Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ If This Cat Could Talk... ❯ Forgiveness is Key ( Chapter 13 )

If This Cat Could Talk…

By: Ellipsis the Great

DISCLAIMER: Kingdom Hearts and everything affiliated with it belongs to SquareEnix and Disney. All I own is the plot…

Summary: Axel's therapist suggests that he get a cat to help him get over an accident involving his little brother's best friend. It doesn't take him long to realize that strange things are afoot, however…

Rated: T just in case. May change later on.

Spoilers: None that I know of…

Warnings: Definite yaoi on the horizon, a little angst (obviously), and I suppose I should point out that this is AU…

 

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CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Forgiveness is Key

 

The three of us—Tidus, Yuna, and I—sat in complete silence for quite some time after the others left (it took several minutes to convince Roxas that it was okay to leave). I stared at my hands during most of that time, but glanced up at the couple often enough to know that they were watching me. Waiting.

“I'm…so, so sorry.” I finally said, as sincerely as I could manage with my throat closing up like it was. “I didn't…I never meant to…God, I'm sorry.”

“Oh, Axel.” Yuna sighed.

“I would do anything to—”

“You don't need to do anything, Axel.” Tidus said. “You never did.”

“But I—”

“But what? Axel, what did you do wrong?” Yuna asked.

“I took Sora out and…” I trailed off, suddenly unsure of myself because of the way they were looking at me.

“You were just a kid, Axel.” Tidus said. “And you were trying to help your brother and Sora.”

I blinked and looked up at them.

“We've heard you talking to him.” Yuna explained, the corners of her mouth tilting upward. “I don't think I've ever heard of anything so…sad and sweet.”

“You were being kind of stupid.” Tidus said, ignoring the disapproving look his wife gave him. “That's obvious; it was…unbelievably stupid of you to go out on New Year's Eve. But you're just human, Axel. You make mistakes; it happens.”

“Most mistakes don't land an innocent kid like Sora in the hospital for ten years.” I said.

“No, they don't.” He agreed with a nod. “But that doesn't change the fact that it was a mistake. I know…we know you didn't mean for Sora to get hurt. Just listening to you…you would never purposefully do something that would hurt your brother or Sora. You and Sora were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“A few minutes later or earlier and that guy would have missed you, Axel.” Yuna said. “It was a horrible, horrible fluke.”

“I'm still sorry.” I whispered.

Yuna moved forward, wrapping her arms around me before I could do anything to stop her.

“Axel, you were forgiven a long time ago.” She whispered.

I cried.

 

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I was released from the hospital about half an hour later, stopping by Sora's room with Tidus and Yuna to say a quick hello. Then we (all of us) left together, intent on going home for a late dinner. Pops had invited the Arsalans over for pizza.

I should probably add that I practically tackled Aerith as she came into the room to check on Sora, thanking her until I was red in the face from lack of air. Even Roxas laughed at me.

So…we were going to dinner.

Pops had one arm around my shoulders and the other around Riku's. Tidus and Yuna were holding hands, and Roxas stood between them and me, hands in his pockets.

You remember the last time this happened, right? Me, walking down the street with some friends with plans to have some sort of fun, ruined by…

That's right, you guessed it.

Kairi Martell.

Again.

Only this time she wasn't in a car, or with her friends, or looking particularly malicious.

She was alone, sitting on a bench, and…

…Crying?

It was so odd and purely coincidental that for a moment I thought it was some weird plan to freak me out again.

“Kairi?” Tidus spoke first.

She froze and looked up, her crystal blue eyes wide and still shimmering with unshed tears.

“M-Mr. Arsalan.” She hiccuped.

“Kairi, sweetie, what's wrong?” Yuna asked.

“He's free.” She said, bursting into a new bout of tears. “They're letting him go. They're letting that monster free!”

Everyone looked at me when she said that.

“They were bound to let Axel out of the hospital sometime, Kairi.” Riku said carefully.

She looked up again, this time with an expression of complete and utter confusion. “Axel?”

“Yeah. The monster.” Roxas said with a scowl.

“Not him.” She said. “Why would I be crying about that?”

“Then what monster are you talking about?” Pops asked. “Some other innocent kid who accidentally hurt someone you like?”

“No.” She snapped, standing. “Not some innocent kid who accidentally hurt someone. That…that thing was never innocent! And he didn't do it on accident! He stole three years of my life!” Then her angry energy seemed to flood out of her as she slumped back onto the bench, putting her face in her hands. “Oh, God…”

“Sweetie, you're going to have to calm down and tell us what's going on.” Yuna said, sitting beside her and putting a hand on her back. “What are you talking about?”

“I'm talking about Xehanort Kimball.” She said, picking up the newspaper that had been sitting beside her and handing it to Yuna.

Yuna unfolded it, her eyebrows rising as she read out loud:

“Xehanort Kimball was released today by the Traverse Town Parole Board. Kimball was convicted of the kidnap of four-year-old Kairi Martell twenty years ago, and sentenced to forty years with a chance at parole. Kairi Martell was held against her will for five days by Kimball, whose reckless driving while running from police resulted in a three-year coma for young Martell. For more on this story, turn to Page 6.”

“You…my God, Kairi.” Yuna covered her mouth with a hand.

“They're releasing him.” Kairi said. “He talked me into getting in the car with him…he was a close friend of my family, and…I was only four, Yuna. He took three years of my life from me, and now they're letting him go.”

“This…is why you were so upset about Sora.” I said softly.

“I got so angry.” She said. “It was…it was too close to what happened to me. I don't remember the crash, but I remember waking up and thinking that I was too big to be me, and then my grandma told me what happened. Suddenly I was seven years old, and I didn't remember any of it. When they told us that Sora wasn't going to wake up, I just…lost it.”

“Oh, Kairi.” Yuna said.

“I guess I just…pushed Xehanort's image onto Axel.” She said, looking at me. “I mean…you took him, Axel. You took him driving on New Year's Eve, and you got in a car wreck and walked away while he got put into a coma. It felt like I was going through it all over again, only from the other side. I kept waiting for you to get arrested for it, and then when you didn't…I didn't understand. It was so obvious that it was your fault…” She shook her head. “But it wasn't your fault, Axel. I understand, now.”

“It took you ten years to figure that out?” Roxas asked tersely.

“I talked to Xehanort, once.” She said, not answering Roxas' question. “He wasn't at all sorry about what he'd done. He was…he was proud, y'know? Every time I heard Axel talk…I guess I expected him to be the same way. He wasn't supposed to be sorry about what happened.”

“I am, Kairi. I'm so s—” I began.

“I know, Axel.” She cut me off. “I'm sorry, too. I didn't…I shouldn't have…well, I'm sorry.” She looked down. “I figured out that you were different from him a long time ago, Axel. I was just using you to…to make myself feel better about it. And just when I was starting to…you know, get over it, he…he went up for parole.” She wrapped her arms around her legs. “You're an easy target, since you never fight back. I took everything out on you. It was worse since now's the time when Sora…when the accident happened. And now…now he's free.”

“You can yell at me if you want.” I said.

She laughed hollowly. “I'm sorry, Axel. I've been such a bitch the past ten years…God, I'm so sorry.”

“It's okay.” I said.

“You're being too forgiving again.” Roxas said, obviously displeased.

“That's part of what makes him so different from Xehanort.” Kairi said with a smile, reaching out and grabbing my hand. “You're a good guy, Axel. I'm sorry I tried to ruin that.”

“Don't touch him.” Roxas growled. “You just put him into a coma, remember? As far as I'm concerned, you're the one who's like Xehanort!”

“Roxas!” I hissed as Kairi recoiled.

“No! I'm not as forgiving as you, Axel, and I won't forgive her for what she did to you!” He said.

“Roxie, don't be an ass.” I said, grabbing him and pulling him into a hug.

I felt him begin to relax, and then he jerked away from me, glaring.

“Don't do that!” He said. “This isn't funny, Axel!”

“Roxie…”

“Don't call me Roxie!”

I started to say something, but our argument was interrupted by the sound of the others laughing at us. I started laughing, too, thinking how silly we must've looked. Roxas tried to stay mad, but eventually he gave up and laughed along with us.

“You want to come to our house for pizza, Kairi?” Riku asked, probably trying to make his amends with her, as well.

She shook her head. “I've gotta head home. I just came out here to think.” She said.

“Maybe we could hang out tomorrow?” He asked.

Another head shake.

“We're moving back to Traverse Town, Riku.” She said with a rather sad smile. “We moved here to get away from all that happened, and now…now we're going back to show him that he doesn't control our lives anymore.”

“Oh.” He said, looking down.

“But I'll come visit, okay?” She promised, throwing her arms around him. “I'll come back, and we can catch up and go visit Sora together.”

“Okay.” He said, returning her hug awkwardly. “Yeah, I'd like that.”

“And maybe you could come, too, Axel?” She asked as they parted, giving me a hopeful look.

“Sure.” I said, not entirely sure if I would be able to do so. As much as I said I'd forgiven her…it's hard to forgive the person who made your life hell for ten years.

She must have detected my hesitancy, because she became subdued suddenly, stuffing her hands in her pockets and ducking her head a bit. “Right. So…later, then.” She said.

I bit my lip as she turned and began walking away.

“Kairi.” I said, the name almost forcing itself out of my lips. She turned back. “I'll try.”

Though everyone else gave me an odd look, she seemed to know what I meant if her smile was anything to go by. She nodded and started walking again, this time with a touch more of a skip in her step.

Maybe life was starting to look up again.

 

ENDCHAPTERFOURTEEN

 

A/N: I told you Kairi's actions would be somewhat justified eventually.

And although this wasn't purposeful…does anyone other than me find it ironic that in the actual games Kairi was kidnapped by both Xehanort AND Axel…? XDD Wow, I need help.