Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Square Enix. The cover was not made by me and was found on the internet instead.
Summary: Sora moves to Twilight Town where he stumbles into Riku, who is the head of a group of bullies. One night while walking, Sora finds that Riku lives in an abusive household. Can Sora fix Riku's situation and change the person he is? RikuXSora AxelXRoxas Contains Yaoi, Violence, and Language.
Author's Note: OMG Thank you for the reviews guys! This chapter will go into more detail with their background. Warning: This chapter contains drug abuse and other touchy subjects. If you don't like it, don't read it. Hopefully it won't be too monotonous or anything. Guess it's time to read chapter two so here we go :) PS No, I have not mentioned the incident nor will I for a while. Just thought I'd let you know in case you thought you missed something.
Chapter Two
Riku stared at the clock after returning back home. It was 2:30 in the morning which meant his guardian was due home any minute from the bar. A sigh escaped his lips as he retreated to his pathetic room. The entire room was bare save for the tiny bed, dresser, and closet. The room was a polar opposite from the rest of the house which was decorated pretty nice. Ansem had inherited quite a bit since the incident happened.
Ugly green drapes hung over the single window though they never did anything to block the sun. His step-father gave it to him as a gift after he dug it out of someone's trash. Riku took it and knew it wasn't worth the beating to throw it back in the trash.
"Fucking Ansem..." he whispered while looking out of the tiny window. Riku knew tonight was going to get worse. He had been called into the principals office earlier to tell him he was a few classes and how it was unlike him. It would have been decent had they also not called Ansem and told him about it. No matter what, every night there was something that caused a beating or some other forms of abuse. It had been going on for three years now.
Riku walked into the bathroom across the hall and turned on the shower. When Ansem was home, Riku was never allowed to use hot water. So, when he would be at work, Riku would take a hot shower and then dispose of any evidence.
Steam poured from the tiny area as the silver-haired teen undressed and stepped into the shower. The hot water burned his back, but it felt good to wash away the filth from the previous night. It couldn't be a long shower, but it would be something.
Riku faced the water and let it run over his head and body. He stared at the wall thinking about everything that had happened that day then turned off the water. It was going to be a long night.
He stepped out and stared in the mirror. Ansem did a number on him already and didn't bother to hide it this time. The jewelry was gone and there was nothing Riku could do about it.
The hair dryer quickly removed the water from his silver strands. Riku used the towel to dry out the shower and the floor. He put on clean clothes after walking across the hall. As soon as he pulled his shirt over his head, he heard the car pull in the driveway. His heart beat as if he had just got done running for an hour.
Riku could hear the front door open followed by a slam. It was going to be a long night.
"Riku! Get your ass in here now you little fucker!" he yelled.
Riku closed his eyes and walked into the living room awaiting the punishment.
xXxXxXx
Sora left the house extra early to have a few extra minutes to walk around. He turned down the road to where Riku's house was and stopped in front of it. There was no car in the driveway and curiosity was pulling at him. He walked up to a side window that had ugly green drapes. They weren't very good since Sora could see straight through them.
Riku was in the bed on top of the thin sheet asleep.
Sora sighed and decided to knock on the window. No movement. Sora knocked louder and finally Riku slowly rolled out of bed to the window.
"What the fuck are you doing outside my window you stalker?" he asked in a husky voice after opening it. Sora knew he probably had close to no sleep.
"I...uh...Look about last night..."
Riku scowled and grabbed Sora's shirt. "I told you to mind your own damn business!"
Sora threw up his hands in front of his face and blurted, "I was just going to say that I wasn't going to tell anyone!"
Riku slowly let go of the black shirt and looked away. He frowned at the wall to his right then turned back to the brunet.
"Thanks," he muttered and closed the window.
Sora looked back through and saw Riku grab his books and a pack of cigarettes with a lighter.
A few minutes later, Riku walked through the front door and ignored Sora's existence.
"'Sora' is it?"
Sora jumped, not expecting the question and nodded.
"Just stay away from me and my group. You don't belong here and you never will. Quit playing Mr. Good Guy and go away."
"Just one thing..." Sora stopped and pulled an unmarked container out of his backpack and held it out for Riku to take. Riku stopped and stared at it before raising his left eyebrow.
'It's um...It's a salve made from berries on the island I grew up at. It helps to make bruises disappear. Personally, I think it kind of helps with the pain. I figured since you didn't want anyone to know, this would help."
Riku was hesitant at first, but took the bottle and thanked Sora before walking away. Sora could see Riku limping along as fast as he could. No one should have to go through that.
Wow...two thank yous in an hour...The world will end soon. I'm sure of it...
The teacher droned on for an hour. Most pretended to take notes while they were really asleep. Sora kept an eye on Riku out of his peripherals. He had obviously put on the gel since part of his face looked oily.
Well, at least he accepted it AND used it.
Throughout the day, all Sora wanted to do was make sure Riku was okay. It was just who Sora was. He had always been the one be worried about everything. His previous foster parents had been so annoyed by it, they wanted him out of the house as soon as possible. When he was little, it used to cause major panic attacks to the point where he would have to be rushed into the emergency room just so he could get air in his body. There would be times where his foster parents got so tired of it that they would just leave him on the floor trembling and hyperventilating. Another major problem Sora had was mild asthma. He could never use his inhaler due to the increased heart rate from the hyperventilating. Combine the panic attack with asthma, often triggered by stress, it was not good.
When he was adopted by Leon he was worried about being taken back to the agency almost everyday. Leon would simply take Sora and set him on his lap. He would bounce his knee a bit while rubbing his back. His father would calm him down with soothing words.
"It's okay, Sora. Shhh...I promise I won't abandon you. Please calm down. I'm not like your other guardians. Please calm down."
Leon would say those same words every time and meant it. Within the half hour, Sora would calm down enough to talk. It took a few years, but Leon managed to help Sora learn about staying calm and stress less. Now, Sora could run without having to pull out his inhaler most of the time. Leon gave him the strength to live without the fear of being disowned.
"Sora?"
The boy's eyes snapped open and stared at his teacher. "I am so sorry!" he exclaimed.
The entire room was empty except for Sora and the teacher.
"Sora, are you okay? If you need to talk, I'm here all day."
Sora gave a nod and smiled as best as he could. "No sir. I just didn't sleep well last night. I'm still a little nervous since everything is still new to me," he lied.
His teacher gave a pat on the shoulder while looking down at him. "I understand. If you need any help adjusting to this place let me know."
Sora grabbed his books and thanked Mr. Flynn. The tardy bell hadn't rang yet, which meant he still had at least two minutes to rush to his next class. As he turned the corner in the hallway, he ran right into someone twice as tall as him.
"I'm sorry," Sora said, looking up at the face of the guy. His blond mullet did nothing to compliment his incredible blue eyes.
"Hey! You're the kid that saved me from the alley! Thank you so much. I owe you so, if you need anything from me just ask. I'll be more than happy to do something for you. Oh, by the way, I'm Demyx."
The bruises on his face were almost gone from the other night. Sora couldn't believe how a guy like this got into a crowd like Riku's.
"Um...Thanks. If you don't mind, I need to get to my class before the final bell rings," he said with a smile. The tardy bell had already sounded which meant one was left before he'd get a big "T" on the attendance sheet.
Demyx nodded and apologized quickly. With a wave of goodbye, he rushed off, going into another hallway.
Sora shrugged at the awkward moment and walked into his classroom just as the bell had rung. He slipped into his seat and waited for class to start.
xXxXxXx
Riku tried to pay attention in his classes. He needed to get his grades back up. However, he knew the gang was meeting up and he needed an excuse to why his face was discolored. Nothing came to him and with a sigh decided he would not say a thing about it.
He walked out of the big building as one of the bells echoed. Riku needed something and he needed it now.
It only took him just over five minutes to reach the official hangout spot for the group. His two right hand guys were already there. They had dropped out over a year ago and did nothing but drink, smoke, and fuck. Well, that's what most of the gang knew. There was one other recreational activity they did in their spare time.
"I need some. Now..." Riku muttered, trying to control the slight tremble in his hands.
"Your man just bought some from us the other night. Does he not share?" the red head asked with an eyebrow raised.
"Axel, would I be asking if he did? You know he doesn't share much with me," Riku muttered, starting to feel heat rise in his body.
The only thing he shares with me are his fists and screams.
The blond gave a shrug and took out a small glass bottle and tossed it to Riku.
"Give him a break dude. Riku looks like he's had a really rough night. It's on the house bro."
Riku nodded at the blond. "Thanks Roxas. I really appreciate it."
With that he turned and started back down the alley. When he turned the corner, he could see Axel and Roxas shoving their tongues down each others' throats. The two did everything together, but usually kept everything on the down low.
Riku shoved the tiny bottle into his pocket and walked into his house down the road. Shaking, he pulled the door shot and locked it.
You shouldn't be doing that... his conscience rang out to him.
I don't fucking care what I should and shouldn't do. It's Ansem's fault. He forced me into this.
The silver-haired teen walked into his room and sat on his bed. He reached under his bed to find a small slit in the mattress. After sticking his fingers in it, he found what he was looking for-the Needle,his best friend since Ansem forcefully shoved it into his pale skin while tied up to the mattress.
"You're going to become real close to this drug. I promise," Ansem whispered into Riku's ear.
The incident had only happened months prior to the first night of the Needle. The house was always empty save for Riku, Ansem, and Needles. Ansem had kept Riku tied to the bed and hardly had let him use the bathroom in the toilet. Night after night, he would shove the needle into his step-son's arm. It lasted for a week straight and the entire time his father doing horrible things to him. Soon after, Riku was addicted and found Axel and Roxas. Together, they formed their gang with Riku at the top. He had tried to slow down with the Needle, but it only left him hyperventilating and shaking uncontrollably.
Riku's eyes never left Needle as he grabbed the tourniquet. With his hands shaking, he slowly tied it onto his arm. He had already prepared the drug and shoved Needle into the crook of his elbow. It hit almost instantly. The sweet smell of the drug filled is nose as he closed his eyes and relaxed. The shaking stopped immediately. It never took much to quench the thirst of his addiction and for that Riku felt lucky. Even after everything, he somehow managed to limit himself. It was the only thing he felt that he did right with his life.
Hours passed and Riku knew towards the end of the drug, shame would cover his entire body and mind. It always did.
xXxXxXx
Axel sighed as Roxas nudged him away.
"What now?" Axel asked looking down at his lover.
"I'm sorry. I can't help but shake the feeling that Riku is hiding something from us. If he keeps his attitude up, you know the rest of the gang will..."
Axel looked down the alley where Riku had disappeared. He knew Roxas was right.
"They'll 'exile' him. I know, Roxas. We need to stay out of it though," he muttered. The day before, the entire gang held a meeting about Riku. It didn't go so well.
"Riku's growing weak," a younger member commented. His dirty blond hair spiked in every direction possible, which always left wonder in the rest of the group.
"Tidus is right. Riku has hardly been active these past few days," said another member by the name of Terra.
Ventus, also known as Ven, was Roxas' twin brother. He nodded in agreement and looked to his brother who was one of the few in disagreement.
"How can you guys even say that? Before Riku, we were all a mess. Everyday at least one of us would be in jail. Thanks to Riku, he kept us out of that place."
Saix stood and the entire group grew quiet. "Riku does not deserve to be the leader of this group any longer. If he keeps this up, we should elect a new leader and exile him."
Nothing more could be said the rest of the meeting. Riku's true members were very small in comparison to the entirety of the gang. Saix may not have been next in command, but he did have power. He had eyes outside of the gang and Axel knew it was only a matter of time before he took over and brought his followers in.
Roxas wrapped his arms around Axel as the two stayed in silence, thinking about the gang splitting.
xXxXxXx
Sora sat in his living room watching TV while finishing what was left of his homework. He had a doctor's appointment later that day and so he waited for Leon. Before school, Leon reminded him about it. He eyed his son suspiciously and Sora couldn't keep too much from the man that took him in.
"Please don't look at me like that. I just met this guy that lives down the road. He's in one of my classes. I guess you could say he's living a tough life," Sora said, unable to hide it any longer. He didn't tell his dad about Riku being abused or anything else that would require a lot of explanation.
Leon sighed and gave a slight smile of appreciation. "Thanks for telling me. Just be careful. I don't want you to get mixed up in anything that'll get you taken away from me."
Those words had bothered Sora the entire day. It had been enough to bump his heart rate up. He stayed as calm as possible, but it was hard since he couldn't take Riku off his mind. To be honest, it was starting to scare him. He couldn't fully comprehend why he worried so much. Maybe it was because if anything bad happened, he could be taken away. Maybe it was the fact that he had no idea who this guy really was. Or...maybe it was something else.