Wow, I did not think I would write this much for this chapter. I revised the last chapter, just to fix a few things. I thought my second chapter would be the longest one but I guess not. I was going to use Breathe In by Frou Frou for this chapter but changed it last minute xD The lyrics were so annoying for this song for the 'We're a pair' part. For one lyrics I searched up, it said 'wear.' For another it said 'where' and finally 'we're.' I think 'We're' fit the most but sorry if it's wrong.
Oh and Happy Halloween for those who celebrate it :D Dressing up as Alice in Wonderland this year. Goody, with this type of weather...
Track 02:
Headlock- Imogen Heap
Distant flickering
It's greener scenery
This weather's bringing it all back again
Riku groaned as he opened his green eyes, vision blurred. He tried pulling himself up but a heavy weight was on his stomach. Looking down, he smiled at the sight of Sora's head nuzzling into his stomach. Resisting the urge to run his hands through Sora's soft brown hair, he shook his friend lightly. When Sora didn't stir, Riku took the time to figure out where they were. Looking around, Riku noticed two things.
First, they weren't in Wonderland anymore, fortunately.
Second, they were in another unknown place. Unfortunately.
There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. Except for the white surroundings all around them. It was as if they didn't exist anymore. Riku spotted the game board near him.
Wondering if rolling the die would get them out, the teen hesitantly threw them onto the game board. Riku took a deep breath as his piece started to move forward four steps. Riku inwardly cursed. How did he manage to only get four?
"Through the forest, from the shadows, you run. Shadows only appear under the sun," Riku read. He was unaware that he had grasped Sora's hand when the board started shaking again.
Closing his eyes tightly, he found himself sucked into the game just as before.
Opening his eyes after they were taken from the world of nothing, Riku glanced around. They were in the forest of some place. Forests aren't a good place to get lost in but Riku bitterly guessed the game didn't care too much for their well-being. Looking up he could only see the small portion of the blue sky from the tree tops. The teen's blood rushed to his face as Sora's hand came up to grasp at his shirt. He would've laughed at how much of a deep sleeper his friend was if his heart wasn't about to leap out of his chest. The brunet seemed unaware that he was about to give his best friend a heart attack and, as if wanting to kill his friend, Sora mumbled something in Riku's chest before biting his shirt.
"Sora," Riku whispered almost frantically, as he tried moving out from under his friend. Sora responded by cuddling closer to the source of warmth. "Sora, buddy. Wake up!"
One gorgeous blue eye opened and peered at Riku from under his lashes.
"Hm?" The other eye soon opened as the boy picked up his head and looked around dazed. Riku tried not thinking about how cute he looked. "Where're we?"
"I dunno. The next place I guess," Riku said. Sora then noticed he was practically sprawled all over Riku's chest and quickly scrambled off of him. Riku smirked at the red that adorned Sora's cheeks. Then a thoughtful look overcame his face. "How did you know to grab it?"
Sora shrugged before answering. "I just read what was on the card and the key fit what it said. I didn't think too much on it." There was a moment of silence between them before Sora looked at his friend with a worried look.
"Riku? Are we ever going to get out of here?" Riku's mouth turned downwards as he looked at his friend's anxious face. He didn't want to give him false hope that they would ever make it back home but he didn't want to have Sora worry about anything.
"I'm sure we'll figure something out. I mean, it's you and me. There's nothing we can't do together right?" Riku asked, nudging Sora with his elbow. Sora gave a big smile and thumped his chest with his fist.
"Yeah! No silly game can take us down," Sora stated. He stood up and held out a hand to which Riku accepted. Sora couldn't really pull Riku up, making the bigger teen having to do most of the work, but he was grateful for it anyway.
Both teens were unaware of the warning on the other side of the game board.
ADVENTURERS BEWARE.
Do not begin if you do not intend to finish.
Or the exciting consequences will fail to vanish.
Riku placed his hands on his hips as he looked around once more.
"I guess we should start by getting out of this forest. Who knows what's crawling around here," Riku told Sora. Sora was too busy looking around the place.
"Wow, I've never seen so many trees in one spot before," Sora exclaimed. "It's so calm and nice here."
All they could hear was the swaying of leaves in the wind and the crickets around us. Sora's childlike expression made Riku smile fondly.
"Come on, we'll be stuck here forever looking at trees if we don't start moving now," Riku said, ruffling Sora's head before wrapping an arm around his neck and dragging him with him.
"Riku, let go," Sora grumbled. Riku just smiled and moved the arm from his neck to around Sora's shoulders. Sora sent a mock glare at his friend but Riku pretended to not notice.
"Halt! Who goes there?" Riku instinctively pulled Sora behind him. A big, bulky man with a mustache and a goatie, wearing maroon clothing, came out from the trees and looked down at them with a sneering expression. Riku already didn't like him. Sora tried moving out from behind Riku but Riku wouldn't have it.
"Who're you?" Sora asked with most of his face was covered by Riku's body. The man arched his long thin eyebrow and scoffed, tilted his hat back.
"I believe I asked you first. I don't know how you two kids managed to get to the New World. Were you stowaways on our ship?" he asked with a noticeable British accent, frowning at them in distaste. Sora's wrinkled his nose at being called a kid.
"Uh, no, we're not stowaways. We don't even know who you are," Sora replied. "I'm Sora and this is my friend, Riku. We're just lost."
"Hmph. I am Governor Ratcliffe. I suppose I could use two more working able men," the man 'Ratcliffe' said, nodding to himself as he made the decision without even asking the two. Sora's face visibly brightened at being called a man but Riku's eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"Work for what?" Riku asked warily.
"Why, digging for gold of course!" the man responded as if it were obvious. Riku was about to tell him to forget about it but Sora's touch on his arm stopped him. He looked at his friend questioningly and Sora shook his head.
"We have to get out of this forest. Might as well follow him out first, you think?" Sora whispered. Riku sighed but nodded.
"Fine, we'll help you," Riku grumbled. The man smirked and turned around.
"Follow me then," was all he said, without even a glance back as he began to walk. Sora and Riku gave each other a look before walking behind him.
Finally they made it to what seemed to be a camp, with tents out and everything.
"Governor Ratcliffe!" a voice cried out. A skinny man with light brown hair tied back into a ponytail and a delighted look on his face came out from one of the tents.
"Hello, Wiggins," Ratcliffe replied with nonchalance. He took off his cloak and placed it on the small man who then proceeded to neatly fold it.
"Where have you been?" the man continued to talk as he followed in Ratcliffe's footsteps. "Everyone was worried about you!" Sora and Riku looked around the camp and no one really seemed that concerned.
"I thought I spotted John Smith in the forest and went on to follow him. Turns out it was just these two kids." Sora sighed at being reduced back to a kid again.
"Why hello!" Wiggins said, spotting the two. He ran forward and shook Riku's hand enthusiastically and then moved to Sora and began shaking his hand. Sora gave a weak smile as he tried tugging his hand back. "Nice to meet you both! Would you like something to eat?" Riku chuckled as he heard Sora's stomach growl.
"Feed them after I tell them what their job will be," Ratcliffe commanded. He gestured for them both to follow. Sora followed in disappointment with Riku close behind.
"As you can see, this place is nothing but trees and land. But I know better. I know what those savages are hiding.Gold, and I bet lots of it," Ratcliffe said.
Riku didn't like the tone of this man. Actually he didn't like him at all.
"Where did you hear about them hiding gold?" he spoke up. The man chuckled and turned around to face him.
"It's blatantly obvious. People have gotten to it before," he said, waving it off. "Now get to work. I won't have slackers here or they'll be taken back to England for punishment." Two men walked forward and handed both Sora and Riku a shovel.
"Great, we have to do work in here too?" Sora groaned as he started to dig. Riku stopped him and laughed.
"Sora, we don't have to actually work. We just have to pretend to."
Sora looked confused for a moment before Wiggins popped out.
"Come! You two must be hungry," he said before tugging Sora's hand and gestured Riku to follow.
They both were given warm plates of food and a tent to rest in. It didn't seem that bad to stay there but they knew they had to leave quickly before Ratcliffe got suspicious.
"Okay, we have to leave quietly so no one will spot us," Riku whispered.
"But they're not asleep yet," Sora pointed out as he opened a tent flap. A group of men were crowded around a campfire, talking about some John Smith, whoever that was. "Shouldn't we go late at night?"
"It's fine. They won't see us if we're quick. Besides we can't stay here long," Riku said, pushing Sora gently out. "Go first. And meet me outside the camp grounds."
He trusted Sora to leave the camp stealthily. Riku glanced back and quickly grabbed a gun. He had sneaked it in earlier after he found it lying on the ground and figured he would bring it with him for protection in this place. Sora would've protested if he saw it, seeing as he was against violence. He liked that about his friend but he needed it to protect both of them. Riku figured the key would also aid them in this world but he wasn't entirely sure and he wasn't about to take any chances if Sora's life was at risk.
He quickly snuck out after a few minutes but a hand clamped down on his shoulder.
"And where do you think you are going?" Riku cursed under his breath as he turned around with a calm look.
"I was thinking about exploring the land," he said. Ratcliffe raised an eyebrow before smirking.
"Good idea, Rick. You could find the whereabouts of the Indians on the way," he said before shooing him off.
"It's Riku," the teen muttered under his breath as he resisted the urge to throw a shoe at the Governor's head. He quickly stalked off to find Sora. He smiled to see Sora hiding behind a tree. His friend was never a good hide and seek player.
"Hm, wonder where Sora might be," he said out loud. He saw Sora flinch before his body shook in silent laughter. Riku rolled his eyes and smiled.
"Could he be…here?" Riku pounced on his friend and started tickling his sides.
"Ah! R-riku! S-stop that tickles!" Sora cried out, trying to crawl out from under him.
"Not a chance!" Riku said as he continued, mercilessly. Finally, Riku decided to give him a break and helped him up.
Sora's face quickly changed from laughing to glaring in a matter of seconds at him before bonking him on the head.
"Your surprise attacks suck," Sora stated. He walked on ahead, jumping over tree branches and roots.
Riku looked around, checking to see if anyone was following them or if anything suspicious was around.
"Riku what's that?" Riku turned to Sora and saw his blue eyes staring at the gun at his waist.
"Uh…"
"Riku? Why do you have a gun?" Sora asked, placing his hands on his hips.
"Come on, Sora. Did you really think we would make it out of here without protection?" He brushed past Sora but found him pulled back.
"You can't go around carrying that! It's dangerous. What if you hurt somebody?" Sora said. "And we already have protection. The keyblade remember?"
"Sora, that thing comes out at random times. We need to have a weapon at all times."
"It comes out during times when we're in danger!" Sora corrected. His face turned solemn. "Would you actually kill someone?"
Riku's eyes softened at Sora's dejected face and gave him a small smile.
"Hey, come on. I wasn't intent on killing anybody here. I was just carrying it to look more like a threat. Come on, we should get going."
Sora nodded and followed Riku, but still had that wary look on his face as he eyed the gun.
"Where are we going exactly?" Sora asked.
"Uh," Riku stopped walking causing Sora to bump into him. "I don't know actually."
Sora opened his mouth and was ready with a teasing remark when suddenly something grabbed at his feet and pulled him down.
"Sora!" Riku grabbed Sora's hands before the flying shadow carried him off. They both tumbled down to the floor. Sora quickly jumped to his feet. Light cascaded from his body as the shining keyblade appeared in his hand. He was quick to bash the bird looking creature away. Its golden yellow eyes seemed to glare at them as more of them appeared.
Riku took out his gun and quickly took a shot at one. Instead of a screech or any other cry of pain from the creature, there was nothing. It was barely affected at all. The bullet seemed to have flown right through it.
Riku frowned. He guessed the key was the only method of fighting against them. Sora was trying to throw them all off but there were too many of them. Riku looked on helplessly as they all crowded his friend.
"Hey! Get away from him!" Riku yelled, charging in headfirst. A burst of light shone from his chest and a dark key formed itself in his hand.
"Huh?" Riku waved it around curiously. Sora looked at it curiously before smiling at his friend. Riku's heart hurt at the sight of Sora's face scratched up from the shadow's talons.
"Riku! You have a key too!" Riku gave a smile back before an angry expression replaced it. He quickly slashed through all the birds with the surge of energy running through his body. Soon they all were defeated. Sora slumped to the ground, exhausted. Riku followed as they both sat back to back on the ground.
"Are you okay?" Riku asked. He wanted to hit himself for not protecting Sora better.
"I'm fine, Riku. I can handle myself," Sora said with a bit of edge in his voice. Riku was about to apologize but suddenly he jumped up. Sora fell onto his back at Riku's sudden movement.
"Riku, what's wrong?"
"Shh. I think I heard something," Riku said. He picked up his gun and pointed towards the bushes. Sora stood up quickly beside him and put his hand over his friend's, lowering his gun.
"You don't even know how to use a gun!" he told him, trying to get him to lower it. Riku tried shoving Sora's arms away.
"I'll learn," was his response. "Who's there? Show yourself. Sora, get behind me."
"I'm not some little kid for you to tell me what to do!" Sora yelled. Riku lowered his gun at his exclamation. He turned his face towards his friend with a sad look in his eyes.
"Sora…I…"
"You two…aren't from around here." Riku whipped his head towards the bushes. A tall, slender woman was now standing in front of it. She had beautiful, long, raven-black hair, copper-colored skin, and was wearing a yellow dress that showed off one bare shoulder. Her dark brown eyes looked at the two boys with a curious expression.
"Who are you?" Sora asked, peering from behind Riku. The woman seemed hesitant in answering. "I'm Sora. This is Riku."
She gave a tentative smile before replying. "Pocahontas."
Sora looked at her with a confused expression.
"My name. It's Pocahontas," she said with a bigger smile. Riku guessed she smiled because they no longer looked like a threat. Well with Sora around, nothing could look like a threat.
"Nice to meet you," Sora chirped.
"Pocahontas, who are you talking to?" A tall, muscular man wearing a helmet, with blonde hair and blue eyes appeared. His expression was guarded for a moment before Pocahontas gave him a nod and a smile.
"Hello. I am John Smith. Are you Pocahontas's friends?" he asked them. The woman chose to answer for them.
"They're new to this place. This is Sora and Riku," she said, gesturing to them with a hand.
"Ah, I see. I don't recall seeing you on the ship. How did you get here?" John Smith asked.
"We're not entirely sure about that either," Riku said, almost sheepishly. He didn't want their new friends to think they were insane if they explained the whole board game situation.
"We were just going to go by the river. Care to join us?" Pocahontas asked. A grin broke out on Sora's face as he nodded enthusiastically. He glanced back at Riku with a hopeful look. Riku just smiled and ruffled Sora's hair. Normally, Riku wouldn't trust these strangers, but he couldn't bring it in himself to say no to that face.
Great adventures
Faces in condensation
I'm going outside to take it all in
They both followed John Smith and Pocahontas towards the river bend. Sora awed at the sight. The river was gorgeous. It was shimmering blue, so clear that he could see his own reflection perfectly.
"A canoe can only fit two people at a time but luckily we took two," Pocahontas said. "John and I can take one and you two can take the other."
"Where are we going?" Sora asked as he climbed into one canoe. Riku instinctively took the paddle, about to row the boat as he always did back home.
"Back to my village. We have to be careful not to be seen," Pocahontas answered as she began rowing.
"Why would we go there if we have to hide?" Sora asked, getting comfortable with his arms behind his head as Riku began rowing.
"Grandmother Willow will be able to help you. I've been meaning to visit her again. The winds are changing and I have a feeling something big is going to happen."
"Who's Grandmother Willow?" Riku asked, raising an eyebrow. What an odd name, he thought. All he got in response was a secretive smile from the native.
As they reached the place, Sora quickly climbed out of the boat, ignoring Riku's warnings not to wander off and to be careful.
Pocahontas led the way and Riku couldn't help think that this place was truly beautiful and untouched by mankind. The trees were all so vividly green and the sky was the color of Sora's eyes. He spotted a waterfall not too far from the place. Then a punch from reality made him knew better. He knew it wouldn't stay this way forever.
Pocahontas and John Smith stepped onto a huge tree trunk stump in front of a huger willow tree. Sora and Riku glanced at each other before stepping on it beside her.
"Um…what now?" Sora asked. Pocahontas simply smiled and turned to the tree.
"Grandmother Willow," she called out. Suddenly, a face started forming from the tree. Riku had to hold onto Sora to make sure he didn't fall backwards into the water from shock.
"Pocahontas, hello dear! Good to see you again, John," the tree greeted. She then turned her face to the two shocked teens. Sora 'eeped' and tried backing away. "You brought new friends. And who might these two be?"
"This is Sora and Riku," the raven-haired woman said, patting both their backs. Sora was still shocked but Riku recovered from it.
"Nice to meet you," he said. The tree nodded in greeting and then turned to Sora.
"Come child. Don't be afraid," she said as she brought a vine forward.
"B-but you're a talking tree! Trees don't normally talk do they? I have for one have never seen a talking tree. And-and-I…."
"Hush, sweetie. It's alright. Here, take my vine." Sora gave a worried look back at Riku who gave a comforting smile and a nudge forward. Sora slowly reached out a hand and took the vine.
"Whoa!"
The vine pulled him upwards with other vines accompanying it and it lifted him up higher. The brunet quickly grabbed onto the vine with both hands, both with an iron grip. Sora started to freak out from the height but then he saw how everything looked from a higher altitude. Butterflies and birds chirped around. A gust of wind blew around him. Outstretching a hand, Sora felt a sudden lightness in him. Laughing lightly as a butterfly landed on his head, he looked down at Riku and the others.
Riku gave an encouraging grin and a wave as Pocahontas and John Smith smiled. Sora shyly waved back when the vines lifting him up stopped. They reached the top of the treetops. His blue eyes widened as he saw how big this whole place was. Acres and acres of land and trees and the huge ocean with the clear blue waters. And the sky...the sky was all sorts of colors. Pink, purple, orange, blue. Sure they had sunsets back at home but they never looked as vivid as they did now. Sora was so fascinated that he didn't realize the vines were slowly bringing him back. Noticing the sky disappearing, Sora looked down with a disappointed look.
"How was that?" Grandmother Willow asked with a grin. Sora returned one of his own.
"It was amazing!" he answered. A vine reached up and pinched his cheek.
"You are such a cutie!" she complimented. Riku grumbled and folded his arms. Sora would've smacked his hand away if he had done that. Not that he would ever…
The wind started picking up speed as the leaves blew all around them. Riku glanced behind him, an uneasy feeling settling in his stomach.
"Grandmother, these two young men want to return home. Do you know what to do?" she asked. Riku decided to tell their story, hoping they wouldn't find it to be that weird. But hey, what could be weirder than a talking tree? The tree scrunched her old face for a moment.
"Yes. You both have the light."
"The light? You mean the key?" Sora spoke up. The tree nodded.
"You see, boys, not everything in the world is nice and peaceful. That is obvious. There will always be arguments, disagreements, violence, and war. But there are people who are willing to stand up for peace for everyone."
Riku looked confused for a moment. "Is there going to be one here? What should we do?"
"There was this one saying…what was it again? Ahh, keep your friends close, and your enemies closer," Grandmother Willow said, giving a wink. Riku looked over at Sora.
"I guess we have to go back to camp, then."
"Yeah," Sora muttered. Riku knew Sora was uncomfortable going back to camp and to be honest, he was too. There was something off about the whole atmosphere around that Governor guy. That uneasy feeling was coming back.
"We'll take you back," Pocahontas offered.
"No it's alright. We know the way back," Riku said, giving a small smile. "Thanks for everything. We'll give you guys any new information from inside the camp if necessary."
You say 'too late to start, got your heart in a headlock,'
I don't believe any of it
You say 'too late to start, got your heart in a headlock,'
You know you're better than this
They both walked down to the boats when Sora tapped Riku's shoulder. Riku gave a nod at him but kept walking forward. They were about to walk past that waterfall they passed by earlier.
"Hey, stop for a minute. I wanna take a swim," Sora said, pulling Riku to a halt.
"A swim? Sora, we don't have any extra clothing. You might get sick and who knows when or if we even make it own. I can't have you getting a fever in this place." Sora rolled his eyes and waved it off as he took off his shirt. Riku quickly averted his eyes.
"I'll be fine. We've done this a million times back at the islands," Sora said as he continued stripping down. Riku tried not to look but he couldn't help taking a few peeks here and there.
"Why now?" Riku asked.
"The water looks great here. I can't wait to try it out. And to be honest, I've been feeling a bit homesick," Sora said as he dipped a toe in the water to test it, "Come with me."
"I think I'll pass," Riku grumbled. Sora gave a smile and shrug as he dove in. Riku jumped back as water splashed out. The brunet's head popped back out as he shook his head. Droplets of water rolled down his cheeks and the tips of his brown locks. A joyous smile spread across his face as his bright blue eyes stared up at Riku.
"The water's great!" he exclaimed, floating on his back. Riku shook his head and smiled affectionately at his friend. He was glad the water took his mind off of things. Riku had half a mind to join him but he wasn't sure he'd be able to control himself. So he just sat at the edge of water and sat there watching Sora enjoy himself. Sora was always a good swimmer, knowing all sorts of techniques. The butterfly, breaststroke, the doggy paddle. Riku chuckled to himself at that.
He noticed Sora got out of the water and onto the rocks on the other side. The waterfalls got smaller where Sora was. His friend was shivering. Riku quickly grabbed Sora's shirt and shorts as he hopped from rock to rock to get to where he was.
"Here, before you catch a cold," Riku said, handing Sora his clothing. Sora took it gratefully as he quickly put it on. Riku could still make the outline of his curves as the shirt clung onto Sora's wet body. The silver-head tried looking away but he was entranced. He moved a step closer as Sora started putting his shorts on. That sight made Riku want to just…do something. Anything really. He shook his head, trying to chase those thoughts away.
"Riku?" Sora asked hesitantly, unsure as to why Riku moved closer. Sora's azure eyes looked so unusually bright and clear under the shadow of the rocks. Riku wanted to kiss him. His aquamarine eyes shifted from his bright blue eyes to his soft pink lips, parted and panting from the swimming earlier. Both their breaths left out puffs of white, mingling together from the cold.
"Sora…I…" Riku started. He didn't continue. With the words he wanted to say, caught in his throat, he lifted up two pale hands and rubbed Sora's cold shoulders. He smiled at how Sora shivered under his touch, unsure if it was him that caused that reaction or the cold, but it gave him a warm feeling anyway. The water continued dripping down Sora's face, trailing downwards to his tan neck and collarbone. Riku wanted to wipe the water from his cheeks, wanted to wrap his arms around his frame, wanted to so bad. Snapping out of it, he saw Sora's questioning glance, making him take a huge step back with red evident on his cheeks.
"It's getting cold. We should head back," Riku murmured embarrassedly, moving away. Sora frowned slightly but nodded, feeling oddly disappointed. He followed Riku a few feet away, head bent, as they made their way back to camp.
We're a different pair
Just something out of step
Throw a stranger an unexpected smile
"Where have you been?" Ratcliffe asked.
"Sorry, we got lost. Still not used to the surroundings I guess," Riku said, without as much as a glance to the angry governor. Sora simply nodded.
"Why are you wet?" Ratcliffe asked, looking at Sora, his sleazy eyes moving up and down his body. Riku narrowed his eyes and moved a bit in front of Sora.
"I accidentally fell in the water on the way back to the canoes."
"Well did you find anything?" the obese man asked, glaring down at the two. Riku just took out a rag and started to clean his gun.
"I didn't see any Natives," Riku lied. "And I doubt that there's any gold around here. Maybe you should just give up," Riku said. Ratcliffe's face turned so red, Riku was afraid he would blow up.
"Uh, what Riku is trying to say is…maybe you should search somewhere else that's not here. We looked everywhere. I don't think you're looking in the right place," Sora said, trying to not get them kicked out of the camp.
Riku didn't like the smile that appeared on Ratcliffe's face.
"Ah. And I suppose Riku isn't hiding anything is he?" Riku kept his eyes hidden under his silver bangs. "Hm…I suppose yes. We are looking in the wrong places, Sara."
"It's Sora!"
"The Indians must be hiding it! I'm certain of it. Those savages…I shall destroy this land and take their gold!" Sora and Riku gave each other fearful looks.
After Ratcliffe disappeared, Riku grabbed Sora's hand and they both ran out the camp.
"Shoot, I didn't think he would actually go that far!" Sora cursed himself. "I'm so sorry, Riku."
"It wasn't your fault. I'm pretty sure he would eventually do it anyway. We have the warn them!"
"B-but how?"
"I have to go into the village and tell whoever's in charge," Riku muttered, putting on his cap and going onto the canoe. Sora was about to climb in after but Riku placed a hand on his shoulder.
"No, you're not going to come with me. It's dangerous. They might attack me because I might look like a threat."
"What! Then all the more reason to go with you!" Sora shoved Riku's hand off and tried getting in but Riku shoved him this time.
"Sora, no! Stay here. You can try to prevent this. I know you're worried but I don't know what I'd do if you got hurt. Come on, the sooner we cooperate, the faster we can get home," Riku said, voice getting considerably softer at the end of his sentence. Sora still looked angry but his eyes softened as well.
"Fine but I'll never forgive you if you don't return you know," he muttered with a smile. Riku ruffled Sora's hair and started rowing the boat away giving one last wave to Sora.
Sora stayed at the edge of the land until Riku was out of sight. The brunet was angry that Riku always felt like he should do all the work himself. His face heated up as he remembered their little moment back at the waterfalls.
What was that anyway? Sora felt something strange in his stomach. At first he passed it off as hunger but he had liked the feeling he got when Riku's warm hands were on his cold skin. It sent shivers up and down his spine and made his breath hitch. He wanted to feel it again. He also expected something more. Sora snapped out of it. He shouldn't be thinking about all the 'what if's.' Riku could be in danger. He might never see his best friend again. Determined to find him, Sora rushed forwards into the woods after him but was pulled back harshly with a hand clamped over his mouth.
"Ah, well, well, well. What do we have here?" a voice breathed into his ear. Sora cringed as he tried writhing away. Ratcliffe let out a gruff chuckle. "I knew you brats were up to no good. Meddling isn't good for you, you know."
Sora tried struggling away from his grasp as he clawed Ratcliffe's fat hands but another hand gripped his brown hair back, painfully. Sora whimpered from the pain but his eyes held a fire that glared straight at the cruel man.
"Oh stop that. You think your cute little angry look will stop me? You'll be good bait for that other fool. Thinking you can outsmart me. Ha!" Sora was strung along helplessly as Ratcliffe dragged him somewhere unknown. Where was that damn key when you needed it?
Riku quickly got off the boat and ran towards the place where Grandmother Willow was. Maybe she could tell him where the village is. Trudging along the path, he noticed the area looked considerably darker. It was more calming and bright when he came before.
Passing by the waterfall, a glum look fell on Riku's face. He was so close to Sora back there. If they were any bit closer, the brunet could've heard his heart racing. He had to be careful not to do that again. Sora was close to finding out his deepest secret. They would never make it back with all the awkward tension surrounding them. The troubled teen was just about to make it to the wise tree when he heard a gunshot.
Without a second thought, he spun all the way around and followed the sound the shot came from. Crouching low, inch by inch, he came from behind the bushes. Peeking through, he saw a man floating in the water. Pocahontas was kneeling beside the man, tears running down her cheeks. Riku's eyes widened. Was the guy…dead? Riku clamped a hand over his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
Destiny Islands was always a peaceful place. There were never any crimes except from the occasional stealing of goods from bakeries as a prank but nobody ever cared for those. Seeing this made him feel sick. This was just a game wasn't it? What if he or…oh God, what if Sora…
Riku tried to calm himself and peeking through the bushes again. Pocahontas started yelling at a man Riku recognized. He was someone back at the camp! The name slipped his mind but the man ran after John yelled at him to go. Riku quickly dove behind a tree as that man rushed through the bushes past him. Probably to run back to camp. He was about to step out when Native Americans jumped out into the clearing and attacked John Smith. The blonde man struggled before letting them drag him off. Riku narrowed his eyes. He was innocent.
Naively, he jumped out and attacked one of the Natives.
"Stop it! He's innocent!" he yelled, pushing one of them down. Another one jumped at him but Riku quickly side-stepped him. He flipped one over his shoulder and tried summoning the key. It never came however and he was all but smacked across his face and had his arms bound behind his back. After being caught, Riku admitted that wasn't one of his brighter ideas and seemed like something Sora would do.
"John, why didn't you just tell them who really killed that man?" Riku asked. The Natives shoved at his back harshly as a gesture to stop talking and walk quickly.
"What good would that do?" John answered with a humorless grin. It looked so sad that it got Riku depressed in an instant.
They both were tied back-to-back to a wooden pole in a tent. John Smith had a death sentence at sunrise for the death of Kocoum, who Riku found out was actually Pocahontas's fiancé. Riku wasn't sure what his own punishment would be but he didn't want to find out. His head shot up at the sound of the tent flap opening.
Pocahontas stood there with a grave look on her face as she looked at John. She kneeled down in front of him and took his face in her hands.
"John…oh this is terrible," she cried. Riku wished he was elsewhere. This seemed too intimate and private for him to be here, witnessing it.
"Hey, shh. It's alright," he whispered to her. Riku found it funny how he was comforting her when he was the one sentenced to die. Sora's face found its way to his mind. He would've done the same for him. Pretend everything was alright just so his friend would smile again and not have the burden of caring about his well-being.
"This wouldn't have ever happened if we never met," she said, her voice wavering. John shook his head and gave her a smile.
"I'd rather die tomorrow than live a hundred years without knowing you," he said to her. Pocahontas looked ready to cry again and instead of answering, she gave him a kiss. It was much too brief but it was sweet. Riku mentally stored that quote in the back of his mind.
She left shortly after that. Riku sighed and cursed under his breath. This wasn't fair. It was all a misunderstanding. He couldn't help feeling like he let Sora down somehow. He almost chuckled under his breath at how Sora would react to seeing him tied to a pole and with a possible death sentence. The brunet would probably cry and tell him what an idiot he is. Hell, he would probably tell the Natives to have him take his place. Then Riku would call him the idiot and would wish the rope would fall away just so he could wipe the tears from his face. Riku frowned miserably. Thinking about Sora only made him sadder. He really wished he could see him at least one last time.
"So…how do you think we'll get out of here?" Riku spoke up. John didn't answer for a moment. Riku assumed he had been crying but then he heard his voice.
"I don't think we can. Us getting out wouldn't be the end of our problems. Ratcliffe is still intent on tearing this place apart for the gold."
"You know Ratcliffe?" Riku asked.
"Of course. I used to work for him. I had the best experience at exploring and fighting 'savages.' Only reason he kept me there. It's funny how everything changed when I met Pocahontas."
"Yeah," was all Riku said. He wanted to say how everything changed when he met Sora. How he used to be the lonely kid nobody talked to and that kid who everyone was afraid of. How Sora, the brightest, friendliest kid that everybody loved, came up to him with an offer of half his peanut-butter and jelly sandwich and asked if he could play with him. He wouldn't be the kid everyone praised and who everyone looked up to if it weren't for his best friend. Riku chose not to say it though. It was a private moment, only shared between Sora and himself.
"You could get out you know," Smith said. "I'm sure they only want Kocoum's killer, not you." Riku let out a laugh.
"Yeah, and be a coward and leave. No way," Riku said. "Besides then you'd be free too because you're not his killer. I'll see to it that they won't kill you. Besides, I know Sora will find a way to save us. I don't know how he manages it but he does."
"You two are pretty close huh?" John commented. Riku unconsciously smiled.
"Yeah, guess you could say that."
With big intention
Still posted at your station
Always on about the day it should have flied
"What are you going to do with me?" Sora asked, trying to get his hands from the tight rope Ratcliffe used to bound his wrists together. His clothes were still wet and he felt a bit lightheaded. Now isn't the best time to be interrogated, Sora thought bitterly.
"I want some answers. And if you don't get it, you will be punished!" As if proving it, he took out his sword and pointed it to Sora's neck. Sora looked up fearlessly at him, eyes narrowed. "This is perfect. I'll have your friend back and then I'll get him to kill the chief for your safety. Now speak, where is your friend now?"
"He's not coming back! So your plan won't work!" Sora said defiantly. Ratcliffe slowly put his sword back into its pouch and held Sora's chin tightly. Sora winced at the grip but was forced to keep eye contact with the man.
"Oh really? He's just going to leave little you here with me?" he asked with a lecherous grin on his pudgy face. Sora's eyes widened as the man moved in closer.
"Sir!" Ratcliffe turned around as Sora breathed a sigh of relief.
"What is it? I told you no interruptions!" Sora shivered. He wouldn't know what would've happened if Wiggins didn't walk in.
"Thomas claims that Smith is captured! They're planning to kill him at sunrise! Riku's captured as well!" Wiggins exclaimed with a panicked face. Ratcliffe's angry face morphed into an evil grin. Sora's eyes widened at Riku's name.
"R-riku?" Ratcliffe grinned at Sora's shock.
"Hm…I believe this is going rather well," he laughed to himself. It was more of bark then anything. Sora continued to try and get his hands out but Ratcliffe whipped his heads toward him.
"You! You're coming with me," he grumbled. He grabbed onto the back of Sora's shirt and lifted him to his feet, dragging him along.
"Men!" he called out to which all the men at camp looked at him with sad expressions. "Look what happened! Smith trusted these savages and they turned their backs on him and are to execute him. We must attack!" All the men yelled in agreement and raised their guns.
"W-what's going on?" Sora asked. Ratcliffe turned to face him with a smirk.
"You'll see that I can take someone's land and that there really is no way to stop me."
You've been walking
You've been hiding
And you look half-dead all the time
"Get out," a gruff Native American man said. Well, seeing as Riku didn't understand a word they were saying, he guessed that's what he said.
The man pulled John to his feet, untangling the rope from the pole and leading him outside. He nodded at the other Native and the other man walked forward to do the same thing to Riku.
"Where are you taking us?" Riku asked. He got a grunt in reply. Riku groaned. How were they going to explain their innocence and that violence isn't the answer if either side couldn't understand each other?
He was standing with all the other Native American tribes. They were all shouting at John, seeing as everybody believed him a killer of their people. Riku frowned as he tried scanning the crowd. Each time he looked, he hoped to see the spiky brown hair and encouraging eyes of his friend. A rough hand gripped his hair and forced him to face forward. John was placed on top of a rock. The skies were turning a reddish hue, indicating sunrise was close. Riku bit his lip, nervously. He felt so helpless and he hated it.
Suddenly the rope fell away and the familiar feeling of the key fell onto his hand.
Riku quickly elbowed the man behind him as he stood there in shock and raced up the rocky hill. The chief was lifting his club, about to strike John to death.
"No!" he yelled, running towards them.
"RIKU, STOP!" Surprisingly, Riku did stop. He had to use an enormous amount of strength to do so. He was so focused on the chief about to kill John that he blocked everything else. He quickly turned at the sound of his best friend.
"Sora!" Sora's hands were tied behind his back with Ratcliffe pulling his head back and another hand on Sora's neck. Riku glared venomously at Ratcliffe for laying a hand on Sora like that.
"Enough interruptions!" the chief exclaimed. Riku wasn't sure how he suddenly understood what he said. He lifted the enormous club again and Riku knew he wouldn't be able to make it in time.
"John!" a voice screamed out. Riku's head started to hurt again with so much going around. Pocahontas jumped in front of John, shielding his body. The chief stopped immediately, but the strength he put into the death-inducing weapon and the strength needed to stop it, made him almost fall backwards.
"Move out of the way, Pocahontas," his voice strict and cold demanded.
"Father! I love him," she cried, breathing hard. Her father's eyes were hard as he looked between the two.
"You can't possibly…he's the enemy!" he yelled.
"If you're going to kill him, then you'll have to kill me too," she stated, eyes staring determinedly back at Powhatan.
"Love is more powerful than hatred, don't you think?" Riku spoke up. The chief looked conflicted. Here was the man who killed his daughter's fiancé and one of the tribe's most honored and brave warrior. He had to kill him, didn't he?
"Father, this won't solve any conflicts," Pocahontas said. The chief turned to see all the tribes looking up at him for his decision. His choice and judgment right now determined everybody else's. The Governor looked at him with a sinister smile, pulling Sora's head back even more, making him groan in pain.
Powhatan diverted his attention to the crowd. "My daughter has wisdom beyond her years. We have followed a path of hatred, against everything we learned. We are all taught that life is to be treasured and cared for. This man will not be executed."
Riku let out a sigh of relief. The tribes all raised their hands above their heads and cheered. Pocahontas let out a joyous laugh held up John's face and kissed him as she untied his wrists.
"Nonsense! You fools!" Ratcliffe barked out. He turned to his men. "Shoot them now!"
The man Riku remembered as the man that shot Kocoum spoke out, "Why would we? They're letting Smith go!"
"Give us the gold!" he yelled at Powhatan. The chief looked confused.
"What gold? We do not have any of that here!" he said back. The governor looked ready to blow up.
"Fine. If you won't give me the gold, then I will destroy this whole place!" Sora looked at him with fear in his eyes. Riku dashed down the rocks in attempt to get closer to Sora.
The sun rose up high in the air, increasing the size of the shadows. The dark shadows slowly started to rise from the ground and encased Ratcliffe's feet as it crawled around his body. The man's eyes glowed yellow as spirals of black sparked around him. A dark creature appeared before him with the same pair of eyes, all covered in black. It resembled a horse but twice the size of an actual one. Sharp, white teeth gave a large creepy grin on what was left of Ratcliffe's face.
"Shit, Sora!" Riku yelled, jumping in hopes of attacking Sora to the floor. To his surprise, his body hit nothing as he slid across the ground. He groaned in pain as he rolled onto his back. Looking around, Riku saw everybody was gone. It was only him now.
The key quickly formed in his right hand. Giving an experimental swing he quickly jumped up as the Ratcliffe shadow shot beams of darkness at him. The horse creature he was on charged towards him, knocking into him hard. Riku was slammed again a boulder. He heard a crack but he knew nothing was broken…yet. Riku jumped out of the way as it charged again. He quickly blasted that Blizzard spell which Sora taught him before at camp. The shadows just seemed to encase the spell.
Riku wasn't sure how much longer he could run. He quickly hid behind a large boulder to catch his breath. Wincing, he looked down to see a sharp thorn entangling his legs.
Cutting them off with the key, he ran to the safety of the forest.
"Come out here, little boy. I'll see to it that you are removed permanently," Ratcliffe said, his voice much lower with an echo. The horse galloped forwards towards him to which Riku barely dodged. An intense pain slashed through his arm.
Riku quickly dashed away when a vine caught onto his leg again. Riku was about to slash it again but he was pulled so quickly, his head got caught in a whiplash.
He opened his eyes to see Grandmother Willow.
"You don't know how glad I am to see you," Riku groaned out, holding his arm that got slashed as the horse ran past him.
"Here darling," the tree said soothingly as a vine wrapped around his arm. An ethereal glow shone around them and the wound immediately felt better.
"Thanks so much. Do you have any idea on how to beat him?" he asked, out of breath.
"I don't usually hand out this spell but you must have a lot of power to use it," Grandmother Willow warned. "It might backfire so you must be careful."
"I will."
"This is Thunder. Use it wisely," she said as her face morphed back into a tree. Riku looked cautiously at the key. He looked back and quickly jumped back in shock to see the horse devil charging at him. Ratcliffe still had that demonic look in his eyes as he held up a shadowy gun. Bullet after bullet shot at him. Riku blocked some with his key but some still managed to hit him. They weren't real bullets but they had the pain of one. Riku winced as he rested on one knee.
"Thunder!" he yelled. Sparks shot from the sky, clouds darkening, as the streaks of lightning shot down and attacked the horse and its rider. Riku widened his eyes as some of the sparks shot at him. He jumped out of the way in time but it was a risky spell.
He didn't have enough experience to fully control it. The horse seemed to have snapped out of its paralysis as it came forward again. A huge hoof nearly took off his head.
"You can never run!" Ratcliffe cried out, now taking out a huge sword and slicing down. Riku hit it away with his key, the sword flying from his hand. It dug into the ground below.
Riku used an enormous amount of strength and bashed the side of Ratcliffe's face.
The owner fell off as the horse cried out. Riku's eyes widened. So the horse was as affected as the owner. Then he had to take out Ratcliffe first. The man had rolled over onto his stomach, gasping for air.
He charged towards him again with his weapon high above his head.
"Wrong move, boy," the man grinned from below. Shadows burst from his body and into Riku's sending him hundreds of feet back. His back hit a tree trunk, sending the breath out of him.
He had to keep his weapon close to him. That was such a rooky mistake. How many times had he chastised Sora for doing that? This wasn't a good day. But he had to make it. Sora would kill him if he didn't. Riku had to give a weak grin at that.
He got back onto his two feet, holding his sword in front.
"Thunder!" he yelled, focusing all his attention on Ratcliffe.
"Agh!" A million bolts shot through his body, temporarily paralyzing him. Riku charged forwards, elbowing him in the stomach to further his paralysis and punching in fully in the face. Then with his key he bashed the hilt in his mouth and slashed him in the stomach with the blade.
The horse in the back was shaking with shocks running through its entire body. It whinnied in pain. Riku almost felt bad but he knew it wasn't the time to feel guilty. He rushed forward and slashed through the horse as if taking it out of its pain. The horse seemed to be having a convulsion before disappearing into shadows.
Ratcliffe hissed and spat, amounts of black substances spewing out of his mouth. Riku frowned in disgust and quickly made the finishing move.
"Thunder!" he yelled once more, pointing the key at him. This time, lightning bolts flew from his key, forming together and drilling through Ratcliffe.
The Ratcliffe shadow ghost let out a pitiful wail as it dispersed into nothing.
Riku let out a sigh, glad that was over. He fell to his knees and took a deep breath. A simple card fell in front of him, glowing white around the small paper. Riku took it and was about to read it when unexpectedly, two arms wrapped around his waist. Riku almost jumped in shock but relaxed when he felt warm tears soak his back.
"It's okay, Sora. I'm fine," he said, soothingly, voice calm. Somehow, feeling Sora there, made him feel as if he didn't just fight the former governor's Heartless and his gigantic horse demon.
Sora just nodded into his back and then laughed in relief. Riku turned around to face his friend and wiped his tears away, just like when he thought of Sora back when he was captured. Sora gave another relieved smile as Riku wiped his tear-filled cheeks with his thumb. Riku wrapped his arms around Sora again, clutching him towards him.
"Sora, you know this is just the beginning right?" he said. There were going to be more painful battles and horrible things to witness. Sora just nodded into his shoulder. Riku ran his hands through his brown hair as he pulled back.
"Promise me that whatever happens to me, you'll try and finish the game," he said. Sora looked taken aback and glared at him.
"Are you crazy? You think that after all we've been through that I'm going to let anything happen to you? Yeah right," Sora said, punching Riku in the arm. Riku winced and was glad he punched his good arm but smiled nonetheless.
"Pocahontas!" Riku and Sora turned to see John Smith calling out Pocahontas's name from the high cliffs. "Pocahontas! Where are you?"
All the Natives had returned to the spot they originally were in before Ratcliffe's transformation but Pocahontas was nowhere to be seen. Powhatan also started looking around for his daughter but it was as if she just disappeared. Vanished into thin air.
"Where could she have gone?" Sora asked, turning to face Riku.
"Not sure. Maybe Grandmother Willow will know," Riku said, wincing as he tried standing. Sora quickly came to his aid, throwing Riku's arm over his shoulders and using his hands to steady his waist. Riku, even now, couldn't help but relish in the way Sora's hands were touching him. He felt like such a creep but he guessed his head got hit more than once which made it acceptable.
"Wait!" Sora turned to see John Smith running towards them with Powhatan behind him.
"Please, help me find her. She means more to me than anything. She taught me to cherish life and to open my eyes," he pleaded. Powhatan had a sad look on his face but still managed a smile.
"You helped save us. And for that I thank you. I shouldn't have had my hatred overshadow my judgment and for that I apologize. Thank you for bringing peace back into my village. If it's not too much to ask, please help me bring my daughter back." Smith took Sora's hand and placed a compass in it.
"That could help you in a time of need. Thanks for everything you two," Smith said.
"It was nice to meet new friends. We'll get your daughter back, Chief Sir!" Sora said, as they both said their farewells. Powhatan had to laugh at that before giving a final wave to the keybearers.
Monitoring you, like machines do
You've still got it
I'm just keeping an eye
With Sora practically dragging Riku to Grandmother Willow's place, the kind and always willing to help woman's face came into view.
"I knew you could do it and coming out with no more than a few scratches and bruises," Grandmother Willow exclaimed. Riku tried smiling but his side hurt a lot more than before. The tree wrapped her arms around Riku and healed him once more. Riku smiled at her gratefully. Sora opened his mouth and was about to speak when cut off.
"I know what you're about to ask me. I'm sorry. I don't know where Pocahontas has disappeared to. That is for you two to find out. Now, you two don't have much time. Riku, did you read the clue for your out-of-world link?"
Riku remembered about the card and quickly took it out of his pocket.
"It runs forever but doesn't move at all. It doesn't have a throat or mouth but has a mighty roaring call," Riku read out loud. He turned to Sora who gave him a smile. The brunet turned back to Grandmother Willow.
"Thank you for everything, really. We couldn't have done it without you," Sora said. The tree gave out a hearty laugh.
"Oh hush, you cutie. I'm going to miss you two. Now go, before it's too late!" Sora quickly grabbed Riku's hand with a final goodbye to the tree, he led Riku away.
"Wait, Sora, where are we going? Did you figure out the riddle?" Riku asked as Sora kept tugging.
"Yeah, I know just the answer." Riku remembered the familiar surroundings and found himself back at the waterfall. Memories of Sora being there, cheeks flushed with that uncertain smile on his face, water slowly dripping down his face to his collarbones, looking tired yet content, flashed through his mind, making his hand a bit sweaty. Sora didn't seem to mind and only gripped his hand harder.
"The waterfall," he said as he saw Riku's confused look. "That's the answer."
"Oh…"
Sora and Riku jumped from rock to rock until they were right under the gigantic falls.
"What now?" Riku asked. "You sure this is the answer to the card?"
Sora raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying I might be wrong?"
"No, of course not," Riku said with a teasing smile. Sora smiled as they both stayed there for a little while.
"Maybe we should go directly under it," Sora stated.
"What? No, that's stupid."
"Come on, it's a little water. Don't be such a worrywart."
"I'm not…"
Sora dragged Riku a little bit more to the edge. The shorter teen took the other's hands in his and took a deep breath. Water splashed onto them, making them both shiver. Sora laughed as he looked at Riku.
"Your hair looks funny wet," Sora commented. Riku wrinkled his nose but laughed as well. The water seemed to increase pressure and the two boys found themselves soaking wet. Soon, they both felt a certain glow engulf them and soon they both found themselves lifting off the ground.
"Hey, Sora. You were right," Riku said, giving Sora a warm smile to which the brunet returned two fold as they both shot into the sky.
(how can you lose?)
Afraid to start, got your heart in a headlock
but I don't believe any of it
You say 'too late to start, got your heart in a headlock,'
You know you're better than this
Wow I still can't believe this is over 11,000 words. Sorry it's so long. As always, let me know if there are any mistakes. I don't remember if I replied to my reviewers so I'll do that here.
Thanks to Ruby Warrior Girl 730, KatchVivere, and Alcorion for reviewing :D And to everyone who favorites, story alerts, and all that. Much appreciated. I think everyone enjoys protective!Riku at least a little bit xD
"Hm, what do you think this place is?" Sora asked as he looked around.
"Is…is this a cage?" Riku uttered as he got a good glance. "Oh God…"
"What is it Riku?" Sora asked, tilting his head at the sight of the look of panic on his friend's face.
"Sora...WHY ARE WE SO SMALL?"
