"…We're moving to Higher Tenebras City, in The World That Never Was" my father's words resounded darkly in my head as we entered.
Disclaimer:
DarkHenrych: Hi -waves hands frantically- Here's my new project! It's a Collab fic and it's just fluff and stuff -jumps happily-.
Quietshade: There he goes with his hyperactivity, excuse him ladies and gentlemen. Like he said this is a collaborative fic, but no it's not just fluff and stuff, it actually has a lot of angst, drama and to some extent tragedy.
DarkHenrych: You know, you shouldn't tone me down, I'm like Nitroglycerin, the more you tick me the easier it is for me to blow up -glares at Imoutochan-. Anyways, you'll see loads of angst, given our little protagonist's past, but I can't spill the beans just yet -cowers when Imoutochan threatens to bash him with a panda plushie- ZEXION! SAVE ME!
Quietshade: -glares and hits him with a baseball bat- why use plushies when you can use bats. Like he said there's one of the characters that really has a dark past, but you just have to read and find out who the character is and what happened to him.
DarkHenrych: Beware of the EVIL maul! Oh, sorry, my bad… -giggles nervously- Beware the EVIL Baseball BAT! I forgot to tell you… I wished I owned KH… Hold on, I don't wish I owned it, I really want to own other stuff… -PG 21+ mode on-
Quietshade: -ignores DarkHenrych- Yeah we don't own KH, or anything related to Square Enix, now I'll leave you with the reading, enjoy.
DarkHenrych: -throws a tantrum- Ow… But I wanted to play some more…
Warning: This fic contains Shounen-Ai, Boy-on-boy for non-Japanese speakers. Also contains Het pairings. Don't like, don't read. No swearing unless previously warned.
Full summary: 'Tenebras city is not as dark as its name claims' were Roxas and Leon's thoughts as they arrived at their new home; although they were going to realize that the cheerful city had some secrets that were never spoken of. A lone blonde fallen angel, a silent silver haired man, the sins of their past and the grief of their present lives will shape the Leonhart's future.
Pairings: Cleon, RokuNami, SoRiku, Marlene, and much more to come.
Authors: Quietshade and DarkHenrych.
"…We're moving to Higher Tenebras City, in The World That Never Was" my father's words resounded darkly in my head as we entered the area that would become our temporary home. I remember Leon pounding the table angrily and muttering some curse to our father as he passed by my chair towards his bedroom. My twin brother was happy to be moving again, I do not understand him or his sugar-fed hyper-activity and ADD burnt brain, though that by no means says what I feel towards him.
Our dad was a successful scientist, chemist and biologist who had studied a lot about DNA alteration and was a top investigator of human genome. He had been offered a huge place at JENOVA, a top Pharmaceutical company that was located in Memory's Skyscraper, near the commercial center of the city we were moving to. I had asked my dad about the creepy name when we were left a few moments alone, he laughed at that and said that the city was not as creepy as its name. He had ruffled my hair before going out of my bedroom to talk to Leon. My dad's cool even if he's not around so much; it's just his job what sucks.
We spent a long time traveling to our new city, and most of the time I just stared through the window, Sora was fast asleep beside me and Leon seemed to be thinking about his girlfriend, though his ears must have been asking for a chance to rest because Leon had his Mp4 player at top volume since we got out of our last house and until we arrived to our new house. I took notice of a much neglected part of the city as we entered the area and I wanted to ask about it, but I would save it for another moment, because as soon as we lost sight of that part of the city, we entered a very lively area, with many stores and some malls. We took some turns here and there and by the time I finished making a mental map we were in front of a big house already.
To think we had to move, once again, to a new city, to new schoolmates, to new friends… You'd think I am accustomed by now to being the new guy around, to moving through the many worlds more than necessary just to suffice my father's bosses' whims. I'm tired of all the times I've had to move, all the times I've had to pack my bedroom only to have it unpacked, organized and used for a short while, then have to pack it again only to move once more.
My dad's a scientist, he works all day long, all night long, and it never seems to end, so I barely have a chance to see him, to talk to him. We share a special relationship, he's the only one that knows about my Hobby, and when we are alone, I let my heart come out and talk to him about anything that happens. My twin also talks a lot to him, though he does not care whether anyone else is there. Our mom died when we were newborns, only my older brother remembers a bit about her, and the only things my twin and I know about her have been told to us by our older brother.
Maybe I will finally get to rest a bit today, actually write some in my diary, unless…
"Roxas! HEY ROXAS!" my hyper-active brother Sora rushed into my room; "Come on let's go to the mall!" he shouted as I closed my notebook and got up from my desk chair.
"I don't want to" I said, not in the mood to argue with him.
"But Rox…" Sora whined.
"Don't you ever call me that" I snapped at the spiky haired brunette who had barged into my peaceful thinking, feeling guilty afterwards because he was not the one I was supposed to be shouting at.
"Roxas, go with Sora, he'd get lost by the time he's across the street if you don't" our older brother called.
"I don't want to go shopping" I whined. It was unfair, since he broke up with his girlfriend and had that perchance with Seifer — I shudder to think of it — he's been feeding us with his overprotection and overgrown ego, always thinking he's in charge just because dad's never home and that scar's meaning…
"Don't look at me like I was a rat, I just want to avoid YOU the trouble of going looking for Sora through the whole city" Leon said sternly, directly into my eyes. "You don't want to go looking for him through Higher Tenebras City" he repeated softly.
I knew Sora, he could get lost with a map in his hands, he could even get lost in the bathroom if it wasn't for the door. Too much sugar-fed hyper-activity had burnt his neurons, and his ADD was not a plus by any means. Leon on the other hand was too oh-so-brotherly-crap and too lazy to go to the mall himself. He would use the excuse 'I have to stay and organize the house, you are his twin' as he had so many times if I continued whining. I have two big jackasses as brothers, and it's not that I hate them, on the contrary, I love them, but that's not something they'll ever hear me say…
"Don't be so gloomy Roxas, it's going to be fun" Sora said for the umpteenth time as we arrived to the mall. I had not found a reason strong enough to stay at home and have Leon take Sora to the mall. "Oh look, an arcade! And they have DDR! Let´s go Roxas!" Sora shouted happily, pulling on my sleeve to get me to go into the arcade. Like I would…
"I don't want to go in there…" I said harshly to Sora as he tried to steer me into an arcade. He looked abashed by my negative.
"Oh, ok, but if you want to play I'll be here" he said kind of sadly, though he brightened shortly afterwards, seemingly fond of a song that was starting. Man, what a brother…
"Once I'm done with my book-shopping, I'll come pick you up to go to the ice-cream parlor" I told Sora as he waved to me happily and ran to a DDR machine set in the center of the arcade.
Now I had a while for myself. My books and writing materials have waned since my last mall trip, which I should say was more than two months ago. I don't DO friends. My only friends are my dairy and my books, what's the point of having friends if I'm going to move away after a few months? Crappy life…
I arrived to the bookstore, it was looming and dark, like it had never had a visitor. The window panes were darkened, as if to keep secret the holy haven within its walls. I felt like a sailor clinging to a loose plank for floatation, trying his best to hold on to life, his life…
I went in, it was just as I had thought: Lonely, silent and full with books. It had two tables with many chairs by its sides, intended to be used by frequent visitors, though the tables themselves looked like their only visitors…
I was startled by a voice to my right, it was a short boy with silver-bluish hair with bangs that hung in front of his right eye, a deep blue left eye the only seeing appendage to be gazed upon. He wore a long-sleeved black shirt and a name tag that read Zexion in his left pocket. He spoke gently, as if to not disturb a slumbering beast that would rip his heart out if awoken.
"Can I help you?" he whispered barely audible, his thin lips moving in a futile attempt at a smile.
"Do you have some mid-XIX century dark literature?" I asked softly, trying my best to not raise my voice, in case the beast chose to slaughter me instead.
"Yes, come this way" he showed me to an aisle formed by two book cases filled with books and encyclopedias. "Are you looking for something in particular?" he asked me as his hands, delicate looking, caressed the spines of many books as he passed by them.
"Do you have anything from the romanticists of that period?" I asked him softly, trying to gauge his stance. He seemed very calm and in his environment surrounded by books…
"Hm… Do you like Poe?" he asked me softly, looking at me for the first time since he left his spot behind the counter. I was shocked by his slender frame and face. I tried my best to not blush, but none the less I felt my cheeks warming, though why I can't understand.
"Eh, yeah, I like Poe" I stuttered slightly, trying hard to stop the blushing.
"So, Poe is it?" he asked, his face never faltering, seemingly unaware of my brain-crash. Man, this is crazy.
"Yes please" I said softly. I wanted to rush out of the store, this was maddening.
After a few minutes of silent reading, I chose that Compendium of Poetry to be my favorite. I had managed to calm down, still not understanding the reason of my sudden behavior. I took the book to the counter and paid for it. I would never get bored of spending a month's allowance to buy a couple of books. I went out of the bookstore, and as soon as I stepped into the mall, I went cold. Sora was there, waiting for me beside a black haired girl with a toothy grin. They looked happily at me before eagerly waving and shouting my name. After they calmed down a bit I asked her name to Sora…
"This here is my peer DDR dancer" Sora said happily while pointing to the girl; "She's Yuffie" he smiled as she started speaking about DDR and how she and Sora were not at the same level. Man, was I unlucky or what?
"Hi" I managed to say quietly as Yuffie and Sora started talking about ice-cream and DDR.
"Uh, let's go get some Ice-Cream!" Yuffie said jumping excitedly as Sora joined in their 'Sea Salt Ice-Cream!' chant. And I couldn't stop myself from smiling, but I quickly hid it, give the case Sora looked at me and decided to mock me about it.
"By the way, you haven't told me your name" Yuffie said smiling widely looking at me.
"I'm Roxas" I deadpanned.
I walked slowly to the ice-cream parlor while they ran all the way there and then came back to me, all the way speaking happily, they seemed to want to push me…
I should NOT have thought about pushing; about a second after that thought Sora and Yuffie started to push me towards the Ice-cream parlor.
"You know Roxas, an old lady would walk faster than you" Sora said pushing me a little harder; I couldn't help but glare at him.
"YOU KNOW SORA, I can walk by myself" I said slightly angry, though this time it was Yuffie who pushed me a little harder.
"But you are slow, too slow to actually do it" Yuffie said. I humped wearily… I should NOT be doing friends or hanging out with any random person.
"I want sea salt Ice-creams, double serving please" Yuffie said to an employee who was smiling creepily when we arrived to the Ice-cream parlor.
"Of course" said the employee, his smile never faltering. After a few seconds, he brought 6 Sea Salt Ice-creams in his hands; "That'll be 4.80 Munny" he said.
"There" I handed him the money —he was snickering at the faces Sora and Yuffie had made when I paid— and took three of the ice-creams.
"That's not fair Roxas!" Sora shouted angrily. I glared at him and he whimpered, "Fine" he said pouting. Yuffie took that as her cue and took two ice-creams, leaving one for Sora.
"So tell me, you just moved here?" Yuffie asked me as Sora looked sadly at the Ice-cream he was left with.
"Yes" I said softly, hoping to any god up there that we didn't have to speak anymore…
"Are you going to attend to Memorial High School?" she asked happily. I didn't answer because now that I thought about it, dad had not told me where were Sora and I studying…
"Are you there?" Sora shouted in my ear, I felt my hand sticky and realized immediately that I zoned out thinking about dad. He brought us to the city without telling us much about school or anything else for that matter… He left us in the dark about what were we to do, so LEON chose to take charge of matters and make me miserable babysitting Sora. If I didn't love my dad so much, I would utterly hate him for moving so much…
"He's gone again" Yuffie laughed while Sora took one of my Ice-creams… HEY! Sora is NOT supposed to be taking my ice-cream…
"Hey!" I shouted snapping out of my trance; I grabbed my ice-cream back and devoured the three ice-creams almost instantly. Stupid brain freeze…
"Are you ok?" Sora queried as I held my head tightly, oh the agony…
Suddenly, Yuffie's cell phone started to play 'Passion' at top volume. She took a while to quiet it down, seemingly in trance by the song and the number she was frowning at. After some kind of phone-based staring contest, she flipped it open and…
"…WHAT?" she said in a BORED tone. I could discern a soft voice, male judging by the depth, saying something along the lines of 'Time to come home'. What followed was a long list of reasons to not go home, some of them too stupid to even be called an excuse, succeeded by a few lines of 'Dinner's almost ready' and 'That's an order miss'. Finally, she could not argue anymore; "Have to go guys, sorry" she said gloomily while getting up.
"Ow, how sad" Sora said sadly.
"Sora, we should head back home too, it's getting late and Leon's going to slaughter us if we are late to dinner" I said as I stood up from the chair and went out of the ice-cream parlor.
"Bye Yuffie" Sora said walking up to me and waving at Yuffie as she walked the other way.
"We have a DDR rematch tomorrow after school!" she shouted excitedly.
"That's a promise" I heard Sora shout while cursing inward, I'd have to baby-sit Sora once again.
We walked back home, taking the same three turns we took to get to the mall — thanks dad for getting a centric house — and arriving to our calm, deserted neighborhood, only to find that flesh-eating zombies had not devoured our neighbors but that our neighbors were not at home when we arrived. A silver haired guy with aqua eyes and a long coat was looking at our house when we got there…
"Hey, do you need something?" Sora asked to the guy startling him, for the first time in the day he bore a serious look on his face.
"Are you the new neighbors?" he asked softly, looking at Sora and then at me, and stretching his hand.
"Yes, I'm Sora" Sora said happily, taking the guy's hand and shaking it effusively.
"I'm Riku, I'm your next-door neighbor" he said smiling softly. I chose to walk into my house just as Sora started talking with him. "What's up with him?" was the last thing I heard Riku say before closing the door and running upstairs to my bedroom. I heard Leon shout something about dinner being ready in ten minutes and chose to go into my room for a while.
I sat at my desk and started to write in my diary. I was writing about my trip to the elite-only book-store, guarded by two bulky guards who didn't let in any sugar-fed ADD afflicted hyper-active brunettes or their equally hyper-active raven haired friends who would destroy the peaceful atmosphere some of us needed as Leon knocked on my door and told me about dinner and something along the lines of 'go rescue your brother before he gets lost in the front yard'. I had to save him, or there was no Sea Salt ice-cream for me after dinner…