A/N: Hey everybody, I have good news and bad news. I'll start with the sime good news. I have this chapter up as well as the next wrote but not typed yet. Now the bad news and then the good news. Bad news,For the next few months my updates will be coming a lot slower, dew to the good news, I got a promotion at my new job already, I now hold the lead reciving position in a clothing store. So that means no more coming home and smelling like coffee, YAY! I'm still gonna try for one a week but it might end up being one every two weeks. Now that I've got that out of my system, on with the story.
Sora finally caught up to Roxas about a block from home. "Roxas...what was that about?" Sora puffed out of breath.
Roxas stopped completely and stared at Sora. He couldn't believe his brother didn't remember, than again he hadn't remembered them until he saw Reno. "It's nothing." Roxas looked down after a moment. "She was Mom's best friend, Sora."
Sora frowned not understanding, "Um..."
"I don't want to talk about it. Can we just go home?" Roxas looked up at Sora with sad, hurt eyes.
"Okay Roxas." Sora smiled at his little brother and put an arm around Roxas' shoulders. Roxas leaned against him as they started walking. He jumped when a car pulled up beside them.
Cid rolled the passenger side window down looking out at his two nephews. "It's okay Roxas, it's just me." He looked worried now, "Vince said you went to Kairi's. This doesn't look like Kairi's."
"I don't want to be there. She could have done something." Roxas looked down as he spoke.
Cid rolled the window back up shutting the car off and turning the four way flashers on as he got out of it. He walked over to them and crouch down in front of Roxas. "Roxas you can't blame Elena. I did for a very long time." He had placed his hands on Roxas' shoulders. "She did everything she could."
Roxas shook his head as he started crying. "No, she didn't even try."
"Sore go sit in the car please?" Cid asked not taking his eyes away from Roxas. Sora hesitated but listened to Cid. When the car door shut Cid pulled Roxas into a hug. "Roxas, your mom would not have made it as long as she did without Elena. Hojo knew that."
"He hurt Axel." Roxas whimpered as he cried on Cid's shoulder.
"He what? Cid asked not sure what Roxas had just said.
Roxas pulled away from Cid a little. "Father hit Axel like he hit me. Father locked him in a closet and wouldn't let him out." Roxas was crying hard at the memory of his friend being tortured in front of him played in his mind. "Father kept yelling at him, said he shouldn't play with me. Mom and Elena were outside with Cloud, Reno, Sora, and Kairi. They didn't know, he said he would do to me what he did to Axel if I told."
Cid pulled Roxas back to him, "Hey, it's in the past, Axel is okay now." He was trying to calm Roxas down. "Hojo can't hurt either of you."
"I want to go home. I want Pop." Roxas sobbed.
"Alright Roxas, I'll take you home." Cid stood up, picking Roxas up and carrying him to the car. Roxas was clinging to Cid with an iron grip, when Cid tried to sit him in the back. "Roxas you have to let go so I can drive."
Reluctantly Roxas let go of Cid only to pull his knees up to hug them. Cid sighed, taking his place in the front. Sora looked over at him worriedly.
"Not now Sora." Cid sighed again as he started to car and headed back toward home.
XxXxXxXxXxXxX
Vincent frowned when he heard Cid's car pull back into the yard. Cid was suppose to be at the bar in ten minutes. He walked out to the front door to meet Cid. Sora opened the door and stepped aside Holding it open for Cid. Vincent's eyes went wide when he saw Roxas curled up crying in his husband's arms. "What happened?" He asked moving closer.
"He freaked out when Reno came down." Sora answered first. "He tried to bolt when Elena came home."
"Sora, go do your homework." Cid frowned at the older boy. Sora stood and pouted at him, he didn't like this. "Now Sora, please." Cid snapped at the boy.
"Fine." Sora huffed crossing his arms before heading up the stairs. His was upset because something was going on and they kept sending him away. Roxas didn't even want to talk to him about it. He started to think about what had happened and wondered who Axel was. He slammed his bedroom door as he went inside.
Vincent frowned watching the seemingly annoyed Sora go before moving even more to Cid's side. He wasn't surprised when Roxas transferred to him on instinct. "What happened?" He asked again of his husband with a soft sigh as he held the only semi conscious boy.
"I found them a block from here. As far as I know what Sora said is true. Roxas remembers them, he remembers Axel too." Cid answered with his own sigh, "He remembers something Hojo did to Axel."
Vincent held Roxas tightly, "It wasn't enough for him to do this to Shera and Roxas. He had to do it to someone else's kid too!" He said angrily, he calmed down a little when Roxas whimpered in his arms. "I'm sorry Roxas."
"He can't be my friend." Roxas whimpered out.
"Shush, Love, Axel is safe, your safe." Vincent said soothingly trying to calm him. "Nothing is going to happen to either of you."
Cid watched as Roxas fell asleep in Vincent's arms, "If Hojo really did do something to Axel, then it's possible he did something to Reno too. Maybe he wasn't just doing it to Roxas and my sister. He got off way to easy for what he did." He growled softly so as not to wake Roxas.
Vincent's crimson eyes flashed, "That could explain some things." He was fighting to keep his own angry in check, "You should get to the bar, before Lex drinks to much to tend bar again."
Cid nodded, "Put him to bed, than get calmed down. I don't want to come home and find you hurt again."
Vincent nodded, "I'll be fine." He turned taking Roxas up stairs.
XxXxXxXxXxXxX
Reno knocked at the door in front of him. He looked down when his best friend answered the door. The bald man looked at Reno then the three kids behind him. He sighed softly and stepped aside letting them in. "Thanks, yo." Reno muttered, helping Demyx bring Axel inside.
"I knew they'd kick you out sooner or later." Rude said softly, "I didn't expect your sister though... or your friends." He looked at the two boys suspiciously.
They had gotten Axel on to the couch and propped against Demyx. Reno turned to Rude and shook his head. "They didn't kick me out, I left. This is my brother, Axel, and his shrink's son, Demyx. They can't stay in that environment, can they crash here? I can find another place yo."
Rude frowned at this news, "No there is room here for all of you. I didn't know you had a brother."
Kairi laughed, "You weren't suppose to. Riku and Sora were the only ones that knew about Axel. Sora wasn't talking so it was okay."
"We were told when we moved here not to talk about him. He burnt down a friend's house." Reno explained, "He didn't mean to."
"Accident." Axel murmured.
"Shush Ax... Sleep." Demyx whispered running his finger through Axel's hair.
Rude nodded as he watched the two on the couch. "Riku's place?"
Reno nodded, "Yeah." He looked over at Axel, "They sent him to the Academy. Riku is pissed about that. Apparently that is where Sephiroth was. That's why he didn't know his brother."
"I'll talk to Cloud and Leon." Rude muttered putting a hand on Reno's shoulder, "Warn them about this."
"Thanks. Any idea about a job?" Reno asked.
Rude raised an eyebrow at the question only to sigh when Reno raised his hands. "Male or female?"
"Both." Reno cringed.
Rude laughed shaking his head, "You'd think having your face beat in would have stopped that."
Reno's eyes went wide, "That was the first time it ever happened!" He exclaimed.
Demyx looked up from the now sleeping Axel. "First time what happened?"
"Reno sub-consciously molested Cloud in his first class at our school." Kairi smirked. "It earned him a broken wrist and the two scars on his face."
"He got lucky Cloud hurt himself and Vincent was in the room." Rude continued, "See when Cloud and Sora's dad killed himself after trying to kill Roxas, they didn't take it so well. Sora just stopped, and Cloud wouldn't let anyone near himself. Broke Tifa's arm when she tried to hug him." He shook his head, "I have no idea how Leon got through to him. Reno damn near broke them up for it to."
Axel whimpered in his sleep. "Don't hurt him."
Demyx frowned looking at his friend, "They aren't Axel. I'm okay." Axel cuddled closer to him. "No more talk about them. It upsets Axel."
"Alright." Reno nodded, "I don't want to talk about it anymore."
"You didn't talk, for once." Rude pointed out, "And the mall is looking for over night guards. I'll go call Leon."
XxXxXxXxXxXxX
Riku marched, not walked; marched all the way into his brother shop at the mall from his car. Driving there from Kairi's hadn't calmed him down any. He didn't even say hi to the two boys making out behind the counter as he headed to the back of Sephiroth's shop.
He did stop a moment later when he remembered that the pink haired guy didn't work for Sephiroth. He turned around going over to the pair of them . He smirked evilly to himself as he reached up with both hands.
Each hand grabbed an ear from from a different man and pulled the two apart. "Ouch. Riku!" Marluxia growled before he looked at the boy, "Let go of my ear." He shouted as he looked at the boy.
Riku glared at him making both Marluxia and Saix be quiet. "Get on you side of the counter Marly, and let Saix get back to work!" He snapped letting go of them.
"Riku!" Came a stern but calm voice at the door to the back. Sephiroth was watching as Marluxia slunk away and Saix quickly started washing the counter. "Come back here." He sighed unable to remain annoyed, he had been trying for over an hour to get Marluxia to leave.
They both went into the back, Riku felt better for the slight release of anger. "Now, you came home this morning crying, and this evening you come 'here' pissed off so much I think you literally scared the shit out of Marluxia. Riku, your acting like a pregnant woman. Why the mood swings?" He sighed looking at his little brother.
Riku looked down realizing how bad this looked now. "I'm sorry." He huffed then looked up again. "Do you remember a kid named Demyx, from the Academy?"
Sephiroth growled at the mention of the school, but he thought about it. He eyes softened after a moment of thought, "Demyx was abandoned at the school by his mother when he was seven. He should be your age if..." He trailed off. "Why?"
Riku nodded, "I met him at Axel's earlier. He was Axel's roommate." He held his breath waiting for Sephiroth's reaction.
"Oh, how is Demyx? I remember keeping the bullies away from him while I was there." Sephiroth didn't see the significant in Riku's statements.
"Jumpy and skittish, but that's not the point." Riku sighed, "Do you remember me telling you about my best friend, who set the fire? You know, the guy you said you would hug?"
Sephiroth's eyes went wide as he connected Riku's well laid dots. "They sent him to the Academy!"
Riku nodded, "I think he was gone before you came to pick me up. Axel's parents are scared of him."
Sephiroth laughed, "Is Axel living with them?" He had heard about the building burning down and being closed. It was something he had wished he had been there to see.
"As far as I know." Riku sighed again, "They kicked me out when Axel freaked out, but Reno was upset. I don't think Reno would let this continue, and Demyx didn't seem very happy."
"He wouldn't be; too much yelling with Reno around." Sephiroth growled, he had treated Demyx as if he were his little brother knowing that was why he had been erased from his family. They wanted to try again from scratch. "When we know they are safe I will visit Tseng and Elena."
Riku nodded, "Kairi didn't want me to tell you. She says she wants to keep her parents."
Sephiroth laughed and smirked at Riku. "I said I was going to visit. I didn't say anything about killing anyone."
End Note:
What does Cid mean 'I don't want to come home to find you hurt.'?
Why isn't anyone telling Sora what's going on?
What is Rude going to say to Cloud and Leon?
Why is it everytime we see Saix and Marly they are all over each other?
What is Sephiroth going to do when he 'visits' Tseng and Elena?
These questions and more answered next time in 'Starting Over'!
PS: ok so I am hoping to get the next chapter up next week. I should have time tomorrow to get it typed, with any luck. I work all week days now so I do have weekends off. So I'm looking forward to your reviews.