Sora jolted awake when he felt something roughly shake him. His vision blurred for a moment as he felt a wave of dizziness cloud his head, then dispersed into a dull throbbing headache. He forced himself to sit up, groaning as he did, before trying to focus his attention on whatever had disturbed his sleep. His eyes landed on Ventus, who was holding out a bottle of water to him. Gingerly taking it, he muttered a thanks before sipping at it.

"I take it you got sick last night. Had to use Roxas' bathroom since ours was locked." He didn't sound annoyed nor did he try to pry information from the brunette, but his voice had a lilt to it that hinted at his curiosity.

"Uh...y-yeah..." Sora stammered. Flashbacks of the morning were coming to him easier than he wanted them to, making his heart thump painfully in his chest. "Guess I'm just a lightweight."

"Was Riku sleeping, then?" the blonde asked as he sat at the end of the bed, making himself comfortable. Sora appreciated that he wasn't rushing him up and out of the room for any activities. With how late everyone retired to their rooms, they were all recuperating just as much as he needed to.

"Riku. Yeah. Well, no. I ran into him in the halls," he started, maneuvering himself closer to the wall to try and relax. He remembered how sweet his breath had smelled when the shifter was only centimeters from his face. "He seemed a little different. And he had this... sweet smell to him."

"Different, how?" Sora felt himself stiffen. He hadn't quite thought about the interrogation after the words slipped out of his mouth. Explaining it would require admitting what had happened, and he wasn't sure he was ready to come to terms with it let alone tell anyone about it.

"W-well, he didn't say much." Lie. He had talked just fine before Riku dragged him into the room. But he continued giving his vague description, hoping Ventus would think it was from the fogginess of alcohol. "He didn't know personal boundaries, either. You know, he's usually not really close to people. He keeps his distance. He wasn't doing that last night. It kind of weirded me out, you know. And then I felt sick, so I came to the room and shut myself in the bathroom. Didn't think you-"

"Sora, you're rambling. Take a breath," Ven said with a light chuckle. The brunette spared a look at him. He didn't look suspicious. "Well, he still could have gone out for a drink and we just didn't see him. Or, he could have gotten a hold of Fairy Dust. It gives you a high, like Pixie Dust, but it's sweeter. That would be my guess, anyway."

Okay, then... Sora thought to himself, piecing things together. It must have been the alcohol and the Fairy Dust. We were just influenced. We wouldn't have done it normally... Right?

He groaned again and dropped his head into his hands. Even he wasn't fully convinced of his own thoughts. It was just bubbling up and created even more confusion and made his head hurt even worse. On top of it, Ven was saying something and he couldn't even concentrate on it. Between all of his senses being pulled in every direction and his head hurting, Sora felt himself collapse under the weight and he tightened his fingers in his hair.

"We kissed." Silence met his confession. His heart beat three times before he heard Ventus clear his throat at the sudden change of subject - what it was, Sora had no clue.

"You and...?"

"Riku! Riku and I, we kissed, okay?" he growled out again. "B-but it didn't mean anything. I don't think it was anything. I was drinking, he was huffing some sort of candy smelling dust, and it just happened."

"It happens. I don't see why you're getting so worked up. Look at Roxas and Axel," Ventus said sternly. Sora appreciated that he was trying to reassure him, but he already felt the panic welling up in his chest.

"He's going to kill me. He already freaked out on me about the whole feeding from him thing, and now this. Ven, he's gonna bury me six feet deep and leave me there to rot until I starve to death."

Ventus had removed himself from the bed, grabbed Sora's arm, and dragged him behind as he headed for the bathroom. The action left the brunette's head spinning, causing him to let fly a curse as he stumbled. Once in the bathroom, Ven forced his friend into the shower stall and turned the water on full blast and freezing cold. This earned a yelp from the brunette as he struggled to get out.

"Chill the hell out and breath. Why does it matter, anyway? There's all sorts of stuff going on in the world and you're freaking out over what you and Riku did? I can guarantee that nobody is going to care," Ventus said, raising his voice over the sound of the water and the vampire's struggles. "The most it'll do is surprise people. You might be the gossip of the Academy for a few days."

"I don't k-know about that. Roxas doesn't t-t-talk about it out loud," Sora responded, his teeth chattering. He gave up fighting his way out and backed himself into the corner and away from the spray above his head.

"It isn't that he's hiding it from people. He has his own issues, but it isn't about what they do. Everyone, and I mean everyone, knows what they do." The blonde's voice had gone flat at end of his comment. But Sora knew he had a point.

A knock at the door was the only reason Ventus reached in and turned the water off. He shot the vampire one last stern look before exiting the bathroom to answer the door, shaking his arms free of water droplets. Axel and Roxas greeted him groggily at the same time a thud sounded, followed by a loud groan and a curse.

"I'm fucking done with adventures."

Ventus smiled, letting the two inside to get a good view of Sora curled up on the bathroom floor holding his shoulder.

"He needed a nice cold shower to chill out. Had an epiphany that wasn't quite settling with him."

They both watched with amusement as the brunette struggled to his feet until he managed to lean his weight against the sink. Blue eyes flickered between the three of them as cold as the chill that tore through his body and made his teeth clatter violently.

"Not a d-damn w-word." While Axel and the younger twin - despite their efforts - bubbled up with laughter, Ventus had turned toward his bed to grab his bag.

"And he's a lightweight. Keep that in mind for the future. Is Riku up yet?" Sora snapped his eyes up, looking between Ven and the other two as he pulled a towel tightly around himself. Every second seemed to drag along before Axel replied.

"Yeah, he's out waiting in the hall. Didn't say a word, though. I guess we have our moody ass wolf back."

"It's because he didn't have fun last night. He cooped himself up in his room," added Roxas, waving a hand dismissively in the air.

Or he's pissed and ready to rip my head off.

The older twin had his eyes on Sora, watching as a panicked emotion entered his tired eyes. Clearing his throat, he pulled out a spare set of clothes and threw them at the vampire, successfully pulling him back into reality.

"I'm sure he's just tired, and maybe hungry. It was already late when we got here. Give him a break," he said, smoothing the conversation down before it could give Sora a panic attack.

"We should get back to the Academy soon, though. The masquerade is in two days. We still have to figure out what we wanna look like." Nobody could miss the glimmer of excitement on Roxas' face as he spoke. Of all times of the year, this was his favorite. Instead of being a normal human, he could pretend to be anything, thanks to a little magic.

During the previous year, he had managed to find out what Axel had planned on dressing as, thanks to a little bit of sleuthing. With his discovery, he chose to go as a succubus. It had been easy to find him at the punch table, as he was the only one dressed as a nun. From there, he chased and terrorized the poor dragon everywhere he went. Axel finally burst out in defiance two hours later, making a promise that included his favorite blonde, which ended with Roxas ditching his cover. It proceeded into a glorious night where his redhead had done exactly as he promised when he was under disguise - screwed him senseless in every which way possible.

With the thoughts fresh in his head and thoroughly distracted, Roxas didn't feel Axel move up behind him and reach around his shoulder. Fingers pinched the blonde's nipple through his shirt, producing a yip as a cherry red blush covered his face. He swatted Axel's hand away viciously, crossing his arms over his chest as he received a sly look.

"Don't even think about pulling a stunt like that again. If I remember correctly, you missed all your classes the next day because you were recovering."

"Isn't a masquerade like... a formal ballroom thing? Why would we need to think about costume ideas?" Sora finished pulling the loaned shirt over his head as he asked his question.

"Eh, I'm sure that's what it was supposed to be when the Headmaster first thought of it. I think a petition went around because - let's face it - nobody wants to do some boring monotonous dance until you're dizzy and nauseous. It's more like a masquerade party, since you're literally masquerading around as someone else," informed Axel.

"So, it's like that thing that humans do once a year?"

"You get it! Halloween, by the way. It's Halloween. But I can see why we don't celebrate that," replied Roxas.

A rough loud knock sounded from the door, turning each head with sharp surprise. Axel cracked the door as he peeked out and dodged quickly as it was shoved open, revealing Riku in his glorified agitation. While the others sighed with annoyance and grumbled, Sora felt the sudden tension in the air.

He saw how the shifter's jaw ticked when he clenched his teeth and how his hand had tightened just slightly on the edge of the door. Sora's eyes dropped to the small patch of bared skin below the hem of his jacket; the muscles had tightened just as his breathing changed. In slow, then out sharply. The possibility of fingers clenching into a fist sprung to his mind when Riku's pocket shifted - just slightly. Most of all, he saw how those green eyes were narrowed only on him for a span of ten seconds until they dropped to the floor, ironically the same time a droplet of water had fallen from his jawline.

He noticed those things in a mere ten seconds.

"Let's get going. You guys can chat up a storm when we're back at the Academy," the shifter snapped as he looked at the others, leaning against the door frame. Although he clearly showed his impatience, his voice didn't hold the usual venom.

Sora fished the travel card from his soaking clothes as the others gathered around, Riku being the last one as he closed the door. The same flash of light, the same white door, and they were stepping out into the halls of the Academy where they had left days prior.

"Oh, good! You're back!" Namine's cheerful tone rang out in the hall, followed by her light footsteps as she hurried toward them. Sora offered her a smile as she waved. "Just in time for dinner, too. But be-"

"Dinner?!" Roxas and Axel exclaimed together. They were frozen in front of the redhead's door, seconds from opening it, when their eyes shot toward the smaller girl.

"Yeah, time difference. Or did you already forget?" Ventus couldn't hold back the judgment in his voice as he rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to go eat," muttered Riku.

"W-wait! What about your costume ideas? I need to be able to tell Xion and Kairi so we can start on getting them together for everyone," Namine spoke, raising her voice loud enough to get everyone's attention. She placed a hand on the shifter's arm as he tried to walk by her.

"Not interested," he answered while the twins, followed by Axel, all chipped in nearly at the same time.

"We haven't exactly thought about it." "Even if I knew, I'm not saying it in front of Axel." "I just want a shower at this point."

Between the jumbled mess of replies and Namine's defeated sigh as she looked toward the ceiling, Sora had already made up his mind. Except he wasn't going to follow their rules. From what information he had gotten out of Roxas, he would basically be changing his entire identity. That alone made him uncomfortable.

"I'm not changing who I am. I'll just take the costume. Just give me a little time to think on it," Sora said. His words caused the overlapping chatter to cease for a moment.

"But the whole point of it-" Sora interrupted her this time, his wet clothes flopping noisily as he flung a hand out to his side.

"I know the point. But what's the point if we can't be ourselves? Sure, people don't like other people. But hiding behind a different face is just letting the problems stick around. We should be free to choose." There was no protest to his words, so Sora took it as a sign that the conversation was over. "I'm sure we'll all get back to you later. I've gotta do something with these clothes, first."

"Then let me walk with you. I want to know how your guys' trip was." Sora offered her another smile as she fell into step with his, but as he glanced around, he noticed that Riku had already left. "So how was it? Did you guys have fun?"

"Yeah. It was definitely an experience, at least for me. We went to Twilight Town first, where Ven showed me around. It was pretty interesting to see where him and Roxas came from," he answered as they entered the foyer. He noted the expression on Namine's face, but she didn't say anything as three others passed by.

"What about their father?" she asked once they were out of ear shot.

That was one thing he appreciated about the girl. She may seem to know everything about everyone, given the fact that she worked closely with Xehanort, but she was adamant about keeping said information quiet. Sora filled her in on the confrontation, gleaning what he could from the memory when Vanitas had control. She only nodded her head once before continuing her interrogation of their outing.

Sora kept to the original story had told Ventus when he touched on the subject of Traverse Town. He had already gotten it off his chest, plus, it wasn't exactly the witch's business to be knowing anything as personal as that. The last thing he needed was the shifter breathing down his neck before he chewed on it.

He noticed the silence that stretched between them as they closed the distance to his room. Even when he opened the door and tossed the wet clothing into the hamper, Namine lingered at the door. Her eyes wandered around the room, as plain as the day he had came to the Academy, but they were unfocused as if her mind was elsewhere. He leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What's on your mind?" he asked, keeping his voice quiet so she wasn't startled.

"I've...I've seen a lot of people come and go. It's always the same. They get their help and go on to live their lives. Others obviously have a harder time, and they stick around longer. Friends are made, and it...it seems like they create strong bonds, but..." Namine trailed off, lowering her eyes to the ground. Slowly, as if a chill had climbed through her body, she wrapped her arms around herself as she continued. "Truth be told, we're all out to help ourselves. I haven't seen one person choose to go out of their way to help someone they claim as a friend, not unless it benefited them in some way. And when those friends are gone, they're never mentioned again. As soon as we separate, those bonds are broken."

When she lifted her head and looked at him, her eyes seemed brighter. But as Sora looked closer, he noticed the shimmer of tears welling up in her eyes. He unfolded his arms and reached a hand toward her, but before he could place it on her arm, she had caught it between both of her own and offered him a small smile. He wasn't sure if it genuine or out of whatever sadness had nestled within her.

"You're different, Sora. It's crazy to think you've only been here for about a month. Something about you changes the people around you. If they haven't done it yet, I want to thank you for what you did for Roxas and Ventus." She squeezed his hand a bit tighter as she spoke; Sora shifted nervously on his feet. He wasn't sure how to react to her little speech, let alone know what to say in response. "As for Riku... At first, I was afraid when you guys first bumped into each other. But I've seen a change in him, too. He was so drawn away from everyone. This is the first time in a long while I've seen him choose to socialize or do anything for anyone."

"Promise me something, okay? Promise that you won't abandon them. It could be soon, or it could be years. But when you guys go your separate ways, don't let them go. Don't let them let you go," Namine said as she turned his hand. She hooked her pinkie finger with his, which Sora responded by curling it tightly.

"Promise. Now, let's go get something to eat."

As they made their way to their destination, Sora lost himself in his thoughts over what Namine had said. He had thought the opposite, that the others had been changing him. If it wasn't for the twins on his second day, he knew he would have been just been another body at the Academy. Now, he found his days filled with memorable moments: Riku's back and forth attitude, Ventus' quick-witted quips, Roxas' unfiltered personality and Axel's perverted and quirky comments.

"What about Axel? You never mentioned him."

"Oh, he'll always be the same around you as the day you met him. Nobody affects him like Roxas does. Even a blind person can see that he has that dragon wrapped around his finger," she replied.

"I'm sure a deaf person could even hear it..." muttered Sora as they entered the dining hall. Namine burst into laughter beside him, causing a few surprised looks from the people seated at the tables they walked past.

"What did we miss that was so funny?" Namine clapped her hands over her mouth as Roxas appeared, with Ventus trailing not far behind. Surprisingly, Axel was no where to be seen.

"Ah, n-nothing. Just costume ideas." Sora ignored the look he was given as he moved down the aisle toward the food table, but a hand shot out in front of him, holding a familiar tumbler. He glanced over at Roxas, who had an eyebrow raised at him.

"I'm going to pretend you're telling the truth. Somehow I feel like I don't want to know what you're talking about," he said. The brunette shot him a sheepish grin as he took the tumbler, downed the contents quickly, then watched as both twins held something out to the witch.

Without warning, a sharp pain pierced through his head, like a rubber band snapping the inside of his skull. The metallic sound of the tumbler hitting the ground resounded around them as he clutched at his head, unaware that the others had all reacted and stepped closer. As his vision cleared after blinking several times, Sora glanced up at them. No doubt had they asked him questions, but he hadn't heard a single one thanks to the deafening roar he was fighting. Fighting it down, he spoke quickly while the white noise had dulled into a minor lull.

"I'm...I'm gonna go lay down. I think it's from the drinking."

He spared Ventus one brief look before he hurried out of the dining hall. He knew it was all it took for the blonde to understand what his true dilemma was, but he was grateful that he wasn't followed. In a few short minutes, with minimal troubles and a little bit of stumbling, he slammed the door to his dorm shut, barely managing to lock the door before Sora dropped his defenses.

Vanitas appeared before him. The transition from being a translucent apparition to a solid figure seemed to flow quicker within just a few days time. Sora steadied his heaving breathing as he leaned against the door, reciprocating the scowl that the demon wore on his face.

"You do know it's rude to just ignore people, right?"

"Was it really necessary to push so hard? It felt like you were trying to rip my head to shreds," shot back Sora as he pushed himself away from the door. Vanitas' golden eyes followed him as he jerked his closet door open, rummaging through the clothes hanging up.

"Surprisingly your attention is hard to get, if you haven't noticed," he groused, walking by the brunette to sit on the bed. Once situated against the wall, arms tucked comfortably behind his head, he continued to watch as the vampire stood on the tips of his toes to reach the top shelf. "What are you even doing?"

"They have this event where you dress up in a costume. Like a big party, or whatever," Sora answered, hopping off of the ground. He smacked at a box, quickly dodging into his clothes as it fell to the floor. He began to pick through the scattered contents, tossing things back inside after inspecting it for short moment. "I need to figure out what to dress as, that's all."

"You're already mysterious creatures of the world. Why do you need to look like a different one?" Vanitas leaned forward on the bed, his interest suddenly piqued at a thought. "Why don't you let me go, instead? A party sounds fun."

"Not. Happening."

"So, what? You go back on the deal we made?"

"No, I'm not going back on the deal. I just..." Sora tossed a silver emblem into the box before he took a deep breath and rested a hand against his face. "You can't just throw yourself into a massive crowd of people. You need to ease into it. If something were to happen-"

"And if something happened? What would you do, exactly?" growled Vanitas. He had moved to the edge of the bed, which drew the brunette's attention. Sora kept an eye on the demon in his peripheral as he continued to pick up the mementos from the floor, but gave him no direct reply. The last thing he wanted to do was say something to provoke a violent outburst.

"This isn't up for discussion, Vanitas. I have to maintain a life here. I can't afford for a mistake to happen, and you're a loose cannon right now."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I can't trust you!"

The movement was almost too fast for Sora. He lifted and threw the box of trinkets into the air in front of him when Vanitas appeared and lunged forward with a hand outstretched. The box successfully knocked the demon's hand aside, but only enough to where the impact avoided his throat. He glared up into golden eyes as they hovered over him, the hand on his shoulder tightening in a painful grip.

"How could you not trust me? I'm the only reason that you're still here," hissed Vanitas. "I am the reason you even have a life."

"And what do I have to show for it?"

Silence ensued the brunette's words. It only took a matter of minutes before the pressure lifted from his shoulder and Vanitas rocked back on his heels. Sora pushed himself up and watched as he linked his fingers together and rested his chin on them. He expected a response, a witty remark or a continuance of the outburst. With a drawn out sigh, he let his head drop back and stared at the ceiling.

There was nothing that Vanitas could do, nothing he could have done, over the years. He hadn't even existed as a separate being until recently. Yet Sora had easily jumped back into emotions he had felt when he was dying on the cold broken floor when he was ten. He had expected results - answers - after the memories rushed back.

"I'll give you tomorrow. But don't do anything stupid. And stay away from the Headmaster and the Elders. Who knows if anyone will realize that I'm not...well, me," he muttered.

A knock at the door made both heads turn. When Sora looked toward Vanitas, he was already gone. He let out a curse as he got to his feet, but when he opened the door to reveal Namine standing in the hall, he recalled his quick retreat in the dining hall. He floundered for moment before hesitantly leaned his weight against the door with a hand against his hip.

"Hey, what's up?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay. You didn't look so well earlier," she said.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine. I'm doing better, thanks."

"Okay. Well," the blonde started as she reached out a hand toward his left shoulder, "I'll leave you to it. By the way, this matches your eyes really well. You should wear it sometime."

Sora took the cloth from her, recognizing the blue bandana he had tucked away in the box when he was picking at random things to bring with him to the Academy. He couldn't honestly recount the memory attached to it at that moment, but an idea popped up in its place.

"Actually, I will. I think I know what I'm going to dress as for the masquerade."