Bait, Chapter 23

"What was I thinking?" Riku thought out loud to himself the following morning. He at least considered himself lucky that Sora did not pass out beside him after that... interlude... last night. But he still could not for the life of him figure out what had drove the two of them to do... that.

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, taking careful steps. Though the pain wasn't as severe, his leg was hurting again, and he had left the salve Yen Sid had given him on a table across the room, meaning he'd have to walk to get it.

He was grateful that his leg did not buckle under him again during the short trip. Unscrewing the cap, he applied another layer of the medicine to his leg, noting that the bruises appeared to be lighter. He breathed in deeply as it took effect, and quickly noticed another thing. The instant he had detected the faint mint scent of the medicine, he felt a strange, fuzzy, sensation come over him.

So that's what was going on. This salve must have affected both mine and Sora's senses in some way... Riku made a point to have words with Yen Sid about this. Covering the area with a bandage, he prayed the drug-like effects didn't absorb into the skin as well. Last thing he wanted was to go into a drug-induced seduction of Kairi, Lea, or- he shuddered at the idea- Mickey, Donald, or Goofy.

Sora seemed equally as embarrassed when they passed each other on the way to breakfast that morning. He blushed the instant he saw Riku, trying to stammer out an apology.

"R-riku... sorry about last night... I d-don't know what came over me..." His face went even redder and he lowered his head.

"I think I have an idea..." Riku explained what he had figured out that morning as the two of them walked toward the castle kitchens. Sora looked less embarrassed but still had a pink twinge to his cheeks when he spoke again.

"It's a shame. It took Master awhile to prepare that for you. I hope he can do something about that side-effect." He turned and headed toward the kitchens at a brisk pace, muttering something about how he was sure they'd let their breakfast get cold during the brief discussion.

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"You may enter..." came Yen Sid's voice from the other side of the door. Riku quietly entered the room they had prepared for the old wizard, immediately shocked to find that it was considerably smaller than the one they had put him in.

"I know what you're thinking..." Yen Sid said with an amused glint in his eye. "You're shocked that they saw fit to give King Mickey's teacher such a small room. Don't fret, I've gotten by with considerably less before, besides, considering the state you were in when we brought you here, you had much greater need of the fresh air and sunlight your room can give. But the matter of luxuries aside, what brings you here?" He motioned to one of the chairs by the window, taking a seat in one himself.

"I had a question about the salve you prepared for me. You see, Sora and I were exposed to it's fumes last night and something... strange... came over us..." He didn't go into details and prayed that Yen Sid didn't want any more.

The old man's brows furrowed, as though he was trying to remember something, when suddenly his eyes narrowed and he spoke.

"I'm guessing you found yourselves acting impulsively, against your better judgement?"

"Yes. What does it mean?"

"I see... one of the ingredients in that salve was the juice of a curious berry that grows in one of the outside worlds. The juice has properties as a potent topical painkiller, but if one were to inhale the vapor it emits... it would begin to inhibit certain activities in the brain, causing symptoms much like the ones you and Sora experienced. In high doses, one would enter such a dangerous state of recklessness that they would see themselves as infallible, causing them to engage in potentially life-threatening activities."

"So whatever Sora and I were feeling last night were feelings of... recklessness?"

"I apologize, Riku. Even in my old age, I am not immune to acts of ignorance. I had put such a small dose of the berry juice in the salve that I didn't think it would effect you in that manner, otherwise I would have warned you about it. All I can advise you to do now is to keep your leg bandaged while you're using that medicine, and if you do find it affecting your senses again, get to fresh air as soon as possible- it should help dissipate the effects."

"I'm already one step ahead of you..." Riku said with a smirk, lifting his pant leg to reveal the bandage beneath it. "As for the other thing, I'll keep it in mind should it happen again. Thank you for the advice, Master..."

End of Chapter 23.

A.N. Odd little plot twist? That an ingredient in a medicine would create a sense of recklessness so intense that it would drive Sora and Riku into a sexual act? I thought so too. I mentioned in another authors note that Sora was going to go on a vengeance quest, well *spoiler!* guess what helps drive him to that point? So no, this chapter was not a pointless interlude. Happy Reading!
~Jade