Of Promises and Paopu
By The Ambitious Blank
Disclaimer- Kingdom Hearts belongs to Squaresoft and Disney, not me.
Comments- Sorry I'm being progressively slower and slower in updating.. I've been busy with schoolwork and friends and finals and stuff lately. o.O; Yeah. I have a social life. It's scary. Finals have been eating up my time, sorry. -_-; Anyway. Chapter five. Skipping ahead a bit storyline-wise.. okay, skipping ahead a lot, actually. To like, Monstro. .;;;
~*~
"He's gone off and found new friends.
He's betrayed you.."
Maleficent's words echoed again and again in Riku's mind. Riku rolled over again on the uncomfortable bed he was forced to sleep on, trying to forget how happy Sora looked, standing in that room.. how happy he seemed, even without him there. Riku stood up, peering through the shadows, looking at himself in the mirror on the other side of the room. The darkness didn't affect him any longer, he could see almost as well as he could with a light. He stood, staring at his reflection.
Empty, soulless eyes. Mere shadows of the bright, cheerful aqua hues they used to be. Nothingness. Slight rings beneath them, showing lack of sleep.
"Lack of sleep because of you.." Riku murmured. His reflection flickered, and Sora's face appeared in it, smiling. Riku stared.
"..Sora.. don't you miss me, at all?"
The reflection kept smiling. The silver-haired boy let out a beast-like snarl, and slammed his fist into the mirror, shattering it into a thousand pieces, some of the glass embedding in his arm. He shouted, half in anger, half in pain.. and then collapsed to his knees, shaking.
"I.. I have to know.. I have to know if he still wants me there.. I have to..!!" He said, his voice rising in pitch, as though he were slowly going insane.. and for all he knew, he was. Crazed aquas glared into the empty black space where the mirror was, and Riku slammed a bloodied knuckle into the wall, letting out a shout of rage.
"..you shouldn't be angry.." A soft voice said from the doorway. Riku whirled around, and shadowed by the darkness, his arms dripping with crimson, shoulders heaving in heavy pants, and his eyes wild and untamed.. he looked as though he were some wild beast. Maleficent studied him for a moment, then spoke again.
"Calm yourself, boy." She commanded. Riku straightened, regaining whatever grace he could possibly keep. He watched her, eyes still wild beneath his long silvery bangs. She stepped forward, her feet echoing softly on the stone floor. She reached out, brushing his hair away. He pulled back, something that was a trained reaction by now.
"Don't touch me." He hissed. She smirked.
"..go to him, then.. he is within the whale.. Monstro." She said, stepping aside.. a portal lay there, to the inside of the giant whale. Riku could see a puppet, wandering away. She followed his gaze.
"..that puppet contains the heart you'll need to revive your other friend, Kairi. Perhaps you can.. kill two birds with one stone?" She asked. Riku glanced at her, watching the puppet again. Kairi lay in another room, prone and unmoving, her heart having been lost long ago. She.. needed his help. Since Sora seemed so preoccupied with his new friends..
"..I'll have to do things myself."
~*~
Sora sat up slowly, shaking his head. The ground was strangely warm and damp, and Sora stood, looking around. They were inside what appeared to be a giant mouth. Donald and Goofy were just getting up.. Donald was grumbling about his clothes, Goofy was holding his shield over his head.
"..what're you doin', Goofy..?" Sora asked.. suddenly, something toppled down, bouncing off the shield with a loud *CLANG*. Sora's eyes flew to the top of the wooden tower where it came from, and saw a young boy up at the top.. he giggled and hopped away.
"Was that kid.. made of wood..?" He asked, brow furrowing as he watched the child escape. They ran after him, stopping in front of a large wooden ship. They climbed up, and the puppet boy was hiding behind an old man, who turned and looked at them curiously.
"Oh, we have guests! Did Monstro swallow you all, too?" He asked. Sora nodded.
"I'm very sorry." The old man said. Sora smiled weakly.
"Not your fault."
"Yes, yes.. Pinocchio and I have been-- Pinocchio?" The man glanced around him. "Now where did he go..?" He paused, frowning faintly beneath his bushy white mustache. Sora blinked.
"The puppet, you mean?"
"Yes, Pinocchio. I created him a long time ago, and somehow he came alive.. and he wants to be a real boy. He doesn't understand that doesn't matter to me.. Pinocchio!" The man looked around again. "Oh yes, I completely forgot.. my name is Geppetto." He smiled at Sora, then went back to looking around the ship. Sora blinked and looked up to a tunnel that led down the throat of the monstrous whale.. and thought he saw the back of a familiar head, a flash of silver hair...
"Riku?" He blinked. Without thinking, he leapt down from the boat, splashing into the water, and up towards the tunnel.
"Sora! Sora, wait!" Donald yelled, jumping down from the ship and splashing after him. By the time he and Goofy had reached the edge of the tunnel, Sora had gone too far in for them to see him anymore. Glancing to each other, they ran inside.
Sora skidded to a stop in one of the "rooms", looking around him.
"Riku! Riku! Where are you?" He called, looking around. He caught sight of Pinocchio, blinking.
"Hey, Pinocchio.. Geppetto's worried about you. You'd better head back." He said. Pinocchio looked at him, then ran and hid behind a wall. Sora sighed in exasperation.
"This isn't time for games!"
"But Sora.. I thought you liked playing games."
Wide blue eyes flew up as a familiar silver-haired someone stepped through an opening.
"Riku..?"
~*~
Riku stepped into the room, smirking. Aquas watched Sora's wide blue eyes with amusement, how the blood seemed to have drained entirely out of the other boy's face. He jumped down from the small ledge that seperated them, stepping up to Sora.
"..yes.. I would think you liked games.. considering.. you seem to enjoy playing mindgames with me." He hissed, in a dangerously low voice. Sora blinked, his eyes narrowing faintly as he turned, facing Riku as the silver-haired boy paced around him, movements which reminded him of a hungry wolf, about to strike.
"What are you talking about?" He asked, tensing slightly.. something wasn't right here. Riku laughed.
"..so you play dumb too. Don't think I haven't seen you." He growled. "..you're so happy, aren't you? So happy that I'm not around anymore.."
"Riku, calm down.. I don't know what you're talking about."
"THIS ISN'T A GAME!" Riku shouted, making Sora jump and take a step back, looking nervous. Riku glowered dangerously at the other boy.
"..you've completely forgotten about Kairi.. forgotten about me, haven't you?!" He demanded. Sora's eyes widened, as he finally understood.
"I've been LOOKING for you this entire time, Riku!" He shouted, stepping forward, slightly braver now. "I haven't forgotten you!"
"..you've been running around.. having such a good time.. you barely even remember who we are! Kairi lost her heart to those monsters.. now I have to find one for her.. and this puppet.." Riku held up Pinocchio. "..will be a good enough candidate.."
"You're not making any sense." Sora said, staring at him in mild disbelief. Had Riku really changed that much? It was like he'd gone completely crazy. He flinched again as the silver-haired boy stalked towards him, setting Pinocchio on the floor as he reached Sora, forcing the other boy to back away. He backed Sora into a wall, pressing his hands onto the wall, on either side of the boy's face, getting incredibly close. Sora's heart was racing.. he'd wanted to be with Riku again, but something about this was completely wrong.
"..then how's this for making sense?" Riku asked, and before Sora could respond, he caught his lips. The kiss was nothing like the others.. it was forceful, dominant.. Riku's hands moved to Sora's shoulders, squeezing them hard enough that Sora could practically feel the bruises forming there. He made a soft noise of pain against Riku's lips, which only seemed to egg Riku on, his hands slipping up to undo the zipper on Sora's clothes. Sora's eyes narrowed, and he shoved Riku away as hard as he could, making the other boy stumble.
"Don't touch me, Riku."
Sora's voice was cold and harsh.. nothing like Riku had ever heard. Aqua eyes stared at the other boy in shock. Sora had never, outside of their play fights, hit him with the intent to hurt. He had never pushed Riku away. He wouldn't.. he couldn't have.. but he had. Riku wiped his mouth, anger beginning to swell within him again.
"..what's your problem?" He demanded.
"You've changed, Riku. Too much." Sora said, glaring at him. He stepped forward and picked up Pinocchio by the scruff of his shirt, and left the room, leaving Riku alone, seething in his anger.
"He'll pay for that.."
~*~A Few Days Later..
Sora lay in the familiar bed in Traverse Town, staring up at the ceiling. They'd gotten out of Monstro, somehow, and had brought Geppetto and Pinocchio with them.. but all he could think about was Riku. His eyes.. his personality.. everything Sora had loved about him had vanished, leaving no trace except the empty shell.
"..Riku.." Sora murmured, rolling onto his side and staring, long and hard, at the wall. He closed his eyes, then opened them, knowing he wouldn't be able to get to sleep at this rate. Riku's angry face haunted him.. there had been no love there. Only jealously, lust, and hatred.. three things which Riku was never really known for. Sora had stared at him, searched deep within him.. he'd found nothing, except.. a deep, painful sadness, that Sora himself almost could feel.. as soon as he'd found it in those aqua depths, it began to almost radiate from his once-friend.
And Kairi. What had happened to Kairi? Riku had said she'd lost her heart to the Heartless.. no.. he'd said something else.
"Kairi lost her heart to those monsters.."
..monsters like what you've become, Riku..? Sora thought sadly, snuggling into the warm blankets. What happened to you..? He sniffled softly, holding back tears.
Riku, what is it that makes you so sad..?
~*~To Be Continued...
Whee, sorry again for late update.