Hello again everybody! Thanks again to my wonderful reviewers and readers for putting up with me and my story. I ended up giving up an alarmingly small amount of cookies for reviews for the last chapter… but I did give a certain reviewer a tray of brownies for some tacos! Lol Same deal, people review and get cookies… or maybe something else…
In this chapter I have some flashbacks. Just so you know how I've decided to set up flashbacks for this story I'm going to explain my process really quick. The last person mentioned or the last person to have spoken is the one having the flashback just so you don't get confused. Flashbacks will be in first person and inall bold italics.
I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Converse (but I love those shoes and own a pair), but seriously 'The Dark-Heart' is mine as is Axel's band name, the band name on Axel's CD, and the song Axel sings called The Ocean's Depths (the lyrics are just bold in the flashback) which I wrote myself. The whole song's not written out in this chapter, just the chorus but still. This song is mine thank you very much so no stealing it. Thank you very much for not stealing m song.
Now that you know everything you need to so that you don't get too terrible confused… on with the story!
Chapter 3
"Hey Sora, so how angry was the Queen of the World with you today when she found out that you had Riku drive you to school instead of her?" Roxas asked from the kitchen table, looking up from his large bowl of cereal just as Sora slouched in through the front door. Kairi had just dropped Sora off after screaming at him in the confines of her tiny car for the last ten minutes or so before she had pulled up in front of his house and allowed him to exit the vehicle.
"You don't wanna know!" Sora sighed, resting his head on the table so that all he could see was the salt shaker right in front of his face. "Oh and by the way, thanks for telling Kairi who drove me to school, you were a great help Roxas. You really need to learn when to keep your mouth shut. Seriously, it might come in handy one day."
"Hey, don't get angry with me because you're Ice Queen of a girlfriend's jealous of your best friend. I didn't cause your problems Sora, you did by dating her." Roxas said good-naturedly as he reached for the milk carton to pour himself more cereal. Roxas had just gotten home ten minutes ago from 'The Dark-Heart' and just barely made it in the back door, into his pajamas, and into the kitchen in time to pour the cereal when he had heard the bitch in question pull up in the driveway still yelling at Sora.
"How is it not your fault? You told her who drove me to school today because you knew she'd get mad about it!" Sora shouted at his twin unable to keep the frustration out of his voice. He didn't mean to yell at Roxas, but he was just so frustrated right now with Kairi and everything she had done to be able to tell one person from the other. All Sora wanted to do at that moment was put up a wall up around him and his heart, and never let anyone through keeping himself locked away from the rest of whole world and it's inhabitants forever – except for Riku. Riku was the only person Sora wanted to talk to right now, but if he talked to Riku, Kairi was bound to find out and be even angrier with him which he wasn't willing to risk.
"Let's get a few things straight here Sora, because you're really starting to tick me off." Roxas said in a voice that was deadly calm and serious. Sora raised his head from the table to look at his brother in shock. Roxas had never talked to anyone like that, let alone Sora his own twin brother. It marked just how serious of an occasion it was. "I didn't tell Kairi who drove you to school exactly; I told her which car you left in when it came to pick you up thank you very much Mr. I-Know-Everything-About-Everything-There-Is-To-Know! And secondly, I only told her anything because she had me in a rather precarious situation so I had cut a deal with her to get out of it. I didn't do it just to spite you no matter what you may think."
"And naturally the deal you made was she lets you off the hook from whatever it was and you tell her the car that picked me up, right?" Sora asked halfheartedly as Roxas nodded his head as he placed his empty cereal bowl in the dishwasher and put the milk and cereal box away in the pantry where it belonged.
"You aren't upset with me are you?" Roxas asked his twin as Sora stood up and slouched off heading for the staircase that led to their rooms. "Sora, please answer me. Sora? Come on don't be mad at me, I didn't mean to upset you!"
"I'm not angry or upset with you Roxas, I just need to go and lye down for a while before dinner I think. My head hurts a bit so I'm gonna take an Ibuprofen pill before I pass out on my bedroom floor so you can tell Mom I'm upstairs when she gets home." Sora said as he walked up the stairs. When he reached the halfway point he stopped, calling back into the kitchen. "And if Kairi happens to call, tell her I'm asleep."
Roxas chuckled as Sora climbed the rest of the stairs to the second floor, thinking about how bad thing must be for Sora right now if he was willing to pretend he was asleep merely so he didn't have to talk to his own girlfriend. Roxas was glad he didn't have these kinds of relationship problems; all he had was possibilities and happiness instead of problems like his brother he realized while thinking back to what had happened earlier that day after his Mother had left the house…
As soon as my Mother had kissed me goodbye on the forehead and climbed into her car to go to work the charade was over. I was done pretending to be sick – for the day at least. Rushing upstairs, I quickly dressed and looked over myself in the floor length mirror in the hall between Sora's room and mine. For some odd reason Mother and Father had thought because we were twins that Sora and I were the best of friends and in so should have rooms right across the hall from each other.
Not that I don't like Sora, it's just that he gets annoying sometimes with his little habits and the things that he does. Like when Kairi comes over he talks super loud and gets all nervous and jumpy, or when Riku calls he always stands on his head for some unknown reason. Can you say weird! He doesn't know that I know he does that because it's really an accident I found out at all. I was just walking innocently past his room one day and it just so happened that I glanced inside. Then I did a double take and had to double back to stare at my brother standing on his head with Riku on speakerphone. From then on whenever Riku called I would be sure to listen for the sound of multiple voices which signaled Sora setting the phone on speaker so that I could slip our of my room and down the hall to see if he was standing on his head. And he always was it, every single time Riku called him, which was quite often. I was never disappointed with Sora's almost daily display of his perfect balance.
I quickly hurried down the staircase, out the back door and down the sidewalk headed from my favorite place in the entire world – 'The Dark-Heart'. It wasn't my favorite place because Axel was always there, though that was an extremely good reason to go, but because it gave people like me a place to go and think. A place to let our ideas flow, a place to let our creative energies out… and a great place to make-out seeing as half of the building seemed to be dark deserted corners just begging to be made-out in.
Before I knew it I was standing in front of the building itself looking up at the glowing neon sign placed over the large black tinted window: 'The Dark-Heart'. Jumping over the broken board on the stairs that led up to the door I entered my favorite place to settle myself at one of the numerous small rickety table in the darkened corner closest to the stage where I always sat at and pulled the small flat case out of my jacket pocket that I had brought for Axel.
"Hey, I think I might know you! You look familiar, have we met before?" I couldn't help but laugh when Axel said this, coming up from behind me to put his arms around my shoulders so that his lips were just centimeters from my ear as he whispered to me. "What's happening Roxas?"
"Oh nothing much, I came to listen to the wicked cool band that's playing here today." I said enthusiastically, which made him laugh. I loved the sound of his laugh, the way it seemed to fill my soul with that warm feeling you get when someone you really care about is happy with you. I'd do anything to make him smile at me like that and laugh. "I brought you something."
"You brought me something, like a present?" Axel asked excitedly clapping him hands together as I handed him the flat case I had brought with me in my inside jacket pocket. "Oh my God, where did you get this? The Dream-Catcher Oracle CD! I've been looking for this CD for weeks, ever since it came out!"
"I knew you wanted it because you told me, so I went out and found it for you." I said casually. It had taken me forever to find it, even if I wasn't going to tell him that. Every store in town had run out of copies so my only choice was the internet – which so jacked up the price. Brand new CDs go for a lot apparently, especially when most stores are sold out of it.
"No one's every given be a present before." Axel said softly, looking at me with his eyes filled with emotion.
"Never?" I asked him, astounded. I knew things at home had been rough for Axel, but I didn't know they could have been that rough. His Mother had died when he was two years old, and his Father didn't really care about anything but his new plastic surgery Hollywood-look-a-like wife.
"Roxas how can I ever thank you enough for this?" Axel said quietly as he took my hand.
"You just did." I smiled at him, lacing his fingers with mine. He kissed me lightly on the cheek. "The look in your eyes is all I need all the thanks I need Axel."
"AXEL!" Demyx called across the room, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet as Zexion slumped again the wall looking sulky. "We're going on in half a minute! Come on already!"
"Listen Roxas, I have to go sing you know? Be right back." Axel sighed as he walked over towards the back of the club where I knew they stored the instruments they used in their many performances on stage. "When we're done I need to talk to you so don't leave."
"Alright," I heard myself say as he walked away from me and over to where Demyx and Zexion stood eyeing me wearily. I didn't understand why they would be looking at me like that, after all, what had I ever done to them?
"Hey everyone, it's time for the main event of the day!" The owner of the establishment said to the eagerly listening crowd. If a crowd can consist of about six people that is, other than myself, not that anyone noticed me from where I sat in my corner of course which is just how I liked it. As long as Axel knew I was there, I didn't give a damn who else knew. "You all know them, you all love at least one of them, give it up for my favorite local band – The Inferno Arsonists! Give it up for Demyx on drums, Zexion on bass guitar, and everyone's favorite electric guitarist and lead singer to even perform at 'The Dark-Heart'… AXEL!"
I clapped loudest of all as Axel and his band mates took the stage and each picked up their various instruments to prepare to play. As Axel fiddled with the microphone he glanced over to the corner where I was clapping for him and smiled his adorably devilish smile he gave me whenever he saw me. He winked just before he turned to whisper something to the other members of the band as they tuned their instruments for the first song, and even though I couldn't be sure of it, I knew in my heart that it had been just to me.
"Hey everyone, how's it going today?" Axel said into the microphone to the appreciative 'whoops' of enjoyment from the crowd who was eagerly awaiting the start of the some. "This song's titled 'The Ocean's Depths'. And more importantly I'd like to dedicate this to my blue eyed savior and the one love of my life, this is for you."
I nearly fell out of my chair when I heard him say that over the microphone to the room at large. First off, I wasn't his savoir. He had saved me, made me realize just because I wasn't perfect to the standards other people had set for me didn't mean I didn't meet my own standards and that it was okay for me to be true to myself no matter who that was.
The one love of my life he had said. He actually loved me and was admitting it to a room full of complete strangers. Never once in all our many meetings here had either of us ever said the L word. It was like the one thing we had left to look forward to besides well – you know. I just couldn't believe it… and them I heard the lyrics of the song he was just starting to belt out to the intense pleasure of everyone around me.
Why do I feel this way about you?
The depths of the ocean in your eyes is calling to me,
Begging me to fall inside and never leave you.
Can I tell you how I feel without words?
Can you understand the way I feel,
And do you feel the same?
The depths of the ocean,
Taunting me slowly to madness,
The ocean held in your eyes.
No one knew the lyrics actually meant anything special to anyone present in the dark and dimly lit club, no one could have guessed the importance or significance of the words Axel was belting out. No one that is but me, Axel, and possible Demyx and Zexion and for that I was glad because I could feel myself blushing like mad from where I sat frozen to the chair. Even if I had the movement restored to my legs I don't think I would have moved anyways because the song was so beautiful. Axel's music was always trying to get a point across and the lyrics had always meant something and all that but this was the first time I actually heard each line as what it was instead of the song as a whole. Because he was singing about me and how he felt about me, it had to be me.
"Thanks guys!" Demyx shouted when they were finished with their song. Clapping ensued in which for once I didn't take part. I was too busy staring up at Axel with disbelief that he had actually went and written a song for me, about me, and sang it in public to an eagerly listening crowd who just so happened to adore him for his musical abilities.
But I loved him for him.
"Um, I guess we're taking a break now then." Zexion said into his microphone as Axel jumped off the stage and started walking over to me where I sat. Finally able to tear my eyes away from his unbelievably green eyes I stared down at my hands, which were curled up in my lap, as he pulled out the chair next to me and dropped himself down into it.
"Hey there Roxas." Axel practically purred into my ear as he leaned into me to nibble on my ear as I closed my eyes in the intense pleasure that was just having him so close to me again. "So did you like the song then?"
"Axel it was – I just – I really –" I gave up with a frustrated chuckle at myself for not being able to form a sentence with him around me. "I don't know what to say."
"Say you liked it." Axel requested simply, taking my face in his hand so that I was forced to look into his face and found myself gazing up into his emerald green orb-like eyes. "Please tell me you liked it, I mean really liked it."
"I loved it Axel." I said softly as he scanned my face to see if I was telling him the truth, afraid that I might be lying to him and that all his hard work to impress me had been for naught. It was the truth, he saw it written all over his face that be had seen it was the truth as he smiled down at me. "Just like-"
"Just like what Roxas?" Axel asked when I cut myself off, not finishing what was on my mind. "Tell me."
"I loved the song…" I gulped, taking a breath before carrying on plowing headfirst into the flames that faced me. "Just like I love you Axel."
Axel didn't answer. He just stared at me like he'd never seen anything like me before. I tried to read his expression but it was impossible to tell what he was thinking in the darkness of the corner. The one downside to sitting in the partial dark.
"Roxas, do you really mean that?" Axel asked me hopefully. I had never heard him sound so hopeful in my entire time of having known him, not even when the owner of the club had cut a deal that if it brought more people in that his band could play here whenever they wanted and it had worked so far. "Do you really love me Roxas?"
"Of course I do Axel!" I smiled at him, caressing the side of his face with the back of my hand as he leaned into it closing his eyes. "What's wrong Axel?"
"Nothing Roxas, everything's great." Axel said, wrongly mistaking my intensions. I hadn't meant anything by it, he just looked upset and by now I was well trained to pick up on his many emotions.
"Axel, don't lie to me. I know you too well to not know when you're lying." I stated coldly, playfully tugging on his hair so he laughed softly as he swatted my hand away. "Please Axel, whatever it is we can work it out. Is it something I did?"
"God no, it wasn't you Roxas it was me." Axel sighed, his head flopping backwards so that he was looking up at the ceiling instead of my face as though he couldn't bear to look at me anymore. "I just feel like you're too good for me Roxas, like you deserve someone so much better than me and you're just settling for me. I know you aren't but I can't help but feel that you should be with someone who's in a position to give you everything you could ever want or need and we both know that's not me. I love you so much, but sometimes I just feel like maybe my love might not be enough."
"Is that why it took you so long to tell me how much you cared?" I asked sadly as I took his hand in mine to stroke the back of his hand with my thumb as he fixed his eyes on mina and nodded solemnly. "You should have known better Axel. You should have known I wouldn't have cared about any of that stuff. All I care about is you."
"I know Roxas, but shouldn't you be with someone better?" Axel pressed me, not giving up the fight just yet. "Shouldn't you be with someone who can take care of you, who has a future, who at least finished high school."
"You could have finished high school, you were smart enough." I countered. "It's not your fault you got expelled before you could graduate."
"Yeah, it was my fault." He laughed sourly as he pulled a cigarette out of his pocket along with a lighter which he flicked several times before he could get the flame inside to come to life. As much as I hate smoke and cigarettes, I didn't mind it so much when Axel did it. It just seemed to calm him down, and with all this talk of him being too good for him it might be a good idea for him to light one up and take a breather.
Not that I could breathe with all that smoke in my face, but whatever. That detail doesn't matter so much as the fact that Axel was becoming less tense after every inhale of those noxious poisons he was releasing into the air and down into his and my lungs. But whatever, if it worked…
"How was it your fault?" I asked him angrily. "Okay, I heard a few rumors but it's not like I believed them or anything. I'm sure it was just a big misunderstanding or something like that right?"
"What have you heard?" Axel asked me as he smashed the still lit bud of the cigarette under the heel of his black and white converse shoes he always wore everywhere.
"That you're the one who burnt down that classroom on the second floor by the band room, but that can't be true." I said airily unconcerned.
"Why couldn't that have been me Roxas?" Axel asked me sounding amused by the situation and the topic of conversation.
"Well, I don't know why." I said slowly. Did that mean it was him then? "It just doesn't seem like something you'd have done is all I guess. Was that why you got expelled then Axel?"
"Yeah, in a manner of speaking." Axel said making me choke on my words which I had been about to say and loosing my train of thought completely. "Well okay, it was technically an accident. I didn't mean to throw my lit cigarette bud under that cabinet where I couldn't pull it out again. And how was I supposed to know someone had spilt chemicals over there on the floor the day before that happened to be flammable? But I bet you can imagine how well that response went over with the authorities and the school system."
"So it was a mistake then." I said feeling a little relieved.
"In a manner of speaking. I mean I was smoking in the building and all but I don't think that's anything to be expelled for and all but my opinion apparently doesn't matter, huh?" He smiled at me as he twiddled his thumbs absentmindedly.
"Your opinion matters to me Axel, isn't that enough?" I asked seriously. He looked at me for a long moment that seemed to stretch forever in my memory for he leaned in, taking my face in his hands as he spoke.
"It's more than enough Roxas." Axel said tenderly. His soft lips gently touched mine while I melted in his arms as he worked his way slowly into my heart.
"Glad my love life's not as hard as Sora's is." Roxas sighed, quickly scrawling a note down in his notepad for his Mother so she wouldn't worry, sticking it onto the fridge with a magnet before slipping out of the back door so to sit under his favorite tree while he wrote poetry, most of which would be involving a pair of emerald green eyes encased by curtains of flaming red hair.
As amerced in his thoughts as he was, Roxas should have noticed for all his wonderful ideas that had suddenly popped into his mind the familiar sight of Riku's slender form as he streaked quickly as any bolt of lightning across the street, darting between the cars on his way to Roxas and Sora's front yard.
Riku slipped into the narrow gap between the white picket fence and the side of the house. Making his way to the back of the house where unknown to him Roxas sat in the strong limbs of the large oak tree writing frantically in his notebook lest his ideas escape him before he could jot them down. As Riku looked up at the windows of the second floor of the attractive white house, Sora just happened to look out of his window and glance around his back yard.
"Riku, what the hell are you doing here!" Sora opened up his window to shout out at his best friend who stood confident and grinning down below his window. "You heard what Kairi said today, you shouldn't be here! It'll only cause us both a lot of unnecessary drama and cause her to inflict her terrible wrath upon us."
"Sora, I'm not scared of Kairi." Riku said, casually flipping his bangs out of his eyes as he continued to look up at Sora's torso as he stuck his head out of the window. "Let her yell, she could shoot me for all I care!"
"No, Riku don't say things like that!" Sora groaned, his eyes closing painfully. Riku's laughter died as he looked up at his friend with concern written in his eyes, frowning slightly as he walked over to the tool shed in the corner of the yard that was situated against the fence where Sora's Father kept all the tools and gardening equipment like the lawnmower and the watering can Sora's Mother used to water her small neatly managed flower gardens that circled the perimeter of the house.
"Riku, what are you doing in there?" Roxas asked when Riku didn't reappear at once out of the shed. Fearing that Riku must have tripped on the threshold of the door and stabbed himself through the heart with the pruning shears his Father used to trim the hedges that lined the sidewalk on the side of the fence that overlooked the road. Tossing his notebook unceremoniously to the ground as he jumped from the tree to land soundly on his feet, Roxas rushed to the door of the shed to find Riku struggling to turn a very large ladder on it's side to get it through the door. "What are you doing in here with that ladder?"
"Having a stimulating conversation of course. You dolt, I'm trying to get it out of the door!" Riku sniggered as Roxas sputtered, trying to think of a comeback. Riku walked away from the ladder and over to where Roxas stood, pushing him roughly out of the way as he went to pull the ladder out of the shed door. "Wanna give me a hand with this Roxas? It's not exactly an easy thing to life on one's own if you know what I mean."
"Oh, of course I'll help you." Roxas said taking the back end of the ladder with a groan as he helped Riku pick it up and set it up against the side of the house right under Sora's window. Sora had disappeared back inside his room and closed his window thinking Riku had left him in peace. Boy was Sora ever wrong!
"Roxas, do you think you could do me a favor?" Riku asked as he mounted the ladder, gripping the individual rungs tightly in his hand as he climbed up to Sora's window. "Could you put the ladder back for me once I make it inside?"
"Won't you need it to get back down?" Roxas asked, unintentionally watching Riku's body sway back and forth slightly with the effort of the climb.
"Na, I'll just go out through the front door when it's dark so Kairi can't possibly see me. If she doesn't see me she can't get mad at Sora." Riku explained finally reached Sora's window. "And a ladder might leading up to Sora's window might like a little conspicuous if Kairi just happened to drive by tonight. Please Roxas, can I count on you for this one thing, just this once?"
"Fine Riku, just this once." Roxas smiled as Riku rapped smartly on Sora's window. Sora opened the window, and Roxas could see the look of utter happiness on his brother's face as he moved aside to let Riku clamber into his room. "Have fun you two, play nice! Great, now I gotta put this gigantic ladder back on all my own."
"So, what's up then Sora?" Riku asked cheerfully as he collapsed on the end of Sora's unmade bed.
"Riku, you're crazy." Sora said simply, lifting himself up with his arms to sit on his cluttered dresser top.
"How so Sora?" Riku asked with a laugh, his eyes flashing in the way that showed how delighted he was with the situation and what was going on. Riku could tell Sorta was pleased with what he had done even if he was pretending not to be, Riku could tell by the look glinting in Sora's deep crystal blue eyes that he had stared into more than once.
"How many people do you know that are willing to climb a ladder up to their best friend's window who they aren't even supposed to be seen with anymore because of their cold hearted girlfriend just to cheer them up?" Sora asked in a rush, leaving Riku to look at him in utter astonishment. When Sora was upset he began to talk fast and became hard to understand at times, but Riku believed in his mind that he got the gist of what Sora was probably talking about. With Sora in his current state, it was a hit-and-miss on whether or not you could actually tell what he was talking about. "Seriously Riku, how many people do you know that would do something this crazy?"
"Aside from me you mean of course?" Riku scoffed at Sora's pale face gleefully, his shoulders shuddering in amusement as he laughed. "I'll admit, not many. But that's what makes it so special for us."
"I guess you're right Riku. But still, we have a front door for a reason." Sora smiled unable to hide his cheerfulness from Riku any longer. "So now that you're here what do we do?"
"I don't know, that bits your own problem not mine. All I was supposed to do was show up." Riku stated, lying down onto his back to examine the ceiling. "Let's go out and do something."
"Can't do anything today I'm afraid. Kairi wants to go out tonight to some club or another. She said it was time I took her somewhere fun." Sora sighed heavily, looking down at own his feet in embarrassment. I probably sound like I don't like my own girlfriend, Sora thought angrily. Do I still like Kairi now that I know what she's really like? Why did she never act like this before we dated? Was it all just to get me to like her so I'd date her before she showed her true colors to me at last?
"Oh come on Sora! Just dump her so we can go hang out and be friends again without me having to sneak around and climb through windows." Riku called from the bed, still staring up at the ceiling. When Sora didn't answer however Riku sat up, peering up at Sora through the strands of hair that had fallen in front of his eyes. Sora looked oddly determined like he had finally made us his mind about something. "What's that look for Sora?"
"I'm gonna do it." Sora stood up. His face was set, his fists clenched, and the only thing giving away the fear he was feeling was the look of timid look in his eyes as he reached for his cell phone. "I'm going to call her and tell her it's over between us."
"Bravo Sora, I knew you could do it! She hasn't eaten your brain yet!" Riku smiled sticking his hands in his front pants pockets. If Sora breaks up with Kairi he'll be single again, Riku thought trying to hide his pleasure at his best friend's obviously ending relation. If all goes well tonight after I take him somewhere where we can chill for a while so he can get over the breakup with Kairi that he plans on having in a few minutes , maybe I can come out about how I feel about him. He'll understand how I feel about him. He won't think I'm a freak like anyone else would. I think…
"Hello?" Kairi's voice was heard some moments later, cascading around the room. Sora had told Riku to be quiet and sit down so Kairi couldn't possibly hear him, and in return he had set the phone on speaker so that Riku could listen to the break up as it developed. What a wonderful bit of gossip this will be, Riku smiled to himself as Kairi answered her phone. And maybe a good bit to blackmail to use on Kairi too, give her a taste of her own medicine for once. It's about time somebody did, that wretched hag's been on top for far too long in my opinion.
"Hey Kairi, its Sora, you have a minute?" Sora asked hesitantly, looking to Riku for guidance as to whether or not he could actually do this. Riku nodded encouragingly at his nervous friend and smiled patting Sora on the shoulder to egg him on a little to show he approved of what he was doing to Kairi. "I kinda need to talk to you about something rather important."
"Of course Sora, I know what you're talking about of course but I thought you would have called long before now to talk about it you know you lazy bum!" Kairi giggled girlishly causing static to ripple through the phone.
"Um, I'm not entirely sure we are thinking of the same thing actually." Sora said sourly, looking once again at Riku who looked away in his confusion. "Could you please specify what you are talking about?"
"Our one week anniversary of course, silly we've been dating for a whole week today!" Kairi said happily. Sora blanched and dropped the phone where it landed on the phone with a resounding thump! "What was that, Sora? Are you okay?"
"Um I-I'm fine K-Kairi." Sora said shakily, his eyes tearing up. Riku knew what was running through Sora's mind even if he didn't like it. "I just didn't have time to go out and get you a present."
"Oh Sora, you're so thoughtful!" Kairi sighed, her voice sounding pleased. "I didn't think to get you a present so don't feel too bad about it. I didn't know whether you gave presents on a one week anniversary."
"Oh this is ridiculous!" Riku scoffed flopping down on the bed so that be bounced an inch or so in the air before coming to rest. "Just dump her and get it over with!"
"Sora, is someone there with you? I thought I heard voices." Kairi said so crossly that Sora thought he could imagine in his mind's eye the jealous scowl Kairi must even now be wearing just for his benefit. "Sora, tell me the truth. Are you cheating on me?"
"What! How could you even ask me something like that, especially when you know exactly how I feel about cheating on someone you're supposed to care about!" Sora shouted into the phone. Riku looked shocked from where he sat realizing in an agonizing burst of brain power too late that he should have remained quiet. His talking had just caused Sora more problems than he already had with the Cold Hearted Queen of the Firebrands. How a queen of the firebrands could have as cold a heart as Kairi's I'll never know, Riku thought biting his lip sadly.
"I just wanted to know!" Kairi yelled back, her voice cracking under the strain of having yelled at Sora all day long. "Who's there then?"
"Riku if you must know." Sora said, bracing himself for the worst.
"RIKU, Riku's at your house, in your room right now! What did I tell you about talking to Riku?" Kairi shrieked causing Riku to hold his ears in pain. "I thought I told you that you were never to see him again!"
"You aren't my master Kairi, you're my girlfriend! You need to learn the difference between the two, really!" Sora shouted, finally unable to take it any longer and standing up for himself and his actions against the girl who was attempting to take away all his friends and freedom. "I can live my own life Kairi!"
"If you really hate me running my life then why haven't you broken up with me yet?" Kairi countered harshly.
"That's why I called actually." Sora said calming, his breathing returning to normal as he strived to stay composed.
"What do you mean that's why you called?" Kairi asked, and for the first time in Riku couldn't remember when Kairi's voice held a note of lingering fear in it as though what Sora had said actually scared her.
"Kairi, I didn't know today was our one week anniversary, I didn't think about getting you a present, and I didn't even think about ever getting you a present for any reason at all." Sora said snidely. "To tell the truth Kairi, I called because I'm not sure I want to go out with you anymore, but I'm not sure."
"…" Silence on the other end.
"Kairi, you still there?" Sora asked tentatively, biting his bottom lip as he spoke.
"I heard you Sora." Kairi was heard by both boys to be saying. Except she wasn't merely saying it, she was sobbing it. Both boys could tell that she was crying even though neither of them was there with her making them both feel more than a little guilty. "Oh Sora, please don't break up with me! I'll do anything!"
"Kairi, it's over. I just can't do this anymore." Sora sighed, closing his eyes.
"Please, give me one more chance." Kairi begged. Riku placed a hand on Sora's shoulder and pushed the phone down with the other.
"What is it Riku?" Sora asked wearily, his eyes rimmed with tears.
"She sounds so miserably Sora, she must really care about you." Riku said halfheartedly, his own heart breaking inside at what he was about to say. "Let's meet up with her at 'The Dark-Heart' for an hour or so to hang out I guess. Give Kairi the second chance she's begging you for. She just wants to be with you Sora, and I don't blame her in the least bit. Who wouldn't want to be with you?"
"Riku…" Sora trailed off staring into his eyes lovingly. "Thanks a lot Riku. I knew I could always count on you to help me when I needed someone most! I'll do that then, as long as you come I won't have a problem with it."
"Great Sora, you go on and tell her to meet up with us there and I'll go as Roxas if he wants to go." Riku sighed to himself walking out into the hallway to pull the door shut behind him and slip down it until he was sitting on the carpeted floor feeling perfectly miserable inside. "Roxas, come here a sec would you?"
"Hey Riku, what are you doing sitting in the hallway?" Roxas asked sticking his head around the frame of his door.
"Just came out to ask you if you wanted to go down to 'The Dark-Heart' with Sora and me for a few hours or so." Riku said, grabbing onto the doorknob to pull himself up off the ground to walk over to where Roxas stood looking positively thrilled at the idea. "So do you wanna go or are you too sick to go?"
"Of course I wanna go!" Roxas smiled running into his room to run and grab his shoes. "And anyways, I was faking sick today so it doesn't matter. Give me half a moment to find my shoes."
"That's fine, we have to wait for Sora to get off the phone with Kairi anyways." Riku sighed unhappily slouching towards the stairs that led to the ground floor.
"Is she going to come too?" Roxas asked nervously, his hands shaking so much that he dropped his shoes.
"Yeah, she might meet up us there to my intense displeasure." Riku said honestly.
"I can't go then, I can't risk it!" Roxas shouted nervously attempting to rush back into his room. But Riku was too quick for him, catching him around the elbow and forcing him to stay put. "I can't risk it! She might see Axel! She WILL see Axel, he never leaves the place! Oh my God, I am so dead!"
"Hold on Roxas, calm down." Riku said kindly holding onto Roxas' shoulders to steady him. "Who's Axel?"
"I…" Roxas started, realizing his mistake too late to correct it. "Oh please don't tell Sora or my parents if I tell you! You gotta swear you won't tell anyone first before I tell you!"
"I swear Roxas, you have my word." Riku said, raising his right hand like someone in court might when being sworn in under oath. "Now spill it, and I mean all of it."
"Well Axel's this guy I know and…" Roxas said going brightly pink under Riku's gaze. "Oh bother, it's not worth it! Axel's my boyfriend, I'm gay! There, I said it, go ahead and laugh."
"I'm not going to laugh Roxas." Riku said sympathetically, patting Roxas on the back. Roxas looked flustered at Riku's response but said nothing merely nodding in thanks. "Kairi already knows I suppose, and she'll be on her best behavior so just come along. She won't do anything, and if she does I'll punch her in the nose for you, okay?"
"Alright, if you put it that way I guess there's no way I can refuse." Roxas smiled as Sora came out of his room looking triumphant. "So what's so good that you can actually smile again Sora?"
"Kairi agreed to meet up with us in fifteen minutes." Sora smiled up at Riku. "We all know I won't feel any differently by the end of the night, so I can just break up with her officially and be done with it. It's it great Riku? I'm allowed to hand with you again and I break it off with Kairi at the same time!"
"It's wonderful Sora, good for you." Riku smiled, but stopped smiling almost as suddenly as he had started. For Sora's thin arms had twisted their way quickly about his waist as Sora pressed his face into Riku's shoulder, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet in the intense joy at the thought of being free of Kairi at last. Riku blushed crimson, his eyes darting around wildly before he finally gave in and hugged the younger boy back as he had dreamed of doing for so long but had always been afraid to.
"Um, sorry to break this up and all, but did you say fifteen minutes Sora?" Roxas asked suddenly, ruining the moment for both of his companions.
"Yeah I did say that, why do you ask?" Sora asked his brother swiftly, his face turning pink out of embarrassment as he pulled himself away from Riku's chest.
"Well, I don't wanna be late." Roxas said rushing down the stairs to call back up to the others. "And it's a half an hour walk away from here! Looks like we better all run for it – AND FAST!"
"Where were you guys, I've been waiting here for almost five whole minutes on my own! Do you know how many guys came over here and hit on me?" Kairi asked with a nervously giggle as Roxas, Sora, and Riku entered the still dimly lit club and made there way across the now nearly full crowded room to where Kairi sat with a large strawberry milkshake in her hand. How she had ended up with a milkshake in a club like 'The Dark-Heart'… Almost as soon as Sora had sat down she was all over him, her hand lacing with his fingers, resting her head on his shoulder like it belonged there, which in everyone's mind but hers it didn't. Sora good naturedly smiled at her while pulling his hand out of her grip at the same time.
"So then, any good bands playing tonight Kairi?" Riku asked Kairi kindly trying to make civil conversation with her. Sora flashed him a smiled filled with gratitude and appreciation at his attitude towards Kairi which made Riku glowed with warmth on the inside. "This band doesn't sound… that bad I guess."
"Well, The Inferno Arsonists are by far the best or so I heard from everyone, but they don't play until after this band that's already playing now is finished with their set. The Belladonna Girls or something like that is what's screeching up on stage now. Believe me, they suck. I've had to assail my ears for over five minutes with them now, and I don't know how much more I could take. What's worse, the lead singer goes to our high school and she's even in my Geography class. I think I might need to have a serious talk with her on Monday." Kairi said gossiping cheerily as she sipped her drink, unaware of anything she had said that might make the others unhappy with her. Sora and Riku exchanged sideways glances as Kairi's attention turned back to the stage where the current band was finishing up. "Oh look they're done. Goodly! Here comes –"
"Oh my God it's Axel, yeah!" Roxas shouted gleefully, standing up to clap along with the rest of the club as Roxas' boyfriend and the other two members of the band took the stage. Sora and Riku clapped along with Roxas, both of them secretly thinking that Roxas was such a girl. "Go Axel!"
"Hey everyone, what's happening tonight? Hope you're have a rockin' good time, I know I am!" Axel called over the microphone waving at all the people standing up close to the stage to hear the band and see him better. Roxas quickly jumped out of his seat to join them like any other screaming fangirl, as most of Axel's fans were girls who found him drop dead sexy, as Riku and Sora laughed their heads off at Roxas' Axel-love-addiction-obsession.
"Well, we finally found Roxas' drug of choice then. I've always wondered when we'd find it, and here it is at last." Riku said calmly, trying to be serious and not laugh as Sora snorted into his hands which he had put over his mouth to keep from laughing outright at his twin brother's antics which would hurt his feelings.
"Drug of choice, is Roxas on drugs then?" Kairi asked like the Gossip Queen she was. Riku shook his head calmly as Sora sighed loud and obviously so that she understood. Sora and Riku looked sideways at each other and answered at the same time. "I get it, he's obsessed with something. What is it then?"
"AXEL!"
"Well that was fun!" Kairi said as the three of them walked out to the parking lot together and over to where her car was parked. It was down to just her, Sora, and Riku after Roxas had decided to stay behind with Axel for a while longer. As they all knew to spend alone time with his boyfriend to make out and tell each other different forms of endearment. "I had fun. Did you have fun Sora, Riku? I thought it was great, it was the best time I've ever had we should do it again sometime."
"Kairi, relax would you?" Riku requested with a strangled sigh. Kairi had been talking nonstop ever since they had left the table nearly ten whole long minutes ago and frankly it was getting on Riku's nerves. "You don't need to try so hard, really. I know that you don't like me so quit faking to be nice would you? It's freaking me out to be quite honest."
"I don't hate you Riku!" Kairi smiled widely, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
"I didn't say hate Kairi, I said you didn't like me. There's a difference." Riku stated, a smirk curving at the corners of his lips. "You said hate all on your own."
"You tricked me, you jerk!" Kairi fumed, keeping her voice deadly calm so no one could overhear them except Sora who was walking right behind. "You want me to look bad in front of Sora so he'll break up with me don't you? That's not even fair! You stuck words in my mouth Riku!"
"Hey, just because I stick them there doesn't mean you have to use them." Riku replied calmly, his eyes staring straight ahead. Kairi's hands balled into fists but she didn't dare do anything in front of Sora when he might see her. As much as she hated Riku, she wasn't willing to loose Sora just to have the pleasure of punching Sora's precious little best friend Riku in his entirely too pale and smug thin face. "Come on Sore, we better get going."
"Yeah, bye Kairi!" Sora said, rushing over to Riku's side as they began to walk down the road. A car pulled out in front of them and stopped their progression down the street. The driver's side window slid down and they could see Kairi staring out at them looking grave.
"Come on guys, hop in and I'll give you a ride back." Kairi said grudgingly, not really wanting Riku in her precious car. However, Kairi knew that if she offered Sora and refused Riku that Sora wouldn't come at all and insist on staying to walk home with Riku so she would have no choice. "Come on guys, hop in would you? I haven't got all day, or a lot of gas for that matter."
"Thanks Kairi!" Sora said falsely cheery, but Kairi didn't notice. Sora and Riku slid into the back seat together, each sitting against one of the two darkened windows as Kairi pulled out of the parking lot. As Sora moved to buckle his seatbelt Kairi sniggered softly, but it didn't go unheard by either of them. "What's so funny Kairi?"
"You, silly goose! Do you really think I'm that bad of a driver that I'm gonna get us in an accident when the destination is this close? Your house is right down the road and here you are putting on your seatbelt." Kairi smiled in the rearview mirror at him as Sora pouted, buckling his seatbelt nevertheless. "Alright, suit yourself then Sora."
"Hey Sora, a bunch of they guys and I are getting together and meeting up at the park tomorrow to play some basketball. Wanna join us?" Riku asked, his silver hair glinting in the moonlight streaming in through the windows making his face light up with an angelic glow that Sora marveled at.
"It sounds great I'd love to Riku. I'm not doing anything exciting tomorrow anyways, well now I am since we're playing football but you get what I mean." Sora smiled, looking away from Riku when he looked up into his face and caught him staring at him in an almost loving fashion.
"Um, you can't go tomorrow Sora. Sorry Riku, you guy will just have to play without Sora." Kairi said grudgingly, her words slow as she chooses them with great care in times of stress. She sounded as though she didn't want to sound controlling, but she was failing abysmally.
"I'm not doing anything tomorrow so why not play football with the guys?" Sora whined slightly, his face contorting as he realized Kairi wasn't going to give up her control over his life just yet.
"We're going to the mall tomorrow Sora, I wanna spend the day with you just you and me and possibly a few bags full of new clothes for me and maybe something for you." Kairi said in her usual peppy-cheerleader-type way, her head swaying back and forth as she tapped her fingers rhythmically on the steering wheel to the song playing on the radio. "The whole day spent at the mall, just you and me! Won't that be fun Sora?"
"Not as fun as football with the guys tomorrow would be. Shopping just isn't fun for me Kairi. I'm still a guy you know, and shopping isn't as fun for guys as it is for girls." Sora said, unwilling for the first time in his life to let her have her way with him. Riku smirked to himself, proud to be able to witness Sora finally standing up for himself against Kairi the way he had always dreamed Sora would. "Which is why I'm going to the game tomorrow instead of going shopping with you Kairi."
"W-what a-are you saying to m-me S-Sora?" Kairi stuttered, her hands shaking on the wheel. Riku felt a wave of pity for her, one which he stifled quickly when he remembered who he was dealing with.
"I'm breaking up with you Kairi, we're finished." Sora said loudly, articulating every syllable so that his statement rang and echoed through the metal interior of the car.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
THUD! SCREECH! BOOM!
The sound of a small set of explosions echoed across the highway.
"Hold on, I'll save you!"
Then nothing at all… total silence…
Beep, beep, beep…
Sora's eyelids fluttered slightly, his unconscious mind grasping at the few details he could remember in his dreams. A scream, the sounds of a monstrous disaster, the cry of a savior, and then nothing at all.
My body feels so strange and my head's throbbing like there's no tomorrow, Sora thought as he quietly moaned in pain, more to himself than to anyone else. Why can't I move my arms or ever lift my index finger? Why do I feel like this anyways? What happened to me last night? The last thing I remember…
"Sora, are you awake?" It was Sora's Mother, her voice layered with mixed emotions as she reached for her son's hand. His fingers moved in hers attempting to lace with hers and she smiled through her tears. "Roxas sweetheart go call for the doctors, I think Sora's finally waking up!"
"Mom, is that you?" Sora said in a shaking voice, his eyes lids slowly flitting open to look blearily up at her through heavy lidded eyes filled with tears of his own.
"It's me honey, I'm here for you now. Don't worry, Mommy's here now to take care of you." His Mother crooned, her hand touching his cheek lovingly as Sora struggled to comprehend her words through his excruciating headache. "Oh Sora, I'm so sorry honey. You poor thing, who would have thought it could happen like this? So young!"
"What happened to me Mom?" Sora asked in a panic, attempting to sit up but failing. His Mother forbade him from doing so with a strong hand she placed on his shoulder to keep him leaning back on his pillows.
"You need to rest dear, don't try to sit up just yet. You've been through a lot." His Mother said through tears now streaming down her face and onto her son's chest as she loomed protectively over him. "The doctor's will be here in a moment, I sent Roxas to fetch them."
"Doctors?" Sora asked blankly, looking around him. Sora found with a shock that he was not in his own room or his own house for that reason, but in a white hospital room, his Father asleep over on the couch with his mouth standing beside his bed. "What happened to me Mom? Where am I anyways and how did I get here? And what happened to Riku and Kairi, are they alright or are they here too? Tell me they're both okay I have to hear they're okay!"
"You mean…" Sora's Mother trailed off as the doctor's came rushing into the room followed closely by a nervous looking Roxas who flew directly to his Mother's side and into her open arms. Sora's Mother grabbed the head doctor by the arm, and whispered in his ear softly, but not too soft for Sora too not hear her words with a pang of guilt and worry. "He doesn't remember what happened to him or the others!"
God love whoever invented cliffhangers! They are my new idol on my list of people I admire! Lol
Lots of little page-breaky-line-things I knw, but I usually do small page breaks but the computer didn't keep those when I uploaded so... I uused the lines! Sorry if you don't like the lines, but the story wouldn't have made sense if I would have left them out if you think about it - they help with the switching from place to place bits...
Well that chapter is officially over. Sorry it took me so long, but I had lots of school work and things to do. Plus I went away for the weekend to go see my five year old cousin's soccer game and spend the entire weekend playing kiddy games with her so I didn't have a computer with which to type this up. Please review and tell me what you think! Every reviewer gets a cookie, but the best review gets to have a guest-star role in the next chapter under whatever name they want the character to be named so REVIEW!