Exactly how dead am I? Come on, guys, be honest. A bit? A lot? So dead I don't know the meaning of the word?
Nevertheless, I deeply apologize for the dead-ness I've been giving off. If you don't know, I've pretty much fallen out of touch with my fanfic spiel, and now write full-time original fantasy, Sci-fi, whatever you want. They're excuses all the same, really. I've also gone and worked on my art, and did stuff related to my novels.
Nevertheless, I finally complete Paper Moon after so long. So many apologies, and I actually found where I left off with the reviews! Here goes nothing!
REVIEWS OF AMAZINGNESS THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE YOU GUYS ARE SAINTS WHY AM I NOT DEAD YET?
For Demonmaster9090: It's always nice when people stand up for themselves, huh? Thanks for taking the time to review!
For Soroku3: The identity of the assassin will forever remain a mystery, I'm afraid. Little things to always make you wonder, and truth be told, I intend for it to always remain a mystery! Speculate at your leisure!
For TooBishieForYou: I'm very glad you enjoyed it and it kept you entertained during allergies of doom, and thank you very much for reviewing. I also think it's one of my better fanfics (the others being held at the stake,) so I'm glad it did what I originally intended it to - entertain!
For Rizuvel: First of all, thanks for all the reviews! I hope the wait wasn't too long, and that the conclusion is to everyone's standards (though probably not to expectations.) I'm glad you have enjoyed it thus far, and hope you continue to enjoy it!
For Fluffy3314: I'm glad you enjoyed it, and thank you very much for the review! I hope the wait wasn't too long.
For all of who have read, favorited, and followed: Thank you so much for all the support, and thank you all for the time and patience you have given me. This update was long in coming, and I hope the conclusion is to your standards. I'll have more info at the bottom! Enjoy the finale of Paper Moon!
We've quite a lot to explain for, don't we? Then I guess I should skip the formalties and begin explaining.
I want you all to know that, first of all, Sora and I are safe. We're somewhere we can finally call home, a sanctuary of sorts we can escape to - have escaped to, rather. It was Sora who wanted me to write this so we could send it, since, as he said, he can't write to save his life. I find that to be a bit amusing, but I digress.
I can't say where we are, but I can say that we'll come see you guys when things settle down. We can barely leave the house as it is, what with the manhunt going on for Sora. I guess that's what we both get for deciding to run away and abandon his role as prince. At least now there's no prince and pauper thing going on. Just Sora and Roxas.
I can, however, tell you guys how we got here. What happened to get us here.
Mind you, it included a lot of planning behind everyone's back - including my own.
WOW LOOK AT THIS FANCY LINE THIS FANCY LINE IT'S THE BEST DAMN LINE YOU'VE EVER SEEN
About a month after his grandfather last showed his face, Sora requests we go for a drive. Out of the blue, and I'm not even joking. One second, we're sitting in the shade outside, and the next he's dragging me through the yard, prattling almosty nervously. I hesitantly agree to it, of course, more out of curiosity than much else.
The drive is filled with silence, and I peek glances at Sora every once in a while. He'd even insisted on driving us to wherever we're headed for himself, and that's a first. It's almost dusk now - we've been driving for over an hour - and he glances at the clock on the dashboard every once in a while.
Outside, the city has long since given way to the untamed forests, with smaller houses every once in a while peeking through. There's not a soul in sight, although the lights in the houses are on and there is clearly life in them. It's a quaint little neighborhood where you would have to drive at least forty-five minutes to get to the nearest grocery store.
Sora's been acting weird lately, I muse, glancing at him for the millionth time while leaning against my fingers. His eyes flicker sideways for just a moment, catching my gaze, and flickering a smile in my direction. The same usual smile, all teeth shining. Then again... he's always weird.
"We'll be driving for a while," he states casually, turning left at a fork in the road effortlessly. Clearly, although he doesn't often drive, he's good at it. "Not the whole way, though. Just long enough to loose that." He nods to the rearview mirror, still smiling - although it looks forced. "After, we're switching car and we'll be there within three hour at most."
"Exactly where in the hell are you taking us? Egypt?" I ask, and he shakes his head with a grin, a long pianists' finger agianst his lips.
"It's a secret!" he sings, laughing. "You wouldn't want to ruin the surprise, would you?"
I curiously look in the rearview after he mouths a single, four-letter word - bugs.
For the first time I notice a black chevy trailing some ways away behind us, with tinted windows and its headlights off. No wonder I never noticed it - it practically melts in the darkness.
Sora eases the car into neutral, slowly coming to a stop along the side of the road. There's nothing around us for miles, and the chevy pulls up behind us.
"Now here's the fun part," he smirks. "I've spent weeks planning this part, you know."
"Exactly what am I getting myself into?"
"Just follow me, run, and whatever you do, don't look back!"
"What?"
By the time I speak he's already bolted out of the car, not even bothering with the door as he jumps over the front hood, stepping on its surface to come to a rest on the passenger's side of the car. He flings my door open before I can react or ask any questions, cerulean eyes shining wildly, the smirk on his face. I hear the sound of car doors slamming shut nearby, but he just smoothly unclips my seatbelt with one hand and pulls me out of the car with the other. I cry out, stumbling after him as he runs towards the forest that's giving me shivers just looking at it.
"Stop!"
"Come on, Rox!" he calls over his shoulder, and I finally notice the sense of urgency around him. "You wanted to escape? Here's your chance!"
After I push it into high gear, and he lets go of my wrist when I pull up just behind him to his left, just as we reach the edge of the forest.
"Keep close! We have to run a bit before we get there!"
I loose sight of him for the fraction of a second when the forest swallows him up, but then I'm pushing through it as well, the branches whipping me and clawing at me, but I ignore them all. Instead, I notice the flash of the green hoodie Sora's wearing, so I continue in the same direction he's heading, our feet crashing through the forest and crunching over fallen branches and dead leaves. Every sound is a gunshot.
Not long after I hear the sound of heavier footsteps behind us, sending adrenaline rushing through my veins and making me go even faster. By the looks of the how fast Sora's making tracks, it's doing likewise for him.
There's a brief flash a ways behind us, followed by a crack that reminds me of the sound of the gun that'd shot me, and the bark on the tree to my left flies off in a flurry of splinters. I bring my arm up to my head, barely protecting my eyes in time.
Sora grabs my wrist just before he turns left, probably wanting to get as well acquainted with the gun as much as I do, bolting that way for about five seconds before turning left again, back the way we'd come. Another five seconds later, he's turning left and leading us parallel with the edge of the forest.
Did I forget to mention that the forest, although dark, is more of a plantation of trees? That means they're lined straight, and although it's hard to see in the dark, someone with a flashlight could easily find us.
After fifteen seconds, Sora turns left again and bolts, letting go of my hand. There are no words passing between us, but I think we both need to save our breath. After all, this is a person's most basic and primal fear right here: the fear of being hunted, and of being the prey. Being followed by something you can hear but you can't see, being stalked until they get you. Being hunted by the predator. I don't care who you are or how fearless you are - everyone fears being hunted.
The forest starts becoming more untamed, the trees now less meticulously aligned and more wild, more untouched. Branches now whip us mercilessly and roots threaten to trip us, but we step over those and we're breathing hard but every second is, I believe, a second closer to freedom. To a life without rules, without princes and poverty, abuse and neglect. The footsteps behind us are much farther, but neither of us look back and neither of us stop. I don't exactly know where Sora's taking us, but I trust he'll lead us there.
I can't properly say how long we ran, but did we ever run. I ached where I never knew I could ache before, my heart felt ready to jump out of my head, and my legs were like jelly at the end. After all that time running and escaping our unseen predator, we burst through the other side of the forest to a dirt path, abandoned and forgotten. It's a trail that cuts through the forest, winding parallel to the one we were driving on before. A lone, sleek silver car sits in the one spot the moonlight doesn't reach, and Sora digs keys out of his pocket as he makes his way over. He unlocks it without a word, motioning for me to climb in just before he disappears into it, shutting the door. I make my way around the car and get in the passenger's seat, practically melting into it and barely managing to close the door behind me. I don't even have the breath to sigh in relief, and almost forget to click my seatbelt before he starts the engine and speeds off down the trail, gasping for breath as well but still smiling, with the same gleam in his eyes.
"There's a bottle in the back," he states breathlessly. "Help yourself."
I grunt in response, too exhausted to speak, and look around my seat to find what, at the moment, is heaven for me - two water bottles sitting there innocently, the next things on my hit list. I grab both, tossing one none-too-kindly on his lap and unscrewing the cap on the other. I down half of it in one shot, coming up for air only to press the somehow still-cold bottle against my neck with a sigh.
"Explain," I mutter, and he switches to driving with one hand while taking a drink from his bottle as well. "Fast."
He laughs, screwing the cap shut to then relax in his seat a little more, holding the steering with both hands again.
"Every one of the cars back there have bugs," he states calmly. "The security uses that to track the car to its location, so we had to ditch it. I knew we would have been followed out, so I prepared to have this one waiting here for us."
"Will you tell me where we're headed now?" I ask, and he looks away from the trail to smile warmly at me.
"Home," is all he says.
GUYS. GUESS WHAT THIS IS.
ANOTHER LINE.
Another hour and a half later, and we've left the trail behind for favor of an old asphalt road in the middle of nowhere.
Around the two hour mark, we pass through a small town, not even close to the size of the prison our hometown had become.
Finally, near the three hour mark and countless "Are we there yet?" and "Have some patience, gods!" later, he pulls into a small suburban area with cozy-looking houses who's size can't even begin to compare to the place we've lived in, pulling in the driveway of a house like every other. It's design is a little different - more modern - but it still retains the classical feel to it. He cuts the engine, and we sit in silence.
"So, let's go!" he beams, flashing me a grin that's all teeth again. I just stare at him. "What?"
"If this was so important, why didn't you ask me to help you with all this?" I ask. He bites his lower lip, sighing as if this was the exact question he was hoping I wouldn't ask.
"I knew that it'd be better if only a select few knew about my plans," he starts. "I've worked on this for quite some time - around the time of my grandfather's nightmare of a crowning ceremony - and used a fifth-generation contact to get this place built so my name wouldn't pop up. I had to pay that fifth-generation contact a hefty sum for his silence.
"As it is, only you and I know of its actual location," he admits, smiling sheepishly. "Although I did pull a few favors from friends, initially I'm the person who brought what little was brought from father's place here. Most of the bigger things were delivered."
I stare at him a moment longer, and he creases his eyebrows.
"Please tell me you're not mad."
"Mad at you for planning our escape? For getting us out of that prison?" I ask, trying to make the ridiculous statement clear in my mind. He nods, but it doesn't help. "Key words to remember: escape and prison."
He beams at me, and this time I manage a smile in return.
"Come see!" He commands, all happy-hyper once more, and gets out of the car. I follow after him, barely having time to shut the door before he pulls me along the asphalt. The streetlights catch the glint in his eyes perfectly, all the way until he pulls me to the door. There's the distinct sound of barking coming from the other side, and when he opens it two faces I know well - Sombra and Luna, the Golden Retriever and German Shepherd that have become as much a part of my life as Sora has - bound out, attacking us with tail and tongue.
EPIC LINE OF EPICNESS THIS IS THE END YOU JUST LOVE MY LINES DON'T YOU?
So that's what happened, guys. Sora kidnapped me from where we used to live, we fled through a forest I swear gave me a fear of trees and guns - mostly guns, though - and drove three hours just to come to what we've come to call home. I promise that we'll come see you all when things have calmed down, but that won't be happening anytime soon.
Also, Sora got a makeover. It's quite something, and I tease him about the black hair and golden contacts every day - but he does likewise with my darker blonde hair and ice blue contacts. Our appearance is just one thing we had to change. We also go by different names, although those won't necessarily be divulged. Loose ends and all that.
We'll write again soon, we promise.
With love,
Sora and Roxas.
P.S.: Don't even think about asking us if we go at it like rabbits, Olette. I swear, I will find you, and I will slap you.
Hah, I think it kind of shows my writing style changed, but I'm not here to prattle about that. I'm here to answer little questions I've had asked in my absence.
The main reason why I haven't updated in forever is because I've been writing - that's right, I'm at it again. Writing novels like it's no one's business, taking names and all that fun jazz. This has led me to be TERRIBAD at fanfiction, thanks to the fact that before it was easy to get into the characters' head since there were less voices in my head. Nevertheless, I am determined to finish these fanfics for you guys, so fear not!
INCOMPLETE WAS TAKEN DOWN. I REPEAT: INCOMPLETE WAS TAKEN DOWN. I KNOW. I'M PISSED TOO. Also sad.
I am not dead, as you can clearly see. I frequent deviantArt more than I frequent fanfiction, and you can join me there under the username Fayne-Darkness. You can direct all questions there, and I'll be sure to answer. You can also add my Skype if you'd prefer, I promise I don't bite - I lurk there almost daily, and can be reached there as well. Just add my Skype username, (Remove the parentheseses.)
I'll see you guys when I update next! Thank you for everything, and remember:
There will always be a door to the light.