Disclaimer, warnings, ect, ect, in chapter 1.

"Are you sure Zack's ok?"

"Yes Sora, he's fine. It missed all the vital organs," Cloud said, placing a hand on Sora's head.

Leon sighed loudly from his place against the wall, "I knew I should have stayed…"

"Don't even start Leon," Vincent said in a warning tone.

"I still can't believe that he got away from us…" the redhead with a ponytail (Reno) said.

"Couldn't see his face?" Rude asked.

Cloud shook his head, "No, it was too dark and he was wearing dark clothing."

"He?" Vincent repeated.

"Had a deep voice," Reno offered.

"And one other thing," Cloud said, which caused everyone to look at him, "he had silver hair."

"Is this really necessary?" Sora asked.

We were currently standing on the other side of a one-way glass wall, looking in on an interrogation room. Leon and Vincent were in said room, as were our friends. Not all at once mind you, one at a time. Currently Riku was sitting in the room.

"It's part of protocol," Reno answered, "besides, this will get them off the list of suspects so we can focus on other people."

"And in Riku's case," Cloud picked up, "we can ask him about Kadaj."

"But, I feel bad about this," Sora said quietly.

"It's not like we asked them to interrogate them," I reasoned, "It's like Reno said; it's protocol."

"I still feel bad," Sora said, "this is all our fault. If we hadn't said anything-"

"Sora, I know my parents. One way or another this would have happened," I said, cutting him off.

I rested my head against the wall and closed my eyes. It was the next morning and none of us had gotten any sleep. We had spent the rest of the night pacing the police station until Reno and Cloud came back (they had gone to the hospital with Zack). None of our friends had been attacked (Vincent had sent units to check around their houses to be safe) nor did they know about the newest attack. All they knew was the police needed to question them in order to get them off the suspect list.

Riku's father was not a happy man.

"This is an outrage!" the man yelled, slamming his hands on the table that he, Riku, Vincent, and Leon were sitting at, "To imply that my son had anything to do with this-!"

I flinched away as my father hit his hand on the principal's desk. I was in trouble, and I knew it. Nothing my father said would get me out of this one. I had beaten the shit out of that kid and anyone who tried to stop me.

"Your son broke his jaw. I'm afraid he's going to have to be expelled," the principal said calmly, unaware that he had just sealed my fate.

"No son of mine will be expelled!" My father yelled in return before roughly grabbing my arm and yanking me out of the room.

It wasn't until we were back in the car that he dared to say a word, "Think you're so smart, do ya? Gonna keep acting up to make us look bad?"

"I'm not-"

He reached over and smacked my head into my window, causing lights to pop in front of my eyes, "The hell you aren't!"

I didn't dare say anything else. He threw me from the car once we arrived home and dragged me up to the house. He opened the door, threw me inside, and slammed the door shut behind him.

"Woman! Come take care of your son!"

My mother appeared in a heartbeat, her lips pressed together in a firm line, "What did you do Roxy?"

"I didn't-"

"He was expelled!" My father cut in, saying the word as though it were disgusting.

My mother's eyes narrowed, "Expelled? Expelled! We pay money for you to go to a nice school and you get yourself expelled? You ungrateful brat! All these years we have put up with you and what have we gotten in return? Nothing!"

"I want him out of my house!"

"We can't throw him out, people will notice he's missing!"

"We'll think up something," my father assured her, grabbing my arm again and leading me toward the basement.

I could feel the bile rising in my throat as we neared the stairs; I hated the basement with every fiber of my being. Mother followed right behind us, her sharp heels nearly touching the backs of my shoes. I was thrown the last few steps as my father walked over to set it all up. Bad, so bad.

"Roxy," my mother said in her false loving tone, "we only punish you because you deserve it."

I got up only to be grabbed again and taken over to the thing I hate the most; handcuffs on the ceiling. I fought, I shoved, I kicked, I screamed, but nothing I did got me free of my father's hold. It never did. I felt my wrists being pinched by the horrible metal contraptions and wished, not for the first time, that someone would either kill me or save me.

Mother came to stand in front of me while I dangled from the ceiling. She always did. She talked to me, lectured me, called me her Roxy-boy and asked me why I couldn't be a good boy for them. I rarely heard most of what she said though; I was too focused on the pain that was ripping through my back from the leather my father was swinging.

The last thing I heard before the world went black was them discussing where to leave me.

I woke up with my face being poked by someone and batted at him or her weakly.

"Hey man, you alright?"

I opened an eye to see a boy who was about my age with dirty blonde hair kneeling next to me. This was the first time I ever saw Hayner and it most certainly would not be the last. He and Naminé (whom he had found a few weeks prior) treated my wounds and nursed me back to health. After that we found Olette, and a little while after her, Pence. Within the month our group had been formed. And a month afterwards was our first encounter with my parents.

I was walking backwards, hands behind my head as I often did when I bumped into someone. I spun around to apologize, only to come face to face with my parents. There was a strained pause before my father grabbed me and pulled me into a nearby alley, Mother right behind him. The gang shouted protests (minus Naminé; she didn't talk at the time) and followed us.

"Still alive?" My father sneered at me as he pinned me to the wall, "what a pain."

"You listen and you listen good Roxy," Mother said, pointing a finger, "you ever come near us or try to come home and we will dispose of you."

"Hey!" Hayner snarled from behind her, "Leave Roxas alone!"

Father angrily waved his hand at Hayner, wallet in his hand, "That goes for you as well. Any of you try anything and we will have you taken care of."

"No one would miss you," Mother added nastily before the two of them left us there.

"Roxas?" Olette asked quietly and I shook my head, sliding down the wall as I started to cry.

I woke up to find myself still in the hallway, just on the floor. I blinked a few times and wiped at my eyes. Just as I thought, I had been crying in my sleep. Movement next to me caused me to jump and turn to see that Sora had fallen asleep as well, on my shoulder. I let out a quiet breath to calm myself and looked around the hallway.

Cloud was leaning against the opposite wall, a cup of what I assumed to be coffee in his hand. Reno was nowhere to be seen and I could not longer hear Riku's father yelling. I wiped away the last of my tears before quietly clearing my throat.

Cloud looked over, "You're awake."

"How long was I out?"

"A few hours," he answered, "they've almost finished the interrogations."

I gave a slight nod and closed my eyes again. These memories were draining me.

"You alright?"

I opened my eyes to look at Cloud questioningly.

"You were making noises in your sleep. They didn't sound happy," he offered.

I shrugged to the best of my ability, "Fine."

He nodded and looked back at the glass that showed us the room our friends were in. I must have fallen back asleep because Cloud had to shake me awake again. I got up and Sora and I followed him back toward Vincent's office. Along the way we ran into our friends.

"Roxas? Sora? What are you guys doing here?" Olette asked, walking toward us.

She never made it though, Riku's father stepped forward, "You! You're that trouble making Roxy or whatever your name is."

I felt myself tense up and I saw Hayner move toward me and place both his hands on my shoulders. I could see his lips moving but no sound came out. I could see Naminé and Olette talking to Riku's dad, but I couldn't hear them either. I could see Sora asking Hayner something, but Hayner was focusing on me, as he should be. I could feel everything that had been happening bubble up and make me snap. I know I made a sound since everyone turned their attention to me, but I couldn't hear that either. All I knew was a moment later Pence had joined Hayner and they were both keeping me from beating the shit out of Riku's dad.

Which was a good thing since we were in the hallway of a police station.

Hayner and Pence got me against a wall and were able to block my view of Riku's dad. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, calming myself. I would not attack Sora's best friend's father. Especially not in a police station.

"You ok?" Hayner asked quietly.

I nodded and could hear the others again. Riku's father was ranting in the background about me, but I didn't really care. It was not wise to call me Roxy on a normal day. It was suicidal to call me Roxy after I had dreamed about them.

"Roxas?" Sora asked hesitantly from behind them.

I shook my head a little. Not now, much later, once I remembered how to see correctly. One thing about my anger, it blurred my vision and made it hard for me to see faces correctly. I knew voices, but faces were a blur and I tended to lash out. Hayner and Pence had learned that one quickly. I could hear Vincent and Leon talking in the background and Olette trying to explain that I just react badly to being called Roxy. She wasn't doing too good a job of convincing Riku's father though.

"Insane and violent! Sora's a good kid but you stay away from that one Riku!" The man snarled and Riku flinched a little.

I knew that flinch, I lived that flinch. My eyes narrowed and I understood why Riku spent so much time at Sora's. His father and my father would get along nicely and that thought made me sick to my stomach. I let out a breath loudly and Pence and Hayner let me go. It was a signal that we had worked out years ago, it meant I was in control again and wouldn't attack.

Sora was biting his lip worriedly and watching Riku. I had a feeling that Sora suspected that Riku's father was abusive. I looked at Hayner and nodded toward Riku and he nodded to show he had seen it as well. I also had the feeling that Axel had misjudged Riku; I didn't think he hated us for our issues, I think he envied us for being able to get away from our problems.

I made a mental note to talk to Leon or Vincent about that later.

"I'm not going to say it again," Leon said, his voice bordering anger, "you need to leave."

Riku's father grabbed Riku's arm and pulled him out of the building, obviously pissed. I flinched at the action and suddenly didn't dislike Riku as much anymore. I could tell that my friends were watching Riku and his father thoughtfully and I looked at Axel who nodded to show he understood as well.

"What was that about?" Vincent asked, looking at me.

I crossed my arms and looked away, "I don't like being called 'Roxy'."

"Not liking something doesn't make someone violent," Leon pointed out.

I closed my eyes and it was actually Naminé who spoke up, "It's what his mom called him."

Leon snapped his mouth shut and Sora looked at me with a quiet 'oh'. I refused to look at any of them, I hated when my past got the better of me and I hated it more when other people looked at me with sympathy. Vincent let out a loud sigh into the tense air.

"Go home, all of you," he said, sounding tired.

Our friends trickled out until only Sora, Cloud, Leon, Vincent, and myself were left in the hall. We sat in silence for quite some time before I looked at Sora.

"How long have you known about Riku?"

Sora flinched, "Suspected for a few years."

Cloud frowned, "Suspected what?"

"Abuse," Vincent offered, which caused Cloud's head to snap to him, "How did you notice Roxas?"

I gave him a bitter smile, "His father and my father would have a grand time together."

Vincent rubbed his temples, "I hate your family Cloud."

"It's only our aunt and uncle, the rest of the family disowned them for a reason," Cloud said in an as off handed manner he could muster.

"You find a place for us to go?" Sora asked, steering the conversation in another direction.

Leon frowned, "We're still looking into it. We can't put you into a witness protection program since you aren't witnesses to anything. We also need to keep you in this area so that we can protect you, it makes this whole thing tricky."

"Obviously your house is out of the question and we can't have you staying here either. Not exactly the most comfortable of places. We could keep you at our houses, but they're made for one person, not four," Vincent added.

Cloud sighed, "Zack's in the hospital, we could stay at his house."

Leon and Vincent looked at each other, considering these words. I, personally, didn't care where we were going so long as I got to sleep tonight. Tomorrow was Monday, that meant we were going to have to go to school (provided they let us that is).

"Alright," Vincent agreed, "You can stay at Zack's, but I'm going to send Reno and Rude with you."

Zack, as it turned out, had a house similar to Cloud's. I pondered why on earth Zack would need so many rooms and Cloud told us that it had been his parents' place and they had left it to him. Cloud had put Sora and myself in the room next to the one he was going to sleep in. Reno and Rude were going to take turns standing guard by our doors and sitting in the living room.

It was when we sat down for dinner that Sora asked what I had been wondering, "Are we going to school tomorrow?"

Cloud looked at Reno and Rude. Reno shrugged at us and Rude sighed at his partner.

"Leon and Vincent aren't sure. You have yet to be attacked at the school itself and it is wiser to not have you all just sitting in one place waiting, but at the same time there's the chance they can attack on your way to and from school," Rude offered.

"But if you kids really want, we could find some way to get you there and back," Reno offered.

I personally didn't like school, but the thought of being under house arrest and waiting for them to find us again was enough to make school look wonderful. I gave a slight nod and could see Sora do the same. Cloud let out a quiet sigh.

"We'll figure it out then," Reno said, taking a bite of what Cloud had ordered for dinner.

'Figure it out' ended up being getting a very average car that no one would ever remember seeing and putting us in the backseat while either Reno or Rude drove and the other one stayed with Cloud. This morning we had Reno taking us to school, Rude would be picking us up in a different car. This was going to get tedious quickly.

"You're the ones who wanted to go to school," Reno pointed out in singsong.

He got two annoyed glares in return. We arrived at school and he parked the car behind a tree so it was unlikely that anyone from the street would be able to see us get out of the car. Much to our surprise, Reno got out as well.

"You're not going to stalk us, are you?" Sora asked, almost as though he didn't want to know the answer.

"No, too obvious," Reno said and it scared me to think they had actually considered it, "gatta talk to your principal though."

"Why?" we asked as we started toward the school.

He shook his head and went in another direction, trying to make it look like he didn't know us. I sighed quietly and made my way toward Axel's table while Sora went to his own friends.

I sat down on the bench and everyone looked at me and I had the feeling that I missed something.

"What?" I asked.

"You're alright!" Olette said, throwing her arms around me.

I blinked rapidly, "What? You saw me yesterday afternoon, why would I not be?"

"I assume you haven't been home then?" Zexion asked.

I blinked, "No, the police have been keeping us away, why?"

"You should watch the news more," Demyx said with a half smile.

I rolled my eyes, "I assure you, I don't have the time to glance at a newspaper let alone watch the news. What happened?"

"The house was burned down," Naminé said quietly.

"What?!" Sora and I exploded at almost the same time and I had the feeling his friends had just filled him in as well.

Sora groaned, "Cloud is going to be so pissed!"

We walked into our English class (taught by Ms. Gainsborough) and were more than a little surprised to see Reno talking to her. They both paused in their conversation and looked at us. Subtle, real subtle. Reno sent us a wink, said goodbye to Ms. Gainsborough and walked out. Class started and Ms. Gainsborough assigned us some bookwork then asked to have a word with Sora and myself.

Something that I'm sure had nothing to do with why Reno was there.

She looked around the hall and decided that it was as empty as it looked and turned to us, "Reno filled me in. I had heard a bit of it from Tifa and Yuffie, but I had no idea it was this bad. Are you two all right? Is Cloud all right? Is Zack all right?"

I glanced at Sora who looked just as startled as I felt. Our teacher knew Cloud and his friends? There was a pause before I made the logical leap.

"You're Aerith," it wasn't a question, I was almost positive of it.

She smiled, "Yes, I suppose I should have mentioned that."

Sora sighed, "Is Cloud friends with the whole town?"

Aerith laughed quietly, "No, we've all just stayed pretty close since High School. So, are Zack and Cloud alright?"

"Cloud's fine," Sora answered.

"Zack's in the hospital, but they say he'll be all right in a few days," I offered.

"Hospital?" Aerith repeated, "What happened?"

"He was shot," Sora said and she gasped, "but it missed anything vital and they got him to the hospital pretty fast."

"That's good to hear," Aerith said quietly, "Are you two all right?"

We both shrugged and I flinched a little since I had once again forgotten that I had dislocated my shoulder. One day I will stop trying to move it when I know I can't.

"Anyway," Aerith continued, "we'll keep an eye on you two."

She winked at us and walked back into the classroom. We looked at each other before we followed.

By lunch we figured out what Aerith had been talking about. All the teachers were constantly calling us away to talk to them during breaks and lunch. Sora nearly snapped at Kairi when she called him since he was so tired of being called over to talk about what had happened. He looked apologetic after the fact and Kairi waved it off.

We were finally able to sit down to eat lunch when we were called, again. Only Olette and Riku were with us at the moment. The end of lunch bell had just rung and everyone else had gone ahead to class. I turned to see who had called us, but Olette let out a noise and I looked back to see her fall to the ground.

"Olette!" I said, getting to my feet only to have a pain in the back of my head and for the world to swim black.