Hey guys, well hope you liked the last chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.
~Assessing the Situation~
The walk back through the hidden passageways was a quiet one, no one wanting to say anything about what happened. Everyone had a different thought about it weighing on their mind, and no one wanted to voice their thoughts out loud. Kairi and Namine silently walked, holding most of their salvaged items from the raid, every now and again glancing at Xion who wouldn't look at anyone. Riku hung near the back, just observing everyone, but his thoughts, like everyone else's, kept returning to Sora and he wondered if the brunette was okay.
As they finally made it into the village, and at the place where they normally parted. The silence was still thick, and before they parted the girls gave Xion a hug and Riku gave the others a pat on the back in reassurance. He then began to lead the two girls away from the siblings and to their homes, not trusting the idea of leaving them on their own.
Xion sighed before she was steered towards their house by Vanitas, again no one spoke, and the silence seemed to drown them all more than it did when the others were around. Xion wanted to talk, but just like her siblings she knew no one wanted to say anything out loud. There were just too many factors that they didn't like, and the person at the center of it wasn't any of them, but it was their baby brother. So no one wanted to even mention the chance that Sora might be in danger.
At the house the siblings went along their basic tasks. Xion went through all of their money they had been able save from the chase, and then counted it into their current stash. The silence continued for the next hour of two, and when their father arrived home, the siblings tried to act normal, but they still weren't able to talk well enough, their thoughts drifting back to Sora.
Zack glanced at his kids, knowing immediately that something else was off. As he was heading through town he had seen Kairi and Namine returning home. Those two had been off, they were normally happy and would greet him but they didn't seem to even notice him. Seeing Riku had worried him even more, the boy had seen him but instead of greeting him with words or even a nod of the head, the boy had only looked away, as if he knew something about Zack that would hurt him.
Of course his worry grew when he arrived home and barely heard a peep from any of his children. It was also unlike Xion and Ventus to not even greet him when he arrived home. Looking at the calculations of the stash it looked like they hadn't earned a lot which was definitely rare. Vanitas seemed more moody and distant then he normally was, and Roxas looked positively livid for some reason.
As they sat down for supper, he could tell that his kids were trying to at least act normal, but the fact that he couldn't get any of them to look him in the face proved something was off. As he examined them all he grew more worried and even more curious. What could have set them off to act so drastically different?
"What happened?" Zack questioned, finally tired of waiting.
The siblings looked at each other trying to decide who should talk before Roxas sighed, "Stupid guards and Xehanort's spawn showed up at the market."
Zack's eyes widened, "Are you all unharmed?"
"Oh yeah, we're just peachy, after all they let us go unscathed," Vanitas muttered darkly, in a tone Zack never heard his son take.
"Unscathed?"
"Yeah…after they cornered us in an alley…" Ventus muttered.
Zack sighed, now thoroughly confused and lost, "All right full story from the beginning please?"
No one talked right away, and Zack was beginning to lose his patience with his children. If they didn't tell him then there would be trouble to pay. Finally Xion looked him in the eyes, the first of his children to do so all night, and what he saw nearly broke his heart. Her eyes were filled with fear, confusion, sorrow, and anger. Things he had never hoped to see in those eyes, and when he saw them in hers he feared the answer she would give him.
"We were dancing today, when Sora came by the market."
"Sora?" Zack asked, dreading beginning to fill him.
"Yeah, he joined me in a dance and as soon as it was over the guards appeared along with Ansem, Xehanort's son. After the initial surprise wore off we bolted, I grabbed Sora and dragged him along when he seemed to freeze," Xion continued.
"We ran through the alleyways, taking as many turns as possibly in hopes of losing them. Until we turned into a dead end. Unfortunatly Ansem was right on our tail the whole time and so were his guards. When we tried to exit he appeared at the entrance of the dead end," Ventus added.
Vanitas spoke next, "We took our positions in front of the girls, ready to protect them from the guards and Ansem. When Ansem was getting ready to attack…"
Zack stared at his son, worried about why he seemed at a loss for words, "What?"
"Sora went in between Ansem and us, threatening the lord. We told him Ansem wouldn't care to spare his life if Sora defied him, but oddly enough, Ansem talked to Sora and seemed to grow angrier. When Sora realized he had no leverage over Ansem he grabbed my knife and threatened to hurt himself."
Zack's eyes widened at that information, "What? Why?"
"Well…as soon as Ansem saw that he told the guards to let us go peacefully. We were all shocked and then Ansem said 'we are returning home'. We were confused as to who the other person Ansem spoke of until Sora approached him willingly. We of course reacted when Ansem grabbed him in a harsh grip but Sora did nothing to object or fight…" Xion stopped there take a deep breath.
Zack could feel his dread building, afraid of what happened next, "And?"
"Ansem stated that he and his servant were returning to the manor," Roxas said sadly.
"His…servant?"
Xion nodded, "Sora wouldn't look at us as he put his cloak back on and was dragged away from the alley by Ansem…"
"Are you saying that Sora is Xehanort's servant?"
Xion nodded, "I know it's true, Sora wouldn't look at us after Ansem said that. He must have thought we'd hate him for being Xehanort's servant."
Everyone remained quiet after that, all thinking of something different. Zack was glaring at the table, completely angry at Xehanort, but also worried for his son. Everything made sense now, with Sora being anyone else's servant it could have been a coincidence that he looked like his son and was named the same as his son. Finding out Sora was Xehanort's servant instantly proved that Sora was indeed Zack's son. It made sense that they hadn't been able to find Sora or any trace of him. After the bastard had killed Aerith he must have just taken Sora for his own, maybe he planned to use Sora to get to them.
Zack's eyes widened as he thought of something, "Xion?"
"Yes?" Xion asked, confused about why she was being addressed suddenly.
"When you first met Sora you said that he danced? That he bought dancing outfits from you?"
Xion thought back, though it wasn't hard to remember that day, "Yes, that's right."
"Sora's appearance…did it seem…I don't know like he'd been beaten?"
Xion thought it over, "No…why?"
"Normally a servant would be beaten for many reasons, it's very rare to see one without a single bruise…"
"I have to say something dad," Vanitas spoke up, as he realized what his father may be thinking.
"What?"
"He seemed quite small, skinny, and his skin looked perfect for a servant. Not only that but I wouldn't have been surprised if he could pass for a girl. He looked to be about the same height and weight as Xion. Heck with his hair out of its natural spikes he may even look like a younger male version of mom or even just a male version of Xion," Vanitas stated.
"Why's that matter?" Xion asked.
Zack met eyes with Vanitas, "So you think…"
"I do…if he was any other kind of servant then Ansem would have let him spill his blood earlier today, but he didn't. Also Sora is about 14 I'd say, it's been that long, and his birthday is soon."
"Why's that matter?" Ventus asked.
"Because the legal age for any person to be married off or have sex is 15 in this country," Roxas stated.
Ventus and Xion froze as they pieced it together, they hadn't thought of that as a possibility for why Sora was treated differently from a normal servant. After all Sora was a boy, they'd have thought a girl would be more likely to face that kind of treatment then Sora.
"So you're saying…Sora is a…" Xion couldn't say it out loud.
"I believe Sora is meant to be a sex slave," Vanitas spoke aloud what was on everyone's minds.
Zack stood up, slamming his fist on the table before stalking his way out of the house angrily. Xion looked sadly at the table, as she began to cry, just thinking of what her brother was going through. Ventus comforted her despite wanting to cry as well. Vanitas followed after their father as Roxas stayed with his other siblings, protecting them, but not showing his weakness by crying.
Zack angrily made his way to the elder's house, Vanitas following after him hurriedly, Riku has begun following them when they passed by him earlier. The situation hadn't been explained to the other boy, but he had never seen Zack so angry so he was worried. As they finally arrived at the elder's house Zack wasted no time just barging inside the house.
Kairi and Namine both looked surprised that the normally calm Zack would just burst inside. Diz looked at Zack and immediately knew something was wrong, he ushered his two daughters out of the room, knowing whatever this was about was serious.
"What is it Zack?"
Zack slammed his hands on the table, "I need to get into Xehanort's mansion."
"You know how foolish that is! I know you want revenge for Aerith and Angeal's death but to risk the entire city for that is stupid! You'd get caught and you know this."
"I'm not doing this for the damn revenge. I may want to kill Xehanort, even more now, but I have something else I need to get out of there."
"And what could that possibly be?" Diz asked.
"My son."
Diz's eyes widened, "What are you talking about?"
"Xion and the others met Sora, a boy who looks almost identical to Vanitas except for coloring, and who is a servant. He apparently is Xehanort's servant."
"You have no proof he is your son-" Diz began.
"He has the necklace that will lead him to this city."
Diz paused at that, now realizing how grave this might be, "Zack…"
"Even if I don't lead them here, if they get even one gypsy who may turn their back on us for riches they can figure out that the necklace will lead them here. Not only that…but…" Zack couldn't look the man in the eyes.
"What?"
"Sora's going to be turning 15 soon…and after that…after that…" Zack paused.
"After that?"
"I may never get my son back! Even if I do he may as well be broken and unable to even interact with any of us!"
"What does that matter?"
"Sora apparently looks like he could compete with Aerith and Xion in feminine looks," Zack snapped.
The room filled with silence, Riku's eyes widened as he realized what Zack meant. Diz was stunned, he wasn't sure what to say to them. Vanitas just watched the two men, not sure what to do.
"You mean…" Diz began.
Zack nodded, "Yes. Please let me go save my son."
Diz sighed, "Zack, you must wait. Let me see if I can get more information about the mansion before you rush in. It shouldn't take too long to figure it out."
"What do you plan to do?" Zack asked.
"I do not know yet, but I will have a plan in a day or two."
Zack wanted to argue but he just nodded, knowing he had to accept the plan for now. If he rushed in now, he could wind up not only hurting himself but his family and friends as well. He exited the house, not wanting to talk about what happened with a sigh. Vanitas bowed to Diz before going after his father. Riku just took his leave quietly, as he pondered what had just been revealed.
~End ch. 8~
I hope you all liked the chapter.
Reviewer's corner:
silvermist1116: I couldn't have them hurt his precious skin.
animedprincess: yes we know it's going to happen but Xehanort doesn't.
Liz: favorite author? Really? *doesn't know what to say* glad you like the story so far.
Till next time!
