Chapter 8: No Time to Waste
(Sora's POV)
Location: 8th Floor
I feel as if I am racing the clock.
The seconds tick noisily away. I have to hurry up. They have Namine and I need to get to her before something awful happens. I'm not sure what their intentions are, but it can't be good. I hastily move through this counterfeit world, killing heartless and picking up cards. I eventually come to the respite area and rush through to the other side. I am back in the eerily bright castle.
I stop dead in my tracks when I see who is standing in the room with me. Riku.
He's here too?
"Riku…what are you doing here?"
"Wouldn't you like to know," Riku harshly replied.
Nice to see you too.
"Are you okay?"
"Quit the act. You don't care about me anyways," Riku added.
"Of course I care, you're my friend."
"Please, you were my friend…but not anymore."
I hear the poisonous irritation in his voice.
His words cut through me like broken glass.
"Why are you saying that?"
"You have all but forgotten about me."
"Wait. What are you talking about?"
I came all this way to help him. Now, he's saying that I don't care. As if.
"YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ME AND YOU CERTAINLY DON'T CARE ABOUT HER!"
Her?
"Namine?"
"Forget about Namine, she doesn't need you."
"Riku, they have her, she's in danger."
"I can handle it Sora. Now, GO HOME."
Why is he treating me like this?
"What has gotten into you?"
"Maybe, I wasn't clear enough; I said GO HOME."
"I'm not going anywhere; I came here to help you and Namine."
"Thanks, but no thanks; we don't need your help."
"Why not?"
"You're useless; you always get in the way."
"But…"
"But nothing..."
"C'mon Riku, snap out of it."
"Sora, Namine doesn't want to see you and neither do I."
"I don't understand."
"Just leave, go back to the island where you belong."
"Don't you want to go back as well?"
"No, I'm never going back to the island; it doesn't mean a thing to me anymore."
"How can you say that? The island is our home."
"Protecting Namine is the only thing that matters to me now."
"What about our old friends?"
"You are such a hypocrite Sora; I bet you don't even remember them."
He's right, I don't remember them. The faces and names completely evade me. I know that we had friends on the island but the details are hazy. Sigh.
Is Riku right, am I really just a hypocrite?
I look at the ground. I am ashamed with myself. How could I forget all my old friends? I thought I promised myself that I wouldn't forget anyone important, so why do I feel like I just have? Maybe, Riku has a point.
I don't respond. He is staring me down with a smug look on his face. That is so Riku, always trying to compete and always trying to rub it in my face.
"Yeah, that's exactly what I thought," Riku says with a smirk.
I wish I had something to say, but I don't, so I just stand there and take his taunts.
"Don't worry; they probably weren't that important to you."
He is taking it way too far now.
"Stop it Riku."
"Want to make me?"
"If that's what it takes…"
If he wants a fight, then I'll give him one.
We fight each other but no one really wins. After the fight, Riku runs off and I'm left behind trying to figure out what I did wrong. I don't understand why he seems to hate me all of a sudden. I want to help him because I know that something is not right. I don't know what to do but I have to do something.
It seems that Namine and Riku need my help.
There is no time to waste.