Falling Short of Cloud Nine Part IV

Last time: That had been two days ago. That was the last time Riku had talked to Sora in two days…

Oooh! What happened? I dunno, I'm just the author…

Okay! In this chapter, you learn what happened to poor Sora!

S14: I guess I'm slightly mean to poor little Sora when I write, eh?

Sora: oh, I really didn't notice!

Riku: And now you're gonna be mean to me too!

S14: I dunno if I'm gonna be mean to you, just yet, Riku. I've got another idea for you. But that's a different story that is still in the works.

Riku: Can't wait…

Riku was jarred back to reality by Adam's gravelly voice. "Hey, kid, you alright?"

Riku shook himself out of it, keeping his revealing memories to himself. He needed to see Sora before he made any assumptions.

"You open the door when you're ready…" Adam told him carefully.

Riku took a deep breath and opened the door…

(And if I was really cruel, I'd end it there, but I won't…)

There was a small lobby, which seemed a lot smaller with all of the people in there. There were at least four or five nurses, all bustling around trying to get something done. Mrs. Hart was in a chair at the corner of the room, sobbing into her sister's shoulder. Sora's cousin, Namine, stood by her own mother, staring blankly into the distance. Riku recalled that Sora and Namine were pretty close, like sister and brother. He walked up to the blonde girl and tried to talk to her a little.

"Hey, Namine." He said quietly, trying to catch her eye.

She barely seemed to notice him. She nodded, almost imperceptibly, and continued to keep to herself.

Riku bit his lip. "So, uh, have you seen Sora yet?"

She caught his eye and held his gaze for a moment. She had eyes just like Sora's. That sky blue that seemed endless… She sighed, coming out of her shell just a little. "Yeah, I saw him… But it wasn't him… He's not in that room, Riku…." She said slowly. Her gaze fell again and she remained silent.

Riku didn't know what she meant by this, but he was sure he wouldn't like it when he found out… Something really terrible must have happened to shake her like that… He didn't want to think about what he would do when he saw…

Adam tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "You may want to leave her alone." He whispered into his ear. "She nearly passed out when she saw…" He cleared his throat. "Well, um, just let her alone, alright?" He pushed Riku along, leaving Namine to herself.

Riku stopped to see Mr. Hart smoking like a chimney, his face lined in worry and thought. Nobody seemed to notice the intoxicating smoke emitted by the cigarette, too busy doing other things. Adam, however, had to ask him to put it out. They were in a hospital; duh….

Mr. Hart tapped Riku on the arm. "Hey, have you seen those two, uh, what's their names…" He tried to remember. "Two big kids… Ansem and Sephiroth I think they were…"

Riku remembered his last conversation with his friend. "What about them?" he asked gruffly.

Mr. Hart shook his head. "They're the ones who did this to him…we saw them… But they ran off. I didn't know if you had run into them lately. The police are out after them… but they'll probably get away, eh? I hear they do this kind of thing pretty often…"

Riku didn't like to hear this. "What did they do to Sora? Why did you let them get away?" he asked, the words coming out much more quickly than intended.

"They hurt him… And it was either running after them, or helping Sora… He wouldn't…" Sora's father seemed unable to continue.

Adam suddenly put a hand on Riku's shoulder. "You have a real knack for asking uncomfortable questions, you know that? We'll tell you everything after you see your friend, alright?"

Riku nodded slightly, but he asked, "Is Sora… okay? Like, he is he alive or awake or is.. Is he going to die?"

Adam sighed. "You need to understand…" he tried to start, but then thought a technical approach would not be the right way to go with this. "Your friend, he, um… Well, those two older boys, the ones Mr. Hart just mentioned, they were mocking him, supposedly, but then the teasing turn into a… beating."

Riku wasn't sure if he completely comprehended what the doctor had just said. He had to let it sink in for a moment. But, when he did understand, he really wished he didn't. "And Sora didn't try to fight back, or anything?" he asked, hoping to find some light in this dark situation.

Adam shrugged. "We don't know if he ever did try to get away. When Mr. Hart and Sora's uncle found them, Sora was unconscious, but the two were still thrashing him. Mr. Hart said they had a wooden bat and a gun, but they never shot the boy."

"Why was Mr. Hart looking for him? Did he run away or something?"

"He wasn't home before sunset… and you know what the streets are like after dark. They went to see if he had stayed after school or something… and they ran into…them…" Adam tried to explain.

Riku suddenly blurted everything out in frustration: "Oh,iknewaboutansemandsephirothandistilldidntdoanythingandishouldhavecheckedwithsorawhenhedidntcometoschooland…" (translation: I knew about Ansem and Sephiroth and I still didn't do anything, and I should have checked with Sora when he didn't come to school, and…)

Adam clapped a hand over the babbling teenager's mouth. "Okay, just try to explain with the fewest words possible!" he told the struggling boy, and released him.

Riku tried to take a few deep breaths, but was unable to fully calm down. He shook his head, indicating he really couldn't say anything without losing his nerve again.

"Okay, if you can't talk about it, don't try." Adam told him.

Riku shook his head again, his platinum tresses falling from behind his ears and playing loosely along the features of his face. He quietly admitted, "Sora told me about how Ansem and Sephiroth had been picking on him… but they threatened him not to tell anyone else… I didn't say anything because… I didn't want him to get hurt because of me. They.. usually don't really hurt kids. Or, word just never gets out about it, I guess. I thought it would just work out on it's own…" He lowered his head, trying to hide his tears.

Adam didn't really know what to say, so he didn't say anything. He was a medical doctor, for heaven's sake! Not a psychiatrist! He silently guided the subdued teenager past Mr. Hart to the very front of the door that led into the actual hospital room.

The doctor told him quietly, warning him before he entered the room, "Just by talking with you, I can tell you have deep feelings for this boy. Right now, he… is unable to…speak with you…" Adam struggled to explain.

Riku turned on him, his eyes once again dry of tears. He had pushed his hair back again, once more shielding himself in his icy shell. "What do you mean?" he asked, his voice bordering on dangerous.

Adam cleared his throat. "I probably should've mentioned this earlier…but your friend…when the older boys beat him, uh…" The doctor sighed. "I'm sorry, there's just no way to put this lightly…Ansem and Sephiroth hurt him so badly…He's in a coma." He finished quickly.

Riku wasn't sure he caught that (or at least that's what he told himself…). "What?"

"Oh, don't make me say it again!" Adam rolled his eyes exasperatedly. "Sora is in a coma…"

Okay, I have to end it here. Sorry!

I really need more comments or I'll have to stop writing! Sorry!