Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Together In Our World Alone ❯ The Rift ( Chapter 8 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
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Chapter 8 : The rift
The sound of a door slamming shut in the distance awoke him and he moved up from his position on the floor to crawl onto the bed standing next to him. He then looked around, finding the same room from before staring back at him. There was still food on the low table and he realised with growing urgency that he was starving.
Reaching out for an apple, he suddenly thought back of what happened before and he immediately placed the fruit back in its basket. He had been drugged earlier and he had no idea how much time had elapsed between then and now. His body no longer felt feverish and nauseous like it did before, and he managed to stand on his feet.
The first thing he did was searching his body for traces of violations, needing to know what kind of people were keeping him captive.
With a trembling hand he began to feel his arms, chest, abdomen and sides for bruises, but found none. He could easily tell that he had not been forced to have sex either; his lower regions felt non-violated.
Sora nodded to himself now, knowing this and feeling but a bit reassured. He took a few steps towards the door. It was massive and felt heavy under his fingertips. He hit the palms of his hands against it, trying to scream for someone to let him out. It was to no avail as he expected and he took a deep breath, determined not to panic and to stay calm.
He had to find a way out. He looked around, walked to every corner of the room, felt every wall and hit each one of them, but couldn't find any flaw. His eyes then finally fell on the small rectangular window above his bed and the light that came through it. It was the chamber's sole source of light.
Sora knew he couldn't possibly reach the window by simply standing on the bed and therefore looked around the room again in search of something he could use.
The only furniture in the room next to the bed were a low table and a chair.
He quickly moved to the low table and began to take off everything lying on it, placing it on the floor soundlessly, not knowing if someone was listening in on him or not.
He then put the table on the side of the bed where his pillow lay and tried to stand on top of it, only to realise that he had very bad balance on the mattress and that he couldn't see just yet. All he could discern was that the light came from an enormous chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
He quickly got off the table and took the chair, praying that he wouldn't fall off this unstable construction.
This time he distinguished a red carpet and a long table with many chairs, which meant he was underground somewhere in a house. He dared to push himself on his toes so he could peek to his right in an attempt to see more, but suddenly met with a pair of bright green eyes that startled him and caused him to lose his delicate equilibrium, tumbling back down and onto the bed with the chair falling on the floor beside him in a cacophony of sound.
Sora rapidly looked up at the window, but the eyes were gone. He got up and took the table off the bed, putting it back on its place.
A door creaked open in the distance and footsteps followed.
Sora gasped and hurriedly placed the fruit basket back on the table and the chair next to his bed.
The door opened and a streak of light fell upon him, nearly blinding him. It was impossible for him to distinguish the person standing by the door, his eyes had accustomed themselves to the incessant semi-darkness his room was constantly plunged in.
“Aren't we the ingenious little one.”
Sora gulped and sat down on the bed very slowly. His breath hitched in his throat and he gulped with some difficulty, he was certain that if someone listened close enough they'd hear his heart beating furiously underneath his chest. “Why have you brought me here?” he managed to whisper, “What do you want from me?”
The person entered and closed the door a little, leaving but a minim opening.
Sora did not know if his eyes were playing tricks on his mind once the light was diminished, but for a moment there he really thought he saw—
“Riku…”
The young man shook his shoulder length silver hair and placed a hand on his right hip, chuckling. “Not quite, but close.”
Sora couldn't recognise the voice and began to retreat further onto the bed with each step the Riku look-a-like took towards him. “Who… who are you?”
“That doesn't matter for now, believe me,” he whispered softly, standing in front of the bed now and looking down at Sora with a predatory gleam in his cold green eyes. He then made a longing sound in the back of his throat and licked his lips. “I'm more interested in you…”
Sora scowled and held on to his sweatshirt, curling up against the wall. “What do you want from me?” he shakily demanded, feeling anxious and angry at the same time. “Why am I here? Let me go!”
A devilish grin grew on the young male's features. “Did you know that, when you're dying, your hearing is the last sense you lose?” He produced a silver knife from behind his back and Sora stiffened completely.
He smirked at that reaction. “What I want from you, Sora,” he said, almost purring, “is for you to become enslaved by my deepest desires…”
Sora could only stare at him in complete shock.
_________________________________
“I am sorry, but if you don't have any appointments with Mr Masako, then I'm afraid I cannot let you in.”
Roxas chewed on the inside of his cheek in annoyance, looking sideways at Axel standing next to him. “Some organisation you're in…” he mumbled.
They were both standing in front of the reception desk at the Nobuhiro building in DC-centre.
Axel sighed and glared at the smaller blonde before producing a black, metallic card from inside his vest. “I'm sure he's expecting me,” he said with a smile, showing the card at the girl behind the counter.
She glanced at it and immediately nodded, standing up from her chair. “Please, this way.” She preceded them towards the elevators on their right and they stepped into one that just arrived.
The doors slid closed and the girl took out a small golden key she inserted into the lock under the many buttons on the control panel.
The elevator instantly began to move upward and kept going for at least three minutes without interruption until they landed on the top floor of the Nobuhiro building.
“Mr Masako's office,” the girl said as the doors opened. “He's expecting you now.”
They walked out and faced a concrete wall. The doors of the elevator closed themselves again and they remained, trapped in the small space.
“Eh…” Roxas whispered, looking around expectantly, noting that there was no control panel for the elevator behind them, “Axel?”
“These walls on either side of us are scanning us for any sort of weapons and some other things. It'll be over in a minute.”
“Sheesh, you'd think he's some kind of royalty now…”
Axel smirked dryly, “In a way, he is.”
Roxas rose an incredulous eyebrow and then visibly relaxed at Axel's calm demeanour. Only a short moment later the concrete wall opened and the halves moving aside revealed a tall, young woman with stylish grey hair and blood red eyes. She was wearing black leather pants, a white wife-beater and a black short vest.
Her eyes landed on them and she gave a short nod, “Jade.”
“Scarlet,” Axel replied, stepping up to her and extending his hand, which she took.
Her eyes then fell on Roxas standing slightly behind Axel. “I hope he was worth it,” she whispered emotionlessly, her eyes rolling to the redhead again.
Axel's expression grew rigid at that comment and he let go of her hand. “He was,” he answered coldly, reaching to the smaller blonde's right wrist. “Is he in there?” He nodded towards the glass doors up ahead and the sunlit, empty office behind them.
Scarlet followed his gaze and nodded, “He's secluded himself into the resting room, but he isn't sleeping.”
“How long ago has it been since he saw the tape?” Axel asked.
“He watched it right after the funeral 3 hours ago,” she answered. “He has been in that room ever since. You won't have an easy job.”
Roxas still had his eyes on her and decided for himself that he did not like her.
“What have you been instructed to do anyway?” she wondered, her face still not showing any emotion whatsoever.
“Explain to him what's really going on.”
“All of it?” She asked with one arched eyebrow, a seemingly lone proof she possessed emotion akin to humans.
Axel nodded with a small faltering smile. “I've got my job cut out for me.”
She nodded, “Indeed.” She then turned and walked towards the white door on their left. “If you need any assistance, I'm in my office. Good luck.”
Axel nodded thankfully to her and they watched her disappear behind the door.
“She needs a good fuck.” Roxas shook his head, rolling his eyes.
Axel chuckled, “Be nice. Come on—” They stepped up to the twin glass doors and pushed the right one open. It opened silently and they entered the enormous, ovular space that was Riku's office.
“You know he hates my guts, right?” Roxas informed the redhead, suddenly unsure of what he was doing here.
“If it's any comfort,” Axel replied as Riku suddenly stepped into the room from a door right from his desk, “I attempted to rape Sora once.”
“Right, thanks,” Roxas whispered now that they moved to approach Riku who was taking place behind his desk, “I feel so much better.”
Axel smirked a little and they couldn't but think of how far Riku's desk seemed to be. The CEO himself seemed to be clad in darkness as the bright light falling through the panoramic windows obscured their view of him.
“Good morning, gentlemen,” Riku suddenly spoke, “how may I be of service?” He stood up from his seat and walked around the desk to lean against its front for a better look at his visitors. He was stunned a few moments later as he got a good look at who it was standing in the middle of his office. “This can't be— Roxas?!”
“Hiya,” the blonde whispered with a small smile.
“But I— I thought you were—?”
Roxas shrugged, “Dead? Yeah… so does everyone else think,” he paused and smiled, “I think. You're surely not the only one, don't worry.”
Riku then turned to his companion and immediately stood on his feet, his hands balled into fists. “You!”
Axel sighed and closed his eyes, bending his head. “Mr Masako—”
“Where is Sora?!” Riku bellowed, taking a step closer to them, his anger now clearly visible in his eyes.
“Riku!” Roxas intervened, placing himself in between them. “Please, this is not the time! We're here to help!”
“You're with him, Roxas?!” Riku now directed himself to him and Roxas could feel the upcoming punch preparing itself in the man's fists.
“Goddammit, asshole! Will you first listen to us?!” Roxas screamed back, “We know about Sora's disappearance.”
“You— What?! You mean you took him!”
“It's of the outmost importance you hear what we have to say, Mr Masako,” Axel spoke calmly, walking up to them and reaching into the pocket inside his vest to take out the black card he flashed earlier.
Riku's eyes spread open wide, “You're one of— them…?”
Axel nodded solemnly. “We're here to protect you, sir.”
“The NRC?” Riku whispered, reading the card and frowning slightly, “But… they're the company's affiliated research bureau…?”
“Yes,” the taller male nodded, “The Nobuhiro Research Council. Only, NRC also stands for Nobuhiro Raid Corps and that's what I'm part of.”
“Nobuhiro Raid Corps…?” Riku echoed, his frown only getting deeper. “Who—?”
“To put it quite simply,” Axel said, taking out a large envelope from inside his jacket, “we are your private army, put together by the late Ansem Nobuhiro.” He handed him the envelope.
Riku's eyes were as big a saucers by now. “A secret— A secret… army?” He looked at the envelope in his hands that had his name on it and then up to Axel again.
“Sir Ansem left you this in our care. He couldn't risk for the Organisation to put it hands on it before you had,” Axel quickly explained.
“Organisation? What organisation?” Riku asked, taking out the only sheet of paper inside the envelope. He read the sole line typed down on it and an expression of sudden realisation fell upon his face. He then looked at both Roxas and Ansem, who looked back at him with resolute faces.
“That's why they let you up here…” he whispered, turning around and walking up to his desk to lean on it. “We only buried him this morning and already… big brother is after this company, isn't he? And Sora—” His voice sounded so bitter and disheartened as it broke off that Roxas couldn't but walk up to him and place a gentle hand on his shoulder.
“We'll get him back, Riku,” he said softly with an eye on Axel. “But don't give up—”
“How?” Riku whispered back, staring blankly at the letter on his desk now. “Sora is everything to me… and he's suffering, they— they're… oh God…” He closed his eyes and took a breath as the sounds of the video played through his head.
“Mr Masako,” Axel spoke, approaching them, “You must know that Ansem was murdered by the Organisation.”
Riku's head shot up at that, “What…?” His eyes switched from Axel to Roxas in search of a denial to the previous statement, but he only found silent and paining confirmation no matter where he looked. “No… Then— then…?”
“Ansem knew, Riku…” Roxas whispered. “He knew and that's why he wanted to give you a fighting chance.”
Riku took a steadying breath to take it all in calmly, sensing a beginning of untamed rage boiling underneath his skin. The suffocating feeling of helplessness he had felt all morning, ebbed away the longer he stood there and instead a growing desire for revenge swelled inside of him, infecting every last one of his nerves. He turned to the smaller blonde. “Sephiroth even tried to kill you to get to me…”
Roxas smiled uneasily at that, flashing an unsure look the redhead's way. “I'm alright… Axel saved me right on time.”
“I only regret that we couldn't keep Mr Nagakawa's kidnapping from happening,” Axel whispered, looking to the floor.
Riku now turned to look at him and walked closer. “You were supposed to be sitting out a 15 year sentence, weren't you?” He was silently surprised of how serene he sounded even though his insides were in full eruption.
Axel dared a look Riku's way and even though he could feel anger radiate off of him, he met with calm, questioning eyes. “Yes, I was, sir.”
Riku stopped in front him now, staring him dead in the eyes. “How well did you know my step-father?”
An expression of surprise flew over Axel's face and he cleared his throat. “Well enough for him to save me from jail, sir.”
Riku rose an eyebrow as he continued to look at him without saying anything. He walked around him, as if evaluating him by his exterior qualities. “I hardly think Ansem could be easily fooled, so I presume he knows what I know about you.”
Axel gulped silently and took a breath. “I respected Sir Ansem for the great man he was. Only he saw hope in a outcast like me.”
“As I said, Ansem was a man who wasn't easily fooled,” Riku murmured, still looking at him calmly.
“No sir, he wasn't,” Axel replied, shaking his head sadly at the memory of the man.
Riku observed this. “You seem to have known him well,” he whispered, catching his attention. “Tell me,” he then said, walking back to his desk, “are you by any chance an orphan?”
Roxas rose his eyebrows at that and also looked at Axel, who had a dumbfounded expression on his features.
“Yes, I am.” He then frowned, “How do you know, sir?”
Riku only gave a small lopsided smile. “A hunch,” he whispered softly.
Axel came closer to the desk now and Roxas took place next to him. “Sir Ansem owned the orphanage I stayed in.”
Riku nodded, “I thought so,” and he smiled, though it was strained. “I guess we have a few things in common, then.”
Roxas sighed and felt strangely left out. He hadn't known Ansem Nobuhiro, nor had he ever experienced the loss of two parents like both the men standing near him had.
“Can I ask you a question?”
Axel and Roxas exchanged looks and then nodded.
“Is Paine one of you?”
“Paine?” Roxas echoed.
Axel smirked and nodded. “Scarlet is one of the top agents we have.”
“Yeah… I thought so,” Riku pensively said, “She just strokes me as being someone who can keep secrets extremely well.”
“I thought she looked just sex-depraved,” Roxas said and shrugged.
Riku laughed; a clear heartfelt sound that, even though fitted as a response to Roxas' statement, entirely stood beside it. It was more a reflection of the obscure wrath that now filled his heart. And as soon as it died, his face consequently darkened, the stroke of joy he suddenly felt now eclipsed. He noted the silent and groping expressions of both males standing before him and suddenly felt the urge to smirk. He could not care less of what they thought of him right now, he wouldn't even assume they'd understand. “So, what happens now?” he demanded, not bothering to look at Axel as he turned to stare out of his panoramic window, overlooking DC without concerning himself about keeping his face from mirroring his internal emotions.
“They told you they were watching you,” Axel answered with a nod, “but we do not believe they can in this room; it is constantly controlled for electronic bugs and other spy ware. No, if they're watching you, it must mean that they have an agent close to you. A secondary secretary, an assistant, bodyguard or someone in your close staff.”
Riku lifted his eyebrows from their frowning position and slightly turned his head to the side. “So what you're telling me is that everyone working for me can be one of them?”
Axel shook his head, “They wouldn't risk infiltrating more than one person into the high circles of the company. But it wouldn't be worth the trouble to put him or her with your regular staff. He or she would have to be very close to you and integrated for at least a year.”
“How long have you known Xehanort for, Riku?”
“Not that long actually. I met him the last time I saw Ansem.”
“The day we decided to go for DI.”
“Yeah. Why? Is something wrong?”
“There's something about him that unsettles me…”
“When I first met him, I felt the same way. Yet I'm positive that he's trustworthy.”
“Hmmm… If Ansem trusted him… I guess he is.”
“…but it wouldn't be wise to act any differently now that you know of this, just so you do not rise suspicions— Sir?”
Riku's head shot up from where it had been resting against the glass of the window. “Yes, you are right.”
Roxas frowned a little, “You seemed to be thinking of something.”
“No, it was nothing relevant,” he answered, shaking his question off. “Alright, yes of course. Act like nothing happened.”
Axel and Roxas exchanged looks, “Yes,” the redhead said unsurely, “we still think that the Organisation is oblivious to our existence, which has facilitated our movement through the company. It would be a great asset to our operations if it remained that way.”
Riku nodded quickly. “Of course.”
Roxas only watched Riku silently as Axel continued to explain what their objectives would be in order to get Sora back. He knew Riku withheld information that may be of crucial importance to the whole operation. He wondered what kept him from not sharing it. And for some reason, he dreaded the worst.
_________________________________
The door of his house fell shut behind him and he placed his briefcase next to him on the floor, loosening his tie with a tired grimace on his face. Riku untied the laces of his expensive shoes and kicked them aside a moment later, dragging himself into the living room, throwing the jacket of his suit on the sofa and proceeded onwards to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and took out a bag of wok vegetables and some diced chicken, stepped over to one of the cupboards on the other side of the spacious kitchen and took out a large, deep frying pan and placed it on one of the heating plates of the stove on the small island in the middle of the room.
After he had covered up the pan to let his dinner cook tranquilly, he set the table at the other end of the kitchen island. It wasn't until he returned with a pair of wine glasses in his hands that he realised that he had in fact set the table for two.
Before he even noticed, both his hands were bleeding and the crushed glasses hit the floor in a glittering mess. He slowly stared at his cut palms and fingers and then up to the set table.
He suddenly did not feel hungry anymore.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down and ease the shaking of his hands. It did not seem to help and his anger only grew instead of diminishing when he thought of Sora and that peculiar memory that had entered his mind earlier that afternoon.
Sora had expressed doubt towards one of his staff members yesterday and he now wondered if he had been right.
Riku remembered what he had felt when he met Ansem's new assistant.
Dread, incomprehensible mistrust and uneasiness.
Had those feelings been grounded after all?
He knew from experience that Sora had a great sense of these things and he questioned himself about the course of his previous actions now.
Ansem had trusted the man.
“Ansem was not a man easily fooled.”
Riku firmly believed that Ansem wasn't and couldn't really find a valuable reason to even accuse Xehanort of anything. Hunches and feelings did not constitute a base for accusation.
But sometimes they did justify anger…
There was the fact that Ansem had created the NRC in secret. He could tell himself that it was only normal for a man of Ansem's standing to protect himself like that, yet something still nagged at that theory.
According to Axel, Ansem created the NRC roughly 18 months ago. Riku remembered that it was around that time that Thomas Xehanort came into the picture, referring to what Ansem once told him when he had asked him about his mysterious new assistant.
Had the old man known Xehanort could be…? Was that the reason why—
The front door bell rang.
Riku's head shot up from its staring position at his hands that were being cleaned underneath the kitchen faucet and he winced as the pain in his fingers suddenly cut through him. He turned off the water and yelled; “Be right there!” before taking a dishtowel and gently drying his hands. They stung and throbbed and he realised that he would need to band-aid the deeper cuts in his left index and in the palm of his right hand that were the only ones still shedding blood. He ran to the door with the towel still in his hands and opened it.
A hooded, slim figure stood on his doorstep, dressed in black skin tight jeans, All Stars and a large black sweatshirt. The lips underneath the large shades curled in a swift smile. “It's me,” Roxas whispered, taking off the glasses and stepping passed him.
Riku quickly let him in and closed the door. “I thought you said tomorrow.”
Roxas slid back his hood and placed the backpack he was wearing on the floor next to Riku's previously discarded shoes. “Got a problem with now?” he asked, walking to the living room and plopping down on the couch. “What happened to your hands?”
Riku looked down at the now soiled towel in his hands and he lifted it slightly to see if he had stopped bleeding by now. “Cut myself,” he whispered and made his way back to the kitchen to properly attend to his wounds.
Roxas winced a little and chuckled. He always knew Sora was the unspoken chief cook around here and he felt a pang of gloom as he thought of his best friend and his boyfriend, beginning to wonder if he was really at his place here. He shook his sudden feeling of uneasiness and stood up to walk to the kitchen. “What's cooking?” he asked, leaning against the kitchen door's doorframe, watching Riku carefully placing a band-aid on his left index with his bandaged right hand. “Looks painful.”
Riku ignored his question and his statement, now taking out a cleaning brush and a receiver to sweep up the glass from the floor, throwing it into the trash bin in the cupboard underneath the sink. “Did anyone see you?”
Roxas smirked and rolled his eyes, “No, I teleported here.”
Riku flashed him an aggravated glare.
“Of course people saw us,” Roxas added quickly, holding his hands up in silent sign of surrender, realising his joke was a tad misplaced. “Axel just made sure no one followed me here.”
Riku silently walked passed him and into the dining room, halting before the dresser near the dinner table and opened one of its doors, pulled open a drawer that went behind it and took out a snow white laptop that he then placed on the table.
Roxas sat himself at the far end of the table and pulled the laptop his way, opening it and switching it on.
“Sora has a password for that,” he said as he came to stand behind Roxas when the screen lit up and turned a soft green.
And indeed, an identification window appeared soon enough, requesting said password.
“That's easy,” Roxas whispered, taking out his cell phone. “It's your birthday converted in the first letter of a corresponding button on phone keypad. He told me that when I fried my laptop a few months back and had to use his.”
Riku was silently surprised at the ingenious idea and smiled as he thought of Sora, feeling his anger recede for the first time that night and turning itself into purpose.
He would get him back. It didn't matter how, but he would.
And there would be no obstacle too big to stop him.
“So,” Roxas spoke, looking at the keypad on his phone, “if your birthday is on December 29th 1984 or 12/29/1984, then that converts itself into…” He placed his fingertips on the keyboard and typed in: “.AAW.WTG”, hit the `enter' button and a new screen came up; a picture of Sora and Riku holding hands as they walked off on a beach with Trooper running beside them in the sand.
“Yeah…” Roxas said, feeling a little bit of an intruder now. “I've been wondering where the dog went,” he said instead, as they waited for the computer to finish starting up.
“We sent him off to one of those pet hotels,” Riku answered with a slight frown. “I haven't had the time to pick him up since we returned from DI,” he whispered, suddenly realising that he missed the dog.
“Ah,” was all Roxas said, for the next moment he had opened a link on the workspace labelled as `Journal'.
“What are we looking for?” Riku asked, placing his hands in the pockets of his pants.
The document holder opened and revealed an impressive amount of files, going over the hundred and apparently dating as far as 14 months ago.
“Is this a diary?” Riku wondered, looking at the dates that named the files.
“I think so,” Roxas replied, opening a search query and typing in `DC Chronicle'. “We don't need to read every entry, just those that can tells us more about Sora's working place.”
Riku nodded in understanding and watched as the search generated over 50 results. He frowned at the thought of having to read all of them and shook his head, pointing at an entry that dated from a few weeks before their departure for DI. He wanted to at least limit their violation of Sora's privacy. “Refine the searches to 2 weeks before our vacation.”
Roxas did as told, knowing exactly why Riku asked it, feeling the same way. “Okay, that's three weeks ago then…” He scrolled down the page wordlessly, searching for the dates preceding their leave. “Oh, here we go.”
July 5th, 2006
When I went to the Chronicle to pick up some stuff I would need on the trip, Mr Skellington -Jack- introduced me to the paper's new Head of Entertainment: Xavier D'Laine. I remember bumping into into him yesterday as I left the paper. I hope he enjoys working with us.
“Do you know that guy?”
Riku shook his head and opened another file, dating from a couple days later. “Only met him once. Let's just keep searching.”
July 10th, 2006
Ever since I've decided to hand in my column electronically, I seem to be spending more time at the Chronicle than anywhere else! Oh, I don't know, perhaps the fact that Riku's working on my nerves could be the cause to the hell I'm living in! To think he lost the goddamned tickets! That idiot!
Roxas snickered, “Ouch, Rik.”
“Shut up.”
Now I have to order plane tickets and he knows I hate flying! Sometimes I truly think he's been sent to me with the sole purpose of torturing me… They say love is blind, but I think that in my case it's blind, deaf AND dumb...
Yet I wouldn't trade it for the world. The way he still makes me feel after 4 years is so incredible… I love you, you big jerk, and I hope you never forget or it'd be the end of me.
Anyway, I've had to ask Mr Skellington -Jack- to keep the info about our trip to himself. I think it would be best that way, since I'd be so disappointed if we were to have the press with us too.
“How did that turn out?” Roxas whispered, opening a new file.
Riku shook his head, “Just as he feared.”
“Sucks to be you…”
Riku smirked a little and bent his head, “You have no idea how much right now.”
July 13th, 2006
What a depressing day. Seriously. Non-stop rain and angry journalists!
Today at the Chronicle, Anton Gustav, the sweet cartoonist, got fired. I don't know what the reasons behind this sudden lay-off was, but I heard some people say that Mr D'Laine could've had an influence in Jack's decision. It felt so strange to walk passed Anton's cubicle and seeing it empty. I liked him and his old man stories… he always kept a chocolate and vanilla muffin ready for me.
Many colleagues have protested against Jack's decision and some of them, so I've heard, even threatened to quit. The Entertainment section is now shaking in its socks, seen as how no one really likes Mr D'Laine. Morgan from Art&Film told me he's a very strict and authoritarian man.
When I finished giving the printer the guidelines for my next column and packed up the last of my things to head back home, I left my desk with the strangest of feelings in the pit of my stomach. I felt like the Chronicle would never be the way I knew it to be when I'd be back.
As I walked to the elevator, I got stopped by Mr D'Laine who wished me a safe trip. I'm certain that I never mentioned that I was to leave tomorrow to him and I briefly wondered if Jack perhaps could've. I frowned at him in polite confusion and he smiled and nodded before turning and returning to his office.
I think I'll make a personal note to keep an eye on Mr D'Laine when I get back.
Riku was staring at the screen with a deep scowl on his face.
“Do you think…?” Roxas started, but let his voice die out.
“Can you look him up and find out who he is?” Riku whispered, re-reading the last entry.
“I'm on it.”
Riku let Roxas type away on the small computer and took out his portable. He dialled a number and walked over to the hall. Something suddenly linked in his head.
“Nagakawa residence, Michiko speaking.”
“I'm sorry to be calling at this late hour, Michiko…”
“Riku?” The voice that had sounded tired, found a bit of strength, “Is that you?”
“Yes, it's me—”
“What's wrong? Is everything all right?”
Riku closed his eyes and took a steadying breath, “I just need for you to listen to me and not interrupt. It's important.”
Michiko gasped, but did not speak, having heard the gravity of Riku's voice.
“In two hours from now, I will make sure that a jet lands at the airport. I need for you, Kairi, Wakka, Cloud and Leon to board that plane.”
Her voice shook when she next spoke, “R-Riku… what—?”
“I don't have time to explain now, just promise me you will do as I say.”
“Y-yes—”
“Good. Please, do not waist time.”
Back in the dinner room Roxas called for him.
“Al-Alright… Is Sora safe?”
Riku turned his attention back to the phone and nodded, swallowing down the guilt he felt for doing this, “Yes, he is.”
There was a silence on the other line and then— “I will call everyone.”
“Thank you, Michiko.”
“No, thank you for looking after us.”
Riku squeezed his eyes shut and winced, lowering the device from his ear. Her last words had pierced through him with daggers of flame hot shame. He hit the archway when he walked back into the living room.
“I had known it…” he whispered, looking at Roxas still sitting behind the laptop. “I knew, damn it!”
Roxas flashed him an insecure look and then turned the laptop Riku's way. “Xavier D'Laine, Riku,” he whispered, showing him a picture of a black haired man with deep blue eyes and sideburns. “I hacked into a government server and found who he really is.”
Riku didn't even bother to look at the screen anymore, instead he walked back to the entrance of the house and picked up his briefcase. He placed it on the dinner table across Roxas and took out the envelope Axel handed him earlier that day. He opened it, took out the sheet of paper and then tilted it, letting the picture that still lay inside fall onto the smooth surface of the table. He picked it up and held it in front of Roxas' face. “Is that him?”
Roxas frowned at took the black and white picture in his right hand. “Oh my God…”
Riku now looked at the paper he still held in his hand. He read the sole line typed onto it and felt like he was going to be sick.
“Me and my war buddies.”
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ToBeContinued…
-BDP-