A/N: I know it's been a while since I've updated. A family member of mine was in the hospital so I've been quite busy dealing with that. To try and make up for my lateness, I'm giving you a longer chapter than usual as well as a sneak preview at the end. As always, thanks to my reviewers: P5hng-Me-A'Wy and fallenofthedark. Enjoy, and please review.

Monday came sooner than anyone wanted it to. Everyone was milling about in the halls as they waited for the bell to ring. The light conversation that was going on with the twins and their friends came to a halt at the sound of a familiar voice.

"Welcome to Hollow Bastion High. We hope you enjoy it here. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to come to the office for help. Or you can always ask any of the teachers or other students," the school's receptionist said with a bright smile.

"Yes, thank you. We'll be sure to do that if we have any trouble." Sora was the first to react to the appearance of the familiar silver-haired teen.

"Riku?" Said teen turned at the use of his name and his eyes widened in surprise as his gaze landed on the group that he had served not even a day ago. He soon broke into a grin and trotted over to where Sora and the others were standing.

"Sora! I didn't know you came here. Small world," he said with a chuckle.

"Yeah. I wasn't expecting to see you again until the weekend," Sora replied as he fiddled nervously with the strap of his messenger bag.

"So, this is him?" Everyone turned their attention toward one of the three other silver- haired teens that were standing with Riku.

Riku threw a sharp look at him before turning back to Sora and the others with a sigh. "These are my older brothers; Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo. They're fraternal triplets." Each of Riku's brothers nodded as their name was mentioned.

Kadaj rested his arm on Riku's shoulder and flicked him on the forehead with hid free hand. "You know, Ri-Ri, it's not polite to ignore someone when they ask you a question." Riku flushed angrily at the use of the nickname that his brothers had given him. Kadaj removed himself from Riku's person and re-asked his question. "Sora's the cutie you've been fangirling over, right?" He let his gaze slowly travel over the brunets physique, causing an embarrassed blush to stain Sora's cheeks. "Hm, he's cute. But I think I prefer," Kadaj's gaze flickered over to Roxas, "blondes."

Axel glared at Kadaj and placed a protective arm around Roxas' shoulders. Roxas tensed at the contact but, for once, didn't push him away. Kadaj raised an eyebrow at the display. "Interesting," he muttered before redirecting his attention to Riku. "We'll be waiting afterschool in the parking lot. Don't dawdle or I'll leave without you." With that, the triplets turned and walked off down the hall.

Riku let out a sigh. "Sorry about Kadaj. He can be a bit overwhelming."

Axel gave him a pointed look. "A bit?"

Roxas let out a chough. "You can let go now," he muttered with a faint blush staining his cheeks. Axel quickly removed his arm and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. The tension was broken by the bell and everyone headed off to homeroom.

~Skip to First Period~

Ven was lost in his thoughts when the door to the classroom violently slammed into the wall. The class immediately fell silent as Mr. Xigbar stormed in, shouting angrily into his cell phone.

"No, you listen to me you backstabbing weasel! You owe me 5K and it should have been wired to my bank account last week!" There was a pause as the person on the other end of the line said something. "Bullshit! You owe me 5K and now that it's late, you owe me interest too! I'll make this simple for you. Have the 5K plus 5% interest in my account by tomorrow or you'll be getting a visit from me." Mr. Xigbar's visible eye twitched at whatever response he received. "I don't give a flying fuck on Uranus about your Godamn 'problems'! Have it done or I'll shove an AK47 so far down your throat that you'll be shitting bullets for the rest of your miserable life! Got it?" He violently stabbed the 'end' button on his phone and turned to face his stunned class. "Free period," he growled before slouching into the seat at his desk. Ven stared out the window until the bell rang to signal the end of the period.

He grabbed his backpack and was one of the first to make it out the door. He noticed Vanitas walking up ahead of him and was about to call out to the raven-haired teen when an arm was slung around his shoulders.

"Hey, Babe." Ven looked up at the owner of the arm only to blush when he realized it was Terra.

"H-hi, Terra."

Terra chuckled. "You're too cute. So, I realized that I kind of left a few things up in the air after what happened this weekend and I wanted to clear things up. I really like you, Ven. I'd like to be your boyfriend."

Ven blinked at Terra in surprise. "O-ok."

"Great!" Terra exclaimed with a grin and he continued to walk with Ven to Mr. Leonheart's class. As they reached the door, he suddenly pulled a surprised Ven into a searing kiss. At that exact same moment, Vanitas happened to reach the classroom. He stared at the two for a moment before angrily pushing past them.

Ven pulled out of Terra's grasp and looked at him with a startled expression. The brunet rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Sorry. I couldn't help myself."

"It's ok," Ven muttered before he too went into the classroom. Ven was about to move toward where Vanitas was sitting at the back of the class but was stopped by Terra who grabbed his hand and nodded to two seats more towards the front of the class. Ven looked back at Vanitas who was pointedly looking anywhere but at him and Terra, and took one of the two empty seats at the front. Terra grinned for the entirety of class while Vanitas glared at him from the back of the classroom, willing his head to explode.

~Lunch~

Terra was about to lead Ven to a table of his friends when the blonde slipped his hand out of his boyfriend's grip. "I wanted to eat lunch with my brother and our friends," Ven explained. Terra shrugged and continued on his way toward his own friends. Ven walked over to the table that his brother and their friends were occupying and took an empty seat next to Vanitas.

Vanitas looked at him. "So, you and Terra?" Ven blushed and nodded his confirmation at Vanitas' implied question.

Axel whistled. "Damn, Kid. He's one of the most wanted guys at school."

Roxas scoffed. "If he's so hot and if you like him so much, then why don't you ask him out?"

"Don't tell me you're jealous, Roxy," the red-head teased. Roxas stabbed his fork violently into the salad that he had chosen for lunch as he glared at Axel. "To answer your question, I'm already into someone else," he murmured, not taking his eyes off of a now blushing Roxas. "Besides, I don't go for dominant guys."

"Whatever," Roxas muttered and shoved a forkful of salad into his mouth.

~After School At The Strife Residence~

"Hey, Roxas? Can I ask you something?"

Roxas looked at Ven for a moment before returning his attention to his chemistry book. "You just did."

Ven rolled his eyes. "You know what I meant."

"So what did you want to ask?"

"Do you hate Axel? You always seem to be mad at him but really, Rox, he's a nice guy."

Roxas blinked at his brother and shut his textbook. "I don't hate him. He's just. . . I don't know. He confuses me. I know he's a nice guy but sometimes he just really pushes the wrong buttons. He comes on really strong and, to be honest, that scares me a bit."

Ven looked up from his math notes. "I guess. He really likes you, you know. Maybe even loves you. Would giving him a chance really be such a bad thing?"

"I just- I don't want to end up like Dad. He thought he found love, but look how it turned out. He broke, Ven. Dad cried for that first month and he-he never cries," Roxas took a shaky breath and willed the burning sensation in his throat to disappear. "T-then he got real quiet. H-he wouldn't talk to anyone. It took him months to go back to normal! Dad's a strong person, Ven, but me? What if I can't be fixed after I'm broken? I c-can't . . . I just. . . c-can't!" The earlier burning of his throat had only intensified as he continued and by the end of his rant, Roxas was sobbing as Ven rocked him back and forth in an attempt to calm him down.

"Sh. It's alright, Rox, it's alright. I'm sorry I brought it up. You don't have to do anything that you don't want to, alright?" Roxas removed his head from Ven's shoulder and wiped violently at his eyes before nodding slowly and making a halfhearted attempt to finish his chemistry homework.

~Skip to the Parent/Teacher Meetings~

"Ugh! Stupid tie!"

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Dad, will you stop messing with it?"

Cloud looked up from where his fingers were currently being held captive by the most atrocious tie to ever have been created. "But it keeps coming loose," he whined with a pout.

Ven sighed and went to rescue their father's fingers from the deathtrap that was the tie. "Why are you wearing a suit anyway? Most of the parents are wearing casual clothing."

"I just wanted to make a good impression on your teachers," Cloud mumbled as he flexed his now free fingers.

Roxas quickly grabbed the tie from Ven's hand and tossed it into the backseat of their car. "You'd make a better impression without the suit. Take off your jacket." Cloud removed his jacket and it soon joined the tie in the backseat of the car. Ven cocked his head to the side and studied their father's appearance before undoing the top three buttons on his dress shirt and rolling up the sleeves to Cloud's elbows. Roxas gave him a quick once over and nodded in approval. "Much better. Let's get going before the rooms get too crowded."

The twins entered the school with Cloud trailing behind him. They stopped in at the office and signed in with the receptionist before making their way farther into the school. "You told me that you both have the same teachers, so who will I be meeting first?"

"We decided that we'd be following Ven's schedule. So first will be homeroom. You actually already know our homeroom teacher," Roxas said as they neared their first destination.

"Really? I wonder who-" Cloud was cut off as he was pulled into a bone cracking hug by Aerith.

"Cloud! My goodness! It's been a while since I've seen you. You've gotten so tall and," she squeezed his arm gently, "have you been working out?"

"A-Aerith?" Cloud gasped as he attempted to pull more air into his lungs. She let him go and gave a bright smile. Cloud grinned back at her. "It is you! I haven't seen you since graduation. How have things been?"

"Oh, I've been pretty well. Zack and I moved here after graduation and attended University together. He teaches here as well but is sick with the flu so couldn't make it tonight. We're actually engaged," she said while holding out her left hand so Cloud could see the engagement ring that sat on her finger. "Zack will be thrilled to see you again. We'll have to get together some time and catch up."

"Absolutely. Let me know when you two are free and we'll work something out. So, how are my boys doing?"

Aerith sent a smile at Roxas and Ven. "Oh, they're an absolute joy. Most of the time Roxas and Ven are either reading or studying, which is pretty much what homeroom is supposed to be used for. You've done a great job raising them, Cloud. Well, I think I've taken enough of your time for tonight. I'll call soon to let you know when Zack and I are free. Have a nice night, you three," Aerith gave Cloud a quick hug before sending them off with a cheery wave.

"I had no idea that Aerith lived here; it certainly was a pleasant surprise. So, where are we headed to next?"

Ven and Roxas gave each other a slightly worried look. "Er. . . next is History class with Mr. Xigbar," Ven said.

Cloud looked at his sons. "I get the feeling that something bad is about to happen. . ." A woman suddenly stormed out of the history classroom. She looked over her shoulder and glared daggers at the door before marching off with her daughter. Cloud looked at the door with apprehension and took a deep breath before opening the door and walking in with Roxas and Ven trailing in behind him.

There was another parent already sitting in front of Mr. Xigbar and they seemed to be arguing heatedly with each other. "This is absurd! You are completely unfit to be teaching my son! You're nothing but a crackpot!"

Mr. Xigbar snorted. "I personally don't give a shit what you think. When it comes down to it, I'm the one with the teaching degree, not you. If that's all, get the fuck out."

A vein bulged in the man's temple. "I demand-" he was cut off by the AK47 that Mr. Xigbar had shoved into his face.

"Listen here, you fucktard. This is my class room and you're in no position to be demanding anything, got it? Now, unless you want to get more intimately acquainted with Shela," he ran a hand lovingly over the gun before returning his attention to the now pale man in front of him, "get your sorry ass out of my classroom." The startled parent grabbed his son and rushed out of the classroom before the scarred man could make good on his threat.

Cloud stared wide-eyed at the man who was supposedly teaching his sons history. Mr. Xigbar turned his attention from the door to Cloud and he grinned. "Well, hello Gorgeous," he growled as he gave Cloud a once over. Xigbar suddenly grabbed Cloud's hand and pulled the stunned man to him. "I must be in heaven if an angel like you is gracing my presence with his beauty."

Roxas and Ven stared in shock as their history teacher continued to use corny pick-up lines on their father while Cloud's left eye developed a twitch. Ven had a thoughtful expression on his face before he broke into a grin. He tapped Roxas on the shoulder to get his attention and quickly whispered his plan to his twin. Roxas gave him a disbelieving look. "You really think that'll work?"

Ven shrugged. "There's only one way to find out." They turned their attention back to an increasingly uncomfortable looking Cloud and their teacher.

"So, how about you and I ditch this lame ass function and go back to my place for a fu-" Xigbar was interrupted by a loud gasp from Ven.

"Oh my gosh! What the heck is that?" Ven shouted with a scared expression as he pointed out the window that was on the other side of the room. Xigbar let go of his hold on Cloud and grabbed his gun before turning toward where Ven was pointing. Roxas took this chance to grab their father's hand and the three rushed out of the room before Mr. Xigbar could realize that nothing was there.

Roxas pushed their father into the next classroom on their list before he and Ven rushed in after him and slammed the door shut. "Please tell me that the rest of your teachers aren't insane," Cloud said as he tried to catch his breath.

"Er. . . hello." The three turned to see an amused looking Leon.

Ven gave a nervous chuckle. "H-hi Mr. Leonheart. We . . . er. . . we're sort of hiding from-"

"Where are you, my sexy little Chocobo?" had stopped right outside of Mr. Leanheart's classroom. He looked around quickly before rushing off down the hall.

Leon raised an eyebrow. "Chocobo?"

Cloud let out a chuckle. "I get that a lot because of the hair."

"I see. Well, if you're trying to avoid Xigbar, I can help you out with that." Leon poked his head out the door just as Xigbar was about to rush by again. "Hey, Xigbar. The principal wanted to see you about something."

"Damnit! What the fuck does she want now?"

Leon shrugged. "I have no idea but she looked ready to kill. You probably shouldn't keep her waiting."

"Right, looks like my sexy little blonde is going to have to wait. Damn you Lockhart!" Xigbar rushed down the hall in the direction of the office.

Leon chuckled as he returned his attention to the three other people occupying his room. "Well, that should keep him busy for a while. I can't say I blame him though; you're quite an attractive man, Mr. Strife." Cloud blushed at the compliment. "Anyway, I'm Squall Leonheart, but please, call me Leon. Besides that misunderstanding last week, Roxas and Ven are doing well in math. Their scores are above the class average and they are both very well behaved. You and your wife did a great job raising them."

Cloud cleared his throat. "I'm . . . er . . . not with anyone. I'm also not interested in women," he said quietly while looking anywhere but at Leon.

"Well then, perhaps we could have coffee sometime? That is, if Roxas and Ven don't mind and if you would like to?" Leon inquired while looking to the two teens for permission.

Ven and Roxas looked at each other for a moment. "We don't mind," they replied in tandem.

"Sure. I'd like that, Leon," Cloud said shyly.

Leon gave him a bright grin. "Great. I'm not trying to kick you out or anything but you might want to get on your way before Xigbar gets back." Cloud nodded before he, Roxas, and Ven got up and left the classroom.

"Where to next?" asked Cloud as the three started off down the hallway.

"Next is English with Mr. Deckler. Whatever you do, Dad, don't agree to play a game of poker with him," Ven replied. Cloud blinked in confusion at the strange warning.

The three entered the English classroom and were greeted by Mr. Deckler. "Ello there. I'm Luxord Deckler, the English teacher. You must be Roxas and Ven's father. Your sons are doing well in class. We have our first writing assignment due on Friday and I'm quite eager to see what they came up with. Their drafts looked promising."

Cloud nodded happily. "I'm glad that they're doing well. Please, keep me informed on their progress."

Luxord flashed a grin. "I'll be sure to do so. It was nice meeting you Mr. Strife. Enjoy the rest of your evening," he said before ushering them out the door and greeting the next family.

"Well, he seemed pleasant enough," Cloud commented.

Roxas nodded. "Yeah, he's a pretty good teacher. Next is Mr. Thornton. He's a bit . . . flamboyant."

Ven and Roxas led cloud out of the main building and into a smaller building behind the school, which turned out to be the Botany classroom/ greenhouse. They were greeted by a cheerful man with pink locks. "Hello there~! I'm Marluxia Thornton and welcome to the greenhouse. Ah, Roxas and Ven. Your plants are growing nicely." He flounced off and returned with two small planters containing flourishing chrysanthemums. "Yes, absolutely lovely. Be sure to water them tomorrow," he said brightly. He set the plants down gently before addressing Cloud. "You must be their father, Mr. Strife. It's a pleasure to meet you. Roxas and Ven seem to be doing well in Botany class. We have a test coming up on Monday so that will give a better idea of how they're fairing. As for now, there's not anything to be concerned about." Cloud smiled at Marluxia and shook the man's hand before his sons led him back up to the school's main building.

"You weren't kidding. He was flamboyant," Cloud said with a chuckle as they entered the Science classroom.

"Welcome. I am professor Vexen. You must be Mr. Strife. Roxas and Ven are doing well so far. I would be worried if they weren't as this is only the second week of class. We'll be doing our first lab sometime next week and I'm hoping they will excel. Keep up the good work boys." Vexen hastened back to the front of the room to check on a few beakers that were sitting on his desk and recorded his findings in a notebook.

Cloud blinked in surprise before he and the twins left to go to the next room. "Well that was . . . short."

Ven chuckled a bit. "Yeah, Professor Vexen isn't very social. Anyway, next is P.E with Mr. Strongarm."

The three entered the gymnasium and were greeted by the burly P.E teacher. "Hello. I'm Lexaeus Strongarm, the P.E teacher. You must be Mr. Strife. Roxas and Ven aren't very athletic but they participate in class and I can tell they're trying their best. That's all I ask from my students. If they keep it up, they shouldn't have any problems getting an A in the class," he said quietly.

"That's good to hear. We're a healthy family and we exercise, but we don't exactly go jogging every day," Cloud said while he ran a hand through his unruly hair.

Lexaeus nodded. "I understand. Most people don't go jogging every day. It's good that your family lives healthily, in any case. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Strife. If there are any problems with Roxas and Ven, I'll be sure to let you know. Enjoy the rest of your evening."

The three left the gym and started on their way back to the parking lot. "Well, your teachers all seem fairly nice . . . except for Mr. Xigbar. He gives me the creeps."

Ven and Roxas laughed at Clouds look of horror at the thought of Mr. Xigbar. "Yeah, he's pretty unorthodox for a teacher," Roxas said.

"So I can see. Let's get going before he pops out of nowhere," Cloud said as he looked around nervously.

The three were about to go through the front doors of the school when a familiar silver-haired teen called out to they. "Hey! Roxas, Ven, wait! I want you to meet my dad." The two teens turned around to see Riku hurrying towards them.

Ven smiled at their newest friend. "Hey, Riku. So where's your d-"

"Cloud." Roxas and Ven looked up and tensed at the sight of the man who had said their father's name.

"Sephiroth," Cloud said shortly.

Riku looked puzzled. "You already know my dad?"

No one answered the teen's question. Cloud continued to stare at Sephiroth while the silver-haired man looked back with surprise. "It's been awhile, Cloud." Sephiroth's gaze shifted to Roxas and Ven. "Wow. Roxas and Ven sure have grown, huh?"

Cloud pulled his sons toward him protectively. "I don't want you coming anywhere near my sons, Sephiroth," he snarled before making to leave.

"But they're my sons too, Cloud."

A/N: And that's it for this chapter. This hasn't been read over yet by my beta, but I'll make any corrections when they come to light. Here's my present to the readers:

Preview:

"Wait, Ven. Who's at your house?" Terra asked with suspicion.

Ven's grip on the phone tightened as he grew increasingly nervous at the prospect of Terra's reaction. "Er . . . Vanitas. But it's not what you think!"

"Oh really, because I -think- that my boyfriend's been lying to me!" Terra shouted. "Whatever, Ventus. Give me a call when you decide to stop being a whore."

There was a click and then Ven heard nothing but the dial tone. He set the phone back onto its cradle before sitting heavily in one of the chairs at the kitchen table. Heart wrenching sobs shook his body. He started slightly as a pair of arms wrapped around his body and he was brought into a warm embrace.

"I'm sorry, Ven. So sorry. I never would have come here if I knew it would cause you problems," Vanitas murmured as he tried to calm the boy in his embrace.

"Why?" Ven shouted as he shoved Vanitas away from him. "You –hate- Terra!"

Vanitas shook his head sadly. "I don't –hate- him. I just don't trust him . . . but he made you so happy so I ignored what I thought of him. I ruined everything by coming here. I'll . . . just go stay at Sora's."

The raven-haired teen turned to leave but was stopped when Ven grabbed his wrist. "Don't. You're already here and the damage has already been done. There's no point in you leaving. We can be miserable together," Ven said with a hint of a smile.

Vanitas let out a bark of laughter. "You got it."