Ill Repute

Note: Chapter one is being posted with the prologue because they were written at the same time, and once I have them, I didn't feel much like waiting to post them. I won't pretend, in this story, that I know loads and loads about halfway houses (especially since I'm using them in the way they exist in the United Kingdom), but I am fairly proficient with my defense mechanisms and the psychology of amnesia (Not getting a degree in it, but I know enough to write this).

This story is, however, an alternate universe and if I'm taking liberties, forgive me. The place this story is set is in Destati, which you may notice has a blending of many cultures within it. For example, Halfway houses set up by the government, but for the same purpose as those set up by the Church of England in the United Kingdom; some customs seen around the world in some Arabic, Asian, and European countries (such as removing shoes at the door); legal systems that don't jive with the way things work in the "real world" of whatever culture you live in, etc. This is my disclaimer concerning the content… This is the world of fanfiction, and I ask you to work with me and just accept that I do not yet have much legal expertise, and that, regardless of that, I certainly don't want to go learning it verbatim simply for the sake of a fanfic. I have, in the past, received criticisms of my alternate universe stories because they werent one-hundred percent accurate the way things are in the "real world", and I certainly hope not to see that here.

Warnings: See prologue.

"Half underwater, I'm half my mother's daughter. A fraction's left up to dispute. The whole collection, half off the price they're asking, in the halfway house of ill repute." –The Dresden Dolls, "Half-Jack"

Chapter One: Blank Slate

And things really had gotten insane for Roxas. The next week passed in a blur before he was released from the hospital and into the care of Officer Leonhart and his partner, Officer Strife. The week passed with impromptu interviews with both the officers, the visits of well-wishing friends he didn't remember, and many, many questions.

Crazy didn't even begin to describe the way the week had passed for Roxas, and though he had been overwhelmed, Aerith had taken care to come visit him every evening so he could talk things out with him.

The law system was insane in Destati, but when he was released, he was taken to the police station, interviewed properly, and assigned a social worker better suited to look after him. He waited quietly in the room for half an hour before the door finally creaked open and Roxas looked up from the table.

"Good to meet you, Roxas." A woman in her late twenties stepped into the room and set a black briefcase on the table. She pulled out a chair, tucked her jaw-length hair behind her ears, and sat down. She flashed him a subtle smile. "My name is Garnet Alexandros. I've been assigned to your case, and I wanted to come meet you."

"Interview me." Roxas corrected.

Garnet only laughed. "There's no need for that, I promise. You've been interviewed quite thoroughly, I think, and I've been well briefed." She opened her case and pulled out a few pieces of paper. "What I'm really here for, Roxas, is to discuss your future." She looked up at him for a moment with piercing eyes.

"I've spoken with Captain Beatrix Steiner, the chief of this precinct, about your case, and she's agreed that you may fare best with your peers. That is, we've agreed that you could be most prosperous in a halfway house here in Destati. You'll resume your schooling, after a few tests, at a new school."

Roxas swallowed. "Oh. Okay."

She smiled again. "Roxas, I would be more than happy to hear any of your thoughts. You will be seeing a great deal of me in the future, and anything you think or feel is important, I would like to know. If there's anything I can do for you, I will."

Roxas inhaled slowly, thinking carefully. "I can't think of anything."

"Alright. I know today's been long, but I'm going to drive you over to the halfway house you'll be staying at. The man who runs it is a good man, and very fiercely protective of his wards." She stood up. "It's going to be okay, Roxas."

Roxas inhaled slowly and stared up at the woman, Garnet. He was sure things were going to be okay. He was only tired, and weary, and overwhelmed, and everyone else was telling him where he had to go and what he was going to be doing. If it weren't for the explanations of Doctor Gainsborough and the proof all over his own body, Roxas would have seriously wondered what could have been so bad as to make him run away.

Things were just too complicated.

He followed Garnet out into the parking lot and climbed into the passenger seat of her car. The drive wasn't very long, and when they parked in front of what appeared to be a very, very large, old house, Garnet touched his hand softly.

"You've got a chance to try again, Roxas. Your slate is clean and blank and waiting for you to decide what you want to do with your life."

Roxas nodded slowly, and unbuckled his belt. They climbed out of the car together and unanimously walked up the sidewalk to the door. Garnet rang the bell and it was only a scant few seconds that Roxas had to brace himself for whatever awaited him when the door was opened.

"Ah, it's you Garnet." A calloused voice grated over Roxas's ears from surprise.

"Yes, it's good to see you, Cid." She accepted his silent invitation to come inside and walked in, sliding her shoes off as she entered.

"Yuh'd be th' new kid, huh?"

Roxas looked up, not allowing confusion to spread over his face. He had expected a quite gentleman, much like Garnet was, but male. Instead, a tall, blond, rough man with a stump of a cigar in the corner of his mouth stood, holding the door open.

"Um… Yeah." Roxas muttered, staring at his shoes.

"Well, come on in, then. Dun need you catchin' nuthin'." Roxas complied and stepped inside, mimicking Garnet and removing his shoes.

"Damn kids these days… Dun know how to listen to nothing. Gotta be summat wrong with 'em." Cid muttered.

"There's nothing wrong with me!" Roxas cried indignantly. Cid only laughed at him and shut the door.

"I bet that's the firs' bit o' personality yuh've shown all week."

Roxas blinked, then shook his head. He wasn't sure he'd get used to the man's brash attitude, but he imagined he'd have to if he was meant to live here. He felt a squeeze on his arm and looked up.

"Cid's a good man, I told you. He's a bit rough around the edges. Just wait a bit and you'll see."

"The rest've the damn kids are around the house. Dun need to give you a tour, 'cause you'll get the hang of it soon enough and I reckon you dun need that right now." He led them through the house. "But you should at least meet a few of 'em while I talk to the little lady about paperwork and all that shit." He walked into a room with a large table to the right of where Roxas was standing.

"Down th' hall yer standin' in and to the left's the kitchen. There's bound to be one or two in there." He called out to Roxas before shutting the door.

The boy stared up at the ceiling, then over to the stairs to his left. He sighed and walked down the hall. The walls were hardly barren, but covered in pictures of teenagers Roxas assumed to be the residents of the house. He took in long breath after breath and when he stood at the kitchen doorway, he saw a group of three boys sitting around a wooden table.

One looked up and brilliantly glowing green eyes locked with his. "Who the hell are you?" He demanded of him.

Roxas stared back at him as intently as the redhead's gaze was on him. "Me? I'm nobody."

The boy howled with laughter. "No one's just "nobody". Who are you?"

This was not something Roxas really felt up to. One of the other boys, who looked just a bit older than Roxas, looked him over intently. "You're the new kid." He stated simply, and then looked away again.

The redhead stood up and walked around Roxas, examining him closely. "You sure, Zex? I didn't hear anything about anyone new."

"That's because you don't pay attention." A third boy interjected, and Roxas was stunned by the surprising resemblance the boy had to a chicken. His hair stuck up at the top, and then fell into what could be nothing else but a mullet in the back.

"Shut up, Demyx."

Roxas only stood stationary just outside the doorway. He wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but he certainly wasn't sure how to deal with it. The redhead turned his attention back on him and continued looking him over.

"What's your name, then?"

"Roxas."

"Roxas…" The redhead seemed to be thinking over his name. "Huh." He stuck out a hand, which was oddly covered with black gloves that echoed the rest of his outfit. "I'm Axel." He peered into Roxas's eyes, then trudged back to the table and sat back down. Roxas noticed that his limbs were just so long, and Axel seemed to fill up much more space than he physically could, because he wasn't just lanky, he was ridiculously skinny.

"You don't have to just stand there, you know." Axel was staring at him again. Roxas fidgeted under his stare.

"I know."

Demyx rolled his eyes. "He's telling you to get your ass over here and sit down. When'd you get here?"

The blond took a few heavy steps to the table and sat down in one of the wooden chairs. "Just now. That big blond guy's talking to the lady."

Axel laughed again. "The lady? Who is she?"

"The one that was assigned to me."

"And she's talking to Cid." Axel finished for him, since Roxas was obviously not very big on talking. "Must be doing paperwork." He shook his head and leaned over the table, where Roxas was sitting across from him, propping up his head on his hands.

"So, where are you from, Roxas."

"I don't know."

"Ooh, sounds like you don't want to talk to us."

"No, I just don't know." Roxas found himself becoming increasingly annoyed. He was very tired of explaining things to people.

Demyx was very clearly trying to catch Axel's attention, but the boy was not to be distracted. "Ah. Well, if it's like that, then I guess we can move on to the next question."

"You know, I'm really tired of being asked questions all the time." Roxas snapped.

"Touchy, touchy." Axel laughed again, and Roxas felt a strong urge to punch him. That cynical laugh was really going to get on his nerves. "I just want to know what's wrong with you."

"You're an idiot, Axel." The second boy stood up and, as he passed Roxas, looked down at him. "I'm Zexion, and I'm sorry for him." He jerked a thumb toward Axel, who looked insulted. Zexion ignored the sputtering indignation from Axel and walked out of the room.

"Well, now that he's gone…" Axel looked back at him. "I ask again. What's wrong with you?"

The chair screeched against the floor as Roxas stood up. "Not nearly as much as you, asking that question." His eyes burned with anger that had been building up all week as he was ushered through the legal system and treated as another case or another number. Maybe Roxas wasn't sure who he was, or where he came from, but he certainly wasn't just a number or a textbook case of whatever it was that had happened to him.

Demyx was trying even more animatedly to gain Axel's attention, but failing miserably. He leaned over to him. "Axel, this is really a stupid idea. Why don't you listen? He doesn't want to talk about it."

Axel batted him away. "Well, in case you didn't already know, Mr. Nobody… This place isn't just any kind of place for runaways, or orphans, or victims come to." His wild grin widened. "We're the ones no one else would take, because there's something a little wrong up here, see?" He tapped his index finger on his temple, and then laughed again with a little more cynicism in it.

Roxas felt his fury spike again, and he clenched his fists. "I'm not crazy." He hissed, turned on his heel, and left the room.

End Chapter One