Disclaimer: No Kingdom Hearts ownership for me, unfortunately. (But that rhymes!)
Yo! I am the Snake in theGrass and it wonderful to make your acquaintance. Yes, this is indeed a Sora/Riku fic, so if that is not the pairing for you then this is not the story for you. But come on, gimme a chance!
Warnings: This fic is rated M for a reason. It's got cussing and it's liable to get quite raunchy at times.
So enjoy!
Chapter 1
Rite of Passage
Sora stepped out of the taxi, taking a deep breath. The sea air was the best in the world, hands down. There was nothing better. Not mountain air or fresh farm air or any other kind of air—
"Hey, kid, are you gonna pay me sometime before next Tuesday?"
"Oh, sorry!" Sora said quickly, turning back to the annoyed looking cabby with the hair that looked suspiciously like a wig. He dug into his pockets, emerging with a wad of cash and a crinkled candy wrapper. He paid the man (with the money, not the candy wrapper), hefted his suitcase out of the trunk, and was left in a spray of gravel as the taxi booked in out of there.
"Jeez. Do I smell or something?"
Sora took a furtive sniff. Nope, minty fresh. At least as minty fresh as a sixteen year old boy could be. He grabbed his suitcase and began hauling it toward the small white house he'd been dropped off in front of. It was really hot here, and he was certain he'd be drenched in sweat quite shortly.
So much for minty fresh.
The door was wrenched open before he could knock and Sora found himself violently set upon by a hundred and twenty pounds of teenage girl.
"Sora!" she squealed. "What took you so damn long? I've been waiting for you all day!"
"The plane was delayed," Sora answered, smiling and hugging the girl back. "It's good to see you too, Kairi."
Kairi Nakamura led the way into her house, ordering Sora to drop his stuff anywhere he wanted.
"My parents are gonna be gone for like a week, so who the hell cares if we put shit away or not?"
Sora took the idea to heart and pitched his suitcase into the middle of the living room. "I still can't believe they let me stay with you when you're home alone."
Kairi laughed nervously as she led the way into the kitchen. "Uh, yeah, 'bout that…"
Sora knew that tone of voice. "Kairi…"
"Uh, my parents don't exactly know you're here, Sora…"
Sora sank onto a chair at the kitchen table. As odd as it sounded, he wasn't incredibly shocked by the revelation that Kairi hadn't asked for permission before inviting him over for the summer. It was just like her. Crazy, impulsive, and tons of fun because it. No, it didn't surprise him, but it did piss him off a little.
"Hey, Kairi, my flight back home isn't until the end of August. Where am I supposed to go when your parents get home?"
Kairi passed him a bottle of some dark liquid and sat down across from him. He sniffed it dubiously.
"It's root beer, dumbass," she said. "Not even I start drinking until six o'clock."
Sora half-laughed. He wasn't sure if Kairi was being serious or not. Plus, she hadn't answered his question yet.
"Dammit, Sora, don't freak out. There's tons of kids our age around here. I'm sure someone'll let you stay with them."
Not feeling reassured in the slightest, Sora took a sip of his soda. Kairi wasn't the greatest plan-maker in the world. If she ever organized an invasion, he was definitely staying home. He hadn't seen his best friend in over a year, not since she'd moved from Tokyo to the sea shore. She sure had changed. Her reddish-brown hair was about twice the length it had been, she'd gotten a tan, and she'd gained some weight, meaning she no-longer looked like an anorexic model. Thank god for that.
"You're staring at me, Sora," she remarked, resting her chin on her hand, "Are you switching teams on me again?"
Sora stuck his tongue out. "Yeah right. Don't worry, the thought of naked women still makes me kind of sick."
Kairi laughed. "Glad to hear it. Anyway, if you're done with that," she indicated the soda. "Then we should go. There's a bunch of people you need to meet."
By far, The Open Eye was coolest place to chill out on Destiny Island. Both literally and figuratively. It was the most popular teenage hangout in town, and it was also one of the only establishments that had constant air conditioning. Hence a large part of its appeal. The coffee was quite good too.
Tifa strode into the café like she owned the place, which technically she did. Her dad had bought it last year when the previous owner had been about to go bankrupt. The Lockhearts owned a large variety of establishments, and The Open Eye had turned out to be a good addition.
"Hey, Tifa," a girl behind the counter greeted her as she straddled a stool, flicking her long raven hair back over her shoulders. Yuffie had been Tifa's best friend since Elementary School, which was probably why she had gotten the job. Yuffie wasn't the most…tolerant person in the world. Definitely not cut out for waitressing; one reason being that her severe appearance tended to frighten people. Her hair was cut like a boys, her eyes were fierce, and she looked quite capable of kicking anyone's ass.
"Gimme a cappuccino, Yuff," Tifa yawned, stretching. She was oddly tired today.
"Coming right up. Boss," she added, giggling like it was the funniest thing in the world. Tifa resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
Enter member #2 of Tifa Lockheart's gang. He came up behind her, slipping thin arms around her waist and kissing her neck.
"Hey, baby."
"Hey," she answered coolly. Tifa put a lot of effort into her cavalier attitude toward practically everything. Some people thought it was superior and bitchy and some, like her partner-in-crime and boyfriend, Axel, thought it was sexy.
Axel slid onto the stool beside her. He pushed his crimson hair out of his sweaty forehead. It was fucking hot out there.
"Where's everybody else?" he asked, taking a sip of Tifa's cappuccino.
Tifa jerked the coffee away. "Touch my caffeine and you die. They're coming. Oh, and get this. Kairi's got some kid from Tokyo visiting while her parents are gone."
Axel raised a thin eyebrow. "Really? What's he like?"
Tifa shrugged. "Probably big, tough, and annoying like all the rest of those Tokyo playboys."
"Hey, guys." Another stool was suddenly occupied by a boy. He had short, spiky blond hair and the build of an athlete.
"Tidus, you're here. Good."
Tidus gave a little mock bow, which didn't really work out because he was sitting on a stool at a coffee bar. Tifa once again had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes. Why did she hang out with these people again? Oh yeah, because they'd passed her entrance exams. They'd all done it in different ways, but each and every one of her friends had proven themselves in some way. Yuffie had done it by beating up some asshole who had been messing with Tifa's little brother Denzel. Tidus had been the only one brave enough to jump off of the southern bluff into the ocean during a hurricane. Kairi was still kind of probation, and Axel…
Well, Axel got in by giving her the best sex she'd ever had in her life, but that wasn't something one discussed in a polite conversation.
"What's up?"
Tifa, Axel, and Tidus spun their stools around. There was Kairi, and that must be…
"Sora, right?" Tifa inquired.
The brunette boy nodded. Of all the things Tifa had been expecting, this definitely wasn't it. This wasn't some bleached-blond Tokyo thug, this kid was cute. That was the only word for it. Spiky, rather wild hair, and eyes that could put sapphires to shame. There was something rather unassuming to his presence, which suited Tifa fine.
He would be easy to push around.
Kairi, on the other hand, was one big ball of energy. "So what are we doing?" she asked, hopping from one foot to the other. "I wanna show Sora what the Destiny Island really has to offer."
Axel snorted. "You mean besides boredom and despair?"
Everyone laughed, including Sora. Tifa noted that. So he didn't have any trouble getting along with strangers. That would come in handy when she had to think of what his little test would be.
"Well, we should get the hell out of here," she said, standing up. "This place is getting crowded. I do believe it's Tidus' turn to have us over..."
The group departed, heading up the street for Tidus' neighborhood. Yuffie had pouted a little when they left, but she assured them she' be there as soon as her shift was over at six. Sora was walking up ahead a little with Kairi and Tidus, the three of them laughing uproariously at something the newcomer had said.
"So whatd'ya gonna make this one go through?" Axel asked her softly, his eyes glittering with anticipation akin to that of a Roman watching someone being thrown to the lions.
Tifa smiled smugly. "I've already got an idea."
"Tell me," Axel demanded, sliding his hand into her back pocket.
"You know that empty mansion right on the beach? The one at the end of Yuffie's street?"
"What?" Axel said, puzzled. "That mansion's not…oh." He smirked. "Perfect."
"We get the kid to break in and bring something out to us. But we're not gonna tell him about…you know."
Axel chuckled in delight. Honestly, Tifa could be so damn evil sometimes. It was probably what turned him on the most.
"So whatd'ya think he'll do to him?"
Tifa shrugged. "Call the cops. Maybe fuck him against a wall. Who the hell cares?"
Axel had to bite down his laughter. "This is gonna be awesome."
"Are you serious?" Kairi breathed. "No fucking way!"
"Shut the fuck up, you whore," Tifa hissed. "He's right there!"
Kairi glanced surreptitiously over her shoulder. They were in Tidus' basement, listening to music and hanging over the second-hand furniture. Sora and Tidus were playing Soul Caliber 3 noisily over in the corner, and Yuffie (who had appeared around 6:30) was watching and making fun of Tidus' inability to grasp the concept of 'blocking'.
"He's only gonna be here for the summer, guys!" Kairi protested. "He doesn't need to be initiated!"
"So?" Axel muttered.
Tifa nodded. "If you want him to hang out with us, then get him to do it. Tonight."
Kairi stared in shocked horror. "Tonight? Tifa, he just got here! And this isn't something easy like jumping off a cliff. This could get him in big trouble!"
"You know that was a completely contradictory statement, don't you?" Axel asked.
"And you know I don't give a shit, right?" Kairi snapped back. She turned her attention back to the ringleader. "Come on, Tifa. Think of something else."
"No. If little Sora wants to play with the big kids he's going to have to get out of the sandbox. So deal with it, Nakamura." The senior girl had a superior smirk on her pink lips, and a very cool look in her eyes. Someone who didn't know her would say Tifa was relaxed. Someone who did know her would say she was laughing in silent triumph.
Kairi sat back down on the couch, biting her lip. This was really stupid. Tifa and Axel had definitely gone too far this time. This wasn't some childhood prank, this was breaking the law. She watched as Sora jumped up in triumph, a big goofy grin covering his face.
"Siegfried dominates again!" he yelled, and Yuffie cuffed him in the back of the head.
Kairi sighed internally. Sora seemed to be fitting in great. Everything would have been perfect, if Tifa didn't have to act like the Evil Bitch-Monster of Death all the time. But of course she did. It was her default mode. She had been born an evil bitch and she probably would stay an evil bitch until the day she died. Kairi had only joined her stupid gang because she used to have a crush on Tidus, and because Axel used to be one of her best friends.
That was before he'd started fornicating with Tifa after every meal, of course.
"Hey, slow down," Sora protested. "I am so not understanding this."
"They're tacos, Sora. The human race was not meant to understand them."
"Not that, dummy," Sora protested. Kairi had cooked them up Mexican for dinner, which they were currently eating on the back porch, trying to ignore the argument that seemed to be going on in the house next door. There was a angry yell, and a crash that sounded like a lamp breaking. Sora winced. This wasn't exactly what you'd call a relaxing meal. "What do you mean, I have to complete a 'task'? What's with the air quotes?"
Kairi stuck her fork into her pile of Spanish rice, glaring down at it as though flavorful grain personally insulted her. "It's kind of like this rite of passage thing we do here…" She hated the fact that she had to use the 'we', but Tifa had expressly forbidden Kairi to blame everything on her because, of course, she was the Bitch Monster of Death.
"Rite of passage?" Sora repeated. "What are we, Kairi, Aztecs?"
Ocean Blvd (such an original name) was a long, palm-shaded street that only could be described with one word.
Swanky.
Every single house was a colossal structure of brick and plaster, each of them sitting at the end of a long drive. Impeccably tended flower gardens surrounded most, their flowers fresh and blooming despite the oppressive heat. The weather really was terrible. Stifling, without a breath of wind. The air was filled with a sort of charged expectancy, which was explained by the looming black cloudbank approaching from off the coast. This was the calm before the storm.
Sora was chewing on the inside of his cheek, trying to get up the nerves to do what he'd come all the way out here for. He'd ridden home with Yuffie, who had a house on the street over, and then been left on his own to make his way toward his impending doom. He was currently standing outside of 1086 Ocean Boulevard, the last house on the road, and the swankiest of them all.
It was absolutely huge. Sora had seen mansions like this in the movies, but he'd never actually come across one in real life. The kind with libraries and movie theatres and a butler with an English accent that called you 'master'. There was a pool in the back, a walkway leading down to the beach, and no doubt a state-of-the-art security system. It was this last thing that was really worrying Sora.
His thoughts drifted back to his conversation with Kairi.
"I am not breaking into anyone's house!" he'd yelled, standing up at the dinner table. "That's just not…not cool, Kairi!"
"Calm down," his friend had ordered, though she looked slightly on edge herself. "It's not like anyone's gonna be in there, anyway. The family who owns it uses it as a winter house. They usually don't show up until school starts."
"Are you sure?" Sora asked.
"Yes!" Kairi had insisted, though she obviously wasn't sure at all.
Still, looking at the mansion now, Sora thought it looked deserted. All of the windows were blank, many of them with their shades drawn. No snazzy cars stood in the driveway, and there weren't any gardeners milling about. (There always seemed to be gardeners in the movies.)
But the security system! He didn't know why he hadn't thought of it before. A place this upscale would definitely house people who were as paranoid as they were rich. The moment Sora opened a door or cracked a window, he'd trip an alarm. There was absolutely no doubt. Still, he approached the house under the cover of a line of palm trees, removing his sneakers so as to make as little noise as possible.
After a few very tense minutes, he reached the edge of pool, ducking down amongst the arrangement of leafy potted plants placed tastefully around the perimeter. The still water was a deep blue in the fading light and was about the most inviting thing Sora had ever seen. He was sweating so much his T-shirt was sticking to his back; a little swim right now would be incredible. But he didn't have the time, unless…
Sora squinted toward the far end of the pool, an idea beginning to form. It seemed to be one of those indoor/outdoor pools, the ones that began inside the house but then continued into the yard, separated by a huge pane of glass. The only way to get through was to dive under the surface.
There wouldn't be any alarms in the pool, would there?
Moving slowly despite his assurance that no one was home, Sora dropped his shoes and pulled off his shirt. Creeping to the edge of the water, he dipped a toe in. It was pleasantly cool, and he wasted no time in lowering himself in, trying to avoid making a splash. Taking a breath, he dove under the surface.
An odd euphoria seized him as he propelled himself forward, lithe body cutting through the cool water. He was tempted to spend a few minutes just swimming in circles, but the constant threat of being caught hung over his head and he hurried toward the house. He glided smoothly under the glass, surfacing apprehensively. The muted light reflecting off the water cast rippling shadows on the walls, giving the room an otherworldly feel.
Sora pulled himself out, splashing all over the white tile. He shivered a bit in the open air, but it wasn't too bad.
Okay, all I have to do is find something small to take back…
What was he gonna take? He really didn't want to add theft to breaking and entering, but something was spurring him on. He liked to think it was the excitement of the unknown instead of his desperate need to get Tifa and her gang to like him.
So that's the end of chapter one. I swear, Riku will be in the next one! If anyone has any ideas about what funny/kinky situations you'd like to see these two boys in, by all means, share them with me! I'm open to suggestion.
And please, please, please, if you like it, review it! It only takes a minute to make my day a little better.