A/N: Hey! Nice to meet you! You are currently reading my first installment of a story I've had in my mind for months now. Just so you know, Cloud is around 13 and the twins are about 6 almost 7. They'll get older as the stories progress.

Warning: So- you know the drill. This contains male on male pairings, child abuse, and really angst stuff. So if you're an angst fan keep reading. If you lean more toward humor, I've other stories in the works you might want to check out.

Disclaimer: Lawyers said 72 cents isn't enough to buy the Kingdom Hearts games, let alone get it from Disney. Damn you Walt…

Summary: This is the story of poor Cloud. He and his twin brothers live with their abusive father. After a while, his friend Leon becomes suspicious. What happens then?

Remember:

"Talking."

Thoughts.

Time Skip

Emphasis on words.

Self-explanatory.

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Chapter One

Screams rang out through the house. Crimson drenched the floors. Terror lurked everywhere. Sniffles were covered by more cries of pain. Eventually, everything grew quiet, save for the tears. In this place… there was no father.

Later

Cloud had his tooth brush hanging out of his mouth as he shook the little ones awake. "Come on guys. Wake up! You can't be late again or the teacher will have my hide!" Cloud said loudly. Blurry sky blue eyes blinked open at Cloud's smiling face. The chestnut haired one made a whine and turned over to dive under his pillow.

The blond one growled and pushed him off the bed. Cloud sighed as they started their morning ritual of arguing. He went back to the bathroom and spit out his tooth paste. He quickly finished his flossing and rinsing before going downstairs to make some oatmeal for the boys. "Brown sugar for Sora. Apple cinnamon for Roxas." He mumbled to himself.

There was tumult coming down the stairs and Cloud quickly set down the food he had for them. "Cloud! Roxas won't give me back Mickey!" Sora shouted as Roxas ran by sticking out his tongue. Cloud expertly grabbed the boys as the shot by. "Roxas…" Cloud warned.

"He wants to bring it to Show and Tell! You can't bring a mouse to Show and Tell! He'll kill it!" Roxas protested, cupping the squirming creature. Sora struck out to grab the mouse, but Cloud pulled them apart. "Sora, you can't bring pets to school. Why don't you go find something else?" Cloud asked. Sora looked sad for a moment. He looked up shyly. "Can I bring my toy sword?" he begged.

"The one that looks like a key?" Cloud questioned. Sora nodded enthusiastically. Cloud nodded and the child ran off upstairs. Cloud turned to Roxas and flicked his forehead. Roxas gave a yelp and swatted his brother's hand away. "Don't be so mean to him. Go put Mickey back and wash up. We're going to be late." The older one ordered.

…

The boys weren't too late when they got to school. Cloud barely managed to get Sora off his arm and into class. Then he had to sprint to the other section of the school. This was a private school that Cloud had gotten into with a scholarship. The twins were accepted because Cloud had raked up enough money from his mother's will.

He did this because the school had an Elementary, Middle, and High school attached to it. They were in separate sections, but it was better than having to hike two miles to the nearest day care provided by the district. His father got up early and went off to work, usually coming home late. He slept, and if they were lucky, worked almost everyday.

So, he wasn't really home too much. As long as Cloud kept the house clean, the kids quiet, and prepared a good enough meal no one got in any trouble. The blond was so preoccupied thinking about his life, he didn't realize some one had sat down beside him. The person tapped him on the shoulder and the boy almost jumped out of his skin.

Cloud turned his head and blushed when he saw it was only Leon. "Oh… Hi." Cloud said shyly. Cloud was a pretty anti-social person. Leon, on the other hand, was the most popular boy in the Middle school. He had tons of friends and was very smart. He was actually the class president.

"Are you alright?" Leon asked as he set down his class materials. Cloud blinked and also began unloading his book bag. He nodded in the affirmative. Leon sighed and took the answer. The class president never got much of an answer from his companion. It started last week when they had a project to do.

He enjoyed Cloud's quiet and innocent ways. They were almost polar opposites. It didn't matter too much what others thought, but Leon liked Cloud. He was a cute kid that needed some more friends. He was trying to slowly do that for him. But Cloud didn't really socialize well. Oh well… At least he's not so shy around me these days…

At the end of school

"Hi ya!" Sora called out as he bashed his twin over the head. Roxas grunted when the blunt end of a toy sword hit him square on the skull. "Hi Sora." He seethed, aching to want to hit his brother back. But Cloud would be disappointed like he was this morning. The twins did their best to try and not make Cloud sad.

Sora plopped next to his twin on the side of the curb. "I'm bored now." He moaned. Roxas held the urge to roll his eyes. They sat silently. The boys were occupied watching their fellow classmates get picked up from school. A cool wind picked up, fluttering their school jackets. Roxas was enjoying the wind, while Sora hummed contentedly.

A blond form in the common navy blue outfit came running up in the distance. Sora jumped up instantly and began sprinting toward the figure. Cloud had to slow down when Sora glomped him. "Older brother Cloud!" Sora exclaimed. Cloud laughed to himself as he bent down to carry the chestnut child. He held out his hand to Roxas.

A rare smile lit up his face as he reached out and held on to his older brother. Cloud turned around and they started walking home. The wind blew through gravity defying hair. "How was your day at school?" the eldest questioned. Sora giggled and told him of his adventures at recess. Roxas explained his project he was working on for school.

They reached their destination after a while. Cloud set Sora down and unlocked the door. The twins burst in and ran to the kitchen. The blond walked in after them and began making some snacks. The two children set up their school work fast. Cloud set down the food, which was quickly gobbled up.

Once the twins finished their homework they begged to go and play. Cloud sighed and let them run around outside while he continued his own work. The older boy hit his forehead with his palm. He couldn't understand Algebra at all. When the blond had finally finished he looked up and realized he had to start making dinner. He cleaned up his mess and threw his back pack upstairs.

As he was pulling down ingredients there was a loud crash. Cloud froze instantly in sheer fear. Carefully he went out back to where the twins were. "Roxas! Sora!" Cloud called, trying desperately to keep his voice calm. Cautiously, two tiny heads emerged from behind the side of the house. "What happened?" he asked.

Sora looked ready to burst into tears. Roxas held fast to his little brother's hand. Whatever happened, Sora did it. "It was me, Cloud." Roxas said stubbornly, almost boasting. Cloud felt his expression soften. He couldn't let Roxas take the blame. But he knew some one had to. "Sora…" Cloud said softly as he appeared to them.

"I said it was me!" Roxas shouted, gripping Sora's hand tighter. Sora couldn't hold in his tears and held on to his brother. Cloud walked over and ruffled Roxas' hair for a moment. "I know you don't want Sora hurt, but you can't take the blame for him. You won't learn anything from it." Cloud explained softly.

Sora looked up with his big, naïve eyes. "W-We were only p-playing, and I-I hit the ball through the window!" the boy cried and grasped on to Cloud's neck. Cloud patted his back and picked him up. Roxas ran after them trying to tug his older brother back. Cloud put both the boys in their room.

"You two have to stay here. There will be no dinner tonight okay? I have to clean up the broken glass." Cloud told them quietly. Roxas nodded and Sora hugged on to his pillow in a defeated manner. Cloud turned around and closed them in their room. He locked it just to be sure they wouldn't try to get out.

Cloud sighed and pocketed the key. He walked to the back of the house to find the side window shattered. Making his way about the haphazard pieces of sharp, glittering glass, the blond kneeled down and picked up each piece. It took him nearly two hours, and four scrapes to find all of them. He used the broom most of the time.

Around 10

The eldest had opened the twin's door. Both were sleeping fitfully. He closed the door softly and locked it once more. Just then, a car pulled up. Cloud felt his hand shake as he left it on the railing. The keys rattled as the knob turned and let in the devil of the house hold. The man walked in and made a beeline for the kitchen.

He looked around and realized there was no food. The man scoffed and went to the fridge, yanking out a TV dinner to heat up. Cloud silently followed him and helped him open the packet and heat up the food. The man sat at the table grumbling. "What happened? It's almost too quiet." He demanded. Cloud flinched and wrung his hands.

"There was an accident…" Cloud started. The man stood abruptly. The microwave dinged and Cloud ran to get it. "What kind of accident?" his tone was low and threatening. The blond tried to act cheery as he placed down the food. "Why don't you eat it while it's hot? I already took care of it." Cloud tried to wave off.

Cloud's father shot out and gripped Cloud's wrist. Cloud made a whimper and yanked it back, but the man pulled his son forward. "What accident?" he hissed. Cloud could feel nails bite into his flesh. Shaking his head he tried to run, but the grip was too strong. "Please, stop hurting me!" Cloud begged.

"I can always hurt you worse! What happened?" his father roared. The blond bit his lip as the hand squeezed so tight he thought the bones might brake. "I broke a window!" he shouted. The hand stopped squeezing. Cloud let out a breath. Then the man stood, food forgotten, as he walked to the back of the house.

Cloud heard him yell out his name. Afraid, he walked over to the window. The man pointed at the broken hole in the glass. "What the hell were you doing?" he inquired, tone like ice. Cloud shuddered and shrugged. His father shrugged back at him, mocking the gesture. "You don't know what you were doing?" he asked, voice rising.

Cloud shook his head no. "No you don't know? Or no you do know what you were doing?" came the pissed question. Cloud forced himself to answer. "I was playing with a baseball." He choked out softly. His father threw his hands up in the air. He stalked back to Cloud, pushing him back by the chest.

"How stupid is that? Do you know how much this will cost me?" he questioned. Cloud shook his head no again. The man laughed cruelly. "I didn't think so." He sneered. He picked up the son by the scruff of the neck and threw the boy back into the kitchen. Cloud stumbled and landed on his side. The man scoffed and kicked him in the stomach.

"Get up. I didn't push you that hard." The man complained. Cloud nodded furiously and stood holding his stomach, biting back a yelp of pain when he moved. He leaned against the sink and watched his father finish his meal. "You don't know how lucky you are." The devil told him. Cloud nodded. The man narrowed his eyes.

"Say it. Tell me you don't know how lucky you are." He ordered. Cloud opened his mouth and slowly said the words. "I don't know how lucky I am." the voice was quiet, almost robotic. The father shook his head and picked up his plate. He chucked it towards Cloud, who moved as it clattered around in the sink. "And get the place cleaned up. It's a god damned pig sty." The man grumbled.

Cloud watched him go up the stairs. With painstaking slowness, Cloud began to clean up. The house was covered in shadows, and a chill wafted about each room. Just like every night.

TBC

A/N: So yeah… Very sad. At least we saw Leon in here.

Oh and the private school, I got it from my friends school. It's combined with an elementary. So I thought that might work in Cloud's favor. Damn I'm so mean to Cloud.

But, incase you are wondering, Cloud wasn't trying to be mean when he locked his brothers in their room. He was just trying to make sure they would come out to help Cloud and get injured in the process. I didn't really make that clear. Sorry.

And no, the abuse scene wasn't graphic. Mainly because I am trying to keep it as real as possible, it will get violent later. I've read abuse scenes before. Most of them are just beating the crap out of characters for no reason. So, I thought back to all the times I did stupid shit and what my parents said to me. Then I kicked it up a notch to make it more abusive. How did I do? Realistic? Or was it crappy?

Alright! Love to all those who review! Until we meet again!