A/N: So, life is kicking my ass. I hope it's treating everyone else far better than it is me. Enjoy and review :)
Chapter Song: Mad World by Gary Jules with Michael Andrews
LightPhantom742- Hiya, long time, no speak. Sorry I haven't responded back in ages. Life is literally trying to kill me. Thank you doesn't even begin to cover my appreciation for your review. They always astound me, truly. When I started writing for a new fandom I was very unsure about how my story would be received and if anyone would even be interested. Having you here means a lot.
NonsenseVerse- Thanks. I do hope you enjoy the new chapter.
Emilinia-sama- It will make sense in time :)
And I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda sad, the dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had
A huff of annoyance came from the silveret as he glanced down. One, he really didn't have time for this. If his sister got to his house before he got back with groceries, he would hear about it. And although Namine was known widely to be such a sweet and calm girl, the girl could screech. Two, people in general he tended to shy away from. He wasn't afraid or intimidated by them. Hell no. It was he who should be feared. He who should be regarded with revolted glances of disgust. Three, What the hell is on me?
But when Riku noticed just how badly the other got hurt in their little scuffle, he immediately went to check the damage.
Sora felt a tad disoriented and let out a hiss of pain. His eyebrow hurt like hell. Is that blood on the concrete? Indeed it was. The gash on his eyebrow was leaking a bit as he sat up. His eyes scrunched up in pain and he tried to touch the spot, but just the thought of pressure on it caused him to double think the reflex. A quiet curse fell through the air and only then did Sora realize that he wasn't alone.
"Hey, are you okay?" Riku bit his lip when he saw the blood. A small tremor went through his body before he could stop it. Blood wasn't something he liked at all anymore. Hearing a groan from the boy and seeing that he was keeping his eyes closed because of his head, Riku sighed. He was going to have to help him. What kind of person would he be if he didn't? The same heartless bastard I'm known to be. Without further hesitation, he squatted beside the stranger. "I'm gonna help you with that wound, all right?"
What was he to say? Sora wasn't too keen on trusting total strangers, especially one who landed him with a head injury, but any brow movement at all caused a searing pain and the brightness of the sun was not helping his aching head either. The guy sounds nice enough, right? The brunet attempted a nod in acceptance, only to regret the action right away. Now holding his head, Sora decided to verbally reply. "Um, ok", he croaked.
Riku was going to ask if he could walk, but the kid couldn't even open his eyes. He narrowed his own eyes a bit in thought, deciding what to do. His house was right there and he could just patch him up inside. That wasn't too insane of an idea. The stranger looked harmless.
Actually, now that he really looked at him, he looked like the most harmless being on the planet. He was a small guy with a very lanky build. To describe him as skinny would be an understatement. He looked to be skin and bones, but he held just enough muscle to seem healthy. The boy's skin was tan and he had obnoxiously spikey hair that went every which way. The color was brown, though in the sun it took on a caramelish hue. On his person he had on a pair of baggy jean shorts and a navy blue sweat jacket that said 'sloth' across the front in purposely deteriorating white letters, now soaked in the same substance that resided on Riku's own skin and pants. His feet were adorned with a pair of well-loved red converse that had stars and planets sketched onto them in sharpie. And a curiously large silver crown necklace dangled from his slim neck that glinted in the sunlight.
Realizing that he was going to have to carry the poor guy, Riku put a hesitant hand on the boy's lower back. This caused the other to flinch away instantly. "I'm not going to hurt you", soothed the silveret. "I need to pick you up to help you, 'kay?"
Sora felt like he was being talked to like a child which irked him a bit, but he was in too much pain to decline. Squinting his eyes a bit to see, he put his arm around the other's neck to give him the go ahead.
A nod was given before Riku's hand slid from the kid's back to around his slender waist and the other went up under the stranger's knees as he slowly and gently picked him up. He was very light to Riku so it wasn't much trouble to carry him inside.
Since Sora couldn't really see without feeling as though sumo wrestlers were doing a jig in his head, he observed the man with his other senses. As he was picked up, a heavy, yet very pleasant musky scent invaded his nostrils. By the feeling of the body he was pressed against, he could tell that the man was well built but slender. And assuming that what was currently tickling his face was the man's hair, it was long and silky. After a few moments, he was shifted in the man's arms as he opened a door. A blush came to Sora's cheeks as he realized how he was being carried and that the man was taking him into a house, presumably the stranger's own.
He felt the kid squirm in his arms as he shut the door. He was obviously uncomfortable in some unknown person's house, but he was only trying to help him. "I'm going to put you down now, okay?" Riku carefully set the small teen on the island kitchen counter. It wasn't the most comfortable place to sit, but he didn't want the other to freak out if he set him anywhere that could be interpreted badly. "I have to get some stuff from the bathroom. I'll be back in a moment, just… stay here."
It's not like I really have a choice. His eyes remained squeezed shut but his hands slid around the counter he was perched on, feeling its cool, smooth surface. Sora kept his ears perked as he listened to the home-owner's retreating footsteps. The rest of the place was quiet. I'm in a stranger's house and can barely see. This is ridiculous. Leon would kill me. If this guy doesn't first. Fighting the want to keep his eyes closed, the brunet ignored the pain and opened his eyes, squinting at the light coming in from the window in front of him. As he made sure to restrict any eyebrow movement, Sora glanced around the room.
He was in a very tidy kitchen inside of what he assumed to be one of the townhomes he was passing by. Most of the house was dark, save for a few windows with open curtains. The place was immaculate. Not a picture out of place. If there had been any pictures to begin with. It appeared that the man didn't decorate much, if at all. There was nothing. No pictures, no art, no fruit bowl, nothing. The curtains even seemed out of place in a home so devoid of self-expression.
The refrigerator though was also an enigma. For on its right side door it held one lonely piece of art. It looked as though a five year old had drawn it. Before he could attempt to get a better look at it, the guy had returned with some medical supplies.
"Glad to see I didn't blind you." Riku looked into the boys eyes, ignoring just how beautifully blue they were, as he made sure they looked all right. He then turned and grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it with some water from the sink. "Here", he offered, as he handed the glass to the young man along with a bottle of Advil.
Sora smiled as he gratefully took them from him. "Thanks."
As soon as he was done, Riku took a wash cloth from his supplies and dampened it on one side to wipe off the partially dried blood from his visitor's face. Before he could clean the blood off however, the kid ducked the cloth.
"You really don't need to do that", spoke Sora, looking at him sheepishly and biting his lip. "I can take care of it."
A silver brow rose as he shook his head slightly in response, dismissing his statement. "Nah, just relax. It's my fault so I'll fix it." Without further ado, Riku began cleaning up the injury. After wiping off his face, the silveret moistened the dry side of the cloth with hydrogen peroxide. "This is probably going to sting a bit."
And it did. Sora cringed as the cloth made contact with the gash. He whimpered and suppressed the urge to jerk away, knowing the sudden movement would only make his headache worse.
Riku murmured an apology when he finished cleaning out the cut. It had been awhile since he had last tended to someone's pain. His first aid abilities were a tad rusty, but he was confident that the cut wasn't too bad. At least he doesn't need stitches.
As he was being patched up, Sora took in the man helping him. Long silver hair flowed down just past his shoulder blades, shining brilliantly in the sunlight of the window. His bangs fell over his eyes, almost as if to hide them from the world. Though Sora didn't know why. The aquamarine hue and sharpness of his gaze made the man's eyes quite unforgettable. His skin was pale but flawless. Just looking at it made Sora shift in self-consciousness. And that wasn't the only thing about the man that made the brunet want to crawl into a turtle shell. The stranger before him was not only quite tall, taller than Leon, but very well built, his physique being very much like Cloud's. Strong and muscular, but still slender and lean. Baggy blue jeans were held upon his waist by a studded belt and a black zip up tank top adorned his upper half.
Riku stopped for a moment, seeing the simply stunning deep blue eyes now intensely staring at him. Amazing...
Noticing the other's pause, the younger looked down, heat flaring to his face. He coughed awkwardly, trying to cover up his embarrassment and awkward gawking. The silveret's gaze fell away as well before refocusing on the wound.
It had only taken a couple more minutes before Riku had finished. His thumb brushed lightly over the bandage, securing it in place. The digit continued a bit, just enough for him to notice how soft and smooth the other's skin was, before the elder pulled it away.
A meek thank you escaped him before Sora bit his lip, soon repeating his thanks with more strength.
"No problem... but it looks like you're soaked with..." Riku eyed the substance on the other's clothing that now resided on him as well. "...What is this exactly?" He gestured to the slightly purple dried liquid on his pants and arm, curiosity firmly planted upon his brow.
A dejected sigh fell from the boy before he could stifle it. My new bubbles... "That...", a bout of embarrassment came over him as he ducked his head, "...was my bubbles."
A laugh of genuine amusement came from the man, which seemed to cause the other to droop more. Noticing this, he cleared his throat as he stated, "Well that explains the stickiness". What an odd guy.
Realizing that he wasn't going to be ridiculed for his childish ways, Sora smiled brightly.
Riku carried on casually as if that smile hadn't caused his scarred heart to skip a beat. It seemed that the boy before him was quite radiant. He grabbed another cloth from his supplies before he wet it and gave it to the brunet to clean himself off. "I'm Riku."
Nodding as he gently took the cloth from the silveret, Sora's smile turned sheepish. "Sora. Thanks again for helping me out."
"Least I could do for bowling you over back there. Very sorry, by the way."
A small huff came from the boy who was attempting to scrub away the bubbles, but the purple stubbornly remained. "I should have been paying attention. It's a chronic problem of mine." He kept his head ducked down, eyes avoiding the very intimidating creature before him.
Watching the smaller man's struggle, Riku held his hand out toward him. "Just take it off, I'll wash it for you."
Sora's head jerked up, wide eyes staring at the hand with shock.
The silveret tried very hard not to smirk at Sora's bashfulness. "It's mostly just on your jacket. I'll clean it up for you. You have a shirt on underneath, right?"
The younger considered this for a moment. He didn't have a wash machine in his apartment. Therefore he would have to wait all the way until laundry day to clean up his favorite sweat jacket. Or he could give it to this stranger, who did seem very nice, but was still a stranger in any case, and have it clean right away. This would also mean that he would be stuck at this man's house for a couple of hours or have to meet up with him again to get it back. A small snigger broke Sora from his thoughts.
Riku's brow rose as he waited for the other to mull it over. This Sora character was interesting. What does he think that I'm going to eat him or something? Riku really couldn't blame the kid. Although right now he was just trying to be polite, if this scenario had happened six months prior, who knew what kinds of things that Riku was capable of doing to him. His smile turned downward as he thought of this and he found that maybe it was better if the kid left. He was soon surprised however, when a foreign jacket was slipped into his still outstretched hand.
"Um... thanks." Sora timidly handed it over to Riku and watched as the young man's expression turned stoic as he walked away, presumably to put his sweat jacket in the wash. Sucking in his bottom lip between his teeth, the brunet began to swing his legs as his eyes grazed over his surroundings once again. At least the guy is really nice. And his place is clean and... big. Sora pulled out his phone to check the time. Still two hours before I have to work.
While his company sat idly in the kitchen, Riku threw the boy's shirt in the wash machine along with his own pants that he had just changed and some of his other belongings. As he poured the detergent in, he mentally sighed, realizing that he wouldn't be stopping at the store anytime soon with the kid in his house waiting for his jacket. He would have to hear Namine's scolding about not having enough food. And he would also have to explain Sora's presence within his home. His palm soon met his forehead as he could practically see his sister's giddiness in his mind's eye at the fact that he had a new friend, her no doubt misinterpreting the situation completely.
Sora's feet immediately halted their swinging as the home-owner joined him in the room. The man's face was a cool mask, very different from earlier and that caused the younger to become curious.
Riku came back into the room, calm and collected. During his short time away, he realized that he had slipped into his old demeanor earlier with Sora. It wasn't too surprising. When not being shy, the brunet was a very warm and cheery person. And Riku had always been very personable. A charmer was what he used to be called frequently. Naturally the two would get along well.
But that was the old Riku. The one that hadn't committed all the evil in his past. He didn't deserve to be around people like Sora. He didn't even deserve to be around people like Namine, but she wasn't going to leave him alone anytime soon.
Scratching the back of his head nervously, Sora hummed a bit. "Uh..."
"You don't have to stay there, you know", commented Riku as he rested his back against the counter opposite of the boy, his palms gripping it behind him.
An uneasy laugh escaped him as he remained where he was. "It's fine... unless you want me to-"
Riku shook his head as he replied. "No, if you want, it's cool."
Minutes ticked by as they stayed there, both sharing a feeling of nervousness and feeling every second of awkwardness around them. Riku kept his gaze to the floor, knowing that he had no right to even look upon someone as innocent and vibrant as Sora. The brunet began to swing his feet again, his blue irises falling once again on the art on the fridge.
"So... you live by yourself", questioned the younger quietly, tired of the overbearing silence.
Riku hummed in response. "I like the quiet."
I hate it... "I live on my own too", replied Sora before instantly regretting his comment. Telling a stranger you live alone was not the brightest of ideas. "This is an impressive place for someone so young to live in on their own though."
Silver brows rose as he considered that. He supposed that it was unusual. "It's technically my brother's. He bought it and gave it to me."
Sora's jaw dropped before he remembered himself and snapped his mouth closed. "Lucky. Your brother seems like a great person."
"He is." And I'll be indebted to him forever. Seriously I could give him my soul and it wouldn't be enough. The quiet fell back over the two and Riku allowed his gaze to land back on his new companion, keeping his expression blank and unyielding. Sora seemed so bright and cheery. Even while he was just sitting there, those deep-sea blue eyes held so much life. The boy's energy shown even in his swinging legs and body as it bounced minutely on the counter.
Pale lips turned down slightly as the brunet seemed to shiver lightly, his eyes glancing over at Riku to see if he'd noticed before immediately fleeing back to the refrigerator. Riku left briefly, grabbing a black sweatshirt from his closet that he hadn't worn in a while and came back to hand it to the jitter bug on his counter.
Sora shook his head before the clothing was literally shoved into his lap, the man insisting that he take it. "You're obviously cold. It's a little big because, well-"
"Because it's yours", Sora finished, a smirk on his lips. "Yeah, I'm a small fry, I know." He put on the shirt noticing not only how he was practically swimming in it but also the small paint splotches that decorated the otherwise plain sweatshirt.
Snorting at the size of it on the boy, Riku resumed his previous position in front of Sora. "Sorry about that. I don't have much clothing that doesn't have paint on it."
The other shrugged. "It gives it character", he added with a laugh. "So you paint, I assume."
"Yeah, It's... what I do."
Sora's eyes fell back on the small drawing on the fridge, it making sense now. Maybe it was his own art. Though putting up your art in your home seemed a little conceited, maybe it was a reminder of how far he'd come. Or something like that. I'm assuming things again. Hell, he could have a kid with some girl and that's his child's work. "What do you paint?"
Well, that was a loaded question if Riku'd ever heard one. Art was something he liked talking about at least. "Everything. Anything. Whatever I get the urge to paint. I've painted and drawn a lot of landscapes. Nightmares, dreams and memories comprise most of my work. I've done a few portraits but not many. Most of my paintings have been exceptionally dark lately..." Like my soul. Riku inwardly sniggered at the thought. It had been something his friend had said a lot while watching Riku in his element or when viewing his pieces. I wonder how that fiery redhead's doing now...
"Sounds really awesome. You have something you're really passionate about. Everyone needs passion in their life."
Riku's ears perked at that. It sounded as if the kid lacked a passion of his own or that it was stifled. "What's yours then?" He chuckled at the sheepish smile he received and continued to ask the kid when he remained silent. "Oh, come on. You weaseled information out of me. It's not time to clam up now", pestered the elder.
Sora blew a stray piece of hair from his face causing the other to snort as it fell perfectly back into its rightful spikey place. "I... uh like to cook... and bake. I've loved cooking and baking since I was small... well, smaller anyways... I enjoy being in the kitchen and creating foods that people can not only marvel at the taste of, but at the smell and looks of as well."
Riku could respect that. Cooking was in itself also an art form. He could relate, at least from one artist to another. He was about to respond to the guy when The Doom Song from Invader Zim began to play in his kitchen.
The brunet groaned as he pulled his cell from his pocket, not needing to check the caller ID. The only reason Kairi would be calling him while she was working was if he needed to come in early. He answered, grimly speaking into the phone.
Riku listened, only because he couldn't really tune out the noise.
"Yeah, Kai?... Are you sure?... No, I'm not challenging your eyesight... Nor am I challenging your authority as manager... I'll be there... Soon, I got it... Yeah, bye."
Sora's shoulders slumped exaggeratedly as he ended the call. "I uh... gotta head to work." He began to take off the coat before Riku stopped him.
"Keep it. I'll get it back from you when I give you yours." He then took his own cell from his pocket and handed it to him. "Put your number in my phone so I can call you to get it back to you."
Sora took it and after a split second handed the silveret his own, figuring that he might as well have his number as well. The younger mused upon the fact that Riku's phone was a dull black flip phone also devoid of any personal flares whereas his own phone was wrapped in a zombie Domo case.
After numbers were exchanged and phones were returned, they both said their awkward goodbyes and gave small waves with the promise of seeing each other again if only for the purpose of returning jackets to their proper owners.
The chime of the door to the cafe alerted the auburn-haired girl of Sora's presence, her desperate gaze seeking her savior from the mob of customers that had recently invaded their restaurant. "Hey, Sor. Get a move on, all right", called Kairi from behind the counter. Violet eyes lit on the bandage covering a good portion of her friend's brow, but she chose to ignore the new injury for now. It could wait until the storm calmed.
Blue eyes widened significantly as he took in the state of his workplace, currently filled to the brim with hungry people. Brushing past while frantically excusing himself and apologizing, Sora made his way to Kairi. "What's with this rush? It's twelve o'clock on a Tuesday. It's never this bad." Wide eyes scoped around the area briefly, looking for the large coif of orange hair. "Where's Wakka", Sora quickly inquired as he hastily tied on his forest green apron.
Blowing her bangs from her forehead, the girl sighed. "I gave him the rest of the day off. He had a date with Lulu and I had no idea it was going to get this chaotic in his absence."
"Lulu?" Brown brows furrowed as he thought for a moment. "You mean that really dark and scary chick?" He gave a small wince in surprise as a cloth napkin met his face.
"Don't be rude, Sora", reprimanded his coworker. "Lulu is really nice. Now get to work."
Two hours and twenty groups of people later and Sora felt exhausted, wanting to take a load off of his aching feet. Usually such a rush didn't occur except during weekends or lunch hour on Mondays. Now there were only a few occupied tables to tend to and his mad scramble turned into his usual leisurely pace. A few giggles assaulted his ears from a ways away as he cleared off the table before him, cursing as he was forced to clean up whatever concoction the twelve year old that had previously sat there had made out of his hot chocolate and various condiments.
"That girl had no idea, I swear. 'In style' my ass. That tan was completely unnatural. She looked as if she had just rolled in a pile of nacho cheese Doritos", claimed Selphie as she sat atop a stool at the counter in front of Kairi.
Kairi bent over slightly as she laughed. "Or was raped by them."
This endless gossip from the chatter sisters left Sora unsurprised. The two girls were as close as could be having been best friends since before he had even moved to Twilight Town.
Kairi was a very sweet young woman that always tried to remain upbeat and optimistic. She and Sora always joked around that she was the female version of him. Her straight auburn hair came down to her shoulders, long bangs falling to her high cheekbones and were swept to the right. Her fair skin was virtually free of all blemishes, being something she took great pride in. Her slender frame was dressed in a pink strapless mini-dress with three zippers running down it as well as a white halter top underneath, with a black hood tucked up under her hair. A black belt reminiscent of suspenders was wrapped around her waist, the usual black bag not attached and probably in her work locker in the back. All of her attire was covered in the same green apron as Sora's. Three bracelets were sported on her left wrist, one a blue that matched not only her eyes but her painted nails as well. Lilac sneakers adorned her feet that even she spoke of as being abnormally large.
Selphie, being an extremely energetic and flighty girl, was always full of spunk and gossip. Her brown hair was also shoulder length but was styled with one large curl at the back of her head and two on the sides. Bangs came down to just under her eyebrows giving way to a full view of her big emerald green eyes. A yellow dress with overall straps and a large pocket on the chest was hidden under her own cafe apron, heavy brown boots on her feet. A small brown strap was wrapped around her left wrist as usual, a bracelet she had worn every day since Sora had known her.
Her mirthful giggles died down as Selphie attempted to get to the point. "Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked again. You remember our pervy perv gym teach' from tenth grade?" She awaited Kairi's confirmation which came in an affirmative nod before the girl's purple eyes widened in realization. "Exactly. Can you even believe it?"
"No", gasped Kairi, shock obvious on her face. A pale hand soon came to cover her mouth as it split into a wide grin. "No way. Mr. Morone? The guy everyone always made fun of because his sweat pants were always so horrifically tight?" Selphie only continued to cackle as her best friend processed the new information. "Ewwww", she shrieked.
"Can you imagine Too-Tight Sweats and Dorito Girl sucking face and-"
"Images, Selph", cried Sora as he walked up to the counter. "Watch the images." His face was firmly set into a disgusted grimace. He too had had that teacher as well as knew of this 'Dorito girl', also more widely known as Renae. He would have scolded the girls for their harsh words toward the couple if it hadn't have been hilarious and well deserved. Mr. Morone was in fact a pervert and Renae stuck up her nose at anyone with a pedigree less than her own.
The two girls howled with laughter until Kairi calmed herself down and gave Sora an odd look. "What happened to your eye?" The girl walked a few feet until she was right before the boy and inspected his eye closely, worry etched upon her features. She then looked down upon the rest of Sora, taking in his clothing. "And what are you wearing?"
Taking a look down at himself, Sora blanched. His outfit was completely out of regulation but that didn't worry him too much. Kairi had called him many other times to come in early and most times when he did, he was still in his street clothes. Kairi, as manager, didn't care much as long as it wasn't often. The apron usually covered most of the outfit anyway. Also, today was casual Tuesday, a thing the staff did one Tuesday of every month. 'Just for fun' as Kairi put it. What the concern and intrigue was about this time was the sleeping bag of a sweatshirt that covered his torso and a good portion of his thighs, the sleeves having been pushed up as far as they could go on his arms while he worked. Sora usually wore baggy clothes, but not that baggy.
"And is that... paint?"
Selphie snorted as she tried to hold back her laughter. "Tell me that's paint", she croaked, talking about the pasty white splotches on his newly acquired attire.
The male's shocked face soon scrunched up into disgruntled disbelief as he eyed his two teasing friends. "Really, guys? Of course it's paint. You two, I swear." He shook his head at them as he sat beside the other brunet, giving her a small glare. "I borrowed it from a friend."
Kairi's eyebrows scrunched in thought as she tapped her metallic blue nails on the countertop. "Whose? That doesn't look like something of Leon's or Cloud's. I don't think it would even fit them."
Sora shrugged, hoping to keep the day's events from the gossip queens beside him. The whole incident only highlighted how moronic of a person he was. And he was probably only going to see Riku once more. There was no need to get the girls all worked up over it, like they were bound to. "Just a guy. And the wound on my forehead is due to my own clumsiness. You know me. No big deal." It was mostly true anyway. "Oh, thanks for the gift. That was very sweet of you, Kai."
A small smile took over the girl's features. "No problem. I remembered how much you enjoyed them at my aunt's wedding."
The new subject had broken Kairi away from the initial inquisition, but it did not stop Selphie. Her eyes crinkled with glee as she could barely contain her enthusiasm. Sora was hiding something. She thought about pestering the boy, but she decided against it. It had to be something good if Sora of all people was attempting to keep it secret. She would find out eventually. She always did.
Riku strode down the sidewalk at a brisk pace. After Sora had left for work, Riku found that, in theory, he had enough time to make it to the store and back before his little sister's visit. He would have made it home in time with ten minutes to spare… had his sister not been early.
"Really now?" Riku's head jerked up as he approached his home. There, on his steps, sat his sister, looking a bit amused yet peeved. "You went shopping? For me? Oh, you shouldn't have, Riku." Her light and playful tone then turned serious. "Really, you shouldn't have."
Shoulders slumping at being caught, Riku rolled his eyes. "You're early."
Namine clicked her tongue as she grabbed a few grocery sacks so Riku could unlock the door. "You know I like to be punctual. If you didn't want to get caught then maybe you should have left earlier."
Riku refrained from kicking himself as he let her inside, soon following after. This is what I get for helping someone out.
Namine sat on a stool as the silveret put away the groceries. Her stare bore into his back until he couldn't take it anymore. "Honestly, sis. You chose to come on my shopping day. Not my fault that your surprise visit was so inconvenient."
His sister gasped, feigning an insulted expression as she reached across the counter to lightly smack him on the arm. "Alright, Riku, I'll let you get away with it this time."
Riku shook his head as he chuckled at his weirdo of a sister. Namine was a small girl. She had a very pale complexion just like his own and the rest of his family. A bunch of ghosts, they were. Her light blonde hair fell to her shoulder blades, her bangs swept off to the sides. She had bright blue eyes and a delicate smile that always shined with kindness. Her slightly curvy figure wore a spotless white spaghetti strap dress. Small dainty feet were protected by her favorite sandals. Accompanying the whole ensemble was her jean purse that she was now digging through.
Her expression was pensive before turning triumphant, obviously having found what she was looking for. Riku looked at the new object with a small amount of disdain. "I brought jam", the blond exclaimed cheerily. "It's blackberry this time."
"Yay", Riku deadpanned. "Variety."
The girl stuck her tongue out at him as he took it from her to put in his fridge beside the still half full container of strawberry jam. "You know you love it."
He chose to ignore that comment. "So, no twerp today?"
A sigh of annoyance fell past Namine's lips. She didn't like her brother calling her son a twerp, but she was used to it by now. Besides, it was sort of a term of endearment. From Riku it was anyway. "He's with a babysitter today. I had a job interview."
"A job interview? For where", he inquired, fairly intrigued. Sephiroth kept them well off, so as long as he went to school, Riku didn't need to work. Nor was he expected to. But Namine really wanted to support herself at least a little bit. She felt like enough of a burden on everyone already.
A wry smile appeared on her lips as she shook her head. "Nope. I don't wanna jinx it. Anyhow, let's go. I wanna go eat someplace."
Riku's brows furrowed. "But I just-"
"Bought all that food for yourself", Namine interrupted with a laugh. "C'mon, there's this place I've been wanting to try out for a while now."
Riku blew his bangs from his eyes. "Fine."
Chance In Counter, eh? Riku gave the punny name a snort. It was intriguing, he'd give it that. In a world so dull and boring, Riku could admit that the cheesy name did make it seem more welcoming. The moderately sized place looked nice from the outside as well.
Holding the door open for his sister, Riku glanced at his surroundings as he followed her inside. It was as to be expected of a cafe. The booths and tables were all spaciously separated. The place was much bigger on the inside than the outside gave it credit for. Everything from the color of the floor tiles to the menus to the employees' aprons was forest green, beige and blue, giving it a rather earthy appeal.
Namine took a seat at a booth by the window, Riku trailing after her. Looking up to judge just how long of a wait they would have, he figured it wouldn't be long. There were only three other occupied tables and a lone customer on a stool at the counter. Loner-guy as well as two of the tables appeared to have already been served while a bubbly brunet was currently taking care of the third. There was only one other employee that Riku could see, a rather attractive redhead who was occupied with something at the register.
"Why here", Riku inquired as he perched his chin upon his hand, giving his sister a bland glance. Anytime Namine had gotten the urge to take him out, it was always to her favorite restaurant. The Izzy's that was a few blocks away from her house. Always. Naturally, this abrupt change prompted his inquiry. The elder had never even heard of this place.
Turning her gaze away from the girl behind the counter and relinquishing her teeth's hold on her lip, Namine gave Riku a smile. "Because I wanted to go here, silly. I heard about this place from a friend I met last week. I told her I'd come by sometime."
A friend you met last week? Let me guess, that was the first and only time you even talked to her, huh? Only you could call someone you just met a friend.
"Why, thank you, Riku", replied Namine sarcastically. Riku blinked at her owlishly as if she had read his mind before he realized the truth and scratched the back of his neck at his lack of brain to mouth filter. "Yes, you said that out loud. Just because you've decided to be such a frigid jerk, doesn't mean I have to be. I like to make friends."
"Yeah, yeah." He waved her remark off just as their table was approached by the girl Namine had previously been eyeing.
A brilliant smile lit up the girl's face as she came up to her new customers, one whom she recognized automatically. "Oh my glob, you actually came."
Riku's brow rose at the girl and her very fitting teenage-girl-esque welcome. Obviously this was his sister's 'friend'.
"I told you I would", replied Namine. "Took me some time, but I figured today was as good as ever. Oh", the blonde paused as she gestured to Riku across the table from her. "This is the brother I was telling you about, the younger one, Riku. Riku, this is Kairi. We met at Barnes and Noble and were instantly like sisters."
So there was a new addition to the family. How nice to know. "Nice to meet you", he drawled slightly, masking it with a polite smile as he shook the offered hand.
A light pink dusted her cheeks as her eyes not so subtly grazed over the male's form. "Pleasure's mine. You forgot to mention just how gorgeous your brother is, Nam."
She crinkled her nose in response. "Well, he is my brother. Forgive me if I fail to notice his looks."
Kairi giggled. "True, thankfully I don't have that kind of limitation. I can check him out all day if I want."
Did I become invisible or something? Clearing his throat at the girl's forwardness, Riku asked for a menu.
Kairi laughed uneasily, realizing that she had completely forgotten her original intention and duties. She apologized as she handed them both their menus.
He was about to reply when something in his peripheral vision caught his attention. Coming out of the back room was a boy. An employee, if the apron had anything to say about him. He was a very lively character who was dancing to what had to be some kind of music in his head for it was completely off beat to the tune playing in the cafe's background. On his hand was a tray of drinks that remained graciously in place despite the movement of his body. Although those observations drew his mind away from his task at hand, none of that led Riku to dropping his menu to the table nor to his brows raising to his hairline. It was the identity of the young man that led to those actions.
Noticing her customer's new attention stealer, Kairi put her hands on her hips. "Don't mind Sor. He dances to his own beat." She grinned at her coworker before turning back to Namine who was giggling.
"I hadn't noticed", responded Namine. "So that's the best friend. He is definitely all that you said. Spunky doesn't even seem to cover it. Sora, Right?"
Kairi nodded, hiding her laughter behind her hand.
Finally noticing the conversation around him, Sora spun in their direction, drinks miraculously remaining in place. The tray almost slipped from his hand though, as he saw his new acquaintance sitting there. "Riku", Sora gasped, looking dumbfounded.
Namine's head turned to the side as she looked at the brunet. "Hey, Riku? Isn't that your sweatshirt?" Her lips spread into an excited smile. Indeed, it was her brother's jacket. The paint gave it away. That and the singed edge along the front pouch that his pyromaniac friend had contributed to.
Kairi's eyes lit up at the news. Her mischievous gaze caught Sora's wide-eyed one. So this is his friend, huh? "Forget to mention something, Sor? Like your new hot friend, perhaps?"
Sora grew red up to his ears as his gaze slid from Kairi to Namine until it finally reached Riku's amused aquamarine orbs. He was caught now. He should have known not to try and keep something from Kairi
All Riku could think about was the sheer coincidence of it all and that the word 'friend' was being thrown around a bit much. "Yeah, we met earlier", the eldest explained nonchalantly, hiding his shock at the turn of events. "I'm the one who gave him that scrape."
"Riku", Namine scolded as she gave him a stern reprimanding look.
"What, it's not like I did it on purpose."
Sora wiped the stun off his face as he recovered. "It was my fault, I should have been paying attention."
"Story of your life", chuckled Kairi as she gave him a small glare.
Sora knew he was gonna hear about this one.
A small awkward silence seemed to befall them before Namine cut through it. "So, um... I'll have some blueberry pancakes...please?"
Riku ordered as well but his eyes never left Sora's as the brunet stood there, his tray of drinks forgotten in his grasp. A few minutes later, a vibration in his pocket startled him into dragging his attention away from the quirky teen. He sighed as he dug his phone out, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Sora continued on with his task. Riku regretted the loss of eye contact and he found this extremely odd. No one ever really caught his attention. Of course, he supposed it was rather hard for anyone to not notice a guy like Sora. He was like a bundle of joyous sunshine. A refreshing character in the rather dull world full of bland and uninspiring people. And at those thoughts, Riku resisted the urge to bang his head against the table. Bundle of joyous sunshine? Really?
But as his eyes roved over the words on his cell's screen, he wished he could retreat back into those intense pools of blue that were Sora's eyes.
'We need to chat. Soon.' ~ Lea