A/N - Hello and thank you for reading NCB!
I wrote this story from 10pm - 1am and double checked my grammar but if I do have any mistakes please don't be afraid to tell me!
Enjoy the story!
Chapter 1 – The Move
It was certainly different, Sora admitted as his tan fingers brushed against the shoebox in his arms. He watched as the bulky movers lugged huge cardboard boxes into their new candy colored house. Sora wrinkled his nose in disgust as he got a better look at it. Pale pink and yellow that had grown lighter over age was clearly evident and the rusty metal fence creaked as he made his way passed the dead grass. The paint of the door was chipping away and the brunette twisted the door knob with much effort as it all but creaked opened.
The inside was no better, pale cream colored walls and disgusting dank corners that looked like mold was growing out of it. The kitchen was a curious tan color, spots of dirt could be found among the cracks of tiles and Sora immediately left, feeling sick to his stomach. The living room was a pale tan color that seemed to make the room look dark even with the sun shining outside the muddy windows. This was a nightmare.
"It's not that bad." Sora's mother assured as he lugged in her box of knick knacks and other hobby items. Sora looked at her incredulously and her forced smile fell.
"It's disgusting." Sora's attention turned to his twin brother Roxas who seemed to wear the same expression as he was. Pure distaste.
"You're right." Sora's mother sighed and set her box down on the beautifully polish coffee table the movers had brought in. "We'll just have to make the best of it." It wasn't exactly a statement but more of a plea. Sora grunted in response and moved to go explore upstairs, his brother following closely after. They heard their mother sigh again and sit down on the floral printed couch that was out of place in the dank living room.
"This isn't fair." Roxas grumbled and winced as the floorboards of the stairs creaked under his steps. Sora didn't respond as he continued up the stairs, turning to the right of the hallway and entering the first door to his left. It was a large room, beige colored walls and smooth floorboards that didn't creak as he stepped. He pulled himself over to the window and peered out. His breathe was immediately taken away at the sight of the town and its large clock tower.
"Whoa." Roxas whistled, peeking out the window himself. Sora nodded and set his box down on the inner ledge of the window, pulling open the windows to let in the fresh air. He'd have to rip down the disgustingly printed drapes but he'd do that afterwards.
"Already calling dibs on the rooms?" Sora's mother asked, leaning against the door frame with a small smile on her lips. Sora and Roxas looked at her before sharing a knowing look.
"Sora can take this one." Roxas decided and pulled away from the window. "I'll take the one across." Sora knew Roxas only wanted to stay as close as he could to him. They weren't children anymore and disliked sharing rooms like when they were kids but Roxas felt the need to act as the older twin, taking care of Sora as much as possible.
"Sounds good," Sora's mother nodded in understanding. "Just tell the movers where to put your beds." With that she turned to claim her own room, likely the biggest.
Sora sighed and leaned against the corner of the window ledge, his knee up as he let the country air breeze in. At least one thing was worth moving.
Roxas turned away to inspect his own room, it was pretty much the same as Sora's but with a lesser view. That was alright though; Roxas understood that Sora was in as much discomfort with the move as he was, maybe even more. He sighed once, chewing the inside of his cheek in worry.
"Roxas." The blond twin jump slightly at the voice and turned to Sora who was looking at him curiously.
"Yeah?" Roxas replied, peering down the hall to see their mother mentally rearranging her bedroom.
"Can we go for a drive? I want to explore the town." Sora muttered bitterly. If he had to live here he might as well know where everything is.
"Sure, let me just grab my keys and we can go." Roxas trotted down the stairs, absent-mindly calling his mother and telling her that they were going out for a few minutes. Roxas swiped his keys off the kitchen counter and headed outside to his beat up old 1990 Honda Civic. Sora quickly explained to the movers where to put their boxes and rushed after his brother, sliding into the passenger seat and buckling himself in.
Roxas started the engine and the car roared to life loudly. He pulled out of the paved driveway and toward the small town of Twilight Town. The thing about Twilight Town was that there really wasn't anyone who knew about it. It was a small town of family owned businesses. Barely was any large franchise spotted around town like a McDonalds or a Walmart. It was a small yet modern little town with spiraling train stations and natural sceneries of ocean and forests.
Sora felt himself become captivated by the simple beauty of the town. There were near to no cars on the road, only the few trucks that passed by with market cargo. Sora found that most of the town's folk took the train to transit everywhere. It was definitely more environmentally friendly.
Roxas parked them on a gravel parking lot near the town bazaar, locking it with an audible honk. The twins got out of the car, hefting themselves towards the small crowds of people who were flecked around the area. Some were watching little street performers and others were busy about looking at handmade jewelry and clothing. It was definitely a close community.
Roxas stopped himself in front of a food stand, all but gawking at the sweet local treats they were selling. Sora chuckled to himself and peered at the treats as well, star shaped hard candies of many different bright colors were beautifully wrapped in a plastic bag and a ribbon.
"Well, hello there." A weathered old lady greeted in her shaky voice. She smiled at them warmly.
"Hello." The two replied in unison and returned the smile.
"I've never seen you two around town. And, I assure you, I've been here long enough to know." She chuckled slowly and the two nodded.
"Yes, we just moved here." Sora said, finding himself smiling even wider. The women's smile was definitely contagious.
"Up on Bastion Street." Roxas continued on. The old lady nodded in response.
"I see! I see!" She cooed at the boys, elated. She then picked up the bags of candies and placed one each in the boys' hands. "Then here! Have one of these as a welcome gift to Twilight Town. They're Paopu candies, quite famous here." The twins started to protest but the old lady would have none of that so they took the gifts with a thank you.
"Nice lady." Roxas mused to himself, stuffing the candy into his pocket. Sora nodded in agreement, unwrapping his own bag and trying the candy. The flavor exploded in his mouth and he stumbled a little in surprise. He quickly shoved a piece into Roxas' mouth who protested indignantly.
"What are y—mffph!" His anger flooded away immediately after his tongue touched the candy. His eyes were wide as the candy melted into his mouth.
"Wow." Roxas said.
"I know right?" Sora replied, popping another piece into his mouth. He melted at the taste and forced himself to save the rest for later. He rewrapped his candy and shoved it into his hoodie pocket.
The two continued to explore the town, stopping at shops and stalls one by one. Almost every single time they stopped, they were recognized as new residents and were showered with gifts. In the end they returned to the car with food, accessories even a bouquet of the local flowers. This town was certainly generous.
Sora and Roxas loaded into the car once again, deciding to go back home on a different route. The car was quiet except for the Maroon 5 CD that was playing loudly and the twins were sure that with their windows wide open, the entire town could hear it, though they really couldn't care. Suddenly Sora sat straight and tugged on his brother's arm, pointing out the window. Roxas peered at what Sora was pointing at and immediately swerved once he saw it, parking on the side of the road.
The two got out of the car and Sora rushed up the grassy hill, Roxas followed soon after checking his car was properly locked. The brunette gripped clumps of grass between his hands as he climbed higher upon the hill. It wasn't long until he was met with a winding dirt path that led up to a fenced area. Roxas huffed a little as he finally caught up with his twin brother and the two walked up the dirt path. Sora felt his breathe catching in his throat as he saw the entire town below him. The sun was setting behind the high walls of the buildings, glinting rays of sunlight through the clock tower's bells.
"This town is beautiful." Sora gasped as he continued the rest of the hill, reaching the top which had been paved to be a flat circle of dirt. Surrounding the hill was a wooden fence that prevented anyone from going any farther and possibly hurting themselves. What caught Roxas' attention though, were the two bodies that were lying down on the dirt and seemed to be resting. The blond tugged the brunette's attention to the two as well.
"What are they doing . . . ?" Sora whispered to Roxas who simply shrugged in response. From the distance they were at, Roxas could tell that both had odd colors of hair, one with bright fire truck red hair and the other soft silver. The red head opened his eyes and eerily turned his head to stare at the brothers. Roxas felt a shiver roll up his spine and stepped in front of Sora habitually.
The red head sat up, shaking the boy next to him who grumbled something but sat up as well, looking over at where his red head friend was pointing and staring as well. The four boys simply stared at each other for a few minutes before the red head let out the widest grin. Roxas glared at him.
"Let's go home, Roxas." Sora said quickly, grasping Roxas' arm and tugging him back down the hill. Roxas didn't complain but let his glare linger on the red head before trotting after his brother.
"Hey wait!" A deep trill voice exclaimed and they heard pounding footsteps run after them. Roxas' eyes flicked back to see the red head rushing down the hill at a dangerous speed and his silver haired friend yelling cautiously after him.
"Oh great, we got their attention." Roxas grumbled but Sora didn't stop his pace and continued down the hill.
"Ignore them." Sora said simply but realized he was far too slow and the red head cut their path off with open arms.
"Hiya." The red head grinned, out of breathe. "New kids in town?"
Roxas gave an indignant scoff and sharpened his glare. Sora seemed rather perplexed but followed his brother's suit and glared as well, crossing his arms for added affects.
"We're not kids." Sora stated firmly. The red head dropped his arms as his silver haired friend finally caught up with him and stood next to him, brushing a lock of soft hair away from his eyes.
Sora had to admit, the two boys were very handsome. The red head was lean and tall, bright green eyes flecked with intense pupils that seemed to make his eyes look like they were on fire. There were strange little tattoos adorned under his eyes but that just seemed to make him look like more of a city boy than a small town boy. His hair was even more ridiculous than Sora's or Roxas combined with overflowing spikes that reached to his shoulders. Roxas wondered how it could be styled.
The silver haired boy was much more delicate looking, with his soft silver hair that flowered over his watery aquamarine eyes that anyone could drown in. His muscles were lean as well but not disgustingly bulky. He was a few inches shorter than his red headed friend but that didn't count out to his attractive edge at all. He seemed more of the quiet type.
"Sorry, we didn't mean to scare you off." The silver haired boy mused. Sora felt himself staring at the two boys.
"You didn't. We were just leaving." Roxas said shortly.
"Aw, come on, we hardly get any new kids around Twilight town." The red head chirped, blind to how much Roxas seethed at the word "kid."
"We're not children!" Roxas corrected again. "We're twenty years old, thank you very much!" Sora blinked a little, tugging roughly at Roxas' arm and frowned. Roxas froze, realizing his mistake of giving even the slightest information away.
"Whoa," The red head held his hands up in protest. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." Sora sighed and shuffled his feet.
"What Axel means to say," The silver haired boy rolled his eyes. "Is welcome to Twilight Town." He held out his hand to Sora first. "I'm Riku." Sora stared at the hand for a second, pulling out his own hesitantly. Well they were going to live in the town anyways; they were bound to meet again.
"Sora." He replied quietly. Riku nodded and turned his hand to Roxas who soon took his hand as well.
"Roxas. Nice to meet you." They shook their hands firmly. Axel jumped in as well, although the brothers already knew his name by now.
"Listen, if you guys need any help we'd be happy to help." Riku said shortly after their introduction. Axel nodded in agreement.
"Yup, we're sort of like the Twilight Town Welcoming Committee." He gave the brothers thumbs up and a wink. They felt themselves blush slightly but nodded.
"Alright, though I think we'll manage." Roxas assured them both. Sora nodded in agreement.
"Well, the offer still stands." Riku said with a small nod himself.
". . . Thanks." Sora muttered and gave him a small smile which the taller male returned.
"Anyhow, we should get home." Roxas said quickly, dragging his brother down the hill. "We'll see you around." Sora stumbled a little but waved at the two boys who nodded in understanding.
"Alright, see you around!" Axel called, waving as well.
Roxas and Sora piled into the car and were quiet once again, their minds quietly mulling down the events that happened today. It was rather a quick paced conversation between the two older boys but it was long enough for them. They weren't used to meeting new people in the first place and decided beforehand that they wouldn't be making many friends in Twilight Town anyways. They were only here for their mother that was all. They both had to agree it was a tiring day and retreated to their rooms after explaining their day to their mother during dinner.
Sora sat on the ledge of his window, all lights were off and his eyes set on the skies. Twilight town seemed to sparkle at night, especially with the flecks of stars that seemed to blanket the night sky. He suddenly felt much better about the move. Maybe everything wouldn't be so bad.
