Finally got another chapter up. VIOLENCE! The fight between Kaze and Sora happens, and some more angst from Noeru since I was in a depressed mood today *shrug*. A little more strong language, and some adult themes, but nothing over the top.
Why does this always happen to me?
Is there some greater force at work here, or am I just doomed for all eternity to have chaos erupt around me?
Aozora, and his two little tag-along angels followed me to the edge of the pool and peered down with me in to the foamy depths. The seconds began to tick by, and anxiety built inside of me like a volcano about to blow its top.
We watched the surface of the water intently, waiting for the calm waves to become foamy white once more with Sora and Kaze’s heads breaking the water’s surface. When that event did not occur I found myself wondering if I should jump in.
Face it Kairi, you couldn’t save a float toy.
My inner self once again reminded me of my lack of skill.
Why was I a fool in school for cutting gym?
GREAT! Frickin’ great! Now I’m quoting Mulan.
I shook my head from left to right, and remembered that two important people were currently drowning at the bottom of this pool!
The small raven haired girl held on to Aozora and hands in suspense, but I could tell by the look of repulsion on Aozora’s face that he still believed in ‘cooties’.
That’s it! Maybe Rose and Jack could hold their breath for that long, but I’m not waiting any longer!
However, before I could belly flop in to the water, I was nearly knocked backwards by a spray of chlorine ridden liquid. In instinct, my arms flew up to shield my face, and after a few moments I opened one eye carefully from behind my space.
Nothing can hurt me when I’m in my space.
What I saw not only shocked me, but dumbfounded me as well. Two spiky haired boys standing oppisote each other, and they each possessed identical deep blue glares. I had to do a double take as I almost mistook Kaze for Sora and Sora for Kaze.
With Sora’s hair less voluminous and swept in one direction, he really did look like a brunette Kaze. My thoughts were cut short as Kaze drew back his fist and clocked Sora in the jaw with brute force.
My hands darted to my mouth to surpress a gasp as Sora fell backwards in to the turquoise depths. Kaze’s bloody smirk was beginning to freak me out, and the fact that he looked like a blue eyed Krad at this moment was not helping!
Hand to Cloud! With that homicidal smirk and the look of relish in his eyes, he could cosplay something that would make the Village of DDR look like Oklahoma! A trail of crimson liquid dripped down Kaze’s chin and in to the water, staining it blood red.
Apparently is their brawl, Sora had managed to hit my blonde friend hard enough to give him a bloody nose…
Either that or before the fight Kaze saw someone who was the equivalent Jessica Alba in a coke bottle.
(^ There you go Silver)
Yet, Sora was back on his feet and had sprung forward to grab Kaze by the shoulders and dunk my friend under the water. Even though I knew Kaze wasn’t someone to be underestimated I was slightly frightened. I had never seen this side of Sora before, and I had to admit…
It was giving me the chills.
Kaze’s furious cold defiant stare flashed, and I hopped backwards as he grabbed Sora and bashed his head roughly against the cement wall of the pool!
I emitted a small shriek in tune with Sora’s grunt of agony, and Aozora’s cheer of, “Yeah Kaze-sama! Kick his ass!”
Kaze didn’t need any groupies, he was doing very well on his own.
Sora was bleeding now, and before Kaze could throw him against the wall again, Sora brought his clenched fist in to Kaze’s abdomen with a swift thrust.
The bloody blonde dove in to a fit of wheezes as the wind was knocked out of him, and Sora took this opportunity to grab him by the throat and begin to throttle him. I shrieked as Kaze’s head lolled from side to side, and his face began to gain a blue tint.
“Sora, stop it!” I screamed at him as Kaze tried to pry Sora’s hands off his gullet. Sora did not even seem to hear me. His eyes were dilated and glassy, like a druggie cracked out on heroine. It was a sick, intimidating look, and what scared me the most…
He seemed to be enjoying this.
I screamed again as Kaze began gasping for air, and tears began to form in my eyes.
I didn’t know what to do.
I wanted to go in there and shove Sora off of Kaze, but my legs refused to budge.
All I could do was shriek and scream for this scene to end, and as I prayed with all my will for this to end, Sora halted for just a moment.
It was like he was torn between two realities, and he was lost.
However, Sora’s grip had slackened, and Kaze took this opportunity to get one good attack in on the unprepared brunette.
With a fierce snarl, Kaze kneed Sora in the groin since he couldn’t draw his leg back in time.
Now it was Sora’s turn to double over in pain, but this species of pain was much more extreme. Kaze staggered to the side of the pool and clutched the side as he began to cough feverishly.
The feeling in my legs returned, and I bent down and tugged Kaze on to the wall anxiously. He massaged his throat, and emitted a few tears as the constant hacking took it’s natural effect on his body.
I patted his back in an attempt to help him any way I could, but my attention was drawn as I saw Sora rising with an expression of pure bloodlust in his eyes.
“S-Sora!” I gulped as I stood in front of Kaze like a reluctant shield. However, he just kept coming closer, and that is when I felt a sharp pain inside my head.
My body jerked forward on it’s own accord, and this frightened me. My body wasn’t obeying my commands! It was pulling me closer towards Sora, and I began to panic as Sora reached out for me. I tightly closed my eyes, and tried to block out the pain as I waited for a hand to clamp on to my shoulders.
On the contrary, the grab never came…
I watched as Narusuke’s jaw clamped down upon Sora’s arm, and Aozora used his argent haired friend as a step ladder. He promptly bashed his skull against Sora’s with all the skill of a samurai. Sora toppled backwards in to the water once more, and Aozora crossed his arms superiorly with a tone of,
“Rape is a crime sir.”
If I wasn’t so scared, furious, appalled, confused or racked with pain, I would probably laugh at this situation.
My attention was drawn back to Kaze as he coughed up a portion of pool water which had embedded itself in his lungs. I worriedly asked him, “Kaze, are you all right?!” My companion gave me that sick sarcastic smirk with a cough of, “Oh yeah! I’m just peachy keen!”
Aozora and his lackeys crowded around us, and helped Kaze get to his feet. “We’ve gotta take you to a doctor!” I firmly told my blonde cohort.
Kaze opened his eyes wearily with a grunt of, “I don’t need no doc-,”
A flow of blood from Kaze’s mouth told me otherwise.
My limbs were shaking, and I couldn’t make them stop. I was scared, and I had never seen Kaze this way. He was trying so hard to be strong, but I could see that he was faltering.
That was no ordinary punch Sora inflicted upon him, and it broke through Kaze’s strong and muscular stomach. The tissue and muscle should have been more than enough to stop Sora’s fist from rupturing Kaze’s internal organs…
So why was Kaze coughing up blood?
I told myself that is was my turn to look after Kaze. He had taken care of me so many times prior, and now he needed me. I couldn’t-wouldn’t let him down.
I wrapped Kaze’s arm around my shoulders, and with the three midgets help I was able to drag him towards my apartment.
What I wouldn’t give for a taxi, a horse and buggy even.
All I knew was that Kaze needed help, and that I was not going to be spending time with Sora any time soon…maybe ever.
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“Are you going to ever stop pouting and tell me what is wrong?”
I jumped at the sudden inquiry, and blankly stared at the stern teenager beside me. “Huh?” I asked with a surprised tone which depicted my true reaction. The redhead beside me sighed and rolled his eyes before muttering, “Talk about blank with a capital ‘B’.”
At this point I knew a pout had graced my face. I hated it when Axel avoided my questions and went off on his modest aloud thoughts. I guess that is just how he is… However, I knew I couldn’t hide what I was keeping tucked under the veil from him.
“It’s nothing…” I murmured as my gaze wandered in to the depths of the fiery river. Phlegethon, the river of fire, was a river of fire which did not consume fuel. Axel seemed to love this area of Hell, and he took me to here quite often.
It wasn’t that I disliked being here, the river was beautiful, and captivating…but it reminded me of…
Him.
My fists shook with pure rage as I realized that I was thinking about him again. I didn’t want to think about him. I wouldn’t allow myself to! I didn’t know why I felt such rage whenever I thought about him, and it made me even angrier that I didn’t know.
I flinched as Axel’s hand brushed against my cheek, his sudden touch startled me.
“Are you going to explain why this happened, or am I going to have to pick through your thoughts one by one?” Axel demmanded as he tenderly touched my bruised face. I bit my bottom lip trying to surpress these tears that were begging to fall.
But, why did they so desperately beg to fall is what I want to know?
I could feel Axel’s emerald gaze upon me, and I know that he has seen me cry so many times that I can’t keep track any more. It wasn’t the same as when Haruka had looked at me in that way.
Damn it!
I was thinking about him again! Just why doesn’t his face fade from my head!? Why am I thinking about him constantly?
My head didn’t want to believe it, but my heart knew the real answer…
I clamped my eyes shut, refusing to shed any tears over something as stupid as Haruka. Even though my will was begging for these whisperings of my foolish heart to cease, they kept flooding through me…just like the fire flowed through the River Phlegethon.
Haruka was the one I went to when Sephiroth-san used me as his little rag doll. That is what I have always been after all. A rag doll livin’ in a movie, hot tramp, daddy’s little cutie.
Heh, I didn’t feel a whole lot of self esteem running through me right now. It was beaten away by Sephiroth-san’s fists and cruel words. I don’t want to fall to pieces, and I don’t want to talk about it.
I couldn’t tell Axel that I was thinking of Haruka…He wouldn’t understand…Boys never understand the workings of a girl’s heart. Axel wanted a conversation, but I never wanted to talk to him about my feelings.
Haruka was a different matter.
I wanted to know everything about him. Why he was sad, why he was happy, if he ever looked at the sky and felt at peace. Boys like Axel aren’t deep enough to understand what I mean… I wanted someone to wonder why I keep everything locked up tight, and why I allow Sephiroth-san to do this to me over and over.
I stared out in to the depths of the Phlegethon again… I wondered if the Phlegethon wanted to burn endlessley, and if it was suffering from a broken heart and one thousand burning questions that never faltered.
Was the River really a River of Fire? All of the other rivers meant hate, forgetiting, and pain. Was the Phlegethon really the same as all of those other winding, depressed rivers? Perhaps, Phlegethon was really itching to be different than its siblings.
Maybe, deep inside it’s burning waters, it was burning to be accepted for not being a river that depicted hate and suffering. The fire which never died meant that no matter what Phlegethon would not give up, it would keep burning stong for all eternity, and even though it was surrounded by hate, darkness, and the urge to wipe away all memories it would not falter.
I almost didn’t notice that Axel had moved closer and was stroking my hair in a way which I knew was his way of trying to comfort me. I shied away from the touch, and felt a squirming inside me that told me I wasn’t comfortable in this situation.
I liked Axel-more than like him of course, but…lately I’ve been doubting what I’ve been telling myself. It’s not that I’m insecure about what happens in a relationship I am well aware of what happens, but recently I’ve been insecure around Axel.
The familiar minty smell that I used to love still lingers around him, but now all it smells like is rancid meat. His emerald eyes which I adored like some freaking rock star groupie now only seem like emerald knockoffs, and his flaming red hair which felt so soft and silky now feels brittle and dry to the touch.
Or perhaps it is me who is the empty one.
Maybe this life of a demon is starting to take its toll on my heart. Heh, maybe Haruka will finally be happy then.
Shit! I’m doing it again!
I buried my face in my knees, and choked back these tears that for no reason begged to fall once more.
Go. Leave. Get the hell away from me.
Axel wasn’t picking up my thoughts even though he could easily penetrate my mind, and this frustrated me even more.
I gulped back a few sobs, but Axel still persisted in his attempts to console me. His hands on my shoulders, trying to steady me from free falling again were warm and comforting, but they weren’t the hands I wanted.
I fought with every molecule of my being to prevent myself from shedding a tear on his behalf. Still, here I was again. Falling to pieces.
Shit! Damn! F***!
I don’t want this, I don’t want to be weak, and I don’t want Axel pulling me closer to him like I am a scared child. I don’t want him wiping away the tears building in my eyes, and I don’t want him kissing my neck in that fricking good way he does!
The more I fight it, the harder it is to breath. Who knows, maybe I’m not like the Phlegethon, and maybe my will, my fire will burn out. Maybe instead of burning until I pass out from lack of oxygen, I’ll simply let him take me again.
Yeah, why not? I don’t have anything to lose right?
No one cares. Leon still thinks of Axel as one of my childhood friends, and trusts him to take care of me. Sephiroth? That bastard couldn’t give a rat’s ass if I wound up drugged and pregnant in a back alley, he’d just tell me to finish shining his shoes and get the hell out of his sight.
Someone once said I’m an Ice Queen, and I’m beginning to see why they think that. It is like there are two sides of me, the peppy and spunky side that everyone sees, and the dark depressed side I keep tucked away.
I have to wonder when that emo personality originated. It certainly wasn’t overnight, so what made it rear it’s head in to my life?
The truth is that I don’t want them to care, I don’t want their pity or their stupid counseling. I just want them to see that I can be in pain too. I want one person to acknowledge that I exist. Just one specific person.
Well, here I go again thinking about Haruka. If I had a nickel for every time I thought about him tonight, I’d be one rich little demon. I felt those familiar flames of anger enveloping my body, and the rebellious nature I wanted to let out scratching at my chest.
Fine.
With a low snarl I seize Axel by the front of his trenchcoat and forcefully pull his face down to mine andkiss him harshly and brutally. I could feel him smirk at this behavior, and felt a part of me die when his hand wandered twoards the hem of my red shirt.
Once the heat was over and last pulses died down I know I would feel empty and dirty, but this was a release from all of these spiraling thoughts of Haruka, and I wasn’t going to drown in my thoughts tonight.
I felt myself come close to flinching when Axel pinned me down against the damp river bank, and return my kiss with equal brutal force. I knew my lips would be sore and bruised later, but I wasn’t able to muster up the strength to push him away before this got too far.
His hands were entangled in my hair, massagining my scalp, and I couldn’t help but murmur a beg for him to continue. This is how it was, I’d get lost in the feeling, and wake up sore and full of regret.
My brain told me to be sensible and push him away, but my body told me to give in to the desires of the flesh.
Heh, I’m a demon and it’s pretty obvious which road I’m going to take.
Axel straddled my hips, and my flame flickered out…