Hello, friends. Welcome to the third chapter of Life Support. A huge thanks to all who reviewed. Really guys, it makes my day.
This chapter is a necessary filler chapter. Not too exciting, but a little humorous, I hope. So enjoy.
Starts in Sora's POV.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. Y'all should know that by now. I don't own RENT, either, or it wouldn't be nearly as amazing.

"It was fucking creepy, Kairi!" I hiss at her as we make our way through the minefield that is the school cafeteria. I'm forced to take a break from scowling when the lunch lady - or Maria, as she insists we call her - asks me if I'd like some mashed potatoes to go with my frown. I can't help but smile a little as I nod.

However, that little smile fades again as Kairi throws her hands up in exasperation. "You change with your curtains open, Sora! And he is right across the divider thingie from you. He was bound to see you!" She crosses her arms over her chest and follows me as I inch forward through the line.

I pick up a side salad and give her a flat look. "He didn't just see me. He stared at me!" This, to my dismay, earns a smirk from my best friend.

"Sora, hun..." she starts, then rolls her eyes and slings an arm around my shoulders as we head to the cashier's line. "You are gorgeous. I will never, ever get you to admit it, but you are. You can't blame the guy for looking."

Oh... Now that is hitting below the belt. I am such a sucker for compliments, and she knows it. Her smirk is growing in direct proportion to the blush in my cheeks. "Aw, you're so adorable!" she teases, pinching my cheek. I smile faintly and shrug her arm off my shoulders.

"It's just... He saw my back... Without any pants. What if he saw...?" I trail off, not trusting even my quiet spy voice to not betray my secret.

But Kairi doesn't give me any slack. Her smirk only expands. I must say, it's not a good look for her. "Aha! So you care what he thinks!" she says, sounding appropriately triumphant.

Seeing as how the eyes are the windows to the soul, I avert mine. My soul has a couple secrets that not even Kairi gets to see at this point. "Kairi, about this... Yeah, I care," I say quietly. "I care what anyone thinks about this." Alright, so... lie by omission?

I risk a glance up to Kairi's eyes, and see that they've softened. However, it's temporary, and in just a moment, her smirk is back. "Fine, fine. But did you at least get a good look at him? I mean... I wouldn't mind somebody like that staring in my window."

I flash a smile at the cashier, then start toward our normal table. "Yeah, well I'm not you, chica. And yeah, I got a nice long look at the guy somewhere between panicking and dying of embarrassment."

"Well good. So you can admit he was hot, and we can move on to how we're gonna get you two together," Kairi says nonchalantly as we sit down.

I just look at her for a minute, then cave. "Okay, so he was a little hot..."

What can I say? I'm desperate.

RIKU'S POV:
I honestly kept expecting to run into some weird, enormous breed of people here in LA, because that would be the only good explanation for these huge buildings and houses. And of course I should have known that the school would be no different.

The only time that I could remember feeling this lost, small, and alone was when my mom got caught up in a group of tourists when we went to Times Square once. I was twelve, and on my own in a sea of people for an entire thirty-five seconds. This was just like that, only skinnier, better dressed, and about a foot shorter.

I guess it was good thing I didn't have to worry about learning quite yet. I was here for a sort of informal orientation - a talk with the principle, which I honestly could've done without, and then a "Kay, so here's a majorly vague explanation of the layout of a school, a schedule that's harder to navigate than the metro system in Paris, and a swift kick in the ass to start your day."

I did eventually manage to find all my classes, though I pissed off three teachers and a handful of hall monitors in the process. That's always good for a laugh, though. The one consolation was that I got into the music class that I'd wanted and the upper level art class that my old school didn't even have. I was actually looking forward to school the next day.

My mom had just dropped me off today, as she had a job interview around the same time, so I was waiting quite impatiently near the front doors for her when... time stopped.

I heard the door behind me open, and in some sort of odd movie slow-mo, I turned and saw Sora, whom I'd been hoping to 'run into' all day. It was like... when cruel parents hide the gift their kid was hoping to get for Christmas and get them all upset before finally telling them that the PlayStation was under the damn couch all along. At the last minute, I got my gift.

While I was preoccupied with silently singing praises in my head, Sora walked quickly past me as if I wasn't even there. Although, given what had happened the last time we saw each other, I really couldn't blame him.

But that didn't mean I was gonna let him get away with it.

I pushed off from the brick wall that I'd been leaning against, which felt like it kept about half my denim jacket behind, and walked after him. I could tell that he knew I was there by the way his pace sped up, but I hurried until I was walking side by side with him. "Sora?" I said, as if I wasn't sure that was his name.

He finally, finally, gave me at least a little of his attention, and looked up at me. There was a deep red tinge in his cheeks, and I nearly said 'awwww' aloud. Something tells me he would've decked me right there. "What do you want?" he asked. It sounded like it was supposed to be hostile, but the words came out somewhere between frustrated and terrified.

I raised an eyebrow at him, though what I really wanted to do was throw myself at his feet and beg for forgiveness. Kairi - who had become not only a trusted friend, but my source for all things Sora, whether I asked or not - had told me that the little brunette was more into assertive guys than politeness. Worked for me.

"Actually, what I wanted was to apologize," I reply, sounding more than a little hostile, myself. I have to admit, there was a little feeling behind the harshness - it hurt that he apparently thought so little of me.

"What for?" he asked, turning his eyes back to the sidewalk that passed under our feet.

I rolled my eyes. "Ugh... For letting my eyes wander too long over my next door neighbor's lovely body. Granted, it's kind of his problem cause he didn't shut his curtains... But I really am sorry."

He glanced at me, and I was dismayed to see that his eyes were still as hard as the sapphires they resembled so closely. Geez, that spiel normally would've gained me at least a little smile... "Yeah, sure. So, have you got a name?"

"Riku."

If I'd thought I was in for a swift punishment, I was mistaken. Oh no, he made me wait until we got home, then actually got me to walk him up to his front door before he finally turned to me and said, with one of the loveliest, most promising smiles I've ever seen...

"Well Riku, I'll be sure to close my curtains in the future."

SORA'S POV:
"You'll be sure to close your curtains in the future?"

I've just finished telling Kairi about my... encounter with Riku yesterday as we wait for first period to start. In my opinion, I was rather slick and cool, but somehow I knew she wasn't gonna be pleased. "Well, what did you want me to say, Kairi? 'Hey there Riku. Hope you enjoyed the show. Maybe I'll give ya an encore sometime...'?"

That gets me a little bit of a smile from my lovely copper-haired friend, but she quickly stifles it in favor of another stern look. "Well you didn't have to be so mean to him, Sora. Besides, I thought we agreed that you'd give him a chance."

"Nope," I reply flatly, shaking my head and holding up a hand to stop her protests before they start. "That was before I caught him looking in my window. After that, all bets are off."

Kairi sets her pencil down in exasperation and looks up from the doodle she's been working on to stare at me. "I can't believe you! You're gonna have to get over that eventually. Besides, you make it sound like he climbed up the side of your house and nearly crawled into your room. It was an accident. When're you gonna accept that?"

Somewhere along the line, the bell had rung, and Dr. Rasmussen is beginning class.

By the way, can someone tell me what kind of doctorate a history teacher would have?

In any case, the sharp comment I'd prepared has to be discarded in favor of a sharp look, lest I be dragged up to the front of the class and castrated right there in front of everyone. The scary thing is, I think he'd really do it.

The class sits in badly faked patience as Rasmussen finishes attendance and immediately starts blathering on about the Roaring 20's, which we started on yesterday, so it's only about ten minutes before he rounds the corner into the Great Depression and keeps on a-going.

"Now, the main reason for the downward spiral after the stock market crash was... Can anyone tell me?"

I didn't notice the classroom door quietly open, but it's pretty hard to ignore the smooth, hauntingly familiar voice that says, "Margin buying."

All eyes turn away from our teacher, enrapturing though he is, and settle on a certain silver-haired boy that steps into the room and closes the door behind him. Rasmussen looks like Christmas has come early. "Ah, go on, um..."

"Riku," the guy answers, smirking slightly. I almost miss the flicker of those aqua eyes in my direction. "And, during the 20's, people played the stock market with loans - money they didn't have. So when the market failed, they lost everything. They didn't have money to spend, so no one made any money."

I swear that Rasmussen's face is about to split in two at this point, which only adds to the look of smug satisfaction on Riku's face. Oh please no... There's no way God could hate me this much...

"This is Dr. Rasmussen's American History class, right? Sorry I'm a little late. Got lost."

Rasmussen looks a little flustered for a second. "Oh, oh it's fine, Riku. Just, uh, just take a seat, if you please," he manages to stammer, and Riku smiles and nods, then sits down in an empty seat a couple rows over from me.

I'm preoccupied with glaring when I feel something brush my arm.

ithink the doc's got a little crush on riku... Kairi's note reads. I shake my head a little and write back, then turn my attention back to FDR's New Deal, which Kairi understands to mean that I'm done talking.

he can keep him.

RIKU'S POV:
"Ri-kuuu!"

I couldn't help but chuckle when I heard that particular call of my name from down the hall behind me. Kairi's voice is always so bright and cheerful, and my mood had needed the heightening. I'd hoped that my entrance in history class would at least get me a little smile from Sora, but no such luck.

"Hey Riku!"

I turned a little and smiled at Kairi as she caught up with me, a brilliant smile on her face. "That thing in first period was great!"

Just a shrug from me in response. "Didn't get his attention," I replied dejectedly. I mean, what was the point of looking like a know-it-all asshole if my audience didn't even care?

But Kairi whacked my arm, staring at me. "Of course it got his attention! I mean... I won't lie - he doesn't seem to like you. But you can fix that!" There was such hope and vehemence in the girl's voice that I had to look over at her in amusement and surprise, making her blush brightly and clear her throat.

"I think you're more into this than I am, Kairi," I commented, hiding the laughter in my voice.

She held up a many-ringed hand in surrender. "I know, I know... I just don't like seeing Sora alone so much. And you're the first guy that's been really interested in him in a long time... Well, who isn't a total creep, anyway."

I snickered, shaking my head as we walked into art class. "I'm flattered."

"Yeah, well you should be," Kairi replied, laughing a bit. "Okay, okay. I'll give you a break. But what're you doing Friday night?"

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Kairi... I never knew you cared..." I swore she was gonna poke my eye out with her charcoal pencil.

"Oh shut up," she snapped, rolling her eyes. "As I was saying, I've got an extra ticket to a local presentation of RENT, and I thought you might wanna go..."

And what do ya know. Only a couple days in town, and I've got a hot date!

You wanna be me, and you know it.

So there it is. As always, please review.

And yes, I am indeed a Rent-head. There's even a bit of dialogue in the first chapter that I stole from the movie. XD

Anyway, I'm feeling lazy as of late, so the next chapter might take a while. Patience, grasshopper.