A/N: Hi, again! I've got nothing else to do but write, right now. So, I figured I'd go ahead and create another chapter for you guys. We're in the last run of this story. After this point, everything is going to seem really familiar. Just be prepared, guys!
GirlNapped!
38. Struggling
Sora and Kairi decided not to speak of what could've been anymore. They continued their lives as though 'the scare' had never happened. Roxas didn't understand why they decided that, but he had no right to question them. He had secrets that he was going to take to the grave too. A year passed. Kairi finally reached 20 and Sora and Roxas were now 22. Bessy, well, she was really old but showed no signs of dying anytime soon. Sora liked to describe her as the evil thing that never seemed to go away. He couldn't tease the cow as much as he wanted too, though. She became their main source of munny; the little munny they could get their hands on. They did manage to finally fix the fence once winter was over, but now they were officially broke.
Kairi yanked open the doors to the barn. Sora was already inside dealing with Bessy's milk. She sighed contently and happily skipped over to him. "So!" she announced her presence.
"Hello to yuh too," he laughed as he sealed the lids on the bottles, "Yuh seem tuh be in a happy mood. What's the occasion?"
She shrugged coyly. "Oh, I dunno. Guess I'm just happy!" she exclaimed proudly, "Did you let Bessy out yet?"
He shook his head. "Nah, she's somewhere over there. Can yuh take care of that? I really dun' wanna be near 'er right now," Sora grumbled as he placed the bottles in a container, "I'm gonna get these tuh Roxas before he leaves, okay?" Kairi nodded and watched him leave.
She hurried over to Bessy who was in a corner resting. "You want to go outside today?" she asked as she stared at the cow. It only moo'd in response. She sighed. "Well, get up so I get you out of the barn," she urged. Bessy didn't budge. "Fine, fine. You can stay into today, but tomorrow you're going outside. It's not going to rain so I don't understand why you're acting like this," she grumbled.
Kairi waved goodbye to the lethargic cow and exited the barn. She caught a glimpse of Roxas hopping over the fence before he began his journey down the dirt road. She smiled. She was happy to have Sora all to herself for the afternoon. "Sora!" she called happily as she hurried over to the shacks. Sora was still standing outside; he was staring at the sky. "Sora!" she called again, "What are you doing?"
"Starin' at tuh sky," he replied, "It doesn't look like it's gonna rain anytime soon, but I dunno if we should trust it. Bessy, doesn't like bein' indoors if she doesn't have to. It jus' makes me feel like some big storm is gonna come an' mess everythin' up."
"You're such a worry wart," Kairi teased with a smile. She lightly punched his arm knocking him out of his trance. He stuck his tongue out at her. She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. "You know what I feel like doin' today?" she asked playfully.
Sora shook his head. "Nope, I got no idea, but yer gonna tell me, aren't you?" he chuckled. He loved to see her so happy. Lately, she'd been going through a bout of mood swings so he didn't really know how she felt. She was practically a mystery to him. So, he thought he might as well enjoy her happy mood as long as it lasted.
She happily nodded. "Want to go to the hot spring together?" Kairi offered seductively, "We could bathe each other." She winked at him.
"You sure?" Sora asked questionably. Lately, Kairi hadn't been up to much of that. Their sexual lives had decreased sharply after the thing that must not be mentioned happened. She hadn't really been in the mood that often. They hadn't done in anything in a whole month, which was a long time for them. They were usually all over each other. So, he wanted to make sure she wasn't pushing herself into doing anything.
"Of course, I'm sure," Kairi replied confidently, "We haven't had much time to ourselves lately an' I thought I could make it up to you."
He frowned. "Yuh dun' gotta make anythin' up tuh me, Kai," he quickly replied, "I'm jus' happy yuh married me." He smiled at her and kissed her forhead.
It was her turn to frown. "Sora, why are you treating me this way?" Kairi whined. Sora watched as the tears began to form in her eyes. Sora frowned; it looked like her happy mood didn't last as long as he'd hoped. "Don't you love me anymore?" she began to cry.
Sora frowned. He put his hands on her shoulders and lightly shook her. "Of course, I love you!" he declared proudly, "I jus' dun' want to end up hurtin' yuh without knowin' it."
She wiped the tears from her eyes. "But you're only gonna hurt me if you deny me, Sora," she replied gently, "I jus' want us to have some time to be intimate…I feel like we don't get to do that anymore. I'm sorry I've been so emotional, but I just can't seem to control myself."
He pulled her into a hug. "It's all right, Kai. I understand. But if yuh still wanna go to tuh hot spring, we can, okay?" he whispered to her. She nodded.
"Let's go," she urged. She pulled his arm toward the direction of the hot spring. He was happy to follow her. She pulled him all the way to their destination. Sora smiled.
Kairi pulled off her boots and dipped her feet into the warm water of the hot spring. "This feels nice. I feel like we haven't been here in such a long time," she announced happily.
Sora pulled off his boots and sat next to her. "Yeah, well that's prolly 'cause yuh took a likin' tuh the public showers," he explained quietly.
She shrugged. "I guess so. Still, there's nothing like a hot spring. I'm going to get undressed, okay?" she suddenly asked. She pulled her feet from the water and scurried a few feet away to take off her clothes.
Sora sighed and stared into the water. 'I see she's still in denial,' he thought sadly as he stared at his reflection. He pulled his hat off of his head and placed it on the ground. He ran his fingers through his spiky hair. "Kairi?" he called, "When did I start lookin' so old?" He stared at his eyes and tugged on his eyelids. "Agh!" he groaned.
Kairi giggled. She placed her hand on his shoulder. "It's because you are old," she joked. Sora gasped. "What? Yer practically fifty!" she laughed, "An' if you keep pulling on your eyelids like that you're going to look even older. So, you should probably stop."
He frowned. "Guess I'll go get undressed now," he playfully muttered. He stood up and turned to walk away. He smirked and quickly turned back around. He pushed Kairi into the hot spring and then ran away.
"Hey!" she yelled.
"Sorry! Guess I'm so old I can't control myself anymore!" he shouted. Sora laughed as he stripped off his clothes.
Kairi rolled her eyes and sat down in the hot spring. She submerged her shoulders and let out a relaxing sigh. She closed her eyes and rested her head on one of the flatter-looking rocks. "This is so nice," she happily moaned, "I don't see how I could ever like a public shower better than this."
"Me neither," Sora lied as he stepped into the water. He sat down next to her and watched her. She really seemed to be enjoying herself. It'd been a while since he'd seen her so fully relaxed. He quickly leaned over and placed a kiss on her cheek. She opened her eyes and stared at him. "Didn't mean tuh interrupt," he whispered.
She shook her head. "No," she replied as she sat up. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "I think I prefer it this way," she whispered happily.
"Kairi," Sora whispered. He bit down on his bottom lip.
"What is it?" she lazily asked.
He sighed, "I know yuh dun' wanna talk 'bout this, but I think it'd be better fer yuh if we did." She pulled away from him and shook her head. "Come on, Kai. Yuh can't jus' erase it from yer memory!" he exclaimed worriedly, "I hate seein' yuh like this."
She stubbornly shook her head. "I haven't erased anything from my memory! I don't know what you're talking about," she stubbornly declared, "Let's just have a nice bath, huh?" She smiled at him.
Sora frowned. "I see right through yuh, you know," he muttered, "That ain't even a real smile, is it? But it's okay, yuh dun' gotta talk. I'll talk fer yuh. Kai, I understand yer upset 'cause yuh think yuh lost a baby, but I dun' think yuh did. I dun' even think yuh were really pregnant to begin with."
"Sora, please," Kairi begged.
He shook his head. "No, yuh need tuh hear this! Nothin's yer fault, okay? Can yuh please jus' let this go so we can move on? We can always try an' make another baby," he suggested hopefully, "Would yuh like that?"
She crossed her arms and turned away from him. "Just stop," she muttered.
"Kairi," Sora whined as she scooted closer to her. He put his arms around her and pulled her into a forceful hug. "Yuh can't keep stewin' over his forever," he continued, "It's messin' with yer head. Dun' yuh want tuh feel happy again? An' not jus' fer a day or so. Dun' yuh wanna feel real happiness again?"
She sighed. "How can I feel happy when I feel so worthless?" she suddenly asked, "I'm never going to be able to get pregnant! What's the point of even trying? I'm never going to be able to give you children, Sora. I'm not good enough."
"Yes you are," he urged, "Yer better than yuh think."
She looked at him. He could already see the tears welling up in her eyes. She shook her head. "Can't we just forget about having children? It's never going to happen. Let's jus' forget all about it, huh? We were so happy before. Let's just go back to that, please?" Kairi begged. She turned around and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Please, I just want to pretend all of this never happened," she whispered sadly.
Sora sighed and stroked her wet hair. "Okay, Kairi. If that's what yuh really want, we can forget all 'bout this," he reluctantly agreed, "But if yuh start actin' all sad again, I'm gonna assume this is tuh reason why, okay? If we're gonna really forget 'bout it yuh can't let it continue tuh bother you."
"All right, I promise," Kairi agreed. She pulled away from him slightly and rested her forehead on his. "I won't think about it anymore," she whispered before she kissed him, "Let's just enjoy ourselves, okay?"
He nodded. "Want me to wash yuh?" he offered.
She shook her head. "I had somethin' else in mind," she explained with a small smile.
Sora's eyes widened. "Kairi," he whispered," What're yuh tryin' tuh do…mm."
She smiled at him. "I said we were going to enjoy ourselves," she laughed, "So, you should start enjoyin', okay?" Sora nodded and rested his head on a rock. "Close yer eyes," she commanded before she closed them for him. She smiled; he looked so serene. She used his shoulders as leverage as she slightly lifted herself out of the water. She positioned herself over Sora and then sat down again.
Sora's head shot up from the rocks. "K-Kairi!" he exclaimed in shock.
She smiled at him. "Stop talking," she whispered. She slipped her fingers through his hair and pulled his head closer to hers. She stared into his glossy eyes before she pulled him into a deep kiss.
Roxas hopped over the fence and walked toward the main shack. The three decided it was best that Roxas didn't travel with all their munny anymore, so they decided to keep the stash in one of the drawers. He motioned to open the door when he heard Kairi cry out from inside the shack. He quickly stumbled back, his eyes full of confusion and disgust. "I thought they weren't doin' that anymore," he grumbled as he slowly backed away.
"Oh, Sora!"
Roxas shuddered and turned away. "I really need some damn earplugs," he grumbled. He shoved the munny back in his pockets and began to walk toward his shack. He pushed through the door and fell against it once it closed. He sighed. "Maybe they should have some kids," he grumbled, "That'll stop their lil' sex fest."
He trudged over to the nightstand and dumped the munny into the drawer. He'd return the munny to its rightful place once they were done with what they were doing. He stuck his hand into his other pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He sighed and stared at the name. "I wonder if he can really help us," he whispered.
Roxas entered the bar and looked around. No one dared to look at him. He sighed. Ever since Tifa left town, he hadn't had much luck getting his hand on alcoholic beverages, not that he really had the munny to spare on it.
He walked over to the bar and hopped onto a bar stool. "Can I get some whiskey?" he asked.
"No," the bartender replied. The man didn't even bother to look at him. Roxas frowned.
"Get tuh boy some whiskey, it's on me!"
Roxas looked to his right and saw the oddest man smirking at him. In a way, he kind of reminded him of Axel. That was only because he had similar spiky, red hair. Except Axel's was way longer. The man wore a large visor over his eyes and a trashy pair of brown clothes. "Yuh didn't hafta do that," Roxas murmured.
"Sure, I did. What's yer name, anyway?" he asked.
"Roxas," he replied.
"I'm Blank, it's nice tuh meetcha," he replied with another smirk, "I see tuh town's givin' yuh a hard time, eh? I'm sure it'll blow over. Yer that guy that sells that stuff in tuh market, right?" Roxas nodded. "I'll tell my boys tuh buy from yuh only from now on."
"I'm not a charity case," Roxas grumbled as the bartender gave him his drink. He eyed it curiously.
"He didn't spit in it, I watched," Blank replied before he took a swig of his own drink. Roxas shrugged and took a sip. It tasted like it should. "Anyway, I hear yer havin' a munny shortage. Have yuh ever considered workin' in a different field?" he asked curiously.
"Not really, I'm not really tuh trades kinda man," Roxas replied.
Blank laughed at him. "I ain't suggestin' no trade," he replied. Blank scooted closer to Roxas and slipped him a piece of paper. "Tomorrow, come to tuh market an' I'll take yuh tuh meet my boss. He could set yuh up wit a job that'll more than quadruple what yer makin' now."
Roxas sighed and shoved the paper into the drawer and pushed it closed. "I said I wasn't gonna get involved in shady stuff," he muttered as he fell back onto his bed, "But right now, it's lookin' pretty appealin'. How bad could it be? An' it's not like I can't walk out if I dun' like it."
He rolled over on his side and stared toward the door. "But if Sora an' Kairi found out, they'd be really mad at me," he muttered under his breath, "I dun' think Kairi could ever forgive me if she found out I got involved in a girl-nappin' business."
He rolled over on his other side and stared toward the wall. "But then again, what she dun' know won't hurt 'er. I could jus' lie an' say the town likes us again an' have that shady job instead. They'd never find out. They're too busy lovin' on each other like animals to bother tuh wonder where all tuh extra cash is comin' from," he thought out loud.
He sat up and rested his head in his hands. "But what if I get sloppy an' they do find out? Agh, I'm goin' around in circles wit this nonsense. I'll jus' go meet tuh guy an' see what he's doin'. For all I know, it's a legit thing…but prolly not." Roxas sighed and fell back onto his bed. He'd never faced such a hard decision. "It'd be nice tuh get away from tuh farm fer awhile, though. Maybe I could make some new friends," he added with a small nod.
Roxas would never admit it out loud, but sometimes he got lonely. When he saw Sora and Kairi together, a small part of him also yearned for someone he could spend time with. He felt like a third wheel when it came to them. Ever since they got married, he'd been shoo'd out of rooms or stuck in-between their fights. At first, he didn't mind it much. He figured it was just part of being married, but now he was sick of it. He was sick of everything.
He closed his eyes and sighed. 'A lil' extra munny never hurt anyone. Who cares what I gotta do tuh get it,' he thought as he began to drift away into his empty dreamland. 'If I gotta take girls from their homes an' sell 'em fer munny, I won't care. I've got a family tuh protect.'
"Dun' do it, son."
"Shut up, dad," Roxas groaned as he rolled over in his sleep, "I-I'll do whatever tuh hell I...want." He could practically feel his father frowning at him in his sleep.