thanks for the feedback guys. I figure the rating will eventually go up but for now consider this a hard T

"Sora?"

He was floating. Someone was calling to him, just beyond the bounds of sense.

"Sora?!"

"Mom?"

"Sora, it's Kairi. Can you open your eyes?"

His eyelids fluttered and promptly shut as rays of sunlight streamed into his vision. He groaned.

Sora felt a hand cup his cheek, warm and soft, caressing him, trailing downwards and coming to rest on his shoulder. He tried to open his eyes again, straining against the painful prickling in his pupils. An angel was kneeling over him, she had red hair. She smiled widely when she saw he was awake.

"Hey," she said softly, her hand still on his shoulder. Sora squinted at her.

"Kairi?"

"Yeah," she nodded encouragingly. "How are you feeling?"

"I-" Sora turned his head gingerly, examining their surroundings. "Where am I?"

"You're home," she answered. "Do you remember what happened?"

Sora moved to sit up and winced as a biting pain stabbed at his chest. The floodgates opened and all at once his body became a roiling sea of pulsating anguish. His legs, thighs, stomach, face, everything hurt. He felt himself go woozy again.

"Hey, hey, just relax. You're okay now," Kairi soothed, gently lowering him back down onto his mattress. Sora took a shaky breath and looked up at the ceiling. He was home, he was in his room. The last time thoughts of his room had flitted through his mind, he would've imagined it being the final time. But there he was, lying on his mattress, the girl he had shared his first kiss with looking down at him with increasingly concerned eyes.

Sora did not speak, letting silence fill the void between them yet again. There was too much to say, just too much, and he didn't know how to say it.

"Sora-" Kairi spoke, cutting through the widening gap between them, and he could tell she was trying to keep her own voice from shaking, "what happened to you?"

Sora ignored her, closing his eyes and recalling the looks on their faces as he entered the apartment. "How bad is it?" he asked.

Kairi dropped her hand from his shoulder. "A couple broken ribs, facial fractures I think, your leg was all torn up…you might have a concussion."

"What'd you get a doctor in here?" Sora asked. He meant it as joke, but it came out harsher than he had intended.

"Olette's studying to become a nurse," she explained. "She had a look at you."

"Oh," he said. "What were they doing here anyway?"

Kairi looked at him incredulously. "Why were they here? Sora, you went missing."

"So?" he managed to shrug in spite of the pain, "When have they ever cared?"

"They're your friends, aren't they?" Kairi questioned.

"They're my brother's friends. Big difference," he said, unable to mask the bitterness in his voice.

"Well, they came to help look for you. Roxas was going crazy."

"One night, I was gone one night and he has to assume the worst. Typical I guess," Sora huffed.

"Why are you being like this? He was worried, I was worried," she breathed, watching him warily.

"I almost died Kairi, okay? I didn't just go missing, I almost died," he spoke indignantly.

Kairi was silent at his words. They turned away from each other and already Sora began to feel the guilt rising up within him. Footsteps padded down the hallway and the door to his room opened. It was Roxas.

"You're awake," he said, letting out a breath of relief. He entered, oblivious to the mounting tension, and took a seat by Sora's side.

"Man, what happened?" Roxas asked, eyeing his brother's bruised face.

"I…" Sora looked from Roxas to Kairi unsurely.

"Kairi…do you mind if I talk to him alone for a second?" Sora asked. She didn't need to be told twice, promptly standing up and leaving the room, giving him one last sidelong glance before shutting the door behind her.

"What was that?" Roxas asked, looking at him curiously.

"Nothing," Sora shook his head. Roxas' confusion only deepened, questions lingering in the air.

"I don't know," Sora said, preempting the barrage of inquiries he was certain were coming. "I don't know what happened."

"Was it Riku?" Roxas asked, his voice low and tinged with anger. "Did he do this to you?"

"No, it wasn't Riku, it was someone else," Sora said.

"Who?" Roxas pressed. "Who was it?"

Sora paused, and Seifer's panicked eyes as he dropped the match flashed through his mind.

"Ever hear of someone named Seifer?" Sora asked. Roxas furrowed his brow, mulling over the name.

"No," he shrugged. "Who is he?"

"I don't know. He thought I was with the Organization, he thought I attacked one of his guys. He had his own group."

"Had?"

Three loud knocks startled them from their conversation. They jumped and turned towards Sora's door, straining their ears. A heavy silence filled the air. Sora's door opened and Kairi entered.

"Someone's knocking," she informed. "Should I open it?"

More knocks, a loud and insistent rapping. They hesitated. Roxas looked to Sora and Sora gave him an uncertain look back.

"I'll get it," Roxas declared, getting up and leaving the room. Kairi made to follow him.

"Wait," Sora called, she looked back at him. "Just wait," he said, holding out his hand. Kairi held his gaze for few long moments, searching his eyes for some indication of worry, fear, panic. He gave none away. She nodded and leaned back against the window. They listened intently as Roxas opened the front door, heard the exclamation of surprise, the hurried conversation and the heavy movement coming right to them.

Riku stood in the doorway, his eyes landing directly on Sora. Sora stared back, and for the first time did not feel compelled to look away. Riku's gaze shifted to Kairi and his face underwent a series of emotional transitions, from surprise, to bafflement, and finally to a carefully cultivated indifference.

"Kairi?" he asked, and his voice was strained. "What are you doing here?"

For her part, Kairi seemed just as disconcerted. She shuffled her feet and faced the floor, "I was here with Naminé." She offered no further explanation and Sora scrunched up his face, stung by her words.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned, and Riku's eyes returned to Sora's.

"I need to talk to Sora," he said. "Alone."

Kairi gave them a strange look, unsure as to how the atmosphere had turned so menacing so quickly. Reluctantly, she stepped past Riku and left. Riku pushed the door shut and sighed. He walked over to the window and leaned forward, staring out at the streets below.

"Did you really take out that entire crew?"

His question floored Sora. That wasn't how it happened, that wasn't how he imagined it.

"I-I didn't have a choice," Sora stammered, "they were going to kill me. They would've killed me."

"I didn't ask for your rationales," Riku said, turning around to face him, "I asked you if you did it."

He had done it, alright. There was no use in denying it. "Yeah," Sora said, his face falling.

Riku said nothing for a long time, looking past Sora at the room around them. The peeling plaster, the creaky floorboards, the lone mattress in the center of the room and the mournful boy who occupied it.

"It's okay, you know," he said finally. Sora looked up at him.

"What is?"

"I mean, you left a helluva mess, but those guys were asking for it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Riku tapped his fingers against the window sill and narrowed his eyes at the wall ponderously, "Seifer was…trouble."

"Who was he?" Sora asked desperately. He needed to know. He needed to know the boy in the beanie.

"He had some beef with us," Riku responded, "that's all."

"What beef?"

Riku's lips were pressed into a thin line, he shifted his jaw, seemingly deep in thought. "His sister," he answered.

Sora blinked. "His sister?"

"Her name was Fuu," Riku began, "one of us, for awhile. She was good, tough, did what she was told. They came as a team, him and her. Made us a lot of munny…until she got hooked on the stuff she was selling."

"Oh," Sora rubbed his neck. "What happened?"

Riku gave a shrug. "We couldn't help her, though he tried. She was totally gone, I had to let her go…" Riku gripped the window sill tightly. "She died."

Sora detected something in his voice, on his face. Was it guilt?

Riku cleared his throat. "Point is he went nuts after that. Broke with us and we couldn't bring him back, so…"

So he had done it for them. Brought back, if not into the fold, then into the assurance of everlasting silence. The weight on Sora's shoulders grew a bit heavier.

"Anyway, I came to tell you the debt was paid," Riku said, moving to leave the room.

"Wait, what?" Sora asked, bewildered.

"You're done. Off the streets, you and Roxas. I don't want you out there anymore."

"Why not?"

Riku paused at the door, one hand on the knob. "I'm starting to wonder about you, Sora," he said. He left without looking back.

The days passed by at a tortuous speed. Never before had Sora so badly wished to leave the confines of his apartment, but under Roxas' watchful eye, the only contact he had with the outside world was what he could see out his window. He was recuperating slowly but steadily, he had incurred no life threatening injuries, his schoolwork was delivered to him in a timely manner, his body was healing. There was nothing left to do but wait.

Wait, and wait, and wait. The apartment was getting colder, the high autumn air seeping in through the cracks in their windows. At night he would lie awake and stare out at the moon before surrendering to slumber. Sometimes he would awaken, bathed in moonlight and sweat glistening on his forehead, having once again narrowly escaped from some dark space. Then he would push it from his thoughts and the day would begin anew.

Sora listened to the front door opening, indicating his brother's arrival from what was sure to be a trying day of public education. He dutifully braced himself for the introduction of another mountain of schoolwork. There was a knock at his door.

"Since when do you knock?" he interrogated the door. It opened, but it wasn't Roxas who entered.

"Kairi?"

"Hey," she greeted, flashing him a smile as she slipped in. It had been a while since he'd seen her, or at least it felt that way. She'd never come back after Riku's visit. He figured she'd been busy, or maybe she was afraid. It was hard to tell with her sometimes.

It was much easier for him to sit up now, so he did when she sat down beside him. Her plain white top and tight fitting jeans looked quite snug on her. Sora gulped.

"Here," Kairi said, handing him a manila folder wrapped tightly in a rubber band, "I got your work for you."

"Thanks," Sora put it down at his side, "you didn't have to."

"I wanted to," she said. "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner. I wanted-"

Sora held up his hand and she stopped talking. "You don't owe me anything."

Kairi cocked her head. "It's not about owing anybody anything, Sora."

"Then what is it?" he asked sharply. She flinched at his tone.

"We're friends, aren't we?" she asked meekly.

"I don't know Kairi, are we? Sometimes it feels like we are and sometimes it doesn't."

Kairi looked away, but the hurt was visible on her face. Sora felt himself soften, he didn't want this to turn into an argument. He didn't want to drive her away.

"I'm sorry," he said. Kairi turned her eyes back up to him.

"It's okay," she said quietly. "Do you need me to get you anything?"

Sora stared at her blankly for a moment, before realizing what she meant. "Oh! No, no, I'm fine," he said, and his stomach rumbled as if on cue.

"Well…I guess I'm a bit hungry," he conceded.

Kairi rolled her eyes playfully. "What do you want?"

"There's some mac 'n cheese in the fridge?" he suggested. Kairi nodded and left to go prepare it. Sora listened to her move about the kitchen. She hadn't asked what had happened to him since he'd first awoken, he wasn't sure if she ever would. All the better, he supposed, he didn't know what he'd say if she did.

Kairi returned with two steaming bowls. She handed one to Sora and kept one for herself. They ate together in comfortable silence.

"So," she spoke, "how are you feeling?"

"Good," Sora replied, his face practically buried in his macaroni, "I'm feeling better."

"Do you think you'll come back to school soon?" she inquired.

"Probably," he said, nodding thoughtfully into the bowl, "I don't really need Roxas to help me move around anymore."

"That's good," Kairi set her bowl down on the floor. "You really like that, huh?" she beamed, watching him scarf down his food. Sora nodded.

"Thanks," he told her, swallowing the last bit of his meal. "You're very welcome," she giggled.

Sora stole a glance at her, and saw she was watching him intently. He faced her and she shifted closer to him.

"You know," Kairi bit her lip, "I've missed you."

Sora felt his heart soar at her words. Vaguely, he wondered if it was good that she had this much power over his emotions.

Before he could react, she had reached over and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. He almost yelped in surprise, to find himself so close to her, and for her to put them in such a position so readily, he wasn't prepared for.

Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer and breathing in the sweet fruity scent of her hair.

"Please don't disappear again," she whispered in his ear.

"I won't," he whispered back.

Ten, twenty seconds passed (Sora didn't count), before she pulled away. Sora wanted to say something, but understood anything he could say would be inadequate. He would just have to ride the wave of this relaxed atmosphere to its inevitable conclusion.

Kairi shivered. "It's cold in here," she observed, breaking the silence. If she was self-conscious about her sudden display of affection, she didn't show it.

"Yeah, it gets like that," Sora remarked, though he felt anything but cold.

Kairi stood and pushed down on the window. "Is this thing closed?"

"Shut tight," Sora confirmed. "I don't know," he shrugged, "I think there's just some cracks in the walls."

He felt a sudden feeling of shame ripple through him. He had been in her house, with its winding staircase and marble kitchen and here they were, in his dumpy old apartment that seemed to breath cold air.

"You don't have to stay, you know," he mumbled, facing the floor. Kairi looked at him strangely.

"What do you mean? I want to stay," she stated. Sora's eyes remained firmly planted on the ground. Kairi waited for him to say something.

"Nothing, forget it," he dismissed. Kairi remained in place for a few moments, watching him curiously, before returning to her spot next to him.

There it was. That chill again. He had come to the precipice and was perched precariously over the edge. She was cold, he was cold. But their discomforts were mutually exclusive entities.

He took the leap. "So, are you gonna tell me what that was all about with Riku?"

Kairi's expression changed instantly. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice hardening.

"'I was here with Naminé'?' You don't have to be here at all, you know," he pointed out before he could stop himself. He didn't know why he was doing this. All he remembered was that stinging jab in his heart.

Kairi seemed to consider her words carefully. "There wasn't really any time to explain anything."

"What is there to explain?" Sora asked.

"I don't know," Kairi shrugged, "I didn't want to start anything."

"Start what?"

"Anything. I was trying to protect you, Sora."

Sora scoffed. "I think you're trying to protect you."

Anger flashed across her face. "He doesn't know we're friends, at least, he didn't. I didn't want to make anything weird. I didn't think you knew him so well that he would come here."

"Right," Sora smiled humorlessly and ignored the accusation. "It's fine, I was just curious."

Kairi was quiet. Sora wished he could call it a victory, but really it was anything but. He resolved to stop inflaming the situation, she had come to check up on him after all.

"It's just frustrating," he said somberly.

"What is?"

"Being stuck here all day, I guess. All I do is stare at the walls, not exactly a thrilling experience."

"I'm sure," Kairi said softly. "I'm sorry, Sora."

"Don't worry about it," he forced a smile, "there's not much to look at out there anyway," he nodded out the window.

Kairi contemplated his admission. "I wish you could've seen the Islands," she said, staring out at the sky plaintively. "I think you would've liked it."

"Yeah, I probably would have," Sora agreed.

They left their discussion there and let it fade peacefully away. Sitting together, Sora found that he could really enjoy her presence when they didn't talk, when the baggage between them did not leave every word freighted with hidden connotations. She was kind, she was caring, wasn't that all that mattered?

He spoke before he could halt himself. "Have you ever seen a bee without wings?"

Kairi laughed. "What?"

"Nevermind."