Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Out of My Element ❯ Without You ( Chapter 27 )

Chapter 27: Without You

Cursing under his breath, Axel hung up his cell. Demyx's voicemail again… Why wouldn't he answer? Had he lost the phone? Had someone taken it? It made Axel sick to think about it. What had happened to Demyx's mother and father… Gone in the blink of an eye. Axel would never know when Demyx would go or how. It scared him, and maybe that was why he was frantic to find Demyx again.

Kick stand grinding into the asphalt as Axel gave it a forceful kick, he got off the motorcycle. The day was wearing by so fast that Axel felt like the sun was plummeting to the horizon in a freefall. Just a few more hours and it would be gone and the moon would rise. And when that happened, Axel would have to give up the game until the sun rose again. There was no way he'd be able to look in the night, nothing looked the same and he wouldn't be able to navigate a place he'd never seen in the dark.

Throngs of people rushed out the golden colored double doors, nearly knocking Axel down as he briefly looked up at the clock tower. He willed it to stop but it wouldn't and he pushed through the crowd into Central Station. The air smelled of carbon, wood, and rubbed, very different from the car exhaust outside. It was almost like stepping back in time. Engineers yelling from the trains, tickets being passed back and forth, and people in suits with briefcases looking in a hurry… Not surprisingly, no sign of Demyx.

“Axel!” Lifting his head in surprise, Axel turned in place. He was standing in the middle of the plaza when he'd heard his name. After a moment, he was sure he must have just misheard one of the conductors or passengers, until it came again, “Axel!” This time he spotted the owner of the voice, Luxord. Behind him was Xigbar and some other man that Axel didn't recognize, “Roxas told us what happened.” Luxord said as he finally reached Axel. Xigbar stopped right beside him and the stranger behind the pair.

“Roxas?” Axel was dazed, maybe by all the confusion surrounding him. He'd never been a crowd quite as rushed and thick as this.

Xigbar nodded and Luxord continued, “We came to help out.” Said the blonde as he gestured to the three of them. Luxord was casually dressed but Xigbar was in a suit as though he might have left class. The person behind them was dressed more like Luxord, jeans and a sweater.

“We?”

Xigbar nodded again, “I called up an old army buddy of mine. This is Xaldin.” He introduced, stepping aside so Axel could get a good look at him, “He works for the police now, narcotics.” Narcotics? Well that explained why he looked kind of sketchy. Xaldin was tall with black dreds and some pretty ridiculous sideburns. If Axel wasn't face to face with his serious glare, he might have considered having a private little chuckle about it, “He's been helping us cover the station looking for anyone who might have seen Demyx. People are much more willing to talk to a badge.”

Xaldin's blue eyes were solidly fixed on Axel. If the badge didn't make people talk those eyes would, “We've had a few people recognize him, but no one knows his destination. Do you have any idea where he might have gone?” His voice was deep and commanding, just like he looked. Swallowing, Axel glanced away. Shit… Well he had an idea but… Pulling the sketchbook from behind his back he offered it up. Xaldin took it from him and flipped the pages with a deep frown on his face, “What the hell is this?” He asked and Axel snatched the notebook back.

“It was a gift from one of Demyx's friends… I think…” Axel looked into the pages, at the pictures. Damn it, Axel didn't know what he thought, “She knows things.” The three stared at him blankly and Axel stopped on one of the pages, the one about him. The eye of his past, the one he'd commented to Namine about, “Things she shouldn't know.” He said carefully. Luxord got it in an instant.

“You mean, like, psychic?” Asked the gambler, not sounding or looking condescending.

Rolling his eyes, “Yeah, I mean, like, psychic.” Axel replied heatedly, realizing how stupid it sounded and how stupid he must be to think that. It was just that this was all he had to go off of, “She drew these things about me before I even really knew her and she drew all this stuff about Demyx and… I think she somehow knew all this was going to happen somehow and gave this to me… Like a roadmap and I've got to follow it.” Axel told them and Xaldin's glare grew even darker.

Xigbar sighed, “You realize how impossible all that sounds, right?” Running his hand back through his hair, the professor looked up, “Don't you have anything a little less, you know-“

“Crazy.” Xaldin finished for him and Axel glared back.

With a bit of a scowl at Xaldin, Luxord gave Axel a reassuring pat on the back, “Well, I believe you, fireball.” He told him.

“Believing in something doesn't make it true.” Mentioned Xaldin as he finally looked away, “So is that all you've got? Some notebook and a psychic girl.”

Luxord almost tried to go to Axel's rescue but the redhead stopped him. Hand on Luxord's shoulder, he pushed the notebook into Luxords hands and pulled the note out of his pocket, “I've got this note that I found in the garage. I think they're destinations. He could have gone to any of them.” Axel told Xaldin as he relinquished the paper. Xaldin looked more pleased by this bit of evidence and examined it carefully, “I was thinking that… If we went to the stations and compared them to the sketch we could find him.”

“Which sketch?” Asked Luxord and Xigbar relented. Leaning over his lover, Xigbar looked over his shoulder to stare down at the notebook as Luxord flipped through the pages. Axel placed a hand over the page to stop him on the right one. Then Luxord held it up so that Xigbar could see it, “Looks like it could be real enough.” He stated.

“Yeah, I was half expecting unicorns.” Xigbar said with a playful grin, it looked kind of funny on him.

“Shut up, this is serious!” Luxord shoved him, “How about we split up?”

Xaldin nodded, “We can cover more ground that way.” He agreed as he handed Luxord and Xigbar the paper slip so they could read the names, “There are three places listed on that paper. If we divide up into three groups, we can hit each of them and see if the boy got off there… It'd help if I had a picture to show since I don't know what he looks like.” Added Xaldin and Axel pulled out his phone.

When had he started shaking?

“I can send you a picture from my phone… What's your number?” Xaldin told him and Axel set the picture to him, as well as Xigbar and Luxord.

Xaldin noticed the way Axel's phone trembled in his grasp, “He's probably just fine. He's done this before, right?” Xigbar moved away from Luxord and grabbed Xalidn by the shoulder. He said something quietly to him and Xaldin shrugged, “You have my number, if we don't find him by nightfall, we'll reconvene at a motel near the area.” Then he left.

Luxord placed a hand over Axel's, “He's all right, love. We're going to find him and when we do, you just tear him a new one for making you worry so much.”

“You're right.” Axel cleared his throat when the words came out gravelly, “You're right. He hasn't even been gone a day. He's just being a dumb ass punk.” Axel wasn't convinced so he was sure his words sounded even less confident to Xigbar and Luxord, “Where are you two going to look?”

“Xaldin's checking out the first place on the list.” Xigbar mentioned, “We'll get the second-“

“No, I'll get the second. You guys drop by Gull Bay.” Axel interrupted. Hale Street sounded familiar… He hoped Demyx would be there, somewhere.

Xigbar and Luxord exchanged a look and then Xigbar left, possibly to bring the car around. When he was gone, Luxord wrapped his arms around Axel and hugged him, “We're here for you, love. If we find something, we'll give you a call.” He pulled away and they stared at each other a moment. Then he too left and Axel was alone in the station.

Hale street was near the hotel they'd stayed at the last time Axel had visited the coast. It was close to Demyx's hometown, actually just atop and large hill that overlooked the area. However, Axel felt less than confident. He'd taken the notebook with him and it didn't compare to the sketch in Namine's book. It was the wrong place, he felt it, and he didn't know what to do about it. If he abandoned the search now, what would he tell the others?

`Yeah it didn't look like the sketch so I just called it a day.'

Fat chance. Even if Demyx didn't get off there, maybe he'd traveled home just for a bit and someone had seen him. Axel felt the day wearing thin. Dusk was practically upon him now, casting a pale orange glow over the hills. The thought reminded him of Demyx and his mother. Hadn't Demyx said the sun cast an orange glow over the fields? Axel didn't want to think about it. Especially not now, not with him missing.

A brief run-in with the head honcho of the construction crew yielded no new information and he'd refused to let Axel in to take a look around. However, with how much work was going on and how much the house looked gutted, Axel was pretty sure the guy wasn't lying about not seeing Demyx. So Axel left without much hassle. He parked his motorcycle somewhere in the town and continued the search on foot so he could get close to the water.

The warm beach felt anything but welcoming, the sea roaring right beside him. It reminded him of his nightmares where the water swallowed Demyx up and he shuddered. A cool breeze swept in from the water and he wrapped his arms around himself. Nothing there looked like anything in the book and none of the people he stopped had seen Demyx, or they had but not since he'd moved away. Street after street, minute after minute, his hope dwindled and he headed towards the cemetery where Demyx's mother was. She'd know where he was, if only she were alive to tell him.

The cemetery was creepier without Demyx there to hold his hand and without the sun high in the sky. Now, dusk illuminated the foggy blanket and the green grass lost its color. The upraised headstones cast long ghoulish shadows that melted into one another. It looked so different, that by the time Axel found the right headstone, the sun was half gone under the water.

Standing in front of the grave, Axel placed his hands on his hips and sighed heavily. What was he doing?

His phone rang and Axel answered it numbly, he didn't need to check it to know it was Luxord, “Hey, nothing on our end, mate. Let's call it a night and we can pick it up again in the morning. Where are you?” He asked. Luxord's voice sounded gentle, like he was trying to be delicate. It wasn't working but Axel appreciated the effort anyway.

“Cemetery… Mind coming and getting me?” Axel asked as he ran a hand down his face, “I'm… Exhausted.” He didn't mention that he wasn't sure where he left the motorcycle and that they'd probably have to do a quick search for that as well when the sun rose.

“Sure thing, sweetheart. We'll be there soon.”

Tucking the phone back in his pocket, Axel crouched in front of the grave and touched a cluster of fresh flowers resting in front of it. They were peace lilies and Axel had to wonder if Demyx had left them or if it was someone else. Picking them up, he looked for a tag or note but there was nothing to identify them by. For a brief moment, he inhaled their scent. Then he put them back down and leaned forward.

Weight on the headstone, he rested his head on his arms and sighed heavily. The smell of flowers filled his nose, reminding him everything wasn't quite as dead as it appeared. Oddly, the more he breathed, the stronger the scent got and he nearly leapt out of his skin when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Looking up, he stared at the man. He was dressed all in black and he had long locks of pale hair, that Axel would have sworn was pink.

“The cemetery isn't open to the public right now.” Said the man in a voice that didn't quite match his looks. It was so deep and serious, Axel wasn't sure if there might be someone behind him speaking but, no, it was just him, “Did you sneak in?”

With a sigh, Axel stood up, “I didn't have to sneak in. The gate was open when I got here.” Axel told him. The guy definitely had pink hair, now that was different. The aforementioned looked over his shoulder as if he were checking to see if the gates were still open or if they were closed. Axel continued, “Excuse me, could you take a look at this picture and tell me if you've seen this guy?” He said, pulling out his phone again to show the man the image on his cell.

With a bit of scowl, the man took a look, “No, but I don't expect I would have. I'm the night watchman. It's not my job to keep an eye out when the sun's up. Now if you don't mind, the cemetery is closed.” He said with a little bit more force this time.

“Yeah, whatever.” Shoving the phone back into concealment, Axel looked over the cemetery again. They were completely alone as far as Axel could see, so he conceded and left the watchman to his business and waited just outside the gate. When the pink-haired watchmen locked it, Axel leaned up against the wrought iron and ran a hand through is hair. It wasn't long before Luxord pulled up in his mustang; Xigbar was nowhere to be seen, “Where's the professor?”

Luxord shrugged, “He and Xaldin are scoping out the area for a motel. Where's your bike?” But all Axel could do was shake his head. Sinking into the cushioned seat, he closed his eyes and Luxord didn't push the matter any farther. When he opened his eyes again, Luxord had pulled up into the lot of an old motel that Axel would have pegged to be just the type for prostitutes or serial killers to frequent, “This is it.” Luxord said, getting out of the car.

“You guys sure know how to pick `em…” Axel muttered looking over the place. At least it smelled clean. Walking into the front lobby, Xigbar stood from one of the rickety chairs and Xaldin rose shortly after, “This is the best place you could find?”

Xaldin shrugged, “Last minute and on a relatively small budget… I don't know about you but I don't have piles of money at my disposal to run after some kid on a whim.” He said and Xigbar just smiled.

Luxord placed a hand on Axel's shoulder, “Let's get some rooms, we'll start up early tomorrow morning.” He said before moving past Axel to go see the clerk, Xigbar joined him, “Could we get two doubles?” Asked Luxord but Xaldin intervened.

“Uh, no offense but there's not way I'm sharing a room with any of you.” Said the officer and Axel furrowed his brows. How was that not offensive? Axel exchanged a look with his two companions. Luxord looked a little put-off but Xigbar just continued grinning to himself.

“Three singles then.” Xigbar continued when Luxord didn't. The clerk handed over the keys without question as Xigbar paid, “You owe me, Xaldin.”

“Owe you? I think this makes us just about even.” Xaldin snorted some and took his key. As he was about to leave, he paused, “The station I checked out… It kind of looked like that drawing in that book.” He mentioned, “We should start there tomorrow. If I'm not up, come get me from room number three.” Then he left the main building to find his room among the other structures.

“We're going to be in room two, next to Xaldin.” Xigbar told Axel when they headed out the door as a group, “Unfortunately, looks like you'll be the odd one out Axel. You're room seven.” He said and handed Axel his key. The redhead looked at the small metal item, attached to it was some cruddy plastic medallion with the number seven ingrained into it in roman numerals.

“We won't be too far.” Luxord pointed out as they got closer to the building, “You're just at the end there, so if you need anything love… You just come knock on our door.” He thought about saying something else, and by the grin it was probably something crude. However, he didn't say it and Axel was grateful. He just wasn't in the mood right now. Sleep sounded nice.

“All right, in the morning then.” Axel half waved and let his head hang low as he stalked past the row of doors that looked like they'd be about as good at keeping someone out as a piece of caution tape. When he reached his room, he breathed deep and inserted the key. He had to jostle it a bit before it would unlock the door, then he pushed it in and stepped inside.

Actually, the room wasn't half-bad. It smelled fresh, the sheets and carpets were clean, and everything seemed tidy. In fact, it pulled off the three-star look all right, rather than the one-star Axel had been expecting.

After locking the door, Axel freshened up some in the bathroom briefly and went straight to bed. Laying on top of the sheets with his shoes on, he stared up at his phone as he held it over his face. The image of Demyx's face stared down at him. Axel had taken it a while ago. Demyx had been sitting on the couch when the picture was taken but the sun shined in behind him from the window. It made the picture seem surreal.

Speed dialing Demyx's number, Axel rolled over onto his side and closed his eyes. The phone rang until his voicemail picked up, “Hey baby… Listen, I… If I did anything to make you do this, I'm sorry. Please call me. I love you… I miss you…” Axel waited, hoping that maybe Demyx would pick up, but he didn't, “Good night.” He added vaguely before ending the call. For a long moment, he stared at his phone. Then his gaze shifted to his wrist. The bag that the koi was in had been wrapped around it when he left his motorcycle to look for Demyx.

Now, he unwound it and pulled the figure out. Be strong… And he closed his fist around it and took a deep breath.

Fresh off the press! I literally just finished writing it (typos probably everywhere). This was supposed to be the final chapter but that didn't work out so well. Next chapter for sure is the final chapter. Then after that will be the epilogue.

Also, in response to a certain someone, Axel is supposed to be 22 or so. And, no, Marluxia will not be returning I just thought I'd throw him a scene since even Larxene made it in.

Thanks for the reviews everyone! They keep me motivated!