Judging from my latest oneshot, one could say that I'm in a pretty sad mood lately. Sorry. This fic is under angst, after all.
Warning: extremely long chapter.
Previously: Leon explains, and gives Sora the evil eye. Roxas gets busted. And he's baaaack.
- iii: too much of a good thing-
"Oh no."
Tidus threw Riku a look that could melt steel. He just shrugged it off and attributed it to the fact that the blonde was overly protective of the curly-haired brunet.
"Don't look at me," he smiled wanly. "Blame Leon."
The blitzballer narrowed his eyes and watched impassively as Yuna and Naminé continued their gushing over Leon, and as Selphie and Yuffie basically crippled half of the entire school population by glomping them. Yes, glomping them. That was a word Riku did not normally use, but it was the one that best suited the occasion.
And Selphie glomping was much like a sixteen-wheeler truck hitting you head on; Yuffie, from his experience two days before, was very much like her, thus explaining the number of students now lying breathless on the grass, rubbing their ribcages gingerly.
"He's so damn gorgeou -- oh," Yuna said apologetically, giggling slightly at the look on her boyfriend's face. Tidus did not look happy; he was a very possessive teen (although he rarely showed it), and the fact that Leon was good-looking enough to make normally docile Yuna curse...well...he didn't take it in the best of moods.
Naminé feigned a nosebleed, before falling into hysterical giggles with Yuna.
Riku raised an eyebrow as he caught Roxas' eye; he and Tidus were leaning on the same wall, staring soberly at the scene before them. Number Thirteen then closed his eyes and took what seemed to be deep, calming breaths.
"What happened?" A stunned Kairi cried, slapping her hands to her cheeks. She rounded on Leon and Rinoa, who were sitting on the same wooden bench along the pathway. "We just went to get some books, and in that span of time, you managed to let chaos loose?"
"Hey, that rhymes," Sora said from behind her, carrying an armload of bound material. He was about to say something else when the auburn-haired girl threw him a glare, and he immediately fell silent.
Leon just shrugged.
Rinoa yawned, and just nodded off.
Yuffie and Selphie, hand-in-hand with matching blue plaid uniforms, streaked past, laughing wildly.
It was the Monday after they had arrived, and Leon point-blank refused to leave until Kairi gave an answer. Riku had sensed that the auburn-haired girl would need a lot more time than a few days to decide whether she believed in the brunet's account or not, so he (and Sora; can't forget Sora) offered to let them stay, for an indefinite period of time.
Yuffie had taken to declaring herself as a sit-in student; and since Destiny Academy was a public academy, she was allowed to attend classes as long as she didn't cause any deaths. Or something like that; the rules have long been blurred since Organization XIII had started teaching.
Leon stayed close to Kairi and started trailing her wherever she went, insisting on her safety (with more than a few pointed looks at another certain brunet). He still wore his leather jacket, however, even in the sweltering island weather. The man seemed immune to the humidity.
Rinoa, probably because she had nothing else to do but to wait until Leon and Yuffie leave, tagged along.
The ebony-haired ninja bounced into view, giggling madly. Riku couldn't help but notice the fond expression Leon was regarding her with; it was the same face Roxas wore every time he was with Naminé.
"This is so amazing," she practically shrieked, leaning over at the waist, fingers still firmly intertwined with the curly-haired brunette's. "Selphie says we're just in time for the Graduation Ball!" She went into one of her hyper rants once more, a ritual that, from Riku's experience, was one that Yuffie repeats every five minutes or so, "A dance, Leon! I mean, when was the last time you went to a social event and actually da--"
Yuffie paused.
Rinoa coughed lightly.
The bell rung, signalling the start of another class period.
Riku blinked; for a second there, the tension was so great that he could take his Keyblade and cut through it. He bit his lip and turned to the ebony-haired women, searching his mind for something to break the metaphorical ice. "Uh--"
"The Grad Ball," Sora said absently, empty gaze seeping over him. "Riku...this is your last year..."
His heart seized momentarily, before frowning. He didn't have time to think about that; not during the past year, not even this year. He was so caught up with making sure Sora was safe and making sure that the world was safe. "I guess I am, aren't I?" he asked softly, mind running wild with the thousands of possibilities he could do. Where would he go next? Destiny University? Radiant Garden Institute?
His musings were cut short by a small but very strong hand pushing itself into the small of his back. Looking up, he saw that the Quad was almost empty, save for them. He looked over his shoulder and flinched; Rinoa was there, smiling.
"Hey, Wielder, get your head down from the clouds and get to class."
He managed a smile, ignoring the tremor that her smile sent down his spine. "Yes, ma'am."
-- x -- x --
Roxas eyed the latest offering of the cafeteria with apprehension. In all fairness he had done everything he could to like the stuff, but to no avail. Somehow, the food here naturally had an aversion for Nobodies. Or, at least, Nobodies who had experienced Lexaeus' cooking.
"Hm," he frowned, walking up to the line and getting a tray. Whatever. It was still food.
He was in the process of choosing what he'd have today when he noticed he was right behind a very conspicous crown of spiky cinnamon hair. Testament to that fact was that people were staring, like whenever he was with Sora. They were practically twins, after all.
"Sora," he said, more of a statement than a greeting, putting a firm hand on the brunet's shoulder.
The Keyblade Master flinched violently, looking over his shoulder with frightened eyes so wide it was comical. Roxas grinned at his expression. "Way nice greeting, Sora. Try to look more surprised, would you?"
Something flashed across his eyes before he managed a small, pained grin of his own. "Sorry, people just don't go up to peope and clap them on a shoulder," a sarcastic pause, "Especially to people like me."
Roxas snorted. If it wasn't for the subtle fact that Sora was referring to, he'd start to think that he was one of the most arrogant people he had ever had the misfortune to know. He took a hamburger and two cartons of fries from the counter, and tossed a fork in his Other's direstion, noting the plate of spaghetti he had on his own tray. Sora squeaked, catching the plastic utensil gingerly.
Sky-blue eyes glanced hastily around as he set the fork on his tray with trembling fingers.
Number Thirteen frowned once again. "What's up with you?"
Sora shook his head, dropping a handful of paper napkins and diving gracefully to get them.
He waited for the spiky-haired Wielder to stand up once more, and Roxas tried a different method of attack. He peered over Sora's shoulder, noting his choice of food. Weird. He didn't know his Other had a liking for that paopu-strawberry cooler. At least, that's what the package looked like. He voiced out his thoughts. "Is that good?"
Sora looked confused for a moment, and Roxas swore he blanched (like Sora could even blanch) before he spoke in a voice with well-concealed shakiness. "Yeah. Definitely," he added, like he was unsure of what he was saying.
"Seriously," he said slowly, "Sora. Spit it out," he furrowed his eyebrows as the line moved. "What's wrong?"
He was well aware of the whole lunch line listening with bated breath; if a Keyblade Master deemed something was wrong, then something probably was wrong. Especially if it was Sora, living legend.
However, the Wielder in question merely shrugged, then shook his head for good measure.
Roxas sensed he should let it drop, but another voice in his head told him not to. He therefore settled for something in between. "So...what do you think about Leon's side? You think he's really Kairi's brother?"
"..."
Never had the golden-haired teen been more confused in his life. Sora was normally the most talkative one of the group, even if all that his talk could be considered as some form of babbling one way or another. But now, all the brunet did was look around and stare at Roxas in an oddly detached way, fingering the silver crown necklace slung around his neck with practiced nervousness.
"Come on, what--"
Before he could even get another word out, Sora had already handed his money to the cashier and had already sped off, vanishing into the lunch crowd, tray in hand and eyes gazing at something distant.
-- x -- x --
It was hard not telling Roxas, but Sora wasn't sure if he could. Well, no, he knew that he could actually tell Roxas...just, not right now. Even he himself was getting confused by this turn of events, and Roxas' subtle questions did him no good. He almost had a heart attack when his Nobody had mentioned the 'juice' he had on his tray. If the golden-haired Wielder had looked closely enough, he'd notice that it was paopu all right...just not strawberry.
He'd been quite careless lately...He had a lot on his mind to think about such things as hiding his blood-packs. And frankly, he was tired of thinking, anyway.
What did King Mickey mean by offering to adopt him? Other than the obvious fact that he wanted to make up for the whole Knighting thing?
Maybe he just wanted to keep a closer eye on him. The mouse monarch didn't trust Riku, Roxas, Kairi, and Zexion's combined control over Antiform. And for good reason too. He shivered involuntarily, narrowly missing bumping into a crowd of first years and a crowd of seniors at different times. Never had the trek from the line to the table seemed so long.
If he went on with the prince thing, maybe he'd get a chance to be Kairi's knight in shining armor, literally and figuratively. He would have an excuse to meet with Kairi if she takes Leon's proposal. But it would consist of being near somebody he hated with a passion.
If he didn't go with King Mickey, however (now that he thought about it), he'd be losing the protection that the Corenerstone will provide free of suspicion. Since nobody knew that Antiform was awake, nobody would suspect a thing if the Keyblade Wielder stayed close to the Cornerstone. They'd just naturally assume that Sora was there because he was the crown prince.
But he just really did not want to come under his sphere of influence once more. He didn't want to be used once again as some tool for the realm of Light. Even if he was actually made for that job.
It was more con than pro, Sora decided, and it, eerily like his own life, didn't look like it was going to look up soon.
He ignored Leon's pointed glare, sat down at their table, and started to eat.
-- x -- x --
Leon looked up when the cinnamon-haired Wielder sat down at their table, and threw his most venomous look. He noted that Sora didn't even flinch. He's only the second person to do that, the first being Aerith. (On a side note, Aerith would win any staring contest hands down, he decided.)
It was the usual lunch banter. Riku was sipping his iced tea slowly, almost carefully, eyes darting around for a reason he couldn't fathom. Selphie and Yuffie were having a who-can-eat-more-gummi-bears contest. He sighed, shook his head, reached over the young ninja's shoulder and took the gummi bears, knowing that Yuffie had had enough sugar for today.
"Leeeon..." she whined, but miraculously, she didn't try to sneak the rubbery sweet back.
He smiled. He was Leon, man of only one face, and that face was a scowl. Only Yuffie could break that mask, just like Rinoa had before, ten years ago. But Rinoa...
Roxas arrived at the table and nudged Naminé aside, who was playing with the tomatoes on her hamburger. The flaxen-haired girl looked up for a second and offered him a smile and a seat.
Two years ago Leon would not have thought that Nobodies could do more than go and wreak havoc. But these two perfectly teenage ones...they were just like ordinary people. He had seen them fight, both of them sulk in separate occasions (he'd know; Roxas would be seen in Sora and Riku's home, asking for advice on girls. Naminé would show her 'feelings' in more action than word; she'd just unceremoniously get up and leave whenever Roxas entered the ssame room.), be affectionate with each other, and everything one would expect from a building relationship -- sans the heart.
Naminé proved to be a very good advice giver; at times she'd seem frighteningly similar to Aerith. Roxas was very protective of the people he hypothetically loved. It was proved by the fact that he gave Leon the Look every chance he got, Leon thought dryly. Like right now.
The back of his neck prickled, and he looked just in time to see Sora take a long draught of his...whatever his drink was. Strawberry?
Something was really off, he decided. Like the times when Rinoa was completely in Angel Wing...but at least the ebony-haired sorceress had wings to warn him. Sora only had a flash of amber eyes.
Frowning, he stood up and excused himself.
"I'm going for some air," he said simply, and left it at that. Yuffie reached out for his hand and squeezed it. Bless her, she knew Leon's habits, and she had never questioned them.
Riku raised an eyebrow, but Sora just shrugged and waved with a too-cheery "Sure, Leon," before turning in his seat to talk to Roxas and Naminé.
Leon awkwardly nodded, and headed off, the crowd clearing a path for him as he went. The longer he stayed next to Sora, the more he felt he was treading on hostile ground.
"Hey! Leon, you should watch where you're going!"
He looked down, and his eyes widened. He let himself relax. "Kairi. I thought you had run off or something."
The auburn-haired teen smiled bemusedly. "No way. Finished with lunch?"
"You could say that."
There was something carefully guarded about their conversation. He knew his sister's patience was already very tightly-strung about her whole princess-of-Radiant-Garden issue, but he just had to warn her about Sora. Blind love and trust would do no good, especially if the confidant was someone who was, in all probability, bipolar.
Shaking his head, he took a tentative step forward. "Listen, Kairi, about Sora -- "
Beryl eyes hardened instantly, and her voice took on a distinct frostiness. "What about him?"
"Leon, stop."
That was Rinoa, coming out of the nearest girls' washroom, looking no different than she had ten years ago. Forever seventeen. She and Kairi were the same age now, technically, and the ebony-haired sorceress looked much more like Kairi's relative than him.
He raised an eyebrow. "No," he answered coolly, crossing his arms. "I have to tell you this. I don't like Sora."
"We figured that much," Kairi said sarcastically. "The frequent glares were kind of proof enough."
"He seems off."
"He's been through a lot," she shot back, before letting out a squeak of regret.
Leon smiled indulgently. This was his chance to know more about the brunet, to know how he had become so...different, somehow. "Like what?"
"Don't push it," Rinoa said quietly. He dared silence her with a glare, and the sorceress looked away. What did she know? Where had she been these past years, he wondered? And why was she stopping him from gaining his sister's trust? It was she who suggested to Aerith that they dig up Radiant Garden's past in the first place. What did she have in mind?
Kairi bit her lip, obviously torn between letting Leon have hell or keeping whatever she was keeping secret. "You don't want to know," she said, expression darkening.
"Do I?"
"You think you know everything," she breathed angrily, "but you don't. Sora has gone to hell and back. He lost everything."
There was an unspoken 'including his heart' after that, and Leon smiled inwardly. A little more...
"Don't you dare question his loyalties. It took him his life to discover what they were. Don't you dare make his life any worse than it is right now. Not now when the King's had a brilliant stroke of ingenuity and suddenly decided to offer Sora the crown princeship. He's got enough on his plate and I don't want you to be adding to it," she finished, chest heaving and eyes thunderous.
Well, that seemed to be fruitful.
"What?" that was Rinoa. "King Mickey's adopting Sora?"
Kairi seemed to realize what she had said, and she colored an admirable shade of red. She looked down, horrified. "I thought you knew, Rinoa."
"I didn't," she replied, perfect brows drawing together.
Leon nodded, thinking furiously. King Mickey was adopting Sora? What was the mouse monarch trying to do?
"Sora's the hero, Leon," Kairi said finally, a note of hardness in her voice that betrayed the fact that he had touched a nerve close to her heart. "And sometimes, the hero needs saving too."
She spun on her heels and stalked away, a scowl on her face. Leon watched her go with slight amusement.
He glanced out of the corner of his eye, and gestured for Rinoa. It seemed awfully awkward, but she seemed to far deep in her musings to care. "Let's go?"
She only frowned thoughtfully. "Lead the way, Squall."
-- x -- x --
The tension in the house was unbelievable. It was like everyone was walking on eggshells all day long and didn't dare to ask anything about it.
If the past week was torture, then the past few days were hell.
Add to the Leon situation the Riku factor.
Riku.
Sora sighed. His silver-haired best friend was going to graduate tomorrow. He had always been destined for great things, and his education was no exception. He didn't deserve to be tied down to Destiny Islands forever. It was him who suggested the idea of seeing other worlds in the first place, right?
No matter how selfish he sounded, however, Sora wasn't actually eager to see Riku go...but he couldn't stand in the way of his best friend's happiness. Not after all that Riku had done for him.
Sora sometimes wished his life wasn't this complicated. He secretly yearned for the times when the Keyblade didn't flash into life into his hand whenever he felt threatened; the times when all he cared about was the beach and the sea and school and beating the hell out of Riku and impressing Kairi--
That killed it right there.
Groaning, he buried his head under his pillow and clasped it over his ears, wishing that the childish act would make it all go away.
"What's up with you?"
The brunet rolled over to lie flat on his back as he pillowed his head. Riku was looking at him with a puzzled expression on his face as he towel-dried his hair. Now wearing grey board shorts and a simple white shirt with a crown printed on it, it was obvious that the teen had just finished taking a shower.
"Finally," Sora rolled his eyes, and resumed his former position, although he was resting his chin now on the white case of feathers. "I thought you died in there. I mean, a guy can only take so long in washing his hair..."
A wet towel hit him squarely at the back of the head, flattening his spikes a little.
"Excuse me, " the silver-haired teen huffed, now facing a mirror and struggling to untangle the knots in his hair, "At least I actually wash myself. Unlike some people who just sit in the tub and stare into space, pretending that he's at the beach."
"What the hell?" Sora yelled, scandalized. He quickly sat up, narrowing his eyes at his best friend. "Do you spy on me? In the bathroom?"
He shook his head, setting the brush down on his dresser. Riku shot a smirk at him. "Nah. I say it like Kairi says it."
"..."
"Oh, look," Another smirk. Riku held up his fingers and snapped an imaginary picture. "Gee. I never thought you could blush that hard. Wait while I think of an appropriate name, okay?"
Mortified by the thought of the redwine-locked girl spying on him while he was in the bathroom, Sora buried his head once more in the pillow, and threw the white sheet over his head for good measure. "Stop it, Riku. I can't get the mental image out of my head."
"I can't believe you actually fell for it," he heard Riku laughing, and the click of the bedroom door being shut.
"Riku!" Sora cried out indignantly, throwing off all the covers in one smooth motion and glaring up at the aquamarine-eyed teen. "Jerk!"
He managed to snicker once more before walking up to his bed and collapsing on it, peering over the edge to grin ferally. "Gets you every single time."
"If you don't wake up alive tomorrow, don't blame me."
"Ah, good thing I still don't have a girl, eh?" Riku said airily, brushing off Sora's death threat with the concern one would not normally associate with being given a threat of decapitation. He slid off the bed slightly to reach for one of his notebooks. "That way, I can't blush so easily, unlike you, which you do everytime I say Kairi."
Sora pillowed his arms on the side of Riku's bed and watched the silver-haired boy rummage for some pens in his side drawer. He tilted his head sideways and let it rest on his arms, exhaling sadly. "Mmmh..."
Riku paused in the motion of flipping his notebook open, and he raised an eyebrow. "No, really. What's up with you?"
"Ah..." the brunet started tracing circles absentmindedly into the chartreuse bedsheet. "The ceiling."
"Argh," Riku growled, rapping the top of his head sharply with a pen, ignoring the glare Sora shot him. "Seriously."
Sora sighed, and sat up straight, pooling the blankets around him and wrapping them around his shoulders. He then brought up his knees to his chest and circled his arms around them, leaning back into the side of Riku's bed. Staring up into the ceiling, he pouted slightly before speaking. "Well...What now?"
"What now what?"
"What do I do with Kairi?"
He could almost see Riku tilting his head thoughtfully. "What do you mean--"
Sora shifted his arms, and stared straight ahead. "I mean, all these years I've spent trying to prove that I really, really like her. Love her. Heck, we even fought over her and almost destroyed reality as we knew it. But now...well..." At this point his voice took on some sort of panicky quality, "Now that we're a official couple now...in the social and love sense...I don't know what to do next."
"Hm," he heard his best friend's pen tapping his notebook rhythmically.
A realization suddenly occured to Sora: maybe Riku had not quite gotten over yet that facet of their lives. Maybe he had hurt Riku's feelings by rubbing it into his face that Kairi was his, not the silver-haired teen's. He probably did, judging from the irate tapping that was now the only sound in Riku's room. Clapping horrified hands to his mouth, he whirled around and stared at Riku with wide sky-blue eyes. "I'm --"
Riku stared back at him, amusement shining in his own aquamarine eyes. "Eh?"
Clearly Sora was wrong.
"Ah, you've never gone a date, haven't you?" That annoying, self-satisfied voice was back; one could almost hear the smugness in it. Riku reached over and ruffled his cinnamon-colored hair, smirking. "Poor Sora. You're a Keyblade Master, but real clueless in the love department."
He blushed furiously. "Hey!" he said defensively, his lower lip jutting out. "As if I did have time for the loving business! It was love that took out my heart in the first place!"
A very uncomfortable silence.
Riku studied him with that almost-glowing eyes of his, and he looked away.
Sora hadn't talked about that year of his life. Not yet; not to Kairi, not to Riku, not to anyone. Roxas and Naminé had related to them (in gruesome details) what the brunet had been doing in the Castle that Never Was; it was not a pretty story, to say the very least. He didn't relish the idea of reliving the experience.
And now that Antiform had made himself known once more, his blood ran cold as the line "History repeats itself" ran through his head.
He hadn't told Riku; hadn't told anyone. But sooner or later they'll find out, no matter what Rinoa had done to bond him and the silver-haired teen. Someone will see the empty blood-packs and ask questions. And he was prepared to keep them silent, at any cost, at the risk of breaking the peace after the year before.
"Well..." Riku's voice broke him out of his trip down his hypothetical blood-splattered memory lane. The silver-haired teen stared at him warily. "I can tell you that Kairi loves pasta."
"So?"
Rolling his eyes, Riku sighed exasperatedly. "You're hopeless. Take her out on a date."
"That's where the trouble is, Riku," he groaned, throwing his hands in the air frustratedly, letting the blanket fall. "I don't know what to do on a date! I mean, sure, I've spent almost half of my life with Kairi, I know her like the back of my palm, (at this Riku made an amused noise, and Sora had taken the nearest pillow and chucked it at the silver-haired Wielder), but on a date? What do I do? Hold her hand? Put an arm around her shoulder? How many bottles of mouthwash do I have to go through? What should I wear? Do I -- mmf!"
Riku had taken the chucked pillow and slammed it into Sora's face. "Don't sweat it. It's been months since you got together. Have you ever heard her complain about the things you do for her?"
"No..." he paused. "But I've never taken her out. On an official date."
"Do you have to?"
Sora blinked, and bit his lip. "Of course I do."
His best friend scribbled something down in his notebook. "No you don't, at least, not right now. You have your entire life to do that," he said absently.
Sora frowned deeply, an expression that felt foreign on his face. My entire life could consist of today and tomorrow. Knowing King Mickey, I wouldn't even last a year. What if I never get the chance to do so again?
Riku was looking at him with that expression again. One that made him feel like he had to tell the silver-haired Keyblade Master everything. He hastily changed the subject before realizing he would be treading on even shakier ground.
"Anyway...where are you planning to go to college?"
Aquamarine eyes fell, and he scribbled a random math equation. "I don't know. I haven't decided on even leaving yet."
Sora clutched the blankets. "You're not? You don't want to leave? But Riku..."
"Way to make me feel appreciated, Sora," he said dryly.
"I didn't mean it like that!" Sora answered defensively. "It's just that...it's been your dream, ever since we were kids, to go and explore other worlds..."
"That was before I became a Keyblade Master," he said gently, a wan smile tugging at his lips.
"So?" Sora cried out, expression pained. "Don't let that stop you!"
"It's a twenty four-seven job, three-sixty-five days a year for an entire lifetime. I can't leave."
It took only a split second for the brunet to read between the lines. His face immediately fell, and he sighed, turning away from the side of the bed and leaning on it to stare up at the ceiling. "I can take care of Antiform myself, you know."
A noise of surprise. "Sure you can," Riku scoffed.
"I mean it," he said quietly, swallowing painfully. "Antiform hasn't shown himself for a long time now. You can't sacrifice your happiness for mine. There's always Roxas and Zexion."
"They both have their own lives to lead."
"And so do you."
A very pregnant pause.
"You're forgetting that you also have a life of your own to live, Sora."
The brunet let out a harsh laugh. "As if, Riku. As long as I have the Keyblade, who knows what could happen to me next? For all I know I could wake up dead tomorrow. Well, I hope not tomorrow, b'cause I still need to see you graduate, right?"
He knew by now that he was babbling, but the grain of truth in his words stunned even himself.
Riku eyed him apprehensively. "Sora..."
The brunet stood up, letting the blanket pool around his feet. "...I'm going to get my books and study."
There was something in his voice that indicated something else entirely, and frankly, Sora was too tired of living in general to comprehend what was happening to him.
-- x -- x --
The moon spilled into the kitchen, leaving squares of white on the tiled floor. Riku frowned, picking his way carefully around the furniture.
"Wielder?"
He blinked, and whirled around, hand held out ready to summon the Way to the Dawn. He relaxed only a fraction when he saw familiar ebony hair from behind the couch.
Rinoa looked positively angelic in the moonlight, he thought. She was wearing a long white robe trimmed with ribbon, and she was barefoot as she tapped her toes in some forgotten rhythm against the floor. She was sitting on the sofa, facing the double french doors, with a clear view of the moon outside. She had a cup of milk in her hands, and she looked back at Riku, smiling.
It was a smile that felt true, for once.
"What're you doing so late at night?" he asked, pouring himself a glass of water.
"Morning, " she corrected, shifting position so that she sat cross-legged on the cushions. "I could ask you the same thing."
Riku pursed his lips. He had awoken at one in the morning because of that recurring dream once more. The one where Sora had broken wings and everything else. It wasn't a good omen, and he certainly wasn't sharing it with anyone soon. But knowing Rinoa, she'll keep asking.
"I had a nightmare," he said finally, downing the water in one swallow.
"Mhmm," she murmured, drinking from her own glass, the last reaction he'd expected to see from her. "It's not unheard of. For someone who had went through so much...I wouldn't be surprised if you had one every night."
Silence, during which the rustle of silk against couch could be heard.
"...that's all?" Riku asked, before he could stop himself.
"Yes," Rinoa answered in a bemused tone, as if she already expected his reaction.
Riku frowned. The sorceress set down her glass on the floor with a clink and looked over her shoulder to face him, brown eyes practically glowing in the moonlight. "I'm sorry," he apologized, stroking the handle of the water pitcher absentmindedly. "Foot in mouth moment."
"I'm used to it," she said sadly. True sadness. "Everyone expects me to be a manipulative bitch." She laughed hollowly at the expression on Riku's face. "Everyone suspects every move I make has an ulterior motive."
"Well..."he paused, knowing that he'd be considered tactless, but he continued on. "What should we expect? You're one of the most powerful beings who use the darkness."
"I never chose to be a sorceress."
The sadness was evident there, dripping from the words and pooling in the cool shadows.
"I...had a nightmare too," she confessed, turning back around and gazing into the moonlight.
He took that as a signal that the conversation was over. Rinoa hadn't pried into his dreams, why should he?
"Well..." he ran a hand through his hand, voice hushed in the quiet that was the wee hours of the morning. "Goodnight, Rinoa."
She waved a hand. "Just remember that things don't always have to be what they seem..."
He hesitated, bewildered. Do all sorceresses need an interpreter for them to be understood?
"Good night and sleep well, Riku."
Shrugging, and thinking Rinoa might just be out of it, he proceeded onwards into his and Sora's temporarily shared quarters, unconsciously smiling at the fact that this was the first time Rinoa had referred to him by name.
-- x -- x --
"I don't like this place."
Teal eyes flickered over to him curiously. "Sorry, Rox, but you did agree to go."
The golden-haired Keyblade Master frowned. "I did, but that doesn't change anything."
It was the Graduation Ball of Destiny Academy, Class 2085, and Roxas had no idea that it was supposed to be held here. It was only after half an hour of combined cajoling from Riku and Naminé that he did agree on coming, only on one condition: If King Mickey tried anything stupid, he had a license to kill.
People were everywhere, and every single one had on a mask, half-mask, or something to cover their faces. It had been said on the gold-tasseled invitation that everybody should come in costume, for the Ball was also a Masquerade.
Gold also decorated the entire Audience Hall, from the banners hanging from the arches to the carpet under their feet. The white materia had also been replaced with golden ones, lending the massive room a warm sheen.
"Where are the others?" he asked impatiently, tugging down at the hood of his coat in an attempt to keep his face hidden, according to the rules. An uneasy feeling had started to tug at his chest; he held no particular favor for Disney Castle, in any case. But ever since King Mickey had offered his protection to Destiny Islands, it had been a token of appreciation that the Graduation Ball be held here as every academic year ended.
But he couldn't help but feel that this was all part of some other grand plan.
"It's a masquerade, Roxas," Axel said (and Roxas could almost hear the smirk his best friend was directing towards the back of his neck). "Don't worry, I'm sure Naminé would show up sooner or later."
"Hey! I didn't --"
"Honestly, Roxas," a chipper voice asked, poking him in the chest. "You could've been more imaginative..."
He raised his hood in to face one Yuffie Kisaragi, dressed as a SeeD, with a Bevellian supportive helmet on her head and covering her eyes.
"Tell that to Leon," he snickered, taking note that the brooding brunet had dressed as a SeeD also, and he had not bothered to cover his face. The resemblance he bore to the Lion from one thousand years ago (as noted in Somebody history) was uncanny. "Yuffie."
"What gave it away?" she whined briefly, before grinning and sweeping him up into a hug. "Don't worry, Rox, you look adorable with whatever you wear."
Axel snickered.
"Oh no, pyro," the ninja let Roxas go, allowing him to catch his breath. "You just wait 'til Larxene shows up." She smirked, a habit Roxas supposed she picked up from Leon.
Number Eight looked disarmed. "What the heck do you -- "
He was cut short by a squeal. "Sora!"
Roxas raised his gaze to see Sora being led by hand by no other than Kairi and Naminé, Larxene following close behind, paper bag in her gloved hands. The brunet looked remotely harrassed but he was up to it, nevertheless. When one was outnumbered, it was better not to complain.
Kairi and Naminé were giggling madly. Roxas stared at them, thoroughly confused. Why, they were wearing their same clothes! They hadn't even bothered to dress up at all!
"This is supposed to be a masquerade," Leon suddenly appeared at his shoulder. Roxas was certain he'd had a coronary if not for the fact that he didn't have a heart.
Kairi laughed. "We know."
"Of course we do," Naminé added, and they giggled again.
Larxene rolled her eyes and walked over to Axel, putting a hand on a hip. "Oh, they're dressed up all right," she said sarcastically, grinning.
Roxas eyed them closely, Naminé in particular. Something seemed off about the girl. For one thing, she didn't draw her hair over her shoulder like she usually did every five minutes. Her shoulders seemed broader. And...
It hit him with the force of a speeding Gummi Ship.
They were dressed up.
As each other.
-- x -- x --
Naminé's face brightened as Roxas looked like he had realized what they had done. It meant that their costume swap was highly effective. It should. It took them upwards of two hours to do it, with Larxene's help. The hair, the eyes, the Illusion of skin tone...
They had come up with the idea only the day before. The invitation (handed to them by Riku; the graduation ball was for the seniors and their guests only) only specified that they come as somebody they're not. Well, technically, Kairi and she were each other, but she didn't want to bother with that. They were practically twins.
Larxene was apprehensive at first, but she then only smiled and said, "This'll be interesting."
"I mean, wow, you do look exactly like her, I mean..." Roxas paused, and averted his eyes, stormy-blue disappearing into his shadowed face. Naminé cringed. There was something in his voice that screamed he was struggling to say something but he was holding it back.
She took a step towards him, silver bangle jangling on her wrist. "Um, Roxas--"
"I'm going to get some fresh air," he said, making her cringe once again at how automatic it sounded. He raised his eyes to hers once again before vanishing into the crowd (actually before the crowd made way for him as he stalked to some hidden corner).
She was reminded of a hurt puppy.
A very hurt puppy.
She looked around at a loss of what to do; Sora was still staring after his blonde Nobody in shock, while Kairi frowned in consternation. "I think...I think this is a bad idea."
Yuffie shook her head, taking a bemused glance at the path the crowd had made, "It's a masquerade. You're supposed to come as someone who you're not," she said, reiterating what was stated on the invitation. "If there's anybody who had a bad idea, it would be Roxas."
Naminé swiveled her head in sync with her Other, and they locked eye contact. Someone you're not? she mused silently, staring at her own reflection.
Shaking her head heavily, she followed Roxas' footsteps out into one of the Courtyards.
-- x -- x --
Kairi watched with bated breath as her Nobody vanished into the crowd. She and Naminé didn't expect that dressing up as each other would have such consequences. Frowning, she turned back to Sora and raised an eyebrow.
He was wearing something she had seen on a particular spiky-haired blonde before; a black ribbed trenchcoat that reached to his booted feet, a black muscle shirt, and a black left shoulder-guard, from which a single black sleeve was hanging. It looked like it could be easily torn away...black belts with silver buckles were crossed in front of his chest, and the silver crown charm on the shoulder-guard caught the materia-light easily. (A\N: figuring out this blonde shouldn't be too hard...)
If it wasn't for the fact that Sora looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a massive steamroller, he'd be positively gorgeous.
"Seriously, Sora," she started, tossing a strand of blonde hair over her shoulder. She paused, realizing that something might be wrong, just as something was wrong with Roxas. "Uhm...you don't like it?"
She was surprised. Sora knew beforehand what she and her Nobody had been planning; he should've at least said something to stop her if he didn't like it.
"I...It's not that I don't like it," he choked on his own words, before sighing resignedly and averting his eyes. "It just reminds me of Castle Oblivion, that's all."
It was obvious from the twist of the corner of his lips that they were treading on rocky ground. Castle Oblivion, from her Other's recounts, was another year lost from Sora's already short life. Chains of memories being broken, betrayals all around...
"I'm going to go change, then."
Sora opened his mouth to object, and apparently decided against it, nodding briefly. "Sure. I'm going to get some drinks. What do you want?"
"Anything you get."
He gave her a brief mock-salute before heading off, coat brushing the polished floor. She noticed that the arm with the sleeve was also gloved. Hm. She shrugged; maybe it was part of the costume after all.
Kairi looked around, wondering how Naminé exactly stood being in such light material all day long. Didn't she even feel cold in this? Shaking her head, she searched for Larxene. The Savage Nymph had advised them (in a stroke of benevolence that she claimed was once in a blue moon) to bring another costume. Knowing Roxas (and Sora in the process) it would be a good idea to do so.
She spotted the blonde Healing Arts professor just past a group of Knights. She was stroking the back of Axel's wild mane absentmindedly as they talked with their fellow professor and Nobody, Marluxia.
She was just about to take a step when something--no, someone--suddenly darted from the crowd and took her by the shoulders, dragging her out into the nearest alcove.
"What--Riku?"
The silver-haired Wielder put a pale finger to her lips. "Naminé, I need to talk to you. It's about Sora and the King."
The blood drained out of Kairi's face. Riku hadn't realized that she wasn't the flaxen-haired memory forger! "Riku--" she tried to get a word in edgewise, but the urgent look in his face and his frantic breaths were more than enough to drown out her protests.
He spoke very quickly. "It's King Mickey. You have to know that he's planning on adopting Sora, but it's all a big ploy to control him. He sent Kairi and us a note. You know the fact that in the first note, there was a message that only Sora was meant to see? Well, in this one, he put another one in too--for me. For me, Naminé! He was telling me that I should meet with him right after Sora accepts. I mean, there has to be something up his sleeve, right?"
She blanched. "Riku--"
"I..." he paused, not lifting his hands from her shoulders, looking around warily. "I can't tell Kairi about it. Mickey told me not to. But I have the biggest feeling that something bad is going to happen. Promise me that you'll help Sora, okay?"
I can't tell Kairi about it. Somehow she felt more exhilarated than horrified. Now at least, she knew. But what will the silver-haired Wielder do when he revealed something to the person he was explicitly told not to be told?
Riku looked up, and aquamarine eyes flashed. "This is going to look suspicious. Don't tell anyone, please...This is between you and me."
"Riku--"
"Oh, sorry, Roxas will kill me if he sees me having you cornered," he said hastily, managing a scattered laugh. "Well then...see you around, Nam."
Before she could call out his name once more, Riku had already vanished into the crowd.
-- x -- x --
"Roxas!"
The blond black-coated teen kept on walking. Naminé growled in her throat and walked faster, finally catching up with him. She gripped a black sleeve and didn't let go.
"Naminé, I'm fine."
"You're not," she said matter-of-factly, knowing full well that if she didn't say anything now, Roxas would go into one of his infamous sulking sessions that would take days for him to come out of.
"I said," he ripped his sleeve from her grasp, "I'm fine."
She ground her teeth in exasperation. "Look, if you don't like me dressing like Kairi, just say so!"
"It's not that."
Roxas sat down heavily on the nearest marble bench, head bowed. "You're not dressing like Kairi. You're dressing like you are Kairi. That is entirely a different matter, Naminé."
"So?"
Stormy blue eyes flashed upwards, and she could almost hear him scowl. "Never mind. It's a masquerade. It's you right to dress as who you want to."
She crossed her arms and walked up to him, tossing auburn hair over one tan shoulder. "I'm not dressing like this if you have a problem with it."
"I told you, I don't."
"Roxas."
"I don't dictate your freedom."
"You could just show that you care."
"I care, Naminé, that's why I let you dress like--"
She cut him off, a triumphant smirk on her face. "So you actually let me dress like this? So I'm actually under your--"
"Yes, Naminé, yes!" Number Thirteen suddenly roared, standing up and coming up so close to her that she could feel his breath across the bridge of her nose. She looked up and fought the urge to flinch. "Yes! I admit it! I do have a problem with you dressing as Kairi, damn it!"
She swallowed painfully, biting her lip as she shied away from the inevitable Roxas explosion. "..."
"I do, Nam," he said, tone becoming softer, almost whispering, as he put gloved hands on her bare shoulders. "It's like you're breaking everything we've worked to achieve. Our own identities. Somehow, I just can't stand the sight of you so like Kairi. Like the time before you and Sora came back...Whenever I saw her, I saw you..."
His voice trailed off.
"Then why don't you try to do the same now?" she asked quietly, looking up and thumbing his jaw.
"I can't," he said brokenly, stepping away, swiping at his shadowed eyes. "Because everytime I do, I want to use the Dark Keyblade to bring you back..."
She froze. She had known the Dark Keyblade long enough to know what he meant.
Naminé ran and quickly threw her hands around Roxas' waist, pressing her face into his back, inhaling his scent of storm and underneath, metallic blood. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I didn't think it would hurt you so much."
"Don't be sorry," there was a hint of a wan chuckle there, "You're not the one who's such a sappy Nobody."
"I love you."
He stiffened slightly, before taking her hands and clasping them in his, leaning into her touch. "I love you too."
She nuzzled experimentally for a few more minutes before reluctantly breaking the embrace. Roxas turned around and ruffled her hair, grinning. He was back to his old self once more, brooding, deep, and hard to understand. That was Number Thirteen for you.
"I guess I'll see you in a few, then," she smiled back, removing Kairi's pearl necklace. Without further ado, she turned on her heels and skipped away, feeling happier than she had all week. Well, remembering to feel happy. It had the same effect, anyway.
-- x -- x --
The punch was a brilliant red.
Like blood.
Oh, crap.
Sora shook his head violently, trying to get Antiform to go away and leave him alone and let him enjoy the evening.
Like you were actually enjoying the evening, buddyboy.
Well...he was right...slightly. It was a pain to find a costume that would hide his...condition on the case that he should turn Antiform. That afternoon he was horrified to see ebony ribbons were starting their slow but sure trail down his left arm, and his nails were slowly lengthening. Thankfully his face was still safe, but his cinnamon spikes were turning black. Again.
He had to find inspiration and he had to find it fast.
He frantically searched the Destiny Archives for a historical figure that sported an outfit suitable for him. He had no luck, until he had come across Leon and Yuffie, who were talking about Aerith and the return of her...reasonable half...
Sora remembered seeing Cloud at Roxas and Naminé's Knighting, and he had practically screamed in relief. He could just tell people he had seen it being used in Radiant Garden, without naming names...
Bloood, Antiform sang in a horribly on-key voice, making up a song about blood and the wonders of the heart in general. Which could've been funny, if it wasn't for the fact that it was making Sora's craving for blood intensify. In the middle of a Hall full of people. Healthy, happy, people. With hearts.
Add to that the fact that King Mickey was here somewhere, and there you have an almost-complete recipe for disaster.
Sora looked around, trying and failing to catch sight of either Roxas or Riku. This was not good. He could just discreetly tear a blood-pack open and pour it into one of the wineglasses, pretending that it was red wine...
"Hm." A loud voice drawled. "What are you supposed to be? A vampire?"
Sora spun around to see one Seifer Almasy, complete with lackeys. He bit his lip and tried not to lash out. "Maybe," he said coolly, careful not to let the blonde know that he was very, very, very close to the truth.
Stupid kid, he's dead, stupid kid, he's dead, Antiform started chanting gleefully.
His left hand trembled, and before he could stop himself, he hissed at Antiform. "Shut up, Darkie."
"So it is true!" Seifer held a hand to his chest in mock-surprise. "The Legendary Keyblade Master is a psycho!" He said as loud as he could, almost yelling it out. People's heads swung in his direction, some puzzled, others jeering, some sympathetic.
Rai laughed.
Sora swallowed, trying not to lose control.
It was hard going, especially when Seifer was doing ridiculous imitations of him during the last Masters SHM field exam, where he was so out of it Roxas managed to beat him with only one Keyblade. (He was too busy with keeping Antiform from occupying his mind completely.)
"I mean...he isn't called Sora for nothing," Seifer said in a stage whisper. "All his head has is a lot of sky and hot air. Actually," he dropped his voice even further, "I don't think he's cut for the job. He's so imma--"
That was it.
Never say he was immature. Never.
There was probably something in his look that made the crowd fall silent, including Seifer himself. Slate blue eyes stared back at him with a mixture of surprise and fright.
He felt the familiar coldness of black snaking across the bridge of his nose, and he narrowed his eyes. Antiform nodded enthusiastically, the chants of kill him, kill him echoing through his head.
"Never. Say. That," he snarled, tearing off his sleeve and ignoring the gasp that rippled across the room. "Again."
Seifer nodded frantically, terrified, but it was too late.
"Sora! NO!"
A portal opened right behind him, and he was unceremoniously shoved inside by Riku, aquamarine eyes wide and horrified.
They'll be on a manhunt when you come baack...
Sora decided that right now, he didn't care, seeing that his hands were full from trying to break free from Riku's tight grip and going to kill Seifer Almasy, because frankly, as he had thought all the last week, that he just didn't want to think about the downhill slope his life was at the top of.
-- x -- x --
That was long. My wrists hurt. And finally, I've got an outline for this.
Questions? Comments? Leave me a review! Flames are accepted.
XD