Chapter 17: Knight

"Hey, quit it!" A young girl with shoulder length black hair tightly held on her large text books as a heavy-set kid wearing a sweat band around his head grabbed at her books. He tugged at the other end of the book, trying to tear it away from the girl's grasp. She held on tightly, arching her back and digging her heels into the dirt.

He shoved the book at the girl with all his force, throwing her to the ground.

"Unf!" She braced herself as she hit the ground. She felt her elbows scrap against the dirt and pebbles.

He towered over her and snickered. "You're so stupid," he laughed at her. He turned around and threw her book over the brick wall. He crossed his chubby arms over his large chest in victory.

A loud ring echoed through the small school as the final bell shrilled, releasing hundreds of students into the world. She laid there on the ground, watching her tormentor walk away and hundreds of others pour out from classrooms.

1…

2…

3…

It takes a count to 1000. The young girl kicked her feet as she sat on the only bench in the small playground. By the time I reach 1000, I'm the only one here.

989…

990…

991…

A small breeze picked up, scattering fallen leaves across the black top. The leaves danced in the breeze, gliding gracefully across the bumpy surface.

994…

995…

996…

"Hey, whatcha doin' here?"

The girl jumped at the intruding voice. She looked over to see an older girl with short black hair cut into a neat style. Her brown eyes looked intimidating.

"U-um?" she stuttered. "I'm waiting."

She tilted her head. "For what?" She leaned back with one arm tossed over the back of the bench and her crossed legs stuck out.

"For my ride," she answered quietly.

The older girl picked at her teeth with her pinky nail. "They running late or somethin'?"

The younger girl shook her head. "They always pick me up around this time."

"Ah." The older girl sat up properly. "My parents are running a little late." She stuck out her hand. "Anyway, I'm Yuffie."

She looked at Yuffie's hand and then back to Yuffie. "Xion," she responded, refusing Yuffie's hand.

"Well, Xion." Yuffie withdrew her unshaken hand. "How's 3rd grade working out for you?"

Xion pushed her hands against her scraped knees. Tiny thin red lines ran up and down her knees. The bright red cuts contrasted with the dark brown dirt that covered her wounded knees. "It's hard."

"Compared to all the work given in the 5th grade, I wish I could go back to the 3rd grade." Yuffie glanced over to the young girl.

Xion stared blankly into the distance.

Yuffie loudly exhaled through her nose. "It's the other kids, huh?"

Xion remained silent. Her lowered lip quivered as she retained a neutral frown on her stoic face.

Yuffie reached into her oversized green sweater. "My ride should be here anytime soon, but here. I want you to have this." She pulled out a book. She handed Xion a book. "I want you to have it," she said coolly, trying to hide any warm affections.

Xion felt the wrinkled cover of the old novel. She ran her finger over the peeling musty yellow cover looking for a title, but the cover was too faded to make out anything. Xion opened the loose cover to peer into the inside. The first page had been ripped out as some sort of cruel joke. She shut the cover, only to have it pop back up. "How am I suppose to know what this book about if there's no title?"

Yuffie placed her index finger against her pale lips and winked. "That's the mystery!"

Xion looked down at the book with cautious eyes. "Okay then?"

Yuffie jumped up from the bench and skipped a few steps. She spun around and her heel and threw her arm into the arm, wildly shaking it at Xion. "Bye, Xion! See you tomorrow."

Xion watched Yuffie walk away from her. She tapped her finger against the cover of the book. "She's weird." Xion curiously looked at the novel and flipped through the ancient pages. The text faded with each chapter, becoming almost unreadable at the end. "I like her."

"En garde!" Yuffie swung her large stick at her fellow playmate.

He braced his stick, shielding himself from Yuffie's attack. "You're getting weak," he mocked her. He pushed back against Yuffie creating a stalemate as their arms shook to remain in a deadlock.

"You can never defeat the great Yuffie!" She swiftly turned her foot that was in front of herself and straightened her arm. Yuffie slipped her stick around and knocked his stick out of hand.

Yuffie held her stick at him. He held his hands up to surrender. "Wow, Yuffie. That's a new record."

"Thanks," she said, dropping her stick. "My dad taught me that trick last week."

A soft round of applause interrupted their conversation. Xion sat with her legs crossed with a delight expression on her face. She slapped her hands together, making a weak clapping sound. "Yay, Yuffie!" Her shoulder length hair was messily chopped off into a short style similar to Yuffie's.

Yuffie's playmate shot her a look. "Why do you keep bringing her everywhere?"

Yuffie flicked him softly on his forehead. "I don't. She just sorta sticks to me." She glanced at Xion. "I don't mind it. She's kinda like a sister."

"More like a desperate creep," he said in disgust. "She follows you everywhere. And I mean everywhere! Isn't it creepy when she follow you into the bathroom. And she stole your haircut too."

Yuffie shook her head. "Don't be jealous that you don't have a little sibling." She hit his shoulder playfully.

He brushed her off. "I'm not. It's just… why her?"

Yuffie frowned. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm not like them. She's actually really sweet. She just needs someone to guide her."

"But she's the biggest target at school," he reasoned with her. "If you associate yourself with her then they'll target you too!"

"Pfft!" Yuffie blew off his reasoning. "It's been several months and they haven't bothered Xion at all." She hit his shoulder again. This time with a little aggression. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Xion and I have to go."

Xion sat up and brushed off any dirt from her clothes as Yuffie walked toward her. "Are we going now, Yuffie?"

Yuffie took Xion's hand in her own. "Yeah," she said, glaring back. "Let's go."

He watched as the two walked off. He stuck his hands in his pockets and kicked at the ground. "I'm sorry, Yuffie."

Xion leaned against a wall in the busy hallway. Xion peered around, searching through the crowd. "Where's Yuffie?" she asked herself anxiously. She tightly held on her bag strap as she impatiently waited. Everything faded from Xion's sense as she stared into the crowd.

It's been 2 weeks.

Yuffie hasn't shown up at all.

Has she been sick?

She was acting weird before she mysteriously disappeared… missing days out of the school week here and there.

Come to think about it, she's been acting reclusive too.

'Not today, Xion. I want to go home alone today.'

'Not today Xion. I want to eat lunch alone in my teacher's classroom.'

'Not today, Xion…'

'Not today…'

DDDRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIINNG!

Xion jumped at the sound of the school bell going off. She clutched at her pounding heart. "Oh God! That scared me," she squeaked. She regained her composure and watched as the students migrated to their respective classes. Xion remained still, waiting for Yuffie like an obedient puppy.

She tapped her fingers against the wall as the hallway emptied. Xion let out a depressed sigh. "She isn't coming," she whispered to herself.

"No, she isn't."

Xion turned her head to see Yuffie's friend. He approached her. "Yuffie won't be coming anymore."

"Why?" she questioned him, shocked by what he said.

He avoided Xion's eyes like she was some horrid creature, "She transferred schools. She couldn't handle the extreme bullying anymore. Poor Yuffie."

Xion stood there, her mouth hanging open. "Bullying?" She shook her head in disbelief. "No, that can't be. Why?"

He slowly raised his arm and stuck his index finger out. Xion's heart sank as his finger focused in between her eyebrows. They stood there silently in the empty hallway.

Xion opened her mouth, silently enunciating her words that hung on the back of her tongue.

Who'll protect me now?

As the years went by, I began latching off of more people who shared their kindness with me. I became a parasite selfishly draining away their love and kindness, reducing them to an empty shell of their former selves. The more I fed, the emptier I felt.

I eventually became detached

I learned how to survive without leeching off of people once I got to highschool. I learned to stay out of sight. Out of sight, out of mind… I didn't need anyone. Or so I thought.

I met Roxas. He was the kindest and most understanding person ever. I refused to latch onto him. I tried to shut him out, but he, unlike everyone else, fought through the walls that suffocated me. He broke the shell that held me prisoner.

I felt something for the first time.

There was something filling me.

Giving me shape.

It was something I never truly understood before.

"I love you, Roxas."

Roxas covered his gaping mouth as he saw the attachment. He saw a Xion unconscious and tied up to a support beam in the middle of an empty room. His phone slipped from his trembling hand.

His phone slammed against the carpet and bounced up. Axel swiped it up and inspected the mysterious message.

Roxas began panting. "Xion! Xion!" he cried out. "Xion!"

Sora wrapped his thin arms around his panicking cousin. "Roxas, calm down." He stroked his back, trying to soothe him.

"Xion!" Roxas gasped. "Xion!" He squirmed in Sora's grasp. "Xion!" He felt a tight pressure against his chest as he cried out. "Xion."

Axel stared perplexedly at the picture. "Hm?" He tried to concentrated with Roxas sobbing loudly in the background.

Roxas struggled in Sora's grasp. "Xion!" he cried out. "Xion!" He walked forward, dragging Sora with him. "Xion!"

Axel snapped his fingers. "I got it." He looked at the crying blond. "Roxas!"

Roxas continued to call out Xion's name as he walked aimlessly. "Xion! Xion! Xion!"

"Dammit, Roxas!" Axel backhanded Roxas.

Roxas fell over, taking Sora with him. He looked up at Axel.

Axel held Roxas's phone over him. "Look," he said, pointing at the picture. "I know where this is. Xemnas used to have me go here all the time."

Roxas scowled. "That bastard!" he spat. "He took Xion!" Roxas jumped up. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he felt himself radiate with anger.

Axel pressed his hand flat against Roxas's tight chest. "Calm down, for now. I know where Xion is. Kairi's probably with her too."

Sora glanced down at his engagement ring. He shifted it on his ring finger, centering it. It gleamed brightly in the artificial light. "Let's fuck them up."

Axel popped open the trunk of his car. He threw in three gallons of gas in the back with some rope. He reached into the back and pulled away at the covering. "Here." He entrusted Sora with a loaded handgun. He pulled out another handgun and offered it to Roxas.

"I won't be needing that," Roxas refused the gun.

Axel shrugged. "Suit yourself." Axel stuffed the handgun into the back of his of pants. He reached back in and fished out a switch blade and long heavy steel pipe. "I always have extras," Axel said, winking as he handed Roxas the items.

Roxas slipped the switch blade into his back pocket. "Hold on, Axel. Before we leave…" Roxas grabbed a bit of the rope in Axel's trunk "... I want to go in style."

"Hm…" Xion slowly opened her heavy eyelids. "Where… where am I?" Xion licked her numb mouth, trying to re-moisturize it. She gazed around the tore down empty room as she slowly regained consciousness. She felt a resistance as she tried to move her arms. Xion looked in front of herself to see her hands bound to the single support beam that stood out awkwardly in the middle of the room. Xion tugged at her bound hand. The chipped paint dug into the flesh of Xion's arms. "Come on!" The paint chips tore at her flesh, taking off bit by bit as it cut through the layers. Blood seeped out of the scratches as Xion struggled.

"It's pointless," she said to herself. She quit resisting."Is this a way to atone for my sins?" Xion asked sarcastically. " Are you going to leave me to starve and have the rats eat my rotting corpse? Or are you going to whip me? Possibly cut up my flesh and let me slowly bleed to death?" Xion pressed her forehead against the cool metal of the support beam. "Just whatever you do, please don't hurt my friends." A single tear fell from Xion's eye.

Ansem watched the girl silently sob from the comfort of his own basement. Naminé sat beside him, watching the secret surveillance tapes. "Is this how we get to Roxas?"

Naminé nodded. "Yes, Uncle. It's that girl he cares about. We lure him in with her as bait then we kill her off once we have him."

"You mean once you have him," Ansem corrected her. "Are you sure this will make Roxas love you again?" Ansem questioned her motives. "I can tell that he really loves this girl."

Naminé remained silent, her gaze fixated on the screen.

Ansem saw her guilt ridden face, but he noticed the hatred and jealousy burning in her eyes.

Clouds began to gather in the night sky. The late spring showers were coming in as predicted. Axel sped down the empty main road. The graveyard of broken down building stood in the horizon, growing closer as he sped along.

Roxas tightly held onto the ropes like reins attached to a horse. He pulled back on the ropes as they approached the scene. The air whipped across his face and through his hair. I may not be a knight in shining armor riding on a white steed, but this will have to do. Tears welled up in his eyes as he readied his battle cry. "Xion!"