Disclaimer; I own nothing.
Pairing: Riku/Sora
Rating: R, though for later chapters
A/N: Hi you guys are awesome as always. I left after I posted the last chapter, I went on vacation, Mexico is great this time of year. But anyway I'm back and I see some of you were confused about the whole levitating glass thing and some of you were right on. Don't worry it'll all make sense later. You guy will love this chapter I know I did.
/
/
/
Time. Time was said to be almost magical. The most incredible type of medicine. Able to change and heal people. Time could also be an enemy, depending on who viewed it as such. For time could also erase and make people forget their most treasured memories. Time.
There was not much they could do, now that the boy saw the truth. All they could do now was wait. With time they believed the boy would just forget and they held on to that belief. The men of science held on to the inanity, that a thing as complex as time could make him just forget.
They believed in their theory. But a theory it still was, until Riku began to prove their theory right. Slowly the more he accepted the truth the more he forgot the fabricated lies his mind had created. Or so that's what it appeared like to them. Which only proved Riku was smarter than they thought as he easily made the science educated men believe his lie were truth.
/
/
The room is a mess. That was the first thought to enter his semi conscious mind. If his mother could have seen the room she would have shaken her head in disapproval However his mother was not there therefore he didn't feel the need to pick up his mess.
It was Saturday morning and all he wanted to do was sleep in. The sun rays coming through the window where making that a bit difficult. He groaned throwing the covers over his head as he hid from the light.
After a few minutes he could feel sleep tugging him back into it's black comfort, when there was a knock on the door. He ignored it, deciding it was not worth getting up for. The knocking continued and he clasped his hands over his right ear the left was pressing onto the pillow beneath him.
"Go away!"
He mumbled beneath the sheets. To his surprise the knocking stopped and he sighed in relief. Only to have the wind knock out of him, as he felt a heavy weight land on him after hearing the door slam open.
"Wake up sleeping beauty"
Said the cheerful voice of the person currently on top of him bouncing up and down on the mattress. Riku pulled the covers down and glared at the person who was sitting on him.
"Tidus what the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"Bouncing"
The blonde replied grinning down at him.
"Well stop"
Tidus did but did not get off of Riku.
"Get off"
Riku said after seeing Tidus was not making a move to get off of him. Tidus shook his head.
"Only if you get up and pick up this mess"
He said waving his hand around the room and wrinkling his nose with distaste. Riku rolled his eyes and looked around the room. It wasn't as bad as Tidus seemed to think, he had arrived to his dorm late at night and had merely hauled his things to his room. He had meant to put his things away, therefore he had began unpacking and after an hour, he gave up the task and opted to sleep. After all it had been a long day or so he reasoned.
"If it gets your heavy ass off me I'll even clean the windows"
Tidus didn't seem offended in least by the comment. He chuckled in response and got off his best friend. Riku sat up and rubbed his eyes, he looked to the clock on his night table. It read nine o'clock.
Turning his gaze to Tidus he glared. Tidus however was oblivious to the gaze as he picked a path through Riku's mess.
"Why are you up so early?"
Tidus turned back to Riku and smiled.
"What I can't help my best friend settle in his new home?"
Riku's only answer was to roll his eyes. He swung his legs over the bed and sat up he yawned and looked down at the floor. He sat quietly searching the floor for his clothing.
"Hand me those pants your standing on"
Riku said spotting what he wanted to wear and pointing at the garment trapped between the floor and Tidus's left foot.
Tidus looked down and frowned picking up the black pants he had been standing on. After dusting them off a bit he threw them at Riku who caught them without blinking.
"Those are clean?"
Tidus asked with a dubious tone. Riku stood from his bed and slipped into his pants.
"They were before you stepped on them."
Rolling his eyes Tidus watched Riku pick up a blue shirt slipping it on. Tidus crossed his arms.
"Whatever"
Was his indignant reply at being blamed for dirtying his friends clothing. If Riku had put his clothes away he wouldn't have stepped on them. He heard Riku laugh, that deep light laugh he only heard when Riku was completely at ease.
"Now you sound like Leon"
The look Tidus gave him made Riku laugh even more and soon he was down on his bed holding his stomach. Tidus only glared and waited for Riku to calm down.
"Gee thanks. Just don't let him hear you call him that"
Riku sat up chuckling lightly. He was sure Squall wouldn't mind if he called him Leon, he never had. Now that he thought about it, he was the only one who could call Squall, Leon without living to regret it. He dismissed the thought not thinking anything of it.
"Sure. Now are you going to help me? Or are you just going to walk around dirtying my things?"
Looking around the room Tidus realized there wasn't much to clean. Riku had just taken all his belonging out of the boxes, but they were all neatly organized in piles. The shirts with the shirts, the jeans with the jeans, his books in another corner and various other things.
"Actually this looks like a lot of work"
He lied.
"Can't work on an empty stomach. Lets go get some breakfast my treat"
Riku was about to argue about his room not being messy. But decided Tidus was right he couldn't work on an empty stomach.
"If you insist. Lead the way"
/
/
The campus was big, Riku noted, he had been lucky he hadn't gotten lost looking for his dorm. Tidus however, seemed completely familiar with his surroundings. Of course he was he had started a year earlier, actually Riku had started a year later.
It wasn't because he had taken a break after high school, it was for the fact he had been held back a year due to his condition. He hadn't minded too much, he and Tidus always kept in touch and Tidus had always came home for holidays to stay with his family and visit Riku.
After Riku had graduated a year after Tidus, he had decided to attend the same university. His choice had not been based on the fact Tidus was there, that had been a mere coincidence. His reason however were psychological literally, he wanted to study psychology and that was the best place to learn with out having to move too far away from his parents.
His parents did not like having him too far away. They never said anything but he could feel it, he knew however that he could not always live by what his parents wanted of him. Right now though he was letting them get adjusted to having him away. He planned on transferring in a year. By then his parents should have learned to cope with not having him around.
It made him feel guilty in away. But he knew it was for the best in the long run. He could not be with them forever as much as they wanted him to. They had become very protective of him after his accident. A little too protective for Riku's taste.
They needed to accept he could take care of himself. They needed to accept he did not need them to watch over him every second. He was the one responsible for his life for his choices whether they were good or bad.
"We'll just eat in here or do you feel like walking into town?"
Riku blinked looking over at Tidus it took him a while to register what Tidus had asked.
"Um no here is fine"
The university though big was in a small town, which was a fifteen minute walk from campus. It seemed like it had been set up specially for the student. Riku had seen on his way there many deli shops, cafes, bookstores and other places where the student body could go and relax. But he did not feel like walking in to town as Tidus had put it, the university restaurant would be fine.
/
/
After eating their breakfast, they headed back to Riku's dorm. To pick up his so called mess.
Things were going slow and Riku caught Tidus glaring at him from time to time. Tidus was not a very patient person and Riku was a very organized person. Which meant unfortunately for Tidus that Riku took his time putting his things away making sure everything was where he wanted things to be.
Three hours of silence later, Tidus's patience wore off.
"Ahh Riku just shove everything in there, when you want something just dig it out"
Riku only shook his head. Thinking how useless that would be. Not to mention frustrating, knowing he had something in his closet but being unable to see where. He hated that feeling of misplacement.
Tidus glared at Riku who had put on a thoughtful expression and his glared softened. Tidus remembered a time when Riku had not been so keen on organization . A time when Riku's room had looked worse than it had that morning, but that had been a time before his accident.
As much as Riku hated to admit it his accident had changed him. Now he could not stand the thought of not knowing where things were. Where as before he could have cared less.
It was all psychological Tidus thought. Riku couldn't remember his accident therefore he tried as much as he could to control everything else he could remember. Where he placed his clothing for example or where he left his books. Tidus noticed how Riku always made an extra effort to remember places and peoples names.
It was all subconsciously though Riku had yet to make the connection to his accident. Or perhaps he had, and only pretended not too. Tidus noticed Riku could be quite convincing when he wanted. Maybe that was the real reason he was studying psychology. Not because he had a real interest in the field, but because he wanted to better understand himself. Without anyone else telling him what to feel. Tidus sighed. His friend still had a lot of things to resolve.
"Never mind you're hopeless"
Riku blinked, looking up from where he was putting away his socks in a drawer. Tidus was standing on his bed arranging his books on a long shelf above his bed. Riku smiled, for someone who was so impatient Tidus was surely taking his time arranging his books in alphabetical order by title, as if it mattered to Riku. Though he wouldn't burst Tidus's bubble by telling him he really didn't mind how his books were arranged, after all it was the thought that counted.
"It easier this way. Instead of digging for clean and wrinkled clothing I can just pull out clean wrinkle free clothes."
That was his explanation. Tidus only shrugged.
"Whatever"
Chuckling Riku slammed the drawer closed and turned leaning on the dresser crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"That's twice in a day you've said that, you really are starting to sound like Squall"
"I do not!"
Tidus shouted.
"What's this the happy couple having an argument?"
A tall brunette walk through the door with out bothering to knock. Squall was breathtakingly beautiful that was the only way Riku would ever describe him as. His skin was a beautiful milky color which looked like fine porcelain. his hair was a light brown that with the sun light reflected lighter highlights. His eyes however were what Riku liked best, they were a sort of grayish blue, which turned darker almost like a storm cloud when he felt any emotions. Which was a great help since Squall was not a person who ever voiced or showed emotions much.
As much as Riku admire Squall's beauty he did not have any sort of romantic feelings for him. Squall was just a good friend. A very handsome friend who's flawless complexion was merely marred by a scar running from the right side of his nose and up diagonally to end a bit pass his left eye brow. Even that made him look more handsome.
When Tidus heard Squall he ignored the comment he had made and immediately jumped off the bed abandoning the task of arranging Riku's books. He ran to Squall and threw himself onto the other man circling his neck with his arms.
"Help me please! Riku's gone mad, mad I tell you! He's forced me to help him organize his room and we've been at it since ten. I need a break! Help me oh kind sir take pity on my poor soul"
Tidus said in an overly dramatic tone. Riku doubled over with laughter while Tidus fanned himself with his left hand pretending to be fainting. The only way they knew Squall found Tidus's antics the least bit amusing was by the small twitch of his upper lip and the relax expression he wore.
"Honestly Tidus, have you ever considered acting?"
Removing his arms from Squall Tidus stood up looking thoughtful.
"Actually I had but sadly I've realized people will only want me for my astounding beauty and not for my awesome acting talent"
Squall rolled his eyes. .
"Sure Tidus you keep telling yourself that"
Riku said shaking his head laughing. Tidus was about to reply when Squall interrupted him.
"So do you guys need help?'
Looking around the room Riku shook his head and pushed off of the dresser he had been leaning on.
"No actually I finished about half an hour ago, but Tidus looked so happy arranging my books in alphabetical order I didn't want to bother him"
"What?!"
Sensing an argument coming on Squall quickly took Tidus's attention away form Riku.
"Great than. What do you say Tidus and I show you around so you won't get lost you only have three days to memorize this place before classes begin"
Three days in three day he would be beginning his studies, he wasn't nervous in fact he was looking forward to it. He did however feel a little jealous of Tidsu and Squall who had already been there a year. And unlike Riku who's presence at the university had been mere coincidence with Tidus's, Squall's had not, for Squall and Tidus where both studying the same thing, medical science.
"Yeah I wouldn't mind you guys showing me around, though I won't need three days to learn this place inside and out I have an excellent memory"
Riku said smugly. And it would have been so easy for Tidus or Squall to have made an off hand joke at that comment since Riku could not remember his accident and some other memories and therefore still had to visit the shrink a few times a year. Not Tidus nor Squall made any remarks.
They had done so once a long time ago when Riku had come back home that time had been one time too many. They had made an off hand comment about Riku's memory lapse. Riku had been rather upset and did not speak to them for weeks.
It had taken a lot of apologizing on their behalf to get Riku talking again. It was only after that when Riku told them the whole story, everything that had happened to him and not being able to remember his accident. Therefore Squall and Tidus understood Riku's accident and memory were delicate subject not to be taken lightly.
"Yeah too bad not all of us can say that. Right Tidus?"
Tidus glared at Squall. Thinking that was not a fair thing to say the campus was big it wasn't his fault he had missed all his morning classes the firs week.
"Shut up Lee-on"
Tidus said stretching out the syllables to annoy Squall even more. Squall's expression was serious and he took a step towards Tidus.
"Come on you two I don't want to see blood on my freshly cleaned room"
Riku said swinging an arm around Squall's shoulders turning him away from Tidus and steering him towards the still opened door. Tidus followed them out an fell into step on Riku's other side.
/
/
After showing them his schedule and after Tidus had stopped laughing they had shown him around to where all his classes were located. That's when he saw the reason Tidus was laughing at him. Apparently all his classes were located in different buildings and he would have to walk or more like run from one building to the next to get to his next classes since he only had about ten minutes between classes, he was glad that was only on Mondays and Wednesdays though.
When they were done showing him his classrooms, they had shown him around the school and had introduced him to some of their friends they had bumped into. Almost two hours later they were outside on the campus lawns walking back to the building where the dorms were.
Riku walked slowly taking it all in, there were people walking outside some reading some carrying things towards their dorms, and some getting tours like he was. There was an air of relaxation mixed with excitement of new students and it felt great.
"Now we'll show you where our dorms are so you can come and visit us. Though we'll probably visit you more than you visit us since we have roommates"
Tidus finished cringing at the word roommates. He shook his head recovering quickly.
"What I want to know though is how you got your own room? I mean that's almost impossible, especially for new students"
Riku was quiet for a moment, he looked ahead. Tidus and Squall waited patiently for him to answer as they made their way across the lawn to the dorms. Riku could see the entrance now there were two foot bushes on either side of the long wide stairs that led to the double doors to the dorms. He saw they would have to either jump over the bushes or walk around to the foot of the steps and climb up it really wouldn't matter. Nothing mattered except the fact he didn't want to answer Tidus's question.
"Because I still ..."
"Hey Squall!"
They stopped and Riku almost sighed in relief. They turned and saw a girl waving at Squall beckoning him to come. Squall only shook his head and heaved a defeated sigh.
"You guys go ahead I'll catch up"
Riku and Tidus did a double take. That was very un-Squall like . It was apparent Squall didn't want to talk to the girl and when Squall didn't want to do something he wouldn't.
"What's this Squall Leonhart has a girlfriend?"
Tidus suggested trying not to drop to the ground and die of laughter. Squall only glared at him.
"Don't be stupid, you know very well she's my cousin and if I don't speak to her, mother will give me hell. However I could always tell her a friend of mine is interested in her and she would never bother me again. Trust me when I tell you she is very annoying."
Squall said giving Tidus a pointed look leaving no room to wonder who the friend he was talking about would be. Tidus knew only too well how annoying Squall's cousin was just as much as he knew the girl liked him. Too bad for her he preferred the company of men any day and Squall knew that.
"You wouldn't"
"Wouldn't I?"
And Squall walked away leaving Tidus to wonder and Riku to suppress his laughter.
"Come on. You know he wouldn't really do that to you"
Riku said draping an arm around Tidus's shoulder and began walking again.
"Wouldn't I?"
Tidus said mocking what Squall had said. Riku smiled hearing Tidus mumble something which sounded suspiciously like 'sadistic bastard'.
They were nearing the bushes and it looked like they were going to jump over them. Suddenly a flash of bright orange whizzed by followed by a shout.
"Hey Tidus throw it back will ya!"
There was a boy on the other side of the stairs a good nine yards away from them. Tidus looked to where the frisbee had landed and groaned. The frisbee had traveled quite far, but Tidus nodded in the direction of the boy anyway.
"Hang on let me get Wakka's frisbee and I'll introduce you guys"
Riku nodded and watched Tidus walk to retrieved the frisbee, half way there however he stopped to pet a golden retriever Riku smiled. If there was something Tidus loved it was dogs. His friend shouted at him and Tidus stood up signaling him to calm down and began walking towards the frisbee the dog now tagging his footsteps jumping up and down excitedly.
All of sudden he felt it, felt something behind him, Riku frowned. It was a strange feeling almost as if someone was calling him. And than he heard it.
"Sora hurry up!"
No way! Riku's eyes went wide. There was no way, Sora was a common enough name, to have there was no way. But all feelings inside were telling him to turn. So he did.
Very slowly he turned around holding his breath, he saw a girl she was carrying boxes and she had stopped and was looking back at her other companion. Riku let his gaze travel to where the girl was looking.
There standing a few stairs down was another girl who was also carrying some boxes, but Riku could have cared less about the girl she could have been carrying an elephant an he would not have noticed. He was focused on the person next to her.
"Do you really need all this stuff?"
It was his voice. Riku's breath caught in his throat and he felt his heart beating faster, the girl who was standing next to the boy shrugged and moved forward leaving him free to see the boy next to her whom she had been blocking from Riku's view with her form.
"Do you really have to ask?"
Though Riku didn't hear the girls words nor did he see her making her way up the stair all he saw was the boy. It wasn't his moppy head of hair which made Riku hold his breath his palm sweat and his heart beat furiously it was what the boy did next. He smiled.
At that moment time slowed to an almost stand still. The boy had smiled and not only did Riku recognize the smiled but also the eyes that light up with joy. He watched as the boy gave a small nod.
"I guess not"
And he began walking with that jubilant air only he possessed. Not only did Riku know that smiled and those eyes he also knew now beyond a doubt who they belong to. Sora. Sora was there a few feet away from him. As the thought registered in his head Riku began feeling dizzy.
Sora was right in front of him he had finally found Sora. But Sora had not been real? Riku shook his head, remembering that had only been lies told to him by his psychiatrists only he knew the truth. Sora was real and standing a few feet in front of him.
Sora was real. Riku felt his breathing increase he needed to confirm this was not another dream. He stretched his right hand forward wishing he could reach Sora. He needed to touch him, he needed to know Sora was real.
His mouth opened to speak but no words came out. He felt hot so hot, he felt his heart pounding in his head he couldn't breathe. Everything around him was closing in, trapping him. Making him feel claustrophobic.
The ground beneath him was melting Riku didn't care he kept watching as Sora walked up the stairs. He felt completely paralyzed. His mouth had gone dry and all he could do was watch as Sora walked away.
"Come on Sora!"
"I'm coming Kairi"
At those words Riku felt his knees give and he fell to the ground feeling his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Again he was embraced by darkness. This time however he knew it would be alright. He had found Sora.
Demak: You're so mean to Riku.
Jin: Isn't it great?
Cardel: Hi all well Sora's in. What did you think? Sad I bet. Riku's got issues.
Jin: Isn't it great?
Cardel: (rolls eyes) Whatever. Hmm this chapter wasn't meant to be this long. (shrugs) Oh well don't forget to review. Bye guys.