Disclaimer: The characters in this story do not belong to me, I am merely borrowing them. Characters belong to Square Enix and all other rightful owners. I make no profit from the publication of this story. The plot and situations do however belong to me, and redistribution without my consent is strictly prohibited.

Warnings: None at the moment, but there will be some in the future, so be prepared. There might be some OOCness and this is AU. That's enough warning for now. Things will get darker in the next few chapters, though.

Author's Note: Per the request of xXxSmidexXx, who I adore because she is a faithful reviewer to nearly everything I write, here is another chapter of this story! The reception is still lukewarm, but hey, I just posted this yesterday. Only updating this quickly because Smidge wanted me to and because Izzy wants me to get past a certain part of it. Okay, whatever. Onward!

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I walked into my house, dropped my school bag by the door, and rushed hurriedly up the stairs. The party started at 8, and it was already 6 o' clock. I only had two hours to get ready. I didn't normally care about these things, but hell, if I was going to have a party for my birthday, I was damn sure going to look good and have a good time.

I looked in my closet and found a black suit jacket that I hadn't worn in years. Most people would wear these with slacks, but I figured a pair of skinny jeans would look just fine. I grabbed my clothes and headed to the bathroom, taking a quick hot shower, and getting dressed. I began to blow dry my hair. I knew that it looked like I hadn't put any effort into fixing up my hair, and I hadn't, because I knew that all the hair products in the world couldn't make my hair do anything but stick out wildly every which way. I sighed, spraying on some cologne and dashing back to my room.

I stared intently at my reflection in the mirror, focusing on getting everything just right. I dug into my pocket and pulled out the box containing the necklace that Riku had given me earlier. I took it out and held it in my hand, watching the colors dance on my ceiling as the small diamonds gleamed in the light. They were gorgeous.

I put them on, and gave myself a good once-over just as my mother walked into my room. She didn't knock, of course.

"Honey, you look so handsome!" She exclaimed. Then she became a bit more serious. "I didn't know you had plans for the night."

"It's my birthday," I replied dully.

"Yes, I know. I just would have appreciated knowing you were going to go out tonight. I wouldn't have bothered with dinner."

"I'm sorry, mom. I'm going to spend the night at Riku's house though."

"Doing?" She asked, her brow furrowed. She had known for a while that I was gay, and she hated that my only friend was a boy. I was constantly spending the night at his house, and although I had no romantic interest in him, she didn't know that, and was convinced we were sleeping together. She never openly objected me going there though, knowing that I had no other friends.

"We're going to go to the movies for my birthday. We're watching a late movie, and you know how dangerous it can get at night." My mother nodded in agreement. For good measure, I added, "His parents will be there," although I knew that wasn't true. Riku's parents were never home. They were very busy people who did a lot of business out of town. When they weren't working, they went on vacations together, leaving the house at Riku's disposal. He always threw great parties.

My mother sighed. "All right. Well, please call me before you go to sleep."

"I will." I checked the time on the digital clock on my nightstand. It was 7 o' clock now. "I have to go mom, the movie starts in an hour!"

"Okay, okay, be careful," she said, giving me a kiss before I flew out the door and down the stairs. I put on my jacket, grabbed my keys, and left.

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When I arrived at Riku's' house, I could hardly believe my eyes. There were at least 20 cars parked haphazardly around the block and in his driveway. Inside, people flooded the living room, and the upstairs bedroom. I began to panic. I knew that this whole thing was a terrible idea.

I searched the crowd, but I couldn't find Riku anywhere. I sighed and began to push my way through the sea of bodies until I spotted him, beer in hand, talking to a girl from school. He turned and saw me, grinning ear to ear, and waved me over. The music playing was so loud that when he began to speak, I couldn't hear.

"What?" I yelled loudly into his ear.

"You got here just in time!" He yelled back. "Sor, you know Kairi, don't you?"

She waved her fingers at me and I nodded a quick greeting. I didn't want to be here. I didn't know what to do. Was I supposed to talk to all these people?

When I turned back, Riku had disappeared. Suddenly, the music stopped. There was the hum of numerous voices, but then suddenly, they all got quiet too. I could see Riku, standing on top of his sofa. Everyone in the room looked in his direction.

"Everyone! Our birthday boy has arrived! Happy birthday, Sora!" Some people looked at each other, and I assumed they were thinking, "Sora who?" The rest looked in my direction and began to clap and whistle. I turned as red as a tomato and wished I could disappear on command.

I waited a few minutes for Riku to return, but he didn't. I made my way to the kitchen to get a drink.

I think back and wonder, what would have happened if Riku had come back for me? Or if I never went into the kitchen? Or if I never went to that stupid party to begin with?

In that kitchen, over a cup of soda, my life changed, forever.

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We welcome a new character in the next chapter! Can you guess who it'll be?

I never realized how much I'd have to change in this story to make it all make sense, seeing as Sora's character was originally a girl. So, if I miss anything, feel free to point it out. I think I got everything in this chapter, but I will get stupider as this goes on and then everything will just start to get messy.

Things get good soon. The beginning of this is slow, I know. But it gets really good, I think! Reviews mean I can finally finish this!