Seven, seven, chapter seven…

Summary: When a disgruntled Sora lets his parents sign him up for a summer climbing camp, he's less than enthusiastic. But with some interesting new friends, crazy counselors, and a handsome, infuriating boy to deal with, this week might be more interesting than he thought...SoraxRiku, AxelxRoxas, AU.

Disclaimer: All Kingdom Hearts characters live with Disney and Square, until I send my writing muses on espionage missions to kidnap them for this story.

So, in other words: Not Mine.

Author's Note: 100+ reviews! –dies a happy authoress death-

You have no idea how happy you guys made me. When I decided to write this story on a whim, I was going to be happy with ten reviews. A hundred was like the, -this will happen when pigs fly and birds swim and I own KH- kind of mark. And you have PROVED ME WRONG. Even though I don't own KH. –pout-.

In other, more ironic, news, I'm actually being employed as a counselor this summer. Let's just hope Alysa doesn't influence my child-care skills.

Reviewers: (and believe me- major KHII spoilers ahead)

Sekre: Are you like my twin? You basically just like told me the story of my Kingdom Hearts existance. I thought Sora and Kairi were so cute in the first game, and when the second one came out I got all excited during those cutsey SxK scenes in the beginning that now cause me to scowl a lot. But then I began to notice weird things; how Sora didn't really seem to care about Kairi begin kidnapped, how he only really wanted to find/asked about Riku in the later worlds, and then of course by the reunion scene I was like THIS IS SO MUCH CUTER! So that's my story, hehe.

Orangedcgirl: Okay, this is scary. Pineapples remind ME of Roxas. You sure we weren't separated at birth?

LaLa: Those almighty cookies of inspiration were tasty, and I hope you like the chapter too –smile-.

hatefully: Um, Riku's new outfit? My thought process went something like this…

--ooo he's gonna take the cloak off—

--drops controller--

GAH. PANTS. YELLOW. MUSCLES. HAIR. SOOOO PRETTTYYYYY! –dies-

AnimeDutchess: Um, all four of them on the screen at the same time? I would just pause the game and stare for eternity. Well, not eternity. A long time.

Kyrene once Blood Roses: That Axel's a smart one. Probably because he's my favorite. I made him less clueless than the rest of them –evil grin of power-

Mercury Black: The battle with Axel? I like, wanted to lose. But then I knew if I lost, Roxas would die. And then I would be sad too. It's like a lose-lose situation.

alicia: Oh, you can assume anything fire-related is coming out of Axel's mouth. Can't you see him being the kid who 'accidentally' lights the science lab on fire, or something?

MyHiddenStory: OMG, you get to spend that much time in Europe? –is insanely jealous-. But don't fret, it should defiantly be downright full of fluff by the time you get back.

ChaosDreamer: I love Alysa too. Fortunately, she won't be ruining moments in this chapter. Unfortunately, someone else will…

Catrena: Oh, there's defiantly a story behind the rivalry. I have a basic idea of what it is, and let me tell you- it's gonna be good.

So..this chapter is a little less funny and a little more serious, and I don't know how I did with that...you let me know.

Let's go swimming!


Sora was having a dream. It was a good dream, with lots of hamburgers and singing leprechauns and rolling pink hills. One of them was even playing a drum, his green hat bobbing merrily as he beat out the rhythm; tap tap tap.

Sora laughed and danced along to the beat, but the tapping sounds were growing louder, drowning out the rest of the music. TAP TAP TAP.

His brow creased a little. This dream was taking a fast turn downhill; now all the other leprechauns had faded away, leaving just the one who was playing the drum. That one was growing larger and larger, until it towered a full foot above Sora, and it's fiery hair was growing long and losing its color, the face growing pointed and more sharp, a particularly familiar sneer peering down at him from under long-lashed, turquoise eyes…

TAP. TAP. TAP.

"Shuttup," Sora murmured, rolling over his sleeping bag and colliding with Roxas in the process. "Just shut up, Riku-leprechaun."

"What did you call me?"

And suddenly, Sora was wide awake.

He was in his tent, half-twisted out of his sleeping bag, his hair falling messily all over his eyes. Roxas's face (still asleep, but wearing a rather confused expression nonetheless) was about three inches to his right. And most importantly, two dark figures were silhouetted on the walls of his tent, outlined in the light from the moon. They had clearly been the ones tapping on the tent, and also the ones who had responded to Sora's sleepy comment. And he had a sinking feeling he knew exactly who they were.

Strangely, the only thing he could think to say was, "What time is it?"

One of the figures shrugged, a blurry black outline. "We think a little after midnight."

"Make the noises stop," Roxas muttered suddenly, wrapping his pillow around his ears possessively. "Sleepy. Lots of voices. Shuttup," he murmured, burying his face into his sleeping bag.

"Is that Roxas I hear?" said the second voice, sounding delighted.

Roxas's face popped out from his sleeping bag with alarming speed, his eyes half shut and his hair sticking out in more directions that Sora could count. "Axel?" he asked in a hiss, sounding a lot more awake.

"The one and only!"

"What…why….the hell…" Roxas looked a bit lost for words. "What time is it?"

"Oh, this is never going to work," said the first voice (the one Sora knew so well), sounding rather cross, and Sora could hear the sound of rapid footsteps. He studied the outside of the tent warily; no silhouettes, no shadowy outlines. Maybe that meant they had given up—

The zipper of the tent shot open, and two familiar faces popped in, wearing identical smirks. "Good morning, sunshines!" Axel sang out, evil pleasure written all over his face.

"AHHHH!" Sora and Roxas let out identical shrieks and tried to simultaneously cover themselves with their sleeping bags, get as far away from the opening as they could, and cling together for safely.

"What are you doing here?" Roxas finally hissed as Sora fruitlessly tried to burrow in his sleeping bag.

"C'mon, we can't sleep," Riku said, his eyes dark and unreadable in the half-light of the tent.

"And what, that means we can't either?" Sora squeaked indignantly.

"There are better things to do than sleep," Riku replied, his voice a soft purr in the darkness.

"Like what?" Roxas asked, his foot poised and ready to kick Axel, who had begun to scoot forward like a curious inchworm.

"You'll see."

Roxas turned to Sora, keeping one eye on Axel. "My vote is for sleep. You in?"

But Sora was intrigued despite himself. He had always been the tame one in high school, never daring to go outside the box. This chance at rebellion, whatever it was, was strangely appealing. His newly discovered dark side was jumping at the thought of this, whatever it was; as long as it wasn't some kind of practical joke. If it was, he needed Roxas there. For backup.

He shrugged, trying to appear indifferent. "I couldn't sleep either."

Roxas looked at him in bewilderment. "Sora, you were snoring like a lumberjack five minutes ago."

Sora flushed (good thing for the darkness) and replied tactfully, "We should give it a shot."

"That's the spirit," Axel crooned, scooting forward another inch and narrowly escaping a kick to the face. "It'll be fun, I promise."

"But…but…we're not even dressed," Roxas said, flustered. He was clinging to his pillow like a life-raft.

Riku's eyes glimmered, even in the darkness. "Who said you needed to be?"

And as if by some unspoken signal, Axel grabbed Roxas's unprotected legs and pulled, just as Riku did the same for Sora.

The two boys slid easily across the slippery fabric, even struggling as they were, and before they knew it they were in a crumpled heap on the wet grass, trying fruitlessly to cover up their boxers from the prying glances of the other two boys.

"I'mgetting kidnapped, aren't I," Roxas said hopelessly.

"Only if you're lucky," came the whispered voice in the darkness, and then the two boys were hauled to their feet and pushed into the blackness of the night.


"Where are you taking us?"

Axel put a friendly arm around the other boy's shoulder, then jumped back as Roxasrelflexivly pushedhim away. Seemingly unperturbed, he smiled widely at his blond companion. "We told you. It's a surprise."

"I never did like surprises," Roxas muttered under his breath.

"Oh, but this is a good surprise."

"Good as in cake and candles, or good as in ha-ha we've all been eaten by bears?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Bears aren't nocturnal."

Riku remained silent, walking a little ways ahead of the group. Sora studied his bare back with apprehension; first his noticeably hot-and-cold behavior today, and now this. Something was up, and he wasn't quite sure if he wanted to know what Riku was thinking behind those icy aquamarine eyes.

They had brushed the outskirts of the forest, cursing and hopping as their bare feet encountered sharp branches and pine needles, and were now walking along the moonlit shore of the lake, it's waters glimmering flat and smooth in the light of the moon. Sora was trying to remember what was beyond the lake, and figure out where they could possibly be going, when Riku abruptly stopped at the edge of the long wooden dock, waiting expectantly for the rest of them with a scowl on his face and his hands on his hips.

"What? Why are we--?" Sora looked around, confused, and then his gaze settled on the placid lake, the true horror of their situation dawning on him.

He and Roxas turned around simultaneously. Axel and Riku had crept behind them and were now smiling, looking downright evil in the half-darkness.

And then they started running; straight at the other two.

"Aww HELL—" was all Roxas managed to get out before Axel had collided bodily with him and carried them both into the lake with his momentum, hitting the still waters with a quiet splash. Sora turned around just in time to see a pair of broad shoulders and outstretched hands.

Then he was flying, Riku's limbs somehow all tangled up with his own.

And then, quite suddenly, he couldn't breathe.

His blue eyes shot open into utter blackness, and he realized he must be underwater. The only thing he could see was something silvery and soft floating in the water next to him, and as he watched it, confused, it turned, Riku's watery features coming into view, as the other boy grabbed Sora's small wrist and yanked them both to the surface.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT I'M ALL WET IS THIS YOUR IDEA OF A SURPRISE WELL I'M NOT FREAKING LAUGHING, AXEL—" was the first thing Sora heard as he broke the surface, dripping and gasping. And then another sound met his ears; uncontrollable laughter from the redhead, (whose hair, Sora noticed, looked rather like a wet porcupine in water).

Roxas had taken no notice of this; he was looking quite furious, and the gaze he was fixing Axel with spelled out death with a capital D.

"Like your surprise?" said a quiet voice right next to Sora's ear, and he jumped despite himself.

"What, not skinny-dipping?" he said, turning around to face Riku.

The other boy shrugged modestly. "We didn't want you guys to feel inferior."

Roxas's tirade had now settled down to a tired murmur, sounding something like, "wettiredbedwantsleepdamnaxelstupidredhairwet."

Sora floated on his back, surveying the quiet lake around them. They were close to the shore, tall willow trees sending their tender branches to skim the water, and they were far enough from the campsite that they didn't have to worry about making noise. The moon hung, large and full, to bathe the four boys in its milky light, casting a blue glow to everything; the smooth surface of the water, the sheen on Sora's limbs, the hair that fell in wet clumps across Riku's forehead. Everyone, even Roxas, was quiet for a moment; taking it in, tasting the quiet of the night, and the electricity of the dark that hid waiting under the surface.


Roxas had worn himself out in protest, so when a soft hand grabbed his wrist and began to drag him gently along, weightless in the water, he didn't protest, didn't even have to open his eyes to know whose touch it was. Instead, he let himself be dragged passively through the moonlit currents of the water, resigned to this, whatever this might be.

Finally after what seemed like forever in the lilac-scented night, he felt his body slow in the water, the touch trailing away. Confused in spite of himself, his cerulean eyes shot open, taking in his surroundings.

He had been dragged away from the dock, away from Riku and Sora, and found himself in the soft embrace of one of the shore-lining willow trees. It branches had made a cove, of sorts; a small pool of lake water ringed by blossom-heavy branches, bell-shaped. But something was missing.

He floated gently in the water for a few moments, looking around, before he found what he was searching for; quietly, a head full of red hair broke the pristine surface of the water, and Axel's green eyes studied the younger boy, his gaze uncharacteristically serious.

For some reason, Roxas could feel chills traveling down his slight body in waves, the touch of the water cold against his bare skin. Suddenly, irrationally, he wanted Sora or even Riku to be there with them, for protection, for a chaperone.

Why would I need a chaperone? Roxas asked himself, and instead felt another wave of shivers crawl down his back as Axel swam closer, closing the distance between the two boys.

For an uncomfortable minute, Axel said nothing, just swam there and stared at Roxas, who was beginning to sweat lightly. Desperate for something to say, he burst out, "What, no jokes?"

"What?"

"Umm…it's just that…you know," Roxas said, beginning to feel a bit foolish. "You're always so happy, and now you're so…serious."

"I didn't think you would come," Axel said abruptly, turning in the water so that all Roxas could see was his hair, wet and plastered to his back. "This was all Riku's idea."

"Oh," Roxas said softly.

Silence pulsed between them, awkward and electric, before Axel took a deep breath and said hurriedly, "Why do you hate me?"

Roxas sucked in a breath, trying nervously to avoid the other boy's piercing emerald gaze, pointed features twisted in anxiety. He felt dizzy; a few weeks ago the words would have slid easily off his lips, calling Axel his enemy, his adversary, stupid and arrogant and not worth a second of his time. Roxas imagined saying those things now, faced with a living, breathing Axel, and was surprised to find that the words tasted false and bitter on his tongue.

"I don't," he said, forcing himself to meet Axel's gaze.

Axel's whole face lit up, childishly, Roxas thought, but true nonetheless; his eyes shone with a pure joy that Roxas discovered made all the other boy's smiles pale in comparison.

He felt the need to backpedal at Axel's obvious delight. "I mean, I didn't say we were friends, or anything. Right?"

Axel's mega-watt smile, so bright in the darkness, faded only slightly, but he turned away from Roxas and began to float on his back, easily, his upturned chest drinking in the moonlight. Roxas couldn't help but notice his pronounced stomach muscles. He swallowed, hard.

"Do you think we could ever be friends?" Axel's voice came quietly, once his face was out of sight.

Roxas scowled. Whatever this night was, confessions and seriousness, he wasn't going to go this far. He wasn't the type to lay soul open just because someone asked him a few questions.

"No," he lied clearly, ignoring a weird pang in his chest.

"And why not?"

"Because you're friends with Riku," Roxas said, his scowl deepening at the truth in his words.

Axel, drifting slowly around the cove in the moonlight, laughed softly, the sound like tinkling bells as opposed to his usual full-throated guffaws.

"Silly," he said, and his voice was a near a whisper. "Just because you're friends with Sora doesn't mean I like him."

And before Roxas could figure out what the hell he had meant by that, Axel had disappeared underwater in one neat dive, his bobbing head disappearing from sight.

Roxas stood nervously close to the shore, his arms crossed and ready to berate Axel the moment he surfaced. But the long seconds ticked off slowly in the stillness of the night, and before he could stop himself he had called out quietly, "Axel! Where are you?"

A dark shadow was spreading at his feet underwater, and he jumped back, but it was stretched, elongating, breaking the surface. And he recognized that red hair.

Axel smiled easily, straightening until he and Roxas were separated by mere inches. "I'm right here."

Roxas stepped back involuntarily, nervous at the lack of distance. Axel simply remedied that by taking a step forward, towering a head over the small blonde.

Roxas didn't like where this was going, and he was almost backed up to the shore. So he did the only thing he could think of.

He dove underwater.

It was dark, under there, and for a moment his clouded mind calmed. He pumped his legs, powerful strokes, and as a result almost bumped into something that was sticking out of the bottom, long and gleaming pale in the moonlight.

A leg. Axel's leg.

And before his common sense could kick in and warn him that this was a bad idea, a very bad idea, he had playfully grabbed the leg and pulled.

A hand shot underwater with almost lightning speed and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him up like a trout on a line, gasping and kicking. Axel's face hovered above him, luminous in the moonlight. "Found you!" he said gleefully, and that was when Roxas tackled him.

They spent a few more happy minutes splashing and wrestling in the water, and for a few seconds Roxas thought he was safe, was relived to have brought their interaction back to a plane that was familiar to him, that he understood, that he could make sense of. All the rest made his head spin.

Roxas was laughing as he half-heartedly tugged at Axel's hair, barely noticing the other boy's eyes had taken on a new determination, two slender hand reaching up to push Roxas's shoulders steadily backward, until the other boy was pressed flush against the high bank of the shore, waist-deep in water, with Axel hovering over him.

Axel didn't remove his hands.

Roxas's giggles trailed off, but his carefree grin remained, not seeming to notice his compromising position. "Hey, you've got hair all over your eyes," he said, a little out of breath.

"I do, do I…" Axel started, but abruptly halted his words, hardly daring to breathe, because Roxas had thoughtlessly reached up and brushed away a spare strand of Axel's hair, his slender fingers brushing along Axel's forehead, and his touch was more invigorating than fire.

Roxas, lost in his hazy dream, was abruptly brought back to life as his hands made contact with Axel's skin. Because of their close proximity, he noticed everything; the sparks of electricity where his bare flesh met Axel's, Axel's grip on his shoulders had tightening imperceptibly, his quick intake of breath, the flash in his emerald eyes that was the only warning the blond boy received. Before Roxas could even draw a breath to warn the other boy away, Axel had begun to lean down, and alarm bells were going off in every corner of Roxas' mind….

This was Axel. Axel the spaz. Axel who hung out with Riku, Axel who he had hated every day for eight years, and Axel who suddenly made his head turn dizzy…

He suddenly felt wide awake.

"What are you doing?" he burst out, pushing the other boy away bodily. "Get off me!"

Axel made a large slash as he hit the water, and his face, when he broke the surface, was hopelessly confused. It almost made Roxas turn and look back, but by then he was swimming away, so it was easier not to respond when he heard Axel's voice, so wounded, calling him back.


"Riku? Where did Axel and Roxas go?"

Only muffled laugher responded. Sora, his forehead wrinkled crossly, surveyed the blank expanse of water surrounding him- defiantly Riku-less.

"C'mon. Where are you?"

Silence.

Sora sighed, noisily, and began to float on his back, surveying the starry sky above him. A shooting star flashed across the blackness of the heavens, and he momentarily searched for something to wish for. All his tired brain could scrounge up was, I wish Riku would come back so I'm not all alone.

He flipped another gaze around; still nothing. So the other boy had disappeared, along with Axel and Roxas. He knew that if he was alone much longer, he would just have to start swimming back to shore, go back to his warm tent and his soft pillow…

But strangely, he felt no desire to leave the calmness of the night; the starts whirring above him, the lake spreading out beneath him, cool and flat as a pane of glass, every breath magnified in his ears. It was peaceful, and beautiful, and he felt sad that he would have to leave it soon, since Riku was gone…

Someone grabbed him behind, and a large hand clapped over his mouth to prevent him from crying out. Sora kicked himself inwardly, cursing Riku's ability to sneak up on him so quietly, but he didn't struggle. Standing as he was, Riku's chest was pressed hard into his bare back; he could even feel the other boy's muscles, close as they were, and hear the other boy's breath, warm in the chill of the night.

So he didn't pull away, just reached up to remove the hand and said crossly, "Can you stop doing that?"

"Doing what, Sora?" Riku said happily, not moving away.

"Oh, I don't know. Scaring me, sneaking up on me, grabbing me, having weird mood swings."

Riku stepped back, the water lapping softly against his chest. "Having weird what?"

Oops. Maybe I shouldn't have said that.

Sora turned to face the other boy for the first time, and again was surprised at how dark Riku's eyes looked at night; black holes with the faintest trace of aquamarine light, still shining in their depths.

"You were…nice…to me all day," Sora said, wondering if 'nice' even remotely covered Riku's joking, playful attitude, "and then you just got really mad after the tent collapsed. You wouldn't even talk to me. Why?"

Something flashed across Riku's face, quickly hiding itself before Sora could puzzle it out. "I was…um…you just scared me, you know? With the tent."

Sora giggled in spite of himself. "Awww, I didn't realize baby Riku was scared of the nasty tents," he said teasingly, his small face shining with laughter and starlight, then cut off quickly as Riku jumped at him, growling, and dove underwater to freedom.

He swam for what seemed like ages, until his lungs were about to give out, and then cautiously poked his oxygen-starved mouth above the surface, peering about anxiously.

No sign of him.

Sora was just taking his first deep breath of relief when he was again (and he didn't know why he hadn't been expecting it) grabbed from behind.

"Found you," Riku said, and his voice was so low and deep that Sora could feel it, traveling through his bones.

"I wasn't aware we were playing hide and seek," Sora responded just as softly, working to keep a shake out of his voice.

"Well, we are now," Riku purred, slowly spinning the immobile Sora until he was facing him, neck deep in the water. "And you. Are. It," he finished with a triumphant smirk as he touched one long finger to Sora's button of a nose, then, instead of removing it, traced a slow trail across Sora's cheek, down the side of his chin, across his throat and down across his chest, as Sora just stood there, hardly daring to breathe, hardly daring to feel, hardly daring to wonder why Riku was doing this and why Sora was letting him..

"SORA!"

Roxas's voice shattered the mood like a gunshot; Sora jumped away from Riku with a splash, sputtering like he had come out a trance. "Roxas? What the—"

"What were you doing?" Roxas shot at Riku as he swam over to Sora; broad, angry strokes. "Get off of him!"

There was a moments pause as Riku took in the situation; Roxas barreling toward him and Sora in front of him, breathless. His eyes grew confused, sad, and then angry and hard.

"He's all yours," Riku said coldly, stepping back with his hands in the air and that peculiar cold expression back on his face, staring at the flustered blond and his dazed charge.

"Roxas! Wait!" Axel's voice came swimming through the darkness, and Sora could see the other boy gaining on them, only a few yards away.

"Leave me alone!" Roxas called back in a strangled yell, then turned to Riku, eyes blazing with unearthly conviction. "And you! Leave him alone!" he shouted, gesturing at the wide-eyed Sora.

"Fine. Just tell him to stay away from me," Riku said tightly, then swam around them, quick short strokes, and intercepted Axel, leaving Roxas and Sora alone.


Sora, dazed and hurt, barely noticed that Roxas had dragged him to shore and was practically dislocating his shoulder in his attempts to pull the other boy up and run back to camp.

"What happened there?" Sora managed to gasp out as he jumped awkwardly to his feet.

"Nothing," said Roxas, his voice tight and controlled, but it was his face that told Sora something was up; a mixture of anger, confusion, and sadness.

"He's the one that keeps following me," Sora explained, his own anger at Riku still burning within. Tell him to say away from me, my ass.

Roxas didn't respond.

"Are you mad at me?"

Roxas shot him a sidelong look, then sighed. "No. Just at him. I know how he- how they- can twist words, and actions. We'd best just stay away," he said, a new determination lifting his features. "That would be the best thing to do."
Sora didn't say anything, just stared down the long path back to camp, his feet tired, cold, and wracked with shivers, and wondered why they hadn't done that in the first place.


And don't you just want to kill Roxas?

-reviewers run at Roxas with knives-

-throws self in front of cowering Roxas-

STOP! HE'S JUST CONFUSED!

-reviewers look doubtful-

They're all just really confuzzled right now, but they'll get better. Oh, much better.

Next Chapter: We go climbing for the first time, Alysa gets downright diabolical, and harnesses prove to be an interesting problem…

Side Note: Even I am getting frustrated by the sexual tension in my story, so I'm sorta-kinda-maybe considering writing a oneshot. It would NOT be AU, RikuxSora centric, and post KHII. So if any of you have a brilliant idea, feel free to leave a suggestion and I'll defiantly consider it. A girl needs her fluff, you know.

You know what to do.

(hint: press that little button down there. the one that says 'submit review'. and I'll love you forever and ever)