Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the KH characters

Dark: I give everyone permission to throw oversized pieces of play-doh at me. I am so sorry for not having an update...perfect time to get a road block in the story, you know? Anyway, this might be a bit of a messy chapter; one because I rushed during the first few pages on Microsoft and two, I was trying to fit as much as possible into this. I hadn't expected this to be so short...it's frustrating. Alright, enjoy, Read and Review, I apologize again.

Chapter Three

Heartless Gestures

An Independent Leader

I should have known that bastard would pull something like this. Why hadn't I seen it? Am I so infatuated with him that I'm beginning to loose my common sense? I should have known.

When I started to wake up, I new it was around midnight. I didn't even need to see the red numbers of the alarm clock beside me to know that. It was just…everything felt so calm, so at peace for the moment. So safe. I opened my eyes slowly, just staring blankly at the ceiling for a few moments before sitting up with a hiss of pain, the ache in my lower stomach still very present. When that ball had hit me in the stomach, it felt like a car had slammed into me. I couldn't breathe and I most definitely couldn't move for the whole few minutes that it took for Rufus and Tifa to get me off the field.

But what only made it worse was that I could hear the whore, Scarlet, laughing at my pain while Seifer just smirked in satisfaction. He had never planned to let Sora go from his torment. After all, among our whole group, Sora was one of the most rebellious. A person who was as power crazy as Seifer would never have let someone like that walk freely. Once Rufus and Tifa had gotten me home, they forced me to lie down, hoping it would make most of the pain go away. And granted, it did dull immensely, but as soon as I hit these sheets; out like a light.

And now, at precisely twelve twenty-eight in the morning, I was trying to build up enough courage to stand and walk out of the room in hopes of reaching the bathroom. With a sigh made of half annoyance and half pain, I turned in my bed, letting my feet slide gently across the edge and begin to steady themselves on the darkly carpeted floor of my room. Even I knew it would take a while to get even the tiniest bit closer to the edge, so I turned my attention to my room, wondering if I should rearrange it. The navy blue walls were in need of another coat of paint, not that you could tell from all the band posters. From My Chemical Romance to Green Day, from Good Charlotte to Rise Against, my wall was a mess of horribly arranged poster placements. So I wasn't the neatest person around, big whoop.

My floor was a midnight blue and the curtains that hid the pale light coming from the moon were only a tad bit lighter then my carpet; Tifa had often referred to my room as depressing sorrow, whatever the hell that meant. She always had a reason for why I was such a quiet person, but I doubt she had forgotten what had happened. It had been a very painful experience. Even more so then this one.

The ringing of the front door broke through my thoughts and I was silent for a moment, hoping that the person would just go away. I was so not in the mood to hear the constant screeching of the front door. The ringing was heard again, only this time, pressed down; an obvious sign that whoever was outside knew I was awake.

"Mother fucker!" So it was inappropriate, who cares. I was trying not to think about walking and the person at the door was urging me to move faster. After a moment of sighing and fear that the pain would get worse, I stood, biting back a gasp as my stomach punched me from the inside. I had been afraid it would hurt when I stood and I had been fucking right. The door bell did that annoying 'press in for a minute' thing and I slowly made my way out of the room, a little bent over with my hand on the wall while the other lightly caressed my stomach.

"This had better not be some freaking telemarketer. What do you-," anything I might have said was turned into a gasp as I was pushed back into my house; the one who had been annoying me with the door bell entered and turned his back to me, shutting the door with a loud slam. I know I should have been furious, should have been mad at the fact someone would enter my house uninvited; but anything I might have said disappeared from my mind as I just stared at the brunette strands of hair that seemed to have gotten longer without my noticing.

Finally, he turned, his blue eyes staring deep into mine; it didn't take a genius to know that his frozen gaze was sending unseen shivers down my back. Leon began to step towards me and I blinked for a moment before backing up with each step he took, having momentarily forgotten the pain in my stomach. Had I even had a pain in my stomach? It all seemed ages ago right now. I jumped as my back hit the wall, probably looking like a deer in the headlights as Leon stopped inches away, eyes narrowing just a little. "Are you stupid? Why did you even take that challenge?"

That knocked me out of my daze. Doesn't matter who the fuck he is, nobody makes me feel inferior. "Fuck off; I have a responsibility to the people in my group. Besides, shouldn't you be out with Seifer, getting drunk or whatever you jocks do for fun, Leon?"

The corners of his lips twitched and I realized he was giving me a small smile, though it seemed a little pained. "Wow…only a few months ago, you had been calling me Squall. What happened?"

"You hate that name. Why should I call you it?"

"I gave you permission to…"

"Oh and what does that have to do with anything?"

"I was starting to get the impression you had a thing for me."

"Well apparently, you were mis--mph!"

My eyes were wide as his lips pressed gently against mine, his frozen orbs hidden behind long lashed eyelids, one of his hands caressing my cheek softly. This was the thing I had been fighting for so long now. We would never be meant for each other. I was the leader of a group that hated the Jocks, leader of the Rebels. And he…was one of those jocks. That meant I couldn't...shouldn't feel anything for him. Didn't it?

It took a moment, but I was the one to break away, Leon opening his eyes to stare down at me in complete relaxation. He was ready for either rejection or acceptance; I was fully ready to give either of the two, but for some reason, neither of the words would leave me. I tried to speak rejection and my heart gave a painful thud, forcing me to close my mouth. I tried acceptance and found my throat clenched up, refusing to let me say the words I wanted so desperately to say. After my attempts ended in failure, I sighed and gave a low laugh, shaking my head as I backed away from him.

Leon watched me as I walked backwards until I bumped into another wall, those low and almost hysterical laughs leaving me in slow puffs of air. And though Leon…no. And though Squall was never good with emotions, even he understood when someone was being pushed too far along the edge of choosing his friends or someone he was currently fascinated with. He cleared his throat, walking away from me finally; a part of me was thanking whoever had given him common sense, while another part of me wanted to hold out a hand, tell him to come back. The latter sighed in relief as he paused at the door, glancing back towards where I stood. "I'll let you think it over. But Cloud…I won't wait for you forever."

And with those words, he left my suddenly pain filled self to be alone in the hallway, closing the door with a quiet snap. Those little laughs turned into a sob as I slid down the wall to sit against the floor, my eyes skyward as the tears came forth, hot and scalding across my cheeks. "If I say yes, I'd hurt everyone who looks up to me. But If I say no…I'd be breaking my own heart…"

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An Ice Prince

"I can see how he watches me, how he just stares in longing whenever I pass him. How whenever we walk past each other in the hallway, he purposefully bumps into me, just to feel my body against his. I understand because…I feel the same way for him."

I would never understand the Independent Leader of the Rebels. They all say that about him; about how he's an Independent Leader, someone who would rather sacrifice himself then let others be along for the ride. I hadn't ever understood what they meant. But it's starting to make sense now. During the challenge today, I had just assumed he was doing it to piss Seifer off; not that I would blame him for that, he is an annoying prick, after all. But after seeing how mad Prince got when Cloud accepted, I understood that he wasn't doing it to piss Seifer off. He was doing it to make Sora Prince's life just a little easier.

My boots were disturbingly loud against the concrete sidewalk that was in front of the neighborhood where Cloud lived. They made sharp clacks that traveled in an echo down the street, the sound bouncing off the paneled walls of the small houses. It was a surprise to see Cloud still in this area. After that accident three years ago, one would think his mom would have gotten out of the hospital by now. Then again, mako poisoning was a serious illness that effected both mental and physical health. I could remember it like it was yesterday; the mako had completely soaked him. The neon liquid had gotten in the seams of his clothing and had glowed with an almost magical essence. It had also somehow made its way into his eyes. The blue gaze that glowed with what people called a power while all it really happened to be was mako that had not been removed properly.

A horn honking made me jump and I glanced to the side with wide eyes, a growl leaving me as I heard the loud burst of laughter that flowed forth from the beat up old Toyota. Zell let himself hang partially out the window, bringing the car to a stop near me and placing it in park before actually saying anything. "You know, I have never seen you jump before."

"And if you ever say anything to anybody, you'll never see anything again."

"Ooh, tough words coming from you, Leon. Going to kill me?"

"No, I'll just put duct tape over your eyes."

Zell laughed again and nodded to the far side of the Toyota, leaning over and opening to door with a click of the lock. "Get in. I'll drive you to your house."

After a moment of hesitation, knowing full well that Zell was a crazy driver and I was stupid for even thinking about it, I slid into the seat of the car and closed the door. Just as the snap of the metallic gears holding the door firmly in place were heard, he took off like a bat out of hell, making me remember one of those rules from Drivers Education my Sophomore year; Always Buckle Up.

"So, what are you doing all the way out here? You live, like, ten miles away."

"Oh…I was just checking up on someone. They were sick today."

"Really? Are they okay?"

"I don't know…he didn't seem okay when I left."

"What? He got the flu?"

No. It's more like he has a broken heart if anything. "Yeah, I think that's what it was."

"Too bad. What's his name?"

"Eh…you probably don't know him."

"Well, I might if you tell me his name."

"Trust me on this, you don't know him."

Zell threw me what must have been a very suspicious glare, but I hadn't been paying attention to him, instead turning my focus onto the houses that were flashing by in bright swirls of color. If I could trust anyone in my group, Zell would be the one. He had connections into every last group and happened to be well liked by just about all the people who went to our school. But even he wouldn't understand this.

I can see how he watches me, how he just stares in longing whenever I pass him. How whenever we walk our separate ways in the hallway, he purposefully brushes against me, just to feel my body against his. I understand how he feels…because I feel the exact same way for him. But there is always a complication. I would never admit to it. Not to my friends or the people who are in my group. But neither would Cloud…and all because he can't choose between the person he loves and the people who need him.

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A Rebel Prince

I hate alarm clocks. Not the throw it across the room in the hopes it breaks hatred, but set it on fire and watch it suffer hatred. That is how three of my previous alarm clocks have died and my mom is getting just a little bit pissed off about it. 'You burn one more alarm clock and I'll burn your ass!' was what she usually said. Now, whether she would actually do it or not is not something I was hoping to ever find out about. After all, getting your finger burnt, never mind the nether region area, hurts like hell. So when the alarm clock rang this morning, I did the thing most people seem to do; I threw it across the room, only to watch it become imbedded in the chalk white wall.

I heard the curse from the kitchen, my mom slamming down whatever she had been working on to stomp across the hallway to where my room was. With a gasp of fear, I jumped from my bed, tripping a few times on the sheets that had wrapped around my ankles and made it just in time to pull the clock from the wall when the door was opened. I blinked up at my mom, the alarm clock in my hand, my frame hiding the imprint in the wall and a hand rubbing my eyes tiredly. "Hey, what's the rush? I was going to scream good morning as soon as I was dressed, you know."

My mom, despite her belief, is a very pretty woman. Her brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, two curvy strands at the side of her face that made her tan face all the more noticeable, like the bright sapphire orbs that stared out in a suspicious glare. There were a few minutes of looking around the room in suspicion before she gave a sigh and left, closing the door behind her. I huffed in relief and looked down at the clock, covered in a chalk like substance made from the wall. Looking around for one of the posters I only hung up when I put a hole in the wall, I tossed the alarm clock onto the bed and leaned down, picking up a poster featuring My Chemical Romance; all dressed in that weird school outfit they wore in the music video I'm Not Okay (I Promise).

It was sort of funny how many posters I had. Most of them were on my walls now, but a good number were seated on the floor or under the bed, waiting to hide another hole that I've made on my own or that one of my friends have helped with. I remember the first indention in the wall was made by Cloud and me; I had been sitting on my bed, Cloud talking to me before I suddenly launched onto him. He went spiraling backwards and one of his elbows went into the wall. It had been hilarious at the time and it still was. Well, to me anyway. Cloud had felt bad about it for some reason.

Satisfied with the placement and selection of the poster, I gave a small nod and glanced around my room, sighing. Though my room was nothing special, it was probably cleanest of all my friends. They had always asked me who my maid was and whenever I said I was the one who cleaned the room, they wanted to know if I wore a maid's outfit while cleaning. Don't see why it's so weird. Last time I was in Riku's room, it looked like a war had gone on while he hadn't been there.

At the thought of the bastard, I remembered yesterday, being pushed up against the concession stand and I could feel the heat rushing to my face. If I looked at myself in the mirror, I'd probably be blushing. I cursed and rubbed my cheeks in embarrassment, thankful that no one else was around at the moment. Riku had a lot of nerve even touching me after what he did. How he just abandoned me to join a bunch of jerks like the Jocks.

Giving one my cheeks a sharp slap to bring me back to today, I wandered towards my mirrored closet, opening it with a little bit of effort. It would be better if I just left it open. The damn doors got more stubborn with each passing day. My hands slid along the selection of dark colored clothing I had, only a few shirts actually having any color and that was only because they had a few bands that I liked on them. Digging my hand into the very back corners of my closet, I pulled out a pair of blue jeans that had a few rips on the knees and lower, tossing them on the bed. And after a bit more scrounging around, I found a black shirt with a Slipknot logo on the front.

Once I was completely dressed, I closed my closet door, cursing as it give a squealing sound of protest; it was a surprise mom didn't come running into the room to see if I had broken anything. The damn thing closed finally and I examined myself in the mirror, nodding in satisfaction. "Yes, you are one sexy little rebel boy, aren't you?"

"Well, if you consider rebellious short people who still have a smidge of baby fat on them sexy, then yeah, you're sexy," announced a voice that became more clear as the owner entered the room, smirking to me as he ran a hand through his dirty blonde locks. Tidus was probably the only person my mom would let into our house without calling the cops; mainly because he didn't dress as darkly as most of my other friends did, but also because he knew how to charm older women.

His choice of clothing for the day was a yellow shirt that was just a tad too bright for my tastes, the sleeves having been ripped into thin shreds; black pants hugged his hips, held tight around his waist by an attached buckle while the random belts and clip hung down, just begging to be pulled on. And just a little under the shadow of his pant legs were worn black converse sneakers, having flames on the front of them that faded into nothing across the sides. Around his neck was his 'symbol' as he called it, hanging on a white golden chain with the silver amulet gleaming brightly against his shirt.

I rolled my eyes and turned away from the mirror, facing him instead of his reflection. "Why are you wearing yellow…? That color is way too bright."

"I look good in yellow."

"You look like a banana…"

"Then I'm a sexy banana."

"…there isn't such thing as a sexy banana!"

"Oh, just like there aren't any purple vegetables?"

"…shut up."

I ignored his laughter and turned away, reaching down to tug on the sneakers that looked like they'd been pushed through the grinder on too many times. He was referring to the day where we were forced to study fruits and vegetables for Foods and I just so happened to mistake a grape fruit for a vegetable. I had gotten a letter grade drop for that stupid mistake, along with a large sticker that said 'Good Job' on it. Tidus never stopped making fun of me for it. Fucking sticker…I am so not in kindergarten anymore.

"Man that was so funny. I wonder if Mrs. Yunalesca remembers that…"

"How can't she, I was the only one to ever mistake a grape fruit for a vegetable…," I muttered, really not wanting to remember that day. Even I had to admit it was ridiculous, the word fruit is added onto the word. Tidus and I walked out of my room, me pausing to close the door with a secure slam before hurrying a little to catch up with him. My house was small, but cozy. Only one hallway held the bathroom, my room, my mom's room and the guest room; before the hallway, was the living room and kitchen.

Tidus and I chatted quietly until we got to the front door, in which I slowed down, causing him to look back at me with blinking eyes. I put a finger up to my lips, shaking my head when Tidus opened his mouth to say something. I carefully looked towards where my mom was in the kitchen, cooking something probably filled with poison for all I knew. Making sure she really was preoccupied with whatever she was currently cooking, I unlocked the door and began to open it when a pan slammed against my rear.

"Sora James Prince; where are you going?"

I looked back to my mother, the evil woman who held up the pan menacingly as if she were about to hit me again. Ignoring Tidus' confused question ('your middle name is James?'), I glared to her. "Mom, for fucks's sake! Why'd you hit my ass with a frying pan?"

"Watch your language! And I just made breakfast; you aren't going anywhere without eating."

She sent me a frozen glare before turning away, swinging the frying pan in her hand as she walked back to the kitchen, a frightened Tidus following after her. Seeing as I couldn't leave the poor guy to my mothers dangerous pan swinging, I sulked after the two, gingerly sitting down in the chair. One couldn't understand the pain that was radiating from my backside right now; it was pulsating, she'd hit me so hard. Looking at the place of yellow mush, black strips of meat and a large blob of dough, I grimaced and began to eat.

Yeah, it tasted just how it sounded. Crispy, runny and completely hard to swallow; that sounds very wrong, but everything about it was true. Eating it all seemed to take forever, though when I looked at the clock after I'd finished; it was only fifteen minutes later. I sighed and stood, walking towards the door again. "Alright, I ate your breakfast, okay? Tidus and I have got to get going now…"

"Oh, I'll give you a ride. I have a little while before I start getting ready for work."

Surprisingly enough, that was all that really happened at my house. Tidus and I piled into the back seat while Mom got into the drivers seat of her beat up Toyota; yeah, it was old, but at least it got from point A to point B. All that was needed in a car. The scenery was completely autumn sprinkled, leaves swirling around in bright yellows and reds, flying upwards and around depending on which direction the cars were passing them.

Mom arrived at the school's back doors, a few people looking up to see who had been dorky enough to catch a ride from 'mommy', though after seeing who we were, they didn't care anymore. We were the 'Jock's property', official tormenting tools to those bastards. As Tidus and I walked towards the stairs, we noticed Kairi talking to Rikku in a high pitched, excited voice. How girls could get so excited other things, I would never know.

My thoughts on the matter were interrupted though by Tidus, who nudged me hard enough to have me glaring at me. "Well…? You were going to tell her today. Now would be a good time, before school starts."

I stared at him silently for a moment, letting my eyes fall to the paved ground in which I was walking on. "Yeah…but what if-"

"It's going to hurt either way. But it only proves she's really a good person if she accepts that. If she doesn't, we don't need her around."

That made my brain freeze everything but the muscles that were moving in my legs; Tidus was right. If she could accept what I had to tell her, then it did prove she was a good person. If she didn't…well, whatever. Just a few weeks of being depressed before I got over it. I blinked and glanced around as I realized my feet had stopped moving; I was in front of the stairs and Kairi looked from Tidus to me in confusion. "Tidus just said…you have something you want to tell me…"

I sent Tidus a first rate glare, but he ignored me, staring at the ceiling in silence. After a moment, a sigh left my lungs and I grabbed Kairi's hand, pulling her into the school. She blinked, stumbling to a stand and following after me, looking very confused. Not that I would blame her; whenever you heard that your boyfriend needed to talk to you about something, it almost always turned out bad.

We came to a stop in the hallway, Kairi watching my back while I continued to stare away from her, at the wall or door or whatever would catch my attention; anything but into her eyes. Silence passed for a moment; it seemed like hours once she had finally spoke. "Sora…what's this about…?

"I wanna break up, Kairi…"

Her eyes got wide and she grabbed the fabric around my shoulders, shaking me lightly. "What…? Why? Did I do something wrong? Sora, why would you just suddenly say that to me? What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything. It's just that…I…I'm…"

"What? You're what?"

"I'm…gay."

More silence passed and I only took a small glance at her face before looking away quickly again. Where before she had appeared as if she were going to cry, now all that he saw was anger; the emotion lit up her eyes like emerald gems. She gave a disgusted sound and pushed me away, the bell ringing almost exactly at the time she opened her mouth. "You fucking fag! You've been using me? Like some…some whore? Is that all I am to you Sora? Well, fuck you! See if I care!"

She gave me a glare that had the blood inside me run cold, turning away and walking down the hall towards her first hour. I stared at the ground for a few minutes, distantly seeing Tidus in the crowd of students that had begun to swarm the halls. He pushed a bit, trying to break free from the crowd to talk to me, but I didn't want to hear anything. Any comfort and I would probably start getting teary eyed; if there was something I wouldn't do, it was cry in front of people.

Turning away, I walked towards the gym, only making it there because the path to the locker rooms had been memorized. Students talked happily around me, some accidentally bumping into my shoulders or stomach, apologizing before going back to their random conversations; at the moment, I felt numb. It usually was a good feeling, a balanced area between sadness and happiness. Of all things to be right now, happy would be a very welcome release.

With a sigh, I walked down the stairs to the locker room, leaning my head against the cold surface. All around, boys changed into their gym clothes, paying me no attention; until I felt a hand sliding into my back pocket and a body pressing against my back. I gave a jump, that numb feeling disappearing into fear pretty quickly. My mouth opened to scream, but a hand clamped over it, turning the sound into a muffled yelp.

Almost immediately I paused, the scent of what a certain person called 'ocean mist' greeting my nostrils and my fear immediately turned into confusion with anger. "Riku! The hell are you doing?"

"Hmm? What, I thought you like my attention?" I could hear that bastards smirk without even looking. Who knew what he was thinking; not even when we had been friends did I understand him. With a sigh, I leaned my head against the locker again, attempting to ignore him and silently repeat the phrase 'I wish he would go away' over and over again in the hopes it would happen. Well, that did happen, but something…very different did. My eyes opened wide as I felt a hand sliding along the front of my pants, his hands inches from my groin.

This would be when my confusion turned into instant panic. "WHAT THE HELL? RI-"

My voice was muffled and Riku gave a laugh into my ear. "I heard from a red headed bird that you were gay, Sora…so I have an offer for you. I'll start leaving you alone at lunch…if you'll let me have my way with you whenever I want…"

To Be Continued…

Dark: (gasp) Riku, you horny little dog, you!

Riku: (grin)

Sora: (whimper)

Dark: Saying it now; I am more busy during Sophomore year them Freshmen, so the chapters will take longer to write. Might be more then a month, just saying it now. There won't be any review things today...technically not supposed to be on the computer until after I clean the bathroom. Which I havent. So cookies for all, lots of love.