Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and related characters belong to Tetsuya Nomura and in no means belong to me. Written in 1st Person, contains hints of RokuNami, RokuShi, and VenNami.

~ xWhitexWindx

Warning: Contains swearing, violence, and slightly suggestive themes.

Broken Chains

Climbing up the fire escape hurt like hell, but I somehow managed to fall through the window and land on the couch. I sat up enough to shut the window, then flopped back over onto my side and closed my weary eyes. It was shortly after one in the morning, and I was exhausted.

I zonked out.

I was jerked out of my sleep by the sound of bacon frying in the kitchen, peering around with half-lidded eyes and hugging one of the couch pillows to my chest. Rubbing my eye with the heel of my hand, I tried to move my leg, only to groan in pain and curl on my side. It hurt so much.

I hate Xion right now.

Crazy woman and her crazy spells.

I noticed a worn quilt draped over my body, realizing Dad must've covered me up sometime during the night. I managed to get on my back and sit up, hissing sharply in pain under my breath as I pulled up the leg of my jeans, seeing the lacerations that lined my leg, throbbing and looking just…

"Gross…" I muttered, warily glancing into the kitchen.

Dad actually looked rested, humming along to the radio as he cooked up breakfast, but was trying to do it in a quiet fashion. I smiled a bit at this - he really was a good dad, if not a little zany. Turning my eyes back to my wounds, I bit my lip as I tried to think back to those days long forgotten.

Now I remember…

The energy danced through my body, joining at my palm as it glowed a soft green. I watched in fascination as the skin repaired itself, before I finally felt all the pain fade away. I grinned a bit - this was seriously effective, and unlike with materia, it was completely expense free and unlimited.

Well, not entirely expense free. I felt a little worn out, despite just sleeping so hard. That was the price of using magic.

Testing my leg, I fixed my jeans and got up, taking the time to fold the quilt and drape it over the back of the couch. I also latched the window shut before I ran my fingers through my wind-swept spikes. I felt rested, but the events of last night now had set a new worry on my mind.

First thing was first though, I had to let Dad in on what happened. Cloud and Tifa too.

"Dad?"

"Ah, you're up! Good morning, Ven!"

I chuckled, "Breakfast looks great. What time is it?"

"Little after ten."

Dad set down two plates of fried eggs, bacon, and sausage links. He had a cup of coffee and I poured myself some milk. We sat down and began to eat.

"So where'd you sneak out to, Ven?"

I paled, realizing a second later that I was wearing his favorite leather jacket and my clothes from yesterday. I quickly munched on some sausage, avoiding that knowing look in his sky blue eyes. After a few seconds, Dad simply chuckled.

"Alright, alright." I groaned, "You caught me. I…got a lead on where Roxas might've been last night from Tifa."

"The young lady that runs the Seventh Heaven? Ah, yes. I remember now. She's listened to my drunken sob stories many times and always brightened my day." Dad nodded, "Alright, so you went to investigate on your own. Tell me what happened?"

"We-ll, one of the guys that Roxas disappeared with is Lea Sanders. You know - that pyro that Roxas always hung out with in middle school."

"I remember him. Good kid, very smart, yet very manipulative."

"Yeah, well, he joined this little gang and they call themselves Organization XIII."

Dad was quiet for a moment, "I've heard of them."

"Huh? You have?"

"They're a lower branch of the Turks. They work for ShinRa."

Well that was news to me…

"Don't worry - no dirty work. They're more of a gathering information against a threat that actually concerns them. A man named Xehanort. He was related to one of the chief scientists - Lucrecia - but her death was his fault. He then kidnapped her children. Saddest part is, I know the kids' biological father, but he's unaware that they're even alive. And we're under strict orders to keep it from him. My job's been on the line ever since - they suspect I have some connection with the terrorist group, AVALANCHE."

"…I do…"

"I know," Dad smirked. "So do I. I'm one of the people on the inside."

I grinned, "That's great. Is that…why you've stayed here in Midgar?"

"One of the reasons, but I called the Dean of the college and he offered me back my old position. I'm going to take it. But first, I want to hear about what happened."

"Oh, yeah. Well, Lea's brother Reno, he lives above that club a few blocks down… The Devil's Nest."

"I've heard of it. It's also a bar. No…how'd you get in?!"

"Fake I.D. It was a gag gift that Roxas gave me for our 15th birthday last November."

"Have you ever…? Before last night…?"

I shook my head, "Doesn't appeal to me. I'm a good kid, remember?" I teasingly poked at him with my fork, with Dad leaning back from it and chuckling. "Well, I got in and the first person I ran into was Vanitas Valentine. He had this weird obsession with calling me a fairy…sprite…whatever it was, it annoyed the crap out of me."

Dad blinked, "Sprites are terms given to first-timers at underground clubs. Those who have memberships have a certain rank they're given."

"Vanitas said he was a demon."

"Then he's got a real high rank in that circle."

"Axel - crap - Lea showed up. I told them I wanted to see Roxas. They…actually let me. He showed me to the apartment. He was there…with Xion… and er…" I twitched a bit as I recalled them making-out. Gross. "We had a…disagreement."

"…you got into a fight?"

"He deserved it!" I said hotly, crossing my arms. "Anyway…during our…disagreement… something happened."

"What was it?"

Sighing, I stood up and hold out my hand. A felt the swiftness of a gentle breeze on my face, opening my eyes and seeing Dad's face etched in absolute shock. I gave a sad little smile as Wayward Wind caught the light, standing out even more than it already did.

"You…remember then…my father…"

I nodded, "Roxas helped."

He did, in his own twisted sense.

"Alright…so where's Roxas now?"

"Probably already took off again. I made him promise to send us anonymous postcards from wherever he's at and to call if he needs help."

"Well, he is emancipated and technically can do whatever he wants…" Dad sighed, "I don't like this, but we don't have much choice on the matter, do we?"

"Here's the thing, I don't plan on waiting at home. Xehanort's bad news. I plan on following him whether he likes it or not."

Dad raised a brow, "Since when did you become devious?"

"Must be Veconia in me."

Dad blinked at that statement. "Did you just…call your mother by her first name?"

Sighing, I then told him about my encounter with Veconia and her treatment of me. He sighed and then relieved my worries about how they had quietly gotten their divorce. It was one of the reasons why neither had come back home in awhile. It was sad, but at the same time it was what was best.

"So you plan on going after Roxas?"

"Definitely."

"Alone?"

"Er…actually…I kind of want to take Naminé with me. I don't want something happening to her. Everyone like…kind of knows already… my feelings and stuff and if Xehanort discovers I can use a Keyblade…I'm afraid that he'll kidnap her or something."

"I understand."

"So…you're going to be okay with this?"

"Yes, but first I want to go home and get everything set up. I'm sick of this city and I just…want to go home."

I gave him a hug before picking up the dishes. Dad went to go get ready for the day while I washed them, before going to take a shower. Once I was showered and wearing fresh clothes - now wearing a pair of pale blue jeans with a v-neck cream colored sweater under my hoodie, we set off to go check and see if Roxas had already left town.

The Devil's Nest was totally different in the daylight. It was closed for the day, but I could see some workers repairing the window that I had been pitched through. Dad adjusted his glasses and gave me a look, as if to say 'young man, this was more than a disagreement and I should kick your brother's ass', with me merely giving a sheepish grin.

"It's not that bad!"

"Hey! Roxas!" I jumped and turned at the name, expecting to see my twin as the owner of the club approached. "What's up, little man? I thought you left already with Vani and Xi-Xi to head for Gold Saucer?"

Well, at least we know where's he's headed…though how in the world he managed to get ahold of that kind of money for that place is beyond me.

"Um, actually, I'm his twin brother, Ventus. Call me Ven!" I held out my hand in greeting.

The owner had a look of "shit!" across his face, but he grinned none the less. "Nice to meetcha, little man. So…uh…looking for your bro?"

"Just to see if he stuck around or not. Thanks for the info."

"Just be careful, little man. Shady looking people keep popping up."

" We appreciate the warning, sir. Thank you for looking after my son." Dad spoke up.

The owner turned and walked off, letting us head down toward Sector 5. We stopped by an item shop so Dad could check out some antidotes that had just gone on sale. I looked around the marketplace, stopping by an old woman who was selling perfume. I decided to buy some for Naminé. There were also hair ribbons for sale.

I blushed a bit as I recalled the ribbon's origin that Aerith wore all the time. I picked out a light blue one and got it as well, before turning to meet up with Dad at the edge of the slums. We then made our way to Sector 7, walking through the old playground.

Once we made it to Seventh Heaven, I walked in first.

"VEN!"

I blinked and grinned as Naminé hugged me in greeting, before I boldly gave her a kiss on the cheek. Tifa greeted Dad with a smile on her face, while I felt a glare coming from the direction of the stairs. Sure enough, there was Cloud, giving me an overprotective death stare that normally would've scared me half-to-death.

After putting up with Zack's crazy antics, it didn't anymore.

Instead, I pulled Naminé close and hugged her tight to me, just taking in her camellia scent and her soft skin. She was wearing a soft white hooded sweater that stopped just at her thighs, a pair of soft purple jeans clinging to her lower frame. I really liked the purple on her.

"I missed you," I said quietly.

"I missed you too." Naminé breathed, smiling at me.

"I got you something!" I then grinned at her, before pulling the bottle of the perfume out and the ribbon. "Uh…I was inspired by Zack."

She giggled and smiled at me, "It's not original, but it's still sweet. Thank you."

She took the ribbon, and I watched as she tied it around her neck, tying it off into a little bow at the side of her neck. It looked adorable on her and she smelled the perfume, before going over to Tifa to have her test the perfume. The older woman gave me a grin and a thumbs up. Cloud simply face-palmed.

"So how did it go last night?"

I sat down in the stool, spinning a bit as she placed a hamburger in front of me. I picked it up and took a bite - I was really hungry for some reason. Guess my appetite was back.

As I ate, with Naminé sitting close beside me, I told them about what happened. After a bit, there was some silence.

"You…went there… without me?"

"Cloud made me do it."

Naminé glared at him, "I'm supposed to be helping find Roxas too."

"Though I did agree with his judgment. It wasn't a place for you, Naminé."

She pouted and turned her back on us males - an expected response.

"So…you want us to call off the search then?"

"Yeah. But Naminé and I are going to follow him. He's going to Gold Saucer next."

"Are you two going to be safe?" Tifa questioned, hands on her hips.

I hopped back and once again demonstrated my summoning of Wayward Wind.

Naminé didn't look as shocked as I had expected.

"Kairi…Sora…and Riku…can do that too…"

I blinked, "Dad, I want you to protect the town when you get back with Zack."

"I'll go too," Cloud stated.

"Are you sure? Doesn't AVALANCHE need you here?"

"Family first," Cloud stated.

Tifa nodded in understanding, "Alright. So…Ven and Naminé, you two are heading for Gold Saucer. Naminé, you have the materia I gave you, right? And the staff to fight with?"

"Yeah, I'm prepared."

"Alright, then I'll go to the station and get our tickets then!" Dad said.

"Actually, Cloud or I should go." I spoke up. "No offense, Dad, but you might lose them…"

He sighed, "Alright, fine."

"I'll go," Cloud volunteered. "Tifa, can you give Naminé some more combat training in the meantime?"

"Definitely."

"I'm gonna go do some research." I stated. "Cid won't kill me if I touch the computer, right?"

"Haha, no. Go right ahead."

"Thanks!"

"What about me?" Dad asked, looking lost.

"Just relax." I grinned. "We got this."

If only I was as sure as my words sounded.

A/N: The quest continues XD Devious Ven is very interesting to say the least. Thanks for the reviews; please review again!

xWhitexWind

Musical Inspiration: Sky-Blue Eyes - Crisis Core OST