ThIsSiDeOfMe: the description of the reserved blood made you want to puke? great! that was my goal :)
AngelicOrguiel: hehe... everyone wants the Axel plushie >D and about Kairi trying to kill Sora... eh, kinda... and you make very interesting words, did you know that? they look kinda hard to pronounce though
sonic and shadows girl: thanks for continuing to read! hope i haven't lost your interest yet -sweatdrop- but don't worry, you'll find out why Kairi needs Sora... eventually...
Azzie: yesh, Hayner is being picked on a lot, but i can't help it -.-; he's just so much fun to be mean to...
littlekittykat: ahhh! typo! dangit! i was trying to avoid those so hard T-T stupid spellchecker never works right... but yes, there is a plot coming, but it doesn't really start to show all that much 'till next chapter
wolf: you'll see eventually what Sora meant by "yes" sometime in the next ...oh... several chapters or something like that... -.-;; eh, i'm not sure...
Koroi Kokoro: yesh, aren't those pairings and vampires awesome? hope this chapter pleases :)
ArosxIrukxOxarsxLeax: -hands over plushie- here's your plushie, and silly Axel, of course you didn't make him read from a card. i do hope you got all your shots though, don't want you to scratch yourself on a rusty nail and get tetanus (...-.-; when i was helping out with something for my church there was this one lady that kept telling us to watch out for rusty nails, but most people ignored her cuz she's paranoid...) anyways, hope you like this chapter :)
Arika of the Demons: yep, you were the only one that wanted Hayner's plushie (i feel bad for the freaky-hair-styled crossdresser) and Kairi dumped in holy water :D all of a sudden i had this image with people pouring it over her head like they do to coaches at sporting events and then her running around screaming and no one went after her (not very nice, but c'mon... she's a villain in this story -.-)
TomiSama04: yep, Leon's a beautiful, beautiful boy... as is Riku... i'm glad you like how i've characterized Axel though, cuz i've never written him before and was kinda nervous about it. thank you! hope you enjoy the chapter :)
BlueFlamesRedTears91: really? you wanted to be a squirrel? interesting... actually, when i was little i wanted those Disney videos with Mickey camping with a bunch of real life kids cuz i thought that i'd be sucked into the tv and have fun with them... i blame the narrator for saying that we could join Mickey and have loads of fun -.-;; anyways, yeah, those would be REALLY cute plushies :) let me know how it turns out (cuz i can't sew worth crap -.-) and you're not wasting my time! really! i LOVE reviews--no matter how long! so if you're gonna apologize for anything, don't apologize for that :D
Yu Mutou: yeah, Roxas is a LIL bit confused right now... but he'll get over it. hope you enjoy the chappie :)
angel-yuripa: don't worry, you'll get your Axel plushie -hands you plushie- there we go :) and yes! Axel should've gotten a bigger part in KH2! i mean... he was one of my fav Organization characters, but he was barely there T-T andabout those guesses of your's--you're half right. but i'm not gonna tell you which part is wrong, hope you don't mind :)
"Alright guys, make sure to come on Wednesday so we can talk about what other activities we wanna do this summer, ok, ya?" Wakka checked. Everyone made some sort of grunt or reply which said that yes, they heard him and they'd see how things turned out. "Oh! And does everybody have a ride home?" the leader asked. All the teens nodded their heads.
"Riku, think your mom will give me a ride home?" Roxas asked.
"Yeah, no problem," Riku answered. "But its my dad that's gonna pick us up, and he's always late so we could be here a while."
A few moments of silence passed between the two friends as the others' parents picked them up and drove them home in a fairly orderly fashion.
"Hey Riku," Roxas started.
"Yeah?"
"Well, um . . . er . . . promise not to call me crazy?" he asked.
Riku blinked. That was an odd question to pop up.
"Sure . . ." he said slowly.
"Ok, well um . . . Soraisavampire," he said quickly.
"Pardon?"
Roxas sighed. "Sora is a vampire," he repeated.
". . . How'd you know?" Riku asked incredulously.
Roxas stared at him. Riku had known the entire time?
"You mean you knew the whole time that Sora was a vampire?" Roxas checked.
"Well . . . yeah . . ."
"And you realize he's probably trying to seduce you so that he can drain you dry?" Roxas pressed.
Riku shook his head. "No, he's not gonna drain me," he said firmly.
"And why do you say that?"
"Because he already had the chance and he didn't take it. Besides, he says my blood tastes bad."
Now Roxas was sputtering. "H-he's already b-bitten you and t-tasted your blood?"
"Yeah."
"How can you be so calm about this!" Roxas cried, going into hysterics.
"I'm still here, aren't I?"
"Yeah, but–but he's–!"
It was official. Roxas was totally freaking out as was evident when he began hyperventilating.
"Ok, Roxas? Breathe . . . In . . . out . . . In . . . out . . ." Riku instructed patiently. Roxas obeyed and was eventually back into a regular breathing pattern.
"Ok, now Roxas? Calm down and don't worry so much. Besides, he bit me on my finger, not my neck," Riku informed.
Now Roxas was confused.
"Why didn't he bite your neck?"
"Because he didn't want to drain me, I guess," Riku explained.
"But . . . then how . . . and why . . ." Roxas trailed off.
"I don't know either," Riku stated.
It was then that Riku's dad chose to show up. After some small talk and loading the car with their junk, Riku's father took the boys home.
-
"Thanks again for the ride!" Roxas called back at the retreating car. Sighing, he trudged into the apartment building. Coming in front of the right door, he set some of his stuff down and fumbled with the keys. Finding the correct one, he jangled it in the lock for a moment before it clicked in place and swung open.
Picking his stuff back up, he walked inside only to come across a sight that he certainly wasn't supposed to see.
Leon had pinned Cloud to the wall, and the blond wasn't making any protests. The vampire was ravaging Cloud's mouth with his own tongue while his hands took on a life of their own.
Roxas stared in shock for a moment before tearing his eyes away. As calmly as he could, he set his stuff down and headed towards his room. Once he found his Super Soaker squirt gun, he took it into the bathroom and filled it up. Soon it was full, so he walked back out into the living room.
Took aim . . .
. . . and fired.
"SPWHA!" they yelped in unison, breaking apart.
"ROXAS!" Cloud yelled angrily.
"Love you, too, Cloud," Roxas said with an innocent smile.
"Was that really necessary?" Leon asked, gesturing at the Super Soaker.
Roxas shrugged. "Seemed like it at the time."
"Well, anyway . . . looks like you got back in one piece," Cloud commented.
"Yeah, barely . . .oh! Leon, I wanted to ask you a few things."
Leon raised his eyebrows. "Me? Ok . . . I . . . guess I could try to answer," he agreed.
"Great! Ok, question one: are you a vampire?"
Both Cloud and Leon stared at Roxas with wide eyes before giving each other a glance like a deer caught in headlights.
Cloud coughed. "Why do you ask?"
"You are, aren't you! Otherwise, you wouldn't be so hesitant!" Roxas cried triumphantly.
Leon caved in. "Alright, yes, I'm a vampire, but how'd you find out?"
Why isn't Cloud surprised? Did he know the whole time, too?
"Oh, well . . . another vampire told me," Roxas answered, not sure if he should reveal Axel or not.
Leon's eyes narrowed. "Who?"
Hope I don't get you in trouble, Axel. "Axel," Roxas said uncertainly.
The brunet sighed, "Idiot. I knew he was a bad influence on Sora . . ."
Roxas's ears perked up. "What about Sora?"
"Don't tell me you know him, too," Leon said, frowning.
"Yeah, he came with my church's youth group for our retreat–Riku asked him to."
"Riku?"
"My best friend."
"Oh . . . so that's who he was talking about," Leon muttered half to himself.
Cloud raised his hand. "Excuse me, but I'm feelin' kinda in the dark here. Mind fillin' me in?"
"Roxas has been hanging around with Axel, a vampire, who happens to be my brother, Sora's, best friend. And Sora has apparently been hanging out with Roxas's best friend, Riku," his boyfriend explained.
Cloud blinked. "Wow . . . Reminds me of a soap opera."
"You watch those?" Leon asked.
"I saw one when I was in high school, but only because I made fun of my mom about it once and she made me watch it with her."
"Really? Mom watched those?" Roxas asked.
"Yeah, just one. It was called 'Days of Our Lives' or something like that."
Brrrrrring! Brrrrrrrrring!
"I'll get it!" Roxas said loudly, reaching for the phone. "Hello?" he said into the receiver.
"Roxas? It's Riku," the person said on the other end of the line.
"Hey Riku, what's up?" Roxas greeted, glancing at Leon and Cloud who were both looking rather thoughtful.
"You never told me how you knew Sora was a vampire," Riku stated bluntly.
"Oh, that. Weeeell . . . remember that redheaded guy that was with Sora first time we met?"
"Yeah?"
"I uh . . . met him again, and it turned out he was a vampire, too."
"Really? What's his name?"
"Axel."
"Oooh . . . cool. So is he why you're confused about your sexuality?"
Roxas sputtered, "W-what? H-how'd you–?"
"Well, you did say at the retreat that you were having a bit of an identity crisis, and usually when a new person enters your life, they make you think differently about things. This must be what he's making you think differently about. Have you ever wondered about your sexuality before?"
"Not really."
"Ok, and did he openly talk about homo, hetero, or bisexuality?"
"I don't think he ever mentioned it."
"Ok, now here's the tough question. Are you attracted to him in the way you like him? Or do you just happen to think he's a good-looking guy?"
Roxas was stumped. "I . . . I don't know . . ." he said, feeling kind of stupid for not even knowing how he felt about the vampire. After all, they were his feelings; shouldn't he know what they were?
"I thought so. Now, what about girls? Do you find them attractive?"
"Well, some of them are kinda pretty . . ."
"That's not what I mean. Anyone can tell if another person is pretty or cute or whatever or not. I'm asking you if you are attracted to them sexually?"
Geez, give me all the tough questions, Riku. Roxas thought indignantly. "Well . . ."
"Nevermind, forget that last question. According to some article I read once, guys are supposed to be turned on by visual images. Have you ever gotten hard by looking at a Playboy magazine or something?"
"Riku!" Roxas gasped.
"What?"
"How . . . how can you ask questions like . . . like that so easily?"
"What do you mean?"
"This . . . it's kinda embarrassing and personal stuff, yet you're talking about it like you would talk about ordering out for supper or something."
"I'm just trying to be a friend and help you figure yourself out. If you're embarrassed answering that though, you don't have to," Riku reassured.
"No, it's not that . . . it's just . . . I guess this is my weird way of saying thank you," Roxas sighed.
"No problem, but will you answer the question if you feel comfortable about it?"
"Yeah, um . . . to be honest, I've never seen a Playboy," Roxas said embarrassedly.
"Seriously? No offense meant or anything, but I'm gay and a Christian goody-goody and even I've seen one."
"Gee, that made me feel so much better about myself," Roxas said sarcastically.
"Sorry, didn't mean to–"
"Yeah, yeah, I know . . . but how'd you sneak one past your parents?"
"I didn't. I went to visit Hayner once and caught him ogling one."
"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me in the least."
"Me too, but I still wonder why he was wearing a thong. I mean, does he like to cross-dress or something?"
"I don't know for sure, but I wouldn't put it past him."
Riku chuckled. "Same here. Listen–I gotta go. Mom wants to have a family meeting or something, so I'll see ya later."
"Alright, and Riku? Thanks–you should be a psychiatrist or psychologist or therapist or counselor or whatever they're called."
"I think you just named all of them, but yeah, no problem. See ya."
"Bye," Roxas said, setting the phone down.
"That Riku?" Cloud asked. Roxas nodded.
Leon sighed.
"What is it?" his boyfriend wondered.
"Curfew, I'd better get going."
"That sucks," Roxas said.
"No kidding. Oh, and Roxas?"
"Yeah?"
"Next time you talk to Riku, mind tellin' him something for me?"
"Sure, what?"
"Just . . . make sure he isn't messing with Sora's feelings for me, alright?"
"Yeah, sure," Roxas agreed.
"Thanks," Leon said, giving the young blond a rare smile. Quickly giving Cloud a peck and whispering something in his ear, the brunet vampire left the apartment.
"What was that about?" Roxas asked, curious about what Leon had told Cloud.
"Nothing, just told me to watch over you and Axel," Cloud said.
This left Roxas baffled. What's to watch? We haven't even done anything! But I guess there's always the possibility that something might . . . Agh, I gotta test myself on one of those Playboys . . . Then maybe this will all be a little clearer, Roxas thought tiredly. Geez, this sounds so stupid. I mean, this is me. Shouldn't I know what I'm feeling?
"Want some cocoa?" Cloud asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.
"In summer?"
Cloud shrugged. "Why not? It's better than tea."
"You got a point there."
"I know, so do you want any?"
"Sure," Roxas said, following his brother into the kitchen. "Hey Cloud?"
"Yeah?" the older one replied, looking through the cupboards for mugs.
"How'd you meet Leon, anyway?" Roxas asked curiously.
"I never told you?" Roxas shook his head in response. "Oh, well I thought I did . . ."
"If you did, I forgot, so tell me how," Roxas insisted.
"I met him at the library a few months ago. I was researching mythological creatures for some class and was working on a report for it on the library's computer. When Leon saw me, I was at the section on vampires. He came behind me, read a few lines, and laughed."
"He laughed at you?"
"Yep."
"And you're still dating him?"
"Yep. Takes a lotta guts to laugh in someone's face like that."
"And that's a good thing because . . . ?"
"Because he didn't let people push him around or decide things for him–which, believe it or not, can be pretty tough sometimes," Cloud explained, pouring the cocoa mix into the cups. "I didn't think about that at the time, though. I mean, he was laughing right in my face. I was pretty pissed and was about to tell him off when he said 'Sorry, I wasn't laughing at you in particular. It's just that this topic makes me laugh every time I see something written about it.' I asked him why, and he told me 'Because it's never accurate." I was about to ask him what he meant by that when the librarian came and told me it was time for the library to close. I turned back around to face him and he was gone.
"We met at the library a few more times and decided to start dating. Eventually, I caught him biting someone on my way back from school."
"What'd you do?" Roxas asked as Cloud heated up the water.
"Well, he wanted to break up since surely I wouldn't want to date him anymore. After all, who would want to date a vampire?"
Who indeed . . . Roxas mused.
"But after a little coaxing I managed to get the story out of why he's a vampire, and now I respect him a lot."
"Why? What's the story?" Roxas inquired. Cloud poured the water into the mugs of cocoa and handed one to Roxas who began stirring it.
"It's not my story to tell, Roxas."
"Why not? Who's is it, then?" Roxas whined. It was just getting to the good part, too!
Cloud gazed at him straight in the eye and said, "Its Leon's–no, scratch that. Its his brother Sora's story, Leon just happened to get involved."
The conversation ended at that; the brothers enjoying their warm cocoa in the middle of the summer.
-
"Riku, darling! Hurry and get down here for our family meeting!"
"Coming, Mom!" Riku called up the stairs. Once upstairs, he entered the dining room where his parents were already seated around the table.
"Have a seat, Riku," his dad said, motioning with his hand to the empty seat. Riku nodded and obeyed wordlessly.
"Now," his mother began, "I've been trying some things with my patients that I read about in one of those books by Dr. Phil and he says that–"
This was about the time that Riku stopped listening and just stared at the surface of the table. His mother was a therapist, and she firmly believed in keeping the family together and in the loop of everyone else's lives. Something about family communication.
In a way, Riku respected his mom for trying to keep the family together like this. He admired her determination. In a completely different way, he wished she'd stop trying to give their family a happy Hollywood life. Not meaning that she tried to make a lot of money and stuff, but that she seemed to believe that everyone said what they felt in these situations. People didn't always know what they felt when they thought they should, nor did they clearly see the line between feeling what you feel and trying to force yourself to feel a different way. Roxas was an example of this, but Riku's mom just didn't seem to grasp that concept.
Besides, whenever they held these family meetings, Riku always felt like a third wheel. His mom would turn most of her attention to his dad since she probably didn't think Riku understood what they were talking about. Why a family meeting for three if only two of the people were included?
Then there was their faith. Riku's dad happened to be a secretary at the church they attended, so Riku always knew almost everything that went on within their church. Sometimes, though, it felt to Riku as if Christianity was his family's crutch. Whenever something wrong happened within their family–say, an uncle died or one of his mother's patients walked out on her–they'd become extremely concerned with the church's well-being simply to distract the bad attention away from them.
And then there were Riku's own insecurities. His parents were, to a certain extent, rather strict. He felt like a tool for their success in society–no, that was too harsh. Let's say his mother was pressured from society. From that pressure, she had practically trained Riku to be the quiet, polite, and obedient son that everyone else wished they had.
He felt . . . used, and occasionally it appeared to him that his only purpose was to make his parents proud of him. Sure, one would think that him being a "Christian goody-goody" (as he earlier told Roxas) would make him think his purpose was to serve God. Heck, one would think from looking at his room and seeing all the Christian band posters covering his wall that he lived only to serve his God.
Wrong.
In all actuality, Riku didn't quite believe in God. He went to church for his parents. He helped out at the church and at other community things to help his own college application in the future. And he only listened to Christian music because it comforted him. Riku didn't feel he had to believe the words to be comforted by them. Surrounded by hymns when he was a child, Christian music had become a part of his life.
"So Riku," his mother prompted, talking directly to him for the first time throughout the entire family meeting. "Has anything interesting been happening with you lately?"
"Catch the eyes of any girls yet, son? Or maybe you've got your own eye on one of them?" his father teased.
That's right, I still haven't told them yet. Riku thought, being reminded of his homosexuality once again. This was getting harder and harder all the time to keep this secret. But Riku could keep his silence.
After all, his mother had raised him to be a quiet boy.
"Nothing new's with me," Riku replied with a small smile, already aware of the enormous guilt trip he was going to feel from not letting his parents know.
Whether it'd be better keeping it from them like this or not, he'd find out when it all blew up in his face.
woo-hoo! i liked writing this chapter :D the last chapter was hard to write, but this one came to me easily. actually, i wrote it in the two days right after i posted the other chapter. yes! i actually sat my lazy ass down and wrote a whole chapter! i wanted to put this chapter up a few days ago, but i let it sit for a while so that i made sure i didn't wanna change anything
and this chapter was centered on Roxas and Riku--hope you guys don't mind. the vampires will take up the majority of the next chapter for it to be balanced--ok?
hmm... and the reward for reviewing this time will be a Roxas plushie holding a squirt gun! and the squirt gun will work! so if you want you can squirt your siblings (or parents or friends, whoever) with the power of Roxas on your side!
...wow that was kinda lame -.-;; ...anyways,please review...