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I would really rather not be found poking my head in business that I am not involved with. With this conclusion, any suspicions of the Superior's actions I have must remain with me. It is too dangerous to be found out. Luckily I've been trained to be stealthy. My only dilemma is determining the motive behind his actions. Just what is he planning?
"You do understand what you are to do, right Naminé?"
The girl was gnawing on her lip. She would give anything to refuse his orders. But she was no more than a pawn, a witch, a Nobody who deserved nothing more than to be used. She avoided looking up at the cloaked man and nodded her head slightly.
"I assure you that you should not have many difficulties. You understand your mission. This is something only you can do, Naminé. We are counting on you."
Still, she refused to speak. It always seemed that if she tried to utter a few words to DiZ he would get upset, as if she were some slave who was to remain silent and do nothing more than obey orders. She twisted her hands nervously, her blonde tail hanging to the floor.
She was more nervous than she could ever say. Her stomach was in knots and for the past few days, there was the looming threat of her nerves overwhelming her and forcing her to get sick. She had done her best to seclude herself from the other mansion occupants.
Naminé couldn't hide though. Sora did not have anywhere else to go, seeing as he was not allowed out of the mansion on DiZ's orders. She did know for a fact that he had taken to wandering the back gardens, staring at the surrounding wall as though contemplating scaling the brick barrier and sneaking away. She could feel his half heart and she knew he wanted nothing more than to escape what he felt had become his prison.
It was obvious that the brunet was getting restless. He would wait in the foyer in the afternoons, wanting to be the first to see Riku, Donald and Goofy when they returned from their day of Heartless slaying. He would ask how things went, if the Worlds were in any better shape. DiZ had said that they were allowed to give him vague answers in order to keep him informed but not to get him too anxious that he'd actually run off.
Naminé knew Sora felt like he was being treated like a sick dog that they all feared would run away. Her connection told her that he was beginning to get depressed and she was starting to worry for his mental health more than anything. It was as though he was forced into a warped world where everything was in a post-apocalyptic state and nothing was recognizable. What was hurting him the most was how distant Riku had been.
As Naminé walked down the walkway towards the White Room, she pondered on what was going to happen when she left. It was as though she were the only one who was really trying to help Sora and keep him sane. At night when the boy was sleeping, she had taken to sitting beside his bed, holding his hand and entering a sort of sleep-like state herself. She would look through the memories of his heart, memories she knew so well... And when she was in close contact with Sora, it was easier for her to see into Roxas' heart. She knew how Roxas was feeling now that he was taken back to the Organization. He was happy, but he was very bewildered at the same time. His heart was clouded and it was difficult to keep the connection with him for very long.
Just as she suspected, Sora was in the White Room. He stood before the window with the curtains drawn back. His eyes were glossy and distant as he stared out of the glass. Down below in front of the mansion, Riku, hood drawn up as always, was walking away from the front gate towards the path that lead to the woods. Behind him, Goofy was scratching his head and Donald was jumping about in a manner that Sora had learned during their time together meant he was shouting.
Naminé stepped up next to Sora and her hand brushed his own. He turned to her briefly and gave her a forced grin. She refused to return a smile but squeezed when his hand took her own.
"When are you leaving?" he asked quietly.
She looked on as the trio down below disappeared into the blanket of trees. The morning sun was just now beginning to shine brighter and the patches of purple in the sky were slowly turning lighter. "Soon, actually. We don't know how long it will take for them to find me. But I'll do what I can. I want to help you Sora. And we need to find someone very important who will help you get better."
Sora then turned to her, looking very concerned. One of his ears twitched when the curtain fluttered and touched it. "But what if you get hurt… How will you defend yourself?"
A small smile played across the girl's lips and she continued to watch the clouds. "I have my own bit of magic I've been working with. I'll be fine, Sora, really." She glanced at him quickly and found that he didn't look reassured. She couldn't blame him; she was rather small and fragile looking. But regardless, she was a Nobody and was entitled to the power of darkness as all non-existent beings were. Her magic was enough to keep her safe and escape in the event of an attack.
Sora was pouting and for a moment, there was a small reflection of the Sora the girl knew before. "I want to go with you," he spoke evenly.
Naminé shook her head. "I know. And you know that DiZ would never allow it."
Sora didn't say anything. His hand dropped away from hers and he turned towards the table where he sat in one of the hard white chairs. "Who is he anyway? DiZ, I mean."
Naminé simply turned to him, not moving to sit beside him. She leaned back against the window, forcing herself to bear with its cold temperature. "He…is someone who feels responsible for the state of the Worlds today. He feels that helping you will help him gain retribution for the sins he has committed. He believes that you are the only one who can help everything return to normal... to how it all should be."
Neither of them spoke after her words. Naminé took to staring out the window and Sora gazed absently at the pictures on the wall. His feet bounced off the floor; a sign of his anxiety. She could feel his ever present heartache. "Sora, please be careful while I'm gone." Stricken, the boy's head snapped towards her. She stared right at him, "You can't hide anything from me." Her tone indicated her seriousness.
"I know times are hard right now. We're working to help get you better. Riku is having his own issues. I know this has become very straining on both of you."
Sora didn't say anything.
"I know your Heart Bond is weakening."
That caught his attention. Sora was suddenly choked up. They hadn't told anyone about their Heart Bond!
"If you constantly worry about it, then it will weaken at a faster pace. Please, don't doubt the love Riku has for you. Believe in it. If not, your Bond might not last for very much longer."
With her final words, the girl walked out of the room.
The view from the Grey Room was quite spectacular. Well, truly I was torn between considering it nothing special and completely amazing. All of the windows looked out toward the inky sky where no stars were in sight. I knew, somehow, that there had never been visible stars from this place. Back in Twilight Town, stars were a rare sight due to our strange sky which never fully turned dark. But sometimes in the dead of night, there would be one or two very faint but visible spots of light flickering in-between the clouds.
Here, from this world, there was nothing but the pitch black sky and the brightly glowing moon. Since Axel and I had entered the room, a few hearts had floated to the moon where they collided with a small burst of light. As Axel approached Saïx, I noticed the blunette watching the hearts with what looked to be a satisfied smirk.
"So what are you having us do today?" Axel asked, sounded rather bored. I knew he didn't want to be working today. He had been rather reluctant to get out of bed this morning.
"Sorry to burst your bubble Axel, but you're going out on a special solo mission today."
The redhead froze then opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something, but Saïx gave him an even look. My throat had instantly gone dry and my stomach felt as though it were melting. I looked up to Axel who was glaring at Saïx. Saïx, in turn, looked impassive about the whole ordeal and it was evident that he was not going to change his mind.
"Then who's going to show Rox the ropes, huh? Like hell are you sticking him with Dr. Creepy or Gay May Marly!"
From one of the armchairs behind us, Marluxia shouted, "I heard that!"
Axel ignored him and continued to seethe. Saïx rolled his yellow eyes, "Enough of the tantrum Axel, he'll be fine." Saïx turned to look at me, his eyes reflecting an iciness that made me shiver. This look was familiar to me and I couldn't help but get the obvious impression that Saïx simply did not like me. "Xigbar will take good care of him, won't you Xigbar?"
A heavy hand clamped onto my shoulder at that instant and shocked me into jumping. "Of course I will!" Xigbar's voice floated from behind me and it took all of my will power not to twist away from him. "We'll have a blast today, won't we, Sunshine?" It took a moment before I realized he was addressing me with that tacky nickname. I frowned, not feeling any better and didn't give any recognition to his words. He just laughed and shook my shoulder. I felt like just letting my body go and collapsing to the floor.
In the meantime, Axel's anger was radiating through me, causing my jaw to clench in annoyance. I looked at him, pleading for him to clam down. His face didn't change, but his emotions proved that he was straining to keep under control. I offered him a small smile.
Saïx spoke, "Take him to the back valley of the Crystal Fissure in Hollow Bastian. Your targets are the Heartless, of course. Get him used to fighting again." Saïx turned to Axel then and threw over his shoulder, "And don't engage in any unnecessary fighting. You know the rules, escape first, fight only in emergencies."
Xigbar began to steer me away, waving his free hand going, "Blah blah blah, whatever man." Once Xigbar stepped into the dark portal he summoned, I looked back to find Axel staring at me, looking rather uncomfortable. I offered one last reassuring smile and stepped into the portal.
The Crystal Fissure was quite the sight. With large glowing crystals protruding from the rocky walls and ground, it was hard not to be attracted to the shimmering rocks and want to touch them. In the small cave where we portaled to, I was certain it would have been incredibly dark if it weren't for the neon glow of the crystals. Xigbar must have been used to seeing them or simply uninterested as he walked right past all of the crystals and out through an opening to an barren field.
The valley was large with tall surrounding rock walls. The area looked a bit desolate, but upon further inspection, I noticed that Xigbar and I weren't the only two in the area.
There weren't many of them. Strange things, they were, and as I watched the small black creatures, I felt a twinge in my stomach. A few of them turned their heads up, looking at the pair of us curiously. They were twitching, I noticed. Their whole bodies, their heads from left to right. It was creepy and I couldn't help but not wanting to go near these things.
"What are they?" I spoke out loud. More of these strange creatures turned their heads up and a few of them started to stalk toward us. Luckily my feet were frozen to the ground, otherwise I'm afraid I may have taken a step closer to Xigbar which would do nothing to make me look like I had even a shred of courage. Still, I didn't like how I was being looked at. The yellow eyes of the little things seemed to be hollow, but at the same time I felt like they were hungry.
"They're Heartless," Xigbar said next to me. In a flash, he was holding what looked to be a gun in each hand with sharp, pointed arrows locked and loaded. "These little buggers are called Shadows. Simple to defeat but also the most populous." He pointed his gun at a small group of Shadows that were closest to us and shot a round of arrows, each piercing a different Heartless. I watched as the speared creatures burst, then faded. "They're also what we call Pureblood Heartless, which don't release hearts. So there's no need to really bother with these ones." In my head, I tried to make a mental note of everything he said.
"And there." Xigbar pointed out a few Heartless that were floating up in the air. They were quite different from the Shadows. They were small, colored with yellow, black and red. On their fronts was what I guessed to be a symbol. It was a black and red heart-like design. "Those are the real targets. Those there are Emblem Heartless, Scarlet Tangos to be more specific, and they're the ones who hold the prize inside." He raised his arrow guns and released a fresh round of arrows which sliced through a couple of the floating Heartless. As they burst, small silver hearts floated up to the sky where they eventually disappeared.
"See there," Xigbar spoke, pointing at the disappearing hearts. "Why don't we see how you're different from me. Go on kid, have at it." Before I could even ask what Xigbar was talking about, he grabbed the back of my cloak, dragged me a few steps forward before shoving me into a group of Shadows. Almost immediately the small things pounced. One flew up and attached itself to my arm while a few others began to climb up my legs. Completely startled, I flailed at first, absolutely terrified. The Heartless on my arm began to climb towards my chest and instinct forced me to grab a hold of it and fling it away from me.
"Come on now, Sunshine. You have a weapon, don't you? Don't tell me you forgot how to use it!"
The Keyblade! Of course. Easily I called the shiny weapon to me, it's weight dropping into my right hand. Still, I kicked the few Heartless that were at my legs then crouched down into a fighting stance. The keychain at the end of the Keyblade chimed as I swung the weapon, knocking one of the Emblem Heartless that had wandered toward me in the side. It then burst and faded, just as it had with Xigbar, but what I noticed then was entirely different. The heart that floated off into the sky was pink, not silver. Pink, just like the hearts I had seen float up to the moon back in my room at the castle.
"'Atta boy! Keep it up Sunshine, finish them off."
I glanced back at Xigbar briefly. He stood with his arms crossed, smirking at me. His visible eye seemed to be twinkling with something strange. I didn't have time to figure out what that look was. I turned to look at the approaching Heartless.
Just as it had been when fighting that Nobody yesterday in the training hall, fighting the Heartless seemed to just come naturally. Perhaps I couldn't remember ever having to raise a weapon and fight (other than some Struggle matches back in Twilight Town) but it was undeniable that my body remembered how to fight. I figured the best way to go about this was to just not think too much about what I was doing and follow my instincts. I moved my feet about, feeling like I was performing a dance. The Keyblade was light and it felt as though it adjusted its weight, light with the drawback of the swing, but heavier when delivering the blow for maximum power. This weapon responded to me; it was mine.
Pink hearts flew up all around me and I slashed and hacked at the Shadows and the Scarlet Tangos. I jumped about, dodged attacks, and gritted my teeth when a set of claws dug into my forearm. I felt alive while fighting these things, which were very persistent in climbing all over me. I was empowered by the fighting, feeling like a whole new person. No Struggle victory could compare.
The numbers dwindled before the last Heartless was slain. I stopped, looking about and finding the area of the valley clear. Panting, I hunched over for a brief minute before standing up straight. I looked down, looking at the Keyblade in my hand. It was so familiar, it felt like an extension of my own arm. Though made of metal, the Keyblade felt warm against my palm and it surged strength through my entire body.
Behind me, there came applause.
"Damn, you sure have talent. Of course, I didn't doubt you." I looked up at Xigbar and doubted his lack of doubt. "You cleared this place in no time. And all those hearts that you collected. The Superior's gonna be happy with you, kid." He grinned and clamped a hand down onto my shoulder.
"Um-" I started and bit my lip, not exactly sure if I should ask my question. I felt like I should know the answer already. "What exactly are the Heartless?"
I guess I was expecting Xigbar to look at me like I was a lunatic for not knowing. Instead he studied my face for a moment and said, "Creatures born from the Darkness. They're heart snatchers, kid. They steal the hearts from those who have them. It's what keeps them alive, what gives them purpose. You know why they were interested in you, rather than me right?" He poked my chest hard enough to make me stumble back one step. "Gotta watch yourself, Sunshine. That cloak can only help you against so much. The rest of us are fine, but you, well, you're a bit different. Special." Then he barked with laughter. But all too soon, he stopped immediately and roughly seized my arm.
I couldn't even comprehend what happened next. Everything seemed to go black, as though I blinked my eyes for a moment too long, and suddenly, I was on my knees behind a large piece of rock that had fallen from the cliff side. Xigbar crouched next to me, peering around the rock in order to look out toward the valley.
"What…how did we-?"
"Not now, Sunshine, quiet."
Confused, I sat up to look over the top of the rock. We were facing the opening of the enclosed area with the glowing crystals where were first portaled in. I glanced sideways to Xigbar who was focused on the open mouth of the fissure. "We've got visitors, so keep quiet."
Now that he mentioned it, I could feel some presence that was getting stronger. It wasn't very prominent to me, obviously less so than it was to Xigbar. Nervously I watched and waited.
"-been a lot of Heartless gathering around here."
The voices came first before I saw who they belonged to. From the crystal area came a few different figures. A brunet clad in tight leather and a simple white shirt and jacket. Beside him walked a spiky-haired blonde who was wearing an odd jacket that was missing one sleeve and half of its coat tail. As the two moved, I noticed their close proximity and how fluidly they moved side-by-side. It was as though they naturally responded to each other. Much in the same way I felt that Axel and I did.
Upon seeing them a pain pricked me behind my eyes, spreading across my forehead. Biting my lip, I tried to remain focused.
"Why do ya think they're all gathering around here?"
Instantly I perked up at the sound of that familiar voice. Xigbar noticed since I saw him glance at me briefly. Unmistakably, I had heard that voice from the different dreams of Sora I'd been having.
Appearing from the mouth of the crystal area came three new figures. My eyes locked onto Goofy and Donald, both looking at the brunet who was speaking now.
"We're not really sure. I guess there could be different explanations. Pick one."
They all continued further into the valley and my head was beginning to hurt even more. I then focused on the last figure, and my breath caught in my throat when I noticed him. Completely paralyzed, I watched the man dressed in a cloak just like ours walk with the group. He didn't contribute any words, though he did show signs of interest when the conversation strayed from the topic of the Heartless.
"How is Sora doing?" the blonde man asked. At that, the cloaked man turned his head but refrained from saying anything. His attention was held for only a moment though, and his head suddenly whipped back and, though I couldn't see his face behind the hood of the cloak, I knew he was staring right at me. And I couldn't do anything but stare right back.
It took the rest of the group a moment to notice that he stopped moving. Goofy stopped moments after and turned back. "You okay, Riku?" This grabbed the attention of the others.
My physical heart beat wildly behind my ribs and it seemed to be about ready to burst. My body seemed to be numb, but at the same time, I was beginning to feel strangely warm. Different, though, than Axel's warmth. And all at the same time, it was similar. My head, still thumping dully, was now foggy as I kept my eyes locked with the cloaked figure's. Xigbar must have noticed the odd energy around us. He glanced between me and the guy in the group a few times. As the other's in the group began to gather around their stopped group member, I was unable to stop myself as I started to stand up from my kneeling position.
I knew it was stupid. In the back of my head, I knew that what I was going to do was exactly what I shouldn't be doing. I couldn't help myself. I was unquestionably drawn to whoever this person was. I knew that person. My half heart was calling out to that person, singing out a melody to duet with their harmony. I was standing and not once did I break eye contact. I need to get out there, get to them. I needed to, there was no question. I needed him, I missed him. Why wouldn't he talk to me, hold me, love me like he used to?
And just as I was fully standing, the cloaked man suddenly broke out in a run. He was a good distance away from us and just as he started running toward us, ignoring the startled yells of his companions, I found myself preparing to run out to greet him.
But just as I moved my leg to run, the back of my cloak was grabbed and I was flying through the air, having been roughly tossed into a dark portal. A protest flew from my mouth as I landed in the dark corridor and I scrambled to my feet in order to leave the portal and run back to meet the cloaked man. However, by the time I got my bearings the portal was closed and I was shoved forward. "Get moving kid, we can't dilly-dally around here. He can still catch up to us."
"But-!"
"No buts, move!" Xigbar wasn't going to waste time and while I would have rather waited for the guy to find us, my superior was having none of it. He grabbed my arm and pulled my alongside him toward the small pin of light that broke through the shadows. At first I struggled against his hold. My head was beginning to be freed from the ache and at the same time, the urgency was dissipating from my chest. My heart was settling down and I was rapidly becoming sober.
"I don't understand," I mumbled and regained my step, walking on my own with more ease.
Xigbar merely shook his head. "No need to suddenly run to the enemy, I think. Why don't you use your head, Sunshine, and realize that not being able to control yourself may end up with you being killed. You wouldn't like that, would you?"
Thinking of the sudden and impossibly strong attraction I had just felt for the other person, I almost spoke aloud that it would have been worth it.
"Watch your mouth," Xigbar interjected before I could even say anything. We were approaching the light. "What about Axel?"
My body was instantly turned to ice and if Xigbar's incessant pull on my arm wasn't there, I'd have stopped dead in my tracks. "Exactly," he breathed. "Remember who your true Soulmate is next time, eh?"
Completely at a loss, I kept my mouth shut and followed Xigbar through the light and into the Grey Room.
Too upset to stick around for someone to stop me, I fled from the Grey Room quickly. I was intent on getting to my room and...and….
Glancing around the hallway I was in, I discovered that I had no idea where I even was. Everything around this damn castle just looked the same! I knew that freaking out was going to get me nowhere, so I settled for taking a deep breath and forcing myself to relax. I was done for the day, or so I assumed, so why shouldn't I allow myself to wander around what was supposedly my 'home.' Maybe if I walked around, I would remember some things about being here.
I looked down the stretch of the hallway before me. It looked as though it wouldn't end if I did walk down there. Still, I knew that going back would lead me to a place I didn't want to be. So with my mind made up, I started walking forward. Luckily the trek wasn't as long as I feared it to be, but what I came to, unfortunately, was a four way intersection. Now then, which way do I go?
Knowing I had nothing to lose, I turned down the path on my right and continued on down the hallway there. What I came to, after a few minutes of walking, was an outdoor walkway. At last, I thought in relief, I knew where I was. Axel brought me here the day before when we were heading to the training hall. Rather than getting lost, I followed the walkway. The cool air did help me calm my nerves a bit.
I just couldn't understand what had happened back in the valley. Why in the world would I ever think of running to some person I had never seen before? And, frankly, he did look a bit sketchy wearing one of our cloaks. I had a gut feeling that he wasn't part of the Organization. Xigbar might have said something if he was. So who in the world was he?
What did Goofy call him…?
Oh!
That's right…
Riku.
Stopping in my tracks, I felt like I was choking on the very air I was breathing. Riku? Was whoever that was really Riku? But…he was so different. Far different than what I remember from the few dreams I had of him. There was something wrong with him. He didn't feel right, but I couldn't place exactly what was wrong.
The prickling behind my eyes was returning, stronger than it had been back in the valley. Gasping, I moved to the side wall that lined the walkway and steadied myself. Riku. He belonged to Sora. Was that the reason I felt so compelled to run to him? The two of them were Soulmates, I just knew it. So then…that would explain my attraction to him. That would explain how he made me feel almost like how Axel makes me feel.
But that's wrong. The feeling was different. It was a strong tug. Battling in my mind was the confusion of whether the connection I felt with Riku…was strong than the one I felt with Axel.
Moaning as the pain began to get worse, I fell to my knees, my knuckles gripping the short side wall. Tears began to well up in my eyes.
It's impossible for me to have two Soulmates. So why in the world did Riku make me feel that way?
My chest constricted and I forced small lungfuls of air in and out. I grit my teeth against the pain and started to feel my consciousness slip away. I knew what was coming and before I passed out to become entrapped in a new dream, I prayed that someone would find me.
"Riku, wait!"
He didn't want to stop. He didn't plan to stop. But how in the world was a Fighter supposed to ignore a plea from his Sacrifice?
"Why won't you listen to me? Why won't you just come home with me? Kairi's there already! She's waiting for us!"
He didn't understand. Couldn't he feel that there was something wrong with him? Couldn't he, the Bearer of Light, not feel the Darkness that still resided within him? If he could, he should understand then, that he couldn't go back home with him. Not yet.
"Look, Sora, you know as well as I do that I can't go home yet. You go home to Kairi and just wait for me. Wait for me to get better."
There was absolutely no way he would do that. How in the world could he leave his Fighter behind? There was absolutely no question to it.
Quietly, he whispered, "I could order you to come home with me. You can't refuse my order, right?"
Without turning to face him, the Fighter replied, "You wouldn't make that order. Because you know that that isn't what's best for me right now. So just let me be and let me get myself together."
The Fighter stood strong, his back almost rigid as he refused to turn and face his Sacrifice. He could see it now; the chocolate cat ears dropping low, mimicking the lackluster tail that was surely hanging to the floor. He was certain the brunet was chewing his lip and, judging by the wavering voice, there were tears in the bright cerulean eyes. He couldn't face that.
"Please," the Sacrifice whispered. "If you won't come back with me, then do something for me. At least tell me, show me that you love me still."
After a moment of hesitation, the Fighter replied, "We need something sharp."
"Sharp?"
"You know that blood is necessary in order to forge a Heart Bond." The Fighter felt a surge of heat pass through him as his Sacrifice's emotions blended with his own. There was excitement and relief and overwhelming joy. He smiled to himself.
Luckily they were standing in the midst of a decimated and battle worn room. Scattered about was debris of fallen and destroyed statues that had decorated the place pre-battle. The jagged white marble was dug into each of their fleshy palms before being discarded on the ground. Kneeling before each other, they held their palms out, rivulets of red freely flowing down their wrists and dripping to the floor.
With tears in his eyes, the Sacrifice spoke, "I'll be looking for you the moment you leave. So you better hurry up and get better quick."
With a rare smile, the Fighter responded by saying, "I'll try not to go too far."
Then they each closed their eyes as the Bond forging began.
"Bound together," the Fighter said.
"Never apart," the Sacrifice spoke.
"Hand to hand."
"And heart to heart."
Together they spoke, "Merge our strength",
"One unit we shall be."
"With hearts bound forever,"
"For all eternity."
When I came to, there were people talking. There was a slight urgency in Axel's voice, while the other remained calm and composed.
"There's really nothing to worry about. As the memories surface, it is only expected that he has frequent fainting spells. When the number of returning memories begins to dwindle, surely you won't find him passed out around every turn."
I blinked my eyes open. With relief, I found myself back in my room, lying beneath the warm covers of the bed. Sitting beside my legs was my Fighter who had furrowed brows and a tight frown. I flicked my eyes toward the other occupant who sat in the chair at the desk. With his arms crossed, Zexion's sapphire eyes found mine. "You're awake," he spoke. Axel didn't look to me, instead rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms. He must have already known I was awake.
Axel spoke, "Zexion found you passed out on the walkway and brought you here." He looked me over carefully. "You had another dream. What did you see, Rox?"
Gulping nervously, I wasn't sure if I should tell the truth or not. There wasn't any real reason why seeing the creation of Sora and Riku's Heart Bond would be something to hide. At least, it wouldn't have been if my half heart hadn't reacted to Riku's heart earlier today. I was overrun with worry that Axel knew about what happened today. Had he felt what I felt earlier? And if he did, wouldn't be he angry, upset with me for feeling like that toward someone else?
I looked to Zexion as though asking for an answer. Instead, he stood up. "I'll leave you two, now."
Just before he left, Axel spoke with his eyes still focused on me, "Be nice to Demyx, Zexion. The kid is absolutely terrified of you."
Frowning, Zexion made a hasty exit.
"Now," Axel spoke softly. He leaned forward and his hot hand touched my cheek. He wasn't wearing his leather glove, I noted. "Tell me what you saw."
I couldn't help but hesitate, staring at him with wide eyes. Axel sighed.
"Does it have to do with what happened to you earlier?"
I gaped. "Did Xigbar-"
"He told me nothing," Axel said. His thumb traced over my lips and I kept my mouth firmly shut, resisting the urge to flick my tongue out. "Remember those emotions. The building Bond we have. I don't know exactly what happened, but I know something did. Now spill."
Completely frightened, I bit the inside of my cheek and turned my eyes down to the red and blue comforter. I fisted the blanket, and said, "I don't know why I saw it. Maybe it was because I was thinking of the Bonds you were explaining to me yesterday," I lied, "but I saw Riku and Sora creating their Heart Bond."
Axel's head snapped to attention and he stared at me, transfixed. I could see the question in his eyes and hoped he wouldn't press me any further. In the back of my head, I started to worry that if we get into talking about the memories that were surfacing, that he would ask me about the memory of me trying to run away from the Organization that knocked me out yesterday.
I felt a flow of calmness just then, and Axel moved so he was sitting cross legged in front of me. "Sit up," he said and I complied with his request, sitting similarly to him. He then held his hands out to me. I got the message and placed my hands in his. He laced our fingers together. "Now close your eyes, and just let go of everything."
I didn't understand at first what he was asking me to let go of, but after a moment I felt an insistent push. It felt like something inside of my was pushing from my very center outwards but on a more emotional level than physical. I was quick to realize that this was Axel, pushing at me to let out all the negative feelings I was keeping inside. I pictured that blanket of gold light fighting against dark shadows within me. Before I knew it, tears were leaking from my eyes and I was wrapped up in strong, warm arms.
Axel pushed me back into the pillows and covered my body with his own protectively. He pressed kisses to my temple, hair, forehead, cheeks. "There, you'll feel better now. You're troubled," he said. "Tell me what you want, Roxie, and I'll do whatever I need to make you happy."
I rubbed the tears from my face and asked for the only thing I wanted right now. "Please, I just want to go back home. I want to go back to Twilight Town." I wanted to escape this place and end this misplaced dream.
TBC…
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