'Of Booty and Honor'
-Phase One: Audition of Fate-
Chapter Three
"Well no duh he's send you out, Riku! It's your job!" Squall called after the older boy as he stomped around the cabins. Riku grunted in frustration, stopping and tacking a few good tugs at his hair.
"I'm going to die!"
"No ya won't! You've done way worse things than this!" Squall encouraged, stopping the taller boy in front of him, "You're The Retriever, Riku. It took you forever to earn that title!" Riku crossed his arms, trying to keep his stare away from the younger boy's.
"And was it not you who told me that you went face-to-face with the Kraken just to get your boot?"
Riku looked down at his left, scuffed boot and sighed. "...Yeah."
"And that you single-handedly nabbed an enchanted scale of Malystryx herself and then throw it into the ocean?"
"Yeah, okay, that was me... Knock it off though, ok? That last one brought back...memories..." The silver-haired boy said, taking a short laugh, followed by a sigh. The younger boy gave him a pat on the shoulder.
Riku smiled and looked down at the brunet, said smile only widening when he turned his gaze to the cabin's entrance.
"I'd say, if it's my last day to live, I should get drunk off my ass."
-AoF-
"Hey baby, thish sheat taken...?" An extremely drunk Reno asked, taking a seat down next to the confused Rude at the table. He grabbed his potential fourth full mug of rum, and laughed. Rude raised an eyebrow, "I think you've had enough for one night, Reno." "Noneshenshe, the more I drink, the prettier you get!"
The Retriever stumbled toward the brunet boy, still on his first glass, and had to hold onto his shoulders to stand up straight "Haaaaaaaaaave I evurr told yew I think Tidusus is gaaaaaaaay...? I mean REALLY! He'sh got that...fluffy-fruity hat and he's reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally short...too..."
"...Riku?"
"Yesh Wakka...?"
"I'm Squall."
Riku stood up straight, and squinted at the younger boy. "Oh, I shee now...Well howdy, Squally-Ball!"
"Squally-Wha? Whoa!" The younger boy shouted beneath the silver haired boy's weight in a glomp, sending both teens to the floor. Squall groaned, pushing the giggling Riku off of him and sat up while giving the older boy a quizzical look.
"Drunk off your ass is right, Riku." The brunet laughed, trying to sit the other boy up and avoid his flailing arms in the process. Riku sighed loudly as he sat up, and erupted in another fit of giggles before capturing the younger boy with one arm, "What say yew to meetin' me at my bunk lllllllllater on?"
"Jesus Christ dude, get off me!"
The older teen staggered to his feet and hiccupped once, "I'm horn-ay!! What's say yew all to THAT?!" He shouted, pointing a dizzy finger toward the crewmen at the table with nearby 'Aye!'s. Riku hiccupped one more time before falling backward, once again onto the unsuspecting brunet, sending both boys to the floor...again.
"Dammit, Riku!"
-AoF-
"Aye, think he'll be a'right, man?"
"Chya. Riku went down on ya pretty hard." Another voice added, followed by a fit of laughter from a few others standing around the recovering boy in question.
One growled, "I just dragged him down here, and put him on his bunk, NOTHING ELSE HAPPENED!"
"Yeah sure, Squish." More laughs, "Nothing happened."
"Ow."
Laughter chased the footsteps exiting the room as the silver haired boy opened his eyes with a groan.
Catching his attention, Squall turned to face the silver haired boy and crossed his arms. Once their eyes met, Riku slightly flinched at the other boy's glare, "And I did what now?"
Squall sighed angrily, turning toward his own bunk straight across from the older boy's and laid down, angrily crossing his arms over his chest and huffing. Riku shook his head to try and focus, "Okay, I guess I did something wrong-"
"No you didn't." Squall answered, cutting off the last of Riku's sentence. The older boy sighed, and got up from his hammock groggily and staggered to stay on his feet. "So you're mad at me...why?"
"Because now the entire crew knows I'm gay."
"...Say what?"
The brunet glared at the older boy, "You just HAD to say something, didn't you?"
"Dude, I don't even REMEMBER what I did last night. I-I'm sorry Squall, but it isn't like I did it on purpose or anything..."
"That's why I'm trying NOT to be at you."
"Besides, I think they were just playin' around. You know them." Riku said, walking an unsteady line toward the younger boy's bunk, and clutching onto it to stay on his feet. The younger boy sighed, and glanced up as Riku nearly collapsed on top of him. He smiled clumsily and held his head while looking at the brunet.
"Oh, and Tidus wants to see you in his quarters later."
Riku sighed, standing up as best he could before grabbing his hat and proceeding out of the cabins and onto the quiet night deck.
The Retriever took a deep breath as he approached the double doors leading to Tidus' quarters, and stared at the skull knocker placed onto the burgundy mahogany door. Riku hesitantly reached for it, pulling back at the last second before finally grabbing the thing and tapping it four times against the door.
"Uh...Tidus?"
The door was suddenly pulled open by a dark skinned figure that glared at the younger male as he pulled the door open. Wakka was never much of a talker, at best. He was more of a Methodist, and tried to stay out of conversation he knew would end in disaster if he was not the one devising the plan, or at least the biggest part.
Someone's modest.
"Ah, Riku!" The younger boy suddenly piped up from behind Wakka's towering form. Riku walked past the taller man and into the cabin, hearing the double doors close behind him. "You...wanted to see me-"
"-About the mission." Tidus concluded, looking down on the map on his desk. "It seems as though the 'Ninjas' you keep talking are in fact-"
"-Running all over Japan, I TOLD you that." Riku said crossing his arms over his chest. "And that the strongest and stealthiest are probably-"
"-Guarding the treasure."
"Exactly."
"So...does that mean-"
"Yes, Riku, As a matter of fact I DO have a plan..."
Riku grunted. "Ok, the whole-"
"Interrupting thing-"
"Is getting annoying."
Tidus sighed, "Ok, yeah I know it is...Sorry. But, I do have a plan..."
-AoF-
"It'll never work."
"Yes, it will." Riku protested toward Reno and Rude who were nearly glaring at him. Squall stood next to Rude and crossed his arms, glaring down at the floor.
Reno opened his mouth, "Well, who says we have to-"
"I DO!" Tidus interrupted the redhead's statement.
He had been doing a lot of interrupting lately...
Riku smiled deviously at the two taller men and crossed his arms.
"It'll work. Very well, I might add."
Rude groaned, straightening and crossing his arms. Reno sighed and rubbed the back of his head.
"Oh fine, before I change mind. Rude, you're sitting next to me on the boat, and Riku, you are ROWING."
"...I'm not sitting next to you."
"Ahh, Reno, just get in the boat so we can leave before the entire crew wakes up!" The silver haired boy said, already heaving the boat into boarding position with Rude helping by his side. As soon as the boat touched the water, the three (and extremely silent Squall) climbed down the ladder and carefully got in. Reno pushed Riku out of the way to sit on the rowing end of the lifeboat, and sat next to Rude. The tallest grunted, carefully changing places with the silver haired boy by picking him up and actually setting him next to the redhead and taking his rowing seat. Squall took the last available seat behind Rude, and sighed.
Riku looked back at the ship with a sigh, suddenly feeling ice cold on his face and chest. Reno smirked and dried his hands as he looked at the seeming concentrated Rude, and taking note on his also seemingly bored state.
"Don't stick the shaft too far in or you'll catch crabs, Rude."
A moment later, he was sharing the same ice-cold chest and face feeling with Riku.
-Deadline-
A/N: Ok, the Kraken and Malystryx can be all explained at there if ya want explanations...
And this was just supposed to be a drabble page...and Sora is INDEED still coming...trust me.
And Once Again: Dedicated to the illustrious ScarletMichelle of for her idea of the crewmen getting drunk and the whole Reno-hitting-on-Rude thing. XDDD