A/N: I could swear I posted this. Of course I didn't, but that doesn't matter. It's going up now, better late than never I suppose TTOTT

It struck me, while I quickly edited this, that I may offend people with this story and my lack of correct terms and whatnot. I'd hope I didn't, but it's entirely possible. If you couldn't tell, I'm straight, and I have NO IDEA the correct nomenclature for... Well, anything. People are beautiful. That's all I know. I don't need a title or some kind of term of sexuality to know you're beautiful, and you're human.

Anyway, enjoy the final chapter of this VERY rough story!

Chapter 4

Things were turning explosive. After Vaan announced his homosexuality to the school, the Principal gave all three of them a month's worth of detention for "disrupting an assembly", and half the school was in outrage. It seemed the lack of fair treatment was beginning to thaw the school's social hierarchy; during that detention, it wasn't just Vaan, Balthier, and Riku who showed up- about seven other students did.

It turned out that several students in the school were homosexual. Three lesbian girls showed up, two gays, and the other two were just supporters like Balthier. Vaan seemed relieved; the next day, his friends continued to sit with him, but when Riku attempted to go eat alone in the library, it was a young girl named Ashe who ran over to stop him.

"It would mean a lot to Vaan if you sat with us," she said softly. "You're a hero to him... And to all of us."

"I don't..." Riku didn't know how to react. He'd gotten used to his self-imposed banishment.

"Please." She smiled at him, and he sighed, beaten. A smile as friendly as her's was impossible to say "no" to.

But then something terrible happened- Balthier was sent to the hospital, and Vaan sported a nasty set of bruises over half his body.

They'd been attacked, and clearly by Vayne's own supporters. Riku realized that, with so many of them in the line of fire and his own ability to protect them in a constant flux, he needed to do something fast.

And that was how he found himself at the head of roughly fifteen students, with Reno, Rude, and Elena at either side, teaching everyone self-defense.

For weeks, he ran courses with the students, designed to allow them to protect themselves and not necessarily to harm anyone. Somehow this made it to Midgar news as well, and Riku knew it was only a matter of time until his family was found. There was already rumors of SHINRA moving to relocate them in preparation for the inevitability.

"Riku," Vaan said one lunch, looking curiously at the silver-haired teen's anxious face. "What's wrong?" Their lunch table had grown to nearly thirty supporters; they were making waves at theschool, with Riku situated awkwardly at the center.

"I may not... Be here much longer," Riku said somewhat hesitantly. He looked at his tray of uneaten food. "I may have to suddenly leave, and not say goodbye."

"Why-" Vaan looked dismayed, as did Ashe and a girl named Penelo- the one with the blonde pigtails.

"Just... Reasons." Riku looked at the ceiling. "But that doesn't mean you should all stop fighting."

"Who's going to train us?" Ashe said quickly. "We need you, Riku. You can't go."

Riku was torn. He wanted so badly to stay behind and help them, protect them, but he'd already gotten in too deep.

"If I stay," he said quietly. "Bad things will happen. Worst than what's happening here."

No one said anything; the agony on his face was too real, too truthful.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

–

It turned out, Riku needn't have worried. The moment came when Vayne had had enough; his ordered attacks weren't working anymore. The supporters and "out" students traveled in groups, and their new-found skills kept them from being harmed. So it was that he approached Riku and tried goading the teen into hitting him.

Unfortunately for Vayne, Riku was extremely high-strung by this point; he'd been seeing signs everywhere that his time was up, and he was afraid to mention anything to his family. SHINRA hadn't given the command yet, and his stress-levels were higher than ever. At any moment He could walk around the corner of the school, or kill someone nearby for the fun of it, or kidnap Riku's mother- and he wasn't handling the fear very well.

"Well well well, if it isn't my favorite fag," Vayne said one lunch period, leaning against a locker three away from Riku's. The silver-haired teen worked a muscle in his jaw.

"Not now, Vayne," Riku said through gritted teeth. "You don't want to do this right now."

"Oh, no?" Vayne sneered, brown eyes glittering. "Why wouldn't I? You've turned my school into a horror house."

"Riku," Vaan said warningly from the silver-haired teen's left. He'd seen Riku's hands tense. "Stop. It's not worth it."

"What, hitting me in the face?" Vayne leaned forward, staring gloatingly into Riku's steel eyes. "You know you want to. Or perhaps you'd rather kiss me?" He paused, brown eyes flicking to look at Vaan's expression of fear. "I know Vaan wants you to kiss him- don't you, fag?"

"I'd rather you KISSED MY ASS," Riku snarled, and with one glorious punch, he sent Vayne flying across the hall. It felt like everything faded to slow-motion; Vayne, flying unceremoniously past the lockers. Students, their mouths turning into large "O's" as they followed his movement. Vaan yelping in shock at Riku's lightning fast response, his snapped temper.

The brunet stood up quickly, but the blow made him stagger. Riku was on him in seconds, roaring wordlessly, and Vayne never even had a chance to get a word in. Within minutes, the teen was knocked out, and Riku was being escorted by three teachers to the principal's office, head held high amidst cheering and applause from all but those closest to him.

Within fifteen minutes, Riku was expelled and escorted from the premesis, and within at most thirty minutes after that, SHINRA gave the order to pull out.

It was Riku's greatest regret that he never got to say goodbye to his first and only friends, and it would be along time before he was ever considered anyone's friend again.