A/N: Hey there people! I'm taking a break from my summer camp KH2 fic (I'll update when spring break starts next week). And now I'm back with another KH2 fic! WOOT! I had this randomly great idea to mix two of my favorite things; Kingdom Hearts and RENT.
So this is basically an AU KH2 fic that is loosely based around RENT (the musical and movie). You'll see parallels between the KH2 character and the RENT character they represent. I bet you can guess who's who! But enough about that…on with the fic!
Note: This is an AU story and will not be featuring all of the characters. And that being said, the characters will definitely be a bit OOC.
Note: oh yeah, and this will have yaoi and Yuri in it (not a lot of yuri but a whole bunch of yaoi). Don't like? Don't read!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything! I'm broke! Don't sue! Don't sue!
Ch.1: Season of Change-RIIIING!- Roxas pressed his head further under the pillow as the annoying sound persisted. –RIIING!- Roxas grunted and peeked out from under his pillow to look at the small digital clock on his cluttered bedside table. '8:43…in the morning?' he thought as he buried his head back under the pillow and exhaled with deep frustration into the mattress. 'why cant Sora just get the damn phone…uggh…it's too early…' the hapless blonde thought to himself as he reluctantly threw the pillow off of his head.
Roxas sat himself up abruptly and nearly fell off the side of his bed as he was blinded by the sunlight coming though the cracks in the blinds. "Ah…! Son of a bitch…" he grumbled as he rubbed his sensitive eyes and swung his legs over the bed and onto the hardwood floor. –RIIING!- Roxas grumbled a few curses as he stumbled blurry eyed and barefooted into the front of the loft. "…the hell would call at an hour like this? Do normal people even get up at this hour? Just my luck…" the scowling blonde mumbled as he groped around on the kitchen counter for the phone.
He picked it up and held the receiver to his face "hello?" he asked grumpily into the phone. "Um…hey Roxas. You sound chipper this morning" came a pleasantly amused voice from the other line. Roxas' eyes sprang open at the familiar voice "Z-Zexion?" Roxas replied in a flustered tone. There was laughter on the other end and Roxas relaxed his body as the laughter seemed to affirm him suspicion. "Yeah, it's me. Well Roxas, I see you're still not a morning person eh?" the voice answered pleasantly.
Roxas allowed his mouth to quirk into a half smile as he hoisted himself up on the counter and sat there swinging his bare legs over the counter. "Shut up. But seriously, Zexion… how are you? We haven't heard from you in almost three weeks. How's ol' patchy and the store?" Roxas asked his old friend good naturedly as he reached across the counter and grabbed an apple from the bowl of fruit.
There was a pause on the other line and Roxas proceeded to take a bite of the red fruit just as Zexion's voice came back "It's over". Roxas choked on the piece of apple in his mouth and started to cough violently into the phone. "Roxas? Roxas are you ok? Hey…Roxas are you ok?" Zexion's worried voice came through the ear piece of the phone as Roxas hit his fist against his chest in an attempt to coax the apple piece out of his throat.
It was then that the door to the apartment opened "hey Rox! I'm back! I went down to the Greenhousecafe and Marly was just opening up so he slipped us some omelets and bacon! Score!" Sora rambled on cheerily as he closed the door with his foot while trying to balance the two paper bags and camera case in his hands. Roxas looked over towards the door and in one hard cough he managed to expel the mushy apple out of his throat. "Eww! That's so gross Roxas! Why can't you use a trash bin like a normal person" the brunette frowned as he slipped off his sneakers and hurried over to set the hot bags on the counter.
Roxas managed to flip Sora the bird as he re-gripped the phone "uhh…sorry Zexion." Roxas coughed lightly into the phone as Sora put down the bags and looked up at his cousin curiously. "Is that Zexion?" the brunette asked anxiously but Roxas merely held out a finger to silence the other man. "what do you mean? I thought you and that Xigbar guy were doing great! What happened? Is it financial problems? Are you ok?" Roxas asked as Zexion calmed down a bit from the scare Roxas had given him.
"Um…it's a long story. But the spark notes version is that I thought he was great but he wasn't and now I'm back in Twighlight Town and I was wondering if you guys may have a couch to spare?" Zexion's voice sounded hopeful. Roxas gave Sora a weird look and then sighed as he ran a hand through his unruly pillow hair. "Of course man! You're room is still just how you left it. You know you're always welcome here" Roxas smiled reassuringly although he knew Zexion couldn't see it through the phone.
"Thanks man. Hey…umm…tell Sora that I'm sorry I haven't called lately but…well I'll tell you guys later. Um…I should be there in a few …I'm not that far" Zexion said on the other line and Roxas nodded "ok. See you then" the blonde said before promptly hanging up the phone. "Wow…poor Zexy" Roxas sighed as he scratched his head sleepily. "So it was Zexy?" Sora asked impatiently and Roxas just nodded absently.
Sora suddenly grabbed Roxas' hands and nearly pulled him from the counter as he began jumping up and down excitedly "What! Zexion called? What did he say? How's the store? How that patch guy? Err…Xigbar or something right?" Sora asked as he shook his cousin anxiously. "Stop! Stop it you idiot! You're gonna make me fall" Roxas shouted back at him as he tried to push Sora away with his foot.
RIIING! Sora stopped shaking Roxas as the phone suddenly began to ring "what now damn it?" Roxas groaned as he fully kicked Sora away, causing him to hit the back of the couch and flip over onto the cushions. Roxas picked up the phone "Zexion?" Roxas asked into the phone. "Umm…not really. Is Sora there?" a sweet feminine voice answered back. Roxas cocked an eyebrow at the surprisingly familiar voice on the phone. Sora crawled up from the couch and leaned over the back. He pouted at Roxas.
Roxas shrugged and held the phone out towards Sora "Zexion's not with Professor anymore and now he's moving back in with us." Roxas said pointedly and Sora gave him a surprised looking face as he leaned over the couch. "but I thought…" Sora started but he was cut off as Roxas tossed the cordless phone in Sora's direction. The brunette was able to catch the phone just before it collided with his forehead. "Oh…it's Kairi on the phone. I'm going to go get dressed…Zexion will be here soon" Roxas said sternly as he hopped off the counter and wandered back down the small hall to the bathroom.
Sora just blinked in helpless shock and looked down at the receiver in silent panic, "hello? Hello? Sora? Sora sweetie, are you there? Soooora! Are you ignoring me?" the voice on the other end called out as Sora held the phone in his hand as if it were a ticking bomb. 'Zexion's coming home? And Kairi's calling…oh this cant be good' Sora thought as he tugged nervously on the collar of his shirt.
ON THE STREET
Zexion frowned slightly as he hung up the phone and stepped out of the musky smelling phone booth. He ran a hand through his silver/grey hair and took a deep breath full of good old city air. It tasted like greasy pizza and exhaust fumes. 'Man, I've missed this place' Zexion thought with a barely detectable smile as he readjusted the large black back pack he had on his shoulders.
Zexion gently fingered the slowly swelling bruise that was forming under his right eye. It still stung when he touched it but the pain wasn't that big of a deal to him. It definitely didn't hold a candle to the pain he felt in his side and his back. Zexion cringed slightly as a small rambunctious child ran into his side as the child chased after a renegade kitten. He was only a few blocks away from the loft apartment that he, Sora, and Roxas used to share. The three of them had met three years ago when Zexion had just graduated from college and was searching for a new apartment. His old roommate Riku had just moved out to be with his on again off again girlfriend and Zexion could not afford the rent by himself.
Zexion turned the corner into an alley way that looked less than inviting and smelled even worse. It wasn't the most pleasant scenic route but it was a short cut Zexion knew of that led him right to the street their apartment was on. Zexion stuffed his thin hands into the small pockets of his tight black jeans which he toped with a fitted dark blue tank top under a long-sleeved black button down shirt. He could still remember that day he ran into the then 18 years old Sora Steele at a nearby bus station.
Zexion remembered thinking that the boy was obviously new to the city by the way that he kept looking around with the most adorable and helpless look that he's ever seen. Zexion was never the type of guy to just go up and talk to people out of the blue. He hated that. It wasn't that Zexion was anti-social or anything but he just preferred to mind his own business and stay to himself most of the time.
"But luckily for me, Sora was that kind of person" Zexion chuckled lightly to himself as he walked leisurely down the alley. He made a quick hop over a sleeping hobo. Sleeping, drunk or dead? Zexion wasn't sure but he just kept walking anyway. It had actually been Sora who had gone up to the dark and standoffish looking Zexion and told him that he really liked his boots. Zexion had nearly fallen over with laughter when the younger boy had said that.
Of all the things Zexion may have imagined the young brunette may have said to him, that was definitely not it. It was so random and so out of the blue that the normally stoic journalism major couldn't help but laugh. 'And then Sora turned the most adorable shade of red! I thought he was going to cry' Zexion thought a he reached the end of the alley. Zexion was brought out of his musings by the sound of playful strumming on some sort of string instrument. Zexion found himself instantly intrigued by the music and it's light airy melody. It sounded familiar and strange at the same time. He looked up and from across the street he saw the source of the music.
On the other side of the street was a graceful and handsome looking young man with
blonde hair styled in a mullet/faux hawk like fashion that somehow seemed to suite him. He sat on the sidewalk in simple worn jeans and a white t-shirt as he played a large blue sitar. 'Hmm…that's odd I've never seen one in real life before' Zexion thought as he watched the blonde's nimble fingers glide across the strings on the body of the instrument.
The blonde musician looked up briefly from his playing and immediately caught Zexion's eye. Zexion felt his heart speed up slightly as he found himself caught in the act. But the musician simply smiled lightly at the at him winked before going back to his strumming. Zexion released a breath he never realized he'd been holding as the musician broke their eye contact 'well that was weird…' Zexion thought briefly before continuing to make his way down the street.
IN THE APARTMENT
Roxas had just stepped out of the bathroom after his shower and he was now wearing a pair of faded jeans and an old band t-shirt. He shivered a bit as his still moist and steamy skin made contact with the slightly cooler air from the hallway. "So what did Queen Kairi want this time?" Roxas asked mockingly as he entered the living/dining room area. Roxas was drying his still damp hair with a small towel as he came over to the front of the couch and saw Sora stretched out with his arm slung over his forehead woefully.
"Sora…" Roxas called out the other boy's name as he lifted his foot to nudge Sora in the side. Sora made a small groaning noise before reluctantly sitting up to give Roxas room to sit. "Uh-oh. What did she want this time?" the blonde asked as he tossed the towel to the side. Sora sighed "well…you know that benefit cabaret she organized for the Rec center?" Sora asked as he leaned his head back on the sofa. "yeah…the one that's being torn down next week right? Ok, well what does that have to do with you?" Roxas replied as Sora brought his feet up onto the sofa and sat hugging his knees.
"Well, the cabaret is in 2 days and Kairi can't get the lighting and stuff to work right. She said she called a technician friend of hers but he never called back so…" Sora trailed off as he chewed his lip pathetically. Roxas cocked an eyebrow at Sora "and let me guess. She asked you to come down their and fix it for her, didn't she?" the blonde asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.
Sora whimpered and groaned "yeah…" he said reluctantly. Roxas began to laugh much to Sora's embarrassment. "Sh-shut up! What the hell is so funny?" Sora shouted back at his roommate with a tone that had meant to be angry but came off as a whiny. Roxas shook his head as his laughter died down to a mere smirk, "talk about a short leash…" Roxas sighed as he stood up and began to walk over to the kitchenette area. Sora made a small sound of protest as he quickly sat up on his knees and turned around to face Roxas' back as the blonde went towards the fridge.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora pouted angrily. It really amazed Roxas how childish he could be despite the fact that he was almost 23 years old. The blonde bent down to peer into the refrigerator, seemingly ignoring his cousin. Roxas turned around again with a can of grape soda in his hand and shut the fridge door with his foot. "Roxas! What did you mean by that?" Sora demanded in a more agitated voice as he leaned forward and began trying to climb over the back of the couch.
Roxas opened the cold beverage and took a drink as he watched Sora struggle to balance himself over the couch and then finally fall off completely. "I meant exactly what I said," Roxas replied as he looked down at the sprawled out brunette "even after you break up Kairi's still got you on a short leash" Roxas said as he moved to lean against the wall. Sora managed to sit himself up and rubbed the red mark on his forehead that had formed from his impromptu meeting with the hardwood floor.
"That's not true! I told you already, it's been 4 months already and I'm over Kairi. We're just friends and it's perfectly normal for friends to ask each other for help" Sora replied a bit defensively as Roxas continued to drink his soda. "Yeah right. Ever since you broke up you've been moping around the house and feeling all lonely" Roxas rolled his eyes as he spoke.
"It's always like that with Kairi. Ever since you guys first started dating. She manipulates you, disappoints you, hurts your feelings by flirting with anything that moves and yet every time she pouts or bats her eyes you go running right back to her" Roxas spoke with an understated malice. "It's sickening the way you just let her drag you around by your heartstrings like some sad little puppy! Even though she's the one who dumped you!" Roxas was nearly yelling now as he squeezed the now empty aluminum can in his left hand.
Sora opened his mouth as if he was going to speak but he quickly clamped his lips shut and looked down at the floor. Roxas saw the defeated expression on his face and he immediately regretted his outburst. But he knew that it had been the truth and he knew that Sora knew that as well. Roxas set the partially crushed can on the counter and walked over to Sora. "Sora, you know I'm only saying this because I care about you and I hate to see you all torn up like this" Roxas said in a softer tone as he knelt down before the brunette and put a hand on his shoulder.
Sora sighed but didn't look up at him "I know. But it's just hard…I mean. Kairi was always someone really precious to me" Sora said regretfully. "We've known each other since we were in Jr. High school and she'd always been there for me when times were rough. Especially after…you know…the whole Riku thing" Sora's voice hesitated a but as he mentioned their old friend. Roxas felt his jaw tighten at the other man's name but he remained silent.
"So…I guess I'm just not really used to being alone…I mean we've been together so long it just…well it became so natural to be dating Kairi. And I've gotten so used to just leaning on her that…I dunno I guess it's selfish of me but…" Sora continued as he looked up at Roxas. "It felt so comfortable to have her with me. I mean I knew we'd never get married or anything but…I dunno…I feel kind of lost with out her here to nag me…or something" the brunette mumbled the last part as he ran a hand through his spiky brown hair.
Roxas gave his cousin a small pat on the back as he stood up and stretched. "I know…but, you have to let go Sora. It's better if you stop harping on the past and try to move on like Kairi has" Roxas sighed as he scratched his head. Sora nodded and began to stand up himself as Roxas made his way back to the hallway. Sora watched Roxas as he disappeared into his room and the brunette suddenly felt guilty for laying all his baggage on him. Sora sighed again and looked over towards the door "Hey Roxy, I'm gonna go take a walk…I'll be back later. Do you want anything?" Sora called out as he walked over to the door while grabbing his camera and it's case.
"Ok! But be careful out there. Knowing how spacey you are, you'd probably waltz right in front of a bus!" Roxas yelled back teasingly. "Shut up!" Sora yelled back as a smile fought to claim his lips. Sora opened the front door and shook his head at Roxas. "Bring me some ice cream!" Roxas called out just as Sora was closing the door. The brunette giggled and slammed the door in response. Sora took a deep breath before he began to descend the stairs of their apartment complex.
'Roxas is right…it's time I moved on. And I think today is as good a day as any. I think good things are coming my way' the brunette thought cheerily as he skipped out through the main entrance and nearly crashed into a tall redheaded boy. "Oops! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you" Sora bowed towards the darkly dressed redhead in embarrassment. The tall redhead looked down at the cutely blushing man and smirked "no problem cutie, you can bump into me any time you like" the redhead said with a provocative wink of his heavily lined green eyes. Sora looked up at the pale handsome stranger and blushed.
"Um…yeah. Well I'm sorry again. You just moved here recently right? Well, I don't think we've met before but my name's Sora Steele. I live on the 2nd floor, 006" Sora said with a friendly smile as he extended his hand to the wild looking young man. The redhead smirked and took Sora's hand in his own cool pale one. "Yeah, I've seen you before. I live on the 3rd floor 010" he replied as he shook Sora's hand. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Axel Marquez" he replied with a sly grin.
A/N: Ok that's all for the first chapter. I know it wasn't much but…well it's really just a bit of an introduction to the story/character relationships. Please let me know what you think! Like it? Love it? Hate it? Want more? REVIEW! REVIEW!
-- Chizz