seriously bad idea, of course; especially a desperate Axel. Who knew what he could do in desperation? Last time, he had gone as far as to capture Kairi to bring Sora around. For all he knew, Axel could go to the same extent and play dirty with their loved ones. It wasn't the same as being out in a different world. This time it was their home town, a place where they know everyone and everything is special and important.
A light went on in Sora's mind – Kairi.
He turned around swiftly and gave Riku only a moment's notice before he bolted out of his bedroom door. Riku took chase, following him quickly down his stairs and out their front door. His mother looked out from the kitchen just as they exited the front door. She shouted after them but it was too late, as they were already running down the road toward Kairi's house.
"Why does she always make herself such an easy target!" Sora screamed, running at top speed. When he tried to pick up his pace to run even faster, he tripped over his feet and went flying. Riku was there, catching him mid-fall. Putting one of Sora's arms around his shoulder, he hoisted him up. Sora was like an unchained animal; desperate to get to Kairi before anything bad could happen. He strained against Riku's hold, trying to break away.
"Sora," he growled, pulling the slighter boy against him roughly. He grabbed his chin and tilted his face up so he could look directly into his eyes, making sure he was holding him with more than just physical force. Satisfied that he had Sora's attention, he spoke slowly, his voice as pointed as sharp daggers.
"You know that isn't her fault."
Swallowing hard, looking away, Sora mumbled an apology. Feeling Sora relax, Riku released him, giving him a gentle smack on the side of the head. Sora felt a little embarrassed still that he would be blaming Kairi for her own bad luck again. He shouldn't have had to remind himself that it wasn't her fault.
Still, he was worried that Axel would try something again. Now that he and Roxas were connected he didn't want to lose him to anybody. Roxas was like a missing part of his heart that had been put back in place when they met on friendly terms. He wanted things to remain like that; not just because it was supposed to be like that, but also because it just felt right.
"I'm sorry, Riku," he mumbled, head falling weakly against Riku's shoulder. "It's just… I don't want Axel to take him from me."
A pain arose in Riku's heart as he looked down at Sora and saw the lost look in his eyes. There was a genuine concern there for Roxas; a very personal sort of emotion that resonated through Sora's entire being. It was truth.
Realizing, knowing what they should do, Riku took Sora's hand. Axel had no place in their world. His existence was meaningless and they would send him back to the darkness from whence he came. It was their job, their duty, to do so. They wouldn't be killing him. He was never truly alive to start with.
They looked at each other and nodded. Securing Kairi's safety had to come before all else.
Author's Notes: That chapter was a little shorter than they usually are, but the next one is going to be mind-fucking. The unexpected will surely happen. For now, I hope you enjoyed what I could provide. Feedback is appreciated, yo!