If anyone is still out there, sorry for the long wait... I'm feeling alot of what Roxas is feeling right now.

Life can be real bummer.

Anyway, here ya go, my apologies. :(

CHAPTER FOUR: Within

"More rainfall coming our way this week with a hurricane warning to the south. Everyone is advised to stay indoors for the time being until a more recent update is available. There are expected to be floods in the downtown area as well. High of sixty two degrees and a low of thirty eight. That's it for the weather forecast, now back to Rebecca with. . ."

It didn't stop. The torrential rainfall outside the guestroom window only seemed to grow in ferocity as the grey morning light glowed on the bleak site beheld by bored, sapphire eyes. Such a waste. A waste of his time, his life, to be worrying about getting soaked if he attempted the long trek back downtown to his lonely little abode. It was only water. And it wasn't a matter of where he would go now, but rather, what he would do once he was out of this ritzy, strange house. Roxas found himself tapping his fingers idly on his knee, realizing that regardless of how he rationalized, his body would remain in the same position by that window, sitting on the sill with his feet resting on a nearby chair, until the incessant rain had finally ceased. It wasn't that he hated the rain... it was just that being cold and wet wasn't exactly a comfortable thought for him. Nobody liked wet clothes...

" . . . downtown today, a young teen was seen tossing himself out a window, allegedly falling on well known rock-star idol and lead singer of famous
band 'Ruin', Axel Delmonte. We have a few videos sent by witnesses documenting the event . . ."

Roxas had heard the story nearly twenty times in the few hours he had been awake. The same story over and over, no matter what news station he changed it to. The female news reporters voice grated on his ears, her slightly amused tone rubbing him the wrong way as her sickeningly red lips quirked into a smug grin. With an aggravated flick of his wrist, he shut off the small television that some mullet headed psycho brought in for him the other night. What seemed like a general act of kindness suddenly seemed like an insult at the moment, the static crackling lightly over the glass dome on the old screen TV seeming almost mocking in a way. This was just... fucking perfect. A muck of a mess this all turned out to be. It wasn't enough. It was never enough. It always got worse somehow. And despite the hope that everyone so diligently promised him would show, he never saw the end to the rain. It was never enough...

"Why me." Roxas groaned quietly to himself, running a hand roughly through blonde locks, tugging abusively at them. "for once I'd like a single day where I don't feel like my life is some running joke for the universe to laugh at..."

The rain picked up once more, the sound of ethereal fingertips tapping rapidly on the glass beside him. He could smell the rain, but faintly. The cold glass pressing gently against his shoulder, the darkening skies his only witness of existence. Nothing felt right here... nothing felt real. Even with eyes glued to those morose heavens, the chill touching his skin, the whisper of fog left from his silent breaths on the window... nothing felt real. His mind pleaded his reality, his life. His heart felt hollow, and painfully so. Throughout his pathetic years of life, he never knew a time when that hollowness was ever absent. It sat, like a black bird in his chest. Heavy and agonizingly apparent. No matter how hard he tried to feel, how hard he tried to remain, there was just... nothing he could tether himself to, nothing to give him some kind of affirmation that yes, he did in fact, exist. All family members disclaiming him. What few friends he had all moved away, leaving him behind. It was one thing to feel alone. But feeling lost and without purpose was nigh on unbearable. Without anything connection to the world he resided in, Roxas felt he may drift away at any given moment, destined to be forgotten, not even a memory in place of his faded soul. Such a thought was enough to nearly make him choke of the anxiety he felt.

Roxas pushed himself away from the window, leaving the view and the dark thoughts it wrought for the comfort of the messy bed across the room. His skin felt colder than ice after that long perch, and sliding beneath the large comforter, curling up beneath its dark depths felt almost too good. The steady thrum thrum thrum of pattering on the window, the gentle hum of heat pouring through the vents in the room... A mundane lullaby, one so comforting that the anxiety in those tired, cold limbs of his seemed to dissipate. How funny it seemed, to be comforted by such everyday sounds, ones normally left to the background of one's life, never noticed but seemingly always there. It soothed him, lulled him into a deep slumber, where dreams of a crying girl in white awaited him...

"Holy fuck dude, that is a big ass cucumber." Axel whistled, a devilish smirk appearing on his face. "And just WHAT, pray tell, do you expect to do with that little number, Dem?" the barely contained amusement in his tone made Demyx give him a pointed look.

"I got this from Marluxia's garden. It was for the cucumber salad I was going to make tonight, or did you forget?" Demyx walked around the kitchen counter, pulling out various items from the shopping bags and putting them away, trying to keep the aggravation out of his voice, "And before you say anything smug, let me remind you that I don't have to make enough food for four people. I can just give your share to suicide boy."

"okay, numero uno, getting anything, and I mean, ANYTHING out of Marluxia's garden is never a good idea. Numero dos, I would clean the hell out of that monster veggie if you knew what was good for ya. And numero tres, He's not suicidal, Dem. I recall tossing you out a few myself, and you're not suicidal. In fact you're the most anti-negative thing I've come across in my life besides pizza." The redhead pulled up a chair, plopping in it unceremoniously, stretching out his long legs with a yawn. They had walked to the general store earlier that morning after finding out that nearly half of the cabinets in Reno's place was filled with booze and expired pasta boxes. They had only come to this realization when they came down with the munchies after a long night of taking turns watching the blonde kid, Zexion giving them strict orders to call him immediately if he went into another episode. Neither of them got much sleep, and both were as equally hungry as they were tired. To top it off, their clothes were soaked, and it looked like a hurricane warning had been issued. Axel peeled off his wet hoodie, squeezing out his red locks with a sigh. "Anyway, if he was, I'm pretty sure he would have made a second attempt by now, don't you think?"

He shrugged dismissively, "Yeah, well, the window incident with me was a different case entirely. But with him you never know. And seeing as how this kid doesn't seem to have a psycho for a friend who tosses others out a four story house over hair gel, I'm willing to guess that isn't the case with this one. I'd feel sorry for the kid if it were, though. I mean, seriously, I -" A loud crack of thunder followed by a flash of light cut him off, lights flickering briefly. "Shit!" Demyx squeaked, reaching down hastily to pick up a glass jar of jam that rolled off the counter when he jumped, "That fucking scared the hell out of me!"

Axel 'hmm'ed in response, leaning back in his chair. "That actually struck pretty close. I think I might go check if my old man left a generator in the basement, case the power goes out, you know? Of course, knowing him, he might have taken it somewhere to use for another of his ridiculous hair-brained schemes. Him and Rude like making home-made bombs on a regular basis. Can't tell you how many times I've had to peel his sorry ass off the garage wall after something of his blew up."

"I think I was there for once of them. Blew a hole clean through the ceiling if I remember," he chuckled, "You might want to get on that, though. Your house is run only on electric shit, and I hear it's supposed to be cold tonight. I agreed to sleep over for the week because you promised me a warm bed and some horror movies, and there is no way in hell I'm freezing my nutsack off in this frigid tomb of a house. Not good for the complexion, you know."

"I'm sorry, what? Your complexion? How in the hell does cold air ruin your complex-? You know what, forget it. I don't even know why I bother questioning half the shit you say anymore. I'll let Zexion do that. In the meantime, I'll get to searching for that generator." Axel stood up with a stretch, pulling off his shirt and shaking the rest of the water from his hair. "If Zexion shows up while I'm still looking for it, let him know that the first aid kit needs more bandages, and that his boss called earlier asking for some report about, ah... what was it... new-ro... nur-ro... something scientific or some shit."

Demyx gave a dorky salute before turing his attention back to the groceries that littered the counter. They had bought enough food to last for two weeks, apparently. So if worse came to worse, they would at least not have to worry about going hungry if a hurricane really was going to hit. Still, not having electricity would a kick to the proverbial balls in terms of heat. This place becomes an icebox when the power is out, even in the middle of summer. A downside to such a big place, but hey. His old man liked ritzy stuff and big houses. Fuck if he knew why. Took too much work to maintain it anyway, and Axel being the lazy son of a bitch he was, avoided hard work like the plague if he could help it.
"Now where did I put that flashlight..." he mumbled to himself, trekking down the carpeted hall to his bedroom, "I think I last had it when pop lost his wallet in the basement that one time. So it should still be in the closet..." he pushed open the door to his room, tossing his wet clothes in the hamper and pulling on a dry pair of boxers and black pajama bottoms, but was unable to find a shirt. "Shit... looks like I need to do laundry again. Ugh. Makes me feel like a woman... not that I'm against women or something...man, I've got to stop talking to myself." Another flash of light and a loud crash sounded through the house. The fading rumble seem to vibrate the walls, making Axel feel a bit uneasy standing there in a dark room by himself. The hallway light was enough to see by, but it didn't help that it was unusually dark even though the clock on his nightstand read 10:02am. It felt... unnatural. Creepy, almost. Sudden flashbacks of the late night discussion with Zexion gave the darkness around him a whole new kind of depth, for some odd reason that was unapparent to him. The shadows seemed to shift, the room seeming smaller than before... Axel clicked on the lava lamp near the nightstand, allowing himself to believe that any source of light would ward off anymore intrusive thoughts he might have while he was in there. Still... that weird conversation did get him thinking...

(flashback)

"It's a lot like night terrors," he had said, "It's a lot like sleep walking, only it's ten times harder to wake up from. You wind up living through a 'waking nightmare', as it would seem. The subject will seem completely aware of their current surroundings, able to navigate properly throughout their current area. However, they cannot see anyone around them. They are unaware that they are dreaming. It comes in all forms, I suppose. In Roxas' case, it appears that he has night terrors much like the one I have explained. He was completely aware of certain things, like opting to throw certain things or attempting to escape through the open door. But he didn't actually see us. He was only aware of the immense amount of fear that he felt, and the signals to his brain indicating that he was in extreme danger."

"So... he had a night terror." he nodded. "Right... aaaannndd... if that's the case, why did he mutilate himself in his sleep? I mean... I've never really heard of sleepers who hurt themselves like that before."

Zexion seemed to think carefully, taking off his well worn pair of frameless glasses before looking back up at him. "Sometimes nightmares can be connected to traumatic experiences, ones that were suppressed by the brain at a young age. In those instances, it can come back full force in a dream. One that will cause the dreamer to re-experience the horrors they tried so desperately to forget."

Demyx cast a doleful look at the closed door to Roxas' room. "So... he's living through a moment where someone caused him that much physical pain? Was he... abused or... something?"

A grim silence had weighed between the trio as they all stood, huddled in the cold hallway. Both Axel and Demyx waited expectantly on the slate-haired man's reply. But it was a while before he could figure out the right words to say. What came out next wasn't something they were expecting at all.

"... Not abused, so much as tortured."

"What?" they had said in unison.

"There are certain things to look for when dealing with victims of abuse. Even night terrors cannot hide the symptoms that will inevitably reveal it. But this is not the case. He showed increased hysteria and nearly doubled physical strength. He seemed to be trying to escape from something, or someone. And whatever or whoever that might be was physically attempting to kill him. Or at least, that's what he said it felt like before he fell asleep again. I have reason to believe that something more might be going on here that we aren't aware of yet. However I cannot look anymore into it, as I am more than exhausted and must deal with work related grievances come morning. I trust he will be alright in your care?"

"Don't sweat it, Zexy, babe." Axel smirked, "We got this. He'll be asleep for a while, I'm guessing. You know, since you gave him those pain killers. So all we have to do is let him sleep. He'll be good as new in the morning."

"Yeah!" Demyx chimed in, all smiles. "I'm sure he'll be alright once he gets some good rest and some equally good food in his stomach! I'll make breakfast tomorrow, and a big one at that!"

Zexion's expression seemed to soften as he regarded Demyx's beaming face. "...I entrust him in your care then." He then cleared his throat and gathered his things, "I will be back around mid-morning or noon tomorrow. Make sure to keep a close eye on him. And I mean a CLOSE eye. Call me immediately if anything happens. I will be over as soon as I can."

"Right."

"You got it, man."

With a final nod and a wave, he had left. Leaving Axel with an oddly heavy feeling in the center of his chest. Whatever it was this kid went through, it had to be bad to spark a night terror like that...

(end flashback)

A few hurried searches and couple of stubbed toes later, he found the flashlight on the closet shelf and made his way back down the hall towards the kitchen. Everything seemed normal enough, but Axel couldn't help but feel something in his chest when he noticed Demyx standing by the entry way, looking down the opposite hall, his long and thin fingers gripping tightly at the front of his shirt. He was still, pale, looking incredibly unnerved by something. When Axel tried to tap his shoulder, he turned and grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to the entry way, making a motion with his hands to be silent.

Nothing came to him but the dull hum of the overhead kitchen lights and the whirr of the ceiling fan in the living room across the way. The hall was empty. There were no sounds of anyone walking around, no weird noises. Just the rain outside and other average noises. "Dem, what the hell are you-" Demyx covered his mouth, hand pushing forcefully against his lips, wide sea green eyes pleading for him to listen closely. Axel sighed through his nose, rolling his eyes. But he didn't attempt to speak again, humoring Dem, but only because he seemed incredibly freaked out about something.
The harder he listened, the less he heard. It wasn't until he felt Demyx's hands grasp his right arm in a crushing vice that he dared to believe the fright that lined those wide eyes. He listened once more... and then felt his heart quicken a pace when heard it.

The tides of fate meet the sands of time

til morn we shower the dead with tears

and shun the living with hate sublime

the effigy of our years . . .

Someone... Someone was singing. Slowly. Softly.

we hold their heart we hold their lies

we play the part of friendly foe

because, you see, we all will die

and to hell these hateful souls will go

The words were enough to make one uncomfortable, but... what really sent a chill down his spine was the tone this person was using. It... It sounded like a fucking child. Like a kid singing some happy little nursery rhyme.

how fun it is, their flesh to cut

the lovely red that blooms within

and nicely sew their mouths right up

and silence their awful din.

I like to break their little bones

the ones who go astray

fill their throats will molten stones

so they never get away

Demyx turned his gaze back to Axel with renewed terror. Axel returned the look, his own face a touch paler than it was before.

Because this is the law of our kin

when the little sheep go astray

I find them through their hidden sin

and take their souls away

The tides of fate meet the sands of time

Til morn we shower the dead with tears

and shun the living with hate sublime

the effigy of our years . . .

A crack of lighting lit the sky outside, the roaring thunder nearly defeaning. The lights flickered and dimmed violently before going out completely. Demyx let out a startled shriek as Axel fumbled to turn the flashlight on. "Dem, stop squeezing my arm so tight..!" he hissed quietly, "I can't feel my hand!"

"A-A-Axel..?" he stuttered, pointing a shaking finger down the hall.

Axel shone the flashlight where Demyx indicated, brow furrowing as he carefully scanned the end of the hall. The voice had stopped, and now the only thing to reach his ears was the storm raging against the walls outside of the house. Nevertheless, he kept the beam of light carefully trained down the hall, noting the slight tremor in his voice when he cleared his throat and said, "I... ah... I don't see anything, Dem. Maybe it's just the kid watching something on the TV."
Demyx seemed unconvinced, pressing closer to the redhead's side. "Dem, come on, there's nothing to be -"

The little sheep who went astray

no help will come from your call

Both of them jumped, the beam of light, flicking from one side of the hall to the other. It definitely wasn't the TV that was making that noise. The power was out... which mean that someone was down there. Someone was down there, and they weren't sure if they wanted to find out.

will you not come and play today

little sheep at the end of the hall

Axel and Demyx froze, the blood in their veins running cold as they realized the song was referring to them. What's more, the beam of light found the source of the morbidly creepy singing... It was coming from the open door, the one that lead to Roxas' room.

Sorry it isn't as long as it could be you guys, but I've got a lot of stuff I need to do right now. However, I do have a few chapters written up that I'm currently revising and editing. So more chapters soon.