Author's note: I'hm so sorry that this has taken so long. D: I've been so busy with college applications. :P AND THEN I REALIZED I LEFT YOU WITH A CLIFFHANGER! I'm awful. BUT! I have two more finished chapters. So they'll be a-comin'.
There's something covering me; soft, warm. I'm warm. Where am I? I never want to move, it's so comfortable. Wait. There's a pain in my wrist. And my head….Why?
My eyes open to darkness. It's unfamiliar. There's a candle flickering beside the bed. That's familiar. There's a memory there.
"How do you feel?" He steps out from the shadows. I try to lift my head to look at him.
"Uuuuuuugh." My head falls back to the pillow. The world takes a moment to stop spinning.
"Take it easy." He says. Stubborn, I try again; slowly this time. I'm able to eventually sit up, wincing at a pain in my side. I look at Axel. His face is blank, completely unreadable. What is he thinking? He opens his mouth as if to say something, closes it, and then opens it again.
"Who's Sora?" he asks. I had been inspecting the bandages on my wrist. At his question, my eyes snap up to look at him. I say nothing. "You were talking in your sleep." He explains. I continue ignoring his question. I try to switch the subject. "Larxene called you 'brother'." I remember. This time it's his turn to be silent.
"Yeah," he says finally. "It's a long story. "Well, I suppose not…She's my sister."
"Your—"
"We're not talking about this." He cuts me off. "She's not going to be bothering you anymore anyway." My eyes open wide at his words.
"She's dead?" I ask, panicking.
"Yes." He responds. "You sound upset."
"Oh, no." My heart drops. "No, no, no." I get off the bed and move toward the door.
"Roxas, she was going to kill you!"
I ignore him and stumble down the stairs. Axel is following behind me, I hear him behind me. I'm not sure what I plan to do. It's not as if I can revive the dead. There is a pain in my head and the world spins. I fall against the wall. When I look up, I realize I'm in a room with a fireplace. There are couches and armchairs too; one is inhabited by someone facing away.
"Roxas—" I hear Axel come in behind me.
"…Demyx?" I ask. The world won't stay still.
"Sora?" He turns and sees me.
"Roxas?" Axel is confused. "Demyx? What are you doing here?"
"I was bored." He says. "What's Sora doing here? And why does he look like he's about to keel over?"
"Sora?" Axel asks. Demyx points at me.
"Roxas." Axel says.
"What's that?" Demyx asks.
"His name." Axel explains. "His name is Roxas."
"He told me it was Sora." Demyx says.
They both turn to look at me; and then the floor rushes up to meet me.
"I haven't seen him in two years." I'm sitting on one of Axel's couches, tea in hand. "There was a fire. When we were younger, I mean. I managed to get Sora out. My parents weren't so lucky…" I think back, remembering every detail. "There was no moon out that night…" A tear rolls down my cheek. Axel had gotten up and was now staring out his window.
"Larxene. She found us; offered us food, shelter. She just wanted me to steal for her, join the Organization. At first, I refused. She would threaten me. There were times when I would take Sora and try to run. I always came back. She knew I was dependent on her. I needed her.
Finally, she took Sora from me. She held him over my head; forcing me to steal, cheat, lie. I haven't seen him since he was 14. I'm not even positive he's still alive. Larxene promised we'd both be free when I turned 18. I had three months left…"
"So now…you don't know where he is." Demyx says. I shake my head. "Shit…Well, do we know anything? Did she ever give you any clues?" I shake my head again, thinking of nothing.
"Marluxia." Axel says, still staring out the window. He turns, but still doesn't look at me.
"Do you know where he is?" Demyx asks.
"No," Axel says. "But he shouldn't be hard to find."
Demyx and I look at each other. Axel moves to leave the room. He stops, turns, and looks at us.
"H—…How do you two know each other?" Axel asks.
"He stole my shower." Demyx says at the same time that I say, "He made me dinner."
Axel raises and eyebrow and walks away, saying nothing. Demyx and I look at each other again. Demyx shrugs and gets up to follow. I limp after him. We end up in a dark room; Axel is lighting candles. Slowly, the room becomes visible. Weapons line the walls: swords, knives, crossbows.
"Axel, you said you got rid of these." Demyx crosses his arms.
"I lied."
"But you don't even need them." Demyx protests.
"They're not for me." He turns to me. "Take your pick." I look around me, more questions in my head than I thought possible. My hand closes around the hilt of a sword next to me. I take it off the wall, testing it. I turn to Axel.
"Okay, your turn." I say. "Explain." A shadow covers Axel's face. He says nothing as he turns and begins blowing out candles.
"How do you know so much about the Organization? Why do you have all this stuff?"
"It's unimportant." He blows out the final flame, leaving me in darkness.
"Why are you trusting me?" I ask an empty room before following after Axel and Demyx.