Caged Thoughts

Chapter Five:Setting Life on Pause.

Warning: This contains Shonen-ai and maybe some Yaoi. Well, not this chapter really, just… whatever. It will in the future… and stuff.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Square Enix… yadda, yadda, yadda.

Reviews:

Gehkiie: Yep! I should really start focusing more on the fanfic though, and less on the Author's note/my social life, shouldn't I? NOOO! RIKU! WHAT WILL I DO WITHOUT MY WEEKLY/DAILY/SOMETIME ANNOYING RIKU TIME?

Praetor: Yeah… I meant for the kiss part to be like that on purpose, sorry if that was misleading. And thanks!

Anonymous (ONG!11 YOU HAV NO IDENTITIEZESEHNESS): Um… ok!

Chiyosuke: Ee-yep. Riku's a pervert. But, seriously, who could withstand not glomping Sora? I'm sure Riku would die without his daily-dose of cinnamon-haired-dunce.

AlexTHeHOpeless: Ok! Don't hurt me! DX

. .: Awww, crap! Not you! Do you know how embarrassing this is? DX Well, thanks for your review, and I'm trying to update… I've been semi-busy. I've also been more nocturnal than normal, considering we have two weeks off.

Note:

And here's the part where I apologize for not updating for a long time. Well, I'm sorry. DX

It's just that I've not been allowed on the computer all that much, and when I do get on, it's for a limited amount of time. At least I'm not giving up on Caged Thoughts forever! I mean, waiting for a while and getting something is better than just nothing, right?

Narration: Oh my God, it's the narration. Be amazed.

Thoughts: 'LOOK! I'M THINKING!'

Speech/Talking: "Why the Hell would I want to talk to you? I never have and never wi… oh, wait, I just did now, didn't I? …Shut-up!"

"Sora, come on down. It's time for dinner!" Violet worriedly yelled from the bottom of the staircase.

Sora groaned.

"I don't want to get up…" he mumbled.

But he had to. At least, that's what his stomach was telling him. He hadn't eaten since that morning, and cookies weren't really a filling nor healthy meal.

"Sora!"

He turned his head to yell at the door and started flipping covers off his body. "Yes! I'm coming!" Standing up, he groggily walked through the doorway to his room, and made his way to the top of the stairs. His eyes slowly made the trail of looking at each stair; his mind deciding the rest of his body was too lazy for the trip down. Instead, he sat down, used his hands to get himself moving, and thumped down the stairs. With a final 'thump', his bottom hit the… well, bottom, and he looked up and over to the kitchen.

"Eep!" Eyes wide, his hands reached to cover his mouth quickly in a vain attempt to stop himself from attracting any attention.

There, sitting on one of the few stools seated around the kitchen's island bar, was the one person he had earlier been trying to escape. Riku.

Violet bustled around the kitchen in an apron, setting plates down in a somewhat organized matter. Glancing over in Sora's direction, she called happily, "C'mon, I made chicken and potatoes!"

Mouth trying to crack a smile, Sora walked over, his hands nervously twitching at his sides, and sat himself down on a stool across the table from Riku. His eyes tried to avoid any contact with his friend's, so they instead focused on the plate just being placed in front of him. Of which… was full of food.

"Food!" Sora exclaimed suddenly and grinned. He dug in with a force only he could muster, his hunger ever-but-surely subsiding.

Violet laughed, "Well, someone was hungry."

Riku chuckled and turned to the woman, saying, "I wouldn't be surprised, he's always hungry. Although, I don't think he had anything else to eat except a few cookies this morning, you see…" He mapped out what had happened earlier that day between himself and Sora to Violet, Sora frustrated yet embarrassed at some of the ways Riku explained them to happen, but was too nervous to say anything. He did leave out the kiss part, though.

'Thank god,' Sora thought. He vaguely noticed when a plate was set in front of Riku as he continued to shovel the food into his mouth.

"Slow down, you're going to choke and die. If that happened, who would I be able to beat at sparring every day?" Riku joked. He frowned when Sora glanced up in mid-shovel and then looked to the side quickly after, only to go back to eating, a bit more slowly. He gave up on his efforts at trying to start up something similar to conversation, and instead gloomily ate his food with his head rested on one propped up arm.

Violet listened silently to the two boys while putting cooking utensils and other oblong objects away. Both of them finished at the same time, although Riku had not quite finished all of his meal.

"Is something the matter, honey? Did I put too much salt in it again? Sora can never tell whenever I do, because he never waits to taste it, of course…" Violet questioned while picking up his plate.

"No… no, it was great. Thank you very much, Violet. I'm just not very hungry." Smiling politely Riku stood up and pushed his stool under the bar.

"Alright, well, why don't you two go do something else? I can clean up myself." She returned the smile and Riku nodded, looking expectantly at Sora.

Feeling Riku's gaze upon him, Sora sighed and copied his friend's earlier actions: standing up and pushing his stool in.

Plunk. Plunk. Plunk… thump thump.

Tidus chuckled. "You're losing your touch."

Grumbling, Wakka leaned down to pick up the ball he had dropped in the middle of his throw-up-and-catch-with-one-hand game. The blonde couldn't help but notice the way the other's muscles rippled underneath that shirt of hi-

His train of thought was cut of when the person he had been staring at brought an arm up to wrap around his shoulders. He blushed.

"Nah, I'm still the best there is. It's just hard to concentrate when someone as pretty as you is right beside me, ya?" Wakka smirked.

Was it possible for his face to get any redder?

"Haha… yeah." He didn't know how to respond. 'Wait, pretty? I'm handsome, if anything!'

The two had already had their game of Blitzball with a few other people they had round up after a bit of searching, but both became bored after the first hour.

Wakka looked to the sky in thought, continuing to move forward. "Hmmm… do ya want to go get some ice cream?"

"Your treat…?"

He laughed. "Of course. You owe me though, man."

"I thought a treat was considered free?" Tidus more stated than asked.

Waving his hand dismissively, Wakka replied, "Mhmm, whateva. Don't you still owe me for a whole bunch of other things? Like…" He brought up a hand to count, the ball tucked under his other arm. "That expensive sticker you liked 'cause it was sparkly, that new Blitz Ball, the… wha' was it, a rope, ya?"

"No, that was a stuffy snake! I-"

Wakka looked at him skeptically.

Tidus yelled, frustrated, "Whaaat?"

"Tha's not very manly, ya know."

"Hey! I-"

"We're here, man."

"What?"

Putting both of his hands on either side of the blonde's head, Wakka turned it to face the small ice cream shop in front of them. "We're here."

Tidus snorted and crossed his arms. "You're still paying."

"Sora…"

"I'm sleeping."

"If you were asleep, how could you be talking to me?"

"You woke me up!"

Riku rolled his eyes, and silence once again filled the room.

"Well, this is exciting," he drawled.

"I-… I'm sorry." Sora was once again curled up underneath the sheets of his bed, seeking protection from any conversation.

"No, Sora… it's not…" Riku whispered sadly. He reached out to touch what he thought to be Sora's shoulder, but stopped abruptly when the form under the covers tensed. "I…" His shoulders slackened and a broken sigh racked his body in defeat.

The last thing heard were a set of feet walking out the door, which closed behind them.

"Selphie, I really don't think this is going to work. I do support your opinion, but… we shouldn't interfere in other people's lives!"

"Oh, c'mon, it'll work fine! And if it doesn't, we can always shove one of them onto the other by 'mistake', and wait for them to make out! Hey, that's not a bad idea…"

Selphie started to giggle insanely and Kairi decided to keep her distance. The two were walking side-by-side; going over their plan and when they thought it should be initiated.

Sighing, Kairi said, "I still don't think it's a very good idea…" She paused when she noticed the glare on her companion's face, and quickly added, "Not your plan! That's ok… it's just, the general idea of butting into their lives. I don't think that's a good idea. Couldn't we at least give them a while?"

Stopping in mid-step, Selphie crossed her arms in thought. "Although I've been dying to do this forever… alright, we'll give them a bit. But I'm not waiting forever!" She stomped her foot as if to add to her point.

"Girls… Girls! Kairi! Selphie!"

Both turned towards the sound of the calling voice, seeing Violet running out to them, the door left open behind her.

"You've got to help me! I don't… I don't know why…" she sobbed. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she frantically searched for words to grab onto and explain with.

"Whoa, whoa… calm down V., what's the matter?" Kairi tried to sooth the poor woman when she almost fell into the auburn-headed girl's arms.

"Hurry… I don't… get to a phone! Call the Hospital!"

The two teens exchanged looks of worry, and Selphie ran into the house.

Riku yawned.

Boredom.

Riku stretched.

Uncomfortable boredom.

"May as well get up." He sighed, and did as stated.

Conversing with the ceiling through his eyes certainly wasn't productive, so, maybe the TV would have some answers.

Riiing!

Or, maybe the phone would help.

Riiing!

"Coming! Damn it… Wait a second!"

Riiing!

"Why the Hell am I talking to a phone? Ow! Crap… stupid chair."

Riiing!

"COMING! JESUS! WAIT A SECOND!"

Rii- click.

Out of breath, Riku finally reached and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Riku?" A girl's voice floated through the device.

"Selphie?"

"Riku! Thank god… you have to come! Quick! We don't know if they're taking him to a hospital… We're at the clinic, he… we're not exactly sure, but… there was blood! I… don't know!"

His breath caught in his throat, a dark feeling rose in his chest.

Trying to comfort her, Riku soothed, "Whoa, whoa, calm down. Take a deep breathe, what is it? What do you mean blood?"

"It's… Sora. I'm not-"

Click!

"Hello? Hello? Great…" Selphie quietly hung up the phone, took a breath as advised earlier, and walked over to her other friend.

Riku? He was already gone out the door.

Jing-jingle-SLAM!

The sound of someone's entrance to the small medical clinic was heard to everyone inside, and the clamping of shoes made its way to the front desk.

"My friend, he's here… he has brown hair, he probably came with at least one other girl! Was he already transferred to the hospital? Where is he!" yelled Riku, frantic with desperation.

Slowly sitting up, not wanting to frighten the male in front of her, the slim secretary made eye contact.
"Do you know his name?" Her shaky voice was barely audible to him in his frustration, he slammed an open hand upon the counter.

"Of COURSE I do! He's my BEST FRIEND!"

"Sir, you're going to have to calm down, we don't want any of the other patient's frighten-"

"CALM DOWN! You don't understand! He could be DYING! I… damn it… I lo-!"

"Riku!"

He swiftly turned around when he heard his friend's voice. Kairi was just walking up beside the brunette, glancing back at Sora's mother who was seated behind them with her head in her hands. Selphie ran up to him and grabbed the hand that was upon the counter, looking up at him.

Selphie tried to calm him down by explaining, "It's ok, Riku. He's just in that room over ther-"

She wasn't able to finish his sentence. As soon as she raised a pointed finger in the direction of Sora's room, Riku had ripped out of her grasp, making a sprint for the door. Slamming it open with a force comparable to Ansem's, his eyes came upon the one he was looking for. The silver-haired teen relaxed slightly when he saw the barely noticeable rising and falling of Sora's chest.

Letting out a breath he didn't even know he was holding, Riku was about to make a step forward but froze when he was interrupted by a deep voice.

"Are you a friend of Sora's?"

His head whipped to the right, where at the foot of Sora's bed sat a man he hadn't seen before. Yet… he seemed familiar…

"Yes, I am. Have we met?" Riku's question echoed his thoughts.

"I don't think so. I'm Cady."

Riku continued staring, gathering memories and waiting for them to click. If they hadn't met, what was it that his mind was telling him to remember?

'Wait, it couldn't be… not that Cady.'

"Cady? You mean, you're-"

"His," the man in front of him, Cady, glanced at the bed beside the both of them, and said to the one conscious, "father."

Riku's eyes could only double in size.