Scene 3
Riku sat up sweaty and gasping. He looked out the window at the beach which was visible from his house. The moon reflected off of the water and into his room through beams that made it through the clouds. He looked at the foot of his bed, seeing the wall of his room be less and less visible…what was as clear as day to him was now dim with darkness…he couldn't see in the dark any more as his eyes adjusted. Now only the light of the moon into his open window offered aid to his eyes. It was such an odd thing, how his eyes adjusted to the dark instead of the other way around…he now recognized the painting on the wall of the three children sitting on a slanted tree on a beach, much like the beach outside his family's home.
He blew some air out breathing hard, and rubbed his head, fingers going through his silver long hair…another nightmare….they were getting more and more frequent. He had a dream this time of a creature, much like the great mythical beasts in stories, it had yellow bright eyes, and seemed to be amassed completely out of darkness…
The creature had no heart, he knew that, for it had a hole shaped like a heart in his chest. Riku had no weapon and could only rely on him dodging and running, and as with most dreams…he couldn't run fast enough to get away. Also his shoulder throbbed, as if it was weighing him down, or dragging him to the beast…but it was because of the Tattoo on his shoulder, a heart, jet black, with a red cross through it in the shape of an X, and it had an odd pronged bottom like the flor de lis. It meant soulless, heartless, empty, void, without purpose, filled with darkness, for lack of being filled with worth. He touched his tattoo and it felt no different from the rest of his bare sweaty skin. He heard motion at the door so he quickly rose and stood bare foot, only in pajama bottoms to get his robe. Selphie entered just in time to see him putting his robe, and was only able to catch a glimpse of his muscular back. His robe went over his broad shoulders and she gulped. He turned around. "Selphie." He said tightening his robe around him with his belt, "I'm sorry sir…" she said looking down… "I heard you stir and thought you may be in need…" "In need for what?" he asked tying his robe about him. She was able to see some of his chest in the open part of his robe and bit her lip. "Um…" she said. Riku folded his arms covering the empty space, she snapped back to reality. "Yes?" he said.
"I don't know…." She admitted truthfully, if she did she'd forgotten it now. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "It was nothing nurse Selphie…" he groaned grumpily. She nodded a bit.
"Just a bad dream…"
Selphie ran a hand through her hair finding herself look from the floor to Riku and back again…he was in the dark, so only she could see him as the moon light reflected off of him, all he could see of her was her silhouette in the dark. She thought…
"Do you require anything?" Riku asked annoyed some, Selphie shook her head then realizing she was in the dark said a weak "N-no…" Riku nodded and put his hands on his hips. "Well then…off with you unless you have something pressing." Selphie shook her head again and backed out of the room, shutting the door. Riku sighed and sat on the bed now. She hadn't seen the tattoo, not that it made much difference…he was sure that most people in his family or house had guessed. He was marked. It was his own fault, he would never be able to shake that fact. His heart could never be appeased, it was like the darkness inside him was a second stomach, or a organ, consuming all the good before it reached his heart…all the satisfaction, all his dreams…all in reach, but never reach able. That's why he'd stopped trying now, he had gotten the message, he had let it click, he admitted it, he was broken now. His hand wouldn't have to be slapped anymore reaching for the stars. …the stars…he looked outside.
He saw a star careen across the sky, it was gone as soon as it appeared. He learned on the window ceil. While gazing out at the night sky… he wondered if it was true that each of those stars were other worlds…other versions of places…things…even themselves. Well perhaps…somewhere out there, was a version of him that wasn't condemned to be alone…as much as had come to grips with his fate, he hated it. He hated that he had to leave Kairi to the nunnery, he hated that he wasn't good enough for her to say no to it, he hated how he'd become accustomed rolling with the disappointment, familiarity didn't mean any less animosity.
Upstairs, his parents were reacting to the noise their son had made in his sleep, Tifa had been the first to arise and then row her husband. Cloud woke annoyed, and even more annoyed when he'd heard it was on account of their son making commotion in his room.
"Did it sound like two beings or one?" he said not opening his eyes.
"Why, one..." Tifa said a little confused. "Then there's nothing really to concern our 20 year old son is there?" he said bluntly and put his head back on their pillow.
Riku Looked out at the moon now, he imagined what it would be like if it were shaped like a heart…like the fabled Kingdom Hearts…
He looked on the beach to see the waves crashing on the shore bellow, the wind blew on his face and his face and body was now cooled from the sweat before…
Tomorrow Sora had said that they had a new exploit for him to take part in , something he was sure would lift his mood. Riku wasn't sure, he was good for a joke, but Sora lived for them, and sometimes…over did them, still usually they were good enough to make Riku crack a grin which he did like, though he'd admit it to no one.
He looked at the stars again, looking for the rarity of a second shooting start, he saw nothing. He sighed and was about to go back to his bed when he saw a streak, he turned to see if it was a star and caught what was the last of one he was sure, as it faded into the blackness of the sky. Beautiful but short lived, like joy in his heart, he realized that was what he feared the most, saying goodbye…he hated saying goodbye the most, which was perhaps why he was afraid to love…he would always have to say good bye.
"Just for once,…" he said to no one. "Just once…let it be…new." He said. He went back to his bed and took off his robe he had only put on for the sake of the maid who had come in. He hung it on the bed post and slunk back into the covers, chest rising and falling as he tried to sleep.
And this time, he didn't dream of monsters…or battles gone wrong…or …or not…that either…this time he dreamt of…something …beautiful.
He couldn't tell…but he knew it was….even if he couldn't see it…it was gorgeous beyond recall…he tried to find it amidst the darkness, he kept seeing it like a flash of light in the corner of his eye, never catching it, but always so close.
Meanwhile outside the window a cloud moved in the way of the moon, and the open shape the cloud had in the middle…had Riku been still looking, would have made the moon seem like it was heart shaped from behind the clouds forms.
