I present you with: the 31st chapter!! Jeez this story's much longer than I had planned. I was thinking more like 25 chapters or so…well we still have two more worlds to visit and then the whole climatic end, along with the cliff hanger that gives way to the sequel (And that's ITWILTL in a nutshell!). This chapter is definitely longer than my average chapters (its 11 pages on Microsoft Word!) but there's something about it that…bugs me. If any of you can figure out what this chapter is lacking I'll send you a Kingdom Hearts servant (you can pick your person XD). So it's a Riku/ Lauren chapter pretty much (yes another one) and hopefully you guys like it! Enjoy!
*Stardust*
"Things have been a bit quiet for them don't you think?" I asked my leader in the most cautious of tones. He gave an amused chuckle.
"Need I remind you that a mere few days ago you tore a man to shreds before our enemy's eyes?"
"Yes Master, I remember, but now I'm seething with energy!" He held out a hand in my direction, warning me to relax and refuse to let my power get me too carried away.
"Well we already have tested our first and most 'concerning' threat" He laughed at the word concerning "in multiple fields…but I suppose you could test out the boy…the one she's so close with…Riku was it?"
"Yes master, I've been eager to face him for some time now."
"Oh so you were planning to fight him anyways, even though I have already made your priorities clear?" Aw shit!
"No not at all Master of course not, I was simply hoping that the next time you told me to present myself that he may give me an opportunity to see his strength." He sighed, a hand resting just under his chin in thought
"I suppose I'll let you get away with that one" Phew.
"But you can not let him know it was you who attacked him!" him finished firmly
"But how do I do that?"
"I believe they have a new feature on their ship…something that has to do with fighting Demons?"
*Lauren*
I sighed contentedly, when you're risking your life on a daily basis to dance with the forces of darkness on the off chance that you might come out on top it was nice to get the chance to do…well, what I was doing.
Kairi and Namine had spent the day after April Fool's Day sending the boys here and there to place new furniture (Fury was also included in that when I mentioned her casually saving Riku's life by single-handedly tossing a fifty-pound weight…she's not talking to me now). So, as of today, our gummi ship actually resembled some sort of house that has all teenagers and no adults…like a fancy orphanage? I don't really know…
So now here I am sitting on a tan-leather couch, sprawled out and relaxed, my right hand dangling over the side of the couch, resting in Riku's soft silver hair (he was sitting on the carpet), watching Sora and Roxas competing to see which half was better at this PS3 racing game that, when explained to me, gives me the worst freaking migraine you can imagine.
After a while I got so confused with the game I could no longer tell who was winning or losing and the bright colors were starting to damage my eyesight. Once another race was completed (I think) Sora paused the game and tossed the controller to Riku.
"I need to go make a quick announcement before everyone falls asleep" he explained before walking out of the room through a sliding glass door and down the hall towards the control room.
"You're going down Roxas" Riku grinned evilly and got up to head over closer to the TV. I stubbornly gripped his hair for a moment before letting go.
"Why don't we just watch a movie or something?" I yawned, face planting into a pillow.
"Just one race" Riku said, holding up one finger.
*Riku*
"Hey you cheated!" Roxas whined, sounding like Sora. I laughed
"Just because I'm better at this game than you doesn't make me a cheater."
"Re-match!"
"You're on!"
"Ugggh" Lauren groaned.
"What?" I asked, turning around after pausing the game.
"You said one game! This is your tenth!" Whoa…really? I looked at Roxas, hoping he knew what I was thinking. I sighed, like I was about to give up the game, and then quickly un-paused it and started yelling at Roxas about how I was going to win. Then he started yelling back and neither of us could hear my girlfriend. Yeah I'm just a great guy like that.
About halfway through the race I heard Sora's voice come on over the intercom, but that was just as one of the louder parts of the race started. I did manage to catch small bits of it though
"New feature…BGB…Demon practice….training room….Cid…install-
So there was a new feature in the training room which allows us to practice fighting Demons and Cid installed it for us. Cool
A few minutes later Sora came back in and, after the two of us spent ten minutes fighting over the controller Lauren again suggested a movie. That sounded a bit more tempting now considering the situation.
"Alright fine, I'll pick out a movie" I told her before getting up and going over to the newly-installed selves full of movies, courtesy of my blood, sweat, and tears. No that's not being over dramatic, I hit my thumb with a hammer which broke my finger nail in half after working for over an hour hauling furniture. Thus, blood, sweat, and tears that nobody saw.
I picked up a couple of movies, reading the names out loud.
"The Titanic…The Notebook…what kind of movies are these?!" I exclaimed
"Girls movies, perfect for the two who were doing the shopping when all this stuff was bought" Roxas sulked
"Awww man this bites!" Sora groaned. I just smiled my evil smile.
"Too bad nobody snuck a guy movie that a guy might wanna watch…like this one!" I pulled The House Bunny out from under my jacket. The guys cheered while Lauren just groaned and covered her face with a pillow. (A/N I did watch this movie for the first time last night and I got to say: Dumbest. Movie. Ever.)
*Lauren*
How is this even a movie? Basically all it is is some playboy bunny teaching nice girls how to be slutty whores.
Hello there.
Why are you watching this?
I'm just that bored.
Hmmm
A tingling sensation filled my body and before I could stop her, Fury took control of my body. 'I' caught Riku's gaze and winked my red eye at him before shoving him off the couch with my feet and leaving the room, making sure to step on him as I left.
Naturally Riku came back the room acting super pissed off at me.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" He demanded upon entering the room. I closed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (reading is the one thing I possess academically that is above a 6th grade level) and quickly explained.
"Fury made me do it!" Quick and to the point. Riku sighed and grudgingly smiled.
"If anyone else had blamed their Dark Being other I wouldn't have believed them" I smiled, that was a compliment…right?
"Soooo, wanna watch a movie? I'll let you pick and I'll watch it happily" I told him, trying to make peace. He frowned
"I think I'm just gonna take a shower and go to bed" Now it was my turn to frown, Riku never turned down a movie night with me! Even after just finishing a movie with someone else…like tonight!
"You sure?" I wasn't trying to be pushy or anything, but this was really odd behavior for him. He nodded before grabbing his nighttime clothes (Do guys really have pj's?) and headed into the bathroom, closing the door behind him with a click.
I, never one to give up easily, grabbed my book and plopped myself down on his bed. Ok, so maybe he wasn't in the mood for a movie, but would he really go so far as to kick me out of his bed? I was really getting used to sharing a bed with him, and, not that I would ever tell him this, I was actually starting to like it.
Harry had just dove into the frozen pond after Godric Gryffindor's sword when Riku came out of the bathroom, hair still damp and just a pair of baggy shorts around his waist. I held the book over my face to hide a smile. No, I wasn't a person who particularly based a person off their looks. Hell, look at me when I get pissed off. I bet none of you grow fangs and have your eyes change color when you're pissed off. But yes, I was secretly pleased that I was dating such a good looking guy.
"You're in my bed" Riku said with a sigh, placing his hand casually on his hip in an oh-so-feminine-way. I will have to work on that. Faking confidence, I winked
"You're welcome" I chimed, looking back down at my book. Riku sighed again and suddenly I was being lifted…carried…and dropped down in my own bed. Quickly forcing my anger to the surface to cover my hurt a glared at him before sitting my book on my nightstand, tapping my lamp (Kairi and Namine got everyone lamps that turn on and off when you touch it) off and rolling over so I was looking away from Riku, towards a beautiful blue wall instead. Somewhere between my messed up mental growling and whimpering I managed to fall asleep.
*Riku*
After a perfectly uneventful night all I wanted to do was find some action. The previous night I had felt a little bad about moving Lauren, especially considering for once she was looking to spend time with me and not the other way around, but I just wasn't in the mood you know? Plus it's just Lauren, its not like she'll care…right?
After getting changed in my usual jacket over a jacket, loose jeans, and tennis shoes I headed down to the training room. I had decided that I was going to be the first person to participate in this virtual Demon fighting program!
*Lauren*
Bored, I strolled down the hallway of the gummi ship, wondering what to do. I had been thinking about going to the training room for a little while but had decided against it when I had seen Riku going in that direction. I rounded one of the sharper corners in the gummi ship and ran right into Kairi…and Namine…and Selphie.
"Oh hey Lauren! Not often we see you on this side of the ship" Kairi remarked (our rooms are on opposite sides of the gummi ship).
"Oh yeah…just wondering around I guess." Namine raised an eyebrow.
"What's got you down in the dumps?" Selphie asked curiously, tilted her head slightly and blinking.
"Well…Riku has been acting kind of strangely lately…of course it's probably not even a big deal. Or better yet just my imagination!" I explained, laughing nervously. I definitely didn't want to get a rumor circulating about me and Riku having problems, especially if there weren't any. The three other girls shared a look, communicating in their own silent way.
"Why don't you tell us about it on the way to Kairi's room? I think we know how we can help" Namine said. Oh boy…
*Riku*
Hmm…I guess since this is my first time I should just set it to level one.
I went ahead and turned the knob to Level One, and set the fighting style to Demon. I stepped into the BGB, closing the glass door (oh a glass door what a surprise) behind me. I waited a moment for the initiation to begin…and waited…and heck, I waited a little bit more. It must be because I'm the first one and the system's running a bit slow.
I sighed before sitting down. This is just great.
*Lauren*
"Riku's what?!" I exclaimed, leaping out of my chair.
"Guys tend to only have short relationships with girls at this age because they get…well, bored with the girl they are dating, so they go out and find another." Kairi calmly repeated herself. I fell back into my chair
"So…Riku's gonna dump me now?" I felt like such a child, ignorant and sad over something so small.
"Don't start beating yourself up about being sad, Riku was your first boyfriend and your first kiss" Namine reminded me, somehow managing to read my mind.
"He was?! Details now!" Selphie squealed, leaning in towards me. I blinked up at her calmly before shaking my head. Kairi just laughed at Selphie's horrified expression.
"We'll find out later Selph. For now let's just focus on Lauren keeping her boyfriend."
"But how- I started
"Just leave it to us" Kairi winked
*Riku*
"Finally!" I yelled, jumping to my feet. I had been waiting ten whole minutes for this stupid program to start up! A creature of the night stepped through a portal and out onto the clear landscape. There's even a portal? Wow, you gotta appreciate the special effects. Anything to make it more real I guess.
The Demon fixed its violet eyes on me, unraveling the whip that was at her side. This Demon seemed familiar to me but hey, they all looked practically identical! Without another word or gesture, she charged at me, flinging the whip out in my direction.
Caught off guard, I quickly back flipped, summoning my weapon while upside down. Unfortunately I wasn't fast enough and the Demon's whip skimmed the side of my leg. I landed and quickly shifting my weight, analyzing how bad it was. Minor, just a scratch, nothing serious.
Luckily though, the next time the Demon lashed her whip I was ready; I quickly jumped off to the right and lunged forward, slicing my own weapon through her pale shoulder. She hissed angrily, her eyes turning a red to argue Fury's.
Her whip vanished and she lunged at me, her black nails lengthening into claws. That's new
I back flipped out of the way of her claws and as soon as I landed I pushed myself back into the air, curling my body up tight and flipping forwards this time. As I finished the flip I uncurled my body and released a lightning bolt of my own dark powers at her.
She had actually just leaped into the air after me when my attack hit her, sending her flying backwards into the back wall. She quickly repositioned herself on her feet and spread her hands out, darkness spreading out along the floor. It even went far enough to reach me.
Uh-oh, standing on a sea of black can't be a good thing.
*Lauren*
"Here we go!" Namine finally finished Part One of Operation: KLaRT (Keep Lauren and Riku Together). So the gist of the plan was they were basically going to give me a complete makeover. Clothes, looks, attitude, everything. I was going to become a new person basically. All. For. Riku.
Hmph that bastard better be grateful, especially if we get our eyebrows plucked again.
If that happens I'm going to make him be my slave for a year.
I don't think your new attitude will approve of that.
Oh shut up
Namine passed her drawing around for everyone to see. Once it reached Kairi, who I was sitting next to, I reached my hand out to see it, but she quickly covered it.
"I don't think so; this drawing Namine made of the new you is going to be a surprise!"
"But what if I don't like it?!" I protested. The girls were all silent for a second.
"Well then you have zero taste in anything decent" Selphie concluded. I just frowned
"If you guys are sure…"
"Of course we're sure!" Namine said, leading me into Kairi and Selphie's bathroom and sitting me down in front of the mirror. "Now you need to keep your eyes shut so…" Suddenly there was a blindfold over my eyes.
"Hey I didn't agree with this!"
"Its Riku's blindfold so I'm sure you won't mind" Touché. The other girls laughed and, just to remind them of my patience, I summoned up Fury's darkness and forced the lights off.
"Now can we please be serious?" I asked.
"Yes!" The girls all chimed, and I allowed the lights to come back on. Immediately Kairi got to work on my hair while Selphie started doing something to my nails (I can't see remember?).
"What's Namine doing?" I asked, trying to strike up conversation.
"She's using her power of memory to draw you clothes and bring them to life. Now quiet" Kairi said in an all-business type voice.
What have we gotten ourselves into?
Trouble. No surprise there.
*Riku*
To avoid the black ground I quickly jumped up and began running along the side of the glass box's wall, shortening the distance between me and the nameless Demon. She quickly changed her angle so she was facing me, raising her arm high into the air, her hand bent as if it was pulling something.
Suddenly I felt something wrap around my waist and throw me backwards. I landed roughly on my back, rolling over onto my front and quickly leaping up. The black floor had long arm-like things sprouting out of it, controlled by my opponent. She shot them at me with a simple motion of her arm.
Dodging, leaping, and slashing my sword I managed to block the first few of them, but one of them tripped me, and the next thing I knew I was hovering a few feet in the air, hopelessly entangled in the black vines.
The Demon walked towards me casually, taking her time getting to me. The whole time I struggled to position my arm just right…
Once she was maybe seven feet away she grabbed her whip. Perfect
With a shout I summoned my blade back to me and whirled around, slashing the darkness and watching them evaporate. I landed and lunged at the Demon quickly, stabbing my blade right through where her heart would've been.
"Gotcha" She staggered back, her eyes wide…before fading away, her essence floating up into the air.
"Alright!" I cheered, punching the air with my fist. Now to tell Sora!
I sprinted out of there, victory egging me on.
*Lauren*
"Ok Lauren we are all done! Ready to see the new you?" Finally after all my anxious anticipation I could see what they had done to me…and I was suddenly a big ball of nervousness. What if I looked terrible?! Or worse-girly?!
"I-I don't know you guy-
"Ta-da!!" Kairi tore of my blindfold and before I could shut my eyes my new appearance blasted me in the face.
"Whoa…." I leaned in to look at my 'new' face, and then stepped back to see myself as a whole. "Wow you guys…I really owe you"
The section of my bangs that partially covered my right eye had been dyed black; making it seem like the right half of the room no longer existed. The tips of my golden locks were also died a midnight black. My make-up was simple, some light pink gloss to make my lips shine and attract more attention to my face. My eyes were surrounded by a smoky black-gray coloring that, when combined with the dark mascara I had on, made my eyes go from pale blue to electric blue.
The outfit I had on was unique, but it definitely played to my advantage appearance-wise, and fighting-wise. My shirt was made of a lightweight material that flowed gently over the top half of my body, the blue color matching my eyes and making it seem like someone had managed to turn a river into a piece of clothing. The top of the shirt ended just above my chest, so no, I wouldn't flash anyone while fighting. It was secured to me by a thin strap that connected to a black circle resting over my heart. The strap wrapped around the back of my neck, the other end of the strap ending back at the black circle. My pants were just a simple pair of black shorts that hugged my body but were made of a more flexible material so I could move easily (Do NOT think spandex). My shoes were a pair of black Converse that went up about halfway to my knee, like Yuffie's shoes did. (A/N if any of you have trouble visualizing this, don't worry- I've got a friend of mine working on a drawing!)
"Oh my god you guys! I look…like…"
"You look pretty." Namine said simply, and suddenly I wanted to cry. I had never in my life been told I looked even remotely close to 'pretty'.
"!" I shouted, hugging my three fairy godmothers. We all broke into laughter and had a group hug.
"Now what?" I asked, slightly breathless.
"You go find Riku" I froze.
You feeling ok Ms. Beauty Queen?
I think it's time to figure out whether us being one person prevents me from puking my guts out or not.
Can't wait.
I walked down the hall, my new shoes adding a spring to my step. So this was the outfit I would be wearing for our journey…
Namine said that she had drawn up a full wardrobe for me, along with a few things for Fury (Oh jeez), but this outfit had the same qualities as Sora's black and yellow clothing number, being that these clothes never got dirty or torn. They were timeless.
As I came around the corner I practically ran right into my boyfriend…and by practically I mean totally smashed straight into him.
"Lauren!"
"Riku?" I stepped back, trying to let him see my make-over without making it too obvious I was trying. "Notice anything diff-
"I gotta go talk to Sora I'll see you later Lauren!" Riku sprinted off in the direction I came without even a glance at me.
"Oh…ok then" I half-heartedly kicked the wall, heading back to my room. "I should've known"
So according to Kairi since your make-over didn't work…
I'm not going to have a boyfriend for much longer.
I'm gonna go celebra- I mean mourn, in the Realm of Darkness.
Kay, you do that.
I walked back to my room, head hung towards the ground and my heart feeling numb.
*Riku*
"Sora guess what!" I charged into the main room where Roxas and Sora were racing each other on that same video game. Sora paused the game and looked up at me
"What is it Riku?" he asked, his eyes blinking with curiosity.
"I, Riku, am the first person to have successfully tried out the new Virtual Demon System!" I said proudly, jabbing my thumb into my chest. Sora and Roxas just stared
"Feel free to openly admire me" I grinned at their expressions…then they both burst out laughing
"How stupid do you think we are?!" Sora exclaimed after he had caught his breath.
"Pretty stupid, but that's beside the point" I snapped, feeling annoyed. Their reactions definitely weren't what I had imagined.
"That was a nice try, but I announced to everyone that the system has a glitch and won't work, and that I'll have Cid work on it the next time we are in Radiant Garden." Sora said, grinning like he had just won the Underdome cup.
"Wait when did you announce that?!" I exclaimed, panic settling over me. Had that Demon been a figment of my imagination?! Was I going crazy?!
"It was the other day, you know, before we all watched House Bunny and Lauren stepped on your face?" Roxas snickered at that last part. I sub-consciously rubbed my cheek
"Yeah I remember... the day…but look! The Demon I fought cut my leg!" I pulled up my pant leg and showed him the thin line on my ankle, dried blood underneath it. Sora shook his head
"Riku, anyone on this ship could've done that, not just a Demon. Plus I bet you could've made Fury pay you to do that." He and Roxas went back to their game. "Come back when you are missing a limb and then I'll believe you!" Numbly, I went back to my room. What the fuck happened in that training room?
*Lauren*
I was curled up on my bed looking off into space when my soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend came in, looking almost as depressed as I was.
"How was your day?" I asked him emotionlessly
"My friends laughed in my face and I think I'm going crazy. You?"
"I found out my boyfriend's bored with me."
"Huh…did you do something with your hair?" I stiffly stood up and spun around on one foot. "Kairi gave me a full body make-over. Whoop-dee-freaking-doo." I said, crossing my arms over my chest and plopping back down on my bed.
"Soooo Kairi and her friends of the female persuasion changed your outer-self. But not your inner-self right?" I gave him an odd look, and then shook my head no. He smiled and came over to sit next to me, wrapping one arm around my waist, pulling me closer and laying his head down on top of mine.
"Good. That's my favorite part about you…by the way I'm not bored with you at all so the whole make-over wasn't necessary…though I do like the shoes." I smiled into his shoulder. Kairi, Selphie, and Namine may know everything when it comes to dating boys, but they didn't know a thing when it came to dating Riku.
Ta-daaa! So there's chapter 31! I hope you guys liked it, even though there was something missing. Furthermore, I hope at least one of you can tell me what was wrong with it! I'll get right to work on the next chapter (in a few days). So in the meantime if you could review and tell me what you think and answer the question below! (Please?)
Is Riku really going crazy?!