Seifer stood frozen. What the hell...?
Hayner cringed at the sight. "Whoa..." he muttered. "Didn't expect that."
Namine noticed the silence and looked up. What she saw made her breathing hitch. "Roxas!" she gasped. "What are you doing?"
Roxas stood in front of her. Her lips were spared but his wasn't. He broke from Seifer's 'kiss' and gave him a good punch in the face. He then wiped his mouth and spat on the ground. "Yuck!" he yelled out. "That was disgusting! Seifer, I will never forgive you for that!"
"..." Seifer still had a shocked look on his face. He placed a hand on his mouth and quietly left the premises.
"Seifer!" Fuu ran after him with Rai and Vivi close behind.
Roxas sat on the ground and coughed. "Blech! Ew! I can't believe I just did that! Gross! Egh!"
Namine watched him and let out a small grin. I guess...a part of him DOES care. "Roxas," she stepped up. "I um..." She saw him stop his coughing and look up at her with a scowl. In almost an instant, anxiety gripped her. "I-"
"You're causing me a hell lot of grief, you know that?" Roxas cut her off.
"...what?"
"You're always getting into trouble and I always have to save you. It's a pain in the ass!" Roxas stood up and dusted his clothes. "You're so annoying."
Namine glared at him. "You didn't have to save me!" she argued. "I would have done just fine without you!"
"Sure as hell you would," Roxas huffed and rolled his eyes. Sorry, Namine. This is the only way to break our bond. "Totally explains how you look so beat up today."
"You don't know anything!"
But why?
"You don't know what I've been through!"
Why is it that I can still feel it...?
Namine touched the bruises and marks around her neck. "I've gone through so much pain lately," she mumbled. "I don't know if I can take much more."
Roxas blinked, trying his hardest not to make his sadness and empathy obvious. "Like I care," he said coldly. "I didn't ask for a story. Just get lost already. You're a sore eye."
"..." This can't be. Namine frowned. "What happened to you?" she asked in a whisper. "You're not the Roxas I remember."
"That's right, I'm not," Roxas replied. "I'm better off without YOU hanging over me like a dead burden. There! Are you satisfied now?"
"No. Just hurt and disappointed." Namine's dark blue eyes watered as she turned around and walked away. I want the old Roxas back. Why is he being so cruel to me lately? What did I do?
Roxas looked up and watched as she limped away. "Sorry," he mouthed.
Hayner watched the whole thing and sighed. This whole week has been nothing but depressing. He jumped to his feet and walked over to the blond teen. "Oi, Roxas," he told him. "What's with your lame acting?"
Eh? Roxas looked at Hayner with a questioned look. "What do you mean 'acting'?"
"It's obvious that you still want to be Namine's friend," Hayner laughed. "I know that you're just acting mean to her because you want to prove to us that you've broken all ties with her. But I've noticed something."
"Which is?"
"After every trash talk you finish with her, you have this look in your eye."
"What look?"
Pence joined in. "Longing."
Olette stood by Roxas' side. "Sadness."
Roxas waved them off. "As if!" he he said. "Why would I be sad? It's not like I miss hanging out with her or anything..." He looked at his friends with a fallen expression.
"See?" Hayner winked. "There it is again."
Roxas blinked. "Huh?" This moment seemed almost like one of life's few opportune miracles. The feeling of being set free from the guilt that encumbered him was just too relieving. The blond skater walked over to the trio and released the breath he held in for some time now. "Thank you," he spoke slowly.
Sensing something in Roxas she had never witnessed before, Olette pushed him away from them. "Just go," she said.
"Right." Roxas took off.
"Hey, Olette," a nonplussed Hayner stepped forward. "What was that all about?"
"Just...something I wanted to do for him."
The hallways seemed to stretch on forever. Good thing it was lunch time. No students were found near the premesis. The administrators usually cleared the hallways to make sure no looting or secret "happy times" took place during school hours.
A counselor emerged from a corner and held a hand up. "Young man, you are to have your lunch outside!" he ordered.
Roxas halted in his tracks. His own inertia almost knocked him over. "But sir," he panted, "Th-this is...an...emer...gency!" He grasped his chest and breathed harder.
"What emergency?" The fifty year old man folded his arms and glared at the teen.
"Na...min..." Roxas could not register what happened next. All he knew was that he was on his knees now and holding on for dear life. What's happening to me? "I can't...buh-"
The counselor watched on as this student's hand shot out and grasped the hem of his slacks. "Hey, are you alright there?" he asked, now worried.
Roxas felt his vision blur and his head take off into the skies. "Uhnn..." he groaned as he fell forward. All he could make out was the counselor's faint calls and the rigorous shaking of his flaccid body. Closing his eyes, he dove into complete darkness.
"He's stabilizing."
Oh...
"Look. It seems he has regained consciousness. Are you alright?"
What happened to me? Roxas tried to lift his head, but was met with a pang of great pain. He flinched and fell back. The flimsy bed beneath him shook and swayed violently. "Agh!"
"Whoa, there!"
The young teen forced his eyes to open and found that the voices next to him belonged to a doctor and a nurse. He hated the way they looked at him. Their eyes full of worry. No smiles seen on their haggard faces. At the moment, he came face to face with the doctor. He swallowed to find his throat parched and dry. "Doc," he spoke hoarsely. "Whe- Am I in the hospital?"
The silver-haired man nodded sagely. "Indeed you are," he answered in a deep tone.
"Wh...why?"
"Well, it's nothing serious. Just a bad case of over-fatigue. After a few days' rest, you should be as good as new."
"A few...DAYS?" The inauspicious news caused Roxas to sit up sharply. He coughed in response. "Doc, I can't! A few days is too long. I gotta go. I have things to take care of back home!" He did not wait for the doctor's reply. The skater removed the wires and taps from his half-naked body and jumped out of bed. Almost immediately, his legs turned to mush. He wobbled and fell on the floor, resting on his knees and elbows.
"Get him up!" The nurses standing by rushed to the blonde's aid. They placed him back on the bed, reattached the wires and taps, and finally wrapped him up with the thin white sheets of the hospital bed.
"Roxas is your name right?" the doctor asked, removing his glasses and rubbing his temple.
"Yeah." Roxas gave a weak nod, but then stopped when he felt his head spin.
"Roxas, you should be much aware. Your body is recovering from many nights' lack of sleep. How many hours of sleep do you get every night? Be honest now. you hear?"
Roxas looked at the bright sparkles of light the shone down on him from above. "About...2 to 3 hours...? Sometimes, I don't sleep at all."
"That's very unhealthy. Your body needs more rest than that."
"I know..."
"If you don't mind me asking- why is it that you limit yourself in sleep? Do you have insomnia?"
Flashes of a wild woman played themselves. She tore at bed sheets, threw objects around the room, and chased after a little blond boy with a knife in her hand. Roxas frowned and breathed deeply. "Something like that... I don't like to talk about it."
A family history I presume. The doctor performed once again his sage-like nod. "It's alright, you don't have to," he assured Roxas. "Just make sure to eat plenty of good food and get plenty of rest. You seemed very much malnourished when you arrived here, too."
"Don't worry, doc. I'll eat and sleep plenty."
"That's what I like to hear." The doctor smiled and left the room with the other nurses.
The white room was now dreadfully empty and cold. The eerie silence was disturbed by the heart monitor, constantly beating to keep track of Roxas' heart rate. The exhausted teenager slowly sat up, being careful not to accidentally detach any wirings from his body and alerting the doctor. That damn, annoying doctor.
I've gone through so much pain lately.
...! Roxas looked towards the door. The knob was turned to that specific place. The place of certain security and sealing. "Shoot!" he yelled in frustration and threw a pillow at the wall. His rash actions caused him to feel lightheaded again. "Namine," he murmured. "Hang on a little longer, please. I'll be there as soon as I can." He took one last look at the room before plunging into the darkness for the second time.
"C'mmon, you worthless piece of crap!"
Namine placed a spoonful of mashed potato on a large plate, later complimenting it with peas and carrots, ham slices, and corn. She then scurried back to her father at the dining table. Placing his plate of food before him, she lowered her head humbly. "I hope it's to your liking, father," she sniveled.
"IT'S SIR." The deranged man took a huge bite out of the mashed potato and shoved some turkey down his throat. After a few minutes' worth of chewing, he swallowed and smacked his lips. "Delicious!" he cried out in delight. "As expected of my beloved daughter!" He motioned for her to sit down. "Join me, will you?"
"Yes, sir." Namine shakily took her seat. She looked away as the stranger across from her eyed her intensely.
"Namine," he suddenly broached. "You've grown very thin. Is something the matter?"
"N-no...sir."
"Here, have a corn." Yousuke removed his corn from his plate and threw it at the frail girl. "Savor it well- that will be your only dinner for tonight."
Namine ignored her growling stomach's protests and nodded. "Thank you, sir." She removed the vegetable from her sleepwear and bit lightly into it. Dinner was always like this. Dirty. Frightening. Violent. Tears fell on the cob.
Yousuke looked up and noticed this. He shot her a death glare. "That is very disrespectful," he emitted a low growl.
"S-s-sir?" Namine hiccuped, pausing from her nibbles.
"Do you regret receiving that corn from me you ingrate?!" Yousuke stomped over to the bleach blond and snatched the corn from her hand. The yellow material flew to a wall and make it mark. "Off to bed with you! You will have no supper tonight! You tramp!"
A mixture of fear and relief flooded over Namine at that moment as she stood up from her seat and headed for the stairs.
Yousuke took his wine glass and threw it with a force so strong it shattered into a million pieces and made a dent in the wall. The glassware barely missed his daughter's head; she managed to dodge it by ducking. "I said OFF TO BED!!" he roared and this time picked up a bottle of champagne.
Namine let out a terrified yelp and ran up the long, winding stairs. I just want to get away from it all! I can't go through this any more! There's nowhere else to go... She entered her room, locked the door, and searched through her drawers. After turning over a few more of her clothes, she finally found what she had been searching for.
"Tramp!" Yousuke's voice echoed.
Through pouring tears, Namine let out an agonizing scream. She held up the sharp, metallic object against the light. This is the only way. She then lowered it to her wrist. I have to...I've got to try... Honed blade pressed against vulnerable flesh.
Hang on a little longer...please.
Namine's head snapped up at the sound of that voice. "Roxas!" she gasped and looked around, eyes wide in fright and desperation. Roxas. She regained control of herself again and placed the blade on her nightstand. My thoughts always go back to you. "Roxas, you are-" The blade shimmered in the light.
A huge barrage of knocks exploded from the door. "Open this door right now!" Yousuke demanded angrily. "Or else I'll put a knife through your gut!"
Namine ran into her closet and locked it from the inside. She then squeezed between two package boxes and curled into a ball. Through the thin closet door, the sound of her bedroom door being knocked down was able to be heard. She placed her chin on her knees and continued to cry quietly. We're both in trouble right now, aren't we?