Chapter 3
Riku creaked open his bedroom door, peeking out into the hall. It was an old home, wooden and worn down. Namine still slept in her own bed in their shared room and Sephiroth had claimed the master bedroom after their parents had disappeared. It was the crack of dawn, sunlight just beginning to spread its glow over Dorhaven and Riku was hoping he could sneak out before anyone else awoke.
Letting out a breath, he slipped out of his room, shutting the door behind him and walking slow, and steady to the kitchen. The home was silent, not even the song of the morning birds yet singing outside their door. Reaching the kitchen to find it empty, Riku sighed a breath of relief, grabbing a muffin from the counter and hurrying to the front door.
"Where exactly are you going at this hour?" Sephiroth's voice caused every muscle in Riku's body to tense.
He froze, strongly considering opening the front door and bolting away, yet he knew that would only make the matter worse when he had to inevitably return. "Just going for a walk…"
"The same walk that you and Namine took last night that ended with you both soaked from the ocean?" He asked, something nearly accusatory in his tone.
Riku scoffed, his back still to Sephiroth. "It's really none of your business."
"I'm in charge of your well being," Sephiroth pointed out, making Riku's hand clench into a fist at his side. "If you're up to something-which you obviously are- I will find out."
"What, is that your idea of a threat?" Riku asked, glaring over his shoulder at him and seeing Sephiroth standing at the foot of the stairs, already fully dressed as if it weren't barely dawn.
"More of a warning." He replied, his silver brow quirking up at Riku's breath of irritation.
"You wouldn't understand." Riku muttered, shaking his head. "Just stay out of it, alright?"
Sephiroth was silent for a moment, but Riku didn't give him the chance to respond as he opened the door and left the house. The crisp morning air made him shiver, but he hardly paid it any mind as he hurried into town. Sora had been alone in the lighthouse the entire night and it had been weighing heavily on Riku's heart. He couldn't get the Siren out of his head and he hardly slept a wink the entire night. Despite his exhaustion, he was determined to get back to Sora's side.
He pushed open the door to the old bookshop, the scent of dusty books filling his senses as the owner of the shop peeked up from his desk.
"Ah, Riku," they greeted, getting up from their seat and limping over to him. "Haven't seen you in my shop in quite some time. What can I do for you?"
Riku forced a smile, opening and closing his mouth a few times. "Um, I was actually wondering if you had any books on… uh, well, Sirens."
The book-keeper's brow quirked up, "I never took you for a believer in fairytales, Riku."
A strained chuckle slipped out of him as he stammered, "Eh, yeah, the interest really came out of nowhere."
"Well, you're in luck." They replied with a smirk, waving their hand over their shoulders as they led the way towards the furthest corner in the shop. "We have quite the collection of stories and myths of the creatures. And you might be interested in speaking to my daughter Aeirith on the subject. She's always had a fascination with them."
Riku nodded, "Uh, yeah, thanks. I'll keep that in mind."
The keeper nodded with a smile, "Let me know if you need anything."
Riku watched him walk back to his desk, before turning his attention back to the books. He grabbed a few off the shelf, attempting to differentiate between the obvious storybooks and the ones that seemed to hold true information. He flipped through the pages, skimming the words and trying to find anything about them. A certain book stood out to him from the others, a cream colored leather binding with gold trim. It was filled with handwritten notes inside what appeared to be a dictionary of sorts, but for a language Riku didn't understand.
"Is this in the wrong section?" He asked without thinking.
"Not at all," a soft, feminine voice caught his attention. He looked up to see a young woman, about Sephiroths' age. Her brown hair was braided down her back, her green eyes sparkling with life and kindness. She walked towards Riku, holding out her hand for the book. "This is a study of the Aicaya language."
Riku blinked, "The… what?"
The girl laughed softly, flipping through the pages before she looked back up at him. "Aicaya, usually known as Sirens?"
Riku's eyes widened as his gaze darted to the book. "So that's their language?"
"I wouldn't take it with too much water," the owner spoke up, making the girl roll her eyes with a fond smile.
"Don't listen to him," she whispered to Riku, handing him back the book. "These are my notes in there from when I was studying the language. As much as my father doesn't believe it, the Aicaya do exist." She sighed, "I only wish I could see one for myself someday."
Riku smiled, flipping through the pages of the book. "I know what you mean."
"I'm thankful that I'm not the only one interested in them." She told him, leaning to the side so he could see her even as he stared at the book. "I'm Aerith, by the way."
"Oh," he looked up at her, unsure what to say in response. "I'm-uh, Riku."
"Aerith just returned last month after travelling abroad." The owner spoke up.
"Yes, I was studying the Aicaya." She told him. "At least, what's left of them."
"What's left?" Riku asked, feeling a knot forming in his stomach.
"I've only been able to find traces of them," she told him with a sigh. "They were often hunted by pirates and fishermen."
Riku winced, looking back down to the book as his grip tightened around it. "How much for this?"
"Oh, feel free to borrow it!" Aerith told him with a chime. "I would love to discuss it with you once you have read through it."
"What? Borrow it? This is a store, not a library!" The owner objected, getting a sigh from Aerith.
"Thanks," Riku strained a smile, stuffing the book in his bag as he fled the store.
He hurried out of the town, making his way to the lighthouse. As he neared the tower, he slipped away in the brush of trees, making sure no one could see him before he pushed open the door.
"Sora?" He called out the moment he was inside, his heart stuttering at the bell like chime in response.
He hurried down the steps, finding Sora curled up in the same spot along the edge of the pool. Riku's smile faltered when he saw him, seeing the sombering expression on Sora's face.
"Hey," he greeted softly, kneeling down at Sora's side. "I brought you something."
Reaching into his bag, he pulled out the muffin, holding it out for Sora. Sniffing the air, Sora pushed to sit up, tilting their head side to side as they eyed the treat.
"Um… you eat it." Riku tried to explain, using his free hand to rub the back of his neck. When Sora didn't react, he broke off a piece of the muffin. "See?" he popped the crumb into his mouth, Sora's eyes widening.
In a rush, Sora grabbed the muffin, stuffing nearly the entire thing in their mouth, crumbs flying everywhere as sounds of yummy appreciation hummed through their full mouth. Riku blinked, watching the spectacle until Sora swallowed and beamed a bright thankful smile that caused Riku to bubble into a laugh.
"I take it you're hungry." Riku chuckled, his heart jumping when Sora laughed alongside him. "Oh, I also got a book."
He reached back in his bag, pulling out the newly borrowed book. Sora scrambled to sit up, looking over Riku's shoulder at the contents. With a gasp they pointed to the words on the page, water droplets falling and mixing with the ink.
"Hey, hey, careful," Riku laughed, pulling away the book and holding it up when Sora whined and reached for it. "I'm borrowing this."
Sora huffed, the expression making Riku snicker as he brought the book back.
"Do you recognize some of these words?" Riku asked, his smile growing when Sora nodded eagerly.
"Aicaya," Sora recited with excitement, pressing against their chest.
Riku grinned, "Yeah! Yeah, I found out that's what your kind is. Aicaya."
Sora beamed, nodding, scooting closer to Riku to get a better look at the book. They pointed out various words, teaching the other how to say them in the other's language. Hours passed, both of them learning from the other, able to lay the groundwork of understanding the other. They barely heard the door to the lighthouse open as Sora talked and Riku scrambled to keep up with his book to understand what Sora was saying.
Namine cleared her throat, both of them going silent and looking up at her standing at the edge of the pool. "Riku, you really should have been at the shop an hour ago."
Riku groaned, moving to stand up before Sora grabbed his wrist. "Sorry Sora, I have to go."
Sora held out his other hand, "Book."
"Oh," Riku looked at the book in his other hand. "Um… well, sure."
"Thank," Sora chimed, hugging the book close.
Riku smiled, completely forgetting he had to leave until Namine repeated his name.
"Right," Riku waved her off, walking backwards towards the stairwell. "I'll be back."
Sora nodded, his smile faltering as Riku disappeared.
"How mad is Sephiroth?" Riku asked once the door to the lighthouse was shut behind them.
"He doesn't seem surprised." Namine told him, sighing. "I honestly wasn't surprised either. But I wish you would have told me you were leaving this morning."
"Sorry," he apologized, a soft smile curving his lips as he thought about Sora.
"Still though, I'm glad you went back to him." She replied, gently nudging him with her shoulder. "That was really sweet to see."
Riku blinked, looking over at her. "See what?"
"You smiling again." She pointed out, giggling when Riku scoffed.
"I was just… excited to be able to actually communicate with him."
"Him? She repeated, her smile growing into a grin as her palms pressed together in front of her. "Since last night, you've always referred to Sora as them or even it."
"That was before I knew for sure." Riku told her. "He's not a Siren either. Apparently he's something called an Aicaya."
"I've heard that word before." Namine brought her hand to her chin, humming in thought. "I can't think of where though."
"Probably from the fishermen or something," Riku shrugged.
"Possibly," she nodded.
The rest of the walk back to the flower shop was spent with Riku sharing everything he learned about Sora and all the things he told him about Dorhaven. Namine listened intently, barely getting a word in as Riku talked. She smiled to herself, never mentioning the warmth on Riku's cheeks or the permanent smile on his lips that she often thought she'd never see again.
