Before I continue on with the chapter, I'd like to answer the questions asked in the reviews I have had.

*Acadia: I never liked Riku paired with Roxas either (they don't have much chemistry at all). I only did that as a reason to why Sora didn't want to talk to Riku. We all know Sora is ridiculously friendly and I thought that if he knew that his brother liked him, then he would be protective and not like Riku much. I wanted there to be a little bit of a struggle before the whole "we are in love" chapters, and it just seemed to fit at the time.

*DemonNinjaOfTheLeaf48: Argggh I'm sorry! 'timetables' and 'registers' are the same as 'attendance' and 'schedules'. I knew I shouldn't have made it American :( ... I'll change it later to avoid confusion! And yes there will be eventual Axel X Roxas, I can't imagine them being with anyone else :D.

It took me ages to write this chapter out! I'm hoping SOME kind of action will happen soon enough!

P.S: Sorry I forgot to mention Riku's little habit of drinking and (mild) drug taking. I hope I haven't offended anyone with this, but he does have a reason for it, which I'll explain later.

Anyway, on with the chapter; sorry it's so short.

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It was the end of the week and Sora was at a dilemma. He enjoyed his classes, without a doubt but something wasn't quite right. His mind would often look to the troublesome silver-head. He didn't like the boy; that much was certain… too many rumours. Too much arrogance and too much disrespect. But there was something there that was self-deprecating; something troublesome. He didn't like that. He had an aura about him that made Sora feel uneasy, and yet it was something he couldn't ignore. He liked helping people; it was in his nature to worry and help those in need, even if they were a stranger. It was a slightly unnerving mix where he felt the need to help but at the same time, Riku was just unapproachable. It frustrated him to say the least. None of this was in awe but simply a character flaw on his behalf; he wanted to help, even if it was someone like Riku.

He slowly made his way to the kitchen, where his father was once again making breakfast. He felt sorry for Cloud. Their mother, Tifa had passed away a few years ago and the agony was still clear on his face. The only person Sora felt more sympathetic for was Ven. He had taken it very badly; hence his withdrawal from society. Sora wished his dad had a companion; someone to talk to, to deal with the stress. God knows, his brothers and him had way too much to think about without talking 'deep' with their father about bereavement.

"What's wrong with you?" Cloud muttered, not even facing towards his eldest son.

"Nothing… I'm fine honestly" Sora remarked, in a slightly forcefully cheery manner.

"Hmmn" His father proclaimed. Right… Sora knew best not to lie to his father. He knew his children very well.

"Are Roxas and Ventus around?" Sora asked, completely changing the subject.

"Well Roxas should be getting up any minute now; or else I'll be sending you up" Cloud smirked "And of course Ven doesn't wake up 'til around 10:30 so I trust you'll leave him sleep… you know that already Sora".

Sora saw his father turn towards him, giving him a knowing stare. He regretted asking about Ven. He was getting more and more physically weak recently and it was a pretty sore subject to discuss. Nevertheless, Ven had made the effort to interact with his family and he seemed to be feeling better mentally. Terra and Aqua were doing a brilliant job at tutoring him and in Sora's opinion; Ven would soon be joining him and Roxas for their graduation at Destiny High.

Giving a silent, curt nod, Sora grabbed one of the stacked plates from the kitchen counter and made his way over to his father. Cloud stepped aside for him; spatula still at hand and apron still on, whilst Sora helped himself to scrambled egg, sausages and bacon and made his way to the breakfast table where a stack of toast and cutlery were resting. It was sad in a way; Cloud had never been like this. He was always so distant. He was still a loving father, but the boys had grown up with the often silent man. He was still very much silent but now he was always going the extra mile to make an effort for his children. He even gave up his job as a soldier in order to spend more time at home. Now he worked as a mechanic in his friend Cid's shop and even though it was less demanding, the pay wasn't nearly as good and Sora often wondered how his father had managed to support them.

It was 7:30 by the time Sora had finished his breakfast. Roxas still had yet to make an appearance and the kitchen had become uncomfortably silent in his opinion. It wasn't awkward, but Sora didn't like quietness; it made him fidget. His father cleared his throat and set his newspaper and coffee down so he could look at his son.

"Would you mind?" He simply asked.

Without a word Sora rushed up the stairs. He loved waking his brother up. He knew Roxas wasn't a morning person but he had always made it a goal that one day Roxas would appreciate the amount of energy Sora had and he'd be grateful for the effort. An impossible dream…

Giggling slightly he crept up the stairs, but not before nearly colliding into Ventus. The boy had his comforter tightly wrapped around him, his hair completely dishevelled and his face a pale colour

"Are you alright Ven? What are you doing up so early?" Sora asked, slightly concerned.

Ven looked up at his brother, his eyes seemed a haze but he smiled softly

"Yes I'm ok Sor." He muttered "Not feeling so great so I'm going to ask Dad to ring Aqua to cancel my 11 o clock lecture with her. Should be ok to see Terra later though" He sighed, looking down to the floor. Sora knew his brother hated letting on if he felt unwell. The fact that he wanted to cancel his class meant that he was definitely suffering.

"Well let me know if you need anything k? Now stop faking it and go tell Cloud before I tell on you" Laughed Sora, bringing his hand out to pat his sibling on the shoulder.

With a nod and a genuine smile, Ventus slowly made his way down the stairs, stopping every few minutes to re-arrange the fabric around him that slowly started to slide down his torso, covering his legs.

Sora sighed. That had put a dampener on this mood. He was optimistic though. The Strifes were fighters and he was sure that Ven's discomfort was only momentarily; he'd be running around soon. With that in mind, he shifted his attention onto his other twin. Laughing he crept up to Roxas' ajar door and with a fierce leap, jumped on the bed, once more interrupting the boy's sleep before being promptly kicked on his shin by an annoyed Roxas.

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"You gonna finish that?" Prodded Axel, his bony fingers already making their way to Riku's dessert.

Riku looked up at him and grunted. He shoved the offending item next to Axel in silence and turned his gaze back onto the table; his hand resting delicately on his head in an attempt to balance himself.

The hangover had well and truly gone at this point and all he had left to do now was think. Images kept flashing in his head. It annoyed him greatly. He couldn't focus on anything at the moment. All that he could feel was this gut-wrenching sense of panic and exhaustion, coupled with flashes of remnants from his dreams, even though he couldn't remember the last time he had actually dreamt. He was losing control of it; that he knew. Instead of waiting for the dream to play out, and then reaching for the drugs and alcohol when he was in a state of terror; he had formed a habit of 'dealing' with his pain before he went to sleep and before any thought infested itself in his brain but he still couldn't help see it in his sober state.

Needless to say, his "medication" wasn't helping. At the time it did and at the time he would be more than grateful but it only delayed everything. This, coupled with the aftereffects of whatever substance he was taking, was beginning to take hold of him. He felt stupid and worthless and he was done trying to pretend he was interested in anything anymore. His life was a joke; a meaningless effort.

Whenever he felt like this, he'd always turn his mind onto Sora. Yes, he had learned his name during the second class of the term (when he had actually managed to turn up on time). He had formed a habit of sitting either directly opposite the boy, or to the right of him. He couldn't understand the boy's appeal. Yes he was attractive in an 'adorable' kind of way… he had big blue eyes, an adorably young face and a lovely smile but it was more than that. Those things were only secondary to the innocence and vibrancy radiating from him. He supposed that Sora's resentment of him was also part of the appeal. A few times Riku had wondered if by terrible luck he was some sort of masochist… would explain why he preferred to surround himself in his misery rather than actively heal himself.

He didn't know why but to him, Sora felt different. He emanated light. He was refreshing and Riku desperately wanted him to be involved in his life somehow. He would often glance at him on their lunch breaks. Everyone around the brunet seemed to benefit from his presence… he would always make them laugh or perhaps say something profoundly optimistic that completely shattered any teenage angst.

Riku sighed and brought his gaze up to look at the small group at the other side of the hall. Once again he saw Sora laughing. He did that a lot. This time he was flailing his arms wildly in the air at two boys (one with curly, spiky hair; the other who was slightly stout, with long black hair pointing upright) whilst his brother or cousin (Riku guessed. He hadn't seen him before but he bore an uncanny resemblance to Sora so they must have been related somehow) looked down, shaking his head in mock disgust, but still donning an ever so slightly visible smirk.

"Perving are we dude?" came a voice from his side. He ignored it and looked back at the table. He felt a hand not-too-gently slap his back

"You've been looking at that table a lot recently eh?" Axel smirked "Can't say I blame you. After like the 15th time I caught you looking, I thought I'd sneak a peek to see what the fuss was about. That little blonde is a fox. You'd better not be eyeing him up, 'cause I have dibs and I have no problem with introducing you to my chakrams if you're interested in him dude".

Axel laughed by the side of him, but quickly stopped when he was met by a rather sad, but piercing gaze from his best friend.

"Whoa no need to get all deep with me man. Just sayin' you'd have a bit of a fight on your hands. Didn't even peg you as the type to go for the fiery ones" he said. His eyes glancing back at the spikey-haired blonde, who, despite the uniform, was donning a checkered wrist band, eyeliner and several hoop earrings along one ear.

Sighing, Riku turned to his friend "No I'm not looking at him" he grumbled. Seeing the obvious sign of relief plastered on Axel's face, he continued

"If you must know, I'm looking at the boy next to him. The one with brown hair. So if you don't mind we'll drop the conversation now, ok?"

"No way dude. We could so go and ask them to come to your birthday thing this weekend. You'll like it and god knows I'll like it. How about we corrupt them eh? 'Bout time we got some action around here apart from those two weirdoes over there" Axel said light-heartedly, motioning to Demyx and Zexion who were in the middle of an intense make-out session, much to Zexions' obvious embarrassment. Zex was not into public displays of affection but everyone knew he couldn't resist Demyx's pleas for long and the blonde was just too naïve to think that students would stare at them.

"Whoa, whilst you're there how about asking Selphie to tag along? You know after a few drinks she'd be at my mercy in no time" Said Irvine; reminding Riku that the boy was still sitting at his table (much to his annoyance).

"Oh my god I've finally found the reason you get laid so often Irv… Why didn't I think about it before? Chimed Axel "Obviously they'd have to be steaming drunk in order to get with you… it just makes so much sense now. I hope you have enough alcohol in your house Riku" he winked.

Irvine said nothing but promptly got up and tackled Axel to the floor, half-heartedly slapping him around his body

"Hey, hey, if you wanted to touch me Irvine, all you had to do was ask" Axel winked

As If Axel was on fire, Irvine swiftly made his way to the table, taking the time to straighten his creased uniform with his hand

"Don't come near me or so help me god I'll shoot you" he joked

"Wouldn't come within a hundred yards of you man… you're definitely not my type" Axel quipped; taking a not-too-subtle glance at the object of his affections at the other side of the room.

Huffing, Irvine sat back on his chair; taking a moment to remove his cowboy hat (how he had managed to keep it as long as he had without impugning the school dress-code, Riku had no idea) and roughly messed up his hair with his fingers;

"Whatever. I bet all of you secretly wished I were a fag just so you could get with me".

Ignoring Irvine completely; Axel turned to his best friend

"So uhh… you gonna go ask or am I the only one with enough balls to do it?" He joked.

Riku sighed. A part of him did want to ask. But it kept being overshadowed by this reluctance to introduce Sora into his life. He didn't want the boy to see who he was in reality. Riku thought it would be better if Sora just knew the obvious, built-up image the school had created for him. God knows what he'd think. There's no way a guy that bright and cheerful and innocent would want to bother with someone as damaged as him. It would be for the best if they never got to know each other… no matter how much Riku might secretly have wanted it.

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After several minutes of silence, Axel took it upon himself to ask the two boys to the party… for Riku's sake of course.

He wasn't sure who he was trying to fool. He liked the boy; he couldn't help it. He had spotted the blonde a few days ago. He was always a slave for his hormones and this time was no exception. He wanted him. He wanted to talk and get to know him but a part of him (albeit a large part) wanted to just fuck him senseless. He looked perfect. He had just the right amount of attitude and rebellion but Axel could tell that it hadn't shown its true potential yet; that he still had enough innocence to be shown the ropes. The thought sent a chill down his spine; oh how he'd like to be the one to further his dangerous side.

Confidently approaching the table, he could feel the glares of various students. What would a "trouble maker" be doing around a table of (let's face it) do-gooders? Even the people on the table he aimed for stopped mid conversation to gaze up at him confusedly.

He clocked the brown haired boy. He was cute but way too innocent for Axels taste. He could tell that this boy didn't possess a nasty bone in his body and to him that was a little boring and a tad easy. Still, he focused all his attention on the brunet and quickly gave his best, fake smile.

"Hi. I'm Axel" He chimed

"We know who you are" Roxas added. A frown forming on his face. It was clear that the boy didn't like him and to Axel, it made everything even more exciting

"Glad to know you know me" Axel replied with a wink, leaving Roxas completely beetroot red and staring at the floor with embarrassment.

"Anyway I just wanted to invite you all to Riku's birthday party this Saturday. Here's his address. Don't go passing that 'round now 'cos you know he wouldn't appreciate the obsessed cheerleaders and whatnot" He laughed.

He handed the invite to Sora (after several requests from various students; he had decided to carry one or two invites around with him to save the rig moral of trying to give out instructions) who shyly took it. The brunet smiled slightly; an air of uneasiness graced his appearance.

"That's really nice of you to offer but… "

"We'll be there" Roxas quickly chimed in, snatching the invite from his brother's hand. Axel raised an eyebrow at the action but was not met with a response.

"I dunno Rox… "Pouted Sora, his carton of milk put to one side whilst he folded his arms in what appeared to be disapproval.

"You should go Sora" Axel replied "After all; you don't want to leave a little cutie like him…" Axel smiled, pointing at Roxas "…unattended all night now do you? You never know who might take advantage of him… "He trailed off, turning his back to walk away from the table. Axel could only imagine the horror Roxas might have felt at that moment. It made him squirm inside with hormonal giddiness. This party was definitely worth going to now that it had its advantages…

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"I'm not going Roxas" Sora whined at his brother once the redhead had left.

"You are going!" Protested Roxas "You know Cloud won't let me go alone and you know I'll find a way of going anyway. You can't let your younger brother go to a party alone…"

Roxas sighed. He was going to get his brother to go, whether it killed his pride or his reputation to do so. It was Riku Shinrin's party and there was no way in hell he was going to miss it. Especially because Riku would be turning 18 and would finally be allowed to supply alcohol at the event. This was the final year that Roxas could make an impression before everyone went to college.

He knew he'd get his way eventually. Sora was just too nice. All he had to do was whine and complain for a while and soon enough; he'd cave in.

"Pleeeeeeease Sora. You know you'd be doing me a huge favour. You know you want to go really" he continued.

"No" Stated Sora sternly

"Go onnnn."

"No, I mean it Roxas".

"Please. Please Sora" Said Roxas in his most whiney, pleading voice.

"I'M NOT GOING TO THAT JERK'S PARTY OK!" Sora yelled, standing up whilst slamming his hands on the canteen table for emphasis.

Roxas could see the look of horror on his brother's face at the realisation of screaming his reply for the school to hear. Sora promptly sat back down on his seat quietly, his face bright red.

"Ok… fine I'll go" He muttered from underneath his hands "but we're only staying an hour".