Title: Living My Life

Chapter II: They're my family whether I hate them or not.

Word Count: 3,112


Soon after the trial was over, Cloud was forced by the court to send Kairi and Roxas home to Aerith. Aerith was made aware of the situation and didn't seem too concerned over it.

They were brought to the house, which was a nice two story, five bedroom house. Nice back yard, nice neighbors and they had a couple days to settle before they had to go to school. Kairi and Roxas took placement tests. They were going to be in the same grade as Sora and Naminé. Yay? They didn't even know these people and people at the office were like 'oh you get to be with your siblings, how cute?' Oh you mean the ones we've never met? Those ones? My mistake. I was so busy missing them since I had no idea what they looked like and I was too busy getting tortured and raped.

Roxas just glared at them and ignored them. They thought him rude and he just looked at Cloud and Cloud smiled.

"You haven't been out of the mansion for a month and you're already adopting the angsty teenager vibe."

"Am I not allowed to be angsty, Cloud?"

"You are seriously the most annoying kid on the planet! I do not know how Kairi puts up with you." Cloud huffed. Roxas grinned. The counseling that he had with Doctor Ansem had helped. He was happier and could go through life better than before. He had been able to withstand touch other than Kairi, Cloud and his bodyguards who had moved with him. That's right.

His bodyguards wanted a new life and coincidentally chose Twilight Town, where Aerith and the Strife family and gasp! That was where Roxas and Kairi were living too.

Now it was time to be introduced to the family.

"Mom, I wanted to hang out with Riku!" Someone whined. A male someone. Roxas was nervously biting his lip.

"Guys, I never meant to hurt anyone." Aerith begged.

"Mom?" Sora's voice was confused.

"Guys?" And Roxas and Kairi stepped in and there were inhales of breath. Aerith hadn't seen them either.

"You are so beautiful, Kairi." Naminé gasped. Kairi smiled politely.

"Thank you."

"We're twins?" Naminé asked quietly.

"Yes."

"How did I not know about you?" Naminé asked gently, as not to anger her newfound sister.

"Ask your mother."

"Mom?" Naminé inquired softly.

"They're your twins." She wrapped an arm around Roxas' shoulder. He backed out of the embrace. She looked at him oddly.

"Mom?" Sora asked.

"Yes, hun?"

"Who is that?"

"This is Roxas. He's your older brother. By five minutes. Kairi is Naminé's older sister by five minutes."

"Why didn't you ever tell us?"

"Because if she did, she'd have to explain who she handed us over to, wouldn't you mother dearest?"

"Sora, show Roxas to his room." Aerith snapped nodded and started talking animatedly with Roxas, who laughed.

"Kairi, you are truly the spitting image of my mother." Aerith praised.

"Thanks?"

"You've never met her?" Asked Naminé's quiet, kind voice.

"No. I've been living with my father."

"But our father died a long time ago." Naminé gently protested. Kairi looked at her mother, narrowing her eyes, accusing her without words. And it worked.

"Did he now?" Her voice was sickly sweet. "My mistake."

"Kairi, why don't you let Naminé show you to your room? We'll take you and Roxas out shopping tomorrow." Kairi glared. "Or just the four of you. Maybe you could get Cloud to come."

"Why doesn't Cloud come over anymore?" Naminé asked gently.

"Why must you ask so many questions?" Her mother snapped.

"Come on, Naminé. I want to hear all about your friends. Your mother is in a sour mood." Your mother. That cut deep.

A deep and familiar chuckle ran through the kitchen. Aerith whipped around and saw Cloud.

"Cloud?" She exhaled.

"Ah. So you remember me. Do you remember Roxas? He still has bright blonde hair. Blue eyes."

"Yes, I remember him."

"You just didn't love him."

"Of course I did."

"Sephiroth's dead now."

"Oh my god."

"Now Mother dear, don't get all broken up about dear old dad. He's deep under the ground, or scattered. I think they burned him."

"They?"

"His servants. They didn't like him that much."

"How did he die?"

"You'd love to know, wouldn't you?"

"Cloudy…"

"Do you remember what I said almost eighteen years ago? I don't forgive you just because he's dead. Roxas is an amazing kid. Abso-fucking-lutely…"

"Don't cuss in front of a lady, Cloud! Have I taught you nothing?"

"I don't see a lady. I see a scared little girl who wanted to get out of a marriage so badly that she would sacrifice one of the best gifts God could ever give a woman, children. Kairi and Roxas are awesome and thanks to what you did when they were barely out of the womb, they don't trust you. They don't like you. You mightbe able to win Kairi over. But not Roxas. Not after all he's been through; you have no idea what he has done for Kairi. No idea."

"Then tell me."

"No." He spat.

"Cloud."

"I will bring Roxie's stuff up to his room. My old one right?"

"Yes."

"See you later." Aerith's eyes welled up at the coldness of her son. It wasn't completely unwarranted but she birthed him. She gave him life. How could he be so cruel to her?

Cloud marched up to the room and saw him and Sora talking.

"Hey Rox."

"Cloud!"

"Here's your stuff."

"Thanks."

"Hey, Cloud?" Sora piped up.

"Yeah, So?"

"Why don't you come over anymore?"

"Your mom did something I am not agreeing with and she thinks she is right. I moved out after that, I still love you guys. I promise to visit more. Talk to your mom about me going shopping with you and your brother and sisters."

"Why can't you talk to her?"

"Sora." Roxas said.

"Hmm?"

"Its like if Riku slept with a girl, got her pregnant, he killed the baby and went back to you." Sora gasped. "That's how mad he is at your mom."

"I get it." Sora said, nodding.

"Good." Roxas said.

"Mom killed a baby." Roxas face-palmed. Cloud smiled.

"Sora." Roxas whined. "Your mom didn't kill a baby."

"What?" Sora's face was completely confused. Sora obviously didn't comprehend analogies.

Cloud came to the house the next day and Aerith was at work. The four kids were excited, Kairi and Naminé had clicked instantly, talking all night. Setting forth new memories. Sora and Roxas weren't as close as Kairi and Naminé but they had similar tendencies. They tended to sleep with a cheek cushioned by their hand.

"Hey Roxas, come meet Riku!"

"Alright." Roxas drawled.

"Hi, I've heard lots about you. I'm Riku." He said after placing a kiss on Sora's lips.

"I'm Roxas. Pleasure." Roxas noticed that Riku was extremely possessive and his eyes flickered to all men looking at the spikey haired brunette with bright blue eyes.

Riku had shoulder length gray hair and grey green eyes. He was taller than Sora was.

"C'mon Roxas. Let's go get you some furniture. Target?"

"Yeah sure." He waved goodbye to his brother and his brother's boyfriend.

"Hello my name is Axel and welcome to Target." Roxas nodded in his general direction.

"Roxas? What color bedspread do you want? Where are the bedspreads, comforters, stuff like that?"

"Aisle 12."

"Thanks." Axel nodded and went to greet another customer.

A few hours later, they had the basics and went home and Kairi and Roxas put away their new belongings and Aerith called them for dinner.

"Kids! Dinner!" Three of the four rushed down while one leisurely came down.

"Roxas." Said a man in acknowledgement.

"Who the fuck are you?"

"Don't speak to him that way!"

"No, Ms. Strife, it's okay. Roxas, Kairi, may I speak to you in the other room?" Roxas watched him warily. He had his hands in his pockets and Roxas didn't like it. He pulled his hands out and Roxas flinched and he held up his white hands, he didn't have anything to hide.

"Yeah, okay. C'mon Kai." She obediently followed her brother, latching onto his hand.

"My name is Doctor Xemnas." Roxas nodded from five feet away. "I am the principal at Academy Preparatory School. You have taken placement exams and I wanted to meet you." Roxas stepped a couple inches closer.

"Why should I believe you?" he raked his eyes over the man. "Or let you anywhere near my sister?"

"Because it's true. Grow up and trust someone." Snarled Aerith. Roxas glared at his mother.

"Leave us, Aerith. I had no intention of speaking with them in your presence. They are over the age of 17."

"Fine." She growled and left the room.

"Doctor Ansem contacted me." Roxas nodded.

"He told you?"

"Just a tiny bit. Enough for me to ensure your transition into society is as seamless as possible."

"Ansem's your brother?"

"Yes."

"I trust him."

"I know you do."

"If he trusts you, I trust you. But I can't help it. I am afraid of older men. I doubt that will ever be cured."

"You've been through something traumatic. I have no idea how you made it."

"I did it for Kairi."

"I know. Not many people would have the guts to do something for that, even for their child."

"Then you know of the trial."

"Yes and I have kept my mouth shut. There is a group of kids I think you will get along with quite well."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes. You and Kairi. They're called the Organization. They are a group of misfits. They are all excommunicated from some form of society. They are misunderstood. They are good kids though. I am president of that society. They are fiercely loyal and would kill for you."

"Okay. I have six men that are my bodyguards. Don't tell Aerith. But they helped me get out of the Mansion. And helped me see Kairi."

"I see. There is no reason why I can't arrange for jobs."

"Thank you."

"I would like to shake your hand." Roxas held out his hand and shook his firmly.

"I am not afraid of people; I just don't like to be touched without permission."

"I completely understand, Ansem was raped when he was younger. I helped him get through it."

"Thank you."

"Roxas?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't recommend agreeing to see the student councilor. Just keep speaking to Ansem. You'll heal faster." At Roxas' nod, Xemnas left the house and the two children joined the rest of the newly reunited Strife family.

"What did he want?" Sora asked, with a mouthful of corn.

"Just to welcome us to the Academy."

"Well!" Scoffed Aerith. "I do not see why he would not speak in front of me."

"You forget, Mother," he spat the word as a curse. "That I have not seen you, Sora or Naminé before. Maybe he thought there was a reason for it." Aerith just glared at her second eldest son and didn't say anything else on the subject.

"So it's totally awesome that we're going to the same school, right Nam?"

"Yes." Naminé replied quietly, taking some of her hair and placing it behind her ear.

"We need to make you some friends, Nam. You're more anti-social than Larxene is, Jesus." Sora rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Larxene?"

"Yeah! Don't you know who she is?"

"No." Nam replied.

"She's one of the Organization."

"The Organization?"

"Jesus Christ, Naminé!" Sora exclaimed in exasperation. Naminé flinched.

"Sora!" Kairi yelled.

"What?" He asked innocently.

"Leave her alone, Sora." Roxas said to his brother. "She doesn't know because she is always in the library right?" He said softly to his sister. She nodded.

"She doesn't know who the Organization is because she doesn't attend lunch and she doesn't talk to people in class so lay off." Kairi snapped.

Sora sulked.

"Sorry." He muttered. They finished the dinner quietly and went their separate ways. Kairi went with Roxas. She sat on his bed and bounced on it. He opened his closet and lifted his shirt off his torso and unwrapped his bandages. He winced and hissed through clenched teeth.

"Are you okay?"

"No. It hurts. Hand me the pain meds." She did as was asked of her and handed him the bottle and rose to get some water as he rewrapped his ribs as to not injure himself when he slept.

"Roxas are you going to be okay going to school?"

"Yes. Kairi, I am going to be fine. High school is nothing compared to him."

"I know but kids can be really cruel. I just don't want you to get hurt anymore."

"I am not going to get hurt. I can handle myself besides we have the Principal on our side."

"Yeah but still."

"Roxas, phone!" Aerith shouted up the stairs. Roxas sighed and donned on his shirt.

"Throw those away, Kai." He asked her before getting the phone and putting it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Roxas."

"Oh, hello. Doctor Ansem." He greeted conversationally. Aerith frowned and told him to stay in the room. She wanted to hear the conversation but he ignored her and went up to his room.

"Hello. The Six and I have been speaking and they have wanted to speak to you."

"You want to give me their number?"

"Yes." He rattled off numbers and he wrote them on his palm with a pen.

"I'll call em up after."

"Very good. They've been quite worried, given your predicament."

"Yeah. I understand completely."

"How are the ribs?"

"Minimal swelling just rewrapped them and took another dose of pain medication."

"Excellent. They should be healing up quite nicely. I will speak to Xemnas when I feel there is a need for an evaluation x-ray. I have a doctor near there that owes me a favor."

"Okay, tell me when and I'll be there."

"I have to go. I am being paged. I will speak to you later."

"Okay bye."

"Who was that?"

"Doctor Ansem. I have to call the Six. They have to tell me something or they want to check up on me."

"Yeah. Well I am going to go to sleep. Don't stay up too late, there is more unpacking and settling in that needs to be done."

"Bye, Kai. Have sweet dreams."

"You too Roxas, you too." Roxas just smiled. Yeah, like that's ever going to happen.


"Hello?" Came the familiar voice of Xaldin.

"Xaldin!"

"Roxas! Saïx, it's Roxas!" Xaldin said to his lover excitedly.

"Hey."

"You okay? Any…trouble you need me to take care of?" His voice gained a dangerous edge. But Roxas just laughed.

"No. She's fine. A little bitchy but she favors the youngest of the twins."

"I'll kill her for you!" Xaldin's voice turned on an excited edge.

"Xaldin, it's fine."

"Okay, if you insist. Listen, we piled together some money and got you a computer and a cell phone. Unlimited everything. One of each for you and Kairi-bear." Roxas smiled at the nickname. "How is the little sprite?"

"Don't let her catch you saying that. Remember what happened last time?" He could hear Xaldin shiver.

"Don't remind me."

"Sorry." Roxas laughed.

"We miss you. Visit us soon?"

"Definitely,"

"We also got you a webcam and gave one to Ansem. You can talk to him through that. For your sessions."

"Thanks."

"Are they helping?"

"Yeah. Although I kind of freaked when this man came into the house…"

"I'll be right over!"

"Xaldin no! It's fine. He's the principal of the school I am going to. He's Ansem's brother. He's not going to hurt me."

"If you're sure…"

"I might have even scored a little extra money for y'all."

"Yeah?"

"I told him that I had six bodyguards and that they were currently looking for employment. Who knows? Maybe you'll end up killing someone. Wouldn't that make your day?"

"Would it ever!" Xaldin exclaimed. "Although I did kill this dickhead the other day."

"What'd he do?"

"Okay well…" He could hear Xaldin settling down into the bed, wrapped an arm around Saïx and pressing a kiss to his lover's head. "We were in this club. A gay club. And this guy was completely hitting on Saïx. Well not that I didn't think he could handle it, he can. I know he can, right sweet?" He was rewarded with a deep kiss that Roxas heard on the phone. Roxas grinned before clearing his throat. "Sorry. He kissed me like that sometimes. That tongue of his will be the death of me, I swear." Roxas heard Saïx laugh, almost a loving giggle. "So anyways I take him out into the alleyway and he was drunk and started saying that guys like him are only good for one thing and all that shit. And I just snapped. It was like you and him all over again. I just couldn't listen. So I took one of my lances and just killed him as violently as I could. I dumped him into the ocean and the sharks ate him. I was shaking so bad, I hadn't ever killed someone so violently."

"He deserved it." Roxas soothed.

"I know but I was still so pissed. I could have killed him all over again and I would have still been mad as hell. It took Saïx three days to calm me down. I felt bad after because he had a sore ass but…"

"Well fucking Saïx made it all better, then."

"Yeah but still. I have demons about what happened since you turned ten and then I think about you and what you're going through. And it's like insane to think how you're still sane."

"I know. I don't know how I did it either but I did. I'm here, I am safe and I am not going to get raped again. I am protected here. I am going to be in this group called the Organization and that'll be more protection. It's okay. It's going to be fine. I have mental and physical scars but I am going to pull through."

"I wish I was even a small portion as strong and brave as you are, Roxie."

"You won't be living if you call me that again."

"Roxie, Roxie, Roxie!" Xaldin taunted.

"I am hanging up now."

"You and your sister's stuff will be there tomorrow, Roxie!"

"Bye." He said and returned the phone to the kitchen and ignored Aerith's questions.

"Why won't you tell me?"

"Why won't you tell your children why we're here? Where we were? Who we were with? Until you do that, I ain't telling you jack shit."

Aerith flushed with dishonor and shame. A son of hers, swearing in her presence. Her mother would have a field day.

So here is another chapter. Next chapter, they will go to school and meet the new characters from the Organization. XD.