Surrendered Innocence
Disclaimer: I don't own it. Nothing, nadda, zilch, zero, zip. Let's just skip straight to the story, eh?
Chapter Four
"Kairi!" Riku screamed as he bolted upright in bed, the sheets tangled around him from his thrashings, his heart slamming in his chest as his muscles trembled uncontrollably, his sightless eyes reflexively darting back and forth around the room, his entire body soaked by the cold sweats that were so common after-effects of a nightmare. His mind raced as it tried to bring him down from the terror of the horrible memory-dream.
~Dream dream dream dream dream Just a dream Just a dream Only a dream Just a dream Just a dream Only a dream Only a dream Only a dream Only a dream Just a dream~
Taking a shuddering breath, feeling the adrenaline draining out of him, he hugged his knees to his chest with both hands as the shock hit him, resting his blind eyes against them, still trembling. Gods, he hadn't had a nightmare that bad in months. He was a bit surprised he hadn't called the whole castle down on his head.
Something about that thought didn't sit right though. Frowning, he sat upright in bed once more. He couldn't hear the rush of the falls outside. And the smell wasn't right at all for Hollow Bastion. But if this wasn't Hollow Bastion...
In a rush, memory hit him. The ship! The cockpit! So where...?
"Riku? That you?" a familiar, half-asleep voice asked from what sounded like a spot opposite the bed, a deep yawn halfway through slurring the words almost beyond understanding.
"Sora?" he called out questioningly as he tried to feel his way along the bed towards where the voice had originated from, asking rapid-fire questions along the way. "Where are we? What happened? How long...?"
"Woah woah woah, Riku. One question at a time!" the younger boy half- laughed in response as he laid a hand on his platinum haired friend's shoulder, letting him know where he was. "The cockpit engines gave out during the descent and we crashed into the ocean. The console in front of you blew and knocked you out. Me, Donald, and Goofy managed to pull you to shore along with us. You were out for about three days. The doc said it was probably 'cause you got two concussions one right after the other. That cover everything?" Sora shot off in as rapid succession as Riku had asked, leaving him no time to interrupt.
Riku sighed slightly in relief, both from the contact and the information. It helped to both soothe and ground his mind, calming it from the turmoil left in the wake of the nightmare. Still taking deep breaths, he was a moment in responding. "So where -exactly- are we?"
"The doc's house on the mainland." He could hear and feel the smile on Sora's face. "We did it Riku. We're home."
Home. By the Light that was a loaded word. So many memories tied around that single syllable. Home. He mouthed the word as if it were the first time he'd ever heard it, savoring the feel of it on his tongue. Pulling away from Sora, who had been trying to help him around the room to get a feel for the layout, he moved over to where he felt the window would be. Sure enough, he felt glass under his fingertips exactly where he had remembered there should be. Calling on memories of times long ago (or were they really that long ago?), he flung the window open wide, breathing the ocean air in deeply, filling his lungs with it. The smells nearly knocked him back, both with their intensity and all the memories wrapped up in them. They were home. They were home! At that moment, he almost felt like he could fly. A shaking sensation brought him back down to reality.
"Riku? Riku, you okay?" Sora's worried voice penetrated through to his mind. Shaking his head, he turned to give his friend his best smile.
"Never better" He could feel the worry slip out of Sora, the hand on his shoulder relaxing.
"Cool. Listen, there're some clothes on the dresser across from the bed. I'm going to go wait downstairs since you apparently don't need my help getting around here" Sora mock-scolded him. Grinning unrepentantly, Riku simply chuckled and waved the younger boy off. Hearing the door close behind Sora, Riku turned back to the window, filling his lungs again. He was home!
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Leaning against the wall outside the doctor's house, hands folded behind his head, Sora allowed himself to smile stupidly up at the sky. He knew that he was grinning like an idiot, but he didn't really care. He hadn't seen a smile like that on Riku in...well, in five years. His friend had been through all nine levels of Hell and back at least three times. Losing himself to Darkness, getting locked in Kingdom Hearts, finding out he was effectively blind...no, Time had not been kind to Riku at all. It was a relief to see him in high spirits again. As he was waiting, he heard the familiar sounds of Goofy and Donald down the street. He'd sent the two of them to watch over Kairi and make sure she actually got some sleep the night before. She had steadfastly refused to leave Riku's bedside for the two days prior to that, and he wasn't about to let her make herself sick. Riku would have had his hide when he woke up. As the three approached, he was able to pick up on the thread of the conversation.
"...and that's when Donald realized that Riku had had his cap the entire time" Goofy finished, bursting into the unique laugh that so characterized him.
"Very funny, veeeery funny" Donald was grumbling as Goofy and Kairi laughed, arms crossed over his chest, muttering made incomprehensible by his peculiar accent. Kairi noticed him just at that moment.
"Sora!" she called out to him, waving her hand in the air to make sure he had noticed her as she ran ahead of Goofy and Donald. Just as she reached him, the doctor's door opened behind him.
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Kairi laughed along with Goofy's tale. It hadn't taken much prodding to get him going. So much had happened! She had been hoping that someone would tell her exactly why Riku needed that blindfold, but her direct questions to Sora had been met with averted eyes and variations on "not my place to say." Even Goofy and Donald had shied away from giving her a straight answer.
There was a break in the crowd in front of them, and she caught a glimpse of Sora leaned back against the wall of the doctor's house. The Destiny Islands had a small population, so there wasn't a hospital. Most of the people who got hurt got a house call from the doc, some old-fashioned medicine, even older advice, and rested up at home. The doc kept a few extra rooms at his home, though, "just in case."
"Sora!" she called out, waving her hand around in the air in case he hadn't already noticed her. Rushing ahead of Goofy and Donald, she managed to weave her way through the bustling morning crowd either on their way to market or to their boats. Coming out on the other side, she noticed the door to the doctor's house opening. It only took her a glimpse of the familiar blue pants and yellow shirt to know whom it was.
"Riku!!" Launching herself across the space between them, she slammed into his chest, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "Oh Riku, I was so worried. I was on the beach when the gummi ship hit the water, and then I saw the cockpit falling, and you were so still when they pulled you ashore, and you wouldn't wake up, and Riku, oh Riku I was so scared that you were, that you'd..." Unable to finish the thought, she paused for a breath of air and pulled back slightly to look up at him, her smile slowly melting away into a frown as she realized how still he had gone, his arms held stiffly to the side, his gaze fixed in front of him. She'd always been able to tell what he was thinking by looking at his eyes, but the blindfold was in the way. Hesitantly, she reached up towards it. "Riku...?"
With speed that made her jump, one hand snapped up and grabbed hers by the wrist, holding it still. With equal suddenness he released her, taking a step back and looking to the side.
"I..." Riku began, but then paused, mouth opening and closing a few times as he tried to speak. "I...I have to go." And with that, he dashed off, miraculously weaving his way through the crowd, leaving the others behind as they called after him.
Turning, Kairi looked towards Sora, shocked, confused, and hurt. Sora was only able to look back, at a loss for words. The same thought was going through both of their minds, though.
~What the hell was that all about?~
Author's Note: The plot thickens. So exactly what -is- going through Riku's mind? Well if I told you that, what would I write in the next chapter? Don't forget to R&R now.
Oh yeah, and one more thing. I meant to mention it in the AN last chapter, but forgot. Try reading Chapter Three while listening to "Iris" by The Goo Goo Dolls. Amazing how many stories and characters that song fits...
Disclaimer: I don't own it. Nothing, nadda, zilch, zero, zip. Let's just skip straight to the story, eh?
Chapter Four
"Kairi!" Riku screamed as he bolted upright in bed, the sheets tangled around him from his thrashings, his heart slamming in his chest as his muscles trembled uncontrollably, his sightless eyes reflexively darting back and forth around the room, his entire body soaked by the cold sweats that were so common after-effects of a nightmare. His mind raced as it tried to bring him down from the terror of the horrible memory-dream.
~Dream dream dream dream dream Just a dream Just a dream Only a dream Just a dream Just a dream Only a dream Only a dream Only a dream Only a dream Just a dream~
Taking a shuddering breath, feeling the adrenaline draining out of him, he hugged his knees to his chest with both hands as the shock hit him, resting his blind eyes against them, still trembling. Gods, he hadn't had a nightmare that bad in months. He was a bit surprised he hadn't called the whole castle down on his head.
Something about that thought didn't sit right though. Frowning, he sat upright in bed once more. He couldn't hear the rush of the falls outside. And the smell wasn't right at all for Hollow Bastion. But if this wasn't Hollow Bastion...
In a rush, memory hit him. The ship! The cockpit! So where...?
"Riku? That you?" a familiar, half-asleep voice asked from what sounded like a spot opposite the bed, a deep yawn halfway through slurring the words almost beyond understanding.
"Sora?" he called out questioningly as he tried to feel his way along the bed towards where the voice had originated from, asking rapid-fire questions along the way. "Where are we? What happened? How long...?"
"Woah woah woah, Riku. One question at a time!" the younger boy half- laughed in response as he laid a hand on his platinum haired friend's shoulder, letting him know where he was. "The cockpit engines gave out during the descent and we crashed into the ocean. The console in front of you blew and knocked you out. Me, Donald, and Goofy managed to pull you to shore along with us. You were out for about three days. The doc said it was probably 'cause you got two concussions one right after the other. That cover everything?" Sora shot off in as rapid succession as Riku had asked, leaving him no time to interrupt.
Riku sighed slightly in relief, both from the contact and the information. It helped to both soothe and ground his mind, calming it from the turmoil left in the wake of the nightmare. Still taking deep breaths, he was a moment in responding. "So where -exactly- are we?"
"The doc's house on the mainland." He could hear and feel the smile on Sora's face. "We did it Riku. We're home."
Home. By the Light that was a loaded word. So many memories tied around that single syllable. Home. He mouthed the word as if it were the first time he'd ever heard it, savoring the feel of it on his tongue. Pulling away from Sora, who had been trying to help him around the room to get a feel for the layout, he moved over to where he felt the window would be. Sure enough, he felt glass under his fingertips exactly where he had remembered there should be. Calling on memories of times long ago (or were they really that long ago?), he flung the window open wide, breathing the ocean air in deeply, filling his lungs with it. The smells nearly knocked him back, both with their intensity and all the memories wrapped up in them. They were home. They were home! At that moment, he almost felt like he could fly. A shaking sensation brought him back down to reality.
"Riku? Riku, you okay?" Sora's worried voice penetrated through to his mind. Shaking his head, he turned to give his friend his best smile.
"Never better" He could feel the worry slip out of Sora, the hand on his shoulder relaxing.
"Cool. Listen, there're some clothes on the dresser across from the bed. I'm going to go wait downstairs since you apparently don't need my help getting around here" Sora mock-scolded him. Grinning unrepentantly, Riku simply chuckled and waved the younger boy off. Hearing the door close behind Sora, Riku turned back to the window, filling his lungs again. He was home!
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Leaning against the wall outside the doctor's house, hands folded behind his head, Sora allowed himself to smile stupidly up at the sky. He knew that he was grinning like an idiot, but he didn't really care. He hadn't seen a smile like that on Riku in...well, in five years. His friend had been through all nine levels of Hell and back at least three times. Losing himself to Darkness, getting locked in Kingdom Hearts, finding out he was effectively blind...no, Time had not been kind to Riku at all. It was a relief to see him in high spirits again. As he was waiting, he heard the familiar sounds of Goofy and Donald down the street. He'd sent the two of them to watch over Kairi and make sure she actually got some sleep the night before. She had steadfastly refused to leave Riku's bedside for the two days prior to that, and he wasn't about to let her make herself sick. Riku would have had his hide when he woke up. As the three approached, he was able to pick up on the thread of the conversation.
"...and that's when Donald realized that Riku had had his cap the entire time" Goofy finished, bursting into the unique laugh that so characterized him.
"Very funny, veeeery funny" Donald was grumbling as Goofy and Kairi laughed, arms crossed over his chest, muttering made incomprehensible by his peculiar accent. Kairi noticed him just at that moment.
"Sora!" she called out to him, waving her hand in the air to make sure he had noticed her as she ran ahead of Goofy and Donald. Just as she reached him, the doctor's door opened behind him.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------
Kairi laughed along with Goofy's tale. It hadn't taken much prodding to get him going. So much had happened! She had been hoping that someone would tell her exactly why Riku needed that blindfold, but her direct questions to Sora had been met with averted eyes and variations on "not my place to say." Even Goofy and Donald had shied away from giving her a straight answer.
There was a break in the crowd in front of them, and she caught a glimpse of Sora leaned back against the wall of the doctor's house. The Destiny Islands had a small population, so there wasn't a hospital. Most of the people who got hurt got a house call from the doc, some old-fashioned medicine, even older advice, and rested up at home. The doc kept a few extra rooms at his home, though, "just in case."
"Sora!" she called out, waving her hand around in the air in case he hadn't already noticed her. Rushing ahead of Goofy and Donald, she managed to weave her way through the bustling morning crowd either on their way to market or to their boats. Coming out on the other side, she noticed the door to the doctor's house opening. It only took her a glimpse of the familiar blue pants and yellow shirt to know whom it was.
"Riku!!" Launching herself across the space between them, she slammed into his chest, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "Oh Riku, I was so worried. I was on the beach when the gummi ship hit the water, and then I saw the cockpit falling, and you were so still when they pulled you ashore, and you wouldn't wake up, and Riku, oh Riku I was so scared that you were, that you'd..." Unable to finish the thought, she paused for a breath of air and pulled back slightly to look up at him, her smile slowly melting away into a frown as she realized how still he had gone, his arms held stiffly to the side, his gaze fixed in front of him. She'd always been able to tell what he was thinking by looking at his eyes, but the blindfold was in the way. Hesitantly, she reached up towards it. "Riku...?"
With speed that made her jump, one hand snapped up and grabbed hers by the wrist, holding it still. With equal suddenness he released her, taking a step back and looking to the side.
"I..." Riku began, but then paused, mouth opening and closing a few times as he tried to speak. "I...I have to go." And with that, he dashed off, miraculously weaving his way through the crowd, leaving the others behind as they called after him.
Turning, Kairi looked towards Sora, shocked, confused, and hurt. Sora was only able to look back, at a loss for words. The same thought was going through both of their minds, though.
~What the hell was that all about?~
Author's Note: The plot thickens. So exactly what -is- going through Riku's mind? Well if I told you that, what would I write in the next chapter? Don't forget to R&R now.
Oh yeah, and one more thing. I meant to mention it in the AN last chapter, but forgot. Try reading Chapter Three while listening to "Iris" by The Goo Goo Dolls. Amazing how many stories and characters that song fits...
