A Transvestite Romance
Chapter 3: Who We Are
Cloud thought he had seen everything. He saw his parents die; he saw horrible things at work; he saw his friend, Aerith, attacked and survives. He wasn't prepared for an unconscious 18-year old on his driveway, back against his trash can.
"Hey kid!" Cloud ran over and shook him. The man-boy opened his eyes. They were a blue-gray. He brought his hand up to his forehead and pulled it back, and looked surprised as blood stuck to it. "Ow…" he muttered, and passed out again.
"So why are we going to the hospital again?" Sora asked. Naminé sighed and repeated, "Sora, we are here to find Cloud and go home."
"But why the hospital?" Naminé looked like she was going to ram the youngest triplet into the wall.
"Cloud always shows up at the hospital," Roxanne said, tapping Sora on the shoulder. Sora leapt about a foot in the air.
"Jeez Rox, sneaking up on us." Roxanne laughed and hugged Axel, who looked twitchy; he hated hospitals. Needles and the scientific-clean smell. It gave him the willies.
"Excuse me," Naminé asked the nurse-becoming the group's official leader-"Where is Cloud Strife?"
"Hey Naminé. And Sora and Rox-"
"Roxanne," Roxanne said. "Or Rox. Axel calls me Roxy. You could call me anything."
"Well," the nurse said, looking up Cloud's file. "Your brother isn't in the system, today."
"What?" the Strife triplets and Axel exclaimed. "That bastard!" Axel muttered. The hospital was getting to him.
"I saw him go up to the 8th floor," the nurse said. "And he had someone up there. Room 814." The Strife triplets looked confused. "Thanks," Sora said cheerfully.
"Take care kids," the nurse said cheerfully and then muttered to herself, "See you when Cloud breaks a rib or when Sora falls out of a tree."
The teens went into 814. They saw a brunette male in the bed with Cloud sitting in the uncomfortable bed-side chair. "It's gonna leave a scar, Mr. Strife. Permanently. Looks like a knife or a gunblade did this. Do you know anything about him? Name, address, profession?"
"I'm Leon. Address-The Other Wall Street. Profession? Come to the Corneo Mansion and find out," the man named Leon rasped and then laughed which quickly died in his throat. (1)
The male doctor looked embarrassed. "Well, Mr. Leon, be careful. Here are some pain killers-the scar will hurt for a couple of days."
"Don't want them," the man said flatly. "I'm addicted. Once I start, I can't stop until the bottles are empty. Then, I destroy stuff."
"Okay," the doctor said and then left the room, muttering about "Riff-raff".
Leon looked at Cloud and the kids. "Who are you guys?" Cloud sighed, ran a hand through his head and told him.
"Oh, so you're the guy whose driveway I collapsed on? Sorry about that."
"It's alright. Do you think you can leave?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'll just be out of your hair, Spikes."
Cloud shook his head. "One-Don't call me Spikes. Two-I meant you're coming with us." Leon pouted.
Sora was lost. He just wanted a damn soda and some chocolate, damnit! But now he was
"Lost, are we?" asked a slender, muscular boy with a shaved head.
"What's it to you? And yes. I'm Sora Strife."
"Well, I kinda live here. Two, you look lost. And three, I'm Riku Shan." The boy's aqua eyes were dancing with amusement. Like Axel's. But Riku's had exhaustion to them too.
"Okay, you can be my guide!" Sora cheered.
Riku took him the soda machine and then back to room 814. On the way there, he explained about his life. His parents were scientists, his brothers were in a band called One-Winged Angel, and he had cancer. Which sucked, and so his hair was gone. Sora apologized and he shrugged.
"It's fine. I mean, I was angry for a long time. But now I'm over it. I'm getting better, slowly."
At the doorway to room 814, he dropped Sora off and Sora wrote his number on Riku's palm with a Sharpie. "Call me, okay?"
"Alright," the boy said. "I will."
"Riku!" a nurse came up to him. "You shouldn't be up and about. You have tests soon."
Riku put his hands in his white pajamas pockets. "Sorry, Jen. I got bored staring at white walls. And Sora here was lost."
Jen's eyes softened. "Alright. Now say goodbye."
"Chow," Riku said, looking a bit dejected. He turned around to the elevator, waving a hand behind him. Jen followed, frowning.
"Sora," Cloud demanded, "Where were you?"
"Ummm…I wanted a soda," Sora replied, scratching the back of his head, blushing.
When they (Axel was still with the Strifes and Leon for some reason) got to the Strife household, Leon snorted. "The house is light blue. Huh. Struck me as it being black, considering your guys' style."
"We tried," Sora piped up. "But the damn home-owners association rejected it."
"I like the color," Naminé said, ever the artiest. "It's got a happy, cheery look to it."
Roxanne smirked, "Like we're the happy, cheery folk." Axel laughed, pulling his hair up to a ponytail, making himself look even more like Reno, "We can always change that, right?"
"Don't think so Axel," Cloud said. They all went inside.
Leon got the guest room. First, he went to the bathroom and took off the bandage, revealing a crusted over scab that went from over his right eyebrow, across his nose, and below his left eye.
He sighed. "Nearly this close to being blind. Damn."
Axel and Roxanne were watching TV. Roxanne nearly skipped over Mythbusters.
"Hey, I love this show!" she cheered.
"Really? I love it too. Best thing on the Discovery Channel." Together, they watched Adam and Jamie blow stuff up. Romantic afternoon, eh?
The rest of the afternoon was spent channel surfing, talking, and eating popcorn. Cloud typed some document on the computer. Leon slept, Naminé drew, and Sora chatted with Riku on the phone, laughing of course.
She hit the channel up button and CNN was on. "In other news, Reno and Axel Shinra have not been found after their father was shot in self-defense."
Axel hit the channel up button, turning it to the SpongeBob. Roxanne stared at him. "What's wrong?"
Axel sighed. "It's a long story…Tell it to you later."
Roxanne went to her room, going to change her shirt after she spilled Mountain Dew on it.
"Hey, Axel? Can you go tell Rox it's time for dinner?" Cloud asked.
"Sure," he replied, walking up the stairs.
"Yo, Roxy, Cloud says its dinner-"he opened the door without knocking. The scene was like snapshots in his mind. Roxanne was not facing him, her shirt was off, a corset-like item on the floor next to her, along with a wig, a long, blonde wig.
She turned and screeched. Axel yelped. "You're-you're a…a. Guy."
She-or he really- was blushing. His hair stuck up everywhere, as blond as the wig, his face was bright red as Axel's hair. He started to cry. "I'm sorry, I'm so so so sorry, Axel."
"Shit," Axel swore, and ran out. Cloud was by the door, his spikes covering his eyes.
"What happened? Axel?" Axel felt like he was going to hurl. His mind was repeating I kissed a guy, A GUY!! How? Why? He was angry.
Sora entered the room. "Hey, Riku? I gotta go. Call you back sometime." He hung up the phone. "You found out?" he asked, eyes full of sorrow.
"Yeah, and I want nothing to do with him." He turned ant left. Sora grabbed his arm. "Axel. He didn't want to hurt you, trust me. Please, it can be worked out."
Axel tugged his arm out of Sora's grasp. "Sorry, I need to think," he whispered. Sora let him go.
Axel ran into his apartment building, taking the stairs instead of the elevator. How could I could be so dumb? There were hints!
Hayner snickered. "What?" Axel asked, sticking his feet into the aisle. "Nothing," Hayner laughs. Axel grabs his shirt and yells "What the hell is so funny?"
"What did that guy want?" She blushed. "Nothing, he was an old friend"
"Yeah, we know hi-"Demyx started.
"Her," Zexion interrupted. "Roxanne Strife, age 16. She's a sophomore, like us."
Rox?
"There's something I need to tell you," Cloud started.
"There were so many hints!" he yelled, pounding on the door to 813. Reno opened the door.
"What's up, Axel?" His red-headed brother looked worried.
"I'll tell you tomorrow," Axel muttered, storming into his room, and shutting the door behind him.
A/N: Ahhhh…It happened!!! Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuunnn…Now, it's time for reactions and stuff.
(1): Final Fantasy VII reference. More on that in the next chapter.
Now, should there be Cleon or CloudxAerith as another side pairing? PM me or review in your vote now.
(I'm also thinking of making a Death Note Beauty and the Beast yaoi AU fanfic too)
Next Time: The Aftermath. Valentines Day. Aerith and Larxene appear (but not together)
Chow!
