Disclaimer: I may not own Kingdom Hearts, but hey—I help to supply you all with your regular yaoi fix. What more do you want from me?
Jessie: That's right—I'm back to working on this fanfic for the first time since…since…
Joh: You can't remember the last time you were working on this, can you?
Jessie: Blushes You're… you're not helping…!
Joh: Aww, Jessie, you're so cute Snickers
Jessie: …Thank you, sister-mine. But back to the subject at hand. You can all thank the lovely Kiki Lelsissia for this update, as the inspirational review she left me was what at last convinced me to get back to work on this story.
Joh: Nods Yeah, Jessie was so happy when she first got that review that she felt she had to tell me right away.
Jessie: Beams Yup! So, hope you all enjoy!
Warnings: Language, mentions of alcohol, and angry text messages.
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Strobe lights flickered crazily across the stage, the thousands of people present screaming their approval when smoke began to rise from the floor as the beginning chords to the first song for the night blared from the amps, veiling the platform in a bright shroud.
The crowd's already deafening cheers rose even higher in volume as the main attraction of the night gradually came into focus at center stage as the fog began to ebb away.
The video feed that went into the two huge screens that hung from the sides of the stage switched from dizzying footage of eager fans to the face of an all too familiar blonde.
He grinned, lifting an arm in a casual greeting, his sapphire eyes sparkling ever more in the spotlight as he took in the vast audience before him.
At last, his fans' shrieks of excitement changed from something that resembled what you might hear if all the animals in a circus got loose to a chant of his name.
Positively beaming by this point, the teenage heartthrob let his eyes wander idly across the faces in the first row, enjoying the occasional particularly piercing shrieks of excitement that occurred when his gaze met a fan's every so often.
Finally, the familiar beats that came just before the first verse began sounded, and the boy raised his microphone to his lips; parting them to take a breath and--
x
XxXxX
"Roxas! Wake up, sleepyhead!"
XxXxX
x
It was with extreme displeasure that Roxas Hikari forced his tired eyes open, lifting his head to blearily glare at his surroundings, intending to kill whatever—or whoever—it was that had shaken him from his blissful dream.
He let out a groan, however, when he found himself face to face with a pair of identical, albeit happier, blue eyes. Of course the one person who had the nerve to wake him in such an irritatingly chipper manner would be the only person he could never bring himself to hurt in any way, much less kill—his twin brother.
"Sora. Could you just clear up one small thing for me? Where the fuck do you get this energy each and –every– fucking morning?" Roxas moaned, yelping angrily when Sora experimentally yanked at a corner of the blanket that was wrapped tightly around his body, very nearly pulling the blonde off the bed in the process.
"Language, Roxy!" Sora chided happily, before placing his hands on his hips and leaning down to beam at his sullen brother.
"And as for your itty bitty issue with my good attitude in the mornings—it only makes sense that one of us has to be the morning person, baby brother!" Sora declared as he settled himself on the very edge of the bed, bouncing slightly where he sat—easily dodging the half-hearted swipe Roxas sent his way in response to the affectionate nickname.
"'Sides, we've gotta gig tonight, remember?" Sora continued happily, hopping back to his feet, snagging the blanket as he skipped a few paces away from the bed (or, out of Roxas' reach), giggling at Roxas' vehement protests.
"Whatever," Roxas muttered groggily, reluctantly sliding out of bed—linking his fingers and fluidly stretching his arms up above his head as he yawned; his loose pajama bottoms barely managing to cling to his hips with the motion.
"Way to sound excited," Sora teased before a more serious look overcame his usually smiling features.
"But really—whatever's not an option right now, Rox. You know just as well as I do that we've gotta give these gigs our all…right now, they're our only hopes for getting anywhere. So try an' make the best of it, awright? It's what we've been doing for two years, and it's paid off so far!" Sora finished with a smile, giving his brother a one-armed hug before skipping out of the room, cheerfully yelling something about burnt cereal.
Roxas stared after his older ("by three minutes,Sora, damn it!!") brother for a few more seconds, reveling in the sudden quiet of his room before turning to his dresser to search for an outfit suitable for both the day and that evening's performance.
At last he settled on a pair of baggy black jeans, held up by a silver studded belt. He was in the middle of pulling a form-fitting black tank over his head when the silence was once again shattered by the belated blaring of his radio alarm.
"Another day, is going by,
I'm thinkin' about you all the time--"
"DAMN IT, SORA, I HAD FIVE MORE FUCKING MINUTES!"
"--But you're out there,
And I'm here waiting."
"The early worm gets the bird, Roxy!"
"THAT'S NOT HOW THAT SAYING—ARGH!" Roxas broke off angrily, stomping over to silence the alarm, yanking his shirt down with one hand while his other raked through his messy blonde spikes in a vain attempt to tame his terrible case of bed head.
"And I, wrote this letter, in my head,
Cuz so many things were left unsaid--"
Roxas' hand froze mere inches from where the OFF button was, fingers pulling back hesitantly as he regarded the radio with a suddenly contemplative look.
When Sora had first bought the alarm clock for his brother (to replace the once he'd spilled a soda on), he'd set it to his favorite hit music station. Coincidentally, this happened to be the very same channel that Roxas loathed.
And lo and behold; neither of them could figure out how to change it once the deed was done.
"Just look at it as extra motivation for you to get up in the morning—if only to turn it off" Sora had offered brightly, looking extremely pleased with himself for coming up with such a (in his mind, at least) brilliant solution.
Roxas tended to hate much of today's pop music, claiming that it all sounded the same—that there were no original ideas anymore.
But this… this was new …
…That voice…
"--But now you're gone,
And I can't think straight."
…Somehow, it seemed familiar…
"Roxas, c'mon! The cereal's getting cold!"
Sora's yell shook Roxas from his stupor, and he reluctantly turned the radio off, frowning when he processed was Sora had said.
"Sora, cereal's supposed to be cold!"
"Oh…seriously? Wait… you mean I wasn't supposed to cook it for the last ten minutes?"
"SORA!"
X X X
"Leaving? What the hell do you mean you're leaving?"
Stormy blue eyes blinked in mild surprise at the sudden outburst before rising warily from the near-completed game of Sudoku to the male across the table from him, who was grasping the red cell phone he held to his ear with the same desperation one would a life line.
"…The fuck does that mean? What 'other priorities?' We've been working our asses off to get where we are now for years! You can't just fucking quit the band, on us, on me, Larxene," Axel seethed after a lapse of speech where the blonde woman had seemingly been trying to reason with her band mate.
"…Y'know what? Fuck you. I've had enough of your bullshit," Axel finally snarled into the phone, hanging up and chucking his mobile at the wall—but not even the sound of cracking machinery managed to sate the redhead even slightly.
Axel raked one shaky hand through his wild spikes while his other began fishing in his pants pocket for a carton of cigarettes. One of his many lighters appeared in his hand in a flash, and he raised a stick to his lips, desperately fumbling to light it—the tension in his face only beginning to ebb away once he'd drawn in a deep breath and exhaled.
"…It's not ideal for you to smoke right before a rehearsal, Axel," Zexion observed quietly, eyes intently following the plume of smoke that rose from Axel's parted lips, his nose wrinkling unhappily. The slate-haired scholar was rather sensible to smells.
Axel actually paused for a moment, drawing the cigarette away from his mouth to regard the nicotine fix he held easily between two fingers before returning it nonchalantly to his lips.
"Whatever, what the fuck ever," Axel said vacantly, suddenly looking exhausted. Usually vivid, emerald eyes were dull and listless sent Zexion a fleeting glance before he looked away, pushing himself up to his feet and grabbing the carton on the table before his feet lead him to the door, pausing to retrieve his cellular and slipping it back into his pants pocket.
"I'm going for a walk," Axel's muttered belatedly after having slammed the door closed behind him before he began trudging down the hall that led to the studio they were relaxing at.
Zexion let out what would have been a hopeless sigh had he been anyone else, before turning his icy gaze to the ceiling.
"Again--just what exactly was I thinking when I signed myself up for this job?" Zexion murmured to himself, shaking his head wearily as he completed his game of Sudoku, turning the page to look wistfully a new one before setting the book aside to retrieve his sleek cell phone from his pocket. He pressed speed dial before lifting it to his ear, waiting the mere beat or two it took for the other to pick up their phone, before speaking quietly.
"Axel will be there in a half hour…yes, I know, he's late; I am, after all, the one who scheduled the band's rehearsal time at that particular studio, remember?"
A minute smile stole across his lips at their response before his lips pulled downwards into a worried frown once more.
"But I believe we've had a rather problematic turn of events…"
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"Heeey, if it ain't my two favorite mini-Strifes! How ya'll doing, kiddos?" a slightly inebriated brunette called happily from where he was sprawled at the bar.
"Hiya, Irvine!" Sora greeted over Roxas' less enthusiastic "Stuff it, Irvine" (though he did seem to be having trouble keeping the corners of his lips from lifting).
"Good evening, boys," Tifa welcomed pleasantly, appearing through a doorway behind the bar, alerted to their entrance thanks to Irvine's rather loud greeting.
"Hi, Tifa… you mind if we go set up now?" Roxas asked, toying with the strap of his guitar case where it was slung over his left shoulder.
"Be my guest—it's nearly five thirty anyway," Tifa shrugged, before glancing up when a patron sat down at the counter.
"I've gotta go for now—we're starting to get busy—so you two just do your thing and I'll give you your check for the week when you're heading out, kay?" Tifa suggested, returning Sora's bright "okay!" and grin with a soft smile of her own before sauntering over to her place behind the bar to tend to the customer.
"I'm gotta go set up my drum kit," Sora said, nudging his brother to gain his attention and then flashing him a grin before rushing ahead to retrieve his set from where it was carefully stored in a corner by the piano.
Roxas let out a sigh as he carefully slipped his beloved electric guitar from its case and took a seat on one of the bar stools to tune it to the correct key for the first of their songs for their hour-long performance.
It wasn't that he didn't appreciate Tifa's willingness to both let them play and pay for the entertainment—quite the opposite, in fact. Roxas knew how very lucky he and Sora were to be employed regularly at the popular bar and lounge. Honestly, they had no one to thank but their older brother Cloud. It was the quiet-natured blond that had recognized his brothers' talent and suggested the arrangement to his close friend, who had latched onto the idea at once after she'd heard them play for her one day.
"Really, I was getting sick of that Roger…y'know, inspiration for a new song would just hit him, and he'd just go on and on…it was lovely at first but, well, it got old fast—especially when he ended up offending one of my… well, she wasn't by any means a favorite customer, but she was rather lucrative, that Cruella DeVil," Tifa had explained flippantly to the shocked pair of twins.
He was grateful, he really was! It was just…
Yeah, he wanted more. And he knew Sora felt the same way, despite his enthusiasm for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings.
"Roxas!"
The blue-eyed blond snapped out of his thoughts at Sora's impatient call, and he strummed his guitar once, nodding to himself in satisfaction before hopping down from the stool—he couldn't help that he was a bit on the scrawny side for his age, damn it!
Sora stepped aside to give his brother access to his spot before the microphone after he adjusted the stand to Roxas' height. Then, giving him a quick thumbs-up, he settled at his drum set and picked up his drumsticks while Roxas hooked his guitar up to the small amp Sora had dragged over for him when he had set up his drums.
Roxas raised his eyes to the bar as he fished in his pockets for a pick in hopes of catching Tifa's eye; sure enough, as soon as she finished refilling Irvine's glass she glanced up, saw him looking at her, and hastened over to where they were waiting, lifting the microphone from its stand and smiling warmly.
"Good evening, everyone," she began, scanning the fifteen or so people seated around the space. "I hope you're all having a fine time tonight, but I'd like to take a moment or two to introduce tonight's entertainment. Now, I know our regulars are well aware just who these two talented people are, but for those who don't, please welcome Sora and Roxas Strife."
She snapped the mike back into its hold on the stand before bowing slightly and stepping down to sit at the bar with a loudly cheering Irvine, whose cowboy hat had slipped forward, covering the entire right side of his face (yet for the life of him, he couldn't seem to grasp just why his eyesight was suddenly impaired).
Roxas looked over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of Sora once last time, who was idly twirling his drumsticks between his fingers, nodding when Roxas' mouthed the name of their first song to confirm what they were starting with.
He closed his eyes, listening to Sora tap his drumsticks together to establish the beat before strumming the opening chords, playing the short instrumental introduction before he parting his lips and began to sing.
XxXxXxXxXx
In reality, Axel didn't show up to rehearsal thirty minutes late.
No, the band member chose not to bother showing up to the scheduled rehearsal period. So Zexion would throw a hissy fit (and quite possibly maim him). So what? Axel didn't need to see the expressions on his friends' faces when he told them the news—that lovely job could go to dear ol' Zexy.
What Axel needed was a miracle.
Or a drink. Miracles could wait; what he really needed right this second was a drink.
He'd ended up quickly regretting his mindlessness when he'd stormed out of the studio. Rule number one for a rising celebrity—when in public, blend in.
And blend in Axel certainly did not. Blending in had never been the rebel's style, and now he was paying for it. Thankfully he'd remembered that he was wearing a black hoodie (after the thirteenth autograph request) and so he'd casually wandered into an alley to pull up his hood to hide his vivid spikes as best he could and slip on a pair of sunglasses that had been stuffed into his jacket pocket before continuing down the city blocks.
He figured he must have been doing a pretty good job of going incognito, for he hadn't been bothered since.
The redhead had begun looking around for a bar the moment the desire for a drink had hit him, and after a good five blocks of fruitless searching, he was relieved to glimpse a familiar-looking building he quickly remembered was a bar his older brother had once pointed out to him, it being one he frequented with his best friend and coworker.
Axel pushed through the front door just in time to hear the lounge's live entertainment burst into song. Right now, however, alcohol came before music, and so the musician took a seat at the counter beside a beautiful brunette.
Wait a sec…beautiful, brunette, and—yep—rather busty? Hadn't Reno come home and started blabbering to him for an hour about some chick whose stature she fit perfectly the very first time he'd visited the bar?
"Was it…Trinity? …No, Tina …? Wait a sec, wait…'
"Uh, Tifa?" Axel tried, and promptly gave himself a mental pat on the back, as the pretty bartender promptly turned around—
Only to narrow her eyes at him.
"No, Irvine, I'm not giving you your keys ba—oh!" she gasped, flushing slightly.
"I'm so sorry, that guy a seat behind you has been whining to me for the past five minutes to give him his car keys back, which is a no-go," Tifa bit out, looking pointedly at the snickering man, before reguarding Axel with an curious look.
"I'm kind of confused though; I'm sure I've never seen you come in here before--how you know my name?" she asked.
"I've got an older brother who's a regular here. His name's--"
"--Reno, am I right?" Tifa smiled, laughing when Axel nodded with a slight grin.
"I knew I'd seen that whole red hair, bright eyes look recently," she joked.
"So you are…?"
"The name's Axel; commit it to memory," he said, the well-practiced line rolling easily off his tongue.
"Axel, huh?" Tifa repeated, gracing the younger redhead with a sly smile.
"So, Axel, what can I get for you?" Tifa asked, slipping onto her feet and sidling around to the other slide of the bar.
"Something hard—don't really care what. Just…gimme your strongest," Axel sighed, distractedly raking his fingers through his red strands. Tifa sent him questioning look which he pointedly ignored in favor of slipping a hand into his pocket to retrieve his phone which had started buzzing… kinda angrily, actually.
Huh. So it hadn't broken, after all.
He cursed softly to himself when he flipped his phone open, only to reveal the numerous angry texts his band members (and an especially infuriated manager) had sent him, slamming the phone down onto the counter and proceeding to ignore all further messages, glowering at the annoying device.
The redhead gave a slight start up when a glass was clunked down noisily in front of him, offering a mumbled thanks before reaching out to lift his glass, ready to down the whole thing in one go.
If someone said three years from now
You'd be long gone,
I'd stand up and punch them out
Cause they're all wrong and…
Axel froze as the singer launched into the final chorus of the song that was being performed, the rim of his glass cool against his lips. His eyes immediately snapped to the back of the space, where he'd caught a glimpse of a drum set being assembled.
That last kiss
I'll cherish
Until we meet again
His eyes alighted on a small blonde who was playing an electric guitar as he sang into the microphone…
And time makes
It harder
I wish I could remember
His eyes closed as he performed with a passion he'd never seen save in himself and his fellow band mates…
But I keep
Your memory
You visit me in my sleep
My darling, who knew?
That took his breath away.
"So Axel, mind if I ask just what the leader of a rising band is doing all alone at a lowly bar such as this establishment, lovely as it may be?" Tifa asked casually, her voice as well as the loud applause of the other customers startling the musician out of his stupor.
"…Shit, you recognized me?" Axel groaned, glancing about quickly to see if anyone else had become aware of his presence.
"Calm down, calm down—you're secret's safe with me, geez," Tifa hastened to reassure him, waving her hands defensively.
"You obvious aren't exactly in the mood for swooning fans, I can see that. But damn, why didn't Reno ever mention his younger brother was gonna be famous? Come to think of it," she continued in a murmur, "he never even mentioned having a brother…"
"Psh, he's just jealous," Axel scoffed, before downing the entire glass in one go as he'd originally planned to. He set the now-empty tumbler down onto the counter with a loud thunk, meeting Tifa's mildly admiring gaze purposefully.
"So," he began offhandedly, jerking his thumb towards the back, where the boys who had been performing were taking their bows to an enthusiastic audience.
"Who're those two?"
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Jessie: Sooo…the first chapter's a bit longer than I'd originally planned.
Joh: Shrugs Nothin' wrong with that.
Jessie: I guess not… but man, am I glad to finally post this! The only reason I even got this done was because I finally found the time; but only with my being sick.
Joh: Poor baby… but hey, at least we found out that funny thing about your voice when you're sick
Jessie: Joh and I find it amusing that apparently, when I can't breathe through my noise due to the fact that my head is completely stuffed up, I sound exactly like JenxtheJinx of Demyx Time.
Joh: It's funny!
Jessie: Not as funny as my impeccable timing where phones are involved.
Joh: True, true.
IshizuWolfRider: Thank you so much for all your lovely comments! And yes—thank you, Testuya Nomura, for practically making AkuRoku cannon. I agree; it almost doesn't feel right to twist their lives around for our own amusement. Keyword being almost. I hope you continue to enjoy the story!
CodeLyoko: I'm glad you're enjoying the story thus far—and I'm glad the smut in the first chapter was up to your standards.
Rainbow-Jess: You were instantly awesome for sharing my name, but reviewing, too? You're on my super-cool list right now, dear! I'm glad you like it, too!
Rachael Anne: Oh don't worry—I love seeing such enthusiasm in reviews; it always makes me wanna update faster, seeing how much people look forward to the continuation. And I apologize profusely for the ridiculously long wait, but I hope you've retained your enthusiasm. Thank you so, so much for all your supporting words, and I hope I continue to please!
Contemplation Indigo: First of all, wonderful penname you've got there. The next thing I wanna say is thank you--for sharing my sentiments that yes, this story should be continued. I hope my work remains up to your standards!
kelle611: I…I think the chapter following the prologue is the first chapter…I mean, that's what I've always thought…oh dear me, now I'm confused! And thank you so much for keeping this story on your alert for all this time its taken me to get this story moving again; it means a lot to me! I admit, I was going for a tearjerker of a prologue, so don't take it the wrong way when I say I'm pleased that you did cry a little—I'm just relieved that it apparently had the desired effect. Thank you for your review, and I hope you continue reading!
tifaxfinalxheaven: Hooray for AkuRoku indeed
Kiki Lelsissia: Darling, I'm not kidding when I say that the only reason this is even up at present is because of you--your review really inspired me to kick my brain into high gear, wrestle my writer's block and get this story moving again. And I love you for that. I'm pretty sure I've told you this before, but that review you left made me tear up because it touched me just that much. I truly hope that you continue to enjoy this story at least just as much as you have the prologue.
C3LLO: I'm so glad you really felt that part of the description, with Axel's laughs becoming sobs; I worked really hard to get that to sound just right. And thanks for adding this to your story list—it means a lot to me!
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