Chapter 27

The Dreadful Days With Sota

Bardroy didn't tell anyone that Joshua was alive. He just decided that it would be best to keep it a secret from Sota and Darren.

According to Sota and Darren, after hours of just sitting and crying, Runea and Sarah just disappeared. Bardroy went back to where their bodies had been, but they were gone. So was Kira's and he couldn't find Anthony either.

Sota and Darren were in a wreck after their wives died. Bardroy took Darren home and trusted that he'd be okay in the care of Sebastian. As for Sota, he just decided to stay with Bardroy.

Sota never went home after the war, so Sora was forced to stay with the cruel Anastasia. . .

Miranda sighed as she sat down at the kitchen table. It had now been three days since Bardroy left and he hadn't come back. She ran her fingers through her blonde hair and then glanced out the window. She gasped when she saw Bardroy heading towards her house.

Immediately, she bolted from her chair and out the front door. She wrapped her arms around him and pushed her lips against his.

Bardroy paused and then kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her also.

"What the hell took you so long?" she asked, fighting back her tears. "I thought you were dead. . ."

"Sorry. . . Sota and Darren. . . Well. . . They needed help. . ." Bardroy whispered into her ear, "You see, Sarah, Runea, and Anthony were killed. . ."

"Oh my god. . . That's terrible. . ." Miranda peered over Bardroy's shoulder and then finally noticed Sota. He was standing still, glancing around slowly as if he were totally confused about where he was. "What's he doing here?"

"He's going to stay with us for awhile."

Bardroy saw the change in Miranda's expression.

"I know," Bardroy nodded. "I told him that I didn't think that it was a good idea, but he insisted. He followed me here. I'll warn you, whatever you do, don't mention anything about the war to him. All he's been doing is drinking~" He motioned his head towards Sota who was taking a swig from a bottle. "~and I don't want him to lash out or anything. Not when the kids are around."

Miranda nodded. "I understand."

Sota advanced towards them. When he saw Miranda, he took her hand and pulled her closer to himself. He looked deeply into Miranda's light blue eyes and asked, "Miranda. . . right?"

Miranda nodded. "Uh. . . yeah. . ."

His gaze went from her face, to her torso, and then down to her legs. "Damn. . . You've really matured. . ."

Miranda took a step back, pulling her hand from his. "Uh. . . Thanks. . . I guess. . ."

Bardroy took Miranda's hand and led her towards the house before Sota could say anything else. When they entered the house, Miranda started, "Oh Sota, the kids are asleep if you want me to wake them up."

Sota held his bottle up to his lips and took a large drink before he answered. "No. . . That's fine. . . I don't need to see them."

"Are you sure? I mean. . . they're your kids. . ."

"I'll see them when they wake up."

Miranda nodded. "Well Sota, since you're going to stay with us for awhile, you can just make yourself at home. I'm afraid that we don't have any extra beds so you'll have to sleep on the couch, if that's all right."

"How about we send Bardroy down here to the couch and then I can just sleep with you in the bed upstairs?" Sota suggested, a wide grin on his face. "I don't think you'd regret it."

Miranda managed to keep a soft smile on her face. "I don't think so." She followed Bardroy up the stairs and then into their bedroom.

A few hours later, the three Davidson children woke up.

When they stepped into the room and saw their father, they paused.

"Oh. . . Hi Daddy," Savannah said, a smile on her face.

Sanji rolled his eyes and continued to the kitchen table. Lee stuck out his foot and Sanji ended up tripping and falling to the floor.

The drunken Sota began to laugh hysterically.

Sanji clenched his fist, stood up and then punched Lee directly in the face. When he fell, he pulled Sanji down with him. The two threw punches back and forth at each other.

Sota stood up from the couch and grabbed Sanji by the hair. He pulled him away from Lee and then gave him a shove. "Sanji! That's enough!"

Sanji rubbed his head angrily and pointed at his younger brother who was smiling in victory. "But he's the one who started it! He tripped me!"

"I don't care who started it!" Sota yelled. "I'm going to finish it! How many times have I told you not to hit your brother!"

"But Dad, he's the one who always~"

"Shut up! I don't want to hear it! I've had it with you!" He grabbed Sanji by the hair and dragged him down the corridor. He pushed Sanji into his room and then slammed the door. He locked it afterward.

Lee shrugged and then entered the kitchen.

Savannah sighed sadly and then paced into the kitchen also.

Shortly, Miranda came downstairs to make breakfast. Bardroy sat at the end of the table, reading a book. Sota sat just to his left and the two other kids were at the other end of that table.

"Where's Sanji?" Miranda asked to break the silence.

"Oh, I punished him," Sota replied.

Bardroy turned to Sota, closing his book and sitting it down on the table. "Punished him? Why? What'd he do?"

"Lee tripped Sanji and then Sanji punched him and they began to fight. Daddy made Sanji go to his room after he beat up Lee," Savannah explained.

Bardroy blinked. "You should have punished Lee, not Sanji. What the hell's wrong with you?"

"Sanji was the one that started the fist fight."

"But still, Lee's the one who tripped him," Bardroy stated. "He started the fight first."

Miranda sighed and sat some plates onto the table. "Oh well, it's over and done with. I'll just give Sanji his food in his room."

It was silent for a moment when Savannah asked, "Miranda, how did you get that bruise on your neck?"

Miranda froze and ran her hand along her neck. "O-oh. . . Uh. . . Well. . ." She glanced over at Bardroy who had put his hand over his mouth to hide his grin.

Sota burst out laughing.

Glaring at Sota, Miranda answered, "Actually I fell down the basement stairs this morning. . . That's how I got this bruise."

"That's awful!" Savannah exclaimed. "Are you all right?"

She nodded.

Savannah sighed in relief and then noticed a bruise on Bardroy's chest. "Oh, Uncle Bardroy, you have one too."

Bardroy's grin grew even wider.

"Oh, and I bet that you fell down the stairs with her, huh?" Sota laughed.

Miranda frowned. "Oh, Sota. I have a question. Wanna hear me out?"

"Go ahead, sweetheart. I'll do anything for you."

"Well, down in the basement, the washer doesn't seem to be working correctly. Maybe you could try and fix it. You know, Bardroy's too clueless to it," Miranda explained.

"I can fix it," Sota said confidently. He paced over to the basement steps, Miranda following closely behind him.

Sota opened the door and then turned around to ask her a question. Miranda was only inches away from Sota. She ran her hand up and down his chest slowly.

Sota blushed slightly, letting a satisfying smile spring to life on lips. Miranda smiled back at him and then gave him a forceful shove. He fell backwards and tumbled down the basement stairs.

Bardroy and Lee began laughing at the kitchen table.

Miranda slammed the basement door shut. She muttered a few curses and then punched the door, her fist going right through the hollow wood. She sighed and then relaxed. She took a few steps over to Sanji's room, unlocked the door and then opened it. "You can come out and eat with us now. I pushed your father down the basement stairs so he won't be coming up for awhile."

Sanji stepped out of the room and entered the kitchen. "Did you really knock him down the stairs?"

"You bet I did."

"You're awesome."

"I know."

That night, after the kids were all in bed, Bardroy and Miranda sat on the couch together. Miranda was running her hands up and down Bardroy's chest while Bardroy had an arm wrapped around her body and was running his fingers through her hair. All the while, the two were kissing continuously, only pulling away to breathe every once in awhile.

Sota sat to the left of them on the chair, frowning. He folded his arms and glanced at the clock. It was almost midnight. He shook his head and then took a sip of his beer. He cleared his throat loudly to get the two lover's attention.

"Yeah, what do you want?" Bardroy asked.

"Don't you two have anything better to do?" Sota asked.

The two of them shook their heads.

"If you're so bored, then just go to bed," Miranda told him.

"I can't because you're on my couch."

"Fine then," Bardroy began, a mischievous smirk on his face, "Miranda and I can just move ourselves to the bedroom."

Sota changed his mind quickly. "Never mind, I'll just get a shower." He stood up and paced into the bathroom. He took one glance at the shower and then shouted, "Miranda! I don't know how to use the shower! Come here please!"

Miranda sighed and pulled away from Bardroy. She stood up and then paced into the bathroom. "Shh!" she snapped, closing the door so the kids wouldn't hear them and wake up. "Quit yelling. You'll wake everyone up!"

"How do you use this shower?" Sota asked.

Miranda sighed and stepped passed him. When she wasn't looking, Sota latched the door, locking whoever else who was in the house out.

"This knob is the hot water," Miranda pointed to the knob on the left, "and this knob is the cold." She pointed to the right knob. "The middle knob is the one that changes the water flow from the faucet to the shower head. Under~" She paused when she looked back at Sota. He had a malicious smirk on his face.

Miranda took a step back as Sota began to advance towards her. She backed into the wall, Sota closing in on her. He pressed his body against hers and pushed his mouth to her lips.

She reacted with anger. "Get off me!" she screamed, giving him a shove.

Sota clenched his teeth and grabbed her by the hair. "Shut up!" he hissed, smacking her head off the tiled wall.

Blackness threatened to take away her vision and mind, but she forced herself to stay awake. She felt herself falling onto the cold bathroom floor. She narrowly opened her eyes as she was flipped over onto her back. Sota roughly began to kiss her. He shifted so his entire body was lying on top of her. There was no way for her to move, Sota had her pinned down and although her arms and hand were free, she knew that she couldn't push Sota away. He was a lot bigger than her.

She slammed her fists against the tiled floor and tried to scream. Sota ignored her tortured screams and started running his hands up and down the curves of her body. When he reached her hips, he ran his hands underneath her shirt and made his way up her torso.

Bardroy paced over towards the bathroom door. He knocked lightly on the door. "Sota? Miranda?" He put his ear against the wood of the door and could hear pounding as well as some muffled screams. He quickly pulled away, his eyes wide. "Miranda? Sota? Miranda!" He twisted the knob various times until he realized that Sota had locked him out.

He slammed his body continuously against the door, hoping that it would give. Bardroy paused but didn't waste the time to face palm when he remembered that he could easily just unlock the door with his Keyblade. He quickly called the weapon to his hand and held it out. The bathroom door unlatched and then he quickly entered the bathroom.

Anger flared up in Bardroy's eyes when he saw Sota pinning Miranda to the floor. Miranda glanced up at Bardroy hopefully, tears falling down her cheeks. Sota finally pulled his lips away from hers, letting her finally get a time to say something.

"Bardroy. . . Please, help me! Now!"

Sota was only able to pull his hands away from Miranda chest and sit up before Bardroy punched him in the face. He went falling backwards into the bathtub.

Miranda scrambled onto her feet, grabbing onto Bardroy for support. "Are you all right?" Bardroy immediately asked, looking her over.

She nodded and quickly hid behind him.

Sota stood up and headed towards Bardroy. He swung his fist and Bardroy took a step back to avoid the swing. Miranda retreated into the living room; she didn't want to be in the middle of the fight.

After Sota missed, Bardroy swung his fist around and rammed it into the side of his neck. Sota slammed into the sink, his head smashing into the mirror and shattering the glass. Glaring at Bardroy with a bloody forehead, he ran at him and wrapped his arms around his waist. Sota meant to ram his brother into the wall, but he stumbled and the two of them both fell to the ground.

Bardroy kneed Sota in the gut and quickly got back onto the his feet. The two of them were now in the living room; Miranda was standing to the side. Sota stood up, wiping blood from his face. Bardroy stepped towards his brother and threw a punch at him. Sota avoided the punch too late and crashed into the closet, taking the one door out with him. Unfortunately for Bardroy, Sota retaliated quicker than he thought. Sota shoved Bardroy into the opposite wall and into the border of the fire place. Bardroy banged his head off of the solid brick and fell to his knees, clutching the wound that had just formed in the back of his head.

Sota knocked his brother to the ground and pinned him down, wrapping both of his hands around Bardroy's throat, squeezing as tightly as he could. As much as Bardroy tried to push Sota away, his brother just wouldn't release his grip. Bardroy tried to pry Sota's hands away from his neck but the more he struggled, the tighter Sota's grip became. His strength slowly began to leave his body and he stopped fighting back. His eyes felt as if they were rolling into the back of his head.

Miranda knew that if Sota didn't let go of Bardroy's neck soon he would die. She quickly grabbed the first thing she saw, a liquor bottle that Sota left lying on the floor, and then cracked it over Sota's head.

Glass from the bottle shattered and flew all over the floor as well as the the liquor. Sota's grip on Bardroy's neck softened and then died away completely when Sota slumped forward on top of his brother.

Miranda blinked in surprise. She couldn't believe that she had just knocked him out. Bardroy pushed his brother off of himself and gasped for breath. He slowly stood up and Miranda walked over and hugged him. "What should we do with him?"

"I don't know. . . Perhaps just leave him there."

"We should just throw him outside on the porch," Miranda stated.

"I like that idea."

Miranda paced down the stairs the next morning and stopped. She gazed at Sota lying on the couch. What the hell!? How did he get back in!? She slowly advanced back up the stairs and then came back down, pushing Bardroy in front of her.

Bardroy raised an eyebrow. "Sota!"

Sota jumped awake on the couch. He placed his hand over the bandage on his head and sighed. "What?"

"How did you get back in here? We threw you out on the porch!"

"Savannah let me back in."

Miranda blinked. "What? Why?"

"Children are supposed to listen to their parents. It's logic." Sota glanced at the bandage that was wrapped around Bardroy's head. "Hey Bardroy, we match."

It took all of Miranda's sanity to keep herself from lunging at Sota to beat him up. Instead, she let a fake, irritated smile appear on her face. "Isn't that something?"

Bardroy sighed. This is going to be a longday. . .

Late that night, Bardroy and Miranda sat Sota down at the kitchen table. They didn't know how to tell him nicely that they wanted him to leave.

"So. . . what's this about?" Sota asked, tossing his empty beer can onto the kitchen floor only to open another bottle of booze a few seconds later.

"Well. . ." Miranda began, but paused.

Bardroy continued for her. "We think that it would be better if you went back to your house, Sota."

"Why?"

"Well, you never went back after the. . . And you didn't even tell your son that you were okay."

"Son?"

"Sora."

"Oh yeah, the decoy. Eh, I don't care about him. He can just forget about me," Sota told them. "I have no purpose for him. Now Lee, well, he's the best out of the bunch. Sanji's just a troublemaker and Savannah's too sweet."

"Are you listening to yourself?" Miranda asked. "How could you say that about your children!? A real parent would love all of his kids equally and not compare them to each other! What the hell is the matter with you!?"

"Hey, I love my kids, but they refuse to cooperate with me sometimes. That damn Sanji. . ." Sota sighed.

"Going back to our original topic," Bardroy cut in. "So, when do you suppose that you're leaving?"

Sota shrugged. "I don't know. When I feel like it I guess."

"When you feel like it? When you feel like it? Sota, you can't just stay here forever!" Miranda yelled. "You have to move on with your life! You can't just sit and mope around!"

"I'm not moping. . . It's just. . ." Sota clenched his fists. "I wish I could just find Joshua. . . I wish. . . I could kill him. . . But I can't. . . He's dead." Sota looked up at his brother. "What did you do with Joshua's body anyway. . . I didn't see you dragging him off. . . Come to think of it. . . I didn't see his body at all. . ."

Bardroy tried not to make eye contact with Sota but he could still feel his brothers icy stare.

"Bardroy. . ." Sota stood up, his expression solemn. "What did you do with his body?"

Bardroy shook his head. "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"I didn't find Joshua's body. . ."

"And why not?" Sota leaned towards his brother, his eyes narrowed.

Bardroy was hesitant, but he finally said why. "Because Joshua's not dead. He's alive." He saw the change in Sota's expression. "He ran into me when he was leaving the battlefield."

Sota grabbed the scruff of Bardroy's shirt and lifted him off of his chair. "You're telling me that Joshua's alive and you didn't tell me? Why? Why damn it!?"

"I-I didn't want you doing anything rash. . . I'm sorry. . ." Bardroy apologized.

Sota released his grip on Bardroy's shirt. "Rash? Rash?" He laughed. "I'm not going to do anything rash. . . But this is great news. . . Now I can finally get back at Joshua. . . I'll show him who he's messing with. . . He'll rue the day he was born when I find him. . ." Sota took a few steps towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Miranda asked.

"I'm getting my revenge. . . I won't be satisfied until Joshua's dead at my feet."

"What about the kids?" Miranda questioned. "You can't just leave them here!"

"You're right. Get them ready. We're leaving at dawn," Sota replied.

"What?"

"They're my kids."

"Oh," Miranda put her hands on her hips, "so now you decide to be a father! Your kids, huh? Sota, you're not taking them with you. You'll just end up getting them killed."

"But they're my kids. I have complete control over them. I'm their father."

"I don't care if you're their father or not! I'm not letting you sacrifice your kids just so you can get your revenge! They're not leaving here without~" She was cut off when Sota slapped her across the face. Bardroy was already shoving Sota away from her before she even had time to react.

Bardroy and Sota had their eyes narrowed at each other evilly. "If you ever touch her again," Bardroy warned, "I will kill you."

Sota shrugged and stepped away, heading towards the front door once again. "You can't deny that I own those kids. I want them ready by dawn. I'll be back by then." He disappeared out of the house.

Miranda placed her hand over the welt that was now on her face. Bardroy turned to her and pulled her into an embrace. "You'll be fine. It'll go away soon."

"That's not what I'm worried about. . ." Miranda shook her head. "Sota's gone mad. . . He's really convinced that vengeance is the right way. . ."

"This is my fault. . ." Bardroy shook his head. "I shouldn't have told him about Joshua. . ."

"You didn't mean too. . ."

"I have to stop this. . . I'll be back." Bardroy kissed her and then left the house.

"Sota! Sota! Wait!"

Sota finally came to a pause. Without turning around, he spoke. "What do you want Bardroy?"

"Sota, don't do this," Bardroy began. "Don't throw everything away for revenge. . . It's not worth it. . . If you give into it now, you'll never be able to come back. . . And that worries me. . ."

Sota shook his head. "Just forget about it Bardroy. You don't know anything about me. . . I'll be fine. . ."

"Sota, I'm your brother. I know everything about you. And I do know this. . . You're not acting like yourself. The Darkness is trying to take over the little light that you have left. . . You can't let that happen Sota. If you do, I can't help you. . . That's why I'm begging you to think before you do anything. . . Think about me. Think about Darren. Think about your children. . ." Bardroy paused before he finished. "Think about Sarah. . . What would she think. . ?"

"Bardroy. . ." Sota slowly turned around and faced his brother. His eyes were moist with tears. "I can't turn back now. . . I am thinking about Sarah. . . She's all I can think about. . . I thought that maybe the drinking would help me forget. . . But I know now that my memories of Sarah are the only thing I have left to hold onto. . . She's my Light. . . I don't want to do this. . . But I have to. I have to. I won't be able to help myself until I know that Joshua is dead. . . I need to avenge Sarah. . . Even if it kills me. . . I would feel a lot better if you came with me. . ."

"Sota, I can't," Bardroy answered. "I'm not throwing my life away for revenge. I have a family that I'm not abandoning any time soon. I'm sorry. . ."

Sota sighed. "So this is how it is, huh? Oh well. . ." He turned around and faced the dark forest. "I'll be back in the morning. I need to clear my head before I leave. . . Have the kids ready."

Bardroy lowered his head when Sota disappeared into the forest. He knew that if he couldn't get through to his brother, no one could.

Sota was falling into madness, and only the purest of light could save him.

Sanji and Savannah were ready the next morning, but Lee was nowhere to be found. His bedroom window was opened and he was gone. He had run away. Bardroy searched but by the time Sota got back, he hadn't found him.

Sota claimed that killing Joshua was his first priority. Lee came next after that. Once Joshua was dead, he would search for Lee. As for the other two kids, he would just drag them along, hoping that they wouldn't get in the way.

News got around that Darren was killed, but no one knew who did it or why. It remained a mystery that was left unanswered.

After a few more years of living together, Miranda finally gave her love to Bardroy. That was when she found out that she was expecting a child. Once their daughter, Emily, was born, the two couldn't have been happier. But like all things, their happiness didn't last forever. Joshua made his appearance, killing Miranda and leaving Bardroy to suffer. But, as hard as it was, he was able to raise the child by himself.

Sota ended up dumping Sanji and Savannah off in an orphanage while on his search for Joshua. It was taking longer than he intended it too, and the kids were just getting in the way. He knew that getting rid of the kids wouldn't solve his problems, but he had no choice.

Twelve years have passed since Sota left to get his revenge. . .

Chapter 28

A Change of Heart

The dark clouds lingered over the large castle which had now been renamed Kiari's Kavern. Kira's daughter had moved in along with other pawns of her own. But that didn't matter. At least not to Sota.

Sota let out a deep sigh. He was leaning against one of the trees that surrounded the border of the Black Forest. The clouds were dark enough to prevent him from being spotted by any enemies. His Keyblade was gripped tightly in his hand.

He's in there. . .

I know he is. . .

I was just following him. . . He went in there. I know he did.

He's here. . . I finally found him. . . And this time, I'll kill him. . . I'll make sure he pays for everything that he's done. . .

Sota took a deep breath and looked up at the dull-colored sky. I'm almost there Sarah. . . I'm almost there. . . Just a little farther. . . He'll be dead soon. . . Really, really soon. . .

I don't want to do this. . . But I have to. . . I have to. . . If I don't, who will?

Sota glanced around when he heard a strange noise. He looked up at the sky and saw it. A ship was flying overhead, spinning out of control. It flew over the Kavern and then over half of the forest before it crashed.

Sota blinked. What. . . What the hell was that? Was that. . . a ship. . ? Before he could even process what he was doing, he broke off into a run to see where the ship had crashed. He was curious to see what or who was in the ship.

He slowed down to a cautious walk and summoned his Keyblade when he could see the smoke from the destroyed machine. The crashing of the ship had torn down a large path of trees and ripped up chunks of earth. Sota knew from experience that the safest way to stay hidden was to keep to the shadows. He slipped behind one of the trees that was safely covered by shadows when he saw two boys crawl out of the shattered windshield of the ship.

"I think we're here," the shorter one of the two boys said.

"This is definitely the place. Listen Sora, we should get out of here."

"But Riku, why? We just got here."

Sota stared at the two boys. The silver-haired one with the aquamarine eyes reminded him of Runea. . . The innocent friend that he knew he'd killed. Riku. . . That was her son's name. Her and Darren's. It had to be him.

As for the other boy, everything from his spiky hair down to his large shoes, was strangely familiar. The boy glanced around, his blue eyes taking in his surroundings. He locked eyes with Sota but his gaze continued to skim around the area.

The two of them had only exchanged glances for a few seconds, but in that couple of seconds, something in Sota's heart shifted. That boy's eyes were so full of light it cut through some of the Darkness that had built up in Sota's heart. The fiery will in his eyes was so familiar. . .

Sarah.

They were Sarah's eyes.

Sota's Keyblade clattered to the ground at his feet.

"Who's there?!" The boy known as Riku was pointing his Keyblade threateningly in the direction where Sota was standing.

Sota's breath hitched. He knew who the boys was. Sora. . . Sota shook his head. Sora. He's here. . . The kids. . . Sarah. . . Tears threatened to spill from his eyes but he kept them contained. No, if I cry now, I won't be able to stop. Sora's here. . . Sarah wanted me to get the kids together. . . I. . . I have to make sure that he's all right. . . But what about Joshua. . ?

"Riku, who is it?" he heard Sora whispered.

"I don't know. I heard something. . . It was coming from over there," his friend replied, motioning his head towards the trees.

Sota took a step backwards into the Darkness to make sure he was hidden, but stepped on a stick that snapped beneath his foot.

"If you don't show yourself, we won't hesitate to take you down," Riku told him. "But, if you cope with us and tell us who you are, we'll show you mercy. Your choice." When Sota didn't respond, he went on. "There's no use in hiding and pretending that you're not there. I can see you. You're behind the third tree to the left just in front of us."

Sota bit his lip. He didn't know whether to reveal himself or not. He quickly turned around and ran off, hoping that Sora didn't see him.

Thousands of thoughts rushed through his head, making his head begin to pound. But, out of all those thoughts of his past, only one thing mattered to him now.

Sora. . . His son was at the Dominion of Darkness, the Hell on earth, and he needed to find him.

I promised you Sarah, I'd get the kids back together. . . I'd find them all. . . I'll do it. . . I will. . .

My revenge will have to wait. . . But first. . .

I have to set things right.