A few days pass with the same routine. They are on a strict schedule...or so Sora thought. Today is a 'free day'. Ven told them that they actually have close to a week in 'free days' because Terra, and Aqua have gone to the town, along with Riku, and Axel. Sora didn't like the idea of his new family being gone for so long and asked what they were doing in town and why couldn't' they have come.
Ven responded with saying 'they're getting us supplies'. When Sora questioned him, Ven changed the subject quickly. He also said ' there would be too many people if we all went'.
Sora supposes eight is a lot of people to go to the store. He still wishes he could have gone too. It's going to be weird to have three days without the two adults.
Ven told him not to worry. They have left meals for them to eat and if Sora gets hungry, Ven knows how to cook a couple of meals. He's very talented. Ven is smart in his studies and he can cook. Sora can barely keep up with his work and training.
"At least that looks like it's healing." Ven gets him out of his thoughts, he's touching Sora's cheek, looking at the bruise that is starting to fade.
"Yeah." Sora eats some more of his popcorn. The two are currently sitting on the couch together watching a movie. Bringing up the bruise makes Sora remember the person who gave it to him. "By the way, where is Vanitas?" He hasn't seen him much since he punched him.
"Who knows?" Ven's eyebrows furrow. "He's probably gone out by himself. Aqua and Terra tell him not to but he does anyway. He doesn't like staying here much."
Sora rubs his cheek in thought. "Do you know...why Vanitas is so mean? I notice everyone stays away from him...and he doesn't like me talking to him. He gets angry so easily... I want to be family to him." Sora speaks his concerns. He's always been a honest person.
"...I'm sorry to tell you this Sora but I'm sure there's nothing you could do that would make Vanitas think of you as family. He doesn't think of any of us as family and says so daily. He's so full of badness...He's always been like that. Since the day he's come here. He's been as dark and cruel as he is now. I don't know anything about his past...but we all have bad pasts. That doesn't give him an excuse for his actions. If I'm honest Sora, he's kind of been my enemy from the start." Ven looks down at his hands, gripping his fist.
"...Aqua and Terra have done so much for him...yet he doesn't appreciate them. He's even attacked them! They still give him a place to stay and food to eat...and he's just..." Ven takes a deep breath before he look at Sora firmly. "I've tried to be nice...but he's just a mean guy. I know you are kind Sora but just leave him be. I don't want you to get hurt."
"Oh..." Sora frowns at hearing about how Vanitas attacked Aqua and Terra. He wonders what kind of past he could have had and he wonders...what's going on inside of Vanitas's heart? What does he think about? If Vanitas is so bad, so cruel...why did he save him? Why did he help him? Sora looks at Ven and he knows the boy is worried about him. Vanitas is dangerous. "I'll try to keep away."
"Good." Ven brightens up, patting Sora on the shoulder.
"But you know it's not just Vanitas who doesn't see me as family." Sora says quietly. "Everyone else too."
Ven's gaze softens. "Sora..." he thinks before he smiles at him. "They'll come around! You just got to show them how great of a person you are! I'm just a bit more friendlier out of the bunch. Roxas is just shy. He doesn't trust anyone. Axel is only interested in Roxas so if you make friends with Roxas, he'll come around. Riku...well he's a tough one. I wouldn't even say we're friends. But I'm sure we'll get closer through time!" Ven says confidently.
Sora stares at those blue eyes before he smiles and it radiates his face. Ven feels something in him tighten. "Thanks. I feel a lot better. I wont' give up. I want all of us to get closer!" Sora cheers, punching the air. Ven gains a bit more hope.
The two boys fall in a comfortable silence, watching the movie together. Just when it's about to end, Ven turns his head to the side. "Roxas?"
Sora looks over and is surprised to see Roxas standing In the living room, staring at them. How long had he been there? Sora didn't even hear him come. Roxas doesn't look at Sora.
"What are you doing?" He asks Ven.
"We're just watching this movie. We were going to play a card game afterward."
Roxas nods his head and starts to leave. Sora doesn't let this chance slip away. It's time to act. "Roxas!" Sora shouts, getting Roxas to tense and look back at him with his eyebrow raised. "You wanna play with us?" Sora asks, smiling at the blonde. Hoping he'll say yes.
Roxas stares at him with wide blue eyes before he averts his gaze. He seems to think before he nods his head. "Sure...There's nothing else to do."
"Yay!" Sora and Ven cheer. They both chuckle afterward.
"We should play a board game then!" Ven runs off, leaving Roxas and Sora alone. Roxas stares off to the side, not looking at Sora. That's not what he wants.
"So um..." Roxas glances at Sora. "Who's the older twin?" Sora comes closer, his eyes filled with curiosity. "I've never seen twins before. It's so cool."
"It's not cool." Roxas snaps, those blue eyes getting fiery.
"Why not?" Sora frowns from this change in the blonde. Roxas doesn't answer. Sora thinks for a moment before he smiles. "I'd love to have a twin."
Roxas scoffs. "Trust me, you wouldn't. You have to share the same appearance yet there's always one that's better than the other. One that gets more attention. One that is more talented. We had to share everything. Nothing was mine, and nothing was his but somehow he still had more. It's never equal. I hate having to see my face on his."
Sora tries to think of what Roxas said. What if he had a twin that looked just like him? He would have to have shared his parents, shared his toys, shared their affections. If the twin was better at him in things, Sora is sure he would feel bad...but at the same time... "I think I still would like to have a twin." Sora smiles when Roxas glares at him. "Because then I wouldn't have been alone."
The glare falls and Roxas seems like he's listening to him. "If I had a twin...I would have someone to talk to. Someone that probably could understand me better than anyone because we came from the same place! We had the same experiences. If I had a twin...when my parents died, I wouldn't have been alone. We would have shared that sorrow together. I would have had someone to talk to and..." Sora trails off.
Roxas is quiet. He doesn't say anything for a long time and Sora thinks he might be angry with him. The subject of twins seems to have hit a sensitive spot- "Technically, Ventus is the older one. He was born a minute before me."
Sora's eyes light up from Roxas telling him this. The boy doesn't look at him but those blue eyes have changed. "...If I didn't have Ventus by my side...I'm not sure if I could have made it on my own. So...I suppose I am grateful that I have a twin."
Sora smiles at this. He walks over and hugs Roxas, feeling like he needs it. Roxas tenses in his hold, not hugging him back. "It's hard doing anything alone...but we have this family here now. You not only have your twin, but you have me too! And everyone else! I'm grateful for everyone." Sora pulls away to smile at him. Roxas stares at him with doe like eyes before they water.
Roxas pulls him in for another hug, Sora happily returning it. He rubs his back like his mother use to do him. Sora feels him wipe his eyes. He doesn't sob. He just hugs him.
"I've got board games-" Ven comes back holding a few boxes. When he sees the two hugging, his eyes get huge. "Whoa! You guys are hugging without me?" Ven pouts. "I want to hug."
"Ven no-" Roxas starts to protest, trying to let go of Sora but soon Ven is hugging them both, pushing them close.
"Rox yes." Vent beams as he nuzzles Sora's head then Roxas's. Sora chuckles when Roxas starts pushing Ven away by his face, his twin pouting. There's something different in Roxas' eyes as he looks at Ven...and when he looks at Sora.
They all start to play the game, laughing when one of them would lose or make a stupid mistake. Roxas starts to loosen up and he's laughing along with them. Sora glances over at Roxas, catching the other boy looking at him. Sora gives him a smile...and Roxas returns it.
Sora feels like he may have gained a new friend.
Sora is woken up by Ven the next day. "Geez you sleep like a rock." Ventus teases as Sora groans, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
"Being able to sleep in a couple of days has messed me up." Little Sora complains. Sora's eyes widen and he gets out of bed, those blue eyes sparkling. "Wait! Terra and Aqua are back right?"
"Yup! Everyone is down eating breakfast." Ven chuckles when Sora takes off running down the stairs. Ven runs with him, the boys having a friendly competition to see who can make it there first. Sora pushes himself through the door first, chuckling while Ven groans from his defeat.
Sora's laughing calms down a bit when he sees everyone in the kitchen staring at him. Most are blank stares but some look annoyed. Aqua and Terra are smiling at them.
"Good morning! You guys are back!" Sora cheers as he runs over to the table, taking his seat. "I missed you guys!"
"Aw we missed you too." Aqua gets up to kiss his forehead, placing food in front of him and Ven. Terra gets up to ruffle their hair.
"How was the trip? The next time you guys go can I come?" Sora smiles. He frowns when Aqua and Terra exchange a look.
"We usually take the older kids." Terra explains, sitting back down.
"But we'll take you out when you get older." Aqua smiles when Sora looked a bit down. This gets her a look from Riku and Terra. Sora brightens at this.
As they all eat, Sora frowns when he notices Vanitas still isn't back. Where did he go to? No one has asked about him.
Sora glances at Roxas who is acting like he did before they had the last few days off together. Not wanting for it to stay like that, Sora decides to try to talk to him first. "Good morning Roxas." Sora says.
Everyone stops eating to look at him, again.
"Good morning Sora." Roxas doesn't hesitate. Everyone is looking at him Roxas. Axel has his eyebrow raised as he looks between the two.
"Oh. Did something happen while we are gone?" Aqua smiles fondly when she sees how Roxas eyes got a bit lighter.
Roxas shrugs his shoulder. When Riku and Axel keep staring at him, he raises his eyebrow. "What?" They both go back to eating.
Class goes more smoothly than Sora thought. Even though he's had a couple days break, he's doing good in his subjects. He's still not on anyone else level though. They're getting different paper work than him still.
Sora can't stop glancing over where Vanitas should be. It's been four days now. Aqua and Terra never asked about him. Ven said he does this a lot so...he guesses it's not a concern.
It gets to lunch time. All the boys are sitting and eating together. Ven is talking about the movie they watched excitedly. It doesn't seem like Riku is paying much attention to him. Axel is staring Sora down though-
"Hey Sora do you want this?" Roxas offers his cup cake. Sora's eyes sparkle.
"Yes!" Sora beams as he takes the cup cake. Before he throws it into his mouth, he looks at him. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah it's fine. I'm full." Roxas chuckles at how happy Sora looks as he says his thanks before destroying the cupcake.
"You never give me your food." Axel crosses his arms.
"You don't like sweets Axel." Roxas points out. Axel huffs, glaring at Sora.
"Still."
"Hey after training with Terra do you want to spar with me?" Ven offers, his eyes shining excitedly.
"Yeah!" Sora looks over at Roxas who is staring at them.
"You want to spar with us too?" Ven offers first. Sora smiles at Roxas. The twin nods his head before he smirks.
"I can show Sora how much better I am with my sword."
"Ohh we'll see." Ven crosses his arms. "I'll impress Sora! Not you!"
"I think it will be me who impresses you guys!" Sora cheers, griping his fist. The twins stare at him a moment before they chuckle.
"So cute!" Ven gushes.
"I don't think that's going to happen."
"What do you mean Roxas? And i'm not cute! I've gotten better...!"
Axel watches from the side line, his arms crossed as he sees the two twins start to tease the brunette. He narrows his eyes when he sees how Roxas smiles at Sora. Riku catches the look in those green orbs of Axel but he just gets up and leaves.
Being involved in that is a waste of time.
"You two want to spar Sora?" Terra raises his eyebrows at the two eager twins, one more open about his excitement than the other.
"Yes!" Ven shouts and Roxas nods. Terra glances over at Sora who is working on the dummies. He's sweating, his shirt has been discarded on the floor. Terra can tell he's about to run out of energy. He's gotten pretty far with him today...It seems Sora hasn't forgotten what he taught.
"Alright then. Sora! Are you up for sparing with Roxas and Ven?" Terra watches as Sora turns around quickly, his eyes sparkling.
"Yeah!" He points his sword in the air, grinning at Ven and Roxas who are starting to get hyped up. "Who am I fighting first?"
"Me." Roxas and Ven say at the same time. The two narrow their eyes.
"I challenge you to fight Sora first!"
"You're on!"
Sora sits on the grass, letting himself rest as Terra gives them both wooden swords. Ven grins over at him, those blue eyes look beautiful in the light. Like how the water looks when the sun is shining down on its surface.
"Watch me Sora!"
"Yeah watch him lose!" Roxas grins when he gets a glare from Ven. Sora's eyes widen when the two go at each other. They're so fast. Wood clanks together and there foot work is amazing. They go back and forth, each trying to gain ground on each other.
"Are you watching Sora? Watch!" Ven says as he starts gaining on Roxas. Sora can't help to chuckle at his friend.
"Ven I'm watching!" He giggles.
"Are you impressed?" Ven yells over at him as he dodges a swipe to the chest from Roxas.
"I am! You both are amazing! Super cool!" Roxas flushes when Sora says that, he looses his footing and has to block an attack from Ven that was about to get him in the chest.
"But I'm cooler right?" Ven pouts, getting Roxas to roll his eyes. Sora chooses not to answer, watching the two twins get back into it.
Sora's eyes widen when Ven kicks Roxas off his feet, the boy landing on his back. When Ven goes to hit him, Roxas blocks, still fighting. He rolls quickly and jumps up. He seems to be getting heated and when Roxas swings his sword...it breaks Ven's sword when he blocks.
Sora's eyes widen. "Whoa!"
"Roxas." Terra gives the twin a firm look. It's warning. Roxas tenses, rubbing his arm. "It seems you have won." He leans in, whispering something. Roxas nods his head quickly.
"I won't."
Ven doesn't look too happy but he sits on the side lines as Sora gets up and Roxas gets a new sword.
"You're strong Roxas!" Sora admires before he gets in his stance. "But I won't let that scare me!"
Roxas gets in his stance as well. When Terra says for them to start, Sora runs after Roxas first. He has to be fast, because Roxas is fast.
When Roxas moves to the side, Sora blocks his attack to the thigh. He had seen him try to do that before with Ven. Sora uses the foot work Terra taught him...but he also follows his instinct and soon Roxas and Sora are going back and forth.
"Woo!" Ven cheers them.
It goes in for a good while...but then Roxas hits his sword hard and it flings from his hand. Roxas places his sword close to his heart and Sora pouts. He lost.
"It was a good fight for someone who just started learning." Roxas smiles.
"I'll get better." Sora says with determination. When Ven comes up, it's the same story...Sora last longer with him but he thinks Ven is going easy on him. He notices he's not moving as fast and there were times Sora left himself open but he didn't take it.
Sora ends up losing but he did learn some more moves. He thinks he's starting to get the hang of moving and attacking while in a real battle.
"You all did well." Terra smiles at the three boys who started shoving each other in a playful manner as little boys do. They're all hyper from the fights. "Especially you Sora. I saw real improvement."
"Really?" Sora's eyes brighten as he looks at Terra. He nods his head.
"You three go get cleaned off. Dinner is going to be steak-"
"Steak!" Ven cheers, running towards the house only to trip and fall on his face. Sora and Roxas crack up getting Ven to pout at the two.
"Are you okay?" Sora helps him up.
"I'm fine." He mumbles. Those blue eyes gleam. "Sora lets race! You two Roxas! If I win I get your seconds of steak!"
"No! The steak is mine!" Sora chuckles as he takes off running.
"Cheater!" Roxas yells but he runs after him.
"You both are!" Ven runs after them. Sora laughs so hard he ends up tripping and falling like Ven. The two twins laugh as they keep running.
"Guess I lost my seconds." Sora sticks out his tongue as he gets up and brushes himself off. He feels eyes on him and he looks over to see Riku standing a few feet away. Sora blinks, waving at him. How long had Riku been there?
Riku turns around and walks towards Terra, not acknowledging the wave. Sora doesn't let it get him down. It seems he still has a ways to go with Riku...but he'll get there. Filled with determination, he takes off running towards the house. He can hear Ven calling him.
"I know what you're going to say." Terra glances at Riku as he picks up Sora's shirt that he left.
"It's been close to two weeks." Riku watches how Terra won't meet his eyes.
"I'm well aware. Sora is getting better. I still have faith that he will make it." Terra seems to think before he glances at Riku. "Are you by chance, concerned about him?"
"No." Riku shakes his head. "Lost causes bother me. There's no point in having him around when he won't pull his weight. It would be best if you just sent him home now before it's too late. I know you wouldn't like having to kill him."
Terra tenses. "It won't come to that." His eyes have changed though, Riku can see it and sense it. "...In a week we will have a meeting about what to do with Sora if it still seems like Sora won't be able to make it." Terra walks towards the house, not looking back at Riku.
Riku makes no comment about Sora anymore and follows after Terra to clean up for supper himself.
"You guys are leaving?" Sora frowns at Ven who looks just as upset and Roxas who doesn't look too happy himself.
"Just for a day." Aqua reassures. " We'll be back by tomorrow morning!"
"Why can't I come?" Sora questions. It will be the first time they he's alone here without Ven.
"We'll take you out soon." Terra says quickly, ruffling Sora's hair. "While we're gone, why don't you find Axel and tell him to help with the dishes?"
Axel had left right after breakfast in a fit when he found out that he couldn't go with Roxas either.
"Okay." Sora is still a bit disappointed.
"When we come back we'll play more games together and spar!" Ven smiles at him, hugging Sora tightly.
"Yeah." Roxas agrees, giving Sora a fist bump. Sora can't help to smile at the twins.
"I can't wait!" Sora waves the four goodbye. Once they're gone...Sora feels a bit lonely. The house seems so quiet and empty without them. Riku had left awhile ago without a word, and Vanitas still hasn't come home. Sora is tempted to ask Aqua and Terra about it. How long does Vanitas normally stay out?
Then again, Sora has figured out that on that day Vanitas saved him, he was out like he was now, not listening to Aqua or Terra.
"I better find Axel." Sora mumbles when he looks at all the dirty dishes that have been left. Usually everyone does their own but it seems like the four were in a hurry to get out. With that Sora starts to search this very large home. A lot of the doors are locked so it only leaves a few options to where Axel could be.
After searching all the bathrooms Sora decides to check their room. He walks in, glancing at all the empty beds- The door shuts behind him. Sora turns around quickly, his eyes wide only to relax when he sees It's Axel. He's standing in front of the door that he just shut.
"Axel! I was looking for you. Terra wants us to do the dishes." Sora says with a smile. It starts to falter when Axel narrows his eyes at him. He walks up to him slowly. The boy is only a couple of years older than him but he's much taller. He towers over the young Sora.
"I'm only going to say this once. Roxas is my best friend." Axel points to his chest before jabbing Sora in his. "Not yours. We've known each other a lot longer. I mean a lot longer. Just because you think you're cute, doesn't mean you're going to be able to steal Roxas away from me."
"I'm not trying to steal Roxas away from you." Sora's eyes widen. He puts his hands up to show his peace. "I know Roxas is your best friend...we just started becoming friends." Axel doesn't seem convinced. "I want to become friends with all of you. I want to be apart of this family. I'm not trying to steal Roxas away. I just want to be apart of what you guys have. I want to be your friend too Axel."
"You've been stealing Roxas away from me recently. He's been hanging out with you instead of me." Axel averts his gaze for a moment before glaring at Sora.
"You could have always joined in. The more the merrier!" Sora smiles.
"I got my eyes on you." Axel makes that eyes on you sign with his fingers before he walks out of the room. Sora frowns. Well that could have gone better. Sora follows after Axel and together they take care of the dishes. Sora wanted to ask if Axel wanted to do something with him but he was quick to leave once he was finished.
With nothing else to do, Sora decides to work on his swordsmanship. After about an hour, Sora spots Riku. He waves at him which only gets a cold gaze in return before he walks off. "Wait Riku do you want to spar me?" Sora calls.
"No." He says flatly.
Sora frowns but he doesn't let that get him down. He'll just keep training harder and soon Riku will want to spar with him because he's just that good. After finishing that he spots Axel in the house. Through the rest of the day, Sora tries to get Axel to do something with him. He asks him to watch a movie with him which is declined. He asks for him to play a game, declined. No matter how much Sora bugs him, Axel just says no and narrows his eyes at him like he's suspicious.
Sora frowns when he goes down stairs and finds that Riku and Axel are hanging out. The two older boys seem to be talking about something while they're playing video games. The young boy feels a bit hurt that the two older ones didn't invite him. He could of happily watched.
Riku must sense him because he glances over from the TV, looking right at Sora. Sora tenses up, his eyes doe-like from being caught. Riku just stares at him before he goes back to playing. Sora's gaze lowers and his chest tightens in that way he doesn't like.
"Would you go the fuck away? You're so annoying." Axel snaps when he sees Sora. "I don't want to hang out with you. Geez-" Axel looks at how those big blue eyes stare at him with unhidden hurt.
Feeling a bit dejected and not wanting to cry again in front of the older boys, Sora walks back up stairs with his shoulders slumped.
He decides to lay in bed and skip dinner. This is the first time since he's been there that Sora has felt lonely or out of place. Ven has always been around him and showered him with affection...and Roxas is closer to him now too. All the people that think of him as family are gone and now he's left with the two left that don't.
Axel doesn't want anything to do with him and Riku barely knows he exists.
Just when Sora is about to fall asleep, he hears his door creek open. He doesn't turn to see who it is. He just tries to settle down for sleep again-
"You're not going to eat dinner?" He recognizes Axel's voice. "It's getting kind of late."
Sora shakes his head. "I'm not hungry. You don't have to make me anything."
There's silence.
Sora thinks he left till he hears his voice again. "Uh...So me and Riku are about to watch a movie. You can come and watch if you want-"
"Really?" Sora perks up, sitting up in bed, looking at Axel with wide eyes. Axel tenses at the sudden change in the young boy. He shrugs his shoulders.
"Sure."
Sora is out of bed, feeling much better than before. He follows Axel down the stairs to find Riku sitting on the couch. If Riku is surprised to see him he doesn't show it. He barely gives him a glance. Sora sits next to Axel on the couch and he just enjoys the movie.
Sora is content with just being here with them.
"Ven, Roxas! You're back!" Sora cheers when he's woken up by the two twins. Ven giving him a hug while Roxas just smiles at him.
"Yup! Told ya we would be back in the morning." Ven grins as he pulls away. "How was your day off?"
"It was okay. I missed you guys." Sora admits.
"We get another free day today." Roxas seems excited. "So we can hang out a bit."
"Terra is going to train you though so after your training your free!" Ven adds.
Sora spots Axel staring at the three from his bed. Remembering yesterday he smiles at him. "Axel would you like to hang out with us?"
"You should Axel. That way we can play games with teams. You'll be on mine right?" Roxas asks with a grin. Axel stares at them for a moment before he smirks. With a kick to his step, he gets right next to Roxas.
"Yup! These punks are going down." Axel grins at Ven and Sora.
"No way!" Ven shakes his head and Sora sticks out his tongue.
As they're going downstairs to have breakfast, Axel gives him this look. And in that look Sora thinks he's gotten closer to Axel. He returns it with a bright smile.
Ven sees his smile and gives his hand a squeeze...the boy has been holding it since he came back.
By the end of the day Sora is exhausted. Between training, sparing with everyone, Playing tag with Roxas,Ven and Axel...playing cops and robbers...Sora feels like he could just past out.
It's not a surprise to him that he fell asleep soon after his head hits the pillow. It's not a surprise to any of the boys watching him either.
"Today was a lot of fun." Ven smiles, sitting on Sora's bed as he plays with his hair. He kisses Sora on the forehead before he moves to get in his bed. Only because Roxas and Axel are watching him now. Just as all the boys are starting to settle down, the door opens.
Everyone's eyes open in alarm..except for Sora who's too far into sleep to care.
"I'm back idiots." Vanitas smirks at the glares he gets. The boy looks like he just came out of the shower.
"Be quiet. Sora is trying to sleep." Ven watches as Vanitas walks to his bed. He turns and looks at Sora's sleeping form coldly before smirking again.
"He's still here? You serious? You guys haven't gotten rid of him yet? It seems Terra and Aqua have lost their senses." Vanitas mock sighs before he turns around and starts to walk towards Sora's bed. "It looks like I'll just have to kill him myself." Those golden eyes get darker.
"You won't touch him." Ven gets in front of Sora quickly, shielding him with his body. "You have no right to kill him. He's apart of our family-"
"He is not a part of this family. He's a human that could never be one of us. I'm being merciful by putting him out of his misery." Vanitas smirks at Ven who doesn't back down. "You're no match for me. Do you really want to go there? For this human?"
Vanitas blinks when Roxas gets up and also gets in front of Sora. Axel gets up slowly and gets in front of Sora as well next to Roxas, crossing his arms.
"We'll all protect Sora." Axel glares.
"He's a part of the family now." Roxas narrows his eyes.
Vanitas takes this in with a blank expression before he cracks up. The laugh is deranged. "Are you serious? What the hell did I miss? I go away for a week and you've all lost your minds."
"We're completely sound. You're the one who's lost it Vanitas." Ven growls.
"I haven't lost anything." Vanitas walks closer, smirking at the three that get into stances. They're all ready to fight him. "You can't protect him forever. He's running out of time. If I don't kill him the ritual will." Vanitas chuckles darkly when he sees how Ven has tensed. "But don't worry. I plan on killing him before then-"
"You won't!" Ven snarls. The three take a step forward and Vanitas takes a step back. He clicks his tongue before he walks backwards to his bed. He doesn't take his eyes off of Sora, watching him like a predator.
To protect Sora, Ven gets in the bed with him like he use to do. Roxas seems to know what he's doing and he also gets in bed with Sora, on the other side.
"Move over i'm getting in." Axel somehow squeezes himself in so he's spooning with Roxas. Axel seems content.
Ven grabs Sora's hand and lays his head against his. He's more than willing to stay up all night to make sure Sora is protected from Vanitas.
After seeing the three get in bed to have a barrier around Sora, Vanitas snorts. He catches how Riku is still in his bed. He didn't move a muscle when Vanitas was threatening Sora.
"I see you still have your senses Riku." Vanitas coos, his golden eyes gleaming at the boy.
"It's like you said. He's not going to make it"
"You're actually agreeing with me on something." Vanitas smirks when Riku just turns his back to him and gets to sleep.
Vanitas stays up, those golden eyes peering in the darkness, watching Sora sleep. He knows that Ven is still awake too and he's keeping an eye on him...Vanitas grins widely.
He can't help to think of Axel, Roxas, and Ven as mother hens trying to protect their baby from a snake. It's funny because Vanitas will slaughter them all.
Chickens are no match for a cunning, poisonous snake.
"Is there a reason you guys are all in my bed?" Sora wakes up a bit confused when he was smashed between Ven and Roxas. He sits up and sees also Axel is in his bed as well.
"We're just chilling." Axel mumbles tiredly, rubbing his nose in the back of Roxas's hair. Roxas pushes him and he rolls off the bed. Sora can't help to laugh loudly. Axel just rolled off, he let it happen.
"Sleeping with Sora is the best that's why. We can't get enough of you." Ven says with a bright smile, nuzzling Sora's head before they get up.
"I like you guys too but you guys can sleep in your own bed." Sora chuckles when Ven pouts. Roxas doesn't seem to mind though. He just gets out of bed, ignoring Axel who is complaining on the floor.
"I don't wanna." Ven crosses his arms.
"You actually woke up before us." Roxas points out when he looks at the clock. It's almost time for them to go down for Breakfast. Sora can smell it already.
Sora blinks before he beams. "You're right! I'm getting use to this!" Sora cheers. Ven stares at him with secret delight, Roxas grinning at Axel when he just keeps rolling around on the floor. Sora notices that Vanitas and Riku are gone.
"First one at breakfast gets to spar Sora!" Ven shouts suddenly taking off running down the stairs. Roxas blinks before he glares.
"No fair!" Roxas steps on Axel's chest as he runs before running after his twin brother. Axel groans sitting up from the floor, looking at Sora with utter shock on his face.
"Did you see that? He just stepped on me."
Sora giggles. "I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it. He just wanted to win."
"Both my heart and my rib cage are hurt."
Sora can't help to keep laughing at How Axel is looking like with his mouth all open. Axel smirks at him as he stands up. "I'll get him back for that."
"How?" Sora questions as he gets up, the two making their way down.
"Making him feel so bad he'll have to let me hug him." Axel grins. The two share a laugh as they walk into the kitchen. Sora sitting next to Ven and Axel next to Roxas. Riku watched the two come in carefully, his eyebrow furrowed. Ven grabs his hand under the table and stares Vanitas down who just smirks.
Sora feels like it's gotten really tense all of a sudden.
"Good morning boys." Aqua greets as she places everyone food down.
"Good morning!" Sora and Ven say with excitement while Roxas mutters it. Terra comes in with his greetings and then they say their prayers. Everyone eats in silence, and it feels tense to Sora for some reason.
Sora looks up and sees Vanitas is staring at him. Everyone is staring at Vanitas, even Aqua and Terra. Riku isn't paying any mind to it though.
"Hey Sora." Vanitas says. Riku actually looks at him. Sora's eyes widen and he feels his heart beat faster in hope. Does Vanitas want to talk to him now?
"HI-" Sora says with a smile.
"You wanna play with me later?" Vanitas asks coolly. Sora's eyes sparkle.
"Yeah-"
"No he doesn't." Ven glares at Vanitas, grabbing Sora's hand and giving it a squeeze.
"But Ven-" Sora starts to protest.
"Vanitas wants to hurt you." Ven locks eyes with Sora. "He just wants to get you alone to be bad."
"Yeah don't trust him." Roxas says, glaring at Vanitas, Axel doing the same.
"Vanitas what are you planning?" Terra questions with his eyes narrowed.
"Nothing at all. I just want to spend time with my new brother." Vanitas coos. Sora's eyes get wide and he feels so happy-
"He doesn't think of you as a brother." Riku cuts in. "He's just messing with you. Don't be a fool."
"You're no fun Riku. Tsk, Tsk." Vanitas chuckles at the glare he gets from Riku. "But he's right." Vanitas laughs darkly at how Sora's face starts to fall. "You're so stupid! You really thought I was serious. You're pathetic."
"No he's not. Stop making fun of Sora." Vena defends. "He's the best!" Those eyes get lighter.
"I'll do what I want. What are you going to do about it?" Vanitas challenges with a smirk.
"It's okay Ven." Sora hugs his friend when it looked like he was about to get up. Vanitas hurts him but it's fine. He should have expected this. He just got so excited. He's been getting along with everyone recently except Vanitas and Riku...He was hoping to get closer to them soon.
"Sora..." Ven looks into those pretty blue eyes before he returns the hug. Ven has never felt this strong of an urge to protect but Sora brings it out the most. He wants to protect the smile that has made him feel the warmest.
"Gay." Vanitas snorts.
"Vanitas you need to behave." Aqua glares at him. "You're being a jerk."
"Don't tell me what to do." Vanitas narrows his eyes at her. He looks like he's about to get up when Terra gives him this dark look, putting a protective arm in front of Aqua.
Vanitas clicks his tongue. He glares at everyone at the table, his fiercest glare is on Sora before he gives Riku a knowing look.
Riku just glances at him before eating more of his food.
"You know what? Fuck you bitches." Vanitas gives everyone his middle finger as he walks out of the room.
"Fuck you too." Axel narrows his eyes after the boy.
"Leave him be. He needs to cool himself down." Aqua kisses Terra on the cheek and he calms down. "If everyone is done we can start classes..."
Sora can't help to think of those golden eyes...Why does Vanitas dislike him so much? Ven gives his hand a squeeze and he pushes it to the back of his mind.
But he can't help to wonder where Vanitas went and if he's going to be gone for a long time.
"Riku." Terra calls as Sora hits the practice dummy with his sword. The young boy looks over to see Riku coming up to Terra. He doesn't look at Sora, not giving him a glance. "I want you to go out into the woods and bring back some wood."
"Alright. I was done with my training anyway." He turns to leave.
"Take Sora with you." Terra holds in his smile of amusement when both Sora and Riku look at him with confusion.
"What?" They say in unison. Sora with some excitement while Riku looks like he's holding in a compliant.
"Sora hasn't been out in the woods yet. I think it would be good for him to see how we get our wood."
"So you're giving me baby sitting duties." Riku narrows his eyes.
"It's not baby sitting! I can take care of myself!" Sora waves his sword around.
"Riku take him out in the forest." Terra gives him this look. Riku glances off to the side, spotting something no human could ever see.
"Come on. Keep up or I'll leave you behind." Riku clicks his tongue in annoyance as he turns on his heel and starts to march away. Sora quickly drops his sword and runs after Riku to keep up. He can't help to feel both excited and determined. This is the first time he's going to be alone with Riku. This is his chance to get closer to him.
Right now Riku sees him as an annoying little kid...he'll show him how fun he can be! He'll try to get Riku to smile too. He looks so grumpy all the time.
"I'll keep up!" Sora says cheerily as he they go into the forest. He has to step over a lot of tree branches that have fallen, being careful not to fall into one of the many holes here. The forest is pretty dense, Sora is sure if he strayed from the path he could get lost. "There's a lot of trees for wood! Why don't we go with that one?" Sora points to a rather large tree.
"Just be quiet and observe what I do." Riku says flatly. Sora frowns but he kind of expected it. Riku is irritated he was force to bring him along. Sora tries to give him his space as they move through the trees, going deeper and deeper, farther away from the house. Where are all the animals? There's no birds or deer or rabbits...The forest seems so dead.
"A frog!" Sora squeals in delight when they come by a lake that has lily pads. And on one of these lily pads is a little frog who is staring at him with those small black eyes. Sora starts to creep towards the lake, wanting to capture the cutie- Riku puts a hand in front of his chest, stopping him.
"We're not here for frogs. We're here to get wood." Riku remarks in a dry tone as he turns and starts walking past the lake.
"Aw but Riku don't you like frogs? I use to catch them all the time! It was so fun chasing them!"Sora giggles as he remembers those times. He skips up to Riku, those blue eyes so bright.
Riku doesn't respond so Sora keeps talking.
"I had this cardboard box I would put them in. I didn't keep them long, I just liked to look at them for a bit and then I put them back! We had this lake just like the one back there...and I catch the frogs so much that I actually named them! There was Jake, Spots, and Princess Lily-"
"What a waste." Riku finally responds. "What was the point in chasing the frogs if you were just going to put them back? What an odd way to pass the time." Riku looks at him blankly. "Who names frogs? Princess lily? Are you serious?"
"I am! She was the pretties frog!" Sora defends. "Chasing the frogs is what made it fun! I didn't want to keep them from their homes or families. I just wanted to play for a little bit..." Sora rubs the back of his head. " I was pretty bored so the frogs kept me company. Frog's opinions don't change about you, no matter what happens. They play with you the same."
Jake, Spots, and Princess lily were probably the closest things he had to friends after his parents died. He remembered that late from when his parents took him and he kept coming back just to see the frogs.
Riku's aqua eyes lower before he looks away from Sora. "The frogs weren't playing with you. They were running from a potential threat."
"But I think they figured I wasn't going to hurt them after all the times I showed up." Sora smiles, glad Riku is still talking to him.
"Frogs are not smart enough to understand something like that."
"How do you know? Are you a frog expert?" Sora huffs.
"Are you?" Riku counters with his eyebrow raised.
"Well no."
"Neither am I."
They're quiet for a moment before Sora chuckles. Riku's lips twitch but he doesn't smile.
"The tree is over here." Riku says quickly, walking away from Sora. The young boy almost trips trying to keep up with him. "We always chop the trees that aren't too old but not too young as well." Riku explains as he reaches back and grabs the ax that was hanging from his back.
"Can I help?" Sora asks as he watches Riku swing the ax, hitting the tree.
"Just stay there and be quiet." Riku grunts. IT doesn't take him long to cut down the small tree and it falls to his side. He then starts to chop it up into smaller pieces. Sora watches in amazement...Riku isn't breaking a sweat!
After awhile, Sora starts to get bored. He fiddles with his shorts before picking up a stick he uses to draw lines in the dirt. He gasps when he spots a little frog close by. IT's being very still so it's not seen but Sora saw him.
Sora gets ready before he prounces, the frog is quick and starts to hop away. "Sora what are you doing-" Riku snaps when he looks over at sees Sora running around in a circle.
"It's a frog Riku- Oh no it's going to get away!" Sora watches as the frog hops close to Riku. His eyes widen when Riku reaches out and cups the frog, catching it easily. "Riku you did it!" Sora jumps up and down. The older boy raises his eyebrow at him.
"What was so fun about that?" He mutters as Sora opens his hands carefully so he can look at the frog. He opens them fully and the frog hops away. Sora giggles and chases after it.
"It's the chase that's fun Riku! Chase it with me!"
"Sora get back here-" Riku starts but Sora is already running after that frog. He's pretty fast! Sora doesn't get too far away before Riku grabs his arm, stopping him.
"What are you doing? I told you to stay by me. Are you stupid?" Riku growls, Sora's feels his body freeze up from the anger in Riku's aqua eyes. Sora feels guilt and he lowers his gaze.
"I just wanted to have fun with you." Sora says quietly.
"This isn't about fun. This is work." Riku tone is harsh but those aqua eyes have soften just a bit.
"After work could we have fun? Maybe we could play in the lake?" Sora brightens up.
"After this I want to train more-"
"All you do is work Riku. You got to have some fun!" Sora beams. "If you don't have fun, you'll be grumpy all the time!"
"I'm not grumpy." Riku's eyebrows furrow.
"Mm you're pretty grumpy." Riku scowls. "See! Come and have fun in the lake with me!"
"We've got to get back to work-" Riku starts but Sora isn't having any of that. He grabs him by the hand and starts to pull him towards the lake, smiling at him.
"It'll be fun!" He says it with such brightness that he renders the boy that's so use to darkness speechless.
Sora is delighted when he's able to get Riku to the lake.
"..So what now?" Riku asks, watching Sora take off his shoes.
"Now we get wet!" sora cheers as he gets hi feet into the water. He shivers when its' cold. "Watch this! I can do a cool trick!" Sora grabs a pebble he sees and throws it. He smiles when it skips the water.
"anyone can do that Sora." Riku says with a smug smile as he joins him in the water. He grabs a pebble and throws it. It goes much farther than Sora's.
"Whoa!" Sora says with admiration before he pouts. "Well can you do this?" Sora gets out of the lake so he can do a hand stand.
"yes I can." Riku gets out and does one himself.
"What about this?!" Sora tries to do a head stand but ends up falling over. Riku laughs. He really laughs and when he does he covers his mouth like he wasn't expecting it either. "You're just jealous because you can't do that." Sora says, wanting to keep this up.
Riku smirks. "Do what? Make a fool out of myself?"
"Lets see you do a handstand then!"
The two boys go back and forth like this for awhile. It's a lot of fun even if Riku shows him up much more than Sora would like to admit. They go back when Riku says they've been out long enough so reluctantly they pick up the wood and head back.
"What took you two so long?" Terra raises his eyebrow.
"We had fun!" Sora beams while Riku looks a bit flushed.
"He distracted me." Riku mumbles. Terra laughs fondly before he ruffles both their hair.
"I'm glad to see you're getting along with Sora." Terra smiles.
"Not really." Riku averts his gaze.
"Dinner is done if you two want to clean up and eat. I'll take those." Terra takes the wood before heading back.
"Ready for dinner Riku?" Sora smiles at the older boy. Riku glances at those bright eyes before he shakes his head.
"You go ahead. I'll come in soon."
"Okay!" Sora waves goodbye and runs towards the house, clearly excited about food. Riku feels his expression soften as he watches him go and he feels a smile work it's way on his lips-
"Looks like someone made a friend." Riku tenses, whipping his head over to see Vanitas come out of the shadows. Those golden eyes are gleaming.
"Stop trying to attack him Vanitas." Riku decides to ignore his comment. "Because of you I had to baby sit him."
"it didn't look lie baby sitting to me. It looked like you were having fun with him." Vanitas smirks when Riku glares at him.
"I was humoring him."
"Sure you were." Vanitas's smirk grows as he walks past Riku, those golden eyes sharp. "Either way, his time is running out. Tick tock." Vanitas stops walking. "Even if they choose to bring Sora back to where he came from without harming him..." Vanitas turns with a sinister smile. "I would find him and kill him. So have your fun with him while you can. He won't be here much longer."
Riku watches Vanitas walk towards the house. He feels put off by his words and a bit...angry. Instead of focusing on why, he pushes it to the back of his mind and follows after him.
He's not aware of how tightly he's gripping his fist.
"Sora is asleep." Ven alerts all the boys who sit up in their beds. Ven got into bed with Sora so he could rub his hair till he drifted off...Also he wanted to be closer to Sora. Ven was trying to comfort himself.
Without a word all the boys get out of bed and leave the bedroom. Ven's hands are shaking, Roxas's is frowning, Axel looks serious for once, Riku is blank faced and Vanitas is smirking.
Most of the boys haven't been looking forward to this meeting.
"Everyone have a sit." Terra says solemnly as all the boys make it into the basement. They all take their seats, Ven swallowing when he sees the looks on Terra and Aqua's faces. They look sad.
"As you all know...this meeting is about Sora." Aqua speaks carefully when she sees how Ven looks at her with big worried eyes.
"I'm just going to come out and say it." Terra takes a deep breath. "Sora...is not fit to be one of us."
Ven's breath gets caught in his throat. Roxas and Axel look down. Vanitas grins to himself.
"Told ya." He sneers.
"That is why we must have this meeting...on what we're going to do with him." Terra clears his throat. He looks uncomfortable. "One, we could take him back to where he came from. He doesn't know about us so it's still possible for him to go back. Two...we try to ritual even though it may very well kill him..."
"I don't want either of those!" Ven stands up, his eyes getting watery. "Sora shouldn't have to go back to being alone! He's are family! I don't care if he stays human forever!"
"I know you are upset Ven but we can't have a human living with us for too long. If he finds out what we are he will either have to join us...or we'll have to kill him." Terra swallows when Ven glares at him.
"I hate the rules!" Ven shouts, feeling his voice crack.
"Ven..." Aqua frowns at the young boy's outburst. He's also getting Roxas and Axel worked up. They're both starting to look angry. "...That is why we came up with an option three."
"Option three?' Ven looks at Aqua who smiles at him gently.
"We all love Sora. We don't want to lose him either. That is why we decided that maybe we should give him more time to grow so he will be able to join us. We usually only give you a month...but Sora needs extra help. IF you vote to give Sora more time, he can stay with us. We'll train him till he's ready to transform."
"I vote for option three!" Ven says quickly, his blue eyes lighting up with hope.
"Option three." Roxas says with a nod, seeming ot calm down.
"I'll go with option three too. The squirt has grown on me." Axel says with a grin.
"I go with option two." Vanitas laughs when he gets a glare from both Ven and Roxas. Everyone is looking at Riku now.
"...Option three." Riku averts his gaze from Terra and Aqua who look both surprised and delighted.
"Then it's decided. Sora is staying." Aqua chuckles when Ven starts to jump up and down, hugging Roxas who tries to shove him off.
"You all are fools." Vanitas shakes his head, getting everyone to look at him. " Having a human here longer is stupid. He's gong to find out what we are. And then we'll have to kill him." Vanitas smirks at how Ven looks upset. "And I'm going to kill him-"
"You will do no such thing." Terra growls. "If I must I will lock you away till Sora is ready to be one of us. You are a danger to him."
"Lock me away? In that fucking cave?" Vanitas's eyes get a bit white and he snarls.
"I will not hesitate." Terra says darkly. The room gets really tense before Vanitas leaves the room, slamming the door behind him.
Ven runs out of the room to be next to Sora. He never wants to leave him a lone when Vanitas is out and about. Ven is relieved to find Sora is still asleep. He crawls into bed with him, and takes a big whiff of his scent.
Even though he's human, Ven thinks he smells good. Ven watches as all the other boys come in. Riku stops and stares at how Ven is cuddled up next to Sora. His eyes narrow when He sees how Ven licks his hair.
"Aren't you a bit too close?"
"I don't think so. Sora is my best friend!" Ven states proudly.
Riku just stares at him but he lets it go and walks to his bed. Kids will be kids after all. They want to cuddle and be close. Riku ignores this weird twisting of his stomach and goes to sleep.
Glad you guys are liking this! Please review! I love hearing what you guys think. Till next time.