xXDark AceXx: Thank you, for the review! I don't mind criticisms at all! You can always PM me, as well if you'd like! There is a reason that Roxas seems like he's 'going through the motions' and if I ever get around to properly writing out the side story chapters I've begun to type up, then it should solve a few more things. ((Most of what you said, I had actually written. :3))

-Elegant

Chapter 5: There's Always Tomorrow

For the last two days, Sora had been holed up in his room. Never bothering to exit, save for basic necessities, namely, bathroom breaks. For the most part, he just wanted to be alone, and was doing his best to not interact with anyone- even members of his household. Maybe it came off as 'cold' but he just felt like he needed the time to himself. There was so much for him to think about, and no time for distractions. Even when the sunlight broke through his curtains, he barely took notice. I think I screwed things up.

Burying his head into his pillow, Sora felt like a colossal idiot. Why would Roxas want to kiss me?

How could he actually be thinking such a stupid thing? Just because Roxas liked boys, didn't mean that he had an attraction to Sora. Of course there was some sort of reasoning behind Roxas leaning closer to him. But in that moment, he had absolutely no idea what was going on. Roxas was staring at him, and he didn't say a word while closing the space between them. Being extremely nervous, he shut his eyes. What else was he supposed to do in that situation? Well, there was the option of moving away, pushing Roxas away. Why didn't I do that?

Maybe it was because I was scared? Heart pounding, he replayed that moment in his head over a dozen times. There was a definite feeling of 'fear' going through him, but it didn't feel like the typical kind. Did that even make sense? How could you be afraid, but not, at the same time? Why did things have to be so complicated? Letting out a heavy sigh, there was one more troubling thing on his mind; How am I going to face Roxas? Grabbing a handful of his blanket, he honestly didn't have an answer.

Hearing a light knocking on his door, he didn't answer. The knob turned and the door slowly opened, "Sora?"

His head was buried beneath the blanket, and he didn't make a move to remove it. Even though it wasn't remotely possible for him to see his mother, his eyes flicked back to where he assumed she was standing. "Yeah?"

"It's time for school...are you not feeling well?" She couldn't help but to notice he'd scarce left his room for the past two days in a row. He didn't even bother to eat, either.

"No." Sora answered truthfully, for the last two days he hadn't been feeling well. He'd also been ignoring his friends, not just his family for those days. Maybe he was making the situation out to be a lot worse off than it was- he couldn't help it. Nothing like this had really happened to him before and there was so much to think about. For one thing, he thought that their friendship was probably no longer an actual thing. Not after his screw up. Then there were his friends, who would probably think him an idiot for doing what he did.

"Do you want to stay home from school?" She would have checked his temperature, or gone through the regular routine of seeing if he was sick, but she'd make an exception. Sora rarely missed school, and even if he was faking- there had to be a reason for it. There was no reason to try and press him on the issue, as if he'd wanted to talk about things then he already would have.

Sora thought it over for a moment, "Yeah, I think so." Today he'd take the cowards way out. Tomorrow...well, he'd just have to see.

"Okay. Your father and I will be leaving for work. Feel better, alright?" She walked over to the door and did her best to silently shut it.

Hearing her steps die away, Sora sighed and shut his eyes. Maybe he'd try to get some sleep and forget about things, just for a little while.

Roxas frowned when he came to school and found that Sora wasn't there. They obviously had something to talk about, and Sora was probably avoiding him now. Idiot. As if running away from the problem (both metaphorically and literally) would solve anything. Holding out on the small hope that Sora would show up, Roxas glanced at the time- it didn't seem like it was going to happen. While it may have been true that he wasn't always on time, he usually showed up a decent chunk before class had started. When everyone showed up and the bell rang, his frown turned into a scowl. Not really knowing how to express his concern over the matter, it very quickly turned to annoyance/anger. How was it fair to accuse someone of trying to kiss you, and never giving them a chance to explain things? It was cotton candy!

Some people were more than likely to blame Roxas about Sora's sudden 'disappearance'. And by 'some people' he meant the behemoth. He didn't know if the red haired girl would hate him for it, Namine seemed a little too 'strange' for that kind of thing, but the large rude one was likely going to try and start something. Just as well, Roxas could use a punching bag right about now. Well, that just in the case of if Riku wanted to physically take him on- he could still win a battle of words, if the need arose. It wouldn't be nearly as satisfying. Maybe it was pent up 'rage' from the fact that he'd skipped his morning training routine, woken up late, and...someone was going to get his 'misdirected' rage. After a few minutes of brooking, Riku wandered in, and all theoretical situations went out the window. He was glaring- and his gaze was aimed completely at Roxas.

"What did you do to Sora?"

The sheer anger laced into Riku's voice likely would have forced a few people to shrink back and instantly answer his question- but Roxas wasn't some complacent moron who couldn't defend himself. Riku didn't instill fear in him, and he had no obligation to answer. "Why do you assume I did anything?" Roxas scoffed and haughtily replied to Riku's blatant accusation. He didn't need to know that he was 'right'.

"Maybe because you just 'answered' my question with a question, which is an evasion." Riku didn't much care for Roxas from the get go and if he'd done something to his friend on the weekend, then he was going to be in for it.

"I have nothing to evade, because I've done nothing wrong. You come in here with no proof, and decide to throw your baseless accusations all over the place. Got something you feel guilty about?" Roxas decided to turn the situation on him. Maybe he wasn't 100% to blame for Sora's absence today- it could have been a mixture of Riku's treating him like garbage, and the fact that he'd thought Roxas had a romantic interest in him. Which...he didn't...did he? Thinking it over a little bit, he vaguely saw Riku rampaging and decided to actually listen so he could properly shut down all of what he was saying.

"For the past two days, he hasn't said a word to any of his friends- you were the last one to see him. He won't even let us up into his room to check on him! I know you're to blame! So what did you do that was so bad he became a shut in?" Riku didn't even bother to answer his question, it was a petty, weak accusation at best.

Two days. Yep, it was definitely his fault. "Nobody likes being crowded. You're too clingy, and obviously overreach how important you actually are to him. What were you, again? The 'best friend' and he's not even bothering to talk to you? Ouch. Just because I was one of the last people to see him, doesn't mean I'm the cause of the problem. That's circumstantial 'evidence' at the very best." Sora locked himself in his room? Well, that settled things. The dumbass would rather lock himself away, play 'sick' and never bother to see him again. This is why he couldn't have 'friends'. You tell them one secret, and they get all weird on you. Would Sora have honestly thought he was making a move on him, if he didn't even know Roxas had sexual inclinations? No, he didn't think so.

Riku's eye twitched out of annoyance. This blonde kid seemed like quite the little bastard. How Sora managed to survive being even remotely near him, he had no idea. "It's because of you!" He could deny that fact as many times as he wanted, Roxas was definitely to blame! Sora spent almost 100% of his time with him now, and there was no other reason out there. "You also keep zoning out, and I'll bet that you're thinking of the exact reason on why he's not coming to school today."

"What are you, writing a book on him? In love with him? Because this feels less like 'friendship' and more like 'obsession'. He's not coming today, get over it." Why or how Riku knew that fact, he honestly didn't even want to know. It was probably some stupid, corny reason like he'd gone over to Sora's house and spoken to his parents. Tried to goad him out of his room, and failed miserably to do so. He wasn't going to just sit back and take all of the insults and accusations hurled his way. If Sora wanted to lock himself away and play a martyr for no reason, then whatever. It wasn't his fault. Well, it was...technically...but he didn't force him to stay in his room.

"It's called worrying about someone, you heartless little sociopath!" Everything that came out of Roxas' mouth was nothing but an annoying flurry of nonsense. He was just about to reach his limit of anger toward the blonde. Part of him wanted to just grab Roxas by the collar of his hoodie and throttle him a little bit. Or at least knock some sense into him- the literal way.

"You look like you want to hit me. Go ahead, hit me. See what happens." Even though Roxas was seated, he was more than ready to hold whatever Riku could throw his way. If need be, Roxas would get up and the classroom would be in shambles, followed by another expulsion on his end of things. A new town. That wouldn't be so bad.

"You're not worth it." Riku was honestly finished trying to talk to the little monster. He had a disgusting personality that was 'disagreeable' to say the least. Resolving to just ignore Roxas until class started, and ended- he'd just have to go over to Sora's today after school.

Roxas didn't bother to speak another word. Riku wanted to wallow in Sora's self-pity, so he honestly had no idea what to do about it. Letting out a small sigh, he circled back to the fact that Sora was sulking because of a stupid reason. There wasn't anything he could do in this situation- even if he wanted to. Roxas didn't have Sora's phone number, he didn't know where he lived, some friend, huh? Heartless sociopath. That was a whole new one, even for him. Maybe it was true. He never really showed a hint of remorse for his actions. But he'd never been one to show his emotions on the surface. His own mother had said he 'didn't wear his heart on his sleeve'. It wasn't hard to see why plenty of people thought he was 'cold'.

Class eventually started, and Roxas didn't hear a word the teacher had to say. Compulsively, he wrote down everything on the board into his notebook. Not that it really helped, he wasn't following the lesson in the slightest, because his mind was completely elsewhere. Was this what 'worry' felt like? Decidedly, it was a useless emotion Roxas would have loved to do without. Tapping his mechanical pencil in his notebook, he didn't know what to do except for wait and see if Sora came back tomorrow. He could straighten out this mess, and while he did so, the meddling of Sora's friends wouldn't help anything. Friends. Roxas factually just meant Riku.

The large pain in his ass who was nothing but a busybody.

Once the bell rang, Roxas finally clued in to the fact that class was over, and he swiftly went out of the room. Going to his locker, he grabbed his gym clothes and went to class. He glanced at the change room on his way to the bathroom, remembering his encounter with Sora in there. I peeked at him while he was getting dressed. Embarrassed at the memory, he had to wonder if this was his fault. Did he give mixed signals out there? Was he flirting with Sora, without even noticing? It didn't seem like, or at the very least, nothing came to mind. In fact, he treated him like less than a person, let alone love interest. So, there was no flirting on his part- but there was a subtle, physical attraction.

Running his fingers through his hair, he let out an exasperated, long sigh. Shutting his eyes, just for a moment, he wondered why all of his problems were traceable back to Sora. Or, why he let Sora be the center of all his problems. Usually by now he'd cut a person off, entirely. But Sora was as stubborn as he, if not more so. No matter how rude he was, Sora just seemed to take it and endure through. Of course, Sora did mention the fact that he disliked the treatment to other people, not that it was necessarily 'wrong' to do so. But he did like to tell little white lies every now and again to try and make everyone feel better about certain situations. Liar. It was then that Roxas realized he was flirting a bit with Sora. Those teasing not-so-accusations on his end toward Sora were definite signs of flirtation.

I'm an idiot.

Sora just always made unique expressions whenever he and Roxas were speaking. Although Roxas hadn't admitted it aloud, he rather enjoyed the way that Sora's expressions came about. Always wearing a dumb smile on his face, to reassure other people. It was likely a front just so they never felt uncomfortable around him, because he was a 'kind' person. It was likely the reason why he decided to go with Roxas through that house. So he could breakdown, cry, show off fear and not have to wear that ridiculous smile throughout the whole ordeal. Maybe he's just more comfortable around me. He reacted to situations far differently than most people, and for the most part- it made him more interesting. Although, considering his reaction to current events, Sora's 'interesting' behavior became nothing of a nuisance. He could actually be quite manly, if he wanted to be. Not that he seemed emasculate, or anything.

Sora, was just...Sora.

The statement he hadn't understood on his very first day of school now seemed to make sense. Shaking his head, Roxas finished getting dressed and joined the rest of the class. Continuing the apparent trend of zoning out, he hadn't even heard that the class were going to be doing beep tests. Lining up with the rest of the students, Roxas finally clued in to what they were doing (considering he didn't know anyone in the class, save for Sora- he didn't bother asking any of them what they were to do). Hearing the first beep, he started with a moderately slow pace. Everyone could pass this one, even the worst runner would be able to make it in time.

Progressively getting faster each time, a few people were eliminated along the way and forced to do the 'walk of shame' for doing so. With each new beep, it seemed that a person was forced to join the ranks of the 'losers'. Not that they 'lost' exactly, this was just for placement on your physical ability level. Keeping up with, and surpassing a few of the seniors, Roxas actually began to put in effort to continue on. Being the last one standing, he was getting relatively high in the run, even earning the odd cheer from his classmates. Thankful for his high stamina, he continued until he eventually joined those who lost out. Sitting down, he needed a moment or two to recuperate.

"That was amazing! You're really fast!" a few girls came over to Roxas, giggling and trying to strike up conversation.

Still catching his breath, Roxas just stared up at the unfamiliar girls. Why were they speaking to him now, of all times?

"Would you...um...if it's not too much trouble...after class, could you come with me?" one of the girls in the back who seemed completely shy was inviting him out.

"Why?" Roxas finally caught his breath and honestly wanted her to say it. He knew that it was probably going to be some sort of confession, even though he'd never seen this girl before in his life. If only she knew that she was barking up the wrong tree, and wasting both of their time.

"I...I want to talk to you!" she didn't even give him the chance to reply, and almost sprinted away.

Girls. Roxas sighed, he'd just have to indulge her. Maybe he'd met up with her in a hallway before, and said some offhand comment that she mistook for flirtation, or spoken to her in this class, somehow. Roxas wasn't sure, but maybe he'd given her a false hope that was completely out of the question. For once, he had a problem that couldn't be blamed on Sora. When the bell rang, Roxas was forced to go to the change rooms and quickly shower. The girl was likely waiting, and he didn't want to keep her that way. It was best to just firmly reject her so that they could both get on with their lives. Getting himself dressed, he left the change room and found her waiting.

Roxas shut his eyes, sighed and followed her outside. Her two friends from earlier had been waiting, he guessed because they were there for 'backup'.

"Thank you...for coming." she nervously smiled, and Roxas just nodded to her.

Willing her to hurry up and say what she wanted, he hoped this wouldn't take long.

"I just...I wanted to say...I like you! And...I wanted to see...if...maybe...ifitwouldn'tbetoomuchtroublewouldyouliketogoonadatewithme?"

Roxas stared blankly at her. She said the last part of her sentence so fast that it came out as one long blurb of a word. "No." He turned her down with one word, and began to walk away.

"Hey!"

Stopping with his hand on the door, he turned his head. The nervous girl looked crushed, but either girl behind her looked totally pissed off. He assumed that they were going to give him a piece of their mind, and explain that he should 'give her a chance' or some irritating drivel. Why? Was it just because she was a girl, and therefore seen as 'fragile'? Or was it that she had 'poured out her heart' or something like that? Not every confession sent his way had merit. This one definitely seemed groundless, and as insincere as that girl who kissed him. They say something that they 'liked' and decided to gamble on the possibility that he'd reciprocate. Call him 'crazy' but who did that kind of thing? If he ever just walked up to a boy he liked and decided to kiss him, he'd get a fist swung at him, called a 'pervert', likely charged with some form of sexual harassment and seen as 'gross'.

"You could at least think it over!" the second girl, who happened to be the tallest was calling him out.

"Why?" Roxas asked, "I didn't need anymore time to think it over then that. She asked me a question, I gave an answer- that's the end of it."

"Why are you being so mean?" The first one asked, surprised at how rude the blonde boy was.

"I'm not." Roxas scoffed. If anyone here was being rude, it was them for deciding to try and ambush him. "What do you like about me?" Deciding to completely ignore the girls and speak to the one who'd brought him out there in the first place, he wanted to explain things thoroughly, so something like this wasn't likely to happen again.

The shy girl who seemed on the verge of tears, looked up at him. "I just...I thought you were really cool...I guess. You're good looking, athletic, smart, and I've seen what you can do at school! You're amazing!"

Roxas figured as much. "Those are all superficial reasons to 'like' someone." She may not like to hear it, but it was the honest truth. "Just because you think someone is physically attractive, doesn't mean you have to 'like' them. Being good at activities isn't a unique quality, many people can do lots of things others can't. I'm not the best at anything, but I'm not half-assed to the point that I give up without trying. Don't get me wrong- I find it admirable that you put yourself on the line, but, for future reference, ditch the friends. They don't exactly have your best interests in mind." That line about physical attraction was probably meant more for himself, then anything. Roxas felt he said all that he needed to, and left the trio behind him.

"We'll start a rumor that you're gay!"

Recognizing the voice to be the tall one, Roxas shrugged his shoulders and didn't bother to look back. "Go ahead." Opening the school door, he walked back inside and made his way to his locker. There were worse things than petty rumors started by girls with grudges. Hearing that he rejected the girl in question, most people weren't likely to believe it, anyway. Grabbing his lunch, Roxas sat at his table and decided to put the whole experience behind him. Since Sora wasn't at school today, he'd actually be eating alone. Going back to his old routine wouldn't be too bad, would it?

"Roxas."

Looking up, he'd never noticed the red haired girl sat opposite him.

"Oh. I'm sorry! You don't know my name...I'm Kairi." Kairi introduced herself, she'd guessed from his mild confusion that he had no idea who she was. Well, other then 'Sora's friend' more than likely.

"Is there something you wanted?" Roxas asked, he hoped that this wasn't another confession to be hurled his way.

"To talk to you. I hope you don't mind." Kairi smiled apologetically for just barging in on him at lunch.

"What about?" Roxas figured the behemoth probably sent her over. A girl to sweet talk him and likely force him to admit Sora's not coming to school was his fault. Not exactly the most original idea out there.

"Sora. He hasn't been talking to any of us, for the past two days. Is he okay? Did he seem okay after he left the house?" Kairi seemed genuinely worried for her friend.

"He was still a bit scared. It was late, so I let him stay over at my place. He seemed fine." Roxas didn't bother to tell her about the fact that Sora was freaking out about the 'kiss'.

"He stayed with you? So long as he was okay..." Kairi was really glad to hear that.

"Yeah, he was fine. What's the big deal? Maybe he's got the stomach flu, or something. He'll talk to all of you when he's ready, right?" Roxas wasn't really good at 'comforting' people, so he didn't really have an idea on what to say. Well, anything but the truth, apparently.

"I guess you're right." Kairi smiled and nodded, "I hope he's okay! I really do! We're going to visit his house today, you should come! I'm sure that Sora would really like it if you came along! Maybe he'd talk to you...? And I'm really glad you were able to help him. He really likes you, you know?" From all the things she'd heard Sora say about Roxas, he was absolutely thrilled to just be around his newfound friend.

"I can't do that." Roxas shot down the idea, just like with the girl from before, he didn't mean to come off as 'rude' or 'cold' but his usual tone of voice was very accommodating to others. "I don't think he'd like to see me, right now...let alone talk." All he ever heard from Sora's friends was how much he 'liked' him. He let out a small, almost laugh at that statement. Picturing Sora gush about everything he did, it seemed so strange. Maybe he talked to other people so much about him, because Roxas wasn't exactly the easiest or best person to try and talk to.

"Oh? Are you two fighting, too?" Kairi instantly looked concerned, "I hope you can make up."

Thinking it over, he couldn't exactly call it a 'fight'. More of a...misunderstanding. "You could say something along those lines. It's not a 'fight' but I know I'm probably the last person he wants to see, let alone deal with. The behemoth can go with you guys, I'm sure he believes that he can quell away whatever is bugging Sora." Roxas would probably never properly say the name 'Riku' when ever referencing the male in question, he'd pissed him off to the point that he wasn't deserving of a name.

"I'm not sure I understand..." Kairi admitted, she honestly had no idea on what Roxas meant. Sora had a problem with him, but it wasn't a fight? Then what else could it be? What could make Sora not want to see or talk to Roxas? "Behemoth?" Finally cluing in to that word, she wondered who he could be talking about.

"You know, the big one who towers over the rest of us humans. Grumpy. Sulks around Sora, basically hangs off his every word. Calls himself 'best friend'." Roxas genuinely didn't want to say Riku's name at any point in time.

"Oh. You mean Riku!" Kairi didn't pay any mind to the names Roxas called him. She'd heard some more...'colorful' words from Riku himself about the blonde. Apparently, the feeling was mutual. "He'll be coming along, too. I guess you won't want to if he comes along, huh?"

"It's more incentive to not go." Roxas nodded.

"Okay, that's fair." Kairi nodded, she didn't want to start problems between them, or force either boy into a situation they weren't comfortable in. "Listen...if you change your mind, or if you want to talk to Sora..." Trailing off, the redhead pulled out her notebook, quickly wrote something down and tore out the piece of paper she'd been writing on. "This is his number, okay? Since you're in all his classes, you'll be able to help him out, right? It's just in case. If he's sick, like you said he might be, then Sora could end up missing a few more days. At least this way he'll be able to know what he's missed out on, right?"

Roxas looked down at the paper she slid over to him. Taking into account her reasoning, it seemed like a good idea. But he wasn't so sure Sora would even bother with his texts. And even less sure he wanted Sora to have his phone number. "I'll make sure he knows what he missed out on." There was no point in him falling behind, right?

"Thank you." Kairi smiled, the bell signaling the end of their lunch period rang, and she excused herself.

'You won't even bother texting me back, will you, Sora?' Roxas wasn't sure if he should try and reach out to him. Was there a point? He was only in their third class of the day, and it wasn't as if Gym nor Art would give them assignments. Running his fingers through his hair, Roxas let out a sigh. Class started, and he soon tossed away his ideas of texting Sora.

"Everyone stop fiddling around!" DiZ dropped a large stack of binders on his desk, that instantly hushed the group. "I take my classes very seriously, and I expect the same from all of you. If you thought you were going to get away with chatting to friends sitting beside you, please, let it be known I will move you. And if you decide to be a problematic student, then I will isolate you. Believe me, there will be no joy to be had when you sit beside me for every single class until the end of the semester. And, for those of you who may end up with me next year, or repeating this class- there will be no second chances." One student began to whisper to another, and DiZ instantly threw a binder against the wall. Everyone in the room seemed to cringe, save for Roxas.

Roxas was actually really enjoying this experience. Finally, a teacher who didn't put up with nonsense, and actually had some sort of punishment system in place for not only offenders, but repeat offenders. He could get used to this class. Hell, if he actually stayed in this school, then he'd request DiZ for every single English class he had left.

"Now, is anyone going to interrupt my lessons again? Or shall I continue?" DiZ waited for anyone to dare say they'd rather chat with their friends. After a few moments, he went back to writing on the board.

Their assignment, it seemed, was a short written story with a topic of their choosing. Two pages long, but double spaced. Why they even did such a thing, Roxas would never understand. A double spaced two page written work would be one page if they didn't double space. Far be it from him to argue with the teacher- especially this one. Thinking about a topic to write about, Roxas sifted through things he wanted to do. Not that anything really came to mind, as he was busy dealing with Sora drama. So, on that note, he has 'sexual inclinations' down for a topic, 'misunderstandings'...Roxas eventually found a proper topic. Writing about him and Sora wouldn't help anything, so he decided to deal with stereotypes amongst the sexes when it came to searching for a significant other.

Why is it, that when a boy asks a girl out and is shot down then is demanding of an explanation he's 'rude' and 'overbearing'? When a girl does the same thing, she's 'inquisitive' and 'curious'. If a boy shoots her down with the word 'no' and not some long, romanticized speech on while he's 'thankful' for her interest, he isn't the right one for her, and that she should continue looking elsewhere, he's a 'jerk', a 'pig' or thought of as some sort of 'playboy'. Even going so far as to be branded 'gay' for declining anything to do with that person? But if a girl shoots him down, then that's 'just the way it works', right? She's 'strong' and 'smart' for not bothering to date that person.

Roxas actually had a lot to say on the subject, apparently. His thoughts were turning into quite the long story, and he was even running out of room to write. He'd been through these many stigmas, due to the fact that A; people thought he was attractive, ergo would like to date whomever threw themselves at him. B: He was somehow 'kind' because of his looks, not that anyone ever took the time to learn who the real him was. He honestly had no idea how anyone ever found him to be inviting. Maybe it was the light hair and eyes. But he was no Ventus- so it was all just strange. Misconceptions seemed to be one of the things he was best at. Obviously these things happened because not one person bothered to speak to him. They saw qualities in him and turned him into some sort of object for their desires.

'It's not my fault'.

Roxas truly believed that. He didn't falsely advertise himself as a 'Sora' type. People just thought he was.

Writing out the rest of his assignment, he handed it in just in time for class to finish. Roxas made his way to Art, and was grateful the day had neared its end. Namine was waiting at the usual table, even smiling and waving him over. Roxas didn't know why he went over, maybe because there was nowhere else to sit, and also due to the fact that she wasn't exactly a disagreeable person to be nearby.

"Hello, Roxas." Namine smiled, already working on her picture of him. It was already finely detailed, but she seemed to be striving for absolute perfection.

"Namine." Roxas nodded to her, grabbing his picture of Sora and working a bit more on the portrait. He knew it was only a matter of time until she brought up Sora. Every passing second, he waited for her to bring him up and start talking about the fact that he should go over there, speak to him and somehow make the situation all better. As if he was some sort of cure all to something like this. Whether or not Sora 'liked' him didn't exactly matter- he didn't want to speak to him. That much was clear when he bolted from him and didn't bother to make contact, or do much else.

"Is something on your mind?" Namine asked, in-between erasing and redrawing portions of his portrait. Periodically, she'd glance up just to look at him for reference, and Roxas seemed troubled. Even if he wouldn't admit it out loud, he actually had pretty 'telling' body language. Was he worried about Sora not being here? She was sure Kairi and Riku had both spoken to him at different points of the day, and she wasn't sure he'd like to talk about it. He barely spoke to her at all, and she didn't exactly get the sense he enjoyed hers or anyone elses company. But he did seem to 'put up' with Sora far more then anyone else. Maybe he had a soft spot for him?

"Don't you want to ask me about your friend?" Roxas countered her question with his own, instantly going on the defensive. It was just a simple question on her end, but he still took it as a form of 'aggression' for no reason. Maybe because people always tended to do things that were usually disagreeable to him. Like those girls who dragged him aside, decided he was someone they found to be desirable, then instantly went from 'sweet' to 'sour' in an instant.

"No." Namine smiled at him and gently shook her head. "If you wanted to talk about Sora, then you'd initiate the conversation, right? I'm not going to press issues, or make you feel like you have to talk about it, just because we're sitting together. If you want to just sit here in silence, then that's just fine with me." She brushed her bangs out of her eyes, and continued to study her subject.

Roxas actually found himself surprised. She didn't seem to react to his tone of voice, as most would think it rude and not bother to speak with him. "Namine..." He started to ask a question, but he didn't feel like he should.

"What's on your mind?" Namine asked, "You don't have to be afraid! Feel free to tell me anything! And don't worry- I won't tell anyone else, okay?"

"I want your honest opinion." Roxas didn't sugar coat what he was about to say, and he didn't want her to feel like she couldn't answer him truthfully. Placing down his pencil, and moving aside his drawing of Sora, he wanted to be absolutely serious. "Do you think I'm...heartless?" It wasn't that he was offended by Riku's statement, he'd just been told that a lot by people. He was 'ruthless' in conversation and often didn't put into account how others may feel by what he had to say.

"Honestly? No." Namine shook her head, "I know you may want people to think that you're emotionless, and don't care about anything. But you're actually a really kind, caring, nice boy who cares more than he says he does, right?" She'd been watching his interactions with Sora- it was actually fairly obvious to her. Roxas could deny it, but she knew the truth for herself.

"How did you get that opinion? You barely know me." Roxas felt strange having someone call him 'kind, caring and nice'.

"Because you're worried about Sora, right? You may treat him harshly- but that's just the way you are. It's your way of showing you care, right? You can't help but to be you, and no one can force you to change who you are." But if Namine had to bet on a person who could do that, it would be Sora. He just seemed to have a quality that brought out the 'good' in others, no matter the situation.

"I'm not worried." Roxas frowned a bit, shaking his head. 'How did she know?' "He says we're 'friends'- but I haven't had one in so long I don't even know how to treat someone like that." Namine seemed to have quite the observational skills.

"Of course, my mistake." Namine giggled slightly. "You don't like being around people, do you, Roxas?"

"Not really. I've rarely, if ever found people I could stand to be around. The one person who stood by me the most I actually left behind." Roxas actually missed Axel, or at least, he thought he did. He'd been his longest standing friend, and it sucked that they couldn't hang out anymore. They'd both put up with each other for a long time, and enabled each others quirks. From Axel's pranks to Roxas' abrasive, 'strong' personality.

"Roxas...are you lonely?" Namine hoped she wasn't overstepping any boundaries between them. He may stop speaking to her, but she just got the sense that he wanted 'someone'.

"Why...why would you think that?" Roxas was content being alone. Life was easier, that way.

"Because...you seem like your guard is always up. Like there's always some threat coming your way, and you need to be ready for it. Even on your fist day, you cut everyone off and decided to be alone. Did something happen with that person you were talking about?" Namine put down her things, and folded her hands neatly in her lap, if they were going to have a 'serious' conversation, then she didn't want to be rude to Roxas.

"Not with him, no." Roxas shook his head, "It was like your behemoth of a friend said, I got kicked out of school. For fighting. Naturally, we lost touch." So, he came off as 'guarded' to people?

"Fighting?" Namine was curious.

"Some secrets cost you friendships and make you enemies." Roxas didn't want to elaborate. He had an unlucky streak with people whom he told that secret to, and despite how 'open-minded' she thought she was, Namine probably wouldn't be able to handle it, either.

"You haven't met the right people. Roxas, friends are supposed to accept you, for who you are. They're not supposed to abandon you, and make you feel as if you can't open up. Losing parts of yourself, just to accommodate others...isn't really living, is it?" Namine waited for an answer, but Roxas didn't appear to want a conversation, anymore. So she picked her things back up and started to draw once more.

'You convince yourself with logic, that it's okay to be the way you are. Locking away parts of yourself, to avoid saying how you really feel. You deserve to be alone!' What Namine said resonated with Roxas. It also reminded him of another girl, who had her own opinions of him. The difference being, Namine wasn't a girl confessing to him, and she didn't say it just to hurt him. That girls words didn't do anything, but Namine's gave him a bit of truth. People got the wrong idea, because he let them. Being standoffish just because he'd had his fair share of people, and didn't want them to get close to him.

Continuing their drawing until class ended, Namine carefully placed her drawing of Roxas away. "Goodbye, Roxas."

"Goodbye." Roxas barely had time to see her wave him off, before she was out the door. Deciding now was the best time to text Sora, he quickly punched in his number. 'Math: Review chapter 1.4 Questions 1-11. Gym: Beep test. English: Two page double spaced written assignment. Art: Continue on portraits. -Roxas' Hitting 'send' he decided to just go home, and think about a few things.

Namine knocked on the front door of Sora's home, waiting for someone to answer the door. After a few idle moments of standing still, his mother opened the door.

"Namine!"

"Hello. Is Sora home?" Namine asked, hoping she could get to speak to him.

"He's upstairs...I'm not sure if he's up to it, but you can try." Stepping aside, she gave Namine the opportunity to come inside.

"Thank you." Namine politely went past Sora's mom and walked upstairs to his room. Knocking gently on the door, there was no answer. "Sora? Mind if I come in?" Silence lingered in the air, and he wasn't sure if he was awake. If not, then she could just leave and come back some other time. Beginning to walk away, she decided to leave it for later.

"Come in." Sora's voice was barely loud enough for Namine to hear.

Namine turned around and opened the door, "Sora? It's so dark in here." His light wasn't on, and the blinds were shut. He seemed to be huddled up on the bed, but she couldn't exactly tell.

"I'm here." Sora said, though his words became muddled from the blanket covering his face. He'd heard her start to walk away, and felt like it was the right decision to let Namine come in. He hadn't done much talking in the last 48 hours, and if ever there was someone to speak about your problems to, it was Namine.

"Mind if I turn on the light?" Namine asked, waiting for him to answer. Had Sora been bundled up like this, all day?

"No." Sora shook his head, letting out a sigh. He hadn't been in the light all day, save for when some stray bits of sunlight came in through the blinds- then he shut them so it wouldn't come back in. Ordinarily he would have been terrified of the dark, but today of all days it seemed to be offering him the most comfort. Sora was glad that Namine had come. When Riku came by this morning, he'd actually gotten mad because Sora didn't let him come in. He wasn't in the mood to talk, then, and he honestly didn't feel like he could tell Riku about what had happened. What if it started problems between him and Roxas? Sora would rather keep it bottled in then have people close to him fight.

Namine flicked on the switch and silently shut the door behind her. "Are you okay?" She asked, walking over to Sora and sitting on the foot of his bed. Judging by the lump that was Sora, she wasn't sitting on his feet, and glad to not have accidentally hurt her friend. Sora had never seen this upset before, what happened?

"I don't know." Sora admitted, feeling her indent on the bed when she sat down. He honestly had no idea, ever since two days ago, he felt...strange. There was so many thoughts racing through his mind, and he was just trying to make sense of them all. Replaying the scene of him and Roxas at the amusement park didn't help anything. It just made him feel more of that strangeness.

"What's the matter? Are you sick?" Namine didn't want to bother him if he had the flu, he was probably exhausted. But she got the feeling that this wasn't that kind of 'sick'. He seemed more 'down', if anything. Hopefully he'd feel good enough to talk about his problem with her, before Kairi and Riku came. Some people really preferred the one on one approach.

"I'm not sick." Sora shot down the first part, unsure of if he should answer her first question. It was a pressing issue, and one that he couldn't even make sense of.

"Then what's the matter?" Namine wanted to know, she had a slight idea of what it could be, but wanted to affirm the answer for herself. Truth be told, she only knew that it had to do with Sora and Roxas. And that was because Roxas had brought up Sora in art class.

"I don't know if I can tell you." Sora admitted, shaking his head.

"Is it a secret?" Namine didn't want to force him if he didn't feel comfortable enough to say it.

"Kind of." It wasn't a 'bad' secret, just a personal one that he didn't necessarily want to share.

His words lingered in the air, and Namine wasn't sure what to say. A secret that he felt he couldn't tell her? Maybe she should just guess until she came relatively close to what he thought was a large secret. This way, it would feel like she didn't know nor talk to other people about it earlier.

"Is it...about one of us?" Namine asked.

"No." Sora shook his head.

"Is it...about you?"

"Yes."

"Is it...about you and someone else?" On seeing him nod again, she had an idea. "Is it...you and Roxas?" Her hunch seemed to payoff, as Sora stiffened a bit and then nodded. "What happened?"

Sora could feel his cheeks get hot. He was actually glad his face was hidden from her view. "I stayed at his house, after we were at the haunted mansion. He said it was too late for me to go home, and I was honestly just happy to not be stuck at home, alone after that experience." At least if he got too scared, he likely could have gotten Roxas to stay with him.

"That doesn't seem so bad. I'm glad for you." Namine smiled, but she felt like something was going to derail the story. So, Sora stayed home to avoid seeing Roxas. Did they have a fight at the end of their day of fun? What could have happened that Sora decided running away was the better option, instead of facing Roxas?

"The next day we didn't have anything planned, so I suggested that we go out and have some fun, since it was the weekend. Roxas let me borrow some clothes, shared a few stories between the two of us. He even showed me some of his cool fighting tricks..." Sora removed the blanket from himself and sat up, making eye contact with her. "After that, we went out and visited a few places around town. The arcade, the beach, amusement park..." They actually had a very long day together. His favorite part had been when Roxas discovered sea-salt ice-cream.

"It sounds like you had fun." Namine nodded, was this where things went bad?

"I did, and I think Roxas did, too. We went on a lot of the rides, saw the fireworks...he got my cotton candy. And we sat on a bench together, watching fireworks. I noticed him leaning in closer to me, and...I thought he was going to kiss me..." Sora trailed off. In the moment, that's exactly what it seemed like. But he was an idiot, as there was no way Roxas liked him like that. He barely even put up with him, so how could he think of him like that?

Namine's eyes widened a bit, "Did he kiss you!?" She didn't mean to sound as surprised as she did.

"N-no!" Sora vigorously shook his head from side to side. "There was cotton candy on my face...he was pulling it off."

Namine heard the slight 'disappointment' and saw it on Sora's face when he said that. He actually seemed to pout a bit. Did he know what facial expressions he was making? "Did you want him to kiss you?" She had no idea if Roxas liked boys, or not- but he seemed to have an interest in Sora. And Sora liked Roxas, but she already had a feeling about that. He'd been more excited about Roxas then most anything in the previous years had ever been to him. Seeing how happy the blonde boy made him, she honestly didn't mind if it was Roxas. The only problem, was that Roxas was, in fact, Roxas. Could he treat a situation like this delicately?

"I...I don't know." Sora admitted, finally looking at her again. Fidgeting with his hands a bit, Sora felt strange. Eventually, is hands gripped the blankets, and he wasn't sure what else to say. This was a whole new area to him, and he didn't know how to handle it. Had he completely ruined his chance of being friends with Roxas?

"Sora...do you like Roxas?" Namine asked, wondering if he knew what she meant.

"Of course!" Sora nodded, answering without hesitance and a great amount of innocence when he said that fact.

Namine smiled and shook her head. Sora hadn't understood the depth of her question. He clearly thought she meant on a basic friendship level. "When you two spent the day together, how did you feel?"

"Happy...Really happy!" Sora explained it as simplistic as he could. He was glad they could spend time together, and that they were actually becoming friends. And then a thought dawned on him. "He never had sea-salt ice-cream before, can you believe that!? When Roxas ate it, he really liked it!" Sora couldn't resist a small laugh, when he thought about Roxas sharing with him.

Just seeing the way Sora happily gushed about him, Namine had her answer; Sora liked Roxas. "I actually can't. Who can resist sea-salt ice-cream?" Namine smiled, enjoying his laughter.

"Do you think...did I mess things up?" Sora asked, his smile fading as he began to dwell on the situation he was currently stuck in.

"No." Namine shook her head, "Do you think you can face Roxas? Are you going to come to school, tomorrow?"

"I don't know." Sora answered the first part of her question, sighing and hugging his knees to his chest. "I'll have to go. I can't keep missing school, just because I'm scared."

"Well, you'll have all of us there, you know? If you're not ready to talk about it Roxas, then you're not ready." Namine could understand why he had anxiety. As far as she knew, Sora had never actually 'liked' someone like this- he was always too busy with his friends and having a good time. Maybe she should have known from the get go that his interest in Roxas was different from just simple 'friendship'. It was clear that there would be a problem if he and Roxas got together, and that problem came in the form of Riku. Kairi would likely be supportive of it, as would Namine. Sora was a bit dense, so she figured that he'd need a little 'help' from her end.

"Yeah. I'm glad. Thank you." Sora smiled, "I'm just not sure if he'll get mad at me. I don't want him to be mad." Truthfully, that was one of the things he worried about the most. And the fact that Roxas could tell him that they were no longer friends, to leave him alone. The list of things Roxas could, would and may say was nearly endless. It only made the thought of tomorrow all the more terrifying.

"You won't know until you talk to him." Namine wanted to make sure she got that point across. Sora and Roxas definitely needed to talk. She'd love to be there to mediate between them, but it just wouldn't be possible. This was a really private matter, and she'd make sure it stayed that way.

"You're right. I'll try." Sora knew it would be the right thing to do. Even if he felt like he couldn't do it- he had to, right?

About to say more, they were both startled by knocks on the door.

"Sora?" Kairi asked, "Can I come in?"

"Sure." Sora didn't hesitate.

"Oh. You're here!" Kairi smiled at Namine, who was sitting on the foot of Sora's bed.

"Come join the club." Namine moved to sit beside Sora, "Help me cheer up Sora."

"Okay." Kairi nodded, walking over to the pair, and sitting on the other side of Sora. "Are you feeling better?"

"I think so. Namine really helped me." Sora was honestly feeling way better than he had before.

"I'm glad." Namine smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah, it's good to know you're feeling better." Kairi mirrored Namine's action, both girls hugging the brunette boy. "Don't scare us like that again, okay?" It was a joke, but the group had really worried about him. She wanted to ask if Roxas had texted Sora, but Roxas had said they weren't on speaking terms at the moment, so it didn't seem like the right time to do so.

"I promise, I won't!" Sora laughed, placing his arms behind either girl and hugging them back. Ever since he could remember, the three of them always hugged like this, regardless of who was feeling 'down'. Oddly enough, the girls never did it to Riku. Maybe it was just a 'special' thing for him and them? Both girls joined him in the laughter, but it all seemed to stop the moment Riku walked through the door.

"Don't let the fun die down on my account." Riku was glad to see Sora actually doing something. When he spoke this morning, he barely had any life to him, at all.

"You made it!" Namine smiled, hoping that the awkward air amongst friends would die down.

"Of course." Riku sat on the end of Sora's bed, "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah! I'm fine!" Sora nodded, smiling for the added effect. "Thank you, all of you- for coming." He honestly felt so 'loved' in the moment. Having all of his friends in the room with him, laughing and having fun.

"We're all glad to hear it." Kairi smiled, "Right, guys?"

"Yeah. It's nice to see." Riku nodded, "So, do you need help with your homework?"

"Ah...I forgot about that." Sora dreaded the idea behind homework. He had no idea what his assignments were. Feeling a slight 'buzz' from his pocket, he took out his phone and saw a text from Roxas. "How did...?" Did Sora give him his phone number?

"Oh! Good! He gave you your assignments!" Kairi was glad that Roxas did what she suggested.

"You gave him my phone number?" Sora was a bit surprised by that.

Kairi nodded, "You have all the same classes, right? Since he already has and knows all of the homework, it was easier then going to all of your teachers to ask."

"Right. That makes sense." Sora nodded, "Again, thank you."

"No problem."

"Anything you need help with?" Riku asked, not exactly happy that Roxas was texting Sora, but it had helped him out right now. Not that he'd ever appreciate anything that little runt did, but Sora seemed grateful and happy- that was all that mattered.

Sora thought about it for a moment or two. Did he need help with the math homework? Probably not- Roxas was an exceptionally good tutor. Math was actually really easy for him to understand now, just because of that. There was no way Riku could help him with gym- Sora would likely have to go during a make up day and fix it. English was pretty straight forward, and there was nothing he could do about art. "I think with math." It would give them both something to do together, and maybe Riku would like to help him? He missed having Riku's help with things, and it honestly was just nice to be with everyone. Even if he'd been taking them a bit for granted for the last little while. He'd spent so much time with Roxas that they basically didn't see him at all.

"Okay." Riku nodded, so Roxas' teachings hadn't stuck with him, after all? He almost smirked at the thought that Roxas wasn't as smart as he played himself off to be. Anything to knock him down a few pegs, really. "I also have the notes, if you need them."

"Great!" Sora moved away from the girls and took out his books, working side by side with Riku. Even though he understood every single question, he still took up Riku on his offer for help. It seemed to make Riku happy, and by extension- Sora. After his math assignment was finished, Sora moved on to English and periodically took breaks to engage with his friends, talking and laughing along the way. It seemed all of the friends really needed the time together. He was really grateful to have the best friends a person could ever have. Once it started to get dark, they all decided it was time to go, as it was a school night, after all.

"Goodbye, Sora!" Kairi smiled and waved, walking out the door.

"Goodbye!" Namine announced her departure just after Kairi.

"See ya." Riku nodded to Sora.

"Goodbye guys!" Sora walked them to the front door, and waved them off. Tomorrow was going to be a very eventful day- he just knew it. Could he face Roxas? Thinking it over, he figured he could with their help. Shutting the front door, Sora was about to go upstairs, but his mother stopped him.

"Would you like to join us for dinner?" She asked.

"Oh. Sure!" Sora didn't even clue in that it was time for dinner. Walking back down the stairs, he sat at the table with his parents.

"Are you finally feeling better, Sora?" His mother asked, happy that he seemed to be okay.

"I think so!" Sora smiled and nodded, "Thank you, for worrying about me." He didn't mean to cause so much worry among the people in his life. Sora was just having a problem that couldn't be resolved, not with any of their help- and it still wasn't. But come tomorrow, he was going to do his best to fix things. Roxas told him to never give up, so long as he had a goal in mind, then everything would be fine. He'd made a mistake, and it was going to be rectified. No matter how long it would take for him to do, he was going to get him and Roxas back on good terms.