On Glass Wings
--xxSerenity
WOW. Twice in a week! Heeeeh. I bet you were all expecting to wait another six million months. Well. Here you go :P It was a most enjoyable chapter to write, and i'm sure alot of you are going to be all like "Yeah thank freaking god -angryface!-" just like in OGW1..hah. Anyway..here we have..the start to the road of healing! hurray! and Ri and So will no longer be fighting :D
There's a game used here that I hope is pretty universal..i think it is anyway..called either 'Red hands' 'hot hands' or what i always called it..'slaps' if you havent heard it..i think i describe it decently enough..if not..Wikipedia has it XD and its the second variation used in this chapter :3 Because Ri and So are both major dorks here. and thanks to Tenky for helping me figure out the other names for it xD THOUGHT I HAVENT SEEN HER IN A WEEK AND I MISS HER. HEY HEY HEY ;-;
Anyway, after long and winding roads of bumpy conflict..i give you their time of absolutions. Mehehehe
-Hearts to all-
-Ser
One More Night
-10-
stranded
He didn't know how long he had been laying there, but it couldn't have been very long since the rain continued to beat down on his face, and then into his eyes– when he opened them.
A wince was given when the water stung his barely opened eyes, and he instantly closed them, squinting while pushing himself up with a shaky hand pressed into the sand.
Sand..That's right..Hadn't they just been lost at sea somewhere– or something?
Frantically, the younger one looked around and instantly recognized his surroundings; they hadn't drifted too far, or at least– the wave had carried them to Riku's little hideaway island. He recognized the trees, and the fresh water pool, but the real fear came when he didn't see Riku anywhere.
After rushing to his feet, Sora stumbled a little, his knees wobbly and weak. But after quickly regaining his balance he broke off into a jog, yelling the elder's name as he circled the island.
His cries were often drowned out by the thunder, but no sooner after did he, at last, see the silhouette of his friend, unconscious on the shore with the waves washing up along side of him.
Frantically, he dashed in that direction, leaping over rocks and brush alike and jumping off platforms, anything that got him there quicker.
He had come to a sliding stop, crouched along side of Riku's motionless body, and instantly did he take to trying to rouse him from that state.
It took a few moments of incessant shaking, and banging rather annoyingly on Riku's chest to get the elder to finally cough, and choke, spitting up a bit of water that had gathered in his lungs.
He turned his head to the side and when his eyes creaked open he was greeted with the sight of a blurred mass, though the notable brown on top made the otherwise indistinguishable figure distinguishable.
"Riku!" Sora wailed happily and lunged forward, throwing himself on top of him and fitting his arms beneath his head, which made the other teen choke a bit more as he struggled to fully regain himself.
"Ugh. Okay, yeah we're alive..please..Sora..can't breathe."
Weakly, he had moved to sit up, a single hand around the small of Sora's back to keep him steady so his motions didn't cause the younger one to fall off. As fate would have it, the little thing clung so much like a leech anyway that Riku's previous concerns seemed impossible, and Sora wasn't even about to listen to him anyway, other than a quick loosening of his arms around his neck so Riku could, indeed, breathe.
"I thought we were dead!" Another happy chirp from the youth and Riku rolled his eyes as he leaned over a bit, sucking in generous bits of air lost when they went under.
"If you were dead you wouldn't be able to think that you were dead now, would you?" He cleverly pointed out, and Sora scrunched his nose at that proposal, registering the statement and trying to make sense of it.
"I guess not?"
It might've been because Sora was serious with his response, or it could've been just that he was adorable when he was confused. Whatever the case might've been, it was enough to draw out a genuinely amused chuckle from the other one, who, for the moment, moved both of his arms around the smaller form in an affectionate hug.
"Well, we're alive. And that's all that matters." Riku's forehead touched Sora's shoulder as he spoke, and he closed his eyes while releasing a slow, steady breath. His rapidly beating heart had returned to its normal pace, which he surmised was good.
But even so it took the two a moment to recall everything else that had occurred; the relief that one another was alive and alright was short lived when realization once more dawned on the two.
Even so, neither were very quick to remedy the situation, though Sora did tense a little atop the elder's lap.
"So..." Long pause. "What's your problem?" The younger one finally asked, though his tone suggested that he felt like he was obligated to bring it up. After all, the two had to address it sometime or another, and stranded with each other in the middle of a thunder storm was as good a time as any he supposed.
But the directness with which he asked cause Riku to instantly scowl, and he returned the question with a bit of a snap to it.
"What's your problem?"
A small look of hurt crossed Sora's face, and his eyes moved downwards, fixing themselves to a spot on Riku's t-shirt. Despite everything, there was no denying the rather nice appearance of the fabric outlining every sculpted portion of Riku beneath that shirt; he found his mind wandering until a jab in the side from Riku drew him out of it.
"C'mon..Let's at least get out of this rain." He asserted and Sora nodded in agreement, even if, once again, he wasn't very quick to leave the otherwise offered comfort of Riku's lap. A quick bang of thunder hurried him along though.
Like Sora, it hadn't taken Riku long to realize just where they were, and grasping Sora's hand, he tugged him in the direction of the shack where they had previously occupied the last time they both found their way to this particular spot.
But surprise would befall them both when they arrived, just to find the little bundle of wood completely trashed, annihilated by the storm until it was nothing but a pile of old, broken planks.
"Uhh.." Sora blinked, and scratched curiously at the side of his head. "What now?"
Riku looked pensive for a moment, and then proceeded to tighten his hold on Sora's hand, bringing him a little ways over and to the freshwater pool that sat not a long ways off.
"C'mon. I think I remember hearing of a little cave somewhere here.."
The two paused in front of a thick wall of vines and brush, and Riku dropped Sora's hand just so he could pull at it, using both hands to spread long, wispy strands out of the way. Sora helped, and after a while of digging through that seemingly unbreakable wall of plant life, the duo had broke through and were now faced with the entrance to a long, narrow passage.
Motioning over his shoulder, Riku was the first to enter, and Sora followed.
It didn't offer much room to stand straight, but it wasn't horribly uncomfortable. Plus once they reached the end of the passage, and the actual cave, they were able to straighten considering the ceiling of the wide open space was rather high indeed.
The cave, itself, was cold and damp with holes in the ceiling that allowed for incessant drops. But where there was covering, there were dry spots, and Riku took up one toward the opposite side of the small entrance, motioning for Sora to join him.
Hesitating at first, yet taking him up on his offer, Sora moved over the other side of the cave and sat besides him, unconsciously huddling up to him for much needed warmth.
In addition to the minimal warmth offered by Riku, the youth had tugged his knees up to his chest and crossed his arms atop his legs, ignoring the sting of the coldness presented by his soaking clothes.
They sat in silence for a long while, both just staring at the other end of the cave with its bleak dark walls. No boats meant they'd have to swim back to the beach, but the storm meant no swimming and so here they were, two miserable piles of conflicting emotions, both on the same exact path and yet so far opposite each other that they were just bound to meet in the middle some time.
"I guess we have a lot to talk about." Riku was finally the brave one, breaking that silence to make his assertion.
"I guess we do.." Returned Sora.
Though there was awkward silence again..
"Okay..So you start"
"Why do I have to? Why can't you?" It was Sora's turn to be a little snappy now. "After all, you're the one that started it." He muttered into his crossed arms, making his words sound rather muffled.
Lips tightened in a straight line as the elder thought, or rather, tried to dismiss the flare of aggravation at Sora's accusation. He wanted to retort that but his desire to end this once and for all ruled out—for once.
"I have an idea.." He finally said, pushing himself off the wall and up onto his knees. Turning to face him then, he motioned with a hand for Sora to do the same. "We're gonna play a game."
The brunette eyed him skeptically for a moment or two, but with lack of knowledge of anything better to do he complied, shifting so he was on his knees and facing him just in time to see Riku hold his hands out, palms up.
"Put your hands on top of mine" He ordered, and after another moment's hesitation, Sora complied again, gently setting his palms face down on top of Riku's.
Once in place, Riku thought for a moment, working out the details in his head about how he wanted this to go before he actually started explaining it.
"Okay, the point of the game is for the person on the bottom to hit the hands of the person on the top. But the person of the top wants to move their hands out of the way before the person on the bottom can hit."
"Um..that makes sense I guess.."
Riku had to snicker a little, but continued on since Sora seemed to be grasping the concept.
"It's all about reflexes. Basically you have to see me moving and move your hands out of the way before I can hit 'em."
To emphasize the point, Riku quickly flipped his hands around, bringing them up and then down just to lightly slap the back of Sora's hands, and Sora just sort of stared at the action while Riku chuckled.
"See? You were supposed to move your hands out of the way there, genius."
Sora frowned a bit, but nodded.
"Fine fine."
"And I can fake you out if I want to, but if you flinch and I don't even go to slap, I get a free hit like so." When he finished speaking, Riku reached out to take Sora's wrists, just so he could join the younger one's palms together in the middle. Once done, he moved his own hands over Sora's and brought them together in a gentle clapping motion which in turn had him vertically slapping the backs of Sora's hands.
"Ooh.."
"Get it?" Riku questioned, and Sora nodded vigorously.
"But how do we get to switch?"
"Oh that's easy. If I go to hit, and you move your hands out of the way in time, we switch, and you hit. But if I hit then I'm still the hitter, or if you flinch. Heh."
Sora seemed to think this over for a few minutes, but no sooner did he decide that he liked this idea, and offered a few short nods.
"Okay, sounds fun." He barely smiled and moved his hands into position again, waiting for Riku to hoover his own palms beneath his.
"Just one more thing." Riku stated pointedly, while moving his own hands into position, and Sora cast him a curious look.
"Yeah?"
"Every time I manage to hit you, you tell me what's bothering you about me. And every time I miss, I have to tell you what's bothering me.." He paused for a moment; eyes' rising to meet Sora's to seek out any real signs of discomfort with this proposal. But when all he saw was a tinge of confusion, he continued. "..and neither of us is allowed to get..really mad again. I don't want to fight any more." There was genuine honesty in that final statement, along with apparent exhaustion.
After the initial hurt that crossed Sora's face, he shook it off and nodded again albeit reluctantly. True, he didn't exactly want to bring this up. He actually wished they could just let it lie, but he knew if they didn't talk about it there would be these buried feelings of hostility with the potential to breed even more as time went on, and that was the last thing he wanted.
Yet on the other hand, he was afraid to do this; he didn't want to flat out talk to him regarding their issues, so in a way he was glad for the game. He was a person of honor after all, so he'd stick to his word should he lose.
The game started off slow as it was supposed to. Riku kept his hands hovering threateningly below the younger one's, who was tense and alert and waiting for him to strike. One moment was followed by the next, with the elder teen waiting for the perfect opportunity, which would come within the next few moments.
And for that first time, Sora was slow to react; too slow it would seem, since Riku's hands successfully made contact, just as the younger one moved to retract them.
"Argh!" He hmphed with a pout while Riku grinned triumphantly.
"First round, Me. Okay, spill." Meanwhile the two moved their hands back into position with Sora still on top.
"Hmph..You're a jerk." He stated, causing Riku to let out a little laugh.
"That's cheap..Not what I meant when I said you tell me what's been bothering you."
"Why not? It's true. Oh, i'm sorry. "you've been a jerk" is that better?" Sora returned a little bitterly, even though Riku continued to smirk.
"Yes actually, 'been' is always a better word—" thinking Sora was distracted, he had moved to strike again when the younger one quickly pulled back and then it was his turn to grin in a rather triumphant manner.
"hah! I win!" He cheered happily though Riku only rolled his eyes in response.
"The round, not the game."
"Mmph. Well whatever. Your turn."
An expected hush fell over the two as Sora waited for Riku's response, and Riku, for the life of him, struggled to get it out. He actually wasn't expecting it to be this hard, but now, beneath that rather burning, expectant stare, he felt a bit weak, or rather—weaker.
"You left." Riku finally muttered, a little under his breath as he moved his hands into that new position, settling his palms face down over Sora's who had then moved face up under his.
It took a moment or so for Sora to register what he meant, but when he did, he couldn't help the scowl that crept up.
"I told you already; I did it for you. Besides, it wasn't as if Leon was going to let me say 'no' and rightfully so, I might add." Came Sora's pouted response.
Riku parted his lips in a motion to speak, but closed them again for a moment. His eyes were off to the side, fixed to a rock covered in a bit of moss as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.
"..I know. But you not being here..it bothered me.." Inwardly, he kicked himself for sounding so utterly stupid. Briefly rising to meet Sora's particularly annoyed look, he concluded that the younger probably felt that as well,
"Gee, Riku. Really? I don't think I noticed." Sora then retorted, and Riku let out a small sigh in response.
"No need for sarcasm.." The reply was calm, and quiet. No bite to it whatsoever. Yet it still managed to rile the younger one up a bit.
"That's your problem, Riku. You're so self-centered. It's like bad things can't happen to anyone else. Only you. You were like this when you finally found out that Namine would never be able to perform again." When Sora's rant ended, Riku let the minute of silence to once again fall between them before he awkwardly cleared his throat.
"You were suppose to wait until I won a round." He admonished with a faint grin, but Sora wasn't amused.
"Consider that a freebie then."
Riku nodded and watched Sora's hands for any sign of motion. When none came he dared a glance at his younger friend's face and noticed him studying their hands as well, as if calculating that next move.
"I know it may come off like that sometimes, but that's really not it.."
"Oh?" Sora looked up at him, briefly abandoning his attention to Riku's hands, though his own limbs remained.
"Nnn..I wouldn't say that I feel like bad things only happen to me. It's more like– I think that everything that happens is my fault some how.."
It was difficult, but it was said. Riku fell quiet after that, and waited for the youth's response with a bit of nervousness.
And Sora merely blinked, then stared at his older friend as if he were crazy. Brows furrowed, lips parted in a motion to speak, but nothing came out right away.
"..Really?"
Solemnly, Riku nodded, but huffed then after.
"C'mon. Play the game." He demanded, clearly eager to draw the attention off himself.
Scowling, Sora nodded, and rather then wait an added moment in order to throw him off, he complied all too readily, bringing his hands up and around in order to swat at Riku's hands.
One would think that Riku would have seen this coming, but it just might've been that he was still reeling from before, and the next thing he knew he felt the slight sting of Sora's hands against his own.
"Uh.."
"Heeee." Another triumphant smirk, especially given Riku's little utterance of disbelief. "Okay, so elaborate. What do you mean everything's your fault?"
Green eyes narrowed slightly at that strategic little move of his, and cooly he moved one hand up to run fingers through his bangs, pushing them back over his head before he returned his palm back to its position hoovering over Sora's.
"That's not how we agreed to play. We said whoever lost the round has to offer up something of their choice..that's bothering them about the other." He calmly explained, drawing a huff from the younger one.
"Well I like my way better. What's the matter? Too scared to admit your own problems?" Sora questioned with the faintest of his own smirks.
The look of which making Riku momentarily regret his guidelines set out, namely the whole "not being allowed to get mad again." otherwise that snide remark of the younger one would've easily aggravated him.
"No.. I'm not scared."
"Then what is it? You can't just come out and say it? Say what's wrong with you?"
"Are you stu-" Riku quickly cut himself off before he went too far with that, and started yet another argument. Sora, himself, knew what he was going to ask, and looked hurt in preparation when he noticed Riku pause, sigh, and regain himself. "It's as I said it is..I feel like I'm responsible for everything, right down to you and Sephiroth– " He looked uneasily at him for a second and then away, down at their hands, and his in particular, which he noticed were a teeny, tiny bit shaky.
Empathetically, Sora regarded him with both concern and compassion, despite the almost insult that he had dished out. After all, it hadn't been so long ago that he didn't find himself down that same road.
"That's stupid, Riku..None of that was ever your fault.." He wanted to say more, but in truth, he didn't exactly know what else he could say, especially considering he knew that when he felt like this– that is, responsible for all the bad things that happened to the both of them, there was little anybody could say to make him feel otherwise.
"If only I could've gotten out of that basement a little sooner I could've stopped him from– "
It was a memory neither of them wanted to recall, and the mere fact that he was bringing it up again burned something inside of him. He could only imagine what it must've been like for Sora to listen to it.
"I'm sorry." He sighed, shaking his head and narrowing his eyes to their unmoving hands, still poised and ready mid-game.
And Sora, who hadn't expected the recollection of that memory, could only stare down at their hands as well a little dejectedly, though he was particularly content to find that a certain, interfering voice was quiet in his head. He expected it to be howling with laughter given their conversation. There was a part of him that was most relieved.
"It isn't your fault.." He stated gently, but a look at Riku's averted eyes told him somewhere that this was just the tip of the iceberg so to say, and before the elder could respond, Sora brought his hands down harder than normal against the others.
"Geez! Not so hard." Riku grumbled at the slight sting that raised a bit of red to the back of his hands, and he withdrew just to rub the twinge out of them. But Sora's attention was elsewhere.
"What else?" He asked, causing Riku to regard him confusedly.
"Huh?"
"That's not all that's bothering you. If that was the only thing then you wouldn't have been so mad at me that you wouldn't send me even one letter while I was way." Sora nodded confidently, and noticed the partial wince from the other at the memory of his own idiocy.
Hands were still rubbed, more out of a security measure than anything else. He was starting to feel a bit threatened again, but he knew he couldn't keep hiding, not if he didn't want to lose Sora completely.
"It's mostly that.." He started, rolling his eyes off to the side a bit sheepishly, quieting then after.
"But–?"
"Well..I guess..missing you like I did made me feel– weak." A few short blinks were given as he spoke, as if his own words aroused his disbelief. Sora didn't seem to buy it right away either.
"I don't get it. You didn't like missing me?"
"Heh. As mean as that sounds I guess that's it."
It wasn't meant to be hurtful, but Sora just felt hurt. Even so, he shook it off with a shrug.
"So That's why you never wrote me?"
The game appeared to be abandoned, considering neither moved their hands back into position to continue it. Sora's withdrew and came to rest against his thighs while Riku still absentmindedly patted at the back of one hand, his eyes lowered a bit shamefully given Sora's obvious look of hurt.
"I didn't like feeling so dependent.."
He recalled Namine's words that time in Leon's office and scowled, shaking his head lightly.
"..O-oh..it's okay then..I understand.." So Sora said, but Riku could easily tell otherwise, and part of him wanted to elaborate, go further into detail about why he was like that. But in the end, he decided he couldn't very well emasculate himself any more than he had already. Sora didn't need to know how much he really did think that Namine moved in on their family when they took her in, their mother in particular, how threatened he felt by her prescence..how much he feared being forgotten or abandoned.. Typical, clichéd, babyish thoughts. But then again, those were really why it irked him so. He was so pathetic..
"Hey, don't sound so upset. I know it's stupid. I never meant to hurt you with it..It's just how I felt." Riku reached up to rub the back of his head, suddenly immersed in uncomfortableness as he watched Sora fiddle with the hem of his damp shirt. "Besides, it isn't as if I'm the only guilty one here."
"What..do you mean?" Sora didn't bother to look up, though his own tenseness was apparent when he clenched his eyes shut tight, and fingers seemed to tangle themselves in that shirt.
"Oh, wow, I don't know..let's see..Well, setting aside the numerous times I tried to make contact with you and you pushed me away–"
"I was angry.."
"Indeed, but still..I tried.."
They paused there, locking eyes once more, and Riku turned his scowl off to the side so Sora wouldn't see. He wanted to bring up Wakka and the jewelry, but hesitated– immensely.
"Um..Wakka.." Though he'd finally do it, even if his voice trailed off after murmuring that name.
Sora eyed him expectantly at first, and then suspiciously.
"How do you know about Wakka?" Despite their guidelines, he wanted to sound aggravated, but instead he found his voice a bit shaky and laced with fear, as if he figured Riku would hate him if he knew what had taken place.
"Email.."
His admittances then took the form of curtly stated words, one at a time and each had Sora growing more and more angry, though he did well to keep it in check per their agreement.
"So..you've been stealing my email again." His own eyes wandered off to the side in that mee, yet coy sort of way, and despite the anger that this realization brought, he had to snicker at Riku's own stupidity.
"Nn..Don't say it like that..I just..um.." and while Riku struggled to justify his actions, Sora was already moving on to the next obvious question, ignoring Riku's attempts.
"And what did he say?"
It's funny to note that now Riku was nervous, when it should've been Sora given the content of that particular email.
Frowning, Riku looked up at the cave's ceiling, as if it held the right answer.
"You two kissed."
The rather bitter tone in Riku's voice had Sora instantly tensing, and sighing dejectedly. He wanted to apologize, but it wasn't as if he had done the kissing, and he had basically rejected that advancement anyway.
"And I guess he's the friend that gave you that present?" Riku hadn't waited for Sora to respond before he added that afterthought, making it even harder for the younger one to respond..
"He is.." Sora replied pointedly, as well as hesitatingly. "But he kissed me..not the other way around."
Riku tried to respond to that, but found that his throat was dry, and Sora, for all he could do, just sat there feeling himself overcome with regret once again, a feeling he utterly did not want to feel just then.
"It meant nothing to me, and he knows that. He knew it was a mistake because he knew I had you. I don't know. I guess I have a gay magnet on my butt or something? I mean– Kairi never liked me, and neither did Namine when I tried to flirt a little with her.."
There was an obvious attempt to lighten the mood with both those statements after Sora's initial declaration that Wakka had known he was wrong, and as hurt as Riku was, he bought into Sora's attempts, laughing a little at the humor the younger one brought.
"But me, then Sephiroth, then Wakka, right?" He asked with a grin, and Sora playfully huffed.
"I don't know what it is! But it does seem almost abnormal..that no girls like me, yet a bunch of guys do. Gods, it's sort of depressing.." Arms crossed over the brunettes chest as he sighed over dramatically and leaned his head back against the wall, listening to Riku's laughter turn into a small chuckle, and then a small, thoughtful 'hmm' followed by another uncomfortable silence for what seemed like forever.
"We've both been really stupid to each other.." Riku finally pointed out after that quietness, and though eyeing him curiously, Sora still nodded in agreement.
"So how do we fix it?".
Riku thought silently for a minute and then he picked up a small rock and hurled it lazily to the other side of the cave. It bounced off a wall there, and the noise it made echoed until the shifting of water sounded after as it settled in a puddle.
"I think..after thinking about it, that is..it's as simple as just... letting everything go."
Sora narrowed his eyes, blinking then after to break his previously unflinching stare at the wall.
"You mean forgetting anything ever happened?" Came the younger one's curious reply.
Though Riku quickly shook his head at that. "No. I mean..just easily..forgiving..We don't have to forget what happened, but we can forgive each other. We've gotten along pretty well for the last hour or so, haven't we?" He looked to the younger one from the corner of his eye, and noted the single confident nod.
"That's why so many people can't stay together, I think. Because one or the other or both are never willing to let go of their anger..and..I don't want to be like that. I don't want us to be like that."
Riku continued, and Sora listened to all he said with utmost interest, nodding every so often to show he understood.
"You need to stop snooping in my email though." He grinned, leaning forward just enough to shove Riku playfully in the shoulder.
Taking up the offer, he'd return the favor, though his push had the smaller form pressed back against the wall of that dark cave.
"Well you need to stop kissing random people and accepting their gifts."
The hand that had gripped Sora's shoulder loosened, just enough so that it crept up a bit as he leaned in, bringing their faces mere inches apart.
Eyes met and Sora hesitated when he felt the elder's lips barely against his own, a hand snaking up to press lightly against Riku's mouth with his index and middle finger just to offer a gentle push backwards.
Confused, yet compliant, Riku pulled back just a bit, his eyes seeking out answers in the younger one's, but Sora only smiled weakly. It wasn't– a rejection, per se. But as much as he wanted it, he had to admit that perhaps things were going... just a bit too fast?
"How're things going with the show?" So Sora would ask that instead, drawing attention away from that previous little scene, and Riku went along with it, sitting back on his knees though relatively closer to him just the same.
"It's alright.." Head tilted to one side, and hands sat atop his thighs, eager and restless, wanting nothing more than just to touch him at that point. It had been so long since they'd been this close after all, without much tension that is.
"Is Olette treating you alright?"
Riku smirked lightly at that, given he knew Sora was trying to be polite, yet still his jealousy managed to slip through the cracks so to say.
"She's not so bad.." He murmured lowly after assuming that was the answer to the real question underlying Sora's original one.
Seems like it was too, since Sora nodded, accompanied by a little "oh."
"I-I know..She seemed like she was really nice to her friends, I don't know why she's so mean–"
"Don't take it so personal." Riku quickly cut him off before he could finish, and Sora looked up curiously at him.
"Sort of hard not to.."
"All she wants is what all of us at this place want. Recognition..And it kills her that you got it so easily while she had to train so long and hard to get where she is."
"Mmph. I know that..but..she'll get her recognition soon enough." Sora pouted a little, and Riku chuckled at the face made.
"Don't worry, you'll be back on stage soon enough..." He started, and Sora looked hopeful for a moment, even though he knew better then to get those particular hopes up too soon.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever.." He grumbled dejectedly.
"Anyway..You should try talking to Olette. She's a good person. A little annoying. But good nonetheless. She helped me get better with this skating crap anyway.."
"Hmph..You make me jealous.."
Riku grinned at that, and reached up to poke him lightly on the tip of the nose.
"Don't even go there, Sora."
Scrunching his previously poked nose, Sora huffed indignantly and batted at his hand.
"Never going to let me live that down, are you?"
"Hah, nope."
The faintest of smirks crossed Sora's face as he pushed off from his spot, throwing himself once again into those welcoming arms which wrapped securely around him as his own arms fitted themselves around Riku's neck.
"Every time I want something I'll just use it to guilt you into it." He snickered, nuzzling against the younger one's head affectionately, and Sora only 'hmmed' happily for the moment, until his eyes were directed to the cave's ceiling where he noticed bits of iridescent white and blue shining through the cracks..without the rain that had previously tainted it.
"Hey look! The storms passed."
Turning his head over his shoulder to see for himself, Riku nodded and looked back just in time to see Sora standing, and reaching out to grab his hand in order to tug him up to standing as well.
"Come on!"
Leading him through the exit of the cave, and down that narrow winding passage, Sora dragged him back out into the clean, night air, which was crisp and cool after the storm.
The two found themselves at the shore line, staring out across the sea and to the blurred image of the line of buildings that made up the city on the other side. Even if they knew where they were, it was a relief that they could see it now that the storm had ended.
"It's clear.." Sora stated pointedly, and Riku nodded with a thoughtful hum as he followed the younger's gaze to the sky.
It was a nice, clean blue, fading into a darker hue the higher it went, and decorated with those dabs of pure, twinkling silver.
Riku then looked down and over to the youth, raising a brow a little curiously at the fact that he appeared somewhat lost in the sight.
"Stargazer, eh?" He questioned with a chuckle.
"Hn. Sort of. Me and Axel used to sit on the roof of the orphanage at night a lot.." He smiled a little at the recollection, and dropped Riku's hand just so he could plop down in a sitting position.
Riku followed, draping his arms over the tops of his bent knees once he sat.
"Heh, that's sorta funny. He doesn't seem like the type.." he commented then and Sora laughed a little lightly while shaking his head.
"You're right. He isn't. It was more for me..As you probably figured..I wasn't exactly the happiest person at that place. Axel'd take me up there when I was depressed and he'd make me..undepressed." Sora nodded as he explained, while reaching out to take up a small twig washed up on the shore so he could draw with it and all the while it was Riku who nodded every so often in understanding.
"Still..He always seemed like a bit of a jerk to me.."
"Oh he is..He's an asshole to anyone he doesn't like. But once you win him over..you'll find a friend for life."
"Sort of like you?" Riku asked gently and Sora looked thoughtful for a moment, though the thought was completely dismissed when another memory flashed across his mind.
"Oh man! Riku your leg!" After the sudden recollection of Kuu diverted his attention, Sora lunged forward, grabbing at the leg of Riku's jeans in order to pull it up despite offered protest, and sure enough, once the clothing had been pulled over his calf, Sora would notice that the wound had been properly medicated and bandaged.
"Gah! Quit it! It was no big deal." Riku batted Sora's hands away so that the youth withdrew reluctantly, and so Riku could pull the leg of his pants back down over the bandage.
"I'm sorry about that, Riku..She heard you yelling and I guess she was trying to protect me or something.." Sheepish grin was offered as he scratched at the back of his head, and Riku let out a little 'heh' in response, though his eyes returned back toward the sea.
"...Kuu huh?" He questioned after a few moments of silence, ignoring Sora's apology completely.
"Mm..heh! Well, you do sort of look like her.."
Riku appeared to think this over for a few moments or so, but in the end he just laughed out loud, amused at the sentiment.
"I guess I should be flattered.." He replied, offering that friendly sort of smile, and Sora nodded happily while shifting on his knees to face him.
Riku watched him curiously, especially when he edged his way forward, and then wormed his way into his lap. But as surprised as he was, the action wasn't rejected of course.
With his thighs on either side of Riku's, Sora leaned forward, wrapping his arms around his neck and leaning his head against the elder's, though nothing was said.
Riku blinked with that surprise, especially when he felt Sora's body tense.
"The waves are pretty dead..Wanna swim back to the beach?" He asked gently while a hand moved to rest against Sora's upper back, rubbing in soft, soothing circles.
And instead of a verbal response, Riku could feel that head shake, and the hold around his neck tighten securely.
"..I want to stay here with you. Just you.. right now.." Sora finally murmured lightly, accentuating his point with an affectionate nudge of his head against the side of Riku's, who nodded in agreement and slid his own arms around the small of Sora's back, offering a warm hug to hold him close.
"Yeah.."
With the younger one perched on his lap like that, still tense yet clingy, Riku glanced up at the sky again and noticed a streak of silver rip across that pretty blue in a thin, slightly curved line. It glittered the whole way until it seemingly disappeared into another star. As stupid as he often thought these things were..he made a wish.
And so distracted by this wish was he that he didn't even notice Sora move to bury his face in the crook of his neck, nor the tears that soaked his already soaking shirt.
ILU so review please :D
