[KH2] - Last Rites (Implied Axel/Roxas, implied Riku/Sora)

[quakewithfear]

Title:  Last Rites
Author:  Xanthos Samurai aka Quakewithfear
Fandom:  Kingdom Hearts II
Pairing/Characters:  Implied Axel/Roxas, implied Riku/Sora
Rating:  PG-13
Length:  992 Words
Warnings:  AU-ish, angst,
Disclaimer:  This sort of thing is why I shouldn't write when I'm tired and it's late.  This is probably pretty disjointed and I'm not sure how

Comments

[lostscore]

This is wonderful.

I particularly was fond of the "It wasn't a question/boast" bit. I like when cliched statements are taken that one step further than normal. You are a great one for that, and it's part of what I respect about you as a writer.

The 'unseeing' sense of touch (Riku shifted his weight so that his shoulders rubbed against Axel’s - for example) were also well-executed. It made the not-quite sexual overtone very apparent.

(In addition, randomly; I am sooooo in love with the adorable BA-AU Axel guy who works at our beer store. He's a total Canadian stereotype hoser too...except, you know, not disgusting.) He snarks at me every time I walk in and asks me for my ID purposely. As a joke. Even when I'm only bringing bottles in.)

[quakewithfear]

I'm glad you enjoyed this!

I think a big reason I wrote this is because I needed to figure out how Riku and Axel needed to interact in E&O. The cliched statement bits are horribly fun to write, so I'm glad people like them.

I did toy with putting in more Axel/Riku undertones, but I decided that I liked the notion of the proximity and physical contact being a matter of circumstance rather than desire. It emphasizes the fact that they're mentally and emotionally isolated even though they're touching someone.

(You'd better bring me pictures of this guy soon or I'm gonna come up there and stalk him myself!)

[wickedorin]

...It is probably wrong to find such emotional fulfillment in the simple sentence, "I’ll stab you, you stab me, we all go home." And yet, somehow...

Yeah, I liked this. It hurts and they both feel so tired--but even with the implications, there was a companionable bit of "hope" at the end. (And 4:00 AM is the perfect time to write! You have no idea what you're doing so everything comes out "pure", even if it doesn't make any sense. *grin* Well, this is my excuse.)

[quakewithfear]

Thank you so much! I'm actually very fond of the line you quoted. I think it sums up the feeling of the fic very nicely.

I'm glad I got the "tired" feeling across in this. Both Axel and Riku strike me as such weary characters. Neither one of them are like sora and his boundless energy. They take hits, they get tired, they sustain injuries... Life's not easy on them. But it's not all hopeless, which is why I decided on a bittersweet ending.

(And of COURSE 4 AM is the best time to write! I call it the everclear hour - you get the purest, strongest stuff, but you're also going to wake up the next morning and go "what the fuck was I DOING last night?!")

[wickedorin]

I would agree, which is probably why I find Axel and Riku a lot more interesting. They don't have the "emotional padding" or constant optimism Sora does. Though apparently I'm just an emotional masochist and gravitate toward characters who suffer. Often. ...Ah well.

(I so enjoy finding something that I don't even remember writing. Even if it... takes several hours to edit.)

[rosalyn_angel]

ah! lovely. I adored your characterizations of Axel and Riku--like lostscore, I also really liked the "it wasn't a question/boat" bit. And also how they were just so casual in their conversation, even when speaking of killing each other. Just.. sfahtkedgj love. ♥

[quakewithfear]

Axel and Riku are traditionally very difficult characters for me to write to my satisfaction (especially when they're interacting!), so I'm glad that you enjoyed this! I was originally going to put some stronger Axel/Riku implications in there, but I decided that it might take away from the main focus of the story. Either way, I'm glad you enjoyed this!

Thank you for the comment. ^_^

[aniai]

Aaaah, reading this while listening to Namine's theme is a killer...

The start was a bit too much 'telling it all,' but when it gets down to it, the dialogue and those small gestures in their interaction makes this great.

Somehow Axel's repetition of 'gotta light?' at the end just highlighted that feeling that there's nothing after this for them...

[quakewithfear]

Hahaha... Yeaaah the beginning wasn't the best... My excuse is still the 4 AM thing.

I was pleased with how the "gotta light?" theme made them come back full circle to their situation at the beginning. I didn't realize it at the time, but the light is totally symbolic of hope, which they don't have. The two of them are going to die, but they're going to do it on their terms. That makes the death a bit better, I think.

Thank you so much for the lovely comment!

[mirroriste]

I really love this story. Its simple almost, not muddled up, but because of that had just the right emotions where it needs to be.

*NOD*

I love how Axel's saying things that, while people normally say it (like 'I'm sorry'), they generally just say it because its common or 'right' to say it and dont fully mean it 100%. People are so careful with avoiding 'emotion' terms with the nobodies that they forget about coloquial speech.

yeah ._.

[quakewithfear]

I really don't think that you could drop a lifetime worth of reaction to emotion at the drop of a hat either. That's why the Nobodies still smile or frown or say things like "sorry" even if they can't feel the emotion that the gesture implies. I think it makes them sadder and even more tragic and inhuman as characters and I'm glad that someone else agrees. ^_^

Thanks for the comment!