Caged Thoughts

Chapter Seven: Neighbouring Nuisance

Warning: This fanfic contains Shonen-ai, meaning male/male romance.

Disclaimer: I do not own all the stuff I do not own.

Reviews:

Reina-183: I'm glad you like it; yes, Riku with braided hair would look ridiculous. I wonder what he would look like with dreadlocks… or a Pippi Longstocking-style hairdo.

XxXChainsXxX: Thanks! I'd have to say Sora is clueless in most situations… 'most' meaning almost every millisecond of every day. Let's hope he'll be clued in soon, and then Riku won't be so misunderstood, hm?

Winginit06: Thank you. :D

. .: NUUU! Not the Mike-attack-ness… uh… thing. Um… NO!

mew-mew-girl-101: Thanks. :

Note: Once again, I apologize for not updating in what I think is the longest time it has taken me to update. I've had a lot of schoolwork to deal with, and it's been chewing away at my 'other-than-school/homework-time'. No, I'm not stupid… at least I don't think I am, but a lot have people have said I'm a perfectionist, and that may be the reason as to why it takes me so long to finish things. But, hooray! I'm back! Um, yesss.

P.S.: I got Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy X, and Final Fantasy XI Online over the time that I had been… um… writing this chapter. Yesss, writing the chapter.

Anyways, finished VII, VIII, X, and… XI doesn't finish, as most MMORPGs (Mass Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) don't. I also finished KH a few times again, too… when I could have been writing… DON'T HURT ME! O-o;;

Narration: Blah.

Speech/Talking: "Blah-blah."

Thoughts: 'Blabbity-blah-blah.'

"Awww…"

"We really shouldn't be bothering them…"

"How can we bother them when they're sleepin'?"

"Our talking could."

"Then… just be quiet."

"No, what I mean is we should leave… and… you're missing my point…"

Being awoken unintentionally was something Riku hated. Being awoken intentionally was something he hated even more. Especially when he had a certain slumbering brunette still in his arms. Whoever had the nerve to be in his house at this hour and wake him was going to get a beating…

Well, it actually wasn't that early. So, 'this hour' wouldn't have been a very good term to use. It seemed the both of them (both as in Sora and himself) had slept in until…

Riku picked his head up from its resting place - Sora's shoulder – and checked the time.

…2PM? Jeeze! No wonder there were people in his house. Other than his parents of course, but they didn't count, seeing how they were always away on business. The guys (and girls…) had probably come looking for the both of them (or maybe just to see how Sora was doing) to see where the heck they were. Or maybe Selphie just wanted some Pretzels. Getting back on topic though…

Wait, what was the topic again?

'Nevermind. I don't want to get up, but if the guys see this and get the wrong impression… it would kill Sora.' He sighed. 'Or would it? Would he tell them off? Would he avoid me? Would he accept me? Would he care if I kissed him right no- WOAH. WAIT. Not where I was originally intending to GO.'

By then, Riku had made his way into a pair of tan cargo pants and a light emerald t-shirt with a black swirling yet tangled pattern on the upper front. He strode gracefully down the hallway and leaned against a wall while lazily rubbing at an eye, and waited for the two girls who were chattering away on the couch to notice him. Kairi did right away - seeing how she hadn't really been listening to Selphie's rant - and so sat up straighter and offered a smile.

"What's up?" she said.

Selphie had finally taken the initiative to notice that Kairi wasn't listening, and so turned to the source of attention.

"Oh, Riku!" Selphie squealed, "where's Sora?" Craning her head to look through the doorway, the yellow-clad girl scanned the area for said person. She pouted slightly when her eyes didn't come upon what she had been searching for, and turned back to Riku.

He explained, "He's still sleeping. Didn't get much the other night and the exhaustion from getting sick must've added to it."

"And he's just lazy," Kairi sniggered.

"Or maybe he was just so comfortable with you, that he didn't wanna get up." Selphie grinned deviously while searching Riku's eyes for emotion.

Riku spluttered and a streak of light red covered his cheekbones. He coughed and tried composing himself, while the two girls both smiled largely, trying to hold back their laughs. Not being able to come up with a legible excuse for his reaction, Riku tried changing the subject. "I'm sure he was just tired." When Selphie whispered 'from you probably wearing him out' to Kairi, he glared, but ignored it and questioned, "How did you guys get into my house anyways? And where's-"

A large 'bump' came from the front door. Riku raised a delicate eyebrow in question at his two guests, but they just shrugged in reply. So, he made his way towards the source of sound and placed a hand on the doorknob. He paused when he heard someone utter shakily, "Wakka…?", but opened the door fully quickly afterwards. Sidestepping just in time, Tidus fell through the doorway with Wakka on top. Judging from their current position, Tidus had been leaning with his back against the door, and Wakka could have been leaning against him… or maybe he had an outstretched arm placed against the door somewhere?

"So that's where you guys were. I'm surprised you weren't hanging out with Selphie and Kairi."

With wide eyes Tidus stuttered, "R-Riku! U-um, it's not what it looks like! I mean… um…" He glanced back and forth from Wakka's – very close – grinning face to Riku's smirking one as he started to grow hot with embarrassment. He tried to get out from underneath the one above him, but failed after multiple attempts.

Riku uttered, "It's not what what looks like, Tidus?"

"Uh-m…"

Thonk.

"You idiot! Get off of me!"

Riku sniggered as the younger blond tried his best to get out from underneath the red (or orange?) -head. He would have doubled over in laughter had it not been for the fact that he wanted to keep what was left of his reputation.

"I can't believe you… UGH! Wake UP! Stupid!"

Still trying to contain his amusement, Riku bent over and helped his friend pull himself out from underneath the slumbering teen. Tidus rose from his sitting position up into a standing one as Riku tried closing the door; still opened from the others' entrance. He failed the first time when Wakka's feet got in the way, but swiftly kicked them to the side in annoyance and shut the door with a slam.

"What's wrong with him? Is he drunk or something?" Riku questioned.

Tidus stood up and dusted himself off. Selphie's voice was heard a room away, saying, "Drunk on looove!"

"Shut-up, Selphie!" Tidus yelled, crossing his arms in a way to contain his embarrassment.

Riku tried again. "But, seriously, why is he so tired?"

"Probably because he was up all night with Tidus, just like you were with Sora, Riku!"

"SHUT-UP, SELPHIE!" the two teens vociferated.

"…"

"…wait, with Sora? What does she mean, Riku?" Tidus questioned.

"…"

"…"

"MONKEY LOVE!"

"ARRRGH! That's IT!" Riku yelled. "Selphie…"

The brunette giggle nervously and slowly stood up, trying to bring herself to a level that seemed less intimidated. She replied, "Heh-heh… yes, Riku-darling?"

"Get." Riku took a step forward. "Out." Another step. "Of." And another. "My." They were then face-to-face, Selphie leaning back slightly, frightened that the silver-haired menace might bite her nose off. "HOUSE!"

Placing her hands on her hips, she 'harrumphed', and stated, "Technically, this isn't your house. Did you pay the mortgage? I think not!"

Riku brought a hand to the bridge of his nose and pinched - very hard - in exasperation. Tidus, sensing the cloud of anger trying to be withheld in his friend, quickly ran over to the Selphie and grabbed her arm, dragging her out of the room and away to safety.

"Hey-hey-hey! I wasn't finished with him and I-"

She was shoved into the other room (namely, the kitchen), and before she could escape, the door was closed.

Satisfied, Tidus walked over and finally attended to the fallen form of Wakka – seeing how no one else had. This procedure contained continuously poking him in different places until he woke up. Although this persisted for quite some time, it didn't seem to be having successful results; Tidus was seriously thinking of getting a bucket of water…

"Hey! Riku! Anywhere I can drag this guy?" he called.

Waving a hand, the other still trying to alleviate the pressure in his head, Riku rejoined, "It doesn't matter. Lock him up with Selphie or something."

Tidus grabbed Wakka's foot, and dragged him in the same direction he had taken his female friend recently in. Both were then seen going through and beyond the doorway they passed under, door closing shut behind them.

During this time, Riku had taken the initiative to control his arising anger, walking over to Kairi and sitting down beside her.

"How… do you put up with her?" he questioned, almost perplexed. "Never mind at all, but for a whole day?"

Kairi laughed lightly, shaking her head.

"I don't know, she just drags me around. Maybe she's not as worse when you're not around? Or, maybe she's just mellower around me… I could have just gotten used to it, or maybe it's because we're both girls? I don't know, Riku, there're many reasons."

"She's insane…"

Smiling a bit, Kairi's head once again swayed from left to right, and vice-versa.

"Maybe, but I don't think so…" she replied, and then turned her face to slowly meet Riku's gaze. "She's right, though, you know."

"Hm?" His head also swiveled after he noticed the edge of seriousness in Kairi's voice.

"I didn't realize it myself until a bit ago, when Selphie pointed it out to me, but…" she bit her bottom lip nervously, took both of Riku's hands in hers, and continued in a hushed tone, "the quick worried looks, the way you tease and bicker, the way your whole… aura, lights up when…"

Riku's eyes were getting wider than ever before as realization dawned upon him.

"…When you know you've made him happy. Riku, I… we, know."

Tearing his hands away, the aqua-marine-eyed boy crossed his arms and faced another direction.

"Riku…?"

"I don't care!" he whispered harshly.

"Ri-"

"It doesn't matter! You have no right to treat me like some troubled child! I… we…" His eyes softened, and his gaze met the floor. "Just… don't tell, please, don't tell him. I wouldn't be able to stand it if he avoided me…"

Kairi's hands quickly came up to rest on her friend's shoulder, and she - quite strongly - said, "No." At that, Riku's head snapped up in fear and he opened his mouth to protest, but Kairi cut in before he could get the chance to. "What I mean is, no, Riku, you don't understand. I, as your friend, whole-heartedly support whatever is between you and Sora. As long as it isn't hate, of course," she added at the end.

His face brightening up considerably, Riku swiftly leaned forward and gathered the girl up in a tight hug. He choked out a 'thank you', while trying to hold back tears.

A tired sigh escaped Kairi's mouth, and she patted Riku's back comfortingly.

"You should know that I wouldn't shun you. I don't think any of the other's would either. I mean, Selphie already – obviously – knows and supports it, Wakka's a very easy-going guy, and from all the time I've known Tidus, he seems to be a very nice person. I just…" she paused, glancing towards the one doorway to make sure their privacy still existed, and then finished, "I just wish you'd tell him."

She broke the embrace, and looked him in the eye. Breaking the connection of sight, Riku placed his hands on his knees and squeezed them tightly.

"I know… but, I'm… afraid. Afraid to see how he'd react," he admitted.

There was a pause, and Riku could feel that Kairi's silence was one that was expectant of him to continue. To just… let it out. So, raising his eyes to look out from under his hair, he did.

"If he feels the same, that's… great. Well, more than great, but, you know…" he sighed, "if he doesn't but accepts it, I just know there would still be an awkward feeling between us, anyways." He shook his head, looked up at the ceiling, and closed his eyes. "And then… there's always the possibility of him just… hating me."

Kairi sent Riku a skeptic look after he had opened his eyes, and loosely crossed her arms across her chest.

"C'mon, you dope. You've known each other for… what? Forever? Nobody would throw away the kind of friendship you guys have just like that!" she argued, and snapped her fingers to accentuate her point.

"You'd be surprised, then. I've seen it happen before," he muttered. "Still, if you consider everything I've just said, the odds are against me. I guess… I don't want to risk it, really. Y'know what they say… 'ignorance is bliss'."

"Well, on some occasions it is, but… it's also not good to hold something felt so strongly locked up. It could start to chew away at you in terrible ways…" Kairi suddenly broke out into a grin, and added on amusedly, "Or, one day the bars holding everything back could break, and 'BAM!', you'll suddenly be on top of Sora after a heavy make-out session, with Sora severely afraid for your sanity and his safety. Of course I'm not saying he'd think you to be crazy for liking him, but at least a bit shocked…"

Now with his knees pulled to his chest, Riku's face almost resembled a tomato.

Almost.

"That sounds like something Selphie would sa-"

"Riku?"

A sigh.

"Yes, Tidus?"

"Wakka's making some weird noises… I'm afraid…"

Looking over in what seemed to be an annoyed manner, again, Riku suggested, "About that, you never answered my question before. What happened to him?"

The blonde scratched the back of his head sheepishly, his teeth being shown as an apology.

"Right, right, sorry. Well, this morning, earlier, he mentioned something about his parents being mad… um… oh, right! When he got home, they started yelling at him right away for staying out so late, and he couldn't explain what had happened with Sora," Tidus clarified. "Took him a while to get back home; you know, he lives on one of the outer islands."

"Mhmm," Riku urged.

"And so… by the time they stopped lecturing him, and he got a chance to explain, it was really, really, late. He just didn't get much sleep," Tidus concluded.

Kairi popped into their conversation, saying, "He didn't get into trouble though, did he?"

"No… but if he doesn't wake up, he's going to cause a lot of trouble for us getting him home."

"We'll solve that later. He's not that much of a problem. Actually, it seems more like you're making it into one," implied Riku, quirking an eyebrow.

Tidus quickly averted his eyes towards a corner of the room, pulling on a sleeve at the same time.

"What the?-AAAGH!"

Both Riku and Tidus turned towards the sound, Tidus (if noticed) almost seeming relieved. Kairi sat in the same place as she had always been, hand at her temple, an amused grin - almost smirk - on her face.

"WHY DID YOU-?"

THUMP.

Silence.

"Uh…"

"Maybe…"

"I'll go check…" Riku finally said, a bit apprehensive.

He stepped out of the room and slowly strode down the hall, craning his head to try and see what had happened, but still slightly anxious.

He saw something.

Moving towards him.

But definitely not what he wanted to see.

"Not my FAUUULLLT!" Selphie shrieked, dashing past.

The teen whipped his head around just in time to see Tidus and Kairi peek their heads through a doorway, both looking in the direction of what he heard to be the front door slamming closed.

"Ergh… stupid sugar-filled…"

Riku, hearing the muttered words and remembering his task at hand, reached the doorway of his room at last and gazed at the sight in front of him.

Sora, on his floor, wet, again.

He couldn't stop it.

The shaking in his chest, then the chuckles… and of course, the outright laughter.

Bracing himself on the doorframe beside his shoulder, the shaking eventually died as he blinked the tears away.

Now Sora, of course, was frowning. No one liked to be laughed at; unless, of course, after having told a joke. Sora had done none such thing, but it seemed just existing in such a state still amused his friend.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm wet. Again. Fuuunny," Sora announced a bit hoarsely, his throat still raw from the previous day. "Get me a towel, would you?"

Riku attempted to respond, still a bit shaky from the large amount of laughter he had just been through, "Mhm-chhh… ye-, yep."

Towel in hand, Riku returned and sat cross-legged behind his friend, scrubbing at his head first.

"What did she do," inquired Riku, "dump a bucket of water on you?"

"A cup," Sora snapped.

"Oh." Riku snorted at that, he had not actually expected an answer out of him.

There was a short pause, the only sounds in the room being a few sniffs and coughs emitted from Sora, the other the sound of a towel finishing its job on the brunette's hair.

"Is… is she gone?" he questioned.

"Hm…? Selphie, you mean? Yes, she ran out just a few minutes, I'm guessing, after she woke you up."

Sora sighed in relief. "Oh, alright."

No more speech for quite a time then. The too of them just relaxed in what was a rare silence.

Riku always basked in the pleasant softness of these moments. He loved spending time with Sora, but sometimes just being close to the other boy and being able to just not think about… anything, really, was worth more than it sounded. It was during those times he could be slightly content. As ironic as it sounded, the source of his main problem in life was also the only way he could stay on top of other things. His true joy…

"Sora?"

"Hm?" Sora replied sleepily. He had almost dozed off; Riku's hands had felt nice through the towel, whether or not he was wet.

"What's… what's one of the biggest problems you've ever had in life?"

Blinking twice, quickly, Sora thought for a few minutes before replying.

"Well…" he said slowly, "probably asking mom about dad. I mean, practically all my friends grew up with one, so why didn't I have one? It was hard for me to understand it back then…" He sighed. "There was also the fact that it was tough helping mom out, but, as you can see… everything worked out fine. I have a great family (no matter how little), a great home, and great friends."

At 'friends', he leaned his head back to smile warmly at Riku upside-down.

Riku tried his best to return it.