On Glass Wings
--xxSerenity
wasn't that bad of a wait right? ;P Nearing the end. Two more chapters after this. Oh no. But yeeeah..I like this chapter..even if it does get sappy :) and bloody. I was listening to Nickleback while writing this, thus the need to use the lyrics XD I don't own them. Heheheh. Edit: I had a lot of typo's here xD I fixed the big ones, but please let me know if there's anything else that looks stupid and makes me look stupid. Thanks :D
-36-
all of hell
' ' on my knees I'll ask last chance for one last dance' '
"He's beautiful" She said, tracing a finger down the infant's cheek as it screamed in his mother's arms. Xemnas sneered and looked away.
"It's an annoying brat. Can you not find a way to shut it up somehow?"
The woman shot Xemnas a look, but her face instantly softened afterwards.
"I always wanted you to name him, Xemmy."
Xemnas cleared his throat and scoffed at the annoying pet name, but regardless he sighed and leaned over the woman in her hospital bed as she clutched her crying infant.
When the baby felt the shadow draping over him, he gradually quieted, and his eyes barely creaked open until they were saucer-wide and staring up at the somewhat smirking figure, who made a note of the bright cerulean of the baby's wide eyes.
"His eyes are very blue.." He remarked, and his sister chuckled softly before reaching up to brush one of the child's few short brown strands of hair off his forehead, a gesture which had him quietly murmuring his approval with a happy little smile.
"Yeah, they remind me of the sky.."
Xemnas eyed the infant thoughtfully and for a few moments more before he inhaled deep, and on his exhalation, he murmured a single, simple enough name.
"Sora."
For the briefest of moments, Xemnas could feel his own expression soften, but he just as quickly dismissed the invading memory and when Xehanort was distracted by his son, Xemnas had taken that opportunity to quickly pull the knife from Axel's neck, merely to move it around and down, drawing the blade hard and fast through the ropes tethering Axel's wrists.
Once done, he abandoned the knife, and started up the stairs much to Xehanort's confusion, who had looked up at the commotion, just in time to be greeted with a sudden flare of pain in his hand.
Though surprised himself, Axel hadn't wasted a moment, and once he felt the tension at his wrists weaken, he had quickly fought the rest of the way out and lunged from his chair, snatching up the piece of glass and hurling it, firing it like a little bullet so that it skimmed over Sora's shoulder and stuck right against the back of Xehanort's scalpel-clutching hand when he was then distracted by Xemnas as he stormed up and out.
"Fuck!" Xehanort hissed and instantly drew back then after with his free hand clutching his wrist of the hand where the large glass shard protruded.
Axel had then moved to grab Sora, but Xehanort quickly regained himself and dashed that plan when his injured hand swung the scalpel after having been freed of the shard, and his swing caught Axel across the cheek.
Sora had ducked to avoid the attack, and quickly pushed himself out from between the two, merely to glide over to a semiconscious Riku. Sora moved a hand to rest against Riku's bloody face, applying a bit of pressure in an attempt to get him to wake up.
"Riku? Riku! Speak to me!"
And for a second, his eyes did flutter open, where he then uttered a faint "Sora.." before returning to the brink of unconsciousness.
"Sora!" He heard Axel yell and saw him press a hand to his own bloody cheek, where a deep gash from the scalpel had been placed, but he was also just in time to see Xehanort lunge with his scalpel aimed and ready to land a blow on him.
But should he dive out of the way, Xehanort's scalpel was aimed in such a way that it would cut into Riku, so instead Sora turned his body fully, so the haphazard thrust of the weapon met with his upper arm instead.
It ripped through the sleeve of his costume and pierced his skin somewhat deep.
Sora let out a yell and jerked to the side, though his arms had slid around Riku's waist protectively as he did so, his head against his chest.
Though in pulling away, Xehanort's scalpel had slipped from his grasp so it remained embedded in Sora's arm, and the boy whimpered, fighting back the yelp as the stinging sensation had tears pricking at his eyes.
But before Xehanort could regain his weapon, he felt the stronger arms of Axel wrapping around his waist and tackling him to the hard floor, where the two landed with a thud and even skidding a small distance.
There was a series of grunts and growls that followed as the two elders ensued in that fierce fist-to-fist battle, and at one point, Axel stood, grasping the neck of Xehanort's coat and taking him with him just to usher him forward with a hand to the back of his head, aiming to smash it hard against the wall.
But Xehanort skillfully slid out of that grasp, and took up Axel's position, so that he was the one crashing against the wall. But he merely held him there, his hands moving to grasp both his wrists tightly behind the red-head's back.
"Didn't anyone ever teach you not to meddle?" He hissed when his chin came to settle against Axel's shoulder, and Axel jerked to get away with no success.
But the sudden flare of pain in the back of his ankle had Xehanort rearing back with a yell, and taking the captive Axel with him, though he merely threw him to the side before he stumbled and fell to his back besides Sora who had dove and slid after having yanked the scalpel from the back of his shoulder and used it to gash the back of Xehanort's ankles with the hope to disenable him from walking.
Though it had stunned him for a split second, Sora failed to fulfil that plan; the blade hadn't cut anywhere near deep enough.
When Xehanort came too, shaking his head before casting a glance to the weakened boy besides him, he chuckled softly and pushed himself up into a sitting position, merely to reach out and grab Sora before he could pull away.
He snatched the scalpel back from him, and laid the weakly struggling boy across his lap, snickering as he did so.
"That was a underhandedly clever move, Sora. I'm proud to call you my son. However, the tendon you were looking to sever is called the Achilles' Tendon, and it's located a bit higher up. Here, let me show you."
But just as the cold steel met with the back of Sora's ankle, Sora had twisted his body up and around, gripping the fabric of Xehanort's coat with one hand while reaching up with the hand that had plucked another medium-sized glass shard from his arm. This position then allowed him to thrust forward with that hand, plunging the sharp piece into the closest available eye.
The tip pierced the orb easily, and Xehanort drew back, flinging the scalpel in order to free his hands so they could grasp his injured eye and thus giving Sora enough time to roll off his lap.
He had a small cut on the back of his ankle, but it wasn't anything compared to the other gashes from the glass and from Xehanort himself, and firstly, after pushing himself to his feet, he sprinted over to the unconscious Axel, his hands on his shoulders and shaking him to get him up. But after having hit his head so hard on the stairs, he was out cold.
"Axel! Come on!" Sora pleaded on the brink of tears, and completely not expecting the growl and the swing of the newly recovered scalpel.
But he had turned his eyes over his shoulders just in time, and in response he leaped forwards and over Axel, pressing his already bandaged palm onto the hard floor and kicking his skated feet up.
He brought one leg around, and then the other, which made contact with Xehanort's flailing wrist hard enough to knock it to the side, and when his skates did touch down on the floor, he glided around so he was facing his crazed father, who lunged once more with a similar attack.
This time Sora had back-flipped to avoid the swing, both hands pressed into the floor for support as he flipped, only to quickly glide backwards on those skates upon touching down once more.
He seemed to have an advantage on those roller blades, and being particularly skilled on them definitely helped.
Riku stirred weakly from his spot tethered to the wall, coughing as he lifted his head but barely, just to cheer on his friend as he fought.
There was one point right before Xehanort lunged again, that Sora noticed one of the basement's poles protruding from the floor then ending at the ceiling, and as the elder followed closely behind Sora, the boy would grab that perfectly formed opportunity.
He sprinted the short distance to the pole and quickly jumped for it, his arms outstretched in front of his head. Though he then angled his body slightly so that his hands could hook, and while he couldn't fit his palms entirely around the pole, he was still able to use it as sort of a guide.
The force with which he was skating and that with which he had jumped enabled him to swing around the pole and with his body tilted sideways, he was able to nail Xehanort right in the jaw after the man had stopped trying to go around the pole after him, and instead paused in wait to catch him, meanwhile unaware of the rather sporadic move that had caught him off guard.
His head jerked to the side when the skate landed hard against the side of his face, and as he stumbled, choking as he did so when a sudden coughing fit overcame him, Sora was able to straighten his arms in order to keep himself from swinging around a second time, and in addition to that, he twisted his body around so he was on his back after having released the pole, and from there he sat up, bending his knees so his skates were parallel to the ground.
He hit the ground running, so to say, and made a mad dash for the stairs while Xehanort struggled to his feet, sputtering and gasping for air as if having just emerged from being drowned.
Meanwhile, watching the scene unfold had Riku envisioning the very first time he had ever seen Sora, and the similar move he pulled to evade that chasing cop. The memory had him snickering softly to himself.
"That's..my..Sora.." He murmured, just as Sora zoomed past him in that fast lunge toward the stairs.
It wasn't as if he intended to leave them there to get help either. He was merely trying to lure Xehanort as far away from Riku and Axel as possible. However, when Sora caught sight of Xemnas' abandoned knife a few feet before the stairs, he had another idea.
Right before he reached the bottom step, he crouched and lashed a hand out to scoop up the kitchen knife just so he could clutch it in his hand as he started to quickly jump up those steps
As expected, he heard the harsh thumping of Xehanort's boots following him, and instantly Sora panicked. He had the plan laid out in his head, but to follow through with it...
He clenched his eyes shut, and swallowed hard before pressing off the middle step just as he heard the loud crash of Xehanort stumbling up the stairs after him. But he was too late to catch the boy, and Sora had already leapt backwards, flipping in mid-air and over him and Axel sprawled out on the stairs, so that he could land back down on the basement floor.
In this position, he had a clear lunge at Xehanort's back with his knife, or should he turn...
I can't do this..
He could feel his heart start to race, and his knuckles whitened around the hilt of the kitchen knife, trembling all the while as he prepped himself for that one last jump. But he was frozen in place then after, and he found himself unable to breathe let alone act.
Nothing, not even his first performance in Glass Wings could compare to the fear and anxiety he felt at that moment, and as Xehanort shifted, turning so he moved from his front to his back on the stairs, Sora was about ready to give it all up just to give himself in when Riku's voice suddenly ripped through his mind in that quickly flashing memory.
"I love you too much to let you suffer any more."
His words were a light through his fog of confusion and anxiety, and Sora no longer felt that fear he once did.
"He protected me all those times.."
Xehanort had managed to push himself to his feet, but he stumbled, tripping over Axel's unconscious form. Still, he swung that scalpel with all the accuracy of an enraged drunk, and in doing so, he managed to catch Sora across the chest, ripping through his costume and crossing over his old scar so it formed an X right over his heart, but the boy barely flinched, too lost in his thoughts to register the sting.
"I'm Riku falling in love with Sora.."
"After all I've said and done.."
The clang of of the two weapons sounded when Sora held up that kitchen knife at one point, in order to block the swinging scalpel, which aimed another blow for his face.
"He always picked up the pieces.."
Sora could feel the tears pricking at the corners of his eyes as he saw his friend hanging limply in his bonds, half naked, barely clinging to consciousness and bleeding from the wounds decorating pale flesh.
"I will not let you fall"
"Now he's in trouble, and I have to be the one to protect him...and I've already failed so far.."
In a fleeting moment of weakness, his eyes clenched tightly shut, and that gave Xehanort all the time he needed to lunge forward, slamming his shoulder into the boy's smaller chest and sending him stumbling to his back.
Wasting no time, Xehanort then turned to his side and aimed his elbow, just to drop down forcefully onto Sora's stomach, causing him to cry out which then turned into a small choke that had him coughing up a bit of blood.
Xehanort laughed at that point, and finally moved over Sora's weakened form, gripping him by the shirt with both hands and then ripping outward in order to shred the fabric easily, baring his bloodied chest.
Once done, Xehanort took up that scalpel once more and pressed it firmly to a spot on Sora's skin, besides the old scar, the new wound, and his rapidly racing heart.
"I've waited...so long for this.." He hissed darkly and leaned in, pressing the blade's tip just barely into his flesh. A small bubble of blood had formed, and it snaked its way down Sora's chest as Xehanort drew the scalpel torturously downwards. Of course, not deep enough to cut anything vital yet. Now that he had him at his mercy, he wanted to draw this out and make him suffer.
Dry lips parted to protest, but all that came out were soft squeaks of pain and then a barely whispered "I'm sorry, Riku.."
But before Sora could pass out, there was a choking cough that kept him in tact, and he lifted his head slightly and barely just in time to see his friend stirring, gently and weakly pulling at his shackles before leaning his head back against the wall.
"So-ra.." He coughed, his eyes creaking open but barely. "Giv..ving up al..ready? I-I thought you..were stron..ger than..that.."
"Yeah..." Sora choked himself, shifting uncomfortably as Xehanort withdrew the scalpel, merely to cast an angry glance over his shoulder to the still stirring Riku. "I made you a promise.."
Xehanort turned back around with the scalpel poised, ready to finish it, but by then it was too late. Sora had taken up Xemnas' knife that was still clutched in his hand and weakly, he pushed himself up on his free arm, though he used his clutching hand to knock the scalpel from the unsuspecting elder as his gaze just barely returned. Once done, Sora then twirled the blade until it was aimed directly at Xehanort's chest, given his position looming over the teen.
"I'm not letting you fall either!" And with a final yell, the knife was plunged forward forcefully, all his weight leaned into the shove that had the blade piercing the elder's coat and his skin and his heart.
Sora pushed it, and again so that it pressed in deeper. Blinded by his rage, he even twisted it, and Xehanort jerked as the pumping organ forced the blood from the newly formed gash.
His blood seeped in forceful rivulets alongside the knife's blade, causing Xehanort to freeze up in both shock, horror, and pain. His eyes were wide, and his free hand was cupped beneath his the hole in his chest and heart, causing the cold blood to pool in his palm.
He staggered back, off of Sora, and Sora tightened his hold on the knife, just to yank it out which resulted in a forceful spray that had the boy covered, but he seemed barely affected by that. He shifted, sitting back and watching horror-stricken as his fatally injured father fell back, twitching in agony as he sprawled out on the hard floor with his blood pooling around him
He had long since abandoned the scalpel thanks to Sora, though the small instrument sat a few inches away from his clenching and unclenching fingers, and the elder seemed to reach for it, even as he lay dying.
Though, naturally, Sora would soon come to realize the severity of the reality of what had just taken place, and despite the sense of liberation he should've felt, he was overtaken by guilt instead, especially while watching his father slowly suffer as he died, with wide, frightened eyes.
"So-ra.." Xehanort choked in those last few moments, a barely lifted hand reached upwards towards him, and hesitantly, Sora dared to edge towards him, crawling weakly on hands and knees to his side where that reaching hand then gently traced along the side of his son's bloodied face.
The boy tensed at the cold touch, but feeling obligated, he allowed it, no matter how it made his blood run like ice through his veins.
Sora watched Xehanort's one good eye for a few moments, as it blinked every so often, squeezing shut and then opening halfway before the lid raised that extra inch. The other was nothing more but torn bits of white silk and broken glass shards though Sora could also recognized the amber bits of his torn iris as well.
But what was most peculiar to him would be none other than the small forming tear that had gathered at the corner of that one good eye.
Maybe it was just because he was dying, maybe he really meant it, Sora wouldn't know, and frankly, Sora didn't care.
Xehanort's barely whispered apology meant nothing to Sora, and as the man's cold palm pressed against Sora's cheek, the boy reached up, seemingly to rest his own hand against that of his father's, but in the end, he merely tightened his hold, and pried the hand from his face.
"I can't...I..I don't forgive you.." He forced out a smile, though even as he spoke he whimpered a little and hung his free hand against his tear-filled eyes. "And you can die knowing I never will."
Sora rested Xehanort's hand gently against the floor before weakly pushing himself to his feet, no longer paying any mind to the suffering man as he sputtered and gasp, sucking in what oxygen he could as his heart finally failed him.
Meanwhile, Sora stumbled a little on the skates and all, but he staggered forwards, and ended up gliding over to Riku.
His hands came out to stop his forward motion, pressing into the walls on either sides of Riku's stomach, and once he had come to a halt, he slid those arms around the elder teen's waist, curling them around and resting his head against his chest much as before, despite the wince from the pressure on Riku's own wounds.
"Hey, come –on now..watch the cuts..and..you're getting.. blood ...all over me, as if I need any more.." He joked lightly, and Sora pulled back, just to smile warmly at him. But to his dismay, the once nagging headache then turned to sheer dizziness, and Riku looked on helplessly and concerned when Sora started to wobble uneasily on both feet. "Sora? Sora!"
But Riku's calls would fall on deaf ears as Sora's focus gradually faded, and as things around him blurred to the point where nothing was recognizable, the teen found himself falling backwards, falling into a certain darkness until strong arms broke his fall, though he had already been long since passed out before he realized who it was, or before he had a chance to hear the blaring of the sirens from outside that large manor.
It seemed like an eternity later, but after having passed out himself, jade eyes barely opened when the muffled sound of voices reached his ears and he could make out the blurred forms of people behind the canopy of sheets that were hung around the bed he was apparently in.
Confused, as well as worried, Riku tilted his head on his pillow at first, glancing to one side, then the other before realization finally set in, and he realized Sora was no where to be found.
But as he leapt out of bed, he'd also make another realization, and one that had him even more panicky. He could only see out of one eye.
"Sora!" He called frantically while bursting through the draping covering, and into the waiting arms of Leon who grabbed him by the shoulders when the teen started to struggle and flail. "Let me go! Where's Sora? Why can't I see?"
"Calm down..You're both safe, and you'll be able to see in a little bit. It's just a bandage over the gash. The doctor said you're lucky though. A little harder and Xehanort would've plucked out your eyeball.."
Riku finally rested after Leon spoke, and he regarded him with that same confusion.
"Doctor?"
"You're back at the hospital.."
Another quick glance was stolen around the room, and sure enough, Riku recognized the cream colored walls and the three once empty beds. Namine was sleeping peacefully in the one across the room, her arm in a sling.
Cloud and Axel weren't too far off either, though Axel had a bandage around his head from the minor concussion received down in the basement. It took a few stitches to close the split, but at least he looked better then, so Riku thought. Sora would be happy to know..
Sora...
"Where's Sora?" Riku asked again, and Leon aimed a finger over the teen's shoulder, causing him to instantly follow the aim which then brought the other bed, hidden behind a similar canopy to his own bed, to his attention, and he instantly burst through those sheets, just to find his friend fitfully sleeping.
He was on his back, though he pulled from left to right in an attempt to roll onto either side, but every time he did, he'd be reminded of the pain that racked his small, lithe body from the new wounds inflicted upon it, and so he'd roll back into place.
Fists clutched at the blanket, twisting the fabric between gripping fingers as he pulled it up, and the small whimpers that escaped would make it obvious he was dreaming, and furthermore, most likely recalling the horrific scenes from their final fight.
"Ri-ku.."
Of course, Riku's interest perked when he heard the teen whimper his name, and slowly and quietly Riku moved over to the bedside, crouching down at first so he was level with the younger teen, and then reaching out with a hand to smooth back the bangs out of tightly closed eyes.
"Shh..It's okay..I'm here.." He whispered gently, but his words did little to ease the struggling teen, who only clutched the blanket tighter and moved to roll onto his side again, where he was then met with a bare, rock hard chest when Riku lifted that blanket, just to climb in besides him.
Stronger arms caught the youth around the shoulders and drew him in close, not even minding when he felt the warmth of tears against his bare skin.
Sora was nude from the waist up as well, Riku then noticed, and as his hand trailed down the smoothness of his upper back, he'd come to realize the mess of bandages that wrapped around his chest.
Blinking, he rolled the boy back into place, just to lean over him, pressing his forearm into the mattress at first before moving that hand to his bandaged chest and furthermore, to where his heart and scar sat, just to notice the new wounds that had formed, and he sighed a bit when he withdrew.
"Well at least he's alive.." He murmured to himself.
His hand, before he pulled it back, had lingered a little, pressing into the wound just enough to feel it, though his actions drew a small wail from the younger teen, who then seemed to instantly snap to attention.
"Riku!" He moved to sit up as he yelled, and while successful, he grimaced and nearly doubled over with a hand crossing his chest to sit on his heart in obvious discomfort.
"Hey, hey!" But the sudden feel of a hand on his shoulder drawing him gently back had Sora panicking even more, until he registered the voice that went along with those motions however, and when his head hit the pillow once more, he'd tilt it, turning his eyes in the direction of the elder who was sprawled out on his side besides him.
"Riku.." Sora whispered in a little more awareness that time while his hand quickly lashed out, his arm curling around the elder's and his fingers intertwining with his own. "You're..alive?"
Riku squeezed the smaller hand in his grasp and sighed dramatically, though he grinned soon after.
"Like I said..no faith whatsoever. You should know me by now. Takes a little more than that to bring me down."
Sora laughed at first, pure and true; he was just so relieved Riku was okay. But his laughing soon changed, and strangely enough, as quickly as he started laughing, he was crying. Soft, hushed sobs he tried to fight back caused his body to shake, and before Riku had a chance to console him, he was already referencing back to that horrific scene.
"I killed him!"He choked out between a sob, and Riku, who knew exactly what he meant, bit back his sigh.
"You had to."
But Sora shook his head. He refused to believe that. There had to have been another way that he hadn't even seen. He could've reasoned with him, anything..
"Nothing gave me the right to take another life.."
"He was going to kill you, and then us..You did what you had to do, just like I had to."
There was a lingering silence after that, and Sora looked as thoughtful as well as disturbed, but in the end he released a defeated sigh, and hastily turned onto his side, nestling closely into Riku with one arm sliding beneath him, the other draping over his waist as the elder continued to lay on his own side.
"Whatever you're thinking, Sora, that man was never your father. He killed his own wife, a lot of others, and he tried to kill his own son. He deserved what he got, and you shouldn't feel guilty.."
Riku felt Sora's head shake, brushing against his bandaged stomach as he went, and Riku tightened his arms slightly around the smaller body, drawing him closer in a protective fashion.
"He apologized.." Sora then started, though his voice was muffled when he hid his face in Riku's chest. "Right before he died, he said he was sorry.."
Riku traced small circles on Sora's upper back, and the gentle, soothing touch had the boy practically purring, nuzzling his head affectionately against Riku's chest.
"Did you forgive him?" Riku asked curiously, and was truthfully surprised when Sora shook his head.
"I couldn't." He murmured sadly, but soon after he leaned his head back so his chin rested against Riku's skin, and those wide blue eyes sought out those gentle green ones. "Does that make me evil?"
Despite the seriousness of the question, Riku chuckled at the innocence with which he had asked it, and with that continuing snicker, he reached up with that hand to trail his fingers through soft, brown hair.
"No. It makes you real."
Sora blinked curiously and looked as if he was about to respond, but before Riku could elaborate, the curtain around his bed was quickly ripped open, and both teen's jumped in surprise.
"X-Xemnas?" Sora inquired quietly, and somewhat nervously, but when Riku noticed him, the hand that had been trailing through that hair then pressed against the back of Sora's head, and he pulled him in closer and even more protectively.
Xemnas, who indeed was standing at the foot of the bed now, sneered at the display, and motioned with his head toward the exit.
"No way. You say what you want here and now." Riku grumbled, though he looked confused when he heard Leon call him over.
"It's alright. Give them a moment.."
His back was to them, but his command was clear, and though clearly doubtful, Riku finally relented.
"I'll be right back.." He leaned over so he could whisper to the youth who nodded and released his grasp so that Riku could slide back and off the bed.
In passing, he cast Xemnas a single warning glare to which the elder sneered at before turning to rip the canopy back around, blocking him and Sora in that small square.
After having sat up in bed, Sora blinked, rubbing the sleep and tears from a single eye as he leaned back, still slightly nervous when Xemnas advanced and then welcomed himself to a seat at the foot of the boy's bed.
For the longest moment Xemnas just stared, and his eyes narrowed with a look akin to a deep hatred. Sora was confused..
"I.."
"Don't speak." He ordered harshly, and Sora instantly quieted, small hands shaking slightly as they clutched the blanket.
Another few moments passed and Sora shifted, burning beneath the scrutinizing stare.
"What do you want.." He finally murmured, trying to keep his voice sounding as aggravated as possible. Though this endeavor had Sora unnoticing of the bit of paper clutched in Xemnas' hand.
Another bit of silence lingered before Xemnas released a thoughtful "hmm" and strangely enough, words finally followed after.
"Now that Xehanort and Sephiroth are gone, The contracts and deeds have all been re-signed. It's up to the investors now, though I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't want to give their money back to Leon. Still, I suppose it's also up to you all. Though it's going to be hard with one of your stars now incapacitated."
Sora wanted to question that. He gathered most of what he meant, especially the part where Xemnas had admitted to giving back their company. But– their star? Incapacitated?
But before he could ask, Xemnas was already thrusting the bit of folded paper into the youth's hands, and he took it, though confused, just to fiddle with it until it opened.
The sight of the image sprawled out clear as day had a mixture of emotions flaring within him, but in the end, confusion coupled with sadness ruled out.
"I-I don't understand.." Was all he could murmur in response to the picture of his mother and Xemnas, though his mother looked as happy and friendly as she was known to be, Xemnas was his normally stoic and emotionless self, his arms crossed and his head turned off in another direction. The image almost had him chuckling, had Sora not realized the strangeness of the fact that he was in a photo with his mother.
And Xemnas could only sneer with a bit of disdain as he stood, turning his back to his unknowing nephew. He wasn't about to tell him everything. In truth, he figured it'd be better if he didn't know.
"Don't try to forget her, or all that's happened. It's disrespectful to your mother" He then chided, much to Sora's bewilderment.
"But– how do yo-"
"That's unimportant." He stated firmly while a gloved fist took hold of the canopy, and before he made his exit, he cast one last glance back to him. "Just remember..They're called memories for a reason. We're not supposed to forget."
Sora's baffled expression followed him as he left, but he wouldn't go after him, and instead he merely sighed, leaning back against the mess of pillows while lifting the picture for inspection.
He trailed his finger along the smooth surface of the photograph, over his mother and the gentle features of her smiling face. His own eyes narrowed lightly, and he blinked hard, squeezing out the gathered tears that started down his cheeks.
But upon studying the picture for some time, moving his eyes between his mother and Xemnas, he'd finally start to pick up on the slight similarities that had him blinking in confusion.
"There's no way.."
And as Xemnas closed the curtain behind him, he couldn't help but smirk lightly as he heard the muffled whisper, though his attention was quickly turned elsewhere when Leon cleared his throat.
"Thank you, Xemnas.." He stated simply, and Riku stood idly by his brother, though he wasn't as quick to thank Xemnas, even though he did just recognize the face from the club that night. He hadn't fully understood Xemnas' intentions, but apparently they were good.
The man rolled his eyes and turned away, obviously unappreciative of the thanks. But that was fine. Leon knew not to expect anything else. But he did stop Xemnas one more time before he could make his way out of the hospital room.
Slight aggravation flashed within those eyes of his as he turned, a gruffly offered "What" muttered angrily in response.
Leon smirked and leaned his head back with a sigh, almost reluctant of the request.
"I need your help with one more thing.."
' 'cause with you i'd withstand all of hell to hold your hand' '
two more chapters..Wow, i'm really going to finish something :) I'm so excited. I even started planning the sequal, meheh :D
anyway, as always, thanks for your reviews. Always mean a lot. I must start working on my thank you list soon xD