Locked & Far Away

When all you have is yourself and nobody's there to save you…
Chapter 7
Suspicious

RoxasXKairi (Roxiri)
Romance & Friendship (Hints of Drama? Probably some hints of humor too.)
T
#Warning! In this story Sora is the Keybearer and his adventures happened for real. But in my story, he meets the characters again… he doesn't remember all of them! (Just saying to avoid confusion)
The same goes for other characters. #

Earlier…

My fingers started to look a bit blue. I could see my breath leaving my lips.

"W-would you… promise me something?" I asked, my voice soft, barely hearable.

"Anything." He said fiercely.

"Will you always come back to me?"

"I will. I… I promise."

It's a promise, then.


The sun started to set, although we had not found Kairi yet.

I was starting to feel really sad, and anxious.

This was not like Kairi at all.

She did what she promised, just like I always do.

And if she promises to be back within thirty minutes, it's not like her to stay away for what seemed an eternity.

Twilight Town may not be very big, but there was not a simple trace towards Kairi.

Nobody had seen her.

She'd just vanished, it seemed.

But as I looked at the red sky, I promised myself I would find her.

I had to. After all, she was still someone very special to me.

After all those years, she was still my first priority.

The sun sank deeper, lower until it nearly disappeared behind the buildings.

It slipped into my mind as a shadow slips into the sunlight.

Roxas.

No matter what he did, or what he said, and no matter what Olette had told me, he acted suspiciously.

For example, he was gone, once again.

We didn't find him looking for Kairi, nor did we see him at all.

He just vanished again.

And he had been pretty angry with me too.

Maybe… maybe I would go look for him, instead of trying to find Kairi.

I was not going to find Kairi this way, that was for sure.

And by finding out what that Roxas-guy was hiding, I could maybe get a step closer to where Kairi was.

"Kairi… hang in there… I will find you. I promise." I murmured to the sky, to the sun.

And with that, the sun was gone and my mind determined.


"You should try to sleep," He suggested. "It can help you… escape… for a while…" He added, hesitantly.

I sighed, feeling my teeth clatter from the cold. "I-I-I'm f-f-f-fine, r-r-r-really." An immense shiver jerked through my body, making me shake violently.

"Kairi…" His voice was soft, I wasn't able to hear his emotions through my shaking and clattering.

"D-d-d-d-don't w-w-w-w-worry, i-i-i-it'll b-b-be a-a-a-all o-o-o-over s-s-s-soon." I tried.

He sighed, frustrated. "What do I do?" He muttered under his breath.

"Y-y-y-you s-s-s-s-should g-g-g-g-go h-h-home," I suggested. "I-i-i-it m-m-m-must b-b-be v-v-very c-c-c-cold f-f-for y-y-you t-too."

I didn't want to speak more, because I hated the way I had to push the words through my trembling lips and clattering teeth.

"Never." He said, his voice fierce. "There's no reason to go home. I'm fine."

"R-r-r-right…" I mumbled.

A silence fell, in which he was quiet, and I was too... well, I didn't say anything. I could be heard perfectly on the other side, I suppose.

Then, I wrapped my arms tighter around my body, trying to make myself stop shaking.

Then suddendly an odd sound make me jerk my head up to the sound.

A Dark Portal, right here, in all this white.

I felt myself go numb from fear.

Sora told me everyone was gone from the Organization.

Everyone!

Then why… then why…

Or was it Riku, who had given himself over to the Darkness once again?

It was a hooded figure, in an Organization coat.

Fear made my throat constrict in fear.

Sora must've been mistaken!

I tried to call out to my friend outside, but I was quick to realize he couldn't do much to help me.

The figure slowly walked towards me, as if he tried to slow down to make me feel at ease.

This was very strange! An Organization member, escaped from Sora and Riku, showed up… here?

He bent down until his hidden face was on eyelevel with me.

He tugged at something under his cloak, something dark blue.

I couldn't push him away, or scream.

All I could do was gazing and shiver.

It was a blanket.

The Organization member brought me a blanket.

He wrapped it around me, his hands rubbing over my arms.

From my shoulders down to my wrists, then up to my shoulders and back again.

It was warm.

"T-t-th-" I started, whispering, teeth still clattering, but he cut me off by placing his index-finger on my lips.

I guessed this member was male, because he had broad shoulders, compared to girls.

But who was he?

Everyone had been defeated! This –

Wait.

Not everyone had been defeated.


"Who were in it?"

"Xemnas, Xigbar, Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus, Zexion, Saïx, Axel, Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia, Larxene and…and Roxas."


I was very concerned.

I was so concerned I had pulled my hood over my head and tried to create a portal.

It was possible to enter the Room That Never Was this way, I found out.

Stepping through, I knew I'd done the right thing.

Her lips had nearly turned blue, seemed a bit purple.

She was shivering violently and watched me with an exhausted, but frightened expression.

She did not shout for help, did not try to back away, she just watched me walk over to her, as if I had defeated her already, and she was waiting until I took whatever I wanted.

Her life, her wallet, her heart.

To make it clear I was not planning on harming her, I slowed down my pace, although I was aching to run at her, wrapping the blanket around her as soon as possible.

Then, I bent down in front of her, eyelevel with those blue eyes.

I noticed, coming close, that there was a violet glow in them, merging beautifully with the blue.

I blinked a couple of times, and took the blanket from underneath my cloak.

Not speaking, I wrapped it around her, rubbing my hands over her arms in the progress, trying to warm her up.

"T-t-th-" She started, but I did not want to hear it. I pressed my index-finger against her cold lips.

Her eyes were narrowing, as if she tried to see anything under my hood, or as if she tried to remember something.

Then her eyes went wide and her lips parted in surprise.

"R-R-Roxas?" She said, sounding very surprised.

What? How?

I backed away a little, but she pushed herself off the floor, wrapping the blanket tightly around her before she closed the gap between us by walking towards me.

Her trembling fingers reached out for me.

I'd better run.

But I couldn't.

I could just watch, gaze in her eyes as she came closer.

"R-R-Roxas! I-i-i-it i-i-is y-y-you, r-r-r-right?" She murmured, as her fingers, cold as ice, rested against my cheek.

Fire.

Fire spread through my entire body like she had set me, literally, on fire.

I thought I was going to betray myself.

That she would know, way earlier than I wanted her to know.

But still… She could only recognize my face as 'Roxas'.

She had no idea the person at the door and me were the same person.

I must not speak. At all terms, I must not speak.

That was the only way I could keep her illusion alive.

Her fingers reached up to lift my hood, and I let her.

"R-R-Roxas!" She murmured again, this time I saw that she'd recognized me.

"W-What… h-how?" She murmured.

I shook my head, hoping she wouldn't press for answers I couldn't give.

To be blunt, I couldn't talk to her at all.

All I wanted was for her to warm up.

Without really noticing, my hand was touching her shoulder, rubbing its way down to her wrist.

She gave one, last violent shake, before she gave in completely.

I caught her before she could sink through her knees, pressing her against me, stroking her crimson hair.

"R-Roxas… I-I don't u-understand," She mumbled, as her teeth began to stop clattering.

She pulled away a little to look at me. "I… Y-you never… I thought… I-I thought you d-disliked me…"

Again, I found myself shaking my head, looking at her pleadingly.

"So y-you d-didn't d-dislike me, then…" She stated, before she sighed and rested her head against my chest.

"For s-someone who can g-give those icy g-glares like you d-did when we m-met, y-you're pretty w-warm," She whispered, looking up, testing.

I felt a smile tug at my lips, and in response, I pressed her closer.

She seemed satisfied enough by the twitch of my lips and closed her eyes.

I knew this was dumb. Stupid, even.

Now that she knew I could get inside, she would probably beg me to take her along if I left.

Who knows why she hadn't asked for that right away?

Perhaps… perhaps because she was tired, and cold.

I had brought her warmth, and she hoped I would still be with her when she woke up.

Then, she would ask me to get her out.

I couldn't grant that last wish.


"Sweet dreams," Olette said softly. "I'm sure we'll find her tomorrow."

We stayed over at her place, together with Hayner and Pence.

"Yeah, I hope so too." Riku said, rubbing his eyes.

She closed the door, and left me and Riku behind in the darkness.

I was frustrated. Angry. Anxious.

It felt like agony, not having Kairi around.

But beside all of that…

I felt empty.

I'd become used to her warmth, which radiated off her like a lamp.

I'd become used to her presence, as if she was always there when I needed her.

And now, I seemed to realize how lucky I was.

Even with our break-up, things didn't get awkward.

She was still my best friend, and sometimes she would act very motherly around me; protective, kind and reassuring.

I felt like crying for losing that.

I felt like crying because it was all my fault.

I'd let her go off like that.

What if I had told her to stay with us?

What if I had told her I didn't care how long she would be gone, that she had to go along?

There wouldn't have been a problem at all.

Kairi knew when she had to stop; she never whimpered about these things.

She would've come along with us, and she wouldn't be gone like she was now.

I clenched my teeth, feeling my eyes water.

"Sora?"

Riku's whisper seemed like the wind outside, gently brushing against the curtains.

Easy to ignore. Which I did.

I wondered where Kairi was.

I hoped she was warm, hoped she wasn't feeling alone.

Hoped she was fine.

A tear escaped the force I used to hold them in.

Another one followed.

I took a shaky breath and I felt Riku's hand on my shoulder.

"Sora."

"She's gone… I lost her…" I shivered violently.

"She's not gone, Sora… it's not your fault we couldn't find her."

"I let her go… I let her go…" I hadn't been crying like this since Kairi and I broke up.

However we both knew why, and how… and however we both agreed, it remained hard to digest.

"Sora," Riku seemed to be getting uncomfortable. "We will find her. We will!"

I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand, sniffing one last time. "I know. I have to," I murmured as I expelled a deep breath.

"We all have to!" Riku said, laying back on his back again. "She's our friend."

"She's more," I said, closing my eyes. "She's so much more."

Riku suddendly sat up. "Sora… are you still in love with her?"

"No," I said, opening one eye to look at him. "But I do still love her. There's a difference."

Riku raised a brow. "Doesn't seem like it. What's that difference, according to you?"

"If you are in love with someone… you… you… well, let me put it differently," I said, frowning. "You love your mother, don't you?"

"Of course I do."

"But you aren't married to her."

"Sora, that's gross."

"No, but you aren't in love with her, are you?"

"Of course not," Riku started to get angry. "Seriously, what's wrong-"

"I answered your question, idiot."

He fell silent.

"Um… you love Kairi like your mother?" He asked after a while, uncertain

"Dude!" I snapped. "Of course not. I just wanted to point out there are different sorts of love, that's all."

I fell into a moody silence.

"I suppose you're right."

"Of course I'm right."

"Sora," he said, sounding surprisingly teasing for someone who lost their friend today.

He could be such an ass sometimes.

"What?"

"I love you."

"Ah, Riku, gross." I moaned and turned away from him. "Get away from me, you freak."

He simply snickered. "Just wanted to lighten up the mood, that's all."

I grunted, but did not turn back again. "Just get lost with your lightened spirits."

He snickered again, but this time I didn't say anything.

Kairi… I miss you. More than anything.

And tomorrow… I would go looking for that icy bastard.

He knew more than he let us know earlier.

I was positively sure of it.

And I would find out.

No matter what.

He was suspicious, and I wasn't the only one who knew.

He knew it too.