Here we have Chapter 2! I forgot to mention that this story is AU, so sorry about that. Also...I don't own Kingdom Hearts' characters.
I got up at my usual early hour to fix breakfast. Roxas and Naminé were still curled up on the couch, fast asleep. I didn't expect them to be awake. In fact, I wouldn't really be surprised if Roxas slept all day. Naminé might too. Who knows? I crept into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. I smiled as I took out a full carton of eggs. Perfect. I didn't even know we had those.
I got out a pan and turned the stove on. While it heated up, I popped two pieces of bread into the toaster. In a few minutes, I had some eggs frying and a delicious smell filled the house. Just then, I heard soft footsteps behind me. I whipped around with a start. Naminé stood by the table, watching me with those big eyes.
"Oh, good morning, Naminé," I greeted, turning back to the stove to check on the eggs. "Are you hungry?" Immediately upon asking it, I felt horrible. Of course they were hungry. Last night's words echoed through my head. I'll make hunger the least of your worries. I quickly tried to change the subject. "Well, I hope you like eggs. There's some toast in the toaster too." I reached up and opened the cupboard, grabbing two plates. I turned to go set them on the table, but jumped in surprise. Roxas was now awake too. I hadn't even heard him come in.
I walked over and set the plates down on the table in front of the two chairs closest to the brother and sister. I grabbed the toast and set one at either spot, then proceeded to dish up the eggs. Naminé's eyes lit up like a kid who had just been given a giant, swirly lollipop. She nervously glanced up at Roxas as if asking permission to eat and then happily leapt into a chair and began devouring the meal. Roxas hesitantly sat down and began to shovel the food into his mouth too.
After a moment, the teen glanced up at me. "What about you?" he wondered. I reached into the fridge and got the orange juice out. I poured myself a glass as I replied, "I'm not really a breakfast person." He slowly began to eat again. Naminé was practically finished already. I took the pan from the stove over to the sink to wash it. Naminé shyly carried her empty plate and silverware over to me and set them on the counter, then quickly scuffled back to her chair. I smiled at her bashfulness and began washing her dishes. The little girl scampered off into the living room while Roxas walked over with his plate and silverware. Without a word, he handed them to me. I smiled over at him, trying to seem as friendly as I could, but quickly had to look away. His face was bruised all over, splotches of purple and black painted across it. My mind immediately flashed to last night, the sound of the beatings and the blood. And his eyes, there was something about his eyes. Every time I dared myself to hold his gaze, I couldn't do it. I felt somehow guilty when I looked into them, like he could see all the wrong I had ever done.
I focused on the sink, stared at the water that rushed across the surface of the plate. Still, out of the corner of my eye, I could see he was still standing there. I tried to ignore it and keep working, but I could feel him watching me and the air was growing tenser every second. When he finally spoke, it was so unexpected that I jumped in shock. "Why are you helping us out like this?"
My heart gave a jolt but I managed to keep my expression from changing much. However, I was at a loss for words. Like I said, I don't really know what made me do it.
"Well, a little help can go a long way," was all I came up with, which was completing missing the 'why' part of the question. He seemed to ponder this for a moment. I turned the water off after I finished washing the last of the dishes and an awkward silence filled the room. Just then, Naminé burst in, holding a handful of dolls. "Look what Kairi has!" she exclaimed, beaming with excitement. I wanted to drop dead. I felt heat rush to my face, as I was no doubt blushing at this point. I ran over and grabbed the old dolls from her.
"I, um, don't know where these came from," I stuttered, quickly shoving them off in a corner. Actually, I did know exactly where they came from. They were dolls I played with when I was little that I had shoved in my closet and hadn't touched in years. Naminé giggled and clung to Roxas' leg. His mouth slowly crept upward into a smirk as he clearly tried to hide his own amusement. It was the first time I saw him smile. I felt myself slowly break into a grin too. Just out of curiosity, I glanced down at my watch.
"Oh shoot, I have to go!" I exclaimed, heading for the door. "Um, will you guys be OK until I get back? I just have to work until noon." They both stared at me with blank expressions.
"You…you mean we can stay?" mumbled Naminé.
"Of course…" I frowned. Naminé looked up to her brother with a spark of hope in her eyes. The blonde boy looked at me with eyes of gratitude. He didn't need to say the words "thank you". I could see them. Then I felt uncomfortable again and turned away, stepping outside into the city.
The day passed slowly. Business was lousy. Almost no customers came in. Plus, Roxas and Naminé were always on the back of my mind. For some reason, I couldn't help worrying about them. When noon finally came, I left right away and walked quickly toward the apartment. When I got inside, it was absolutely silent. I listened closely, but still, I heard nothing. They must be asleep, I told myself, but I knew I was wrong. There was no one on the couch. "Roxas?" I called. "Naminé?" No reply. My breathing started to hasten. "Naminé? Are you in here?" Where were they? I prayed something hadn't happened to them. "Guys, I'm home!"
At that point, I heard a thumping stride as Naminé galloped down the steps. "Hi, Kairi!" she cheered. "I found more of your fun toys!" She was holding two plastic horses. I inwardly sighed. I'm gonna need a lock on my closet. I walked over to the blonde child and squatted down next to her. "How was your day, Naminé?"
"Good," she smiled, looking down shyly again. I smiled too, but it quickly became a frown. "Where's Roxas?" I wondered. Naminé looked back up at me. "He went to look for shiny stuff," she explained. "For Ronin. He likes shiny stuff. If we bring him enough, he gives us food." I swallowed hard. I didn't really wanna know any of this and Roxas probably wouldn't want her telling people about it anyway.
"And he left you here alone?" I continued.
Naminé nodded. "He said he wouldn't be gone long. And all the doors are locked. And he said I should hide if something happened." I was about to ask where he had gone and when he left, but that's when realization slapped me across the face.
"Wait a minute, your brother is looking for shiny stuff?" I yelled. "As in, stealing it?" I guess, in the back of my mind, it was obvious that they had no other way to get by. But actually putting it into words made me realize that this was illegal stuff. I suddenly became very angry, but I couldn't bring myself to direct it at Roxas. After all, Ronin was the one who was forcing them to take stuff in the first place. Then another thought struck me.
"Naminé, why don't you and your brother just steal food? Isn't it kinda pointless to take more valuable stuff and then trade it in to Ronin?" I asked. If Brian were there, he would've slapped me. Naminé tucked the horses in closer to her body. Her voice suddenly became very quiet, even softer than usual.
"We can't run away from him. He would hurt us if we stopped stealing for him."
My heart suddenly clenched up. I was overwhelmed with a grief I had never felt before. It seemed like my perspective on the whole world had just flipped upside down. There was something dark and horrifying in their past that I couldn't see, but I could feel it. In that moment, I wanted to scoop them both up and run away to the other side of the universe and keep them safe forever. I wanted to give them the love and care that I knew they had never experienced. In that moment, I promised myself I would protect them, no matter what the cost.
I walked over to the kitchen and started to get out a pan, the bread, and some cheese. "You want some lunch?" I asked. "How does a grilled cheese sandwich sound?" When there was no answer, I turned around to make sure Naminé hadn't scampered off again. She was staring up at me quizzically as if she was confused about something.
"Didn't we already eat today?" she asked. I stared at her for a moment, unsure what to say, then quickly turned back to the stove to start cooking so she wouldn't see the tears rolling down my cheeks.
Please tell me what you thought! Love it, hate it, have issues with it?
