[FIC] Ashes of Doubt chapter 1, a Kingdom Hearts fic
Saa, between this and a few other stories floating around in my head, I've been pushing myself to get something done. I'm disgustingly pleased that I actually pushed a chapter to finish, but I'm sure it's because I'm meeting my fangirl later this weekend, and wanna look her in the eye when I say I have been writing ^^;
For those who didn't know, stress is leveling out, now that we've got a new computer to replace the old one (though trying to get old programs to work is a whole new can of worms). The 2012 FanFiction.Net purge has had me distracted by trying to save as many of my favorite fics as I can, and I have to do it by hand because just saving it from the link provided destroys any formatting the story previously had, so yeah. Distractions.
Enough rambling, lets get on with the story!
Title: Ashes of Doubt
Author & Email: DC James
Archived: LiveJournal, later will be at Tumblr and FanFiction.Net. If you see this at any other place, please email me and let me know.
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts and hints of Dissidia and Final Fantasy VII. Hey, Kingdom Hearts is crossover nirvana, you can't expect the fandom not to have it, too!
Part: 1/?
Type: Rated T, borderline M in later chapters. Angst, adventure, shounen-ai...
Warnings: boy-love, adult language, teenage angst (hey, I think that deserves a warning!), verbal and emotional abuse, and for the first chapter some Kairi-bashing (seriously didn't mean for it to come out that way, but this chapter she does come off as a bi-ahem... unpleasant person. Will likely get better in later chapters).
Summary: Life wasn't perfect on Destiny Isles, but outside of his home and with his friends, Sora could forget about the constant fighting between his parents. That was before his friends publicly humiliate him, spit on their friendship, and he comes home to find out he and his brother Leon have been abandoned. Between begging for his father to take him in or being put into a foster home, Sora chooses to run away with Leon and hope no one catches them before Leon's old enough to be his guardian!
Pairing: Sora/Riku, one-sided Kairi+Riku, Tidas+Selphie, Selphie+Wakka, Wakka+blitzball... j/k! Too kinky to write on the fly!
Written On: 22 July 2012
C&C is welcomed privately.
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Disclaimer(s): All rights and privileges to Final Fantasy VII and Dissidia belong to SquareENIX, Sony Computer Entertainment and associated parties. All rights and privileges to Kingdom Hearts belong to SquareENIX, Disney Interactive Studios and associated parties. The characters of these series are used without permission for the purpose of entertainment only. This work of fiction is not for sale or profit.
All original characters are the creation of the author. All copyrighted privileges to these characters are reserved for the author and may not be used without permission.
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Ashes of Doubt
Chapter One: A Helluva Day
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"And... GOAL!" The roar of the students and parents in the stand was almost deafening, feet stomping on the steel benches and popcorn and drinks being thrown into the air without care. "The Destiny Isles Paopu have won the right to the semi-championships!"
Sora grinned, eyes squinted against the sweat and the sun as he joined his teammates in a celebratory mosh-pit/group hug. Wakka was hugging the ball so tight against his stomach it was amazing the thing hadn't popped already, Tidas already pounced on the goalie's back hollaring and shaking the redhead as he repeated their victory. The applause hadn't died down by the time they entered the locker rooms, and the exhuberance echoed off the concrete room as the team started their after-game ritual of showering before going to the Cozy for a party.
"Oh, man!" Tidas groaned, taking off his soaked jersey. "Can you believe it?! Four years since the Paopu have managed to get to the semi-finals, and we're the team to do it!"
The Paopu, seriously, was it any surprise that their fanbase was solely on Destiny Isles? Sora snorted in his locker unnoticed, grabbing his towel and flip-flops. That Tidas was proud to be a Paopu made it almost sad, in a naive, cute way. However, Sora enjoyed blitzball, and while he wasn't the best on the team, he wasn't the weakest. He'd much prefer the kendo club, or kyudo, but he hadn't made the cut in either of them.
He found it a little unfair that he didn't make it into the clubs he really wanted, but his best friend Riku did. Sure, Riku had it in his blood, his father and all his siblings were sempai within the first year of the club, but Sora had practiced since he was a child, and Leon had encouraged that interest. Leon still had the highest score in the club's records that no one had gotten close to breaking it, something that drove Yazoo up the wall since that was the year Yazoo had made captain and Leon was a kouhai to the club.
The slam of a locker caught his attention, and Sora looked over at his blond teammate. "Hey, should I ask Selphie to the party?" Tidas asked, a blush on his cheeks.
Poor guy, Sora thought, a half-smile crossing his lips. Sora didn't doubt she'd go, but she had the hots for Wakka, and with a body almost all tanned and muscled with less than ten percent bodyfat, it was no wonder. "Can't hurt to try; just don't mention the salad bar or the diet sodas."
"Huh?" Tidas blinked, hopping in place to take his shoes off. He always forgot about them. "Why not?"
"Because then you're telling her she's fat, and you'll get a slap instead of a date." Sora parroted. "Kairi told me that's why you got belted with the chalkboard eraser last term. She made me memorise that so if you get the balls to ask Selphie again, you won't make a repeat mistake."
Tidas finally wrestled his shoes off, and threw his towel over his shoulder as he followed Sora into the showers. "Speaking of Kairi," drawled the blond as he threw an arm around Sora's neck and leaned in to whisper, "when are you going to ask her out?"
With a roll of his eyes, Sora grumbled, "She's like a sister. Geez, how often do I have to repeat myself?" He stopped any more conversation by turning on his water on cold, forcing Tidas to jump away with a curse and good-natured ribbing. Now without the attachment, Sora adjusted the temperature and stepped under the spray. He was so glad that he managed not to do something stupid during the game, he was so tired he was sure he would have fumbled eventually, but thankfully that hadn't happened.
Leaning his head forward, Sora let the water pound onto his back and shoulders, releasing a soul-weary sigh in the process. He wasn't sure he wanted to go home to get ready. Last night his parents had been yelling loud enough to keep Sora up until three in the morning. After both had screamed themselves hoarse and separated, one to the bedroom and one out the front door, Leon had entered Sora's room. Seeing Sora awake, Leon had curled up with his little brother, neither saying a word, and slept sitting up in bed, leaning against each other.
Neither had seen their parents when they got ready to leave the house; Sora for school and the game and Leon for his college classes on the mainland. The long travel was hard on Leon, Sora was sure, just as sure as he was that Sora was the reason Leon hadn't moved out in the first place. One more year, Sora thought, picking up his soap to scrub his face and body. This coming fall he would be a third-year and then he would graduate junior high. By then, he'd be able to convince Leon to move permenantly to the mainland. Sora wasn't sure what he'd do himself; he was unsure about senior high, and he didn't know what he really wanted for his future. His half-ass answers to the career counsilor was enough evidence of that.
When he was younger and arguments started to become routine, he would slip out of his room and head to Riku's house down the block, crawling through the open window and into Riku's bed to get some sleep and comfort. Riku never asked, except to sleepily grumble, and Sora both appreciated and hated that. Riku never asked. No one did, and Sora couldn't find it in himself to say anything. He stopped the habit after too many times of being teased --and sometimes yelled at in Yazoo's case-- by Riku's family, but the main reason was Leon. Being young, he naturally didn't think of anything but himself. When he came home to get his school uniform and homework the morning after a bad fight, he found Leon in the bathroom with the first aid kit, trying to change the bandages on his brow. The wound had left a jagged scar between his eyes and over the bridge of his nose, and despite not telling anyone how it came about, many just concluded it came from practicing kendo or having a spar with someone.
Leon had had enough that night, and had butted-in to the argument, making it clear that his parents were petty and weren't doing him or Sora any favors. Their father hadn't taken that well, and their mother had screamed at Leon things he never repeated to Sora, but Sora wasn't blind anymore. He noticed the silence whenever Leon had to be around them, how he stopped addressing their parents by Mom and Dad. Leon was the only one to care about Sora, so Sora decided he would be there for his brother as well. He followed Leon's lead, and now their family was only that on paper. Inside the house, Leon and Sora were all they had, as their mother was gone most of the time and would be bitter about returning at all, and their father either working or drinking before the fighting began anew. There should be some reprise for a few days, his father being a businessman and always called away for weeks on end on something or another.
Riku had questioned the change in routine, but Sora was let off after muttering about growing up. Then Kendo captain had chuckled and admitted his father wondered if he shouldn't just have the spare room made up for Sora's repeated late-night visits. While Kadaj thought it was cute, and Loz hadn't cared one way or the other, Yazoo had loudly protested the idea, saying he'd never house the sibling of his rival. Sora had blushed as Sephiroth looked at the protestant and asked one of the brothers to smack some sense into Yazoo, which all three did with pleasure. Any reason to knock Yazoo down a peg was always going to have full support from the other siblings.
His body was squeaky clean by the time the water shut off, but a few of his teammates weren't if the complaints and groans were any indication. Coach Cid wasn't moved, however, and told them to quit being princesses and get out of his locker room. Sora shuffled to his locker, smiling at the pat on the head he got from the coach. No one had gotten one up on Cid, and the man on more than one occasion had sent Sora to the nurses station for 'headaches', lending Sora the perfect excuse for a nap. Today, that was obviously impossible, but the acknowledgement was reassuring. A tightass all around, but he had his ways to show encouragement. Sora wasn't lost on the fact that the coach had let the water run ten minutes longer than usual for them today.
Dressing fast, Sora ran out of the locker room to meet up with his friends. Fumbling with his tie wasn't easy with his bookbag swinging from one arm. The kendo club likely was finished, too, as no clubs shared match dates. Kairi would be with Riku as usual. At first, it had hurt his feelings that Kairi never came to Sora's practices or matches, only Riku's, but got over it as Kairi had been crushing on Riku since they were six. Besides, Kairi never got into blitzball enough to understand the game and Sora wasn't about to take away her time by watching him play.
Sure enough, the two were walking down the path to the school gates, Riku's bokken wrapped and slung over a shoulder. Kairi was a little closer than friends would allow, but Riku was either oblivious or ignoring it as the two talked. "Hey, wait up!" Sora yelled, leaving his tie unbound around his neck as he picked up speed to reach them.
Riku turned at Sora's call, eyebrow raised while Kairi huffed and fiddled with her own bag in her hands. Oops, maybe he broke into another attempt to date conversation. He didn't mean to, but it seemed like everytime he met up with them lately, they wore the same expressions. Seriously, if he was a third wheel, they'd have to tell him! "We're having a victory party," Sora started after catching his breath. His thighs still burned from the exertion of the game, but he wanted his friends with him tonight. Last night had been the worst he'd heard since Leon's interruption, and he didn't want to go home and be alone with his parents until his brother came back from classes.
"Oh, you won?" Riku asked, already turned and continuing to the gates. Kairi followed a half-step later, and Sora pouted before following them.
"Yeah," 'Thanks for noticing,' Sora muttered to himself. "We're all meeting at the Cozy in an hour, do you two wanna come?" He knew better than to regal them with the Paopu's match; last time he rambled on, not realizing his friends weren't interested, until Kairi had knocked her knuckles on Sora's forehead and told him to shut up.
Kairi brushed her bangs away, expression disinterested. "I doubt Mom will let me. Besides, spending the evening with jocks who continuously repeat every move of the game is annoying."
Riku hummed, but finally shook his head. "I'm just not in the mood."
"Oh," Sora mumbled, lagging behind the two. "Well... I'm not really in the mood either. It's the weekend, so maybe we can hang out, Riku? Haven't spent the night in a while, I can bring the new MegaTen game-" Really, it was a loan from Wakka, but since he borrowed it on Wednesday Sora hadn't had the chance to play it yet himself. "- or I could quiz you on history! Sensei really got on your case about the Edo era exam; did you do that make-up essay he asked for?"
"God, Sora!" Kairi shouted, whirling on her heel to stomp back to him. Sora jerked at her shout, stopping in the path and the tone she used made many classmates turn to watch them. "Will you shut up?! We don't care about your club! We don't want to go to your 'party' at the Cozy! We don't want you around this weekend, period! Why are you always bothering us?! We're trying to be nice and let you down easy, but you're not listening, as always! Riku and I are spending the weekend together, and you're not welcome in joining us! So go bug someone else already!"
Looking past her blazing gaze, Sora dazedly looked at Riku who had remained silent the whole time. He wore a frown, glaring at Sora, hands in his pocket. He wasn't interested, and he wasn't about to help Sora out. She was telling the truth, wasn't she?
Turning his attention back to Kairi, he mumbled an apology and gave a swift bow before walking away from her. That her angered look turned to stunned shame was missed as he couldn't look her in the eye, and he didn't pause when he passed Riku, ignoring his intense gaze and the hand that part-way reached for him before stopping in the air. Those words whirling in his head was amplified by the whispers and looks of his classmates, making his pale face flame, and he broke into a run back home.
At least there he was used to this treatment.
oOoOo
Sora pushed his key into the lock, gasping for air and sweat sticking his bangs to his face. The force of the key pushed the door open and he staggered at the unexpected swing. Straightening, he peered into the dim house, before entering and shutting the door. "I'm home," he called, sitting down to take off his shoes. Fuck the party, his night consisted of a nap, and tonight he would be listening to his MP3 player.
His phone had rung twice during his race home, but both times he ignored it. He could guess who it was from. He dug out his phone, staring at the ID. Yup, both were from Riku. He wasn't going to call back tonight; he was tired of letting everything roll off his shoulders. He was tired of being forgiving, tired of being understanding and accommodating... he was just tired.
Walking into the kitchen, Sora decided to make a sandwich. He wasn't going to the Cozy after the scene at school, so he needed to eat something. Mom always made dinner too salty after a bad argument-
The light didn't come on. Frowning, Sora flicked the switch a few more times before leaving it alone. There were no extra bulbs to change it with, but it was still light enough outside that he could move around the house fine. He slapped together a sandwich and poured himself a glass of milk before sitting at the table. Aside from the sound of the clock, the house was quiet. It made him think of what Kairi said, and the looks both his friends had given him. With how many students were leaving club-related activities, he knew it'd be known by his entire year by tomorrow afternoon. Maybe by then, he and his friends would have made up. Maybe he'd be able to face the rumors and stuff back in school with Kairi and Riku at his side. Right now, it was too painful to think about maybe's. What she said hurt, to the point that he felt suspicious wetness in his eyes. He just blinked them away, eating his snack, and trying to think about anything but his friends.
The sun had gone down when he finished, but the rays lingered enough to give him light as he cleaned his mess up and walked upstairs. He got to the top in time to see his parent's door open, making him jump. He thought he was alone. "Mom?"
She ignored him, pulling her large suitcase behind her before closing her bedroom door. He swallowed, staring at the beaten up luggage, and called her name again. Sneering, she looked up at him, her dark eyes flashing. "Don't call me that! You're no son of mine; you're all his! Both you little bastards are!"
Great, Sora morosely moved out of her way so she could go downstairs. Just what he needed after the day he's had so far. "Where are you going?" This wasn't the first time she left in a snit; she'd be back by Sunday at the latest. If there was one thing about their father, it was he made a nice salary and that alone kept her coming back. He saved enough of his allowance to make due this weekend if he ran out of groceries. Hell, he'd be fine for a month if he had to with how much he's saved.
"Where am I going?" She turned, a smug expression making fear tighten in Sora's gut. "That should be the last of your worries. Where are you going? I'm never coming back here, and I'll never accept you or your brother in my life from now on. Your bastard father's not coming back, either. He's cut off everything for this house, and has moved in with his whore and their sprog." At his startled, stunned expression, she laughed, loud and carefree and the situation made him feel all the sicker. That was the laugh she had when they were a real family, and she was using it on him now? "You didn't know? Hah, well, shows how stupid you really are! Maybe you can beg your way into his new life, but don't count on it! Learn to make your own way in life or die, I don't care either way!"
Sora's legs gave out and he thumped as he hit the floor, sitting on the stairs as he watched his mother drag her suitcase down the stairs, and out the front door without looking back once. His muscles quivered, body cold but skin blazing, and he held himself as he stared at the closed door long after the light had died. Thoughts raced through his head, and anytime he tried to grasp them, they slipped through his fingers, indecipherable. He felt like he was flailing out of control, with no solid ground or safety to help him.
What would he do now? Where will he go? Where could he go? Did his father have another family out there? Was he really not coming back? Was his mother really not coming back? What would he do now?
He spent so long staring at the door, willing it to open, that it shocked him out of his stupor when it finally did. A familiar silhouette entered, flicking at the foyer light that wouldn't turn on. "Anyone home?"
Sora raced down the stairs, twisting his ankle in the run, but he didn't let it stop him as he barrelled into his brother and let out a strained cry. Leon's arms had no hesitation at returning the embrace, and the concern in his brother's gaze had Sora breaking down into heaving sobs, legs once again folding underneath him but this time Leon went as well, settling Sora into his lap and rocking him, murmuring into his hair.
It felt like forever before Sora could breath without it catching, his eyes scratchy from tears that had finally dried up. He repeated his encounter with their mother to Leon, moaning in pain as Leon squeezed unconsciously in rage. Leon eased up immediately, and pulled back to look at Sora, which was becoming all the more difficult as night had finally settled over the town. "Get a flashlight. Pack up what you want to bring, but not a lot. Only the things you can't go without." Seeming to sense Sora's confusion, Leon elaborated. "If they're gone, and the electricity being off supports that, then we're on our own. We can't stay here; neither of us have a job, and someone will eventually figure out we're on our own. We might get separated with you being in foster homes."
That he could lose the one person left in the world who gave a damn about him left Sora momentarily breathless. He couldn't do this alone, and he wouldn't care about surviving without Leon in his life. Leon appeared to agree. "I'm not going to leave you behind. We'll get what we can take, and go back to the mainland. We can bunk with a classmate of mine for a few weeks if need be, and we can figure out where to go from there."
"What about school?" Sora whispered, his voice hoarse from his earlier breakdown. Without the 'mandatory donations' how could he continue in school? Teacher visits were quarterly, and what about PTA? Leon was right, people would notice their parents gone, but how could he leave school without the same conclusions drawn?
"Hn," Leon was in thought, before he seemed to nod to himself. "Go ahead and get started on packing; I never leave anything behind after that one fight, so I'm good. Just pack up some of my clothes. If you could, also go through the kitchen and figure out what we can take with us and what we'll have to get rid of before it spoils. The money will go further if we don't have to worry about food yet. I'm going to go talk to the principal and tell him we've got to suddenly move, say we're going to move with His new job, and I'll need to sign you out and take copies of your records. I'll get gas as well. We'll figure out something after that."
Ducking, Sora shook his head at the plan. The principal was Sephiroth, Riku's dad. Riku would find out, he'd see through it-! "Will it work? R-Riku and I aren't f-friends anymore. He'll tah-tell if he finds out." Sora cursed his stutter, but his emotions were spent, not extinguished, and despite how embarrassing and useless it was, all he really wanted was another good cry at how helpless he felt.
Leon peered at his little brother, but then sighed and muttered that they'd talk about that later. "If it's a new position at another office, Sephiroth will buy it. All we need is for it to hold up long enough, not indefinitely. I'll be twenty in a few months; I'll be of legal age to be your guardian. They won't take you away then." Pausing to survey Sora again, he gave a gentle shake to get Sora's attention. "We don't have a lot of time to do everything that needs to be done. Can you do this?"
That wasn't even an option, and Sora knew it. Either do it, or risk being separated from his brother. "Yah," he mumbled, wiping his eyes on his school uniform. "Just... hurry back."
Another firm hug was Leon's answer before he stood and almost ran to his car. Sora didn't waste time watching him leave; he shut the door, fumbled around for the flashlight, and ran upstairs to get together his stuff.
oOoOo
The sound of his duffle bag's zipper closing was painfully loud in his room, but Sora ignored it in lieu of looking around for anything he might have missed. He could give Wakka's game back to his parents on the way to the port; their story would hold up longer if no one was sniffing around for overdue loans. Leon's bag was waiting outside his bedroom door, having been the easiest thing to do first. His eyes fell onto the photo of himself, Riku and Kairi when they were juniors, having dressed up as Vocaloid characters for Halloween. It was up-ended now, glass cracked after his phone rang for the fifth time with Riku's ID, and in a fit of pointless rage he had tossed it at the photograph.
He didn't have the right to be mad at Riku --stupid, perfect Riku-- when the idiot didn't even know what was going on in Sora's life in the first place. The world didn't revolve around Sora, something he was reminded of everytime his eyes traced that scar on his brother's brow. So Kairi finally asked Riku out, fine; so Riku actually said yes after years spent saying he wasn't interested in her, fine, even Sora would give in after that amount of pestering.
Those words, though. That attitude, those weren't necessary. Riku had specifically asked Sora to be a middleman when Kairi pushed him into a relationship, and not to back down without Riku's okay. Instead he gets ripped to shreds in public while being looked at like a piece of dog shit on his shoes? Screw that, screw this island, and screw them.
Sora raced down the stairs, ignoring the throb of his ankle as he would take care of it in the car. He dropped the bags at the staircase and went into the kitchen, grabbing the plastic milk crate the family used for recyclables. He went through the refridgerator first, and that alone took two trips to the garbage can, before he finally took out the last of the food and things that would last long or at least wasn't immediately parishable. It'd probably last them a week if they moderated their meals and cut out on snacking, but the money would make sure they wouldn't need to be so harsh.
Dragging the food to rest beside his bag, he opened his duffle to pull out Wakka's game, a pang of regret striking him. He wasn't as close to Wakka as he was, or thought he was, to some others, but Wakka was the laid-back, easy-going kind of guy who was always willing to share and be friendly. Tidas was a lot like that, but had a temper. It kept Sora on his toes, since he knew that his temper was like a flash in the pan; once he got it off his chest, Tidas was over it. Sora wondered if he'd ever find out how the Tidas-Selphie-Wakka love-triangle would resolve. Would the Paopu make it to the Nationals this year? How fast would one of the other club members get his spot on the team? Would anyone really miss him?
Snap out of it, Sora, he scolded himself, scowl on his face. It wasn't forever, it was just... moving on. Once Leon was twenty, and Sora wouldn't have to worry about foster homes, he'd get back into contact and see if there was anything left of his friendships. In a way, he was almost thankful to Kairi and Riku for today. If he didn't show his face all weekend and maybe Monday, no one would question it. Sephiroth wasn't the type to make an announcement when a student left, and by then he and Leon would be settling down outside of their search zone. Without that verbal flaying today, he was sure he'd selfishly be more reluctant to leave.
That didn't stop him from nearly having a heart attack as someone pounded on the front door. Dropping the game and gasping a curse, Sora stumbled to his feet, staring at the door. Leon would have just used the key; his brother knew how skittish he still was of the dark. He waited, wondering if it was just one of his teammates trying to drag him out, when the pounding resounded, more ferociously than before. Then, he heard the voice growl at him, "I know you're in there, Sora; your phone is still pinned to MyFace and you never leave it behind. Open up."
Shit, he forgot how persistant Riku could be. He wouldn't put it past the bastard to hack his school records if he got the idea in his head to try. Taking a breath, Sora pushed the crate back into the kitchen, tossing the duffles on top, and shut the sliding doors to keep them out of sight. Flashlight still in hand, he picked up the dropped game before he opened the front door to meet Riku's frowning face. "Hey."
"Hey, yourself. You've been ignoring me." Riku grunted and looked over Sora's shoulder before he could fully shut the door. "Why's it so dark?"
"Er," Sora fumbled with the flashlight, forcing a smile. "Dad's on business and took Mom with him. Guess he forgot to pay the electric bill or some'n. Leon's been trying to get in touch with them, but I guess they're having a second honeymoon or whatever! He's fueling his car before he takes me with him back to college; we're gonna stay with a classmate of his until our parents come back. It'll give me the chance to scout out if I wanna go to that college later or not, too."
Riku's frown didn't ease up. "That seems inconvenient. You can stay with me until they come back, you know you're welcome." The silence that stretched after that offer was quick to turn awkward, and for once Sora wasn't feeling pity for his more socially incompetant friend. Normally he would break such stifling moments, but just because Riku obviously blew off Kairi and came after Sora wasn't going to buy forgiveness.
Instead, Sora thrusted the game out to him, almost shoving it into Riku's gut but years of kendo practice had him stepping out of the way. "Here. Give this back to Wakka for me."
A raised eyebrow was returned as Riku took the game, giving a soft snort. "Sure, Princess. Anything else I can do for you?"
"Yeah. Leave me alone."
That wiped any anger off of Riku's expression, his eyes wide as he jerked his head to meet Sora's gaze. Sora wouldn't waver, though. After wrestling with it for hours, he decided he wasn't going to resolve this immediately. Running away would give him the time he needs to come to terms with his friend's attacks this afternoon. "I'm... after what happened earlier, I can't stay around either of you until I can curb my urge to..." hit, scream, hurt you both as much as you hurt me, "... lash out. So leave me alone. I'll call you when I'm ready to talk with you or Kairi, if either of you care to talk with me ever again."
"Sora..." this was uncomfortable now. Sora had been so sure of his reasons and were able to deliver them without breaking down, but this sorrowful, guilty look was so out of place on Riku. Riku, the confident kendo captain and number one bachelor on campus! He had never looked at Sora like that before.
Leon honking his horn broke the tableau, causing them both to turn and look at his junker. Sora hadn't even heard the clanking machine pull up. He turned back into the house, and came back out with the crate and luggage. Before he could try to juggle it and lock the door, Riku solved it for him by taking the crate for him, not asking questions, and walked to Leon's car. Sora stared as his brother popped the trunk for his silver-haired friend, but Sora knew time was of the essence right now. He locked the door and made his way to the passanger side as Riku put the load inside and shut the trunk.
He opened the door when Riku touched his shoulder, making Sora pause and turn around. Riku's eyes were glittering in a way Sora hadn't seen outside of a school match, as he asked, "See you Monday?"
"Mmh," Sora made a half-hearted sound, and ducked into the car before Riku could make him promise it. "See you."
They pulled away, Riku still standing outside their abandoned home watching them. Sora didn't turn to look, but he could feel it, and it made his eyes start to water all over again. Could he get any lower before things start to finally look up? As mad as he was at them, it was Riku and Kairi, his best friends, and he was lying to Riku's face and running away like a fucking coward--
Leon pulled Sora over on the seat, the A/C blasting on Sora's flushed face and making his throat tighten painfully past the tears. "It's not too late. You could stay with Riku; I'm sure Sephiroth would be an appropriate guardian until you graduate."
Leon. Loyal, constant Leon. Sora could tell he was being strong for Sora, and despite the distance and hate he bore with their parents, it had to hurt him just as much as it hurt Sora to be dropped like this. He couldn't leave Leon to survive this alone again, he wouldn't. "No. I wanna stay with you, if it's okay?" A distracted kiss on his forehead was enough answer. "It's just been a helluva day."
A breathless chuckle escaped Leon, a smile tugging at his lips for the first time in months. "Get some rest, Sora. I'll wake you when we get there."
oOoOo
End Chapter One
"A Helluva Day"
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A/N: Who really reads these? Well, besides me, who's a complete geek for what an author thinks as they write? Well, whatever, ne? It felt rushed to me, but to be fair, this particular story came to me when I was under hypnagogia. Lucid dreaming is something I have a lot, probably three or so times a week, and normally I'm in this state for the first hour or so before I finally fall asleep, so me saying I'm in bed, and being asleep, are two different things in my mind c:
I'm actually really picky about Kindom Hearts fics, and was leary about doing this since I haven't sat down to play Kingdom Hearts for a couple of years, and I've barely gotten half-way into either CoM or KH2, forget all the other side-stories and sequels that have come out. I get the feeling a wiki out there is going to get plundered XD Drop a line if you feel up to it, love or hate, I write because I care... about what I like, so there! Hah, flamers. Hah!
Hope you've enjoyed!
For those who didn't know, stress is leveling out, now that we've got a new computer to replace the old one (though trying to get old programs to work is a whole new can of worms). The 2012 FanFiction.Net purge has had me distracted by trying to save as many of my favorite fics as I can, and I have to do it by hand because just saving it from the link provided destroys any formatting the story previously had, so yeah. Distractions.
Enough rambling, lets get on with the story!
Title: Ashes of Doubt
Author & Email: DC James
Archived: LiveJournal, later will be at Tumblr and FanFiction.Net. If you see this at any other place, please email me and let me know.
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts and hints of Dissidia and Final Fantasy VII. Hey, Kingdom Hearts is crossover nirvana, you can't expect the fandom not to have it, too!
Part: 1/?
Type: Rated T, borderline M in later chapters. Angst, adventure, shounen-ai...
Warnings: boy-love, adult language, teenage angst (hey, I think that deserves a warning!), verbal and emotional abuse, and for the first chapter some Kairi-bashing (seriously didn't mean for it to come out that way, but this chapter she does come off as a bi-ahem... unpleasant person. Will likely get better in later chapters).
Summary: Life wasn't perfect on Destiny Isles, but outside of his home and with his friends, Sora could forget about the constant fighting between his parents. That was before his friends publicly humiliate him, spit on their friendship, and he comes home to find out he and his brother Leon have been abandoned. Between begging for his father to take him in or being put into a foster home, Sora chooses to run away with Leon and hope no one catches them before Leon's old enough to be his guardian!
Pairing: Sora/Riku, one-sided Kairi+Riku, Tidas+Selphie, Selphie+Wakka, Wakka+blitzball... j/k! Too kinky to write on the fly!
Written On: 22 July 2012
C&C is welcomed privately.
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Disclaimer(s): All rights and privileges to Final Fantasy VII and Dissidia belong to SquareENIX, Sony Computer Entertainment and associated parties. All rights and privileges to Kingdom Hearts belong to SquareENIX, Disney Interactive Studios and associated parties. The characters of these series are used without permission for the purpose of entertainment only. This work of fiction is not for sale or profit.
All original characters are the creation of the author. All copyrighted privileges to these characters are reserved for the author and may not be used without permission.
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Ashes of Doubt
Chapter One: A Helluva Day
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"And... GOAL!" The roar of the students and parents in the stand was almost deafening, feet stomping on the steel benches and popcorn and drinks being thrown into the air without care. "The Destiny Isles Paopu have won the right to the semi-championships!"
Sora grinned, eyes squinted against the sweat and the sun as he joined his teammates in a celebratory mosh-pit/group hug. Wakka was hugging the ball so tight against his stomach it was amazing the thing hadn't popped already, Tidas already pounced on the goalie's back hollaring and shaking the redhead as he repeated their victory. The applause hadn't died down by the time they entered the locker rooms, and the exhuberance echoed off the concrete room as the team started their after-game ritual of showering before going to the Cozy for a party.
"Oh, man!" Tidas groaned, taking off his soaked jersey. "Can you believe it?! Four years since the Paopu have managed to get to the semi-finals, and we're the team to do it!"
The Paopu, seriously, was it any surprise that their fanbase was solely on Destiny Isles? Sora snorted in his locker unnoticed, grabbing his towel and flip-flops. That Tidas was proud to be a Paopu made it almost sad, in a naive, cute way. However, Sora enjoyed blitzball, and while he wasn't the best on the team, he wasn't the weakest. He'd much prefer the kendo club, or kyudo, but he hadn't made the cut in either of them.
He found it a little unfair that he didn't make it into the clubs he really wanted, but his best friend Riku did. Sure, Riku had it in his blood, his father and all his siblings were sempai within the first year of the club, but Sora had practiced since he was a child, and Leon had encouraged that interest. Leon still had the highest score in the club's records that no one had gotten close to breaking it, something that drove Yazoo up the wall since that was the year Yazoo had made captain and Leon was a kouhai to the club.
The slam of a locker caught his attention, and Sora looked over at his blond teammate. "Hey, should I ask Selphie to the party?" Tidas asked, a blush on his cheeks.
Poor guy, Sora thought, a half-smile crossing his lips. Sora didn't doubt she'd go, but she had the hots for Wakka, and with a body almost all tanned and muscled with less than ten percent bodyfat, it was no wonder. "Can't hurt to try; just don't mention the salad bar or the diet sodas."
"Huh?" Tidas blinked, hopping in place to take his shoes off. He always forgot about them. "Why not?"
"Because then you're telling her she's fat, and you'll get a slap instead of a date." Sora parroted. "Kairi told me that's why you got belted with the chalkboard eraser last term. She made me memorise that so if you get the balls to ask Selphie again, you won't make a repeat mistake."
Tidas finally wrestled his shoes off, and threw his towel over his shoulder as he followed Sora into the showers. "Speaking of Kairi," drawled the blond as he threw an arm around Sora's neck and leaned in to whisper, "when are you going to ask her out?"
With a roll of his eyes, Sora grumbled, "She's like a sister. Geez, how often do I have to repeat myself?" He stopped any more conversation by turning on his water on cold, forcing Tidas to jump away with a curse and good-natured ribbing. Now without the attachment, Sora adjusted the temperature and stepped under the spray. He was so glad that he managed not to do something stupid during the game, he was so tired he was sure he would have fumbled eventually, but thankfully that hadn't happened.
Leaning his head forward, Sora let the water pound onto his back and shoulders, releasing a soul-weary sigh in the process. He wasn't sure he wanted to go home to get ready. Last night his parents had been yelling loud enough to keep Sora up until three in the morning. After both had screamed themselves hoarse and separated, one to the bedroom and one out the front door, Leon had entered Sora's room. Seeing Sora awake, Leon had curled up with his little brother, neither saying a word, and slept sitting up in bed, leaning against each other.
Neither had seen their parents when they got ready to leave the house; Sora for school and the game and Leon for his college classes on the mainland. The long travel was hard on Leon, Sora was sure, just as sure as he was that Sora was the reason Leon hadn't moved out in the first place. One more year, Sora thought, picking up his soap to scrub his face and body. This coming fall he would be a third-year and then he would graduate junior high. By then, he'd be able to convince Leon to move permenantly to the mainland. Sora wasn't sure what he'd do himself; he was unsure about senior high, and he didn't know what he really wanted for his future. His half-ass answers to the career counsilor was enough evidence of that.
When he was younger and arguments started to become routine, he would slip out of his room and head to Riku's house down the block, crawling through the open window and into Riku's bed to get some sleep and comfort. Riku never asked, except to sleepily grumble, and Sora both appreciated and hated that. Riku never asked. No one did, and Sora couldn't find it in himself to say anything. He stopped the habit after too many times of being teased --and sometimes yelled at in Yazoo's case-- by Riku's family, but the main reason was Leon. Being young, he naturally didn't think of anything but himself. When he came home to get his school uniform and homework the morning after a bad fight, he found Leon in the bathroom with the first aid kit, trying to change the bandages on his brow. The wound had left a jagged scar between his eyes and over the bridge of his nose, and despite not telling anyone how it came about, many just concluded it came from practicing kendo or having a spar with someone.
Leon had had enough that night, and had butted-in to the argument, making it clear that his parents were petty and weren't doing him or Sora any favors. Their father hadn't taken that well, and their mother had screamed at Leon things he never repeated to Sora, but Sora wasn't blind anymore. He noticed the silence whenever Leon had to be around them, how he stopped addressing their parents by Mom and Dad. Leon was the only one to care about Sora, so Sora decided he would be there for his brother as well. He followed Leon's lead, and now their family was only that on paper. Inside the house, Leon and Sora were all they had, as their mother was gone most of the time and would be bitter about returning at all, and their father either working or drinking before the fighting began anew. There should be some reprise for a few days, his father being a businessman and always called away for weeks on end on something or another.
Riku had questioned the change in routine, but Sora was let off after muttering about growing up. Then Kendo captain had chuckled and admitted his father wondered if he shouldn't just have the spare room made up for Sora's repeated late-night visits. While Kadaj thought it was cute, and Loz hadn't cared one way or the other, Yazoo had loudly protested the idea, saying he'd never house the sibling of his rival. Sora had blushed as Sephiroth looked at the protestant and asked one of the brothers to smack some sense into Yazoo, which all three did with pleasure. Any reason to knock Yazoo down a peg was always going to have full support from the other siblings.
His body was squeaky clean by the time the water shut off, but a few of his teammates weren't if the complaints and groans were any indication. Coach Cid wasn't moved, however, and told them to quit being princesses and get out of his locker room. Sora shuffled to his locker, smiling at the pat on the head he got from the coach. No one had gotten one up on Cid, and the man on more than one occasion had sent Sora to the nurses station for 'headaches', lending Sora the perfect excuse for a nap. Today, that was obviously impossible, but the acknowledgement was reassuring. A tightass all around, but he had his ways to show encouragement. Sora wasn't lost on the fact that the coach had let the water run ten minutes longer than usual for them today.
Dressing fast, Sora ran out of the locker room to meet up with his friends. Fumbling with his tie wasn't easy with his bookbag swinging from one arm. The kendo club likely was finished, too, as no clubs shared match dates. Kairi would be with Riku as usual. At first, it had hurt his feelings that Kairi never came to Sora's practices or matches, only Riku's, but got over it as Kairi had been crushing on Riku since they were six. Besides, Kairi never got into blitzball enough to understand the game and Sora wasn't about to take away her time by watching him play.
Sure enough, the two were walking down the path to the school gates, Riku's bokken wrapped and slung over a shoulder. Kairi was a little closer than friends would allow, but Riku was either oblivious or ignoring it as the two talked. "Hey, wait up!" Sora yelled, leaving his tie unbound around his neck as he picked up speed to reach them.
Riku turned at Sora's call, eyebrow raised while Kairi huffed and fiddled with her own bag in her hands. Oops, maybe he broke into another attempt to date conversation. He didn't mean to, but it seemed like everytime he met up with them lately, they wore the same expressions. Seriously, if he was a third wheel, they'd have to tell him! "We're having a victory party," Sora started after catching his breath. His thighs still burned from the exertion of the game, but he wanted his friends with him tonight. Last night had been the worst he'd heard since Leon's interruption, and he didn't want to go home and be alone with his parents until his brother came back from classes.
"Oh, you won?" Riku asked, already turned and continuing to the gates. Kairi followed a half-step later, and Sora pouted before following them.
"Yeah," 'Thanks for noticing,' Sora muttered to himself. "We're all meeting at the Cozy in an hour, do you two wanna come?" He knew better than to regal them with the Paopu's match; last time he rambled on, not realizing his friends weren't interested, until Kairi had knocked her knuckles on Sora's forehead and told him to shut up.
Kairi brushed her bangs away, expression disinterested. "I doubt Mom will let me. Besides, spending the evening with jocks who continuously repeat every move of the game is annoying."
Riku hummed, but finally shook his head. "I'm just not in the mood."
"Oh," Sora mumbled, lagging behind the two. "Well... I'm not really in the mood either. It's the weekend, so maybe we can hang out, Riku? Haven't spent the night in a while, I can bring the new MegaTen game-" Really, it was a loan from Wakka, but since he borrowed it on Wednesday Sora hadn't had the chance to play it yet himself. "- or I could quiz you on history! Sensei really got on your case about the Edo era exam; did you do that make-up essay he asked for?"
"God, Sora!" Kairi shouted, whirling on her heel to stomp back to him. Sora jerked at her shout, stopping in the path and the tone she used made many classmates turn to watch them. "Will you shut up?! We don't care about your club! We don't want to go to your 'party' at the Cozy! We don't want you around this weekend, period! Why are you always bothering us?! We're trying to be nice and let you down easy, but you're not listening, as always! Riku and I are spending the weekend together, and you're not welcome in joining us! So go bug someone else already!"
Looking past her blazing gaze, Sora dazedly looked at Riku who had remained silent the whole time. He wore a frown, glaring at Sora, hands in his pocket. He wasn't interested, and he wasn't about to help Sora out. She was telling the truth, wasn't she?
Turning his attention back to Kairi, he mumbled an apology and gave a swift bow before walking away from her. That her angered look turned to stunned shame was missed as he couldn't look her in the eye, and he didn't pause when he passed Riku, ignoring his intense gaze and the hand that part-way reached for him before stopping in the air. Those words whirling in his head was amplified by the whispers and looks of his classmates, making his pale face flame, and he broke into a run back home.
At least there he was used to this treatment.
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Sora pushed his key into the lock, gasping for air and sweat sticking his bangs to his face. The force of the key pushed the door open and he staggered at the unexpected swing. Straightening, he peered into the dim house, before entering and shutting the door. "I'm home," he called, sitting down to take off his shoes. Fuck the party, his night consisted of a nap, and tonight he would be listening to his MP3 player.
His phone had rung twice during his race home, but both times he ignored it. He could guess who it was from. He dug out his phone, staring at the ID. Yup, both were from Riku. He wasn't going to call back tonight; he was tired of letting everything roll off his shoulders. He was tired of being forgiving, tired of being understanding and accommodating... he was just tired.
Walking into the kitchen, Sora decided to make a sandwich. He wasn't going to the Cozy after the scene at school, so he needed to eat something. Mom always made dinner too salty after a bad argument-
The light didn't come on. Frowning, Sora flicked the switch a few more times before leaving it alone. There were no extra bulbs to change it with, but it was still light enough outside that he could move around the house fine. He slapped together a sandwich and poured himself a glass of milk before sitting at the table. Aside from the sound of the clock, the house was quiet. It made him think of what Kairi said, and the looks both his friends had given him. With how many students were leaving club-related activities, he knew it'd be known by his entire year by tomorrow afternoon. Maybe by then, he and his friends would have made up. Maybe he'd be able to face the rumors and stuff back in school with Kairi and Riku at his side. Right now, it was too painful to think about maybe's. What she said hurt, to the point that he felt suspicious wetness in his eyes. He just blinked them away, eating his snack, and trying to think about anything but his friends.
The sun had gone down when he finished, but the rays lingered enough to give him light as he cleaned his mess up and walked upstairs. He got to the top in time to see his parent's door open, making him jump. He thought he was alone. "Mom?"
She ignored him, pulling her large suitcase behind her before closing her bedroom door. He swallowed, staring at the beaten up luggage, and called her name again. Sneering, she looked up at him, her dark eyes flashing. "Don't call me that! You're no son of mine; you're all his! Both you little bastards are!"
Great, Sora morosely moved out of her way so she could go downstairs. Just what he needed after the day he's had so far. "Where are you going?" This wasn't the first time she left in a snit; she'd be back by Sunday at the latest. If there was one thing about their father, it was he made a nice salary and that alone kept her coming back. He saved enough of his allowance to make due this weekend if he ran out of groceries. Hell, he'd be fine for a month if he had to with how much he's saved.
"Where am I going?" She turned, a smug expression making fear tighten in Sora's gut. "That should be the last of your worries. Where are you going? I'm never coming back here, and I'll never accept you or your brother in my life from now on. Your bastard father's not coming back, either. He's cut off everything for this house, and has moved in with his whore and their sprog." At his startled, stunned expression, she laughed, loud and carefree and the situation made him feel all the sicker. That was the laugh she had when they were a real family, and she was using it on him now? "You didn't know? Hah, well, shows how stupid you really are! Maybe you can beg your way into his new life, but don't count on it! Learn to make your own way in life or die, I don't care either way!"
Sora's legs gave out and he thumped as he hit the floor, sitting on the stairs as he watched his mother drag her suitcase down the stairs, and out the front door without looking back once. His muscles quivered, body cold but skin blazing, and he held himself as he stared at the closed door long after the light had died. Thoughts raced through his head, and anytime he tried to grasp them, they slipped through his fingers, indecipherable. He felt like he was flailing out of control, with no solid ground or safety to help him.
What would he do now? Where will he go? Where could he go? Did his father have another family out there? Was he really not coming back? Was his mother really not coming back? What would he do now?
He spent so long staring at the door, willing it to open, that it shocked him out of his stupor when it finally did. A familiar silhouette entered, flicking at the foyer light that wouldn't turn on. "Anyone home?"
Sora raced down the stairs, twisting his ankle in the run, but he didn't let it stop him as he barrelled into his brother and let out a strained cry. Leon's arms had no hesitation at returning the embrace, and the concern in his brother's gaze had Sora breaking down into heaving sobs, legs once again folding underneath him but this time Leon went as well, settling Sora into his lap and rocking him, murmuring into his hair.
It felt like forever before Sora could breath without it catching, his eyes scratchy from tears that had finally dried up. He repeated his encounter with their mother to Leon, moaning in pain as Leon squeezed unconsciously in rage. Leon eased up immediately, and pulled back to look at Sora, which was becoming all the more difficult as night had finally settled over the town. "Get a flashlight. Pack up what you want to bring, but not a lot. Only the things you can't go without." Seeming to sense Sora's confusion, Leon elaborated. "If they're gone, and the electricity being off supports that, then we're on our own. We can't stay here; neither of us have a job, and someone will eventually figure out we're on our own. We might get separated with you being in foster homes."
That he could lose the one person left in the world who gave a damn about him left Sora momentarily breathless. He couldn't do this alone, and he wouldn't care about surviving without Leon in his life. Leon appeared to agree. "I'm not going to leave you behind. We'll get what we can take, and go back to the mainland. We can bunk with a classmate of mine for a few weeks if need be, and we can figure out where to go from there."
"What about school?" Sora whispered, his voice hoarse from his earlier breakdown. Without the 'mandatory donations' how could he continue in school? Teacher visits were quarterly, and what about PTA? Leon was right, people would notice their parents gone, but how could he leave school without the same conclusions drawn?
"Hn," Leon was in thought, before he seemed to nod to himself. "Go ahead and get started on packing; I never leave anything behind after that one fight, so I'm good. Just pack up some of my clothes. If you could, also go through the kitchen and figure out what we can take with us and what we'll have to get rid of before it spoils. The money will go further if we don't have to worry about food yet. I'm going to go talk to the principal and tell him we've got to suddenly move, say we're going to move with His new job, and I'll need to sign you out and take copies of your records. I'll get gas as well. We'll figure out something after that."
Ducking, Sora shook his head at the plan. The principal was Sephiroth, Riku's dad. Riku would find out, he'd see through it-! "Will it work? R-Riku and I aren't f-friends anymore. He'll tah-tell if he finds out." Sora cursed his stutter, but his emotions were spent, not extinguished, and despite how embarrassing and useless it was, all he really wanted was another good cry at how helpless he felt.
Leon peered at his little brother, but then sighed and muttered that they'd talk about that later. "If it's a new position at another office, Sephiroth will buy it. All we need is for it to hold up long enough, not indefinitely. I'll be twenty in a few months; I'll be of legal age to be your guardian. They won't take you away then." Pausing to survey Sora again, he gave a gentle shake to get Sora's attention. "We don't have a lot of time to do everything that needs to be done. Can you do this?"
That wasn't even an option, and Sora knew it. Either do it, or risk being separated from his brother. "Yah," he mumbled, wiping his eyes on his school uniform. "Just... hurry back."
Another firm hug was Leon's answer before he stood and almost ran to his car. Sora didn't waste time watching him leave; he shut the door, fumbled around for the flashlight, and ran upstairs to get together his stuff.
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The sound of his duffle bag's zipper closing was painfully loud in his room, but Sora ignored it in lieu of looking around for anything he might have missed. He could give Wakka's game back to his parents on the way to the port; their story would hold up longer if no one was sniffing around for overdue loans. Leon's bag was waiting outside his bedroom door, having been the easiest thing to do first. His eyes fell onto the photo of himself, Riku and Kairi when they were juniors, having dressed up as Vocaloid characters for Halloween. It was up-ended now, glass cracked after his phone rang for the fifth time with Riku's ID, and in a fit of pointless rage he had tossed it at the photograph.
He didn't have the right to be mad at Riku --stupid, perfect Riku-- when the idiot didn't even know what was going on in Sora's life in the first place. The world didn't revolve around Sora, something he was reminded of everytime his eyes traced that scar on his brother's brow. So Kairi finally asked Riku out, fine; so Riku actually said yes after years spent saying he wasn't interested in her, fine, even Sora would give in after that amount of pestering.
Those words, though. That attitude, those weren't necessary. Riku had specifically asked Sora to be a middleman when Kairi pushed him into a relationship, and not to back down without Riku's okay. Instead he gets ripped to shreds in public while being looked at like a piece of dog shit on his shoes? Screw that, screw this island, and screw them.
Sora raced down the stairs, ignoring the throb of his ankle as he would take care of it in the car. He dropped the bags at the staircase and went into the kitchen, grabbing the plastic milk crate the family used for recyclables. He went through the refridgerator first, and that alone took two trips to the garbage can, before he finally took out the last of the food and things that would last long or at least wasn't immediately parishable. It'd probably last them a week if they moderated their meals and cut out on snacking, but the money would make sure they wouldn't need to be so harsh.
Dragging the food to rest beside his bag, he opened his duffle to pull out Wakka's game, a pang of regret striking him. He wasn't as close to Wakka as he was, or thought he was, to some others, but Wakka was the laid-back, easy-going kind of guy who was always willing to share and be friendly. Tidas was a lot like that, but had a temper. It kept Sora on his toes, since he knew that his temper was like a flash in the pan; once he got it off his chest, Tidas was over it. Sora wondered if he'd ever find out how the Tidas-Selphie-Wakka love-triangle would resolve. Would the Paopu make it to the Nationals this year? How fast would one of the other club members get his spot on the team? Would anyone really miss him?
Snap out of it, Sora, he scolded himself, scowl on his face. It wasn't forever, it was just... moving on. Once Leon was twenty, and Sora wouldn't have to worry about foster homes, he'd get back into contact and see if there was anything left of his friendships. In a way, he was almost thankful to Kairi and Riku for today. If he didn't show his face all weekend and maybe Monday, no one would question it. Sephiroth wasn't the type to make an announcement when a student left, and by then he and Leon would be settling down outside of their search zone. Without that verbal flaying today, he was sure he'd selfishly be more reluctant to leave.
That didn't stop him from nearly having a heart attack as someone pounded on the front door. Dropping the game and gasping a curse, Sora stumbled to his feet, staring at the door. Leon would have just used the key; his brother knew how skittish he still was of the dark. He waited, wondering if it was just one of his teammates trying to drag him out, when the pounding resounded, more ferociously than before. Then, he heard the voice growl at him, "I know you're in there, Sora; your phone is still pinned to MyFace and you never leave it behind. Open up."
Shit, he forgot how persistant Riku could be. He wouldn't put it past the bastard to hack his school records if he got the idea in his head to try. Taking a breath, Sora pushed the crate back into the kitchen, tossing the duffles on top, and shut the sliding doors to keep them out of sight. Flashlight still in hand, he picked up the dropped game before he opened the front door to meet Riku's frowning face. "Hey."
"Hey, yourself. You've been ignoring me." Riku grunted and looked over Sora's shoulder before he could fully shut the door. "Why's it so dark?"
"Er," Sora fumbled with the flashlight, forcing a smile. "Dad's on business and took Mom with him. Guess he forgot to pay the electric bill or some'n. Leon's been trying to get in touch with them, but I guess they're having a second honeymoon or whatever! He's fueling his car before he takes me with him back to college; we're gonna stay with a classmate of his until our parents come back. It'll give me the chance to scout out if I wanna go to that college later or not, too."
Riku's frown didn't ease up. "That seems inconvenient. You can stay with me until they come back, you know you're welcome." The silence that stretched after that offer was quick to turn awkward, and for once Sora wasn't feeling pity for his more socially incompetant friend. Normally he would break such stifling moments, but just because Riku obviously blew off Kairi and came after Sora wasn't going to buy forgiveness.
Instead, Sora thrusted the game out to him, almost shoving it into Riku's gut but years of kendo practice had him stepping out of the way. "Here. Give this back to Wakka for me."
A raised eyebrow was returned as Riku took the game, giving a soft snort. "Sure, Princess. Anything else I can do for you?"
"Yeah. Leave me alone."
That wiped any anger off of Riku's expression, his eyes wide as he jerked his head to meet Sora's gaze. Sora wouldn't waver, though. After wrestling with it for hours, he decided he wasn't going to resolve this immediately. Running away would give him the time he needs to come to terms with his friend's attacks this afternoon. "I'm... after what happened earlier, I can't stay around either of you until I can curb my urge to..." hit, scream, hurt you both as much as you hurt me, "... lash out. So leave me alone. I'll call you when I'm ready to talk with you or Kairi, if either of you care to talk with me ever again."
"Sora..." this was uncomfortable now. Sora had been so sure of his reasons and were able to deliver them without breaking down, but this sorrowful, guilty look was so out of place on Riku. Riku, the confident kendo captain and number one bachelor on campus! He had never looked at Sora like that before.
Leon honking his horn broke the tableau, causing them both to turn and look at his junker. Sora hadn't even heard the clanking machine pull up. He turned back into the house, and came back out with the crate and luggage. Before he could try to juggle it and lock the door, Riku solved it for him by taking the crate for him, not asking questions, and walked to Leon's car. Sora stared as his brother popped the trunk for his silver-haired friend, but Sora knew time was of the essence right now. He locked the door and made his way to the passanger side as Riku put the load inside and shut the trunk.
He opened the door when Riku touched his shoulder, making Sora pause and turn around. Riku's eyes were glittering in a way Sora hadn't seen outside of a school match, as he asked, "See you Monday?"
"Mmh," Sora made a half-hearted sound, and ducked into the car before Riku could make him promise it. "See you."
They pulled away, Riku still standing outside their abandoned home watching them. Sora didn't turn to look, but he could feel it, and it made his eyes start to water all over again. Could he get any lower before things start to finally look up? As mad as he was at them, it was Riku and Kairi, his best friends, and he was lying to Riku's face and running away like a fucking coward--
Leon pulled Sora over on the seat, the A/C blasting on Sora's flushed face and making his throat tighten painfully past the tears. "It's not too late. You could stay with Riku; I'm sure Sephiroth would be an appropriate guardian until you graduate."
Leon. Loyal, constant Leon. Sora could tell he was being strong for Sora, and despite the distance and hate he bore with their parents, it had to hurt him just as much as it hurt Sora to be dropped like this. He couldn't leave Leon to survive this alone again, he wouldn't. "No. I wanna stay with you, if it's okay?" A distracted kiss on his forehead was enough answer. "It's just been a helluva day."
A breathless chuckle escaped Leon, a smile tugging at his lips for the first time in months. "Get some rest, Sora. I'll wake you when we get there."
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End Chapter One
"A Helluva Day"
oOoOo
A/N: Who really reads these? Well, besides me, who's a complete geek for what an author thinks as they write? Well, whatever, ne? It felt rushed to me, but to be fair, this particular story came to me when I was under hypnagogia. Lucid dreaming is something I have a lot, probably three or so times a week, and normally I'm in this state for the first hour or so before I finally fall asleep, so me saying I'm in bed, and being asleep, are two different things in my mind c:
I'm actually really picky about Kindom Hearts fics, and was leary about doing this since I haven't sat down to play Kingdom Hearts for a couple of years, and I've barely gotten half-way into either CoM or KH2, forget all the other side-stories and sequels that have come out. I get the feeling a wiki out there is going to get plundered XD Drop a line if you feel up to it, love or hate, I write because I care... about what I like, so there! Hah, flamers. Hah!
Hope you've enjoyed!