A/N: sorry it took so long, but here is a short little chapter to keep you satisfied! I also want to take the time to thank all of the peeps who reviewed… you guys are my motivation- thank you!

Bryei: thank you, I'm glad that you like the concept of a seven-year-old. And yes, I realize that Sora does think a little maturely… thank you for pointing that out!

shante1203: thank you very much! And don't worry, you'll find out who Roxas is soon enough. ;)

Scarletnight13: I totally agree with you… it is very sad to know that there ARE people out there who do this to their children. But grief can sometimes be a hard thing to deal with- and some people don't deal with it the best (*ahem* Sora's mother).

NinjaJudai19: yes… it is sad…

OmniaVanitas: yes, I realize that this may be crossing the line. I'm sorry if this made you feel disgusted or offended in any way… and I thank you for your criticism.

BlackSpiderman 4: I am so sorry for your Sora-kun…

but I never really described myself as CRUEL… oh well, guess I'm just that messed up in the head! :P

sinister6: thank you! And if I told you who Roxas was… I'd have to kill you.

Jk.

AngelicDestinyKitsune: Thank you so much! I was overjoyed at this great review, and that you like my story so much! Honestly, this really did a good job of motivating me (which I really needed at this point)! And thank you for the disclaimer suggestion… I'm gonna have to do that, 'cuz I am SICK and TIRED of freagin disclaimers. But I digress, thank you for this great motivation!

So again… thank you all so much! Oh and also… there is no more rape in this story (only references to the last chapter)… in case that concerned you.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything in this chapter… nor the rest of the story! (Hah, in your face you stupid copyrights!)

Chapter 9: Care

I woke the next morning to a ringing in my ears and a terrible, aching pain all over.

Last night was all a blur… it was just flashes of pain and even more pain- both mental and physical.

The man had violated me… both inside and out. I felt dirty… but not the kind of dirty where you want to take a shower. I felt the kind where you know that your soul will never be clean again.

Although, this wasn't the first time that this had happened.

My mother had had various 'clients' over the past months- but they were far and few between. It was hard to get someone to pay for someone so young, she had explained to me.

But I was obviously a trophy. It was hard for people to turn me down once they actually saw me. It seems like my mother only loves me for that reason… I was her 'little money maker,' she said.

I shook that thought away and then tried to sit up in bed, but was stopped by a sharp, throbbing pain in my behind. I gasped, and gingerly lifted the covers off of my body.

There was blood everywhere.

I almost puked at the smell that hit me- a stench that I could never get used to no matter how many times I smelled it.

I felt my eyes tear up, and I wiped my face with my sleeve… and I was glad that I really didn't remember what had happened last night.

xXx

My mother made me go to school… even though I had an almost unbearable pain all over.

At school, Kairi waited for me as always… but I didn't even acknowledge her. She gave me a sad puppy-dog look and tried to get me to talk- but even if I wanted to, I don't think I could.

"Come on, Sora… just tell me what the matter is!" she urged for the hundredth time, finally bringing me to a boiling point.

"You wanna know what the matter is! The matter is, is that you'll never understand! And I just wanna be left alone! Can't you stop bugging me for five seconds!" I yelled at her, but instantly regretted snapping at her like that.

"…fine… I just wanted to help…" she said, her voice full of hurt. She turned on her heel and stormed off, leaving me just staring at her as she walked away.

xXx

I was debating whether or not to tell Roxas about what had happened last night… but I decided against it. Instead, I had told him all about what happened that morning between Kairi and me.

"Did you try telling her that you were sorry?" he suggested.

"She won't even talk to me…" I said, looking down at the ground.

He seemed to ponder the thought for a moment… but then finally said, "Just give her a little time- girls are complicated things. She just needs to cool down… and you do too."

"You think so?" I questioned. The things he was saying were pretty wise for someone in first grade.

"Yeah, I really do." He smiled, and then hugged me- warm and meaningfully.

"Alright… thanks…" I hugged him back, and I felt all of the sorrows and pains in my soul fly away.

He really did care.