Chapter XVII

One by one, the other students left the room, chatting happily amongst themselves.

They don't have a care in the world. It was a bitter, spiteful thought, and he was instantly ashamed for thinking it. He shouldn't be angry at others for being happy. Still, he couldn't help but think how unfair it was as he stood in the now-empty room, wanting desperately to be anywhere else. The room that used to be his sanctuary had become a prison, and he hated having to be there any longer than absolutely necessary. Especially by himself.

"Demyx, thank you for waiting," a warm voice said, and the blond junior tensed.

Scratch that, he thought. I'd rather be alone.

"No problem," Demyx lied, forcing a shy smile as he turned to face his teacher. "What did you need to talk to me about, Mister Marluxia?"

Slender fingers reached out and caressed the junior's smooth cheek as the pink-haired man smiled affectionately back at him. "I just wanted to let you know how much I miss our lessons. I really enjoy spending time with you, Demyx." Betraying their strength, the delicate-looking fingers gripped the boy's chin and tilted his face up to meet Mister Marluxia's in a chaste kiss.

A light blush colored Demyx's cheeks and he held perfectly still, not wanting to aggravate the teacher currently kissing him. After what seemed like an eternity, Mister Marluxia pulled away, his fingers releasing Demyx's chin, and instead brushed them through the junior's soft blond hair.

"I hope you aren't mad at me for what happened at the dance, Demyx," the teacher murmured, his face mere inches from his student's, an apologetic smile curving his lips. "You just looked so handsome. I couldn't help myself." He kissed the boy again, more fully this time.

Drawing away, Demyx lowered his eyes to the floor. "I-I have to go to computers class, Mister Marluxia. Professor Xigbar will be wondering where I am."

The pink-haired teacher smiled again and stepped back. "Of course, Demyx. Just tell the professor I needed to speak to you about the fall auditions. You may go."

Demyx nodded and left, trying not to seem like he wanted to run, even though that was all he wanted to do. Run, run as fast as he could until he reached a place where Mister Marluxia would never find him, never kiss him, again. To his horror, the blond junior felt tears prick at his eyes and quickly wiped them away. He refused to waste tears on that bastard teacher.

Thankfully, Professor Xigbar hadn't started class yet when he arrived at the computer lab, and Demyx hurried to his seat. He didn't want to sit through classes for the rest of the day. It would be so much easier to tell the nurse he was sick and go back to his room, but he didn't want to lie, and he definitely didn't want to have to play catch up with his homework. No, the best option was to stick it out. Later, after classes, he could shut himself away in the library and pour his heart out into his journal, but for now he had to pretend nothing was wrong.

He was getting very good at pretending.

XXX

Tie carelessly tossed over his shoulder, Sora rushed down the hall with Roxas in tow, dragging the blond boy along by his shirt sleeve.

"Sora! Slow down!" Roxas panted, having to run to keep up with his twin and avoid having his sleeve ripped off or tripping. Something told him Sora wasn't going to stop if he fell.

The brunette didn't reply or even show that he'd heard the other boy. He continued his headlong dash down the hall, dodging students, bags and doors as he went. In his hurry, he threw open the door to the locker room so hard it banged against the wall and almost hit the back of Roxas' head as it swung closed behind the two boys.

"Riku!"

With his shirt halfway off over his head, the silver-haired sophomore stopped what he was doing and turned to face the twin boys. "What?"

Ignoring the fact that the older student was in the middle of changing for P.E., Sora pulled a sheet of paper out of his bag and marched up to him. Before he could say anything, however, Riku turned back his locker and continued stripping as if Sora wasn't even there. Sora waited impatiently, averting his eyes so as not to be caught admiring the other's well-toned body; he tried not to act nervous about being so close to the almost-naked athlete.

"Sora, we need to change," Roxas reminded him quietly, going over to his own locker. "Come on."

"But I have to talk to Riku!" the brunette protested, remaining where he was.

"Go change," the older boy's low tone commanded. "We can talk after class." He didn't look up from tying his shoes.

Sora's bottom lip poked out in a pout and he crossed his arms, a tiny frown creasing his forehead. He didn't want to have to wait until after class. He'd already been waiting most of the day to have a chance to talk to the older student.

With a sigh, Riku faced the younger boy and rubbed at the wrinkles in his forehead with a finger as if he could erase them with a simple touch. "Knock it off, brat. We'll talk after class. Promise."

A smile replaced the pout and the brunette boy nodded happily before joining Roxas and changing for class. Riku watched him for a moment then continued to dress, ignoring the looks he was getting from a few of the other boys, including the two Johns. Riku's classmates were accustomed to his and Sora's bantering and competing, but that had been something new. The two Johns exchanged glances but didn't say anything; they knew better than to get on Riku's bad side, especially right before P.E.

Moving as a group, the sophomore and senior boys left the locker room and went to the gym just like they'd done Monday and Tuesday. Soccer was over; now Coach Xaldin had them playing basketball.

From his place at the top of the bleachers, the dreadlocked coach blew his whistle and shouted instructions. "Four laps warm up! Riku and Sora, you lead stretches!"

"Yes, sir!" The two rivals called back at the same time, earning a nod from their coach.

"Axel, if I catch you lollygagging again you'll have ten walls at the end of class!"

"You got it, Coach," came the lazy reply.

From his place by Sora, Roxas snuck a glance at the older student. He'd had no direct contact with the redheaded senior since the homecoming after-party, not that he was about to complain.

Coach Xaldin blew his whistle again and the boys began their laps at a quick jog, immediately falling into the usual pattern of leaders and stragglers. To no one's surprise, Riku and Sora were at the front of the group.

The brunette glanced at his friend after their first lap. "How'd you do on your midterms, Riku?"

"Well enough."

A grin lifted the corners of Sora's mouth. "What do I get when I beat you?"

The silver-haired boy scoffed. Sora had never beaten him at anything. "Beat me at what?"

They finished their second lap.

"You know, you told me to prove I'm as smart as you and Roxas. If I got higher marks on my midterms, what do I get?"

"If you got higher marks than me—and I really doubt you did—then I'll take back what I said about Roxas being the smart twin and you being stupid."

Sora spent the third lap pondering the other boy's words. "That's it?" he asked as they began their fourth and final lap.

"What else would I do?" Riku questioned, giving the younger student an exasperated look.

The brunette grinned. "I'll come up with something."

"You do that."

Waiting at the front of the gym, Coach Xaldin blew his whistle again once all the boys were finished with the four laps. He nodded at Sora and Riku, his favorite students, and the two boys began counting out loud to ten in slow, measured beats as they performed each stretch. Their classmates counted with them, following their leaders through the various stretches and agilities they did every day at the beginning of class. When they finished, Sora and Riku joined the other boys and waited for further instructions from their coach.

"All right, boys, today we're working on your shooting form. Split up five boys to a hoop with as evenly distributed age and ability as you can. Take turns shooting in a clockwise rotation. The points to shoot from are marked out and numbered in order. Once you make ten shots, move onto the next point. If you miss a shot, you run a lap. Go," Coach Xaldin commanded, and the boys hurried to obey.

His enthusiasm blunted because he wouldn't be at the same hoop as Riku or Roxas, Sora paired up with two seniors and two other sophomores. A basketball was thrown to him, and he caught it easily, set his feet, and took his shot. With a quiet swish, the ball passed through the hoop without touching it and fell through the net. Perfect shot. Smiling at his success, Sora retrieved his ball and went to the back of the line as his four group mates took their turns. One of the seniors missed and had to run a lap, as did the other two sophomores. Sora stepped up and took his second shot, this time hitting it off the backboard before it fell through the hoop. His group mates weren't at all surprised, but they didn't realize Sora was only half-focused on what he was doing. Shooting hoops was all muscle memory for the young sophomore and Sora's thoughts were focused on what he considered to be a much more challenging task.

What would be his prize if he got higher marks than Riku?

Smack!

"Ouch! Blast it, John! Knock it off before I keelhaul you!"

Laughing, John Smith twirled the wet towel in his hands and whipped it at John Rolfe's boxer-clad rear end for the third time. Unfortunately for him, Rolfe saw it coming and grabbed the end of the towel before it could hit him, yanking it from Smith's hands.

"Come here, you!" he shouted, chasing Smith around and snapping the towel at his heels. The others boys, including Sora, watched and laughed as the Johns race around locker room. Seemingly unaffected, Riku ignored the commotion and finished dressing, then gathered his things and quickly left the locker room.

"Hey, Riku, wait up!" a familiar voice called after him, and Riku groaned internally.

"What?"

Smiling his usual contagious smile, Sora caught up to the older boy, still straightening his hastily put on shirt. "I figured out what the prize is for getting higher marks!"

"Okay, what's the prize?"

"Slave-for-a-Day!"

Riku stared at the younger boy, not sure if he'd heard right. "…what?"

"Slave-for-a-day," Sora repeated, a little impatient but still enthusiastic. "If I got higher marks, then you have to do whatever I want for a whole day. If you got higher marks, I have to do whatever you want for a whole day."

Dropping his gaze, Riku tried to ignore the countless possibilities raging through his brain. "Yeah, I heard you." He paused, considering the consequences of such a deal. "All right, Slave-for-a-Day it is, but I'm not dressing up as a cheerleader."

Sora nodded, hoping desperately that he wasn't blushing at the image. "Cumulative grade, then, not individual classes." He took his grade sheet out of his bag and held it to his chest as Riku retrieved his own. At the same time, they held their papers out for the other to see.

"Oh no!" Sora wailed. "You got a ninety-four?!"

Shrugging, Riku tucked his paper back into his bag. "You lose."

"By one point! Aw man!" Mourning the loss of twenty-four hours of his free time, Sora dropped his wide open bag on the floor, effectively spilling his books and papers all over the hallway, and fell to his knees. He had lost, lost by one god-forsaken point, and had to be Riku's slave for an entire day! "This sucks…"

Riku patted the younger boy's head patronizingly. "Don't worry about it, Sora."

Hopeful, the brunette looked up at his friend with fake tears shining in his clear blue eyes. Was Riku letting him off the hook? "Really?"

"It won't suck that bad." He grinned at Sora's pout. "I'll only make you dress as a maid for part of the day."

With a pitiful moan, Sora slumped forward onto the floor and buried his face in his arms. "You're horrible…"

Amused, Riku simply shook his head at the younger student's antics. The sound of the locker room door opening caught his attention a moment later, and he looked up from the distraught boy to see who was coming.

"Sora, why are you lying on the floor?"

"Go away, Roxas. Let me die in peace," the brunette moaned dramatically without moving.

Confused, the blond sophomore turned to Riku with a quizzical expression, clearly wanting an explanation for why his twin was sprawled on the floor in the middle of the hallway.

"Sora's having a moment. Just let him be."

"I am not having a moment!" the brunette yelled, though his words were muffled due to the fact that he hadn't lifted his face out of his arms. "Riku's being mean to me!"

Roxas' expression turned from confused to disapproving, and the silver-haired boy was quick to defend himself.

"I didn't do anything," he protested.

"Not you," Roxas sighed. "Him. Quit being a drama queen, Sora."

Riku laughed as Sora rolled onto his back and pouted up at his brother and friend. "I'm not being a drama anything."

"Yes, you are," Riku countered, then smiled at the blond twin. "What was your midterm grade, Roxas?"

"Oh, um, ninety-seven."

"What?!"

Startled by his twin's sudden outburst, Roxas took a step back, tripped over one of Sora's spilled textbooks, and fell hard on his backside. "Ow! Sora! Why the heck are you yelling?" He looked up to see Riku extending a hand to help him up, and gratefully accepted. Once he was on his feet, Riku let go of him and rather roughly dragged Sora upright.

"You got a ninety-seven for first quarter?" Sora asked in disbelief as he began gathering up his things.

"Yeah, so?"

Sighing, the brunette finished repacking his bag then straightened. "Never mind. Riku, you coming over tonight? We're going to play videogames."

"No. I'm busy tonight."

Sora did his best to hide his disappointment at the older boy's quick refusal and slipped his hand into Roxas'. "Oh, okay. We'll see you later, then." He gave Riku a weak smile before walking away with his blond twin

Roxas waited until they were halfway across the school's courtyard before pulling the other boy to a stop and wrapping his arms around his waist, hugging him close.

"You okay?" he asked quietly, knowing very well that something was wrong with his brother. Relaxing, Sora hugged his twin around the shoulders and nuzzled into his neck, comforted by the warmth of the blonde's embrace.

"Yeah," he whispered, absently playing with a bit of Roxas' blond hair. "I'm fine."

"Want to talk about it?"

Sora hugged his brother tighter for a moment before pulling away and smiling as brightly as he could manage. "Naw, it's our Brother Bonding Night, so let's go have fun."

Nodding, Roxas took Sora's hand again and the two walked back to their dorm, eagerly looking forward to a night full of movies, video games and junk food.

XXX

"Where are you going?"

Zexion paused halfway out the door and looked back at his roommate. "The library."

"Again?" Axel took off his headphones and half sat up to look at the blue-haired senior from where he lounged on his bed.

"Yes. I'm studying."

Taking the other's defensive tone as a warning, Axel shrugged and lay back down. Obviously the other boy felt like his privacy was being intruded upon. "Kay. Have fun."

With a nod, Zexion left and quickly made his way to the library. The campus was full of students headed back to their dorms after classes, none of whom he acknowledged; they weren't worth his time. Upon reaching the mostly empty library, he forwent his usual solitary desk in the back and sat instead where he could see but not be seen. In silence, he waited.

Only a few minutes later, a student with a spiky blond mullet appeared and sat directly in Zexion's line of sight. Content, the blue-haired senior relaxed in his chair and began working on his homework, though he had a difficult time focusing his thoughts on school.

This is stupid. He's in the library where there are other students. I don't need to keep an eye on him.

There were other students at the homecoming dance, too, and he wasn't safe there.

Marluxia led him off where no one would see. He won't do anything to the kid in the library.

But I want to make sure he's safe. I didn't do anything then—I'll do something next time. Even if I have to be the kid's stalker to be there in order to stop it.

Sighing in frustration with himself, Zexion glanced up to check on the younger student. From his desk, he could see that Demyx was writing something down in a notebook. At first, the senior assumed it was homework, but he quickly realized it was something else. The junior's face was screwed up like he was in pain, and even from a distance Zexion could see that his shoulders were shaking.

What was the kid doing?

Snap.

The sound made Zexion sit up in his chair and look closely at the junior. Demyx's face was shocked as he stared at his broken pencil, snapped in half by the force of his grip. With a quiet sigh, he set the pieces down and retrieved an unbroken pencil from his backpack, then continued writing.

Zexion relaxed. There was no reason for him to get so worked up about a broken pencil. Still, he wondered what had upset the junior so much, and decided to continue keeping a close eye on him. It didn't matter that his efforts could turn out to be a waste of time At least he could sleep at night knowing he was doing what he could.

XXX

"Fatality!" sounded the deep male voice, announcing the death of Roxas' fighter as Sora shouted his triumph.

"That's four out of five for me!" the brunette stated smugly, grinning at his blond twin.

Roxas sighed, setting down his controller. "Yeah, yeah. You're the Game King." He glanced at the clock on his desk. "Wow, I didn't realize how late it is. They should be here soon."

As if on cue, a knock sounded at their door, and Sora bounded up and across the room to open it. "Hey, guys! What's up?" he asked, stepping aside to allow Kairi and Namine into the room.

Smiling fondly, Kairi ruffled his brown spikes. "Not much. How's Brother Bonding Night?"

"Great! Roxas and I were playing Mortal Combat, and I totally kicked his butt!" the enthusiastic sophomore told her excitedly, taking her hand and pulling her over to sit on his bed. "Roxy isn't much a challenge, though," he whispered, winking. Kairi laughed when Roxas stuck his tongue out at his energetic twin.

"Sit down, Namine. Don't act like you've never been here before," the redhead chided, noticing her cousin still standing awkwardly by the door.

Hastily, Roxas stood up and offered her his chair; she blushed and accepted, sitting on the edge of her seat like she might have to make a run for it at any moment.

Watching only made Kairi more confused. "What's wrong with you two? You've been tiptoeing around each other for days. Did something happen I don't know about?"

Before either embarrassed teen could answer, Sora blurted out, "They accidentally kissed while we were on our friend-date!"

Kairi blinked. "Oh. Well, that's not a big deal." The looks on Roxas and Namine's faces told her it was a big deal to them, and she sighed. "All right, here's what we're going to do. Sora, we're going to go to the basement and get drinks from the vending machine while these to blond babies work things out so we can all be friends again." Leaving no room for argument, she grabbed the brunette's hand and all but dragged him from the room, firmly shutting the door behind her.

Free from the awkwardness of Roxas and Namine and the energy of Brother Bonding Night, Sora stretched and sighed deeply, seeming to lose hold of his good mood. His smile disappeared and he watched his feet as he and Kairi made their way to the basement.

"Sora, is something wrong?" the redhead asked once they stood in front of the vending machine, concern clear in her voice and expression. "You don't seem like yourself."

"It's nothing," Sora mumbled, fiddling with the pull tab on his pop can. "Just…Riku's been weird lately…"

Taking his hand again, Kairi led her young friend over to the few chairs set out for students and sat, pulling him down into the chair beside hers. "Weird how?"

Sora let out another heavy sigh. "He's been quieter and doesn't seem to want to be around me anymore. Even when we work out together, he doesn't joke around as much, and he gets mad at me really easily. I invited him to come over tonight, but he said he's busy. He's been telling me he's too busy to hang out for over a week. I thought it was just because of midterms, but those are over and he's still too busy." Sympathetic, Kairi touched his shoulder comfortingly, and he looked at her with eyes full of confusion and hurt.

"I mean, I know he has other friends and stuff and I haven't known him for very long, but he wasn't like this when we first started hanging out with him, back when I thought he was just a jerk. So is it me? Did I do something to make him mad at me?" Tears began forming under his clear blue eyes.

"Oh, Sora, no," Kairi object quickly, touching his cheek. "It isn't your fault. Riku's probably just got a lot on his plate right now."

"But then why wouldn't he just say that?" the brunette asked, looking down. "He still talks to Roxas and you and Namine…it's just me he ignores…"

Kairi paused. "Sora, if you're this upset, why don't you talk to Riku about it? I'm sure he'd explain why he hasn't had time to come over lately."

Shaking his head, Sora leaned away from his redheaded friend and wiped at his eyes before any tears could fall. "He'd just make fun of me for being clingy or get mad at me for being nosy. If he's as busy as he says, I don't want to bother him just because I feel left out."

"But he's your friend, Sora," Kairi pointed out calmly. "He won't make fun of you or get mad at you for being honest with him."

"No," the sophomore boy replied stubbornly, looking down at his shoes. "I don't want to tell him. I don't want him to think I'm being a baby."

Kairi opened her mouth to protest, but she realized what Sora was thinking before any words came out.

He doesn't want Riku to realize how much he likes him, she thought, gazing silently at her upset friend. And he's afraid that Riku will judge him if he does find out. It made so much sense, Kairi was amazed she hadn't realized it sooner, although this was the first she'd heard of Sora's unhappiness.

"Well, you do whatever you feel is best, Sora." She smiled and stood. "I think we've given Roxas and Namine enough time to work things out, don't you?"

Nodding, Sora stood and took her hand. They walked silently back to Sora and Roxas' room, and opened the door to see the two blondes laughing. Immediately, Sora's smile was back in place, and he crossed the room to nudge his twin.

"Looks like you two got things sorted out. What's the verdict?"

Roxas and Namine looked at each other for a moment then smiled. "Friends," they said together, then laughed. Sora cheered and announced that it was time to watch a movie, and because they'd created the first awkward moment of the night, Roxas and Namine had to choose. From her place on his bed, Kairi watched Sora closely, looking for any signs that his happiness was fake or forced. He seemed to be acting normal, but there was something sad about his eyes, and she saw his smile falter whenever he thought no one was looking.

Poor Sora, she sighed inwardly. I wish he'd realize how much he likes Riku. I know they could work things out. They'd be perfect together.

"Kairi, come help us pick a movie!" Sora called, interrupting her thoughts, and the redhead smiled.

"Sure, Sora." As her eyes met his, Kairi decided she wasn't going to sit around waiting for Sora to realize that Riku liked him, and she wasn't going to go so easy on the silver-haired boy anymore, either.

Still smiling, the scheming redhead crossed the room to help choose a movie, keeping her thoughts to herself. If Riku had been annoyed with her pestering him before, he was going to feel outright harassed the next time she got him alone. Kairi was not about to let him get away with upsetting her best friend.