Me: Thanks to all of you that reviewed. I LOVED THEM ALL!
Sora & Riku: ::covering their ears:: Stop shouting.
Me: ::whispering:: Sorry.
Riku: That's much better.
Me: Anyway... BehindGreenEyes (did I spell it right?) I would like to thank you for your idea and I hope you don't mind if I use it in this chapter, after alternating it a bit.
Sora: What idea?
Me: I'm not telling. You have to read to find out.
Chapter Five
Riku was walking around the school trying to find the back garden that Sephiroth had told him about. It had sounded nice with a huge tree in the center with swings around it. Riku sighed and leaned against the wall. So far he had spend half an hour trying to find it. 'Maybe Sephiroth was lying.' He thought as he pushed himself off the wall. He started walking again not really paying attention to where he was going. 'I wonder where Sora is. I've not seen him since yesterday when I had slept over.' Riku sighed at looked up.
In front of him was door he hadn't ever seen before. He pushed it and looked in what he thought was a room, but instead was the garden. 'So he wasn't lying.' Sephiroth had told him that there was a tree that none of them had tried to climb because the branches were too high. At the moment the tree was covered in little pink and white blossoms. He closed the door behind himself and walked up to the tree. 'I bet I could climb it.' Riku walked back to the door and ran full speed to the tree and at the last minute bent his knees and jumped. He latched onto a branch and pulled himself up. 'Not as hard as I thought.' Swiftly the silver haired youth climbed the tree.
He stopped when he heard a rustling. It wasn't the rustling of leaves or branches but of clothing. "Anyone there?" Shouted Riku up the tree. No response. Riku shrugged and continued to climb up. He stopped again when he saw a leg with red clothing dangling over a branch. Slowly Riku reached the leg. When he was at the same height as the person with the leg he smiled. Sora was lying on a branch with his hands behind his head, sleeping. Riku sat in the branch next to him and waited for the brunette to waken up.
After Riku sat down Sora slowly opened his eyes. He hadn't really been sleeping. He smiled brightly as Riku turned to face him. "Come here often." Asked Riku, smiling back.
Sora laughed. "All the time. It's my favourite place. No one ever comes up here. Well, except you."
The pair looked outwards at the branches and the town beyond. "So how did you get up here?" Asked Riku.
"Ran and jump. You?"
"Same. Why has no one else come up here? It's beautiful." Said Riku, admiring the public park that could be seen through the branches. The sun was high in the sky and cast it's light on the flowers to turn the whole world into a pink haze.
"They had tried but had given up. While they were on the swings I would try to get up here. It took me a while at first but after a few weeks and a few scratches I could get up without hurt myself. I've been coming up here ever since." Sora sighed. "It's so peace, and it smells nice too."
Riku breathed in deeply. "Your right. What kind of tree is this?"
Sora shrugged. "I'm not sure." The two sat in a comfortable silence just enjoying the view and each other's presence. Slowly the pair nodded off to sleep.
Sephiroth stood in the hallway with his arm possessively around Cloud. Squall was leaning against the wall arms across his chest. Yuffie stood beside him. Aeris was standing beside Cloud, glared dagger at Sephiroth. They were all talking about Riku and Sora's 'friendship'.
"I think we should make Sora jealous." Suggested Yuffie.
"Why Sora?" Asked Cloud.
Sephiroth smiled. "Riku has feelings for Sora but I'm not too sure how Sora feels about Riku."
Yuffie nodded. "Yeah. If we made Sora jealous over Riku then we will know that there is a chance for them both. Which would make Riku happy and keep Sora from getting stuck in Kairi's claws."
Sephiroth and Cloud nodded. "So who going to make him jealous?" Asked Cloud.
"Well it can be you two." Said Yuffie nodding her head at the couple. "And it can't be me."
Squall looked up at her. "Why can't it be you?"
"Because I'm a girl. Sora knows that Riku is gay so if I started to flirt with him it wouldn't really work out. So it has to be you."
"Great." Said Squall sarcastically.
Aeris finally zoned into what had been said about her sister. "You make Kairi sound like she's evil."
Sephiroth snorted. "She is, but she isn't as much as a bimbo as you."
Aeris's eyes widened in shock, "I am not a bimbo."
Cloud sighed and faced Aeris, holding on to Sephiroth's hand. "You are. Can't you see that no matter how hard you try I will never like you, for one thing, you're a girl and second of all, I'm with Sephy, and no one can take me away from him."
Sephiroth and Yuffie both grinned at Cloud. "Go, baby." Said Sephiroth squeezing Cloud's hand a little. Cloud smiled back at them both. Aeris was fuming. If she were a cartoon character smoke would have been coming out of her ears. 'Why did I like him again?' Thought Aeris. She looked Cloud up and down, looking at inch of him. She smiled. 'That's why.' Aeris slowly began to zone out and go into a little dreamland of her own.
(Aeris's Daydream)
Cloud and Aeris stood close together in a closet, finding. Cloud lifted up his hand and stroked Aeris's cheek. "I wish we could be together." Said Aeris.
Cloud sighed, still stroking her cheek. "I wish that too, but you know Sephiroth. If I ever told him about us then he would hurt you. I don't want anyone to hurt you." Said Cloud.
Aeris sighed and leaned into Cloud. Their lips meet, briefly. "If you can get away from him tonight. I will wait up for you."
Cloud smiled lovingly at her. "I will come. I love you."
"I love you too." Replied Aeris, sweetly.
Aeris came out of her daydream with a small smile on her face. 'If at first you don't succeed then try, try and try again.' She thought, sighing. Everyone stopped talking and turned towards one end of the hallway, were they all heard thundering footsteps. The footsteps quietened down when the owner came into view. Kairi stormed down the hall and stopped in front of everyone. Aeris smiled at her younger sibling. "Hi, Kairi."
Kairi waved slightly. "Have you seen Sora?" Aeris shook her head.
"I bet he's with Riku." Said Yuffie.
Kairi glared at the ninja. "Sora's not like, that."
"Who says I meant it like that. Maybe I was just says that as in they were hang out. You know, like friends?" Said Yuffie.
Kairi narrowed her eyes more at Yuffie. "That's not what you were thinking."
"Yeah your right. It wasn't." Said Yuffie smiling to her self.
Sephiroth had a smirk across his face. "If Sora wants to screw, or be screwed by, Riku then that's fine."
Aeris sighed. "Do you have to be so vulgar?"
Sephiroth nodded and smiled. "Yes. Yes I do."
Kairi glared at Sephiroth. "He can't. He's not allowed to. You and Cloud should even be together. Daddy said so."
Sephiroth glared back and the short red head. "What if we were to kill your 'daddy'?"
"You wouldn't dare. You would have no where to live."
"Cloud could stay with me." Said Aeris, while looking at Cloud with a glazed over eyes.
Cloud made a disgusted noise and moved closer to Sephiroth, who smiled at his lover. "We can survive without Cid." Said Sephiroth glaring at Kairi.
"Where would you live?" Said Kairi.
Sephiroth was about to speak when Squall firm voice was heard. "They can live with me."
Everyone turned to face the brunette, who was leaning against the wall, looking at the floor. Cloud tilted his head to the side. "You mean it?" The blonde asked.
Squall nodded and looked up. "I wouldn't want my friends to live on the streets while I was living in the lap of luxury."
Sephiroth broke from Cloud and walked over to Squall. The silver haired youth pulled the brunette into a hug. "You don't know how much I love you right now." Sephiroth stepped back. "Us a friend, strictly speaking." Squall nodded. Sephiroth smiled and walked back to Cloud and intertwined their fingers. Cloud had a happy smile on his face with a little bit of mischief included.
Kairi was still a little bit annoyed at Sephiroth but she still didn't know where Sora was? 'He better not be with Riku.' She thought. "So... have any of you seen Sora?"
All of them but Sephiroth shook their heads. "I haven't seen him but I saw Riku. He was heading to back garden."
Cloud looked up at Sephiroth. "Can we go to the garden? It's nice outside." Sephiroth smiled and nodded. The pair headed to the garden, followed by the other four.
When they opened the backdoor they couldn't see Sora or Riku anywhere. Kairi shouted for Sora. "SORA!"
"Ahh!" Came a voice from up in the tree.
Up in the tree Riku and Sora had both been woken up by the loud voice. Sora had jumped and slipped off his branch. He screamed when he thought he was about to fall but strong lean arms were wrapped about his waist. "You okay?" Asked Riku still holding Sora. Sora nodded and sat on his branch again. Riku let him go when he was seated. Riku grinned. "I'm going to say hi." Riku stood up and held onto branches above his head.
"Be careful." Said Sora, concerned.
"Don't worry. I've do this sort of stuff all the time." Said the silver haired youth smiling at Sora.
Riku walked on the sturdy branch till he could look out and see the rest of the group below. He let go of one of the branches and waved below. "Hi!" He shouted.
Kairi glared at Riku. "Where's Sora!? I shouted for him, not you!"
"Sorry but you got me!" Riku said holding onto a branch above him. The branch snapped and Riku lost his balance. Sora noticed Riku had fallen and began to climb down the tree as fast as possible.
Everyone below the tree gasped as Riku began to fall. Yuffie looked at Squall and pushed him to save Riku. Squall was a bit confused but stood ready to grabbed Riku. Riku hit Squall in the chest and the pair landed on the ground, Riku lying on top of Squall. Squall looked at Riku. "You okay?" Riku nodded. Squall looked at Yuffie, who was smiling and nodding her head. Squall put his hands on Riku's hips and stood up, bringing Riku up with him. Sora just got out of the tree to see Squall holding on to Riku for a little bit longer, then let go and blushed. Sora walked over to Squall and stood in front of Riku, looking at Squall with a he's-mine look on his face.
Yuffie, Cloud and Sephiroth saw the look on Sora's face and were all beaming. 'So Sora does like Riku.' Thought Yuffie happily. 'Better Riku than Kairi, any day.'
Sora was about to talk when Kairi attached herself to his arm, smiling sweetly. "Hi Sora." Sora looked at her confused. She smiled back at his look. "Remember you said we would spend the day together." Sora looked, if possible, even more confused and shook his head. "Silly Sora. You said we would go out for a picnic."
Sora looked at the ground. 'When did I say that? I must have been stupid to say that.' Thought Sora. He looked at Kairi. "Can Riku come with us?" He asked.
Kairi's face seemed to darken. "You said it would just be you and me."
Sora looked at Riku, who was beside him now. Riku smiled warmly. "On you go. I'll catch you later." Sora nodded and smiled at Riku. Before Sora could speak Kairi pulled him back inside and away from the group.
Sephiroth sat on one of the swings and Cloud sat on his lap. "Well. That was a turn of events." Cloud nodded. Yuffie sat in the swing next to the couple and Squall leaned against the metal frame. Riku stood behind Yuffie on the swing and pushed her lightly. Aeris stood a little bit away, never once taking her eyes off her blonde prize.
Yuffie nodded to Sephiroth. "That was indeed."
Riku was a little confused. "What do you mean?"
Yuffie's smile brightened. "Sora likes you."
Riku stopped pushing her for a moment. "Really?"
Yuffie turned in her seat to face him and nodded. "Yip. Thanks to Squall."
Riku looked at Squall, tilting his head to the side. Squall explained. "I was bait and Sora took it."
"When you say bait are you talking about the whole holding me and blushing thing?" Asked Riku.
"Yip." Yuffie nodded. "Did anyone ever tell you that you're very quick."
Riku smiled and shook his head. "No. Anyway, how could you tell he liked me?"
"He was sort of glaring at Squall when he stood in front of you." Said Yuffie. "Trust me. He likes you." Riku smiled to himself and began to push Yuffie on the swing again.
Me: Sorry that this chapter is late. My internet has been off for a while, due to Norton Anti-Virus problems.
Riku: Yeah! Sora likes me!
Sora: 'Course I do.
Me: ::smiling:: Anyway review please!