Riku looked down at his victim. The boy's blank, empty eyes stared back. The kid was only twelve, but he put up one hell of a fight. Riku rubbed his bruised jaw where the boy had punched him. Oh, well. Just another to add to the collection. Riku couldn't count how many people he'd killed. Sometimes, he almost asked himself, Why am I doing this? His answer: Because it was fun. It was fun to kill.
Police sirens wailed, right behind him. Riku jumped as the red and blue lights washed over him. Damn police. They snuck up on me. Several officers and the SWAT team surrounded him. Cold handcuffs bit his skin as an officer read his rights.
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Riku's therepist, Namine, sat across from him. "Riku, you said you were over this. Why did you kill that boy?" His aquamarine eyes were glazed in bordom. "I told you already, Nami, it was fun. F-u-n, fun." She shook her head as he used his silly nickname for her. She pushed her blonde hair over her shoulder. "Riku, this is the fifth murder. When will it end?" She was pleading him to stop. He rolled his eyes. "Just put me on death row already. I don't care."
The small court room was stuffy in the island heat. Riku's bright orange jumpsuit labeled him as a killer. Some of the jury members glared at him. Others didn't look at him at all. "Will the convicted please step forward," the judge droned. Riku shuffled up. "Riku Kendell, you have been convicted of the murders of five people. Kairi Benson, Sora Sevrn, Tidus and Selphie Tillmett, and Squall Leonheart. Do you deny these charges?" Riku answered the question with his own. "Are you a moron? The paper says it, right?" Everyone was horrified, even Namine. The judge blinked, and Riku wondered how it would feel to hold those sparkly brown eyes in his hand.
"Yes, it does. In fact, I almost wish it was the wrong paper. You have so much potential, and you go and kill it along with those people." Riku rolled his eyes. "You keep saying words, Judge, and I keep getting bored." The judge surprised him by smiling. "Yes, I do believe I am. Let us proceed with the trial."
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"Has the jury reached a verdict?" "We have, your honor. We, the jury, find the defendant guilty of the muders of all but Squall Leonheart. We charge him with manslaughter for the death of said man." The judge nodded and banged her gavel. "There you have it. I sentance you, Riku Kendell, to ten years in the Destiny Islands Psych Ward." Those against Riku (which was most everyone there), erupted into protest. "Order! Order!" The gavel pounded loudly, even over the shouts of anger.
Once everyone had fallen silent, the judge resumed speaking. "I have concluded that he is in need of psychiatric help. The Psych Ward is the best place for him right now. If he shows no improvement in ten years, then he will be put to rest." Riku was as shocked as everyone else. These people really are idiots! They wanna' put me in a place, filled with defenseless people, and expect me to not kill anyone? The baliff led Riku back to his cell and locked the door.
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"Now arriving at the Destiny Islands Psych Ward." Riku looked up. The huge, gray stone building loomed over the van. When the vehicle stopped, they pulled him inside. They led him to a small room with only one bed and a dresser. A young woman with black hair and brown eyes was waiting. "Greetings. I am Tifa. I'm here to show you around and introduce you to some other patients." He shrugged and brushed his silver hair over his shoulder. Tifa led him into the hallway and towords the end of the hall. "This is the door to the exercise room and swimming pool. You'll be welcome to these once you are ready."
They kept walking. Riku was about to run and jump through a window to freedom, when a girl about eight years old came skipping along. She seemed to be laughing and talking with someone, but they were the only ones there. "Hi, Tifa. You remember Lily, right?" Tifa smiled gently and knelt in front of the girl. "Sweetie, we already talked about this. Lily isn't here any more. She died three weeks ago." The girl looked to her left, as if glancing at the invisible person. "Oh. I forgot." "It's okay. Would you like to walk with us?" The girl nodded, fawn-brown hair bouncing. "Riku, this is Dani, short for Danielle. Dani, this is Riku. He's new around here, so will you help him if he gets lost?" She started bouncing in place, saying, "Yes, yes, yes, yes!" Tifa smiled again and resumed walking.
Dani skipped beside her, glancing at Riku every now and then. His plan to leap through a window was forgotten as Dani talked about her favorite toy to play with, or her favorite color and how nice it was that they had painted her room that color, even about people she had known. Riku soon figured out that she was a shizophrenic, which explained her talking with people that weren't there. By the time they had finished the tour, Dani was tired and Riku wanted to curl up and sleep. Tifa and Dani said goodnight, then walked away. Riku walked inside and laid on the bed. The one thing that surprised him was that the whole day, he hadn't thought about killing anyone at all. He had been so facinated with Dani and her stories that he felt... normal, not completely, but almost.
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Riku's eyes opened when he smelled beer and cigarettes. His Dad was there and had a long belt. Again and again, his Dad lashed him with the belt. Every time the leather hit his skin, a deep cut formed. His father kept hurting him until the door opened. Of all people to come to his aid, Dani peeked in the room. His father dragged her in and locked the door. He tied them up and started hitting Dani. She started crying, but Riku's Dad just hit her harder. Then, the ghosts of the people he'd killed appeared in the room and started hurting them, raking them with claws and fangs. Riku knew he deserved it, but they were biting and scratching Dani as well. "Leave her alone," Riku shouted at the ghosts. "What did she do to deserve this? Leave her alone!" One of them, Kairi, grabbed Dani and clawed the little girl's throat. Dani kept crying as her blood ran down her shirt and jeans, then Sora's ghost grabbed Riku's shoulders and shook him until his head hurt.
"Riku! Riku! Wake up!" His eyes snapped open. He was on his feet as he took in the people surrounding him. "Where's Dani?" Tifa moved aside to reveal a little girl with fawn-colored hair and brown eyes. He ran forward and his arms went around her. She hugged his neck, tears streaming down her small face. "Riku, are you okay? Did they hurt you?" "Don't mind me. It was you they were hurting," he whispered. The baliff pulled Riku back, as if to restrain him. "No," Dani cried, "He was worried about me. His ghosts gave him a nightmare, and they were tormenting him. He won't hurt me, right?" Tifa pulled Dani to her. "Danielle, sweetie, not everyone is a nice as they should be. He might hurt you, even if you think he won't." Dani shook her head and gave Tifa a scolding look. "He. Won't. Hurt. Me," she said, turning every word into a statement. The truth of her words rang powerfully, strange coming from an eight-year-old. Tifa took a step back as the little girl ran to Riku and wrapped her arms around his waist. The baliff let him go and Riku stroked her hair. She smiled at him, and, for the first time in a long time, he did too.
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5 years later
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"Riku, it's time." He put down the magazine and stood up. Dani popped to her feet and took his hand. A normal 13-year-old wouldn't have done that, but Dani was as far from normal as a girl could get. They stuck together like scales on a fish. Tifa got up from the chair and followed them into the courtroom.
The jury from his trial five years ago sat in their original places, as did the families of his ghosts. Leon's cousin, Cloud, watched them with an impassive expression. Tidus and Selphie's, and Kairi's parents watched him with slight distrust, but eagerness to see what progress had been made. Sora's mother, however, glared at him from her seat and glanced pityingly at Dani. Riku rolled his eyes. Five years had failed to soften her cold stone heart.
Dani and Riku sat at the Defendant's bench, Tifa stood beside them. Tifa and Riku wore court-appropriate clothes, but Dani wore faded jeans and one of Riku's sweatshirts. Just another example of her difference to the normal teenagers. Riku felt like he was suffocating in the dreary atmosphere and Tifa looked the same, but Dani was looking around and asking what this or that was. Her constant questioning was the only relief from the stifling drabness of the little room.
The judge stepped to the podium and tapped her gavel on the table. "Welcome back. Thank you all for coming. Before we start, does anyone have any questions?" Sora's mother stood. "I do. Why is my son's killer not in handcuffs and chains? He's a killer, not a Rainbow Pixie." She glared at him the whole time. Dani jumped to her feet before the judge could respond. "How do you know? He could be hiding his wings under his jacket, duh!" The woman's face got red as she yelled, "Who are you to talk? You are a child, nothing more, nothing better!" Dani opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Riku stood up and turned her around, then sat her on the bench. He took his seat as the woman waited for the answer to her question. The judge replied, "He's not in cuffs because he doesn't need to be. Have you seen him in any aggressive state since he arrived?" The woman reluctantly shook her head. "No, your honor. I haven't." "Then your question has been answered. Anyone else? No? Good. Let us procceed with the hearing."
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Namine sat in the witness stand. "Ms. Santra, you're Riku's therepist, correct?" She nodded and toyed with a strand of blonde hair. "Has he attended all of his appointments?" "Ever since the trial five years ago, he has been present for all appointments." The jury member nodded. "Thank you. We have no more questions for you." Namine moved to sit beside her boyfriend/fiance, Roxas.
"Next to the stand is Danielle Parker." Dani looked at Riku, who gave her an encouraging smile, and went up. She was sworn in, then sat down. "Ms. Parker--" Dani interrupted the man. "Um... can you call me Dani? Please?" He blinked, then smiled at her. "Of course. Now, Dani, tell me about your first impression of Riku." She hesitated, then started slowly. "Well, I was eight. I was skipping down the hall, 'cause it's fun, and I met him. Tifa and Riku were walkin' around, and I walked with them. I started skipping again, 'cause I really like to skip everywhere. He was quiet, but he seemed interested in everything," she explained, as only Dani could. Riku heard Sora's mother mutter under her breath, "Probably lookin' for escape routes." Dani continued, "By the time we got back to his room, he was tired and went inside to sleep. His friend stood at the door, but he couldn't stop the ghosts from getting in." Everyone who didn't know what she was talking about stirred and sat a bit straighter.
"Ghosts? Please explain." "Well," Dani hesitated, "Only if Riku wants me to tell you. The ghosts he saw are his ghosts, and his alone. I need his permission to tell you." The man stared at her. Sora's mother stood up. "See, this is what I meant. She's just a child, of no use to this jury or case. Why is she even here?" Tifa turned on her before Riku had jumped to his feet. "She knows him better than anyone in the Ward. She has a right to be here, just as you do. However, if you keep interrupting, she'll never finish and she'll forget something important because you distracted her." Tifa didn't raise her voice, but her words cut through the air like a knife. The woman stared, open-mouthed, at Tifa. Tifa glared at her until she sat down. Riku gave Tifa a quick thumbs-up and she winked.
The jury member began his questioning. "Dani, would you please explain?" She shook her head, her long tawny hair falling over her face. The man looked at Riku. He sighed and ran his fingers through his silver hair. "Dani, tell them. I'm sure they won't mind." She hesitated, then nodded. "Riku has five ghosts. I think their names were Sora, Kairi, Selphie, Tidus, and... and... Leon!" Leon? His name was Squall. Cloud shot to his feet. "What gave you the right to call him that?" She was taken aback. "That's his name. He told me to call him Leon." Riku mentally smacked his head. She had never met Leon when he was alive.
Cloud's blue eyes narrowed as he told the judge, "Your honor, this girl is apparantly lying. She never knew my cousin, so how did she know his nickname?" The judge nodded. "He's right. Dani, darling, I know your trying to be helpful, but we can't use your statement." The girl didn't say anything. She appeared to be listening intently to someone. Riku and Tifa knew that look. One of the 'ghosts' were talking to her. She stood up and asked, "Cloud, where's Zack?" The blonde man's eyes widened, and his mouth hung open. Dani had a far-away look in her eyes, like she was looking at something only she could see. "H-how do you know Zack?" "Leon told me to ask, since he can't ask you himself." Cloud didn't say anything, just sank to the bench and sat there with his head hung down.
Dani blinked, and she stepped down. She walked over to Riku and Tifa and sat down. After a moment, she realized they were staring at her. "What? What I do?" "N-nothing, Dani," Tifa said, still staring dumbly at the girl. The judge tapped her gavel hard and everyone else snapped to attention. The hearing procceeded, but everyone kept sneaking glances at the smiling little girl.
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Riku was still in shock when they took their mid-hearing break. Dani was quiet, but not by much. She looked ready to bounce off the walls. Riku put a hand on her shoulder and asked, "Dani, who is Zack?" She looked up at him, confused. "Who?" "Never mind," he said, shaking his head. "Okay!" Dani skipped away. She stopped to ask Tifa something, then skipped to the bathroom. Riku sat on a bench beside Tifa and put his head in his hands. It was going to be a long day.
It was almost time to go back inside, and Dani was still in the bathroom. Riku was about to send Tifa after the little girl when Sora's mother walked out. Two seconds later, Dani sprinted out. She ran to Riku and threw her arms around his neck. Startled, he stumbled back. As he did, a gunshot sounded out of nowhere. Dani winced and let go. Riku fell to his knees beside her as a rose blossomed on her shoulder. Blood saturated the arm of the sweatshirt and she whimpered. Sora's mother was being hand-cuffed by two security guards while another picked up her gun. If Dani hadn't moved him back, Riku would have a heartful of lead. Instead, the tawny-haired girl had been shot, saving his life.
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Tifa lifted her head as the doctor walked in. "Doctor Ven, will she be alright?" He smiled sadly and said, "I wish I could tell you she'll recover, but I don't know. She's lucky to still be breathing, that's for sure. The bullet grazed her shoulder bone and lodged itself dangerously close to her throat." Tifa nearly burst into tears. Riku was asleep, his head resting on Dani's bed and his hand over hers. He had refused to leave her since she had been moved from the ER. Ven nodded to the two of them and asked, "They close?" "Closer than you can imagine. She took the bullet for him." The doctor's eyes widened, then he smiled not-so-sadly. "That kind of companionship is rare these days. He's lucky she was there." Tifa nodded and smiled at them. Dani smiled a little as she slept. Riku's face was hidden, covered with silver hair, but he was calm.
Dani opened her eyes at 4:30 in the morning. Five white-clothed people stood around her bed, though they threw distrustful glances at Riku. The silver-haired boy was asleep, so he didn't see them. One of the ghosts, Leon, leaned down and whispered, "Thank you, Dani. Tell Cloud I miss him and that I'll be waiting for him." Then he vanished. Tidus and Selphie held hands and waved. "Tell Mom and Dad not to worry. We love them and we'll see them when they come." Then, they vanished. Sora and Kairi stood together. Kairi couldn't say anything because her tounge had been cut out, but she smiled warmly and blew Dani a kiss. Sora grinned and waved. The two turned to each other and kissed as they dissapeared. Dani giggled, which woke Riku up. "What's so funny?" " saying good-bye." He nodded sleepily and smiled at her. She smiled back, then closed her eyes and fell asleep.
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Riku punched the button and the coffee started to drip into the pot. "Dang, this thing takes forever." Doctor Ven smiled and pulled down two coffee mugs. "I wasn't aware you drank coffee, Doc." "I do, but not much. It's too addictive." "I hear that." The two fell silent as the pot slowly filled with fragrant liquid. Suddenly, Ven's beeper went off. He glanced at it and ran out. Riku followed him. As they ran down the hall, Riku realized with dread that they were headed for Dani's room. While Doctor Ven went in and shut the door, the silver-haired boy went to Tifa, who stood at the window. "Tifa, what's going on?" She said nothing, but he saw the cystalline tears that slid down the woman's face.
Tifa wiped away the tears, but they were replaced by more. Riku didn't understand why she crying. Dani was in a hospital, so the doctors and nurses could help her. That thought, however, did nothing to chase away the cold dread that chewed his insides. He knew it could be very well a lie.
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After eternity and a day had passed, Ven emerged from Dani's room. His blue eyes were shiny with unshed tears as he turned to Tifa and Riku. "I'm sorry," he whispered, "We tried everything we could, but it wasn't enough." Riku just stared at him while Tifa burst into sobs. Ven motioned to the door and Riku left the sobbing woman.
He peeked inside and almost choaked. Dani lay still, the wires and monitors all gone. She looked like she was sleeping, but her skin was too pale. The truth pressed down on the silver-haired boy as he looked at her. Dani was dead, and Riku didn't even get to say good-bye.
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1 year later
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Riku looked out the window. Someone opened the door and left a tray of food. He ignored it. The rain clouds painted black pictures in the sky as the raindrops fell like tears. Dani had been gone for a year, but he still expected her to poke her head in the door and drag him off to play a game. The glass of the window was indestructible, and the furniture was safety-regulated. It was a suicidal person's room, perfect, since he'd tried to kill himself several times. Oh, well. I guess I'll just wait.
He turned from the window and saw the knife. It was a black, plastic knife, but it was sharp. He picked it up and touched the sharp edge. It would have to do. He moved it up to his neck just as Tifa burst into the room. She couldn't reach him in time to stop him from dragging the knife across his throat. Riku's skin ripped open beneath the serrated blade. He had a small second to see Tifa over him, trying to keep him alive, but too late. His aquamarine eyes closed, and he saw Dani turn and run to him. She threw her arms around his waist and hugged him hard. Riku died, but he was happy at last.
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Thanks for reading. Please reveiw. Love to hear from you all.
I do not own anyone except for Dani. She is mine, no one else.
No negative reveiws please. Thank you.