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Disclaimer: All Characters Owned By Square Enix.
Chapter 25 – His Secret
"Then who are you?" He put his hand through the boy's blonde hair, his infatuation seemingly taking over his actions. It was soft against his fingers, like baby hair. The boy didn't take any defense to this, nor did he move away.
"I'm Ventus."
"How come you said 'yes' when I called you Roxas?" Riku raised an eyebrow, becoming skeptical on if this boy was actually Roxas. 'It can't be.'
"Because," The blonde began. "Usually when I'm out like this he tells me to be him, so no one will know about me…" Ven began to softly sob again. "But I c-can't keep being R-Roxas, because I'm…I'm-" He felt Riku wrap his arms around him in an embrace.
"Calm down, it's okay." It wasn't in Riku's agenda to be this nice and caring to someone he just met at a park. But he couldn't help but be reminded of himself when he was younger when he saw this boy crying, and how he had felt about his identity.
Ven moved back, looking at Riku with a runny nose and tears coming down his cheeks. "W-what's your n-n-name?" He asked.
"Riku," The snow-head answered. "Satoshi."
"Riku," Ven said surprised as he began to wipe his eyes with the back of his hands. "You…you're the one who hit my brother!" He backed away inside the jungle gym.
"I didn't mean to," Riku tried to explain himself, trying to make Ven less afraid of him. "I mean I meant to but…," He looked down at his feet. "Roxas just pushes my buttons all the time."
The snow head looked up after a couple seconds, hearing the blonde giggle. His smile confused him.
"Roxas is a handful," Ven said as he stood up. He was a bit wobbly at first but caught his own balance. He began to walk over the bridge. "He does that to me sometimes too."
"What's so…different about you that no one can know that you exist?" Riku wondered.
Ventus slid down on of the baby slides and sat still at the end of it. "I'm sick, and I have been since I was three," Riku went over to him sitting on the other small slide that was connected to it. "I had developed heart problems and when I was ten it began to affect my lungs. I wasn't expected to live past thirteen. I've been doing alright lately though. The doctor told me that my sickness seems to be disappearing since the last time I was hospitalized."
Riku kept quiet, he wasn't sure of what to say but even so he guessed that the silence made the situation seem awkward. "Roxas is so lucky," Ventus continued. "He gets to go to public school and make friends and hang out. One time he let me go with his friends to the island that can be seen from the beach, posing as him though. It was an…interesting experience but I want friends of my own…or at least to be recognized as someone who is not my brother but myself."
"Do you trust me?" Riku asked.
"What?"
Riku smirked. He stood up in front of the blonde and held out a hand. "Do you trust me?"
"Um," The blonde began to hesitantly reach his hand out to Riku's. "Yes?" He put his hand in the others.
"No freaking way!" Selphie tried to hold in her excitement. She loved secrets, especially the ones she knew about. The brunette began to poke around the blonde's body, as if this moment was surreal. She then giggled and quickly hurried over to a Polaroid camera that was set on her desk, taking a candid shot of the boy. "Perfect!" She said, quickly beginning to glue down the picture. Ventus batted his eyelashes, trying to get the light specks of the flash out of his eyes.
"What is that?" He asked, rubbing his eyes and then eying the red notebook she girl had taken out.
"Something you should never hope to be written in." Riku dryly commented.
Selphie gave the silverette an angry look, sticking her tongue out. "It's a book I keep with everyone's information!" She said as she composed herself, looking at Ventus. She then began to eye him down. "You and Roxas look so much alike it kind of gives me the creeps." She crossed her arms and fakely shivered.
Ventus seemingly ignored her, his hand reaching for her notebook. He began flipping through the pages as focused as a hawk, as if searching for something.
"Are you looking for someone?" Selphie asked. She gave Riku a questionable look, the snow-head just shrugging as a response.
"Him," Ven stopped on a page and put his finger on the picture. "Sora…Hibari."
"Now that's interesting…" Selphie murmured to herself.
"I want to meet him," The blonde said. "As me."
The three sat there in silence for a moment. Selphie and Riku were pondering what to say to this. They could agree and let Ven befriend the, as Riku thought of him, 'idiotic' brunette or they could follow Roxas' wishes and not have him do as he wants.
"Well, we could-"
"Why?" Riku blatantly asked, cutting off Selphie.
"He's beautiful…" Ventus answered, his eyes brightening.
A grin came to Selphie face. She bit her lip trying to hold back her laughter. "You think so?" She asked Ven as she repeatedly nudged her elbow into Riku's arm. Riku rolled his eyes letting out an exasperated breath.
Ventus nodded.
"You can't meet him," Riku brought the blondes attention to him. The silverette crossed his arms. "Roxas doesn't want it."
"True." Ventus pouted. He was so used to following the wishes of his brother that it was just a mundane thing to him.
"Because Riku wants him all to himself!" Selphie fibbed sourly.
At this point all Riku felt like hitting Selphie over the head with a chair.
"You like Sora?!" Ventus asked a smile appearing on his face. "You two would look perfect with each other!"
Selphie slid over behind Ventus, wrapping her arms around his neck loosely. "I'm liking this kid more and more!"
Riku blushed, trying to hide it by looking the other way. This kid was definitely something and he held the innocence of a five year old.
'I shouldn't have let him meet Selphie.'
The silverette firmly stood. "I'm going home." He grumbled.
"What," Selphie jumped to her feet and threw her hands on her hips. "You said you were staying here!" She puffed.
"That was before things got annoying." Riku began to head for the exit.
"Wait," Ventus grabbed Riku's hand. "You can't go. I don't want to go home, and you're the one who brought me here!"
Riku held silent for a moment. "You can come over my house." Selphie's mouth went wide. "Just keep quiet, and hidden from my dad."
"Okay," Ventus leaned up against the snow-heads arm. "Bye Selphie!"
"B…bye!" Selphie waved, feelings of fallaciousness flowing through her thoughts.
'He brings out the side to Riku I haven't seen in the longest time.'
"So," Axel leaned against the door frame eyeing the other boy who was standing on his front porch. "You're here because…?"
"Axel, just let me in!" Roxas tensed.
"Let me get this straight," The redhead began to count out on his fingers. "You yell at me for possibly over an hour on the phone, call me a ton of names I don't even want to remember, and then take a bus in the middle of the night over to my house for a reason I don't know about."
The blonde gave his signature angry pout, looking down at the ground. "I just want some comfort." He said in a low tone, hoping for Axel not to hear. Hell, he didn't even want to hear himself saying that.
Axel let down his defense. "You're lucky you're cute or I would've made you go back home."
"Jerk." Roxas huffed as he walked into the house. He took off his shoes near the door and began to walk up the white carpeted spiral stairwell. Not many of Axel's friends have been to his house; actually Roxas was the only one. It is to be known that Axel comes from a wealthy family, just like Riku but a more 'in-your-face' kind of rich considering the size of his mansion-like house. He did feel as if all the room was unneeded, especially since he was the only person who inhabited the house considering his parents were always away.
"Yeah it's fine Roxy," Axel jokingly whispered to himself as he followed behind the impulsive teen. "Just walk upstairs as if you own the place."
Roxas flopped himself down on Axel's bed. 'Forgive me.' He sighed.
"PJ's or the porch." Axel said sitting down on the edge of his bed, peering behind him at the blonde.
"Silence or death." The blonde mocked.
"I'm sorry but," Axel stood and leaned over his beg, picking up the blonde who then began to kick and fuss as if fighting for his dear life. "My way or the highway." He teased, trying to keep hold of Roxas from falling out of his arms.
After a minute of struggling the tempered teen gave in. "Fine, I'll listen," He said. "Just put me down!"
"Good Roxy." Axel whispered, nuzzling his nose against the blondes. He grinned as he saw Roxas' cheeks turn red.
"Don't do that!" Roxas yelled feeling his lips brush against Axel's making him kind of regret ever saying anything in the first place. The red-head took this opportunity to plant a kiss on the younger boy's lips. Roxas froze, his cheeks rosy. Not knowing what to do, he threw himself back onto the red head bed. Putting his face into one of the pillows he screamed.
Axel put his palm to his forehead.
'Talk about over reaction.'
* Yes the scene is similar to the scene in Aladdin except Riku doesn't break out into a song.
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