"Roxas, Roxas." Larxene chides in that awful voice of hers. I'm using the wall to prop myself up as I hold the side of my head. I slowly recover from her blow and stand tall to face her. She continues talking, slowly circling around me.
"You never could follow instructions." She jokes, as if we're old friends. Her laugh sounds lighthearted. I know otherwise. She's behind me now. Something hits the back of my leg, forcing me to my knees. I wince as they hit the ground. "Such a shame." She whispers in my ear. She moves in front of me again. A finger trails around me neck, leaving a line of pain behind. I ignore it, glaring up at her.
"You were my best, Roxas." She almost sounds sad. "But you couldn't listen." She leans in close. "Not even for Sora." I can't keep my composure; I snap.
I charge at her, pinning her against the wall. My arm is against her throat, constricting her breathing. My dagger is inches from her eye. Still, that knowing smirk is glued to her face.
"Where? I ask. "Where is he?"
She just laughs. She knows she's won. I'm already dead and no one will be there to save Sora.
Sora…
Her cackle breaks my thought. I'm pushed away by a shock of electricity. I notice that she's taken her knives out. It's begun. or perhaps it's already ended. It doesn't matter. Is it even worth it to fight back? I can't win. She owns me.
And she knows it.
She throws one of her knives at me. It grazes my arm, ripping my shirt. She notices my lack of response.
"C'mon, Roxas. It'll simply be no fun if you don't even try." She throws another that I block this time, my eyes black with hatred. She laughs, enjoying every minute. It echoes down the alley.
I move in to jab at her ribs. She grabs my arm and twists it, forcing me to the ground again. I yell out in pain as my dagger falls from my grasp.
I throw my foot backward and it comes in contact with her ankle. She stumbles, losing her grip on my arm. I reach for my dagger, but before I can grab it her foot lands on my wrist. I hear something crack.
I swing at her with my left hand. Miss. Her foot lifts from my arm to collide with the side of my head. I land hard on my back, staring up at the dark sky.
So few stars out tonight…
Larxene steps into my blurred vision, smirking down at me. I roll over. Before I can get up, Larxene's foot meets my stomach with a blow that causes me to fall, facedown, back to the ground. I gasp for breath.
"You always were a control freak." a voice says.
That voice. I cough, spitting blood onto the ground, and look toward its source. He's standing, leaning against the alley wall, arms crossed.
Larxene spins to face him, already glaring. She stands there a moment.
"If I recall correctly, you weren't exactly a pushover either." She finally says. He says nothing, but I swear something flashed in his eyes. Anger? Just as quickly, he is composed again, nonchalant.
"We're not discussing my crazy here, sis." He says. I half choke and spit more blood onto the gravel. I'm having difficulty breathing.
"What do you want, brother?" She spits the last part at him. I can no longer hold myself up, my face is in the dirt. There are black spots at the edges of my vision, though I can still see Axel.
"I haven't" he says, "decided yet."
His hand twitches and an object appears in it. A weapon; huge, circular, and spiked. He leisurely pushes himself off the wall and steps away from it, weapon in hand. Larxene takes a step backward.
Did…did Larxene just retreat? Who is this guy?
"Axel…" She starts.
"What is it, sis?" He asks. She throws a dagger at him. He blocks it and stops to look at her, hesitating a moment.
"Why bring the chakrams out?" She asks innocently. He smirks.
With a wordless cry, he hurdles a flaming chakram at Larxene. She jumps and rolls out of its path just in time. They continue fighting.
"I've wanted to do this for years." He tells her.
"What finally caused you to do it?" She asks. He doesn't stop his attack, but I swear his eyes flicker toward mine. Larxene hasn't missed it. She blocks him and steps away, her laugh echoing down the alley into the shadows.
"Does Axel Lea think he has a heart?" She asks with a cackle. Axel says nothing.
She moves toward me, rolls me over onto my back with her foot. I cry out at my broken wrist hits the ground. Axel takes a step forward.
"Perhaps I should've killed you before." She says down to me. She smirks at Axel, four new knives behind her back.
I hear him yell, see him charge at her, and then the world goes black.