Hello all! Chapter 4 is up! I think it may be a bit shorter than the rest...wonder how that happened...
On KHII– Personally, I thought KHII was slightly lacking in character development as compared to KHI. Not to say that it was a bad game. I loved it, but by comparison...I dunno. Riku comes off as a little whiney. It makes me angry since I love him so much and want him to be the apex of cool. I'll just have to think around that and mold him how I want through careful manipulation and plot advancement...heh!
Anyway, on with the thank-you's!
Tears of Darkness 17- Thanks for your thoughts! I'm so glad you like it! I tried to be a little innovative with this one, but I wasn't sure about how it would turn out. You're opinion is reassuring!
AquilaStrife- Hey there! checks reviews Nope, you didn't review for chapter two, but it's really no big deal. I'm just happy you read it! The greed in me is coming out rather strong lately, I'm like addicted to 'em currently! I feel so bad... Anyway, I'm also very happy that you enjoyed them!
Animegirl999- After beating KHII then watching the ending twice, I've gotten this growing love for Sora and Riku. I've always LOVED them beyond my healthy level, but now I LOVE them beyond everyone's healthy level! It pained me to have to hurt him, but I had to do it... Then I'm also like, gonna marry Leon and Cloud too. Anyway, I'm so glad you like!
I own nothing!
"Alright Sora, just hold still for a moment." Leon said feeling along the underside of his chin.
Cloud's lip curled in agitation. The idea of that man touching another human being without a "Bio Hazard" label painted brightly to his forehead didn't set well with him. Looking sideways, he noted Riku, though appearing relatively calm, his eyes shone as much apprehension as a rabbit in a snare.
"Okay Sora, you can relax," Leon said tiredly. Sora sank down a little, then started another rattling fit of coughs.
"What's wrong with him?" Riku burst out suddenly, earning curious stares from the surrounding party members.
"Well," Leon started, sliding his hands into his jacket pockets. "His lymph glands have swollen to a relatively large size, and then there's the coughing and mild fever. It looks to me like strep throat, but we'll do a throat culture to be sure."
Cloud rolled his eyes. "In other words, you don't know."
"I said it's probably strep, weren't you listening?"
"I was listening, and it sounds to me like you aren't sure."
"Don't start it with me tonight," Leon said massaging his eyes. "I'm not in the mood."
"I don't care what you're in the mood for!" Cloud hissed. "Sora could be dying for all you know because you obviously didn't have adequate medical training!"
Riku groaned inwardly. He knew that Cloud's rant wasn't initially birthed from concern and compassion but rather spawned from an apparent need to ignite another fleet of battle cannons. Ignoring the two with little effort, he turned his attention to Sora, who looked only half way interested in the mini war and far more intent on the array of various examination equipment.
"Hey Sora," Riku said, good-naturedly wrapping an arm around his shoulders to distract the boy from the offending items. "He says you have strep. Trillions of people get it and get rid of it. You'll be fine."
Sora recalled that Riku was the only one actually concerned about his condition in the first place when Sora had only called in to report his absence for the following day, but he let it go and shrugged.
"I know that. But..."
"But?"
Sora chewed the inside of his cheek. "I've had strep throat before...and...it didn't feel like this." Instantly after saying it, Sora wished he hadn't, because the look on Riku's face made him want to go home immediately.
Sora knew Riku would beg Leon for an overnight examination, request any and all tests that could possibly help with diagnosis, and he would ask for it all to be done in a speedy manner. Needles to say, he wasn't exactly thrilled to be fussed over, but he did have a growing sense of appreciation for Riku's well intended efforts.
After successfully parrying every one of Cloud's weak jibes and calmly dismissing Riku's incessant suggestions, Leon walked over to the sink.
"We need to do a throat swab to send to the lab." He said above the sound of the running water. "Ever had one before?"
Sora watched in horror as Leon pulled on his rubber gloves. "Er...it's been a while."
Selecting a rather long swab from a jar sitting on a cabinet in the corner of the room, he walked back over to where his patient sat wide-eyed.
"It doesn't hurt, it just sort of feels...odd."
"Alright..."
"Open wide please."
Hesitantly, Sora allowed his mouth to be swabbed. Never in a million years would he describe the experience as odd, but rather horrible. On that note, Sora immediately reconsidered his methods of ear cleaning for the rest of his life.
Suddenly the motion of the cotton tipped stick stopped, and Sora wondered what could be delaying the completion of this horrendous experience. He looked at Leon's face, and behind the dark circles, he could definitely see the beginning of a frown.
Resisting the urge to ask what the problem was and risk gagging even more, he looked at Riku and Cloud who looked just as confused at the doctor's sudden lack of activity.
"What, did you fall asleep?" Cloud asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Quiet." Leon snapped. Without shifting his gaze, he reached into his lab coat pocket for a flashlight.
Covering the lining of Sora's throat was a sort of pale grey membrane that was thick and firmly stuck. Membranes such as this weren't usually associated with strep throat...
"Sora...are you having difficulty breathing?"
"Kinda." He winced as the swab hit the back of his throat.
"Hm." He could hear Riku's breath hitch behind him, and decided it better not to say anything about it. The lab would have to come before he could make any accurate suppositions anyway.
Dropping the swab into a labeled plastic bag, Leon assured Sora he would be fine, but to satisfy the ever persistent Riku, he agreed to keep Sora overnight for observation.
"Thank you again." Riku sounded slightly more at ease.
"It's my job," Leon replied dismissing him with the wave of a hand. Then, turning to give Cloud a aphoristic frown, he headed down the hallway to his office.
Cloud folded his arms. "I really hate that guy."
"Please don't start..."
"I'm going home."
"Oh, alright, I'll see you tomorrow."
Cloud leaned against the doorway of the gift shop, studying Riku's face seriously. Not one to typically involve himself in his co-workers' problems—anyone's for that matter—he couldn't help but feel a tinge sympathy for his fellow employee.
Frowning a bit, Cloud noticed that it really didn't take much examination to understand the thoughts spinning wildly inside his skull. Riku's concern for Sora was far more than obvious and the strain from the impending lab results nearly crippled his composure until he looked just about as hapless as Leon.
Cloud couldn't resist the urge to pat the guy amicably on the shoulder. "Hey, are you coming?"
"Eh?" He looked questioningly up at Cloud, who surprisingly enough was acting different albeit genial. "No, I'm gonna stick around a bit longer."
"Why?"
"Just...because. Anyway, I have records to fill in for tomorrow, and thanks to you, I have to buy more coffee."
Cloud shrugged with mild notice of his offence. "While you're in Sora's room for the rest of the night, tell him I said 'hi.'"
Face flushed in unrestrained outrage, he made a series of short gasping noises, similar to the ones Cloud made when he had plenty of things to say, but couldn't formulate words fast enough to unleash his fury.
Perhaps Cloud's bad habits were rubbing off...
"Later." Cloud shouted, flicking his wrist over his shoulder in a sort of wave as he headed out the door. Riku stood in the middle of the hallway shaking his head, but he then turned and headed off to Sora's room.
Leon leaned back in his chair, unsure of how to occupy himself. To his direct left was a stack of files that needed to be filled out and sorted through, to his right was the door, to which eventually lead to the community lounge where he could take a much needed rest, and then there was the impending matter of those lab results he had to worry about.
He knew the lab wouldn't be finished processing until at least the next morning, but there was something about them that had made him a little uneasy. He was almost positive that it wasn't strep, though most symptoms had pointed in that direction.
There had to be a myriad of other possible diagnoses that could explain the symptoms, but none came to mind at the present moment.
Perhaps he was just tired.
Glancing up at the clock and grimacing disapprovingly at the unrealistic hour it was approaching, he decided against going down the hall to hurry things along in the lab. Then that left the pile of documents encompassing the small expanse of his desk that needed tending. That wasn't a particularly appealing use of time either.
Sighing with a mixture of exasperation and fatigue, he cleared a few of the manilla folders to the side, folded his arms, and laid his head down right in the center. This seemed like the perfect way to end the ni—start the morning.
Chapter 5 will be up soon! Read and Review!