There was a sharp crack as the judge's gavel hit the bench, his huge form imposingly silent. Roxas and Sora shuddered, grasping each other's hands as they waited with baited breath for the judge's ruling.
"I, Judge Lexaeus, state my ruling. The two minors shall be entrusted to the care of one foster parent." Here he paused and skimmed his notes and the recommendations that had been made several days before. The whole trial had taken about two weeks, and there was now less than a week until Christmas.
"The foster parent to whom the minors shall be entrusted to is…Squall Leonhart."
The man who had escorted Ansem to Haven's Pastures stood and inclined his head in recognition of the judge's statement. "Thank you, your honor," he said quietly. "May the boys and I be excused?"
Judge Lexaeus nodded facetiously. "Dismissed."
Roxas stood when Leon put pressure on his back, his blue eyes dull. Since the night of his rape, he hadn't said more than seven words in one day, his formally vibrant eyes dull, blank, and lusterless. It was like the very life had been snuffed out of him. He barely noticed when Leon whipped out a cellphone and dialed a number swiftly, murmuring into the speaker, "Yes. I got custody. They'll be home soon. Uh-huh. I'll take good care of them. No, the Judge doesn't know. What? Oh. Yeah, I guess. Hmm?" He paused for several long moments while the other person talked. His brow furrowed, though his steady pace towards his car didn't falter. He kept his eyes on the boys, making a faintly impatient face at the phone. "No, I won't tell them…Why shouldn't I? Because they--" He broke off, seeing the boys' beaten-down looks. "Yeah, I gotta go. Ring you soon. At the gate? Sure."
He flipped the phone shut and opened the car doors. "Come on, Roxas, Sora," he said gently. "I'm taking you to your new place of residence."
Sora looked up at Leon. His eyes were red-rimmed and surrounded with dark purple circles. "Mr. Leonhart? Are you going to let us pick up our old things?"
The man shook his head firmly. "No, that won't be necessary. And call me Leon." He got into the driver's seat and started the engine, which came to life with a low purr. He checked to see that they were both buckled up, then pulled out of the parking lot, heading towards the highway. He glanced in his rearview mirror and saw Roxas's expression. Leon frowned; something was definitely off about the boy. He resolved to ask him about it later.
"Reno!" Cloud burst into the kitchen, waving his cellphone around crazily before tucking it into his pocket with a faint blush. He cleared his throat and said more quietly, "Angel's…she's not doing well."
Reno bolted from his seat at the table, the chair rocking backwards dangerously. Demyx caught it before it could clatter to the floor and sighed heavily.
"Six days 'til Christmas," he said despondently, "And Angel starts going downhill."
"What irony," said Marluxia bitterly, toying with his fork, his breakfast uneaten in front of him. "I fucking hate the holidays," he mumbled, shoving his plate away and practically running out the door. Larxene shot an apologetic look at Aya, then followed him, though she shut the door more softly than Marluxia had.
Axel shrugged. "She wasn't supposed to live this long anyway," he said callously. "Her time's up, I guess."
"Axel!" gasped Demyx. "How could you say that?"
"It's the truth," he said coldly. "Life isn't a fucking fairytale. People die, people get hurt, there are no happy endings!" His fists clenched until his knuckles were white. "And good people are the ones that get hurt the most," he said quietly, his words sharp as double-edged razors in the fact that they bit into his skin as well as Demyx's.
Axel couldn't stand the look of offended and hurt disbelief in Demyx's eyes, so he put his plate in the sink and excused himself quickly.
Aya shooed everyone but Sephiroth from the room, and once they had gone, she buried her face in her hands. "My family is falling apart!" she groaned, her voice muffled behind her hands. The silver-haired man took a seat by her side, green eyes curiously comforting.
"It is not your fault," he said steadily. "There is not anything you could have done that you didn't."
When Aya looked up, her blue eyes were full of tears. "But--" she said in a slightly choked voice, "I let them take Roxas and Sora! I let Vexen tear us apart! And now--" he voice was by now nearly bordering on hysteria. "And now I'm going to let Angel die!"
Sephiroth put one of his large hands on her shoulder. "Would you kill Vexen before he had done anything to warrant it?" he asked softly, his baritone voice calmly comforting. "Would you try to reverse something that would only cause dear little Angel harm?"
Aya took a deep, steadying breath. "No," she said defeatedly. "No, I guess you're right. It would only hurt Angel to let her live any longer. I should be grateful that she's stayed with us so long." Sephiroth nodded.
"I do not blame you for feeling overwhelmed. You do more than any of us could ever hope to attempt." He got to his feet and was out the door before Aya could stutter out a thank you. She sighed once more, fondling a black horsehair keychain, her eyes still bright with unshed tears. "Oh, Diablo," she murmured, "When did everything get so hard?"
Roxas woke to the sound of crunching gravel, surprised that his dreams hadn't woken him earlier. He snorted mentally. Dreams, hah! More like night terrors. He shook his head and swallowed, the bitter vileness of Ansem's disgusting filth lingering in the back of his throat like a stubborn cancer, determined to stay no matter how many times he brushed his teeth. The blonde combed his hands through his hair, staring dully at the wad of hair that had come loose. Great. Now he was losing his hair. He glanced down at his hands and waist, face twisting faintly. He had lost weight. A lot of weight. He had never been overweight, but now he was most definitely underweight.
Leon stretched out a hand and gently shook Sora awake. "We're here," he said softly in the darkness. Roxas felt a faint jolt of fright; Leon's words were so close to Ansem's…But he shook himself and unbuckled, letting his bleary-eyed brother out behind him. The night was frigid and pitch black, making Roxas and Sora shiver and wrap their thin jackets more closely around themselves. Leon motioned them forward, halting at the door and pounding furiously on it. Roxas detected a faint grin on the older man's lips and became wary. Who knew what their new guardian was planning? The door was flung open, and Roxas took one steady look before he fainted, collapsing to the ground.
Aya had just finished putting dinner on the table when a furious hammering shook the door on its hinges. She frowned, wiping her hands on a dishtowel before moving to the door. Who would be out in weather like this? The wind was starting to blow, and large fluffy snowflakes were beginning to pelt down. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Cloud smothering a grin, and frowned more fiercly. If he thought it was so funny, he could go open the damn door! She shook her head and moved briskly to the door, swinging it inward. Her eyes widened as she saw Leon, and her heart stopped as she saw two twins, both looking tired and worn down, one looking like he was about to break. Her breath caught in her throat, and she went to take a step forward, but when Roxas fainted, Leon's arms shot out and he caught the young teen before he hit the ground.
"So," Leon said softly, clearing his throat. "Are you going to let us in or not?"
Just then, Sora saw Riku as he turned to see if Aya needed any help. Riku's jaw dropped, and he shot down the hallway, scooping his boyfriend into his arms with a loud cry of "Sora!!"
Aya nearly laughed when she heard chairs hit the floor and a swarm of young men pressed around her. She saw Axel hanging back, wary fear in his eyes. She stretched her hand toward him, and he grasped it instinctively. She pulled him through the boys, who immediately parted. When Axel was close enough, she pressed his hand to Roxas's.
Axel sucked in a choked breath. "R-Roxas?" he breathed cautiously, in case this was all a dream and his precious angel wasn't within touching distance. The teen's blue eyes fluttered open and locked with Axel's. He squirmed out of Leon's grasp and stood before Axel, trembling slightly. He looked like there was nothing more he wanted in the world than to rush forward and bury his head in Axel's chest, but he held back.
The redhead stepped forward, seeing something in Roxas's eyes. There was an overwhelming longing, tempered by…fear and disgust. Near loathing, even. He swallowed his hurt and pride and took one long stride, catching the young blonde up in his arms and hugging him tightly. For several long moments, Roxas was stiff. But then, he went limp and wrapped his arms around Axel, his thin form shaking with sobs. Axel frowned as he noticed how light Roxas was. Surely two weeks wouldn't have made that much difference?
Roxas inhaled deeply through his nose, giddy with happiness. Axel's scent washed over him, like a warm reassuring blanket, and he let the tears he had held pent up go free, the liquid spattering on Axel's black long-sleeve t-shirt, dampening the material. Warm hands rubbed his back soothingly, and the voice he had been missing with a desperate ache murmured, "It's okay, Roxas, I've got you. It's okay, everything's going to be okay, I promise!"
Roxas believed him.
Aaaaah! I'm sooo behind schedule! I'm sorry, guys, but the Christmas extravaganza is going to be rather short. I'll post New Year's on the 4th of January, as I'm going on vacation with no computer access! I'm sorry, but have patience. All will come in due time. I think.
-BW
