Chapter Five--- Head Like A Hole

Riku looked at the two boys on either side of him warily and watched as they counted the change in their hand.

"Riku...you got...a dollar..and 53 cents?" Riku frowned but handed over two dollar bills. Axel punched the air victoriously and the two pulled him along by the arm.

"So, um...where exactly are we going?"

"To Wal-Mart my friend. To WAL-MART!"

It was a beautiful day. The kind of day that made you absolutely despise everyone and everything around you because the beauty of the day belied the complete and total suckiness of everything.

Leon rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation. Kairi Vile had just quit. And as much as Leon and everyone else as Bloodless hated working with her, she was one of the best. And now Leon had to do something he disliked even more; Find another model.

Without much warning, a lovely green-eyed brunette woman burst into his office and tossed an envelope at him. Somehow, Leon had a feeling he was going to pay dearly for something...

"Mr. Loire, Congratulations. You're about to sign Riku Prelude." Leon raised a brow. Maybe the God's loved him after all. Riku Prelude was a big name...

"Really? What happend to A.X.E?" Trista Prelude scoffed and didn't answer. Leon opened the packet, studying the photo's of the 17 year old very carefully. He was beautiful, Leon had to give him that. Glancing at Trista, it was obvious she thought her son was a God among mortals. That and a big fat paycheck.

"I'd love to work with him, Ms. Prelude. Why don't you bring him in for an interview at 5 tonight while Cloud runs the afternoon shoots with the other models?" Trista smiled coyly and left the office without another word, cell phone already to her ear.

Head like a hole, black as your sole, I'd rather die---

"Ma?"

"Hi sweety!!! I just got you an interview with Bloodless! Isn't that exciting? I know it is, you don't have to thank me, honey! Now, you have to be there at 5 sharp, don't be late and look nice baby! Bye!" Riku stared at his phone. Ironic ringtone for his mother...

"Riku! Hey Riku!!! Come on!" Riku looked up to find Sora waving enthusiastically at him.

"Where are we going now?"

"To the Park!" Sora opened the sack he'd been carrying to reveal and ungodly amount of Sour Patch Kids.

"No way! Those are my favorite!"

And for the first time that day, Riku smiled.

"I call middle!" Sora raced to the middle swing smiling happily as he indulged in his favorite pastime. Riku basked in the sun on the ground next to them, enjoying the feeling of being...normal. Accepted. But all too soon the time past and it was 4:30. He had to get home and change.

"Do either of you know where Bloodless is?" Sora fell off the swing with laughter. Axel looked at him like he'd just grown two heads and the body of a flamingo.

"Duh. We work there." Oh goody.

"Oh. I...have an interview at five...I have to go home and change but..." Riku trailed off and looked across the canal bridge. His house was only five minutes from here...he supposed he could find the place just fine...

"Hey! We can all go together! Do you drive Riku?" Sora looked up at him from the ground with big blue eyes and Riku smiled as he nodded.

"Great come on, where's this pad of yours?" Axel followed grudingly behind.

"She's a pretty girl, she's always fallin' down..." The soft voice carried throughout the house when Riku and the others entered.

"I think I just fell in love with her. She'll never remember, remember. And I can always find her at the bottom of a plastic cup, drowning in drunken sincereness." Zexion rounded the corner clad in black jeans and towel in his hands, drying his hair.

"Hey." Riku laughed and ruffled wet locks and went to change his clothes, not bothering to introduce anyone.

"So. Who are you?" Sora tilted his head at the boy, studying him sideways while he attempted to dry his hair into disheveled perfection. No easy task mind you.

"Me? This is my house, who are you?" Sora grinned.

"Sora. This is my brother Axel." Zexion eyed them both and frowned.

"Hey wait, aren't you two the ones Riku got thrown out of class with? I remember a redhead screaming 'morphine' down the hall..." Axel smirked at him.

"That was me. What of it?"

"Well, its not everyday my brother gets thrown out of class wtih a kid screaming morphine for no reason." Axel scoffed.

"It's a song."

"As if that explains anything at all." The taller boy sighed, shaking his head. Poor, uneducated miscreant.

"Kill Hannah, Lips Like Morphine. It happens to be the first song we heard on the radio today. It was a good day." Zexion raised a pierced brow and pulled on his shirt. Sora studied it for a moment before laughing hysterically. Axel looked at the convulsing mess on the floor and then at Zexion's shirt.

"What? It's a shirt? Why's he laughing so much." Axel sighed and once again shook his head.

"Your shirt, unlike you, has a sense of humor. People tend to laugh when things are funny." Zexion continued to look like him as if he'd grown a moogle for a second head.

"Hey, you ready? Come on Zex, come with us." Zexion looked at the two strange things in his house and then to Riku as if to say; 'You want me to do what to who for a jelly donut?! I don't think so buddy, these people are nuts!'

"Oh come on, Ma made an interview for me at Bloodless today and I don't want to go alone."Zexion sighed. Leave to big brother to coerce little brother in to sympathy.

Humbug.

" Darling! What is going on? Honestly that never happened, lying is your latest fashion!!" Sora song at the top of his lungs and Leon was not exactly happy to hear him.

"Sora--Riku. You made it. Axel, Sora-work, now." Axel and Sora ran off to torment Cloud for a few hours while Leon busied himself with his new model.

"What made you decide to apply at Bloodless." Riku scowled. Zexion snikered behind him.

"I didn't decide anything. You've met my mother. Does she seem like that kind of person who throws choices around?" Leon grimaced slightly. Kid had a point.

"She wanted me here, I'm here. Let's take some pictures and get this over with." No objections there. If there was anything Leon hated more then Axel on a bad day, it was wasting time. Which happened to be synonomus with Axel, no matter what day it was.

"Who this?"

"My brother, Zexion." Leon rubbed the stubble on his chin.

"Zexion stand there...no..more..perfect! Ok...lean back slightly...great, lean your head against the wall...look this way...open your mouth a bit...ok! Don't move." It was a threat.

"Riku...lean against him...right..yeah, like that...lay your head on his chest..no, cheek to chest. Good. Yea, look at me... Ok, now grab a fistful of shirt...no, no give me...lusting sorrow...Perfect!" Leon stood for a minute. How in the hell did the kid pull off lusting sorrow? What the fuck was that anyways?

" CLOUD!" Cloud walked over and studied the scence and changed film in his camera and began clicking away, every angle captured. Axel frowned at the scene before him. Should brothers look so...intimate?

"I'll have the proofs for you in an hour for both the shoots. I think you'll be very happy." Leon grumbled.

He didn't do happy.

A.n: WOOT! UPDATE!!!!! Not sooo pleased with this chapter but it was good.

Zexion's shirt reads as follows : 'Stop laughing! I think I broke something!' A new shirt from CCS, a skate boarding retail shop, which hopefully explains the hilarity of the shirt.

Death's Private Dancer: -looks up at you from the floor- I'm glad you like!!! Hopefully, this was a bit less random but just as good! stay tuned for 6!

Kiba:Oh no worries, Seifer will come into play in teh near future, after all, we never learned much about our black beanied friend in previous chapters did we? -mischeivious grin- I'm glad I made you laugh! six is on the way!

Niccolo: Yay! a new reviewer, keep em coming and the good stuff shall roll my friend!

DirtyD: Hey! Yes, Marilyn Manson is awesome! And so was that Halloween cover! I totally thought I was the only person who had found that song! Finally, someone else who listens to GOOD music! rock on, be on the look out for six!

-iUlti!-