Author's note: heyyo again. i dont' own, wish i could... but don't... enjoy, or not to enjoy, that is the quesiton... and... yeah.... read, review, email (duch_of_darkness@hotmail.com), whatever... and if anyone would like to help me out in fixing my review box so that u don't always hafta sign in or use my email a whole lot, pls help... oh, and yeah... once (if) i get it fixed, i note it and then everyone can use the review box instead of my email cuz i'm certainly getting waaay too much to hold them all... i only expected my eamil being used for personal reviews, like suggestions or anything like that... but anywho, read on my furry (*cough*) lil friends, read on...
Chapter Three
Riku saw nothing but black before him. It also seemed as if he was seperated from his body for some time. When he realized his eyes were losed was when he felt a touch on his shoulder, and boy, did it hurt.
He moaned as he tried to open his eye lids that seemed to weigh a ton. Groaning as well, he sat up, shaking his head slightly. His blurry vision gave him the image of a person with wild hair. The person was talking to him. The voice sounded familiar.
"Hey, are you okay?" the person asked him, shaking his shoulder.
Riku managed to mumble a "yes."
"Good. Now, can you walk?" came the person's voice again, again familiar.
Riku shook his head and attempted to get up, using as much strength as he could muster just to lift himself to one foot. The effort was much, and the person knew it for they helped him to his feet. As soon as he was on his feet, dizziness took over like a wave to Riku. He swayed even under the stranger's support. Riku fell down again, on his knees, and shook his head. He waited until at least his vision cleared. When he did, he slowly got up again. By then, when he got back to both of his feet, he could stand with less effort as before. He saw who was talking to him earlier. At first, he thought he was seeing things.
"Sora?"
"Nope. It's Zidane. I think you have me mistaken for someone else. It happens all the time." The older male flashed a charming smile.
"S-- Sorry... Zidane..." Riku croaked, his voice seeming as if it didn't remember how to work.
"That's okay. But now, what's yours, and do you think you can make it back to the hotel?" Zidane asked Riku, sounding worried.
"H-- Hotel? Um... I don't have munny... And.. I think I can make it... I think..." Riku was staring at the ground that he just noticed was misty.
"Well, I'll take that as a 'yes.' Hold on for a second. Don't move... not like you'd want to... and let me get my friends." Zidane didn't wait for a reply and dashed off and out of site.
Riku looked around him. There seemed to be this huge tree in front of him, and mist all around. Where am I....?
Soon enough, Zidane was back with a small thing with what was a pointy hat on his head, a little girl the same height, a girl that seemed Zidane's age and height, a knight in poor armor, an overlarged mouse/rat, and a guy with claws on one hand, and a major red fro on his head.
"Hey, I'm back. You still okay?" Zidane said, walking up to Riku and placing a hand on his shoulder.
Riku immediately jerked himself away from Zidane's touch. What's so familiar about him that makes me act this way...? Then, it suddenly came. He turned his head and looked at Zidane with wide eyes. Sora... He's just like Sora... His voice is only slightly deeper... but still full of happiness, and so carefree. And then the sudden worry... Sora......
Riku's thought were interrupted when the older girl touched his arm. "Are you okay?"
"Y-- Yeah..."
The knight in poor armor bounced up and down. "Speak to her Highness with respect, infidel!!"
"Steiner! Please! Stop!" the older girl commanded of the knight.
"I am s-- sorry Pri-- Queen." The knight bowed and turned around, contemplating to himself.
"Hahah! Right, Rusty. You shut it," Zidane said over his shoulder at Stiener.
Stiener glared at Zidane, but got a mocking one in return, and a warning look from the older girl.
"Dagger, you think you can help him out?" Zidane said, turning to the girl.
Dagger smiled and nodded. "I'll see what I can do, Zidane."
She turned back to Riku, pushing Zidane away. "Now, how do you feel?" She looked him over; then, without waiting for an answer or any reply at all, she performed the Cura spell just to heal him up a bit. "There. That should last you a while."
Riku looked down at himself. His clothes were remarkable clean, in one peice, and absolutely fine. "I feel fine now."
"Well, you certainly look cute enough!" the young girl with purple hair said, smiling up at Riku.
Riku seemed unphased by this and just stared down at her. Then, the little black thing that sounded and some what looked like a boy came into view.
"Eiko, you did that same to Zidane," the thing said.
The girl squeaked. "I know! Shh! Besides, Vivi, you're cuter!"
Vivi, the thing, seemed to blush. But then again, with it being black under that hood, how could you tell it blushed?
Riku just stared down at Vivi as well, not uttering a word. Dagger, who sensed that nothing was clicking in Riku's brain, took him by the hand and started to lead him around toward some where. But when she let go and assumed he'd follow, Riku was stopped by the overlarged rat/mouse. (Rodent?) He was being blocked when it put itself and its spear in his way. He looked down at the spear's point blankly.
Soon, though, Zidane came up and pushed the rat's spear away from Riku. "C'mon, Freya. No need for that now. It's obvious he's wrecked. let him rest first. Then we can ask about him."
"But Zidane, he looks remarkably like Kuja," the rat said, putting the spear away. It sounded like a female.
"I know, but that's okay. Kuja's not here right now, remember?"
Riku looked up from the ground to Zidane. "Kuja?"
"Oh, he's my... er... brother. Uh... sort of..." Zidane scratched the back of his head, and laughed, a laugh that reminded Riku of Sora. "Well, anyway, let's just get back to the ship and back to the hotel."
Riku nodded silently, following along. Sora would have to wait a while...
Once back in the hotel, Riku was placed on a bed where he looked out the window and thought of Sora and Roz, wondering where they were and if they were okay.
In the background, the others gathered around the hotel room and discussed on what to do with him. Zidane and Dagger cuddled in chairs, Freya and the red froed guy leaning against walls, Eiko and Vivi on the floor, and Steiner pacing, a bit close to the bed in which Riku sat, to guard him.
"What'll we do? Right now, he seems quiet and very deep in thought." Dagger looked at Riku who was leaning on the wall, looking out the window with only his side facing them.
"He does look a bit like Kuja. But different in more ways than one." Freya's mouth twiched at the corner.
"Yeah. But can we trust him?" The guy with a red fro crossed his arms.
"Maybe, maybe not, Amarant." Zidane shook his head and glanced over at Riku who seemed to have fallen asleep.
"He looks cute." Eiko gave a wide grin.
"Eiko, stop it." Dagger protectively hugged Zidane.
"Oh, I'm not talking about Zidane, I'm talking about him. What's his name again?" She glimsped back at Riku who was lying on the bed, sleeping.
"He said it was Riku," Zidane replyed.
"Ooh..."
"Eiko, stop it," Dagger warned.
"What? What'd I do?"
"The vermin is asleep. I say we execute him." Steiner joined in on the conversation.
"No! Steiner! What if he is innocent?" Dagger gave Steiner a pleading look.
"Then he will die an honorable death." Steiner tried his hardest not to fall under Dagger's spell. He knew not to look at her directly in the eyes.
In Riku's dreams he was replaying the event of when he, Sora, and Roz were plunged into the vortex by the mighty heartless creature. The pain he felt when the creature hit him across the chest. The shock when he was stuck and found himself in the vortex, slowly being devoured by it's black nothingness. Horror when Roz too was thrown in. Sadness that he couldn't help Sora when the boy seemed to try to frantically escape. Black. Nothing but black. Cold. Nothing. Seperation. The breaking of his heart. The trearing of his body. Black. Confusion. Shock. Horror. Nothingness. Black. ...
A picture crept into his mind. Sora...
"Well, the only thing he said was 'Sora.' I don't know what he meant then." Zidane scratched the back of his head.
"Sora sounds like a girl's name. Maybe this Sora's someone special to him if he talked about her," Dagger suggested.
"Yeah, but when he awoke, he called me 'Sora.' Maybe 'Sora' is that special to him for him to think I was."
"No, you probably just reminded him of her."
Zidane shrugged. He looked over in Riku's direction who seemed to be tossing and turning in his sleep. "Hey, is he alright?" He jerked his head in Riku's direction.
The others looked. Dagger shrugged, hoping he was. Riku turned and turned again. Sweat was starting to form on his face.
Zidane approached Riku slowly, holding out his hand. "Riku... Riku...?" he whispered to the sleeping boy.
Then suddenly, Riku flung his eyes open and sat up quickly. He stared at Zidane, then at each face that acompanied him. Zidane was the closest. Riku wiped his forehead and found sweat there; immediately, he wiped it away.
"What is it?"
"Well, you woried us when you started rolling around in your sleep." Zidane laid a hand on Riku's shoulder. "You okay?"
"Yeah."
"You sure?"
"I'm fine." At least, Riku hoped he was. Thoughts swept through him like the wind, chilling him to the bones.
"Well, if you say so..." Zidane looked at his comrades. They nodded to each other and decided to leave Riku alone. htey'd have to ask about Sora later.
When dinner came around, Riku was still quiet. No one really talked to him nor he to them. They group pretty much talked amongst themselves, leaving Riku to himself. Only did Riku join the conversation was when they started talking about Heartless.
"Wait, Heartless?" Riku said suddenly, startling them.
"Yeah, why? Do you know what they are?" Zidane asked, closest to him.
"Yeah.. You could say that..." Riku stared down at his food.
"What happened?"
"Well, that's how I got here. It's because of the stupid Heartless I got seperated from my friends and landed here."
Zidane looked at the rest of the group. Now would be the good time to ask Riku about Sora.
"Riku, what--?"
Riku cut him off. "The Heartless are those without hearts. How? They just are. I used to work for them, if that's the right way of wording it... But once they were beated, we went home. But now, they somehow came back, and it all started when this girl got dropped on our Island and asked for our help."
Zidane stared at Riku who had his head bowed while he ate and unfolded the story to them. Again, he tried to ask about Sora. "R--"
"Sora and I accepted and decided to help the girl. We came to Traverse Town, a town where people go when their worlds are--or rather-- were destroyed by the Heartless. We visited a few friends to get a head's up on the Heartless, and then encountered one of the beasts themselves. But not only did we find that, we found some kind of vortex-slash-portal thing. And when we were thrown into that, I guess we three got seperated... And I ended up with y'all."
Still, Riku hadn't answered who Sora was. "Riku, who's this Sora? Were you really close?"
"Yeah. I guess. Sora and I were more than just best friends. We stuck side by side and were always there for each othere, think or thin."
That had proved it. Zidane nodded then gave the others a silent signal. Though Riku hand't said himself if Sora was a girl, it seemed to them that this Sora was close enough and important enough to Riku to make Riku so worried.
Dinner continued with scarce talking. Only talk about how to get rid of the Heartless was said.
About one week later, Riku, Zidane, and the others (Quina, who was hunting for frogs earlier, and Amarant were left behind. Amarant wanted to explore the large town.) They were at the gates.
"Are you sure?" Zidane said, gripping his double-sided sword.
"Yes," Riku replyed simply.
"So, if Heartless are here, then, that means there's a 'keyhole' here too? Is that why there are so many in the area?" Zidane said, trying to make sure his conversation with Riku was going through his head correctly.
"Yes."
"Alright then... But what we need to find out is where? IT may take a while to find."
Riku approached the two pilars sticking out of the ground. They symboled the gate. He held out his sword (black keyblade) to the gate and prodded it. The sheild responded and let off energy to show that a barrier was there. Riku prodded the shield again, only, holding it there. The shield emmited starnge energy and slowly, a key formed.
"Well, that seemed easy enough, not hard like you said, right mokey boy?" Steiner said, smirking his usual smirks, mocking Zidane.
Zidane shrugged. "So it wasn't as hard as I thought. That's okay Rusty. But thank you for having a brain and using it for once. Well, as close as it comes to using it, anyway..." Zidane shot Steiner a charming smile, showing he was enjoying this.
Dagger stood there, her arms crossed, frowning. "You boys, will you ever stop? You are men, not boys, but it feels as if I need to call you boys when you act like that to each other."
Zidane smiled at Dagger. "Sorry, Dagger. Just tell Rusty here to back off."
"Why I otta--" Steiner made fists.
"Steiner! Stop!" Dagger stood in between Zidane and Steiner, glaring up at the knight. "You should be ashamed! After all Zidane's done, you give him this!" Zidane turned her back on the dumbfounded knight and escorted Zidane away from him.
"Such childern, they are, sometimes. Dagger is like a mother to the two and always, since she loves Zidane, favors him." Eiko stood next to Riku, explaining why the three behaved so weirdly.
Riku shrugged, then turned back to the keyhole and pointed the tip of his sword to it. But for some reason, it wouldn't close. He shook his head and tried again.
Eiko stared up at Riku who seemed confused and frustrated about something. "What's wrong?"
"It won't close. The keyhole won't close. I don't know why, though." Riku shook his head once more before backing away from it a bit. He was about to say more when suddenly, something appeared out of the sky.
The fight with Dagger, Zidane, and Steiner had stopped all together as they joined the others in staring at the sky at whatever was approaching.
"What the hell...?"
"It's a ... I'm not sure if it flys or if it's jsut coming down from a very high jump...!"
"A Behemoth," Riku said quietly.
"A Behemoth?!! Wh--" But Zidane was cut off when the monster laned on him, squishing him under it's large paws.
Dagger squeaked. "Zidane!"
She was about to call on Bahamut, in a panic geusture, when Riku came into veiw and slashed at the monster. Freya and Steiner too, charged it down. But it seemed the three together weren't strong enough to kill it. They needed Zidane from under the beast to finish it off. Riku slashed at the Behemoth's face, blinding it long enough for Zidane to crawl out from beneath. Once free, Zidane took just a few swipes, and then the Behemoth fell and went still, looking like it just got chopped up to be flayed and grilled--mediun rare. Dagger ran up to Zidane, leaped, and hugged him with all her life. It was obvious she was glad he was okay.
Zidane smiled down at her, petting her head, calming her down. "It's okay, Dagger. I'm not dead. Yet..."
Dagger gave a playful glare at Zidane before hitting him in the chest. "Don't you say that! Don't!"
"Alright, Dagger. Alright," Zidane said, petting her again.
Riku arched a brow. Mushy stuff. Would he ever get like that? Hopefully not. At least... well.... he just hoped he never was, and never wil be like that. Especially when around Sora. When Zidane and Dagger parted from their everlasting hug, Riku turned his back to them and toward the keyhole. He shook off the blood that dripped from his sword, and stared at the key.
Lost in his thoughts, he stared silently at the thing until he heard a click and the keyhole started to desappear.
"I guess there needs to be two keyblades to seal 'em. Right... Riku...?" came a voice from behind him, all too familiar.
Riku quickly turned around to find Sora right there, leaning on his keyblade, smiling his mile-wide smile, right at Riku. Riku returned the smile with a smirk. He was about to go and hug Sora when he remembered that Zidane and the group, and Roz was there. Roz was behind Sora, silently waiting, but waving at him.
"Sora. Nice to see you're in one peice, for once." Riku looked Sora up and down, slowly approaching him.
"One peice? How about you?" Sora laughed before turning to Zidane and the others. "So, who're they?"
"You'll find out for yourself," Riku said, suddenly taking Sora around the neck and seriously messing up his hair.
Sora gave a goofy grin. "Well, I supposed we should go, right?"
Riku narrowed his eyes. "First, retard, we need to know how to get off here and know where exactly in this galaxy we are."
Zidane, Dagger, and the others stared at each other. This was Sora?! This boy was Sora? But wasn't 'Sora' a girl's name? This boy was who Riku was so fond of? Zidane scratched the back of his head in confusion.
"Well, if it goes, it goes. If that's Sora, then that's who he is. But I thought 'Sora' was a girl's name..." he whispered to his comrades.
"Well, hate to say it, but he certainly acts like a girl..." Eiko whispered back. Zidane reluctantly nodded.
Their whispering was innterupted when Riku came over to them with Sora and Roz tagging along.
"Zidane, Dagger, guys, this is Sora you were all asking about." Riku flicked Sora on the head to indicate that was him. "And she," he jerked his head toward Roz, "is Roz. She's the girl who got dumped on our Island."
Roz glared and popped Riku at the back of the head. "Hey! Be nice!"
Riku only returned the glare.
While the three were having good time, so it seemed, Zidane and the others were speechless. They were a bit amazed in how well the three got along like a family.
Riku turned back to the speechless group. "Can we stay at the hotel with you all for the night? I don't think Sora, here, can walk another step without collapsing." Riku smirked down at the younger, smaller boy.
"Shut up, Riku. I'm not the same little boy you once knew. I am the keyblade master, after all. That whole adventure wasn't there to teach nothing." Sora returned a smirk of his own.
Riku shook his head and silently laughed to himself. "Well, anyway, can we?"
Zidane dumbfoundedly nodded.
Riku took the slight movement of Zidane's head as a 'yes' and started to walk back down the pathway. He was going back to the ship that took them back to Limblum, where the others were coming or not. They came.
When they were back at the hotel, Riku, Sora, and Roz sat on the bed, talking.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
An: slight and confusing cliffy... i know... but anyway, chapter three done, and chapter four is coming up... stay tuned.... you read, now review, give me tips, advice, something.... i look forward to any of them... and if i can get help on the review box, i'll fix that as well. then, i'll inform and let others post a review in the box without having to have a loggin name and passward or not have to use my email box all the time... not that i mind much.... but heck... yeah.... until then....
Chapter Three
Riku saw nothing but black before him. It also seemed as if he was seperated from his body for some time. When he realized his eyes were losed was when he felt a touch on his shoulder, and boy, did it hurt.
He moaned as he tried to open his eye lids that seemed to weigh a ton. Groaning as well, he sat up, shaking his head slightly. His blurry vision gave him the image of a person with wild hair. The person was talking to him. The voice sounded familiar.
"Hey, are you okay?" the person asked him, shaking his shoulder.
Riku managed to mumble a "yes."
"Good. Now, can you walk?" came the person's voice again, again familiar.
Riku shook his head and attempted to get up, using as much strength as he could muster just to lift himself to one foot. The effort was much, and the person knew it for they helped him to his feet. As soon as he was on his feet, dizziness took over like a wave to Riku. He swayed even under the stranger's support. Riku fell down again, on his knees, and shook his head. He waited until at least his vision cleared. When he did, he slowly got up again. By then, when he got back to both of his feet, he could stand with less effort as before. He saw who was talking to him earlier. At first, he thought he was seeing things.
"Sora?"
"Nope. It's Zidane. I think you have me mistaken for someone else. It happens all the time." The older male flashed a charming smile.
"S-- Sorry... Zidane..." Riku croaked, his voice seeming as if it didn't remember how to work.
"That's okay. But now, what's yours, and do you think you can make it back to the hotel?" Zidane asked Riku, sounding worried.
"H-- Hotel? Um... I don't have munny... And.. I think I can make it... I think..." Riku was staring at the ground that he just noticed was misty.
"Well, I'll take that as a 'yes.' Hold on for a second. Don't move... not like you'd want to... and let me get my friends." Zidane didn't wait for a reply and dashed off and out of site.
Riku looked around him. There seemed to be this huge tree in front of him, and mist all around. Where am I....?
Soon enough, Zidane was back with a small thing with what was a pointy hat on his head, a little girl the same height, a girl that seemed Zidane's age and height, a knight in poor armor, an overlarged mouse/rat, and a guy with claws on one hand, and a major red fro on his head.
"Hey, I'm back. You still okay?" Zidane said, walking up to Riku and placing a hand on his shoulder.
Riku immediately jerked himself away from Zidane's touch. What's so familiar about him that makes me act this way...? Then, it suddenly came. He turned his head and looked at Zidane with wide eyes. Sora... He's just like Sora... His voice is only slightly deeper... but still full of happiness, and so carefree. And then the sudden worry... Sora......
Riku's thought were interrupted when the older girl touched his arm. "Are you okay?"
"Y-- Yeah..."
The knight in poor armor bounced up and down. "Speak to her Highness with respect, infidel!!"
"Steiner! Please! Stop!" the older girl commanded of the knight.
"I am s-- sorry Pri-- Queen." The knight bowed and turned around, contemplating to himself.
"Hahah! Right, Rusty. You shut it," Zidane said over his shoulder at Stiener.
Stiener glared at Zidane, but got a mocking one in return, and a warning look from the older girl.
"Dagger, you think you can help him out?" Zidane said, turning to the girl.
Dagger smiled and nodded. "I'll see what I can do, Zidane."
She turned back to Riku, pushing Zidane away. "Now, how do you feel?" She looked him over; then, without waiting for an answer or any reply at all, she performed the Cura spell just to heal him up a bit. "There. That should last you a while."
Riku looked down at himself. His clothes were remarkable clean, in one peice, and absolutely fine. "I feel fine now."
"Well, you certainly look cute enough!" the young girl with purple hair said, smiling up at Riku.
Riku seemed unphased by this and just stared down at her. Then, the little black thing that sounded and some what looked like a boy came into view.
"Eiko, you did that same to Zidane," the thing said.
The girl squeaked. "I know! Shh! Besides, Vivi, you're cuter!"
Vivi, the thing, seemed to blush. But then again, with it being black under that hood, how could you tell it blushed?
Riku just stared down at Vivi as well, not uttering a word. Dagger, who sensed that nothing was clicking in Riku's brain, took him by the hand and started to lead him around toward some where. But when she let go and assumed he'd follow, Riku was stopped by the overlarged rat/mouse. (Rodent?) He was being blocked when it put itself and its spear in his way. He looked down at the spear's point blankly.
Soon, though, Zidane came up and pushed the rat's spear away from Riku. "C'mon, Freya. No need for that now. It's obvious he's wrecked. let him rest first. Then we can ask about him."
"But Zidane, he looks remarkably like Kuja," the rat said, putting the spear away. It sounded like a female.
"I know, but that's okay. Kuja's not here right now, remember?"
Riku looked up from the ground to Zidane. "Kuja?"
"Oh, he's my... er... brother. Uh... sort of..." Zidane scratched the back of his head, and laughed, a laugh that reminded Riku of Sora. "Well, anyway, let's just get back to the ship and back to the hotel."
Riku nodded silently, following along. Sora would have to wait a while...
Once back in the hotel, Riku was placed on a bed where he looked out the window and thought of Sora and Roz, wondering where they were and if they were okay.
In the background, the others gathered around the hotel room and discussed on what to do with him. Zidane and Dagger cuddled in chairs, Freya and the red froed guy leaning against walls, Eiko and Vivi on the floor, and Steiner pacing, a bit close to the bed in which Riku sat, to guard him.
"What'll we do? Right now, he seems quiet and very deep in thought." Dagger looked at Riku who was leaning on the wall, looking out the window with only his side facing them.
"He does look a bit like Kuja. But different in more ways than one." Freya's mouth twiched at the corner.
"Yeah. But can we trust him?" The guy with a red fro crossed his arms.
"Maybe, maybe not, Amarant." Zidane shook his head and glanced over at Riku who seemed to have fallen asleep.
"He looks cute." Eiko gave a wide grin.
"Eiko, stop it." Dagger protectively hugged Zidane.
"Oh, I'm not talking about Zidane, I'm talking about him. What's his name again?" She glimsped back at Riku who was lying on the bed, sleeping.
"He said it was Riku," Zidane replyed.
"Ooh..."
"Eiko, stop it," Dagger warned.
"What? What'd I do?"
"The vermin is asleep. I say we execute him." Steiner joined in on the conversation.
"No! Steiner! What if he is innocent?" Dagger gave Steiner a pleading look.
"Then he will die an honorable death." Steiner tried his hardest not to fall under Dagger's spell. He knew not to look at her directly in the eyes.
In Riku's dreams he was replaying the event of when he, Sora, and Roz were plunged into the vortex by the mighty heartless creature. The pain he felt when the creature hit him across the chest. The shock when he was stuck and found himself in the vortex, slowly being devoured by it's black nothingness. Horror when Roz too was thrown in. Sadness that he couldn't help Sora when the boy seemed to try to frantically escape. Black. Nothing but black. Cold. Nothing. Seperation. The breaking of his heart. The trearing of his body. Black. Confusion. Shock. Horror. Nothingness. Black. ...
A picture crept into his mind. Sora...
"Well, the only thing he said was 'Sora.' I don't know what he meant then." Zidane scratched the back of his head.
"Sora sounds like a girl's name. Maybe this Sora's someone special to him if he talked about her," Dagger suggested.
"Yeah, but when he awoke, he called me 'Sora.' Maybe 'Sora' is that special to him for him to think I was."
"No, you probably just reminded him of her."
Zidane shrugged. He looked over in Riku's direction who seemed to be tossing and turning in his sleep. "Hey, is he alright?" He jerked his head in Riku's direction.
The others looked. Dagger shrugged, hoping he was. Riku turned and turned again. Sweat was starting to form on his face.
Zidane approached Riku slowly, holding out his hand. "Riku... Riku...?" he whispered to the sleeping boy.
Then suddenly, Riku flung his eyes open and sat up quickly. He stared at Zidane, then at each face that acompanied him. Zidane was the closest. Riku wiped his forehead and found sweat there; immediately, he wiped it away.
"What is it?"
"Well, you woried us when you started rolling around in your sleep." Zidane laid a hand on Riku's shoulder. "You okay?"
"Yeah."
"You sure?"
"I'm fine." At least, Riku hoped he was. Thoughts swept through him like the wind, chilling him to the bones.
"Well, if you say so..." Zidane looked at his comrades. They nodded to each other and decided to leave Riku alone. htey'd have to ask about Sora later.
When dinner came around, Riku was still quiet. No one really talked to him nor he to them. They group pretty much talked amongst themselves, leaving Riku to himself. Only did Riku join the conversation was when they started talking about Heartless.
"Wait, Heartless?" Riku said suddenly, startling them.
"Yeah, why? Do you know what they are?" Zidane asked, closest to him.
"Yeah.. You could say that..." Riku stared down at his food.
"What happened?"
"Well, that's how I got here. It's because of the stupid Heartless I got seperated from my friends and landed here."
Zidane looked at the rest of the group. Now would be the good time to ask Riku about Sora.
"Riku, what--?"
Riku cut him off. "The Heartless are those without hearts. How? They just are. I used to work for them, if that's the right way of wording it... But once they were beated, we went home. But now, they somehow came back, and it all started when this girl got dropped on our Island and asked for our help."
Zidane stared at Riku who had his head bowed while he ate and unfolded the story to them. Again, he tried to ask about Sora. "R--"
"Sora and I accepted and decided to help the girl. We came to Traverse Town, a town where people go when their worlds are--or rather-- were destroyed by the Heartless. We visited a few friends to get a head's up on the Heartless, and then encountered one of the beasts themselves. But not only did we find that, we found some kind of vortex-slash-portal thing. And when we were thrown into that, I guess we three got seperated... And I ended up with y'all."
Still, Riku hadn't answered who Sora was. "Riku, who's this Sora? Were you really close?"
"Yeah. I guess. Sora and I were more than just best friends. We stuck side by side and were always there for each othere, think or thin."
That had proved it. Zidane nodded then gave the others a silent signal. Though Riku hand't said himself if Sora was a girl, it seemed to them that this Sora was close enough and important enough to Riku to make Riku so worried.
Dinner continued with scarce talking. Only talk about how to get rid of the Heartless was said.
About one week later, Riku, Zidane, and the others (Quina, who was hunting for frogs earlier, and Amarant were left behind. Amarant wanted to explore the large town.) They were at the gates.
"Are you sure?" Zidane said, gripping his double-sided sword.
"Yes," Riku replyed simply.
"So, if Heartless are here, then, that means there's a 'keyhole' here too? Is that why there are so many in the area?" Zidane said, trying to make sure his conversation with Riku was going through his head correctly.
"Yes."
"Alright then... But what we need to find out is where? IT may take a while to find."
Riku approached the two pilars sticking out of the ground. They symboled the gate. He held out his sword (black keyblade) to the gate and prodded it. The sheild responded and let off energy to show that a barrier was there. Riku prodded the shield again, only, holding it there. The shield emmited starnge energy and slowly, a key formed.
"Well, that seemed easy enough, not hard like you said, right mokey boy?" Steiner said, smirking his usual smirks, mocking Zidane.
Zidane shrugged. "So it wasn't as hard as I thought. That's okay Rusty. But thank you for having a brain and using it for once. Well, as close as it comes to using it, anyway..." Zidane shot Steiner a charming smile, showing he was enjoying this.
Dagger stood there, her arms crossed, frowning. "You boys, will you ever stop? You are men, not boys, but it feels as if I need to call you boys when you act like that to each other."
Zidane smiled at Dagger. "Sorry, Dagger. Just tell Rusty here to back off."
"Why I otta--" Steiner made fists.
"Steiner! Stop!" Dagger stood in between Zidane and Steiner, glaring up at the knight. "You should be ashamed! After all Zidane's done, you give him this!" Zidane turned her back on the dumbfounded knight and escorted Zidane away from him.
"Such childern, they are, sometimes. Dagger is like a mother to the two and always, since she loves Zidane, favors him." Eiko stood next to Riku, explaining why the three behaved so weirdly.
Riku shrugged, then turned back to the keyhole and pointed the tip of his sword to it. But for some reason, it wouldn't close. He shook his head and tried again.
Eiko stared up at Riku who seemed confused and frustrated about something. "What's wrong?"
"It won't close. The keyhole won't close. I don't know why, though." Riku shook his head once more before backing away from it a bit. He was about to say more when suddenly, something appeared out of the sky.
The fight with Dagger, Zidane, and Steiner had stopped all together as they joined the others in staring at the sky at whatever was approaching.
"What the hell...?"
"It's a ... I'm not sure if it flys or if it's jsut coming down from a very high jump...!"
"A Behemoth," Riku said quietly.
"A Behemoth?!! Wh--" But Zidane was cut off when the monster laned on him, squishing him under it's large paws.
Dagger squeaked. "Zidane!"
She was about to call on Bahamut, in a panic geusture, when Riku came into veiw and slashed at the monster. Freya and Steiner too, charged it down. But it seemed the three together weren't strong enough to kill it. They needed Zidane from under the beast to finish it off. Riku slashed at the Behemoth's face, blinding it long enough for Zidane to crawl out from beneath. Once free, Zidane took just a few swipes, and then the Behemoth fell and went still, looking like it just got chopped up to be flayed and grilled--mediun rare. Dagger ran up to Zidane, leaped, and hugged him with all her life. It was obvious she was glad he was okay.
Zidane smiled down at her, petting her head, calming her down. "It's okay, Dagger. I'm not dead. Yet..."
Dagger gave a playful glare at Zidane before hitting him in the chest. "Don't you say that! Don't!"
"Alright, Dagger. Alright," Zidane said, petting her again.
Riku arched a brow. Mushy stuff. Would he ever get like that? Hopefully not. At least... well.... he just hoped he never was, and never wil be like that. Especially when around Sora. When Zidane and Dagger parted from their everlasting hug, Riku turned his back to them and toward the keyhole. He shook off the blood that dripped from his sword, and stared at the key.
Lost in his thoughts, he stared silently at the thing until he heard a click and the keyhole started to desappear.
"I guess there needs to be two keyblades to seal 'em. Right... Riku...?" came a voice from behind him, all too familiar.
Riku quickly turned around to find Sora right there, leaning on his keyblade, smiling his mile-wide smile, right at Riku. Riku returned the smile with a smirk. He was about to go and hug Sora when he remembered that Zidane and the group, and Roz was there. Roz was behind Sora, silently waiting, but waving at him.
"Sora. Nice to see you're in one peice, for once." Riku looked Sora up and down, slowly approaching him.
"One peice? How about you?" Sora laughed before turning to Zidane and the others. "So, who're they?"
"You'll find out for yourself," Riku said, suddenly taking Sora around the neck and seriously messing up his hair.
Sora gave a goofy grin. "Well, I supposed we should go, right?"
Riku narrowed his eyes. "First, retard, we need to know how to get off here and know where exactly in this galaxy we are."
Zidane, Dagger, and the others stared at each other. This was Sora?! This boy was Sora? But wasn't 'Sora' a girl's name? This boy was who Riku was so fond of? Zidane scratched the back of his head in confusion.
"Well, if it goes, it goes. If that's Sora, then that's who he is. But I thought 'Sora' was a girl's name..." he whispered to his comrades.
"Well, hate to say it, but he certainly acts like a girl..." Eiko whispered back. Zidane reluctantly nodded.
Their whispering was innterupted when Riku came over to them with Sora and Roz tagging along.
"Zidane, Dagger, guys, this is Sora you were all asking about." Riku flicked Sora on the head to indicate that was him. "And she," he jerked his head toward Roz, "is Roz. She's the girl who got dumped on our Island."
Roz glared and popped Riku at the back of the head. "Hey! Be nice!"
Riku only returned the glare.
While the three were having good time, so it seemed, Zidane and the others were speechless. They were a bit amazed in how well the three got along like a family.
Riku turned back to the speechless group. "Can we stay at the hotel with you all for the night? I don't think Sora, here, can walk another step without collapsing." Riku smirked down at the younger, smaller boy.
"Shut up, Riku. I'm not the same little boy you once knew. I am the keyblade master, after all. That whole adventure wasn't there to teach nothing." Sora returned a smirk of his own.
Riku shook his head and silently laughed to himself. "Well, anyway, can we?"
Zidane dumbfoundedly nodded.
Riku took the slight movement of Zidane's head as a 'yes' and started to walk back down the pathway. He was going back to the ship that took them back to Limblum, where the others were coming or not. They came.
When they were back at the hotel, Riku, Sora, and Roz sat on the bed, talking.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
An: slight and confusing cliffy... i know... but anyway, chapter three done, and chapter four is coming up... stay tuned.... you read, now review, give me tips, advice, something.... i look forward to any of them... and if i can get help on the review box, i'll fix that as well. then, i'll inform and let others post a review in the box without having to have a loggin name and passward or not have to use my email box all the time... not that i mind much.... but heck... yeah.... until then....