So sorry about the late update everyone! Time got away from me.
Chapter 6: Reality
Riku couldn't say that he was really surprised that Sora had such a reaction to his new appearance. He had also thought he had been the victim of some terribly realistic nightmare. When Sora ran into his room while continuing to scream with the pillow over his head, though, Riku thought he may be overacting just a touch.
Riku put his hands on his hips and frowned. Sure, he wasn't as cuddly as he used to be, but he didn't think he looked that bad. Sora was acting if he had been the one suddenly outside of his body.
He floated down the hallway and pushed himself through the door to tell him as much, but the action seemed to worsen Sora's condition, and the screaming intensified in volume.
"Oh you can't be serious," Riku said tilting his head to the side. "Cut it out, you're going to wake up everyone in the apartment complex."
Sora began weeping in conjunction with the screaming, causing him to choke. Through a fit of coughs and tears mixed with a strange warble of a scream, Riku tried to interject.
"You're being kind of a baby about this."
Sora's eyes widened as he peered at Riku from beneath the pillow, then scooted as far away from him as possible, which meant falling over the other side of the bed. "Get away from me!" He screamed.
Riku just stared and shook his head. He was going to have to find braver friends.
"Get away!" Sora repeated, lower lip quivering. "You aren't real. I'm hallucinating from lack of sleep. I don't believe you're there!"
Riku rolled his eyes. "Of course you believe I'm here, otherwise you wouldn't be crying."
"I'm not crying!" Sora howled and forced himself into a corner "I'm expelling excess water in my body through my eyes. And anyway it doesn't matter what you think because you're not real!"
"Then why are you talking to me?"
Sora opened his mouth to respond, but realized that he couldn't generate an answer. "Look," he said holding back a sniffle. "I don't know why my mind decided to create you, but I have too many things to do that require me to be sane. I can't have cracked yet. I have to go to work in a few hours!"
Riku folded his arms. "You aren't crazy."
"Then why am I talking to a ghost?!" Sora howled again and yanked the blanket off of his bed and tucked it around himself. "I could have at least imagined someone original. Instead you're my idiot friend Riku."
"'Idiot friend?' Is that how you refer to me when I'm not around?" Riku scoffed. "Some friend you are!"
Sora hiccuped and waved the blanket at him. "It doesn't matter what you think. You're not real. Go away!" He flicked the blanket in Riku's direction a few times.
The sheet passed through his body as though it were air, making Riku narrow his eyes. He appreciated Sora's caution, but he didn't have patience for a lot of time consuming drama. He didn't know how long he had in order to return to his body, provided he even could.
"Look," he started, folding his hands. "I need you to just listen for a minute I—cut it out!"
Sora continued to wave the blanket through him as if it were some kind of dust rag clearing off a coffee table. It hadn't worked, so he merely increased the intensity of the waving. "You aren't real!" He yelled again. "Ghosts aren't real!"
Riku realized he wouldn't be able to get through to him without at least calming him down first, and he knew he wouldn't be able to do so with a blanket passing through his body. Forcing himself to concentrate on his fingers, he gripped the blanket and snatched it away from Sora.
"Now that I have your attention," he said, putting the blanket back on the bed. "I'd like to talk to you for a moment."
The action had the opposite effect, and all of the color drained out of Sora's face. He made a strange choking sound, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head.
"Oh for the love of…" Riku muttered, floating over to Sora. He couldn't afford to have his friend die too. He needed someone to help him figure out this mess, not contribute to it.
"Wake up," he said hunching over Sora's body and gripping him by the collar. "You had plenty of time to sleep earlier. I need your help."Riku shook him a few times for good measure, but Sora remained solidly passed out.
"At this rate, I'm not even going to apologize," Riku muttered, and concentrated on the flesh of Sora's face. He couldn't have his hands going right through him if he intended to wake him up. He coated Sora's face with a few well aimed slaps, and to his satisfaction, Sora jumped awake, nearly throwing himself into the wall.
"Ow. Hey, what are you doing here? What happened?" He slurred, blinking a few times.
"You passed out."
"Oh." He squinted at Riku and rubbed his eyes. "I must have fallen asleep on the floor. Weird dream."
"…Or maybe you passed out."
Sora blinked, then rubbed his eyes again. "Just a minute. I can't see."
"You can see just fine. Get up. I need you to help me."
"No I can't," Sora muttered, rubbing his eyes harder. "Everything's blurry…"
Riku hung his head in defeat. "Your vision isn't blurry. I am. It's not going to change, unless of course you help me."
Sora rubbed his eyes for a few more seconds then stared at Riku, realizing that the sight of his transparent friend wasn't going away. It took a few minutes for it to click that it might not have been a dream that he had, which meant that a ghost was still trying to talk to him.
He promptly started screaming again.
Riku gave up being cordial and slapped a hand over Sora's mouth. "Quit it! Stop screaming and help me!"
Sora's eyes widened and he shook his head, muttering unintelligibly. Riku made an irritated sound and leaned in close.
"Sora, listen to me. I'm not going to hurt you, but I'll only take my hand off of your mouth if you stop screaming. Then, I'll tell you what's going on, and you can decide afterward if you're crazy or not."
Sora gulped deeply and nodded, fearing that if he didn't agree, Riku the ghost might turn hostile and make the lights start blinking.
Riku glared at him for a final moment before releasing his hold and sitting back on his knees. "Much better. Thank you."
"Your hands are cold," Sora said breathlessly, not sure if running would help, He didn't think his legs would cooperate with him either.
"Sorry," Riku muttered. "I apparently don't retain heat like I used to."
"Right," Sora said with a sharp nod. "Because you're a ghost."
"Right."
There was a sudden pause where neither of them knew what to say. Riku was pondering where to begin, and Sora was contemplating the likelihood of visitation privileges at the mental hospital he was going to check himself into in the morning.
Riku broke the silence, since he wasn't sure how long he would have before Sora lost his self control again. "Sora, you're not crazy."
"I'm not?" It was really more of a statement than a question of an already accepted truth, but Riku ignored him and pressed on.
"No. Not unless we both are."
Sora narrowed his eyes. "I don't believe in ghosts."
"I can think of one overwhelmingly critical reason for you to start believing in them now."
Sora's narrowed eyes grazed over Riku for a few moments longer, and he let out an un-amused snort. "Okay, ghost. Let's say that I do believe in you, and that I'm not crazy. Why do you look like Riku? Ghosts are only supposed to exist if someone dies, and from what I remember, Riku is still alive and kicking."
Riku chewed his bottom lip, feeling a wave of embarrassment. How was he supposed to tell his friend that he had wound up getting himself killed by the very thing that Sora had warned him about in the first place? His body may have been left at the harbor, but his pride was still very much with him. "Well," he started. "That's a very good question."
"I know it is. Now if you'll excuse me, Mr. ghost…sir, I'd like to enjoy my last few hours as a free man."
"Wait," Riku forced out. "I do have an answer for you, but it's…just not easy to say."
"Try."
"Well…sometimes people…eh…there are times when we all make decisions we shouldn't, and…well…"
Sora rolled his eyes. "You're just trying to make something up, and I'm not buying it. I understand. Not many people know just how sharp I am until they realize much too late that I can't be tricked. I'll give you points for effort, but I'm afraid your little game is—"
"I died, Sora." Riku muttered quietly, suddenly unable to make eye contact, and forcing Sora into silence. "I made a mistake tonight, and I died. That's why I look like Riku. I am Riku."
Sora let the information sink in for a moment, then snorted, crossing his arms, with a skeptical look on his face. He leaned back and crossed his ankle over his knee, bouncing his foot up and down. "Prove it."
Riku, who was still reeling a bit from hearing himself say it out loud didn't quite know what to say. He knew that the skepticism should have been expected, but given the severity of the situation, he didn't know how much longer he had to entertain it. "How else can I prove it? I'm a ghost."
"Say something only Riku would say."
"There isn't much I can say that you wouldn't know. Aren't you trying to prove your own sanity?"
"Oh. Right." He rubbed his chin with his thumb and thought.
Riku watched the proverbial gears turn in his head, and began to wonder if Sora was ever going to believe him. If he had to spend the rest of his days wandering around without a body, that was one thing, but if he had to do so alone, that would be an entirely different problem altogether. He hadn't given up on the idea of somehow being able to get back to his normal self, but he needed help to do so, and Sora was the only available—and preferred—option. Even if he couldn't, he would like to think that he could at least spend the rest of the time he had left wandering around with someone he knew. If he couldn't figure out a way to convince Sora that this was real, and that he wasn't crazy, he may be doomed to a fate worse than being a ghost.
Being alone.
Something clicked in Sora's mind, and he snapped his fingers, interrupting Riku from is steadily declining hope. "I have a question for you."
He looked up. "What?"
"When we were kids, we used to race up and down the island."
"That's not a question."
"I know! I'm getting to it." Sora snapped. "We raced down a long track with a few obstacles to keep it interesting. You won the majority of the races, but I won three of them. Name the day of one."
Riku twisted up his face in outrage. "What are you talking about? You never won a single race. Ever."
Sora folded his arms. "I did to. I might have exaggerated with the number three, but I won at least two."
"No you didn't. I won every time."
The color started to drain out of Sora's face again."…Maybe it was one."
"No it wasn't," Riku argued, taking only brief notice of the sudden fear that washed over Sora's face. "I won every single time. In fact, we stopped racing because you couldn't win and you whined to Kairi that I was cheating." He folded his arms, suddenly angry. "And it's not fair to ask me a question that you don't even know the correct answer to."
Sora's mouth hung open and Riku thought he might be on the verge of passing out again. He didn't think he would be able to take another round of trying to convince Sora of his sanity. "…Ask me a different question," he begged. "That one shouldn't count."
"No, no, no, that was a perfect question." He said, uncrossing his legs and pushing himself closer to the wall. "You've got to be kidding me. You're a—you…"
"We've gotten past what I am," Riku snapped, the reality of possibly losing his best friend for eternity starting to become very apparent. "I need to focus on who you think I am. I don't know how to prove to you I'm the real thing."
"You did," Sora said, barely above a whisper. "I believe you."
An expression of bewilderment washed over Riku's features, and then he became angry for an entirely different reason. "What?"
"I said you just proved your case," Sora replied, his lower lip trembling, hairs standing up on the back of his neck. "You really are Riku."
"And how do you gather that?" Riku said, jabbing a finger in Sora's direction. "And I don't want you just playing along because you think you're insane. Give me at least that much."
"From my question," Sora said, pulling himself up to a stand, and leaning forward to closely examine him.
Riku's jaw went slack, and he frowned. "How's that?"
"In my mind, I've won at least one race. I believe it as fact. Any person I magically conjured up would believe the same thing, right?"
"…What? All that does is prove that you're delusional, and that I'm good at running. How many movies have you been watching lately?"
"Are you arguing with someone who you've been trying to convince your existence to?"
"Fair."
Sora stared at him in wonder for a moment more, taking in the shape of his face, the length of his hair, his posture, clothing, and stature. It was all the same, just as he knew Riku to look. But the distinct difference couldn't be ignored. He was see-through, like light passing through tracing paper.
Where a lively glow once resided was now a silvery luminescence, so much like the moon. He was still Riku alright, but the evidence of life and energy and fullness that he exuded once before was gone. He was so much less than a shell of himself, now a transparent image, no more physical than the afterimage of a quickly moving object. He would be the marvel creation of any horror movie director, a ghost who took the exact likeness of the living actor.
The difference, Sora realized, as he felt a sickness rise in his stomach, was that this was no horror movie, and that this ghost was of his once real, living, breathing best friend.
Riku watched Sora watch him for a long moment, suddenly feeling badly. He should have thought of an easier way to break the news to him. Sora looked ashen, and on the verge of collapse. He wondered how he would have reacted to a ghost wandering into his home, demanding help. He supposed he wouldn't have appreciated it either.
"Listen Sora," he said softly, concentrating on Sora's shoulder as he placed his hand on it. "I—hey!"
In an instant, Sora had reached over to his bed to yank off the blanket that Riku had put there, and began whipping it through his transparent form…again.
"I can't believe you went and got yourself killed!" Sora yelled, the blanket passing through Riku's body as though it were through air. "What kind of idiot are you? I told you one of these days that all of your stupid fighting down at the stupid harbor would end up getting you into more trouble than you could handle!"
"Hey!" Riku shouted again, trying but failing to get Sora to stop waving the blanket. He couldn't feel it, but he did find the whole thing annoyingly disrespectful. "Cut it out!"
"No!" Sora yelled, this time interrupted by a poorly concealed sob. "I won't, because you're an unbelievable idiot! What am I supposed to tell Kairi and Roxas? What about the rest of our friends? What am I supposed to do without a best friend anymore?"
Riku stopped protesting at this, his eyes locking on an errant tear that teetered on the edge of Sora's eyelid. He hadn't stopped to think that what he considered a hobby could possibly cause Sora so much unsettlement. He knew it was dangerous, and he knew that he could end up hurt—in fact he had, on many occasions—but Sora's whining hadn't meant much to him. He'd always thought he was merely being overprotective and smothering, like an over-invested parent. He hadn't stopped to think that all of this fighting would cause both of them to lose a best friend.
"Sora," he said softly, through the sound of the waving blanket. His heart was heavy, and his body felt weighted even though he was hovering a few inches off the ground. He felt ill, and disgusted, and pained, all simultaneously swirling inside his being like an angry shiver of sharks. "I'm sorry."
Sora waved the blanket through him a few more times, then stopped to wipe the tears off of his cheek. He did so with a huff and threw the blanket back on the bed. Sending Riku an accusatory glare, he jabbed a finger in his direction. "I want to know how you got yourself into this mess and why you thought you had the right to drag yourself over to my apartment knowing I'd be furious with you!"
Riku swallowed and looked down at his feet, unsure of how to answer. "I don't know why I decided to come here. I just felt like I should."
"Well I hate to break it to you, but my first aid kit doesn't fix death. In case you haven't noticed, death medicine is not on sale at the grocery store!"
The statement made Riku feel like throwing up, even though he knew it wasn't possible. Not anymore. He tried to force his gaze back to Sora's angry one, but failed and ended up looking back at his shoes. "I know. I'm sorry. I just thought that maybe…you know, I'm not even sure what I was thinking."
"I believe that one," Sora spat, throwing himself on his bed, and patting the side for Riku to sit on. "Just…tell me what happened. Please give me a reason to not want to throw your ghostly-butt out of my house this instant."
"I'm not sure I'll be able to."
"I'll give you an opportunity to try."
Riku swallowed and hovered over to Sora's bed, surprised that he was able to sit without falling through the mattress. He looked for a spot on the floor to stare at, and then he began talking. He talked about how he had his first altercation with Seifer at the harbor a few days ago, how he had ignored what he thought to be an empty threat about returning the favor. He talked about Rai, and the others who had showed up at the harbor that night, how he had lost, and how his body was now curled up behind a collection of crates, hopefully beyond the discovery of any curious workers or animals.
"…And this is how I woke up," Riku concluded. "I was a ghost, and I saw myself just lying there like some kind of log."
"Hmph," Sora snorted "Appropriate analogy. A log is a dead tree branch. I told you this was going to happen if you kept getting yourself into fights like this. Now what?"
Riku looked away again and rubbed his nose. "To be honest, I don't know. I just kind of hoped that you might have an idea."
Sora stared at Riku blankly, then narrowed his eyes. Holding up his hand, he gestured towards Riku's torso. "May I?"
"Eh? Uh…be my guest."
Sora swallowed hard before willing his hand forward. The limb tingled as it passed through Riku's chest without any resistance whatsoever. There was a distinct coldness where his skin met Riku's form, but otherwise there was no indication that he was even there except for the transparent, colorless image of Riku's body before him. Sora pulled his hand back and sighed. "I just pass right through you."
"As does everything else."
"Everything, huh?"
Riku nodded. "I discovered that if I concentrate, I can pick things up like I have a physical body," he peered up at Sora beneath his bangs. "Like blankets being hurled at me by scared-witless, questionably-sane people, but otherwise, I have no more presence than the light from the refrigerator."
Sora let out a long sigh. "I have no idea, although I can't say you don't deserve it."
"I know."
"And that this isn't a surprising end to a lifestyle both of us knew was a horrible idea."
"I know."
Sora glared at Riku.
Riku looked sorrowfully at the floor.
"Fine," he breathed. "I'll help you."
.
Thanks for reading!
