Chapter Ten
"Luxy, meet Roxas. Roxas, meet my beeeeest friend in the whole entire world, Luxord!"
"Well, hello there, Roxas." British accent. Nice.
"Uh... hi..." I awkwardly hold out my hand as I say this because I'm not really sure if it would be considered rude to the dead if I didn't. Respect the dead, as mom said at my Grandpa's funeral. Not that I don't, but holding my hand out for a handshake is not normally what I do. Then again, I'm not very polite, but I can at least try. So I'm holding my hand out, and this tall, blond and blue eyed man eyes me, an amused feature lingering in his face. There's really nothing else to do but stare back up, and it startles me a little how I honestly can't look away. His eyes are this crystal sky-blue color, and it's actually pretty to look at.
Somewhere during this stare-off Luxord and I were having, my arm had fallen back next to my side and Demyx somehow appeared at the table across the room.
"Luxxxyyyy! Where's Xaldy?" Demyx cries out, plopping down into a wooden, shabby looking chair. It creaks in protest, and I can see why. Ash is gathered all over the arm rests, while the wood itself is scratchy and thinner than it should be. One of the legs is cracked and looks as though it's going to break any second now, while the cushions are black and crispy. To tell the truth, everything in this room looks crispy and dark. Demyx told me this is the furnace room – it's right next to the basement, but there's a good two meters of wood in between the areas. It still doesn't calm me down at all that we're downstairs, next to the demon's playroom. But it does look homey, despite how burnt the furniture is. The table looks salvaged, but there's a good amount of ash and dust growing underneath its surface and on the floor.
"I don't know. Probably to Restore, that bloody bastard." the tallest blond answers, dusting off his black cloak. It seems strange that he's wearing the same thing as Demyx, but with a little more of his touch to it, such as the shoulders more slanted and pointed, and the cloak itself looks more roomy. Now that I think about it, everybody I've ran into seems to be wearing the same thing, with the exception of Namine. I would ask why in the hell they are all dressed the same, but another question is already running out of my lips.
"What's Restoring?" I question, following Luxord like a child would to its mother as the blond steps closer to the table and sits down in another chair much like Demyx's.
"Would you care to evaluate, Zexion? You seem to know the most," a hint of sarcasm hides in Luxord's voice, but he isn't even looking at the slate-haired spirit. He's shuffling a musty deck of cards, seeming to tune out the rest of the world.
"Why certainly." Zexion slams his book shut and takes a glimpse of me before turning away, "Restoring is when Spirits and Demons return to the darkness for a short amount of time to gather energy back. Much like you humans, with your sleeping habits. There is possibly no way to retrieve a ghost once its gone to Restore, but they return in a few hours."
"So like... everyone in this house Restores?" I ask, shifting my weight to my other foot. That empty chair at the table looks tempting, but I have to keep reminding myself of the two broken legs set up to look as though it's fixed and normal, but I can see the cracks all around it.
"Well... not necessarily. Spirits like myself and the others in this room Restore, and the Demons such as Saix and their kind Restore... but Nightmares do not. You would want to stay clear of those types of ghosts, because Nightmares are exactly what they are labelled as. With no need to Restore, those things can never vanish from the world. They are practically spawns of Satan, thus ensuring Nightmares can never be warded off, unlike the rest of us..." pausing, and then adding, "Axel is a Nightmare."
I bite my lip, because this isn't exactly thrilling news. In fact, I'm pretty much fucking screwed if I wander back into that basement.
"...Hey! Let's stop talking about boring things!" Demyx cheers, smiling, but there's a hidden emotion in his eyes. Anxiety? I'm not sure.
"Yes, what Demy said. How 'bout we play a round of Strip-"
A painful scream erupts the air. The hair on my arms immediately rise and the whole room goes utterly silent. The cry lasts for a second or two, before it falls into silence as well. No one speaks, more or less makes a move in the slightest. After what felt like trillions of hours, Demyx is the first one to utter a sound. It's a whimper.
"Lu-Luxy... w-was that...?"
"I don't know, love.." The Spirit pulls himself up to his feet and strides across the room. I watch him trudge past me and the urge to follow him is convincing, but my brain manages to nail and lock my feet to the floor. My eyes pass to the normally-bubbly blond, but he has a frightened look on his face, the kind anyone would see on a child's face after they've "seen" the Bogeyman in their closet. Luxord has a poker face on, keeping a cool expression, but I can see how tense he is. My eyes scan Zexion's, but instead of fear, he looks more interested and distraught than anything else.
"Wh-What is it?" It alarms me a tiny bit to hear my voice is more weak than I expected. Almost like a person trying to speak when they're losing their voice. Though I can't exactly say this is all calming.
"...I don't believe doing absolutely nothing is in our best interest," Zexion mumbles with ease in his voice, "Demyx, go with Roxas to a safe room. Luxord and I will check to see if he's really... out."
"He? Who's he?" My questions are out in the open to unheard ears.
"Bu-But-"
"Demyx. Now." The tiny ghost hisses, cutting off Demyx and stepping towards the door. "Roxas... I would advise you to keep locked in a tight space, do not, for any reason, leave Demyx's side, and most importantly. Do not make a sound."
~~~1908138~~~
It's dead silent. There's a really bad cramp locked up in my left leg, and the urge to switch positions is inviting, but with Demyx up close next to me, I can barely move. It smells of dust and burnt wood, but it smells kind of good. I don't know what time it is, or how long we've been in this closet, but I'm praying we get out soon.
"Wh-What do you think happened to Zexion and Luxord?" Demyx whispers into my ear, because I think he's afraid if he speaks up any louder, something will come to find us and burn us alive. He still hasn't told me what exactly we're hiding from, and half of me doesn't want to know. The blond's fingers intertwine with mine. He's been doing this for the last ten minutes, and it's really starting to bug me, because I hate holding hands with people. It makes me feel all weird and nervous. Again, for what feels like the billionth time, I break my hand from his and scratch the back of my neck stiffly.
"I don't know," I whisper back, "...Demyx, will you tell me what we're hiding from? Why are we hiding?"
Silence.
"R-Roxas... I think Axel's out."
My eyes widen. "Wh-What!"
"Shh! I think I hear something," I can hear the blond press his face against the door, and it takes a lot out of me to make sure I don't bite his head off because his damn hand is holding mine again. Biting my lip instead, I press my ear against the door as well. Everything is hushed, and it's actually beginning to scare me a little. Being in the stillness isn't my hobby, nor do I enjoy it every now and then.
"...Demyx-"
"I-I'm going to go out there. I need to go check it out,"My eyes grow wide at the blond's words.
"What! Demyx, Zexion said to stay hidden until-"
"But Roxas, something bad might've happened! I have to make sure they're alright... stay in here. I swear I'll come back for you," Before I can utter another sound, the feel of cold lips press against my warm lips. Shock overruns my veins, and I can't even seem to move as he stands and slips out of the closet. Once he closes the door and I can hear his nimble footsteps fade off, my whole frame turns over so I'm lying on my stomach.
What the fuck...? I blink a little and press a finger against my lips. They feel slightly cold, which makes me shiver. My heart is beating a little faster, but... it didn't feel right. Demyx likes me like that? Can dead people even have feelings? I bite my tongue, the strange sensation still fresh in my mind, but I'm exhausted. I don't want to think about Demyx, and that might be because just the simple fact that Axel, that fucking demon or Night-whatever Zexion said, is out, as in out of the basement, maybe killing my friends isn't very pleasant. I'm half tempted to follow the blond's footsteps and find out for myself, but my legs are cooperating, much less will I have the courage to actually twist the doorknob.
I'm not sure how long I'm cramped up in that closet until I begin to hear heavy footsteps on the rough floorboards. A second later, the closet door swings open, startling me as the doorknob bites into the wall beside it. I gaze up into Demyx's frightened aqua blue eyes, and I don't even have to ask what's wrong. He's coming.
~~~1908138~~~
"...and then you'll take me to see Roxas?" Sora asks. His voice drips with sarcasm and he crosses his arms over his chest, raising a taunting eyebrow at the old man before him. The man's unique yellow eyes criticize brown eyes, and after a second, the silverette nods.
"I will take you to see your beloved cousin if you follow through with our deal."
"Okay... but seriously, I mean, how can I 'kill' the dead twice? If you guys are even dead..." I think I should do some good to this world and check this man into the closest mental hospital. Sora muses in his head. Ghosts and dead people are the last thing he can picture roaming around in the house. Better yet, he could picture maybe a vampire or an elf, but ghosts? No way. Nu-uh. Ghosts don't exist.
"On the contrary, Sora, only Nightmares cannot be vanquished. The Kingdom Key will help you destroy the others that are holding your brother hostage." The mention of those... monsters holding his cousin hostage causes Sora to clench his palm up. He wants to kill those people – ahem, ghosts – for torturing have no right! The brunette bites his lip with a sour expression plastered to his face. Without noticing, the man in front of him lets off a cold, knowing smile. Sharp, canine teeth gleam into view, and once Sora snaps out of his thoughts and looks up, he visible shivers. That smile doesn't fit on that face.
"Saix," the bellow from the man startles Sora. The boy looks back and his eyes widen. It's the thing! The monster that had attacked him earlier! "retrieve the weapon." While the order is said, Sora and Saix both glare at each other, scowling with hatred. Sora looks away first when he hears the low grumble of a snarl coming from the bluenette far from him. Reluctantly, Saix leaves to fetch said weapon.
Sora bites his lip. What is he doing? Certain he wouldn't kill anyone, even if they were torturing his little cousin. He's not strong enough. If Riku were here, Sora thinks, he could do it. He could stab someone without so much as a second thought. But it would be of the matter of if he would save Roxas from these so-called heartless men named "Demyx" and "Zexion". He knows Roxas and Riku have sort of an angry past, what with the silverette making fun and teasing with hidden jealousy at Roxas, all because – and Sora knew this for sure – the blond had more time to spend with Sora than Riku. It was a stupid grudge, but it seems like they never recovered from it.
"The Kingdom Key, my Lord." The voice alarms him. He looks up and takes a step back in surprise at how fast and silent the monster was.
"Here. Try it out, Sora." The "Lord" commands, picking up the oddly shaped sword by the handle. Brown eyes lift up at the object. It's just an oversized key? Keeping his rather rude thoughts to himself, Sora draws up a weak arm and grabs the strange weapon. Suddenly, the full weight of the Keyblade mounts on him. Struggling to keep it up, he manages to choke out, "I-It's heavy,"
"Can you hold it straight?"
"Ngh... yeah." After a few seconds of fumbling, the brunette finally decides to grip the handle with both hands.
"Excellent." Another flash of a creepy smile places itself on the Lord's face. "Saix will attack you now. If you're successful, you will be rewarded with your life. If not... well, we both can hope it doesn't come to that. Begin."
~~~1908138~~~
"Demyx, what happened to Zexion and Luxord?" I breathe as silent as I can. His eyes water up a little and he shakes his head.
"I don't know... they aren't down there..." I stay silent because I'm not sure how to comfort him. I'm not good in these type of situations – comforting people and making them feel better. It's certainly not my skill of expertise. He blinks and looks up at me again, "we have to go. I have to get you out." The words perk my head up and I open my mouth to say something, but he shushes me and intertwines our fingers. Ignoring the urge to pull my hand away, I follow his lead as he takes me out of room and we start tip-toeing down the hallway. What used to be silent now makes noise – even the tiniest moan from the floorboards to the sound of the scuttling bugs crawling and creeping with us. It's not completely dark, but it's black enough to warn me not to walk ahead of the dirty-blond.
A few tense, silent moments pass.
"Ro-Roxas...?" Demyx whisper right into my ear. I fight off a shiver and stay silent. "do... do you want to stay here with me and Zexion?" I pause in my steps from his sentence, and he adds almost a little panicky, "I-I-I mean, y'know, er, forget about it, okay?"
"Demyx.." I mumble, "I've gotta get home to my family. I can't stay here. It's virtually impossible for a human to live with the dead, right next to his parents house." Guilt starts eating at me as I feel his disappoint wavering through the air, but my feet begin walking again. It's true though. How would I be able to survive? Save from these things trying to kill me, what would I eat? Obviously going out to the store is out of the question, because I know my Mom. She'll tape the whole town with pictures of me on "My child is missing!" papers. They'll spot me and I'll be going home. No doubt Mom will send me to the hospital if I tell her I've been living with ghosts.
Out of the black, I feel sharp fingernails dig into my arms and my body falls forward.
"Roxas!" Demyx shouts, and an intense snarl echos in the corridor. Protective, tense arms slither around my frame, and as I lift my head, I strain my eyes to look at the being that is holding me. Even in the shadows, burning, acid-green eyes glow. Axel.
A/N: Hey! I updated! :3 Not much to say about this chapter, except now I'm struggling to keep it simple and not too complex. Blame Inception for this little problem. And anyway, this chapter is one of my favorites, mostly because the third to last line. I dunno why.
Oh, happy early Valentine's Day! Godihatethatholidaysoverymuch.
Also, a shout-out to AkuRokuStalker: I love you. ; U ; Your reviews always make me feel happy and giddy inside. You should make an account so I can reply to your reviews.
Happy reading!~