Chapter Two: Passions and Pains
"Do you think he's really sick? Or just faking it?" Tidus asked as Selphie and him opened the gate to Wakka's front lawn.
"Wakka isn't that type of person...I don't think," Selphie answered undecided. Selphie knocked on the door twice. They could hear footsteps growing closer. The door opened and Wakka stood there with his red hair all messed up, bags under his eyes, and still wearing his plaid pajamas.
"Wow, you don't look so good," Selphie said right away.
Wakka moaned while rubbing his eyes.
"We brought you your homework," Tidus said.
"Thanks," he replied quietly.
"Feel better soon," Selphie told him giving him a small hug. Wakka gave a small smile and then closed the door. Selphie and Tidus turned around to go to Tidus' house. The dock for the boats to island was located there.
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Kairi reached into her pocket and pulled out her ring of keys, then opened the door to her house. Her and Lee entered and made their way up to Kairi's room. Lee lied on the bed looking at pictures of their group hanging on her wall. Kairi was rummaging through her dress drawer. She pulled out a hoody and wrapped it around her waist.
That night was so fun," Lee said. Kairi looked at him strangely. "Riku's 13 birthday party, I mean."
"Yeah that was fun," she said smiling. She sat down on the bed next to his legs. "But I think everything is fun. I don't ever let life bring me down."
Lee sat up and put his hand on hers. "That's what I like about you Kairi. You're always so happy, and never afraid." Kairi blushed looking down at their hands. Lee looked down; he pulled his hand away quickly and blushed.
Neither of them said anything for a moment or two.
"Well we better be going," Lee said breaking the silence, "Are you ready?"
"Yeah, hold on," Kairi said running over to her dresser. She picked up a brush and ran it through her hair. "Okay, let's go!"
With that, they left the house for Tidus'.
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"I don't want to talk about it!" Riku whispered.
"But we do," Sakura told him. "We're your friends and were always there for each other."
"Yeah," Sora said in agreement.
Riku sighed. His two closest friends were right, but he wasn't sure he was ready to talk about it. What would they think of him? Would they treat him different...treat him like he couldn't take of himself. No, he thought. They would worry, yes, but they knew him well enough to know he could take care of himself. "My dad recently became an alcoholic, okay?" Riku said touching his eye gently.
"Right..." Sora said. "So he did do this to you?"
Riku nodded looking down. "But it's not his fault."
"How could it not be his fault?" Sora asked. He hated seeing Riku even remotely hurt. "How could it not be his fault if he's the one that hit you?"
"The alcohol," Sakura said. "When people get drunk, their personality changes. It just so happens that when Riku's father gets drunk he turns abusive."
"But your father never used to drink so how come he started?" Sora asked.
Riku just shook his head. He really wasn't ready to talk about this, but he knew if he was going to tell anyone it would be the two in front of him. Still Riku didn't say anything.
"How about you tell us when your ready?" Sakura asked. She didn't want to push Riku to tell them things he wasn't ready to say.
"No," Sora said. "It will help if he tells anyways, and if we are going to be able to help you then we need to know."
Sakura stayed silent knowing that Sora was right, but that didn't matter. If this small fact they were trying to get from Riku hurt him, then she wouldn't let it happen. "We can't force him to tell us Sora, it's his choice to make, not yours." Sakura said starting an argument with her friend.
"But he needs to tell, it's better for him"
"How do you know what's better for him?"
Riku decided he would stop the argument before it became a yelling contest. "It's alright, I tell you guys, but promise me you'll let me tell the others when I'm ready."
Sora and Sakura both nodded.
"My mom walked out on us two days ago," Riku said, finally looking up at the two.
Sakura and Sora stayed silent for a moment. They didn't know what to say. A moment passed and then Sakura went and embraced Riku. He hugged back, glad for the concern and care.
"Riku I'm so sorry," Sora said looking at the ground then to Riku. A tear ran down Riku's cheek.
"I don't wanna talk about it anymore..." Riku said softly. Sakura hugged him a little tighter, but still very gently. Riku wiped the tear off his cheek. "Can we go to the island now?"
"Yeah let's go," Sora said. The three of them started walking towards the docks. Riku was happy he told someone, so now if he ever needed to talk about it, he would have them. He didn't want to ever tell the others, but if his dad continued drinking, and he continued beating him, he didn't know how long he could just ignore telling them. Then there was also the small fact that his father had kicked him out, and he had nowhere to stay.
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Lee and Kairi were in front of Tidus' house. They walked around to the back yard. Tidus and Selphie were there already. They were in a boat already detaching from the dock.
"Meet you guys there!" Kairi called to them.
"Okay," Selphie replied, pushing off from the dock.
"After you, Princess," said Lee, putting his hand out. She put her hand in his and got on the boat giggling. Lee got into the boat soon after and pulled the rope off the hook attached to the dock.
"Here we go," Lee said begging to row as Kairi pushed off. She noticed Riku, Sora, and Sakura coming into the backyard.
"See you guys there," she yelled.
Riku waved his hand. He didn't want Kairi to think there was a problem and become a worry wart at the time. He didn't need her fusing over him.
"Let's all go in one boat," Sakura suggested.
Riku and Sora nodded. Sakura got into the boat and reached her hand out for Riku's. He got in the boat silently and never said a word.
Sora detached them from the dock and they began there way to Destiny Islands.
"Do you think he's really sick? Or just faking it?" Tidus asked as Selphie and him opened the gate to Wakka's front lawn.
"Wakka isn't that type of person...I don't think," Selphie answered undecided. Selphie knocked on the door twice. They could hear footsteps growing closer. The door opened and Wakka stood there with his red hair all messed up, bags under his eyes, and still wearing his plaid pajamas.
"Wow, you don't look so good," Selphie said right away.
Wakka moaned while rubbing his eyes.
"We brought you your homework," Tidus said.
"Thanks," he replied quietly.
"Feel better soon," Selphie told him giving him a small hug. Wakka gave a small smile and then closed the door. Selphie and Tidus turned around to go to Tidus' house. The dock for the boats to island was located there.
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Kairi reached into her pocket and pulled out her ring of keys, then opened the door to her house. Her and Lee entered and made their way up to Kairi's room. Lee lied on the bed looking at pictures of their group hanging on her wall. Kairi was rummaging through her dress drawer. She pulled out a hoody and wrapped it around her waist.
That night was so fun," Lee said. Kairi looked at him strangely. "Riku's 13 birthday party, I mean."
"Yeah that was fun," she said smiling. She sat down on the bed next to his legs. "But I think everything is fun. I don't ever let life bring me down."
Lee sat up and put his hand on hers. "That's what I like about you Kairi. You're always so happy, and never afraid." Kairi blushed looking down at their hands. Lee looked down; he pulled his hand away quickly and blushed.
Neither of them said anything for a moment or two.
"Well we better be going," Lee said breaking the silence, "Are you ready?"
"Yeah, hold on," Kairi said running over to her dresser. She picked up a brush and ran it through her hair. "Okay, let's go!"
With that, they left the house for Tidus'.
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"I don't want to talk about it!" Riku whispered.
"But we do," Sakura told him. "We're your friends and were always there for each other."
"Yeah," Sora said in agreement.
Riku sighed. His two closest friends were right, but he wasn't sure he was ready to talk about it. What would they think of him? Would they treat him different...treat him like he couldn't take of himself. No, he thought. They would worry, yes, but they knew him well enough to know he could take care of himself. "My dad recently became an alcoholic, okay?" Riku said touching his eye gently.
"Right..." Sora said. "So he did do this to you?"
Riku nodded looking down. "But it's not his fault."
"How could it not be his fault?" Sora asked. He hated seeing Riku even remotely hurt. "How could it not be his fault if he's the one that hit you?"
"The alcohol," Sakura said. "When people get drunk, their personality changes. It just so happens that when Riku's father gets drunk he turns abusive."
"But your father never used to drink so how come he started?" Sora asked.
Riku just shook his head. He really wasn't ready to talk about this, but he knew if he was going to tell anyone it would be the two in front of him. Still Riku didn't say anything.
"How about you tell us when your ready?" Sakura asked. She didn't want to push Riku to tell them things he wasn't ready to say.
"No," Sora said. "It will help if he tells anyways, and if we are going to be able to help you then we need to know."
Sakura stayed silent knowing that Sora was right, but that didn't matter. If this small fact they were trying to get from Riku hurt him, then she wouldn't let it happen. "We can't force him to tell us Sora, it's his choice to make, not yours." Sakura said starting an argument with her friend.
"But he needs to tell, it's better for him"
"How do you know what's better for him?"
Riku decided he would stop the argument before it became a yelling contest. "It's alright, I tell you guys, but promise me you'll let me tell the others when I'm ready."
Sora and Sakura both nodded.
"My mom walked out on us two days ago," Riku said, finally looking up at the two.
Sakura and Sora stayed silent for a moment. They didn't know what to say. A moment passed and then Sakura went and embraced Riku. He hugged back, glad for the concern and care.
"Riku I'm so sorry," Sora said looking at the ground then to Riku. A tear ran down Riku's cheek.
"I don't wanna talk about it anymore..." Riku said softly. Sakura hugged him a little tighter, but still very gently. Riku wiped the tear off his cheek. "Can we go to the island now?"
"Yeah let's go," Sora said. The three of them started walking towards the docks. Riku was happy he told someone, so now if he ever needed to talk about it, he would have them. He didn't want to ever tell the others, but if his dad continued drinking, and he continued beating him, he didn't know how long he could just ignore telling them. Then there was also the small fact that his father had kicked him out, and he had nowhere to stay.
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Lee and Kairi were in front of Tidus' house. They walked around to the back yard. Tidus and Selphie were there already. They were in a boat already detaching from the dock.
"Meet you guys there!" Kairi called to them.
"Okay," Selphie replied, pushing off from the dock.
"After you, Princess," said Lee, putting his hand out. She put her hand in his and got on the boat giggling. Lee got into the boat soon after and pulled the rope off the hook attached to the dock.
"Here we go," Lee said begging to row as Kairi pushed off. She noticed Riku, Sora, and Sakura coming into the backyard.
"See you guys there," she yelled.
Riku waved his hand. He didn't want Kairi to think there was a problem and become a worry wart at the time. He didn't need her fusing over him.
"Let's all go in one boat," Sakura suggested.
Riku and Sora nodded. Sakura got into the boat and reached her hand out for Riku's. He got in the boat silently and never said a word.
Sora detached them from the dock and they began there way to Destiny Islands.