Me: Hi! Had a great Christmas, lots of notebooks and lots of video games like…Guitar Heroes 2 and Zelda Twilight Princess. Ha!
But I shall pull myself away from these treasures to give you a new story chapter!
NOW READ!
Feather Nine
Caught Off Guard
Sora had managed to tear himself out of the shower before Riku could knock on the door and ask him if he had been sucked down the drain to lord knows where. He quickly threw on his boxers keeping his towel slung over his shoulder as he walked out of the steaming bathroom glancing at Riku who was busy fiddling with the radio unaware of Sora's arrival.
Taking the free opportunity, Sora tip toed over to the ladder and quickly began to ascend the steps up to his loft being extra careful not to slip as his damp feet pressed against the frail wooden material creaking under his weight. When he reached the top he was shivering from head to foot, the cold air pressing in through the large glass window shadowing his large bed. He opened up the top drawer of his nightstand hoping to find a spare hooded sweatshirt Tifa might have stashed away, when his eyes fell on a familiar object catching him off guard.
Sora bit his lower lip. "Tifa…"
Staring back at him from the dusty shadows of his drawer was a small stuffed moogle; its button black eyes staring back at him sadly, barely holding on to the worn material with two small stitches which had loosened over the years.
The brunette glanced cautiously down at his silver haired friend who was now sitting in a spare seat at the kitchen table with his hands clasped firmly behind his head and his eyes shut in thought as music poured out of the speakers of the radio. Taking his chances, he carefully pulled the moogle doll out of his drawer and walked over to his bed where he carefully placed it on the pillow where it stared up at him thankfully.
Sora gave a small nod of approval and walked back over to his dresser closing the top drawer and searching through the bottom two finding a pair of old ripped jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt just big enough to hide his wings.
Quickly he pulled on the jeans catching his foot in one of the large holes making it rip even more. With a hiss of aggravation, he pulled them on with a harsh tug and grabbed his shirt, hitching it over his shoulder, and climbing down the ladder where Riku was standing there waiting for him.
"I heard your cry of distress and wondered what was wrong." Riku laughed looking from Sora's bare chest to the sweatshirt draped over his shoulder putting two and two together. "You need help with that?"
Sora felt his face flush. "I guess…either way, it's not easy."
Suddenly the brunette eyes widened as he felt a small shiver run up his spine and his wings automatically shook, sending a large spray of water into the air as a house pet would after a long unwanted bath. Riku muffled a small laugh earning a harsh glare from Sora who threw the sweatshirt at him in irritation. "Shut it…"
Riku obeyed, pasting on a warm smile and turning the sweatshirt upside down so he had a firm grip on the outer material. "Fine. Arms up!"
Sora obeyed, raising his arms up over his head in a comical fashion. Sensing a battle, the brunettes wings flapped irritably before carefully folding up against the crook of his back. This didn't relax Sora in the least, afraid that they would shoot out at the last minute struggling for freedom in the material of Sora's shirt. But as Riku tugged the outerwear over his head his wings stayed in place, even as he pulled it snuggly over his head and lowered his arms rolling up the sleeves so he could have use of his hands.
The brunette smiled. "Thanks."
"Sure thing." Riku looked down, fishing inside the pocket of his jeans, and pulled out a large ring of keys of various shapes and sizes. "You ready?"
Sora nodded. "Yeah, lets go."
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Rosie had never been one to wander during her free time when she actually had it. Oddly enough, she found herself sitting in the main room of The Chaser Headquarters picking at her chipped nails which she always had no time to fix. Unfortunately she couldn't motivate herself to do so, having no missions till Monday when she was supposed to go back to the cursed place called school and spy on the little feathered brat. What annoyed her even more was that there was no one around to yell at. Even her cell had died on her and was currently charging in her room.
"…This sucks ass." she mumbled out loud to no one in particular. They had finally found the kid and now they were less busy then when they hadn't known his whereabouts.
From the depths of the building a door opened and closed fallowed by a stampede of footsteps. Rosie looked up to find Blitz and Red following a very irritated looking Will who unfortunately chose to head in Rosie's direction sitting down in a nearby chair not even glancing in her direction as he shot an icy glare at the two eager looking men who were chatting nonstop at the same time. Rosie felt her annoyance raise a few levels.
"Come on Will, tell us! We're bored." Blitz wined crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly. "It'll give us something to do."
The blonde clicked his tongue sharply. "Like what, screw up the whole mission?"
"Well why did you mention it to us in the first place then?" Red hissed looming over the Chaser threateningly.
Will didn't look at all threatened and slowly turned his ice blue eyes to the men flashing them with a dangerous malice. "Because your stupidity and eagerness amuses me. Is that the answer you wanted?"
Both men immediately straightened up feeling the sharp sting of his words. Rosie frowned at the blonde who shifted his gaze to her in a 'what do you want?' fashion causing her red lips to pucker up in irritation and looked away with a snort of disapproval.
"Just tell us you dumb blonde!" Red snapped. "Or I'll show you the dark side of my stupidity asshole."
"Then you wont ever get to find out now will you?" Will smirked. "I'll take the secret with me to my grave."
"More like a garbage can." Blitz muttered earning a small twitch of irritation from Will.
Unable to stand it, Rosie stomped her black heeled foot on the marble floor catching all three boys by surprise. They turned to face her in confusion and she immediately sat up fixing her gaze on Will coldly. "Kid, for god sakes just tell them and they'll leave you alone. Or I'll kick all three of your asses out into the street."
Their eyes flashed in anger and Will opened his mouth to speak but Rosie beat him to it. "The only thing that should be coming out of your mouth William is what the hell your not tell us so you can all go about your merry fucking way. Now spill it before I have to choke it out of you."
A heavy silence developed between them as Will's mouth tightened into a firm line causing the shadows in the room to darken. Blitz and Red took a small step back, afraid that he might burst into a frenzy out of nowhere sending them all into what he liked to call oblivion.
Without another word, Will slowly got up from his seat, placed his hands in his pants pockets, and walked steadily to the hall. Before exiting, he turned toward the three of them flashing a sick looking smile making the hair on the back of Rosie's neck bristle and opened his mouth to speak.
"The 'Pigeon' as you people call him is out and about today with his friend from school. If you feel like messing with him behind the bosses back, go right ahead. You can find him at the town mall."
The look on Blitz's and Red's face gave away their excitement causing Will's face to harden. "Don't do anything stupid."
"Oh, we wont. Just worry about yourself Will." Red grinned. "Boy scouts honor."
The blonde muttered something repulsive under his breath before disappearing into the shadows of the hall. Rosie turned to watch the others who were fishing through the lounge closet for there black coats and pulling on there shoes. Red looked up from his excitement flashing Rosie a curious look. "Well, aren't you coming?"
She shook her head. "Wills right. If you screw up, it's not going to be on my shoulders."
"Come on, you said yourself you were bored. Maybe we can even capture him and bring him to the boss early." Blitz smiled madly.
Rosie laughed loudly. "If you can capture that kid with his friend by his side and without my help I'll do whatever you say for a week."
Red and Blitz looked at each other mischievously. "Such as?"
Rosie went back to her chipped nails. "We'll discuss that when it happens. IF it happens."
"That sounds like a challenge." Red smirked.
Rosie shrugged. "If you say so."
In a blink of an eye they were gone and Rosie leaned back against the sofa with a sigh of relief. "I'll give them three hours…tops."
The silence around her buzzed in her ears and as the clocked ticked away the seconds she found herself once again bored and alone.
Growling, she hopped to her feet shouting into the vicinity of the hallway. "Will, get your ass in here and help me paint my nails!"
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"So what exactly do you want to buy me?" Sora asked as he strolled in casually through the large glass doors leading into the County Mall which he opened with a sleeve covered hand afraid of what germs lurked on the metal handle. He had always had problems with touching public objects such as door handles, restaurant seats, and anything within the vicinity of a public bathroom. Thankfully the large sweatshirt was a big help on his part and with a flick of his wrist he pushed his sleeve up allowing his hand movement.
The trip to the mall had been exceedingly short and Riku's car was a big boost in the speed department. At a glance it wouldn't seem like much, just a plain silver Ford slightly used but definitely that of a teenagers. Riku obviously cared for it since the back and front seats were completely free of clutter and garbage except for a stray brown messengers bag which Sora had seen Riku carrying during school. The tidiness of the vehicle and the smooth drive to the store was enough to set Sora in high spirits not feeling at all nervous or exposed as he stepped into the mall with Riku by his side.
"I think we need to buy you something casual." Riku muttered scanning the contents of the mall with curious green eyes. It was crowded but not as crowded as he had expected. Random groups of people strolled past, mostly teens around there age. Some dressed in casual blue jeans and tops while others were adorned in short, elaborate, dresses and multicolored hair catching the two boys by surprise.
"Did…did that girl have bunny ears on her head?" Sora asked Riku awkwardly.
He nodded, his lips turning down into a large frown. "They must be having an Anime Convention or something. I think I seen a flyer on the way in."
The brunettes eyes sparkled excitedly. "I've always wanted to go to one of those, do you think-"
"No, that's pushing it a bit don't you think?" Riku warned darkly. "Your not supposed to be out as it is and if anything happens its on my shoulders but I'm willing to take responsibility for it anyway."
Sora puckered his lips together in an attempt to stop himself from pouting but it only made him look aggravated earning a swift glare from the silver haired teen. "How about we eat first?" he suggested silently.
The brunette nodded. "Alright."
They scooted there way through the growing crowd of people being careful to avoid any physical contact which might draw attention. Sora found this most difficult feeling his wings twitch in the cotton bonds of his sweatshirt every time his skin brushed against that of another's. After what felt like hours, Sora turned around to speak to Riku but couldn't find the teen anywhere in site.
A small spark of panic ignited inside him. "Riku?"
Suddenly a hand grabbed him by the wrist tightly and Sora felt his wings snap open in fright pushing his sweatshirt up and over his head. With his free hand he swiftly yanked the material back down over his appendages and he looked up to find Riku leading him quickly through the crowd bumping into random people who shot him irritated looks before going about there business.
"Riku, where are you-"
"Just walk." he shouted back to him without turning around. Sora obeyed willingly let himself be led until Riku turned into a random shop throwing him inside and shutting the door behind him.
Sora brushed the hair which had begun to fall irritably in front of his eyes out of the way and surveyed the contents of the shop Riku had led him too. It looked like a cross between a Starbucks and a Tarot Shop smelling heavily of coffee and incense making his head spin dreamily. Riku beckoned him over to a small wooden table draped with a satin maroon cloth which he walked over to slowly watching as Riku pulled out a small wooden chair which resembled the ones Sora had back at his home and rested his head in his hands looking tired and washed out.
"What's wrong?" Sora asked sitting down in front of him being careful not to crush his wings against the back railing of the seat.
A moment or two passed before Riku looked up, flashing his eyes dangerously at the table cloth. "I don't like crowds very much…" he muttered darkly.
Sora stared at him curiously wondering whether or not he should press the subject. He wanted to learn more about Riku, but this wasn't really how he had wanted to start off the conversation.
'Better take the chance while it's available.'
The brunette swallowed nervously. "…Why?"
A long silence followed his question and for a moment Sora thought he hadn't spoken loud enough when Riku narrowed his eyes at him dangerously as if sensing the brunettes plan. "Just…because." he answered darkly.
The teen swallowed. "Oh. Well… what else don't you like other then crowds?"
Riku's lips slowly pulled down into a curious frown as he searched for an answer, the darkness from his eyes quickly fading out of his features. "Well, I don't really care for Mexican food." he began slowly. "I don't like certain types of clothes and shoes but I wont list them because that would take all day. I hate rap music, I hate people who where their pants down really low and think their gangster. There's a lot of those people in our school so you would know. I don't like people who try and take authority over others, that really ticks me off. I don't really like spiders much either but they don't bug me as badly as other things."
Sora nodded resting his chin on the knuckles of his right hand propping his elbow up on the table. "Okay, then what are some things you do like?"
The teens eyes widened for a moment catching the sparkle of the dim light from above causing his eyes to shimmer making Sora's tongue stick to the roof of his mouth. "Oh, so we're going to play this game now are we, why so curious?"
"Because you saved my life and even though I've known who you are for the longest time I never really got to know you personally and it's been bugging me since forever!" Sora blurted out causing Riku to laugh.
"Well then why didn't you just ask me earlier?" Riku questioned, a small smirk tugging at his lips.
"Because it would have been extremely awkward and I don't want to be put in anymore awkward positions for a long time." Sora mumbled.
Riku raised a single eyebrow. "Such as?"
"Hey, I'm asking the questions here. You just answer them." Sora smirked crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly.
Riku stared at him for a moment before quietly folding his hands out on the table in front of him and fixing Sora with a calm gaze. "Alright then, shoot."
The brunette smiled in victory. "What are your likes?"
Riku was ready for him. "Painting, writing, drawing, acting, interactive video games, Dance Dance Revolution, Converse, sushi, McDonalds French Fries, art class, any kind of music other then rap, books, manga, anime, dogs, birds, Ramen Noodles, and Cherry Tootsie Roll Pops."
Sora stifled a laugh. "I like Apple flavored actually."
Riku tapped his finger on the table impatiently. "I'm answering, your asking. Remember?"
The brunette stuck out his lower lip sourly before continuing with more questions. "Favorite class?"
"Art." he replied.
"Favorite cartoon character?"
"Felix the cat."
"Favorite flower?"
"Rose…" he answered quietly strumming his fingers on the table causing a low vibration to travel through the table traveling up Sora's elbow. The brunette drove on with countless questions oblivious to the cold stares him and Riku were receiving from the waitress who walked by every five minutes to see if they would order anything. After half an hour she gave up and disappeared into the back and left them alone.
"So what's your family life like?" the brunette asked saving this question for last, learning from experience that such a question could bring fourth more then just an awkward answer depending on the person.
Sure enough, Riku's features tightened and he dropped his gaze back down onto the ruffled table cloth rocking ever so slightly on the edge of his seat. "It's pretty good I guess… just me and my dad. He's mostly at work though so I don't see him much." slowly he looked up pasting on a small smile which made Sora's heart drop. "That's kind of a good thing though because then I wouldn't be able to get away with spending so much time with you."
"Yeah, I know how that feels…" Sora muttered quietly. "It was like I didn't even have parents with them and their work." suddenly he remembered something. "Hey Riku, what about your moth-"
"So when do I get to question you?" Riku interrupted catching the brunette by surprise. His eyes were locked on an empty spot near the far corner of the table and Sora could see that his hands had traveled to the sides of his chair and were gripping the wood material tightly.
Sora felt a stab of regret. He had pushed his limits. "Oh. Well… when we get back home. I promise."
Riku nodded but stayed silently never allowing his eyes to stray from the empty spot. A heavy silence grew between them and Sora tried desperately to find something to distract himself which unfortunately was the waitress standing behind the cash register glaring at him coldly.
This was their queue to leave.
"Hey, the crowds died down. Do you think we can go shopping now?" Sora asked weakly.
Riku snapped his head up as if awakening from a dream and looked at him oddly as if he had just realized he was there. "Oh…yeah, sure."
Happy to leave the tainted shop, he quickly hopped out of his chair and walked beside Riku exiting out into the bright light of the mall which was filled with the low chatter of people and a muffled sound of music which he guessed was coming from the convention.
As they quietly walked along, their feet ended up guiding them inside a well known store filled with a variety of band T-shirts, video game sweatshirts, and rocker jewelry all the while blaring with familiar music which was believed to be turned up to the highest level of volume so it could numb the brains of the customers to block the pain of the high prices of their products. Of course, this was just an assumption but it didn't stop people from coming back to shop every weekend.
"Hot Topic." Riku announced with a hint of humor casting a small glance at Sora surveying his choice of clothing. "You sure?"
The brunette nodded staring at the items in the window with a glint of lust in his eyes. "My parents never let me buy anything in here, lets go for it."
Riku shrugged. "Fine by me."
Both boys walked carefully into the shop immediately splitting off in different directions as different items caught there eyes. Sora was drawn to the video game T-shirts holding up a Pac-man tee which Riku kindly told him he would only be able to wear at home.
"So you mean I can only buy sweatshirts?" Sora grumbled placing his hands in his pockets irritably.
"Looks like it. But don't complain, sweatshirts are really common. Especially in this town. It's always cold." he explained looking over the Pac-man shirt and draping it over his arm.
Sora frowned. "What are you doing with that?"
Riku smirked. "I'm buying it, what does it look like I'm doing?"
Riku walked off in the other direction before Sora could protest feeling his wings fight against the hold of his sweatshirt stretching the thread and fabric until the seams burst at the sides causing Sora to freeze in terror. Riku heard it too, casting him a worried glance which the brunette returned before turning his attention back to the merchandise. It was nothing to worry about, his top would hold on until he got home.
"Hey Riku, look at this!" Sora exclaimed excitedly five minutes later, holding up a large black hooded sweatshirt decorated with twisted white crowns and hearts.
"Look at the back too." he flipped the top around and decorated on the back were two white wings taking up most of the black fabric making it look fictional and witty.
Riku let out a roar of laughter grabbing on to a nearby store rack for support looking up at Sora with small tears in the corner of his blue eyes. "We are definitely buying that for you. Wait till Reno gets a load of that!"
Sora's eyes widened in terror at the mention of Reno and he felt the guilt began to poke at his heart. "Where will we tell him we got it?"
"I'll just tell him I went out and bought it for you. Which I actually did, so it's really not lying if you get my drift." he laughed taking the sweatshirt from Sora and draping it over his arm along with the Pac-man shirt. They searched through the rest of the store finding little else of interest except for a pair of baggy pre-ripped jeans with lyrics to one of Sora's favorite songs written down the pant legs along with a beautiful vintage design of a rose which Riku took a liking too. After much bickering, the two managed to make a deal that they would share the pants from time to time and bought them along with the other two items leaving with a sense of satisfaction.
"Well, we got that taken care of." Riku grinned hitching the bag over his shoulder. "You want to go home?"
Sora didn't answer right away, his attention fixed on the long line of white tables leading off into the distance a little ways down from where they stood. A large variety of people buzzed around them, some he recognized from earlier including the girl with the cat ears. Curiosity immediately overtook him and he began to walk toward it when a firm hand grabbed him tightly by the shoulder.
He turned to Riku sharply. "What?"
"Where are you going?" he asked glancing at the crowd with nervous eyes.
"I just want to go look. Can I?" he asked pleadingly.
Riku's expression didn't change and Sora looked from him to the crowd and back again teetering on the back of his heels with his hands in his pockets. "Please?"
The teens face twitched and he slowly brought his hand up to his face rubbing his temples roughly with his fingers. "Fine… But I'm going to cut through Macy's and meet you on the other side, so stay out of trouble until you see me got it?"
Sora nodded. "Alright."
With a look Sora couldn't quite read, Riku turned in the other direction and headed toward the large department store swinging the Hot Topic bag back and fourth as he went. The brunette took his hands out of his pockets and made his way over to the table pushing past people in order to get through. He figured Riku would be okay until he got to the other side. As long as he looked through quickly they would be able to head home and arrive without any sign that they had been gone.
A random teen about Sora's age walked past him with a pair of cheap, fake wings strapped to his back with a long plastic sword shoved into his belt. He shot him a cold stare trying to remember the days when he wished he was some mystical hero with super powers able to save the world. Back when everything was just make believe.
'Say goodbye to those days…' Sora thought sadly as he stared at the fake weapons and replica's resting on the white tables along with an assortment of comic and art books. The girl selling them smiled at him softly dressed in a large white cape with fake elf ears and a bow slung across her back. Sora nodded at her in greeting then slowly backed away afraid that she might expect him to buy something.
As he took a step back, he collided with a traveling group of people and was rudely pushed out of the way nearly knocking into one of the white tables flailing his arms wildly in the air to stop from falling. Automatically he felt his wings tug and tear at his sweatshirt, pushing against the already ripped seams and ripping past the fabric making Sora's eyes widen in fear. People were staring at him curiously, wondering if he was alright and yelling at the group of people who had pushed him who went on about their business ignoring the shouts and complaints. Quickly the brunette regained himself and began to make his way through the crowd desperate to get back to Riku before his wings tore his top to shreds, when a rough hand grabbed him by the shoulder squeezing it painfully.
"Hey pigeon, you alright?"
Sora growled irritably. "I'm fine, so let g-"
"Are you sure feather boy?"
The teen felt his heart skip a beat rooting his body to the spot as his brain processed the familiar tone of the strangers voice matching it with a recognizable face. Suddenly he could hear Reno's words screaming in his ears about Akari and the other Chasers switching on a light bulb in his head bringing back the memories from that fateful day at his school.
'Give it up kid, or I'm pulling those appendages out of your back with my bare hands!'
Him.
Sora's body bolted to life and he immediately tried to make a run for it, but the man grabbed him by the back of his sweatshirt. "It's been awhile since I've seen you, how's the back problem going?" he laughed giving a harsh tug and pulling the teen back roughly.
Sora resisted and immediately a loud ripping noise shot through the air as the fabric of his top finally gave in, splitting open and freeing his wings from their prison.
There was a loud chorus of gasps and shouts from the surrounding group of spectators forcing Sora to squeeze his eyes shut in embarrassment and try once again to make a break for it hoping Riku would be waiting for him so they could run.
Unfortunately the man wasn't done with him and he felt the familiar hand grab him by the wing roughly and yank back causing him to let out a shriek of pain. Tears formed in the corner of his eyes as more people surrounded him staring in a mixture of horror and amazement.
"Aww, look at all the attention your drawing feather boy." The man laughed stretching out his wing and showing it like a brochure to the growing number of people. "Now they see you for the freak you really are, doesn't that make you feel special?"
Sora's face burned red with embarrassment and he felt his wings flap frantically as he tried to escape never once faltering in his attempt. For the second time in his life he felt helpless and lost, a person who was once admired for his strong, talented, and athletic spirit reduced to a freak ditched by his parents, with no future on Earth, and no life.
And all because of a pair of wings.
"Sora!"
A loud crunching noise shot through the air and Sora felt the hand on his wing loosen as the man was sent sailing into a nearby white display table scattering the merchandise across the floor. Before the brunette had time to look, he felt Riku's hand grab his and drag him through the confused crowd hearing random jeers and shouts as the crowd rushed by in a blur of colors.
"Riku I-"
"Don't talk, just run. Exits this way!"
Suddenly the amount of people began to lessen as the end of the convention came into site. Sora could make out the exit to the mall growing closer by the second as he ran feeling his left wing twitch painfully.
Suddenly the row of tables and stores came to an end leaving nothing but blank white walls and advertisements. The brunette felt his heart relax a little when suddenly out of the corner of his eye he caught site of a figure leaning casually against the wall on his right next to a large advertisement sponsoring the new Playstation 3 council. He was about Sora's age, with raven black hair and piercing green eyes which glittered eerily as they stared at the brunette as he ran. He wouldn't have paid any attention to the kid if he hadn't been smiling at him and dressed in the same exact black pants and suit get up as the Chasers.
"Come on Sora, move it!"
He tore his eyes away from the boy and headed straight for the doors of the exit. A guy dressed in a Link outfit with a fairy made out of a foam ball and paper attached to his shoulder with wire walked by them casually, stopping as his eyes fell on Sora's wings, and popping a smile onto his face.
"Dude, where did you get the wings?" he asked awestruck.
Never once breaking his stride, Sora turned his head to the side and shouted back at the Link guy flashing a wide grin. "Ebay!" and without another word, he bolted out the door and into the afternoon sunlight in Riku's wake.
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Me: Ha… Ebay. My friend tried to sell her soul on E-bay ::Cough:: Luckily they caught her.
Anyway, I loved this chapter and spent all night working on it. I promised you two chapters but I actually ended up fusing both chapter together because I want to keep the first half of this story to a minimal number of chapters so both half's wont look lopsided when this is finished.
I wanted to note that I call what Sora wears a sweatshirt but in teenage terms it is referred to as a "hoody" or a "hoodie." but a hoodie is not a proper word and spell check dislikes it also, so for now it will be referred to as a "sweatshirt" or "hooded sweatshirt." So don't go picturing Sora wearing some ugly wool thing.
Please review, it will only motivate me to update more and improve my writing. I'm doing better on my grammar thanks to you people too. Wee!
So…review!
