Notes: Chapter the second; a tad longer this go around. *If there is a correct spelling of "bac-y" (bacon, minus the -on, plus the -ey sound) then I am unaware of it. *
Disclaimer: If I owned this game, Kingdom Hearts, its characters, locations, or various other plot devices, then it wouldn't be a "fan"fic, would it? ...Just a fic (I don't own it, by the way)
Chapter 2- Welcome Revelations
The entire room was cast into blackness. The sudden shift drew Roxas quickly from the sight on the floor back to the world at hand. Without really meaning to, he let out a small gasp.
Where the skyline had stood moments before, there was now a looming figure, casting an imposing shadow over him and the length of his bedroom. The man crouched on the windowsill, coming eye level to him. The intruder leaned forward, and, as the cold wafted in around him, his breath started to surround Roxas. Its scent lured Roxas in with a familiar, gaseous finesse. Two arms reached upward toward the man's head, ready to place an identity to the pure black void that was his face.
As the stranger removed the black hood shielding him from the cold, his head seemed to come ablaze with brilliant crimson spikes, outlining startling emerald eyes that glinted even in the dim light cast from behind.
"Axel…" Roxas could barely half whisper, he was so overwhelmed.
"Ha, did I scare you? Huh, did I?" Axel seemed to take too much pleasure in scaring the daylights out of Roxas, which was painfully evident as he rocked back and forth on his heels, while he spoke in a low sing-song voice.
"No, Y- … Wh- What are you doing here? Xemnas put you out on duty, right?"
Roxas' voice was a tad higher than he wished it had sounded at that moment.
"Well I had some-"
Axel suddenly squinted and leaned in closer studying Roxas' face.
"… Have you been crying?"
Roxas cast his gaze downward, slowly. The tension in the room grew exponentially.
"Oh, uh- it's nothing" he lied, quite unskillfully. He tried to think of an excuse, but his brain didn't seem to think as readily around Axel…he was always a bit too preoccupied.
Axel only stared back with a disbelieving expression. Roxas could feel two lovely green eyes boring into his face, studying and prying.
Seeing that he would get nothing further, Axel sighed and nimbly hopped from the sill down to the floor and began to stroll about the room. Roxas couldn't keep from staring. All his movements seemed so fluid and graceful; it almost embarrassed him.
"Well, I wanted to come see you, naturally. Is that so bad?" He gave Roxas a dry look as he continued pacing.
"No, no I mean… just if you had woken one of the others…"
"Relax," Axel replied in the velvety, saccharine tone that only he could produce. He made a circle and came behind Roxas, putting his hands on his shoulders, "You and I both know there's no one else here. Besides, if it makes you feel better Mr. Worry-wart, I'm also here on official business".
Roxas shivered at the feeling of Axel's long, sinewy arms embracing him. He wished that he could have that wonderful anxious feeling all the time. He waited until it had nearly passed to speak: "What do I have to do?"
"Uh-uh,"
Axel pulled him closer and spoke even softer, into his ear
"Not you; what WE have to do."
Roxas could hardly believe what he had heard,
"What? You mean we're on a mission…Together?!"
"Uh-huh,"
Axel suddenly spun Roxas around to face him,
"You and me, Hollow Bastion, tomorrow at dawn. Got it memorized?"
He smiled his alluring broad grin. Roxas was so shocked he didn't know what to say. The Organization hardly ever sent out pairs on assignment. Even further, the fact that he and Axel got picked …they were unbelievably lucky.
Roxas began to beam right back,
"That's incredible!"
The excitement played all over his face, and his azure eyes lit up despite the murky interior. Axel noticed that Roxas carried a glow with him from the pale moonlight streaming from the open window and his sudden excitement.
He was so…
Beautiful…
Without warning, Roxas felt Axel pull him wildly into a deep embrace, and then kiss him passionately. His lips dominantly forced themselves upon his, eagerly awaiting response. Roxas was so taken aback by the sudden display that his eyes widened in surprise. But, as he felt two comforting arms around him and a steady heartbeat against his chest, Roxas slowly shut his eyes and sank into Axel. Together, the two retreated from the kind illumination of the moonlight, into the sanctity of the darkness, and Roxas realized that nothing was really missing from the World.
An indignant assault of noise greeted The Key of Destiny the following morning, much earlier than he would have liked. The sound washed over him, quite aptly, in waves of calm rhythm, interjected by harsh, up-tempo melodies. Quite contrary to the audio of the previous evening, this sound had a more concrete, more easily silenced source…
"Wakey, wakey, eggs n' bac-y, Roxas!" Demyx's voice cooed from the safe vantage point of the room's threshold.
"Just. Don't. Move… don't move and it will all go away" Roxas thought, head buried face-down in his pillow. He pawed at the sheets around him, becoming painfully aware of the absence of a warm body beside him. He sighed into the mattress, wanting nothing more than to drift back off into a carefree slumber with Axel beside him…
"This is my new number, d'you like it?"
Well, maybe he'd want that AND for Demyx's sitar to spontaneously combust, but beggars can't be choosers.
He couldn't have slept for more than a few hours… coupled with last evening… Well that was no rest to begin a mission on, certainly.
From this sleep-deprived revelation came a resolve within Roxas. He WOULD sleep; he WOULD block out that wretched racket.
This however, came to no avail. It only seemed to get louder and louder, driving Roxas up the proverbial wall.
To get the morning started on an even better note (pun fully intended), from some far off, undesirable place, past the comforter overhead, came the sound of a huffing Demyx.
A quick note on this issue:
A Demyx that pouts, folks, is a Demyx about to get his way. Through sheer force of whit, will, or whine, (in increasing order of likelihood) the moody Demyx will present an unrelenting front of unpleasant, culminating in the fulfillment of its wish. In poor Roxas's case, this front entailed the Melodious Nocturne's new single…self titled, naturally.
Roxas took a deep breath:
"I'm up…"
A shout of glee echoed across the walls of Roxas's room, following the two words that Demyx wanted to hear. The voice was groggy and exceedingly irritated, but apparently satisfying all the same.
Roxas forced his eyes open, then winced as his feet hit the icy floor in the midst of hoisting himself off of the bed.
Despite the rude awakening, Roxas had to provide himself a small grin. Today WOULD be great. Fluttering anticipation was already gathering in his chest; their mission… The grin widened further as he made his way across the chamber, to the bathroom. He stepped inside, turned around to shut the door… and was met by the goofy countenance of his morning antagonist.
"Well, you never did answer my question: What did you think of the song?"
Roxas's grin made an abrupt 180, only, that is, until the soothing grain of solid white oak replaced Demyx's face as quickly as it had appeared.
"Yes sir…today will be great."