I.
The school wasn't too far from the shores of the mainland, and that was probably why most of the kids from Destiny Islands tended to attend Shallowcreek High once they came of proper highschooling age. It wasn't far and it was a good enough stepping stone towards the world of college and higher learning. It was pricy to attend the more prestigious prep school inside the main city anyway. The halls were a little dingy but the teachers cared just the right amount, even if the students tended to border on the edge of cruel and insufferable.
When Riku, Kairi, and Sora had first set foot in these halls, it had been with an innocent Islands education. Sora and Kairi had hung behind, nervous, unsure of their new surroundings, unaware of such things as labeling and stereotyping even as they themselves were filed and classified. In front of them, leading the charge was Riku, stomach trembling but showing no signs of anything but utter determination, poise and self-confidence, daring anyone to lay one hand on his protégées.
Now in their early grade eleven year, Riku was a legend, revered, respected, a someonetonotmesswith. It had never been accomplished on the mainland to come from the islands and actually fit. To actually find a clique or group that didn't smell of sun and sand and paopu fruit and have people forget for a moment how different you were. Riku did such things with ease. He scoffed and teased and smirked his way into a high profile spot on next year's student council, and because of that, cleared easy paths for both Kairi and Sora.
Kairi became a Girl with a capital G. Any girls coming from the islands were usually stereotyped as too butch for boyfriends based on the fact that a little sun and sand and beach wrestling wouldn't ruffle their feathers one bit. But Kairi had snuck into the mall shopping, sundress wearing, purse matching bag clique that oh so many cheerleaders ran with.
Sora on the other hand floated. He was a blitzball playing, school dance organizing, generally socializing techy geek. The only "group" that seemed home to him was Riku. By Riku's side he was comfortable. Out of his element and he was a fish out of water. For all his sweet and shy friendship making skills, everyone with a pulse knew that to Hurt Sora was to sign one's own death certificate. Sora knew this as well. As best friends, Riku took his role of the mighty protector very seriously. Kairi had a mean left hook for defense but Sora tended to freeze at any uncomfortable altercation, making him vulnerable, making Riku rabid to shield him from pain, hurt, despair and unpleasant small dogs.
This was what Sora was thinking about while he rolled four different coloured highlighters back and forth across his desk. Blue, Pink, Green and Orange.
So there goes my life…
Sixteen years of friendship. Riku to his left, folding a paper airplane out of his English notes, silver hair falling into his eyes, not to be swept away for all the concentration involved.
Passing by with every exit sign…
"Ri-ku…" A soft whisper, hissed from Sora as he stared ahead, pretending to take notes. Pretending to not doodle small Paopu stars and hearts in the margins of his note paper. The other boy's reaction was instantaneous shift of focus from paper to person.
"Yeah Sora?" Just as secretive aquamarine eyes slid to the right as Sora had known they would. The voice speaking just as soft, just as 007/mission impossible don't get caught or you're dead.
A jolt in Sora's stomach reminded him of- well, something. And he smiled to hide the sudden sensation of being immersed in cold, unforgiving water, toes first.
"I… I've got to talk to you at lunch about… something. It's important. So don't be late!" Voice strained to sound cheery, friend of forever narrowing eyes and clearly not buying forced enthusiasm. Riku nodded sagely and Sora had the thought –not for the first time- that in so many ways, Riku was decades older then he'd ever be.
Seeming satisfied, Sora nodded quickly and proceeded to bend his head over his binder, hand wrinkling a few unimportant notes as he picked up the blue highlighter, fleshing out stars and hearts with watery, transparent colour.
Only an hour and a half then until lunch.
It seemed, to Sora at least, like there wasn't enough time in the world between then and now.
Sometimes I wonder how I will stay strong…
Lunch was no school event. Sora found actually, that more people tended to leave at lunch then stay, leaving the cafeteria a desolate place. Kairi opted -as usual- to sit this lunch out with Sora and Riku and head off to some new vegetarian pita shop down the street with Selphie and her other friends. So it was just Sora, chewing the straw from his chocolate milk like it was marzipan straight from Germany instead of the gross, plastic unedible straw it actually was, and Riku.
"So Sora…" Riku, studying him again from across the table, paying little to no attention to the fries he'd bought for lunch and seemed to refuse to touch until Sora spilled his guts out on the Clorox sanitized cafeteria table. "What was it you wanted to talk about?"
Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, Sora peeked up at Riku, finding that yes once again those concerned eyes, bright as sea glass were looking at him with such intensity it was almost as if they were looking through him.
"I-" Sora choked then. Because all day, and all yesterday he'd been fine. Avoiding the issue was sort of like eliminating it, but now, he knew he had to let it out. His little secret from his mother to him. The secret that couldn't stay secret and threatened to tear it's way out of his throat, with Sora's consent or not.
Concern battled with fear in Riku's expression and he leaned in quickly, forcing something more intimate, more conspiratorial. "Sora? What's wrong?"
Fingers feeling clammy and eyes stinging, Sora pushed away the remains of his lunch and lifted his eyes to meet Riku's.
"I'm … my mom said that I'm moving. Soon. F-far away." Sora found that somewhere in his confession his eyes found the table top again and seemed glued there. After what seemed an eternity, he heard Riku suck a breath in across from him. Sharp. Hurt.
Nonono, Sora didn't want to hurt Riku. He never wanted to hurt him, he didn't mean t-
"How far?" The silver haired boy's speech was even, controlled and calculated.
"A... place called Twilight Town. About… six or seven hour's drive from here… she said." Sora heard Riku release that breath in a slow whoosh.
Oh… that far…
Sora could almost see the hopes of weekend visits and sleepovers fall away as Riku slumped his shoulders forward. Seven hours. It was too far…
As if in a snap decision, Riku reached up, unclasping a necklace from around his throat from which dangled a charm the shape of a three pointed crown. One Sora had admired for ages. Ever since Riku's mother had bought it for him once when she went away on a trip. He leaned forward and with quick precision, slipped it around Sora's neck.
"Here…" Riku murmured. "Keep it… something from me. A… going away present."
The magnitude of the gift shocked Sora into a small silence which he broke himself a few moments later.
"I'll… write you…"
The sentiment sounded pathetic to even Sora's ears and he was struck by the irony of having to use such a phrase and mean it when he'd only ever heard it in malice. Mockery.
"Yeah." Riku's voice seemed hollow. Crushed.
"Don't forget… like all those stupid people in books… and movies. You better keep up because I will."
Miserably, Sora nodded.
"I will." He whispered. "I promise."
