Child Of Promises

Chapter twenty

'Huh? Where am I?'

Roxas becomes aware of being wrapped in a blanket, arms holding him gently yet firmly to a soft chest. He's aware of darkness, but this darkness isn't cold nor painful at the moment; he's asleep, he realizes, but still somehow aware of his surroundings.

'Now if only I knew what those surroundings are,' he thinks.

He hears the clacking of shoes on cobble stone echo and wonders why he is there. Is he still captured? Are the men in black coats taking him somewhere? Last he remembers, he was sitting in a dark room and falling asleep, then anger and pain engulfed him before he lost his senses entirely.

Just what the hell happened?

He squirms in his cocoon of blankets, trying to get away when a distinctly feminine hand rests on his chest and a soft voice shushes him. He immediately settles down, something telling him that this person is good. In fact...the voice sounds vaguely familiar...

Some kind of harsh light filters through his closed eyelids and Roxas feels himself placed down. He hears soft sniffling and peaks his eyes open, seeing a blurry image of two people wrapped in tan cloaks. The one kneeling beside him places something silver on his chest; a familiar X shaped charm.

"I'm sorry, but if we keep you any longer then...something bad will happen to you, and we refuse to allow that."

Wait...

'Mom?' Roxas thinks, unable to speak.

"You may not have much of a good life here amongst humans, and I'm so sorry for that," she continues, "but I promise you, your father and I will always watch over you."

She gives him a shaky smile, and it finally dawns on him of what is happening; this was the time when his parents gave him away, they handed him into the orphanage to escape something. But what? And why?

"Gina, please step aside love...I have to cast the spell on him."

The figure behind her, Cain Roxas realizes, stands stoic as his mother lets out a sob, unmoving.

"The one thing Cain. The one good thing that was created between us; and they won't let us have him," she says bitterly, gold eyes burning under the shadow of her hood.

Cain sighs, looking defeated even as silver eyes flash under the hood of his own cloak, "I know, Gina. But even if we can't survive, we can live on through our son; now please, beloved, step away."

His mother leans down and places a gentle kiss on Roxas' forehead before finally stepping away. Cain lifts his hand and a golden white light emanates around it, chanting under his breath in a strange language.

Roxas' vision becomes unbearably bright, causing the boy to squeeze his eyes shut. Something like a gentle forcefield or cocoon wraps around him and sinks into his being, feeling as if it is suppressing something. One half of him welcomes it serenely, while the other half rejects it and begins struggling against the light. Roxas' chest hurts from this inner struggle, but before he can even register the need to cry out, the fighting part of him begrudgingly settles, both sides becoming hidden away and sealed.

Roxas feels sleep coming over him once more, the couple; his parents, walking away being the last thing he sees before he succumbs to darkness again.

.o.o.o.0.0.0.o.0.0.0.o.o.o.

Axel kicks open the door to the house of two boys and girls, surprising the occupants in the room who are seated on the couch. His eyes fixate on the red headed mermaid and without giving a word of greeting, he hisses, "where's the werewolf?"

Kairi, getting over her shock, glares hard at what she perceives as an intruder, "who wants to know?"

"His mother," Axel says, voice dripping with enough venom to make a snake queen envious, "Sora's been captured and despite the crap Roxas has talked about him, I need the mutt's nose."

Kairi's eyes widen and she covers her mouth with her hands. Meanwhile, the other person on the couch decides to speak up.

"So, my little brother got himself kidnapped? Wish I could say that I was surprised."

Saccharine eyes flick over to meet the black, fathomless depths of a muscular male's, and Axel's eyebrow shoots up as he takes in the other male.

Shoulder length hair the same color as Sora's, tanned skin and wearing a white shirt with a sleeveless brown bomber jacket over it and black leather pants. The Man wears black combat boots and a silver pendant in the shape of a lions head while a large sword with a gun built into it leans against the couch on his side.

"Uh, mind telling me who you are?"

Kairi actually looks offended at the disrespectful tone Axel uses, but the man seems unaffected by it, saying calmly, "I am Leon, a warrior to his majesty King Mikhail's army and Sora's elder brother. Mind returning the favor Spawn?"

Axel stands straight with his arms held at his sides, on the defensive in case the man tries to pull something.

"The name's Axel Lea, got it memorized? I'm a friend to Roxas Levenge who just so happens to be your brother's Other Half and is being held by the same pricks who took your brother. Now I ask again; where is the hell's damned werewolf at so we can track them down?"

"Riku isn't here," Kairi cuts in, "it's the week of the full moon, he goes off to where ever for three days this time of the month."

Axel curses and rakes his hand through his spikes, huffing in frustration, "well that's just perfect, they really timed this one right didn't they?"

"You mean holding Sora's mate hostage, knowing that he would come after them and catching him when his right hand is indisposed?" Leon says snidely, "yes, I supposed they really did their homework didn't they?"

Axel scowls at the warrior, not appreciating the sarcasm. Leon sighs and climbs to his feet, pulling a phone out of his pocket as he begins pacing around the room.

"I know someone who's good at tracking, as well as some others that can back me up," he explains, "it's not a good idea to go up against these sons of bitches alone."

Axel opens and closes his mouth, wanting to protest bringing others into this but he is well aware that Leon has a point. The Organization would be planning for any contingency and it would be better to hit them with more than just two or three people, regardless of creature and species. Axel crosses his arms and taps his foot, waiting as Leon talks to whomever is at the other end of the phone before hanging up.

"I'm bringing in an Assassin, as well as a healer in case this gets ugly. You will stay here with the girls while we handle this."

"Fuck no!" Axel exclaims, "like hell am I staying out of this! Those bastards have my childhood friend and are doing who fucking knows what to him!"

"Spawn, you will just get in the way, you'll put them into more danger if you interfere-"

"No we won't."

The two arguing males whip their heads to the entrance to the hallway, staring at the blonde girl who spoke. Naminé sighs, setting her brows determinately as she continues, "this is still Sora's mission and we are a part of his team, we have a right to rescue him when he is captured, wouldn't you agree Kairi?" She looks over at said mer.

"Yeah!" Kairi says, finding courage, "there's no way we'll sit this one out! Sora is our leader, as well as our friend!"

"You will just-"

"I have a friend that can help too," Axel interrupts, giving Leon a hard look, "she's a puppeteer; she could be of some help, but she's not going to come into this if I'm not in on it."

Leon's eyes flick between the three, somehow feeling himself backed into a corner. He sighs and pulls his phone back out, pushing a button and holding the device back up to his ear, "hey, it's Leon again; there's been a slight change in plans..."