The Black King
By: Sissy

Chapter 3: The proper way to invite someone to travel

"Hey Riku!" Sora called the Silver Knight, who preferred to be called by his name when it came to Sora, as he was exiting the Sheriff's office.

"What now, vampire? More trouble?" Riku asked sarcastically.

"No. And I told you! I'm a half-vampire!" Sora pouted.

"Whatever. No business. No talk." Riku turned around and was about to leave but Sora stopped him by jumping on him, "What the hell! Are you sane!"

"Yes I am." Sora nodded to him then told him, "But I do have business with you."

"Oh, really? What kind?" Riku asked the smaller half-vampire.

"I wanna hire you!" Sora exclaimed, happily pointing at Riku.

"What the hell for? You're a vamp- half-vampire for Pete's sake! You can take care of yourself." Riku told him, ignoring Sora's puppy face, "Besides, I have other business to attend to." and continued his trek, despite the fact that Sora was still hanging on his back.

"Like what?" Sora asked, getting off and following Riku by his side.

"Why do you care?" Riku eyed him curiously, to try and see his true intentions.

"We might be headed the same way!" Sora answered him honestly, "And that would work out for me since I don't want to travel alone. It's boring if there's no one to talk to." Riku couldn't disagree, since it was mainly true.

"But people that get in the way would be annoying. And I don't want to end up getting in trouble because of a traveling partner." Riku told him.

"I can take care of myself." Sora pouted, then quickly covered his mouth, realizing his mistake.

"Then you don't need to hire me." Riku told him and turned the other way.

"But it would be boring! And lonely!" Sora yelled from afar, then slumped down on the floor, "Phooey! And here I thought he would be interested in going there as well."

Defeated by logic, Sora headed the other way and got out of town. Even if he couldn't get the Silver Knight, the other person Sora admired, to accompany him, that didn't mean that he would stay there to try and coax him to come.

Even if he was tempted to do so.

"Oh, well. Nothing I can do about it." Sora sighed as he saw another hay carriage in the distance and ran up to it.

Only to find it was the same man from before.

"Hello again! Are perhaps our paths crossed?" Axel grinned at Sora, who noticed that there was someone else next to Axel.

"Maybe. Can I get on?" Sora asked him and Axel nodded.

"Hello! I'm Demyx!" The blond who was next to Axel waved at Sora, who got on, sitting on the other side of Axel, "And this sourpuss farmer is Axel. I betcha he didn't even introduce himself."

"No, he didn't. I'm Sora." Sora smiled at Demyx, who shook Sora's hand very joyfully.

"Nice to meet you Sora! Where are you headed?" Demyx asked curiously, letting go of Sora's hand.

"To the Kingdom of the Wise King." Sora told them and Axel couldn't help but laugh.

"What's with you farm boy?" Demyx asked him, while making fun of him all the while.

"The idiot Silver Knight's headed there as well. I planned on giving him a ride, but his pompous knight just declined." Axel laughed, "And now he'll walk all the way there!" hard.

"You knew it was him?" Sora asked Axel.

"Of course little man. But I didn't tell you 'cuz you might have been like all his fans." Axel ruffled Sora's hair.

"Oh. I see. I meet him in town. He said he didn't want to travel with me." Sora told him.

"Yeah, he's a big meanie, isn't he?" Demyx said, remembering he was there when Axel invited Riku.

"Stop talking about me that way." They all jumped when they heard the voice and turned to the right to see Riku on top of his Wyvern, "And I don't have to walk. Wyvern here will take me there."

"Riku! You're on your way to see the Wise King too?" Sora asked joyfully.

"Yeah. Don't tell me you too?" Riku looked a bit repulsed by the fact.

"Yup! See? It was a good thing I offered you to accompany me!" Sora made the fact even worse for Riku's stomach to take.

"I don't care. I still would have declined." But Riku didn't show his worry on his face and glared at Sora, who smirked and stood up before he threw himself on Riku's Wyvern. "What the hell! Get off!" Riku yelled at Sora who grabbed on tight.

"No! I need to get there quickly and your Wyvern can help! So I'm coming with you!" Sora pouted and grabbed hold off Riku's back.

"Fine! But don't blame me if you get sick!" Riku told him and they went up into the sky.

"Did he invite himself just now?" Axel wondered out loud.

"He did. He didn't invite Riku, but himself." Demyx stared at the Wyvern which was getting out of sight.

"Kid has guts, I'll tell you that much." Axel said and grinned, "I like him."

"You like anyone who makes Riku angry." Demyx told him and Axel just laughed.

… …

"Were those two friends of yours?" Sora asked Riku curiously.

"Somewhat." Riku answered him.

"Where they dating? They seem to know each other a lot." Sora asked curiously.

"No. God, no. That's just…wrong…" Riku blew away the mental image he had received.

"Oh. I see." Sora said, thoughtfully.

"By the way, were you planning on doing this the entire time?" Riku asked the boy.

"Don't you know Silver Knight? The proper way to invite someone to travel?" Sora asked him, smiling wickedly.

"What? Isn't it the same everywhere?" Riku asked him curiously.

"Of course not! Besides, people have it all wrong!" Sora said, pointing nowhere.

"Then what is the proper way?" Riku asked him, thinking about something else.

"You never invite people." Sora's sudden reply irked Riku somehow, "Things fall into place and people always find themselves traveling together!"

"Just like you did?" Riku asked him sarcastically.

"No. That fell into place as well." Sora smiled and Riku just thought that he got a very annoying -unwanted- companion.

To Be Continued…

Sissy: I said before that I did this a while ago so, I'm posting it along with the second one. I'll be working now on the next chapter.
Kody: And don't forget to go to Gaia as well.
Sissy: Oh! Right!