title; A Trip Down Memory Lane
summary; What a horrible feeling that had been, not being able to tell the difference between dream, and the real thing.
disclaimer; see above. D:
Chapter One;
an unreal reality
The quiet, peaceful night suddenly exploded in shrieks and yelling as the redhead fought to free herself from the tangles of the blankets. She struggled and screamed and flailed around hopelessly until strong arms enveloped her and someone whispered in her ear, "Kairi, Kairi, it's okay, it was only a dream, just calm down."
Finally her breathing slowed and she managed to form words instead of unintelligible babbling. "I… Where- what happened?! What happened to Sora?!" Her eyes searched the dark room but could find nothing out of the ordinary. A large mirror hung directly across from the bed and she stared at her reflection without comprehension. The young woman staring back at her did not immediately look familiar, with her shocking red hair and startled blue eyes. The man next to her seemed even more out of place, but she latched on to him with a ferocious intensity. "S… Sora?"
"Who? Kairi, it's me. Ienzo." He brushed bluish hair out of his face and peered at her worriedly. "Are you all right?"
For a wild moment Kairi's mind reeled in a vertigo of remembrance. She pushed back her dreams and held onto reality as imaginary events faded into black and real ones reasserted themselves. With a wave of relief, she realized she knew where she was, she knew who she was, and she definitely knew who the young man beside her was.
"Oh… Oh, Ienzo…" she sighed and dropped her head into her hands. "Oh wow, what a trip."
He also seemed relieved. "Jesus, Kairi. Married only one week and already sleeping with you is such trouble." He muttered. The redhead answered with a shaky laugh.
"I'm sorry. It was… just a really strange dream…"
Ienzo got up and stretched. "It's okay. I'll get you a glass of water, alright?" She nodded and he left the room. Kairi pulled her knees up to her chest and glanced back at the mirror. What a horrible feeling that had been, not being able to tell the difference between dream, and the real thing.
Ienzo returned and handed her a ceramic mug that read "Welcome to Xedez!" in happy black letters. She drank greedily as he crawled back under the covers and flopped back down onto the pillows. "Do you think you'll be able to go back to sleep?" he asked when she set the mug on the bedside table.
Kairi snuggled up next to him. "Yeah, I'll be fine." She murmured. He swept the hair out of her face and planted a sleepy kiss on her forehead. "'Atta girl…" he mumbled.
She listened to his slow breathing and tried to match hers to his. It felt so much safer curled up against a warm body, with the covers pulled up to her chin.
Quiet settled once again on the little apartment as Kairi drifted off into a blessedly dreamless sleep.
• • •
Morning found Kairi making breakfast in a quaint little kitchen. Ienzo sat down at the table and breathed in the smell of baking food. "Mmmm. There's nothing like a homemade breakfast before going into work early."
She glanced at him over her shoulder. "Again?" She thought back. "…Didn't you go in early all of last week, too?"
Ienzo nodded. "I did indeed. The Doctor doesn't just hand out off-time, even if you're getting married. Also, is that done yet?" he added, pointing at the stove Kairi was supposed to be tending.
"Oops!" She flipped a slightly burnt pancake and turned down the heat. Ienzo sauntered over and wrapped his arms around her middle, either inhaling her coconut-lime shampoo or the blueberry pancakes. "I wonder what you'd do if I stopped making pancakes." she hummed.
"Ah, you wouldn't deprive a working man his wife's breakfast would you? And no one makes them quite like you do. Just the way I like them." He rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes.
"Wait, what?" she said suddenly. "You mean you actually work? And I thought you just sat around all day, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper."
She couldn't see, but she could practically feel him rolling his eyes. Sure enough, he let out a deep dramatic sigh and begun his pre-prepared speech for these types of occasions. "Kairi, being a scientist is a very important job. I'm so lucky to have this opportunity at such a young age, too. But I'm very proud of the work I do. How far would we be without all those men-"
"And women," Kairi muttered under her breath. She felt him smile. "And women," he added. "What would we do if they didn't help us move forward into the future and understand the world around us? Where would we be if-"
"Alright, alright," she interrupted again. "I get it." She twisted around in his hold so that she could wrap her arms around his neck and lean in close. "As long as you're home in time for dinner…"
He chuckled and captured her lips in a kiss. "That sounded like a very wifely thing to say. You know, I think you're getting the hang of this."
A cell phone started ringing somewhere. Kairi huffed furiously as Ienzo let go of her and reached for it. "Ah, it's Braig. Sorry, Kai, I've got to go." He grabbed his lab coat and hurried out the door. "And don't worry, I'll be back for dinner!" he called behind him.
She watched the door swing shut, then rushed to the window. The redhead leaned out into the sunshine and waved at Ienzo, now three stories below her. He waved back before clambering into a cab and driving away.
Oh boy, was she a lucky girl. Only just turned eighteen and already married to a nineteen year old boy genius, with a steady income and plenty of good looks.
Suddenly the fire alarm went off, with a start she realized she'd left the stove on. "Oh no-! The pancakes!"
• • •
After saving what was left of her breakfast, Kairi grabbed a cab and escaped the little apartment to run some errands.
Two hours later and midway through her trip to the grocery, she noticed someone following her. She would've just shrugged it off if she hadn't been sure the same redhead had also gone to the same post office, and the same bakery. And hadn't she seen him outside the subway too?
She paid for her food and tried to ignore her paranoia. Even so, she couldn't help running a bit for a taxi.
She didn't see the guy again until three days later.
• • •
"Hello, I'm Aaron Parker, with the Xedez Times. You're Miss Kairi, of room number 234, right?"
At first Kairi tried to push her way past the man before her cab could take off. But persistent 'Excuse me Miss's made her stop. The guy was tall, and very thin under his faded tweed coat. Red hair poked out from beneath a matching hat. She peered up at him suspiciously. "Yes?"
"Well, you see, you don't have a subscription, and I'd like to interest you in one-" he began suavely before she cut him off.
"The paper? Oh yes, that sounds like a good idea- but I'll have to look into it later- my cab-" she glanced behind her. It was already gone.
Aaron Parker- what an incredibly common name. For some reason, looking up into those steely emerald eyes with those peculiar tattoos beneath them- she just could see a strange man like him with such a name. He seemed an odd sort for a paperman.
He must've noticed the suspicion return to her eyes, and he suddenly grabbed her arm. She was so startled she didn't attempt to free herself.
After a moment she snatched her arm back, and he didn't make any move to take it again. The girl gave him one last astonished glance before spinning around and running away.
• • •
Kairi wasn't prepared to tell Ienzo she had a stalker. She couldn't quite believe it herself. So she kept quiet and greeted him when he got home like she always did.
She managed to act completely normal and didn't mention anything until she was getting ready for bed.
The nights were getting colder as the season changed from cloudy autumn to icy winter, and Kairi had hoped to be able to curl up under warm covers and cozy up with Ienzo. She was a little surprised when she walked into the bedroom and it wasn't any warmer than it was outside. She retreated back to the hallway and checked the thermostat. It was seventy-six degrees in the rest of the house, but definitely at least ten degrees cooler in her room. With some confusion, she checked the bedroom window.
It was open. Mostly shut, but still slightly ajar, cracked just enough to be pried open by human fingers.
Ienzo looked up from his book when he noticed Kairi watching him. She had her arms wrapped around herself and was shivering lightly in her thin nightdress. "Is something wrong?" he asked when she dropped her gaze to the floor.
"…The window was open. In the bedroom."
He seemed to understand, for he stood up and looped an arm around her shoulders. "We must've opened it this morning and forgot to shut it. Remember, you said it looked like it was going to be a lovely day."
She gave him a flat, disbelieving stare. "I didn't open it. Did you?"
Ienzo chose not to reply. Instead, he led her into the bedroom and shut the window. It locked with an audible click.
• • •
As far as Kairi could remember, she'd never been a paranoid person. It was relatively easy to shrug off suspicion and any thoughts of the eerie redhead. With no sight of him for over a week, her conscious cleared and she went on with life as she normally would.
One particular morning she awoke feeling refreshed and wide awake. It was like a large weight had lifted off her chest when she was asleep. The note Ienzo left behind announcing that he'd gone to work early only managed to bring her down a bit. She practically skipped out of her nightgown and into her sundress, dancing around while she pulled on her long black coat. Then she slipped on her favourite boots- faded black leather tied up to the ankle, sitting atop sharp stiletto heels.
Outside the air was crisp and cool under a cloudy sky. The slight wind hinted at rains to come. Kairi stood staring up into the tinted sunlight, enjoying the beautiful day.
The cab waiting for her at the curb honked loudly, starling her out of her reverie and hurrying her on her way.
The rest of the morning floated by, and she made her way back to her apartment for lunch. She took the stairs two at a time until she reached the fourth floor and the one on which she resided.
She could see her door from the end of the corridor. Walking up to it, all Kairi could think about was a big cool glass of chocolate milk and a toasty sandwich.
"…She's not here…"
"Damn it."
Kairi froze as voices drifted out from behind her closed door. Her thoughts immediately jumped to Aaron Parker, but neither of the men sounded like him.
So, two strangers were in her apartment talking about someone, and she was pretty sure who it was.
She took a few unsteady steps back and then turned around and jogged back down the hall. She ran past the stair way and stepped out onto the fire escape. The clouds had darkened and they milled about threateningly, but she ignored the distant rolls of thunder and gripped the railing. Kairi tested out the ladder, relieved when it didn't give out on her. The thing was so old and rusted, she was afraid it wouldn't be able to hold her weight.
Although the fire escape wasn't visible from her apartment, she moved as quietly as possible. She didn't know who these people were or what they wanted from her. The whole situation was looming over her head as dark as the clouds above her, but she was moving mechanically, as if on instinct.
Two stories above the ground, her ladder shifted and groaned loudly. She held on tightly. The noise echoed off the ally walls and she shot a terrified glance up at the fourth story. But no one had noticed.
She slowed her decent and moved at a painfully lethargic pace. Any minute those men could peer out a window- or worse, they could be leaving the building already, and the fire escape was perfectly visible from the front door. Or if they were kidnappers- stalkers- criminals- they might think to leave through the fire escape also.
With that thought spurring her on, she climbed faster. Groans and gratings became less important. For a moment, she boarded on the edge of panic.
And then her ladder unhinged from its base and she was sent plummeting the rest of the two stories.
Somehow, she managed not to scream. Her back connected with the concrete and all her breath left her in one big whoosh. She bounced and tumbled, her head smacked into the ground multiple times. Her limbs tangled beneath her. Everything was flowing in a slow motion limbo.
When she started to think straight again, she was on her back. Everything hurt and hearing was fuzzy. She went through the motions of checking her injuries- she could move all her fingers and toes, as well as the limbs attached to them. After giving herself a minute to regain her senses, she lifted herself upright. Examination revealed scrapes and bruises, but nothing too extreme. She put a hand to the back of her head and pulled it away. Blood dripped through her fingers.
Someone shouted nearby and she suddenly remembered what she was doing here. With great difficulty she struggled to stand and began tottering down the ally. Gaining speed, she sprinted down the dark passage, resisting the urge to look back and see if she was being followed.
Emerging from the other end of the ally, Kairi searched for her next escape route. A cab was sputtering down the street at a relatively slow pace. Kairi threw herself in front of it. The cab swerved a little as if trying to go around her, but when it realized how little space it had, it screeched to a halt. Thankful it hadn't run her over, she dived into the passenger seat.
"The laboratories, on the hill, please." She told the driver. He glanced around at her, perhaps shocked at having such a torn up person asking for a ride. He made to ask if they should go to the hospital instead, but she brushed him off.
Someone sprinted out of the ally as the vehicle took off. Kairi ducked low and twisted around in her seat, peering out the back window. All she caught was a flash of brown hair, and then the cab turned the corner.
They reached the laboratories in less then ten minutes. Kairi handed the cab driver all the money she could find in her coat pockets. "I'm not sure if that's enough," she told him as she stepped out of the car. "But it's all I have." She tried to give him an apologetic smile but wasn't sure she had succeeded. And she might've slammed the door a little too hard. "Thank you!" she called after the cab.
The first laboratory building was only one you could walk into with out clearance. She could only hope that the doorman would recognize her and allow her access into the other buildings. With great relief, Kairi found that she happened to know this doorman. She couldn't put a name to him, but his grizzled face was familiar. He looked up when the front doors slid shut behind her.
"Ah, Miss Kairi, yes? What might you be doing here?" He gave her a friendly smile and this time she did a better job at returning it.
"Um, I really need to see Ienzo. Do you think I could…?"
He hesitated. "We're not really supposed to do that."
"Oh, I know! But…" She leaned over the desk. "This is really important. It's… it could be life and death important. Please."
She was giving him her most intense look, but Kairi had a feeling it was her scrapes and bruises that really got him. He nodded slightly and pressed a button. The doors that led to the rest of the buildings opened magnificently.
Kairi wasted no time in sprinting off in search of her husband. Unfortunately she didn't really know where Ienzo could be. She just kept running, hoping to run into him somewhere.
After a few intense minutes of running blindly through the halls, a pair of heavy double doors opened up directly in front of her. She stumbled into the opposite wall in order to avoid running into them. A young man with a messy mop of bluish-gray hair emerged, pulling off a pair of goggles and brushing off his labcoat.
"Ienzo!" She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his middle and holding on for life. "Ienzo," she repeated. "Thank God I found you."
He smoothed down her hair reassuringly. Blood clung to his fingers, and, startled, he held her out at arms length. "Kairi- what happened?! Are you okay?" She nodded, noticing for the first time how dizzy she was.
She tried to explain without rambling. "Some people were waiting for me in the apartment. I- I fell when I was getting away- pretty bad, huh?" She laughed unsteadily.
His grip tightened. "Who? Who was waiting for you?"
The Unauthorized Persons alarm went off.
"Oh no. They're already here." She whispered to no one. And before either of them could move, the door at the end of the hall burst open.
Two men tumbled out from behind the heavy doors. They were young, probably around Kairi's own age. Though she had no doubt these were the same men who had been in her apartment, they weren't what she'd been expecting. And one of them, apparently, knew her.
"Kairi!"
Not bothering to wonder how the spiky burnet knew her name, Kairi let herself be dragged away by Ienzo. They rushed down another corridor and ran full out. All the while she never let go of his hand.
But their pursuers were persistent- and fast. Even after all the twists and turns Ienzo and Kairi took, the men were still gaining on them. And it was getting harder and harder to keep running.
Suddenly Ienzo stopped. Not expecting it, Kairi continued to run forward, but turned back when Ienzo didn't follow. "No, just keep going! Keep running!" he called after her. She shook her head and stepped towards him, only to be yelled at again. "Kairi! Just keep running! Go on without me- please!"
They were in a sort of auditorium, Kairi and Ienzo at one end, the burnet and his silver haired companion at the other. Time was slowing down like it had when she fell from the fire escape. Everything had been going so fast before- the sudden change threw her off. She watched in slow motion as Ienzo pushed her away and pulled a gun out from under his coat. He took aim, all the while yelling at her to get away, to keep going.
Kairi spun around and kept running. She vaguely heard gunshots behind her, but they were cut off when the metal auditorium doors slammed shut.
Instead of continuing to run around without a destination, Kairi slowed to a stop and glanced around. Finally finding the door she was looking for, she sprinted through and up a tight spiral staircase. At the top was the catwalk above the auditorium.
She peeked over the edge. Strangely, no one was inside. Even though, just seconds earlier…
Realization dawned on her. This was a different auditorium- a neighbouring one. So maybe here she could be safe.
One thing about catwalks; anything that moved on the grated metal floor could be heard quite easily. Kairi's head snapped around at the scraping footsteps that echoed loudly behind her. They belonged to the burnet, who looked rather relieved to see her.
"Kairi- thank God I found you."
His words were eerily similar to her own. Obviously this guy thought he knew her, and maybe he did. He did know her name, after all.
Even so, she pivoted smoothly and ran in the opposite direction.
"Hey! Kairi, wait!" he called after her. By now, Kairi's energy was draining fast, and it was easy for him to catch up to her. He grabbed her arm with a surprising gentleness, but Kairi retaliated. Knowing that now he had a hold of her, he probably wouldn't let go. So she fought back, slapping, punching, anything.
At first he failed to block her blows- he seemed genuinely surprised that she was attacking him- but with sudden agility, he caught her other hand. Relieved of her only weapons, Kairi tried to retreat. She tripped over her own feet and fell backwards, pulling the unsuspecting kidnapper with her.
Once down, she couldn't get back up. The burnet still had a safe grip on her hands, and his legs tangled with her own. A red curtain of hair fell over her eyes, hiding the blue ones staring back at her. And Kairi couldn't summon the energy to fight back anymore.
He sat up, sliding off of her and freeing her of his weight. For a moment, no one said anything. She just lay there, trying and failing to catch her breath and make sense of what was going on.
Finally the kidnapper broke the silence. "Kairi… don't you- don't you know who I am?"
With great effort, Kairi pulled herself upright. She wrapped her arms around herself protectively and contemplated his question.
A mumbled "No," was all she could muster.
His breathing seem to be cut off abruptly.
And someone else clambered onto the catwalk.
Kairi shook her hair out of her eyes and looked around. It was the other kidnapper, a tall guy with silver hair, and he was dragging Ienzo's limp body behind him.
She bolted to her feet. "I- Ienzo!" With the last of her strength she stumbled forward. She collapsed only a few feet from him, and reached out.
Someone grabbed her shoulders from behind and turned her around. She was face to face with the burnet, who leaned in and looked at her with a desperate expression upon his face. "Kairi. It's me- Sora. Don't you remember me?"
She returned his stare with a desperate look of her own.
"No."
There was only so much Kairi could handle in a day, and she had reached her limit. Her eyes rolled back and she went limp in Sora's arms.
The last thing she heard was a startled, "Oh no, I've killed her!"
a/n; I only just got around to posting this, even though I've had it done for ages. This is the first chapter of my second multichapter fic. I'm feeling a bit anxious over it, seeing as I'm more of a drabble/oneshot kinda writer. But, I'm giving it a chance, since it satrted out as just an overly long onshot anyways. The idea sort of sprung on me one night, and I just went along with it. I'm hoping I can make it work. D:
Reviews, comments, and critique are all very much appreciated. ♥