Riku returned minutes later, waving to someone behind him as he headed out of the hallway, his trumpet case no longer in hand.  Raising an eyebrow at Sora's vacant expression, Riku passed a hand over his friends eyes.  "Hey there, Sora, you home?"

            Shaking his head, hair flying about as a result, Sora's eyes snapped up to blink at Riku before he grinned.  "Yeah, yeah, I'm here, I'm here.  I was just waiting for you."

            "Well if you wait much longer, we'll be late for gym.  Blitzball today, you ready for it?"

            Sora's grin only widened at the prospect of playing the game in gym.  Though he'd never considered himself anywhere near good enough to try out for the school's blitz team, the game was still fun, especially when pitted against people who had no clue how to play the game in the first place.  Tidus had ensured that both Riku and Sora learn the basics of the game when Sora had only been six.  Of course, this was the same Tidus who had climbed his way up to star of the high school's blitzball team, even though he was only a sophomore. 

            Filing into the locker room with the other students ten minutes later, Sora poked Riku in the ribs.  His mother's words from earlier that morning still on his mind, Sora decided to bring up the whole birthday thing, maybe even being able to wheedle a gift idea out of Riku if he was lucky. 

            "So you never told me whatcha wanted for your sweet seventeenth, Ri-ku..."

            "Sora, it's sweet sixteenth, not the seventeenth."

            "Whatever.  You're avoiding the question."

            Riku groaned as the two boys began unlocking the small gym lockers, still talking to Sora as he spun the dial on his lock to enter the correct combination.  "I told you I'd tell you if I thought of anything.  I mean, I've got everything I need, right?  I don't need clothes, I don't need a car... uh, not that I'd want you to go buy me one anyway... I don't need shoes, a new trumpet, or anything."

            There was silence a moment as a smile grew on Sora's face. 

            Removing his shirt to change into his gym uniform, Sora didn't make eye contact with his friend next to him as he said, "You forgot the idea bit."

            Tugging his own shirt over his head, Riku blinked back at Sora.  "Huh?"

            "You've been giving me the same speech for, hmm, let's see, nearly a whole week now.  And after you say you don't need anything, you're then supposed to say," Sora deepened his voice in an impression of his older friend, furrowing his eyebrows together in an attempt to look imposing.  "'I'm completely out of ideas, Sora!'"

            Riku grinned as they both finished dressing out, bending down to tie up his shoelace.  Looking over at Sora, the back of Riku's mind made a harmless comment about how girly Sora's legs were.  Opening his mouth to joke about it, Riku then thought better of the statement on the tip of his tongue, and quickly shifted gears back to the current issue at hand.

            "I'm surprised you remembered, Sora!  This all from the same kid who couldn't remember his two-times tables until he was in the fourth grade."  Wrapping an arm around Sora's waist, Riku ruffled his already messy brown hair with his other hand, laughing.  "My little baby's all grown up!"

            "Augh!  Cut it out, Riku!"

            Thankfully, Riku didn't seem to notice the blush that had momentarily made itself clear all over Sora's face.

            ~~~~~~~

            Several hours later, Sora happily plopped down to sit at the lunch table surrounded by the same old gang.  Riku sat next to him, Tidus and Wakka across from them (deep in discussion about blitzball practice that afternoon, no doubt), and Kairi and Selphie on his other side.  All in all, lunch was always his favorite time of the day, not just because of the food, but also because it was one of the few times during weekdays when he and his friends were all together.

            Though it looked as though Selphie still hadn't gotten over the first color guard practice of that afternoon...

            "Eeee!  I'm so excited!  Only three hours and twenty three minutes 'til I finally get to get my hands on one of those shiny flags!"  Bouncing up and down in her chair, it was a wonder that Selphie was able to now choke on the soda she then gulped down.

            Riku groaned and leaned his elbows on the table, cradling his chin in his clasped hands.  "Will you just get over it already, Selphie?  Honestly, it's not like it's a challenge to get into color guard.  They'd take practically anybody, their group is so small.  Besides.  Twirling a flag.  Big whoop."

            Kairi cut in before Selphie could bash Riku up one side and down the other with her more then sour commentary.  "You know, Riku, it really does  seem like you've got something against the guard."

            "You know, it's funny, but I could've sworn Riku was putting down the color guard..."

            Sora, who had previously been listening to the conversation with half an ear, now turned to see who the new speaker was standing behind Riku.  Yuffie stood there, arms crossed in front of her, practically glaring daggers down at the silver haired boy in front of her.  Though Yuffie was as innocent and bouncy as Selphie was, she was also a junior like Riku, as well as a member of last year's guard.  Probably not the smartest move on Riku's part to anger the girl, though judging by Riku's smile, he seemed to have come up with a plan to wiggle himself out of any grudges Yuffie might hold.

            "Yuffie!  Nice running into you, ne?  I was just talking to Sora here about the color guard tryouts Selphie keeps talking about."