Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts and all it's goodness. So, suing me won't get you much, except a laptop and a vast manga collection.

A/N: Hurray for positive feedback! Thanks everyone for the reviews, I'm glad you liked what I have so far. Many were quite happy to see Marly-kun, and others were a bit alarmed with the fact that he might not have the best intentions. Nevertheless, it's to late to change what I have planned, and here is the second chapter. Enjoy everyone! And if you haven't read "Ironic Circumstances" first, then get your butt over to it and read!

Shattered Reverie

Chapter 2

Maestro

Kairi smiled as Yunalesca entered the living room, her hands busy with a tray holding two glasses of lemonade.

"Here you go Kairi, drink up, it's warm today."

The teen girl thanked the silver haired woman and took the glass into her hands, immediately taking a sip and setting it on the coffee table in front of her. She waited patiently for Yunalesca to settle herself down opposite of her in a comfortable and cushiony looking chair. Her hands sat neatly in her lap, her manicured nails digging into the plaid material of her academy skirt. She could feel Yunalesca's eyes on her, yet Kairi didn't know where exactly to begin.

"I must say I was surprised when you called and didn't ask for Riku. And even more surprising to know that you wanted to speak with me."

Kairi pulled a stray hair away from her face as she cupped both of her hands together. "Well, it's for a good reason, so I won't waste your time."

Yunalesca let out a small laugh, "Oh dear, don't you worry about time, it's late February, business has been slow so I've been home a lot more lately. Go on, what did you want to talk to me about? Riku hasn't been bothering you, has he?" She finished arching her eyebrow.

The auburn haired teen shook her head, sending locks into her eyes. "Not at all, well, sort of, I mean."

She was making incoherent sentences and she couldn't help but blush at her mistakes. Taking in a deep breath, Kairi faced Yunalesca directly. "Is everything okay with Riku?"

It took Yunalesca by surprise. "As okay as he usually is. Why? Have you noticed something I haven't?"

Kairi could see the silver haired woman's expression turn more serious at the thought that something could be wrong with her son. Kairi sat back in her seat, the cool leather touching her neck. "I'm not sure. I mean, all of us, Selphie, Hayner, even Larxene has noticed that something's up with Riku. Not just him, but Sora's been looking really tired and irritable lately. We think it may be because of something with Sora that Riku's been like this."

Yunalesca brushed a hand through her long hair. "Now that you mention it, Riku has been coming home rather late these past two months or so. I didn't give it much thought because I knew he was more than likely with Sora."

Kairi let out a sigh. "I thought you might have had an idea, seeing that you're Riku's mom. But, I guess even you don't know what's going on."

The older woman smiled at her son's friend. "He may be my son, but I don't pry into his life. He's 18 now, an adult, so there's not much I can do about what he does." Her smile faded seconds later. "I can't possibly think of anything that could be wrong with Sora for Riku to act like this. But, I promise if I find anything out that I'll let you know."

Kairi smiled at the older woman. "Thank you."

Yunalesca returned the smile. "But on a different note, since you're here, how have things been going on with you? I don't get much of a chance to talk to you, so anything going on?"

Kairi shrugged. "Nothing exciting really. Still haven't been able to find a boyfriend since Seifer." At this, Kairi rolled her eyes. "I thought that I would be able to get on, but every other guy that I have dated after him feels…odd. I don't know, I thought he would be the one, but I was wrong."

Yunalesca took a sip of her own drink. "Well, what happened last year must have been a great shock for him. I mean, how would you have felt if your mother was being shackled by the police for murder?"

She sighed, "Oh believe me, I don't blame him for being shocked or anything. But still, if Riku and Sora could move on with their lives, why couldn't he? I did everything I could to cheer him up, but nothing seemed to do it."

Yunalesca played with the bangles around her wrists. "You have a point there. But, you're pretty, you'll bounce back soon enough."

Kairi felt her cheeks go pink at the comment. "I hope so, it's no fun being boyfriend-less." She looked at the cell phone sitting within her bag. "Well, I should get going. Selphie's coming over in a bit to do homework, so I'm off."

"Alright dear, it was nice talking to you for a bit. If there's ever a time you need someone to talk to, I'm right here."

Yunalesca walked Kairi to the door and waved as the teen girl got into her bright yellow Porsche.

"I'll make sure to have a quick word with Riku tonight," Yunalesca said to herself. "That is, if he even comes home."

X

It was dusk by the time Sora arrived at the condominium. The skies were ablaze with pinks and purples, and the last golden rays of the sun were just piercing the multicolored clouds. He parked the new blue BMW he got to replace the Mini Cooper from the previous year, the same one a certain blonde haired boy had delicately vandalized. Hearing the distinct beep of the car alarm, Sora adjusted his side bag full of school materials and headed for the lobby doors.

"Hello Mr. Loire," the attendant at the front counter said with a smile.

Sora nodded in response as he walked down the hall, the clicking of his shoes the only sound to pierce the warm air. After several floors, Sora was gazing down the hall to his apartment and noticed that there was someone standing right outside his front door. No longer wearing the horrendous academy uniform, but clad in a pair of beat up jeans and white button up shirt with the last two left open, Riku looked ravishing no matter what he wore. Immediately their eyes met and the silver haired youth offered his boyfriend a smile. Despite their little dispute, if one could even call it that, Sora couldn't help but return the gesture as he closed the gap between him and the taller teen.

"Hope that walk cleared your head a bit. Ended up skipping all the afternoon classes," Riku said as he leaned down to place a kiss against Sora's lips.

Their lips touched briefly as Sora looked up. "Yeah, I'm sorry about earlier, I didn't mean to get upset like that. It's not your fault I'm like this, I shouldn't be taking it out on you."

Riku leaned against the door. "It's okay, I'm not angry," he finished with a grin.

Sora followed by unlocking the door and walking in with Riku in tow. It was no surprise when Figaro came bounding down towards them, his hind legs managing to trip against each other and causing the feline to fall flat on its face. They laughed at the heap on the glossy wood floors. Figaro looked up at them with embarrassed eyes.

"Silly cat," Sora said throwing his bag aside. He ventured into the kitchen and pulled out a couple water bottles and tossed Riku one. Catching it with ease, Riku uncapped it and took a sip. They stood around the kitchen counter rambling for a while, with Figaro playing with his toys off in the living room.

"So you never met up with Kairi this afternoon?"

Riku shook his head. "No, I told Larxene to relay the message. I had a feeling you weren't going to be coming back after lunch, and I figured I wasn't going to either."

Sora looked away. "Just because I don't feel like going doesn't mean you have to ditch too."

It was the beginning of the same conversation they've had over the last couple weeks. Riku leaned on his shoulders as he looked at Sora. "And like I've said a million times before, stop thinking that you're making me do these things, I'm doing it of my own free choice."

Sora shrugged, "But what about everyone else? Don't you want to be around them?"

Riku got up from his seat and placed a hand on Sora's shoulder. "It doesn't matter as long as I'm with you."

The brunet gave a chuckling sigh, "You're so sappy Riku, I can't stand it sometimes."

This sentence brought about a struggle where Riku ended up winning by pinning the shorter brunet against the refrigerator. Their breath became heated as Riku brought his head down slightly, his lips tantalizing close to Sora's neck. With both hands holding Sora's captive, the brunet was at the mercy of the taller teen. He left a single kiss against his neck and released his grip.

"Hey," Sora whined, feeling the spot on his neck cool, "You're such a tease."

"Come on," Riku said, "let's take a shower and head to bed early tonight."

The thought of sleep quickly robbed Sora of his cheery face, remembering that when sleeping his worst fears came alive. "Okay…"

Taking Riku's hand in his, the taller of the two led them down the halls and into the bathroom. Figaro was left behind, his arms cupping a messy ball of string.

X

Sora knew he was dreaming, there was no way around it. Except, this time, instead of being in a darkened room where the shadows eagerly lashed at his feet, he was standing underneath a warm, beating sun. He looked around, noticing a vast ocean in front of him and pure white sands beneath his feet. For once, in such a long time, he felt comfortable. There were no shadows, no darkened walls and hallways, just a beautiful beach. He began walking around, letting the warm sands carry him forward. With every step something around him would pop up. A palm tree here, a broken log there, the occasional bird flying in the now blue sky. As his comfort level seemed to grow, there was still a small lingering doubt that something would happen and cast his bright world back into darkness. But, as he continued walking, that didn't seem to happen. Before long, he realized he was simply walking along one of the many beaches of the island. He cast his gaze in front of him and noticed the appearance of other people. It was a little surprising to see them without a face though. They didn't pay him any attention as he ventured on, the beach appearing endless.

"Look at him."

He felt a trickle of ice shoot up his spine.

"Doesn't he look so happy?"

Sora knew it would happen, he felt so stupid for thinking the voices wouldn't return.

"How cute, his heart is trying to fight us off."

He watched as the bright sun quickly fell towards the horizon, descending into the other half of the world and casting everything into night. But instead of seeing stars taking the skies, white masks took their place among the heavens. Sora looked at them, but failed to see anything on their blank faces.

"Did he honestly think that he could escape us?"

"He's such a stupid boy."

"I agree, very stupid."

Sora fell to his knees, the sands no longer pure white, but a deep purple. "Leave me alone…"

"Aww, he's wanting us to leave him alone."

"That IS cute."

"But we can't, we can't let you go on thinking that things are okay."

"It's all in my mind, it's only a dream, nothing is my fault, I'm fine, everything is good," Sora dragged on, his hands cupping his ears.

"Oh no, no, that won't help."

"No, not at all."

"Your poor mother, how she must be suffering looking at you right now."

"Shut up! Shut up! She's not my mother, she's NOT!"

Red lines began painting themselves against the white masks in the skies. It wasn't long before Sora was staring at a ghastly sight of sneering, and cackling faces.

"But she is suffering, so very much. And it's all because of you!"

"No…" Sora whispered, wishing that he could wake up. He could feel a comforting warmth engulf him, soothing the harsh environment around him. It was Riku, he knew it was him trying help.

"It's him, his little savior."

"Ugh, it makes me sick."

"Can't fight your own battles, can you?"

Sora couldn't help but realize that what the last voice said sounded so frighteningly true.

X

It was his second shower within the last six hours and Sora was becoming horribly irritated with waking up at odd hours of the morning to rush into the bathroom to rid himself of the sweat covering his body. But he couldn't help it; the dreams would not leave him alone. Sora held a hand against the tile wall, the beating of the water washing away the uncomfortable grime. He remained there for a while longer, not really bothering to shampoo his hair or anything as he stared blankly at his feet.

"Can't fight your own battles, can you?"

"It's not…true. I can, I have," Sora mumbled. He turned the water off and reached for the towel resting over the curtain. Placing it around his waist once he managed to dry off as much water as he could, Sora got out and walked back out into the hallway. He looked around for a second, his eyes falling on a single table along the hallway illuminated by the moonlight. Sitting in a cream colored vase, a single rose remained closed beside its withered siblings. As he looked at it, he couldn't help but think of the man he had met that afternoon, his velvety violet eyes staring intently at him.

"Marluxia," Sora mumbled before removing his gaze from the table and towards the open bedroom door. He walked in to find a familiar scene of Riku stroking a purring Figaro. The silver haired teen looked up at him and offered his usual caring smile.

"It's him, his little savior."

Biting his bottom lip, Sora returned to bed and tossed the covers around him, not caring that he was still wearing the towel around his waist.

X

Riku clasped a hand to his forehead the moment he walked into Mr. Vayne's classroom, realizing that he hadn't done the work he had assigned. Larxene wasn't far behind him, her hands closing a compact mirror she was using to look at herself with.

"I don't think I need to voice the reasons as to why you didn't do the work," she said taking her seat right behind Riku.

"That's right, I would appreciate it if you kept your mouth shut today."

Larxene shot him a dirty glare before packing her compact mirror away. Once the class reached a reasonable audio level, Mr. Vayne cleared his voice as he placed a thin-rimmed pair of glasses against the bridge of his nose.

"Thank you class, it only took you five minutes to get settled in today," he said with exuding sarcasm. "Now, for those of you who were actually paying attention yesterday, I assigned a horribly, horribly difficult assignment where you had to read a mere ten pages and write two excruciating paragraphs."

All around him there was some snickering. He quickly raised his hand and the whispers died down. "And although I know that half of you didn't do the work, I am feeling generous today and won't give you a zero."

Riku let out a sigh of relief following this piece of information. "Thank the Faiths, they must have done something to him for this miracle to occur."

Mr. Vayne walked to the front of his desk and used his arms to support himself as he addressed the class. "You see class, today is a very important day. If you remember correctly, I mentioned something about a student teacher back in the beginning of the school year."

The class began murmuring at this, with Larxene and Riku exchanging a random glance.

"Well, I was quite serious. Destiny Islands Academy has a long history of providing college students intent on becoming teachers or professors some day, with an opportunity to teach in a real classroom. So, to many, this will lighten your hearts and make you jump for joy. I have accepted a student from Twilight Town University who will be teaching for two days of the week in my place."

Several snide remarks were made in whispers as Mr. Vayne finished with his little speech.

"Just what we need," Larxene said close to Riku's ear. "A stuck up college student coming to boss us around. Like Mr. Vayne wasn't enough already."

Riku in all honesty, could care less about the news. He began doodling on the back of his textbook, not caring that he would end up having to pay for it once the year was over and the book needed to be turned in.

"So," Mr. Vayne's voice cracked through the air. "Fortunately for us, he's arrived a few days ago and is eager to meet you all. So, I would like everyone to meet my pupil."

They all watched as Mr. Vayne walked to the door and gently opened it. Riku found himself staring directly into a pair of violet eyes. They followed him as their owner walked in, his tall frame matching up with their teacher's. Riku could hear Larxene let out a low whistle, a clear sign that she was probably thinking exactly what was rushing through his mind.

"He's cute," they both thought.

"Class, meet Marluxia, your new student teacher."

The group of seniors offered him their own form of greeting as he stood there, dressed in form fitting jeans and a hooded long sleeve red shirt. "Hello everyone."

Riku felt guilty for staring, and even more embarrassed when he felt his face get hot. Larxene was quick to notice this and poked him hard.

"Hey!"

All eyes turned to him and Riku found himself in a sea of stares. Even more unnerving was having both Mr. Vayne's eyes and Marluxia's settled directly on him.

"Riku, is there something you would like to share with the class?"

Sending venomous glances at anyone who dared snicker at him, Riku sat back down but not before sending Larxene a little gesture with his middle finger.

"Is that an invitation?" She retaliated, laughing to herself at how much it annoyed Riku.

"In your fucking dreams," he lashed out concentrating back to the horribly proportioned doodle on the back of his textbook. For the remainder of the class, it was a struggle for Riku not to stare at their new student teacher.

X

"You're kidding me! Our little Riku was ogling at the new guy!"

Kairi and Larxene burst into laughter at Riku's more than annoyed expense. He sat in the usual spot, with Selphie and Hayner not to far off listening on to the other girls' hysterics. Sora, like the day before, was not around.

Once class was let out for lunch Riku had gone looking for him, but failed in his search. Figuring that he'd taken off again, the silver haired teen returned to the courtyard and to a very pissed looking Kairi. After getting an earful from her for ditching her the day before, Riku settled himself under the palm tree and faced hearing Larxene tell of their most interesting English class.

"But he wasn't the only one Kairi, everyone couldn't keep their eyes off of him. Now, brunets are not to my liking," she stopped to give Riku a "sorry" look, "but this guy definitely made me rethink my preferences."

Riku rolled his eyes as he picked up a can of soda and brought it to his lips. "Didn't think you were into guys."

Larxene shot him a sickening look. "Ha. Funny. Anyways…"

Their conversation dragged on, eventually leading into more normal topics like, hair, makeup, all the things Riku could avoid hearing if a particular brunet were there to keep him busy.

"Well, Hayner and I are heading into town for a latte, we'll see you guys later," Selphie chirped in as she got up from her seat.

"Later," Hayner added as Selphie pulled him by the hand. The remaining friends waved goodbye, with Kairi and Larxene quickly returning to their fast ramblings. Letting out a frustrated sigh, Riku mimicked Selphie's actions and got to his feet.

"I'm heading off too, gonna see if I can find Sora."

Kairi's expression turned serious. "Okay, let me know if you need help."

With a toss of his hair, Riku was walking back into the hallways and disappearing into the crowds.

"So, did you find anything out?"

Kairi turned to Larxene and shook her head slowly. "Not a thing. Yunalesca's noticed Riku coming home late, but doesn't know anything besides that. She promised me if anything were to happen that she would let me know, but that's about it."

The blonde senior played with the hem of her skirt. "We'll figure it out eventually. If we're lucky Sora will stop being all emo and Riku will go back to being his normal, cocky self."

Kairi batted away a stray hair. "I sure hope so, but, for the time being, it's not a bad idea to just look out for them."

Larxene nodded, "Sounds good to me."

X

Sora knew Riku would be looking for him, but he didn't really want to be around anyone. Sitting on the deserted bleachers of the track field, the brunet looked outwards with large blue eyes. He had his legs up against his chest, with both arms wrapped around them. It wasn't much of a surprise to see him looking tired, then again, waking up at odd hours of the morning did that to you. And it didn't help when disembodied voices taunted your sleep either. Sora sighed inwardly, breathing in the scent of the body wash he used the night before.

"I knew that uniform looked familiar."

His head shot up to the right and the figure of a tall, shoulder length haired brunet came into sight. The strong rays of the sun intensified the pink tint in his hair, making it look distinctly pink rather than brown. Sora fumbled with the words for a second.

"Marluxia, right?"

The man walked closer, his feet carrying over several of the bleachers as he made his way towards Sora. "Yep. Sora, am I right?"

The shorter brunet nodded limply. "Not really hard to remember."

"I said your name was nice, of course I would remember it."

Sora peeled his eyes off the taller form and set them back on the green of the track field. "What are you doing around here? Mr. Seymour's a pain in the ass to deal with if you're here without his permission."

Marluxia set his arms back against a bleacher seat and looked towards the skies. "Well, it would be a problem if I didn't have his permission, but fortunately, I do."

"You don't look like a student," Sora said with his face resting against his arms. "And I'm not talking about the fact that you're wearing real clothes."

The taller brunet let out a chuckle. "I don't look that old, do I?"

"How old are you then?"

Marluxia grinned, "Take a guess, I promise not to get offended."

Sora fooled around with the idea for a second or so. "I don't know, 22, 23."

"Close, 21."

"That's cool," Sora said. "So, what exactly are you doing here? I'm sorry if I'm being nosy, but it's not everyday I see someone like you at the academy."

Marluxia shook a hand at him. "It's okay, at least you're talking to me. Half the classes I met today couldn't get past a hello. Mr. Vayne told me he was jealous of me. Apparently, he can't keep them quiet long enough for him to finish his sentence."

Sora looked directly at him, those violet eyes staring at him eagerly. "What exactly does Mr. Vayne have to do with you?"

"Well, I'm his student teacher. I will be teaching here at the academy for two days a week for credit towards my teaching degree."

Sora let go of his legs, allowing them to return to the sleek metal surface of the bleachers as he continued looking in Marluxia's direction. "Student teacher? Are you from the capital?"

He shook his head, "No, I'm from Twilight Town, a few hours south of here."

"And I thought this was rural enough," Sora said rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, it's not a very big island. The university has maybe 5,000 students total, but it made it easier for me to get a job here. With less students, you have a better chance at getting what you want."

"Makes sense," Sora added allowing his hands to rest at his sides. "I used to live in Holly City and the schools there were huge. I don't think I could name half or less than half of the people in my yearbooks."

Marluxia smiled at him, the act making Sora feel an uncomfortable feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. It was that same feeling, that same feeling that he had when Riku was around. Taking one look at Marluxia was clear enough for Sora to know that it was not him in the slightest, but he couldn't help the feeling. "So, are you living alone around here?"

The question made Marluxia raise an eyebrow ever so slightly. "Yeah, I am. But I'm used to it, been living on my own since I was young."

Sora looked up when he heard the sound of the school bell. "I should get going. I ditched class yesterday and didn't come back after lunch."

Marluxia played with one of the belt loops on his jeans. "So that explains you being in town yesterday."

Sora nodded, "Yeah, I was having a cruddy day."

"Mind if I walk you to class? I don't start teaching until next Monday, so I have some free time."

The shorter brunet got to his feet and smiled at the offer. "Sure, if you like."

With little worry, Sora and Marluxia began their trek back to campus, the lingering form of students marching through the halls in search of their next class. They walked past the courtyard, with Sora taking a quick look at where his group would usually sit at. Needless to say, there wasn't anyone there.

"Sora?"

The brunet turned around to see Riku standing with his bag over his shoulder. He felt his heart skip a beat when he realized that Sora wasn't alone. "Where have you been? I thought you ditched again."

Riku walked up to the two and shot Marluxia a confused look. "Shouldn't you be in Mr. Vayne's class?"

Marluxia stuffed both hands into his pockets as he began walking off. "Nice seeing you again Sora, I'll talk to you later."

"Nice seeing you again?" Riku thought, the sentence making a vile feeling reach his throat. Even more unnerving was the fact that Sora was smiling in Marluxia's direction.

tbc

A/N: ( holds a shield ) Okay, don't kill me, I know it seems that Sora is falling for Marly-kun, but, well, it's still early to tell. Reviews are met with lots of appreciation. Till next time!