Author's Note: I won't be update to update for longer than I'd like because of work, but I promise I will as soon as possible! I know this is short, but I didn't have a lot of time. But thanks so much for reading! c:

II

"You saw WHO?"

Kairi shook her head in disbelief, sitting on the couch as Sora paced in front of her back and forth. "Riku! Yes, I saw Riku! Oh god, Kairi, it nearly killed me. It nearly killed me," he cried out, collapsing onto the couch and laying his head in Kairi's lap as she played with the brown spikes. The scene of seeing him just replayed within Sora's head, the hurt and confusion in Riku's eyes as he clutched his cheek in pain. Sora could only imagine what happened to him afterwards, with that awful, awful man.

"Sora, didn't you say he was in the same uniform as us? Does that mean he goes to Handai?"

He shot up suddenly off the couch, remember the same loose tie around Riku's neck.

"Of course! I can see him tomorrow and explain everything. Oh god, I'm so nervous," Sora groaned, yanking his tie off and slipping into the bathroom before he returned wearing his favorite black v-neck and red basketball shorts. "Don't be! We all were so close before he—had to leave," Kairi said, the last part of the sentence coming out more like a whisper. She anxiously twirled her burgundy hair and bit at her lip, watching me as I continued my pacing. "What if he gets mad at me for following him?"

"If he does, then he's a shitty person. I mean, who could ever be mad at you, Sora?"

"Don't flirt with me Kairi, this is a life or death situation."

"Hey, talk about overdramatic! It's true! You're a good person, Sora, with good intentions."

"We just haven't seen him in so long and you know how I feel about him," Sora muttered, flopping down into the recliner and reaching into the mini fridge to grab a water bottle. Kairi suddenly cast Sora a confused look and raised her eyebrows. "Uh—yeah, right. Sure. Anyway, just chill out and forget about it for now! Focus on living in the moment!" she answered, snatching the remote off the couch arm and turning on the television, flipping through endless channels. I replied to her with the endless cracking of my water bottle as I gulped the liquid down, throat dry from being so worried. Watch me have another panic attack and have to go to hospital again.

"Ugh, there's nothing good on. Here, pick out a movie while I make dinner. And call your mom! She keeps texting me asking why you won't answer your phone like I'm your personal secretary. I'm not your personal secretary, Sora!" she yelled out from the kitchen, materials clinging and clattering as she gathered them to make food.

Sora threw his face down into the recliner pillow. "I'll call her if you go get sea-salt ice cream."
Kairi's head peeked out from the kitchen. "Check the mini fridge again, doofus."
Eyes widening and worries melting away, I carefully opened the mini fridge to—.
"Yes! My sanctuary!"

The alarm clock rang and Sora immediately groaned.

Two things: Sora hated mornings and Sora hated school. But now Sora hated school even more, seeing that he was so nervous about seeing Riku again. Throwing his legs out from underneath his covers, he shivered at the contact of the cold morning air. Rubbing his eyes frantically, Sora could hear Kairi already making a racket outside his door. She was humming a familiar tune, probably the theme song to Attack on Titan because she was obsessed with it. Slipping on his school uniform (making sure to loosen the tie), Sora dragged himself tiredly out of his room into the kitchen. "Good morning, sleepy-head!" Kairi smiled, glancing over her shoulder at Sora while she was making eggs on the stove. Grunting in reply, expressionless and eyes barely open, Sora sat down at the kitchen counter and let his head fall on the surface.

"Well gosh; it'd be nice to get a good morning back. I know you hate mornings but you're never this grumpy, you grumpy-pants!"

"I'm not exactly looking forward to today," Sora muttered as Kairi set a plate of breakfast in front of him, taking a seat. Kairi ruffled his hair, and then patted him on the back. "But this is great! We're gonna get to see Riku again! It's been so long, you know? I know I miss him a lot, which means you've got to miss him like a lot a lot. You guys were like, best friends for eight years before I moved to Okushiri. I mean, Riku practically hated me until he was like, fourteen. Took him six years to like me! So I mean, you've gotta want to see him. You gotta!" she exclaimed.

Shoveling eggs in my mouth, I mumbled, "Of course I want to."
Kairi clapped excitedly. "See? So no need to be in a grumpy mood!"
How does she have so much energy in the morning?

"Osaka is so much bigger than Okushiri! I love the big city life, don't you, Sora?"

Walking down the busy morning sidewalk was a hassle. Kairi was right—Osaka was so much bigger than Okushiri, but Okushiri was on an island so there was a huge difference. So, once you go from living the peaceful island life to the bustling, fast-pace of the city, it can be strange and stressful. Kairi was loving it though, but she originally moved to Okushiri with her parents from Tokyo after her parents decided raising a child in the largest Japanese city wasn't exactly the greatest; therefore, Kairi was used to the city life, and here Sora was, longing for a papau fruit and the huge palm tree trunk he always used to nap on back home.

"It…takes some getting used to," Sora replied. He had noticed he was in such a grim mood lately which highly upset him. He was also so positive and happy and cheerful and bubbly! But adjusting to a new environment can take some time, and can be a pain. After making this discovery however, Sora decided he was going to try his hardest to return to his normal self! But it wasn't going to be so easy especially now that he had found Riku in such a horrible situation…
Sora shook the thought and flashed Kairi his signature smile. "But I'm definitely getting used to it! It'll be fun once the stress wears off!" Kairi smoothed down her skirt and grinned back up at Sora, holding tightly onto the straps of her backpack as they continued to walk down the street. Sora placed his arms behind his head comfortably and tried to shrug off the stress. There was no need for it anyway! He had Kairi, and he was going to have Riku. Everything was going to be perfect again.

"S-S-Sora?"

Shivering, Sora tried to block out the voice of Riku as he saw him the other day. He wouldn't let that creep back into his mind. Sora had a nightmare about it that night, seeing Riku in their secret place back in Okushiri, and then watching as they were both ripped apart by a terrible storm that completely destroyed the island. It was torture watching himself chase after Riku who was being devoured by this big, glob of pure darkness. Just as he was so close to touching Riku's hand and pulling him out of there, he disappeared, left in the storm as the island ripped apart around him. It was the worst nightmare he had ever experienced. But god, just hearing Riku's voice again after all these years. Sora couldn't ignore it. Sora plastered a smile on his face and continued to make small talk with Kairi, but pressed repeat on the soundtrack of Riku speaking his name.

As Osaka University approached, Sora immediately got this god awful pain in his stomach deep within his gut. What if I run into him? What will he say? Will he want to talk to me? The worry made his heart like an aircraft breaking mach five. It was insane was the thought of his long lost friend did to him and despite how bad Sora longed to see him, the anxiety of it was almost too much. Sora was diagnosed with panic disorder one year after Riku left Okushiri—his family and friends would have to agree that the trauma of losing his best friend did it to him. Since that one panic attack that started it all, Sora found himself many nights in front of the toilet, throwing up all he had in his stomach until there was nothing left at all, and he'd continue to puke up pure water. He'd shake and sweat so uncontrollably to the point of where he literally thought he was going to die. The cold chills he got yet the hot sweats? It was awful, purely awful. Sora remembered how one night they got so bad he was screaming for someone, anyone, to help him. He really thought he was gonna die right there on his bathroom floor. Luckily his mom ran in there and took him to the hospital, where they found out it wasn't anything really killing him, but damn, it sure felt like it.
 Kairi and Sora stepped onto campus, looking awful homogeneous to everyone else. Sora tugged at his tie, making sure it was loose, making sure he didn't look like a typical drone of society, and said his goodbyes to Kairi as they made their separate ways to their classes.

First period, 2D Art Study.
Second period, Human Anatomy.
Third period, Study Hall.
Fourth period, Psychology.

First period flew by just like that—how could it not, when Sora absolutely loved art? He literally got to sit in class and just draw all day and get good grades for it. It was awesome.

Second period was a little difficult though, trying to memorize so many body parts, having to stare at them and focus and memorize every little line, name, and detail. Sora was often one to doze off so this class was gonna be a struggle, but necessary if he really wanted a career in art. And he did! He wouldn't give up no matter what—he was determined, and he always had been since he was little.

It was third period when Sora nearly fell right out of his chair having a panic attack.

While the teacher in Study Hall started taking attendance, everything seemed fine and normal, until suddenly the teacher raised one eyebrow and called his name. Not Sora's name, but his. Riku wasn't in there though, and he wasn't in there yesterday, so it was strange. Did he get transferred into the class? Was it a mistake? Sheesh, I'm gonna kill over and die.

The door then casually swung open, almost in slow-motion to Sora as he gazed up at who was standing in the doorway.
And there he was—Riku, baring an awful similarity to Sora with the loose tie around his neck.

Sora immediately could not breathe; the air just got stuck somewhere between his nostrils and lungs and wouldn't go in and wouldn't go out. Feeling suddenly light-headed, he quickly turned around in his chair, pleading and hoping and praying that Riku didn't him. But goddammit, he would see him because Sora's hair defied gravity and stuck out like a sore thumb. Thanks Mom for the extremely noticeable hair!

"I'm going to assume you are Riku?" the teacher questioned him.
Sora didn't hear Riku responded, but the teacher directed him to find a seat anywhere—like there was a wide option. The only table empty was mine, thanks to Sora's lack of knowing anyone. He was normally great at making friends! He did all the time, with his bubbly personality—but this city was different, and no one seemed interested in finding new friends than the ones they already had.

Sora felt movement next to him as the chair beside him pulled out. Sora kept his head down and his arms folded on the table to hide his face, to hide his embarrassment and regret from yesterday, but he heard a throat clear.

"Hey."

Slowly rising up, Sora, for the first time in four years, met eye contact with his best friend.

"I—uh—um—hi, Riku."

Kicking his feet up on the empty chair left at the table, Riku plopped his bag down beside him and pulled out a folder. "It's been a while, don't you think?" he said, glancing sideways over at Sora and casting him a grin.

I'm going to die, this is it, goodbye world.

Gulping, Sora nodded, almost too frantically. "Y-yeah, it has. I...I missed you."

Riku then smiled, and everything felt normal again. Sora loved it when Riku smiled—it was the remedy to his issues, his panic attacks.
But then, knowing Sora's bad luck, the feeling ended quite quickly.

Leaning towards Sora and squinting his eyes, Riku whispered, "Why were you at my apartment yesterday? I know you don't live there. You followed me, didn't you?"

Oh no, oh god. What do I do? What do I say?

Choking, Sora stuttered, "I-I—I saw you in the subway. And I immediately had to know if it was you. You-you were gone for so long and I almost couldn't handle it anymore. You were on my mind every day. R-Riku, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. That was dumb of me, and I-I'm sorry."
Laying his head down, or nearly slamming his head down, Sora once more avoided Riku's eyes and tried to hide his cheeks that had immediately started turning red. Just rant on and on, why don't you, Sora, you big idiot?

Shut up, it was dumb of me and Riku deserved an apology.
Yeah, he deserved an apology, not a love letter.

"Ng—! That was not a love letter!" Sora harshly whispered to himself, almost forgetting that hey, Riku was right there. Riku could hear him.
"Love letter or not, just don't go to my apartment anymore, alright?"

Tensing up and making a bunch of weird noises, Sora replied, "I-I, uh, I wasn't—hngh, I, um, o-okay alright." Pouting, he looked up at Riku with puppy dog eyes, hoping his friend would forgive him. Sora just wanted Riku to like him. That was all.

And then that beautiful smile returned. "I told you I'd find you again, Sora."
Chewing on his pencil, Sora smiled and felt himself blush once more.
"Yeah. I knew you would."

Riku grinned and started working on a piece of paper before him as Sora sat back and watched, seeing the muscles flex in his hand and remembered all the good times they had back home before Riku—left. Sora still wasn't quite sure what happened, and he didn't wanna ask. If Riku wanted him to know, he'd tell him. And he did tell him, but it was short and rushed and mainly just a bunch of crying before he just gone, just like that.
But he had jumped back into Sora's life, just like that too, and Sora wouldn't let him leave again, no way. Sora was gonna get him away from that awful place, and rekindle their friendship. Maybe even—maybe—.

Don't be stupid.

Almost laughing to himself, Sora covered his mouth as he smiled. Sure, the thought of it was stupid—but was it possible? And could Riku see it and feel it too?
He didn't know, but Sora was determined to find out.