Hey everyone!
Sorry for the lack of updates! Here's a lengthy chapter to make up for it! Hope you enjoy!
Special thanks go out to SoraxKairi7...you rock girl! Love your stories...and thanks for all the reviews!!! ^-^
-NightRaven13 (=^.^=)
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing…so there….
He fell to his knees, the thoughts making him want to cry out in pain. He kept his hands clutched to his head, trying his hardest to keep it from splitting open like it threatened to do with each passing second.
"What…the hell…is…happening…to me?"
A penny for your thoughts, sir?
A painful cry finally escaped his lips, sending him down into a realm of troubled darkness.
Somewhere in the distance, the ocean could be heard.
The waves crashed, and a chill permeated the air carrying with it the ever familiar scent of salt and ocean life.
A pale, slender hand reached out from the darkness and gently touched the shoulder of a young man passed out on the deck of a ship. He stirred ever slightly, groaning in pain as he did so.
Wake up…
Roxas stirred, he could feel a light touch against his shoulder.
"Who are you? What's…going on?"
Go away…
Roxas tried to open his eyes, but the splitting headache he felt kept him back. He brought his hands close to his face, feeling around for whoever it was that was talking to him, but felt only the hard cold wood of the floor around him instead.
"Who…are you?" he managed to whisper.
The gentle touch returned, lightly pressing his lips to keep him from saying more.
Leave this place…leave while you can….
The gentle yet cold touch left him then, permitting him the chance to ask the question he had been meaning to ask.
"Why?"
You know why…leave now…
The cold suddenly left, the atmosphere slowly returning back to how it felt before. A gentle breeze stirred Roxas some more, enough to coax him into attempting to open his eyes again. His clear blue eyes cracked open, and a question escaped his lips as they did so.
"Who are you?"
His breath came out in a cloud of warm fog, giving a clear indicator of how much the temperature had changed. He slowly sat up from where he was, searching around him for the owner of the voice that had been speaking to him.
Not a soul could be seen as far as Roxas could tell.
"You! What are you doing here?"
Roxas turned, but was grabbed by a rough hand before he could see. He struggled to get away, but the rough hand pulled him off of the floor with such unnatural strength that it was almost impossible to fight back.
"Let me go! Get away from me!"
The hand pulled him towards a bench near a far wall, then proceeded to drop him there. It was only then that Roxas could clearly make out who the owner of the hand was.
Right away, he greatly regretted it.
"You! You're the boy from the Lounge! Just what are you doing up here?"
It was the creepy man from earlier in the morning, his dark red eyes starring him down with such a horrid fury. Roxas couldn't help but gulp, ready to run when given the chance.
"I…um…I was…"
"You were trespassing…no doubt! I should call your supervisor for this!"
Roxas shook his head, panic quickly flooding into his system. The last thing he needed was Saix on his case for ditching work over exaggerated injuries.
"Please sir…don't call him up! He'll fire me if he finds out I'm not at work!"
The elder man stared him down, making Roxas quite uncomfortable. He stood starring at him for what seemed like an eternity, until finally he spoke.
"What happened to your head?"
Roxas blinked, obviously confused by the question.
"My…head?"
The elder man frowned, "Yes! Your head boy! Are you dense or do you have some sort of a concussion?"
Roxas blinked once more, then pulled his hand up to touch his forehead. When he pulled it back down, he was surprised to find blood coating his fingers.
"Perhaps you should have that looked at. Come with me."
The elder man grabbed hold of Roxas' free arm, then pulled him down the opposite direction. Roxas was still too surprised by everything to fight back.
"Where…where are you taking me?"
"My room."
Roxas' heart began to beat faster. He needed to get away from this man quickly! As if sensing his panic, the elder spoke.
"I have a first aid kit in my room for emergencies, along with several of my other medical supplies. I highly doubt you want to go down to the FAS right now and risk having your supervisor find out you were not at work."
Roxas nodded, then completely stopped protesting all together.
"Now hold still, let me take a look at that."
Roxas tilted his forehead in the elder man's direction, staying as still as he could possibly manage. The elder man's stateroom was quite cozy, luxurious even, and much better than what the crew members slept in. The man was obviously someone who had money, who could afford a first class stateroom without a problem.
"Hmm…looks like a simple bump and a scratch. Nothing too deep…I could patch you up if you like."
Roxas nodded his response, "Are you a doctor or something?"
The elder man chuckled, then proceeded to retrieve what was clearly an antique medical bag from a bottom cabinet near his bed.
"Well…I use to be a surgeon in my younger days…" he pulled the bag up and settled it next to where Roxas was sitting, "But now I only specialize in general medicine."
Roxas blinked, "So you are a doctor then?"
The man laughed, "Yes…Doctor Ansem Wise…at your service."
He held his hand out, and Roxas slowly brought his own up to shake it.
"My name's Roxas…thanks…for helping me out I mean."
Ansem smiled, " No need to thank me young man…just promise to stay out of trouble from now on."
He pulled out several pieces of gauze, a bottle of what was clearly rubbing alcohol, and an oversized patch which later turned out to be a bandage.
"Now…just hold still for a moment…this might sting a little."
Roxas couldn't help but flinch, "I'll try…"
Ansem nodded, then busied himself with disinfecting the wound near his scalp. The alcohol stung deeply at his head for a few seconds, mingling with the pain his headache brought on. After a few minutes of gentle rubbing, Ansem finally dried the wound and proceeded to bandage it.
"Now….do you mind telling me what you were doing up near the captain's quarters all alone by yourself?"
Roxas nodded, "I'll be honest with you sir, I have no idea. I sort of got lost while wandering around and trying to avoid running into anyone from work."
Ansem laughed, "Well….I do hope for your sake you succeeded."
Roxas couldn't help but laugh too, "Yeah…I hope so too."
"What I can't seem to understand is how did you come to get such an injury in your head like that? Did you get into some sort of a scuffle or something of the like?"
Roxas shook his head. I wish! At least then I could explain what happened!
"No…I just sort of fell…I think I must've tripped on the wood or something."
Ansem nodded, his red eyes resting firmly against the bandage now placed on his forehead.
"Yes…these decks do tend to be quite slippery, especially for an old timer such as myself. You should be more careful next time."
Roxas nodded, "Yes…yes sir…"
Ansem smiled, "Well…you seemed to be just fine. I suggest you head back down to your quarters and rest, and if you feel a headache coming on do not hesitate to go down to the FAS. I doubt you are suffering from a concussion, but just in case do be careful."
Ansem walked over and pulled open his door, giving Roxas the indication that it was ok for him to leave.
"Thank you sir…for your help…I really do appreciate it."
Roxas walked out the door and into the hallway, giving a quick wave and turning the corner as fast as he could. As soon as he was out of Ansem's sight, he took off into a dead run down the hallway and back towards the crew's quarters.
As soon as he hit his own floor, he finally allowed himself the luxury of slowing down.
He pulled out his card key, quickly sliding it against the slot and shutting the door behind him. As soon as he was settled in, he walked over to Axel's door and gave it a light knock.
"Axel…you in there?"
Nothing. All remained silent from the other side.
Roxas sighed, finally releasing the breath he had unknowingly held in all this time. He wearily returned to his bed, letting himself fall between the sheets in an exhausted heap.
"Man…that was close…"
He touched his hand against his head, feeling the bulky bandage against his fingers. He was going to have one hell of a time explaining that to Axel.
"Argh…this is going to suck major…"
He laid his head against his pillow, finally entering into a more restful position. The sheets felt unusually soft against his back, but he was more than happy to accept them the way they were settled at that moment.
Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.
It was a rather odd noise that awoke him several hours later.
It was muffled at first, almost as if whoever was speaking was speaking behind several layers of concrete and wood. Roxas ignored it at first, turning over onto his side in order to return back into his peaceful slumber.
But it was what followed that forced him back up.
"Please…please listen to me!"
"Go away! I hate you!"
"Wait! No! Come back!"
Loud footsteps sounded, followed by what Roxas was certain was a slap.
"I hate you! How could I have been so stupid? So blind?"
More footsteps. Loud at first, then slowly they receded into the back ground. Whoever had been yelling before had clearly gone off in the opposite direction.
"Come back!"
Roxas cringed, his headache was being insistent and all the yelling out in the hall was not helping out the situation. He sat up, slipped on his shoes, and walked over to the door with a mouthful of insults ready to fire at will.
He grabbed the handle, pulling the door open with a determined fury in his eyes.
"Can you keep it down out here! Some of us would like to sleep you inconsiderate ass-"
He blinked, the hall was empty.
"Where'd everybody go?"
He stepped out into the hallway lightly, the only sound being that of distant laughing and music from the floor above him.
"Ok…what was that about?"
After a quick glance in both directions, Roxas turned slowly back around and began heading back to bed, eyes already beginning to droop in response to his movements. A small yawn escaped him then, quickly interrupted by another sound nearby.
Help me…
Roxas jumped, his heart beating at a mile a minute as his back came to collide with the wall behind him.
"OK…." He whispered, knowing full well no one was listening. "Who the hell was that?!"
He stared intently, peering in both directions of the hallway for what seemed like an eternity. Not a soul was seen, not a voice was heard. As far as Roxas could deduct, the voice he had heard was nothing more than an exaggeration produced in his sleep induced mind, which in turn proved Axel's previous deductions that he was going slightly mental.
Roxas sighed, annoyed with himself for getting spooked over nothing, "This is fucking ridiculous…"
Help me…help me please!
He stopped, turning back slowly towards the voice emanating clearly from the other end of the hallway.
"Who's there?"
Help me…
Roxas stared, eyes peering intently into the darkness of the corridor. Someone or something was clearly there, he was certain of it. He could just make out their silhouette against what little light shone in that general direction, their figure slender and delicate.
Help…
He walked slowly, following the figure despite all instinct screaming at him to go back, to return to the safety of his room and stay put.
Into the darkness he went, following the figure close behind.
Axel sighed, he had to stop letting people take advantage of him like this.
"Hey Ax! Once you're done with that don't forget to pick up the dishes from table six!"
Axel groaned. Would this night ever end?
He tossed the remainder of his dishes into the sink, earning him a glare from the young man who had been forced to pick up Roxas' shift for the night. Axel merely shrugged in response, giving a clear indicator that he could care less what the newbie thought about the whole situation.
"Hey man, I'm just doing my job! Don't get pissed off at me that you can't clear dishes from the sink fast enough to save your life."
The young man continued to glare, then flipped him off and continued with his work. Axel simply walked away and headed back into the dining area.
"God, I hate this job more and more by the second."
He sauntered over to table six, grabbing any leftover plates in the empty tables along the way. The Sunset Lounge was nearly cleared out of people at this point, but there were still plenty of cleaning left to do before he could leave for the night.
"Hmm….looks like you still have plenty to do before you can bail. Need some help?"
Axel turned, surprised to be met by a smirk on Larxene's face.
"What? You're done already?"
Larxene nodded, picking up a plate and tossing it into the bin as she walked by."Yeah…where's your idiot buddy to help you out?"
Axel smirked, "Roxas, as you so lovingly referred to him, is out for the night."
"Really? How'd he manage that? Saix isn't quick to give anyone the night off, especially when they've just started working on board."
Axel picked up the last of the plates, quickly shoving them into the bin and heading off towards the kitchen.
"He, uh, got a little sick and was forced to stay in bed by the doc down in FAS."
Larxene smiled, "Lucky little asshole."
"Yeah, tell me about it."
Axel walked in, tossed the remainder of the dishes into the sink, then waved goodbye to Marley in the back kitchen.
"I'm done for the night dude! See you tomorrow!"
Marley waved back in response, not bothering to turn away once from the clipboard in his hand to look up at Axel. Axel merely sighed and grabbed his jacket as he made his way out of the kitchen, pulling out his hidden pack of cigarettes from his breast pocket as he did so. Larxene, meanwhile, was waiting patiently on a bar stool outside, playing around with a lighter he had no idea she had been carrying.
"You smoke?"
Larxene smiled, "Not really."
"Then why the lighter?"
She smirked, her eyes deeply entranced by the flame in front of her, "I like fire…do I need a reason for carrying it in my pocket?"
Axel laughed, "You are one weird chick, but whatever floats your boat hun."
He made a grab for her lighter then, catching it expertly in his hand before Larxene could reach back for it.
"Hey!"
"Hey what? You don't smoke, but I on occasion like a drag here and there…and today happens to be one of those occasions."
Larxene glared, watching as Axel lit up his cigarette all the while. The minute he let the lid snap back shut, Larxene took the chance and snatched it back away from him.
"Heh…you mad now hun?"
"No" she glared.
Axel laughed, "Come on now, how's about we get out of here and head down to the club on the other side?"
Larxene stared, for once caught off guard and without a smart wise crack to respond back with. Was he asking her out?
Axel smiled, he finally had her silent…for once.
"Uh…um…" at this, Larxene couldn't help but mentally slap herself across the face, clearly annoyed with herself beyond belief at the moment. "Yeah…yeah sure….why not…"
Axel laughed, "Ok…let's head out then!"
They turned, about to make their way out of the lounge, when Larxene noticed something slightly amiss. Out on the deck, with a slight drizzle of rain beginning to fall at an annoying rate, was none other than Roxas himself, running by at what seemed like at an urgent speed.
"Axel, didn't you say Roxas was M.I.A tonight?"
Axel took a drag of his cigarette, too content to even notice Roxas run by.
"Yeah…your point?"
"Well, isn't that him over there?"
Axel turned, the smile that had been planted across his face was quickly replaced with a frown, cigarette now hanging limp from the corner of his mouth.
"What the hell is he doing out here? And where the hell is he going? It's like two in the fucking morning and this kid should be in bed!"
Axel groaned, and then ran after him at full speed. Larxene could do no more than follow him.
"Well…so much for the club…"
He ran, following her close behind.
"Wait!"
Despite his desperate pleas, she would not look back, let alone stop or slow down. She was clearly upset and anything he said or did was not going to stop her.
"Please wait! Let me explain!"
He continued to run, turned the corner a little too fast, and slipped head first into the slick wooden floor that made up the upper deck of the ship. He raised his head slowly, shaking away the slight dizziness that accompanied the fall as he did so.
Get a hold of yourself! Now is not the time to look like a fool, he thought to himself.
"Where are you?!" he cried out to the darkness and distorted vision before him.
He stood up slowly, grabbing hold of a nearby wall for support as he let the wave of dizziness the collision against the floor had caused pass. The floor seemed to shift to the side before him, but he walked on anyway, searching all the while for any sign of her.
"Please…please talk to me…tell me where you are..."
"Help!" was the response he got from her instead.
Despite his condition, he shifted off into a dead run down the walkway and into the darkness ahead of him, stopping only once he reached the end of the path. There was no sign of her, or of anyone else for that matter.
Where are you?
"Stay away…"
He turned around slowly, only then noticing the shape of a figure not too far away from him.
"You…it's you isn't? What have you done with her? Show yourself you bloody coward!"
The figure laughed, only then finally stepping out into the light and presenting to him the captive he held against his chest.
It was her.
"Let her go!"
The figure laughed, bringing up his left arm and pointing the gun he had been concealing right at him.
"I will do no such thing!"
She struggled against the figure, frightened eyes pleading to him to remain still. The figure noticed this, and brought the gun to her temple instead, holding her closer and laughing harder all the while.
"No! Let her go!"
"Or else what? I clearly have all the cards dealt in my favor…why deal out now?"
She blinked then, fighting back the surge of tears that were beginning to form in her eyes. She continued to plea silently to him despite the tears, a scream for help clearly resonating within her eyes.
"I'll ask you again, let her go!"
A smile broke against the figure's face, laughter dancing around his eyes.
"Never…"
He shifted the gun, then lightly pulled against the trigger.
"No!"
He ran forward towards her then, at the same moment she managed to pull away and collide against his waiting embrace. All seemed to slow down then, but he was more than certain of her fate the moment she collided with him and began to slip down towards the floor.
No…no! No! No! Please don't do this to me!
"NO!"
She held tightly to him then, a small smile forming against her soft lips as she open her mouth to speak one last time.
"I…forgive you…"
He stared, tears escaping his own eyes as a sob found its way out of his throat and into the silent night around him.
"No…no please…please wake up!"
A dark figure loomed above him just then, angry tear stained eyes could do nothing more but turn and stare right back at him.
"I warned you once boy…now death to you both!"
He held on to her tightly, praying with every last breath that his death would come soon and that no pain would follow the sound. He held his breath and shut his eyes, a distant ringing in his ears quickly accompanied his actions. Only it wasn't a ringing noise he was hearing, it was a scream. A high pitched scream and the sound of a singular shot fired are what reached his ears before everything went black and still.
Black and still, like the night.
The last sensation he recalled before all reason left him was falling. Falling at a swift speed…never reaching the bottom…
Falling silently…
With her…
"ROXAS! YOU FUCKING DOLT! GET THE FUCK OFF OF THERE!"
Roxas shook his head. Something was off, completely off.
"Roxas! Roxas get down!"
Ok, completely off was an understatement. Especially if the last voice he heard was none other than Larxene the mean queen herself, and was that concern lacing her voice? Concern for him?
"Roxas! I'm going to fucking KILL YOU if you don't die first!"
Is that Axel? What the hell is he talking about?! Why is everyone yelling?!
Roxas shook his head, a deep pounding resonating somewhere near his temples. He slowly urged his eyes to open and function correctly, reading himself for the moment when he would have to pull away from bed and smack the living day light out of Axel for being so loud.
Only, he wasn't in bed at all.
"Roxas, for the last freaking time man! Get the fuck off of there!"
He stared, dark ocean water greeting his sight below him.
"Roxas!" Larxene yelled up to him, clearly frightened out of character. "Please! You are starting to freak Axel out you idiot!"
He stared, petrified beyond belief and with no clue as to where he was or how he got there. All he could register was the dark ocean water churning below him, eagerly beckoning him down into its dark depths.
Jump…
Roxas stepped forward, one bare foot lightly floating above the cold metal bar below him.
"Roxas!"
She held tightly to him then, a small smile forming against her soft lips as she open her mouth to speak one last time.
"I…forgive you…"
"ROXAS! NO!"
A strong grip pulled him back in that instant, followed by a warm embrace and confused yelling. It took several moments for Roxas to fully function and break away from his strange revere, only to be met by a smack across the face and a harsh shake down by Axel.
"Are you fucking crazy? You could've killed yourself you moron!"
Roxas blinked, only then fully taking in his surroundings for the first time. He was obviously situated somewhere on the upper class deck outside, near the railing. Rain was slowly falling all around him, sending a chill all throughout his body that he had conveniently ignored until now. Axel and Larxene stared down at him like two concern parents, hair disheveled and soaking beyond repair. Even Axel's fire red locks, which were normally sticking out from all ends like the rebel he played himself out to be, were heavy with water and sticking to his face.
"Roxas, what the hell were you thinking?!" urged Axel, a mixture of emotions playing themselves out across his face. He looked like he was about ready to go mental, but was trying with all the patience in the world to keep himself from doing so.
Roxas could do more than stare, a sob he had been unaware of escaping him at that instant.
"Whoa…dude…are you ok?"
Tears began to fall silently down his cheeks, mixing in with the rain that began to pelt down around them at increasing speeds. Roxas could only sit and shiver uncontrollably, Axel and Larxene looking on with worry in their eyes.
"She died Axel…and it was all my fault…"
And there you have it everyone….one lengthy chapter!!!
Hope it didn't confuse anyone all that much!! Thanks for all the reviews I've received thus far…and don't hesitate to review this time around either!!
Laterz!
-NightRaven13