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The tapping was a familiar and normal sound in a classroom of Destiny High. The students glanced side to side and waited for the ding which would sound any second now. When it did they all called out 'ping.'
Kairi, a red headed girl that sat in the front row, turned around and said, "That's getting real annoying guys."
The teacher sighed at the everyday occurrence, she eyed the clock before standing up in front of the class. "Calm down its almost time to go home. How about our new student introduces himself. Riku?"
The silver-haired boy, which had silently been sitting in the second row all day whipped his head up, "No, its fine miss."
The whole class started calling his name, he reluctantly stood and walked to the front of the class.
"Hi, I'm Riku and I just moved here from the mainla-" He was cut off by someone chucking a paper ball at his head.
The entire class laughed and the bell rang, "Well, you can get to know him better now." The teacher told the class as they packed up.
Sora, the boy in the corner of the front row, leaned over to Kairi and asked, "Why were they all laughing?"
"Someone threw a paper ball at the new kid." She replied and moved away as the students passed her.
"Oh." Sora started packing his bag, quite aware of the growing silence in the room and rustling of papers from next to and behind him.
"Ready?" Kairi's familiar voice asked him.
He nodded and grabbed her thin arm and let her lead the way out of the class. She stopped after a moment and called back to someone.
"Do you live the East or west side?"
"The West side." Riku's voice told her.
"Do you wanna walk with us?"
"Sure." The scrapping of his chair was heard, then footsteps before another body was near Sora's free side.
Ten minutes down the road and they were stopped at a small two story house close to the road.
"Keys, Sora." Kairi said before the boy dug out a keychain. She took them from him and unlocked the door before handing them back. "There you go." She tapped his hand and nudged him towards the door.
"See ya Riku." He stuck out his hand in Riku's general direction before the other boy grabbed a hold of it and shook it.
Sora closed the door behind him and just as Riku was about to continue down the street called said her good byes as well.
"Aren't you going this way as well?" He pointed.
"Oh, no, I live a few streets back, closer to the school. I always walk Sora home."
"Okay, see you tomorrow then."
She gave him and short wave and a small smile before adjusting the strap of her bag and walked away in the opposite direction.
Riku shifted his jacket to his other arm and tried to forget about the blue eyed boy.
"Selphie was totally checking you out." Kairi exclamined as she fiddled with Sora's spikes.
"No way!"
"Yeah, she was the last one to leave the room and everything."
"I'm just not into her." He told Kairi in a serious tone.
"You're never into anyone! Or anyone that you tell me about." She twisted his hair over and over, "I'm your best friend, I need to know your deepest darkest crushes. I tell you about everyone that I like."
"It's been a while since you talked about boys, not since Tidus."
"God, don't talk about that idiot, just drop it."
Sora could hear footsteps before a voice spoke up, "Can I sit here?"
"Sure! Up, Sora." She moved over slightly as Sora leaned against the wall.
"Finding your way around the school?" Sora asked as soon as he felt Riku sit.
"Well, I found the library." Sora smiled at him, "You guys do all right on that last test?"
"Probably, but Selphie, on the other hand, probably not." Riku could feel himself being left out on a joke. "She seemed to be staring off into space the whole thing."
"How about you?" Sora asked staring straight ahead.
"I think so, I'm all right at math."
"You should teach Sora, he's terrible at it." Kairi pushed Sora's shoulder.
"Hey, I'd love for you to try and solve equations in braille."
"I help you out next time." Riku said staring off at a random direction.
"You should accept, there is a test coming up soon, you shouldn't fail just because you hate algebra."
"Blah blah blah algebra."
They laughed.
"Would you rather, step on an ant's nest or have a spider crawl on your pants?"
"Spider, I'd just take off my pants."
Sora was reading away at his desk, while Kairi and Riku were studying on his bed.
"Riku help me with this." Riku leaned over and started muttering the instructions to Sora, "See you just multiply the x here and..."
"Would you rather eat a worm or lose your allowance?"
It was suddenly a everyday occurance. They would walk the ten minutes to Sora's house, Kairi would unlock the door and Riku would close it behind them.
Some days they would study and do homework other days they would get bored and play hide and seek.
Riku was smushed into a corner and Kairi was under the bed, poking out so she could keep an eye on Sora.
He walked into the closet moving his hands along the wall before he hit Riku's arm. "Riku."
Kairi burst out into giggles.
Kairi was reading a book when Sora wandered over to her.
"What does Riku look like?" He questioned staring down.
"Look like?" She was surprised at this question.
"Like his face or something."
"Well, Riku, has like light sorta whitish hair, light skin, about half a head taller than you, green eyes, big muscular, is coming over here." She glanced up and both of them starting laughing at the same time.
They were a few minutes out of the school when Riku asked Kairi, "Don't you live around here?"
"Yeah, just that house across the street." She pointed to a white house just over from them.
"If you want, I can walk Sora home, it's no problem."
"You really don't have to." She almost stuttered.
"Its fine Kai," Sora smiled not looking at either of them.
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"Great, 'cause I really need to go to the bathroom." She kissed both boys on the cheek before running off.
Sora grabbed Riku's right arm, before pulling him over to the other side, "You still there?"
"Yeah." He glanced at the Sora's hand then his face.
"Then lead the way." As always Sora did not look at him but gave a smile anyway.
When they got to the house Sora handed Riku the keys he unlocked the door put the keys back in Sora's hand, they said their goodbyes and walked off.
Kairi was quitely muttering sentences for Sora to type out as the teacher circled the classroom before stopping in front of them all.
"Since you've been studying the Great Keyblade War, I'd like you all the pair up for an assignment, all right?" Kairi happily tapped Sora's arm before the teacher started speaking again, "But girls I want you partnered up with girls and boys with boys. Guys will write about the failure to complete the X-Blade and the girls will write about the mass eradication of Keyblade wielders."
Kairi moved her desk over to its normal position as Riku tapped Sora's shoulder and asked to be his partner. Selphie leaned forward and asked Kairi to pair up with Kairi.
"Selphie wants to do the assignment in the library, how about you guys?" Kairi asked as both the boys were reading different books.
"My place." Sora answered.
"Have fun." She sighed before standing up and walking away.
"Thanks." They both murmured, only Riku watching her leave.
Sora laughed at something on the page before Riku looked over and questioned, "Have you always been like that?"
"What do you mean? Blue eyed? Or blind?"
Riku shut his book, "Blind."
"Since I was born."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, just, I get angry." Sora closed his book and moved it around and around in his hands.
"Everyone does, time from time. I don't know what I would do if I was blind." He tapped a rhythm on the cover of the book.
"You get used to it, it even has it advantages, people always want to do you favours." Sora drunk the last of his drink.
Riku traced the braille on Sora's book, "So, you've never seen Kairi's face."
"No, I haven't." Sora's smile never wavered from his face.
"She's nice, I think she likes you."
"Of course she does! She's my friend." Sora exclaimed.
"No, I mean, she's into you."
"Come on, no way." Sora scoffed.
"The way she looks at you, its like something else." Riku's voice lowered slightly and quietly.
"Stop it."
The was silence for a few seconds, the only noise was children playing far away.
"Are you into her?" Riku asked.
Sora smiled, "No."
Another beat.
"I'll throw that away for you." Riku gathered up their rubbish before standing.
"You see?"
"What?"
"Favours."
Riku walked him home so they could do the assignment like any other day. As soon as they got into the room Sora threw off his school shirt and pulled on a lighter t-shirt.
"That's so much better." He fell onto a seat.
"Its pretty warm in here." Riku said dropping his bag.
"Yeah, that's what you get for wearing a jacket." Sora said, head against the window and eyes closed.
"How do you know what I'm wearing?" He asked as he yanked the item off.
"It's a mystery." Sora laughed.
"Well, it's off now." He put it on the desk chair, "Is there a bathroom I could use?"
"Yeah, third on the left." Sora moved over to the chair and placed the jacket on the desk as Riku left the room.
His fingers lingered on the soft material before he picked it up and held it to his face. If Riku was standing at the door and watching him? Who would ever know?
"Eternity can be cruel, I keep on going..."
"-Because I need to..." Sora sung.
"-So I can miss you…" Kairi sung at the same time.
His head was in her lap and she was twisting his hair.
"You got it wrong, Kairi!"
"No, you did!" They laughed together.
Sora sat up and pulled his knees to his chest and hugged them.
"Hey Kairi, am I handsome?"
"What?"
"Do people think I'm handsome?" He played with his laces.
"Well, I think you are."
"Okay, but, what about other people?"
"I don't know what other people think, you would have to ask them." Her voice was reaching a higher pitch.
Riku picked that exact moment to show up. "Ready?"
"Sure." Sora stood up and grabbed his arm, noticing the silence, "You guys still there?"
"Let's go, I'm hungry." She sounded sad.
"Jacket again Riku?"
"Have you finished the assignment yet?" She asked as they walked down the familer route.
"It should be done today." Sora told her.
"Well, this is my stop, bye." And she took off.
"Give me your hand," He grabbed the other boy's hand and dragged it over the braille, "This is a capital letter it says, 'The desert weather is aclimated to...'"
Sora sneezed, "Bless you."
"Thanks."
Riku leaned forward and tapped Sora's shoulder before whispering closely into his ear, "I left my jacket at your place."
"Pick it up after class." He relpied.
"I can't I have to go to the dentist." He told him.
"Then I'll bring it to school tomorrow."
"Ok, then." And sat back in his seat.
Sora sat in his seat waiting for Kairi to come back.
"Where's Riku?" She asked as she packed up her books.
"The dentist." He answered.
"That boy..." She muttered.
"What is it?"
"Nothing, nothing." She waved it off.
There was silence before Sora spoke up once again.
"Kairi, I need to talk to you." He said in a serious tone.
"Go head." She continued packing her things.
"Not here."
"What's so important you can't say it here?"
"Never mind."
"No! Now you have to tell me." She looked over at him.
"Is there anyone here?" He looked down at his hands.
"No, everyone is gone." She smiled brightly and leaned forward as close as she could, hand on her chin looking right at Sora.
There was silence and steady breathing.
"Sora?" She proded him.
"I think I'm in love with Riku."
All expression dropped from her face, she slowly moved back to her seat keeping her eyes off the boy across from her.
"Did you hear what I said?"
"Yeah, yeah, I just don't know how to react to that Sora." She shifted in her seat.
After a beat he said, "Do you know now?"
"What do you mean you love him?" Still staring at the floor.
"Like, 'I want to be his boyfriend' love."
"So you're gay?" She questioned.
He gave a soft laugh, "I guess I am."
At that moment her phone went off.
"That's my mother, it's my grandmother's birthday and we are having a small party, I come by later, I won't even stay for dessert." She stood up suddenly. "Bye."
Sora sat in his seat in the empty classroom, staring at the nothingness, "Okay." But she had already gone.
There was no one to walk him home today, all he had was the tapping sound of his stick and the unending sound of traffic. He made it to the door and unlocked it only missing the lock once.
He sat in his room for a long time, just playing with the blinds or staring out the window he could not see.
Then the door bell rang.
He sat facing the door waiting for it to open, as soon as it did he jumped up and couldn't stop the words flowing from his mouth.
"Kairi! I can't believe you just ran off like that. I know it's not easy to hear, but you don't just leave me alone like that. I bet you stayed and ate dessert and everything! I've been sitting here asking myself if I should've told you I'm in love with Riku. I know you've always been jealous of other people, what's going to happen to us now? Kairi?"
As Sora ranted he was completely unaware that Riku was the one who had entered the room. He stood there with a smile on his face the whole time.
Sora was standing there just waiting for a response when he heard footsteps and then something warm and soft pressed against his lips.
Just as soon as he realised he had been kissed it was over and the door was being closed, and he was all alone once again.
He sat there playing with anything he could get his hands on, twisting and turned items over and over. He kept on replaying the feelings, the sounds, the warmth of it all again and again.
He just sat there listening to his music, staring at the wall he could not see.
He lay on his bed, anything he did, he couldn't stop the thoughts.
Then the door opened again and Kairi's voice filled the empty space.
"Sora, I am so sorry, the party went on and on and then my aunts were asking about school and college..."
"Kairi!" Sora jumped off the bed and ran his hands over the desk and chair trying to find the familiar material of Riku's jacket.
"What?"
"Do you see a jacket lying around anywhere?"
She looked around the room, "No."
"Not even under the bed?"
He could hear he lift up the blankets, "Nothing under there."
Sora's smile began bigger and wider.
"Look, I'm sorry I left you alone, are you okay?"
He leaned against the desk.
"Yeah!"