Stay Together (a Roxas & Xion rp) (1x1 with Mystic)

[Mystics Apprentice 2,397]

"What?!"  When Xion whirled around her cheeks were indeed bright red, only this time not out of blushing but of rage.  "Why do you keep on saying that I snore!  I do not!"  Truthfully, she didn't know if she actually did, but she preferred to believe that she didn't.  It was a common thing for people to snore, sure, but she for one didn't want to be among the mass of snorers.

 

She tossed her coat at him playfully as she began rummaging through her things, deciding upon what to wear for the day.  Truthfully most of her clothes were pretty well tattered.  Everything had been scarce since the flood, and finding anything salvageable and at a reasonable price was a challenge the two faced daily.  Finally she withdrew a pair of pale-blue jeans and a thick maroon sweater, tugging the sweater over her pajama shirt and hiding behind the cot as she dressed the rest of the way.

 

"I think I'm going to refill our supply of water," Xion announced from behind Roxas's cot.  "Maybe see if I can trade any services for funds.  A lot of people are looking for a babysitter or a housekeeper, so maybe I'll have some luck."  She emerged from the corner of the tent and looked to Roxas, her deep eyes meeting his.  He certainly did look refreshed, which was pleasant for a change, and the dark circles which were nearly permanent residents of his eyes were now gone.  Her face deepened in color as she knelt forward, snatching her coat from him and giving him a tiny kiss near his right temple.  "I'll be back soon!"

 

And with that, the raven-haired youth trailed out of the tent, her thoughts of both Roxas and a potential future of happiness on her mind.

[Aqua7KH 5,395]

Roxas couldn't help but slip into a small chuckle at seeing Xion so upset. She gets upset over the stupidest of things, then again Roxas did too. He wouldn't be surprised if they fought over the shape of a cloud. Luckily, it was more humorous than anything. Truthfully, they never actually did fight.

"I'm only kidding..." Roxas said almost micheviously. "You just drewl way more." Another chuckle came out, but then Roxas decided that it was time to stop. He didn't want to upset the girl any further. With a small stretch, he tossed his usual clothes over himself and slipped on his boots. Another day.

"I'll try to see if I can get work too:" Roxas said with a nod. He knew Xion could take care of herself, but he still wanted to do much more for her than he was already. Such a desire was normal. When Xion kissed him however, Roxas placed his hand on his head and blushed.

"Bye Xion..." He uttered softly.

[Mystics Apprentice 2,397]

Instead of getting upset over the drooling remark Xion merely giggled to herself.  Roxas was such a funny one, insisting that she did all of these embarrassing things . . . even if she did drool in her sleep.  In fact, she'd accidentally drooled over his shoulder the night prior, though she thought that she'd wiped it all away before he could notice.  Ah well; some things just couldn't be avoided.

 

The air was cool and crisp, with much humidity.  That was something that Xion was quickly growing tired of, as it made her hair extra frizzy and kept the cold penetrating through their clothing.  Everyone was out and about at the campsite, bustling about and speaking of food.  With the current conditions there wasn't much to do for employment, especially if you had no medical credentials.  If Xion were a seamstress she could likely make a good penny, since many were after clothing and sewn goods with the lack of manufacturers.  However, she was very poor at sewing and could hardly sew a button back onto Roxas' coat to save her life.

 

For a bit Xion wandered aimlessly, until a thought occurred to her: the daycare!  They often could use an additional hand over there, and it might just pay enough to promise Roxas and Xion another fire starter and perhaps some more quality food.  Immediately she began making her way over to the daycare.  What she called the 'daycare' was essentially just a cluster of open tents where the rich folk could afford to still leave their children to tend to other affairs.  The employees changed daily, and it was nothing like an organized daycare should be.  Xion loved the kids, however, and they heavily enjoyed her company.

 

Upon arriving, Xion opened the flap of the tent and peered inside.  Two women of middle age were standing near the entrance, one with her arms filled of an infant.  The raven-haired teen smiled sheepishly.  "Um, hello.  My name is Xion, and I've helped her before?  I was wondering if you needed some additional help with the children today."

 

And with that, a six-year-old blonde child threw her arms around Xion's leg, crying her name and offering her a wide semi-toothless smile.

 

(I'm getting to the arrest soon.  I'm thinking that Xion should be arrested as she leaves the daycare that day, and then Roxas could wonder where she is?)

[Aqua7KH 5,395]

Despite sleeping so well, Roxas was rather a bit tired still. He wanted to experience that amazing sleep again. But oh well. Hopefully tonight would be the same. When Xion left, Roxas... Didn't really know what to do. Want kind of job should he get today? Roxas was a freelance worker of all kinds of things really- he just got whatever he could find. From things to taking out the garbage to cleaning the... Human waste in the draining sewer (he had to sleep outside for that one from how much he stank) to delivering mail- wait. That's it. Delivering mail! He could deliver mail today. It wasn't an official mail delivery service really, he just went from place to place offering to deliver any packages or goods and did so. It payed a descent amount, so it wasn't that bad. With a determined look on his face, Roxas kicked himself into gear and left to go find work.

-

"No."

"I don't have anything to deliver, sorry."

"Go bother someone else."

"Pfft. Me needing some kid to deliver my mail? As if."

Roxas sighed as the door was shut on him for the fifth time that day. Looks like he wasn't going to be delivering mail anytime soon. He really didn't want to work with the... Waste again. Hopefully he could get something before the day ended. With a small hum, Roxas sat down on a nearby rock and began to jot down little notes in the dirt of jobs he could look for.

"Trash... Bees... Moving goods... Posting bulletins... If worse comes to worse I can always try Grandstander again. Xion'll get a kick out of that."

[Mystics Apprentice 2,397]

"Five . . . six . . . ."  Xion had her nose plastered against a tree, her eyes squeezed shut tight.  Children around her screamed and squealed, their feet pounding against the ground and splashing into puzzles.  No doubt they were trying to find a place to hide.  Normally Xion would be nice when playing hide and seek, but they might not be so lucky in beating the other kids to finding good hiding spots.  The play yard around the daycare was small, making it difficult to maneuver around the puddles and find a good hiding spot.  "Seven . . . ."

 

Giggles could be heard behind her, and footsteps treading rather far away.  Hmm . . . perhaps she was counting too slow . . . .

 

"Eight, nine, ten!  Ready or not, here I come!"  Xion removed her hands from her face and turned around.  Nothing could be seen, not even the shadow of a child.  She took a few steps forward, her boots digging into the soft damp soil.  There were a few obvious places where the children could be hiding: behind a set of bushes, behind the shed, and probably behind a few of the trees.  She didn't want to check these places, however, and was more interested in the set of footsteps that she heard dart away toward the last.  It was hard for her to know where they went for sure, but they seemed to flee in the direction of the hill a short distance away.

 

Birds chirped overhead, darting from their trees and flying into the great big sky.  Everything was silent along the path she tread, save for the branches that she snapped underfoot.  It was curious: she thought the children had come this way, but she didn't even hear a single giggle or breath.  Finally she heard the snap of a branch behind her, causing her to let out a breath of relief and turn around.  Finally!  They were starting to really worry her.

 

That was, until a hand clamped around her mouth.  Xion screamed, trying to squirm away, but her captor brought a tight muscled arm around her chest and pulled her close.  Shadows loomed nearby, revealing tall slender figures in bulky hoodies.  Snickers shortly ensued thereafter as Xion fought and kicked, trying to worm her way free.  "A feisty one, isn't she?" a rough male voice murmured, his voice high.  "Perfect thief material, what with that innocent face"--he caressed Xion's cheek before backhanding her--"her speed, naivety, and skinny sickly body.  I think we have our fire-starter thief, boys.  Let's take her in."

 

To say that Xion was frightened would be an understatement.  She was terrified.  All the muscles in her body were exhausted from struggling, and though she felt cold before she was freezing now.  That flight response in the body was still flailing strong within her, but she could not flee nor express such emotion, causing her to feel a bit woozy.  She felt something cold and heavy hit the back of her head, causing everything to dissolve into a blur until she was surrounded by darkness.

[Aqua7KH 5,395]

Roxas only continued to work out his plan for work, that is, until he heard a commotion in the street. He got up and walked towards the source. He saw a group of guys draw an unconscious girl.... Xion.

"HEY!" Roxas yelled out, instantly breaking into a sprint towards the men. He stood infront of their path, ready to strike. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH XION?!" His roar caused a few bystanders to stop and look.

(I kinda stopped there because I didn't know if you wanted Xion to wake up a bit and see the guys beat up Roxas. You're controlling them anyway~)

[Mystics Apprentice 2,397]

A tall blond buy turned around upon Roxas' shout.  He was probably two heads taller, a bandana wrapped tightly around his skull.  Tattoos were visible on his upper arm, as well as down his neck.  The very intimidating sort, for certain, and Roxas was only incredibly brave for standing there facing him.  "This your brat?" he sneered, pointing a finger in the direction of an unconscious Xion.  Two of the other guys had Xion drawn forward, her head falling forward as they clutched her body tight.  "Well, guess what?  We woke up with a fire starter missing, and my guess is that she stole it.  I am saying this because one: we found another firestarter in her pocket, and two is that we found the ashes of a fire starter close to your two guys' tent."

 

With that the blond extended a ziploc bag, in it contained the remains of the fire-starter wrapper.  It was charred, for certain, but it was entirely possible to make out.  "We took it to the head of our camp, but you know that everyone's short-handed; they don't got the time or resources to go out searching for the thief.  That's why we decided to take it into our own hands.  You should be ashamed, kid, for hanging out with a sticky thief like this."

 

At this a soft moan escaped Xion's lips, her body still as her lids slowly rose.  Initially she could only make out blurs and voices, until she recognized those feet standing a few yards away.  Immediately her attention rose and her head snapped up, her gaze fixated on Roxas.  How did he get here so fast?  "Roxas!" she cried out, voice hoarse from dryness.  A chuckle emitted from the boy who held her tight, his grip only tightening painfully as he grasped her face with his free hand and yanked it closer to his chest.

 

(You also can control these jerks, if you'd like, though I'm kind of thinking that Xion should not get free?)

[Aqua7KH 5,395]

(Sounds good! Then Roxas could well get beaten to a pulp.)

 

Roxas didn't know what to do or how to react. His eyes were utterly wide from intense rage. He really couldn't process what was happening other than to just pounce forward like a cheetah and f*** them up. Three big guys against one 'scrawny kid,' Roxas didn't care. All he knew was that he was going to tear them to shreds.

As soon as Roxas saw the man yank Xion, he went insane. Like a lion, Roxas roared and went foward- claws and teeth bearing.

"IM GOING TO MAKE YOU CHOKE ON THAT!" He yelled. The leader only laughed as he easily lifted Roxas up and threw him down to the ground. It was funny to him, honestly.

"How cute. We made the little lion cub mad-" before he could say any more, with lightning movement Roxas jolted forward once more and landed a hard punch right into the man's jaw. He went back for a moment, holding his chin as his lackeys inwardly freaked out.

Roxas didn't stop there. He went in, landing as much hits as he could, doing whatever he could to hurt the guy. Punching, scratching- even biting if he had the chance.

The leader tried to compose himself from the sudden blow to the jaw. Slowly, he gritted his teeth. Without a single care for the kid, the leader grabbed Roxas and punched him in the throat. Roxas only fell back with a loud hitch in his voice, gasping for air as he fell to the ground.

"Teach him a lesson, boys." The leader hissed as he grabbed Xion. The two lackeys proceeded to beat Roxas while he was down, not even giving him the chance to get up and try to decent himself. They kicked him everywhere with all their might- chest, stomach, face. By the time they were done, Roxas was a curled up bloody mess on the floor, still trying to fight for Xion despite his body's desperate fight to remain at the very least conscious.

"Psh." The leader with Xion still in tow, pressed his foot on Roxas' chest. He couldn't breathe, but Roxas still showed raging flames of fury in his eyes. The leader chuckled and spat on Roxas' face, turning around to take Xion away along with his boys.

"Never disrespect your elders." He uttered, leaving with the boys.

"That's pretty sad and embarrassing, watching your boyfriend get beaten to a crisp like that." Mused one of the lackeys to Xion.

 

(Hey, just wanted to know if that beating is okay with you. I know you hate extreme violence and I utterly hate it too. I just always have Roxas beaten up somehow my goodness. At least someone will nurse him~ If you want I could change it just let me know!)

[Mystics Apprentice 2,397]

The moment that Xion saw Roxas' eyes flash dangerously she knew that he would be in trouble and what he might do.  The raven-haired girl flailed in her captor's grip, tearing her head away as she shouted out, "No!  Roxas, don't!  Just forget it!  Get help, please!"  Her pleading, however, did no good, as Roxas fought them ferociously with every bit of strength that he could muster.  Immediately Xion started crying, feeling utterly helpless as she was clutched tightly by her captors.  She could only watch in horror as they threw him on the ground and started beating him up.  A scream escaped her lips, turning away.  She couldn't watch this occur, not to Roxas.  Why did she have to wander so far away?  One of the teens clamped a hand over her mouth, stifling her scream and nearly covering her nostrils, making it difficult for her to breathe.  The moment that the leader sneered his comment, Xion shot him a glare and bit at her captor's hand.

 

"You're despicable!" she shouted out.  "You disgusting individuals!  Do you not have any amount of goodness in your hearts?  You're just like a pack of wolves, fighting for survival and not caring for anyone else in the world.  How could you do something like this?!"  Of course she knew that she would receive heck for this, but she couldn't help it.  She was livid, numb, saddened, and scared all at the same time.  She stole a glance over her shoulder as her captors carried her away.  There was Roxas, lying on the ground, unable to do anything--perhaps not even breathe.  I'm so sorry, Xion thought, a tear rolling down her cheek.  Please, please be okay, Roxas . . . .

 

Meanwhile, a red-haired girl with tons of freckles across her nose peered from behind a tree.  She was ghastly white, probably in fear of what she just witnessed.  Her emerald-green eyes danced to Roxas curiously, who was a bloodied mess on the forest floor.  Once she was certain that the jerky men had left she emerged from her hiding place behind the tree, walking over to Roxas and poking a finger into his shoulder.  "'Scuse me, Mister?  You okay?"  She was probably no older than seven years old, but from the look in her eyes she had seen more than her fair share of violence and trauma.

 

(You were quite fine, so no worries!  I appreciate you checking in on that.  Sorry that I've been so slow as of late to respond.  On a positive note, only six more weeks of classes, huzzah!).

[Aqua7KH 5,395]

(Hurray! Good luck and I know you can do it! I've been pretty much falling a bit behind too. ^^')

 

Roxas could only groan in pure agony, the sounds of Xion's voice crying for him fueling his need to get up once more. Instead he couldn't; he was paralyzed on the floor. In his mind he stood up, but in reality he was still the bloody mess on the ground. His vision blurred as he was forced to watch them take his Xion away.

"Xi..." Roxas hoarsely whispered, hardly unable to breathe due to the blows in his chest and throat. It was painful to even breathe in the first place. Suddenly, a little girl approached the young man and poked his shoulder. Roxas couldn't even reply- nor did he even realize that someone came to help him.

"N...." Roxas' eyes slowly fluttered to a close as unconciousness consumed him.

[Mystics Apprentice 2,397]

"Sis, you know what I've always said about finding strangers."

 

"I know, I know.  But this one's so cute!  Don't you think?"

 

"I really 'don't,' to be honest with you, but that might just be me."

 

Voices could be heard surrounding Roxas.  One was the enthusiastic bubbly sound of a young girl, whereas the other was of a guy, his voice filled with sarcasm.  The red-headed young man, most likely in his late teens or early twenties, scratched the back of his head as he turned away from his sister and the unconscious Roxas.  "You know the boss is going to kill me when he finds out.  We're not supposed to let anyone know about this place, you got it?"

 

The young girl, who had initially found Roxas, looked apprehensive and pouted.  "But he was beat up bad by bullies.  Who knows what would've happened to him had I left him there, especially with the predicted storm?"

 

A deep sigh escaped the young man, folding his arms across his chest.  Things had certainly become more desperate, especially as of late, and gangs hunting down teenagers for pure entertainment was foolish and a huge waste of manpower, in his opinion.  "Oh, fine, fine!  We'll wait till he wakes up and see where he's from.  My guess is he couldn't be a stray, nor a part of a gang if you found him all bruised up like this."

 

The redhead then proceeded to poke Roxas' upper arm with a forefinger.  They had brought Roxas onto a cot in a well-lit tent, with the belongings of the brother and sister surrounding him.  "Hey, sleepyhead, you still alive somewhere in there?"

 

(I am so *so* sorry for not replying to this sooner.  We do not even have to continue this if you don't want to, but I felt the need to at least respond to where we left off.  I don't like just dropping things without explanation like this.  Again, don't feel obliged to respond to this RP if you don't want to, okay?  I really don't want you to continue for my sake if it doesn't match your interests anymore.)

[Aqua7KH 5,395]

(Awww Mystic, you know I love you girl. Id love to continue this if you want to! You know I love Roxas and Xion anyways~)

 

Roxas could barely stay still as he was sleeping, for the teen held his side and rolled back and foruth in pain as he slept. Soft moans and groans escaped his lips here and there and a dark bruise began to form on his throat from the punch earlier. Luckily he wasn't too much in a deep sleep, for the poke woke him up almost immediatly.

"A...Agh..." Roxas groaned, eyes slowly fluttering open to the young red head. Roxas looked up to her, squinting his eyes from the pain.

"W-Who....-Xion!" Roxas exclaimed, shooting up in the bed. He sat up immediatly only to cry out in pain as he held his sides. His body could not handle such simple movement.

"Xion..." Came his struggled voice. "Where... Is Xion..."

[Mystics Apprentice 2,397]

(You're simply the best, Aqua.   I'll be happy to continue this with you!)

 

The redheaded young man's eyes flashed with concern, his hands immediately darting to Roxas' shoulders to hold him in place.  "Whoa, easy there, buddy.  You've received a pretty bad beating.  Who did this to you, and can you tell me your name?  I'm Axel, and this here is my little sister, Alexa.  You're safe here, so don't worry."

 

Meanwhile his little sister, Alexa, pouted, hugging her arms and swaying from side to side.  "Who's Xion?" she asked, seeming slightly offended.  "And I saved you, in case you're wondering.  You were pretty much out cold once those bullies left and I came around the corner."  At this she was elbowed in the ribs by her elder brother, who shook his head disapprovingly.

 

"Annnyway," Axel continued, prolonging the word as he released Roxas' shoulders and stood up.  "It doesn't look like you're going to be leaving here anytime soon, or at least not in your current condition.  You can stay with us in our tent for now, but the boss will probably throw a conniption fit when he finds out we've smuggled some stray into our community.  Where you from, anyway?  Do you have a place to go home to?"  It was becoming increasingly difficult to live in their dying world, Axel knew this much, and a part of him couldn't help but have concern for this youth's well-being, even though they had only known each other for a matter of a couple of hours.

[Aqua7KH 5,395]

Roxas groaned as his teeth seethed, holding his sides tight from the searing pain that surged through him. Still he faught, struggling to get out of bed to try to leave before Axel stopped him.

"I'm..." Roxas breathed, panting from pure agony. "Roxas... There was a girl with me... Xion... They... They took her! I have to get her back!" He grounded out, unable to speak any further. Roxas was pushing himself way past his limit. But he didn't care. He wanted his best friend back.

[Mystics Apprentice 2,397]

The redhead firmly nodded in understanding.  So it was a dear friend that he was so desperate to find.  Axel wished that he could understand what that felt like, but apart from his sister he didn't really have anyone left that was close to him.  "So, you're willing to knock yourself silly to find this girl of yours, huh?  She must be awfully pretty, and kind of special if you're willing to do so much.  Do you even know who you're going after, or where they went?  It's going to be like finding a needle in a haystack, if not.  Those gangs disguise themselves pretty darn good."

 

The sun was starting to set, and the bitter cold of the evening started to bite in.  The candles surrounding them helped in keeping the tent warm, at the very least.  Alexa, shivering slightly at the cold, leapt off her perch of a water barrel and strode to the other side of the tent.  After a few moments of rummaging she emerged with a thick, black woolen coat, which she draped over Roxas' shoulders tenderly.  "Don't want you to be hurt and freezing to death," she commented playfully.

[Aqua7KH 5,395]

Roxas grunted as he felt the warm fabric drape over his shoulders. He was still set on leaving, trying to get out of bed.

"She... Is..." Roxas uttered, placing his feet on the floor as he slowly stood up from the cot. This didn't really work well, for Roxas only gasped in pain and fell to his knees on the floor. Still, he tried to fight through it. Dark bruises began to form on his chest and stomach, evident of the harsh blows that he recieved earlier.

"T-They went somewhere... Ill find them... I have to get Xion back...!" He uttered through clenched teeth.