A/N: I've come to the conclusion that part of the reason why this story is so dark is because I watch too many Investigation Discovery shows. Pardon me.
o.o.o
Follow Me Home
Chapter Twenty-Nine
o.o.o
"Cause I don't wanna lose you now
I'm lookin' right at the other half of me
The vacancy that sat in my heart
Is a space that now you hold
Show me how to fight for now
And I'll tell you, baby, it was easy
Comin' back here to you once I figured it out
You were right here all along..."
o.o.o
"Uncle Sora!"
Sora grunted; he was half awake when he heard the two year old coming down the stairs. His arm was still placed around Kairi. Before he knew it, Ken was already tugging on his shirt from the side of the bed.
In a panic, Sora quickly flipped over and saw Ken just staring at him in confusion.
"Uhh... hey... kiddo..." Sora mumbled, still trying to wake up.
"Mommy and daddy were hugging in the shower and told me to come down here."
Sora gave the child an astounded look. Ken stood on his tip toes and saw Kairi behind him. "Who is she? Is she your wife?"
"S-She's..." Sora's face went red, "...my... friend!"
"So you can sleep with your friends? I thought only people like mommy and daddy slept in the same bed. I wish I had a friend to sleep with..."
The seemingly innocent comment caused Sora to escort Ken back upstairs. Namine was already in the kitchen making some coffee. Sora could hear the blow dryer in the background.
"Is she still here?" Namine asked as Sora went back towards the basement door.
"Y-Yeah."
"Bring her up here. I'm going to make breakfast."
Sora was baffled. "But... what about Riku?"
"We talked about it."
"...In the shower?" Sora asked skeptically. Namine blushed.
'"I can be... persuasive."
o.o.o
Roxas' first night at his brother's house was fairly quiet, with the exception of the television blaring in the other room for the majority of the night. Ventus liked to live well beneath his means, so the walls were thin and the house was small, even though Ventus had a very well paying job being a manager at a cell phone store. Roxas wasn't sure exactly how his wife, Anna felt about it; she was kind of shy. In a way, Roxas enjoyed his new found peace, but at the same time, he worried about Kairi like crazy.
Then he told himself that Sora was with her, so she must be happy.
Regret haunted him.
"Kairi was never happy with me. What a waste..."
Roxas wondered what to do with his life now, other than the requirements that were suddenly thrown on him by his family. Hayner and Olette probably didn't want to see him. Aqua and Terra were friends to Kairi more than he was.
Then—there was Xion.
"I can't believe that she has a daughter. That's insane..."
He wondered exactly what happened to her after their little... incident. At the time, Roxas felt hopeless about Kairi and just let Xion have her way with him.
More regret.
He felt bad. In a way, it was like using her... no matter what her reasons for it were. Ever since he met Xion, she always had to listen to his frustrations about Kairi. Why she did what she did was baffling to him.
It was embarrassing and Roxas was pretty sure that it would be awkward if they were to meet again.
And then—there was that little girl.
"What was that feeling that I felt when I looked at her...?"
All of his crazy thoughts were interrupted by a knock at his door. Ventus popped his head in.
"Oh, you're awake. Mom wants to meet us. Get dressed."
"Why do you keep surprising me with these things?"
"Because she's in the kitchen. Hurry up."
Roxas threw a shirt at the door, but missed. "Damn..."
o.o.o
Kairi sat up in the bed and could hear footsteps coming down the stairs, only to reveal Sora. He glanced at her, blushed and turned his head.
"...Good morning..."
Maybe today would be different.
After a delayed silence, Sora said, "Morning."
A sense of relief filled her.
"Namine... wants you... to come upstairs... to eat."
"...Really?"
Sora didn't respond and just headed up the stairs. Kairi scrambled to get out of the bed and followed him.
'He held me last night...' Kairi smiled to herself.
Kairi knew that she shouldn't come on so strong to her fragile ex lover. She wanted to work it out as quickly as possible, but she knew that wasn't going to work. The problem was that she always wanted to hug him or kiss him. She wanted to convince him that he was the one for her. Kairi wanted Sora to forgive her for her terrible mistakes.
Namine had already set the table. Ken was settled into a high chair and was chowing down on the pancakes.
"Hey, you two." Namine cracked a smile as Sora and Kairi made their way over to the table.
Kairi wanted to thank Namine, but she didn't know how. It really felt like Namine helped them improve their relationship.
Riku came into the room. He glanced at Kairi and then just tried his best to ignore her. Namine mouthed a 'thank you' to him before sitting down at the table.
"This looks great." Kairi said as she eyed at the bacon and eggs on her plate.
Riku sat next to his son and started eating. He was eerily quiet.
In fact, everyone was. Only the sound of forks clanking with the plates were heard.
'We used to laugh all the time...' Namine thought.
Sora's elbow bumped into Kairi's arm. She had forgotten that he was left handed and she was right handed.
"S-Sorry." Sora said in a low tone.
"Mommy," Ken broke the silence, "I'm done. Can I be excused?"
"Me too." Riku helped Ken out of his high chair and followed the energetic child back to his room. Sora, Kairi and Namine just sat there.
"I'm going to go and talk to him." Sora was about to stand up, but Namine stopped him.
"No. He just... worries about you, Sora. It's natural for a best friend. No offense, Kairi."
"None taken..."
"Well, I'll take Kairi home... again." Sora finished his meal and took his plate over to the sink. He washed it off and set it in the dishwasher. "Thanks a lot, Namine."
After Sora and Kairi left, Namine retreated back to Ken's room where Riku was playing with him. She stood at the door and watched as Riku interacted with him; Ken was happy and laughing. Riku noticed her.
"I'll be right back, okay?" Riku told the kid and went over to Namine. They went across the hall and into their room.
"Riku, that was nice." Namine said. But he changed the subject.
"I know that Sora can't give Kairi up that easily."
"Yeah..."
"So... if... by chance... they were to..." Riku stuttered; it was as if this was one of the hardest things for him to say, "...get b-back together, I don't know if... I would be okay with it. Well," he straightened up, "I'm obviously not okay with it now..."
"Sora understands. But I really think that Kairi is remorseful."
"What happened to Roxas?"
"I don't know. I didn't see him at the apartment when I went."
"Hmph... well if I ever see him again, I'm going to knock him out."
Namine giggled.
"Hey, what are you laughing at?" Riku asked defensively. She just left the room.
o.o.o
After much hesitation, Roxas finally came out of his room. Tears filled his mothers eyes as she wrapped her arms around him.
"I... haven't seen you... in..."
"A long time, I know."
"Why... did you leave us...?"
Ventus and his wife turned their heads as Roxas tried to come up with a proper response. However, he was rendered speechless.
"Anyway, are we ready to go?" Ventus asked.
"Now where?" Roxas glared at him.
"To Anna's baby shower."
Roxas eased up a little; he was expecting him to say the hospital. Mrs. Yonehara clung to him as they left the house.
o.o.o
A huge fight broke out in the middle of the prison cafeteria. Vanitas stood in the background and waited for his opportunity. There were about fifteen men—probably gang members—involved in the confrontation and the officers were focused on stopping it before anything bad happened. In a split second, Vanitas slipped out the door right before they blew the whistle. He ran as quickly as he could. He knew that at least some people would see him, but right now he was determined to escape. The majority of the officers had gone to the cafeteria, so at least he had a chance.
Vanitas raced down the hallway. Two cops were coming his way, so he turned the corner and hid, trying to keep his breathing under control. The exit was up ahead. Miraculously, they didn't notice that he was there and just hurried down to the cafeteria.
The doors were right in front of him.
o.o.o
Sora stood at the door in front of Kairi's apartment.
"Do you... want to... come in...?"
Yes, he did.
"I... have to get ready for work." He lied. Today was his day off, but she didn't know that.
"Oh..." her eyes lowered, "okay..."
A wave of guilt overcame Sora. He watched as Kairi stalled in front of him to go inside. Finally, she turned the knob and stepped into the apartment.
"I guess... I'll see you later..."
"...Yeah..."
Kairi slowly closed the door. Once it latched, she took her hand off of the handle and stood there.
Sora was on the other side, staring at the door.
He felt lost.
Incomplete.
...empty.
'I don't want to leave... not yet...'
Without thinking, Sora opened the door, nearly hitting Kairi in the face with it. She gasped and lost her balance, but Sora caught her and then pulled her in and hugged her tightly. Kairi could feel him shaking and she wasn't quite sure what was happening. Sora looked into her eyes and cupped her cheek. Instinctively, Kairi closed her eyes. Sora leaned in and kissed her.
It was bittersweet.
They parted from each other, but didn't dare look away.
"Kairi... I..."
o.o.o
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A/N: Please leave a review~! I wonder who will be the 200th reviewer?
