Happy Akuroku Day 2013! It's so much harder to write these days, but I wanted to work on something that is near to completion, and the day demanded some kind of offering. :)
Changes have been made to the original story, not because it needed changing or bettering, but because the different characters may have required different actions and endings etc. etc. etc. See what I mean and tell me what you think
Axel leapt into the room as fast as his tired, weak legs could carry him. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping him from collapsing where he stood.
He caught Roxas, lowering him to the floor a bit quicker and more clumsily than he wanted, gritting his teeth when his knees hit the hard ground. Panicking, the redhead pulled the dagger out, even as it was still firmly clenched in the younger boy's hand. He tore a part of his own shirt, adding pressure to the wound even the black fabric began to drip dark red droplets of blood.
"Roxas...Roxas, you have to stay with me! Look at me!" He touched a pale cheek, his horror growing when he got no response. The blonde's eyes were wide and unfocused, and he was panting and spasming slightly in shock, but the motions were slowing as the life drained from him. Axel held him with his free hand, desperately trying to calm him at the same time. His lover was dying in his arms, and it seemed he couldn't do a thing to stop it.
"Damn it, Roxas! Why?!" Giving up on the soaked cloth, Axel pried the knife from Roxas's scarred left hand and tossed it away, not even hearing it as it clattered on the floor. His eyes were trained on Roxas, but darting from his face to his wounded chest, then back again. Tears were leaking in the corners of his eyes, but he couldn't be bothered to wipe them away. He gripped the blonde's shoulders tightly, shaking him. "Why did you do it?!" he shouted.
"Axel..." The blonde's voice was shaky and soft, almost distant.
"Of course it's Axel, you idiot!" The older boy hugged him to his chest, barely controlling his sobs. "I promised!"
"Stop it, Grandpa! Just stop already!"
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An old man looked up from the book he was reading, adjusting his spectacles as he regarded his audience. A young boy with spiky brown hair, not yet 10 years old sat across from him on the floor, gripping his friend's arm tightly and looking like he was about to cry. Another slightly older boy with silver hair sat beside him, holding him and gently assuring him it was okay. His granddaughter, the same age as the first boy but with straight red hair, sat back in her bed, crossing her arms and looking pouty.
"I'm sorry, children. Is there a problem?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is," the girl replied. "You're reading the story wrong!"
"And scaring Sora," the silver-haired boy added, glaring at the older man. The brown-haired boy whimpered, looking up from under his friend's arm.
"He didn't really d-die, d-did he? That would be... be so sad!" He sniffled and wiped his eyes.
The grandfather shrugged, looking unconcerned. "Life isn't always happy, children. Sometimes stories will be sad, even when you want them to be happy."
The little girl frowned, pointing a finger accusingly.
"I thought you said this was a good story. You wanted to cheer me up, right?" The man laughed.
"Of course, Kairi. I wouldn't want to upset my poor grandbaby, when she's already so miserable." Kairi rubbed her stuffy, red nose and sniffled, crossing her arms again. "It gets better, children, I promise."
"How can it get better?" Sora asked hesitantly. "Roxas is dead!" He cried into his friend's shoulder, gripping it entirely too tightly.
"You would be surprised," Lea returned simply. "For as much misery and unfairness life holds, there can be equal, if not greater, happiness."
The brunet boy blinked.
"Will Axel make a wish, like in Pinocchio? He's a good person. A fairy would come to him if he wished hard enough." Sora nodded to himself. "Yeah, Axel could do it! He could make a wish on a star to save Roxas!"
"Not every story has wishing stars and fairies in it, Sora. Though that would be a wonderful miracle."
Sora looked like he might cry again, and glancing at the other two children, who looked unhappy but not upset, the old man sighed, closing the book.
"Well...maybe I should stop after all. I don't want to upset you, not when Kairi is sick and Sora is worrying himself halfway there." The little brunet looked up, wiping his eyes again.
"Am not! I want to know what happens!" He looked to his friends. "Please Riku? Kairi? Please can he read more? Even if it's sad, I want to know!"
Riku sighed, but nodded, turning to look at Kairi also. The little girl nodded stiffly, before her face morphed into an evil little smile.
"Alright, Grandpa Lea. I'm wondering too, so you can keep reading. And also 'cause Mom would flip if she knew you were reading this kind of story to us." Namine was not a fan of violence and gore, and even less so for young, impressionable children. Marluxia never seemed to care one way or the other, but he respected his wife's wishes, keeping their books, movies, shows, and games all G or PG.
That didn't mean that his father did, however.
The old man gave her a sweet smile, lifting the book and adjusting his reading glasses.
"As you wish."
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Roxas woke with a start, glancing nervously around the room as he tried to calm himself. He was so sure that that...that dream, was real. Axel was there, holding him, crying over his dying body.
And yet, he'd felt strangely at peace in that moment. Just knowing that his lover was alive was a great comfort, and then greater still, he had come for him after all. Too late in many ways, but he had still come. Perhaps he had even escaped heaven itself, prying himself from the jaws of death, just so that they could be together again.
'But I would have met him again regardless. In the next life...'
The hour was later, but just how much time had passed, he was not sure. How could he have dozed off, as doomed and frightened as he was, was another mystery. But Xigbar had not yet come to him. As far as he could see, the room was undisturbed. The prince had not been there at all.
Feeling around the desk, the blonde found the letter opener again, not far from where his hand had rested in his sleep. The room was dark, with all but one window covered by long, silk curtains. His eyes were slowly adjusting again, as he gazed around. It was a small room, odd for what he pictured as a royal honeymoon suite, but it had a desk near the door, where he sat, and a large bed with a canopy and curtains drawn halfway around it.
So numb to everything but these few, meaningless details, Roxas almost didn't hear the door open.
This was now, and it was real.
The boy pushed himself out of the chair, panicking as the hinges of the door creaked. He raised the dagger.
"Don't come any closer!" he warned, trying and failing to still his trembling hand. Footsteps approached him, and he flinched away. "I mean it! If you seek my life, then... t-then at least let me end it!"
He didn't expect to be slapped.
The sting wasn't immediate, but the shock and fear slammed into the blonde boy like a tidal wave. His eyes shot open, confused and betrayed despite the illogicality of it. Xigbar had struck him before, and even done far worse.
But it was not Xigbar standing before him now. The eyes that bore into his were venom-green, sharp and vibrant in their rage. Axel stood before him now, his face and chest practically inches from Roxas's. Though they stood a bit higher, as they always had. The man was just as he remembered.
Alive.
Even as his cheek throbbed, he forgot the slap instantly.
"A-Axel!" He took an instinctive step back, but the redhead was right after him, albeit wearily. Roxas barely had time to take this in, however, as those sharp green eyes narrowed dangerously, shifting from his startled face to the blade in his hand.
"How dare you," the older boy seethed, stepping even closer. He slapped the hand that held the dagger, and Roxas didn't resist. He dropped it just as Axel's fingers grasped for his, intertwining them forcefully and squeezing. Because of his old burns, he had lost some feeling in parts of his left hand, but every time Axel's skin brushed against unscarred skin, it sent a jolt of fire through his nerves. The tingles were almost unbearable.
The blonde stepped back again, feeling his back hit the wall, and Axel pinned him there, supporting himself against the wall with his other arm. "How dare you even think of squandering such a precious gift."
"I-I..." Still frozen, the blonde cowered away from him, but the older boy pulled him back and shook him.
"Your life is precious to so many people, Roxas! It should be precious to you as well! Otherwise, you take us all for granted!"
"But I...I thought you were dead!"
"You did before, and I proved you wrong." Axel bumped his forehead against Roxas's, his tone sad and sighing, more gentle despite the fire still burning in his eyes. "What happened to your faith, Roxas? Don't you believe in me anymore?"
The blonde shook his head, trembling violently as tears sprang forth.
"Xigbar swore that he would kill you! I heard you scream!" The redhead's gaze softened as the boy began to cry, his words becoming muffled and watery. "I thought that you were dead! I couldn't bear that pain, Axel, not a second time! I barely persevered the first time, and only then because you came back!
And Xigbar, he... he promised to kill me."
"I would never let him." Axel's hand left his, reaching up and cupping his face instead. "You should not just give up your life, not for me or anyone else. Stand and fight for it, no matter the odds." He bent forward, kissing Roxas's bruised cheek gently. "I will always come for you. I absolutely refuse to die."
"You're alive," the blonde whispered, staring at him for one long moment before throwing himself forward into the other boy's arms. "Axel!"
Surprised, the redhead stumbled backwards, struggling to hold them both up as an arm flew around his neck and his lips were claimed by heated, desperate kisses. He managed to reach the bed, tumbling into it without breaking the kiss, as Roxas climbed on top of him.
They did part, however, when the younger boy whimpered and pulled away, awkwardly pushing himself to sit up and hugging his arm to his chest.
Axel blinked, then narrowed his eyes as he grasped the injured arm gently, seeing the boy wince as he lifted it in the sling.
"Xigbar did this to you."
It wasn't a question, but the blonde nodded regardless.
"I'm sorry I tried to kill myself. I knew that if he were to do it, as he promised he would, he would be cruel and vicious. Xigbar would enjoy making me suffer." He saw Axel's eyes darken, but was unaware that the older boy knew, all too well, that he spoke the truth. "Axel?"
Still seeing the fear in his lover's eyes, still feeling the shock and anger at finding him about to kill himself, the redhead felt a new rage bubbling up inside him. Xigbar has driven him to this. Xigbar had hurt him, left marks on his skin and broken his arm. But even before that, he had tried to break his spirit. Axel saw it clearly on the plains of Guilder. It was much more pronounced now. The man tortured his spirited, beautiful lover into submission.
Axel was going to murder him. He would kill him if it was the last thing he ever did.
"I will make him pay." Touching Roxas's face again, he looked guiltily at the bruise he had worsened in his moment of panic and anger. Gently, he tugged the other boy closer, exploring his mouth all over again as the blonde moaned, relaxing against him.
Careful not to put pressure on his arm again, he pulled back a moment later and lifted the boy again with shaky arms, meeting his hazy gaze seriously. "Don't worry, Roxas. I won't let him touch you ever again."
"I think not."
The two looked up as another figure strode into the room. Xigbar stopped just a yard from the bed, glaring down at them viciously. His voice seemed much calmer than his demeanor, his wolf-like golden eyes narrowed and dangerous.
"You would soil our wedding bed, Roxas?" He tsked. "So cold, my love. Did you not promise to honor, love, and cherish me, your husband and king, til death do we part?"
"I never wanted to marry you!" the boy cried, glaring back despite his obvious fear. "I didn't even say my vows! The marriage should not even count!"
"It doesn't," Axel said flatly, still making no move to sit up or reach for his sword. "Marriage is a contract between two persons by mutual consent. If even one of you did not consent to be wed, then the ceremony means nothing. The vows were not exchanged."
The blonde looked back at his lover, surprise and relief spreading over his face. He hugged him tightly, burying his face in the other boy's chest. "I knew it!"
"A technicality that will shortly be remedied. But first things first." Roxas looked up at the sound of screeching metal, as Xigbar drew his sword. "I will dispose of you permanently this time, Axel."
"No!" Roxas jumped to his feet, climbing off of Axel and the bed. He searched for the discarded dagger for a moment before picking it up and pointing it at his ex-fiance. "If you want Axel, you will have to go through me!"
"Roxas, wait!" The redhead struggled to hoist himself up on quivering arms. Xigbar only laughed.
"You forget, boy. Your parents could not have gone far from the castle, not so soon after the ceremony. With one snap of my fingers, I could have them cut down by my men." He raised a hand as if to do so, smirking when the blonde's guard lowered. "I could summon them here now, but then, I want the pleasure of destroying your little pirate with my own hands."
"You can't hurt anyone I love if I kill you!" the blonde snapped back, somehow far braver than he felt. He didn't want to be weak or helpless anymore, ruled by fear. He had to fight, for himself and his family, for Axel.
"And just how to do you plan to do that?" Xigbar took a step forward, and the boy raised his knife defensively. He didn't respond but merely watched the prince like a hawk, eyes trained for any tensing or sudden motion.
"Roxas!" Axel still seemed to be having difficulty joining him. Knowing something was wrong, Roxas felt his courage fade a bit, but he refused to lose it completely. He couldn't blindly depend on Axel's strength alone. Not forever.
'I am a man. I can fight I just have to think...' He had no training, and his heart was beating faster, urging him to fear more every second. He had to really concentrate, focus, not make a silly mistake that would end with him back in Xigbar's clutches.
Or dead.
Xigbar regarded Axel for a moment, then smirked.
With a haughty chuckle, the prince sheathed his sword.
"How amusing. Very well, boy. If you insist on defying me, I will even the odds a bit. Keep that silly little letter opener, if you have nothing better, and try to cut me. I will block with only my hands." He gestured for the blonde to approach. "Come now, little brat. Show me what you can do."
By this point, Axel had finally managed to drag himself out of the bed. He stepped forward on shaking legs, almost falling into his lover's side.
"Roxas, don't fight him. I can-"
"You can what? Fight him? In your condition?" he snapped back. "I don't think so! You'd be just as useful as I am now, if not less!"
"But I have fought before! I have studied for years, learning and perfecting several techniques! What skill do you have?"
Roxas looked forlorn. He knew he was nowhere near a match for Axel's strength, steal, and cunning, let alone Xigbar's. This was insane, but...
"Axel," he whispered, trying to exclude the still smirking prince from the rest of their conversation. "I won't see you kill yourself. Rest for a few moments, but let me fight him for now. He is so sure of himself, and he knows we're weak. Perhaps he will slip up."
"I don't want to take that chance." Axel cupped his face and looked into his eyes worriedly. "But I don't see any alternative." He sighed then, removing his sword and sheath from his waist. "Take my sword, and don't let your guard down."
Neither boy looked happy with the arrangement, but Roxas nodded finally, accepting the sword and unsheathing it as the redhead hobbled away. Xigbar raised an eyebrow.
"I doubt that you will fare much better with that, but you are welcome to use it." He raised his fists to block and waited, rocking back and forth slightly.
Roxas approached slowly, raising the blade with some effort. It was a bit heavy for him, and might have been even if he hadn't been born slight, but he had a better chance of cutting and seriously wounding the prince with a longer weapon. Xigbar couldn't grab it without hurting himself, and Roxas wouldn't be close enough for him to grab.
Xigbar waited and waited, refusing to make the first move, so finally, Roxas swung the sword, aiming for his waist. Xigbar jumped back, dodging the wild swing, but he he kicked his foot up while the blonde was recovering, catching him hard in the chest. The boy stumbled back, just barely staying on his feet, and he swung the sword backwards, raising a loud clang as it connected with the floor. Using it as a prop, he regained his balance, lifting it again when he was able.
"Was that all you can do?"
Growling, the blonde charged forward, swinging the sword with little grace or precision. He did manage to swing repeatedly, surprising the prince, and even landed a blow on his hip. Xigbar jumped back a ways and then bent forward slightly, placing his hand over the bleeding wound. But the blonde didn't give him time for pause.
The boy lifted the sword again, crying out as he cut. He severed some of the prince's hair, as he turned his head away, but was then half-surprised, half-horrified, as he heard a gushing spurt and a shriek. Sure enough, he saw Xigbar holding his ear, or rather, the place where his right ear used to be.
"Wretch!" Forgetting his little game, the crazed man drew out his sword then, stumbling toward Roxas, who stared with wide eyes.
"Roxas, look out!"
The blonde did his best to use the sword as a shield, but Xigbar pressed forward, knocking the blade aside almost too quick for him to recover. If his strength suddenly failed and he did not raise the sword in time, the man would kill or fatally wound him. He struggled to block, but Xigbar was forcing him back, attacking with wild, but powerful strokes, much more precise and controlled than his own had been. Even raging mad, the man was a better swordsman than he.
"Why so defensive, Roxas?" the prince growled, a crazed edge to his voice as he swung again. "Fight me like a man!"
Every time he took a step forward, Xigbar managed to back him up by two. Soon they would run out of space, and unless Roxas could find things to hide behind, he was going to be dispatched quickly. Even trying as hard as he could, he couldn't land another blow. He could barely protect himself.
It seemed an eternity as the two dueling, the younger man rapidly losing ground. He managed to keep on his feet, and even duck now and then, but it was pure luck that Xigbar's blade only met his answering steel and not his flesh.
The strain on his arm was become too great to bear, however. And there was no way he could change hands.
Before he could be trapped or disarmed, Axel made his move.
Stumbling behind Xigbar, he put all his strength into his hand, dealing a hard blow to the prince's neck. Xigbar halted almost instantly, grunting and falling forward into Roxas, who pushed him away with a yelp. The man crashed to the floor on his back, going still with a groan of pain.
Axel took his sword back from Roxas and stepped over the fallen prince, but not without a good kick to his face. Then he knelt down beside him, gripping his frazzled hair and jerking the man's head up so that he could see him once his eyes opened. The blonde watched with a frown, bent over and catching his breath.
"I would not consider myself the murdering sort, but I could easily make an exception for you." He spat in Xigbar's face as he blinked, his eyes weakly opening. "For the injustice you have done to Roxas and myself, for the threats you have made against us and our friends, and for the slipshod way you have managed this kingdom, you deserve no less."
"Then..." Xigbar coughed harshly. "What are you waiting for?" he panted, wincing when the grip on his hair tightened. "This is a fight to the death."
"Wrong, my prince. It is a fight to the pain." The other man looked at him strangely then. "I'll be sure to explain with small words so it shall be easy for you to understand, you warthog faced buffoon."
"You-!"
Axel jerked his head up, hearing a crick in the man's neck as he growled in pain.
"Let me finish. To the pain means the first thing you will lose will be your feet below the ankles. Then your hands at the wrists. Next your nose and tongue. The next thing you will lose will be your left eye followed by your right."
"And my ear next, I get the point!" Xigbar snapped.
"WRONG. Your ear you keep and I'll tell you why. So that every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness will be yours to cherish. Every babe that weeps at your approach, every woman who cries out, "Dear God! What is that thing," will echo in your last, perfect ear. That is what to the pain means. It means I leave you in anguish, wallowing in freakish misery forever."
For once, golden eyes stared at him not with contempt, but fear.
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Oh, but I would. You won't be able to harm anyone every again." Then the redhead looked up at his lover, who stepped over with a blank expression. "What do you think, Roxas? Should I be merciful?"
The blonde wasn't the violent sort either. Roxas hated all this blood and killing. It was so brutal and needless.
But what Xigbar had done, what he had promised to do, was unforgivable.
"No." Blue eyes met fearful gold coldly, silent seething hatred behind them. Then he turned and faced away, shoulders stiff.
Axel shrugged then. His hand shook slightly as he raised the sword again, though not out of weakness.
"To the pain it is."