Aquaphobia

 

Aquaphobia

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I do own the storyline, so please don’t steal!

 

Warnings: Yaoi, violence, death…

 

Spoilers: If you have not played KH2 some of the characters might be new to you.

 

Pairings: Roxas:x:Axel, Zack:x:Cloud, Yuffie:x:Kairi, Paine:x:Rikku

 

Plot: Roxas is a mess. His sister haunts him, he has no memories of his past, and he has an intense fear of water. Time heals all wounds, but will his new friendships and a newfound love truly conquer Roxas’ Aquaphobia? Or will he be haunted by his sister forever?

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Chapter Two: Tick-Tock

 

  The water, which had been so warm before, was ice cold as it bit into his skin. His lean body pierced through the water, easily sending him half-way down the twelve foot plunge, eyes quickly adjusting to the sting of chlorine as he searched for the girl. She was bleeding, a trail of green following her slow descent to the bottom of the pool, bubbles drifting slowly from her half-parted lips. Roxas reached out, swimming deeper, kicking with strong legs that remembered the water so well it was uncanny even after all this time… An image of the pool at their summer house suddenly flooded through him, Naminé timing him as he learned to hold his breath, laughing and smiling at him. Her favorite watch was wrapped around her delicate left wrist, shining like gold in the sunlight.

  Snapping back to reality Roxas’ hand met Yuffie’s shoulder, grabbing the girl’s arm and pulling her up to him. She was heavy, like Naminé had been, when he pulled her lifeless body up through the waters to the surface with him, twigs and algae darkening her long golden-blonde hair against the muddy shore.

  “Naminé! Naminé please don’t die! Don’t die without me! Don’t leave me here alone…”

  The words rang hollow in his ears, the deafening sound of the water crushing his heart and lungs as he remembered, and then suddenly the sound of a clock began ticking deep within the water. That sharp chime that haunted his dreams, that sound that he heard above all else, above her last words…the tick-tock that drowned out his sister’s voice… With a strong kick against the bottom of the pool Roxas propelled them up through the water, pushing Yuffie ahead of him so she surfaced first, strong hands taking her from him them helping him out of the water. He didn’t see who was helping him, and he didn’t care. All he knew was she had been underwater long enough for it to travel to her lungs, and she needed to breathe now. He crawled to Yuffie’s shoulder, pumping her chest and pinching her nose before forcing air down her throat. Nothing happened, nothing changed except the sickening sound of his heartbeat in his ears throbbing dully like a hollow drum. Not this time, this was not going to happen. Not again! He locked his fingers and pressed against her chest; one, two, three, four, breathe…over and over, until he felt something give way.

  Roxas withdrew from the girl and rolled her onto her side, slapping her back as she coughed up water and gasped in air. Her forehead was bleeding above her right eye, but other than that she seemed to be okay. Kairi and Olette were beside Roxas, pushing Yuffie’s hair from her face and holding her shoulders, trying to calm her down as she returned to the land of the living. Roxas watched, heartbeat still drumming in his head, loud and overpowering. He didn’t realize how badly he was shaking until Axel pressed a hand to his back, saying something to him the blonde couldn’t understand. He heard the sound of someone breathing, hard and loud as if in panic, but it didn’t register in his mind who it was until strong arms wrapped around him and pulled him against a broad chest.

  “Easy, Roxas. Easy. She’s okay, you saved her. Yuffie’s okay…”

  He could feel his breath hard and shaking against the older boy’s chest, and then he realized it was him, and he was hyperventilating. He swallowed; trying to calm his racing heart, trying to block the images of his sister twitching in the water, the sound of her watch, and then the sound of nothing…it was too much for him to take. He burst into tears.

  Groggily Yuffie sat up, Kairi helping support her and watching her carefully. “W-what happened?” The small girl winced, reaching up to her forehead, pulling her hand away and gasping. “I’m bleeding! Kairi?” She looked up at the other girl, confusion across her face. “Why am I bleeding?”

  Laughing softly, wiping her runny nose from where she’d been crying, the magenta-haired girl replied, “You fell; you hit your head and fell into the pool. Roxas saved you…”

  Yuffie hesitated a moment, realization flashing in her eyes as she turned around, searching for the boy, “Roxas? I-”

  The boy didn’t hear her, too lost in his emotions. He curled up against the other boy’s chest and just let go, crying like he hadn’t in a long time. Yuffie looked up to Axel, who returned her look with worry, then the petite girl crawled over to Roxas on hands and knees and clasped her small hands around his upper arm, pressing her cheek against his shoulder.

  “Thank you, Roxas.” She said gently. “Thank you for coming to get me.”

  That time he heard her soft words, looked over to the girl through his tears, and moved to embrace her. Roxas pulled Yuffie to him, Axel letting him go and watching the exchange silently. Still crying, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close, the girl’s small arms wrapping around his sides and resting on his back. “I’m sorry,” he cried, shaking against her, “I’m so sorry…”

  Arching her brow with worry, Yuffie said softly, “No, I’m sorry for scaring you; I didn’t mean to upset you…”

  Roxas pulled away from her, shaking his head. He held her shoulders for a long moment then let her go, Kairi stepping up to her and taking her hand, helping the girl to her feet. “Let’s get you cleaned up, alright?”

  Yuffie nodded, letting Kairi lead her back to the changing rooms, Larxene, Selphie, and Olette following after them and tittering about antiseptic and Band-Aids. Hayner and Pence exchanged a glance, the ash-blonde asking, “Are you okay?”

  Roxas nodded, wiping his face, shoulders trembling as he sat awkwardly beside the edge of the pool. Axel looked over at the boys and tilted his head towards the door, Pence taking Hayner’s arm and pulling him along, leaving Axel and Roxas alone by the water. The red-head waited until the other boys had disappeared through the door, then reached over and touched Roxas’ shoulder again, the blonde trembling under his hand. He made a soft, wounded sound, lowering his head and clenching the edge of his swim-trunks in his hands, squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to stop the tears threatening to pour down his cheeks.

  The older boy, not sure what to do, moved a bit closer and whispered, “Do you want to talk about it?”

  Roxas sniffed, and then shook his head. Axel sighed silently before reaching up and pulling the younger boy into his arms, pressing his chest to the blonde’s back in an effort to ground the boy to reality. Whatever thoughts he was trapped in were dark and hurtful. Axel didn’t want to leave him alone; he wanted Roxas to know he was there, even if the younger made no move to acknowledge his presence. They sat there for a long time, Roxas shaking and fighting his emotions, Axel holding him gently and waiting for the younger to calm down. Eventually the blonde pressed back against the taller boy, settling into his arms and looking over his shoulder slightly, offering his comforter a small smile. Axel ran his thumb against the younger boy’s skin gently, patiently waiting for whatever was to come. There was nothing for a long time, but then Roxas moved to his knees and stood to his feet, looking out across the water.

  “My sister, Naminé.” He whispered; his voice soft as it echoed across the room. “She drowned when I was fifteen.”

  Axel stood up beside him, Roxas looking over at him with tear stained eyes. “I’m sorry…” he whispered back, waiting to see if the younger boy would continue.

  He didn’t, after all Roxas didn’t want to talk about it, but he felt that after the older boy had sat there in a cold puddle of water holding him while he cried he owed him some sort of explanation, no matter how small it may be. He turned to face the taller boy, noticing for the first time the small black tattoos on his cheeks resembling teardrops, and smiled gratefully. He walked back to gather his towel and flip-flops, then walked to the changing room after looking back at the other boy one last time. Axel returned his gaze, but when he passed through the door the red-head didn’t follow him.

-x-x-x-

  Roxas panted, legs burning as he ran around the track. He finally remembered something about his past, finally after all this time. Those sparse few moments of sunlight and laughter; a white marble-tiled pool, tall rich green trees framing the edge of the fence line, his sister sitting so daintily in a white and pink polka-dot bikini clutching a stopwatch…the images were all so new to him, but so familiar. His first memories…but why had they surfaced now? With alternative punk blasting in his ears he tried to remember the lyrics his sister must have loved so well, whispering the words softly. It was early, no one was at the track yet, but he’d been here for hours. He didn’t have class today, it was Saturday after all, and he hadn’t been back to the pool since the incident with Yuffie. He wondered if he would ever see them again, the friends he’d made that night. If he returned to the swimming pool maybe…but that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

  It had been a week since he’d had that first memory, but there hadn’t been any more to follow. When he’d gone to see Aerith on Thursday afternoon she’d been just as baffled as he had, but explained that even this slight bit of insight to his past meant he was making progress. Whatever he had been doing at the time he needed to do again, and see if more memories surfaced. Since the pool was off limits and he wasn’t planning on being in a situation to save a girl from drowning again, he wasn’t exactly sure how to do that. Had it been the water that had triggered his thoughts? Or saving Yuffie?

  Roxas sighed and pushed the thoughts back, running the memory of his sister by the pool over and over in his mind. She was alive, and happy, and with him. It was the first time he could think about her without remembering her death. He wanted to remember more.

-x-x-x-

  Demyx wrapped his arm around Roxas’ neck when the blonde stepped through the door, the taller boy pulling him down into a headlock and ruffling his spikes. Grunting and trying to pry the older boy’s arm from his neck, Roxas panted, “Dem! Off! Now!”

  The dirty-blonde pulled away with a grin, backing away from the front door to his spot on the living-room couch next to Sora, who was curled up against a massive body pillow playing Sudoku. Zexion was sitting cross-legged on the floor beside the couch, strumming his guitar absently. His slate-blue hair was across his eyes as usual, but the back and sides were swept up into high pigtails, the teal extensions highlighting the underside of his pigtails and the back of his neck and shoulders vibrant against his pale skin. Roxas smiled at the older boy, kicking off his sneakers and shrugging off his hoodie as he settled beside him in the floor. “Are you excited about tonight?”

  Zexion returned his smile, replying, “I’m glad everyone’s coming. I know it’s not something you’re used to…”

  “I’ve been before.” Demyx said, looking to Sora. “But I know this one hasn’t for sure. We’ll have to find a better outfit for him before we leave, or they’ll eat him alive.”

  “What’s wrong with my clothes?” Sora said incredulously, pulling at the black and white striped long sleeved t-shirt hugging his torso. “I love this outfit! This shirt looks amazing with my skinny jeans and Converse…”

  “Sora,” Demyx said, patting the brunette’s shoulder, “You realize you’re extremely attractive dressed all emo, right?”

  Blue eyes blinked at the dirty-blonde questioningly. “It’s bad to be…attractive?”

  Zexion giggled softly, “At a Drag Show it can be, that is unless you want the extra attention.”

  Sora thought about that a moment, then his entire face turned scarlet. “You mean other boys might try to hit on me?”

  “You do give off the gay vibe, Sora.” Roxas said with a grin, the younger boy pulling at his sleeves and looking as if he were about to die from embarrassment.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure the bouncers know to look out for you.” Zexion consoled, strumming his guitar. “And as long as you stay with Demyx and Roxas you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.” He looked up at the older blonde, scowling lightly. “Don’t scare him, Dem. You know how fun Orion’s is.”

  “Oh yeah,” the boy replied, nudging the brunette at his side, “We’ll have loads of fun, so don’t freak out before we even get there.”

  “I’ll let you borrow my hoodie,” Roxas offered, “If you get uncomfortable you can wear it tonight. It’s so big it’ll hide your good looks for sure.”

  Huffing and rolling his eyes the youngest of the boys smiled. “Thanks, I feel so much better.”

  Roxas and Demyx laughed, Zexion setting his guitar to the side and walking towards the hallway leading to the back half of the house. “I’m going to change and fix my makeup, then we can leave. I want to get there early so I can introduce you to everyone.”

  “We’re meeting his band-mates tonight, right?” Sora asked, looking from Demyx to Roxas.

  The blonde nodded, “That’s what he told me earlier. This is their first gig of the semester. Apparently a lot of people are going to be there.”

  “Yeah, it’s really cool that they got the first show of the season.” Demyx added, grinning at the two other boys, “It means they’re doing really well in the local band scene.”

  Roxas smiled in return, reaching up the leg of his jeans absentmindedly and tracing the outline of Naminé’s iPod in his pocket. It had been so long since he’d listened to anything besides her music. Maybe tonight he would find something that he liked of his own tastes.

-x-x-x-

  The club was bigger than Roxas had thought it would be, Sora clinging to his arm and following after him as they weaved through the line of people already forming at the front door. Zexion led them through the gates, nodding to the tall, muscular man standing guard as if they knew one another. The bouncer let the boys pass without a word. Inside the lights were brightly colored yet dimmed against the haze in the air; a fog machine pouring out fake clouds from the left side of the stage, somewhere hidden in the shadows. Demyx turned when they reached the stage, looking around and saying appreciatively, “They’ve changed it since I was here last, we came here my senior year of high school for a friend’s twenty-first birthday. The lights were different, and I think the bar was smaller than it is now.”

  “They’ve made a lot of improvements.” Zexion replied, tossing his hair over his shoulder and looking back for Roxas and Sora. “You two okay over there?”

  “Yeah, we’re fine!” the blonde called back, Sora completely oblivious as he looked around the club, gasping and pointing out things he found interesting. Roxas watched over him with a smile, pulling him to his side when a tall, intimidating man worked his way over to them.

  “Are you kids drinking tonight?” he asked, looking them over questioningly.

  “N-no…” Sora said, squeezing Roxas’ arm nervously. “We’re not old enough…”

  The man reached out and look the brunette’s wrist, lifting his hand, and marked a large “X” across the back of his hand with a sharpie. When he looked to Roxas the blonde boy gave him his hand, and the man did the same thing. “You kids have fun.” He said, stepping past them to Demyx and Zexion. He marked them both, then sauntered off towards the entrance to mark those waiting to get into the club.

  “It’s so the bartender knows not to give us alcohol.” Demyx explained when Roxas and Sora walked over to the stage. “They’ve had problems with underage kids getting drunk before. A lot of angry parents in a college town can give a place a bad reputation, quick.”

  Zexion, who had been setting his guitar and microphone up onstage, stepped down to Demyx’s side in a flash of glitter. “Okay guys, let’s go find my band. I’m sure they’re around here somewhere.”

  “You look so pretty, Zexi.” Sora said in awe, looking the older boy over with wide eyes as they walked across the club.

  The boy giggled, his slate-grey eyes framed by silver star-glitter and heavy black eyeliner and mascara. His lips were a brilliant shade of blue to match his blue corsette, and his silver bangles contrasted with the sleek arm-length black gloves covering his pale arms. His short skirt was black with silver trim, layers of multicolored blue cloth scrunched together underneath it to give the skirt a frilly look. Silver fishnet twisted across his long legs, his tall black high-heeled boots ending right below his knees. A silver locket wrapped around his neck and silver star-shaped hoops dangled from his ears. The greenish tint of his teal extensions made his hair brighter than the rest of his attire and brought attention back to his eyes. He was stunning, Roxas admitted. He’d never seen the boy dressed in total drag before.

  A cat-call whistle sounded from the far end of a bar, cheers erupting from a group of two girls and two boys, one of the boys moving behind the bar to greet the new arrivals. “Hey, Zexi!” The boy greeted, ruffled pink hair framing his face. “You’re looking amazing, as usual.”

  “Marluxia, you tease! Stop harassing the boy.” One of the girls called, the boy looking over at her and scowling.

  Zexion smiled and stepped over to the bar, leaning in and offering his cheek to the bartender. The older boy smirked and planted a kiss on Zexion’s cheek, then whispered something in his ear that had the drag queen laughing and slapping his shoulder. He turned and looked over his shoulder, motioning to the boys following him. “These are my friends from school; Demyx, Roxas, and Sora. Watch out for them tonight, okay?”

  Marluxia nodded, smiling at the younger trio. “No problem. Any friend of Zexi is a friend of mine.”

  “Same here.” Demyx grinned, reaching over the bar and clasping hands with the older boy. They shared a friendly moment of contact before the bartender pulled away, walking back over to the group he’d been with before. Zexion followed after him, motioning for his friends to follow.

  The first band-mate that moved to greet the boy was a spunky girl with bright green eyes and long blonde hair piled atop her head in a series of braids. “How’s our little starlet tonight?” She teased, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and hugging him against her side.

  “I’m pumped up! Totally excited about this.” He replied, grinning.

  The girl next to the blonde moved into the light offering Zexion a fist, which the boy bumped with his own. “We’re excited to have you. It’s gonna be great, for sure.” She said, her voice soft and deep. Her contacts were ruby red and shimmered in the low-light of the bar, her dark, short hair feathered into a fohawk. She was clad in leather and studs, the metal of her outfit glinting when she moved to wrap an arm around the blonde girl’s waist. “Rikku, baby, you want to go check on that amp again? See if the tech’s got it working…”

  “Yeah!” the younger girl said cheerily, sliding off of her stool and taking the taller girl’s hand, leading her across the dance floor to the right side of the stage where a large curtain fell across a double-doorway.

  “Something’s always gotta fuck up before the show, right?” Marluxia chided, resting his chin in his hand as he leaned against the bar. “It’s like karma for this place.”

  “You know I don’t believe in karma, Marl.” the other boy said, sliding onto the stool where the blonde girl had been sitting. “Stage jitters, that’s all it is. The amp will be fixed before we go on. Everything will work out.” He looked over at Zexion, revealing deep sapphire eyes half-hidden under jagged blonde hair. “Right, Zex?”

  “That’s how it goes.” The boy replied, smiling at the older boy. “Cloud, these are my friends…”

  “Let me guess,” he older boy said, holding up a hand to stop the younger boy from continuing. His eyes danced from Demyx, to Sora, and then to Roxas. “There’s the younger twin you’ve been telling me about. He does look a lot like me.”

  “Roxas.” The younger blonde offered, Cloud nodding at him in greeting.

  “And the kid’s gotta be Sora.” The older boy continued, looking the brunette over and grinning deviously before asking his band-mate. “Are you sure he’s not gay?”

  Sora’s face lit up like a torch, Demyx and Zexion laughing while Roxas patted the boy’s shoulder gently. He looked up at Roxas, a pout across his lips. “Maybe I shouldn’t have left your hoodie in the car…”

  “And that means you’re Demyx.” Cloud finished, nodding to the dirty-blonde. “Welcome to Orion’s guys. Hope you enjoy the gig.” He stood from the stool, nodded to Marluxia, and then turned back to look at the younger boys. “I’m going to steal Zex from you guys so we can go warm up. Find a spot near the stage where we can keep an eye on you, or stay within earshot of Marl. He’ll look out for you.”

  The pink-haired man smiled at them, then began pulling bottles of liquor off the shelves and glasses out from underneath the bar. “We’ll be opening soon, so let me know what you boys decide to do.”

  Cloud walked off in the direction the two girls had gone, Zexion turning to Demyx, Roxas, and Sora. “Okay, I’ll find you guys after we’re done. If for some reason you can’t find me just ask Rikku or Paine. They’ll head to the bar once they’re offstage, and they’ll usually be right around this same spot.” Demyx arched an eyebrow, about to ask a question, but Zexion answered it for him. “Rikku is the blonde, she plays keyboard. Paine is her girlfriend, she’ll be on the drums.”

  “Gotcha.” Demyx replied, giving the other boy a thumbs-up.

  The drag queen rolled his eyes then looked between the tree boys with a growing grin. “Wish me luck!”

-x-x-x-

  The club was packed, Sora and Demyx pressed close to one another at the front of the stage, Roxas a few yards to the right watching for Zexion to step onto the stage. Sora leaned over the rail in front of the stage, waving at Roxas, who waved back then shooed him away, looking helplessly at Demyx. A bouncer would be after him if he didn’t watch it, they weren’t supposed to lean over the rail separating the audience from the band on stage. Not that Orion’s was known for being rowdy or having mosh-pits, but that was always a possibility. Demyx caught his look and pulled Sora back, cupping his hand over his mouth and saying something to the brunette. Sora nodded and backed away Roxas loosing sight of them in the crowd. At least they were together; he knew Demyx would take care of the younger boy.

  A mic screamed and guitar cords sounded over the speaker system, the crowd cheering as the lights flashed and the members of Cyber Venus took their places across the stage, Cloud grabbling the mic on the front stand and pumping his fist in the air. “Welcome to the first night of Orion’s reopening since their renovations this summer! We’re here to play for you tonight!”

  “We love you Venus!” a girl shouted, her voice vaguely familiar as Roxas turned and looked through the crowd.

  “Knock ‘em dead, Cloud!” Another voice called, the crowd cheering as the blonde pulled the electric guitar from the stand at his side and slid the strap over his shoulder, releasing the mic stand and taking a step back.

  A few boys whistled from nearby, Cloud laughing softly into the mic, then glancing over at Zexion. The boy had his own guitar at the ready, light reflecting off of the shining pearl inlay wrapped around the blue chameleon skin like wild vines. Looking over his other shoulder at the girls, Rikku hit a few keys on her keyboard, Paine tapping a drumstick against a cymbal.

  The instant they began to play Roxas knew he liked them. They were alternative, but hard enough to be rock if they wanted to be. Rikku and Zexion were on backup vocals, while Cloud took the spotlight in the middle, his voice strong and powerful as he began to sing.

 

“We parked our car on the lower eastside,

And that's when she caught my eye, yeah,

She dressed so scandalous but girls like that don't mess with guys like us!

But I need to know her name…

When I hit that floor gonna give her more than she bargained for!

 

Hey! You know ~

Love how your body flows!

Hey! You know ~

Let's see how far this goes…

Tension so thick girl I can't wait

To see how well your moves translate,

Think you're more than I can take…”

 

  Roxas was amazed at how many people sang with the band when Cloud hit the chorus, grinning and watching Zexion as the boy played alongside his band-mates. He looked like a girl up there under the lights, his makeup sparkling and his bangles flashing. The blonde was sure some of the cat-calls coming from the crowd weren’t only aimed at Cloud.

  The people around him shifted, a familiar voice coming to his ears, and then suddenly a hand grabbed his arm. “Roxas!”

  The boy turned to see Yuffie, the petite girl pulling Kairi along with her as they made their way to the front of the crowd, the girls smiling at him and finding a spot beside him to stand. “How are you?” He asked over the music, Kairi nodding and Yuffie shouting back;

  “We’re great!” she beamed, “Everyone’s here, they’re trying to make their way to the front to see Cloud!” She looked around lifting her arms in the air along with Kairi’s, the red-head laughing and smiling at her girlfriend. “This is amazing! Yeah!”

  Roxas searched the crowd for a moment, looking for any sign of her companions, but turned back towards the stage when the lead singer began again.

 

“Now I'm staring so hard she's got to feel it!

Baby this ain't the look of love, no,

Chassis like a Cadillac ~

Curves so tight that I might crash,

But, hot damn what a way to go!

 

We meet on the floor ~

She's never seen moves like this before!

Heading for the door ~

Gonna give her more than she bargained for…

 

Hey! You know ~

Love how your body flows!

Hey! You know ~

Let's see how far this goes…

Tension so thick girl I can't wait

To see how well your moves translate,

Think you're more than I can take…”

 

  Cloud had noticed Yuffie by then, walking across the stage to her and Kairi, winking at them and rocking out an amazing guitar solo. He backed off after a minute, letting Zexion have his time in the spotlight, the younger boy getting an amazing about of applause and cheers from the riled up crowd.

  “Wow, she’s good!” Kairi shouted to Yuffie, the girl nodding in agreement.

  Roxas grinned, shaking his head. “That’s a boy!” He said to her over the music. “His name’s Zexion, he has art classes with me!”

  The two girls exchanged an amazed look and returned to watching the band, cheering even harder than before. I guess by supporting others they help to support themselves… Roxas thought to himself, smiling at the two when he noticed their interlaced fingers. A boy stepped up to his side a moment later, and another boy stepped up to Yuffie, Roxas instantly recognizing Hayner and Pence. The ash-blonde nudged his shoulder and waved at him, Roxas giving a small wave in return. Pence, on the other hand, turned from Yuffie to scuff him across the arm, play-punching him and cheesing a grin at the blonde boy’s scowl. Olette pulled him away from Roxas a moment later, giving him an apologetic look then shaking a finger at the hefty dark-headed boy before pointing to the stage. Cloud was pointing at them and singing, the girls cheering and waving at him.

 

“Hey! You know ~

Love how your body flows!

Hey! You know ~

Let's see how far this goes…

Tension so thick girl I can't wait

To see how well your moves translate,

Think you're more than I can take…”

 

  The song ended, the crowd went crazy, and suddenly Roxas was swept away by the two boys back towards the middle of the club, Hayner pulling him and Pence pushing him through the mass of people to a small clearing where Larxene, Selphie, and Axel were standing around talking about the performance. The two girls looked up and greeted Roxas, Axel smiling at the blonde and nodding to him. Roxas gave the older boy a soft smile and nodded back, then turned to look at Larxene when she greeted someone.

  “Zack! What did you think? Do you like the new guitarist?”

  Roxas followed the girl’s gaze to the tall, dark-headed senior making his way towards them, Reno following behind. “Yeah, kid’s got some talent. You pick them well, Larx.”

  The blonde girl grinned. “He wasn’t that hard to find, he sits around campus all day with his guitar. I’m just glad I asked him about joining the band before someone else snatched him away.”

  “I still can’t believe that she’s a boy…” Selphie said, watching the stage curiously. “I wonder what he looks like out of drag.”

  “Less glittery, I’m sure.” Zack laughed, then noticed Roxas. “Hey! What are you doing here?”

  Reno noticed him too, stepping past Axel and Hayner to wrap an arm around his neck. “Roxie Heart! Don’t tell me you swing for the same team too?”

  Blushing, he rolled his eyes and the tall red-headed senior and batted him away. “I’m here with some friends. Zexion’s taking some classes with me, we came to watch him play.”

  Looking over at Zack with a devilish grin, Reno said, “Notice how he avoids a direct answer.”

  Roxas, embarrassed as hell, glanced over at Axel to see the boy was watching him with a grin. For some reason the look in those green eyes caused a wave of heat to wash over him, the blonde looking away and trying to spot Sora and Demyx in the crowd. “I have to go find my friends, we were supposed to meet up once Zexion was done.”

  “You don’t want to go swimming out there alone, trust me.” Larxene said, propping a hand on her hip. “Crowd surfing is bad enough, but trying to weave back through the sea to get to the stage is just plain suicidal.”

  Pence nodded, rubbing his arm, “I think I got elbowed more times in the past five minutes than I have the entire time I’ve known Hayner.”

  The ash-blonde cut his eyes over at the chubby boy threateningly, then looked to Roxas. “Want us to go with you? Help you find them?”

  The blonde shook his head. “I’ll be fine.” He looked between the faces surrounding him, asking Zack, “Are you guys staying for a while?”

  Violet eyes flashed, the senior nodding. “We’re going to hang out for a bit, chill with the band. I’m sure Cloud will want to dance for a while.”

  Confused but not so presumptuous to ask any more questions, Roxas replied, “I’ll make my way back over here once I find them.” He looked to Selphie. “I’ll introduce you to Zexion!”

  “Sounds good!” the brunette replied.

  Larxene nodded. “We’ll be here. Be careful in there.”

  “I will.” Roxas replied with a soft laugh. He turned from the group of friends and headed back into the crowd, forcing his way towards the front of the stage where he had last seen Sora and Demyx.

  Larxene and Selphie exchanged a glance as they watched the blonde go, the younger girl asking, “Is he going to be okay going by himself? The club is pretty packed, and he didn’t seem like he knew his way around that well…”

  The blonde girl sighed, looking from Selphie to Axel, the red-head nodding. He waved at Zack and Reno, then turned into the crowd, following after the path Roxas had taken.

-x-x-x-

  Axel caught up with the younger boy easily, taking his wrist and pulling the blonde to him gently once Roxas looked back at him. “Let me go first, I’ll make a path for you.”

  Roxas hesitated then nodded, letting Axel slide past him and take his hand, the older boy’s broad shoulders and strong arms pushing people aside enough that the smaller boy could follow after with relative ease. Blue eyes moved from muscled shoulders down his arm to their hands, Axel’s long fingers cupping his hand sideways, his thumb pressed to Roxas’ palm. His skin was warm, soft even; like it had been that night when he’d held Roxas as he cried…

  Blushing and looking away he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. He barely knew Axel, he shouldn’t be thinking about the way his skin felt against his own, or the way his cologne smelt like spiced apple, or the way his voice reverberated through him, deep and soothing… The older boy stopped before Roxas realized, the younger boy bumping into him lightly and looking up into cat-green eyes with a fierce blush. “Sorry!” he said over the music, Axel shaking his head and surveying the crowd around him.

  “We’re near the stage, do you see them anywhere?”

  Roxas, standing on his toes to see over the heads of dancing people nearby, sighed and shook his head. “I can’t see anything! Maybe I-”

  Strong arms wrapped around his waist and lifted him into the air, Roxas letting out a started sound and latching on to Axel’s shoulders, looking down at the red-head in disbelief. “Look again.” Was all the older boy said, grinning and watching the blonde with mischief in his eyes.

  Roxas did so after he managed to tear his eyes away, trying to ignore the fact that his ass was pretty much in Axel’s face. He looked around for a moment to no avail, then spotted the two off to the far right, against the wall where there weren’t so many people. “Over there!” Roxas shouted, pointing in the direction of the two boys. They looked like they’d been trying to make their way to the bar, but had been blocked by several dancers and a couple who were hardcore making out.

  Axel carefully let the blonde slide down through his arms until his feet touched the floor, the blonde looking up at him with an incredulous expression. “Well it worked, didn’t it?” Axel replied, trying to hide his grin from the younger boy.

  Roxas watching him for a moment then relented, smiling as well. “Yeah, I guess it did.”

  Axel pointed the way the blonde had a moment before, the boy nodding. They wove through the crowd towards the wall, passing the dancers and the lip-locked couple, until Roxas spotted his friends. Demyx saw him first, raising a hand and waving, Sora looking up a moment later. “Hey! We were looking for you!” Sora exclaimed, looking from Roxas to Axel. “Hi, I’m Sora.”

  “Axel.” The red-head replied.

  “I’m Demyx,” the other boy offered, running a hand through his dirty-blonde hair and shifting his gaze to Roxas. “Are we going to look for Zexi ourselves? Or should we go find Rikku and Paine?”

  “The girls will be at the bar,” Axel said, the younger boys looking over at him, “Might be the safest place to wait. This crowd’s getting pretty rough.”

  “Yeah, Zexion said if we couldn’t find him to go ask the girls.” Roxas replied, the red-head nodding.

  “To the bar it is then!” Demyx cheered, Sora rolling his eyes and motioning to the giant “X” across the back of his hand. “Oh yeah…forgot about that.”

  “Like you drink anyway,” Roxas teased, Demyx sticking his tongue out at him.

  “I could start.” The dirty-blonde replied, wincing as heavy metal began pouring through he speakers of the club. “Ah, dance music for people who liked getting punched in the face.”

  “It won’t be this wild after the first week.” Axel told the other boy, leading the younger three as they made their way towards the bar. “Orion’s is more into bands that don’t scream, and you can actually understand the lyrics.”

  “They should have just let Cyber Venus keep playing.” Demyx added, “They’re good together, and that Cloud guy is a hell of a singer.”

  “That’s what they say.” The singer replied, Roxas realizing they had finally reached the bar and letting out a sigh of relief. The blonde musician was sitting on a stool beside Paine, Rikku curled up in the older girl’s lap drinking something fruity. Zexion was nearby talking to Marluxia, the bartender handing him something green with a lime squeeze on the rim. He turned around to see his friends and a wide smile broke out across his face, pigtails bouncing as he walked over and threw an arm around Sora in an embrace, then Roxas and Demyx. “Oh em gee guys, that was so much fun, right?”

  Demyx blinked at the boy, asking, “How many of those have you had already?”

  “Two,” Paine said, looking over at the boys, “but they’re not very strong, they’ll just make him flirty.”

  “And très femme.” Rikku said with a giggle, Zexion looking over at her with a pout.

  “I am not femme!” he said, sipping at his drink and leaving blue lipstick on the glass. “I’m like, the straightest drag queen you’ll ever meet!”

  “Totally…” Rikku said with a laugh, Paine smiling and kissing her neck gently.

  Cloud smiled at the newest member of the band, looking to Roxas. “He’s not driving is he?”

  “Nah, I drove.” Demyx said, Roxas nodding in affirmation. “He’ll be fine. He deserves a drink after a performance like that.”

  “We were so awesome, you have no idea…” Zexion drawled, making kissy faces at Cloud. “We have such an amazing vocalist, and such an amazing band, and oh mah gawd what is that chick doing in those horrifying yellow pants?!”

  Demyx burst out laughing Sora arching his brow worriedly and looking between the two boys, “Umm, should we be letting him have that? I mean, he’s being kind of loud isn’t he?” the brunette asked, looking around for the girl Zexion had been talking about.

  “He’ll be fine, Sora. Trust me.” Demyx replied, winking at the younger boy. “I’m sure you’ll be just as silly one of these days when we get you to try a few mixed drinks.”

  “Eww…” The younger boy wrinkled his nose and made a disgusted sound. “Alcohol tastes gross.”

  Axel laughed softly, listening to the other boys talk back and forth, then leaned in to Roxas and asked, “Can I talk to you for a minute?” The blonde looked up at the older boy, nodding. He took the red-head’s offered hand and followed after him to a remotely quiet corner of the club, waiting for the other boy to continue as he watched their friends across the bar nearby. “I never got around to it before, but I wanted to say thank you for saving Yuffie.” Roxas looked up at the older boy, blinking in surprise. He hadn’t been expecting the junior to bring it up, he hadn’t thought about it all night. “If something were to happen to Yuffie…it would break Kairi’s heart. You don’t know how much it meant to her, and to me, for you to just dive in after her like that and pull her out, then give her CPR until she came back. It was…it was a big deal, what you did for her, Roxas.” The older boy searched his eyes, eyebrows arched slightly. “I don’t know if you realize how much you did to save her life.”

  Roxas held Axel’s gaze for a moment then looked away. “I know…”

  The older boy hesitated, then asked, “Your sister, you said she drowned?”

  The blonde tensed, but looked up and met the other boy’s eyes again. “Yeah, three years ago.”

  Axel searched his eyes, green mirroring blue, before he softly asked, “When you told Yuffie you were sorry, you weren’t talking to her were you?”

  Roxas swallowed, fighting back the cold feeling in his chest, and the prick of tears in the corners of his eyes. “By the time I pulled Naminé from the water it was already too late. The paramedics…they said I did everything I could have done to save her. It wasn’t enough.”

  “You know that it wasn’t your fault, right?” Axel asked gently, cupping the boy’s shoulder. “If you tried to save your sister…the way that you saved Yuffie…there was nothing more you could have done.”

  The blonde shook his head, looking down and clenching his hands into fists. “You don’t understand, you couldn’t; even I don’t understand. I have this feeling deep inside of me, like all of it was my fault…”

  Axel stroked his thumb across Roxas’ shoulder, trying to comfort the younger boy. “What happened?” He asked, wondering if the other would answer.

  Reaching up, Roxas fisted the fabric of Axel’s shirt in his hands, taking a step closer. The older boy waited silently, watched as the younger boy lifted his head, and saw the shimmer of a tear streak down his cheek. “I don’t know. I can’t remember anything before we hit the water. I don’t remember anything. I don’t know why it happened, but I can’t help but think that somehow it was because of me...” He looked up, tear-lined blue meeting brilliant green, “…that somehow Naminé’s death was my fault.”

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Roxas finally remembered something from his past, but the questions he needs answered the most are still hidden deep in the dark… How will he ever trigger his memories if he can only do so by facing his worst fear? Will his newfound friendships and his revelations to Axel help him on his path to conquering his phobia? Please leave me a review and let me know what you think!

 

More Aquaphobia to come! BIABS