Disclaimer: Alright *sigh*, once again, Keys and I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Or we do, but only in an AU called Yaoi Universe, but that's obviously not this one so…

To Our Wonderful Reviewers: Thank you all so much for reading and commenting on our fic! Keys and I can't tell you how gratified we are that you like it so much and we look forward to reading every review. We were a little astounded at the number of reviews we received for the last chapter and we loved it! Please keep it up! The more we hear from you, the more we can't wait to write the next chapter, so it works out well for everyone. Reviewer responses are going to be longer than usual because there were so many of you so bear with me.

YaoiLovingJew: Yeah, sorry about your name being cut off. We don't know what happened but it kept being cut out in the uploading process. Sorry, I took out the periods in your name, so that it won't cut off your name. Hope that works. Wanting Riku to win seems to be the general fan consensus, but we'll see…Sora's pretty good. And you're right, Riku is just going to bug Sora no matter what happens.

Becca86: Lol, you don't have to stay polite! We know Riku's being a *beep*hole (stays polite). Anyway, yup, Roxas and Axel are going to meet and there are definitely going to be some sparks flying! I can't wait either! As for Squall winning Sora's heart, it seems to be leaning in that direction although that's not a sure thing. Keys and I go back and forth on it constantly so stay tuned.

Autumnlove113: We like badass Riku too, even if he is um, kind of overwhelming Sora with his, um, charm. Poor Kairi, everyone seems to have wanted her to get beaten or leave. You might like this chapter then. Read on for more. Riku winning…well, you'll see soon! I'm sure you're going to find the results satisfactory either way, cause you know Riku's never going to leave Sora alone.

Mistress D. Gray-Freak: Awww, Riku always deserves a chance! We just love him that much. But Squall is definitely ahead in the race for Sora's heart. We'll just have to see about the race for Sora's body…

Deadly-grace: Our idea of fencing in this story is definitely not gloves and masks, so don't worry. It's going to be a little more unorthodox than that, although Keys and I did do some research pertaining to more traditional fencing. Thanks for the advice about adding more descriptions, which we tried to do in this chapter a bit more. It can be challenging sometimes, especially when trying to fit in all the dialogue and plot sequences. We always appreciate critiquing and thoughtful reviews so don't worry about appearing mean! Axel's great (one of my all-time favorite characters) and I promise eventually he's going to be in it a lot more. Also, I too love the CloudSeph pairing and I think I've talked Keys into doing a reference to the pairing in this fic, so it should be great!

Corrosive Moon: Well, we're just going to see about Riku winning, although that seems to be the fan favorite. Poor Sora…everyone wants him to lose…(Sora pouts) but it's going to be entertaining no matter who wins, promise!

Seriousconversation: We can't wait for math lessons to start either, and as for Kairi leaving….stay tuned.

Tysonkaiexperiment: We figured it was completely in Riku's character (at least in this fic) for Riku to cheat to get Sora's attention. And I'm all for Squall rewarding Sora with, hmmm, presents *lascivious smirk* every time he gets a question right. As for Squall giving Riku a "Sora-likes-me-more speech" that would be hilarious. I'll have to talk about it with Keys…I'm really looking forward to your next chapter for The 13th hour, BTW.

SavvyLovesYaoi: Yup, we love LeSo, too (even though we are big SoRiku fans at heart = OTP) and they definitely have some HOT chemistry. As for if they'll have a fling…well, you'll see *smirk* Your theories on a former Cloud/Leon relationship are intriguing but we can't say anything for sure just yet so stay tuned…Axel and Roxas are going to be great together and I promise they'll be coming up soon! There is a Zemyx scene in this chapter that you'll probably appreciate, though.

Kagzii: You're the only one who commented on the dreams and I'm quite impressed. Yes, they're significant and you'll see eventually…

Sad0-masochisticPyro: Lol, Riku is definitely deluded about Sora, beginning with that expression, although I see no signs that his delusion are letting up. Don't worry, we're more than happy to feed your addiction and thanks for faving us!

Walkin' kitten: Don't worry, you don't sound lame! Your review was one of my favs and we're glad that you like how we wrote Squall and Sora and yes, tutoring is going to be fun! Riku sounds psycho now, we know, but we're pretty sure he's not going to stay that way and you'll eventually see his softer side in an unexpected way. We fully agree the terms of the deal are unfair, but that's just how this twisted Riku is working so far. Don't worry, Sora's going to stay strong, no matter what's thrown at him because that's just the kind of guy he is. More Roxas and Axel in the next chapter when they'll finally meet and you'll definitely see some sparks!

Windyhurrice: Sorry about misspelling your name! Anyway, I think I've actually talked Keys into putting in a SephyCloud pairing reference (I'm a fan of this pairing too, BTW) and yes, you're going to see more member of the Organization at Sora's school, where the majority of them are, so keep reading!

Also thanks also to the following reviewers:

GlasStitches: glad you liked it!

Jaye-hunter: We like Sora/Squall too! Read on for more and thanks for the compliment!

Sakura evil twin of Sango: Thanks!

A Pin Drop: We're excited too and thanks a bunch!

xXxSmidgexXx: Wow, hope I spelled your name right! Anyway, thanks a lot! Love back at you!

Freddie85: Thank you, we agree. Enough said, Lol! :D

Whew, finally finished! Anyway, on to the next chapter and we hope you guys like it!



Kairi hadn't had a good night's sleep. Her mind had been too full of unwieldy and unpleasant thoughts, her body and brain felt heavy and thick with them until all she had been able to do was toss and turn while occasionally falling into a fitful doze. This had led to her current state, lying in uneasy silence with the first rays of morning light peeking from beneath the drapes of her window. In addition to the uneasiness that filled her thoughts was a nauseous churning in the void of her stomach, and the vague thought came to her that she had experienced the sensation before. Lack of sleep was inhibiting any possibility of rational thought as well as causing the tense cramping of the muscles in her neck and back, and Kairi found that she was unable to connect the links of her memories into a single coherent chain.

I'll just think about it later.

As she kicked the pink floral print comforter away she couldn't help the slight chill that swept across her. Had she left the window open? She glanced at it, situated to the right of her bed. The heavy burgundy drapes were drawn forcing her to get up and make her way across the deep-wine colored carpet to lift them. To her dismay the window wasn't open, and the sun was already radiating intense light onto the towers that housed each dorm surrounding the courtyard. Light spilled across the floor encompassing her and the room, and yet, the anxious chill was still there, creeping its' way along her spine.

Kairi made her way to the bathroom, a small room with only a toilet, sink, and small mirror, her bare feet pattering lightly across the cold linoleum floor. She grimaced as she thought of her need for a shower. Unfortunately that had proved to be a tricky situation, as she had not considered the idea that the dorms would have communal showers. She reasoned to herself that she would have to sneak out later that evening when everyone had gone to bed in order to take a shower in privacy.

She knew it was early still, but she also knew that she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep even if she desired to do so. Although the thought of eating at the present moment was unappealing, it would give her something to do while she mulled over whatever it was that was bothering her.

It's probably because I'm worried about Sora.

She couldn't help the feeling that even if Sora won, there would still be something…something that Riku hadn't mentioned, some hidden motive deliberately kept secret from Sora pertaining to their deal.

If she had known that her presence at the school would be such a detriment to Sora, she wouldn't have come. She didn't want to be the source of any problems for Sora, and yet…

I've become a burden.

The thought came unrelenting in its force.

I want to protect Sora, but instead….. I've done the opposite.

Her selfish actions in coming to the school had given Sora a weakness. He had always been protective of her, but now it was being used against him. Kairi knew Sora wouldn't blame her; it just wasn't in him to hold grudges, not that it would even occur to him to have any, especially against her, but she also felt that it was her fault, at least partly. Riku held the majority of the blame but that didn't make her feel better to know it. She didn't like to admit it, but their combined desire for Sora was hurting him.

When she had first looked into the aqua-blue eyes of the silver-haired boy, seen his perfectly chiseled features, the sneer on his mouth, she had experienced an instant surge of dislike that she knew was rooted in fear. She had feared him, his effect on Sora and the ruthlessness she had sensed at the core that would drive him to pursue his desires. It had forced her to look at herself more closely than ever, because although she was loath to admit it, they shared a certain likeness.

We hate in others what we see in ourselves. Her mother had once told her that whenever there was an inexplicable hate in one's heart that it was important to look to oneself for the answers.

Kairi stared at herself in the mirror and cringed. Her eyes were shadowed with dark circles, still puffy from a restless sleep and her short red hair usually bouncy and full was now limp and stringy. She couldn't wait till that evening. She would just have to risk it and take the shower now and hope that she could lose herself in the clean spray and wash away the increasing feelings of desperation and hopelessness. Yes, a shower would do her some good and then she could get some breakfast and, with any luck, come up with an idea to help Sora and atone for being the burden she knew she had become.


The courtyard was still empty as Kairi made her way across it from the dining hall. The grass crunched beneath her feet, still damp from the early morning dew and gave way eventually to the pavement of the courtyard. A cool breeze blew lightly across her hair and swept it gently over her face and the cool smell of wet cement wafted to her nose. She turned to look back at the castle, the morning light casting huge shadows from the edifice, the stone appearing even more cold and unyielding when compared to the warmth of the sun.

The thought of the cold stone caused Kairi to shiver and she moved toward a wooden bench positioned so it faced the sun. It was situated across from the dining hall and during the day was normally occupied by students, most especially during the lunch hours, but at the moment it appeared invitingly vacant, and Kairi figured she could eat her breakfast and recline on the bench while pondering the dark foreboding feelings she had experienced upon waking.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of a black and silver figure coming toward her. Kairi turned her head to the left and upon seeing who it was felt an immediate desire to get up and move quickly in the opposite direction. Kairi, however, was not and never had been a coward and so she stood from the bench and waited. Come to think of it, would it be so bad to confront Riku? Of course, she had no idea as to what he wished to speak to her about but it wouldn't hurt to try and appease the silver-haired young man. Maybe, if she did, it would take the burden off Sora, even if just a minute amount.

The courtyard was still empty of students so at least they wouldn't draw any unwanted attention. As she watched his approach Kairi couldn't help but tense at the smirk that was dominating his face. It was the smug look of victory, the look that said that he knew all of her secrets. Kairi could feel all of the blood rush out of her face at the thought and his smirk grew wider as he saw her visible reaction to his presence.

"Hello Kai….or should I say, Kairi?


Sora walked slowly to his first period class, contemplating the view as he did so which was breathtaking in the morning light. The open-air stone-cobbled walkway which led to his class allowed for a stunning view that looked out onto the city of Radiant Garden. Further in the distance along the horizon were the larger structures of great buildings where the marketplace and business district were located. At night the distant city was illuminated with color as the marketplace came alive to tourists and billboards lit up advertising everything from various new products to shows and entertainment venues.

Closer to the castle was the actual town itself, with houses topped with sienna-colored stucco rooftops, paved streets and sidewalks lined with chestnut and maple trees along with small-square yards and lawns. Directly down below from where he was standing he saw the great ravine that circled the castle and at one time had probably been a moat and had in addition, according to rumor, been home to waterfalls, but was now drained and empty, revealing only crevices and rocky slopes that were steep enough to give the impression of a small canyon.

The only purpose Sora could now see for the empty moat was to deter students from entering the city at will. The platform elevator that had taken him to the castle from the city was closely watched and regulated by the caretaker, Xigbar, of whom all the students were afraid. Sora was sure he would find a way into the city eventually but for right now was perfectly content to stay in the castle. Life right now was pretty exciting and had yet to become boring enough to where he felt the need to escape the castle. Of course, with the way the whole Riku Situation was going, he might need to escape soon.

Sora shook his head, dismissing the dismal thought as he turned the corner. The open-air walkway disappeared into a roof-covered corridor which led to an open set of double doors, taking him out of sight of the open view and back into the castle proper. He sighed at the loss and pondered his schedule. How had he ended up with Home Economics again?

Sora knew why, of course. He was a transfer student, and thereby received last pick for classes, in other words, those classes that hadn't yet been full, and Home Ec appeared to be one such class. It was an elective class that was only once a week and not only gave the benefit of additional units along with the easy "A" that such electives usually entailed, but also meant something much more important, and Sora brightened at the thought, his face breaking into an easy grin. FOOD. Food, as in sweets.

It's only a bunch of cooking stuff. I'll get to eat during class…maybe a cake….or pastries with raspberries or strawberries...or maybe both.

Home Ec is gonna be a piece of cake.


Tidus stepped into the classroom and the sudden scent of flowers wafted up to his nose.

What the hell?

"AH! It looks like we have a new addition to our budding family!" Tidus could only stare in shock at the man in front of him.

Pink hair! It can't be a guy, but, as Tidus continued to stare he noticed the flat chest that indeed signified that it was a man. So this is him, he thought.

The two windows were opened, cherry blossom trees peeking in through the opening. Cherry blossoms? Didn't those only bloom in the spring? Nonetheless, pink and white blossoms were littered on the floor and over the desks where rows of students were paired together. Toward the back of the room were long tables and stretched across these were bundle upon bundle of different colored flowers, lined up in bunches. On another table sat a great array of vases of different sizes and shapes and Tidus shook his head in confusion. This was Home Economics, right?

The pink-haired man came closer and leaned into Tidus whispering softly.

"This is so exciting. Another pretty flower is joining my class." Tidus saw the hungry expression on the man's face and attempted to back away slowly, but the man quickly grabbed hold of his arm.

Oh GOD! He's gonna EAT me!

"Come now, don't be scared, I promise to be gentle."At this the man winked in a way that Tidus thought was supposed to be sexy, but came across as creepy instead.

"Count yourself lucky that you are not seated with the rest of the weeds," the man said with a grimace, directing the look towards the already seated students. His face then brightened noticeably as he said, "You will be sitting with the other flower I have seated right here!" and at this the man took hold of his things and quickly plopped then down next to the only un-partnered boy in the class.

This desk was separated from all the others far to the front of the class, and the person seated in the chair was none other than…

"Sora! Isn't this exciting? You'll be paired with another flower! You two make such pretty flowers, but don't worry, although you are but budding blooms now, I will nurture and turn you into beautifully full-blown blossoms." The pink-haired man clapped his hands together and beamed a smile excitedly, as he forcefully pushed Tidus into his seat.

Tidus was stunned. He'd thought he'd come prepared. Tidus had heard the rumors about Marluxia, about what taking his class could do for you; access to becoming part of the power structure of the school. It was through teachers like Marluxia, Vexen, and Saix that one gained access to this power, through their recommendations that one could have unlimited access through the castle, introductions and connections to famous alumni, invitations to the social parties of Radiant Garden, and of course, a pass to enjoy the city whenever one wanted.

He knew this wasn't going to be the easy "A" most students taking this class thought it would be, but he would have never guessed that this crazy psycho pink-haired fruitcake before him was the guy!

Tidus was a friendly guy, well-liked. Shouldn't someone have told him about the fact that the guy was more of a she-guy, not to mention the most important factor of all…the pink haired man was a total pedophilic perv?

Then again, there had been so much buzz going on about the "flower" seated next to him that he had been a little distracted.

Tidus inwardly sighed.

"All right, class! Attention!" said the pink-haired man as he slapped a long, thin bamboo stick on the podium in front of him. The whole class seemed to jump from the force of the sound it made against the hard wood surface.

"I'm sure many of you are wondering about me. I know there's so much you want to know, ne?" At this he winked at the desk where Tidus and Sora were seated. Tidus inwardly gagged.

Please God! If you're listening, I promise to be good. I'll be considerate, humble, honest…and stuff. Just please…have mercy!

"My name is Marluxia, and if you hadn't guessed it already, I am the Home Economics teacher. Home Economics builds internal discipline that further extends your human development. We will explore the ecological diversity of the planet, delving deep into ourselves as we find…"

Tidus looked around in horror as Marluxia continued his speech. Please, someone, save me! Alright, so God isn't listening. Buddha!?

"…Caring and sharing the parts of ourselves that define our inner, but most importantly our outer beauty…" Marluxia then winked again at Tidus.

Oh god! I just puked a little in my mouth! Just swallow it Tidus! Be strong!

"…and as such we will further hone these skills by exploring the beautiful art of flower arranging!"

Groans could be heard echoing through the classroom. Why was everyone accepting this bogus curriculum? Tidus looked around to see if someone was going to speak up. Weeds!? Flowers!? Tidus couldn't let this go. This teacher, if he could be called that, was a total psycho that had to be shut down.

Tidus looked to see who had been left in a non-traumatized state…and found none…except for…

"Hey!" Sora stood up abruptly to face the pink-haired fairy.

Yes, finally! Tidus thought to himself, inwardly smirking. He'd heard the rumors about Sora and seen enough of him to know that if the boy could face-off against Riku and not have his spleen removed, then a pink-haired cream-puff wouldn't be so hard to take down.

"I thought there would be baking and, you know…like sweets…and stuff…"

Tidus was nodding his head in agreement until the words processed in his brain.

WHAT! Noooooo! Who cared about baking? Their virtue was at stake here. No way! I am not gonna become some butt-boy for this pink-haired flamer!

Marluxia came forward, his face calm, and half-lidded gaze trained on Sora. He leaned in closely, and whispered into Sora's ear something that Tidus couldn't hear, but from the way Sora was blushing, he could only guess at the sordid, disgusting words that had popped out of the fairy's mouth.

Tidus saw the glare that formed on Sora's face. Has he realized our fate yet, if we don't fight back…make a stand! Tidus inwardly waved his fist.

"Awww, come on Marluxia! I was really looking forward to baking…well, I guess I actually wouldn't technically be doing the baking…but…eating…I'd be good at the tasting part…" Sora said sighing before his face settled into a pout.

"Maybe if you're a very good boy…I might give you something…sweet." Marluxia drew out the last word and Tidus coughed to cover a snort. Did Sora not realize that they were in obvious danger? Their teacher was probably on crack, or worse, and Sora only wanted to think about cake and cookies.

Sora, we are his chosen victims!! Tidus looked at Sora, hoping to get his attention, but he was apparently lost in some private inner battle.

"Now sit! I will not tolerate disobedience!" At this, Marluxia slapped Sora on the ass with his bamboo stick. Tidus heard a collective gasp echo through the room. He didn't want to see their faces for to see the fear and shock reflected in their eyes would probably only further damage his own increasingly fragile psyche.

Am I in hell? Is that why my prayers haven't been answered?

"Shut it, you weeds! Or would any of you like to take his place before me?" Marluxia waved his bamboo stick, pointing at the "weeds."

Oh God, it's begun. The sexual harassment…and the first day of class isn't even over yet.

There was only silence.

Marluxia smirked. "Good, not that any of you could take his place."

Tidus saw the glare that Sora was directing at the pink-haired man before he exclaimed, "Hey, you know this isn't over! What does flower-arranging have to do with Home Economics?"

Marluxia lifted the bamboo stick threateningly in response but Sora stood his ground.

Marluxia stared at Sora for a moment in silence before a pleased smile broke onto his face and he said, "I like games, they can be sooo fun! I love breaking the minds of innocent young teenagers!" Marluxia clapped his hands.

Sora, however just nodded his head at Marluxia, as if acknowledging some unspoken challenge, his mouth set in a determined line. Marluxia's reference to games caused Tidus to freeze for an instant before his heart began beating rapidly and he yelled inwardly in glee. They had passed! Sora had passed the test of wills, the one that Marluxia gave to chosen students at the start of The Game every year.

Tidus stood up abruptly coming towards Sora waving a fist in the air.

"YEAH! You're on Marluxia!" Tidus slung an arm around Sora, who looked a little surprised.

"Seeing your crying face will make me happy for many years to come. I shall revel in your pain and humiliation," Marluxia replied with a smirk.

Yes, Marluxia was a psycho, but every year he chose two new students, always the most "beautiful," and competed against them in a game of one-upmanship that was known as The Game. From now on, Sora and Tidus would be put through a series of tests that would challenge their wits and mental strength. It was all a game…a test of wills; a trial to see who could mind-fuck the other. Who would fall first? If he and Sora won, they would gain Marluxia as an ally, giving them power over the students and even certain members of administration. It was a secret challenge that was only known to the students that were chosen. Losing was not an option.

Many students had fallen prey…had failed and been turned into virtual slaves for Marluxia; puppets to be used. Marluxia had only ever been defeated by one pair of students, Riku and Squall. Now, he and Sora would have a go against him…and they would come out victorious.

Sora looked at Tidus and smiled mischievously, his hands coming up behind his head.

"It was a test to see if you could handle it. You passed…but it's only the beginning," Tidus said, smirking at Sora.

Sora's brow furrowed for a minute before he sighed and smiled at Tidus, saying, "It's all just a game, huh? Should be fun."

"Hell, yeah!" They would win The Game. All they had to do was defeat the pink-haired fudge packer at his own twisted and perverted game.


The day seemed to drag for Sora. The only thing he could think about was the upcoming duel that afternoon. He had to admit, his first class had been a nice distraction, meeting Tidus who now seemed to be his ally against their devious and perverted teacher. Sora was still a little confused over the whole Game thing, which Tidus had babbled about as they left the classroom after a torturous hour and a half of flower arranging, but he was going along with it because anything that could thwart a teacher, who insisted that putting flowers into vases was fun, was a good thing. It was also nice to have an ally, and even though he knew Tidus was friends with Riku, he didn't seem like a bad guy and Sora liked the spirit he showed. They had exchanged numbers with plans to develop a strategy on how they would deal with Marluxia, and Sora couldn't help but be excited at the possibility of mischief.

However, the butterflies in his stomach were his constant companion through the rest of the long morning classes and he couldn't remember a thing from any of them, nor had he felt much like studying the previous night, making any attention he might have paid in class futile because he understood none of it. He hadn't slept well but although his brain felt sluggish, his senses remained alert, his body ready to whip into action at the first sign of need.

As he made his way out of his math class toward the dining hall for lunch, muttering under his breath once again about the evils of the Pythagorean Theorem and proofs, he felt an unwilling smile tug at his lip at the thought of Squall, his new math tutor.

Things were looking up. Once he got this whole Riku Situation squared away, he'd be home-free. Surely once he'd beaten Riku in the duel, Riku would realize he wasn't a pushover and just leave him alone? That would leave him free to pursue his interests, to make new friends like Tidus, Demyx, Zexion, and, well, Axel, who, although appearing kind of strange, seemed like a nice enough guy. Not to mention he'd have his best friend Kairi, and his last though definitely not least interest of pursuit, Squall.

How did one go about pursuing someone, especially when that someone was another guy, another guy who was only questionably interested in oneself?

Sora shrugged away his confused thoughts as he headed out of stone corridor leading to the stairs that would take him down to the dining hall. A sudden flow of babbling students poured out of a nearby classroom and they all turned to look at him as he walked by. The volume of their babble increased with every step he took past their classroom and he winced as he caught what they were saying.

"That's him! The kid who's gonna fight Riku!"

"Man, no way is that kid going to win against Riku! Look how small he is!"

"Do you think he even knows how to use a sword? He doesn't even look like he could lift one."

"Yeah, but I heard he kicked, like, a dozen guys asses yesterday!"

"That can't be true! No way! Riku's gonna wipe the floor with him."

Sora grimaced and began to walk faster, not watching where he was going, just trying to keep his head down and avoid notice. As more and more students poured into the hall Sora increased his pace, noticing out of the corners of his eyes the sudden pointing, the gesticulations in his direction, the increase in volume of voices where the words new kid, duel, Riku, and dead man seemed to be the prominent words coming from every direction, and Sora, for the first time, found himself wishing he could just disappear.

He tucked his chin down so that it practically touched his chest, and so, not watching where he was going, suddenly slammed into someone hard enough to cause him to stumble backward, like bouncing off a brick wall, except this brick wall was most definitely human. Unexpectedly he felt someone grab him by the wrist and roughly propel him into what appeared to be a deserted corridor with barely any lighting, the lanterns here sparse and dimly lit, the echoes of laughing and chattering students fading as he was dragged further into the darkened hall. Sora felt a moment of panic but stiffened his spine as he tried to jerk away.

"Hey, let me g—"

"Shut up! I need to talk to you," a familiar deep voice said close to his ear.

"S-Squall?" Sora stammered, ceasing his attempts to jerk away.

"Yes, it's me. Now keep walking. This side of the castle hasn't been fully remodeled yet so it's restricted. We can talk alone here."

"Why do we need to talk alone? What's going on? Does this have to do with Riku?"

"Because I don't want to be interrupted, you'll see in a minute, and yes, it has to do with Riku," he gritted out while once again grasping Sora's wrist in a firm grip and tugging him down the corridor.

Sora took a moment to look around at his surroundings. The corridor was growing dimmer the farther they walked and Sora could barely make out the presence of the rough stone walls covered in what appeared to be molding tapestries. Marble and stone statues along with rusting suits of armor were grouped against the walls, as if they had been dumped here in the hallway for some purpose.

At the end of the corridor, Sora could see a large window yellowed with grime and dirt that reluctantly seemed to let in a sparse amount of sunlight and two doors positioned on either side of it. The carpet here sank as they walked, as if water in large amounts had leaked into it, and this supposition was confirmed by the heavy smell of mold coming from beneath his feet.

"The roof here cracked a year and a half ago. Above us are the Second Years' showers, so this place took a lot of water damage. There was a lot of structural damage too, so it's not considered safe for students to be here and they haven't started renovations yet," Squall said, as they approached the door to the right of the window, and then turned the knob which emitted an audible metal creak followed by the groaning of hinges as the door opened.

Sora peered in before stepping inside. The room appeared to be a classroom. On the far side was a set of long high windows, rounded at the top, and square at the bottom, formed in the springline style that seemed to be popular around the castle and which were covered in the same yellow grime as the hallway windows.

Shoved up against the wall where the windows were set were dozens of desks, some standing upright, some toppled over, and some piled atop one another, as if a great bulldozer had come in and shoved everything against the far wall. The wallpaper was cracked and peeling and the chalkboard to the right and at the front of the room were tilted slightly, as if they had somehow come unbolted. The rough hewn floors beneath Sora's feet felt uneven as he moved further into the classroom and turned so that his back was to the windows, facing Squall who entered the room then closed the door with and audible groan and click.

Sora could feel that his mouth had become dry, and he nervously licked his lips. His heart suddenly seemed to want to part from his body as it beat a mad gallop against his chest. He'd been alone with Squall before, but it had never felt like this, as if they were miles away from anyone else and that there were really would be no interruptions this time.

Sora tried to still his thoughts, to remain calm and concentrate on the purpose of being there. He had said this was about Riku. What could he possibly have to say about Riku? Did he know about their deal?

Sora struggled to make out Squall's expression in the dim lighting cast by the grimy windows but even at the best of times Squall's expressions were difficult to read. Silence, long and almost painful filled the room, oppressive and thick, and Sora struggled to say something, anything, but his mouth felt parched and dry, and his throat seemed to close up with every attempt at speech. The silence drew out until Sora felt as if his body was being stretched out on a rack, so tense did he feel, and Squall's sudden question caused Sora's whole body to freeze as the silence was broken.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Squall's suddenly loud voice exclaimed, the words reverberating in the still room.

Sora just stared at him, unable to answer or even understand the question. Squall took an abrupt step toward him and Sora found himself stumbling backwards at the startling movement.

"I asked you, what the hell you think you're doing." This time Sora could tell that Squall had said this through gritted teeth and Sora gulped down a nervous breath. His pounding heart had not slowed down from its frantic pace, not recognizing the difference between the earlier tension he had felt and Squall's now very obvious anger.

"I-I don't know what you mean," Sora replied uncertainly. Why is he so mad?

"Did I or did I not tell you to stay away from Riku? Because I'm pretty sure challenging Riku to a duel doesn't come under the heading of staying away from him."

"Hey, wait a minute," Sora said, his usual spirit coming back at the perceived injustice of what Squall was saying, "He challenged me to a duel, not the other way around."

"And I'm sure that's going to make a hell of a lot of difference when you're in the infirmary recovering from what Riku will do to you."

"Hey! You've never seen me spar before. I know everyone seems to think I'm going to get my ass handed to me, but I'm really good! You'll see! Riku isn't going to win this one!"

"I wasn't just talking about the duel," Squall replied, his voice quiet and serious.

Sora felt confused for a moment before Sora connected in his mind Squall's reference to an infirmary and what Riku would do to him. Sora's face flooded with color and heat as he stared at Squall's shadowed features uncertainly, his mind turning circles and trying to suppress the surge of embarrassment that he felt. Is he talking about my deal with Riku?

"W-what do you mean?" Sora asked hesitantly.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Sora. I know about the duel, the deal you made, the terms that were set and what Riku has planned for you. The question is, do you? Do you really understand what you're getting yourself into if you lose?"

"I'm not going to lose!" Sora shouted hotly.

"You really don't get it, do you? This isn't a game, Sora! This is your life. Riku will own you, use you until he's finished with you, until any respect you had for yourself is dead and gone. Are you willing to risk that for the sake of a friend who could simply leave the school?"

Sora's face flushed angrily and his chest heaved with suppressed fury as he said, "You're right. I don't understand, Squall! I don't understand how you can be friends with someone you know would treat me like that! I-I don't understand your friendship with someone like Riku and why, if you are friends with him, you'd warn me about him."

Sora shook his head, turning his head away and shutting his eyes tightly before sighing and turning back to face Squall. Sora looked at him a little sadly before asking, "Why, Leon, why?"

"Don't call me that!" Squall suddenly snapped, turning his back to Sora as he paced away from him.

"Fine!" Sora snapped back, suddenly losing patience, "Why is he your friend? You don't even seem to like him. You don't seem the type to hang around with someone you don't like or have any respect for."

Squall swung back around to face Sora, his shadowed features tense and still. "I don't have to justify myself or my friends to you, Sora. And I never said that I don't like or respect Riku. You're right about one thing, I don't tolerate people that I don't respect, and that includes Riku."

Sora's shoulders slumped under the rebuke, his emotions a tangle of hurt, anger, and confusion. He turned away from Squall to face the windows, trying to hide the feelings he knew were broadcast across his face, to choke down the questions he desperately wanted to ask that he knew would go unanswered, even if he managed to verbalize them.

Do you even care about me at all?

No sooner had Sora thought this then he heard Squall's footsteps approach him quietly. He could feel the warmth of him against his back and then a hand was placed lightly on his shoulder. He felt Squall trying to turn him around and he resisted for an instant before giving in and finally turning around to face him. He kept his head down, not willing to look up at Squall and see the look of contempt he was sure would be there.

"Sora--" Squall started, stopping for a moment and using the hand that had been on Sora's shoulder to tip up his face so that he could look into Sora's eyes. Squall's thumb briefly caressed Sora's cheek and Sora fought to keep his eyes open under the wave of pleasure this caused.

I don't get it. What does he want from me? Sora thought, still struggling to hide his confused thoughts. Even more confusing was the warmth and tenderness Sora saw in Squall's gaze.

Why is he looking at me like that? Isn't he here for Riku? Squall gives the term 'hot and cold' a new meaning.

Squall looked steadily into Sora's eyes as he said, "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, but I am concerned for you. You don't know Riku like I do. You've only seen one side of him, the side he shows to everyone but his friends. I know you think he's an asshole, I can't blame you for that, especially considering everything he's done since you came here, but trust me, this whole thing, this deal, isn't good for either of you. Both of you are going to be hurt when this is over."

Sora was now feeling completely bewildered, questions forming faster than he could possibly voice them. "Hurt Riku? How could I possibly hurt Riku?"

Squall sighed and took his hand from Sora's chin, running it through his hair before looking back down at Sora. "I don't know whether you'll hurt Riku or not. I'm not really sure how Riku feels about you, other than the obvious fact that he wants you. I do know that this—this situation isn't good for him, not mentally or emotionally. "He's—" and again Squall hesitated, as if struggling not to say something, before starting again. "If Riku does this now, hurts someone like you, the way I'm worried that he will and gives into his darker nature, then I'm afraid there won't be any going back for him. This will impact him for the rest of his life."

So, he's worried about Riku?

Sora's stance stiffened at the thought and he took a step back from Squall, looking into his eyes as he said, "No offense, but am I supposed to care about how Riku feels when he's trying to hurt me? You're right that I don't know about Riku's good side, or if he even has one, but I do know that I have no intention of losing. You want to protect Riku, that's understandable because regardless of how I feel about it, you're his friend, but I have someone that I need to protect, too. I will win, and I will protect Kair—Kai from getting hurt, and in the end, that's all that matters."

Squall was silent and Sora tried to compose his jumbled thoughts. He tried to sort them out, along with his feelings; confusion at Squall's concern for Riku, admiration for his loyalty to his friend, a pang of envy that the concern wasn't for him, anger that everyone including Squall would underestimate him to the extent that they were, and finally determination that he would prove them all wrong.

"Why are you talking to me about this? Shouldn't you be discussing this with Riku? I mean, he started this whole thing—the fighting, the coming on to me, the duel, all of it was him. All he has to do is leave me and Kai alone and everything would be fine." Sora could feel his face settle into its characteristic pout as he said this and his eyes stared defiantly up into Squall's.

Squall turned away so that Sora was facing his profile. He bowed his head and brought his hand up to his face so that he pinched the bridge of his nose between his pointer finger and thumb before saying, "You're right, this was dumb. There's nothing you can do about it now. Riku wants you, and even if you by some miracle manage to win this, it's not going to stop. It's only going to make Riku more determined to have you. I can't interfere in this, not without letting Riku know that I—"

He abruptly cut himself off and brought his arm down, lifting his head and turning it around to look back at Sora, staring into his face and looking into his eyes, as if searching for something, his eyes softening for an instant before they returned to their normal blankness.

Sora took a step closer to Squall and asked softly, his voice unconsciously seductive, "Know that you what, Squall?" His eyes locked on Squall's for a long moment, the stillness in the room once again palpable. The silence drew out for what felt like hours, the only sound that of their noticeably increasing breaths as they stared at one another.

Sora licked his lips, all of the moisture in his mouth seemed to have evaporated in the tense atmosphere and Squall followed the movement of Sora's tongue with his eyes, his gaze flaring, and Sora could feel the rush of heat in his stomach and groin in response as he fought to breathe. Squall's gaze was now noticeably focused on Sora's mouth and Sora bit his lip, wanting to step closer to Squall, to once again feel the warmth of his body.

Sora must have telegraphed this desire to Squall because his body markedly tensed, then he shuddered and took a step away from Sora, very visibly reining himself in, shutting his eyes tightly then opening them again.

He relaxed the muscles in his body and the calm mask slipped into place once more, his eyes and face were composed if not exactly serene when Squall said, "I hope you're right, I hope you win. But don't underestimate him. Sephiroth trained him well."

Sora was feeling frustrated at Squall's obvious withdrawal when what Squall said hit him like a thunderbolt and his eyes widened, the blood drained from his face, and the heat that had lingered in his body from Squall's gaze disappeared as suddenly as it had come. His throat closed before he finally managed to squeak, "Sephiroth?!"


Upon entering through the massive wooden doors of the dining hall, Zexion found himself bombarded with the disarmingly loud sounds and smells that consisted of students seated in uncomfortably tapered wooden chairs avidly conversing with friends while wholeheartedly inhaling as much food as possible.

There was a large oblong table situated in the middle of the room with even smaller rectangular tables running symmetrically on each opposing side. Well-lit light fixtures were positioned throughout the room, adding a freshly bright and warm light that corresponded well with the pentagonal shaped aperture of light streaming from the highest point of the vastly grooved ceiling.

After retrieving a large plate of food, Zexion entered a small room that was jointly connected to the rest of the dining hall. It was usually left unoccupied due to its chilly draftiness that seemed to seep from the cold, smoothly dark tiles. There were eight chairs surrounding an ovular table dimly lit with two small candles set in glowing table lamps of glass and solid brass.

Zexion seated himself in a one of the small wooden ladder-backed chairs that was in view of a long pointed stone opening that lead down a narrow darkly lit pathway containing the small wood door in which he had entered.

Zexion stared at the crossed brightly shining swords situated securely in place to the right of where he was seated. Looking at them reminded him of the rumors he had heard about the duel Sora was to have with Riku. He would question Sora's sanity, but he already knew the boy had none. Sora had a very simplistic nature, but was just as contrarily complex. Sometimes it was hard to understand how Sora formulated his thoughts. The boy just didn't seem to compute the fact that Riku was not someone that should be combated.

Zexion himself hadn't had the chance to confront Sora, but he knew what the rumors said; most of the students were in favor of Riku beating the blue-eyed boy, although there were the slim few that held hope that Sora would come out victorious.

Of course, the few who did long to see Riku defeated were probably the same few that Riku bullied occasionally and therefore wished to see Riku taken down a peg or two, or three. Well, at least it was a source of good entertainment, because not many, if any, ever challenged Riku.

Zexion had to admit that he hoped, however unlikely, that Sora would win. He wasn't one to hope for much of anything, if anything at all, but he found the prospect of Sora losing the spark that had given life to what he'd originally thought would be a boring school year, highly unappealing.

Demyx, Zexion sighed to himself. If not for Sora's interference that first day would he have ever had the chance to speak to him? Not that they did a lot of talking. Their interactions with one another usually consisted of awkward silences.

Zexion suddenly felt his appetite plummet. If only he could see Demyx now, he'd prove to himself that he wasn't so socially inept. Demyx was an inviting person, with his vibrant green eyes and vivacious personality. It shouldn't be so hard to make polite conversation, but it seemed that even when he made an effort to try, he ended up causing Demyx to close up and turn away, or sometimes stare at him for extended periods of time.

Zexion didn't know which one was more disconcerting. Zexion usually didn't care to make conversation with members of either sex, but with Demyx, it was different.

Zexion was auspiciously unable to continue his downward-spiraling thoughts however due to a loud knocking at one of the heavy wooden double doors, which was indeed fortunate as he was sure he would have sunk into the familiar angst that teenager were prone to, in which his lonely existence was attributed to the cruel abandonment of his parents, and the ruthless relatives he'd been passed around to from the age of eight. All-in-all it was far more beneficial to his well-being for that line of thought to be interrupted.

"Hello? I know somebody's in there and I've sorta got, like a lotta' food, so it'd be kinda humanitarian, to like, open the door!"

Zexion wasn't in the mood to invite visitors, and certainly not a loud specimen such as this one. He'd been having deep thoughts which translated to sad and miserable, (not that Zexion would ever admit this.)

Zexion walked to the door with his usual air of bored indifference and opened it; very slowly of course, just to prolong the torture for the poor victim holding too many plates of food. Heh, it was their fault of course. Why should he feel guilty over someone else's apparent lack of foresight? It was better to punish them, and let them know that stupidity wasn't to be tolerated. Zexion felt that he was being especially vindictive today where normally he'd ignore or give the person a cold, hard stare that sent them scurrying back to the cupboards like the rodents they were.

Of course this action was soon to be regretted as Zexion saw who the person was.

"Hey, Zexion! I saw…um…I mean…what I mean to say is that, well…you didn't take enough food, not that you're not smart enough to know how much you should take…I mean you're really smart..so… but what I mean to say, is that…I figured, well since we've had lunch before, but Sora's not here, and so could you helpmewiththisfood because it's gonna fall.."

Zexion sighed and held his hand out for two of the plates of food, though it appeared that Demyx was holding four. How much food was he expected to eat? It wasn't that Zexion didn't appreciate the gesture; it actually made him feel warm…and maybe a little fuzzy.

What! No, that was wrong! The correct thought process was, and this is how it was meant to be originally; how dare Demyx impose himself on his personal solitude…exclamation mark. Yes, that was what he meant, deliberately ignoring the thought that he had been wishing for Demyx's presence earlier.

Demyx stepped inside and looked at the table that Zexion had obviously been occupying. The room was cold but at least he'd get to spend time with Zexion, not that it was anything special. They'd had lunch together with Sora and a few others; never alone of course, never just the two of them, with only the warmth of their bodies to heat one another, dim candlelight…

"Demyx, sit!" Zexion snapped.

Demyx sat.

Zexion was frustrated. He'd been hoping for a victim to take out his frustrations on, but this wasn't it. Zexion turned to look at Demyx whom sat obediently, flushed face, full pink lips, and sparkling green eyes. How may I serve you master? His eyes seemed to say.

Zexion inwardly groaned. What am I thinking? When had Zexion had perverted thoughts about anyone? Did he want to take his frustrations out on Demyx? Of course, that train of thought was dangerous because it led to a downward spiral of even more forbidden thoughts that were making the originally cold room turn heated, and was he…perspiring?

Demyx fidgeted, trying to come up with something to say. Zexion was staring so intensely at him, and Demyx being the bird brain he was, had no idea what he was trying to convey. What if he was an unwanted addition, the supposed fifth wheel? Everyone knew cars didn't need a fifth wheel; at least Demyx was smart enough to get that.

"I know Sora's not here…but he's our mutual friend…but Sora's not here, so I figured that we could eat lunch together or something." Demyx sighed. Was he actually forming coherent sentences? Well, kind of. It was a start. At least he'd actually been able to open his mouth this time, unlike the last, when he'd eaten with Zexion in silence, fearing to do or say something stupid like he always managed to do around him. He'd show Zexion that he had something to offer, if not intelligent conversation, then food and maybe the pleasure of his company. Hopefully, it would be pleasurable. Demyx felt his face flush at the thought. No, Demyx. Bad, Demyx! No molesting Zexion in your head.

Zexion felt his body warm at the flush on Demyx's face.

"It's fine. We can have lunch together, though I think I might have to examine your brain for your obvious lack of taste," Zexion said, sitting and pulling one of the plates of food toward him.

Demyx just stared and smiled half-heartedly. He knew he was dumb, his grades were below average and it took him more than five seconds sometimes to catch on to a joke. Larxene had never failed in offering her loud opinions on his lack of intelligence, and his whole family seemed to believe the same thing. He wasn't bright. He was good at music and performing arts, but nothing substantially important or credible in the eyes of his parents. It didn't mean he had to have his brain examined.

Zexion noticed the empty smile on Demyx's face and sighed inwardly. He wasn't good at this, at making polite conversation or small talk, but he was trying. He would try because this was Demyx, Demyx who was always so bright and beautiful, always shining. He grimaced as he again noticed Demyx's empty smile and hated that he had offended him.

"I know I'm not good at this, but what I meant to say, was that I'm not really a great conversationalist. I'm usually very blunt, and straight to the point, and that usually comes off as cold and insensitive, and that's putting it lightly. You're bright…and you have a lot of friends…you're friendly and outgoing…and…and bright." Zexion tried to play it off, but it was the truth. He didn't have friends and most people tended to steer away from him, including his family and relatives. He was just being honest. Demyx shined, while he just faded into the woodwork, which he was normally okay with, but faced with the prospect that Demyx would only find him dull, he almost found himself wishing that he could be different.

Demyx's heart felt like it was about to burst. Zexion had given him a compliment, had even called him bright. Not only that, but he had confided in him. Demyx felt the need to reciprocate the kind of honesty that Zexion had bestowed upon him.

"I don't find you cold at all…I actually get warm all over whenever I see you. As for insensitive, well, I don't know what people say or have said but you've only ever shown me kindness and …warmth, so…yeah."

Zexion could only stare as his heart raced beneath his chest. Had Demyx really said that? Zexion looked into the green eyes and saw his flushed cheeks, searching for some hidden motive. He came up short, when he saw the honesty of expression in Demyx's gaze. I want to touch him.

Demyx didn't know how long they stared at one another but Zexion was coming closer. So close and yet so slowly that his body felt tense and hot with anticipation. The cool room touched his sensitive skin and Demyx shivered. Zexion's eyes flared and he reached his hand out to Demyx, touching the flushed cheeks, and running a hand over his smooth pink lips.

Demyx felt his tongue reach out instinctively to wet his dry lips, and ended up licking Zexion's thumb instead. Zexion felt his cock jolt at the sensation, heat flaring down his spine, running through his core, tingling down through his abdomen. He looked at the half-lidded boldly yearning gaze, so eager to please. I want him now.

Demyx saw the unabashed lust in Zexion's eyes, and froze. He couldn't do this. What had he been thinking? The look Zexion was giving him was so foreign and yet so hauntingly familiar that Demyx just wanted to run. It was safe to fantasize, but the reality was so achingly raw. He'd never done this before. He didn't know what to do.

Demyx stood up abruptly.

"I'm sorry, I can't!" Demyx felt on the verge of tears. How could he have been so stupid? I'm always so stupid.

Zexion saw the fear that was in Demyx's gaze. How had it come to this? Had he misinterpreted the look on Demyx's face?

"Just wait—Demyx, calm down!" Zexion put his hand out conciliatorily.

"I'm sorry, so sorry…I'm just so stupid….so stupid." Demyx had to leave…he needed to get out. "I'm sorry, Zexion," he repeated and all of a sudden he was gone.

Zexion sat there, his face frozen in a bewildered expression. What the hell had just happened? Had he been too forward? No, that couldn't be it. Demyx had given him signs, had said that he was warm and kind. Was that ruined now? No, he wouldn't allow it. He at least deserved some sort of reasonable explanation.

He couldn't understand Demyx's outburst, but what he did know was that he'd seen a look of obvious fear on his face. Had Zexion caused that? He ran over the events in his mind but the only conclusion he could draw was that he had moved too fast for Demyx.

Zexion was the type that once he decided on a course of action he saw it through to the end. He had decided that he wanted Demyx and so moved forward to obtain his goal. However, Zexion knew that not everyone was as decisive and though normally he would not have been patient with such hesitation, for Demyx he was willing to be as patient as Demyx needed him to be. He would have to approach him slowly, with warmth and kindness.

Demyx had stirred in him something he never thought he'd had. He'd only ever felt the shadows of feelings like this before, the tenderness, the burgeoning affection, not to mention the lust. He'd always been so detached, always the observant party, but…this was different.

Zexion clenched his right hand in frustration, staring at the uneaten food on the table. The room felt chilly once again and although he knew the room hadn't actually risen in temperature with Demyx's presence it had felt that way. Now the room seemed icier than usual and the room that he had once felt comfortable in now just felt lonely, empty, and just plain cold.

Demyx, I won't let you run away from me.



Sora walked out of his last class of the day, his thoughts in turmoil. Damn it! Where was Kairi?

He had looked for her during breaks and the tail-end of lunch after his talk with Squall but he'd seen no sign of her during the school day. He really wanted, no needed, to talk to her about what he had learned about Riku. Riku is Sephiroth's son!

God, how could he not have known this? He wasn't sure what difference it made now. Regardless of his ignorance about Riku's parentage or Riku's apparent training by the foremost swordsman in the world, Sora was going to duel him. What have I gotten myself into? Squall's right, I had no idea.

Sora gritted his teeth and suppressed the negative thoughts. He wasn't going to do this. His physical ability depended on his mental strength and dwelling on things like this that he had no control over, especially at this point, were liable to hurt him more than help. Besides, his own training was nothing to shake a stick at either. His teacher was also a well-known master swordsman, although his fame was more in a practical field than in the competitive arena.

All of that aside, where was Kairi? He sighed heavily and considered where she might be. Would she have gone back to her room? It was worth checking. Besides, he had another hour before the duel began; he had received a slip of paper slid under his door the evening before confirming the time and place of the duel, so he knew that he still had some time to prepare. He should probably be spending that time doing some warm-up exercises but right now his need to talk to Kairi overshadowed that. Kairi was good for keeping his thoughts directed and motivated and right now it was important to be clear-headed rather than to worry about stretches and exercises.

He walked quickly back toward Kairi's room, approaching the stairs that would take him down to the second floor. Students poured out of their respective classes and Sora lost himself in the crowd flowing down the stairs. He shuffled behind them, listening to their excited chatter. It seemed like the whole school was going to turn out for the duel and he suppressed the nervous butterflies that seemed to want to eat their way out of his stomach.

Use your nervous energy. Focus it until it becomes the power behind every stroke of your sword.

He remembered the words of his teacher and allowed the butterflies to fill his stomach again, feeling the energy shudder through his body. He followed the crowd down the stairs where he noticed that it began to thin out as people headed down different halls to their rooms. He finally reached the corridor where both his and Kairi's rooms were located and slipped his brass key into the lock, hearing it open with a click as he turned the knob.

As he entered the room his eyes went immediately to his sword propped up against the far wall next to his nightstand. He had cleaned it yesterday so that every inch of it gleamed, the intricate hilt shone silver and gold along with the sheath which was engraved with a swirling pattern from base to tip. He entered, closing the door behind him and went over to it, picking it up, watching as the hilt and sheath caught the late afternoon light shining through the window as he held it vertically and performed a quick slash, bringing his arm down in a quick sweep that ended with the sword in his right hand, his arm outstretched and held at an angle from the floor.

He dropped his arm and backed toward the bed till he felt it hit the back of his knees and sat with the sword across his thighs. He bit his lip as he thought about the events of the day; his talk with Squall, his class with Tidus, and the absence of Kairi. At the thought of Kairi he lifted his head and laid the sword on his bed, walking to the door that led to the living area which in turn connected to Kairi's bedroom.

He entered through the door, shooting only a passing glance through the living room to affirm that Kairi wasn't there. He walked to the connecting door that was Kairi's and knocked firmly three times. Nothing but the echoes of his knocks returned to his ears and his brow furrowed in thought before knocking twice more. Still there was no response and Sora turned the knob hesitantly, surprised to find it unlocked. Kairi always locked her door. It was a habit she had developed to thwart her nosy mother.

He opened the door quickly, suddenly a bad feeling seething in the pit of his stomach. Upon entering he noticed the difference immediately. The room felt empty. Empty in a way that said that no one lived here, no one slept here. The mattress was bare, the pink floral print comforter and matching sheets stripped from the bed, the wardrobe open and empty, the desk bare of writing utensils and Kairi's laptop, and the nightstand empty of the Mickey Mouse alarm clock that Kairi had loved that he had bought for her the previous Christmas.

Sora could feel that his mouth was gaping as he turned in a circle, taking in the barrenness, the utter lack of presence that the room now seemed to showcase. This can't be happening! was all he could think.

"Kairi!" Sora shouted, "Kairi, where are you?" It was stupid. He knew it was stupid, because Kairi was so very obviously gone, as if she had never been there at all. He went over to her mattress, about to sit down on it when he noticed a folded sheet of paper laid across it. He eagerly picked it up; anxious for any sign that Kairi was okay. Maybe something had happened, something at home and she had had to leave suddenly. Without telling you herself? Taking all of her stuff with her? Sora shook the thoughts off, noticing that it was addressed to him before unfolding it and reading it quickly.

Sora,

I know that you're wondering where I am. I can't tell you anything and I'm sorry, sorrier than I can say. Please Sora, take care of yourself. You're my best friend and more than I deserve. I love you, please don't forget that. Good luck today and I promise that someday, someday I'll explain everything. Love you always,

Kairi

That's it! That's all she's going to say! Sora thought, bewildered.

He flipped the sheet of paper over, hoping there would be more on the back but not finding anything. He turned it back over, frowning when he noticed that the paper was crinkled and brittle, as if it had become wet at some point. He leaned his face toward the paper, looking closely at the paper and noticed there were darker blotched stains on the paper, as if water droplets had fallen onto it.

She was crying when she wrote this. What the hell happened that would make her cry? Why did she leave? Is she okay? What am I going to do about the duel?

The duel! Oh God, the duel! What was he going to do? This duel was being fought partly for Kairi's sake. If she wasn't here, if she wasn't coming back, was he still going to have to fight? Wouldn't the terms have to change? Otherwise, what was the benefit in him fighting at all? He had to talk to Riku!

Riku! Where is Riku? Tidus. Tidus would know, he thought, running back to his room to get to his phone.


Riku was in his room lying on his bed looking up at the ceiling and waiting for the appearance of Sora. He knew the younger boy would appear soon and his heart drummed in anticipation. Everything was working out like he had planned since Kairi had come to the school and he had come up with the idea to get rid of her.

Her.

Now that had been a surprisingly auspicious stroke of luck. Finding out that Kairi had been a girl had made it that much easier to get rid of her. He had flirted with one of the office assistants, finally managing to get her to pull Kairi's file after bribing her with the offer of taking her out to dinner, in order to find out if there were any so-called skeletons in Kai's closet that he could use, and had discovered a few discrepancies.

Her transcripts and school documents from her previous high school for one, while under the name Kai Murasaki, had shown some unusual extra-curricular activities—cheerleading, homecoming queen, and girls' volleyball for starters. After that it hadn't taken him long to track down the information that certain school officials had deliberately overlooked these indicators in exchange for a bribe from a certain mayor.

Then he had seen her coming out of the showers that morning, and although she had been wrapped in a towel, her form had been unmistakably female and that had clinched it. It hadn't been too hard to convince her to leave after that, especially after he had threatened to not only reveal her status as female, but to expose her father's bribery, who, having already been involved in the scandal of an affair, couldn't afford another. Riku had sworn her to secrecy about his involvement in her sudden departure, knowing that Sora would feel demoralized about her absence, not knowing the reason why, and maybe attributing it to her lack of faith in him.

Oh, he had every intention of fighting Sora in the duel. The opportunity was too good to miss. The younger male needed to know who was boss around here, and while a certain amount of spirit was to be commended (he'd be boring otherwise), Sora needed to show a little more respect to Riku, and Riku knew just how he could do that. On his hands and knees, preferably, or with his legs wrapped around Riku's waist as Riku pounded in and out of him while calling Riku's name. His cock shot up painfully at the thought and he reached down and re-adjusted himself in his trousers more comfortably.

It was going to have to be soon because he was getting tired of being this horny. He knew he could get laid anytime he wanted, hell, that office assistance, although he couldn't quite remember her name (Jenna, Jayda, Jessie, something like that) would have let him fuck her the moment he asked her to spread them, but he just wasn't interested. No, he was only interested in a boy with eyes the color of a hot summer sky.

Riku was a little surprised at his desire for a boy, who having had offers from other members of his sex before, had never felt the inclination to accept, always being more inclined toward females with lush curves. But there was no denying the heat that coursed through his body when he looked at Sora and Riku wasn't interested in denying it anyway. Sora was going to be his. It was just a matter of when, not if.

Soon.

A sudden pounding at his door signaled Sora's arrival and Riku hummed and smiled in satisfaction as he got up slowly to open the door. He reached the door and opened it and Sora's appearance made his breath catch in his throat. God, he's beautiful, he thought. The younger boy was panting, his cheeks flushed, his blue eyes bright and his face set in a scowl.

"I have to talk to you," Sora said, still taking panting breaths.

Riku smirked and held the door open, stepping aside and gesturing to him with a sweep of his arm. Sora glared at him and stomped into the room before turning around to face Riku.

Riku shut the door and turned so that he was leaning against it, his arms folded across his chest as he slowly perused Sora. Sora was still dressed in his uniform but without the jacket, his shirt untucked from his pants, and the first three buttons of his button-up shirt undone so that the top of a t-shirt showed underneath. Riku licked his lips and tried to concentrate on what Sora was saying.

"…and so I think the duel is a stupid idea," he was saying.

Riku lifted a brow and said, "I'm sorry, I wasn't listening. Could you repeat that?"

Sora noticeably grit his teeth, his jaw clenching as he repeated, "Kai is gone. Sh, uh, he left the castle earlier today and I don't think he's coming back. You got what you wanted. Kai's gone, so I think that fighting the duel is a stupid idea."

Riku smirked before drawling, "Gone, huh? Hmmm, and he seemed so devoted to you. Didn't have any faith that you'd win, huh? But then I guess that just makes him smart. I guess true love really doesn't conquer all."

I hate him, Sora thought, his face flushing in obvious anger as he struggled to ignore Riku's obviously taunting words. Sora decided to reiterate his point by saying, "The duel. I shouldn't have to fight. It's stupid now."

"On the contrary, I think it's a great idea. The fact that Kai is gone is not my problem, it's yours. After all, there's still the issue of yourself as part of the deal, which, by the way, is what I really want. Kai gone from the school was just a bonus," Riku lied, his face carefully blank.

Sora's face was confused as he said, "But…but what am I going to get out of this? What benefit is there to me to fight?"

Riku laughed and his voice was sarcastic as he said, "Why, you get a reprieve from me, of course. Temporary freedom will be yours."

"But that's no benefit at all!" Sora protested hotly.

Riku raised an amused brow and said, "You'd rather belong to me now?"

"No!" Sora shouted, his face once again set in a deep scowl. How did I get into this? Sora thought.

Riku shrugged moving away from the door and taking a step toward Sora as he raised his hands in a helpless gesture as he said, "Well then you're just going to have to fight the duel, although I'm warning you again, your chances of winning are none to none and I wouldn't blame you if you forfeited now." He stepped slowly toward Sora as he said this, coming to stand directly in front of him.

Sora stood his ground, his face suddenly going slack as he realized for the first time that Squall was right, this wasn't going to end. Even if he beat Riku, he would still be determined on owning Sora. His shoulders slumped for an instant before he drew up straight again, his mouth set in a determined mulish line.

"Fine," he said, and for the first time, his voice was cold and his face was empty of emotion as he looked at Riku. "Let's do this."

When Riku only smiled, Sora knew that it was no longer about protecting someone else, it was about protecting himself.


Author's Notes: Okay, so we know that Home Ec would probably not be taught in an all-boys school (stupid chauvinistic curriculums, it really should be offered, though) but it was just so fun to write and even more fun to torture Tidus and Sora with flower-arranging.

I know, I know! All of you were looking forward to the duel! We promise, it's at the top of the next chapter so don't worry, we're getting there. Roxas and Axel to come also in the next chapter and for those of you who actually like Kairi, she's not gone for good, so Kairi-haters, don't get too complacent. She has to come back and torment Riku some more, and Riku really does need the torment, it's good for his soul!

I know a lot of you can't wait for a Sora and Squall lemon scene, or else you can't wait to see Riku and Sora going at it, and we have one/both planned so stay tuned for that!

Make sure you guys review! We love you!