My Dearly Found

Chapter One

"You're sure you want to go?" Your mom asked for what must've been the fifth time in the past three minutes. You did your best to be understanding about how much she was worrying - her only daughter was going to be going off on a cruise for a month. With school having just let out a couple weeks ago you jumped on the opportunity of going away for a good portion of your summer vacation. It wasn't that you didn't want to spend time with your mom and friends at home, but you'd been craving some sort of adventure away from home for a while and this was your chance.

"Yes, I'm one hundred percent sure that I want to go," you said with a fondly exasperated smile.

"So you have your toiletries, enough clothes, shoes?"

"Mhm." You nodded. "I also have enough pads and tampons to last me the entire trip."

"I've raised you so well," your mother gushed, enveloping you in a tight hug. "Please come back safe. I love you so much, never forget that!"

"I don't think I could even if I wanted to," you said with a genuine smile this time. You turned your attention from your mother to the terminal to board the ship. "I'll be back; count on it."

A shadow passed over your mother's face at your words and you immediately regretted saying what you had. You knew the story of your father, about how he had to leave for what felt like the thousandth time. You couldn't be terribly upset considering he was a soldier and helped to keep you and the rest of the country safe. The details were hazy but the engine of the plane that was to take him to his new outpost had apparently given out and the plane your father had been traveling on crashed into the middle of the Pacific, joining the rest of the plane wrecks at the bottom of the ocean. "I know you will," your mom said. The sadness in her eyes hadn't completely vanished but she did her best to put on a brave face for you. Bringing her into your arms one last time, you placed a kiss on her cheek.

After going through security and being questioned about why you'd been to so many different countries (your father was in the military), you were finally able to step onto the ship. As you crossed the threshold you could feel that distinct 'vacation feeling' set in. Taking in the high ceilings, the numerous eateries, and what was considered the ship's Main Street, you decided it'd been much too long since your last little get away.

"First time on a cruise?" You turned around to try and spot the chuckling person that had asked the question. Your eyes searched momentarily before landing on who you assumed was the one who had spoken. With a shake of your head you replied to the blonde boy in front of you.

"I've been on a few before but I can't say any have ever been this giant."

"Wait 'til you see the pool deck; they have about four different waterslides and a lazy river that wraps around the deck too."

"I think I know exactly where I'm heading," you laughed. "After I get some food of course. I get the feeling the buffet on this thing is going to be to die for."

"Hope you enjoy yourself," the blonde boy chuckled again. With a wave of his hand he began walking in the opposite direction and you headed off to get to know the buffet staff.

---

After you'd sufficiently stuffed yourself to your heart's content you decided it'd be a good idea to go check out your room. With any luck your luggage would already be there so you could head up to the pool deck like you had planned. You really wanted to try out a few of those water slides; so, you were happy to see that your bags were sitting outside the door to your room. Bringing everything inside your cabin, you opened up a suitcase and grabbed one of your bathing suits and once you were changed you headed right back out.

It only took you one wrong turn and a stop at the map table to make your way to the deck the pools were located. And upon stepping out into the sunlight your eyes were greeted with the sight of many, many beautiful bodies of the human race. With a low whistle and a smile stretching across your face you briefly stopped your oogling to claim one of the few empty beach chairs. It seemed many of your fellow passengers had the same idea as you to come out and immediately soak up the sun.

You'd been laying out in the sun for about twenty minutes before someone came up to you. "Hey, um, miss?" Opening your eyes and lifting the sunglasses off your face you were greeted with the boy you'd been talking to upon first boarding the ship.

"Are you stalking me now?" you asked, voice teasing. Your lightheartedness soon faltered once you saw the confused look that was plastered onto the face of the blonde in front of you.

"I'm sorry...do I know you?" Your eyebrows furrowed in your own bit of confusion now. Was this not the boy you'd spoken to earlier? He looked exactly the same as the other boy though.

"Sorry...I guess I mistook you for someone else," you muttered. "Did you need something?" Seeming to remember suddenly what it was he wanted to ask you, the boy nodded. "Yeah, I was wondering if you had any extra sunscreen. My idiot brother forgot to pack some."

"Sure, here you go." You slipped a hand into your beach bag to produce an orange tube of sunscreen before passing it over to... "I don't think I caught a name?"

"Roxas," he replied with a grateful smile.

"I'm [Name]," you said.

"Well [Name], thanks for helping me to not look like a roasted crab for the rest of the trip." With a laugh you said a quick "you're welcome" before watching Roxas walk off after he promised to return the bottle back to you before he and his brother left the pool. His brother, that must've been the guy you'd mistaken Roxas for when he first came over. That or Roxas had a doppelganger on the ship, though that probably wasn't the case. As you were thinking about the two brothers, you found yourself slowly being lulled into a pleasant sleep by the rocking of the boat.

You were awoken when someone began incessantly tapping you on the shoulder. With a slight groan, you opened your eyes to see one of the two blondes from earlier standing over you with a grin. The demeanor was different than Roxas's from earlier so that left you assuming this was the guy you'd met initially. "Look who it is," you said as you sat up from your reclined position. "I take it you're the idiot brother Roxas had been talking about."

"Just because I forgot to bring sunscreen doesn't make me an idiot," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"The potential skin cancer would beg to differ."

"Forgetting it one time won't kill me."

"True, but something tells me that you've probably forgotten to pack sunscreen on more than one occasion," you replied. "So what exactly is Roxas's twin brother's name?"

"Ventus but my friends and just about everyone else calls me Ven."

"Ventus and Roxas, those are some interesting names," you mused. "So Ven, am I a friend or am I 'everyone else'?"

"Since you've helped protect me from the fiend that is skin cancer I guess that qualifies you as friend material."

"A very good answer," you said with a laugh. "So are you and Roxas here with any other family?"

"Nope," Ven said with a shake of his head. "We made a deal with our older brother that if we raised the money ourselves we'd be allowed to go on the trip. A couple friends were going to come at first but they ended up with the flu."

"Does your older brother look just as identical as you and Roxas do?"

"No, Cloud's a few years older than me and Roxas. What about you, are you here with any friends or family?"

"Nope, it's just me, myself, and I on this trip. I was kind of bored with everything back home so I decided why not pamper myself with a month long cruise?"

"Well if that's the case then why don't you come with me and Roxas for lunch? We were gonna go grab some pizza."

With a small rubble coming from your stomach as if to backup your answer, you agreed to the offer. Deciding to meet in front of the elevators on the eighth floor you gathered your things so you could quickly stop by your room and drop them off before meeting up with the two blonde brothers.