A/N: See Prologue for typical disclaimer.
Keep up the stellar work guys!
diamondprincess2006: Hey, a late review is better than no review, right? Thanks for sticking with me.
ZTX: Glad to see you're still with me! I'm not saying who's dying or not dying in my fic, but you may be surprised when I come out with Independence Day. I can almost insure that will be longer.
SoraJhannoa: Thank you! I'm always happy to know when people like my writing!
Yasmine: Thank you for the observation,but I won't be changing them. They're slightly altered lyrics from the song so I want to keep them as they are. I'll be doing the same when I write Independence Day.
kinky kitty: You're so faithful! But..you're slowly beginning to scare me.
Bakoneko: I'm glad you took the time to review instead of just telling me in an IM. I won't make any promises to endings, because then I'd be giving it away! And we don't want that.
Special thanks to SoraJhannoa for putting me on her favorite authors. I can't tell you how much this means to me.
And, as promised, the longest of the six parts.
Chapter 4
So leave he did, taking off through the house and to the docks, ignoring how he was soaking his good school clothes to push his small dinghy off from the shore and jumping in, taking off for the one refuge he had--the play island where he used to play as a kid. He ignored the dock and let the boat go up onto the shore, climbing out and jumping on the roof of the seaside shack to go across and over to the paopu tree and crawling up on it, leaning against the twisted palm's trunk and letting out a shuddery sigh. He wouldn't cry. He'd been expecting his mother's leaving for a long time; he just wasn't prepared for the reality of it.
He swallowed thickly a few times, working his emotions back under control before he looked back out toward the mainland. He wouldn't go back just yet...he would wait until nightfall, and hopefully his father would already be out by then.
Inevitably, his thoughts turned to Sora. Green eyes gazed up at the paopu on the tree as he chewed lightly on his lower lip. If he were to give one to him, ask to share it, would he? They were already close, and he would want an explanation. ...Maybe it was time to give it to him. He closed his eyes and nodded to himself, then pushed himself up, standing precariously on the bark before making his way to where the starred fruit was, taking one in his hands and turning it slightly. This would be the one he pulled down probably, so it had to be ripe. After his own version of an inspection, he sat back down, leaving it there until the sun started to dip down at the horizon, lost in his thoughts.
Without a peep, he grabbed the fruit that was now sitting above his head, starting back over the bridge and jumping off of it to land lightly on his feet. He was going to tell Sora all of it tonight...even if he had to do it standing beneath his window. When he reached his dinghy, he shoved it back out into the water, heading back to the mainland and reaching it just as the sun's light disappeared. He picked up the paopu from the bottom of the boat and tied the rope to a small post that kept it anchored before making his way toward Sora's house, leaning down to swipe up a handful of rocks from the ground. Sora would be in his room by now, considering he always ate dinner before sundown.
The streets were strangely empty, and he couldn't help but feel his mood lower as he walked further, clutching the Paopu as if it were his only lifeline. He was relieved to see Sora's house come into view and he set the Paopu in one of his larger pockets as he took a stone and tossed it at Sora's window, a soft clink coming from when it hit. After a moment, he repeated the process. Seven times he did this, until the window opened and Sora stared down at him.
"Riku? Why didn't you just use the front door?"
"I've...got something to ask you...and I don't really want your mom knowing. Wanna come down?"
"Uh...sure. Just a moment." Sora's spiky head disappeared from view and there were a few thumps of books falling before he was presented with a choice view of Sora's rear end as he crawled out the window, letting go of the ledge when he was hanging by his hands to fall lightly onto the shed's roof below and jumping off of that to come over to him. "So...what was it?"
Riku shook his head and dropped the rocks, pulling out the paopu. He gazed up just as Sora's eyes were widening. "I...want you to share it with me. I doubt I'll be around much longer..." he murmured in addition.
"But...why wouldn't you be..?" Sora lifted his gaze from the paopu to Riku's face just as the older boy looked away, and a soft gasp fell from his lips as he saw the bruise showing through slightly rubbed away makeup. "Riku...?"
"My father...and my mother just left...so he'll be on me more now." He couldn't seem to meet Sora's eyes, a bit of shame in his own that he hadn't come forward sooner.
"Riku.."
Just a second later, smaller arms encircled his waist, pulling him into a friendly hug. "We'll tell someone...and figure this out...okay?"
Riku shook his head some, hugging him back and hiding the newly forming tears in Sora's hair. They would tell someone, and then he would leave. "Just...share it with me, okay? Even if it's a silly legend, then at least we'll be connected if I do have to leave...right?"
Sora pulled away from him and gazed up at the spiky lashes before nodding. "Sure Riku...whatever makes you happy, right?"
Riku smiled faintly and nodded, breaking the paopu in half and offering a part to Sora. When it was taken from him, he blinked a few times to see the same piece he'd given over held in front of his lips. Apparently Sora took it a slightly different way when they said sharing, but what the hell. He did the same, and together they bit into the bitter fruit, making an equally disgusted look at the flavor but forcing themselves to eat it and take another bite.
He was stunned again to find Sora's arms around him in a tight hug and he couldn't help hugging him back. The sound of a car door slamming meant nothing to him as he stayed in the circle of his arms, relishing the gentle contact. Not a moment later, he was jerked away and he gazed up in fear at the flushed face of his father for a second before he was pulled to the car, Sora following after a moment of stupor. He was shoved into the back seat while his father got into the front, and he struggled to get up and open the door to get back out even while his father locked the doors from the front seat to keep Sora out. The sound of the tires squealing brought forth the realization that his father was pissed off again, and this time he couldn't get away either. So he sat up on the back seat, looking out the back window as Sora ran back into the house.
All too soon they reached his house and his father got out, unlocking the doors. Riku seized his chance and scrambled out the other side, trying to escape. He was grabbed by the back of the shirt and dragged further into the house and to his room before that door slammed shut and he was tossed down to the carpet, getting a rug burn on his arm and on top of his bruise.
He slowly picked himself up, looking back at his father as the man pulled his sleeves up and started to him again, fists curled tight before they came down on him, abusing his chest and back first. He lost count of the number of times he was hit, feeling a bit detached, as if he was watching it from outside. He watched silently as he was hit repeatedly, his own hands up to protect his head and neck from the blows. The sounds of sirens made him look up and he was suddenly back, feeling it all as he was hit repeatedly, though the encroaching blackness welcomed him as he fell from his knees to his face, tear tracks unknowingly showing on his cheeks.
TBC
So, what did you all think? The review button says feed me, I say critiques improve writing. –shrug- Whatever you want. If you just want me to post the next chapter, let me know! I'll try to give a line out to whoever says anything.
And guys, only one more chapter left.