AN: I came up with this little one-shot while I was in my Rhetoric class today. Well actually, I only thought of the title, and the rest came pretty easily. :) I've got more things planned that I've been trying to write (some KH one-shots and poems that you should see soon). But I'm also going to be working on some original fics that I'll put up on maybe. I'll let you know if I do. ;)
Mr. Moogle: Whoa, it's been a while, hasn't it? Anyways, Holly still doesn't own anything. Thanks for everyone's reviews, and enjoy!
:Quarantine:
:Riku's POV:
Some people lock themselves away in their rooms, afraid of the outside world. They hide from something or someone. I don't know why they choose to be alone. They don't realize if they're feeling depressed or scared that they actually need to be around people to help them. Friends and family members are the ones that can help them step outside of their room, back into the world where they belong. But you see, those sort of people, they have a choice. They choose to hide away. They choose to be alone. I never chose any of this. Yet I am the same as them. I am separated from the rest of the world.
Bare white walls surround me, and I sit in this small place, day after day, hidden from all eyes. Yes, I am like those people…except I didn't choose anything of this. "Oh yes you did." They say to me. "You did choose this way of life. You chose it when you chose the darkness." They don't know what they're talking about. Me? I would never choose this way of life. Sure, the darkness may have been the road I chose, but I never intended to walk it for as long as I did. I didn't mean to get so caught up in any of that.
But I did intend to do one thing, and that was to save Kairi. Love is a funny thing. Sometimes it just comes out of nowhere, even when you're only 15 years old. Only…I say it as if 15 years is nothing. Adults always say we're too young. But I'm not too young enough for them to lock me away. "He's 15 years old." They say. "He's old enough to deal with the consequences of his actions." I guess I'm too young and old enough at the same time. Too young to love, but old enough to suffer.
This isolation, this involuntary isolation that was thrown upon me, isn't meant to hurt me though. It's meant to save me, and others, from the disease that has taken over me. "I'm sorry, but it's contagious." They say to me. Like sorry makes that statement sound any better... "We cannot risk getting other people infected." Alright, I get it. They don't want it to spread. But how do they know it will spread? How do they know if the disease is still there? I guess they'll never know for sure, so they're taking every precaution necessary. They must be right though.
I know that I've screwed up in the past, nearly causing the disaster of the entire universe, so I can see why they'd want to keep me locked up. I don't want to be the puppet of another sinister plan. So even though I do not agree with being hidden away from the world, I have no choice. In a way, I must do as they say. Otherwise, I could risk infecting her…the person I did all of this for in the first place. So I don't fight back. I don't try to escape. I just sit here, a prisoner of my own body. I don't know how I pass the time, I don't know what I do to stay sane. Maybe the disease of darkness is still inside. Maybe that's the only thing keeping me alive. I tire of my questions. With nothing in the room but me and these white walls, my mind is always active, constantly thinking. I guess that can be a tiring thing. The only thing that really changes around here is when someone comes to see me.
There is a small window at the door, so occasionally people come by and peek in. Granted, it's nice to know the world is still alive around me, but it's a thick piece of glass, kinda dirty, and very small. I guess it's just another way to remind me that I'm locked up. For how long? Who knows. Could be a week, could be forever. I don't really care. I've kind of accepted the fact that I have no choice in the matter of my future. If I'm seen as a danger to society, then that's what I am. If I'm seen as safe, then I will leave. But my time for now must be spent here. But I wish I could be out there, so I could talk to her…
I have only seen the girl I love once since I've been here. I glanced up by chance to find her azure eyes watching me. I smiled at the fact that she at least came by, that she at least still thinks of me. Yet I wonder what she thinks of me. Does she see me as the boy who did anything to save her? The boy who threw away his entire future for her? Am I the boy she loves? Or does she see me as a foolish boy? Am I even her friend? Her friend who carries this disease and chooses to stay away from the world to save it? Or does she just stare at me with pity? Am I just the boy inside these walls, with a sign outside my door marked 'Quarantine'?