"Boys!" Cloud Strife yelled up the stairs. "It's time to go." Cloud headed away from the landing and toward the door. He was carrying a large box labeled linens out of the house. In the driveway there was a U-Haul connected to the family SUV. He loaded the box into the trailer and shut the door; it was the last of the boxes to be loaded. Cloud wiped beads of sweat from his brow. The last few hours were exhausting, as he filled the trailer almost completely without help.

He had expected his sons to put in some legwork, but he wasn't surprised they had not, nor, he decided, was he very upset about it. The move was tough on the two boys, especially Roxas, who had been holed up in his room for most of the morning. When the boys were first warned of the move, Sora had thrown a tantrum, screamed at his father about fairness, and broken the closest items he could find.

"Sora, I'm sorry, but you need to calm down." Cloud said, standing up to try to restrain his eldest. "I don't want to do this anymore than you do."

"Then why do we have to move!?" Sora cried out, as he wriggled away from his father and lashed out against the items on their mantle. Some knickknacks were broken on the floor, but most grievously was a picture frame shattered, shards of glass tearing into the photograph.

"Sora! What did you do?" Roxas rushed to the photo in tears. The faces were scratched and obscured. "It's ruined." He dropped the picture and tackled his brother. "Why would you do that?" He said as he started hitting Sora against the chest. "That was the last one."

"Roxas, stop." Cloud pulled the young boy off Sora and carried him to the other side of the room. He held the boy into his chest and shushed the boy, trying to calm him down. "It'll be okay. We'll get through this as a family." He looked to his son, who was wiping his face of tears, but was still seething. "As a family."

"No." Sora barked. "I'm leaving." He ran out the door, leaving his father and brother to themselves.

Cloud sighed. He wanted to chase after him, but Sora was not a child. He was smart, and he would be safe for a while. "Roxas, are you going to be okay."

He sniffled. "Why-why-why...?" He could not finish the sentence between staccato sobs. "Why-why..." He could not hold in his crying.

"I tried, son." Cloud said frowning. A forlorn look crossed his face. "Ever since your mom passed, I've been trying to juggle raising you two and keeping up with my career, but it's been hard. I'm sorry that I couldn't do it." Cloud felt his son's arms squeeze him. "The firm has been noting my lack of focus, and my performance has been sliding. After talking to my bosses, they graciously agreed to give me a second chance, and they're letting me transfer to the site in Twilight Town. That way, we can move in with your Aunt Yuffie and Cousin Xion. It's not ideal, but Yuffie has a large house that can accommodate all of us."

"We're moving to Twilight Town?" Roxas calmed down just enough to speak, but now he was upset. "That's worlds away; I'll never see my friends. I thought we were just gonna leave this house, but I can't believe you're taking me away from everything. Taking us from our lives."

"Roxas..." He started but the boy pulled away. "Roxas." The boy shook his head and ran upstairs to his room. Cloud lowered his head and rubbed his temples. "They'll come around." He told himself, hoping that if the words were out there, they would come true. He rose to his feet and grabbed his keys, so he could go in search of his son.

"Yeah, Dad." Sora answered. "We'll be right down." Sora stood outside Roxas' locked door. "Buddy, it's time to go."

"I'm not leaving." Roxas yelled. "This is my home and you can't make me leave." Sora sighed. He felt sorry for his brother. Sora himself had been a wreck at the announcement, but after some time to reflect and calm down, he was excited. He would miss his friends on the island, but he had friends in Twilight Town he had not seen in years. Roxas did not have that though, and he knew his brother was taking this incredibly hard.

Sora did not really know how to coerce his brother out of his room.

"Sora!" Cloud yelled out of his window as he slowly drove around the residential area. "Sora!" He had driven several blocks with no sign of the brunet. He didn't think he could have gotten far, but Cloud decided to drive towards the lesser island where Roxas and Sora often played with their friends. He left his car and shouted his son's name a few more times, as he made his way over to the small island.

Sora sat at the beach's edge. He had taken his shoes off, and the tide came up just enough to wet his toes. He had wrapped his arms around his legs and took in the sunset. He could not believe he would be leaving this beautiful seascape behind. He sensed a presence at his side. His father stood, knees to shoulder, and stared out at the horizon. "It's breath-taking, Sora."

"You want to take it away from us." Sora spat at his father. Cloud bent down on one knee to get to Sora's level. Sora snapped his head away from Cloud. "Haven't we lost enough?"

Cloud could feel his heart break. "Sora, please. I would not want anything more than to stay here."

"Then why can't we?!" Sora begged looking into his father's eyes, his own ocean blue eyes flooding. "I don't want to leave."

Cloud placed his hands on his son's shoulders. "Sora..." He started, sighed, and continued. "Finances are not something that adults usually talk about with their own children. I never want to discuss munny with you or your brother, I never want you to have to worry about it, but you're old enough, so I can trust you. I need you to keep this between us, because I don't want Roxas to worry, he's been through a lot. We all have, and more burden...I don't think he could handle it. But you're strong, Sora. You can be a rock. I lost my job."

Sora's eyes went big. "What? How?"

"Ever since your mother, I've just been unable to perform at work, and they let me go. At first, my superiors understood, they knew I was going through a rough patch, but months passed, and I just couldn't do it anymore." Cloud explained.

"Are you broke? Are we poor? What's going to happen?" Sora asked, panicked.

"Now now, calm down Sora, everything is fine." Cloud said. "We are going to be living with Aunt Yuffie. She has a large home and she doesn't rent, so it's stable. Twilight Town is a booming city. I'll find work there. But between you and me, I have a job. Roxas thinks I will be working for my old firm, I just don't need him worrying. I'm so sorry, Sora. This wasn't how things were supposed to happen."

Sora gave a hopeful smile. "It'll be okay. Right dad? Just like you said." Sora hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry I threw a fit. It's just...hormones." He laughed. "I'm gonna miss this place, but I knew I didn't want to be here forever. I'm gonna be okay, Dad. I'm just hoping Roxas will have such an easy change of heart.

"Roxas, please come out." Sora banged on what was once the door of his brother's room. "You need to come out Roxas, we're leaving. Dad's got the U-Haul all packed up. With no help from you." He muttered the last sentence to himself.

"I'm not leaving!" Roxas screamed. "You can't make me." it had been three weeks since the announcement and Roxas had only gotten more hostile towards the situation. "This is my home."

Sora wanted to be able to show Roxas the bright side, any silver linings, but he couldn't find any. So he tried a last ditch effort to tug at Roxas' conscience. "It's not ours anymore, Roxas." He wavered his voice to evoke sadness. "The house has been sold. We need to leave. We are leaving. "Sora sighed."I'm going to miss you."

"What?" Roxas said through the door.

"I can't make you leave, and dad's too tired to fight with you. You can stay. I don't know if you'll be able to stay when the new family moves in. You might be able to stay with Selphie, Wakka, or Tidus, but their parents probably don't have any interest in raising another kid. I guess this is goodbye then, Rox. I'm gonna miss you." Sora said as he descended the stairs.

"This is a joke, right." Roxas said. He didn't get a response. "Sora, this isn't funny." Roxas opened the door, and nobody was there. "Sora!" He rushed down the stairs and out the door, to see them pull out of the driveway.

They stopped before shifting into drive. Sora and Cloud waved and smiled. "We love you, Roxas." Sora shouted. Cloud let off the brake and the SUV crept forward. Roxas dashed for the back door. "Oh, Roxas, did you want to say good bye?"

"I can't believe you two." Roxas crossed his arms in a huff. "You two were gonna abandon me?" He entered the back seat.

"Of course not, Rox." Sora said. "We wanted you to be happy, and you wanted to stay here. So we were going to let you. It's what you wanted."

"No it's not." Roxas cried. "I want to be with my family. Even if it's hundreds of miles away." Roxas rested his head against the cool glass. "Just wake me up when we get to Aunt Yuffie's; I'm still not ready for this."

"It's okay, kiddo. Take your time. It's a big change for all of us." Cloud reassured his son. Most of the drive was spent wordless between the three. Cloud focused on the drive. He wanted to get to Twilight Town by the next day's night, so the only stops he made were for gas, coffee and fast food. He could sleep when he got to his sister-in-laws.

Sora spent most of the car ride on his phone. Two of his best friends, Riku and Kairi, had left for Twilight Town a few years ago, only a few months apart, because their parents had found better work there. They were the biggest reason for Sora's turnaround to excitement for moving, beyond his dad's talk to him on the beach. The three had been texting almost non-stop since Sora found out he was moving. They were planning a get together, Kairi and Riku agreed to show him around the town.

Group Message

8/5/2015 11:53

Sora Strife: We just left. Dad thinks we should be there by tomorrow night.

Kairi Gainsborough: OMG! So excited. :D

Riku Leonheart: She's not kidding. She just knocked me over when she jumped up.

Kairi Gainsborough: Can you blame me? :p

Riku Leonheart: I suppose not.

Sora Strife: I'm excited to see you all. Not so much for the road trip. Rox is still pissy.

Riku Leonheart: He'll come around. Eventually.

Kairi Gainsborough: We'll make sure he's okay. My cousin Naminé lives with us. She just moved in after school ended. She's been kind of a loner. This could be good for both of them. :)

Sora Strife: Agreed

Roxas was sitting in the back seat, head against the window, watching the familiar scenery flash by. He wanted to sleep, but there was so much time left. In his pocket, his pocket started to vibrate. He wanted to ignore it. It vibrated again. Again. Again. Again. He was finding it harder to ignore. Again. Again. Again. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and threw it to the other side of the back seat.

Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight.

"Roxas!" Cloud cried out. "Answer your phone." Roxas sighed and leaned across the car to retrieve his phone. He hit ignore and went back to his window to watch the last of the familiar landscape fade away.

Simple and clean is the way...

Roxas pressed ignore again, ending the ringtone. He looked out the window one last time before they entered the tunnel that connected Destiny Islands to the mainland. It felt so final. He really was leaving home.

In you and I, there's a new land.

Roxas sighed and let the song play a little bit before hitting accept.

"Hi." Roxas answered tersely.

"Oh, you made a mistake, man." Wakka replied. Roxas heard loud yelling in the background. "You're in for it, ya."

The noise got louder as it approached the mouthpiece of Wakka's phone. "Believe he answered your call. Roxas!" Selphie yelled. "I can't believe you ignore my texts and calls and then answer for Wakka!"

"Sorry, Selphie." Roxas muttered. "I really didn't want to talk to anyone."

"Why? Are you going to ignore us now?" Roxas could hear the hurt in her voice. "We all came to your house, but it was too late. Why didn't you say goodbye?"

"I'm sorry, to all of you, but it would have been too hard to say goodbye. Sora and Dad had to fake abandon me just to get me in the car. I don't think I would have gone if I had to see you all."

"When will we see you again?" Selphie asked.

"I wish I knew." Roxas said. "I can't imagine that I'll have a reason to come back." The words were wrong, but it was too late. "That's not what..."

"Go to hell." Selphie cried. "Here Wakka. Roxas is a jerk." She threw the phone at Wakka.

"What'd you say?" Wakka asked.

"I didn't. It was just said wrong. I said I don't have a reason to come back to the island, but I didn't mean it that way." Roxas explained. "I meant that I don't have a way back myself, and my dad isn't going to be bringing us back. Maybe he can fly me out, but of course I would want to see you all."

"I'll try and get Selphie to calm down, ya." Wakka said. "If it's any consolation, she won't be bugging you for a while, ya."

"Silver linings." Roxas retorted. "Can I talk to you later, after I get settled in at Twilight Town?"

"Sure thing. I'll say hi to Tidus for you."

"Thanks." Roxas replied, a smile forming in the corner of his mouth, but it was fleeting. "Bye."

Roxas then decided to do what he should have done in the first place and shut his phone off. He returned it to his pocket and splayed out in the back seat.

"How's the gang?" Sora asked, looking back to his brother.

"Meh. Fine. I don't know." Roxas muttered. His face was away from Sora. "Selphie's mad I answered Wakka. Not that it matters. I know we're gonna drift apart."

"Don't say that! I kept in touch with Riku and Kairi for years. You're going to see them again." Sora was worrying that Roxas was going to sink into a deep depression.

8/5/2015 12:34

Sora Strife: I need you two to do me a huge favor. I know it's short notice, but there needs to be something huge. Kairi, get a hold of Aunt Yuffie. I don't think there's any welcoming party, but we need one badly.

Kairi Gainsborough: :D Of course. Auntie will be more than happy to help I'm sure.

Riku Leonheart: Why badly?

Sora Strife: Roxas is in a funk. So we need a big thing with lots of people that Roxas can meet. He needs friends.

Riku Leonheart: Why didn't we think of this sooner?

Sora Strife: I didn't think of him. Just me, and I have you two, I don't need to meet others.

Kairi Gainsborough: We all could have thought of this, we all knew it was gonna be tough on him. Poor Roxas :'(

Riku Leonheart: We can get all our friends together. It'll be a blast.

Sora Strife: And a big surprise. Thanks guys.

Kairi Gainsborough: :)))) Yeah! There's a lot to do. We'll keep you posted. I gotta call auntie.

Riku Leonheart: We'll text you later when we know more, Sora.

Sora Strife: You two are the best.

Roxas tried his best to get comfortable, but the tight space had made it difficult. He managed to hold a position just long enough to drift asleep, but his dreams were fuel for his body to toss and turn in the confines of the seat.

bad dog bad dog get out of here bad

dog we do not want you

anymore you bad dog go away go away go away leave scurry flee whimper whimper whimper bad dog bad dog all

alone alone alone abandoned thunder

lightning rain wet dog bad dog cold dog cry dog hide cower whine

lost dog no reward lost dog all alone no home anymore left outside abandoned gone dog bad dog cry dog whine dog

why don't they want me

bad dog bad dog all alone mama's gone bad dog bad dog bad dog

why did they leave me

Roxas woke up with a jolt, which caused him to fall out of the seat. This had coincided with Cloud stopping to refuel, so he was able to get out of the car and stretch his legs. He followed Sora into the gas station to pick up a snack.

"Don't be long in there!" Cloud called from the pump. "I want to be to Traverse Town by nightfall." He wasn't really worried. He either overestimated the length of the trip or underestimated his speed. Traverse Town was only 300 miles from Twilight Town so even if they stayed the night there, they would still make it to Twilight mid afternoon, which would be more conducive to unpacking than dawn anyway.

"How long was I asleep for?" Roxas asked his brother as he pulled a soda from the cooler.

"Awhile. Didn't seem very peaceful. You moved a lot. Talked in your sleep." Sora put his arm around his brother's shoulders. "You feeling okay?"

Roxas shrugged, loosening Sora's grip. "Yeah, I guess. He twisted the cap off the Coke and took a swallow. "Pay for this, yeah." He said, flashing a grin and left the store.

Sora rolled his eyes, but was happy to see Roxas acting a bit normal. He brought a couple sodas and a couple packs of candies, M&M's for him, Reese's for his father, and Skittles for Roxas, to the clerk. "All this, plus the soda he ran out with and the gas on pump 3."

"$68.89." The clerk stated. "Where you guys headed?"

"Twilight Town." Sora answered. "Is that far from here?"

"500 miles, give or take. Where ya from?"

"Destiny Islands."

"Pretty place. Well have a safe trip."

"Thanks mister." Sora said, grabbing the purchase and exiting the store. People were nice out here. He feared that the growing urban of Twilight Town may foster less than kind people. Nothing like Destiny Islands. But he had Riku and Kairi, and his family. No worries, he reassured himself.

8/5/2015 17:48

Kairi Gainsborough: Everything is set. :) Auntie loved the idea; she may have gone a bit overboard. She bought so much food. Riku got a hold of some kids. I did too. Lots of people will be there. It'll be good for you both.

Sora Strife: Perfect! Hopefully this will get Roxas out of his head.

Kairi must have been busy with plans, because she did not text Sora for the rest of the day. It was an uneventful drive to Traverse Town. Sora played some games on his phone, but grew bored and tired and not long after had drifted off into a peaceful sleep, not to wake up until they stopped again.

Roxas sat in the front seat this time, figuring that he did not want to sleep again, and Sora would want to lie down. He knew he did not want to sleep. His dream was odd. Disjointed. Unsettling. He worried that he really was going to end up like a lost puppy, without anybody. In spite of the feeling of loneliness, or in tandem with, he did not turn on his phone. He assumed there would be hundreds of texts from Selphie, and some from Tidus and Wakka, trying to get his attention. And the only thing worse than finding out his friends had been desperately trying to reach him and he was just ignoring them, was to find out that they had not been.

He popped some Skittles in his mouth. It was a thoughtful gesture of Sora to think of him. He was envious of that. Sora always thought about others, especially Roxas, and Roxas felt that he himself was aloof in concerns to others feelings; the phone left off was case in point.

As he finished off the candy, he realized that he should probably get back to his friends. He reached into his phone and powered it on. The familiar chime and greeting were the prelude to a cacophony of notification tones as message after message after message started showing up on his phone. Roxas was overwhelmed, and quickly shut the phone back off and shoved it back into his pocket.

"Everything okay, Roxas?" Cloud asked, glancing to his son before resetting his gaze to the road.

"Yeah, no, everything is fine." He lied. "Selphie's just blowing up my phone and I don't have the time to look through the messages."

Cloud would have remarked on that; Roxas was trapped in a car for several more hours, so he had nothing but time. However, he knew Roxas was having some difficulties and he did not want to press any buttons. "Ahh." Was all he managed to say.

They arrived in Traverse Town late that evening. The city was bright and bustling with people coming and going. "Do you think you want to stay in a hotel tonight?" Cloud asked Roxas.

"I don't care." Roxas replied, looking around the city. "I'm not tired right now, and I'm sure Sora won't be if we wake him up now."

"We can keep going if you want." Cloud said.

"Maybe Sora can drive a bit so you can sleep some." Roxas said. "Sora, wake up."

"Wazzit?" Sora asked. He yawned big and stretched out his limbs. "Where're we?"

"Traverse Town," Cloud answered, "Do you want to stay in a hotel tonight?"

"Doesn't matter to me. If you need to sleep, Dad." Sora replied.

"I thought maybe you could drive, and Dad can sleep in the back." Roxas answered.

"I could do that. Plus it'd be cheaper, and we'd get to Twilight Town sooner." Sora said.

Cloud nodded. "Alright, I trust you two to stay alert then. And you'll have to wake me up if you need anything. It's a straight shot from here to there, so it shouldn't be too difficult."

Sora beamed. He did not get to drive often. "Great." Cloud pulled over and they switched positions. Sora drove a few miles, once they got onto the main road, Cloud felt sure of his son and relaxed into sleep. Knowing Roxas would be easier to talk to without his dad listening, he started, "How're you feeling, Rox?"

"Fine." Roxas answered tersely. "I mean..." He trailed off as he tried to gather his thoughts. "The gang back home is mad at me, I know. I'm ignoring them; I just don't know what to say. I'm scared I won't have anybody."

"Oh come on. You have me. Dad, Xion, Yuffie. You'll make friends. You know Riku and Kairi. They know people. You won't be alone." Sora smiled at his brother, who reciprocated, though not as bright as Sora.

"If you say so." His smile faded. "I think I just need...time." He whispered the last word.

"Need what?" Sora asked trying to focus on the road and his brother.

"Nothing. Like you said, I've got you. I'll be fine." Roxas tried not to think of anything. The rest of the trip was smooth, but silent. Roxas turned on some music to cut into it, putting in his favorite CD, a few songs by a small garage band called Dearly Beloved that Wakka turned him onto. The music was relaxing and the singer's dulcet tones lulled him into a slumber.

By the time they entered the town, Cloud had woken up and called Yuffie. "I know it's almost four in the morning, but we're almost there."

"Oh." Yuffie said, half awake. "I didn't think you'd be here yet. But maybe that'll work better for the party. You'll be all settled in, and able to get some rest."

"What party?" Cloud asked. Sora, hearing this, nearly slammed on the brakes. He quickly turned his head to see his brother sleeping. Sora breathed a sigh of relief. He and his father made eye contact in the rearview mirror. Sora shushed him, pointing at Roxas indicating that it was supposed to be a surprise.

"I hope that Roxas didn't hear that. It's supposed to be a surprise for him." Yuffie said. She yawned and headed toward her kitchen to fix some coffee. "Well I'll be ready to receive you all. See you soon."

"Bye." Cloud said, ending the call. "What..."

"Dad!" Sora said. He looked over at the still sleeping Roxas and quickly, quietly said. "Riku, Kairi, and I are getting people together so Roxas can meet people. But it's secret." Cloud nodded.

They arrived at their new home, where not only Yuffie and Xion were waiting for them, but Riku and Kairi were as well. "Sora!" Kairi shouted as he exited the car. She and Riku both ran up to Sora to greet him. "I'm so excited!"

"What are you two doing here so early?" Sora asked as Kairi attacked him in a hug.

"We stayed here; we wanted to be here first thing when you got here." Riku answered.

"Perfect, you can help unpack." Cloud said, patting Riku on the shoulder. The three laughed. "Not a joke. More hands, less work." They nodded and headed to the trailer. He headed over to Yuffie. "I can't begin to..."

She cut him off. "And you don't have to. My house is yours. All of yours. I know it's a change. If you need anything at all." Yuffie looked to Sora and Roxas, both with boxes in hand. She smiled. "Welcome home."

A/N: I'm reposting a bunch of stories, most unfinished that I intend to finish. If you like it leave a review and or follow