The incessant knocking drove him crazy. Like a parade of bulls charging at his window with more force than an angry rhino rolling down the motorway on a skateboard. His window was shaking with the commotion but it never stopped – never. Well, until after about a minute or so, but during it, Roxas went through the most excruciatingly cringing fest and if that couldn't make something seem longer than it should do, then nothing can.
His face was slowly inching towards his hands, ready to tip over so he could weep his griefs. Then the knocking stopped, though it was shortly followed by raucous laughter and the cry of, "Emo music, pfft!"
Roxas did not listen to emo music. He puffed out his chest. Damn these walls, damn them for being so thin. Damn his computer for being so close to the window, damn it. Damn his music for being emo, damn it. Roxas looked back behind his shoulder and noticed that the curtain was lifted slightly, giving the awful beings outside a good view of his back. Him, hunched over, typing with incredible speed as he described in detail to TallGirl57 how his playstation was "playing up" while she typed back that it was probably just off at the plug.
Maybe they could see what he was writing! Maybe they had x-ray vision and so the fact that his back was noticeable due to a gap between curtains didn't matter because they could see through curtains.
Or maybe he was just being paranoid.
- - -
disclaimer: i don't own nothing, though considering that's a double negative...
pairing/s: akuroku, risokai, maybe more, i didn't really think this through pairing wise
warning/s: aah. too many for you to worry about
dedication: for skitts who is brilliant and was actually the one who showed me fanfiction and is to blame for my stupid jokes when i attempt to be funny and if it weren't for her i probably would never have the chance to be a good author, srsly, i was the worst.
- - -
MISTAKE
- PART ONE -
Occasion and Outrage
Chapter One
- - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
A lot of people believe in destiny and fate – often working together in harmony to create beautiful masterpieces. Like love for instance or a baby, a new friendship, etc. The list goes on, it probably spans the distance of the world multiplied five or six times over. However long this list may be, though, Roxas disagrees. A lot of other people say that life never ends, not even after death because things continue and people move on. Roxas would like to see these people continue and move on while they lay in coffins. Some people say that depending on what road you take, you will end up one way or you will end up the other. Roxas believes that this is true when you're driving – but that's not life, now, is it?
Roxas doesn't believe that just riding your bike up a hill will get you to your destination because your destination could be up the hill, down the road, through a dark street near the usual spot of some sinister looking gang and just past the next left.
Well, at least that was where he was living at that moment. He was sitting in the second room (or were they cupboards?) along the entrance corridor, through the not-meant-to-be grey door and in the corner by the window with the broken curtains.
He knew that at some point he would have to go and make dinner for Cid and Selphie, but he was prolonging the inevitable as long as possible. But when TallGirl57 logged off, Roxas decided that this was the sort of sign a heavily beaded and shawl'd mad-woman would take to mean that he should go boil some pasta or something. He logged off and reached down to turn the plug off. After stretching his arms and legs he rambled over to the kitchen, on the other side of the grungy hall. He noted that the carpet felt - and smelt - like moss.
The kitchen was just as horrid as the rest of the house, perhaps worse. The ceiling was an algae-like green colour in the corners and a sickly yellow everywhere else. The walls, once lined with deep purple wallpaper, were now covered in some slightly damp, blueish grey paper which seemed to be slowly working its way down the equally damp and grey walls. The oven was covered in sinister-looking black grime and the fridge's door was unhinged. Roxas sighed and reached for the phone instead. It was a lot easier to just order.
After the meal had arrived, Roxas laid it out in front of Cid, his father, who was staring vaguely at the television screen, as though it was not quite there. His sister, Selphie, was excitedly flicking through channel after channel, relishing in the way it flicked from one face to another, from a deep male voice to a tinny female voice. She stopped, however, when Cid barked angrily at her. He snatched a plate from table Roxas had put the food and started to eat. Selphie smiled wanly at Roxas before slowly taking a plate from the table.
Roxas stared at the left-over plate, before deciding that he wasn't all too hungry anyway.
- - -
Upstairs was no better than downstairs, but at least the bed was comfortable and all his things were in there, even if they were packed up in cardboard boxes and stuck down with sellotape.
Roxas lay on his back, staring at the faintly pink ceiling, wondering where that low dripping sound was coming from and reminiscing over what had happened in the past few days. The council had told Roxas, Selphie and Cid that their house was needed by a needy family in more need than them, so Roxas, Selphie and Cid packed up (well, Roxas shoved most of their belongings in some boxes) and were transferred to Radiant Garden, where their new house would be quite as lovely as their old. At least... they would have. But there was a mix-up in Head Office and their files were swapped with another file, which got lost on a train, was found by good civilian and handed in to the police who searched and probed it, then mailed back to Head Office, but got the wrong address and was sent to the incinery. The great conclusion to this being that instead of heading for the beautiful sights of Radiant Garden, they were now travelling towards the mangy backstreets of Twilight Town. Ten months they would have to wait, a whole ten months to sort out a couple of files.
It was, overall, a rather ridiculous adventure. Some might call it amusing. But then again, they weren't the ones who were asked whether their sister should prefer to have their orange juice drugged – so that she'd shut up and the other passengers on the plane would be able to get some rest.
Roxas sighed, turning over.
Selphie. Selphie, Selphie, Selphie. She was a darling girl, pretty too. But she wasn't quite all there. She was temperamental and hard to control. She didn't go to school, but she had a social worker. She probably had a different one – a new one – here in Twilight Town. The last one had been a disaster; he was old and wrinkly and had no idea how to control a kid like Selphie. She ran amok in every session.
He hoped the new one would be better qualified, or at least nicer. Then maybe Selphie would get along and be good. "Pfft." Wishful thinking.
He supposed Cid didn't help much, with his monosyllabic phrases and grunts of anger every now and then. Roxas never really saw Cid as a father; he had never really looked after his three children. Roxas had counted on his older brother until he moved to college and so Roxas had to make sure Cid and Selphie got their meals. It was hard and Roxas was not OK.
Damn that emo music.
Lying on his back, still clothed but decidedly not getting back up, Roxas fell in and out of bad dreams, always waking to find a worse one in front of him.
- - -
Beep
Beep
Beep.
"Heyy, Tiny! How's it goin' down there in little old Twilight Town? ...Uh huh. Uh huh. That's RIGHT! You can't answer me, 'cause you never pick up! I hope you can hear me glaring. Because I a- Sora! What do you think you're doing with that toaster? Hey, do you remember those little boys, Sora and Riku, I used to play with on holiday? Well, it turns out that they're big boys now and we go to the same college! Oh God, hang on a sec – under the sink, Riku, get him under the sink! Urgh, how many times have I told Sora that the toaster is metal and heat and metal just don't work with fingers... Anyway, call – oh, Sora, no no no, it's okay, I'll be there in a minute, sweetie – me sometime, alright? If you don't, I'll go over there myself and drag you to your telephone and you shall dial my number and you shall say "hello there, this is your brother telling you how much I..." - oh, sorry, I really have to go now. Sora ... So-"
Beep.
- - -
an: wowzers. i've made all my links funny colours AND - i don't know how - everything works properly. :3 riiight, i'd really, really, truly love some concrit for this chapter 'cause i'm self-centred like that. nahh... i'm only doing this for the PEOPLE. for the MILLIONS. for my PEOPLE. xD lordy. nirii never beta'd this chapter, so... it's not my fault if it's got ten billion mistakes. I SWEAR. whelp, i shall update next once i have finished Part One - so, watch this space and whatnot.