Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any of the characters that are brought up in this fan fiction they are under the strict ownership of Disney and Square Enix. Everything of this story is purely fan written.

Chapter 10: Future…or Long Ongoing Torture

How was it, that things had come this far, to come from a start that was less then what was expected, to be put to making and keeping a promise given by someone that could almost be a Guardian Angel? How had this life come from a start of hate for the existence of such a young life, a mother who thought only of herself and didn't care what she did to make herself well known in the Business World, which was now crashing down around her? Questions, they ask us to think, be critical thinkers, these things had been on Roxas' mind ever since he could remember, and he knew a few answers for them, and they were as close as those around him.

Things were just beginning, and so was Namine's mouth, "So, I just wanted to talk to him and he decides to just shove me around as if I'm some punching bag," no one seemed to be paying attention to her anymore, "Hello, I'm speaking here."

"Sorry, we don't speak Liar," Sora was less then willing to listen to her anymore, no one was listening anymore, "Why don't you start telling the truth for once? Because I'm sure Tidus wants the truth about you about you two, I know he does since he's starting to question if you're just using him to get what you want from someone you can't get anywhere else."

Riku's gaze was stern as he watched Sora get up along with the others, "Turns out, your little life is over as it seems," the group got up and headed in separate directions, leaving Namine to sit by herself, questioning her own self.

"Tch, whatever," the sound of someone sitting down across from her made her look across the table as the person who seemed to be questioning her loyalties was staring at her, "Tidus?"

He couldn't answer as he finally got up and headed past her, "I guess that's your answer for anything and everyone, I'm just a whatever. See you around, Namine."

Axel waited outside of the school in the quad, casually smoking, but then he thought of how Roxas felt about them as for the first time since taking up the nasty habit after being betrayed; he gave up on the nasty habit, "I wonder how Roxas is holding up after the last run in at his house…Man, who knew a Mom could be as psycho as that one?" he shuttered at the memory of the full out war he had gotten into to save Roxas, but he still felt, he had failed him.

"Mom, don't refer to him like that!"

"Shut up!" the sound of a hand hitting a face was heard as it seemed to resonate throughout the room.

"ROXAS!"

"How dare you speak to him, I can't believe the police aren't here already to arrest you…"

"M-Mom…stop."

"I should've ended your life before you even existed."

"Y-You…"

"What? You going to cry now…Aww, and here I thought had given birth to a boy, not a prissy girl."

"S-Shut up…"

"What was that?"

"SHUT UP!"

Roxas attempted to charge at the woman but the back of her hand was a trap for pain and torment as her drunken rage sent him sprawling into the corner of his night stand beside his bed, knocking him unconscious.

"See…look what you made me do you little bastard?"

Axel looked on in horror as Roxas lay unmoving, a slight trickle of blood starting to trickle from the back of his head; it was then that everything that had lead up to Axel's arrest for accusations of attacking the boy without reason. The boy's mother was arrested for endangerment to her son, disorderly conduct, and abuse against her son.

"…I never want to have to put him through that again," he wiped away tears that had come on from remembering the darkened memories, but the moment he heard footsteps coming towards him; he knew he had to pull it together faster.

Blond hair came bouncing up as it was almost running at him as something seemed different about the figure running at him as he found himself being bowled over as he nearly cracked his head on the cement, "Hey…" lips found themselves around the man's as his smiled cracked through, "I was wondering when you'd show up before I had given up and thought that, 'Hmm, was this guy just trying to get his kicks off some innocent, unsuspecting, little boy?'" Roxas sat up as he helped Axel back up, but the man wasn't finished with him.

"…I thought I lost you that night," his lips were deep in against the boy's as he pushed up against a wall, losing himself in him, "Don't ever push me away when you think you can do it alone."

Roxas finally broke it off as he looked up at him panting, a look of worried painted on his face that the man's words confusing more then anything, "…Is there something that happened you're not telling me?"

"Roxas, don't you remember what happened the other night…the guy from my past betrayal decided he was going to do away with you to get to me, I saved you, but then…but then…" he couldn't bare to speak about it, he didn't think it was his right as his fingers traced over the scarring marks from the woman's nails that had torn up the boy's face, which made him flinch, "…But then, I nearly lost you more then once…by him…and by the woman that dares call herself your Mother."

He all but forgotten that night, but his demeanor shifted as he started to pace the quad with Axel watching him with fright in his eyes, "Roxas, I didn't mean to bring it up…I'm so sorry," he watched the boy almost crumbling, but it was made worse as the sight of Demyx strolling across campus seemed to crash it down, even Axel seemed to get scared, "What is he doing here?"

Demyx saw their gazes as he glared them down with his father's hand around his throat dragging him along to the Office, "So, you want to enroll your son in our School?" Leon trifled over papers as he handed them to the boy's father; he pulled his fingers back as he counted how many remained, "If you'll sign this paperwork, do the necessary steps listed in the paperwork, he should start school as soon as next Monday."

"Thank you," the man set about signing the papers as he kicked at the boy beside him, "Tell your new Principal, 'Thank You', Demyx."

The boy winced as he nearly felt like walking out or even slugging his Father out, "Thank You for this chance, sir."

Leon had seen the change in demeanor, but he didn't want to make any point at point it out, no use stirring the waters, after the papers were signed and filed away, the deal finished that Demyx would be starting school Monday; they were free to leave and Leon was free to escape the darkness that seemed to be seeping around the office. Why is it when we feel things are going to get better, someone else steps in?

Leon noticed Roxas sitting beside Axel, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to realize that the only reason Roxas was happier now then when he first started, that element was sitting beside him, "Roxas, can I have a moment with you?" Leon didn't want to interrupt anything that might be going on between Roxas and the interest in his life, "Don't worry, I'll have him back in one piece."

"Don't worry…you're about the only guy I can trust with him," Axel stood up, but the feeling of Roxas holding onto his wrist to make him stay seemed to weigh him down as he knelt in front of him, "…This is just going to be one of many steps towards your really happiness…"

Roxas still wanted Axel to stick around, but he knew that Axel was right as he softly pecked him in the lips, "Okay, you've got 20 minutes…and not a minute over," Roxas stood up as he followed Leon to a local Café not too far from the school as they sat and talked.

"So, how is life since your Mom is awaiting a Jury of her peers to convict her of almost twenty years of abuse?" Leon didn't mean for it to be blunt, but it was the only question that came to mind.

"Can't complain…it has been kind of a long journey to get from what happened to being human, in a way, you guess," his fingers worked the straw around in his drink, "…Still trying to make what you said about being my dad stick, but its kind of hard to do that when you've lived with the equivalent of Norman Bates' Mother for the past 18 years."

All he could do was just laugh at the unfortunate moments of his life, it earned a smile from Leon as he watched the boy starting to unwind, and loosen up as they continued to talk, laugh, and learn about one another, "Well…this has been fun, but I think we've been more then 20 minutes, don't you think…?"

"Axel."

"Right, Axel, don't you think Axel might be getting worried about where his boyfriend is with the school principal," Leon knew better then to say next what he soon let slip, "Because there have been cases of teachers or faculty having sexual relationships and feelings for and with their students."

"Eww, okay, stop right there," Roxas was a ball of nerves know as he tried to not let his drink come snorting out of his nose, "That's more then I want to know, because if its true you're my dad, that's just pure…oh god, that's an image I didn't need."

Leon and Roxas couldn't stop laughing about it until the Café owner almost had to have them escorted out of the Café; it was almost sundown by the time they left the Café, "Well…I think this where we part for the day, and I will see you, and Axel back at school Monday morning," Leon ruffled the boy's hair as he watched him brush him off, "I had fun."

"So did I…Dad," Roxas seemed a little unnerved about referring to someone that he knew as his Principal, his Dad, "…That was awkward."

"You don't have to call me that if you don't want to…" Leon's arms wrapped around the boy as he embraced him, "…It's going to be alright now its going to be alright."

Roxas wanted to believe it, but it was hard, "If you say so."

"Hey," the man lifted the boy's eyes up to his, "I know so…you've got someone who really cares about you…I know your Aunt would be happy to see you so happy right now."

Happiness is only what you make it, and in Roxas' eyes, it was in the eyes of the beholder that stood before him; it was real, happiness was just a few steps away from him as the lanky figure of the man he had fallen for stood a few feet away. His fiery hair wavered in the wind as he watched the happy scene, "Now, get on home to someone who is waiting for you…don't keep him waiting."

Roxas happily nodded as he ran towards the man with a bright and big grin about his face as the man picked him like a father with his son, happily running into arms of protection that could pick him up and make him feel ten times as big as the world. Leon could hear the boy's soft laughter and playful screams as Axel seemed to try to get Roxas to be as playful as a little kid. It was joy to his ears to hear the boy laughing so heartedly, the scene was almost like watching something of the past he had only wished he had been apart of when the boy was growing up.

It's been so long since I've seen you this close…in those past years I use to watch you painfully watch that woman drive away in another man's car while my own Sister was forced to watch you…

"You know Leon, it would be easier for you to be in his life if you weren't just watching from the side lines of life," someone had in the fleeting moments had walked up behind him, a soft brunette stood with her arms crossed across her chest, "…Its more fun to be close to them having them in your arms, able to just hear their voice so close to you, listen to their day that they would usually tell to their Mothers."

Leon knew the voice all too well, "Then why don't you become his Mother, save him any more pain in case that psycho woman he calls a Mother finds herself released because some stupid Judge decides to sympathize with her," he didn't need someone on his back telling him how to work his life into the role of a "Father" after just learning a small time ago he had a son, "Or are you just trying to pawn off all adult like responsibility on me like always, Aerith?"

"Leon…or was it Squall…" her tone drawled out as if she had something on him as she watched him grow tense.

"Don't EVER mention that second name to me again," he sounded as if he would turn on her and deck her into the wall.

"Whatever name you go by now; you have responsibilities now…and you need to live up to them."

Leon turned to address her once again as he saw the sun was setting and the street lights were coming on, "Like you have the responsibility to tell him you're the one that almost 18 years ago told him to keep a promising wish you had for him…to grow up and become happy…well, when was that suppose to come, Aerith?" his eyes steely stared her down, his voice raging with anger, each to their own was at fault for not being there for the boy, "…Was it suppose to come when his Mother finally decided to be one and break up something that was only brought on because his life was going in a direction it shouldn't have gone in until someone else stepped in and fixed that? Or when she finally decided to beat the living crap out of him?! TELL ME WHEN IT WAS GOING TO COME!"

Aerith knew when to just walk away from him, "Now…it should come, now," the sound of her footsteps walking away were the sound that filled his ears as the soft laughter of Roxas as happy as he had been in years seemed droned out.

Monday couldn't have come anytime sooner for the school, especially its newest student, but this time, when Mr. Zexion was introducing the class; he couldn't seem to keep himself from stumbling over words, "S-Sorry class, I have to go do something, i-important!"

"What's his problem?" Roxas glanced to Axel as if the man had any ideas as they saw Demyx make his way to the back of the room and into a corner to hide from the world, "…He seems like a dog that's had the crap beaten out of him by a sadistic master."

Axel's gaze was trained on him; Roxas' words seemed distant to him as he saw the hurt in the boy's eyes from the life he was living in now and the hurt of Axel brushing him off, "Axel, hey…" Roxas shook the boy's attention back to reality, "Are you listening?"

"Hmm…" Axel turned back his attention to the boy as the sight of Mr. Zexion coming back in, a little flustered and out of place as he tried to lead the rest of class.

Roxas tried his best not to laugh, but he couldn't help but watch Demyx making goo goo eyes at the Teacher which was making the Teacher grow hot under the collar as if it by magic, "CLASS DISMISSED!" the class started to disperse like the Red Sea, as did Demyx till the Teacher called him out, "Demyx, I need to see you after class."

Great…first day of class and I'm already getting called out on something I haven't even done!

"Coming, sir," Demyx casually sauntered over to the man, but the sound of a classroom door shutting and locking told him other things, "What is this? One on one, student/teacher tutoring and on the first day, what did I do to get so lucky to land something like this?"

Zexion knew that having a relationship beyond student and teacher was forbidden, but right now, all feelings of want for the boy, even if he hardly knew him was overriding those, "…It's a confession," his lips were instantly on Demyx's as he felt he would be pushed away but it came out differently as Demyx lightly pushed him away, momentarily.

"…That is the best…confession I've received so far…" his face cracked into a smile as he return the kiss softly to the Teacher as he pulled the curtain down on the window of the classroom door as they slid to the floor, lost in one another's arms.

Even when the day's end school bell rang, and all had gone home, two people remained back at the school, hopelessly lost in love; it was a start of Demyx's own journey into a love of his own. It was true, and unrifled above anything else. It was right.