Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any related works. This is purely fan-fiction.
A/N: This a rewrite of a story I wrote back in my early teenage years. It was called "Daddy Ventus." As I was searching through my computer I found the original plot outline and decided to give it a reboot, and a new title too, I heard it in a song and I doubt it makes much sense :P. I've gotten a lot better at writing since then so hopefully this goes better. Also, the story is already finished and will be updated once a week. Maybe on Wednesdays.
Dream a Little Dream of Me
Chapter 1
He tapped the table impatiently as the doctor maneuvered the room, picking through files and mumbling to himself. He really didn't have the time and he wasn't in the mood to be there.
He was adopting a kid, two of them actually, and he really didn't want to. That was a stretch to say actually, Aqua was adopting them. It was some backwards thing that made him uncomfortable, the entire thing seemed illegal. He didn't know much about adoptions, but he knew there was a process. A process that didn't involve secret labs and crazy doctors.
"Excuse me." He spoke up, "Can I see them?"
"Hmm? Ah, Ventus! I forgot you were here." The doctor said. He stalked over to him, leaning down and eyeing him, "You're here for the boys?"
"Yes." He say back, putting as much distance between them as possible.
"There." The doctor pointed his skinny finger towards a mirror.
"Um..." He started but stopped when he saw the mirror move aside to reveal a window. Behind it were two boys, each sitting in a chair at a table. The room was painful to his eyes, it was all so white. The only color being the children, go seemed pretty pale themselves. "Why are they behind glass?" He stood up and walked over to it.
"It would be dangerous to let them out at this point." The doctor shrugged, "It's easier this way."
"If it's dangerous to let them out, why are you giving them to me?" Ventus questioned. The boys certainly didn't seem dangerous at all. In fact, they looked calm and a little cute... But just a little.
"The project is scrapped." He sounded angry, "Years of work just scrapped. They aren't necessary and I need the room for bigger projects. I got ahold of your mother and-"
"Aqua isn't my mother." Ventus said, although he was the closest he'd had to one in a long time.
"I talked to Aqua and she agreed to take them off my hands so I wouldn't have to dispose of them." The doctor continued.
"Really?" Ventus shuddered, he didn't like the doctor at all. "Listen, Dr-"
"Vexen." He supplied.
"Right, Dr. Vexen, can I talk to them?" He asked.
"I'll turn on the speakers." Dr. Vexen said
"No, I want to sit with them and talk." Ventus said. A microphone and speaker seemed too distant for children that would soon be living in his house.
"That isn't possible." Dr. Vexen said, "There's no door."
"No door?" He questioned, "How are you feeding them? How are you giving them baths or doing anything?"
"All tests are hands free." Dr. Vexen pointed to a small panel near the back of the room, "The drink is put into an elevator from the basement and sent up." He pointed to another fixture, "The showers are there."
"Drinks?" Ventus questioned.
"They don't eat actual food. I created a formula that will allow them to simply drink the liquid and all nutrients and supplements for the day will be provided." Dr. Vexen said, "They get one a day."
"No door, no food. There's nothing to do in there." Ventus wrinkled his nose and leaned closer.
"They don't need anything." Dr. Vexen said, "But they do have paper and a crayon."
"One crayon?" Ventus questioned. That wasn't enough for any child. How could someone raise a child like that?
"No need to spoil them. They're test subjects, not children." Dr. Vexen sneered, "I'll have then ready tomorrow, introduce yourself." He was handed a microphone and nudge closer to the window. Dr. Vexen went about gathering files and mumbling to himself again.
Ventus looked towards the boys and cleared his throat. "Um, hello?" He spoke into the microphone. The two boys glanced up at the window but said nothing. "My name is Ventus."
They stared at him for a while before one of them spoke up. This boy was slightly taller and had chocolate let brown hair. His hair was long and unkempt, spiking up in several different directions. "I am Sora." He said. Ventus smiled, the kid sounded so emotionless an robotic. It was a little funny. "I am six years old."
"Nice to meet you Sora." Ventus nodded. He looked at the other boy. This one had blonde hair that was in the same wild style as Sora's.
"This is my brother, he is five years old." Sora pointed to the smaller boy.
"And your name is?" Ventus asked.
"Roxas." He answered. Ventus shifted and sighed. Introductions were out of the way at least. He noticed them examining him and chose that time to look around their room. If they had only paper and a crayon, where were their drawings? Did Vexen take them away? He didn't find it hard to believe that the odd doctor would do that.
"What is it that you do in here?" He asked. He looked at the mattress on the floor and the white blankets on it. There was no way they made the beds themselves.
"We draw until the light go off." Sora answered. He pointed to the table with the sheets of paper and crayon.
"We take turns with the crayon. It is a blue crayon today." Rosas explained. Ventus stared at the stub of a crayon. It was no surprise to him that they went through a crayon a day. There was nothing to do but draw. But it confused him as to why they didn't break it in half and share it that way.
"Our water comes through there when we wake up." Sora pointed to the elevator. Ventus eyed the elevator, he couldn't imagine drinking nothing but Dr. Vexen's miracle water everyday.
"Do you play anything else?" Ventus asked.
"We do not. We don't know how." Sora answered.
"But we share the crayon." Roxas added as if that was an okay answer.
"Come here." Dr. Vexen ordered. The wall next to the window began to move and a narrow doorway appeared. "Talk to them in there."
"No door, huh?" He mumbled as he stalked inside. The boys watched him as he walked over to them. "Hey, you ever had a muffin?"
"No." They both answered simultaneously.
He pulled a banana nut muffin from his pocket. He'd gotten it for breakfast while he was at school, but he'd never gotten around to eating it. It was a little crushed from being in his pocket all day.
He opened it and broke it in half, handing a piece to each if the boys. He watched, waiting to see the look on their faces and was disappointed to see that they didn't react at all. He was sure that after a lifetime of Vexen's water, they would be at least shocked to taste something different.
"I like this." Sora said, " I would like more."
"I didn't bring more, but I will tomorrow." He promised, when we get out of this place."
Sora and Roxas licked the crumbs from their hands, "What was it?" Roxas asked.
"A banana nut muffin. I'll bring more tomorrow." He promised.
"Tomorrow is when the lights come back on." Sora said.
"I won't be here exactly when the lights come. Maybe in..." He paused, "Um, 24 hours."
Sora and Roxas looked at each other before nodding, "Alright." Ventus turned back towards the doorway.
"Okay, goodbye." He waved and left the room.
Dr. Vexen pulled him out of the room and allowed the door to close. "You fed them?" He questioned.
"Yes." He nodded, "A muffin."
"They've never eaten before. You have no idea how they will react to it." Dr. Vexen hissed. He pressed a thick folder into his hands and pushed him to the exit. "Be back at exactly four o'clock. And study that package. Don't be late."
"Right." He said. He left the building in a hurry and didn't look back. It was too tempting to go back to Aqua and force her to change her mind. The boys were strange enough, but everything about Dr. Vexen put him on edge. He wasn't sure if he wanted to get involved with him.
He left the building and walked to his car. Actually, it was Aqua's car. A black Buick Lacrosse that he drove more then her. He took unlocked the door and threw the folder onto the passenger seat. As he sat down inside he smiled, momentarily forgetting the oddities of Dr. Vexen's lab and smelling the car. It still smelled like a new car despite the fact that he'd had it for a year.
He was careful with it. It was still technically Aqua's car. Despite the fact that she made more then enough to repair any damages to it, he knew she'd be disappointed at him for being so reckless.
While he drove, he eyed the folder. He assumed it was full of medical records and whatnot, but maybe there were other things. Dr. Vexen's entire project was scary to him, he couldn't imagine growing up the way they did, what if the folder held evidence of the illegal nature of the project?
And what would Aqua do if she found out? At the moment he was going to assume that he didn't know what she'd sent him to, but what if she did?He pushed the question to the back if his head and kept driving. Aqua was a good person, she wouldn't willingly get involved in things like this.
He pulled to a stop at a traffic light, noting how but the streets were, how was it that a place that allowed human experiments on children was in the middle of such a busy town? Looking around, he could see many places he visited frequently. The skate-rink, the plaza, the library, a host of diners and restaurants... Including a high class restaurant owned by Aqua.
Aqua owned 3 of them in 3 separate towns. It was the reason she felt confident enough to adopt not only him, but now Sora and Roxas.
Maybe that's how she'd heard about it. The white building that sat in the town square looked out of place, perhaps she'd gone in out of curiosity. He was sure that when she'd seem them, she immediately decided that she would take them in. He remembered she'd done the same thing for him.
As a child, after his stay with family had gone bad, he was placed in a foster home with a woman who only seemed to have children for the money the government gave her. She had 8 other children of various ages, including Aqua and another boy he'd grown close to names Terra.
He'd only been eleven years old at the time and Aqua was turning 19, but she'd taken an immediate liking to him. They'd spent nights talking, mostly about what they planned to do when she left. She wanted to open a diner, Terra wanted to be a pilot, and he'd wanted to be a super hero.
5 years later and Aqua was ready to adopt two new kids. It almost made him feel like he was being replaced, but then the thought of the children behind a glass window sharing a blue crayon made him put that thought away. He was sure Aqua had seen them and thought that had to take them in. She had the money after all, she could care for kids.
But she hadn't actually thought it over much, let alone asked him if he was okay with being the designated babysitter.
He sighed and smiled, "Always the bleeding heart, Aqua."
A/n: okay, the end of a very slow chapter. I wanted to introduce Aqua in this chapter but it can wait. I have a better entrance planned for her. I just wanted to give background and introduce some main characters.