Disclaimer: All Characters Owned By Square Enix.

Chapter 19 – Secret

September 10th, Monday

Sora walked into his art class, headed for his table with Roxas. "You look exhausted." Roxas nasal-y said, trying not to sneeze. "You look sick," The brunette put a hand to the blonde's forehead. "And I couldn't get any sleep last night."

"I think I got it from the island we had gone to." Roxas lied, resting his head in his arms on the table. Sora did the same, falling into a half sleep. The sound of a ruler smacking on the table between the boys pierced through the air, the boys jumping up from their relaxing moment. "No falling asleep," Miss Vanille disciplined. "Get to work!"

"But you didn't give us anything to work on!" Sora said, trying to slow down his fast heartbeat.

"Hmph! Since you two boys think that just because I didn't give you anything to do that you could just go to sleep," Miss Vanille grabbed two medium sized canvas boards from a shelf and placed it in from of the two. "Here is your work. You must have a finished drawing by end of class!" She walked back into her office.

"Tough." Zack said taking a seat next to Sora. The brunette looked past him to his normal table. "Riku's not here today?"

"Don't think so," Zack responded. Roxas sneezed. "Hey, Rox! Looks like your face cleared up?"

Roxas felt his face as if just remembering he had a bruise there in the first place. "Yeah…" He nauseatingly spoke, picking up his pencil and beginning to draw out something.

"Axel," Demyx chimed from behind the red-head who had his head laid down on the desk. "How was the island last night?!" Zexion looked up from above his book curiously.

"Why don't you ask Larxene?" Axel replied in an angry tone.

"She's not here today." Zexion said, ducking half of his face behind his book to only show his eyes when he saw Axel turn around. Axel's eyebrow rose looking at both of the boys. "I'm dipping." He said, grabbing his bag and heading for the door before the teacher would arrive.

"Hey wait," Demyx quickly grabbed his stuff, motioning Zexion to do so too. "Let us come with you!" They chased behind him, fast pacing when they reached the hallways. "Where are we going?" The blonde asked.

"Bathroom." Axel pushed open the door to the boy's bathroom, locking it after Zexion and Demyx came in. He then proceeded to unbutton his school shirt.

"Whoa, Axe," Demyx said, hands up in front of him. "We're not ready for what you're about to offer!" Zexion blushed.

"Tchk! I'm changing into casual clothes," He explained. "If we go out of school like this we'll get caught by the cops." He unzipped his bag and pulled a black shirt out that had the sci-fi image of a green alien's egg-like head on the front. "Do you guys have anything to wear?" Demyx and Zexion innocently shook their heads. Axel groaned, throwing Zexion the shirt he was wearing. "Put that on. Demyx put on this one." He gave Demyx a shirt and changed his own school pants into his jeans, re-buttoning his shirt after realizing he had only two.

Axel looked up at the wall. There was a small opened window near the top of it. "Can you guys climb that?" He asked the boys, pointing up to it. They vigorously nodded their heads. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"C'mon Zex!" Demyx went towards the wall and squatted, handing on his knee for Zexion to step on. Zexion put his foot in the palm of Demyx's hand and was lifted to the window. He pulled himself up and out, Axel helping Demyx do the same. "How are you supposed to get up?" The blonde asked, sitting on the sill of the window.

"Don't worry about it." Axel responded. Demyx shrugged and jumped down next to Demyx. Axel unlocked the bathroom door before running about two and half steps up the wall and grabbing the window sill. He pulled himself up and jumped down to meet Demyx and Zexion.

"This must not be new to you, huh?" Demyx grinned.

"Reason why I failed gym," Axel smirked. "Hold on, we can't leave just yet." The red head walked alongside the building, squatting down with the blonde and blue-haired mute when they reached the windows. After Axel made sure the inside of the room was clear of any teachers he knocked on the window, catching everyone's attention.

"Is that Axel?" Sora questioned, looking up from his drawing and towards the window.

"What is he doing?" Roxas nasally asked. He saw Axel motion his hand towards himself, telling them to come over. The boys followed orders, Zack staying within his chair.

"What are you doing?" Sora asked, nervously checking behind him to see if the teacher would magically appear.

"Going to town with these guys," Axel said pointing downward. Sora and Roxas peered over to see Zexion and Demyx, Roxas sneezing. "Come with us!"

"We'd get you caught." Sora pulled at his shirts collar.

"Doesn't your mom work in the morning," Axel asked. "We could just stop at your house."

"Fine," Sora said. He looked over to see Roxas holding himself up with the window sill. "Take Roxas, I think he's about to die!" Axel grabbed Roxas by the waist and hauled his sluggish body outside while the brunette went and grabbed their bags.

"I'll cover for you guys!" Zack winked. Sora smiled and mouthed the work 'Thank You' before going back over to the window and hopping out, closing the window back.

"Ahh choo!" Roxas sneezed onto Axel's ear for possibly the tenth time.

"This relationship is beginning to get gross," Axel grimaced in disgust, carrying the blonde on his back. They had been in town for a while now after dropping off their stuff at Sora's house and having the two boys change. "Sora, you carry him!"

Sora pouted, turning his back towards Axel who made Roxas switch off onto Sora. Sora struggled to hold the blonde up for a minute or two, adjusting himself to the extra eight stone* placed upon his back. "You okay, Roxy?" He asked.

"I can see the light." Roxas dryly joked making Sora giggle.

"What are we going to do?!" Demyx whined, his boredom taking a toll on him. The blonde slumped down in one of the town benches, Zexion taking a seat next to him.

"It's eight in the morning," Axel took the empty space next to Zexion. "What is there to do?"

"You skipped class to just sit here?" Zexion said, hiding behind his book once Axel focused his bright green eyes on the bluenette*.

"Better than sitting in class." Axel relaxed, putting his hands behind his head.

Sora shifted from foot to foot, trying to think of something. "Let's go to the bakery!" His face brightened, looking at the sign to the bakery a couple meters away from them.

"Let's go!" Demyx jumped up from the bench, racing towards the shop with Zexion smiling behind him.

The shop smelled of chocolate and sweet tasting breads and croissants, which were all placed inside a long glass fridge near the cashier. There was also a scent of coffee from the coffee machine that was in the corner against the brick walls of the bakery.

The teens took their seats, Sora placing Roxas in one of the chairs before sitting down himself. Sora read one of the papers that were placed on the table. 'Seats are for customers only. Order something or you will be escorted out!' A nervous smile made its appearance on the brunettes face. "Anyone want anything?" He nervously asked the group, who had also read the paper. He pulled out his wallet, Roxas moaning. "Hot chocolateeee." The blonde said.

"It's ninety degrees…" Axel looked at Roxas from across the table as if he were crazy.

"But I'm freezing!" Roxas whined.

"I can warm you up!" Axel flirtatiously grinned. Roxas placed his head down on the table. "Don't. Touch. Me." He ordered. Sora laughed, stopping in surprise when he noticed a familiar snowball from outside the window at the art shop across from them.

Demyx held out money towards Sora from the right of the round table. "Get me a brownie!" He said. Sora stood up, handing Demyx some money instead for what Roxas had wanted. "You get it," He said, leaving the table. "I've got to go."

Sora exited the bakery and entered the art shop. 'This place looked much smaller from the outside…' He thought, looking around at the many aisles that Riku could be in. The brunette decided to walk through every aisle, going through all sorts of different paint aisles, woodshop aisles, and many more aisles that he didn't know existed in an art shop. The boy stopped walking and sighed. 'What am I doing,' He looked up at the murals that were painted on the ceiling. 'Just to tell him who I am and hope that things work for the better than worse. That's impossible!'

"Are you just going to stand there dawdling at the ceiling," Riku asked. "Or did you actually have something to say to me?" Sora jumped out of his state of thought, looking down to see Riku kneeling on the floor arranging the items on the shelf from a box that sat beside him.

"You work here?!" Sora asked, trying to keep the blush from his face.

"No, just helping out," Riku explained. "The owner and my mom go way back."

"Well there's something I wanted to tell you," Sora walked up the snow-head. "Riku I-"

"Don't tell anyone." The boy stood up.

"What?"

"Last night," Riku explained. "It never happened, and it doesn't mean anything. Alright?" Sora gave him an angry glare. "Good." Riku grinned, placing his fingers through the brunette's hair. Sora moved the boys patting hand.

"If you don't want anyone to know about it, then why did you even-"

"You know those things you do without even thinking about them first," Riku explained. "When they just seem to fit the moment?"

"A moment of nostalgia…" Sora murmured.

"Google translate much," Riku said, not hearing or understanding what the brunette had murmured. "In other words, the kiss was a mistake. Sorry." He walked away.

'Jerk.'

June 24th

Sora stood in the park, shifting from foot to foot as he waited excitingly for Riku to come. The gift he had for him was held in his hand, a card he made all on his own. An hour passed. He decided to sit instead. And after a couple more hours passed, he pouted watching outside begin to dim. When it became too late to wait any longer, he walked himself home for the first time in a long time.

The same waiting happened the next day too, and two more days as well until the fourth day came. June twenty-eighth. And he began to cry.

'Riku,' He tried wiping his tears away, but they refused to cease. 'Where are you?'

Footnotes

extra eight stone* - According to google, 8 stone is 112lbs. However Roxas does weigh more than that, in between 8 and 9 stone. I just didn't want to be like "extra eight-point-seven stone" or something lmao. Keepin it simple :u

Bluenette* - Anyone have any other words to describe Zexion's hair? o.o;

Reviews are loved ~