Unfolded

11

//----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------//

For days into weeks Riku trained with Yuffie on shore, sharpening his skills and tweaking his style, everyday improving and everyday becoming better. Even Sora and Tidus jumped in every now and then. Yuffie was an astounding sparring partner. Not only because she was strong, but because she was fun to be around. During these days which they trained, Riku and Yuffie spent tremendous amounts of time together. Not only did they clash weapons often, but Riku decided to take it upon himself to tutor Yuffie in the subjects which he was learning in school.

Yuffie, surprisingly enough, was a great student as Riku was a teacher. Yuffie may slack off, complain, and make uncalled for sarcastic remarks out of boredom, but she absorbed the material quickly. Working on the raft became more of a constructive hobby which they only revisited after days of tiring training. Sora and Kairi would help too, collecting things and what not, but Riku and Yuffie were the main contributors to the project.

Riku's mother had only needed three days, however, to fall in love with Yuffie, and before Riku knew it she was buying food and setting places at the table for three people, happily doing extra loads of laundry (Riku and Yuffie ruined so many outfits sparring), and scolding two children instead of one. She treated Yuffie as if she were a natural blood daughter--as if she had been there from the beginning.

The three of them even took shopping trips together in the town square and attended public festivities together. Sometimes when Riku was out with Sora, Tidus, and Wakka, Riku's mom took Yuffie and went to small café's and other girlish outings. Yuffie enjoyed them every bit as much as if she were doing them with her real mother, and perhaps that's what Riku's mom had become to her.

However, even though Riku's mother clearly looked at Yuffie with the affectionate eyes of a mother, Riku could never think of Yuffie as a sister. He'd made countless attempts during his meditative solitude to try and trick himself into believing that she was exactly that, but once he looked at her, all attempts blew up in his face.

Yuffie was beautiful to him. She was almost his size, only half a head shorter, and her hair and skin looked so soft that he had to forcefully hold himself back from stroking it when his urges begun to get the better of him. He often caught himself staring at her exposed legs on the days she wore shorts, which was nearly every day, and her voice had began to settle inside his mind so comfortably that he nearly mistook to be music, like a song in his head that wouldn't go away.

And though Riku could conjure up just enough strength to refrain from touching Yuffie, he could not, however, control himself from mistreating Sora when he got to close to her. Sora even began to stray wary of Riku for a time, but returned to normal after a few energetic persuasions from Yuffie. Whenever it seemed like Riku and Sora's relationship was beginning to spin off track, she'd find some clever way for them to reconcile and bond like the friends they've always been before even Kairi came to the island.

But Kairi herself became an obscurity. The love and agony Riku had felt over her had begun to rinse away, like a message written in the sand. His affections for Yuffie was the tide, effortlessly washing the words into nothing but a faded outline. Kairi flickered across Riku's mind only when the day was done and everything that needed to be taken care of was, but even then did he not take much time to mull over her whereabouts. She had Sora for that.

"Hey, Riku!" a playful voice sounded behind him as he felt a gentle tap on his back. Riku had been sitting on the paopu trunk, mesmerized by the setting sun, dreaming of the adventures he would soon be having once the raft was complete. "It's almost time to go."

"Oh Yuffie--" but it wasn't Yuffie. It was Kairi who had addresses him. Riku was almost certain that had been Yuffie, for that's exactly how she would have gotten his attention, but then again the tap on his back was far too soft. "Ah, hello, Kairi," said Riku softly, still lingering on the after affects of tranquility produced by the melting sun.

Kairi walked around the paopu tree and leaned against it's trunk next to Riku's legs. "Zoning out as always, huh?" she giggled.

"Yeah," Riku replied, tilting his head up toward the horizon.

"The raft is almost done, you know," Kairi said. "It's coming along great. But I suppose that's mostly due to yours and Yuffie's hard work."

"You and Sora did your part too. It wasn't just us." Riku smiled, warmed by the term "us" instead of "Yuffie and I," as if they were a single entity now instead of two separate ones.

"I guess, but Sora pretty much just lazed about like a goof-ball. I wasn't any better, but hey, regardless the raft is just about ready to set sail. Have you thought about what you're going to do once the time comes?" Kairi asked.

"I have," Riku said confidently. "We'll need food--lot's of it--and water. We'll need many other provisions as well, including extra oars, canteens, and another sail just in case our primary one rips. I also have a survival guide at home that I'll bring and both Sora and I have agreed to bring our fishing rods for when we run out of food. If it rains, which is unlikely for at least the next week or so--I've constantly been checking the weather report--we have a fold out shelter we can secure onto our raft."

"W-wow, you've really been thinking hard about this, haven't you?" Kairi stammered.

"I've had to. Though this may be exciting, it isn't a game. If a storm were to come and rip the raft in half, we would all be in trouble, and I can't allow mistakes like that to happen no matter what."

"Your amazing, Riku," Kairi sighed, awestruck.

"Nah, just careful. And besides, Yuffie's the one who…so kindly expressed her concerns to me after I'd told her just how little I'd considered about the matter."

"Oh, gave you a hard time?" Kairi's tone was curious, even a little hopeful.

"Not really," Riku responded. "Even if she was, it was because it was well deserved. I can't afford to be so foolish."

"Oh," Kairi said blandly. "That's smart, I suppose…"

There was a moment of silence between the two of them, creating an unfamiliar tension in the air that seemed as if it had spawned from loose acquaintances rather than childhood friends.

"You've changed, Riku," Kairi said, breaking through the silence. She twiddled her fingers together as if she was unsure of what she was saying. Riku offered her his full attention, waiting for her to elaborate.

"What do you mean?" he asked gently.

"You…well…hmm."

"Yes?" he pressed.

"Yuffie's…not really your cousin, is she?" Kairi mumbled, more to herself than to Riku.

"What?" Riku responded, eyes wide.

"It's just, well, you don't treat her like your cousin. When you look at her, it's just…your eyes, they…are different. Kind of like how you used to look at me, but…different."

If the awkwardness was hidden before, it wasn't now. Riku released a fraction of stress building up inside him by loosely clenching a fist, but still he said nothing. What could he say? He couldn't deny that her observations were correct, but he couldn't admit them either. "Yuffie," he said slowly, "is my cousin."

Kairi clenched her hands together into a tight fold and narrowed her eyes at the ground. "You didn't used to be a liar, either."

"Hey, you guys ready yet?!" whined Sora loudly, popping up beside them. Kairi squeaked in surprise, flinching to the side, as did Riku. "Gah, what is it Sora?" yelled Riku.

"Ah, so sorry!" Yuffie cried, suddenly appearing next to Sora. She pulled him into a choke hold from behind and flashed everyone an apologetic smile. "Just couldn't keep him still, y'know? He's as fidgety as a rabbit. Impatient as one too."

"Ah--ugh!--As if--ack--you're one to talk!" Sora cried, trying to break free. Yuffie released him and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Anyways," Yuffie said, giving Riku a more forceful slap on his back, "It's time to go, yeah? I feel bad when I make your mom wait all by herself at dinner time."

Riku, managing to summon a tiny smile, agreed and said, "Yeah, you're right. Let's go home."

Sora, Yuffie, Riku, and Kairi made their way to the boats in a line. Yuffie and Sora lead the way, laughing and joking around. Riku was a little ways away from them with Kairi following at his heels, utterly soundless.

While he waited for Sora and Yuffie to bring the boats around, Riku stood in one place, hands at his sides. He could feel Kairi staring at him from behind, and just as she was about to say something Riku interrupted.

"You know, Kairi," he said bitterly, "funny how you noticed all along exactly how I looked at you, and yet…you never did a thing."

Dinner with Yuffie and his mother managed to pick up his mood a little--they were both such happy people--but still Riku couldn't slake his distraction. He hadn't thought of Kairi this much in weeks, and now suddenly she was all that was on his mind. The mental image of her made him upset, angry even, but he could not erase it from his mind.

After dinner everyone decided to go to bed. Riku's mom kissed both of them good night--which Riku tried fruitlessly to avoid--and disappeared into her room.

Yuffie caught Riku at his door before he too, disappeared until morning. "Riku," Yuffie said quietly, "has something been bothering you? You were awfully quiet at dinner."

"I'm always quiet," he replied tiredly.

"No, there's quiet and then there's Riku quiet. Trust me, you were Riku quiet."

Riku chuckled and shook his head as he always does when she makes a silly remark. "No, I'm fine. Really."

"Is it Kairi, Riku? Look, I tried to hold Sora back today so you and Kairi could be alone, but you know how he is. So oblivious."

"Believe me, we didn't need alone time. Look, just drop it okay? It doesn't matter. We were just talking about the trip. Nothing else in particular."

"I see…" Yuffie mumbled disbelievingly. "Well…alright, if you say so. If you need time to think I'll give you time to think, but whatever it is I'm sure you'll be just fine. You're a strong person."

Without thinking Riku took his knuckles and grazed them tenderly down Yuffie's cheek. "Thank you," he whispered affectionately, and entered his room.

After closing the door his face heated a few degrees. Oh, how stupid am I? he scolded himself inwardly. I can't believe I just did that to someone who's supposed to be my cousin. Riku smoothed his bangs back dramatically with his hand and allowed it to fall at his side. When he did he heard a slight rustle in his pocket, like the crackling of a piece of paper.

He reached inside and pulled out an intricately folded note. Oh, right, I remember this fell out of my trig book, he recalled. The note was very dry and wrinkly, since he'd forgotten it when his mom went to do his laundry, and he wondered if the text was still legible. After unfolding the note could see that it was, and the handwriting was executed neatly, but in one short line.

Will you please watch the light show with me?

//***************************************//note#2 from moi//**************************************//

Haha, well? Found any Easter Eggs yet?

Here's one.

As you can probably guess, even though it only lasted 3 chapters, the note was indeed an Easter Egg. It showed up, disappeared, then resurfaced, thus planting another Easter Egg in the form of a message.

Can you find any others?

Heheh