Hello, this is Chris again...with another fanfic. No dur, because this is so I can't really post an AMV. Or if I did, I'd hit myself for being stupid and save you the trouble. Anyway, this one has blood in it, but no violence. MWAHAHA, I've made you curious, no? Fine, leave me. But for the rest of you...yeah, review if ya want (in Chris-speak, that means REVIEW RIGHT NOW YA LAZY BASTARDS!), and like I said before, go ahead and flame. No, really. I want to know how my writing is.
I made a yaoi version of this, too, same title, but it says Yaoi version after the second one, so that should help you tell them apart. M-heh heh heh. So read, review, maybe stick it in your favorites (doubt it), forget about it for a while, look back, kind of say, "Oh yeah!" read it again, and realize it totally sucked. That's what I'm gonna do, anyway.
My shoulder struck the wall as I staggered, so I decided to keep it there. I mean, what the hell, it was better than falling over. But it didn't matter if I stood, sat, fell, or did the hula. It wasn't going to change anything.
And just as I said, it didn't change anything. Pain wracked my body, emanating from my side. I doubled over, fighting the overwhelming urge to pass out. I had done that once, and it had only made things worse. Already, blood flowed down my chin, and I coughed, red flecks spattering the wall. Sinking to my knees despite the wall's support, I retched, the wood floor turning red with my blood. Likewise, it had also dripped on my hair, turning its silvery-white sheen crimson.
A high feminine voice reached my ears, calling my name and asking where I was. I felt whatever color remained in my face drain away. It was Kairi. And she had undoubtedly brought Sora with her. My fears were confirmed as his voice melded with hers, asking if I was here. I groaned, not only because they were here, but because the pain in my side had just doubled.
Sora. The one person I couldn't tell. I wouldn't tell anyone else, but with him, I couldn't. He would be understanding, he would be kind, but mostly he would just worry. I can't do that to him. Sora just found the two of us after two years of searching (actually, one year he was sleeping. I'm sure Kairi found that amusing) and he's gone through hell more than once to do it. To find me like this…
That final battle with Xemnas took a lot out of me, in more that one way. I knew that the second that the red blade struck my side. Perhaps, now that I look back on it, I should have stayed in that place, or even if I had simply died. Either would have been an improvement, as opposed to causing my friends even more pain. Was it not enough that I had betrayed them for the darkness, given my body to Xehanort's Heartless, kept Kairi from Sora for my own benefits, then the whole deal with the Organization XIII, and keeping myself hidden from him when he was searching for me with everything he had? But no, now this is happening to me. So I've kept it hidden from them, kept my agony shielded from their eyes. This time, it's my burden to share alone.
Unless they find me, that is. Lucky for me, the pain didn't last too long. It has a certain weird pattern—hit fast and hard when I'm least expecting it, then grow in intensity until it reaches it's peak, then taper off until it's nothing but a memory waiting to return. I have no idea how long it really lasts, though. It could be ten seconds. It could be ten years. I can't tell when I'm busy dealing with it.
It left quickly, leaving me on my knees in a puddle of blood, panting and sweating. Clearing my throat as I staggered to my feet, I spat a red glob into the sink. Damn. I had just cleaned the bathroom, too, from the last time this had happened. This morning. It's been happening more and more frequently lately, and I'm not sure why. It can be triggered by outside forces—like when I was sparring with Wakka and he got me pretty hard in the side. Stupid metal pole. I managed to knock him out in time, for which I actually feel kinda bad, and get away before I started hocking blood. But most of the time, it just happens randomly.
I opened the door, calling, "Hang on, I'll be there in a minute!"
"Well, hurry up already!" came Kairi's voice.
"Yeah! Get your lazy butt down here, Riku!" Sora yelled. I couldn't help but smile at his demand. Imagine, Sora calling me lazy. That's like me calling him smart. Touché.
Cleaning up the blood from the floor and walls didn't take too long. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only problem. It took me forever to get it out of my hair. I stood back, making sure that there were no pink blots remaining, then looked down and swore loudly. I was covered in blood. Both my jeans and black-and-white shirt had russet stains splashed liberally on them. Shoving the blood-soaked towels into the nearest cabinet, I reached for the door handle.
Only to recoil in shock as someone on the other side of the door knocked loudly.
"Hey Riku, you in there?"
Oh shit. Sora. I couldn't let him see me like this. He'd either think I was sick or a deranged maniac. Either would be bad, but I'm guessing that neither he nor Kairi would pin me as a homicidal psycho-killer. And I don't want or need their pity. Right now I'd do anything to make him go away. My mind raced for an excuse, grasping at something desperately.
"I was, uh, in the shower," I said to him through the door.
"Are you done?"
"No. Can you get me clothes from my room?"
Sigh. "Whatever. Sure."
Was that a snicker? Oh well. As soon as he left, I removed the bloody clothes and stuck them in the same cabinet as the towels. Stripped down to my boxers I waited for his return. When he came, I cracked open the door, not wanting to open it in case I had left a red splotch in the corner or something, grabbing at the clothes. Then I looked at them.
"Soraaaaaa…" I growled, and he giggled madly. I kicked the door open and chased him downstairs. Kairi stared in shock as I tackled Sora wearing nothing but my dark blue boxers with a pattern of a dragon fighting a tiger. I don't know why I wore those today. I just did. Oh well.
"What the hell?" she said, amazed. I tossed the bundle of clothes, which I still held in my hand, at her feet, still wrestling with Sora.
"Those—ouch—yours?" I asked with a grin. She stared down openmouthed at the pink jacket, the black-and-purple mini…and I mean mini…skirt, and, the real catch, lacy pink panties and Victoria's Secret—get this—push-up bra. Kairi blushed, eyes narrowing into slits at the brunette that was currently in a headlock. Kairi's burning glare made him freeze, petrified in the path of her penetrating gaze. I quickly pushed him towards her as she pounced. Leaping on him, she brought him crashing to the ground and started tickling the hell out of him, the poor bastard. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and Kairi had definitely been scorned. How he got the clothes, I'll never know. I went back upstairs to my room to get real clothes, listening to Sora yelping and screeching.
†††††
Kairi's fingers sought out the most ticklish spots on Sora's body. He twisted and thrashed, trying to escape her, but to no avail. He gasped for breath, barely able to breathe.
'God, I hate being tickled,' he thought, starting to panic. It seemed like she had been doing this for the last ten minutes.
"Kairi, quit it, you're gonna kill him," said a voice. The torture stopped, leaving Sora gulping for air, wheezing slightly. Kairi stood, straightening her skirt primly.
"Sorry, Riku, but they are mine, so…"
Sora looked up at Riku from his present position on the floor. He had chosen black jeans, and a loose-fitting sleeveless black shirt. Several belts hung from his hips, only one seeming to have any effect whatsoever, and a silver chain circled his neck, from which a small silver knife was hanging. Sora felt like almost a dork next to him in a bright red tee shirt and blue jeans, the same old necklace around his neck, the crown glinting in the sunlight. His black jacket was tied around his waist.
Grasping the proffered hand, Sora stood, still breathing hard.
"Thanks," he panted. Riku just rolled his eye and grinned.
"You got beat by a girl…because she was tickling you," he teased. Kairi punched him, making him laugh and rub his arm ruefully.
†††††
"So what are you guys doing here anyway?" I asked. Kairi laughed.
"Don't you remember? We're going to the island today."
"Yeah, it was, like, all we were talking about yesterday.
Shit. Really? I don't remember that at all…
"Oh…right!" I agreed heartily, trying to tell myself that I couldn't hear the totally obvious lie in my voice.
"You didn't forget, did you?" said Sora with mock suspicion.
"Of course not," I said defensively. Of course I had. I was chucking blood left and right, how was I supposed to remember anything? Geez, these people are asking too much of me.
"Can we go now?" Sora asked impatiently. I rolled my eyes again, and we headed out the door. The whole way we were bickering and fighting over the stupidest things, something that we all happen to excel in. People wonder what the hell is going on inside our heads, but we can honestly say that they don't want to know. Because believe me, you don't want to know.
The white sand crunched under our bare feet, warm and smooth as we kept up the mindless banter. A twinge from my side, however, made me freeze. Something was wrong.
Sora's voice interrupted my train of thoughts. "Hey Riku," –I stared to turn—"Think fast!"
The blow caught me in the side, throwing me back. Yeah, my side. Can you say fucked? Nearly losing my footing, I saw Sora grinning at me, and Kairi smiling. After all, how often had we done this to one another?
A sudden, wrenching stab of pain came again from my side, worse this time. I knew exactly what it was—I was gonna start again. Soon. Thinking as best I could in what could possibly be the worst situation of my life, I shoves Sora as hard as I could and took off running. I could hear Sora shouting at me and Kairi laughing, making me smile grimly. At least someone was having fun. I sure as hell wasn't. Definitely not me, as I was fighting against the blood rising in my throat, and the pain that was escalating quickly to the point of almost overwhelming. I staggered, nearly losing my balance again. Already, I could hear the sand scrunch as Sora gained on me, and I felt blood slide from between my lips and down my neck.
Two words. Oh. Fuck.
I swerved left into the trees, trying to lose him somehow. Scrambling over the bridge, I forced my knees to stop threatening to buckle. In the end I failed, though, collapsing in one of the many caves carved into the rock. Shallow though it was, I shoved myself as far back into it as I could manage, hoping against hope that Sora wouldn't be able to find me.
Blood erupted from my throat, and I jerked around. It splattered the rock at the back of the small cave, bright crimson even in the dim light that managed to sneak into the rocky chamber. Pain sang through my body, coming from my side. Cramping and twisting, my stomach muscles screamed in agony, and I doubled over, clutching my side. For the first time, I felt blood squeeze from between my fingers, slithering down my back.
The pain lessened just a bit. I sat up hopefully, only to grab the wall for support as it returned, feeling like it had doubled in its intensity. On my knees, I retched. Blood sank into the ground, darkening the white sand. Coughing, even more sand was stained as red flecks spattered the ivory grains. Blood was everywhere by this point—me, the walls, floor…my fingers jittered over the stone wall as I brought up another torrent of the red liquid.
A gasp behind me nearly stopped my heart altogether. I turned my head. It was Sora. And as soon as I lay my eyes on him, my body exploded with pain, ripping me apart. I screamed, but the blood rushing from me stopped my voice halfway through. I thought I heard Sora yell my name as I slumped over, my mind lost in a painful oblivion.
I woke to the sound of sobbing. My head rested on something arm and soft, and as I opened my eyes, I saw that Sora was hugging me tightly. My head rested on his chest, his hand stroking my hair softly. Tears, streaming down, dripped onto my face. His eyes were squeezed shut, tears leaking from the closed lids.
"Wake up, please wake up, Riku! You can't die on me now, not after everything we've been through!" he pleaded desperately, voice wracked with sobs. "I swear if you die, I'll kill you!"
I twitched, trying not to laugh.
"Do you have any manly pride at all?" I asked, hoarse. He gasped, eyes snapping open.
"Oh my God," he breathed. "You're alive!" I coughed, speckles of red dotting his jacket. "Not for long," I said, wincing. "I feel like shit."
"I'll be right back," he said, leaping up. I waited, back pressed against the stone. He had forced me to stay, although now I felt fine. Kind of. When he did return, he was carrying his jacket. He knelt in front of me, and as I raised my hands he slapped the aside impatiently, pushing the jacket onto my face. It was cool and wet—no doubt he had doused it in the waterfall. I just closed my eyes, letting him wash away the blood that painted my features.
"I'm sorry," I said as it slipped across my neck. It paused. Then a weight hit me softly, and I opened my eyes. Sora was punching me repeatedly, tears springing to his eyes again.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he cried. I just sat there, watching him hit me but not really feeling it. "What kept you from telling me about this? You think I wouldn't find out?" He collapsed, scrubbing at his eyes with the back of his hand. "Did you think I wouldn't care?"
I was silent for a second before finally saying, "I…I didn't want you to know. Everything that happened was my fault…and I've been in trouble before, I just didn't want you to worry about me—"
A stinging blow jerked my head to the side. I could still hear the echoes pounding inside my head, cheek numb from the backhanded slap.
"I told you! You don't have to do everything by yourself. You have friends, who care," Sora said. I swallowed hard past the lump in my throat. A long, peaceful silence stretched out between us. I sighed and hung my head, jumping slightly as the damp cloth touched my stinging cheek tenderly. I flinched, but bore it in silence.
"Sorry," said Sora.
"No, I deserved it. You're right."
He stared,, incredulous. "You really do feel like shit, don't you? You're not arguing. Now what's wrong."
I sighed and lifted my shirt. The slash in my skin was still bleeding profusely, the skin stained red and jagged. Sora gasped, and I saw his amazed face as he looked at me again. "This has happened before, hasn't it?" he said accusingly. I nodded.
"Ever since we got back."
"And you've…just been living with it this whole time?"
"Yep."
"You're a fucking idiot," he said, exasperated. I grinned. Sora stood, pulling the Keyblade from thin air. I eyed it suspiciously.
"What are you going to do with that?" I asked. Sora jabbed it at me threateningly. "Beat the shit outta you," he leered. I just glared, making him laugh.
"I know you can't, but I can cast healing spells," he teased. Sure enough, the neurotoxins raced through my system, speeding up the healing process, and hallucinogenic images appeared before my eyes, glowing leaves swirling around us for a split second. Then the leaves disappeared, leaving me with a view of just the cave, albeit blood-spattered, and Sora. He placed a hand on my side, saying, "Better?"
I lifted the shirt again. Where there had been a bloody gash was now smooth skin, and not even a scar remained from the aerial blade. I let the black cloth drop.
"Eh, Riku…" said Sora. He was, I now saw, staring at his hand. "You might want to wash that shirt before we see Kairi again, or she'll flip out."
"What?" I said, pretty much clueless. He grabbed my wrist, holding my hand in front of my face.
"…Oh," I said. What else was there to say? My hand was bright red with blood from the soaked material. Oops. I nodded and stood. A twinge from my side made me freeze. What the hell..? Sora was immediately beside me, worried. "What is it? Is something wrong?"
I shook my head. "It's nothing."
From the look on his face, I could tell he didn't believe me, but we both knew that there was nothing he could do about it. I walked to the pool, with Sora hovering at my shoulder. I have no doubt he was trying to discern of there was something wrong with me, but I did my best to ignore him.
I stepped into the water, feeling it lap around my ankles. I pulled the shirt off, feeling the leftover streak of red on my skin. The waterfall rushed over me, the pounding echoing in my head. Stepping back, I shook my head, sending water flying in all directions.
I heard Sora laugh, and the next thing I knew I was falling to land on my back in the water. 'The bastard pushed me!' I thought as I sat up, spitting out water. Sora cracked up, and I couldn't help but laugh at his immaturity.
"Fine, you pushed me," I said, holding out a hand, "now help me up." Poor gullible Sora. He actually fell for it, grabbing my hand. Just a slight tug was enough to bring him crashing down next to me, sending water spraying in all directions. Laughing at his shocked expression, I splashed him. He grinned, shaking his head.
"You suck," he said, punching me. I just rolled my eyes. "No matter how much you work at it, your punches will still never hurt."
He pouted, and I snorted with laughter. "Hey Sora," I called. "You dropped something."
"What?" he said, completely confused.
"Your pride. You were sobbing like a girl back there."
"Shut up!"
We laughed, the sound echoing off the stone, mingling with the splash of water, and it seemed as though the whole world was laughing with us. And as Kairi ran up, she was laughing too. Until, that is, we each grabbed an arm and hauled her in with us.
†††††
The stars twinkled in the sky, and the moon turned the floor a pale white. Not for long, though, I thought to myself weakly. Sure enough, the white was flooded with dark liquid as I retched. Pain sang through my body, my side splitting. I sunk to my knees despite my efforts to stand. Blood spattered the white wood floor.
From under my hand that clutched at my side, I felt the muscles writhing like snakes, refusing to listen to the orders I gave them to stop. Through the agony, I felt the skin tear, heard it tear. Doubling over, I bit down on my arm, the only thing I could think of to do to keep from screaming. My teeth sunk in as the pain crescendoed, and my mind blanked as the pain reached the point of overwhelming.
Finally, it tapered off. Once again, I was left in a pool of my own blood, panting and exhausted. My hair was stained crimson, and my skin was striped with streaks of red. Swearing, I staggered to my feet, lifting up my shirt—almost afraid of what was underneath.
My skin was bloody from the new gash in my side, in the exact same spot as the last one. Actually, it was more like the old one had just returned from a vacation, but either way, it wasn't pretty. I ground my teeth together as it stung madly in the cool night air. I swore again, debating the dilemma I had on my hands.
Should I tell Sora? The obvious answer was yes. He could just heal it again, simple as that. But doubt assailed me. The healing spell had failed—either that or Xemnas was stubborn. I figured it was the latter. He wasn't the kind of person…er, Nobody…to give up, so I should have guessed that this problem wouldn't be going away any time soon. And both he and I had agreed that Kairi shouldn't know about this, so I couldn't tell her either.
But if I'm right about Xemnas, then no amount of healing will cause it to go away. And who knows what Sora would do. If he got himself killed for my sake... I deserve to die more than he does.
No, I wouldn't tell him. Not yet, at least. Maybe he'll find out eventually, but I'll take that chance. More than likely it'll kill me before he finds out I lied and it came back. But anything's better than having him get hurt for my sake again.
You can't always protect your friends, but you sure as hell can die trying.
See? No yaoi. Happy? Good, 'cuz if you're not, either tell me why, or if you're not happy because there is no yaoi, read the yaoi version. Yaay! Anyway, I apologize for the choppy sequence of events, but the yaoi version came first, so I had to edit A LOT.
Wheeeee! Chris