Title: The Permanence of a Memory
Chapter 3: Fated Fruit
Game: Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children
Author: Kat-chan8806
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The sun rose above the treetops and cast its rays on the two silver-haired companions, both of which were fast asleep on the ground. Riku was the first the stir. He sat up, wincing slightly at the pain that shot into his shoulder and the side of his head. He looked over at Kadaj, who was still sleeping soundly. Riku couldn't help but notice how innocent his companion looked when he was asleep, but this thought was interrupted by a slight moan as Kadaj opened his eyes. The first thing Kadaj saw was Riku's face. Kadaj sat up and stood.
"Good morning, Riku. Feeling better this morning?"
"Um... Yeah. I think so." Riku stood as he said this and watched his new friend walk to the motorcycle. The bodies of the teenagers from that night still littered the road.
"Are we leaving so soon?" Riku asked.
"Why would we stay?"
Riku couldn't really answer that question. He just didn't want to leave yet, and he didn't know why.
"No reason..." he answered after a few moments. He climbed on the back of the motorcycle and rode off with Kadaj, leaving the bodies and their first memory together in their wake.
There is something comforting about traveling in the early morning. There is still dew on the grass and the flowers pass by in cheerful blurs of color. The only sound was that of the motorcycle as the two friends rode through the still world. After awhile, Riku mentioned to Kadaj that he was hungry, so they stopped in a grove of fruit trees. Kadaj stayed close to the motorcycle while Riku climbed the trees and picked fruit for them. When Riku finally came down from the trees, he was carrying a load of colorful fruits in his arms.
Riku and Kadaj sat at the foot of a tree and ate the fruit. Riku's eye was caught by a shiny yellow fruit on the top of the pile. He picked it up. It was shaped like a star and it was the only one he had seen in the trees. Kadaj noticed Riku's fascination with the fruit.
"Do you know what that is?" Kadaj asked.
"Yeah, I've heard of a fruit like this. Isn't it a... paopu fruit?"
"That is right. If two people share one, their destinies will be interlocked. In other words, they will be forever connected," Kadaj explained.
Riku thought for a moment. "Well, this is the only one I found. Do you want to share it?"
Kadaj was taken a bit off guard. "But then we will be connected forever."
"I don't mind," Riku answered honestly. He had even started to feel comfortable around Kadaj.
Kadaj shrugged his agreement and Riku cut the paopu fruit in half with his blade. Riku ate one half while Kadaj ate the other, and that was all it took. They didn't feel anything, but they knew that they would be seeing a lot of each other from here until their deaths. It felt nice to know that there would always be someone to share life with.
After eating about half the fruit Riku had collected, the two decided to store the rest of the fruit in the side bag of the motorcycle for later. However, instead of getting back on the motorcycle, the boys sat back at the foot of that tree. They sat and watched the world pass by. Something about it felt right, sitting with each other, watching the wind in the trees and listening to the birds chatter around them.
"Why are you traveling?" Riku asked casually.
"I'm looking for something..."
"Really? What?"
"My place in this world..."
Riku was a little bit confused. He didn't know that Kadaj had such a sentimental purpose to his journey, but hearing those words helped Riku realize something: "So am I..."
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A/N: Wow, three chapters in one day. I hope you guys are liking this one. I'll have Chapter 4 up soon.
