Hey, I'm updating again! SQUEE!
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What Irked Riku about yesterday was, was that even Axel came up and congratulated him, with Roxas. Axel had smirked and slapped Riku on the back, "Nice job, I think I misjudged you,"
Roxas smiled at Riku, and Riku actually smiled back. Axel looked at Roxas, still thinking that the blonde was a wimp, but not so bad. He actually stood up to a person yesterday, when the man had pulled a knife. Riku knew that Axel wasn't the tough guy that people made him out to be, and Roxas wasn't the wimp that people made him out to be.
But right now, waiting for the men to come and pick him up, he was a bit worried. They were late. Axel was never late. But that thought was wiped from his mind when another thought came into his mind. He only had three more days left at the homeless shelter, not including today. He...he actually didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay there.
Riku stood and walked into the kitchen where his mother was working on a pie. She looked back when she heard him enter, and what she saw made her nearly drop the pie crust. Riku was wearing...jeans. Actual light blue jeans. Not ONE chain or belt hanging from his hips. Not ONE! Wait, now that she got a good look, he was wearing a couple heavy belts and a couple chains around his ankles for some reason. Must be a new style.
She stared in wonder, then tuned into what her son was saying.
"–can I?"
She shook her head to clear her thoughts and looked at him again, "What did you say honey?"
"After my Community Service is over, can I continue to go to the homeless shelter? I'll walk, I know the way," Riku asked, tilting his head to the side, a look of determination in his eyes. She knew that if he looked like that, if she said 'no' he'd sneak out and do it anyway. She nodded in a daze, and then at that moment the doorbell rung.
Riku walked to the door and opened it, expecting Axel to be standing there. But it wasn't. It was a completely different person, standing there with a mean look on his face. Riku looked up at him, but before he knew what was going on, he had handcuffs on too tight and he was being dragged toward the car. They threw him in the back and the man jumped in the front, slamming the door.
"Where's Officer Axel?" Riku asked, looking up at the man while they drove at a break-neck pace.
"He was hurt on duty last night, he's currently in the hospital," the man said in a monotone voice.
"Is he alright?" Riku yelled, leaning forward. The man clenched his hands.
"Please refrain from leaning forward or I will have to use force on you," he said, then looked through the rear-view mirror at Riku, "He's fine,"
Riku sighed and leaned back.
Within a matter of seconds, they were at the Homeless shelter. But the officer followed him in, and even when Riku waved to Demyx, the man did nothing. Riku walked into the kitchen, and started to walk over to where Sora was. He noticed that he still had the overly-tight handcuffs on, but he was to scared of this quiet cop to ask him to take them off. He walked up to Sora, about to grab a plate to help the kid with break fast, when the man grabbed his right arm roughly and pulled it hard. Riku's wrists were still connected, so his left arm was pulled so tight that it almost popped out of it's socket. The man was even pushing on his back so that Riku couldn't turn with his arms. Riku hissed in pain as the man pulled even harder.
"What were you planning on doing?" The man asked, roughly jerking Riku. Riku glared at the man,
"I was going to help Sora with breakfast, any problem with that?" Riku asked, and the man pulled harder. Riku gasped in pure white pain as his eyes closed and his brows knitted together. He didn't know why this man was doing this, but he wished that he stopped.
"You're hurting him!" Sora exclaimed, running up to the man and trying to pry off his hands, "He's supposed to help!"
The man let go, albeit reluctantly. Riku jerked forward and shrugged his left shoulder to get the pain to slowly ebb away. He tried to pull his hands away, but they were still connected by the cuffs. He shook his hands, the nasty metal rubbing against his wrists. Sora put his hand on Riku's shoulder, looking concernedly at the boy. He knew that his new friend was in pain, and he didn't like it one bit. He looked up at the man, "Can you please take the cuffs off?"
The man smirked down at Sora, "No way,"
Sora grunted, then rubbed Riku's hurt shoulder a little, making it feel a ton better. Riku sighed and leaned into the hand massaging his painful shoulder. He looked over at Sora, then mouthed 'thanks'.
"You want to sit down? I'm already done with breakfast," Sora said, then led Riku to the nearest vacant table. The man followed, smirking. Riku sat down and was immediately pulled back up roughly by his hair, and jostled back. He gasped in sheer pain on his roots, and saw that it was the crazy cop that was doing this. The cop looked down at Riku and smirked,
"I don't see you doing any community service,"
Riku glared up at him, then looked over at Sora, who was holding out his hands and looking at Riku with a worried glance. Riku stood and was pushed by the cop to the door, "I'm going to organize books or something,"
Sora stood, but Riku shook his head and smiled warmly. They were out of the dining hall in a matter of seconds.
"THAT...THAT!" Yuffie stammered out, pointing at the door that Riku just got pushed out of. Everyone had seen this act (Except Cloud of course) and was deeply angry. This might be only the fourth day of his being here, but they liked him enough to get mad when he got hurt!
"We should get back at that cop!" Ansem yelled, standing and punching the air.
"Yah!" Yuffie yelled. Smiling triumphantly.
Seifer stood and made a loud battle cry, "Attack the Officer!"
Yuffie exclaimed happily. People were actually agreeing with her for once! The rest of the people at the table stood and cheered. Jack actually smiled and nodded his head. The men at the table, Auron and Cid, stood and actually listened to what the others were saying. The girls at the table all stood and cheered them on. Sora sighed, although the thought of getting back at the man did sound very, very appealing. He smiled, then put his hands out to everyone, "Everyone! Huddle! Let's come up with a plan!"
---
Riku placed another book on the shelf, only to be snapped back roughly. The man had been corrupted enough to tie a rope on the cuffs like a dog. And each time the man tugged, searing pain went through Riku's wrists. The man had tightened - Tightened! - the cuffs, and was now jerking Riku every time he got.
"What was that for may I ask?" Riku asked meanly, only making the man jerk harder, making Riku nearly fall to his knees.
"You put the book on the wrong shelf," the man said, then his head shot up when he heard people stampeding into the library. And when he said people...he meant everybody.
"Hi!" Ansem exclaimed, walking to the chair in the corner. Sephiroth followed him and sat near. Yuffie walked in,
"Hi everyone!" She walked to the fiction section, and slowly everyone walked in. Cloud and Leon going in the same section as Yuffie, and everyone else slowly migrating to their stations. This was all planned out, mind you.
Sora was the last to walk in, holding a bowl of ice cream, he went to walk next to Riku, pretending to be looking at the historical section. He winked at Mickey, who pretended to drop something, "Oops,"
He bent down to get it, and he kicked it further. Leon walked over to help him get it, already feeling guilty in his part of the plan. He really didn't like the thought of leaving Cloud's side.
"Leon?" Cloud said, walking forward with his arms outstretched. He felt something touch his leg, it was Seifer, pretending to be getting a book. He touched his leg lightly, telling Cloud was he was going the right way. And to go forward and to the right slightly. Cloud moved forward, and Saix, also pretending to be getting a book, nudged Cloud forward. Cloud moved forward, and then he felt the third person, Tifa, push him forward slightly. Cloud took this to totally pretend to trip and go forward. He tripped and fell forward, feeling his body connect with the new cop. He fell forward, and felt that scary feeling of falling when you can't see. He hit the ground and backed away, hating this. He really actually, hated this.
The man fell forward, pulling Riku with him. Riku was jerked forward, and he fell forward, falling on his hip. That hurt. He looked up and saw that Leon was at Cloud's side already, looking concernedly down at the blonde.
"Oh, Mr. Police dude, you alright?" Ansem stood and spoke, walking over behind Sora, but he pretended to trip, so he pushed Sora, making the boy fall forward. Sora threw the ice cream up and then fell on the man, his elbow right in the cop's gut.
Plop
Okay, miscalculation in the tossing of the ice cream, but at least Sora got the man pretty hard in the gut. But...the ice cream was right on Riku's head. Riku growled, his face going right red. Sora winced, ready for Riku to explode, but then he heard that sound that made something crawl in his skin. It wasn't that a bad skin-crawl, it was a good skin-crawl. It made him happy all over, and he even saw all the other people around him smiling, getting ready to join.
Riku was laughing. His shoulders were shaking and his cheeks were deeply flushed. Melted vanilla ice cream was dripping down his cheeks, chin, and shoulders. His eyes were closed, and his mouth wide in a smile. That was such happy laughter that everyone started to laugh along. It was actually funny.
The cop, actually, was the only one that wasn't laughing. His face was bright tomato red in anger, he growled and stood, jerking Riku with him, making the boy cut short in his laugher. Riku hobbled after the man, being pulled too fast by the rope.
Everyone in the room cursed, and they went huddled to form yet another plan. Sora's mind strayed from this, because no matter what, he couldn't stop thinking about that laughter.
"Oi, lover boy, snap out of your day dream,"
Sora looked over to see Ansem staring at him. Everyone else was too, with annoyed looks on their faces.
Saix chimed in, surprising everyone by talking, "Gees, Leon and Cloud love each other, but they don't let everyone see it...much,"
Leon and Cloud were blushing like banshees and Sora was blushing, but not as much. Leon and Cloud would make a tomato envious.
"Wait!" He snapped, "we can use that to our advantage, let's get the next plan,"
---
The Officer was mad. Not just mad, Furious! The minute that he and Riku got into the kitchen to make Lunch, he was off on a 'pull-this-little-jerk-around-like-a-dead-rat' rant. Pulling at Riku's hands every minute he got. Riku's wrists were even starting to bleed, but not enough to seriously hurt him. Riku did wince every time the man pulled hard, and he was having a slow time trying to get Lunch done.
Suddenly, everyone filtered into the dining hall, because it was lunch time. RIku had just barely finished the lunch and he sighed when every one came in. Sora jogged up to him, smiling warmly. He walked around the serving station and helped Riku serve things. Riku smiled and handed Leon a plate, then saw that Cloud was walking next to him this time, "Oh, Cloud, you're getting your own food today?"
Cloud pouted, then clenched to Leon's arm tighter, "I wanted to be with my Leon!"
Riku froze and stared wide-eyed at Cloud's blunt statement. Cloud was blushing deeply, but he was gripping Leon's arm tight and he had determination in his sightless eyes. The officer, on the other hand, seemed unfazed. Everyone in the homeless shelter was sure that this man would be one of those stupid homophobes. He just really looked like it. Sora was close to panicking when Cloud dived in for another assault.
Cloud looked up at Leon, then reached up. He whispered so that no one would actually see him, "put your hand on my face and lead me, okay?"
Leon nodded almost invincibly, then slid his hands onto Cloud' cheeks, leading his mouth forward. Cloud closed his eyes slowly, and Leon's also fluttered closed. He slowly pressed his lips to Cloud's as if taking his time. He felt Cloud freeze for a moment, and he was about to pull away, but he then felt Cloud kiss back, putting his arms around Leon's neck. They actually forgot every trace of the plan they were supposed to be putting into plan, and they forgot that there were a few other people in the room.
The Officer froze a minute, then backed up, but Sora was too shocked to actually put the plan..into plan. He just stared, and then his head snapped back into plan when something went plop. He looked over and saw that the officer was calmly sitting, well...NOT calmly sitting in the huge pan they sometimes used for chili and soup. O, and guess what they just had for lunch? O, and just in case you were wondering, this cop guy wasn't fat like some people would think. He was actually quite skinny, so he fit right in that pot. But he'd pulled Riku with him, so Riku was laying next to the pot, his hands lifted in an uncomfortable matter.
"Get me out of here!" the cop yelled. Sora could see the smirk on Riku's face. Sora looked over and saw that everyone was still gawking at Leon and Cloud who were...still kissing. Riku blushed furiously while Sora helped him up, and they saw that everyone in the dining hall was slowly edging out of the room, feeling mildly awkward. Sora dragged the cop out with Riku, and even the slamming doors didn't shock those two out of their make-out session.
---
Riku was standing outside, cleaning out the pool. He didn't even know that this place had a pool! It might be that the fact that he'd never been outside before, and this was his first time. But someone might've told him! He was cleaning it out, since Sora had kindly asked him to since this was the first day it was open since the winter. Riku sighed and added the chlorine needed, and picked up the long tool needed to clean it out. He swiped it at the water, and dumped the leaves off to the side. He was about to get another swipe, but then people slowly started to filter out of the home, going and doing random things. The cop was actually on his guard now, and was looking everywhere for a possible thing that would make him mess up on duty.
Sora walked up next to Riku and smiled, "Riku, how's today holding up for you?"
Riku sighed, then leaned on the cleaning tool, "you do not know,"
"I'm really sorry," Sora smiled warmly, making Riku nearly melt. Riku blushed and looked away,
"No, it's not your fault," He stuttered out, then felt something tug at his cuffs. He looked over and saw the cop glaring at him.
"Back to work,"
Riku sighed and lifted the tool again, then turned around to look at that stupid pool again. He stepped on the still wet pile of leaves and slipped horribly.
Splash! ... Splash!
Riku went falling horribly into the pool, pulling the un-expecting officer with him. Riku was immediately dragged to the bottom of the frozen cold water. He opened his eyes and looked over to see the officer swimming to the top, and saw a hazy picture of Sora. Riku wanted to swim up and slap a hi-five with Sora, but when he tried to kick his legs, he didn't move. He looked down and saw that the rope on his cuffs were already horribly tangled with the metal bands he was wearing around his ankles. Okay, remind him to NEVER wear anything metal around his waist nor feet again!
He struggled, but that only succeeded in getting them even more tangled. He kicked, then tugged, but nothing worked. He felt the air in his lungs start to leave, and his lungs started to burn and ache. He looked up and saw that Sora was still standing there, so he waved his arms to get the kid's attention.
Sora looked down and saw that Riku was tugging at something. Sora looked harder and saw that Riku was terribly tangled. He panicked and quickly dove into the pool, swimming down to Riku. He saw that the boy's eyes were starting to close slightly, and Sora hurried. He put his arms under the crook of Riku's knees, and one under the boy's shoulders. He kicked off the ground and up to the surface. He breathed hard when he submerged and then swam over to the edge, placing Riku on it before jumping onto the platform.
"Riku!" Sora yelled, then sat next to him. He didn't really know what to do, but he'd do anything to save Riku. He quickly pressed his lips to Riku's and breathed into Riku's mouth, then let go. He looked at him, then breathed into Riku again, letting go.
Riku coughed up water, breathing deeply. He felt everything go blurry for a second, then Sora came into view. Sora was soaked, and Riku wondered why for a second, then everything came back to him. He looked and smiled up at Sora, flying up and wrapping his arms around the brunette happily, "Sora! Thank you so much! You saved my life!"
Sora blushed, but put his hands on Riku's back. Riku was smiling actually, and he was breathing heavily, his body shaking. He was actually petrified for that moment, so he held Sora tighter. Sora sensed that he was scared, then pushed him back and reached up, kissing him lightly.
"What's with everyone making out today!" Ansem yelled, grabbing Sephiroth before his mind could be corrupted and they walked into the building. Yuffie bounded after. Cid and Auron grumbled something and walked into the room, going to play chess in the library like they always did. Namine, Tifa, and Aerith walked back in neatly, not wanting to impose on anyone's privacy. Jack sighed, walking in after everyone because that's what they were doing. Saix just stood there, then walked over and started to shoot hoops absently. Leon smiled, then kissed Cloud again. This was yet another chance to kiss his darling Cloud.
Sora felt Riku pull him closer, but he pulled back. He looked sadly into Riku's eyes, but smiled warmly, "I'll talk to you later, alright?"
Riku nodded absently and watched Sora leave. Sora was so beautiful. And that's the only thing Riku could think of. Those beautiful eyes, those perky lips, that heartwarming smile, that soft and silky hair. Riku gasped and shook the thoughts from his mind, and saw that Sora was coming back with a towel. Sora smiled and tossed it to him, "come on, you gotta help me make dinner,"
Riku smiled, and trotted after Sora.
---
Riku was still being tugged by the man, but this time it wasn't as frequent or hard as it used to be. Although it still hurt like hell. He helped Sora chop potatoes and carrots and other assorted vegetables. They were having meat loaf, and Riku had always used to make meat loaf with his mother when he was younger. He'd love mashing the raw meat with his hands, and then get confused when his mother told him to wash his hands. And, guess what he was doing now?
Riku smiled while he mashed the ingredients into the meat, feeling the slopping egg on his fingers. He actually never knew why they had to add an egg to meat loaf, and when he was a child, he'd always ask his mother whether it was meat loaf or poultry loaf. She'd always laugh, pat him on the head, and say it was pleat. A mix between Meat and poultry. Riku laughed to himself and continued to sift through the raw material. His mother had always called him a person who liked to get messy. He liked to pain wildly, mix food with his hands, play in the mud when he was a child, play with the worms whenever he and his father went fishing, then constantly hold and poke the poor fish.
"You having fun?" Sora asked, looking at Riku smiled playfully while mashing and pounding the meat. Riku looked up, blushed, and quickly pushed the meat over to Sora.
"What are you talking about?" He said, turning and going to wash his hands, "who in their right mind would like to play with meat?"
Sora laughed, took the meat, and put it in the pan, shaping it with the vegetables around it. Sora smiled and then turned, taking the pan and putting it in the oven, having already set it to the right time. Sora smiled while looking up at Riku, "Is this the first time that you've eaten here?"
Riku looked up at him, wiping his wet hands off on his apron. Riku had never actually thought about ti before, but...yeah. This was actually the first time that Riku had actually eaten here. His mother had asked him to eat here, since they had a dinner date with their old pals from college. And Riku didn't complain, he'd actually been wanting to eat here for a while. He'd wanted to spend more time with Sora, and the others of course. He'd been wondering what they did here after they ate, and he'd soon find out.
Sora smiled and rounded around the serving bar and toward the lounge, where everyone was waiting. They had to wait 45 minutes, and Riku was actually kind of glad that he had to wait a while, because he still had a bit of water in his stomach from that incident.
When they walked into the lounge, it was quiet except for the silent hum of the TV. Then a huge flashing light was on the TV, it looked oddly like a police light flashing. Riku walked forward with Sora and looked and saw that everyone was circled around the TV. He walked up to it, "What's going on?"
"There was a huge pileup!" Ansem exclaimed, turning up the television.
"HUGE!" Yuffie exclaimed from the background.
"There was six cars in it!" Ansem exclaimed louder.
"SIX!" Yuffie yelled excitedly.
Riku looked at the television just as the lady started talking.
"Hello, this is reporter Kagame Higarashi reporting strait from the scene. It seems as though a reported drunk driver sped down the lanes of incredible speeds of over a hundred. The second car was going through a green light and the drunk driver hit the car head on, sending it flying into oncoming traffic. There was six cars reported in this, and three people are in critical condition. The drunk driver is under custody. Oh! This just in! Two of the reported people in critical condition are the parents of the uprising star Riku Nori! It's Arthur Nori and Samantha Nori!
Riku felt his world start to spin, he looked at his hands and his eyes were wide in fear. He looked around, then thought of his mother. That's when his whole world went black.
---
Riku cracked open his eyes, and he felt something go over his forehead. He looked up with glazed eyed and saw a blurry figure leaning over him. The figure had a brown blob for a head, and two blue blobs below the brown one. Riku reached up and he felt something take his hand and squeeze it tight. It was just now that Riku noticed tears running down his cheeks, and he looked at the ceiling. He felt something kiss away the tears, and he immediately thought of his mother. His mother was always there when he was crying.
"Mom...?" Riku asked, his glazed eyes looking upward, and he clenched the hand tighter. It had soft fingers and skin, just like his mother. He smiled warmly, then he blacked out again.
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This one isn't as long as the others, sorry.