Challenge Entry : )
Nov. 7th, 2006 02:31 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
lindskaba.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
kh_drabbleChallenge: [82] Crossroads
Title: The Next Life
Word Count: 612
Spoilers: For Axel's fate at the end of KHII.
Notes: I originally wrote this as a piece made completely of dialogue, and added the descriptions in afterwards. To help you follow who's speaking: 'he' or any variation thereof always refers to the one who is speaking in the current line, and each line of dialogue belongs to a new speaker, i.e. if there's a space between the lines, it's not the same dude. Also, this is like...seriously the first piece I've written in full in a really long time (minus, you know, roleplaying). Thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
invisibledancer and crimsoncookie for the betas. Hope you enjoy :)
In darkness, the other speaks. "I knew you’d go out in a 'blaze of glory.' A man after my own heart."
He answers, scriptedly. "Funny you should say that—"
"Right, right. Haven’t got one." It’s not quite mocking, but the boy does seem incredulous, talking sideways from his mouth in a way that’s uncomfortably familiar.
He takes a drag from his cigarette.
"You smoke. I forgot."
"I’m surprised you don’t."
"I killed myself in other ways."
"So you did."
The fag glows dimly in the dark.
"So...is this really it, then? Am I..."
"Well, not yet. Consider this a...crossroads. A hell before the hell."
"Heh, so I am going to hell."
"Hell is only what you make it. I thought that shadow of an 'existence' you took part in was pretty hellish, if you ask me. Especially that last bit. You know, with all the fire."
"That was pretty cool, wasn’t it."
"I was proud."
"At least someone was."
He stretches out a lanky arm. "Do you want one?"
"Yeah, sure. Not like it’ll kill me." A lanky hand accepts. The lighter clicks, and spark leads to a second flame, which smolders in green eyes dimmed by the half-life. Two boys drag from their cigarettes. "It was better than the way you went out, anyway."
"I’d have burnt myself to death too if I’d had badass fire powers."
"You were a pansy. You would've been afraid."
"And you weren’t?"
"I don’t have a—"
"—heart, right, right."
"Asshole."
Smoke fills the air.
"You don’t really believe that, do you?"
"That you’re an asshole?"
"No, asshole, that you don’t have a heart."
"How could I believe anything else when there is a wide gaping hole of nothing in my chest?"
"Because you have me."
"Yeah, and when you gave into the darkness, you didn’t lose—"
"Well...technically."
"Technically."
"Technically my heart left my body—"
"—my body now—"
"—not anymore—"
"—so I am dead—"
"—just shut up for a second. When I fell to darkness, my heart left my body." He’s smiling now in a way that’s comfortably familiar, out of the side of his thin, twisted mouth. "But...it didn’t disappear."
"Didn’t disappear, huh...? So where did it go?"
"You don’t know?"
Silence. Two boys drag from their cigarettes. "I looked for it through the entirety of my nonexistence. But... I think I have an idea now." He chuckles dark like the smoke that swirls around him. "How fucking ironic." A pause. "I like cigarettes."
"You always have. You just forgot."
The flame smolders in his vision.
"It’s all planned out, isn’t it. All of this. Destiny really does exist."
"Destiny is only what you make it."
"I think I’ve heard that somewhere before."
"Yeah. From him."
For a moment he’s stunted, like the dead butt his companion tosses languid to the dark. "...That’s not what I—"
"But he said it, didn’t he?"
It’s true; he can hear them, clear as the crackling of his death-flames: the words cruelly muttered from pursed, frustrated lips, shadowed under stalks of blond. "...So he did."
And then, like ash in his mouth: "Got it memorized?"
"...You’re an asshole."
"Well, do you?"
"...Yeah. Yeah, I really do."
The cigarette dangles loosely from the side of his mouth, which curves upwards in a way that’s fittingly familiar. When the lips absently twitch, it falls from its perch with a whisper, joining its fellow on the ground under a drizzle of smothered embers.
"So..." They match each other gaze for gaze, like mirrors calling back; at their feet, the dead butts spark. "Are you ready for the next life?"
Title: The Next Life
Word Count: 612
Spoilers: For Axel's fate at the end of KHII.
Notes: I originally wrote this as a piece made completely of dialogue, and added the descriptions in afterwards. To help you follow who's speaking: 'he' or any variation thereof always refers to the one who is speaking in the current line, and each line of dialogue belongs to a new speaker, i.e. if there's a space between the lines, it's not the same dude. Also, this is like...seriously the first piece I've written in full in a really long time (minus, you know, roleplaying). Thanks to
invisibledancer and crimsoncookie for the betas. Hope you enjoy :) In darkness, the other speaks. "I knew you’d go out in a 'blaze of glory.' A man after my own heart."
He answers, scriptedly. "Funny you should say that—"
"Right, right. Haven’t got one." It’s not quite mocking, but the boy does seem incredulous, talking sideways from his mouth in a way that’s uncomfortably familiar.
He takes a drag from his cigarette.
"You smoke. I forgot."
"I’m surprised you don’t."
"I killed myself in other ways."
"So you did."
The fag glows dimly in the dark.
"So...is this really it, then? Am I..."
"Well, not yet. Consider this a...crossroads. A hell before the hell."
"Heh, so I am going to hell."
"Hell is only what you make it. I thought that shadow of an 'existence' you took part in was pretty hellish, if you ask me. Especially that last bit. You know, with all the fire."
"That was pretty cool, wasn’t it."
"I was proud."
"At least someone was."
He stretches out a lanky arm. "Do you want one?"
"Yeah, sure. Not like it’ll kill me." A lanky hand accepts. The lighter clicks, and spark leads to a second flame, which smolders in green eyes dimmed by the half-life. Two boys drag from their cigarettes. "It was better than the way you went out, anyway."
"I’d have burnt myself to death too if I’d had badass fire powers."
"You were a pansy. You would've been afraid."
"And you weren’t?"
"I don’t have a—"
"—heart, right, right."
"Asshole."
Smoke fills the air.
"You don’t really believe that, do you?"
"That you’re an asshole?"
"No, asshole, that you don’t have a heart."
"How could I believe anything else when there is a wide gaping hole of nothing in my chest?"
"Because you have me."
"Yeah, and when you gave into the darkness, you didn’t lose—"
"Well...technically."
"Technically."
"Technically my heart left my body—"
"—my body now—"
"—not anymore—"
"—so I am dead—"
"—just shut up for a second. When I fell to darkness, my heart left my body." He’s smiling now in a way that’s comfortably familiar, out of the side of his thin, twisted mouth. "But...it didn’t disappear."
"Didn’t disappear, huh...? So where did it go?"
"You don’t know?"
Silence. Two boys drag from their cigarettes. "I looked for it through the entirety of my nonexistence. But... I think I have an idea now." He chuckles dark like the smoke that swirls around him. "How fucking ironic." A pause. "I like cigarettes."
"You always have. You just forgot."
The flame smolders in his vision.
"It’s all planned out, isn’t it. All of this. Destiny really does exist."
"Destiny is only what you make it."
"I think I’ve heard that somewhere before."
"Yeah. From him."
For a moment he’s stunted, like the dead butt his companion tosses languid to the dark. "...That’s not what I—"
"But he said it, didn’t he?"
It’s true; he can hear them, clear as the crackling of his death-flames: the words cruelly muttered from pursed, frustrated lips, shadowed under stalks of blond. "...So he did."
And then, like ash in his mouth: "Got it memorized?"
"...You’re an asshole."
"Well, do you?"
"...Yeah. Yeah, I really do."
The cigarette dangles loosely from the side of his mouth, which curves upwards in a way that’s fittingly familiar. When the lips absently twitch, it falls from its perch with a whisper, joining its fellow on the ground under a drizzle of smothered embers.
"So..." They match each other gaze for gaze, like mirrors calling back; at their feet, the dead butts spark. "Are you ready for the next life?"
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no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 10:22 am (UTC)I like it! <3 It makes me wonder what happens next. And kind of makes me want to go smoke, now. *bad*
I wonder how many Axel fics are going to make it into this particular challenge? I'll admit to being a little nervous when I saw your blurb, but I'm safe, thank goodness. :D
no subject
Date: 2006-11-08 05:18 am (UTC)Are you writing an Axel fic too? Is that why you were nervous?
no subject
Date: 2006-11-08 05:29 am (UTC)And yeah, yeah I am, though it's being quite ... reluctant in the important bits. D< If I can break out of whatever funk I'm in with it, I should have it up in the next few hours. If. I've been making KH icons, listening to sad music, and mulling it over in the meanwhile.
*headdesks*
no subject
Date: 2006-11-08 06:01 am (UTC)And yeah, I know all about writing funks. I've been in one for a really long time. The last serious full-lengthed drabble I wrote was for the Desperation challenge - the one i wrote for Martyr was a recycled piece that I edited and changed a little bit, and then I wrote this little 100 word thing that...well whatever. Point is, I get you. What music are you listening to?
no subject
Date: 2006-11-08 06:50 am (UTC)Bleh funks. I think before this last week, the last thing I wrote (besides a few character sets for a friend's RP) was back in ... mid-2003, at the latest. After playing KH2 I got the bug again, and I was going through my site's archives, and looking at all this unfinished stuff on my harddrive, and was actually kind of proud of some of it, especially the later stuff, and I realized how much I missed writing. Hee, I'm trying to remember how I did it, so I have a feeling my stuff is going to be kind of awkward for awhile. TAT
Someday when I have time, I'm totally checking all the old archives. I've only been here like a week and a half. :o
Currently, I'm listening to a pretty strange playlist. Most of the tracks from Okkervil River (http://jound.com/okkervil/main.html)'s Black Sheep Boy Appendix (I'm absolutely in love with Black Sheep Boy #4 and Another Radio Song), Most of the tracks from Harmonizer by Apoptygma Berzerk, a little bit of Tom McRae, Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, Matthew Good, Morphine, Ani Difranco, and a smattering of random Japanese rock so I don't die from all the WAAANGST.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 01:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-08 05:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 02:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-08 05:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 05:52 pm (UTC)and I really like the way you used the cigarette!
<3
no subject
Date: 2006-11-08 05:21 am (UTC)...
I mean, uh, smoking is bad, mmkay?
no subject
Date: 2006-11-07 10:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-08 05:23 am (UTC)To make it easier to understand the dialogue: Axel's Other is the first to speak, then Axel, and it alternates each line, never repeating.
Does that help?
no subject
Date: 2006-11-11 12:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-08 05:24 pm (UTC)I like the back-and-forth "you forgot" aspect of their conversation, and that he calls him 'asshole', hah. That is some sort of twisted irony. Also this line; I’d have burnt myself to death too if I’d had badass fire powers, lol. I wants badass fire powers too, sigh.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-08 06:48 pm (UTC)