Unattainable Desire
By Chiharu Tanaka
A/n: Thanks for the reviews! I love you guys so much! Problem is, I can't answer your reviews or will kick me out! (sigh) I guess I'll just mention all the names of my wonderful reviewers.
I'd like to thank Sweet Raine, Blu Rose, thesrazrbladekisses, RuinsofTikal, HopelessxDreamer, heartsoblivion, Absh and Metal Chopsticks for their awesome reviews! And also an anonymous reviewer (smile). You guys rock!
This chapter is going to satisfy the loyal Namiku and Sokairi fans, enjoy!
Disclaimer: Characters © Tetsuya Nomura and Yoshitaka Amano; Story and plot © Chiharu Tanaka 2005
Chapter 4: Rescue
"She's not home, sir."
"She's WHAT!"
"She's nowhere around the car park either. You've tried contacting her cell phone, right, sir?"
"Yes, there's no answer…wait." He pressed a button on his desktop and a large screen showing the map of uptown Mirage came on the screen. "I have her location on the GPS…it seems that she's…been taken hostage by those bastards…come to my office in HQ. I will give you further details."
"Yes, sir."
Tidus set the phone down on his table. He massaged his temple and breathed out a sigh. The week was not working out for him. First Kairi, now his little sister Naminé? He pressed the intercom button on the phone.
"Yuna…could you get me a glass of water and some aspirin?"
"Right away, sir…warm or cold?"
"Warm. Thanks."
A few moments later, his secretary, Yuna, entered the office with a tray. She was a sweet, gentle lady with shoulder length brown hair and beautiful blue-green eyes. She set the tray down and handed the glass and tablets to Tidus. "You should really allocate some time for a vacation…I mean; you even work during weekends, sir."
"Drop the formalities, there's no one in here but you and me," he said, before gulping down the aspirins.
"Feel better?" she asked, a sweet smile on her face, as she tucked a lock of her short brown hair behind her ear.
"Much better. Thanks."
She gently tugged his hand. "Come, sit on the sofa. I'll give you a massage." He followed her onto the sofa and sat down. She sat down beside him as he turned sideways away from her.
"You don't have to work overtime, you know," said Tidus. Yuna giggled and slowly massaged his tense shoulders.
"I don't have to; I just want to. Besides, you need some company. Who was on the phone just now?"
"Riku. He's a really good agent, young too. I expect a lot of good things from him…sadly he just ruined his reputation in the President's point of view. But it wasn't his fault that Kairi got kidnapped, the kidnappers were skilled…and now Naminé has become a victim…"
"There, there…just relax. I have a feeling everything will turn out just fine."
"Status report, Zexion."
"We now know the location of Crucis's current office and home…and Larxene has his sister in captivity. Are you going to send a message to Crucis, sir?" he asked, his blue hair dangling in front of his eyes.
"No, that won't be necessary. Be ready for an intrusion. I'll expect him to personally come."
"Yes, sir…but how do we treat the girl?"
"Just let her sleep in one of the empty rooms on the upper floors…and don't get Axel too close…you know how he is."
"Yes, sir."
Zexion took the elevator up to the floor Larxene and Axel were at. "Boss says to put her in an empty room, but I'm guessing you already did." Axel sat on the sofa, crossing his arms.
"Dragon Lady here won't let me have fun with the little girl."
Larxene shot him another glare. "For heaven's sake, Axel, we may be the mafia, but we're not immoral gangsters…"
"Mafias…gangsters…what's the difference?"
Zexion's lips curved into a smirk. "Actually, Axel, it's the intelligence level…and since you don't have the mafia kind of intelligence…Larxene's just jealous. Toodles!"
Larxene's cheeks fumed up in embarrassment and fury as Zexion left the room. Axel smirked and looked at her. "You're jealous? Aww, I thought you never cared."
"Don't get your hopes up, Red."
"The Organization, sir?"
"It's an ongoing mafia group in Mirage. It's smaller than the gangster group White Roses, who's leader was killed; but they're more dangerous as they deal with weapons and explosions."
"What do they have against you…sir?"
"I've been keeping an eye on them, and sending their members to jail one by one, so they have every right to have me on the top of their wanted list."
Riku nodded. "What I want you to do, Riku, is to infiltrate their current hideout, which is where Naminé is on this map. Unless Marluxia recruited new members, there should only be four members left. You will enter, take Naminé out, and exit quietly. I want as less hassle as possible. Since the rest are working on finding Kairi…who I don't have on GPS, you're the man for the job."
"If I may ask, sir…where's the signal coming from?"
Tidus smiled weakly. "It's on the pendant of her necklace. Anyway, I'll provide you with some gadgets." He pressed a button and a blueprint-like image appeared on the screen behind him. "This is our prototype stealth equipment. These boots makes you move without a sound, and enhances your landing agility. This belt makes it easier for you to scale walls with its detachable head and the titanium coil that will support your weight. The gloves can turn into a glass cutter, or release chloroform on the palm area for you to knock out enemies. The shades can switch from normal mode to night vision mode and thermal mode for your manoeuvring pleasure."
He picked up a medium sized gun. "This is our latest gadget, the Stun Gun. It stuns enemies with enough voltage to knock enemies out for 5 to 8 hours. It can also short-circuit electrical equipments. It holds 40 bullets, so since I suppose that you're not using much bullets, I'll provide you with one refill pack. All set? Oh, and one more. Come with me after you've changed."
After Riku got dressed into his hi-tech suit (it's not tights, okay?) he followed Tidus to the ground floor. He then walked into what seemed to be a showroom. There, stood a large bike (like Cloud's in FF7:AC) as Tidus switched on the lights. "Our fastest vehicle to date. This baby was made in collaboration with mechanical engineers and even aerospace engineers worldwide."
He tossed the keys to Riku. "Good luck…and please bring my sister back safely."
"You can count on me, sir."
The bike halted when Riku was 500 meters from the signal. He got off the bike and turned it around for a quick getaway. Taking the keys out, he stuffed it into his pocket. With a smirk, he walked towards the building.
It's time to rescue the damsel in distress.
He sneaked into the building through an open window on the first floor by scaling up the wall. Inside, he took his Stun Gun and short-circuited out all the visible surveillance cameras and the lamps. He switched his shades to night vision mode and stealthily walked across the hall and into the emergency stairway. Climbing up silently, he shot as many lamps as he could. He made his way upwards without a sound.
This is too easy. Still, it's only four members.
The signal was getting clearer, so he pushed open the emergency exit door. He was already 8 storeys up. Once more, he shot all the cameras and lights and made his way through the hallway, looking for the damsel.
He pushed open a door where the signal was already very strong and saw Naminé with her mouth covered and her hands tied together to the bed. She winced and tried her hardest to tell Riku that it was all…
A trap?
Larxene jumped down from the ceiling and almost knocked Riku out, if he didn't already dodge the blow. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pressed the glove against her nose and mouth. Once chloroform was released, she fainted and fell to the floor.
Axel, however had an advantage. He pressed the end of his gun against Naminé's neck. "So…Tidus's agent. You'd better back off, otherwise the girl gets it!" he warned. Riku slowly backed off. Axel turned the gun away from her and towards Riku.
"Say goodbye, agent!"
Naminé wanted to scream with all her might, if her mouth wasn't covered with a piece of cloth; as Axel pulled the trigger and a speeding bullet came out towards Riku.
This is the end…not.
The bullet bounced off his chest as if there was a barrier surrounding his body. He gave Axel no time to sit and stare, as he took his own gun out and stunned Axel until he fainted. He set the gun back on his belt and walked over to Naminé.
He helped untie the cover on her mouth and untie her hands off the bed. "Come, we have to go, now," he instructed. Naminé nodded and quickly took his hand. They raced out of the room. He opened the window and looked downward. Setting it to 8x optical zoom, he saw automatic laser guns being activated on the lower floors.
"It's too dangerous to go down…come."
He took her into the emergency stairway and raced upwards. Naminé didn't argue, until he reached the top floor and burst open the door. They were at the roof.
"Wait…this is the roof, how are we supposed to get down?" she asked, finally.
"We jump."
"JUMP!"
Riku slapped his forehead. "This isn't a time for me to argue with you, Miss Castell…so do you trust me? And your brother's gadgets?"
She bit her lower lip, but took his hand anyway as they ran towards the west edge. "Hold tightly around my neck, and close your eyes." She did so, and he heaved her up before stepping off the edge and fell into a deep dive towards the ground.
Their speed increased gradually, but all of a sudden, they slowed down and landed safely on the ground from the 10-storey jump, as if he had wings to slow him down. Riku quickly ran towards where the bike was already waiting. The automatic lasers fired at him, but he dodged them and ran as fast as he could.
"Hop on," he said, letting Naminé down. He got on the bike after her. She hugged his waist tightly as he started the engine and zoomed off into daybreak.
"Naminé!"
Tidus raced across the floor and hugged his little sister. "Thank God…you're all right. Did the bastards do anything bad to you?" Naminé shook her head. "Great. Mom and Dad are going to kill me when they find out…but thanks to Riku, you're all right."
Naminé smiled as she hugged her brother. He let go and faced Riku. "Remind me to give you a raise and a bonus this month…"
"No problem, sir."
Yuna smiled as she sighed in relief. "Would you like some drinks?" she asked. Naminé nodded.
"A cup of hot chocolate, please."
"A bottle of cold water for me, thanks," said Riku. They sat at the lobby of the office building as Yuna went off to get some drinks. Tidus smirked playfully as he watched Naminé.
"Doesn't the hero get a kiss after rescuing the damsel in distress?" he asked playfully. Naminé blushed bright red and coughed slightly. Riku blushed as well.
"No, it's not necessary, sir…"
"Aww, but Naminé, you must! It's a way to show gratitude!"
Her head drooped low to hide her bright red face. "Tidus! Don't bother them like that!" scolded Yuna. She handed the hot chocolate to Naminé and the bottle of cold water to Riku. She then took a seat beside the young agent.
"Wow…it's four in the morning…we'd better head home," said Yuna, standing up. Tidus stood up as well.
"Let me send you home."
"I don't think that's a good idea, your Porsche only holds two people. You still have to send Naminé home."
"I can ask Riku to send her home…" he said, smirking naughtily.
"Tidus…I'm tired…not tonight, please."
"More of a reason for me to send you home, right?"
"You show a lot of brotherly love…don't you?"
"If you want me to send her home…I'll be glad to," said Riku, all of a sudden. Naminé looked up at him and blushed slightly, a small smile creeping up her thin lips. She covered her mouth with her right hand in a gentle, demure manner.
"Thanks a lot, Riku," replied Tidus, as he walked off to his Porsche with Yuna. Riku let out a sigh. He walked over to his car (which he rented…), a silver Toyota Vios, and opened the passenger door. Naminé climbed in the seat bashfully before he closed the door. He climbed in the driver's seat, closed the door, started the engine and drove off into the sleeping city.
Naminé stepped into the condominium lobby, which the lights were still on, and turned around. Riku was behind her. "Are you…going to send me off to my doorstep?" she asked shyly. He blushed.
Wow, now that I've met her…and saved her…she's much prettier in person…and gentle…like a fragile glass rose…
"Urm…yeah…I guess." They took the elevator up to the penthouse. Naminé pressed her palm against the touch screen and keyed in the PIN code for her house lock. The door made a click sound, making it unlocked.
"So…urm…goodnight, Miss Castell."
"Just call me Naminé, please. Good night to you too, Riku." She stepped up towards him, tiptoed up to his height and gave him a swift peck on the cheek. "And thank you…for saving me."
She quickly hid inside her house and shut the door. Riku, the hero of the day, just stood there on her doorstep, his hand over the cheek she just kissed. Somehow, the cheek felt numb.
Kairi tapped her foot slowly against the chair leg as she stared nonchalantly at the ceiling. It was nearly noon on her second day in the house. She was left pretty much alone. Tantalus, including Baku, were out on practice with Yuffie. Cid and Wakka were working somewhere. So it was just her and Sora in the house.
Great…just great…what am I going to do to get some amusement around here? Sora's like a total stubborn head…and he's so cold and distant too!
A slow rumbling noise came across her ears. "Not now, stomach…Ruby's not home yet…" she scolded her tummy in a whisper. Moments later, she got up from the chair and walked a few steps over to the stove. She opened the fridge and took two eggs from the tray and set it on the table. She peeked into the cupboard and pulled out a frying pan. After setting it on the stove, lighting up the fire and putting a little bit of butter, she cracked the eggs and left them on the stove to cook.
Sora was lying down on the couch in the living room, exhausted from helping Wakka fix someone's roof. He breathed slowly as he wiped off his sweat with the back of his glove.
This is one way to make a living. I roast myself out in the hot sun and get minimum wage while little miss princess gets millions of dollars without breaking a sweat.
The house was much cooler and the fan was blowing at him in full speed. He sighed in relief and was about to close his eyes and relax when…
"Aaahhh!"
The ear-piercing scream woke Sora and he rushed as quickly towards the source of the sound. "What the…" he began, and halted to take an animated fall. Kairi's fried eggs were not fried, they were as black as charcoal! Black smoke rose up as the egg was on fire. She was screaming while trying to fan out the fire and squeaking slightly.
Sora sighed and turned off the stove. He grabbed the fire extinguisher out the broom cupboard, pulled off the pin, and sprayed the stove with its white foam. After the fire died down, he set the heavy equipment on the floor and looked angrily at Kairi. She looked up at him with a timid, embarrassed face.
"You're lucky I'm home, otherwise you would've burned the house down and I would have killed you!" he yelled in anger. Kairi winced slightly, like hearing a loud bang of thunder.
"I'm sorry I caused you trouble…" she muttered. "It's not my fault I can't cook; I've never actually cooked before."
Sora looked at her with sheer bewilderment. The pretty, iconic heiress doesn't know how to cook? Sora couldn't believe his ears. "You can't be serious! You haven't even toasted bread?" Her face reddened up.
"Well, I KNOW how to toast bread, thank you very much."
Sora took another glimpse at her. She was pouting cutely, staring at him with those eyes of hers. The ever-changing, predictable eyes of hers. A thought struck his mind. Would it be possible? Would she be willing? Maybe, just maybe.
He stood up and looked at her straight in the eye. "You may not be able to know how to cook, but you can clean, right? Clean up…I'll be down in 15 minutes after a shower. Get ready for your first lesson."
She looked back at him, puzzled. "Get ready for what lessons?"
"Cooking lessons, princess."
Kairi's eyes trailed Sora's tall frame as he walked towards the stairs to get upstairs. Her ears still felt like something was ringing. She turned back to the mess she started and turned bright red.
Cooking lessons? He can cook? Well, I suppose he could cook better than me…but gosh…I didn't know any other hot guys except Squall Leonheart could cook!
Taking her mind back to its original focus, she took a rag from the kitchen table and wiped up the powdery mess on the table. She rinsed the cloth and hung it up by the grilled window to dry. She tossed the charcoal eggs into the bin and washed the pan and kept it in the cupboard.
Thank God I saw how Mrs. Miller does the housework…
Sora came down to the kitchen later as he promised, dressed in a cotton white T-shirt and black ¾ pants. He whistled. "Huu, you're not bad at cleaning up, princess."
"I have a name, you know."
"Sure, Kai-ree. Now let's get started. What do you want to cook?"
"Erm…I dunno…an omelette would be nice."
Sora smirked. "That's easy. Grab a few eggs from the fridge, I'll show you."
Kairi took a few eggs from the tray and set it down on the kitchen table. Sora, on the other hand, took an egg beater and a bowl from the cupboard, as well as the pan that Kairi just washed. He set the pan on the stove.
"First, you break the eggs and in it goes into the bowl. What do you want in your omelette?" he asked, breaking the eggs like a pro and dropping its contents into the bowl before tossing the shells in the kitchen sink.
"I usually have it with onions, parsley…that kind of stuff."
"Good. Then take them out of the fridge and I'll cut them."
Kairi did as she was told to, and she gaped in amazement as Sora took them from her hands, rinsed it under running water, and was chopping them up in a matter of seconds.
"Wow…where'd you learn how to cook?" she asked, flabbergasted.
He turned to her. "My mother taught me when I was little…she always told me not to be like my dad who couldn't cook."
The depressing aura that he expected didn't come out, and to his surprise, Kairi smiled back at him. "Gee, that's so lucky of you. My parents can't cook."
Sora found himself smiling with her. "Well, that means you gotta start from square one, right?" She nodded.
Strange…usually people will go "I'm sorry" when I talk about my parents…why is she so cheerful?
After frying the omelette to perfection, he scooped it off the pan and onto the plate. "Lunch is served. Of course, this one is mine. I'll help you make your own."
Kairi nodded. At that moment, everything seemed to have disappeared. Status, hate, acknowledgement, embarrassment…everything. It was as if they both were living in their own cosy little world.
"Too little salt! It's going to taste like your grandma's socks."
Kairi giggled. She took another pinch of salt and sprinkled it into the batter. "How do you know how my grandma's socks taste like?"
Sora grinned. "Don't question your teacher! Now beat the eggs!"
After beating the eggs, Sora told her to pour the batter into the pan. As she did, it made a hissing sound that scared her.
"Jeez, it's just batter, not hot oil. How are you going to make French fries?" scolded Sora. "Now you flip it, like this."
He picked up the spatula and scooped underneath the fried egg. "You pick it up and turn it over. Here." He handed the spatula to Kairi.
She did the same, but couldn't bring herself to flip it over. With a frustrated sigh, Sora stood behind her and held the pan handle with his left hand and her right hand with his right.
"Like this!" he almost yelled into her ear, flipping over the omelette. After the egg made another hissing sound, Sora realised the position he was in.
Whoa…her hair smells so good…
He quickly backed off, suddenly red in the face. Kairi turned to him and smiled, her cheeks tainted pink. "Thanks…" she said, before turning back to the egg.
Sora sat down on the kitchen table and watched as she picked the egg up and put it on her own plate with a grin on her face. She grabbed a fork and knife off the kitchen drawer and sat across Sora, smiling like a 50-watt bulb.
"Yay! I finally cooked something! Thanks Sora, I couldn't have done it without you."
He looked at her smiling face and smiled. As Kairi sliced a bit of the egg and picked it up with her fork, Sora suddenly moved forward and grabbed her left wrist with his right hand and popped the piece of egg into his mouth.
"Hey!" wailed Kairi. Sora took a few chews and swallowed it.
"It's edible."
Kairi pouted at him. They said no more, and ate lunch silently. When they were washing the dishes, Kairi spoke up.
"Do you still want to take revenge on the uptowns?"
He looked at her. "Not really. It's a waste of my time…but don't think I'll let you off easy."
She looked back at him. "What do you mean by that?" she asked in a challenging tone.
They kept silent once more. Sora found himself drawing closer towards her without realising it. Kairi felt warmth surrounding her entire body…as she closed her eyes…Sora's lips only inches away from hers…
To be continued…
A/n: Bwahaha! That's so cute. CLIFFHANGER! I've finished my exams, rejoice with me! But I still have to go to school…the finals are over for pete's sake…(sigh)
How did you like the Sokairi and Namiku moments? Riku is a good hero…and Sora's a good cook. Wow. Sora will make a nice wife. (laughs) Please review!