A/N: I know that I've been slacking off recently… But its better to cut my boring "somewhat legit" excuse and just skip to the story. Oh and my comments for the new Kindom Hearts Dream Drop Distance 3D: Riku. Got. A. Haircut! OMG!

Well hope you guys enjoy. -8989™

-Racing Madness-

Sora realized that he was positioned in a red kart made of metal bars. To him, the thing didn't look one bit safer compared to Riku's driving. The vehicle had black flames on the sides where the doors should be, but instead there were two thick bars that ran down from the front all the way behind the seats.

The thing that scared Sora the most was there was no seatbelts. No seatbelts meant insanity. In all of his 17 years of existence, he's been depending on the thick belt to buckle him in and assure him that he still had tomorrow to look forward to. Luckily, Riku wasn't the one driving this thing. A kart only sat one person. Meaning that as long as he was careful, he wouldn't get any broken bones.

Hopefully…

"Looking a bit pale there Sora!" Riku teased from the yellow car in front that had its wheel's spokes decorated with blue spirals. It looks like that it was custom made for him. Now that Sora thought about it, his friend did come frequently when he was little. It was no surprise that his kart along with his helmet matched him perfectly.

"I'm fine."

"I see you still haven't recovered from that?"

The brunette was about to fire a long line of insults and show that jerk a piece of his mind when he realized that the voice wasn't masculine at all. Moreover, it came from behind him.

"Xion?"

"Wow, you know my name now!" She chirped. She was off the charts with enthusiasm for such a gloomy day. Especially on Sora's standards.

But before he could send a comeback through his helmet, a waiting signal flashed up on the digital screen positioned above them. Two columns of lights appeared on the screen.

Yellow flashed.

Sora's hand tightened on the wheel.

Yellow flashed again.

Sora's feet were positioned directly above the pedal.

Yellow flashed again.

What the heck? Why does yellow flash three times? For someone who has never actually drove a vehicle before, all Sora about driving were from experiencing Riku's mad driving. He knew that the traffic lights had three colors and every time you hit a red light, you should do the opposite of what Riku did every time.

The light flashed green.

Sora lifted his foot to floor the accelerator when he noticed that nobody else was moving. Green means go right?

Red neon light lit up the digital display screen. Alright, so green light might not mean to go but I know red light definitely tells me to…

His deep thoughts were cut off by the roaring of engines. When the boy realized what had happened, the other eleven karts had already covered a good fifty meters.

Sora shook off his daze and sped after the others.

Surprisingly, the car was really powerful. The frail looking bars that rattled when he took corners didn't break down as expected. The motor hummed with mechanical tune and when he sped up on straight drives, the motor would roar and propel the kart with tremendous power.

Wind rushed through the gaps between the kart and his clothes flapped against his skin. Hey, this doesn't feel too bad-

The brunette narrowly dodged vehicle that rammed into the wall of tires ahead of him. That's one down and ten more to-

Another vehicle ahead of him took a turn at an unreasonable angle and spun out of control. Sora narrowly survived with a clear turn with an extra pump from the accelerator and slid past the vehicle that was now madly spinning like a top.

Seat belts… They really need seat belts on these-

Wam!

A flying tire nearly took his head off. It turned out that the driver behind Xion wanted to pass her and couldn't stop. Out of the corners of Sora's eyes, he saw a few people wearing blue work suits with the flaming tire logo printed on their backs rushing towards the crash accident with fire extinguishers.

Sora snuck another glance on the other side of the track and saw Riku taking the lead followed by a few others who were not nearly as close to him to cause any real threat. The silver haired boy had a neutral. It's like this came naturally for him.

The red helmet driver who had brown spikes sticking out from the openings of his helmet returned his focus on the road and drove around another contestant who pushed his kart too hard and managed to burn out the engine.

After a few laps, he managed to get the hang of driving.

Alright. Decrease gear, add power, steer wheel. The black flamed red kart slid past a corner.

Shift gear up, step on accelerator. The car zipped past three others in the stretch.

Acute corner coming up… Slowly let down the break and release feet on the pedal… Turn… Now! Sora's vehicle took the corner smoothly and sneaked past an unaware driver.

It was down to four contestants.

And Sora's kart didn't look so great. In the last few laps, the brunette noticed that the car stuttered whenever he shifted gears or hit the breaks. It wasn't going to hold out much.

By now, he had already zipped past Xion, who was too busy to keep the other contestant at bay to notice, and was on to tailing Riku. To be honest, the guy was professional at this. He took every corner at ease and it turned out that his mad driving skills suited the track perfectly. The guy already had pulled half a lap distance between himself and the others.

Normally the brunette wasn't that competitive. But when it came down to anything between him and Riku, Sora wasn't about to let in. Now that he thought about it, when they were little, there was a never-ending competition going on between him and Riku. Racing to see who was faster, seeing who could swim longer lengths, who could jump unrealistic distances… He'd have to admit that every time the contest involved Riku, he'd push himself to the full limit. Even when they grew up and became young adults. They'd still quarrel about who could snowboard better, who played Call of Duty better, even if it were tiny things like who could stuff more hamburgers in their stomach in one sitting… To him, it had become a routine.

Now was not an exception.

Sora floored the accelerator and took off after Riku. At the first turn, the brunette didn't even touch the breaks. Instead he shifted gears and took a narrow turn to the right and did a power slide. The kart drifted smoothly past the first corner.

Without hesitation, Sora used the same move on the second turn, then the third. He was closing in. The silver haired teenager could hear the sound of engines roaring and wheels screeching. He too had switched from using the break for drifting to using the accelerator to powerslide.

Sora was now meters behind Riku.

The silver haired winced at the winds behind him. Sora swiveled his kart to the left and tried to surpass the leading guy. Riku blocked his way. The brunette tried for a right. No luck.

The two karts were forced to line up on the right and take the inner side of the road for the corner. Once they drove past the curve, the brunette once again tried for a left.

Out of the corner of his eye, the silver haired teen noticed Sora's quick movement and immediately slid the kart on the left side of the track.

And regretted it.

It turns out that Sora's turn to the left was a fake. Just after the yellow trimmed blue kart slid on the left side, Sora's blazing red one came up from the right.

The two drivers were wheel to wheel.

Sora sneaked a quick glance to his left and immediately found a pair of cold blue eyes. Through his helmet, the boy could tell that Riku didn't want to lose to a first timer. Well if that's the case, I won't back down either.

Both of them floored the accelerator. Smoke rose from their engines. Neither of them cared. Their karts rattled and shook violently when their wheels screeched against the track. The two took a sharp left, than a right followed by another left.

Only if I had a chance get in front of him…

They took a left then a right. None of them seemed to give up. Sora was on the edge of his seat, gripping his wheel tightly. I just need… That's it!

From the corner of his eyes, Riku noticed a really tight turn. Stacked up tires bordered the curve. The tight entrance wasn't wide enough to fit both karts side by side…

Well, if it's up to this then… Take this!

Sora's car lurched to the right and the spokes of the wheel grinded against the side of Riku's vehicle. The friction sent sparks flying everywhere.

Now the older teenager was angry. Partly for the aggressiveness, partly for ruining his paint job. He too pushed against the opponent's kart. Neither of them gave in.

They closed in on the tight turn.

Wheels went flying.

When Sora opened his eyes, he found that his kart had not exploded on impact; instead it knocked down two stacks of tires and continued. Riku was right beside him.

He narrowed his eyes at the brunette. Sora returned the gesture.

Both vehicles came together with a loud bang followed by sparks.

And ended up at the finish line as a tie. Nearly 30 seconds after the rivals had stopped to a halt only did Xion cross the finish line.

The first thing Sora felt after the exhilarating competition was a sharp pain in the cheeks.

"Ow-Ow-Ow!"

"Ugh! Xion! What do you think your doing?" Riku snapped at her.

"What the hell do you two think your doing? You nearly destroyed the track, not to mention you almost got me killed back there dodging the flying tires!" The short raven-haired girl responded just as sharp. Her eyes were wide open staring daggers at the "poor" Riku. She had a good grip on both of their cheeks and looked like that she didn't have the intention to let go anytime soon.

Sora was there to witness Riku blush. Rare moment. I would've totally snapped it down with my phone if it weren't broken…

"S-Sorry…"

Now it was the brunettes turn to have his eyes wide open. Not from anger but from the surprising shock. Not once in his lifetime had he heard that word coming from Riku. Even if the silver haired boy did do anything wrong, he'd have waved it off with a careless expression.

"Much better." Xion's expression softened to a smile.

Now that I think of it, I think Xion is influencing Riku for the better. Why didn't I think of it before? The introducing him to a girlfriend idea. Then he realized that this "girlfriend" wasn't introduced. It was from back then when Riku took "who could get a girlfriend first" as a challenge.

They've definitely fallen for each other… Although it's still kinna hard to believe that there's actually some girl out there who would fall for the likes of Riku…

"Hey Sora." A voice called.

"Yeah?" Speaking of the devil…

"Go check your stats on the big screen."

"Big screen?" Then the brunette noticed that there was a huge LED screen that hung above the center of the track. Displayed on the screen was a list of names and records.

In the all time column displayed a huge picture of Riku. He had a neutral expression in the picture but still people cheered for him. Wait… People cheering?

Now that he noticed the loud screams and hooting, he found that the race was actually a public event. Above them seated thousands of spectators. There were ones waving around frantically trying to catch attention, people who jumped up and down while cheering and reporters. The first reporter behind a massive video camera had blonde hair…

Not him again…

To the other side of the main screen, there was a list of recent results. Sora's eyes moved up from the bottom and found Xion placed third in the event. Man… I think Riku's given her a fair share of influence too… Ones that might cause traffic disorder…

His eyes moved a little more higher and found that there was Riku's name. Besides his name were his lap records for each and every lap.

Wait… If Riku was second… Then who the heck is… Then the boy saw a name on top of the big screen towering over all the rest. Besides was a picture of himself.

But why was my name spelt wrong? It's SORA… Not SO3KAI4EVS.

Before he could ask who was the culprit of the prank, an announcement buzzed up from the speakers.

"Well then! It seems like our regular champion Riku was beat by a newcomer by three seconds!"

"Wait a minute, didn't we finish at the same time?"

Even though the person on air couldn't hear Sora's questioning, but he still continued to elaborate further. "Some of you out there might be saying 'WHAT? HOW COULD RIKU POSSIBALLY LOSE?', well let me tell you. First of all, this is the track with the fastest time. Whoever had the shortest time throughout the entire game of twelve laps won. After the racer has crossed the starting line, their time will be recorded until they cross the same line 12 more times. It seems like Riku, the one who was positioned first at the start, crossed the line three seconds before our slow starter did. Meaning in the end, our mysterious 'SO3KAI4EVS' had a three second win."

The crowd cheered. Then the screen seemed to glow. It blanked out and came back on a few seconds later. There was also a new arrange of displays on the screen.

Sora narrowed his eyes and read from the distance "We… Have… A… New… Record…"

"We have a new record!" The announcer echoed after Sora's voice.

"The new all time champion goes to 'SO3KAI4EVS'!"

The crowed cheered even louder.

Riku didn't seem to mind. He just stood in the corner while the spotlights searched around the stadium and found the brunette standing around the docking area. Sora snuck him a look.

It read: 'Aren't you mad?'

The silver haired boy shook his head and gave his pal thumbs up. Xion squealed by his side.

"Go ahead. You won fair and square."

Sora grinned at the sight. Even though he's an emotional hardcore, he'll be always there when I need him.

I'm glad we're best friends.

That statement didn't even last a full hour.

"Mive…"

"Shixs…"

"Shewen…"

"Eigsh…"

Xion sat there watching the two rivals stuff their face with hamburgers. The kind that they sold at Moogle Fried Chicken for $15 each. The burgers had three layers of steak with lettuce cheese and various kinds of sauces. The whole thing was stacked together into a huge mass of food. These hamburgers had enough calories to take her over a week to burn off, and these were the same hamburgers that the two sitting next to her were stuffing down their throats in seconds.

They ate like wolves that starved in the cold hibernating season, they ate like grumpy grizzlies who've just emerged from their long winter nap with an empty stomach, they ate like there was no tomorrow. Droplets of flavoring and grease dripped down their chins; the edges of their mouths were covered with sesame seeds and crumbs.

Riku who've just finished his 'nignth' burger as he claims was onto his second large cup of cola. The brunette across from him finished the rest of his patty and started wolfing down a pack of fries a dozen at a time.

Must… Not… Lose… To… Riku!

The raven-haired girl just sat there and watched the two. From the third's person of view, after watching those two eat, you'd get full yourself. Which is why the little girl didn't order anything more than a strawberry milkshake.

"So… You guys full yet?"

"NOH!" They both said together and resumed back to their eating competition.

"Alright… Just asking. If your stomachs ever burst, don't come crying to me."

Even so, she was really freaked out about how strong their digestive systems are. Besides her piled a small mountain of fast food containers and bags. The trays stacked up on the floor till it reached up to her ankles. It looked like Moogle Fried Chicken had trouble keeping up with the two on the cleaning duty.

The storm had finally cleared when the two managed to come to a truce and claimed that they couldn't eat another bite of food. Literally. The place was out of stock.

They sat there in silence. Not that they didn't want to leave, but Sora and Riku couldn't even move anymore. Xion sipped lightly on what was left of her milkshake and broke the silence.

"You know Kairi probably wasn't mad…"

The brunette's eyes snapped open.

"She just couldn't comprehend what was happening before her…"

"…"

Kairi…

Please…

Forgive me…

For what I've caused…

For all this madness…

Please forget this even happened…

…

If it were only that easy…

"Sora."

"Sora!"

"Kairi… I…"

"Have you gotten hearing problems along with mental issues? Do I sound like her that much?"

To the brunette, his world became monotonous. Even after the raindrops splattering, even after the wound on his heart grew scabs, even after he had shed his share of tears…

The boy found himself looking at a silver haired teenager that looked around the same age as he was. "Riku…"

"Look sissy, if your going to dwell upon that sorrowful feeling, I'm fine with that."

"…"

"What's the time now?"

"How should I know…" Sora answered weakly.

"It's 5:34 in the evening." Xion chimed in.

"Okay. I want you to remember this time. Carve those numbers into your puny little brain."

"Why?" Everything seemed so meaningless without her…

"Because. I want you to remember the time you were too weak to seek back your love. On this very day the wimp across me, Sora, was scared shitless because of a girl. If you look back from the years to come, I want you feel the painful regret in your heart."

"… Painful… Regret… In my heart…" He repeated.

"Now then, I think Xion and I should spend some quality time together. With you around, I can't get anything done."

His voice was harsh… Yet they possessed strength. The strength that lifted away Sora's dreadful thoughts. In the darkness, the brunette saw the slightest trace of hope. 'On this very day the wimp across me, Sora, was scared shitless because of a girl. If you look back from the years to come, I want you feel the painful regret in your heart.'

I don't want to regret anything more.

Riku sat up and posed his arm around Xion casually then walked out the door.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

The older teen didn't look back. Instead he shook the question off with a simple wave of his hand.

"But you left your car keys…"

The new couple stopped outside the door. Riku turned half of his face around without loosening his grip on his 'girlfriend'. "Going for a stroll. If your skull wasn't so thick then maybe you would've realized that taking your girlfriend for a walk is pretty romantic."

The door closed accompanied by the sound of chimes.

Riku…

Thanks!

With that the brunette rushed out the entrance and to the car.

The doors of the Bugatti slammed.

The engines roared to life.

Sora stepped onto the accelerator as hard as he could. The flashy road-devil waved through the traffic. He drove like in a way that would make Riku proud. The boy was fully aware of that this kind of driving is very well illegal and could cause some serious issues that involved the police, but he couldn't care less about that now. He had no idea where he was going but all he knew was that he had to find Kairi.

And sort things straight.

A/N: For all of those who don't really know their racing and car facts a lot, the track for official F1 uses a different system for the lights. Red means go in this particular event. Oh and did you guys notice? The colors of karts matched their clothes in Dream Drop Distance 3D. Sora's was red. Riku's was yellow.

Hope that got things straight. Thanks for reading and please review! -8989™