Note to Disclaimers: I do not and never will own Kingdom Hearts 1, 2 or CoM so…please do NOT sue me. This is way beyond standard at this point, doncha think?
A/N: Chapter 9 is finally done, after waiting forever and ever! However, the rules have not changed. The boy/boy love shall continue (sorry all—it's STILL not the main pairing) as will the Mature themes (I.E. that means Rape, Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Gangs, cussing, blood, horrible things that SHOULD NOT happen to people, etc…) and that means this story is not for young ones! I can't stress that enough and I sure don't want a lawsuit. I am working hard to keep everyone in character as well as making them fit into the story's concept. The content is getting more mature and less friendly, so just know that. Okie, that's it. And most importantly, I am SOOOOO sorry it took so long. The Computer fiasco was ridiculous; still is.
Word coding: ' Thoughts' , "Speaking", Random flashbacks or other stuff, Everything else
:THERE IS SUPPOSED TO BE A LINE BREAK HERE:
Distraught
Larxene was utterly bored as she lay on her bed fiddling with her book, which was in the worst condition it'd ever been in due to her recent abuse. She knew, mentally, that the house needed a replenishment of groceries as well as other household supplies; however, she was in no mood to do this. But she knew she needed to, especially with Namine staying in the house and Roxas and Axel's heinous appetites. Not to mention that people had been over regularly as of the late and the kids had just trashed her kitchen, along with food, not too long ago. 'Gee…thanks for supervising Axel, you twit,' she mused as she glanced over at her coat. She groaned as she looked at it knowing full well it was better to go sooner than later or Axel would be hounding her. She never really understood why he didn't do any of the shopping himself. It was as if it was a woman's job only, which she found highly sexist. Of course, Axel never said this directly and she had her reservations about him anyway since he was gay. Scowling despite the stupidity of the situation, Larxene found herself reaching for her coat in the slowest fashion possible. Thoroughly annoyed, she snatched her wallet from the makeshift bedside table and proceeded downstairs. Immediately she spotted Axel lounging on the couch, Demyx and Zexion talking in the kitchen and Roxas watching TV. Namine was nowhere in sight; she seemed to have a knack for disappearing when Larxene was around.
However, all discussions and activities ceased when she appeared at the foot of the stairs, her wisps of hair twitching wildly in the lighting as though they had minds of their own. Her scowl deepened when Axel smirked at her from his position of burning the yellow pages while Roxas merely nodded momentarily before returning his attention to the television. Demyx gave her a wide eyed look before searching from something in his pockets while Zexion shook his head. She already knew what it was Demyx was looking for but pretended to have no clue just as he walked over to her. "What?"
"Hey Larxene, have you seen my cell phone? It's been missing for a couple days and I need it to call—" he paused as if carefully choosing his next words. "Um…I just need it back. Have you seen it?"
"No," she replied flatly. "Is there anything you need in particular because I'm going shopping just this once and if I forget something then oh fucking well." No one said a word. "Fine, your loss assholes."
With that said Larxene was gone, disappearing into the cool evening air just as the street lights around the town came to life. She could see faint figures walking around from inside the crack in the wall, the one that no one seemed to care to fix anytime soon. She rolled her eyes as happy couples kissed and flirted mercilessly around the town square while shops lights came on as well. The candy shop owner was talking away with the local towns kids and she resisted the urge to throw smoke or stink bombs at them from her cache. She was itching to though, more than she let on. Stifling a chuckle, and said urge, she made her way to the "market" in order to replenish. Most of the time she went after hours where the nice store owner let her in to shop privately—the lady liked her for some strange reason. Whatever the case, she didn't understand why, for the life of her, she'd decided to go out so early for once. 'Oh…yeah…' Remembering the reason, she quickly slipped past the market towards the bridge connecting Twilight Town to the infamous Traverse Town, which was ruled by her step-father. 'The fucking dead beat scumbag…' she mused as she crossed over it, ignoring all the stares she received from the townsfolk for not really being seen before along with her attire of a long, black, leathery trench coat.
It seemed to be a trend all over as Axel, Roxas, Demyx and Zexion all had one as well when they'd all first met. And recently, she'd finally realized that Marluxia had one too. She shrugged it off as well placed marketing for the seller. She was already on the other side by the time she came out of her reverie, which was right before she bumped into a man wearing an obnoxious eye patch. Larxene grimaced as he turned to look at her, his exposed eye narrowing on her as she paused in the middle of his path. Suddenly his lips turned up in a wayward, somewhat perverted looking grin as he leaned towards her. For her part Larxene leaned away from him.
"Hey there little missy, are you lost or something?"
"No," she replied rudely as she began walking past him. "Get out of my way. I'm busy." She was surprised when he stepped in front of her. She felt her scowl return as she glared up at him, taking all of him in. There was the evident eye patch, graying hair pulled back in a ponytail and—'A gun?' Shaking her head, she backed up a little and tried again. "Listen, you're in my way buddy. What the hell gives?"
"You're not familiar with this place are ya, little missy?"
Her eyes narrowed, her fingers involuntarily gripping her hidden knives. "What the hell are you talking about, jackass?"
He smirked, raising a brow at her. "Well, if you were from here, you'd know who I am. On top of that, you wouldn't be so abrasive, especially if you're all alone."
She back pedaled as he began walking towards her. She was by no means afraid, just annoyed. "Hey asshole, just get the fuck out of my way and I won't cut you. I don't care who you are, you pirate wannabe. I couldn't careless if you were God. I'm busy and you're interfering so move it!"
"As if." At the point the man had pulled his gun and looked at it. "She's a beauty, ain't she?" She let out an exasperated breath. "Now, if you don't want her barrel in between those pretty eyes of yours, you'll listen to what I've got to say." He began raising the pistol as he spoke. "A pretty little thing like you—" His speech was cut short when he found himself face to face with four knives, all pointed at his eyes, with the young woman looking positively murderous. "…shouldn't be acting hard."
"Acting hard? I don't act, idiot," she spat back as she pushed her kunai closer to his widening eyes. Suddenly she really looked at him, taking a good look at his features again. Before either of them knew what was going on, she was lowering her weapons. "Are you…um…by any chance…Xigbar?"
"Aha…so you know my name after all, little girl." The man answered as he lowered his gun fully. "Yeah, I'm Xigbar. Who wants to know?"
"You know a Demyx, don't you?" She asked.
Xigbar suddenly did a double take. "Demyx? Hell yeah I know a Demyx. You friends with him or somethin?"
She shrugged nonchalantly. "I wouldn't say that. But whatever. Listen…you don't remember, I guess, but we met at one of his concerts. I thought you looked familiar with that stupid ass eye patch…Xiggie" She brought the hood of her jacket down.
The older man let out a laugh. "Course I remember you now! Larxene, is it?" She nodded. "Hey! What brings you to this side of the bridge?"
"I'm…here on business," she said, unconsciously clutching the cell phone in her pocket.
"Well, don't let me get in the way," he responded. "But, it might interest you to know that my coffee shop is about five minutes that way, if you wanna get something to drink. I might even be able to help you. You game?"
Glancing at her watch, Larxene slowly nodded. "Yeah…guess I got some time to blow. Not like those jerk offs need me there right now. I could use a drink. You don't just serve coffee, do you?"
Slapping her lightly on the back with the familiarity of old time friends, Xigbar let out another laugh. "What would a coffee shop be without some good old Irish coffee?"
She offered him a small, quick nod, one that she felt was sufficient enough for someone she'd only met a couple times before. As they walked to their destination she could feel Demyx's phone vibrating in her coat pocket but she chose to ignore it for the time being. She was pretty sure she knew who it was but figured that she needed some kind of nourishment before she started her search to harass the young, flower loving youth. In truth, she didn't even know why she was bothering thinking about him let alone actually going to look for him. Annoyance welled up in the pit of her stomach as she was Xigbar's coffee shop come into view, the neon sign looking haggard but still lit. All in all, the place looked like a junk heap but she didn't really care; she'd grown up around enough of the stuff to know that it was safe even if it had been years. Glad to be out of sight from the townspeople, Larxene snagged a chair by the counter as Xigbar disappeared behind it and into the inventory room out back. The café was small, quaint even, with its comfortable chairs and small tables. But what she found most interesting were the decorations: a very large assortment of model-like but usable guns were hanging from practically every corner of the shop, littering the walls instead of typical picture frames. In fact, the only picture she saw was the one directly behind the register, which was of Xigbar—obviously—Demyx and a man with short, bleached blonde hair and pierced ears. She didn't have a clue as to who he was but she supposed it didn't really matter as Xigbar placed a cup of steaming, coffee in front of her. She could smell the liquor drifting up from within the steam and inhaled it all before she picked it up to taste it. She'd never been much of a drinker until recently, nor had she liked coffee so much but it seemed the bittersweet taste combined with the alcohol was too appealing to reject.
Once she'd set it down, Xigbar leaned over the counter and gave her a fixed stare. She felt her hands tighten around her kunai as before. Trust was something she took seriously. But he seemed harmless, for the most part, as he popped open a bottle of Jack Daniels and poured himself a shot along with some coke. Larxene was about to open her mouth to say something when he raised a hand to silence her while he took a sip. "So, Larxene…what were you doin that you were in such a rush?"
"Like I said…I'm here on business," she replied quietly as she drank more of her beverage.
"Like I said, what kind?" He shot back as he downed his second shot. "Traverse Town ain't adverse to simple business that ain't of the dirty kind. So what? You tryin to knock someone off? Listenin to the rumor mill? Lookin for someone in particular?"
His words were hitting to close to home and she didn't like it one bit. Instead of answering she buried her face in her drink as she took a rather large gulp, surprised when she actually felt the small tingle of the alcohol. Suddenly her brain became fuzzy as she felt her vision begin to blur. 'What…a ruffie?' She recognized the familiar effects of the date-rape drug course through her; but she also knew how to fight them. "What the…fuck did you do to my drink?"
Xigbar let out a laugh as he poured himself yet another shot of whiskey. "Well, you see…somethin tells me you're not gonna tell me shit unless you're a little messed up so…I added an ingredient."
Immediately her guard went up as best as it could with the drug coursing through her system. Larxene knew she appeared pretty sane and normal but inside her body was fighting. Leaned back in her chair a little, she sighed. "What the fuck is it with all you men? So fucking shady…always needing to feel so in control…and using shit because you couldn't get a girl to like you…" she gave him a disgusted look. "Or to fuck you."
He raised his hands as if in surrender. "As if little miss. I know I could get a girl; I don't need drugs for that shit. I use mine for conventional purposes only."
"How conventional," she spat as she glared at him.
"They don't seem to be affectin you so much, so what gives?"
She glared harder. "Nothing. It's none of your damn business."
He was about to open his mouth when someone called to him from the back. Instead of going however, he yelled. "Yeah, flower boy…just fuckin leave. I don't have time for this right now."
As if nothing was wrong, Larxene snapped forward, grabbing the collar of Xigbar's shirt. "What did you just say?"
"I said the drug ain't affectin you so—"
"No, your worker…what did you just call him?"
Xigbar gave her a puzzled look. "Flower boy?"
Before he could say anything else about her sudden question Larxene had hopped over the counter and ran to the back just as the exit door slammed shut. 'Shit…' she mentally swore as she ran, threw open the door and disappeared into the cooling night air. She could see a figure walking a good amount of feet in front of her and made to run after it. However, she could also feel the effects of the drug really beginning to set in as she made her way towards the person. Suddenly her vision blurred and she couldn't see where she was walking anymore. 'I can't fucking believe this…he must have used more than one…can't believe I let my guard down…fucking idiot…' she swore again and again as simple standing became harder. She began to feel faint and she had but a moment before she'd fall over and pass out, she knew. Reeling herself to stay sane, she managed to call out to the cloaked figure before she collapsed onto the cobble-stoned ground, her world going black.
Up ahead, the figure turned, his face annoyed. 'Who the hell is calling to me? Hayner didn't even work today and it sounded female…' Sighing, he looked around, not seeing anyone in his direct line of vision. Shrugging, he started to walk back to where the shout came from as he pondered. 'I only know two females from this area and I doubt Namine is—' And just like that his thoughts cut off as he spotted the heap laying on the ground not too far away from the street lamp, which looked like it was about to burn out. More out of curiosity than genuine shock, he made his way over to inspect what it was. He felt a small gasp leave his throat as he stared at the fallen form of the young woman on the ground. "Larxene?" he whispered to no one as he registered the wisps of golden hair laying flat against her matted hair. He could see the sheen of sweat covering her forehead and even though she was unconscious he could see her body trembling. 'What the hell is going on?' Feeling even shittier by the second, he reached down to pick her up, not sure where he was going to take her. Definitely not the youth hostel; there wasn't anything that could be done in that hell hole of a place. The only place he could think of was Xigbar's and judging by where she'd fallen, she'd been coming from that general direction.
However, something told him that might not be the best idea. Wracking his brain in complete desperation, Marluxia tried to find somewhere to take. Only one place kept popping up and he didn't want to take her there. It was one of the last places he wanted to be at the moment. But still, even after about a few minutes of thinking he could come up with nothing and Larxene wasn't looking any better. If anything, she'd actually started shaking and was whispering incoherently in his arms. When he was younger, full grown panic might have set in but at this point in his life he didn't have a reason to do that. Instead he decided that maybe it was better if he took her to that awful youth hostel since it didn't seem like he had much of a choice. Angered that he had no place else, he simply returned to his original direction, only this time he picked up the pace. Whether it was for her sake or his he didn't have the slightest clue. As it was, things were already pretty crappy as Demyx hadn't answered his text messages for about a week now, and he had the feeling that the musician had lost his phone. At any rate it seemed to be one of the trivial things to think about in his current situation.
When the youth hostel finally came into view Marluxia began to feel sick, dreading having to deal with Hayner when he got to his bed. Steeling himself for the onslaught he walked in, straight past everybody who might ask questions until he arrived at his bunker. Surprisingly Hayner was not present, his bunk cleared off with only his bedding remaining. Marluxia raised a brow. 'He never said anything about leaving…oh, who gives a shit…' he thought as he placed Larxene on his bottom bunk. Her limp arms instantly flopped on the sides of the bed as she lay there as if she was dead. 'What the fuck happened to her? It's like someone drugged her…' His face went ashen. 'Someone DID drug her!' He'd seen the symptoms before, usually on girls at parties his friends had when he was in High School. He remembered a few incidents and he berated himself for remembering them; they were part of what he was trying to forget. Aggravated by everything, he searched his small bag to see if he had anything he could wet to wipe off her head and cool her rising temperature. His last choice was his only washcloth, which he didn't like to share with anyone, so he used it since there was nothing else other than a sock or a pair of his boxers. Once wet, he began wiping her forehead and all the sweat he found on her face and surrounding areas such as her neck and her ears. However, he soon realized that he'd need to remove her heavy, black leather coat that looked like it was baking her from within. He felt his cheeks redden.
He didn't even want to touch her, mainly because she was totally crazy and dangerous. He still had battle scars from their last encounter. Shaking his head, he knew he had to do the right thing no matter how much he didn't want to, especially with her. His fingers found the zipper, making quick work of it before having to practically peel it from her sweaty skin, the leather sticking as he pulled it off. Nevertheless she made no movements as he stripped her down to her only layer; his eyes almost popped out of their sockets from her dress—or lack thereof. It appeared that Larxene seemed to wear very little clothes as he took in her state of dress: a simple tank top and underwear. He felt his cheeks burning at this though he knew he could not let her sleep in the hostel in such clothing. Begrudgingly he pulled his pair of pajama pants from his bag and gingerly slid them up her bare legs. She seemed to come to a little at his touch, her head rising a little before she murmured something incoherent, then fell back onto the bed, unconscious again. He felt relief flood his tense body as he pulled his covers over her before taking a seat next to her still body, his head falling to his hands as he tried to grasp the situation in its entirety. He would have pondered it longer had he not felt and heard vibrating from Larxene's coat, which was currently sitting in a heap next to him.
More than annoyed, and not quite sure he could handle any more surprises for the night, he chose to ignore the buzzing as he went back to his thoughts. At this point he knew he would have to stay up and watch her just to make sure nothing happened to her, incase her condition changed, and mostly, because there was nowhere for him to sleep. He hated being responsible; it was what got him into trouble in the first place. But as time passed, and his thoughts began to fade into nothingness, he found himself looking at her sleeping form. And though she didn't look the least bit peaceful, for some strange reason he found that for once, in a long time, he could actually close his eyes. He wasn't sure what was going to happen tomorrow but as before, for once he couldn't care less.
::Line Break::
Grogginess was something Larxene had never favored though it was completely familiar to her since she spent many a night smoking and drinking with Axel before Namine came over. However, today it was particularly not welcomed as she tried to remember where she was and what she had been doing. She was about to mumble something when she heard someone speaking.
"You've been out for two days, incase you wanted to know."
Automatically she pulled the covers up over her body though she was, to her own surprise, wearing pajama pants over her normally uncovered legs. "What…how the hell did I get here?" She glanced around. "What is here?"
Marluxia sighed as he rubbed his tired eyes. He'd been in the youth hostel for two days straight, even neglecting work though he figured Xigbar didn't care too much as the older man hadn't bothered to call. "It doesn't matter. What in the seven levels of hell are you doing here, you crazy woman?"
She blanched, annoyed but not so shocked at his response. "I was just passing through, not that it's any of your business."
He shook his head. "Yeah, fine, whatever. Anyway…your phone was vibrating. You might want to answer it."
He had started to exit the large room, which was surprisingly filled with only a few people, when she called out to him. "Hey."
Marluxia cringed as she called to him, not really wanting to deal with her. "What?"
"Why two days?"
He scowled. "You were drugged. Don't you remember?"
She wracked her brain for the instance but couldn't seem to recall; everything was fuzzy. Angered that she hadn't been able to combat the effects as she had when she was younger, Larxene let her head fall to her hands in frustration. "No I…what the fuck does it matter if it happened again anyway?" She was mumbling more to herself but Marluxia still strained to hear. She didn't give it a second thought as she stood up, reached for her coat and threw it over her shoulder. "See ya around…maybe."
He gawked at her as she passed by him, through the entrance and into the wide open town where the sun was shining brightly. She'd walked off with his only pair of pajama pants and she hadn't even said thank you even though he hadn't expected it from her judging by previous experience. Nonetheless, he felt a sudden urge to chase after her but restrained himself as she disappeared into the blaring sunlight outside. The weather change was welcomed as it had been raining on and off for days on end and he was glad that at least now he wouldn't get wet. Crazy as everything was around him, Marluxia couldn't bring himself to return to Demyx's; he just didn't want to hear the whiny musician when he came back. But his attention was pulled away when he noticed Larxene's cell phone lying on the bed, vibrating like it was the gadget's prime existence. Curious as to why she didn't bother to come back for it, let alone take it in the first place, he picked it up and flipped open the top. He felt his eyes widen when he saw the caller ID flashing Zexion's name. Judging by the picture on the screensaver, he had the distinct feeling that he wasn't holding Larxene's phone. In fact, he had the sickening feeling it belonged to someone he'd been trying to reach for ages but hadn't been able to get a hold of for days. Squeezing the phone in annoyance, he found himself finally chasing after Larxene, barely managing to find her on her way across the bridge back into Twilight town. She didn't look the least bit bothered by all the people giving her odd looks about her choice of dress, which happened to be her thick, heavy, hot black coat with her hood pulled up. He knew it was her just by the coat itself.
She was already over the bridge by the time he caught her, snagging the corner of her sleeve as her arm swayed back reflexively. Annoyed that she was being harassed again, Larxene whirled around, almost punching Marluxia in the face as she swung her fist in his general direction. Her shock faded as she realized it was Marluxia; she didn't want him to see her that way. For his part Marluxia look thoroughly irritated, his arm still in its position of blocking her punch.
"Hey, where the hell do you get off?"
She scowled. "Where the fuck do YOU get off, you girly jackass?"
Rubbing his temples, Marluxia gave her a sarcastic smirk. "Listen, why do you have Demyx's phone?"
She blanched, her hands automatically flying to her pockets. 'Shit.' She didn't have the phone! Keeping her face as nonchalant as possible, she waved it away as though it weren't as big a deal as she'd just made it. "Why does it matter? I picked it up instead of mine. Common mistake, so what?"
"In any other instance I'd say that was true but in your case…it doesn't seem right," he snickered. "You don't seem like the type who "just" does something for no reason, let alone make "common mistakes" as you so delicately put it."
Feeling ready to explode, Larxene gave him a loathing look as she flipped him off. "I don't care what you think flower boy. Go bother someone else with your petty assumptions. I have to go."
Marluxia said nothing more as she disappeared over the bridge and into Twilight Town without so much as a second glance his way. He sighed in annoyance as he felt a headache coming. He wasn't sure if he could handle much more of either town or its occupants. But he knew one thing, and that was that Demyx needed his phone back. 'But how is he gonna get it?' He did not want to return to Twilight Town, at least for the time being. Instead he decided mailing it anonymously was the best solution. Five seconds later he was filling out an address on top of a form for overnight delivery, which he assumed was stupid since he didn't have much money. But he knew he needed Demyx as his contact or else he'd go somewhat insane, though he would never admit that to anyone. He was, as in his friend's phone, the Graceful Assassin, never showing much or fearing much or feeling much for that matter. He was a blank slate without knowledge of how to feel, according to many people he'd known in the past. It was true that he was more calculated and calmer, more level headed and methodical than most people. In other's eyes, he was an enigma yet to be deciphered, everything "normal" people wanted to be seen as in everyday, boring life. But inside Marluxia was screaming to be what everyone else was though it'd never show. Being nonchalant and somewhat emotionless had its perks just like it had its downfalls, something he'd been learning to cope with the hard way—lately. Shaking his head he started back in the direction of the hostel, hoping to receive some sleep before Xigbar decided to finally call him in for work.
A few hours later found him back at work and hating it. His boss had called him just as he was straightening himself out after his "eventful night," which was putting it lightly, he thought. He let out an aggravated sigh as Xigbar's singing filtered into the back room while Marluxia tried to stock the coffee into the empty, stainless steel shelves before him. Hayner hadn't been to work in a few days, and it was a sudden wonder why he'd disappeared so soon, not to mention where. Sighing again just as Xigbar's voice hit a high note—and cracked suddenly—that sounded awful, Marluxia returned to his idle thoughts. Blocking out the terrible sound was his first job but his thoughts kept drifting back to Larxene. He couldn't shake it, the idea of her being a horrible fake. He knew she was faking it, all of it. But what the it actually was, well, he didn't know. He had his suspicions though. In the meantime he figured it was best to drop it until he could actually get along with his friend again, and then fire questions at the musician. Even if Demyx hadn't broken the first time, after a few more tries Marluxia knew he would. And there was something sick about knowing his friend's weakness and playing on it—sick indeed. Sighing as he heard Xigbar continue to sing in his oh-so-special off key voice, the young man simply let his head hit the shelves in front of him while continuously cursing. 'Damn my life.'
::Line Break::
Larxene prepared herself for the onslaught as she walked through the gates leading to the mansion. She was sure people would wonder where she'd been the past couple of days but wasn't so sure anyone would ask. Nevertheless, she felt the need to prepare incase anyone did ask and she felt like giving them all death looks or ripping Axel's throat. A small, defiant, sadistic smile came to her face at the thought of Axel screaming for mercy at her hands, though something told her he'd never do that. Therefore, to say she was surprised was an understatement, to the least. Larxene was pretty much floored when Axel stayed completely silent as she marched through the living room. Axel didn't even spare her a glance as he continued reading the newspaper in his hand, which he seemed quite enthralled to have in his grasp. Larxene had no clue what it was, and she couldn't believe he was so passionate about reading whatever it might be. Part of her wanted to smack him upside the head and tell him to stop faking interest when it was so unlike him; but her pride did not allow this so she simply ignored him and proceeded upstairs. She ignored the soft sobs that arose from Namine's room, mainly because she had no idea what to do for her sister. She didn't know if she could do anything. 'Useless…' she thought as she dropped her coat on the floor, ignoring the unfamiliar itch of Marluxia's pajama bottoms.
Contrary to what the people living in her house thought she tended to sleep relatively bare clothed since Twilight Town was so hot, most of the time. Sighing in annoyance, she kicked the book again instead of drinking away her frustration as per the usual of her nightly activities. She was ready to spark up her cigarette when she noticed her phone blinking with the telling of a new voicemail message, or a text. At the moment she wanted nothing more than to chuck it across the room in hopes that it would shatter to a million pieces. She'd laugh. But instead she opened it and felt her eyes narrow in utter disbelief. 'That fucking bastard…' she was clutching her phone so hard she felt it cracking in her hand.
When a minute ago she was ready to rest she was now ready to put her hands around her step-father's neck and kill him, take away every ounce of his breath. 'Pay you back for everything you've done, you sick son of a bitch,' she felt a piece of her phone slip to the floor beneath her, clattering loudly. Other pieces began to follow, slowly falling to the ground beneath her feet; but this time it was soundless to her ears. All she could hear were his agonized screams as she made him sorry for all the awful, morally wrong things he'd done, the offensive, heinous acts he'd committed. She wanted him to hurt, to suffer as she had for years, to feel the pain she couldn't rid herself of even now. She wanted to stab him, hit him, anything to make him pay. 'Make him pay,' she felt the last broken piece fall. "I'm going to make you pay."
Meanwhile, downstairs, Axel and Roxas had migrated to the loveseat couch located by the fireplace, their legs interlaced, the red-head cradling Roxas against his chest. The blonde appeared to be sleeping but was staring idly at the fire as it burned peacefully in its spot, releasing a crackle every now and then. Zexion and Demyx had moved to the kitchen to make tea and were talking in hushed whispers. None of them, they'd agreed previously, were to say anything to Larxene when she returned. Axel had thrown a fit as teasing her was his favorite pasttime; but Roxas convinced him otherwise. Upstairs Larxene had begun packing up her small bag, stuffing it with necessities and clothing. It was time and she'd been ready for years. She knew what she had to do, and even though she'd just returned and was extremely disoriented and tired, she refused to let that stop her. There was so much she had to accomplish, and she'd be damned to hell if she let mere fatigue get in her way. She was almost out her doorway when she fell back against the frame, shivering as goosebumps overcame the surface of her skin. She gripped the door so hard she thought it might break like her phone; the images didn't stop.
Flashback
"Good evening, it's so good that you could make it!"
Larxene rolled her eyes as Cora continued to fawn over the man sitting across from her at the dinner table. Mr. Sumitse was his name. He was a wealthy businessman that the family had known for quite some years, mainly because he had helped both Larxene's parents arrive at their current state of living: being rich. However, Larxene had suspected that for quite some time now, Cora and Mr. Sumitse were having an affair. She never told her father or said anything to her mother. All she really did was hang out with her friends and drown herself in school or work so that there was no need to really acknowledge what was happening. However, there were those rare occasions when Mr. Sumitse came over—which wasn't really rare since it was every Saturday for dinner—and she had to sit there, staring at the dysfunction as though it was a part of her normal life, which it was. Sighing, Larxene brought her attention back to the present where Mr. Sumitse was talking amiably with her mother while her father conversed with their chef in the kitchen, oblivious as usual. She was returning her stare to her table set when she heard her name.
"Yes?"
"Ah…young miss Larxene…not so young anymore, I see," he said, a creepy smile placing his lips.
She hated his smiles; they made her uneasy. "Yes, I suppose so."
"Isn't she just darling? She is such an impeccable young woman!" Cora gushed, practically falling over herself to talk to her business partner.
Larxene wanted desperately to melt into a puddle at that moment, and just disappear. "Mother…"
"No, no. Your mother is quite right, Miss Larxene," he replied, nodding, his eyes boring holes into her own sky blue pair as he leaned back, his gaze somewhat unreadable. "By the way, Cora, I was wondering, would you like to spend a weekend up in the mountains with the business firm?" Upon Cora's joyous yet somehow modest shout of agreement, he smiled broadly, "Well, please do bring your family."
Larxene chose this moment to excuse herself to the kitchen. "Mother, I'm going to go speak to father." When her mother didn't respond, she simply left, rolling her eyes along the way; Mr. Sumitse had that effect on her mother. Once in the kitchen, she walked up to her father who had just finished conversing with the cook and was laughing heartily. "Father, is dinner ready yet?"
Her father nodded. "Almost dear. And where is Namine?"
"Upstairs, still getting ready," she replied. "I'll go get her." She was up the stairs within minutes, and moments later she was knocking loudly on Namine's door. "Namine? Dad says dinner is almost ready and it's time to come out."
"No, I don't want to." The response was muffled and Larxene had to strain to hear it.
"Why not? Is something wrong? Are you scared to come out of your room?" She gave the door a hard shove when Namine refused to open it, forcing her way inside her little sister's room. Once in, she saw Namine sitting at her vanity with her usual sketchpad and set of fancy watercolor colored pencils, drawing furiously on the white sheet of paper. Curious, Larxene walked up to her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Namine, what are you drawing?"
"He's a bad man, Larxene, and I don't like him."
She blinked. "Who, Mr. Sumitse?" Namine nodded and Larxene sighed; she couldn't agree more since he just gave her the creeps ever since she caught him staring at her during dinner a couple years back. "Yes, I understand how you feel Namine. But mom and dad said this is the last dinner for a few months since Mr. Sumitse will be out of town after that. Just…let's get it over with, ok? Then we can…I don't know…go for some sea-salt ice cream with Uncle Ansem or something?"
Namine perked up at the mention of their favorite uncle. "Ok, ok…just this last time...for a while."
As Namine exited, Larxene took a look at her sister's sketchpad. On the white sheet was a man who looked an awful lot like Mr. Sumitse, gripping a young woman by her arms and backed against a wall, terrified. The scene looked completely lewd and lecherous, and Larxene felt a shiver run down her spine as she observed the drawing. Namine tended to pick up on things other people did not; she only hoped this picture wasn't anything that did or could happen. The disgust rising in the back of her throat shook her from her reverie just in time for her father to call her downstairs. Putting the image aside, she made her way down the stairs and entered the large dining room where Mr. Sumitse and her father were conversing. Cora had disappeared and Namine was seated as far away from Mr. Sumitse as possible. Larxene made a disappointed face when she realized she had to sit across from him--she cringed. Namine gave her a sympathetic smile, knowing full well that her older sister hated the man. But Larxene nodded nonetheless, not wanting Namine anywhere near him. If anything, she was ready for the night to be over just as she saw her mother return, her face flushed and hair only slightly out of place. Larxene snorted. 'Mother…you're just sick.'
Flashback
Larxene dropped her bag as he arms encompassed herself, hugging herself tight as tears threatened to fall from her closed eyes. The flashback was completely not welcomed--and totally unexpected--as she felt her body trembling. She wanted to run, to hide, to disappear as the memories came flooding back in a river of pain and disgust. But most of all, the one thing she wanted to do, she knew she wouldn't. Backing up slowly, she reentered her room, back first, closed the door and slid down against the wall. After a few moments she brought her eyes from behind her hands to look out the window. Outside, the moon was shining brightly, and she turned her head away--for the first time in years--in fear.
:Again, imagine said line break inserted here:
(Finally, right, right?! So there was a little more about Larxene and her past, and this chapter did focus on Mar/Larx more than the others! I'm sorry of Mar is outta chara, but he IS kinda hard to write since not THAT much of his personality is fleshed out in the manga and Chain of Memories. I'm working with limited stuff here, but hey, I'm doin my research! A VERY special thanks to all who R & R'd and who are still reading…you guys rock my world and I love you! Bye for now, all!)
Sadistickunais
