Forget it, I can't take it anymore. This story has been sitting in my phone and I couldn't wait for me to finish one of my longer fanfictions. So here, I'm going to write this and I refuse to be angry about it.

Based on Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, but there are things I've changed. SO! Hope you enjoy it...well, not this chapter, seeing as it's really sad...

Yeah, I decided to go a lot darker with this fanfic, just warning you guys. Death, suicide, rape, etc. I warned you!

I don't own anything.

Sora didn't much care for Twilight Town. The place itself was too confined and compacted for such an adventurous spirit as the brunet. It was nice, yes, but it wasn't what Sora could ever see as calling "home". And Roxas, his twin brother, shared the latter of these opinions, his own bright spirit grew to accept the town, got comfortable. This surprised the young 14-year old, to say the least.

Before he knew it, he was watching his brother rush out the door each and every day, venturing out into town with his beloved friends and having his own little adventures, gaining strong bonds with the majority of the townsfolk along the way. Which ended with everyone knowing himself as "Roxas' brother" and not as his actual name. He doubted they even knew what his real name was. Roxas' three close friends – Hayner, Pence and Olette – may have been kind and welcoming, but Sora just didn't feel connected here. Not with this town. Not with these people.

This resulted in Sora being left behind, confused and alone at home, day after day. Their parents, Squall and Cloud Leonhart (Squall only allowed his husband to dare call him that, seeing as he preferred to be called Leon), both encouraged Roxas and Sora, the latter of whom didn't wish to go out and force himself to converse with the town more than he already had to. He couldn't find it in himself to connect like Roxas did and nothing his parents said changed that.

"You'll grow to like it." Leon insisted with a laugh.

"It's a wonderful town, Sora. You should open up more, give it a chance. Locking yourself up in your room doesn't help you get friends." Cloud advised sternly.

Sora could only sigh and did neither of those things, dragging his feet as he made his way back upstairs to his room. He would sit on his windowsill, one leg hanging out of the open window as he watched the sun set behind the tall buildings. Like every other day it did. Just like their old home, Traverse Town. The place his parents had met and started a family. The town that held such a doppelganger aura to that of Twilight Town, with its' constricting walls and quirky people. Things had changed when the boys had turned 8, where Cloud had asked for something new. And so a new home Leon provided.

Sora's seven years here were just as dull as before, but the absence of his brother was an obvious hole in his life that he didn't enjoy. To him, this town was just a simple repeat of his hometown, with a little "change" of scenery and lack of Roxas' presence. There was still that unwelcome, disconnected feeling for him every time he stepped out of the house, of the strange distance he felt with every person he came across. He knew this wasn't the place for him and it honestly never would be; this town didn't have anything he wanted. He wanted something greater, something that didn't include a mundane town such as this.

He didn't have to wait much longer.

It was a normal, boring day for the brunet as he watched the sun setting on another dull day from his window. A spectacular view it may have been, but one Sora had seen countless times. Same sun, different day.

He already dressed for bed, waiting for this day to be over. His parents had yelled at him for being a hermit and Roxas had poked fun at him this morning about the same thing, teasingly inviting him to join him and his friends for some fun. The brunet couldn't wish hard enough for this day to end, in all honesty.

So imagine his surprise when the day took a turn when Cloud burst into his room, hair even more disheveled and eyes wide in unspoken horror. Sora frowned and opened his mouth to question the strangeness of his 'mother', but he didn't get to.

"Get your shoes on and come outside. Now!" the blond demanded in a rush.

Sora sat there, stunned at this, and watched him leave the room, feet slapping on the wooden floor. Usually he would get an answer, but this time, something felt off about Cloud's actions and tone. The unkempt style, the harsh tone, the unexpected entrance…all of it screamed that something wasn't right.

Sora didn't continue to sit there and hopped over to stuff his feet into his shoes, ignoring the fact that he hadn't put them on correctly and he was ruining the heels of them. Running out into the hallway and down the stairs, his ears picked up the odd sound of voices. He stopped short in the living room, staring at the open door and the huge scene that stood outside his house: flashing police cars, a fire truck and an ambulance in the background; nearly all of the town, surrounding the area; Leon and Cloud, clinging to one another as they spoke to a police officer.

He didn't know if he should go outside or stay in here, unsure of what to make of all this commotion. The officer was moving his mouth, gesturing with a gloved hand that held a pen while he held a small notebook, occasionally scratching his blond goatee.

Sora's mouth went dry as he forced his feet to move and go join his parents. He felt suddenly cold as he took in the scene, despite the fact it was spring and warm out. The officer noticed him before his parents did, an eyebrow raised in intrigue as Sora went to cling to Leon's side. His father tensely put an arm around him protectively without so much as a word. Sora didn't dare open his mouth now and ask what was going on. He wasn't expecting the man to poke a finger down at him, sharp blue eyes observing and scrutinizing him in a very uncomfortable manner.

"So he looks like this little guy, hm?" Sora frowned at the accent. "Just with blond hair?"

"Yes." Leon answered.

The officer nodded thoughtfully and then gave Sora a final glance before beginning to scribble in the notebook some more. He then abruptly said farewell and turned on his heel, heading back to his car. Sora already felt better as he watched the man drive way, the other police cars following close behind.

He dared himself to speak. "Who was that? What's going on?"

Cloud seemed unable to respond, which left Leon to do the talking. The blond simply buried his head into his husband's shoulder and made a bunch of whimpering sounds.

"That…that was Officer Luxord Argentum. He wanted to make sure he had all the information…and an identification of sorts."

"For what?" Sora asked curiously.

"…for you brother." Sora blinked back in confusion. "Roxas is missing, Sora."

The next few days were torture for the Leonhart family. The town began a search, not wanting to give up hope on the wondrous little boy that had gained so many friends; Sora was not among them. The brunet stayed within his room, staring blankly up at the ceiling in shock. It all didn't feel real to him that his only brother had just up and vanished. Just…gone.

His friends, everyone he knew, didn't have a single clue where the blond could be and they had no leads either. Everyone was in the dark and it certainly wasn't normal for him to go and run off by himself in the first place. No, something was wrong, which is exactly what everyone feared and didn't dare say aloud, not wanting it to become a reality.

Cloud and Leon, after four days of sitting and pacing and sitting some more, found they didn't have the patience to wait in their house and just hope for good news. Instead, they joined the search and looked high and low for their missing son, practically begging Sora to stay home, safe and sound, standing by for any possible news. Sora didn't argue.

And so began the waiting game for Sora: to wait for any news, to wait for the next day to come, to wait for his parents to actually come home and replenish their nonexistent energy. Neither had returned for days now, even for a bite to eat or a quick nap, which meant they were running a fumes now. Fumes that seemed to hold out day by day.

Then again, Sora hadn't had much of an appetite and merely dozed off once or twice a day. It didn't help that he was in an empty house with nothing to do but wait. Waiting for news that may be good or bad. It terrified him that it might not be the former.

It went on like this for nearly three weeks, leaving Sora to curl up in a blanket and stare out the living room window, shaking back and forth. The search party had now branched out into the woods that surrounded the east edge of town, having found not even a trace of the blond. People were getting restless, hopeless, with Leon and Cloud the only ones managing to keep hold of hope. Hope that was nearly extinct.

Until, finally, there was a breakthrough.

Olette, one of Roxas' dear friends, was walking through the thick trees a bit further than most when she something caught her foot and tripped her. A few rushed to her aid, but Pence was the one to stop short and examine the odd lump that Olette had stumbled on. A lump that looked less like dirt and leaves and more like a knee sticking out of the ground.

Pence shouted for assistance as he got to his hands and knees, using his hands to dig. Cloud frantically joined him when he caught sight of the familiar jeans, desperately clawing at the ground as he prayed to whatever god he could think. Once dug out (with the help of actual shovels) and the police arrived, they were finally able to uncover the lump. Cloud crumbled in a heap of bitter tears, Leon bending down to hold him close. The father couldn't tear his eyes away, however, at the horrid sight that tore apart his own heart, too tired and weary to sob his own heart out.

They had finally found Roxas Leonhart.

The painful result of the search drastically changed things for the Leonhart family. The town, while they mourned the boy, didn't feel the heavy atmosphere and overwhelming pain that blanketed Sora and his parents. It was a silence that held the endless tears and heartbreak, which followed the family to the funeral as well, which happened a week after finding Roxas.

Sora dressed stiffly, almost mechanically. He didn't care to look at his own reflection in the mirror, afraid to see his twin's deathly pale face staring back at him instead. No, he avoided any mirror like the plague. Sadly, he couldn't find some way to hide the same face from his parents, which was an obvious strain on their hearts. Sora had never hated being an identical more than he did right now.

Sora made his way downstairs as slowly as possible, numb as can be. Cloud was already waiting, sitting in the living room and staring at his hands while silent tears ran down his face. Sora said nothing as he made his way into the kitchen, where he found his father tiredly rubbing his eyes, exhausted beyond belief. It took him a moment to take notice of his son standing there.

"Oh…Sora, you're ready. Is Cloud…?"

"In the living room."

Leon nodded. "Then let's go."

Sora tried to ignore the fact that his own father refused to look him in the face anymore, same as Cloud. He followed behind his parents out the door and into the car, wanting nothing more than to disappear himself. No one said a thing the entire way.

The funeral was downright unbearable, with many crying and sobbing as they stood around and watched the white casket be lowered into the dirt. As for the Leonhart family, they could barely manage to stand there, looking akin to statues, and curl in on themselves, numb to their surroundings and own emotions. It went on like that for the rest of the day, which seemed to last for an eternity, drawing out the painful experience that none could properly process. None of them ever imagined this would be their reality.

The only thought that gave Sora some comfort was that he wouldn't be the only one losing sleep tonight. And many, many more to come in the future.

Now hold on! HOLD. ON. Don't come at me with the torches and pitchforks just yet. Bear with me here and let me continue the story, because this is sort of important.

And, if you'd like, you can guess who did it. Start making bets, people!

Until the next chapter~!