A/N: I now speak to you one year older and wow, so many people are going to take part in the contest. I'm excited! Well, for people who need an idea of what to draw, here are some suggestions: character designs (photos, poses, that kind of thing), Heartless Rapture in action, some of the fluffy scenes among the couples, the flashbacks and (my personal favourite for comedy relief) what goes on at the shonen-ai HQ (aka Yuffie and Nami's room) Take your pick. There's a wealth of possibilities. I finished the flashback scene between Riku and Sora now. I just need to colour it (damn you dad for not getting me the photoshop program like I asked (waves fist)) So that may be coming up shortly (coloured or not is yet to be seen. I don't want to use Paint. It's painstaking.) Right, moving on...
Malik's Bunny Mika: That line was...? (goes to check Advanced Theory...only to see that it is! I don't own that line!) Eh, I guess even she influences my writing. I still wish I could be as good as hers. I keep rereading her stuff and I still go through the emotional rollercoaster she sets up.
Pandalubb: Argh, I really need to get away from Gravi. Y'know, it's like the whole thing is at the back of my head and influencing where it's going. I need to stay away from it as much as possible I think (that means that the Chasers will not be making the appearance as early as I had hoped. Nor will Ven be like Ryuchi, no matter how much that pains me) I hope these suggestions that I gave out will help you a bit. At the end of the day, I can't tell you guys what to do, and we've gone way too far ahead to have themes right now. Maybe next contest.
Wondering Wolf: Mmm-hmm. You'd never think it, would you. And hence the secret that was Axel's past is no more. Hope you enjoy this chapter.
Indie Rockin' Emo: LoL. I want to make it clear to everyone: doesn't matter how bad your proportions are, I will even say stick men are nice. And it doesn't have to be a masterpiece. If you can do chibis, do chibis (a chibi Roxas with chibi Nami at the park would be a cute idea), if you can do comics, do comics. Work to your strengths. And anyway, I can't do muscles and body proportions for the life of me and I take Art as an A-level! As my teacher says, you can be taught the techniques but you can't be taught the imagination (something I firmly stick to) And anyway, if you enjoy doing it, then that's all that matters to me :)
Launch shinra: (accepts the cookies and seasalt icecream. Yummy!) Yep, Reno would make an awesome big brother in my opinion. Augh...Xaldin...gives me the willies.
ToetalNnyfanatik: Can't wait to see what you do for the contest! Xaldin has a british accent...actually, most of the really evil ones seem to have British accents. I can actually picture Zexion being given a British accent for some reason...and Marluxia...oh dear...I want Final Mix now. But it won't be getting an European release apparently (cries)
fullofmisery: I dunno about that. Axel always seem to be some hyperactive guy who has a tendacy to annoy anyone who comes in a ten mile radius of him...or very arrogant. But maybe that's just me.
Chocola Emo Shizzle: Xaldin lives and walks on the Earth! Nooooooooooooooooooooo!
shadowtailmon: Things should settle down for Sora now. He's reaching the eye of the storm of his troubles. THough the image of Sora in the dress with a sign is making me snigger a little bit.
Aryna.Tahashi: I think we all do after that little opening up. At least it wasn't as graphic as Sora's.
ONiONLADi777 x2: Can't wait and I hope you take on board my suggestions! And I wouldn't be so sure about Axel getting his act together. I have something planned for them. Something nice. And I thought it was about high time we all saw a more softer side to Axel behind the smoke and glass of his tough guy attitude.
onnaotaku: lol. Looking forward to your entry!
Splee: I'm glad you did. Hope you like this one too.
Xdrop.a.heartX: Well, it's over for Sora. And it's made Riku a lot more cautious about where he leaves his belongings (devious look)
WebOfDreams89: Thanks. I think I prefer AU's myself (much easier to write I find) but everyone's got different tastes. But you think mine's awesome (squeals with happiness)
Cyhyr: Tell you the truth, I find it difficult finding college fics (must be because there is SO MANY of these fics. They really need to add sub-sub-catagories) so I can't really compare. Hang on...I sounded really egotistical just then...
SUFFERINGLOSTSOUL: You'd be amazed at just how stubborn Axel is at times. As for more cleon, patience my pet, patience. It shall come to you.
beastboyishot1: LoL thank you. And happy birthday!
TheFoxGirlKitsune: hee hee. I take it that you liked it alot, huh?
ForeverOblivion: My thoughts exactly. I tried to think of the most unlikely and most scariest coupling in existance with Axel possibly acting as the uke. The results: It couldn't be Vexen (ice equals water plus fire equals steam. Not my fave coupling at all but you get the logic. Same logic applies to AkuDemy) it couldn't be Xemnas (mostly because he's about two years Axel's junior in this story already and 'Mansex' can pretty much pair up with anyone) there was no way in hell I was going to put Axel with Lexy (the brute would crush him! But I lubbs him still) hence it left me with Xaldin (wind plus fire equals HELL ON EARTH!)
Tenadara: um...I'm doing the flashback scene from chapter 22 of my story. Well done it...ish. And I think your review got cut off unfortunately.
Pyroangel45: No, I don't have it out for Sora. I like Sora as a character. He seems to keep his childish innocence despite having the weight of the worlds on his shoulders and that's something I admire about him. It's just that I don't want Roxas to go through with this kind of stuff just yet. Also, I felt like I had developed Sora as some sort of whiny child earlier on in the story so I thought these events would help show him as a stronger character and possibly the glue that kept the twins together through thick and thin.
cherryblossom-demon: ah yes, the common reaction (squeals at comment with happiness again)
phaz: lol. Well, i can't say anything about the list. Hope you enjoy this.
Ally Montgomery: They will, don't worry about it. I thought Roxas needed to sweeten things up a bit because otherwise that would've been two very heavy going chapters (besides, I didn't want to update an overly depressing chapter on my birthday)
OK, everyone is getting very special chocolate-hazelnut birthday cake with whipped cream for reading and reviewing and saying if they're participating in the contest or not! Please read, review and enjoy this one too!
OH! And before I forget, entires go to my deviantart account. The link's in my profile still.
Karma's Gonna Get You
The next time Axel had woken up, Roxas wasn't there to greet him. Instead, the peering crystalline blue eyes of his older sister were staring at him, eyes glimmering in an emotion Axel couldn't read. But that was besides the point.
"Ariel!? What the fuck are you doing here?!"
"Nice to see you too sunshine," Ariel grumbled, a scowl settling on her flawless features. "What the hell happened last night?"
"How do you…" Then it hit him. Demyx. The blond sitar player knew everything about the Kasai's dirty past. Of course he would tell Ariel at the very least what had happened.
"Sora got raped," Axel stated emotionlessly. "I went crazy and tried to kill them but Riku stopped me from dirtying my hands again."
Ariel scowled even further. "That night was not your-" She stopped, realising that bring that up wasn't going to get them anywhere. "And these bastards are still walking free?"
Axel nodded. "I gave them some professional advice."
"Which was?"
"To cancel their gigs because the truth was gonna come out sooner or later."
"Clever boy," Ariel muttered. She then sighed and raked a hand through her long lustrous red hair. "Well, making sure that the Organization will never get a break is one thing. But they won't get away with this. Not if I have something to say about it."
"Ariel," Axel started testily. "Do not try to kill them. We've both got blood on our hands still."
"You seriously need to forget that piece of shit," Ariel replied coolly. "And I won't kill them. I'll just…scare them a bit. Make sure they get a nasty accident. That sort of thing."
"Ariel…" Axel said warningly. His sister gave him a disarming smile.
"Seriously, little brother, I'm shocked that you don't trust me."
"That's because you are probably the most conniving and brutal bitch I know."
"Love you too."
And with that she was gone. Axel feared for everyone's general safety.
Once he stepped into the kitchen, he backtracked a step. A dart flew past him.
"Sorry!"
"It's OK, Zack," Axel forced a smirk. Right now, he had every wish to hurt Zack.
"How's it going with lover boy? From what I hear from Yuffie, you guys are getting pretty cosy."
Yuffie was now also on his want-to-hurt list.
"We're fine. And he's not 'lover boy'."
Demyx then came into the room, looking completely amazed at his friend. "Axel you dummy! What the hell is your problem!? It's so obvious that you like him but you're being your usual stubborn self!"
"Morning to you to Dem," Axel sighed, going for a coffee. This was the last thing he needed. He already had Ariel to worry about just to add to his growing concerns about Sora's well-being, both mentally and physically.
God, that caffeine was just crying to be taken advantage of.
"Why can't you just accept your feelings?" Zack asked, a hint of a knowing smirk on his lips.
"None of your business," Axel replied coldly.
"Oh really?"
"Axel. You're not doing yourself or Roxas any favours. Don't you think he needs someone to help him right now in this dark time?" Demyx questioned.
"You've been hanging around Zex and Riku for too long," Axel droned.
He was not going to say that he liked the kid. Not now. Not when Roxas was so fragile and susceptible to anything said to him.
"Speaking of Riku, how's he doing?" Axel asked, hoping that it would change the subject.
"He hasn't left the room," Demyx informed him. He then frowned slightly. "Sora's been sleeping it off but Riku's acting like he's the one that was raped."
"Riku just feels…guilty," Axel said. Demyx gasped.
"Axel! You came into Riku's defence!"
"And is that a bad thing?"
"You never come into people's defence! You just leave them to die basically!"
"Cheers for that," Axel muttered, finally getting his much sought for coffee.
"But anyway, getting back to the subject, do you or do you not like Roxas?" Zack persisted. He brought a kunai out. "I'd think very carefully about your answer."
Axel noted it, thinking very carefully about his answer. There were some things that Axel found incredibly endearing within the blond. For one, Roxas seemed to view the world so differently. Where Axel seemed to believe that his past would always hinder him, Roxas seemed to have thought that the past was just what it was: time that could no longer be used. Roxas was emotional; Axel tried to hide his emotions behind a wall. But the thing was, they seemed like a match made in heaven. An artist and a musician. How much more romantic could you get?
But then again, Roxas could annoy Axel. Always asking questions that the musician couldn't answer. Axel shuddered internally. All those damn questions he couldn't answer no matter how hard he racked his brains for them.
Another thing that annoyed Axel was the fact that Roxas forever seemed to be getting himself into trouble. Maybe not as serious as Sora was (possessed and gang-raped was a lot for one kid to cope with in his opinion), but it annoyed Axel to no end.
It was just then that Leon came back, looking even more pissed off than his usual expression seemed to be. Axel sighed, half expecting it.
"That damn blond twin!" Leon seethed. Everyone looked at him peculiarly. Leon sighed. "He went berserk when he saw Xemnas."
"What?!" Axel erupted, making everyone (even Leon, the toughest of the tough) jump from surprise. "That idiot knows better than to confront anyone who looks remotely strong enough to kill him!"
"Apparently not," Leon quirked an eyebrow. "And from the looks of it, he did make Xigbar's broken ribs a lot more sore than they had been, even if he did get out of the brawl with quite a hefty bruise."
"What…" Axel said lowly, his voice turning into a dangerous growl. His eyes were screaming where-the-fuck-is-he?!
"He's with Aerith at the moment," Leon informed him. That was all the information Axel needed. He went storming into the living room.
Aerith sighed as Roxas flinched slightly. The younger blond had a large bruise about the size of an apple on his left cheek and he had small scratch marks and bruises on his shoulders, as if he had been forced down to the floor. Roxas refused to give details of how he managed to get them.
"That was completely out of character for you," Aerith murmured quietly.
Tifa was also in the room, pounding a fist into the palm of her hand, itching to hurt someone. Particularly anyone who was in Heartless Rapture's rival band.
"Can I hurt someone?!" she yowled. "Why can't we just go after them!?"
"Because they'll have more leverage against us," Aerith snapped. It was very rare that Aerith ever got angry but when she did, there was nothing scarier than the living domestic goddess. But then again, it never seemed to bother Shiva's resident business guru.
"But they'll keep on hurting more innocent people if we let them slide with this!"
"Since when has violence solved anything?!"
It solved my feeling of being helpless, Roxas thought. He didn't dare voice his opinion.
"Well what are we going to do then, Miss. Smarty-Pants? Get a bake-sale together and raise money against gang-rape or to pay them to go away? Huh? HUH?"
"Oooooh, Tifa…"
Roxas scooted away from his place, not really willing to play the part as referee between the girls' fight. But Axel came in, looking incredibly pissed off.
"What…the…hell…were…you…thinking?" Axel demanded in a firm, slow and dangerous voice. Roxas glared at him.
"I'm sorry for not being able to keep myself in check while my twin's rapists happen to be in the same building as me," Roxas snapped, feeling agitated.
"Do you think that's going to help him?"
"It'll help me," Roxas muttered stubbornly. He really did not want to hear this. He had taken care of Sora with Riku this morning. He had heard Sora mumbling in his sleep, asking for 'it' to stop. Roxas couldn't deal with the fact that Xemnas was still prancing about as free as a bird. Something had to be done. Anything.
"Look, we'll think of something. I'm sure Leon can use his connections and I'll use mine. Heck, all of us will," Axel stated, eyes showing determination. "We won't let them get away with this. I promise you that."
"Really?"
"Do you trust me?"
Roxas paused. The bickering behind them seemed to fade away as Roxas just looked up into those pools of jade green. He nodded his head slowly.
"Yeah…"
"Good. Then trust me."
Axel turned away muttering something about 'getting to them before Ariel does'. Roxas didn't think much of it. What could Ariel possibly do to make this whole situation go away?
It was late at night at Hollow Bastion Park. The sky was dark and cloudy, no star and no moon lighting the dark blanket above. Xemnas wrapped his coat tighter around his body, keeping the cold wind out. He couldn't believe that he had been left behind by his so-called bandmates. For god's sake, all they did was roughen up the other twin, the twin they were supposed to get, a little bit. That didn't mean they had to have the alarm bells ringing. What could that loser band Heartless Rapture do to them?
"Xemnas Kaze, I presume?"
Xemnas looked up. A woman with long vibrant red hair and clothed in a black tailored suit was sitting on the bench, looking at him with an unsettling easy smile. He frowned.
"How do you know who I am?"
He was very sure that he hadn't seen this woman before. But now two other figures appeared. Dressed similarly as the woman, one of them had long red hair tied up in a spiky ponytail while the other was a big bald dark-skinned man with sunglasses on. Xemnas tensed slightly.
"Just wanted to speak to you," the woman said, standing up from her position. In the streetlight, he saw that she had sparkling blue eyes. She got closer to him.
"Now, I believe you hurt a very special someone to me," the woman stated. "A very special person. You made him have to relive a very painful part of his past."
"Who are you talking about?"
"Playing dumb isn't gonna save ya, yo," the red-haired man pointed out.
"Just who are you people?!"
"I happen to work for Traverse Town Music Corporation," the woman stated. "I'm a talent-spotter and manager."
Xemnas seemed to gape at her. The woman continued.
"Now, the Organization could have been big. You could've made millions. However, by touching the one person who is such an important impact on the band members of Heartless Rapture –by touching the one person who is related to the kid who's the only one allowed to make my little brother feel sad or happy– you've forfeited that chance. Just think of if you did get that person who's so close to my little brother. He would've murdered you. That is, if I didn't get to you first."
Xemnas backed slightly, finding himself backing into the railings. The woman sighed.
"There's only one person who's allowed to make my little brother cry or smile. And that isn't you, Kaze."
That's when he felt himself being pushed by a big boot to his chest. He tipped over the railings, helpless to stop himself fall down the steep hill that overlooked the campus. The woman was still smiling.
"Good bye, Kaze. And this will mean the break up of your band if you know what's good for you."
Reno leant on the railings, whistling as he saw the frontman tumble down the hill.
"Ouch. He's gonna be out of commission for weeks I take it."
"Piece of shit like him deserved so much more," Ariel muttered, taking out a cigarette so to calm herself down with the sweet, sweet nicotine. She wished her little brother didn't smoke but then again, that would be hypocritical of her. She hated hypocrites. The man behind them stayed silent.
"Should've let us beaten him up," Reno pouted.
"And risk getting a criminal record for assault? Personally, I think the accident is better. He doesn't have a name, and now he knows that Traverse Town won't have anything to do with him. He's a broken dream. And like I said before, I'm not afraid to dirty my hands again just for Axel, even if he protests against it."
"You're harsh."
"I just now know that the world is not a nice place. It does whatever it can to destroy a person."
They all sat in silence.
"Hey."
"Yeah Rude?" Reno nodded. He was used to those periods where Rude would be silent for a long time. When he did speak, it was because it was important.
"Do you'll think he'll find out?"
"I wouldn't put anything past Axel," Ariel sighed, a small smile forming upon her lips. "He's not stupid."
"You won't believe what I just heard!" Demyx announced at breakfast the next morning. Sora and Riku were still confined to room 7, so Aerith had gone up to give them something to eat. She was now sitting next to Zack, distracted from her conversation with him. Also joining them was Ariel who claimed she was in the neighbourhood so thought to come over to save those few pennies. She was sipping on her cup of coffee.
"What?" Yuffie asked, looking up from her sugar-filled cereal (and it still amazed the housemates how Aerith, the domestic goddess, allowed Yuffie to have sugar in her domain). Namine next to her looked up from her doodles.
"Xemnas was found this morning with a whole set of broken bones!"
Zexion looked at Demyx with surprise. "You sure?"
"I heard it from one of the professors while I was doing my morning round! I can't believe it! That is such a huge case of karma!"
Cloud and Leon exchanged looks, each of them believing that this little piece of news was just too good to be true. Marluxia and Larxene were also exchanging glances, Marluxia looking up to the stairs only to get his foot stamped upon and Larxene hissing for him to leave Sora alone. Tifa smiled smugly, leaning back into her chair and saying how justice had prevailed where the law could not. Roxas was supremely happy, as was Namine, and Yuffie had rushed off to tell Sora and Riku upstairs. Zack and Aerith smiled as well but got back to their conversation.
The only person who didn't seem so sure about the news was Axel, who was giving his sister a questioning look. She just smiled at him and went back to her coffee, beginning to read the newspaper.
"Good start to the day this, isn't it?" she asked innocently.