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Chapter 2 - Little Runts

After climbing out of the laundry van (no easy feat undetected) Roxas hit the streets and asked nearly everyone he could if they knew anyone who looked like him. A few hours of searching though, and the cold winds and snow were starting to get to him. He rubbed his arms in an attempt to stay warm and after a full day of looking, the blonde just decided to rest for the night and try again tomorrow. He found some crates piled together behind a grocer’s and took a seat in between them so the police couldn’t see him and start asking questions; they tended not to like kids on the street. He took an apple from the nearest crate and started nibbling on it when a small black dog with yellow eyes came and sat next to him, looking up at Roxas with sympathetic eyes.

“What’s the matter, searchin for your mom and dad too? Dun worry, I’m sure they’re here somewhere...” He looked around to make sure there was no one around and stood up, the dog following after him. “We’ll look together, c’mon.” He made it about ten steps before hearing a ‘freeze!’ behind him. The blonde turned to see an officer standing there with a frown on his face. The guy was tall and pretty well-muscled, with long brown hair going down below his shoulders. He approached the pair and Roxas stepped forward, feigning innocence. “Y-Yes sir; is something wrong?”
“Not you kid. You with the four legs, c’mere.” The small black animal walked to Roxas’ side, but not further. He sat and looked up at his new blonde companion.
“What’s wrong sir?” Said blonde asked with worry.
“That dog’s wanted by the pound. He’s been outrunning them for months, but now I can turn him in."
“But you can’t! He’s... my dog! His name is...” He looked down at the dog, thinking fast. He looked up again and smiled. “Vivi.” The officer raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, weird I know, but I got him as a puppy and I was pretty young back then!” He gave a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of his head.
“Really? Vivi huh? I thought orphanages didn’t allow pets.” Roxas froze, his eyes widening.
“How do you-”
“You carer put out a call this morning.” The policeman just smirked at him. The blonde paled and looked down at his canine companion.
“Run Vivi...” With that, both boy and dog took off in different directions. The officer growled and chose Roxas to pursue – kids were more important than animals, right?

They ran through back alleys and busy streets, along fire escapes and under canopies, through crowds of people and past silent houses. It was a game of cat and mouse that went on for hours until the officer’s cunning outdid Roxas’ speed. He doubled back and hid behind a corner, waiting for the 16 year old to turn up. Said blonde did eventually and ran straight into the officer’s arms. Literally. “Gotcha. Now come on, back to where you came from.” Roxas was dragged by the arm through the streets in the early hours of the day until the tired pair arrived back at the orphanage. A swift knock and Larxene was at the door in a small silk nighty and a deep red dressing gown that went to her knees. “Yes officer~?” Her voice was soft and almost sickly sweet, too sweet in Roxas’ mind.
“Sorry to wake you ma’am. My name is officer Leonhart of the NYPD; I believe this boy is yours?” He pulled Roxas into view, who almost immediately found himself being hugged tightly by Larxene.
“Oh you poor thing! I’m so glad you’re okay, what would I ever have done without you?”
“Scrubbed the floors yourself?” Roxas mumbled, only to be pushed into the background.
“Of all the kids here, Roxas is my favourite: I raised him from a little baby, y’know~.”
“Well ma’am, it’s clear he means a lot to you. I’ll be on my way.” He turned to leave, then hesitated and turned back. “Actually, while it’s on my mind, there’s this mutt that was with him, but it got away while I was chasing him. If you see it, lemme know.”
“Oh of course officer, anything you say~.” He gave a small smile and turned away again, leaving the two on the front step. Instantly, Larxene’s true nature took over. She scowled then grabbed Roxas by the ear and slammed the door behind her. The kids crowded by the windows instantly dispersed and ran up the stairs, a few lingering to pay respect to their ‘fallen comrade’. “You little runt! How many times we gonna go through this, huh?!” He scrambled to get her off him as she walked into the office and pushed him into the desk. “Do as you’re told for once and stay here while I go and cook up your punishment. And trust me kid, it's gonna be a doozy.” She walked out again and left the blonde on his own.

He sighed and slumped into her rolling office chair, spinning a couple of times, glad the room at least had a fire. A noise outside caught his attention though, so he moved across and looked through the grubby window to see one of the flashiest cars since... well, ever! It was sleek and black, a Rolls Royce by the looks of it. One of the best dressed men he’d even seen stepped out and looked around – he wasn’t even driving! He had blue hair covering one eye and a tailored suit and waistcoat on, covered by a long overcoat and black leather gloves. Sadly, Larxene stormed back in before he could watch what happened next. Roxas jumped and turned back to her. “Right, I don’t want you to ever do this again, so you’re gonna scrub every inch of this hellhole,” then she produced a toothbrush. “-with this. Glad you’re back?”
“Yes, Miss Larxene...” He mumbled.
“Liar. What’s the wrong thing I taught you?” He sighed and looked her in the face.
“Never tell a lie.”
“Damn straight, now get to it.” He groaned and decidedly started on the windows – the rest of the room was carpet, so he wanted to start easy. Just as Larxene sat in her chair, the man Roxas had seen earlier opened the office door after a swift knock. The man raised his eyebrows at the boy cleaning the window, but shook it off and sat down opposite the blonde woman.
“Miss Larxene, I presume?”
“Who’s askin?” He just smiled.
“Good. My name is Zexion Farrell; personal secretary to Axel Warbucks.”
“Warbucks? The millionaire?!” Larxene sat up in her seat while Roxas just raised his eyebrow and ignored them – he’d never heard of the guy before, why should he care?
“Actually, he’s a billionaire... He’s requested a house guest for Christmas, and I thought an orphan would be a perfect idea. Perhaps this one?” That got the young blonde’s attention. He span round on the spot with a grin on his face.
“Great idea! I'm free and I’m an orpha-” Larxene batted him to the side with a glare.
“A liar, that’s what he is. Trust me, you’ll get nothing but trouble with this one.” This time Zexion raised his eyebrows.
“I find that hard to believe ma’am.”
“Look, pick any kid you want, I don’t give a rat’s ass. But not Roxas!”
“That seems unfair.” Zexion stood slowly, sending a second-long smirk to Roxas, who frowned in confusion. “And what if I were to tell the Board of Orphans about the awful conditions at this establishment?” He said it so nonchalantly that both Larxene and Roxas were slightly taken aback by the threat. In the end, she sighed and waved a hand at Roxas, who was all too eager to leave and practically leapt to Zexion’s side. “Thank you. Now, where’s his coat?”
“Coat? Why’d he need that?” Zexion frowned and then looked down at the now bubbly blonde, and the toothbrush he was still holding... He sighed, before a small smile graced his face.
“We’ll buy one on the way to Mr Warbucks’ house.”

They opened the door to the hall, only to see all the kids waiting outside, probably wanting to know why such an upstanding man was in a grubby hellhole like this. Roxas ran towards Xion and Demyx, jumping up and down with them.
“I’m going away for Christmas!” Everyone started cheering, causing the small smile on Zexion’s face to grow a little. Larxene just leant against the doorframe, arms folded and a scowl on her face directed at her ‘favourite’ orphan. Roxas hugged everyone as he left and waved, before braving the cold for the second time in an hour. In sympathy, Zexion took off his coat and wrapped it around the thin boy.

Larxene watched from the doorway with envy and as soon as they were gone, she turned and slammed the door behind her. “Get out of my sight, the lot of you! Go or you’ll go without dinner for a week!” The kids took that as their cue to leave and fell over themselves trying to escape her wrath and into the safety of their dorms. The woman stormed into her office and fumed to herself for a while. The damn runt gets everything... She thought. Well, everything but parents. That particular thought brought a sadistic smile to her face and she got on with some orphanage-related business. Like stopping the screaming upstairs.

Description
Chapter 2 - Little Runts

After climbing out of the laundry van (no easy feat undetected) Roxas hit the streets and asked nearly everyone he could if they knew anyone who looked like him. A few hours of searching though, and the cold winds and snow were starting to get to him. He rubbed his arms in an attempt to stay warm and after a full day of looking, the blonde just decided to rest for the night and try again tomorrow. He found some crates piled together behind a grocer’s and took a seat in between them so the police couldn’t see him and start asking questions; they tended not to like kids on the street. He took an apple from the nearest crate and started nibbling on it when a small black dog with yellow eyes came and sat next to him, looking up at Roxas with sympathetic eyes.

“What’s the matter, searchin for your mom and dad too? Dun worry, I’m sure they’re here somewhere...” He looked around to make sure there was no one around and stood up, the dog following after him. “We’ll look together, c’mon.” He made it about ten steps before hearing a ‘freeze!’ behind him. The blonde turned to see an officer standing there with a frown on his face. The guy was tall and pretty well-muscled, with long brown hair going down below his shoulders. He approached the pair and Roxas stepped forward, feigning innocence. “Y-Yes sir; is something wrong?”
“Not you kid. You with the four legs, c’mere.” The small black animal walked to Roxas’ side, but not further. He sat and looked up at his new blonde companion.
“What’s wrong sir?” Said blonde asked with worry.
“That dog’s wanted by the pound. He’s been outrunning them for months, but now I can turn him in."
“But you can’t! He’s... my dog! His name is...” He looked down at the dog, thinking fast. He looked up again and smiled. “Vivi.” The officer raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, weird I know, but I got him as a puppy and I was pretty young back then!” He gave a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of his head.
“Really? Vivi huh? I thought orphanages didn’t allow pets.” Roxas froze, his eyes widening.
“How do you-”
“You carer put out a call this morning.” The policeman just smirked at him. The blonde paled and looked down at his canine companion.
“Run Vivi...” With that, both boy and dog took off in different directions. The officer growled and chose Roxas to pursue – kids were more important than animals, right?

They ran through back alleys and busy streets, along fire escapes and under canopies, through crowds of people and past silent houses. It was a game of cat and mouse that went on for hours until the officer’s cunning outdid Roxas’ speed. He doubled back and hid behind a corner, waiting for the 16 year old to turn up. Said blonde did eventually and ran straight into the officer’s arms. Literally. “Gotcha. Now come on, back to where you came from.” Roxas was dragged by the arm through the streets in the early hours of the day until the tired pair arrived back at the orphanage. A swift knock and Larxene was at the door in a small silk nighty and a deep red dressing gown that went to her knees. “Yes officer~?” Her voice was soft and almost sickly sweet, too sweet in Roxas’ mind.
“Sorry to wake you ma’am. My name is officer Leonhart of the NYPD; I believe this boy is yours?” He pulled Roxas into view, who almost immediately found himself being hugged tightly by Larxene.
“Oh you poor thing! I’m so glad you’re okay, what would I ever have done without you?”
“Scrubbed the floors yourself?” Roxas mumbled, only to be pushed into the background.
“Of all the kids here, Roxas is my favourite: I raised him from a little baby, y’know~.”
“Well ma’am, it’s clear he means a lot to you. I’ll be on my way.” He turned to leave, then hesitated and turned back. “Actually, while it’s on my mind, there’s this mutt that was with him, but it got away while I was chasing him. If you see it, lemme know.”
“Oh of course officer, anything you say~.” He gave a small smile and turned away again, leaving the two on the front step. Instantly, Larxene’s true nature took over. She scowled then grabbed Roxas by the ear and slammed the door behind her. The kids crowded by the windows instantly dispersed and ran up the stairs, a few lingering to pay respect to their ‘fallen comrade’. “You little runt! How many times we gonna go through this, huh?!” He scrambled to get her off him as she walked into the office and pushed him into the desk. “Do as you’re told for once and stay here while I go and cook up your punishment. And trust me kid, it's gonna be a doozy.” She walked out again and left the blonde on his own.

He sighed and slumped into her rolling office chair, spinning a couple of times, glad the room at least had a fire. A noise outside caught his attention though, so he moved across and looked through the grubby window to see one of the flashiest cars since... well, ever! It was sleek and black, a Rolls Royce by the looks of it. One of the best dressed men he’d even seen stepped out and looked around – he wasn’t even driving! He had blue hair covering one eye and a tailored suit and waistcoat on, covered by a long overcoat and black leather gloves. Sadly, Larxene stormed back in before he could watch what happened next. Roxas jumped and turned back to her. “Right, I don’t want you to ever do this again, so you’re gonna scrub every inch of this hellhole,” then she produced a toothbrush. “-with this. Glad you’re back?”
“Yes, Miss Larxene...” He mumbled.
“Liar. What’s the wrong thing I taught you?” He sighed and looked her in the face.
“Never tell a lie.”
“Damn straight, now get to it.” He groaned and decidedly started on the windows – the rest of the room was carpet, so he wanted to start easy. Just as Larxene sat in her chair, the man Roxas had seen earlier opened the office door after a swift knock. The man raised his eyebrows at the boy cleaning the window, but shook it off and sat down opposite the blonde woman.
“Miss Larxene, I presume?”
“Who’s askin?” He just smiled.
“Good. My name is Zexion Farrell; personal secretary to Axel Warbucks.”
“Warbucks? The millionaire?!” Larxene sat up in her seat while Roxas just raised his eyebrow and ignored them – he’d never heard of the guy before, why should he care?
“Actually, he’s a billionaire... He’s requested a house guest for Christmas, and I thought an orphan would be a perfect idea. Perhaps this one?” That got the young blonde’s attention. He span round on the spot with a grin on his face.
“Great idea! I'm free and I’m an orpha-” Larxene batted him to the side with a glare.
“A liar, that’s what he is. Trust me, you’ll get nothing but trouble with this one.” This time Zexion raised his eyebrows.
“I find that hard to believe ma’am.”
“Look, pick any kid you want, I don’t give a rat’s ass. But not Roxas!”
“That seems unfair.” Zexion stood slowly, sending a second-long smirk to Roxas, who frowned in confusion. “And what if I were to tell the Board of Orphans about the awful conditions at this establishment?” He said it so nonchalantly that both Larxene and Roxas were slightly taken aback by the threat. In the end, she sighed and waved a hand at Roxas, who was all too eager to leave and practically leapt to Zexion’s side. “Thank you. Now, where’s his coat?”
“Coat? Why’d he need that?” Zexion frowned and then looked down at the now bubbly blonde, and the toothbrush he was still holding... He sighed, before a small smile graced his face.
“We’ll buy one on the way to Mr Warbucks’ house.”

They opened the door to the hall, only to see all the kids waiting outside, probably wanting to know why such an upstanding man was in a grubby hellhole like this. Roxas ran towards Xion and Demyx, jumping up and down with them.
“I’m going away for Christmas!” Everyone started cheering, causing the small smile on Zexion’s face to grow a little. Larxene just leant against the doorframe, arms folded and a scowl on her face directed at her ‘favourite’ orphan. Roxas hugged everyone as he left and waved, before braving the cold for the second time in an hour. In sympathy, Zexion took off his coat and wrapped it around the thin boy.

Larxene watched from the doorway with envy and as soon as they were gone, she turned and slammed the door behind her. “Get out of my sight, the lot of you! Go or you’ll go without dinner for a week!” The kids took that as their cue to leave and fell over themselves trying to escape her wrath and into the safety of their dorms. The woman stormed into her office and fumed to herself for a while. The damn runt gets everything... She thought. Well, everything but parents. That particular thought brought a sadistic smile to her face and she got on with some orphanage-related business. Like stopping the screaming upstairs.