Disclaimer: "I do not own Kingdom Hearts..."
Kiome-Yasha: "We're finally getting into the action part of this story! Enjoy! We'll be taking a deeper look between Sora and Roxas's past from here on out."
Chapter 21 Tension Rising
'I never thought my life would be this complicated.' Namine safely mused to herself, the sun beaming overhead as if mocking her.
It was finally the day, the day of Olette and Hayner's wedding. The event that the couple had planned for so long was taking place in the holy cathedral of Hollow Bastion. There were red and white carnations across the handlebars of the church's steps, all carefully nurtured and designed by the wedding planner. Everyone was dressed accordingly for the holy matrimony; all waiting inside as the bride and groom prepared themselves to be wed.
Namine couldn't be any happier for them, though her expression didn't show much proof of it. It had already been a few weeks since her break-up with Sora; and she'll be the first to admit, it wasn't an easy few weeks. Ever since she ended her relationship with the brunette, she and Sora took great care in avoiding each other. She had even reduced in taking extra number of hours inside her art studio in Alantica, refusing to have any confrontation with him; she thought it was for the best. It would seem like he had so much on his mind, that if he dared to look at her, he would burst. In the meantime though, she was left crying in Roxas's arms almost every night, seeking comfort during the ordeal.
'Roxas...' She couldn't help but to rub her temples as his name appeared in her mind. She bent her head forward, blocking the sun from her eyes, 'Even though he's been nothing but kind to me during these pass few months and weeks...I can't help but to feel frustrated by him!' She began to rave inside her mind, 'How could this have happened to me? When did everything decided to be so difficult!' She tried to resist the tears that began to fill behind her eyes, lifting her head up as she tried to settle her breathing, 'I just can't be in love with two people...I just can't!'
She took in a heave of air before breathing it out, "I can't be thinking about this now...these feelings shouldn't mean nothing to me." She tried to reassure herself with a weak voice, "Besides...it's not like Roxas is in love with me." She felt hurt by her words, "So...there's nothing to really worry about...right?" She tightly wrapped her arms around herself, doing her best to block out the pain that threatened to consume her heart.
"Namine...?" She gasped as she froze, recognizing the voice right away.
She promptly turned herself around, "Roxas!" She could already feel her heart beginning to beat fast as she flushed. She mentally scolded the organ, 'Stop it! You're only allowed to beat this fast for Sora! Not his brother who you recently discovered you have feelings for!'
Roxas gave her an apologetic look, "Um, sorry...did I scare you?" He scratched the back of his head, a nasty habit he seemed to have when he was around her. His face started to flare up, becoming stunned by her beauty. She was wearing the custom made yellow dress Olette had specifically ordered for her and the other bridesmaids to wear. The gown gripped every angle of her body, augmenting her curves in the most sexual way as possible. The dress was strapless, containing folds around the hem as they split into waves. Her breasts were cupped nicely, hiding behind the furrowed designed top, as it hugged around her chest and torso. She couldn't be anymore perfect as she was at that moment, the highlights to her hair becoming almost platinum from the sun's rays.
He soon snapped out of his trance as she answered, "No, you just startled me." She shook her head, clearing her thoughts as she forced a smile, "Is there something that you needed?"
He gave a light sigh, almost forgetting the reason why he was looking for her, "It's Olette; she wanted to speak with you before the wedding starts."
She nodded, pulling a few strands of her hair behind her ear, "Right...I would think she would be freaking out by now." She hummed gently, 'Though I'm the one who's really freaking out.'
"You are her maid of honor." He concluded softly, "She just needs her best friend to tell her she's doing the right thing in marrying Hayner."
"Yeah, I'll be sure to see her." She replied with an honest face of reassurance.
"Well..." He gave a bashful smile, "I guess, I should go..."
She gave a small nod, "Yeah...me too." She didn't think of her next words before speaking, "You really do look handsome...Roxas." She blushed furiously from her blunt statement, feeling embarrassed. He had a nice tucked tuxedo, matching the grooms' wardrobe as he wore a vanilla colored vest from underneath his black coat. He also sported a silk red lash around his shirt, matching perfectly with the rose that was attached to his coat's collar.
He gave her tender smile from the compliment, "Thanks. You look lovely yourself." And she did.
He soon began to walk up the steps to the church's entrance, heading back inside as he still needed to attend to his own duties as best man. A frown appeared on Namine's face as he disappeared, becoming anxious to feel his presence again. She shook the feeling away though, rushing up the stairs as her heels clapped loudly against the concrete. But as soon as she entered inside the sacred church, a shadow from outside had quickly followed behind her.
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Roxas walked down the corridors of Hollow Bastion until he found what he was looking for, his brother. Sora had a pitiful posture as he sat on one of the benches inside the dome of the church; the wedding shouldn't take place until another two hours, so the seats were pretty much empty for now. The blond walked towards his brother with slight caution, seeing as he was preparing the right words to say to him. He slowly got beside him, taking the empty space next to him. Roxas was ordered to gather up all the men Hayner had chosen to be his grooms, wanting to prepare a toast before he became a married man.
"Hey..." Roxas was shocked that it was his brother who had spoken first.
"Hey..." He responded in the same manner of tone, becoming curious of where this conversation was going. That last time the two of them had spoken this private was at the hospital when Sol was born.
Roxas waited as he allowed his brother to speak first, feeling anxious as he saw how tense he was. Sora's right leg began to twitch, shaking rapidly, "I...I...I'm really screwed up, Roxas..." The younger Hikari remained quiet, as he gave his brother an intense look, "I've lost the girl I've grown to care for...for my own stupid mistakes..." Roxas soon took notice of the small box inside his brother's hands, "She isn't like Kairi...Roxas...she's far from that...and you know it!"
Roxas could hear the tenor of his brother's voice echo a little inside the auditorium, traces of their last argument coming back to him, "I know...and I'm sorry..." He simply apologized with a low tone of guilt, 'I'm also sorry that I'm in love with her...' He didn't dare add that to his words though.
The younger musician gazed up at the altar ahead, becoming memorized by the display of flowers and decorations as the wedding planner named Aerith assembled them together. His gaze soon traveled across the large pillars inside the room, feeling powerless and weak as they towered over him and his brother.
He looked back at Sora, holding only one question in his head, "Do you love her?" Sora's leg wouldn't stop shaking; it was starting to bother him.
The older Hikari flinched, bringing his head down between his knees, "I...I do..."
"Then why can't you tell her?" Roxas asked fixedly. 'You're stronger than me Sora, so why? Why can't you say it?'
Sora nudged his head to the side in order to catch a glimpse at Roxas's face, "I...I'm afraid..."
"Afraid of what, Exactly?"
Sora finally decided to sit back, letting out a fatigue sigh of exhaustion, "It's too difficult to explain...you wouldn't understand."
"Then make me understand, Sora!" Roxas was now losing his patience, "I'm your brother! Stop shutting me out!" He heard his voice ricochet around the walls, doing his best to calm down. He sounded desperate, becoming hurt as memories of long ago came flooding back to him.
Sora took a lazy gaze over at his brother, revealing the shadows that were under his eyes, "It's my fault for everything, isn't it Roxas?" The blond was left confused as the brunette continued, "I'm the one who caused you to become so distant...ever since Ventus was murdered."
"Please..." Roxas begged soundlessly, "Don't bring that up now..."
Sora gave a low and empty chuckle, "It wasn't until Namine appeared that you began to open up again..." The younger Hikari couldn't help but to feel edgy, looking the other way in order to avoid Sora's eyes.
He began to panic, 'Does Sora know? No...he couldn't.'
Before long, Sora gave a low sigh, "Then again, she's the type to get to anyone, isn't she?" He soon gave a hollow laugh, "I wouldn't be surprised if you were in love with her as well; but that would be crazy, right?"
"Right...crazy." Roxas murmured lowly in agreement, "Besides, she's not my type." He then concluded softly, "Plus, I have a girlfriend."
'Yeah Roxas, go with that excuse.' His conscious argued.
Sora nodded, lifting his hand as if he was going to pat Roxas's back before retreating it back to his side. He leaned forward from his position, "Roxas..."
The blond looked at his brother, sensing a new tone in his voice, "What is it?"
"If...if I didn't said those things to you seventeen years ago...do you think...you would be the same Roxas as you are now?" He clenched his hands together, almost fearing the answer.
The lyrics writer turned away as he got up from his seat, 'Why is he bringing that up now?' His heart tightened, the memory still fresh in his head, "I...I don't know..."
"Do you hate me for that?" The brunette suddenly asked with a hoarse sob.
Roxas was a bit taken back by the sound of his brother's voice, his expression becoming solemn, 'Shouldn't that question be the other way around?' He shook his head, "I love you, Sora; and despite our past, I always did my best to do what was right for you..."
Sora remained silent, finding no other words to say as his shoulders began to tremble. Roxas decided to speak, "I'm going back to Hayner and the guys. Are you going to come or not?" He secretly wanted to know what was causing the brunette to act so strange; it was so unlike him, even if him and Namine did just break-up.
The older Hikari shook his head in dismay, "No, just go on without me. I need time to think." Roxas was a little hesitant at first, but only nodded as he walked across the side towards Hayner's room. He secretly wanted to know what was causing the brunette to act so strange; it was so unlike him, even if him and Namine did just break-up.
When Sora was sure that Roxas was out of range to see him, he pulled out his cellphone, checking for any calls or messages he may have missed. He cussed lowly to himself when he discovered that he didn't. He had tried numerous times to call and message back the person who had sent him the ominous text a few weeks back. It was all proving futile though as he refused to respond; Sora could only assume the worse, as he felt helpless to stop what was coming.
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Namine walked across the narrow hall, finding the bride's room. She paused at the door as she knocked, "Olette?" She waited for a response, becoming stunned for a moment, as Kairi was the one who opened the door. She was almost wearing the same dress as Namine, only hers had straps and was a bit longer.
"Oh! Namine!" The redhead beamed at the girl, "You're just in time! Olette was about to go crazy!" She giggled softly as she decided to step out of the room, "I'll leave you two alone to talk. Okay?"
The artist nodded, "Sure, thanks." She stepped over to the side, allowing Kairi passage to leave. Once the technician was far down the hall, Namine stepped inside the room, closing the door securely behind her.
She was left amazed when she found her friend by the mirror, finding her wedding attire to be done and finalized. She was wearing the traditional white dress, having number of folds around it as they split evenly across the bottom. She had a nice clear and white ribbon at the end of her back, resting along the floor as it left a long trail behind her. Her top had sprinkles of glitter around it, containing no straps as it supported her feminine assets. It was a simple and wide dress, nothing too fancy.
She was struggling to put on her crown, becoming frustrated as she tried not to ruin her tresses. She had placed her hair inside a bun, leaving number of brown curls around her face and shoulders. Namine gave a genuine smile as she walked towards her friend, "You need help with that?"
Olette gasped and turned around, as she was unaware of her friend's presence, "Namine!" She took a glance up at her head, before sighing, "Please do..." She requested somberly.
The blonde went over and grabbed the tiara, asking Olette to sit as she tried to fix the nuptial headdress. The brunette sat silently, feeling the quirks of Namine's hands as she gently pried with her hair. She chose to speak after awhile of silence, "Namine, do you think I'm doing the right thing in marrying Hayner?"
As if expecting the question, Namine answered with a smile, "Yes, Olette." She looked over and inspected the circlet on her friend's head, making sure it was proportional.
Olette swiftly turned herself around, "Really? I'm mean...we're not moving too fast...are we?" Her voice squeaked.
Namine shook her head, deciding to sit next to the flustered bride, "No, Olette." She looked over at her friend's anxious green eyes, "You and Hayner are meant for each other. You guys have been dating for years! And even though you guys had your arguments and misunderstandings, you still managed to make it work. You still continue to prove that you love each other each day; and after this day is over, probably even forever." She gave her friend a reassuring grin, hoping her words were comforting enough.
Olette whimpered softly, tears appearing at the brim of her eyes, "Oh...Namine..." She quickly wiped the dews from falling down her face, "I'm so sorry..." She brought her hands over on the islander's, "Here I am, crying over my own problems in marrying the man who I love more than anything...when you and Sora had just broken up." She bowed her head in disgrace, "I'm being so stupid...I should've thought of your feelings before my own..."
Namine was provoked to cry herself, but she rejected the tears from falling, "Olette, my relationship with Sora is not important right now. You're the one who's getting married, not me."
"I know, but...I really thought you two could've been something!" She exclaimed with a wretched sob, sniffling harshly through her nose.
Namine was left mute as she tried not to expose her emotions from rising; she really didn't want to be reminded about her relationship with Sora, more or less than her newfound feelings for Roxas. She released an unsteady sigh, "Olette...my bond with Sora...is difficult to explain right now. It's not like we don't care or love each other...it's just...complicated." She reasoned softly to her friend, even though deep down inside she was hurting.
Before she could react, Olette embraced Namine tightly to her, patting her blonde mane tenderly, "I just wish for you to be happy."
The girl nodded delicately against the brunette's shoulder, "I know...and I will be...if you could stop crying and marry that man who's waiting for you at that altar."
Olette gave an uneven nod, obeying her best friend's wishes, "Okay..."
"Now..." Namine started, "Why don't you fix up your make-up a bit while I go to the bathroom." She looked over at the clock that was inside the room, "It won't be long now until you become Mrs. Rivera, after all. So you have to look your best for Mr. Rivera." She gave a friendly wink, nudging her head to the side with a pleasant smirk on her face.
Olette agreed as she got up from her seat, walking over to her set of make-up as she started applying some on her face. Namine stood up from her seat as well, "I'll be back in a minute."
"Okay!" The brunette chirped excitedly, "I'll wait for you here."
Namine nodded before heading out the door, leaving her friend to get ready. She quickly walked down the empty hall as she discovered the first bathroom she could find. As soon as she entered the small restroom, she let out a distressed sigh of relief. She didn't bother locking the door as she headed over to one of the mirrors, taking a glance at her reflection. She gasped from the sight she saw, finding she looked horrible, seeing as she had started crying immediately after leaving Olette's room. She quickly reached over to the side to get some napkins, wiping the smudged eyeliner from underneath her eyes, or at least, attempting to.
She couldn't contain her emotions any longer though, dropping the napkin to the ground as she grabbed hold of the sink. She tried to gain back her breathing, sobbing painfully as her talk with Olette only served more stress to her feelings for Sora and Roxas. While she grieved silently by the sink, she became distracted over the individual that entered inside the bathroom with her. She slowly began to look up, and before she could make sense of the shadow behind her, the person's strong hands had already trapped her.
She let out scream, only to get it ensnared by the hooded figure's hand. She kicked and struggled from the man's hold, letting out a yelp as he pressed his body against hers, keeping her from moving. She had tears spilling forth from her eyes, becoming confused and frightened over the situation.
She managed to press her heel onto his foot though, earning a shout from him, "Gah! You bitch!" She mentally congratulated herself.
He cussed as he threw her against the wall, his right hand pinned to her mouth. He could feel the moisture to her tears as they dripped down onto his hand. Namine scrutinized the male in front of her, realizing he was wearing a mask to conceal his face. She didn't dare to move, as he pulled out a handgun from his back pocket. She let out a sniveling whine as he pressed the pistol against her hip; she couldn't help but to shed more tears, fearing for her life.
"I really wished I didn't have to do this, especially inside a church, but...when things don't go your way, you're forced to take action." His voice sounded similar to Sora's, only rougher; she had a sickening feeling like she heard it before. He decided to take the gun away from her body, "It would be a shame to hurt such a delicate flower such as yourself, but, in order for this to work, I need you as hostage."
'What is he talking about? Who is he? Why does his voice sound so familiar?' Her mind frantically asked, hoping he would give her an answer without her asking.
He seemed to sense her turmoil, "I'm guessing you're trying to figure out who I am? And how it seems like we've met before; aren't you?" She could literally hear the smirk in his voice. She began to fidget, becoming uncomfortable as he played with the pistol like some toy, "I'm sure you remembered that faithful afternoon in Alantica. If I recall, we bumped right into each other before Xehanort decided to show up and interrupt."
Her eyes went wide as she finally remembered, 'It's him! It's that man who was with Mr. Xehanort! But...why? How are they related to each other?'
"I could literally hear the gears inside your mind turning!" He laughed aloud with amusement, "Don't worry, sweetheart. You can thank your two roommates and grandfather for this."
'What? My grandfather!' She became alarmed as she was left confused even more, 'And just what do Sora and Roxas have anything to do with this?'
The masked man looked up towards the ceiling, "I say it wouldn't be long now until they try to come and find you. So, afraid to say, our talk will have to end here. You'll be coming with me now." He put his handgun away as he took out a couple of cloths from his front pocket.
Namine began to struggle again, thrashing her arms around as she tried to resist him. He growled dangerously, slamming her back once more against the wall so that he could have a better control over her. She winced from the impact, feeling the first cloth wrap around her mouth before the other around her eyes. He folded and tightened them into knots behind her head, grabbing hold of her arms as he pulled them back. Namine screamed into the fabric, her cries becoming muffled.
She wept softly as her kidnapper shoved her forward, "Now, now." He soothed seductively across her neck, causing her to shudder in disgust, "No more crying, the fun's just getting started."
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Tifa was the first to arrive at Olette's room before Selphie followed inside right afterwards. The older woman spoke as she wore a slick black dress, "Olette? Everyone has already sat down. Your bridesmaids are all prepared to walk down the aisle, all except Namine. What's taking so long?"
"Wait, Namine wasn't with them?" Olette asked, getting worried, "She said she was going to come back here, but considering the time, I thought she may have decided to meet with them." She spoke with a disquieting tone.
"We thought she might have been with you? Do you know where she went?" Selphie asked curiously.
"She said she was going to use the bathroom, but that was like...almost an hour ago." The bride replied nervously.
"Okay, let's not panic." Tifa suggested calmly, "We'll just go and find her in one of the bathrooms. If she's not there, then we'll look somewhere else."
"I'm coming with you!" Olette stated strongly, picking up her dress as she walked towards them.
"You sure that's a good idea?" Selphie questioned lightly, "What if Hayner sees you?"
"Finding Namine is more important to me than some superstition of bad luck." She walked between the two women, taking lead as she went for the first restroom she could find.
All three of them entered inside the first lavatory, finding no one there. They searched all over the place, making sure to inspect each bathroom. They couldn't find Namine anywhere, which only caused Olette to start panicking.
"Where could she be? She wouldn't be anywhere else!" The brunette exclaimed restlessly, feeling a dread inside her heart, "Not at this time! She wouldn't just disappear!"
Tifa took the hysterical girl's shoulders, "Olette, you need to calm down! I'm sure she's somewhere."
"Yeah, but where?" Selphie inputted gently, her eyes beginning to flood with fear.
Tifa looked back and forth between the two brunettes, before forming an idea, "Why don't the two of you keep looking around, okay? I'll tell Hayner and the guys." The two younger women nodded, already taking off to look around some more.
The bar hostess sighed quietly before taking off towards the other direction, her feet charging as her steps knocked hard against the rugged floor. She made it to the entrance of the lobby, looking towards the altar as she spotted the groom. She quickly sped her way down the lane, receiving many odd looks from the guests. The priest Yen Sid looked like he was about to scold her for her presence, but restrained himself from doing so.
Hayner looked at Tifa strangely as she stepped towards him, "Tifa? What's wrong? Is Olette alright?" A thought soon came to him, "Oh no, please don't tell me she ran off."
"No, she's fine." The woman reassured softly, hearing everyone begin to whisper behind her, "We do have problems though; it seems like we can't find Namine anywhere."
"What!" Both Hikari twins exclaimed with distress.
Roxas tried to speak calmly, but his voice wavered, "What do you mean Namine's missing?"
Tifa began to explain, "She said something about using the bathroom after talking with Olette, but that was like an hour ago. We checked every restroom around this place, but we can't find her."
"Well, she has to be somewhere! She couldn't have just vanished!" Roxas explicated lowly.
The barmaid responded, "That's what Olette said...I just don't know." She gave a downcast look of hopelessness.
Sora was rendered speechless, his thoughts diminishing to process what was happening. His bottom lip began to tremble, 'Namine...Namine...Namine!'
Just before Sora could continue his mental chant, his phone went off inside his pocket. Roxas heard the cellphone, turning to his brother as he wondered who could be calling him at this time. Sora didn't have any second thoughts, retrieving the phone out of his pocket. He looked at the screen, becoming immobile as he discovered whom the caller was.
He gulped as he bit down on his bottom lip, flipping the phone open as he spoke, "Hel—hello?" His lungs thrashed irregularly, causing him to hyperventilate.
"So—Sor—Sora?" It was Namine's voice, breaking between sobs.
'No!' The brunette's conscious shouted.
It wasn't long until a dark voice replaced the artist's tarnished and gentle one, "Hello, Sora. I think I remembered telling you how time was up."
End Chapter
Kiome-Yasha: "Another cliffhanger! I'm on a roll with these lately. Anyway, I was expecting to continue this chapter a bit further, but I decided to stop it here until the next chapter. But yeah, if you guys haven't figured out who the masked person is yet...then I failed to drop hints XD. Oh! And I would like to say, as I always take time to say, thank you SO much for the reviews and support. I'm really glad a lot of people are enjoying this story and have continued to read it until the end. You guys truly are the best, so thank you. Namine's next for the report :)."
Namine: "Kiome-Yasha will like to give special thanks to: RawkstarVienna, Sara Crewe, Childanny, kawaiigurl93, chibixbabe, Sovereign Beta, DamnBlackHeart, Dragonflies87, Hearts in the Twilight, Caitlyn-4479, Mooseluver8, TehAverageWrites, ComicalxMysterious, Nami the Writer, Spellbound/Soragirl4ever, MonkeyGirlxoxo, SaphireWaves, Lilth Vaan, DeathByHarmony, kh-kichi13, xHikarix3, Kpop, LivingHerOwnFairyTale, ilnd1anime4luvr, xXKingdomxXHeartsxXGirl, Divine Wolfe, Wings of Fidelity, Rosekun25, LuminaeHikari, Brightest Darkest Heart, SaphireRose15, HeartlessBuggy, jenyflo5483. We hope that to be everyone, thank you all again for all the reviews and support. Nami the Writer was sweet enough to donate more plushies as your gifts! :D"
Sora: "Namine! Come back to me!"
Roxas: "Namine, come to my arms!"
Kiome-Yasha: "Until next time everyone! Please leave reviews if you can on what you thought about this chapter; and what might be waiting ahead ;)."