Karma is a bitch...Haha get it because...ha...he's...Okay I'll leave.

I changed my profile pic! It took forever to draw, heh lots of blood ya'know.

Anyway,

I hope you enjoy the chapter!

- X

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Words can hurt like hell.

Or heal the damned.

Your words hold the power of life and death in a way.

Physical pain fades into nothing, but words cut you deep in the heart. Sticking with you for so long that you begin to center your life around what others say.

Words are like a surprise.

You never really know what you're going to get.

xxxxx

"This is our room, don't touch my stuf— No better yet you aren't allowed in here." Roxas slammed the door shut, allowing only a few glimpses of each room.

"Stop being rude Roxas!" Sora chastised my brother. He waggles his finger, disapproving of Roxas and his attitude. On the other hand I keep a fair distance away from Vanitas.

Sora and Roxas bicker back and forth, both teasing each other playfully. This soon escalated to harmful words being spat out like weapons of war.

"Why don't you run and tell mommy? Huh? You're good at that…"

"Asshole!"

"Fucktard!"

"Dumbass!"

"Mommas boy!"

"AT LEAST I HAVE A MOM!"

The words are toxic, sharpened at the end like a dagger. Sora gasps, eyes wide with regret. He covers his mouth with his hands, but the damage has been done.

"Roxas, I'm sorry—-" Sora is tackled down the stairs by the enraged boy. His eyes light up in hot white seething anger. Sora lets a ungodly scream out as Roxas tears into him.

"GET OFF OF ME YOU CRAZY BASTARD!" Roxas mauls at Sora, his growls infernal. I attempt to drag Roxas off the brunette, but he's locked in place.

"Roxas stop! He said sorry! Stop!" My eyes are brimmed with tears, they wander to Vanitas. He stands still, unfazed by the useless fighting. The shadow stands beside him, drinking in our anger and fear.

"Are you going to help or stand there!" Vanitas shrugs and unconsciously raises his hand to meet the shadows chin.

I sprint downstairs to Cloud and Aerith, my hands are placed firmly on the table. My breathing is heavy and laboured and I can hear my blood rushing to my head.

"Ven? What's wrong?" Aerith puts down her coffee, Clouds peers from behind the paper. His eyes stern and relentless.

"He…He…Sora…Roxas attacked Sora." I take in a long breath, Aerith and Cloud look at each other. Immediately they sprint down the hallway.

I follow after the suit.

Roxas has defensive and offensive wounds on his fists and face.

Sora is worse, with a busted lip and a black eye.

"ROXAS!"

Aerith is seething. Her eyes burn with a flame I never realized she had, Cloud moves into action as soon as Aerith does. Taking Roxas away from Sora.

"Ven…You should go to school. I think your brother and Sora need some things sorted out." Cloud gives me a smile of reassurance. I look over at the bloody teenagers and in hesitance I nod.

The shadow roars.

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"Hello, this is the UC system. How may I help you?"

"Zexion! I have a few questions I need answers to now…" Zexion motioned toward the screen, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"The reapers intern? Very well continue." Zexion gave a dismissive wave of his hand, focusing in on the leather bound book he was writing in.

I fiddle with my fingers, my brain short circuits and my eyes flash from the scenery behind the school and the monitor.

"Well…Well…ehh…umm…." My tongue stumbled and fell silent.

"Well spit it out!"

"Shadows!" I screech out. "Do shadows usually follow people around?" Zexion halted his movement, his eyes like glacial chips of jagged ice.

"Shadows? What shadows?"

"Well one shadow actually, it's really tall and it follows this boy around—-"

Zexion fully turns toward the monitor. I jump back, shocked by the sudden twist. His eyes are soft with fear.

"Tell me does the shadow have golden eyes?" Fear settles in my stomach and I lurch.

"Yes…"

"That's a Umbra Nesciret, it shouldn't be allowed in the mortal realm!" Zexion is a ball of fury now.

"This is bad… Lives are at stake if those things are running around!"

"W-What are they?"

"Darkness…Infestation…Evil"

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The day is slow.

I don't see neither Roxas or Sora. I feel alone, only occasionally will a few people come up to me in the hallway asking about Roxas or Sora.

A few of the people looking for Roxas are shadier figures of the school. The kind of people who carry switch blades in their pockets and smoke behind the school.

As the day ends I am met by Larxene Farle, the poisonous snake of the school. Her eyes catch on me like a predator to prey.

"You're Ven right? Roxas's twin?"

"Yea…" I answer solemnly, honestly I didn't want to stand here and talk with Larxene. She moves her antenna like bangs from her eyes and smiles.

Her smile is revolting, full of malice and bullcrap.

"Now be a good sport and tell me what happened to dear old Roxy?" She slings her arm around me and I recoil at her touch.

"He's sick." I lie, unwilling to let someone as shady as Larxene in on a private matter. She bites her lip taking her arm away with her.

"Is that so?" She pushed me into the wall, her smile faded into a snarl. "Where is he? Wow you really do look like him…" Her eyes wander once more, before falling.

"Fine, don't tell…Eheh It won't help him…" She giggles and blows a kiss, before leaving. I shiver in disgust, her vanilla perfume lingers in the air and I feel myself becoming contaminated

xxxxxx

Football games are always long and drawn out.

The uproar of people when a team scores. The smell of sweaty bodies jam packed into the bleachers.

I absolutely hate it.

Aqua and Terra run across the field to get pictures of the action, snapping pictures of when Tidus Amorita tackles an opposing team member.

The dirty blonde goes in for a touch down and…Abruptly turns, throwing the football to Wakka Maliki, who scores instead.

The crowd screams and shouts in excitement.

From the corner of my eye, I catch red hair.

"Axel?" I whisper.

The cheerleaders jump and shout a new insult at the opposing team. Aqua waves at me, her smile kind and genuine.

I return the smile and wave with a lazier...awkward...Version.

I get up from my seat. Stepping on a few toes, I make my way to where Axel disappeared.

"Axel!" I hiss in urgency. I needed to tell him of my discovery and gather as much information on the shadow.

The darkness stretches across the parking lot, the shouting and jeers of the football game grow silent.

"Come on! Haha you got me now stop being an asshole!"

Silence greets me, and I wrap my arms around my waist. Slowly I back out of the parking lot. A hand grasps mine and I shoot back, tumbling onto the floor.

Looking back to the scene, I sense nor see any presence.

I get back up and prepare to run. From nowhere A hand shoots out and grabs my arm, seizing me of any movement.

"Hey!"

I am relieved that it was only Axel. My heart flutters with joy that I hadn't succumbed to something worse.

Yet, something was off.

The reaper no longer has green eyes. Instead they are replaced with gold. His lip curls with cruelty, the grip on my wrist tightens each time I try to squirm away.

"What's wrong?"

"Axel stop—"

The sound of blood splatter on the floor is deafening. I shiver in disgust and disbelief.

My whole frame collapsed and shrunk, as I shambled away from the body. Black shadows explode from every crevice of the puppet.

Screams of anguish rip from the body and tear into me like butter, the screams only stop when the body is reduced to nothing.

The person behind my puts away their weapon. His eyes shone a purposeful fire, a fire that reminds me too much of Axel.

"Damn, so what Zexion said about the return of the Umbra Nesciret is true yo?! Wicked!"

I shake with fear, the mysterious man turns to me with a cheesy smile. He runs a hand through his unkempt red strands of hair.

His eyes are striking. That's the first thing I notice. His eyes are as Blue as sapphires. Why does this feel like I'm staring at Axel in a costume?

"You must be Axel's little mortal? Hello! You mortals are fond of calling me a bitch, but you can call me Reno yo!"