A/N: Inspired by previous projects of mine. All the typical jargon, I don't own anything.
Simple Movements
Chapter 1
-Orbs-
"...can you hear me?"
The world was unique. Every person born was gifted with a wish they could have granted upon reaching their 18th year of age. However, there were strict limitations. A person couldn't wish for immortality or endless wishes. They couldn't wish for the death, resurrection, or love of another. These laws had been placed upon the world by a powerful council acting independently from the government. Very little was known about these mysterious figures. Rumor had it they were the only ones capable of attaining immortality and had lived for thousands of years. Nobody really knew.
So with only one wish in their possession, people opted for the easiest course through life: Wealth. Why work when money wasn't an issue? Why lift a finger when everything was already provided? They were hidden away behind high walls keeping them separated from the rest of the city. Riku would eye these massive walls every day as he walked to and from school. Luxury cars would drive past him, carrying fellow classmates that lived within the walls. All too often he'd see them laughing, talking on their phone and appearing completely aloof. They were in their own little world, a place that Riku wasn't welcome to. But he never paid them much attention, for those that lived in such luxury was very commonplace. In fact, being wealthy meant nothing, it was so ordinary one could yawn. Perhaps that's why his parents wished for something different altogether.
Riku's parents wished for knowledge. They became doctors in their respective fields and were happier doing something they loved than being engulfed in the dullness of their wealthy counterparts. It allowed them not only a great and fulfilling life, but one where their work meant something. There were still many who held their wishes in a higher regard and used them for something that spoke of heart, compassion, and understanding for others. Riku was happy to have a wonderful example for him to follow after.
Riku opened his eyes to see the glimmering seas on the horizon. With the twilight came a slight chill, his hands suddenly finding themselves in his pants' pockets.
"Kind of cold, isn't it?"
His long time friend came up behind him, a hand running through her thick dark hair. She smiled at the silver haired teen as she stopped at his side. Riku nodded gently.
"I know, Pocahontas, and I forgot my jacket at home this morning. I should have known better."
"Want to grab something to drink before you head off?"
Riku licked his lips. "Sure, are you buying?"
She grinned. "I guess so."
"Then let's go."
They walked to a regular spot of theirs, a small coffee shop that sat halfway into their respective paths to home. The automatic door opened, their senses immediately met with the warm smells of coffee and tea.
"Welcome, may I take your order?"
They resembled humans, but the cold and lifeless eyes told Riku otherwise. With the majority of civilization living in luxury, the work force had to be dealt with. Using cloning technology and machinery, android-like beings called Replicas were manufactured to deal with the shortage of workers. Everywhere one went, they were there. It wasn't to say that there weren't actual humans working, but they were but a fraction compared to the Replicas. Riku never liked them.
"I'll have a hot chai tea please," Pocahontas replied to the glossy faced Replica. "And you, Riku?"
"Paopu cider."
The pair of friends sat in a corner of the shop, their book bags laid underneath the table. They didn't wait long as a Replica brought their drinks over and carefully placed the hot brews before them. Pocahontas lifted her chai tea and let out a cooling breath over the rich surface of her cup. Riku followed suit, eventually taking a sip from the deliciously sweet cider.
"Thanks, Pocahontas. I definitely needed this."
"No problem," she replied placing a hand underneath her chin, "you've been a little out of it lately. Is something wrong?"
He shrugged, shaking his hair with the act. "I don't know, maybe I'm coming down with something."
"Your parents would be the first to know, couldn't you go to them?"
Riku smiled. "Good point, so it can't be that."
It was then that Pocahontas' eyes grew wide, realizing something very important. "How could I have forgotten? Your birthday is coming up!"
They were alone in the shop, yet Riku held his hands out in an effort to shush the tan colored teen. "Damn it Pocahontas, could you be any louder?"
She recoiled slightly, "Sorry, you know how I am."
"It's okay…" he drifted off.
"It makes sense why you've been a bit distracted. You're always looking out of the windows in class."
"Maybe…"
"Are you thinking of what you want to wish for?"
Riku took a long sip from his cup. "I think you know the answer to that. When are we not thinking about our wishes?"
She drew circles on the surface of the table. "I turned 18 a few months ago and I still haven't decided on what I want to use it for."
"It's not like it has an expiration date," Riku added, "take your time."
"I know that, but you're forgetting who my father is."
He sighed to himself. "Right."
Pocahontas came from a long line of royalty from a far off country and was in fact, a princess. But with each passing generation and the state of the current world, royalty had lost much of its appeal and ruling power. They were seen as archaic, and not needed in a modern world. With the passing of Pocahontas' mother at an early age and their power waning, her father was forced to renounce their title and moved them away. It was just Pocahontas and her father, a strong and strict man still holding onto old fashioned ideals. His desire was for Pocahontas to marry and have children, bringing new blood that would eventually rise up and make their presence once again known. Pocahontas didn't want that.
"He still can't get it through his head that we can't wish for love," she said gripping her forehead in mock desperation.
"Not like it'd take your wish to get married and have kids," Riku poked at her.
She glared at him, but her lips told a different story. She laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment. Because you obviously meant that my beauty alone is enough to attract a possible suitor. Am I right?"
Riku grinned. "Of course, that's exactly what I meant."
She reached over and softly punched his shoulder. "Ass."
Their cups sat empty and the afternoon turned to night. Riku and Pocahontas parted ways, each heading in opposite directions. With the air growing colder and his lack of a jacket, Riku walked quickly towards home. He turned on several streets, the lights overhead flickering every so often. His breath materialized with every intake and exhale, a thin layer of sweat building on his forehead. Riku was so focused on his task of reaching home he never saw the mound blocking his path. He felt the weight against his legs and promptly fell over. Riku stopped the fall with his hand and groaned as he got back up, his eyes zeroing in on what had caused him to trip. He raised a confused brow.
"What the-"
A person was laying right in the middle of the street, curled up into a ball. He glanced around quickly, wondering if he had someone with him. There wasn't anybody else around except for the boy in front of him. Riku immediately acted on the things he'd learned from his parents and bent down to check him out. He searched for a pulse and felt a huge wave of relief when the rhythmic beat resonated against his fingertips.
"He's okay," he said to himself, "but I should call my parents."
Riku gripped the back of the boy's neck and suddenly froze. The boy's eyes shot open, a bright blue piercing through the darkened street. Riku's gaze met his, a hot sensation coursing through him. Without the slightest inkling of being injured, the boy got up and fell a few steps back. He had chocolate brown hair mounded into unmoving spikes, those piercing blue eyes of his studying Riku intently. The silver haired teen held a hand out.
"It's okay, I wasn't trying to hurt you, it's okay…"
He stood several inches shorter than Riku, his limbs lanky and barely holding onto any weight. Riku took a step further, only to regret it later. The brunette took a hold of him by the wrist and spun him around, an arm encircling around his neck with a force Riku didn't think he had.
"Give me all the money you have!"
Riku didn't struggle, but tried to create some slack in order to turn his head.
"Don't move! I swear, if you do, I'll-"
"My back pocket, my wallet, take it," he spat out in between ragged breaths.
He felt a hand digging into his backside before the constricting arm released him. Riku fell forward, catching himself on his knees as he gasped for breath. The brunette swiftly rummaged through his wallet and threw it on the ground once he found the cash he was looking for. That blue gaze looked at him with a viciousness.
"That's all you have? What kind of richie are you?"
Riku looked at him quizzically, his breath returning to normal. "What did you say?"
"Don't tell me you're some frugal richie, god damn it. Fuck, so much for tonight."
The brunette boy was wearing a pair of blue shorts and a black hooded shirt cut off at the arms. He seemed to be Riku's age, give or take a year. Half of his left eyebrow was gone, in its place a thick scar. It didn't take a genius to realize he was not from around these parts.
"That was hardly worth it," he spat on the ground, "now I'm starving."
Riku didn't know why he felt the need to continue talking to him. "I could have bought you something to eat if you asked."
"What?"
"You didn't need to pretend to be hurt to bait someone in, I would have given you money for you to eat."
He was met with a laugh. The shorter teen gripped the arm he had used to hold Riku. "You some kind of churchgoer or something?"
Riku dismissed the comment. "Where are you from?"
"What do you care?"
"I don't," Riku shrugged, "not really anyways. But you're obviously not from behind the walls or from around here."
"Smart one, aren't you?" he mocked, "I'm done with you, so why don't you go on to your warm and cozy home?"
Riku had a calm temperament, but there was only so much he could take. "Not very smart yourself if you planned on robbing a wealthy person out here. In case you're blind, the walls are up there."
The brunette gripped the money in his hand before tossing it on the ground. "You know what, take your fucking money back. Forget you."
He walked past Riku and brushed against his side, hard. The impact forced Riku to sidestep in order to hold himself up. He picked up the discarded money and his first thought was to simply keep walking home, but there was something else that decided to escape his lips.
"Let me buy you something to eat."
Riku had never seen anyone scarf down so much food at once. He sat across from the strange brunette, his hands a blur as he shoveled food into his already full mouth.
"Easy, take your time. It's not going anywhere."
"Shud upf," came a muffled voice. "Ah don't fneed you to tell me whatto do."
"Is that the thanks I get for treating you?"
He stopped for a moment, his blue eyes looking to Riku and away suddenly. The older teen simply watched until everything was gone from the table.
"You never told me what your name was."
The brunette wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. "Sora."
Riku smiled. "Sora, from an ancient language of the east meaning 'Sky'."
Sora let out a scoff. "If that's what you say so. Never looked into it. What kind of name is 'Riku'?"
"It's from the same language as yours is, it means 'Land'."
Sora didn't find it amusing, "Great, so, are we done here?"
"I guess so."
Sora got up from his seat and slid out from the booth. He started walking towards the front door, but stopped when his hand touched the knob.
"You felt the back of my neck, didn't you?"
Riku felt his chest expand. "I thought you were hurt, so I tried to make sure you were okay."
"And what did you feel?"
His breathing quickened, Riku licked his drying lips. "I didn't feel anything."
"That's what I thought," Sora said before walking out into the cool night air.
Riku didn't bother waiting, flinging money on the table as he ran out the door. Sora was already several yards away before he called out to him. The younger teen didn't appear to have heard him and continued on his trek.
"Sora, wait!"
The experience he had endured only a few hours ago should have taught him a lesson, but Riku wasn't thinking. He gripped Sora by the shoulder, forcing him back to face him. Sora retaliated by taking a hold of his hand and squeezing it painfully. Riku winced, his teeth gritting together as the hot pain washed through him.
"What the fuck is your problem? Do you think I owe you something now?"
Riku tried to pry his hand away, but the vice-like grip wasn't budging. "No, that's not it."
"Then what the hell do you want with me?"
Riku yanked on Sora's arm, their collected hands reaching behind Riku's silver hair and touching the back of his neck. They were looking at one another, eyes locked and the chilly air suddenly blisteringly hot. Riku felt the grip on him loosening, Sora's hand now clasped to his neck and a heat radiating from it.
"What do you feel?" Riku asked with a twinge of nervousness.
Sora felt his heart beating through his chest. He didn't understand, how was it possible? His fingers were touching a circular orb, yet beneath it there was another. Sora slid his fingers along Riku's neck until he was met with a third orb. His eyes grew wide. They let go of one another, with Riku turning to Sora and lifting his hair. With his nape exposed, three green orbs lay imbedded along the length of his neck. Sora couldn't take his eyes off of them. He had him by the neck before, how could he not have felt them?"
"You're a Third Point."
Riku let go of his hair, allowing it to fall back over his shoulders and down to his mid back. The awe in Sora's face turned, shifting into one of disgust. He gripped himself tightly, his fingers digging into his flesh. "Get away from me."
Riku could sense the negativity and held a hand to his chest. "I've never told anyone."
Sora let out a laugh. "What? That you're a Third Point? Someone born with three wishes gifted to them? Oh well gee, how hard it must have been for you to keep such a BIG secret."
There it was again, that mocking tone. Yet, Riku sensed something more underneath the taunts. It took a hold of him and tugged on him, hard. There was pain. The brunette standing in front of him was exuding pain. It was so strong it was making Riku choke up.
"You're worse than the richies," Sora said in a monotone voice, "you have more than anyone ever will."
Sora undid the zipper of his hooded shirt, enough for him to reveal his neck. He touched the back of it, but where an orb should be, there was nothing. No matter how much he drew his finger along his skin, there wasn't anything there. Sora was the complete opposite of the silver haired boy standing in front of him. While Riku was a rarity amongst the people, Sora was an anomaly.
"A Blank Point," the brunette expressed zipping his shirt back up. "a person born without wishes."
Sora took off at a running pace, leaving Riku to watch his image disappear into the darkened streets. There wasn't any point in chasing after him.
"Riku, are you okay? We were worried when you didn't come home."
He waved a hand at them, "I'm fine, I got caught up with Pocahontas at the coffee shop and lost track of time."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course, stop worrying."
He skittered up the stairs before his parents could get another word in. Riku threw his door open and fell into bed, face first. He remained unmoving for a few minutes, simply breathing in the scent of the laundry detergent used to wash his comforters. Grabbing his cell phone, Riku slid the safety off and brought up a search engine.
"Third Points," he said as he typed the words into his phone.
"A term used for rare children born with three wishes. Approximately 1 in 2 millions births."
"Blank Points," he said scrolling down the page.
"A term used for extremely rare children born without wishes. So rare only eight documented cases have ever been recorded by the medical and scientific community."
The scrolling bar hit the bottom, no other information was available. Riku turned the phone off and tossed it to the side. He gripped a pillow against himself, his hair scattered over the bed. Within seconds he fell asleep only to be awoken by the early morning rays of the sun. He looked over to his clock, having felt like he didn't sleep at all. Riku got up, let out a long yawn and stretch. His phone had managed to fall onto the floor and he dutifully picked it up. A single text ran across his screen from Pocahontas.
"Happy Birthday!"
Riku walked over to a full length mirror and pulled his hair up. All three green orbs were glowing softly. He replied to the text, a loud 'ping' signaling it had been sent.
"Thanks…"
A/N: Thanks for reading, hopefully you enjoyed this opening chapter. Still unsure of how far it will play out, but if you would like to read more, please leave a review with your thoughts. Thanks again!
-Addictive Personality