Sora, Riku and Kairi had no memories prior to Destiny Island. As far as they could recall, their whole lives had taken place amongst the jagged trunks of the palm and papou trees, where they had grown up happily under the flicker tutelage of both the cobalt ocean and cerulean sky. Yet as the years passed, they began to feel trapped within the boundaries of the isle and one day, they realized it was not enough for them. They longed for new horizons, they longed for new worlds.
Hence, they decided to build a raft.
Now Kairi had sent Sora for some items they will be needing, but as much as he loved pleasing her, he just was not in the mood: the dream of the last night had left him somewhat uncomfortable. The image of Riku had been so powerful… so longing… Whenever Sora closed his lids, they were again confronted, and the air escaped from Sora's breast as his friend held out his gloved hand; and when Riku pierced him with his cyan eyes, Sora's lungs refused to be replenished. He couldn't understand why!
The boy wandered for a while along the seashore, avoiding Kairi lest she reprehended him. The morning breeze swirled amongst his black spiky hair as the salty fragrance of the sea slipped inside his nostrils, and after a while his spirits raised, making his steps vigorous and almost enthusiastic. He reached the pier, and stopped to wave back when Selphie, who was a nice-looking girl -though far less pretty than Kairi- with brown hair and a permanent broad smile in her lips, welcomed him merrily. Then he put his hands on his hips, raised his head, and took a deep breath, and as the air plunged inside him he suddenly realized what he should do. And turning around on his heels, he walked off, determination illuminating his otherwise placid blue eyes.
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The moment Sora stepped out the upper gateway of the seaside shack he spotted Riku in the distance. Predictably, his friend was training in one of their favourite spots -a small sub-island scattered with trees, high over the sea- and Sora crossed the battered wooden bridge toward the isle with a hastily-becoming-familiar tinge of pain in his chest he pretended not to notice and an open smile in his face, raising one hand as he walked.
"Hey, Riku!"
His friend nodded in acknowledgement and smiled quietly back -then pointed at him with his wooden sword.
Sora produced his own sword, accepting the mute invitation.
Weapons clashed under the glowing sun of the morning as the battle progressed; the sun rose up high in the sky and the tide turned, but the boys wouldn't care. Unlike dreams and reveries, this was something Sora could grasp – ducking, thrusting, dodging, being hit once in a while-, and it relieved him somehow to know that his heart was pounding so hard only because of the heavy exercise.
Or was it?
Sora stopped dead at the thought; not even for a second, yet Riku took his chance and disarmed him with a skilful move, pulled him against a tree trunk, pressed his sword tight to Sora's throat.
Riku smirked in victory. Sweat droplets were gliding down his cheeks and chin and naked shoulders like tiny worms, and Sora wondered why the images of his dream were looming over him all of a sudden, overpowering every other thought. He raised his blue eyes inquisitively and swallowed as he met Riku's icy irises, dangerously stern in spite of the smile lingering below them –as he became aware for the first time of an unexpected darkness in his friend's soul menacing to rise to the surface.
Riku tightened the pressure of the sword on his neck, their faces so near one another now that Sora could perceive the regular soft wafts of his friend's breath. He doubted his legs would keep him upright much longer, even with the help of the coconut tree against his back.
"You lose," Riku said. "And now I'll take my prize."
Sora's eyes widened in disbelief when Riku leant over him just a bit more so their lips touched ever so gently, ever so sweetly, and he was suddenly overpowered by a plethora of unfamiliar feelings to which he couldn't but surrender. Was he asleep again? It must be, for his eyes had closed tight and his head was all but spinning, yet every sense of him told an altogether different story. Sora half-expected to be thrown into the sea the next moment -yet the next moment never came, for the only waves taking hold of him were those that flowed from within…
Suddenly, Riku pulled back from him, downright bewildered.
"What am I thinking!" He threw back his head, and as he put his sword aside to let Sora go he guffawed in a rough, shocking, almost cackling way. Sora opened his eyes at the eerie sound of the laugh, just in time to see his friend keeling down to recover a sword from the grass -my sword, he realized; and he waited in confusion as Riku idly tried the weight of the weapon, apparently lost in thought.
When his friend looked back at him, though, and held out the wooden sword for Sora to take it, his face displayed no emotions.
"It was too easy to get you. Kairi won't be pleased at all," Riku said. And with a shaking of his head, he motioned for the bridge, leaving a puzzled Sora behind.
Freetalk(12/04/2004): It took me ages to write it-everything I do seems to take me too long of late - but chapter two is finished at last. Comments and feedback are really appreciated, as usual. :D