Part 4
The Coffin
Sora's breath hitched as he stared at Riku's text. His cheeks blushing, he found his fingers moving automatically, typing out a reply.
Sora: Nothing, why?
Riku: Wanna get dinner with me kitten? Want to talk with you 'bout some stuff.
Sora bit his lower lip. His heart raced and he found it a little harder to breath. Riku wants a date! Oh god Riku wants a date! he thought. He could feel a sweat starting to form as he looked around his room. What should I do? Should I accept? Oh god!
He closed his eyes shut and typed out a response. Please be English please be English please oh please be English, he worried and opened his eyes to see that he has written "Yessss"
"Oh god!" he groaned out loud, "Riku's going to think I'm some poser or something!"
His phone buzzed and with a sense of dread, Sora looked at it.
Riku: Awesome, I'll pick you up around seven, okay? Wear something not too baggy, you have a nice body Sora, be confident in it!
"God he's such a fast texter," Sora sighed. He stood for a moment before realization hit him. Riku was going to come to his hour, he was going to come over and pick Sora up for dinner. He even gave a command, or polite ask, that Sora wear something not baggy.
"All I have is baggy! Ahhh!" Sora screamed. He fell on his bed with a loud thump that shook the room.
"Sora! Are you okay?" his mother called out from downstairs.
"Yeah!" Sora called out. He looked at his phone and checked the time. Riku would arrive to pick him up in less than three hours. Groaning, Sora rolled off of bed and went to his closet. "Where are we even going? How am I supposed to dress? I only have baggy stuff, how am I supposed to wear something else?" he fretted. "Will I look stupid? Bad? Ugly—oh no he's going to think I'm ugly oh god Sora you stupid idiot why did you have to say yes?"
He groaned and smacked his forehead a couple times before opening his closet, revealing a floor length mirror on the other side of the door, along with a rack full of clothes. He decided he would check his closet first before looking in his dresser. "Not too baggy, I don't have that," Sora groaned. Sighing, he started his search.
He had many button up shirts, but they were all seemed too small as he barely wear them. Why do I even have these? He thought to himself. Maybe they were Leon's? Sora pulled down several shirts and vests and stood in front of the mirror. He was in his baggy shirt and shorts and sighed. He took them off, standing just in his boxers. He was skinny, not muscular but not a stick either. His butt expanded naturally out a little, though it was hard to see in his loose boxers. One by one he held up the shirts in front of him, not liking or hating each one. There were various shades of blues and blacks, greys and lilacs, a purple shirt, a red one, along with a brown shirt and a bold yellow. His vests were no better, all single colored, Sora did not even knew how he gotten so many blacks and blues and dark reds… he assumed that, not only from Leon, but he must have gotten some from his father or older cousins.
Before he knew it, two hours passed and he had to make a decision.
"This is so hard—ugh!" Sora yelled before just grabbing the first things he could reach, which was a dark red vest with a black button up shirt. He did not even want to look at the pants, grabbing the first black pair he could get, and ran to the bathroom to take a long, anxiety-reducing shower, which ate up most of his remaining hour.
When he was finally clean and dressed, Sora walked down only to see both his mother and father sitting in the kitchen. "Sora! Where are you going?" his mother demanded.
"Ohh—umm a friend invited me to dinner," Sora blushed, "I'm sorry I uh didn't tell you."
"A friend—you made a friend?" his mother asked, smiling. "That's wonderful! When will he be here?"
"Seven," Sora said, and as if on cue, the doorbell rang. "I uh… think that's him."
"Invite him in," Sora's dad said. Sora nodded and walked to the front door. Riku was waiting on the other side, and Sora stared at his friend for a moment. He was dressed in a similar fashion, but somehow the vest and shirt combo looked so much better on Riku, especially since the silver-haired beauty had a tie that wrapped perfectly around his neck. "Hello kitten," he smiled, "may I come in?"
"Yes, yes, of course," Sora nodded. Riku stepped into the house and smiled widely, for a second Sora thought that his teeth looked a little weird, too white.
"Thank you kitten," he purred.
"Sora! Is that your friend?" a voice said behind him. They turned to see Sora's father, a tall man demanding respect with graying hair. He walked up to Riku and put out his hand, "Hello there, I am Sora's father, Iwata Hikari."
"It is nice to meet you sir," Riku said, shaking his hand.
"Hello, my name is Claire," Sora's mother said, walking in, "I'm Sora's mother—he just told us that you were going to have dinner?"
"Yes, we are," Riku nodded. "I was able to get quick reservations at a place my cousin owns."
"That is good," Mr. Hikari smiled, "and you go to the same college, correct? Do you know how good it's business school is by any chance—"
"Dad!" Sora groaned.
"Personally, I do not," Riku said, "however I have heard that the professors are excellent, I can ask around."
"That would be nice, thank you," Mr. Hikari smiled. "And what are you studying?"
"History, I'm studying to be a historian," Riku said.
"I see…" Mr. Hikari said a little stiffly. "Well, in that case I won't keep you two far away now, Sora I want you back by ten, understand?"
"Yes dad," Sora piped. "Good bye dad, mom." He turned quickly and grabbed Riku's hand, walking out the front door. "I'm so sorry—it took me so long to find something to wear because none of my clothes look nice and they're all baggy and I really wanted to impress you with the no baggy clothes stuff and so I did not have time to tell them ahead of time and ask them to—"
"Sora, it's fine," Riku chuckled. "Don't worry about it kitten, come on. By the way, you look dazzling tonight," Riku smiled and kissed Sora's cheek. Sora blushed but smiled.
"Thank you," he said softly, and Riku slipped his hand into Sora's. He led the boy down the short pathway that led to his home, to the street where an old red sports car was waiting for them. Riku pulled out his keys and unlocked it before reaching to hold the door open for Sora. "After you kitten," he said.
Sora slid in, feeling oddly relaxed as Riku walked around and got int the driver's seat. "So uh… where are we going?" Sora asked. "Did I… did I dress right for it?"
"You did Sora," Riku praised, "And we're going to a restaurant, like I said my cousin owns it. It's a … specialty."
"Really?"
Riku nodded. "I'm sure you'll like it, it's near Hollow Bastion."
"It is?" Sora gasped. Riku started the car and it blared to life, alternative rock music blasting from the speakers. Riku lowered the volume, "Yeah," he said, "It's called The Coffin, from the name you can obviously guess it's not a fancy restaurant, but it still demands some dignity. The food is great there too."
"That's good… I'm hungry," Sora smiled.
"I'd bet," Riku chuckled, "all I saw you eat is a salad, I have to keep my kitten well fed."
Sora blushed and before he could stop himself, he said quickly, "Do you want me to be your boyfriend?'
"Yes, I do," Riku said without skipping a beat. He glanced at Sora and smiled, "You're cute Sora, and I can feel that there's a special kind of connection between us. A spark… I felt it the moment my eyes fell on you."
Sora blushed. "I think I know what you mean," he said softly.
"Good, then you won't object to being boyfriends Sora?" Riku asked. He reached a stop sign and looked at Sora. Their eyes met and Sora swallowed.
"I…I…" he stuttered, "I'm yes—I mean if you want to downgrade to someone like me."
"Downgrade? Kitten you are sexy! Adorable! Cute! Why do you not believe that?" Riku asked.
"I just…" Sora didn't know how to explain it. He felt extremely nervous, his heart felt as though it was explode.
"It's okay Sora… you can tell me when you're ready, kitten," Riku soothed. Sora smiled and shook his head.
"I just… I have anxiety, extreme anxiety, and because of that… I had a hard time, you know, making friends," Sora confessed.
"Well you don't need to worry kitten," Riku said, "I promise not to get angry or walk away or get irritated because of your anxiety."
"I just wish I can relax," Sora sighed, "I never do—even now I can feel my anxiety tossing me."
"Why is that?" Riku asked.
"Because," Sora shrugged. "That's … that's the best reason I can think of. It's awful Riku."
"Well, we'll work at it together kitten," Riku smiled. Sora smiled, "I feel a little better now actually," he said.
"That is great to hear kitten," Riku smiled. He turned the music up a little, "So, what kind of music do you listen to?"
Sora thought for a moment, "I don't know," he said.
Riku stared at him. "Uhhh…"
"I mean, I listen to music… but I don't know what kind they are," Sora said. "I'm sorry, I'm so stupid." He sighed.
"No, you're not," Riku said, "Sometimes I have a hard time saying which is my favorite too."
"Really?"
"Yeah," Riku nodded, "I like them all but I usually go through phrases… right now I'm into alt. rock but who knows what I'll like in the future," he shrugged. "Just think for a minute Sora, you can change the radio if you want, just find something that you like. If you can't, we can try connecting my phone." Riku smiled and combed his fingers through Sora's hair as he drove one handed, "I just want you to relax kitten, relax and like yourself."
Sora nodded and started to flip through the channels, staying for a moment or two to listen to the song before moving on. He settled on a station that played pop songs from his childhood and hummed along. "I loved this song as a kid," he smiled.
"Really?" Riku said, listening for a moment, "Sounds familiar…"
"It's Britney B—Spears," Sora smiled innocently, "come on, you didn't listen to Britney as a kid?"
"When I was a kid," Riku said carefully," I was a bit… too preoccupied to listen to music, which is why I'm obsessed with it now, to sort of catch up, you know."
"Oh," Sora said. He was silent for a moment before humming along, singing to himself. Riku smiled and listened to his kitten as he drove around the outskirts of the city, closer and closer to Hollow Bastion as the immense castle blocked out the setting sun.
The restaurant was one of the few buildings on the very outskirts of the city before the long, abandoned road to Hollow Bastion. This was the closest Sora has ever been to the castle, and as he got out of the car, he couldn't help but marvel at it's brilliance. It was bigger than Sora imagined, with many turrets that rose like tilted tombstones, and a great giant spire in the middle that looked as though it could pierce the heavens. Riku noticed Sora staring and turned to the castle.
"It's quite a sight," He said fondly, "I never get tired of it." He smiled and for a moment his eyes seemed old, older than Sora could ever imagine. They were eyes still beautiful, still haunting, but also eyes that have seen much, and suffered plenty.
"Riku…" he said softly. Riku was snapped out of his thoughts and turned to Sora. "You okay?'
"Yeah… come on, I'm starved," Riku said, he moved to Sora and wrapped an arm around Sora's waist, the two walking into The Coffin.
It was a strange restaurant, the lighting was low and tinted red, the walls were red with red curtains hanging off the windows. The dining area was lower than the rest of restaurant, a short five steps leading to the main dining area. A soft jazz played overhead as many people in groups of twos and threes, and even sixes, dined together. Sora looked up to see a vast and complicated series of lights and chandeliers all connected together, all their crystals glittering in the light. It was a very relaxed place, a very weird place, and for some reason Sora knew that Riku was at home here.
Riku led him straight past the small line of people waiting to be seated, down the steps to the dining area towards a small table in the corner, already prepared with two sets of plates and cutlery and two glasses of water.
The two sat down, and immediately a waitress was upon them. "Prince—I mean hello, how can I help you two today?" she asked, Riku glaring at her.
"Menus, for starters," Riku said, "I'll have my usual drink while Sora…" he turned to Sora, who blushed.
"I'm good with water—"
"Diet coke," Riku interrupted. "Come on Kitten, don't worry about anything, okay?"
"You sure?" Sora asked. Riku nodded.
"Then I'll have a diet Coke," Sora smiled he looked at Riku and said, "It's been years since I had one."
"That is a shame, can I ask why?" Riku asked. Sora glanced down at his body and bit his lower lip.
"Another day?" he said questioningly. Riku nodded.
"Excellent, then I'll bring you your drinks with your menus," the waitress said and left.
When she was away, Sora turned to Riku and asked, "Was that another friend of yours? She called you prince like Axel and Roxas."
"Uhh yeah," Riku said, waving his hand dismissingly, "I hate it when they call me that."
"Ohh…"
"Sora, can I ask you about something weird?" Riku said.
"I think so…"
"Roxas told me that you wanted to write about Hollow Bastion," Riku said, "turn it into a book. What do you think you'll find there?" He leaned forward, his fingers crisscrossed together, staring at Sora with an intense interest.
Sora blushed. He leaned back and sank into his seat a little, "You'll think it's stupid," he muttered.
"No I won't," Riku said. "Look into my eyes Sora, would I ever laugh at you?"
Sora looked up into Riku's eyes. He saw his aqua eyes swirling with an intense interest, adoration… and something else that made him relax. "The stories," he said, never looking away from Riku's eyes. "The stories about the castle. The king and his traitorous prince, and the curse that fell upon them. I love hearing that story."
"I see… what about it? Is it the Prince? The mysterious death?"
"The Prince… I want to learn more about him," Sora said. "All the old people told me the stories and how awful and terrible the prince was…"
Riku's eyes flickered. "And you?" he asked with a sudden intensity, "What do you think, kitten?"
"I…I don't know," Sora said, "there is nothing about the prince that … it makes me interested. Growing up, I think I loved him because of the mystery."
"I see," Riku said. He relaxed and looked away. Sora blinked, the sudden relaxation and intensity suddenly fell off of him and he frowned.
"What was that?" He asked.
Riku smirked and winked, "I know a few tricks here and there, so you're interested in the supernatural?"
"I am," Sora nodded.
"Great, I am too," Riku smiled. "So, you going to incorporate supernatural in the story of Hollow Bastion?"
"I don't know… you think I should?" Sora asked.
"Absolutely," Riku nodded. "I—" the waitress came back with two menus and two large cups, one was Sora's soda and the other held a thick red liquid which Riku took immediately and sipped politely. "I think you should," he continued, "after all, everyone loves a good supernatural story."
"So… do you think it's haunted?" Sora asked.
"Hollow Bastion?" Riku asked, he thought for a moment, "absolutely. Old souls always haunt old castles, and Hollow Bastion is older then anything here."
Sora nodded in agreement, "What else do you think is there?" he asked, "I mean… if only ghosts haunt there, it wouldn't be as forbidden as it is."
Riku thought for a moment, "Well, that depends on how much of the supernatural you want to believe in Sora," he said.
Sora nodded. He looked down at his menu in contemplation. "I want to believe in a lot of it," he said slowly, his eyes roaming the menu. "Ghosts exist, that is a certainty, and because of that… demons and angels have to exist as well, but for other creatures? Werewolves, vampires, witches and wizards… I don't know, maybe?" He looked up at Riku, "It would make the world more interesting, wouldn't it?"
Riku nodded, "It would," he said. "What would you think about vampires existing?"
"That would be cool, but it would be bad," Sora said, "I mean—there has to be a lot of draw backs!"
"Like what?" Riku asked.
"The sun for one thing, don't they turn into dust! That would be awful!" Sora frowned. Riku chuckled and shook his head.
"That would be, if that was true," he said.
"You don't think so?" Sora asked.
"No, I don't," Riku said. He looked down at the menu, "You know what you want yet?"
Sora blushed and bit his lower lip, "I don't know if I should… but I would really want the chicken parm with pasta," he said.
"Then get it kitten," Riku smiled, "I'll get our waitress." He raised his hand and, as if she was waiting, the waitress made a beeline towards them.
"Hello again, are you ready to order?" she asked.
"We are," Riku nodded. "I'll have my regular, while Sora will have the chicken parmesan with pasta."
"Excellent choice sirs," the waitress said, scribbling it down. "Is there anything else?"
"No thank you."
The waitress smiled and walked away. "Where were we?" Riku asked.
"Umm—vampires and sunlight," Sora said.
"Right, well I'm not a believer in that vampires die by the sunlight," Riku said, "not a very modern idea really, and it's kind of boring. I mean imagine being immortal but only able to live through half of it—I mean summers must be awful for Vampires!"
"Yeah… I never thought of that," Sora nodded, "Then how would you fix that? I mean vampires can't be all powerful right?"
"Right well…" Riku drawled out, as if he was thinking, "I think during the day, vampires would be just like every other human, maybe a little weaker, but when the night comes out, their strength returns, as does all their powers."
"Like hypnosis?" Sora asked.
"Yeah, and levitation, sharp fangs to drink blood, that stuff," Riku nodded. He leaned forward and smiled, "I dabble in hypnosis actually."
"R-Really?" Sora gasped.
Riku nodded and took another sip of his drink, Sora mimicking him. "I do," he said. "In fact, if you want, I can try to hypnotize you."
"And what? Make me act like a chicken? Embarrass myself?" Sora said, his anxiety taking to the worst possibilities before he could think.
"No! Never," Riku said, "I would never make my kitten embarrass himself," Riku smiled, "I could help you relax, gain some confidence and help you build it up yourself. It'll not fill you with a great amount of confidence overnight but it can help."
Sora's eyes flickered. He looked down at his lap and fiddled with his thumbs as his legs shook. "What would… what would I have to do?" Sora asked.
"Simply relax kitten, relax and stare into my eyes," Riku said. "I can even do it here, now, before the food arrives." Sora closed his eyes, deep in thought before nodding.
Opening them, he looked up and stared into Riku's eyes. The same relaxing feeling overcame him. Riku was smiling softly and reached out his hand, "Give me your hand Sora," he commanded in a soft voice. Sora obeyed, and held Riku's hand, Riku's thumb rubbing a small circle.
"Stare into my eyes Sora, listen to my voice and relax… all you can hear is my voice, all you can see are my eyes. Let the world and your thoughts drift away slowly, until only my voice and eyes remain. All worries seep out of you with every breathe, all anxiety drawn out with every word… that's it Sora, deep long breathes as you relax, oh so relax, under my loving voice. I'm going to count from ten, and with each number you'll feel your falling deeper, your thoughts and anxieties melting away. Ten… nine… eight… seven… six… five… four… three… two… and one… Good job Sora, you're making me feel really happy. Do you feel relaxed? Nod for me if you feel relaxed, Sora."
Sora nodded, he felt completely relaxed, every muscle in his body felt a tired heaviness, he couldn't move, he didn't want to move, he just wanted to stare at Riku's eyes, and hear his loving voice.
"Good boy Sora. Now, repeat after me, 'I am confident.'"
"I am confident," Sora said in a sleepy slur.
"'I am sexy.'"
"I am sexy."
"'I am confident in myself and I feel sexy about myself,'" Riku instructed.
"I am confident in myself and I feel sexy about myself," Sora repeated, his voice a little clearer.
"Good boy Sora, good boy. Now, I'm going to slowly bring you out now, but as I do I want you to hold onto your confidence and sexiness, okay Sora? Can you do that for me? Nod if you can," Riku instructed.
Sora nodded.
"Good boy Sora, I'm going to count from ten, and you will be out of my trance, but your confidence will remain, your sexiness will remain, and slowly you'll want to develop them. Is there a part of your body you're really happy about?" Riku asked.
"My butt."
Riku smirked, "Good boy Sora, then focus on your butt, how good it makes you feel, how full of confidence and sexiness you'll be with your nice sexy butt. They're not connected, but your sexy butt is part of your confidence and sexiness. The better your confidence develops, the sexier your butt will be. Understand Sora?"
"Yes…"
"Good boy, now remember, your butt is sexy, your butt is confident, you are sexy, and you are confident," Riku said. "I'm going to count now, from ten, and when I hit zero, you will be out of my trance. Ten… nine… eight… seven… six… five… four… three… two… one… and zero."
Sora blinked. He felt a little weird, a little more relaxed, but mostly the same. He tried to think but couldn't remember what happened.
"What happened?" he asked.
"I've put you in a trance kitten," Riku smiled, "I told you I'll help."
"But I don't remember…"
"You normally don't," Riku said, "but don't worry Sora, nothing bad happened."
"I trust you," Sora nodded. Their food arrived and silence fell over them as the two started eating.
The rest of the night was filled a mixture of talking and eating, the two going on about the supernatural. Sora found that it was easier for him to smile and laugh, that he wasn't constantly looking around in case people stared or glanced at him. He swore that one or twice he had simply forgotten to be anxious as he and Riku had a wonderful date.
Before Sora knew it, he and Riku were in Riku's car, sitting in front of Sora's home. "Thank you for the date… I liked it a lot," Sora blushed.
"No problem kitten, you're my boyfriend now," Riku smiled, "I gotta treat my boy good." Sora smiled at that and bit his bottom lip. Riku once again kissed Sora's cheek and opened the door for his boy. "Good night Sora," he whispered.
"Good night Riku…" Sora said. He hesitated for a moment before kissing Riku's cheek quickly before running out, turning around when he reached his front door and waved. Riku chuckled and waved, pulling the door closed before driving off. Sora went inside and called out that he was home before going to his room.
He undressed, staying in his boxers before standing in front of his mirror. He smiled and hummed to himself as he swung around lightly, his eyes drifting down to his butt, hidden in the loose fabric. A thought then invaded his mind, and before he even considered it, Sora stood in front of the mirror, took a deep breath, his feet shoulder length apart, and he started to do a set of squats.
He reached sixty before he felt sweaty and tired, but, for some reason, extremely happy. Humming to himself, Sora changed for bed and fell asleep, his dreams full of vampires and Riku, as he and Riku explored Hollow Bastion together.