10

Okay, short AN again... I'm liking them short. Thanks to P5hing-Me-A'Wy, Riddick12, quinn817, and 813 i love you 813 for your reviews. When I stop being lazy, I'll PM you with my answers... Maybe. There's no guarantee. I did read them though :P Also, thank you quinn817 for suggesting me to your readers :) I don't think I deserve it, but thanks! :)

Um... I hate RiSo. I'm just putting that out there now. I know that people like that pairing, and I respect that and don't care if any of you guys like it (so don't review telling me how awesome the pairing is -_-), but I honestly don't think it works unless Sora's personality changes completely. Based on their personalities in the game, it doesn't work. Just saying. Because it has something to do with this chapter. And the next one. So don't get all fangirly on me you RiSo fans. There's none of that in my story.

Sorry, that was kinda random. ^^;

Anyway, might not have a chapter for you next week because I'm going to be in a place without internet on my laptop... I might be able to convince my aunt to let me borrow her computer for a little while. She probably wouldn't mind. So I don't know.

Read, enjoy, review, and please answer the poll.

~Sunechirei

Dedication: I'm dedicating this chapter to my friend Minora for three reasons: A, she FINALLY read up to date (kinda), B, she's going out of her boundaries and writing an AkuRoku fic, and C, I hope you feel better soon :)

Full Chapter Title: Just because I can't sing, doesn't mean I won't (Courtesy of Miss Withnospaces because she says this waaaay to often)

I was sitting alone in my apartment. All of the boxes were empty, sitting in a huge pile in the middle of my entry way. I only had a single chair in the living room area, a table, a bed, and a few bookshelves, but that's all I really needed. There was nothing else important, right?

Sighing contently, I sat in the comfy chair in the living room, hoping that I could get some sleep for a little while. Or dinner. I hadn't eaten much all day, so my stomach was yelling at me rather viciously. But, I was feeling too lazy to move from my spot. It was comfortable. Really, really comfortable. So much so, that I ended up falling asleep...

And the next thing I know I'm being woken up by a very rude silver-haired man who apparently makes a habit of breaking and entering. This had been the second time he broke into my apartment, and I hadn't even been living there for more than a week.

He was such a freak.

"Morning Roxie. Or, more like 'evening'."

I grumbled that Riku needed to get the hell away from me before I hurt him, but I heard something very intriguing, so all thoughts of hurting Riku left my head.

It was Sora, laughing. Sora. Sora of all people. You know, the one who Riku wasn't talking to, and the one who wasn't talking to Riku. They were in the same room, at the same time, laughing, and not ignoring each other.

What the fucking shit was fucking going on here?

"Sora?"

"That's my name. Don't wear it out!" I swear that Sora's a three hundred on the annoyingness scale. And that's sad, because the scale stops at five.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" That wasn't actually the question I really wanted to ask, but it's the one that came out, so I lived with it.

"We've come to help you furnish your new apartment!" Sora seemed happy. Too happy. Sure, he acted like an idiot most of the time, but this was way too much. Underneath the hyper persona, I could see a very irritated person.

Interesting.

"Okay, I have two more questions for you guys," I said, leaning forward and rubbing my temples. "First, do you guys even know how to 'furnish' an apartment?"

"Nope."

"No idea."

It was then I started getting a headache. "Then why are you guys here? And I thought you were fighting, so why are you here, together."

Obviously neither of them wanted to talk to me, and I could clearly see the tension suddenly rise between the two of them. It was kinda entertaining to see that happen, but sad at the same time. Sora and Riku were best friends. What in the world could have happened that made them become so distant from each other?

"Kairi made us come. Both of us," Sora said after a while. Or, more like muttered.

"Yeah. Trust me. I don't want to be here."

"Neither do I."

"Then get the hell out of my apartment."

They did get the hell out of my apartment.

They dragged me with them.

"Okay," I growled, "this has absolutely nothing to do with my apartment. I told you to get out. Not to fucking take me with you!"

"You didn't have to come," Riku laughed, patting me on the head.

"Fuck you, Riku!"

"Please, Roxie, save it for Axel."

If we hadn't been in the middle of a huge crowd, and my hands hadn't been tied behind my back with some random piece of rope that Sora found in my apartment, I probably would have done something violent. I had no choice but to go with these two bastards. They fucking tied me up and dragged me out of my house!

A piece of advice: even when Sora and Riku are pissed at each other, they work well together. Don't. Get. On. Their. Bad. Side.

Then I heard something curious. Or, I think I heard it. I may have been imagining what Sora muttered to himself, but if that was the case, then Riku probably wouldn't have glared at his friend.

This is what I think I heard: "I'm sure you'd like him to fuck you."

….

Yeah, I think I misheard that one.

"Look, Riku, Sora, I don't hate you guys or anything, but I'm really tired, and I don't want to be here, so please untie me and let me go back to my apartment," I eventually pleaded, trying to ignore the fact that Sora and Riku looked as though they were about to kill each other.

"Shut up, Roxie," Riku hissed. "Ellie took over my place and won't let me come back for a long time. I don't want to be here either, but I'd rather be with you than him."

Sora was fuming. I became scared.

"I don't want to be here either."

"Then leave," Riku muttered, crossing his arms.

"No, you leave."

"Sorry. No can do."

"You're such a fucking bastard."

"And you aren't?"

"No, I'm not. I didn't do anything! You're the freak!"

"Oh? I am? I thought I was your best friend!"

"I thought you were too, but no. You had to go and be some weird ass person who-"

"What the hell is wrong with you two?" I'd gotten sick of them arguing. Obviously they were both being complete idiots, but it was impossible to know what they were talking about. Did Riku do something that betrayed their friendship? Did it have to do with Kairi, or their work, or their family, or what? There was nothing that made sense about this whole thing.

"None of your business, Roxas," Riku told me, still glaring at Sora.

"No. It is my business. You're the ones who got me involved in this mess. If you don't tell me what the hell is going on between the two of you, I swear I'll tell Axel that you kidnapped me forcefully, then forced me to do things, and you know he would kill you."

I let the threat sink in, knowing that it would work. Riku and Sora pretty much did whatever Axel wanted them to, and I could tell that they were afraid of him slightly. They knew that if I told him they'd dragged me out here against my will, and I really acted angry or upset about it, he wouldn't be happy about it.

I love having a boyfriend.

Or, more like I love having Axel as my boyfriend.

Anyone else would just be weird.

"You're not going to tell him that," Sora said, laughing. "You wouldn't dare..." He didn't sound too certain.

"Wanna bet?" I was beginning to have fun with this. "You have no idea what I do when I'm irritated enough to make threats like that. Do you really want to test what I would and wouldn't dare do?"

They said nothing to me, but I could tell I was getting to them. Eventually, Riku sighed and untied my hands, which I wasn't expecting. Then, he glanced at Sora, who just shrugged, looking really irritated.

"If you want to know, you're going to have to hang out with us for the rest of the day."

"No, if you want me to hang out with you for the rest of the day, you'll tell me."

"Sorry, Roxie." It was Sora who spoke this time, much to my surprise. "Neither of us are going to talk unless you comply to our wishes."

I decided that their logic made no sense.

"Fine." But it was no use arguing with them. "Fine. But if you guys don't end up telling me, or you lie about it, you're going to regret it."

"So, what exactly are we doing?" I asked in a quiet voice. Even though Riku and Sora seemed less angry at each other right then, there was still this scary, 'I'm going to murder anyone who comes near me or bugs me,' attitude to the two of them. Obviously, whatever was causing them to fight, was also something that was hard for them to talk about.

Wonderful.

"We, Roxie, are going to have fun."

Wonderful explanation, Sora, wonderful explanation.

"I got that," I said, rolling my eyes. "But your idea of fun, and my idea of fun, are two completely different things." After letting that sink in for a minute, and having fun watching the two exchange glances, I added, "What do you guys think is fun right now."

I had to shudder at Sora's grin.

"Karaoke."

I thought he was kidding at first. Like, really kidding. But the look on his face was too happy and not kidding for it to be so, and I wanted to scream. I couldn't sing, and neither could Sora. As far as I knew, Riku couldn't either, which meant this was the most pointless thing we could ever possibly do.

Except for maybe some other random thing that was completely annoying and I can't think of right now, but karaoke was more something women do with their friends. Not guys, unless they had their girlfriends with them. So, we were going to be a bunch of creepers in a karaoke place.

As I said before. Wonderful.

"Please don't make me do this," I whined, half heartedly trying to escape Riku's annoyingly tight grasp. He'd grabbed my wrist when I'd tried to make a run for it. "I hate this stupid activity. Why don't we go do something else, like, you know, an arcade, or lazer tag! Yeah, that was fun to do. We should go back there and-"

"Shut up Roxie."

It was eerie how the two of them said that at the exact same time.

"Look, guys, I really want to know why you're fighting, but this is ridiculous. Surely there's another way to go about this?"

"Nope," Sora told me. "This is the only way, otherwise you're never going to find out." He was really irritating me. I could so find out another way, whether I threaten them, or have Axel find out, or... or... well, the only other way could be;

"I could just ask Ellie." Both Riku and Sora stopped in their tracks, not really caring that they were in the middle of a crowded area and people were yelling at them to move. "What?" I asked, nervous, "Ellie probably knows. She knows like, everything." I wish I hadn't said that. It only escalated the issue between Riku and Sora.

"You told Ellie," Sora said. Not asked, said. He sounded pissed. "Why the hell would you tell her that?"

"I didn't tell her," Riku muttered. "She already knew, before you did, and she figured out why we were fighting right after it happened. I told her nothing."

"Oh, so she knew about the whole thing even before I did? Thanks, Riku, thanks a lot."

"I wasn't going to tell anyone! And it's your fault that you were too stupid to notice!"

"No, it's your fault for being such a creep!"
"Don't-"

"Shut up!" I was getting sick and tired of these two idiots. I just wanted to go home. Even the idea of knowing what was going on between the two wasn't really enough any-more to help me get through this nonsense. "Either shut up, or let me go home, because I'm about to murder the two of you and blame it on Axel."

A serious threat. And I meant it.

They took it seriously, as well, and neither one of them tried to say anything else as they began walking again. It made me happy to know I could shut the two most annoying people in the street up with one threat.

I was beginning to learn from these guys.

So, we finally made it to the karaoke place, none of us saying a word the entire time we walked around down-town to find this weird ass place. It was then that Riku decided to talk.

"You, Roxas," he said as soon as we were heading to the room, "are a fucking sly bastard, you know that, right?" I had to laugh.

"What do you mean?"

"You... you just are."

"What?"

"Never mind."

I think Riku was just pissed at me for threatening him not once, but twice, in the same day. He didn't seem like the kind of guy who liked having something hanging over his head that kept him from doing whatever the hell he wanted to do. Much like Axel, only Axel didn't turn into a complete and total jackass when he didn't get what he wanted. Wait, yes he did.

So, moving on from Riku being a weirdo.

Apparently, Sora decided that singing with me and Riku wasn't actually going to be fun, so he brought along man's best friend: alcohol.

Things got considerably better after we were all a little tipsy, but even being all drunk and what-not had no effect on making Sora's singing any better.

He sucked. He sucked so badly that Riku and I started talking about kicking him out of the place, but we were laughing too hard to move... He was just so horrible. I thought my ears were going to fall off half the time, but I guess the alcohol made it really really funny.

After a while, when Riku was singing, I managed to catch my breath and ask Sora what the fight was about. He got quiet really, really, really, really quickly. Riku didn't notice, thank goodness, because I had a feeling he would have tried to change the subject again.

"It's just something that Riku said to me... then what I said to him, then what happened after that..."

"I figured that. What was the conversation about?"

"You sure you want to know?" Duh, I wanted to know. I've been asking them about this for the past couple of weeks. If course I wanted to know.

"No, Sora, I only agreed to get drunk with you guys because I wanted to have fun. Of course I want to know, you idiot!" I started laughing, for no apparent reason, even though I wasn't at all amused by what was happening.

"Shut up..." Sora was blushing, and I don't think it was from the beer. He was actually flushing red and acting all embarrassed. Whatever this conversation had been about, it must have been really interesting for him. I knew then that this would be a very interesting conversation. I was going to have fun with this.

It took a couple of minutes before Sora finally told me. And when he did tell me, it made me want to faint.

"When Riku was seventeen, he started acting really... emo, depressing, you know, kinda like how he was when you first met him, only all the time, and not because of cough medicine. Then, he graduated from school early and left Destiny Island," Sora began to explain, trying to look away from me. I really didn't see how any of this was relevant, but, what could I do? It was his story. "He stopped talking to me and Kairi after that, having moved here and started going to college, and we were worried that something had happened to him, or he was having trouble at home and wanted to avoid us."

"That wasn't the reason, was it?" I decided to interject there, getting a bit tired of hearing Sora talk, plus Riku's song was done, so we had to tell him to sing another one. He actually wasn't that bad. A bit off key, but not bad. Man, that guy was practically perfect.

Sexy, in a wa-

"Bad!" I yelled, hitting myself in the head. Sora gave me a funny look, but I just waved my hand in a 'I'm fine, finish,' kinda way. He just shrugged and continued.

"Well, a couple weeks ago, when this fight happened, we were just sitting in his apartment, playing video games and hanging out, like we normally do on a Saturday, as we don't work that day."

"Uh huh..."

"So I decided to ask him what the deal with him leaving suddenly was. He just laughed and told me it was no big deal, so I asked him, "is it because you couldn't have Kairi?" in a joking kinda way, you know to pick on him because he and I fought over her in middle school."

"Yeah, Kairi said it was kinda cute what you guys did."

"She told you?"

"Yep."

"Damn. Anyway, his response is really what started this whole thing."

"What did he say?"

"'No, it was because I couldn't have you.'"

I had to laugh. I mean, laugh like I never had before. There was no way this was real. There must have been some mistake. Sora probably heard him wrong, or Riku was joking, or-

"He was being serious, Roxas."

I stopped laughing.

Just as Riku's song finished.

I was stunned into complete silence after that, just staring at the wall as Sora and Riku switched places. I still didn't completely believe it, seeing as Riku was completely straight and in love with Ellie. Right?

Sora's singing distracted me from my thoughts, and I noticed Riku sitting next to me. I blushed and scooted away, hoping that he wouldn't noticed my discomfort. Then, I decided to jokingly ask him about what Sora said.

"So, you 'wanted' Sora, did you?" I managed to choke out. Riku's face went pale.

"He told you?"
"Only to there," I muttered with a shrug. "What happened after you told him that you left because you 'couldn't have him,' as you put it."

"Look, Roxas-"

"Just tell me. I don't really care about the back story." It was true.

Riku sighed and leaned back against the couch, obviously uncomfortable. It made me laugh to see him like this, but his deadly look made me bite my lip and be quiet about the whole thing. "Sora didn't believe me at first, but when I told him I was completely serious, he kinda got quiet and didn't talk for a couple of minutes. Then the douche bag asked me if I started dating Ellie because she looked so much like a guy."

…. He practically said that Ellie looked like a dude. To Riku. When Riku was trying to be serious.

"Basically, I attacked him after that."

"I would think so!" I was so shocked that it took me a moment to react to what Riku told me. Man. These guys were both complete idiots! I thought I could be stupid, but these two were just dumb. Riku should never have told Sora the reason, and even if he wanted to, Sora should have never said that about Ellie. I had a feeling if Ellie found out what Sora said, there would be a death in the office.

A very bloody death.

Especially since Ellie had decided to grow her hair out because she was tired of people thinking she was a guy from the back (heard that one from Axel. Don't tell Ellie I know).

"There. You know," Riku grumbled, crossing his arms. "Now, can we just have some fun? I don't really want to be here with Sora right now, and I doubt he wants me to be here as well, so let's just forget about all this shit and get really drunk. Okay?"

"Sure," I told him. "But I don't want to deal with you two idiots alone. I'm calling Axel."

Riku tried to protest, but I got up and pulled out my cell phone, sneering and sticking out my tongue at the silver-haired man. Walking out of the room, I ignored Sora's call and dialed Axel's number.

It didn't take long at all for Axel to show up. Ten minutes, to be exact. I timed him.

So, it seems that when both me and Axel are there, Riku and Sora stop being stupid and start acting like friends around each other again. Of course, that could be a coincidence from the fact that they both drank at least five beers by themselves, so they probably forgot all about what was happening.

Except that Axel told me that Riku could really hold his liquor, so it was possible he was just acting drunk.

Like Axel always did.

"You know what just occurred to me?" Sora slurred, trying not to laugh. "Roxie here, is under-age. He shouldn't be drinking at all!"

"Hey!" I protested. "I only have less than a year and a half. It's not that big of a deal." I actually like drinking with my friends now. The first time, when I had a hangover after Axel decided to fucking spike my drink (I still haven't forgiven him for that), it was easier for me to have alcohol and not really feel affected by it. Or, that's what I thought. At least I still remembered what happened now.

But, according to Sora and Kairi, I became a flirt when I was drunk... I don't believe them, but then again, I probably don't remember those times.

…..

I just contradicted myself.

"Still, no more drinking for you, Roxas," Riku said, taking away the drink I had. I protested, but really, there was nothing I could do. "And besides, I think you should sing something." I froze.

"Yeah! You're the only one who hasn't sung all night!" Sora said, patting me on the back.

"Really? I thought he was just being shy because I was here," Axel said. He smirked at me, like he knew something I didn't. I became very afraid.

"I can't really sing, guys," I told them. "I'm really bad-"

"Don't care!" Sora shoved me off the seat. "Sing us something!"

It's at times like these that I decided I hated being around guys who are older than I am. They were very good at convincing me to do things I didn't really want to do. Like, sing karaoke in front of them when I was a horrible singer.

So, I started to sing the first song that came on, knowing it would be horrible.

It wasn't that long of a song, and I tried to be as quiet as possible. That way, none of them would know just how horrible I was at another thing in my life. This is why I didn't karaoke... It never ended well for me.

When I finished, they were all staring at me like I was some kind of freak. Not speaking, not blinking, not even breathing.

Creepy.

"See, I told you I suck," I muttered, placing the stupid microphone on the table. These guys were such jerks.

"Suck?" Axel's voice was filled with disbelief. "Dude, Roxas, you could become a famous singer!" Lying to make me feel better. How like Axel to do that. I just shook my head, but his hands on my shoulders stopped me from completing the action. "Roxie, seriously, you don't suck."

Riku laughed.

"Yeah, you're the complete opposite of Sora!"

"Hey!"
"It's true," Riku teased. "It's like that in everything, actually. Sora's less awkward in a crowd, Roxie sucks at being with people. Sora can fight, Roxie's about as weak as a two year old. Sora cant' sing worth crap, Roxie's amazing." He paused for a moment, thinking about that. "How weird..."

I think Riku was just drunk.

"Doesn't matter," Axel laughed. "Roxie, sing another song!" I tried to protest, but Riku and Sora echoed Axel's request and I had no choice but to give in.

Stupid friends.