A/N: here we go with chapter 2… I'm not exactly sure how this one is going to turn out yet, but I'm hoping better then some of my other stories (which I can't even think of a next part to most of them…) so, wish me luck!

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I was finally out of gym, praising the lord- that just happened to be Riku at the time- that I didn't get hit. I was surprised when the other guys in my class started being nice to me and telling me how well I was doing against our maniac of a coach. It was like Riku wasn't even there…

"Hey Sora, where exactly do you live?" I heard from beside me as Riku pulled out his regular clothes. I blinked.

"Umm… just a few blocks away from here, why?" This was a first indeed. Not once had a person I just barely met asked me where I lived. Though, most people I met just thought I was too geeky for liking to read books.

Riku shrugged in response. "I was just curios. Maybe I can come over sometime?" I kept my cool on the outside, not wanting to frighten off the silver haired teen, but on the inside I was ecstatic. I was mentally bouncing off the walls in joy!

"Umm… how about today? If your not busy of course…" I was silently praying for the impossible, but I couldn't help but hope.

"Sure, I have loads of free time." …All I could do was stand completely still. I was more then a little bit shocked at his answer, making me unable to talk.

"A-are you sure? What about your parents?" I asked quickly, not even thinking. I regretted it, though, when I saw the sad look on his face.

"Ah… my parents passed away a long time ago. And ever since I… turned eighteen I've been on my own." Sora was hit hard, his eyes showing the evident sadness in his heart. He knows what it was like to lose a loved one.

"I see…" I could feel the awkwardness in the air and decided that it would be best to break it now.

"I-I'll meet you by the front, then? I'm a TA for the library next." I grabbed my backpack and we headed out the back door of the locker room. Riku smiled.

"Alright then. It's a date." Riku walked away and my eyes widened. Did I just hear the word 'date'?

There is no way that was meant as more then just a comment… no, I'm thinking way to much. I headed into the library and set my bag at the side of the desk. This was one of the most boring times to be a TA at since no one comes in until lunch time, which ended two periods ago. Still, it did give me some time to finish homework or a book I had been reading.

Today, though, my mind just wandered back to the haunted locker. Even with Riku around, I still had to think about the ghost that could easily attack me at any given time. What if he came in while I was alone in here? My heart started pounding in fear. I couldn't believe how worked up I was getting over it, but at the same time it wouldn't stop.

My thoughts were interrupted by a soft grunt in front of me. My mind quickly went back to reality, and I saw…

Wait, what is Riku doing in the library?

"I want to check out a book." He said, placing "Romeo and Juliet" on the desk. I gave him a questioning look.

"Aren't you supposed to be in class right now?" I took the book anyway and opened up the program to check it out. Riku just shrugged his shoulders.

"The teacher never showed up, so I decided to come here and do a little bit of free study. But now that I'm here, what were you panicking over just a few minutes ago?" Riku honestly looked concerned and I didn't want to tell him such an embarrassing worry. I honestly didn't know I was worried about in the first place.

"Ah, it's just a stupid old wives tale I heard floating around the school. I get easily freaked out."

"Mind sharing?" I gulped. He was going to laugh for sure…

"Well you know that ghost that is said to haunt the senior lockers?" I started, looking away in embarrassment. "For some reason I keep feeling as if the ghost is going to come after me… I've seen so many people run out of the hall screaming over the past few years that I really just don't know anymore…"

I looked back over to Riku who just kept looking at me with concern. I was surprised; not once did he laugh.

"Yeah, I heard about that. Apparently there hasn't been just one ghost, either. Did you know there were two kids shoved in the locker that day?" I looked at him with disbelief. TWO kids shoved in the locker!?

"Back then, people normally shared their lockers with their friends. They didn't have to worry about people stealing each others things like they do now. Back then, everyone trusted each other. It wasn't until that incident that people started to be wary about the people surrounding them." Riku looked like he was being stabbed over and over as he told the story. I couldn't help but wonder why.

"People didn't know about the ghosts until about ten years ago, though. A senior was said to have disappeared thanks to one of the ghosts. Though others believe that he wanted to go with the ghost in the first place." I gripped the table and sat frozen. There is only one person that I know of that disappeared from this school. And that person was…

"Cloud…" I looked down and tried not to think about it. He was a distant memory now, no matter how much I missed him. But why would he willingly go with a ghost? Unless…

"You know about him?" Riku looked at me surprised. I nodded.

"He was my brother. He was a senior here when he just vanished. I had no idea that the ghost was involved, though…" I looked at Riku's face as it went as white as a sheet. I don't think he was expecting that kind of answer.

"I see…" His eyes glazed over, like in a trance of some sort. I looked away quickly and remembered the book still sitting waiting to be read.

"Hey Riku, you never told me you student number" I said, looking back at the now loaded computer program. Riku shook his head to come out of his thoughts and took the book from off the desk.

"It doesn't matter anymore. I should be going back to class. I'll see you after school today, Sora!" Riku put the book back where I was guessing he had found it and headed out the door. I sighed. Now I had more of a reason to fear the ghost.

Would he try to kidnap me?

The final bell for the day rang and I was by the front doors like a speeding bullet. I was so glad to be out of the school that I nearly tripped and fell over my own feet!

Luckily, Riku was there to slow me down. Of course when I say slow down I mean he grabbed my hand and played twister with me until I was soaring in the air.

"Jeez, you're like the energizer bunny!" Riku said laughing. I was on the ground and vibrating like there was no tomorrow.

"Of course! No more staying in crammed seats not able to move a muscle!" I got to my feet and didn't stop jumping up and down. This just made Riku laugh harder.

"Well come on then, Kangaroo Sora, lead the way to your house." I bounced to the edge of the sidewalk and made a left to start walking home from school. Riku wasn't very far behind.

We decided to stop by Cid's shop to get something to drink. Riku said he would wait outside, though, He didn't want to be asked about his hair color. I shrugged at this and decided the least I could do was buy him a drink. I greeted Cid and grabbed two vaults, setting them on the counter.

"Whats this? You gettin' one fer your girl?" Cid asked. I blushed and pulled out my wallet.

"No, it's for one of my friends. He's waiting outside 'cause he didn't want to get asked about his hair…" I rethought of what I said and I decided to think that I sounded a little funny…

"Ah well, kids these days. Probably has some funky hair color or a Mohawk." I thought about it and decided that maybe it wasn't so crazy after all. How many people could say they had silver hair?

I set down the money and Cid took it with gratitude. "Thanks old man!" I said, walking out the door so that Riku wouldn't have to wait in the sun forever.

He sat up from the wall and looked at me. "You ready to go?"

"Yup! My house is only a couple of streets away from here. I bought you a drink if you want it." I handed him one of the drinks, but he wouldn't take it.

"I'm not really thirsty right now. I'll drink it when we get to your house." He said. I just shrugged and opened my bottle of soda. It tasted good in the blistering heat…

Only a few minutes later, we were in front of my house while I struggled to find my keys. I knew that no one would be home for another eight hours, and if I had lost my keys I was screwed.

"Ehe… They have to be in here somewhere!!" I dumped my bag out and sorted out the things carefully. They were definitely no where to be found.

I turned to Riku with a horrid look on my face. This day was not turning out well at ALL.

"Let me take a guess. You lost your keys." Riku had read my face. I face-palmed and nodded, knowing that there was no other way to get into the house unless you were a superhero.

"The only other way into the house is through the balcony door… and you would have to be a miracle worker to get up there…" Riku looked up at the tall height to the balcony and started circling the house. He stopped at the pole leading up the side of the house.

"Can't you climb up this?" Riku asked, turning to face me. I looked at the pole with a sickened face. No way in hell I would be able to climb up that and get inside…

"… do you want me to get in?" Riku said, grabbing the pole and already halfway up. I looked away in disgrace; I'm not worthy of being called a man…

Riku reached the top of the fence and pulled up. I watched in pure horror and disbelief as he walked into my room through the door.

"How was that for climbing?" He said chuckling at the front door. I grumbled and threw my bag on the couch before heading up the stairs. Then it hit me. When was the last time I actually cleaned my room!?

"You have a nice room, Sora. Not exactly was I was expecting, but…" He said chuckling again. I was at the point of tears. When I walked into my room, I could smell the rotting cheese of last month's lasagna.

"I'm sorry… I completely forgot about cleaning my room. Summer just kind of shuts my brain off and I don't notice anything…" I was sitting in the corner of woe, waiting for the next random comment to come out of Riku's arrogant mouth. Surprisingly, all that came was a request to play Halo.

"Huh?"

"Well it's just sitting here, and I haven't played in a long time. And speaking of parents, where are yours?" I thought about it for a minute.

"Well… my dad left on a business trip sometime this afternoon… and by this time my mom is usually stuck at her desk writing case reports. She works over at the police department." I told him, picking up the game and turning on the Xbox.

"I see… you must be really lonely then." I stopped for a minute. I had never really thought about it like that before. Of course, besides Roxas, no one had really been there to see me since my brother.

"I… never really thought of it that way before." Seeing it like that started to sadden me. I hadn't hardly noticed Cloud's non-presence, not recently anyway. Today was actually the first time I had heard about him in over three years.

"Let's just play the game, ok?" Riku said before taking one of the controllers and the abandoned soda from earlier. I took the second controller and we started playing. Though, I couldn't really concentrate on it.

Why did my brother not being here just hit me now? It's hasn't been this bad since the actual night he disappeared. Maybe it was just that everyone was mentioning him? Or maybe the ghost had already taken over my body and started messing with my mind. But I haven't actually felt anything like the ghost today. Of course, I wouldn't know anything more about what a ghost is like out of what Cloud had told me about them.

And why does Riku know so much about the ghosts in the first place? Has he actually seen two, or is it just a rumor floating around the school? Why has Riku been around in nearly all my classes, following close behind yet not once was his named called? And what about how the others couldn't see him at lunch?

Who exactly is Riku?

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A/N: Wow…. I can't believe I actually got this chapter done so quickly. Though, I have been writing a number of stories for nearly seven hours straight now… -shrugs- I guess the writers block has finally taken a vacation!!! –jumps around like a hyperactive maniac-

Anywho, flames belong at the core of the earth, so send them there instead of to me. Constructive criticism is welcomed, but nothing too harsh, please!! I shall go write more of everything! –dances around with the flower pedals of writing-