A/N: Thank you for the reviews and follows everyone. I did a bit of tweaking to the first chapter, and changed the title of this story a bit. I think it flows a little better now. Enjoy this new chapter everyone.

Red Karat Ring

Chapter 2

Useless

It was early morning with the sun barely peaking over the horizon and its light reaching the large, quiet kitchen. The coffeemaker was dripping away, creating its dark brew and filling the air with a rich roasted scent. A massive counter top acting as both a prep station and dining table sat in the middle of the industrial sized kitchen. Atop it, a vase filled with cream colored flowers welcomed the morning light. With catlike footsteps, a shadow swept into the kitchen through a set of double white doors and made its way to one of the many cabinets that lined the area. The young man opened a cabinet and reached inside, having pulled out a dark cup that was a complete contrast to the otherwise white kitchen. With hair the color of milk chocolate, Sora's goal was the coffee maker nearby.

Taking a moment to fill his cup and spoon in a heap of sugar, Sora twirled the silver utensil until the granules dissolved. He brought the cup up to his lips and took a tentative sip. With the sweetness just right and the heat just hot enough to give his tongue a light burn, Sora let out a satisfied sigh. "Guess I should get started," he mumbled groggily.

With cup in hand, Sora flicked a switch and bathed the kitchen in light. Wincing at first, knowing full well his eyes hadn't adjusted properly, Sora stepped over to the fridge. With relative ease Sora began taking out ingredients and placing them on the countervtop. Eggs, milk, butter, it was more than appropriate to assume that he was preparing breakfast. He busily worked away, pouring and mixing ingredients together. Before long, the clanging sounds he was making began to rouse those that had yet to wake up. Sora looked up from his prep work to see a small girl rubbing sleep from her eyes as she came in from around the corner of the counter top. Her hair was a mess and in her arms, a doll with the clear worn markings it had been played with often. Letting out a long yawn, she acknowledged Sora. "Morning…"

"Morning Lulu, did I wake you up?"

The young girl sporting messy black braids lifted her arms above her and continued with her yawning. "It's okay…I was having a weird dream anyways."

"Oh yeah? What was weird about it?"

Lulu scrambled up into a chair and rested her arms on the surface before settling her doll next to the vase of flowers. She was sitting across from Sora, her blood red eyes still holding onto traces of sleep as she pointed to the fridge. "Can I have some juice?"

"Sure, give me a minute."

Grabbing a clean glass from out of the dish washer, Sora took a pitcher of orange juice from the fridge. He settled the glass in front of Lulu as she watched him pour. With a nod of her head indicating that she was thankful, Lulu raised the glass to her lips and downed a good half of it. Sora could only grin. "Good?"

"Yep."

"So, are you going to tell me about your dream?"

Lulu poked at the bottoms of her doll's feet, her face contorted into listlessness. "Naw, it's not important. What are you making?"

Not pushing her any further, Sora went back to his prep. "Well, seeing as how you and your sisters played all day in the gardens yesterday, I thought I'd use the berries you brought back to make some pancakes. Sound good do you?"

A luster sparkled in Lulu's half-sleeping eyes, bringing her to full alert. "That sounds wonderful!"

"I'm almost done here, so why don't you go wake everyone up?"

She skidded the high chair back and jumped off, hitting the marble floor softly. Lulu knew better than to run, but before Sora could yell at her to be careful, she had disappeared through the kitchen doors. Sighing, Sora pulled out a few pans and placed them on the heated stove top and began pouring out dollops of pancake batter. With a slight hiss, the cakey mounds began to spread out until they formed almost perfect circles. The chopped berries he mixed in were giving off a vibrant shade of red and purple, staining the surface of the pancakes and creating a sort of pretty swirl pattern. After a few minutes, Sora's ears perked up at what sounded like thunder. But if the clear morning skies he could see through the windows were any indication, then thunder was clearly not what he was hearing. With the kitchen doors slamming open, a whirlwind swept past him. Sora could almost feel the chill from it running up his neck. Turning an eye, Sora opened his mouth.

"Hey, what did I say about running in the kitchen?"

His words were lost on the group of young girls, five in all. The giggling bunch were all scrambling to get seated at the counter top.

"Hey, that's my cup!"

"No, this one's mine!"

"Can I have the juice?"

"I want to sit over there, switch with me!"

It was chaos. Sora finished with the last of the pancakes and turned the stove off, a giant pile of the fluffy cakes settled on a platter. He held the food like a server and stood at the edge of the table, his domineering gaze attempting to silence the girls. One by one, they noticed his stare and quickly zipped their mouths. With their attention zeroed in on the food Sora was holding hostage, the girls placed their hands before them. Giving a slight cough, Sora continued. "Morning girls."

"Morning big brother!"

Sora questioned it all the time. How was it that he was given only sisters? The girls sitting in front of him with salivating eyes were his younger sisters. Lulu was the eldest of the group of girls at ten years old, with the others in descending age. There was nine year old Wendy, followed by seven year old Belle, and the twins, five year old Selphie and Penelo. Sora could see with relative ease that the youngest of the batch were having a hard time staying quiet. Selphie and Penelo were fidgeting with one another, and what was once quiet attention focused on their brother, soon fell to the wayside.

"I said that's my cup!"

Selphie snatched up Penelo's cup and was holding it above her, preventing her blonde haired twin from reaching it. Penelo had tears building in the corners of her eyes as she fought on. Not bothering to break them up and figuring that they'd tire soon, Sora began laying out the pancakes he made onto everyone's plates.

"Mmm! They smell so good!"

Wendy in her light blue pajamas eagerly dribbled syrup over her food and began tearing into it with her fork and knife. She and Belle rambled between themselves as everyone else also began eating. The twins finally settled down and decided to share the same cup, a truce that the pair found appropriate. With his plate in place, Sora sat the edge of the counter top, half standing with an elbow on the surface. He watched with a warm expression on his face. Despite the early morning shenanigans and the fights that broke out among his sisters, this was his family. He was the lone brother tasked with protecting this rambunctious group of girls.

"Sora, your pancakes will get cold."

Lulu pointed this out to him and Sora quietly apologized before cutting out a sizable chunk of pancakes and stuffing it into his mouth. Gulping it down, Sora shot the eldest girl a grin that satisfied her concern.

Breakfast came and went and everyone was off getting changed to start their day. Sora was left alone in the kitchen as he cleaned up and put things away. After finishing up and turning the dishwasher on, Sora made his way into one of the hallways and took a few turns. He found a spiraling staircase and traveled upwards into the most upper floor. Sora stepped out into an expansive, open room. Better yet, it was better suited to say that it took an entire floor. He'd have to walk a solid 2 minutes to go from where the stairs were to the farthest end of the room. The floors were sleek and made of grey marble tile with enough grit to prevent one from slipping. With white high ceilings and windows that allowed natural light in, this was Sora's little sanctuary.

"I should shower quickly," he said to himself.

He walked towards the northwestern part of the room, a series of black squares jutting up from the floor and creating an enclosed partition. Sora peeled his clothes off and left them at the side of the black square. Behind the partition, the floor dipped into a concave shape, as if he was stepping into a bowl. Touching a button at the base, a rod shot up and water began to fall. Sora melted into the warmth and began lathering up body wash and shampoo in order to cleanse himself. He worked the suds in his hair, the spikes springing back instantly no matter how much water soaked into them. With the unusual shape of this bath, a typical onlooker would wonder how water wasn't getting all over the place, but it was rather simple. With the floor curved inwards, water had no choice but to flow at an angle and down the drain.

Satisfied, Sora once again touched the same button at the base of the floor and the water stopped. He shook his head a few times before reaching for a towel that lay on a wrung on the back of one of the black partitions. Drying himself quickly and tucking it around his waist, Sora left the enclosed arc and headed for a dresser on the opposite side of the room. Next to it, a large and intimidating bed sat. Digging through the bottom drawer, Sora pulled out a fresh pair of underwear before slipping them on. It was still early morning any which way he saw it, and now realizing he had left his cup of coffee in the kitchen, sleep was once again taking a hold of him. He sat down on the large bed and then sprawled backwards, his arms reaching out and never coming close to hanging off the edges. Letting out a yawn, Sora felt his eyes closing for a moment.

"Uff!"

A sudden weight knocked the breath out of him. His eyes shot open to see his attacker—or in this case, attackers all conveniently converged on top of him. Four grinning faces stared at him. Sora didn't move. "Umm, who's idea was this?"

"Big brother forgot his coffee!"

"Yeah, we wanted to bring it up to you."

"Oh yeah? I don't see it anywhere. Don't tell me you spilled it when you guys jumped me."

"Of course not."

Lulu, who didn't participate in the attack, stood at the edge of the bed with a cup in her hands. Her braids were perfectly in place and any trace of bedhead was long gone. She wore a grey skirt that fell past her knees, a matching long sleeve jacket adorned with a light pink bow, black leggings, and a pair of black mary jane-style shoes. On top of Sora, everyone else sported the exact same outfit. "Here you go Sora."

Untangling himself from the complaining mound, Sora took the cup and thanked Lulu. "Looks like you guys are all ready for school."

"Yeah! I dressed myself this time!" Selphie said with a triumphant fist in the air. "Baby Penelo had to have big sister Belle help her."

Selphie grinned evilly, much to Penelo's fuming frustration. "Don't call me baby, you baby!"

"I'm older by 3 minutes, so you're the baby, baby Penelo!"

"Shut up! Stop saying that!"

Sora leaned back against the headboard of his bed and took a sip from his cup, the toasty flavor filling his senses as he watched the twins bicker. Wendy finally intervened and took the pair by the hand. "Big brother, we have to get going to school. Are you not going to take us today?"

Sora scratched the tip of his nose. "I have a bunch of things I need to do here, so the driver is going to pick you all up and take you to school." It was here that everyone in attendance gave a slight frown. Sora quickly turned it around though. "But I'll be there to pick you up at the end of the day, so don't worry."

There was a sigh of relief from all five. Belle adjusted the bow on her jacket and looked to Sora. "Do we have to go to the lessons afterwards?"

The five sisters seemed to share this question and they remained silent. Sora's gaze for the first time, grew hazy. "Yeah, I'll take you to lessons once I pick you up."

Lulu, who despite being only ten years old and very much a child, carried herself rather maturely. "Sora, if you don't feel like going, you don't-"

"It's fine. It's okay," Sora quickly cut her off, the braided girl cupping her hands slightly at the edge of his voice. "It's fine…"

With the air suddenly tense, Sora surprised everyone by clapping his hands. The sound echoed in the cavernous open room and startled the girls. "Alright! Everyone, get your things and I'll take you up to the gate."

One by one his sisters got off the bed and trailed after one another towards the stairs. Lulu, the last one to go, looked over her shoulder to see Sora throwing on new clothes. She gripped the stair banister tightly with her hand before descending. Alone once more, Sora looked upwards through the ceiling skylight and heaved a heavy sigh. Lifting his left hand above him, he focused on the incomplete red band on his ring finger. "Not today."

Everyone was standing at the front door when Sora came down the main stairs of the house. They parted slightly to allow him to join the group. Selphie and Penelo immediately reached up and grabbed both his hands, one on each side. He smiled at the youngest pair as the door opened. They all walked down a few steps onto the red brick walkway that led up to the front gate. All around them lush greenery blossomed as they passed. The front yards were large and perfectly maintained. They covered the space equivalent to a sports field before reaching the massive, black iron gates. The intricate metal detailing showed no traces of rust and gleamed in the morning sunlight.

"Okay girls, have a good day at school, no fighting, and I'll see you after."

He kneeled down to plant a kiss on Selphie's head, but was pulled away from her by Penelo insisting she get the first kiss. Much to Selphie's annoyance, Sora did so and Penelo stuck her tongue out at Selphie when Sora wasn't looking.

"Please make sure to go outside, and not just the library," he directed at Belle knowing full well she had a penchant for reading and would live in the library if she could. "Wendy, make sure that you stop by the nurse's office to give her the thank you card you wrote."

The two brunette girls nodded and received their kiss as they took a hold of the gate door. "Come on Selphie, Penelo."

Finally, he stood hunched over with his hands on his knees and eyes cast towards Lulu. Her demeanor was the complete opposite of that morning when he told her they'd be having berry pancakes. She seemed a bit sad. "Hey, what's up?"

She shook her head and the hanging beads in her ornate hairpins clinked together. "It's nothing," she murmured looking at the tips of her shoes.

"Hmm, with a face like that, it's kind of hard to believe it's nothing."

Lulu peered through her long, hanging bangs. "Well…remember I said I was having a weird dream?"

Sora blinked a few times, his lips slightly dry. "You want to tell me about it?"

She made to open her mouth, but was cut off by the engine of the black car that showed up past the iron gates. Her sisters looked over at her and beckoned. "Come on Lulu, let's go!"

Turning her attention to Sora, she replaced the look on her face with one that seemed more appropriate for a ten year old. She beamed at Sora and hugged him before he kissed her forehead. "We can talk about it later, don't worry. Have a good day at school, I love you."

With a pat on the back, Lulu ran forward and got into the car. The driver, in a black suit with silver detailing, closed the door and looked to Sora. He placed his arm against his chest, palm upwards and bowed his head. The spiky haired man returned the action with a tilt of his own head. The car began to pull away and sped off, leaving Sora standing at the gates. In the skies up above, the seagulls were circling around aimlessly. From their perspective, the car was a small black dot that was driving away from a single mansion surrounded by green. That green eventually turned into deep blue ocean waters.

At one point in history, Destiny Islands could only be traversed by boat. It was the way people had done for thousands of years. But in this day in age, that tradition had long given way to a much faster method. Long, industrial metal bridges connected the islands. And with the country consisting of over 10,000 islands, that was a lot of bridges. Some were hundreds of miles long. And some were quite private. That pertained to Sora's family. Their home island had one connecting bridge to a hub island that would then allow them to take an assortment of other routes to whatever location. In his sisters' case, getting to school required traveling about an hour to the southeast, close to the main capital island, Oathkeeper. Sora would also be making this trip later on to pick his siblings up from school, but at the moment, he had other things that needed his attention.

"Alright, time to clean this place up!"

Sora was nothing more than a glorified house maid.

"Hey, what happened?"

"I don't know, I just heard screaming."

"Huh, you didn't see it? She's totally kicking that guy's ass!"

"No way!"

"I'm not joking, look for yourself!"

A large group of children in grey school uniforms stood in a ring with even more running towards it. They were all focused on the two kids beyond them. One was a boy with a bloody nose and shredded shirt, the other a dark haired girl with her hands balled into fists. Everyone was eagerly awaiting for what happened next.

"Take it back!" the girl lashed out angrily, "Take it back right now!"

The boy with blood flowing freely from his nose didn't seem at all fazed by his injury and snickered. "Hell no."

The girl ran forward and with a fist, smashed it into his stomach. He recoiled, forcing his hands to his abdomen as the breath left him. "Gah!"

She punched him again, this time sending him falling onto his back. "Take it back! Take it back! Take it back!"

The girl continued pummeling the boy with tears flying from her eyes as a slew of teachers finally put a stop to it.

It would be about an hour later that Sora walked into the nurse's office to see Lulu with her braids a mess and her eyes indistinguishable from simply being naturally red or red from crying. He stood there for a second, taking in the scene before exhaling. Sora had been expecting something worse and was thankful with what he saw. The nurse sat at her desk and motioned that it was okay for him to go to her. "I'll be right back with the principal and secretary."

Sora thanked the nurse and walked right up to the disheveled girl. Now that he knew that she wasn't hurt, Sora was keen on playing the older brother role. "Lulu, what happened?"

His voice was stern, yet still understanding. Lulu was biting her lip, her hands bandaged up and slightly bruised. Sora cradled them, forcing a wince out of her. "Shh, shh, it's okay, they'll heal quickly." He brought a finger up to Lulu's chin and gently lifted her head upwards. "Tell me what happened."

"You'll get mad."

"I won't, I promise."

"Yeah, you will," Lulu spat out on the verge of tears again, "you're going to yell at me for it."

Sora swallowed. This was becoming more and more sensitive by the second and he was now genuinely concerned. "What kind of brother yells at their little sister when they're hurt?"

He pressed her against him, allowing Lulu to rest on his chest. Sora ran a hand down her back, feeling the warmth resonating from her small body. He continued doing this until she seemed to settle down. After a minute or so, they heard steady footsteps. They looked up to see the school principal and her secretary at the door. Lulu tensed up in his arms.

"You can speak with me, but I request that Lulu not be here."

The principal did not argue, and similarly to the driver that picked up his sisters that morning, placed an arm against her chest and bowed her head. "Very well."

The nurse walked in and reached for Lulu's hand. Sora brought his lips up to Lulu's ear and whispered soothing words. "It'll be okay."

With a soft nod, Lulu got up from her seat and left the room with the nurse. The principal closed the door, and their conversation began.

Sora lay in bed, his naked chest rising up and down with each intake of air. The skylights perfectly framed the night and provided him with a natural painting of the universe. He had his left hand above him, the space between each finger allowing him glimpses of the heavens. Sora turned it around, palm towards him and red unfinished band staring back at him. He brought it down and rested his hand on his face. Sora let out a dejected sigh.

"The incident began with a classmate of Lulu's. He…how should I put this, began taunting her in regards to your…I'm sorry sir, but-"

Sora sat calmly in his seat, leg crossed over the other as the principal stuttered with her words. He could see the sweat building on her brow, and quickly put her at ease. "It's quite alright, you can continue. You won't offend me."

The principal looked to her secretary as she scribbled on her notepad and took in a long breath. The words finally left her mouth. "He taunted Lulu in regards to your condition, sir…."

Sora's hands were placed on top of the other, and the muscles softly twitched. "I see…so Lulu took it upon herself to beat the living daylights out of the boy. I'm very sorry for her behavior. I will have a talk with her about this. Rest assured that this will not happen again."

"No-not at all! Sir, thank you for taking the time in coming all the way here on such short notice."

The young man of twenty years left his seat and shook hands with the principal and secretary before excusing himself.

Sora opened his eyes and found the night sky once again. "But that boy is right Lulu," Sora said to the empty space around him, "I'm useless…"

He got up from his bed and pulled on the discarded shirt he had been wearing. His bare feet walked across the cool marble tiling and descended down the spiral staircase. Sora made his way through the mansion, an enormous building that sat in the middle of a single private island. The hallways were lit with soft glowing lights, the decorations on the walls lavish. He passed photographs and chiseled sculptures until one final hallway led to an opening. It was a circular room with a high ceiling, and similar to his room, skylights allowed the starlight to seep in. Sora walked towards the middle of the circular space and stopped.

He was standing in the very center with eyes gazing at a series of five doors that lay all around him. They were made of varying styles and colors. The difference clashed slightly with the rest of the house décor, but that meant little, if anything to him. After all, this area belonged to his five sisters and they could have it however they wanted. Sora turned his back and found a white door. He stepped up to it and took a hold of the handle before gently turning it. With a soft, delicate touch, the door opened for him. Lights immediately blazed into life and offered him a clear picture of what was inside.

A single empty throne was at the far end, and nothing else. Sora remained at the entrance as he gazed at the emptiness of his chamber. His eyes were severely slanted, his lips twisted into a sneer. "That boy was right Lulu. What kind of failed Sorceress am I?" he said to himself, "A useless one that can't see humanity's red threads…."

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