Eep this one's a short chapter, but I thought I'd throw it in just incase the next one's gonna take a while. I'll try my best not to let it, alrighty chickens?

I'll give a shout out to my reviewers so far, who convinced it was worth putting on here after all bahaha…

renAku, 13loves8loves9loves6, Obsessive-Compulsive-KSARA, AkuRoku.Dragon, Silver Tears 11 thankyou!

xxx

The next day, went as smooth as silk. Apparently the lecture I thought I had, in the early hours of the morning, had been cancelled because poor Professor Vexen had blown up one of his experiments again, getting himself rushed to hospital. That was Chemistry blown out the window. All I had left of this Tuesday was a Biology lesson and then I was as free as a bird, until tomorrow of course.

I made my way into the science block through the college corridors, ignoring the fight that was taking place between Seifer and Hayner. Those two, they were always looking for attention. Always creating the biggest crowd they could muster just so every pair of those moronic eyes were on them. I didn't have time in my life for that crap. This was college, not primary school.

I headed toward the science block, and then to my biology class room. Noticing I was a little early by the lack of students that were already seated, I paused a little in the doorway. This wasn't like me.

"Good to see you, Roxas. Take a seat."

I looked toward my teacher, Mr. Leonhart, as he rubbed the black board of its chalky mess. "Morning Sir," I mumbled.

I walked toward to the back of the class, noticing Zexion sat there quietly reading a book.

Matchmaking For Dummies?

"Uhh, hey Zexion," I greeted, still eyeing the book stupidly.

He looked up, peering over the small glasses resting on his nose. "Hello, Roxas. Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Matchmaking For Dummies?"

He turned the book, eyeing the front cover and nodding.

"Since when did you become a matchmaker?"

"Since I noticed the terrible love triangle going on between our group of friends."

I was getting a headache. Suddenly Zexion cared all about that stuff? Hell, I did notice the love triangle between Zexion, Demyx and Axel years ago, but it never bothered him then. And wait, he'd only just noticed?

The way I saw it, in my own eyes, in my clueless little heart. Axel and Zexion both wanted Demyx. For the life of me I could never understand why, but that was how it was. Zexion never held a grudge on Axel, because that was plain Zexion. The only reason I knew about Zexion's hidden love for Demyx was because, apparently, I was the only person Zexion trusted. And so he told me, and this was years ago. I would have thought he'd gotten over it by now.

"You know, Zexion, that triangle's been around for quite some time…"

"Ah, but it's a lot more complicated now, isn't it? Ever since you got involved."

"Me?" I squealed, so hard that my voice almost cracked.

Before the conversation could carry on, Sora charged through the door greeting everyone in the class suddenly and loudly. Mr. Leonhart had to bite his tongue when the chalk in his fingertips snapped in two.

Sora skipped toward us, biology book in hand, and plonked his little bottom onto a stool in front of myself and Zexion. "Morning early birds!"

"Why, the hell, are you here so early?"

"Because today's the day Roxas!"

"Today's the what day?"

His smile calmed down a little, so much it almost disappeared, but brave little Sora wouldn't dare let it slip away. "My parents are coming home."

Zexion and myself, we stared at him. Stared because we didn't know what else to do or say. We didn't stare at him because we were confused, we were far from confused. We knew exactly why Sora was so happy, yet looking so painfully nervous at the same time.

Sora was a good kid. He was probably the happiest person on the planet. But there were two sides to every coin. With happiness, came reason. With reason, came a choice. Sora had flipped his coin and choose happiness, it wasn't there naturally.

I looked at Sora, and sometimes saw him as myself in a different life if some events hadn't happened. This one being my parents. My parents hated me, hated me so much they left me. But what if they hadn't left me? Then I'd be Sora.

Sora's parents hated him too, but they never left him. No, they had the courage to stick by the creation they'd made. They weren't happy with it. They'd hit him, curse him, treat him like they wished he'd never been born. But all the way, when the vibrations in Sora's head flipped the coin time and time again, it would always land on happiness. He was grateful he had parents, grateful that someone was there to look after him, and decided he should never think otherwise.

Ever since he met me and learned how I'd never really known or been cared for by my parents; that decision had been set in stone. I almost felt like an asshole for it. Another thing my parents had made difficult for me: making others feel guilty or sorry for me, causing them to make surreal decisions just like Sora had done.

He knew other people didn't approve of his choice to stay content with how he was being treated. He knew it all too well. But Sora's warped little mind was stuck in the hopes that one day, just one day, his parents would love him.

Would I seriously be that person if that one turn of event in my past didn't happen? If my parents stayed with me, I wouldn't even know Sora, because I wouldn't even know Axel. Would Sora be in my shoes if I were in his?

The class started to fill with students, and after a few minutes, Mr. Leonhart started the lesson.

The lesson was painfully quiet and concentrated for that whole one hour and a half. Even Sora was quiet, but I didn't blame him for that.

It was just another lesson, just another day, just another event that coursed its way through my life stream.

To all students who had been at college for a while, it was only a routine. A routine you had to undergo if you wanted to achieve any sort of good future career. Most of us didn't even know what we wanted to be when we were older, or what kind of things to study or learn about during college, all we knew was that we had to be there. Parents, gardians, school teachers, even friends warned you how messed up life could be in the future if you skipped college then tried to make something of yourself in your middles ages. You'd only succeed if you were extremely talented, or extremely lucky… and we all know what any teenager's confidence is like to actually accept that offer. Around 2 would take that road, and probably only 0.09 would be successful. Take Richard Branson for example, he never worked a day of his life in college, yet he's one of the richest men in the world. Luck? Or Talent? Probably both.

Me, I stuck to the other 98 and worked my way through college. I know it will get me somewhere one day.

So my lame-ass Tuesday at college had come to close, and now, it was time for the apparent big news.

I agreed to meet up with my social worker, Yuffie, at a small café in town. It was one of my favourite cafes, so it should help ease my nerves from any possible unwanted news I may hear. I sighed to myself. I was still wondering what kind of news it could be. Good or bad? A silly little check up? Or news of my parents? I didn't know whether to be nervous or not, but my instinct was shaking my hands a little as I walked.

I walked inside with the door giving me a welcoming ring. The cosy little café was nicely quiet and relaxed. Another helping hand for me. I looked around a little, and noticed to my left Yuffie sat down at a table looking through a desert menu. Her face looked so excited as her big eyes roamed toward the bottom of the menu. I grinned a little. That was the section for the chocolate sweets. I'd been here far too many times.

When I walked closer and took in the familiar image of Yuffie, there was no real surprise that she looked exactly like she did three years ago. Her hair was still short and black with a subtle bandana tied like an alice-band around her head. Her little outfit, a tight black cotton t-shirt with dark grey pants that cut off at the knee. It was typical Yuffie, the woman who refused to look like a patronising nagger but instead portrayed herself as someone the kids could get along with.

"Roxas! Long time no see kiddo."

"I'm hardly a kid anym-"

"Which do you recommend? Chocolate sundae? Or strawberry cheese cake?"

I paused to look at her, and she looked right back. I frowned. "Chocolate sundae," I mumbled and took a seat opposite her.

"Great!"

With a flip of a shut menu and a slight scrapping of a tucked in chair, her expression changed from goofy to completely normal. It took me a while to notice but she was staring at me, right at me, almost through me.

"How've you been, Roxas?"

That question was always the first. Then the answer would bring on another question, then another answer, leading onto even more questions, leading to even more answers, leading to a never ending series of questions and answers that would boil toward the very last question. Was I really okay?

I shrugged. "Fine."

"I heard you've started college now. Any fun?"

"It's fine."

"The work okay?"

"Yep, fine."

"So life's pretty much fine?"

"Fine just like it was the last time I saw you, Yuffie. So why don't we skip the prologue and you tell me what's going on?"

A small silence hung over the both of us after my little short tempered burst. I wasn't angry with her, I was just frustrated. I wanted to know what was going on, and here she was trying to give me another session of 'and how does that make you feel?' conversations. I was eighteen years old now for Christ's sake, I hardly needed a social worker anymore.

Yuffie starred at me, and her eyes looked a little sad, but still a tiny little smile crept along her face. "I forgot what time could do to people. I guess you're not little Roxy that used to tell me stories of what happened at school and what kind of paintings you liked to make at home."

I looked away. "Three years can do a lot."

"That's why I'm intrigued." A pause. "Roxas, I'll admit, I didn't come here today to be your social worker, just as an old friend, if you will."

I looked from to floor to her dark eyes. "You're not here for another session?"

Yuffie scoffed. "Roxas, you're what, eighteen? Ninteen…?"

"Eighteen."

"Which means you're hardly in need of any sessions. You can sort it all out on your own buddy."

I smiled, feeling the warmth of the past creep around the atmosphere. She'd never been totally polite, and I always appreciated it for some reason.

"I only asked those questions because I was curious. If you met an old friend you hadn't seen in three years surely you'd want to ask questions as well?"

I pouted, not wanting to answer, because she was right and she knew it.

She leant back in her chair and folded her skinny arms. "So grow up and act your age. I wouldn't give you social care anymore even if you wanted me to."

"So you called because you miss me?"

Her eyes shifted toward the table. "Not exactly."

"See, I knew there was a catch."

She looked a little worried and she even began fidgeting with her nails. This always worried me. Years ago, whenever she fidgeted, there was always awkward news to come. Something like, 'I couldn't get you a home in a different town, so you'll have to stay put' or 'Axel's in police custody again because he burnt someone's garage down'. I took a breather. It's what I always did before bad news.

Before she could even start talking again, the waitress had come to our table with a bright smile and asked what we wanted to order.

"Erm, chocolate sundae please!" Yuffie smiled.

"I'll just have some water," I said.

"Certainly!"

The waitress skipped away, and my eyes returned to Yuffie, still wanting answers.

"Okay. I was given some weird news at the office a couple of days ago. I received a phone call from a woman asking about you. I thought to myself 'Roxas? Wow it's been a while since I've seen him!' So I told her that I used to be your social worker, and that's the only information I could give her for the moment. Then she… she asked me if you were alive and well."

I frowned, getting a horrible feeling in the pits of my stomach.

"It was your mother, Roxas."

I didn't quite know what to feel, but I found myself curling my fists up tight and my brows lowered so hard I almost couldn't see. Alive and well? What fucking nerve. My own mother, my flesh and blood asking if I was even alive? The bitch should already know the answer to that. To her I'd died a long, long time ago.

Yuffie could obviously see the anger in my expression, so she tried to soften her voice a little, like good social workers did when they'd upset their patients. "Roxas, she's going to be in town next week, because I wanted to meet her, to talk to her."

"You fucking WHAT?!" I yelled, causing the other people in the café to turn and stare at us both, but I clearly ignored them, glaring at Yuffie. "You had no right, Yuffie! No right!"

She couldn't react to me, couldn't answer back or rather shout back, because she knew she did wrong in inviting my mother to my home town. She probably knew I would react like this, and she probably knew it was best to do this in person.

"That's why I wanted to tell you before she arrived, Roxas. I didn't want to tell her anything before you knew."

"You were planning on telling her things?! Like where I live? What I look like?"

"Roxas don't be stupid, I would never do that!"

"Then why Yuffie?! What possible reason would you want to meet up with my mother for?"

"I was going to get answers out of her. Not the other way round."

I was fuming. I was so angry. I didn't even want to know the answers my mother would give. Didn't even want to imagine.

Before I completely lost my temper and ended up hurling the quaint little café table across the room, I got up and I left. I suppose you may call it running away from the truth. But I'm sure that if you were me, you'd do the exact same thing. I wanted to up and leave town for a week while my mother was around, change my number so Yuffie couldn't call me. Luckily, although hopefully, she didn't have records of where I was living now. And if she did, I would make Axel pretend he didn't know me anymore. I didn't want anything to do with the whole situation. I just wanted to utterly vanish.

Axel.

He was the only person I wanted to see right now. I was nearly, only by an inch, in tears as I steadily walked down the street towards my home. I refused to cry. I'd shed enough tears in my life for that woman I used to call 'mama'. I had a new life now, a life my mother nor Yuffie should be apart of. I had a life with Axel now, a life at college, a life with Namine, with my friends, and no one else.

I'm sure no one would mind or misunderstand if I left town for a week. They'd comprehend, surely they would.