A/N: Ok, so I'd like to start by apologizing for how long it takes me to reply to your reviews. I do read them once I get them, but I'm usually swamped with work or writing for other stories so I take care of them in one fell swoop right before I upload new chapters.
Well, we're down to the wire ladies and gents; just one more chapter after this! Thanks to all readers for the support, especially reviewers, favoriters and followers. I've been thinking...to thank you guys I'd like to make a pic for deviantart! No, I don't have an account yet (which is strange, considering my profile says I'm an artist). But making one should be easy enough and I figure, why not? I really do owe you for all your stellar support! Drop a review or PM on this chappie of pic ideas and then on the next one we can kinda take a vote of what the picture should be.
Specific thanks: Reviews- Keyblade Princess 13, musicbox's will, Miwasaki Yuki rin, Bella 1413, Sookdeo, Krajesh, Favs-Mr. Dav-dre Follows-Mr. Dav-dre, Peachie Pie
Now, on with the letter!
So apparently I put up the wrong chapter. I totally apologize for my foolishness
INTOLERANCE
CHAPTER 8-Explain Yourself
When I learned that Belle, Riku, and I would attend Radiant Gardens together, I could not have been happier. It was sure to be a good experience. At that time, Riku had not yet met Belle; they shared no classes in middle school and they would not in high school, either. Still, he pestered me often about her, and asked me to put in a good word for him. Of course I complied. Friends carried through such little requests for other friends. That was how I understood the matter.
As freshman year progressed, Riku began introducing me to alcohol, and high school parties. These new flings carried a much different flavor from the old ones. They were much darker, much wilder. They allowed for a good deal more recklessness. In them, I'd done many things I am not proud of. I hope that I will not offend you if I do not go into greater detail here.
Riku, and myself, to a lesser extent, became womanizers. Where he led, I naively followed. Belle disapproved of such behavior and of Riku, but I assured her that at his core he was just as kind-hearted as she.
And somehow, riding on earlier accomplishments, I managed to maintain my high marks. I would say my parents were rather happy to see me get out more. They were none the wiser.
However, everything came to a head near the end of the year. After drinking and partying my way through second semester, I scarcely knew who I was. But I was popular, in spite of my poor attitude and repulsive behavior (or perhaps because of it). Riku encouraged me to continue the lifestyle, and I listened to him, as I always did. In all truthfulness, Belle and Riku were the only people I trusted enough to listen to.
It was at that time, the end of the year, that I tried to convince Belle to attend a party Riku had informed me of. His friend Setzer would be hosting it, he said, and Setzer was wealthier than the both of us combined. Surely, it would be the best of the year. I refused to let Belle miss out.
After constant badgering, she complied. I promised to stay by her side the whole night, if she so desired.
On that night, for the first time in the entire year, I introduced her to Riku. He made sure I had enough to drink as he got acquainted with Belle. The two seemed to enjoy each other's company, and my eyes wandered from her. Eventually, I went off with some girl I'd found. Somewhere between then and half an hour or so later, I passed out.
When I woke up I went looking for Belle and Riku. What I expected to find, I scarcely know. I knew Riku to be a womanizer and a smooth-talker, and yet I let him off with her. I trusted him, for whatever reason. I was a fool.
After searching a good part of the house I'd heard yelling outside one of the quarters. The voices sounded familiar, and when I burst in I caught Riku on top of Belle. Her clothes were torn off, and she was crying, but the bastard was whispering something to her. He hadn't heard me enter; he just kept whispering and going further, as if he couldn't hear her protest. I dragged him off, tried to grab hold of him after I did, but he ran away. I chased after him, out the house and a block or two away, but he was far too fast for me. Eventually I gave up and returned to Setzer's house. By the time I got back to the room I had found them in, Belle was gone.
I was broken afterward. I had betrayed one friend, and the other had betrayed me. Belle tried to console me. She forgave me, and that helped me to partially heal. Still, I told her I needed to expose Riku. Expose him for what, she'd asked. She knew what he was, everyone knew. They saw through him better than I did. My excitement at our friendship rendered the sensible part of my mind useless. Had it not, I could have seen, too. I shall never forgive myself for such a failure of sight, or what that failure led to.
Belle, on the other hand, blamed herself. She knew what he was; she told me often. She said she knew, and that she went with him in spite of that.
She begged me not to tell. Belle came from a religious family, you see, and she feared what they might do if they heard. I assured her I would not; I was determined to at least keep that promise. But I couldn't let Riku go unscathed.
In the school parking lot in the last week of the semester, I confronted him. He sneered at me, thinking that the area made him safe. He taunted me. He made a list, he said. When he got into high school he made a list of girls that he wanted to...you understand? You understand, don't you? Belle, he said, was at the top, had been even in middle school, and because of me, he said, he could cross her off. I lunged for him right there. I tried to kill him. If I had a knife or gun, or simply more time, I believe would have. But two teachers broke it up before that could happen. Riku had to be taken to the hospital immediately, and the principal expelled me soon afterward.
I told Belle what happened. She was sad after I did-about what exactly, I'm still unsure. Perhaps it was that I would have to leave, or that I'd fallen so far. Perhaps she held some soft spot in her heart for...him. I prefer not to speculate on those matters I know least of.
Soon after, she spoke of a cousin she had in Twilight Town. She told him about us-how much I never could tell. But Terra accepted me as soon as we met, and because he was a relative of Belle's, and Belle trusted him, I knew I could. He tolerates my bad temper. Really, it was because of him that I chose your school as my new place of study. Imagine my surprise when I found Riku here.
I believe Belle may have told Terra some of that incident. Though he does not suspect Riku, it seems, so how much he knows, as I've said, I can never be sure. But I will no longer bore you with details. I will close in saying that I hope you now understand my relationship with Riku, and how it has affected my feelings towards others. I will say he damaged considerably my willingness to trust. When I met you, even, I was hesitant. You knew my name, you see, and I had grown to mistrust those people I did not know, who knew me. However I soon learned how blind I'd been. But let me stop here. I cannot begin to speak of my relationship with you. If I do, I fear I will renew those feelings that so evidently repulsed you.
Thank you for your time,
Vanitas
...I lied back on my bed as the words reverberated through my brain. Riku, a womanizer, maybe worse? He certainly did know how to flirt...I shook my head. No. What if Vanitas was just trying to make Riku look bad, to make himself look better? But I knew that couldn't have been it. Vanitas admitted to things, lots of things, in his message. Even to being a drunk, and being a womanizer, too. I thought for a moment. It did make sense, in a way. I started to remember the conversations Riku and I had more clearly. Whenever he flirted, people had already cleared out of the hallways. He only did it when we were alone. No witnesses. He knew how to twist things, too. He said he thought I'd avoided him after we kissed, but that couldn't have been it. He was always the one that ran into me before. I'd even gone looking for him a few times then...
And the letter did explain how Terra and he became friends, which always had been a mystery to me. It explained why Vanitas was so mean, why he was so bad with words...
It explained why he was so bad with people. And, for the first time I realized that I couldn't hate him for that. Not anymore. I didn't have to like him, of course. But now, hating him would be impossible.
I folded the pages and slid them back into the envelope. Then, opening my sock drawer, I lay the package next to an older important letter.
xxx
On Black Friday I moped around my room. Normally, I would've hit the stores with Aqua and Selphie, but they had both left. Vanitas' letter didn't help, either. It had made me all introspective and weird since I read it.
I jumped at the knock on my door. Before I could answer, my mom popped in.
"Hey, sweetheart. What do you have planned for today?"
I shrugged. "Nothing, I guess."
"Perfect! You can come with your father and me on a tour of historical monuments."
"Moooommm..." I groaned. "Can't I just stay here while you guys go out? I'll do something productive."
"What, like walking around in your PJs?" I looked down at my footie pajamas. Yeah I wear footies. What of it?
"I'll do homework, I promise. C'mon-Don't you want me to maintain my GPA?"
She laughed. "If I know you, you won't have any trouble with that. Get dressed. We're leaving in half an hour."
I grumbled to myself, but inwardly I smiled. Mom and Dad had been getting better, and although I could tell Thanksgiving was hard for them to get through, today might be a good day.
xxx
Thirty minutes later we were driving in a tour bus near the bell tower. It took us to silly little shops I'd already seen before, and the driver told us blurbs about each. Apparently, Twilight Town had a lot of history.
The last stop was at a mansion in the woods.
"This building," the driver said, "Has been around since the 1700s. It's been through a few renovations, of course, but all-in-all it's in pretty blah shape. Its blah, Master Xehanort, blah, blah, and when he passed, blah blah, blah blah..."
The rest of the talk sounded a lot like that, until the guide mentioned that the castle was "currently owned by the Blade family." Hmm...that name sounded familiar. "It's open for a tour right now! Anyone who would like to go, feel free to follow the woman in blue at the gates. A bus will be back in an hour to pick you up."
My mom gaped at the house. "Zack, honey, let's go."
Dad nodded. I started to nod, too, until I realized why 'Blade' sounded familiar. It was Vanitas' last name!
I shook my head. "Mom, we don't have to go here. There's plenty of other places we can see-we can have our own little exploration of Twilight Town. I'll show you all the sketchy corners and seedy stores this place has to offer. It'll be a ton of fun. Promise!"
"Oh, please, honey. We already looked at all the interesting places here. We just took that tour, and remember all those years ago, when I had to drive you to the 'Seven Wonders' for that paper you were writing?" She started to make her way off the car, and Dad followed. "How long ago was that, six years?"
Dad nodded and stepped out behind her. "She was so cute, then," he sighed. He turned in my direction. "Look at her now. What happened?" he laughed. "Sweetheart? Hurry up. Don't you wanna see this place?" He turned back to Mom. "The people who own this have got to be loaded," he chuckled. "If we're nice to them, maybe they'll let us borrow a couple butlers for the day..." Mom and Dad laughed to each other.
I stayed in my seat, pouting. But when I heard the bus rumble to life, I jumped up to follow them. If this castle was open for visitors, that meant Vanitas probably wasn't even in right now, right? And besides, I was sure there were plenty of Blades out there. I didn't even know whether or not his family lived here.
We followed the tour guide from room to room, listening to how this kitchen was the same one used by Master so-and-so, and how that mantelpiece was constructed more than so-and-so years ago. As time progressed, the houses's magnificence lulled me into a state of calm. It was all so beautiful. And I never knew Twilight Town had such a background...
"Next, we'll be looking at the art collection." The tour woman announced. She opened a glass door nearby, and the group followed her inside.
xxx
I thought Riku's collection was good, but this one took the cake. Sculpture upon sculpture rose from the marble floors. The walls that didn't hold framed paintings had their own masterpieces painted directly on them. Gold trim glittered on the ceiling, and led my eyes up to a Baroque celestial scene. I paused to take in everything. Any normal human being would need at least an hour to admire all the work in here. And to think, we only had what, five minutes?
I ambled from sculpture to sculpture. All of them were marble, like the floor. But it looked like they came from different periods. Some looked classical, others Renaissance, others Romantic. All of them, though, held a strange beauty. Their mysterious elegance pulled me in. I wished I could touch them...My hand reached out of its own volition, but before I could feel the cool stone against it, I pulled it back-
"Xion?"
I jumped and turned to the familiar voice. Golden eyes met mine. "Vanitas!"
Blushing, I looked away. "I, uh-" We said simultaneously.
Awkward silence followed. Vanitas stood in the doorway, fiddling with his coat and gloves. I tried to figure out what to do with my hands while I waited for him to talk.
"You had a nice holiday?" He asked.
"Yes, very nice," I said. My fingers locked and unlocked over and over again. "...And you?"
"Yes." He smiled when our eyes met. I looked away again, and started tapping my feet obnoxiously. Why did it feel like we were the only ones here? I looked over and saw the tour group had moved to the next room. "You are, uh-" he began.
Our eyes met a third time, and he blushed and quieted. For the first time in the conversation, I noticed his characteristic scowl had disappeared...
"I read your letter-" I mumbled. My mouth slammed shut. Dammit-where did that come from? I didn't even mean to say that.
He nodded. It seemed like he was waiting for me to go further. What to say, what to say...
"You are here for the tour?" He asked, after I failed to expand on my comment.
"Yes," I said. "Yes, they said it was open for visitors...I'm so sorry, I didn't know. I thought you were out-"
"I understand, it's fine." He smiled. "And are you having a nice time?"
I nodded. "Very nice, yes. I think the tour ends in a few minutes, actually-"
"Really? So soon?" He asked. My heart fluttered. I nodded, my blue eyes staring into his golden ones...
"There you are, Xi." I turned to see my dad walk back into the room. When he saw Vanitas, he greeted him.
I cleared my throat. "Dad, um. This is Vanitas, a classmate of mine. His family owns the estate."
"Oh. Nice place you got here." Dad smiled. Mom shuffled in behind him.
"There you are sweetheart. You really should be careful in big places like this. You know how easily you get lost. Remember that time-"
"Mom," I cut in, "this is Vanitas. I was just telling Dad about how his family owns this place."
"Oh!" Mom whirled around, spotting him for the first time. "How are you?"
"Very well. Thank you, Miss." He nodded.
"My, what manners!" She smiled.
"Yeah, and he's a classmate of Xion's." Dad grinned. "You could learn something from him, 'ey kiddo?" He said as he ruffled my hair. Brushing it down, I spoke.
"Ok, guys, let's stop bothering him now. We're gonna lose the tour group, and anyway, I think he's just gotten in." I motioned to the jacket and gloves in his hand.
"Oh, of course." Dad nodded. I tried to drag the two of them away before they could embarrass me anymore.
"You're not here all by yourself, are you?" Mom asked.
"I am at the moment. My father's out on business, and my mother decided to take off for the holidays-"
Mom gasped. "You mean you were alone on Thanksgiving?"
Vanitas ran a hand through his hair. "Um, yes, actually."
"Why don't you come have dinner with us?" Dad said. "We have plenty of leftovers, and Aerith is great with a microwave."
"Dad, please-" I pleaded.
"Oh, I don't think that would be necessary-" Vanitas chimed in.
"I insist." Mom said, with a tone of finality. "What time is good for you?"
"...Uh, any time, I suppose," he mumbled.
"Perfect!" Mom said, clapping her hands together. "Ride the bus back with us. We'll head straight home."
I facepalmed. This was going to be a nightmare.
xxx
Actually, the non-nightmarishness of the ride back surprised me. Mom and Dad pestered Vanitas with question after question, but he responded politely. And he smiled more than he used to. When they eased up on the interrogation, he talked to me. He asked how I liked school and who I'd have next semester, and how the rest of my family was. He took a few seconds to think before he said things now.
When we got back home, Mom went to the kitchen to start pulling out food, and Dad followed.
"I'll take your coat," I offered. Vanitas shrugged out of it and handed it to me.
"Thank you for inviting me," he smiled. Our eyes met, and I blushed and looked away.
"Thank my mom. She invited you, not me." I only realized how bitchy that sounded after I said it. "Oh! No, I mean, ugh. That sounded bad. I'm glad you're here, Vanitas."
He brightened up at that last comment. My face reddened even more. The phone rang and I turned to get it, but Mom said she had it before I could escape the awkwardness.
"...How are your friends doing?" Vanitas asked. "Roxas and Aqua, right?"
Nodding, I tried to stop blushing. "Aqua's great. I'm sure Terra's told you as much; the two of them seem to be doing well."
"And Roxas?"
"Oh. Well, he's going through a bit of a rough spot."
"Family trouble?" Vanitas said.
"No, no. He recently broke up with Namine," I looked up and caught his gaze. His amber eyes stared into my blue ones with hard intensity. I glanced away, blushing more. "...but, but it wasn't like he didn't like her. In fact, he liked her a lot. He just broke up with her because he thought she didn't like him back. Of course everyone else but him knew he was being completely idiotic, but-" I took a breath. "I should put your coat away." I turned on my heels and darted to the closet.
What the hell was going on? Vanitas was making me flustered all of a sudden.
My mother let out a strained cry and ripped me out of my head. I ran to the kitchen, Vanitas' coat still in my hands.
"Mom? What's wrong?"
Dad stared at her, too. "Aerith, what is it? What did they say?"
"It's Kairi-she's been jailed, in The World that Never Was. I-I need to get over there."
"No, Aerith; stay here with Xion. I'll go." Dad grabbed his coat and ran out. Mom cried.
I stepped back into the living room and found Vanitas there, pacing from one end to the other.
"Vanitas." He looked up and walked over to me. My face felt wet. I wiped the tears away.
"What is it, Xion?"
"It's nothing. It's just...my sister. My...goddamn sister." I let out a bitter laugh and wiped my face. "They h-have her in a holding cell in The World that Never Was...apparently." My voice wavered. What would he think of us? Of me, now? His opinion was low enough to begin with.
He seemed to ponder the moment before whispering "...I should go." And with that, he grabbed his coat and disappeared out the front door.
A/N: Whew! More drama. How will it all get resolved in one measly chapter? You'll have to read to find out! As I mentioned in the author's note at the top I really want to thank all you readers with a giftpic. Please PM or review with suggestions for what the picture should be. I'll find some way to take a vote on it with chapter 9. That's all for now! Thanks and have a sweet week~
