Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Sad, isn't it?
Warnings: See 'Author's Notes' first chapter.
Author's Notes: Here's chapter two!
A/N:
Jenni Sunshine:Jenni Moonlight – Thank you very much! Oh, and I'm reading your story 'Sora, the Fallen Angel' and I think it's great. I loooove angels! I will review once I've finished reading all four chapters.
luvable 14 – I'm glad you like it
Reina-183 – Yeah I know I spelled Traverse Town 'Travers Town' once, but it was a typo. Typed to quickly I think, and missed the fault after re-reading it a couple of times. I saw it immediately after you had pointed it out to me, lol. Thanks for it! And thank you for the nice review.
kuramasgirl13 - Yes I know it's a little cliché. It's just so hard to stay original in this fandom (or whatever it's called), but we try…we try. I'll try to keep your interests up. Thanks for reviewing!
Inumaru12 – Well a beta is someone who pre-reads your story. They check your story on typo's and spelling errors. And of course you also talk with them, lol. I'm really glad you love my story! Thanks for the review.
Melodysmilesalot – Well here's the update, a little later as expected, but here it is! Enjoy!
hikari-enzeru – Continue reading the story, it will give you an answer to all your questions. Thanks for the great review!
Thank you all for your lovely reviews, I appreciate it very much! Oh and I hope I spelled all your pennames right, I always manage to make a mistake here or there, lol. So please don't be mad at me. Now, on to chapter two!
Riku & Sora: review!
Sora's POV
'Rain, nice.' I sighed in annoyance. It was late, dark, cold, wet and freezing and not to forget I didn't have any place to stay yet. I yelled for a taxi to stop, but the guy didn't see me and just kept on driving.
"Oh yeah! Just ignore me! I'm only getting absolutely fucking WET!" I yelled after the taxi throwing my arms out in front of me and letting them fall back against my sides again. I sighed in anger and rapidly put my backpack on my back and took up my suitcases. My first priority tonight was to find a hotel. I looked around and saw there weren't many people on the streets anymore. Well what do you expect, it was only 3 o'clock in the morning.
'Soooo, which way to go?' I thought to myself. It wouldn't make much difference I'd find a hotel sooner or later, or so I hoped. I looked in both directions, first left to see a dark rainy street. Then right to see…a dark rainy street. So many possibilities but such a difficult choice. I looked once more in either direction, flicking my head from right to left and from left to right again and after much consideration decided… 'Oh well, left it is then…'
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I had been walking about an hour now, but it felt more like 10 hours or something.
'Djeez, these streets, they all look the same.'
Yup, I admit, I was lost. Seriously lost, actually. So, there weren't that many hotels there, huh? Should have taken the right side!
I started thinking of Riku. 'Where could he be? And what could he be doing right now? Did he have a home? Or…maybe… was he still out here, walking on the streets somewhere? Like me? Man, if he had been here for the past three years, how could he ever have been able to survive it? I've been here for only about a good hour, and I'm already lost. Not that I was ever any good in finding my way somewhere…'
I was freezing. My clothes stung to my body like a second skin, the rain had totally soaked them. My suitcases began to feel rather heavy and my back was killing me. But I had to go on, I had to find somewhere to stay or else I might end up on the streets somewhere.
'Oh no….did Riku end up on the streets?' I frowned in shock '…I hope not…'
"Agh!"
My feet, they were soaking wet! I could not only feel, but also hear the splashy sounds of my feet in my shoes. I really hated having my shoes totally soaked. Well, not only my shoes, but also my socks, pants, jacket, probably even my backpack….at least my suitcases were waterproof.
'Does it ever stop raining!' I was annoyed and bored at the same time. 'I'll never find my way out of here…why hadn't I taken a map back at the airport in the first place. At least I would have been in a nice, comfy, warm hotel right now.' I heaved an exasperated sigh.
'SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!'
"GAH!" I fell on my ass, looking up to see the bumper of a car just a few inches from my head. It's lights were burning my eyes, so I immediately pulled up my hand to shield them from it. I heard someone coming out of the car and walking hurriedly towards me.
"Oh shit! Dude, are you alright?" A soft, worried masculine voice. It sounded nice. I tried to look up at the person but the lights of the car were still stinging my eyes.
"Yeah…" I swallowed, my voice sounded so raspy. Must be from the shock. "I'm fine." I coughed.
The unknown guy had knelt beside me and I had a feeling he was looking me in the eyes.
"Are you sure? I mean don't you feel any pain or anything? I'll bring you to the hospital immediately…"
"No really, I'm fine, don't worry." I smiled up at him. I still didn't see his face clearly, but he looked young, at least his voice sounded young. I guessed he was in his twenties.
"Where do you live? I'll bring you home…it's the least I can do." He offered gently, holding out his hand for me to take it. I didn't say anything, I just let him lead me into his car and sat there silently with my backpack on my lap, recovering from the shock, while he was busy putting my suitcases in the trunk.
It was a nice car, it didn't look expensive, but it was comfy and that's all that mattered. The guy stepped into the car and this was the first time I could take a good look at him. I was right, he was in his twenties, had blond spiky hair, bright blue eyes and a gentle smile. Yup, he looked nice. Not at all the kind of person I'd expected to run into in this part of town. But…this was a mirror image. It had to be! I was sure that if some person clad in white suddenly popped up out of no where, telling me that this guy was an older version of me having colored his hair and traveled back in time…I would have believed it right a way.
"You okay a little?" He was looking at me, and I hadn't noticed. I quickly turned my head away to look at my backpack
"Yes, thank you." Playing with the strips of my backpack, I felt enormously stupid for staring so bluntly at someone without noticing it.
"I'm Cloud by the way." He said casually starting his car.
"Sora" I whispered. I still had difficulty speaking now and then, the shock had really taken it's effect on my vocal cords.
"So, where do you live?" He was putting his car in gear now. There was a short silence in which I was contemplating on what I was about to say, since I had nowhere to go…
"Uhm, well actually, do you know any good hotels in this area?" I looked at him with a glint of hope in my eyes.
"Eh…hotels? Yes. Good ones? No, not at all, no." He answered, kinda…stating me the obvious.
I slumped back in my seat and shivered. I was freezing, and the fact that my clothes were completely soaked wasn't helping at all. Cloud saw it, and turned on the heater.
"Thanks" I smiled thankfully. The warm air felt heavenly. If only I could have been wearing dry and warm clothes then, it would have been so much better.
"You know, if you want you could always stay with me for the night…or well until you've find somewhere else to stay…" He paused for a second and saw I was considering his offer with a slight frown. "…it's only a suggestion, you don't have to feel obliged or anything. But putting you in one of these hotels, would cause me a moral low point and a one – way ticket to hell. Trust me, you really don't wanna be staying there."
"You'd really let me stay with you?" I looked at him, with a thankful gaze.
"Yup, I just suggested it, didn't I?" He smiled. His smile was addicting and before I knew it I was smiling too.
"Wow, thanks! I don't know what to say…" I kept on smiling. Maybe…just maybe, I could find my way down there.
"It's nothing, man. I could use a friend, and you sure look like you could use someone to guide you around this place." He turned his car around and started driving towards the Lower Town city center. About 5 minutes later we arrived at a huge apartment block, and he drove his car down into it's cellar, which served as a parking lot for people who lived there.
"Home, sweet home" He stated happily.
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I was sitting tiredly in the kitchen with a little furry thing on my lap and took my time to take a good look around. The place was very nice and modern, it looked rather expensive. The kitchen was much bigger than average, not to speak of the living room. Last night when we had arrived, I had been very tired but was able to notice that he also had about 3 bedrooms each with it's own little bathroom and I knew this because he told me, a spare room full of junk, a rather large balcony with excellent view and last but not least he had a DOG! I had always loved dogs.
The dog's name was Spike, yeah I admit, the origin of this name is a total mystery to me. It was little, it was white and it was extremely furry. I loved it immediately and it loved me back, because it had slept with me the entire night. Or at least the few hours of night there were still left by the time we went to bed. Taking up at least half of the single bed I had tried sleeping in. Don't ask me how, but even that small it's able to take up all of your space. As a result I had been sleeping on my side the entire night because of absolutely cute looking innocent little Spike.
That's why it was now only 9 o'clock in the morning, and I was sitting at the kitchen table with a furry little snoring dog on my lap and a back that screamed 'Do kick that goddamned dog out of your bed next time!'
I was hungry. But I couldn't possibly take anything out of Cloud's fridge without his permission. I didn't even know the guy properly, I had only just met him a few hours before anyway. So I decided to go back to the room he had prepared for me, laid Spike down at the far end of the bed and went to lay down myself…on my back this time. The pain in my back immediately disappeared and I smiled feeling like I could drift into a peaceful dream any moment.
'Scritch' the bed creaked.
Something was moving.
'Scritch, scritch screech, scritch'
Still lying down with my eyes closed, I felt a little wet nose touch the skin of my cheek. Oh no, it was back. The little dog made itself comfortable near my side, eventually stretching itself, pushing it's back against my side so that I, out of pure annoyance, turned myself on my side again.
Stinging pain.
"Oh well life's a bitch" I muttered silently and closed my eyes.
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I woke up to the smell of some nice bacon and eggs. My stomach must have smelled it as well, because it gave a loud rumble and I remembered I was actually very hungry. Turning around lazily, I let myself fall on my back and opened my drowsy eyes to look up at the ceiling.
"Eh?" I patted my hands around to feel the empty parts of mattress beside me and stretched my leg's to feel around with my feet, but realized there was no dog anymore. I sat up quickly and looked around, yup the bed was dog-free. Sighing happily I let myself fall down on the bed again, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and stretched all my limbs.
'Hmmm, smells nice…' I could here some music coming from the hallway and the splitter and splatter of crispy bacon and eggs that were being baked in a pan. I looked in the direction of the door which was standing ajar.
'Better get up…' I thought.
I stretched myself once more and lifted myself up to sit on the edge of the bed. I had no idea how late it was, since I had no clock in the room whatsoever and I was to lazy too go take my watch, which was lying on the table in the kitchen by the way.
Yawning and scratching my back a little, I walked shakily over towards my suitcases. My legs hadn't fully woken up yet, still tingling as I tried to take normal steps. I took out some fresh underwear, a faded jeans and a black T-shirt with a silver colored imprint in the form of some Chinese characters on it. I then walked over towards the little bathroom, brushed my teeth, took a shower, combed my wild hair and put on some deodorant.
I inspected myself in the mirror and realized there was something missing.
'Of course! My necklace!' My masterly piece of silver. Couldn't go anywhere without it. I went over to my nightstand on which my crown – shaped necklace lay, picked it up and put it on.
"There, finished." I said contently, beaming at myself in the mirror. I wasn't a 'neat-freak' in the sense of the word, but I was concerned about how I looked. So checking myself in the mirror so often each morning, had become kind of a ritual.
I arrived in the kitchen a few moments later and went to sit down at the table, looking at Cloud who was now baking some pancakes.
"Good morning!" He spoke happily in a sing – song voice, casting his head over his shoulder to take a look at me and smiled.
"Good morning." I smiled back, stretching my arms in the air. "Wow, you're kind of a cooking princess…" I looked at the food already standing on the table. There were bacon and eggs, toasts, some different kinds of cereals, pancakes, bread, several kinds of filling, orange juice, coffee and milk. It looked absolutely edible and my stomach gave another load roar.
"And you're kind of hungry." Cloud answered playfully as he turned around with the pan in his hand, putting another freshly baked pancake on top of the others. The aroma filled my nostrils and I reached out to take one. "I just didn't know what you liked, so I decided to try a few different things. See what you liked best, you know?"
"Well that wasn't necessary at all, I like all of the stuff standing on this table." I spoke through mouths full of pancake and poured myself a warm cup of coffee. "Hmmm, tastes good, Cloud!"
"Thanks, I normally don't cook this much, you know. I'm glad you like it." He had rinsed the pan under the tap and had put it in the sink to clean it later. The cooking area looked absolutely spotless and clean. He then sat down on the table in the chair opposite of me and started getting himself some food as well.
"Did you sleep good?" He asked as he too, poured himself some coffee.
"Well, it could have been better."
"Hehe, Spike kept you up?" He chuckled amused, not looking up from his toast as he was to busy putting jam on it.
"Kinda…"
"Thank you Sora, thanks to you I've had my first painless sleep in two years. Do stay." He joked as he took a bite from his toast and locked his smiling eyes on mine.
I laughed openly and grabbed myself some bacon and eggs and a piece of toast.
"So, Cloud, you've got a really nice looking place here. What do you do for a living?" I cast him an interesting glance and continued eating.
"I work in a little restaurant-café kinda thing."
"You a cook? Waiter? Or…"
"Nah, I dance." He said matter of factly and stopped eating. I noticed he was looking at me to see my reaction. And I was staring but it immediately sank through to me.
"Ah – ooooooooh…" I said, clearly pointing out I had understood it. "You're an exotic dancer?"
"Yes, it's not one of the most to – be – proud – at jobs, but it pays good. Besides little Spike deserves it." He finished grinning patting the passing little dog on the head and continued eating.
"So uhm, what kind of bar is it then, uhm….gay?" I didn't want to sound nervous, but I did.
"No, it's a bi – orientated bar. So there's women and men dancing there." He paused and saw I was shifting my weight a little as a result of being nervous. "Well, now that you're going to stay with me after all, I think you should know."
I looked at him frowning, but already had my suspicions about what this thing that I should know, was going to be.
"I'm gay."
Silence. No way. My eyes were as wide as two coconuts and I was doing it…again. . I had a serious staring – problem. Maybe should make a doctor's appointment about it or something.
"But don't worry, I'm not looking for a boyfriend so I'm not going to molest you or anything." He was just joking, but I had a really hard time relaxing.
"Aaah, ehehehe…" I laughed nervously, scratching the back of my head as I blushed a little.
"Besides, you're not my type."
My eyes were the size of four coconuts now and I unintentionally pouted.
"Not that I don't think you're cute or anything…"
My eyes were about to pop
"…it's just, I like my guys to be older." He indicated 'older' with his fingers. And I laughed, totally at ease again. My eyes had returned to their normal state.
"So, what about you Sora? You gay? Straight?" Well he was kind of direct, wasn't he?
"Well…" I started, hesitating a little. "I think we all start out as bi, since you'll never know which way you'll eventually swing. I mean, look at all those supposedly happily married couples. And then suddenly after ten years, one of them turns out to be gay. I think it's rather imprudent calling yourself 100 gay or straight, because before you know it…you might hurt someone you love." I said, slouching backwards casually in my seat so that I was partly lying as I chewed on the last piece of my toast.
"I like your train of thought, Sora." Cloud smiled. "You know, I had a girlfriend once, and I really loved her. But then suddenly one day, I ended up with my best friend in the world, stealing her from me. It hurt, because I had by then only recently realized that I was madly in love with him and not with my girlfriend."
"Ouch…" I stated giving him a look of pain and compassion. He was silent for a moment, painful memories clouding his eyes.
"Life goes on." He smiled and his expression changed into it's normal happy looking state again as he finished eating the last bit of his pancake. "So, Sora, what are you doing here actually?"
Oh no, here it was. I was going to have to explain myself, and he'd probably declare me insane or something.
"Well, actually I'm here to visit an old friend." There. It wasn't a lie…wasn't the goddamned truth either, but he didn't know.
"Oh, so uhm….where does he live?" He got up from his seat and started cleaning his plate. "You done with that?" He asked out of nowhere, pointing towards my plate as I was still thinking about his primary question.
"Uh…yeah, yeah I'm done." I said blinking my eyes and shaking my head a little, trying to think straight.
"So, where does he live?" He was now putting our plates in the sink.
"I don't know…" I put my hands on the table and pushed myself up from my seat. "Say, can I help you with anything?" I asked looking around at the still almost entirely with food filled table.
"Yeah sure, you can start putting all the food back into the fridge, and the leftovers and rubbish in the trashcan." He instructed me as he turned around and pointed at the overloaded table, then turned around again and continued cleaning the dishes.
"What's his name? Maybe I know him." He was now furiously brushing the dirty dishes with a sponge, which was a funny sight actually…seeing all the bubbles fly around him, flying in his face even, tickling him. And then seeing him, in response, try to rub his face free from the tickles, using the upper part of his right arm, smudging some of the soapy water on his face. Which made him even more irritated.
"Riku." I was holding up a little plate with some inedible leftovers and was now looking for the untraceable trashcan. "So where's the trashcan exactly?"
"It's near the door on the left, beneath that little table."
"The one with the pile of magazines on top of it?"
"Yes, that one."
When I finished throwing away the leftovers, I started ridden the table of the still edible food, putting it away in the fridge.
"Riku, eh?"
I nodded in response, but knew he wasn't watching. So I gave a little hum to go with it.
"Don't think I've heard of him." He sighed in contentment. "There. Done, finito." He took a towel and started drying his hands off. I, by now, had already rid the table of all it's inhabitants, and was now rubbing it clean with a damp rag.
"Never expected you to know him anyway. Hell, I don't even know him myself anymore." I flopped down in one of the chairs, closed my eyes and started massaging my temples with my hands, trying to think. Thinking seemed to be so difficult for me lately.
"What do you mean? He was your friend, right? Because that's what you just told me." Cloud sounded concerned and when I opened my eyes to look at him, I saw that he actually was. He came to site in one of the chairs as well.
"Yes of course. It's just…I haven't seen him or heard anything of him for almost six years now, and I'm really starting to get worried." I paused for a moment, almost pushing holes in my temples.
"You want something to drink?" Man, he was really concerned, wasn't he?
"Yes that would be great."
A few moments later we were both sitting in the living room, each holding a cup of hot steaming chocolate milk, a few muffins to got with it and the TV put on softly, providing us with some background music.
"Why do you think that out of all places, he's here?"
"You know Cloud, I think I should tell you something about me first. I'm originally from Destiny Islands, you know them?"
"Yes, sure, I know them. They're practically in every vacation brochure you come across. Beautiful place though, well beautiful pictures at least." He said taking another sip of his hot chocolate.
"Yes indeed they are. But about six years ago my parents decided to move to Traverse Town, Upper Town that is. They wanted me to break contact with all my friends from the Islands. Said it would be better to make new friends here, since this was going to be the place where I would be staying the rest of my life." I took a moment to bite a piece out of the muffin I had been holding for a while now.
"But that wasn't what you were planning to do, was it?" Cloud asked, narrowing his eyes a little.
"Of course not! How could they even think I would let them do that to me. I continued writing letters to Riku and my other friends, but over time writing letters disappeared. It was painful in the beginning, but I adapted to it quite quickly. Besides I was very busy with my studies anyway. I'm a cook, by the way."
"Aah, cooking school? Nice. My parents tried to get me into one too, but they didn't have enough money for it." He said shrugging and took himself a muffin as well.
"I'm sorry for you. They shouldn't exclude people from educations because they're 'not rich enough'. I hate that. Anyone should have the right to get a decent education and learn a profession or something."
"Right there with ya." We both smiled.
"During my studies I had been doing various little jobs to collect some money. Money which I would use to go back to Destiny Islands, meet Riku again and start a little restaurant. My parents couldn't stop me, this was my choice. And that's exactly what I did. A little less then 24 hours ago, I was standing on the docks of the ferry – station of the Islands. Life couldn't be happier for me, until..." I closed my eyes for a second, remembering Kairi's horrible confession.
"Until what?" Cloud was looking at me as if I was telling him an episode of his favorite soap opera that he had missed. You know, eyes wide, holding his cup in front of his chin with both of his hands, taking an absent-minded sip every now and then.
"Until I went to Riku's house. It was abandoned…" I was suddenly interrupted by a little fur ball jumping on my lap, trying to steal away the last piece of the muffin I was eating.
"Spike, get down!" Cloud ordered, laughing as he did. Little Spike looked at him with those big, innocent puppy – dog – eyes, tail between his legs and if he could, he would have pouted as well. I couldn't stand it anymore, I gave him the muffin.
"You spoil him Sora." Cloud chuckled. "That's a criminal master mind in there. He knows, that when he does that, we'll have no other choice but to give in to him. Criminal mastermind, I tell you. Please continue'." Cloud said glaring at his little dog, but failing at it completely.
"Yes well, I decided to visit another old friend of mine. All seemed to be working out just fine between us, until she started mentioning Riku. She told me a horrible truth. Thanks to her, Riku and I had lost contact. I also came to hear that Riku's parents had died about three years ago, that he had tried to contact me by writing me a letter. But that bitch had prevented it from ever reaching me. So I never showed up on his parents funeral, simply because I didn't know they were dead."
"What was that person's problem?" Cloud asked unbelievingly.
"She was jealous of us. Jealous of how Riku and I had always been the better friends, and that that little friendship – circle didn't include her. She hated him, because I liked him better than her. That's why she wanted to hurt him, she said, but also me. She hurt me as well."
"But why then do you think Riku should be somewhere down here?"
"Well, she told me that the banks were going to confiscate his entire house and everything in it, because his parents had a very large financial debt with them. He went to her for solace, but apparently she never gave it to him. So he wrote her a letter telling her he would be off to another place where he could start a new life and where he would go search for someone."
"So you figured he would come to search for you?" Cloud asked, rubbing little Spike over his tummy.
"Yes, well, no, not immediately. But Kairi thought that that might be most likely, since we were best friends. But I knew he couldn't possible be in Upper Town, I know that place by heart. I've never seen him once, in those three years he left Destiny Islands, not once. So, my only guess is, that he's down here somewhere…"
"In Lower Town." Cloud finished my sentence for me. "Hmm, makes sense."
"So you think he could be?" I looked at him with a frown.
"Well, as I've said before, I don't now him and I haven't seen him anywhere. But that doesn't mean he couldn't be here, there are so many places he could be."
"Yes, true." I dropped my shoulders looking at the empty cup I was still holding in my hands.
"Do you have a picture of him?"
"Yes! Yes, now that you mention it. Wait here." I jumped up and put my cup on the table in front of the couch. Then sprinted to my room, took my wallet and made my way back to the living room as fast as I could.
"I've always had this picture of the both of us. It was taken on the day me and my parents left the Islands." I explained casually and handed the picture over to Cloud. "See? I was fourteen and he was fifteen." I indicated, pointing at me first and then at Riku.
It was a nice picture. It was taken by Kairi in the late afternoon. Both me and Riku were standing next to each other on the beach, Riku's arm draped casually over my shoulder, me sticking up two fingers behind his head, and both of us grinning like idiots. It seemed like a photo of two friends having the time of their lives, though we weren't having that at all. I was leaving behind my best friend.
"He looks cute. So what's he now, 21? Right? He should be a total hot dude by now!" Cloud wiggled his eyebrows at me and I laughed in return.
"Don't you even think it!" I said harshly, but was actually joking. "Besides, I don't even think he's gay…" I fluttered my eyes at Cloud, wanting to show my conversational intellectualness.
"Ah, but not so long ago you very convincingly claimed that we all start out as bi." He pointed out matter of factly.
"Oh…" There went my pride. I didn't know what to say, seemed like I talked myself into a serious embarrassing dilemma there. "Aaah, well you know…" I gave Cloud a cheesy grin and slumped down a little more in the couch.
We both had a good laugh but after a few minutes the silence returned again. Leaving the both of us lost in our own little world of troubles.
"So, you wanna go search for him?" He suddenly asked.
"Yes." A short, but firm answer.
"Then I'm coming with you. I know this place pretty good and I'm having a few days off of work anyway." He was about to lift himself out of the couch but I stopped him.
"You will come with me?" No, this couldn't be real. If it was, then wow…just wow!
"Well, yes! Shit Sora, like you could ever find you're way out there on your own. Come on! You got yourself lost in less than an hour yesterday." He shook his head a little.
"True." I turned my head towards the large window on the right. It had an excellent view, the window actually reached from the ceiling to the floor, in other words it was huge! And beautiful. In fact, the entire apartment was beautiful. I wouldn't mind living here the rest of my life. Ok, maybe that's overdoing it a little.
"So, get your ass out of the couch, put on some decent shoes and get yourself ready. I'm planning on leaving this dump in abooooout…" He lifted his wrist up chest high to take a good look at his watch. "…5 minutes." He then gave me a toothy grin.
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I was listening to the soft tunes coming out of the radio as I almost fell asleep because of the constant throbbing of the car engine. We had been searching for 8 hours, going to all sorts of places, asking all sorts of people and even showing most of them my photograph…but nothing. Nothing at all, now one seemed to know him. It was about 11 pm now and I was tired.. Cloud sat beside me, driving. But no doubt he was tired as well, because I saw him trying to stifle a yawn every now and then.
I felt not only tired but also extremely sad. I had let Riku down…and I'd let myself down. Maybe Riku wasn't here at all, maybe Kairi had lied about it as well. She didn't have the letter anymore, did she? So, maybe…he had died together with his parents in the car crash after all. I gave a slight growl and tried to bury my head in my shirt.
"I'm sorry, Sora. We can continue searching tomorrow if you want…" Cloud was being concerned again. I really started to like Cloud, in this little time I knew him he had already done so much for me. He really deserved his spot in heaven. He was one of those barely existing few charitable people still out there.
"Don't be sorry, Cloud. Maybe it's just my mistake, maybe he's not here at all. I don't know why I was so overly positive about the fact that he should be here in the first place, I really don't know. So don't worry ok?" I tried giving him a smile, but that proved to be rather difficult because I was feeling really depressed right now. But Cloud didn't seem to mind, he just patted my shoulder with his right hand and gave me a look of sincere care.
We had been driving for another 10 minutes in silence now. Both listening to the soft music coming out of the radio. I was trying to enjoy this ride as much as possible, until suddenly I had this strange feeling. The feeling told me to get out of the care immediately. It was forcing me to get out of the car. The feeling was growing stronger. I had to get out of the car. I had to get out of it…I had to…NOW!
"Stop the car!" I yelled, and started unbuckling myself as Cloud, totally startled, tried his best to get the car to a full stop without endangering anyone.
"What the hell's wrong, Sora?" Cloud was seriously startled, to the point of becoming a little mad even.
"I don't know, I just…" I opened the door and got out. This was the first time I noticed where we actually were. A dark, gloomy, dangerous looking street. A kind of street where they do dark things, you know, like drugs or prostitution or…maybe even kill someone. I felt a shiver go through my spine. But I didn't care, I had to go forward, something was telling me to go forward…something was….
"Sora! No, come back! This is a very dangerous area!" I heard Cloud yell after me, but I didn't turn back. I expected him to yell at me again, but instead I heard him come out of the car as well and within a few seconds I heard his steady footsteps behind me. Following me straight into the darkness.
It was a narrow little alley between two large buildings. There were a few garbage cans standing here and there, and I even heard cat.
'Scrrritch'
"Sora, what was that?" Cloud was now standing beside me, trying to figure out where that noise had come from.
"I stepped on something. I think it broke. I can't see what it is though, it's too dark!"
"Wait…here." And with a little click there was light. Man he was prepared, wasn't he? He even had a little flashlight in one of the pockets of his jacket. He pointed the light towards the ground and there lay the shards of what seemed to have been something made out of plastic. I was lowering myself to inspect it a little closer but Cloud stopped me, holding my shoulder with one of his hands.
"Don't Sora, it's a needle, used for drugs."
"Oh…" I stepped away from it.
"Look…" Cloud said as he cast the light a little further over the ground. There were needles and all kinds of dirty rubbish everywhere in this little alley.
"Oh my God, this is disgusting…" I said, snorting a little in disgust.
We were about to turn away, when suddenly we heard a noise. It was a cry, a cry of someone in danger. We immediately started running further into the alley, we had to help this person. It was our civil duty: never leave someone in danger helpless. The further we ran, the louder the cries became. There were also some other noises like things being clashed together and stuff falling to the ground.
And there, between a few large trashcans was the source of all this noise. Two people, probably drug addicts, arguing and fighting. They hadn't noticed us yet, and I was about to get even closer when Cloud held me back.
"Sora, I don't think you want to see this." He shook his head a little, trying to stop me from getting myself into some serious trouble. And I was about to give into him when suddenly…
"…Riku!"
The name, yelled by one of the two strangers, echoed through the little alley, my eyes widened and I felt Cloud's grip on my shoulder tighten.
I'm really sorry for this late update…I had planned on updating much sooner, because I just couldn't stop writing, I had inspiration to spare! But sadly enough, Friday I had become very sick. I had a tranchea inflammation (or whatever you call it) and very high fever. I've only been recovering since yesterday, so I wasn't in the mood to continue writing my story…I wasn't in the mood for anything, lol. So, my apologies.
Anyway, I hope you liked it! I will do my best to update as soon as possible.
Stay tuned!
