Chapter 18:
Why the Secrecy?
Zan sat in the back of the Gummi Ship wrapped up in two blankets, sniffling.
"You better not get sick on us Zan," Ryo groaned.
"I'm not sick, my nose is just run--ah--ah..."
"Take cover, she's gonna blow!" Jiro shouted.
"ACHOO!"
"Dang, cover your mouth next time Zan," Riku said.
"Sorry, I wasnt exbecting it!" Zan said, now her nose was getting very stuffy.
"Face it Zan, you're sick," Akina sighed.
"No, I'mb fine...it's just sneezin and a duffy nose..." Zan protested.
Riku laughed, "A 'duffy' nose?"
"Shut up!" Zan snapped.
"Whatever, we're almost at Traverse Town, and after you wash up, lay down and rest, because we'll have to get going the next day."
"Ok...but you hab to brush your teeth first!"
"Why, does my breath stink?" Riku smirked.
"Probably, you had a dead rat in your mouth, and ripped that wolb up to shreds," Zan said.
"Wolb?" Ryo questioned.
"She means 'wolf'," Riku replied.
"You sunk your teeth into a wolf? Why?" Jiro asked.
"If I wouldn't have, Zan would be dead right now..."
Zan merely nodded as she gently rubbed the small bite mark on her wrist.
"We're here," Riku suddenly said.
xxx
Zan was done washing up, and now laying in bed when someone knocked on her door, "Come in!" she said.
Riku walked in with a small green bottle in his hand, "Feeling any better?"
"Yeah, actually I do, the hot water cleared my sinuses up. Still got this stupid sneeze though...Achoo!"
Riku laughed, "Here, drink this. It should make you feel even more better."
"Thanks," she said as she took the bottle from his hand, and opened it. As she drank it, the gooey, thick, substance slowly slithered down her throat. She gagged as she handed the bottle back to Riku, "What the crap was that?"
"Cold medicine, what did you think it was?" Riku smiled.
"Oh, wait a second...you should have told me what it was!"
"You don't like cold medicine...you never did, and if I would have told you, you wouldn't have drank it..."
"Oh, heh heh good point," Zan laughed.
Riku sighed as he headed back to the door.
"Where are you going?" Zan asked.
"Out for a little while," Riku replied.
"Can I come?"
"No, you need to rest..."
"Aww, but I'm fine...Plllllllllllllllease can I come?" Zan begged.
"No," Riku said firmly.
Zan stuck out her bottom lip. She got up off the bed, and walked over to him with pleading eyes.
"Zan, you're not gonna come. Now go back to bed." Riku said, getting agitated at his sister every second.
Zan shook her head, "I'm not tired, and I feel fine...I think you're hiding something from me..."
"Um..no I'm not. Go to bed!" Riku said hurriedly.
Zan folded her arms with a sly grin on her face, "You are hiding something from me. What is it?"
"N--nothing I'm not hiding anything from you ok Zan?" Riku said.
Zan sighed. He wasn't gonna spill great, just great. She had no other choice, but to listen, "Fine I'll go to bed."
"Thank you, see you in the morning," Riku said, leaving the room.
"Yeah..."
A little stalking couldn't hurt... Zan thought slyly to herself as she stealthily crept to the doorway and taking a quick glance to see if the coast was clear.
Indeed it was, so she crept silently along sliding among the shadows...before freezing up when hearing voices just right around the corner...
"When are you gonna tell her Riku?" a girls voice said, it sounded like Akina's.
"Yeah Riku...it'd be worse if she found out by someone else..." this voice was definately Jiro.
Tell me what? I knew he was hiding something... Zan thought, but couldn't help but feel hurt, apparently Akina and Jiro knew this secret...everyone probably did...everyone but her...
"I know, but I can't...now's not the time too. It's way too early..." Riku said.
"No it's not...it's almost too late to tell her. She's already been given a clue I think Alcina said something to her right after I was turned into a stupid stone," Akina said.
"The person of pure destruction thing..." Zan whispered, but very loudly.
Riku turned around, "Did you hear something?"
Akina and Jiro nodded.
Riku slowly crept around the corner to find Zan spying, "How long have you been there?" he questioned.
"Um...long enough. What's going on?" she asked harshly.
Each held a guilty expression on their face, Riku bit his lip not knowing what to say...
"Well!" Zan snapped.
"Zan I---I can't..." Riku said sadly.
"Why!" she screamed at him.
Riku winced slightly at her outburst, "Zan, I just can't ok?"
"Can they tell me?" Zan asked, referring to Jiro and Akina.
"No, we can't," Akina said, glaring in Riku's direction.
"What about Ryo?"
"She can't either," Jiro replied.
Zan stomped her foot on the floor angrily, "Why the secrecy?"
"Because..." Riku began strongly, but very quickly trailed off.
Zan rolled her eyes, "Whatever I'm leaving and I never wanna see any of you ever again!" she took off running towards the exit of the hotel, with tears starting to fall from her face.
"You should talk to her Riku..." Akina said softly.
"I know...but if I tell her...it'll be worse..." Riku whispered.
"I don't think it will...especially if it's coming from you." Jiro said.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I'll see you guys later," Riku said, leaving the hotel.
Akina and Jiro watched him leave, "I think we should tell the both of them what we're hiding too Akina..." Jiro said.
"I agree, but not tonight. Let's get some rest, and we can tell them tomorrow."
They headed to their rooms, and went to sleep.
xxx
Zan ran as fast as she could into the first district, stupid brother, stupid friends!
She was so lost in her anger, and sadness. She didn't realize that she had run into someone, "Hey watch where you're going miss!" came a voice.
Zan looked up, and saw that she was on top of a boy, "Oh um sorry," she quickly got up off him while blushing.
The boy slowly got up, and brushed himself off, 'It's ok...say, why the big hurry?" the boy asked. He was around Zan's age, maybe a year older. With black clothes on, brown spikey hair, and the most beautiful deep blue eyes Zan had ever seen.
"Um...no reason. Just felt like running heh heh," Zan quickly lied.
"I see...why were you crying then?" they boy teased.
"I wasn't crying...it's my allergies. Yeah, my allergies..." Zan trailed off.
The boy laughed, "Whatever you say miss, by the way the names------oh crap, I gotta go," the boy said.
Zan raised an eyebrow, "Why?"
"Um, I just do. Duty calls heh. Um see you again I hope!" the boy soon ran off into another direction.
"Nice meeting you too..." Zan muttered as he ran off.
"Zan!" came Riku's voice.
"Oh great...thanks a lot guy..." Zan muttered again.
She tried to dash off again, but Riku grabbed her arm and swung her around to face him, "We need to talk."
"About what? I don't see anything to talk about when all you do is keep secrets around me!" Zan snapped, a fresh stream of angry tears coming on.
"I'm sorry Zan...but I...I just didn't think it was time to tell you anything yet..." Riku said picking his words carefully.
"Well is it time now?" she screamed.
"I just dunno...just please calm down Zan..." Riku said softly.
"I am calm!" she snapped.
"No you're not," Riku said, starting to get angry at her.
Zan took in a deep breath and then let it out, "Ok, I'm calm..."
Riku looked down at the ground in thought for a moment. He really didn't want to tell her, but he didn't want her to learn this from 'them' either. Suddenly, a thought came to him that he had forgotten: The King!
"Zan, I can't tell you, but I know someone who can," he told her.
"Who?" she asked.
"You'll see, he's in a different world right now, but we can leave for there in the morning!" Riku was sadly, proud of himself, he got out of a jam, but just barely. He waited for Zan's response as he thought to himself, was he doing the right thing, or not?
"Ok then..." Zan sniffed as she dried away some of her tears. "But promise me Riku...whoever this person is, they better tell me."
Riku smiled as he snapped out of his trance of thought, "Don't worry Zan, he will, he will...now, it's getting late, let's head back to the hotel."
"Riku, can I stay out a little while longer? Alone?" Zan asked.
"No 'zannah, it's too dangerous." Riku quickly said.
"Please? I have my sword and I can take care of myself. Please, just for about let's say thirty minutes tops?"
Riku bit his bottom lip in thought, "Ok fine, but come back in thirty minutes no later, or you'll be in deep trouble."
"Don't worry I'll be back," Zan smiled.
Riku nodded as he walked away from her and headed back to the hotel, or so Zan thought.
xxx
ah yes I bet you are saying 'Finally she updated' I am soooo sorry I had writers block and I had to force myself to end the chapter here, it's kind of a cliffie which sucks, but oh well. School starts in a couple of days sadly and high school softball seasons had all ready begun last week, but I'll update on weekends and possibly during the week day if I am not too terribly worn out from homework, practice, away games, and coming home at midnight, etc. I will TRY to write chapter 19 right after I add this one, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna finish it tonight. Anywho, thank you to all the reviewers! Also, thanks blondie91 and Da Marshmallow for helping a little but on this heh, writers block sucks.
disclaimer: I do not own KH but I do own OCs and Sailorstar owns Ryo
to sailorstar- don't worry ryo will start being in the fic more, I'm just trying to get over some speed bumps and then the fic will be needing her a lot more
PS: I have made a webbie for A Long Lost Memory if you would like to see it, the URL is on my profile page, and also it's still under construction a little bit.
thank you, plz r&r