Sora lost everything in a fire. Now orphaned, he is fostered to a rich, upscale family that already has a less than welcoming son, Riku. Struggle ensues as these two opposite scale brothers learn about each other, their pasts, and themselves.

UNDERGOING INTENSE REVISING UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

This was not happening to him. It just couldn't. But his luck was about as bad as his temper. He growled explicit obscenities as he crunched his fist into the wall again, denting the plaster. "Fuck!" He shouted hoarsely, only slightly thankful that his stereo was blasting so no one heard him.

He swung a violent kick towards his case of DVDs, scattering movies across the floor carelessly. "I can't believe they actually followed through with that," He continued to mutter to himself as he resorted to landing punches into his pillow before he did too much damage to his room.

That kid was not welcome here. He didn't need another brother, and he sure as hell didn't need one who so closely resembled his deceased brother. It complicated things. How the hell was he supposed to rat the kid off when every time he looked at him, he was immediately reminded of Van.

What were they playing at? How in the world did they ever think that anyone could ever replace his brother?

Furious that he already used all his gas, he set his jaw straight and his eyes narrowed dangerously. That kid was not going to replace his brother. And he was going to make sure of it. That kid was not going to stay. He wouldn't last through the week.

He sighed, his anger already wearing down on him physically, and he trotted towards the wall, where his phone still laid in pieces. He scooped up his battery and slid it back into place and powered it. Numbly, he texted Cloud, almost smugly, typing, "I fucking told you so."

He couldn't wait for Cloud's answer to that. He reached across his bed to shut the stereo off, rolling his eyes as he vaguely caught his mother's voice echoing from the kitchen, announcing dinnertime. He pressed his face into his hands, groaning in frustration. He hadn't had fifteen minutes to himself to take in everything that happened before it had to get shoved in his face again.

He heard his mother again, this time calling his name and he grumbled to himself, steeling his icy eyes and composed mask before he stalked moodily down stairs, occasionally scuffing the carpet with the heel of his foot half-heartedly.

But as soon as he entered the kitchen, ignoring the rumbling in his stomach, since he hadn't eaten since breakfast at Cloud's, he let his glare fall back into place. He had gone through enough shit, and it was time to give the intruder a taste of his own medicine.

"Sora, you've barely touched your food," Tifa commented gently, ignoring the heated glare from her son, who was seated at the end of the small table.

Sora looked up sadly from the mountain of collard greens, carrot slims, and zucchinni that surrounded a large pork chop. Any previous second thoughts about this new family had entirely left him when Tifa made him a plate and he caught a whiff of dinner. He honestly couldn't ever remember seeing so much food in his life, and as he hungrily eyed even the vegetables, his earlier encounter with Riku had become a distant memory.

But things took a downfall, though he really shouldn't have been surprised. Tifa showed him to an empty seat, which he could only assume used to be where their son sat, and as he looked down at the placemat in front of him, his face fell.

On the left side of his plate were three different forks, and on the other, two knives and a spoon. A sinking feeling landed in his chest as he realized just how elite and out of reach this family was for him. Then, before he had time to chance asking which silverware to use, Riku had sauntered in, not trying to hide the disgusted glare he shot at Sora.

His appetite suddenly dropped and he hid his eyes, staring forlonly at his plate. The worst part was, he was used to angry glares and learned quickly from his former foster homes to ignore them, but his problem at hand was much more pressing.

He glanced nervously at Tifa, eyeing the fork and knife held daintily in her hands, and he looked back to his own plate, trying to decide which utensils she was using. She gave a soft, "Oh," of apprehension and she leaned over, taking a fork and a knife from the place mat and she started cutting his pork chop for him.

"I'm sorry, Sora," She said, smiling at him, "I meant to cut it beforehand." He breathed a small sigh of relief as she cut his meat and handed him the fork and knife, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

He glanced worriedly over at Riku, who continued to shoot him loathing looks and he gulped silently. He wasn't sure what was better, that Tifa thought he wanted his food cut for him or that he really didn't know what silverware to use. Either way, it only served Riku more purpose to glare some more.

Gulping, he managed a small bite of the vegetables, trying to gain his appetite back, noting Tifa's nod of approval. Trying to ease the tension around the dinner table, Tifa returned attention to her son who rolled his eyes underneath his silver bangs.

"So, Riku, what were you doing today while we went out?"

"Nothing," he grumbled, not looking up from his plate, "I drove around a bit and went to Cloud's."

"Elbows off the table," She instructed, narrowing her eyes at her son's lack of table manners. Riku looked up, scowling, as he dropped his arms from the tabletop. Sora looked down, noticing that his own elbows were still on the table and he tried to lower them without bringing attention to himself. "Thank you. What'd you do at Cloud's?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing even remotely interesting."

At Riku's lack of conversation, Tifa returned her attention to Sora. "Have you ever been to a public school before, Sora?"

At the mention of his name, Riku threw him another glare. His cheeks flushed. "Never a full semester," he admitted softly. He hadn't made it long enough in a single home to even make it through a semester of school.

Tifa smiled at his apprehension. "Radiant Garden is a very prestigious school," She explained, "One of the best in the country. Riku is a senior there. He can show you around. It's a fairly large school; it can be easy to get lost there if you've never been before."

Sora couldn't help himself; he chanced yet another look at Riku. Instead, he silver-haired teen was glaring so fiercely at his mother, looking as if he'd rather stab his eyes out with any of the three forks on his placemat than guide Sora through his high school.

He was seriously beginning to think that Riku's face was forever stuck in a permanent frown.

"We'll need to get you some new clothes for school," Tifa continued, blatantly ignoring her eldest son. "You only came with that single bag, right?" He nodded shyly. "Well, you can't wear the same thing everyday, now."

Zexion nodded in agreement, speaking up for the first time since dinner started. "We were going to go ahead and go shopping for school supplies tomorrow for Riku, so we figured we could take you along and let you choose some clothes that you like. Riku-"

"I have plans tomorrow," He interrupted suddenly, his voice losing some of its earlier venom.

"With who?" Tifa asked suspiciously, knowing her son too well to know that he was just making up an excuse to leave.

"Cloud. We're probably going to lunch with Kairi or something."

She sighed, understanding that Riku still needed more time before he was forced to be with his new foster brother. "You'll be home for dinner though, right?"

He nodded. "Good, because your father and I have a business dinner with a couple from his company and I want you to stay home with Sora."

Riku's knife squeaked across the plate. He frowned. "Whatever," He mumbled underneath his breath.

"Excuse me?" Tifa suddenly became extremely stern and her eyes narrowed.

"I said fine!" He answered in an exasperated tone, rolling his eyes so she couldn't see. Zexion shook his head from across the table. Sora had a feeling that this was a conversation they held often.

"Good."

Dinner followed in about the same manner that his interview earlier did. Tifa asked a continuous stream of questions about his previous schooling and what he would like to buy to wear tomorrow. As much as he didn't want to admit, he found he liked talking to her. No matter how soft spoken he was, she always pressed him for answers, but he didn't feel like she was being pushy or nosy.

As dinner came to a close, Tifa motioned towards Riku and said, "Dishes," and he began gathering the empty plates from the table as both Tifa and Zexion stood up from the table. He carried their dishes into the kitchen and returned once, scowling at the brunette.

"Are you done with that or are you just going to stare at it all night?" He scoffed, icy eyes staring at the half-eaten pork chop and skewed vegetables, making him cringe back into his seat. Sora nodded quickly, unable to muster the courage to actually speak and he watched as Riku snatched up his plate and left him alone in the dining room.

This was all so alien to Sora. Their ways were foreign to him. He had never seen a house so expansive before, or one with marble and granite, polished wood floors and countertops. Braving his nerves, he stood up and pushed his chair in and walked into the kitchen.

Zexion was standing next to his son, next to the stove and Tifa was across the kitchen, kneeled down in front of one of the cabinets. "Put his dinner in a separate container. He didn't each much of it," Zexion was saying.

"Don't see how he could," Came the taut reply. "The kid's so damn skinny."

"Language, Riku!" Tifa scolded from the floor, retrieving a small container from the cabinet and straightening up carefully. She strode across the room, offering a smile at Sora before she placed the container on the counter. "Come on, Sora. I'll show you the bathroom," She said kindly, taking him by the hand and leading him through the kitchen into the living room and then up the stairs and down the hallway.

He happily obliged, not willing to be anywhere near Riku for the time being. The bathroom was just as magnificent as the rest of the house was. The walls were a light sandy color and the sink was granite. Tifa started the water for him, instructing him on how to turn it off and which knobs to turn to adjust the temperature and she left two large, fluffy towels on the sink.

"This is the bathroom you can use. It's right down the hall from your room. Here's shampoo, soap.." She trailed off as she gathered each from beneath the sink. "I believe that's all you need. Do you want to change into your own clothes? We have some of Van's old clothes. You might not be comfortable with wearing his stuff though."

"I-I can wear my own clothes," Sora said shyly, breaking Tifa's small tirade. She smiled at him and ruffled his hair gently.

"All right then. Take as long as you like. See you in the morning."

Sora sighed, cocking his head to the side. Maybe this wasn't going to be as bad as he originally thought. Riku could warm up to him soon enough, and Tifa and Zexion seemed to be welcoming him with open arms. Maybe Riku just needed time. He could understand that more than anyone.

And he could be patient.

If there was one thing that he had learned living in the orphanage and living through twelve different foster families, it was that nothing but time and patience could ease a foster kid into a new family.

As he took a shower, Sora let his mind wander, collecting his thoughts and processing the events that took place all in one day. It certainly seemed longer than a day. He thought about Roxas, and his last words per say. Everything was supposed to happen for a reason.

And maybe, though he was certain he was being unrealistically optimistic, this family would turn out all right. He scoffed bitterly to himself. It was a hard deal to sell, especially considering Riku.

The elder teen had been nothing short of hostile to him, but Sora wasn't sure he could completely blame him. It came as a shock to the boy that his parents suddenly show up with a new kid, claiming he was his new foster brother. It was unexpected and most of the kids that Sora had met while being fostered reacted in much the same way. Maybe they were more welcoming than Riku was, but their tendencies were all the same.

He was intruding into their home and he, in fact, felt like one.

After what seemed like forever of just standing in a daze in the shower, and it was considering he was never able to shower for long at the orphanage,(hot water never lasted long there), hot water cascading down his back, he finally began rinsing his hair and washing his body of soap.

When he finally did finish his shower, dried off, and managed to slip into his old pajamas, he realized that his shower had taken much longer than he thought. The entire house was dark and eerily quiet. He tiptoed back to his appointed room and was about to crawl under the covers, exhaustion finally gauging him, before he realized he forgot to brush his teeth.

He ran back to the bathroom and as he switched off the lights and returned to the room, he noticed a shadowed figure in the doorway.

"What do you think you're doing?" The icy voice made him flinch. Sora gulped as Riku crossed his arms, leering ruthlessly at him. He stared down at his feet submissively, nervously playing with his fingers.

"I...I n-need to go to bed," He mumbled so quietly he wasn't sure Riku heard him.

The silver haired teen laughed meanly. "You're not sleeping in there." He reached backwards and fumbled with the lock on the inside of the door before slamming it shut. "This is not your room. You can sleep on the couch or the floor," He snarled, taking a step towards the brunette.

Sora's eyes widened and he cowered, stepping backwards in fear at Riku's fury. He just locked the door. He just locked him out of the room.

"Good luck finding your way around here," He scoffed, bending down to pick up a thin blanket and throwing it at Sora's feet. Then he turned on his heel, making sure to shove by the smaller boy, and he stalked away, leaving Sora alone in the hallway in a maze of rooms.

His eyes brightened with tears. How in the world was he supposed to find his way around the huge house? And how pitiful of him to actually think that Riku just needed time. This wasn't just shock and bitterness. This was downright brutal and antagonizing.

And he was positive Riku's words had a double meaning to them. It was a good luck finding your way around this God forsaken mansion and it was good luck staying here.

He sniffed softly, rubbing his hands over his eyes and then gingerly fingering Roxas' ring around his neck. He picked up the blanket from the floor and trudged slowly down the staircase, trying to remember where Tifa had taken him from the kitchen.

Luckily, he managed to find it easier than he thought and he curled up on the leather sofa, grateful that at least something went right this night. At least he wasn't wondering clueless around the house.

He splayed the blanket over his small frame, trembling. He curled his fingers around the ring again, a few tears escaping his eyes.

Roxas, I wish you were here right now. I need you so much...

"Sora? Sora, dear."

Someone was shaking him gently. He awoke with a start, wide eyes darting around, trying to figure out where he was. The ceilings were a dark granite color, not off-white. And whatever he was currently sleeping on was much more comfortable than the lumpy mattress he was used to sleeping on.

Tifa started as he groggily rubbed his eyes. "Sora, sweetie, why are you sleeping down here?" She asked, running her fingers through his tousled hair. He looked around again and realized that he was on the couch and last night's events swarmed back into his head.

Right. Riku had so graciously locked him out of his room. Speaking of the devil, he was looming behind Tifa, a scowl plastered on his face as usual and his arms crossed. Sora met his eyes, angry and unforgiving, just waiting for him to rat him out.

"I...accidentally l-locked myself out," He said, an apologetic pout on his face.

Tifa smiled at him. "We'll fix that," She said soothingly, stroking his cheek. She stood up and gathered the blanket that had somehow pooled at the edge of the sofa and she folded it neatly, eyeing it suspiciously. "Riku, isn't this the blanket that goes in your closet?" She asked, stern eyes narrowing.

Riku looked like a deer caught in headlights for a split-second and Sora almost reveled in him being found out, but his icy eyes narrowed and he said firmly, "Yeah, but I moved it a while back. No need to clutter my closet with crap."

Tifa stared accusingly at him for a few seconds and he managed a final glare at Sora, still daring him, still trying to rile him up. "Well, go put it back where it belongs," She stated firmly, standing up gracefully in black dress pants and handing it to him.

He looked oddly satisfied as he left the room without another word. "Sora, are you hungry?" Tifa asked, bringing him back to attention. He nodded eagerly.

After a breakfast of scrambled eggs, and the best one he had had yet in a long time, Tifa had him wash up and get ready to go shopping. He honestly was surprised to see that so far, Tifa and Zexion were holding up their promises.

As he was walking back down the stairs to the front door, he paused, catching wind of Tifa talking to Riku as he impatiently held the door open.

"How long are you going to be?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, Mom."

"No later than six thirty, all right? We have dinner reservations at seven."

"Sure, Mom," He said in exasperation, rolling his eyes.

"I'll see you later," She said, ignoring him and mussing his bangs out of his eyes. "Tell Cloud I said hi." She kissed his forehead and Sora saw him flash a genuine smile. The first he had ever seen out of the hostile teen. He was so positive that Riku was incapable of any other human emotions other than anger.

It was almost nice to see that Riku had another side to him. He so obviously hid behind a mask. Sora felt himself smile sadly. Maybe there was hope for him after all. Riku wasn't the cold-hearted jerk he acted like. He was just hiding behind a facade, and if there was one thing that Sora knew more than anything, it was about hiding behind a mask.

But it offered him a chance. And that was all he needed. What they both needed.

"I don't know what they were thinking!" Riku groaned, sprawling across the edge of Cloud's bed, unceremoniously.

"You never know. Maybe he's not that bad," Cloud said, raising a blond eyebrow at him. He knew that Riku could be stubborn and blindsided, but it was something he usually got over quickly. Not this time it seemed.

"You just don't get it Cloud. You don't fucking get it," He spat angrily, turning so he could face his best friend.

Cloud folded his arms. "What the hell is there to get, Riku?" He countered, a little tired of Riku's constant complaints.

"The fucking kid looks like Van!" He shot back, glowering with spite as Cloud did a double take. "Exactly like him. Except he has brown hair and blue eyes. And he's the skinniest damn thing I've ever seen," He explained hotly, not letting Cloud have a chance to speak.

Cloud sighed, running a hand through his blond spikes tiredly. Riku had been going off about his new foster brother for hours. And frankly, he was getting sick and tired of Riku ranting over every little thing that he believed was wrong with his life.

"Why don't you cut the kid some slack? He obviously has no home or family. That's why he was in the orphanage in the first place and obviously why he's here now."

"He sure as hell doesn't belong in this one," Came Riku's blatant comment, disregarding the common sense that his best friend was shoving right in his face. He rolled over on his back, sneering as Cloud shook his head in disapproval.

After a few moments of tense silence, Cloud spoke up again, moving to the bed. "I think you're overreacting, you know."

Riku rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't expect you to understand anyways."

Cloud bit his lip as the silver haired teen chose to stare pointedly at his ceiling, completely ignoring him. Riku sure could throw the tantrums around like a little kid. He used to not have such an explosive temper.

Ever since his brother had passed away, his temper had gotten out of hand. Back when Van's accident was still fresh in everyone's mind, Riku had gone on a downhill spiral, his anger spinning out of control. He lashed out at everyone and anyone. Unfortunately, it had a lasting effect on him, and Riku's sore attitude and disclosure of his old friends had left him with only two people who truly stayed by his side.

But Cloud had to admit, even he felt like giving up on his own friend sometimes.

"I hate when you do this."

"Do what?"

"You know what, Riku. Dammit! Did you ever think about how this kid feels? Does this kid even have a name or are you just making him into some sort of object of your disposal? Don't you think he's just as uncomfortable and unhappy with this new change as you are? I'm sure as hell he's having a hard enough time as it is trying to deal with you, of all people."

"Cloud, shut up!" Riku groaned, fisting his hair in frustration.

"I bet his life already is a living hell. Everyone knows about Hollow Bastian. It's like the ghetto, Riku."

Riku slammed his fist into the bed, sitting upright and growling at Cloud, "Will you stop siding with that damn orphan!"

"What the hell is your problem?" Cloud shouted, finally breaking. Riku was being completely unreasonable. He had been fighting so hard to control his own temper.

"My problem?"

"Yes, your problem!" He furiously rubbed his temples. "Good God, just stop already!"

Riku stood up, pacing angrily around the room, his fists clenched tightly and his entire body shaking as Cloud watched helplessly from the bed. There was nothing that could get through to Riku when he was angry.

"Look," He sighed, taking a deep breath to steady the blood boiling in his veins. "Can we just forget about this? At least for right now?"

Riku jerked his head in his direction, fury burning behind his aqua eyes.

Cloud's face darkened. He had had enough. "Go home then."

Riku spun around, his eyes still blazing and a look of disbelief crossing his features. "Why?" He snapped.

"Because," Cloud growled, standing up, "I'm not going to sit here and listen to you act like a damn six-year old just because you have a new foster brother. Get the fuck over it already!"

"You don't get it!" Riku seethed between clenched teeth, advancing on the other teen.

"What is there to get?" Cloud finally snapped, finding exactly what was going to make Riku listen once and for all. "It's been two years, Riku! Get over it!"

He flinched as Riku's eyes widened in pain and fury, expecting the boy to punch him or strangle him. But a deep sadness boiled underneath all the hate and rage and Riku's shoulders finally slumped. Cloud breathed a sigh of relief, until Riku's icy eyes suddenly hardened again and his lips curled into a snarl.

"Fuck you!"

He pivoted on his heel and left the room fervently, slamming the door behind him and leaving Cloud wandering what in the world had just happened.

Shopping was a nice change for once for Sora. He had never really had any new clothes at the orphanage, and when he did, they were all from thrift stores or hand-me-downs or donated. He couldn't remember the last time he actually got to pick what he wanted to wear.

At first he was very apprehensive about shopping and even more about how unconsciously Tifa and Zexion were spending money. He had expected a few shirts and jeans, maybe a jacket or two, some shoes and socks and undergarments, but never the amount that they had proposed.

Any item of clothing that he so much as looked at fondly, it was in the cart. He had already compiled enough shirts to fill up one of the drawers of the dresser in his room. Jeans had been another story entirely. He was so skinny and small, they were forced to find jeans in the kid's sections of every store they visited.

At first it was embarrassing, but his gratefulness and excitement won that over.

After clothes shopping, which took up most of the morning, Tifa and Zexion took him to lunch, then took him out again for school supplies. He had never had a book bag before; there was no need for one, really at the orphanage. He got to choose a big, blue and black one that he liked and then he got his own pencils, pens, markers, paper and binders.

Needless to say, he felt ridiculously spoiled and he was relieved when Tifa finally told him they were going to make one more stop before they went home.

Exhausted from such a busy day, he began to drift off as Zexion drove around the city, his head leaning against the window, when the car took a sharp turn and through half-lidded eyes, he saw a massive, brick building, black mounted letters reading, "Radiant Garden Pediatrics."

He sat up abruptly, nervously twitching his fingers. "Am I g-going to the doctor's?" He asked timidly.

Tifa turned in her seat. "Not today. We're just going to make you an appointment. I'm sure that Ms. Gainsborough has kept you updated on your shots, but you still need a physical and health check done for the school, okay?"

He nodded, relief washing over him that he didn't have to go. His experiences in the hospital or even a doctor's for that matter, were not exceptionally good ones.

He waited patiently in the car, chatting quietly with Tifa, who seemed to be playing twenty questions with him again, while Zexion went in and scheduled him an appointment before school started in two weeks.

Once they got home, they helped him unpack and fold and put everything on hangers in his new room and then brought him downstairs into the living room to watch television while they began to prepare for their evening dinner.

Tifa had just gotten downstairs, applying makeup to her eyes when Riku stalked in unannounced and dropped onto the couch furthest away from the two of them.

"Riku, you're home early," She commented lightly, checking her watch. "Are you okay?"

He shrugged his shoulders and ignored her question, staring up at the giant, flat screen t.v. perched on the wall. There were two soft leather couches and a love seat that circled a glass table. On the left of the room, a pretty, stone fireplace stood.

After a few quiet minutes, Tifa closed a compact mirror with a snap and set a makeup bag into her purse.

Sora could tell from the get go that Tifa was a very elegant and well-dressed woman, but even he thought she looked exceptionally beautiful. Her long dark hair was curled into thick waves around her face and she was wearing a black and white checkered coat that covered her dress but revealed her black leggings.

She crossed the living room in heels, calling for her husband, "Zexion, honey, are you ready to go?"

"I'm waiting on you," Came the reply.

"All right," She turned around, smiling once at Sora then leveling her gaze on Riku. "Riku?"

"Hm?"

"Money's on the countertop to order out. Yuna is coming over to get the laundry."

"Yeah, yeah, I already know," He waved her off. She smirked and walked to him, kissing his cheek.

"Behave," She warned. As she walked out to leave, she stopped to ruffle Sora's hair. "Mind Riku, okay dear? We'll be home soon."

He nodded and his cheeks blushed as she knelt down to leave a small kiss on his forehead. Tifa had a way of making him feel special, like maybe he really could belong here.

Riku shot him a glare as soon as the front door shut and he jumped to his feet, scowling as he approached the sitting brunette. Without a word, he snatched the remote that was laying on the cushion beside him before returning to the other sofa and collapsing on his chest, flipping through the channels lazily.

Sora shifted nervously, bringing his feet to his chest as tension settled eerily in the room. He didn't want to be alone with Riku, especially after the hateful display last night. He chose to try and ignore the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach and focus on the changing channels.

He jumped when the doorbell suddenly rang, earning a raised eyebrow from Riku.

"Come in!" He called, his voice echoing through the empty house.

A few moments later, a petite woman with mousy brown hair walked past the room.

"Clothes are all in the hampers and the sheets are all stacked in the master bedroom, Yuna!" He called again loudly.

Sora stared wondrously at the silver haired teen as he heard a high-pitched, "Thank you dear!" He dared himself to speak.

"You uhh...have a maid?" He tried for small talk.

"Nothing gets by you, does it?" Riku mocked sarcastically, not turning his eyes from the television.

His tone made Sora bite his lip. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Riku definitely didn't seem like the type for small talk. His comment may have been smart, but it wasn't necessarily crude, so he tried again.

"Your...mom said you're really close to Cloud?" He tried hopefully. Riku turned on him so suddenly, his eyes blazing so angrily that Sora felt himself cowering into the sofa.

"Mind your own damn business!" He retorted.

Sora gulped. He just blew that chance. That was like the one step forward, two steps back as the saying goes. He remained silent for a long time, jaded as Riku decided on random channels then got disinterested and went to another channel. His stomach began growling, churning uncomfortable. He hadn't eaten since lunchtime.

He glanced nervously at Riku again. Third time's a charm right? "R-Riku?"

"What?" He snapped irritably.

"C-Can we order some food? I'm g-getting hungry."

The teen slammed the remote on to the glass table and Sora was surprised that the glass didn't break. He got to his feet, leaving the room.

"Order your own."

Sora sat dumbfounded for a moment. This was way beyond Riku simply having a bad temper. He seemed to have a severe prejudice against him. Then his anger started boiling. What the hell was wrong with Riku He had done nothing wrong to him.

Sora hated confrontations, but this was just wrong. Gritting his teeth, he stormed after the obnoxious teen, up the stairs and into the hallway.

"What is your problem?" He asked, his voice raised just enough to actually get Riku to look at him.

The teen snarled as he turned around, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "You're my problem."

"What have I done to you?" Sora asked angrily, refusing to let Riku get away with his rude behavior.

"You want to know what you've done? You've fucked up everything!" He screamed, advancing quickly on the small brunette, surprised that the fourteen year old didn't back off. "I don't want another brother and I don't need one either! You think I wanted you here?" He gripped Sora's shoulders painfully.

Sora felt his face redden. "Like I wanted to come here!" He finally shouted, snapping Riku's hands away. "You think that I got up on my own accord and decided I wanted to leave all my friends behind just to come here and be insulted and yelled at! I didn't ask to come here!"

Riku stepped back, shaking his head. "Well good! Cause I don't want you here!"

"Good! Because I don't want to be here!" Sora yelled, his voice turning hoarse as tears sprang into his eyes. He shoved by the elder teen, storming into his room and slamming the door.

Riku was so rotten. He didn't have a choice on whether or not he could have stayed at the orphanage. He had just been whisked away. Trembling, he pulled one of the pillows over his head and cried silently into the mattress. This was so unfair. In what previous life had he done something so bad that he had to endure this kind of abuse?

Sora continued to cry until he finally passed out from exhaustion and a quiet knock at the door startled him.

He sniffed, rubbing his swollen eyes as he lifted his head from underneath the pillow. "What?" He asked, his voice bitter but tired sounding.

"There's pizza downstairs," A hesitant but gruff voice said, before Sora heard footsteps leaving. He sighed. He really didn't want to have to deal with Riku again. Fighting with him was exhausting and enduring his snide remarks and biting tongue was really beginning to damage what little self-esteem Sora had.

He clambered to his feet, examining his reflection in the mirror across the room, noting his haggard appearance. He could stay shut in the room until he looked halfway decent, but a particular loud grumbling of his stomach told him otherwise.

Sora reluctantly made his way down the stairs, doing his best to stay as far away from Riku as possible. Lucky for him, the silver haired angsty teen was nowhere in sight. He inhaled deeply, hot pizza filling his senses. His stomach growled again and he eagerly entered the kitchen where two large pizzas were, boxes open.

He took a plastic plate that was sitting beside one of the boxes and stacked a few slices on his plate before he retraced his steps backwards to his room. If luck had ever been with him, it was then. He hadn't caught a single glimpse of Riku, therefore avoiding another hostile conflict. He carefully locked the door and sat at his desk, numbly chewing his dinner.

If this was going to be how every single day with Riku was going to be...Sora shook his head. He could not handle this everyday. He decided he would just stay out of Riku's way for a few days, let him mull over their argument, and hopefully they would finally be able to speak civilly to each other.

Hope. That was the only thing he could hold on to for now.

I understand that these updates are taking long, but I just want everyone to realize that I am quite obviously making changes and I just want my readers to appreciate them. There are notable differences and that's one of the reasons this was taking so long. However, I am finally out for the summer, which means that my updates will happen much more quickly.

Also, I am currently going through some new ideas for more stories, and both of them are summer romance flicks. So we'll see about those coming out soon.

Don't forget to check out Finding Freedom, a spin on Titanic, and my first fic that will actually contain more pairings, and A Heart On Your Sleeve, something that I am also going to revise some.

Thank you for being patient, and I hope you enjoyed this.