Thanks to Arait and Fire Feathers for reviewing. This chapter has a little more excitement in it so hopefully it will earn a few more reviews.
Disclaimer: We don't own Kingdom Hearts.
This little thing is going to be at the beginning of each chapter unless we decide otherwise.
Some people say that everything happens for a reason and although sometimes we may not know what that reason is but we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion.
We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.
Chapter Two
Violet and I got up early and went to the center for our tests. We both thought we could have done better but what are you going to do? Brand went to work shortly after we left but we met up with him for lunch.
The most exciting thing that happened up until dinner was when we met Brand's best friend over lunch and had a few minutes with the huge baby that we were eager to see yesterday. We tried giving him some broccoli which caused his just-got-up face to contort into a very pissed off look. So we gave him some chicken instead and his face again morphed into one that made him look about to bawl even though he stayed silent. After he only poked at the pineapple I gave him, Brand decided to take him back to his father.
Violet sighed. "Having little kids like him just makes him even hotter." I only sipped my soda and again wondered about the cloaked figures and the guy who helped me.
Brand went back to work so we went back to his house and sat around for a couple hours. Violet finally decided that she was going to end her boredom by visiting some friend who lived nearby and I would stay at the house waiting for Brand. However, before she left she made it very clear that Brand and I were not to go to Moonlit Cradle without her.
At about six Brand returned home and at six thirty Violet arrived. We sat around until seven when we finally felt hungry enough to leave.
Moonlit Cradle was basically a tower with a building at each corner and side (hey, it's a city) except for the west side which overlooked the horizon. There were windows in all appropriate spots but the west side was always completely glass so diners could get a view of the land. We were seated on one of the topmost floors in the middle of the room and next to a salad bar where we could see through the west window.
The lights placed about gave the restaurant a calm feeling but also made it rather dim. We placed our orders and conversed about the normal dinner topics.
Violet looked out the window during one of the moments of silence. "It's raining," she said.
"Good," I stated. "I like the rain."
I watched it gently pelt the window for a while until I almost choked on my drink when someone tripped over my chair and pushed it into the table. I coughed a couple times and was patted on the back by Brand.
"I'm terribly sorry, miss. Please excuse my clumsiness," spoke a polite, manly voice.
I turned in my seat to look at the person and found...Yes, it was a guy but he had brown hair that went to his thighs. It was pulled into a loose ponytail just below his shoulder blades and I knew it took all Violet had not to be making fun of it right now. The man's blue-green eyes shone both with apology and the smile that spread gracefully across his face.
He appeared to be in his twenties with jeans that hugged his hips due to his belt and bagged at the legs. He had a black muscle tee under his leather coat that now glittered in the dim light from his escape of the rain.
"It's alright," I finally rasped out. He then nodded to Brand and Violet before leaving with a flourish of his hair.
When I turned back, Violet was biting her lip to keep from saying anything about the guy's appearance and Brand was eyeing him as he sat down in a booth and propped his feet up.
I rolled my eyes and then grinned when our food arrived. Not very many places can top Moonlit Cradle's food, especially not their ravioli and bread sticks. But they had a wide selection so Brand just ordered a steak and Violet got a sandwich and some mashed potatoes.
After we were finished, a waitress came by to receive dessert orders. I was stuffed easily since I never ate much (it goes with the insomnia I've had for years) but urged Violet to try some fried ice cream and Brand ordered a latté.
As she was leaving, Brand's phone rang and he answered it but soon told us, "The lights are screwing with my reception. I'll have to go outside." He got up and strode out.
The seconds ticked by and suddenly Violet stood up announcing she now had to use the restroom. I sighed, watching her leave, too. I told her not to drink so much.
So I sipped my pop again and watched the people talk, waitresses buzz from table to table, and the rain still lightly pelting the window.
Brand's chair was pulled out again but instead of my brother sitting down, I found the guy from before doing so.
"I just wanted to apologize again for bumping into you," he said in his low voice.
I waved a hand. "It's no problem. It was bound to happen to happen to one of us at some point. My friend can choke on the air she breathes."
He smiled again. "Well that's a relief. I was hoping there wouldn't be any trouble."
"Trouble? The only trouble there will be is if my brother comes back and finds you in his seat."
"Oh, I don't think he will be needing this seat. I'm certain he'll be doing other things quite shortly."
Now I was on my guard. "Oh yeah? And how would you know this?"
"He's very protective of you and so I'd only assume he would be the first one to worry if something happened to you."
I narrowed my eyes. "Look, I don't know what you think you're talking about but I'm staying here and you should be leaving."
"Only if you come with me. We'll find your friend and go. I have a job to do."
I glared sharply at him. I knew that the red haired guy was supposed to come find me again and he was supposed to have someone else with him. This was not him–I would have recognized the voice.
"Just who the heck are you?" I demanded.
He leaned back and hooked an arm over the back of his chair. "You can call me–" He drew out 'me' and chuckled as he looked away. "–Nave."
"Well, Nave, I don't care what you've got to do, I'm not going anywhere and neither is Violet."
"You're not coming?" he repeated with a grin, mocking me.
"Of course not. I just needed to know your name so I could formally–" I chuckled, too, remembering a word on the test this morning that would be perfect for this situation. "–spurn this idea of yours."
He growled in annoyance and slammed his hands on the tabletop. As he stood up, his appearance shifted and he had blonde hair with completely black eyes that drew me in like a tar pit. His jeans had become black and his shirt was now blood red while the leather coat became a trench coat.
"You said there'd be no trouble," he rumbled in a gravelly tone, a deadly smirk in place. I stood and backed up slightly but still held my ground. "I don't have time for this, little one. You're coming with me and it's your decision whether I maim you first or not."
I glared and then lowered my head as if to think when I was really searching for a way out of this situation. A glint caught my eye and I scooped up Brand's steak knife.
Nave laughed darkly. "Oh, a knife. Whatever shall I do?" He continued to laugh as he moved one side of his coat to reveal a belt of knives. He brought out three, one between each set of fingers.
I flipped the knife in my hand so I was holding the blade and then threw it. I was sure it would miss but, to my surprise, it caught his side. The force of my attempted distraction tugged him sideways but he didn't act like he noticed. One of his own knives came flying toward me but I lost sight of it when my feet were suddenly kicked out from under me.
The impact of the floor to my head dazed me for only a second until I felt the full force of the stabbing pain in my right shoulder. I had never felt anything so agonizing in my life. I tried to scream but my throat constricted, squeezing off the sound and only letting out a rush of air. I felt warmth spread over my shoulder, heard the dripping by my ear and even though my vision was blackening, I didn't pass out.
Nave grabbed the chair that I had somehow knocked over when I fell and threw it carelessly across the room to get to me. He straddled me and crouched down to look at my pain stricken face.
"That's no good," he hissed. "I wanted to hear you scream. We'll just have to try something else."
It slowly became apparent that people were screaming and running out of the room. I think that one of the lights had been broken (maybe by the chair) and had started an electrical fire near my table and the buffet. I was dimly aware that Nave's side wound was trickling blood onto my abdomen and it was now pouring rain outside.
I watched in slow motion as his hand rose up and was lit in a blue and black flame. As it dropped to crush my hip, I scarcely heard the dull breaking of the west window and at the same time as his fist made contact, a kick met his side and threw him off. A blast of water followed and then time returned to normal.
I couldn't turn my head but a familiar voice met my ears. "Back me up!" The redhead was just barely in view when he took advantage of the electrical fire and brought it around my left side as a shield.
"If he gets through there, hit him with everything you've got!" He knelt beside me and ran his eyes along my body. They met mine and I made out a quiet, "Sorry."
His gloved hand wrapped around the blade in my shoulder and pulled it out. The dripping became heavier as he turned to his companion. "Hey, wash this." And a blast of water hit me.
Nave jumped through the flame and another blast threw him into the ceiling. As he prepared to flip over in his fall, a new black blur flew toward him and pounded him into the floor.
"About time you showed up!" cried the redhead.
"Sorry, got stuck in traffic," joked a younger male voice. The cloaked arrival went after Nave and called over his shoulder to the other unknown figure, "Go find yours! I'll hold him off!"
"Right!" And the water user ran across my line of vision and out the door. Metal striking metal rang in my ears for several minutes and then the younger figure came to stand behind the redhead.
"He escaped. Jumped out the window. I can't believe that old hag actually hired someone to get them for her."
The redhead shook his head. "No joke. Look at this." He pulled the fabric from my hip and the other visibly winced and withdrew. The redhead held a hand over it and it grew hot, searing. I drew in a quick breath but my throat again cut out my cry, keeping it down to a whimper.
"Hold her up for me." I heard tearing fabric as I was lifted up and then the pain finally became too much. I blacked out.
"Wait, come back, she's waking up."
I opened my eyes into the cool, comforting darkness of Brand's room. A little too cool. I groaned at the stiffness in my limbs from the temperature.
"Oh God, Fae, you scared the crap out of me," my brother breathed to my right. I tried to turn my head but then screeched when a protest came from my right shoulder.
"We were both scared," said Violet.
"You were scared?" I snorted. "I thought I was gonna frickin' die."
Brand sighed in relief that I was conscious. "Are you hungry?"
"After that ravioli? I don't think so."
"Fae, that was two days ago," Violet informed me.
"Two days?! What about school?!"
"Yeah, good thing that rain turned into a blizzard. School was called off for Christmas Break early. So are you hungry or what?"
"Can I just have some blackberry tea?" I asked Brand and he nodded, exiting the room. When I was sure he was in the kitchen, I asked Violet, "So...did-did someone come find you?"
She smiled. "Yep and someone found you, too. He was really worried about you. He stayed here in the chair until last night when he suddenly had to leave. His buddy–My Guardian that you never told me about?–He came back and got him."
"Where did you sleep if he was in your chair?"
"In the other house."
"All by yourself?"
She smiled. "Yep. But you want to know the weird thing? It was almost like Brand couldn't see that redheaded guy. Like he felt like someone was there because he kept looking at the chair but he couldn't see him."
"Hmm..." I gazed at the ceiling. "But you could?"
"Yeah. He told me to give you this." She held out a paper. I took it shakily with my good arm and read the scrawling handwriting.
Sorry our date was cancelled. See you again soon.
–
–Violet's POV–
"Alright so we know mine is hot. What about your Guardian?" Fae wondered.
"He's a cutie...well, I think so. He has blonde hair in a mullet thing–Don't worry it looks good on him–and green eyes. He's kind of skinny but I like him."
She smiled. "Mine can control fire just like we thought. Axel... Did you get a name?"
I nodded. "Demyx and he controls water with this guitar thing."
She sighed sleepily. "Something smells good."
"It's that bandage Axel made from his coat. He smelled really good. He said the fabric will keep your wound dry when you shower. Demyx said the water he sprayed on it will help keep it from getting infected."
Brand brought in her tea so I left them alone, going outside and into the other house to change my clothes. As I picked them out, I spotted a reflection of red in the mirror on the dresser.
"Back again, huh?" I asked, still digging for a fresh outfit.
"How is she?" asked the cocky voice.
"Why don't you see for yourself?'
"Nah, I can't stay long. I'm already in enough trouble for almost letting her get captured. So, how is she?"
"She's awake and understanding stuff but still really tired. It's a good thing she doesn't have to go back to school for a while."
"What are you going to do with her?" he asked, getting off the bed and following me to lean on the doorway as I stepped into the bathroom.
I began to straighten my hair. "Not sure yet. She needs to heal a little before we decide whether to move her or not." I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. "You know, you could have gone to see her by now."
He shrugged. "She'd probably be asleep again."
"She'd be wide awake if you were there. She really...has an interest in you." He didn't catch my pause and only shrugged again. "But I don't know why. You're a butthead!"
"Butthead? Well, maybe, but I'm the butthead who saved her life."
"So what do you want us for? The same reason Nave did? What is that reason?"
"It could be the same reason but as far as what it is goes, I can't tell you. I don't even know yet."
"You're just blindly following orders? Who ordered it? What's in it for you?"
"Whose house is this?" he asked, changing the subject and looking at the high ceiling.
"I don't know. Some friend's of Brand's, I guess," I replied. "Answer my questions!"
"Answer my question first."
"I just told you. I–don't–know! I can't answer it."
"Well then I can't answer yours either."
"That doesn't even make sense!" He shrugged again.
"He hardly ever makes sense." Demyx walked around the corner from the living room.
"Oh, you're here, too?" I asked. "So how come you just left me after you saved me, hmm?"
"Uh...I couldn't stay; I had stuff to do," he answered uncertainly.
"Axel had stuff to do but he stayed with Fae."
"I'm sorry. Forgive me?"
"No, I'm still mad."
"Oh really?" He leaned agaist the wall of the tub and drew some water from the drain. I watched as it formed into a bubbled in his hand and rose above my head.
"If you pop that on my straight hair, I am going to beat you up," I warned him.
"Oh yeah? Will you now?"
"Yeah, now get out. I have to change. I pushed him out the door and closed it behind him.
"Fine," I heard from the other side. "We have to leave anyway, Axel. Xemnas wants to see us." I could hear the smile in his voice and I knew he purposely said the name to tease me when I opened the door and they were no longer there.
And that's the end of Chapter Two! Remember to review, guys. It makes us happy and happy authors update faster. :)
Have a great day!
Kissynae and Kateracks
