A/N: Arighty! Looks like we're up to the final chapter in TBWTE! But don't be sad! I promise to write more! Actually, I have a poll with three different Kingdom Hearts Stories you can decide on to vote for my next story to post, just go to my profile and the Poll should be at the very top! :P If you're a guest on this site and wish to tell me your story choice feel free to just leave it in a review and I will absolutely count that as a vote! :D
Also I'm FINALLY On Summer break! *Does a crazy dance*
Shout Outs:
Chibi-chanrin:Sorry if I wrote your Penname wrong,lol. Thanks a bunch for reviewing and remember I don't ever care how late the reviews are! :D
Chibi-chanrin:YES! I'm giving you two shout out's since I was a jerk and forgot to give you one in the last chapter! :'( Again, sorry for that, and thank you thank you for all your kind reviews! :D
Chocolatelilac101: You'll seeeee! ;)
DecisivePumpkinHead:Ha ha, glad to see you're so excited for this chapter! ^_^ Thank you very much for your reviews! :D
Roxas' Nobody 130000: Not a problem at all, I understand life can get busy! :) Thank you for reviewing, and you can vote on my poll for the Destiny High series if you wish! Just head on to my profile! :)
Twenty-Twenty-One: True, I should have made her more rattled up...but some people have the power to keep their feelings locked inside so we can just assume that Xions one of them! XD Also cliffhangers rock that's what makes stories good! :p
Favorites/Followers/Viewers: Thank you all SO SO very much! With your support this story wouldn't have gone this for! Your support is just as important as reviews! Thank you, every single one of you! You guys rock! :p
Disclaimer: All I own is Nora, all other characters are owned and belong to Square Enix! :P
Twenty Three: A New Beginning
It's almost painful to open my eyes, but I do anyways.
It takes a few good blinks for my eyes to adjust to the lighting in the room, when then do, I discover that the room I'm in is a hospital.
I rack my brain, trying to think of what kind of injury sent me here.
Alright, so...I raced Nora to my father's bedroom for the phone by his nightstand. I hid with Nora in the closet and...Roxas!
Oh my God...was he alright?
My mind stopped there.
He was hurt, he'd been stabbed! By Xion...did the cops come?
Gosh, I had so many questions and there is nobody around to answer them. I couldn't wait.
I look down by my right side of the bed and spotted the red button saying 'Call For Help'
I pushed it instantly, flinching slightly at the eerie wails it made. I wonder how the nurses can deal with this?
"Please don't push that!" A soft voice called from across the room causing me to jump. I move my finger away from the button and look up to see Nora sitting on the couch and besides her was Marlene, they were both covering their ears.
Relief washed over me, knowing that my little sister's okay, Roxas's too.
"Sorry," I say in a voice that sounded nothing like my own. It was hoarse and raspy, like running miles without any water.
"You're FINALLY AWAKE! And wow, the bruise is really big!" Nora exclaimed, getting up from the couch and running over to my bed side.
I furrowed my brow. "Bruise?"
"On your forehead!" Marlene replied pointing to her own forehead to show me where it's at.
I slowly trail my fingers up to my forehead and poke at where my bruise was. "Ow!" I exclaimed wincing.
The way it felt, I was too afraid to see how it looked!
"You were sleeping for a long time!" Nora said, placing a little hand over mine.
"What happened? Is...Roxas okay?" I asked nervously.
I looked over at Marlene to see a wave of fear wash over her little face, the poor thing.
"Nurse Yuna is taking good care of him, she said he'll be okay...she put bandages over his boo-boo's."
Thank God.
"Mommy and Daddy are with him too, and so are Ventus, and Vanitas." Marlene spoke up, her voice was shaky. "They told me to stay in here with you, Nora and Denzel."
"Where is Denzel?" I asked looking around the room to find the boy nowhere in sight. I decided to put all the questions of Xion on hold. I didn't want to scare Marlene and Nora anymore.
"Denzel!?" Marlene called out.
"Here!"
The three of us turned to look at the doorway to see Denzel sprinting in the room, with his hands full of lollipops.
Marlene's eyes widened. "Where did you get those!? And didn't Mommy say to stay right here so we don't get lost!?"
"I didn't get lost! I was right around the corner at the receptionist desk! They have free lollipops!" Denzel cried in a breathless voice. He turned to smile at me. "Oh, hi Namine! You're awake! Here, have a lollipop! What kind of flavor do you like? I got butterscotch,watermelon, apple, blueberry,cherry, banana..."
"I'm all set, thank you." I interrupted him with a laugh.
Denzel shrugged. "More for me!"
"I want one!" Nora said walking over to Denzel to see what kind of flavors he had, probably all you could think of.
"Now wait just a minute, Denzel Zachary Strife!" Marlene said rising to her feet, anchoring her hands with her hips. "You're only suppose to take ONE! Don't you ever think of the other sick little kids in the hospital!?"
"YEAH!" Nora cried.
Denzel sighed. "You're right...I'm sorry but...they're all just so good!"
Marlene strutted over with her hand out. "How many have you had?"
"Like...seven..." He placed the lollipops in her waiting hand.
"Uh huh! Wait till I tell Mommy!" Marlene said as she started to march out of the hospital room, but stopped dead in her tracks as she nearly crashed into Cloud.
"Marlene?" Cloud asked looking down at his daughter.
"Oh...um hi Daddy!" Marlene greeted innocently.
"Now she's gonna get it!" Denzel whispered to Nora and I.
"What do you think you're doing, leaving this room?"
Marlene flushed. "I-I was just bringing these pops back to the front desk! Denzel stole them all! It's his fault!"
"We'll talk about this later...Can I trust you three to walk down to your brother's room alone?" Cloud paused to look at me with his bright blue eyes. I really know where Roxas get's his good looks from!
"Yes Daddy! We'll even hold hands! Come on, Nora!" Marlene replied.
Nora gave me a worried glance, she didn't want to leave me, and to be honest I didn't want her to either. But I knew that Cloud wanted to tell me something, he probably had the answers I needed.
"It's okay Nora, you're safe and you'll see me soon." I assured her.
Nora nodded and headed out with her friends, giving me one last glance before leaving me alone in the room with Cloud. He stared at me silently for a few moments, I wasn't freaked out or anything. I remember from what Roxas said that his father wasn't very good at socializing.
"You want to know what's going on?" Cloud asked me, I nodded.
"Well, after when Xion kicked you in the head, SOLDIER came and found her getting ready to finish Roxas and your sister Nora..." Cloud paused for a moment, his expression almost looked like he were in pain. "It was too bad that...her father, Zack. Was one of the SOLDIER's to send her and Siefer to prison."
I gasped. "They went to prison!?"
Gosh, Poor Aerith and Zack...
"Your father did as well, the three of them are charged with assault and violence." Cloud replied.
"H-how did they know about my father?" I asked, suddenly, I felt very cold.
"He arrived at the scene, and tried to fight off SOLDIER, claiming that only he was able to beat up his children." Cloud said with a roll of his eyes, since a SOLDIER would never beat anyone up unless they're armed with weapons and refusing to give it to them. "They'll be on trial next tuesday, and in prison for at least five years."
I didn't know what to say, I still had many questions. But I felt to weak to ask them, I was tired.
"Roxas will be alright, and so will you...do you need anything?" Cloud asked, his tone strangely gentle.
"Can Roxas come in to see me?" I spoke in a whisper.
Cloud shook his head. "He's not allowed to move without a nurse or a guardians help, but if you wish I could bring you to him."
"Oh, thank you!" I cried, throwing the covers off me and swinging my legs off the bed, instantly springing to my feet. And that's when the entire room started to spin around me, I found myself tilting sidewards towards the floor. "Whooa!" I cried out waving my arms everywhere, and just before I could hit the ground Cloud has gathered me into his arms.
"Careful there." He warned as he helped me stand back up. "You were knocked out for a couple of days, Yuna says it's from the stress and terror you've been through."
"I didn't know I was out for that long..." I said as I excepted Cloud's arm to hold.
"Mmmhhm." Roxas had Tifa and I check on you five times a day, your friends came by yesterday to see how you were too." Cloud replied as he guided me to Roxas's room.
"There she is!" Ventus greeted with a huge wave.
I smiled and looked over at Roxas who returned my smile with his own.
"How are you feeling, honey?" Tifa asked me gently as she walks up to Cloud and I.
"Alright, I'm just sort of dizzy when I stand and walk around." I say, my eyes still on Roxas.
"Well don't you worry, a good night sleep should do the trick, and tomorrow you'll be home!"
I look over at Tifa with a perplexed expression.
Home? I didn't have a home.
Tifa giggled. "With us, silly!"
"Oh no...I-I couldn't..."
"Shut up, and take the offer!" Vanitas says with a roll of his eyes.
Tifa shoots him a death glare causing him to wince and instantly look away.
I couldn't help smiling. "Thank you, Mrs Stife. It'd be an honor."
Tifa pulls me into a hug, her long dark hair smells like coconuts.
"I wouldn't want it any other way, and please, no more Mrs and Mrs Strife stuff! We're not that old!"
This causes everyone to laugh, even Cloud.
"Right. Sorry. And thank you."
Tifa lets me go and pats me on the cheek gently. "We'll leave you two alone. Come on everyone, back to the waiting room."
"BUT MOOMMMMM!" Ventus, Denzel, and Vanitas wail.
Tifa rolls her eyes at me. "You'd think I'd just be hearing this from Marlene since she's the youngest, nope. She's actually the most mature!"
"It's true." Roxas agrees as he holds his hand out for me.
I eagerly take it and climb in the little hospital bed with him as everyone leaves.
Our lips meet each others instantly, we don't break from each other until we're over due for oxygen.
"You're alright!"
"You're alright!" Roxas says, holding my face in his hands.
We're both breathing loudly and smiling like idiots. But we didn't care, we were both alive and we had each other.
"I'm...sorry for the things I said...you know...before I left your house that d-"
Roxas interrupted me with a kiss. "I don't want you to think about anything that's happened in the past my love. What matters is here and now. From this day on."
I nodded. "Roxas, why did you...you know...go to my house?"
"I didn't want to let you or Nora go. I'll fight for you no matter what it takes. I love you Namine."
"I love you too, thank you for never giving up on me...and Nora." I was crying like a baby now.
Roxas kissed away my tears. "Always babe. Here's to a new beginning."
A New Beginning, I liked the sound of that.
Life is full of Some we risk to take, some we know to However, many of us don't see life that I guess it all depends on what life you HAVE. I never was an open book. I was sealed closed, guarded by a thick wall. I trusted nobody other than my sister. And from this day on it never ceased to amaze me, how one special person changed me, and saved Nora and I's life.
The Boy With The Eyeliner.