Kingdom Hearts- FFM V3!

"I wouldn't be surprised if he did expect something," Sora said honestly into the phone, keeping it against his ear as he stayed still, contemplating what to say next. "But the closer it gets to the exchange time and nothing happens with Namine, he'll probably get less suspicious. But, even if he is expecting something and is prepared for it..." Sora hesitated a brief moment, the teen not wanting to think like this but having no other choice. "...I'm willing to take that risk if you are. Smith is probably going to play dirty, so we need to do the same."

 

Roxas closed his eyes, feeling his emotions start to get the best of him again. Sora's words were starting to stir them up, and just the thought of things getting worse scared him...and made his hate for Smith grow even more. Roxas sighed, opening his eyes. "All right," he agreed, holding the phone to his ear as he stood still. "When you get to Namine, keep her safe for me...okay?" As Roxas asked the question, the stern look on his face disappeared, worry replacing it instead.

 

"I will," Sora promised, forgetting his anger at Roxas as he spoke those honest, caring words. "I'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe." Namine was his friend too, and Sora was extremely loyal to all his friends. Anybody knew that, and Roxas understood as well. "But...do the same with Kairi, okay?" Sora felt his worry come through in his voice, though he couldn't really help it this time. If anything happened to her...

 

Roxas felt the truth behind Sora's words when he spoke and he felt relief come across him. "Thanks," he said. But he also recognized the concern in Sora's voice when he spoke of Kairi. Roxas' expression changed to one of seriousness, his piercing blue eyes holding that emotion as he looked over to Kairi, meeting her gaze. "You got it. I won't let her out of my sight," he vowed.

 

Sora nodded faintly, feeling reassured by Roxas' words. But he was more comforted by the fact that if he got Namine out soon enough, Kairi wouldn't even have to come in contact with Smith. "It'll take me about ten minutes to get to the warehouse, and maybe another ten to get Namine out. I'll contact you as soon as that happens." Sora hung up the phone as he rose to his feet, his shoes tied tightly as he hurried out of his bedroom and toward down the hall, heading to the front door.

OOC: Sorry! My mom took the computer. D8

 

Roxas heard a click and knew the conversation was over. He brought the phone down from his ear and snapped it shut, putting it back in his pocket as he started walking again.

"What'd he say?" Kairi asked, starting to walk beside Roxas.

Roxas turned his head to the side slightly to look at the girl. "He said he would help. He's going to try and get Namine out while Smith comes for us," he explained. He turned his head forward again, his eyes looking ahead of him. He took in a breath, trying to calm his nerves for Namine's safety. He trusted Sora, and knew he would keep her safe. And he had promised to do the same for him.

 

Sora exited the hallway, slipping his phone into his pocket as he walked. He was just at the door when he suddenly stopped, having a better idea. He wouldn't be able to get to the warehouse very quickly running, so what if... the teen took a few steps back and saw his skateboard leaning against the wall, waiting to be used. Without hesitation, he picked it up, holding it in one hand as he stepped forward and exited his house. He knew exactly where he was going, and he would have to get there quickly in order to make things right.

 

Kairi turned her head forward after Roxas spoke. She exhaled silently. She hoped Sora would be all right... If something happened to him...she didn't know if she would be able to really forgive herself. It really was her fault that he was putting his life on the line, because she had snuck out behind his back and left with Roxas.

 

Sora dropped the skateboard on the ground and hopped on, pushing himself along with his foot several times before turning to the right, heading in the direction of the warehouse. Why did I speak to Roxas? Sora didn't bother answering the question, already knowing the truth. Unlike Roxas, Sora wasn't about to go through with something if it was a bad idea and his friend disaproved. But he and Kairi had both gone against him. In a way, Sora could understand why Roxas would, since he was so stressed with Namine being gone. But...Kairi...she had manipulated him, toying with his emotions so he wouldn't suspect anything. That was what hurt him the most.

 

Kairi had a feeling in her heart that even if the struggle with Smith ended well, the problem between her and Sora would not. Would she have been selfish to stay behind...and leave her friend to take the pain that was really because of her? Kairi knew that she would never be able to live with herself if she did, because Namine would be...gone and Roxas would hold a grudge against her for it. She knew Roxas well enough to know that Namine was the most important person to him, and if Kairi hadn't helped, even she knew that he would be angry with her. And Kairi was not about to have her friend take the pain that she caused...in a way; Kairi was a Princess of Heart, and because Smith held something against Roxas and Namine in the first place, he knew that to get what he wanted, he had to keep Namine as the bait so he could lure Kairi to him. And she had to admit that it was working...

 

Looking at it now, accepting that Kairi was going to this "exchange", Sora could see more clearly why she had done it. Since the root of this conflict essentially had to do with her, it was understandable that she would want to help. That wasn't what bothered him, though. What really hurt him inside was how Kairi had lied to him. Their moment just a few hours ago, when she had kissed him and said she loved him...she must have forced that moment so he wouldn't have been able to understand what emotions she was really feeling in her heart. And the worst part was...it worked. He had been clueless about her plans, and that only made the pain worse for him.

 

So...if this did end well, how would Kairi handle the problem that was already among her and Sora? She betrayed him...and she knew that he was hurt by that. She had felt the pain he had in his heart in her own only a few minutes ago. And now...well, she couldn't really feel anything right now. Not from him, anyway. Her own emotions were covering up his in her heart. Had she made a mistake...?

 

Sora felt surprisingly alone as he skateboarded through the city, making a turn toward his destination. He knew that he and Kairi were connected with their hearts, but...But it certainly didn't feel that way now. In fact, it felt as if they were very far apart. He couldn't sense her emotions anymore, and he figured it was because of the pain and betrayal he felt in his heart. Honestly, he didn't know if he could even communicate with her when his heart was in such a sad state. That recognition only made him feel more sad, and again, a sense of being alone left him feeling hollow inside.

 

No. Helping her friends was never a mistake. Ever. She cared very much for Namine and Roxas, but, of course, in a different way than she did for Sora. Regardless, she wasn't going to have her friend die because of her. With the tension that surrounded her and Roxas now, and the situation entirely, that was certainly what she felt would happen if she didn't come. It was dangerous, but by the way things were going now, Kairi knew that Roxas was going to protect her to the best of his ability. She had caught his eye when he spoke to Sora a minute ago, and she knew they were discussing her and Namine's safety for the brief moment. And just in case something did happen...to her...Kairi had made her final kiss goodbye to Sora, and her final "I love you". True, she hadn't wanted him suspecting the nervousness or sadness or fear that had found its way deep inside her heart. But she wanted him to feel the love she had for him...the love that would never die.

 

Sora blinked once, speeding up as he headed down the empty NYC sidewalks. He couldn't afford to get emotional now--he had made a promise to Roxas, saying he would protect Namine from anything. And if he wasn't focused on the mission at hand, he would be acting sloppy, endangering both himself and Namine. So for now, though he hated to do it, he chased away his own emotions and focused on saving Namine.

 

Kairi was thankful she was wearing her white long-sleeved shirt at the moment, the slightly chilly night air nipping at her face as it gently blew past her and Roxas. She pressed her lips together as they rounded a corner in silence, getting closer to the meeting place as the seconds ticked by.

"We should be there in about ten minutes," Roxas informed Kairi quietly. "We'll be early." But that was perfectly okay with him; the sooner he got to Smith, the sooner he could finish him for good. He wasn't about to let him live after this.

 

Sora skateboarded in silence, the only sounds entering his ears being that of the wheels running over the sidewalk and the wind being the other. A cool breeze blew behind him, propelling him forward slightly. Though he hardly needed a boost; he was already going very fast. The warehouse was only a few minutes away now. He pulled out his cell phone as he balanced on the board, checking the time. It was a little less than half an hour until Roxas was supposed to meet Smith, so Sora had to hurry up and get to the warehouse before that happened.

 

Kairi didn't respond; there wasn't really a reason to. Bringing up conversations would only keep Roxas from focusing, and she knew that had to be done. Just by the look on his face--the side view, from where Kairi was--she could tell that he was concentrating. So she didn't say anything, continuing their walk silently.

Roxas knew that from Sora's own thoughts that he had expressed over the phone that Smith was most likely not going to have Namine with him, something completely opposite of what Roxas had figured. What was the point of the exchange then? That was exactly it...there was no exchange. Smith was tricking him. Roxas internally growled in anger, though the action didn't come out in the silence. His hands balled into fists slightly, the boy feeling his anger grow. But he had to save that anger for Smith when the time came.

 

Sora stared directly ahead of him for the next few minutes, this side of the city dead during the early morning. He wasn't surprised; it was a little after four AM, after all. Sora suddenly slowed down when he saw something ahead of him, the teen just now realizing he was at the corner of a block. But this wasn't just any location, because there in front of him, was the warehouse. He headed over to an alleyway a few feet away and hid his skateboard in the shadows before turning back to look at the building, staring at it for a few moments.

 

Kairi looked ahead of her as they walked across an empty crosswalk, no people walking on it or on either side of it. She had never been out in the city this late...or early, really. It was empty...dead. She guessed it made the reality of their situation that much more true; either this was going to end well for them, and they weren't going to leave empty handed, or they lost...and somebody was going to die...