Disclaimer : Kingdom Hearts and its characters do not belong to me.
xx—xx—xx
Chapter 02 : New acquaintances
Parks were great places to be when one felt down. They were usually full of kids running and laughing while parents watched them with a smile. These places were truly lively. But at that time of day, Sora found the park near his aunt's house empty and utterly silent. For once, that was fine by him. He wasn't in the mood anyway.
A twin. He had a twin and he had never known. Why was he –Roxas, was it? – living with Tifa? Was he a monster too? Did that mean his parents had already abandoned a child, just like they abandoned him? How cruel was that?
Sora frowned. He had to admit that his parents weren't as loving as they seemed at first. He thought they were really nice, until he changed and they thought it would be best to get rid of him. It truly hurt to be at the end of their hatred; that was probably what they felt towards him now. The brunet wasn't sure it could be possible for people to like someone one day and then loathe them the next, but his folks had proved him that this was indeed possible.
Sora stared dejectedly at his feet, lightly brushing the dirt under the swing he was sitting on, wondering what would happen to him now.
Unknown to him, a figure approached him from behind, studying him attentively from head to toes before they whispered in the brunet's ear :
"What a lovely neck you have here."
A finger brushed against the side of the teen's neck as the boy swivelled around abruptly, ready to punch whoever had dared touch him in such a disgusting manner. A tall, lanky redhead stood before him, his hands raised to show he didn't mean any harm.
"Whoa, calm down, kid. It was just a joke," the stranger told him with a smirk.
He didn't look much older than Sora; maybe by two years, three at most. His wild, red hair was what caught Sora's eye first, then the brunet's gaze lowered to look into green eyes sparkling with mischief.
"What do you want?" The younger spat, his body tense and his feet ready to take him far from the other boy.
"Nothing," was the short reply the stranger gave him as he sat on one of the swings. "You looked kinda lonely. I just wanted to tease you a bit."
"Well, tease someone else," Sora replied with a glare that he hopped was intimidating. But judging by the taller guy's reaction, it didn't seem to be.
"Who? You're the only kid here," the redhead laughed, his smirk turning into a big, goofy grin. "Name's Axel," he added, holding a hand out to the blue-eyed teenager.
Sora hesitated for a moment before he actually shook Axel's hand.
"Sora."
"So, Sora, do you live around here? I don't recall seeing you around. And I would remember you with that cute face of yours."
"I'm not cute," Sora replied, not knowing if it was anger or embarrassment that was making his face turn red. "And no, you wouldn't know me. I just moved out here. Kinda."
"You kinda moved out? I'm not sure I follow but it's alright," the green-eyed boy said, shrugging his shoulders. "Are you a casual? I don't sense anything around you."
"Casual?" The brunet repeated, confused.
"Yeah. You don't have any ability, do you?"
Now, that changed the whole atmosphere around the two.
"How would you know if I were a freak?"
"Freak?" Axel asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "Err, well, freaks can sense other freaks' auras. For example, if a Witch sees me, she can tell I'm a Chocobo because of my aura. You see what I mean?"
"But I can't sense anything…" Sora told the other without thinking.
"How long have you been a freak?"
"I'm not like that!" The brunet protested with balled fists trembling at his sides.
"Hey, make up your mind. Either you have powers or you don't," the redhead retorted, his patience thinning quickly. "And just so you know, I'd highly recommend that you stop calling us names 'cause everyone is not as nice as me. Some will kick the shit out of you if you dare think they're monsters."
"I don't care anymore," the brunet whispered, hugging himself. "Look, I have to leave."
Axel watched as the brunet turned around and left, feeling that the kid was hiding many things, and wanting to help him somehow.
x-x-x
Sora returned to Tifa's place, closing the door behind him slowly as to not make any noise. Unfortunately, the dark-haired woman exited a room and went straight to him.
"Oh God, Sora! You've left for so long, I was worried to death!" She scolded him though the tone of her voice wasn't really angry; it sounded like she was worried more than anything.
"You don't even know me," Sora stated before he could stop himself. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say that," he quickly added.
"It's okay. You've had a bad day, I'm not exactly expecting you to be hyper. But don't push your luck, alright?" She warned, shaking a finger at him. The brunet nodded in understanding. "Good. I think Roxas is in the guest room. You'll be using it. It's not really big but I think you'll like it in there. Go help him prepare the room. I'll call you when dinner's ready," Tifa told the younger, patting him lightly on the head before she went back into what he assumed was the kitchen.
He looked to his right, towards the staircase leading upstairs. He climbed them, and then passed several closed doors until he spotted Roxas in the last room, at the end of the corridor.
The blond was changing the bed sheets, the old ones lying in a heap at the foot of the bed while fresh ones were put on the mattress. Roxas seemed to have difficulties so Sora joined him and gave him a hand, to which the blond boy smiled gratefully. They ended the task quickly before beginning to empty Sora's suitcase to put his stuff in the room.
"So… How has it been with them?" The blond eventually asked, his voice light even though the brunet was sure there was a hint of bitterness in it.
"Fine… Really fine," Sora replied, putting two books inside the drawer of the bedside table.
"Until they kicked you out too," Roxas muttered, a frown on his face. The brunet said nothing and turned his back towards his twin to hide his hurt expression from him. That didn't go unnoticed by the blond boy. "Look, I don't really have a good opinion of them and you being here won't change that. I have nothing against you liking them and I'm not going to force my opinion on you, so, well…" The blond began, lost for words after a while.
"I won't force mine on you either, so don't worry," the other whispered, taking his small plant. It was funny how he left pictures of him and his family but couldn't leave his plant behind. He cautiously put it next to the room's only window. It was huge, though, and from there, Sora could see the forest at the south of the city, the sun setting far away and casting an orangey light on the city. "It's really beautiful," he said, his gaze distant.
"Yeah. You'll like it here. The town's great, and so are the people. It might be a bit difficult to blend in at first but you'll grow to like everyone here," Roxas reassured him with a small pat on his back.
There was an eerie silence for a moment while the brothers kept placing the brunet's stuff here and there.
"How long have you been living here?" Sora asked tentatively, afraid his question might upset his twin.
"I was a baby when they brought me here, so I'd say it's been sixteen years since Tifa took me in."
"Oh. Right," the other replied, somehow embarrassed now. He didn't know why, though. Maybe because he was the lucky child who got to know his real parents?
"I suppose you have some skills since you're here. What are you? I can't figure it out yet," the blond asked, his shyness gone and now replaced by pure curiousness.
"You're the second one to ask me that," Sora said, scowling.
Knowing he was a monster didn't mean he accepted it.
Just as Roxas was about to say something – he probably wanted to ask him about the other person he had just mentioned – they heard Tifa yell something from the kitchen while footsteps echoed in the corridor. Soon, someone knocked on the door of the guestroom and entered.
"Hey, Rox. Do you think your aunt will-" the visitor said, freezing when his eyes met Sora's. The brunet's body tensed too as they locked eyes.
"How come he's here?" Sora asked bluntly, folding his arms across his chest.
"What? You know Axel?" The blond asked, looking from his friend to his twin.
"I met the kid in the park a while ago," the redhead answered, seeing as Sora had decided he'd keep his plant company. The poor thing needed it, anyway. The small trip and rough treatment had broken many stems.
"Well, he's my twin," Roxas explained quickly, motioning to Sora.
"You mean the one Tifa's been mentioning all this time?" Axel asked, looking at the brunet, who was brushing the tip of his fingers against the leaves. The redhead's eyes widened when he saw the stems heal. "Whoa, amazing!" He exclaimed, running to Sora's side to watch him. "Do it again!"
"Do what again?" The brunet asked, raising a curious eyebrow. Axel pointed to a damaged flower and made the younger touch it. The latter let an indignant "hey" out but his attention was soon focused on the healing flower.
"So, you're a Magician; a Healer, it seems," Roxas wondered aloud, his index finger taping his chin.
"He's like Naminé. She'll be delighted when she hears this!" Axel said, getting more and more excited. "Man, Sora, the guys from school will totally adore you!"
"School?" The brunet asked, unsure.
"Well, duh. You weren't planning on spending the rest of your life in this room, were you?" Roxas teased, elbowing him in the ribs. "Aunty will enrol you in our high school so you'll be attending classes with us soon."
"But I don't want that," Sora protested, shaking his head vigorously. "I don't want to go where there are so many monsters!"
"Hey-" Axel began, only to be interrupted by his friend.
"You'll have to, Sora. Actually, I think it'd be really good for you. That way, you'll see how wrong our parents were about people like us," the blond stated, frowning a bit. "I know they don't like those who are different from them since I've heard our aunt saying that many times, and I've never understood why they thought this. I've made so many great friends who are from several species that I can't imagine life without them."
"Rox, that's so touching," Axel declared, giving a bear hug to the blond, who almost chocked. Sora winced when he heard Roxas' spine make a popping sound.
"As you can see, Chocobos are freaking strong," the blond said, glaring at the tall redhead as he rubbed his back that was now probably hurting.
"Sorry, you know I don't hurt people on purpose," Axel apologized, lifting a hand to pat the younger's shoulder but the latter quickly dodged it for fear of getting something broken.
"Geez, be careful if you know you're hurting people," Roxas scolded him, scowling.
Sora watched the pair as they bickered playfully and couldn't help but smile a bit. Maybe, just maybe, he could get used to his new life in Twilight Town.
x-x-x
The next week, Sora was able to attend school in Twilight Town High. Kids were staring at him with such intensity that he was beginning to think something was seriously wrong with him. Never before had he been so self-conscious. Unlike many of the teens, he was scrawny and awfully short. Roxas wasn't much taller but he still managed to make him look like a dwarf.
During the brunet's first few days at Tifa's, he discovered that he, like everyone with abilities, could determine what species someone belonged to without even trying. He now felt the aura Axel had told him about on his first day in the town, and he still didn't understand how he knew what a Magician's aura felt like when no one told him what it was supposed to feel like. He just knew it like it was written in his DNA. Strange, but true.
He counted a large amount of Witches and Wizards among the students, even a few Magicians like himself. Chocobos like Axel were pretty rare, it seemed, for he only met two, the redhead included. Somewhere in a corner of the campus, he spotted a group – or should he say 'pack'? – of Werewolves generally ignoring everyone passing them except Axel, the other Chocobo and Roxas. They glared at everyone else.
Obviously, Werewolves only talked to their species, which made Roxas one of them.
"How come your species are getting along so well? I mean, I've heard Chocobos were just big birds so wouldn't wolves want to eat them?" Sora asked innocently. Roxas and Axel exchanged a look, and then burst out laughing at the brunet's question.
"God, Sora, you're too much," the redhead said once he calmed down. "We're not animals, you know. Besides, it's not like we actually get along. It's more like a form of respect."
"You saw on more than one occasion how easy it would be for Axel to kill me," Roxas muttered from the other side of the brunet, his hands tucked in his pockets.
"So, Werewolves do nothing to Chocobos only because Chocobos are stronger?" Sora asked, looking at the two boys next to him.
"You could say that," the redhead replied with a small shrug.
The three walked to class, Axel soon leaving them since he wasn't in their class; being friends with a senior wasn't always convenient. As they walked, Roxas showed Sora around, telling him where the restrooms were, what places he had to avoid – because some bullies had decided they were their private territories or something. They eventually entered a classroom in which Sora learned he'd have History. Great, he just loved the class already.
"Hey, Roxas," someone greeted as the twins entered. It was a cute, auburn-haired girl with the most adorable smile. Sora couldn't help but smile back at her even though she wasn't looking at him. Yet. "Oh, is he Sora?" She asked.
"Sweet, she knows my name," the brunet thought. He had to be the luckiest guy on Earth.
"Kairi, stop it already. He's new so he's easy prey. I don't see what is so fun about bewitching a newbie," Roxas complained, snapping his fingers in front of Sora's nose. The brunet quickly blinked, looking at the blond curiously. "Sora, this is Kairi. She's a Mermaid so you'd better be careful or she'll make you do whatever comes to her mind."
"Mermaid?" Sora repeated, looking at Kairi once again and finding that his heart was pounding hard in his ribcage.
"She bewitches people with her eyes but most of the time, she uses her voice. It's more powerful," his twin told him, grabbing his wrist to pull him down a few rows of tables. "We'll sit at the back of the room because that's where I usually sit."
"That's fine by me," the brunet said, taking a seat next to Roxas.
He glanced at the pupils and found many with the same aura as himself. He idly wondered if every Magician was a Healer or if it was just him. He hadn't thought about it much until now. The week had been crazy so it was no wonder he was still pretty confused. He had needed some time to adapt to his new life, now surrounded by species – as they liked to call themselves. He was still not feeling comfortable around them but once he understood how nice Axel truly was, he began to think that Roxas was right when he said his parents were wrong. Roxas himself was made of gold and Sora could say the same about Tifa. After all, she ended up raising a kid that wasn't hers and years later, another one was sent to her and she took him in without hesitation. How many humans would have done the same?
"Oh, look, it's Naminé. Remember we talked about her?" He heard Roxas say on his right.
Sora glanced at his twin before looking at the teen that had just entered the classroom. Long, blonde hair glistened in the sunlight as the girl searched for her friend – who happened to be Roxas – and walked towards him.
"Hey, Naminé," the blond greeted her with a smile.
"Good morning, Roxas," Naminé said with a quick nod and a sweet smile. She turned her head and looked at his twin. "You do look alike," she realized, glancing from one brother to the other. "I've heard you're a Healer too?"
"That's correct," Sora answered, nodding. "So… Are all Magician like us or..?"
"No, Healer is a kind of Magician. For example, Olette right there – " The blonde pointed at a brunette talking animatedly with two boys. " Is a Spell-breaker. She usually sees about ten kids during lunch so that she can remove any bad spells that were cast on them. You can imagine how much people like her," Naminé joked, laughing lightly.
"Can you heal injuries?" Sora asked, thinking he would be close to the girl very fast.
"I wish I could. Healers are as rare as Chocobos. The only one I know who can heal people is living pretty far from here. Most of the Healers can heal plants at best."
"You too?"
"Nah, Naminé's got her own unique ability," Roxas butted in, smiling proudly at his friend. "She can repair objects. And I mean any object. Vase, plate, phone, pants. Ask her and she'll repair anything."
"Roxas, that's really embarrassing, you know," the blonde whispered, her face growing redder and redder.
"It's true, though. You trained really hard to achieve that, so it's only logical that someone brags about it in your place since you're too modest."
Right then, their teacher entered and asked the kids to sit down. Naminé excused herself and went to sit next to Kairi, greeting her discreetly. Sora was quickly introduced to the class by his teacher before class started. At first, it didn't seem that different from his classes back in Illusiopolis, until Sora looked up and saw that someone was making a pen fly and write obscenities on the ceiling.
Yeah, it wasn't that different.
x-x-x
Lunch promised to be somewhat difficult for Sora. From what Roxas had told him, they'd be eating with a bunch of friends; in fact, Roxas' other friends Sora had yet to meet. He was glad when he spotted Axel, who was walking towards their table, grinning as soon as he saw the twins. Next to him were four boys. Sora recognized one of them as the guy the Pack – he decided to call the group of Werevolves that – accepted. The guy had light brown hair styled like a rock star's and had the aura of a Chocobo.
"Figures," Sora thought, his gaze moving to the next boy.
Pink. That was the colour the guy's hair seemed to be but if you took a closer look, you could see it was a brown-looking pink; a strange colour, really. Sora made sure to be careful around him since he was a Sorcerer. They liked to curse people even though their spells were rarely that bad. The gloomy, emo boy with bluish hair next to him looked like he hated the whole world and was glaring at anyone who came too close to him. Sora couldn't help the shiver that went down his spine. He blinked a few times, though, surprised, when he realized the boy had no aura. He was just a plain Human.
"Since when do I think humans are plain?!" The brunet exclaimed mentally, shaking his head lightly.
Finally, there was the last boy. He had silver hair, aquamarine eyes and a face to kill for. Perfect skin covered the perfectly shaped body that moved so perfectly well. The boy walked graciously – well, for a boy, that is – glancing every once in a while at people he passed. Soon, Sora's curious stare turned into a fierce glare directed at the silver-haired boy.
His aura screemed Vampire.
"Hey, guys! Sorry it took us so long to get here," Axel told the brothers as he took a seat next to Roxas. "Marluxia got scolded by the nurse again."
"What did you do this time? No, wait, I don't want you to answer that actually," the blond asked before changing his mind. "Since everyone's here, I'll do the introductions. Guys, meet my twin, Sora."
"Oh, he's your brother who stayed with those close-minded parents of yours, right?" The pink-haired boy asked. Sora made to speak but refrained from doing so after realizing it was only natural for species to dislike his parents.
"That's correct. Sora, meet Marluxia," Roxas continued, pointing at the lavender-eyed boy in front of him, who smiled at the brunet. "Demyx, Zexion and Riku," the blond said, pointing at the Chocobo, Human and Vampire respectively.
"Pointing is rude, you know," Riku, the silver-haired teen, stated as he took a sip of his iced tea. "But I'll let it slip this time."
"Yeah, 'cause we all know how fearsome you can become when you're mad," Axel snickered from beside Roxas, his smirk making Riku frown. "Stop being such a pussy. We're at school!"
"Anyway," the rock star wannabe interrupted his friends. "It's really nice to meet you, Sora. Roxas told us about everything we had to know about you, so we know how hard it must be for you to end up here so suddenly. Don't be afraid to ask any of us for help, okay?"
"That's another particularity about Chocobos. They can't help but make friends everywhere they go," Roxas whispered to the brunet, who didn't really hear him since he was too busy with the glaring contest that had begun between Riku and himself. "Is something wrong with you two?" The blond asked, eventually realizing his brother didn't seem that friendly with the aquamarine-eyed boy.
"How should I know? He's been throwing daggers at me since he's seen me," Riku muttered, scowling.
"You didn't tell me you were friends with a Vampire, Roxas," Sora said, turning his gaze towards his twin. "Have you never heard about grandma?"
"I have but I don't think it's a good enough reason to think every Vampire is bad. Riku, for example, is a really nice guy."
"How can you be so sure?" The brunet muttered, looking at Riku again.
The silver-haired boy simply shook his head and began to talk with Demyx, who was more than glad to talk about something else. The rest of lunch period went peacefully, only a few glares interrupting the somewhat friendly atmosphere at the teens' table. But all in all, no one was hurt so Roxas decided it all went well. What worried him a bit, though, was his twin's reaction towards Riku. Sure, it was understandable that the brunet wouldn't think highly of Vampires, but he thought that Sora would be mature enough to not make their grandmother's case a generality. Then again, their parents helped him a great deal having such opinions.
"This is so complicated," the blond moaned, pouting at nothing in particular.
Next to him, Axel threw him a curious glance. "What is?" He asked.
"Sora. Anyone can tell he hates Riku's guts and I really don't like that."
"No way, they don't get along?" The redhead asked, blinking in surprise. Roxas, for his part, gave him a blank look. "C'mon, don't give me that look. I was just trying to chase that dark aura around you. You know I get depressed when you're depressed."
"Because of the special bond between Chocobos and Werevolves, right?"
"Exactly," Axel stated, giving his younger friend a one-armed hug. "You might know as well as me that it's just bullshit, but believe me when I say you being down makes me feel down myself."
"You sound like a sap, you know that?" Roxas asked, having a hard time repressing the smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Admit you like that."
The blue-eyed boy just smirked at that and got up from the floor. They were both waiting for their next class to begin, having ditched the one they were supposed to go to. They went towards their respective classrooms and waited before the door, slightly wincing when the shrill bell rang throughout the entire school. Pupils exited rooms and quickly filled the corridors, chatting and laughing all the while. Roxas soon spotted his twin and waved at him with as much cheerfulness as possible. The brunet had been in a pretty bad mood since the lunch fiasco, and the blond was dead set on changing that.
Unfortunately, his attempts were all in vain for at the end of the day, Sora was as moody as he had been at the beginning of the afternoon. Axel and Roxas just followed him in the streets, going back home. The two friends mostly talked among themselves and let the brunet brood alone after it was painfully obvious he didn't want to talk.
"Hey, would you look at that," someone sneered in front of the small group.
They were in a small, quiet street and were the only ones in it; except for the group of three kids standing in front of them. Hearing the voice made Sora's head snap up and stop walking abruptly. He frowned at the blond boy wearing a beanie, recognizing his trademark smirk – and scar.
"What the hell are you going here, Seifer?" Sora spat, looking at the taller boy like he was something disgusting.
"Hey, the town's not yours. I do have a right to be here," Seifer replied, crossing his arms while his sidekicks simply stood by his sides, their gazes on Sora only. "Now, what are you doing here?"
"The town's not yours either," the brunet said, feeling less and less confident with each passing second. He did remember the nasty shiner the boy had given him not so long ago, and he wasn't keen on getting another one anytime soon.
"Well, I don't like you being in the same street as me," Seifer said, bent on picking on him. It seemed like he had nothing better to do at the moment, much do Sora's dismay.
"Who do you think you are, you punk?" Axel eventually intervened, stepping in front of the brunet. "Leave him alone if you don't want to be in trouble."
"Trouble? I think you've got it wrong, you clown," the scarred guy stated, pointing a finger at Axel, who just raised his eyebrows.
"Dude, you should listen to him. Seriously," Roxas warned, joining the redhead, looking at Seifer like he was dumb.
"Guys, stop it, please," Sora said, looking at each of them worriedly. He didn't like where this was going.
"Yeah, for once shorty's not being stupid," Seifer declared proudly.
His pride, however, was short-lived for as soon as the words left his mouth, he was hit in the stomach by Roxas, to Sora's utter surprise. The beanie boy fell to the ground, his hands clutching his stomach.
"Leave him alone," Roxas stated before he turned around and grabbed Sora by his elbow and dragged him elsewhere. It was only when he had calmed down that he asked : "Who the hell was that jerk?"
"Seifer. It's thanks to him that I ended up here," the brunet said remorsefully. He blinked a few times and quickly added : "I – I mean, it's not – "
"Don't worry. I know what you meant," his twin reassured him with a gentle smile that disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. "Really, that guy was lucky I'm quick to react. Axel would have killed him."
"I seriously would have," the redhead said, cracking his knuckles for emphasis.
"Does it have something to do with him being a Chocobo?" Sora asked, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. The two other boys nodded. "You really are a freak."
"Hey, stop calling me that!" Axel exclaimed, thinking the brunet was being mean but quickly realizing he was just teasing him. "Midget."
"That's a really low blow, you know that?" Sora told him with a cute pout – which wasn't meant to be cute, of course.
"Well, I do know about something that has to do with the word "blow" and that is –" The redhead began with a mischievous smile.
"Alright, stop right there," Roxas intervened, smacking the older's arm.
"What? What did that mean?" The brunet asked, genuinely ignoring what Axel was about to say.
Roxas heaved a long sigh. "Such a pure soul doesn't deserve to hang out with people like you, Axel."
x-x-x
Once he got home, Sora went directly in his room and locked himself up for a while. He couldn't believe he had seen Seifer in Twilight Town. Did that jerk hate his guts to the point of following him there? After thinking calmly, the brunet realized that this town wasn't so far from where he had lived before. It shouldn't have been such a surprise to see Seifer. But still, that fact bugged him to no end. Now that the blond knew he had moved out to Twilight Town, there was no way he would let him off that easily, especially after his twin landed a blow on him and ridiculed him in front of his lackeys.
In short : he was dead meat.
"Shit, why do these things always happen to me of all people?" Sora whined, pacing in his room like a caged animal – which he truly felt like at this moment. He came to an abrupt stop when a black spot on his wall caught his attention and made him scream like a little girl.
Pride was an alien concept every time a certain eight-legged animal was in the same room as him.
"Sora? What's wrong?" He heard Roxas ask from the other side of the door, his voice sounding worried. The blond stepped back when the lock was undone. His twin rushed out of his bedroom to hide behind Roxas. "You're freaking me out," the blond stated.
"Roxas, you never told me there were such huge spiders in here!" Sora exclaimed, pointing at said spider.
"Wha-" The blond began, only to choke on air when he saw the big, black, hairy thing. "Holy shit, that's some big monster – not," Roxas said as he walked inside the room and grabbed the animal to throw it out the window like it was a mere bug. "Seriously, Sora, it was not that big and you're afraid of it? What would you do if you saw the ones Axel always finds at his grandma's?"
"Well I don't want to see them, thank you very much," the brunet replied, involuntarily shivering. He brought his right hand to his left arm and rubbed it. "I can't help it if they scare me so much."
"Alright, alright. I'm sorry if I upset you, I didn't mean to," Roxas apologized, patting his brother on the shoulder and making him jump. "Hey, are you sure you're alright?" He asked, worried.
"It's just that… I'm…" Sora sighed, annoyed that he couldn't even finish a sentence. He took a deep breath and tried again. "I feel uneasy knowing that Seifer knows where he can find me. That guy beat me up before I came here and I bet he'll gladly do it again after what you did to him. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you stood up for me. It's just that he'll make my life a living hell now. What should I do?" The brunet rambled, walking in circles once again while Roxas watched him do so.
"Firstly, you should calm down. Secondly, as long as you're with either me or Axel, nothing will happen to you. In fact, as long as you're with one of our friends, you'll be safe. I promise."
"But what if he somehow gets me when I'm alone?" Sora hated how weak he sounded at that moment but he was genuinely scared of Seifer. The black-eye was only a warning, he knew it. He didn't want to know what would happen to him if Seifer got serious.
"Well, if he somehow manages to do anything to you, Axel will take care of the rest."
If that was meant to reassure Sora, it didn't work. But at least, that made him laugh a bit.
x-x-x
After the Seifer incident, things took a strange turn. Axel had explained the situation to his little gang and they went as far as to make a planning, taking shifts looking after the brunet who, by this time, felt so ashamed he could have died of embarrassment.
"Seriously, he won't go as far as to come inside my school," Sora told Zexion, who was standing beside him and followed him like a shadow would, without a word. The boy heaved a sigh that was a bit too long for Sora's tastes and shook his head.
"Listen, I don't know what you did to make this guy so angry at you, but I think you shouldn't take this so lightly," the Human explained calmly. Maybe a bit too calmly. "Trust me, you wouldn't want a bad surprise coming from him."
"And… What makes you think that?" Sora asked cautiously. The stern look he received made him understand that it was a question he shouldn't have asked.
"It's none of your business. Now, come on so we don't end up being late."
Alright, so Zexion being a Human didn't exactly make them the best of friends, unlike what the brunet had thought at first. He was still a bit unnerved being surrounded by so many species, but knowing there was a Human among Roxas' gang had made him feel less nervous. But Zexion being, well, Zexion didn't make it easy to get along with the emo boy.
Sora followed him silently, mentally taking note that mentioning the slate blue-haired teen's past was to be avoided at all cost – at least, he thought it was what the older boy said was none of his business. He entered his Sciences class and sat down next to Kairi, the only teen he knew, apart from Zexion of course.
"Hey, Sora," the girl's voice sang happily, her pink lips stretching to form a warm smile that the brunet found absolutely irresistible.
"Hello, Kairi," he replied, almost turning into a puddle of mush right there. Man, he wasn't entirely sure but he thought that, somewhere in the corner of his mind, a voice was screaming at him to not let her voice bewitch him. But Kairi looked like an angel; she just couldn't be a bad person.
"So, have you done your homework for this class?" The redhead asked innocently, batting her long eyelashes at him. "You see, I kind of lost my paper and can't find it anywhere."
"Don't worry about that. I'll let you take a look at mine," Sora replied good-heartedly, handing his paper to the girl, who accepted it gladly, only to watch in irritation as it was snatched from her fingertips by none other that Zexion.
"Don't let her trick you like that," the boy said from behind Sora's seat, gently smacking him behind the head.
"Wha-what?" The brunet asked, lost. "Hey, what are you doing with that?!" He exclaimed, reaching to take his homework back from the Human's hands.
"Do you really want to know the whole story?" The teen asked with an amused smile as his eyes travelled from Kairi to Sora.
The Mermaid clicked her tongue disapprovingly and decided to examine her fingernails, now ignoring the two boys. As for Sora, he had a vague idea about what must have happened and just offered a small "thanks" to Zexion. The rest of the lesson went smoothly, except for Kairi getting detention for not handing her paper and throwing an accusing glare at Zexion. All in all, it went well.
"Sora, how was your day?" Axel asked, sliding an arm around the younger's shoulder and hugging him close to his side.
"Fine," the brunet answered, pushing against the redhead's side to get more space between them.
"We, being Roxas and myself, were thinking about paying Naminé a quick visit. Poor girl got the flu or something like that, I heard," the lanky teen said with a playful smile. "You joining us?"
"Why not," the blue-eyed boy answered, shrugging his shoulders.
They joined Roxas at the building's gates and walked to the blonde girl's house. It was a twenty minutes walk from the school to Naminé's place and Sora took his time taking in the other side of town. Unlike where Tifa lived, here were many trees lining the streets, giving it a welcoming, warm feel. For a moment, Sora thought that it would have been nice living here but quickly reminded himself of the large number of spiders that were probably living in the foliage.
How not charming.
Naminé's house was, to say the least, quite big. It looked like a small castle, or a very big mansion depending on one's point of view. Its red brick walls melted perfectly with the town's colours. The place was a bit secluded though. One had to go through a very small forest to get to the gates.
Roxas didn't hesitate before pushing a button, a quiet buzz ringing from within the device. A curtain at a window on the first floor was pushed aside as their friend peered outside before appearing at the front door a moment later, the girl motioning for the boys to enter.
"The gate isn't locked," she called, waving at them before coughing loudly.
"You shouldn't be outside if you're sick," Sora scolded her, though the tone of his voice wasn't that angry. Just really worried.
"I'm not that sick, it's okay," Naminé replied, stepping to the side to let her guests inside.
The four teens were in a large hall, the walls painted a dark brown colour with small golden patterns here and there. Sora noticed a few paintings hanging on the walls but didn't get enough time to study them because the girl was guiding them to another room. It was decorated the same way as the main hall but it was smaller and more fitting to receive guests.
"You're alone?" Axel asked, raising a curious eyebrow as he took place on an armchair next to the sofa, on which Naminé chose to sit. Roxas joined Axel, sitting on the chair next to his, and Sora sat beside the blonde girl.
"My parents won't be home until late," she explained, shrugging. "I'm really not that sick but mom insisted that I stay home for the day."
"And you being a good and smart girl, you listened to mommy," the redhead teased. Naminé laughed softly, silently agreeing.
"I'm glad you guys paid me a visit, really. It's lonely being in such a big house with no one to talk to," the blonde girl said, smiling softly.
"Do you want us to help you with something?" Sora asked, ready to stand up and do whatever she told him to do.
"It's okay, Sora," she replied, her hands coming to take one of the brunet's. "You're such a sweet guy."
"They say that all the time," the brunet joked, his other hand patting Naminé's softly. She was amazed at how warm and soft they were but didn't mention it. She figured her slight fever was making her imagine things.
"Hey, hey, don't you go and flirt with her in front of us. It's gross," Roxas stated, grimacing to add emphasis to his words.
"Wha- I'm not –" the brunet stuttered, his hands flying out of the blonde's grasp to lay by his sides like hands should, his face turning a deep red.
"Like you're one to talk," Naminé told her blond friend. "You and Axel never seem to mind other people when you guys start to grope each other."
"And may I ask how you would know about it?" Axel asked, smirking while Roxas chose to not say a word, his eyes looking at everything but his friends and twin.
"I saw you," the blonde stated, nodding once.
"Wait, Axel groped you?" Sore suddenly exclaimed, standing up. "But how- I mean, why?!"
"You, boy, have obviously never heard of friendly jokes, have you?" The redhead asked Sora, his eyes shining with something the brunet couldn't quite decipher. He just felt it couldn't be anything good at all.
"Axel," Roxas warned, his head swivelling towards his friend and frowning.
"Alright, I'm stopping right now," the older replied, lifting his hands up.
Really, the brunet wanted to know what it was that had made Axel's eyes a bit frightening for a moment, but he wasn't sure knowing it would reassure him…
Soon after, the three boys left Naminé's house and headed back home. Axel offered to accompany the twins – his house was the same way anyway – an offer none of the boys refused.
They soon were very glad they didn't as Seifer exited a street perpendicular to theirs and stood before them, smiling mischievously.
xx—xx—xx
Oh noes, what will he do? XD So, not bored yet? Good, because it's only starting! (obviously) I'm sorry if some of you were a bit annoyed that Riku is, once again, a vampire in a fanfic but, well, I think it suits him, somehow. I mean, I did tell they were handsome in the first chapter. So who else could take that part? *cough – Squall – cough* Starting next chapter, you'll get a few explanations about the species that appear in the story. I'm afraid it's a bit confusing with all the names and categories and sub-categories. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks a lot for the reviews you guys left. =) They're the best way to make me write more. XD *not so subtle hint*