Chapter 3: 52-Card Pick-up
"Can't I just kick his ass?"
The fury Sora emits is almost tangible, like driving on a lonely highway on a hot summer day where the heat waves distort the distance. Jaw clenched, knuckles white, and fire in his eyes, very few people would even think to taunt Sora but because Demyx, Namine, and Axel are all looking away from him, they don't receive the warning signs.
"Sora!" Namine gasps quietly, "You don't seem like a violent person." Her eyes stay on her hands, holding seven cards.
"I'm not. But this is bullshit."
"Potty mouth," Demyx butts in, sticking his tongue out like an emoticon. The fiery blue eyes flash.
"Shut the-"
"Front door. Demyx, could you get that for us?" Axel finally takes the brunet seriously, peering at him with curious, narrowed eyes.
Grumbling, the mullet man gets up and stalks over to the door. Meanwhile, Axel puts his cards face down on the plastic white tables and turns to Sora, concerned. He whispers, "Okay, I agree, that prank they pulled wasn't really a prank. But you can't just go around and beat up four guys. I get in trouble all the time but that would be pushing it, even for me."
"I don't care about the idiots who tied me to a tree."
"Who are you so angry at then?" Namine asks, still able to hear their conversation.
"That jackass Riku," Sora growls, "He's the one that organized it all. The game, and then he sent those guys after me. I saw him walk away after the guys left."
"Isn't that jumping to conclusions?" Axel considers, holding his chin in a classic thinking pose.
"I don't care. He obviously thinks I'm pathetic and can be pushed around. Just that deserves a punch in the face."
Axel and Namine share a glance.
That's when Demyx comes back. "A guy like that doesn't care about pain. That won't make him respect you, because you'll be on his level. You need to humiliate him, hurt his pride a little bit."
This time they all look at him, shocked that he had such a brilliant idea. Of course, Axel and Namine grimace a little bit, knowing that this would only encourage Sora more. But, to their surprise, Sora sighs.
"I know… I'm just. Angry." And that would be an understatement. Sora is furious, but having so much rage contained in his small, cherub body is getting harder and harder to handle. Any time he would get frustrated at home, he'd just go to his martial arts classes' studio. There'd always be someone there willing to spar. But now, being irate at one person, he knew that fighting others wouldn't satisfy his emotion. Riku had made it personal.
He ended up tied to that tree for a day and three-quarters. A total of 42 hours. He had passed out after the first twenty four hours from a mix of hunger, thirst, and the inability to move. It'd been a psychological reset. Something about it changed Sora, or at least his outlook. That there wasn't something wrong with him but with everyone else. That the Miracle in life isn't discovered, it's made. He came to the camp to take a break from waiting, to pass time, but now if anything the camp has turned into a training and battle ground. He isn't sure what side of himself- the cheerful, loving Sora or the angry, get-it-done Sora- will win.
But the transition is unstable because of the strange kindness he woke up to after being tied to the tree so long. Sora doesn't know who untied him. He doesn't think it was the four guys, because they would have woken him up and tormented him while the brunet was at his weakest. Instead the rope was in a neat pile about ten yards away and whoever it was left out a couple bottles of water and food, as if they knew Sora wouldn't have enough energy to walk all the way back. There wasn't any note to say who it was or why. Just thinking about it makes Sora want to cry in frustration; he just doesn't understand what he's supposed to learn from all this. Are people good or bad? To be trusted or not?
But alas, he couldn't cry even if he wanted to. Too many tears shed in the rain because of all the memories, and too much dehydration. Although the saltines and granola bars left out for him helped, the lack of food and water might account for his terrible mood too, but he can't think well enough to blame anything but the silverette.
"Well, let's just prank him then," Axel concedes, "But, you need to eat and drink a whole bunch of water, Sora... So just leave it to me."
So this is what Axel looks like when showing concern. Sora thinks, smiling a little at the red head to show he agrees. Axel pats his shoulder, the only thing he knows to show sympathy and understanding. Namine stands from her and Demyx's goldfish game (they decided that the game with Axel was doomed anyway) and walks to the kitchen to sweet talk the ladies into giving them extra food.
"I don't get it," Sora finally says, looking to Demyx and Axel, "Why do you respect me when everyone else doesn't?"
To this, they don't and can't respond. Axel gathers the miscellaneous cards strewn across the table and starts shuffling them until he finally shrugs. Demyx whips out his guitar and starts playing random chords.
I guess they don't know either.
Riku hadn't seen it coming.
Where he's from, if you have a problem with someone, you fight it out. And then you make a truce and it's over. But apparently, whoever did this has a twisted sense of revenge. And the best part? Riku isn't even sure what he did.
Roxas is still on the floor laughing. Laughing so hard, he's crying.
"Roxas, I will kill you."
"Aha! Ha… go haha! Ahead…" Riku watches him in disgust; the floor is grimy and more easily mistaken for a swamp disease. No amount of humor is worth touching that. But even more importantly…
"Nick, Luis, do either of you know how to fix this shit?" Riku asks, desperately.
"Uhm," Nick starts, trying very hard not to smile, "Come out of the closet?"
"Oh, fuck you too!"
"No thanks. I don't swing that way," he continues, winking. Riku groans, and turns toward the boy's bathroom mirror. It's hard to look.
Most pranksters pick a color when they dye someone's hair. Like bright pink, or green, or blue. But no, this person, whoever it was, decided to go with the freakin' rainbow. And on very shiny, almost glittery silver hair, it turned out very well. His roots are purple, and then it transitions to blue, then green, then yellow, orange, and red. So even if he puts his hair up, the colors don't blend together. No matter what he does, he can't hide the gay flag on his head (it's not a problem with gays he has, but the ridicule of those who do have problems with them). The previously-silverette isn't one to be embarrassed, but at the moment all he can think about it how nice it would be to melt into the wall.
"Te ves como una piñata…" Luis snickers, so amused the Spanish slips out.
"Did you just call me a piñata?" Riku asks, exasperated. He pulls his hand through his hair, tugging as if it would all fall out and magically grow back silver.
"No, I said you look like one," the Cuban says, laughing harder even though he got caught in his Spanish.
"I'm going to deport you…" Riku mutters, glaring at all of them.
"Man, whoever did this knew what they were doing," Nick says, "They used heavy stuff."
"Will it wash out?"
"Eventually it won't be as saturated," Luis explains, "My sister dyes her hair all the time. The colors always fade, but it takes a couple weeks and a lot of showers."
Finally able to breath, Roxas inputs breathlessly, "Chlorine might help too."
"I hate swimming," Riku complains. He puts his hair up, thinking maybe it'll look a little better. It makes Roxas and Nick laugh again before he can even put the tie all the way on.
"Whoever did this didn't have a very original prank," Roxas muses, "But damn, they knew how to make it awesome."
"Awesome? This is a nightmare!" The only thing Riku will become un-masculine-y about is his hair. He bangs his head on the wall a couple times in mourning.
"Put the hat on, mi amigo," Luis says, "It'll make it look like you have red tips and blonde hair underneath.
Following his instructions, he quickly learns the notion was too good to be true. It only covers the purple and blue. The distinction between the green, yellow, orange, and red is unmistakable.
Riku simply doesn't know what to do with himself. If he gets angry, he'll look like a pansy. If he pretends like he's okay with it, it'll look like he did it himself. If he gets depressed about it, they'll think he's gay. There is no route to save dignity. None at all. His blood starts to boil.
And who did this anyway? His first instinct is Sora, but it wouldn't make sense that Riku would get the hair dye and those idiots who tied him to the tree wouldn't. He knows that if others were pranked too, he would have heard about it already. Riku's pretty sure Sora didn't see him walk away from him a couple nights ago, so none of it adds up.
The girls love his hair, insisting that it should never be cut or tainted, so that rules them out. He also has an unnatural respect from the guys, so that doesn't make sense either. Riku growls in frustration. He can't even ask his (rudely amused) friends for help because they don't know about him following the guys who pranked Sora, or about him untying the exhausted brunet later.
Useless bums.
Sora can barely contain his laughter when Coach forces Riku to stay out of the games. The girls immediately start to pair him with other cute guys at the camp, trying to match-make them. So much for their alleged love of his silver locks. The guys, on the other hand, predictably start avoiding him, not wanting to be seen or attacked by any fan girls. Finally, the all-black-wearing kid finally has an emo facial expression to reinforce it.
"Axel, you are a brilliant genius mastermind," Sora says as he runs past third base. When he gets to home, he turns back to the red head; he winks.
"Home run! Score is now 24 to 8." The coach says, sending the next person in line up to bat.
There's no way the other team can win, as they are in the ninth inning. They don't even have enough teammates to catch up, but the coach insists they play anyway. Just as well for Sora. Each game is like another dose of self-esteem, watching Riku be forced to play cheer leader with his fabulously fagatory hair. It doesn't help that Sora's teams consistently win.
Sora lets himself giggle a very unmanly giggle, elated that things seem to finally be going his way. From across the field, he sees one of the guys glare at him. He gives them a fierce grin, a challenge.
Demyx had warned him that there might be some guys who come to defend Riku and try to fight Sora. The brunet only smiled back and said, "All I ask is that you hold my water when I kick their asses."
Sora may have huge, almond eyes, a round, feminine face and more curves than some of the girls at the camp, but no one can tell him he isn't a badass at kicking it . Of course, he hasn't been able to reveal this skill… But with the way some of the guys are looking at him now, Sora's hopes for a grand re-opening are rising. The male population still seems to hate him for his favor with the women, but after hearing about the prank, they can't help but have a little fear. Still smiling after that? Treating it as if it's nothing? That's his forte! And they hate every second of it.
That punk is pushing it. Riku glares at the brunet for a full game, hating him with every fiber of his being, but the brunet doesn't even spare him a glance. The way he smiles as if he hasn't been hurt once in his entire life, the way he struts around as if he owns the place… Well, that's only what Riku perceives right now. And deep down, Riku knows that envy is the main driving force for his rage. But here the once-silverette is, sitting out with bright, loud, obnoxious hair being absolutely humiliated, when he's the only reason Sora is even back at the camp today! How is it that Riku ended up being punished for doing the right thing? He still doesn't even know who did it for sure, but his suspicion to Sora grows every minute out of pure anger. No one cuts Riku down; he can get in trouble, screw things up, but no one hurts his pride.
The cherub didn't even learn anything from getting tied to that damn tree! Riku thinks, justifying himself. The only evidence of change in Sora is that his eyes are darker. Anyone could tell him that's only an insignificant physical change but Riku knows for a fact that's not all there is to it. But what exactly is he thinking? What is he going to do? His outlook on life seems to not have changed and the brunet does not seem the type to be an actor. In all his fury, Riku can't help but think about all the things he could do to make him learn the truth about this cruel life.
Roxas sits next to him. "So what are you going to do about this?"
"I don't know," Riku says, hissing through gritted teeth.
The spiky-haired blonde doesn't continue the conversation, and Riku isn't sure if he's coming up with ideas or he's just uncaringly staring at the game. Either one is highly possible. Soon, though, Nick and Luis join. They seem to follow me around more, Riku thinks, are they trying to show they are worried…?
Riku isn't particularly used to having someone be concerned for his well-being. Usually, it's his job to look after everyone else but the thought that they might be trying to be supportive makes him feel a little better.
Nick clears his throat, and Riku turns to him. Shrugging, he says, "I'm not much a planner for pranks but… we could just throw him in the lake or something. Quick and easy."
Luis interjects, "Isn't there a Triathlon coming up anyway?" A triathlon is a race with running, biking, and swimming. If they could humiliate Sora in one of these things…
Riku mulls this over. "How would be make it into a pay-back type of ordeal though?"
They fall silent, thoughtful.
"We are not good at this," Nick mutters sheepishly. Luis nods in agreement. "I'm better at giving myself trouble, not other people."
Nick laughs, replying, "I don't think the government would agree with that!"
"I am a US citizen, for the last time!"
"Yeah, uh huh, that's what they all say."
"Shut up, doofus, I have an idea," Roxas snaps, "If one of us can get into his cabin, we could break his goggles and take his trunks. Stuff like that."
"Ah… and then he won't be able to compete!" Nick says, catching on, "Brilliant! He won't like that at all. Take it from me."
They believe the blonde; he loves sports just as much as Sora does.
"Thanks, guys." And they all high five like the inner-cheerleaders they are.
The day of the triathlon starts like any other; small talk with friends, eating the normal mystery that is lunch, playing random useless games to pass time. But Sora is secretly breaking down. Through breakfast, he's able to fake the smile and hide the nervousness. While hanging with Axel in the game room, he distracts himself by playing Modern Warfare 2 while Demyx and Namine attack a checker board. Demyx is super pumped for the swimming portion of the race; water seems to be his thing. Axel complains about the whole thing, saying he didn't come here to make himself any skinnier than he already is. Namine quietly mentions that running had never been something she has enjoyed, or been good at for that matter. With her petite stature and her slow, dainty way of moving, it's easy to believe.
Sora keeps his mouth shut however. No complaints. If he dares to make a comment, he'll turn into a blubbering mass, incoherent and hyperventilating.
He. Hates. Water.
And even that's an understatement. It's a phobia, a trigger to memories he doesn't want to see. It turns him into a person he doesn't want to be. It's a skill he doesn't have. If only he didn't have such a vivid memory. Perhaps then he would have repressed at least some of them out of sanity and convenience reasons.
The T.V. is low, not wanting any of the staff hearing the game, but Sora still takes pleasure from the faint "Huh!" and "Ughnn!"s of fighting and dying. And the shots ringing out like a fast techno song.
"Only you would think to bring your Xbox," Namine comments unapprovingly.
"Well, my cousin doesn't deserve having it. My aunt and uncle can suck it."
"What are you, Harry Potter?" Sora asks, snickering at the thought of the "almighty tallest" (as he calls himself) living in the cupboard under the stairs.
"Essentially," Axel admits, grimacing, "Though it's also good entertainment as I did not want to stay in the sun much."
Just then, they hear the Coach calling out through his portable loudspeaker that lunch is served. Thirty minutes afterward, the Triathlon would start. Sora swallows and puts his controller down on the couch delicately.
"Well, looks like your wish isn't coming true, Axel."
The lunch table is particularly quiet while Nick and Luis are gone, breaking into Sora's cabin and thieving the brunets various swimming items. The silverette hopes they return before lunch ends, but he knows there isn't a high possibility.
So Riku looks to Roxas, who is drawing through the gravy left on his plate. To start a conversation, Riku comments sarcastically, "You're such a great artist, Roxas."
The blonde glances up, too surprised by the voice to glare. He mutters back, "I don't appreciate your sarcasm, rainbow face."
"First of all it's my hair. And second, this is fixable, thanks ever so much. You're height, however, isn't… midget."
This is how they get along, insulting.
"I rather have to compensate for height up, rather than out," the witty blonde responds, sticking his tongue out. And no, he does not mean his stomach diameter.
"Ohh… that's just low. Fuckin' low." For once, the blonde genuinely giggles.
"Do you think there are a lot of homophobes here?" Roxas suddenly asks.
The silverette looks back at the short one oddly, wondering where such a question came from. Seeming to be seriously contemplating the question, Riku responds to him hesitantly, "….Guys, yes. Girls… well, they are more and more rare. I guess it kind of depends on what state we're in."
"Hmm. Do you even know which state it is?"
"No clue," Riku says, smiling in a cocky way. Roxas just laughs.
The turquoise eyes catch sight of the brunet spikes he had come to loathe, however, and so suddenly the mirth is lost. Riku watches closely as the lithe body slinks into his lunch table, sitting by the punk redhead across from the mullet guy and the mute blonde. Funny how Riku, the "emo" kid with long hair, ended up with some normal blokes while Sora, the sport prodigy, ended up with the camp misfits.
That's not all he notices though. The enemy is very…twitchy today. Just the way he moves, as if he were a robot. Going through the motions, yet obviously anxious. But he can't possibly know that his stuff is being stolen. What is there for him to be anxious about? As much as Riku claims to enjoy watching him squirm, privately he feels a twinge of worry.
"What are you so sullen about?" The blonde asks, turning to look in his direction.
Riku panics, explaining, "Nothing! Just wondering if those idiots are planning anything."
"Don't be paranoid. Why would they be?"
"I dunno," Riku responds sheepishly. He returns to playing with the food on his plate.
Sora decides he can't delay any longer. Most of the girls had their bathing suits on under their clothes a whole hour ago, and most guys had returned from slipping on their trunks. Reluctantly, he bids his friends adieu and steps out of the table carefully, body shaky from dread.
Walking out, loneliness comes to say hello. Situations like this always remind him that no matter how genial or amiable he is, no matter how many friends he makes, he is always alone in the horrors of his past. The only one carrying the guilt. When he was escorted to the hospital and they told him his little sister, mother, and father had died, they didn't say how. They thought he didn't know, didn't remember. But he wasn't as young as he looked. At eight years old, he knew it was his fault they drowned. He was sent out to find help, but there was none. He should have died with them; why does he live and they don't?
The gravel crunches under his feet as he follows the path toward the boy's cabins. There's a comforting breeze through the air, but it only makes him twitch. The trees surround the whole camp like a barrier, messaging loud and clear: you are trapped here. Of course, it's a nonthreatening message, but annoying and currently depressing in content. Perhaps if he had less inner strife, he'd find it all beautiful. The scenery is certainly nothing to scoff at.
But all that disappears when he reaches the cabins, the wooden ceiling and surroundings blocking the view. It takes no more than five seconds to reach the end of the rooms. He unlocks his cabin door quickly and steps in… To find the disaster of another prank.
His clothes are strewn about the floor but in a way that suggests someone had been searching for something. Sora sighs, bending over to account for everything.
And then a huge smile creeps onto his face. They, whoever it was, took his swimming trunks and goggles.
All four of them watch Sora trapeze over to Coach.
"He doesn't seem very upset."
"He's not upset at all."
"He looks happy!"
Riku grits his teeth, agreeing with his comrades' observations. The brunet looks more than just happy though; it's pure relief. They watch as Sora animatedly tells the bulky man of his plight with a bright smile. Able to read his lips even from a distance, he confirms that Sora is insisting he can't swim due to mysteriously disappeared swim trunks and even worse, no goggles.
Riku groans, wanting to punch himself for having pulled a backfiring prank. Nick curses under his breath; he must've really thought it would work too.
Luis sighs, "I guess the bloke didn't like swimming in the first place."
But then the Coach begins his reply, and Sora's smile fades. The silverette ignores his friends' conversation (mulling over what they might do to prank the brunet next) and attempts to read the Coach's lips. All he makes out is that Sora has to swim anyway.
But he gets this information by the blue-eyed boy's reaction, not by the intimidating Coach (how could he read his lips anyway with his bushy, brown mustache?). Sora pales with every word the man says and his shoulders sag. As if someone pressed the shut-down button on Windows. Then the small hands start twitching and fidgeting. Despite all this, the brunet nods when the dictator is done speaking. Sora walks away, looking very much defeated.
"It looks like a success after all," Riku says, his flat voice reflecting the exact opposite.
"Hmm?" Nick says, suddenly hopeful, "What, does he have to swim in his clothes anyway?"
"It looks that way."
Nick and Luis high five. Roxas, smiling, bows to the previously-silverette and says, "May your wonderful hair be revenged."
Despite himself, Riku can't bring himself to feel excited for the race.
Every fiber of Sora's being screams to bolt; being tied to the tree was better than this. His heart is pounding, palms shaking and sweating, knees weak. And no, he's certainly not in love with anyone or thing, unless you count the idea of crawling in bed for a couple weeks.
The brunet keeps dropping his iPod. Luckily he's still in grass, but the aggravation of his ear buds being ripped out of his ear is mounting steadily. No one seems to notice that he is an absolute mess, stumbling around, clumsily knocking into things. Every time he opens his mouth, he stutters his way through his sentences. The girls think it's adorable, and the guys sneer but what matters is that no one is going to comfort him or tell him it's going to be okay. And that is what he desperately needs.
Sora gets placed in the front row of the runner's line, while Demyx is smack-dab in the middle with Namine and Axel in the back. Riku is just a few people behind the blue-eyed wreck, but his other friends are right beside him, talking amiably and giddy. They keep stealing glances over at the brunet, but he ignores them, more preoccupied with resisting hyperventilation.
Sora tells himself he's safe for two thirds of the race, considering the first part is a three mile run, then a fifteen mile bike ride, and then a 600 yard swim. He doesn't know how many laps that would be in a normal competition pool, but it sounds agonizingly long. He guesses the bike ride is meant to decrease heart rate…
None of his speculation helps. And when the Coach counts down from three then blows his whistle (unnervingly loud too), the brunet almost pukes right then and there. But somehow he starts running. And when Sora runs, he flies.
Everything blurs as he surges forward. The trees a flurry of green. The trunks end up looking like brown walls. Not surprising, Nick is still ahead of him though, a blue and tan figure. Soon his heart rate catches up to the amount of work his body is doing and it pumps painfully in his chest. His lungs expand and deflate rapidly, keeping up with the oxygen demand. But he keeps going; maybe if he passes out before the race is over, he won't have to dive into the stank, green lake.
Nick ends up slowing down after the first mile and a half so Sora is able to catch up. Although he isn't actually trying to be competitive, he tells himself to keep going because if Nick can do it, surely he can too. And then, Nick speaks.
"Hey," a pant, "were you actually…the one who," hasty breath, "dyed Riku's hair?"
Sora sucks in a couple breaths, deciding how he should respond. "Not me… specifically."
"Why?" Nick says, suddenly a little angry, "What did he ever do to you?"
This just sparks his anger, eyes watering in frustration. Why? For everything! "Why don't… you ask… him, hmm? I was tied to… a tree for a full day… and a half."
Sora knows Nick didn't do anything wrong, but he can't help but take his rage out on him a little bit. The blonde merely looks bewildered though. To end the conversation, Sora picks up the pace even further, rushing ahead.
Why is today labeled as torture-Sora day? First he has to swim, then without goggles or swimming trunks so he won't be able to see where he's going and he'll be heavier than usual, and now this? They think Sora is the bad guy? They don't even know! What does he care about what they think anyway?
And just when Sora is about to pick up the pace again to blow off steam, he hits the finish line for the running portion.
By the time Riku reaches the biking portion, he's exhausted. Inwardly he curses the coach, heavily unamused by this competition. Is he trying to give all of them heart attacks? He could just imagine his mom storming in, demanding them to give her silverette back, not understanding he was dead or in the hospital. Then she'd demand a refund. And then sue them.
The thought makes him smile a little bit, but it doesn't make him feel any better. As he mounts a very blue bike with rent-a-bike on the frame in blue letters, he wonders how long fifteen miles will take. So far it sounds like cruel and unusual punishment.
Quickly, the once-silverette catches up to none other than Sora. He wasn't too far behind the faster runners in the first place, but he's surprised to see the brunet go at a non-slacking, but non-trying pace. Like before, Sora still looks pale and shaky. His steady pace is probably the only thing keeping him from kissing gravel. Once Riku gets close enough to steal a glance, he can clearly see dread and depression written all over his face. How can a person dread swimming so much?
Riku isn't sure whether to start a conversation or not. I mean, they had technically only spoken once, yet they had already done so much to each other. His eyes, his actions, and his psyche are all Riku has been able to think about for days. What is he like as a friend? What is his story? Does he have one? Being so close to the brunet reminds Riku just how much he doesn't know… and how much he assumed he did. This doesn't change the fact that his hair is a –insert stream of expletives- rainbow, but…
Maybe Riku should apologize, for the prank, for what the guys did, and for his unwarranted judgment. He jumped the gun and was an asshole about it. That, and he's tired of seeing the brunet miserable. He's just not good with these kinds of things; they make him bashful and nervous, which is certainly not his style. He can already feel the butterflies fluttering in his stomach. But… well, this might solve a lot of his problems. Maybe Sora will even apologize back.
"Hey," the once-silverette starts, nervously tapping the handlebars of his bike. No response. "Uhm, Sora, is it?"
Instantly, the blue eyes send daggers at Riku. The silverette winces; this is going to be harder than he thought. "I wanted to say… I'm…" he pauses for a breath and the courage to say it… "Sorry. For what those guys did to you, for taking your swim trunks and stuff, and basically everything."
The brunet remains silent, but Riku can tell he's thinking. His eyebrows are squished together in concentration. He can't help but wonder what he's thinking. Is he blushing? Or is that just from anger? Riku braces himself for the worst.
"You act like you didn't have any part in the first one," Sora says, precariously rigid, "But I know you did. I saw you. And I honestly don't give a fuck about my swim trunks. You think that's what's making me miserable? You don't know me, Riku, don't even pretend you know a goddamn thing."
Riku sighs, frustrated; I guess he should have figured that his own arrogance would be what would bite him in the butt. Swallowing his pride, he mutters, "I know," but it's too late. Sora has already pushed ahead, riding at a much faster pace, presumably to get away from him.
Well, that went well.
For the longest time, Sora just stares at the lake, Riku far gone from his mind. There are already several people swimming but there are no lifeguards, making the terrified brunet even more uneasy. Most people put their clothes by their bikes, but it would just be embarrassing to swim in his boxers. Should he swim in his shirt, or take that off?
These thoughts are fleeting though, for the more he stares at the water, the more scared he becomes. He just doesn't want to do it. He doesn't want to dive in, feel the rush of cold. He doesn't want to feel the slime of the lake, the rocky bottom, the fish. He doesn't know how to swim in the first place. After getting to the deeper parts, he doesn't know what he'll do. Something tells him that if tries to explain this to Coach, it'll end the same way the last conversation did. He really doesn't need any more ridicule and that would be a free ticket.
He sucks in a deep breath and lets go of the bike. It tips and falls, clambering to the ground with a crunchy crash. Everyone has to face their fears eventually… And this would prove to Riku that he's not what the silverette thinks he is. Maybe after this, everything will be okay. This will be the worst of it; gotta reach the bottom before you climb to the top. The idea of no longer being treated terribly and perhaps even getting over his phobia goads him on despite his shivering body and shaking breath. He approaches the lake. A toe. A foot. Feet. Ankles.
He walks in for as long as he can, stopping several times just to get control of himself. Tears are streaming down his face, memories flashing before his eyes. They are almost always the same ones; his mom screaming, the house collapsing, the flooding streets, the water turning into a constant riptide, then him being carried out, almost drowning and then waking up in the hospital. Even though he often tells himself he deserved to die with his true family in that catastrophic hurricane, the truth is he doesn't want to die. That's why he can't stand water, isn't it? Unable to face what had happened, and too afraid that he'll drown again to do it.
But as he learned to correct himself before, the Miracle doesn't happen unless you change, unless you do something to make it happen. Like softly breathing on baby fire embers to make it roar to life.
He wades out until he can no longer touch the bottom, but he's not even halfway across. He starts to panic again. He's already tired from running. His clothing is weighing down on him. Everyone is either ahead of him, or not there yet. Even if he has the courage to swim, it doesn't magically give him the ability. He tries to remain calm, but it gets harder and harder for him to stay afloat. He tries to doggy paddle, but he merely stays in place. Such a silly name with such dire consequences…
He begins to sink, but he manages to get a breath before he goes completely under. He fights to reach the surface. He does it a few times, but the effort is so draining. It brings a whole new meaning to "too much effort", the predictable teen slogan. He keeps fighting for the surface, but the oxygen comes a little too late each time and he sinks lower and lower. Fighting it will cause him to lose energy faster, but not fighting will cause him to sink further.
He starts rethinking. Maybe he should have apologized to Riku back there. At least he made an effort to reconcile. Of course he doesn't know about Sora's past and who he is; no one does, not even his closest friends back at home. A scene quickly materializes in his mind of them talking and Sora explaining his problem. He can see in his mind's eye Riku pulling him through the lake with his hand. If he weren't so afraid, Sora would probably blush at himself, but instead he shakes his head. Ridiculous. His chest loses air and is filled with regret. Seems such a cruel fate to drown now, by such silly, stupid circumstances. All is fun and games until someone gets hurt; it just happens that the brunet is always the one getting harmed. Hardly anyone realized he was missing last time; how long will it take to find him this time? He doesn't think Prince Charming will save him again.
Hope dies last, but it's diminishing fast. His lungs feel as if they want to puke from burning. Such an odd combination of sensations but it's familiar. He stops fighting. He keeps his eyes open, but all he can see is foggy brown all around and sheets of light fluttering through the small particles. But of course, the seconds tick by and his vision diminishes. Sora is sickeningly lightheaded. Everything hurts. Fucking stupid.
That's when, like a cliché movie, someone grabs his hand. The brunet doesn't have the energy to tighten his hand, barely conscious, barely registering the event. I will probably want to remember this, he thinks amusedly, and he almost laughs until he remembers that would cause him to choke. Everything is spotty, black, brown with black spots, rainbow, pale skin, brown… black…. Black… nothing.
The next thing he really registers is gravel making little caves in his back. Meh. But hey, at least he's breathing. Wait. He still isn't. Hmm. He wills his body to do it… but nothing happens. He realizes his body is very…silent. When a heart beats for 17 years, the brain doesn't register it's beat anymore as a sensation… but he recognizes the absence of it now. If he could, he'd panic. There's a possibility of him dying. Come this far just to die?
He realizes his eyes are still open. Getting his brain to focus on anything is a battle. The distinction between body and spirit is astonishing to him, as a picture slowly forms from his eyes. The glare from the sun hides the face of the body looming over him. CPR, dumbass. Someone pushes the body out of the way so the shadow is on the other side. He recognizes one of the staff managers. And then his chest is convulsing, but it's definitely not his doing. He knows water is spurting from his mouth. It's tickling his ears vaguely. Air going through his windpipe. So forced, it feels absolutely terrible, stretching his chest in the most painful way. Pushing. Breathing. Pushing. And…
Suddenly he's able to do it on his own. With adrenaline he didn't think his body would have, he sits up and hurls water, but not from his stomach. It's so agonizing to take in air, but he forces himself to take in deep, panicky inhales. The fog goes away from his vision and slowly his thinking kick starts, like adding RAM to a computer or a Swiffer broom to a neglected attic.
"Th-thank," cough gag, "you."
They lay him back down. "Just sit there for a couple minutes, we're getting a stretcher."
He just nods, enjoying breathing again despite the pain. Slipped out of Death's fingers again. He turns his head to ignore the sunlight straight overhead. Over yonder stands Riku in all his rainbow-hair glory. If he had the energy, he'd chuckle. I'm sure he loved watching this- Wait. Rainbow. Did he…. Was he the one who... Saved him? He suddenly remembers their conversation from before, and his glimpses in the water.
Their eyes meet. Yes. Yes he had. Sora suddenly feels like a fool for hesitating forgiveness. Especially now. Well aware just how short life can be, he decides he can't wait another minute. Barely loud enough to be heard, but distinct enough, Sora croakily speaks. "I'm," clears throat, "Sorry… too," more coughing, "Thanks."
Blame it on his mental exhaustion, or his trauma, or his spiritual upheaval but his breath hitches (which is saying something, considering his poor lungs' state) when Riku smiles back. A truly happy, relieved smile. It's blinding in all the right ways. Beautiful.
Funny… Sora smiles weakly back… and lets himself sleep.
A/N: Ooooh goodness, I got stuck SO many times. Sorry if it all seems a little drawn out. Tell me what you think? Any confusion? I've read it so many times now, and I have all my ideas in my head, sometimes I lose sight of what's really on the page... or computer in this case. I need sleep. Lol :)
Thank you for all the review I got, and story alerts! They made me so happy, I truly appreciate it. Hope this chapter is satisfactory! Updates soon!
