Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, but I basically own this laptop! woo!

A/N: Okay, well, it's been a while, I know. I'm sorry, but you must understand: 1) I have other things to do than write. 2) I have like six other stories to work on, so I can't pay attention to one at a time, otherwise my other stories will perish. Now, remember that this is my main one, and no matter what, this will be my priority. But Narcotics is important to me, and I have so many ideas for Blood. Absolute Zero is a nice escape from Kingdom Hearts, and Roses is gonna be amazing. So please check out all my updates while you're waiting for other stories! Review and I will love you!

Fire Resides in Her Heart (Axel+Kairi)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Back at Square One

~Burden of Truth - Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core playing~

I opened my eyes, but still saw darkness. I furrowed my brow, and my skin brushed some sort of fabric. I was wearing a blindfold. Why was I wearing a blindfold?

I moved to stand, but found my arms bound behind me with rope, tied around the back of a wooden chair. My legs were also tied, at the ankle around the legs of the chair. What's going on? I thought, closing my eyes again, the old, ragged fabric rubbing at them.

Then I heard a sound. It sounded like the door was opened, and I opened my eyes again in surprise, and a little bit of fear. On the edges of my vision, at the bottom, underneath the blindfold, I saw a little bit of light on the floor, and a shadow breaking it in the middle. The light disappeared as the door closed, and I closed my eyes again, tighter this time. My heart was pounding, and my chest rose and fell as my breathing came faster, even though I tried to keep it under control.

"Who's there?" I asked, my voice sounding unbearably loud in the silent darkness. Every time I opened my eyes, if only for a second, everything was completely black. I couldn't even see the shadow of the person who'd entered.

"Take a wild guess." I couldn't mistake Axel's voice, and by the sound of it, coupled with the steps of his heavy boots, he was coming closer.

I swear my heart stopped for a moment. "A-Axel?" I whispered, stuttering in my fear.

"Good answer," he replied, and I could hear the sneer in his voice.

"What are you doing?" I asked, the questions coming out of my mouth in a flurry. "What's going on? Why are all the lights out? Where am I?"

"Shush shush shush shush..." Axel's finger pressed against my lips, and I assumed he was kneeling next to me. "Calm down, there's no reason to be scared, Kairi."

It was proving hard to breathe past my racing heart. "A-Are you going to hurt me?" I asked meekly when he took his hand away.

His sigh was almost inaudible, and his boots made a sound against the floor as he stood. He put a hand on my shoulder, and seemed to lean in close to me. "Only if I have to," he whispered in my ear.

My breath left my lungs in a quiet sound of distress, and I struggled against my restraints. My eyes filled with tears as I pleaded with him to let me free. He laughed quietly at this and placed his hands lightly on my upper arms, gently holding me to the chair. He shushed me, but I could hear the smile in his voice, and his occasional chuckle when he wiped tears off my cheek with a deceptively caring touch.

"Be quiet, princess, there's no need for this." He grabbed my chin and shut it tight, silencing my sobs and forcing me to swallow the lump in my throat. He traced my lips with his finger, and wiped another tear away with his thumb as more sobs shook my shoulders. "I wouldn't want to have to cover up those pretty lips of yours to shut you up, huh?" His voice seemed softer as he said this, but I hardly noticed.

He finally let go of my chin, and I breathed in a few shaky breaths as he stepped back, standing up again. "Why are you doing this?" I cried, my voice loud in an effort to speak past my dry throat.

"Why?" His footsteps stopped, but I could feel his presence right in front of me. He suddenly seemed serious, his voice quiet and monotonic. "I'll tell you why. I lost my best friend to this Organization. That bastard DiZ stole him away from me. I finally had a chance to get him back, but I couldn't save him. Either I had to kill him, or Xemnas would send someone else, someone worse. Someone who wouldn't go easy on him. Someone who'd really want to hurt him."

His voice got a hard edge to it, an angry undertone, and the fear came back to me, even stronger than before. "But I couldn't do it. He could finally come back, but he didn't. He chose the little Keyblade Master over me. I've lost him so many times..." he muttered, his voice a mask of despair, which quickly disappeared as he composed himself again. "I'm not gonna lose him again. Even if it means killing your little Sora." He leaned forward until I could feel his breath on my face. "Even if it means killing you, princess."

I couldn't breathe. All I could think about was staying alive. What could I say that would keep me alive? Anything?

"So," he said, standing up straight once more. "Do you have an answer for me yet?"

Did I? I knew where Sora was. That was what he wanted. But I... I couldn't.

"Do I need to refresh your memory?" he asked at my silence. He lifted my face so - presumeably - I was looking at him. "Where is he?"

I didn't answer. I set my jaw tight, and he felt it. "Where is he, dammit?!" he roared, slapping me hard across the face.

I cried out, and the chair rocked to the side, but set itself right just before it could fall.

"You can only last so long, Kairi." He was behind me now, gripping my shoulders so tight I yelped in pain. "Tell me. Tell me where he is, and I swear I won't hurt you any more." He hardly even waited for answer; fire flared beneath his hands and burnt my shoulders, charring the skin and making me scream.

"Tell me!" His voice sounded demonic, suddenly at my side. Something slashed at my cheek, and I sobbed even more. "I'll take you home, back to your island. You can be with your friends again, your family. Go to school like you did before." Then he was in front of me, his lips right before mine, his hand at my cheek, the blood from the cut flowing between his fingers. "Just three words, Kairi. That's all I'm asking for. He's in blank. Just fill in that last word, and you can go home."

He carved a line up my arm, and I couldn't take it anymore. "Will you stop?!" I screamed, making him jerk back away from me.

"Why won't you tell me?!" he roared, grabbing my hair and jerking my face up.

"BECAUSE I LOVE HIM!!!!"

~Scars of Friendship - Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core playing~

I gasped as I sat up straight in my bed, the sheets sticking to me from sweat. Tears filled my eyes of relief and anger, thankful that it had just been a dream, and horrified that it had ever even happened in the first place.

How could I have thought that I could trust Axel? I let him say those words to me, make those promises. He was just going to end up hurting me again.

I ground my teeth together and flung the sheets away from me, my heart, once again, filled with nothing but hate for the redheaded pyro.