Disclaimer : Kingdom Hearts and its characters do not belong to me.
Warning : language!
xx—xx—xx
There were still so many things I had to learn. For instance, Magicians aren't all Healers like me, or at least not powerful enough to use their abilities on people. There are Spell-breakers like Olette, Plant-healers… Naminé has her own ability I have yet to name. Actually, no one knows how to call it. Repairer, maybe?
Chapter 06 : Revelations
"Roxas!" Sora yelled from the top of his lungs, running to his twin's side. The blond must have at least a broken rib, what with the violent impact he made with the car. The brunet eyed the driver with a dumbfounded expression as said driver cursed and sped away quickly. Sora sensed the aura of a Wizzard coming from the stranger.
"Man, that jerk got me good," Roxas moaned, sitting up. Seeing that, Sora put his hands on his brother's shoulders to make him lie down.
"Idiot, don't move! We need to call an ambulance and – "
"Sora, calm down. Roxas isn't hurt," Axel cut him off quickly, helping Roxas to his feet and towards the walkway.
"Not hurt? Are you kidding me? I saw that car hit him!"
"Yeah, but it really is no big deal," Roxas told the brunet with a shake of his head. Now that the cross-light was actually green, they all crossed the street safely. "I'm tough like that."
Sora frowned, not sure he understood what that meant. Anyone would be hurt badly after such an impact, but for some reason, Roxas wasn't.
"I think it's time you learn one of the reasons why Chocobos get along just fine with Werewolves," Axel began, sensing the younger's confusion. "You already know we've got a lot of strength, correct? Well, Werewolves are strong too when it comes to taking blows. They're the only ones we can act normally with, because we don't have to worry about accidentally killing them."
"A car really is nothing compared to him," Roxas commented nonchalantly. "Scary, but not painful."
"But it certainly is not a reason to cross the street when you shouldn't," Axel scolded his blond friend with a stern look. For some reason, the blond twin didn't reply and just looked elsewhere.
"Well, I'd appreciate it if you warned me about those things before they happen so, you know, I don't have a heart attack or something," Sora muttered, sulking. Those idiots should have told him this sooner.
"We kind of forgot?" The Chocobo offered with a shy smile. "Anyway, what is wrong with you, pal? It's no like you to be suicidal," he asked Roxas.
The blond boy merely sighed. "Not sure. I was fine, but I just felt strange all of a sudden. I don't know if I'm upset or just sad. It's disturbing," he explained, frowning.
"Oh, really? Hey, weren't you feeling down too when I saw you in that corridor in school?" Axel asked Sora, watching him curiously. "So it is true that twins feel the other's feelings."
"What was bothering you?" Roxas asked, ignoring Axel's last comment.
That took Sora aback. He wasn't exactly expecting his brother to ask about it. Then again, Roxas tended to worry easily, so it was to be expected. Now, the only problem that remained was how to explain everything. The brunet couldn't reveal the nature of the school's nurse and Squall's relationship. He'd be a dead man if he did. He chose to give an ambiguous answer and hoped with all his might that it would suffice to satisfy his brother's curiosity.
"Well, there's this friend that has some issues and I was just worried. No big deal, really," Sora half-lied. He scratched the back of his neck, trying to calm down. Why was his heart beating so fast, all of a sudden? It really was no big deal. Right?
"A friend," Roxas stated. He was having doubts, that much was certain. "Don't tell me you're in trouble. Is it Seifer again?"
"What? No! It's someone else. I mean, someone else is having troubles. I promise it doesn't concern me," the brunet quickly explained.
"But you're still worried," Roxas dead-panned again.
"Just let it go, pal. It's obvious he doesn't want to talk about it yet," Axel eventually intervened. "Don't let it get to you too much, Sora. Okay?"
Sora nodded in agreement, giving a small smile. He'd do anything for the day to be over and forget about the matter of Cloud's poor excuse of a love life.
x-x-x
Maybe, just maybe, the brunet liked the day before better. What was sure was that the other students were awfully glad they weren't in his shoes.
"Those ungrateful bastards. I've helped half of them and now, they're just watching me get in trouble," he thought, seeing Squall approach him briskly.
The Werewolf was pissed off, and he was determined to have a word with Sora, not caring if the teen agreed or not. The adult grabbed him roughly by the wrist, and glared at Marluxia for good measure before he stormed off to the nearest bathroom. The man kicked out the teens inside it, and then locked the door.
A deafening silence filled the confined space, leaving Sora nervous and down right scared. Was he going to get beaten up here, like the kids in those lame movies? Or like the lamest kids bullied by lame bullies? And what is really the right time to think about such trivial things?
"What the fuck have you told him?" Squall asked calmly, his eyes still showing he was actually far from composed.
"Who is "him"?" Sora tried.
"You know damn well who I'm talking about. Cloud was acting strange after you left, and now he wants to stop everything," Squall spat, walking towards the younger boy, who stepped back quickly. Sora made a face when his back hit the wall. "So, I'm asking you what you told him."
A quick look around him informed the young brunet he wasn't going to escape this. Alright, then he might as well give the Werewolf a piece of his mind. That would give him a good reason to hit him if he even intended to.
"He told me everything. He told me how you're just using him. He now knows about my feelings on the matter, and it seems to me he took my advice. It's useless for him to stay with you if all it brings him is pain."
Squall growled lowly and grabbed Sora by the collar of his shirt, easily lifting him up with just one hand. Sora stood his ground, though, and glared at the man.
"I am not using him, you brat. Stop messing with things you can't even understand, got it?"
"How are you not? You go to him and have your way with him, and then you run back to your girlfriend! What do you think Cloud feels like every time you leave him behind like that? It's not fair! Not at all! And that stupid Chocobo said nothing because he likes you that damn much!"
"Don't you dare call him stupid!" The Werewolf roared, throwing the teenage boy to the floor. Squall only realized then what he had just done and made to help the younger up.
Sora slapped his hands away though, too angry at the man to accept his help. "If you like him, you'll let go of that poor girl and go to him for good."
x-x-x
That was insane. Completely unheard of. Impossible, even. Such things weren't supposed to happen.
Roxas was by Hayner's side, whispering words of comfort that unfortunately did nothing to ease the poor boy's mind. Hayner kept repeating the same words over and over, like they would break whatever curse had fallen upon him.
"This can't be real. This can't be real," he whispered, his face buried in his hands.
Roxas lifted his head up when he heard someone entering inside the classroom. He spotted his twin behind the crowd that had formed around them.
"What's going on here?" Sora asked, worried by the stern atmosphere inside the room.
"Sora, you're finally back! Please, help Hayner," Olette asked, her eyes brimming with tears.
Sora panicked when he noticed how desperate she looked, and he awaited the worst. He elbowed his way towards Hayner, pushing his classmates roughly when they didn't budge. At first, the brunet was relieved to see that Hayner was still alive and not physically hurt. But what he noticed, though, felt strangely off.
Hayner had no aura anymore.
Sora still remembered sensing a Wizard's aura around the boy. He was sure of that. So how was it possible for Hayner to not have it anymore?
"Can you…" Roxas began, lifting his eyes up to look at his brother. "Can you try to help him? Please?"
There was desperation in the blond's voice, and that fact alone made it hard for Sora to accept. Not that he didn't care. He was afraid of what might happen if he couldn't do anything to help Hayner. But wouldn't be worse to not even try?
New-found confidence gave strength to the brunet, who stepped forward and stood before the depressed teen. Sora hesitated for a moment before he put his hands on Hayner's shoulders. A chill went down his spine, caused by the simple touch. There really was nothing left inside of the boy, and Sora could feel it inside of himself. It made him so sad. It was like a part of himself had just been ripped off to never be back. Now, the brunet could understand why the faces of the kids in the crowd looked so grim. He was sure he had the same expression on his face at that moment.
His heart felt even heavier when he realized with horror that he could do nothing. Slowly, as if afraid of Hayner's reaction, Sora let go of the boy and shook his head.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. He heard shuffling behind him and turned around.
"What do you mean, "you're sorry"? Are you a Healer or not? Do something!" A boy shouted.
Sora wasn't sure but he thought the guy was named Pence. He was always hanging out with Hayner and Olette. Said girl tried to calm her other friend down, but failed miserably. The brunet saw the crowd closing in on him, half of the looks angry and the others clearly disappointed.
Disappointment. It was one of the few things Sora couldn't deal with.
"Stay the hell away from my brother!" Roxas cried loudly, surprising his classmates.
He stood before his twin, defying anyone to come and stop him. He then took Sora by the wrist and led him outside of the classroom, where they would be alone.
"You okay?" The blond brother asked, concerned. He hadn't failed to notice how pale Sora's face was.
"Yeah, I- " the brunet began, only to not find his voice any more. He breathed deeply. "I don't know. I could literally feel it, Roxas. It was like… I don't even know what to compare it to." The Healer remained silent for a while. "I truly wish I could do something. He's so sad, Roxas. It'll drive me mad if I let him be like that."
"Sora, you are not to blame," Roxas reasoned, putting strong hands on his brother's shoulders. "You did your best, and that's what matters."
"But they were all expecting a lot from me. I disappointed everyone! I don't want that."
"They're just sad. Things will get better soon. I promise," the blond tried to comfort Sora. The later smiled a little, and Roxas found it encouraging.
"What will get better soon?"
The blond twin couldn't hide his grimace. Riku had the worst timing sometimes. Sora watched as the Vampire approach them, looking as if he were expecting Riku to attack them at any moment.
"It's Hayner. He's lost his ability. We don't know how it happened yet," Roxas explained quickly.
Riku frowned. "Lost it? How could that possibly happen?"
"If we knew, this wouldn't have happened," the blond replied quite bitterly. He knew taking his frustration out on Riku would do nothing to help the situation, but he couldn't help it.
"I can't even give it back. This is really annoying," Sora added, not noticing the tense air building around them.
"Maybe you should ask my father," the Vampire eventually told the two. "He knows many things. I get the feeling that he might help you guys. Besides, I'm curious as to how one looses their ability. Wait for me after sixth period. We'll go to my house together."
"Actually, I can't join you guys. I promised Hayner I'd walk him home and stay with him for a while. Sorry," Roxas told his friend with a sheepish look.
x-x-x
If it weren't for Hayner's sake, Sora would have held a huge grudge against his twin. Leaving him alone with Riku like that was unforgivable. But, as mentioned earlier, it was all to help Hayner, so he wasn't as mad as he should be. And really, Riku wasn't that bad. For a short while.
The brunet was following Riku silently, mentally thinking that he was insane to stay with a Vampire. Yet, said Vampire was a friend of his twin's, so it should be fine. Right?
"There are a few things you must know before you meet my father," Riku began, not bothering to look back to see if Sora was paying attention to what he had to say. "He's pretty anal when it comes to politeness and respect, so I suggest you don't talk to him the way you talk to me. No cuss words either. You don't want him to hear you say one of those, believe me."
Sora nodded unconsciously, half listening to what the older was saying. His attention was caught by his surroundings at the moment, so concentrating on the words spilling out of the silver-haired boy's mouth was difficult. Riku's house looked awfully plain and, well, normal. It was nothing like the creepy, old houses you'd see in movies, where vampires usually lived. This house was just like all the other ones. Very white, too. Its inhabitants must love the colour.
Riku entered, holding the door opened to let his guest in. He instructed the younger to take his shoes off, and then led him inside the house. Looking around him, Sora saw walls painted in warm, soft colours with pictures hanging on them. The brunet noticed Riku was in most of them, only a few showing a man and a woman that Sora supposed were the teen's parents. The resemblance between Riku and his father was uncanny, while his mother looked nothing like him. Her dark hair and soft expression were certainly something Riku didn't get from her. His father, though, had the same pale hair and severe, cold expression.
If mere pictures could make Sora feel uneasy, he didn't want to know what meeting the man in person would do to his nerves.
"What is your father's job?" Sora asked tentatively, after he noticed the man wore some sort of uniform in a few photos.
"Well, he's studying the Species. His job is to travel and collect information on them, especially if they're new or completely unheard of," Riku replied smoothly, almost in a bored fashion. "But most of the time, there's nothing new for him to tell his superiors about."
"You mean there are that many Species?" Sora asked, tilting his head to the side. The subject intrigued him.
"Those in school are just the common ones. Actually, hundreds of Species have been recorded, but some are so uncommon that you don't meet them really often. There was one special kind reported centuries ago that hasn't been encountered again. The guy was from two Species, but I can't remember which ones exactly. You'll have to ask dad to find out," the older explained calmly. He eventually stopped before a door, and turned around so that he could look Sora in the eye. "We're here. Remember what I've told you : be polite, no cuss words. Ready?"
Sora nodded in agreement, even though he wasn't sure he wanted to meet the man, in the end. Riku didn't let him ponder it and knocked twice before he opened the door, not waiting for an answer. They entered a small study room, in which sat an expensive-looking desk. Behind it sat the man with long, silver hair Sora had seen in the photos.
"Hey dad. I brought a friend home," Riku greeted him, walking towards the imposing adult with confidence that Sora lacked when he followed the teen.
"Good afternoon, Riku," Sephiroth replied with a cool voice. "Is he the Healer you've mentioned before?"
"Yep, that's him. His name's Sora, by the way," the young Vampire introduced.
The brunet could only blink in surprise. Riku was talking about him? Now, he hoped he didn't say anything stupid or harsh.
"I'm Sephiroth. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Sora," the man introduced himself, extending a hand to shake the teen's.
Sora complied, but not without hesitation. Sephiroth was also a Vampire, and he didn't know if he could trust the man. Heck, trusting Riku was still out of the question, so there was no way his dad would be treated differently.
"Interesting. Your aura feels pretty new to me. When did you acquire your ability?" Sephiroth questioned, standing up to come and walk around Sora as if he were a fascinating subject.
"A-about a month ago, I think," the brunet stuttered, not daring to look Sephiroth in the eye. Would he consider it a rude gesture?
"Thought so. Abilities usually awaken when children begin hitting puberty. You're really late," the man mused. "But your aura is really strong. I think you'll catch up really quickly, if it's not already the case."
"Cloud's using him as an assistant at the school's infirmary," Riku made known, leaning his hip against the desk, and folding his arms across his chest.
"Good decision," the older Vampire declared, nodding to himself. "Why did you bring him here?"
"He has questions for you."
When Sephiroth turned his gaze in his direction, Sora assumed it was his cue to ask said questions.
"There's someone at school. He lost his ability today, and I couldn't help him recover it. I was wondering if you could give me some tips about that," Sora said, looking the man in the eye.
Sephiroth closed his eyes for a while, and thought. The matter seemed to worry him.
"It's not the first time it happens. We've recorded several cases such as this one throughout the country. We're still searching for the cause of those losses, but so far, we're still empty handed. What Specie was he part of?"
"Wizard," Sora replied. Sephiroth nodded but didn't talk. "Actually, there might be something else I'd like to ask you, if it's okay," the brunet added, suddenly remembering something.
"Go ahead," the man instructed.
"There's this guy who has a strange aura. I can't tell what it is, but everyone else says he's just a Cursed," Sora explained. Behind Sephiroth, Riku frowned slightly at that but said nothing.
"I can't give you an answer right now. You'll have to wait and let me do some research on that," the man replied, walking back to his desk. He sat down and grabbed the pen he had let go of when the teens had entered earlier.
"Alright. Thank you for your help," Sora said politely, following the other boy out of the small study.
x-x-x
World History was really, really boring. Sora had never had any problem in that subject and actually enjoyed it, but his classmates having so much difficulty made it a class he would gladly skip. But he doubted the teacher would agree. So, Sora, being the good boy that he was, helped his friends whenever he could. Kairi didn't seem to have as many problems as the other teens, so she helped too, sometimes, when she felt like it.
"How come you can't remember such an important date? It's one you should know as well as your own birthday," the brunet reprimanded a suddenly shy Roxas.
"It's not my fault I have such a bad memory. You took it all from me when we were born," the blond tried to defend himself, pouting at his sheet of paper.
"Are you blaming me?" Sora asked, frowning a little.
"Well…"
Something was definitely up with his twin, Sora was sure of it. Roxas wasn't actually one to forget things so easily, even if he disliked World History with every fibre of his being. The brunet had his ideas as to what was causing Roxas to be so out of it, and he avoided the subject like the plague. All of their friends did.
Sora threw a glance at Zexion, who could only shake his head, silently advising him to not ask any question to the blond. It was difficult not to, though.
Their teacher suddenly lifted her head up when someone knocked on the door, and entered, not waiting for the teacher to answer. Inside stepped Cloud, looking extremely serious. One glance at Sora was enough for the boy to understand he was needed. Sora stood from his seat and joined the nurse, leaving the classroom quickly.
"What's going on?" Sora asked, worried. What could have happened that had Cloud coming to his class?
"I'll tell you in my office," was all Cloud said. So Sora waited until they were inside the small, white room. The teen was expecting someone to be in the bed, but it was currently empty. Sora raised an eyebrow at that.
"It's about Squall," the nurse began, closing the door to the office behind him.
Sora gaped at the blond man. "You did not make me skip class to talk about your love life?" He asked with a disbelieving look.
"But it's important, Sora!" The nurse defended himself, turning towards the younger boy. He put his hands on Sora's shoulders. "He's breaking up with his girlfriend. He's leaving her for good!"
The teen frowned. Wasn't it what Cloud wanted? Sora asked him just that.
"Well, yes. No, I mean I didn't. Or maybe I did?"
"Let me sit down," Sora began, sensing the conversation would be long and tiring. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and took the plunge. "You want to be with him, don't you?"
"Yes, but what about Rinoa?"
"Well, he's not cheating on her any more now that they broke up," Sora replied without missing a beat. "I wouldn't want to be with someone who's constantly hurting me. I'd rather be left alone," the younger explained, looking at his feet. "And don't say I don't know about those kinds of things. This time, I truly do."
"It's about your parents, right?" Cloud guessed.
Sora nodded. "Tifa's really sweet. I don't remember meeting someone as caring as her. I never said it to Roxas, but sometimes, I'm really jealous of him. He is so lucky to live with someone as great as her. I find it really hard to believe she's my mother's sister. They are so different."
Cloud said nothing for a while, thinking about the teen's words. "I hope Rinoa will find someone like that, too. I've met her a few times. She's a good girl, you know."
"I guess she is," Sora vaguely replied. What could he say? He didn't know her at all. "So, is everything alright now?"
"Not quite. I'm still not sure that I want to be with Squall."
"How come?" The teen asked, confused.
"We were basically fooling around. It would be something serious this time. I don't know if it'll work."
"Why not try and see? Squall obviously likes you a lot. Besides, wouldn't it feel nice to have him just to yourself?" The brunet asked, grinning. He saw Cloud frown a little, probably thinking.
The nurse eventually agreed, and decided to give it a try – even though it wasn't likely that the men would break up. The Werewolf wouldn't allow it. Sora was about to leave the nurse's office, when the door was opened abruptly, two teens standing on the other side.
"Nurse Strife!" One of the boys exclaimed, almost scared.
Next to him stood a boy, who had the same expression as Hayner after he lost his ability. This one had lost his aura too.
x-x-x
"That is some scary shit. I'm not coming to school until they find out what's causing this," Axel swore, leaving the school building, the twins and Riku by his sides.
"It can't be a mere coincidence," Sora thought aloud. "It makes me think of a disease, but I'm pretty sure that's not it. They just feel like Humans inside. There's nothing. A disease would weaken their powers, but not annihilate them completely, wouldn't it?"
"I don't know, Sora," Roxas replied, sighing miserably. The whole matter was getting to him really bad. Axel wrapped an arm around the Werewolf's shoulders to give him silent support.
"I'll talk about it with my father. Maybe he found something on the matter," Riku offered. "I really hope he did. I don't like this at all."
"Neither do I," the Chocobo added, hiding a shiver with difficulty. "It's not right, and it makes Roxas feel down. I can't let such a thing keep happening."
The redhead kept walking, his friend close to him, leaving Sora and Riku a little farther behind them. The brunet kept staring at the ground during the whole trip to his aunt's house, wondering what could possibly be done to stop these horrible events. There was no apparent injury, no blood was shed, but it was still unbearable. Even Sora, who had become a Healer just recently, could tell and feel it.
A tap on his shoulder made Sora look up and turn towards Riku, who was lowering his hand to shove it inside his coat's pocket.
"See you tomorrow," the Vampire told him before he parted with the small group, his steps quickening all of a sudden.
"Why say this to me? It's not like I'm his friend or something," the brunet wondered, shrugging when he could not find any answer to his own question.
x-x-x
"I'm home," Riku said, closing the front door of his house.
He took off his shoes, put on a pair of slippers, and then walked towards the living room. He found his father sitting on the couch, looking as if he were thinking really hard. And that was just what he was doing.
"Take a seat, Riku," Sephiroth instructed, closing his eyes briefly. He opened them again when his son had sat.
"This is something serious, isn't it?" The younger asked, now slightly worried.
"Is it," the man confirmed, sighing. "It's about what your friend asked me the other day."
"So, you found something? This is good news! Maybe those strange things will stop soon, then."
"What do you mean? Did it happen again?" Sephiroth asked, his voice not betraying how nervous he was inside.
"Yeah. Some guy I don't know lost his ability too."
There was a long silence that followed Riku's statement.
"Then the situation is more serious than I thought," Sephiroth stated. "There is a high possibility that a Ghoul is somewhere in town."
"A Ghoul?" The teen repeated slowly, not having heard the word before.
"We have very few information on this Specie, mostly because we consider it a legend. There were mentions of Ghouls in the past, but nothing worth making it an official kind. However, the recent events occurring in your school coincide with those from decades ago," the man explained slowly, trying his best to make it simple to understand. "People lost their abilities all of a sudden, and couldn't explain clearly how it happened. Someone mentioned that a Ghoul could have been the cause, but we do not know who said it or why."
Riku frowned, looking at his feet. "This is seriously freaky," he muttered. "Maybe we should alert everyone."
"Don't," Sephiroth immediately advised. "We have no proof, and we don't want the supposed culprit to panic. Who knows what he could do in such a state of mind."
"Alright. I understand."
"I'd like to ask a few more questions to your friend, if it is possible. I think he was hiding something. It might only be a gut feeling, but…"
Riku nodded in agreement and promised to do his best.
x-x-x
"Care to tell me why I have to come again?" Sora asked slowly, visibly worried by the fact that Sephiroth wanted to see him.
"My father needs to ask you something. Don't worry, okay? He won't hurt you," Riku tried to reassure him. He remained silent when it was having the opposite effect.
Sora was brought to the same room he entered a few days ago, but this time, Riku didn't stay with him.
"Good afternoon, boy," Sephiroth greeted him politely, setting his pen down to focus on Sora alone.
"Good afternoon, sir," the brunet replied just as respectfully.
"Maybe Riku already told you about what I found?" When Sora nodded in agreement, he continued. "Alright. Now, I need solid proof, but I won't find any if you are not being sincere with me."
"I am sincere, sir," Sora replied almost immediately.
"I want you to tell me everything you know about the strange man you mentioned. What his name is, what he looks like, and so on."
Sora thought carefully before he gave his reply. "Well, he's one of our teachers. His name is Ansem Wise. Oh, and it's only Roxas and me who feel something is wrong with his aura."
"Roxas? Who is he to you?" Sephiroth asked, particularly interested about the information.
"My twin."
Sora got worried when his answer made Sephiroth frown deeply. The man seemed to be debating over something for a long while. He eventually heaved a sigh and closed his eyes.
"Your grandmother… She was killed by a Vampire, right?"
Sora's eyes widened at that. "How do you –"
"She had a daughter, Elena, who had kids. Twins, to be precise."
At that point, Sora's face had paled.
"The reason why I know all of this is because I knew your grandmother." Sephiroth stood up from his chair and began walking in circles in the room. "We used to be a couple, a long time ago, but as you can guess, your ancestors didn't like one of their family member dating a horrible monster. We broke up, and your grandmother then married another man, someone called Ansem."
"Wait, it's not-" Sora began, but the grown-up didn't listen to him and kept talking.
"They lived together for some time, until he suddenly disappeared after hurting her. Somehow, he knew she was a Vampire."
Sephiroth stopped talking then, and watched the teenager carefully. As expected, the poor brunet was dumbfounded and didn't know what to say, or what to think. He didn't even know if he could trust Sephiroth. The silver-haired man could just be lying to him, couldn't he?
"She was broken, mentally and physically. There was only one thing that she wanted : for me to take her life away and avenge her."
"Why kill her?!" Sora eventually exploded, not able to contain his bursting anger, for it had appeared way too fast. "You can't even begin to imagine how hard it was for all of us!"
"Do you think it was easy for me to grant her wish?" the Vampire spat bitterly. "Besides, she knew that if there was someone who could find Ansem, it was me. But to do that, I needed to live longer, and it was only be possible if I drank her blood. The only reason why I am still alive is so that I can avenge her."
Sora said nothing, and chose to glare at the floor. This could not be possible. Right, Sephiroth had no proof. There had to be a reason why he was lying and trying to convince Sora that he was his grandmother's murder, and also that she was a Vampire. If that part were true, his family would have known, but no one ever suggested there was a Vampire in their family.
Yes, it all had to be a lie.
"Maybe the Ansem you're talking about isn't the one I'm searching for, but I don't want to miss the chance to find him. For now, I suggest you and Roxas be careful around him. He might be back to hurt you."
"Why should I believe you?" The brunet asked slowly, almost tiredly. "Can you prove to me that what you're saying is the truth?"
Sephiroth only shook his head no. "I want you to believe me because you chose to, not because I forced you to."
Sora emitted a sound close to a growl before he shot to his feet and left the office swiftly. He ignored Riku's calls from the other side of the corridor as he hurried to the front door and left the silver-haired teen's house. Too much had happened too fast.
That was the thing he hated with Vampires. They could not be trusted. They tried to worm their way into your heart, and then stabbed you in the back when you least expected it. They were manipulative, cruel. Sora couldn't and would never like them. And Riku was no exception.
x-x-x
It was nice to not have school. Yeah, the week-end was definitely Roxas' favourite part of the week. He could be lazy all he wanted and not have some grumpy teacher bitching about how he was not going to graduate at this rate. Maybe he wasn't your straight A student, but he wasn't failing either.
The blond teen tried to stifle a yawn, but failed miserably, as he plopped down on the couch in the living room. Tifa was working, so the twins were alone for now. Well, Roxas was alone. Sora had yet to leave his bedroom, which was a bit strange since the brunet was usually up pretty early. It was nearing eleven, and they were supposed to prepare lunch together. Sora would be so, so disappointed that he wouldn't escape the task of cooking lunch. And Roxas would make fun of his twin.
That sounded like a good plan.
Roxas climbed up the stairs, stomping towards the brunet's bedroom.
"Sora! Wake up! Don't forget we're supposed to make lunch!" The Werewolf called, banging on the door to make sure his twin would wake up.
"I'm not hungry," was the quiet reply that came from the other side of the door.
Now, that wasn't like Sora at all, Roxas thought. The blond warned Sora before he entered inside his twin's bedroom. Sora was sitting on his bed, looking out the window absently.
"What's wrong, Sora? Sorry to say this, but you look awful," Roxas stated, sitting next to the brunet.
Sora sighed. "Nothing. I just didn't sleep that well," he lied easily. He figured telling the truth to Roxas would only make things more difficult, what with Riku being one of his friends. "I'm lucky it's Saturday, am I not?"
"And why did you not sleep well?" The Werewolf insisted.
This time, Sora muttered. "Nothing, don't worry about it. I was just thinking about our parents," he lied again. It seemed it was something he could do well.
"You do know you're a poor liar, right?"
Or not.
"Forget it. It'll be over soon, I promise," Sora told his twin with what he hoped was a genuine smile.
He turned to look at his African violet and brushed his fingers over the few flowers still left. Soon after, the brunet had to hold back a gasp as the plant began to fade. That was not supposed to happen.
"Something is seriously wrong with you," Roxas told his brother as he joined him and glanced at the now dead plant.
Sora spent his week-end trying to make his African violet better, but only did worse every time he touched it, until he gave up when it turned to dust.
"This is really depressing," Sora complained as he and Kairi walked to their next class, Zexion following close behind.
"Don't worry about it, Sora. It'll get better when you do," Kairi tried to reassure him, a warm smile on her face. "This kind of things happens a lot in the beginning. Once you master your ability, your state of mind won't affect your powers any more."
"How long will it take, then? I can't be of any help as I am right now," the Healer asked, frowning. He did feel a bit better than a few days prior, but he still couldn't heal a single thing. At least, he wasn't making things worse now.
"I'm not sure. It depends on you, really," the Mermaid offered timidly.
Sora opened his mouth to say something, but instead, his throat tightened and kept any word he was going to say there. The brunet didn't understand why at first, but he soon understood when he spotted Ansem. The teacher was walking in their direction, greeting a few students as he went. His eyes landed on the three friends, and he smiled even wider then.
"Good morning," he greeted as he passed them.
"Hello, sir," Kairi replied politely, smiling from ear to ear. Leave it to her to act like the perfect student she wasn't.
"You okay?" Zexion asked, looking from their teacher to Sora. "You look pale."
"You guys go ahead, okay? I'll be in the nurse's office. I won't be long," Sora told them.
He walked away, his eyes glued to the floor. His mouth felt dry, and he couldn't say anything else for now. He made it to the infirmary, and when he was inside, his body began to shake. Cloud rushed to his side and led him to the bed, asking questions Sora couldn't hear, for he was too preoccupied by what he had just discovered.
He had felt it. It was barely noticeable, but he still had felt it. Hayner's Aura was mixed with Ansem's, and that fact alone proved Sephiroth's theory to be true.
xx—xx—xx
A/N : Hey, everyone! I hope you've all been doing okay since last time. As predicted, this chapter took some time to be written. School and work literally eats all of my time. D= (and let's not forget the projects I now have to do) So, yeah, that's why it took me so long to post this. Sorry! Oh, and expect some major plot development in the next chapter! Now that Ansem's specie has been revealed, the fun can begin. XD Thanks a bunch to everyone who reviewed/added this story to their favourites and/or alerts. =) See you next time!