Chapter two everyone!
LexZex, you'd better draw art for me or I whip you. D: But seriously gaiz, check out her art. AeleusIenzo on dA one of THE most talented 14 year olds EVER...that I know of at least. xD
"Sora..." Roxas whispered, holding his friend up as he tried to go back to sleep. "Sora, stay awake. You have to eat!" the blonde held his friend's face in place and held the spoon of soup up, "This'll help you heal a bit," he said softly, feeding Sora the soup. The brunette looked absolutely haggard, face swollen and blended purple and black from the horrible bruises. Blood, and another liquid that Roxas denied was the liquid he was thinking it was, dripped down Sora's pale gray legs.
"No..." Sora's voice was hoarse and scared. "It hurts to swallow," he choked out. Roxas assumed it must have been hard to talk to, but he pressed on, trying to get Sora to finish off the food.
"Please, Sora, you need to eat and keep what little health you have up," Roxas begged. "Please, please! If you don't eat you'll die! Die, Sora!" he cried, pulling Sora into a hug. Sora choked out, and weakly tried to push him away. Roxas stared at the purple finger marks around Sora's beautiful and deathly neck. It made him completely sick.
"I wish I were dead. I want to die," Sora sobbed, the sobs coming out as hoarse chokes due to his swollen throat. Roxas' eyes widened and he stared at Sora for a good long while. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He didn't blame Sora, though.
"Don't you EVER say that!" Roxas snapped, grabbing onto his scrawny shoulder. "I love you dammit, and I won't let you let yourself DIE!" he screamed, grabbing Sora's other shoulder and pulling him into a sweet and passionate kiss. Sora's eyes widened and he protested, trying to push Roxas away. He liked Roxas; the blonde was the only thing he had left, but he was still scared. Terrified, in fact. Roxas pulled away and covered his mouth, gasping.
"Sora! I'm so sorry!" Roxas cried, hurrying off.
"Roxas!" Sora whispered as loud as he could, but it was hardly loud enough for Roxas to hear. He trembled and fell forward onto the wooden bench, crying. He really liked Roxas, and the reaction was unintentional, but it was too late now. Roxas would probably never come to see him again.
"Hey, Roxas, I've been looking everywhere for youu..." Riku watched as the other dashed by in a madman-like manner. "Gosh...kids these days always in a rush." Riku was only a few years older than Roxas, but he was much more relaxed than most of the kids around his age.
Riku traveled into the dungeons, digging in his satchel. "Hello everyone, I'm so sorry you're in these situations," he bowed, handing out slices of bread to the prisoners. Most of them were prisoners of war, just young men trying to defend their country. He had to respect them.
"I love your sensitivity," an older man said, he wasn't old just older than the other prisoners. He may've been in his late twenties, early thirties. "And your ass isn't too bad either, little boy," he purred, giving Riku a firm slap on the ass, smirking suggestively. Riku just walked on, a small smile playing at his lips. He didn't have to worry about the prisoners, because they couldn't really do anything as long as they were behind bars. Right?
"Hey...is he alright?" Riku asked, stopping in front of a particularly dark cell where a particular man and a boy resided, plus several others, of course. Riku peered at the slate haired boy writhing in the lap of his larger partner. Even before they were captured the two were completely inseparable.
"Zexion...I think he's dehydrated," the older male said worriedly. Riku was a boy the prisoners could trust. He hadn't done enough to be committing treason, but he also hadn't done enough to be the prisoner's enemy. Riku knelt in front of the cell and sighed.
"Again? That poor boy is much too small to be in such a horrid place like this." He walked to well located conveniently underground in the dungeons. He filled up a canteen and tossed it to Lexaeus through the bars. "There you go. Try to give him some of that."
Lexaeus quickly did as he was told, pouring the fresh water into Zexion's mouth. "C'mon, baby, wake up," he whispered, rocking his partner until he was fully conscious and able to hold himself up. Zexion leaned on Lexaeus, but was breathing and well, nonetheless.
"Thank you," Lexaeus whispered to Riku who nodded, and continued on his way.
The dead end. The end of a passage which no exit is possible, but there was something more. Something strange. The dead end didn't feel like a dead end. It felt like a beginning. An invisible beginning. Riku took a moment to take in the intricate details of the wall and the two torches attached by metal satchels. He reached out and traced some odd hieroglyphics engraved in the metal.
"Wonder what this says..." the phrase was said under his breath as his fingers stroked the wood of the torch. To the right was darkness. To the left was darkness. When you hear a strange noise from the darkness what do you do? You light it up and find the source. When the strange sound came, like a suffering animal, Riku pulled the torch from it's satchel and held it out, approaching what looked like a pile of rocks and a cape. It was just a lumpy human.
"Are you looking for the boy?" the raspy voice of the man underneath the cape came.
"...The...boy?" Riku repeated.
"Did Roxas send you?" the man wheezed. Riku gave him an odd looked, then decided to play along, itching for an adventure.
"Yeah...he did," Riku nodded.
the man looked at him skeptically, "Έλα ύπνε μου, πάρε το Κι άμε συριάνισέ το οτης Πόλης την Άγιά Σοφιά," he murmured. Riku looked at him curiously. He recognized the language, it was on the top of his head, but he couldn't seem to recall where he had heard it before. Finally, he snapped his fingers and smiled wide.
" οτης Χιός τα περιβόλια, Και γέμισε τους κόρφους του Τριαντάφυλλα και ρόδα. The silverette smiled, nodding. He remember now. It was an old nursery rhyme his nanny would always sing to him when he was younger. He tried to remember the title. "Oh! Come good sleep," he nodded. "My Nanny, Olette, would always sing me that song when I was an infant," he said, looking away nostalgically.
A smile played at the other's lips. "You are allowed entrance," he said, waving him off.
Riku blinked, then gave a brief nod and opened the dungeon like doors. The doors were heavy and cold to the touch. It was difficult to open them, but he could manage. Past the doors was a long hall, and even further down was a small door with small window. Bars blocked whatever was in the door.
"Hello?" Riku called, a bit hesitant at first. He stepped closer. "H...Hello?"
"Ro...sas..." came a small voice from behind the door. Riku could have sworn it was a child. A chesty cough came from behind the door as Riku peeked through the bars.
"Hey...is there someone in there?" he whispered curiously. Riku looked around, snatching a pair of keys off of the wall, and unlocking the door. "I'm coming in now, okay?" he alerted. He stepped inside, feeling cramped. The silverette decided to leave the door open so he would still be able to breathe.
"R-Ro..." Sora reached up from where he was belly down, face nestled in the crook of his elbow. "R-Ro Ro..." Riku grabbed the other's hand.
"Ro? Like Roxas?" he sat next to the boy, and placed a hand on his head, "Hey there, are you alright...you look pretty young to be a soldier, so...was your home invaded?"
Sora shook his head. Riku thought, "Hmm...you don't look menacing, but could you have done to get imprisoned in this place? And you're in a cell that makes even the prisoners of war cells look luxurious...."
"Please go away," Sora coughed. "Where's Roxas?" Riku watched him sadly, then slightly lifted up his shirt, earning a displeased, terrified whimper from the other. "Don't hurt me!" Sora cried. "Stop it! Don't touch me!" he tried to fight, but it was weak and halfhearted.
"Yikes," Riku cringed, looking at Sora's haggard appearance and vitally sunken in belly. The ribs were showing clearer than a summer's day, and his stomach appeared to be making it's way to the spinal chord. "Looks like you need something to eat." Riku pulled some bread out and handed him the loaf. "Go ahead and eat that."
"I already ate..." Sora whispered.
"Eat more?" Riku begged, handing him the bread. "Please?"
Sora sat up, still looking at his feet as he began to take little nibbles. He'd lost his appetite for anything long ago, and the hunger pains didn't affect him anymore. It was just numb. Riku watched him, "So....what's your name?" he asked curiously, interested in the small boy.
"Sora," Sora said quickly, taking larger and larger bites from the bread as it filled his empty stomach. Riku's eyes widened.
"Sora? The Sora? the same Sora that's presumed dead?" Riku gaped. Sora nodded. "What are you doing down here? Wait...what am I saying, I heard the story. Well...I mean...is it true, about you and Ansem?" he rambled. "Is Roxas that guard that lets you out every night? My god...this is horrible, but amazing...at least you're alive. I was skeptical. I didn't believe Axel. Maybe Roxas was denying it so it didn't seem suspicious or-" Riku was cut off when he felt Sora's presence become much much closer.
The boy crawled into Riku's lap, looking down. Riku's breath caught in his throat and he blinked rapidly, "Wh-What're you..." he watched as Sora reached down, his heart rate increasing rapidly. "S-Sora..."
"What else do you have in here?" Sora asked, picking up the satchel resting in Riku's lap. He moved so he was sitting back beside the silverette, and began to dig through the satchel, curious. "I'm so, so hungry..." the brunette whimpered, pulling out a block of cheese. He took a large bite, and in a matter of seconds all the food that had been in Riku's satchel was gone.
"Roxas never brought me food like that...it was always soup or lettuce," Sora said, shaking from the pleasure of a good meal. Riku held out a camel hide canteen and Sora drank from it thirstily. "Did Roxas send you here?" the brunette asked, looking up at the other.
"Huh? Oh...no...I'm not even sure how I got here. Just wandering I guess," Riku shrugged. Sora smiled softly, his first genuine smile in years.
"I'm glad you wandered down here...you make me feel...good, and happy...I don't know why..." he said softly.
Riku blinked, "Then...I'm glad you're glad," he smiled back.