Note: Two main things. First off, thank you so much for reviewing. I'm glad this story is liked, I was worried. You're all wonderful for that. Thanks to alert/favorite adders too. Secondly...I'm a bitch, and I apologize for it. I beg for reviews and then don't update for over a month. How rude of me. I'm sure you don't want to hear my excuses though, so I'll spare you that. Hope you enjoy this chapter and kindly review again!
Warnings: Language, mentions of abuse/rape, violence, and sarcasm.
Disclaimer: If I owned Kingdom Hearts, why would I be writing fanfiction?
In a quiet town, in a peaceful neighborhood, on a sleepy street, in an unlit yet charming house, in an even darker basement, he raged. One standing at the barely opened door leading to said basement would hear an alarming amount of sounds. The snapping of wooden furniture as it was hurled at a wall, picked up and hurled again. The alternating sounds of glass and genuine antique china being demolished by bare hands. The snarling and bellowing of an infuriated man, who was the cause of the destruction, as it echoed off the stone walls and up the stairs. All in all, it sounded like a very overgrown and rather scary child throwing one hell of a temper tantrum.
And it wasn't an assumption far off the mark.
All of his life, this man had gotten whatever he wanted. From childhood to early adolescent years, no one ever denied him anything or questioned his decisions. So naturally anyone who tried to go against him, was sweetly persuaded otherwise.
At first.
It started out as the usual things. The pleading looks, the whining, and the smile you couldn't say no to…until those effects wore off. The bunny grew fangs. He would scream, belittle, and ruin anyone who got in his way. And that was getting off easy.
He was twenty when he killed for the first time. It hadn't been his fault, he had warned the stupid bitch to move. She wouldn't. So he'd had no choice but to kill her. Maybe he could've done it clean and quick, but that wouldn't satisfy him enough. He wanted cold hard assurance that she would never dare think of stopping him again.
So he tortured her. Then raped her. Then repeated the whole process until she died. After he got rid of the body, reality hit him and he threw up. He felt sick over what he'd done; disgusted, horrified.
That lasted no more than two hours.
He convinced himself that she had made him do it. If only she would have agreed to keep her little mouth shut then she needn't have died. But she was weak. Weak people didn't belong in this world anyway. Survival of the fittest after all. He was simply weeding the garden when he got rid of her.
Since then, there have been many weeds removed.
But it wasn't mindless anger anymore. That was gone after his second murder. Now it had become a game, a circus-and he was the ringleader. People became his puppets, his toys. It was only when he was sufficiently bored that he left them to die. He was the master, held all the cards, and controlled the board. Everything was perfect in his life.
At least until him. The only one who ever escaped.
But no…that was all in the past now. That boy was alive yes, but much more than gone. It didn't matter where he was. The man chuckled to himself and leaned against the nearest wall. That boy's mind was beyond repair. Only one thing could set him right and he was pretty sure wherever the boy was, it wouldn't be provided there.
Even with all of these reassurances, he'd taken extra precautions to be sure that clues would never lead back to him. Besides, even if they did-it made no difference. 'I was certain he'd be the last to ever escape…' he reflected as his fists clenched and his teeth were bared. Not that he really should be surprised-there were certain similarities between both runaways.
This time, things were different. He knew where this one was hiding. He'd almost had the boy when he first got away, but barely lost his grip. That was okay. Let the little bitch get his hopes up…it'd be all that more pleasing to bring them crashing down. There was no way he'd remember anything anyway.
'But I must go back for him.'
He would. That was a toy he hadn't completely broken yet.
Sunlight poked and prodded at lightly tanned eyelids until their owner got so irritated he growled and they lifted to reveal bright, deep, sapphire orbs. Sora rubbed one eye and sat up weakly. Day eight had begun. At least his eighth day of being conscious. He sighed and sipped some water while flexing and stretching his limbs. Some of his strength had returned, but not all of it. Only one new memory had come to him…and it wasn't something he wished to remember.
Pale strong hands gripped his throat, lifting him off of the ground. Sora struggled for air, tried to kick out, but all were feeble attempts.
"Please," he rasped out as a ring of darkness surrounded his vision. His arms hung limply at his sides and his toes barely brushed the floor.
"Say it," a deep voice commanded, voice overly sweet. "Say it and I'll make all of your pain go away. You know you want to."
Sora looked away, lips pressed tightly together. He would never. A startled, hoarse cry fell from his lips, as he was bodily thrown across the room and into a pile of old furniture. He glared hatefully at the man who was now crouched in front of him, but didn't have the energy to do much else.
One of the hands that was moments ago strangling him, reached out to caress his cheek, and he instantly drew away. Jade eyes glinted maliciously as they raked over Sora's abused, naked form. "That's alright," he said in a tone that sent ice down Sora's spine. "That's perfectly alright. Your spirit and will fascinate me. I won't kill you." The 'yet' hung heavily over both of them. He stood and crossed the room, putting his hand on the doorknob.
Despite his position, Sora looked up from the wreckage and managed a weak scoff. "I fascinate you?" he whispered, disgusted. Despite their distance, the man turned to face him.
"Yes. They've never lasted as long as you. You entertain me…" with a deep chuckle, he closed the door.
'I'm flattered,' Sora thought dimly, trying to shift and gasping when splintered wood stabbed his back. The room whirled and his head lolled on his shoulder. He knew what was coming now-unconsciousness. Although with the searing pain coursing through his body, it was a bit of a relief. It was all his fault…
'I hate you,' Sora thought as he gave into the darkness pressing at his eyes.
Sora shuddered. That memory made him sick and-tears prickled at his eyes, but he squeezed them shut and repressed the thoughts. He'd had enough of it and now wasn't the time, especially since-
"Morning, I brought you some breakfast."
Naminé was walking toward him, a plastic tray in her hands and a soft smile on her face. She set the tray down and began fussing over Sora, checking his stats and making notes on her clipboard.
"How're you feeling Sora?" she gently asked, sitting on the edge of the mattress and smoothing down her skirt.
"I'm fine," Sora said around a mouth full of toast. He swallowed thickly and drained half of his orange juice. Naminé's face was torn between amusement and concern. "Are you sure you're alright? I mean you've never been this…hungry…" she trailed off, wondering if she was going to have to go get him a second helping.
Sora looked up from almost desperately cutting his pancakes. "This is the first day you've given me real food. That paste you call oatmeal doesn't count," he explained, now shoving piece after piece of breakfast into his mouth.
"At least you've gotten your appetite back," Naminé smiled, standing up. "I'll go get you some more food then." Sora shook his head. "Don't bofer," he insisted, waving his fork as he spoke. "I'll be full in a minute. Maybe some more juice though?" Naminé nodded and left, returning a few minutes later with a cup in hand. She wasn't very surprised to see Sora mopping up left over syrup with a piece of toast before eating that as well.
"Here," she offered, handing over the juice. Sora smiled his thanks, before drinking it down. He sighed contentedly and patted his stomach. "That's better," he nearly purred, closing his eyes. Naminé softly giggled and sat down again.
"So Sora, anymore memories?"
He shook his head. "Nothing," he reported. "And after that last one, I'm almost happy about it…" he trailed off, looking down at his sheets. A warm hand covered his. "Everything will be okay Sora," Naminé soothed. "I know it will. Hey, how about we take a wheel outside after I'm done making my rounds? Shouldn't take more than thirty minutes, and it's a beautiful day outside. Okay?"
"Can I try walking again?" Sora pleaded, blue eyes shining with hope. Naminé frowned. "I don't know Sora," she said cautiously. "I mean you couldn't even get out of bed by yourself and-"
"That was seven days ago!" Sora interjected, beginning to pout. "I've gained almost of my strength back since then. Let me try, please?"
Naminé sighed, defeated. "Alright Sora, I'll let you try walking again. I better go, I've got other patients to check on." She got up and opened the door.
"Naminé?" She turned and smiled. "Yes Sora?"
"Erm," Sora started, biting his lip. "There is something else I want to ask you about…promise you won't laugh?"
"Of course not," Naminé said, genuinely surprised. "What's wrong?"
Sora rubbed the back of his neck. "I-I think I'm delusional."
"What?"
"Well, I feel like I'm being watched. And I keep seeing these eyes…"
Naminé frowned. "What kind of eyes?"
"This sort of aquamarine color. Gorgeous eyes, and I keep seeing them in the little door window-at least five times a day. Surrounded by all of this silver hair…"
Naminé's lips twitched upwards, and she wanted to laugh, but she pursed her lips in thought instead. "Hmm…don't worry Sora. You're not delusional at all," she insisted.
Sora looked up, relieved. "I'm not?" he asked, shoulders relaxing. "Then who keeps watching me?"
"I'll tell you later," Naminé stalled, looking at her watch. "But I'm behind, I was only supposed to come check on you and bring your breakfast. I'll be back, I promise."
The door snapped shut and Sora sighed, wondering what she was hiding.
"You're not very stealthy, Riku."
"What?"
Riku looked away from his window, frowning at Naminé. "What are you talking about?" he wondered, frowning. She giggled and sat next to him, placing his tray on the windowsill. "Aren't you late for a Sora visit this morning?" she teased lightly. "I mean, you've got to get in five today…"
"I don't know what you're talking about-I only see Sora once a day." Riku defended, frown deepening. Naminé looked at him for a second before her mouth formed an "o" of understanding. "You might," she said. "But that doesn't mean you don't."
Riku raised one platinum eye brown before he caught on. "Oh. Oh hell," he groaned, putting his head in his hands. "So now I'm watching Sora when I'm not watching him. This is fantastic." He sighed and ran slender fingers through his hair.
Naminé put a comforting hand on his arm. "Don't be like that," she said softly. "It's not like he's afraid of you or anything. Maybe if you two got to know each other you could be friends. That way you could visit him instead of peeking through that small square window." Riku nodded silently. "But, what can I say to him?" he wondered. "You'll figure something out," Naminé said encouragingly. "You always do, don't you? But I've got to go, I've got to finish making my rounds, then I'm going to see if Sora can walk yet." With a final squeeze to Riku's arm, she left, leaving the teen to poke moodily at his breakfast.
"So Sora, are you ready to try and…Sora!"
Smiling, Sora turned away from the window and raised his arms. "See?" he said triumphantly, bending his knees and taking two steps forward. "I told you I could walk." Naminé shook her head. "Sora, that was dangerous. You could have fallen and hurt yourself or something!" She tried to look angry, but failed horribly, as she was smiling.
"But I didn't," Sora returned, sweeping into a bow. "So," he started, with a cheeky grin. "Is that cookie offer still up?" Amused, Naminé shook her head, and Sora's bottom lip jutted out in a defeated pout. "But what we can do," she offered, "Is take a walk outside. It's beautiful out. Sound okay?"
Brightening considerably, Sora nodded. He'd been cooped up in this room for days… "Let's go," he agreed, temporarily forgetting about his silent watcher.
Riku loved being outside.
A gentle breeze blew across his face. The day was sunny and bright, with a few thick, fluffy clouds hanging in the sky. Lush, green grass covered the grounds, which were also spotted by springtime flowers from various gardens that some patients tended to. Riku sighed and closed his eyes, head resting on the dark trunk of his weeping willow. At least, that's how he thought of it.
It wasn't just good weather that made Riku love being outside. It was what it reminded him of. It reminded him that there was an outside world beyond these walls, that there was something to look forward to. When he was frustrated, or losing hope, he came out here-under this same tree.
"So these are the various gardens taken care of by patients, you can start one too if you like Sora…"
Riku whipped around. Walking towards him were Naminé, who was giving an animated tour of the grounds with her hands, and Sora, who took everything in with fascinated eyes. Riku started to get up, then paused, remembering what Naminé had told him earlier. What if he scared Sora away? He would at least be uncomfortable…being face-to-face with who must seem like his stalker. It was an ugly word to use 'stalker,' but it fit. Riku sighed and relaxed against the tree. Last thing he wanted to do was frighten the boy away. The teen sighed and closed his eyes, hoping he would go unnoticed.
"There are multiple benches for you to sit on, the nearest is over here-are you tired? You've been walking an awful lot Sora."
"Naminé I'm fine, really…"
"But-oh! Riku?"
Eyes remaining closed, said patient winced. Damn. The growing louder sound of crunching grass played over his ears, and he sighed. 'So much for that plan,' he thought, before turning to the pair and standing up, lips twitched in a small smile. The duo were walking towards him; Naminé wearing that gentle smile she usually had on her face, Sora only looking on in interest. 'He's got beautiful eyes,' Riku thought idly before his eyes widened in surprise. 'What?'
"…Riku?" He blinked down at Naminé and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry," he apologized. "I was off in my own thoughts again." She nodded and turned to Sora. "This is Riku Harada," she introduced. Sora stuck his hand out and smiled up at him, before gasping in shock as Riku's aquamarine eyes locked onto his sapphire ones.
Sora stepped back and lowered his hand. "It's you," he breathed out, expression unreadable. "You're the one who-" A soft beep and a louder buzzing noise cut him off and they looked away from each other to Naminé, who was pushing buttons on a small, white, round device and frowning. "Sorry, I've got to run," she said hurriedly clasping the object back on. Riku glared at her and she frowned apologetically. "I'm really sorry," she insisted, already backing away. "It's about room 417," she explained. Riku nodded in understanding, but he still wore a puzzled frown. Naminé smiled quickly at Sora, and then strode off towards the double doors.
The two remaining boys watched her go and eventually, hesitantly, looked at each other. Tension hung low and heavy over them. "So…" Riku said slowly. "Erm…"
"Why have you been watching me?" Sora asked, raising his eyebrows and folding his arms across his chest. 'At least he's direct,' Riku mused. 'Eh well, better sooner than later, I guess.' He smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Erm, yes about that. Maybe you might want to-erm…sit down?" he offered, gesturing to the soft grass. Sora plopped down, crossing his legs, and looked up at Riku expectantly.
The silver-haired teen sat down by Sora, but at a safe enough distance. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I have been watching you," he confessed. "But-it wasn't always me who was watching you. Most of the time, it wasn't according to what Naminé told me." His eyes flickered open and to the smaller brunette whose face was the essence of confusion. Sora tilted his head. "What are you-"
"So…you're the new kid."
They looked up.
A young man with wild, red hair towered over the. He was rather almost alarmingly thin, and couldn't have been over twenty. Vivid jade-colored eyes shone out of his pale face and down on Sora, who stared back. The redhead narrowed his eyes and put his face nearly nose-to-nose with Sora's. After a while he pulled back, apparently satisfied. He turned to the other boy and inclined his head. "Riku."
Riku nodded back. "Axel, this is Sora."
Axel surveyed Sora one last time. "Hmm…you look like him. Come on, I'm supposed to give you a tour or whatever. Of our block anyway," he said, leaning against the tree trunk. Riku frowned. "But I was going to show him around," he protested.
"See…that would work," Axel drawled, "But Naminé asked me to do it. You just volunteered. So I'm the official tour guide. Come on Sora." He pushed himself off of the trunk and waited. Sora slowly stood up and looked at Riku. "But…"
Axel sighed exasperated. "Fine. Romeo can come too. Can we go now?" Pink blossomed in Riku's face and his eyes narrowed, but he stood anyway. The redhead headed inside without looking back.
"Who do I look like?" Sora murmured to the older teen as they crossed the grounds. "Not sure," Riku replied. "But he must really like whoever it is for Axel to be so nice to you. Especially since you're new." Sora scoffed. "That was nice?" he said disbelievingly. "Yeah. Unless…" Riku trailed off thoughtfully.
"Unless what?"
"You'll see him soon enough. Come on, we'll lose the arsonist."
"Arsonist?"The duo caught up to Axel, who was leaning against the nearest hallway wall. "Right, so we're 'meeting' Cloud first." He rapped on the door, clearly marked '407.'
"Cloud?" Sora asked looking at the numbering. "Who's he and why is he here?"
"Violent nightmares. He has one hell of a past apparently," Axel explained, looking down at the brunette. Noticing the Sora's wary gaze at the door, he laughed. "Relax, he's harmless-when he's awake." Sora opened his mouth to say something, but the door swung open.
A man with deep blue eyes and golden hair sticking haphazardly out of his head stood there and a smile flitted across his face. He nodded to each visitor in turn. "Hello Axel, Riku, and…" he trailed off, looking down at Sora. "And I don't know you."
"This is Sora," Axel introduced. "Naminé asked me to show him around. We haven't had a new one in a while you know?" Cloud nodded and surveyed the new patient, raising an eyebrow. "Sora…interesting name."
"Coming from a man named Cloud?" Sora retorted before gasping loudly and clapping a hand over his mouth. Cloud looked at him for a long time before he began to laugh. "Touché," he chuckled. "You're alright Sora. Welcome to the madness, and stop by whenever you like." His eyes flashed quickly before he added, "Just not at night." Nodding goodbye, he stepped back inside, and closed the door.
"Moving on!" Axel declared, pivoting on his heels and marching to the door directly across from Cloud's, marked 307. Riku frowned. "But Axel, isn't this your-"
The oldest patient let himself in the room and closed the door behind him. Sora and Riku stared at each other, then at the door, unsure of what to do. As if channeling their confusing, Axel's muffled voice came through the door. "Knock you idiots!" Riku gave Sora a sideways look before leaning forward and rapping his knuckles on the cool surface.
Axel poked his head out and quirked a fiery eyebrow. "And you are?" he inquired, looking down at Sora. "Erm…I'm Sora, and I'm new here?" the younger teen tried, wondering what the redhead was trying to do. "Oh. Well, you look alright," Axel said, opening the door wider and leaning casually against the frame. "Tell you what kid-I'll give you a bit of a tour 'round this place. I know my way around pretty well."
Sora's confused frown deepened, and behind him Riku rolled his eyes to the ceiling. Axel slung an arm around Sora's shoulders and led him to room 327. Riku followed behind, first glowering at Axel's back then looking up at the room number. Riku rounded on Axel in disbelief. "Axel you know this is-"
The redhead swooped forward, grabbed the card on Riku's wrist, and slid it through a small, rectangular chrome bar. The door clicked and Axel pushed the poor pale teen through, who stumbled before staggering halfway into the room. He turned just as Axel pulled the door shut. Seemingly pleased, the man knocked on the door, which immediately opened.
"Why are you doing this Axel?" Riku asked, exasperated. Axel ignored him. "Riku this is Sora," he said pushing the poor boy forward. Sora blinked up at Riku, not knowing what else to do. "Hello Sora," Riku sighed. "Nice to meet you." He stepped out of his room. "Will you please stop playing this game now?" he almost pleaded to Axel, who nodded his head. "I was bored. Besides, Naminé did say to introduce everyone…" Axel moved on to the next room, striding past a quiet room marked 417. Sora tilted his head. "Who's in-"
"Don't know," Axel answered, "but someone is. Move it." They stopped in front of the final room-317. The redhead became almost solemn as he unlocked the room with a card that also had his name. Sora wanted to ask why, but didn't-he felt he shouldn't. Pushing the door open, Axel grinned and strode to the bed in the shadowed corner. "Come on you two," he called, softly for some reason, without looking back.
Sora wondered why the room was empty until he found himself staring into azure eyes, not unlike his own. There was a flicker of interest in the boy's eyes but then it vanished. 'He looks like me,' Sora reflected, still gazing into the eyes that now stared right through him. The brunette was dimly aware that Axel was saying something.
"…you right?" the redhead finished looking between Sora and the blonde boy. Sora nodded absently. "Here," Axel offered, putting the two blue-eyed teens' hands together. Sora was surprised how warm the silent boy's hand was. "Roxas, this is Sora, the new kid I told you that was coming. Looks like you doesn't he? Anyway, he can't remember a damn thing, so I guess we're stuck with him. Seems alright." Axel lowered himself to the bed and waited. Roxas remained silent. Sora wondered if he even knew they were there. "He can hear us," Axel confirmed as if reading Sora's thoughts. "See us too. It's just letting us know that's the hard part." He absentmindedly ran the back of his hand across Roxas' cheek, a gesture Sora wisely decided not to comment on.
After making himself comfortable, the redhead launched into a full and detailed report on his day while Riku and Sora stood behind him. A few uncertain minutes confirmed the tour was over and they left, closing the door behind them. Sora immediately started shooting out questions.
"What happened to him? Why does he look like me? How come Axel and him are so close? He's autistic isn't he? How-" he was cut off by Riku's hand over his mouth. "Not here," Riku whispered in his ear. "They can hear you inside and Axel tends to get enraged whenever people talk about Roxas unless it's in a completely positive light." Sora's eyes widened but he nodded and allowed himself to be steered away and to the gardens.
"We've all got our own problems here. Roxas…has a miserable past. A lot of us do, but his is definitely one of the worst," Riku started, leaning against his tree with Sora cross-legged in front of him, listening intently. "He was kidnapped a few years ago, on his way home. From what I'm allowed to know, he was tortured, humiliated, and raped." Sora's eyes widened in horror. "I don't know how long this went on, but not too long ago, he was found in an alleyway naked and unconscious. You're right Sora, he's autistic. I guess he sort of hid himself away from everything. He comes out of it sometimes, but it's never for very long. As for Axel, he's-Sora? Are you alright?"
Sora looked up at him, pale and trembling. His normally bright, blue eyes held a haunted look that sent ice down Riku's spine. Frowning, Riku reached out for Sora's hand, who screamed and recoiled from him.
"Stay away from me!" the younger patient shouted, looking at Riku in a mixture of hatred and fear. "Sora what are you…" Riku trailed off as he noticed the faraway look in the boy's eyes. 'He's remembering something.' Hesitantly, Riku tried one last time to reach for the brunette's hand. He immediately wished he hadn't.
Sora screamed again, and practically threw himself away from the other teen, whose aqua eyes were wide in shock and worry. "Get away," Sora sobbed, eyes shut as he writhed on the ground. Riku looked behind them to call for help, but saw Naminé running to them, blonde hair streaming out behind her. "Naminé's coming," Riku said, slightly relieved. "It'll be o-Sora?"
He'd turned back around to find his new friend, lying very still…
"Sora!"
The other note: Phew! So I hoped you liked this chapter, and it gave a little more insight to the story. This chapter also brought up a lot more questions, but can't tell you anything now.Hehehe. Also, because of extreme lazyness on my part, (feel free to roll your eyes) I've decided to try and just reply to reviews through emails or what have you. Please review, I kinda liked them. Oh and before I trot, one last thing. Who do you think is in the mysterious room 417? It might not be given away for a while yet. Clue: He's not in KH, but he IS in FFVII. I personally love him to pieces, and his dark, mysterious persona makes him a perfect patient. Shit. I said too much. Eh well. If you guess him properly I'll answer one (maybe two) questions you have. Honestly. Maybe I'll send along a sneak peak of the next chappie. Oh well, I'll see. Anyways, please review!