The Lion and The Mouse-
Hello! I want to thank all of my nice reviewers! I hope everyone likes this chapter too. It's going to be a short one... and I think the next will be too. After that, they should be longer. Well anyways... enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy.
Chapter 4: Zell's Offer-
Cloud took Sora to the nurse's office and got him some ice for his swollen, bleeding lip. Then, they went to Sora's locker to get his books so he could do his homework for the night.
Sora held the ice pack to his lip while his brother opened the locker for him.
"Thanks Cloud," said Sora. His fingers were numbing from the ice.
Cloud smiled at him. " Don't worry about it. I had a feeling you were in trouble when you didn't come right out."
Sora began packing the books he needed into his backpack and then Cloud spoke up.
" My locker's right around the corner," he told Sora. " Think you'll be okay until I get back?"
Sora shrugged. The incident with Riku was still burned in his mind. Every time he blinked, he could see Riku's blazing, aqua eyes. He shivered. " I don't know," he admitted. " What if he comes back?"
Cloud just smiled at him. " Don't worry. You can call for me if he does. Like I said, I'm only around the corner."
Sora sighed as he dropped his IMP 3 book into his backpack. " Fine," he said.
Cloud reminded Sora to call him if something happened before he disappeared around the corner.
Sora placed his ice pack on the ground and lifted his heavy world history book out of his locker and into his backpack.
Then, he reached up to close his locker when suddenly, it was slammed shut for him.
Sora's eyes widened in surprise and he gave a startled jump. He looked over to see who closed the locker. He felt his breath get caught in his throat when he met the eyes of the Oblivion gand leader.
Zell held up Sora's ice pack. " This yours?" he asked, smirking.
Sora grabbed the ice pack and swung his backpack onto his shoulder. " Thanks. . ." he muttered hoarsely.
Zell gazed at Sora's lip. " What happened to you?"
Sora gave him a half glance. "Oh. . . uh, I tripped and hurt myself in gym." Sora was relieved that Zell wasn't there to beat him up for wearing their colors.
Zell sighed. " Too bad you had to go and scratch up that pretty face of yours . . ." he said, eying Sora up and down.
Sora gulped and laughed nervously. " W-what do you want?"
Zell casually placed his hand against the lockers, leaning against them while grinning seductively. " I'm here to offer you a life at this school that will earn you safety and respect. All you have to do is accept one thing . . ."
" What would that be?" Sora asked, lifting his slipping backpack back onto his shoulder.
Zell's grin widened when he gave Sora his answer. " Me," he told him.
Sora gasped. " W-wha . . .?"
Zell sighed and then placed his hand lightly on Sora's hip. He cleared his throat and said,
" I, Zell Almsy, like you, Sora Skye. I want you to love me like how you love your books and your studies . . ."
Sora twirled away from Zell's hand in one smooth movement. " I-I don't think so," he said, a little more harshly than he expected. He turned to walk away, but Zell grabbed his wrist, preventing him to do so.
Zell's eyes had darkened. " No one says no to me . . ."
Sora just looked at him angrily. " Oh yeah?! Well, I guess I'm nobody, because that's exactly what I'm doing!"
Zell growled and grabbed onto Sora's shoulders and then slammed him against the lockers. He made a fist and Sora flinched and tightly shut his eyes, waiting for the blow.
He heard Zell chuckle and then cracked an eye open to see why.
Zell backed away from Sora, smirking. " Ya know . . . I'm not going to mess you up, I'm just going to make your life miserable until you give in and come crawling back to me, begging to take my offer."
Sora was breathing heavily with fear as he watched Zell walk backwards for a while and then turn around to walk away.
Sora let out his breath and turned to go find Cloud.
The two brothers walked for a while in silence before Sora spoke.
" Cloud?"
" Hm?
"Please don't tell dad what happened," he begged his big brother. " Promise?"
Cloud looked down at him and smiled, " I don't know Sora . . . I really think he should know-- "
" Promise!" Sora shouted frantically.
Cloud gently riffled Sora's hair and smiled when he heard Sora giggle. " Alright," he said. " I promise. It'll be our little secret."
Sora grinned up at him. " Thanks Cloud." He watched his bother smile as they continued walking home.
" Where's Rikku?" Sora asked after a while. He had thought for sure that his hyper sister would be jumping around right now, screaming about how good her day was.
" She went ahead with her two new friends," said Cloud. " When you didn't come out when you said you were, she left with Riona and Yuna."
" Oh," said Sora. Then he thought about his cousin. " What about Tidus?"
Cloud thought for a moment before he remembered. " Oh yeah. He went to some Blitzball place with his friend Wakka."
Sora sighed sadly. " Everyone's ditched me for their friends!"
Cloud laughed a bit. " I haven't."
Sora looked up at him in realization. " Yeah, huh! How come?"
Cloud shrugged. " I didn't meet anyone new today."
" Oh. . ." Sora murmured. He looked away and down at his feet as he took a few giant steps.
They made back to their enormous house safely and were greeted at the door by Aerith. She welcomed them in with a smile and a plate of cinnamon cookies.
Sora grinned widely and grabbed a handful of the cookies and ran into the family room screaming, " Mmmmm! Cinnamon! My favorite!"
Cloud smiled after him as Aerith took his jacket. " Thank you, Aerith," he said, smiling at her and taking a cookie.
She smiled back. " You're welcome, Master Cloud. How was your day at school?"
" It was okay," he told her, but remembering the danger that Sora was in after school. He bit into his cookie before running upstairs to his room. He vowed right then and there to protect Sora at all costs. ' No one will hurt him. . .'
Sora plopped onto the couch and grabbed the remote. He turned on the big screen t.v. and changed it to his favorite channel. He sat up with excitement when he saw what was on. " Alright! Rurouni Kenshin's on! Awesome!" He sat back with content and ate his cookies while he watched the show.
Right when it was getting good, the television went black.
Sora made a confused face and reached for the remote. He felt around for it until he figured out it wasn't there anymore.
He looked behind him to see Lulu standing there with the remote.
"Lulu!" Sora exclaimed.
Her cold facial expression didn't change. " You're father wanted me to remind you to practice your piano."
" Aw Lu! Come on! Can't I do it later?" Sora said in a whiny tone.
Lulu shook her head slowly. " Master Skye wanted you to do it right when you got home."
Sora groaned and rose from his comfortable spot on the couch. He dragged himself into the living room where the white piano was waiting. He sat on the seat and pulled open the cover lid. He cracked his knuckles and then let his fingers glide across the keys. He was playing a song that he wrote himself called " Dearly Beloved".
As he played, his thought went back to Zell's offer. Was Zell really serious when he threatened him? And what about Riku. Was that beautiful boy really as evil as he seemed? Sora once again thought about Riku's eyes, and hit a wrong key.
' Those eyes. . .' he thought. ' They were full of pain and loneliness, hidden behind evil . . .' He began playing a light, happy song while assuring himself that everything would be okay. " I don't have to be scared, I don't have to be scared... Be happy! Be happy!"
tbc
I know... it was short and boring, right, Never mind. Don't answer that.
Riku: They should answer that. I'd say it was boring.
Shut up! Just because you weren't in it!
Riku: That's exactly why!
Fine! You'll be in the next chapter, okay?!
Riku: grins
Sora: Can I watch Rurouni Kenshin now?
Go . . .
Sora: Skips off Woohoo!
Anyways . . . please review. See you again in chapter 5: A miserable Week.