Taming Fire

(yawns) Sleepy.

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Chapter 9

They were painting again.

Namine watched them as usual, sitting on her stool in the front of the room. Her new sketch book placed neatly in her lap, pastels in her hands neatly folded together. A sad smile was on her face, her favorite student wouldn't be here today.

Axel's usual spot was empty; only his canvas and well-used medium lay. No one ever bothered to sit in the redhead's place. The other patients took their own spots and began catering to their own activities. Namine would only sit and observe this time; instead of taking her usual trip around the room.

Demyx was always finger painting, Riku was left to his charcoals and the others would do whatever else on their canvases.

The room activities moved on without change. The only spot that seemed frozen to time was Axel's.

Opening her sketchbook, Namine lifted a knee. She surveyed the first empty page and chose her colors carefully. She started with ice blue and creamy winter whites. Her hand was slow on silver-bell gray trees, naked against the blue ice. She dashed them with oak and burnt sienna, creating her scene carefully. She placed them on each side of her sketch paper; mirroring them. In the center she placed ice statues- both different and back to back. They both were cold and forever unmoving, never to acknowledge each other. Their features were distinct, one taller than the other. Both familiar, both very sad.

Finished, Namine placed a hand over the picture and murmured a soft prayer. She hoped this would comfort them and ease Axel's sorrow. If only for a moment...

--

The moon travels high over Twilight Town, with very few clouds to hide the sparkling stars. The air was cool and comfortable, gently lulling residence to pleasant dreams. Usually, anyway.

Roxas lay awake that night, his mind busy with troubling thoughts. At least, that's what he wanted to believe. Perhaps it was fear of falling asleep again? When he had dozed off at the hospital, a nightmare followed. A strange night-horror that shook a deep, hidden terror and questioning train of thoughts. He couldn't stop thinking of Axel and if the redhead were okay.

That dream was trying to tell him something. Something very important.

A strange notion, as Roxas wasn't the type to believe in premonition. Dreams were just figments of memories and events that happened before. Where that room had come from.. Roxas closed his eyes for just a moment, brows furrowed in thought. He had been to examination rooms before... but nothing like that. It was like something from a horror movie. Roxas couldn't think of a recent scary movie he watched that contained anything like it. A belated nightmare?

Than again, Roxas wasn't much of a horror-fanatic either. The closest thing he saw to anything like it was "Night of the Living Dead", an old black and white with the worst special effects ever to grace theaters.

And Roxas never had a fear of the doctor like most kids did. So he never saw an examination room as a horrific experience.

He shook his head, feeling himself drifting. He didn't want to sleep yet, despite his increasing tiredness. He rolled to his side, looking down at his cousin on the floor.

Mother had pulled out the futon and put it in Roxas's room for Sora. The chestnut haired boy was fast asleep and looking very comfortable. It made Roxas feel a little envious. Sora was probably dreaming of pleasant things. Whatever they were made the other smile in his sleep.

Damnit... Roxas thought, stubbornly keeping his eyes open as they began to feel heavy. He glared at Sora for a moment, determined to keep awake. The sight of his cousin's peaceful form only increased Roxas's desire to be asleep even further. He groaned slightly, finally shutting his eyes.

Just shutting them.

He would only rest his eyes.

No matter how much Roxas told himself this, sleep eventually overcame him.

--

He didn't know if he failed to dream. He awoke to cold air, surrounded in blue-white fluff. He breathed in puffs, his eyes a perfect icey-color against the white. He sat up slowly, holding up a hand to let some of the falling substances gather in his hand. They melted on contact with his body heat.

Snow.

Roxas looked around, taking in his surroundings. There wasn't anything that wasn't covered in snow and no visible road or sign of civilization. The trees were brown but silver at the same time; deprived of any leaves. The skies were an icey gray, no sun nor moon nor star in sight. Roxas stood, oddly calm. This place... was welcoming, in a way. Nostalgia washed over him, brining the feelings of security and escape.

He walked forward slowly. The winter wood seemed to go on and on from what Roxas could see. He kept forward anyway, finally something coming into view. A statue. As he came closer, he could see that it was an ice sculpture. It's complexion was clear and blue at the same time, the snow seeming to glide around it. Not one flake graced it's eerie figure. Roxas stopped in front of it, looking up at the face. The angular shape and the way his features were carved, it wasn't hard to figure out who it was.

"Axel..." Roxas murmured, raising a hand to touch the ice-face. The statue was so cold, slightly numbing Roxas's fingertips. He trailed his hand along the finely shaped cheek, running his thumb over the indention that was it's tear-drop tattoo. Then the pad of his thumb met the lips. They were smooth as glass but frosty. Roxas's entire hand felt numb with cold, though he didn't mind. He moved closer and stood on his toes, looking into the blank eyes of the sculpture's face. He looks... so sad... Roxas thought as his eyes closed. Breath hot against the ice, he pressed his warm lips to the sculpture's cold ones.

A single snow flake befell the statue; the corner of a perfectly sculpted eye. It melted where Roxas caressed, trailing slowly down the statue's cheek.

Roxas brushed that tear away.

--

When he awoke again that morning, Roxas's lips felt tingly and little crusted. Grimacing at the thought of drooling in his sleep, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He winced, feeling his bottom lip sting. He looked at his hand, a small streak of brown crimson stained his skin.

"Morning," came a yawn before a "Shit, what happened to you?"

At that moment, Sora had woken up and sat up in the futon, looking at Roxas with his brow narrowed.

"I don't know," Roxas said. "I think I hit my face in my sleep or something."

"Doesn't look like it," Sora said. "Looks like a frost blister. It's when you put your skin on something really cold for a long time it bubbles and bleeds."

"What?" Roxas eyes widened, the memories of his dream washing over him. The snow and the ice, the silver woods and frosty air. The sculpture's glass-like lips. Roxas's breath had been hot, his mouth had felt numb... a deep red blush crossed his cheeks and nose. He looked down at his sheets, feeling embarrassed and slightly ashamed of himself.

"... you okay?" Sora asked, "I mean, I doubt it is a frost blister. It's the middle of summer, after all... maybe you did hit your face?"

"Y-yeah..." Roxas said after a moment, getting up from his bed quickly. "I'm going to go wash this off..." he left quickly, bustling to the bathroom. Sora stared after him, wondering why Roxas looked so flustered.

In the bathroom, Roxas washed his face with hot water, ignoring the stinging in his lips. He looked into the mirror, staring at the small blister that formed on his bottom lip. It didn't look all that bad, but it was still split open and bleeding slightly. Roxas was just glad no puss had formed. He brushed his teeth before applying disinfectant and placing a small bandage over it. He looked at himself for what seemed like forever in the mirror. That dream... had felt so real. The cold air and the snow. Roxas's fingers still felt the tingles from the ice.

Further more... why did Roxas kiss that ice sculpture? It resembled Axel in every way- it was definitely him. It was cold and inanimate but so alive. He couldn't understand.

Dreams were merely figments of memories and past events.

Roxas would definitely remember such a statue; such a winter..

Dreams were windows to the future.

A dream of the future? How can that be? No one could predict the future events...

Dreams were also the windows to hidden emotion.

Had Roxas felt something towards Axel? He blushed again, or course not! He barely even knew the man... and he was a mental patient. Couldn't be possible... could it?

Roxas remembered the cold lips and the emotion he felt emanating from the unmoving object. It almost made him want to cry. There was so much sadness, so much loneliness. All he could think of... was taking that sadness away.

He sighed, burying his face in his hands. Just what had he gotten himself into?

--

WHO'S HAPPY? TOO BAD. D:

HA. Roxas and a statue of Axel is the only fluff you're going to be getting for a while. XDD ANYWAY...

Well, another chapter on Roxas's emotions towards Axel. X3 AND a demonstration to the extent of Namine's freaky powers.

I'M NOT SORRY IT'S SHORT! D: Xeora is lazy right now and sleep deprived. I have lots of stuff to do. SO LOVE ME FOR WHAT U GOT!!

And all those people who put this on alert, you might not get it in time or at all. So just check back once in a while to see if I moved my lazy ass. X3

REVIEW OR I'LL DO SOMETHING EVEN WORSE THAN CUTTING RIKU'S BALLS.

... I'll sew tits on him too.

Riku: NUUUUUOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Xeora