Author: Noire
Length: 686 words
Pairing: Axel/Roxas ( Hinty, squishy stuff. - )
Summary: One shot, Roxas is having a private moment contemplating his own meager existence. That is of course until Axel shows up and sticks his nose where it really doesn't belong. nn
Disclaimer: I don't own KHII or Axel, or Roxas. They belong to the corporation.
"As you are now, so once was I. As I am now soon you will be." I don't remember where I heard tha, maybe I read it in a book , saw it on a gravestone or heard it in a song. Who ever came up with that was a great observer of life because I watch this philosophy play out almost every day. The young couple dancing by the fountain will in time grow old and grey. Their joints will ache their bodies deteriorate at an exponential rate. Before they realize what's happening, it's already too late and they have played right into time's calloused hand. Soon they too will become the elderly couple who sit on their front porch together day in and day out. The elderly couple watch them, reliving their past by observing young love salsa across the town square.
Hearts are joined by fine golden thread, a thread that withstands poverty, famine, wars and the test of time. Where has my golden threat gone? What cruel and unusual beast has come along and snapped the thread that ties my heart to another. And if a heart is lost, but the memories attached to it still live on is that heart truly lost?
"Roxas? What are you doing in this dingy library? This place is a prison."
Here comes the clown. He reminded me of someone who would belong to la Commedia dell'arte. His hair shimmers in the sun, it reminds me of a lions mane died rich red hues. He draws nearer and nearer. I snap my little black book shut and pocket my pen.
"People watching." I say quietly after pushing back the grimy curtains, shutting the real world out. The room is drowned in darkness once the blinds are closed. The library is small and the air is thick. Shelf after Shelf is packed with ancient romance novels and encyclopedias, all are buried in a thick layer of dust.
"People watching eh? Is it the young couple? "Axel asks. He smiles at me and I frown, I don't see what's so funny.
"No, it's a different couple." I'm lying through my teeth, I hope that my eyes don't betray me as they I cast a wayward glance towards the closed curtains. Axel seats himself on the coffee table by the window and the dusty arm chair I have claimed as my own. I can hear the table groan as it protests Axel's weight. He pulls the curtains aside and looks down at the quiet town square.
"You can't lie to me Roxas. There's no one out there but them." He pulls the curtain back and looks at me, his arms folded over his chest like he's waiting for some kind of explanation.
" I… Uh… " I stare at the soiled carpet and make a face, as my brain scrambles to come up with a good story. " There were others out there before you showed up. "I huff, feeling like I'm four years old all over again." And stop smiling at me like that! What's the matter do I have something on my face? "He's watching me still; I wiggle around in the arm chair and follow his eyes. He points to my black book, and holds his hand out, palms up.
"Mind if I read?"
Grunting quietly I reach underneath the cushion and hand my book over. "No." I say quietly shaking my head a little. Axel flips through the pages carefully as if each entry was sacred. A collection of logs written by his own little angel: me. He stops, and carefully reads over today's entry, his smile fades and a shadow passes over his face. He closes the book shut and gets up with unnatural grace. He makes his way to me, hugging the careworn journal to his chest. I reach out, expecting him to hand me my book and go back on his way. He takes me by surprise when he leans forward and whispers into my ear.
"Tell me Roxas… can a heart break even after it has stopped beating?"