Reversal: Please look at me?
(Standard Disclaimers apply = KH is not mine.)
The sun and wind were feeling ambitious and determined to battle the curtains that kept the room in a comforting darkness. The lightweight cotton curtains put up a good fight but were unable to protect the light from invading the inner threshold of the room with the aid from the mischievous wind. Upon a tousled bed, lay a figure unaware of the conflict occurring over him. He felt the playful light kiss shadows from his face. It was encouraging him to wake up. However, he just could not bring himself to face reality so soon. The vestige of dreamless sleep was enticing as it allowed him to forget what had happened. Unwillingly, his lashes fluttered and his eyes hurt from the triumphant sunlight. His mouth formed a rebellious pout as he thought to himself how he had come to dislike the cheery mornings.
..............................
Being tall had its advantages and it helped Wakka locate the elusive Sora, who was seated upon the wooden tower, facing the mid-morning sea. Tidus struggled to understand what the chunky carrot top was rattling about as Wakka excitedly dragged him him across the sandy beach. It was only when Tidus also spotted two distinctively luminous beacons of submarine yellow did he realize that Wakka had not gone crazy but was actually pulling him towards the direction of the owner of those horrendously bright shoes.
The wooden rungs made faint creaking noises as they bravely took on the weight of Wakka and Tidus. As they plopped down on either side of their smaller friend, the two buff blitz ballers took up most of the space on the wooden platform and it was a wonder how the tower managed not to tilt forward from the excess weight. Sora did not notice presence of his two blitz ball mates seated by him. He was engrossed with the blues and greens of the mid-morning waters. It reminded him of a similar pair of eyes that he had not seen for a while.
"Sora..."
Sora did not respond, he thought it was the wind.
Wakka rolled his eyes, "Yo mon!"
This time, Sora was not so sure it was the wind. He took his gaze off the mesmerizing sea and turned to the voice calling him.
Sora did not really imagine anyone finding him up in the tower and he was not prepared to see Wakka's smiling face. He did not have a chance to put up a happy charade and quickly turned his face from the older boy, hoping that Wakka did not notice the sadness on his face. Little did he expect to see Tidus sitting on his other side, with a concerned look upon his sun- kissed face. Sora panicked and stumbled forward, almost falling off the platform if not for two pairs of strong arms holding him safe.
"Geez Sora! Be careful!" shouted Tidus. The quiet boy shrugged from his friends' hold and huddled into a tight ball, his face pressed upon his knees. Sora did not know how to face Wakka and Tidus. Hot and desperate tears welled behind his closed eyes. He could not let them see him crying. It would be as good as admitting he was weak.
Wakka's light bulb grin went out the moment Sora nearly toppled off the high tower trying to hide from them. His concern gaze met Tidus' equally troubled eyes. It seems like they had underestimated their little friend.
..............................
"Oh Riku, you look terrible..." Selphie whispered. Kairi nodded in silent agreement.
There were faint shadows under Riku's ocean coloured eyes. His alabaster skin lacked a healthy tinge of pink, as if the older boy had not been sleeping well at night. Riku's trademark sleek silver hair was lacking in shine and looked like a sadly tangled mane. Selphie had always wondered how Riku would look "bad", as she had been secretly envious of her boy friend's natural beauty. However, she wished that she did not get to see Riku looking so wasted under such circumstances. It was obvious to both girls that Riku was cracking under the strain of his relationship, or lack of relationship, with Sora. He stood with his back against the wooden pier. He looked frail and tired, unlike the strong Riku that they all knew.
Riku drew his gaze, from the lone figure seated upon the high tower, to the two girls standing anxiously before him.
"What do you want," snapped Riku, his tone impatient as he wished the girls would leave him alone so that he could go on looking at the person he longed for to be by his side.
Kairi's brow furrowed. Riku was not one to react so harshly.
"Selphie and I want to talk to you about something."
Riku's eyes narrowed. Unaffected by her silver haired friend's hurting stare, Kairi continued, "It's about you and Sora."
"There is nothing to talk about!" Riku replied curtly as he turned and walked away.
Selphie, always the impulsive one, rushed forth and wrapped her arms around Riku's waist to stop him from leaving. Riku scowled as he struggled to pull himself from the younger girl's surprisingly tight grip.
"Kairi! Say something!" exclaimed Selphie.
Kairi was at a loss. Her normally present rationality had deserted her. Of all the possible outcomes that she had thought about of their talk with Riku, him walking out before the conversation even started was not one scenario she had considered.
The redhead shook her head in disappointment as she blurted out her thoughts, "Riku! Since when did you become such a coward?"
Selphie felt Riku's muscles tense the moment Kairi's words made an impact.
Seeing that Riku was responding to what she was saying, Kairi continued, "Are you running away? Is that it Riku? Are you going to run away every time you feel afraid?"
Riku froze in his struggle.
"I am NOT running away. I... I am just irritated by you people pestering me. That's ALL!" Riku argued as he shot Kairi a frosted stare. It was as if he Kairi's words had not hit upon a raw spot: His stance aloof and his face expressionless.
For a moment, Kairi felt uncertain about whether she was doing right as she shivered unconsciously from Riku's cold stare. However, Selphie could feel Riku shaking under her hold and she shouted, "He's lying Kairi!"
"Why are you hiding from Sora? Can't you see you are hurting him as well as yourself?"
So many questions, so few answers.
Riku was too used to running from his problems. Selphie could no longer hold him back.
Kairi sighed as she watched Riku escaped from reality. Warm tears filled Selphie's innocent eyes.
"We didn't make it better did we Kairi?"
"Don't cry Selphie..." Kairi comforted the younger girl with a soft hug to make the unhappiness go away, "It may not be as bad as you think."
Silently, she added, "...I hope."
..............................
Riku climbed onto another vintage point, a place where he could see Sora again. But instead of just finding the familiar figure alone on the high tower, there were two other people seated by his best friend's sides.
A sharp pang of jealousy cut deeply into his chest.
Cynically, Riku laughed at his foolishness, "He does not need me... he has other people he can turn to. "
Riku felt drained of all emotions. He felt cold and alone. ...and abandoned.
Kairi was right. Everything she said was correct. Selphie was also accurate in saying that he was lying. Riku had been deceiving himself into thinking that everything would turn out fine if he just avoided it. Running away was the simple solution and it had its consequences.
He did not blame Sora. He knew it was his fault that Sora turned away from him. Riku had pushed his best friend away from his side because Riku was afraid.
..............................
Tidus grinned as he said, "It's okay to cry Sora."
With a weak smile, Sora wiped the tears from his eyes.
Wakka and Tidus' felt empathy for their poor little friend who had just spent the past two hours pouring his heart out. He had not wanted to release all his pent-up emotions but under relentless persuasion, Sora could not help but speak of his sorrows to two pairs of listening ears. He spoke of how he could no longer understand why Riku was avoiding him, treating him like a stranger, and how he tried so hard to keep up a happy front even though he felt himself become more and more unhappy inside.
"Ya gotta speak to Riku ya?" Wakka advised.
Tidus nodded his head in agreement. This was something that the both of them had to work out by themselves.
"Remember what I said I wanted to be when I was young, Wakka?"
Wakka scratched his head in bewilderment. Tidus playfully knocked his oranged haired mate on the head.
"Oh! Ya mean about wanting to become stronger?"
Sora nodded shyly as his cheeks turned pink. Tidus, the most perceptive of the three, instinctively understand what Sora wanted but was too embarrass to say, "Don't worry Sora, you have become strong. Right Wakka?"
Wakka agreed whole-heartedly, "Ya Sora! You have become strong ya!"
Looking at his two friends' heartening smiles, Sora could not help but feel better than he had felt in days. It was as if a large burden had been lifted from his slender shoulders. Hope had been rekindled in his heart and his eyes blazed with brilliant blue as he looked out into the distant waters. It was as if Riku was staring back at him.
As Sora's concentration returned to the aquamarine scenary, Wakka and Tidus exchanged a mischievous grin. Tidus mouthed the words, "On the count of three.... One... two...."
"THREE!" Both chunky blitz ball players shouted as they smoldered Sora in an unexpected hug of encouragement.
Their light-hearted peals of laughter echoed throughout the island.
..............................
Dcal's note: Gonna keep you wondering what will happen between Sora and Riku for a while as I stray from this fic to concentrate on doing up a Leon/Cloud ficlet for Uzumaki's challenge! Hopefully, the next update would be a heart-wrenching one as Sora confronts Riku. I just realized that the characterization of Riku and Sora differs vastly from the other characterizations I had done in my other KH fics. Never expected it to into this direction and I am not really fond of writing sad stuff. As usual, the story is straying from the linear plot I had in mind. Still, I am satisfied with how this chapter turned out. I will be happy if you like the fic and review.
(Standard Disclaimers apply = KH is not mine.)
The sun and wind were feeling ambitious and determined to battle the curtains that kept the room in a comforting darkness. The lightweight cotton curtains put up a good fight but were unable to protect the light from invading the inner threshold of the room with the aid from the mischievous wind. Upon a tousled bed, lay a figure unaware of the conflict occurring over him. He felt the playful light kiss shadows from his face. It was encouraging him to wake up. However, he just could not bring himself to face reality so soon. The vestige of dreamless sleep was enticing as it allowed him to forget what had happened. Unwillingly, his lashes fluttered and his eyes hurt from the triumphant sunlight. His mouth formed a rebellious pout as he thought to himself how he had come to dislike the cheery mornings.
..............................
Being tall had its advantages and it helped Wakka locate the elusive Sora, who was seated upon the wooden tower, facing the mid-morning sea. Tidus struggled to understand what the chunky carrot top was rattling about as Wakka excitedly dragged him him across the sandy beach. It was only when Tidus also spotted two distinctively luminous beacons of submarine yellow did he realize that Wakka had not gone crazy but was actually pulling him towards the direction of the owner of those horrendously bright shoes.
The wooden rungs made faint creaking noises as they bravely took on the weight of Wakka and Tidus. As they plopped down on either side of their smaller friend, the two buff blitz ballers took up most of the space on the wooden platform and it was a wonder how the tower managed not to tilt forward from the excess weight. Sora did not notice presence of his two blitz ball mates seated by him. He was engrossed with the blues and greens of the mid-morning waters. It reminded him of a similar pair of eyes that he had not seen for a while.
"Sora..."
Sora did not respond, he thought it was the wind.
Wakka rolled his eyes, "Yo mon!"
This time, Sora was not so sure it was the wind. He took his gaze off the mesmerizing sea and turned to the voice calling him.
Sora did not really imagine anyone finding him up in the tower and he was not prepared to see Wakka's smiling face. He did not have a chance to put up a happy charade and quickly turned his face from the older boy, hoping that Wakka did not notice the sadness on his face. Little did he expect to see Tidus sitting on his other side, with a concerned look upon his sun- kissed face. Sora panicked and stumbled forward, almost falling off the platform if not for two pairs of strong arms holding him safe.
"Geez Sora! Be careful!" shouted Tidus. The quiet boy shrugged from his friends' hold and huddled into a tight ball, his face pressed upon his knees. Sora did not know how to face Wakka and Tidus. Hot and desperate tears welled behind his closed eyes. He could not let them see him crying. It would be as good as admitting he was weak.
Wakka's light bulb grin went out the moment Sora nearly toppled off the high tower trying to hide from them. His concern gaze met Tidus' equally troubled eyes. It seems like they had underestimated their little friend.
..............................
"Oh Riku, you look terrible..." Selphie whispered. Kairi nodded in silent agreement.
There were faint shadows under Riku's ocean coloured eyes. His alabaster skin lacked a healthy tinge of pink, as if the older boy had not been sleeping well at night. Riku's trademark sleek silver hair was lacking in shine and looked like a sadly tangled mane. Selphie had always wondered how Riku would look "bad", as she had been secretly envious of her boy friend's natural beauty. However, she wished that she did not get to see Riku looking so wasted under such circumstances. It was obvious to both girls that Riku was cracking under the strain of his relationship, or lack of relationship, with Sora. He stood with his back against the wooden pier. He looked frail and tired, unlike the strong Riku that they all knew.
Riku drew his gaze, from the lone figure seated upon the high tower, to the two girls standing anxiously before him.
"What do you want," snapped Riku, his tone impatient as he wished the girls would leave him alone so that he could go on looking at the person he longed for to be by his side.
Kairi's brow furrowed. Riku was not one to react so harshly.
"Selphie and I want to talk to you about something."
Riku's eyes narrowed. Unaffected by her silver haired friend's hurting stare, Kairi continued, "It's about you and Sora."
"There is nothing to talk about!" Riku replied curtly as he turned and walked away.
Selphie, always the impulsive one, rushed forth and wrapped her arms around Riku's waist to stop him from leaving. Riku scowled as he struggled to pull himself from the younger girl's surprisingly tight grip.
"Kairi! Say something!" exclaimed Selphie.
Kairi was at a loss. Her normally present rationality had deserted her. Of all the possible outcomes that she had thought about of their talk with Riku, him walking out before the conversation even started was not one scenario she had considered.
The redhead shook her head in disappointment as she blurted out her thoughts, "Riku! Since when did you become such a coward?"
Selphie felt Riku's muscles tense the moment Kairi's words made an impact.
Seeing that Riku was responding to what she was saying, Kairi continued, "Are you running away? Is that it Riku? Are you going to run away every time you feel afraid?"
Riku froze in his struggle.
"I am NOT running away. I... I am just irritated by you people pestering me. That's ALL!" Riku argued as he shot Kairi a frosted stare. It was as if he Kairi's words had not hit upon a raw spot: His stance aloof and his face expressionless.
For a moment, Kairi felt uncertain about whether she was doing right as she shivered unconsciously from Riku's cold stare. However, Selphie could feel Riku shaking under her hold and she shouted, "He's lying Kairi!"
"Why are you hiding from Sora? Can't you see you are hurting him as well as yourself?"
So many questions, so few answers.
Riku was too used to running from his problems. Selphie could no longer hold him back.
Kairi sighed as she watched Riku escaped from reality. Warm tears filled Selphie's innocent eyes.
"We didn't make it better did we Kairi?"
"Don't cry Selphie..." Kairi comforted the younger girl with a soft hug to make the unhappiness go away, "It may not be as bad as you think."
Silently, she added, "...I hope."
..............................
Riku climbed onto another vintage point, a place where he could see Sora again. But instead of just finding the familiar figure alone on the high tower, there were two other people seated by his best friend's sides.
A sharp pang of jealousy cut deeply into his chest.
Cynically, Riku laughed at his foolishness, "He does not need me... he has other people he can turn to. "
Riku felt drained of all emotions. He felt cold and alone. ...and abandoned.
Kairi was right. Everything she said was correct. Selphie was also accurate in saying that he was lying. Riku had been deceiving himself into thinking that everything would turn out fine if he just avoided it. Running away was the simple solution and it had its consequences.
He did not blame Sora. He knew it was his fault that Sora turned away from him. Riku had pushed his best friend away from his side because Riku was afraid.
..............................
Tidus grinned as he said, "It's okay to cry Sora."
With a weak smile, Sora wiped the tears from his eyes.
Wakka and Tidus' felt empathy for their poor little friend who had just spent the past two hours pouring his heart out. He had not wanted to release all his pent-up emotions but under relentless persuasion, Sora could not help but speak of his sorrows to two pairs of listening ears. He spoke of how he could no longer understand why Riku was avoiding him, treating him like a stranger, and how he tried so hard to keep up a happy front even though he felt himself become more and more unhappy inside.
"Ya gotta speak to Riku ya?" Wakka advised.
Tidus nodded his head in agreement. This was something that the both of them had to work out by themselves.
"Remember what I said I wanted to be when I was young, Wakka?"
Wakka scratched his head in bewilderment. Tidus playfully knocked his oranged haired mate on the head.
"Oh! Ya mean about wanting to become stronger?"
Sora nodded shyly as his cheeks turned pink. Tidus, the most perceptive of the three, instinctively understand what Sora wanted but was too embarrass to say, "Don't worry Sora, you have become strong. Right Wakka?"
Wakka agreed whole-heartedly, "Ya Sora! You have become strong ya!"
Looking at his two friends' heartening smiles, Sora could not help but feel better than he had felt in days. It was as if a large burden had been lifted from his slender shoulders. Hope had been rekindled in his heart and his eyes blazed with brilliant blue as he looked out into the distant waters. It was as if Riku was staring back at him.
As Sora's concentration returned to the aquamarine scenary, Wakka and Tidus exchanged a mischievous grin. Tidus mouthed the words, "On the count of three.... One... two...."
"THREE!" Both chunky blitz ball players shouted as they smoldered Sora in an unexpected hug of encouragement.
Their light-hearted peals of laughter echoed throughout the island.
..............................
Dcal's note: Gonna keep you wondering what will happen between Sora and Riku for a while as I stray from this fic to concentrate on doing up a Leon/Cloud ficlet for Uzumaki's challenge! Hopefully, the next update would be a heart-wrenching one as Sora confronts Riku. I just realized that the characterization of Riku and Sora differs vastly from the other characterizations I had done in my other KH fics. Never expected it to into this direction and I am not really fond of writing sad stuff. As usual, the story is straying from the linear plot I had in mind. Still, I am satisfied with how this chapter turned out. I will be happy if you like the fic and review.