"The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, is in its loyalty to each other."
(Mario Puzo)

Chapter 1 : Family Meeting

Kairi began to play with her hands nervously. It was nearly eight and neither side had shown up yet.

Sora could see how anxious his girlfriend was getting and gently placed his hands on top of Kairi's, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Relax Kairi. You're getting worked up all for nothing," the brunette said as he ruffled his spiky hair.

The red-head sighed. "I'm worried Sora. Maybe this isn't such a good idea…"

She didn't get a chance to finish as Sora had already interrupted her. "Don't sweat it! They should all be thrilled that we're going out! I want everyone to know that Sora Strife is dating Kairi Fair!" He yelled it loud enough that everyone in the restaurant had heard him. This caused Kairi's face to turn a bright shade of red as she signalled him to lower his voice.

"Y-You're just an idiot sometimes!"

He gave her one of his goofy smiles. "That's exactly why we're dating isn't it? You're the smart, pretty, and capable girl…and I'm the handsome looking idiot that makes you laugh."

Before Kairi could tease him on the "handsome looking" part, Sora silenced her with a quick peck on the lips. As they parted ways, Kairi couldn't help but smile, prompting Sora to smile back at her. He didn't want her to stress about this meeting at all. After all, whether their families approved of it or not, it wouldn't stop Sora from seeing Kairi.

However, he also didn't want to leave their families in the dark. The two of them had been dating for nearly a year now and he decided it was about time they made their relationship public.

Sora quickly pulled his chair closer to Kairi's as he took his hand and caressed her face. "I promise everything is going to be fine. Besides, they wouldn't dare get into a fight in a restaurant of all places!"

Kairi pulled Sora's gentle arms away from her face. "Obviously, you don't know Leon," Kairi said nervously. "I just don't want any tables getting smashed tonight…"

"Well, Xion can be a handful too!" Sora said as he laughed trying to lighten the mood. "And don't get me started on Roxas!"

Kairi just gave him a shrug. The last time she had seen Roxas was in elementary school. Since he was Sora's twin brother, Kairi could only imagine how much he had changed over the years.

"Anyways I have to go to the men's room. Call me if anyone shows up okay?"

"W-Wait Sora don't leave me alo-" Before she could stop him Sora had already run off. He never could stay still in one place for very long.

"Just great…" she thought to herself.

Suddenly, a pair of familiar arms wrapped themselves around her head, covering her eyes. She was startled at first, almost letting out a small shriek. When she turned around, there standing next to her was in fact her uncle Leon and cousin Yuffie.

"Oh my gosh!" Kairi excitedly said as she wrapped her arms around the two, holding on for dear life. She was so happy at the moment that it almost made her forget about all her worries in the first place.

As her grip kept getting tighter and tighter, Leon casually pulled away from her embrace, gracefully allowing Yuffie to get strangled to death all on her own.

"Good to see you Kairi"

Finally deciding to give Yuffie some much needed air, Kairi let go of her cousin, who looked like she was in much need of a glass of water.

"Nice to be back," Kairi said. "Gosh, I'm just so damn happy to see you guys!"

"I cou-ack!" Yuffie was still gasping for air. "I could see that! Man you're stronger than you look girl!"

Kairi just gave her a devilish smile as Leon and Yuffie took a seat at the table.

"By the way!" Yuffie said, playing with her utensils. "What made you decide to meet up here? Leon could have picked you up at the airport if you only told us what time you were getting back! What's going on Kairi?"

It was then that the thrill of seeing her family again was replaced by that gut-wrenching nervousness she was experiencing earlier.

"Well…" she began to stutter.

"Hey Kairi!"

She didn't even have a chance to give them her explanation as Sora had already come out of the bathroom. Leon and Yuffie gave her a look. As she turned around, Kairi saw that it was without a doubt her boyfriend that had called out to her.

As Sora approached their table, he stood behind Kairi, gently placing his hands on top of her shoulders. Leon gave him one of those "looks" that went unnoticed by Sora, but Kairi definitely saw it.

"Who's your friend Kairi?" he asked, given the both of them his stern "parental" look.

"Well he's my bo-"

"I'm her boyfriend sir!" Sora said very proudly.

Before Leon could respond to this blunt statement, Yuffie had already taken the wheel.

"Oh my gosh! You're the mystery man I kept hearing about!"

"Yuffie!"

Yuffie turned to face her cousin. "What? It's true!" she said excitedly, completely ignoring the fact that Kairi was turning a deep shade of red.

Feeling she wasted enough time with that little side argument, Yuffie directed her attention once again to Sora. "So mystery man…" She eyed him from head to toe, analyzing every single feature.

Sora gave her a nervous look. "Y-Yes?"

"What's your name? Where do you work? When did you two meet? Did you make the first move or did she? Have you gotten to second base? Who wears the pants? Are you rich? Give me details!" She was hardly out of breath and could have carried on longer, but she felt like those were enough questions to get them started.

Sora just stood there with a clueless look on his face. Leon was looking off to the side, pretending that he could care less while his ears were still locked onto the conversation. And Kairi? She was having a rather nice conversation with the floor, muttering something about killing Yuffie when they got back home.

After Sora had a chance to absorb everything that was asked of him, he finally let out a loud chuckle. "You really haven't changed much eh Yuffie? Still full of energy as ever!"

Yuffie raised her eyebrows at his statement and gave Sora a suspicious look. "How do you know my name?"

Kairi jerked her head up. This was the moment of truth. This was what she had been worrying about all evening. "Well that's because he's…"

Once again Sora had interrupted her. "My name is Sora," he said turning his attention to Leon. "Sora Strife."

Before either Leon or Yuffie had a chance to react from his statement, they were interrupted by the voice of a waiter leading a familiar group of people.

"Reservations for Strife, this way please."

As Sora looked over, he was the first to see that it was in fact his father Cloud and the rest of the family making their way towards the table.

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Leon hastily ruffled his keys as he silently stormed in the house. Kairi and Yuffie followed in afterwards. The three of them had not said a word to each other since they left the restaurant and the car ride home was just as awkward.

To say that the dinner was a disaster would be an understatement. Sora's naïve optimism and hopes of peace were all but shattered when a fight had nearly broken out between Leon and Roxas. She was nearly jumping for joy when the manager had threatened to call the police, prompting Leon to drag Kairi and Yuffie out of the restaurant. One could only imagine what would happen if their family bickering had dragged on for any longer.

As they entered into the living room, without saying a word, Leon sat himself on his "special" chair and pulled out the morning newspaper. Apprehensively, Kairi sat on the couch across from him as Yuffie sneaked off into the kitchen. She figured it would be best for them to have a talk alone.

When Yuffie had left, Leon set the paper aside as he folded his hands together and hunched his back over. His eyes met Kairi's in an icy cold glare.

"When and where did you two meet?" he asked coldly.

Kairi eyes widened at his question. Of course she knew it was coming, she just didn't expect him to be so frank just yet. Then again, this was Leon she was talking about.

"W-We met almost a year ago on Destiny Island," Kairi said nervously. "I was meeting up with a client and he was there on vacation. She spoke slowly, carefully choosing her words as a slip of the tongue could set her uncle off at any given moment. "It really was a coincidence…"

"There's no such thing as coincidences Kairi!" her uncle shot back. Kairi just remained silent as she looked down to stare at her feet. "This whole city knows what kind of a man Sora Strife is. He's a rich playboy with no work ethic!"

Kairi took in a deep breath. "I know what you're thinking Leon." She jerked her head up so that her eyes met Leon's. "But Sora's not like the rest of his family. He's a very simple minded guy…"

Leon shook his head. "Kairi, you of all people should know better than to trust anyone in that family…" Kairi could see he was trying to keep his anger under wrap but found it hard to control his emotions. There was a moment of silence between them until Leon spoke up.

"Fifteen years ago, you're father died in the Great War. If it wasn't for Cloud Strife, he and your mother would still be alive right now!" He tried to hold back the tears that started forming near the corner of his eyes. Kairi knew it was difficult for Leon to put the past behind him. It brought up painful memories for her as well.

She was only seven-years old at the time. Kairi and her mother stood outside the porch looking out as the men dropped their bags in the back of the bus. They were all set and ready to go as her father noticed them standing outside, waiting for him. He signalled the driver to give him a few moments and he nodded. When he reached the front of the house, he wrapped his arms around her mother as he brushed away her auburn hair, placing a soft kiss on the top of her forehead. As they pulled away, he focused his attention on Kairi, bending down to match her height as she jumped into her father's arms.

"Take care of your mother…" was all he said as her father gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and headed off. Leon was there waiting as the two boarded the bus. Her father had promised to take her to Disney after he came back. That was the last time she ever saw him.

It happened nearly fifteen years ago, but Kairi still remembered it well. After the attempted invasion on Radiant Garden, the three of them had decided to enlist in the military. However, after the Heartless had been defeated and driven out, only her uncle Leon and Cloud had managed to return home safely. Her father had been killed during a bombing raid, though they never did find his body underneath all the rubble. They could only deem him as missing in action. She remembered the day Leon had come home breaking the news to them. It was her eighth birthday.

Of course Kairi had shed her fair share of tears. A night didn't go by where she didn't cry herself to sleep. After months and months of mourning however, Kairi found that the tears had suddenly stopped one day. She figured it was because the grieving process had ended, or maybe it was because deep inside she knew, no matter how much she cried it wouldn't bring her father back. Though the real pitiful one was her mother.

Every night Kairi would see her mother standing outside the porch, looking out into the streets, as if half-expecting the raven-haired man to one day walk right through the front gates. Kairi rationalized that her mother was in denial, but it was more than that. She believed. She never stopped believing that her husband would one day return home. He never did though, and she died from a broken heart just six months after.

"Heh.." Leon snickered. As Kairi looked over, she saw nothing but a cold, expressionless face.

"The man comes out of it a war hero while to this day your father is nowhere to be found. Couldn't even give him a proper burial…"

"Leon…"

"I don't trust anyone in that family Kairi. He and your father were stationed at the same base…"

Kairi understood Leon's suspicions. It didn't make sense how Cloud could have evacuated and yet her father didn't.

"I know Leon." Kairi bit her lips, finding it difficult to get the right words out. "But…whatever happened is in the past. Even if you don't trust Sora, even if you don't trust the Strifes…you should at least trust me."

Leon's eyes widened.

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Sora pulled up in front of Strife Manor. He had taken a rather long detour, hoping to avoid explaining himself to his family when he got back. As he unlocked the front door and stepped inside, Sora saw that all the lights had been turned off. He let out a sigh of relief, grateful that everyone was already fast asleep.

As he walked up the stairs, Sora quietly made his way to the bathroom, hoping to brush his teeth before going to bed. As he placed his hand on the knob, the door to the bathroom had opened on its own. Before he had time to even react, he found himself standing face to face with his twin brother Roxas.

"Um I-I…" Sora stammered.

Roxas simply stood there drying off his spiky blonde hair with a towel. He didn't even look the least bit surprised at seeing Sora, almost as if he was expecting this to happen. Before Sora could get a word out, Roxas stepped out of the bathroom and began walking towards the room across the hall.

"Game Room. Now."

Sora sighed. He was really hoping to avoid confrontation until the next morning.

"Same old Roxas…" he whispered under his breath.

Roxas stepped in first with Sora following shortly after. The Game Room, otherwise known as the "Man Cave", was a special section of the Strife Manor that was only visited by Sora and Roxas. What started out as a storage space for sports equipment eventually evolved into their own private arcade.

"Hasn't changed a bit," Sora thought to himself as he took a seat on the couch while Roxas leaned up against the pool table on the other side of the room.

After a moment of silence between them, Sora decided to break the ice. "I know what you're thinking…"

"Really now?" Roxas said while casually chalking up his cue stick.

Sora learned to the side, setting his hands on the armrest. "Don't worry about it. I'll talk with mom and dad in the morning."

Roxas lined up his shot. "And say what? That you won't see that girl anymore? Because family is more important than anything else? That you can always replace a girlfriend but never get a second set of parents?"

Sora flinched at this. He looked up at Roxas, who was looking right back at him.

"I'm a little offended."

Roxas smirked. "Please Sora. I know all the tricks you use to coax mom and dad. Just don't try using that oily tongue with me."

Sora sighed getting up off the couch and making his way towards Roxas. "This feud started with dad and Leon. It has nothing to do with me or Kairi."

Roxas scoffed as he took a shot. He missed by an inch. "You weren't there when I saw that crazy lunatic knock dad on the floor and dislocated his left arm. You weren't there when that maniac threatened to bring dad to court and charge him with murder! That family is made up of nothing but barbarians, your girlfriend included!"

Sora shook his head. He had heard this story many times though. After The Great War, Sora's father had risen to stardom, even being deemed an honorary war hero for his efforts during the Battle of the Thousand Heartless. Though he had a very promising future in the military, Cloud decided to resign from his position and instead opened up a business. Whenever Sora had asked him, he was always quick to change the subject, never revealing why he decided to give up his dreams.

It was during the grand opening of Avalanche that Leon came and started a fight, leading to his father's arm injury. He never did hear the other side of the story though. Even being together with Kairi, the two of them had a mutual understanding that it was best to leave the past in the past.

"Maybe Uncle Leon had his own reasons for doing what he did."

"Uncle Leon?" Roxas raised his eyebrows as he gave his brother an annoyed look. "Why do you always seem to defend outsiders?"

Sora thought back to the past. "We were once pretty close you know…"

It was true though. Before the war had broke out, before the death of Kairi's parents, before his father's accident, the Fairs and the Strifes got along very well. You could even say that they were one big happy family. Kairi's mother even teased about marrying her off to either Roxas or himself. Even after fifteen years, he still couldn't believe how far off they had strayed from one another.

Roxas set his cue stick on the table as he began to pace himself around Sora. "I don't trust that girl."

Sora looked at him surprisingly.

"On the outside she seems very sweet and innocent. But in reality she is greedy and manipulative. I have reason to believe that you two meeting each other was no accident…"

His statement was so ridiculous that Sora couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Roxas, I'm twenty-four. I don't need you to analyze someone before I can start dating them."

"I doubt it." Roxas shot back.

Sora sighed. "Anyways, enough of this. Let's play a quick game."

"If you lose, you aren't allowed to see the Fair girl anymore!" Roxas was never one to play simply for fun.

Sora chuckled. "And if I win, does it mean you won't object to us seeing each other anymore?"

Roxas picked up his cue as he signalled for Sora to start. "Begin."

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Kairi was all set up and ready to go to bed when she heard a knock on the door. Before she could even get off the bed, Yuffie had already picked the lock and walked right on in.

"The Great Ninja Yuffie has arrived!"

Kairi gave her cousin a funny look. "Why bother knocking if you were just going to barge in anyways?"

Yuffie shrugged as she closed the door behind her. "I don't know. Give you some sense of privacy I guess."

Kairi laughed as Yuffie inspected her room, obviously trying to see if she brought home any souvenirs from her travels.

"You can stop looking. I didn't really have time to buy any keychains."

"Of course you didn't. Spent too much time with your boy-toy," Yuffie said, teasing her.

Kairi's face flushed with embarrassment as she grabbed a pillow and covered her face with it.

"Not you too…" Her words were so muffled up that Yuffie could barely make out what she said.

Her cousin laughed as she sat herself on the edge of bed, pulling the pillow away from Kairi's face. "Relax! I'm just happy to see you happy Kairi."

"T-Thanks Yuffie." She really meant it too. After that little confrontation with Leon, it was nice to get some support.

"I mean, just the way you talked about this guy on the phone tells me you must really like him a lot." Yuffie paused, thinking about what to say next. "It's just that…"

"Just what?" Kairi asked hesitantly.

"You know what Leon said." Yuffie leaned closer to Kairi as she spoke, worried that her father might storm into Kairi's room and join in on the conversation at any moment. "Sora's known to be a playboy Kairi. How do you know he's not just playing with your heart?"

Her question took Kairi by surprise. She only expected teasing from her cousin, not for her to really pry this deep into their relationship.

"Well…"

"Well what?" Yuffie was on the edge of her seat now, eagerly waiting for a response.

"He's actually a really sweet guy. Very simple-minded and kind-hearted. Nothing like the player those magazines make him out to be."

Yuffie scratched the back of her head. "But how do you know he loves you?"

"I can't really describe it. When I'm around him, I just feel very safe and secure. He makes me feel happy and loved, and he doesn't let all the business between our two families get between us. When we're together, it's just him and I. "

"Would you say you love him?"

Kairi blushed at how frank her cousin was being. She hesitated for a moment, though she didn't really have to. Her answer had been clear for a very long time now.

"I do."

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"I win!" Sora happily exclaimed as he set his cue aside and ran victory laps around the table. "Now, remember what you promised!"

Roxas sneered as he leaned up against a nearby bookshelf. "You are the definition of the word naïve." He stroked his hair away from his eyes as Roxas looked onto Sora who was wearing his usual clueless expression. "Even if I were to win, would you really have kept your promise and stop seeing Kairi?"

Sora sighed in defeat as he realized what his brother was getting at. "You tricked me…" He tried giving his brother his best puppy dog pout, but it did nothing to faze Roxas.

"You're simply an idiot who is easily tricked." Roxas said as he sat himself on the couch.

Sora tried to look offended as he sat next to Roxas. "After all this time you still only see me as a kid. And the sad part is we're twins!"

Roxas chuckled a bit. Though they were twins, they couldn't be any more different from each other. To quote the words of their sister Xion, "Roxas was the scholar and Sora was nothing but a slacker."

"If you really want to prove yourself, you should consider working in Avalanche and help me out. Don't just go around partying all the time. You need to take up responsibility for the family business."

Sora shrugged him off. He really hated those office jobs. The suits were just way too stuffy and the people there were really boring. Almost every time his father or brother brought up the idea of him coming to work in Avalanche, he was always quick to change the subject.

When he noticed Roxas starring at him, Sora simply folded his arms and gave him a look as if he were thinking about it.

"Hey!" Roxas said trying to grab his attention. He knew Sora was just stalling. "You've got good people skills. Why don't you consider working in the public relations department?"

"Hmm…" Sora stroked his chin, imitating his brother. "That sounds like a very interesting proposal. Why don't you let me shower and then sleep on it."

"Wai-" Before Roxas could argue, Sora had already dashed on out into the hall.

"I'll give you an answer tomorrow!"

Roxas hung his head in defeat, deciding to focus on the problem at hand instead.

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It was nearly three in the morning and Kairi could not fall asleep to save her life.

She pulled out her cellphone, hoping to talk to Sora when she suddenly remembered what the time was. Hesitantly, she decided to write up a text message.

Kairi : You awake?

She read the message over nearly five times, debating about whether or not to send it. After a wasting about a minute or so, she pressed the send key and waited for a response.

To Kairi's relief, Sora had sent her back a message almost instantly. To her dismay however, the phone wasn't on silent, creating a brief but very loud ring. Fortunately though, it didn't ring long enough to wake up the rest of her family. She let out a sigh of relief as she read over Sora's text message.

Sora : Yeah I'm awake. How about you?

Kairi shook her head. This was definitely her boyfriend.

Kairi : No Sora! I'm texting in my sleep!

Shortly after she received another message, though she made sure to set her phone on silent this time.

Sora: I wouldn't be too surprised. You can do a lot of amazing things.

Kairi smiled. Sometimes she wondered if Sora was more stupid or charming.

Kairi: Did you have a talk with your parents?

Sora: Not exactly. Got an earful from Rox though! How about you?

Kairi: It's been a long night…

Kairi waited for a response from Sora but he didn't reply. She assumed that he had fallen asleep and was ready to do the same when her phone lit up. It was Sora calling her. Hesitantly, she picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey! Catch you at a bad time?"

"What are you doing! What if your parents wake up!"

Kairi could hear Sora laughing on the other end. "You act as if we're in high school or something! You're the one bugging me at three in the morning!"

Kairi smiled to herself. She didn't say it out loud, but she had to admit she missed hearing the sound of his voice.

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A/N : Well there's the first chapter for you! Sorry if it got a little draggy, had to get all the dramatic family history issues out of the way. Do you support any sides at this point, or are you impartial? Anyways feel free to review and critique my work. Criticism is very much encouraged!

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Preview...

"No one in your family can be trusted!"

"This is serious! He might end up in jail!"

"I'll get everything sorted out. Trust me!"

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