Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me :(

A/N: Now, I know how many want to slit my throat for never updating. And I had a REASON (Check profile for details). Because Myou Matsuro was the only one who bothered to find out This chapter is dedicated to Myou Matsuro!!! Love yah babe. And I'm happy to hear how people liked the whole parent situation. I decided I'd make the plot explain the whole thing, but not at the moment. And I REALLY NEED A BETA!!! People tell me abotu my mistakes, which is nice, but I just don't have a beta!

This is How the Beat Goes

Chapter 2: When Broken Is Easily Fixed

Morning came, illuminating the room Sora was currently resting in. He blinked, the light slipping through the shades and painting his face a glowing shade. Sora sat up, rubbing his puffy eyes, stinging from crying himself to sleep.

The previous night's rendezvous had started to seep back into Sora mind, intruding in on his calming morning. He frowned slightly, but shook it off. He wasn't going to let one bad night conquer his happy-go-lucky world.

"Morning." Roxas said as he leaned against the door frame. He was wearing the previous night's attire, showing he had not slept. The darkening under his cool blue eyes also gave away the exhaustion. "Hot cocoa?" he offered one of the cups to his half brother, knowing Sora wasn't a coffee person. The two hadn't spent much time together in person, but e-mails and phone call had kept them up to speed.

"Thanks." Sora said as Roxas walked over and gave him the warm cup. The aroma of chocolate mixed with the bitter smell of Roxas' coffee. Sora took a cautious sip, noting the amount of steam the drink emitted. Burning his tongue wasn't the most pleasant of things.

"Are you feeling better?" Roxas asked as he set down next to the brunet, making the mattress shift weight more evenly. His voice was soothing, but still alert.

Sora nodded as he blew on the heated chocolate milk. Roxas had also remembered that he preferred to have milk with the hot cocoa mix instead of water, proof being that the liquid was a very light shade instead of a vibrant brown. He smiled up at Roxas, grateful for such a caring and attentive brother. "Yup! No worries here!" he said, enthusiastically. Unlike Riku, Sora would never fake a smile. He never needed to.

Sora's smile being contagious, Roxas curved his lips up slightly. He was still extremely angry at Riku for trying to rape his brother and pissed at Axel for not trying to stop him. Roxas wasn't the type to forgive and forget. But for now, he would be content near the brother he never saw.

There was a slight rapping on the door, and identical faces turned to look at the intruder. Axel stood in the entrance, waving one hand slightly. "Good morning." he said in a dull voice. He was also wearing the same attire as yesterday. Sora had heard a bit of shouting before he fell asleep, perhaps they were still in a feud.

Roxas glared harshly at Axel, his face had changed completely after the red head had appeared. Sora had guessed his suspicions were correct, Roxas' reaction confirming the thought.

"Can we talk?" Axel said in a rather pleading manner. He obviously didn't want to have an angry Roxas in the house. Angry Roxas was absolutely no fun.

Roxas sighed angrily, standing up. "Be back." he said to Sora as he exited the room. He obviously didn't want to deal with Axel or his excuses. But he would go to the older man, as he always did.

The door was shut behind them.

…This is how the beat goes…

"I'm sorry." Axel said as they stood outside the room Sora had slept in. He made sure the door was completely closed, knowing Roxas would want to keep Sora away from the bad mood Roxas had when speaking to Axel at the moment.

Roxas rolled his angry blues. "That's not enough." Roxas said, not satisfied. How many more times would an all night fight proceed? It wasn't the first, and obviously not the last.

The entire house was clean, showing they had spent the night cleaning instead of mending things between themselves. Normally cleaning would wait until they had some refreshing sleep, but neither had wanted to go to sleep. The event had effected Roxas more than usual, for it was his own brother's purity that was at stake. Something Roxas treasured more than his own life.

"C'mon, Roxas…" Axel said as he brushed his fingers along the side of Roxas' face. "Don't be stubborn." He leant down and brushed his lips against the fuming boy's, lingering for a few moments.

Roxas looked at his lover, unimpressed. "You know I don't respond to make-up kisses." He crossed his arms in defiance, not allowing Axel to pass his defenses.

"What about make-up sex?" Axel said, smirking slightly. Their eyes met for a second, both knowing where this would lead. As easily as the argument would start, so would it end.

They darted towards the stairs, making their way up to a free and clean bedroom. Axel pinched Roxas' bottom as they headed up the stairs, making the blond hurry up.

…This is how the beat goes…

Sora waited patiently, his drink long since finished. He heard the stomping of feet, wondering what was going on. Loud thumps from above came after the stampede, each sound coming out randomly. Sora tilted his head like a puppy, confused. He then heard muffled moans, the final sound making him piece the puzzle together.

"Oh," Sora said, blushing slightly. At least they had made up. Sora stepped out of the bed, taking his cup to the kitchen. Roxas was obviously too busy to see him off, so Sora found a notepad and pen and scribbled a note, leaving a cell number at the end. With that, he left the house, not wanting to listen to his brother have fun with his boyfriend. Or his non-boyfriend-- Sora had no clue as to what their relationship actually was.

He reached into his pocket, pulling out his sleek cell phone. It hadn't bothered him while he slept, though he doubted anything could have awoken him from the relieving and soothing blackness. He flipped it open, noticing he had seven missed calls, all from Kairi. He had to tell her what happened, although he wasn't looking forward to it.

He pressed a few buttons, making the device call his best friend. The phone rang softly three times, and then there was a click. "Sora!" busted the girl, delighted that Sora had finally returned he calls. Sora smiled, enjoying such a happy tone after such a horrid night.

"Morning Kairi. You called?" Sora said, his tone just as excited as hers.

"Yup! I have some good news for you. Meet me at the fountain on campus. I have to get to class, but come in around one hour, 'kay?" she said, walking down the stairs of the building she had just left. On Saturday, she had two morning classes, then was free for the rest of the weekend.

"Okay." Sora said, perplexed. Well, good news was always a good way to cheer him up. One hour would give him plenty of time to shower and change. He didn't want Kairi to fuss over his messy appearance anyway. It would just make her worry so much more than necessary.

"Alright. See you!" she said, walking past the appointed place and off to her class.

"Later!" Sora said and then they both hung up. In an up beat mood, Sora walked down the street, making his way back to his dorm. He looked at his cell phone, checking the time. One hour would give him till noon.

…This is how the beat goes…

"Hey Kairi." Sora said as he walked over to the auburn haired girl. She sat at the edge of the fountain, wearing a pink fitting long sleeve shirt and a beige skirt that ran 2/3rds down her thigh. She kept her ankles crossed, refusing to give anyone a peek at her panties. Sora was now dressed in a baggy white T-shirt and an old pair of loose jeans.

"Hello." Kairi said in a sing song voice. She wanted to get the big news to the crowd of one ever since she put her plan into action. Sora sat down next to her, making Kairi move her purse bag off to the side.

"So, care to give me the big surprise?" Sora said, smiling widely.

"Yup." Kairi said as she stood up and walked in front of Sora. "I signed you up for volunteer work! You get to help out at an orphanage!" she announced excitedly.

Sora cocked his head to the side. As much as he loved playing with little kids, he couldn't see the whole point to this present.

"But that's not all." Kairi continued, waving a small digit in Sora's face. "After much investigation, I found out a little secret about you, my dear Sora." Sora froze, she couldn't mean… "I signed up Riku Masaki too! Now you can work your magic."

Sora stayed completely frozen for a moment, assessing the damage. This wasn't going to be pretty. He buried his face within his hands, moaning into them. "Crap…" He said, the light cuss muffled.

Kairi furrowed her thinly trimmed brows. She knelt down in front of Sora, so there faces were on even levels. "What's wrong?" she asked, concerned for her best friend. This wasn't the reaction she had anticipated. Far from it.

Sora peeped through his fingers, allowing their eyes to lock. "Let's just say I'm over the Riku phase." he said, words still mumbled.

Kairi looked on, confused. She knew Sora would never be so fickle as to just completely drop a crush. It had taken him a year to get over his puppy love for her when they were kids. So, he continued. "Last night, I went with Riku to a party. Things were good, but then…" Sora's eyes dropped, "Riku didn't turn out to be so nice."

Kairi's face contorted maliciously. "What did he do?" she asked through clenched teeth. Kairi was a sweet girl, until someone dared to ruin her precious Sora.

"Well, he sort of tried to have his way with me." Sora said, trying to lessen the blow. Kairi was rather scary when angered, even if her current anger was not directed towards him.

"I'll kill him." She stated monotone, standing up right. She started to walk of, out for blood, but Sora grabbed on to her sleeve before she committed murder. Now his brother and his best friend were trying to kill Riku. And neither was afraid to do it, despite the repercussions.

"No, it's okay. It's my fault for judging him before even knowing him. I just assumed he was nice." Sora said, trying to calm the girl down. Riku was right in a sense. But he didn't have to prove his point in the harsh way that he did.

Kairi inhaled deeply, trying to let out the anger. If Sora didn't want him dead, she might as well let the bastard live. For now.

"Everything will be fine, as long as I don't have to see him again." Sora said, hinting at the volunteer work. Helping kids out was fine, the Riku part was out of the question.

Kairi paused, trying to gather her words together. "Um," she said, not sure how to break the now bad news. "Well, I don't think that's possible." She said in a meek voice. "You see, they were really desperate for people. And I don't think she'll let either of you off the hook."

"Who?" Sora asked, not liking the sound of his demise.

"Aerith." she stated, smiling sheepishly. Aerith Gainsborough was widely known on campus. She was that student who participated in all the events, running most of them. She was a nice girl, until you got on her bad side. When she got angry, well, let's not talk of such horrid events.

"Crap." Sora responded, talking crudely for the second time in a few minutes. So much for avoiding Riku like the plague.

…this is how the beat goes…

A tall and broad male walked down the paths of the campus, a slight scowl placed upon his handsome features. Events past had left the male sour, too angry to hide his discontent. At least, as long as no one was around, he could let his anger run rampant.

He brought a hand up to his cheek, feeling where the boy had slapped him. The redness and swelling had long since died down, but it left a different mark. Pulling his fingers away from the spot like it had burnt him, the man's hand fell down to his side.

"Riku!" Came a sweet female voice from behind. Riku turned to see who had disturbed his brooding, to come face to face with a familiar pair of green eyes.

"Aerith." Riku said, putting on a feign smile.

"It's good I found you. All the more convenient for me." She said as she grabbed a hold of Riku's arm and started to pull him off in another direction. "Now to find Sora…" she said as she looked around.

"What's going on," Riku said, not bothering to fight against the woman. Who knew better than that. "And why do you need Sora?" He said the name with slight distaste, not too fond of the small boy right now.

"Find now, talk later." she said as she peered around, finding a pair of students by the fountain, sitting casually. "There he is!" What great luck she had! She sped off, yanking Riku along.

The male of the two looked at the oncoming duo. He looked at Aerith first, his face contorted to resignation. Until he looked at the baggage she was lugging around, he then widened his eyes in fear. He stood up, bowed to the auburn haired girl, and then sprinted away, trying to escape his inevitable fate.

"Oh, no you don't!" said Aerith gleefully, rather enjoying the chase. She quickened her speed., miraculously fast for someone who was pulling along dead weight. "You can run, but you can't hide!"

Sora wasn't the most athletic person, but he could run pretty fast. And seeing how Aerith was easily catching up frightened him more than the fact she was holding Riku. He glanced back, seeing Aerith a few meters away. Distracted by this impossible feat, Sora didn't notice how the walkway curved, tripping over the sudden change of grass and falling on his face with a yelp.

"Told you so," she said as she walked over to the fallen boy. "Well, time to go!" she exclaimed as she grabbed the collar of Sora's shirt and pulled the younger boys along to the parking lot where her car sat.

…this is how the beat goes…

"So, we'll be there for an hour, just so you get the basics down, meet the kids…" Aerith said as she drove down the street, keeping her eyes on the rode, rambling on.

In the back sat Sora and Riku, each on opposite ends, staring out their respective windows. Sora's hands lay in fists on top of his legs, nervous. This isn't how he was supposed to erase the night. He should be having a movie marathon with Kairi and engulfing snacks. Not volunteering with his ex-crush.

Sora glanced over at Riku every now and again. Riku looked like he did when he first saw him, like a god. But his personality was anything but. Which led to the question, who is the real Riku? Why did Riku mask who he really was?

"It's rude to stare." Riku mumbled, still staring out the window. His voice was barely audible over Aerith's continued ramblings. He glanced at Sora, meeting his gaze.

"Sorry." Sora said as he turned his eyes back to the outdoors, his response automatic. Sora kept his attention to the passing scenery, forcing himself to forget he was sitting next to Riku. Sora felt his heart sick a little, painfully.

…This is how the beat goes…

"Here we are!" announced the older girl as she opened the car door and shuffled out. The place they arrived looked like a normal house, with a jungle gym in the back, fenced in as to keep the kids in and punks out.

Sora and Riku followed, the awkward air keeping both from complaining about the situation. Aerith knocked on the front door enthusiastically, waiting for an answer.

"Coming!" Came a female voice from within. The door opened promptly, a buxom women with long dark hair greeted them. "Hey guys, come on in." She swung the door wider, holding her hand out to welcome them in. The three walked in, the first with a happy step, the other two hesitant.

"Now, there is only one rule: No profanity. We want to keep these kids as pure as possible." Aerith said, her voice stern but a smile still placed on her lips.

Riku smiled at her, using the fake smile he always used. "Don't worry Aerith. We'll play nice." He assured. Sora frowned at the feign sweetness that oozed from Riku's voice. If he didn't know any better, he'd believe the male was actually sincere.

When the two older girls were out of ear shot, Sora dared to speak. "Why?" He asked vaguely.

Riku looked down at the brunet, his lips curled. "Why what?" he asked, his voice edgy and cruel.

Sora slightly cringed at the venom in Riku's voice. "Why are you always wearing that mask?" Sora asked, his curiosity holding more power over him than the fear he held for Riku.

Riku froze for a moment, looking into Sora's deep blue eyes which shined innocently. He shook his head, walking away. "It's none of your business." He said, his voice toned down on the rude side. Sora followed after him, not speaking up again.

"And here they are! You're new 'big brothers'!" Announced Aerith as the two males walked into the room. A dozen kids, ages ranging from 3 to 14, were scattered around the playroom. They all looked at the two boys with wide, gleaming eyes. Sora smiled widely.

"Hi! I'm Sora. Nice to meet you all." He said, genuinely happy. The upside to Kairi's little scheme was that he got to hang out with a bunch of kids. He, himself, preferred to play little kid games than to go out drinking. His friends would always pinch his cheeks for being such a child.

"Hi Sowa!" Answered a small boy, waving his hands in the air wildly. All the other kids followed in suit, greeting the boy. Sora scratched the back of his head, blushing slightly from all the little kids' attention.

Sora looked over to the tall silver haired male, noticing he wasn't bothering to introduce himself. So, Sora took the initiative. "This is Riku," he said as he gestured to the male. The male raised an eyebrow at the small brunet. "Say hello Riku." He said, smiling, oblivious to Riku's innate hate for him.

"Hello." He said, complying with Sora. He smiled lightly at the children.

"He's so beautiful!" Squealed a twelve year old girl. Her hands were clasped together, her eyes gleaming at the beautiful man dreamily.

"Psh, I am so much cooler." retorted a ten year old boy, angry some random older guy was catching everyone attention.

The girl rolled her eyes. "You haven't even hit puberty yet." She muttered.

Sora laughed as the two children started to argue. He missed being that age. Back when a spelling test was the worst of worries. When he used to play with his friends on the beach.

From the corner of Sora's eye, he saw a small smile fall upon Riku's lips. Sora blinked, not believing what he saw. As soon as he did, the barely there smile disappeared, replaced by a dead pan expression.

…This is How the Beat Goes…

"Sowa, Sowa!" screeched a little girl as Sora scooped the girl into his arms, hugging her tightly from behind. She giggled, play struggling from Sora grip.

"Caught yah!" Sora announced as he swung the girl back and forth in his arms. He then placed her down on the floor. "Ok, I'm taking a break, you guys can keep playing though." Sora said as he sighed, content. The girl pouted, but shrugged. She then ran off, chasing the other kids so she would no longer be 'it'.

Sora looked over to the picnic table. Riku sat there, the girl who had complemented him earlier making small braids in his hair. Sora snickered at the expression on Riku's face -- pure annoyance. Sora skipped over to the two, a giant smile on his lips.

"So, then he said that he liked me. And I was like 'no you don't'. And then he got mad and walked away. It's not my fault for not believing him. The day before he was ogling that older chick at school…" She rambled on, ignoring the fact that Riku was obviously not listening.

"Hey, Kay lee? Do you mind if I steel Riku from you?" he asked, the girl pausing from her long strings of sentences.

She lifted her hands from Riku's hair. "Oh, Sure!" She said as she walked away, giving the two of them an exaggerated wink.

"Such a lively bunch." Sora said as he sat next to Riku. Riku was busying himself by undoing the abundance of braids that plagued his smooth hair.

With a grunt, he finished clearing his head. "Too lively." He commented, smoothing his silver strands. "Any idea why we're here?" Riku asked, no, demanded.

Sora froze for a moment. "Um," He said with a hesitant voice. "Well, my friend Kairi signed us up. Trying to play match maker I suppose." Sora said as he scratched his cheek, laughing nervously.

Riku rose an eyebrow. "She does know what happened, right?" He asked in an edgy tone.

Sora shook his head. Then paused, and nodded. "She does, but didn't at the time." He said, clarifying. "Don't be mad. She was just trying to help me out." Sora added quickly, fearing for his best friends life.

Riku rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

There was an awkward silence, the same that had played in the car. Something needed to be said, some clarification, though Riku wouldn't be the one to lower his guard.

So, Sora took initiative. "I'm not mad." He stated bluntly, staring off at the children.

Riku looked at him, his face deadpan. "Good to know." He replied in a rather sarcastic tone.

Sora frowned. "Riku, if you keep this up, you're going to loose yourself." Sora voice was laced with concern, slightly startling the silver haired god.

"I already said it was none of your business." Riku spat in reply. His shoulder's tensed up.

Sora shook his head fervently. "It is my business!" He all but shouted. "I know this isn't you! I can see it. There's something hidden behind that face you put on, the real you." Sora's eyes began to sting. He wanted to help Riku, it was what his heart told him to do.

"Really, what makes you think there is something more? Do you really think you can dig deep into to me and find something different?!" Riku said, his voice mocking and crude. He picked himself off of his bottom, untangled his legs from under the picnic table, and started to walk away.

Sora pushed himself from the table, following after Riku. His fists were clenched at his side. "Yes!" Sora was now screaming, a couple of curious eyes turned to the two arguing adults. Riku stopped but remained turned away.

"I know I can find you. I know that that you will be amazing. I promise I'll be your friend no matter what!" Sora declared, refusing to give up.

Riku turned his head slightly, the side profile of his face visible. "Fine. But there isn't anyone to find." He said and then walked into the orphanage. There was a moment of silence, and then the laughter of children rang in the yard once again.

Sora visibly relaxed. As his shoulder muscles loosened, his face muscles tightened. A grand smile formed, the tips all but reached his eyes. A warm feeling crept up within him, telling the boy that something was going to happen. Something good. Something real.

A/N: Yeah, I know. Sora forgave him too easily. But I just think that's how Sora's character is. But Riku will be a tough cookie to crack, and Sora only wants friendship because he's cute like that. Anyway, Love ya'lls!