Wheee, chapter four, for you. My only warning? This is the farthest I've ever written on a kissing scene. It's not much, really, but still. I hope I haven't done too terribly. ::smiles nervously and hopes I haven't gone overboard with the fluff factor.::
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Chapter 4: Kisses and Portals- - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - -
The ride back home was a tense one, as neither Sora nor his mother spoke a word. After Sora had stormed from Ansem's office, he had gone and waited outside the clinic. It was starting to rain then, and by the time his mother recovered from her shock, his clothes were beginning to sag under the extra weight of the water. With an unreadable glance in Sora's direction, she walked over to the car and unlocked it so they could get out of the rain.
Sora stared moodily out the window, watching the splashes outside when they'd drive through a puddle. The rhythmic glide of the wipers on the windshield was the only sound over the water pelting against the car, and Sora watched his mother's reflection in the glass with his peripheral vision.
With troubled eyes, Sora's mother opened her mouth as if she might say something, but as soon as she did so, Sora reached forward and turned on the radio. The station had a bit of static, and was playing some car commercial. Sora didn't seem to care as he crossed his arms and slumped back in his seat, resuming the activity of scenery watching.
Letting out her breath in a sigh, the woman turned back to the front with a slight frown on her face, her grip on the steering wheel just a little too tight.
Sora was sure he'd never had so many thoughts flying through his mind at once. Everything Dr. Ansem said kept running on a loop and try as he might to push them away, they refused to be ignored. He knew he should simply disregard everything that came from the man's mouth, but he found he couldn't. Thinking about his friends was just a bit depressing. He didn't want to think about how nobody would believe him, and he certainly didn't want to think about how much he really did care that they didn't. He was just trying to get to me…just ignore it… The entire ride home was spent in an internal battle of wills of sorts, and it took his mother calling his name three times before he even realized they were in the driveway to their house.
Wordlessly Sora stepped out of the car, and trudged to the front door after his mom. As soon as they were inside, he walked over to the kitchen and sat down on one of the wooden chairs (as he didn't want to get the living room furniture wet), and waited for the inevitable confrontation.
"Sora" Said boy winced at the I'm-going-to-ask-you-nicely-but-I'm-still-demanding-answers tone that was somehow squeezed into that one word. "I'd like an explanation as to what happened back there."
Sora averted his eyes to a particularly uninteresting section of the linoleum floor. There was no use lying now, and he wasn't about to take back anything he'd said about his psychiatrist. "That man's a bastard, mom."
There was a slight gasp of surprise. "Sora! You shouldn't say such things." She admonished, wondering what had gotten into her son. "He was only trying to help."
Sora rolled his eyes to the ceiling, then focused them on her in a slightly narrowed gaze, to show he wasn't joking, nor could she convince him otherwise. "That man was doing nothing to help me. He was very fond of mind games, mother. Everything he said to me…it wasn't to help, most of the time I felt like some little experiment to him. Every thing I said to him was a long time in coming." He paused for a moment, reflecting on the first few sessions he'd had, where it seemed the man had genuinely cared for him. "It took me a bit to figure out what he was doing, you know."
Sora's mother pulled out a seat across from her son and sat down, but said nothing as she studied her boy. "For the most part it was pretty harmless, it just seemed like he was trying to figure out what 'makes me tick' or something. But today…he was out to hurt me mom." He brought his eyes up, and caught his mother's gaze, trying to get her to understand.
"Now Sora, I'm sure that's not true. It's like he said, he's a psychiatrist, so sometimes I'm sure it seemed he was being a bit more personal than he should. But it was only to help. I think you're just stressed honey. You should give him another chance."
Sora stood up so abruptly he knocked his chair back. His lips were pursed, and his knuckles white as he clenched his fists. "I will never go back to that man." He said with a dangerous edge to his voice. For the first time, she was actually the smallest bit afraid of her son, as she saw what others who didn't know him so well had probably been seeing for a while now. Then without another word, he turned on his heel and stomped out the front door without even telling her where he was going.
It was still raining hard, and Sora mused that he seemed to have gained a liking for dramatic exits. They were so much more fun than normal exits. He walked down the streets purposefully, and near ten minutes later had arrived at his destination. Slowly, he lifted a finger to ring the doorbell, and only had to wait a few moments before the annoying wooden barrier in front of him was opened.
Riku blinked in surprise at the sight of a thoroughly soaked Sora standing on his doorstep, looking quite lost. Not physically lost of course, or he wouldn't be here, but the expression in his eyes…and suddenly the 'soaked' part caught up with him and he immediately stepped to the side so Sora could enter. He didn't say anything, and neither did Sora, though he knew the younger boy could feel his curious stare at his back.
Sora nodded his thanks to Riku as he stepped inside, and walked to the living room, where he plopped down cross-legged onto the floor –he didn't want to get Riku's couch wet either. He crossed his arms, and sighed as he leaned back against the couch, closing his eyes.
Riku's brow furrowed as he watched the other boy, and wondered what had happened to cause this strange reaction. Deciding to tend to Sora's health first and ask questions later, he went into the kitchen, and set a kettle of water on the stove to start boiling. Then he walked to his bathroom, again glancing at Sora –who was watching his every move like a hawk, it seemed- as he passed through the living room. After grabbing a few towels from the cabinet, he went back into the living room.
Sora was shivering by this time from the air conditioning in the house, and Riku sighed, smiling slightly at his friend. He looked at the pile of towels, then to Sora, then to his room, and to the towels again. With a huff, he dropped one towel into Sora's lap, then turned around, and went to put the rest of them in the dryer. A whistle from the kitchen alerted him to the boiling water, and he walked back in there, grabbed a packet of hot cocoa, and poured it in a cup with some of the water. After stirring it and adding some marshmallows, he brought it to the den, and sat down in front of Sora, handing the boy the cocoa.
Sora smiled and took the drink, closing his eyes in delight as he took a sip. "Thanks Riku" he said, and Riku nodded, watching Sora closely. He hadn't expected to see his friend again so soon, but he definitely wasn't complaining. Now if only he knew why…but questioning could wait. They sat in silence for several minutes, each staring to the side and lost in their own thoughts.
Finally the buzzer of the dryer went off, and Riku jumped up, grabbing some sweatpants and a t-shirt from his room before getting the towels. With all of that done, he walked back to the still shivering boy, and dropped to his knees behind him. He removed the now wet towel from Sora's frame, and wrapped one of the heated ones, and then himself, around him from behind. He held Sora in a warm embrace, and rested his chin on the smaller shoulder. "You shouldn't just go gallivanting around in the rain like that, you know." He muttered.
Sora snorted in good humor. "I was not gallivanting thank you very much. Besides, I like the rain."
Riku rolled his eyes. "Yes I know you do, but it's not quite warm enough to be outside in it yet, now here." He said and shoved the clothes into Sora's hands along with the other fluffy towel. Sora nodded his thanks, and walked into the bathroom to change, coming out soon after. Riku thought he couldn't have made a cuter picture.
The t-shirt reached to his mid-thighs, and the drawstring pants pooled at his feet, while his hair still dripped slightly, and a crooked grin made the outfit complete. Riku couldn't help the smile that spread across his face, and he motioned for Sora to come back to him. Once he was within arms reach, Riku pulled the boy down so that he was placed between Riku's legs, and he grabbed the other towel, roughly drying Sora's hair.
Sora whined about the 'attack' on his hair, and squirmed under the assault. Riku just grinned, and when he was satisfied with his work, he tossed the towel to the side, and attacked Sora's sides instead. Sora practically squealed, and tried to crawl away, but Riku would have none of it. He trapped the boy with his feet, and continued to dance his fingers along Sora's ribs, knowing it was the brunette's most vulnerable spot. Sora was laughing so hard now there were tears in his eyes.
"Al-Alright! Alright, I g-give!" Sora gasped, squirming as much as he could in hopes to get the boy to stop. Finally Riku decided to show some mercy, and stopped his relentless attack, instead wrapping his arms around Sora and pulling him close, so that Sora rested completely against his chest. He nuzzled the back of Sora's neck, smiling contentedly.
"Now that's my Sora." He murmured, his warm breath sending a shiver through Sora's body as it brushed the still cool skin. He paused for a bit, before deciding this was as good a time as any to ask about the boy's earlier behavior. "So, now that you're all dry and warm again, do you want to tell me what was bothering you so before?"
Sora was silent for a while, and Riku wasn't entirely sure he was going to get an answer. Then Sora sighed, and took a sip from his cocoa, before setting it to the side and leaning his head back on Riku's shoulder. Riku scooted them back so he could lean against the couch. "Dr. Ansem."
"What?"
"That's what was bothering me. I've told you about him once or twice before…he's my supposed psychiatrist. Mom won't believe me when I tell her he's never wanted to help me."
Riku's grip tightened ever so slightly. "What happened?"
"He was just…he just decided to point out everything that I am already quite well aware of. He overstepped his boundaries, so I got pissed and probably overreacted as usual."
Riku smiled, as he was quite familiar with Sora's 'overreactions'. "What did you do?"
"Not much really…he didn't seem to like it when I started throwing the fancy words he's so fond of back at him. Then he took it just a bit too far, so I got up, told him to fuck off, and slammed the door. I don't think mom quite knew how to react…" Sora smiled crookedly. "She's not used to seeing me angry."
Chuckling, Riku replied, "Sora, no one is used to seeing you angry."
Sora sighed heavily, and slumped lower, averting his eyes to the ground. "But they're getting used to it…" he muttered, thinking about his recent explosions at the lunch table. This whole situation was turning into such a mess.
"Oh, come on now…no one blames you." Riku lifted a hand to run gently through the almost-dry tufts of hair.
Sora couldn't help himself leaning just slightly into the touch, and his eyelids fluttered closed as the hand ran down the back of his neck. "Riku, stop lying to make me feel better."
"Lying?! Sora, you wound me!" Riku gasped in obviously fake theatrics, placing a hand over his heart.
Sora rolled his eyes. "Oh please," the tone was sarcastic, but it lost some of the bite as Riku's hands resumed their earlier movements, and began to gently massage his neck. "No one else has seen what you have. They all still believe I'm making all this stuff up." A soft moan escaped his lips, and Sora vaguely noted that Riku had been awfully affectionate today, and seemed to find almost any excuse to touch him; as this was the second massage he'd received. Not that he was complaining, it felt wonderful to be shown such care, and the gentle touches felt nothing short of adoration.
The hands moved lower, and Sora slouched forward involuntarily as the heel of Riku's hands massaged their way up his spine, and strong thumbs worked around his shoulder blades. "Well, whether for good or bad; after the events of the weekend, I have a feeling they won't be in the dark for long. Something's going to happen soon…"
Sora studied his nails for a moment as his hands splayed across the white carpet beneath them for support. "So you feel it too then?"
"You mean that feeling in the pit of your stomach that something bad is going to happen? The one that frustrates you because you know it's right but you can't tell when, where, or why this thing is going to happen?"
Sora nodded, eyelids drooping again as he dropped his head forward, allowing Riku's hands more room as they moved back up to his neck. "Yeah, that one…"
There was a slight pause, and then Riku said in a voice far too light for the situation, "Nope, no clue what you're talking about."
It took a couple of seconds for Riku's words to catch up with the fog trying to take over his mind, but when they did Sora huffed indignantly, twisting around and punching the boy playfully on the arm. "Riku!" he whined, glaring at the smirk set firmly on Riku's face. But he stopped as his eyes met with Riku's, and his breath caught in his throat without him even realizing it.
Riku's eyes were the stunning sea green they always were, glistening in the fading sunlight, and yet they were darker somehow. Sora was sure he'd never seen anyone look so…intense, before. He felt his mouth go dry, and swallowed heavily.
Riku felt as if he was suddenly trapped within that steady blue gaze which looked up so innocently at him. The entire world around him seemed to fade, and without being entirely aware of what he was doing, he started slowly leaning forward.
Sora, in response, felt himself turning around completely to face the older boy before he'd even given himself permission to do so. His heart fluttered in his chest as Riku stopped, only a few inches left separating them. The slightly uneven breath on his face was warm, and smelled faintly of mint.
Eyes searching the sapphire depths closely, Riku looked for any indication to what Sora might be thinking, or for any sign of rejection…or even disgust. He found no such thing, only a silent wonderment, and a mildly questioning gaze. And yet he warred with himself. He shouldn't…they were best friends, and this could ruin the close relationship they'd built for so long, wipe it all away in a split second. But if he didn't…he might spend forever pining over the boy, and regretting the fact that he'd never told Sora how he felt. He was saved from his argument, however, when he felt the soft press of trembling lips against his own.
Riku's eyes snapped open (when had he closed them?) and stared into the beautiful baby blues so close to his. Sora seemed hesitant, almost scared, and it occurred to Riku that the other boy had never kissed anyone before. And now…he was willingly giving that first kiss to him. Riku brought his hand up to rest softly against the flushed cheek of his best friend.
Stroking his thumb against the cheekbone, Riku allowed his eyes to flutter closed once more, and moved his lips against Sora's, opening slightly and closing again on his bottom lip, and tugged gently. Sora took in a shaky breath, and Riku couldn't help but find everything about him at the moment to be endlessly endearing. His inexperience was obvious, and Riku was determined to make this first kiss something to remember. He lifted his other hand and ran it once through Sora's surprisingly soft hair, before resting it on the back of his head and pulling him closer, allowing the kiss to deepen just a bit.
Sora couldn't quite believe this was happening. It was a moment of unusual resolve that allowed him to close those last few inches between him and Riku, and the sensations flooding him now were simply amazing. Slight nerves and a new sort of adrenaline caused him to shake ever so slightly, but Riku didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, he was sure Riku was being just about as gentle as he could possibly be. The lips moving against his was a strange feeling, but not an un-welcomed one. Slowly, tentatively, he began to respond. It was awkward at first, and he half expected Riku to pull back at any moment and tell him he was bored already, or that Sora was a terrible kisser.
But he didn't. When Sora felt something wet touch his cheek, his brow furrowed in confusion, and he pulled back just a bit, so that the kiss was broken but their lips still touched. It was then Riku opened his eyes, and they shone with tears as more ran down Riku's face, making forlorn tracks on his cheeks that clashed completely with the elated expression in his eyes.
"Riku…" Sora whispered, lips brushing against Riku's with each syllable. He lifted a hand, and wiped a fresh tear away with his thumb, bringing back an odd sense of déjà vu. He was going to ask what was wrong, but before he could say anything, Riku had crashed their lips back together, and put so much weight into the kiss that Sora was pushed back until he was lying on the floor, with Riku hovering over him. The only thing that managed to escape his mouth was an "Mrrmph", but the protest was quickly forgotten as Riku ran his tongue along the edge of Sora's lips.
Sora sighed, and opened his mouth, allowing Riku complete access. The warm, wet tongue pushed past his lips, and brushed along the inside of his teeth, causing a shiver to run down his spine as the kiss intensified. In response, Sora pushed his own tongue forward, lightly brushing against Riku's.
Riku groaned in approval as Sora's movements became bolder, and he slowly let his body drop until his full weight was being supported by the flushed body lying beneath him. He reached up and grabbed Sora's smaller hands, entwining their fingers and pulling them down so that their hands were even with Sora's head. Stroking Sora's tongue with his own, Riku pushed down gently, almost experimentally, with his hips.
Sora gasped and tossed his head back, breaking the kiss and staring wide eyed at the boy above him. "Riku…" his voice came out as nothing more than a breathy whisper
"Hn?" Only half of Riku's attention was focused on forming or understanding coherent sentences at the moment.
"What," He stopped and swallowed. "What are we doing?" Sora tilted his head to the side as Riku's lips moved to his jaw, laying feather light kisses all down his neck.
There was a pause before Riku decided to answer. "What does it look like we're doing?" he mumbled, trailing his tongue back up the path along Sora's throat. The action elicited a funny little mewl from Sora's mouth, and the boy wriggled his hips as the action sent a small jolt of pleasure straight through his body. Riku hissed through his teeth, and said, "I believe people usually call this 'kissing'." He emphasized his point by laying another kiss on Sora's waiting lips.
Sora half glared at Riku for his cheekiness in such a moment. "Obviously." He muttered.
"Do you want me to stop?"
Sora swallowed hard, and shut his eyes tight for a moment. "No…" He whispered, but then he caught himself and said frantically, "Er, I mean yes!" He sighed heavily, and averted his gaze to the side. "Riku…" What was he supposed to say? This was all so much, so soon.
In one smooth movement Riku pulled away from Sora, eliminating all contact between the two. His gaze was slightly unfocused, and he glanced down at Sora, watching as his erratic breathing gradually slowed to a normal pace, and his cheeks returned to his normal, paler shade, though not without lingering hints of a blush. As his own mind was able to calm down, and common sense returned to him, the full ramifications of his actions came crashing down on him. He'd gone too far. Surely Sora would hate him now! His eyes widened, and he stood up abruptly as a sudden need to do something –to move- washed over him. He paced a few steps, and stopped, placing his hands on the back of the couch and bent his head forward. "Sora I –" He suddenly felt as if he'd taken advantage of the boy now staring curiously at him. Sora walked into his house, soaking wet and obviously stressed, and what does Riku do?
"Riku…?"
"You should go." It's for the best, right now.
Sora's eyes widened at the sudden clipped tone. He finally starts to sort out his own feelings, and now Riku tells him to leave just like that? What was the kiss for then? Was it just some sort of experimentation for the older boy? A way to release a bit of pent up frustration? Sora cursed himself as his insecurities came crashing into him ten-fold. Riku was his one pillar of support, if he lost that now…he shook his head hard in an attempt to get rid of the depressing thoughts. He couldn't let his imagination run away with him now. Surely there was a perfectly reasonable explanation. Maybe Riku was just shy…? …Now that sounded ridiculous even in his own mind. A low rumble of thunder sounded in the distance; the rain had stopped for now, but a storm was coming. "But Riku, why –"
"Go, Sora!" Riku nearly shouted; his expression blocked by a curtain of silver. His fingers gripped the cushion of the couch so tightly his knuckles turned white as he restrained himself from walking back up to Sora and finishing what they'd barely even started. He was definitely going to need a shower after this…though hot or cold, he wasn't sure of yet.
Sora gasped in surprise and just a small amount of hurt. Riku had never yelled at him before. Not like that. He slowly scooted away, crawling backwards on all fours. What could've possibly made Riku so upset over just a kiss? He decided he would talk to Riku about it tomorrow, once they'd both had a chance to cool down and think things through. But for now, he quickly scrambled to his feet, and all but ran to the front door.
Wrenching the knob with more force than was necessary, Sora bolted out the door and nearly slammed it like all the other doors he'd closed that day, suddenly angry at Riku's reaction to something that had felt so wonderful to Sora. Had Riku not been enjoying it just as much as himself? He ran down the sidewalks that would lead him back to his house, bare feet slapping against the wet pavement. He realized with a small amount of annoyance that he had left his clothes –and shoes- at Riku's house, and the pants he wore inhibited his ability to run properly as they fell over his feet.
He finally did make it back home, though, and was glad to finally step onto the soft, warm carpet of the living room. His mother quickly came bounding up to him with questions and exclamations of her worry. He fielded all the questions, stating that he was fine and would really just like to go to bed.
Hesitantly she let him go, all the questions left unasked burning in her curious and concerned gaze.
He trudged up the stairs to his room, and very quickly brushed his teeth, feeling the strain of the day really beginning to wear him down. As he crossed his room, he discarded the pants –as they'd gotten quite wet from dragging through puddles on his way home- but decided to keep the shirt on. After he collapsed onto his mattress, he pulled the shirt up just a bit and inhaled deeply, relishing Riku's scent, and allowing his mind to replay the perfect evening (before its disastrous end, of course), and was quickly lulled into a sleep filled with pleasant dreams of soft touches and loving green eyes.
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The next morning Sora woke up to knocking at his bedroom door. "Sora? Sora, honey, it's time to get up, you don't want to be late for school!"
Sora groaned in annoyance and rolled over onto his stomach, but the knocking persisted. It couldn't be time to get up yet…his alarm hadn't gone off! Tiredly he raised a hand to rub his eyes, hoping the action might help force them open. When he finally did manage to pry his eyelids apart, he glanced at the clock, and immediately sat up, a bit disoriented as he stared around his room. That's right…he was so tired last night he must have forgotten to set his alarm. He glanced back at the door, and said loud enough so he could be heard through the wood, "Alright mom, I'm up."
Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, Sora stood up quickly, and began rummaging through his closet for something to wear. Unconsciously, he pulled out clothes just a little nicer than normal, including a pair of normal –yet stylish- jeans, a dark blue sleeveless shirt with a white, short sleeved, button down shirt to go over that one. He left the top half of the buttons undone, and finished off the outfit with a studded belt, and his silver crown necklace. He smiled in amusement as he surveyed the outfit in the mirror, realizing now it was because of what had happened last night. Shaking his head, he ran a brush quickly through his hair, and threw on some shoes before hopping down the stairs to a waiting breakfast.
"Mmm, smells good." He muttered happily as he plopped down into one of the wooden chairs at the kitchen table, stabbing at the eggs and sausage almost as soon as the plate was set in front of him. His mother smiled, and patted his head before taking her own place, eating her breakfast much more carefully.
"You seem happy today, Sora." She commented lightly, smiling at the expression in her son's eyes that she hadn't seen for a long time.
"Hm?" he looked up curiously, half of a sausage patty hanging out of his mouth. He quickly bit through it, and chewed the half already in his mouth. "Oh, yeah, I guess."
"So what happened last night after you ran off to bring about this attitude?" she asked with a smile that Sora swore was more knowing than it should have been.
He found himself blushing involuntarily, and shoved a forkful of eggs into his mouth, chewing slowly. "Nothing happened…am I not allowed to just be happy for no reason?" he asked defensively, jutting out his bottom lip into a pout in hopes that it would deter the woman from questioning any further.
She smiled at him, knowing there was more but decided she wouldn't push it for now. If he was happy, then that was all that mattered. But still she couldn't keep her mind from wondering, and she was almost positive he'd gone to Riku's last night, judging by the oversized clothes he came back with, and she wondered what exactly could've happened. But it was apparent Riku took care of him, so she wasn't worried. Sora would tell her if it was important enough. "Of course you are." She answered his question with a smile, to which the boy grinned, and stood up after he'd finished his food.
"Thanks for breakfast mom, but I gotta go now, don't wanna be late, see you later, bye!" he yelled all in a rush as he grabbed his backpack from beside the door and stepped out into the cool, but slightly humid morning air.
His pace was faster than normal, as he hadn't woken up quite as early as he was used to, and he walked into the building just as the first warning bell rang. Huffing a sigh of relief, he made his way to his first class of the day, his mind on lunch where he planned to confront the silver-haired enigma known as Riku.
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Sora was bored. Bored, bored, bored. He drummed his fingers against his desktop, and glared at the clock on the wall, wishing with all his might the hands would move faster. Underneath the clock, the history teacher droned on about some war or another; frankly Sora couldn't really care less at the moment. Then finally the bell rang, and Sora very nearly jumped from his seat, packing up his stuff quickly so he could get to the cafeteria early.
Sora walked straight to the group's usual circle table by the window, and plopped down facing the doors, pulling out his lunch and grabbing the juice. He left the food, as he was a bit too anxious to eat at the moment, which he silently chided himself for; it's not as if he hadn't seen Riku nearly every other day of his life! It was another couple of minutes before the cafeteria started to fill with students, and he was soon joined by Kairi, Yuffie, Selphie and Tidus. But there was no Riku. He half-heartedly smiled in greeting to his friends, to which he received a few hesitant greetings in response.
"Hey Sora, you alright?" Selphie asked after a few moments, when Sora's leg started bouncing nervously. "You seem a little…distracted."
"Hm?" His leg stopped moving, but he only turned his face towards the voice. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine." Then after a moment's pause, he tore his gaze from the door and asked, "Hey, have you guys seen Riku?"
Kairi blinked, and tilted her head to the side. "Riku? I think I saw him…but I don't have any classes with him before lunch, so I don't know."
"He was in first period today." Tidus piped up. "Why?"
Sora shook his head, hoping he wasn't being avoided. "No reason…I just need to talk to him."
Yuffie smirked slightly and said conspiratorially, "Lover's quarrel?"
Sora promptly sprayed his juice over the table in front of him, and Kairi thumped his back as he coughed. "What?" he finally spluttered, feeling a blush rising onto his cheeks.
Yuffie laughed outright. "Come on, Sora, I was only kidding!" She looked at Sora again and fell into a fit of giggles, joined by Selphie. Kairi watched Sora a bit suspiciously; he'd been teased about his close friendship with Riku before and never reacted like that.
"Did I miss something?"
Nearly everyone at the table jumped at the deep, and amused sounding voice, as everyone had been too distracted to notice Riku's approach. Tidus shook his head, looking just a bit confused. "I dunno…everyone just went crazy for a moment."
Selphie leaned toward Yuffie and whispered, "Riku and So-ra sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g." Which caused the two of them to collapse into giggles again.
Riku, being much better at controlling himself than Sora, raised an eyebrow at this and turned to Sora. The brunette quickly shook his head (discreetly of course) in answer to Riku's unasked question. The older boy smirked and turned to Selphie. "Making up fantasy stories of mine and Sora's private lives, are you?" He pulled out the only available chair between Sora and Tidus, and smoothly sat down, dropping his backpack to the side.
The giggling quickly stopped. "Oh! Of course not!" Yuffie said far too innocently. "I only made a little joke. Sora's the one who overreacted." She explained with a grin.
Riku responded with a chuckle, and ruffled the boy's hair. "Yeah, well, that's Sora for you."
Sora pouted, and glared teasingly at everyone at the table.
"Where did a joke like that come from, anyway?" Riku asked, questioning the two girls and hoping Sora hadn't unwittingly said anything that might clue them in to…whatever it was that was currently happening between them.
Selphie was quick to answer. "He said he needed to talk to you."
With a quick glance to Sora, and trying unsuccessfully to read the expression in the blue eyes, Riku nodded. "Alright, as soon as I'm finished eating." And with that he stood up to go stand in line for some sad excuse for a tray of food the school liked to call a meal.
- - - - - - - - - -- - - - -
Lunch was normal. Which was weird.
Sora laughed at jokes his friends told, and listened to the latest gossip, and ate his food. He found himself smiling for no reason as he ate, content to listen to his friends, and get lost in this moment of complete normalcy that was just like all the times he'd eaten lunch at school before the problems started. Riku's leg rested lightly against his under the table, and he smiled at that too.
Funny how quickly things can change.
Sora was bringing a spoonful of jell-o to his mouth, and looked up to comment on something Selphie had just said, when he saw something outside the window through his peripheral vision. His eyes automatically flickered to the spot to identify what he had seen, and his spoon fell to the table with a loud clatter that quickly silenced those seated around him.
Sora was staring wide-eyed out the window, his breathing suddenly harsh, and to the people around him, he seemed to be gazing into another world.
"Sora…?" Riku asked, touching the boy's shoulder lightly.
Sora swallowed fearfully as he stared into golden eyes hidden beneath the hood of a dark cloak, visible even from this distance. Following the man in a protective semi-circle was practically a small army of shadow creatures. They were slowly making their way towards the school.
"Oh no…" Sora whispered, automatically reaching to clutch the hand at his shoulder. When their hands touched, he was pulled back to 'reality' and the noise of the cafeteria crashed into him like ocean waves onto the shore. "Riku!" he exclaimed in a frantic whisper. "They're here! He- he's here!" He stood up in such a panic that he knocked his chair over, and nearly tripped over it trying to get away.
"Sora, wait a sec!" Riku commanded, and, not quite caring if their friends assumed anything by it, tugged on their still joined hands. Sora, in his overbalanced state, fell back onto Riku's lap, and Riku quickly wrapped his arms around the near hyperventilating boy. Just calm down, and tell—"
"No, Riku, you don't understand! I can't calm down! He's here Riku, and he's brought so many…I can't let him attack the school! I have to- I have to go, lead him away, Riku let me go!" Sora squirmed desperately in Riku's firm grasp, not paying attention to the questioning stares being sent his way.
Tidus was the first out of the table's other occupants to speak. "So…anyone wanna let me in on what's going on here?" he asked, waving a hand vaguely towards the two boys. "What, exactly, is going to be attacking the school?"
The girls exchanged confused glances, but no one got a chance to reply as Riku suddenly yelped. "OUCH! Sora, what--?!" Sora leapt up and ran out of the cafeteria as if the hounds of hell were after him, and all eyes at the table turned to Riku. "He bit me…" The silver haired teen muttered slowly, staring in amazement at the teeth marks on his upper arm.
"Riku…what was that all about? I don't think I've ever seen Sora so panicked." Kairi wondered.
"He looked sort of like a trapped animal." Selphie added wonderingly.
"Yeah, and he bites like one too apparently." Tidus snorted in amusement.
Riku glared. "Shut up Tidus." He said absently. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go find Sora before he gets himself killed. Shit, I haven't even taught him how to properly fight yet…" his voice trailed off as he moved farther from the table.
There was a moment of silence before Yuffie, who had been unusually quiet up to this point, announced, "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to go see what's going on." She stood up and followed the path Sora and Riku had taken moments before. The rest of the group soon followed.
- - - - - - - - - - -
As he trailed the path of bewildered glances and angry exclamations when people were shoved aside, Riku mused that he wished he could feel as calm and collected as he projected himself to be on the outside. Sora may not be as bold as Riku, but he was by no means a coward. Something had him scared, and from what he could gather from the boy's frightened ramblings, the shadow man was back…with reinforcements. But why would he be attacking the school? When he had said something was going to happen soon, he really hadn't expected it to be this soon.
Picking up his pace to a jog, Riku pushed through a doorway that led to the west side of the school, and looked around for Sora. He spotted him a short distance away, seemingly staring at a parking lot for no reason, and started to move towards him, before he realized Sora had just turned around, and was sprinting back his way instead.
- - -- - - - -
Why is it always at lunch? Sora wondered as he left the table with the part of his mind that wasn't focused on…on what? He was running straight at an army of shadows here, and had no plan of action, not even a weapon to aid him. All rational thought had left him for the moment, and so he found himself running blindly through the halls. His only plan right now was to hope that he could get the man away from the school. He burst through the side doors closest to where he had spotted the creepy man, and found him there as he'd predicted, just across the parking lot.
"Ho, you're braver than I gave you credit for, Sora." He said as Sora approached him.
Sora frowned in response. "Don't say my name, it sounds creepy coming from you." Great, apparently lack of rational thought made him do really stupid things. He was edging dangerously close to 'fight-or-flight' mode as his eyes flickered across the many empty yellow eyes watching him from bodies of shadow. He could almost feel their hunger to attack, and tear through flesh, and he shivered.
The only reply to his comment for a moment was a smirk before words were spoken. "I don't think this is the time to be debating names, Sora." Sora shuddered at the tone of voice. "You surprised me last time, but I won't be making the same mistake twice." He made a sweeping gesture towards the small army of shadows behind him. "Can you fight them all, young warrior?"
Sora's body moved into a defensive stance in a reflexive action, causing the man to laugh with surprise. "You do intend to fight! Marvelous!"
He seemed far too happy about that. "Why are you here?" Sora asked harshly, deciding to ignore the man's strange comments for now. "Why attack me at school? There are people here that could—"
"Exactly! Would you risk the safety of all these children by opposing me?" He chuckled and Sora was once again struck by how decidedly evil that sound was. He began to pace briskly in between his army and Sora, looking very much the part of the agitated and/or excited villain. "Far too long have I simply watched from afar. Your abilities are needed Sora, and I intend to make use of them now."
"My abilities?"
The man plowed on as if Sora hadn't spoken at all. "The darkness is at the height of its potential. Now is the time to take advantage of all that Ansem has lain bare for me! With you, Sora, I can control the very space we live in, and time itself! You are the key long before prophesized to open the way to greatness. And now it shall be my greatness you will fulfill!" He seemed to become more excited with every word he spoke, and finally turned to Sora with his arms spread wide. He grinned then, beneath his hood, and said in a much calmer voice, one that spoke promises of nothing good, "Now all that remains is to awaken your power."
Sora was allowed no time to question anything that had just been said, and it only just registered in his mind that Ansem had been mentioned. Then, before his eyes, the shadows that had been up until this point relatively still began to move. Shapes shifted, and forms became less defined. They all started merging together, growing in size to form a mass that towered over the two people, and even the very school itself.
Eyes widening in horror, Sora felt his jaw drop, and his breath leave him as he stared up at the behemoth now standing before him. It stood on two legs, but resembled an animal more than any human. Its chest and arms were covered in shining armor –a stark contrast to the rest of its body- and its great yellow eyes stared down at him, as large antennae on its head waved about. "Holy shit…" Sora whispered, momentarily stripped of the ability to move. That was until the great creature lifted its hand, and began to swing it downwards, as if to swat Sora into the ground. He gave a frightened yell, and his body suddenly went into overdrive. His toes dug into the ground as he turned, and sprinted as fast as he could the other way, hearing thundering footsteps behind him, and a laughter he was really beginning to hate.
- - - - - - - - -
"Something really odd is going on with those two." Tidus pointed out unnecessarily as the four that had been left at the lunch table made their way through the halls in pursuit of their two missing members.
Kairi leveled a glare on the blonde. "What was your first clue?" Tidus glared back until Selphie cleared her throat.
"Guys, I think you're missing the issue here."
"Yeah!" Yuffie piped up, resting her arm on Selphie's shoulder. "Besides, was it just me, or did it look like they really were closer than normal?" She waggled her eyebrows suggestively, bringing everyone back to her earlier comment about a 'lovers quarrel.'
Kairi rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Please, Riku was only holding Sora like that to keep him from rushing off—"
"Which he did anyway…" Tidus muttered, earning him another glare.
Yuffie giggled. "Yeah after Sora bit him. Kinky." Tidus looked the slightest bit appalled.
"It wasn't just that though." Selphie piped up, in answer to Kairi's comment, deciding to completely ignore Yuffie's weird fantasies. "Did you see the way they looked at each other during lunch? I don't think I've ever seen Riku look so fondly at anything or anyone before."
Kairi's brow furrowed. "But that…it's not possible! I mean sure they're close, but they're still just friends. I would know if they weren't…right?"
The rest of the group looked a bit sadly at the perplexed girl. It was Tidus who spoke what they were all thinking. "Kairi, how much have you guys really talked at all lately?"
There was a long pause, before Kairi sighed rather dejectedly. "I had an argument with Riku…he was being pretty defensive about Sora. I didn't stop to consider it at the time, but that protective streak of his took me by surprise; it's never been directed at me before. Maybe something really has happened between them…" Her eyes widened slightly as a sudden realization struck her. "They've gotten closer to each other while drifting apart from me." With another great sigh, she ran a hand through her hair. "How did this happen?"
Selphie rested her hand on Kairi's shoulder. "A lot of unexplainable events have been happening lately. I think this thing with Sora has just got us all stressed out…"
"Which is why we have to go see what's happening!" Yuffie reminded them all with her hands on her hips, as the group had stopped for a moment as they got caught up in their conversation. There was a general noise of consent and Yuffie led them the rest of the way out the same doors as had been used twice before them.
She burst through the double doorway with a determined expression, and they were all quite unprepared for her scream.
- - - - - - - - -
"Sora, what—?"
"RUN!" Sora gasped out as he approached him. Sora reached out to him, and he couldn't quite tell if he was trying to shoo Riku away, or reach out to grab him. He didn't have time to figure it out. Riku was just turning around to run with Sora and hopefully find out what was happening, when the smaller boy was suddenly slammed to the ground beside him.
Even running as fast as he could, the shadow monster had the advantage of size, and his massive strides could cover a lot more ground in a lot less time than Sora's much shorter legs. All the air was pushed from his lungs as he was trapped under the creature's grasp.
Riku took a second to panic. "Sora! Are you o…k…?" he trailed off as a large, black claw became visible pressing Sora into the ground. Slowly more was revealed…an armor-clad arm, and at the shoulder spread to reveal the head, the chest and finally the legs, of the largest creature he'd ever seen.
He paled slightly, and was momentarily at a loss for what to do. Then he heard a scream off to his right. His head snapped toward the sound, and he saw Yuffie standing in the doorway to the school with the rest of the group behind her, who all had similar reactions. Of course, they hadn't seen the shadows before. But he didn't have time to do anything about them, as that scream had kicked Riku's brain into gear. He berated himself for freezing up like that when Sora was in danger.
Reaching into his deep pocket, Riku searched for a moment and pulled out a handy pocketknife he was quite fond of carrying, as it had been a gift from his father. He flipped the blade, and spun around, stabbing it into the monster's forearm, dragging it down to do as much damage as possible.
With a great roar, the thing reared back, and Riku took the moment to help Sora. He rushed over to the fallen boy, and turned him over, gathering him into his arms.
Sora coughed, and gasped in air gratefully. His bright blue eyes snapped open, and he searched Riku's expression, finding reflected in those eyes what he knew was in his own. "We can't beat this thing…" he whispered after a moment, watching warily as it took its attention off of them to mend the gash it its arm. "There's no way, it's too big."
"Don't talk like that." Riku admonished. "You sound like you're giving up, and you know I won't allow you to do that, especially when we've only just begun."
"So what do you propose we do, Riku?!" He all but shouted, desperation lacing his voice. The others were cautiously approaching them by this point, and were probably within hearing range, but he paid them no mind. "This isn't like that thing we fought at your house. You don't even have a weapon this time! What are you planning to do, poke it to death?!"
"Goddamn it Sora, stop that!" He shouted, causing the other four to halt immediately, and Sora to be shocked out of his sudden near panic attack. "I'm not sure how I intend for us to fight it, but sitting here arguing about the hopelessness of the situation will get us nowhere!" Sora was shaking, he could feel it from his hold on the boy. "Come on Sora, get up." He commanded softly but firmly, standing and helping to pull him to his feet.
"He really wasn't kidding…" Tidus whispered, backing away slowly from the creature that was starting to recover from its surprise at being injured.
"Oh my God…" Kairi muttered in equal amazement. And what had Sora said, 'like the one at your house?' They had fought something like this before? How long had Riku been so involved?
Then Yuffie commented a deadpan voice, "Yeah I have to agree with Sora on this one, we're all gonna die."
Riku sent his deadliest glare in her direction. Sora seemed to only just realize they were there. He suddenly jumped from Riku's grasp, and whirled around to face the rest of his friends. "What are you guys doing out here?! You have to run away while you can!"
They all started to provide answers and protests at once, but Sora didn't catch any of the excuses or comments as his attention was drawn to the side.
The world suddenly seemed to move in slow motion as he watched the monster recover from Riku's attack, and rear back with a mighty roar, pulling back its arm to swing at them all. His eyes went wide with fear. It would kill them all if that hand connected! And suddenly the only thought in his mind was protecting his friends. He looked over to Riku, and saw the taller boy was looking in the same direction with true fear in his eyes for the first time.
No, Sora thought as he felt an energy swirl around him. I can't let it end like this… All the energy seemed to coalesce in his hand, until he found he was gripping something, an unfamiliar weight now settled in his hand like it was simply supposed to be there. I can't let it hurt them! He took no time to consider what had just happened, and leapt forward, reacting entirely on a strange instinct he had never been aware of before.
There was a near blinding flash of light, and real time snapped back into place. Energy crackled in the air and there was a resounding boom as the hand collided with the air just above the small group of students.
It was then chaos erupted.
There was a scream from the distance, followed by many more as students became aware of the creature's presence as they headed to their next class. Some ran like mad in the opposite direction, while many began to gather at the far edges of the field, the mortal sense of morbid curiosity getting the better of them.
Riku's attention never left Sora's form after he removed his arm from where it had been shielding his eyes, and he stared in amazement as the previously terrified boy now held up what looked to be a very large key against the monsters hand, a shield of energy flickering into view occasionally as he pushed back against the force of its weight. With one great cry of determination, Sora swung the key forward with all the force he could muster.
The shadow-demon-thing was pushed back, and Sora tumbled backwards, rolling head over heels a couple of times before coming to a stop, lying on his back. Riku immediately rushed to him, followed by the others of their group. Sora grunted and pushed himself up, rubbing the back of his head with a wince.
"Sora, are you alright?" Kairi asked frantically, while the other three around her looked just as concerned.
"Yeah, yeah I'm alright." He muttered, allowing Riku to pull him up.
"Sora…what is that?" Riku asked, looking towards the large key gripped tightly in the boy's hand.
Sora looked at it as well, and brought it up before his eyes as if to examine it. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, there was a slow clapping from behind the great beast. The entire group whirled around at the noise. Selphie yelped and jumped behind Tidus, while the other two girls moved closer together.
"Well done, Sora! Well done!" He stepped around the large monster, placing a hand against its leg as one would to restrain a growling dog.
Riku stepped half in front of Sora defensively without even realizing he was doing so. Sora moved forward so that he was beside Riku again, and slipped his hand into Riku's larger one. Riku squeezed gently in assurance, and Sora straightened his posture to what he hoped was a more confident stance. "Just stop messing around with me and get to your point already, would you?" he said irritably to the man who looked far too smug for his own good.
The man laughed at this. "Yes of course, Sora and his ever-shortening temper. Do tell me how your friends have taken to this, won't you?"
Yuffie huffed indignantly, and glared at the man, placing her hands on her hips. "Now listen here, you! Just because Sora's had a shorter temper doesn't mean we'd stop being his friends!"
"Alas, they speak!" the man replied jovially. "And yet I do not believe I ever mentioned anything about not being his friends." He took a few steps closer to Yuffie and the others behind her. "You implied this all on your own."
"Leave them alone!" Sora shouted suddenly, and he stepped away from Riku, holding out his new weapon in a threatening stance towards the man.
With a simple chuckle, the robed figure turned, resting his hand almost lovingly on the weapon currently pointed at his heart. "And what are you going to do about it, young warrior?" He smirked, and ran his hand smoothly up the length of the blade. "You do not even know what it is you hold, do you?"
His hand was stopped just before it reached the hilt, as Riku grabbed his wrist in a death grip and twisted it backwards. "Filthy hands off." He muttered angrily, nearly growling at the man.
Sora looked at him in slight surprise, and he lowered his arm, chancing a glance at the rest of his friends who looked as if they had no idea what they should be doing at the moment.
"Ho, and isn't this the pot calling the kettle black!" he said with a decidedly wicked grin.
Sora frowned. "Our personal lives are no business of yours. Now stop playing around!"
"Why Sora, do you wish for me to simply kill everyone now and be on my way?" he asked, rubbing his wrist after it was released from Riku's grip.
Sora glared in return. "No, I wish for you to leave and never come back."
"Hn, if only life were that simple, yes? However I cannot do that. For you, Sora, hold in your hand exactly what it is I need to achieve the power I desire."
Sora looked curiously down at the almost forgotten weapon in his hand. "You need a big key?" A sudden anger and frustration washed over him, and in a split-second decision, he yelled, "If you want this stupid thing so bad, then just take the damned thing and leave us alone!" and he chucked the blade at the man, who dodged easily.
"Sora!" Riku shouted in surprise. "What are you doing?! You don't just go throwing your only means of defense where you can't reach it!"
"Well he said that was what he wanted!"
"So you just give it to him?! Sora, the man's evil! What makes you think he won't take the blade, and then kill us all before taking off with it!"
"It's a giant. Fucking. Key, Riku! And it's not like he doesn't have that shadow monstrosity…" he waved his hand in the general direction of the waiting creature "…to finish us off any time he wanted!"
The shadowed man stepped back towards the other four friends with a satisfied smirk. "Ah, such tension. Wonderful isn't it?" he practically cooed.
Kairi gasped, as she was the closest to him. "You did that on purpose?"
A low chuckle was the reply. "Hardly, they started that all on their own, but it was incredibly easy to get them going."
"Just what is it you want here?" Tidus asked, speaking up for the first time.
"My, my, you children are all just obsessed with getting answers aren't you? No matter, what I do here is between Sora and myself. You needn't involve yourselves with the young warrior's affairs."
"If it involves Sora then it involves all of us." Yuffie said firmly, stepping forward in a fighting stance. She always was the eccentric one of the group.
"No, Yuffie!" Sora cried, tuning in to what was going on outside of his and Riku's argument. "You guys should get out of here, don't make this your business now!" He flung his hand sideways to emphasize his point, and was surprised when he felt that same energy from before gather in his hand, and the key once again appeared in his grip.
Sora's eyes immediately found Riku's, who looked just as surprised, and just a little bit impressed. He couldn't resist a small smirk and saying, "There, see? No worries."
Riku's expression turned into a deadpan glare, and Sora very nearly giggled. But he didn't, because boys don't giggle, and of course there were enemies around.
"Don't look so confident Sora." Shadow-man said slowly, stepping forward with a malicious glint in his golden eyes. "Just because you can call the Keyblade, does not give you the knowledge to wield it properly."
Sora looked down at the weapon in his hand curiously. "Keyblade…?" So that's what it was called. "And what exactly is the importance of this thing?" He asked, swinging it carelessly in front of him.
The man reached up to rub the bridge of his nose, as if to ward off a headache. "What do keys do, Sora?"
Sora raised an eyebrow curiously, and his answer was a skeptical question. "They unlock things?"
"Yes."
"So…you want me to unlock things?"
A heavy sigh was the answer. "Enough of this. Your stall time is up." And with a simple gesture, the colossus of a shadow stepped forward again.
"Is he bi-polar, or what?" Riku muttered as he and Sora stepped back slowly, warily watching for sudden movements from the large creature.
"I'm beginning to wonder." Sora replied, mind working quickly to try to figure a way out of his imminent doom. "I suppose it's time to put your lessons to good use, huh?" He gave the Keyblade a solid swing. "And see what this thing can do."
"I assume you've got some sort of plan, then?"
"Yeah…you distract Mr. Creepy, and I'll get the big guy."
Riku sent him a worried glance. "Sora…"
"Hey, do you have any better ideas?" Sora snapped just a bit testily, and immediately regretted it at Riku's expression.
Riku stepped closer to Sora, and lightly grasped the smaller boy's hand. "You better not get hurt Sora." His tone was harsh, but Sora could hear the underlying waver that belied his worry. He had long since learned to see past any front Riku put forth, and he gave Riku's hand a gentle squeeze.
"Promise you won't push me away again and I might promise you that." He said lightly with a wink.
"What?" Riku turned sharply, wondering if he'd heard the boy right, but Sora had already dashed forward, a determined expression set on his face and his weapon poised to strike. With a quick silent good luck wish for Sora, Riku turned his attention to the shadow ringleader whose attention was otherwise taken by Sora's attack. "Hey!" he shouted in warning, effectively bringing the man's attention to himself.
Unable to resist the moment, Riku lifted his hand, palm up, and flicked his fingers toward himself in the cliché sign for 'bring it on.'
Lifting an eyebrow, the man did not respond to the obvious bait, but said instead, "Sorry to disappoint you boy, but I do believe my business here is done." He snapped his fingers, and yelled off to the side. "Take him!"
Sora had been doing all right up until that time. At least he thought so when taking into account the fact he was fighting something ten times his size. As the giant shadow creature had reached for him, he jumped onto its wrist, and ran up the arm in order to be able to strike the head. But he only managed a few ineffectual strikes before a hand came up faster than he could dodge.
Large, cold fingers wrapped around him tighter than necessary, and he gasped as the creature lifted him easily.
The man snapped his fingers again, and the very air behind them seemed to tear. A massive black portal opened up, and Sora stared wide-eyed. This situation just became a lot more real and a lot more threatening as he realized what was happening. He heard screaming in the distance, and was vaguely aware that it came from the direction his friends were standing. "Riku!" he shouted, staring helplessly, and hoping on some level that the other boy might be able to miraculously save him.
"Sora!" Riku growled and turned back to the unnamed shadow-man. "Unhand him!"
With a wave of his hand, tendrils of shadows reached from the ground, and began wrapping themselves around Riku's ankles. "Hey, what—" Struggling was quickly proved useless as Riku lost his balance and fell backwards.
Sora tried to fight the creature's grip, but it was too tight, and they were rapidly approaching the portal teeming with black energies. In a last desperate attempt at possible salvation, Sora stared purposefully at Riku and shouted, "Ansem!" as he was being pulled through, hoping that Riku would remember, as he had no time to say anything else.
Struggling and shouting, Sora was pulled through the portal into God only knows where.
"Soraaaa!" Riku shouted and began fighting the formless shadows clutching him violently. He tore them apart with simply his hands, and lunged towards the now smiling man who was beginning to retreat as well. "Give him back!"
"Too late, boy." He replied, and leapt backwards, the black cloak flowing almost elegantly as he disappeared into the shadows after the monster that took Sora. Riku skidded into the ground as the portal disappeared, and he clutched the grass tightly in his fingers, dropping his forehead to the ground.
There was absolute silence for a moment, before Kairi stepped forward, and kneeled beside Riku. "Where…what just…"
Riku cut off her ramblings before a full sentence could even be formed. "Damn that man. Damn him to hell!" he cried as he sat up, and Kairi was amazed to see tears forming behind Riku's eyes. "I will kill him if it's the last thing I do." He stated to the world, and stood up, walking away without giving even a second glance to the rest of his friends.
Kairi, Tidus, Selphie and Yuffie all exchanged bewildered glances.
"Did that…did that really just happen?" Tidus asked in a quiet voice. Silence was the only response.
"We need to talk to Riku…I want to know where Sora's gone." Kairi stated, and received nods from the rest of the group.
Riku, meanwhile, walked back towards his house, mouth set in a determined line. Sora was gone. The very event he had feared the most had passed. But Riku was going to get him back. And that's a promise.
- - - - - - - - -
And there you have it. Finally getting to the 'Action/Adventure' part of the story. This is also the last chapter I have written ahead. (Chapter five is only about half written…I've got ten pages on it at the moment.) So the speed of the update partly depends on you guys now.
Anyway, thank you to those of you who have reviewed. 'Tis much appreciated!