*
Nothing is as simple as I would like it to be…
Is it?
*
"Yamamoto, do you have a problem with me being here?"
Riku's glare narrowed and he nodded. His mouth was pulled into a taut frown.
"Then I'll just leave," Sora said, shrugging his shoulders and starting for the door.
"Sora, no…!" I reached after him. I didn't want to let him go, even if that would have been the simplest solution.
Standing by Sora no matter what…I had resolved myself to do something, and I wouldn't back down.
"You think I'd let you go so easily?" Riku closed the door behind him and moved forward a little, shifting his weight until he had practically assumed his old fighter stance. I realized he was letting Sora see who was the more muscular, who was taller and stronger. Being small as I was, they were both pretty intimidating to me, but in terms of tone and mass, Riku was clearly superior.
"I don't understand," Sora mumbled.
"What were you doing with Kairi?"
"I was just giving her a present!"
"Riku, please stop it," I ordered. I didn't want things to get out of hand right then and there. I moved to the door.
"But…" Riku seemed uneasy about going against my wishes. He relaxed his body, but I could see in his eyes that he wasn't happy about nixing his planned interrogation with Sora.
"I…should go…" Sora nodded his head to me, a helpless and confused smile drawn across his face. He nervously turned to Riku. "I only came to give her the present."
I gave Riku a stern look and he reluctantly obeyed me, moving from the door and allowing Sora safe passage from the apartment once the boy had on his shoes and coat.
"'Bye you guys," Sora called uncertainly as Riku shut the door behind him.
I went to my desk then, not looking at my remaining guest. I wasn't exactly pleased with him at the moment. I sat down and lit my new candle. I studied the tiny dancer of a flame and inhaled the sweet scent of cherry blossoms.
"Kai—"
Riku was standing behind me. I could feel his hesitation.
I didn't respond to him.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay? It's just—"
"What would you have done to Sora," I whispered, "if I had given you a chance?"
"He's dangerous, Kairi."
"No." I bit my lip.
"You have to learn to face the truth…"
There he went, treating me like a stupid child. "Sora would never hurt me," I declared with finality, sliding my elbows forward on the desk so the candle glowed beneath my face.
Riku let out a long sigh and moved away. "I hope you're right."
*
I awoke the next morning by way of the sunlight streaming through Mom's bedroom window. I checked the clock. 11:47 A.M.
How in the world had I slept so late?
Although I had gone to bed soon after Sora left, I had tossed and turned until at least five, and, after that, nightmares had pulled me from the comfort of rest countless times. I kept seeing Sora charging with the Keyblade, and the dreams made it appear that he was coming at me.
I tried—futilely—to straighten my bed head, but my hair was not in the mood to cooperate. My wrinkled clothes were no better. I couldn't hear anything from the door, so I headed out.
I was home alone?
There was something arranged neatly on the floor. I gasped at the sight of it: a deep indigo blue kimono whose sleeves were edged with delicate white petals. It was the most beautiful clothing I had ever seen. I knelt down and ran my hands along the fabric, which I found to be soft and thick.
A door opened. I jumped. It was the bathroom door, and from it my mother emerged.
"Welcome back," I said after I recovered from surprise.
"Hi, darling," she greeting, coming over to me. She leaned over and hugged me close. I happily returned the embrace.
"That is such a lovely kimono," Mom said somewhat wistfully. "Riku always gives you the nicest gifts, doesn't he?"
Riku had left this? I looked again. Next to my present was a box with its lid ajar. Inside was a lovely obi sash the color of the formal kimono only a shade lighter. Between its folds was nestled a small white note with the two kanji symbols for my name on it.
"This was going to be for New Year's," the inside of the paper stated simply in Riku's fine, dark handwriting.
I frowned a little, regretting that such a lavish present was there in front of me and I had felt so angry with Riku the night before.
"We'll have to get you some new geta," Mom was already saying. Unaware of my dilemma, her mind was buzzing about appropriate footwear. "Oh, my, New Years' Eve is tomorrow, isn't it? We'll have to go shopping today."
"Mom…"
"And tabi! How could I forget?" She shook her head. "Now what was it, dear?"
How could I hurt her by explaining that Riku and I weren't going to share our first prayer of the new year tomorrow night, and that I really didn't need special sandals and socks?
"Okay, let's go soon," I said. I touched my hair absently. "Well, right after I shower."
*
"Hi…Riku, it's me. I, uh, I'll meet you by the southern gate…okay?"
That was the message I had left on the answering machine Monday morning. Now Monday was almost finished, and I was standing at the specified gate as promised. The shrine we had planned to attend was small, but a modest crowd was growing around it.
I wondered if Riku would come. My mother had spent a good deal of time primping me for the occasion, and I loathed the idea of her money and hard work going to waste. She had placed a special pearl comb in my hair after styling it. On my wrist dangled a slim cream purse, and on my feet were white tabi socks and new geta sandals with a black thong running over my toes.
Having nothing much to do save stand there and shiver, I reached into my purse and took out my watch. Fifteen minutes remained before midnight. I had been standing there shivering for over half an hour.
Several happy young couples had trotted by, the girls struggling to balance on their elevated sandals as they followed the stone path that twisted through the trees. The shrine was set several meters into a wooded area. I was thankful for the streetlights brightening up the street where I waited.
Still, I felt like the darkness was slowly creeping forward to envelop me. It must have been my imagination, but…
"Kairi!"
I jumped, but then calmed myself down. Had he come? Had Riku really come?
"Oh, Riku, I'm sorry about everything," I was getting ready to say. "Thank you for the beautiful kimono." But I couldn't say any of that to Yuffie and Aerith, now could I? My two friends from the other realm were there, both looking unusually elegant.
"What are you doing here?" I wondered.
"Bringing in the new year in style, of course," Yuffie declared with a wink. She turned around in a circle, displaying her embroidered red kimono. Her hair was drawn up into two pigtails on the top of her head. Also, she had sparkles in her hair and her lip gloss.
Aerith's beauty was a little more startling. Her kimono was a rich pink, and her hair was done up in complex braids wrapping around the back of her head. Her dark eyelashes and deep red lips were very striking. I could tell how absolutely gorgeous she was, and I wasn't even her husband or anything.
Speaking of the stoic warrior, Cloud arrived with Squall and Rinoa close behind. The men were wearing black business suits without ties, and certainly looked quite sharp. Rinoa's kimono was baby blue and her hair was in a loose bun, with two highlighted strands falling down before her ears. She was quiet, and had one arm securely intertwined with Squall's.
"You want to come in with us, Kairi?" Aerith asked me, smiling gently.
I shook my head. "I'm waiting for Riku. You guys go on ahead."
"All right," the woman replied. She gestured to the others, who were hesitating.
I watched them leave, wondering if Yuffie had her memories back. Why else would she be hanging around that group?
I also wondered why they were all at this particular shrine, when it was so far from where they all lived, and when there were so many shrines and temples scattered throughout the city…
My back was to the street when suddenly something touched my shoulder. I spun and backed up toward the trees. My geta got caught on the edge of the road and I began to fall. I cried out.
I only got as far as a soft arm, however, that had looped itself about my back. I composed myself and then investigated the identity of my savior, who was pressing his finger against my lips to silence me.
"Riku! You came!" I threw my arms up around his neck and hugged him tightly. I had all but given up hope after waiting so long.
He hugged me back for several long moments. When we let go of one another, I could see he had also gone formal and traditional—he was wearing a haori coat and hakama pants, and looked quite handsome.
"Sorry!" Riku breathed. "I didn't get your message until late," he said, taking my hand into both of his. "I was avoiding my house until I knew my dad left."
Relief finished washing over me, and I grew a little more somber. "I'm sorry too. And…I'm really glad you came," I added quietly. I heard a faint rustle of bells. "They've started already! It must be midnight!"
"Then let's go," Riku said, laughing. He pulled me along behind him, and I trotted carefully so as not to trip again. I was much clumsier in my new geta than I would have liked to be.
We were among the last to pray. Most people had moved on, save the Shinto priests holding large lanterns to illuminate the shrine. Riku handed me a one hundred yen coin. I handed him my purse and stepped up to take my turn.
First I took hold of the string of bells and ribbons and shook, summoning the local god's attention. I then threw the coin into the offering box and took two deep bows. I clapped once, then again, and finished with two more bows. I prayed with all my might that this conflict we were in could be resolved, that Sora could be made normal again, that we could all go home and be happy. This was a lot to ask for, I knew, but I was counting very much on the god's generosity.
I took my purse back and waited while Riku prayed. He did not spend long on the venture. I supposed his desire must have been very concise.
"Want to walk around a little?" Riku offered me when he returned.
"Oh, yes," I said, my focus coming back to him. I had been looking around for Aerith, Yuffie, and the others. Where could they have gone?
"I'll buy you a charm," Riku said, guiding me toward the desk where some priestesses were distributing the things. "Which would you like? Happiness?"
"Mmm," I affirmed, unconsciously drawing closer to his warmth. The night seemed to be growing steadily colder, and even the thick kimono was not enough to save my skin from going numb.
Riku purchased the charm, which I looped around the handle of my purse for the time being. We then moved further into the woods, as other groups of visitors were doing.
Neither of us spoke for a while. I had my arms situated in front of me, with all my fingers grasping the handle of my purse. Riku's arms hung down at his sides, and he moved somewhat robotically.
"Something the matter?" I asked at last.
"Not really."
That was, of course, a lie. Plenty of things were the matter. Sora had died and been reborn, there were Heartlesss running loose on an unprepared planet, we had memories from another place that our families couldn't accept… But…
"Then you should smile."
"Hmm?"
"If nothing's the matter, why aren't you smiling?"
The edges of his lips curled up, just a little. "It's nothing."
"Tell me," I insisted, poking him gently with my elbow.
Riku came to a slow stop. "I just wanted to tell you how beautiful you are tonight without you getting…er…the wrong idea..."
"You don't want me to be full of myself?" I teased, trotting up to him.
"You know what I mean. I don't want to...make you upset again."
"We're friends, Riku," I told him earnestly. "I'll understand! Your feelings are your feelings…and they're important to me. Whatever you have to say, I can handle it."
Riku shook his head. I could barely read his expression it was so dark. The lanterns lining the road under the torii, the wooden arches leading to the temple, were few and far between.
His smile was sad. "But I can't have what I want. I only hope that charm can protect your happiness…since I couldn't…"
"Riku…?" He spoke with such finality that it scared me. I reached out and touched his face. He looked so sad.
"Excuse me," said a voice. Someone was trying to pass through. I easily recognized the voice.
"Sora!"
Riku moved in front of me.
"What are you doing here now?" the silver-haired boy asked sternly.
"Yamamoto, Suzuki…?" Sora sounded startled.
"Hi, Sora," I said nervously. "Come to pray?"
"Actually, I was just taking a walk…"
"At midnight?" Riku shifted his weight. He was pulling that intimidation thing again.
"I have trouble sleeping sometimes."
The three of us lingered awkwardly in the following silence. I tried to move forward, but Riku was quick to block me. That's when I knew things were really getting serious. The confrontation from the other day had not melted, but instead had boiled and festered inside both of them. There would be no second calm parting.
"I want to talk to you now, Sora," Riku began in a low voice.
"Then talk to me."
"Not the you you get to be in this world. I want to talk to the you I used to know—the Sora I last saw at Kingdom Hearts."
Kingdom Hearts?
"No. Riku," I pleaded, hurrying so I stood between the two of them. "Don't bring that up!" I alone knew what that hidden Sora was capable of, and I didn't want him and Riku to clash then. I didn't want them to fight at all! Hadn't there been enough of that already?
"Kingdom…Hearts…"
Sora's voice was ethereal. I dared to look at his face, and soon my eyes became unwillingly locked on him as the terror inside me grew. Even in the nearly complete darkness, I could see his expression twisting ever so slowly, and his very irises growing steadily darker until they no longer were the fair color of the summer sea, but an intense black.
I could sense Riku tensing behind me. He was probably regretting his mistake.
And he understood, just as I did, that it was now too late.
"Where is my Keyblade?" Sora screamed, throwing his arms out. He was glowing just slightly—just the faintest red—and I could feel the pure energy radiating from his body. I backed into Riku and felt his body quivering against my back.
"What's happening to him?" Riku breathed.
"I don't know," I whimpered.
Suddenly, Sora's fist was clenched around my collar. He pulled me up so I was balancing precariously on the ends of my toes. "Where is it? Give it back to me!"
"I don't know!" I cried, my eyes fleeing so they would not have to endure the horror that was his furious face.
"You were with me when it disappeared! I need it!"
Sora threw me back. Riku intercepted me as my body raced for the ground. That made the second time he had saved me that night.
"Leave her alone," he threatened, guiding me to stand behind him.
Don't provoke him, I pleaded inside my mind. Riku, calm down or Sora'll get even worse!
Sora's face melted from a fiery scowl into a frown more repressed and sullen. "I want it back," he repeated a few times, rocking back and forth as he transferred his weight from foot to foot. "It's mine, you know. Mine. And I will get it back."
"What do you need a Keyblade for?" Riku asked, taking a more diplomatic approach. I felt slightly relieved. "This is Japan, not Hollow Bastion!"
Sora crossed his arms. "That's not the point."
"Then what is?"
"The point?" Sora approached him, raising one arm and pointing a seemingly twisted and threatening finger at Riku's throat. "The point is that that Keyblade is mine—not hers, not yours, and not any of those damned Heartless'! It. Is. Mine!"
Before I knew it, Riku's arms were flying up to block Sora's attack, and the two of them were on the ground, kicking and punching one another, probably being impaled by the rough stone of the path.
"Stop it!" I screamed, throwing my arms forward.
That action itself was a mistake I didn't see coming.
The Oathkeeper began to materialize in my hands. I realized what was happening and my skin finished turning to ice. The sparks were flying down from my palms, more than bright enough in that midnight hour to get the boys' attention.
"You do have it!" Sora shouted gleefully. He found an extra burst of energy and threw Riku off the path before launching himself to his feet.
He was coming after me…?
"GET OUT OF HERE!" Riku roared, leaping up behind the charging Sora. I backed out the door and slammed it shut. Riku's arms wrapped about Sora's neck in a tight chokehold, yanking the boy back.
What I saw last as I retreated were Sora's eyes.
They were burning with hatred.
***
Hey everyone! 3,000 words of Codename goodness for all you patient, patient readers out there! I realize it has been a month since my last update, but I've been bogged down in the Reformation, the Revolutionary mind, force equations, sine and cosine curves, and about a million other exciting things. Actually, I'm not being sarcastic. I'm enjoying school, it just keeps me busy ^^
I have a treat for you all! Some artwork for Codename! There's a sketch of Riku in his haori and hakama (you know, the pants that Kenshin wears?), a colored version of Kairi in her seifuku (student uniform), and just a random sketch with Kairi and Riku. I'm planning to draw all the girls in their kimono too. I know I can't draw worth crap, but I have all these ideas bubbling around in my head and I feel inspired to get them down on paper in more than one way! Go to my profile for links ^^
I hope the lessons can return, but I spent several hours writing and editing…and I don't have another hour/hour and a half to do quality research. Do the crappy sketches make up for it? X_x