The two of us make it to Haru's room in a flash.
I can hear her wailing loudly behind the door. Amaya's hand slowly moves up to the knob; her fingers are trembling from the nerves. I want to tell her it's gonna be okay but…from the sounds of things, that's not a promise I'm really confident in making.
She takes a deep breath, swings the door open, and rushes right in. I switch on the light as I follow in behind her. The sobs are even louder, now that we're all in the same room. My eyes dart over to Haru's little wooden bed in the corner, next to the big window, and—
She's not there! Shit! The window's open, too, this is not good…
"H-Haru!" Amaya cries. I look over to see her gazing towards the opposite side of the room.
Oh, there she is.
Amaya rushes over to Haru, who's crouched up in front of her bookshelf, screaming and crying her eyes out.
"Haru, baby, what happened?!" Amaya blanches, as she crouches down next to her little sister, stroking her hair to comfort her. Haru continues to bawl while I go over to the two of them, trying to figure out what all the hubbub is about.
"It hurts!" Haru whimpers between sobs. I look over Amaya's shoulders to see tears streaming profusely down her face, eyes scrunched, as she holds on to her wrist.
Amaya looks up at me, with a worried look in her eyes.
"We need to take a look," I suggest, as I bend down to their level.
"R-right," Amaya replies uneasily. She gives Haru a kiss on the head; her hand snakes down on top of hers. "Let's see what happened, okay?"
Haru's cries let up a little bit as she nods at her older sister. I give the kid a little reassuring pat on the head as Amaya takes a look towards her wrist.
Amaya suddenly lets out a loud gasp, as her hands dart up to cover her gaping mouth, her face white with horror. Haru begins blubbering and shedding tears once again. Oh, definitely not a good sign. I get pretty nervous myself, as my eyes wander down towards Haru's wrist. I brace myself for what I'm about to see. Is it horribly disfigured?! Or worse, is her hand just plain gone?!
…Oh, come on, that's not too bad.
I grasp Haru's hand to take a closer look at the damage. Amaya's shoulder is brushing against mine as she looks, too; I can feel her shuddering, her hands still clasped over her lips.
"What were you trying to do?" I ask Haru, trying to keep my voice calm and soft to avoid upsetting any further. Her wrist is definitely swollen, and I can see bruises around the area. It's not pretty.
"I-I…was t-trying…to get…P-PuPu," she explains between sniffles. "I w-woke up…b-because she w-wasn't," she paused to hiccup, "in the bed with m-me. I c-can't sleep without h-her!"
That goddamned doll. Of course.
I look up to the very top of the bookshelf, where the stupid thing is seated. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that thing is smirking at me.
Come on, bro, don't you think it was kinda douchey to take out whatever grievances you have against me on a five-year-old?
Besides, I thought you liked me!
…No response. I see how it is.
"It hurts," Haru whines again, grimacing. Amaya stays silent, eyes still wide in horror.
"Amaya, what do you think?" I ask her. She's still frozen in position.
I really wasn't kidding when I said she overreacts.
"Hey." I clasp a hand on her shoulder; her eyes shift over to look at me in response. "Calm down, take a deep breath." She does as I tell her to, though she's still visibly shaken. Haru's piercing screams aren't helping much.
I don't know whether or not it's a good thing I'm here for this shit-show.
"Hey, what should we do?" I address Amaya once more, cupping her face to turn it in my direction so that her focus is on me. Haru's distress has her way too distracted to think straight. "You're good with this kinda stuff. A in bio, right?"
"I-Ice," she finally manages to reply. I see tears beginning to brim at the edges of her eyes.
I'm not mentally equipped to handle this much estrogen at once.
"Okay, want me to get it?" I inquire. She nods her head vehemently. "Is it in the freezer?" Her head bobs up and down once again, and a tear rolls down her cheek.
Looks like tissues are on the list, too.
"Amaya, calm down," I assure her. "It's gonna be fine. I'll be right back."
Her expression doesn't change much as I rush out of the room quickly and clamber down the stairs to get the necessary supplies. The sounds of Haru's crying become more and more muffled the further I get from her bedroom.
First stop: the kitchen. I make my way over to the freezer sitting on top of the stainless steel fridge. Whipping the door open, I find a stack of ice packs stashed in the back—same ones I see Sora use pretty often after our many athletic endeavors. I've used a couple of 'em myself, work wonders.
Speaking of Sora…
Huh, this sure does bring back memories.
I remember back when I was eight, the two of us were fooling around on a bent-over paopu tree. We were perched up on top of it, watching the sun go down as we did every now and then. This one's trunk was set much higher than the one on the 'Play Island' that we usually hung out on; we were too young to be left all alone there back then. Normally, we waited for one of our parents to come get us and lift us off it and take us home, but on this day, I was feeling a little adventurous, and jumped off myself.
After landing safely, I turned triumphantly to Sora, whose eyes were wide with excitement. I could tell he was pretty impressed with me, which was always a reaction I strove to get from him.
My other favorite reaction? Igniting that competitive streak we had and always will have going. He bet he could jump and land, too. I told him I'd have to see him do it to believe it. Cheekily, he too stood up, took a deep breath, and a giant leap to land on the ground.
Big mistake.
Everything happened so fast. I remember hearing a loud thud as his body hit the ground. I bent down to make sure he was okay; at that point, I don't think I had ever been more nervous. He sat up, biting his lip as he tried to hold back his tears while cradling his arm, his wrist bruised and swollen.
His parents ended up taking him to the hospital because it was broken.
If I didn't know any better, I'd say history's repeating itself. I better hurry up with this ice.
I pick up my pace to get out the kitchen and make my way through the living room. I pause at the side table next to the couch and decide to take the entire box of tissues—because, let's be real, we're gonna need everything we have to mop up the waterworks going on upstairs—and continue on my way back up to Haru's room. Her shrieking has definitely quieted down; by the time I get into her room, she's resting her head in Amaya's lap, sucking her thumb as tears continue to stream down her face. Amaya takes deep breaths while she pets Haru's hair to soothe her.
I crouch down on my knees when I get to them. I hand the box of tissues to Amaya before I bend the ice pack; when I hear it snap, I lower it to Haru's wrist.
"It's gonna be really cold, okay?" I inform her, before the pack touches her skin. She recoils and shudders at the touch. Amaya turns to look at me anxiously. "It's okay," I reassure Haru. "It'll help you feel better." This time, when I put the pack against her wrist, she lets me set it there. Amaya takes a couple of tissues and begins wiping Haru's face gently of all the tears and snot coating it.
"Amaya," I say, after a couple of quiet moments.
"Hm?" she responds, her eyes not leaving Haru. She's calmed down quite a bit now. I lean in to whisper in her ear, not wanting the little girl to freak out again.
"…We should probably get her checked out at the hospital." She grimaces at my suggestion. "This is exactly what happened to Sora, the time he broke his wrist."
"You're right…" she replies softly, lowering her head down to give Haru another kiss. "But how are we gonna get there? Mom and Dad have the car, and their dinner's like a forty-five minute drive from here."
"Well, the hospital's a fifteen minute walk from here, right?" She nods her head in response. "It's probably better to get her there sooner rather than later. You should call your parents and tell them to meet us there. I can carry her."
"Okay," she concedes. She takes another deep breath, still visibly pretty shaken.
"It's not your fault," I reassure her. Her face whips quickly in my direction. "What happened, happened. No use freaking out about it. It's not helping anything." I use my free arm and pull her into my chest. "Why don't you get started on calling your parents? I'll carry her downstairs and get her coat and everything." I can feel her nodding against me. I let go of her and turn my attention to Haru.
"Hey, wanna go on a walk? It'll help you feel better." I grin her way. I'm not really sure how she's gonna react to going to a hospital—I know most kids hate 'em—so this works, right? It's not technically a lie.
Haru's slow to sit up. Her eyes are red and puffy from all the crying, her face flushed, stray hairs sticking to her forehead. I brush them out of her face, making sure to keep my other hand firmly over the ice pack. "Can you hold it in place there so I can pick you up?" I ask. Her small hand snakes over to her injured wrist; she places it over the pack. I put one arm around her back, the other under her knees as I lift her up into my arms.
"See you downstairs," I tell Amaya. She nods as I gradually stand up, making sure not to disturb Haru's wrist, which she has cradled close to her chest. I make my way out of her room and down the stairs, listening to the occasional sniffle. "Does it still hurt?"
"Yeah," she replies, a little choked up.
"You're gonna be fine, kid." I set her down on the bottom step as I go over to the coat closet. I can hear Amaya's muffled voice from the upper level; probably letting her parents know what happened.
Damn, so many coats! I mean, they're a bigger family, but are these all necessary? It's rarely every chilly here. Pretty sure there's like five different ones for every member of the family. I assume the little ones are for Haru because…I mean, come on.
I pick out the blue jean jacket and spin around to hand it to her.
"No, not that one!" she whines.
Really? A diva moment? Really?
"Okay…" I reply awkwardly. Might as well give her what she wants; I know that's the way I'd want it if I broke my wrist. "Which one, then?"
"The pink one!" she pouts. I go back into the closet and retrieve the one she requested.
One problem…
"There are two in here, Haru."
"One's Amaya's, silly!" she giggles.
"They're both the same length—" Oh, wait, one has much longer sleeves.
Come on, what's the point of a jacket if it only covers half your body? Here I was, thinking I was dating a more practical girl. I guess even she's succumbed to the societal pressures of trends.
I will never understand female fashion.
But, hey, there's another future paper topic.
I take out the reasonable, Haru-sized coat and show it to her. She nods in approval, and I go over to help her put it on.
Actually, on second thought…
"Why don't you wear it over your shoulders? That way, you don't have to move your arm around."
"Okay," she agrees. "Riku?"
"Hm?" I drape the jacket over her.
"When's my mommy coming home? She can make it feel better!" Oh, those were the days…
"Amaya's calling her right now," I inform her.
"I miss her," she whimpers. The salty water begins to form in her eyes once more, and her bottom lip quivers. Ah, shit, not again!
"Sh-She's gonna be here soon," I assure her, petting her head. "Don't worry."
Whoa, what was that whooshing sound from behind me? And that breeze on my back…looks like the door's opened? Has the universe cut me some slack tonight and actually sent Sora's mother? Because that would be pretty awesome.
Oh, no, it's just Sora and Kairi.
Wait.
"Sora? Kairi?" I blink my eyes rapidly to make sure what I'm seeing is real.
There he is, pulling her into the house and slamming the door behind them!
"Yep," he pants, bent over as he tries to catch his breath. "We're back."
"We made it," Kairi wheezes.
"And they can't follow us in here! That would be trespassing!"
"If they knock, don't answer it!"
What the—?
"Sora!" Haru wails.
So not my problem anymore.
"H-Haru?!" he perks up. "What's wrong?!" He rushes over to her side right away.
"What happened?" Kairi directs the question to me, worried, as Sora tends to his little sister.
"Had a bit of an accident there," I explain. "She hurt her wrist."
"Oh, no! That's terrible!"
"Yeah, we were just gonna walk her over to the hospital. Amaya's telling their parents." I gesture towards the upper level of the house.
My gaze then moves over towards Sora, who now has Haru in his lap as he's trying to calm her down. Whatever he's doing, it's definitely working. Her crying has magically turned into laughter.
I totally want that skill.
"He definitely has his way with her," Kairi beams. "Even in times like these…" I nod in agreement. She goes over to join the two of them, giving Haru a tender kiss before plopping herself down. Haru giggles, turning her attention towards her, as Sora looks my way, quizzical expression on his face.
"Remember when you jumped from the paopu tree?" I remind him.
"Right…" he frowns, as he looks over at the ice pack on her wrist. Kairi's got her distracted with some sort of silly babbling. "How did this happen?"
"She was trying to get that goddamned—"
"Riku! Language!" Sora glares, pointing to his little sister. Looks like she's blissfully unaware of my profanity slip-up, though Kairi's shifty eyes tell me that she's been paying attention.
Kairi's lectures are some of the scariest experiences I've ever had.
They should be a torture method used in prisons.
"Right, sorry," I apologize quickly, trying not to pay her any heed. "Anyway, she was trying to get that doll, which was perched up on top of her bookshelf. Lights were off and she was supposed to be asleep, so I guess she missed, and you can imagine the rest…" His face falls. "Hey, she looks better already, seeing the two of you!"
"Guess you're right!" He lightens back up, and that genuine smile returns. Different than a certain someone.
"S-Sora!" I hear Amaya—person I was referring to—call from the top of the steps. "You're home!"
"Y-yeah, just made it," he replies, as she begins striding down.
"I just called Mom and Dad, they said they'd meet us…" She eyes Haru, who's still distracted by something Kairi's telling her. "They said they'd meet us at the hospital. We should get going."
"I'm gonna go grab my jacket," I say, as I walk over to the kitchen where I left it on a barstool. It's right where I left it, during dinner. I slip it on and return to everyone else; Amaya's got on a normal sized black jacket—I'd bother her about the cropped one, but now doesn't really seem like the proper time to pick on her. She's still pretty visibly upset.
Haru, on the other hand—the actual victim here—looks like she's having the time of her life with Sora and Kairi, bouncing in his lap while the two of them entertain her with some of their crazy antics—weird faces, high-pitched voices, stupid jokes, and the list could probably go on if I observed them for another few minutes. I notice Amaya half-heartedly laughing along with them. She notices me as I enter back into the foyer.
"Should we head out?" she interjects.
"We should!" Sora replies.
"Yay!" Haru cheers, seeming to have completely forgotten about the pain in her wrist.
"So, how are we getting there?" Kairi asks.
"Walking," I tell her, as I turn towards the door. "The place is pretty close by."
"Hm, wait…" Kairi cuts in, before I'm able to turn the doorknob. "I've got an idea. Riku, move out of the way."
"Kairi?" Sora asks, confused, as I let her slide past me to open the door up.
"We'll get there way faster if we have their help. They have that van, after all." With that, she heads out. I whip around to look at Sora, befuddled. Amaya's got a bewildered expression on her face, too. Haru seems distracted by what looks like a video playing on Sora's phone, which he has held in front of her.
"Long story short, after that phone conversation we had, one of those henchmen guys—yes, they were henchmen, after all!—"
"Henchmen?" Amaya interrupts, puzzled.
"Yeah, you know, those guys Kairi's dad hires to check up on us during dates so that we're not up to, what he deems 'funny business'? Anyway, the bald one came up to me in the bathroom—totally not going into how awkward that was, but he basically told me to watch myself. I ran out and told Kairi right away back at the dinner table. She told me to keep eating—I mean, it didn't look like they were planning on interrupt our meal or anything—so we did that, while she figured out what to do."
"Leave it to Kairi," I sigh.
"Yeah…" He looks on with a daze. I snap my fingers to bring him back. "Right, anyway, it was a good thing I took out munny beforehand, using a card would have taken forever! Once the bill came, she and I booked it!"
"That was your plan?" I deadpan.
"Hey, it worked! Especially 'cause Kairi paid the waitress to flirt and act all sexy with the henchmen guys, totally distracted 'em!"
"That's more like her," I smirk.
"So, yeah, we sprinted outta there; by the time we turned the corner to get here, though, their sketchy van was on our tail. We just made it in here!"
"Sounds like you guys had quite a night," Amaya observes.
"Yeah," Sora agrees.
"So, wait, is she out there talking to them?" Amaya questions.
"Looks like it. Wouldn't be surprised if those creeps are still parked out there," Sora answers. The door suddenly creaks open.
"Alright, guys, let's go! They told us they'd give us a ride," Kairi beams.
"You sure about this, Kairi?" Sora asks uneasily.
"My dad pays 'em to look after me, after all. They wouldn't be doing their job properly if they didn't do this for me!" she explains.
"Is that what you told 'em?" I scoff. She just sticks her tongue out at me.
"Hey, Haru, you ready to go in this really cool van?" Kairi inquires, in a really excited tone.
"Yes!" Haru exclaims, bouncing in Sora's lap. He smiles as he holds her close and lifts her as he stands up. Amaya's quick to rise right after them.
"Is there enough room for all of us?" Amaya asks.
"You guys can go on ahead, I can walk home," I state. I get confused looks from all of them. "I don't see a point in me going."
"Nonsense, there's plenty of space! The van's huge!" Kairi shouts.
"Yeah, it can be an adventure for the five of us!" Sora agrees. Haru squeals with enthusiasm, clearly oblivious to what's actually going on. Amaya smiles, albeit uneasily, as she watches her.
"This is what you guys call an adventure?" I raise an eyebrow at them.
"Anything can be an adventure!" Sora yells, as he follows Kairi out the door, a giggling Haru in his arms.
"Those two…" I shake my head, smile on my face. I look over at Amaya, who's still standing near the stairs.
"They've got a lot of positive energy," she beams. I can still see the anxiety in her eyes.
"You okay?" Her mouth suddenly falls into a frown, her gaze drops towards the ground.
"If only I had remembered to put PuPu in the bed with her, this wouldn't have happened…"
"Hey." I sling my arm over her shoulder. "Stop that."
"But—"
"Remember what I said about you overreacting? I'm totally adding this to the list." She raises her eyebrows as she glances up at me. "She's still smiling and laughing, and she's the one actually hurt. Doesn't that seem a little weird to you?"
"I guess…"
I give her a reassuring peck on the cheek. "Come on, let's go. We're only wasting time, moping around here."
"Okay," she concedes. She lets me lead her outside onto the front porch; I shut the door behind us.
"Hurry up, ya slow pokes!" Kairi yells from the car. Or, should I say, sketchy van. Seriously, it looks like one of those big, white, unmarked vans from those horror movies. The windows being all blacked out doesn't really help its case.
"Coming!" Amaya replies, as she locks the door.
"We sure about this…?" I ask.
"Kairi's idea," Amaya shrugs. "They've all worked out so far." I follow her as she makes her way to the van door. Feel like I gotta be on my guard…
The door opens up right when we get to it.
"Come on in!" Kairi welcomes us. I look in to see two rows of seats, facing one another. Haru's sitting between Sora and Kairi on the one turned away from whoever's driving this thing. Amaya climbs in and seats herself across from them.
Well, here goes nothing.
"Remember to put your seatbelts on, guys!" Amaya announces, as I plop myself in the seat right next to hers.
"Already a step ahead of ya!" Sora winks, as he clicks in Haru's seatbelt. She looks entertained by the crazy expression on Kairi's face—nose and eyes scrunched up, tongue sticking out. It's pretty hideous.
"Everyone in?" a gruff, annoyed-sounding voice inquires from up front. I hear the engine rev; this guy is ready to take off.
"Yep!" Sora absentmindedly informs, making a stupidly contorted face at Haru himself. Amaya giggles softly as she watches the three of them. I feel the car begin to move at a pretty steady pace.
I, on the other hand, keep my focus on the two sketchy figures we have up at the helm here. I examine them from the rearview mirror. Just as Sora described over our phone conversation, the one driving is this huge bald guy with sunglasses. Why he's wearing them at night, I do not know. Maybe to intimidate people?
Pfft, so not working on me. I could totally take him.
The other guy has flaming red hair and these reddish-pink facial tattoos—I recognize him as the guy from the flower shop. So they were trailing him from there, huh?
I love Kairi, I really do, but I don't think I could ever handle the effort it would take to have her as a girlfriend. I applaud Sora.
"Rude," baldy says. He sounds kind of annoyed. His eyes are obscured by the obnoxious sunglasses, but I know he's directing the statement at me.
"Excuse me?" I cock up a brow. Me, rude? Not like I got an introduction from these guys or anything, and now they're driving me around in this shady looking vehicle? I think I have the right to stare.
"My name. It's Rude."
Oh. Totally knew that.
"Reno, yo!" the red-haired one turns around to introduce himself. "Oh, I remember you from the flower shop!"
"Right…" I affirm.
"Riku, right?"
"Yeah—wait, how did you know?!" Not like I ever told these guys who I was!
"We have information on all of Kairi's friends."
"Reno, that's enough," Rude shuts him down.
So. Damned. Sketchy.
"You okay?" I hear Kairi ask.
"I can't decide if your family or Sora's is crazier," I sigh. She giggles, turning back to Haru, who's singing some song about a paopu fruit with Sora. Brings back childhood memories. I notice I don't hear Amaya's voice. Strange; I'd think she'd be into this stuff.
I glance over her way. Her head is turned towards the window, her foot tapping against the floor of the car in apprehension. I lean over to her ear.
"You still kicking yourself?" I question, keeping my voice soft.
"A little bit," she confesses, voice equally as low. "But I guess you're right, no point moping." She links her arm with mine, her gaze not leaving the window.
"So what's on your mind now?"
"Remember that conversation we had on our first date? The one about the stars?"
"You mean our second date?" I smirk. And damn, she's bringing that up now?
"You know what I mean," she pouts. I chuckle at her frustration—at least she's lightened up a bit now.
"Alright, alright. Anyway, what about it?" I ask, never more genuinely interested. The fact that she wants to talk about it…I don't remember a time anyone's brought it up with me, ever.
"Well, we each had our own theories…you said something about totally different worlds, but I thought they might be all parallel universes, right?" I nod in agreement. "I was just looking up at the sky, and thinking, if I were right, and the parallel universe thing was true…I wonder if on another one of those stars, this wouldn't have happened."
"Keep up that attitude and—"
"Wait, let me finish," she interrupts. "I also realized…on a different star, something worse could have happened, too…"
"Hm, I guess that's one way too look at it," I concede, resting my head atop hers, admiring the sky full of stars along with her. And, I must say, it's a nice sight—not a single cloud to block the millions glimmering from up there tonight.
"Riku?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
"…For what?"
"Well, maybe on another star out there, I might not be so lucky to have you there for what happened…and the situation would have been, for lack of better words, a lot worse," she chuckles softly.
"Pfft, I don't even think I want to imagine that," I agree, cracking a smile.
"We're here, yo!" Reno announces from up front. My eyes shift downward, as I notice us pulling into the hospital parking lot.
"Th-the doctors'?!" Haru gasps. Amaya's body grows tense again at her sister's distress. She gets out of my hold and leans over towards her. The car comes to a stop.
"It's okay, love," she reassures her, stroking her face. "The doctor's just going to check out your wrist. No shots, I promise."
"B-But…" Haru's eyes become glassy once more. Preparing myself for the waterworks.
"Mommy's coming soon, too!" Sora adds, while he unbuckles her seatbelt. "And so is Daddy."
"And you know what, Haru?" Kairi asks in an encouraging tone.
"Wh-what?"
"You might get a really pretty cast!" Amaya suggests.
"Yeah, we all get to sign it and draw on it," I say, smile on my face to comfort her.
"It's a lot of fun!" Sora assures her. "I had one when I was little one time! A lot of people wrote really cool things on it!"
"R-Really?" Haru inquires. We all nod enthusiastically. "O-okay…" A nervous smile appears on her face.
"All your friends are gonna think it looks so cool!" Kairi adds. "And there are so many colors to choose from!"
"Yeah, but don't go around encouraging this," Amaya rebuts in a serious tone.
"I want a purple one," Haru ponders.
"Are you all ready to go?" Rude's stoic voice sounds. I feel a breeze against my cheek, and look to see him holding the door open for us.
Sketchy.
"Yes, sir!" Kairi salutes him, as she slides out of her seat. Sora follows behind her, Haru once again in his arms. Amaya and I get out at the same time.
"Alright, I'll talk to the lady at the reception desk," Reno addresses us. "Work a little 'We work for the frickin' mayor!' magic, and hopefully, the kid should be first in line to get checked out. How does that sound?"
"Sounds like you doing your job!" Kairi gives him a thumbs up. Reno scoffs in response as he leads the way into the hospital.
"I'm going to stay in the car," Rude notifies us. I don't think any of us react to the groundbreaking news.
We make our way to the entrance of the ER.
The automatic doors slide open into a large space, with white walls and gray carpeting. Black cushioned chairs line the walls, and there are rows of them that occupy the rest of the empty area, interrupted here and there by little tables covered in piles of magazines. There's a huge, open entryway into some kind of hallway in the center of the room. It doesn't look super busy; about a quarter of the chairs are filled, with people needing care, or people just waiting on others who are getting checked out. It's a pretty typical waiting room
In the corner of the room, there's a woman sitting in a booth next to another door. The receptionist, I assume.
"You guys sit down, I'll be back in a couple," Reno winks, as he starts on his way over to the booth. We make our way over to some seats in another corner, away from the other people.
"Where's Mommy?" Haru asks once again, making herself comfortable in Sora's lap.
"Should be here in…twenty minutes," Sora replies, checking the time on his cell phone.
"Can you tell her to hurry up?" she whines.
"I'm sure she's coming as fast as she can, baby," Amaya tells her, rubbing her shoulder affectionately. "Sora, you should take the ice pack off her wrist. It's not good to leave it on longer than twenty minutes." He nods and complies with her request; Haru continues to sit there with a giant pout on her face.
"Oh, there you are!" a voice sounds. All our heads turn simultaneously to a tall, tan older man dressed in a suit with messy salt-and-pepper hair hair and crinkly blue eyes—Sora's dad. A slender woman with a heart-shaped face, big green eyes, and long, wavy brown hair clad in a fancy red dress stands next to him. She hastily makes her way over to us.
"Mommy!" Haru sniffles, with her uninjured arm outstretched. Sora graciously passes his little sister over to her, her little pink jacket remaining in his lap. Amaya lets out a sigh of relief. "I missed you, Mommy!" she wails.
"I know, love, I know," her mother replies, rubbing her back to comfort her. "It's gonna be okay."
"You're free to head on in with her," Reno informs as he walks back over towards us.
"Thank you," Sora's mother bows her head, as she saunters over towards the doctor waiting at the door to the…check-up area? That's what I'll call it, yeah.
"No traffic, and a little speeding," Sora's dad winks at us all, aware of how confused we are at their speedy arrival. "You shouldn't drive like that, though, of course. Anyway, I'm gonna go in with them. We're gonna have a talk about this later, though." This time, he's addressing Amaya and…me.
Oh, this is gonna be a joy. Wait 'til I get to tell him the reason we weren't keeping an eye on Haru was because I was making out with Amaya! Boyfriend of the year!
Wait, did I just say—
"You and your boyfriend have some explaining to do," he concludes, tone stern. And he just said it—
"Yes, Dad," Amaya nods. Wait, did she just accept that title?!
He walks off and follows in behind his wife. I turn to Amaya with an incredulous look on my face.
"You okay, Riku?" Kairi raises a brow, smirking. Of course it's her. "You look like you've seen a monster or something."
"You sure you don't need to see a doctor, too?" Sora chortles.
"Riku?" Amaya's eyes are lit up with concern.
"Oh, I'm fine," I assure. Nope. Nothing to be nervous about at all.
"Dad won't be too hard on us," Amaya beams. "I pretty much explained what happened on the phone to him."
"Yeah, if anything, he's gonna forget about it," Sora adds. "He always does that. He'll get mad, tell us he'll give us a 'talk,' and then it'll totally slip his mind. Just don't mention anything, and you're probably in the clear. He's kinda scatter-brained like that."
"Good to know." Because that's totally what's bothering me right now. "You know, I think I'm gonna take a quick walk. It's been a pretty long night and all. Be right back."
"Okay," Amaya nods. I get up and make my way towards the exit, hoping the breeze is gonna help ease my mind or something.
Boyfriend? Blegh.
Okay, maybe I'm being a bit over dramatic, but it's just such…a weird term for me. Whenever I've been with a chick, it's always been "the girl I'm dating" or "the one I'm hooking up with" or, in many cases, straight up "that girl;" never…girlfriend.
And besides, it's not like Amaya and I are super far into our relationship or whatever. We've made it three weeks, sure, but we didn't really spend much of that time together, distracted by school and work and stuff. Sure, I had some fun with her tonight, but it was far from the best date I ever had.
Although…best date I did ever have? I guess I'd have to say our first date takes the cake for that one.
Sorry, second date.
"Somethin' wrong there, tiger?" An arm is suddenly slung over my shoulders.
"Whoa, there!" I exclaim, quick to jump out of whoever this is's grasp.
"Oh, didn't expect you to be the jumpy type," the guy continues. It's not too hard to make out who he is, with all the surrounding bright lights the hospital building provides.
"Anyone's gonna flip if you pop outta nowhere like that," I scoff at Reno.
"Always gotta be on your toes," he shrugs. "Taught us that first day of training."
"Whatever." I straighten my jacket back up.
"Touchy," he observes. I shoot him a glare. "Having girlfriend issues or something?"
"'Scuse me?" I cock an eyebrow up at him.
"Alright, alright, got a point there. Shouldn't be snoopin' around in your personal life or what have you."
"You got that right."
"I'll just leave you here to sulk and wallow in whatever deep thoughts that seemed ta be troublin' ya, not offering any of my awesome advice that I definitely have." He begins to stroll off.
"Wait," I call after him, before I can catch myself. He stops right in his tracks.
Goddammit, why does my body react on its own in these situations?
Well, ya know…I have gotten some pretty good advice from strangers before. Like that beautician I bumped into at some make-up store that I was on a date with an ex in—never again doing that, mind you. Still, that jojoba oil that woman recommended to me? Best thing that's ever happened to my skin. This shit glows now.
"You got somethin' ta say?" Reno's turned in my direction.
"I don't, but it sounded like you did," I grunt.
He comes back next to me and leans his back against the wall, eyes up at the sky in contemplation. I brace myself for whatever he's gonna hit me with. "Always make sure you unplug the iron before you leave the house."
"…What? How is that even relevant?"
A smirk appears on his face. "Well, what were ya expecting from me? I may have quite a bit of intel on you lot, but I'm unfortunately, I'm no mind reader. Don't tell Rude, though. I definitely convinced him I have that skill. I've recited to him every single fact there is to know about his private life, from his prom date throwing up on his shoes to the fact that his mother still packs him his lunch every morning. Little does he know, I got it all from reading his diary. The look on his face though…gets me every time!"
"Fascinating piece of knowledge. Really gonna get me far in life," I deadpan.
"Hey, it's pretty hilarious," he retorts. He clears his throat. "Anyway, lay it on me."
Am I really this desperate…?
You know what. I'm gonna shoot myself for thinking this, but YOLO. I mean, not like this is gonna hurt anyone. Probably. Let's do this.
"You divulge this information to no one," I clarify, making sure to give him a stern look.
"Cross my heart and hope to die," Reno nods, moving his hand across his chest. "I am a man of my word."
"You better be." I lean back against the wall next to him and look up at the sky. "Alright. Here's the deal. That girl, the one I was sitting next to in the car—"
"That Sora kid's sister, Amaya, right?"
"…Right." Man, Kairi's dad's got them on anyone who has contact with her.
"So it is a girlfriend issue, huh?"
"Say wha?" I turn to look at him.
"Oh, so you two aren't dating?" His gaze doesn't leave the sky.
"I mean, we are, but how the hell did you figure that one out?" I cock up an eyebrow.
"How many times do I have to go over this? We've got data!" he smirks.
"There's gotta be laws on boundaries here about this kinda stuff!"
"Man, now I wish I milked the mind-reader thing. Dude, chill. I saw the way you guys were talking or flirting or trying to get it on or whatever in our car—"
"I wasn't trying to escalate it that far," I sigh. This guy is ridiculous.
"Anyway, Uncle Reno is here, yo!" He slings his arm back around me.
"How old are you, exactly?"
"That is classified information," he huffs. "But let's get back to your little predicament at hand. My relationship with my wife Cissnei totally parallels the likes of The Notebook and other sappy shit chicks apparently dig." Oh, sure. "You just say the word on what issues you're having with that little girlfriend of yours—"
"Ugh," I groan once more. He looks over at me with a puzzled expression. "That's just it. That word. It bothers me when it's used on her."
"What, 'girlfriend'?" He gives me another incredulous look when I nod. "Why's that?"
"…I've never exactly dated a girl long enough for her to qualify as one," I explain, as I let out a deep sigh. "Hearing the term is just really weird for me. And, besides, how the hell do I even know if we've gotten to that point? It's barely been a month—I've spent around the same amount of time with a ton of other chicks. How is she any different?"
"Well, that's the million dollar question, isn't it, my man?" His grip on my shoulder uncomfortably tightens. "What is it that makes her stand out? That's the defining line, after all."
And with that, tons of images flash into my mind, all at once.
The way she caught my eye at the Island Festival…
The tender smile on her face, when she bought me that lobster tail…
How surprisingly easy it was to talk to her, when I finally got a chance to…
Our conversations, which always keep me on my toes…
How intrigued she was—more than anyone else ever has been—when I brought up the stars…
The way she got so nervous, studying for her exams, even though we all know she'd do fine…the way the freaks out over the little things…what a spazz…
The light in her eyes, when she told me all about the flowers…
How she got so flustered when I caught her by surprise earlier tonight…
Her forgiveness, when I admitted I forgot what her favorite flowers were…
Her quick wit and vehement self-defense, when we bicker and banter…
The playful light punches she throws when I totally win the arguments…
Her fiery passive aggressiveness, when I made her mad about the pizza…her pursuit for independence…
How pale and horribly guilty she got when we found Haru in her room… the endless amount of affection and love she has for that girl…for all her friends and family…
The way she held on to my arm when we were in the car…
The gentleness of her touch…
The soft huskiness of her voice…
The curves of her figure…
The scent of her hair…
The smoothness of her skin…
The intoxicating, sweet taste of her lips…
"There's just…so much…"
"Hm?" Reno sounds pretty amused.
"I guess, in a nutshell…it's everything. Everything about her…catches my attention."
Reno lets go of me, and makes his way over to stand right across from me. He looks straight into my eyes. "Now, how would you feel if all that got taken away from you?" Huh? "Like, if she just walked out of your life. Right now. How would that make you feel?"
Is this guy my therapist or something now?
…Still, he brings up a valid point. If I just let her go, if I didn't make things official for whatever's left of this…relationship…
"…I'd regret it," I put simply.
"Welp, there's your answer, yo." He lightly punches my shoulder. "As for the whole 'girlfriend' word"—I involuntarily cringe once more—"that's just something you're gonna have to put your big boy briefs on for and get over."
"I wear boxers."
"Good to know."
Yeah, I definitely regret disclosing that bit of info to this creep.
"Well, anyway," Reno continues, "looks like all my work here is done." He cracks his knuckles. "You enjoy the rest of your night, man. Keep your little Sora friend in check, takes the load offa me." Yeah, okay. He starts walking off. "And always use protection!"
I shake my head; my mood's definitely lightened, though.
"Hey, Uncle Reno," I call out. He stops in his tracks.
"What's up?"
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it little bro. Just invite me to the wedding, and make sure you let me make a speech, yo!"
"Don't get so far ahead of yourself," I deadpan. He snickers to himself as he continues on his way.
Though if I ever do get married, I bet that guy's gonna figure out a way to sneak in to the wedding regardless.
Why do I keep on running into these kinds of characters?
Whatever. It's been a good while; I should probably head back in. Don't want them to worry about me or anything.
I enter back through the sliding doors once more and make my way back over to my friends and…girlfriend.
Yeah. That's definitely gonna take some getting used to.
"Sora, you know that oysters aren't actually aphrodisiacs, right?" I hear Amaya chuckling.
Wait, what?
"Wh-What?" Sora questions, clearly befuddled. "But—"
"It's a myth," Kairi adds. Oh. Oops. "I only ordered them 'cause I really like the taste, nothing more."
"In Sora's defense," I interject, as I approach them, "he was in a high-stress situation." I pat him on the back. "Lotsa things happen you can't control when that adrenaline rushes through your system." I lean over to whisper to him. "I always got yo back, bro."
"Yeah, uh-huh," he absentmindedly agrees, burying his face into Haru's coat.
"Speaking of which, though," Amaya begins, slight frown on her lips. "Hm, I guess you guys didn't get to do what you set out to tonight."
"Ah, yeah, totally forgot about that," Sora groans. "When I came home and saw Haru, all those thoughts flew outta my mind."
"She was just one giant cockbock for all of us," I nod.
"Riku!" Amaya shoots a glare at me.
"I only speak the truth," I shrug. She raises a brow at me. "Alright, alright, you got me. Too soon, too soon." She shakes her head, grin back on her face.
Actually, I'm more surprised Kairi hasn't threatened to rip my head off. I look over at her; she seems to be distracted by something out in the hallway.
"Hey, Sora…come with me for a second," she commands, grabbing him by the wrist as she gets up and practically starts dragging him over there.
"O-Okay." He follows her. He throws the little pink coat into his seat.
"I wonder what they're up to," Amaya ponders.
"They're my best friends, and I still never know with those two," I say, plopping down into the seat next to her.
"They're cute to watch," she giggles. She turns towards me. "So, you feeling okay? I got a little worried when you went out there."
"Well, you're kind of a handful," I quip, pinching her cheek. She swats my hand away, chortling.
"I thought you already had that established." She sticks her tongue out at me. "Anyway, seriously, everything alright?"
"Honestly, what don't you worry about?" I scoff.
"Hm…" She taps her chin in thought. I stare at her blankly for a couple of moments before she opens her mouth to speak. "I don't worry when my dad gets mad, as I demonstrated!" she grins.
"No one worries when your dad gets mad," I shake my head.
"So it wasn't him that had you all nervous, huh?" she smirks.
Damn, she caught me.
"Nah," I sigh, nonchalantly leaning back into my seat. "Little things like that don't make me apprehensive."
"So then what did?" she presses.
"It's nothing."
"Alright," she concedes. "I'll take your word for it." Phew, dodged a bullet there. "But, you know," she leans her head on my shoulder, "you shouldn't feel the need to keep stuff from me. I'm your girlfriend, after all."
Gahhhhhhhdammit.
"If we want a healthy relationship, we need to be open and honest with each—Riku, are you okay?! You're pale as a ghost!" She sits up and looks at me, horrified.
"Oh, no, I'm totally fine," I reply, in a totally and completely cool tone.
I am totally still not ready for this.
"Do you need water or something? Geez, you're all sweaty, too!" She rests the back of her hand on my forehead. She spots a short, blue-haired nurse walking by. "Excuse me!" she addresses her.
"Amaya, really, I'm—"
"There's no way this just came out of nowhere!" she retorts. She turns to the nurse who's approached us.
"Nurse Eiko, here!" she introduces herself. "Something wrong?"
"I'm pretty sure there's something wrong with my boyfriend—" She freezes up when I start up a coughing fit.
This is ridiculous.
"These symptoms point to something that really could range anywhere from the common cold to the plague," the nurse responds coolly, adjusting her glasses. "Unfortunately, there are more people in line ahead of you; you're going to have to alert the receptionist and go through all the procedures everyone else has. I might see you guys later! Take care!"
And then she just walks away.
Thank you, corporate Destiny Islands. Thank you, for making sure I get the best healthcare the universe could possibly provide.
"Gah! I'll go see if Reno's still here, he can work his magic and get you right in there! I'll be right back!" Amaya leaps out of her seat and begins to make her way outside.
I grab her wrist to stop her.
"Amaya, calm down, I'm fine. We don't need that creep back here. And you're making a scene." Probably. I don't even dare to look at all the other people on the other side of the waiting room.
"Riku, you look like death," she frowns. Oh, come on. It can't be that bad. "If you're not sick, then something's really bothering you." My grip slackens. Do I tell her…?
She turns all the way back around, bends over and strokes my face. "You sure you don't want to tell me?" she asks, eyes pleading.
"I've never been in a relationship before," I blurt.
Good job, tongue. I applaud you. Way to listen to the brain and not fall for the huge, hypnotizing teary green eyes. Excellent.
"What?" she asks, puzzled. Well, no getting out of this one now. This ship's sunk.
Gah, I feel like I'm always out of my element with this girl!
…Then again, all the more reason to stay and conquer.
And, for what's probably the hundredth time today, I talk about my past with chicks. Might as well, right? I take a deep breath and begin. "In a nutshell, to keep things short and sweet, I've fooled around a lot, but I've never actually had a…" I take a huge gulp, "…girlfriend." I shudder at the word.
"…And that's what's got you in a cold sweat?" She raises a brow at me.
Okay, I guess that reaction's understandable.
"Yes." I watch her face contort, from an expression that basically says "what the hell?" to one that's heavily amused, complete with her gut-busting laughter.
"Are you…serious…?" she pants, between fits of giggles.
"Oh, come on, it's not really that funny," I scowl. I watch her continue on howling, until she keels over.
"I'm sorry," she says, wiping a tear from her eyes. "It's just, you're so calm all the time. Seeing you get all worked up over something like this…you gotta admit, it's pretty hilarious." She chuckles once more. She gets back up and slides back into her seat. She leans over and kisses me on the cheek. "I'm sorry."
"No you're not," I scoff.
"You're right, I'm not," she snickers. "I thought you were supposed to be the cool, collected one."
"So we found one thing I may have possibly overreacted to," I glare. She just starts laughing more.
"No, that was definitely an overreaction," she states. Suddenly, her expression turns sour. "Unless…" she ponders.
"What? What's wrong?"
"Does that mean you don't want to be together?" She looks me straight in the eyes, with a discerning expression. "I-I mean, not that there's anything wrong with that, it's super early, and I'm totally not gonna tie you down if you don't want to be, of course that's up to you—we both want to be happy here," she rambles. She takes hold of my hand. "But…whatever we both want, we should make clear now."
Good thing I already rehearsed the answer with Reno. I guess I should write that kook a thank-you note.
I lean in and kiss her; the familiar warmth of her lips only confirms what I want even more.
"I thought this over," I smirk, pulling away. "I'm in to see where this goes if you are."
"I'm glad," she beams. She rests her head against my shoulder once more. "Boyfriend."
"Don't go throwing around that word so frivolously," I deadpan, feeling the shivers once more.
"I'll ease you into it!"
"You're gonna have to take it real slow; apparently, it could possibly induce the plague." She just chuckles once more, lacing her fingers with mine.
And that's how we sit for the next few minutes—completely silent, just enjoying each other's presence, taking in one another. I feel her intermittently shifting around in her chair, and the occasional brush of her thumb against the back of my hand.
We might be in public, but it feels like we're the only two in the room.
It's…nice.
"Hey, guys!"
I look over to see Kairi plopping back down into her seat.
"Where have you been?" I ask, raising a brown. And there's something…different about her. Glowing cheeks, beaming smile, messy hair, slightly disheveled clothing…Holy shit, did they…?
"You didn't!" Amaya gasps.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kairi shrugs, smirking. Before either of us can react, we see Sora walk back in. He's panting and flushed, shirt wrinkled, with both fists pumped and raised in the air.
THAT'S MY BOYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.
"You did it, man!" I rush over and pull him into a much-deserved, totally manly bro-hug.
"I did! I did do it!" he chants, returning the gesture.
"Would you guys quiet down, please?!" the receptionist lady yells.
"Sorry!" I reply. I lower my voice as I continue my conversation with the man of the hour. "I knew you'd do it!" I cheer, pulling away from him. Wait…"Dude, are you crying?"
"It was beautiful, okay?" he defends, wiping the singular tear streaking down his cheek away. "You were right when I said I was missing out! How did I not do this before?"
"Can't change the past, man. But, you've got a lifetime ahead of you!" I give him a reassuring pat on the back.
"I do, don't I?" he beams. "And thanks, man, for all that advice! Now, I don't kiss-and-tell, but, man…" He lets out a longing sigh.
"Plenty more where that came from," I wink. I continue in an even more hushed tone. "Now go and cuddle with your woman! Apparently, it helps with emotional bonding and shit."
"Dude, two steps ahead of you!" And he takes off.
"That's phrase is supposed to be a figure of speech…" I shake my head. I watch her take a seat next to Kairi and pull her into his arms.
But I'm proud of the little guy. I really am.
"I just have to ask—" I hear Amaya begin when I return to the group.
"Janitor's closet. It was spacious. We washed our hands right after," Kairi quickly replies, while clearly enjoying all the affection Sora's showering her with.
"Well, that's one thing that worked out tonight!" Amaya beams.
"You guys sure you don't want to go back into the closet?" I scoff, feigning disgust.
"Har har," Kairi replies, rolling her eyes. "I told Reno I'd tip him extra if he told Dad I was sleeping over Selphie's tonight. Amaya, I'm gonna pretend to sleep in your room until your parents go to sleep, 'kay?"
"Works for me," Amaya winks.
"You tipped Reno?" I ask.
"Yeah, how else do you think I got him to leave?"
Red-heads, man…
"Ah, you guys are all still here!" a woman's voice sounds. We all turn to see Sora and Amaya's mom back.
"Where else would we go, Mom?" Sora chuckles.
"And what happened to you, young man?" She raises a brow at him, noticing his disheveled state.
Oh, boy…
"Oh, you didn't notice before?" Kairi asks innocently. "It makes sense, you were so caught up with Haru when you got here…it was crazy, though! When we were coming back from our date, this seagull came out of nowhere and started attacking us!"
This girl is just…
"Oh, that's crazy!" she gasps. Yep, another exhibit of a naïve adult falling for Kairi's throne of lies.
"Sora fought it off, though!" Kairi grins, leaning back against him.
"Y-yeah, I sure did!" he reiterates, pumping his fist.
"How's Haru?" Amaya interjects, taking the spotlight off the two of them.
"She's fine," her mother reassures. "They took an X-ray and found a hairline fracture in her wrist; nothing horrible. It should heal in a couple of weeks, as long as we all keep an eye on her."
"Oh, I see…" she frowns.
"Hey, it could have been a lot worse," I retort, putting an arm around her.
"It happens, love," her mother agrees, walking over to put a hand on her shoulder. "It might have been scary, but you know her—she's over it now. She was so excited to pick out her cast, you should have seen her face!" she gushes. "And now, she's just picking out what color marker she wants so you guys can all sign it."
"Guys! Guys! Look!" We all turn to see Haru rushing towards us, wrist encased by a dark purple cast and resting in a little sling against her chest. In her other hand, she's waving a black marker. Her father strolls along behind her, endeared grin on his face.
"Whoa, it's purple!" Sora observes, as he quickly gets down to the younger girl's level. Haru nods her head excitedly.
"My favorite color!" she cheers. "Do you want to sign it?!" She excitedly hands over the marker to him.
"You know I do!" He pops off the cap and hastily scribbles on it. "There!"
"Amaya, you sign it, too!" Haru bounces.
"Okay, I'm coming, I'm coming," she giggles, making her way over to her little sister. Seeing how happy the kid is must have lightened her up.
"She's in a much better mood," Kairi states, as she watches Amaya sign Haru's cast. "She was so anxious before, it was starting make me a little nervous."
"Yeah," I agree, feeling a smile crack on my own face.
"Riku, Kairi, you guys, too!" Haru shouts. Amaya hands over the marker, heartwarming smile playing on her lips. I bend down on my knee and scrawl 'Get well soon, kid – Riku' on it, before handing the marker over to Kairi.
"There ya go, kid," I say, ruffling her hair before making way for Kairi.
"Thank you!" Haru giggles. I stand and move over next to Amaya, who's still watching over. I feel her bump her hand against mine.
I grasp it with my own.
"Everything worked its way out, huh?" she says softly. I peer over at her to see her looking up at me.
"Yeah, it did," I nod, smiling.
"I guess in the end, I have to say, I'm pretty glad we're on this star."
So am I.
A/N: That's it! It's done! It's over! Gah!
...Okay, not really. I have an epilogue planned to come out around Valentine's Day, so I hope you all stick around for that!
Still, we have come to the end of the titular date! I'm sorry this chapter ended up being so long-winded; I felt like chapter 8 was kinda rushed, and I really didn't want to do that with the last one, so I took time to really flesh it out. I hope it wasn't too overwhelming, and I definitely hope you enjoyed it!
I'd cry because the story is over, but the epilogue has me excitedddddd! Can't believe I'm slapping on another 'Complete' sticker on a story soon, and this one's gonna be my first big one!
So, yeah, let me know what you think! Were all the loose ends tied up? Anything you really liked? Hated? Could have done better? Is RiMaya your new OTP? *shot*
But, in all seriousness, let me know in a review!
Shoutouts: Thank you so so much 89niners-best-team-ever, SoraxKairi7 (who I'm colabbing with for our fic on my profile, "Sex Ed" - go check it out!), Painted with a Palette (she also used Haru in her fic "Rags to Riches" so you know you have to check that one out!), Songbird Rebel, KittyKat1217, ultimatebrat, and Queen Micky for your reviews and support! It means a lot!
Also, check out the playlist for this fic in my profile!