A/N: Kingdom Hearts II is amazing! If you all are trying to figure out why I'm not playing it, well, I'm mad at it right now. STUPID! (insert spoilers here) Aw, come on, I wouldn't talk about it... that would be an awful thing to do! I'll just say I'm trying to beat this boss battle, but it's not going over so well.

Remember my children, reviewing is grand. Like sand. And sammiches. Mmm, sammich.

Disclaimer: ShimaGenki does not own duuuurrrr...

Although, I did forget to claim the crappy poetry. ...Craptastic.

I bet most of you have figured out everything. But it's kind of supposed to be obvious... ...yeah... I WAS NOT HERE. (slithers away in a dark corner) Now for my bad poem... and fanfic... blahhh...

Translucent Wings

Chapter 3 - Broken Angel's Cry

You are the one who tightly binds me
And yet you seem to set my soul free
You've taken my heart and everything else
A broken toy watching from the shelf

The weekend. How boring. Riku was laying on the bed, tossing a red ball in the air and catching it again, seeing how long he could go without missing the catch. Normally, he would be out with his friends right now, but he wasn't in the mood. And besides, he had some company... his eyes drifted towards Sora, who was staring out the window with a thoughtful look on his face.

Missing for the first time in sixty-three tosses, found his face being aquainted with the ball. He scoffed and glared at the ball in the palm of his hand. Sora only took one glance before refixing his gaze. Curious, Riku stood up and walked over to him.

"What are you thinking about?" Sora was surprised and turned to him.

"My... past-life," he spoke quietly. "I can't help but wonder..."

"Hm?"

"Why I'm still here. Don't ghosts stay on Earth to complete a purpose?"

"I guess."

"What purpose do I have? It's not like I've accomplished anything..."

"Maybe it's not clear to you yet," Riku started, gaining Sora's complete attention, "because the chance hasn't come. Just hold out a little longer, and maybe you'll find that answer."

Sora nodded meekly. "I think that's all I really can do. Last time I checked, ghosts can't commit suicide, because they're already dead..." He tried to produce a chuckle, and it made Riku laugh. "But even yet... I know that my memories are coming back to me, but how?" he further pondered. "If I'm dead, technically I don't have a functioning-- or malfunctioning brain."

"Well, you said that your memories are 'triggered,' right?" Sora nodded. "Maybe it's just connected to your spirit, and you remember when you see something impacting. That would make sense-- because you zoned out after you saw Kairi, and after you and I..." He coughed. "So maybe if you saw something else from your life, then maybe you'll remember everything, and why you're still here."

"But--" Sora paused. Riku stared back.

"But what?"

"Nothing..." He closed his eyes. Did he really want to know? He was curious, but the dismal feeling in the back of his mind kept him second guessing.

"Then what's wrong?"

"I'm... just..." He tried to concoct an excuse as fast as he could. "What if that's not it? And besides, if I've forgotten what I'm looking to remember, then how will we know what makes me remember?"

"Well, it's worth a shot. What else do you have to lose?" A feeling of embarrassment washed over Riku. "Er, I didn't mean to say it like that--"

"Oh, no, it's all right," Sora said dismissively. "I know what you meant."

There was an unsettling silence. "Well, you remember where you live, don't you?"

Sora shook his head.

"No?"

"I know the surroundings, but the name of the streets... I can't remember."

But defeat would not come so soon to Riku. "Well, you lived by Kairi, didn't you?"

"That's right. I know that much."

"Then maybe we should find where she lives, and we can find the house. Sound like a plan?"

"I... yeah." Sora supposed that he was going to find out.

"I'll be back then," Riku jumped up and headed for the door. It was only a minute later when Sora heard him tromping up the steps, a giant yellow book in his hand.

"A phone book?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, they keep the addresses in here too." He opened the book and began to flip through it's contents, the mission going underway. When Riku found the name he wanted, he sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"There's only a hundred thousand addresses here," he grunted. "Now what? Go visit 'em all?"

"Well, they have to be close by in the district, right? So we can eliminate those. Err... which ones would those be again?" Sora chuckled awkwardly, making Riku smile.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. That leaves... three remaining addresses. Did you live in the middle of nowhere?"

"Erm, no. It was more suburban, but not nowhere."

"Then that leaves us with two addresses." Riku grinned in success. "That's ten less then I thought we would have to visit."

"Uh, Riku... " Sora blinked. "How are we gonna get there?"

"By bike, of course."

"Bike? Don't tell me it's not far."

"Why do you care? You don't have to work your heart. I do." Riku peeled off his white undershirt and threw it across the room, proceeding to look for a more suitable shirt while being half-naked. This embarrassed Sora, and he looked away. For once, he was lucky to be a ghost.

It was two minutes later when Riku found a black t-shirt, slightly loose around his muscular body. He grabbed a cerulean wind-breaker.

"A wind-breaker? Riku, it's cold outside!"

"How would you know?"

"I was watching the weather."

Riku blinked. Sora shrugged.

"I was bored! Geez."

"Well, when I start pedaling, I won't be cold. Don't worry about it." He went downstairs, and Sora followed. They entered the garage, where Riku pulled down a dark violet bike. The garage door opened up, and Riku rolled the bike out.

When they entered the outside world, the wind instantly tussled Riku's hair. For a moment, it hypotized Sora. He snapped out of it when Riku jumped up on his bike and pedaled forward. He couldn't believe Riku would even bother to do something for him.

Or was it just that he wanted him out of his life?

Sora dismissed the thought as soon as it came.

It was a half hour bike ride, but Riku was still holding up strong. The neighborhood was quiet. Not tranquil, but eerie. It gave the older boy more chills than the weather.

"Well?"

"This... isn't it." He shook his head. "Sorry."

"The next neighborhood's about ten minutes away... I think." Riku shrugged. "Come on."

Five minutes into the added portion of the trek, they came across a couple of country roads. Riku sighed, saying it would be longer than he expected. Sora, not really paying attention, explored the unfamiliar view. He felt a horrible case of de ja vu. Something was not right here...

Riku's bike suddenly swerved, and he yelped as he tried to get control, unsuccessfully smacking into the ground. Sora, surprised out of the blue, looked down at him. "Are you okay?" he asked nervously. Riku hadn't been wearing a helmet.

Groaning, Riku threw the bike off of him weakly. "Yeah, I'm all right. Just mashed like a potato."

He was exaggerating dramatically, but Sora saw what he meant. The bike and street together had managed to tear up Riku's black sweatpants, and there was a fine scrape on his right forearm where his sleeve had been pulled up. Sora wished he could do something other than offer words of comfort.

Luckily, Riku was all right by himself and stood up, pushing the bike, and himself off of the road. He sat down. "Okay, well, we're going to have another five minute delay."

"Take as much time as you need, don't rush and hurt yourself more on my behalf."

"It's okay, Sora, I'll be fine. But, man, I didn't see that ice at all. Lucky I didn't kill myself, huh?" The ghost was only paying half attention, his eyes focused down the road. "Sora?"

"This road. That tree. It... it couldn't be..."

Translucent Wings - Broken Angel's Cry

"Hey, what's the matter?" Sora was scared out of his thoughtful trance. "You've been awful quiet... which is strange for you."

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong..." How could he tell him? He wouldn't understand. The pain, the sorrow, the suffering. What was worse, being invisible, or being ridiculed cruelly? He couldn't decide. Both were equally tormenting.

"You sure don't look like it. You could--"

"Shouldn't you be focusing on the road instead of me?" He wanted to drop the subject.

"Right..."

But he kept on thinking. What would him think if he told him the truth?

"Sora!" Kairi approached him, a broad smile on her face. "Any luck today?"

"Nope..." He shook his head sadly. Kairi was the only one who knew. Remembering something, he felt suddenly elated and bursted out, "But I got a 'hi!'"

"And that's no luck?"

"It's like that everyday..." He was down again, knowing the truth. "Kairi, why am I invisible?"

"You're not invisible," she replied. She put her hand on his shoulder, patting it gently. "You're quiet. Although that's not always a bad thing-- I love how cute you are sometimes!"

"Oi, Kairi, I don't think he'll ever notice me. He's the popular kid, I'm just the gay dork."

She sighed. "Sora, don't put yourself down... Remember, I'll always be here for you, no matter what!"

"And the same for you, Kairi. I'll always be here." He smiled back.

Pale hands scribbled on the paper. Riku's face showed that he was in deep thought. His hand stalled and his eyebrows furrowed. Perhaps he was stuck? Watching from the doorway, Sora's books were gripped tight to his chest. He wondered how much longer he could stand there and watch him without being noticed.

A teacher was sitting at her desk in the front of the room. She shuffled papers about. After a few moments, she looked towards the doorway and at Sora, noticing he was there.

"Oh, come on in, Sora, he's just taking a test." Sad that he was found, he walked in quietly. He felt Riku's stare upon him, and he hoped to God that his blush wasn't visible. It would have been too obvious then.

"Here's the papers you missed this morning." She handed Sora the small stack of papers, no more than three or four. "Feeling better?"

"A little," he said quietly. He paused when he heard the scritch of Riku's pencil behind him, and he fought the outbursts that rung through his head. "I just needed to sleep in this morning."

"Well, I hope you'll be even better tomorrow. We have a lot of work to do."

Sora nodded. "Thank you. Have a good day, Mrs. Robertson."

"You too, Sora."

He mentally argued whether or not to take the chance and he spoke softly to Riku as he left, "Good luck," before he walked out, sure that his cheeks were rosy. He hoped the best for Riku, even if they could never be together.

There was loss of control and screaming. The tears that had silently gathered spilled suddenly. It wasn't happening, he couldn't die before he had the chance to tell Riku everything that built up inside of him...

The chaos disappeared as Sora woke up. His memories were now clearer than they ever were. He turned to Riku. "What is it?" he asked. "Did you..."

Sora gasped, which cut Riku's sentence off.

No.

"What is it?" Riku asked without a clue.

Silence seperated the boys. Before Riku could gather strength to chase, Sora flew off in the distance. "Sora!" He hobbled himself to his feet, pain stinging in his minor wounds. "Sora, wait!"

Finding shelter in a hayloft from a nearby farm, Sora shut his gasping mouth with a pale hand. He knew now that he never wanted to remember for a reason.

For two years, Sora had found a fascination with Riku.

Riku had been homeschooled until two years ago, when he came to the school for the first time. He was an instant star, already known by the jocks for his athletic talents. Sora was the shy kid who watched from the classroom. He wasn't sure why he had felt the intense way he did, and when he finally spoke to Kairi about it, she declared it was love. Sora, taken aback that he would be homosexual, denied it for some time. Recently, though, the pain of loving a boy so much was taking over his mind.

Riku was what kept him from crossing the other side. And that meant that...

Sora could be a ghost for eternity.

Translucent Wings - Broken Angel's Cry

Riku sat in the grass for a half hour, waiting for his companion. Nothing. He argued with himself whether or not to go after him. He knew where his house was. Actually, he knew something new now, Riku could tell.

What was it that made him leave so fast?

It was something that was going to hang over his head until he found out. He had to find Sora. But where could he be? He had shot like a cannonball across the fields. God only knew where he was now.

"Sora!" He called out in vain, his voice bouncing across the emptiness. "Sora! Come back! Where are you?"

He jumped on his bike, the pain gone for the most part. Plowing straight towards the direction where Sora flew, Riku kept calling his name. He wasn't going to stop until he found him either, because friends never give up.

Sora wrestled with his thoughts. Well, now what? Go around and haunt people? That was for the birds.

Through the open window, a sound vibrated in the room. It became more disguinishable as it came closer.

"Sora! Soooorrrraaa!"

Surprised, Sora looked out the window. There was Riku in the distance, bicycling right through the field. The same question returned to him. Why would he go through the trouble for him?

"Sora?" He had noticed him. Shoot. "Sora, I've been looking for you for an hour now! This trip is getting to be four times longer than I thought it would be..." He stopped when Sora did nothing but look at him with a painful look on his face. "What is it? Sora--"

"Stop." He looked away. "Please, stop."

"Stop what?"

"...why do you want to help me so much?"

Riku was taken aback. "I'm your friend, remember?"

"I asked you to become my friend because I was stupified and had not a clue."

"And you were lonely. Sora, just because we met in an awkward situation doesn't mean I just call you my friend. You... really are my friend."

"How do you know if you really even know me?"

"Because when you started to remember, you acted like the Sora I saw at school. This is ridiculous, can we leave before I--"

"Hey, what are you doing?" A cranky-looking old woman walked out, a cane in her hand.

"Too late. Come on." Riku extended his hand out to Sora, not caring that he looked nuts. Actually, that wasn't a bad idea...

"Who are ya, and just who are ya speakin' to?"

"I'm just talking to my imaginary friend." He pointed up towards Sora. "See him? I don't think he likes me anymore."

"Riku!" His words struck through the younger like a shotgun's bullet.

"Your imaginary friend, eh?" she croaked. "Just what kind of sick joke ya pullin' here, boy?"

"None. Look, he's up there."

"Do I need to call authorities on ya?"

"No, no ma'am! Just convince my friend to come down."

The woman sighed. "Hey, er, boy, git down from there." Sora didn't move. "...look, I'm gonna call the police." She turned back towards the farmhouse.

"Okay, Riku, just leave already." Sora floated down through the window beside Riku, trying not to look at him.

"Look, he came down! Thanks lady, I owe you one!" The woman turned around him and gave him a grim face. Jumping back on the bike, Riku pedaled on the exact path he had taken.

"Hey, you shit for brains! Dun you go through my fields!"

"Oops, sorry ma'am!" Riku grinned his finest and kept on pedaling through.

The woman decided it was best to not "keep in touch" with the crazy boy and went back to her knitting.

Translucent Wings - Broken Angel's Cry

"What the heck was that?" Sora demanded once they were back on the road out of earshot of anyone.

"I did what I needed to get you down. I wasn't going to leave you alone."

"And why not?"

"Because I care, that's why."

"But why?"

"I already told you. We're friends."

"You... really mean that?"

"Of course I do."

Sora was glad to hear that Riku really did want to be his friend, but it hurt to talk to him. Knowing that Riku was cluelessly tormenting him in two different ways killed him all over again.

"So. What was it?" Riku asked.

Sora blinked. "What was what?"

"What did you remember?" Sora shuddered. "What made you leave?"

"I..."

"Sora?" The bike squealed against the street as Riku came to a halt.

He couldn't tell him. He couldn't. Even dead, he had no courage.

"I... remembered the crash." He closed his eyes, focusing on the thought. "That was the road... the tree we slammed into."

"Then why did you leave?"

"Because... so many thoughts flew at me at once. That's all."

"Do you know why you're a ghost yet?"

Riku couldn't decifer the painful look on Sora's face.

"No," he lied quietly.

"Well... I think that we should just go home today. We can go to the neighborhood tomorrow--"

"No. I don't to go."

"Why not?"

"This is too much for me at once. I need to just stop and think."

Riku nodded. "Okay, that's understandable." Riku repositioned himself on the bike and pedaled forward. "Then let's go home and... watch television. Or, even better, let's play a game of Do Riku's Homework! Starring Sora!"

"How about you do your own homework?" Sora chuckled. "I don't have to homework now anymore, but you do."

"Aw, come on! I thought you were my friend!"

"That's right! Friend, not slave!"

They continued to joke on the way home, which temporarily relieved Sora. But even still, he could not shake the feelings of depression away.

A/N: Oh my lord. I think I'm starting to hate this fanfic. Not because it sucks (which, it does...) but because I'm having trouble finding my way to the end. So, expect a long pause from here. Sorry, I'll work my hardest! I'm surprised I even wrote as much today as I did. It took me over two hours to write this craptastic short chapter. Yaaay.

Umm... yeah.

Whatever happened to, "This isn't going to be very long, supposedly. Just watch... it'll be another Touched by an Angel thing and I'll end up writing twice as many chapters as intended."

I suck at life. Man, and there's like, a billion new fanfics buzzing in my head! (and three that I want to write aren't school fics... holy crap.) So review before I eat your Pringles... mmm, Pringles.

You know, I'm not very funny. Go forth and play KHII. Sora's funny. x3