Xigbar yawned as he strolled through the trees of Twilight Park, single golden orb glancing at large maple trees with bright green leaves, from emerald to sage, and all in between, sounds of playing children and dogs filling his pointed ears as his boots thumped along the grass and dry ground. He gripped his blue sketch book a little tighter and kept his orange messenger bag close so he didn't get it caught on a bush. Ducking under trees, and finally he was in front his favorite spot where he got an amazing view of the lake, and summer was the perfect time to draw the lake; there were plenty of lizards and frogs, ducks, fish, and the scenery was just right for a drawing. Most residents didn't know that the lake trailed through the forest and into another small lake, most of the river being underground, though the second lake lead to the ocean outside Twilight Town. He...he had been drawing his whole life... painting and sketching, all day and all night when he could. He could draw and paint animals, fantasy creatures, in vibrant colors and extreme attention to detail, but most of all... he loved to paint and draw people: faces, still, and in motion. Every time he suffered in his life, drawing was what he used so he didn't have to talk. Unfortunately... he hadn't been able to draw anything good months.. Every time he drew, it ended in failure with him scribbling over it in frustration... He hated to admit it, but he needed a muse.. Someone who could truly inspire him.
He gave a sigh as he walked up to the lake, setting his sketch book on a nearby rock before he stretched. Fish sped away when his shadow came close and a frog croaked before hopping in the water, and then he spotted a blue and purple lizard with a red underbelly sunning itself on a rock in the water. Xigbar quietly sat his messenger bag down and grabbed a pencil from it and his sketch book, sitting close to the rock, but it close enough so that the lizard wouldn't be spooked and slip away. He took his pencil and began to sketch the lizard, and as if it wanted to be sketched, it turned it's brightly colored head his way and Xigbar smirked to himself, tongue stuck out as he concentrated deeply. A cool breeze blew through the area and his long ponytail tickled his back, the only sounds being birds, distant children, and the furious scratching of a pencil. Xigbar was halfway through the sketch, having finished the base sketch and started the details, when there was a soft rustling beneath him and muted footsteps, but he was too deeply engrossed to notice them, even with his good hearing.
The lizard saw the approaching figure with beady eyes and it darted away into the woods, much to Xigbar's dismay.
"Hey, what the hell, you scared 'im away.." Xigbar shouted and whirled around, but the second he saw the teenager approaching him, his pointed eyebrows raised at the small male who gripped a sketchbook underneath his right arm and holding a white and silver backpack. The teenager looked shocked, then his expression changed into a scowl, but he still approached Xigbar with hesitant steps. Xigbar didn't make a move. The kid had to be the most beautiful person he had ever seen in his entire twenty seven years of life... Bright, honey golden hair akin to fresh baked buns, each strand blending into the other perfectly, and lively sapphire orbs that seemed to be home to every shade of blue and filled to the brim with emotion. He was dressed in simple blue jeans and a blue t-shirt. The teenager's skin was pale but softly tanned, and every feature looked was pure, unspoiled perfection... Xigbar was in awe.
"Hey.. um, sorry about that.. I didn't know you were here." The teenager said as he walked to his right, sitting down on a tree stump a few feet away from where Xigbar sat, setting the bag next to the stump."So... why are you here?"
"'s cool, kid." Xigbar chuckled, setting his sketch book on the soft grass."I always come here. Pretty nice here and no people to bother ya. Oh, yeah, name's Xigbar."
"Roxas- I'm Roxas." Roxas... that was his name. A beautiful name for a even more beautiful boy. Roxas looked over and upon closer inspection, saw Xigbar's sketchbook, then the messenger bag, and he put it together. "You draw too?"
"Yeah, been drawin' for all my life, kiddo. You?" Xigbar asked back, turning towards Roxas, smirking. Roxas had noticed it before, but the man.. had a eye patch.. and the biggest scar he had ever seen, even dwarfing the one Hayner had on his knee from a biking accident.. Xigbar was certainly the most interesting man he had ever seen... He had never seen someone with that color eye, he didn't even think it was physically possible... Xigbar's lone eye was bright golden yellow with flecks of yellow intertwining with gold. Xigbar had tan skin from what he could see, the man clothed in a bright green button up shirt splashed with paint of all colors, blue jeans also splattered with paint, white combat boots with all sorts of designs painted onto them, and the oddest hair: midnight black streaked with metallic silver tied in long, waist length ponytail. At first glance, he wouldn't have expected the man to be an artist if he didn't have such paint covered clothes, maybe a construction worker, or a soldier considering the scar and eye patch.
"The same, but I mostly paint. I can see you paint as well," Roxas laughed, smiling and Xigbar couldn't help but grin at the amazing smile.
"Cool name, kid. Paintin's my favorite thing," Xigbar chuckled."Haha, I painted all the walls in my apartment somethin' different."
"That's pretty cool, Xigbar. I haven't done anything big like that, just small things or medium sized canvases." Roxas said, and he kept staring into Xigbar's eye, mesmerized by the intense, interested gaze that almost seemed out of place with the man's bored expression. Xigbar gave a grin, and Roxas watched the large scar stretch in curiosity.
"Awesome. Yer in high school? You look younger than you seem, like.. fourteen, kid."
"Hey!" Roxas exclaimed, scowling with a raised eyebrow."I'm seventeen, not fourteen, old man. And for your information, you look as old as you probably are."
"Touche', little dude. And I ain't old, I'm totally only twenty seven." Xigbar stated, smirking. Roxas was pretty feisty, calling him out, and he liked that.
"Twenty seven? You look at least forty, Xigbar. Are you lying?" Roxas smirked playfully, crossing his arms as his sketch book resting in his lap.
"Nah, I ain't lyin', kiddo. And I don't like like I'm forty." Xigbar outright laughed as he dug around in his pocket, finding his wallet and opening it. He took his driver's license out and tossing it at Roxas, who deftly caught it. Roxas looked over the thin, plastic card with scrupulous eyes, and his eyebrow's raised when he saw the birth date and age on the card. Xigbar was indeed twenty seven, and the license didn't look fake, but then again... he had no idea what a fake looked like. He nodded to himself, and tossed it back.
"Told you so, kid."
"Yeah, yeah..." Roxas huffed through a smile. He could tell the conversation was just about done because it was getting to be a awkward silence. He couldn't think of much to talk about with a completely random stranger than was ten years older than him. He mentally slapped himself in the face: They could talk about art! He wasn't sure why, but he got a good vibe from Xigbar. The man was funny and seemed fun to talk too, unlike most adults... And when Xigbar smiled.. it made him want to smile.
"So...like, what do you like to draw?" Roxas asked, and he swung his legs over the stump like a small child.
"Eh, fantasy stuff like dragons, animals, but I like paintin' people most of all. Haven't been able to draw much recently though," Xigbar chuckled, shrugging.
"Me neither. I've been really busy with school. I mostly draw animals and landscapes, or sometimes my friends if I sketch. I'm not too good with people though unless I'm near them." Roxas grinned.
"I bet. School sucks, haha. Too much work for me. I sketch too, use pastels sometimes and colored pencils when I don't paint." Xigbar said as he shifted, laying down with his fingers clasped behind his head.
"I like pastels as well, Xigbar." Roxas smiled and stretched, yawning.
"Cool, kiddo. So, what type of music do you like, kid?" Xigbar asked out of the blue, leaning up slightly to look at Roxas in interest.
"Well, I like techno, rock, pop, international songs... One of my favorite artists is Utada Hikaru, she did one of my favorites, Sanctuary."
"I like her too, she sounds real nice. I mostly like techno and a bit of rap if it's good."
Roxas didn't respond as he stared at Xigbar who looked at the sky leisurely, before talking again.
"Wanna see some of what I've drawn?" Roxas asked as he caught his sketchbook which had slid off his lap.
"Sure, I'll show ya some of mine too." Xigbar responded, reaching for his messenger bag and opening it. He shoved his current sketchbook in and pulled out one that was noticeably older, with tiny drawings all over the dull green cover, and a small tear in the side. He flipped the cover back and turned to the fourth page, while Roxas turned to the first page of his sketch book, turning the sketchbook around and displaying it. Xigbar stared at the drawing of a tiger intently. It was an amazing piece for the kid's age, the lines were crisp and clear, high attention to detail, and he could see the passion embedded in the art. Roxas' art reminded him of his... detailed and full of so much passion. He hadn't had that much passion in his recent works...
"Woah, that's pretty awesome, kid."
"Thanks, Xigbar!" Roxas gave another of his gorgeous grins.
"No prob, it really is great. Here's one of mine.." Xigbar turned his sketchbook towards Roxas, who immediately gasped in awe. The drawing had to be the most amazing picture he had ever seen. A dragon with such vibrant colors, green and yellow scales which colors blended almost perfectly, intense orange eyes filled with emotion, in a pose that seemed to embody strength itself. It's long tail swept around it's body and its horns almost looked to be real. It was a lot better than he could ever do, but Xigbar was much older than him and must have more experience... He watched as the artist turned the page and he gasped again. The second drawing was of a male who looked a little older him, with bright teal eyes and odd hair that was a cross between a mo-hawk and a mullet. It didn't even look like a drawing, but a photo! Xigbar had true talent.
"Those are amazing, Xigbar! Really! That drawing looks like a photo... Wait a second... That's my music teacher!" Roxas exclaimed, eyebrows raised.
"Thanks. You know Demyx? He's a old friend'a mine,."
"Yeah, he teaches music at my high school, he's a awesome guy."
"He sure is, we used to hand out as teenagers and I talk too him sometimes but I haven't seen him in a while."
"Cool! That instrument of his..."
Roxas hadn't realized how long they had been showing each other their drawings and talking until he finally looked at the horizon, where the sun was setting and the sky was a mix of oranges and pinks, then at his watch before he exclaimed,"Shit, I gotta go!"
He hopped off the tree stump, brushing the back of his blue jeans off. Damn, his parents were going to be all over him... he was almost late for dinner and his parents hadn't been getting along in the last month; he didn't want to cause any trouble for them. He snatched his backpack up and unzipped it, shoving his sketchbook into it and zipping it shut.
"What's up, kiddo? Leavin'?" Xigbar asked, sitting up.
"Yep! My parents are gonna kill me if I'm late," Roxas laughed, slipping his backpack on."I had fun talking to you, Xigbar."
"Yeah, me too, kid. Wanna talk some other time?" Xigbar asked casually as he watched the teenager heads towards the line of trees.
"Sure! I can come back here tomorrow if that's okay with you." Roxas turned towards Xigbar, who grinned.
"Awesome, I can do that. See ya, kiddo."
"Okay! See you later, Xigbar!" The latter waved back at Roxas who promptly dashed into the trees, pushing branches out of his path, and Xigbar turned back towards the lake, finally registering the sunset; he had arrived late in the day, maybe... three o'clock in the afternoon. It was hard to believe he spent the last three or four hours talking with someone he just met... the most beautiful person, he had ever met. Even Demyx had
nothing on the teenager known as Roxas. He had seen plenty of blonds but no one with that hair color or anyone with that eye color.. it was like looking at a clean, perfect jewel. He would love to draw the kid.. Roxas was interesting and he had great talent for art. He was really looking forward to talking with Roxas tomorrow. Hopefully, they could talk more about art or music or something.. Xigbar looked to his left, and as if on quo, the lizard he had been drawing before slithered up to the same rock it had previously sunned itself on, and he smirked, grabbing his pencil and sketchbook slowly. Maybe this little lizard was a sign of something...
II~XIII~II~XIII
Roxas panted as he stopped into front of his house on Twilight Lane, digging around in his pocket until he found his key and poking it into the lock, turning it and entering his house. He sniffed the air and he smiled; His mother made his favorite, macaroni and cheese. Holding his backpack in one hand, Roxas slipped his sneakers off and toed them to the wall, smiling when he heard his mother calling his name.
"Roxas!"
"Hey, Mom..." Roxas groaned as his mother, Tifa, him tight, squeezing him. Smiling, she pulled away, long black hair swaying slightly. She was beautiful, just like her son, but her hair was a totally different color, and her rich brown orbs eyes were full of strength and passion.
"Where's Dad?" Roxas asked as he headed straight towards the stairs, passing the kitchen to his left and the living room to his right, his bare feet thumping up the stairs.
"At work, as usual.." Tifa rolled her eyes before walking into kitchen that smelled of baked cheese and spices. Roxas sighed; His father always seemed to be at work..
Roxas got to the stop of the stairs, stretching as he passed his mother and father's and his brother's rooms and walked up to his door, able to here his brother's music faintly. He turned the knob, immediately tripping on a pair of bright red and blue high top Converses, backpack flying across the floor as he hit the white carpet, muttering curses. His stupid twin brother just had to leave his shoes in the floor... and not even in his own room, no less! Sora was careless like that... He was thankful that he was the cleaner of the two, making sure to organize his clothes and items, unlike the brunette... Sora would just throw his shoes and clothes all over the floor and always left a plate or glass on his desk... but he was caring and a good friend, even if he was irritating sometimes. Most likely his twin brother had been listening to music, wasn't paying attention, and kicked his shoes into his room by accident. Roxas got up and brushed himself off, grabbing the shoes and backing out to knock on Sora's bedroom door. He could hear Sora's favorite song playing and footsteps, meaning the brunette was dancing.
"Sora, you left your shoes in my room!" Roxas shouted, knocking on the door a little harder. The music stopped and the door opened swiftly, Sora hugging his twin brother.
"There were my shoes... Thanks, little bro!" Sora grinned, taking the shoes from Roxas.
"You were only older by like a few minutes, Sora!" Roxas laughed, pushing his slightly taller brother playfully.
"Still older, technically." Sora chimed, laughing as he tossed his shoes in a random direction.
"Shut up!" Roxas answered back, moving back into his room to set his backpack on his computer chair.
"Boys! Come down for dinner!"
"Alright, Mom!" The two brothers answered in unison and then broke into laughter at how in sync they were. They always had been, able to sense each others emotions without even talking or finish each other sentences. Sora ran down the stairs followed by Roxas, the brunette skidding into the medium sized kitchen. Sora grabbed a few plates from the cabinet to his left and Roxas got glasses, and their mother moved a glass dish of macaroni and cheese onto the square shaped table in the upper left corner.
"When will Dad be home?" Sora asked as he placed the plates on the table before flopping down, grabbing the spoon his mother sat down and immediately digging into the bowl.
"He said in a hour or two, maybe earlier..." Tifa sighed, holding her cheek for a moment."It would be nice if he came home earlier..."
"That sucks..." Roxas muttered as he turned the sink on and began to wash his hands. They barely saw their father... it seemed like he was at work all day, everyday. He knew his father have a stressful job that did require him to work overtime and late nights occasionally, but he never heard of a businessman having late night shifts everyday of the week... but then again, his father worked for one of Twilight Town's biggest companies, the producer of his favorite ice cream brand and times were a little tough. At least he had something to look forward to if he father had another twenty-four hour shift: meeting with that artist, Xigbar. Xigbar had to have been one of the coolest adults he knew, besides his parents and his music teacher, Mr. Fortissimo and his english teacher, Mr. Thomas. He wiped his hands on a nearby towel before sitting down adjacent to his twin, spooning macaroni and cheese onto his plate.
"So, how was your day, Roxas?" His mother asked on her strong voice as she got a forkful of macaroni.
"Pretty good. Had some tests and stuff, but while I was in the park I met this awesome artist named Xigbar. We talked for a long time," Roxas replied before he chewed his macaroni, humming in joy at the wonderful tasting food.
"That's nice. What school does he go too?"
"He's out of school. He knew my music teacher too."
"He knew Mr. Fortissimo? That's pretty cool." Sora mumbled through a large spoon of macaroni. "What's he look like?"
"Well, he looked really tall, he had a huge jagged scar on the right side of his face, and an eyepatch on the left. He had black hair with silver stripes through it, tan skin, and the weirdest eye color..." Roxas sighed, trailing off as he thought. The man was strange looking but extremely handsome. He would have loved to draw Xigbar.. "His only eye was bright gold.."
"That's weird." Sora quipped, raising his eyebrows at his twin.
"Hey! Xigbar's really cool. I'm gonna talk to him again tomorrow."
"That seems like a bad idea, Roxas..." Tifa scowled at him, and Roxas frowned. "You barely know him and by what you say, he looks suspicious."
"Mom!" Roxas whined, something he never did. There was something about Xigbar... He just had a gut feeling that he needed to go back and talk with Xigbar more and even if his mother said no, he was going to meet Xigbar again anyways. "Xigbar's a good guy. I'll be fine, and it's not like I'm defenseless... You did teach me kick boxing. Please?"
Tifa raised a eyebrow and sighed. She was a mother, and she was supposed to protect her children, especially from random strangers in the park. She had told them numerous times not to talk to strangers, even when they were teenagers... What kind of mother would she be if she let one of her precious sons get hurt or abducted?
"I can go with him, Mom." Sora offered.
"Well..."
"C'mon Mom, I'll be fine. I don't need Sora with me." Roxas huffed.
"I suppose-" Tifa was cut off by the front door unlocking and opening, and she gave a sigh and slight scowl."I'll be back in a minute, I need to talk to your father..."
As their mother got up from her seat, Sora leaned over to Roxas and whispered,"Here they go again..."
Roxas sighed. In the last month, his parents hadn't been getting along well, and he guessed it was because his father had been working so much but his mother had been somewhat ornery in the last two months... And the whole thing was irritating. He knew parents didn't get along sometimes but he wished his mother and father would think of them when they did fight. No one wanted to hear them yell at each other, especially Sora and himself. He was glad they were done with their dinner... both of them to run up to bed, hopefully go to sleep and not hear anything though Sora enjoyed eavesdropping. Hearing fierce hushed whispers, both boys took their plates and quickly finished the last bites before setting them in the sink. Sora looked around the corner; their parents were in the living room. They dashed up the stairs quietly, stopping outside Sora's room.
"You're gonna go and meet that Xigbar guy anyway, aren't you?" Sora grinned.
"Yeah, so what? Mom pretty much said yes..." Roxas gave a slight scowl as he opened the door to his room.
"Oh well. 'Night, Roxas." And Sora shut his door as Roxas responded,"Good night, Sora."
Roxas faintly heard his parents from beneath the floor as he unbutton and unzipped his jeans, taking them off and tossing them into a dirty clothes basket next to his desk. He took a minute to make sure his room was up to his standards of clean; His desk to the right was free of any wrappers or loose papers, his easel next to his desk was.. as clean as it could be, no clothes were peaking from his closet to the left, and his bed straight in front of him was made up right, sky blue and pale yellow sheets and comforter in place. He took his t-shirt off and placed it in the basket, moving next to his closet where a blue dresser stood. Taking a green pajama shirt and bottoms from the second drawer, he put them on as the whispers volume grew and he could make out words.
"...Cloud, why... ever home?"
"It's my work... a lot of break-ins and missing funds..."
Roxas sighed as he exited his room so he could brush his teeth, quickly going through the procedure so he could go to sleep as fast as possible, before his parents got any louder... He wouldn't have picked his current room if he knew his parents would fight... but then again, Sora's room is nearly directly over the living room so he heard more of it... Closing his door, pulling his sheets back, and climbing into bed, Roxas snuggled up under the covers until the blankets covered up to his neck. His thoughts were random as he breathed softly, turning towards the wall, and then they stopped at Xigbar, and he subconsciously smiled. He could barely contain his excitement. He didn't know any other artists at school except for this creepy girl.. Namine, and he never went near her. It felt nice to find someone who loved art as much as he did, even if said person looked pretty strange but he shouldn't judge a book by it's cover and neither should his mom, though he could understand her reasoning. His mother was a lax mother but she was protective, as was his father. Xigbar.. had the most amazing grin too. His grin made you want to smile and laugh and the funny thing was... he just met the man. He hadn't seen him around Twilight Town, but he never did pay a lot of attention when he was out, especially if he was with friends. Maybe while he was at school he could try and draw something... maybe even Xigbar himself. Even if his parents were going to be cold to each other tomorrow, at least he had something to look forward too besides a day off from school.