Woo. It is the third chapter. It's kind of drably, so beware! But I suppose it is semi-worth reading…not as good as the last few chapters. Less action. Not very actiony. Sorry.
I don't own Kingdom Hearts in any way. If I did, then yay.
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Chapter 3 – Promise
It was his name. Finely engraved in another language and pulsing white, it was there among several other names that were unreadable. Namine turned her head towards Roxas, who looked the list over before opening his eyes wider. Kairi and Sora did the same, but found not a trace of their names. Nor did Riku.
The names ran from top to bottom of the door, all glowing simultaneously.
"No way…" Axel moaned as his eyes traced from top to bottom. Everywhere were the names of nobodies. "What is this? Some monument?"
And now, how come I understand a few of these? Like…uh… his eyes turned and the first name he saw was…
"Larxene?" he whispered quietly. "How strange…"
Ok, not someone I necessarily want to remember, but I can read it. Otherwise, the other names are all…in a different language. Maybe I can read all of the Organization names because I knew them.
He looked around some more and managed to read off the other 10, not including Roxas.
At that moment, there was a crackle of static, and a white blade of lightning cracked down on an empty space. A new name had carved itself on.
"A new one?"
"…" The others stared in confusion, before Namine shivered.
"Something about this place gives me the creeps…let's get out of here." She shuddered, and the six headed back to the Gummi Ship.
As they boarded, none noticed the figure standing in the shadows of the closing doorway.
"So they left." The figure said, pulling down its hood to reveal the face of whom they had just fought.
"So it would seem, Marluxia." Another figure appeared with hood off to show a tired face, long muddy blonde hair trailing down his sunken cheeks.
"Do you think there are more of them out there? People like us?" Marluxia questioned, turning his face to the other man. "I mean, you're cooping yourself up in that room for no reason if you haven't gotten any progress in the research…"
"I AM making process! I just don't feel like sharing it with you!" the other man barked back in response, his eyes flaring up.
"Hey, calm. I was just wondering-"
"But I know now. Those names, didn't you hear him? He understood some. Didn't you hear his every thought? He knows them. And if he knows some of them, it's plain to see, he knows us." The man continued, drowning out Marluxia's protests.
"Oh!" Marluxia suddenly brightened. "So he subconsciously knows us!"
"In a way, yes." The man pointed. "You're finally getting brighter after all these years."
Marluxia frowned deeply before slapping the other man on the cheek.
"OW! WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT FOR?"
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As the Gummi Ship headed through the air, most of the crew except Sora, who was forced to continue piloting, went to sleep. Axel was no exception, but the fact that he had many new wounds bothered him.
A room that had the words 'Restroom' conveniently written on it was nearby, so he walked in.
Unzipping his coat slightly so he could examine the gash in the back, he was displeased to notice it had not fully recovered, and had made a red stain on his cloak that wasn't too visible, but moist. A cabinet next to a mirror revealed to have more Elixirs inside. Taking one, he dabbed the liquid over the long wound. Following that was the one on his shoulder. Zipping his jacket back up, he then pulled off his glove to look at his previous wounds on his knuckles. The blood had dried, and the healing before had made it better, but it ached to move his hands.
"Hey, whoever's in there, are you done?" an angry and panicked voice shouted outside. Axel put his glove back on, and came out.
"Oh it's just you." Sora said, pushing him out of the way and scrambling in.
"…"
Riku was now trying to pilot in vain, doing a mediocre job, but nearly veering into an asteroid.
Cursing, Riku nearly slammed his fist onto the controls. "How do you drive these things Sora?" he shouted at the restroom.
"Ungh!" was his only reply. Riku made a sick face.
In the back of the ship what one could call a sleeping quarter…well, the area had decent beds, but was crowded with multiple engineering parts and tools at the back of the room. The beds were near the front.
Three of the beds were already occupied by Roxas, Namine, and Kairi, all who were sleeping fitfully. There was a sixth bed that looked untouched, and he assumed it was for him. Too bad it was located a bit too close to the garbage.
It was a bit too small as well, so he scrunched up, until he decided to sit on it instead. Several minutes later, sleep overtook him, and his eyes closed to sleep.
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He awoke in a town. It was dark and gloomy, and the sun overhead looked like it was turning red. The clouds were dark and gray, and rain pelted down quietly onto the floor where crouched, his hand bleeding.
What was going on?
He felt something grab his leg as he tried to stand up, and he saw Roxas, blood dripping from his mouth. Multiple cuts and bruises covered him, each with blood slowly seeping out. A bloody chakram lay near his leg.
"Don't do this…" he groaned weakly as he fell to the floor again.
Blood covered the floor like a battlefield. This area was a battlefield. Sora's Keyblade was on the floor far across the street. Riku was on the floor breathing heavily somewhere back. Axel looked down.
He tried to say, "Do what?" but instead, the words came out differently. Much more differently.
"I don't care. In fact, I like it better this way, with you all dying. It doesn't matter to me anymore. I'll rather live without you, with you all dead, than struggle to help you escape them." He laughed, and held out a hand, which emanated with glowing red flames.
A sharp pain crossed through his mind.
"You don't have to do this! It isn't your destiny to betray us!" Roxas screamed, a bright bolt of lightning crashing across the sky. The water dripped down his face, like tears.
Was he crying? Or was it the rain?
The tears spattered on the floor, along with the blood from all his wounds.
Axel closed his eyes, trying to pull himself away, but he only cast his eyes down towards Roxas.
"I can't live like this anymore."
The flame rippled from his hand, exploding through Roxas. Screaming in agony, the flames engulfed him until he fell to the floor.
Axel stared, devoid of what he had just done. Until he finally realized Roxas was dying, he fell to the floor.
"No…I don't want it to end this way." His voice came out in desperate gasps.
"Why did you insist on having it end this way?" Riku asked, his cracking as he fell into a pool of his own blood. "Why did you have to kill him?"
The rain pattered madly on the floor now, a roar of thunder and a crack of lightning illuminating the battlefield.
"I won't die." Riku said,
"Axel!" Sora shouted over the din of the thunder, his bleeding form crawling towards him. "What did you do to Roxas! Axel! AXEL!"
"Axel!" Sora screamed, shaking the older man back and forth. "Wake up!"
"NO! GET AWAY!" Axel screamed, and fell off the bed.
"Huh? What's with all the ruckus?" Kairi moaned as she got up on the bed.
"I don't get it…" Sora muttered in confusion. "Didn't you guys hear him screaming?"
"Screaming? What are you talking about?" Namine snapped as she rose from where she slept. "You guys woke me up…and look, Roxas slept through all of it."
But Roxas hadn't slept through all of it. His eyes were wide open, his heart pumping madly.
"Huh? Are you sure?" he asked, then looked at Roxas, who got up. "Roxas, I need to say something."
The two left, and Namine and Kairi fell back to sleep again almost instantly. Axel's eyes were still wide open, his breathing uneven, his palms sweating.
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"Did you see what I saw?" Roxas blurted when they closed the door.
Sora only nodded, a look of panic crossing his face.
"I saw a mass murderer!" "I saw lots of blood!" the two shouted at the same time (the first one being Sora's of course).
"I don't know about this anymore…" Roxas only said after the awkward silence, putting a hand to his head in confusion. "I mean he seems good enough of a person…"
"He seems. Notice the word usage there. Seems means he MIGHT, and MIGHT is not good enough." Sora responded instantly. "I saw you die."
The words sunk in, and a silence filled the air once more. A chill went through their bodies.
I saw you… Roxas turned his head away.
"It's ok, bro." Sora assured Roxas, who stayed as rigid as a board. "You still thinking about those words? I'm sorry if I got you worried."
"But what I want to know is…how in the first place did we all see the same thing? I mean nobody else had the vision…" Roxas murmured. "How?"
"We don't need to know that now. If he's planning on throwing something bad on us, we can drag him to Disney Castle and have King Mickey lock him up. There. Problem solved." Sora sighed exasperatedly, throwing his hands up into the air.
Twice now. Axel had heard Disney Castle. So that still existed. But the dream was still finely ingrained in his mind. If he would truly do that, they'd lock him up in Disney Castle. With all the…happiness…
Axel shuddered. That was one area he wasn't willing to go.
He had eavesdropped on the entire conversation, as Kairi and Namine were sleeping so they wouldn't see him listening. Sora and Roxas were too deep in their conversations to even tell he was listening from the other side of the door. Although he wanted to get answers, eavesdropping had made him feel queasy. It was guilt, and he didn't like it.
Even then, he knew he still wasn't fully someone yet, and he didn't intend on it being so.
After all, being nobody suits me best… he thought, but a tiny part of his mind rejected that.
You'll never figure if that's true if you don't see both sides of the situation. It sang tauntingly. Learn to appreciate your feelings.
"SHUT UP!" he suddenly screamed and slammed a fist into the door.
On the other side, a hand impaled through the metal door.
"Gah!" Sora jumped almost more than three feet up into the air. Roxas' hair stood up in shock.
Cursing Axel withdrew his hand and looked down at the blood now dripping out slowly.
"Cover blown. They won't trust me again. Stupid feelings. Stupid voice." He growled, his back now facing the door, head drooped low. "What's wrong with me? This never has happened before…"
The blood began drying up as he relieved himself of every emotion, until only a small bruise was left behind.
The door quietly opened. Not turning around, Axel only stood where he was, looking down, uncertain what to do.
Great, the feelings are returning again. He thought tiredly to himself. Maybe dreams become reality.
Shielding the rage that was now coming out so he wouldn't cause any more destruction, he fell into deep thought.
Why am I here, if I only am to kill the person I am searching for in the end?
"…Um…" Sora's voice pierced his thoughts.
Axel turned around, surprised even though he already knew he had been there. Sora flinched and drew backwards, but returned.
"So you heard…?" Sora questioned quietly.
Axel only nodded, the blood pumping in his ears.
"…I don't know if we can go on anymore." He continued uncertainly. "I mean, if the dream was true…"
The rest of the words blanked out in Axel's mind.
If the dream was true…
Sora continued to speak, but Axel only saw his mouth moving. His heart pounded against his chest madly, as if it were about to burst.
"…I don't want anything to end that way…" the younger boy whispered almost inaudibly.
At that moment, Roxas, who had been standing by the door, felt a pulse of white flash through his brain.
"Nobody would miss me."
The darkness covered the streets. Only lamps and the lights scattered across the streets lit up the dark place.
"No…you're wrong…"
He turned his head back and faced someone all too familiar.
"I would."
Roxas' eyes widened. He knew this Axel guy somehow. He didn't know how, but he remembered something.
When he had fallen onto the floor in their battle with the flora-happy man…
He had seen Axel's blood form into some kind of shape before it froze up like ice.
After that, he had fainted.
I don't understand… he thought to himself.
Sora was returning to Roxas, Axel following obediently behind him, breathing heavily.
I can't let this tear our family apart. Roxas thought.
I can't let myself get in their way… Axel thought. I've only been bringing them harm. I know it. It's not a coincidence I met up with Marluxia. I'm positive I'm the reason.
"Roxas…" Sora murmured quietly.
At that moment, Axel's eyes crossed with Roxas'. Roxas stared up for a split second before looking back down quickly.
Axel walked past him and left to a separate room in the ship.
"Roxas…don't be worried…please…" Sora pleaded, grasping his brother's hands. "Promise to me that whatever happens, don't give up hope…I know that we can stop whatever forces stand between us and living in peace again. Don't give up Roxas, please."
Roxas wondered why Sora was telling him this. He was confused as the two walked back to the main control room.
Riku stared at him from where he was steering and got up, and Sora began to drive once more.
"Hey Roxas…" Riku looked at his younger brother. "In every darkness, there is a light. That light can never be put out, no mater how hard anyone tries. But I understand now that if you lose sight of the light, it is hard to find again. Roxas, do not lose sight of that light."
Why is everyone being so strange today? Roxas wondered confusedly.
When he returned to get to sleep, it took him several hours. When he finally did, he dreamt of only his death, and nothing more.
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Wow, so Emo…I guess…I did not intend for this chapter to be so serious. So drably. Maybe you should have skipped it. Hey, but I'm glad you are reading this…I think…Oh in case you want to know...I don't like Emo...sorry if I wrote some...oops...
I'm having a bit of trouble updating super-fast because I don't like others reading behind my back…GRR! I prefer typing alone…but with people poking heads behind me, I can never concentrate. I really hope you liked this chapter…thanks for reading…