A/N: I know I haven't updated in a while. I'm truly sorry. Please continue to be patient and review. I appreciate your support immensely. Disclaimer: I do not own kingdom hearts.
My dreams were all twisted with weird images. I saw my mom, my friends, and Vanitas. There were a lot of pictures of him. I felt as though I were floating half the time then other times I'd feel like I was thrown into a cheese grater. I couldn't see anything but blackness now, which was gradually getting lighter. I heard muffled voices and struggled to open my eyes. "Vanitas, we can't just take him in. He has a family to go back to," a female voice was saying. Vanitas sighed near me, his warm breath brushing across my neck. "But...but Xion, his dad is a total asshat. He isn't someone Ventus should be around," he said. I felt myself unconsciously leaning towards his voice.
The female's voice-Xion's voice-seemed closer as she spoke again. "Vanitas, it's bad enough you're already attached to the kid. Knowing you, which I do way too well, you'll get too attached and won't want to give him up when the school year ends. That's not fair to you or to...to...what's his name," she said. I felt Vanitas stiffen and realized that my head was being cradled in his lap. "His name is Ventus, Xion," he said through his teeth. Xion sighed heavily, as though exasperated. "Ventus. Fine, whatever. I'm just saying that you should think about this first. I have to take care of you now that Mom and Dad left. I agreed when they called me, but I didn't expect to have to take care of my little brother and his new boyfriend, too," she said.
Vanitas coughed, trying to hide his embarrassment. My eyelids didn't feel as heavy as they did before. I allowed them to flutter open and instantly felt my head pound. I groaned in pain and covered my eyes with my palms. "Look at that. Sleeping Beauty is awake," Xion said. I heard Vanitas smack her lightly on the arm. "Hey, are you feeling better?" he asked softly. I moved my hands from my eyes but kept my lids shut; the light had nearly blinded me. "My head hurts like a bitch," I muttered. Xion let out a surprised bark of laughter and I peeked one eye open to glance at her. She was a short woman, early twenties, with croppy black hair and bright blue eyes. She was wearing a blood red sweater, a black lacy camisole, and ripped up dark jeans.
Xion cracked a lopsided grin towards me and saluted. "Hey there, kitten. I heard you got the shit beaten out of you. Feeling better?" she asked. I opened my eyes slowly and stared at her. "Fine. My head still hurts but the rest of me is-ow!" I started then winced as pain sparked through my body when I sat up. Xion and Vanitas both looked worried. I grimaced and leaned against the bed next to Vanitas. "Okay, I'm still sore as hell but I should be fine after awhile. I've gotten worse than this before," I said without thinking. Vanitas frowned and shot Xion a pointed look.
Xion glared at him then looked at me intently. "Uh...Ventus, right? Listen, I understand that you are going to be staying with us for a while. I'm warning you now that it'll be difficult for me to support all three of us. You may not get all the luxury that you got in your house-," she cut off at my raised eyebrows. I shook my head in disbelief. "I had no luxury. Would you like to know what my home is like?" I said in a flat, emotionless voice. I couldn't believe what I was saying. 'Ventus, you are breaking character so bad. You cannot possibly tell this new stranger and Vanitas your life! You're going to scare them off!' my subconscious screamed at me. The words seemed to burst from my lips before I could even think of stopping them.
"I get woken up every morning by my father shaking me by the neck. The whole time, he blames me for my mother's death. Eventually, he stops then can't bear to look at me anymore. He goes into his room and slams the door shut. I get ready for school as fast as I can because, if I don't, he'll come in and throw me down the stairs. I have to wake up Roxas and help him get ready, too. We have no food in our house except for instant ramen and beer. My breakfast is stale ramen and tap water. I go to school, where I have to continue to act like a different person, and have to get good grades. I have to. Dad gets really mad when I don't. When I have to go home from school, if I'm not there on time, Dad hits me with a frying pan. That's what he used to beat me when I went for my cat. All the time, I have to walk on glass around him so I don't set off his temper.
"He won't hit Roxas, I make sure of that. The cycle is never ending, especially during the summer. We can usually escape with our friends but we have to go home before curfew. If you can even call it a home. It's... it's just...not fair," I said, breaking down into a sobbing mess. I pulled my knees up to my chest and buried my face in my arms. The room felt thick with the amount of emotion emanating from me. I had never told anyone of my abused life; no one had ever asked. I felt warm arms wrap around me tightly. "Jeez, I had no idea, kid. Why haven't you reported him?" Xion said sadly. My head shot up, nearly smacking Vanitas in the face. "No! I can't do that! He'll kill me," I said panicked. Xion threw her hands up in a calming gesture. "Chill. I get it, I get it. Jesus, kitten, you've got it rough," Xion said shaking her head. I wiped my eyes on my sleeve and sniffled. I looked up at Vanitas and smiled shakily. "I'm okay now. Thank you," I said. Vanitas stared down at me with his golden eyes bright in concern.
He nodded slowly than released me. Part of me longed for him to hug me again. "Right! Enough of the awkward silence. Kitten, you need to get cleaned up. There is a shower down the hall. Vanitas, help me get dinner started. We have to cheer our new family member up," Xion said standing. She smiled at me and I felt my stomach warm. Vanitas wrinkled his nose at the idea of helping her cook. I began to feel slightly more at ease and apologized for my outburst. They both looked at me in surprise.
"Ventus, you had every right to. Don't apologize," Vanitas said. I glanced at Xion, who nodded in agreement. I smiled slightly. "Thanks," I said. Xion nodded again then got a wicked gleam in her eyes. "Vanitas, if you can handle it, why don't you show Ventus how to work the shower controls," she said. Vanitas tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean by...oh," he said breaking off with a blush as red as Xion's sweater. He stood up and helped me to my feet. I looked back and forth between him and Xion, confused. Vanitas led me gently as he could down the hall. "I hate you," he hissed under his breath at Xion as he passed her. His sister simply shot him a fox-like grin and winked suggestively.
He rolled his eyes but a small smile tugged at his lips. Vanitas showed me how to use the shower then turned towards me. "Are you allergic to anything?" he asked. I blinked then shook my head. I still couldn't understand the conversation he'd had with his sister. The bathroom was beginning to get steamy and my cheeks felt hot with embarrassment. For some reason, standing with Vanitas alone in the bathroom made me strangely shy. Vanitas cleared his throat and shyly stepped around me. "I'll just..uh..leave you alone then," he mumbled as he opened the door. I bit my lip and watched him as he attempted to smile but an awkward grin came out instead. I giggled to myself as he shut the door, cursing himself under his breath.
I sobered once I caught my reflection in the mirror. I wiped the steam away and stared at myself in dismay. My eyes were dark and blackened, my whole face was covered in bruises and cuts, my lips were swollen and split on the bottom. I stripped my shirt off slowly, staring as my bruised skin blinked at me. I was black and blue from head to toe. I stood naked in front of the mirror and felt the throbbing for the first time. I ached all over and my chest felt like it was on fire. I remembered that I thought I'd heard my ribs crack and felt gingerly down my ribcage. Nothing seemed to be broken but oh man did it hurt. 'They must be bruised,' I thought.
I stepped into the shower and had to refrain from screaming as the warm water hit my cuts. I clenched my teeth as I stood beneath the stream of water. I glanced around for the shampoo and laughed in surprise. There were at least fifty different bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body washes lined in a row on a huge shower rack. I grinned as I took the shampoo that smelled like a windy evening and found matching conditioner and body wash. Once the soap hit my skin, I couldn't help but hiss in pain. I rapidly yet gently washed myself and hair then rinsed. I turned off the water and stood for a few moments, my eyes fixated on the small trickle of blood that ran down the drain.
"Hey, kitten, I brought your suitcase upstairs into the guest room," Xion said from the door. I wiped the water from my eyes. "O-oh okay. Thank you," I said politely. Xion was quiet then I heard her sigh softly. "I don't think Vanitas told you about me, but I am a doctor. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to check you over to make sure there isn't anything broken. Sound okay to you, kitten?" she said. I felt my heart squeeze at the note of concern in her voice. I pulled the curtain aside and wrapped myself in a towel.
Making sure I was covered, I opened the bathroom door. Xion blinked in surprise and gave a tentative smile. My breath seemed to catch in my throat; her smile looked just like Vanitas'. "The guest room is down the hall to your right. Get dressed then come down for dinner, yeah?" She said ruffling my hair lightly. I found the corners of my mouth lifting into a small smile. She nodded then walked down the stairs. I figured out where the guest room was and opened the door. The room was a dark blue, with black curtains and a small maple wood based bed with only a pale blue sheet. My suitcase sat on top of a maple wood dresser. I rummaged through my suitcase and quickly got dressed. There was a knock at the door and Xion came through. She was carrying a large heavy looking blanket and a pillow. "Ah, here. It gets cold in here sometimes during the night," she said nervously placing the bundle down on the bed.
I stared at her as she turned to me. "Come on, kitten, the food isn't going to eat itself," Xion teased. I paused a moment then smiled at her. "Thanks, Xion," I said. Xion seemed mildly amused then a look of dawning recognition lit up her face. "I can see why he likes you so much," she muttered before winking and leaving the room. I shook my head and followed her. 'Learning to understand what the hell she's talking about is going to be hard,' I thought in weary amusement. Once I reached the dining room, I stopped in my tracks and felt my eyes widen. "Look at all the food!" I cried happily.
A/N: As promised, I have updated this story. I'm so happy you all seem to like it so much. Whoohoo! :3 Thanks