Chapter 5: X Marks the Spot

Memo: Yo ho yo ho a pirate's life for me. We...yeah, I forgot the words. U-.- XD "My life is a black abyss..." ^_^ AL, I LOVE YOU! D

Riku's pOv

As you try to turn the knob on the shack's door, you realize she's locked it. Does she not realize you have a key to every door on this island? Or maybe she just doesn't care. You hesitate, then pull out your keys and unlock the door. You're ready to hear the truth.

The normally huge fire is starting to dwindle. It seems like the shack might empty until you see a figure huddled up against a wall. Rei's shoulders are trembling from sobs that aren't even audible to you. Slowly you approach her and sit next to her, but not too close. Who knows what's going on...

"Rei," you say quietly. She flinches, then slowly lifts her head. Her eyes are incredibly puffy.

"..." She bites her bottom lip. "...Please don't hate me."

"Rei, why would I EVER hate you?" you ask. Rei squeezes her eyes shut and points to her right shoulder. You get a closer look and inhale sharply. A huge bloody "x" is carved there. Your eyes catch a glint below you, and you see the bloodied knife. "Why did you do this?! Rei, why did you cut yourself?! What's going on?! What happened to you?!?"

"Promise you won't hate me!" she cries, reaching out and grabbing your hand.

"Rei, I-I promise. I would never...can never hate you. Just tell me what's going on!"

Maybe you AREN'T ready to hear the truth...

"..." Rei squeezes your hand harder. It doesn't hurt, but it's definitely uncomfortable. "...I...You know when we...you know...?"

"I get what you're talking about," you say quickly. ...Uh-oh...

"...I...got pregnant," she admits, sobbing.

Shit...

"Are you...serious?" Now, come on, why did you just ask that?! Of course she is! Why else would she be crying like this?!

She nods, obviously. "...But..."

"...Wait, Rei, wait." A sudden thought hits you. If she got pregnant, where's the baby?! (Well, that's a "duh" kind of question...) "You didn't leave that poor kid at your house, did you?!"

"No," she says. Her grip tightens.

"...You...you didn't give it up for adoption, did you? Or...have an abortion?"

"No," she repeats. Now her nails are digging into you, and NOW it hurts.

Your pOv

It's now or never. You know it. He knows it. You can see the confused look in his eyes even with this dim lighting. Oh geeeeeeeeeeez...holy craaaaaaaaaaap...

"Please don't kill me," you manage to say. Before Riku can reply to this, you finally spit it out... "...I had a miscarriage."

You get a single glance at Riku's face before your vision is blurred by your tears. He looks like a combination of confusion, disbelief, sadness, anger, and pity. You feel so sick...but a little less guilty..not really. If it's even possible, you feel a little worse. Just seeing the look on his face is...

"I-I'm so sorry," you manage to say after a few minutes. "...It's...all...my fault...I didn't take care of myself and..." You can't keep talking. The reality of it all leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier...?" he asks quietly.

"...I couldn't. I'm...so so sorry," you whimper, feeling stupider than ever.

"...I...I'm not mad...I...I just feel really stupid." ...Wha...? "I'm...sorry I put you through this, Rei." He shakes his head slightly. "I mean, I'm...just feeling...sad right now, but you...I can't even imagine..."

"What...what do you mean by that?" you ask, knitting your brows.

"You've had to go through so much...just for me." Riku chuckles, but you can still see sadness in his eyes. "Trust me, I'm not worth it. You...deserve so much better. And you're stuck with me."

"What are you talking about?!" You face him full-on, tears still streaking down your face. "You mean EVERYTHING to me. I would do anything for you. You're a lot better than you think you are, Riku."

He frowns. You swear for a moment you saw tears in his eyes.

"...You've...been through so much pain because of me, Rei," he says quietly, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Why do you even want me around?" HOW IS ONE THAT UNSELFISH?!?!

"Because I love you." You place a hand on his cheek. "If we can learn from our mistakes, then we can make it, okay? I'm not kidding around. Maybe things we've done were mistakes, but we...this...isn't. I know it. I can feel it."

"...Man..." You cock your head slightly. "...I...am...in...love...with...you."

A small smile makes its way onto your face. "You really aren't mad at me?"

"How could I? It's not entirely your fault, after all. Partially mine, partially yours, and-"

"Partially Sora's for leaving me to rot."

You both laugh quietly.

"When I found you, that first day, I didn't think you were going to live through the trip to Hollow Bastion. You looked so...ill. You've gotten better, but I could still tell something was wrong....I just wasn't expecting this."

"...I...I'll admit I didn't like what was happening at first...but...it became my only hope. I thought you were gone. I...thought that it would be the only connection I'd ever have to you again. And when it...I...just lost all hope. I didn't think you'd ever be alive again."

"I am because of you," he points out. You shake your head slightly.

"I don't understand it. How can I do that? I'm not some freak, am I?"

"I don't think so. But I don't understand it, either. How can you be born with a power you never knew you had?"

"You're asking the wrong person."

You both sigh a little. Lacing your fingers with his, you rest your head on his shoulder. He gently puts his other hand on your cheek, making you face him.

"You should get some rest, okay?" he says quietly.

"Okay," you agree. But neither of you move. *I'm too tired to get up,* you think, closing your eyes.

"Before you fall asleep, can I ask you something?... Well, a couple of things," Riku says. You nod, keeping your eyes closed. "Tomorrow, do you want to go to the rec center with me? To my job, I mean. I bet you'd love it there."

"Sure, that's sounds great," you say, smiling happily. "What's your other question?"

"...Did you know if...it was going to be a boy or a girl?"

"...No." You feel the lump in your throat return. "It would've been soon, though..." You can't keep talking about it now. You're already scarred enough.

"...I'm sorry for asking."

"It's okay...you...have the right to."

)()()()()(

Riku's pOv

Your eyes slowly open to find yourself leaning up against the wooden wall of the shack. Your left hand is somewhat numb feeling, and upon looking at it, you realize that it's still gripping Rei's tightly.

And then everything that you learned last night comes flooding back to you.

Glancing at your watch, you look to see that you have about two hours until you need to leave. Shoot. You start to get up when you realize something is stuck to your left shoulder. Looking down, you see that the blood from Rei's wound from last night bled onto your shirt and dried there. Ooo, that's gonna hurt...

"Rei," you whisper. Her eyelids flutter a little, then squeeze shut tighter.

"Owwwwchiiiiies," she groans, her left hand reaching over to her right shoulder.

"I know. You're stuck to me," you explain. She sleepily tugs on her shirt, then winces.

"Rip your shirt away, but do it fast," she says, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Wha-?"

"Just do it!"

You quickly tug at the sleeve of your shirt, and you can't help but cringe as you watch as it rips off the newest layer of protectional skin on Rei's cut, causing it to start bleeding heavily again.

"Ooooooooowwwwwwwww!" she whimpers, cringing.

"Are you okay?" you ask. She nods slightly. "C'mon, we'll get back to the house and clean that up."

Lifting her to her feet, you and Rei make your way back to the house. You can't help but notice she looks more at ease than she has since you've been home. That's good.

"I'm going to take a shower, okay?" she murmurs, smiling a little. You nod, figuring you can make breakfast while she does.

When you get inside and after Rei heads upstairs, you turn on the stovetop just as the hot water turns on upstairs. Hmph. It's a good thing you don't NEED the water to be hot.

Suddenly you hear a scream. It doesn't sound like a surprised scream. It's more like a wail.

"Rei?" you say to the ceiling. No response. The ghostly wail occurs again. What the heck...? It kind of sounds...like a dying animal or something...?

Abandoning your food for a moment, you run upstairs and press your ear to the door of your bathroom. No noise except the sound of running water. But the moment you turn your back, you hear the wailing again. The water stops, along with the wailing.

"Rei?" you half-shout.

"What's wrong?" she asks through the door.

"Is something wrong?" you ask.

"What do you mean?"

"I heard this wailing noise...was it you?"

"What ARE you talking about?"

A split second later, you hear the noise again.

"See? Hear it?!"

"Hear what? I don't hear anything, Riku."

"Shhh! Just listen!"

The wailing goes on for about another thirty seconds, then it's silent.

"Did you hear it?" you ask.

"No."

You sigh through your nose.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asks you, opening the door. Her long, wet hair frames her confused face.

"I...you're sure you didn't hear anything?"

"Positive..." She cocks her head slightly. "What did it sound like?"

"It just sounding like...somebody in pain." You shake your head. "Maybe I'm just imagining things..."

Rei pulls the towel around herself tighter. "That's...weird, I'll admit it."

your pOv

*He must just be tired,* you tell yourself, shrugging and walking past him. Still, hearing voices is never a good sign. Especially when they're screaming in pain. Maybe the house is haunted! Oo, that'd be creepy! Maybe that would explain your bad karma earlier!