Hi there. Sorry for the late update. The first night it was just me being lazy, and last night I went to see Carrots of the Pirabbean: Orlando Bloom's Chest.

Disclaimers: I don't own Kingdom Hearts! Eventually I will find Tetsuya and tie him up and beat him (or do other naughty things to him) until he hands over the rights. But I can't do that until the restraining order lifts. So.

A fuzzy voice broke through the sound of his heart pounding in his head. Opening lazy blue eyes, he was faced with a nearly identical pair, striking against the rest of his face, staring in a puzzled way at him.

"Sora?"

"Hey Roxas." It sounded as though the syllables of Roxas's name themselves hurt to say.

"Is Riku working you too hard again?" Sora cast a glance at said silver-haired boy, who was lounging on the counter talking to Xigbar. He managed a weak smile, and replied, "Not hard enough."

"Well," Roxas said, straightening up. "Do you wanna go the beach?"

"The beach? I thought you just went there." Nevertheless, Sora was excited. The only person he'd seen for the past six days was Riku. He was even too tired to be a bum over at Roxas's house, which was quite the feat. Riku obviously knew his training regimen. And while seeing Riku so often wasn't a bad thing (Sora decided there was no such thing as too much Riku) it was nice to talk to Roxas again. It felt like ages, even though their last get-together was only two days ago, in the food court.

"Yeah, but Axel and I couldn't think of anywhere else to go." Axel was currently engrossed in a game of air hockey with a tall, unsuspecting redhead with a strange accent. Sora's face fell.

"Oh, Axel's gonna be there?"

"Yeah, is that a problem?" Roxas asked, brows furrowed. Since when was Sora so picky? But the brunet immediately picked up on his friend's confusion.

"It's just that you're always hanging out with him now."

"Well, yeah…we get along great. Not as good as you and me, of course, but I mean…you're with Riku all the time." He had a point, and he knew it.

"But I'm training!"

"Yeah, and not letting anyone else on the machine. Axel said that if I could show him some things he'd be willing to play, but we haven't gotten a chance."

Riku was striding back towards his apprentice and was about to break up the conversation between Sora and the boy he understood to be Roxas when he heard this part of the conversation. Instead of approaching the boys he surreptitiously veered and hopped up onto the DDR machine instead, pretending to be tying his shoe. What a little sneak.

"I don't think the training is going to go on that much longer, Roxas. I'll be done soon and you can use the machine."

"Soon as in…a week? That's not soon enough."

"Stop being so pushy," Sora chided, flashing a smile. "Even if I don't get as good as I want, I'm sure Riku will get tired of me and stop training me." It hurt to say that, he had to admit. Riku was by far the coolest person he'd ever known, with the ability to succeed at everything. Usually Sora hated these kinds of people, but Riku wasn't like that. Riku could probably pick up a violin and whip off a symphony even if he'd never played before. Sora admired that. He both wanted it and wanted to be it. It was no wonder everyone loved Riku; he was one in a million. And so far he'd proved to not just be another pretty face. Talented, smart, and loyal, if his friendship with Axel was any indication.

Axel was a great guy too, something Roxas knew very well. It was just that…they gravitated towards each other. Just as Axel said at the beach, sometimes you look at someone and just know. Destiny or fate (or hormones?) was pushing them together, and it was just too right to question, like being forced to wear a school uniform that you actually love. Axel and Riku had one very glaring thing in common: they were both suave to the nth degree.

Those two could do anything they set their minds to. Sora knew that even Roxas desired that.

Riku knew that what Sora said was untrue as well. He could never get tired of the constantly smiling face and cheerful disposition. There was no way to hate Sora's stamina and his drive, and his need for justice. If Sora was jealous of Riku's perfection, Riku was jealous of Sora's forgiveness. He had never been rude to anyone. Riku tended to be rude and cocky even when there was no need to be. But for some reason he couldn't be that around Sora, even if the boy was doing something that should have gotten on his nerves. Those eyes and that smile…made it all dissipate, as though it never was.

"Until then, I'm not going to let you eat any of the food in my house."

"That's not fair!" Sora pouted, and then remembered big boys don't pout. But stopping himself from pouting was, perhaps, even cuter than the pout itself. Riku had already melted into a puddle on the machine.

"Is too. Anyway, do you want to come with us or not?"

And then, without thinking, Sora blurted out, "Only if Riku can come too." The Riku!puddle materialised back into human form, and his eyes widened.

"I don't think Axel would mind."

"Would you mind?" Do you like Riku?

"Why would I? I trust Riku." Sora smiled in relief, as though Roxas was the strict parent and Sora had just brought home a boyfriend.

"Then yeah, let's go!"

"When do you get a break from the slave driving?"

"Only when master allows one," Sora replied innocently enough, but the thought brought a blush to Riku's cheeks. Indirectly or not, Sora just called Riku his master. Oh boy. "Hey, Ri-ku!" he called, and the older boy quickly made himself less suspicious.

"Yeah?"

"Wanna go to the beach today?"

"Come on, you know you want to," Axel called, but it was hard to hear over the sobs of the boy he'd just owned at air hockey. I do want to, the aqua-eyed boy thought.

"As long as we're not bothering you two. I don't want any making out on this trip."

"Silly, Roxas and I aren't even dating." Though he didn't say it out loud, Roxas mentally added on the last word: yet.

"Stop yelling across the arcade!" Xigbar yelled. A piece of crumpled up wax paper hit him in the head, and giggles came from the same direction. As the one-eyed man went on the hunt, Riku blew his bangs from his face and replied with a cool "Sure, I'll go to the beach with you."

Roxas pulled Sora a little closer and muttered something that made the brunet grin ear to ear.

"So don't ruin it, okay?" the blond said a little louder. Sora saluted him before dashing off and hopping over the hand rail onto the DDR platform.

"Don't ruin what?" Riku asked, crossing his arms. Sora's smirk matched his as he leaned in and whispered, "This is their first date."

"Date? You mean…?" The blue-eyed boy nodded profusely, grinning like a cat.

"Hehe."

"That's right," a voice behind them suddenly said. Axel, as he always did, had slunk up and listened in. "Wanna make it a double date?"

Hmm. A date with Sora didn't sound like a very bad thing in the least, but Riku had to uphold his image and immediately shot the idea down by fisting a hand in Axel's spiky locks and thrusting the teen away. "Roxas is about to play that stupid luck game you hate. Aren't you going to go stop him?" Indeed the blond was, so Axel ran off without a word. Just as Roxas began to fish through his pockets for a coin, two hands wrapped around his wrists and pulled his arms back. Axel rested his head in the crook of Roxas's shoulder. "That game is rigged." Subdued and seduced, Roxas sighed and allowed himself to be pulled against a skinny body.

"Right in the middle of the arcade, Axel?" This was only the second time Roxas had ever been this close to the taller boy, and he didn't want to be 'getting places' with his date in front of people.

Last night, Axel had offered to drive Roxas home. The ride went smoothly, but before Roxas could get out Axel's hand held him in place and bright green eyes bored holes in him.

"Do you want to do something tomorrow?"

"Uh, sure. Like what?" Axel hesitated for the first time since Roxas met him.

"I haven't thought of it yet. We can decide together. But, Roxas…"

At this point Roxas had sunk into the seat and looked at Axel with very forgiving eyes. He thought something was terribly wrong.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I just…don't know how to ask this. I don't want this to just be a regular trip. I was wondering if you would…" Was Axel trying to ask what he thought he was going to ask…? "If you wanna make this like, a date."

Eyes comically round, Roxas could only nod dumbly. He knew it. He knew there was something there.

Even now at Arcanum, every time he gazed at Axel he couldn't believe his luck. Was it luck?

He would have told Sora about it, but, as mentioned, the boy had been busy training. Well, now he knew anyway.

"You'd better stop throwing things at me!" Xigbar hissed at his prey, who whimpered. The older man had him backed against the wall, where he was cowering like a wounded deer. Xigbar could be really scary when he was angry, and he wasn't even fully riled up.

Really, he was just doing it to freak Demyx out.

He'd finally abandoned the horrible blue employee's shirt, because Xemnas didn't come around enough to care what his employees wore and all the customers knew him anyway. Demyx hadn't worn the uniform from the start. People were also beginning to be less afraid of Xigbar nowadays. Since Demyx arrived, he'd offered an outlet for the energy Xigbar had that used to build up when he just stood at the counter. Instead of bland coffee breaks, Xigbar's breaks now included chasing Demyx, ordering the boy to do things, and secretly eyeing him. It didn't help that Demyx liked to wiggle his bottom when he leaned over the counter to interact with customers, or that he moved so gracefully with all his music and dancing experience. He was the best thing that ever happened to Xigbar.

On the other side of the court, Demyx figured that he and Xigbar were very good friends already, probably due to his cheerful persistence. The thing Xigbar needed most was cheer. He was even warming up to the customers.

"Did you hear me?"

"Yes sir!"

"And what are you going to do about it?"

"Throw more stuff at ya, sir!"

When Xigbar's fists came out at him, Demyx blocked them in the palm of his hand, and then a fight ensued, the magnitude of which could kill small animals.

Grunting and forcing his fists back, Xigbar's only other method of force was his hips, which he pushed into Demyx's without thinking. It wasn't until Demyx pushed back that he realised what he was doing. Demyx took advantage of Xigbar's sudden nervous breakdown, forcing the man back and off of him.

"We gotta work, man! No time for fighting!" Demyx mocked before skipping off, Xigbar on his heels, talons drawn.

Yeah, sorry. That chapter sucked balls.

BUT! Roxas and Axel are finally going on a date! And Sora and Riku are going to tag along, and we'll see if anything blossoms between them (and it will). And you're probably wondering where the hell I'm going with this Xigbar and Demyx stuff. It will happen. Leave it in my amazing author hands. –sleazy wink-

Bye! (Don't you find it ironic that the one time I actually say "see you tomorrow night" I didn't show up the next night? Won't be making that mistake again.)