Chapter 11: Simplicity

True to his word, Sora ends up at the pool with the others. Clad in his swimming trunks and goggles, he sits at the awkward slanted edge of the pool, next to the shallow end. This is the closest to the cool water he is willing to go; cross-legged and inches away from the edge itself. Though Axel, Roxas, T.K., Ventus, and even Chris (Sora's other cabin-mate who usually loiters over by the girls' groups) splish and splash and hoot and holler, they all seem to understand that under no circumstances should they even attempt to splash the wary brunet.

Xion didn't even change out of his clothing. A few minutes after Sora picked his spot, the mysterious dark-haired male meandered over and plopped himself down next to the brunet in his normal khaki shorts and black hoodie. His puffy black Vans accidentally tap Sora's bare feet, still cold from being against the cafeteria floor.

After a few taciturn, complacent moments between them, Sora asks, "Aren't you hot in the hoodie? It's like, one-hundred-and-five degrees out here."

The black haired teen shakes his head, staring down at his twiddling thumbs. The poor boy's boredom must have reached an all-time high, but Sora doesn't notice. Still feeling the enchantment from his conversation with the slumbering silveret, the brunet continues, "You know, I wish I knew what your voice sounded like. Every time I try to imagine the sound, it doesn't seem right."

The brunet doesn't expect a reply, of course, so his eyes naturally stray to the commotion in the pool. He hears the shuffle of cotton cloth, suggesting perhaps that Xion shrugged his shoulders, but already Sora is far, far away. Maybe the chlorine water is influencing Sora's eyes, but they reflect green as he watches Axel and Roxas playing again. The grass always seems greener on the other side, but no one could possibly deny the rare carefree nature the two seemed to share.

That's when he hears a soft chuckle next to his ear. Startled, he turns his head to the source. His eyes widen as he watches Xion's mid-laugh, open mouth.

"Oh Sora… We all have our secrets."

The voice was entirely feminine, sweet and soft with a motherly, gossamer quality to it. The sound stuns the brunet beyond words, but as his brain registers and files the experience away, the pieces of Xion and her voice match up much better than the voice he had attempted to construct in place of silence.

"L-like?" Sora asks out of instinct, bewildered. The stupidity of the question brings an embarrassment-induced twinge onto his cheeks, but his gaze continues steadily on the girl.

Finally, she lets down the hoodie and returns his gaze with a bright, indigo stare. Every perception he had constructed for her has been shattered by the bold, indignant gaze. Xion isn't weak or traumatized as everyone had thought. Hell, Xion isn't even a 'he'. All this time her personality had been shapeless and foggy with assumptions and reluctance to pursue anything concerning her. Sora knows the instant he meets her gaze that none of them knew anything about her because they hadn't asked. From the beginning, all Sora has been concerned with is himself, though the others seem no different in their motives. What a sad world in which no one chases anyone else. All for one… and none for all.


Ouch, that hit him right in the feels. Playing sick was supposed to be Riku's ticket to freedom of thought and formulation. But he realized that if he were really considering Sora, he'd know that the considerate and insecure male would wind up checking up on the brooding silveret eventually. But unfortunately for him, the visit opened up several new avenues of questions, leaving few answers behind.

It is really hot in the cabin. The irony of playing sick is that if anyone catches you awake, you have to act cold- fever, you know?- but the temperature has made a goal to become tangible. Every time Riku switches position, he feels as though his clothes, sticking to him slightly now, protest. The air itself seems trapped by the temperature, choking Riku as a scapegoat.

But maybe his lungs struggle because of the tight knot of his chest, instead of the formidable heat.

Riku doesn't know what to think anymore. On one side of his dilapidated heart, guilt eats at him every step he takes away from Sora; it feels so wrong, it might as well be number eleven on the Ten Commandments. On the other side, he aches. In the center, he knows that he'll never meet someone so… good ever again, and just that alone kills him. Riku is good, but bad at it. Sora is good and very, very good at it.

But good people break first. His mom was good once, and then one little YOLO moment sent her from Hannah Montanna to Britney Spears. All his father wanted was a quiet, little life, but in order to obtain it he had to reject his own flesh and blood. He did it, and from that moment on he was never the same. To top it off, none of his Houstonian friends seem to know the difference between a conscience and con-science. Though Riku never knew them when they were 'good', he sure as hell knows they aren't now. After a while, he got so sick of it, enough that it made him physically ill.

That's when he met Mikey. Mikey was one of those people who couldn't be bad. We aren't talking about some Michael Jackson routine; the kid would tear up at the sight of road kill. He was a genius too; give him any mathematical or scientific problem and he'd solve it before anyone else had the time to read the question through. However, if someone got hurt, if someone started to cry, if someone mentioned a tragedy somewhere else in the world, the emotion would quickly overwhelm him. It couldn't be helped; it was a part of who he was. But he was in the wrong place to be so emotionally empathetic. Riku saw people waste away, degenerate, every day and after a while the silveret barely noticed- but Mikey did. He kept a brave face, but it bothered him. And bothered him.

Riku still doesn't really understand. There was no warning. Riku had dropped him off, pushing him brotherly out of the front seat passenger side of his car, saying, "Go on, Mikey, do your homework… build me a fuckin' rocket too… douchebag genius."

The curly-haired kid stumbled out and recovered. Mikey's rich laugh drifted all the way back to the silveret in the front driver's seat. "Hey!" he called back teasingly, "Hate me now, you'll work for me later."

"Touché…" He laughs again, and Riku allows himself a chuckle. Deep down, Riku was proud to have a friend like him; smart, and so pure of heart. He'd be honored to work for him someday. That was the sick part.

"Well, see ya, Riku," Mikey bid adieu, waving as he disappeared behind his front door.

"See ya, dude."

And the next morning, Mikey's mom called him sobbing. He couldn't even understand the distraught woman's words but it didn't take him more than ten minutes to barge into his home and search for Mikey. He didn't find him. He found the body though.

It was a simple and obvious suicide. There was a cliché little note; so little Riku can't ever get it out of his head, no matter how much he drinks. He searches the individual letters for some profound explanation but never finds one. All it said was: "Please don't degenerate". His mom only had a vague inclination to what it meant, so she assumed the note was at least partially written for her. But the silveret knows it was written for him; it was Riku's joke to call the broken and the drugees and the dropouts 'degenerates', because that's what they were. Nonetheless, in retrospect the callousness Riku would frequently display stings him, even now. He always wondered if it played a part in Mikey's final thoughts. Riku fruitlessly blames himself.

Riku thought for a long time that he had already broken Mikey's final request to him, but he made it a goal to re-generate, to gain back some inkling of awareness and control of himself. That's when the trouble started, when Riku just couldn't seem to get out of his messed up habits and lifestyle.

Riku sighs, genuinely feeling nauseous as the chaos of his life overwhelms him. Why couldn't things be simple, just once? Why can't he be good, and good at it too? And why does it have to be so hard to make things right? He's just one man- not even that yet, if he's honest with himself. Though his pride screams at the thought, Riku realizes that maybe, just maybe, he can't get through all this alone.


"WOAH!" Axel cries out, dramatically freezing in mid-chase of Roxas. "Xion, I don't- fucking- shit- WOAH!" Only a moment later, he dives under the water towards Sora and Xion. Roxas, suddenly aware that the monster has been distracted, glances over. Even Roxas does a double-take, and Ventus jumps up and down.

"Oh Xion you're so pretty!"

Roxas sputters, glaring at Ventus as if he brought out the baby pictures. "Ven-tus, Xion isn't a-"

Axel pops up from the water, splashing Sora and Xion in his excitement. Sora violently twitches, and Axel quickly apologizes, but then immediately turns his attention back to the female. "YOU'RE A FUCKING GIRL!?"

Roxas' jaw drops, face flushing. T.K. dances over to the scene of the crime, spurring gleefully, "Haw-tuh babes!" Somehow, this only causes Roxas to blush more.

"Will you keep your voices down?" Xion exclaims desperately, forgetting her pact of silence.

"IT SPOKE! ROXY IT SPOKE!"

The flustered blonde replies, "Well fucking shit," as he shuffles through the water as though coming from the shame corner. Sora observes somewhat amused as Chris looks left and right awkwardly, wondering if he should join the group or back out. Sora beckons him over. The light-brunet sheepishly swims over, seemingly reassured by Sora's accepting call.

Xion, unaccustomed to being the center of attention, blushes bright red as all the testosterone-filled males surround her. She mumbles, "I need a rape whistle…"

Ventus, still entranced by her presence, squinches his forehead and asks, "Rox, what's a rape whistle?"

Shaking his head, Roxas says gruffly, "Nothing, … uh. So you're really a girl?"

Looking slightly incredulous, the black-haired girl nods, but slowly as if she weren't sure of the fact herself. Axel, almost vibrating from excitement (not THAT kind of excitement, sheesh), says, "I've always wanted a girl for a friend. How-de-do, miss?"

"What happened to Namine?" Sora cuts in.

"Manners are disgusting on you," Roxas says with a glare.

"She doesn't count, she was fragile," Axel retorts. "Namine was a true bro though, too," he concedes as an afterthought.

"What, I'm not bro?" Xion says, trying to regain some normality.

"You look so cuddley, I just wanna give you ice cream…" Axel admits, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. Roxas blushes bright red again, though his eyes seem aflame.

Disturbed, Xion begins to lift her hood back. Ventus says, "Oh no, Xion, come back!" His pout face seems too much for even the previously-mute girl and she gives in. "That's a warning, Axel." Her voice suggests a mixture of joke and serious. The redhead shrugs in reply.

"Don't worry, if I were hitting on you I would've asked if you came here often. I'm just recoiling in shock."

"O….kaaay…." she relents, somewhat unsure of how to read Axel. She glances at Sora for a moment, sheepish and he realizes that she really didn't mean to reveal herself to everyone. The brunet mouths 'sorry' but she shrugs in surrender.

"Man, Riku is missing a lot," Sora says, thinking aloud.

Nodding, Roxas replies, "Yeah… I think Imma go check on him." He seems to consider it for a moment, then decides, "I'm getting pruny anyway."

"Oh but Roxy you're so cute when you're pruny! Lemme help you fix it!"

"WHY are you SO creepy!?" Roxas exclaims, swimming away from him rapidly to escape the pool. Sora sighs and Xion giggles.

"Why can't it be that simple?" the brunet thinks aloud.

"It can be," she reassures. They stand together.

"Let's head to the cafeteria," she concedes, patting Sora on the back, "The trauma has made me hungry."

Giggling, Sora says with a smile, "Well, alright."


When Axel walks in, Riku is playing on his DS. The silveret is so bored of the game he openly looks over to see who arrived.

"You don't look sick to me," Axel says bluntly.

Ignoring the statement, the silveret replies, "Where's Roxas?"

A slightly protective glare reaches the silveret but the redhead manages to say calmly, "He's in the showers. He apparently can't stand the chlorine on his body."

"Wait, you guys went swimming?"

"Yeah," Axel says, smirking in memory, "You missed out."

Riku, sitting up abruptly, interrogates, "On what? What happened?"

A million scenarios go through his mind. Did Sora swim? Did he get hurt again? Or was he successful? What if he missed it?

"I'll let her tell you," Axel laughs, distantly, "Sora might catch you up too though. I was just a witness."

"Damnit, Axel, why can't you just spill?"

"It's funnier this way."

Riku holds back an annoyed growl. Although the silveret can usually appreciate the redhead's style, he wasn't feeling it today. Secrecy isn't his thing.

A moment of silence passes before Axel continues casually, "What's going on between you and Sora anyway?"

Riku glares, unaccustomed to anyone intruding into his business. "What do you mean?"

Axel picks at the wood on his bunk-bed, pretending to be concentrated on it. "Well, the second camp started up and you guys were clearly all buddy-buddy, but now you're not. Sora's complicated but you are more so. So it must be your fault. Hence I'm asking you."

Riku is almost too bewildered to be offended, but some of the irritation seeps in. "Nothing I can say will answer your question…"

"Yes it will, you just gotta talk. Don't tell me you can't because I saw a freakin' mute talk today…" He chuckles, turning from the bed frame to his clothes in a haphazard pile on Roxas's bed.

The silveret is disgruntled, to say the least. Axel, like many of the others here, is much more observant than he looks. Riku knows that they are at least friends; maybe not close but they are farther along than acquaintances. His conscientious code whispers that he deserves at least some honesty, but the prospect of 'spilling' unnerves him. Talking to Sora had been so natural once they established their friendship, but because of that now he needs a Swiffer broom to whisk away the cobwebs blocking his social skills.

Riku sighs, reluctant, "I don't want to make it awkward."

"Ah… we're getting somewhere. Riku, I come from some fucked up places, nothing scares me."

Riku rolls his eyes, but relents. "Alright, well you fucking asked for it."

"That I did," he admits. He shuffles through his clothes some more, seemingly searching for something specific. After a moment he finds it, and the silveret leans slightly to attempt peeking at whatever Axel was looking for.

"What are you-" Riku asks frustrated, only to be silenced as a very familiar bottle of alcohol is shoved into his hands. He looks down at it in shock. "Shit," he mutters, "Axel, how the hell did you get this?"

"Found it," he says vaguely. "Anyway, drink some. It'll dilute some of the drama king out of the story." The redhead smirks devilishly.

"You are such an asshole," Riku says, untwisting the top.

"Aww, you're starting to sound like Roxy."

Riku makes a disgusted face and glares at Axel again, who continues to smirk as if he established some sort of alpha-male status. The silveret tells himself- and convinces himself- that he's taking the alcohol because one, he bought it, and two, desperate times call for desperate measures. Everything logical he has tried to sort his shit out has epically failed so far, so why not do something stupid and out of character to attempt to change something?


They drank as much as they could before Roxas came back. T.K. was, according to Axel, wrapped up in a pool match (Ventus keeping score) with some other guys in the table cabin (a.k.a, game room) so the sour blonde was the only one they had to worry about. By the time he knocked on the cabin door, ("Who the fuck locked it?" "Roooooxxxxyyyyy, I'm shorry, I'llettyoo in") the bottle was almost empty and Riku was able to haphazardly hide it before Roxas entered the room.

"What the hell is wrong with you two?" Roxas questions, glancing suspiciously between them. Axel, already slightly tipsy (maybe just pretending to be, Riku isn't sure), says stupidly, "Nuthin."

Roxas, taking his stupidity as normality, rolls his eyes and says, "Well… I'm pretty tired. If you guys are going to stay up, would you go somewhere else?" The fatigued irritation is evident even through the eyes of a drunk, so Riku steps into the conversation, "Yeah, we can go for a bit." He glances to Axel, trying to convey the message but he isn't sure what went through the redhead's mind. He continues to look stupidly at Roxas, who is blushing under his gaze.

The redhead stands, "Well… I guess I'll let you alone for now. Ny-night, Roxy."

Climbing into bed, Roxas mumbles, "Night, Axel."

He beams at Riku, face screaming, 'didya see that? He said goodnight to me! And said my name!'

Riku sighs and drags him out of the room, suddenly sure that whatever Riku would say about Sora would not be awkward to Axel at all.


Sora sits against the back wall outside the cafeteria, talking to Xion. He feels terrible for never attempting to get to know her now that he understands she was waiting for it all along. Although he rectifies the guilt from neglect by his actions now, he admits to himself that this is a great distract-er from Riku and that whole mess, which may be a reason for his heightened interest.

"Sorry about the onslaught earlier," Sora apologizes, opening the conversation. He watches as she attempts to climb a tree a short distance away. She hangs from a branch for a minute, and then squinches her face as the bark rips up her hands and drops.

"It's fine," she huffs, looking contemplatively at the tree, "It's my fault anyway."

"Well… why did you pretend to be a guy anyway?" Sora asks, trying to keep the conversation going.

"Oh. I think that was just an accident. The girl at the desk, the bitchy blonde one, took one look at me and thought I was a guy. She accepted my parent's paperwork, snappily handed me a key to the cabin and that was it. It took me awhile to figure out what cabin she meant…. But there you go."

This doesn't surprise Sora but it opens the doors to a lot more questions. She still isn't quite adding up.

"Why didn't you ask for a girl's dorm though? Isn't it awkward?"

"Nope. I have like…" she counts for a second, eyes toward the setting sky, "five brothers? I actually preferred it. Girls annoy me, so I decided to keep it a secret."

Sora would normally defend the feminine race, but his puzzlement on Xion shuffles the thoughts away. "I thought it was a lot more complicated than that…" Sora admits, picking at a pimple on his arm. She contemplates him for a moment, then returns to her tree, flipping herself into it.

"Not everything has to be complicated, you know."

Affronted, Sora says, "What do you mean?"

"You walk around like the world is on your shoulders. You think about yourself too much."

The brunet blushes, somewhat miffed and somewhat ashamed of himself. "Well what about you? I mean, one minute you're all doom and gloom in your hood, the next you're climbing a tree."

Sora tries not to say it aggressively, but the bite in his words still leak through. Xion doesn't seem to mind though.

"I'm not very good with secrets is all. I kept my hood up so you guys wouldn't see my feminine face and I didn't talk for the same reason. Simple."

The way she says 'simple' bothers Sora quite a lot. "Not everyone can be so "simple" like you, Xion."

"Why not, Sora?"

She drops from the tree again. Sora glares at her, finally fully annoyed with her carefree meanderings.

"Have you ever had something bad to you?" His gaze burns, gushing his emotions onto her as if his eyes alone could unleash a tidal wave against her.

Still, she seems unaffected. "Hasn't everyone?"

"You know that's not what I mean." Sora, uncomfortable sitting, stands and leans against the wall.

Xion and her calm, purple eyes meander beside him. "What do you mean, Sora?"

"I don't fucking know!" Sora swears, "Will you stop turning my questions like a merry-go-round?"

"I'm just saying that you seem to expect a long, complicated story about myself. But I don't have one. I have five brothers, a step mom and my dad. My mom died when I was young, but I don't remember it so I let her go. God brought me a step-mom to take care of me and a dad to give me security and brothers to raise me. Why make it complicated?"

"But don't you wonder about your mom? Don't you wish you could remember her?"

"Of course," she says simply, "But I know if I was her, she'd want me to be happy for the things I can have now. I'll see her again. I need to live my life first though."

All Sora could think was "she just doesn't get it. She has no idea. It's not that easy for me." It was a mantra, running over and over again in his mind. She was a simple person with a simple mind and simple heart. He wasn't. Too much had happened. Maybe he had been simple for a while, in middle school when he had no friends and he didn't talk. But he can't go back to that just as much as he can't go back to when he was with Riku and everything was as simple as it could get.

Sora grits his teeth. He could say that he preferred her when she was silent. He wanted to tell her to sit still and fucking listen. He wanted to somehow force her to understand. But he didn't truly wish such treatment on anyone. He wouldn't let himself say such bitter, biting words to her; but he knows that he needs to leave. He is too angry. It is foolish anger, directed at the intangible idea of simplicity. He didn't want to take it out on her.

"Xion… I need to go," Sora says with difficulty.

"Okay," she says with slight concern. Her mouth tenses as if she wants to say something more, but after a split second she relents. "See yah, Sora."

"Yeah…" Sora says, tense and dejected, "See ya."


"Gah, maaahn, you are so complicated," Axel slurs, waving his hands at the air.

"It's not like I can help it," Riku replies sadly, "I'm the only one who thinks at home…"

"You are a depressing drunk."

"Axel, shuddap. No one cares about you."

"My feeeeeeeels~~~"

"I'm serious, Axel, I don't fuckin' know whatta do."

"Well the first step…" he says slowly, "is to admit that you really, really care about Sora."

"I don't like that step. What's the next one?"

"Then you need to get over yourself-"

"Hey!"

"And then kiss him on his big pink lips."

"I'm not using your seduction plans, Axel."

"But they work so well," he says, shocked.

Riku sighs. "This was so stupid, you are absolutely useless. I can't believe I let you drink my liquor."

"Duuuuude that was yours? How'd you get it?!"

"That's irrelevant," Riku says, smirking at the fact he finally has an upper hand in the conversation.

"If you tell me, I'll give you genuine advice," Axel goads, wiggling his absurdly red eyebrows.

"Axel," Riku says sighing, "How the bloody hell did you get your eyebrows red?"

"Well, Mr. British-Accent, it's all nat-ur-ale. But back to business. I promise. I'll somber up and give you advice. But I needa know where you got teh alcohol."

The silveret glares at the pouting lump of useless. He considers it despite himself. I really must have drank too much, he thinks to himself, weighing his options. Even if he tells Axel, it's not as if the redhead will find a way to get there, unless he knows how to hijack a car. Part of him wonders, but… Well. Meh. Fuck it.

"It's about two miles down the street we're on. The road turns into a little town and ta-da."

Instantaneously, the redhead sits upright, winks and says, "Thank you for your cooperation. Now what was I saying?"

That two-faced little bastard.


A/N: Hey guys! This was kind of a quick update, I'm proud of myself! :D I feel bad for Sora and Riku though. One will start to feel better, and then the other one will feel worse... then they'll get better, and then the other one will find a new problem. Lol I promise theres a purpose to it XD

Oh, oh, oh! Like the axel/roxas in the background? Axel is the most fun to write for, he cracks me up. Anyway, I need to stop talking. Merp.

Because winter finals are coming up in a few weeks, I probably wont be able to update until around Christmas time. I'm going to work on it whenever I can, but in all probability, that's the most likely unless I make shorter chapters. I also need to update my oneshot series. ._.

Thank you guys for all the support, it has been so much fun writing this story and Imma continue to do so! Happy fanfic-ing, and happy/merry (insert holiday)!

Love, Hannahble~