Straight through the Heart

By Springborn

Author's Note: My first Fanfic for Kingdom Hearts. Please enjoy and offer some helpful hints. Please Review!

CHAPTER ONE

Twilight Town. It's a beautiful town and known for its view of the beautiful sunset that never seem to end or begin. It's a home for many and the people that inhabited are friendly and warm. But like most places, Twilight Town has its own dark secretes that can be the end of a person or start of a new beginning…

"Mommy, can we get some ice-cream?" A little girl of six years old looked up at her mother, her green eyes filled with hope for a sweet treat. Lex looked down at her daughter, Fox. The child has long white blond hair that seem to bounce everywhere as the girl always seem to skip no matter where they went. Her bangs shifted over her eyes as she bounced, holding her mother's hand.

"Yeah," Chix chimed in. "Can we mommy?" Chix is also 6-years-old and is Fox's twin. He has fiery red spiky hair and has the same green eyes as his sister. The two looked so much alike but different at the same time. They both had light tans and slim builds and they are both energetic kids.

Lex looked down at her kids, feeling sad and sighed softly. She held a small bag of groceries that would barely feed them for two days. She did odd jobs around town to earn some munny but it was never enough as she not only struggled with feeding her kids but struggled to keep a roof over their heads. She held her daughter's hand as the girl held her brother's hand, not wanting to get separated in the crowd. Her silver bangs shifted over her violet eyes a bit, hiding the regret and guilt she felt. Getting her kids a treat had been getting rarer with each passing day and the strain of having too little to no munny tugged at her heart. She was supposed to be a mother, dammit! She felt like she was failing them.

Fox's smiling face dimmed a bit as she saw the look on her mother's face and nudged her brother gently, alerting him. "It's okay, mom. We can wait." Chix nodded in agreement, not wanting to worry his mother. "Yeah, mom," he agreed. "We can get a treat when we have more munny."

Smiling, Lex bent down and hugged her kids gently. "I'm sorry guys...I want to get you ice cream but munny is a lot tighter than normal but I promise I will get you ice cream when I have the extra."

Fox and Chix threw their arms around her neck, squeezing gently. "We understand mom" they said in unison. God, she loved them dearly as she held her children tight to her. "How did you two get so mature for you age?" she asked jokingly as she pulled away to look at her kids.

Chix grinned. "We had practice!" he said giggling happily. Fox had a smile that mirrored her brother's. "A lot of practice!" she said laughing. Lex chuckled. "So it would seem!" she said smiling and stood up, shifting the small bag. "Now come on, let's head home." The twins nodded, smiling as they followed their mother home.

The house nestled between Central Station and Market Street and is on a bit of a tilt due to the street. The building is small, with only two bedrooms, a small kitchen cum living room that is also used as the dining room and there is only one bathroom for the family. The place didn't look in the greatest shape on the outside but it was clean on the inside and what furniture they did have was arranged in a way so it looked cozy and not so sparse.

Lex opened the door and the kids ran inside, heading straight to the small card board toy box. Lex watched them and smiled lightly as she put the groceries away in the fridge and sat down on her slightly lumpy couch. She watched them play with their toys, laughing and giggling. Lex felt her heart twinge again and her eyes trailed over to the night stand next to the couch. Inside was a card that could mean more munny but the cost came at a high price. Her sanity, her self-worth, and the respect she gained from her neighbors and friends and the love of her children.

She pushed back her bangs roughly, feeling some strands being yanked out in the process. 'Later' she thought. 'Later.'

"Mom, will you play with us?" Chix asked, breaking her dark mulling. Lex looked up and smiled. "Sure" she said and got up, heading over to them.

(Unknown area)

A large t.v. screen sat on the wall, playing a live feed of Lex and her children as they played together in the small home. Thirteen hooded figures watched the scene in silence but their attention is focused on the single mother. Thirteen thrown like chairs, all differing in heights; sat in a half circle and their owners sat nestled on the seats. The tallest chair rose higher than the others and a man spoke. "She would make a fine addiction to the organization, don't you agree?" he asked, never taking his eyes off the screen. The other members were curious as to why their leader was so interested in this woman. Another spoke up. "What makes you think so? She is nothing but a single mother" His tone bored and uninterested.

"Her heart" He said simply. "I can tell it's strong. Her sense of duty to her children is admirable. Her nobody will be strong. She will be a good member to our group."

"What about her children? This is no place for little brats. They'll get in the way" a voice said. "They'll be a distraction to our cause. Xion and Roxas are different for they are older, more experienced." There were a few murmurs of agreement but some of the members weren't too convinced yet about the woman.

"What about Naminé? She is good with children. She can watch them, a built in babysitter" a feminine voice spoke up and the owner of the voice shifted in her seat, crossing a leg over another.

"Interesting…she can watch them while the mother is away on missions…very well. Axel, see to it that Miss Lex Hunter joins, children and all. Understood?"

"Understood."

Twilight Town…

Lex yawned as she stood at the stove, cooking up some fish and some rice for that night's dinner. She could hear the twins playing in the living room as they waited. She glanced at them and smiled lightly as she watched them for a few minutes before looking back at the pan. She grunted softly as she could feel her stomach growl a bit. She hadn't eaten much of late, making sure her kids have most of the food as they are still growing.

"Mom? Is it almost ready?" Fox asked, looking up from her stuffed animal.

"Almost, sweetie."

Even with the odd jobs she did around town, the fridge and the cupboards were always more empty than full. Lex sighed as she flipped the fish again and turned to stir the rice quickly so she could grab the plates and forks from the cupboard and drawers, setting them on the table. "Alright, it's ready" she said. The kids left their toys on the ground and headed to the table, sitting down in their usual spots. Lex put their plates in front of them. "Eat up."

"Aren't you going to eat mom?" Fox asked, not seeing plate of food for her mother yet. Lex smiled. "I will, don't worry" she said, trying ease her mind as she went to get her plate of food and joined them at the table. Fox and Chix looked at her, almost skeptically but nodded slowly as they started to eat. Lex ate slowly, thinking of her life now. It was a lot better than it had been when she had been a slave when she had been a child. She had been the same age as the twins when the events had taken root in her life, where she started to understand the world around her.

Fox and Chix yawned, rubbing their eyes tiredly after they had finished their meals. They both looked exhausted.

"Off to bed you two," Lex said, standing up and gathering the dishes and carried them to the sink. She turned the water on, filling the sink with suds. She turned to look at them. "I'll be in shortly to tuck you in."

"Okay," they said together and trudged off to their room. Fox picked up her stuffed rabbit, carrying it with her. Lex smiled as she watched them as Chix headed to the bathroom to change while Fox changed in the bedroom. Sighing, she finished the dishes and put them in the drying wrack for the night. She felt exhausted and ran her fingers through her silvery hair, which she kept in a ponytail most of the time. The soft jangle of her earrings clicked as she sat down on the beat up couch. It was starting to get too warm and pulled off her sweatshirt, tossing it to the side. She had a blue tank top that hugged her waist a bit and showed off a little bit of her stomach. Her black pants hugged her hips as she pushed off her boots, letting them drop to the ground.

Chix and Fox came back out; wearing oversized t-shirts for pajamas that made them look even tinier than what they are. "Brushed your teeth?" she asked, sitting up a bit more. Fox nodded her hair down around her shoulders. "Yup. Can you sing us a song before we go to sleep?" she asked, bouncing on her feet. "Yeah, can you?" Chix asked, giving his mom the puppy dog eyes. The kid knows how to do it pretty dang well, Lex thought and smiled.

"Okay," She said, giving a soft chuckle as she stood up and lead them into the bedroom. Lex pulled the blankets down and the twins crawled into bed. Pulling the covers up to their chins, she sat down on the edge of the bed. "Let's see..." Lex mused, thinking of a song. She cleared her voice and started to sing softly.

Come stop your crying

It will be all right

Just take my hand Hold it tight

I will protect you

from all around you

I will be here

Don't you cry

For one so small,

you seem so strong

My arms will hold you,

keep you safe and warm

This bond between us

Can't be broken

I will be here

Don't you cry

'Cause you'll be in my heart

Yes, you'll be in my heart

From this day on

Now and forever more

You'll be in my heart

No matter what they say

You'll be here in my heart, always

Why can't they understand

the way we feel

They just don't trust

what they can't explain

I know we're different but,

deep inside us

We're not that different at all

And you'll be in my heart

Yes, you'll be in my heart

From this day on

Now and forever more

Don't listen to them

'Cause what do they know

We need each other,

to have, to hold

They'll see in time

I know

When destiny calls you

You must be strong

I may not be with you

But you've got to hold on

They'll see in time

I know

We'll show them together

'Cause you'll be in my heart

Yes, you'll be in my heart

From this day on,

Now and forever more

Oh, you'll be in my heart

No matter what they say

You'll be in my heart, always

Always

By the time the song finished, Fox and Chix were fast asleep, looking peaceful. Lex smiled softly and leaned forward, kissing their foreheads gently. "Sleep well, my angles" she murmured and stood up, heading to the door. She turned to look at them, giving one last look over before heading out, closing the door a bit but not enough to close the door all the way. Lex headed back to the living room and plopped down on the couch. She pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She buried her face into her knees and cried softly. The stress had built up again, remembering her life as a slave, losing her sister and running away when she was sixteen. She made some new friends and was given a home and life had been happy for a while before it turned sour and her friendship with her best friends became strain and ended up pregnant with the twins.

Lex wouldn't trade them for the world as they were her only light in her life besides her friend, Link and his children. She still felt like she was failing them by not getting them nice things, new clothes, toys and most of all, food. To her munny had always been a problem. She wiped her eyes and sniffed, looking at the nightstand. There was a backup plan...a plan she hoped to never use as it would slander her name and her children's reputation as well but she was becoming desperate though. She didn't want her kids to go hungry again.

Reaching over and pulled the drawer open, Lex reached in and pulled out a small card. It was purple with florescent words on it and an image of a busty woman dancing on a pole. The card read, 'Irresistible Girls'. It's a seedy strip club. Men would often frequent it to watch women strip for them and fondle their breasts, teasing the men and would often sleep with them in the backrooms for munny. The owner is a disgusting man name Joe Burns. He made her skin crawl with the lecherous looks he sent her way. The idea of working for him made her feel sick to her stomach. She hated places like that and wouldn't be got dead in that place unless she had no other option.

"Oh god...why….?" Lex moaned, covering her mouth so the kids wouldn't hear her. She didn't want to wake them up and make them worry. They did enough of that already. She just wanted to rip the card up into pieces and throw the pieces into the garbage. Her body trembled as she swallowed the saliva that built up in her mouth. She blinked back tears as she reached down and gripped the couch seat under her, trying to control her breathing. Once she felt calm enough to make the call, she released her grip on the couch and wiped her face again, smearing the wet tears. "I can't believe this..." she croaked softly and reached towards the phone. She hesitated, seeing the shiny plastic under her hand. It felt ominous to her, like a bad omen. She felt something was going to happen but wasn't sure what.

Lex placed her hand onto the phone and picked it up, ready to dial the number. She didn't see a black gloved hand rushing out at her from nowhere and she dropped the phone. It landed on the stand and bounced off, hanging by the cord. "The hell?!" she yelped and looked up, seeing a tall man with bright red, spiky hair sticking up in random places. Angry green piercing eyes met her violet ones.

"You idiot!" The man snapped his brows furrowed as his face twisted in a frown, like he was disappointed in her. "What do you think you're doing?"

Lex pulled back, stunned by this but glared. "Trying to keep my kids fed" she hissed. "What would you do? And how did you get in here? Who are you?" The shock of the hand coming at her had startled her a bit but regained her posture. Anger surged through her.

The man rolled his eyes, snorting. "There are better ways to feed your kids than selling your body to some shitty joint and who knows what? You could get sick from some disease and then what? Your kids will be homeless."

Lex felt ashamed and looked away, glaring at the floor. "I'm desperate, dammit" she said. "We're broke and barely getting by." She looked at him, eyes narrowed. "And you didn't answer my question, who the hell are you and why are you in my house?"

The man snorted a bit. "I'm here to help" he said as his posture relaxed a bit more. A smirk played at his lips. "The name's Axel. Got it memorized?" He seemed aloof and relaxed, almost cocky.

Lex stared at him, confused. "Uh..." she said. She took in his appearance. He was slim and stocky and towered over her by five feet. She was only five foot tall and five inches and barely reached his shoulder. "Okay...but why are you here?"

Axel snorted, rolling his eyes. "You're a bit slow, aren't ya? I told you, I'm here to offer a solution to your problem, Miss Hunter." He grinned. "Join the Organization III and your troubles with munny will soon be solved."

What am I getting myself into? She thought.

Song: ("You'll be in my Heart" Phil Collins)