Hello... Is anyone there? I have a new chapter *waves chapter around*

I'm sorry I'm sorry so sorry! I know it's been years since this story has seen the light of day but I finally manged to finish this long overdue chapter. If there's anyone left out there who's still up to reading this, I hope you enjoy it :)

Roxas was already waiting for him when he arrived in the staff room. Sora made his way to his locker quickly pulling the smock over his head and grabbing everything he needed before shutting the door. Rotating to face his coworker again, Sora grinned, "I'm ready whenever you are."

The blonde jumped out of his chair, a large smile on his face, "Great! Let's go." The pair heading out towards the parking lot and Roxas' car.

The drive was uneventful and quite boring though the house they stopped in front of was anything but. Roxas lived in a mansion… well Sora knew deep down that he was exaggerating just a little bit. It was a huge two story house with an attached two car garage which honestly seemed like a mansion in contrast to his own dingy apartment he shared with Squall. The outside of the house was made up of large stones, giving it a beautiful medieval look. The front yard was a considerable size as well; the grass kept neat and on either side of the surprisingly small porch was an array of colored tulips. The front door seemed larger than necessary to Sora as he followed the blonde into the house.

The inside was just as extravagant as the outside. There was a small foyer, an almost semi circle, that had a closet and shoe rack. It was slightly sunken compared to the rest of the house with two steps into the living room, wood railings wrapped around the area leaving only the stairs open. The main room was beautiful with cream colored walls and obnoxiously white carpeting, not a stain to be seen. Against the far wall was a tan leather couch which was pushed in front of the portrait window, two matching chairs were beside it, both in that tanned leather and the matching love seat across from the couch. There were several fancy wood end tables in the room, all darkly stained, one on either side of the couch and one between the love seat and one of the chairs. There was a fire place in the wall, all the furniture surrounded it, the mantle made of dark mahogany with tactfully placed decorations on it and a large family portrait hanging just above it. Behind the love seat was the dining table, bigger than any table the dark haired teen had ever seen, with eight chairs fitted comfortably around it. On the other side of the table was a half wall just a bit longer than the table itself, leaving a doorway at the end which led into the kitchen.

The half wall also acted as a counter with a row of cabinets underneath. There was an island in the middle of the room with a stove, fridge, dishwasher and a double sink set up neatly around the edge with more counter space and cabinets. Above the sinks was a window with bright yellow curtains and what you could see of the wall was painted a pale blue. Beside the fridge was a set of double doors, leading out into the backyard, a nicely sized porch could be seen through the door's window. There was a pantry on the wall closest to the entryway, beside it was a stairwell leading down, obviously to the basement. Turning away from the kitchen, Sora saw a second set of stairs, this one next to the foyer railing, leading up and those were what the two teens took.

The upstairs was spacious too, immediately on the right once you reach the top was a door. The brunet wasn't sure whose room it was since the door was closed and he knew it wasn't Roxas' as he passed right by it. Wrapping around another railing, to keep people like Sora from falling down the stairs, were more doors, four to be exact. There was one in the middle that was open, which turned out to be only a bathroom. The first two were passed by, leaving the last door at the end of the hall to be Roxas' room.

Sora almost didn't want to see the boy's bedroom, sure to be jealous of the extravagance of it. To his surprise, the room was quite plain and very boyish though the large TV hanging on the same wall did say otherwise. Across from the TV was a bed, set sideways so two people could sit comfortably on it while watching or playing games. There was, of course, a bedside table next to the bed with a lamp, alarm clock and a few other miscellaneous items strewn atop it. Under the TV was a cabinet type bench, resting on top were a variety of systems and beneath them, behind a couple doors were a multitude of games, from fighting to shooter to RPG. Sora was sure he'd died and gone to gamer heaven. On the other wall was a closet, probably a walk in, he figured, even though the sliding door was closed. Next to that was a tall bookshelf, sparsely inhabited by a few books and decorations. At the foot of the bed was a window, black curtains to keep the sun out though at the moment were pulled open, allowing for a great view of the neighborhood.

While Roxas was messing with the TV and game systems, the blue eyed brunet made his way to the window, wanting to see the view. All the houses in this area were overdone in Sora's opinion, too big and gaudy though maybe that was just his jealousy talking. His eyes scanned the scenery, taking in every large lawn and driveway, stopping on a family out in their front yard. The two children, a boy and a girl, who looked fairly young, were playing in the sprinkler. The boy was a bit taller, giving the impression that he was older, had spiky brown hair, much like Sora's own, and brown eyes. The girl was petite with long flowing blonde hair and dark navy eyes. The parents were sitting in lawn chairs at the edge of the grass, the mother tanning while the father was reading a book. The woman was skinny and had her eyes closed with the same hair as her daughter, but the teen couldn't get a look at the man's face though as it was hidden behind his book.

Sora was about to turn away from the window when he saw the little boy fall, obviously hurting himself as he could hear the boy's screaming from in the room. The mother opened her dark brown eyes, looking at her husband as he put the book down to go gather the boy up and make sure he was fine. Cerulean spheres went wide as he watched the man, the graying brown spikes, the navy eyes, there was no way Sora could ever forget that face.

He was frozen in place, eyes locked onto that man, how could he? Sora felt on the verge of tears. The dark haired boy almost couldn't believe it was him but there he was with a new family, a new wife, new children. He had replaced them; their father had abandoned them only to replace them with a new family.

"Sora?" The blonde's voice caused his head to whip around, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" He forced a laugh, choking slightly as he tried desperately to cover a sob.

"I don't know, maybe it's the fact that you look like you're about to burst into tears," Roxas stood from crouching over the game systems and walked the length of the room to the window. Sapphire pools scanned the area, "What were you looking at? Those people… was it that family?"

Sora waved a hand, moving away from the window, "It's nothing. Don't worry about it. Let's just get started, I'm here to play video games after all!" He faked another laugh, attempting to change the subject.

The brunet was grabbed by the arm and hauled back until he was standing face to face with his coworker, "No really, what's wrong?" Using the hand that wasn't holding Sora in place, Roxas reached up and wiped away the lone tear as it slowly made its way down his cheek. When the younger boy didn't answer, he prodded slightly, "Come on man, I know you don't just start crying for no reason. What's with the tears?"

Spiky brown locks bounced when Sora gestured toward the window, "That man… he-he's… he's my father." With those words, glistening cerulean spheres hid behind dark bangs while trying to fight off the burning behind his eyes.

Roxas nearly fell over at the statement, using his grip on the brunet to keep him standing. His own blue orbs glancing back out the window to stare at the teen's supposed father, "Oh… why are you so upset though? Didn't you know he lived around here?"

Sora only shook his head.

The blonde's sapphire pools eyed the other before continuing, "But don't you visit him at all?"

Dark chocolate strands swayed with a second negative response.

"Your mom got sole custody?! Wow, that's rare now a day's…" He trailed off as the brunet's head shot up, a pained look etched onto his features, "What? What'd I say?"

Sora reached up, hand fisting into his shirt as he realized his mother's necklace was no longer there. Tears continued to gather at the corners of his eyes and fighting them off was becoming increasingly hard. The brunet gave a tiny sniffle, resigned to telling Roxas the whole story.

"My mother is dead… all because of me…" The wide eyed look the blonde gave him was enough for the tears to slip down his cheeks and he choked on a sob as he tried to keep talking.

By the time Sora had finished, both boys had collapsed to the floor, the brunet crying softly onto his friend's shoulder. Roxas held him close, his own blue spheres threatening to leak as well as he glared at the wall. The blonde was furious, how could someone say those things to a child or worse to their own son?! He couldn't even begin to image the pain Sora had and was still going through but one thing was for sure, Roxas wasn't going to stand for the mental abuse that bastard was putting one of his best friends through.

"Sora," He paused until those cerulean orbs were focused on him, "Sora, I want you to do something for me… forget everything that man ever said to you."

"But Rox-"

The blonde pulled the other back, gripping his shoulders tightly, "No buts! Quit torturing yourself for that bastard! What about your mom, huh? How do you think she would feel?!"

Confusion quickly covered the spiky haired male's face, "I don't understand…"

"Your mom loved you, Sora. Do you think she'd be happy knowing you blame yourself? No mother wants that, she'd want you to think about her with happy memories. So you shouldn't let anyone wreck the memory of your mom, especially when you have so few to begin with." Roxas smiled gently at his speechless friend before being bowled over in a giant hug.

The dark haired boy didn't say anything, only smiled; it was slightly shaky but genuine none the less. The blonde's words really touched him, making him realize his mistake and the brunet would make sure he never made it again. He was suddenly glad that Squall wasn't here, wasn't aware of this, knowing that his big brother would march right over there and 'have words' with him, which was Squall speak for 'kick the living shit out of the bastard'. He didn't want that, he didn't even care anymore because Sora was finally done with waiting for that man's love.

0o0o0o0

"Aww man, I can't believe I lost!" Sora was sprawled across his brother's bedroom floor, lying on his back, completely star fished. He had gotten home from Roxas' about an hour ago, tired and a little cranky about getting his ass handed to him in every fighting game the other boy owned.

Squall was lying in bed, propped up against the headboard, reading. The younger heard a slight grunt, "Well, I'm not surprised."

"Hey!" Cerulean orbs glared but all they received in return was a smug looking smirk. Sora jumped up from his place on the floor, pouncing on his brother, "You're supposed to be on my side!"

Their position was quickly reversed as the elder brunet pinned the younger to the bed, tickling along Sora's sides and stomach. Squealing laughter filled the room, the ticklee trying fruitlessly to get free while the tickler laughed victoriously.

"Mercy... Mercy... I-I give up!" Tears were leaking from blue eyes as the horrible fingers left him alone to slowly recover.

Squall was leaning back on his heels, watching the younger boy when something caught his attention... well it was more the lack of something. Reaching a hand out, he pulled the teen's collar down, "Where's your necklace?" The uncomfortable silence was more than enough to put him on edge, "Sora, where's your necklace?"

The tone was harsh and the younger winced, "Well... I umm..."

"If you lost mother's necklace..." The smaller brunet could easily hear the unspoken threat.

"I didn't lose it! I know exactly where it is," A perfect eyebrow rise was his only response and he knew very well what it meant, "I kinda... gave it to Riku." It was mumbled, but he knew his brother had heard.

"What?! You gave away mother's necklace!"

"I didn't give it to him! I'm just letting him hold onto it for a while," Sora saw the look in steel colored eyes and continued before the yelling could start, "It's just... he was really upset after what happened and he kinda freaked when I tried to leave his room, so... I told him it was from mom and that I'd be back for it."

Squall's glare didn't soften, "And when do you plan on getting it back?"

"I just have to prove I won't leave again." The dark haired boy shrugged, making it sound much easier than it was really going to be.

"Sora," That tone was more warning then threatening but still not what he wanted to hear, "You can't get so attached. What will happen if Riku relapses? How do you think you're going to get your necklace back then?-"

"Riku won't relapse."

Gun metal grey glared at being interrupted, "He'll have to be held down so we can take it from him. Do you want that?"

"Of course not!"

Large hands landed on the younger brother's shoulders, "I'm not trying to upset you Sora, but he's unstable and just because you've gotten through to him now, doesn't mean that it'll stay that way."

"I'm telling you, nothing like that will happen." The blue eyed brunet pulled away from the hands, making his way to the door.

"How can you be so sure?"

"I won't let it happen! As long as I'm there he won't relapse!"

Squall knew that determined look in his brother's eyes and he knew no amount of arguing was going to change his mind, "Alright have it your way," Grey spheres observed the other as he left the room, "Just try not to get yourself hurt."

0o0o0o0

He could feel them… the warm hands as they travelled down his torso, the wet mouth placing kisses along his neck and shoulder, the tight heat surrounding his most sensitive area, moving and jerking.

He could hear them… the soft pants, incoherent mumbles, the chanting of his name, the moaning, the groaning and finally the cry of ecstasy.

With a thump and a groan, Sora sat up. As sky blue eyes took in his surroundings, he sadly realized, not only was it a dream but he had ended up on the floor. The worst of it was the mess sticking to his boxers and oozing down his skin. Getting to his feet and checking the time, figuring he had another half hour before Squall even came to wake him for work, the brunet heaved a pathetic sounding sigh before slipping out of his room and into the bathroom across the way.

Sora grabbed a towel from the linen closet as he shifted about the tiny space, turning the tap and waiting for the water to warm up. Stripping himself of his boxers, the teen tossed them into the hamper in the corner before climbing into the shower with a contented sigh. It had been a good thing Squall hadn't caught him in the middle of his dream because he would've surely died of embarrassment, knowing for certain what name was ripped from his throat in his rapture. Sadly, Sora had a feeling it was going to be a very long day.

0o0o0o0

The sun was at the perfect angle in the sky, shining through the window as it lit the room and the solitary figure curled comfortably against the headboard. The light created a shimmering halo amongst the silver locks at the crown of his head. With sketchbook resting in his lap, Riku planned to draw until his favorite person came to visit him. The thought of Sora brought his free hand (the one not holding the pencil), up to clutch at the pendent around his neck. He still didn't understand why the brunet had abandoned him, was it something Riku had done or had he been forced? But that didn't make any sense either, the boy had apologized over and over again, claiming it was his fault. The points of the crown dug painfully into pale flesh until he finally released it.

His thoughts scattered suddenly, eyes dropping to look at his lap, he'd been staring at the ceiling as the door opened, slamming violently into the wall. Riku knew it couldn't be Sora, sure the brunet had done it the once but since then went back to knocking first. He waited for them to speak, to let him know who was there. It was silent for a long moment before a deep chuckle filled the air, the silverette tensing at the sound and knew who had come to visit him.

0o0o0o0

It was a bright sunny day as Axel exited the entertainment room, another place checked off his imaginary list. It had been most of the morning and he still hadn't seen his little blonde orderly. The red head turned the corner, heading back toward his room when inspiration struck, He must be there! His steps didn't quicken as he walked hurriedly down the hall.

Axel stopped short at his destination, vibrant jade looking suspiciously at the open door, a door that he knew was never left open and the voice that floated out to greet him had those eyes narrowed dangerously.

0o0o0o0

The clomp of booted feet sounded through the silent room and Riku felt the urge to just run. He didn't want to fight, certainly didn't want to be beaten either, never had in the first place. It was Seifer who had attacked him, who came after him, who instigated everything between them and even though Riku never fought back, verbally or otherwise, the blonde took it all not as submission but defiance.

Quiet breathing filled the hush around them as the beanie wearing teen came to a stop at the side of the bed. Turquoise irises disappeared as lids clenched tightly shut, his body tense when a hand gripped the front of his shirt and yanked up.

"Ah Freak, I don't know about you but my morning just got a hell of a lot better," The smirk was clear in his voice, even though Riku kept his eyes firmly closed, "What's the matter? Am I not good enough for you to look at?!"

The aqua eyed boy bowed his head, moonlit colored tresses draping the pale face. He was somewhat ready for the sharp pain that assaulted his abdomen though it did nothing to stop the air from leaving him in an anguished grunt. Riku bent over more, curling into the pain and trying to protect himself from any further attack, the hand in his shirt the only thing stopping him from forming the fetal position.

Seifer finally hauled the teen off the bed though he was practically holding his entire weight. The movement caused an unfamiliar jingle to sound in the room and cool metal to brush against his hand. Electric blue almost glowed with glee as he spotted the new piece of jewelry dangling around the younger boy's neck.

"A present for me," The fake gratitude dripped from every word, "You shouldn't have." But as Seifer wrapped his fingers around the pendent, a second hand shot up, shoving his aside and gripping the silver crown tightly. The blonde was only shocked for a moment before growling low in his throat, "You're askin' for it! And that little shit of an orderly isn't here to protect you this time!"

The manic laugh that rang through the room had Riku tensing all over again though he knew it'd hurt more that way. The silverette felt the other shift, knew a fist was being raised and clenching the pendent close to his chest, readied himself.

A cough sounded from the doorway, the blonde head jerking to face the intruder, harshly shaking Riku in the process.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The darkly dressed figure stood, leaning against the doorframe. His flaming red hair and dancing green eyes made identifying the intruder almost too easy.

Seifer snarled, "Beat it Pyro! I ain't got nothing against you and this is none of your business!" He went to turn his attention back to his prey, expecting the other to follow the command but the snort of laughter kept him from doing so.

"You know I'd love to stay out it but there's this little brown haired cutie who'd be very upset if I did. And then, of course, my Roxy would be mad that his friend's upset and I certainly don't want Roxy angry with me. So you see..." Axel's hand had started waving absentmindedly at some point during his little speech, he'd pushed off the wall and entered the room more fully, "I'd love nothing more than to stay out of it but I can't."

Riku flinched at the deep growl coming from his tormentor but instead of the strike he was preparing for, was tossed effortlessly into the wall behind them, across from the bed. A near silent whimper escaped parted lips as the aqua eyed teen slid the rest of the way down the wall, curling into a ball on his side against the cool tiles and wrapped his arms firmly around his abused abdomen. He watched through silvery bangs as Seifer forced his way past the red head, into the hallway while Axel followed looking almost too eager.

0o0o0o0

Sora released an explosive sigh as he and his blonde coworker left their boss' office, said blonde dragging his feet beside him. The 'creative genius meeting' as Aerith had put it, had taken almost the entire morning, leaving both orderlies feeling drained. The brunet smiled to himself at the knowledge of exactly where he was going to spend the rest of his afternoon.

A loud ruckus had two pairs of surprised blue meeting before both boys bolted around the corner. The sight that greeted them wasn't what either were expecting, a large crowd circled two bodies, one wearing a black beanie and the other with suspiciously bright red hair.

"Sora!" The familiar pink blur crashed into the brunet's side and latched tightly to his arm, "I'm so glad I found you!"

Cerulean spheres glared as Roxas managed to cover his own sniggers with a cough, "So... uh Kairi, mind filling us in?" As he spoke, his blonde head jerked in the direction of the crowd.

"Well I've only been here a few minutes but I heard from Namine that she heard that Seifer was in Riku's room but Axel showed up and they started fighting in the hall." The red head finished with a gasp as Sora wrenched his arm from her grip, not having noticed his tensing at the mention of Riku.

Fiery blue eyes stared her down, "Is Riku okay? Did anyone check on him?" And when he didn't receive an immediate answer, swept past her, pushing his way through the crowd.

Kairi watched his brown spikes disappear into the mass of people before turning to glare at the laughing blonde, "What the hell is so funny?!"

Roxas sneered at her, "You. I'm laughing because you actually think you have a chance with Sora," He moved away from her, heading slowly toward his patient, "So just stop trying, you'll never compare to Riku in his eyes... or heart." He didn't wait to hear her reply, instead going to break up the fight.

0o0o0o0

Be okay, please be okay... Tan fingers gripped the door frame to stop his frantic slide across the linoleum. Cerulean orbs searched the bland room for that familiar splash of sliver, finding it curled up in a corner.

Riku... "Riku!" Hurrying across the small space to the boy's side, Sora dropped to his knees, "Are you okay?"

The teal eyed teen was helped into a sitting position, a slight groan slipping free as his body protested the movement. Even through his bangs, Riku could see the fearful concern in the bright cobalt watching him intently. While gentle fingers prodded him, the silver haired male gave a shaky smile, "Okay."

Brushing off the obvious attempt at reassurance, the brunet continued checking for any serious injuries, "Where does it hurt? Does anything feel broken?"

"I..." Riku whispered again, taking those roaming hands in his. Shocked azure stared as he wrapped himself in Sora's warm arms, collapsing against him, "Better."

Sora smiled softly at the admission, "Good. Riku... what happened exactly?"

"Take Sora necklace," Pale fingers wrapped tightly around the hidden pendent, "Promise, keep safe."

Pulling his patient closer, the brunet saw the determination swirling in pools of aquamarine. He was unsure if his whispered 'Thank you' was heard but the soft lips against his neck was answer enough, "Riku, I promise this won't happen again. I'll stay by your side and keep you safe."

Slivery strands brushed Sora's neck and cheek as Riku pushed back enough to see the other's face, cerulean spheres met teal for an instant before disappearing behind fluttery lids. Lips touched feather light, drew back briefly and came together again, firmer and more certain than before. The kisses were short and simple, ending quickly as Riku slowly fell asleep, curled against his most important person.

Hopefully this time around it won't take me two years to update *hides behind hands in shame*

Anyway, reviews always make me smile and I love hearing from everyone :3