Disclaimer : Kingdom Hearts and its characters do not belong to me.
xx—xx—xx
I think this is the right time to talk about Werewolves. I thought I knew them since Roxas is of their kind, but I was obviously wrong. It took me to heal that Squall guy to realize it. Their coldness isn't a façade. In fact, it is a warning. Mess with one and you're in trouble with the whole group, pack, whatever you can call it. Apparently, there is something special between Werevolves and Chocobs, but I have yet to find that out, if that ever happens.
Chapter 04 : A fact better left ignored
Saying that Riku was surprised would be a euphemism. He expected Sora to be annoyed or grumpy, but not actually scared when he entered the bathroom. That stun was soon replaced by annoyance, though. The Vampire felt the need to ask him what was so wrong that he literally jumped when the door was opened, but he figured it would be useless. The brunet did make sure Riku knew he wasn't in his friends list after all.
"Roxas is worried. Don't take too long," was all the silver-haired boy said before he spun on his heels to head back to the cafeteria.
Sora could only stare at the boy's back.
x-x-x
Later that day, Sora asked his twin to give him a tour of the city whenever he was free. Of course, the blond wouldn't just make it a tour. He had a plan – that his brother wouldn't like but that wasn't so important. Roxas had quickly understood having Sora and Riku on bad terms wasn't only bad for the two, but also for himself. He hadn't forgotten about his almost fight with the teen and he wasn't willing to have another one any time soon. As difficult as Riku could be, he was still a good friend Roxas intended to keep by his side.
The plan was to invite his friends to hang out in town during the week-end. He told most of them that Sora would be coming without knowing that his friends would join them. They all agreed and some seemed to like the idea a lot, even though it wasn't anything exceptional. Of course, the blond intentionally forgot to mention that Sora would be part of the group when he offered Riku to accompany them. The silver-haired boy agreed, not knowing what he had just gotten himself into. Roxas just hoped he wouldn't try to rip his guts out when he discovered the truth.
Fat chance. It wasn't that time of the month yet, like the Vampire would say.
"Sora? You ready yet? I've been waiting for ages," Roxas complained from the foot of the stairs.
"Are you guys going somewhere?" Tifa asked, stretching lazily. Her tank top lifted up a little and revealed her belly button, until she pulled on the fabric to hide it.
"Sora wants me to show him around."
"Ooh, nice. You guys should go to the mall," the woman advised, nodding to herself.
"I know, but thanks for telling me," Roxas replied with a small smile playing on his lips when he saw his aunt yawn. She must be really tired.
"I'm ready. Let's go!" Sora called from upstairs, grabbing his stuff in his bedroom before he joined Roxas.
The twins talked all the way to the busiest part of town, where Roxas had asked his friends to meet with him at two o'clock sharp. They were a bit late, thanks to Sora, but that wouldn't bother the other boys too much. The brunet hadn't spotted the small group of friends until Roxas actually led him to them. The face he made must have been funny, for Demyx and Axel burst out laughing when they saw it. Zexion was his usual self, glaring at everyone – he could have been a Werewolf with that attitude of his. Marluxia was winking at cute girls passing by and Riku was already glaring at the siblings.
Sora wanted to ask what he, of all people, was doing here, but no one let him. Axel shot up from the bench he was sitting on, Marluxia and Demyx following suit, and approached the two with his usual cheerful expression. He patted Roxas on the shoulder and began to talk animatedly with him, while Demyx and Marluxia greeted Sora and asked him how things were going. There wasn't much to say since the day before so the brunet figured saying he was fine would be enough. A quick glance over his shoulder informed Sora that Riku and Zexion were staying far behind the group and talking among themselves. He refrained from making any comment about that and decided to just enjoy the tour.
He discovered that there wasn't much to see in the city, except for the mall and its surroundings. There were shops, a few pubs, and a museum, but apart from that, nothing really caught Sora's attention.
"There's a great park on the other side of the city. It's quite big and perfect for long walks. There are ducks and swans. I love to go there with bread, and feed them," Demyx rambled as the small group walked towards the mall after showing most of the smaller shops to Sora.
"Must be fun," the brunet agreed. He remembered doing the same with his parents when he was younger. He never forgot how he had freaked out when ducks had suddenly surrounded him. He really thought he'd never be with his parents ever again that day.
That was something really embarrassing to remember, but it made Sora laugh every time he thought about it.
"Here we are," Axel stated as the whole group stopped in front of a huge building. "That's obviously the mall. We hang out here when we're bored and don't know what to do," the redhead explained to Sora. "I'm not sure it's as funny to go there alone though."
"It looks nice," Sora stated, looking at the exterior of the building. Ads were hanging on the walls, starring models wearing outfits from some of the shops inside, each more colourful and eye-catching than the other.
"Wait 'til we go inside," Axel told him with a big, goofy grin, putting an arm around the brunet's shoulders.
He kept talking but Sora didn't quite catch what he said. Something else caught his attention. He saw a couple exiting the mall, holding many bags. He immediately recognized his parents and couldn't help the smile that grew on his face. Sora called out to them, waving to make sure they'd see him.
And they did spot him. Their gazes hardened into full-out glares before they turned their heads and kept walking to their car, not hurrying up but not slowing down either. Sora let his hand fall down to his side and his smile disappeared slowly as he saw them ignore him completely. A small voice inside his head asked him what had gotten into him, told him that he should have seen that one coming, but in his heart, he had hoped so much that they'd at least give him a small smile. Even a wave in his direction would have been enough. But no, they just threw daggers at him and went on with what they were doing like he was never there in the first place.
Of course, Roxas and his friends witnessed this. They hadn't realized how cruel these two actually were until they saw it with their own eyes.
The blond twin was suddenly very grateful he didn't grow up with his parents.
"You ok?" Demyx asked tentatively, his hand coming to rest on the brunet's shoulder where Axel's wasn't.
Sora seemed to come back from a deep trance, and lifted his gaze up to look at the two males by his sides. "Yeah. So, you guys were talking about going inside?"
He added a smile to make it look like he didn't care about what just happened, but he failed miserably. It only looked like he was having some sort of seizure that made his lips tremble uncontrollably. Neither of the Chocobos missed his reddened cheeks either.
"I'd kill for ice cream right now. How about we go eat some at that new store?" Demyx suddenly suggested.
"Awesome idea, man. I'll pay for you, Sora. Consider this as my gift to welcome you in our little group," the redhead added, pulling the brunet towards the sliding doors.
Sora really didn't feel like eating anything at the moment, but he didn't want to seem rude so he just agreed.
x-x-x
All in all, it had been a long and tiresome afternoon. Riku was glad he was finally back home. He closed the front door with a heavy sigh and took his shoes and coat off. It was silent inside, so he figured he would be alone for a while. The silver-haired boy grabbed a snack, and then went upstairs, intent on logging on his computer to check his mail and generally waste time on the internet until dinner. He surely didn't expect his mother to be in his bedroom.
She was wearing an elegant dress that was a deep purple. Her black hair was in a ponytail but still reached the small of her back. It had grown pretty long during the last few years, but not as much as his father's. It seemed like a fad in his family. Riku himself was letting his hair grow but he didn't want it to be too long and annoy him. They had just the right length and he didn't plan to let it grow past his shoulder blades.
"I didn't hear you come back," the woman, Edea, told her son with a warm smile. "How was your afternoon?" She asked, putting clean, folded clothes on the teen's bed.
"Not too bad," the younger replied with a shrug. He stared at his mother for a long time, and only stopped when she raised a curious eyebrow at his odd behaviour. "You know I love you, right?"
Edea blinked a few times, surprised. "Well, it's been a long time since you last told me this," she half-joked.
"Please, mom, I'm being serious," her son insisted.
She then realised he truly was. "Riku, sweety, what's wrong?"
The silver-haired boy let her wrap her arms around him, and he hugged her back strongly, but was careful to not hurt her.
"You know about that Healer guy, right?" He mumbled, his face buried in the crook of his mother's neck.
"The one you keep saying that you don't like but don't stop talking about?"
Riku chuckled at that. "Yeah, him. We saw his parents today."
"Oh. Did they say anything that made you upset?" Edea asked, running her fingers in Riku's hair. She felt his body become less tense until he was nearly leaning on her.
"Maybe it would have been better," the teen replied, his fingers absently playing with the laces of Edea's apron. Why she always wore one was still a mystery to him. "He just wanted to say "Hi", and all they did was look at him like he was some trash. I don't even want to know how he must have felt at that moment. He acted all though around us but…"
His mother let out a soft sigh and broke their embrace. "Looks like you're caring about him more than I thought."
Riku's eyes widened. "What? No! I only felt a little down because I was afraid you'd act like that around me too someday," he quickly denied, shaking his head furiously. "I don't like him. Why would I care?"
"Whatever, Riku," Edea told him, giving a small pat on his shoulder. "Your father plans to eat out tonight. Maybe you should find more appropriate clothes to wear. You know how he loves those fancy restaurants," she explained. Her shoulders dropped a little, showing her distaste for this kind of place. She was more of the family restaurant kind.
Her son just shook his head with a small smile and began to look through his dresser for a decent outfit.
x-x-x
The walk back to Tifa's place was awfully silent between the twins. Roxas was glad to be back. He couldn't stand the heavy silence that had been surrounding them, and he hoped his aunt could help him cheer Sora up, even if just a little. The brunet had been all smiles in front of everyone but his mask had fallen as soon as he was alone with his brother.
Roxas knew he couldn't count on Tifa when he saw that her hair was completely white. Something bad must have happened, he figured.
"Aunty, what's going on?" He asked, following her in the living room, where she plopped down on the sofa with a grunt.
"Just a bad day at work. Nothing too serious," she muttered. She took the remote and turned the TV on.
"Your hair is literally white. It must be serious," Roxas made known, sitting next to her. He saw Sora go upstairs from the corner of his eye. "Great, as if one moody person wasn't enough," he thought. He slapped himself mentally after telling himself that none of them could help it.
"There was that asshole in the restaurant. He kept grabbing my ass, until I went and complained to the manager. I hate guys like that," Tifa explained. "From what I heard, he's not allowed inside any more."
"You did the right thing. Punching him in the face would have cost you your job," Roxas comforted her. He saw the woman nod slightly and realized that her hair was slowly turning black again, which meant she was calming down.
"Where's Sora? Didn't you guys come back together?"
That earned her a long sigh from Roxas. "We did. He's just not feeling well at the moment."
"Did he eat something bad?" Tifa wondered, cocking her head to the side.
"Nah. He saw his parents and they ignored him. Hurt him bad," the blond replied. He scratched the back of his neck. "I don't know what to do to help him."
His aunt hummed, tapping her index finger on her lips. "We should leave him alone for now. He'll talk once he feels like it."
"What if he needs someone to be with him?"
"Do you see him anywhere?" She glanced around her to add emphasis to her words. "I sure don't. That must mean he needs to be left alone."
Roxas still had his doubts, though. "We don't know him well yet. What if he just doesn't want to bother us?"
"Okay, I'll go check on him," the woman sighed as she got up.
"But what if he doesn't want us to talk to him?" The blond immediately asked.
He let out a pained yelp soon after when his aunt's hand smacked him upside the head before she sat back down on the sofa, muttering about indecisive nephews.
x-x-x
Sora didn't think he'd ever think that, but being back in school was great. He would be busy enough for a few days to forget he actually had a life outside of it. He could work himself to death and be happy doing so. But before that, he had to somehow get used to having Axel look after him. As soon as the brunet had stepped inside of the school, the Chocobo had joined him and led him everywhere.
Holding his hand.
While Sora would have been glad many years back, it was down-right embarrassing right now. He could see the stares of other pupils and hear the whispers among the crowd. Sora would never try to make Axel let go of his hand. He was too afraid Axel would break it out of anger. He still needed his hand, thank you very much.
"Axel, what are you doing?" Roxas asked, joining the two in the main corridor. He walked with them to his first class of the day, sending them curious glances.
"What does it look like to you? I'm looking after dear little Sora," the redhead replied, blinking slowly.
"Do you have to hold his hand?"
There, Axel's lips stretched into a grin. "Jealous?"
"No, I'm just worried for him. People keep staring at you, and half of them end up glaring in your direction," Roxas explained, glancing all around himself. He winced when he spotted more glares. "Seriously, Axel, I think you should stop before the whole school makes up stories about the two of you."
"Well, let them do whatever they want. It doesn't matter. Right, Sora?" The Chocobo asked with his brightest smile.
"Actually, it does. A lot," the brunet replied, relieved his twin was helping him.
Axel muttered something under his breath but let go of his friend's hand, which was a good thing in Sora's opinion. He was about to apologize, not liking the idea that he hurt the redhead's feelings but Axel spotted Demyx and ran towards him, calling his name enthusiastically.
"He's not mad, don't worry," Sora heard his twin tell him. He turned his head towards him and met blue eyes like him own holding nothing but kindness.
Sora wondered once more if Roxas truly was a Werewolf. He forgot about it pretty soon though, and focused on all of his morning classes. Time went by fast, he discovered, when he listened to what was being said, and he decided then that he'd keep paying attention in class. Not that he didn't before. He just used to be easily distracted.
"Sora, I don't get this part," he heard someone whisper to his left.
The brunet noticed it was Kairi who had just spoken. "I can explain but do not try to make me do it for you," he whispered back, a little defensive.
"I won't bewitch you, promise," the girl told him with a cute wink.
Pink spread across the brunet's cheeks but he pretended it wasn't caused by Kairi. "Alright. Here, you just need to –"
Kairi, he discovered, wasn't as bad as he first thought she was. Sure, she was openly using her powers and natural charms to get what she wanted, but it never seemed to concern important things. She'd use it to get free drinks from her classmates, borrow a pen… Sora found out it was actually a little funny when he wasn't the target. Zexion, though, wasn't agreeing with him.
"It wouldn't hurt to pay for your own coffee," the slate-haired boy stated, obviously annoyed by the girl's behaviour.
Kairi raised curious eyebrows. "Coffee? I like tea better, if you really want to know," she told him, shrugging her shoulders. "Besides, wouldn't it be a waste to not use my abilities?"
"Have you ever used them on friends?" Sora asked out of pure curiosity. Kairi seemed to understand this because she didn't look angered by the question.
"Of course not. I don't use it on family and true friends."
"So you do have morals? What a joke," Zexion teased with a smirk of his own.
"Well, duh. I'm not one of those low-life Mermaids, thank you," Kairi said proudly, sticking her chest out just a little with her words. She noticed the confused expression on Sora's face and felt the need to explain her thoughts to the brunet. "There are two kinds of Mermaids out there : the kind that does nothing too bad, like me. The other kind, though, bewitches people to take advantages of them. They're mostly brides of famous or important people."
"Really? But aren't you just doing that with your classmates?" The brunet questioned, arching a single eyebrow.
Kairi stuttered for a short while. "Of course not! I'm not robbing them of their money!"
"How do you think they get your coffee?" Zexion felt the need to put his two cents, and the Mermaid's reaction pleased him to no end. It was priceless.
"Just shut up, you two! You don't understand a thing about girls," Kairi eventually exploded, her face a dark scarlet. She heard the two laugh, and even though it was at her expense, she couldn't help but join them soon after. "I need to go to the bathroom. Now. Do you guys want to come with me?"
Zexion made a face. "I don't exactly fancy doing strange things to girls in these microbes-filled rooms. And you're not really my type. No offense."
"None taken, but you're still coming with me," the girl stated, rising up.
She took a hold of the slate-haired boy's wrist and dragged him outside the classroom. Sora could see Zexion mouth "Wish me good luck" to him. Was it that bad? He'd just wait in the corridor…right?
The brunet shook his head before nasty images invaded it and looked around. There were only three boys left, everyone else had left. With a loud sigh, Sora leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. He could hear distant voices talking in the corridors, feet taping the floor, the regular ticking of the clock hanging on the wall. Everything was so calm at the moment it was making him anxious. He didn't know why though. He usually liked silence. A soft thud was heard in front of him and for a moment, he thought Kairi was back and trying to surprise him. He expected her to poke him or startle him at any moment, but it never came.
Tap, tap, tap
There was only that sound. Annoyed, Sora opened his eyes and was about to tell whoever was making the noise to stop, only for his gaze to land on a spider walking around on his desk. He let out a half-scream, his fall cutting the cry mid-way. He landed on his bottom, but he quickly shot to his feet to get as far as possible from his desk and its evil occupant.
"What's wrong?" One of the boys asked, turning his head in Sora's direction.
The other two turned to what Sora's finger was pointing at. "Whoa, freaky!" Another one exclaimed, approaching the spider and looking at it from up close. "Where did it come from? It's huge!"
"Please, make it leave." Sora tried hard not to whimper, but he found it rather difficult. He saw his classmate bend over to take his shoe off. The brunet's eyes widened at that. "Wait! You're not going to kill it, are you?"
"I'm so not touching this. It could sting or give me a rash."
"Idiot. Spiders bite. They do not sting."
"Well, I don't want it to bite me, then."
Finally, the boy had his shoe in his hand and lifted it to kill the animal. He didn't lower it for Sora was in front of him, standing before his desk – but making sure he was far enough so that the spider wouldn't crawl on his clothes.
"What now? Just move, I can't kill it if you're in the way," the boy complained.
"What's the matter?"
All heads turned towards the door of the classroom where none other than Riku stood, arms folded across his chest and eyebrows raised. His gaze wandered from the trio to the brunet who, for once, wasn't trying to kill him with one look. In fact, Sora seemed almost grateful. A sudden movement caught the Vampire's attention and his eyes drifted to one of the desks. Riku saw a spider wandering aimlessly on the wooden surface, its long, hairy legs brushing against paper and a few pens scattered across a notebook. Riku then noticed the shoe in one of the boy's hand, and he understood the situation.
"Geez, it's just a spider," Riku sighed, walking in Sora's direction. He made the boys move out of the way and reached out to catch the eight-legged animal between his fingers, cautious not to hurt it. He then headed for the nearest window, opened it, threw the spider out, and finally closed the window. "There. It wasn't so complicated."
The three teens were making faces at him, talking about diseases and furiously rubbing their hands against their pants. That didn't surprise the Vampire so much. Sora's expression, though, was entirely different. He was genuinely surprised, and once more, grateful. What for, Riku wasn't sure.
"Thanks," the brunet muttered as the silver-haired boy passed him and left.
Riku paused at the doorframe. "No problem," he whispered before leaving.
x-x-x
"Those things must like you a lot. Out of all the desks in the entire school, it had to land on yours," Cloud mused, a smile tugging at his lips. He knew Sora wouldn't like to see someone laughing at the situation, but the nurse couldn't help it. It really was funny, wasn't it?
"I guess they do. You'd always find them in my room in Illusiopolis. It's a wonder my parents never found it peculiar," the brunet replied casually, scribbling in his notebook. Damn, that problem was really tricky. Algebra wasn't his thing, after all.
"I think it's actually a good omen," the blond man told him. He reached out to take the pen from the teen's hand, and wrote in the notebook. "These small things actually bring luck." As he talked, he solved the problem that Sora had been working on for the past half hour.
Sora blinked at the answer before scratching the top of his head. "What about the big ones? Hey, I really don't understand this," he said, tapping where Cloud had just written.
"A spider is a spider. The size doesn't matter," the nurse replied, stretching lazily on his chair. "You just need to replace the numbers with the ones your teacher used for this lesson. It's not that hard once you get the trick, really."
"You make it sound so simple," the brunet muttered, flipping through a book to the lesson they were currently working on. "That doesn't make me like them, though. They're too creepy. It's not right to have so many legs. I'm quite content having only two of them."
"Four," Cloud corrected him. The boy lifted his eyes and sent him a confused look. "Your arms count as legs, somehow. They're attached to your body too. We just don't walk on them, so we call them arms instead."
"Arms aren't called legs for a reason," the brunet insisted, bent on defending his point of view. "I say I have two. And that I still don't get it."
"As I told you, it's because you don't have flying arms that I call them legs, even though they're not legs."
"No, that's not what I was talking about."
Well, they were bound to lose track of their conversation, Cloud thought. He heaved a long sigh and tried to help Sora. He was relieved when the brunet seemed to understand everything he was telling him.
It was another calm day in the nurse's office, which Sora was grateful for. He didn't enjoy seeing ugly wounds, nor did he like to collapse and wake up with a headache.
Squall chose that moment to enter inside the room, this time greeting both boys. He said nothing else, and instead chose to stand behind Cloud. The younger brunet's jaw dropped as Squall buried his nose in blond spikes, sniffed them, and stayed that way, closing his eyes. A short while after that, Cloud stood and went to search something in one of the cabinets, Squall still close to him with his nose in his hair.
The teen couldn't stay quiet any longer. "Could you two possibly be…involved?" He asked tentatively.
"Involved?" Cloud repeated, blinking in surprise.
"Yeah. Are you two going out?" Maybe that was too direct but he couldn't stop himself from asking. Besides, he felt that Cloud wouldn't mind.
"No. What makes you think that?" The nurse asked, now looking amused.
"Oh, I don't know… Maybe it's the fact that he's been clinging onto you this whole time?" Sora replied, not as amused as the blond man.
"With time, you'll learn how complicated the relationships between Chocobos and Werewolves can be," the nurse told him wisely. He sat back at his desk, and the loud click of Squall's teeth didn't seem to faze him.
"You know, it reminds of those documentaries on TV. Some animals like to smell their prey before eating them."
"Don't worry, Sora. Squall will not eat me. Even if he wanted to, it wouldn't be possible for him to do so," Cloud joked with a bright smile. "Alright, I think that will be enough for today. You're free to go home," he added after a moment of silence.
Sora thanked him for his help, and gathered up his things. He saw his twin and Axel waiting for him at the school's gates, and he hurried up to join them. They walked in silence, with Sora sending glances in the two friends' direction every once in a while. Neither the Chocobo nor the Werewolf seemed to notice at first, but the light twitch of Roxas' eyelid told otherwise.
"If you need to ask something, just say it," Roxas eventually told his twin, annoyed by the staring.
"Do you guys hug?"
Axel came to an abrupt stop, the blond boy imitating him soon after.
"Excuse me?" Roxas asked, stunned.
"If this is about what happened this morning, just know that I don't – "
"Let me try again. Do Werewolves usually hug Chocobos?" Sora asked, blinking at the two boys as he waited for an answer.
"Well, no. Not really. Why do you ask?" Axel replied, frowning slightly. What could possibly make the brunet ask such questions? Apart from his odd behaviour from that morning.
"Just curious," the brunet said. He understood it wasn't his place to tell about Squall's strange closeness to the nurse, especially when it could be purely caused by the link the species shared. There was no need to give his twin and friend strange ideas that would end up being the school's new subject of gossips. Squall would know Sora started it, and the brunet was not keen on messing with another Werewolf.
Living in Twilight Town sure was tiring when he thought about it. He had to be careful about what he said, did, or the expressions he showed on his face. It felt as if the whole town was out to get him, the poor ex-Human child who had been raised to wish for the species' disappearance. But if he was totally sincere with himself, he wasn't the one they should feel sorry for, not at all.
Axel and Roxas exchanged worried glances at Sora's sudden sour mood, going as far as to offer to go get some coffee or ice cream. Their offer was kindly turned down though.
"Please, don't let him have another one of those breakdown sessions he seems to like so much," Roxas prayed to the Heavens, gazing up at the big, blue sky, an obviously annoyed expression on his face. Beside him, the Chocobo shook his head.
"Geez, talk about a heartless twin," the redhead stated, pushing the blond playfully. He might have said that but he secretly hoped his friend's prayer would be heard. A brooding Sora was a pain.
x-x-x
It was decided that Zexion would be the one to suffer from Sora's ever changing mood that day. Axel's turn had been the day before, Demyx had never dealt well with brooding people, Marluxia was off running after some pretty girl that had caught his attention recently, and Riku was out of the question. His threat was still fresh in Roxas' mind.
That's why Zexion was currently cursing his closest friends to the deepest pit of Hell. He remained silent, and he generally ignored the brunet in favour of planning the other teens' demise. His lack of attention, though, caused him to bump into the brunet who had turned an intrigued look towards the slate-haired boy. Zexion raised a single eyebrow, the only one seen, and waited for Sora's question.
"Doesn't it bother you?" Sora asked when no one was around in the corridor. Once again, he was met with a raised eyebrow. "Your bangs. They cover your eye completely. You'll get bad eyesight or something like that if you don't get them cut."
"It would be useless. That eye can't see anymore, anyway," the other replied with a shrug. He frowned at Sora's hurt expression.
"How come?" The brunet whispered.
What the heck was wrong with that kid? He wasn't going to die just because of a blind eye.
"Just leave it, okay? It happened a long time ago, it doesn't matter any more," Zexion muttered, walking away only to have the younger follow him quickly. Why, oh why did he have to suffer more than necessary?
Sora wanted to comment on the boy's reply but thought better of it. "Maybe… Maybe I could take a look at it? I could heal it so that you can see again," Sora offered, once again standing in front of Zexion to make him stop, which worked.
"You can't. Healers cannot heal Humans, only species. And before you ask, yes, I did try to see one, but it was just another waste of money," Zexion stated. "Just like with all those doctors my parents made me see," he thought bitterly, but his resentment wasn't directed at his parents.
Sora looked down at his feet and clenched his hands into trembling fists. "I'm so sorry," he whispered loud enough for Zexion to hear. Students suddenly came from everywhere, and filled the corridor again as the first bell rang throughout the school.
"What for?" The slate-haired teen couldn't help but ask. Really, that Sora boy was giving him more trouble than necessary, he thought with a sigh.
"I can't help you," the brunet replied.
Zexion was about to make a snide remark about the brunet trying to look more miserable than him, but bit it back when he noticed how sincere the younger boy actually was. Was he truly feeling that bad for not being able to help him?
"It's not your fault, so there's no need for you to apologize. Let's go now."
Zexion frowned again, seeing his words had no effect on the brunet. What could he say to make him stop being so down? He could feel the younger's dark aura slowly invading his own angry one.
"I hate it when I can't help someone. I swear I'll kick whoever did that to you in the nuts," the brunet threatened with a look that, at best, could be considered remotely angry. A cute sight, Zexion thought. Cute and naïve, but in a good way.
"So you're considering me a possible friend now?" Zexion questioned, raising a curious eyebrow and folding his arms across his chest. "Or do you just pity me?"
"Of course not!" The brunet explained. "I mean, of course I'm not pitying you! It's just that I get so upset whenever I hear about bullies. I don't get what makes them think they have the right to annoy and hurt other people. Makes me feel so irritated," Sora mumbled, puffing his cheeks out.
Zexion had to hide a smile. "It's unbelievable how you guys are actually the same," he stated after a short pause. "Riku told me the same thing a long while ago."
"No way am I like him," the brunet stated stubbornly, even more irritated at the mention of the Vampire's name.
"You're right. He knows how to stay out of trouble," the slate-haired teen teased, entering their classroom.
Sora stood at the doorframe, his mouth wide open before his brain worked again. "What is that supposed to mean?!"
That little talk had made Zexion like Roxas' twin a bit better, and it helped lighten said twin's mood too. Sora was still a whiny brat in his eyes, but he could feel that under that unpleasant façade, the brunet was nothing but a kind boy. He just had to show it more often, and maybe Riku himself would come to realize how alike they were. Zexion doubted it would be so easy though. Being the stubborn Vampire he had always known him to be, Riku would never admit it, even to himself.
Maybe Roxas was right. Riku could be a jerk sometimes, but that was a part Zexion had grown to like, if not to envy. Maybe his right eye would still be intact if he had been more like Riku before… But that was foolish thinking.
"Zexion, come on! Cheer up! Look, it's sunny outside," Demyx chirped next to him in the cafeteria.
"Alright, what was the point in saying that?" Riku asked slowly, eyeing the dirty blond Chocobo suspiciously.
"Isn't it said that the sun makes people cheery?" Demyx asked, now doubting his theory.
"It's obviously not working on him," the Vampire stated, tilting his head in Zexion's direction before stuffing his mouth with lettuce. Demyx could only grimace at that, never having been one for the flat, green thing. The sight, though, seemed to amuse Axel to no end.
What was funnier than watching a Vampire eat lettuce?
"Don't bother him. It's just not a good day for him, I guess," Sora intervened quietly, picking at a fry that wasn't so appealing to him.
"Speaking of that, it looks like you're in better spirits than this morning. What happened?" Axel asked, finding that teasing Sora would be a better entertainment now that Riku had decided to take the bits of onion out of his salad.
Sora and Zexion exchanged a quick look at that. "Nothing, really," the brunet replied with a shrug, eventually eating the unfortunate fry that had been stabbed over and over.
"I didn't know you don't like onions," Roxas told the silver-haired boy, feeling that the subject needed to be changed.
"I do like them, just not at school. Gives me bad breath," Riku simply replied, eating more lettuce. Roxas rolled his eyes at that.
"Do you ever eat anything else? You're always getting salad for lunch. I doubt you're full after eating only that," Marluxia eventually said, reminding everyone of his presence at the table.
"Everyone's not eating like a pig," the Vampire retorted, a playful glint in his eyes.
Marluxia was about to reply to that, but changed his mind. "He's right, Demyx."
"I do not eat like a pig!" The Chocobo exclaimed incredulously.
"When did we say that you do?" The silver-haired teen told Demyx, smiling mischievously. Beside him, Roxas heaved a long sigh.
"Demyx, when will you learn not to fall into people's traps so easily?" The Werewolf said, feeling sorry for the poor boy that was now the victim of Riku and Marluxia's incessant teasing. It was a wonder how Demyx still hadn't decided to leave their group.
The friendly atmosphere at their table was interrupted by the voice of someone calling Sora from the other side of the cafeteria. When the brunet spotted spiky, blond hair, he understood what had Cloud asking for him outside of his shifts at the nurse's office.
"Be right back," Sora told his friends as he stood up to join Cloud, ignoring the glances thrown his way as he crossed the whole room. Maybe he should suggest his friends sit near the entrance, just in case he had to leave quickly again.
"What's the matter?" Sora asked, following the blond man in the corridors and to the nurse's office.
"A fight broke out, and there are a few hurt kids. Luckily, none of them have serious injuries, but I think you'll need some rest after taking care of their wounds," the blond man explained, opening the door to his office.
Surely enough, there were many injuries to be tended. A few students had black eyes, some had cuts on their arms and faces. There was even one boy who had had his finger broken during the fight.
Sora couldn't believe how such a bulky guy could scream so much.
Somehow, it reminded him of himself when faced with his worst, eight-legged fear. The brunet found it reassuring that even big kids screamed like little girls. He swayed a bit to the side after healing the last wound, and Cloud took it as the boys' cue to leave. One problem remained, though. He couldn't leave Sora or the teens alone. As usual, Squall seemed to sense his friend's unease and made his entrance right then.
"Right on time! Squall, could you please take them to the headmaster's office? They just fought inside school ground," Cloud quickly explained to the stoic brunet. Squall nodded his agreement, and glared at the teens, who obeyed like good little puppies.
"How come I'm feeling so weak now?" Sora wondered out loud, putting a cool palm on his forehead. He let Cloud lead him to the bed and help him lie on it, quickly covering him with a light blanket.
"Remember that training I told you about?" The nurse asked, reaching under the cover to grab Sora's shoe. The teen blushed profusely and told the man he could take his shoes off himself. "Using your powers is tiring when you've just acquired them. It's okay with small wounds, but once healing an injury becomes more difficult, it's another story."
Shoes fell to the ground before Sora shifted to lie more comfortably. "Is that why I collapsed after healing Squall?" It felt strange calling the tall brunet that but he had no idea what else he could call him, seeing as he didn't know his last name. "His injury wasn't that serious though."
"In his case, it wasn't only the skin you had to repair. You had tissues, muscles, maybe veins to heal too. That's a lot for a newbie," Cloud explained, taking a seat next to the bed. He smiled at the teen. "But don't worry. Soon, it'll be child's play. The more you'll use your ability, the less it'll drain you."
"You sure know a lot… About this stuff," the teen mumbled between a few yawns. "You really are smart."
"When have I ever been anything but smart?" Cloud teased, watching Sora go to sleep.
The blond nurse stood and sat at his desk, writing a report about the small group of fighting boys and what wounds had to be healed. He made a copy for himself, as he usually did, as a precaution. The secretary had an uncanny tendency to loose documents, Cloud had quickly realized. The door to the nurse's office opened as he finished the replica and put it in the first drawer of his desk. Squall was back, and he threw a curious glance at the slumbering brunet. Had it been so tiresome to heal a small bunch of kids?
"Thanks for your help. I owe you," Cloud said from his spot at the desk, giving one of his rare smiles to the scarred brunet.
"He's beat," Squall stated bluntly, not believing how weak the teen actually was. That much Cloud could read on his friend's face.
The blond shook his head. "He's had a lot to do. Cuts, bruises, broken bone," the nurse listed. "You wouldn't believe how tiring it can be to be a Healer."
"You sound like you know a lot about that," Squall muttered, taking his place behind Cloud to burry his nose in blond strands.
"Aerith and I were close friends, after all. She might have been gifted, but it still didn't make it easier for her," Cloud said with a light chuckle as he remembered his childhood friend. It had been a while since the last time he had news of her. Maybe he should send her an email. "You're awfully cuddly lately," he noted, feeling arms wrapping around his broad shoulders.
"Maybe I just feel lonely," Squall replied, puffs of hot breath tickling the blond's neck as he talked.
"Isn't Rinoa around?" Cloud asked, turning his head to have a better look at the other man. It didn't help much, though, seeing as Squall's arms were in the way.
"I'm not talking about that kind of lonely."
A long silence followed the sentence.
"Well, you'll have to come back later, then," Cloud decided.
xx—xx—xx
In case someone was wondering about it, yes, some spiders do make sounds when they walk around. That's how one woke me up right after I decided to go to bed. I was so glad then that I couldn't see it too clearly. (having bad eye-sight can't have only inconveniences) So, yeah, that's it for the uninteresting fact. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and added this story to their favourites. =) It means a lot to me!