-Chapter 16: Man to Man-

I trip my way through the door, anxiously watching to see if Lexaeus or Zexion are still following me. But the two organization members have faded into the night. I sigh in relief. I notice that the people around me are giving me odd stares, probably because my clothes are torn, and blood covers my lips.

"Namine, where are you?" I hear someone call out. I turn to see Kairi, looking around the waiting room with wild eyes. "Where did you go?" she sinks into her chair.

"Kairi?" I ask, walking up to her. I fall to one knee beside her chair. "What's wrong?"

"N-Namine…I can't find her…she isn't it Roxas' room. She isn't in the waiting room…she didn't leave…her car is still here."

"They took her."

"Organization XIII…one of them—Vexen, I think—attacked me in the bathroom," her voice is low, and I can detect fear. Oddly enough, I'm not picturing her naked, or imagining her in my arms like I usual do…all I can think about is our friends.

"So I wasn't the only one…"

"Sora!" another voice comes, "Kairi! You guys are okay!" I turn to see Sakura, in all her gothic glory.

"Where's Riku?" I ask, automatically. If anything happened to that guy…

"He's getting bandaged up…organization members…they attacked us. I had to tackle Riku so that he wouldn't get shot, but I over did it and he got knocked unconscious." Sakura blushes slightly. "I feel terrible about it."

"He's been through worse," I tell her helpfully.

"He never got hurt when I was with him…" Kairi notes dryly. I turn to her with a raised eyebrow.

But Kairi doesn't say anything else; she just sits there, staring at her feet, red hair falling over her face. "Why did you say that?" I finally ask after a few minutes of silence.

She looks up; "Because it's true."

I shake my head, not really understanding this—her, everything that's going on—not quite getting it. I mean, how can she stay stuff like that when our hearts are shattering and our entire world's falling apart at the seams?

"You like him…love him, don't you?" I ask her. She tries to fake a blank look, but she can't hide her feelings from me. "Riku…my best friend…practically family…you chose him over me!" She doesn't answer, but her eyes…the set of her lips…they show me that it's true. That she DID choose Riku to be hers and hers alone…just like everyone else.

"Sora…" Sakura starts, but I silence her with a look. A strange, icy look that feels wrong on my face.

"You're so selfish," I whisper, turning back to Kairi; and she looks up at me with those big, sweet eyes. A while ago that look would've made me do anything…but now…

"I don't…feel…anything." The words feel so good to say. After all the tears and the self pity…I can't feel anything.

-Riku-

"That should do it," the Nurse says, wrapping the bandages around my head. I nod thankfully.

"Thanks," I'll just go then. I sit up, shake the hair out of my eyes, and walk out the door. Surprisingly, the nurse doesn't tell me that I need to rest, apparently the wound wasn't fatal.

I walk towards the waiting room, dodging the scrambling doctors. Something bad has happened. I over hear a quiet conversation, which makes me stop in my tracks.

"It's like the freaking apocalypse out there!" a blonde doctor waves his hands about. "The police station blew up, fires have started up all over town…and no one knows who's doing it."

"There must be some explanation," the other girl says in a bored tone. "Probably terrorists, it's not like, the Zombie attack or anything."

I shiver, walking on.

The waiting room stretches out before me; I immediately notice that Namine and Axel are both missing. "Hey everybody, I'm okay. But where's…?" I stop, noticing that Kairi and Sakura are looking sullen. Sora turns his head slowly, and the look in his eyes his bitter.

He stands up, his eyes filled with that feeling I saw, not so long ago. A blind hatred that seams to consume the Sora I know, the friend who did all my homework the week I was sick, the loveable guy who distracted Kairi while I bought her a last minute anniversary present. No…that boy is gone…leaving only a bitter shadow of what he used to be.

"Riku…" it all seams to happen in slow motion, Sora's fingers curl into a fist…his arm rises towards me…and his knuckles make contact with my face. I fall back, and blood leaks from my nostrils and trails over my lips.

"What the hell?" Sakura gets up and goes to my side. She looks up at Sora, questioning.

"I…I don't know…" Sora says slowly, sitting back down.

Kairi's eyes are wide from where she's sitting.

"Its f-fine," I tell Sakura, getting to my feet and wiping my nose with a couple tissues. Security officers approach, but I assure them that it's alright and we're all just a little on edge.

After they're gone I ask the question that I've been wondering about ever since I got here. "What happened?"

"…The Organization is making its move," Kairi says. "Everybody's been attacked so far. Namine and Axel are both missing, the doctors said that she was found unconscious and two very nice men dragged her off in a gurney. There were no extra rooms in the hospital…because of everything that's been going on, so they took her to the Twilight Town hospital. But I don't think that's where she is…I think she was attacked and captured by the Organization." There's concern in her voice…something different then that flirty tone that she's been speaking to me with lately.

"And Axel…" Sakura whispers, "He probably went to visit Larxene…but they were waiting for him."

"Excuse me," someone says, making all of us turn at once. "You probably remember me; I'm Dr. Yuna, your friend Roxas was admitted earlier?"

"Yeah; why?"

"He just woke up," Dr. Yuna smiles. "You can see him now."

Sakura and Kairi light up and start to stand, but I push them back down. "Hold on, Sora and I will see him first, so that we can have a man-to-man. Right, Sora?" I turn to my…friend.

"Sure," he sighs, getting up. I drag him by the arm towards Roxas' room.

We knock on the door, and the words "come in" sound from behind the wood. We enter the room, with fake smiles. But Roxas can't be fooled.

"What's going on?" he asks this as soon as we enter, and all Sora and I can do is look at each other. "I asked you a question."

"Well…"

-Roxas-

We all stood in that white washed room, Riku, Sora, and I. It was sickening to think that I'd missed out on everything that had happened because of one lousy mistake. I wondered desperately if there was any way I could make amends...probably not. But I could try.

I listen intently as my cousin and his friend relay all the details. My mind is racing by the time Sora tells me what happened to Namine. I feel burning anger tearing through me, flames incasing my soul.
Xemnas…if only I could kill him…

"So you mean to tell me…" I reply, slowly; "that…this whole time…while I was stuck in this stupid bed…my friends were being attacked?" Sora and Riku nod solemnly.

I slam my fist into the bedside table, making a loud thump. I close my eyes, not feeling the pain in my knuckles, only the numbness of the anesthetics inside me.

"Namine and Axel…they could be dead?" I whisper this time.

"Yes," Riku says.

"Huh," I click my tongue a few times before asking the all too important question; "So. What're you two going to do about it?"

"What?" Sora asks, confused. "That doesn't make sense."

"Sure it does. I'm asking what you're going to do. Or are you just going to let them kill Cloud and destroy the Shinra building?" I laugh at their bewildered expressions; "What? Didn't know about that part? Xemnas is ready for a final strike, and he's going to destroy everything. I can't help…I'm stuck in this bed…but you two…you can save the world; or, at least, our friends."

"He has a point," Riku says. "Either we try to save them…and die, or we don't save them, and die."

"Hey, I've got a great idea," Sora says, "why don't we save them, without dying?"

Riku only smiles.

"I approve," I say, laughing slightly.

"Let's go then," Riku says.

"You'll have to infiltrate the Shinra building, evacuate it…get everyone out, especially Cloud. Then if you can get the police on the scene…"

"No. The Police are trying to take care of all the "mysterious" disasters that have been going on. The cops own building exploded," Sora says.

"That could be a problem…maybe if we…"

Riku holds up a hand. "No, we'll think of a plan. You stay here and rest."

The two exit, leaving me alone with my thoughts. But just before Sora passes through the door he turns and gives me a helpful smile; "Don't worry, Rox. We'll save your girl, and we'll kick Xemnas ass, if there's time."

"You do that, Sora, you do that…"

-Sakura-

Sora and Riku walk back to us. And Kairi is already standing, ready to visit Roxas. She still cares, I realize, about our friends; even though she has a hell of a way of showing it.

"So? What happened?" I ask them.

"We're going…to fight Xemnas. We're going to save Shinra, and you two are going to hold the fort—"Sora starts, but I interrupt him…

"WHAT? Oh, no, we are NOT going to stay out of this."

Riku turns to me. "Sakura, you have to stay here. You could die if you come with us."

"No! You'll need all the help you can get."

"Sakura…what if you don't make it? How could I live with myself if I survived instead of you?"

His words hit a nerve in me. I close my eyes slightly, before speaking. "R-riku…I understand what you're saying…but I have to do this. Namine has been my best friend forever. I'm not going to sit here and watch my boyfriend kill himself just to protect me."

He looks away.

"I'm coming with you…it's my Destiny," I look around at the other three, Sora, Riku, and Kairi… "It's all of our Destinies. We have to be there, at the Shinra building. I know that that's where it's all going down. We're going to fight Xemnas and his boys…and we're going to win."

I look around; "Have I made myself perfectly clear?"

A/N This chapter is lousy. There, I said it. Don't bother telling me that it doesn't suck because it does. It hurts my eyes just editing it.

Anyway, sorry to anyone who didn't approve of the whole "Xigbar/Demyx" relationship thing; I thought it was funny…

ANYWAY; I'd give you a preview of the next chapter, but there's a preview of all of the other chapters posted in my profile. Just go to the news area, and then it should be right there; can't miss it.

Oh, and also, I would love to have a couple drawing. Whether it's for Axel/Larxene, Kairi/Sora, Riku/Sakura, Namine/Roxas or even Xemnas/Larxene (shivers). It can be simple, just draw one or more of the couples interacting with each other. I don't care what you do, have them kissing, drinking coffee together, holding hands…or even…doing it (shivers again). I don't care, go crazy. Just make it look nice so that I'll have something to look at for inspiration.

Anyway, so the original gang (Sora, Riku, and Kairi, as well as Sakura) are lining up the pieces for a final battle with Xemnas. How will it turn out? How will it end? You'll have to wait to find out…

See you next time!

Oh, and special thanks to my brand new reader; "imlwjesusfreak". We'll see about the Sora and Kairi thing…