Chapter 10: What the Future Holds
Sora sat on the bed with a piece of paper and a pencil.
"This is so frustrating" said Sora lazily while chewing on the base of the pencil.
Riku lay back with a cigarette and smirked.
"Sora, Sora, Sora, you fail to see the loopholes in all this"
"Why would I want to take the easy way out?"
Riku pushed him on his back softly.
"It's quite simple really; just get someone else to do the work for you"
"You wouldn't be saying that if you knew what Yuffie did with that poem of yours"
"What poem are you referring to?"
"The one that you wrote the other day"
"How the hell did she get her hands on it? Sora?"
"Don't point fingers at me, Yuffie took from the teacher's desk shortly after you left"
"And how would you know, we left together"
"Axel told me"
"What is she planning on doing with that?"
"She says that she's going to try to broadcast it…that way our, um…karma would be stronger…I think"
"I am going to kill her"
"Yes, well ya better put that on hold. She's visiting her mom on the islands"
"So how is she supposed to help us?"
"Last time I checked there was something called a phone"
"Yes, and the last time I checked, you weren't a smart ass"
"Riku can I ask you a question…a serious question?"
"You just did, but knock yourself out"
"How do you see our future?"
"I haven't really thought about that, but from the sounds of it, you have. Sora, how do you see our future?"
"The thing is, I don't think I should tell you until I'm in the clear"
"Meaning you won't tell me unless my view is somewhat similar to yours?"
"Well not exactly, but it does get you to thinking"
"Sora, I'm going to guess, and let me know if I leave something out"
"Riku, don't-"
"By the way you're telling me this, you see us with more than one child…more like a stable family. Two, maybe three kids, we would be married, and life would go on in its own perfect little way. Am I right?"
Sora looked down at his fingers and twirled them nervously.
"So that is a huge yes"
"I never said that"
"Sora…do you want that, seriously?"
"Riku, I don't think we should be discussing this right now"
"Sora, you brought it up, and now I want to know"
"Riku, just leave it alone"
"What, you don't think I can commit?"
"Riku I don't want to argue with you about it"
"So it's true, you want more from me and you don't think I can commit to it"
"Please Riku, it's nothing like that. It's just…"
"It's just…"
"IT'S JUST WHAT!"
"People in our situation…just don't last as long as they promise they would"
"What do you mean people in our situation?"
"Let's face the music. Later on, we'll go to college in separate schools, and we'll drift apart sooner than we had hoped. Everything will fall apart"
"Why are you thinking about what will happen then, why can't you focus on what's happening with us now?"
"Because I don't want to get my hopes up for nothing. It's funny how I'm the only one who has thought about a stable family, or, or marriage. And it's unfair that I have to hold this little fantasy within my head, because it just may never happen"
"Sora, you never mentioned any of this, how can you expect me to just up and agree with whatever you throw my way"
Sora looked down and tried to hold the tears back.
"Sora we're still in high school. What reason do we have to think about these things?"
"You say that only because you want the exact opposite"
"Don't put words in my mouth" Riku said angrily.
"I did nothing, you brought this up all of a sudden and now you want to point fingers at me for something that I never knew you considered. Sora you're thinking way too far ahead, and I'm sorry if I can't commit to your perfect little dream world. You need to open your eyes; the real world is not like that. So maybe we won't always be together, and maybe we'll never have a family, or get married as you say, but I'm not going to kill myself over nothing"
Riku got up and left the room. Sora's body froze right where he stood. He couldn't speak or even swallow. The tears in his eyes began to drift down his cheeks slowly, but he would not torture himself by crying. He dug his fists into his eyes, wiping away the tears that were sure to come. His heart had been crushed in two, and it was not something he liked feeling. He stared at the floor, without so much as a blink.
A few hours later Riku walked in, Axel trailing behind him, only to bug his nerves.
"Hey Sora" said Axel enthusiastically.
Sora didn't say a word, he remained where he was.
"Hello, earth to Sora" said Axel while waving his hand in Sora's face.
Still, Sora remained motionless.
"What the hell happened to him? He's like a zombie"
"Axel, do you have to be so got damn annoying all the time?"
"Okay Riku, what'd you do this time?"
"I didn't do anything, why don't you just fuck off?"
"He looks traumatized man. I'm not used to seeing him like this; he's usually optimistic and annoyingly upbeat about everything"
"Axel, mind your own business"
Axel grabbed Riku's hand and pulled him outside the dorm room.
"Al right, what'd you say to him"
Riku lit up a cigarette and sighed.
"I basically told him that our relationship would never go farther than this, and that whatever he had hoped would happen, never will, and that the odds are that we're not gonna be together anyways, so why should I care, and that pretty much sums it up"
"You are pretty fucked up dude"
"What the hell-"
"You ruined him"
"You can't ruin a person"
"Tell me this; if you're never gonna get anywhere, then what's the point of being together?"
"Are you saying that I should break up with Sora?"
"That's the exact opposite of what you should do"
"Then what do you want from me?"
"Riku, you broke his spirit, his heart and his expectations. You killed whatever hope he had left. I wouldn't be surprised if he hated you for the rest of his life. Ya know, some parents kill their child when they find out that their spouse doesn't want them"
"I never said that"
"You basically told him that, just in a different way"
"Go fuck yourself"
"Don't blame me when he has to go into counseling"
Riku and Axel walked back inside.
"Watch this"
"Sora…is everything al right"
"…everything…is fine"
"Told ya"
"He hesitated you moron"
"Sora, are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine, everything is fine"
"He's been tainted"
Sora stared at the wall before him.
"Dude, you two need to go to couples counseling"
"Are you high?"
"Not right now I'm not"