HUMAN
ACK!
Selphie looks up from fastening her sandal strap.
What the hell? Kairi, is someone hurt? She asks, her hand drooping. Kairi doesn't answer but tries to rescue Selphie's shoe, but too late, it splashes into the water.
She jumps down to get it for Selphie just as Sora comes running up. He's screaming.
Kairi! Ow ow ow, Kairi help!
Omigod! Selphie shrieks.
On no. Kairi moans. Sora. Sora. Come here Sora. Sora!
Riku splashes noisily through the water his gloved hand stretched out.
Oh God. God. Sora! I'm so sorry, Sora are you ok? I didn't mean it-Sora stop screaming- did I really hurt you?
No! Now Kairi's screaming, she's so confused. Don't you touch him, Riku. She slaps his hand away. Don't you touch Sora, you can't do anything.
Selphie stares at her, mouth open. Kairi, he's only trying to help, she says, but that doesn't matter because Sora's still screaming and they only catch her words for a second.
He's bleeding like a stuck pig, from where they can't tell very well because his entire face is streaming with blood, pink from seawater.
What happened? Selphie demanded.
Riku is giving Kairi a very cloudy look. You…. He begins. But he changes his mind and answers Selphie instead.
He missed a block, Riku explains apologetically.
Riku, why you lying, yah? Wakka comes up, his face stormy and his eyes flashing. I saw you, Riku. Sora called time out. You hit him when he had his back to you. What, you trying to kill your own best friend?
Chill, Wakka. Tidus says. He comes jumping down from the palm trees, where he'd sat above watching too interested in Riku and Sora's play-fight on the Papou island, but not interested in having to do girl-talk with Selphie and Kairi.
I saw it too he insists. Riku swung right before Sora called time out. A total accident.
Tidus goes to Sora and pries his wet fingers away from his face. Let me see, he says. Sora is holding his left eye which is dripping. His mouth is open and he is not screaming anymore but biting his lip and when he needs to breathe he takes ragged gasps.
He had his back turned! Wakka yells. He turns on Riku and looks ready to punch him, even though Riku looks bewildered and is taking a step back which scares Kairi too because Riku normally just looks down on Wakka because of their height difference.
Not because he was stuck up. Riku was just tall, she knew that he never played those type of games with the guys, it was just with her. She was kind of glad of that, she had a very isolated soap opera going on.
Wakka, back off! It was an accident! Tidu's voice is sharp.
Like hell it was!
KNOCK IT OFF! Sora lets go of his face and is up like a shot, wrenching Wakka and Riku away from each other so Wakka falls backward into a tree trunk and Riku careens into the water. Sora's eye is screwed shut and looks puffy, purplish in some parts and red in others. He's breathing hard and his undamaged eye is watering.
Sora. Oh Sora. Kairi says. Her face is wet too.
What?
…. She doesn't know what to say to something that isn't Kairi Oh Kairi back.
Kairi, what?
…She's so embarrassed.
Uh. That salt must be killing you! We need some drinking water to wash off your face!
It's so stupid she doesn't even feel bad when everyone stares at her like she's an idiot. An idiot interrupting some heavy drama.
Sora, I'm sorry. Really. Riku says.
Kairi looks and for the first time she realizes Riku is still holding the sword he got Sora with. It's broken. The top half is missing, the end splintered. She quickly twists her head and there they are, sharp slivers of wood in Sora's plain brown bangs and stuck in his skin, all around the swollen bloody bruise. His eye.
She starts crying for real. Sora. She hates how she's crying, not even Sora's crying for real. Sora, she cries.
Kairi, what is it already? Is something wrong?
Selphie's eyes light up and her eyebrows rise. Sora, she's just upset you're hurt. She says like she's trying not to smile.
Tidus and Wakka look at Selphie, suspicious. So they don't see how Kairi is shooting Riku a very bitter look while she stuffs her face into her fists.
Riku. She says. And Riku looks at her.
Kairi, I'm sorry.
Sora. She says.
He takes it wrong and says swiftly, I know, it's Sora I should be apologizing to and I… I really… but I mean I want to apologize to you, too.
Sora's laughing now and says What a bad sword Riku, it broke right on me.
Stupid! Wakka scolds. Don't joke, can you even see anymore from that eye?
Sora shrugs and lifts his fingers to pry open his eyelid-he can't open it normally.
Don't Riku suddenly cuts in, running over. He pulls Sora's hand away from his face and holds his wrists. You open it now and you'll get wood in your eye. If you're not blind now you might blind yourself.
Yeah, Wakka says sarcastically. So says the guy who blinded him.
Kairi was watching intently and after watching Riku so intently already for so long she was expert enough to know what was going to happen moments before anyone else knew.
First Riku's face crumpled up like it never had before, then it melted with a smooth fluidity, shared by the swing of Riku's hand.
He slapped Wakka hard in the face.
Wakka fell over, and there was an unsteady high-pitched laugh from Tidus, who clearly had no idea what to do.
You bastard. You fucking bastard. Riku says, looking down at Wakka-really looking down, as if he wanted to spit on Wakka's sprawled form. Sora is looking too, and Riku is still holding him by the wrists.
Riku! Selphie cries, but Riku isn't listening, he's still looking at Wakka.
Sora is my best friend. I would never hurt any of my friends on purpose. Ever. Sora's my BEST FRIEND. Wakka-
Sora sinks his nails into Riku's skin to get his attention.
Riku, shut up. They know, I know. It's ok I'm ok.
The boys don't bother with slapping most of the time Kairi thinks. They just hit each other. Riku must be really pissed.
Sora looks pityingly at Wakka the best he can with his eye
Shit, man. Thanks for sticking up for me, but Riku…Sorry, you deserved that. I gotta go home, get my mom to look at this…
The wound is huge now, it's stopped bleeding, but Kairi thinks the bump of the bruise has eaten up the bump of his eyeball. Meanwhile Wakka's cheek is pinker than sunburn and his mouth has dropped open.
Wait, Sora. I'll come with you. Riku takes a few quick steps to catch up to Sora heading home. What if you can't see the path? What if you start bleeding again? He asks. Hold up, I'll come with.
Selphie looks mournful. But Riku she says. Can you face Sora's mom and tell her you did that?
Riku nods. Yeah, I want her to know he says and Sora grins feebly.
They head off together, walking side by side and not speaking. When are already small on the horizon, Kairi saw Sora lift his arm and loop it around Riku's shoulders.
Kairi just watches, her lip quivering
A/N : Is this no quotation stuff starting to get irritating? What about this stream of consciousness style? If so please tell me and I'll try to fix it. Yes this was a long chapter, and it might have gone back to depressing… sorry… but review anyway. I am planning to continue…Incidentally, I feel I should mention my brother's name is Kai.