Warning: language and drugs
Sora dressed up in Nao's dorm with Sota at his side. For their last weekend as a team, Nao decided they would go to synthwave night in drag. Sora had not yet told them about the party on Avenida. But the way they were all dressing now, without Sora even having had to suggest the idea in the first place, it seemed like fate. Right now Sota was sitting on Nao's bed in a dark blue mini dress as she applied his makeup. He was wearing a bomber jacket to hide his shoulders. Nao had added padding to the shoulders of her own bomber jacket to make herself look more male. Her hair was tucked into a baseball cap. She brushed aside stray strands as she applied Sota's eyeliner. Though his eyebrows had been glued and dusted with powder, his cheekbones and brow diminished with bronzer, and his eyes widened with falsies and white liner, he still looked slightly masculine. At least, more masculine than Sora had during the Drag Show. Even without makeup, Sora looked like a tomboyish girl with a hair problem. He hoped his jaw would fill out in the next few years. As he stared in Nao's mirror and padded his chubby cheeks, Nao slapped Sota's thigh and told him to sit still.
"You're going to make me mess up!" she scowled.
"This isn't a masterpiece," growled Sota in return. When Nao threatened to leave one half of his face undone, he fell to sulking in silence. Once she was finished with him, Nao moved onto Sora. When he asked if he could have a Rosso inspired outfit, Nao asked why. Sora blushed and responded that he just liked her style. Nao narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Then she brushed it off and got to work. Sora's shoulders fell in relief.
"You've got such good bone structure, Sora," she sighed as she worked. Sora pursed his lips in worry.
"And I don't?" snapped Sota. Nao ignored him. When Sota tried fishing around for food, Nao told him not to eat anything until they were an hour into synthwave night. Sota asked if he could drink, but Nao said he would mess up his makeup.
"Our last weekend out and I can't even drink?" Sota snapped.
"You agreed to this, Sota!" Nao returned.
"I didn't agree to starving!" Sota snapped back. "If I'd known I wasn't allowed to eat I would have had dinner!"
"Can I eat something before you finish my face?" asked Sora in worry. He felt a preliminary stomach growl coming on as he thought of how hungry he might get later. Nao said it was fine if he ate because he wasn't as clumsy with his food as Sota.
"Now come on!" Sota barked. "You know that that is plain untrue, Nao. Have you seen Sora eat a burger?"
In the short burst of argument Sora nabbed some chips from Nao's dresser and munched on them. A hefty dose of crumbs lined the floor by the time Nao got back to his makeup. As they finished up they heard a knock on the door. Everyone froze. Sota stood and sauntered to it, peering through the peephole and letting his shoulders relax.
"Neku," he muttered as he went to unlock the door. Sora's jaw dropped. Before he could object, Neku slipped into the room and leaned against the side of Nao's dresser. He looked Sora and Sota up and down in surprise. Then, with a quick recovery he asked when they were planning on leaving. Sota glanced at his watch and then eyed Nao, who scowled and said she would be ready in thirty minutes if Sora stopped fidgeting.
"We could go in an hour if you let me do you," she added with a grin. Neku's cheeks went fire red. Then it clicked in his mind and he muttered that he was not dressing up.
"Can't come if you don't," shot Sota.
"Then I'll go on my freaking own," returned Neku, undaunted. When he spotted Sora his mouth curled in horror. The boy was getting fake eyelashes put on. One of his eyes swiveled about as the lid over the other hung lazily under Nao's vice grip.
"It's not bad," quipped Sora as Nao nearly stuck her mascara brush in his eye. Neku said he would pass. When he took a second look at Sota he snorted and said, "nice shoulders." Sota scowled and went to the corner to sulk. Neku watched Nao as she applied the last of Sora's mascara and lipstick. When she turned to Neku and asked what he thought, he shook his head.
"It's weird," he muttered. "Sora really does look like a girl."
"Makes you not know what to think, right?" beamed Nao, examining her handy work with pride.
"But without the makeup I really do look like a strong guy, right?" returned Sora. For a moment there was silence. Then Neku busted out laughing. When Sora demanded to know what was funny, Neku just shook his head. Then he shrugged and sat down before Nao. When she asked what he was doing, he said he would not mind a bit of blush or something.
"If you have some shorts or something, I could wear that," he added in a mutter.
"You want to dress up as well?" asked Nao. Neku did not say yes or no. Nao took his silence as a yes and got to work. Neku was a much better makeup guinea pig than he was dorm mate. He did everything Nao told him to. It was difficult to get him to remove the massive collared hoodie and headphones that normally shielded his chin from the rest of the world, but Nao was able to coax them off of him so that he sat with his arms crossed over his small, bare chest. Sora watched in awe as Neku sat through five minutes of eyeliner treatment. When Neku was finished, Sota chuckled.
"Sora's not the only one who looks like a girl," he grinned. Neku told him to shut up, but sat still as Nao cupped her hands around his cheeks and swiveled him towards the mirror. Seeing himself gave him a start. But as he got used to it, he seemed pleased. When he asked what clothing Nao had, she pulled out several options. Neku settled on a skort and a cropped high collared, sleeveless hoodie. As he shimmied into the skort and put the hoodie over his head, Nao asked if he wanted a ponytail or a wig. Neku responded that he wanted a ponytail. Nao gave him a long orange one. She did not have any shoes for him, so Neku remained in his white sneakers, as Sota did his docs. Sora put on the heels he wore for the drag competition. Nao popped a high collared crop top over his head, slicked his hair back, sprayed it red, and excavated a fringed, red leather mini skirt from the bottom of her drawer. When Sota saw it his eyes nearly bugged out of his head.
"How long have you had that skirt?" he asked. Nao shrugged and said she bought it in the sixth grade. Sota and Neku blinked in surprise. Sora chirped that it was very shiny. When he shimmied it on and wobbled to standing, the boys' temples creased with worry.
"Um, Nao?" Sota asked. "Don't you think Sora looks too, well?"
"Too what?" Nao barked. Sota pursed his lips and looked at Neku meaningfully. Neku shook his head.
"Too what?" Nao repeated. But Sota mumbled that it was nothing. After a stare down Nao gave up and pulled her padded bomper jacket over her collared shirt. Then she readjusted her baseball cap, checked her massive belt, and gave a twirl. When Sota took in the finished product, he asked if she raced four wheelers. Nao gasped and looked in the mirror in horror.
"Do I look that bad?" she asked. Neku shrugged and said she did look a little cowboy-lost-in-trailer-park.
"I was going for James Dean!" she cried. Neku and Sota helped her into a more suitable outfit, until she looked like a fashionable boy band member. She seemed pleased enough with the final product to ask if everyone was ready to go. By that time it was already half past ten.
"Let's get cracking!" Sota sang. There were loud voices in the hall. People must have been getting ready to go out for the weekend. Sora wondered if any of them were going to Avenida. He wondered what high school parties were like in the Land of Departure. If they were anything like the ones in Destiny Islands, they were simple pier affairs. All you seemed to need was a beach ball, beer, chips, Radio Luca 1, and a bonfire. Sora had never snuck into one himself, but he often saw them going on when he, Riku, and Kairi returned from playing on the island late at night. Apparently Wakka once hit a skinny dipper with his boat on the way home and had to call the paramedics. As Sora chuckled in reverie, Sota peeped through the keyhole to see if the coast was clear. When he called for everyone to follow him, they snuck out of Nao's dorm and hurried down the hall unseen.
Students were allowed to roam in and around the school till one am on weekends, but Sora's group acted as though they were breaking the rules. For fun they slipped through the auditorium stage door and flew through the wings cackling and shouting. When they reached center stage and the door closed shut behind them, they howled into the darkness and listened to their echoing voices. Then they dismounted the stairs and charged through the aisles to the school's backdoors. Once they breached the building completely, they charged down the foot of the mountain towards the maze. When Sora asked why they weren't going down the mountain path, Sota shushed him and said he knew a better way. Soon the quartet was sliding down the mountain as if they were on snowboards. The steep dip began to flatten until the group made contact with a thin rope bridge leading from the middle of the peak the school sat upon to the peak beside. From there, there were steep stone steps leading directly into the town below. Sora grinned as they mounted the bridge. Neku seemed terrified. But everyone hurried safely across until they were dashing down the stone steps one after another.
"How did you guys find out about this way?" asked Sora. Nao shrugged.
"Me and Sota did a lot of hiking on the weekends," she chirped. Sora's heart fell as she said it. When Neku's shoulders sagged, Sora knew he felt the same way. He wished he had hiked with Sota and Nao from the beginning of the school year.
"You guys shouldn't have done all this stuff alone," Neku whispered. Sota glanced towards him in surprise. Then he chuckled and murmured that that was true.
"We should have done more stuff together," he sighed. "But all we have is now. So let's make the best of the time we've got."
"How about we go to the North Peak tomorrow?" asked Nao. "Wild pixie plums grow there. We could pick a bunch. There's succulent fruit, too."
"We could get ice cream!" Sora cried with joy. The rest of the party smiled in approval. By now they had reached the bottom of the steps. Music blared towards them from the other side of town. Hordes of kids their age walked towards the homes and music halls in the distance, chattering and laughing to one another. Sora shrank as he recognized them. He thought he saw Joshua with a group of upperclassmen in the distance. Either he was dressed in drag again or it was a girl that looked a lot like him.
"Is Joshua tagging along?" Sota asked Neku. Neku scoffed. "Joshua is not my friend," he hissed. "Why would I invite him along?"
"I don't know," responded Sota. "He just seems to like you a lot."
Neku muttered that Joshua liked annoying him. Sota shrugged and jogged to Nao's side. When he tried slipping his hand around her waist, she slapped his palm and said she was supposed to do that.
"I'm the guy, remember?" she cooed. Sota blushed and shrugged, giggling as Nao slipped her hand around his hip. The height difference was comical. When Nao's hand trailed lower down Sota's back, Neku called for her to be a gentleman. Sora giggled in embarrassment. Couples here acted so different than on Destiny Islands. It made his heart flutter to see how close Nao and Sota were.
"Sora, stop gawking," Neku muttered beside him. Sora shook back to reality and trudged forward. When he nearly broke his neck tripping on the cobblestone in his heels, Neku caught him and propped him up. Suddenly, five to ten men were surrounding him asking if he was okay. Nao and Sota glanced back to see what was going on, their eyes widening when they noticed Sora and Neku caught in the sea of testosterone.
"Do you need me to check your leg?" one especially friendly man asked Sora. Sora shook his head and said it was fine, just a small sprain. The man gasped and nearly wrenched him off his feet. "Can I buy you a drink?" he demanded. "Maybe some ice for rubbing?"
"Well, a water bottle would be pretty sweet," Sora piped up. The man broke out laughing.
"You're so funny," he cooed. "I've never met a girl like you."
"Girl?" Sora barked. Then he threw back his head and howled with laughter. When the surrounding men looked on in confusion, Sota came over and stated in a tenor voice, "we're men." The swiftness with which the team of testosterone escaped was breathtaking. Sora looked upon the spectacle in wonder, slightly miffed that he had been cheated out of a free bottle of water. When he asked what that was all about, Nao snorted and responded, "Welcome to being a girl on Saturday night."
"So far, it's not half bad!" Sora chirped. "I'd trust those guys with my bag!" Sota and Nao gave each other a grim glance. Then Sota suggested enacting a buddy system. Neku suggested Sota go with Sora. Sota and Nao agreed.
"We'll all stay in a group, but if one of us gets separated, we have to know where our buddy is."
The rest of the group nodded and started looking for the concert hall hosting synthwave night. When they got there, Neku tried pulling his hood over his head. Nao stopped him and told him to live dangerously. Neku scowled but left his hood down. As the team got in line to go in, Nao tapped Sora's shoulder. When Sora asked what was wrong, she grimaced.
"I just want you to be safe," she chirped. "If someone comes behind you, bring your stiletto on his heel. Then punch him in the throat and knee him in the groin. Got it? And you always have the right to say no."
"Nao, I spent half a semester with Rosso," Sora murmured. "I'll be fine!"
"I know!" Nao responded. Then she rubbed Sora's shoulder. His arm prickled under her touch as he felt a strange glimmer flicker through the pit of his stomach. He touched his abdomen in confusion to feel what it was. But when Nao let go of him, it went away. "Tell me if you need me," she winked. Sora nodded and blushed. Then he murmured that Nao looked very pretty.
"What?" she called. The DJ had just turned the music up. Sora repeated himself. Nao posed and asked what kind. "Any pretty," Sora shrugged with a blush. Nao smiled. Then she pulled him towards the music hall pit with Sota and Neku. The four of them huddled close as Neku called a song suggestion to the DJ. When the DJ asked Neku to come closer and repeat, Neku leaned over the edge of the stage and screeched, "Long Dream Synthpanda Remix!" The DJ asked for him to scream louder. When Neku bent closer, his skin drained white. Then he disappeared into the crowd. When Sota and Nao screamed his name, Neku charged into them and nearly knocked them over. When Sota asked what had happened, Neku pointed to the DJ and whispered, "Demyx."
"What?" asked Sota.
"It's Demyx!" snarled Neku. "A teacher at the school! He'll recognize me!"
"No he won't!" Nao retorted. "The lights are dimmed! It'll look more suspicious if you hide. He'll shine a spotlight on you."
"Whoever suggested the next song and ran is going to get the spotlight if they don't come forward!" Demyx called from the DJ booth. Sota rolled his eyes, cupped his hands around his mouth, and bellowed, "Long Dream Synthhandle Remix!"
"Panda!" Neku corrected with a hiss.
"Panda!" Sota boomed.
"Honda?" Demyx asked.
"Synthpanda!" Neku screeched.
"Ah!" Demyx nodded. "A classic! Long Dream Synthpanda remix coming in hot, for the smoking redhead in the purple-cropped hoodie! I hope you're not one of my students, because if you were, I'd be seeing you after class!"
"Dear gods," Nao muttered in disgust. Neku wrinkled his nose and retorted, "I'll pass, tool!"
The crowd cheered as Demyx pretended to be burned.
"Ouch!" he snapped from the booth. "Redhead's got some fire! I knew a man by the name of a toooolll," he sang. "He and I teach at the same schooooolll. Anyone want more?"
"No," screeched Nao and Sota.
"If Fire Princess sings, I will, too," Demyx retorted through his mike. The crowd screamed for more.
"Fuck you all," Neku responded flatly.
"Get up, here!" Demyx cried. Nao began to laugh as the spotlight fell straight on Neku's grave face. Wordlessly he climbed over the edge of the DJ booth and stood at Demyx' side. Several whistles ascended with him. After he adjusted his skort, Demyx told him to sing the next verse.
"Teaching fake students is his real joobbb," Neku sang, "He can't get a life because he's such a sloobbb."
Nao and Sota cried with laughter. Sora bounced up and down on his stiletto heels. Whatever toes hurt before were now numb. All he could do was smile.
"But every weekend I slip into the niiightttt," Demyx responded. "And now I've got one hot red ticket in siigghtttt."
"Your bars are disturbed and your pickup's a disasterrrr," Neku returned in a high tenor. Then, in a flat voice he added, "and if you dare touch my butt I'll tell our headmaster."
Demyx's hand stopped mid reach. When he peered closer into Neku's face his mouth dropped.
"Are you?" he began.
"Suck my dick, water sprite," Neku responded into the mike. Then he added, "my songs for the rest of the night," and finished with, "Long Dream synthpanda Remix."
As Neku hopped from the stage the color drained from Demyx' face. From the booth he announced, "Long Dream" in a squeak. The lights dimmed lower. The bass turned up. A dark, rumbling synth beat crackled across the speakers scattered throughout the hall as "Is it illusion?" thrummed on repeat. When the synthified melody kicked in and the massive disco ball at the hall's center began to turn, the crowd roared and moved like a stampede of elephants. Sora found himself head banging with Nao as Neku thrashed with Sota at his side. When Neku's second song of choice came on, a boy a few years older than Sora asked to dance with him. Nao responded that he was with her. When the boy tried dancing with Neku, Sota said he was with him. This happened several more times in the space of thirty minutes before Sora decided to take a breather and get a drink of water.
As he sat at the bar with a glass of tap water, Sota sat at his side and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Is my makeup running?" he asked. Sora shook his head and asked if his was okay as well. Sota nodded. "Nao put something called "setting mist" on it that's supposed to keep it on," he huffed. "I hope I can get it off later."
"We'll find a way," Sora muttered. Then he pursed his lips and asked Sota if guys were coming up to him, too. Sota shook his head and grinned. "If we were in a gay club it would probably be different."
"How?" Sora asked in disbelief. Sota chuckled. "I look like a guy, Sora."
"Well, yeah, you're a guy," responded Sora. "But why are they coming up to me?"
"Well…" Sota responded, wetting his lips. Then he grimaced. "Don't take this the wrong way, Sora, but you make a very pretty girl."
"Oh?" Sora asked with a blush. Sota shrugged and scratched the back of his head. "Neku looks cute, too. But… I don't want you taking this the wrong way, but you're sweet and short and peppy…"
"And?" demanded Sora. Sota sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Think of it this way. When Nao and I used to go clubbing in Shibuya, I'd have to fight guys off of her. She's really pretty, and guys in clubs can be disgusting and pushy towards pretty girls."
"So?" snapped Sora.
"So you look hot, Sora," returned Sota. "And guys are interested."
"But I'm just being nice!" cried Sora. "Should I stop?"
"Just be more like Neku," encouraged Sota.
"What? A bear?" blubbered Sora. "A snap attack?"
"Oh gods," groaned Sota. Then, with a smile he responded, "just don't dance with anyone but us."
When Sora finished his water, he and Sota returned to the group. On the fifth song in, Nao decided she needed to go the bathroom. Sora agreed. Soon all four of them were traipsing towards the women's and men's rooms. When Sora tried going for the men's, someone stopped him and pointed to the ladies.
"I know it can get confusing sometimes," the woman with the magenta bob said. "Wouldn't want it to be me!"
"But-," Sora tried responding, but Nao, said "thank you," and steered him towards the women's. All four of them decided to go in together. Sota and Nao got some weird looks, but other than that no one objected until Sora shoved Nao's hand away.
"Why is everyone on my back?" he asked with tears in his eyes. Going out in drag was not as fun as he thought it would be. As stalls opened up and Sota and Neku shuffled in, Nao patted Sora's back and told him to think of it as a night in a different body.
"You're a lady for the night!" she cooed.
"I've never been so close to women peeing," Sora gulped.
"Okay," Nao responded flatly. "I wasn't thinking of it that way. Oh, a stall is open."
Sora trudged into the stall as if trudging to Master Eraqus' office for expulsion proceedings. But the inside was just like the stalls in a boys' bathroom. He shrugged, untucked, and pissed. When he was finished readjusting he flushed and trundled to the sinks to wash his hands. As Nao slipped in at his side, he asked if she wanted to go to a house party later on.
"Where?" she asked.
"On Avenida," responded Sora. Nao's brows furrowed. She asked how he found out about it.
"Oh, I can't remember," Sora responded. "Kairi, I think. Hayner. Maybe Roxas."
"You haven't talked to any of them in weeks," Nao intoned. A woman behind told her to hurry up, so she dried her hands and followed Sora back to the bar. Neku and Sota were sitting down waiting for them.
"No, I talked to them last week," Sora blubbered, wiping sweat from his forehead and grinning to conceal his lie. "Maybe it was Cloud! Yeah, Cloud!"
"I think the woman who held the door for Sora was another professor," muttered Neku to Sota in a separate conversation. "Used to live in Shibuya, I think. Uzuki?"
"I've never met professors who party like this," Sota grumbled. "It's like they're on vacation."
"They're not professors," snarled Neku. "And we're not students. We're soldiers in training."
"Sora wants to go to the party on Avenida," Nao cut in. Sota and Neku blinked before glancing at Sora in shock.
"What?" Sota asked in confusion.
"Cloud invited me," Sora responded. Beside him Neku snorted.
"Or Kairi or Roxas, I can't really remember. Someone!" snapped Sora.
"Damn right someone told you, or you wouldn't have asked to go," responded Neku. His knowing look made Sora shrink. When Sota asked why Sora wanted to go, Sora rolled his eyes and said because his friends would be there.
"Aren't we your friends?" Nao smiled, holding Sora's hand. Though Sora's heart fluttered again, he stood firm and said he had lots of different friends.
"I just want to go for ten minutes," he pleaded.
"Avenida is for upperclassmen only, Sora," Neku snapped. "You're not getting in."
"Cloud promised to let me in!" Sora returned with confidence.
"Cloud never goes to Avenida," Neku retorted. "I know because I've talked to him about how lame partying in a dark warehouse is. I also know that Vanitas is cohosting, and Riku is going with Xehanort Nimoy."
"He is going?" Sora beamed. When Sota and Nao leaned closer, he tried pretending that he did not care. But it was too late.
"Sora, did Vanitas say you could go if you dressed as Rosso?" Nao asked. Sora's mouth fell open. How could she have guessed? Before he knew it, tears were brimming at the edges of his eyes.
"If you guys are going to act like stinks, I'll go by myself!" he murmured in a hoarse whisper. "I don't need you tagging along since Vanitas said I could come!"
"Sora, don't you want to spend the rest of the night with us?" Nao pleaded. "We were going to go for burgers and ice cream and then head back for a movie night at the dorm!"
"You can get burgers and ice cream. I'll talk to Riku," Sora responded.
"You're really going to give up your last weekend with us for Vanitas and Riku?" Sota warned. Sora nodded. Nao and Sota exchanged glances. Then they agreed to come with Sora to the Avenida warehouse. By now it was half twelve. Demyx had begun packing up his station. As synthwave officially ended, normal top of the pops filtered across the speaker system. The disco ball was replaced by standard flashing club lights. As Nao, Sota, Neku, and Sora filed towards the front door, Demyx stopped them and apologized to Neku for his behavior. When he recognized Sota and Nao, he snorted.
"Look," he sighed. "I'd appreciate, mano a mano, if you didn't tell the rest of the faculty about that accidental hand slip. I know the rest of you guys won't last till the end of the semester, but… still."
"I'll make sure to tell the right people," Neku responded. Then he turned and walked through the concert hall's front double doors with Sota, Nao, and Sora trailing behind. None turned to see Demyx's reaction. Either he was too shocked or not bothered enough to follow them out. So the party set their sights on the growing metropolis ahead.
Sora did not even know where the Avenida house was, so he counted on Neku to lead the way. As they walked, Sota and Nao set their hands against his shoulders.
"You don't have to do this if you don't want to, Sora," Nao warned.
"We'll be by your side the whole night," Sota added with a worried smile.
"Don't let Vanitas get you alone," responded Neku from the front. "I heard he wanted to get back at you for something." Nao gritted her teeth. Sora ignored all of them and marched forward. When hazy green smog floated from a dark set of dilapidated buildings on the distant edge of town, Sora's heart beat fast.
"There it is," Sota muttered. It was like a mirage of neon light against a backdrop of cool greys and blues. A strange mixture of mangrove, rubber, alcohol, and smoke burned on the breeze. A clash of two different worlds crumbled in the darkness before Sora's false lashed eyes. An ancient apartment complex slept at the edge of the encroaching forest. Before it extended a barbed wire fence. Inside sprawled a construction sight filled with fire lit trashcans and kids of varying ages. At the lot's center was a warehouse, perfectly built but disowned. A "foreclosed" sign hung on the barbed wire before its gate. Sora recognized faces in the darkness. From the windows of the warehouse he noticed bodies dancing amongst flashing blue lights. The front double doors streamed open every few minutes as people filed in. A familiar cackle made Sora's stomach churn. His knees felt weak. Sota and Nao gripped his shoulders hard. Neku kept the lead. Somehow, Sora kept walking.
A couple of upperclassmen opened the barbed wire fence for Sora and his crew, whistling as the four of them walked in. When they reached the door, a rising cry of delight pierced their ears. Vanitas stood with his arms crossed before him. Black eyeliner rimmed his golden eyes. A black t-shirt with cutoff sleeves covered the bronze skin of his chest and abdomen. His sides were bare to his hips. When he raised his shoulders the top barely covered his nipples. Jet-black hair shone from the pits of his arms as he cheered Sora inside.
"The termite made the jump!" he sang. When Sora gave an assenting croak, Vanitas cackled and thumped him on the back. Then he pointed to Nao, Neku, and Sota. "I see you've brought an infestation."
"You're the termite," hissed Sota in return. "Bring me a torch and I'll burn you out."
"Hey!" a voice called from inside. A girl with long blond pigtails popped to Vanitas' side and asked who was giving trouble.
"No one, Mika," Vanitas responded, "just inviting some friends."
"More underclassmen?" the girl responded. When she saw Sora, her face lit up.
"Holy fuck!" she screeched. "You're Rosso!"
"Sora," Sota corrected. Mika pinched Sora's cheeks and made pet noises.
"Look at him! He's fucking adorable!"
"He's cuter than you are, R," Vanitas responded, winking at Sora as Mika gasped.
"Fuck off!" she barked. Then she turned to Sora and invited him in. "You'll be the hit of the night."
"He's not a circus animal," Nao retorted. Mika's glare made her disintegrate. Neku and Sota puffed out their chests as Sora asked if they could come in as well.
"Only you," Mika said.
"If they don't come in, I don't either!" Sora barked. Vanitas whispered in Mika's ear. A devilish flash flickered in his eyes. Mika nodded. Then, Vanitas herded Sora and company inside and summoned his key blade, using it to rap against the metal coat hanger at the door's side.
"Hey motherfuckers!" he bellowed to the crowd inside. "We've got a special guest appearance from Rosso the Crimson!"
Everyone turned around. When they saw Sora, they cheered. Suddenly he was being moved and stood upon a pool table at the warehouse lobby center. Random, seedy couches and blankets sat along the floor surrounding. Kids in skimpy outfits draped themselves across, freely touching as they watched Sora with smiles. Sora felt like he would faint. He could not breath.
"Do Rosso for us, Sora!" Mika called. When Sora scanned the crowd he noticed people he knew. Kuja, Leon, Joshua, Noel, Nimo, Riku, and Aerith. Others he knew by face but not by name. Sora thought he saw Sephiroth, an adjunct faculty member, leaning at the back of the room.
"Do Rosso or your posse go!" Vanitas bellowed.
"Bellow von more time, little rat, and I vill cut off your fat baby head and stick it on my mantelpiez," Sora scoffed in his best Rosso accent. The crowd went wild. Mika called for more.
"Who iz laughing?" Sora barked, eyeing everyone in the crowd. "I vill find you and fry you." When he looked for Riku, the boy had gone.
"You still want to fuck Reno?" called Vanitas.
"No, but I vill put hiz scalp on my train," Sora announced.
"Where is your train?" Mika asked.
"Being dry cleaned," retorted Sora. The call and response carried on for fifteen excruciating minutes. When Sora began running out of jokes, Mika decided it would be a good idea to call random people in the audience up for "punishment." After several volunteers let Sora spank them, Kuja and Juri Han, two senior level psychopaths Sora knew from Solo Performance with Larxene, suggested that all first years have their bare backside spanked with a wet cloth. The rest of the senior and junior class agreed with a round of cheers. The first victim was Joshua. Sora thought he had seen him in drag earlier in the night. It must have been someone else, because now Joshua wore boots, skinny jeans, a black blazer with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a white V-neck t-shirt, and his hair in a messy bun. Joshua gave a lubricated grin as he stumbled to the edge of the pool table. He hiked up his blazer and pulled down his jeans so that his pale backside barely showed. When Sora tried tapping it with the wet cloth, the material slapped against the skin and stuck so that Sora had to wrench it off. He could feel the sweat pouring down his arms. The senior class bellowed "harder!" Sora gulped and dragon tailed Joshua with a loud smack. Joshua yelped. The seniors cheered. The next victim was sought out.
Sota flat out refused. Neku disappeared suddenly. Leon guarded Aerith from having to go. In a wild stroke of fate, Xehanort Nimoy and Nao appeared as the last freshmen standing.
"Spare one and spank one," tried Vanitas with glee. Sora bit his lip and looked from one to the other. He had no choice. He chose to spare Nao and spank Nimo. The upperclassmen erupted with excitement. All faces turned towards Nimo, who was being herded to the front of the room by Kuja, Juri, and several other seniors. When the two freshmen stood face to face, Sora in terror and Nimo in shock, Nimo asked if Sora was sure of what he was doing.
"What?" Sora squeaked.
"You've caused enough people to leave school, Sora," Nimo responded. "I'd be careful who I embarrassed next."
"Hurry the fuck up!" drawled Vanitas from behind.
"You can have your fun now," Nimo finished as he undid the button on his pants. "Let's see how you feel next week."
"What's going to happen next week?" whispered Sora. Nimo winked and turned around, his tan backside brandished for the upperclassmen to see. The ensuing blushes and squeals were tangible. Anger unfamiliar to Sora coursed through him as he stared down at Nimo's cool expression. A "do it" chant rose through the audience until Sora's hand shook so bad he could barely hold the wet rag. Then, sucking in a deep breath and putting on his best Rosso impersonation, he dragon tailed Nimo so hard the boy's hips bucked forward against the pool table. Sora and Nimo gasped together. The audience gaped. Then Vanitas broke into laughter. The rest of the room soon followed, collapsing and howling as Nimo pulled his pants back on. Sora was carried on four people's shoulders to a couch at the center of the room, where he was given a celebratory drink.
"A toast to Rosso the fucking Crimson!" Vanitas announced. The rest of the upperclassmen cheered and held up tiny, baby glasses of water. Sora held his high as well, downing it all in one gulp. When the liquid slipped down his throat he clutched his neck and hacked. It felt like he had swallowed fire. Vanitas howled laughter as he pumped Sora's back. When Sora demanded a drink, Vanitas gave him a bigger cup. Sora gulped it down and gagged harder.
"Water!" Sora gasped. Vanitas grinned and gave him a water bottle. Sora chugged it immediately and sighed in contentment.
"Damn, termite," Vanitas sighed beside him, his arm still around Sora's shoulder. "You should check before you drink random stuff." Sora nodded and wiped his eyes.
"What was that?" he croaked.
"Vodka," responded Vanitas. "Want some more?"
"No," coughed Sora in reply. The upperclassmen surrounding laughed. Sora looked at their faces in confusion and asked where Sota and Nao were. Then, he saw them standing a short distance away, looking around. When he called out to them they breathed a sigh of relief and rushed towards him, slipping between he and Vanitas to ask how he was doing.
"I thought I was drinking water," responded Sora. When Sota asked how much he had been given, R Mika responded, "four shots worth." Nao and Sota gaped.
"Wanna go home, Sora?" Nao chirped, scooting close and holding Sora's hands. He giggled at her touch. His cheeks were beginning to feel hot and his vision was fuzzy. Something was happening to him, but he did not know what. When Vanitas disappeared to the warehouse's makeshift "bar," the surrounding upperclassmen closed in like hyenas.
"How was it standing up to Eraqus?" asked one. When Sota realized the question was directed at him, he shrugged and said, "freeing," adding that he thought the academy was a joke.
"Don't we know it," the senior Kuja responded from a separate chair. "It doesn't get any better the longer you stay." As he spoke a tubby cigarette passed his way. He took a long drag, held it, and passed it further around. When it reached Nao, she bit her lip and asked Sota if he thought she should take it. Sota seemed conflicted as well.
"Isn't this you guys' last weekend here?" asked Mika. "Why don't you live a little? Tell us what happened."
Sota and Nao declined and passed the sweet smelling cigarette down the line, getting into a deep conversation concerning the academy faculty. It got so heated that when the stub passed around a third time, they took a drag without even thinking about it. When they weren't looking, Kuja slipped in beside Sora and told him to take a drag and hold it.
"Only let it out when I say," he winked. Sora grinned and took a long drag of the cigarette. Then he pursed his lips, held his nose, and waited. An itch started at the base of his throat that seared up until he started to cough. When Sora couldn't hold it any longer, he breathed out the sweet smoke and hacked until he could suck in fresh air. Kuja laughed and pumped Sora on the back. Mika asked how he felt. Sora tried to respond. But his speech was taken over by a fit of giggles. Soon Aerith and Joshua were plopping down by his side. They did not seem to be in much better condition than he was. Their faces looked different to Sora, their eyes slanted and their mouths cut as if from wax. Their cheeks pulsed shiny neon green, as if they had fireflies between their gums. Sora tried wiping his eyes to see more clearly, but Nao screeched for him to stop.
"You'll mess up your makeup!" she cooed. Her skin shone rose gold beneath her baseball cap. Little blue butterflies shimmered like diamonds around her teeth. It took Sora's breath away.
"You're so nice, Nao," he murmured, biting his lip to hold back tears. "I love you."
"Awwww," Aerith sighed. Joshua giggled. "What about me, Sora? Don't you love me?"
"I love Nao," Sora breathed.
"If you love her, kiss her!" Kuja announced. Without thinking Sora obeyed. As his eyes shut and his lips pressed to the side of Nao's mouth, Sota turned and gasped. Nao wrenched Sora away from her with a cry as Sota barreled between them. Kuja laughed hysterically behind.
"Sora, why did you do that?" Sota demanded.
"Because I love Nao," Sora replied, giggling without helping it.
"Lighten up, fishes," Kuja grinned.
"Yeah, grumpy bear, lighten up," Sora mirrored between snorts of laughter. When Sota suggested it was time for Sora to go home, Sora hid under the couch covers. When Sota tried wrenching him out, Kuja stepped between them. Both boys stood up. Nao and Mika told them to stop fighting as Vanitas slipped back from the bar with another round of shots.
"Leave it, Sota!" snapped Nao. As Sota and Kuja stared each other down, a ring formed around them. Sota tried in vain to grab Sora's arm so that they could leave. Sora objected by screaming and running under a table. Sota growled in irritation as Nao said she would look for Neku. Joshua agreed to help her. Aerith was being offered another drag of the sweet cigarette as she spoke with Sephiroth. When he whispered in her ear she bit her lip. Even though they were far away, Sora thought he could hear what they were saying. The smoke from the cigarette turned into faces as it fell on the metal coffee table at the couch's side. Sephiroth held out his hand. When Aerith took it, they glued together. Sephiroth pulled her to her feet and glued his other hand to her waist. The pair's hair floated as if underwater. Then they disappeared. As they did, Sora felt his chest crunch in. His heart felt like it would explode. For a moment he thought the legs of the metal table he hid beneath were bars of a prison cell. Panicking, Sora tried to stand but hit his head. He wailed. Before Sota could get to him, a dark silhouette with black skinny jeans bent towards him and picked him up. Soon Sora was being spirited out of the warehouse to an empty part of the lot at its north side. When he glanced into the liquid gold eyes of his savior, his throat constricted.
Vanitas.
Sorry to leave you guys with a cliff hanger. :/ I hadn't meant to. Fan fiction is being an absolute BITCH and won't let me upload jack shit, so you get half a chapter (yay! What's gonna happen next? You would have known if it weren't for uploading issues! I'm just a tad irritated) I hope it lets me upload in the future. It's depressing having lots written and not being able to share it. Hope you like it, until next time! Please like and review- ESPECIALLY if you know a quick fix for an uploader that won't let you upload documents, or copy and paste more than four paragraphs without going to a white window forever!