Title: Freedom
Pairings: Future CloudxLeon SoraxRiku AxelxRoxas
AN: This is what happens when you watch Monster House on pain killers.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters mentioned. Damn.
A pair of sad, sapphire eyes stared out at the sky from behind the steel bars of a dirty cage. An equally dirty boy shook his head sadly, trying to get himself comfortable. Which was difficult with two feathered appendages sticking out of his back. He sighed softly to himself. How terribly ironic. He had wings, yet he was still bound to stay on the ground. He had been a prisoner to a man named Sephiroth, a ringmaster to a twisted circus. The main attractions being rare beings infused with animal DNA. Cloud had been kidnapped from his family when he was eleven. Now at seventeen, he was slowly losing hope of ever getting free. He winced when his back, the part not covered by his wings, grazed the rough clothe of the sack he had been allowed. He had been beaten hard tonight, to appease the blood thirsty crowd gathered to see him. A large amount of people felt that these "animals" deserved to be locked up in zoos and circuses. It was illegal to imprison them, but as we all know, laws were made to be broken. Feeling miserable, Cloud turned over again. Only to be confronted with a pair of steel gray eyes.
Giving a startled cry, the blonde-haired boy scrambled back. The other being fell backwards, momentarily disappearing from sight. A few seconds the head popped back up. It was a boy, he looked a little older that Cloud. He had brunette hair that hung low over his eyes. A scar split his face, but he could still be considered handsome. He stared at Cloud for moment before breathing out,
"I didn't mean to scare you." He dug for something in his pocket before saying, "My name is Leon. I'm...here to save you." He took a jagged metal device from his pocket before jamming it in the keyhole. Cloud stood and watched with interest. He was shocked when the door swung open. Cloud stepped out tentatively. He was unsure if this was just a dream. Leon was looking at him, a sad smile on his face. A gentle wind blew, ruffling the blonde's feathery hair. He spun around with a soft laugh. So this is what freedom felt like. Suddenly remembering something, he grabbed Leon's arm.
"There are...two others. I promised I'd get them out if I could." Leon hesitated before nodded his approval. Cloud led his way to another pair of cages, his wings stretching out behind him. Leon glanced inside to see two boys. The boys looked normal enough; the only abnormality being furry ears and tails. They were clinging to each other, as if to protect each other from the harsh realities of life. Leon performed the same actions on the door, letting it swing open. The brunette boy sat up, rubbing at his blue eyes. His sleepy eyes snapped open when he saw the open door and Cloud.
"C-C-Cloud? What's...?" He couldn't finish the statement, instead reaching down to shake the blonde haired boy. Leon saw that they had identical looks, although the blonde had silvery black ears and tail, while the brunette had russet coloured fur. Cloud held out his arms and they both rushed forward to hug him. The older boy murmured soft words of comfort, trying to soothe the younger boys. Leon tapped him on the shoulder.
"I'm sorry to rush you, but we should go." Cloud nodded, he turned his attention to the two boys.
"Sora, Roxas. We're finally getting out."
Cloud watched Leon as the man silently led them to a waiting car. He still had no idea why this person was risking their life to save him. A small whimper behind him amended that statement in his brain. Risking his life to save them. Didn't he know what would happen if they got caught? When they reached
the vehicle, Cloud could see that there were silhouettes of other people. The blonde took one last look at the place that had been his prison for six years. Leon opened the door, and with no hesitation Cloud, Sora, and Roxas got in.
There were two boys inside the car. The boy sitting in the front seat turned around. He had fiery red hair with expressive jade green eyes. Two scars shaped like upside down tear drops that looked like they had been carved into in his skin. A noise shifted his attention to another boy. He had silver hair and ice green eyes. He looked exactly like a younger version of... no, don't go there. This teen was here to help him. Cloud shifted so his wings were wrapped around himself, and not flapping in anyone's face, to slide into the car. Sora and Roxas climbed in next to him. The two younger boys were small enough to share a seat belt. Leon checked to make sure they were all comfortable, and then got into the driver's seat. He drove away at a moderate speed, while talking to the three people he just rescued.
"This is Axel," he pointed to the redhead, "and Riku." He pointed to the silver hair boy. "They wanted to help as well." Cloud nodded, stifling a yawn. "Axel, Riku this is Cloud, Sora, and Roxas." The two nodded their hellos. He felt the ground shift from crunching gravel to smooth road. He wanted to see where they were going, but was too tired to keep his eyes opened. Sora and Roxas had already fallen back asleep, tucked into Cloud's side. They viewed the older teen as a sort of protector. At fifteen, they trusted very little people after being sold into captivity by their family. Their mother had tried to protect them from this fate, but when she died; their father had immediately sold them to the highest bidder. Cloud frowned at this thought, weren't family supposed to protect their own flesh and blood? No matter how different they may be? He drifted in and out of sleep, waking when the car shifted or a particularly bright light hit his eyes. He heard Leon and Axel murmuring a conversation; an occasional word would reach his ears. He felt Riku was staring at him, an action that usually bothered him, but he could tell the stare was one of wonder and not horrified disgust. He lost track of how long the drive was, but they car finally stopped. A warm hand was placed on his bare forearm and he heard Leon's voice softly say, "We're here." Cloud opened his eyes and gasped at what he saw. The house was HUGE. It was what he imagined a mansion looked like. He turned to look at Leon,
"What does your family do for a living?" Leon smiled, stretching up and looking proud.
"My mom is the minister for the protection agency of mixed human races." Cloud's mouth dropped open. He of course heard about this agency, it was Sephiroth's adversary. They had cost the silver haired male a lot of money and business. Leon led Cloud up the walkway. Glancing behind him, Cloud smiled at the sight of Axel carrying a sleeping Roxas while Riku did the same for Sora. Cloud reached up and fiddled with his hair, if he was going to meet an important dignitary he should at least look presentable. But when Leon opened the door, he didn't expect a woman to immediately hug Leon to her chest. The same woman turned and gave Cloud an even bigger hug.
"You are welcome to stay here for aslong as you want." There was a pause and she added, "them too." Cloud guessed she meant Sora and Roxas. He felt tears prickle up in his eyes. This woman didn't even know him name and yet she was offering her home to him. Pulling back she smiled and said,
"My name is Tifa Lockheart. As I said, you are welcome to stay here. I have a room set up." She sent a disapproving glare at Leon, who looked slightly ashamed. "I was going to get them myself you know."
"Mom, I couldn't wait any longer. We decided it was better to do it unofficially. That way Sephiroth would never know. And, ergo, wouldn't escape again." Tifa looked angry for a moment, then sighed.
"Your right. I'm angry with you, but still you made me proud." She kissed Leon's forehead. She looked at Riku and Axel, snorting slightly. "Managed to rope you two into this as well, hmmm?" She sighed again. "We'll talk about this in the morning. Right now, it's late and I'm tired. I got a meeting tomorrow with an extreme mixed race group and I'm going to need all the patience I can get." Leon nodded, and led Cloud to a door. The room inside was large with simple furniture. Cloud flung himself down on the large bed Leon smiled softly at him.
"Sora and Roxas will be right next door. There is no set time you have to get up, so sleep as long as you want. That door leads to a bathroom. Ummm, I think that's it." The brunette walked over to the door, pausing to turn and say, "goodnight, Cloud." The winged blonde lay down on the soft bed, and fell asleep almost immediantly.