9Hello! This shall be my first Kingdom Hearts fic, and it's one I'm excited to write~ I hope you all like it!
Warning: Contains bad language, and implied physical/emotional/sexual abuse in later chapters.
Main Pairings: Axel/Roxas, Vanitas/Ventus, Riku/Sora
Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts (c) Square Enix
The halls were quiet at Radiant Garden High School. It was towards the beginning of October, so the school year had already started. The only people in the hallway, were two brothers, new to the school and Radiant Garden as a whole. Their names were Roxas, and Ventus Strife. They had just moved to Radiant Garden from Twilight Town, due to their father, Cloud, being transferred due to his job. Ventus was the older one by two years, entering as a senior in high school, while Roxas was entering as a sophomore. And while they looked so identical that they could pass as twins, the difference between them can be observed from their personalities. Ventus was more upbeat and optimistic, but also impulsive. Roxas on the other hand, was more quiet, snarky, and short-tempered. However, both of them were quite smart, being in mostly advanced placement classes at their old high school. And in a few minutes, they were going to start their new lives in unfamiliar territory.
"Class, may I introduce you to Roxas Strife." The teacher commented. "He just transferred her from Twilight Town High School."
Roxas stared blankly at the mix of uninterested and surprised faces in front of him, only nodding in confirmation. The teacher, who's name was apparently Ansem Wise, began looking for some open seats. "You can sit next to Demyx, if that is alright with you." The boy, Demyx, lazily raised his hand. He looked like he was going to fall asleep at any moment...and sure enough, that's what he did half-way through the class period. Roxas listened intently to the lecture, and the next thing he knew, class was over.
The first day of his school year was an uneventful one. Sighing, Roxas waited at the front of the school for Ventus. He observed his surroundings, and immediately was able to point out who the popular kids were. Three in particular stood out to him. The three were standing in the parking lot, surrounded by their cult of followers. One had spiky brown hair that seemed to go off in all directions. He looked really excited about something. Another one had long silver hair and looked aloof and proud. Roxas hated this type of person the most. The last one, a petite girl, had reddish-brown hair and looked like she was enjoying the attention. Roxas hated popular kids. At least, at his old school they were snooty and thought they were superior to everyone else. These kids were probably snooty and rich. He scoffed in disgust.
"...You don't like popular kids that much, do you...?" A small voice said right next to him. Surprised, Roxas jolted his head around to see a small, frail looking girl with short black hair. She was wearing eye liner black nail polish, and was wearing a ripped up black long sleeved shirt over a black tank top, and had black skinny jeans on with boots. Normally, Roxas wasn't one to judge, but at his old school the kids often called people like this 'freaks'.
Roxas just stared at the girl. "Are you...talking to me?"
The girl nodded. "You were glaring at those kids for a while now..." She had a weak smile.
Roxas scratched his head. "At my old school, they were kinda...well, mean would be a lighter way to describe it."
"Those three may be popular, but they are anything but mean." The girl explained. "That spiky haired one is probably the nicest person I have ever met..."
Roxas looked at the kid the girl pointed out. He certainly didn't seem mean...but what were the chances of a guy like Roxas ever talking to popular kids like that? He shrugged. "Guess I'll know if I ever talk to them."
The girl smiled. "...My name is Xion...Xion Even...nice to meet you."
"...Roxas Strife."
Xion giggled. "Roxas...I like that name. Umm...can we be...friends...? I'll understand if you don't want to..."
His eyes widened slightly, his cheeks turning a little pink. "Oh, um I don't mind...sure." He smiled. "I'll be your friend."
Xion looked really happy. "Thank you..." She looked at her phone. "Oh, I have to go wait for my dad...he's a teacher here but he should be done soon...It was nice meeting you, Roxas."
"Nice meeting you too." Roxas smiled. The girl smiled back and ran back into the school building. Roxas scratched his head. 'Well that was weird...but oh well, I guess I can actually tell my parents I made a friend...'
"Hey, Roxas!"
Roxas looked to the side at the sound of his brother's voice. Though what he saw was surprising. Ventus ran up to him, but his hair was messed up and he looked like he went through a war zone. "Ven? What happened to you?!"
Ventus sighed. He looked exhausted. "Oh you know, victim of bullying. What else is new." He chuckled. "Some guy tripped me and I fell into a puddle of mud on the grass. Jackass."
Roxas let out an exasperated sigh. "Not again...where is he? I'm gonna beat the shit out of him."
"Roxas, I know that you're upset, and I appreciate you wanting to help me out...but seriously, don't. This guy looked really tough." Ventus began wiping off some of the dirt from his face.
"Well, what does he look like?" Roxas asked. Ventus was about to answer, when someone caught his eye. "...That's him." He pointed out the guy to Roxas.
Turning around, Roxas saw the guy he was pointing to. He...looked like one of the popular kids, actually...and he was walking right up to them, too. The guy had the same spiky hair, except his hair was jet black. He also had golden eyes and a face that looked menacing. Overcome with anger, Roxas walked into that direction. Ventus ran after him.
"So should we throw the party at your house, Sora?" The red-haired girl asked him. The boy named Sora began to think. "Well, I don't mind...but my brother will be there too, unless I get him to leave...which is unlikely."
The boy with silver hair scoffed. "Your brother needs to get a hobby other than the shit he's been pulling." He turned to the girl. "Kairi, remember when he threw a balloon filled with black paint at you?"
Kairi grimaced. "Yeah...I had to throw out that dress I was wearing because the paint wouldn't come out."
"Come on guys...my brother may be mean, but he's nice at heart..." Sora tried to defend his brother. "Riku..."
The boy named Riku groaned. "...Fine..." But that groan turned into a growl when he saw who was approaching. "...Speak of the devil."
"...I suggest you look at someone else, otherwise you'll find my fist in your face." The black-haired guy glared at Riku.
Riku laughed sarcastically. "Make me."
Sora stood in between them. "Okaaaay guys, that's enough." He turned to his brother. "Vanitas, I'm surprised you're out here so early. No detention?"
Vanitas scoffed. "I don't get detention all the time. But I'm going home, so come on."
"Hey, if Sora wants to stay longer then I'll take him home." Riku looked angry. Sora, on the other hand, chuckled awkwardly. "No, it's okay Riku. My dad made it clear that until Vanitas graduates, I have to go home with him every day."
Riku continued to glare at Vanitas. "...IF he graduates."
"Watch it, you little shit." Vanitas growled. Sora and Kairi were looking at each other worriedly, before a new voice came into the mix.
"HEY!"
They all turned their heads to see a short blond kid walking towards them, with another guy behind him.
Sora, Kairi, and Riku looked confused, while Vanitas just stared. The kid stood in front of Vanitas, anger obvious on his face. "Are you the one who tripped my brother?"
"Roxas...don't..." Ventus whispered, trying to stop him. Vanitas chuckled. "Well, if it ain't the little pipsqueak." He looked at Ventus. "You having your bro fight your battles?"
"N-No!" Ventus yelled back. "Roxas, come on...!"
Roxas ignored his brother's pleas and glared at Vanitas. "My brother already had to endure bullying at our old school. He doesn't need it here. I suggest you back off, or you'll be sorry."
Riku looked impressed by the new kid, while Kairi and Sora looked horrified. Sora knew better than anyone else not to talk back to his brother, much less threaten him. "Vanitas, dad said we need to get home now..." He made an attempt to stop the fighting.
Vanitas rolled his eyes. "Now you want to go home. Tch, fine." He looked at Roxas and Ventus. Smirking, he walked over to a motorcycle, with Sora following him. They both got on the motorcycle and drove off, the sound of the engine roaring in the distance.
Roxas balled his hands into fists. "Roxas, it's okay..." Ventus tried to calm his brother down. Roxas was still angry. "No, it's not! Ven, you don't deserve to be treated this way! It's wrong!"
Riku coughed, causing Roxas and Ventus to look in his direction. "Just so you know, Vanitas has always been that way. And believe me, if he wasn't Sora's brother, I would have pummeled the shit out of him a long time ago."
Roxas sighed, before looking at Ventus. "I don't care whose brother he is. If he ever does that to Ven again..."
Kairi smiled. "So your names are Roxas and Ventus? Nice to meet you, I'm Kairi."
Roxas and Ventus looked at her, confusion in their eyes. Riku rolled his eyes; he could tell Kairi was trying to change the subject.
"Oh, umm nice to meet you, Kairi." Ventus smiled. Roxas just stared blankly, before turning around. "It's time to go, Ven."
Ventus nodded. "It was nice meeting you two."
Kairi smiled, and Riku nodded. Ventus and Roxas then began their walk home.
"Oh, maybe I should invite them to the party! They seemed nice..." Kairi offered, to which Riku crossed his arms. "If it's going to be held at Sora's house, do you honestly think they'd come knowing that Vanitas would be there as well?"
Kairi frowned. "Well...Vanitas rarely, if ever, comes out of his room when Sora has people over..."
Riku groaned. "Fine, go ahead. But don't blame me if shit happens."
"I'll ask them tomorrow, then!" Kairi giggled. Smiling, Riku and Kairi said their goodbyes and went off in their respected directions.
"Mom, dad, we're home!" Roxas called out in their house. Ventus stepped inside and immediately went up the stairs, the sound of the bathroom door slamming shut.
Their mom, a woman named Aerith, walked into the living room from the kitchen. "Welcome home! Your father is still at work. I made some mac and cheese for you two if you want some." She went back into the kitchen, with Roxas following her.
"So how was school?" Aerith asked Roxas. He shrugged. "Boring. At least, for me..."
Aerith could hear the bit of concern Roxas had in his voice. "Are you alright, sweetie? And where's Ventus?" She glanced in the living room, and there was no Ventus in sight.
Roxas sighed. "He ran upstairs to the bathroom. Some guy tripped him and he fell into a mud puddle. He's probably getting the dirt off right now."
Aerith gasped. "What? Why would someone do that?"
"Cause he's a bully, mom. That's what they do." Roxas glared at nothing in particular.
"Well, next time he does that to my baby, I should have your father take him in for interrogation." Aerith began cutting up vegetables.
"Mom, don't do that." Ventus said, walking into the kitchen. He changed into new clothes. "I'm fine. See? No cuts or bruises. Just dirt." He grinned.
Aerith sighed. "I really worry about you two sometimes..."
It was almost dinner time, and Roxas and Ventus were in the living room watching TV, when the front door opened and closed.
"I'm home..."
Roxas looked over the couch. "Hey, dad."
Cloud walked into the living room. "Hey, boys. How was school?" They both shrugged, which earned an eye roll from Cloud. Aerith walked into the living room as well. "Hey, honey. How was working in a new place?" She gave Cloud a hug.
Cloud sighed. "It was alright. I was assigned a partner today...and you'll never believe how old this kid is. He couldn't be no more than twenty-five. The higher-ups claim he's a genius at what he does."
Aerith looked surprised. "Wow, then I guess you have a reliable partner then?"
"Yeah...but I don't like his attitude." Cloud scratched his head. "He's lazy and doesn't seem too motivated. Not to mention has a mouth on him." He crossed his arms. "He brought his brother down to the station as well. Something about keeping an eye on him."
Aerith chuckled. "Well, I'm glad your day was interesting. Dinner's ready."
"Alright, I'll just change out of my uniform." Cloud yawned and walked upstairs, while Aerith, Roxas, and Ventus walked into the kitchen.
"So tell me about school, boys." Cloud asked Roxas and Ventus simultaneously.
Ventus groaned. "Nothing happened. School is school...it's not really that interesting."
Aerith looked at Cloud. "Ventus is being bullied at school again..."
Cloud immediately looked at Ventus. "What?"
"Mom!" Ventus wailed. "I told you, it's fine! Someone just tripped me; I didn't get hurt!"
Roxas continued to silently eat his food, while Cloud and Ventus continued to argue. All of a sudden, there was a loud booming sound, that seemed to come from the street their house was on. Startled, Roxas and Ventus jumped up, while Cloud had a suspicious look on his face. "Aerith, take Roxas and Ventus upstairs."
Aerith nodded and got up from the table, quickly getting Roxas and Ventus and the three of them ran up the stairs, taking refuge from the hallway upstairs. In the meantime, Cloud walked cautiously up to the front door, his gun still in its holster. He slowly opened the door and was immediately overcome by the intense aroma of smoke. As a matter of fact, there was still smoke in the air when he opened the door. Looking around, he heard the sounds of a teenager's laughing, one that sounded...strangely familiar. Looking further down the street, he found out why.
"Hey, you!" He ran up to the kid, who was standing in the middle of the street with another kid.
"...Oh shit." The kid whispered from his mouth, while the other one just rolled his eyes. "I told you this was a bad idea. But you never listen to me."
The next thing they knew, Cloud had grabbed hold of one of them, anger evident on his face. "You. Come with me." He walked towards his house, the kid's friend walking behind him. Slamming the door open, Cloud pulled the kid inside and made him sit at the kitchen table. The friend sat down as well. "You two wait here. I have to call someone." He reached for the telephone mounted on the wall. In the meantime, Aerith, Roxas, and Ventus walked down the stairs.
"Is everything...alright?" Aerith was surprised to see two boys sitting at her table. Roxas and Ventus were just as equally surprised. Roxas, in particular, stared at the two boys. One of the boys had spiky red hair that looked like they could poke your eyes out, and he had gleaming emerald eyes. He also had a smirk plastered onto his face, which for some reason pissed Roxas off. The other one had long blue hair, with some spiking up towards the back. But the most astonishing thing about this one, was the x-shaped scar he had on his face.
Cloud began talking into the phone. "Hey, Reno...Yeah this is Cloud. No, will you just listen for a second? Can you come over to my house really quick? Your brother is here and he has some things to explain to me...Yes. I live at 8813 Oblivion Rd. Alright." He hung up the phone, and immediately began interrogating the young man in front of him.
"Name?"
The kid stared at him, still smirking. "Axel. Get it memorized."
Cloud glared at him. "Alright, Axel. What the hell were you doing out there?"
Axel shrugged. "Oh you know...just playing with fire."
Cloud crossed his arms. "Well, whatever you were doing, do you know how dangerous that could have been?!" He sighed. "Forget it. I'll let your brother take care of you."
"Oh, I'm scared now." Axel chuckled.
Roxas could swear he saw a vein pop from Cloud's face. The sound of the doorbell ringing was the only thing that broke the tension in the room. Cloud got up to answer it, while Aerith and Ventus walked into the living room. However, Roxas opted to stay in the kitchen, standing awkwardly by the counter. Axel looked at him. "So...you're the new kid at school, right?"
Roxas jumped a little, not expecting the guy to talk to him. "Yeah, and?"
Axel chuckled. "You're in my P.E class. I saw you sitting on the benches while everyone else played basketball and shit."
Roxas raised his eyebrow. He was sure that he would have recognized this guy from his P.E class...that hair was too weird not to notice. But...well, he wasn't really paying attention in P.E, so maybe that was why. At that moment, Cloud came walking into the kitchen, with another red-head behind him. The guy looked PISSED.
"Axel, get in the car. I'll deal with you later." The guy stated stiffly.
Axel rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Reno." He got up and walked out the door, the sound of a car door closing afterward.
Reno sighed. "Sorry bout that, Cloud. There's a reason I feel the need to take my brother down to the station whenever I can. It's so he doesn't pull shit like this at every possible moment."
Cloud scratched his head. "It's alright...it just startled my family, is all."
Reno nodded, and looked at the other kid. "...Saix, did you want a ride back home?"
The young man named Saix stared at him blankly. "If that's alright."
"Alright, well, I'll see you at work, Cloud." Reno told him, before walking out the door with Saix close behind. Aerith locked the door.
"...I think that's enough excitement for one day...I'm going to go to bed..." Cloud yawned, and walked up the stairs.
Aerith sighed. "I'll wash the dishes. You two should go to bed as well. You have school tomorrow."
Roxas and Ventus nodded, and walked up the stairs. "That was exciting, wasn't it?" Ventus commented, to which Roxas grimaced. "Why do we always attract all this drama? Can't we just have a normal life for once?"
Ventus grinned. "But that's so boring! C'mon Roxas, you know you were just as excited."
Roxas rolled his eyes. "I'll let you keep thinking that. 'Night." And Roxas shut his bedroom door. He could hear Ventus protesting, before he closed his door as well. Roxas immediately fell onto his bed, enjoying how soft it was. Today was a long day...he can only imagine how tomorrow would be. His eyes slowly began to close, until he finally fell asleep.
It was almost midnight by the time Reno and Axel had arrived back at their apartment. The apartment was rather average, containing a kitchen, a small area that had a couch and TV, a bathroom, and two bedrooms. Reno let out an exasperated sigh, before looking at Axel, who went straight to the couch.
"Axel, don't start this shit again. I don't want you going to prison because of this." Reno sat next to him. He had concern in his eyes. "...I know that we didn't exactly have a...loving childhood...but our dad's in prison now. He can't hurt you anymore, alright?"
Axel rolled his eyes, not answering him. Instead, he changed the subject. "...Why couldn't Saix stay here?"
Reno groaned. "Axel, don't change the subject. We're talking about you, not Saix."
Axel wouldn't budge. Leaning back in defeat, Reno crossed his arms. "Axel, Saix has been staying over here quite a bit, lately. Why is that?"
Axel shrugged in response. "How should I know? Saix told me that his dad is out of the house a lot, and he doesn't feel safe being alone in the house...considering where he lives and all." That was partially true, anyway. Axel had promised not to tell anyone the truth, and that was a promise he was going to keep.
Reno got up from the couch, and put his hand on his shoulder. "He'll be alright. I don't want his dad to be worrying about where he is every time he gets home to an empty house."
'Trust me, I don't think he worries.' Axel scoffed. "Right. Well, I'm gonna head to bed now."
"...Don't think you're off the hook. After school, you come straight to the police station. If you're not there, you won't be able to go to that party on Saturday." Reno stated, before disappearing into his room at the end of the hall.
Rolling his eyes, Axel went into his own room, shutting his door. He sat on his bed, and after thinking through things, he punched the wall. "...I made a promise...but...what happens if things get too out of hand...Saix?"
Okay, so there you have it! Oh, and anyone else excited for Kingdom Hearts 3? I know I am! That, and Final Fantasy XV. That might be the first FF game I have ever seen that I'm dying to play. I haven't been in the KH fandom as long as most of the fans have, so I have no idea what it was like to wait about seven years for any news on KH3, but I'm still equally excited, hehe. I wonder what it'll be like~
I hope you liked this chapter, and that you'll continue reading! And please review. I use them to better my story, thank you! :D