Disclaimer: KH © Square Enix and Disney. Plot bunnies are mine.
Chapter 2- Secret markings

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Riku groaned and rolled back over. Maybe his parents would get the phone.

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Then again, maybe not. Even if they did they'd probably just pick it up, then hang up again. But then, knowing their luck, the bastards would call again.

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

"Alright, I'm coming…" The now seventeen year old grabbed the phone off of the receiver, glare at the silver numbers on his alarm clock- 1:30 am. " 'Lo? Whatdaya want…?"

"…Riku…?" Riku blinked. He knew that timid little voice anywhere. "It's me…Sora…" the teen's voice seemed unstable, as though he'd crying recently.

"You okay, Sora?" Riku sat up straight in his bed. "You sound upset…Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's fine…" There was an uncertain laugh on the other side. "Uh…is this a bad time?"

"Other than the fact that I was asleep, nah, not at all," Riku muttered, managing to get it all out passed a yawn. He heard a soft, "oh" on the other side, and he chuckled. "No worries. Is there anything in general you wanted to talk about?"

"Nu-uh. I just wanted to hear your voice…" the younger giggled. "Must sound kinda silly…Maybe I shouldn't have called you. It was silly, really."

"Ah, it's not a big deal Sora…Not a big deal at all."

"Really?"

"Would I lie?"

Sora laughed quietly. "Yes."

"Oh, well, I guess that's not a good choice question to ask…" He listened to the giggle he'd grown so fond of over the years. "Sora, should you be sleeping? Isn't Roxas asleep?"

"Roxas is awake. He's working on the project he and Namine have. I…asked if I could stay up with him."

Riku shrugged. Seemed reasonable to him. "So big brother's watching?"

There was an annoyed sigh. It always annoyed him that just because Roxas was five minutes older that he had to call him 'big bro'. "I GUESS you could say that. I've been helping him out when he needs it." There was a long, awkward silence for a moment, except for the shuffling of papers in the background. "…Ano…Riku?"

"hmm?"

"Do…do you…love me?" The question was hesitated.

Riku blinked at the mouthpiece, staring at hie incredulously. "…Sora. That is the biggest 'no duh' question I've heard in months." He chuckled. "What's gotten into you?"

"Dunno." The younger muttered, giggling. "Riku…tell me you love me…Kudasai?"

Riku sighed. This was unusual, even for someone as clingy as Sora, but he decided not to argue. "I love you Sora. I love you more than life itself." He heard a sniffle on the other end. "Sora? Daijoubu ka?"

"Nan demo nai…" There were a few more sniffs, as well as the shifting of body weight, then a sigh. "Arigatou…I feel a lot better now."

"So there WAS something you wanted me to say. You goof." The two went silent for a moment.

"Sora, get off the phone, it's late."

"Kay. I have to go, kay, Riku?"

"I noticed. You sleep good, okay?"

"Okay…I love you…"

"I love you too, Sora. Good night."

"'Night…"

The younger of the Hikari twins hung up the phone the two shared. "Roxas, don't you think it's gotten out of hand?"

Roxas spun around in his desk chair, a pained look on his face. "I thought it had gotten out of hand back when it started. It SHOULDN'T have started, truth be known."

"maybe we should tell someone."

"Iie, I think not." Roxas looked thoughtful. "Truth be known, I think if we told, things would be even worse than they already are." He glanced at his twin. "Why do you think I haven't said anything to Axel?"

"Why do you think I never allow Riku over?"

"Exactly." He leaned back in his chair. "It'd be best if no one knew. We'd pay for it." He got up and walked to the bed his sibling sat upon. "How's your arm feeling?"

Sora looked at his upper arm, where a bruise had started to form. "It's little sore…but it's alright." He smiled. "I'll be okay. He just gave me a scare is all."

Roxas looked a bit saddened. "Sora, this isn't fair."

"I know."

"So why the hell are you putting up with it?"

Sora smiled softly. "I don't want you hurt. That's all."

Roxas sat on his knees in front of his brother. He traced around a rather nasty bruise on Sora's shin. "I'm tired of watching you suffer. One day, I promise you, we'll get out of this." He pulled Sora into an embrace. "We'll get out, and be safe and happy. You'll be with Riku, and I'll be with Axel."

"Can we all live in a big house together?"

"If you want to, I'll make it happen…"(A/n: Ah, brotherly love. Amazing how brothers can be behind closed doors. NO! This isn't incest.)

The next day, there was a buzz around the school about Demyx rumor about the Hikari's. Why the hell Demyx had told everyone was a mystery, but it pissed Axel off.

"You and your big mouth!" The redhead had Demyx pinned to the floor in the gym, Demyx's arm pulled awkwardly behind his back. "You can't keep your mouth shut!"

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Aksl, ge' off! Pleze! Yo're hurin' mai arm!" Everything Demyx said was muffled; his face was smooshed against the floor. "Ow!"

"Learn to keep your fat ass shut and maybe I will!"

"Axel!"

The red head turned angrily to find the twins running over in their gym clothes--a white T-shirt with red trim, and red gym shorts. "Oh, uh, hi Roxas." He got off his band mate, a cheesy grin plastered on his face. "Just playin'!"

Roxas raised a brow in disbelief, but said nothing. Sora was helping Demyx up. "Arigatou, imouto-Hikari."

"Dooitashimashite." Sora gave the little innocent grin everyone seemed to love.

"Woah, Sora, what happened?" Axel was pointing at the bruise on Sora's shin, which was a dark shadow of purple, almost black.

Sora looked at it. "…Oh, that? I, uh, tripped yesterday. I didn't think I hit the ground that hard!" He knocked on his skull. "I'm such a klutz sometimes, huh?" He then laughed.

The excuse seemed to make sense to Axel, but Riku noticed the nervous little look between the twins. This told Riku one thing: these two were hiding something, and they were bound and determined not to tell.

(A/n: Bold is Axel, normal is Riku, and Italics are Demyx. It's a three-way call.)
"You gotta be kidding me. Those two are up to something?"

"I saw the look they gave each other. It was like one of those, 'please don't tell' looks. Or something like that."

"I TOLD you."

"I never said they were going through a living hell. I'm only saying that they're hiding something."

"If they are, they're totally shity at it. Sora is a pretty bad liar as it is."

"you believed him about the bruise."

"You wanna get your ass kicked tomorrow!"

"All I'm saying is that we have to watch them for a while. There is no way in hell that that bruise was an accident." Riku yelled over the sound of Demyx pretending to cry in fear. "That was purposeful."

"Told you so."

"Never said they were ion a living hell, Demyx."

"But then were the hell would that come from? It reminded me of the that one summer when we all went horse-back riding-"

"-And you jammed your toe getting on the horse-"

"-And it turned that nasty ass shade of purple?"

"Yeah, that time."

"Dunno, but I saw a bruise on Sora's arm during Blitzball today."

"Come to think of it, I saw one too, during Guitar. I asked him about it, and he told me he bumped into a wall." Demyx snorted. "I don't believe it."

"I don't either. It goes all the way around his arm, like someone grabbed him too hard."

"Maybe he just bruises easily."

"Iie. He doesn't. I use to punch him in the arm all the time, and only one has actually bruised."

"I dunno, but I'm getting called for dinner."

"Me too. God, I'm starved!"

"Thanks, leave me to starve for another hour." They laughed for a moment. "Alright then. Chat with ya tomorrow."

"See ya, Riku, Axel!" Click.

"Peace!" Click.