^ Awww, thank you! =3 *squeal* Thanks a lot, I work really hard on these ^.^
Chapter Seventy
Sable stirred slightly, her black eyes glimmering in the darkness as she awoke with a gasped breath. She blinked repeatedly - as frantic as the act of blinking could be - as her dozy gaze adjusted to the shadows, awake all of a sudden. A strange sensation quivered inside her, sending tremors through her soul. She knew at that moment that something had happened; she felt the presence of light, all of a sudden, then a drastic plunge back into darkness. Running her shaky fingers loosely through her hair, she raised slightly from her position, awaiting the return of this strange feeling.
“You felt it too,” she heard a voice whisper from close by. But she did not shudder, recognising the voice. She simply gave a nod, looking over her shoulder at his furrowed face.
“Yes,” she replied, fingers finding Loki’s cold, appearingly irritated face. She swept his long hair from his handsome features, moving it away from his deep, mysterious eyes. “I don’t know what it was.”
“A fluctuation,” Loki replied quietly, lying back in his chair, letting his head rest upon the top of it, hair tumbling down its back. “Something is going on down there.” He did not seem nearly as concerned as she was.
Sable gave a small nod, breathing a sigh as she settled back into his arms. Bathed in a shaft of pale, white moonlight, they lay there, Sable curled up within the firm, strong confines of Loki’s arms. He lay back in his chair, allowing her to rest comfortably on his chest. She was so small that this was a fairly easy task. Plus, there was the added comfort of being draped in his cloak; it seemed that this garment had not left her body since being bestowed upon her.
“Will it be alright?” she whispered, uneasy. This sudden rush of feelings had made her slightly paranoid. Loki nodded without a word, lowering his head once more as she curled herself into his arms. Her head nestled snugly into his shoulder, nuzzling into his neck.
“Of course,” he replied. Although, his tone gave her reason to suspect otherwise. Although he would not admit such things, he was concerned at what could have caused such a vast shift in energy. Light had glimmered bright, all of a sudden, before being overwhelmed by choking darkness, stronger than ever before. Then, it was gone, as quickly as it had come on. It did not make sense to him. “They’ll have it covered.” He lowered his head further, so that his lips rested upon the crown of her head as she clung to him. “Besides, even if anything great has happened, I doubt they will get any further than Orexein.”
“I suppose,” Sable mumbled, arm draped up over his shoulder. Her words agreed with him, but her tone gave him reason to think otherwise. She sighed slightly. “How long do you think it will be?”
“Until what?” he mumbled, betwixt a yawn. “Until they get here?” He felt her nodding against his chest, unintentionally nuzzling closer to him. “Not long.” His fingers found her hair, gently wandering through it as he thought. “Perhaps you should rest a while longer?”
“What about you?” she smiled weakly, looking up at his darkened eyes. “You haven’t slept in days.”
“I don’t need it,” he grumbled, his tone becoming sour. Sable felt slightly worried at this, pulling herself up from his side.
“Why not?” she asked. Something was bothering him, she knew it.
Then, he purred a laugh, half with flattery at her concern, but half with disbelief.
“Seven years,” he smiled, his hand tenderly running down her side, beneath her cloak, “I have waited for that Keybearer to show his face.” A look of relieved realisation swept over Sable’s face, prompting his smile to grow. “Revenge is going to be mine, soon enough. Trust me, when I see that - him, it will not matter that I am exhausted.”
There was no doubt about it; Loki anticipated the moment he’d meet the Keybearer. He would demand an explanation, before tearing into the man, ripping him apart with his bare hands; revenge, for what he had done.
“I should have guessed,” Sable smiled, letting her fingers run over his cheek. “I’m sure he would be proud of you, Loki.”
~*~
“We can’t just leave him here,” Sora sighed, rubbing his reddened eyes with tired hands. “It’s not right.”
“Neither is carrying him around,” Riku murmured, stood with a hand at his hip, the other massaging his forehead.
They had been here for half an hour though, time seeming to stand still around them - although, they could not afford to stay put for so long.
The King sighed as he stood there, head bowed in a silent tribute to their fallen comrade. It was unthinkable to have seen him die here, like this; although, they knew that such a fate was to be expected, after returning to the ones he’d betrayed. Still, the thought offered no consolation whatsoever, the loss of Ikawa had proven to be a devastating blow to each and every one of them.
Surprisingly, Riku seemed to be lost in a state of grief. Such a period of melancholy was to be expected after the death of a close one, but, given their frosty - to say the least - relationship, it was unusual to see him so emotional. They suspected him to be lost in guilt, and they were right; not that he would ever grant them the pleasure of saying so. He had not spoken much, his sharp face filled with solemn respect as he held his baby.
“There’s nothing we can do,” Kairi pointed out quietly, arms wrapped around herself as she sat there, shrunken as she looked over to Ikawa’s still, slightly drained face - still arrogant as ever.
“Can’t you do anything, Donald?” King Mickey asked, tilting his head towards the little duck. All followed this line of sight; even Goofy, who stood at his side. “Surely, there is something appropriate that can be done.”
Donald sighed a squabbled breath, hushed as it escaped his beak. He rubbed his chin, tapping a foot against the floor as his eyes wandered the faces looking back. Nothing was springing to his mind. He knew hundreds, perhaps even thousands of spells, yet, nothing to help in this situation.
“Not that I can think of,” he replied dejectedly, feeling disheartened at his inability to help. Although, he was not alone in this emotion; all seemed to come together in this state of forlorn helplessness, all thinking, wishing, praying for something that might help.
“I can’t believe they’d do this,” Imari whispered, resting her chin upon her hands as she sat there, legs curled beneath her body. “To one of their own.” Sora sighed, shaking his head.
“He was a traitor,” he replied. “These guys don’t take kindly to people that betray them. If they leave the New Generation, they can expect to die.” He sighed longingly, closed eyes meeting the ground as his head fell in a similar direction, spiky fringe over his face. “Just like Ikawa said.”
“He was brave to have risked it,” Riku mumbled, curling his silver hair behind one ear. He sighed, rubbing his aching head with one free hand, the baby sleeping soundly in the other. “He wouldn’t have wanted us to wait here like this.”
The others looked to him with his words, rather surprised he was continuing in this fashion. He seemed close with Ikawa, all of a sudden.
“Riku’s right,” Kairi mumbled, looking to Sora with sorrowful blue eyes. “He wouldn’t want us standing around here while Loki’s so close.” Sora stood there for a moment, musing over the options.
“We have no choice at all,” he whispered. “We have to keep going.”
~*~
Sable left Loki’s embrace for a brief moment, bare feet meeting the cold, tiled ground as she stretched in the pale moonlight. Comfortable as lying there was, it had left her somewhat cramped, much to her irritation. Back arched, she appeared feline in her attempts to loosen up her tense form. Black hair fell about her pale face, but she made no effort to move it as she looked back at him.
She sighed despondently. He was asleep.
“Already?” she mewled, disappointed as one hand found her hip, beneath the thick cloak she wore. She stood there, observing him as he slept with bright, alert eyes.
Slumped back in the chair, muscular arms tightly folded together against his chest, he lay there, legs resting up upon the polished surface of the table. His bare feet peeked from the bottom of his trousers. Head nestled into the cushioning, his hair all over the place, falling loosely over his features, he did not seem to stir, even while she approached him. Then again, Sable moved on light toes.
She smiled as her eyes found his handsome, content face. She leaned back upon another chair, watching him sleep with a glimmer of a smile.
“Stop it,” he mumbled to her, prompting her to jump slightly with shock. She smiled playfully, moving closer.
“Stop what?” she purred.
“Watching,” he replied firmly.
“Fine,” she smiled alluringly, moving closer still. “But, you look so innocent there.” He raised a half-smile, his lip fading into a smirk, but his eyes remained firmly closed. Without a sound, she hopped up to join him. She sat upon his thighs, uncurling his folded arms, before letting herself nestle closely upon his warm chest. He gave no word or impression of complaint - unusual for such a short-tempered individual as himself - simply letting his arms resettle around her small, dainty body.
A few minutes passed, and soon, both fell asleep, content in each others’ presence.
Sable smiled, even while asleep, her fingers gently pawing at his warm chest, his scent filling her air. She drew herself as close to him as possible, arms held around his comparatively giant frame. He dwarfed her entirely, but she did not seem to mind at all. A moment of such tenderness was precious to her; she was determined to hold this memory close, to never let it slip from her soul. Every tiny, beautiful detail was to be remembered; the touch of his skin, the whisper of his breath, the taste of his kiss, nothing was to be forgotten, all of it important.
Opening her dark eyes for a moment, her gaze found his handsome face, illuminated in the glow of the moonlight. Looking up to the heavens, she saw the glittering stars, and the coursing beams of the moon, glimmering down through the glass to meet his skin. It was strange to see him bathed in such light - Loki preferred to lurk within the darkness, rather than in such pure streams - but, such a moment provided a proper glimpse of his face.
Regardless of what people thought of him, and his cruel, malicious plots, they could never deny his good-looks. That was part of his charm, to Sable. Beneath his handsome exterior lay a hidden nature of brutality, a soul tinged with the deepest, blackest darkness. This, truly, was a man unfazed by the horrors of conflict, a man willing to do anything to achieve his goal. Most things irritated him. Everything made him angry. But she loved him for it.
What she loved most of all, was this. Although being so vindictive, and scornful of almost everyone he met, he showed a genuine tenderness towards her, his eyes lighting with uncharacteristic affection when he gazed so longingly at her. She knew he meant it, with every time he looked at her, with every passing act of generosity, with every instance of patience he showed her. He would not be so kind to just anyone. It took someone special to gain such pleasantries from the brutal man, and only two others could ever gain such amiable reactions. One was Orexein; the other, Mikado. After all, it was difficult for a man without a heart to feel such strong emotion. It was surprising he still felt love at all.
It made Sable wonder, as it did others; was a heart necessary to feel love?
Of course, she knew now, and her answer was firm. No. Certainly not. The man clearly had no heart, but here he was, tenderly holding her close to his body, unwilling to let her slip from his sight for but a moment.
Her musing suddenly stopped, as a sensation crept through her body. It wavered slightly, and she wondered if it was just passing by.
No, there it was again, buzzing through her chest, knotting her stomach. Something was wrong, this feeling was back - with a vengeance. She felt it contorting her insides, tingling in the pit of her soul.
Before she could react, or ask Loki if he felt the same, she felt herself being picked up.
“Stay back,” he ordered her, carefully placing her down in the chair.
“Loki, what is - ” her question was cut off as his lips pressed against hers. She was only too happy to oblige, but was desperate for an answer. The feeling was growing stronger with each moment - reaching a peak as a loud knock rang around the room, emanating from the door. He gave her a last, affectionate look as he turned from her, facing the doorway.
“Come in,” he commanded.
~*~
“I can’t believe we had to leave him there,” Sora whispered, head bowed as they trudged through the next corridor.
“We had no choice,” King Mickey reassured him as they walked. “Ikawa would understand, I know he would.” Riku gave a nod.
“He’d be more concerned about Loki,” he insisted, placing a hand on Sora’s shoulder.
“I guess,” Sora mumbled, eyes firmly fixed upon his feet as he paced along.
The floor was tiled, but they walked along a carpet runner. It was too dark to tell what colours they were; this corridor was poorly-lit, with only a few candles every now and then, even lacking of windows. There were no doors, either, just this long, narrow room they paced along.
Imari shivered, holding the baby tighter.
“Gives me the creeps,” she whispered to herself, holding Taiko close to her body.
Other than this, they remained silent, the only sound being their muffled footsteps as they walked along, forward towards their goal. That is, if they could find him in this labyrinth of a place.
Eventually, they found the end of this corridor, and were met with another choice.
“Which door?”
Juxtaposition ftw <3
Lol, I was half in a mind to have Donald perform a ‘sending’.
I kinda like this one, but I don’t, all at the same time. >.O I don’t like the sections of Sora and co. But, I love the parts with Loki and Sable. It isn’t right to make the villains so likeable xD
<3