Well, here is another short installment to keep you people happy. And I'm sorry if I confused you by saying the 'end was a bit sudden'. I meant the end of that chapter, not the end of the story. This chapter is being put up to satisfy you all until Saturday, since it's unlikely I'll be able to write anything on Friday (or at least later, it's already Friday here ) since I've designated Friday as homework day. But anyway, on with the fic!
All previous disclaimers apply.
For many long moments, Roxas said nothing. Axel waited nervously while Roxas stared.
"Well," he finally exploded, "say something!" Roxas blinked.
"I'm sorry?" Roxas tried. Axel's face fell. Was the kid saying no? But he continued. "Someone put you up to this, didn't they? Who? Was it Damien from third period? That jerk." Roxas shrugged out of Axel's grasp. He had been teased by the other kids about his obvious "gay-ness," but he'd thought Axel was different. He'd thought Axel was a better person. He'd certainly seemed friendly.
Axel was left staring at Roxas's back. But Roxas had only gone about five steps when Axel seized him by the shoulders and swung him around.
"Wha—?" Roxas stuttered, before he was cut off.
By Axel's mouth.
Roxas all but melted into the kiss. Axel had a very skilled mouth. Roxas was left gasping when Axel pulled away.
"No one put me up to it kid, this one's all me. Now what do you say?"
"O-okay."
They returned to the group just as the meeting adjourned. Zexion took one look at Roxas's startled face and Axel's cat-ate-the-canary grin and kept walking. Demyx wasn't as smart. But hey, he wanted to hear all about it.
He and Axel walked away together, no doubt talking about what had just happened, while Larxene went up to Roxas.
"He hits you like a tidal wave, huh?" Roxas looked up. "Same thing happened to me. Axel and I, we were never meant to be. Just a fling, you see. But you're different." She appraised him carefully. Roxas shifted under her gaze.
"I've never seen him in love like this kid, so be careful. If you so much as make him cry, I will beat you black and blue."
"Larxene, das ist genug. (1)" Marluxia was waiting by the door. Larxene sent Roxas one more look before moving to leave with Marluxia, who gave her a pointed look.
"Gute Nacht, Roxas. (2)"
Roxas just nodded and sank into a chair. He sat there well into the morning, all alone.
"Roxas, tell me," Zexion began one morning in early July, "have you ever had the dreams when you weren't in your room, beside the one on the way here?"
"No, I don't think so," Roxas replied, thinking back.
"Hmm." So far, the search for Victor's body had yielded no results whatsoever, good or bad. It was frustrating to say the least.
"Have you had anymore dreams?"
"Nope, none. I have seen Victor's spirit around either." Zexion 'hmmed' again, but moved on to lighter subjects.
"So, today marks your two month anniversary with Axel, does it not?" Roxas blushed, but nodded.
"Yeah. We've been given permission to go off school grounds to get dinner. Axel said he had something planned." Zexion turned to look at Roxas with an air of utmost seriousness.
"Be careful, and God help you," he managed, before he started to laugh. Roxas laughed too, while musing on the positive effect Demyx seemed to be having on his boyfriend.
Roxas had almost convinced himself that he had stopped having weird dreams. And he had, really, but something else had taken its place.
It had started out small, just a faint odor that wasn't really detectable. Demyx didn't seem to notice, so Roxas put it off as something that happened every year.
But slowly, it had gotten worse. For three weeks, Roxas had put up with the smell of—of something, and in his opinion that was far too long. It was almost impossible to breathe in his room anymore, but Demyx seemed unaffected. Finally, Roxas had had enough.
"Can't you smell that?!" he asked one day while they were getting ready for school. Demyx looked up.
"Smell what?"
"That! That rotting stench!" Demyx experimentally sniffed the air.
"Nope." Roxas quickly pulled on his shirt, but didn't stop to button it on the way out. He collided with Axel in the hallway.
"Hey kid, what's the hurry?" he asked, appreciatively eyeing Roxas's chest. Roxas blushed and began to button his shirt up.
"It smells nasty in my room."
"Well, that's probably Demyx's fault." A muffled, "Stuff you, Axel," was heard from the other room. Zexion joined in on the conversation as he headed out of his room for coffee.
"Smell? What sort of smell?" Zexion added a precise amount of sugar to his coffee and picked up his mug.
"A sort of rotting smell. But Demyx doesn't smell it, so I might just be imagining it." Zexion dropped his coffee mug. His eyes had grown wide, and he seemed to be sucked into his own world.
Then, heedless of the remains of his shattered cup, Zexion turned and sprinted off down the hallway.
"Xemnas, Xemnas!" Axel and Roxas watched him go, both equally bewildered. All of the smart student got out of his way.
"Stand back, this is going to get messy," Xaldin cautioned, before prying up the first of the floorboards. Roxas's hand flew to his face, trying to block out the smell. None of the others could smell it, and that just proved the fact. Victor's body was here, in Roxas's floor.
Sure enough, after several more boards were pried away, a skeleton was revealed. Roxas slipped behind Axel.
"It was in my floor?" he groaned. "Great. No wonder I've been having such weird dreams." Demyx moved forward with the salt, but Zexion stopped him.
"No, wait. We need to be sure that the remains are what's keeping him here. There's only one way to do that." Demyx nodded.
"I'll go call her, then."
"Call who?" Roxas asked.
"My little sister, Naminé."
"Naminé? I know Naminé!" Demyx turned from where he stood in the doorway.
"You do?" he seemed genuinely surprised.
"Yeah, she and I were good friends back in Twilight Town. But then again, it could have been a different Naminé."
"What did she look like?"
"Short-ish, light blond hair, where's a white dress—"
"That's her! Man, small world, huh?"
"Demyx!"
"Hey Naminé! How've you been? Mom treating you right?"
"Yeah. How about you? Have you seen Dad at all?"
"Not since he dropped me here two years ago." Demyx made a rueful face. "I don't miss him much, though." Naminé moved off through the exorcists, greeting each in turn. Until she came to the last one.
"Ah, I see that there's a new face—Roxas?! Roxas!" He really hadn't seen the hug coming. Naminé was usually such a shy girl.
"Hey Naminé! How is everyone back in Twilight Town?"
"They're okay. They miss you, though. Oh, and Hayner started dating Seifer."
"Oh. Wait, what? He failed to mention that in his last letter." Naminé giggled.
"Don't be too hard on him."
"Him? No, I just need to chew out Seifer! Maybe when break comes…" Naminé laughed again, but soon grew serious.
"So, what did you guys need me for?"
"No, I'm sorry to say that the spirit isn't attached to these remains, at least, not chiefly. You would have little effect if you just torched them," Naminé informed them.
"I still say we do it anyway, to be safe," Axel said.
"Probably a good idea."
"Naminé, I didn't know you could do stuff like this. Why didn't you tell me back home?" Roxas asked. Naminé let out a delicate snort.
"Roxas, if I had told you I was psychic back home, would you have believed me?"
"…Probably not."
"Exactly. But I'm glad you know now."
"So, what happens now?" Demyx asked as he led Naminé over to a chair by the wall. She looked pretty exhausted.
"Now we prepare for the cult ritual," Zexion said.
"We should do it on the twenty-first of August, they date of the murder," Xemnas informed them.
"Right, that spirits will be out then. All of 'em. Just knock 'em all off in one go," Larxene nodded. "Makes sense."
"It will also be very dangerous for Roxas," Zexion pointed out. "They're going to be targeting him."
"We'll deal with that when the time comes," Xemnas assured him. "Axel, Zexion, I need both of you to start meditations with him, to heighten his energy.
"All right," Zexion said.
"Can do, Boss man," Axel agreed, giving a slight salute.
"Well then, meeting adjourned. I would advise everyone to prepare. We have one hell of a night coming up."
1 "Larxene, that is enough." Sorry if it's wrong, I can't reach my translator!
2 "Good night, Roxas." Once again, my apologies!
Now, I'm sorry for any/all mistakes mad either in German or regular English but it's freaking 3:44 in the morning here and I haven't gotten any sleep. Now, I am going to go to sleep and hope that I will have many nice reviews by the time I wake up. (Don't worry, you'll have until about noon, maybe later.)