Scream Until Your Heart Stops

Enter Lark and Nam. Not for long, but, say hello, girlies. I find that I really enjoyed writing Axel's parts. And, poor Cloud. All I can say is poor Cloud.

Chapter 11 - Portrait of Defeat

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"Oh, Roxas honey! How are you?! And my darling sister! I'm so glad that the two of you could join me."

Roxas refused to allow the excited blonde woman that was gripping onto him see his curled lip of disgust. Allowing her to take his bags, eyes droopy from the long train ride, Roxas shambled into the house he would be staying at for the next while. At least, what he hoped would only be a while.

"Roxas, why don't you go play with your cousin? She's up in her room."

Holding his tongue, wanting so desperately to snap at his aunt that he was not six anymore, Roxas did as he was told and made his way up the familiar stairs and stood outside his little cousin's room. She was only a few months younger than he, but he just loved to rub that in her face.

Hesitantly, he brought his fist up and knocked quietly on the closed door. "It's unlocked." Roxas slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open. The girl gasped, her face breaking out in a smile. "Roxas!" Roxas smiled a little as the younger blonde shot to her feet, jumping on her cousin and hugging him close.

"Hey, Naminé. How've you been?"

"Good, I suppose. Mom didn't even tell me you guys were coming!"

"Yeah, it was really last minute."

The girl with big blue eyes laid herself back onto the floor with her drawings, taking her pencil in hand once more, just as she had been without the interruption. Roxas moved over to sit on her bed, gripping the edge of the mattress in still-shaking fingers. He didn't want to be here. Although he loved his cousin, he couldn't stand his aunt. Above all else, Axel's outburst resounded through his mind.

"Can you sit still, Roxas? I want draw you! Please?"

Giving a slight nod, Roxas attempted to force his thoughts away from him. "Can I get you to pose?"

The elder blonde quirked his eyebrow. "What type of pose?"

She shrugged happily, getting to her feet once more. She took his arm gingerly in her hands, moving it farther from his body. It took all of two minutes for Naminé to get the elder teen into a position she wanted. "There. Not too hard, right? It looks perfect. You really seem to have a lot of sadness in you, so, I'll play on that." She lay herself back down, taking in the downcast orbs, the pearly pout and the disheveled traveling hair.

He almost hated this, having eyes on him, taking him in. Eyes that weren't his love's. He hated the time he had to think. Thinking seemed to be what he did best as of late. He couldn't believe how badly he missed Axel already and wondered vaguely if the redhead missed him. Obviously, that same little voice snapped after having been dormant for so long. Why would he not miss you, dunderhead? After that type of show when you left, yeah, I'd say he's hurting pretty bad right now. He was right, you know. How would you like it if everything you lived for was stripped away from you?

It's not like I could do anything, Roxas snapped back, his pouted lips almost breaking into a snarl.

Oh really?

Really. Ah, this is pathetic! I'm having a conversation in my head.

Because you just need to take it easy, pal. You're too stressed out for your own good. It'll catch up to you soon enough.

Roxas fisted the bedspread below him. He couldn't take it any more. Closing his eyes from his exhaustion, Roxas just wanted to slip into the black oblivion and sleep. Right on the edge of doing so, he was prodded back into consciousness by Naminé's voice.

"Roxas? Is everything alright?"

The blonde boy raised his cerulean orbs to meet the baby blue of his younger cousin. "Uh, yeah. I guess. I-I've just had a really long day."

More long days crept by Roxas, his mind always stuck back in Twilight Town, wondering whether Axel had broken down and murdered Zexion - or himself - and if his friends missed him. God, he missed them. He couldn't believe how much. His heart ached in his chest and he just wanted to go back home.

He was at his aunt's for five weeks before he voiced this to his mom.

"When are we going back, mom? I don't know how much more of this I can take. I miss the guys and it's tough being in a house of girls."

"Oh, Rox, honey. I'm sorry. But,.... ugh ... From the feel of that ..." the blonde woman cringed, grabbing her stomach. "Lark?! Lark, I think it's time!"

Before Roxas could really understand what was happening, he was whisked away in an ambulance, his mother gripping one of his hands and Larxene holding the other in a death grip. He was pushed aside the moment his mother was being wheeled away.

"Um ... What just happened?"

--

A Deceitful Scream from Axel

--

I can't believe the time that has passed. Five weeks already since the squirt left. God, I miss him so badly. And Reno. Jeez, it feels like he'll just pop his head in through the door and say "Haha, idiot, joke's on you! I planted the watch there to see if you would cry! And you did! You're such a baby!" But of course, the joke's still on me.

Surprisingly enough, I have yet to wrap my hands around Zexion's throat. Not that I've had the chance. He avoids me like the plague. Haven't even seen Demyx around that much. They've moved into their new house and Dem even invited me over for the first night staying in it. It just feels so wrong to be with those two without Rox.

So, today, five weeks after my little blonde babe left, I have invited Demyx over. I don't know what possesses me to do so, but I run out to the liquor store in Central Twilight and grab coolers, wine and some rum. I've been meaning to get drunk ever since that one night, just so that I could see what it felt like to be numb to it all again. But I never got around to it because, honestly, what fun is it to get drunk on your own?

"Hey, Axe? You up in Roxas' room?"

"Yeah, Dem."

My voice... it's slightly slurred already, even in my own ears. I haven't had much, but, apparently it was enough. Demyx pokes his blonde buzz of hair in through the door. God, he looks like Rox. "Are you okay, Axel?"

"Oh, yeah. Peachy. C'mon, c'mon. Sit, sir! Gots a lil' somethin' for ya."

Man, I'm out of it. I hand him the half-empty bottle of wine that I had been sucking from. "Y-You're drunk?"

"Nah. Gettin' there though. S'alright, though. We'll get drunk together."

He sits at the edge of the bed, moving my sprawled feet out of the way. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"What harm can we do, Dem-xas?" I don't even realize that his name slurs into Roxas'. His worried aquamarine orbs morph into lust-filled cerulean. "Get yourself numb from the world with me, babe."

"I think you've had enough already."

"No!" I hiss, nudging the empty cooler from my lap. On all fours I crawl forwards, grabbing Demyx's wrists. I place one foot on the floor then the other and force the blonde back. "Drink with me, Romyx."

"Ugh, Axel, what are you doing? And I'm Demyx, okay! Your breath reeks. Get off me."

I take a bottle and shove it in his hand, backing away slightly. "Drink, Dem-yx. Join me. I don't wanna ... be alone tonight."

"I don't like alcohol, Axel. You know that."

"I dun wanna be alone. Just a lil', Dem. Just a lil'. Enough to get you to forget what you're doing."

"I don't want any."

"Please, Dem. What's the worst that could happen?"

"I could be sick. I can't tolerate the alcohol. Please, Axel, just ... don't."

"C'mon, Dem. It's not bad. See, look, I even got you something light. Save the rum for me. You can have wine and the vodka coolers. C'mon. You can barely taste the alcohol in the coolers."

I shove the pink bottle towards the blonde before getting up and turning on the music in the stereo.

When you give it to me ya' give it to me raw and hard

I jut my hips to the fast, haphazard beats. Demyx slowly raises the bottle to his lips as though it were about to bite him. "Just try a sip, babe. Then you'll see. It's nice and sweet."

He cringes then takes a small sip, perking at the sugary flavor. "Mmm! I guess this is half good."

"See, told you!"

--

A Letter From Cloud

--

"Up you get. C'mon, Blondie. You're comin' with us."

I cringe, feeling the cool metal digging into my neck, wrists and ankles, the chain that connects it clinking on my bare chest. "Leave Leon. He doesn't know anything about The Heartless. He was just taken in last week." I lie, shying away from his intense blue eyes.

"Th-"

"Quiet, idiot. We already know that Squall Leonhart has been with The Heartless for as long as our dear Kadaj. We already know enough about him."

The man holding me captive pulls up on the chain, forcing me to look into his menacing eyes. My lip curls in disgust and I try to raise my hands to pull at the chain, but they can go no higher than my chest without getting caught up around my ankles. "Then," I hiss instead. "What're you gonna do to us?"

"Oh, Master Xemnas will find out a few ways to have his fun."

I refuse to move when he draws the shackles closer to him. "You dare go against us? You really aren't that bright, are you?"

"Cloud!"

My skin burns at the slap across my cheek, but still do I refuse to leave my spot. "Want me to knock him out for ya?"

"Mm, yeah, that would be appreciated."

A rank-smelling cloth covers my mouth and nose, causing me to cough before quickly losing consciousness. By the time I wake up, I'm blindfolded, stripped back to my boxers, held to the cool stone wall behind me with even colder steel shackles. I moan from the foul taste in my mouth and the pain in my head. Chloroform. I shudder. Something beside me moves.

"Cloud? Oh, Cloud, is that you? Please, tell me it is!"

Leon. I moan once more as I attempt to move towards the sound of his voice and feel the rising fire on my chest. "Wh-What happened? Where are we?"

"Oh, I shall answer that for you, dear Cloud. Uncover his eyes. I would like to witness his reaction."

Feeling someone near me, I tremble, cringing away from their touch. "Cooperate, Cloud, or Leon shall gain a few scars." Those icy words still me. I take in a deep breath, trying to calm myself. The smell of death lingers on the man ridding me of my blindfold. I scrunch my eyes closed as yellow-orange light filters into them. Another groan.

"Open your eyes, Cloud. Look at me."

I do as I'm told and feel my whole being freeze to the spot. My eyes go wide, - despite the throbbing in my head - my mouth drops and my heart speeds, my breath faltering. "You. God damn it. It's you, you bastard! You killed my dad!"

Silver hair, golden orbs, smug smirk. "Ah, dear boy, you must refer to me as Xemnas, thank you."

-

To Be Continued

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See now why I said poor Cloud? Tell me what you think, please? It would mean a lot.

This is all we've got now, scream until your heart stops, never gonna regret - Rooftops

The Lost Prophets

~xbuttonsx~