Me: Yes, I know I have been gone for awhile. But High School is my number one priority, writing is second. I have been getting more and more fans during my absence and I can say this right now, there is no way I can ever update this story no matter how long it takes me to finish it.

I hope you will stick with me and be patient.

Now where were we?

Feather Twelve

Sora wasn't happy.

To make things easier, neither was Riku.

But they had no choice.

"We want you to go back to see if Rosie is still hanging around." Tifa explained after Sora had ripped into Reno, flames dancing in his eyes. "If she is, you have to find out what she's up too. It's as simple as that."

"We'll be there of course." Paine piped in before the brunette could speak, reading the expression on his face silently. "All of us."

"We only want you to go back one day then you never have to set foot there again." Leon explained, his head lowered. "This is so we can guarantee your safety."

"By giving me to the enemy!?" Sora snapped, wings flaring in a rainbow of escaped feathers. "What if something goes wrong?"

"That's why we will all be there. You don't even have to stay the whole day if you don't want too." Leon nodded, his blue eyes locking on to his. "Just get in and out. Simple."

But it was never that simple. Leon could never truly understand what it was like. Sora had left his whole life behind and school had been a major part of it. How could he go back when society no longer accepted him?

Even if he hid his wings, everyone still knew.

"Just stay strong." Tifa whispered to him as he tugged his hoodie over his head. He did his best to give her a disapproving look but frustration consumed most of his features as he wrestled his wings under the warm fabric as they pulled up to the school. Riku was apparently already inside with the others and he wondered exactly how they were going to get away with this. Were Reno and the others just going to waltz into school dressed like members from the mafia?

"This won't work…" he mumbled, flashing her a helpless look. His blue eyes brimmed with worry as he wondered exactly what would happen with his sudden arrival. He had been gone for a pretty long time…

Tifa's smile outshined his worried features and she gave him her usual words of comfort before motioning for him to get out of the car. He obliged slowly, feeling his wings twitch in there confinement as he stood up. There was no way he could keep them contained for that long. They would grow restless within an hour.

"Tifa…" he started but she winked at him and closed the door, pulling out of the drop off with great speed. Sora was left alone, hands automatically placing themselves snuggly in his pockets where he fingered the jean material nervously, turning to face his destination.

"One class then that's it…" he whispered to himself, eyes set. "Then I'm out."

KKKKKKKKKKKKK

The halls reeked of its usual mix of dirt and sweat, lingering with a hint of chlorine. The smell of it stung Sora's nostrils, awakening the memories he had shut away with time. His sneakers skidded against the tile floors leaving small black marks, blending in with the assortment of others which had been left by careless kids over the years. Soras looked the same as the rest, yet no one would ever know those marks had been left by a freak with wings. That they had been made by someone different.

People walked by him in groups, nameless faces chattering unheard words. He averted his gaze, staring at the brick wall plastered with posters for class elections and J.V Football Try-outs. One in particular stood out amongst the rest, decorated in green ribbons, screaming out the words "Wizard of Oz' in big yellow text. The show was a week from today and from the looks of it the cast had made it fine without him.

He had been replaced of course.

The burning feeling in his heart began to grow and he quickened his pace keeping his eyes averted to the floor. The voices around him began to increase as more kids sped by, there jaws constantly moving, conversations jumbled in a mixture of laughter and words. He turned the corner feeling the walls around him pan out, listening to the slamming of lockers echo around him like doors of a jail cell. His throat tightened as the voices began to increase in volume, one in particular standing out above the rest as he passed a familiar spot, his hands clenching in his pockets.

"Leagues went well this year but it would have been better if James wouldn't have given us that test the day after, I had to bring my AP book to the pool!"

Laughter followed shortly after and Sora couldn't help but look up to gaze at his old friend, his spiky blonde hair the same as ever. Everything about Heyner was as he remembered, from the cocky grin plastered across his lips to the familiar gleam in his blue eyes brimming with competition. This look changed however when the eyes suddenly found their way to Sora's face, the grin melting away like butter. Sora hadn't realized he had stopped walking.

The others turned automatically, puzzled by the blonde's expression. There eyes drank in Sora look liquor, the taste bitter and the effect unnatural. It was like the brunette before them was a ghost, an image which was destined to become nothing but a memory. A person they had once knew, nothing more.

No words were spoken. In the silence that followed everything became clear, more clear then Sora had ever imagined. Their eyes spoke for them in every language and tone possible, the effect more damaging and terrifying then anything words could inflict. A wound which shed no blood yet grew with every passing second, killing him from inside. There eyes held no pity, no shock, no concern.

As far as they were concerned, Sora no longer existed.

And never had.

The pain didn't come. He could feel himself breaking, yet his body was not yet aware. Perhaps he had already known. He had arrived at school with little hope, expecting the worst. He had been correct.

The belle rang somewhere off in the distance and Sora let his feet guide him away from their stabbing eyes, letting himself be sucked up into the mass of people. People he had no right to associate himself with.

For Sora wasn't 'people.'

He wasn't even a person.

His tattered memory guided him to his classroom and he let himself be wrapped in the sudden blanket of silence as he walked into the room, all eyes locking onto him. He could make out Tidus in the back, his back pressed against the wall staring at him with the same dead look. A 'Wizard of Oz' cast shirt sparkled across his chest and Sora took this distraction to rip his eyes away from his old friend and place himself in a seat in the left side of the room, his nails digging into his palms painfully as his clenched hands began to sweat in his jean pockets. He removed them as he sat down, propping his chin up on his left hand, staring at the assortment of books to his right jumbled across the shelf. Voices slowly began to whisper but the final belle rang, cutting through the silence and the still image broke as the kids scrambled to their seats like mice.

"I was hoping you would come back."

The sweet voice filled Sora's head like smog and he turned his blue eyes to Rosie with loathing. A bright red bow poked out of her black hair like a blemish matching her blood red heels which she wore with a black turtle neck and skirt. He wanted to hit her, her cute ensemble hiding the insanity which lurked beneath.

A loud voice cut through the air and Sora looked away as a woman he had never seen entered the room, a pair of spectacles balanced on her crooked nose looking like a teacher out of a sitcom.

"Students, I will be your sub for the day…"

Sora gave a small sigh of relief. Now he didn't have to worry about whether or not he had been taken off the attendance list. He felt his wings flutter slightly, shifting the fabric of his sweatshirt and he struggled to hide it, leaning his back against the rickety back of the desk.

A small giggle reached his ears.

Sora snapped his head to the side, allowing his eyes to drink in Rosie seated perfectly behind him, her yellow eyes flashing with interest. Part of him wanted to run, to get away from the stupid place he had once dedicated his whole life too. Rosie was just another reason to leave. Clearly he was no longer accepted, so why should he linger?

Suddenly it dawned on him.

Everything was Rosie's fault.

Hatred flooded through him and he narrowed his gaze at the yellow eyed girl, his wings fighting to escape there confinement and fan out in irritation. She noticed, smirking and handing him a sheet of paper which the brunette stared at suspiciously before taking it into his shaking hand.

'What is she up too?' he thought quietly. Passing notes seemed below her. Quietly he unfolded the paper and ran his eyes across the scribbled text hastily:

'Why are you here?'

Sora gritted his teeth. Like she didn't know.

Silently he scribbled back an answer, his hand shaking as he wrote:

'They sent me back…'

He folded the paper and tossed it behind him lowering his head onto his desk. He figured she would know who 'they' was referring too. It was obvious. She had come back too, mainly because he had. Everything had worked out for both sides.

He felt another tap on his shoulder and he reached his hand behind him, wrenching the paper from her grasp and opening it, reading:

'Hm… wonder why.'

A small arrow pointed to the fold in the paper and Sora turned it over finding unseen text on the back, the letters slightly blacker:

'So how's Leon?'

Rage filled him and he snapped his head back, his eyes locking with hers before he could stop himself. Immediately every nerve and hair on Sora's body stood on end as if he had been struck by lightening, his skin prickling. His fingers twitched against the rough surface of the paper, trying to bring feeling back into the rest of his limbs as he struggled to look away from Rosie. All he could see was her eyes… eyes from a world which longed to seize him…use him…

"CLASS PLEASE PAY ATTENTION!"

She blinked and Sora felt his body unfreeze, his arms heavy and drooping at his sides feeling as if he had just ran for miles. He turned back toward his desk with difficulty, spreading the paper out before him and glancing at the teacher who was more interested in Tidus's side of the room where a card game had commenced between the boys without her noticing until now.

Shaken by what had just happened Sora placed a hand to his head, messaging the skin which was starting to pound near his temples. He felt sick. If he could just gather the courage to get up and leave he could be home free. He couldn't take this anymore…

He looked back down at the note wearily. He couldn't believe she had addressed Leon. After she betrayed him and the whole group…

"…Hm?" The brunette blinked several times as he watched the scribbled words across the page began to twist and coil, the black ink oozing across the thin material until a whole new set of words were jumbled together glowing back at Sora. He hesitated before reading knowing that what had just happened was not natural. His own eyes could be burned out for all he knew. He gave in however, his curiosity getting the better of him as he leaned over and drank in the message word for word:

'I bet they're making you feel all warm and cozy.'

The brunette's shoulders stiffened in reply but the tension immediately began to fade, his muscles relaxing for no apparent reason at all. God, did it feel good. His head slumped forward, resting on the right hand side of the desk feeling the smooth wood press against his cheek making him sigh. He had never felt such peace, at least not lately. So what if his friends hated him? He was in heaven. Every nerve in his body was at rest throwing him into a dream like state he never wanted to escape from.

The message began to twist once again and Sora managed to raise his head just enough to get a good view of the words:

'Your little friends on it too I bet. They'll hurt you soon enough with their lies.'

At once the bliss faded only to be replaced by sadness so powerful he felt his heart had literally broken in too. Tears welled up in his azure eyes, spilling down his cheeks like wine fighting the screams clawing at the interior of his throat. He wanted to die, to throw himself at the feet of his enemies and watch his own blood drip across his skin. No one loved him; he was just a tool to be used. Helpless and alone…

'You can trust us though; we'll take you to a place where you belong…'

The onslaught of emotions faded momentarily and the brunette gripped at his desk for dear life, his heart beating frantically in his chest. What was happening too him? It had to stop… he would go crazy…

'..a place full of happiness and pleasure.'

Electricity shot through Sora's body causing his fingers to loosen there hold on the corners of his desk. Heat began to rise from his skin, spreading to his toes and back again sending his nerves into a frenzy. He felt wrong, his body aroused and open to the world, growing hot and uncomfortable in the confinements of his clothes.

"Nnn…" he wrapped his arms around his chest, curling into himself, and resisting the urge to claw, scratch, touch, anything. He was going mad. Sweat dripped from his face leaving trails of moisture against his skin as it trickled down to his neck, the feeling making him shudder with anticipation. He wished Riku was there, the only person he would ever confide in to satisfy his tormented body.

The belle rang somewhere off in the distance and Sora could feel the bodies shifting around him. He couldn't move, if he did he would crumble, give in to his urges.

Cold fingers curled themselves around the brunettes arm, yanking him up from his seat providing him with a source of balance. Rosie's smug face sang back at him as they walked, her eyes glowing with a sense of triumph. Sora was powerless against her manipulations.

"You're fun to play with." She commented waiting until the last few kids left the room before guiding Sora forward. "Your body will recover in a bit. Unless of course you want one of us to recover it for you. "Her grip tightened on his arm and a small gasp escaped the brunette's throat as another jolt soared through his nerves. He wanted to scream, he had never felt so horribly confused. He would do anything. Anything to rid himself of this feeling.

The lighting immediately changed as they left the room only to be blocked from view as a hand shot out of nowhere, slamming into the frame of the doorway inches from Rosie's head.

She smiled, un-phased. "Hello Reno."

"Let go of the pigeon, bitch." he growled, his eyes stabbing into her with loathing. "I know you weren't really thinking you would be able to get him out all by yourself with us around."

"The only reason I am here is to see exactly what makes this kid so special," She informed him coldly.

Reno raised an eyebrow. "The whole wing thing didn't catch your attention the first time around?"

"Besides that," She whispered, glancing at a small group if kids who had decided to stop and watch, her gaze sending them on their way. "This kid is said to be the god of Akari, to me he is nothing but a little brat with feathers." her eyes shifted to the brunette and a smirk painted itself across her pink lips. "If you were so wonderful then you wouldn't have to be protected now would you? You're nothing but a worthless teenager."

"I disagree."

The three turned in unison and Rosie's eyes lit up with interest at the site of Riku leaning against the doorway, a look as cold as ice flowing from his aqua eyes. Sora would have felt relief if his body wasn't turning against him, wanting to do nothing more then tangle his fingers in the teens silvery hair letting his lips be captured by his own. He could only imagine how he appeared right now; his eyes half lidded, face flushed, and breathe shallow. It was humiliating to be lowered to such a state.

"Sora, come here." Riku beckoned, holding his hand out toward him. Reno watched on with a piercing glare, his arms folded across his chest. He was powerless to touch Rosie as long as she was considered a student of the school.

The brunette made to move, to pull his weak arm out of Rosie's grasp but she held on tight, another shock shooting through his body causing his knees to buckle. The hotness immediately faded filling the empty space with rage, raw anger spreading through his veins darkening his eyes and soul.

"Sora!" Rosie's hand removed itself only to be replaced by another, the touch causing his head to snap up, glaring into the eyes of his friend.

"Don't touch me!" he snarled, pulling his arm away watching the look of shock fill Riku's eyes. He liked it, the way the look of caring and concern died at the coldness of his words.

"They don't really care about you Sora; you're nothing but a tool." Rosie explained, folding her arms quietly across her chest with a smile. "You were born into this world to be used, to be betrayed, stepped on, and deceived. Your only purpose is to bring ultimate power to whatever side of Akari claims you first. Being born into a human world was unfortunate."

"Shut the hell up!" Reno roared, flames dancing in his eyes. "It's your fucking brother that see's him as a too, not us! That's why we split from you guys in the first place!"

"My brother doesn't lie, that's why." Rosie hissed, eyes flashing. "He knows how things work in our world. "

"Well things work differently in ours, someone like you who lives in the muck wouldn't know." his eyes shifted slightly and a grin slid across his face like silk. "Besides, you're too much of a bitch to try and understand how the rest of the world works. You have power in your little shadow world, in the light your just some whiny little brat with high heels."

"Funny." Rosie whispered, the air around them suddenly becoming cold causing the florescent lights to flicker. "Axel said the exact same thing about you."

A silence so powerful hovered around them that Sora was sure he had gone deaf. The world around them seemed to freeze, the hallways free of people and class rooms silent as if Rosie's words had been heard all around the world. Amidst his anger Sora directed his gaze to Reno, his face white as a sheet, eye's watering with rage. The brunette had never seen the man so petrified.

Who was Axel?

"Sora…"

The brunettes head snapped to the side and his eyes rested on Riku, the teen's eyes swimming with desperation. He looked helpless as to what was going on, a look Sora had never seen placed upon his features. The bickering between Reno and Rosie had completely blocked him out of the situation, not wanting to interrupt and risk the brunette harm in Rosie's clutches.

Sora opened his mouth to speak, to tell him it was alright, but another shock rocketed through his body twisting his heart into a knot, destroying every good feeling he had managed to conjure up over time. His eyes burned into Riku like fire, the blue pigment of his once azure orbs tainted black making him look like a lifeless doll.

Rosie turned toward him and the teen stumbled back, tearing his eyes away from Sora. She gazed at Riku like a lioness before its prey; the feathered teen kneeled beside her like a pet.

"And you." she smirked. "You don't even belong here, do you? You're just here because the little birdie needed a friend. "

Riku's face flickered but he stared Rosie down, standing his ground.

She straightened up, placing her hands on her hips, the rough fabric scraping against her painted nails. "If I were you I would have hit the road like the rest of the brats friends did. But no, you want to stick around and play Mr. Hero don't you? You heard the others mumbling about other worlds and gods and decided you wanted to try and get a share of the fame. You wanted to feel important."

"I'm still here because I care about Sora and I'm sick of you people fucking around with him like he's some god damn tool!" he hissed, letting his voice shatter the tension created by Rosie's words.

"Well if that's true then I suggest you stop sticking your nose in affairs that don't concern you." she answered coolly. "If you value your life."

"I value Sora's more…" he muttered only loud enough for her to hear. He had considered that long ago, back when the brunette was still in the hospital. Rosie's words meant nothing.

"What, you think you can protect him?" she snapped her fingers, locking her gaze on the teens, holding it steadily. "You're nothing! You're not even a descendant from Akari; you're just some love sick human. You're fighting for a lost cause; this boy is going to be used no matter which side wins him in the end. "

"I won't allow that." the words were spilling from him freely now, his hands clenched tightly at his sides. He hated her so much. Why couldn't she see Sora as a person!?

The raven haired girl laughed, her high heels stamping against the marble floor leaving black marks against the white surface. "You hear that Sora? He's going to protect you and put up with all the trouble you cause. He's even going to risk his LIFE for you!" she held out her hand, curving her thumb and index finger into a C so Riku's image looked as if it were being crushed like a bug between her painted nails. "I could kill him right here with little mess and all his effort would be put too waste. How would that make you feel Sora, alone?" She narrowed her eyes at him and Sora felt another jolt of pain, the anger building until hot tears beaded in the corners of his glass eyes.

"Tell him Sora." she hissed, amusement coating her words like sugar. "Tell him how worthless he is to you. Tell him that you don't love him and you can handle everything on your own. His life is going to be wasted all because of you, the least you can do for him, if you can do anything, is make sure he's better off with you out of the picture!"

He waited for the guilt to press against his heart but the rage swallowed it up greedily. He suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to obey Rosie and watch Riku's reaction to his words. The hurt in his eyes, his loss for speech. After everything he had done for him and Sora having the power to shatter it so easily made him smile, the corners of his lips twitching into position.

But he wouldn't do it. He couldn't. That wasn't like him.

Rosie hissed in irritation and Sora wrapped his arms tightly around himself as he felt the rage reach its peak, digging his nails into his skin, blood flowing across his fingers. God, he wanted it to stop! He didn't hate Riku he loved him, yet… he wanted to lash out… to yell, scream, cry, anything to free himself from the anger eating away at him.

He could hear Rosie speaking too him, feel his knees leave the ground as he stood against his will. All he could see was Riku, his black eyes drinking him in hungrily craving his pain. He felt like an animal waiting to pounce, his mouth open, nails coated in his own blood.

But he couldn't.

Sora would not say such things to Riku.

"NO!" he tore his eyes away, focusing them on Rosie letting his anger gush from him like water. He poured every once of hate into his gaze, watching as her yellow eyes widened in shock, stumbling back as the brunette felt her hold on him weaken. Anger, peace, love, joy, sorrow, his head spun dangerously. He wanted her to go away. "I am not some stupid puppet for you to control, stop doing this to me, just leave me alone!"

Her body shook as she spoke until her knees collapsed beneath her weight, eyes flickering like candles as she struggled against some unknown force. Blood dripped from the corner of her mouth before she managed to bring her hand to her throat, choking on the substance. Her hold on Sora had broken, vanquished by a power much greater then her own.

The brunettes eyes fluttered and he stumbled back as his limbs began to give out falling into Riku's arms. His wings fought frantically in the confinement of his sweatshirt, feathers slipping out from beneath the material. Reno's hand grabbed him and lifted him off his feet and threw his body over his shoulder like a sack.

"Reno!"

'Tifa…'

Footsteps echoed beside him and he felt a warm hand grab his. He squeezed it softly without thinking but suddenly remembered the blood smeared across his fingers and pulled away. He regretted it however when he cracked open his eyes to find Riku running beside him, his eyes shifted to the floor.

Sora's heart bled with guilt.

He shut his eyes, letting the heaviness weighing down his body consume him as he heard footsteps echo around from all sides, each Chaser positioned around him. He wondered where they had been during Sora's time of peril. Hadn't they said they would be there? Why didn't they help?

He was so confused.

"Say good-bye to your school Sora." he heard Leon's rough voice call out from his left. "This is the last time you'll ever see it."

"I don't think he's disappointed." Reno laughed darkly.

Yet part of him was.

Sora let his eyelids part, the place he had once practically called his home sinking into the distance. He would no longer arrive in the early hours of the morning to greet the boys on the swim team, the smell of chlorine imbedded in his nostrils and wafting from his skin. His friends would no longer search for him in the hallways, his name vacant from the cast list for the school production he had dreamed of starring in over his summer vacation with Tidus and the others. They had practiced all summer together, reading scripts at the park and swat at the local pools until the lifeguards knew them by name. His whole life had revolved around that school. Inside were his friends and future.

'That future is no longer your's,' his conscience reminded him quietly. 'You are someone else now.'

Tears tickled the skin beneath his eyes and he shut them, letting the image of the school linger in the darkness behind his eyelids before sinking into the confinement of his memory.

'…I know.'

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Me: Meh… this chapter was okay, my writings getting a bit choppy because of role playing. I am desperately trying to fix it. This was not rushed, mind you I spent a great deal of time on this chapter but over a long period due to conflicts. Its High School people, you know the drill.

Reviews make me update fast though! -wink-