Woo! New chapter! Ah it's so refreshing to be doing this again, however I have a sty of a room I need to clean before the night's gone and Japanese homework to do so I can't be here too long. I'm working on review replies and will get to them all I promise. Thank you guys so much for such positive feedback! Fifteen reviews in the first chapter alone is such a blessing and I cherish each one. Please continue to let me know what you think, both new and old readers, because it motivates me to know people are reading and enjoying my work…and if you aren't enjoying it let me know that too! Feedback is good regardless of it's terms I think, even though I certainly hope you are enjoying this like I am!
Chapter 2
Short Leash
"Can you hear me?"
Yes.
"Wake up."
No.
Despite how unwilling he was to do so Roxas forced his eyes open and stared up at the white ceiling which almost hurt to look at. His gaze traveled back down and he looked blankly at the doctor to his right, trying to remember how he'd gotten there in the first place.
Cursing himself for being so careless, Roxas dove behind a column for protection as he nursed his throat. A bullet had just grazed his neck and the burn and tear hurt far more that the shot which pierced his shoulder. He reached for his second gun as he heard footsteps running towards him, looking around the column and shooting to kill while trying to ignore the fact his brother had just been mortally wounded. He'd followed him out of concern since most people wouldn't be sneaking out after midnight and it probably meant he was doing something that would get him in trouble. As it turned out he was right, Sora had gotten in trouble. Since he could still move though unlike his brother he knew it would be safer to lead them away from Sora so he would stand a chance at getting up and away himself.
Pushing himself to his feet, one hand over his throat and the other firing at the revolutionaries, he ran back for the doors. Two steps outside the church he froze, spotting the last person he wanted to face right now and knowing he was in trouble.
"Lights out is midnight you know."
Roxas was about to explain himself but a well aimed shot from behind sent him tumbling down the stairs, taken by surprise as pain surged through his chest. From where he lie at Axel's feet he saw him raise a revolver and put an end to the idiots who dared attack his dogs. Four of the men bolted back into the church behind the safety of the doors and Axel put his gun away, instead taking out a lighter and pulling off a glove. Roxas was confused and shocked when he struck the light up and pinched his thumb and index finger together in it without so much as a flinch. He crouched down and before Roxas could stop him he forced the two fingers into the wound and grabbed onto the bullet lodged next to his heart, ripping it out quickly and reaching around covering Roxas' mouth with his other hand in order to muffle out his pained cries.
"So we gonna step in?"
Roxas recognized the voice heard through the ringing in his head and didn't need to look up to know it was Xigbar. Axel got to his feet and dropped the bullet on his way up the stairs, pulling his glove back on and insisting, "This mission was yours to begin with. Since you gave it to someone else let them finish it and if he dies it's on your conscience." Xigbar merely laughed and the last thing he heard as darkness closed in was his brother calling his name from within the church.
He'd been injured. It was all over. Anyone within these walls knew wounded dogs were put down when they could no longer work and right now Roxas couldn't even lift his arms. The fact he'd woken up at all was surprising in his opinion but at the same time he imagined he was going to receive a lecture about his actions before being done away with. He had to ask though, "Where's Sora?"
The doctor ignored him and Roxas pushed himself up with his arm that hadn't taken a shot, no help from the idle doctors. The hospital wing was a grim place and beds were never occupied for more than two days since people were either up and on their feet by then or done away with. It was Axel's policy, no exceptions. He could see a few dogs injured far more severely than him but none of them were his brother and within the hour three of them were taken away, screaming at the top of their lungs that they were fit and could keep working just like anybody else. Roxas, like the others who remained in bed, didn't acknowledge them as they left since it was simply standard procedure and they themselves would be taken out sooner or later if they didn't heal quickly. Roxas didn't know how long he'd been asleep so there was no telling if he'd been there for 2 hours or 2 days, however long it had been his wounds hadn't healed at all and it hurt to even sit up so knew he could be next.
Sora sat up abruptly as a clap of thunder shook the base and he looked frantically around the dark room. He was back in the manor, safe in his own bed while Roxas' lie unoccupied and unmade, rain striking the glass windows and spilling into the room through an open one at the end. It hadn't been a dream, his body still ached and the memories rang vividly as he hastily undid his jacket and saw his white shirt still hand the knife tear and bloodstains. He pulled the shirt away from his body and looked down only to find the wound had scarred shut. The strain on his neck as he looked down though was intense and he leaned back while running his fingers over the bite marks on his neck.
He didn't know was how he'd gotten back to the base let alone how a fatal wound had healed itself shut so quickly. Nothing was making sense and as soon as he tried to get out of bed a wave of dizziness overcame him and he fell against the window frame clumsily. With a quick reassurance it was just sleep lingering over him he shrugged it off and hurried for the door connecting their room to the hall outside, freezing when he heard voices through the thick wood.
"So we have a deal then?"
"Not much choice in the matter."
"Seems that way doesn't it? I'm sure you can find ways to enjoy your stay."
"Doubtful. I've heard about the way you run this place."
"He speaks fondly of me I take it."
"To be honest I haven't seen him in months."
Sora recognized the two voices and as he tried to back away from the door the floor underneath him creaked and silence fell abruptly. Before he could get away Axel stepped into the room and saw he was up, seeming pleased which was an unusual state for their leader even though it was a smug sort of satisfaction, "Awake already? You're going to be even more efficient than I thought."
"What's going on?" he tried to stay formal with his questions since he was talking to the man who determined whether he lived or died, "…Sir?" He saw someone else come in; recognizing him from the church though he'd cleaned up since then and changed clothes. Subconsciously he took a step back when he saw him, remembering instantly what he'd done and not sure what his business here was since he wasn't one of Axel's dogs.
"You haven't been introduced yet," Axel said, ignoring Sora's blatant unease and continuing, "Riku this is Sora, Sora, this is the new commanding officer of your precinct."
Shocked and not about to accept he was working under someone else Sora abandoned unease for outrage, "I'm being transferred?!"
"Think of it as a promotion. See officer Flint just couldn't stay on the top three anymore so I replaced him," Axel confused him but Riku explained for him in the bluntest of ways, "I'm his second officer now and you're my second in command." It sunk in quick that Sora was working far closer to the top than he had been recently and by standard there were only four people above him: Riku, Axel's two other officers, and then Axel himself. It didn't make sense though, "Why? And what about Roxas? Where is he?"
Axel ignored him and turned to leave, "Come upstairs later and I'll give you the plan for the week," he said to Riku on his way out. As soon as he was gone Sora panicked, "Stay back!" Sora ordered as Riku came towards him, not comfortable with him at all and ready to fight if necessary. Even if he now worked under him he wasn't going to lie down and accept it without an explanation. When he backed away though he stumbled and his lightheadedness sent him to the ground. Riku knelt down and leaned over him, putting a hand on the side of Sora's head and asking, "Are you alright?"
Sora didn't answer since he was expecting to get bit again any second now despite the concerned tone. He could see past it and he knew what he was, "Vampire." He didn't dare look away since that would be the perfect opportunity for him to seize his throat again and he had to show that he wasn't scared of him.
Riku simply laughed a bit and said, "How kind of you to notice." Sora didn't falter though so he sat back on his heels and then got up to his feet, making his way over to the open window as he said, "You're lucky I fixed that hole in your chest, you came pretty close to death there."
"…Am I like you now?" Sora had to ask, a sudden surge of fear rising in his voice unintentionally.
Riku shut the window and looked back over at him, "Not even close. You're still 100% human…Your brother is a different story though." Sora quickly sat up as Riku told him, "Took three shots and I'm not really sure what kind of condition he's in right now. You don't care though right? I mean you fight all the time so I hear." He was right, they did fight all the time but that didn't mean he wanted Roxas dead.
Roxas quickly woke up when he felt the IV in his arm removed, looking up only to see two doctors turning off the monitor and scribbling away in his medical file. He knew this procedure, he'd seen it all day, and as soon as he tried to sit up one of the doctors pushed him back down into bed. This wasn't supposed to be happening to him and Roxas refused to allow it. As soon as the doctor removed his hand Roxas rolled out of bed, landing crouched and scrambling to his feet as he ran for the doors. He fled all the while ignoring the shouting doctors who chased after him. He wasn't going to be taken away when he still had so much left to do!
Halfway down the hall though he had to stop in his tracks just like the doctors after him, standing at attention when they saw Axel passing through the hall intersecting the one they were in. With a phone in one hand and folders tucked under the other he looked busy to say the least but a quick look at the scene told him there was something going on, "Just a minute," he said to the person on the phone before coming down the hall towards them, "What's going on here?"
"Standard procedure sir, his two days are up," one doctor told him formally.
Axel didn't say anything to them at first, instead addressing the person on the phone, "Let me call you back…Yeah, bye." As soon as he shut the phone and pocketed it he shook his head, "How is it he was able to get away from you then?" Nobody spoke up and he continued in the tone he was known for, "Either my medical wards are getting weak or he's just not ready to go out yet. Which do you think it is Roxas?"
Roxas looked at him for a long moment, did he really want a truthful answer, "Both." Axel smirked despite the grim mood all the others seemed to be in and he told them, "Consider this your warning then men, if you don't shape up there isn't room for you in my world. Get back to work immediately; there will be an examination in two days time for all of you." He beckoned Roxas to follow him as the doctors went back to the medical ward and to be honest the dog wasn't sure if he'd been saved or still had Axel's wrath to face.
"Defend yourself."
Roxas didn't digest the words in time and Axel turned on him halfway down the empty corridor, landing a solid kick to his chest. Roxas was knocked backwards into the wall, immediately clinging to his chest wound which felt like it had been reopened from the blow. Axel stood tall and composed though, not looking pleased, "So you can't fight."
"Yes I can!" Roxas insisted loudly, straightening up with some effort and swallowing his pain. Axel lunged for him again and Roxas sidestepped out of the way while ducking under a punch he threw with his free hand. He didn't turn around in time though and Axel dealt a strike to the back of his throat only inches from where a bullet had grazed. Sent to his knees Roxas started to get up but before he could Axel grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him to his feet, pushing him against the wall with one hand and staring down at him with clear disappointment, "So that's it?" He could see blood through the bandages on his neck and knew he'd reopened the stitches either from stress or the blow.
Refusing to accept that was all he had in him Roxas quickly said, "I'm fine!"
"Keep this up and you're going to kill yourself," Axel said but the look in Roxas' eyes made it clear he wasn't going to give up until he reached that point. Axel let him go with a smirk, "Don't be so eager to die, I think I've got a better use for you." Roxas looked confused but didn't let his guard down since there was no way of knowing just what his leader was thinking.
"You know the rumors are just going to get worse now," Xigbar taunted with clear glee in his tone as he looked from Axel at his desk to Roxas who stood nearby with his arms wrapped tight around a stack of folders.
Axel shrugged, "Let them. They're just words," he said while looking over to Roxas who in turn looked away uncomfortably. He couldn't get rid of him, not with all the fight in the boy, "Besides, I always wanted a secretary. I just always imagined they'd be in a skirt," To call it a demotion would be inaccurate but to call it a promotion would be an insult. Since he still needed quite some time to fully recover and get back into fighting condition Axel planned to keep him close and on a short leash to make sure he didn't do anything that would jeopardize his health. Roxas hadn't said as much as two words since learning what he'd become, grateful to live but not happy about the terms of his continued existence.
"So who are we waiting for?" asked an impatient looking blonde man, Axel's now thirdly ranked officer Luxord. He had been demoted a rank much to his displeasure thanks to someone they hadn't even met yet but Axel seemed to think highly of. The former third ranked officer, a man by the name of Flint, hadn't been demoted to a rank lower and instead was simply done away with regardless of the reputation he'd earned over his 3 years of service in the post. Roxas was a bit more familiar with Xigbar, his former commanding officer, but from what he'd heard Luxord was a man who'd gotten into debt with a Cerberus founder and as a result had been working for 7 years to pay it off. Xigbar had gotten involved with the group simply for the same reason most did during the early years of the depression, for the hope of getting out of the status quo and into something better. Both had worked their way up and now were some of the most powerful men alive, second only to the handful of higher ups like Axel. That was when Roxas began to question something he hadn't before: just why was Axel leading a group like this and how had he gotten involved to begin with?
The door opened and in came the person they'd been waiting for and immediately Xigbar was on his feet, "Him?!" he remembered Riku well enough, "He's young enough to be my kid!"
"More like grandkid," Luxord added, insulting them both as he sized up their new addition, "You losing your mind Axel?"
"Keep insulting me and you'll be losing more than that," Riku said with a pleased smile. He'd made quite a few enemies already and didn't really care since he wasn't necessarily here by his own free will.
Axel stepped in to quiet the fight down, "Get along. If you don't like the way things are then you can follow Flint out the door." There were no further disputes and when all was settled Axel held out his hand and Roxas handed him the folders he'd been holding. Axel looked at them all, not sure what he expected him to do with them since he only had been asking for one. Roxas wasn't sure how he was supposed to know that since he hadn't said anything but stepped away and shrunk into the background after Axel sighed in annoyance and handed him back the excess. Opening the folder on the desk in front of him Axel pushed it towards the edge for the others to see the picture on the first page, a note paper clipped to the corner and several other pages below it, "Namine Groff, heiress to the Groff fortune as noted by her father. They reside on the outskirts of Twilight Town and her net worth is just over a billion in the American dollar. That will cover the debt her mother owes us."
"A kidnapping of an heiress, bit of a bold move this early in the day," Luxord said with a chuckle in his throat, "What's her mother's debt?"
"Nine hundred and seventy-five million," when he heard the number Roxas nearly lost the grip on the documents he'd been holding so tightly. How, he wondered, could one person accumulate such an enormous sum in a single lifetime? He caught himself looking over Axel's shoulder at the confidential folder and its contents, curious as to what kind of outcome a kidnapping of this magnitude would result in, "Commission for this job is 10 percent of whatever part of the ransom isn't used to pay off the mother's debt, travel expenses." That meant at least two million would go to whoever was issued and completed the kidnapping. Roxas had heard about jobs of this priority and payout but never imagined they actually occurred since he and his brother had only worked at most for 500 dollars a run.
"The other two who don't take the job will be sent abroad for the remainder of the week. A small communist party wants to invest in our society in exchange for protection from persecution and I want you to see if they're worthy," Axel turned around and took one of the folders out of Roxas' hand but he wasn't expecting it and accidentally lost his grip on the entire stack, sending pages of confidential and meticulously organized knowledge to the ground in a mess. Everyone froze at the sight of the mess and Roxas knew right then and there that his second chance was over.
"You klutz! Look at what you've done!" Xigbar hissed, looking at him with a greater distaste than usual, "Shit Axel, why bother keeping someone so useless around?"
"I'm not useless!" Roxas shouted to all their surprise and Axel grinned before addressing Xigbar, "That's why…Don't just stand there, start cleaning that up." Xigbar looked confused but Axel clearly wasn't joking and he cast Roxas a clear look of hatred as he came around to the other side of the desk and began to sort the papers into their proper folder. Axel glanced down at him and Roxas easily spotted the glint of satisfaction in his eyes before continuing, "Since you're our latest addition and don't have a dollar to your name I'm giving you the ransom mission," he said as he turned back to Riku who'd been staring out the windows in the ceiling with an uninterested gaze.
"Fine," he said as he got to his feet and came over to get the folder off the table. Luxord just sat there watching his demeaned partner pick up a mess he had not made and the newcomer take a mission anyone would kill for, all without the slightest sense of interest or gratitude, "If you have any ounce of sense in your being you should say thank you." Riku ignored him and left with the folder under his arm and as soon as he was gone Luxord was on his feet, "What nerve. Axel what are you thinking?"
"I could ask you the same thing. Questioning my judgment are you?" Axel's words silenced Luxord and a rumble of thunder outside matched in vehemence the noise Xigbar made as he slammed the folders back on the table. Axel glanced from them up to the one-eyed officer, "Have something to say?"
"Nothing that won't get me expelled," Xigbar admitted, clearly going to hold his tongue since Axel wasn't going to tolerate the questioning of his decision. Roxas was utterly speechless. He knew Axel had control over all of them but never had he seen anyone put Xigbar in his place. A lesson was to be learned from the few minutes he'd spent in his new position: he wasn't the only one on a short leash.
"Two million?!" the number was surreal and fell heavily on Sora's ears. Though he originally resented Riku's visit the amount which they were going after made everything alright in his mind, "For one kidnapping?"
"She's an heiress, rich people aren't that easy to kidnap," Riku told him but Sora snatched the folder out of his hands and began to look through it. He didn't regard him with any respect or formality which he should for his superior but Riku clearly didn't care, "Why are you so keen on making money? Not like you can use it for much of anything working here." Sora looked up at him but didn't say anything, instead cutting his eyes back to the page. Riku wasn't going to be ignored though and easily took the folder back while sitting down on the couch, tucking it behind his back and out of Sora's reach, "Tell me."
"It's none of your business," Sora insisted, holding his ground and clearly annoyed by his mere presence in his room.
Riku shrugged though and knew how to retaliate, "Fine, then I'll keep this mission all to myself as well as the payout."
"Tell me something then: why is a creature like you wandering around? Or more importantly: why are you working for Axel?" Sora's temper fell when Riku stood up and instinctively he covered his throat with one hand as he stepped back.
He wasn't going to bite him, rather he sighed and handed him the folder, "Touché." Hesitantly Sora reached out and took the folder back before hurrying off to the other side of the room. Riku sat back down on the couch and looked past Sora to the window where rain was falling hard outside, '…Good question,' he mused, idly tracing a finger along the metal band around his neck.
"So what do you think of him?"
Usually Roxas wouldn't dare eavesdrop, especially on the pair just on the other side of the room, but he couldn't leave now without being noticed so he remained knelt by the bookshelf. Hidden by the sofa shoved against the notable's study he listened further as Xigbar answered the question posed by Luxord.
"The whore or the bloodsucker?"
"Bloodsucker."
"Honestly, I have no idea what Axel's thinking. Flint worked for years to earn his post and barely 4 months into gets replaced by a pale brat."
Roxas knew Flint, though he'd never worked under him. He was 42 this year and they all knew he'd been slowing down this month so to him it was no surprise he was demoted and disappeared. The replacement though was a shocker in his opinion since the new 2nd ranked officer was an enigma to the society.
"Axel knows him I'm sure of it," Luxord said after a brooding silence, "The enlistment process and training is hard enough for admission into the Cerberus society, to put him as an officer of our stature though is unheard of."
"Unheard of indeed…Think he's got a file lying around here?"
"Anyone who comes through our front doors has a file idiot. Axel keeps them in his office under lock and key."
"Shouldn't be that hard to-"
Both men silenced when a ringing went off in the corner and Roxas lunged for his phone to silence the electronic tune. Before he could though Luxord strode across the room and ripped it from his hands, recognizing the name, "Oh, receiving a call from the boss, aren't you special."
"Shame you can't get to the phone though," Xigbar commented as he took the phone from Luxord and snapped it in two, silencing the device instantly.
Roxas knew he was in trouble but didn't let it show, reminding them of an important fact, "You can't do anything to me, I'm-"
Xigbar grabbed the tie around his neck and jerked him up to his feet while Luxord said casually, "Oh we know what you are, and what you do…We also know how to make you forget this ever happened."
The threat lay heavy on him but when his gaze didn't falter Xigbar balled his free hand into a fist and smashed it hard against Roxas' gut. He let go of the tie and Roxas fell to his knees, hands clasped over his winded torso. Through the ringing in his ears he heard Luxord say, "You're going to get that file for us."
"No I'm not," Roxas expected to get hit again but when a blow didn't fall he looked up and saw Luxord grinning. Xigbar had the brute force to kill, but all Luxord needed was words, "Your brother is saving up for something isn't he? We've seen him try to hide it." Roxas didn't say anything at all and Luxord knelt down to eye-level, "So many people have tried and all have failed simply because Axel found out. Do you want to know what happened to them?" Roxas didn't need to ask, the answer obvious and the same punishment anyone who dared conspire outside of expectations received. Luxord knew he'd won and patted him on the head like the dog he was, "Good boy. Now you're going to get us that file by the end of the week. We're leaving for Russia tonight but will be back Friday and when you come meet us at the airport I want you to have them in hand. Understood?" Roxas had no choice and he looked back to the ground, nodding his head compliantly before Xigbar's fist struck him across the side of his skull and knocked him to the ground, "Now I suggest you go upstairs. Seems that you missed a call from your master; you should be more careful with your phone."
Ah, massive headache coming on. Looong day at work and still much to do around the house. Thanks guys for reading and please let me know what you thought. Over the next few weeks I'm going to be working with one of my professors on what it takes to get published. No promises since it's in the testing waters phase but I've wanted to get somewhere with my work for a long time and this may be the springboard I've waited for. Your support is crucial though because as I've said in the past I am nothing without you guys. New chapter a week from now! Wishing you all the best in all the world!
~Your loving bohemian, Mad-TopHat-Ter
