Swap

Summary: Verb. To trade or exchange one thing for another. Poor boys, if only they knew what was really being traded. (Akuroku)(RikuSora)(Zemyx)

Author: Musical Enigma

Word Count: 4, 920

(That's more than half of my 9 chapter story!!! -dies-)

Disclaimer:

I own nothing. Nada, zip, zilch. Kinda makes sense huh?

Note:

Okay, I have taken on the task of writing once more. Yeah, I'm back. And with a chapter story (-the crowd gasps-). Yes, very shocking indeed. What scares me more though, is the fact that this chapter was eleven pages long with times new roman font size 12. I know, probably not too impressive, but it's the longest I've ever written. So I'm quite proud. Thus being said, I'm going to try and shoot for 8-10 pages per chapter.

So, a little background as to the inspiration might be in order? Believe it or not, I was sick so I decided to start writing again. However, being sick and all, I slept a lot. And when I woke up, I don't know…it just kinda came to me. Simple and sweet. I loved it. Not to mention, I got to incorporate my favorite genre! (Go on, take a guess).

I might want to warn you that this is my first yaoi / shonen-ai fanfic. I know the difference between the two, but I've yet to decide how I want the story to flow. Yes, I have a tendency to just write off the top of my head. But anyways, I fell in love with Akuroku. I refuse to see any other pairings now.

And also: I LOVE YOU 'NEA!!! (She helped me edit…sorta haha…it still took a while to think of a title though).

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Chapter One

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"I miss you…when are you coming back?"

"Demyx, I haven't even left yet!"

Said blonde simply pouted. Sighing, I dropped the clothes I was attempting to shove into my already stuffed-full suitcase and sat down beside him on the bed. Ignoring the fact that I would probably have to refold the discarded clothes (as they had landed unceremoniously in a lump on the floor) I looked up at the other boy and sighed, smiling half heartedly at him.

It wasn't that I was leaving on purpose. I just needed to get out. Explore- broaden my horizons and all that jazz. Truthfully, I was getting bored of the same routine. Wake up, go to school, come back to the dorms, do homework…it was repetitive. It was boring.

But then again, I wouldn't change it for the world. I loved the routine. So simple. And I hate change. So why was I leaving the repetition that I thrived off of?

I'm a real hypocrite, ya know?

I jumped slightly when Demyx wrapped his arms around me in a hug. Not to say I didn't like the contact, it just caught me off guard is all. I patted his back awkwardly, unsure of how to respond to such a sudden action. I mean, yeah, Demyx has hugged me before. Hell, I bet he'd hug everyone in the world if he could. But this…this was different. I knew it would be a while before I got to hug him again – it saddened me. I love Demyx, not romantically of course, but I do. That's what makes leaving harder. Cause I know that, when I oversleep, he won't be there to wake me up and shove toast in my mouth before pushing me out the door. He won't be there to carry me home from a party when I pass my drinking limit (or scold me afterwards, lecturing me how I'm technically not old enough to drink – yep, I'm only nineteen). He won't…he won't be there.

I felt my throat tighten as I struggled uselessly against the onslaught of emotion about to overtake me. I buried my head into his shoulder and shut my eyes, allowing streams of salty tears run down my cheeks. Man, I was going to miss him…

"Roxas? Hey, listen, I know I've probably distracted you enough." Demyx chuckled. I let go of him wistfully, hastily wiping away tear streaks. Demyx hadn't noticed- and I was glad. If he knew I was crying, I'd be stuck there for another three hours while he apologized.

"Yeah" I shoved him playfully. I was counterattacked by a hand ruffling my already messy hair. I gave my best pout and stuck out my tongue, getting up to refold the discarded clothes on the ground and try shoving them into the overstuffed suitcase once again. Once I managed that task – albeit barely – I grabbed my backpack and turned back to Demyx, who had gotten one of his multiple guitars out and was humming while he played some song I didn't know. I smiled.

"Well, I guess this is good-bye then?" I muttered rather dejectedly. Demyx stopped his strumming and set the instrument down. It suddenly seemed much quieter – I suppose he had been playing for longer than I imagined. He got up and gave me yet another bone crushing hug.

"Be safe, okay Roxas? Don't run into traffic or talk to strangers. I mean, well, I suppose you're going to have to talk to some new people, but not if they look suspicious. But…I mean, some nice people don't exactly look all too nice, so talk to people, but make sure they're good people. Cause looks can be deceiving and all. But don't be mean either. And, uhm, oh man Roxas, I'm gonna miss you. Make sure to call daily! Ok, not daily…weekly. How does weekly sound? Yeah, call weekly. And make lots of friends! And send postcards! I've never been to Twilight Town before, so make sure to take pictures too! And souvenirs! I love souvenirs! Especially ones that make noises and such…gosh, it's gonna be so lonely without you. I mean, yeah, that Sora kid seems nice and all, but I'm still gonna miss you! Be nice and uhm…don't get pressured into anything you don't want to do! Gee…did I cover everything? I think I'm missing something…Oh yeah! I'm gonna miss you!"

Done with rambling, Demyx finally let go of me, allowing me to breathe normally once more. Panting slightly, I shot a confident smile (yeah, I'm a pro at acting) and slung my backpack over my shoulder, grabbing my suitcase. Checking to make sure I had my cell phone and iPod, I gave a grin to my roommate.

"I'm gonna miss you too Demyx." I replied, holding down the newest onslaught of tears, "Don't scare Sora." I laughed. Sora was my brother – twin to be exact.

One last hug and I was off towards the train station ready to carry me away to Twilight Town. It wasn't too thrilling: into the taxi, out of the taxi and aboard the train. It was a good three hour ride to my destination – one which I will not bore you with. Instead, let me fill you in.

Sora, mentioned earlier, is my twin brother. We both grew up on Destiny Island along with our sister, Namine, and older cousin, Cloud. Sora and I went through school together, just the two of us. We depended on each other. It was hard to open up to others…we had a rough childhood – thus a trust issue – but we had friends. That is, up until two years ago, when Sora and I parted and went to different colleges. At first I was mad – I had always thought we'd stick together. But it turned out okay, I got to go to college on the island (not too far from home, but far enough to get a feel of independence) and Sora went off to Twilight Town University.

Namine…gosh the kid was brilliant. Like, genius – the next Da Vinci if you ask me. She's two years mine and Sora's junior, but smart as hell. Fantastic artist, that kid. She got to graduate early, and currently goes to some top school for the fine arts in Hallow Bastion.

Cloud…he's our guardian. Yeah, it's a long story, but at age eleven (if you have trouble with math, that makes Namine nine at the time) he became our dad. He always says he would have adopted us sooner, speaking that up until he did so, our lives were shit. It's something we don't really talk about. The day Cloud turned eighteen he adopted all three of us. I couldn't have asked for a better parent.

So here I am now, heading off to Twilight Town University to switch schools with my twin for two months. And, yes, I am nervous as hell. I flipped out my cell phone for the umpteenth time (a nervous habit I have: the constant need to know the time) and, well, checked the time. 5:45 p.m. shone at me in bright green. I frowned slightly. I still had forty five minutes of travel time. I stared around at the occupants of the train only to discover that there were close to none. Just some man who looked like he was returning from work (judging by the tired expression, crumbled newspaper and business suit) and a cozy looking couple falling asleep over each other near the back. At that display, I felt rather awkward.

Not to say that public signs of affection annoy me. It's just…I never really understood the concept of love. Never experienced it. Not that it bothers me, I'm just curious is all. What it would feel like to have someone to hold hands with, to hug without awkwardness. I always hear stories of 'butterflies-in-my-stomach syndrome' and 'heart-beating-out-of-control-itis.' Oh yes, and the infamous 'forgot-to-breathe symptom.' It all sounds very weird to me. First off, the only time I thought I had butterflies in my stomach was when I was puking. I parallel heart-beating-uncontrollably to running too hard, and forgetting to breathe? Who's stupid enough to forget how to friggin' breathe?!

Needless to say, love is a stranger to me.

More than likely, it's one of the strangers that Demyx told me not to talk to. Man, I missed Demyx already. I flipped out my cell phone, thinking about calling him. I decided against it and instead checked the time. Again. 6:00 p.m. – I still had time to kill.

I shoved my hand into my pocket and drew forth my iPod. I smiled as I inserted the earphone into my ear and turned the device on, flipping it to shuffle and drumming my fingers on my knee. I examined the music player, coming across the inscription on the back. It had been a gift from Demyx, the iPod. If owning multiple guitars amongst other instruments isn't a hint enough, Demyx is a musician. One of the best, in my opinion. I was going to miss the random songs strung together…waking up in the mornings to a good round of the newest songs dedicated to food. Not to say he only composed songs of pancakes or anything – I had a few songs dedicated to myself (usually played when I was in a bad mood, as they never failed to cheer me up.)

And then, there were the songs about the chef of the food (a.k.a. Zexion). Yeah, Demyx didn't cook. With good reason too. I laughed abruptly, causing the three passengers of the train to simultaneously stare at me. I managed to cover the unexpected noise with coughing – barely. I couldn't suppress the smile I had, however. Eventually, they stopped staring and turned back to their own activities.

So, back to Demyx and his cooking. It had been my first night at Destiny Islands University. Undeclared, scared and very much a loner, Demyx had welcomed me immediately. We became quick friends (it's hard not to befriend Demyx) and he kept promising me a surprise the next morning. So, the next morning came and I awoke rudely to the smell of smoke and rapid conversation in the kitchen (it was more of a suite apartment than a dorm – the luxuries of Island living) only to enter and find Demyx and another male who was later introduced to me as Zexion arguing over a something on the ground that I noted was on fire. Anyways, I had never seen such a wreckage of a simple meal. The scrambled eggs were watery, mashed up slivers of brown (how he burnt and undercooked them, I will never understand), the toast was black and shriveled from heat (I doubted he knew what a 'toaster' was) and the orange juice was…green (I'm not even going to begin questioning that one). The enflamed object I had seen earlier was hastily pushed into a secluded corner to extinguish itself, and then never seen again. If it weren't for Zexion, I believe we all would have starved that morning.

I lurched forwards as the train stopped, unaware of the time that passed. I dug into my pocket, checking the time. 6:30 p.m. – big shocker there. You'd think I would be able to piece that sort of information together. As if to better point out my useless time-check, a feminine voice sounded, announcing the time and arrival of the train. I grabbed my suitcase and backpack, marched off of the train and out of the station.

The city wasn't as huge as I had expected to be completely honest. It was a pleasant little atmosphere, small shops lining the roads with people walking here and there to their respective destinations. I couldn't help but wonder exactly where my destination was. Glancing around nervously, it hit me that I had no idea how I was supposed to get to the university. Halfway into a panic attack, I felt a tap – more like a shove – to my shoulder. I swerved around immediately, probably startling my assailant, as the person took a step backwards. It was a girl with crazy blonde hair and cold blue eyes, about an inch or two taller than me. But boy did those few inches make a deep impression.

"Hello. You must be Roxas." I thought about replying with a 'no' and high-tailing it back into the train. I really did.

"Yes…" I replied hesitantly. She held out a hand, which I shook. God her grip was firm! It scared me…

"My name is Larxene. I'm a teacher at Twilight Town University. I'll be your chaperone." She recited with a scowl. I suppressed a shudder.

I weighed my choices. I could follow the teacher who looked like she might kill me at any given moment, or risk wandering unfamiliar territory for hours on end. Well, there were ups and downs to both situations. Larxene's a teacher, so technically, she's supposed to protect students, right? But then again…I spared a quick glance and I could have sworn I saw electricity running up those bug-like antennas that she sported as a hair style. I had no desire to be electrocuted at the moment...

On the other hand, I could wander the streets aimlessly. I mean, I would eventually find the school…or someone who knew where the school was, right? The only problem was, my cell phone read 6:45 p.m. That means most of the shops would be closing. Which means I would have to actually talk to people roaming the streets. Which means I would have to roam the streets! And…and then a people could try and abduct me! I really don't want to be abducted…

"You coming?" Larxene asked (read commanded). I looked up, realizing that while I was musing at the ground for the past minute or so, she had taken the opportunity to start walking towards...the school perhaps? Maybe this would be less painful than I expected. Not only could I wander the streets, but I could do so without being abducted!

By the time I caught up to her, Larxene was tapping her foot impatiently beside a beat up old car. The thing itself made me worry for the upcoming ride. I was about to suggest that we walk up to the university until Larxene spoke up for me.

"It's a twenty minute drive. We are not walking."

Well, that settled that. I hesitantly climbed into the car after placing my stuff into the trunk. I dead panned. You have got to be kidding me…

Okay, let me explain. The car itself was totaled from every point. The rear bumper was bent in the middle and the light on the left side was completely shoved into the body. The passengers' side – to my deep dismay – also sported a huge dent. I was too terrified to check the front, but from the view of my seat, it did not look pleasant.

The inside was also a disaster. Junk and trash littered the entire floor; the backseat was filled with papers (which I assumed required grading) and some grocery bags. But worst of all, there was no seatbelt on my side! Panicking, I gathered up the little courage I had to inquire as to where the seatbelt was kept, but instead a rope was chucked in my direction.

"Uhm…what is this?" I asked hesitantly, praying that this crazed woman had just misplaced it.

"Don't have a seatbelt on that side, kid. Last accident took it clean off." Larxene replied. I wasted no time tying myself to the chair, let me tell you.

"Hold on tight!" Larxene yelled as she started the engine and slammed her foot onto the gas pedal. I have never taken such advice so seriously.

It may have been a twenty minute car ride, but Larxene made it there in five. Not joking. I don't think I have ever yelled so much for fear of my life being in terrible distress. I don't care what anyone says – I'm walking to the train when these two months are up! There is no way in hell I was getting into a vehicle of any sort with that crazy woman driving.

Larxene pulled into a parking area (passing the 'wrong way' sign without a second glance, mind you) and placed the car in park. I had given up yelling at running red lights and exceeding the speed limit by thirty miles per hour long ago. My mouth was dry and voice was all but gone. I remained silent while Larxene got out of the car with ease, choosing to remain still and not make any sudden movements for fear of a delayed seizure or other medical hazard that could spontaneously occur due to such stress. Finally, I managed to untie the rope which had held me in place (for most of the ride) and grabbed my stuff. I could feel my legs wobbling, ready to give out under me.

Larxene, however, had already begun marching onto the school grounds. Once again, I was forced to run to catch up to her, missing a lot of scenery on the way for fear of being lost. When I caught up to her, not only were my legs still shaking, but I was out of breath and gaining bruises from where my suitcase had managed to whack me on my sprint. Taking a quick glance around, I realized I had run farther than imagined – I recognized nothing.

"Here." Larxene shoved a key into my hands and walked off leisurely. "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow, kid." She called with a wave of her hand as dismissal, not even bothering to look back and check that I didn't collapse and die from exhaustion or something. Luckily, no medical hazards or serious health threats plagued me and I was able to gather my sanity. I glanced at the key which read 8C. Great, just what I needed: more exercise. Figuring that the key went to a dorm within the building before me, I began to climb the stairs outside, seeing no elevator available to help my voyage.

By the time I reached the third floor, I was dead tired. My cell phone read 7:30 p.m. and my legs were all but eager to continue walking. Yet, I had to walk…just a little farther. I was instantly regretting this whole college switch. What I wouldn't give for a shower…for my old room. I'd even suffer Demyx's cooking at this point!

I finally came before the door labeled as 8C and shoved my key into the lock. To my great surprise (as it had seemed that nothing was going to my advantage until now) the door opened. Smiling, I stepped inside only to find…

"HOLY SHIT!"

I quickly shut the door once more, leaving it as a barrier between me and a half naked man with bright red hair, brilliant green eyes, and a towel on his waist. Hastily, I dug out my cell phone and punched in Sora's cell number, only messing up twice. Boy, did he have some explaining to do! Running a hand through my hair, I listened to the ringing of my cell, praying for Sora to answer. My heart continued to race as I slowly slouched down against the wall.

What the hell was that about?!

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I disembarked the train that took me into my home town. Destiny Islands…yeah, it had been too long. I smiled, grabbing my things and soaking in the memories. It was short lived, however, because my stomach demanded food. Yeah, if there's one thing you learn about me: I am a bottomless pit. Or…my stomach is. I like food. A lot.

I swear…I need to marry a chef.

A very sexy chef…

I was cut short (yet again) from my daydreams by my growling stomach. I grinned sheepishly as I received a few strange looks from some nosy people – mostly kids. Okay…step one then, Operation: Feed the Sora. Decision made, I headed out of the station and into the streets. I immediately located the bus that would take me to Destiny Islands University campus and put my operation on hold. I mean, Roxas ate food, right? I might as well get used to eating at my new home…

The bus ride, to say the least, was boring. Painfully and excruciatingly boring. But luckily, it was also very short. I sniggered to myself most of the way, gaining some curious glances in my direction. I decided to tell the good citizens of the bus why I sniggered so, speaking the fit of giggles wouldn't cease and more and more people were glancing warily at me.

"No worries, I was just thinking that Roxas, he's my twin if you don't know him, well, he's going to have to ride with Larxene to the university." I stated, oblivious to the fact that some people might not know Roxas…or Larxene…or the university which I spoke of. Needless to say, many citizens disembarked at the next exit. Not that I minded. More leg space for me!

I arrived at the campus within ten minutes, making sure to bid the remaining people on the bus farewell. I admit, I have a few…issues. One of them being brutal honesty. I usually will blurt out the first thing that comes to mind, without taking a second thought. The problem is, sometimes, the things aren't very nice. It's a childish habit, I'll agree, but bluntness runs in my nature.

A second fault of mine is that I happen to have a short attention span. Which in turn, causes me to make mistakes, such as getting lost. Did I mention that I was lost? Sure, I was on school grounds, yet I had no idea where I was supposed to be headed. Then it dawned on me.

Oh god. I'm lost!

Panicking, I turned my head side to side, up, down, everywhere to look for any signs of familiarity. I had never stepped foot on this campus (living on the Islands was only help for the city). When a hand was placed on my shoulder, I nearly jumped out of my pants and had a heart attack. All at once. Yes, I am very talented in that manner.

"Are you lost?"

"I've been here for nearly five minutes and I don't know where to go! I'm supposed to be on a college switch with my twin, Roxas, but so far I've only managed to scare the civilians on the bus and blindly walk onto the campus with no hope of survival! And I'm hungry! I'm gonna starve and dieeee!"

By now, I was on my knees before the tall, slate haired emo looking boy who had asked the simple, three worded question. Okay…so maybe I was a bit dramatic. I glanced up at the person once more to see his face contorted into a look of mild shock. Okay…so maybe I was more than a bit dramatic…

"So let me get this straight" the boy mused. I nodded in approval – getting things in order was always good.

"You're lost?"

"Mhm."

"You're Roxas' twin?"

"Yes."

"And you're hungry?"

"Terribly."

"Gotcha. Follow me."

And with a flick of the wrist, I was immediately trailing behind the emo who looked a year or two my senior. I was mildly pleased – he hadn't run away, burst into flame or died. That was always good.

"I'm Sora." I announced with a grin.

"Zexion." Came the reply. Ah, the start of a beautiful friendship.

We finally came to the dorms and Zexion immediately led me to the second floor, room number 13B. I immediately began digging for my key, but before I had found it, I was trapped in a giant hug from a person on the other side of the door. With a minute of struggling, I was finally released to come face to face with my new roommate.

"Oh Zexy, I'm so glad you found him! I was getting so worried that he might have gotten lost and abducted by giant pandas, then wandered aimlessly for days until he starved and dieeeeeed! And then I would be like: 'oh no! Sora died and Roxas is gonna be sooo pissed!' and then I would have to go incognito to the grocery store for fear of poisoned soap. But anyways, I'm blabbering waaay too much and so who's hungry?"

I could already tell that I liked this kid.

I looked up to Zexion, who sported a bemused smile as he walked into the room, ruffling my hair on the way. Both he and Demyx disappeared into the kitchen, where Demyx broke into song with Zexion doing most of the cooking. I tried to help, but neither of them would let me near the kitchen, their first excuse being that I was a guest. The second was that Roxas had warned them not to let me anywhere near the kitchen. Either way, the kitchen did not grant me access.

So I unpacked and bummed around for a bit before deciding I should probably check in on my favorite twin…okay, my only twin. That still grants him favorite rights however.

Another problem is that I have a tendency to forget certain things. I always have a slight hunch that something is missing, or I forgot to do something – but that's not the problem. The problem is, I never seem to remember what I forgot. It's an annoying pain, but I can't seem to fix it. I've tried everything from writing it on paper (which I threw away without a second glace), my hand (which I washed), and even on my forehead (I couldn't read backwards) but nothing works.

Thus is why, when I took my phone out of my pocket, I noted something very bad. It was off. Hastily, I turned the cellular device on and waited patiently for the thing to respond. When it finally did, I jumped and let the thing drop to the floor, where it proceeded to do a little berserk spazz of around a minute of vibration before finally allowing me to touch it.

33 missed alerts.

Uh-oh.

I pushed 'ok' and let the electronic device categorize the alerts. 18 missed calls, 9 new voicemails and 6 new text messages. All from the same person. I laughed nervously as I began listening to the voicemails, hoping that everything was okay. Something told me that turning on my phone wasn't the only thing I had forgotten…

"You have nine new messages. Message one: Sora, hey buddy. Uh…everything's fine, just, uhm, you know. Made it to the campus. Hey, uh, do you, by chance, have a roommate? Cause I just walked in on some…beep message erased. Next message: Sora, why isn't your friggin' phone on?! boop message erased. Next message: SORA I SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU!!!! bawp message erased. Next message…"

The trend went like so until all the messages were deleted, some being more amusing than others. The texts went as far as to pull threats on my life, but those were deleted too. My phone, recovered from its recent heart attack, judged me with the LCD lighting of shame. I forgot to tell him about Axel…

"Sora! Food's ready!"

Well…I glanced at the time, which read 8:30 p.m. Roxas' last message had been at 8:10 p.m. He could hold out for a little longer I guess…

Satisfied with my decision, I ran to the table and began eating and socializing with my new found friends.

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Aha, poor Roxas!

Ok, one last request.

PLEASE REVIEW.

Otherwise, I'll have to think twice about continuing. Which sucks, because I really spent a lot of time and effort on this. Go on, click the purple button. You know you want to…