Hey everyone!

Alright, so this is my second kh fic, and I'm not sure whether or not to continue the first one. It depends on how this one goes. :) Pairings: Akuroku, rikuxsora, and maybe some leonxcloud. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, obviously. :)

Chapter One- Off to a Rocky Start

The day was gloomy, the sky dark and ominous. The light drizzle that was not quite rain and yet couldn't be called fog slowly dampened the grass and misted in the sky. Lightning flashed through the sky sporadically, and thunder threateningly reverberated through the ground.

The day fit Roxas's mood perfectly.

Sighing, he reached for the handle of the car door, feeling his mother's eyes on him but choosing not to meet them.

"Roxas, honey?" she said softly.

Roxas remained silent, but opened the door to the car. Stepping outside, he surveyed the area.

The house was larger than he had expected, and the neighborhood was high-end. The white paint looked fresh and new, the black shutters framed the windows that looked out onto the street. Roxas stared briefly at the house before going around to the back of the car to retrieve his luggage from the trunk.

"You know how sorry I am about all of this. Its only going to be for a coupe of months, I promise!" his mother pleaded, but to no avail. Roxas continued unloading his overly packed suitcases from the trunk, stumbling slightly as one of the wheels caught on the curb of the sidewalk.

His mother tried again. "Roxas. Please don't be upset, there's nothing I can do--"

"Nothing…nothing you can do! How about NOT going off to L.A for the summer so that you can spend time with your boyfriend that you barely know! How about NOT leaving me with my "dad" who, by the way, I last saw when I was 5 years old!" Roxas yelled, finally voicing the thoughts that he had harbored in silence during the 4 hour car trip.

His mother looked guilty, yet she wasn't about to turn back now.

"It'll be a good chance to get to know your father. And besides…I'm not going to L.A just to see Cid, I'm going because there's more opportunity for me there. You do want me to be happy, don't you?"

Roxas chose not to answer that. Sure, he could handle the late nights alone, the sleazy boyfriends that her mother brought home, the constant rise and fall of her acting career, but one thing he could NOT handle was going to live with his father, who he barely knew, for an entire summer. He felt abandoned, he felt unwanted, and most of all, he felt angry.

Turning away from her, he lugged his two suitcases towards the front porch. He looked back at his mother, who was now watching him from the safety of her own car, and sighed yet again. Reaching up towards the doorbell, Roxas hesitated, and then finally pressed it quickly. The sound of chimes was drowned out by the sudden downpour of rain.

Waiting, Roxas yet again glanced up at the house towering over him. It was at least 4 times the size of his own house, and a hell of a lot nicer. Roxas briefly wondered why on earth his father would need such a large house to himself, but then thought better of it. If the stories his mother had told him were any inclination, his father clearly had enough money to go around.

As the heavy front door opened, Roxas's stomach unclenched when he realized it was only a maid and not his father. Only…only a maid? Wow, he must be even richer than I thought, Roxas thought in awe.

"You must be Roxas," the woman said warmly, holding the door open for him to step inside. She took both of his suitcases and set them aside, and then reached back to shut the large front door. Roxas took one last look outside only to see his mother's car long gone.

"Your father is currently away on a business trip, but he was expecting you. Your room is ready, if you'd like to follow me upstairs…" she said, leading him up a large wooden staircase.

"When…when will he be back?" Roxas questioned, following.

"Oh, probably Sunday morning or early afternoon, depending on the weather. It's been like this for days, and hopefully it'll clear up by then."

At this point, the two stood in front of a closed door. Roxas took this to be his room. The maid set down Roxas's luggage and reached into one of her pockets to extract a key she then used to unlock the door.

Handing the key to Roxas to keep, she turned to face him. He looked at her for the first time, taking in her shoulder length auburn hair and light blue eyes. She was actually quite pretty, he realized, and only a few years older than him.

"I'm Kairi, by the way," she announced, holding out her hand for him to shake. He took it, and then nodded in acknowledgement. "If you need anything, just give me a holler, I'll be around. Only on weekends though; I have classes during the week."

Roxas's eyes widened. "But it's summer!" he said, incredulous.

She shrugged. "Summer school," she said, not giving further explanation. Roxas nodded once again.

"Well, I'll leave you to unpack and stuff. Like I said, I'm here if you need anything," Kairi said, and then disappeared down the large flight of stairs.

Roxas pushed the door open, and was again bewildered at what he saw. The room was almost entirely white, save for a few throw pillows and the wooden floor at his feet. It was at least twice the size of his old room and it seemed too neat and organized to live in. In the center of the room stood a large canopy bed, a down comforter looking extremely soft and fluffy. Roxas, thankful for something comfortable, collapsed onto the bed and within minutes, escaped to his dreams to try to forget what hell lay ahead.

Roxas awoke, wondering where on earth he was, before the events of the previous day came rushing back to him. Groaning, he turned to his right where a small digital clock read 8:36. Roxas briefly wondered whether it was morning or night, since his room was dark save for the red light illuminating from the clock.

He tumbled from his bed, swearing when he hit hard wood rather than the cushy carpet in his room at home. Making his way over to the large windows, he pulled back the drapes to reveal that it was, in fact, 8:36 in the morning. I guess I was more tired than I thought, Roxas said to himself.

Wondering what he should possibly do next, he spied a towel sitting on a white desk in the corner of the room and thought, A shower is as good an idea as any. He grabbed the towel and, opening the door that he suspected was the bathroom, stepped inside. It was large, but Roxas had expected that. Marble tiling lined the shower and the walls as well. There was a separate area for the toilet, as well as a door that Roxas suspected to be a closet of some sort.

Roxas undressed slowly, wishing that he hadn't slept in his clothes the night before. Adjusting the temperature of the water so that it was hot but not uncomfortable, Roxas relaxed, letting the warm water flow down his body and tried to forget about spending the summer in this large, unwelcome house with only his father, whom he didn't even really remember, for comfort.

Roxas turned off the water after some time and stepped out of the shower, a small puddle of water forming underneath him. He looked around, forgetting momentarily where he had left his towel, when he heard a sound that caused him to stop in his tracks.

The doorknob to what Roxas had suspected to be a linen closet was turning slowly, and Roxas wasn't sure what to make of it. Frozen he stood there, wondering who or what on earth was inside that closet. Eyes widening, Roxas just stood there, hoping that a monster wouldn't pop out and eat him.

What opened the door wasn't a monster, but Roxas might argue that what he saw was worse. Apparently, the "closet" wasn't really a closet at all, but in fact a bedroom, judging from the bed visible from Roxas's position in the bathroom. And out of it had come a boy, about a head taller than Roxas, and with alarmingly bright red hair. He just started at Roxas, and Roxas, immobilized, just stared back, growing redder by the moment, still wearing absolutely nothing. It was only after a moment that Roxas had the sense to grab the towel that was resting conveniently on the hook next to the shower. Why, oh why couldn't he have grabbed it a second earlier?

The red-head just continued to stare at Roxas's half naked self, looking him up and down with an expression in his eyes that Roxas couldn't identify but didn't like one bit. He felt as though he was a zoo animal, being ogled at without shame.

By now, Roxas estimated that his face was probably about the color of the boy's hair, if not a shade or two darker. He noted that the boy still hadn't had the decency to avert his eyes. Roxas, deciding that now was a good time as any to get out of this awkward situation, turned away, securely fastening his towel as he went. Stumbling slightly as he went, he shut the door to his bedroom so loudly that it rattled on its hinges.

What on earth had happened back there? Roxas thought. And who the hell was the redhead looking like he wanted to jump me?

Well, what do you think? Love it? Hate it? Review please. Thanksss