AN: I forgot a disclaimer last chapter xD

Disclaimer: I don't own, nor never will, Kingdom Hearts or any of their characters. All rights belong to their respectful owners and creators.

Trust No One

Chapter 1: One Step Closer

Before, it had been ten years since he last saw the twins and his younger brother. Sora and Roxas had been only six at the time, and Cloud had never bothered to go check on them again, seeing how happy they looked. Had the spiky blond haired man paid more attention, he could have realized how much hurt was in their eyes; the fear.

It was a miracle the blond haired man had come when he did, almost eight o' clock at night. Had he come a bit later, he would've never heard the boys' screams down in the basement as soon as his equally blond haired brother opened the door.

Cloud had acted like he didn't hear anything, having smelt the weed on his brother's breath and seen the redness in his eyes. As soon as Chase had gone to go get a drink and something to eat, Cloud whipped out his phone and dialed one of his closest friends; Leon.

He wouldn't have called Leon if he wasn't a cop. Knowing that the man was on his day off, Cloud knew he'd come right away.

It took merely ten minutes for him to arrive with his partner, Tifa, and another patrol for backup. Cloud had kept Chase preoccupied while listening to every little sound coming from the basement. The basement door was close to the beginning of the hallway, and Cloud was seated in the loveseat closest to it.

To say that Cloud couldn't handle the screams of his nephews having god-knows-what done to them was an understatement. It took Cloud's always calm demeanor to the test not to spring up and go save them himself.

Cloud had texted Leon just as he pulled up to the house, Better hurry, they're getting worse.

That wasn't a lie. The cries had ceased down in the basement, but the sound of blunt objects hitting skin had taken their place. Cloud was beginning to glare at Chase before there was a series of loud knocks on the door. Chase, as if his high had worn off a bit, looked a bit curious about who it could be.

He answered the door nonetheless, only to be met by Leon and Tifa. "Hello sir, we were called due to a disturbance within your home. Do you mind if we have a look around?"

Cloud could see Chase's blood drain from his face, looking utterly terrified. "I don't see why not," He moved aside, letting the pair walk into the home. Leon took a quick survey of the living room, it seemingly okay.

There were a few chairs spread out here and there at random spots, from Chase having a get together the night before with the twins as the center of attention. Many dark or light-colored stains overpowered the supposed-to-be cream-colored carpet where also bits of food and leftover trash laid. Not to mention, the very obvious smell of weed in the air.

Leon and Cloud made eye contact, a silent conversation of "Where are they?" and a small head nod towards the first door on the right. The tall brunette pretended to scan the area a little more, Tifa going off to do her own thing of walking through the hallway and going into Chase's room, no doubt looking for the source of the smell.

Casually walking with a look of interest, Leon began to make his way to the door. "Who called?" Chase spoke towards Leon who paid no mind.

"That's confidential." was his short response.

"Well, what was the supposed disturbance?" Even though Chase was still high, he had learned how to work without being sober.

Leon continued his ignoring, beginning to open the basement door. "Still confidential," And with that, Leon opened the door and descended the stairs, turning on the light and closing the door.

In an instant, Chase had his hand clenched in a fist next to Cloud's head. "You called him, didn't you?" Silence was the answer. "You know, Cloud, you'll be putting me in jail. Not to mention, you're taking away my money makers. You'll have to take care of them," It was almost as if Chase was trying to make Cloud regret what he had done, to try and make him call Leon off. But, Cloud knew the consequences and he didn't care if he got the twins; they deserved better, and no matter Cloud's hard exterior, he always loved his nephews like his own sons.

"Let go of the boys and put your hands behind your head!" A distinct voice yelled, Tifa shooting out of the room she was in to join Leon downstairs.

"You'd do this go your own brother?" Chase growled, a look of hate taking over.

Cloud scoffed. "For someone who abuses the only family they have left, you deserve to be put away."

"Stop, don't touch him!" Cloud heard Roxas yell, at whom, he had no idea.

"Cloud, get down here!" As told, Cloud stood and quickly went to the door, rushing down the stairs to be met by a horrific scene. Four men, all now handcuffed, were naked from the waist down with Sora and Roxas sitting in a far corner, staring at everyone with a scared look. Blood stained the floor; there was a strong smell of sweat in the air, stronger than the weed upstairs, and Cloud made his way over to Tifa who was trying to calm Roxas and Sora down. A blanket had been thrown over the two, covering their lower regions up to their knees.

Bruises littered their chests and abdomens. Lumps that seemed to protrude from their skin, making them look slightly deformed. There were plenty of cuts, their ribs also showing along who the small arms, but none could be made out through the dim light. All that really could be seen was the fear and confusion within their identical ocean blue eyes.

More voices drifted down the open door, and Cloud could tell the second patrol squad had come in. Tifa reached a hand out to grab a hold of Sora's arm while Leon took one of the brutes up the stairs one by one to his police car. In a flash, surprising for Roxas weight, he threw himself in front of Sora, his arms out and across his brother chest to show he didn't want anyway touching him.

"I said, don't touch him!" Roxas screamed, his eyes clenching shut as if he expected a hit.

"Roxas," Tifa softly said, having been informed by Leon who was who. "I'm not going to hurt him, nor am I going to hurt you. I want to help you, just as long as you let me,"

The blond boy shook his head diligently. "T-that's what they all say," He whispered, showing no sign of letting up on guarding Sora. Cloud let out a sigh, not one filled with annoyance, but one of sadness.

"Tifa, go help Leon; I'll handle these two." The taller blond took a step forward as Tifa stood, giving a brief nod before dashing off to do as she was asked. Cloud made slow steps over to Roxas and Sora, both of them staring off into the space Tifa had just occupied, before she disappeared behind the wall. Cloud crouched in front of them, gaining their attention now. "Roxas, Sora," He began; unsure of what he could say. Roxas slowly brought his arms down, his emotions finally showing as his blue eyes filled with tears. Sora had already been crying, tears streaked his cheeks to land on his chest and slowly slide off. "You're both safe now, this will never happen again,"

Roxas gave a look of uncertainty, staring at Cloud before blinking away his tears. "How am I supposed to believe that?" Cloud was shocked to find out how deep Roxas's voice had gotten over the past few years, clearly unfitting to his still childlike face.

"Because I'm getting you both out of here; I promise I'll take care of you." Cloud had decided when he first got to the house and heard the boys that he would take them, he wouldn't mind. His "job" paid him well, and he was set for a good amount of years even if he had to pay the expenses of two kids. "Come upstairs with me, we can go to my place after we get to the police station, okay?" Sora nodded. "Do you two have some clothes you can put on?" Sora nodded again, Roxas growing silent while he listened to Cloud speak.

When Sora got up, he coaxed Roxas to stand as well. They both held each other's hand, walking over to a small pile that was made up of black boxers, a short grey t-shirt, and some black sweatpants. Once the two were dressed, Cloud led them upstairs and into the living room, where their dad was handcuffed with Leon in front of him.

"…arrest for possession of numerous drugs, and holding two teens for human trafficking." Leon finished, sighing in disgust. "Let's get to the police station. Cloud, you'll meet us there with Roxas and Sora, right?" Leon turned his attention to his friend, a blank look in his eyes.

Cloud gave a small nod, watching as the two boys stared at their dad. "You can get there first, surely there's things needed to be discussed before they're interviewed, correct?" He asked, finally meeting the brunette's eyes.

"Yes, but it won't take too long. Go get some fast food or something." Without further discussion, Leon walked off with his hand clamped tightly around Chase's upper arm.

"Are you two ready to go?" Cloud asked the pair that stood emotionless while their eyes wandered the area. They both nodded, following Cloud out to his truck where the trio sped off in silence to go get some much needed food before the interviewing.

To say the interviewing was a complete disaster was a lie. It was forced to end with Sora hyperventilating and Roxas yelling at the police that they had no right to know what had happened to them. All the police were able to settle was where they would be staying for the time being before they were to sit down with a judge.

"How are you two holding up?" Cloud broke the silence that had once again ensued. More silence was his answer. "When we get back I'll show you your room. I figured you'd like to sleep in the same room, so don't worry about that." Again, silence. Cloud gave up trying to convince them to talk, seeing how impossible it'd be since they were only just taken out of a place where they weren't allowed to speak.

Once home, Cloud left them alone in their room, telling them they can do whatever they like as long as it doesn't involve burning the house down, and giving them a pair of pajama's they could have. The two stared at the huge king sized bed that lay before them, navy blue covers drawn back to reveal plush pillows, enticing Sora to jump on them but force of habit told him not to in case of their father hearing.

"Sora," Roxas called, surprisingly the first to speak. Sora turned his attention to his twin who had released his hand. "We're… we're away from that place," Roxas's voice filled with joy, an emotion never seen before due to the abuse since they were six. Realization hit Sora straight in the face, a huge smile spreading across his lips. "We don't have to do anything we don't want to anymore," Roxas continued, his voice still remaining quiet, but the new emotion was clear. An emotion only Sora would see.

Sora took the steps necessary to be in front of his brother again, grabbing him in a hug that was filled with hope and promise. "You were right," Sora whispered as Roxas hugged him with equal strength back, strength that he finally received back after all these years from just one small meal. "You said we'd get out, but I… I never thought it'd come true!" It was as if the twins were discovering a whole new world, one that they both thought held a better future for them both.

Roxas grinned, another thing only Sora would ever see, and nodded. "Of course, it was only a matter of time,"

"If only that time came sooner, maybe we wouldn't have had to…" Sora couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence, already feeling the depression creeping back up. It was gone, if only for a few seconds, but it was the best feeling in the world; free of everything. The sadness and fear, but with those few simple words, they were all back.

Roxas's grin faded, being replaced with a small frown. "We'll never go back there, okay? We'll be happy. We won't have to do things we don't want to; no one can make us anymore. We don't have something hanging over our heads, telling us to do it or else. Sor," Roxas put his hands on Sora's shoulders, immediately taking the role of being a father like figure to Sora again. "We can do anything."

Sora's spirits were slightly lifted from his brother's words, but it wasn't enough to make him believe. Both of the boys knew it would take even longer for them to become happy, truly happy, but happiness came with time, right?

"I hereby declare that Roxas and Sora Strife are put under the care of their uncle, Cloud Strife. Case adjourned." The judge pounded her hammer against the designated area, standing up and leaving. Both of the sixteen year old boys jumped at the noise, both of their eyes staring down at their clamped hands.

Ever since three months ago, when Cloud had unexpectedly dropped by at his brother Chase's house, Cloud had taken in the twins. He knew the responsibility and had already spoiled the two; getting them phones, new clothes, basically anything they wanted and deserved. They didn't take things lightly though, they always tried to refuse something Cloud would give them, but he would make them take it.

They were happy, but Cloud knew they weren't truly happy. He hadn't enrolled them in school yet because he wanted them to have a little longer to recuperate from the pain they were put through, but the judge had said he had to put them in school now or risk chance of losing custody to an adoption agency.

If only he could've stopped his "job" from getting in the way, things would be a lot simpler.

The twins would've been in school for at least a month now, they would've been in therapy getting help for the emotional things they went through, and they would've been moving on in their lives. But, Cloud's work didn't allow that kind of closeness to the outside world, at least not right away. Yes, the blond was lucky to have it since it paid very well, but he could only do the things he wish he could to help his nephews if his work agreed with it; allowed it.

His job would have to be put on hold for now though; he knew his priorities. The twins went above everything now, because Cloud knew they deserved better, needed it. And if losing the job that could potentially come after him, then so be it.