Chapter 6: Take a Shot

Fate applauded their escape with thunder, lightning, and rain the next day. The car had gotten a teensy bit dirty on their adventures, what with some of those dirt roads and ….grassy plains…. But the storms proved the ultimate and speedy cure as it rolled in barely before the sun came up. Larxene has been notorious for sleeping till one because she and a couple other administrators like to drain the camp treasury with wine, so the chance of Sora and Riku getting caught went from fifteen percent to negative two point three percent. As an extra precaution, Sora has been praying for the blonde bitch to be wasted whenever she leaves with the car next… He adds on, at the very end, that he hopes the trip will be a safe one.

However, after their crazy trip, Sora decided that it is his turn to show Riku his world. The brunet hadn't used it till now, but he had smuggled his laptop into the camp for… business reasons. Though he uses the word 'smuggled' in the lightest sense of the word. His parents snuck the laptop in his bag, not him. Although they aren't actually his genetic donors, they understand the brunet very well... Or at least are very observant. Sora, although usually innocent and fluffy, has a weird addiction to YouTube walkthroughs of horror games, a detail he failed to mention when he bragged about all the kingdom hearts games. And the brunet can't help but wonder; is the silverette easily scared?

But the considerate brunet (or rather, aware-that-Riku-will-kill-him brunet) lets the man sleep, figuring he will open his sleepy eyes around noon. Sora had gotten up around ten thirty, eating breakfast and lounging about in a bored fashion until he remembered his second home. Blue, with a seventeen-point-five inch screen and a ridiculous amount of hard drive space, his Inspiron laptop is the closest thing to happiness that he'll ever find in an object. He flips up the screen, lets Windows stretch its invisible limbs, and then sets to work. To respect the silverette's slumber (he sleeps much lighter after Sora gets out of his loving grip), Sora plugs in headphones and sets about searching for Wi-Fi.

'Lo and behold, one of the administrators set up the World Wide Web; but this guy obviously had an odd sense of humor. The name of the network was an algebra equation. Sora wonders which of the camp-runners could've made it; surely not the blonde one with a severe need of an attitude adjustment. Maybe the depressed-looking one, with the funny name… Zex something. Demyx bragged about knowing him through Namine, confusing Sora about the mullet-head's sexuality. But that's all he remembers. The brunet shrugs his shoulders.

Luckily for him, algebra has always come naturally. He solves it in his head in about a minute and types in the answer as the password. Like magic, his computer connects Sora to the outside world. Facebook never looked so sweet.


Riku wakes up to giggles. Feeling groggy as usual, the silverette attempts to ignore the noise, but they keep him awake. He cracks his eyelids open and peeks at his watch. 12:01. The silverette sighs, knowing Sora will start jumping on him if he falls back asleep and snoozes till one. Stretching, Riku groans, noticing his extreme hunger and lack of energy.

"Sor… can you make me a glass of milk?" Riku grumbles, rubbing his eyes. He's too sleepy to be vindictive about the request.

No response. That's odd, Riku thinks. Usually by now Sora would ask if he wanted whole or two percent. Though most people couldn't care less about the difference, the silverette craves for a specific one on different mornings/afternoons, though there isn't necessarily a pattern to it.

"Sora…?" Riku grumbles again, a slight whine in his voice. Still no response. Growling, the silverette sits up and peers about the room to look for spiky locks of brown hair.

They peek out from behind a blue rectangle resting on the stupid plastic table. He wonders how the two dimensional rectangle is standing. Riku focuses more, fingers itching to find his glasses. But wait, oh, it's a laptop. And upon further investigation, the silverette comes to the conclusion that the white cords hanging off the table must be Sora's headphones. That bastard! He smuggled in a laptop?! And, even worse, he's using it to entertain himself without him and can't even hear him! …Sad day…

Feeling replaced, Riku wills himself to walk over there, contemplating whether to flick his nose, or tap his shoulder on the opposite side of where he is, or to close the laptop so that it scares the brunet and puts the computer to sleep. Is there a way to do all three? Riku manages to stand next to Sora for a full minute before deciding how to torture him, which proves just how enraptured the brunet is by his technology. Then he gets a wonderfully brilliant idea.

Riku bends to Sora's ear slowly, making sure not to breathe on or touch him. Then, knowing the headphones will block most the sound, Riku whispers loudly, "You will die in seven days."

Instantaneously, Sora twitches violently and whirls around, hitting Riku's shoulder and falling straight out of his chair. His bum hits the floor with a low thump. Riku's laughter cannot be held back and he laughs, gripping his side for balance and sanity.

"R-Riku!" Sora exclaims, voice slightly panicked, scared, and outraged, "What was that for!? How long were you standing there?"

"Long enough," Riku replies, still laughing, not bothering with the first question. "That... was so worth it…"

Sora pouts, "That wasn't funny! I was already watching…" The brunet pauses, and then smiles. Suddenly curious, Riku asks, "Watching what…?"

"Oh, never mind, it's nothing," Sora says, beaming, "Are you hungry?"


When Sora dragged Riku to the doors leading outside (trying to get to the cafeteria to snitch something or the other), he shuddered at the sight of rain. Literally cringed back, and whimpered like a puppy in a thunderstorm. Riku looked upon the crying sky fondly, but quickly recognized Sora's reluctance, and turned back to him. The silverette's skin raises in little goose bumps as he suddenly remembers a agonized bellow from several weeks ago when he left the forest; it had started storming out of nowhere, and Riku remembers the pang of guilt of leaving the brunet in the rain. How could he have been so heartless?

Appearing and feeling uncharacteristically sympathetic, Riku turned and asked, "You wanna stay inside today?"

Looking as though the brunet might cry, Sora nods, obviously trying to pull himself together and seem strong. But Riku has seen him angry, seen him drown, seen him happy, seen him sleep, and now scared. The masks Sora puts on daily are cracking like a clay pot put under too much heat.

The funny thing is, though, Riku likes the boy behind the mask more than the man made of porcelain.


Sora doesn't know how the hell he persuaded Riku to curl up in bed with him. He had planned to feed the silver beast and then coax him into watching YouTube videos by promising a mutual all-nighter. But the feeding part didn't go as planned; although he had heard the rain when he rose, the brunet didn't think it'd last all day. Hearing rain and seeing it are very different things, the latter being a personal attack on his psyche.

But somehow it worked in his favor. When they gave up on the idea of food and headed back to their room, the silverette took his hand and made him sprint all the way back. When Riku closed the door and locked it, Sora leaned against the wall, huffing and puffing.

"What the hell was that?"

The silverette shrugged, but stayed silent. Instead of explaining himself, he dived into bed.

Exasperated, Sora exclaimed, "Riku! What the- This isn't bedtime! I just got you up, and I-"

"Get your silly ass over here. Bring the laptop too."

Sora doesn't understand this guy at all. He ended up listening to the silverette's suggestion, and that's how he ended up side by side with the indescribable teen, under the still-warm blankets, laptop whirring in his lap. Despite himself, the warmth of Riku engulfing his left half in warmth and the soft sheets made the terror in his mind ebb away like the sky had run out of tears to shed. He sighs in relief.

Smiling softly, Sora turns his laptop on again, having shut it down when Riku scared him earlier.

"Woah, you got us connected to the internet?" Riku asks, sounding surprised.

"Yeah, didn't you notice that earlier?"

"Nah, I was… busy planning."

Scowling, the brunet replies, "Well no shit, you almost made me break my chair…"

"So~rry."

"You're not sorry at all." The brunet pouts, wishing he could cross his arms for emphasis.

Riku breathes in to reply (Sora is lifted slightly with each breath), but pauses. "Wait, what's the name of the thing?"

"What thing?" Sora asks curiously. Riku points at the Wi-Fi connector, near the algebra-equation name.

"Oh, you mean the network name?" He peers up at Riku for confirmation, but Riku merely looks confused. "I guess," he says, "I don't know why a name would be math."

"I thought it was weird too," Sora replies, giggling, "But if you can solve it, you get the password. Whoever made it is a fair sport in my opinion."

Suddenly, the silverette is pouting, "Not if you aren't good at math… Morse code would be more practical… Or Italian or something."

Suspicious, Sora inquires hesitantly, "Do… do you not like math?"

Riku looks pointedly away, but determined. "If you want the truth, I don't just dislike it; I'm terrible at it."

The brunet's eyebrows try to touch the top of his hair. "What, the Almighty Riku isn't good at something?"

"Oh no, I'm fantastic at everything. Just not that."

"Uh huh. Alright, whatever you say."

Suddenly, fingers are poking into his sides, causing Sora to squirm and laugh. The silverette asserts, "Don't question me!" and laughs along as he tortures Sora's tickle spots.

"Mercy, mercy!"

"Okay, good," the talons leave, "Now I order you to show me what you were watching earlier."

Sora looks doubtfully on the silverette, "You order me?" Riku's hands hover threateningly over Sora's tummy. "Okay, okay…. Touchy…"

Well…. Riku asked for it. Sora opens Google Chrome and gets to YouTube, searching 'Amnesia PewDiePie'.


Infernal music, that's what they use to get you. Riku glares at the YouTube screen and at the blonde, Swedish guy playing a horror game. He scowls at his own thoughts too; only when he is scared does his British vocabulary comes out to play, just like unlocking the gates of Hell. He stayed in Britain a couple years as a child- till about age seven- but then his mom swept him away to Houston where her family lived (and still do). But because those words and their pronunciations are the first he learned, they still stick.

"STEPHANOOOOO~ Where have you been this whole time? Allos, Pewdie. I have been vwaiting for you," the Swedish man commentates as he rummages through bookshelves in the game, carrying a small golden statue that he named Stephano.

The brunet in Riku's arm giggles, praising the events with a happy exclamation "Stephano!" Sheesh. He (Sora)'s the whole reason the silverette got into this mess. Riku knew that the rain spooked Sora to pieces, so he decided to let the poor guy calm down and be his cuddly self before he self-destructed from too much trauma. 'Cause everyone knows cute things can explode when put under too much pressure.

Anyway, Sora suddenly tenses and so the silverette's attention is distracted back to the screen. Pewdiepie paces down a hallway, comes across a door, and swings it open all in a short span of two seconds. But inside the room is red, silhouetting a monstrous creature, once a man, but now torn and deranged. Sora squeals, Pewdiepie gasps and starts saying random, incoherent syllables. Riku violently twitches, barely containing a yelp himself. Instead he whispers, "Bloody hell…"

"Go, go, go, go!" Sora chants, as if the insane YouTuber could hear him. "Christ, just hide in the closet!" Riku critiques, wishing the man would get away from the monster. The silverette inherently grips the brunet tighter.

Instead, Pewdiepie reaches a door that leads to another section of the house, resulting in a loading screen and evasion from the monster. Both Riku and Sora heave a sigh of relief.

"Why are we watching this?" Riku asks, doing his best to hide his accent.

Sora doesn't seem to notice. "Because it's funny and thrilling all at the same time! It's not like we're actually in any danger."

"Exactly why it's ridiculous to watch it! We are scaring ourselves for no reason! And the guy playing is a complete clot."

"But it's fu- Hey. Say exactly again?" Sora asks midsentence.

Oh, bollocks.


Sora can't believe he hadn't noticed it before. "Come on, Riku, say something else, pleeease?"

"Nope."

"Something with an 'A' in it?" the brunet pushes, just dying to hear that sexy voice again. It's foreign, non-American, but he only caught a little whiff of it. He wants to identify it, and exploit it.

The silverette glares at him, but Sora blinks innocently back at him. He sighs. "I'll just cut to the chase then. Hawrry Poltter," Sora gasps in delight and Riku rolls his eyes, "Happy now?"

"That is so awesome," Sora replies, smiling. If his face were an emoticon, it'd look like 'XD'. "Is the British accent fake or do you live in Britain or something?"

"It's not fake," Riku replies defensively, "I lived in London with my mum and dad when I was young, but when they broke up, mom took me to the 'states."

"Oh…" Sora says understandingly, "I bet that was hard."

"It wasn't that bad," Riku says vaguely, shrugging, "I can learn how to blend easily."

Sora rolls his eyes in disbelief, "Like you did at camp? You became a God on the first day even though you were wearing all black!"

The silverette uneasily looks away, "… I guess you're right. I wear what I wear to keep people away though."

Sora contemplates what he wants to say back. One makes fun of the fact that many girls, smart or not, are attracted to the dark and mysterious types, and guys sometimes like to be around them for the girls or the badass nature of the one wearing black. Therefore his attire has backfired. Or, Sora can ask why he wants to keep people away in the first place. If Riku doesn't like a lot of people around him, why is it he is okay with Sora?

The brunet decides to keep the serious mood. "Why do you want people to stay away?"

Riku looks up to the ceiling in a contemplative fashion, arms behind his head. Sora uses his photographic memory to memorize the way the silverette's brows merge, his eyes slightly squinted but still shining out like the Florida green waters he has seen on vacation. The brunet wonders if his eyes change color according to mood. Sora's eyes trail down. Riku bites his lips while thinking, stripping his pink lips of the skin and it takes every ounce of will for Sora to keep his hands still, wanting to make Riku stop hurting himself even if its innate. The blue eyes force themselves to move on. Riku's arms behind his head force his back to stretch, causing his chest to arch up and stretch the skin, exposing the obviously earned muscles on his chest and stomach.

Is Sora drooling?

Finally, Riku speaks, and Sora tucks away his mental picture, a photo the brunet will surely bring out again when he least wants to see it. "People have a tendency to complain about things that don't matter. Break ups when the relationship only lasted a month. Petty arguments between girls, or guys for that matter. Just teenager stuff. It pisses me off, so I avoid people."

"Wouldn't it be easier to blend in with normal colors than black though?" Sora asks, nervous to make Riku angry.

The question earns him a glance, but Riku responds, "I've just always felt more comfortable in black. I actually don't try to look "emo" or dark, it just happens to send that message across."

Sora can understand that. "Kind of how I look sporty when I'm really a huge nerd?"

Riku chuckles at the brunet's bluntness. "Yeah," he says with a hint of affection, "Kind of like that."


The silverette rolled away from Sora after the very exposing conversation, needing time to shake off the vulnerable feeling. And to detox from the jumpscares Amnesia offered. His stomach rumbled loudly, reiterating the point that the silverette really needed to do something other than cuddle with Sora- particularly something involving food.

So they managed to get to the cafeteria and strip the kitchen clean of food. After that they played some more video games and piddled the afternoon away, unwilling to enjoy the after-rain sunshine since so much of the grounds were flooded.

That night, though, they decided they needed to something daring and mischievous again. Well, Riku felt the need, and then passed it onto Sora with very little persuasion.

"So… what exactly is your plan tonight?" Sora asks, lacing up his huge Nike tennis shoes.

Riku slips on his (you guessed it) black vans and replies, "I think I'm going to keep this one a surprise."

"That doesn't make me feel any better. We're going to break several laws this time, aren't we?" Sora counters, voice laced with dread but also excitement. Riku notes that his restless spirit has easily infected Sora's.

"You'll see." Sora groans, obviously dying for just a hint, but Riku finds it too amusing to watch the brunet guess and flounder about with himself on whether he should trust the silverette or not. Riku adds with a smirk, "Though you'll have to get in the car first."

When they reach Larxene's car again, the adrenaline kicks in like an old friend. Sora rocks on his heels, unable to stay still as Riku brings the baby to life. The brunet clambers in as soon as the doors unlock, and Riku follows, placing his wallet in the cup-holder for their later misadventures. That's when he remembers; he forgot the key.

"Shit," Riku mumbles, trying to remember where he put it.

"What?" Sora says worriedly.

"Forgot the key. Where did we leave it?"

"Oh… I don't think we ever took it out of the car," Sora answers contemplatively. The brunet helpfully turns on the interior lights and searches his side while Riku feels around his seat and pedals.

After a tense minute, Riku's fingers brush cold metal. "Aha," the silverette grunts, "found it." He holds it up.

Suddenly Sora comments, "How ironic that Larxene gave us the key to our room, that we are now using to steal- err, rather, borrow- her car."

"True that. She deserves it though, the munter," Riku replies, the last bit mostly to himself.

"Err… sorry, but what does that mean?" Sora asks. Riku nearly face-palms, "I forget you are a lot more observant than you look."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" The silverette laughs in reply and starts the car, blazing away before they are noticed.


When Riku parks in front of a liquor store, Sora becomes very concerned.

"You have got to be joking," Sora blurts out, voice monotone and slow as if in shock.

"Nope," Sora can just hear the smirk in the silverette's tone, "But don't worry, you're staying in the car."

"What?" Sora says, suddenly irate, "Why are you leaving me in the car?"

"Hunny," Riku counters with mock-sensitivity, "You look barely over fourteen and-"

"Oh, fuck you, I might be older than you!"

"Ah, maybe so, but I look older. A nice perk to having silver hair, and having a fake I.D. Being tall helps too, and-"

"I get it," Sora replies, pouting, "Just don't get anything that will dye my insides purple."

Snickering, Riku hops out of the car. While Sora waits, he inwardly debates with himself if he'll give in to drinking; should he, should he not? If he does, the brunet does not want it to be because of peer pressure. Sora knows if he said no, Riku wouldn't care… Something tells him Riku would drink it all, with or without him. Truth is, well, Sora hasn't actually had alcohol before, unless anyone counts a sip of his mom's bloody Mary on special occasions, though he didn't particularly enjoy it. You see, when he claims to follow rules, he really follows rules. He doesn't smoke anything, doesn't sneak out, doesn't party, doesn't have sex, and doesn't turn in his homework late or procrastinate. He gets straight A's and panics when the progress report reveals a 92. His parents don't even keep track of his grades anymore. They don't ask questions about what he's doing, where he's going, because they know Sora is trustworthy.

But what is the world on the other side of the coin? When Sora snuck out with Riku last night for the drive, he didn't feel guilty, just experimental. Going through with his self-directed dare. He was scared at first, yes, but after being fed that terrible consequences always happen to those who cross the invisible lines, he didn't dare try anything on his own before. There's also the idea that maybe if Sora did everything perfectly life would feel more obligated to send the Miracle his way. But he's crossed a line, and he's been crossing lines more than once like a tic-tac-toe board ever since. It was a miracle that he'd had so much fun. It's a miracle that he's even alive today, for death has almost snatched him twice now, once not too long ago. It's a miracle that he is finally changing himself, though for better or for worse is unclear.

It would be obvious to say that Riku is his own miracle, that Sora is with him now, that they are actually… really good friends. Sora is starting to wonder… is life rewarding rebellious behavior? Or is it that Sora has simply made his own miracles? Neither sound right. Sora can almost see the answer but in his mind, the words and ideas are mere fog, a watered down feeling.

And as soon as Sora thinks he's getting to his answer, Riku climbs back into the car with a big, brown bag. Inside, glass bottles clink together from the movement. So his mind goes into overdrive:

Why do I have to debate every time something new comes up?

Mom always said to take chances, make mistakes, get messy. Magic School Bus quote. was pretty awesome though.

Well fuck it, I guess I'll try.


"Didya have fun?" Riku asks, sarcastically. "Told you I'd be able to get it."

"You are just one lucky bastard."

"Right you are! See, you haven't even had to break any rules yet. I bought the booze, and I'll be the one mixing it. I'm the one borrowing the car and driving it illegally. The only rule you that you might be breaking is curfew, and drinking alcohol, but only if you chose to." Riku winks at him, smiling in a manic 'I-got-away-with-it' way. But Riku isn't adventure-high enough to forget to make it clear that Sora still has a choice. No pressure involved, but it would be an interesting night if he took a chance. Riku doesn't drink to get drunk; he drinks for fun conversation. Though it would be a lie to say there isn't a smidge of rebellion in the incentives list.

"You are way too excited about this," Sora says, smile emerging as he begins to accept the cheer emanating from the silverette.

"Maybe you're right," Riku adopts a serious, brooding expression, "I'll get back into character then."

Sora gives him a soft hit on the shoulder, "Jackass."

Riku drives him and the bubbly brunet back to camp so that whenever they drink, he won't have to drive intoxicated. The silverette is dangerous, but preferably not deadly. Sora looks surprised when they turn into Hawkeye again, so Riku quickly explains, "I don't drink and drive."

"Oh, yeah, that's good," Sora agrees, "But we can't keep that stuff in our room, can we?"

"We'll hide it somewhere. Just trust me."

"Okay," Sora replies, the quick and honest compliance surprising the silverette. He smiles softly. Finally, some trust earned.


Riku hums when he's concentrated, Sora observes, watching the silverette mix drinks like its cake batter. It's obvious he has been on this job many times before, and the brunet can't help but wonder why. He doesn't want to assume anything, but Sora can't help but disprove. Alcohol in minors can cause brain damage, or at least slow down the maturing process. The thought makes Sora want to reconsider his choice, but his parents always said that drinking in moderation is okay. It becomes a problem when done as a habit, like drinking soda. Of course, the idea of his parents in China completely unaware of his rebellious behavior doesn't make him any less nervous.

"So uh…" Sora starts, deciding to break the silence that made him feel so awkward, "When did you start drinking?"

"Oh, uh," Riku starts immediately, instinctively responding as he is distracted, "You're probably going to find this shocking, but my mom had me mix her drinks since I turned about nine."

Sora is indeed very surprised. "What? That young? And she asked you to?"

Riku chuckles in agreement, "Yup. She's not your conventional mom."

"So… I'm guessing you drink a lot then?" Sora can't help but ask. He isn't sure why he is worried about it, why he cares whether Riku gets intoxicated or not but… Well, he wants the best for the silverette, and brain damage isn't on that list.

Even Riku seems to shy at the question, thinking of the best way to answer. "Hmm… I wouldn't say that. When I was young, I'd take sips of mom's stuff, but it was never serious. When I got old enough to know about parties, I would go to those and would take a beer or two… but like I said it was never serious," Riku pauses to contemplate more. "Let me put it this way. I never get drunk. I barely let myself get tipsy, because I think the purpose of alcohol should be more open conversation, not to be stupid."

Sora nods, feeling much relieved even though he can't relate. At least the teen isn't a drunk before he even reaches eighteen like so many others at his high school. "I agree," Sora says, smiling. He turns his attention to the drink in Riku's hand. "So, what is that called?"

"Haha, you wanna know?"

"Well yeah, gotta make sure you aren't poisoning me or…"

"Aww… don't you trust me by now? If you must know, it's a margarita, on the rocks though. Don't have a blender." The silverette hands Sora the drink. He winks. "Don't worry; I won't let you have enough that you'll get sick."

Sora gulps, not knowing what 'on the rocks' means, or why Riku would need a blender. The drink looks slightly green, so he assumes it must be lime-y. Riku, leaning on the table near the warily sitting Sora, takes a sip of his own.

Sora decides to follow suit, carefully lifting the cup, a little amused by how the glass is already cold. He lets the taste stay in his mouth; very citrusy limes, and a foreign taste. The limes are definitely there to dampen the other flavor; it's hardly tolerable. He makes a face, but takes another sip. The allure is still there, though the brunet cannot fathom why.

Riku laughs, commenting, "Wow, I didn't think you were serious when you said you hadn't drunk before." Sora attempts to straighten out his face, but his nose is stuck in a tense facial expression.

"So when exactly do we start feeling weird?" He takes another mouthful.

"You'll know," Riku says, taking another sip just to make it look easy.


About thirty minutes later, the silverette can tell Sora is a little tipsy, which surprises Riku. Usually by now, a new-drinker would be on the edge of drunk, but apparently Sora isn't a light weight. Either way though, Riku knows it's time to stop giving the brunet drinks. This is actually good for him too, as he is pretty much done as well. He drank faster than his friend, so he has more in his system but he knows his limit. He hides the liquor in the bathroom cabinets and then sits on the couch with Sora, who is lounging across the entire thing.

"You gonna make me space?"

"Hmm…. Maaaaybe. What will you give me for it?" The tipsy Sora is teasing and daring, a note Riku makes in his personal inventory.

The first response Riku thinks of is spoken, "Uh, I'll answer any question you want?" The boy has been asking him things all night, so the offer is bound to get him a comfy spot on the couch. Preferably next to him, of course.

The brunet jumps at this chance, sitting up and making space for him immediately. However, his movements are clumsy and his facial expression is confused, as if dizzy. Riku plops himself down unnecessarily close to Sora, asking, "World spinning?"

"Nah…" Sora replies, "My head just feels heavy. It's weird." Riku laughs, nodding in a clumsy way too.

"So I can ask you anything I want now?"

"Sure, fire away." Usually Riku would put up more of a fight, but the silverette is curious. Also, there is a good chance Sora won't remember most the details of whatever he says, so there isn't much harm.

Sora pensively touches his chin in the classic pose and then says, "I guess I'll just start with the basics. What's your normal life like?" Even though it's a simple question, the curiosity emanating from Sora is so obvious it makes the silverette want to smile.

"Well… I kind of live in the ghetto really. So most the time, I'm trying to save my hide because I have a knack at being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That's why I can wrestle so well; it's a useful skill on the streets. So, lots of fighting, lots of drugs, sex, and alcohol." Catching Sora's alarmed expression, Riku amends, "I don't do drugs or sex though, just a drink here and there at parties, like I said before. I mean that all that stuff is around me a lot."

There Riku realizes how strange his life must be compared to most. Most people consider drinking a step away from sinning, a habit used by adults only to relax. Kids use it to escape from their reality, thinking they're invincible, to chase the devils of life with a smile. Riku never saw it that way; being used to it constantly around him, he never saw the harm considering he learned how to control it so young. Even worse, he's been exposed to worse filth, like one night stands and drugs, ranging from weed to cocaine. The silverette had never been interested in the either options but suddenly he feels tainted by his own world. A pang of guilt picks at his heart for even buying alcohol out here.

"Oh…" Sora says, looking worried but also fascinated, "Why do you get in fights?"

Riku coughs uncomfortably, slightly regretting his promise to answer any question. "It… depends. Fight clubs get me extra cash if I win and when my mom hits a hard spot…. I do anything I can. Otherwise, it's just punks trying to prove their dominance and they assume the kid in all black will be an easy target. I guess I kind of wear black for the irony, not just 'cause I like it. Emo kid packs a punch," Riku snorts at the joke and Sora smiles, replying, "You have a point there. I'd have never guessed… I'm sorry you have to fight for money though… it sounds dangerous…" Riku can't help but nod, thinking of all the fights he has won and lost. Either way, someone in the ring gets hurt.

"I always thought it was just a part of where I lived," Riku says, making excuses for himself though he knows it's a weak one. He knows that if he really tried, he could have gotten him and his mom in a better part of town. But he never wanted to, feeling as though they deserved the filth they lived in.

"But if you guys barely scrape by, how did you get here?" Sora suddenly asks, as if a light bulb had flickered on above his head.

"Oh, uh," that's a good question, "Mom never really explained how she got the money. She just told me it was for my own good. But I've had the suspicion my dad has something to do about it."

Sora looks curious again. "What's he like?"

Riku scowls, looking like he might spit, "He's just a normal bloke, lives in London. I never see him, nor do I want to. He let mom take me away and stick me in the lowest rung on the social ladder, so I just assume he doesn't want to see me or have anything to do with me. Good riddance."

Sora frowns, "I'm sure he loves you… probably just feels helpless. It's exceedingly hard to take a kid away from the mom, concerning custody. It's even worse than adopting." The silverette raises his eyebrows. How would he know about either thing?

"It's too late anyway…" Riku says, a little regretful, "I'm seventeen already. There would be no point in taking me away now." He pauses, making a quick decision, "So what about you? Got any parent issues?"

Sora immediately fidgets, biting his lip. Before the brunet backs down, Riku goads, "I answered your questions honestly, so it's only fair." Sora sighs.

"Alright. I've just never actually told anyone so I'm not sure how to start." Riku waits patiently, suddenly very curious and worried.

"My real parents died when I was young…. Hurricane. The parents I have now adopted me, though they think I don't remember my biological family. The psych said told them I probably repressed the memories, and I let them believe it so I wouldn't have to talk about it."

The silverette is almost lost for words. "I'm… I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Sora says, still fidgeting, expression full of sorrow, "I mean, it's my fault they are gone anyway."

Riku is very doubtful. "What do you mean? How can it be your fault?"

Sora is unable to keep eye contact as his eyes fill with tears. Riku barely resists the urge to hug him. "They sent me out to find help; I was the only one small enough to get out of the house because some of the walls had collapsed and stuff like that. But I got lost and didn't find help. By the time someone found me, it was too late. We checked my old house and found the bodies-" The brunet's voice chokes, "You know, the news loves to talk about those who lost their homes to the hurricane… but they never talk about those who lost their lives."

After several moments of thick silence, the silverette asks quietly, "How old were you when this happened?"

"Six," Sora says, sighing and sniffling.

Riku is almost outraged that Sora would blame himself when it all happened when he was so young. "You were so little, Sora… It's not your fault you got lost, it's not like you could have known where to go…"

"But they were still relying on me…"

"Are you so sure?"

The lithe brunet pauses, as if taken aback by the question. Maybe he is. "I… I don't know."

The silence crashes into the room again like a flash storm, and Riku isn't sure if he should ask a different question or wait for Sora to speak again. Usually, the silverette knows how to handle people, no matter who they are. But Sora has always been different, too full of light to be predicted.

Luckily for him, Sora suddenly continues, "But you know… My foster parents have done nothing but love me to bits. They shaped me into who I am, what I believe in. And I am grateful for that," the brunet turns back to the silverette, smiling even has a tear or two rolls down his cheeks.

Riku thinks about how much his mom has put up with for him, even though she is an equal pain in the rear. Neither Sora nor Riku had control on their fate when their tragedies struck, but it's obvious that Sora's response to his was much more mature. Although life is about making mistakes and learning from them, the brunet decided to skip out and play it safe, but even that is better than the silverette's response; breaking all the rules, taking too many chances.

"Speaking of things I believe in…" Sora continues, looking more shy than depressed now, "what do you believe in?" Oh yeah. The brunet is the one supposedly asking the questions.

The silverette could say so much, yet he feels as if he knows so little. "I don't have conventional beliefs…. Uh, how do I explain this…" As the silverette mutters to himself, Sora tilts his head to the side, cutely showing his curiosity. "I believe in the big man upstairs, and fate. But as you can see, I'm far from a saint. I guess I've been waiting for something to happen… to change my life and in turn, me."

"Like a miracle?" Sora interrupts. Riku isn't sure why, but Sora is absolutely beaming, smiling ear to ear. Such a dramatic change from the tears only a couple minutes ago. Probably a side effect from the alcohol, but nonetheless, Riku wonders what he did right.

"Yeah, exactly like that. Though… Lately I've been feeling iffy about it. I feel like it only works if fate is helping, and you're willing to change."

Sora nods, replying, "I know exactly what you mean. I always thought it was just the Miracle I needed but… well there's just more to it, even if I don't understand it yet."

Suddenly the brunet yawns, and since he's probably still head-heavy, his balance is thrown off and he leans on Riku. In reality, it's more as if Sora fell on him sitting down. But, acting on instinct as it is harder to think things through, the silverette wraps his arm around the brunet's shoulder to allow him to rest on him. The brunet sighs in contentment. "I'm so glad I found someone else who thinks like I do," Sora mutters, still completely serious, but his cuteness coming back as well.

"Yeah," Riku replies affectionately, "Me too."


Soon the conversation dies out and Sora slips away to dreaming, breathing lightly. The silverette decides to let him sleep, so he lifts the brunet up and carries him to their shared bed, careful to be gentle and noiseless. Riku decides that changing into pajamas would take too much effort so he tucks them both in clumsily, still feeling uncoordinated and impulsive. They will definitely sleep well tonight.

Riku watches Sora for a few moments, the curve of his face, the button nose, his dark and long eyelashes… It reminds him of a tan snow white having a spikey bad hair day. He chuckles to himself; only Sora could pull off being a princess and a guy all at the same time. He holds the brunet closer, glad that out of all the questions he had asked, sexuality was not among them.

The turquoise eyes are drooping to a close, and Riku's head is getting heavy. He has one more thought before he falls asleep, one that he acts on before he can even think twice. His lips touch Sora's softly, sending a chill down his spine and warmth to his chest. He holds the moment, hoping and praying he won't forget it tomorrow morning. It'd be a miracle if he did.

Unable to hold his head up another second, he lets himself collapse gently onto the pillow next to him, separating the two teens. If he were more conscious, he'd be disappointed about the loss. However, Riku's thoughts trickle away mere seconds after his head touches the fabric and his body relaxes. The silverette's mind gives in to his personal dreamland, filled with a short brunet friend and keyblades.


A/N: So NOW you guys know more about Riku. And Riku knows more about Sora. And, and, and... I had a lot of fun with this chapter. Not only that, I have been watching Dream Drop Distance while writing, so I'm fangirling. While I was writing the kiss scene, Riku was talking in a cutscene and made me happy XD.

So tell me what you think! :D Thank you to all my reviewers, they have made writing this so much fun! Updates hopefully soon!