Hey, guys. Been a while. A lot has happened, and...yeah. This was an old story I started but never finished some years ago. However, Sora's arrival in Smash motivated me to at least try writing it again. Will I complete it? Hopefully. Either way, I hope you still enjoy this.

Image is by a dear friend of mine. Check them out on Twitter at papaparah

Please do not steal or repost the written work or the image. Thank you.

Chapter 1

"They're back!"

Though it was only two simple words, for Roxas that phrase held the most importance up to this point of his life. He dropped the boxes he held, earning a cry of indignation from his companion. Roxas didn't notice as he sprinted down the white hallways towards the castle's entrance. Some occupants started in surprise when they saw him race towards them before quickly moving out of the way. The others Roxas expertly maneuvered around, paying no more attention to them even when they gave an alarmed shout.

The run itself was not enough to set his heart pulsing the rate it was; excitement for his brothers' return also fueled the adrenaline in his veins. The huge smile on his face further reflected that exhilaration and he couldn't seem to run fast enough to reach the balcony. Roxas had a right to be excited. It had been three weeks since his brothers left for their mission. It usually didn't take them that long to eradicate the targeted enduh. However, he had overheard from some of the older members that the enemy was much stronger than before, an issue that had everybody concerned. Nowadays the director had to send out teams to eradicate the enduh when it used to be one pair per batch.

At that thought a bittersweet feeling also pushed its way with Roxas's excitement. While he felt proud of his older brothers for being one of, if not, the best, he deeply resented how they forbade the rest of the family from joining the organization's cadet program. Besides the fact that the younger siblings weren't of age yet, even if they matured to the requirement, the older siblings still banned them on the pretense of it being way too dangerous for them.

Our life's already dangerous even without fighting the enduh, Roxas thought to himself bitterly. What's one more danger to add to the list? His brothers still refused, and the director respected their wishes. Yet their disapproval didn't stop him and his other siblings from fantasizing about the missions. They often wondered who their potential partners would have been for the necessary Élan Vital as well as which one of them would become the Lusus Naturae of the pair. Personally, Roxas couldn't imagine himself being the Lusus Naturae with his small frame, but he didn't think he fit the role of the Psyche much more, especially with his short temper at times. Then again, logic and reasoning seemed to have little influence considering who was which in his older brothers' partnership.

Logic and reasoning didn't have much influence in allowing Roxas and his siblings to fight the enduh alongside their older brothers either. However, he hoped against hope that after today, he and the rest of the family would be training for their own Élan Vitals soon.

After a few more seconds of unending hallways, the young man finally burst through one set of doors. Though the violent crash startled the people on the other side, they quickly got over their surprise in favor of their brother.

"Come on, come on!" a girl only a year younger than Roxas grabbed his arm to pull him towards the balcony she and their older brother hung over. Even without her urging Roxas might have accidentally leapt over the railing in his excitement. Gripping onto the stone tightly he watched as a group of people marched on the bridge to enter the castle, easily distinguished from the townspeople standing a respectful distance on either side. His eyes scanned furiously for the two telltale signs of his older siblings: a sweep of spiky hair only a shade of blond lighter than his own and a mass of spiky hair reflecting in Sora's style and Xion's hue. For a moment, his heart skipped a beat when he thought he had seen everybody without a sign of his brothers. Then a pointed finger shot from Sora, and the two other siblings zoned in on their targets. If it was even possible, the smiles on their faces widened even further at the sight of their brothers' wellbeing. Although the great distance between them didn't let them see the minute details, they saw the familiar motion of Ventus shaking his head while Vanitas's head tilted in that familiar, arrogant way.

As if controlled by the same force after seeing their brothers, the three siblings scrambled away from the balcony and back through the doors. Even in their rush to greet their brothers, they still managed to be considerate enough not to knock anybody over. They kept pace with each other so nobody would be left behind and sour the family reunion. Through the halls, down the stairs, into doors, and the three siblings finally burst into the vestibule where the returning members gathered. Large enough to host enormous parties, the vestibule's size and current crowd of people did not stop the three teenagers from picking out their brothers at the edge of the group. Roxas noticed subconsciously how they initially seemed to be preoccupied with a conversation before looking at the shoved doors curiously.

After a quick second, a wide smile appeared on Ventus's face while a knowing smirk crossed Vanitas's at the sight of their family. The younger siblings sprinted across the floor to reach them. Xion soon pulled away from her brothers to leap into Ventus's open arms. "You're finally back!"

"It's great to see you guys again too," Ventus chuckled as he returned the hug. Not one to be left out, Sora also joined in on the hug, almost toppling the eldest brother over. Only Roxas stood off to the side, content with soaking in the fact that his brothers were home safe. Although his brothers were amazing at their jobs of eradicating the enduh, he still feared the inevitable chance of them leaving one day to never return. They had seen that happen sometimes, one notable pair being Ephemer and Skuld. Reports from the town the pair was supposed to protect stated that they had left early to fight the enduh but were never seen again. After three months of unsuccessful searching, the director had reluctantly declared them dead and held their funeral. While Ephemer and Skuld weren't on Ventus and Vanitas's skill level, they weren't slouches either, and their deaths reminded Roxas that all the carefulness in the world couldn't stop a freak accident from happening.

And yet…he couldn't help but look at the bands around Ventus's wrists and ankles in slight envy. Silver in coloration with a dark green gemstone embedded in each, the bands marked Ventus as the Lusus Naturae in his Élan Vital. Had Roxas been watching Vanitas, he would have scrutinized the silver band with its dark red gemstone around Vanitas's neck that marked his older brother as the Psyche. It was quite surprising that Ventus ended up being the Lusus Naturae rather than Vanitas considering how the latter was much more aggressive and better built than the former but neither seemed too perturbed about it.

The rough ruffling of his hair snapped Roxas out of his thoughts and he cried out in slight alarm. He jerked his head away to glare at the smirking Vanitas. "Damn, you're slow. Falling behind in your classes already?"

"Wha-no!" Roxas said indignantly. Not even three minutes in and their second oldest sibling was already getting under his skin. Vanitas spared nobody from his silver tongue, family included. It was a miracle that they survived this long with how many barbed comments he lashed out. "I'm doing great in my weapons training!"

Vanitas hummed disinterestedly. "I'll bet." Roxas narrowed his eyes, feeling his temper rising. A cheap provocation but it worked. He placed great pride in his dual broadswords wielding compared to Sora and Xion who preferred using only one sword. He was almost seeing his brother in the same color as the band's gemstone and opened his mouth to retort when Vanitas's smirk disappeared and the Psyche held a hand to his forehead. Concern banished Roxas's irritation immediately.

"Are you feeling okay?"

Vanitas waved the question away even before the younger brother finished. "I'm fine." He rubbed his eyes with forefinger and thumb while shifting his weight to one leg and other hand on his hip. The bags under Vanitas's eyes didn't go unnoticed by the younger brother, and the worry mounted. "I just used more energy than I thought." Roxas caught movement from the corner of his eye and looked over to their family. Ventus frowned as he stepped closer to Vanitas, Xion and Sora trailing behind.

"This is exactly what I was worried about. I knew we should have stayed back for a few more days for you to recover your strength."

"I didn't need it," Vanitas snarled back. "It was just a headache. Besides, who was the one who needed a wheelchair because he couldn't feel his legs?" At that statement, the younger siblings looked at Ventus in alarm. The young man sputtered, obviously trying to find a good way to explain himself.

"I didn't need a wheelchair! I walked just fine with a cane!" That…honestly was only a little bit better in Roxas's eyes considering that it still meant his brothers were injured enough to the point of needing outside support. At least it looked like they healed enough now…

"Ah, yes. Old Man Ven had made a reappearance. All you were missing was the voice. 'Oh, I can't feel my legs…Vanny, my boy. Help your father stand. These old bones seen better days'," Vanitas rasped mockingly. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Xion and Sora couldn't stop the giggles from spilling, and even Roxas smiled at the joke. Given how Ventus was the oldest of the five, he often took on the responsibilities of both an older brother and father. Ventus gave them a look to quiet them before switching his attention back at Vanitas.

"It was only for a day. You complained throughout the whole trip how your head was about to make like a banana and split!"

"One, I said no such thing. And two, did you really expect me to listen to everybody else when we could be listening to me?" Vanitas smirked when Ventus gapped at him. Now it was Ventus's turn to rub his eyes as if he had a headache. Roxas actually wouldn't be surprised if he did just get a headache from talking to Vanitas.

"You are impossible…"

"I'm fabulous."

"Was the enduh that strong?" Xion asked, finally breaking the argument between her two eldest brothers. Leave it to Xion to stop their arguing. While Roxas enjoyed listening to his brothers insult each other to train his own tongue, he still appreciated how his sister managed to stop them from continuing an argument that could very well last forever. Ventus was about to retort when Xion's question caught him slightly off-guard.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. It was…strong," he said carefully. Roxas raised an eyebrow at that. Besides the fact that Ventus was absolutely the worst liar of them all, he knew a lie when he heard one. Possibly because he ranked second in their family for the best lies. Obviously, first place went to-.

Vanitas sighed exasperatedly. "Just tell the truth and say you got lost in the forest." That could have been a truth, though for some reason Roxas's gut told him it wasn't. His older brother's demeanor barely changed, making it just as likely that it could be a lie as it was a truth. Ventus bristled angrily at that.

"I did not get lost." Now that was probably a truth. "The enduh were just a bit more cunning this time around. We spent a lot of time chasing them," Ventus explained.

"Them?" Roxas asked in surprise. He narrowed his eyes when he saw Ventus flinch slightly and heard Vanitas swear quietly. "How many were there?" His feelings of suspicion rose when he saw Ventus gesture to keep it down.

"Who cares how many there were?" Vanitas quickly cut in with a scoff. This time it was Vanitas's turn to glare at Ventus. The older of the two shrugged apologetically but the damage was already done. That didn't seem to stop the second eldest from brushing off a potential threat. "The important thing is that they're all gone now. So, stop thinking about it and focus on the-ugh…" Once again, the rest of the siblings looked at the victim in alarm as he groaned. Roxas felt his concern for his brother grow. He couldn't remember the last time Vanitas express such vulnerability. Although he could predict the exact response he would receive, Roxas decided to try asking him again:

"Van, are you sure you're all right?"

"I said I was fine," Vanitas snarled. Yup, there it was. Ventus opened his mouth to respond, but the raven-haired brother quickly said, "Tch, I'm heading to bed." Without waiting for another response, Vanitas turned on his heel and walked away. The family watched him until he disappeared behind the correct set of doors. From the corner of his eye, Roxas saw Sora turn to Ventus, the concern clear in his eyes.

"Ven, is he really all right?"

Roxas also turned to gauge Ventus's response. The eldest hesitated a moment before a weary smile crossed his face. He ruffled Sora's hair, earning a protest.

"Vanitas is a lot tougher than you think." Ventus addressed all of his present siblings. "And I mean, a lot. We were just pushing ourselves a bit more than usual to finish because we wanted to make it back in time." He focused most of his attention on Roxas then. The sibling in question scratched his head sheepishly.

"Sorry," he muttered, even though he technically wasn't at fault.

"No need to apologize. I would have wanted the same thing in your shoes, so don't feel bad about it. Well, I have to get that report done for Director Aqua," Ventus said with a twinge of regret in his voice. Despite himself, Roxas couldn't stop from smiling in sympathy. Nobody liked to write reports. "I'll also take a nap afterwards, but I'll see you guys at dinner. Me and Vanitas both."

"Okay." The younger siblings nodded their acknowledgement. They'd have plenty of time to get things ready for tonight then. They didn't mind as they understood that despite Ventus and Vanitas's nonchalance of their recent job, the two older siblings worked extremely hard to make it back just in time.

"Cool. Oh, and Roxas?"

"Yeah?"

"Happy birthday."

…

"I thought that the number of enduh was shrinking, not growing," Sora said as he hugged his pillow tightly, taking its own place on his bed. They had gathered in his room for their impromptu meeting as it was the farthest from Ventus and Vanitas's room. Roxas shrugged in answer. Sora seemed to take that as permission to continue, "That's what Director Aqua told us last time, right?"

"Maybe they just don't want us to worry." Xion reasoned. "After all, everybody knows that the enduh are getting stronger. If there was also a lot of them, that would cause a lot of panic, right?"

Roxas linked his hands behind his head as he lay backwards on Sora's bed. That certainly sounded reasonable. It would also explain why Ventus and Vanitas still used the argument of things being too dangerous for them to join the program. And yet…Roxas knew how fast news and rumors could travel. If multiple enduh swarmed a town, the whole continent would hear about it immediately. Perhaps the other dark creatures ambushed the group when they were hunting the initial target? That still didn't make sense as they should have still heard something about it. Or maybe it was an enduh that had the ability to create more…that made a lot more sense…

"Do you really think they would still let us join the program?" Sora asked, the new question breaking Roxas from his musing. "They keep saying no whenever we ask them. What's going to make today different?" Roxas bit his bottom lip as he looked away.

"I don't know. I just have a good feeling about today."

"Just because it's your birthday, doesn't mean that they'll let us. After all, when Sora tried to ask to partner up with Riku on his birthday, they still refused." Xion pointed out. How could any of them forget that moment? They had been so certain that Sora would be able to join the program with his best friend given how responsible the latter was. Needless to say, their older brothers still stood on the grounds of the program being too dangerous for them. That birthday had ended on a rather bitter note, much to Sora's disappointment.

Roxas shook his head doggedly, to shake off both the memory and melancholy that accompanied it, as he sat up to look at his sister. "I know that. But we can't let that stop us from trying every time. Unless you guys don't want to join the program anymore."

"We still do," Xion said irritably, "but we've been trying to join forever now. It gets a bit disheartening after so many rejections, you know." Even Sora, the most optimistic of the family, nodded in agreement. Roxas resisted the urge to berate them for their pessimistic attitude, though he couldn't deny that he had thought about giving up himself. Instead he steeled his resolve in hopes that he could encourage his siblings to continue their endeavors.

"If we don't try, we won't have a chance. If we do, there's still a chance. It's small, but it's still there."

Sora and Xion exchanged looks after that statement. For a moment, Roxas thought that his efforts to inspire them failed. Then they burst out laughing, making Roxas blush for whatever reason.

"That sounds like something Sora would say!" Xion said between her giggles. Upon realizing the same thing as his siblings, Roxas leaned over and pushed Xion away. The young girl rolled away on the desk chair she sat on, still giggling to herself. Sora slapped a hand on Roxas's shoulder while jokingly wiping away a tear.

"I'm so proud of you!"

"Shut up!" Roxas responded heatedly as he swiped away Sora's hand. This only caused his other siblings to laugh even louder. Despite himself, Roxas couldn't stop the small smile from spreading on his face. He pushed Sora again, this time a bit more gently. "Come on. Let's go get dinner ready."

…

"I guess you guys are getting better at cooking," Vanitas said with a smirk. "I can still do better though." However, his actions betrayed him as he shoveled more pasta onto his plate after his second helping. Roxas rolled his eyes good-naturedly at Vanitas's gentle teasing.

"Leave all of it for the rest of us then," Xion responded in kind. She made to grab the container, but Vanitas stretched backwards out of her reach. He chuckled a bit at her pout before he relented and returned the pasta. Xion made no move to get any, so Sora grabbed it next.

"Did anybody else wish you a happy birthday, Roxas?" Ventus asked. Roxas shrugged noncommittedly as he twirled a fork around some noodles.

"Riku did. He got me a new jacket. Axel also made me promise to share the yearlong ice cream coupon he got me with him. Oh, Director Aqua also gave me some money. Told me to spend it wisely."

Ventus nodded before gesturing to the two siblings sitting beside him. "And did these two get you anything?"

"Of course, we did!" Sora said rather indignantly. "We got him a sharpening stone kit!" Xion nodded in confirmation.

"He kept losing his sharpening stones. So hopefully now he'll stop asking us to borrow ours."

"Hey, I always give them back. I don't lose them." Roxas defended himself. Xion pointed a finger at him.

"Then you better not lose our gift!"

"I won't!"

Roxas's hurt tone made both Sora and Vanitas laugh out loud. Ventus chuckled a bit while Roxas exchanged a smile with Xion. Roxas turned his attention back to his food, enjoying this time with his family. He noticed that despite Ventus's inquiries about his gifts, both he and Vanitas made no move to speak about their gift to him. Not that he minded since, as sappy as it sounded, they were present for his birthday as well as he didn't think that they would grant him what he truly wanted. Roxas mentally shook away that thought. It refused to leave along with his plan, and the dread of uncertainty continued to creep up on him as the night drew closer and closer to a close. It was during the desserts that Roxas saw Ventus eyeing Vanitas pointedly.

"So…think we should give him his present now?"

Vanitas shrugged disinterestedly. "I guess…still think he doesn't deserve it though." Both Ventus and Roxas rolled their eyes, the similar movement on such similar faces made the rest of the siblings chuckle. Surprisingly enough, Vanitas stood up to get the present. While the second oldest was gone, Ventus smiled brightly at Roxas.

"Don't tell Van I told you this, but this was all his idea. I just contributed to the billing and wrapping," Ventus whispered. Roxas grinned conspiratorially in return. All the siblings knew that Vanitas's indifference towards his family was a huge façade, and Vanitas knew that they knew. Roxas guessed that even though it was common knowledge in the family, Vanitas still felt slightly embarrassed if anybody voiced it out loud. The birthday boy snapped out of his thoughts when the raven-haired young man returned with a large box wrapped in silver wrapping paper.

"Here, mini-Ven." Vanitas smirked when Roxas rolled his eyes again at the pet name.

Though the older brother held out the box with one hand, Roxas raised his eyebrows in surprise at how heavy it was, forcing him to carry it with two hands. Placing the present on his lap, he carefully peeled away the wrapping paper though his movements sped up when he began to see a black shine. Both Sora and Xion leaned over excitedly to also see what the present was. The box turned out to be a large case with clasps in front. Roxas unlocked it and lifted the lid. His eyes widened as his jaw went slack along with Sora and Xion's.

"Whoa…" Roxas gently touched the dual broadswords. Though simple, the slightly blue blades felt extremely sharp with faint rings of the various steels used to make the weapons. He took one out, marveling how familiar and balanced it felt in his hands. "Wow…" There was really no other word capable of expressing the awe he felt right now.

"Yup. Took us forever to find a blacksmith up to our standards," Vanitas bragged as he sat back in his chair with a satisfied smirk.

"Now you can test your new sharpening stones on this," Ventus joked.

"Wow…" Roxas couldn't help but say again. He couldn't take his eyes off of his new weapons. He could already see himself wielding the dual broadswords against his enemies to protect others. That image then reminded him of his original objective for the night, and his face fell slightly. His older brothers seemed to notice immediately as Ventus asked:

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Roxas said a bit too quickly. He carefully placed his gift back in its case. He could feel the burning gazes of his siblings, and he almost decided to abandon his plan. However, when he looked up and saw those bands again, Roxas steeled his resolve once again. He took a deep breath and looked at his older brothers. "Thanks for the swords, but I still want to ask you something."

The smirk disappeared from Vanitas, and Ventus's frown deepened. From the dark light in Vanitas's eyes, Roxas could tell that he had already figured out what the birthday boy wanted to ask but was still going to let him say it as proof. Roxas inhaled deeply and silently once again before plunging into the deep end.

"Ventus, Vanitas, I still want to join Director Aqua's Élan Vital program." Silence followed his statement. Then Roxas's heart sank as he watched Ventus and Vanitas's expressions shift immediately. Ventus exhaled a resigned sigh while leaning back in his chair and rubbing his eyes. Vanitas took a more aggressive stance.

"How many times do we have to tell you guys? Absolutely not," he snarled. The same anger from earlier on the day returned to Roxas, causing him to see red. He ignored the small voice in the back of his mind telling him to back off in favor of a furious one screaming at him to argue for his goal. He was slightly amazed that he managed to keep his voice steady.

"Both Sora and I are of age, and soon Xion would be too! Why can't we join?"

"Because it's too dangerous!"

"Then why bother getting me these?" Roxas jabbed a finger at his gift. "If Élan Vitals are needed to fight the enduh, then I doubt that normal weapons would protect us from the monsters!"

"Roxas, those weapons aren't for you to fight against the enduh. It's for you to protect yourselves from other things," Ventus tried to explain. Roxas switched his gaze from Vanitas to Ventus.

"Right, as if those other things aren't dangerous as well." That statement made Ventus's eyes narrow as well, and Roxas almost regretted saying that. However, he still wasn't willing to back down. Ventus inhaled to retort but Vanitas beat him to it.

"You three do not understand how taxing it is to have an Élan Vital! All you want is the stupid glorification that comes with having it!"

"We do not!" Roxas tried to protest but Vanitas quickly cut him off with a slam of his fist on the table.

"No! I know you, Roxas!" The raven-haired brother shot out of his chair and pointed at his younger sibling. "I know how much you like to fight! I know you just want to get out there to destroy things! And I'm not going to let you throw away your pathetic life for something so stupid!"

"Vanitas, calm down!"

"No, Ventus! I'm sick and tired of these three constantly asking us to join the program when it's not worth it! You and I are already doing it! We don't need the rest of them going through the same, damn thing!" Vanitas looked like he was about to say more but then a pained look crossed his face, and he staggered forward slightly to support himself with the table. Again, the anger nearly disappeared in favor of Roxas's concern for his older brother. Nearly. It was obvious that Vanitas still had some fight in him as he shook his head. Despite that, none of the siblings were willing to say anything until the pained brother was able to prove that he was fine. "…fuck this shit. I'm going to bed." He shoved himself off the table, forcing it forward, as he staggered back towards his room.

"Vanitas!" Ventus's call came too late as the door smashed behind him. The silence that followed nearly choked all of them. Yet it was nothing compared to the irritated and frustrated look Ventus gave. Roxas felt some level of guilt for aggravating his older brothers like this, but he couldn't stop his own feelings of frustration at his brothers' stubbornness. Ventus shook his head before standing up slowly. His knuckles reflected white, the muscles around his bands tightening as anger and vexation seeped from his body. He didn't move for a moment, and the rest of the siblings looked at him worriedly. They soon became aware of labored breathing as Ventus blinked his eyes multiple times. "I have…to calm…him down…" The oldest brother managed to force out. He had to pause to inhale deeply before growling through gritted teeth, "Not…another word…about this." With that, he left his three siblings and entered Vanitas's room in a quieter manner.

The guilt finally bubbled up the moment the door clicked shut. It fought with Roxas's anger, trying to get him to apologize to his older brothers for his request. However, stubbornness ran in the family, and Roxas refused to let his conscience force him into an apology. He stood up with his case in hand, tight-lipped. His other siblings didn't even try to stop him as he placed his gift into his room. Despite his fury, he made sure to carefully put away his new weapons. He had no heart to use them now after their fight. Instead he grabbed his old swords, mentally appreciating his foresight to sharpen them today with Xion's stone.

Roxas raced out of his room and their suite. He had a lot of anger and regret to burn off.