House of Darkness

T and B: As always, ratings and reviews are greatly appreciated! We love to hear what you guys have to say about our story!

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There were quite a few more students at the House of Darkness than what Roxas had expected. Much like everything else in his new life, it was going to take a little time to get used to before everything seemed to make sense. That included students being active at this time of night. It helped though, that everyone acted as if this was a perfectly normal high school.


But then, maybe to them it was. And maybe he would grow to think of it like that after a while to.


Sora shifted a wide grin at him, and tugged at the blond’s arm to encourage him in the right direction, “Come on. Before we go to class I want to introduce you to my friends.” He told him, without asking if the other boy wanted to meet them. Roxas could only chuckle at the gamin brunette, and allow himself to be drawn through the hallways.


He was reminded of a little dark haired puppy where his new roommate was concerned. There was just something endearing and infectious about Sora.


“Where are we going to meet them?”


Blue eyes shifted back toward Roxas with the question, a lopsided grin in place. “Everyone should be in the cafeteria now. They’ve got really great food in this place, and it’s still breakfast time for us, though it should be about over. You can even get French toast if you want, when you don‘t want to eat in the dorm common room, that is.”


That made the blond perk up a bit. They might not really have a lot of time now, but he loved French toast in all its sweet, cinnamony, syrupy goodness. Just the thought of it made his mouth water.


The little brunette had to laugh at the near blissful expression on his new friend’s face. “Come on, let’s hurry before everyone goes to class.” He pulled a bit more persistently on the arm he still held, ushering Roxas more quickly in the direction of the dining hall.


It wasn’t long at all before they were emerging into a grand room. The walls were the same glistening onyx stone as the front of the building; soft lighting casting a silvery glow here and there around the room from sconces while every single one of the heavy grey tables had their own individual lamps to light the way for those eating their food.


Students sat here and there on comfortably padded benches while in the center of the room sat a lone table covered in luxurious cheeses, fruits, and meats-as well as abundant decorations.


Roxas could only stare in awe; this wasn’t anything like the cafeteria from his last high school. There was no way in hell he was going to be able to think of this as just a normal school. Not when the dining hall looked like something out of a fantasy movie.


Harry Potter, eat your heart out.


“Come on Roxy!”


Sora’s voice drug him out of his reverie, and the blond cast his roommate a sheepish grin. “Lead the way, Sora.” He replied, receiving a nod from his guide. And then the brunette was off again, leading the way toward a corner table where a group of teenagers sat together, conversing over the lingering remnants of their food. Once there, the brunette plopped down into a seat and had begun to make introductions before Roxas had done likewise.


“Guys, this is my new roommate, Roxas. Roxy, this is Naminé. She’s pretty and smart, and always willing to lend an ear.” The girl in question looked up and gave Roxas a warm smile, “Hi Roxas.” She spoke up quietly, while tugging a pale hair away from her eyes.


And then Sora was moving on with the instructions; his attention turning to a very pretty male with wavy, cotton candy pink hair and blue eyes, “This is Marluxia, but we call him Marly for short. Though sometimes he acts as girly as Naminé.”


And rather than seem offended by the statement, Marly just gave Sora a fond smile before looking back to the newest member of the group, as if he knew that the statement had been entirely innocent. The brunet was too sweet to actually mean to hurt someone; besides, it was true. “Welcome to the House of Darkness, Roxy. We’re mostly normal here; I think you’ll get used to us pretty quickly.”


Roxas had to smile at that. He was just glad to have a roommate with some nice friends who seemed welcoming enough. It was nice to come in and not feel like the awkward new kid, with no one to talk to.


Without waiting for the introductions to continue, a girl on the other side of Naminé spoke up. Save for being brunet, she could have passed for the blond’s twin sister. That and she was clearly far more outgoing. “I’m Kairi!” She grinned at Roxas openly, “We’ve been wondering what you were gonna be like. It’s nice to see your not like one of the bimbo squad and their boy toy tag-alongs.” The blunt and rather confusing statement made Roxas blink.


“Wha-?”


Before he could get that question out, Sora was explaining, “She means like Larxene and the Divine Chosen. There like a... fraternity, sorority sort of deal.” At the other end of the table, a very blatant and not so quietly coughed ‘sluts’ was coughed from Kairi earning a barely restrained giggle from the quiet, seemingly sweet-natured Naminé. Both girls turned wide innocent eyes down at Roxas’ roommate simultaneously, assuring he let out a quick snicker.


“There the popular kids,” The brunet boy continued on, seemingly unperturbed by the interruption. “Who enjoy making everyone else’s lives miserable. I don’t think it was meant to be like that, but as long as Larxene and her hoard are in charge...” His voice trailed off with a slow shrug.


It seemed that every school had to have their group who liked to lord there superiority over the rest of the general populace despite being grossly outnumbered, and that the House of Darkness was no different.


“That’s putting it politely, Sora...” Marly spoke up around a sip of juice. They’d all finished their ‘morning’ meal and we’re simply waiting for it to be time for class. But before anyone could get anything else out, a shrill and distinctly familiar voice caught Roxas’ attention; bringing forth images of a strong muscular chest, and a certain slender female form knelt in front of the chest’s owner. His cheeks flared pink before he even turned to glance over his shoulder at the owner of the voice.


Oh god...


“You must be Roxas. I‘m Larxene.”


A girl with short blond hair stood there, with her arms crossed over her chest. What was it with blonds in this place? Because they seemed to be everywhere. She had this sort of cold gleam in her eye, even while the smile that was pasted on her pretty face was falsely sweet. As sweet, in fact as the sickeningly honeyed tone of her voice. Clearly, she wasn’t happy about being near Sora and the gang.


Behind her stood three males; a tall one with short silver hair, one who stood at a medium height with long waist length silver hair, and a shorter one with medium length silver hair. They all had the same eerie turquoise eyes and the same features.


Brothers, maybe even triplets, the lot of them. And while not identical physically, they wore identical sneers that broadcasted their own displeasure with having to lower themselves by coming over to this particular table.


“Er, yeah. That’s me.” Roxas spoke up, dragging himself from his thoughts.


“I do hope we’re not interrupting something important.” Larxene continued on, looking prim and proper as she stood there by the table.


“Not at all.” Kairi piped up sweetly, “We were just discussing air contaminants and the causes of a foul stench I smelt a minute ago.”


The popular blond curled her lip up in a fake smile, “We’ll, you’d be the best one to figure that out, now wouldn’t you?” And then she was ignoring the fuming brunet entirely to focus her attention Roxas.


“I want to extend an invitation to the Shadow Ceremonies tomorrow night, Roxas. I’ve spoken to Xemnas about it and we agree it would be good for you when you’re not having to deal with,” Her hateful eyes glanced toward Kairi, “foul stenches. Think about it; your really clearly far above average, it would be to your best advantage to come.”


And that said, she was sticking her pert little nose up into the air and sauntering off. The silver haired triplets right on her heals.


“Can anyone say ‘harpy’ much?” Marly muttered with a roll of his pale blue eyes. “One of these days, Karma is going to catch up with her and I for one, am hoping to be there to see the fireworks explode so I can laugh my ass off.”


There were mutters of agreement across the table, and all Roxas could think was that he was glad she hadn’t seemed to recognize him as the one who’d caught her giving head in the hallway. Somehow, he couldn’t see her getting revenge as a very good thing. Not that he’d let her run over him. He had no problem with standing up for himself, and would never go down without some kind of fight.


“I’d like to get her alone just once.” Kairi muttered, wrinkling her nose.


“I’ll hold her for you, sis.” Naminé chimed in while patting the other girl’s arm comfortingly.


“Just don’t get a mess on my new shoes.” The pretty girl stuck out one slim foot clothed in black high healed Prada boot.


“You don’t mess up Nami’s shoes.” Marly explained blithely to Roxas who was staring at the girls in bemusement. “Unless you want it shoved someplace unsavory. She might seem sweet and innocent, but even we know better than to insult fashion.”


Said girl in question let a bashful smile tug at her mouth. Evidently beneath that sweet exterior, Naminé had a temper.


Sora let out a chuckle, and shook his head before tugging back his sleeve to look at his watch. “Alright guys, we’re going to be late for class. Roxy, your first one is with me and it’s with Xemnas so you can get the rest of your schedule while we’re there.” He gave a lazy stretch and yawned before pushing up to his feet, even as he spoke.


Roxas turned a slight smile on the rest of the group, “We’ll see you guys later.” The blond followed his roommate to his feet, and then followed him out of the dining hall.


The halls were even more crowded than before, with students bustling here and there-heading to class, to escape being late. Roxas stuck close to Sora, as the other teen wove expertly through the halls. Avoiding narrowly being stepped on by careless other individuals, and even avoiding someone’s falling books amid the sea of black that was created by the glistening walls and the light leather of the school uniforms.


But eventually they made it to their class, in surprisingly record time. The pair found an empty seat off to the side, and near the back. Roxas slumped in the first one he came across, his stomach doing nervous flip flops as he thought of all that the class might entail.


What in the world had the Searcher gotten him into by Tagging him? Everything had been fine thus far, but his nerves had kicked in once again now that they were about to get down to work.


The other students were already seated here and there, and before he’d even had time to voice his concerns to his new friend, Xemnas was sweeping into the room in a flurry of robes. Silence reigned over the room, and everyone was absorbed by the power he seemed to exude. Roxas’ mentor demanded power, simply by standing there. And the new blond couldn’t help but stare in awe as the confident male took his place at the head of the room.


“Good evening class.” Xemnas’ voice echoed across the room; a deep rich rumble that commanded further attention. “I’d like to introduce to you all to our new student, Roxas. I’m his mentor and I expect for you all to welcome him accordingly. Sora his locker is next to yours. Please get Roxas a text book and explain our locker system while the rest of the class journals about what they know of the four sons and daughters of Erebus.”


There was a quiet rustling, as the other students got out there pens and notebooks to immediately go about the task there teacher and Head Master had set out for them.


In the meantime, Sora rose to his feet and signaled Roxas to follow him. He led the way to the back of the classroom where there was a wall of grey cabinets; stopping in front of one that had a number ‘13’ etched in black on a silver plaque. The door was tugged open, to reveal a nice and neat interior; books and school supplies lining the shelves in careful order. It was more than clear that someone had taken the time to neaten everything in preparation for the new arrival.


“We don’t have regular lockers or anything, and theres not even any locks to worry about because no one is dumb enough to steal when you’ve got elder vamps who seem to know everything.” Sora explained, as he reached inside to grasp a thick black leather bound book with a silver crescent moon on the side of it.


The cover was smooth, and on the front was a silver winged helm with archaic lettering that said ‘Darkness Sociology 101’ at the very bottom of the book. The blond absorbed everything that was said, encouraging the little brunette with a gentle nod.


Roxas reached inside to grab a notebook, a couple of pens, and some white out before taking the book from Sora. Then he shut the cabinet and followed the other boy back to their seats to begin the day’s journal entry. His brow furrowed, as he thought about what he knew when it came to Erebus and his sons and daughters. There wasn’t much to it though, and all he could put down was that he was the God of Darkness and Shadow, and that he was the primordial son of Khaos. Oh, and also what Sora had told him before they’d left their dorm room.


The little blond lost himself in his thoughts, rather than concentrating directly on his work. However, very soon he was drawn back to the class at hand by the sound of a deep resonant voice penetrating through the haze he’d begun to wrap himself in. “Can anyone tell me who the father of Erebus is?” Xemnas inquired, his sharp golden eyes glancing across the room.


It was Sora who tentatively raised his hand, “Khaos is the father of Erebus, who was born without intercourse. He has a sister, named Nyx and they are among several other primordial siblings.” Roxas wouldn’t have expected the little brunet to be so knowledgeable, let alone so modest about it. He could even spy a faint blush on Sora’s face, in obvious embarrassment as more than one eye turned back toward him.


The teacher nodded in approval, before continuing on. “Nyx became the consort to her brother Erebus and together they birthed several sons and daughters. Hemera, Aether, Hypnos, and Cer are the ones we are most familiar with. They are our guardians, our protectors. But, there are others.”


And from there, Xemnas launched into a surprisingly interesting and interactive speech about the children of Erebus, and the effect they had on vampire kind. Surprisingly, the deities meant a great deal and even the ones that didn’t outright protect them were important. From the deities, traditions were born as well as rituals. Even the warrior’s handshake came directly from the priests and priestesses of Erebus; handed down to vampire kind to encourage respect.


Roxas couldn’t help but be drawn into the stories that the Head Master wove. Previously, he would have called them myths but now, they simply felt right and true. And he had the urge to know as much as he possibly could. But more than that, he had an urge to be a part of that history. It was so odd that something as simple as a class lesson could inspire that, but the blond didn’t think to question it. Perhaps this was all part of becoming vampire.


The lecture was so cool, he had no idea that an hour had even passed and when the bell rang it was such a surprise he actually jumped in his chair. Wide sapphire blue eyes glanced around him to make sure that no one had seen his surprise, because that was actually a bit embarrassing. He let out a silent breath and rose to his feet before moving to place his book back within his locker. Xemnas’ deep voice just behind him however, made him jump and whirl around to face the tall golden eyed male.


“Are you settling in well, Roxas?”


The blond gave him a small smile, “So far. Everything’s still really new.” He shrugged. It would take a little time for him to settle in fully. “I’m a little nervous, but I’ll live.” The Head Master just arched a brow, while the corner of his cruel mouth lifted up. “Of course you are, it would be illogical for someone thrown into this sort of situation and not be nervous. I hear that you’ve been invited to attend the Divine Chosen’s private ceremony after the main Ritual. I do hope you’ll consider going. But only if you are comfortable of course.” He obviously hoped Roxas would and the blond had to force a smile.


“Sure. I’ll go.” But spending time near Larxene just didn’t seem all to appealing.


“Good.” Xemnas extended a set of papers he’d been holding, “Here is your class schedule. Sora, you make sure he gets to his next class alright.” He slid golden eyes toward the little brunet who was hovering nearby.


Immediately, Sora fidgeted beneath the headmaster’s gaze as he took the papers. “Sure, of course. I don’t want Roxy to get lost.” The man gave a nod before looking back to Roxas.


“‘Roxy’ hmm?” A deep, amused chuckle sounded. “Now you two go on or you will be late.”


With that said, the pair of boys were encouraged toward the door. Sora latched onto Roxas’ arm, as they entered the hall.


The blond glanced toward his friend, with a tilted head. “So what’s the next class?” He inquired, wondering where he was supposed to be headed next.


“Oh,” The brunet blinked, and grinned, “its Defensive Studies with Professor Leon. That class is a lot of fun.” He said, handing the papers to Roxas for his safe keeping.


Roxas blinked. Defensive Studies? Well that sounded interesting. “What’s that?” His head canted off to the side with the made inquiry.


Sora chuckled, “You’ll see, its way better than your average physical education class. We get to learn cool stuff here, so I think you’ll like it. Come on, it’s this way.”


That said, he tugged his arm and began down the hall, leaving quite a few unanswered questions floating around in Roxas’ head.


He just hoped that he was ready for this.

~*~*~ tbc ~*~*~