a/n: very short chapter, which is why i'll most likely be updating the next one today as well c:
enjoy!
a-far-off-memory
"They would have gone here," Riku said, opening a door. It was indeed a bathroom, but there was no sign of anyone there.
Naminé knelt down, reaching out for something. When she stood and held her hand out, a strangled sound left Roxas.
It was Axel's zippo lighter. The flame-patterned zippo lighter that the pyromaniac was rarely seen without.
"I think we need to go tell the others," Naminé stated, handing it to Roxas. He immediately clutched it to his chest, shaking slightly.
Riku shook his head. "No, they'll only panic, and I know they'll want to look for them with us. We can't risk that, right?"
Slowly, both Roxas and Naminé nodded.
"We need to stick together, no matter what happens. Alright? We have to be brave. We'll find them, and then we'll find a way out of here," the silveret murmured, looking back and forth between the two pairs of blue eyes.
Taking a deep breath to compose himself, Roxas nodded. There was resolve in his blue eyes as he tucked Axel's lighter into his pocket and said, "Let's go."
They exited the bathroom then, flashlights shining ahead of them as they turned down a hallway. Paintings of strange, unidentified things lined the walls that led to a single door with a gleaming golden handle, with golden designs stretching across the surface. Cautiously, they moved toward it, with Riku in the lead.
"Where do you think it leads?" Naminé questioned, chewing on her lower lip.
Riku sighed, reaching out to lay a hand on the handle. It hummed beneath his touch, and he had to restrain from shuddering at the feeling. "Only one way of finding out. You guys ready?"
The two blonds nodded, resolve and fear in their eyes. Slowly, Riku turned the handle and pulled the door open, gasping at what was beyond.
"What is that?" Roxas asked, horrified.
The oldest teen swallowed hard, telling himself to remain calm. "This is what Sora and I saw," he replied, examining thw swirling mass of blacks and purples. "A Corridor of Darkness."
Naminé eyed it mistrustfully. "Should we go through?"
"I think we have to," responded Riku with a sigh. "Look, if you two want to go back...I understand. I can look for them on my own."
"We're not leaving you," Roxas told him firmly. "Remember? We go together from now on."
A grim smile appeared on Riku's face. "Then let's go."
Fifty minutes had passed since Axel, Demyx and Zexion had left the room, thirty since Riku, Naminé and Roxas had. Everyone's nerves were frayed, worry consuming them.
"I can't understand what's taking so long," Kairi mumbled, curling into Sora. "It's almost been an hour."
Sora was trying hard to keep himself together. All he could think of was Riku—that he was hurt, that he needed his help, that he was...
No. He wouldn't allow himself to think that thought. He had to believe that Riku was okay, because he'd have a nervous breakdown otherwise.
"I don't know," Ven replied, snuggling closer to Vanitas. The older teen hugged him tighter, kissing the crown of his head. "But I'm worried, guys..."
"We can't honestly be expected to just stay here," Sora muttered, rubbing at his temples. He felt a headache coming on.
"Sora, would you rather we all go missing?" Kairi asked, mouth agape.
"No, but I'd rather not just sit here and do nothing while they could be in trouble," he retorted, fixing his best friend with a glare. "Riku is out there. Your sister is out there. Our friends are out there, Kairi! We can't just wait here for something to happen!"
"You're right," Vanitas sighed, rubbing his face tiredly. "They told us to stay here, but...it's not right. Something's obviously wrong if they aren't back here yet, so it would be selfish of us to stay here where it's safe. I think it's time we went and had a little look of our own..."
Ven nodded along. "I don't wanna worry about them anymore. I just wanna find them," he murmured, blue eyes shining bright.
"Kai, it's the only thing we can do now," Sora told her, softening his tone. "Don't you want to find Nami?"
Slowly, she nodded the slightest bit. "Will you hold my hand?" she asked, violet eyes full of tears.
He smiled, taking his best friend's hand and giving it a squeeze. "Of course I will. I won't leave your side, Kai."
They all stood, each grabbing a flashlight. Vanitas tucked a bottle of water into the pocket of his sweater before taking Ven's hand, offering the blond a grin.
"Now probably isn't the best time to tell you that I'm scared out my fucking mind, is it?" he told him, grin not wavering.
Ven shrugged. "Not really, I didn't really think you were scared of anything," he admitted, chuckling a little. "But I'm scared too—we all are. So we'll all be scared together."
Grin widening, Vanitas leaned down to place a long, lingering kiss on Ven's lips. "Sounds perfect. I really do love that honesty of yours, you know," he whispered, nuzzling their noses together.
Ven smiled. "Well, if I'm being honest...you have a really nice ass."
"Okay, that's enough, I'd like to find my boyfriend and our friends now," Sora muttered, flicking them both in the head.
"Oh, so it's okay for you and Riku to practically fuck each other in front of us, but I can't kiss Ven and have him compliment my spectacular ass?" Vanitas teased, punching his little brother's arm. "I see how it is."
Sora rolled his eyes, unable to resist smiling. "Shut up, Van."
Vanitas grinned. "Love you, bro."
Sora's smile widened. "Love you too, bro."
They all left the room, with Vanitas and Ven in the lead and Sora and Kairi right behind him. Sweaty palms held fast to each other as they made their way down the hallway, glancing around as they went. There was no trace of anyone anywhere...
They turned down a new hallway, finding a single door at the other end. Paintings lined the walls, the scenes portrayed gruesome and horrific. Kairi practically glued herself to Sora's side, violet eyes wide as they darted around everywhere, searching for anything out of the ordinary.
"Wanna see where this goes?" Vanitas asked, laying a hand on the door handle.
"It couldn't hurt," Ven replied with a shrug. "Maybe the others went through here."
"I think it's worth looking," Sora sighed, wrapping an arm around Kairi. "We need to look all over anyway."
Nodding, Vanitas turned the handle and pulled the door open. Beyond was a flight of stairs that led down into darkness, broken only by the flashlights that were immediately shone down.
"Let's go," Vanitas murmured, holding Ven'd hand more firmly.
They stepped in together. Kairi looked at Sora, terrified, and he offered her a small, reassuring smile. They had to do this—their friends needed them.
Even as he told himself this, Sora couldn't help but think that they were making a terrible mistake.
a/n: what are they thinking, leaving the room like that? tsk tsk, guys.
shit's really gonna start going down after this chapter, fyi. i think the first death is in chapter 8, if i'm remembering correctly? hahaha
who do you guys think is gonna die first? let me know in a review c:
afom out~