Hope everyone is having a good holiday season! This has been done for a while but I'm just getting the chance to sit down and post it. Hahah.
Enjoy! P.S. I don't own KH...duh
The next morning I was awoken by loud voices in the living room. I set up and rubbed my face and tried to hear who was yelling but couldn't make out signal voices. I got up and went to the door, throwing it open and headed into the living room.
Sora, Cloud and Leon were in the living room. Leon had a hand on Sora's shoulder while the smaller brunette seemed to be yelling at Cloud, trying to get free of Leon's hand.
"He promised me he wouldn't, damn it!" Sora was yelling at Cloud and Cloud crossed his arms.
"He didn't have a choice Sora, you know how Axel is. Beside that Riku is fine, considering." he said, his own voice a little on the loud side.
"Uh. Excuse me? Could you guys possibly take this out side?" I asked, my arms crossed. Everyone turned to me. Sora's face morphed into one of pure anger as he saw me and Cloud stepped forward and grabbed Sora's other arm as he fought to get at me.
"YOU ASSHOLE!" He screamed at me and I took a step back, my eyes wide. "HOW COULD YOU TELL AXEL THAT RIKU HIT YOU! YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T!" I felt my heart drop into my stomach, I had figured that Axel had forgot about it after our conversation last night. But then I remembered the text messages that he kept getting and sending.
"What...what did he do?" I asked, my own anger rising a little, my hands balled into fist. My response seemed to confuse Sora because he stood still and Cloud let go of his arm.
"He hit him in the same place he hit you and promised him that if he ever touched you again in any way that he would cut off his hands." he said his eyes down cased to the floor. I relaxed a little, I was afraid he had done something crazy.
"Look I'm sorry Sora, but it was either tell him the truth now or let him found out later. And later who knows what his reaction would have been." I said as I rubbed my face. "I'll talk to him about it, I can promise you that, but Axel is Axel and he will do what he wants."
"In all reality kid, Riku's lucky that his hands getting cut off was just a threat for the next time." Leon said as he let go of Sora finally.
"I know." Sora said, his voice soft and his eyes still on the carpet. "That's what scares me so much." I quickly moved across the room and wrapped Sora in my arms. He didn't move at first before he wrapped his arms around me as well and let his head rest on my shoulder.
"I am so sorry." I whispered as I held him. "I won't let him hurt Riku again, no matter what happens between me and him."
"I know you didn't mean for him to hurt Riku but now you know Rox. Axel isn't above hurting people that are close to him." he said, his voice sad. "I wish you were going back to London for good now. Not because I don't want you here but because I'm afraid for you..." I pulled away a little and met his blue eyes.
"Axel won't hurt me." I said, my voice firm. "You don't have to worry about me." Sora gave me a sad smile that made me want to hit him.
"How long before you do something that really pisses him off?" he said as he stepped away from me. "Like, going out to a club and dancing with strangers? Or going over to the manor with out being invited and you run into Larxene? Who knows how much it will take for him to get angry enough to hurt you." I had my arms wrapped around myself and I glanced to Cloud and Leon who were looking away from us.
"He isn't going to hurt me." I said, my voice a lot less firm then it had been. Cloud turned to me, his eyes filled with a soft sadness same as Sora and I had to look away.
"Rox, you need to listen to him. Axel loves his power and his position, the second that you threaten that nothing else is going to matter except that you are causing problems for him and his way of solving problems are normally death or beatings." my brother said as I stared at the opposite wall. My heart was pounding in my ears as I thought about the threats I had made last night...
"You don't understand." I said, my voice soft. I turned to them with a new determination burning in my eyes. "None of you understand. I lived my life on auto pilot in London, I was empty. A shell that couldn't be filled. Namine tried, god she tried, but it wasn't enough. She is beautiful, sweet, kind, loving, and it wasn't enough. I couldn't love her more then as a friend. I was so empty!" I said, pressing my hand to my chest for emphasis.
"And then I got the phone call from Mom and I was terrified of coming home and having to feel again." I broke off for a moment, my mind wondering back to the funeral. "When I came home and saw everyone again it was like a breath of fresh air, even though the occasion was a sad one, at least I could feel something. And then...when Axel walked up to us at the funeral..." I trailed off again for a moment, a smile coming to my face. "It was like being hit with a brick wall. I tried to turn and leave because of all the emotions that came flooding back at the sight of him, a lot of them were painful emotions but under all that pain, under every emotion that was coursing through me was a deep aching love. I knew I was still hurt by him, I knew that I still cared about him but knowing that the love was still there..It woke me up to what I wanted, what I needed." I looked to my brother to find that same sadness in his eyes.
"I know you all are worried for me, and I am worried as well and I know it's crazy to want what I spent five years running away from but I cannot stress to you how much better it will be to be here and feel again then to go back and try to live my empty life again." I took a few steps forward and hugged my brother, who hesitantly hugged me back. "I know you are worried and I know you want whats best for me, but believe me when I tell you that staying is what is best for me." I whispered as I pressed my cheek to his chest. He squeezed me and pressed a soft kiss to the top of my head.
"I can't say I understand what you went threw but I can respect your decision. I promise to be here for you through anything that might happen. But you also need to understand that if it comes down to a fight between you and Axel then I am not going to be able to do anything about it." he said and I nodded and stepped back from him.
"I understand." I said with a soft smile. Suddenly I was wrapped in strong arms, my arms pinned to my side and lifted off the ground in a bear hug.
"Damn it kid." Leon said as he set me back on the ground. "I'm glad your staying, this place has been boring with out you." he said with a grin. I smiled back at him and hugged him around the waist.
"Thanks Leon." I said and he patted my back. I turned to Sora who was still standing behind me. He was smiling a little but it was strained.
"I know it must have been terrible for you in London." he said and crossed his arms over his chest. "But being here is just going to get you and everyone else hurt." I crossed my own arms over my chest and felt my heart brake a little.
"I'm sorry you feel that way." I said, my voice soft. Sora gave me a sad smile and turned to leave but paused at the doorway.
"I'm sorry Rox, but you are being selfish by staying. All you're thinking about is yourself but you're putting the rest of us in danger as well." he said over his shoulder before leaving the living room. I stood frozen until I heard the front door open and close, then I let the tears fall silently down my cheek. Suddenly I was wrapped in a warm embrace, I was a little shocked as I realized it was my mom.
"Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry." She said as she held me, I wrapped my arms around her and buried my face in her shoulder. "I was listening from the kitchen, I know I shouldn't have but I couldn't help it. Give Sora some time, I'm sure he'll come around." I nodded but didn't say anything, just continued to cry silently.
"She's right Rox, he's just upset about Riku. He's right on a certain level but don't think that your being selfish. You have to make your self happy before you can began to please others." Cloud said and patted my back. After a few moments Mom pulled away and kissed my cheek.
"Come into the kitchen I made lunch." she said with a soft smile. I nodded and the three of us followed her into the kitchen. I sat at the table and Mom brought me a plate with eggs, bacon, and biscuits and a glass of orange juice. Mmm, I love breakfast for lunch!
"Thanks." I said as I wiped my face off a on a napkin and then dug in. After brunch I went back to my room and got dressed. Black jeans and my white long sleeve shirt with my converse was my choice for the day and the rest was packed back into my bags. I carried my luggage out and set it by the front door, it was already 1 o'clock and we had to be at the lawyers office in an hour. I went into the kitchen and packed my carry on back with my laptop again before going and sitting in the living room were Leon and Cloud were waiting.
I found that I was a little nervous about my dad's will. I wasn't really sure what to expect. I knew that he would leave the house and stuff to Mom but as for the rest of it...the company and what not, I wasn't sure. Mom came out of her room after a while and we headed for the door.
Cloud and Leon grabbed my bags and put them into the trunk. Leon came over and gave me a hug.
"Have a safe trip." he said, ruffling my hair. I huffed and smoothed it down (well as much as I could..)
"Thanks, I'll be back soon enough." I said and got into the back seat of the car. Cloud said bye to Leon while Mom got into the front seat of the car. Cloud got into the divers seat shortly after and we headed out.
The lawyers office wasn't that long of a drive and before I knew it we were pulling into a parking garage. Cloud drove us up to the third level and found a parking spot before we all got out and headed for the doors that would take us to "Gregory Stephens and Sons" or so the sign on the door said. We were greeted by a friendly secretary that seemed to know Cloud and our mom by sight.
"Hello Mrs. Sky." She said coming from behind her desk. "I am sorry for your loss." she said as she and my mom embraced. Mom pulled away and patter the women's arm.
"Thank you Ms. Parsons. Is Gregory ready to see us?" she asked and the secretary went back to her side of the desk and checked her computer.
"Yes ma'am, third door on the right." She said with a smile. I noticed her eyes land on me and linger for a moment before I turned away to follow Cloud and Mom. Mom stopped in front of the third door down the long hallway and knocked. A few moments later and the door was opened to a big burly man with a huge mustache, when he saw my mom his eyes lit up.
"Oh Mrs. Sky! What a pleasure to see ya! Even under such a dark cloud as this one." he said with a smile that seemed to radiate brighter then the sun. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his terrible fake southern accent. "Come in, come in." He said as he stood back form the door.
The office was large and spacious with a dark wood paneling and rich brown carpeting. The huge desk took up most of the space, with three comfortable looking chairs positioned in front of it. Mom took the middle one and Cloud the one on her right, leaving me with the left. Gregory took his chair behind the desk and pulled out a folder from his desk and laid it open on the desk top.
"So, you must be Roxas?" the lawyer asked, turning his little black eyes on me. I nodded my head once but said nothing else. "Well I am Mr. Stephens, I am your mothers and fathers lawyer." I nodded again but still didn't offer him anything else.
"Gregory, if we could get on with it?" Mom said, her voice soft. "Roxas has a plane to catch." The lawyer's eye slid back to me for a second but he cleared his throat.
"Of course Mrs. Sky." he said and pulled out a sheet of paper from the folder. "Alright here we go. This is the last will and testament of one, Patrick John Sky and I quote. "To my dearest family, know that I love each one of you dearly and that the three of you were the reason for everything that I did."
"To my oldest son Cloud, I leave you my collection of guns and knifes, I know that you of all people will be able to appreciate them and take care of them after I am gone. I love you son. To my dearest wife I leave the house and everything it it along with the car and every penny I have ever saved. Know that I am waiting patiently for you, we have forever." At this my mother started crying silently into her hands and I reached over and clutched her hand. Gregory had paused and looked up but Mom and motioned for him to continue.
"To my youngest son Roxas, I hope that your mother and Axel have found you by this point, I hope that you know that I loved you every second that you were gone and will love you every second that I am gone. I know that something happened to drive you away from us and I can only hope that it had nothing to do with me." Tears spilt over as the guilt washed over me, wave after wave. "To you son, I leave my business. I know you don't know much about what I did but Axel will be able to guide you through it and help you get settled in. I hope that it makes you as happy as it has made me. I love you. I love all of you." The lawyer set the paper back on the desk and raised his eyes to us. Mom was still crying silently into her hands and Cloud was comforting her with gentle words. I was staring at the edge of the desk with a stunned expression.
"Roxas." Mr. Stephens said and I looked up. "This is for you, it should help inform you on what your fathers business is, and what it is you are inheriting." He handed me a thick manila envelope, I took it and flipped it over in my hands, staring at it blankly. "If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. I also suggest getting into contact with Mr. DeNarro as soon as possible. He is also part owner of the business."
Part owner? Does that mean I have to work with Axel? Suddenly I had a terrible feeling in my gut...
"Does Ax...I mean, Mr. DeNarro, Does he know about this?" I asked, my stomach in knots. Cloud looked at me and I wished I hadn't asked.
"I believe he was aware of who your father had given the company to, yes." The lawyer said as he shuffled some papers on his desk. I clutched at the envelope and stared at the floor, no wonder he was so damn intent on me staying. He knew he was going to have to be in a business with me, no wonder he didn't want me to hate him, no wonder he wanted to have me wrap around his finger again!
"Thank you for your time, Mr. Stephens." Cloud said as he stood, bringing Mom with him. "We will be in contact again soon."
"Of course, just let me know if there is anything you need me to do." he said as he stood and got the door for us. I followed my Mom and brother silently all the way back to the car. Once we were all buckled in and on our way toward the airport, Cloud finally spoke.
"Roxas you need to read over the packet carefully and decided what you want to do. If you don't want to keep your ownership of the company it is possible to sell it off, but you do need to consult with Axel as well." he said, as he glanced at me in the review mirror. I sighed and sunk into my seat.
"I know. I'll look it over while I'm gone. I can't believe he left me his company." I mumbled, my arms crossed. "I can't believe Axle's just been buttering me up this whole time..." I felt tears sting at my eyes but quickly wiped them away. Neither my mom or brother said anything to that but I knew what they were thinking.
Of course he had wanted something from me. Axle doesn't do something for nothing. He wants my piece of the company. I put my face in my hands. So if I give it to him does that mean he won't want me anymore? Does this mean that everything he said was a lie? I groaned and let my head fall into the window.
The rest of the ride to the airport was silent, only broken by the occasional sniffle from Mom or groan from me. We arrived at the airport with an hour till my flight left, giving me plenty of time to get through security and what not. Cloud got my luggage out of the trunk while I hugged Mom.
"Have a safe trip honey." She said as she pulled away. "And don't worry about the company, it'll work out." She gave me a soft smile which I returned before I turned to Cloud who had just set my luggage next to me.
"Be safe." he said as he gave me a tight hug, which I returned.
"I will. I'll be home soon." I said as I picked up my duffel bag and grabbed the handle of my rolling suitcase. "I'll call you when I get there."
"You had better!" Mom said as I headed for the door. I gave her a little wave before turning and diving into the heard of traffic.
When the plane landed in London I was fully informed on my fathers company. From what I could gather it was once a legitimate furniture factory, run by my Father for many years until he was on the verge of losing it to back taxes. That was when Axel had stepped in.
He helped my father pay the taxes but then used my father and the factory for his own needs..go figure right? All this was explained in a letter that my father had left for me. He also told me that it would be my choice if I wanted to keep it or hand the whole thing over to Axel.
I made my way through the crowded air port to the baggage claim and got my rolling back.
I knew for certain that I didn't want the business. My father would have known that I wouldn't want it, which was what confused me at first. Why give me business? But the answer came to me once I read the letter.
I was the only one who wouldn't give it to Axel, no questions asked. He didn't mind if I gave it away but he didn't want it going to Axel, it was clear in the way he worded the letter. He never once said anything bad about the red head but he wasn't happy with him, that much was clear.
I made my way out of the building and got myself a cab before I allowed myself to breath a sigh of relief. I never really liked living in London per say but it was good to be there again, especially after the all the crap going on back in the states.
The cab pulled up to the curb of my apartment complex and I gave him the fair before I pulled myself and my luggage out onto the curb. I got upstairs to find my door propped open and music blaring from inside.
I moved into the doorway to find the apartment in a neat chaos. I moved into the entrance and dropped my bags and reached over and turned down the radio that was on the kitchen bar.
"Hello?" I called out as I pulled off my coat and let it fall on top of my luggage.
"I'm in the room!" came Namine's voice from further into the apartment. I closed the door and made my way through all the boxes that were spread around the living room and hallway area. I found Namine in my room, several piles of cloths around her on the floor.
"I decided to get a head start." she said with a smile from her place on the floor. I smiled back and propped myself against the doorway.
"That was very nice of you." I said as she stood up. She was wearing a long sleeve white shirt that hit her mid-thigh and hung loosely off her shoulders, black tights hugged her legs.
"I know you can't take much with you so I've separated your cloths into 'must have' 'might want' and 'no way'." she said as she pointed to each pile. I didn't say any thing as I watched her look any where but directly at me.
"Thank you Nam." I said and pushed away from the door and moved into the room. She held up her hands as if to ward me off.
"Don't. Just give me a second, I promised myself I wouldn't do this." she said as she turned away. I sighed and quickly wrapped her in a tight hug.
"I'm sorry." I whispered. "I wish I could change the way I feel." She turned in my arms and hugged me back.
"I wish you could too." she whispered back. My phone vibrated in my pocket and we separated as I pulled it out. Axel's name was flashing across the screen. I sighed and gave her an apologetic smile before I hit accept.
"Hello." I said as I pressed the phone to my ear and watched as Namine went back to my closet and continue to take things out, look at them and then toss them into their piles.
"I take it you arrived safely?" Came Axel's smooth voice.
"Yes, I just walked through my door." I said as a shook my head at a shirt that Namine held up for me to inspect.
"Good, I just wanted to let you know that I have already paid the transport company and they have instructions to ship whatever you want back home." I felt my jaw drop for a moment before I quickly regained myself.
"Thanks Axel, but you didn't have to do that." I said as I leaned against the wall by the door. "I don't have any place back at home to put my stuff." I heard him chuckle.
"Don't worry. I've already taken care of that as well. I have a storage unit that you can use until you find yourself a new place."
"Roxas? Do you think this shirt is a 'might want' or a 'must have'?" Namine asked. I looked up to find her holding a band shirt that had Blink-182 written across it.
"Definitely a 'must have' Nam." I said to her before going back to the red head on the phone. "Why are you being so helpful Axel?" I asked but was greeted by a heavy silence.
"Who is there with you?" His voice was soft but very serious and thats when I realized no one had told him about Namine...
"Namine..." I said, staring at her. My face was probably terribly white. She was looking at me like I was crazy.
"And who is Namine?" His voice was like silk...if it was burning...
"My girlfriend." I said as I stared at her. Her face fell and she placed her hand on her hip, a sure sign that she was pissed.
"Roxas..." she started to say but I held up my hand.
"Well I guess it would be ex-girlfriend since I'm coming home and she's staying here." I said and Namine gave a firm nod of her head before turning back to the closet.
"And why didn't you mention this girlfriend when you were here?" I sighed and leaned my head against the wall.
"I don't know Axel. Maybe because I was busy getting my mind blown around every corner." I said. "I don't have to tell you everything."
"I disagree." I huffed.
"How the hell are you going to get mad at me for not telling you something when you are the KING of keeping secrets?" I asked, finally getting mad as the thought of my fathers business came back to me. "When were you going to tell me that all you wanted from me was my piece of the business?"
"He left the business to you?" He actually sounded genuinely surprised which helped ease my doubt.
"Yes, he did. Not that I want it, but I'll deal with that later. For now I have to pack. Thank you for hiring a moving company for you, I appreciate it." I said as I poked at a pile of cloths with my foot.
"We will talk about this, Namine, when you get home." I rolled my eyes.
"Goodbye Axel." I said.
"Arrivederci amore." (1)I blushed but hung up the phone and tossed it to the bed.
"Alright, lets get this started." I said, staring around the room. Namine laughed a little and threw a shoe at me, which I caught.
"At least we don't have to worry about getting rid of a bunch of stuff now." she said as she continued to dig through the closet. I sighed and grabbed a box from the bed and started folding cloths...
Two days later I was standing in the middle of an empty apartment, Namine beside me as we gazed around.
"Wow, we did a pretty good job." she said, her hands on her hips.
"Thanks, in large part, to you." I said as I bumped my hip into hers. She laughed a little and a strained silence filled the room.
Neither of us wanted to approach the next subject. Goodbye.
"So, your plane leaves in a few hours?" she asked, I sighed and turned to her.
"Yes, but I'll come and visit." I said, my voice weak. She laughed a little before she threw her arms around me. I hugged her back tightly, my face pressed to the top of her head.
"Don't lie to me Roxas. Axel isn't going to allow you to come back and we both know it." she said, her voice soft.
"Axel doesn't control me." I said but it was another lie and Namine laughed.
"Maybe not completely but he has control." she said and we pulled away. "Want a ride to the airport?"
"That'd be great." I said as we moved to the front door and picked up my carry on. All my other luggage was already on its way thanks to Axel.
The trip to the airport was fun, we turned up the radio and jammed out, neither of us wanting to have to talk. She helped me get my ticket and get my luggage checked in and walked me to the security line.
"Have a safe trip." She said and I stood frozen for a moment, staring at her. She was so beautiful in her tight white dress with her hair falling around her face and I wished I could love her. Her soft blue eyes gazing at me with a deep sadness that it broke my heart. I wrapped her in a tight hug once more.
"Thank you." I whispered. "Thank you for everything. And I'm sorry." I felt her hug me back.
"You're welcome Roxas, and I forgive you." she said. I pulled away and gazed down at her, shocked. She gave me a sad smile. "I won't lie and say that I'm not broken hearted, but I forgive you. I want you to be happy and I just hope that he makes you happy." I hugged her again, tightly for a moment.
"I don't think he will make me happy, Nam. I have to make myself happy first, then we'll see." I said and she kissed my cheek.
"I'm glad you see that now." she said and kissed my cheek. "And I hope he can appreciate what you're doing for him."
"I'm not delusional. He's self centered, self promoting and does nothing with out something in it for himself and now he's dangerous, with a whole gang to back his every whim. " I said and she frowned at me, her eyes saying that I was crazy. "But I need to be there, to see it, and most importantly. I need him to hurt." She searched my face for a moment before stepping away from me.
"Revenge is self destructive Roxas. But I hope you can get over it and get it out of your system." she said. I nodded and we hugged again before she turned and walked away.
There you have it! Sorry its not all that long, I just wanted to get this out of the way more then anything.
1- Goodbye love
You should probably review...JS