"I just don't understand." Riku shook his head. "Why? Why do I have to care for someone who couldn't care less?" Riku sighed and held his head in his hands wondering where to go next. His friends tried to distract him with homework, dinner, and then a late night movie.
"Wait, when did she confess her love again?" Demyx asked with a yawn as the movie came to an end in his living room.
"Like forty minutes ago." Zexion rolled his eyes.
"Did you take a nap baby?" Axel asked, his hand rubbing Demyx's arm as the two spooned on the couch.
"Yeah, it's getting late." Demyx rolled over to hide his body into Axel's arms.
"Shh, just go to bed baby." Axel rubbed Demyx's back.
"You still watchin?" Zexion looked to his right, where Riku's sleeping bag was on the floor in front of the couch.
"Barely." Riku sighed aloud, sickened by the love movie.
"I think it's actually pretty," Zexion started until Riku's phone went off.
"Who's calling past midnight?" Axel asked, bothered by the ringtone.
"It's, it's Sora." Riku sat up.
"Put it on speaker!" Demyx sat up, wide awake from anticipation.
"Good-morning to you too." Axel rolled his eyes.
"Go on, speaker." Zexion nodded to Riku, who gulped and did just that.
"Hello?" he asked angrily with a gulp.
"Riku? Ri-Riku!" Sora asked timidly.
"What do you want?" Riku tried to keep his true anger inside of him, his confusion, his hurt.
"You're at De-De-Demyx's house?" Sora was sniffling.
"Why do you care where I'm at?" Riku couldn't control his tongue.
"Can I come over? Please?" Sora begged, his voice cracking as if he were holding his throat back.
Riku looked to his friends, unsure what to say or do. Demyx nodded, Zexion bit his lip, all while Axel shook his head with a roll of his eyes, not as if to say 'no' to Sora, but as if he too were bothered.
"No, Sora, you can't. You can't just dump me and expect to come hang out with me and my friends." Riku said angrily.
"Thought, thought they were my friends too," Sora's voice said timidly.
"You can't come over Sora. You dumped me, so it shouldn't matter to you." Riku swallowed, his pain masked with pride.
"O-oh-okay." Sora's voice was so weak, his soft sobs could be heard for a few seconds before he hung up.
"Was, was he crying?" Demyx asked Riku.
"When isn't he?" Riku sighed loudly.
"Dude, you're, you're kind of being an ass." Axel said hesitantly.
"Well when was he anything but an ass to us?!" Riku threw his hands up.
"So much for being that cute brunette who needed help and all that stuff." Demyx frowned.
"I see what's going on," Zexion nodded. "When you want him, you see his best. When you can't have him, all you see are his faults."
"And boy does he have many." Riku slumped his cheek on his fist.
"Remember the last time he called crying?" Axel asked as Riku thought shyly. "Dude he passed out on the porch, didn't wake up for half a day, injured."
"Well he knew what he was doing when he dumped me." Riku dismissed all the thoughts with a shake of his head.
"Maybe, maybe he wants to get back together?" Demyx proposed.
"He'll have to prove he's dedicated if he expects me to try again." Riku said.
"I just hope he's not getting beat up again." Demyx whispered. Riku gulped, afraid of the possibility that he had left Sora to get hurt because he was being too selfish with his own inner pain.
"Can we just go back to bed with the stupid movie, please?" Riku unpaused the movie, went back into his sleeping bag, and buried his face in his pillow. His friends silently followed his lead before the movie ended and they all went to sleep.
"I'm telling you, it's because of the other week." Axel shook his head.
"There's no way to prove it yet." Riku shrugged as they headed towards the gym.
"Sora's been missing from school for eight school days, and he hasn't tried to reach any of us since he called ten days ago." Demyx added.
"He never showed up to class before, not my fault." Riku shrugged. "Now look, I have my game so I have to warm up. I'll see you guys there, right?" Riku asked just outside the gymnasium.
"Of course." Zexion nodded.
"Alright, burrito's afterward." Riku winked before he entered the gym.
Riku had just made his first shot through the basket when he looked up in the crowds to try to find his friends. He had ignored the entire audience for the first five minutes of the game to focus against the tough competition, but when he made the shot, he looked for where Axel and Demyx were both on their feet in their usual spot on the bleachers. Zexion was clapping loudly at their side and continued to do so throughout the game.
With the last three minutes, Riku was making a penalty shot, which he doubted he could make under the pressure of the games victory. Riku bounced the ball on the court in front of his body, eyeing the basket with a deep breath. Just when he was about ready to toss the ball up, he took one last glance at the crowd. In the corner, all alone at the top against the rails, sat Sora with a sling on one arm and a brace on the middle finger of his other hand and he watched with a small bandage over his right eyebrow. It was hard to tell given the distance, but Riku could almost be sure that even though Sora's right eye wasn't black, it looked swollen.
"Sora," No sound escaped as Riku mouthed the name.
"Come on Riku," A teammate clapped before the rest of his team cheered him on. Riku glanced once more at Sora, his eyes meeting with Sora's one good eye and one swollen before Sora gave a smile. Riku couldn't help but smile back before he cleared his throat, threw the ball up, and watched as the ball hit the backboard, rolled on the rim of the basket, and fell over the side.
Riku shook his head angrily before the referee took the ball and the game started up again. Riku quickly looked up to Sora, who smiled, before he smiled back. When he glanced over to his friends, they smiled as well for encouragement before Riku got his head back in the game.
"Don't worry, you can't win them all." Riku's teammates agreed once the game ended. Riku watched as some of the people in the bleachers exited the gymnasium, including his friends who were by the door.
"We'll see you at the burrito shop!" Axel waved as Riku ran over.
"Where's Sora?" Riku rushed the words out.
"What?" Zexion asked confused.
"Sora! He was here and he, he was in the bleachers smiling at me, he came to watch me play." Riku looked around nervously, turning back and forth, round and round again, trying to find the short brunette.
"I didn't see him." Demyx shrugged.
"He was here, he was hurt," Riku whispered. Axel looked at his friends before he cleared his throat.
"Ok, well we'll keep an eye out for him. Go ahead and shower, we'll see you soon." Axel said to Riku, who nodded and walked back to the locker room, but not before checking the bleachers twice with his eyes.
After a burrito with his friends, Riku didn't feel like returning to Demyx's house, where he'd be reminded of how he had denied Sora an invitation.
"The arcade center?" Zexion repeated after Riku.
"Yeah, the arcade center." The silverrete nodded. "I need a distraction. He was hurt, and, I think it was that phone call. It was my fault." Riku frowned.
"There's no proof of that. Let's just go enjoy our Friday." Axel patted Riku's shoulder.
"I could play some car racing games!" Demyx nodded.
"Alright, let's go." Axel led the way before they made it to Zexion's favorite arcade game.
"Just a little higher!" Demyx clapped.
"No, lower lower!" Axel shook his head.
"I got it, just let me," Zexion moved his joy stick around before he won the grand prize stuffed animal.
"Good job Zex!" Demyx high fived.
"Such a pro at that game." Axel smirked. "Skills."
"Thanks guys." Zexion stared at his giant white teddy bear.
"I think I'm going to go play that one," Riku said, eying the basketball stand.
"Look, about today's shot," Axel knew what was on Riku's mind.
"If I would have made it, we wouldn't have lost the game."
"Riku, it's not your fault."
"Yes it is." Riku took the basketball in his hand. "I made us tie, which made us go into overtime, where we lost."
"You're not a one man team." Demyx chipped in. "Like in my relay's."
"It was my fault. For the game, for Sora."
"Don't say that." Axel rolled his eyes.
"I just, I can't believe I missed. I never miss those kinds of shots." Riku sighed angrily before he threw the ball into basket, making the shot perfectly.
"No one's perfect." Zexion reminded Riku, who made four more shots and got his own black teddy bear, smaller than Zexion's but fluffier.
"See, you won this game." Demyx smiled.
"But I cost my team the game that matters."
"You aren't kicked out of the playoffs, no need to worry." Axel took a sip of his soda.
"I cost us two points." Riku sighed.
"So you lost a game, big deal. Everybody loses eventually." Zexion said simply.
"It, it was Sora." Riku frowned at the teddy bear.
"You're blaming your ex?" Axel asked with folded arms.
"I got distracted!" Riku shook the black teddy bear in his hands.
"You miss him, don't you?" Axel asked.
"Well, yeah. I just, I want to see him." Riku groaned, the bear hanging limply in his hand.
"Um, you might just get your wish." Zexion pointed to the cotton candy concession.
"Oh my god," Riku gulped as he saw his ex standing on tip toes to order a cotton candy.
"You want him back?" Axel asked Riku, who didn't respond as he continued to eye the brunette from afar. "Riku, go offer to pay for his cotton candy." Axel nudged Riku at the hip.
"What?"
"Quickly before he pays, go pay for it!" Axel pushed Riku, who walked up to the treat stand.
"That'll be three munny." The man behind the stand told Sora, who dug into his pocket with his one decent hand.
"Add in a pretzel too, please." Riku said as he walked up to the stand behind Sora, placing a ten munny bill on the counter.
"Riku," Sora looked up through one swollen eye and one good eye, as Riku had assumed.
"Here you are," The man working the counter handed Riku a pretzel and Sora an order of cotton candy on a stick.
"Thank you." Riku gave a friendly smile.
"Thanks." Sora nodded along before he and Riku walked away from the counter. "Th-thanks Riku." Sora gave a small frown before he turned around.
"Wait!" Riku took a step afterward. "Where are you going?" Riku asked curiously.
Sora looked down at the pink sugar before he looked up to Riku. "Why do you care where I am?"
Riku gulped, hearing words he once uttered, realizing their sting.
"I'm sorry," he looked into Sora's sorrowful eyes.
"Thanks for the cotton candy, bye."
"Sora wait," Riku grabbed the boys wrist, the one that wasn't in a sling. "Why did you come to my game if you're mad at me?"
"I'm not mad, just hurt. I went, cause I wanted to see you. But I left, cause I was too hurt to talk to you." Sora looked away.
"Hurt?" Riku asked, feeling guilty with the image of the slender frail boy bandaged up and frowning.
"Well yeah. You said I wasn't welcome around you and your friends. I understand. I can go back to being alone. It's easier that way." Sora said before he pulled himself away again.
"Sora don't say such things." Riku shook his head.
"It is. That way I don't have to hurt you anymore." Sora said with a broken smile.
"Look no one is perfect, we hurt those closest to us all the time. I hurt you clearly, and you're saying you hurt me, so let's," Riku scratched the back of his neck. "Let's just put it behind us." Riku shrugged.
"I wish I could, but I," Sora started when Axel, Demyx, and Zexion walked up to the two.
"Hey Sora!" Demyx gave the brunette a gentle side hug, the side where Sora wasn't visibly injured.
"Hi." He said timidly in return.
"It's been a while." Zexion pointed out.
"Yeah," Sora agreed shyly.
"We missed you." Axel said on everyone's behalf.
"Really?" Sora asked biting his lip.
"Of course." Riku said.
"But I, I wasn't welcome, and I'm not your friend." Sora looked to his arm.
"Sora please," Riku sighed. "forgive me?"
"Forgive us?" Axel asked. "We weren't the friends we should have been."
"Not your fault." Sora gulped.
"You going to be ok?" Zexion looked at the sling that kept Sora's shoulder, elbow, and wrist in place.
"Yeah, I'll be fine." Sora said quietly.
"What happened this time?" Axel asked.
"Same bully."
"Is it your boss?" Riku took a guess.
"No, but speaking of my boss, I'm here for work, so I kind of need to go."
"The drugs or the prostitution?" Riku asked curiously before Axel's, Demyx's, and Zexion's eyes went up.
"Prostitution?!" Axel asked in as much shock as ever.
"I'm not a prostitute!" Sora whined as his eyes watered, taking more offense than ever before.
"You offered to let me fuck you if I paid and you had a condom in your pocket!" Riku didn't yell, but his voice proved his confusion.
"When was this?" Demyx asked in surprise.
"I told you not to tell anyone. You promised!" Sora pointed a finger at Riku.
"I didn't, I mean, until, just, now." Riku gulped in guilt.
"So you aren't a drug dealer but you work with drugs and you aren't a prostitute but you give sex for money?" Axel folded his arms, wondering if his very first impressions of this boy were the accurate ones.
"Go ahead, go ahead and judge me." Sora wiped his good arm across his leaking eyes. "Nothing I've ever said has stopped you anyway." Sora pushed the cotton candy into Demyx's chest before he turned around and stormed off.
"Sora," Riku called out.
"I'm sorry." Axel reached for the brunette's good shoulder. "Can, can I hug you?" He asked as Sora looked at him in confusion. "I mean it." Axel said. "I'm sorry," Axel reached for the brunette for a hug. Sora glanced at his bad arm and then extended his good arm out. Axel carefully placed one hand high on Sora's good side of his back, and the other around his hips to avoid hurting him. "I'm sorry." He repeated, almost smiling at just how tiny Sora was, as the boy's baggy clothes always seemed to hide his true size.
"Can I eat it?" Demyx whispered to Zexion, pointing to the cotton candy before Zexion went on tip toes to smack him upside the head. "Owww! Now that's just rude." Demyx grumbled.
"It's ok," Sora took a small step back, outside of the hug. "You were right; it's my fault for making it look like I am what you think I am." Sora said quietly.
"Yeah, but friends know better. And I trust you." Axel said, causing Sora to look elsewhere, a bit uncomfortable with such kind words.
"Thank you." He said quietly.
"Would you like to come over after work?" Demyx offered. Sora looked to Riku, who gave a soft smile.
"Ok."
"Would you like to meet us there? I can wait for you and walk with you." Riku offered.
"We can all wait." Zexion added.
"I'll only be a minute. Wait here?" Sora asked without waiting for an answer. He walked just out of sight and returned five minutes later.
"Everything went ok?" Riku asked before Sora nodded.
"Alright, let's head home." Demyx took Axel's head while Zexion held his bear.
"What's that?" Sora pointed to Riku's teddy bear as the two walked side by side behind Zexion, Axel, and Demyx.
"Oh, I won this dumb thing playing the basketball game." Riku shrugged.
"What's his name?" Sora asked with curious eyes. Riku chuckled before he shook his head.
"He doesn't have one."
"He's cute."
"Yeah? Maybe I should name him 'Sora'." Riku flirted with a wink.
"'Riku' would suit him better." Sora blushed back before the continued to walk the rest of the way silently.
"I'm tired." Demyx plopped on his couch.
"So, what's new?" Axel asked as best he could without sounding too nosey.
"Nothing," Sora said blankly.
"Do you want medicine or ice for your arm?" Riku asked.
"No, I'm ok." Sora responded. It went quiet before Zexion cleared his throat.
"I won this giant bear." He said, having nothing else to say.
"He's cute." Sora gave a small smile.
"Not as cute as mine, right?" Riku asked playfully.
Sora giggled before he shook his head.
"Hey!" Zexion whined.
"Here, it's yours." Riku handed the bear to Sora, who blushed.
"Thank you."
"It's nice to have you back." Axel smiled.
"I never wanted to leave." Sora smiled sheepishly.
"Sora, can I ask why you broke up with me?" Riku had to know. Sora looked at the bear in his hands before he shook his head.
"I don't get to hear what I did wrong to end what I wanted to keep?" Riku asked, his heart still sensitive.
"It's not like that!" Sora fought back, his good arm squeezing the teddy bear in his lap.
"Well how am I supposed to see it if you never tell me anything?!" Riku stood up in frustration.
"I'm sorry," Sora sniffled.
"You can keep apologizing but it doesn't mean anything if you don't show that you care and mean it!" Riku lectured.
"Um," Axel coughed, unsure if it was best to let the two continue the awkward conversation.
"You don't know anything about me so stop trying to talk down to me!" Sora stood up next, holding one of the teddy bears arms, letting the rest dangle.
"You're right, I don't know anything because you won't tell me anything!" Riku threw a hand up in the air.
Sora shook his head before he pushed the teddy bear up to Riku's chest without a word.
"Sora," Riku sighed, tired of the ups and downs as Sora took a step for the door.
"Don't be mad!" Demyx begged as Sora took another step.
"It's my fault, isn't it?" Riku asked, causing Sora to halt with his back to everyone else.
"What?" he turned around.
"It's my fault. I'm no fool Sora. You dumped me the day I went to your house."
"You went to my house?!" Sora's eyes, even the swollen one, went up as he shouted.
"Uh," Riku froze, afraid of what he had just done.
"So you met her? You went to my house and you met her and you," Sora started to shake his head as his fists turned red.
"Your mom?" Riku guessed before Sora nodded. "She seemed nice." Riku shrugged.
"She made me dump you." Sora blinked a single tear free.
Author's Note: Ok, so I wrote the next chapter already but I still have to finish the one after that, which will probably be the very last chapter to this story. As for "The Animal Inside" there will probably be just one or two chapters left for that as well (both of which I still need to write, grrr). Anyway, just so you all know, I will be going on hiatus after I finish these two stories. Sad to say the day has come where I just can't keep up with everything I've gotten myself into. Basically in debt huge time with college so I had to get a part time job and I still have more than a full load of classes to graduate early, not to mention I need to start planning for life after graduation, which is coming up soon. Also trying to help my dad through a divorce and trying to decide if this means keeping my mom in my life or not but gah, just too much going on. So yeah, I just have too much I have to figure out and sadly no time for writing. I will be working on the outlines of the following stories:
No More Broken Pieces Sequel (title yet to be decided) : Axel and Roxas have adopted Akina, but things soon turn south as one member of the family suffers from poor health which shakes the whole family upside down.
Get Addicted (Sequel to A Taste of Loneliness): Zexion sent a text to Sephiroth, but did he accept or deny the drug offer? He wants so badly to be a part of Cloud and Leon's mini-family, but just what is he addicted to, and how does it affect those closest to him?
A Zemyx that doesn't have a title just yet. Originally written as a Soriku, could also work as an Axel x Riku story (a lot of people who liked Can You KeepMSecret requested more AxuRIku so if you can vote on which pairing you want, that'd be great! I'll post a brief summary at the end of the next chapter of Always Getting Involved (this story) so you can vote via review please!)
Guardian Demon Prequel (not Halloween themed as Guardian Demon was, but written to expand on the concept of the story). Life of Axel and Riku when they were Demons, but how is Riku different than the other demons and what does he do to forever lose his abilities?
Killing Loneliness: Axel is part of the Yakuza (Japanese gang) and is ordered by his fellow 11 members to eliminate the main threat in the opposing gang, Cloud Strife. He goes on a mission with his partner, Saix, but fails to assassinate the target. What initially looks like a botched mission turns out to be a blessing for the two as they unintentionally captured someone just as valuable…Cloud's little brother.
Soriku Oneshot: title yet to be determined but it's a kitchen/laundry room lemon that starts when Riku gets home from a busy day at work to see Sora standing in nothing but a…. ;)
I have much more in the works, the ones above are just the ones that have something already typed out to start with. So please do not despair in my absence, I promise I shall return with more KH yaoi fanfiction! Thanks for the love and support.
As you may have noticed I no longer have time for Reader Responses and I apologize. I do look at each and every review and I read them multiple times so please do not stop writing them! If you have a dying question that you want to be answered, you can message me as I respond to those when I have the time. Thanks again!
Living Legacy, Sarabellum