Author's Note: I know there hasn't been too much Riku action for you Riku fans, but this chapter's gonna mostly focus on him! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 10: Pressure

Riku sat in the bleachers of the Blitzball stadium and kept his eyes fixated on the arena. About a dozen teenage boys that were anywhere from 5'7" to 6'1" flipped through the water sphere like dolphins chasing after the sole player that was holding onto the blitzball. Tidus had the ball and was being chased by Bickson. Wakka was guarding Bickson, so it was all the more satisfying to watch Wakka crash right into his opponent allowing Tidus to flip backwards and kick his ball into the goal. Riku recognized this move, it was the "sphere shot". Tidus had taught it to him when he joined the team back when he was in the 9th grade.

It was the Thursday before Thanksgiving. The Panthers had their final game the following day. Riku sighed as he looked up at the scoreboard that was set up for tomorrow's game. It was Destiny Islands Panthers vs. Crystal Cove Dolphins. It was the big rivalry game, the game that all of the college scouts would be watching. The top performing athletes, regardless of which team won or lost, would be offered scholarships to play on their respective school's teams. It was a scholarship that Riku no longer had a chance in receiving.

Blitzball practice ended at 5:30pm. Riku didn't want to deal with any of the members on the team, so he left at 5:15. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked through the empty campus. The only students that remained on the campus were a few loners or small groups that either stayed at the library to study or the athletes who stayed for practice. Riku walked to his truck in the student parking lot and hopped into it. He stared at his steering wheel before his eyes travelled to a Blitzball keychain that hung from his rearview mirror. He shook his head before backing out and starting to drive.

After driving for about 5 minutes, Riku started to lose concentration. He turned onto a dirt lot and parked. The air outside felt fresh against his silver bangs. After taking a deep breath, Riku hopped out of the car and into the back of the truck. Young kids passed by him on bikes and rollerblades. To him, it seemed like everything got more difficult the older he got. He missed the days of him, Sora, and Roxas just bumming around in the neighborhoods on their bikes drinking sodas and teasing little girls. Tidus and Wakka happened to be walking past Riku and noticed his presence.

"Riku! Hey!" Tidus greeted.

Riku cracked a smile and waved back. "How's it going guys?"

"Big game tomorrow, ya?" Wakka said as he hopped in the back of the truck. Tidus hopped in right after. "We miss having you on the team, brudda."

"You guys are probably the only ones." Riku shook his head and reached into his pocket pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He popped one into his mouth. "You guys want one?"

Tidus frowned. "No, I thought you quit a while ago."

"I did…for the most part."

"Riku!" Wakka raised his voice. "You gonna flush all that down?"

Riku groaned. "Like I said, it's only when I'm feeling really down in the dumps."

Wakka crossed his arms. "How about talking to us instead?"

"At least you'll be working your mouth instead of your lungs." Tidus nodded.

"Whatever…" Riku shook his head.

As if being pestered by his friends wasn't enough, Riku looked up and saw Bickson and a few other guys from the team walking towards them. As he saw Bickson approaching the truck, it seemed like everything just went into slow motion. That was always how Riku felt whenever he was around Bickson. It only got worse when Kairi and Bickson had begun going out. In fact, as much as Riku hated Bickson for what he did to Kairi, he was also relieved that the two of them were no longer together anymore. He knew right from the beginning that they did not belong together, but that was Kairi's business. Riku had his own business with Bickson.

Bickson and Riku locked eye contact. It sent painful shivers down Riku's spine, but he didn't dare show it. Bickson proceeded towards Riku, a big hyena smile plastered on his high school bad boy face. Tidus and Wakka also kept their eye contact locked on Bickson. Despite them being on the team, Riku was their friend before Bickson was their captain, so they stood beside him. Bickson chuckled and leaned his sweaty body against Riku's car that was newly washed.

"You're contaminating my truck…" Riku glared, cigarette sticking out of his mouth.

Bickson shook his head. "What's another contaminated possession?"

Riku jumped onto the ground, now on eye level with Bickson. "What do you want? Don't you have a game to rest up for?"

"Hey man, that's what I was coming to talk to you about."

Tidus and Wakka followed up behind Riku. "Come on, man. No need to deal with 'his assholeness'." Tidus said putting a hand on Riku's shoulder.

"Watch it, blondie!" Bickson raised his voice jerking a fist in front of Tidus' face. "Or I'll make sure you're playing the bench tomorrow!" A small gasp escaped Tidus' mouth. "Don't forget who your team captain is."

Riku stepped forward. "Leave him out of this. This is between you and me. Now, what about the game tomorrow?"

"I just wanted to make sure there were no hard feelings." Bickson held his hands up. "You know, considering you have to miss the most important game of the season."

"I don't play for the team anymore. Why do I care?" Riku shrugged. He breathed some smoke out into Bickson's face.

The team captain shut his eyes and inhaled. "Boy, I know that scent all too well." Bickson shook his head and laughed. "Didn't think you were stupid enough to pick up smoking again."

Riku took his cigarette and slammed it on the ground and smashed it. "I didn't ask you for your opinion on my personal life."

"Can't help it! I mean, what happened in June…" Bickson and the other team members laughed. "Wow! That was a close call! That could've been my ass! But nope, you were too fuckin' stupid to cover your own ass, so you took it for the team!" Riku looked away, his eyes shut and his heart beat racing. "Not that you needed to get arrested just to prove how much of an asswipe you are! Getting kicked off the team was enough!"

"Look…" Riku's hand balled into a fist.

Bickson held his ground. "Don't forget...I have the upper ground." He leaned over and whispered into Riku's ear. "You'd better keep your mouth shut...for your friends' sake."

Riku felt a lump in his throat making it hard for him to swallow. Bickson shoved past him with his fellow team members behind him. He could feel his arms trembling as if Bickson's threat was directly towards him. Tidus and Wakka came up behind Riku and patted him on the back. They could both feel his breathing becoming even heavier than it was before and could even hear it through his nose. HIs fists curled into fists that looked like they could punch through MechaGodzilla. Riku shoved his hand and yanked out the box of cigarettes from his pocket and threw them across the dirt lot.

Leaving Tidus and Wakka with their jaws wide open, Riku hopped back onto his truck and slammed on the accelerator leaving a huge dust cloud behind. All that was on his mind was getting home. Thankfully, he didn't live that far from the school, only about 7-8 minutes. His truck pulled into the empty driveway. None of this parents were home. With his backpack slung over his shoulder, Riku ran inside the house and into his slightly messy bedroom where his computer awaited him. After throwing his backpack on to the ground, Riku sat in his chair and logged onto League of Legends. Sora, Roxas, and Roxas' brother, Ventus, were playing already and Riku was able to join.

"Riku! You made it!"

Riku sighed. "Thanks Roxas...I need a hardcore session tonight."

"Uh...it's actually Ven."

"Sorry Ven, it's hard to tell who's talking." Riku shook his head as he started moving his character. His voice still sounded shaky.

"Riku, is everything alright?" Sora asked.

"Barely…"

"What happened?" Roxas asked.

Riku exhaled deeply as he rubbed his head. "I can't say...all I can say is Sora…"

"Yeah?" Sora responded.

"Sora, while you and Kairi are on your 'revenge plot', just...be careful…" Riku's voice lowered. "You don't know what damage Bickson is capable of."

"What do you mean?"

"I seriously can't say, but if you thought what Bickson has been saying about Kairi has been bad, he can do much worse. Just please be careful and don't push him…"

Sora sighed. "Okay, thanks Riku…"

Shortly after, Riku chose to log off his computer. He couldn't concentrate on the game, so he walked over to his bed and just lay down. His head was throbbing, the room was spinning, and his stomach felt like a volcano bursting with hot magma. Riku just chose to shut his eyes and rest. This rest would soon be interrupted though as thoughts of what Bickson had said to him haunted his mind.

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It was the party of a lifetime. All of the seniors of the graduating class had showed up. Not only the seniors, but everyone who was involved with the Blitzball team had gotten invited. Naturally, Riku had a great excuse to go thanks to the rest of the team going. Despite how he felt about Bickson, at least Tidus and Wakka were good friends of his that were also there. The music was blasting so loud, Riku could've sworn that the speakers were moving. The seniors were so loud that nobody could have a decent conversation indoors.

Bickson and the Blitz team were huddled up in a corner. One by one, the members were disappearing thanks to the countless single girls that were pulled them away to dance, make out, or 'entertain'. Riku had even found it amusing watching his teammates all get pulled away by girls. The Blitz players were major 'chick magnets' just by the sheer fact that they were all good-looking guys who played the school's most popular sport.

"Whaddaya think?" Bickson asked throwing his arms up.

Riku stopped sipping the beer he was working on. "I dunno! I can't hear ANYTHING!" He pulled the girl he was with close to him. "If we're gonna chat, we should go somewhere QUIETER!"

"Yeah! Outside is good, ya?" Wakka chimed in.

Bickson exhaled deeply. "Sure thing! I got something for our graduating seniors to celebrate with anyway!"

The seven or so guys stumbled their way out of the large house where the party was being held. They had already had a little too much to drink, so their walking was a little on the slow side. Riku's truck was parked on the side of the road. Once they reached it, BIckson reached into his pocket and pulled out plastic back of what Riku could only describe as a leafy-like substance. He knew exactly what it was once Bickson started rolling joints loaded with the substance. Although Riku was already a smoker, this was on a whole other level.

"Here you go!" Bickson snickered as he handed a joint to Riku.

Riku examined the joint in his hands. "You do know what this is, right?"

"Just a little 'treat' for the guys graduating! And...a little treat for you too."

"Why? What's the catch?" Riku frowned.

Tidus, who had turned down a joint from Bickson, patted Riku on the back. "Coach wants you for captain next year. Wakka and I overheard him in the office."

Riku gasped. "Really? I didn't think I was that great of a Blitz player."

Bickson burst out laughing. "Dude! You've got the highest record of goals out all of us on the team, you made a miraculous recovery in the 10th grade when you came back after you dislocated your knee, and you're all about teamwork, man!" He got uncomfortably close to Riku. "Coach doesn't have a reason to not make you captain next year, does he?"

"No...I guess not…" Riku held his head low. "But that's besides the point. Bickson, this is illegal. If we get caught with this-"

"-Okay fine!" Bickson held a lighter up to his joint. "I've already rolled the joints, so when we're done with these, we'll cut it for the night."

Riku sighed. "No...that's not good enough. Cigarettes is one thing. Drinking underrage is another thing, but this, I can't keep my mouth shut about." He turned and started walking away pulling out his cell phone.

"I wouldn't do that!" Bickson grabbed Riku by the arm. Riku turned around and saw that Bickson had pulled out a black pistol and had it aimed right for him. Riku's heart nearly stopped. What good would come out of this? Did he really want to risk his life just to turn Bickson in?

"What would that accomplish Bickson?" Riku asked, his voice raising. "You pull that trigger, and I'm dead. I'm out of the Blitzball season for good. The neighbors will hear the gunshot and call the cops. Then you'll be arrested for drug possession and for shooting a student. And don't forget, we're 17. We get charged as adults now, not minors."

Bickson snickered. "Like I'm stupid enough to go after you." His lips curled into a smile that only a snake could have. "But, your little red-headed friend may not be so lucky."

"Kairi!" Riku's heart sank. His life was one thing, but as soon as one of his friends was in danger, that's when everything changes in Riku's eyes. "You wouldn't…"

"I know your weakness." Bickson chuckled. "You say anything about this...and the girl gets blown away."

Riku shut his eyes and sighed. "Fine...I won't say anything…" His voice shook. "Just...please leave her out of this…"

Bickson shrugged as he hid the gun in the holster. "Fine by me as long as you shut the fuck up about this." He held up the lighter to Riku's joint. "No need to stress about this...just relax…"

With the joint between his index and middle fingers, Riku slowly inhaled. He could feel the smoke travelling down to his lungs. It almost seemed like any negative feelings slowly poured their way out of is mind and body. His head started to feel light and fuzzy and his body felt like it could take off flying at any moment. Riku shut his eyes basking in the euphoric feeling. He hadn't felt this good in years. He opened his mouth and let the smoke escape from his lungs and mouth. This feeling, he needed it again. Riku took in another puff and did the same thing. It seemed the more he did it, the better he felt.

The Blitzball teammates high fived each other as they saw Riku slowly but surely lose himself to the 'high' he was feeling. This would soon end for them as blue and red lights were soon spotted and heard from down the road. Immediately, the members of the team started panicking. Who called the cops? It couldn't have been Riku despite what he had threatened to do. It definitely wasn't somebody from the party.

"Fuck man! We gotta get out of here!" Bickson yelled.

Riku's happy face faded. "I didn't do it…" He said slowly.

"Not shit man! Get your ass moving!" Bickson yelled as he and the rest of the team sprinted away from Riku's truck.

"Oh god…" Riku held his head. The world was suddenly spinning and it only became worse when he caught the cops' lights in his eyes. In fact, he couldn't even move his feet. As soon as he took one step forward, he went down on the ground. Tidus and Wakka hurried back to try and help him. "Tidus! Wakka! Go!"

"But Riku-" Tidus argued.

"JUST GO!"

Tidus and Wakka looked at each other before running in the opposite direction of the Blitz team. Riku lay on the ground watching the pitch black sky spin in circles. Suddenly, the euphoria had turned into a mixture of dizziness, nausea, racing heart beats, and rushing blood flow. His breathing became heavier and faster as his blurry vision could make out cop cars pulling up near him and rushing over to his side. Riku wanted to believe that they were here to help, but as soon as he saw one cop hold a pistol in front of him, he knew it was all over for him.

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"Riku? Riku? RIKU?"

"What? What?" Riku snapped out of his deep thought that he got lost in. Roxas, who sat next to him in their 4th period class, Physics, raised his eyebrows. "Sorry, Roxas."

"You okay? You've been acting weird all day."

Riku nodded his head quickly. "Yeah, it's fine."

The bell rang dismissing the class to move onto 5th period. Riku and Roxas hurried out of the class. At least the next period, which Web Design had the two of them and Sora all in the same class. It was a pretty easy class and the students used a lot of fun computer programs like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and so on. Riku followed Roxas to his locker so he could put away his Physics textbook and grab his Web Design notebook. While at Roxas' locker, Bickson and the Blitz guys walked past them shooting dirty looks at both guys.

Roxas groaned. "Damn, don't those assholes have anything better to do?"

"They do," Riku scoffed. "But they won't do it."

"It seems like no matter what you, Kairi, or Sora does, they won't leave you guys alone." Roxas shut his locker before the boys started walking. "I don't wanna be that guy, especially since Namine and I have been in a committed relationship for a month and a half now, but I think Sora and Kairi should 'break up' because this fake dating plan isn't working." He looked around before leaning closer to Riku. "I shouldn't say this, but I saw Rinoa with another guy when I was out with Namine the other day."

Riku shook his head. "So pretty much, Sora and Kairi are wasting their time at this point."

"Basically," Roxas shrugged. "Rinoa is talking crap about them behind their backs too."

"And neither one of them has noticed? It's been 3 weeks. Surely, they would get the picture sooner or later." Riku said as he and Roxas walked into the classroom that had tables of computers set up in multiple, long rows. Sora was already in the classroom logged onto his computer.

Sora stretched his arms around. "What's up, guys?" He asked as his two friends took their seats next to him.

Riku shook his head. "You don't wanna know."

"Just Bickson being a dick as usual." Roxas said in a hushed whisper.

Once class started, the teacher quickly lectured about how to keep quality of images after playing with their dimensions and then left the students to continue working on their websites. In fact, the whole semester was about the students building their own website about pretty much whatever they wanted. Roxas worked on a website about dinosaurs, Sora did a website about Legend of Zelda, and Riku did one about Blitzball. While working on their websites, Sora peaked over to Riku's screen and saw that he had put a GIF of a bouncing blitzball in the lower corners on the web pages.

"Nice touch." Sora laughed pointing at the screen. "So, are you guys going to the Blitzball game tonight? It's the final game."

Riku shook his head. "Nope, I've skipped out on every game of the season, and I plan to keep it that way."

Roxas shrugged. "I'll go if you wanna go."

"Cool!" Sora rested his arms behind his head. "I'll see if Kairi wants to go and we can invite Namine and Selphie too."

"Speaking of Kairi…" Riku leaned back in his seat. "You guys should probably break up."

"What?" Sora stood up, his voice raised a little louder than it should be. The teacher gave him a look and then he sat back down. "Why? Are you guys crazy?" Sora whispered.

Roxas shook his head. "No, I don't think we are." He took a look around the room. "Sora...people are talking."

Sora flashed a smile. "I know! Isn't it great? Soon enough, Bickson's gonna feel miserable and…" He paused for a moment. "Rinoa's gonna get jealous and come back to me…" Sora sighed as he stared at his keyboard. "It just...takes time…"

"Sora…" Riku said patting his friend on the back. "I hate to break it to you, and I can't call myself an expert on women because I'm a guy, but I've dated enough girls to know that if a girl wants her ex-boyfriend back right after a breakup, it would've happened by now."

"Got any other bad news for me?" Sora asked crossing his arms. "Like Bickson isn't being affected at all by this? Like he doesn't care?"

"So you have noticed." Roxas said leaning back in his seat. It was quiet between the three of them.

Sora sighed and looked at the ceiling. "I've noticed for a week now." He shut his eyes. "I don't think Kairi has and I don't want her to. She doesn't think about it when we're together."

"She's gonna notice eventually," Riku said raising his eyebrows. "Kairi's smart, she'll notice."

"Speaking from someone who is still in a new-ish relationship, I think you need to just be honest with her and cut things off." Roxas shrugged. "I mean, it sounds like you two are headed down the direction of the classic rebound."

"That's stupid!" Sora laughed. "We're not even in a real relationship right now, we haven't kissed! The most intimacy we've shown is I kiss her cheek and that's only when Bickson or Rinoa are around."

"So then cut this off before things get worse and you end up hurting Kairi, because you know what's gonna happen is that she's gonna get more attached to you the longer this goes on and then when you do finally get your head out of your ass and return things back to normal, she's gonna be hurt because all of this 'romance' that you guys have is all a lie!" Riku raised his voice and shook Sora.

Sora sighed and held his head low. "Riku...I just…" He shook his head. "I can't…"

Riku chuckled. "If I didn't know any better," He elbowed Sora in the arm. "I'd say you actually like her."

Sora's eyes widened. "Now that is stupid!"

Roxas smiled and rested his arms behind his head. "I dunno...all the pieces fall into place." Sora shook his head. "Just think about it, man. We don't want you and Kairi to lose what you already have."

"I get it." Sora nodded. The bell rang dismissing the class. "I'll figure things out with Kairi."

Sora grabbed his backpack and headed towards his locker. As luck would have it, Kairi had to pass his locker to make it to her Advanced Art class. Sora's next class wasn't far from his locker, which was Advertising and Media. He switched out his school supplies and looked from his locker to see Kairi walking up to him, a bounce in her step and her hair swaying from side to side. Despite what Riku and Roxas were pestering him to do, he was always happy just to see Kairi. Maybe, they did have a point. Did Sora really want to risk ruining his friendship with Kairi?

"Hey you!" Kairi greeted Sora with a tight embrace. He hugged her back before she broke away. "Listen, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Sora nodded. "Uh...me too, actually."

"Okay, you first. Mine can wait."

Sora sighed and pulled Kairi to a quiet corner by the bathrooms. "Kairi...listen, you know I care about you, right? And I'd do anything for you, right?" Kairi nodded. "Well...with this whole dating thing, we've been going at it for three weeks and I'm sure you've noticed people have been talking."

Kairi nodded. "Yeah, everyone's been giving us looks too."

"Well…" Sora struggled to find the right words. Instinctively, he took Kairi by the hands. "I was thinking...maybe we should…"

"Sora!" Sora looked over and saw Rinoa looking at him deadlock on. "Can I speak with you for a minute?"

"Yeah," He turned to Kairi. "Hold that thought." Sora walked over to Rinoa and smiled. "What's up?"

Rinoa sighed. "Sora...these past few weeks...I've had these feelings bottled up, and now, I think it's time that I finally be honest and tell you how I feel." Kairi, who could hear everything, raised her eyebrows. Sora slowly grew a smile on his face. Rinoa took a deep breath. "Sora...I think you're pathetic!"

Kairi winced. Ooh, that one hurt, she thought herself.

Sora's smile faded. "Excuse me?"

"We break up and then LITERALLY the next day you're in a fake relationship with your best friend?" Rinoa asked, her voice raising. "What the hell? What's the matter with you? You use your best friend just to get back at me?"

"Rinoa...I…" Sora stuttered.

"Don't try to argue! Everyone knows you guys are faking it! I don't know how or why Kairi ever agreed to this. She's better than this. She deserves better than this." Rinoa shook her head with each word tearing Sora's soul down. "You should do her a favor and stop with this act."

Kairi shook her head as she watched Rinoa turn her back leaving Sora, who hadn't looked that down since the actual breakup. She heaved a sigh and walked forward to Sora's side. "Hey Rinoa!" Rinoa turned around. "I'll tell you what's pathetic, playing with a guy's feelings and heart, acting like everything is all perfect and then out of the blue, dumping him on the spot. Then, as if you couldn't do anymore damage, accusing him of starting a fake dating scheme when really, he's doing it for me!"

"Kairi-" Sora tried to interrupt her.

"-Shh!" Kairi shushed him. "I told Sora that I wanted to get revenge on my ex and he offered to help me with it and if there's anything I've learned over the past few weeks, is that you're not good enough for him. Sora is one of the sweetest, most sensitive guys that I've ever known and any girl would be lucky to be with him!" Kairi was now yelling. Sora couldn't help but smile the more Kairi went on. "You'd be crazy if you think Sora would go through all of this effort to make you jealous. You're not worth it!"

Rinoa sighed and shook her head. "Wow...I thought you were the only sane one in this relationship, but it looks like you're both just as pathetic." She paused. "It doesn't matter at the end of the day, I don't want anything to do with either one of you, so whatever your life is, enjoy it."

Rinoa turned and walked briskly down the hall. The students that were watching the argument also dispersed talking amongst themselves. Kairi stood there, her heart racing and her breathing heavy. Sora was just left dumbfounded. It looked as if Riku and Roxas were right. Whatever Sora and Kairi were doing, it was a waste of time and wasn't doing them any good. He looked over at Kairi and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"You okay?" Sora asked.

"She had no right to say those things." Kairi shook her head.

"Actually, she kinda did. We're both guilty and you know it." He turned Kairi around so he was looking right into her dusk-colored eyes. "Why'd you stick up for me like that?"

Kairi shrugged. "I don't know...I guess, I just couldn't stand watching her tear you down like that." She smiled. "I mean, I wasn't joking when I said those things about you."

Sora smiled as he gazed into her eyes. "Thanks…" He looked down as his cheeks flushed red. "That...really means a lot to me."

Sora pulled Kairi into a tight embrace. She wrapped her arms around and held him. For the first time, they didn't want to let go of each other. Sora ran his hand up and down Kairi's back. He could hear her soft breathing. It was so peaceful. Kairi smiled and shut her eyes as she rested her head on his shoulder. His hand moved from her back to the back of her head as he brushed his fingers through her hair. It felt as soft as newly shampooed golden retriever's fur. Whatever had just happened with Rinoa, Sora wasn't bothered by it anymore.

"So," Kairi broke the silence. "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Oh, uh…" The bell rang forcing Kairi and Sora to break their embrace. "It was nothing, really." Sora shook his head. "We gotta get to class, I'll see you later."

"Okay, see ya!"

Kairi and Sora walked past each other to move onto their next class. Before walking into the art classroom, Kairi turned back and stole one last glance of her best friend before he turned the corner of the hall. She couldn't help but smile at herself. Rinoa was lucky...maybe one day, I will be lucky enough, she thought to herself.

Author's Note: Boy, can those high school fights get NASTY or WHAT? On another note...FIVE MONTHS LEFT UNTIL KH3!