I'm sorry to those who are disappointed in this story. I myself have problems with it here and there, but I'm not going to abandon my original idea. Well, if you ask me what it was that I originally thought I'll say that I wanted a little torturing. I did get the idea from some random sexual harassment/rape picture I saw somewhere. Majority of the fanfics I read of Riku and Sora makes Sora suffer so instead I wanted to switch things. Sorry, if that isn't what you wanted. I'm not saying that I am going to torture Riku to death, but I need to have some suffering in my fics, I bet all of them will. That's how I get my cruel kicks, I guess.

kmwsweetness—yes, well, yes. Riku is in darkness, that's all part of my 'plan' kind of. Hehe...

Ayeshagirl—thanks for reading. I understand if you don't like this very much. I'm glad you told me that you're going to discontinue reading this. (So I don't really know if you're going to read this. Oh, well! hehehe...)

DancingMistress—relieved that you liked it. I felt mean doing that to Riku but I'm sorry to say that I like sad stories.

kyuu—thank you, I loved writing the argument part.

jem89—grateful that you reviewed telling me that. And no doubt they will be together. Just a little more bad stuff.

Love is Blind

Chapter Eight

Sora woke up exceedingly early, the sun was hardly up and it was still dark outside. He laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, staring into nothing and then into his mind. He had lift Riku's house in a stomp of fury that he felt so guilty now thinking about it. Sora had set out to comfort his friend but apparently he did the opposite.

After leaving Riku's house, he went straight home. He neglected to remember that he was supposed to meet his friends who were dying to know how the visit went with Riku. No, the brunet felt abnormally heart-broken to socialize with friends. But why did his heart ache so much, he did not know and was too dense to search for an answer.

Now, Sora could only hope that he didn't hurt Riku's feelings that much by saying what he said.

"But his words hurt me too," Sora pouted as he shifted his body comfortably on his right side. It really was an unpleasant feeling when Riku told him that he never wanted to see him again. Riku didn't have to say that. Sora really wanted to help. It wasn't his intention to fight.

Sora had really missed Riku. He wanted to see him but instead, Riku had to shove him out. It really pained him that Riku would not talk to him. He was his best friend, right? So why won't he talk to Sora?

Riku had always been so dark and coolly calm but this was nothing like him. He wouldn't lock himself in his room, doing hell knows what! What was wrong with him!

Now that Sora thought about it, Riku didn't seem too happy for the past two weeks. He never smiled once at Sora, not that he did that much when he was normal but still Riku would have some kind of greeting towards the brunet. So why has that changed?

"Riku!" Sora screamed in his pillow with frustration. The silver-haired teen was so complicated. Sora, who was the dumber of the two, could not possibly figure out what was wrong with him.

When Sora finally calmed down from his recent exertion, he tried to focus and come up with an explanation to all of this.

Suddenly, something hit him, well, he literally pumped his head on the bookshelf that was nailed to the wall his bed leaned against. He murmured 'ouch' and placed a hand on his possibly bruised head because he had bounced up so fast and strong. Then he thought of the reason he had hit himself. It was because something had hit him; the reason why Riku was acting this way.

Sora thought. /Maybe it's because of me and Kairi. God, damn it! Maybe it is. The way Riku acted when I told him I liked Kairi, I didn't know what it was but it definitely wasn't happiness. Maybe...maybe...Riku does like Kairi/ (Shows how dense he is.) Sora concluded with this result with a frown. Somehow he felt jealous if Riku had feelings towards Kairi. He was envious, in fact, of something. He knew it was envy. But what he doesn't realize is that he wasn't envious because he liked Kairi himself.

Riku's heart was beating at an accelerating speed as he dressed and walked downstairs. His mother was a little surprised that Riku came down. Riku's father looked at his son, his face filled with questions he wanted to ask the teen. But it would just have to be left unanswered because at it was, Riku would not talk. He didn't even say good morning. He felt too horrible to say a thing. Replaying the argument he had with Sora tugged at his heart. He has got to make this pain go away.

Riku's mother placed pancakes and eggs in front of the silver-haired boy. He stared at them. Then he lifted his fork, proceeding to put a bite of pancake in his mouth. It tasted like nothing. He was still recovering from his crying, his mouth still numb to taste because of all the noises that threatened to come out of his mouth, making it dry and hoarse.

Riku didn't feel like eating more. A bite of pancake and a bite of an egg and he was done. He got up to leave. His mother looked at him and asked very softly and gently, "Dear, where are you going?"

All Riku managed to say was the word 'out' before he walked to the front door and turned the knob, opening the door in which he had not opened for days and stepping outside to the sand in which he had not laid a foot on or eye on in days.

The bright sunlight almost blinded Riku. He put his hand over his eyes as he adjusted to the brightness. It was certainly warm outside too. He had almost forgotten how it felt to be outside. Strange feeling. But the warmth and the light reminded him of Sora so it was agonizing.

As Riku walked slowly deeper into the forest that will eventually lead to that man's dwelling, he felt extremely uncomfortable and wondered if he would make a mistake in going into that strange man's territory again.

He looked up at the ominous sky and hoped that what was to come wasn't going to be like what this weather was telling him. The clouds looked gray and heavy with rain. The usual warm sun was blocked so that only streams of light flowed past these dust particles condensed with water vapor or so called clouds.

Riku didn't feel good. He was too nervous to even realize that he was shaking. His mind kept him occupied with various thoughts though, thoughts of this man called Ansem. How he was afraid of him. From the first look of the man he was afraid. Ansem had a strong and dark aura, Riku knew the man was no good, but he needed to know if this man who claimed he could help the boy really could. Riku was desperate! He was ready to do anything.

Then, all too soon, Riku was at the clearing, the 'haunted' house before him. His heart started to beat at a rather accelerating rate. His stomach felt queasy like something was inside his stomach doing flips and flops.

Maybe he shouldn't go? Maybe this was a mistake? What if that man was trying to trick him? What if he can't help?

Riku made to take a step back and turn around but he stopped. What did he have to lose? His heart? His soul? Heck! He already lost them! He lost them when he so foolishly let himself fall so deep in love with Sora. Sora...that brunet was all Riku's problems. (But also all his happiness.)

Again, Riku felt a piercing pain at his injured heart. Thinking about Sora was bad, it made even more pain. Riku needed to stop. He needed to forget. He needed to fall out of love with Sora. He needed to get rid of this pain!

With a new-found confidence, Riku returned to walking towards the house slowly. Step by step, his concerns came back to him. All those doubts once again filled his troubled mind. He became uncertain again.

As Riku stood right in front of the gray-haired man's front door, he wondered if he should really knock. He could very well walk away now. But hen he would never know if the man was able to help him. And he'll have to live with his pain. No. Riku knocked.

Almost instantly the door opened. Riku was surprised at the fast reaction. Then he turned weak when he saw the face of that Ansem guy. Riku began to shake again.

"Hello, Riku," Ansem said, and if he was trying to be pleasant, it didn't work. Riku felt only uneasy at hearing his name. "I'm very glad to see you." His tone sounded glad alright but did that mean it was good for Riku?

Riku wanted to say something but he didn't know what. Around this man, Riku felt so weak and powerless.

"Do you want to come in?" Ansem moved back to let entrance for his expected visitor.

Riku still felt uncertain but there was no turning back now. So slowly Riku stepped inside this man's house.

"Sit," the older man said as he led Riku to the living room. It both surprised and unsettled Riku that the inside of the house looked nothing like the outside. It was not normal, not ordinary. Ordinary was plain, and plain was good. This was not.

After Riku sat on the plush red couch, Ansem sat on the sofa next him. "Do you want anything, a drink perhaps? Tea?"

Riku shook his head lightly. Ansem knew his visitor would say 'no' but he asked just to try to be hospitable to the boy.

While Ansem made himself more comfortable in his sofa by crossing one leg over the other, Riku searched for words. What shall he say? Riku was too nervous and deeply frightened of the man to think straight. Yes, Riku was scared of him. Who wouldn't be?

"Riku, do you know you have beautiful hair?" Ansem said oddly in the silence that Riku now would like back.

The silver-haired boy stared at the man in disbelief almost in shock of what came out of that mouth. Beautiful hair? Beautiful? Did that man just say he was beautiful? Even if it was his hair...Beautiful? Riku wanted to scream. His mind was baffled but physically he maintained a still posture. What was this man thinking?

A weak 'thanks' was what came out of Riku's lips. It could hardly be considered audible.

"It matches those nice green eyes of yours," Riku heard the man say next. The teen didn't know how to respond. What was this man doing? "And when you blush, you look lovely."

Riku immediately raised a hand to his cheek and felt that it was hot. He hadn't realized that he was blushing. And his last statement only made him blush redder.

But as Riku concentrated on getting his face to the normal color, Ansem stood up and took slow steps towards the confused boy. Riku looked up at the man in front of him, nearly towering over him.

Ansem dared to lean forward and catch Riku's chin as the boy looked up at him. "So lovely," he said almost in a soft whisper.

No! Riku knocked the hand away from him furiously. "Shut the hell up!" Riku stood up angered but still feeling the stubborn blush. "And don't touch me again!" The silver-haired teen ordered gravely.

Ansem stood straight and completely calm. "Why, I'm sorry." But to Riku it didn't sound like he was.

"You said you could help me! But if you can't, I'll be leaving!" Riku stated loud and serious.

"Let's not be too hasty, Riku," Ansem said calmly with a grin. "I only wanted to get to know you more."

"Cut the crap already!" Riku shouted back at him. Right now this man agitated him, but inside he was still a little afraid. "I'm not here to get acquainted. I'm here to get rid of..." Riku stopped, he didn't know what was the appropriate word for his pain.

"Your feelings?" Ansem suggested. It was not the exact word Riku would have chosen but it was something like it.

"So can you do something about it, or what?" Riku demanded.

"Yes, I can, but you'll have to cooperate," The gray-haired man replied.

"Fine," Riku said, now calmer.

"Now, sit," Ansem said almost too cheerfully, "and relax."

Riku obeyed.