They were in the hallway again. Riku was positive they never changed directions. "Impossible."
"This doesn't make sense. When did we…?" Naminé walked forward, allowing the book case to close.
Axel and Roxas came running down the hall, worried looks on their faces.
"You guys! Where've you been?" Roxas pulled both of them into a hug.
Riku expected Naminé to push him away, but the hug started to reach awkward levels of long. He didn't mind hugs, per se, but both Roxas's and Naminé's faces were pressed to his chest. He pulled away, having to use extra force to distance himself from Roxas's tight hug.
"Why are you wet?" Axel asked. He waggled his eyebrows. "Was Naminé involved?"
Riku ignored him. "We were just in some creepy water dungeon and we came out the way we went in. I know that doesn't make any sense, but we can prove it." He turned to the book case and frowned. "Naminé, where's the book?"
Naminé, who looked like she was in a daze, snapped to attention. "The what?"
"The book. The one about dragoons."
"It's… on the other side of the book case," she said quietly.
Riku started pulling all the books, but the book case never moved. What happened was real. He knew that, and his wet clothes were proof. But he knew he didn't look like the normal one of the group when he insisted that there was a flooded passage with a secret entrance inside a library on the third floor of a mansion being used by some screwed up host who thought it'd be fun to trap people inside under the pretense of a party.
"Did you find anything?" Riku asked quietly. This mansion was already driving him mad and it was only the first day.
Roxas scratched the back of his head. "Nothing noteworthy, sorry. Just more empty rooms. One near the library has a bathroom with towels if you want to dry off."
Riku nodded, motioning for Roxas to lead the way. He lagged behind, letting Naminé debrief them.
None of this made sense. Riku was sure everything that happened was real, which made everything seem all the more confusing. Before he arrived, he hoped he'd have the story of a lifetime. Now he was starting to think he'd only have a fantastical tale that nobody would ever believe.
The other members of the search group waited in the hall while Riku went to dry off. He entered the bedroom, opened the door to the connecting bathroom, saw someone inside using the sink, recognized him, and promptly closed the door.
Of all the fucking places… no. He was probably seeing things now. Running into that guy was too convenient to be a coincidence. Really though, here? Riku pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. The sharp pain in his arm reminded him that everything, as ridiculous as it had been so far, was real. He passed the group briskly and said, "Let's look for another bathroom."
The boy he saw in the bathroom came running out. "Riku!"
Everyone not named Riku responded to the call by turning around. Riku froze. He couldn't walk away from this one. That familiar voice tugged him in a way that made him feel weak, and it brought up too many memories he wished he could relive. Nevertheless, Riku put on a smile and gazed upon his personal form of kryptonite. "Sora. I didn't expect to see you here." He averted his eyes and introduced the group. "Everyone, this is Sora. He's an old friend of mine."
"Wait, friend? Aww come on, Riku! We're closer than that!" Sora said.
We were, Riku thought. He cleared his throat. "Right. He was my best friend."
"Ex-boyfriend," Sora added.
Everyone waited for Riku to deny it. He didn't. "You're gay?" Naminé asked bluntly.
"Does this matter right now?" Riku asked impatiently. He looked at Sora, who folded his hands behind his head and watched quietly.
"I'm interested. I didn't know you swung that way," Axel said. "Never would've guessed!"
"Okay, why did everyone give me so much shit about ass play earlier?" Roxas asked.
"Riku sees the beauty in both sexes," Sora said with a wink, his words directed at Naminé more than anyone else. She crossed her arms, but her shoulders visibly relaxed.
"Can we focus for a second?" Riku interrupted. "Sora, what are you even doing here?"
Sora looked surprise. "I got an invitation to attend a party," he answered like it was obvious.
"Not here. Here," Riku said, waving his hand. "The third floor. The party's downstairs, so why are you here?"
The group fell silent to watch the exchange. Naminé had an annoyed look on her face and refused to look at Riku, Roxas wore a cat-like grin, and Axel was shoveling popcorn into his mouth from a small container he obtained from god-knows-where.
"I was using the bathroom," Sora said, looking down. He gazed up, puppy eyes in full force. "And I may have been looking for you."
"Aww," Axel cooed. Naminé smacked the container out of his hands, spilling the popcorn everywhere.
"Were you following us?" Riku asked. In his head, he gave himself a pat on the back for resisting the puppy eyes. That used to kill him. Not anymore. Or at least not as much as it used to.
"No, but I've been trying to track you down. Can't believe it worked." Sora sighed in relief. "When I saw you come in downstairs, I knew I could count on you. Truth is, I need someone I can trust to help me with something."
"Help with what, Sora?"
Sora folded his hands behind his head again. "I know this is a weird question, but could you help me find something called a keyblade?"