Entwined Destinies
By Solange MacLeod
A/N: Welcome to Chapter Four! (About time, I know.) Here's an updated character guide:
· Ongereol and Ryushiimon are twins. They're both half Digimon.
· Yukimon is half-Digimon.
· Kebekol is half dragon demon.
· Adrian is... himself. XD;
· Suzumi is Solange's (my) yami, AKA my dark alter ego. My bad side. If it helps any, Fruits Basket fans can think of her as my Black side.
· Lancer, Selene, Nanashi, Nameless, and Zander are Solange's (my) muses.
· Cursed and Neko-Kun are Lady Lemonade's muses. They are © to Lady Lemonade.
· Solange is, well, me. The authoress of this fanfic.
Disclaimer: Riku, Kairi, and Sora DO NOT BELONG TO ME. Cursed is © to Lady Lemonade.
Claimer: Ongereol, Ryushiimon, Yukimon, Kebekol, Adrian, Suzumi, Nanashi, Nameless, Zander, Selene, Lancer and Solange are © me, Solange MacLeod.
A/N: Now that that's done, on with the fic! I do apologize for the number of characters. I realize it might be hard to follow – don't worry, the character guide shall be here for every chapter. If you're still confused, email me or something. And shonen-ai fans rejoice, there's FINALLY a shonen-ai moment in this fic, and it's – you guessed it – right here in this very chapter. Enjoy! Love you all!
Chapter Four Never Say Impossible When you walk away
You don't hear me say
'Please, oh baby, don't go'
Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight
It's hard to let it go
You're giving me too many thingsLately, you're all I need
You smiled at me and said...
'Don't get me wrong, I love you
But does that mean I have to meet your father?'
Clouds of dreams retreated from the depths of the human's mind, feathered lashes lifted themselves laboriously from creamy cheeks. Bedcovers shifted as the young male within them rolled onto his side, lithe legs kicking out in effort to shake sleep's effects off. An arm accented by lean muscles extended out to the side, where its travels was abruptly cut short – another male's body stood in the limb's path. Sea-green eyes blinked, gazing to where the obstruction lay, and opened wider.
Riku's hand had accidentally collided with a cheek, its owner – Sora – sleeping peacefully on the floor.
Another blink, then the silver-haired one remembered where he was. Solange, the girl only one year Riku's senior, had made what she called "poor men's beds" on the 'living room' – whatever that was – floor for himself and his brunette friend. Kairi was rooming just a door away with Solange's parents. (Solange had made her sleep there because she didn't think it was right for a girl to sleep in the same room as boys.) Parents...had he ever had a mother? Or a father? A/N: I don't know too much about Riku, but I'm just going to give him an issue with his memory in this fic, 'k? sweatdrop Had Sora had them? At the thought of the boy's name, Riku remembered where his hand was, and his eyes widened a bit.
Ever so slowly, as if hesitant, Riku's fingers moved across the other male's face in a caress that hinted of uncertainty and perhaps a little fear, but mostly tenderness. After a brief moment of stillness, Riku's body jolted and his arm pulled back with sudden shock. Had he just done that? What was that? What was he thinking?! Had Suzumi snuck what the Digimon Yukimon had called crack into the water he had at dinner?
When we are older you'll understandWhat I meant when I said
'No, I don't think life is
Quite that simple'
Then, quite to Riku's befuddlement, these thoughts of horrified incredulity evanesced into the chill air of the morning. His hand, as if of it's own accord, moved back towards Sora's body. A/N: Minds out of the gutter, ye pervs.. xD I kid. Again interrupted in its passage, Sora's arm unexpectedly darted out and, pulling Riku's limb toward himself, also yanked the whole of the silver-haired male's body onto his own.
Riku, thinking he had been discovered, started to speak, his voice frantic. "Sora, I'm sorry, I don't know what came over m..." The excuse died on his lips as he realized, as his head rose and fell slowly with the brunette's deep breathing, that the boy was still asleep. He had grabbed Riku unintentionally, in his sleep. Sweatdropping, Riku turned his head – which presently lay on Sora's chest – to look at his crush, his normally cold and rebellious eyes softening rapidly at the sight that greeted them. An angel lay on the floor of the living room.
Except for the one arm that was slung in a firm grip over Riku's back, Sora had his graceful limbs halfway spread-eagled, his face turned to the side. The peaceful visage of sleep lay upon it – his eyes were shut, eyelashes laying on his cheeks like the feathers of brown doves, hiding the ocean-blue eyes that so long ago had lured Riku's heart in love's snare. Had it really been that long since the two had met?
Life is but a flicker in eternity...
When you walk away
You don't hear me say
'Please, oh baby, don't go'
Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight
It's hard to let it go
So simple and clean
It was all a blur in Riku's mind, now. The sea, the sand and the sky, and twin oceans of cerulean twinkling down at him in greeting when he woke. He'd fling sand playfully at Sora, and the two would race or tussle, sometimes joined by one of their friends but usually just watched by Kairi. The races, the training, the tears, the scrapes, the joys and sorrows of their childhood – it was all a haze. So many things about that time confused Riku now that he was older and wasn't innocent any longer. It amazed him how simple a life he used to lead. Did Sora ever think about their life as children in regard to their life as teenagers? Did he ever stay up at night, longing for what was and what would never come again? Did his soul ever cry for something unsaid?
Did he ever look at Riku and wonder... when the silver-locked boy had began to look at him differently... the way Kairi did so often...
The daily things (like this and that and what is what)
That keep us all busy
Are confusing me
That's when you came to me and said:
'Wish I could prove I love you
But does that mean I have to walk on water?'
When we are older you'll understand
It's enough when I say 'So?'
And maybe some things are that simple
When you walk away
You don't hear me say
'Please, oh baby, don't go'
Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight
It's hard to let it go
He could hear, and feel, Sora's heart beating through skin and a layer of thin fabric. Riku's own chest was bare, and he had had to borrow a pair of what Solange called 'boxers' from Ongereol. Riku could feel pessimism nagging at the edges of his brain, but he pushed the thoughts away, wanting to lie and enjoy the sensation of being in Sora's arms untroubled. So he did, until five minutes later, he could feel a blush spreading across his face and depression sink in. He pulled away from the brown-haired boy a little, his head lowering in shame. Was he taking advantage of Sora, just lying here like this? Was it cheating? If he were awake, Sora'd probably push him away, and have that confused look in his eyes.
Hold me
Whatever lies beyond this morning
Is a little later on
Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at all
Nothing's like before
When you walk away
You don't hear me say
'Please, oh baby, don't go'
Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight
It's hard to let it go
That cursed look...the one Riku shuddered to see. The bewildered expression of one who was innocent and couldn't understand what the other person wanted, and therefore grow upset because they couldn't. Riku had seen that look once in the eyes of a girl as she looked up at her lust-ridden boyfriend in some alleyway, and he had hoped he'd never see it again. If looks could kill...
The green orbed boy turned his head to look at the sleeping Sora's face, and he could feel himself being drawn closer. No, he wasn't being drawn – he was drawing himself closer, of his own free will.
Hold me
Whatever lies beyond this morning
Is a little later on
Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at all
Nothing's like before
"Sora..." he murmured, barely a half-whisper, and closed his eyes. And just as his lips neared the other boy's, a voice rang out:
"Selene Alloura MacLeod, what did I tell you about videotaping?!"
Solange. Riku fell back onto his own pillows, eyes still shut tight, heart pounding. Had he been seen? Beside him, on the other 'poor man's bed,' the Key Wielder stirred. Oh no.
"You said to not videotape anything." A strange voice recited, sounding bored, as if she had had this conversation at least ten times.
Hold me
Whatever lies beyond this morning
Is a little later on
Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at all
Nothing's like before
"Then why were you recording them?" Solange's voice held venom in its tones.
"Because they're not things, they're people, and you said nothing about people. Just anything, and they're not things."
An exasperated, strangled growl tore through the air, as if someone were trying to restrain themselves from yelling, and Riku opened one eye just a bit. There was an unfamiliar woman – or was it a girl? – standing about four meters away from him and Sora, arguing with Solange, who had her hands on her hips and a rebuke in her eyes. The new female, who looked merely bored, had shoulder-length, deep crimson, black-tipped hair with dark brown eyes. She wore a skirt not unlike Kairi's, except it was dark blue and pleated; her sheer, sparkly shirt was more appropriately described as a crop top – it ended where her breastbone did, and was held up by a medium-thick string that was tied around her neck. The edges of the top were ruffled, and all of the shirt was cotton-candy pink.
A voice interrupted the redhead – apparently Selene – and Solange's conversation as a shoe came flying through the air and hit the wall, making a very nice 'boom' sound. At this, Sora snapped awake, spewing something about flying mice.
"WILL YOU TWO IDIOTS SHUT THE HELL UP?! IT'S TOO EARLY FOR THIS SHIT!!! And you—" Nanashi, who had came down the stairs (and thrown the shoe), pointed at Selene, "—put some clothes on! Dear God! No one wants to see that!"
"Oh, sweetheart, you didn't say that yesterday night," Selene said, eyelashes fluttering, her lower lip protruding in a pout. Solange rolled her eyes, exhaling with a soft sigh. Apparently what Selene had said was just crude nonsense. Nanashi, for her part, looked fit to kill. She tried to say something, but nothing but livid sputtering came out, and she turned and stormed back upstairs. Not long after, the crash of a slamming door was heard.
"She can't resist me," Selene observed. "Interesting." She turned her attention to a strange black contraption that was attached to her hand, ignoring Solange, who appeared to be suffering a headache. Riku couldn't blame her. He could feel the edges of one seeping into his brain – and it wasn't even nine o'clock yet.
The blonde girl (Solange) finally noticed Riku and Sora were awake, and scratched the back of her head in embarrassment, her eyes guilty.
"I'm so sorry, you guys... were you two asleep?"
"Yeah, I was, but it's all right," Sora answered sleepily, rubbing his eyes, as Riku shrugged.
"Whatever," the green-eyed one said, standing up and stretching, extending his arms above his head. As he was too wrapped up in that to see anything, he missed Sora's wide-eyed expression as he gazed at Riku's general torso area, feeling oddly breathless. Then, realizing what he was doing, he looked away quickly, confused. What was that? Not answering himself, he surreptitiously snuck a glance at Riku again, and his eyes grew wide as he watched the muscles under his friend's arms ripple under his cream-colored skin.
That was when Riku glanced over his shoulder at the spiky-haired boy, and their eyes met. Sora jerked in surprise and looked away quickly, his heart beating thrice its normal rate. Staring at the berber carpet, heart thundering in his ears, he prayed Riku hadn't noticed he'd been staring; he pretended nothing was wrong by adjusting the sheets. When the Key Wielder chanced a peek upward again, Riku was in the kitchen, but Selene was smirking meaningfully at him.
She saw. The thought reverberating around his brain like an echo in a cave, he pleaded silently for the girl to keep quiet about it, if she had seen him. As if reading his mind, one of Selene's eyelids slid shut in a reassuring wink before she sashayed into the kitchen. Sora blinked, and recovering himself, looked to Solange.
"Um...who is she?"
"Hm?" The girl had sat down in a chair and was reading something, but she looked up when Sora spoke. "Oh. That's Selene, my muse. She specializes in angst and hentai." A bead of sweat ran down her face. "Especially hent—Selene Alloura MacLeod, keep your hands to yourself, please!"
"I can't help it!" came the faint response. "They have minds of their own!" Solange could see the not-innocent smile on Selene's face as she pulled her hand back, and the girl shook her head. Turning to Sora, she blinked. He...wasn't there. Then she took a double take – somehow, in the span of ten seconds, Sora had appeared in the kitchen in-between Riku and the muse, his blue eyes looking defensive. He glowered up at the 5'7" Selene, who merely smiled.
"You know, you are just so adorable," she cooed affectionately, running her finger along Sora's chin. He jumped back, accidentally bumping into Riku, and blushed through his next words.
"Thanks...now can you leave me and Riku alone...?"
"Now, why would I do—" the redhead's refusal was cut short as her eyes caught a glint of light reflecting off the handle of Riku's dagger, and she smiled innocently. "Of course I can, sweetheart. Enjoy yourself." With that strange statement, she walked out of the room and upstairs. Solange, shaking her head, entered the sunlight kitchen.
"Again, I am so sorry...well, you want breakfast?" she asked brightly, moving for the pantry. Riku stared after her while Sora facefaulted. Was Solange's memory defective or something? A/N: As a matter of fact, it is. Just ask my teachers. XD Solange was just pulling out a brightly colored box with what looked like a bird on it when Kairi came out into the living room. Sora's eyes bugged out as he stared at her, his mouth dropping in a classic gape, and Riku's dagger slipped out of his hand to land with a clatter on the tiled floor.
Kairi paused, blinked, and cocked her head. "...what's wrong?" Her blue eyes looked concernedly at the others.
Solange turned and began to say "Everything's fine" before the box of cereal in her hands fell to the ground, and she started shaking her head. Eventually she stopped, and looked at Kairi closely. Next she shut her eyes tightly for a few seconds, opened them, blinked, and looked at the girl again.
Kairi's hair was gone.
The girl was completely bald – nary a hair remained on her skull.
"Solange? What's wrong?" the formerly pink-haired girl asked again, a note of panic tinting her speech this time.
Riku spoke for the hostess this time. "Er…your hair is—"
"Right here." The cool, foreign voice came from behind Kairi and the others, and they all whipped around to see who it was, and they all stared – except for Solange, who's eyes bugged out as she rushed toward the living room.
"CURSED, PUT THAT DOWN!!! WHAT THE HECK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"
A blue-haired – except for her magenta bangs – woman sat on the computer desk, legs crossed, looking at Sora and Riku with cold violet eyes, unperturbed by their astonishment. In her hand was a strand of pink hair, which she brought to her jaws and chewed, ignoring Solange's pleas to give it back. By her side was a razor – presumably used earlier to shave Kairi's hair off.
"Suave?" Cursed shot at Kairi, causing her to jump.
"Huh?" She hadn't noticed that the fox demon(?) was eating her hair.
"Did you use Suave to wash your hair?" the woman asked, clarifying her earlier statement, whilst holding a bag full of Kairi's locks out of Solange's frantic reach and shooting the blonde an annoyed glare.
"Um, yes, I did...ne, what's in the bag, if you don't mind me asking, ma'am?"
A smirk lit on Cursed's lips. 'Ma'am?' The girl wouldn't be calling her ma'am when she saw what was in the bag. She held out the sack, and the bald girl took it. Peering inside, her eyes shot open to the size of saucers and she promptly fainted onto the carpet, completely passed out.
Solange sighed, putting a hand over her face. She'd expected this. Moving towards the kitchen, she opened a cupboard and rummaged through it. "Where the heck are those darn smelling salts?"
"You know, why are we the only house in the neighborhood that has smelling salts?" Zander came down the staircase, toweling his dripping hair dry.
"Because we're the only house in the neighborhood that gets into these fucked up situations," Nanashi replied, "meaning we're the only one that even need them." With that, she tripped the male muse and shoved him into the staircase railing, earning herself a long wail, and not a second after, sobs.
"Zander-kun!" Solange cried, rushing off to help her friend.
Nanashi rolled her eyes and glared at Cursed. "Although I admire your skill, could you at least have waited until I left to cut her hair off? I don't want to hear all her whiny shit."
"I really don't care what you want," the blue-and-pink haired woman answered, slipping off the desk in one fluid motion. Nanashi shrugged, apparently not caring anymore, and stepped over Kairi's prone body and opened the refrigerator. Solange, Zander following (she had calmed him down eventually), and when she caught sight of Kairi still on the floor, jumped.
"Holy chickeneggs! I nearly forgot!" Earning herself a facefall from Zander, the girl rushed to get some water, but she was too late. Sora had figured out how to work the faucet and had soaked a rag in water, and was now gently sponging his friend's face with it, whilst Riku's levels of jealousy reached new heights. Nanashi, seeing the boy's expression, was quite surprised he hadn't burned a hole in Kairi's now bald head. And it takes a lot to surprise Nanashi, believe me.
"You okay there, PMS boy?"
"Don't call him that!" Sora's livid tone surprised everyone, but especially Riku. Nanashi turned to stare at the brunette boy, her left eyebrow raised in inquiry, and grinned to herself as a sheet of pink washed over his cheeks, half-replacing the look of fury in the pools of ocean blue. I knew it. Triumphantly and without a word, she walked over and yanked Solange out of the kitchen and into her parents' room, where they couldn't be heard.
Back in the kitchen, Riku was staring wide-eyed at the boy kneeling beside Kairi on the cold tile floor. Did he just...? Did he...really defend...? The boy was startled out of his thunderstruck thoughts as a hand suddenly appeared before him. Sora's hand.
The boy had his arm stretched out, his palm inviting. Riku stared at it, then raised his eyes to meet Sora's; the boy gave him a timid smile, his eyes speaking silently to the other. It's okay. Hesitantly, forgetting everyone gawking in the background, Riku reached out his hand and gently touched Sora's palm with his lithe, strong fingers. Sora jumped slightly at the contact but relaxed as Riku gazed into his eyes.
Anticipation thickened the atmosphere so that it seemed you could slice it with a knife. He cocked his head, deep teal eyes narrowing slightly. Unless his vision was failing, it seemed to him that Riku was trying to tell Sora something through his gaze. But what was it? Tilting his head further and immersing himself in trying to 'decipher the code,' so to speak, but the moment was unexpectedly broken when Sora abruptly tore his eyes away from Riku's, dropping his friend's hand. A flush spread across his cheeks like a sickness, and he kept his eyes trained on Kairi, unable to meet Riku's eyes any longer.
Riku stood there, a bit overcome, had to fumble to get his bearings. When he snapped back to reality, he glared around at all the staring residents of the house, and dropped into a crouch beside Sora, hiding his racing heart.
"Is she going to be all right?" As if on cue, Kairi's beautiful eyes blinked open.
"Sora-kun...? Riku...?" She tried to stand up, but Sora wouldn't let her on the grounds she might still be weak. Accepting this without question, she then looked around, propped up by Sora. "Is my hair..." At the thought of it, her eyes began to fill up with tears. However, she stopped mid-sob and jumped as a bag landed with a soft whumph beside her.
"...What—" She caught a glimpse of the bag's contents, and her eyes flew upward to meet the new woman's amethyst ones.
"Um, ma'am, that's not my hair..."
"I know. That's just a replacement. And your hair wasn't that great anyway – when you grow some more, try washing it more than once a week."
Sora, Riku, and all the rest stared, incredulous, at the formerly pink-haired girl. Sora started to speak, but was interrupted by the creaking open of a door. Solange's blue-gray eyes, accompanied by Nanashi's annoyed black ones, peeked out. Seeing everyone was okay, and they weren't disturbing anything, Solange strode out happily back to the kitchen, Nanashi hanging behind to join Nameless just outside the kitchen.
"Cursed, Neko-Kun's probably worried about you," Solange said pointedly, and Cursed glanced at her, then sighed.
"Yes...you're probably right...fine. Bye." And in a gust of lilac smoke, she vanished. Sora and Kairi jumped back, Riku bracing himself, but when nothing happened, they relaxed, albeit bewilderedly. Did things like this always happen?
"Okay," Solange's brisk voice broke in. "Well, I have to do some shopping today, so let's get dressed."
"Who said any of us were going?" Nanashi demanded, standing off to the side, her arm around Nameless's waist. Sora, seeing this, felt a stirring in his chest, and instinctively glanced to Riku. The vivid green eyes stared straight ahead, oblivious to Sora's own oculi, and as the blue eyes' gaze shifted to the boy's arm, the stirrings grew stronger. Sora looked away, not understanding the yearning within him, and focused on Solange and Nanashi's discussion to block the ache.
"You can count me out, you little bitch, because I'm not going."
"There's no need for that, and that's fine. Do what you will." The blonde turned on her heel and addressed the three Destiny Islanders. "Would you two like to come along or would you rather stay home? Either's fine with me."
"Go," Sora replied instantly, curious about this world, and not exactly keen on being alone in the house with a sadistic, pyromanic, overprotective woman and her pregnant wife. Riku, not about to let Sora go anywhere alone in this strange place, shrugged in consent, and Kairi wasn't far behind. Solange nodded.
"Gotcha. Well, since you guys's stuff is still in the wash, you'll have to borrow some hand-me-downs if you don't want to wait for your clothes." Ongereol, who had entered the room at some time, spoke sleepily.
"Sora can have some of my stuff. I was about his size when I was that age." The eighteen-year-old rumpled his black locks, and yawned. "I think some of Adrian's old stuff would fit Riku."
Ryushiimon smiled happily at the sole female Islander. "Kairi-chan can have some of my stuff!"
"Are you guys okay with that?" Solange questioned the two boys and girl, who nodded. "You sure?" More nods, and a reassuring smile from Sora. "Okay then. Ongereol, Ryushiimon, could you help them? I need to get dressed, too."
"Hai!" Ryushiimon chirped, Ongereol nodding, and they led the three young adults upstairs while Solange went to her room to get changed.
Not ten minutes later, the five descended the stairs, and Solange grinned as she saw the three guests.
"You fit the part," she said, and swung open the front door. "Now hop in the car – or van – and we'll get going." Kairi, new wig not quite straight on her head, looked at Solange quizically.
"Where are we going, anyway?"
The blonde smiled. "The mall." At these words, a cackle came from the white Dodge Caravan that waited outside, and Adrian's mutter summed up everyone's feelings in one sentence.
"This should be interesting."
A/N: This has nothing to do with the fic, but my Silly Putty looks like it has stitches. Oh well. Happy Belated Christmhannakwanzaa everyone!!! My mouth tastes like peanut butter. oO Is that normal? I can't remember what I ate, either. Oh well. Ja ne! Expect the next chapter to be up sometime within the next two weeks...well, maybe. dodgy eyes
AFLAC DUCK!!! glomps the TV
BTW, I am SO sorry about the lateness of this chapter... I don't deserve your forgiveness! –grovels- Gomen!!!