Eleven sunrises, eleven sunsets. Eleven days since I had last laid eyes on my fair fiancé. Her extraordinary golden-brown eyes, pale skin and gilded curls robbed from my sight for far too long.
Therefore, you must comprehend the vigour of my relief and protectiveness as I see my Danella riding upon a white stallion, burling through the wood towards me. As I attempt to gather her attention by declaring myself, a discharge of darkness engulfs the very air at her side – a doorway of black – before a shrill claw materializes and a blurred creature leaps from its depths. I stumble back as a determined force compels me to watch in fear as said ragged claw proceeds to mark the bared side of my Danella's steed.
It shrieks, tossing the golden maiden free from its saddle before burying her legs beneath its dead weight. The clawed creature finally emerges from its dark veil of purple black. A Heartless – the golden eyes are unmistakable. My Danella struggles feebly beneath the white stallion as the Heartless - appearing so human - stalks towards her.
Its hissing chuckle raises the silver hair from the back of my neck, my limbs crumbling beneath my weight as I draw myself behind a fallen tree. The Heartless' head twitches in my direction but does not pursue me further, instead, seeming so fixated on my struggling fiancé.
Was this creature responsible for my Danella's disappearance? Was she kidnapped? Eleven days…how is she still alive?
No. I determined, Heartless' do not possess such restraint. If only I could draw closer, then I could hear the exchange between them.
Hovering over her and the horse's struggling form, the Heartless caresses her throat so gently before ripping a glimpse of silver and blue from her neck. Her struggles grow substantially stronger. Again its paw traces her jaw, paralyzing my Danella with its words and eyes as it draws closer.
Does it wish to kiss her…? What a disgusting thought.
Before that thought can be confirmed, however, she snaps her head free from its grasp, thrusting her ready fist into the beast's gut within the same instant. It exposes its teeth menacingly before it pins my blonde beauty down by her waist and forearms. I see its hold flinch and bite into her flesh as she screams in pain – still I am immobile, fearing for both myself and my Danella. What could I possibly accomplish on my own against that thing?
"Sora – stop!" Even I hear that call. A young woman outfitted in brown leather boots and a pink and white dress steps forth. Flanking her, a white duck dressed in blue the size of a ten-year old child, along with a tall, finely dressed crimson haired man.
Who are these people? And who is this 'Sora'?
…
As I watch my beloved draw through the wood, seated upon her newly healed white steed, I creep amongst the shrubs in silent awe of the household before me. So grand, yet so…haunting. She does not belong here. She belongs with me. But…I cannot draw her away by myself. Not with that Heartless – no – Human-Heartless, Sora, holding her prisoner.
My Danella disappears into the creaking grand doors of the mansion, leaving me to contemplate my next move in order to free her. The villagers - with my lack of evidence and improbable tale - not many would rise to join my assault…
Yet, most would if they simply knew that there was a Heartless boss hidden within the forest.
Yes, that is all they need know. Danella, my love, you will be bound to him no longer once I return.
I rest within the encasement of Sora's arms, pondering his request.
…'Danella,' he breathed against my neck, drawing my eyes open to the edge of his jaw and neck, 'stay with me.'…
I wish to stay with him. However, I must question the fact that I may not be able to. I cannot abandon my life back in the village. My home. My job. Riku and Catherine. Everyone. I have been gone for…I do not even recall the days.
What must they think? The bodies of those men - I shudder before Sora tightens his hold on me - must have been found in the back alley by now. My own ending announced along with them. Yet, here I am – still amongst the living - blissfully embraced by my pained saviour.
My breathing hitches.
Saviour.
…'You have a dept to pay…You owe me that very life'…
Master.
My nails embed themselves in the flesh of Sora's back possessively. Sora is still my master - first and foremost - and I, nevertheless, have a debt to repay. I cannot and should not leave.
I swallow past the bile building within my throat, smothering my prickling eyes into the silky depths of brunette hair.
"I'll stay…" I mumble hesitantly. I hold my breath, hoping he will not call out my evasion of supplying my words with reason. Undeniably, Sora would be offended by my forefront reasoning. The weight within my arms shifts, drawing my attention as Sora threads his fingers through my curls, clutching the back of my head as he rests his brow against my own. Eyes sealed shut; he frees a trembling pant against my jaw, staggering my resolve. He…had genuinely believed I would deny him. And he is relieved I did not.
The engulfing relief upon his matured features draws my feeble fingers to his jawline -for which Sora's eyes open in effect – tracing the yielding and bristly flesh of his cheeks, caressing the curve of his level cheekbones before clutching his face between my palms as I stare into his cerulean spheres. The tensed muscles of his shoulders droop, calmed, enabling him to speak.
"I believe this…" releasing his hold on me, he slowly reaches into the ruin of his trouser pocket for a moment before drawing forth a silver chain, "…belongs to you."
"My mother's necklace," my voice breaks as I obtain the familiar heart necklace, surveying hastily for damage and I breathe a sigh of relief over the fact that there is none, "thank you."
I feel Sora's gaze glide over me, for what reason – I know not.
"Keep it safe," he said, brushing his fingers along the tendon of my throat once I have clasped the necklace around my neck, "something so precious to you like that should never again fall into the hands of such a creature."
For one reason or another, I cannot help but feel unresolved in my belief that those words were meant for the protection of my necklace - if they were meant for me or my situation at all.
…
Hearing stifled whispers through the timber door, I share a questioning glance in Sora's direction -halted by my side - before I grasp the door handle and - with a swift twist and shove - I stagger into the kitchen light and warmth. Three hasty blurs of movement part ways from one another.
Clearing her throat, Aeris glides across the kitchen tile to the sink, leaving behind a likewise guilty looking pair. Axel, scratching the curling tresses behind his ears uneasily as, meanwhile; Donald, perched atop a kitchen stool, rocks his weight, while dark button eyes dance across all surfaces – avoiding our presence determinedly.
Highly suspicious, I think as I glare inquizidly at the marginally grinning hatter.
"Ah, rose petal!" Axel exclaims, all nervousness discarded, "Delightful to have you returned to us so readily."
I must insist that I hear Donald mutter "Always the charmer" under his breath detestably and sarcastically as Axel wrenches Sora forth from my side and into the lock of his arm and proceeds to scuffle the brown hair atop his head with a chuckle.
"We had gathered Master-Sora, here, would have delayed to keep you to himself a fair few moments longer."
"Shove off!" Sora growled, sending me a silent plea as he wrestles with Axel's hold, "It was not akin to such actions, whatsoever!"
"Oh, really?" Axel said with a teasing note – I bite my lip to halt my involvement – reaching forth to tap his forefinger to Sora's cheek, "Your blush says otherwise, my lil' friend."
"Alright, Axel," Aeris' voice broke through Donald and Axel's fitful laughter, "enough is enough, let him be."
Sora, in bracing both hands against the red-head's secured arm in order to free his head, fails to foresee his friend's lightening grip before he finds himself tripping and colliding rear-end first with the floor with a flustered 'oof'.
Slapping my palm to my mouth to cover my giggles, I cannot help but titter at Sora's demeanour. Looking so put out and embarrassed, he braces his weight with his arms and regains his footing whilst he slips readily away from range of Axel's reach.
"Ceasing the jests at the little master's expense, for now," Aeris said firmly, placing a cooking pot onto the bench to cool before she turns her attention attentively towards him, "Sora, are you quite alright?"
All laughter fades into the humming silence of the room. Sora gifts Aeris with a reassuring tug of his mouth's corner as I notice his gaze flickering over me for a spare moment.
"I have…recovered from the ordeal as far as could be expected."
For which is not far, by any means, my heart digresses. By the painful slip of Aeris' eyes, I believe she comes to the same conclusion. He was not deceiving anyone, if such an aim was his goal.
As if to emphasize my belief, the tucked collar of his tattered shirt wilts, revealing his discoloured skin - marked by raw flesh and purpling bruises. Unquestionably, these marking do not reside on his neck alone. Soothing a fever could only do so much for healing a broken body.
"Aeris, please," Sora said with a furrowing brow, "may we let this dreary topic rest? Speak of happier tidings – such as our noon meal."
She falters for a moment. Then Aeris, in spite of her concern, bites her tongue as she smiles encouragingly towards the room of people. Lifting the lid of her cooking pot. Steam bursts forth from its contents, releasing, along with it, a tangy yet sweet spiced aroma. Stepping forth, I admire the meal prepared.
"Spicy pumpkin soup with cinnamon croutons. Along with freshly baked bread buns"-the smell of those bread buns assault my senses at once-"and butter as well for the table."
A deep grumble catches our ears, lifting my gaze from the pot in time to witness Donald covering his bare stomach with a self-conscious chuckle. A bead of drool from the corner of his golden bill drops to the kitchen bench, rippling a swelling puddle, slobbering the surface.
Poor little guy. I bite my lip, guilt seeping into the core of my thoughts, Not one of these folks have eaten since I ran. Aeris beams as she quickly draws everyone a bowl with a side of croutons before the kitchen can flood. My own stomach curdles in on itself at the sight of the awaiting dish, growling at my selfishness. Not wishing to seem ignorant of Aeris' hospitality and effort, however, I smile sweetly.
"Aeris, I wish to complete my duties before I dine. With my apologies to everyone…"-I quickly bow my head in turn, giving myself time enough to recover from my hungry grimace-"…however, I must depart for fear it may never be done."
Picking up my skirts, I quickly scurry out of the door, determined to leave before they see fit to stop me.
They deserve to feast, while I do not.
"Danny! Wait!" Sora's voice draws my hastened escape to a stop as swiftly as a rider wrenching back the reins of his horse. However, a stubborn mare am I. Refusing to jerk my head back to face him, Sora's eyes prickle the skin of my neck.
Silence.
"I…You do not have to do those chores. No; I do not wish for you to do those chores."
Brow furrowing, I stand in inaudible confusion. It is what I do. These chores are mine to do, no one else will.
"It is my duty to carry out-"
"Screw your duty, Danella." His voice growls firmly from closer behind me. He has taken steeps closer to me. "Enough of this slave nonsense. So false."
"B-but," I stutter, bewildered from his words or proximity, I do not know, "my life is owed to-"
"Your life is owed to no one. Especially to me!"
So close, his breath burns the sensitive flesh of my ear. My resolve is hanging by the eye of a needle.
"You saved me from those men in the alley, Sora."
"And I took your family"-I flinch-"in return, did I not? As far as you and I are concerned, you owe me nothing. You…"
I turn as I hear the evident breaking of his voice, levelling him with my gaze. So hollow, eyes with lustre lost. So hurt.
"You have no debt keeping you here…with me. I am not ignorant of the way you unresolved your words in the bathroom."
He knew. Biting my lip to the brink of drawing blood, I falter and cast my gaze away from his own. Sora's trembling hand reaches forth within the sight of my eye, hesitating, fighting within himself.
"Danella," is it cruel I hold a secret thrill each and every time he says my given name? "I will force you to stay against your will no longer. I refuse to put you through any more pain – whether it be by my intentional hand or not."
Don't say it, Sora, please…
His trembling hand halts and drops dejectedly by his side, "I release you. You are no longer my slave, maid or such a thing of that brand. You are free…to leave."
Spotted tinted patterns blind my vision, notifying to me my lack of breath as Sora hastens past me.
I am free. Free to go - free to stay. Free to return to my village, my labour, and to my would-be fiancée. That is what I should do. However, is it what I can do? Do I truly want to leave Sora behind?
Blindly grasping, I clutch the cool topaz resting above the flesh of my heart. It offers little support and comfort to what it did once before. Leaving Sora - lord, my heart and stomach compress – I do not want to do it.
"Danny, dear," I lift my head. Aeris stands before me, holding the rim of a plate and soup bowl. "Here, take it to him."
Handing the set over to me with an encouraging nudge, my lip trembles as I recall all she has done for me…and still continues to do so, despite my mistakes.
"He needs you, now, just as much as you need him, Danny. Do not be afraid to show it - you may end up regretting your inaction."
With teary eyes and a timid nod, I thank her and rush after him, trusting my instincts on where Sora will lock himself away.
The knock-knock of the master bedroom door goes unanswered before I push forward, and step into the room.
There he sits, bent forward, elbows to knees as he claws his hands through his wild spikes. The room, if possible, is even more devastated then before; shattered mirror and glass now litter the floor…anything that may cast a reflection of himself, I deduce. His naked torso and face behold harsh blunt fingernail marks impairing his flesh. Another attack on himself. When will they stop?
He seems oblivious of my entrance as I walk forward to lay his dinner upon the ground at his feet.
"Sora," the slight twitch of his hooked fingers is the only sign of him even hearing me, "your dinner."
He seems to ignore me. Head still bowed.
"Please," I insist, "you must eat."
Each word spoken seems to raise and tense the muscles of his shoulders and back, bracing himself against inevitable pain. To protect himself…from me. So I cannot hurt him again. A threatened pup.
Slowly situating myself beside him, I become exceedingly aware of the tension that has seized Sora's entire form. Jaw set, shoulders hunched as if to brace himself against a strike of violence. The harsh furrow of his brow - so troubled - spurs me forward.
Timidly slipping my fingertips from his temple to the curtain of brown brushing his brow, I willed my efforts to calm him – bring him comfort one way or another. His cerulean depths flutter closed as my nails lightly graze the skin of his scalp, down to the base of his neck. His brow uncurling, Sora's stance drops, becoming slacken as I rearrange myself to be situated behind him. Placing both hands onto the bare skin of his shoulders, I proceed to warm and stretch out the muscles of his back before proceeding to throw my stocking-clad legs out either side of him.
A relieved groan trembles his frame as I strengthen my massage, slowly working the knots and tight muscles on either side of his straightened spine. I cannot help but fathom that with every kink that is released, two replaces it within the same moment. Biting my lip, I slip my kneading fingers lower down Sora's reddened back – a sudden shiver and hitched breathing grasps my attention as gooseflesh overtakes his arms and neck.
Coming to a halt in my movements, I take note of the dress shirt lying discarded against the bedside table.
"Are you cold?" leaning forward slightly, I incline my reach in the direction of his garment, "I could fetch-"
"No."
Turning back to assess the closeness of his voice, I am rooted in place from tip to toe as Sora's stare holds my eyes, locking me under his gaze. His lower back is forgotten. Drawing my grasp along the ridges and contours of his spine to perch atop his broad shoulders limply – I can barely acknowledge the quickened rise and fall of his torso as his breath numbs my senses. The weight between my outstretched legs shifts, turning his form towards and against mine as Sora cups my loose jaw.
I fight the urge to roll my eyes back into the darkness of my head in result of the blue of his eyes darkening and retreating, seemingly feeding upon every detail of my face. I see the hunger burning from my own eyes reflected bluntly back at me, perplexing me. I hunger. I burn. From the heated skin of lips to the flushed flesh of my fingers, I ache for the relief that my body expresses only the compelling creature before me can deliver for me.
Curling my fingers rashly into tresses of Sora's hair, instincts of a ravenous nature tickle my mind, seducing the control over myself and the situation I find myself. They want him…
Lies. No.
I want him. For myself. I desire to stand by him, relish in his company and life. Selfishly take hold, and never relinquish. Not to serve him…
For no other reason than I want Sora.
"Sora," a wild gasp and I push forward, sealing my fate and decision as our lips meet. The slow build to fire our first kiss was is discarded; passion bursts through us within the single beat of one's heart, prickling pleasure coursing through to the far reaches of my throbbing veins. Every sense intensifies. The moment my back meets the plush comforter is recognised through the settling mist of heat and humidity surrounding me.
Smooth muscle relaxes over my pinned figure, slipping easily into the embrace of my bent legs and cradling arms. Sora's weight is surprisingly pleasant to my current state of mind, assuring my desires of his hunger for me and my closeness. His lounging position slips the skirt of my dress several inches higher upon my legs, revealing the lacy edges of my stockings. I tremble in delight as caressing pressure tracks the stitching of my right stocking to the frilly edge hitched around the top of my knee. Warming strokes of bare hands against bare skin, I never knew such pleasurable bliss.
Clawing his hair, I pant desperately for air through my nose as our lips continue to mould and push greedily against one another. Something warm and wet traces my bottom lip, leaving behind a chilled trail as I feel Sora's teeth tug and begin to gnaw the plump flesh.
More.
Fingers of Sora's right hand, once grasping my jawline, now skims along the column of my neck - leaving tingles in their wake – until they reach the side of my garmented ribcage and proceed to hoist my upper body against his, more firmly, chest to chest.
This action, however, steels what little breath I hold left, forcing me to heave my swelling lips from his own, and in doing so, dragging forth a pained whimper from both myself and Sora. Panting, mixed breath stirs the air as I repeatedly flex and release my grasp on Sora's chocolate locks. Slowly yet surely, my dizziness settles.
Resting brow against brow, I find not the strength to open my eyes. Brushing my nose against his - tracing irregularly along the bridge – as an animal would, seeking out the comfort and reassurance of their mate's presence. Feeling him carry out the same action, I bite my lip in silent satisfaction.
"You felt it as well," at his words, I open my eyes to Sora in search of meaning, "the draw... Before you kissed me – I could see it in your eyes - you felt it."
'…as well.' He felt it. I bathe in his words, truly delighted.
"Yes," I nod, curious of his reaction.
He does not disappoint. The smile that breaks through all his pain drives my heart beat into frenzy. Eyes truly alight, the baby blue flecks glisten for the first time within their depths. He has never smiled…truly smiled before me in the past.
"Sora," I said, brushing my fingers along the hairs on the back of his neck.
"Mmm?" He in turn strokes his fingertips along the flushed skin of my cheek, drawing a circuit along it adorningly.
"I want to stay." Sora's stroking ceases as he looks questionably at me, then dejectedly.
"Danella, I do not want you to stay here for a debt. Please, you owe me n-"
"No," I interrupt, shushing his protests, "I do not wish to stay for that. I want to stay with you. For me."
He frowns, not fully grasping my meaning or…unsure he wants to.
"I want to stay because it is what I want. I want to stay here with you, not for the debt that was never meant to be. The days I have spent here - even under orders - have been the most…content of my entire life. You, Aeris, Donald and yes – even Axel. You have all been like a protecting family for me.
"I feel at home here. More so then I ever could back at my village."
Sora seems dazed by my confession for a moment, free of all defining emotion. Then he is retreating from my embrace, standing before the bed and between my parted legs before he offers a hand for me to grasp. When I do, I am lifted from the bed and enclosed in the supressing hold of my protector, feet dangling free. One arm wrapped around my waist as the other encompasses my head, anchoring me to his form. So close and warm, I melt within his arms.
My home.