The Persistence of Memory.
'Do you really have to go?' A fourteen year-old boy asked his other friend, whose hair lightly reached the top of his shoulders.
The other boy sighed. 'It's not like I have choice, Sora.'
'I know, but…'
'And it's not like we won't be friends anymore. Unless you're going to miss me that badly—'
'As if!'
'Haha, don't worry. We've been friends forever, me moving won't chance a thing…'
'You sure?'
…Promise.
...
"Soraaa—"
The boy jumped literally from his bed and stumbled into a constricting position of tight sheets. "Whoah, Kairi. You nearly gave me a heart attack!" He shouted at the smiling girl. Sora's generally sleep-induced stupor had been reluctantly shocked into an alert status. And since he was now mostly awake, his stomach gave off a familiar noise to affirm what Sora's first actions of the day should be. He could only frown at the smaller girl who was keeping him from some of the most important factors of life: sleeping and eating.
"Keep your stomach quiet for a moment, I gotta tell you something. Guess where we're going!" Kairi nearly shouted, her cheeks burning bright with excitement. Unlike Sora, Kairi was perfectly groomed and clothed. Wait, a second…Sora clutched his sheets further up. Didn't Kairi feel any embarrassment about walking in on a half-naked guy? Sora almost felt offended; they were childhood friends, but wasn't he a male anymore?
As if reading his thoughts, Kairi mumbled something about it being 'nothing new', then turned her back on him and hurriedly waved at him, a clear indication for him to change.
"Ah…where?" He slowly answered. Sora supposed he should have been a bit more enthusiastic, but just cause he was awake didn't mean he was actively awake. No, that would wait until after he had his fill of breakfast. He struggled off the floor and snatched a pair of black board shorts that had been lying wrinkled beneath him.
Kairi impatiently tapped her foot before answering, "Mainland!"
Sora's ears perked up considerably. "I'm dressed. Why the mainland?" After all, they lived on the smaller islet of Destiny Islands. The mainland was something practically unknown and unfamiliar. He couldn't think of any relatives he or Kairi had there either. Or did Kairi have any…all Sora knew was that her previous home had been somewhere far away. But definitely not on the mainland.
Kairi turned back to face Sora with an impossibly wide smile. "We're going to see…Ri—ku!" Kairi replied, emphasizing each syllable of the mentioned boy's name.
Riku?! Sora was excited, but foremost confused. He hadn't seen Riku seen he was fourteen years old. Riku, his best friend! Well, Riku had been his best friend. But they stopped keeping contact once Riku moved to the mainland. After the car accident that had killed his father, Riku's mother had taken him to the mainland, where Riku's relatives lived. He supposed Riku was attending some elite school there. The mainland was the richest and most high-class of all the islands that composed Destiny Islands. Sora's island was small and far from being rich.
Sora suppressed his increasing excitement and tried to keep calm. "Why Riku? I mean, why going to see Riku all of a sudden?" Sora sat down on his bed. Three whole years since he'd last seen the silver-headed boy. Or was it man now? Sora supposed Riku was eighteen now. Sora couldn't imagine Riku meshing with all the upper class society there. Even on the islands Riku was not the most talkative person. Of course, he was hands down the coolest, but the most social? No, that had been shared between Kairi and Sora. Without Sora's notice, a small smile crept onto his face.
"His mother invited us to see him! My dad just found a letter in the mailbox this morning. It didn't even say much, there was just two tickets to get to the mainland by sea. So get packing!"
What? Wait a second. First, Kairi was telling him that Riku, the once best friend who not a single person on the island has heard from these past three years, has suddenly sent a mysterious letter that contained two tickets for just him and Kairi? Sora always knew Riku's family was incredibly rich. Now he just had a better idea of just how rich Riku was. Not just anybody could send two tickets on a whim. Also, didn't these even seem slightly suspicious to her? Or was it just that Sora was the one who was doubting Riku's intentions? No, Sora told himself, I trust Riku. Why would he have any bad intentions anyway?
Sora leaped from his bed and gave Kairi an encouraging smile. He lifted a couple of clothes from the floor. "So when do I need to get ready?" With his suspicions quelled, Sora was getting excited. He had never visited the mainland before. All Sora had ever known was covered with sand and miles of salt water. Giant palm trees with fresh coconuts and winding paths to secret hideouts. Sure, it wasn't the most popular tourist attraction, but it was absolutely beautiful. Who wouldn't love spending their life in this tropical paradise? But, Sora knew, deep down he wanted to see more. He wanted to see bustling streets and the metropolis. He loved his little island and all of its occupants, but his island was tiny. There must be more out there. And maybe these tickets would finally give him the chance to find out what was out there.
"Tomorrow morning," Kairi replied before plugging her fingers in her ears.
"What?!" Sora shouted. Kairi winced at the sound, then unplugged her ears. "But, but, that means we have only a day to get packed! And to leave so suddenly—"
Kairi interrupted. "What, do you have some prior engagement to go to? Relax, Sora, it's summer! The summer before we all turn into adults! We have to, ah, experience youth to the fullest! What's more youthful than an unexpected trip?"
Sora slumped his shoulders into a sign of resignation. "I s'pose so…now go."
"Huh, why?" Kairi's face pouted.
"Well, if I need to pack up all my stuff in one day, I better start packing now!" Sora gave her a big grin before shooing her outside.
"Wait a sec!" Kairi cried out before Sora could push her out into the hallway. "Don't you want your ticket?" Kairi waved the single slip of paper in the air with a knowing look. "Or maybe I'll just leave you at the dock, huh?" Kairi's smile faltered for a moment as she placed a hand on her forehead. She squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples with each of her index fingers.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Sora asked with sincere worry. Now that he thought about it, Kairi didn't look that great. She was light-skinned, but today she was abnormally pale. He had thought maybe it was the lighting of his room, giving her an unnatural pallid appearance.
"Ah, it's nothing. I think the sun's getting to me a bit. It always gets horribly hot when summer approaches. I'm probably not used to it. Maybe a little dehydration or something." She lifted her hand after a few moments and winked. "Thanks for worrying about me. I didn't know you were such a sweetheart, Sora…"
Sora grabbed the ticket from her hand and stuck his tongue out. "Yeah, sure, Kairi. So, when are we coming back from this trip?"
Kairi opened the door and headed out, before turning back with a final cat-like grin. "Whenever we want. See you tomorrow, Sora."
"Whenever…" Sora repeated to himself as Kairi closed the door of his room behind her.
Sora wasn't just sure what he was going to expect, but with Kairi there, he was sure it wasn't going to be so bad. Riku was going to be there too. Riku…
"What have you been doing all these years?" Sora silently asked, as he heard the front door click closed, echoing throughout the silent house.
--
"Kairi was right, the summer heat is coming right up," Sora exclaimed, one hand blocking the sun's rays from his eyes, while the other held his baggage. Somehow Sora had been able to drag himself up without Kairi's daily antics to wake him up. Sora had actually gotten up and arrived on time, a miracle according to Sora's track record in the past.
The air was permeated with the scent of seawater and fresh fish. It was a smell that Sora had long been used to. He supposed the air on the mainland would smell different. This island depended on fish as one of their major economic resources while the mainland was the industrial center. The waves rolled in and out below the dock as familiar islanders worked together to haul the nets and other fishing supplies onto the deck of their boats. The only thing seemingly out of place was the ship that was nestled at the rear edge of the dock. Unlike the rather homely boats of the islanders, the ship was sleek and new, an obvious sign of its origins. Small groups of people were lined near the ship, chattering with one another or checking the contents of their bags and packages. Many of them, like Sora, had probably never been to the mainland before. Sora rushed over to them while he searched for Kairi.
Kairi, however, was nowhere to be seen.
"Don't tell me she's not coming?" Sora half-mumbled to himself as he settled in the back of the line. He wasn't so sure if he could face both Riku and the mysteries of the mainland by himself. Was she still not feeling well? Sora was in cold sweat. He didn't like doing things alone. Especially something like this.
"Oi, Sora!" A girlish voice called some feet away.
Sora abruptly turned to view the speaker. It was a girl all right. However, this girl had brown hair that flipped around her chin. She adorned a bright yellow dress with beach sandals. A large bag was hanging on the ground, her left hand barely holding its handle. A single necklace of thalassa shells hung around her neck, a definite present from Kairi.
"Selphie?!" Sora called out in confusion. Why was Selphie here? And where was Kairi?
Selphie held her forefinger up and then shook the contents of the single pocket in her dress until she found a small piece of paper. She held it up for Sora to see. It was a ship ticket. Either that meant Selphie was coming with him and Kairi, or Kairi had given her ticket to Selphie. A smile broke out on her face as she suddenly began to speak at her own, as many of us had labeled it, Selphie-speed. "Kairi couldn't make it, so I'm taking her place. Ooh, I'm so excited! I've never been out of this island before! I wonder if there'll be any good-looking people! New horizons, new people, new adventures! It'll be so romantic!" Selphie giggled before latching herself onto Sora's arm. Sora felt his mouth gape and his body slightly limp. Selphie always made Sora into helpless putty in her reckless hands. "Shall we go?" She added once the passengers began to ascend the ramp leading to the vessel. Several of the people disdainfully shook their heads at Selphie's exuberant antics, Sora noticed. He couldn't blame them really, but he didn't disapprove of Selphie's behavior either.
Sora didn't have anything really against Selphie. She really was an interesting girl. It was just that…Selphie was also downright different. She was abnormally scatterbrained, but at the same time surprisingly smart. She was perceptive and oblivious. She was silly and blunt. And that made out for some pretty awkward situations. Sora wasn't sure he would be able to make it there in one piece. Heck, he wasn't even sure he wanted to go to the mainland anymore. Without Kairi as his support, he had to fend for himself.
But there was always Riku. Riku, surely, would remember his once best friend and resume their friendship? Of course, Sora couldn't be too sure as he hadn't actually received a personal letter from Riku, but he assumed that Riku was anxious to see him too. Or at least, Sora hoped Riku felt the same.
They'd known each other since they were babies. They'd been friends practically their whole lives until Riku moved. All those years of friendship had to mean something to Riku. For Sora, they did.
Sora looked out over the deck of the ship and beyond the ship to the shore. He could make out his crooked street and remembered his mother's assurance that Sora could stay as long as he wanted, but would need to act appropriately. That meant no misconduct, misbehavior, and whatever else that Sora was constantly chided for. Sora knew his mother used to live on the mainland, being the daughter of a wealthy family who had married Sora's father, who was not as well off as she, but relatively prosperous. The only main problem was that the mainland's 'wealthy' was far different than prosperous or rich on Sora's island. However, Sora's mother gave up the vast inheritance she would receive to be with Sora's father. Sora tried to pry his mother into giving him information about the mainland, but his mother told him only one thing: be on your guard. Coming from his mother, Sora was slightly taken aback, but his mother wouldn't explain further. She wished him luck and pushed him right out the door without another word. Some mother, Sora inwardly grumbled.
"I wonder what Riku's like now," Selphie's dreamy voice wandered into Sora's conscious, jerking him back to reality. The ship had already embarked, slowly leaving the shore behind. Sora watched and seagulls glide merrily aside the ship and contemplated the statement Selphie had made. There was no hidden meaning behind the sentence, but Sora couldn't help but wonder at what Selphie was referencing to. Had Riku changed? Was he no longer the same Riku? He had always seemed like the kind of person who could rather adapt people to him than adapt to others, but maybe the mainland had different people, different circumstances. Sora didn't know. He shrugged and leaned against the rail, his back to the sea.
Selphie resumed speaking after a pause to look at Sora before clasping her hands on the metal railing. "He was always so cool…I remember that you and Riku would have these mini-challenges all the time, It was fun watching you two race across the beach…Tidus and Wakka are best friends too, but you two seemed…I don't know, different, at how close you were…I'm rambling, aren't I?" Selphie stuttered with a slight blush. Sora was a bit shocked. When had Selphie, the queen of bluntness without shame, ever blush? And more than that, she had a whole conversation where she spoke normally? Sora was half-tempted to place his hand on her forehead and check her temperature. He hoped the heat wasn't getting to Selphie too.
"Maybe…" Was all that Sora could say. He had never objectively looked at his relationship with Riku. All he knew was that Riku had been his precious friend. Same as Kairi. They had often pushed each other and competed, but Sora knew it was in good fun. He didn't mean anything by it. In fact, Sora had always been slightly jealous of Riku.
Riku was practically perfect in Sora's point of view. He was the smart, handsome, athletic, and thoughtful one. He got great grades without trying, he wooed the girls at the island with his piercing aqua eyes, he could whoop Sora's butt on any day, and always thought about the world outside of the island. What it would be like, what could be seen, what they were missing out on.
And now, Riku was out of the island. He had moved on to bigger, probably better things. And honestly, Sora was glad for him. He wanted Riku to be happy, to be able to undergo new experiences, like Riku had always talked about before he moved.
But… the thing was, Sora couldn't help feeling left behind.
In their struggles, he and Riku had been closely racing each other. When one fell back, it was only by an inch or so. If a game was won, it was by a margin of a point or hit. However, Sora was being further and further left behind. As the years had passed, Riku had been experiencing new things that Sora could scarcely imagine. He was on the mainland, the metropolis, and the center of the Destiny Islands. And Sora was on an insignificantly small isle that was isolated from the rest of the world and society. Albeit a nice place, but secluded nonetheless…
Sora opened his eyes and stretched his arms upwards. He hoped Selphie wasn't offended by his abnormally quiet behavior, but when he looked up, Selphie seemed to be in the same pensive expression as he had worn. Not wanting to disturb her, Sora resumed in slouching and sat on the deck floor. The other passengers had either went indoors or were lounging on other parts of the rail. Some of them looked mildly familiar, but the rest were visibly different, with fancy clothes and haughty faces. Sora could only scowl as he imagined how people on the mainland dress.
"Sora…" Selphie suddenly moaned. She had heaved herself off the rail and had kneeled before Sora, her face twisted into an expression of pain and regret.
"What?! What's wrong," Sora worriedly asked. He suspected that the heat had finally gotten to Selphie and was about to offer to bring her some cool water, when she answered, "I forgot to bring some papou fruit with me! Now what am I supposed to do if I meet my true love?"
Selphie gave another tragic moan before scrunching her face into a pout. He sighed and smiled. This was the typical Selphie that Sora had long been accustomed to. "I'm sure you can bring them back to the island and share a papou then. Alright?" Sora replied reassuringly.
Selphie seemed pacified as she meekly nodded, like a little child. Sora patted her on the head lightly. "You know, I'm happy that you could come Selphie."
Selphie tilted her head towards him and beamed at him. "Thanks, Sora. I wasn't so sure you'd be happy to see me when I first greeted you at the docks. But, I think we'll have a great time. We'll see Riku, the mainland, and everything else we couldn't see on our island. It's sort of exciting!"
She had, of course, seen Sora's insecurities and doubts about Selphie coming in place of Kairi. What interested Sora more, though he didn't tell her, was that he secretly was a bit surprised on how much Selphie's words paralleled with his thoughts Behind Selphie's girlie appearance, she was just another person who was curious about the world. She wanted to see new things, to leave the island even. Just like Sora.
But there was one thing Sora wasn't sure about though.
Would three years long enough to drive an irrevocable wedge between him and Riku? Sora sincerely hoped not, but there was the ever-constant nag in the back of his mind that would remind Sora of the possibility. All Sora could do was wait.
--
"I do hope you two enjoy your stay here," A middle-aged woman coolly said, her hands maneuvering the steering wheel. Both Sora and Selphie sat in the back seat of the no doubt expensive vehicle and muttered words of thanks and appreciation. Selphie seemed to have wanted to say more, but remained quiet. She tucked her hands under her thighs and hummed a little tune to herself once Riku's mother had ended the small talk.
Sora guessed both females in the car could feel Sora's anxiousness and remained silent. Sora wanted to tell them to continue speaking, but knew he'd rather sit undisturbed with his thoughts for a moment.
Riku hadn't shown up when his mother had came to the dock to pick up Sora and Selphie.
Riku's mother had avoided the topic of Riku's whereabouts when both Sora and Selphie asked.
Heck, the name Riku wasn't even mentioned more than once or twice.
Sora was beginning to think something was suddenly wrong. Before he was going to speak up and ask again where Riku was, a cell phone rang out. Selphie hummed to the generic tone until Riku's mother picked up.
"Hello?"
"Where are you?"
"I didn't give you permission—"
"Wait!" Riku's mother angrily called into the mouthpiece of the device before she snapped the phone close. She released a harsh breath of air before looking to the front mirror and peered at the two.
She struggled to calm her voice as she spoke. "Would you two mind if I dropped you off at the house? I forgot that I have something I need to do…"
Selphie sprang into action. "No, we don't mind at all? Do we Sora?" She persuasively eyed Sora.
Sora spluttered and hurriedly answered, "N-no we don't. Thanks."
After several more blocks of endless perfection, Riku's mother stopped beside a home on the corner of a street. Sora honestly couldn't pinpoint where he was; the houses all seemed the same. Each house was an absolutely beautiful work of architecture, but didn't hold any differences from the next house right beside it. He couldn't help but zone out as the car had passed by all these identical homes.
If someone were to ask Sora what his first opinion of the mainland, specifically the city that Riku lived in, and where Sora was heading to, he would say that the city was two things. Cold and machine-like.
Everything was like brand-new. No specks of dirt. Eerily perfect. Pretty little cookie-cutter houses lined up on pretty pavement.
Sora, the slob, was hardly used to this. Selphie didn't seem very enthusiastic either. The thing that Sora was really curious about was her overly excited answer to Riku's mother. Quite frankly, he was lost. He didn't understand what was going on at all.
He just hoped that things were going to go smoothly as time passed. He was, after all, an outsider. So the houses were all spick and span. So it seemed a bit odd to him.
All Sora had to do was hold tight and think optimistically. That was one of his best traits, right? Think positive. Ask questions later. At least that's what Sora thought anyway.
Sora kept his mouth firmly closed throughout the rest of the car ride while Selphie finally began to converse with Riku's mother, shooting one question after another at top speed. Riku's mother dutifully answered each question, though she was missing the certain keenness that she had expressed earlier when she had first picked them up.
Usually, Sora would have regarded this observation as peculiar, but he continued to watch the indistinguishable houses fly out of his view, one by one, as his thoughts remained glued to one singular person.
--
The car screeched off in a puff of smoke and vapor as it glided out of the distance again, rushing to its next destination. Both Sora and Selphie had amiably waved goodbye to Riku's mother, before heading back into the luxurious house.
However, luxurious was a dire understatement.
The house was covered sleek, undoubtedly expensive material. The marble that graced the floors, the leather furniture stylishly placed in rooms with walls of avant-garde art decorations. He wouldn't have been surprised if the next several blocks had the same artistic direction within their homes. Nevertheless, Sora was both astounded and intimidated by how dazzling Riku's home was. The two had searched throughout the house and dropped their bags down in the upstairs hallway, as they had no idea what room they were to stay in.
And that led to another, more disappointing realization: Riku wasn't at his house either.
Now Sora was getting irritated. What kind of friend was Riku, not even trying to greet his old friend, his once best friend. The truth of it was, Sora was hurt. Had there friendship meant so little to him? Now he almost regretted coming in the first place.
"Sora, are you okay?" Selphie anxiously asked, her face peering over Sora's shoulder, as he sat on one of the leather couches. "Riku's mom said we could help ourselves to the kitchen, since she won't be back for a couple of hours. Are you hungry?"
Usually, he would have answered yes, but he found that he didn't have much of an appetite. He even felt a bit queasy. "Um, no, thanks. I'm fine." Selphie raised herself up and stood. "You should eat something if you're hungry though. Don't worry about me," Sora added.
Selphie nodded in confirmation and skipped along to the kitchen, making sure her steps were inside the diamond-shaped marble pieces on the floor. A few moments later, her voice floated out from the kitchen, muffled slightly by the walls. "I'm going to make myself a sandwich. If you do feel hungry, just shout, kay?"
"Will do," Sora quickly answered back. He leaned back into the cold leather behind him and sighed. Sora sat and thought.
Maybe he was assuming too much.
Maybe Riku had some…prior engagement and he couldn't make it in time. Riku couldn't help it if he was busy. Sora guessed he probably was; a wonder-kid like Riku weren't a dime a dozen. He was probably using his talents to their full extent and making a life for himself.
So Sora just needed to have a little patience. That was all.
Sora struggled up—the couch was trying to pull him back in like quicksand—and maneuvered towards the kitchen. He might have been a little hungry, after all. "Hey, Selphie, I guess I'm actually a bit hungry too. Do you mind if—" Sora was interrupted by the sound of keys jingling in the front door. Sora instinctively jumped and dashed towards the edge of the wall, peeking out from the doorway that led from the front door to the living room. He smoothed out his spikes, so that they couldn't' be discerned and Sora could be unseen. For some reason, he couldn't help being paranoid.
The jingling stopped, and the front door swung open. And into the house came two stumbling people. The first was grasping every inch of the other, while encompassed into a fervent kiss, with the other was leaning against the door. Or more like two mouths sucking the life out of each other, Sora mentally observed, feeling both embarrassed and out of place.
He had half the mind to run to Selphie, but stopped when he saw the face of the person slanted on the door.
"Riku?!" Sora blurted out. Sora immediately slapped his hands over his mouth. Not only had his shout been unexpected, it had been incredibly loud and…hostile?
The two straightened up, and Sora could finally see that the other who had been leaning over his once friend was another man. Gay? Sora anxiously thought. When did Riku become gay? No, Sora, you're just being a little too suspicious again? Remember, don't make assumptions…Sora argued with himself. Yeah, but what do you call that? I don't think friends make out like that!
Without another glance in Sora's direction, Riku pushed the other man outside with a single motion. He muttered a few words in a low voice. The other man stalked off without another look. Riku then turned his gaze back to Sora, who was now extremely confused and flustered.
Even though Sora was bewildered, he couldn't help marveling at this new Riku. He was just as good-looking as ever, Sora noted to himself. The years had been good to Riku that was for sure. His hair was only slightly longer, but with more jagged cuts. His muscles were firmly developed and his face was structured without any of its previous childish roundness. Sora hoped he wasn't gaping. Riku opened his mouth to speak to Sora, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"What are you doing here?"
The title of the story is from the painting with the same title by Salvador Dali (the painting doesn't have anything to do with the actual story, though). :) I hope the chapter makes sense.