---------Back to Auditorium, present
"Earth to Riku. Were going over to meet everyone. You there?" Axel shook a hand in front of Riku's face now and Riku blinked a few times before nodding and moving forward after Roxas and Axel. Riku felt his blood boil as he noticed Sora and Kairi standing side by side a little ways ahead, Sora looked back and upon meeting Riku's eyes he quickly turned around and pulled Kairi's hand into his own. Riku snorted and shaking his head walked forward to the stage once more.
"Hey guys. Glad you could make it." Demyx said grinning at all of them as he stood on the stage. Behind him was Aran still bouncing around but this time he had a very pretty girl chasing him around and laughing at whatever he was saying. Riku could just make out,
"Is Liam here yet? Cause you know I miss Liam! I bet he's sleeping in! He's so lazy! Stupid Liam. But then again he isn't really stupid. He's smarter then me! Wayyyyyy smarter isn't he Evelyn! Ugh! Where's Liam!" Aran whined like a child before noticing the people greeting Demyx and waved energetically. "HEY THERE FRIENDS OF DEMI!"
"Um, Aran. That's Demyx." Demyx said laughing slightly it was obvious he was still trying to get used to the boy's actions.
"Fools." Said a voice from the shadows and in came the opposite of the singer, a girl with deep black hair and just as dark eyes, she was wearing all black and had a rather pretty face. She held up a hand to her face so it blocked an eye and all of her nails were painted black as well. "Look. No one cares if you're here or not. Just don't make your presences known. It's harder enough having to deal with one yeller." Although when the girl spoke and looked over at Aran it was a friendly tone.
"Yay! Come on Alexiel! Cheer up! I know! What do you say we go out for ramen this afternoon?" Aran bounced over to the girl and holding her arm he continued bouncing around excitedly.
"That's something you would enjoy. But I suppose if you must drag me along." Alexiel words did not sting so it was clear she actually liked the idea of going.
"Yay! Call it motivation! Inspiration! Constipation! Or whatever! Let's Sing! YEAH!" Aran cheered and everyone sweatdropped.
"Um, Aran. We aren't going to sing." The pretty girl explained behind him.
"What? No Singing? Why? Wahhh! But Liam said we could!"
"Did I? Funny. I can't remember a thing…" said a new voice and everyones attention flew to the front along with Aran's body as he flung himself on the spiked up black haired boy with blue eyes who hugged him back. "Honestly Aran. I just went off to get our guests some passes. I wasn't gone for that long." The boy teased then he looked to the others and nodded. "Nice to meet all of you. I'm Liam Reedwood. Drummer. And this bundle of joy right here is my boyfriend, Aran Cky. As I'm sure you've heard he's our lead singer."
"Well it's certainly nice to meet you." Kairi said giggling at the adorable coupling of the two boys. Both reminding her slightly of her own boy troubles with the two standing behind her. Liam seemed calm and collected like Riku while Aran was cheerful and overly energetic like Sora. Perhaps they can learn something from them.
"Ahem. I'm Jenny Mourhinha. I'm the 2nd place singer. I do a lot of the rap and remixing." The girl with curly brown hair explained. Next was the pretty girl that had spoken to Aran in a sort of sisterly way.
"My name's Evelyn Rose. I'm the base player. It's pleasure." She giggled at Aran and Liam before smiling at everyone. A new boy stepped forward from the group he too had black hair but there was a green streak across his right eye. His voice was smooth and yet full of smarts showing he was rather intelliegent and well brought up.
"Hello. My name is Alexander Elric. If you would excuse the two lovestruck fools over there, we hope people could just pay attention to our music and not to who our lead singer sleeps with. Anyway, nice to meet you." Alex stepped back as Aran stuck out his tounge at him. At this point Alexiel looked up from her spot over in the corner.
"C'mon Alexiel. Tell them who you are!" Aran chirped excitedly.
"You pretty much just told them." Alexiel shook her head at the boy before getting up. "My name's Alexiel Ling. I am the female singer of the Renegades."
"Female singer?" Sora asked tilting his head to the side and looking at Riku and Roxas in confusion.
"Well of course. Behind every good male singer there's an even better female singer!" Aran grinned widely.
"Aran, my friend, I think you mean in front of." Aran looked at Alex in confusion. Before grinning widely and pointed laughing at Alex.
"Ha! Ha! Liam do you get it! That's wrong! Alex your such a pervert!"
"Huh? I don't get it?" Sora said looking around confusedly.
"Never thought I'd meet someone who is slower then Aran." Alexiel said as Aran walked up to Sora looked at him as if examining a still wrapped present on Christmas and how best to open it.
"Who are you?" Aran asked finally tilting his head innocently to the side as Liam nodded "Hello." To Riku, Roxas and Axel.
"Sora. Sora Hikari." Sora said happily, Aran circled him and Sora watched as Aran did before Aran raised a hand to his lips a tapped a few times as if deep in thought.
"You really don't get Alex's joke?" Sora shook his head and Aran leaned forward and both Liam and Riku moved forward instinctively but then Aran just whispered something in Sora's ear and Sora's eyes devoured the words.
"OH! I GET IT! EW! PERVERT!" Sora shouted at Alex who shrugged it off as nothing. Sora then turned to Aran and both boys laughed hard.
"Nice to meet you Sora. I hope we can be friends."
"Me too." Both boys grinned cheerfully at the other.
"Well we're off now." Axel said, "It's Roxas's bedtime."
"What the hell are you on?" Roxas said as he followed Axel out of the auditorium.
"Yeah. Come on Liam. Alexiel! Let's go get that ramen!" Aran shouted happily and giving one last wave to Sora and a playful salute to Riku and then a bow to Kairi, he was out the door.
-----------------------------------------------------------The Walk Back To Kairi's house that Night
"That singer is an idiot. I think he could really give you some competition, Sora." Riku stated walking passed the brunette who then glared up at him.
"Yeah. Well I think he's cool. He at least knows how to keep his friends close." Riku spun around at Sora's words and shouted at him, statements that didn't make any sense and yet had quite a lot of swear words in them so I will refrain from writing such low drivel to save my beloved reader's sensitive ears.
"Both of you. Shut it." Kairi snapped, she was very unlike herself and both of them weren't helping.
"Sorry." Sora said and Riku just shook his head and turned around. His mind was trying to refuse the fact that Sora and Kairi had been holding hands in there and he was also trying to think of someway so he wasn't later thinking about how the two were probably doing obscene things with each other when he wasn't around. It horrified him.
"Look Sora. Will you come over tonight? Maybe then we can go back to just like things were. C'mon." Riku almost sounded like he was begging Sora but Sora shook his head violently, No.
"I'm-Er-Going over Kairi's tonight. Her folks invited me. Didn't they? Gotta meet me early after all. See you Riku! Come'on Kairi!" and with that said Sora streamed down the block Kairi pretty much being dragged behind.
"Blast it. Namine. I thought you said that would work."
--------------------------------------------Riku's House that Night
"It would have worked if you weren't so stuck up." Namine giggled lightly at the other boy's annoyance and began to sketch once more. She had been staying at Riku's for two nights now. It hadn't been that she didn't want to get up and see Kairi it was just she was afraid too and Riku had also told her not too. Said boy was now repeatedly punching a pillow on the couch by the bed. His features changed from their usual calm and collect self to a rather perfect image of a child having a temper tantrum.
"Why! Can't! I! Love! Someone! Else!" Riku shouted with every punch, until a side of the pillow burst open and the room was covered in little white feathers. Surprisingly enough, Namine looked really just as pretty with a few white feathers sticking out of her blonde hair. "Sorry Namine." Riku grumbeled before rolling over on the couch and facing up and out toward the window, where outside the sky was a brillant deep blue…like Sora's eyes. "OH! COME ON!" Riku shouted grabbing another undamaged pillow and putting it over his head to cover the view. "WHAT IF THERE DOING GROSS THINGS! I MEAN WHAT IF SORA'S ON TOP OF HER OR SOMETHING! NO. God No." Sora's voice faded out as he continued ranting.
"Why are you getting so worked up over this?" Namine smiled knowingly at him. "Just tell the boy. Sora's sweet. He'll understand. And more then likely he'll accept it and want to be with you."
"I already told him. And he turned me down." Riku stated, just admitting it made his heard shatter all over again.
"He did? Odd." Namine shook her head lightly before beginning to draw once more. She was trying something new. Trying to draw Kairi with as much beauty and grace as she could remember the girl having.
Riku rolled over and looked at Namine for a long moment before speaking, "What do you mean odd?" Namine sent Riku an ominious look that apparently was supposed to be easy to read because she rolled her eyes afterward.
"The boy likes you Riku." Riku snorted and rolled back over.
"Yeah. I wish he did." Namine shook her head and went back to work.
"What makes you think he doesn't?" Riku had begun to fall off to sleep whe he was asked this and instead of bothering to turn around he merely said,
"He's dating Kairi." It took a few moments before Riku heard it, something hitting the floor and a coughing fit to ensue. He turned quickly to see Namine on the floor, covering her mouth and looking paler then ever as she leaned over, just coughing heavily over and over again, it looked like her frail form was about to come undone. Riku quickly hurried over to her and kneeling by her side he rubbed her back as he could remember having someone do for him a long time ago, had it been his mother? No. She hadn't spent anytime with him unless you count those few weeks after his birth. Then she had gotten him a nanny. Then who could it be that had?
----------------------------------------------------------Destiny Islands a Few Years Ago, before Kingdom Hearts
"Sora! Kairi!" younger Riku walked about the wharf to their tiny island, he was terribly bored and when Riku was bored there was hell to pay. "Where are you guys?" Riku grumbled, sitting down on the dock, he looked deep into the water, watching as the tide came in and out brushing against his brown sandals.
He didn't want to tell anyone but ever since Kairi had come along he hadn't been very happy. Not like how he had been when it was just him and Sora. Those were the best times. But now it was just him and himself. He had begun to think that since Kairi had come he had grown feelings for her. It was the only thing he could think to explain his annoyance when he saw the two together. But was that really it?
Suddenly a harsh wind blew through the islands, Riku watched as Kairi's boat slammed up against his, he quickly pulled himself up to separate them but the rope tying his boat to the dock wrapped around his leg and Riku fell face forward into the water with a loud splash. Groping around for a way out of the water he swallowed a few gulps of salty sea water in his rush, it was then he felt someone pull him up and shout his name, while a smaller voice said it as well. "Riku! Riku! Wake up! Riku! Are you okay?" He felt the person cradling him nervously as he coughed, trying to get out the water and then he felt the person push him forward lightly so he was kneeling forward and that same person rub his back in a circular motion, slowly at first and then slightly harder. Finally the last bits of water were out of his mouth and his coughing had ceased he looked up to thank the person and saw a pair of deep blue eyes stareing into his own and grin as bright as the sun shining down on them…
Thanks Sora.