Hey everybody, I'm back with another chapter (it's about time, right? Sorry for the wait). I'm surprised actually, that I already have some fans. Me and Kiri made the outline for this story as a joke, to be completely honest, but I guess my writing makes it good? Actually, I felt that the first chapter was really crappy. Oh well, I'm enjoying writing this, and you're enjoying reading this, so I guess it doesn't really matter. Now, on to the reason you're here. XD
It was a while before Sora returned home. He was, Roxas knew, still with Riku, and possibly Seifer too. Sighing, Roxas plopped down onto his bed. He and Sora had been living together for almost four years now, since they entered high school together. Sora had been staying with a temporary family until he was old enough to live on his own, whereas Roxas simply emancipated himself. They both knew each others pasts, though they never spoke of it. For Sora, it had started when he was a very small child. His parents divorced, and his mother, stricken with grief, had taken it out on him. She had starved him, beaten him, and even molested him. The trauma was severe. Sometimes Roxas would wake up in the middle of the night and find him curled up in a ball in the corner of the room. If Roxas even tried to touch him, Sora would start to scream. It was no surprise that, if given the opportunity, he would find an escape in drugs. Roxas had tried to keep him away from shady people, but he had made the mistake of thinking that Seifer was an okay guy.
The bedroom door opened, breaking Roxas' train of thought. Sitting up, Roxas took a deep breath as Sora wandered in.
"Heya Roxy, what's up?" Sora mused, a distant look on his face.
"Can… we talk?" Roxas said quietly.
"Sure, Roxy, what do you want to talk about? We can talk about music, or cars, or lemonade!" With that, Sora burst into a fit of laughter.
It was no use. There was no way Roxas could get through to him while he was like this. He would have to wait until Sora sobered up. "Never mind." Roxas said. "I forgot what I was going to say." Laying back down, Roxas got under his covers and shut his eyes tightly, but couldn't get to sleep. He could hear Sora rambling on the other side of the room. A tear escaped Roxas' closed eyelid, and trickled down his face. He hadn't realized how bad it really was until now. He wondered if it was too late now, to save his friend.
Roxas didn't remember falling asleep.
"What's with you Roxas? That's like the tenth time you've yawned since we got on the train. Did you sleep at all last night?"
Roxas looked over at Demyx and smiled. "I did, I'm just still sleepy for some reason." He lied. "Well, wakey-wakey!" Demyx said, ruffling his hair. "We're going to be there soon, and I want you to be awake when we play."
Roxas turned and stared out the train window, watching the scenery pass by. "Yeah."
"Ro-xy!"
Before Roxas could turn around again, an arm swung around his shoulder. "Quit being so gloomy!" Axel beamed. "We're here!"
'Why is he so cheerful all of a sudden?' Roxas wondered as they got off the train together. 'When we met, he seemed so serious…'
Almost as if reading his mind, Demyx gave a chuckle as Axel sprinted ahead. "He's always like this before a gig. Never seen him get the jitters. He loves being up on stage… or maybe it's more like he loves playing his keyboard for other people."
"Come on, slow pokes!" Axel called.
Demyx dug his hands in his left pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Yeah, yeah." He called back, pulling one out and lighting it. After taking a long drag, he looked over at Roxas. "Crap, I'm sorry, I never asked if it would bother you." Roxas blinked a few times, then realized he meant the cigarette. "No, it's alright."
They walked along in silence as Demyx took another drag off of his cigarette. "Well, we need a little while to set up, you know. Why don't you go have some fun?"
It was true that Roxas had never been to Superworld before, but at the same time, he didn't want to leave his new friends. As if reading his mind, Demyx waved his hand. "Don't worry about us." He said. "We aren't going to ditch you, we just don't want you to be bored. Setting up can be a rather long and drawn out process. Go on, enjoy yourself."
Looking at the ground, Roxas nodded shyly. Demyx caught this, and chuckled. "Cute." was all he said, before walking further ahead, leaving Roxas alone. 'But…' Roxas thought, as he started to wander. '…it wasn't just that. Amusement parks are no fun when you're by yourself. It just feels lonely, watching all those couples and friends enjoying themselves while you're alone.' He looked up as a roller-coaster soared over him, various people screaming as they whooshed by. 'I kind of wanted to share it with them.' A small voice in his head admitted, guiltily. Giving a small sigh, Roxas made his way over to a cotton candy stand and bought a small cone. A girl with dark hair quickly got behind him, bought herself a cone, and stood a few feet away from him as she ate, eyeing him. 'What's with her?' Roxas thought as he nibbled the sugary treat. After a few moments, he forgot the girl, and started to wonder about how Sora was doing. Usually, Sora worked at a small restaurant on Saturdays, but he used to skip out on occasion to hang out with Riku. Roxas wondered if he would start doing that again, and frowned.
"Um… excuse me…"
Snapping out of his thoughts, Roxas realized the girl from before was talking to him. "Huh?"
"I was just wondering… are you here… alone?"
Roxas stared at her. What kind of question was that supposed to be? Although it was true, that wasn't something you usually went around asking strangers. Despite her oddness, Roxas noticed that she was extremely cute. Her red-brown hair just barely reached her narrow shoulders, which were complemented by her nice, thin frame. She wore a white, puffy button up shirt with a lacey collar, layered under a pink and white floral dress. The white sneakers were a nice touch too, as they matched, but saved the outfit from being too girly. The thing that stuck out the most, however, was her eyes, which were a deep, ocean blue, with just the slightest hint of green. She smiled sweetly. "Sorry, that didn't come out right." She said, then paused. "…what I meant was… I'm here alone too, and I was just wondering… I mean, you looked kind of lonely, and I'm bored… I guess I was just trying to ask you if you wanted to hang out."
Well, she certainly was forward.
"Um… I guess so, but I have somewhere to be in a little bit."
"Ohhhh, I see, you're waiting for someone." She said, frowning.
"No, no, nothing like that!" Roxas exclaimed. "Some friends of mine are performing here in a little while… and I promised them I'd watch."
Suddenly her eyes widened. "You don't mean 'Illusion', do you?"
"Uhh…" Roxas stammered. Demyx and Axel had never told him the name of their band. He gave an uncertain nod, and she squealed. "Wow, what a coincidence, I came here to see them too! I love 'Illusion', they're like my favorite indie-rock band! You're friends with them? Can you get me Luxord's autograph?! Or Demyx's would be cool too!"
'So that is their band.' Roxas thought as the girl went on. "Um, I don't know Luxord… I know Demyx though… I suppose I could ask him-OOFF!"
The girl had flung her arms around him. "Thank you so much!"
Roxas stood there for a moment, stunned. "Uh… you're welcome…?"
"Oh, I'm sorry!" The girl said, stepping backwards a bit. "I never even told you my name. It's Kairi."
"My name's Roxas." He said quietly.
"So, now that we've introduced ourselves, let's go on some rides!" She said cheerfully, grabbing his hand and dragging him along with her.
Her first target was 'The Gusher'; a roller coaster famed for it's 220 foot drop. It was then when Roxas realized he had never ridden on a roller coaster before in his life, and he was now deathly frightened of the massive jungle of metal before him.
"Um… is it alright if I… um… go to the bathroom?" Roxas squeaked, but it seemed as though Kairi didn't hear him. "It doesn't look like the line is too long, we should be able to squeeze into the next ride." She muttered to herself. "Come on Roxas!" Roxas gave a yelp as Kairi grabbed his hand again, pulling him into the line.
Roxas eyed the ride nervously. 'You can do this, Roxas… It's just a stupid ride, right?' He swallowed loudly as Kairi pulled him into his seat.
"You ready, Roxas?" She squealed. "I love this ride!"
'She's insane!' Roxas' thought, his eyes widening as she giggled.
'And yet…
for some reason, her crazy grin makes me feel a little calmer.'
His thoughts dissipated, though, when the carts lurched forward. All color drained from his face as they slowly crawled up the mountain of steel. When they made it to the top, Roxas screamed before the carts even began to descend.
WHOOSH!
He could hear Kairi laughing and whooping in the seat next to his. Shutting his eyes tightly, he began to yell again. 'This is it…!' Roxas' mind screamed as they went through a loop. 'I'm going to die here. I'm going to fall out of my seat and die… or maybe we'll get stuck, or maybe the carts will fly off the tracks, or maybe… maybe…'
SCREECH!
"OW!" Roxas yelped as his body lurched forward. He opened his eyes to find himself at the end of the ride.
…
"Wasn't that fun?!" Kairi exclaimed as the attendant let her out of her seat.
…
"Roxas…? You okay?"
…
"That…" Roxas muttered. "That… was… it? I didn't… die?"
"Die?" Kairi said, cocking her head. "Silly, of course not!"
Roxas got out of his seat, slowly. He was still shaking, but at the same time, he was smiling. 'Now that it's over… it was almost kind of… fun!' Remembering his thoughts from earlier, he gave a nervous laugh. Thinking he was going to die was a little childish.
"Oh no!"
Pulled from his thoughts, Roxas looked over at Kairi, who was staring at her watch, frantically. "If we don't hurry, we won't make it in time!" she screeched. "'Illusion' is supposed to go on in almost five minutes!"
'Crap!' Roxas thought, grabbing her hand this time, and pulling her through the crowded amusement park. 'They're the whole reason I'm here in the first place! They'll kill me if I'm late! …Aw, crap, it's starting to get dark too!'
"Roxas, the stage is that way!" Kairi whined, pointing in the opposite direction. Roxas moaned in frustration, sprinting now, in the correct direction. After a few moments, he spotted it. The only problem was…
"It's packed!" Roxas exclaimed, partially in awe, partially in horror. "How are we supposed to get to the front?"
But Kairi was already kicking, shoving, and even biting her way through the crowd. "Crazy bitch!" yelled a random man, rubbing his arm tenderly where she had bit him. "Screw you!" She called back, accompanied with a rather rude gesture. "Kairi, wait for me!" called Roxas as he desperately attempted to catch up.
They made it to the front just as the announcer began to walk across the stage. The sun was beginning to set, and it cast a dim crimson light over the stage.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen!" He boomed. "I'm sure you all know why we're here, so how about we skip the formalities, eh?"
The crowd gave a cheerful cry in agreement.
"Thought so." Chuckled the announcer. "Well then, here they are, Twilight Town's very own 'Illusion'!"
There was a tremendous applause, and the moment the announcer left the stage, the audience hushed, and a soothing melody wafted through Roxas' ears. A lone spotlight shone brightly on a figure towards the left side of the stage.
It was Axel.
His fingers soared across the instrument's mock ivory keys. The sound was angelic; it seemed to fill Roxas' soul. He suddenly felt a burning desire to hear Axel play on a real piano. Suddenly, a soft base accompanied him. Another spotlight flashed on, illuminating a man with short, blonde hair, with a bit of matching facial hair, and numerous piercings. Roxas assumed that this man was Luxord, as Kairi let out a squeal.
But Roxas was transfixed on Axel's hands. He was utterly hypnotized by the spider-like, yet graceful and fluid motion… he didn't take his eyes off of him until Demyx stepped into the spotlight, following a blonde woman, strumming his guitar ever so gently. Suddenly, the soft, gentle intro exploded into a spectacular climax, and was then followed by steady, upbeat rhythm. It was then, that the girl began to sing.
Oh, I can feel these chains now
They're bringin' me down
They're bringin' me down
Below me, there is nothing
But darkness…
Oh, but suddenly a light
Shines brightly above me
Brightly above me
Blinded, I squinted into the light
And saw you…
The girl's voice was beautiful. Whilst everyone around him was yelling and cheering, Roxas simply stood there, dumbfounded. He just could not believe how awesome they all sounded together. It was as if they were born to perform together.
Please, baby, save me…
Wrap me in your everlasting warmth…
Take my love,
Take my everything,
But please, baby, don't leave me,
'Cause I don't think I can make it
Without you anymore…
I need you…
Axel and Demyx scanned the crowd and spotted Roxas, almost at the exact same time, and smiled.
It was an evening that Roxas would never forget.
Yay, I'm a drama queen. :D
In case anyone is wondering, yes, I am a pianist… so I put a little extra emphasis on Axel's smexy keyboard playing.
I also work at a coffee shop. I swear, I'm original and creative! -hides-
Well, um, the song was written by me, so I guess that makes me kind of creative. Don't steal it. D:
Well, I'll try to get the next chapter out there, but no promises on the date… I suck when it comes to deadlines. God, I'm such a lazy writer. Oh well.