Before It All Began

"Don't touch him!" Cloud pushed himself between Roxas and his father's hand. A small gasp escaped him, as the familiar pain of cold metal followed by the heat of blood seared across his right cheek. His brother was whimpering slightly, whether out of pain or confusion Cloud couldn't tell. He tried to focus on the presence behind him and the one to his right, hoping to keep his brothers, as best as he could, out of harm's way.

"Take it out on me!" He begged. He heard Ventus whisper his name to the side of him, reaching out blindly, as the darkness of the room made it difficult to see more than shadows; he placed a hand upon the younger. A signal to stay silent. The large figure in front of him, whose breath smelt rancid of beer and cigarettes, bent down to hang over him, that breath seemed suffocating to Cloud, as he lingered just above his ear, hands holding firmly onto his shoulders.

"Take it out on you? You're the little bastards who fuck me off. The shits that just seem to anger me." Cloud swallowed, he hated it when his father's voice got steady. It meant he was building up to something.

"I've always left them alone. I thought they might be less annoying. Less of a disappointment than my eldest faggot of a son. But you all…You all just HAVE to keep pushing me." His father's words seemed to cut off as the hands on his shoulders pushed down, Cloud let out a cry as he felt his father's knee hit his forehead. His head ached as he lifted it up from the blow, letting out a pained groan as the shadows of his dark world seemed to spin. Two small hands pushed against his back, as Roxas tried to keep his body steady, letting out a strange strangled sound as he did. A sound of someone stuck in between animalistic anger and childlike terror. He tried to shush them again, but struggled as he tried to regain some balance. He had hoped that maybe if they stay quiet enough his father would ignore them.

"What's with all the whimpering you pathetic-" He stopped, and Cloud took the pause as an opportunity to shuffle a little on his feet, as his world returned to normal, despite the throbbing of his head. He felt warm liquid that could only be blood slowly travel down his face from the middle of his head. The room went tense as they realised it was the phone ringing that had so distracted their father, Cloud held his breath hoping that it might be…

"It's for you dear!" Came his mother's voice, each word articulate so properly you could hear how false her accent actually was. Cloud restrained himself from letting out a sigh of relief.

"I'll be back." Cloud heard another soft growl from Roxas behind him, as Ventus clutched onto his arm when his father turned up the wooden stairs and out the basement. For a second he could see the figure of his nightmares clearly as his father looked back down at them, with a glare that meant one thing. Don't move. With that, he was gone.

"Cloud?" Came the voice of Ventus, soft, hesitant and filled with a level fear Cloud had hoped his brothers never had to experience.

"What he going to with us?" That question hurt worse than any of his father's punches. He heard rustling behind him, as Roxas shifted seemingly to hold onto his twin brother. All these years he had hoped his father drunken abuse would only be laid onto him. That his unreal expectations, and furious rage at their inability to be met, would only present itself in front of his eldest son, and arguably the one most important when it came to carrying the Shinra name. Ignorantly he had truly, honestly thought his brothers would never have to experience this pain. Now his father had turned on them too, Cloud wasn't enough.

"We're getting out of here." The words left his mouth before Cloud knew what he was saying, and he found himself shocked at his own words. For years he had never considered escaping his father's grip. For years he felt as if he had to stay here. Perhaps in part to watch over his brothers. In that moment though, when those words fell from his lips, the spell of his tyrant father had been broken. The second his brothers whimpered. The second they felt the same level of fear that had tormented Cloud since he was young. The second Cloud realised that even if it felt impossible, he knew he had to get them to a place of safety; his father's control over him was shattered.

"But we can't." A sob escaped Ventus. That was the final breaking point.

"Yes we can. The door is literally at the end of the corridor." Cloud paused for a second. The door was at the end of the corridor. All these years, they really could have left. He just…

Up until this point, he just never thought he could escape.

Cloud took in a breath, and in the darkness he covered his fear with a mask of confidence. A mask he had mastered over many years. His heart was beginning to pump with both the thrill of realising they could escape, and the fear of such an act. Part of him still convinced that it couldn't be that simple, that there had to have been some reason why he had never left before. He tried to squash the thoughts. Instead he reached behind him, where the twins were now huddled together, and took one hand of each in his own. He held them for a moment, finding confidence in both his need to protect them, and anger that they had ever had been hurt at that monster's hands.

Through the basement door he could see a stream of light flood into the room, lighting the wooden staircase to their freedom. For a moment it seemed to Cloud that the light was one of heaven, a light he had never been brave enough to bask in. Always hiding obediently in the shadows of hell. Letting go of his younger brothers, he led their way as they creeped up the stairs, slowly, quietly, as if trying not to disturb unrestful spirits that lay in the dark. Reaching the top he froze, as for a second he felt invisible claws grasp his shoulders where his father's hands had been. He chocked under a suffocating pressure. Closing his eyes he took the last step up into the corridor. The barrier inside his mind broke. He had disobeyed his father. Yet the world had not crumbled. Everything was normal. The stretch of corridor, with multiple doors leading to gaudy rooms still stood as it had for many years. The paintings, vases and other artefacts all worth more than a human life stood still. The lavish carpet remained on the ground where it should. The hands on his shoulders disappeared as for the first time, Cloud felt a sense of freedom and all his fear dissipated into determination. He really was leaving.

"Cloud…" Ventus voice broke cloud out of his thoughts. With that he grabbed his brother's hands, and with hurried steps he rushed to the door. With a final act of courage he pushed it open, and ran with them outside. Together they ran towards a whole new life. A different life. Just how new and how different? Well, Cloud had yet to discover the impossible life they were about to begin.

Xxx

"Squall! It's your turn to get the wood! Come on! Wake up!" Leon groaned as the small lump, also known as his younger brother, was practically bouncing on him.

"Fine. Look I'm waking up." He muttered as he wiped away the sleep from his eyes. He hated mornings.

"I'm getting up." He pushed the younger off him as he went ungracefully tumbling to the floor. With a bounce Sora jumped up, greeting Leon with large eyes and the world's goofiest grin. Leon sighed heavily, wondering, not for the first time, how a human could have so much energy so early in the morning. Sliding out of bed he could already hear the familiar sound of people rustling, chattering and clattering about outside his tent. Today was their last show and as always they felt the pressure to perform their best.

"Wait. Wood?" Like an old boiler engine his brain began to power up, slipping out of bed he realised he'd fallen asleep in his clothes again. Oh well, saves him having to get dressed he supposed.

"Why do we need wood? I thought we had enough logs for tonight's fire?" He remembered seeing Lexaeus leave to collect some the previous day, and given the guy's size he always brought back more than enough.

"Well, Axel accidentally destroyed some of the stock last night when he was practising the new routine." Of course, Leon thought, some things never change.

"Alright, I'll go and grab some, but I expect a decent breakfast when I get back." He watched Sora leave, stretching, trying to wake the rest of his body up. A walk might just help wash off the last of his tiredness anyway. To be fair he should have expected something like this to occur, Axel and 'accident' often found their way into the same sentence. With one final yawn he went to put on his shoes, resting his weight against his large collections of swords. He should probably polish them along with his knives and blades before the show; you have to worry about the details when it comes to making a good performance. He tied his hair up, figuring he'd leave styling it till later, and left the tent to go collect some wood.

Weaving his way through familiar faces most left him be, Leon was known to be a bit brain dead in the mornings. Out of the corner of his eye he caught the trapezius's Kairi and Namine tying up Sora, practising for his escape routine. His heart clenched for a second out of habitual fear, it seemed no matter how many times he watched the kid do the same act, it always filled him with dread. He shook away the thoughts, and waved at the couple whilst Sora continued to be tied up. Finally he reached the edge of Circus Village where the large animals were kept, they were given the most amount of space as to make sure that living conditions kept up to high standards. Xion quietly went about her business, feeding the lioness it appeared, whilst ringmaster Riku kept her company. Younger brother to Circus leader Xemnas, he seemed almost opposite to the charismatic elder. He kept to himself, and despite his friendly nature you couldn't help but feel like he was wary of everyone at all times.

"Morning Riku." Leon smiled, figuring this would be the only time before the performance he'd see the elusive boy. Blue eyes flicked from the ground and up to Leon.

"Morning" He muttered, before returning to his thoughts, whatever they could possibly be. Leon just shrugged and continued on away from the circus. He tried to say hello to Riku whenever he passed him, given that many didn't talk to him. They felt nervous around him. Leon liked to think better though. After all Sora seemed to like him. Hell, if it weren't for Riku they would never have been taken to the circus all those years ago. They owed Riku their lives.

Just allowing his thoughts to come and go in a strange web of free thought, Leon reached the edge of the wood that surrounded Circus Village. Two paths were available to him. One which lead to a rather foreboding area, unwalked for the most part and shaded from the sun to create a rather dim atmosphere. The other was far brighter, and was clearly regularly used as a footpath when the circus wasn't in town.

Now most people would have chosen the latter. If Leon had done so, he would have found a patch where some dry wood was readily available. He would have collected the wood as usual, perhaps dropped a log or two on his way back, but it would have been mostly an uneventful walk. He would of continued life as normal for a few more years, before meeting a girl on his fifth return to that very spot. He would have fallen in love, and decided to leave the circus for an average life. He'd have a child and a divorce. Been a single dad. Raised a fairly decent kid who would go on to be rather successful in life. Perhaps too successful as he began to forget where he came from. Leon would eventually grow old as all men do.

He'd die alone.

Leon is not most people though. He chose the path less travelled. Unknowingly he chose a path of love, heartbreak, hard work, secrets and adventure. He made this choice not just for himself but for all those around him as well. Because Leon is Leon and because Leon being Leon meant he is not like most people; He chose a path that would save the lives of three brothers. He chose a path that would change the lives of everyone in the Cirque Du Keyblade.

Hello, this is Aiko!

So it's 2:00 in the morning and I stumbled across an old fanfiction of mine, started in highschool, and slightly continued for a while in college.

So I thought fuck it! I haven't written fan fiction in forever but I feel like rewriting this old thing.

So I got myself a new account and here we go! The new version of Cirque Du Keyblade.

Well we'll see how this whim of mine goes!

I would like some feedback as I haven't written for pleasure in a long while as a result of being busy with University.

Also List of pairings: Leon/Cloud, Axel/Roxas,Ven/Terra, Riku/Sora, Xemnas/Siax, and Demyx/Zexion

Some characters in relationships may be mentioned on the side, but their relationships will neither be plot or subplot.

Until The Next Chapter; Stay Freaky!