Chapter 5: We All Fall Apart Eventually
That night, Zexion didn't find Axel in his room. He even asked a few people had they seen the pyro. After many shocked looks that he was out and talking, unfortunately no one had seen him.
Zexion chose not to press the matter. Perhaps Axel just wanted alone time too. But that didn't seen right.
'Maybe he went to look for them without me.' he thought bitterly. Axel wasn't to be trusted most of the time. Who knew what he was up to?
The next day, the redhead was randomly back and in his room. Part of Zexion was glad he came back, the other half still felt he had plans that didn't include him.
Axel had been talking for the better part of an hour and Zexion was becoming very irritated. His mind could focus much one the other's words. Just millions of accusations toward him. To think, if he was looking for the girls, no, just Rexial without him…
"And I was walking around in the Eternal Night Forest and I almost stepped on-"
"Axel I wish to be alone would you please go." He said cutting him off mid-sentence. If he had been paying attention he would have noticed the look of pain crossing Axel's features.
"Right-o, bro." Axel muttered before teleporting out of the room.
Zexion remained rooted in his seat for awhile before standing up. He sighed tears once again welling up in his eyes and walked out of his room. His feet were on auto-pilot and he soon found himself in front of Tryxel's door. He stepped inside letting the familiar scent of her fill his nose.
Everything was exactly as it had been the day she left. He walked to the windowsill and watered her night flower. He made sure he did this every day. She loved that flower and when she came back she'd want it as it was. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he looked at her bedside table. It was a picture of them together. He was hiding his face but she had gotten enough of it to make a good picture.
He hated himself for the way he had been with her. When they found her he would treat her with all of the love and adoration she deserved. He blindly wiped at his eyes with the sleeves of his cloak and tried to stifle his hiccups. As he gathered himself together, he left the room.
He made his way slowly back down the corridor when he smelled something odd.
Something like dried blood and dirt.
He followed the scent to Axel's room and walked in. Everything was a mess. There were clothes everywhere and most of his things were broken. His bed had been collapsed and the mattress on the other side of the room. His mirror was broken from what appeared to be punches. Things that had been on shelves now littered the floor.
Zexion surveyed everything with wide eyes. He had no idea his friend had been so destructive. He walked forward and the scent was stronger. Kneeling down he examined an old cloak. It was covered in block dirt and the sleeves…the sleeves were covered in blood.
"What have you been doing to yourself?" Zexion whispered. He needed to find Axel, now. Where could he be? He sniffed the cloak once again trying to place the scent. Ah! The Forest! Zexion teleported himself there without a second thought.
Axel opened a dark portal to the forest that had become a second home to him.
Zexion had once again sent him away, not realizing the effect it had on the pyro.
Axel sighed sitting down next to his target tree. Its bark was marred and chipping where he had relentlessly thrown his chakrams in mindless rage. He gazed up at the trees and could just barely make out the stars in the sky.
This was one of the worlds that had been discovered in the search. It was a massive forest that was suspended in an endless night. How the trees grew with no light he didn't know. Didn't care. He was numb. Numb. No, he wasn't supposed to be numb he had a heart. He had Rexial.
In a panic he ripped his gloves off and shrugged off his cloak. Ugly cuts and scars littered his arms, evidence that this had happened before.
"I can't be numb… numb means no heart…I have a heart. I have Rexial." He whispered to himself before taking a small pocket knife out of his pocket. He hissed as he sliced his forearm.
There it was, pain. Pain was not numb. The blood showed that he was not too far gone, not too far from his love.
"Fuck Rex, I'm a mess…" He said to himself.
Tears made their way down his cheeks and he was surprised his tattoos still remained with how many he had shed. He giggled at that thought. He imagined him crying and his tattoos running down away from his face. Ridiculous. He had the weirdest fucking thoughts.
Axel looked back down at his arm and realized the cut had all ready stopped bleeding.
"Who the fuck told you to stop?" He growled in anger. He picked his knife up and made the deepest cut he had ever dared. Blood instantly welled up and ran down the sides of his arm and into the soil.
"Drink up mister tree." He giggled.
He dimly wondered if he was going hysterical from the blood loss he had sustained. It's not like he had ever tried to cure himself, and every day he came back here to let more flow free. He stared and suddenly remembered a time he was with Rexial and had injured himself.
"Axel!" Rexial yelled.
The redhead turned around to see a heartless rampage down the street they were on in Agrabah. It knocked him over and his arm landed on a forgotten piece of wood effectively earning him a decently sized gash.
Rexial seethed and the heartless suddenly blew up, causing nearby stands to collapse. He smirked thinking of how badass his baby was before she bounded over to him.
"Are you okay? Does it hurt? Nevermind that, duh it hurts. Um. come here." She said leading him to a nearby bench. She sat him down and rummaged through her bag until she found bandages.
"Couldn't you just use a cure or a potion?" Axel asked.
"No, I didn't pack any. Besides, I think Vexen has been tainting all of the supplies with some of his experiments." She told him.
He chuckled and watched her work. She carefully cleaned the wound and wrapped it up nice and neat.
"When did you learn first aid?"
"I had a couple of little sisters before I died. Rowdy little bunch. They were always getting hurt." Rexial replied smiling softly. Axel nodded, not wanting her to upset herself over the past.
"Come on let's finish up here and go home."
Axel choked on a sob as he remembered the rest of that day. They had gone home and ended up spending the rest of the day in bed, simply enjoying each others company. Laughing, kissing, talking. It was one of his dearest memories. And now she was gone.
"Fuck Rex! What am I supposed to do without you! You were my everything!" He cried out standing up.
"Everything I wanted, everything I ever needed! You, Rexial Ignis!" His voice was near screeching at that point but he didn't care. Why would he need a voice anyway, no one talked to him anymore.
"I loved you! I love you! I always will! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST FUCKING COME BACK TO ME!"
His voice cracked and he choked back another sob and punched the tree. Bark broke off into his knuckles but he didn't let up. He eventually collapsed onto the ground crying. He ran his hands through his hair streaking blood across his face.
"Such a fucking mess…" He mumbled to himself.
Eventually he got up and hid his wounds with his cloak and gloves before leaving the forest in a dark portal.
Zexion watched as his best friend left the world.
He knew Axel wasn't doing well… but he had no idea it was this bad.
'I can no longer push him away. We must resort to the final option, opening the door to the pure worlds.' he thought.
With renewed determination Zexion went off in search of who he would need on his side.
Yen Sid.