Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except the plot. Suing me will get you absolutely nothing.

A/N: I'm back everyone, sorry for the long wait. Work and my own lack of motivation has really brought me down. So, enjoy everyone, and I apologize if this chapter isn't the absolute best.

Shattered Reverie

Chapter 6

Thankful

"This totally goes against what we agreed on."

Kairi placed a hand at her hip and gave Selphie a cock-eyed glance. "What do you mean?"

Selphie looked over at Hayner for support, but he simply tossed his hands in the air letting her know that he wasn't going to get involved. Huffing at his lack of support, Selphie returned the look Kairi was giving her.

"We agreed to give both Riku and Sora space. And while I don't necessarily see anything wrong with Sora becoming friends with Marluxia, your idea of keeping an eye on them is ridiculous."

Kairi rolled her eyes, realizing that it would have been better if she didn't tell Selphie about what she and Larxene had witnessed the previous day at Café Le Blanc.

"I told you Larxene, it would have been better if we just kept it between us."

Selphie narrowed her eyes. "You would seriously betray Sora's trust in you by spying on him?"

Kairi turned to Selphie. "I'm doing this because I TRUST Sora. It's that Marluxia guy that I don't feel so good about."

"That doesn't justify anything," Selphie said getting to her feet. "If you do this and Sora finds out then the chances of him returning to our group are completely shot. And what about Riku? How do you think he'd feel knowing you're spying on his boyfriend?"

The burgundy haired girl was beginning to think if Selphie truly was her best friend. "I'm doing this for Riku's sake too."

Selphie crossed her arms. "Then why don't you go tell him about this then. If what you're saying is true, then he'll have no problem with you spying on Sora."

Kairi bit her lip, realizing Selphie had cornered her. "I don't need your permission to do anything, so save your breath Selphie."

"If you're planning on going through with this, then I have no choice but to tell Riku what you're up to."

Blue eyes narrowed dangerously in Selphie's direction. "Selphie, you're one of my best friends, but don't think that I won't make your life miserable because of it. I'm worried about Sora's well being, and if it means keeping an eye on him, then I'm going to do it."

"Kairi," Larxene interrupted, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I agree with Selphie. I don't want Sora finding out about this and becoming more distant than he already is."

It felt like a slap to the face to hear this from Larxene. "You saw it too Larxene! That guy is up to no good and I'm not about to let Sora get hurt!"

The blonde senior shook her head, "I know it looked bad, but we all know Sora is not capable of anything shady. And we don't know Marluxia, so we can't assume these kinds of things."

Kairi shook her head, "I don't believe this. Am I the only one that cares about Sora and Riku? Can't you guys see that I'm willing to do this because I love them as much as I do?"

Selphie began to walk away and into the halls, with Hayner lagging behind. "If you really love them, you wouldn't coming up with these crazy ideas. I'm sorry Kairi, but you're on your own with this."

Without another word, Selphie and Hayner vanished into the halls, leaving Larxene and Kairi in the courtyards. The junior year girl let out a sigh as she sat on one of the benches. Larxene played with the hem of her skirt, wondering if Kairi was angry with her.

"Come on, let's just forget about what we saw last night. Nothing is wrong. Let's just give everyone time and they'll come around."

"Leave me alone Larxene, I don't want to talk to you right now."

The senior girl huffed in annoyance. "Oh come on Kairi, stop acting like such a little kid, I'm not doing anything wrong here."

"Except you totally let me down back there."

Larxene felt her insides twist suddenly. "I'm sorry Kairi, but I agree with Selphie."

With that said, the bell rang signaling the end of their lunch hour. Larxene watched Kairi for a few more seconds before turning and walking towards the halls. The junior year girl couldn't help but lash out at her friend, even though she knew she would regret the words later.

"You can have fun at Mt. Gagazet without me Larxene, I'm not going."

The blonde's eyes quivered suddenly, causing her to turn away and disappear into the halls completely. With everybody returning class, Kairi was left alone within the courtyard, her mind elsewhere as she tried to come up with a way to justify her thoughts. While what her friends had said was true, part of her couldn't give up on the idea that Sora's well being was at risk if she didn't look out for him. A soft clicking sound interrupted her thoughts as she raised her gaze to the source of the noise. Blue eyes narrowed at the sight of Marluxia, his arms full of books he had undoubtedly used during one of his classes. Just looking at him brought out a hidden anger within the burgundy haired girl. She knew he was very attractive, the lines of giggling girls and shy looks from some of the boys even was enough to bring this to her attention. Yet, she was immune to it, she could see beyond the good looks and know that there was something strange about him. It was that uncertainty that worried her. For all she knew, Marluxia could be a good person and not mean Sora any harm, but she was at odds. With no desire to go to class, Kairi felt a drive alone could clear her mind, at least for the moment. A small smile played across her lips, knowing that she was doing exactly what Sora had been doing and skipping class.

The drive eventually ended at one of the many beaches littering the island. Children were playing eagerly at the water's edge, parents were busily catching up on some much needed reading, and visitors foreign to Destiny Islands were already making their presence known. Stepping out of her shoes, Kairi dug her feet into the warm sands and began walking around, not really paying any attention to the other residents making the beach their current home. Breezes picked up every so often, carrying a flock of tropical birds with it in the skies above. Their cries could be heard for miles and the junior year girl found herself looking up at the multicolored creatures.

"Didn't expect to see you here."

Kairi quickly followed the voice and wasn't sure how to react at what she saw. Dressed in baggy white shorts and a teal colored t-shirt was Tidus. She knew all about what had happened at the party despite the fact that she wasn't there when the incident occurred. But that didn't stop her from gaining a further dislike for the blonde boy currently giving her a smile.

"Neither did," Kairi responded flicking her hair in a nonchalant manner.

She could hear his footsteps, muffled by the sand that stopped right at her side. Kairi peered to the right, knowing that Tidus was standing there and wasn't exactly happy with it.

"Unless you have something to say, I'd appreciate it if you left me alone."

"What is it with people these days? Can't I be nice without having to be told to go away?"

"Perhaps if you weren't such a disgrace to humanity, then people would bother with you."

Tidus chuckled slightly at this. He had his fair share of insults, but never had he been referred to as a "disgrace to humanity."

"So I throw a boulder through someone's window and I can't ever be forgiven for it. Yet, there are hundreds of criminals that commit horrible acts and are let free, forgiven. Am I the only one that sees something wrong here?"

Kairi turned to Tidus, her blue eyes glaring at the taller blonde boy. "Maybe if you didn't pick a stupid fight with Sora, maybe we wouldn't completely hate you."

The blonde teen shook his head. "Sora, Sora, Sora, why is everyone so fucking obsessed with him? What's so great about him? I was your friend much longer before he came around."

Kairi could almost laugh at this. "We were never friends Tidus. If anything, Riku was the only one that ever bothered with you. And it killed you that he didn't like you back."

A flash of heat spread across Tidus' face, clearly signaling that what his former classmate had said was true. "And you're just some stuck up daddy's girl that thinks she's too good for anyone."

"So what if I am? At least this daddy's girl has friends who actually like her."

Tidus' eyes quivered suddenly. "That's right, you have friends that matter, friends that care about you. I guess that's our biggest difference."

For a fraction of a second Kairi felt the smallest sense of pity for the blonde. "It's your own fault Tidus. You lost the only friend you had because you couldn't deal with the jealousy. If you hadn't, then maybe you could have been part of our group."

"Well, it's not like I can change the past. If anything, I've tried to make amends but if Riku won't listen to me, then there's no point to anything."

"What are you talking about?" Kairi asked, "When did you see Riku?"

"Yesterday, I went over to his place to talk to him."

"About what?"

Tidus shot Kairi a grin. "Well, aren't you pushy? No wonder everyone was afraid of you. You could find anything out and use it against them."

Kairi shook her head, "Shut up Tidus, why did you go see him?"

The grin disappeared. "After the party I was pretty pissed off with what happened. I saw you and Riku drop by and thought it was weird when Sora left alone. I thought I would finish off what I started with him, but I didn't get my chance."

"You were going to do something to Sora?" Kairi said inching closer, her teeth clenched tight.

Tidus took a step back. "I told you, I was pretty pissed off. I couldn't help it."

Kairi bit back the need to deliver pain to the taller boy, having heard that his intentions to cause Sora harm went beyond the incident at the party. "So what stopped you then?"

The blonde shrugged, "I don't know his name, but this guy came up to Sora and I left before he decided to get involved."

"You're a coward, you know that?" Kairi said looking to the side. It took a few more seconds for what Tidus said to really hit her. "What guy are you talking about?"

"I already told you, I don't know his name. I've never seen him. Plus, he looks like he's been out of high school for a while."

Kairi tucked a stray hair away. "But how does this have anything to do with Riku?"

Tidus laughed. "You sure are slow, aren't you? If Riku and Sora are together, why would Sora leave the party alone knowing Riku was there and headed off with another guy? I went to see Riku to tell him what I saw. Sora isn't the little saint he thinks he is."

She knew why Sora had stormed off from the party, but she was never expecting to hear that he had met up with someone else.

"You are so full of crap and you know it," Kairi responded, not wanting to believe what Tidus had told her. "You just can't get over that he doesn't like you."

"I'm over it Kairi, I don't care anymore," Tidus shrugged, his eyes downcast. "Believe me or not, I am done. I left the academy because I knew this would happen. You think I'm the one at fault for everything, but how would you feel if everyone was ganging up on you?"

The shorter girl watched as Tidus began walking away, his back to her. "I'm sorry if I bothered you. Maybe you can figure out if something's going on before Riku gets hurt. If you ever see Sora with a guy with long brown hair, you'll know who I'm talking about."

It hit her harder than she would have liked. With Tidus' vanishing figure, Kairi was left with her words caught somewhere in her throat.

"Long brown hair…"

X

"And so, that is the reason why I have called you down here, Ms. Yunalesca."

Mr. Seymour, head of Destiny Islands Academy sat back in his chair, having gone over a long conversation with the silver haired woman currently sitting in front of him. She wore a loose white blouse and blue business skirt, the hem just reaching a bit past her knees. In front of her, resting on the principal's desk sat a series of papers she found herself looking through.

"I see. I didn't realize it was this serious."

The blue-haired man bent forward slightly and cupped his hands together in thought. "It is quite serious. As I've said, Riku is on the verge of failing his classes. Which has always struck me as odd considering he's one of the top students in his year. But the papers don't lie, your son has been absent from several classes a numerous amount of times."

Yunalesca placed a finger on one of the pages. "It seems he leaves right after lunch, but is here for the three classes before. Have you noticed if he has left alone?"

Mr. Seymour raised a long blue eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

The tall woman had her hunches, but figured she would ask. "I've got my own reasons sir, but is Riku the only one that has been absent from classes?"

"There are several students that skip class, but the majority are lost causes and I haven't bothered to look into it. But, if it would make you happy, I will take a look at our files."

Turning around in his chair, Seymour reached for one of the file cabinets to the side and began leafing through several heavy folders holding every kind of file imaginable. Yunalesca simply watched with a kind expression as the principal looked.

"Let's see…" he muttered, "Just all the typical students from what I can see."

He was about to close one of the folders when a particular picture stood out and Yunalesca's eye followed it. "What about that one there, the last one on that list?"

He flipped back and his eyes fell on the spiky haired form of Sora Loire. "Hmm…interesting."

Yunalesca's lips curved into a small smile. "What is it Mr. Seymour?"

"I don't know how I could have missed this, but it seems that Sora has been missing from classes far more often than Riku has," he said with a finger on his lips. "But it could simply be a coincidence ma'am."

"Right, of course," Yunalesca finished, knowing very well that it was no coincidence. "I thank you for informing me about all of this. I will make sure to have a talk with my son and see if we can't get to the bottom of this."

She carefully got up and smoothed out the wrinkles on her skirt. Mr. Seymour got to his own feet and walked the middle-aged woman to the door and made sure to shake her hand gingerly.

"Thank you for coming."

"Not at all, good day."

Yunalesca closed the door behind her and began walking out of the academy office. She glanced at the clock sitting over the secretary and noticed it was just a bit past one o'clock. Coming to stop before stepping out of the office, Yunalesca turned to the blonde, spectacled secretary and coughed.

"Excuse me, could I ask you a question?"

The blonde woman, Ms. Quistis immediately shuffled whatever paperwork was on her desk and offered her a smile. "Why of course, what can I do for you?"

"Would it be possible for you to look up the class a particular student is in at the moment?"

Ms. Quistis pushed the rim of her glasses against the bridge of her nose. "Oh yes, just give me the student's name and I will look it up."

Yunalesca smiled. "Sora Loire."

A few keystrokes on her computer later, Ms. Quistis was handing Yunalesca a piece of paper with a classroom number and a guest pass. "There you are, please bring the pass back once you are finished with your business."

"Will do, thank you very much," the silver haired woman expressed with a nod of her head. With swift steps, Yunalesca made her way through the prestigious school grounds, her destination being of Ms. Flora's history class. Once she was standing outside the classroom door, Yunalesca performed a quick knock and then followed by turning the knob ever so softly. Immediately, at least 15 pairs of eyes fell on her, wondering who she could be. Ms. Flora stopped writing on the board and beamed at the silver haired woman.

"Oh, is there something I can help you with?"

Yunalesca scanned the classroom, the air slightly musky with the smell of aging books. When she found a familiar head of spiky brown hair, Yunalesca responded.

"May I speak with Sora please, I need him for a few minutes."

The class turned in Sora's direction, who at the moment, was looking out the window with blank eyes. He remained that way until Ms. Flora went up to him and tapped his shoulder gently.

"Dear, there's someone here that would like to speak with you."

Sora's attention quickly snapped to the front and fell on Yunalesca. All that he could feel was confusion at the sight of the smiling woman. "Oh, o-okay."

The chair skidded against the floor roughly as Sora got up and walked towards the door. Yunalesca greeted him with a silent hello before bidding Ms. Flora farewell. "I promise, it won't be long."

Outside, the winds began to blow, sending strands of that familiar silver color into Yunalesca's face. Sora stood against the wall, his eyes following a speck of dust on the ground. He had no idea what she wanted with him, but he wasn't about the start talking until she did.

"It's nice to see you Sora," she said after a minute or so of lingering silence. "I haven't seen you in a long while, how have you been doing?"

The brunet shrugged, the collar of his shirt flapping against his neck with every passing breeze. "Good, I guess."

Another moment of silence followed. Sora found that he was nervous with her standing there. In all the time that he knew Riku and his mother, there was never a time where he was talking with just her. It was a very odd feeling to say the least.

"I know Riku must have told you all about it by now, but Vincent and I are going to be getting married in late summer."

Sora scoffed, his gaze still at his feet. "Yeah, I know."

Yunalesca placed a hand against one of the walls. "You know, Sora, I apologize for saying this, but you don't seem to be your normal self. Are you sure you've been doing okay?"

Dark blue eyes crawled up Yunalesca's form. "I'm sorry that you think that, but I'm fine, really."

He was fooling absolutely nobody. Yunalesca could see it in his very eyes that there was a lot on his mind, a lot having to do with her very own son. "I don't know what exactly is bothering you, but I can safely say that whatever it is, it's also affecting Riku."

Sora couldn't help but get angered with her words. "Don't you think I know that? I know that what's been going on is hurting him too, I think about it every single day!"

"Is that why Riku has been staying with you from time to time, because of whatever is making you feel this way?"

The brunet brought a hand over his eyes. "Don't worry, he hasn't been over in a while, so you don't have to worry about him not coming home."

Yunalesca shook her head. "I never disapproved of him staying with you, in fact I expected it. But…I get the feeling that you and Riku aren't on good terms, right?"

Memories of the party the previous weekend surfaced in his mind, causing Sora to grip the wall he was standing against. "I don't know…I guess we aren't. But it's partly his fault."

"You don't have to tell me, but what I can tell you is that it's eating away at you and Riku. It doesn't take an expert to see this. When I walked into the classroom, I could see it all over your face. You're unhappy, and it's not because of whatever Riku did to upset you, but because you miss him."

Sora's head snapped in Yunalesca's direction. She was right, she was absolutely right. It had been only a few days since the party, yet it was much too long to be away from him. But he didn't want to seek Riku out, not when he kept telling himself that he wasn't week that he didn't need to depend on others. It was his own pride that was eating at him, his own determined pride to prove to everyone that he didn't need someone else holding his hand. But Riku wasn't there to hold his hand, and even if he was, Riku was doing it because he wanted to, not because he felt pity for Sora. The brunet could almost laugh at his own stupidity.

"I do miss him," Sora whispered into the air. "And I know he does too."

Yunalesca closed the gap between them and embraced the shorter boy. Sora found that the hug was warm, almost exuding a calming aura. With Beatrix, the hugs were rare and meaningless. But this one meant something. Yunalesca was letting Sora know that things were okay, that she loved him as one of her own. Or at least, that's what he was hoping. She was the kind of mother he wished he had. But a quick flittering picture of Raine reminded him that he did have someone like her. Even if she wasn't alive anymore, it didn't mean that her love for him as a mother had ended. Pulling away from the embrace, Sora ran a hand through his spikes and took in a deep breath.

"Thanks…"

Yunalesca smiled kindly at him. "I did nothing, you found the answers on your own. They were there, buried behind that sadness that shouldn't be anywhere on your face."

Sora returned the smile, "I'd better get back to class, I haven't been doing so well these last couple weeks. I need to catch up."

The silver haired woman nodded. "When you see Riku, tell him to do the same."

With a wave, Yunalesca disappeared into the halls, leaving Sora against the wall. He looked down at his hand, watching how the sunlight placed shadows against it.

"I'll talk to him, I'll apologize for being an idiot. I was so afraid of hurting him because of the nightmares, but he's strong, stronger than I am. Me being distant, it all affects him, it's not what I should be doing. Instead…I need to thank him for it. Thank him for being there and dealing with everything I go through. No more whining, I need to be thankful and be strong for him."

With his newfound courage, Sora walked back into class and sat back in his seat. And this time, he didn't let his eyes wander blankly out the window.

X

Riku couldn't rid himself of the nagging feeling in the back of his mind. The last class of the day was spent looking out the window, his thoughts concentrating on a particular brunet he hoped was doing okay. But asides from that, there was something else, a feeling of something bad about to happen. Shaking the morbid thoughts away, Riku left the classroom as soon as the bell rang, signaling freedom to all at the academy.

"Make sure to go over all your notes, we'll be having a test a week from Friday just before spring break. Have a good day."

With the teacher's final words, Riku walked into the halls and towards the parking lot. Along the way he was met with several glances and hellos from fellow classmates, all eager to get on with the rest of their day. Off in the distance the blitzball team was readying up for practice, with the coach already at the gym doors waiting impatiently for his team. It reminded him of another particular person, someone who also played blitzball and was quite good at it. The memory only soured his already uneasy mood, remembering the strange conversation he had with Tidus the previous day. Instead of wasting energy thinking about the blonde, Riku used to quickly arrive at the student parking lot. Although, what he saw lifted his spirits in so many ways. Standing against his white Audi was none other than Sora himself. Even better was the fact that Sora wasn't scowling at him. With only a few feet between them, Riku wasn't sure if he should say anything just yet. But he didn't need to.

"Hey Riku."

"Hey."

It was all they needed before Sora flung forward, embracing Riku in a very needed hug.

"I'm sorry Riku, for what I said at the party and for being so stupid."

Riku caressed the back of Sora's neck, inhaling the scent he had grown very fond of. "I am too, for not believing in you. You're not weak, and you have never been."

They remained that way for a while, using one another to fill a void that was in desperate need of being filled.

"It's because of your mom, she pulled me out of class today and talked to me. She made me realize that I've been really selfish. I haven't told you how much I appreciate everything you've done for me. For being there all those nights where I've woken up screaming. I don't think I have ever said thank you."

Riku's first thought was why Yunalesca would be at the academy, but the thought was dwarfed by Sora's words. He had never expected Sora to thank him, not when he wasn't looking for praise to begin with. Riku was Sora's boyfriend, and he didn't need Sora to praise him for simply being what is expected of a boyfriend. Yet, hearing it made him smile nonetheless. Sora removed himself from Riku momentarily, but in order to step up and capture his lips in a swift kiss.

"No more parties for me, I promise," Sora said with a wink.

Riku couldn't help but laugh. "Next time, we'll go together."

Everything would have appeared perfect, but neither were aware of the long haired man standing at the steps of the academy, his violet eyes burning a hole into Riku's figure. A cell phone rested against his ear, a charm dangling from the device.

"I already told you, I'm not going back until I am finished here."

There was some talk on the other side, causing Marluxia to roll his eyes. "I don't know how long it will take, so quit asking already. Just keep doing what I told you to do, no more questions."

He watched as Riku and Sora shared another kiss. "I'll do it, I'm sure of it. We're already too involved in things."

The person said one last thing before Marluxia closed the phone, a grin caressing his lips.

"Trust me Zexion, I will destroy their lives."

TBC…

A/N: It seems, Marluxia isn't exactly wanting friendship. Until next time lovely readers, please r&r!