Leven: I finally got Ewon to write with me again :D I'm excited about this fic. Prepare for all the fluff!
"Hello Mr. Vin, this is Rikku from Happy-go-Lucky Daycare. I noticed that Marluxia hasn't been picked up at his usual time. It's fine if he stays longer, but I just wanted to touch base and make sure everything's okay. Call me back. Thanks!"
"Next message"
"Hello, this is Twilight Elementary informing you that Xion Vin has yet to be picked up. Please call us back as soon as you can regarding your child."
Axel pulled his phone away from his ear, staring at the device in his hand as he started his car up. Those weren't the messages he was expecting to receive, if ever. His wife was the one who picked the kids up when she got out of work since she got out around two hours earlier than he did. Something didn't feel right. The redhead scrolled to the bottom of his contact list until he found his wife's name.
"We're sorry, but the number you have dialed has been disconnected."
Axel furrowed his brows in confusion. That shouldn't be right. His phone was working so why wasn't hers? Pulling up the dial pads, Axel manually dialed her number.
"We're sorry, but the number you have dialed has been disconnected."
"What the fuck?" He questioned, glaring at his phone in annoyance. He tried a few more times before the feeling of throwing the device out the window came over him. He almost did just that until he got a call from his mother saying the school had called her. Was everything alright and did she needed to go pick up the kids?
"No, everything is fine. Yes, yes okay, love ya too ma." Axel sighed and pulled out of the parking lot while informing the school that he was on his way to get Xion. After which he called Rikku and asked if she could hold onto Marluxia for a while longer; the whole time his mind was racing with thoughts he hoped were wrong and hoping that the next time he got a call, it would be from Yuna.
Once at the school Axel quickly parked and rushed into the front office where he was greeted by an old lady with glasses falling off the bridge of her nose. "Hello, may I help you?" She asked, her voice sounding tired yet alert.
"Yeah, I'm Axel Vin and I'm here to get my daughter Xion." Axel spoke feeling just as tired as the lady sounded.
"Daddy!" Xion called, running around the office to get to her father after hearing his voice. "Daddy, what took you so long? Where's mommy?"
Axel chuckled, picked Xion up and held her in his arms. "Sorry, Daddy didn't know he was supposed to pick you up today. Mommy must be visiting grandpa today." Axel replied, hoping he was right for the both of them.
"I want ice cream." Xion giggled while Axel apologized to the old lady.
"I don't know Xi, have you been a good girl?" The redhead shifted his weight, so he could comfortably hold his child on his hip.
Xion paused for a moment, having to think about her day before she nodded her head.
Axel shook his head and was about to tell Xion it was time to go when he felt something, or someone, pulling on the hem of his shirt. The man looked down and saw a small child, looking to be the same age as Xion, staring up at them with big blue eyes. Axel placed Xion down, shifting so he was now squatting in front of the blue haired child.
"Does Xion have to leave now?" The girl asked while swaying in place.
"Aqua!" Xion exclaimed and latched herself onto her friend in a strong embrace. "Daddy, can Aqua come have ice cream with us?"
Axel rubbed the back off his head wondering if he wasn't the only one who had a child waiting to be picked up. "Sorry Xion, but Aqua has is waiting for her daddy to pick her up too."
"But, but..." Axel sighed, he really didn't have time for Xion and her puppy dog pout. They needed to go pick up Marluxia before Rikku calls his ass again.
Axel sighed again just as the door to the office opened again.
"Please daddy?" Xion begged as she clung to Aqua.
A soft chuckle interrupted the trio from anymore words or begging. Axel glanced and saw the newcomer walking toward them, figuring that the spiky haired blond was here for Xion's new buddy.
"I see you've made a new friend Aqua." The blond laughed, and it was like an angel had slapped Axel in the face. He shook off the feeling and stood back up.
Aqua looked up at the blond and said, "This is Xion."
"Hello," Xion said shyly.
"Hello Xion," The blond chuckled before he glanced at Axel.
"Ah, Axel. Axel Vin." The redhead held his hand out as he introduced himself to the blond. Quickly noting that the man looked a bit too young to have a child Aqua's age. Must have had her young.
The young man smiled up at Axel and shook his hand, "Roxas Dikers." Axel had to hold back a snort. What kind of last name was that? But Roxas seemed to be used to things like that, "Yeah, stupid name, right?"
"No. It's a fine last name. Sure has more character to it than Vin."
Roxas lightly laughed, "Nah, you have a better one than me. Anyway, it would seem that our kids have hit it off. I was worried she would have a tough time finding someone. You know how hard it can be to be the new kid."
"Glad my daughter could help ease your fears." Axel smiled fondly at the girls who were now talking to each other. "I'd love to chat, but I've got another kid waiting for me."
"Understandable. Aqua and I have to be going as well." Roxas replied.
That got the girls attention, "Where are we going now, daddy?" Xion asked.
"We need to go get Marly." Axel pulled out his phone and started to tap something into the screen, "Ah, Roxas, do you want to swap numbers? Maybe we can set up a playdate or something?"
Roxas nodded and pulled out his own phone. "Sure, I bet Aqua would love that." The two exchanged numbers and took their daughter's hands. "Okay time to go Aqua"
"Bye Xion, by Xion's daddy."
"Aww, bye Aqua, bye Mr. Roxas"
~X~x~X~x~
Children successfully picked up and accounted for, Axel pulled into the driveway of his home, "What do you guys want for dinner?" He asked as he opened the back door for Xion to jump out and started to unfasten Marluxia out of his car seat.
"Pizza!"
"Sketti!"
Axel sighed, of course they wouldn't want the same thing, "Well, let's see what's in the freezer and go from there." He carried Marluxia in his arms as Xion closely followed behind them. Axel fumbled with his house keys, his mind racing with thoughts of what he would find inside. Hopefully it would be to Yuna in the kitchen, making dinner with an excuse about her phone breaking and nothing terribly wrong.
But when he opened the door, it looked just like he had left it that morning. And it was quit. Usually when Yuna was left alone she would have the news on or something to drown out the sound of nothing. Axel always thought it was cute and quirky.
"Yuna?" He called just for good measure, only to be greeted by nothing.
"Mama!" Xion yelled as she ran passed Axel and into the house, excited to tell her mother about her day at school and about her new friend.
Axel set Marluxia down, the toddler wondering off after Xion to look for his mommy. As Axel went further into the house he was met with more silence. Every room he checked, Yuna was nowhere to be found. not even in his bedroom which looked just about the same save for the random thong on the bed.
The redhead, picked it up and sure enough it was Yuna's. "Weird." he muttered to himself. Usually Yuna had all her things put in their place, clean or dirty. Axel decided to be a good husband and put the clothing away before his kids see it. However, when the redhead opened his wife's dresser all her undergarments were missing.
"What the hell?!" Without thinking, Axel ran to check on his kids, just in case the panty thief was still in the house.
"Daddy is something wrong?" Xion asked as she pulled some snacks out of the pantry. Her big blue eyes picking up on her father's distressed expression.
The redhead shook his head, "No sweetie, everything's fine. Why don't you take your brother and go watch some tv?" Xion seemed to like that idea, and with a box of cookies in one hand and Marluxia's hand in hers, the young girl left the room.
With the kids distracted Axel went back to his room to see just how much of their things the pantie thief had taken. Axel threw open the closet door, only to find his suits, the dresser only held his clothes as well. He wondered into the master bathroom and saw the make-up that used to litter the vanity was all now missing and Yuna's favorite body wash was also gone, "What the hell?" Axel asked himself as he stumbled back into his room. He sat on the bed with his head in his hands as he thought about what could be going on. Either this perverted thief was a bit too obsessed with his wife, or...
Axel couldn't even finish that thought. There was no way Yuna would do that. She wouldn't walk out on him or the kids. There was no way. Tired green eyes looked up at the wall, where an empty space that used to house a family portrait now mocked him. Axel's heart shattered.
Maybe she had.
With no idea what to do, Axel picked up his phone and tried to call Yuna again, only to hear the same prerecorded message. Taking a deep, unsteady breath he tried another. After a few rings someone picked up, "H-hey mom? Something's happened and I need you to come get the kids for a couple of days."
X~x~X~x~
The officer frowned as he looked at the half empty room, "I'm sorry Mr. Vin, but there's no evidence of a struggle. Your wife must have left voluntarily. There's nothing we can do."
"What if that's what they want you to think? There's no way in hell Yuna would leave us. Our kids were her entire world." Axel ranted out, trying his best not lose his temper with the incompetent cop.
The cop sighed, "What about her parents? Maybe she left for a visit and forgot to let you know?"
"I called the in-laws before I called you guys."
"Well, all I can say is if she doesn't make contact within twenty-four hours you can file a missing person's report. Other than that, there's nothing more I can do for you Mr. Vin."
Axel groaned, biting his tongue to hold back the slur of fucks he was about to unleash on the copper. Either the man was lazy, or he didn't give a damn if Yuna was safe or not. Without another world Axel saw the man out before slamming the door behind him. He glared at the hall ahead of him before dialing Yuna once more.
"We're sorry..."
"Son of a bitch." Axel grumbled as he marched toward the couch and defeatedly sank on it "Yuna. where the hell are you?"
One last thought in mind, Axel got up, grabbed his keys and took a drive down to the nearest cell service department. If the cops didn't want to help him find Yuna then maybe he could track down her phone. Maybe even find out why the line was cut.
~x~X~X~x~
"I'm sorry sir," Boy was Axel getting tired of hearing that, "But she gave no reason for canceling her phone plan. She just came in a few hours ago and handed her phone in." The young girl pulled a familiar iPhone out from a drawer and handed it to Axel, "She didn't want us to buy it back or anything. She just said she didn't need it anymore. Since you're on the plan I guess you can take it back. But I'll have to go ask my manager first." She gave Axel a reassuring smile before walking into the back room to talk to her supervisor about what to do with the phone.
Not patent enough to wait Axel turned the phone on. He tried Yuna's usual password, Xion's birth year, but it didn't work. With a frown the redhead tried Marluxia's birth year, still nothing. Yuna's birth month and date. Nothing. Axel started to get frustrated as he plugged in random numbers that meant something to his wife. But he just ended up locking himself out for five minutes.
"Okay Mr. Vin," The sales representative came back with her annoyingly peppy attitude, "My manager said as long as you're okay with picking the payments back up you can keep the phone."
Numb, Axel pocketed the phone and walked out of the store. He didn't know how he did it, but he somehow made it home without any thought to driving. The redhead prayed he didn't cause any accidents.
Opening the front door, Axel felt his heart drop and his soul leave him. The house he worked so hard to make into a home for his wife and children, was now barren and empty. Was this what he had to come back to every day now? A cold empty space?
Axel wondered around the one-story home, not bothering to turn on any lights, using the full moon to help guide his way. Room to room, the man looked for any stray sign of his wife. But Yuna was meticulous. He couldn't even find a hair.
This continued until the sun started to rise and Axel could feel his legs start to go numb from the mindless pacing. The redhead finally gave in to his search and laid down in bed, not like he could sleep without another body next to his, or thoughts of what to do next racing through his head.
Thanks for reading! Please review and tell us what you think :)
