Secrets

by Ocearna

Sora's bored, and his friends are hiding something. But Sora has his own secret, one that will make his day even better than planned. Loosely links in with Lucky 13. COMPLETE

ORIGINAL MESSAGE: Hey! This was going to be a oneshot, but it got too long and I decided (with the prompting of a friend) to put it up in two parts. It links in vaguely with my AkuRoku Lucky 13, but it isn't neccessary to read one to understand the other. I won't say much about the actual story, 'cause that would spoil it, but I hope you like it!

EDIT: Well, when I was going through and sorting out all my files, I decided that this wasn't actually too long, and went and put it in one part. So now it is truly a oneshot. Enjoy.

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"Hey, Riku..."

"Yeah Sora?"

"I'm bored."

I chuckled as I turned around, grinning at my friend. "Well maybe if you got off my bed you might find something to do."

"But your bed is comfy..." I laughed again when Sora lifted his head slightly to... glare. He was draped over the single bed, legs dangling off one side and head off the other. He had had to lift his head up, but it flopped back down in barely a second. The glare wasn't really all that ferocious, and Sora knew that it wasn't, which was why he didn't bother to try to hold it on his face for very long.

I turned back to my screen, studiously typing away at an English assignment. I had a massive workload from being in extension classes, a fact the little procrastinator didn't seem to be able to understand. Or wouldn't, depending on how you looked at it.

"Why don't you go bug someone else? I think Namine was rambling on about some new stuff in her studio on Friday. Something about a new bean bag... one of those ones in a frame, that look like a giant bird's nest?"

That did the trick. Sora jumped up and was out of my room with a brief, "Thanks Riks! See you later," and a quick wave. I sighed and got up to readjust my bed covers, then laughed when I noticed Sora had left his phone on the dresser beside my bed. I didn't laugh much, what with the load of work high school gave out and the pressure from everyone to do well, but Sora always made me laugh. Just the small things he did that were just so Sora, that made him my best friend.

It was as I turned back to the computer that I noticed the small icon on the tray. I clicked, and an instant messaging screen popped up. Kairi was rambling, saying hello to Sora and I. My fingers flickered over the keyboard as I quickly told her that Sora had just left, most likely headed to Namine's place. The screen stayed like that for a moment, before Kairi's reply, "I'll ring. We need to warn her he's coming over." I grinned, glad that she was taking the time to do that for me. I said my goodbyes and signed off, finally able to focus back on my project.

The English assignment was only a cover. I had already finished it, but I needed a reason to be on the computer when Sora was watching. My real reason for being on was behind a hidden tab on my tray. I brought it up and smiled at my work so far. It was almost perfect but still incomplete, and I only had a few hours before it had to be done.

My fingers flashed over the keyboard again, the mouse being used only when I couldn't do something by a shortcut. A smile lingered on my face as I worked, my imagination running through Sora's reaction over and over.

Keeping secrets was hard, but rewarding.

ш—Ө Ө—ш

"Nami, Nami, Nami, Nami, Nami, Nam-" The calling stopped as I flung open the door, and a brown haired blur latched itself onto me. "Nami!"

I grinned at the hyperactive brunette and carefully pulled back from the hug. "What brings you here Sora?"

Sora bounced on his toes, looking around almost expectantly as I guided him into the house. "Well, I was at Riks and I was laying on his bed 'cause it'sreally comfy, but I was bored 'cause Riks was doing homework and I didn't want to get off his bed 'cause it was comfy and he said I should come here 'cause you have a new bean bag thingy that's one of those bird nest things and I really love them and they're so comfy, almost as comfy as Rik's bed and I thought it'd be fun and- why're you laughing at me?"

I gasped, trying to stop the laughter before it did serious damage to my poor stomach, but one look at Sora's mystified face set me off again. He just stood there and watched me as I doubled over, gasping for air and leaning against the stair railing. It took nearly a minute, but I eventually calmed down. Wiping the tears from my eyes, I smiled at Sora. "Sorry."

"Why were you laughing at me?"

Counting to ten barely held back the laughs that threatened me again. "You said all that in one sentence Sora, and you used at least three words that I'm sure aren't in the dictionary."

Sora poked his tongue out, and ducked around me to dash up the stairs, turning around at the landing to watch me follow him. "So do you really have one of those bird's nest chairs now?"

I nodded, and Sora turned with a whoop and raced down the hall to my studio. I smiled as I remembered Kairi's frantic call, warning me that Sora was coming over. I'd had to quickly hide my newest project, stashing it in the spare room. It wouldn't do for Sora to see that now, before the real surprise.

Speaking of Sora, he was bouncing on the balls of his feet in front of my door. I smiled, grateful that he remembered how much I hated it when people just walked into my studio. He stepped back as I neared, allowing me to reach the door handle. I pulled the door open and walked in, grinning as the doorsnicked shut and Sora ran past me, pausing only for a second to check the chair was clear before flopping down on it with a contended sigh.

It took only about ten minutes before Sora got bored of just lying there, snuggled in the white cover rug I had spread over the chair just minutes before, but a few sheets of paper, a pack of coloured pencils and a lap table entertained him some more. We talked a little as he drew and I painted, mostly about school and friends. Sora was fuming at one stage about how he had gotten so much homework this weekend, which ensued in an argument over whether he should be allowed to not do his homework, just this weekend.

Then he started ranting about his brother, Roxas, and spent almost five minutes going on about how it was such a pity that Rox couldn't come down, but he had school work and his friends wanted to drag him out to somewhere tomorrow. He was angry, in that way of his that doesn't really seem all that angry, but he was also sad. He missed Roxas, having not seen him for almost a year now. And of all the weeks when their father just had to put his foot down about Roxas doing his homework and studying, it had to be this weekend. Sora had previously voiced his opinion that it was a conspiracy, and I partly agreed. Sora's parents lived hundreds of kilometres apart, and they never seemed willing to shorten that distance even the tiniest amount.

It was about an hour and a half after arriving that Sora decided he was sick of drawing. Since the only things to do in my house were art-related, I suggested he go to someone else's house, hinting that Demyx and Zexion had gotten a new game recently.

Sora was up in a second, calling a cheerful goodbye and thanks for the paper and pencils, before disappearing out the door. I waited until I heard the front door shut, then picked up the small mobile on the table beside me. I dialled a speed dial, grinning as I heard an enthusiastic hello on the other end.

"Demyx, Sora has just left my house."

There was silence on the other end, then a shriek and a clatter. A moment later another voice came on, but this one was a lot calmer than Demyx. "I assume he is coming here then?"

"Yeah. Sorry about the short notice Zexion."

I could almost hear the shrug in his voice. "It isn't a problem. We've both finished out projects, so we'll be able to hold him off for a while. Who does he go to next?"

I considered that for a moment, glancing at the clock. "It depends. Send him to Kairi's if it's early, but if it's getting closer to the time, just send him back to Riku."

"Of course. Thank you Namine."

"Talk to you later Zexion, bye Demyx!"

There was a shouted goodbye in the background before the line went dead. I sighed and rubbed the heel of my hand against my forehead. I glanced down at the paints on my shelf, then trudged back to the spare room to grab my project. It was almost finished, but there was a few little details that still needed to be fixed.

I could imagine Sora's face when he saw it, and that thought made me smile.

Much as I hated lying, some secrets were definitely worth keeping.

ш—Ө Ө—ш

If the pounding on that door didn't stop soon I was going to go out there and strangle the litt-

"Sora!"

There was a clatter of hurried steps down the stairs, a soft crash and a curse before the door was thrown open, banging loudly into the wall, and Demyx bounded through to effectively tackle Sora. I groaned and carefully placed my book up on a shelf where it, hopefully, wouldn't get damaged by the two hyperactive teenagers. Demyx had managed to knock Sora to the ground, both of them luckily landing on the grass beside the pathway, but they were laughing at each other. I decided to intervene before they were both completely covered in grass stains.

I stalked outside and hauled Demyx up by the scruff of his collar. Sora bounced right up and promptly wrapped his arms around me in what could only be described as a bone crushing hug.

"Zexion! I didn't know you'd be here." I stared at Sora curiously and he grinned. "You're always at the library, or holed up in your study which is the same as you not being here, so I didn't exactly expect to see you."

I shook my head at the boy's logic, letting Demyx explain for me like he usually did. He was rambling on about the library I was building in one of the spare rooms, which saved me from having to try to decipher Sora's stream of queries. When the conversation turned to Sora wanting to see the library, I felt a need to intrude.

"No."

Both Sora and Demyx looked at me in surprise. I shrugged and lowered myself into a couch, my couch if you were to believe Demyx, carefully scrutinising both boys' faces for any signs of wanting to go against me. "Those books are valuable. I won't have anyone else go in there."

Demyx grinned as he flopped down into another armchair, immediately pulling his sitar into his lap and beginning to strum it quietly. "Zexy's just protective about his books Sora. He won't even let me help in building the shelves. He's scared I'll make a mistake and screw something up." He rolled his eyes, but I caught the furtive glance he sent my way, and I nodded slightly.

The third armchair squawked as Sora dropped into it, the old springs protesting the rough treatment. "Okay, okay. The library is off bounds. Got it." He threw me a salute which I returned with a quick nod.

"So, Sora," Demyx twisted a tuning knob on his sitar, carefully trying to get the right pitch. "why'd you come to visit?"

The brunette, who had been amusing himself with the squawk of the springs every time he jumped slightly, now bounced incessantly and began what I knew would be one of his long rambles.

"Well I was at Riku's but he was being boring and doing school stuff and he said I should go see someone else, and that Namine said on Friday that she'd got one of those bird nest bean bag chair things so I went to Nami's and we drew, well I drew and she painted, for like and hour but I was getting bored and I think she might have had work to do and she said that you guys got a new game so I came here and here I am!"

I blinked, stunned at the overload of information, but Demyx was nodding his head and jumping up, his precious sitar still in his hand, and heading over to turn the television on.

"'Cause! I should have known you'd find out sooner of later." Demyx turned around to grin at Sora. "We got that new Guitar Hero with the drum kit and everything."

I groaned as I realised that Demyx meant the "noise-maker" as I had dubbed his new toy. I was inevitably going to get dragged into playing, I just knew it, and, sure enough, we spent the next hour and a half playing every song they knew. Sora and Demyx were taking turns on each of the instruments, and I always filled in which ever one they weren't using that time around. I wasn't the best at such games, but I could often get the timing right. All it required was precision and focus, something the other two lacked.

By the end of our stint playing the noise-maker, Demyx was winning, Sora came in second and I placed third, though not by as large a margin as I had thought I would. It seemed that being forced to play all the time by Demyx had improved my skills somewhat.

Sora was, of course, now bored and Demyx was having a hard time trying to occupy the brunette without letting him get into the upstairs rooms, or even informing Sora that he could go upstairs. That would have spoilt the surprise, and Demyx, despite his usual lack of tact or secrecy, had managed to keep this secret quite well.

I caught Demyx's attention and jerked my head ever so slightly at the clock behind me. Demyx glanced at it, and his eyes widened as he realised that it was still over an hour and a half away from the time, and we weren't going to be able to keep Sora here for much longer. His gaze purposefully focused on the phone on the table, then me, and I nodded agreement, snatching up the phone and stealing out of the room.

Luckily, Sora was oblivious to our silent exchange, engrossed in the pictures he had found on a shelf. They had been carefully selected by Demyx and I to depict our former lives, he in Atlantica and I in Hollow Bastion. They were nice photos, showing us together with our old friends, if slightly outdated. But Sora didn't really seem to notice that, instead gushing about how cute everyone looked.

His voice followed me as I walked around the corner, just in case, and started a quick text to Kairi, warning her that we couldn't hold Sora off for much longer and that she was next. The reply took a minute to arrive, but it was short and too the point. She needed just a few more minutes to finish up and clean everything, then she'd be ready. The way it was written, in a "chat speak" format, was annoying but I understood her need for time. Normally I would have replied, begging Kairi to please use English next time, but she didn't need an interruption and I needed to get back in that room before Sora noticed I was gone.

I returned, clacking the phone slightly against the table to announce my entrance. Demyx turned and I held up my two hands, fingers spread. He nodded, I hoped in understanding of my message, and suddenly pried Sora away from the photos, grinning and saying that he was going to make sure Sora could at least play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on the sitar before he left. It was an old tactic of ours, but it was proven to keep Sora amused for a few minutes every time.

It worked. Ten minutes later Sora was grinning as Demyx played his sitar with considerable more skill than the last few minute's worth of renditions.

"So, what you been doing Sora?"

Sora groaned and flopped back so his head hung over the arm of the couch. "Not much. I mean, everyone's so busy, they haven't had the time to do anything fun. And I'd help, but, well, it's me," he wrinkled his nose and I remembered the disastrous effect on moving in that his presence had had here, "and most of the time I just don't help at all."

"I know!" Demyx sat up so quick that I figured he must have gotten whiplash from it. "You could go help Kairi!"

Sora raised his head just enough to stare at Demyx, hope shining in his eyes. "What about Kairi?"

Demyx's face was shining. "She was saying on Thursday that she had something that she had to finish on the weekend, and any help would be nice. Something about Axel refusing to help her out. And you know how Axel is, he can never stick to the rules someone gives him."

I swear that if I don't get whiplash from watching these two it will be a miracle. Sora was up and at the door in two seconds, Demyx close behind him. I didn't move, merely watching as Sora gave Demyx a hug, "Thanks Dem, thanks Zexion! See you," and disappeared out the door. Demyx stood in the open doorway for a moment, waving enthusiasticly. After he finally shut the door, he pranced back into the lounge room, grinning from ear to ear.

"Tell me that was a great idea, Zex."

I smirked slightly and patted Demyx on the head as I stood, causing a slight squeal to emanate from the blonde. "It was a good idea. But," I reached down and picked up the phone again, tossing it to Demyx, "you're the one who gets to ring Kairi and warn her. She will have no idea what Sora means when he rambles on about helping her with some project."

Beeps came from the phone as Demyx scrolled through the contact list, having turned the sound on as always. He insisted that it wasn't like using a mobile unless it beeped every time you hit a key, but the sound just annoyed me. I gave his head one last pat, getting another squeal and a harmless swat at my wrist, before heading out the room and down the hall. My new "library" was at the end of the long corridor, and it held more than just books. One corner of the room that I had finished renovating first contained my computer, a state of the art tower with several non-standard functions and two screens. It was perfect for my normal work, and had come in handy with my most recent project. There was just a few minor details I had to tweak for the finished product.

There was a loud crash and a yelled curse form upstairs and I smirked again. Demyx had his own project, but he was having considerably more trouble with it than I with mine.

Neither of us could wait for the next hour or so to be over.

Secrets were a part of life for Demyx and I, but for once it was a good secret to keep.

ш—Ө Ө—ш

Flour, eggs, butter, milk, water, vanill- No, no, no! The water goes in that lot there, and the vanilla essence goes here. Better. Now I wonder whe-

Ding dong, dong ding.

I almost dived to the front door, and had to cut off the yell of greeting that was on my lips. It's so hard to pretend I don't know anything!

The front door bell rang again, repeating itself over and over in the way that meant that whoever it was was holding down the button, and I carefully wiped my hands clean on the tea towel hanging off the stove. My feet carried me through the kitchen and into the main entrance, my hand reaching for the door as I tried to will my face into an expression of calm.

I swung the door open, wincing as oil-needy hinges whined, then tried to school my face into an expression of surprise. "Sora!"

"Kairi!" Said brunette jumped forward and latched his arms around me. I grinned at his childishness, using the hug as a way to drag Sora into the house, shutting the door behind me. Once he finally let go, I dragged him into the kitchen, pushing him into a stool on the other side of the kitchen bench I had been working on before. "So what are you doing here Sora?"

"Well," he grabbed the glass of milk I put in front of him and took a gulp before continuing, "I was at Dem and Zexion's, but I was getting bored and Demyx mentioned that you'd been asking for help with something at school but no one was helping you so I decided to come over and see if I could help you with whatever it was that you needed help with."

I couldn't help the grin on my face. With Sora's explanation I hardly even needed Demyx's warning before. "There was something..." I turned my back to Sora, carefully shuffling bowls in a cupboard, trying to find the one I wanted. When I found it I turned back and placed it down in front of a confused Sora. "Wanna cook?"

"Yes!" Sora punched the air, and immediately ran around the table and into the walk in pantry, grabbing his apron of the hook it always hung on. Sora came over to cook with me every once in a while, and had long ago insisted that he could keep his own apron. It was home made, back from when we had to take Home Economics in the first year of high school. His apron had two large pockets and one smaller one on the front, with patches of star and heart shaped material sown all over. The overall effect of a blue apron with yellow and pink areas was interesting, but Sora loved it. I had seen him threaten Riku with a wooden spoon once when the older boy had said something not so nice about the apron.

The ingredients I had been previously sorting were laid out in two piles. I took the smaller pile, placing Sora's bowl next the the larger pile that included sprinkles, tiny chocolate stars and food colouring. Sora grinned when he saw the ingredients, swiftly snatching up a couple of stars to put in his mouth.

"Sora, if you eat them all now, you won't be able to decorate the cupcakes properly."

Sora smiled sweetly, and I had to remind myself that no matter how cute he was, he was taken. "Sorry Kairi. I won't do it again, I promise."

I grinned and nodded, sliding a magazine cutting across the table to him. "There's your recipe. Do it right and you should get about twenty-four cupcakes. When they're done you can decorate them."

Sora nodded and began to carefully measure out the amounts listed. I turned back to my own recipe – a delicious looking strawberry and cream covered spongecake.

Sora's timing was lucky to say the least. I had only just finished my little project when Zexion contacted me. They'd managed to stall him for just long enough – I'd barely had time to hide my work and clean everything up to make it look like I was just starting to cook now. But the help was good. I had been pleading with Axel every chance I got last week, but he had been adamant that he couldn't and wouldn't help with something as girly as cooking.

He got a bruised shoulder for that.

Sora, however, was a completely different thing all together. He loved cooking, and often came over. Hence the afore-mentioned apron. But it wasn't just the fact that food was involved. He liked the actual process of making the food. I'd asked him about it almost a year ago now, and he claimed that it was from making something that would put a smile on someone's face. Sora's just sweet like that.

It took us about fifteen minutes to get the cakes ready, and another forty minutes for them to cook. Sora spent that time mixing twelve bowls of different coloured icing. He explained that this way no two cupcakes could be the same, once he'd put the decorations on. I laughed at that, and smiled at just how cute Sora was, again.

"Hey, Kairi," said brunette glanced up from his newest bowl of icing, a nice purple, and fixed me with a curious stare. "How come nobody has mentioned what today is?"

Inwardly I beat myself for lying, but outwardly I tried to build a confused mask. "Today? Why, is there something special about it Sora?"

Sora sighed and looked down to count the drops of colouring he was adding to the new bowl of icing. When he looked up again a smile was in its place on his mouth, but his eyes still echoed sadness. "It's nothing Kairi. Hey, shouldn't the cakes be ready about now?"

I grinned at his attempt to sidetrack me, and played along. It was best to dodge that subject anyway. "Yeah, they should be. Wait and I'll grab the mitts."

My feet carried me into the pantry, and I automatically reached up for the mitts hanging on a hook just inside. But a flash of black and white caught my eye, and I glanced back at the apron rack, sighing as I recognised the thing hanging there. It was a checkered apron, looking much like a chess board, with "ROXAS" sown across the top in big letters. Sora had insisted that it be made for his brother, but it had never been used. It just hung there, on the same hook as Sora's apron, and made me feel guilty whenever I saw it.

Today was special, and it was a pity that Roxas couldn't make it. That would have made the day perfect, but Zexion had managed to come up with the next best thing. A smile, a true one now, graced my face as I walked back out to an impatient Sora. He had no idea what we were planning, and I just couldn't wait.

Twenty minutes and a fair bit of mess later and we were done. Sora had decorated his twenty-four cupcakes with the skill and patience of a professional cook, but I'm not sure if a pro ever used icing hearts and stars.

"Ta-da!" Sora smiled happily as he put the last pinch of sprinkles on his cupcakes. "Can we eat them now?"

"Sora!" I flicked the tea towel at him, shooing him away from the precious cakes. Those were needed, and I wasn't going to let him eat them all now. My gaze slid to the clock on the wall behind him, and I gasped. Sora turned, saw nothing, and turned back to me, curious. I smiled sheepishly.

"Aren't you sleeping over at Riku's tonight Sora?"

Brown hair swung as he whipped back again to stare at the clock. "Ah! Kairi, I've gotta go. Riku will be wondering where I am, cause I said I was just going to Nami's house and now-"

"Here." I shoved two cupcakes into his hands. "Take these and run along to Riku's." When he gave me a look, then turned his hungry eyes to the remaining cupcakes I laughed. "You can't carry all these at once Sora. Take those two for now and I'll bring these over tomorrow when I find a container to put them all in."

Luckily Sora didn't catch my lie. There was plenty of empty containers lying around here, and I most definitely wouldn't be seeing Sora tomorrow. But he would get his cupcakes, and soon, so I didn't feel too guilty.

Sora grinned and nodded, carefully balancing the cupcakes in one hand so he could give me a one-armed hug – or a "pirate hug" as he had named it."Thanks Kai. I'll see you later, 'kay?"

I nodded as Sora walked backwards to the front door, stopping his waving only when he finally had to open the door. "Yep. See you later Sora." You don't know just how soon "later" is.

A sigh escaped my lips as I fished my phone out of the pile of junk on the dining room table. I sent Riku a quick message, hoping he'd have the sense to keep his phone by him instead of just relying on that computer of his. A reply came a moment later, just a simple "ok," and I breathed a sigh of relief. According to the plan, Riku would send me a message the minute Sora got to his house. Then I would be time to implement our great scheme.

It couldn't go wrong.

ш—Ө Ө—ш

"Hey Riku, Riiikuuu, Riiiiiiiiikkkiuuuu-"

"Hey Sora." I leaned out of my window, grinning as the startled brunette below jumped. "Come on up."

I pocketed my phone as Sora disappeared through the front door. I had been watching for Sora since Kairi contacted me nearly ten minutes ago. The plan was going smoothly; I only had to entertain Sora for another half an hour now. Getting him downstairs at the right time, not before or after, was the trick, but I was sure I could do it.

"Hey!" The brown blur called Sora dashed through my open door and tackled me. I had been standing next to the bed, but now I was strewn on top of the covers, Sora sprawled on top of me. I couldn't help the grin that came to my face as I considered the position we were in. But that was a secret, so I punched Sora's arm playfully. "Hey yourself, kid."

Sora pushed himself up to a standing position, but he didn't offer to help me. I assumed it had something to do with his pout. "I'm not a kid." Yeah, definitely to do with the pout.

He just continued to stand there, looking adorable as he tried to glare at me, and I couldn't help the smirk that grew across my face. I sighed and hoisted myself up, but latched onto Sora's wrist and pulled as I fell back down. Sora stumbled forward, and I rolled so he hit the bed beside me. I flipped my own body over, and grinned wickedly as I pinned him between my arms. His face grew the slightest tinge of red, and it took all my self control not to jump the poor kid.

"Definitely still a kid. You just fell for like the oldest trick in the book."

"But my birthday's today!" Sky-blue eyes widened and Sora's jaw dropped slightly. "Uh, I mean..."

Inwardly I winced. Much as it hurt, I had to lie and say I'd forgotten. That was the deal.

"Serious!?" I forced surprise into my expression, but the guilt there was real. "I, uh, I'm sorry, Sor. It must have just slipped my mind. Your birthday is seriously today?"

Sora nodded glumly, and my heart wrenched. I knew how he would be feeling now – sad, hurt, betrayed, guilty – but it would have been better for me if he just looked angry. That I could deal with. But the only thing that got Sora angry was injustice, and he'd sacrifice his own happiness to keep others feeling cheery.

"Yeah. But it's, like, no big deal. I don't mind."

I shook my head. How Sora was able to do this to himself I would never know. "Then how about we go down to the mall tomorrow, and I'll buy you whatever you want."

Any sadness disappeared and Sora's arms quickly encircled my neck. "Thank you! I mean, yeah. That'd be fun. Anything right?"

I laughed at Sora's eagerness, obvious on his face as he dropped back from the hug. "Anything. Anything under a hundred bucks that is."

"Oi! You said anything. No going back on your promise."

"But I meant my meaning of 'anything', which is anything under a hundred bucks."

"Cheap skate."

"Hey, any of the others would only get fifty at most."

"Serious!?" Sky-blue brightened, and I wondered what I had said. Then it sunk in, as my brain slowly caught up with my mouth, and I had to fight back the blush that was trying to creep onto my face. I probably shouldn't have said something like that. It was slip ups like that that kept me up at night, worrying I'd over stepped the bounds of friendship. But Sora just grinned his Sora-smile, and I decided I was safe for now.

Bed springs screeched as I stood up, then pulled Sora up with me. We were close, much too close, so I quickly turned and dropped into my computer chair.

"Are you still doing that project?"

I smiled at Sora and swiveled the screen so he could see from his place on the bed. "Nope. I decided to take a break from that a while ago. I've been playing this," click, "ever since."

"Crazy Rider!" Sora bounced up and down, and the bed springs protested loudly. I really did need a new bed. "You should have told me you were playing!"

"I only just started a new game." Fingers tapped away at the keyboard as I built a new level. Crazy Rider was a simple game – you make the obstacles for the level out of a few lines here and there, and then try to steer your rag doll, motorbike-riding character around the level. Sora and I had long competed against each other, seeing who could come up with a course that gave the most trick points. I, personally, loved to spend most of my time planning out and drawing the course, but Sora always just drew a few random shapes, added in a couple of squiggly lines, and voila. In other words, he could make about ten levels in the time it took me to make one.

"Let me play, let me play!"

"Sora!" I patted his hand away as he reached for the mouse. The kid was fast when he wanted to be, and that speed was currently focused toward stealing the mouse and keyboard from me. "Alright, alright! Wait a second and I'll boot up the other set."

Sora whooped, and ran to drag the other computer chair out of my brother's room. We'd have to make sure that went back before he got home, but it should be fine for now.

Three minutes of impatient Sora whining and going through setting, my other screen, mouse and keyboard set was plugged in and ready to go. I'd originally got the extra screen to help with my editing, art and programming stuff, but it had come in a set with a nice wireless keyboard and mouse. So I'd upgraded my own, but kept the old ones for a reason I hadn't then known. It took Sora about two minutes after hearing the story to decide that the extra set gave him the ability to play on the computer at the same time as me.

We spent half an hour playing a variety of games, the sound purposefully turned up slightly louder than I would usually have it. I had to distract Sora from thoughts of going downstairs only twice, which said a lot about how entertaining the computer could be. The noise from the games we were playing hid any noise downstairs, and the time went almost too quickly. But all too soon it was ten minutes, then five, four, three, two, one-

My phone buzzed as it vibrated, moving in a circle on the desk. Sora pouted, but nonetheless paused his game, and I copied the action before picking up the small phone and checking the screen. It was a message from Kairi, something about cupcakes Sora had made earlier and checking that he'd given me my share. I turned to him, saw the sheepish and guilty smile and ruffled his hair affectionately.

This was the next part of the plan. I had to get Sora downstairs now, and Kairi's message didn't give me much to work with.

"Sorry Riks." Brunette spikes flopped as their owner ducked his head and sky blue eyes peered up at me from beneath his eyelashes. Didn't he realise how hot that was? "I didn't mean to eat your cupcake, really, but it looked so nice, and I was hungry. And there's more! I made heaps with Kairi, and she said she'd bring them around tomorrow. You can have one then, yeah?"

I smiled. Sora really couldn't help himself around food, especially sweets. "Sounds good Sor." An idea came to me, and I had to congratulate myself for my genius. "Hey, talking about food has made me hungry. I think it's time for dinner."

Sora whooped and rushed to get to the door, only pausing in his quest for food when he noticed how dark the rest of the house was. The sun had set in the time we had been playing, and my house wasn't the most open building. But that was why everything had been planned for here. It made everything that much better if the house was dark.

My screen beeped as I turned it off, then Sora's, before following Sora to the doorway. I took the lead, flicking on the light at the top of the stairs as I began the descent. Behind me, Sora bounced down the steps, humming something softly to himself.

We finally reached the lounge room, which led through into the kitchen from the main hall, and I pretended to fumble with the light switch as I passed the doorway. "Uh, Sora?"

"Yeah?"

I grinned as I felt a tap on my shoulder, and a small party popper was pressed into my hand. "Could you turn the light on? I missed it."

"Sure."

I grinned as I heard Sora stumble forward, lost in the semi-darkness that came from moving out of the light of the stairwell. I could hear him search for the switch, banging the wall in his attempt to find it, and a small, muffled laugh echoed from just behind me. Then Sora made a small noise, something along the lines of, "Found that stupid switch," and the light flickered on.

"Surprise!"

Sora stared, and stared, and stared. Then his mouth dropped open and we all laughed as he was showered in confetti and small streamers.

"How- when- what!?"

We all broke out laughing anew, and I stepped forward to hug him. When I drew back, he was wearing the party hat I had swiped off the side table. "Did you really think we forgot your birthday?"

"Come on Sora, give us some credit!" Axel grinned from his place on a recliner, saluting Sora with two fingers. "How could we forget?"

Demyx bounded over and half hugged, half tackled Sora. "Happy birthday! You've got presents, and cake, and heaps of food, and presents!"

"And all his friends are here." Kairi came forward to give Sora a quick hug, followed closely by Namine. "That has to be the best bit of it all, right Sora?"

"Give the kid some time to get it all into his head." Zexion gave one of his rare true smiles. "You've been ignoring his birthday all week, and especially today. Give it some time."

"How did you do this?" Sora stared at all of us in shock. He was so clueless, or at least appeared to be. He could be smart some times, but I think his brain had gone on vacation right now.

"We planned it all." I took my place at Sora's side again, guiding him to the couch. I pulled him down with me when I sat, and grinned as I saw Kairi disappear into the kitchen. "Took us all week to plan it out. We had to plan it when you weren't there too, which was difficult."

"And it took a lot of time to put the plan into place!"

All of us turned, and even I stared when I saw the huge cake Kairi was carrying. She had obviously had to raid her kitchen for a tray to put it on, since that was an older tray that I was sure I had never seen her use before. And it was massive. But only just big enough for the cake, which was two layers itself.

"You've out done yourself, Kairi." Namine smiled at the red head, and said girl grinned at the praise.

"It isn't too bad an effort."

Sora was staring in shock, then he seemed to realise that we really had planned a birthday party for him, and he started whipping his head from side to side, taking in the changes to his normally rather bland lounge room.

There were balloons and streamers everywhere, a task that had obviously been given to Demyx. There was blue everywhere. But the decorations weren't all that had changed. The table in the middle of the room had enough food for about a dozen people, even some cupcakes that looked suspiciously Sora-made.

And at the end of the table, sitting in a huge pile, was the presents. I felt my mouth drop open as I stared at them. There was one massive package, wrapped in flame-patterned paper, propped up against an oddly shaped one wrapped in blue. Next to them was a small gift that looked about the right size to be a CD case. Another package, about the same shape but ten times bigger, leant up against the edge of the stack, wrapped in white paper and a red ribbon. An oddly shaped package poked out from underneath the lot, and the way it didn't hold a particular shape made me think something material was inside. The last present, mine, was still hidden up in my room. I would have to go get it later.

"Cake now, presents next, food and partying last, yes?" Kairi slid the monstrous cake onto the small coffee table, right in front of Sora, and his eyes immediately snapped to it.

"Sounds about right." I slung an arm around Sora's shoulders, right as Demyx launched into a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday". I joined in as the others did, and the shine in Sora's eyes made me feel warm inside. When Sora was happy, I was happy. So seeing him so excited put me in the best mood. There was only one thing missing, but I shouldn't push my luck. It was perfect enough like this.

"Happy birthday to you!" Cheers erupted and Sora briefly closed his eyes. He was wishing for something, and I wished I could have known what it was. Then his eyes opened, and he carefully blew out the candles. Everyone cheered again, including myself, and Kairi handed Sora a large knife. I backed off slightly, pretending to look scared, and Sora laughed at me and waved the knife in my face. The knife hovered over the cake for a second, then it was slicing through all the cream, and icing, and decorations.

"Touch the bottom and you have to kiss the nearest girl!" Demyx pranced around behind the couch, not able to calm down from the excitement even with Zexion's hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah." Sora poked out his tongue at Demyx, then deftly cut down through the cake. Kairi, the closest, squeaked as the knife his the plate, but stood still as Sora jumped up, gave her a peck on the cheek, and dropped back into his seat next to me. Kairi sent a look my way, a curious, apologetic look, and I smiled despite the churning in my stomach. Jealousy wasn't pleasant, but it was something I had to deal with.

"Alright, here's the plates." Namine confiscated the knife from Sora and turned the cake so she could start cutting it up. Sora grabbed the offered plates and dutifully held one up for Namine to put the first slice on. The cake was handed around and we each ate a slice. Then another, and even another in the case of Demyx and Sora.

Then there was the presents. Sora's eyes lit up as Demyx bounded over to the table, and carried back his package. "Mine first, mine first!"

"Alright, alright." Sora grinned as he accepted the gift. He tore the paper off, and gasped as he stared at the glass ball be held. It sat on a small stand, and the actual globe was big enough that Sora's hands couldn't reach around it completely. But it the inside of the globe that was amazing. It was a replica of Destiny Island, the actual island that this area was named after. People who lived on the mainland like us usually didn't see much of it, but Sora, Kairi and I used to play there all the time when we were small.

"Just be careful with it, and don't shake it around too much." Demyx leaned down and slowly tipped the globe back and forth slightly on its stand. The water, which I had assumed was glass, moved with the globe, and the tiny boats at their docks drifted away slightly.

"Where did you get this?" Sora's eyes were glued to the boats as they rocked in the movement of the water.

"Didn't get it anywhere. Made it."

Everyone's eyes turned to Demyx then, instead of his creation.

"You made it!?"

"How the heck did you make something like that?"

"Where did you even get the stuff to make it from?"

Demyx just grinned. "Secret."

"Well, if Dem's not gonna boast, it's time to open my pressie." Axel stood, stretched slightly, and walked over to the table to snatch up the flame-wrapped package. It was huge, and he used two hands to bring it over. Sora reverently put the Island globe on the table before taking the gift from Axel. As soon as it touched his hands, his eyes widened and he tore the paper off faster than I thought possible. Inside was a guitar, a semi-acoustic by what I could tell, that faded from red to black at the edges. In the corner was a marking, a silver crown symbol that I recognised from Sora's favourite necklace.

"This must have cost a fortune!" Sora gaped at the guitar, then at Axel. "It's even customised. That would have have made it go up to like, several hundred dollars!"

Axel laughed. "It wasn't that much kid. And you know how loaded Dem, Zex and I are. It's nothing. I'd rather spend the money on my friends."

"But you make the rest of us look and feel bad." Kairi was pouting, but there was laughter in her eyes, and Axel just grinned back at her.

"But you'd spend way more if you had as much money as me, and the amount you spend now is huge as it is. Comparatively, you have nothing to worry about."

"Either way, I love it!" Sora gave the guitar a hug, then jumped up to hug Axel, then Demyx. "Thanks so much!"

"Mine next then." Kairi swiped her present off the table and presented it to Sora as he sat back down. He tore the paper off this one too, and grinned as red and black material flopped into his lap. He shook the clothes out, laughing as he took in the eclectic design. "You made these Kairi?"

"How'd you guess?"

"Only you design crazy things like that." Kairi glared at Axel but he just smiled back, almost sweetly. "Admit it, it's like your signature or something."

"So maybe the clothes I make are a bit odd. But they're still perfect!"

Sora grinned and shifted the clothes to my lap so he could jump up and hug Kairi. "Thanks Kai. I love them!"

"I hope you like mine as much." Namine smiled as she picked up the white and red wrapped gift and handed it over. Sora took it reverently, something he had learning years ago for Namine's presents, and carefully slid the ribbon off, then pulled at the edges of the paper slowly. It ripped through the middle, and there was a round of gasps and sighs as we looked upon the masterpiece Namine had created.

It depicted the seven of us plus someone I assumed was Roxas from the similarities to Sora, all huddled in a group. The backdrop was obviously Destiny Island, just like in Demyx's globe, but I loved the colours, and the way Sora's eyes reflected the clear blue sky perfectly, just like they should.

"Wow Namine." Sora just stared at the picture in shock, but then his eyes were drawn to the other figure. "How did you know how to paint Roxas?"

Namine looked a bit guilty, and she pulled an envelope from her bag. "I had to borrow some pictures. Sorry."

"Blame me if you want. I stole them for her." I grinned at Sora as he turned to stare. Then he pouted and poked my forehead.

"Stealing is bad, Riku."

"I know." I poked him back, and laughed as he tried to swat my hand away. "But sometimes it's necessary."

"Alright, alright. Enough life lessons. Zexy's present now!" Demyx swiped the small package from the table, the last one there, and dropped it in Sora's lap. Said brunette grabbed the gift, tore the wrapping paper off and then stared at it. It was definitely a CD case, but the clear front showed that it was empty. Sora turned his gaze to Zexion, obviously confused. "Wha-"

"Hey bro."

Sora jumped, and his head whipped around to stare at the TV. On the screen was a boy I could recognise only because of Namine's painting and the pictures I had stolen. It was Roxas, and he was grinning and waving at the screen. Behind him was a room that was probably his bedroom, with a bed, cupboard and large mirror visible.

"Roxas!" Sora half jumped up, then seemed to realise it was just an image and sat down again.

"Happy Birthday Sora! I'm sorry I couldn't be there myself, but you know how things are." I glanced at Sora and frowned when I saw a flicker of sadness and... guilt cross his features. But then it was gone, and I made a mental note to ask Sora about it later. He never did talk about his family situation much.

"I just wanted to wish you a great birthday, and say I hope you get a great party, and heaps of presents. Speaking of which, I had something made for you." He leaned over to the side, just slightly out of the camera's focus, and when he came back onto the screen, he had two somethingsslung over his shoulders. "Remember these Sora? Well, I might have got a friend to make some, and I couldn't just make mine so..."

Sora was bouncing in his seat now, the excitement over his brother's present obvious. "Remember that old spot I used to hide in Sora? The one just near you now, a couple of metres behind you if I remember that old house right..."

Roxas's laugh followed Sora as he dashed out of the room. I stared after him as I heard a loud creak, a bit of banging, another creak and a slam and then Sora was back, a massive parcel in his hands. He tore at the paper, and everyone stared as he revealed something that looked oddly like a giant key. Except when he held it out like a sword and swung it easily, and I think everyone realised it was a weapon.

"Sor," The Roxas on screen swung his chair back as he stood, rocketed it away from the camera, then easily shifted the objects on his shoulders so they were aimed at the screen. "you better start practicing again. 'Cause next time I come down there we're gonna have a match, and I won't be holdin' back, yeah?"

The picture held for a few more seconds, then the screen went blank. Everyone stared at either Sora or the now dead screen for moment, but the silence was broken by Axel's appreciative whistle. "That kid is good."

Everyone laughed at that, and Demyx finally moved to grab the disk from the TV and slip it back into its case.

"Only one present left now." Kairi grinned at me. I returned the smile, and patted Sora on the should as I stood. "Gotta get it from my room. I'll be back in a sec."

Sora nodded and I hurried upstairs, grinning like a maniac as I grabbed the stool in the corner of my room and dragged it over to my cupboard. I really hoped Sora liked my present, even though it wasn't any where near as good as the other's.

I grabbed the small package from the shelf at the very top of my cupboard, gave it a quick glance, then hurried back downstairs. Sora was discussing the weapon he had gotten from Roxas with Axel, but he turned immediately when I walked in. I gave him his present without a word, and dropped back into my place on the couch. Sora fell down beside me, and I couldn't help the feeling of anxiety as he ripped the wrapping paper back. My present wasn't as grand as any of the other ones he had received, but I hoped he liked it just the same.

"Wow." Sora was staring at the front of the book, awe on his face. I couldn't help but grin at him.

"Like it?"

"Yes!" I watched with a smile as Sora started to flip through the pages of the photo album I had made. I had gathered as many pictures as I could of Sora from right when he was a baby. Most of the pages showed Sora, Kairi and I, the three of us playing at someone's house, at the park, or even over on the island. Then Namine was added in, and near the end of the book was a couple of pictures that included Zexion and Demyx. Even Axel was in two, including the picture of the day we had all helped Axel move into his new apartment. In it, Sora and Demyx were sitting on the new couch, flipping through the channels on the new, wide-screen TV while Kairi yelled at them for slacking. Zexion was carrying in the smallest of the boxes, while Axel and I lugged in the heavier stuff. Namine had taken that picture as a candid shot, and we'd all begged her to delete it.

"Namine!" There it was. Everyone stared at the picture, then turned their eyes on the poor blonde girl beside Kairi.

"You said you deleted that!" Axel was laughing his head off as Demyx fumed.

"I said I deleted it off my camera." A sly smile was on Namine's face, and I joined Axel in his laughing fit.

"No fair!" Demyx was full death glaring the poor girl now. "How could you Nami?"

"Easy." The petite girl lowered her head slightly, and gazed up at Demyx with the most innocent expression I had ever seen.

"It is the perfect blackmail material."

Now Kairi was laughing too, and Demyx was staring at the "innocent" girl in shock.

"Alright, alright." Sora waved a hand at each of them. He flipped the page, the last one, and then looked at it in surprise. "Er, Riku. Why is it blank?"

I laughed at his dumbfounded expression. "It's for a picture of today. I had to leave a place for a picture of all this." I swept my arm around at the craziness that was the party.

"Enough remarking on the decorations. It's time to eat!"

Demyx cheered, and quickly followed Kairi to the table. The other's followed them, but for once Sora wasn't at the head of the line. He was shuffling things off his lap, slowly moving them to the coffee table.

"Hey Sora."

"Yeah?" Brown hair swung as he turned to gaze at me.

"You liking your birthday so far?"

Sora laughed and nodded enthusiasticly. "Of course!" Then, almost as an afterthought, he threw himself on me in a hug.

I collapsed back against the arm of the couch, knocked back by the surprise attack. But I laughed at Sora's childishness, and ruffled his hair.

"But, you know..." I stared at Sora as he dropped his gaze from my eyes. "there is one thing that could make it better..."

I frowned at that, wondering what could have made Sora happier. Then he lifted his head, and in the second he hesitated I caught sight of the blush the adorned his cheeks. Then his lips met mine.

The kiss was swift and oh so very chaste, but it was the sweetest thing I had ever experienced. Sora was blushing crazily now, and he had started to move back, away from me, muttering stuttered apologies. So I pulled myself up towards him and captured his lips with mine.

I kept the kiss chaste, not wanting to put too much pressure on Sora now. But someone must have caught us, probably Axel, because suddenly cheering and wolf whistles broke out somewhere. But I was lost, thrilling in the fact that I was kissing Sora, and it was so much better than I could ever have imagined.

Amid the noise we pulled apart, both of us gasping for air. Sora's face was bright red, and I knew that there was a slight blush on my cheeks now too. But I didn't care. It might be Sora's birthday, but that was definitely the best present I had ever gotten.

"Happy birthday Sora."