Pardon the lack of updates. I've been away for four weeks without internet most of the time, but I've got quite a bit of writing that will flood your author alerts with emails because of how often. I have a fem!Link/Ghirahim coming up entitled Beastly, and updates for others, and chapter seven is in the works and let me tell you, chap 15 of Threads of Fate is fuckin painful, so watch out guys!

Gym was nothing spectacular. Just another class, and today it seemed that Parrow was arming the teenagers with deadly rubber balls. It was always a pain when a ball caught one in one's crotch, something he always found a small laugh in, unless it was him who was on the receiving end of said toss.

Link was on the opposite side of the gym, the taller teen remaining at the back of his own, his hood up and hiding part of his face, a security he liked.

He just couldn't shake what he had said to Link, about fighting him the next day. When he got into a fight, sometimes he couldn't quite control where a fist flew, and he hoped that the fight wouldn't be one of those ones.

Link dodged a ball, his friend scooping it up and smacking Orielle in the back as she chatted unassuming to a friend.

"Orielle!" Parrow yelled at her. "You're letting me down, sis! You're out!"

Link's friend laughed, a cackle almost, but his victory was short lived as a ball smacked him in the face, something quite painful. Zelda was eliminated, something Ghirahim had overlooked at the moment, but as long as he stayed away from her… He chased a ball down, whipping it back at Link's ankles, watching as he hopped to the left and looked up for whoever made the attempt on his status in the game. Ghirahim grinned and waved at him. The wave was taunting and it sent a ball in reply.

The pale teen leaned backwards, the ball sailing right over him, and he caught it, sending it back to the other side mockingly. Link seemed a little angry about something as he stormed after it, but was hit out, and he stormed off to the benches.

Ghirahim continued to play, taking out two more members of Link's team with ease, and the others on his side gave him a little more room, as if he had decided to turn the game into fireball.

Ah, he was a loose cannon in that game, no sides, and everyone was against everyone. Something he excelled at, as it was pretty much his life.

His team won, and Ghirahim threw his hands up in the air as the other members of his team cheered and jeered at the others, various taunts being tossed around. He noticed that Link had been speaking with his friend.

You'll never have a friend. A real friend, and you will never find anyone. It would be better for the world anyways. Even if you did manage to make yourself a husband to someone, your kid would end up just like you. A nutjob. His voice taunted, and Ghirahim ignored it, rolling his eyes and moving to leave the gym.

"Yes, we won," He announced. "But it's not like any of you did anything worthwhile."

Ghirahim turned the thought about Jakamar's pick for the book of the year. Les Miserables. Ardaia seemed to enjoy it, and he remembered that he had dragged the two out to see the movie when it was in theatres. He did have to admit, he had quite enjoyed it, and he found himself buying the movie for Ardaia for his birthday and he had learned I Dreamed a Dream on piano, practicing until it was perfect.

Ghirahim was quite smug that he had managed to keep his usual seat and not lose it to Groose and his bumbling fools he had as friends. At least Rynae and Ardaia could hold an interesting conversation.

He noticed that Link avoided him during the remainder of the day, and when the bell rang, he made his way to Orwell's lab for his twenty minutes before his driver came to pick him up. Sometimes the chats with his teacher did nothing but make him feel worse about everything than he already did, and it was something he didn't want someone like Zelda finding out about, especially when his condition was often the topic of choice, sometimes the subjects he studied on his own.

After that, he was driven to his guardian's home and making his way to his room to work on his homework before spending the remainder of the day staring out his bedroom window, trying to think if he should practise, but he wasn't very hungry, and he eventually just buried his face in his pillow, falling asleep.

It was better than being the victim of his voices.

He dreamt that night that he didn't have the problems he did, that he didn't have paranoid schizo, that he wasn't going to be shipped away. He was talking happily with Rynae and Ardaia, Link beside him, their fingers entwined. He dreamt that he had friends, and he wasn't as alone as he was, and people actually liked him and no one feared him.

He dreamt that Link loved him, and nothing could be worse in the morning when he woke up and realized everything he had seen was nothing but a mere fantasy.

That's what broke his heart the most, and he turned onto his side, a tear falling from his left eye and rolling over the bridge of his nose to splash onto the pillow below his head.

The morning rolled by, and Link was sitting in his seat by the time Ghirahim entered, sitting beside him. Seeing Link appear so tired made his heart sink. He wasn't as cold as people thought. Oftentimes it was nothing but a front, because he was really someone who needed a kind hand to guide him and someone with a whole lot of patience to do the guiding.

He seated himself, laying out his things before pulling his phone out and updating the string of texts that made up his constant information network to keep him pretty much sane. He hadn't mentioned his dream, nor the heartbreak he felt when he woke up and found that everything he had seen and felt and heard was a lie.

He needed some positive attention in his life that wasn't forced and didn't come from his guardian (who at times seemed a tad positive-negative) or the two young men he called his friends. He looked at Link, looking him over, breaking himself out of his thoughts for the moment.

"Something wrong?" He asked, taking in wide blue eyes and drumming nervous fingers. When he received no response, he simply continued. "Oh, that's right! I almost forgot about our little fight today. Are you looking forward to it? Because I know I certainly am."

"I could think of a hundred things I'd rather be doing." Link muttered.

Ghirahim feigned hurt, placing a hand on his chest. "Well, that stung." He widened his eyes as he spoke. "No matter. I imagine it will be a lot of fun; don't you think so?"

"It'll be fabulous." Link muttered, and Ghirahim laughed, catching the tone of sarcasm Link used.

"Indeed it will be. Ah, here comes Owlan, ready to teach us absolutely nothing of worth." He snarked. He did like Owlan, but what he taught in class paled in comparison to what he had studied on his own.

"Are you really that arrogant?" Link asked, Ghirahim turning to him as their teacher began to shuffle and organize papers on his desk after giving the class a smile.

"Didn't you listen to me during our first lesson?" He demanded, scowling at the younger teen. God, how ignorant and rude are you? "I did say that they teach us nothing at all, and I was being completely honest with you. Owlan tries, but he's old. The 'science' we learn in here is nothing compared to what I've learned."

The look Link gave him was one of someone who didn't really believe him. "And what is that you've studied that's so wonderful?"

Ghirahim let a large smile grace his lips, happy that the fact someone wanted to know about his personal studies. Science was something he enjoyed very much. Link seemed to have a smile on his lips in response to how Ghirahim's face lit up. "Oh, particle physics, it's simply fantastic. And psychology is easily one of the most fascinating things I've come across in a long time. Science is everywhere, but no one takes the time to notice it or appreciate it."

He stared at Link, wanting and waiting for a response. The younger teen looked surprised, and Ghirahim smiled. "That's a nice look on you." He spoke dryly and received a glare from Link before he turned away and listened to Owlan.

"Today I'm going to test your basic knowledge of science." Owlan announced, Ghirahim rolling his eyes. "Just to see what you can remember from last year. There are three sections, divided evenly among Biology, Chemistry and Physics, of course. I want you to try and answer everything. If you can't remember an answer, just try an educated guess."

The teacher passed out the sheets and returned to his desk, flipping open his laptop, a typical habit of his he had in all the classes he taught, and Ghirahim could vouch for that, seeing as he had him for three of his classes.

He rolled his eyes again, seeing how basic the sheet was, and he worked his pencil across the page quickly, jotting down the answers to the questions typed neatly on the sheet. He finished and looked at Link, who seemed to be struggling with it.

Had he not learned anything of this at his old school? Oh, the poor thing.

He wrote down an answer and Ghirahim doubted it was even the right one, but he was trying and that's what counted. He cleared his throat after a few minutes, that amount of time being how long he had been finished with his work. Link looked up wearily at him.

"What is it?" Link asked, propping his head on a fist, and in response, Ghirahim tugged his sheet closer to him, looking over it. Indeed, he had only answered three out of the thirty. He was struggling, and it could be an idea to tutor him before exams start.

"A tropism," He started, referring to is a tropism? "is the growth of a plant in response to a stimulant."

Link wrote it down, keeping his eyes down and avoiding looking him in the eyes.

"Thanks." He murmured. "So I'm guessing that phototropism has something to do with a plant needing light to grow."

"The plant grows in the direction of the nearest light source. Geotropism is the term for the plant's roots growing downwards to absorb nutrients." Ghirahim replied, a small smile on his lips. Science!

Link noted it down, looking up at the clock every so often, his hand shaking slightly as he wrote. He was scared of the fight, and Ghirahim was a little wary about his control over his fists, and he hoped that everything wouldn't go to shit.

"Please tell me that you know a little about how gas exchange works," Ghirahim darkly muttered, placing his chin on his fist.

He drummed his fingers on the desk as Link glanced at the question, moving his fingers and concentrating on that to avoid what lurked in his mind, and to keep that dream away. He didn't want that reminder lurking around, but he doubted it would change anything. His fingers tapped on the desk as he concentrated on pretending he was playing his piano, something to distract him.

"Err, gas exchange… oh! That's in the lungs, right?" Link asked hopefully. He had that right.

"Where exactly?" He prompted, hoping Link remembered that the lungs were comprised of alveoli and bronchioles and connected to the trachea, which connected just at the back of the mouth to the esophagus with a flap of skin that kept food and drink from going to the lungs and air going to the stomach.

"Ah… The inside?" Oh my god.

"Oh, heaven above." He groaned. "In the alveoli! Weren't you ever taught anything?"

"Hey!" Link snapped. "The school I went to before this was awful; you can't blame me for not knowing all of this."

Ghirahim shrugged. One is only as good as their teacher, after all. Or how interested they are in a subject to pursue it on their own. He thought. "I suppose. But really, anyone with any common sense knows that leaves are designed for photosynthesis, not the petals." Link's pencil moved to strike out his answer and replace it with the proper one. Oh, I'm going to need to tutor him.

The next ten minutes was pretty much Ghirahim explaining atomic bonding and recited definitions for various terms in physics, helping Link out with the remainder of the questions, and Link diligently wrote them down.

The sheets were handed back to Owlan, and Ghirahim stretched, yawning. His shoulder was a little sore, but it wasn't too bad. Lunchtime was arriving after all, and Link seemed to grow a tiny fraction more anxious with each passing second.

"Tell me," Ghirahim started, staring up at the ceiling absently, his eyes unfocused. "What other subjects do you find difficult?"

"Why do you want to know?" Link replied.

"Just curious." He was. He wanted to know more about Link and how his mind worked. He figured out more of his physical breakdown, and a little bit of his mind on the first day, and that sheet that was covered on both sides was joined by a second sheet at home that he wrote down notes about Link, things he had learned about Link. Rynae and Ardaia were as clueless about him as he was, but he knew a bit more on him.

"Hm, I don't know… Maths?" Link spoke, and Ghirahim looked at him, raising his eyebrows.

"I expected as much from you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Link asked.

"Oh, nothing. Do you always scrunch your nose up when you try to concentrate?" Ghirahim noted one of the other things that he had noticed out loud to the other teen.

Link looked perplexed, Ghirahim giving him a small smile. He was rather adorable at times, and looks of confusion always seemed to be the ones that he looked better with, but he liked when Link smiled, and he was a little jealous at the fact that most of his honest and cheery smiles were reserved for his friends. He had gotten a few, but he preferred to see Link happy.

There's just something that would never happen. Just another lie from my dream that went on. I could never make him happy, I'd just screw things up for him. I'd screw his future up, I've already screwed him up a bit… He thought miserably.

"What? Where did that come from?" Link asked him, the look of confusion on his face something that Ghirahim tried to not think of.

"I was watching you write and I just happened to notice it. Honestly you get so touchy over small things." Ghirahim smiled.

Link blinked a few times. "That's… really weird." He muttered.

"Observing? I hardly think so."

The bell rung as Link opened his mouth to reply, and the class gathered up their things and stood up to rush to the cafeteria.

"Well, I'll be seeing you soon." Ghirahim called to Link as he stood up and left to go find a quiet place to eat some of the food he had brought for lunch, hoping to get something down, and he hoped he would be able to keep it down, as sometimes it didn't exactly agree with him and he ended up bringing it back up sooner or later, usually in the evening. He didn't have very many episodes at school where he got sick, which was something he was grateful for. He hated the taste of the lovely mix of hydrochloric acid and bile brought up from his stomach with whatever half-digested food he had eaten, partially the reason why he hadn't eaten in the morning.

His stomach grumbled as he opened his lunch and curled up, slowly eating the sandwich and a couple of the strawberries he had packed before he lost his appetite and packing it back up into his bag and getting to his feet.

The dream played over in his mind a few times, and Ghirahim ran a hand through the hair at the back of his head a few times. His palm stung and he tugged off his glove, looking at the pink scars on his palm, a bad habit he had of scratching at his palms until they bled when he broke down and had an episode. There were a few scabs on his other hand from the last one.

It was about ten minutes before Link was due to show up, and Ghirahim quickly made his way to their hangout, joining Rynae on the other dumpster, his bag behind it.

"Hey." He murmured. Rynae blinked.

"You okay? You look-" He started. Ghirahim raised a hand.

"I'm fine. I just had a bad dream last night. Pass me a cigarette, would you?" He admitted, sitting up and holding his hand out. Rynae shrugged and pulled out the pack, pulling one out and lighting it for Ghirahim.

"Do you want to talk about it? It's some time before Ardaia and Link arrive. I can keep a secret, after all, the two of us know about it, the only other person is Owlan, well, those who are here at the school." Rynae raised his eyebrows as Ghirahim took it, taking a puff of the cigarette.

"I'd rather not. It stings." He murmured.

"Oh?" Rynae leaned forwards, and Ghirahim seemed to be a little loose lipped at the moment, but he could trust Rynae and Ardaia after all, and he decided he would tell him about it.

"I'll tell you, but do not tell a soul." He pointed at him, a glare on his face.

"I promise." Rynae held his hands up.

Ghirahim looked down. "In my dream, the three of us were talking, I didn't hear any of the conversation, but we were happy, no alcohol or cigarettes in sight, and I felt like I didn't have such a broken mind." He tapped his temple. "Link was with us, and I… He… Well, we were holding hands, and I looked at him a few times, and he just seemed so happy with me, and there was a part that felt like I was liked a lot more by the other students, and I woke up just as Link put his head on my shoulder." He admitted, quickly getting it out.

"I'm guessing you have a bit of a thing for him?" Rynae grinned, and Ghirahim nodded. "Oh, that's adorable, Ghirahim."

He blushed a bit, taking a puff again, leaning back on the dumpster. "Uh, yeah. I guess. I'm just hoping somehow he'd keep my mind where it is, but you know what happens at times."

"I've seen." Rynae thumped down, and he heard a click, and he looked over, seeing Rynae smoking a cigarette himself. "And I know what your preference is."

"It hurts, knowing he likes her." Ghirahim's voice shook. Rynae sighed.

"Ghirahim, she's not going to…" He trailed off. "Ghirahim, just forget about it."

He didn't respond, lapsing into silence.

He heard distant laughter that sounded like Link's and he heard approaching footsteps.

"Our contender is here!" Ardaia yelled at them, unaware of the conversation that had gone on, but he could guess that Rynae would tell his boyfriend later. Just someone else he was jealous of.

He jumped a bit and sat up, scowling at the two. "You and your constant need to yell." He muttered, Ardaia flipping him off in a mock salute.

"You ready for this?" Rynae asked Link, and Ghirahim slid off the dumpster. Oh yes, the fight. He smiled, a little excited with the adrenaline that decided to start pumping then, even though it wasn't too much to screw him up yet.

Ardaia climbed up beside Rynae and received a glass as Ghirahim walked soundlessly towards Link. Rynae passed him the rose wine and Ghirahim gave Link a wide smile, locking eyes with him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Relax." He murmured, Link flinching away. "I promise up front not to murder you."

Panic flashed across Link's face and he laughed, pulling his hand away. He had a thin shoulder, and he didn't seem to be all that strong.

"I don't want to fight you." Link protested, Ghirahim dusting off his gloves.

"Too late to turn back now." Ghirahim grinned, probably a little too malicious for the situation. Link was already scared enough. "I do hope you are ready for this."

"We'll be cheering for you, Link." Ardaia called to Link, Ghirahim had his back turned to the other two.

"You'll be fine!" Rynae called, and Ghirahim started to assume his usual stature he took when he fought.

Link balled his hands into fists, visibly shaking, and the poor guy attempted to get into a ready position, and Ghirahim stood like a cat ready to pounce.

"This… This is unfair…" Link's voice shook. "You're taller, and a lot stronger."

"I'm not that much taller." Ghirahim retorted, breaking stance for a moment. "A few inches at most."

"Ghirahim stands at exactly five feet, eleven inches and a half." Ardaia pointed out. "I'm the tallest at six feet three. Rynae here is five feet nine, give or take half an inch. By the looks of you, Link, I'd say you're about five feet six, seven at most."

Link scowled. "Thank you for clarifying that."

Ghirahim shrugged, pulling off his hoodie and throwing it to the side. His shirt rode up a bit, the v-neck gripping his body and showed off his muscles. He tugged it down fluidly, and he noticed that Link was staring at him quite a bit. He grinned.

Was Link possibly attracted to him?

"Enjoying the view?" He grinned, still balanced on his feet.

Ardaia laughed loudly as Link fumed at Ghirahim. Link balanced, or attempted to, on his feet, similar to Ghirahim's own stance. He looked uneasy, something that had pretty much become his default look around Ghirahim.

More proof that he would be further away from his dream than ever.

"…Okay." He took a deep breath. "I'm ready."

Ghirahim dashed forward, covering the short distance between the two and sent a punch flying into Link's stomach and Link reeled back, obviously losing his footing. He skidded to a stop and Ghirahim started to circle him, a wary look in his eyes as Link watched him.

"Come on, Link!" Ardaia called. "Get him back!"

Ghirahim's legs crossed over each other, circling Link and attempting to get around him. His mind raced as he started to work on strategies. Link turned slowly, tracking his movements. Adrenaline pulsed through his body.

He shot forward, his fist pulled back to hit, and suddenly, he whizzed past, quickly turning in surprise. Link had turned at the last second and avoided the hit.

Nicely done. The part of him that was very wary of his actions in this fight cheered Link on.

"Get him!" Rynae shouted, and Ghirahim could hear one of the two pounding their fists against the dumpster lid in anticipation.

"Grab him!" Ardaia shrieked, and Ghirahim was tackled to the ground by Link, a surprising action. It seems that Link was stronger than he looked. The two fell to the ground and wrestled for the upper hand. Link ended up out on top but Ghirahim caught his fist before he could make contact with him. He whirled them over. He leered over Link and grinned.

"Close." He murmured. "But not close enough."

His body raced with adrenaline, pinning Link down with a knee on either side of his body. Link wriggled and squirmed, before Ghirahim felt a punch to his stomach, and Link scrambled away and got to his feet as Ghirahim recovered from the punch.

"Good going, Link!" Ardaia cheered.

Ghirahim was on his feet and charged. He caught Link off guard as he wrapped an arm around his waist and scooped him up and throwing him to the ground. Link had enough sense to wrap his arms around his head to protect himself and Ghirahim's stomach twisted with excitement. He would win, he was going to win...

He bent over Link and pulled back his arm and punched him in the side of the face, and when he realized what he had done… his face was blank and he felt nothing except a touch of fear.

"Holy shit." Rynae spoke softly.

Ghirahim got off of Link, tense. He went too far. It was Link's first fight and he went too far…

Ardaia moved and came to scoop Link up, and Ghirahim never stopped staring. Link would start hating him even more. It hurt him, it stung him, and he wanted to curl up and die. He went too far…

"It's going to bruise." Ardaia murmured, the tone he took whenever Ghirahim had an episode at lunch, and Rynae was sent off to go get tissues. Ghirahim couldn't care about anything else except what he had done. Ardaia rounded on him. "What the hell was that?!"

That startled him, and his eyes were wide.

"His first time, and you nearly knocked him out! You could have killed him, for pity's sake."

"I wouldn't have!" Ghirahim snapped, and a part of him wailed. He'd be sent away, imprisoned like his father. "I promised not to, didn't I?"

"You came close!"

"Just fix him up, Ardaia!" Ghirahim's voice shook and he watched as Ardaia turned to Link.

There were tears running down his cheeks. He moved and leaned against the dumpster, Ardaia pushing Link's hair away and checking out his forehead for bleeding.

Rynae returned, helping Ardaia clean up Ghirahim's mess, and Ghirahim knew Demise would question him again, especially if he got a call from the school about this, and especially if he caught sight of his stomach, which he was sure was going to bruise. He'd already heard about a few of the fights he and Rynae and Ardaia got into. His guardian hadn't been all that happy.

He remembered how furious his eyes had been after he had seen the state Ghirahim had been when he came home after school after he had had his first fist fight. He had visible bruises on his arms and one on his cheek.

Still, he had agreed to let him get the tattoo on his cheek. He had a lot to thank Demise for, especially taking him in. If not for him, he'd probably be out on the street somewhere.

Demise would know something was up that night. He would always be found playing the piano when something really troubled him and it would be one of those times today.

He climbed up, reaching out to touch Link's forearm and thought better of it, and slid a touch away from Link. He kept his head down, and he let a loud breath out through his nose.

"Look, I'm sorry I hurt you like that." He spoke with his head down, not wanting to look at anyone. Ardaia and Rynae looked at him in surprise and he looked up, glaring and growled at them. They looked away, shuffling their feet and Ghirahim turned his head to look at Link.

Link hopped off the dumpster and Ghirahim's stomach sank so deeply he doubted he would get rid of the heavy feeling any time soon.

"Link," He started, getting ready to hop down after Link. "I got carried away, I-"

"Don't talk to me!" Link shrieked and took off.

Ghirahim watched him dash away before he bent over, placed his head on his hands, his shoulders shaking as tears spilled down his cheeks. He felt the gazes of Rynae and Ardaia resting on him.

"I'm so sorry…" He spoke softly to no one. "I'm such a screw up."

Nothing ever went well for him.