First off I want to say: Thank you so much! *bows* You guys are really amazing! I've gotten nothing but support from all of you, and it warms my heart! You make me write this story! I would like to mention some truly wonderful people who have really helped me get this out there!
*TheAnnoyingVoice-You had a lot of amazing constructive criticism, and I appreciate it! I will do my best to keep it all in mind! Thank you so much!
*X-blade025-Thank you! I'm happy you like it!
*Mallobie-Thank you~!
*Life is no Fairytale- Thank you very much! ;)
Disclaimer: I don't own Sony or the PlayStation.
There was only silence. Then, suddenly Riku felt a cold breeze brush over his shoulder. The shape could've been nothing but a hand. Riku smiled gently.
"I feel you, Sora," he said softly.
Riku had always been afraid of the paranormal and the supernatural. Sephiroth never blamed his child. He knew there were things out there that couldn't be explained. For some reason though, Sora was different. Riku wasn't uncomfortable or scared at all. In fact, he felt really calm and serene.
"It's okay, Sora. I'm not scared. Can you move in front of me? It's awkward for me to have people behind me," Riku almost whispered.
Riku felt the breeze move to in front of him. He smiled a little to show he wasn't afraid. He heard a ghost (A/N: pun intended X3) of a whisper in his ear as he felt the breeze move up him. He realized Sora must've been a bit shorter than him.
"I can't hear you, Sora," as he said that he remembered something from the many episodes of Paranormal State that he had watched.
"Hold on! I'll be right back!"
Riku ran up the stairs and into the study/guest bedroom. He shuffled through the desk's drawer for the tape recorder. He sifted through bunches of pencils and envelopes until he felt the tape recorder's cool plastic. He gripped it tightly and carefully pulled his hand out of the drawer. He ran back down to the basement.
"Okay. Sora, I need you to talk into the tape recorder, please!" Riku said excitedly. "When you're done talking you can just tap my shoulder or something."
Riku held the tape recorder out and waited for Sora's signature cool breeze. He felt a cool touch on his shoulder, and he stopped the tape recorder and rewound it.
"You can feel me?! Thank you! What's your name? Where are you from? How did you get here? Will you live here? Tell me! Tell me!" Sora's boyish voice called out.
Riku chuckled softly.
"Yes, I can feel you. My name is Riku Toriyama. I'm from Tokyo. I came here by a car. I will live here. Any more questions?"
Riku was startled and interrupted by a knock on his front door. He asked Sora to hold on and ran up the stairs. He set the tape recorder down on the table in the hallway that was also home to their house phone. He peeked through the peep hole and was met with familiar blue eyes. He quickly opened the door to find an old family friend.
"Hey, Riku. Sephiroth didn't tell you we're your neighbors did he? That's just like him. Is he home?" the blond asked.
"No he isn't. It's been a long time since we last saw each other. I'm glad our neighbor isn't an idiotic stranger. Want some tea, Cloud?" Riku asked.
"No thank you. I've got to get to Roxas and Leon before they rip out the PlayStation controllers again. See ya," Cloud's smile was small, but Riku returned it with an equally small smile.
Riku closed the door, swiftly walked down the hall, and picked up the tape recorder. He stubbed his toe on a box before deciding to just unpack and leave Sora alone for a while. He walked to the basement stairs and called down softly to Sora.
He began with the boxes farther from the stairs, so he would do the hardest stuff first. Every now and again he felt small chills around him as if Sora was trying to help him. The thought made him chuckle in his mind as he pictured the sight.
He set down the box labeled "Riku" carefully beside his desk. He opened the box to find bubble wrap. He knew what the objects were immediately and began to carefully take them from the box. He placed a small picture of his mother holding him as a baby on top of his dresser. He placed the picture of his mom, dad, and himself at the park; everyone was smiling. Even his normally stoic father had a small smile. Riku could tell how in love his parents were and how much they loved him. The final picture of only his mother had its own special spot on his nightstand so she could watch over him while he slept.
"Ne, Riku, is this your mom and dad?" Sora's question went unheard.
He pouted sulkily at Riku until he saw him pull out another picture and place it on his nightstand. Sora couldn't believe how beautiful she was. She had long flowing red hair and a wonderful smile. One thing was for sure. Riku had her facial structure. He looked over to Riku and saw a hint of a melancholy smile on his lips.
Unsure of what to do, Sora tried to ruffle Riku's hair. Sadly, he couldn't touch him directly, but a gust of wind passed through the silver strands; he seemed to understand. He remembered his father would do that whenever he felt sad. He wished he could give Riku a hug; he really liked Riku. Sora had wished he'd been human for a long time.
This moment only made him long for it even more. He could still remember bits and pieces of his mortality. He missed feeling sunshine, hearing birds, tasting sweets, and smelling fresh flowers. He wanted all of that back. He knew he could never have that back, but he still longed to be on Earth even with his touch just out of reach of her. If only he could remember what unfinished business he had. That would surely be the key.
Surely, if anyone could help him, it would be Riku. He was brave and very intelligent. Riku also had a wonderful air about him. It was almost familiar. He knew in his heart that his meeting with Riku was a once in a lifetime kind of meeting. Sora was certain that Riku was the key to everything. After all, no one had ever given Sora enough energy to move things around. Only Riku had done that.
"Hey, Sora?" Riku spoke quietly into the tape recorder. "What was your mom like?" He waited until Sora's signature cool breeze brushed through his hair.
"My mom was amazing! She was beautiful and nice and warm! When I was little and my sister, Belle, and I got sick, Momma would always nurse us back to health. What about your mom, Riku?" Sora's cute voice flitted through the static.
"My mom was like that, too… She was always gentle and kind. I'll never forget her wonderful smile. Mom was the one who taught me everything I know. We used to go out to the park all the time as a family, but that was before she passed away. Father was never home, but he was still there for me when he could be. He tries his best, and I'm really grateful."
"Riku? Who are you talking to?" Sephiroth's voice came from the foot of the stairs.
"No one. I was just thinking out loud!" Riku called back down.
Sephiroth gave a small smirk before going into the kitchen to make something for dinner. Riku came bounding down, soon enough, wanting to know why his father was home so early. Sephiroth relayed the information that it was already ten o'clock, the time he usually got off work unless there was an emergency or he was running a bit late. Riku was very surprised. He'd spent around ten hours alone- no, not alone- in this house talking to Sora and staring at photographs. It was unbelievable how time could fly.
Riku's stomach growled and he put his hand on top of it. He realized he hadn't eating much at all, and that he was famished. Riku could smell the chicken in the stove, and his mouth began to water. His father asked him to peel the potatoes and he obliged. The cool breeze that brushed past him didn't go unnoticed.