Destiny high

Chapter 7

By Lucia Widdop

"Do you feel like a man, when you push her around? Do you feel better now as she falls to the ground? Well I'll tell you my friend, one day this world's gonna end. As your lies crumble down, a new life, she has found!" - Red jumpsuit Apparatus - Facedown

Sora panicked as the mysterious girl Aqua collapsed beside him, he was unsure whether or not to call an ambulance but realised that he didn't know enough about her to be able to figure out what to do and so there he sat in the golden sand holding Aqua's head and praying that she would wake up soon…

Sora jumped as Aqua's eyes snapped open and she shook her head groggily.

"Aqua! You…you collapsed…I didn't know what to do!" exclaimed Sora in shock.

Aqua shook her head.

"Don't worry yourself about me kiddo, it's okay, I'm glad you didn't phone an ambulance, I don't think they'd understand me if I tried to explain that I'm slightly supernatural." she replied breezily.

"Supernatural…I don't understand, are you saying that you meant for that to happen?" asked Sora confused.

Aqua ran her hands through her short, blue hair trying to think of the words to explain it and eventually giving up.

"I cant explain it and it doesn't matter anyway, I now have an idea of where Kairi is." said Aqua calmly.

"Where? We have to find her!" exclaimed Sora.

"Hold your horses, kiddo, I don't know the exact location." said Aqua.

"Well what do you know?" asked Sora irritated at the fact that Aqua couldn't give him the answers he needed and terrified for Kairi.

"She's in a house, a dark, creepy room, he is with her, there is no-one else living in the house except for him and her, he's beaten her badly, she'd weak and scared. Any idea's?" asked Aqua.

"That has to be his house I mean where else would he take her?" asked Sora.

"Well, where does this douche live?" asked Aqua.

Sora blushed, "I don't know." he admitted.

"And you call me the useless one!" muttered Aqua.

"There is one person who might know but I doubt she'd tell me she hates Kairi and she hates me." said Sora thoughtfully.

Aqua narrowed her eyebrows, "My sister life is on the line here, I don't care what this person thinks she'll give me the answers whether willingly or unwillingly. What is her name?" asked Aqua fiercely.

"Larxene." replied Sora.

XXX

Kairi struggled against the ropes which Riku had tied around her wrists and ankles which bound her to a chair.

He was currently heating up a pan of water to boiling point and Kairi knew that he was going to seriously hurt her if she didn't do what she wanted.

"You were unconscious and you managed to contact someone, I'm not stupid Kairi what did you tell them!" roared Riku in a fit of rage.

Kairi didn't answer, tears silently pouring down her face.

It was no use, Aqua would never find her in time, Sora and Namine didn't know where she was, she was going to die, or be enslaved in here forever…

"I swear to God you dumb bitch, as soon as this water is heated if you don't tell me I swear this water is going straight down your face, nobody will ever recognise you again, and it won't stop there!" shouted Riku causing Kairi to tremble in fear.

Kairi tried to free her wrists but he'd tied her too tight, the rope bit into her wrists and she was so exhausted and weak that she knew that she'd never get away, Riku had actually had to carry her downstairs as she was too weak to walk.

Riku switched the pan off and walked towards Kairi, the pan was so full with boiling water that it overflowed, as water dripped onto the linoleum of the kitchen floor it hissed and steam rose up.

Riku walked towards Kairi and held the pan just underneath her chin, she could feel the heat rising and the steam scorch her chin, she wondered, if she could just keep him talking the water would cool, it would buy her a little time.

"Riku, you know that I love you, please just untie me, put the water down let me love you." begged Kairi.

Riku paused with the pan, and Kairi continued hoping that she sounded convincing enough.

It actually pained her to have to pledge love to someone who had caused her such much distress but whether she liked it or not he'd force fed her the Paopu fruit and that meant that whether she liked it or not she'd never truly be free from him.

"You lie to me Kairi, I shared that fruit with you I know that you despise me! You think that I'm stupid? I should just scald you now!" spat Riku.

Kairi shook her head, the tears falling faster.

"No! There's nothing to say, it was nothing I can't even remember what I dreamt about!" she cried praying that he wouldn't see through her.

Riku shook his head pitifully.

"You have such a beautiful face, it'll be a shame when it's marred, I don't think you realise how serious this is, I heard you mumbling names and now we've shared the fruit I know that you have a mental connection with someone, someone who might just want to save you, now tell me the details, this is your last chance before this water burns your face." said Riku calmly.

Kairi felt numb, he knew, he knew everything, it didn't matter if Aqua was on her way because Riku wouldn't go down without a fight…

"Kairi…" stared Riku as he lifted the pan above her head.

"Fine! My sister Aqua, she's on her way to get me, she knows that I'm here, she's coming!" exclaimed Kairi.

The look of fury and a twinge of fear crossed Riku's face and for one terrifying moment Kairi thought he was going to scald her anyway.

But he didn't instead he put the pan on the nearest worktop and grabbed a knife using it to cut the ropes around her wrist and ankles.

Kairi fell to the floor as Riku grabbed her and dragged her towards the front door.

"Where are we going? What are you doing?!" exclaimed Kairi.

Riku held the knife to her throat. "We're leaving, I have another house away from here, where we will never be found and don't even think about trying to escape otherwise I'll slit your throat right here." Riku hissed.

Kairi sobbed as Riku bundled her into the passenger seat of the car, as he clambered in a strange look on his face, Kairi turned and saw Sora and Aqua charging towards the car.

She grit her teeth hoping that they would arrive in time but all was in vain.

Riku turned on the ignition and sped off leaving Aqua and Sora behind and Kairi wept, half out of fear and half out of loss…

XXX

Roxas struggled to keep his eyes open as he was loaded onto a stretcher next to Xion and Axel.

He struggled against the Paramedics terrified for Xion and Axel terrified that one of them wouldn't make it.

"You have to relax, we need to get you to the hospital, you've inhaled a lot of smoke." said the Paramedic forcing him down and placing an oxygen mask across his face.

"My friend, the girl Xion is she…? And Axel, is he okay?" gasped Roxas as he was loaded into the back of an ambulance.

"Your friends have both inhaled a lot of smoke but they are both alive." soothed the Paramedic.

Roxas thought of the events, finding Xion after kicking down the door, he and Axel struggling with Xion, smashing the window, getting outside…

Roxas pulled off his oxygen mask to the Paramedic's annoyance.

"Now really! I can't help you unless you work with me here!" snapped the man.

Roxas struggled for enough oxygen to speak the words he wanted to say.

His throat was red raw, his body ached and his mind was screaming for sleep, still Roxas would not give up until he had told the Paramedic what he wanted to say.

"Please…don't worry about me, just help…help my…friends." gasped Roxas.

The Paramedic nodded and placed the mask over his face.

"I will, just please keep the mask on." said the Paramedic.

Roxas tried to agree but exhaustion was threatening to overwhelm him eventually he gave in and everything went black…

When he came to he was in the hospital with another oxygen mask strapped to his face.

He struggled to sit and noticed Aerith and Cid and his social worker sat in his room.

"Roxas! Oh thank goodness, what were you thinking running back inside?!" asked his social worker worriedly.

Roxas rubbed his hands against his eyes waiting for the blurriness to fade away when he could finally see properly he saw that Aerith still had tears running down her face, Cid had a protective arm around her.

"We thought, that it was us…" started Aerith her voice thick with tears.

Roxas shook his head.

"No my friends…" he started then jumped out of bed in shock.

"Xion! Axel! Are they okay?" he asked terrified.

"Jeez Roxas, get back into bed!" chided a familiar voice.

Roxas gazed towards the door to see Axel walking slowly into the room.

"Axel!" exclaimed Roxas relieved.

"Xion's fine, she's currently sleeping but she woke up and she's stable we all have to stay here overnight and then we are free to go." said Axel.

Roxas grinned.

"Thank God, I was so…" he started.

"Scared?" Axel suggested as Roxas nodded.

"Me too." he said as he sat beside Roxas's bed.

"We're all going to be okay but you have to keep that mask on and rest, got it memorised?" teased Axel.

Roxas grinned and climbed back into bed grateful to Axel, and as he closed his eyes he couldn't help but smile, everything was going to be okay.

XXX

Namine checked her phone for the tenth time that morning, she was still waiting for Sora to text her, he had shown up at school with some strange girl with blue hair, they'd cornered Larxene and the girl ha threatened her unless she disclosed Riku's address.

Namine, sighed in relief as her phone finally beeped, even though she was in Art she was unable to concentrate and had spent the entire morning waiting to find out if they had managed to safely recover Kairi.

Arrived too late, Riku's gone and taken Kairi, we've called the police and Aqua is following them on a motorbike. The Police are going to the school first they'll want to interview you first seeing as you were her best friend. Kairi's grandmother in shock she had no idea, she thought Kairi was with you. X Sora

Namine's hands shook as she sent a reply back to the Sora just as there was a knock at the classroom door and two police officers stepped in.

"Excuse me Ma'am but do we have a student named Namine in this classroom?" asked the police officers to the tutors astonishment.

"Well, yes but may I ask what this is all about?" asked the woman thoroughly confused.

"It's about a missing student, Kairi is believed to have been kidnapped by another student named Riku." stated the first Police officer.

"Kairi…missing? But I thought she was sick!" exclaimed the tutor.

The second officer nodded grimly.

"The Student in question is believed to have done this before, he is currently driving away from the city in his car, he will be going along the pier we have officers stationed there to retrieve the girl, however we need to interview Namine, to figure out how this has happened." said the officer.

The art tutor nodded, eyes brimming with tears and Namine collected her things an left the room accompanied by the officers.

The Police officers were very kind but Namine hated herself at that moment, if she had only stuck with Kairi and then told a tutor then this wouldn't have happened.

And now Kairi was suffering because of her…

XXX

Xion shifted in her sleep as memories of the fire filled her mind, how terrified she had been, the fact that Roxas and Axel had come to save her, the vision of Axel charging through a window to get them out, ambulances and then blackness…

Finally, she woke her eyes and throat burning, as she opened her heavy eyelids her eyes watered and streamed down her face.

"Glad to see that your finally awake!" said a voice.

Xion tried to sit up and talk and realised that an oxygen mask was pressed to her face.

She raised a hand to remove the mask and a red headed figure slapped her hand away.

When she looked up she realised that Axel and Roxas were in the room with her.

"You…guys!" she choked as she ripped the mask away.

"Shhh! Don't speak just keep the mask on." said Roxas.

"It's okay Xion, we're all okay." said Axel.

Xion nodded tears sliding down her face, she couldn't believe that they had risked their lives, for her!

She stared at them both and then grasped Axel's hand as Roxas walked slowly towards her.

"Thank god Xion, the nurses and doctors said that we got you out of there just in time, the roof was going to completely cave in, you'd have gotten crushed." said Axel tactlessly, earning a punch in the arm from Roxas.

Xion however smiled, spooky though it was that she could have died in that room she was grateful that Axel and Roxas were alive and joking as ever.

Ignoring Axel's disapproving gaze Xion pulled away the oxygen mask.

"Who…who started the…fire?" she gasped.

Axel put the mask back over her face, "Nobody knows, they think it was an accident and none of the other students have come forwards.

"I suppose it doesn't matter in the end, we're all okay and everyone else got out fine." said Roxas.

Xion nodded and then gestured towards her friends and they sat on her bed.

She flung her arms around them and pulled them close taking off the mask one last time.

"Thank you, for being the best friends I've ever had, and for saving my life."

XXX

Riku glared in the rear-view mirror as that stupid, blue haired, bitch tailed him on her motorbike.

He was coming close to the pier now and he was hoping to slip down a side road and shake her off.

He couldn't let her see his other home, he just couldn't!

Beside him, Kairi murmured, she'd passed out five minutes into the journey which he was grateful for, she'd been crying and carrying on and he couldn't hold a knife to her throat and drive at the same time.

The girl was gaining on him, Riku picked up speed, determined to shake her off, he was going at a firm 60 MPH now and it was getting harder and harder to steer the wheel but there was no way in hell he was going to pull over, slow down or stop.

They were nearly at the pier now, and he racked his brain for any side streets or alternate routes he could take to get away from the girl.

Too late, he reached the pier and continued speeding down the road, driving straight through a red light, then he saw them.

"Shit!" he muttered.

Spike strips, they lined the road ahead off him, and police cars, their sirens flashing, Riku panicked and swerved to avoid them, his tyres skidded and the car plunged through metal railings and straight off of the road, a metal barrier smashed through the windscreen hitting him in the head, everything went black and the car containing Riku and Kairi plunged into the darkest depths of the ocean…