Disclaimer: Same as before except... well, there's no longer any real Cinderella stuff, so I suppose we can kick that out.
Warning(s): Again, same.
Note(s): I'm sorry it took so long to get this out! I meant to give it to you guys a month ago, but then my computer got stuck in the shop. And I just got it back this week. And it's still pulling crap on me, but at least I can get my documents and stuff now. (Before it wouldn't even turn on. Now it just randomly restarts. -.-; Still sucks, but oh well...)
And this is more of an epilogue than a second half to a story, so I hope I don't disappoint. :)
Remember! Reviews are always appreciated!
It was about a week after the incident now. In the end, Ansem had claimed none of the women as his bride-to-be and cheerily returned to his menagerie while his parents fretted uselessly that he would never find love. (They didn't know it, but the prince would find a frog in his menagerie later that day by the pond and, being seduced by the creature, would kiss it so hard it would transform into a human being! …At least, that's what the local romantics predicted.)
Selphie and her daughters, however, had not escaped disaster so easily. Yuna, being preoccupied by suitors, had no time to waste by cleaning at home. And her mother, of course, was far too frail and delicate to be capable of cleaning their home.
Thus, the unwanted duty fell upon Rikku's shoulders. Needless to say, she wasn't happy about this turn of events. She'd reported Riku missing the police, naturally, but they hadn't done anything.
However, this changed somewhat when a visitor came calling. Yuna was at Tidus's for his eighteenth birthday party and Rikku was mopping the upstairs hallway in a frustrated manner, so the job went to Selphie who opened the door to see…
"Hello, Selphie! 'Member me?" Yuffie greeted, this time dressed much more appropriately for her personality. A skirt that border lined modesty, revealing a long stretch of leg compared to most women, and a sleeveless top that ended at her bellybutton clothed her body in black. The curious part of her outfit was the bandana she had wrapped around her head, a strange symbol embroidered on the expanse covering her forehead.
Selphie paled. But she forced a smile. "Yes—Yuffie, was it? Come in, please."
"Or course! We have lots to discuss," Yuffie chirped, a bounce in her step as she walked into the house.
"I'm sure we do," Selphie muttered under her breath before leading them to the den. Seating herself in a chair and gesturing for Yuffie to do the same, Selphie said courteously, "Now, what can I do for you?"
"Well, you do remember that job you had me do, right?" Yuffie checked. Selphie nodded. Yuffie continued, "Good! So I came over here today to collect payment."
"Right, how much was it again?"
The guest handed her the receipt; the blood quickly drained from her face.
"Th-this much?" she croaked.
"Yes, do you have it?"
"This is outrageous! I don't have this kind of money—only the King could possibly have this much money!"
Yuffie raised her eyebrows. "I believe I told you from the start that I don't work cheap—especially for what you hired me for."
"All I had you do was take my stepson to the ball!"
"It was the details that cost you; giant pumpkins don't come cheap, you know. Neither do glass shoes. And then my uncle had to get involved, too, and then there's the matter of my pride…"
"What do you mean your pride?"
Yuffie answered, "Well, I do have pride as a ninja, you know. You made me give it up to be a fairy godmother—I don't take things like that well. And that's why your bill's so high. Besides, you told me you were expecting to come into some good money."
Selphie slumped in her chair, eyes staring blankly at the floor. "I was… my stepson was supposed to marry the prince…"
At this, Yuffie laughed. "Excuse me? You wanted that kid to marry the prince?! I'm sorry, but your stepson does not want to marry anyone—royalty or not! You should've seen the way he reacted to me telling him he had to go to the ball and everything! Besides, our society doesn't exactly treat homosexual relationships well, and it's not even a confirmed fact if the prince is gay or not. I don't see how you expected this could possibly have worked…"
"I suppose…" Selphie mumbled reluctantly. "So how do you expect me to pay you?"
Yuffie thought for a moment, then grinned. "I think I've got the perfect way. Your stepson used to be the one to do the chores and everything, right?" At Selphie's nod, she continued. "And he's not here to do them anymore, so who's cleaning?"
"My daughter."
The girl squealed. "Perfect! Ok, so to pay me back, you can just give me the money that you do have, and for the rest you can just work it off."
"Work it off?!"
"Yes! And you'll do that by taking care of your own home and cooking all the meals! I'll come 'round to check every week to see how things are going, 'k?"
"But… but… how long?" she choked.
"At least a year. We'll just have to see," Yuffie replied. Standing up, the ninja said, "But since we've finished our business, I really should get going. I've got some things to do, so I'll come back tomorrow to finalize things, ok?"
Selphie nodded with a doom-stricken face. "Yes, of course…"
"Great! See you then!" With that, Yuffie skipped out the door, leaving Selphie alone.
Calmly, the widow solemnly stood and retreated to her room. She met her daughter on the way; Rikku was both glad and curious when her mother freed her of her duties, but decided to pay it no mind. In the master bedroom, Selphie lit a small fire in the fireplace. Rummaging through her things, she eventually found what she sought.
Tossing the picture book into the fire, she watched bitterly as the title Cinderella crumbled to ashes from the blazing heat.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"Didja get the money, Yuffie?" Cid asked. He'd waited for her with the horses while she was inside. The plain cinnamon brown beasts had been grazing lazily at the edges of the front yard, but Cid had kept them away from the flowers.
"I told her I'd come get it tomorrow, but she won't be able to pay the whole thing."
Cid grinned. "Can they ever? We always charge the rich bastards extra. What'd you punish her with?"
"You know the kid we worked with last night?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, until then, he was the one who'd been doing all the housework. Seriously, he cooked, cleaned—everything, so now it's her job," Yuffie explained, throwing a leg over the side of her horse. Cid did the same.
"So overall, a job well done, eh?"
"Yep! And there's a clan meeting today, right, Uncle?"
Pulling his horse's nose from the green vegetation, Cid replied, "Yeah, they wanna make sure everyone's doin' their job—makin' the world a better place and all that shit. By the way, does Leon know yet that you really are a ninja?"
She shook her head. "No, I've tried to tell him, but he doesn't believe me," she responded, pouting a bit.
Shrugging, Cid said, "Maybe it's better that way. But we better get goin' if we want to make it home in time."
Lightly kicking their horses' flanks, they rode off into the sunset.
…Or, at least, they would've, had there been a sunset.
There was, however, a gorgeous baby blue sky with wisps of clouds floating through it and a dazzling sun radiating splendid light upon the vivid world. That would do.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Meanwhile, Tidus's birthday party was in full swing. It was being held in the back yard where balloons and relatives mingled with the flowers as well as each other. Several white tables were set up, each bearing a bouquet for a centerpiece. The crumbles remaining from the cake slices littered the plates and blew to the ground as a slight breeze picked up. A few children were running around playing tag or something similar while the adults socialized aimlessly.
Tidus, the guest of honor, was being lavished with gifts and sweets as family representatives came up to greet him with a wish of good will and possibly a tangible present. So far he'd received countless things, but there was one thing he was hoping for especially.
"Tidus! Happy birthday!" Yuna cried joyfully, giving him a hug. Still holding onto his shoulders, she exclaimed, "I still can't believe you're finally eighteen! I hope you have a great party!"
"Thanks, Yuna," he replied. Tucking a dirty blond chunk of hair behind his ear, he said, "Hey, there's something I wanted to show you."
"Really? What is it?" she wondered curiously.
"Well, ah… it's kinda private… follow me," he said, gently gripping her elbow and leading her into the house which was fairly empty. No one paid them any mind as they were too wrapped up in their own conversations.
"What is it?" Yuna asked.
Taking a deep breath, Tidus lowered himself on one knee. His hand retrieved a small black box from his pocket. Opening it to present a diamond ring, he stated quite simply, "Yuna, I love you. Will you marry me?"
Tears welled up in her separate-colored eyes. "Oh, Tidus, of course I will!"
A giant sigh of relief escaped Tidus's lips as he delightedly slipped the ring on her outstretched hand. Those nearby who'd finally bothered to pay attention to the world around them 'oh'ed and 'aw'ed at the happy couple. And Yuna's day was a happy one.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
The Twilight Town Gang was hanging out in its famous little hideout attached to the alley. Pence had a dripping popsicle gripped in his pudgy fist while he lounged a pipe protruding from the wall. It was comfortable once one learned how to sit on it just right. The other two boys, Roxas and Hayner, were holding a miniature swordfight match in the center of their HQ while Olette, lazily sprawled on the couch, flipped through the pages of a magazine. Wit hthe ball over, the girl had been unusually quiet. Sucking thoughtfully on his popsicle, Pence decided that she was just tired.
Hayner and Roxas, however, were getting tired for ma amuch different reason than Olette's. Sweat accumulating into drops on his body, Hayner swung his wooden practice sword at his opponent, thriving on the cool air that hit him as he moved. Roxas managed to block it though and was ready to attack himself when...
"Seifer?!" Pence exclaimed abruptly, easily snatching his friends' attention from their fight to the figure standing at the doorway.
"What do you want, Seifer?" Hayner spat.
Sighing frustratedly, Seifer put one of his hands on the back of his head.
"Look, Hayner, can we talk?" Seifer asked, looking at the fascinating wall with a pipe running down it.
"We're talking right now," Hayner stated, lowering his sword as Roxas did the same.
The intruder glared. "I meant in private, moron," he said.
Quickly glancing at Roxas who nodded, Hayner set his sword down, agreeing loudly, "Alright, but if you and Fuu and Rai ambush me--"
"I said I wanted to talk, not beat you up. We could do that any day," Seifer reminded, rolling his eyes.
Hayner grumbled a bit more, but followed the teen nonetheless.
When they'd both disappeared from sight, Pence couldn't help but wonder aloud, "What do you think he wants?"
"Dunno," Roxas replied, absentmindedly gathering Hayner's discarded sword and setting it to the side with his own.
"I don't think I've ever heard Seifer say that he just wants to talk..." Pence mentioned, taking a lick of his popsicle.
"Me either," commented Olette, finally reminding them that yes, she was awake and alive and well and all those other wonderful things.
Their conversation probably would've continued in that fashion—Pence and Olette speculating on why Seifer would've wanted to talk to Hayner, continually saying that he'd never done anything like this before—and Roxas probably would've rolled his eyes in boredom until Hayner returned, but just then, they were greeted by another unexpected person.
Demyx's weird hairstyle popped through the door, his head and body quickly joining it. A flash of red and yellow behind him suggested that Axel and Larxene weren't far away.
"Hey, guys, um, is it alright if we steal Roxas for a while?" he asked, giving a friendly smile.
Pence and Olette shrugged.
"Sure, just return him in one piece," Olette answered.
"Thanks, c'mon, Roxas! Everyone else's getting impatient!" Demyx cried excitedly, grabbing the blond's arm and dragging him through the door.
"Wait! Don't I get a say in this?" Roxas yelped as he was pulled away.
"Does it bother you that much?" Demyx asked.
"Well, no, but still—" Roxas mumbled as he was reunited with some of the members of Organization XIII.
Back at HQ, Olette suggested, "Hey, Pence, wanna go shopping?"
"Not really," he answered.
"Will you anyway?"
"...Sure, but only 'cause I'm bored!" he insisted as she grinned.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Rikku sighed as she wandered aimlessly through the marketplace. Her mother had told her to leave the house for a while, but she had no idea why. She shrugged; at least it got her out of doing housework.
The marketplace wasn't too crowded that day since everyone's wallets were still smarting from the expense of the ball. Blonde hair swishing in their usual braids behind her, she observed the people around her in a bored fashion. Some couple was holding hands while off in their own lovey dovey world. An elderly woman was haggling the price of some oranges. Three little girls were counting the coins in their hands to see if they had enough to buy lollipops.
"Waaaaaah! Look out!" a kid coming her way warned in a shout as he continued flying uncontrollably down the street on a skateboard.
"Slow down!" his friends yelled, sprinting after the runaway.
Making a little "eep!" noise, Rikku hopped to the side, safely avoiding collision. From an apparent cry down the block, however, someone else hadn't been as lucky.
"That was close," another commented.
"Yeah," Rikku agreed, scratching the back of her head. "If the kid hadn't warned me, that probably would've been me he's apologizing to right now." Looking up, she finally noticed just who she was talking to. Her jaw went slack. "Y-you—!" She knew the voice sounded familiar, but… her?
"Surprised to see me? I live here, too, you know. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to attend the ball," Paine commented.
Rikku's face broke into a grin. "Oh, I know that! I just didn't expect to run into you again so soon!"
Paine raised an eyebrow. "So… should I take that as a good thing or not?"
"Yes," Rikku decided. "Take it as a good thing."
"Alright," Paine agreed.
"So what were you doing?" the blonde wondered.
She shrugged absently. "Nothing, really. I was just taking a break from helping my dad."
"What do you help your dad with?"
"He's a blacksmith, so I help him out in the forge."
"Ooooh…" Rikku's mouth formed a little 'O' at this, her eyes sparkling with admiration. "That's so cool!"
"You think so?"
"Yeah, totally!"
The corners of Paine's mouth were tugged into a small smile. Really, she didn't think it was that big a deal. Well, except for the fact that it was discouraged for women, mostly. But Rikku didn't seem to care about that.
"So what were you doing?" the woman asked.
"Hm? Me? Well, my mom kicked me outta the house today though I'm still not really sure why…" she answered, her bottom lip sticking out just a bit in a pout.
"Were you doing anything to bother her?"
Rikku shook her head. "Uh-uh! Actually, I was cleaning, so I really don't know what's up with her today…"
"Hm. That's odd…"
"Yeah… but oh well—at least I got out of chores!" Rikku said, flashing a smile.
Chuckling, Paine agreed. "So what were you going to do now?"
"I dunno… hey! It gets really hot working in the forge and whatever, right?" At Paine's nod, she suggested, "Wanna get some ice cream? I hear they have a new flavor called sea salt!"
"…Sea salt? What kind of flavor is that?" Paine asked, making a face.
"Let's find out!" Rikku cried, grabbing a hold of the girl's arm and dragging her toward the ice cream shop.
Protesting and laughing the way there, Rikku and Paine had an enjoyable time for the rest of the afternoon.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"Roxas!" Axel greeted. Larxene grinned behind him. Surprisingly, Luxord was there, too.
Roxas blinked, but before anyone could get another word in, he questioned, "What's going on?"
Axel took this as his cue to come in. "Welllllll, Roxy, buddy," he began dramatically, slinging an arm on the younger boy's shoulders. "You saw Seifer drag Hayner off to talk, right?" Roxas nodded. "And you remember those pictures Larxene stole, right?" Again, Roxas nodded.
Then everything clicked into place. Well, kind of... Actually, the only thing that clicked into place was what Seifer was going to talk to Hayner about, and even then, he didn't really know exactly what the guy was going to say. How would you tell your biggest enemy/rival that you're obsessed with him?
"So what're we gonna do?" Roxas asked. "And what's Luxord here for? I thought he'd be busy gambling or something."
"I'm here to see the result of our bet," the blond Organization member answered in an accent of some sort though Roxas couldn't quite place it...
"What bet?"
"To see how Hayner reacts to Seifer's confession, of course," Larxene replied, smirking. "I bet he'd turn him down outright first, but go back to him later. I give him a week at most before he shows signs of questioning his sexuality." The girls eyes glittered dangerously as she made this prediction.
"I still say the kid's straight as a board," Luxord argued.
"Will you guys shut up? We won't find out if we keep standing here!" Axel complained.
"Well, do you know where they are?" Roxas asked.
"I do! This way!" Demyx cried, taking off down the alley, everyone else close behind him. People and buildings all different shades of orange and such blurred by as they struggled to stick close to Demyx who was running as fast as a little kid hyped on sugar. It was when they were hurrying up a flight of stairs in an abandoned store that Larxene questioned him.
"Why are we going upstairs? I doubt Seifer would've gone up here!"
"We're gonna watch them from up here—that way we won't be seen and we can see and hear everything!" Demyx answered happily.
The first thing Roxas thought as they practically broke the door to the roof down was Blue... so much blue... and so bright...
Indeed, the sky stretched onwards, uninterrupted by any other obstructions, and the sun was hot on their shoulders as it was in the middle of the afternoon. Demyx quickly ushered them over to the edge where they could view the sandlot. Below them, under the shade of a nearby building, stood the two boys in question.
"Hey! Sorry I'm late—what'd I miss?" a voice said, its owner joining them as they peered over the edge.
"Xigbar, shhhh!" Demyx ordered, placing a finger vertically in front of his lips.
Roxas turned to see who this was since he couldn't quite remember who was who in Organization XIII. Xigbar turned out to be the guy with long black hair that had a white streak in it pulled back in a ponytail and an eyepatch. As was to be expected, he wore a black cloak, boots, and gloves.
Xigbar rolled his eye and grumbled a "whatever" before shutting up dutifully as they all peeked to see what the two were saying.
Hayner was frowning confusedly at Seifer while the latter stuck his hands in his pockets and looked away. Then Hayner made his decision of sorts.
"You've got a week to befriend me. After that, we'll see," he answered.
Seifer's gaze homed in on the boy as he blinked, surprised at the statement. "Really?" he checked.
"Yeah... but look, one thing out of line, and it's off completely. Does Fuu or Rai know?"
Giving him a mix between a grin and a smirk, Seifer replied, "Gotcha, and Fuu knows, but you know Rai—he's hopeless."
Hayner nodded. "Right... so is that all?"
"I guess. If that's all you want right now."
"What about what you want right now?"
"We shouldn't go there."
Hayner chuckled. "Right, hey, wanna spar? I didn't get to finish my fight with Roxas, you know."
"Don't expect me to go easy on you."
"I wouldn't expect anything less."
As the boys took their respective positions and Seifer got a hold of some swords for them, Larxene leaned back and groaned.
"Man! We got almost nothing from that! Thanks to Xigbar here..." she whined.
"Hey, don't blame me, man. It's not all my fault—you guys took your time getting here as it was."
"Only 'cause Demyx took forever getting Roxy," Larxene commented.
Demyx let out a gasp and pouted. "I did not! Luxord was the one who had to deal with those gambling buddies of his for fifteen minutes before we could leave to get Roxas!"
"I beg your pardon, Demyx, those gentlemen and myself were discussing business transactions and they required my signature on a few important documents!"
"Important documents? You mean those notices that you were sending out to the druggies that haven't paid up yet?" Axel said.
"You know, man, Xemnas's been wonderin' where some of our money's been goin'... Don't suppose you'd know anything about it?" Xigbar threw in.
Luxord huffed. "This was a meeting to determine the outcome of a bet; I refuse to answer any of these accusations not relating to said bet!"
"That's only 'cause you know we're right!" Larxene crowed as he stormed off.
Once he was gone, everyone burst into a fit of laughs. Xigbar and Demyx were clutching their sides and Axel gave a few claps as they were overcome by the hilarity of Luxord's reaction. Even Roxas was laughing although not as hard as the others. But hey, if this was what being friends with Organization XIII used to be like, Roxas felt they could become friends again quite fast.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"Do you think he's alive?"
Poke. Poke.
"Well, I don't know! Do you feel a pulse?"
Poke. Poke.
"Look there! Did you see? He twitched!"
"So he is alive?"
"I guess so."
Poke. Poke.
Riku groaned. Whoever they were, would they just go away? He was trying to sleep!
"Hey, he made a noise!"
"Is he coming to?"
"I dunno, but he made a noise."
Poke. Poke.
"Well, either he's waking up or he isn't!"
"Don't look at me—I don't know!"
Poke. Poke.
"God, would you quit it with the incessant poking already!" Riku shouted hoarsely. Sitting up and rubbing his eyes open, he came to see two figures near him. And where he was… Riku blinked. Shit. Where was he? Last night, he'd thought he'd fallen asleep a ways off the road in his little makeshift camp. He'd been outside under a blanket on the grass, but now… Now he was in some cabin from the looks of it. A thin mattress was beneath him and a blanket much more comfortable than the one he owned covered him lightly. It was one big room. A fireplace was on the other end, and the kitchen was on his left though a few stools had been sporadically placed around the room—one of said stools being next to his bed.
Two faces with piercing blue eyes were peering at him curiously. One was a soft, feminine face framed by red hair. She wore a short, pink dress with a white tank top underneath from what he could see, complimenting her slender figure. The other was boyish with a brown, spiky mass of hair fit upon his head. Black shorts and a black jacket over a blue tank top with various red and yellow decorations dressed his small body.
…And there, in the boy's hand, was the offending stick which had been so rudely poking him.
Riku's eyebrow flinched noticeably.
"Just what's the meaning of this?" he snapped.
The girl sighed. "I told you you shouldn't poke him, Sora," she reprimanded.
Pointing his thumb in Riku's direction, he defended, "Hey, he was the one who made me wonder if he was even alive by taking such freaking shallow breaths."
"It's not as if I can control my sleeping habits!" Riku protested. "And what am I doing here, anyway? I don't even know you!"
"Hey, um… let's start over, shall we? My name's Kairi, and this—" she introduced, pointedly giving the other a glare. "—is Sora."
"I'm Riku," said boy answered, shaking her hand politely.
"Nice to meet you," she said.
"You, too," Riku returned.
Sora rolled his eyes. "You guys and your formalities…" he complained, making a motion with his hand as he sat on a stool.
Kairi pouted. "Hey, just because some of us know human culture…"
"Yeah, yeah…"
Blinking, Riku made a confused expression. "What's this about?"
"Long story."
"I'll tell," Sora offered. Eyeing him skeptically, Kairi nodded and Sora continued. "Me 'n' Kairi ran away from home a while ago, Riku. We only lived at the orphanage anyway, so it really wasn't that big a deal to them—two less mouths to feed, you know? This cabin was rundown when we found it, but we've managed to secure a few delivery jobs and stuff in town for money. And we figured out how to collect food and stuff, too. But… we don't go into town all that much, so Kairi was just reminding me of society niceties—which, by the way, are annoying as hell."
"Language!" Kairi hissed.
"Yeah, yeah… like you don't swear, too," Sora commented, brushing her off. She crossed her arms in a huff.
"So what's your story, Riku?" Sora asked, turning to him.
"I'm a runaway, too, but not from an orphanage. My dad died, so I lived with my stepmom and two stepsisters. Things started getting crazy after my dad died, and my stepmother was getting really insufferable… so I left." Riku had left a lot of it out, but things were so much simpler if he said it like this. They probably would've thought he was lying if he'd said something along the lines of "Yeah, I was forced to do all the housework like a slave and a lady claiming to be my fairy godmother made me go to a stupid ball as a girl, so I left." …No, that wasn't very believable at all. Maybe he'd tell them the whole truth later.
"Wait—so you mean to tell us that you had a family and you left them?" Sora gaped. "Why?"
Riku shifted uncomfortably under their questioning gaze. "Not really. My real family was gone, and I'd been the town ridicule for a while…"
"Why?" Kairi inquired.
"Ever been to Twilight Town?"
They both shook their heads.
"Well, there it's considered bad luck or something to have silver hair before you're old. Rumors have been flying over my head forever since my dad died—everyone thought I killed him," Riku said bitterly. "Like I would kill the only one that even cared about me!"
Kairi looked at him with sad eyes. "I take it that your stepfamily didn't like you very much?"
"No, I'm not joking when I say I was the only one doing the cooking and cleaning and all that."
"I see…" Kairi murmured.
Sora still looked confused. "Well, I don't! You actually had a family, and a roof over your head, and… and all those other things! Who'd care if you had to do a few chores in exchange?!"
Riku growled, "I told you—it wasn't a few, it was freaking everything! And what good is a family if they don't love you or a roof if you aren't wanted beneath it?! I'll bet that, at least at the orphanage, you guys had friends! Heck, you had each other! I've never had anyone my whole damn life except my dad who died when I was freaking seven years old and my mom who I never even knew!" With that confession, Riku rolled over and pulled the blanket over his shoulders.
If he'd kept on facing them, however, he would've seen the apologies etched upon their faces.
"Riku…" Kairi started. "Aren't you hungry?"
"No," he insisted. "I'm fine right now, thanks. I'm going to sleep," he emphasized.
"I see… c'mon, Sora. I need some help in the kitchen."
"Yeah, alright…" Sora said without arguing. The pattering of their footsteps against the wooden floor was the last thing Riku heard before he really did fall asleep.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
When Riku woke up later, neither of the two orphans were inside the cabin. Looking around, he felt kind of guilty. They'd brought him in and given him a place to stay the night, and all he did was yell at them. Of course, Riku still thought Sora had been a bit rude, but he regretted it.
Getting up, he found his bag on the floor near the bed. Glancing around quickly to make sure no one else was around again, he changed his clothes quickly and quietly. Out of habit, he made the bed before curiosity got the better of him and he simply had to snoop around. Some old furniture encircled the fireplace where a blanket was lazily left crumpled in a heap on the couch. One of them must've been sleeping there while he was occupying the bed. In the corner was another bed. Until Riku had come along, he supposed this cabin must've been just the right size for the two of them. Great. Now he felt guilty about intruding in their lives, too. Just freaking peachy.
Peeking out a window, he saw the cabin was near the beach. His eyes widened at the enormous expanse of the cerulean sea as its glittering white foam gently washed the shore. He'd never seen the ocean before…
Seeing a flash of movement, he saw Sora and Kairi doing something near the forest's edge. There were a lot of palm trees here, he noticed. Maybe he'd traveled further south than he thought he had.
Shaking his head, he decided to do something for his two saviors. He'd been on the road for at least a few days, and he'd learned firsthand that running away was not all it was cracked up to be. Besides having to watch out for the police, he also had to ration his provisions, attempt to stay somewhat clean for personal hygiene's sake, and plus, walking got really boring after a while.
So, stepping into the kitchen area, he set about making lunch. If he knew how to do anything, it was cooking. Having had to make all the meals for his family, he'd definitely had plenty of practice. Except, this time, he was doing it willingly.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Kairi wiped the sweat off her brow tiredly. "Hey, Sora, it's getting time for lunch. What d'ya say we eat?"
Sora nodded from the sand. The sun was blazing down on them now. They'd been working on the beach tirelessly for at least two hours. A few crabs had crawled near them and several seagulls had been spotted, but nothing major had really happened to them.
"Man, I could really do with some nice, ice cold lemonade…" Sora mumbled as they trudged through the island heat to the cabin.
"What do think of some sandwiches, Sora? I can whip some up—I think we still have a loaf of bread or two left," Kairi mentioned as they stepped inside the cooler atmosphere.
"Hey, guys," Riku called from the kitchen.
"Riku! You're up," Kairi exclaimed.
Sora sniffed experimentally before grinning. "And—more importantly—with food!"
Riku chuckled as they entered the kitchen. "I felt guilty after yesterday, so I wanted to apologize," he explained, showing them the fruits of his labor that morning.
Both gasped in delight as he presented them each a plate with grilled fish sandwiches and his own version of shrimp scampi. They also noted the bowl of fruit salad on the counter. Admittedly, to some people this meal wouldn't be that big a deal, but to the two orphans… Well, it was definitely appreciated.
"We're sorry, too, Riku," Kairi said in between bites. "We shouldn't have pried like that."
Brushing it off, Riku said, "It's fine. I don't blame you for asking."
"Still! It wasn't our place to question you like that, and I know Sora—I should've known he'd say something rude like that!" Kairi insisted.
"Hey!" Sora yelled.
Riku chuckled at their antics. "Really, you guys, it's fine."
Kairi opened her mouth to protest, but Riku stopped her, saying, "Trust me. It's fine."
Shutting her mouth, Kairi nodded as all three wolfed down the meal presented before them.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Panting heavily, Sora struggled to raise his wooden sword up to its proper position. Riku wasn't faring much better. Drops of sweat slipped off their skin onto the white sand, staining the ground briefly before evaporating. The afternoon sun hung high above them although it was considerably lower than it had been when they began their match. Palm trees promising refreshing shade stood tall a fair distance away. Opposite the vegetation, however, was the ocean shore, its sparkling waves lapping hungrily at the slab of land presented before it.
With a shout, Riku shot forward to attack. Bringing his own blade up, Sora managed to block it, but the fight was wearing them both down. Gradually, their movements had shifted from full of strength and finesse to clumsy and desperate.
Sora was about to retaliate with his own offensive move, but a call from further down the beach grabbed his attention. Seeing his opponent distracted, Riku almost took advantage of the situation when Kairi shouted again—this time, her voice fell on Riku's ears as well.
"Sora! Riku!" she cried. "Hey!"
Nodding to each other, the boys collapsed on the warm sand, letting exhaustion overtake them. Their wooden swords were cast aside, for the handles were slick with sweat and posed the threat of splinters. (And neither trusted Kairi to remove their splinters. The girl and a needle or pin in her grasp was a scary thought.)
"What's up, Kairi?" Sora breathed, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
"Ta-dah!" she exclaimed, presenting a necklace made of what appeared to be multiple shells and probably some extra fishing wire she'd found at the cabin.
Riku raised an eyebrow. "A necklace?"
"Yup!" Kairi chirped. "Made of thalassa shells! When we were little, a lady told me that sailors wear jewelry made of thalassa shells for good luck!"
"We're not sailors though…" Riku commented, confused.
The orphans shared an uncomfortable expression that Riku didn't fail to miss.
"Is there something you guys haven't been telling me?" he asked curiously. Honestly, he didn't expect it to be anything really bad, but from their reactions, he gathered it was something he should probably know.
"Well… that is… you see…" Sora stumbled.
"What is it?"
Kairi blurted, "Do you want your life to stay like this, Riku? Just living on the beach with this carefree existence?"
"Hm? Well… I hadn't really thought about it much, to be honest. Why?"
"Riku, Sora and I—for a few months now—have been planning on… well, on leaving…"
Riku's brain whirled. For a few months—that meant before he'd showed up. He'd only been with them for a few weeks, but they'd fallen into a pretty easy lifestyle, he felt. But leaving… did that mean they wanted more? Just where did they plan to go?"
"Not leaving you, necessarily, Riku!" Sora cut in.
"Why? Where were you gonna go?"
Sora pointed across the ocean to a small-yet-clearly-visible green landmass. "There's a big city over there, and we've never been to a city before. I guess it's a dream of ours, sort of."
"What would you do when you got there?"
"Oh, that's the easy part!" Kairi said, brightening up. "We'll each get a part-time job—or full-time if we can manage it—to pay rent for an apartment, and then we'll do whatever we want! Like visiting the zoo—we've never been to one before. And maybe we'll get to take an apprenticeship, too if we find a job we like a lot! And we know things won't be as easy as I'm making it sound, but we want to try. And if things don't work out, we can always come back."
Riku blinked. "Sounds like you got this all figured out."
"We've had plenty of time to think it through," Sora replied.
"So what do you think, Riku? Wanna come with us?" Kairi asked.
Quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind, Riku nodded as he came to his conclusion. "Sure! I mean, I haven't got anything to lose, right? Besides, it'd be boring living out here without you guys," he answered happily.
"Awesome!" Sora cheered, pumping a fist in the air.
"Great!" Kairi agreed. "I'll get started on more thalassa shell necklaces!"
"Good," Riku stated. "'Cause you know sailors also say a woman on board is bad luck."
Sora rolled his eyes. "Riku, I wouldn't worry about that if I were you. We'd need a woman first."
"HEY! I heard that!" Kairi roared. Watching him stick his tongue out at her, Kairi chased him around the beach and through the water. Soon, a childish splashing war erupted between the two.
Not wanting to miss out, Riku promptly joined them. Kairi hollered something about them all being immature, but it went unheard as the boys gladly shoved some water into the air in her direction.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Towels were draped around the trio's necks as they relaxed after supper. The sun had gone down and the temperature had dropped sharply, so they'd eagerly lit a fire in the fireplace. With the flames gaining momentum, the teenagers sprawled themselves across the furniture in comfortable positions.
"So how are we gonna get to the other island?" Riku wondered.
"Easy—we've been building a raft!" Sora explained. "'Course, Kairi's weak so I've ended up doing most of the work…"
"Excuse me? Who was the one napping on the beach while I gathered supplies?" Kairi retaliated.
"I was taking a break—those logs weren't exactly lightweights, you know!" the brunet argued.
"Don't worry, I believe you, Sora," Riku said.
"Really?"
"Yeah, you're not exactly the strongest guy, so I'm kinda thinking that not many things can be considered lightweights."
Kairi giggled. "Nice one, Riku."
"Thanks, Kairi."
"Wait—I'm not weak!" Sora protested, spitting the word "weak" like a deadly poison.
"Maybe compared to a little kid," Riku agreed. Sora sputtered while Kairi laughed. Before a major argument could start in their midst over Sora's muscular capabilities, Riku asked a question he'd been wondering but continually forgot to ask.
"Hey, guys? When do we leave?"
Putting a halt to their bickering, Kairi answered, "When we're ready."
"So probably a week-ish," Sora translated for him.
"Thanks, Sora."
"No problem."
"Hey, are you guys saying my answer wasn't good enough?" Kairi whined.
Sora responded, "Well, it was pretty vague, Kairi."
The girl squawked her arguments, but they went unnoticed as the boys laughed at her facial expression which was, admittedly, priceless.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Riku took a deep breath of the morning ocean air. It was almost time. As Sora had predicted, it'd taken about a week for them to fully prepare. Kairi's thalassa shell necklaces were around everyone's necks (out of respect for her taking the time to make them only). The raft had been about halfway done when Riku started helping them out, but with his (somewhat superior) strength, the logs hadn't taken as long to piece together. All their provisions had been placed in a sizable box Kairi had made which they'd arranged to be in the center of the raft next to the mast. Blankets, towels, clothes, and other necessities had been stored in three separate boxes also near the mast. A pair of paddles rested at the sides and a rudder had been attached to the back.
"Riku! Ready?" Sora called excitedly, joining him by the raft on the beach.
Smiling, Riku replied, "Yeah, how 'bout you?"
Returning the smile, Sora answered, "You have no idea!"
Laughing a bit since he knew it was nothing but the truth, he asked, "What's holding Kairi?"
Sora shrugged. "Dunno, she said she had to grab something."
"Wonder what it could be…"
"Eh, I wouldn't worry about it. She should be back soon."
"Yeah, at least with Kairi we know she won't be holding us up to fix her hair."
The brunet wrinkled his nose. "There were some girls like that at the orphanage—they were annoying. Always needed to get up early to do their makeup, too."
A few minutes later, Riku and Sora having had conversed about girls and their messed up priorities, Kairi finally showed up breathing hard.
"What held you up?" Riku inquired.
"This!" Kairi yipped triumphantly, holding up a citrus yellow, star-shaped fruit with a single leaf protruding from one of the ends.
"Kairi, what's that?" Riku asked.
"It looks like a starfish," Sora said, reaching to poke it, but Kairi swatted his hand away.
"It's a paopu fruit! They say that if you share it with someone, your destinies will be intertwined for all eternity!" Kairi informed, glowing.
"…And you believe that?" Riku said.
Kairi shrugged. "It can't hurt, can it?"
"I suppose not…" he agreed.
"It's not poisonous, is it?" Sora wondered.
"Of course not!" Kairi retorted.
"Good, so… who were you gonna share it with? You said 'someone,'" Sora mentioned.
"Silly Sora, I'm gonna share it with both of you! No one ever said I couldn't eat it with more than one person," she explained. Both nodded as a breeze lifted their hair up a bit before flying off.
Noticing this, Riku said, "We should probably head off—the wind's picking up."
Agreeing, Kairi secured everything on the raft before leaping off to help push it out to sea. Shoving with the strength available in their arms, they scrambled back onto the craft as it was freed from the ground's hold.
Before reaching faster waters, Kairi tore the paopu into three separate pieces before handing out the thirds. Looking out into the dawn of a new day, the three ate their paopu breakfast.
Reaching a hand up to his neck, Riku fiddled with the locket. Flipping it open, he saw the smiling faces of his parents looking up at him. A small smile fell onto his face as he remembered those words his father had told him so long ago.
"Never give up if it means going home."
Riku wasn't quite sure where home was right now, but he was searching. And with Sora and Kairi by his side, he was sure he'd find it soon as the three teenagers floated across the sea in the light of a new day.
The End