This is a looooong chapter! And a very fun one, if I do say so myself. And practically in time for Valentine's Day! And, yeah, okay, so in the story it's September...but who's counting?
Step Up 2 is coming out tomorrow. I'm so excited!!!!
It was raining ice earlier where I live. I ended up getting a two hour delay, which, in theory would make me real happy. But I barely even noticed because I was sick! My throat, even now, is killing me! I had to take freaking Nyquil, which if taken in quantity, is nasty as HECK! But it's what I deserve since I don't like taking pills, so...it's all cause and effect.
:Edit: (sorry, my comp got all screwed up and erased some of my replies. so anyone that I missed when i first posted this, here you go) Mah reviewers (I love all you guys! You have no clue how happy you all made me! Thank you so much!):
SuperFriendlySoraFan203: (Yeah, I mean, what's the deal with that? Did he get fired? Or did he really go to collage like they said? I'm curious. Lol, Riku to the Rescue! Like Diego!)
ArosxIrukxOxarsxLeax: (It's coming, it's coming! Thank you for reviewing!)
midnightvisions: (Oh yeah, it's total compensation. Hehe, Justin Timberlake...what do you expect, he's bring sexyback!)
Scootkadoot: (Thanks a bunch!)
Mentally Insane Fangirl: (Heh, I gotta love him, though. Thanks for reviewing!)
Kira Sakura: (I wanna go too! A piece of sand? What kind of sand, Kira? Some pieces of sand are huge, you know! Seriously! No, not seriously, I'm just playing. :D)
Enter Riku:
I will be the first to admit it.
Sora…is a klutz.
Maybe I'm a little slow on the uptake, but I guess I was so distracted with trying to convince everyone of something that I hadn't observed any of the changes in them. I guess this is as good a time as ever to really observe Sora closer.
Well, first of all, he's as clumsy as they come, we all know that. We were standing in the middle of the actual island of Destiny Island, called Papou Island, due to all of the Papou fruit that hung from the palm trees, and Sora can barely stand up on his own without tripping over some invisible object. God forbid if there was an actual object lying there…
"Are you still surfing?" I asked him curiously. Maybe he had stopped surfing. That would explain things, seeing as how most surfers, like me, have really good balance and grace in whatever they do. But Sora just nodded his head nonchalantly.
"What kind of question is that, Riku? Of course I surf! Surfing is my life." Sora pointed out, but at least he didn't snap at me this time. He said it with the air of someone who was really, really relaxed. And then he fell on his ass.
Okay, so it isn't because of a lack of daily surf. But what else could be causing his clumsiness? I don't actually think it's because of his health…so what could it be?
"Riku…? Riku, hey man, I uh, I can't get up." Sora called out miserably from the ground. Sora's shoelace had gotten tangled with a twig sticking out from a palm tree and his head had somehow gotten buried in the sand all the way up to his neck.
I slapped myself.
This might be harder than I thought.
Lesson One: If a klutz, one should always be sure to correct said problems in vocals, balance and grace
"As you know, you have really, really bad balance. I mean, frankly, your balance sucks." I declared, calmly tying a cloth over his eyes. Sora made a whiny sound in the back of his throat.
"Don't say it like that! And why am I being blindfolded anyway?" Sora wanted to know, sniffing a little bit. I chuckled and patted him on his head.
"Because," I said with a happy grin, "You're going to dodge traffic!"
"Riku," Sora said seriously, "don't make me hurt you."
I laughed. "As long as you do it with a blindfold!"
Ten minutes and a bruise later
"R-Riku, what does this have to do with balance?" Sora asked me nervously as cars and trucks whirled by us. That stopped me. Oh. I guess it really didn't have to do with balance. I shrugged. Oh well.
"I don't know; I saw it on a movie. But that's not the point! The point is, I'm paying you to be awesome, and that's what you're going to be! And the only way you will be is getting some balance, and you can only get that from dodging these cars!" I explained in one breath. There was silence.
"Seriously Riku, when did you get this stupid?" Sora asked flatly. Ouch! An invisible arrow stabbed me in my heart and I feel to the ground with a heartfelt thump!
"My dear Kiwi, you're breaking my heart!" I exclaimed. Sora scoffed but nonetheless blindly helped me back up to my feet. I could tell he really thought he'd hurt my feelings. Aw…Kiwi was so sweet.
"Well, what are you waiting for? The traffic's not just going to dodge itself." I pointed out after a moment of silence. I peered over at him. He was shaking!
"Come on, Sora! We used to do this all the time as kids!" I said impatiently, kind of wanting to dodge the traffic as well. It used to be so much fun, risking our lives together.
Suddenly Sora ripped off the blindfold and threw it to the ground in an angry rage. "What the- no way am I dodging traffic! We're not kids anymore, Riku!"
I sighed. Lord knows that was true. Fine. I didn't want to have to do this, but if he planned on being an uncooperative fruit today, I was going to have to bring out my secret weapon.
Lucky High, courtyard
"Cheerleading? You're going to make me do cheerleading?!" Sora exclaimed as he clutched my arm in fear. The girls on the squad were doing flip after flip and handstand after handstand with perfect grace. Oh yeah, this was a great idea.
"Why not? Those girls are coordinated, responsible, and, frankly, ridiculously hot!" I pointed out enthusiastically. Sora stared at them blankly with, now, an annoyed expression on his face. Finally he smirked at me.
"I see you're still bi."
"And I see you're still completely gay."
I grinned; I guess some things never change. Taking Sora's hand, which he avidly tried to shake out of, I led him towards the cheering girls, plastering on my most charming and disarming grin.
The captain of the squad, a big breasted, big haired senior named Becky Blecks was clapping to the beat of their routine, swinging her little ass back and forth as she counted.
And I know Sora was staring at me, no doubt seeing if I found her attractive. Which, no, I didn't; I'm not interested in plastic. I like my love interests to be a little more real. Like Kiwi.
"Alriiiight! Great job, chi-cas!" She shouted and all the girls began to clap and cheer. I snorted and clapped slowly, gaining the girls, and more importantly, Becky's, attention.
"Sweet. You girls will be at nationals in no time. Well, with a little more practice, that is." I declared, winking. The other cheerleaders were staring at me and whistling, and something in my chest panged. And now we were back to the beauty thing again. I tightened my grip on Sora's hand.
"Ri-ku! When you said you were coming over, I didn't know it meant to-day!" Becky exclaimed, causing me to wince at the sheer volume. Jeez, she reminded me of a ten year old Selphie.
That is, until she saw Sora.
"Oh my gawd! Klutz! Ri-ku, I didn't know you knew Klutz!" Becky screamed, grabbing me and Sora's hands and pulling us into the ring of cheerleaders.
"Girls, this is Ri-ku, as we all know," Pause for giggling, "and Klutz. You know, the kid who always breaks things."
Kiwi blushed.
"Now, now, let's not bring up the past. In fact, good old Klutz here is trying to turn a new leaf. He's thinking about joining your squad to get some better balance." I explained, wrapping an arm around Sora's shoulders. He rolled his eyes but played along.
"I sure am! Hopefully you'll let me on the squad?" He asked, blinking his adorable blue eyes up at them. Becky looked torn. Between his adorable face and my sexy demeanor, this couldn't be an easy decision for her.
"But, Ri-ku, what if Klutz is….well, a klutz?" She asked, biting on her lower lip.
I grinned sexily and peered at her beneath my eyelashes. "Well you'll just have to use that beautiful body to train him, now won't you?"
-Vocals
Becky: One, two, three, four! The other team is such a bore!
Sora: One, two, three, four…um, what was the line again?
Becky: (sighing) The other team is such a bore.
Sora: Right. The other team is such a bore!
Becky: You have to say it all together.
Sora: One, two, three, four! The other team is such a bore!
Everyone else: Yay! He finally got it! Go Klutz! Yeah!
Sora: Oh yeah! I'm the man!
Me: Kiwi, we just wasted thirty minutes on that cheer. You haven't even learned the movements yet.
Sora: …
Injuries: Sora's throat and Becky's sanity.
Attempts: I'd say about ten attempts at the two line cheer. Imagine if they'd actually given him a real cheer…
Field notes: At least Kiwi didn't give up! And that's a lesson in itself.
-Balance
Sora: Sorry, say that again?
Co-captain Trina Hampton (equally annoying as Becky, only not as cute): A round-off. It's sim-pal! You start off like you're doing a cartwheel-
Sora: But I can't do a cartwheel.
Becky: Are you fa-real?
Sora: Sorry, I can't do it.
Trina: Fine. We'll teach you how to do a cartwheel.
So that's how I found myself basically catching Sora for the next hour and a half as he attempted to do a cartwheel. Becky would hold his body up, Trina would tilt his legs, and somehow he still managed to fall into my arms. Truth be told, I was starting to wonder if he was doing it on purpose just to cop a feel with me, which, hey, I wouldn't mind, but when he started to look like he was about to cry, I realized he seriously had zero balance.
Injuries: Trina got a black eye from Kiwi accidentally kicking her in the face, Becky got rub burn from continually being jerked on her knees when Sora would fall, the other cheerleaders probably got a broken rib from laughing so much, Kiwi probably damaged his pride, and as for me…I think Kiwi being in my arms is a blessing. So I have no complaints.
Attempts: Too many to count.
Field notes: Sora was trying so hard to get it that I almost felt pity for him. He still couldn't do one by the time Trina and Becky gave up, but I could tell Kiwi was catching on. He managed to at least do a hand stand for a few seconds before he injured someone.
-Grace
Becky: Because we have a few injuries in our squad, our final lesson for today is going to be on grace. We'll do it in here.
Sora: Are we even supposed to be in here?
All the cheerleaders, Sora and I were sitting in the teacher's lounge, holding small children's sized tea cups in our hands. Becky and Trina decided that, in order to give the girls a break, we would practice eloquence and grace by following the ideals of our founders and blah, blah, blah. All I know is that they gave us free tea and cookies.
Trina: Now you take a dainty sip, slowly and gently place the tea cup in the saucer, and reach fluidly for a cookie.
Sora: 'Fluidly?'
Me: What the hell does that mean?
Becky: Like a dancer, kinda. Like, do it, like, with grace.
Sora: But I thought that's what you were teaching me. How am I supposed to do it if I don't know it?
Random Cheerleaders Who Were Beyond Tired: Just do it!
Sora reached for his tea cup slowly and raised it to his lips. Trina nodded encouragingly. Then Sora proceeded to take the loudest sip I'd ever heard. It was so loud, I'm sure Voldemort heard it. And he doesn't even have ears.
"What the-, that was the rudest sip I have, like, ever heard!" Becky squealed, as the other girls began to giggle. Even Trina was chuckling behind her white handkerchief. Sora smiled sheepishly and tried to place the cup back on the saucer, but his elbow slipped on the table and he missed, pouring it all down his shirt.
"Hehe…oops?" He laughed hesitantly, glancing up at Becky with a look similar to the one a little kid gives his mom after he breaks something. Becky sighed deeply.
"Alright, let's try this again."
Injuries: Maybe the tea cup. It got tossed and slammed around so much even I felt bad for it.
Attempts: Hmm…twenty? Minimum.
Field notes: Finally, Kiwi managed to take a dainty sip, gently placed it back on the tea cup and fluidly reached for a cookie.
My sexy silver eclipse (it's a car)
"I'm so glad I brought some extra clothes with me." Sora commented, looking fresh and clean in his outfit change. I smirked and continued driving.
"Right."
"Ugh! Stop doing that!" Sora cried, twisting in his seat to glare at me. I quickly shot him a confused look before returning my eyes to the road. What was he talking about?
"Doing what?"
"Acting like you don't have anything to say to me! Y-you big jerk!" He shouted, whipping back around to his seat. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Sometimes Kiwi was just too much. But I would answer nonetheless.
"I don't know what to say to you." I admitted honestly, and it was true. He was freaking mad at me! I don't know how to act around him that won't push me deeper into a hole. Its nerve wracking…but I didn't know Sora caught on to that.
"O-okay." Kiwi sighed quietly, glancing back out the window. Now, I know that if someone were to take a picture of my face right now, it would say WTF. But I would let it go for now. Sometimes when you push someone too much, you lose them. And I want to keep Kiwi forever.
2. On the road to awesomeness, one should always look ridiculously good-looking.
"Now this, Sora, is called a thrift store. It's a place you can come to get really awesome accessories and clothes for little to nothing!" I explained to Sora as we stood in front of Nifty Thrifty in Old Destiny Dominion in the downtown area. He turned to me with a pissy expression on his cute little face.
"Are you implying that my clothes suck?" He demanded, looking down at himself. I followed his gaze with a smirk. A puke green hoodie and a pair of corduroy khaki pants. And it was only September. I gave him a sarcastic look.
"I'm not implying it. I'm saying it. Sora, your clothes suck." I replied, patting him on the back. He scowled and opened his mouth to no doubt insult me even further than he has already has today, but I covered it. "But that's okay; this is what I'm here for, Kiwi."
He frowned even deeper. "And stop calling me that!
I opened the door and pushed him inside, loving the little whimper that ripped out of him in surprise. Those were the little sounds he used to make whenever Roxas and I punked him and made a trick on him- and there was something so comforting about knowing that Sora hadn't changed completely.
But his clothes- yeah, those would have to go pronto.
Inside was like the inside of a treasure chest, or at least that's what it seemed to me. Sora had his little nose scrunched up, but…he didn't know what he wanted. Good old Riku would take care of it.
I led him through the racks of clothes and necklaces and belts to a whole section of hats near the back of the store. Real World by Matchbox Twenty was playing in the background, and the clerk behind the counter, some beautiful teen with red eyes and a killer hair cut, was staring at us, but I wasn't paying attention, nor did I care.
I was focused on the task at hand- which was finding Sora a kick ass outfit.
"Remember, the right hat can enhance a man's outfit so well, that the outfit in question may be completely transformed." I pointed out with the stiffening of my finger. "Let's take a look."
Sora put on the first hat begrudgingly and we both observed the effect in the mirror.
"Too boring." I commented.
"Too painful!" Sora cried, ripping the hat off from his head. "That hat was like, three times too small!"
"Maybe your head is just three times too big." I offered, earning myself a growl and a smack on the back of my head. I grinned and placed the Ed Hardy Triple Hearts Specialty Hat back on the shelf. I plucked a blue beanie off instead, placing it over his spikes.
Once more we observed.
"It's…I dunno, it looks cute on you but…it's not you."
"I look like Seifer."
I frowned. The way he said that guy's name made my blood boil. Obviously Sora didn't like this guy, which was making me assume this 'Seifer' character had done something to him. And that was just not going to fly. "Who's Seifer?"
Sora scoffed. "This class act jerk who finds pleasure in bullying kids like me and Roxas. The sad thing is that he gets away with it, just because he's the head of the Disciplinary Committee. I swear, once my clumsiness is gone, I'm going to beat him to-"
I held up one hand and made a little noise like a car swerving. "Back up. You said he was bullying you and Roxas?"
Sora took off the beanie and placed it back on the shelf. "Uh huh. He had stopped bullying Roxas for a while; because Roxas is one hell of a fighter and everything, but now that Axel and Roxas can't get in anymore fights-they'd be expelled- Seifer has taken advantage of getting revenge. And as for me, well, I can fight, as we both know, but this clumsiness has gotten so bad that I can't get even get in one lick without falling to the ground."
I clenched my jaw. Oh no. Oh hell no. I know this guy wasn't messing with the two most important people in my life.
"Kiwi…just where can I find this Seifer?" I asked slowly, balling up my fists to hold back my anger. Sora paused in his hat searching to turn and stare at me with a panicked look.
"Riku, no. Nothing good will come out of beating him up like that. Roxas tried that and almost got expelled. Do you want that to happen to you?" Sora cried, hugging a black cap to his chest. I watched him and my expression softened. So he did care.
"Honestly? I wouldn't care as long as I got to defend you and Roxas' honor." I admitted, running a hand through my hair. He sighed loudly and glared at me.
"Fine. Do what you want; I don't care." He seethed, angrily pulling on the cap. I let a small smile creep onto my face. He was in such a state of denial…but as for that hat…
"That hat is so perfect." I gushed, grinning at his reflection in the mirror. He stared at it and allowed a smile onto his face.
"I kind of like it too. It says here that it's an," he paused to look at the hat, "Dark Hearts Design." The hat was white on one side, with a strange black heart design on it with white vine like lines strewn into it, and on the other side it was completely black, with a white heart that looked almost so pure it hurt. It was perfect for him.
"Well, whoever made it knew what they were doing. We're getting it."
I let him hold onto the hat as I led him to the clothes.
"Now the clothes are the base of the bridge when it comes to the outfit. This is like the foundation to a house. Screw this up, and the entire effect is ruined, no matter how hot the hat and accessories look." I made clear, pausing as a pair of black baggy shorts caught my eye. "Here, go try these on."
Sora made a skeptical face. "Are you sure? They're so…shiny."
"Of course! That's the look we're going for! New, hot and shiny! Oh, and this tank top goes great with it." I placed the blue tank on top of the pants, grinning to myself. He was going to look so sexy.
I browsed around the store as Sora disappeared into the dressing room, stopping at the rack of belts. Yeah, his outfit would need tons of them.
"Yellow." A voice worthy of voice acting spoke up from behind me, causing me to jump in surprise.
"Excuse me?" I breathed, my chest heaving from all the excitement. Then I blinked. It was the clerk from behind the counter who was staring at us earlier.
"The yellow belts will look stunning with the outfit you gave him." The clerk explained, tossing me the two belts. She slung her hip out and rested her hand on it. "You're the new kid I keep hearing so much about. It's Riku, right?"
I grinned and slung the belts on my other arm, freeing a hand. I extended it towards her. "Yeah, that's me. And you are?"
She took it with a smirk. "Paine. I'm a friend of the little fashion victim you have over there."
My grin turned into a smile. "Yeah? Well, any friend of Kiwi is a friend of mine."
Paine cocked an eyebrow and folded her arms, leaning against the wall. "Is that so? Well, Riku, excuse me for being so inquisitive, but aren't you getting a little too ahead of yourself? By what I hear, he's been trying to get away from you ever since you came back. And surely Roxas can't be helping matters."
I resisted the urge to scowl. She didn't know what the hell she was talking about. She didn't even know what happened.
"Don't look at me like that, Riku, I'm just calling it like I see it from a non-object third party. But I will let you know now. Any wrongs you do onto Sora, you will henceforth do onto me, do you understand? Sora was my light for a long time…he's a light for a lot of us. So you just make sure that all of your intentions are good." Paine warned me with a threatening hitch in her flat, monotonic voice.
I eyed her evenly. "I assure you my intentions are crystal."
I appreciated that Sora's friends cared about him, really I did…but unless it was Kairi or Roxas, the only two of which who knew the whole story, I had no reason to be the bad guy in their eyes. And if I was…well, I can't say that I have any motive to be nice or even polite to them. Still. They were Kiwi's friends, and I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate me being rude to them. So, plastering on a fake grin, I bowed to Paine.
"But thank you for caring, m'lady."
Paine snorted and tossed me a small black jacket and three plastic baggies full of big red pockets as she turned around. "Give these to Sora. They'll complete his look."
I watched her walk away. At the time I didn't realize that she was right…in more ways than one.
"I can't believe that this whole outfit only cost us twenty bucks!"
"I can't believe you didn't let me see said outfit when you were finished trying it on."
We had finished shopping for his awesome outfit (one he wouldn't let me see him in) and after we finished paying, had decided that food was the next best option. We would continue our lessons at another time. And whenever I got some more money.
So far I paid for the outfit, then lesson one and two, both of which cost fifty dollars each, since I doubled the ante. If I wanted to continue doing this, I was seriously going to have to commit. I had to find a job!
Which, truthfully, wouldn't be too difficult; I was a job magnet.
But anyway. Now we were headed to a little seventies diner- not the Hollow Connection, neither of us wanted to risk running into Axel (Sora didn't because he didn't want Roxas to find out, and I didn't because Axel still thought that I had no ties to Sora whatsoever)- called Sunset Horizons to get some man chow.
Unfortunately, we happened to run into some serious hotties on our way there. And I couldn't be rude to them, now could I?
Sometimes I really hate myself when I get like this. All of this grinning and flirting is making me sick. And Kiwi is watching me with a suddenly sullen and blank expression; I'm ruining our day. But it's like, once I start, I can't stop.
Still…that's probably strike two in Sora's eyes.
Meanwhile…
Kairi's House, her backyard
Kairi would be the first one to admit it: She was scared. Sometimes it felt like she was always scared, all the time. She was scared of what people would say once they found out she was a lesbian…err, bi…? She was scared that she was losing her best friend to something she couldn't control, like his health. She was scared that she would end up alone and forgotten, while Sora and Riku, and Roxas and Axel, spent the rest of their lives engrossed in each other. She was scared of spiders; she was scared of death, but most of all she was scared of failing.
So as she stood in front of the fairly large group of people who knew Sora and Riku, the realization that she could fail made her pause in her well thought out speech. And when she opened her cherry red lips to speak again, the entire plan that she had formulated in her mind…was gone.
And this is why she would be the first one to admit that, heck yes, she was scared!
"I'm sorry, what was I saying again?" Kairi asked the group nervously, all of which were spread out on miscellaneous pieces of lawn furniture. Kairi knew that every single person here that she had invited had great importance to the entire plan, so when Axel raised his hand and said, "I think you were offering to go in the house and get us some beer," she had to restrain herself from throwing a lawn gnome at his head.
"You were saying that you think Sora's emotions are tied in directly with his health." Namine told her shyly, fiddling embarrassedly with her red hair pin when everyone looked at her in surprise. Tidus leaned over to Wakka with an amazed chuckle.
"Dude, I thought she was mute!"
"No way, man, I heard she had an extended case of laryngitis!"
Axel raised his hand again, and this time it was Rikku who had a problem with his outspokenness. But of course she would, she had to live with it every day.
"Unless you have something relevant and respectful to say, don't even think about opening your mouth, otherwise I'll have to get all Mission Time on your butt with YPR!" Rikku challenged him, turning to "YPR" for confirmation.
"That's correct!" Yuna nodded enthusiastically, while Paine, who had just finished her shift at Nifty Thrify, merely shrugged her shoulders with a, "Whatever."
Axel raised a bemused eyebrow at them in disbelief, before turning back to Kairi with what could only be described as now an agitated expression.
"Explain to me again why Roxas couldn't come." He wanted to know, pouting slightly in disappointment. Kairi sighed and clasped her hands behind her back, wondering just when she was going to convince them to deceive Sora and Riku.
"He's part of the plan, silly. We need Roxas if we're going to help Sora's health." She explained, now turning to Selphie. The brunette girl jumped at the sudden attention.
"Jeez, Kairi, don't just startle me like that!" Selphie cried, holding her heaving chest. Tidus and Wakka laughed loudly at her expression, but Kairi cut off Selphie before she could scream at them and successfully manage to make the rest of them all leave.
"Roxas has a weak spot for you, Selphie. Other than Axel, you're the only one who can get away with just about anything. I'm going to need you to convince him that he's not going to Riku's Welcome Back party, but your party." Kairi continued, watching Selphie for signs of hesitation. And of course, she saw them. Selphie looked down at her yellow socks sadly.
"I'm on Riku's side, Kairi. I'm sorry, but unless this is going to benefit Riku in some way, I can't help you."
Damn! Kairi would have to reevaluate this. Selphie was supposed to be on Team Roxas, but fine. Whatever. She would switch her with herself.
"Okay, fine. Your job will be to hang out with Riku until the plan is carried out. We can't any other girls hitting on him, or boys for that matter. Our main objective is to get Sora and Riku to want to talk to the other. And for that to happen, the chemistry has to be just right."
Enter Riku:
I followed Sora into the seventies style diner with a grin on my face and a phone number in my hand. Although I couldn't be bothered with calling silly little ladies what with my master plan to win back Sora's trust, it was a nice ego boast. But then again, by the little pout on Sora's adorable face, it might have lost me some brownie points.
"Do you plan to leave her too? Or was I just an exception?" Sora snapped irritably, shoving me down into one of the booths. I laughed easily. Boy was Kiwi feisty! But that's okay. I kind of like a challenge, especially when it has to do with cute little blue eyed brunets named Sora!
"Sure, Kiwi, whatever you say." I chuckled. Sora scowled.
"I thought I told you not to call me that…" He muttered under his breath but I ignored him, watching his tight frame scoot into the booth across from me. I licked my lips. Why bother trying to hide it? I was still attracted to Sora like a lion was attracted to a gazelle.
Sora's cute little cheeks tinged a bright pinkish color and he immediately looked away. I smiled. Still, no matter how much I lusted after Sora, it was his trust that I wished for more than anything else in the world.
"Look, Kiwi, I-" I began, just about to pour my heart out until Sora held up a small tanned hand in front of my face. He was staring at something behind me, his blue eyes scrunched in his confusion. I turned around to see what he was looking at.
A cute little blond was seated in one of the counter seats, a dingy spiral notebook in front of him. Roxas. He wore an expression of pure concentration, and he was chewing furiously on the eraser of his pencil. What could he be writing?
I turned back to Sora, and by the looks of his wrinkled little nose, he was wondering the exact same thing. We looked at each other.
"I'm going to go talk to him." Sora announced, starting to get up, but I reached out for him and pulled him back down.
"Don't do that!" I hissed, pulling him under the booth with me. Sora looked mystified.
"Why not…?" He demanded, folding his arms. As he did, his arm bumped into the table and sent the silverware tumbling down and unfolding from its napkin. A fork stabbed me in my opened palm. I simply stared at it.
"Ouch." I marveled, holding up my now bleeding hand. Sora's eyes went wide and he opened his mouth to no doubt scream for help, but I silenced him with my other hand. Immediately I wished I hadn't. The feel of Sora's soft, pliable lips against my fingers was enough to send my blood pumping through my veins and down to lower parts of my body.
I retracted it almost instantly and resisted the urge to follow my hand with my own lips.
"If you go get help, Roxas will see you!" I exclaimed, shaking off my turned on…ness. Sora stared at me some more.
"So?"
"So…" I started, pulling the fork out with a grunt, "If he sees us, his secret will be revealed! We'll have to figure out what's in the notebook, Riku Style."
Sora blinked once. Then twice. Then a third time. Suddenly his chest started heaving up and down and he began to hyperventilate.
"Sora! Breathe! Breathe. Breathe…" We breathed together for a while until Sora's breathing went back to normal. I gave him an odd look.
"What are you so nervous about, Kiwi? It's just me." I said softly, running my palm down his cheek. Sora relaxed into to it, his blue eyes closed and his lips parted. I smiled. He wanted me to kiss him.
But just as I was about to grant his wish, his eyes popped open and his body jerked away from me. He looked away and sniffed.
"What's the-what's Riku Style?" He asked instead. I grinned.
Alright then. If Sora still wasn't ready for this, I would wait.
But I would wait…
Riku Style.
Agent: Kuey (Scratch the Mission Impossible theme. Give me Bond. James Bond)
Past experience: Successfully managed to make Agent Kiwi laugh. Managed to endure crazy ass fan girls. Managed to get freaking stabbed by a fork.
Mission: Agent Kuey along with the help of Agent Kiwi must discover what is being created by Agent Rocky without getting caught. They must successfully carry out their plan without being captured and neutered alive.
Sora was staring blankly over at me. "Why are you talking to yourself?"
"Agent Kuey to Agent Kiwi, over." I announced clearly and quietly, ignoring Sora's last question.
"And why do we have walkie-talkies, I'm right next to you. Where did you even get these?"
"Don't question the master, over. Oh, and Agent Kiwi didn't say over, over."
"Agent Kiwi thinks this is lame, over."
"Agent Kuey thinks ponies are lame, but that doesn't stop him from having a My Little Pony lunchbox, over. Now focus. Over."
"My little pony…? Never mind, I don't want to know. What's the plan? Over."
The plan, as I whispered to Sora, would include a skateboard, a camera and a lot of free sea salt ice cream.
I was ready for action.
"Agent Kuey to Agent Kiwi, over."
"Agent Kiwi here, waiting for the signal, over." Sora responded back, his voice sounding static-y and cute over the walkie-talkie. I stifled an excited squeal. Kiwi was actually getting into this! But why not? Sora and I had gotten into a lot of adventures back in the day. Why was this any different?
Because you hurt him, Riku. Don't forget that.
"I said, Agent Kiwi is waiting for the signal, over!" Came Sora's impatient voice from the other side of the machine. I shook off my incoming depression with a firm slam. Get your head in the game, Riku!
A couple gave me a frightened look as they passed by me on their way out.
"The Rocky is perched in the garden, I repeat, the Rocky is perched in the garden. Over and out." I finished, having successfully given Sora our signal. He was quietly hiding in a bush across from where Roxas was sitting, prepared to cause his distraction. I, on the other hand, was dressed in a waiter's uniform, prepared to refill Roxas' drink, if you get my drift, but currently I was perched under a table, ready to sprint when the time required it.
Oh, and it would. Require it, I mean.
But now I had to focus. Kiwi was about to initiate our plan.
"Hey ROCKS ASS! I bet you can't do three varial kick flips in a row!" Sora shouted out across the whole restaurant, slamming a black and blue skateboard onto the floor. Roxas' whole body stiffened. The blonde slowly turned around to face Sora.
"I'm just going to ignore that." Roxas sighed, a scowl now present on his face. I could see Kiwi's confidence start to waver, but telepathically I encouraged him to continue. Come on Kiwi, you can do this.
"Good, 'cause you can't do it anyway! Baby!" Sora mocked, pretending to cry as a baby would do. Even from my position under the table, I could see the determined frown begin to make its way onto Roxas' face. It wouldn't be long now.
"Are you challenging me…Klutz?" Roxas retorted, a dark blonde eyebrow arching precariously. Sora's own eyebrow rose in defiance.
"What are the stakes?"
"Your call."
My lips curled up into a smirk in victory and I could see Sora's doing the same. "Winner gets free sea salt ice cream."
Everyone in the restaurant fell silent. We all knew Roxas was freaking psycho for sea salt ice cream…but would he take Sora's dare?
Well of course he would! I was…well, a bad influence on both Sora and Roxas growing up…perhaps my infatuation with challenges rubbed off on them. And obviously, Roxas was a great skateboarder…he would definitely win that challenge. Sora is a surfer, it's not exactly the same as skateboarding…and you know, the whole clumsy thing.
"You're on. Outside. Now." Roxas ordered, forgetting all about his notebook and following Sora out the restaurant. There was a still in the on-lookers before everyone jumped up and ran after the two, chattering excitedly amongst themselves.
The restaurant, minus the chefs behind the doors, was completely empty.
Time for action.
I crawled out from under the table and whipped out my camera from my pocket, heading over to where Roxas was sitting. There was his notebook, smiling up at me. I snapped a couple of pictures of the notebook at different angles. That way, if Sora and I felt like we needed to steal it or something for some strange reason, we would know which one it was.
Then I zoomed in to the actual words on the paper.
Axel's Birthday Present
My gift is my song
And this one's for you
And you can tell everybody
That this is your song
It may be quite simple
But now that it's done
Hope you don't mind
I hope you don't mind
That I put down in words
How wonderful life is now you're in the world
Sat on the roof
And I kicked off the moss
Well some of the verses well
They got me quite cross
But the sun's been kind
While I wrote this song
It's for people like you that
Keep it turned on
So excuse me for forgetting
But these things I do
You see I've forgotten
If they're green or they're blue
Anyway the thing is well I really mean
Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen…
The words stopped there. I snapped a picture in shock. Wow. I mean…wow. I never knew Roxas could be such a romantic. Well, geez, it's a good thing that I went undercover for this, Roxas would have never let me or Sora see this.
Axel must have no clue how much Roxas loves him. I can just tell by the awkwardness in the song; Roxas doesn't know how to handle it. I remember when we were together, there was a time period where he was awkward around me, when we first realized it was more than a crush. Before me and Sora, of course.
"Woo! Roxas!"
"You're the man!"
"Yeah, you really do rock ass!"
They were coming! Oh crap! I had to get out of there! I pocketed the camera quickly and scrambled to find an exit. There was only one door in the restaurant. Damn them and their disregard to fire safety laws!
Alright, I could do this. I mean I already had a waiter's uniform on, I was already undercover. If I got out of this alive, I could use this as what not to do for Sora's lessons…
Yeah. Lesson Three: When deceiving, come up with a plan that's not totally and completely stupid.I waited nervously for my impending death. Impending death, you ask? No, not Roxas, although Roxas is quite vicious when angry as we all know. What I mean are the people of Destiny Island. Everyone here has grown up together, so anything done to someone is like a personal slap to the face for all of them.
In my case, fortunately no one knew or knows much about it to really make a big choice on the matter. But if I ever screw around with Roxas and Sora's hearts again, it's already been decided that I would be going down.
"Sora, seriously, did you expect to beat me? I skateboard all the time, you know that."
"I don't know, Roxas. I guess I was just feeling confident and…"
"I grew up with you, Sora; I know when you're lying and when you're not. And for the past five minutes you've been lying your little butt off. Besides that, now you're injured. So just stop."
"Jeez, you don't have to be so mean about it."
"And stop pouting. Be a man."
"…meanie."
Roxas, Sora and the crowd that followed them all entered the diner once more, gossiping and talking about Sora's embarrassing fall and Roxas' amazing skateboarding tricks.
I watched from my location as Roxas made his way back to his seat, Sora now seated beside him. The blonde closed the notebook and stuffed it into his backpack, turning to Sora with a speculative look in his eyes. I knew that look to mean that Sora was about to get interrogated.
"So what's the deal with you lately?" Roxas asked, taking a sip of his Dr. Pepper. Sora looked quite confused and I had to stop myself from cooing.
"What do you mean?"
Roxas sighed and took a bite of his cheeseburger. "What I mean is," he said around the food in his mouth, "ever since Riku came back you've been acting all weird. It's beyond strange."
Sora blushed and his eyes darted around the restaurant, no doubt looking for me. "I..I, uh, no I haven't…been."
Roxas rolled his eyes and rested his head against his fist, eyeing Sora with amusement. "Right. Well I think we should stay away from him."
I chuckled at Sora's guilty expression. Too late for that, Kiwi. "Uh huh…that's probably a good idea…"
"I seriously think that it is." Roxas nodded. Then he suddenly scowled. "If only Axel would agree. I swear, for the last month he's been so distant. And now Riku sees him more than I do!"
Silence. Spoons clattered and the sound of distant conversations filled the void.
"Roxas…is that what this is really about?" Sora wanted to know, his confused expression becoming replaced by one of realization. Roxas was the one who looked confused now.
"What?"
"You're not really angry at Riku at all anymore. You don't even hate him. This is about Axel."
Roxas' eyes went as wide as saucers as he stammered and struggled to come up with a coherent defense. "Nuh uh…no, I …no way!..uh, I um…"
Sora smiled and he jumped up in smugness, a quality I'm sure he got from yours truly. "I'm right and you know it! You have a serious fear of being alone! That's why you stay with Axel even though you know you can do better and even though you're dying to be his boyfriend again!"
Roxas jumped up as well and shook his head fiercely, all out glaring at Sora now. "I do not have a fear of being alone, I don't even deserve Axel, and I sure as hell don't need to be his boyfriend! And as for Riku…he's an ass! An ass who-"
What Roxas was saying was true, but people were staring; it was time for me to cut in and whisk Sora away before he spoke himself into an even deeper hole.
"More Dr. Pepper?" I asked pleasantly. Sora and Roxas stared up at me.
"Sure…?" Roxas nodded hesitantly as he squinted his eyes at me. "Do I…know you?"
Of course he didn't. Right now, my name was not Riku, but Kurt. Yes, Kurt had red hair (hair that had been stained with ketchup), a black blind fold over his eyes (a blind fold that had been cut from some kid's shirt tail when he wasn't looking) and is missing his two front teeth. (Raisins- worked every time.)
"No, my name is Kurt. I just moved here from Spira. But I'd be happy to fill up your drink." I lied, blindly groping for Roxas' cup and filling it up to the brim. Sora cleared his throat.
"Uh…Kurt? You're kind of filling up his drink with water." He let me know, taking the cup and pitcher out of my hands with a nervous little chuckle. I could feel Roxas staring at me.
"Spira? Really?" Roxas asked, sounding a little suspicious. Sora and I both nodded.
"Yeah, born and raised."
"What part?"
I froze. Shit. I had no clue of the different places in Spira; I just remembered the name from Tidus' hometown when he first moved here a while back. Luckily Sora helped me out.
"He's from Zanarkand." He supplied, patting me on the back. "He told me when I first came in here."
Roxas continued to stare at me curiously in silence until finally he just smiled. "Is that so? Well I know this guy; you may have met him already, Tidus? Well Tidus is from Zanarkand too. He's always talking about how beautiful it is there at night."
I nodded. "It sure is. It's magnificent."
An awkward silence crossed over us. "Well, I'll leave you to your…Dr. Water."
Sora snorted and Roxas made a little sound in the back of his throat that sounded distinctly like a scoff.
"Thank you, Kurt."
I smiled and turned around on my heels, grabbing some trash I casually took it outside with me, throwing it away. When no one was looking, I stripped out of the uniform and threw on my pants, not even bothering to put my shirt back on. Figured I wouldn't have time, you know? And I didn't want to ruin the fabric, seeing how my hair was full of ketchup.
I slowly made my way to the car. Going around Roxas was tricky business, but it wasn't impossible. But still…somehow I got the feeling that all of this was going to blow up in my face eventually, just like what I did three years ago. I was just chock full of mistakes.
Sora finally entered the car a little while later, looking tired and exhausted.
"Going behind Roxas' back sucks." He commented as I drove in silence back to Kairi's house. I shot him an exasperated glance.
"I didn't do all that stuff back there to purposefully lie to Roxas; I did it so he wouldn't think lowly of you. You know, like how he thinks of me." I told Sora, stopping at a red light. I tossed him the camera. "I think your Roxas theory is more correct than he'd like to believe."
Sora read the lyrics in silence as I drove, making cute little sounds of surprise and interest. I glanced at the clock on my car headboard. 5:15. I was late. Kairi was going to be pissed.
"Roxas really loves Axel." Sora muttered, turning to look out the window. I opened my mouth to answer, but I shut it almost immediately. He looked seriously deep in thought.
And something tells me…he was thinking about me.
Kairi's House
"Why are we here?" Kiwi asked as we were seated in front of Kairi's House. I turned to him with an amused look.
"You don't want to see what had her running out of the Shack? I mean, there has to be a reason why she just up and left you like that." I mulled, raising an eyebrow. Sora paused for a minute, soaking that in before scowling at me.
"Stop trying to manipulate me! Jeez, Riku!" Sora shouted, opening the door to my car and slamming it in anger. "You seriously haven't changed at all!"
I grinned nonchalantly. "Nope. I'm still the same Riku!" I yelled out the window. Then I lowered my voice slightly, staring at Sora in a serious sort of way. "And you're still my Kiwi. And Kiwi…admit it. You had fun. It was just like old times for once."
"That doesn't change what you did." Kiwi whispered, staring at his feet. I think something in my heart just broke. There was something so…so heart wrenching, about Sora being sad.
"I know, Kiwi. Trust me; I know. Maybe I didn't in the past, but now…I'm trying to make it right." And I was being completely honest. I really truly believe I will never screw with Sora's heart, and even Roxas' heart, ever, ever again.
"Okay. I guess I'll see you later." Sora finally muttered, turning around and retreating to the safety of Kairi's house. I watched him go with a little smile.
Kiwi was slowly starting to de-frost. And that was a start.
Besides…I thought as I pulled out of the driveway and sped down the street, Kairi had a plan. A plan that had better work. Otherwise, it was my sanity on the line.
You know, the sad thing is, I would probably be good friends with Becky and Trina. I'm just tolerant like that. :wink: jk. Well! This chapter was fun to write! I had so much fun! I like writing Riku, it comes so much more natural than it does with Sora, and I like the way he views the world.
I know you guys have been waiting for this since I mentioned it...the PAR-TAH chapter! It's coming next! Are you excited?! I am! The crap is going to hit the fan, guys. Be prepared for romance, sexual themes, a LOT of flashbacks (maybe), cleon and cloud/sephy drama, the introduction of the missing characters, ZEXION!, the deal with Axel and Roxas, and finally, FINALLY...just what the heck Riku did.
It will be one of the most anticipated chapters yet! Get ready for some luuuuurve!