Sorry for the obnoxious wait. I went up to Canada to visit some friends and then was consumed by Maple Story. Silly MMORPGs. Good time. As I said before, there will probably be one chapter after this, and an Epilogue. But, I may add in another chapter, just to have a lemon. Who knows?
BTW, I added some text between breaks to explain time lapses.
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine.
Loveless Lies
Chapter 13: It Falls Apart
Cloud let his bass hang down from his neck as he grabbed the mic stand and pulled it towards his mouth, sweat dripping down into his mouth as he talked, "Thank you, Twilight Town! Now, we have a special treat for you, a new member of Final Fantasy!" The crowd cheered at the prospect,"but first, a brief intermission so we can get set up." A few people in the crow groaned, most just took the time to let their ears take a break.
The band made there way off stage to the small room where they had held auditions earlier that morning. Riku sat on the ground, guitar in hand. He hadn't stopped playing since he had arrived at the bar. All the silver-haired boy wanted to do was put on a good show. He wanted to impress his band and to impress Sora.
Cloud and Leon sat down at the card table. Leon guzzled an entire bottle of water in one fatal gulp while Cloud found his hair cement and went to town. Sephiroth, on the other hand, had different motives than refreshments and primping. He sauntered over to the other's silver-haired male and sat next to him.
"Sora's out there," Sephiroth paused to see Riku's face light up. "With Kairi." He smirked as the light in Riku's face went out. Deep down, Sephiroth was a good person, a good person that sometimes liked to play a few jokes on his friends.
"Are you sure it was him? Did he bring her?" he had hoped Sora would come, but he had also hoped Sora would be single at this particular event. Riku had planned to have the last song the band sang be a rocked up cover of the song they had shared their first kiss to. It she was there, they would still play it, but the second part to his plan would be in vain.
Sephiroth ran his hand through his now sweat ridden hair, "Of course. He is my newest instructor after all."
"Wait. What?" asked an obviously dense Riku.
"Sora's going to be my assistant instructor in the fall. That way I can go on tour for a few weeks and what have you," the man didn't let Riku ask anymore questions, there were more pressing manners to attend to. "But you shouldn't worry to much about the girl. He should have told her by now. I kind of pushed him a bit."
"Really? Thanks, man. Didn't think you were the type to do favors," Riku held back the excitement in his voice. He didn't want to sound like a blubbering lovesick idiot in front of someone he had know for only a day.
Sephiroth stood from his spot on the ground. After all, they did have a show to put on, "Honestly, why do you all think so badly of me? Am I that terrifying?"
Riku stood as well as he laughed, "I think it's the hair."
Sephiroth shot a glare back to Riku as they left the practice room.
xx Ten minutes earlier xx
"Thank you, Twilight Town! Now, we have a special treat for you, a new member of Final Fantasy! But first, a brief intermission so we can get set up," a few seconds of silence followed before music begun over the speakers.
The brief lack of sound snapped Sora's mind back into reality. Did I really just space out for their entire first set? He scratched his head as he looked around. Kairi wasn't in sight. She probably hates me, now. Sora sighed heavily, I didn't want things to end up this way. As he shook his head, a hand appeared on his shoulder. He turned around to find the girl he thought had hated him looking lovingly into his eyes.
"We need to talk. Follow me?" Kairi asked.
Sora nodded as he followed the girl to the bar in the back of the venue. He took a seat next to the girl and ordered a Rockstar from the bartender, "What do you want to talk about?"
Kairi sighed, "Just hear me out, okay?" The brunette nodded. Her eyes glanced at Sora before fixing on a spot located on the bar in front of them, where they remained for the entirety of her monologue, "I don't agree with what you did with Zexion. It was wrong to cheat on me, but I forgive you. I love you too much, I guess. But if you think you are really...gay, then break up with me now. I don't want to be in a relationship with someone who doesn't even like girls. If, for some reason, you still love me, as I said before, I forgive you and love you. I want this to work and am willing to try. I still want to be with you, if you still want me." By the end of her speech, her usually strong, overbearing voice was down to a soft whisper. The girl was on the brink of a breakdown. The past week had put every one out of their regular personalities.
Meanwhile, Sora couldn't believe what he was hearing. Here he had thought the girl would have surely hated him by now, but instead, she was forgiving him and loving him despite his actions. Something inside the troubled young adult screamed at him, telling him that he needed to get out of the relationship, but something pulled at his heart as he heard the despair in Kairi's voice. Sora couldn't leave someone broken hearted, but it seemed no matter what he did, he would do just that.
"Kairi," Sora finally spoke. The redhead looked up from the table, tears running down her face. "I'm so sorry for hurting you. I really am. I never meant to. I was just confused."
"I know," were the only words Kairi could think to say.
"As for me being gay...I might be, but I don't know. Something inside of me still loves you, and I don't want to hurt you..." Sora had no idea what he was going to say next, he just felt like he should say something. Finally, his mouth blurted out something, whether it was right or not, he didn't know, he just let his mind take over where his heart couldn't, "I still want to be with you." The words shocked even himself.
"Really?!" before Sora had a chance to rethink his last statement, the redhead clung to his chest. "Oh Sora, I'm so glad. I don't know what I would have done without you."
Sora hesitantly wrapped his arms around the girl. What the hell am I doing? Even those little voices in his head were speechless.
Their embrace was cut short as Sephiroth strummed down on his guitar to get the crowd's attention. Cloud reached for the mic, "People of Twilight Town, Final Fantasy is proud to introduce to you our new rhythm guitarist and backup vocalist, Riku!"
The crowd went crazy as their first song of the second set blared. Sora let go of Kairi and pointed to the mosh pit that was growing by the second. Kairi nodded as Sora hurried towards the ever-growing pit. His arms shielded himself form hardcore dancing idiots, pushing through the pit. All he wanted to do was get to the front. Get to the front and see Riku, that is. Even though he had told Kairi he wanted to be with her, he didn't know if that was the truth.
Seeing Riku play his guitar and practically sing directly to Sora, brought so many emotions into the brunette's troubled head, but were they true? Sora's head clouded with confusion. He tried to shake it away, but gave up, deciding instead to let his mind wonder into the music being played around him.
xx A few minutes earlier xx
Riku spotted his love interest the moment he walked on stage. His green eyes squinted from the warm lights shinning down upon him. The stage was only about a foot and a half off of the ground. People were practically sitting on the stage, meaning the show had probably sold out and was now beyond maximum capacity. Riku smiled at the idea of his first show in a real band being sold out. Not only that, but he could potentially have a boyfriend by the end of the short set.
Seconds later Sephiroth strummed down on the guitar and Cloud introduced Riku to the crowd. A small blush came over Riku's face as every girls and even some guys screamed and checked him out.
A few moments later, and the show took off full force. Riku's body went into overdrive as he screamed back ups into the microphone. Sweat pour down his face and glistened in the lights. His fingers moved up and down the neck of his guitar, finding the cords and notes he needed to hit as if they were second nature. This was the best the young adult had felt since he had been with Sora. Soon, everything would be perfect.
Before Riku knew it, Cloud was introducing the cover. A surprisingly not strained voice boomed over the speakers, "Now we're going to play a cover. It's a little out of our style, but its for a good cause. This one goes out to a special someone of Riku's." Cloud winked as he looked back at Riku, indicating it was time for the song to start.
Riku pressed his lips against the microphone, his eyes locked on the brunette's, "Sora, this one's for you."
xx A few seconds earlier xx
As he heard his name seem to echo over the speakers, Sora was feeling a pretty big mixture of emotions, oddly enough, none were directed towards the girl he was supposable dating.
Love of mine, some day you will dieBut I'll be close behind
I'll follow you into the dark
First, Sora's heart had the feeling that he had when Riku had first kissed him. The boys heart felt heavy and his knees felt weak as Riku's voice harmonized with Cloud's. Sure the cover was a bit more hardcore than the original, but the emotion was still there.
Blinding light
With tunnels to gaze of white
just our hands clasped so tight
waiting for a hint of the spark
The feeling went away as soon as Kairi's redhead was in view. She moved her way in front of Sora. Hurt mixed with jealousy covered her face, but the most predominate feature was anger. Tears streamed down her face as she scolded Sora, demanding to know why Riku was singing to him.
If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark
Sora ignored her as Sephiroth's hand appeared and pushed the girl out of the way. He pulled his friend on the stage and smiled. Sora looked lost but eventually gravitated to Riku.
If Heaven and Hell decide
That they both are satisfied
Illuminate the NOs on their vacancy signs
Riku couldn't take it being so close to Sora without being against him any longer. His hands let go of the guitar, leaving it hand idly at his neck as he arms grabbed the boy. Their eyes met only a second before their lips did. The taller boy pulled his lover close to his body, soaking up every inch of it.
Cloud took the opportunity to sing the rest of the song on his own, whilst Sephiroth took over the majority of the guitar part.
If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark
"Thanks for coming out. Up next is The Organization. We'll be by the table in a few. Come see us," Cloud waved to the crowd. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Riku had let go of Sora. He took the opportunity to grab Riku's guitar from him so he could go have a much needed talk with Sora. "Good luck," Cloud whispered into Riku's ear as he brushed past him.
Riku smiled at Sora, "Let's go talk in the back."
Sora finally snapped out of Rikuland and back into the real world. The world where he still had a girlfriend. "Yeah, we need to talk..." Sora said looking at his shoes. Riku dragged Sora to the practice room. Cloud, Leon and Sephiroth were kind enough to let Riku and Sora have their peace and left them alone. Riku led Sora to the table, pulling out a seat for the boy.
"Sephiroth told me you two talked," Riku said as he found his seat. He took a water bottle off the table and gulping it down.
"Um, yeah." How do I get myself into these situations? Here I am, with the gorgeous Riku who is hopelessly in love with me, and I him, yet I am too much of a pansy to tell Kairi because it might hurt her...Sora slumped down his chair.
"Is everything alright?" Riku took note of Sora's rather distraught complexion.
"Yeah," was all Sora replied.
Riku decided the teen must be tired, "He said you told Kairi."
Sora froze. His next sentence was sure to rip his best friend's heart out and smash it with a hammer. He couldn't think of anything else to say, other than the blunt truth, "No. She forgave me after I told her I had cheated with Zex. I told her I still want to be with her."
Sora hadn't seen Riku get upset in quite some time. He had almost forgotten how horrifying Riku became when anger pulsed through his veins. Fire took over normally green eyes and red made Riku's pale skin resemble hot coals. The he snapped. Fists flung onto the table, crushing the bottle of water that had once been in his right hand. He had, had it with these mother fucking games, "What the fucking hell? Do you even know who she is anymore?" His voice wasn't that of a scream, more of a roar found strictly in a lion who was calling his herd to hunt. Riku picked up an ashtray, throwing it into the wall. Shards of black ceramic flung about the room.
He stormed out of the room with a mission to set this all straight. "No fucking bitch slut is going to pretend she's better than my Sora," he muttered as he pushed teenagers out of his way, in search of a particular red head.
xx Ten minutes earlier xx
Roxas looked up at his cell, 9:45 p.m. If he was lucky, he would make it in time to catch the last of Final Fantasy's set. He had spent the day with his mom and dad making up for lost time. Roxas knew better than to forgive them right away, but he also knew that he needed to at least give them a chance.
He ran to the front door and paid the cover charge. Once inside he turned to the left, the stage in full view. And, boy, what a view it was.
Cloud's voice lofted over the speakers singing the song made popular by Death Cab for Cuite as Riku held Sora to his lips. I guess he made the band, Roxas thought. But his sights were far from over.
He moved his way through the crowd to see Kairi standing directly in front of the couple making out on stage. She seemed to be in a a state of shock as her boyfriend made out with Riku in front of hundreds of teenagers. The session was more heated than the previous two she had seen.
Roxas pulled Kairi from the front and dragged her to a seat at the bar. The amger in her face melted to tears as her body clung to Roxas', "Why? Why is he doing this to me?"
Roxas' hand made strokes in the girl's short hair, "Because, Kairi, he loves both of you and doesn't know what to do." It was the truth, no matter how much Sora said he loved Riku, he still loved Kairi. Maybe Sora wasn't really gay, maybe he was just bi. Regardless, Sora needed to make a decision before everyone he loved ended up paying for it.
"Riku? He loves Riku!?" the music had stopped on the stage, now only pre-recorded music blared over the speakers as Kairi sobbed into Roxas' shirt.
Roxas sighed. "Yes, he loves Riku."
"Kairi's eyes glistened with tears as they met Roxas', "Why.. Why didn't you tell me before?"
"I wanted him to tell you, when he was ready. But now, I can see that he may never be," Sora was a good person. Always helping others, but when it came to his own problems, the boy had always had problems dealing with them. Roxas knew this, and that's why he continued to speak, "He does love you, but I don't think it's the kind of love a boy usually has for a girl. He doesn't want to hurt you."
"But he is!" her voice cracked as she tried to sound pissed off.
Roxas shook his head, "Relationships begin with pleasure and end with hurt, no matter what end you're on, Kairi. You of all people should know that." He held the girl close to his body. Even if she had done some wrong in the past, every one needed a shoulder to cry on. Axel approached him, but Roxas shook his head. Kairi needed someone right now, and Roxas just happened to be there.
There was a brief moment in between tracks where the only sound in the bar were teens and adults talking amongst each other. For some reason, when the music started back up, it was at a surprisingly quiet level. Roxas took the moment to set Kairi up on the seat, just as he was about to comfort the girl and tell her it wasn't her fault Sora was gay, a loud muffled scream came from the back. Everyone in the club turned and looked as a door slammed and an overly angry Riku emerged from the darkened hallway.
Roxas had seen Riku like this before and knew better than to be in the way. The blonde let go of the girl and walked back into Axel's arms, turning his head to whisper in his boyfriend's ear, "Glad I didn't miss the show." Both turned just in time to see Riku explode on Kairi.
"You," the silver-haired teen pointed directly at Kairi, "You and I need to have a talk right fucking now."
Kairi stood from the bar. All the tears had evaporated from her face, which was now red with anger as she looked at the teen who had her Sora's heart, "What the fuck do you want from me? Haven't you taken enough?" Kairi's voice boomed through the small bar.
By this time, pretty much everyone within a 30 foot radius was staring at the couple. Sora came running through the dark hallway and grabbed Riku's arm, "Riku, it's not her fault."
Riku pulled his arm from Sora's, "Like hell it is." His attention went back to Kairi's eyes, "Why don't you tell your precious boyfriend exactly what happened that night back in October."
Kairi was about to scream out some nonsense about how she loved Sora and didn't like when other people tried to take away the one she loved, but when Riku's words finally registered in her head, her face grew white, "What, what did you just say?"
Riku's mouth tried to repeat the words as Sora's hand covered it,"Kairi, what happened back in October? What aren't you telling me?"
A heavy silence descended upon the group of friends, which now included Selphie who only shook her head at the scene that laid before her. Kairi's mouth opened and closed, similar to the action of a fish, but she no words escaped.
Riku's patience had grown too thin for this, "Oh for the love of God and all that is holy." He gently pushed Sora to the side and grabbed Kairi's arm, holding her up for all to see, "She had sex with multiple strangers in one night."
He caught Kairi's hand as it rose to hit Riku in the face, "Ah ah ah." he shook his finger to the girl and turned his attention back to Sora. "Not only did she cheat on you, she got knocked up and had an abortion. Which wasn't her first. The first had been your child only weeks earlier."
Riku let go of the girl and she fell to the floor. A mess of arms and legs that once resembled Kairi laid before him, "And she repeated her adultery with different guys for a month."
His eyes grew darker as he looked at the girl he now despised, "And now I bring you the kicker. The one that really got me. One of the guys was my brother, but did the little bitch have the decency to tell me she had seen my long lost older brother. No, she fucked him and told Selphie about it months later. The only reason any of us knew about this is because of Selphie's big mouth." His arms crossed and a smirk graced his lips, quite pleased with himself for remembering all of Kairi's sins.
Riku looked to find Sora. Sure enough the teen was exactly where he had been before Riku had destroyed the perfect picture of Kairi, except now Sora seemed- infuriated.
"And you're trying to make me feel bad for being gay?!" Sora's voice echoed through the now music free venue. "I...I had a child... and you... you killed it! You had no right to kill my kid." His eyes burnt holes in the girl's skin. "And having relations with Marluxia, who Riku had been looking for for years, then not even telling him that you had seen him? What the hell hell were you thinking?"
"I...I...," Kairi's weak voice attempted to speak. She had been caught red handed. No matter what she said, or how she said it, every one knew who she was. Who she had been. The funny part was, she had always been like this. Leading two lives. Even before October, it's just this time she had let the information slip into the wrong hands. You can't have both, the security of a relationship and the spontaneity of affairs, and Kairi had learned that the hard way.
"You know what, save it, Kairi. I hope you fucking choke, fucking whore," Sora spat on the girl as he turned on his heel, heading for the back room once more.
Kairi grabbed Riku's arm, "You had no right to say all that. I hope you rot in hell."
Riku laughed, "See you there, bitch." And with that he chased after Sora.
It's not over until it's over.
Beautiful Letdown will be updated more regularly once school starts, BTW. Eh, I hate college...
--Em