Title: A Good Influence
Author: Andro
Rating: R
Warnings: Yaoi, angst/mentions of suicide, other disturbing subjects later on.
Type: Romance, humor, angst.
Disclaimer: I don't claim to own Kingdom Hearts. Or any Final Fantasy game.
Author Notes: Hah! Chapter eight. Making progress.
Thank you so much to all of you that have reviewed. ;3 You really do push me on to get the chapters out faster.

*~*~*~

The insistent knocking refused to go away.
Frustrated, Riku tossed his covers off and stalked to the door. Who the hell was at the door in such unholy hours of the morning? There was no one –stupid- enough to-
"Morning!"
Riku bit the inside of his cheek. Well, make that there didn't- use- to be someone stupid enough to be up.
"What do you want?"
"A vacation to Disney World. But I'll settle for you." Sora retorted breezily, wiggling his fingers in greeting.
"You'll settle for me." Riku echoed flatly. "Mind contemporizing that?"
A better question was why he hadn't shut the door in Sora's face yet. He shook his head and reached to do just that when the adamant pest swept past him into the room.
He had to be suicidal. Had to be.
"As nice as the outfit is-" Sora called over his shoulder casually. "-it's not really proper, now is it? Wear something to move around in. Preferably comfortable."
Riku looked down at the old sweatpants he wore on reflex. The –only- thing he was wearing.
Sora didn't sound embarrassed, but he was sure Sora was blushing..
"What are you talking about?" He rubbed his eyes wearily. Being woken up so brutally was not in any way improving his mood.
"I'm taking you to meet The Council. Come on, we'll be late." Pulling thick curtains apart, Sora welcomed the kiss of the morning sun.
"Oh. That explains everything." Riku nodded, and then gestured for Sora to move. "Out. I don't need this right now. Or later."
"Oh, come on. You told me yourself the other day you don't know anyone here!" Sora argued, tying the curtains.
"For a reason."
"You're just a pessimist. Come on. It'll be –fun-." Sora needled, eyes widening into a potentially lethal kicked puppy gaze.
"No," Riku firmly held on to his resolve.
"…. I won't bug you for an entire day."
"I very much doubt it."
"Trust me," Sora smirked, doing his best impression of Selphie. The 'You have –no- idea what I'm capable of' maniacal grin.

*~*~*~

It took Lulu's help and various creative threats, but Sora came out triumphant. Somewhat.
"Did you have to hit me?" He complained, rubbing the back of his head and expecting to find a bump swelling.
"Did you have to drag me into this?" Riku returned, slipping on a pair of dark sunglasses.
"Man, you're acting as if I'm dragging you off to the pound to be put down. It'll be fun. Fun. F-u-n. Doing activities that cause joy." Sora stressed the word. He made an extra effort to sound cheerful-although he'd only known Riku for two days, he could tell things were tenser than normal.
Sighing, he ran a hand through his head and reviewed the scenes from the past day. Things had actually been improving. Or so he had thought.
Obviously, they hadn't.
"Where to?"
"Crystal Springs Mall."
"The mall?" Riku's incredulous tone rang through the BMW.
"Yes, the mall." Sora confirmed. "Just trust me."
Riku gave him a cynical stare before turning on the car.
"Such little faith." Sora sank into his seat and closed his eyes.

*~*~*~

"May I ask just what is so interesting about the mall?"
"Not the mall." Sora glanced around. "I guess they're not here yet."
"Who?"
"The Council."
"I'm not even going to bother asking."
Pop music poured from ingeniously hidden stereos, muted to tolerable levels by the voices of Sunday mall rats. Riku shot an indifferent look the pair of girls standing near the fountain, doing a very bad job of pretending they weren't staring.
"I'm early for once. I think they'll have a heart attack," Sora murmured to himself, craning his neck to look around. He wasn't near tall enough to look over anyone else, unless one counted little kids.
"Might as well wait at the fountain. Everyone will arrive sooner or later."
"Okay, now I'm asking. What the hell are you going on about?"
"My friends, " Sora explained patiently. "They're The Council."
"You have to be joking." Riku yanked his sunglasses off. "You've dragged me out here to hang out with your friends? If you needed a ride, you could have asked the chauffer!"
"I didn't need a ride." Sora frowned faintly. "Try to enjoy yourself. You're bound to like someone in the group."
"I very much doubt it."
'That's the second time you've said that today. Maybe we should stop by the bookstore and pick up a thesaurus for you."
Riku startled, taken back.
"Sarcasm? I didn't even know you were capable."
Sora's brief irritation was swept under the rug, and he gave his usual careless smile.
"Talented, I am! Many talents I have!"
"Like being on time for once."
Riku's perception of Sora blurred momentarily when the boy moved with speed he'd previously thought undoable and latched himself on the tall blond girl behind them.
"Quisty! Long time no see!"
"We saw each other two days ago," She reminded him, managing to pat his head and fix her glasses.
"Small detailage."
"How come –I- don't get hugs like that?" A tall teen in an outlandish cowboy hat complained, flashing a million dollar smile.
Instinctually, Riku decided he didn't like him.
"You're not cute enough!" Sora retorted, snuggling up to Quistis like a kitten searching for warmth.
"What? I beg your pardon!"
"You don't deserve it." Tidus arrived, one bright eyed Rikku trailing behind.
"Yo!" She energetically hopped on one leg, showing remarkable balance.
"Hi!" Sora grinned back. He liked Rikku, she tended to go with his plans, no questions asked. "That's Riku, you guys. Riku, meet Tidus, Quistis, Irvine and Rikku-with two 'k's. Don't bother remembering their names; you'll meet a whoooleeee lotta more people today."
Riku nodded, pulling his glasses back on. His stoic silence was greeted with a polite, half smile from Quistis, a smirk and a tip of the cowboy hat with a 'howdy' from Irvine, a squealed 'hiya!' from Rikku and a slight frown from Tidus, who didn't say anything at all.
"Who else is coming today?"
"Uum…." Rikku shrugged, her ponytail bobbing along with the movement. "The rest of the guys, I guess. Yuna might…" She trailed off, and grinned evilly at Tidus.
Tidus refused to take the bait.
"Oh? Well, we can play some soccer then."
"Yes! Girls against the boys! We get Sora!" Rikku gleefully agreed, hopping back on one leg.
"Hey!" Sora yelped in protest. "I have not had my operation –yet-!"
The group blinked, nearly in unison.
"….Can we do your hair after the operation then?" The small blond inquired hopefully.
"You can do my nails." Sora agreed with regal grace.
"YAY!"

Twenty minutes later, two semi-arguments and several stops at candy/ice cream stores, Tidus bopped Sora on the head at the first opportunity of privacy.
"What is he here for?" The blonde demanded, frustrated.
"Owwwww… Who?"
Tidus rolled his eyes. "Come on, I know you're not as stupid as you act."
"Thank you for the vote of confidence. Truly. Warms my heart." Sora rubbed his head, wondering just how many more times he was going to get hit. "He's not that bad."
"If you like… ice? Glaciers, maybe? Blizzards?"
"He's a good guy. Just… a little… antisocial."
Tidus stared at him.
"I'm not kidding! Come on, maybe you won't like him even if you know him, but he's not that bad."
"Sora, you don't –know- him." Tidus pointed out wearily, crossing his arms. "You've only been at his house for a couple days, remember?"
"Oh. Yeah. Uhm. Just trust me. Please?"
"Well, what choice do I have?" Resigned, Tidus scratched the back of his head. "Uhm. Just… whatever. I trust you-" He added earnestly. "I mean, you're a goof and all. But you mean well."
Sora smiled sweetly, draping an arm around his cousin's waist.
"Come on. The others are gonna notice us slacking."
"Too late." Nida crossed into their path, a distracted Zell following behind. The young brunette offered a laughing smile.
"But I suppose we can't say much, can we? Sorry we're late, the car died halfway here."
"My –car-" Zell mourned, nearly slamming into Nida's back. Quick reflexes led him to turn at the last moment and instead he just looked comically miserable.
"Zell. That car was ancient." Sora pointed out reasonably. "We all knew it was going to kick the bucket soon."
Tidus snorted.
"He's just upset he'll probably have to get an even junkier car now."
"Junkier isn't a word." Nida protested, shaking his head and trying to bite back a smile.
"Hey! I'm in emotional pain here!"
Sora sympathetically patted Zell on the shoulder. "I feel your pain. Except not really, but you know, I'm trying to make you feel better."
"It's not working."
"Yeah. I figured. So how about we go play some soccer?"

*~*~*~

Much to his dismay, Riku was finding that he wasn't having an awful time. Sora's friends were witty and easy going, sarcastic and near sickeningly happy. It was becoming more of a trial to remember he wasn't supposed to be enjoying himself. It was also hard to recall –why-.
"Movie?" Zidane-or was it Zell?-suggested in a puzzled tone.
"Yeah, but what movie? I doubt they'll let you kiddies into the really interesting movies…" Irvine interjected. Right. Big cowboy hat. Irritating tendency to touch anyone-Sora- often and smirk a lot.
"You're not exactly old enough to watch porn either, idiot." Selphie chirped back, smile a dab too dulcet.
"Does anyone even know what movies are playing?" Sora mused, tilting his head back against the support of the booth. Little by little, they'd claimed ownership to the largest booth in the corner of Razelia's Ice Cream Café, as well as appropriated several extra chairs. The owners didn't mind… they usually managed to spend nearly a hundred dollars a group on ice cream every Sunday.
"Er. No. I don't watch TV." Quistis shrugged.
"Do you do anything but study?"
Riku looked around to see who'd said that, but it was hard to tell. So many new faces and personalities tossed at him in the last couple of hours had melted into one pool of vague recollections. After meeting the first five or so people, he'd given up on remembering them all. It was as Sora had warned. It seemed like every five minutes there was someone new joining the group.
The friends around him launched into a heated discussion of what to see, why, or why not. He only sat back, suddenly tired. Riku wasn't used to so many people at once anymore. At one time, he would have pitched in like anyone else. But that was at his old school. With –his- friends. This was… Sora's circle.
/These are just the people he meets every Sunday…?\ The young man frowned, staring off into distant space. He wouldn't have pegged Sora to be popular. Not really. But now that he thought about it… with someone as friendly and downright stubborn like Sora, why the hell not? He was just so normal and-
/Everything I'm not. Which is good. I can't stand him as it is.\ Riku thought indifferently. Then happened to glance up.
Sora was sitting between the obnoxious cowboy and some chick with her hair in a braid. He was the only one not participating in the discussion. He looked mildly sleepy-sated. Content and amused, lips tilted upwards at the corner. Sora was staring right back with a peaceful smile. This was Sora's place. His home, his happiness was his friends.
Riku felt ill.

*~*~*~

Confusion, as other people would assume, was not something Sora Kogai was really used to. He seemed quite stupid at times, dense as a turtle and as slow as one to people. Silly and flighty, irresponsible and childish.
It went to show people were really quite thick themselves.

One thing was driving Sora's usually full patience up the wall, raving mad.
Riku. Riku. Riku. Rich, removed, sarcastic Riku. Proud Riku.

Those traits weren't really that bad. Sora could understand that. He could tolerate and accept Riku as he was as a person, even if others would have just been irritated beyond belief with the other boy.

Sora liked jigsaw puzzles. He always had, even as a child. Simple was good, but intense, complex ones meant to break your head were the best. Jigsaws that formed pictures of the ocean were always his favorite. In his opinion, they were the most complicated, with the wide and chaotic yet similar array of colors the water turned into. On one spot the color of the water was clear aquamarine, and an inch over it would turn to solemn, murky dark green. It required careful attention and devotion.

Riku represented a puzzle that Sora was missing pieces from. Lots and lots of pieces. He had no idea whether to go forward, or step back. The bigger image the puzzle would eventually create was too hazy to even try to make out. It. Just. Didn't. Make. Sense.

One moment, Riku didn't seem all that unfriendly towards him. Then he went frigid. He was certain he'd caught flashes of uncertainty here and there too. But then they were gone, and Riku would be hostile. Sora was beginning to wish life came with a defrost button. Or at least an instruction manual.

He watched with a growing, gnawing worry at the pit of his stomach as he met Riku's eyes across the table, and witnessed first hand the swift transformation. Up went the defensive walls and the annoyed sneer.

But Sora found another piece of the jigsaw.

Riku was acting.

*~*~*~

"You sure you wanna go home with him?" Irvine murmured, lowering his voice. He ruined his own try at being subtle by jerking his thumb in Riku's direction. Sora smiled idly.
The group had begun splitting nearly half an hour ago. As usual, Sora was one of the last to go, even though he was aware Riku grew more impatient by the minute. Irvine was often careless, but he cared for his friends. Sora patted his arm.
"I live with him, remember?" He whispered back. "Don't worry about me. I'll see you tomorrow." He winked, stepped back and waved good-bye to the rest. When he turned around, Riku was already halfway to the car. Shaking his head in consternation, Sora plastered a big smile on his face and jogged after.

*~*~*~

Monday. School.

"Oy! Riku isn't ready yet?" Yawning so hard he managed to pop his jaw, Sora blinked sleepily. Lulu shook her head.
"Riku doesn't usually get up for another half an hour. If at all."
"Oh. Great." Sora groaned. "Well…. Whatever. I'm going to wake him up."
"It's your funeral."
"It's so great to know I have your –full- support Auntie Lu!" Sora called, making a strategic retreat. He swore he could almost hear her call him a moron underneath her breath.
"Up, up, up… corner… left… right… erk, wrong corner. Back… left…. Fourth door-ahah!"
Sora quite shamelessly marched into Riku's room without knocking and tossed himself on the sleeping lug on the bed. He got a smack of a flailing arm on the face for that, but looking back on it later… it was worth it.
"Hi!" Sora greeted cheerily at the stunned, sleepy green eyes that suddenly turned deadly. Sora just smiled serenely.
"Come on. Time for school."
"You're insane." Riku bit out through clenched teeth.
"Yeah, I get told that a lot." Sora nodded. "Also get called psycho, hyperkinetic, skitzo, suicidal-occasionally pyromaniac and lunatic-"
Not bothering to reply, Riku closed his eyes and rolled back into the unoccupied bed space. Sora's sudden intrusion on his slumber had scared the daylights out of him. His heart still pounded unusually fast, beating hard against his ribcage. It had absolutely nothing, and he meant –nothing-, with having Sora lying on his bed, facing him with those absurdly large blue eyes.
"…" Sora poked his ribs. "What are you doing?"
"I'm going back to sleep."
"Really? I'd love to sleep too, except we have school."
"I don't care."
"Well, you see, there's a slight problem." Sora confessed. "I'm supposed to look after you. If you don't get up now, dress and drive us to school, I'm afraid I'm going to have to kiss you."
Riku's eyelids popped open like Jacks-in-the-box.
"Excuse me?"
"Well, that got your attention!" The younger teen laughed. "Anyway. Come on, really. If you don't get a move on, I –will- kiss you."
Riku debated on tossing Sora off the bed. No, that wouldn't discourage him. Damn stubborn freak.
So he rolled over again and closed his eyes.
That was when he felt the lips on his shoulder.

*~*~*~

End Chapter.

*~*~*~

XD; Yes. Riku only sleeps in sweatpants. And hey, it's the closest bit of Riku that Sora can reach. ;D