FanFiction: Kingdom Hearts

Category: Angst, Drama, Hurt, Friendship, Romance

Rated: M

Title: What Is The Difference Between A Crush And True Love?

Chapter 1: 30 Minutes, A Blink Of An Eye

Roxas's P.O.V.

I woke up screaming. The door to my room opened and Sora came running inside. He got on the bed beside me and tried to comfort me.

He held me close and said, "Shh. It's gonna be okay Roxas. I'm here for you." I leaned into his chest and started crying. "Was it the same nightmare?" Sora asked me. I nodded my head as I tried to stop crying.

"Are you gonna tell me what it was about?" He asked me. I shook my head this time. Whenever I had that nightmare, I never told Sora what it was about.

But he still comforted me because we were best friends. I had been ten years old when the incident that changed my life forever happened.

The nightmare I kept having was about my parent's deaths. Then, after that, I was raised by the family butler, Alfred.

Sora had always been my best friend as far as I could remember. So when his parents heard about my loss, they insisted that Sora come to live with me.

Alfred agreed, and that is how Sora came to live in my manor. My parents were rich and when they passed away, they left everything to me. Their money, possessions, and their mansion.

In the period of seven years, I had allowed other friends to move into my manor because of problems they could have been having.

So now sixteen other people, besides Alfred, Sora, and I, lived here in the manor. There was Vicky, Hayner, Victoria, Carmen, Riku, Marluxia, Larxene, Laurel, Namine, Delmarie, Kairi, Alex, Xion, Axel, Zexion, and Demyx.

Hayner, Riku, Zexion, and Demyx are gay. Sora had found out he was gay when he was thirteen. I had found out when I was eleven. I also found out that I loved my best friend.

Sora was oblivious to that fact that I loved him. But I was patient, and I dropped hints along the way. If it hadn't been for Sora, I probably wouldn't have made it though my childhood.

The first person to move in was Vicky. She and her parents didn't get along. She became my best friends, besides Sora. After her came Victoria, Alex, Delmarie, Laurel, Hayner, and Riku. They also became my best friends, except for Riku. And after them came the rest. Carmen had moved in yesterday.

The others didn't really know me very well, but I guess that's because I never let them. Everyone living in my manor had a dark past, except for Sora, and I knew every one of their stories.

They may have had awful lives, but none of them compared to my past. The only one who knew my past was Alfred, not even Sora, my closest friend, knew.

And now, ever since that incident seven years ago, I never laughed, or smiled, or even showed any emotion except for anger, hate, sadness, and depression. I only ever rarely cracked a smile in front of my best friends.

I finally stopped crying and took comfort in Sora's warmth as he held me close to him. Then finally, I fell into a fitful sleep.

I awoke to the pleasant feeling of warmth pressed up against me. I slowly opened my eyes to find Sora sleeping soundly with his arms around me.

I felt happy and content in Sora's arms. To me, it was the safest place in the world. Then Sora stirred and opened his eyes.

"Feeling better?" Sora smiled. I nodded and flashed one of my rare small smiles. "Come on. Let's get dressed and go down to breakfast. You still have to meet the new arrival."

I sighed and reluctantly got out of bed to get dressed. "I'll meet you at the stairs," Sora said, and with that, he left.

I quickly put on my usual clothes and went to wait for Sora by the stairs. I didn't have to wait long before Sora took my hand and dragged me to the kitchen.

He pulled me down the hall, through the dining room, and into the kitchen. Alfred was preparing breakfast as usual and sitting at the table was Vicky, Alex, Laurel, Delmarie, and the new arrival.

"Morning Roxas," Vicky greeted me as Sora pulled me over to the table. "Morning Vicky. So this is Carmen?"

Carmen had long, wavy, black hair, tanned skin, and hazel eyes. Carmen extended her hand and said, "Pleased to meet you. Thank you for allowing me to live here."

I shook her hand and said, "After breakfast, I will give you a tour of the manor, and introduce you to the residents."

She smiled and said, "I would most appreciate it." "I'll accompany you," Vicky offered. "Me too," Alex cut in. I nodded in response and went over to help Alfred.

"Good morning my lord. I do hope you slept well." Alfred put the last two finished meals on the counter next to the stove. "Don't call me that Alfred," I retorted lightly. "Sorry master, force of habit," he replied apologetically.

I sighed, picked up the two plates of pancakes, and took them over to the table. I placed one in front of Vicky and one in front of Carmen. Alfred brought the next two and I brought the last two.

While everyone was eating happily, I asked Alfred, "Aren't you gonna eat?" He shook his head, "I already ate. What about you?" I stayed silent for a moment before responding, "You know I never eat anything, and when I do, it's tea and bread."

"Roxas, sir," I looked at Carmen, "aren't you going to eat anything? This food is absolutely delicious!" "I have no doubt that it is, but no," I told her.

Sora's P.O.V.

Carmen turned to face me with a questioning look and said in a hush voice, "Why isn't he gonna eat breakfast?" I sighed softly and whispered, "Roxas never eats anything." "Really, "she exclaimed quietly, "by he has to eat something eventually." Vicky nodded and whispered, "Yes, but when he does it's a small cup of tea and a slice of bread." "He only once a week," Delmarie added. "Every Saturday," Alex cut in. "At ten o'clock at night," Laurel whispered as she turned in her chair to face us.

"How strange," Carmen murmured. "Yes, it is," Vicky agreed. Then she turned to me and said, "Sora, you're his closest friend, even more so than I. Do you know why he has this habit?"

I nodded sadly and said, "Yes, but it is not my story to tell." And with that, everyone ate their breakfast in silence.

Roxas's P.O.V.

When everyone finished breakfast, I led the wa through the dining room, down the hall, turning left at the end, and coming to a stop in front of the elevator.

There was four buttons labeled: A, 3, 1, B. I clicked on B and the elevator opened with a soft ding.

I stepped in followed by Sora, Carmen, Vicky, and Alex. The doors closed and the elevator began to descend. "The manor has five floors. The basement, the first floor, the second floor, the third floor, and the attic. We will begin the tour in the basement and work out way up," I explained to Carmen, who nodded in return.

The doors softly dinged as they opened to reveal a gigantic room. As everyone stepped out, Carmen gasped.

"This is the pool room," I gestured to the immense pool at the center of the room, "it measures from three feet to twelve feet deep. It has a width and length of ten feet by twenty feet."

I walked around the side of the pool to where a door was located. I opened it and led Carmen and the others into yet another enormous room, though this one was only half the size of the previous one.

Carmen gasped yet again. "This is the theatre. The screen is bigger than any screen you'll see in an actual movie theatre. Moving along."

I walked along the wall to the left of the door which revealed a door half-hidden in the shadows of the corner.

I opened it and led them inside. This time Carmen elicited a sound of admiration. "This is the gymnasium, and like the theatre, it is half the size of the pool room. Now, let's go back to the elevator."

This time we went up to the first floor. As I walked down the hall, I beckoned to my right, "This is Alfred's room. Up ahead is Laurel's bedroom."

When we reached the end of the hallway, we turned right. "To our right is the pool equipment closet and to our left is Axel's bedroom."

We emerged into a room and I halted. "This is the foyer. To our right is Demyx's room, and up ahead are Zexion and Delmarie's rooms to the left, and the arcade to the right."

"You have an arcade here!" Carmen exclaimed excitedly. I nodded as we approached the double-doors to our left. They opened to reveal another hallway that went both right and left.

"The hallway to our right contains Kairi's bedroom, Xion's bedroom, a storage closet, and the laundry room. Ahead of us is the game room, which has all the consoles. The hallway to our left contains Namine's bedroom, Alex's bedroom, and your bedroom, Carmen."

"Thank you Roxas. After sleeping on the couch in the livingroom last night, I was starting to worry that I didn't have my own room."

"You're welcome Carmen. But think nothing of it. I am dedicated to allowing people with dark pasts to live here when in need."

Carmen looked at me though narrowed eyes and said, "How do you know that I have a dark past?" "If you didn't have one, Alfred wouldn't have allowed you to live here. Everyone living here has a dark past. Ever since you were a little girl, your parents beat you. But then, when you got older, your father sexually abused you. And then, finally, you couldn't take it anymore, and so you fought back. You pushed your father, who stumbled and hit his head on a table edge. Then, after accidentally murdering your father, you ran away."

There were tears in Carmen's eyes and she snarled, "Stop it! Enough! I know I had a dark past. I don't want to be reminded! You know mine! What's your story?"

I heard Sora gasp and Vicky whisper, "Bid mistake." Alex gave Carmen a warning look, but she ignored it and kept her gaze on me, demanding an answer.

"My past," I whispered, "is a lot worse than yours. If you think you've gone through hell, think again. Once something is lost…you can never get it back." I looked at Alex and said, "Finish the tour. I'm leaving." And with that, I left.

Vicky's P.O.V.

As Roxas walked away, Sora shared a glance with me. I nodded and he took off after Roxas. Then I turned to Carmen and said, "You must forgive him. He's a very emotional person."

"Really," Carmen asked, "you could've fooled me." I sighed and said, "He always hides his emotions in front of everyone, except Sora and sometimes his best friends."

"Who are his best friends?" "Sora, Alex, Delmarie, Laurel, Victoria, Hayner, and I. We're the only ones he trusts. Sora above all."

"Why does he trust Sora the most?" Carmen asked curiously. "Sora had lived here since they were ten years old. That's probably why." Carmen nodded in understanding and Alex said, "Come on. Let's finish the tour. The quicker we finish, the quicker you get to meet the others." Carmen nodded and Alex led us to the elevator.

Sora's P.O.V.

Roxas was sitting on his bed drawing in his sketch book when I opened the door and walked inside. "You okay?" I asked him as I sat beside him on the bed.

"I'm fine," he responded without looking up from his drawing. I leaned over his shoulder to see what he was drawing. It was a drawing of the manor from the outside. It was burning, with fire curling around it and engulfing it in flames. And there was somebody standing on the roof waving goodbye. I looked closer and realized that it was Roxas.

"That's really good," I told him. He flashed one of his rare small smiles, but this one held obvious sadness. "Are you sure you're okay?" I asked him worriedly.

Roxas ignored the question and said, "I'm almost done. Just one more detail." So I sat in silence as I watched him. He started drawing someone standing in front of the manor waving goodbye. And I realized, that it was me.

I looked at the drawing sadly and said, "Roxas, why did you draw this?" "It's part of my story," he replied, as he closed the book and placed it on his bed beside another book labeled: Private.

"Story?" I asked confused. He nodded and said, "Yes. It's a series of drawings that tell a story. Do you want to see it?" I nodded and he handed me the sketch book.

I flipped it open and looked through the drawings. The first drawing was a picture of Roxas with his eyes closed and a happy smile on his face. He was sitting in front of a birthday cake that was sitting on a table. The second drawing was a picture of Roxas and his parent's walking into a carnival while the moon shone above. The third drawing was a drawing of Roxas and his parents entering a dark alley. The fourth drawing was a picture of Roxas crying while sitting in a pool of blood. The last drawing was the one of the manor in flames.

I sighed sadly and handed the sketch book back to Roxas. "It looks like a sad story," I commented. He nodded, and as he was putting away the book labeled: Private, I said, "Can I see that one?" Roxas blushed, actually blushed, and said in a shaky voice, "I don't know." "Please," I begged him. Roxas would do almost anything if I begged him.

He handed it to me and I opened it. I blushed a bit when I realized that all the drawings were drawings of me. As I neared the end of the book, Roxas said, "Please, don't look at the last drawing." I nodded and turned the page.

This one was a drawing of me and Roxas. Roxas was looking at me with a gleam of emotion in his eyes that I couldn't decipher while I just held his hands and smiled my huge, silly grin.

I smiled, "This one's my favorite." He smiled and said, "You can have it if you want." "Really!" I exclaimed happily. He nodded and I said, "Thanks Roxas!" I leaned over and pecked him on the cheek.

Roxas blushed furiously and I smiled even wider. Roxas is kind of cute when he blushes, I thought, wait! Cute? Roxas and I are just friends, even though we are both gay.

That's something I've never considered, I thought, do I like Roxas? I realized that I didn't have an answer to that question.

Vicky's P.O.V.

"And that's the basketball court, and that's the track room, and that's the generator room, and, finally, that's the surveillance room," Alex told Carmen.

"Man, this mansion is enormous," Carmen commented, "I don't know how I will ever find my way around."

Alex patted her on the back and said, "You'll be fine." Carmen smiled, but then frowned and said, "If I may ask something, why does Roxas seem emotionless?"

"I don't know. He's always been like that. Except towards me, Sora, and the others he trusts," I explained. Alex cleared her throat uncomfortably and said, "It's time for dinner. Let's take you to meet the others."

Carmen smiled, nodded, and followed Alex back to the elevator. There were four buttons labeled: 3, 2, 1, B. Alex pressed the one labeled 2 and we were greeted by the soft sound of Mozart playing in the background.

We stepped inside and listened to the soft, soothing music as the elevator descended. The doors opened with a ding and we got off and made our way to the dining room.

The dining room held a large, rectangular table. Roxas sat at the head, while Sora, Victoria, Laurel, Larxene, Marluxia, Axel, Xion, and Kairi sat on his right and with Hayner, Delmarie, Namine, Riku, Zexion, and Demyx sitting to his left.

I sat in between Victoria and Sora while Alex sat in between Delmarie and Namine.

"Everyone, I would like to introduce Carmen," Roxas announced. Everyone introduced themselves to Carmen and she greeted them all politely. "You can sit down next to Demyx," Roxas told her. Carmen nodded and sat down.

As I was turning my gaze to look at Roxas, I noticed Riku smiling at someone. I followed his gaze and realized he was smiling at Sora, who was smiling back at him.

Is something going on between Sora and Riku, I wondered, if there is, Roxas is in for a heartbreak. Roxas had told me of his love for Sora when we were thirteen. He had also told Victoria, Delmarie, and Hayner. I hope Sora doesn't do anything stupid, I thought.

Riku's P.O.V.

I had had feelings for Sora ever since I moved into Roxas's manor. He was funny, and cute, and creative. Who wouldn't like Sora?

Today, while Sora had been heading to the dining room, I had pulled him aside and asked him out. He told me that he would think about it.

Right now I couldn't help but smile at him, and he smile back. Oh, the things I'll do to you if you say yes, I thought perversely.

Roxas's P.O.V.

Alfred walked into the dining room with a silver cart full of dishes on all five levels. He went around the table giving everyone their meal, except for me, of course, then he put his plate down on the opposite side of the table and sat down to eat.

I noticed Vicky was barely touching her food and said, "Vicky, is something wrong with the food?" She met my gaze and said, "No, it's just that…I wanted to ask you something."

By now, everyone had grown quiet. "Yes?" I asked curiously. "I was wondering if I could throw a party," she responded cheerily. I sighed and said, "Vicky, no."

"Oh come on! Please! It's not like I'm asking to throw the party tomorrow," she argued. "Fine," I sighed, "if I say no you'll throw the party anyway."

She smiled and Carmen asked, "What's tomorrow?" As soon as she asked that, I got up and left the room.

Alfred's P.O.V.

I sighed sadly as Carmen said, "What! What did I say?" "Nothing, I assure you, it's just that tomorrow is a touchy subject for my master," I explained.

"How so," Carmen asked curiously. I met Vicky's, Sora's, Delmarie's, and Victoria's gazes, they each turned their gaze to the floor, unwilling to explain.

I sighed and said, "Tomorrow is…the young master's birthday." "Oh, aren't we going to celebrate?" Namine asked. I shook my head sadly. "Why?" Xion asked, sounding shocked. I looked up from my meal and saw that everyone was curious to learn more about Roxas.

I sighed a long, deep, sad sigh and said, "I'm probably going to get in trouble for this later. My master does not celebrate his birthday because that is the day his parents passed away."

There was a collective gasp around the table. "So that explains why he's never in a good mood," Axle commented. "It explains the way he acts sometimes," Kairi mentioned.

"I feel so sorry for him. Now I feel terrible about what I said earlier," Carmen sounded apologetic. "Once something is lost…you can never get it back," Sora quoted sadly.

Carmen gasped, "He said that earlier today!" Sora nodded. "So it's all true? What Alfred said," Demyx asked worriedly. "Alfred is just putting it lightly, but yes, his parents did pass away on his tenth birthday," Sora explained.

"Now, now, finish your meals quickly. You have a party to arrange," I reminded them. Almost immediately, everyone's spirits were lifted and they began to talk amongst themselves as they got ready for planning the party preparations. I sighed sadly and continued to finish eating my supper.

Author's Note: I hope you guys liked this first chapter. There's more from where that came from. It might be awhile though until chapter 2 is up since I still have to finish my other fanfic. Until next time my lovelies.

-Ammaer