KH ficlet: No Reply
640 words, hints of Roxas/Axel; pre-KH2; PG/worksafe
I call and there's no reply/like some phantom cry/on ears too far away
No Reply
"No one would miss me." He's walking away, and the hollow space within you is aching in a way that it never has, a whole new emptiness.
"That's not true!" There's no point to it, though; you know too well how much determination is packed into that small body, and the kid's made his decision. "…I would."
He's gone, though, blond hair fading into the distance like he's being swallowed by the darkness. Like he's used up what little life and light he started with - ironic; your mouth stretches into a wide and utterly humourless smile, rictus.
He's always been the only one who could burn you.
"Ch'." You kick absently at the prowling Shadows when they get too close, thinking fast. It's not like you give a fuck for the Superiority Complex and his plans; it's not like anything in this place is worth much to you. It's not like Kingdom Hearts'll be any use with your only ticket to feeling something on his way out.
It's not like Xemnas cares what you think. Your job is traitor-retrieval, occasionally disposal when it's worth it, when you can twist the situation to warrant it. When the stakes have been blond and blue-eyed and vicious in a fight.
So it's either go after Roxas, or be sent. And if you happen to slip into the corridor along with the kid - well, by the time they realise it, you'll both be well away. Roxas doesn't do calculating half as well as he does bludgeoning with keys; it's why you work together.
Work well together. You grin, vicious now, and flame licks around the hem of your robe as you start to walk, twitching balls of Shadow writhing themselves to ash in your wake.
Halfway down the Avenue to Forgetfulness, thunder cracks overhead and it starts to rain. Swearing, you take to the edges of the streets, kicking Heartless from your path as the damp begins to soak through your hair. Up ahead, you can feel the presence of the Neoshadows beneath the skyscraper, a clot of darkness that will have delayed Roxas - the kid never could resist a fight. Enough of a delay to let you find an overhang, dry yourself out a little - in case anyone needs incinerating, later. The water's enough of a pain that even the simplest magics become complicated, and it's beyond hilarious that Demyx has never figured out that he could actually get you back for all those…
Change; a new darkness in the air, familiar and growing, and you begin to swear as you realise that it's been there all along, faint in the distance. This one, you recognise too well, and you are running before thought can catch up, chilled with more than the rain. When the darkness explodes across your senses, you know that you're not the only one feeling this; there will be Sorcerers flooding down from the heights of the castle, Saix no doubt hot on their heels and isn't it just luck that dark corridors within the City are so fucking erratic?
You know even before you burst into the plaza that you are too late; all you see is a retreating back, black-cloaked, and the faint glimmer of blond hair disappearing into darkness. Your chakrams glance and ricochet off the wall of a building, and you close your eyes, letting them dissipate. Minutes - seconds! - too fucking late, and your last chance at being a real boy is gone, probably for good. Samurai and Assassins and Dusks crowd around you, spinning themselves into curious existence and awaiting instructions; a phalanx of Sorcerers glides into the square, and if there was ever any doubt then it's truly too late, now. For both of you.
When Xemnas sends you after the newest traitor, you grin and salute, because it's the beginning of the end, either way.
I call and there's no reply/like some phantom cry/on ears too far away
No Reply
"No one would miss me." He's walking away, and the hollow space within you is aching in a way that it never has, a whole new emptiness.
"That's not true!" There's no point to it, though; you know too well how much determination is packed into that small body, and the kid's made his decision. "…I would."
He's gone, though, blond hair fading into the distance like he's being swallowed by the darkness. Like he's used up what little life and light he started with - ironic; your mouth stretches into a wide and utterly humourless smile, rictus.
He's always been the only one who could burn you.
"Ch'." You kick absently at the prowling Shadows when they get too close, thinking fast. It's not like you give a fuck for the Superiority Complex and his plans; it's not like anything in this place is worth much to you. It's not like Kingdom Hearts'll be any use with your only ticket to feeling something on his way out.
It's not like Xemnas cares what you think. Your job is traitor-retrieval, occasionally disposal when it's worth it, when you can twist the situation to warrant it. When the stakes have been blond and blue-eyed and vicious in a fight.
So it's either go after Roxas, or be sent. And if you happen to slip into the corridor along with the kid - well, by the time they realise it, you'll both be well away. Roxas doesn't do calculating half as well as he does bludgeoning with keys; it's why you work together.
Work well together. You grin, vicious now, and flame licks around the hem of your robe as you start to walk, twitching balls of Shadow writhing themselves to ash in your wake.
Halfway down the Avenue to Forgetfulness, thunder cracks overhead and it starts to rain. Swearing, you take to the edges of the streets, kicking Heartless from your path as the damp begins to soak through your hair. Up ahead, you can feel the presence of the Neoshadows beneath the skyscraper, a clot of darkness that will have delayed Roxas - the kid never could resist a fight. Enough of a delay to let you find an overhang, dry yourself out a little - in case anyone needs incinerating, later. The water's enough of a pain that even the simplest magics become complicated, and it's beyond hilarious that Demyx has never figured out that he could actually get you back for all those…
Change; a new darkness in the air, familiar and growing, and you begin to swear as you realise that it's been there all along, faint in the distance. This one, you recognise too well, and you are running before thought can catch up, chilled with more than the rain. When the darkness explodes across your senses, you know that you're not the only one feeling this; there will be Sorcerers flooding down from the heights of the castle, Saix no doubt hot on their heels and isn't it just luck that dark corridors within the City are so fucking erratic?
You know even before you burst into the plaza that you are too late; all you see is a retreating back, black-cloaked, and the faint glimmer of blond hair disappearing into darkness. Your chakrams glance and ricochet off the wall of a building, and you close your eyes, letting them dissipate. Minutes - seconds! - too fucking late, and your last chance at being a real boy is gone, probably for good. Samurai and Assassins and Dusks crowd around you, spinning themselves into curious existence and awaiting instructions; a phalanx of Sorcerers glides into the square, and if there was ever any doubt then it's truly too late, now. For both of you.
When Xemnas sends you after the newest traitor, you grin and salute, because it's the beginning of the end, either way.