A/N: Out of the hospital... in somewhat decent condition for now... let's see how this goes. Thanks for everyone's support! -tear-
This chapter may be shorter.
o.o.o
Follow Me Home
Chapter Thirty-Four
o.o.o
"And I'm so grateful to you, I'd have lived whole life through
lost forever,
if I never knew you..."
o.o.o
Xion sat next to Ayaka's crib, watching her as she slept soundly. She was a little torn over the fact that Roxas hadn't contacted her at all, even after Ienzo gave her number away. She didn't know why she expected such a thing, anyway.
"My daughter does deserve a father..."
Xion felt selfish. Completely selfish.
"All I wanted... was something of my own... that I could give a better life than I ever had... yet I can't even do that..."
She curled up into a ball and cried.
o.o.o
Roxas' eyes slowly opened. All he could see was a dirt floor in a dimly lit room, what looked like the outline of a couch and nothing else. His hands were restrained behind his back, as well as his feet and he could barely move. An excruciating pain was coming from his side. He felt lightheaded and confused and wasn't really sure where he was or how he even got here.
Vanitas appeared in front of him, not hesitating to kick him right in the face. Roxas coughed up some blood as he was suddenly dragged across the floor by someone else and forced to sit up against the wall. He shut his eyes tightly and tried to deal with the pain, but it just kept coming. He felt the impact on his stomach as he was beaten constantly by unknown assailants all while trying to figure out what in the world was going on.
'Kairi... as long as she's safe...'
"Alright, Vanny... you're overdoing it a bit, aren't you?" A voice said.
'Of course... it would be him...'
"I'm getting bored. Where's Reno with the girl?" Auron said irritably as he stared down at Roxas.
"Patience, my friend! I can't wait to see this girl. She must be cute if we go to all this trouble." Jecht laughed as he knelt down in front of Roxas. "Open your eyes, boy."
"Leave... Kairi... alone..." Roxas mustered, coughing immediately after.
"What was that?" Jecht put his hand behind his ear and leaned closer. "I didn't hear."
"Ugh... let's just kill him." Vanitas grunted, grabbing a knife from the table. "I want him to die a slow and painful death."
"But wouldn't it be more fun to let the girl watch?" Jecht suggested.
Vanitas considered it; he did have a point. "As long as they hurry up."
o.o.o
Sora, Leon and Zack got into the car and sped down the mountain. The tension was undeniable.
"Always be on your guard," Leon started, "they may be tricking us. They may not even have him at all."
Sora looked back worriedly as they got farther and farther from the cottage. His heart was ready to jump out of his chest; he had no idea what to expect. Everyone was quiet as soon as the entered the main road.
"I'm going to call for reinforcements." Leon broke the silence, getting out his phone.
Little did they know that Reno was just around the corner, watching as they drove by.
o.o.o
Kairi and Rinoa sat around the fireplace. They were both pretty nervous, but at the same time—hopeful. Kairi couldn't help worrying about Sora and the others, nor could she even imagine what Roxas was going through right now.
"Kairi, everything will be okay." Rinoa reassured her. "Leon has some great connections."
"Could I... ask you something?" Kairi said randomly.
"Sure."
"Although I love Sora with all of my heart, I just... can't stop worrying about Roxas... am I wrong...?"
Rinoa had a gist of the situation, but she really couldn't give the best advice. "It's natural to worry about someone you still care about."
"Even if... he's the one... I... cheated with...?"
"Before that, he was your friend. Imagine how hard this is for Sora? I'm surprised he's even going out there." Rinoa crossed her arms.
"Me too..."
"Sora has a good heart, that's why. Even if someone wrongs him, he always tries to make it right. It's not the best way to be, in my opinion, but that's just how Sora is."
"I know... but we don't deserve-"
"Kairi, stop trying to live in the past. Sora wants to do this. He truly loves you."
Kairi's heart fluttered at her words, but she still felt guilty.
"You're very lucky." Rinoa finished.
All of a sudden, they heard a door open and shut. Rinoa shot up and guarded Kairi; she was pretty sure that she left the door locked. The fire burned out and they were left in the darkness.
"W-What's-"
"Shh!" Rinoa shushed her as she prepared for the worst.
The fact that the cottage was small really didn't help them in this situation. There was nowhere to hide and Rinoa couldn't let Kairi just run away. The mafia was not a force to be messed with lightly. She was the reason that Leon even left the mafia and since then, she always had to be on the edge. In a way, Rinoa felt like her nightmares were finally coming true, even if she wasn't the target.
It came out of nowhere—a swift breeze followed by a hand that Rinoa successfully blocked as she pushed Kairi to the ground. How many were there? Who was it? It didn't matter; Rinoa had to protect the girl for her nephew's sake. She wasn't sure how, but she blocked every hit, despite being able to see in the dark. Kairi had no idea what was happening, but she really wanted to help. She scrambled to find some sort of weapon, but came up empty handed. Even if she was just in the way, she couldn't let Rinoa take the fall for her. She couldn't let anyone die because of her.
"Go away!" Kairi lashed out, punching like an idiot in every direction. She could hear Rinoa struggling with the unknown person. She went closer to the sounds.
"Kairi, get out of here, now!"
"No!" Kairi knew that she couldn't be a hero, but if she could just-
"AHH!"
Everything went black.
o.o.o
Leon stopped the car in the middle of a park and got out. Cloud and Genesis, as well as three others that Sora didn't recognize at first were waiting for them. One had light blonde hair that was tied back into a ponytail, baggy blue pants and a fancy vest. He looked sort of young. The other two—he actually knew.
"Tifa?! Riku?!" Sora couldn't believe his eyes.
"Sora? Oh my goodness! I haven't seen you in forever! What happened to you? Did you die and come back to life?" Tifa nearly jumped on him, but he dodged her. Cloud, Riku and Genesis just shook their heads.
Sora let out a nervous laugh. "What are you doing here?!"
"These guys are my best friends now." She grabbed Cloud's arm. "What, you didn't know that I knew how to fight? We're all here to help!"
Sora looked over at Riku, who nodded. "You can't do shit without me."
"Eh..." Sora rubbed the back of his head and laughed.
Leon went over to the young blonde. "Zidane."
"Squall." He smirked.
"Thank you... everyone... for helping me..." Sora said, "most of you barely even know me or my... friends... but..."
"Hey," Zidane walked over to Sora, "...you don't need a reason to help people."
Leon smirked, but then his facial expression changed back to a serious one. "Let's get this over with."
"Follow us," Cloud said as he tried to shake Tifa off of him. "Damn it, woman! I'm married! How many times do I have to say it?!"
"Anyway, they're back at that warehouse." Genesis told them.
"Got it." Leon let out a huge sigh and got into the car. Sora and Zack followed. Cloud, Genesis, Tifa and Zidane loaded into the other and drove off.
o.o.o
The taste of blood was making Roxas nauseous. He was perched up against the corner of the room, just listening as the three men laughed and played some card game. He was on the verge of being unconscious and part of him wished that he was.
Was this his punishment for everything?
'I regret... ever meeting... her...'
If he would have just backed off... if he would have just left her alone...
If he never fell in love with her...
He would probably beg them to kill him right now.
But he wasn't going to do that.
Roxas had to live—even if he didn't have Kairi in the end.
"Finally, they're here." Jecht got up and hurried over to help Reno carry Kairi into the warehouse. Her hands were tied, just like him. She looked weak and pathetic—just the way that Vanitas liked it. Roxas' eyes opened slightly; he caught a glance of her before she was dragged onto the couch.
He heard her screaming.
Her cries—it was a nightmare.
Roxas tried to move, but he couldn't.
He couldn't do anything—like always.
He was useless.
o.o.o
o.o.o
A/N: Short chapter, but just a set up for the next. Uhh, gonna use that M rating to my advantage.
By the way, I suggest you look up those songs that I pointed out in my profile for the playlist. Just a suggestion.
REVIEW! Because... uh... tomorrow is my birthday and so far I don't have to spend it in the hospital...!
YAY!
'til next time, peeps. =D