I do not own Kingdom Hearts. (And I swear this chapter isn't as inappropriate as it may at first seem, so don't be frightened away!)
Anniversary Chapter:
Payback
(Takes place between chapters 24-25)
~…~
Keiya giggled when Riku traced his fingers ever-so-lightly over the ticklish side of her stomach. Her skin was flushed a rosy shade of pink, and her nightgown was twisted around her body from her numerous, feeble attempts to roll over and escape him. With a devious smile, Riku pinned her arms above her head and continued his torture, earning squirms and frantic bursts of laughter.
"Enough, Riku, enough!" she choked out, shoving him away when she managed to free an arm.
Riku collapsed back onto the mattress wearing a cat-like grin. "Hey… The score is four to one," he whispered silkily. He drew close to her, close enough to just barely brush his lips against hers and feel her shudder.
Keiya snaked a hand around his neck and toyed with his disheveled hair. "Mm, so?"
"So, since it doesn't look like you'll be catching up any time soon…" He paused to steal a kiss, lingering until he ran out of breath and could comprehend no other taste but hers, then declared in a husky voice, "I'd like to cash in my victory."
"Oh, yeah?" she inquired playfully. She slid her hands down his chest to his stomach, where she played with the edges of his T-shirt and traced the lines of his body through the thin material. "And what do you have in mind?"
"Well," he purred, nibbling her bottom lip. "Let me show you..."
~…~
"A walk?" Keiya lamented drowsily. "This is what you wanted to show me? And at this time of night?"
Riku pulled her along excitedly by the hand, leading her around slumps and logs. "Trust me, you'll like it. It's just a little further up."
Keiya sighed and rubbed her eyes as he dragged her into the woods, nearly tripping over branches and pebbles since her feet refused to lift from the ground. "I thought you meant we would stay in bed…" she muttered to herself.
"What was that?"
"I-I said, I'm cold," she stuttered bashfully, stopping mid-walk so that they could turn around. Instead, Riku smiled and urged her forward.
"Are you kidding? Tonight's the warmest night of the summer!" He pulled her closer to him and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I'm sure you'll warm up in a minute. C'mon, we're almost there."
The couple walked in silence side by side, with Riku smirking to himself and Keiya staggering along in a dreamlike trance. The former was energized with two days' worth of planning playing scenarios in his head, assuring him that this would be the most romantic, well thought-out evening they'd ever experienced. He had prepared everything in advance at their destination, had done numerous weather checks, and had made sure his lover was in a bright, amorous mood before he'd put his plan in action. (She wasn't as enthusiastic as he'd have liked now, but he waved away her complaints with the confidence that she wouldn't be protesting much longer, so long as he approached his request with the right humble attitude.)
Riku led her off-trail, into the heart of the woods where the trees grew so high it seemed like the stars were caught in the leaves. The bark swirled in dizzying patterns of dark and light wood, and the grass climbed higher than the stalks further back, plunging up from the soil in wild splotches of green. The air was suddenly thick and humid. Steam rose to tickle their ankles as they wandered further and further toward the source of the heat.
Eventually, Riku let go of her and strolled a few paces ahead, leaving the girl to stare about her surroundings in wonder. She gazed up at the sky, watching the lights of the night twinkle between branches and leaves. The lingering warmth of Riku's now absent hand on her shoulder and the bursts of heat sweeping over her with each slight gust of wind began to convince her that Riku's surprise midnight walk wasn't such a bad idea; she had to admit that she couldn't stay sour for very long while he was with her, flashing that enchanting smile with every word.
"Over here, Keiya," he called, waving at her in the distance.
Keiya drudged up the little energy she had left and stumbled over to him, where he greeted her with open arms. The sight that awaited her was breathtaking: a steamy lagoon bubbling between the trees, winding around the trunks like a serpent and running off into the brook a ways ahead. Leaves shaded the area as if it were their own private curtain, and the water climbed up onto the land to create a ramp into the boiling pond.
"It's incredible…" she marveled softly. Her eyes traced the landscape with wonder while her body took an unconscious step forward, lured by the enticing warmth of the spring. "I never knew this was here."
"I found it a few days ago," Riku explained with a grin. "I thought you might like it."
She nodded with a little murmur of agreement, holding her hands out to absorb some of the steam blowing over them. Next to her, Riku kicked off his sneakers and pushed them aside. The moss on the ground warmed and tickled his bare feet—seductively, he couldn't help but think. His mind was hopelessly soaked in adrenaline after all the time he'd spent planning the evening. First, he had to seduce her. That would be easy enough, he mused, seeing as how she was practically hypnotized by his choice of location. Effortless.
Riku placed his hands on her shoulders and slid his lips to her ear, gently nipping at the soft skin. "Take off your shoes," he suggested. "The grass is warm."
"O-okay." Keiya's voice was airy; his breath sweeping over her neck nearly always chased away her ability to speak. With unsteady balance, she began to slip her feet out of her slippers one by one, and it was Riku's ready arm that caught her when she tripped and almost tumbled over.
"Careful, it's slippery," he warned. He kept his hands on her waist so she could finish removing her shoes. Inside, his mind was racing in circles. What should he say next? How should he put it so she wouldn't take it the wrong way? Laid back or intent? Sit with her near the lake first or dive right in?
Keiya straightened herself up bashfully, her hand automatically flying up to play with the strands of hair that fell near her face. "Thanks," she murmured. She strayed from his grasp with a shy smile to sit at the edge of the lagoon, her feet dangling to touch the soothing hot water, and Riku eagerly followed. His arms snaked around her—one at her waist, the other reaching for her chin—and brought her into a kiss she certainly wasn't expecting, but quickly relented to.
His lips melted into hers as if already softened by the water. With gentle caresses, he silently coaxed her to lean into his arms. With a hand lightly squeezing the back of his neck, she encouraged him to go further. He tilted his face, she tugged at his hair, and soon they were entangled in a knot of limbs and lips sliding and dancing, feet brushing each other playfully beneath the water.
When he pulled away, Keiya couldn't stifle a small mewl, and Riku almost wished he could continue the way she wanted to. Her hands roamed and sought to pull them both down onto the grass, to start something that would keep them occupied for the rest of the evening, undoubtedly. But he had a plan; he couldn't get off-track. Struggling to keep a firm hold on his resolve, Riku instead moved his lips to her neck and devoured the silky flesh in a barrage of kisses. He felt his lover shiver predictably, clench her fingers in his hair, and he unconsciously responded with a low growl, tickling the velvety skin at her nape.
"Riku…" she sighed. He expertly traced her spine all the way down to the sensitive arch of her lower back, so subtly it drove her mad.
Riku smirked against her collarbone as he dusted the sensitive area with brief pecks and touches. A detour wasn't so bad, he thought, knowing he was probably in too deep to pull himself away so soon.
"Yes?" he replied smoothly, enjoying how she tensed and relaxed with his ministrations. "Having trouble speaking?"
He knew immediately that he had struck the wrong nerve when she sat forward and grasped his shoulders. With nothing more than a private cringe, he chose to continue planting kisses in all the right places and hope that she wouldn't get worked up.
"Are you teasing me?" she demanded.
Suddenly, he felt a sharp jab in his side and was met with Keiya's lips forcefully prying his own open. She tangled her hands aggressively in the roots of his hair, and pulled her legs in from the water so that she was kneeling in the perfect position to push him to the ground and give his treatment right back to him. Riku was on his back in a split second, captive to the stubborn woman intent on getting her way.
"I-I wasn't teasing you," he asserted between breaths when she drew back. Keiya arched an eyebrow and glared down at him, her hands pinning his wrists on either side of his head.
"Oh, really? Then why do I feel like you were?" she pressed with a glower against her blush.
Below her, Riku shifted his legs and calculated his movements. Now he was in too deep—she was steering him off course. Think quickly, he chastised himself, or else the whole night will be ruined! In one swift motion, Riku threw a leg up and nudged her off of him so that she fell onto the grass with a soft plop.
Keiya's face was dazed from the sudden reversal; Riku was now above her, grinning ear-to-ear, his lips hovering just a hair's breadth from hers. The better half of his mind reeled fiercely: Don't provoke her, just stay casual. Back to step one—seduce.
"Well if I wanted to tease you," he started slyly, "I have more effective ways of doing so…" He traced down the length of her body with the tip of his finger, making sure to hit that ticklish spot at her waist. To his delight and relief, his paramour forgot her obstinacy and went into a fit of giggles and thrashes.
"Sto—ah! R-Riku, stop!" she cried hysterically, tears of laughter rolling down her flushed cheeks.
Riku couldn't resist teasing her, and he was sure one day it would be the death of him, but at the moment, all he could focus on were his lover's frantic pleas and bursts of laughter. Just a minute, he promised himself with a devilish smile.
"What? I can't understand you."
"I said stop it, Riku!" Her voice flew high and breathy, evoking images in his mind of springtime, breezy mornings, and dandelion fuzz bouncing and spinning through the air.
After a few more seconds of watching her writhe and shriek beneath him, he ended his torment with a sensual kiss.
"You're a jerk," she muttered when they parted, her mock pout doing little to hide her pink tinge and amusement. Riku smirked and released her hands so she could bring her arms around his neck. With another slow kiss, he erased any feigned displeasure from her face and had her passionately pulling him in deeper.
He decided the timing was perfect. Tugging at her lips as they pulled away for air, he breathed the desired suggestion:
"Hey, why don't we go for a swim?"
Keiya blinked her eyes. "W-what? Now?" she murmured.
"Yeah."
To Keiya's disappointment, Riku picked himself up and offered her a hand. She shivered at the sudden absence of warmth. If she wasn't so tired, she told herself, she would get up, drag him back to the house, and force him to finish what he had so nonchalantly started with her. But she was too tired, and too dazed, and the water was providing a nice hot blanket of moisture over them… Defeated, she watched half-heartedly as Riku strolled over to one of the trees framing the spring and plucked two towels off the ground.
"It's warm, so we won't get sick," he explained.
She sighed and glanced at the lagoon unenthusiastically. "Did you bring bathing suits, too?"
"Nah, didn't bring any." Riku carried the towels over to where she sat and knelt down next to her.
"What? But we can't walk all the way back to the house in wet clothes!" she argued, cocking her head at his vague remarks and teasing gestures.
Riku's smirk unnerved her. "We won't have to."
The teenage boy took pleasure in watching his companion become all flustered. She was now eyeing him with a glare, trying to read him, so he naturally held her stare with a mischievous veneer to mask his calculating uncertainty. But there was hardly anything to be uncertain about, he thought, since she was now very vulnerable to his persuasion no matter how tough she tried to look. A few more kisses and she would melt into his request without much debate. Her fiery yearning always got the best of her—she knew it as well as he did.
Keiya brought a finger to his forehead and tapped his face backward with a slight scowl. "What are you planning? Stop stalling, just spit it out!" she commanded, fighting her blush.
"What makes you think I'm planning something?" Riku's smirk grew wider, though he almost faltered in his response. Don't get too wrapped up in teasing her, he chastised himself. You're done seducing, now it's time for action—ask.
Keiya's eyes narrowed. "I don't know, you just have that look."
Act innocent, that inner-voice ordered.
Riku's expression turned serious and he tenderly took her hand in his. "I was just thinking it would be nice to go for a night swim. We haven't done anything like that in a while, you know? Since we're so busy with the preparations to go home…"
As he spoke, his voice became more genuine. He realized as the words came out that what he said was exactly true—they hadn't had much time together since the departure preparations had started. They only saw each other at night, and by that time all they felt like doing was indulging in the newly-found pleasure of lovemaking to release the pent-up tension. There wasn't any time for adventure anymore.
His guilt-tripping seemed to work, he noticed, since she had relaxed her shoulders and was gazing up at him thoughtfully.
"You're right. I guess it's not a bad idea…" she relented.
Riku couldn't hide a triumphant grin. Success.
Keiya had begun to crawl towards the lagoon when Riku stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
"Wait, you don't want your clothes to get all wet."
She gave a puzzled look, facing him like he was insane. "Are you mood-swinging or something? I just said I'd go with you."
"But you could get sick walking back in wet clothes," he reiterated smartly.
Keiya threw her hands up before crossing her arms, then folded her legs and rooted herself to the ground. "Fine, Riku, fine. What do you want to do? I'm lost."
Then he leaned in close, real close, his lips right at her ear, his hands sliding down her back. Keiya found herself rendered speechless as he breathed into her hair and nipped at the shell of her ear.
"Well, we can leave our clothes outside of the water," he whispered.
He stole her lips in a series of brief, soft kisses before she could get anything out, to give her time to absorb the idea. (And, of course, to mix in some more persuasion.) Keiya's body responded automatically, her hands climbing up his chest, but her mind struggled to make sense of his words. The phrase reverberated in her head meaninglessly, tauntingly. When he finally released her mouth and settled his lips in the crook of her neck, the realization hit her, and her whole face turned a deep shade of pink.
"Y-you mean… you want to go in… naked?"
She felt Riku's teeth brush her neck as he smiled. "Why not?"
"B-but…"
"But what? It'll be fun," he coerced silkily, sending chills down her spine as he massaged her shoulder blades. "It's romantic."
Keiya shook her head and pushed his hands away in a tizzy. "It's embarrassing! What if someone walks through here?" she whispered hoarsely.
"We're in the middle of nowhere, Keiya. I can promise you no one will find us."
Her eyes darted around, from the route they had taken, to Riku's eager face, and to the bubbling, steamy lake that seemed oh-so-inviting, concealing, and refreshing. Aside from being embarrassed to be caught floating stark naked in the water by onlookers, she was also embarrassed by the thought of Riku seeing all of her beneath the moonlight, no blankets to cover her, every inch of herself exposed to scrutiny and teases. She wasn't sure she could handle that; just thinking of it brought all her blood to her face.
When Riku saw her let out a deep sigh of contemplation, he subtly brought a hand back to her waist and tickled her weak spot.
"Ah! O-okay, okay, just stop it!" she cried through giggles, falling over and hugging her knees to try to cut off his access. She wriggled on the grass until he could no longer reach the sensitive patch of skin, then playfully kicked him in the leg with her bare foot.
"Jerk!" she tossed at him, catching her breath and fixing her hair. Riku was staring down at her with an excited, devious gleam in his eyes, as if to say, what are you going to do about it? In a wordless retort, she casually stretched her arms up and pushed him over into a small sunk of mud.
"No more tickling—promise me that!" she conditioned. She watched him cautiously as he wiped the dirt off his face and out of his hair, but to her surprise, he didn't retaliate.
"Alright, you have a deal," was his smug, all-too-willing reply.
She answered him with a turn of her head. "I never agreed."
When she began brushing her hair nervously, Riku placed his hands firmly on her shoulders and forced her to look at him. Last chance, he thought, don't let her escape.
"Keiya…" he started, the blue of his eyes shining vibrantly in his efforts. "Please, for us? We haven't had a night out in a long time. And how many girls complain when their boyfriends try to be romantic? C'mon, just this once."
She bit her lip, giving him a wary look.
"The score," he added hopefully. "You owe me, remember? Let's just try it."
Her silence ended with a groan as she tipped her head back and slipped out of his grasp. She pulled herself up, brushed the loose grass from her nightgown, and took small steps toward the lagoon.
"You almost lost me when you mentioned the score," she said flatly, giving him the dirtiest look she could muster when he caught up to her.
Riku stared back with his boyish smile as if he'd just won a grand prize. His voice was like caramel in her ears, and his gaze, inescapable. With a toothy grin, he leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I bet I can make it up to you."
Keiya simply rolled her eyes and pushed him away, trying to hide how flustered she was and how crazy she felt for going along with his scheme. "How long have you been plotting this?" she inquired, her eyebrow raised in suspicion.
Riku feigned cluelessness and gave her a blank stare. "I don't know what you're talking about. This is spontaneous."
"Yeah, you just whipped those towels right out of thin air, didn't you?" she sang sarcastically. "So convenient."
Keiya blushed and turned away when Riku moved to take off his shirt. Giving the pond one last spiteful stare, she began undoing the buttons of her nightgown one by one. The humidity caressed her skin as she pulled apart the fabric, slipped inside the hem until her whole body was bathed in a teasing warmth. She didn't like to give in, but the more she dwelled on the scenarios buzzing through her head, the less of a reason she could find to back out.
When she had undone not but three buttons of her gown, something strange happened. Something so strange, her blood went cold and her knees buckled and locked. So strange, she found herself suddenly flailing in the waist-deep water with strings of moss in her hair and leaves sticking to her skin.
"Aw, I dropped it…" a childish voice lamented from above.
When Riku turned around to investigate, he found Keiya coughing up water and picking junk out of her hair in the pond, wearing a confused grimace. He was about to rush over to help her out, when he nearly stepped on something: a huge pile of cicadas smothered in a sticky, sugary substance, scrambling on the dirt next to an overturned bucket.
"That's okay," came another voice. "We were going to let them go again anyway, remember?"
"Yeah, I guess so…"
Riku's ears perked up and he turned his attention upward, looking hard between the leaves. He saw shadows of different shapes and sizes, and was preparing his weapon for defense, when the moonlight then glowed brightly on a familiar tan face topped by spikey brown hair.
"Sora?" he exclaimed, stepping backward so that his friend could hop down from the tree. He was followed by three young boys each wearing gloves and a helmet, all holding buckets full of liquid sugar and cicadas.
Sora looked around, rather unfazed by the accident. "Hey, Riku. What're you guys doing out here so late?"
"I-I'm, uh, we were just going to go swimming," he replied hastily. He jolted over to Keiya when he saw her start to climb out of the spring, but she refused his help with a small scowl and began twisting her hair in knots to remove the water.
"What about you? Why are you all here?" Riku shot back, trying to mask his disappointment with his trademark nonchalant attitude which was clearly not working for him today. Just when everything had been going perfect, something had to happen. Something that involved Sora. As he pulled on his shirt, (unnoticed by the onlookers, thank God, he thought,) two whole days of planning this evening now seemed to mock him inside his head.
"I promised the kids I'd help them hunt for cicadas. Look how many we got," Sora said proudly, gesturing toward the pile of big black bugs scurrying on the ground.
Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, one of the boys giggled and pointed a finger at Keiya. "Hey, look, you caught one, too!"
True enough, one of the humming insects was perched on her waist, latching onto her dress. Keiya's eyes grew wide and she gave a mortified shriek. She dug her nails into Riku's shoulders so hard he felt his skin puncture.
While he swatted the creature away, a third thing happened—something that really put the icing on this cake of miseries and plans-gone-wrong, something so terrible that he was blind to the effects of such an error at the time, something that broke all codes of gentlemanly refinement and courtship.
He laughed.
All of a sudden, he was eye to eye with his lover's shock and enragement, and any lingering trace of a smile fled from his face in a mad dash to hell.
"Why are you laughing? Did you plan this?" she demanded, shoving him backward an inch.
"W-what? No, of course not! This was just a—"
"You liar! I bet you spent all day working this out, just so you could get a few laughs!" She waved her finger in front of his face, spoke so sharply he couldn't even think of any words with which to placate her. "And the towels, nice touch! I thought you were serious before—I can't believe that I almost… with you… Ugh, I can't believe you!"
Sora and the boys watched in silent terror as Keiya snatched up the towels and continued to berate the silver-haired boy, who was now staring open-mouthed, unable to defend himself past a few stutters before she took over again with a stream of insults and curses.
"That was low, Riku! All your talk about wanting us to spend more time together…"
He shook his head numbly and waved his hands to try to settle her down.
"It wasn't just talk! I really—ah!"
Riku fell into the water with a loud splash, watching his assaulter's outstretched hand and glaring eyes all the way through. When he came up to the surface, Keiya was already storming away, carrying the towels and her shoes, not sparing a glance at the cowering suspects lined up against the trees. He tried calling her name, but she only walked faster until she was out of his sight. The warrior climbed out of the lake in a hurry, shook the water off his now baggy clothes, and began scouring the area for his shoes.
Sora reluctantly waved the younger boys on home and approached his friend with pale cheeks and the missing pair of sneakers. "Uh, what just happened there?"
"Dammit! This night was supposed to be perfect!" the older boy muttered sourly. He turned up to Sora with disbelief still contorting his face. "Just what were you doing here, anyway? How did you find this place?"
"Oh, some of the grown-ups in town told us about it when we asked where we could find cicadas. It used to be commercial, see?" He held out a creased, outdated pamphlet showing a photo of a picturesque log cabin adjacent to the very same hot spring.
Riku gave it back to him, not feeling the slightest bit comforted, threw himself against a tree trunk, and tried to force his dripping wet feet into his shoes.
"I guess it's no use chasing her. She probably won't talk to me until tomorrow, if she even manages to cool off by then."
Sora nodded his head and observed his friend's frustration in quiet amusement. Water was dripping down Riku's legs and soaking his sneakers, as he insisted on thrusting his feet violently into the unaccommodating shoes. When the feat was finally accomplished, Riku leaned against the bark, only to find that it was smeared with sugar.
"Ugh, Sora!" he groaned, reaching for his back only to come away with a hand coated in syrup.
"Heh, sorry…"
The warm water didn't do anything to keep him comfortable; the breeze blowing over the lagoon felt cold now that Riku was drenched from head to toe. Shuddering with each wisp of air, he squeezed his shirt so hard that he left small finger-shaped dents in the fabric.
"She took the towels, huh?" Sora noted, watching him shiver.
Riku snarled and shoved the brunette into the water before beginning the long trek back to the house.
~…~
The next morning, Riku entered the kitchen with pulsating veins and a fearfully throbbing heart. Keiya was already at the table—talking to Kairi? That was a first—and she had left the seat next to hers empty. An invitation… he contemplated skeptically. But no, there were other empty seats. It had to be a dare.
He decided to play it safe and take the seat across from hers, which also happened to be empty, but he was struck by surprise when she looked up and gave him a heartbroken, sorrowful glance followed by a shy, downcast gaze.
Idiot, idiot, idiot! Now he had prolonged this distance when he could have brought it to an end, and all by choosing the wrong place to sit! But switching seats would look strange, he decided, and would call attention to them. For now, he would stay put and wait out the meal.
When everyone broke into groups to start working on preparations for the trip, Keiya lagged behind, as he hoped she would. With a tad more confidence now, Riku walked over to her and brushed his fingers against her shoulder to get her attention.
"Um, hey. Good morning," he said sheepishly. His blood sped into hyper-drive when she smiled and returned the greeting with a nod.
Okay, don't blow it, he instructed himself, going over what he'd rehearsed in his head. The main objective: not giving her any chance to misunderstand. He swallowed and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could release the first syllable, Keiya took the center stage.
"I'm sorry about last night," she started, her head bowed to hide her eyes. "I shouldn't have overreacted like that. It was childish."
Riku stood there gaping for a full two seconds before he managed to blink his eyes back to reality. Steadying himself against the counter, he let a smile spread on his face and inwardly took a huge sigh of relief.
"N-no, it's okay," he breathed. "I just… I hope you know I didn't mean for any of that stuff to happen. I just wanted us to spend time together."
He took the opportunity to step closer to her and placed a hand on her waist. Bitterness got the best of his voice as he recalled how disastrously his plan had crumbled. So much for a romantic evening—now all she would remember were bugs clawing into her clothes and a senseless laugh at the peak of her embarrassment.
"I tried so hard to make last night perfect," he explained, averting his downcast gaze to the sink. "I'm sorry that whole mess happened, but I promise I'll make it up to you."
She shook her head calmly with a blossoming smile. "You don't need to. We can just forget it ever happened."
When Keiya saw Riku's relieved nod and the grateful gleam in his eyes, her worries were at ease, her mouth curled into a wide grin, and she turned flirtatious. Closing the gap between them, she placed her hands on his chest and leaned in close to his lips. "Or… we can just pick up where we left off and try it again. Tonight, same time, same place?"
Riku froze under her touch. His lips quivered in anticipation for a kiss that wasn't coming. "Yeah, t-that sounds great," he stuttered quietly. Hardly thinking, he leaned forward, but she easily slipped out of his range, placed her lips on his cheek instead, then pulled back slowly to taunt him.
"Great, then I'll see you later," she announced as she drew away from him.
His eyes followed her as she walked, completely entranced with the sway of her hips, the bounce of her hair, and the grace in her steps. "Yeah," Riku managed to spit out. "Uh, later…"
Keiya took a quick glance backward while sauntering toward the door to admire his flushed face and wide eyes. Kairi was right; boys were easy to toy with. She had never really thought too much about it, but it was true: Riku was always teasing her, seducing her, convincing her to go along with whatever crazy scheme he had cooked up. It was about time she exercised her own powers—her feminine powers that she naturally held over him. It made for an interesting change of pace. And who was to say she couldn't take the lead? With Riku dangling by a string, she would make sure the night went smoothly. No disasters, no unwanted surprises. Her plans would come out perfect.
~…~
Getting ready to meet Keiya at the hot spring, Riku felt more confident than ever. He had stopped work early to shower and change, and had made sure his windows were unlocked for a quick, soundless entry when the evening came to an amorous close. Most importantly, he had made sure to tell Sora that there was an even better place to catch cicadas, way on the other side of town.
When he stepped out of the shower, squinting his eyes past the steam, he realized that there were no towels on the rack. It must have been a laundry day, he figured, scratching his head as he tried to think of an alternative. Aha! His clothes. He could use his T-shirt to dry himself off for now, then get a clean one from his dresser to wear. But when he reached for the counter, there were no clothes. Nothing near the sink, on the floor, or draped over the towel racks.
I could have sworn I brought my clothes in with me… he pondered. I guess I must've forgotten.
Ultimately, the only thing he could do was step out into his bedroom and air-dry as he dug through his drawers for an outfit. He pulled out his usual pants with a simple shirt—he wouldn't need them for long, so he figured there was no point in dressing up. When he started to pull the clothes on, though, he noticed they had a strange smell, a sweet smell. He brought the shirt to his nose and inhaled the scent of honey and sea salt.
He cocked an eyebrow at the fabric. A new type of soap?
When Riku was fully dressed, and his hair, dry, he stepped into the hallway and headed toward the kitchen. All the while, he thought of Keiya: her white nightgown sliding off her shoulders, the silky feel of her skin as she brushed against him in the water, the heat of her kisses, the breathless quavers in her voice…
All his fantasizing came to a freezing cold halt when he opened the door to the kitchen and was greeted by ice water and shards of birdseed raining down on him in clumps. His eyes clenched shut at the surprise, and his hand involuntarily gripped the doorknob, as if he were waiting for all the bucket's contents to fall atop him before he moved. When it was over, he found himself standing in front of six shocked and amused faces, all of them staring wide-eyed at his new appearance.
Riku didn't have time to absorb the humiliation thrust upon him, because just seconds after he opened his eyes, the window slid open and a flock of birds and bees dove into the house, flying straight at him in a crazed whirlwind. He gave a petrified yelp and threw his hands in front of his face just before the feeding could commence.
"Gahh—get away!" he shouted, waving his arms to shoo the birds. "Someone, get them out of here!"
Throwing his arms around got rid of the birds, but it frightened the bees. All too quickly, he felt tiny needle stabs all over his body and a chorus of buzzing in his ears. The bees were swarming around his shirt—for the honey, he realized too late; the shirt had been soaked in real honey! The torment continued with jabs and stings, curses and gasps, until a blast of cold water struck him from head to toe and chased the beasts away.
When he looked up, clueless and exhausted, he found Keiya standing before him with a dripping sink nozzle in her hand and a hard glare on her face. She looked him up and down, from the pool of birdseed at his feet, to the red marks forming on his arms and hands, ending at the crease of apprehension on his brow.
"That's what you get for laughing at me last night, you jerk!" she taunted icily.
She threw the nozzle down and turned on her heel, marching out the front door before Riku could even budge.
The boy's countenance turned furious as soon as she left. With shaking limbs, he wiped the remaining birdseed off his body and onto the floor, where the eager pigeons and bluebirds happily began gulping it down. Sora, Kairi, Leon and the others all stared at him in silence like he was on display at a zoo, and held in their laughter so as not to cause an outburst. But the air in the room said it all: She got you good.
Sora approached his friend with a slight smile and held out a towel he'd gotten from the kitchen. Riku grabbed it from his hands, scowling, and dried his face off as a means of concealing his embarrassment.
"Wow, Riku… I'll remember to stay on her good side," he joked, patting him on the back.
Somehow, the others took this as their cue to unleash their hidden laughter. Riku's ears rang with the sound of chuckles and snorts from all his friends, each of them peering at him with a touch of pity.
"It's not funny!" he argued resentfully, clutching the towel with tense, white fingers.
Sora raised an eyebrow at him, bearing a huge grin. "Aw, relax, man. You have to admit, that was kind of—"
"No, it wasn't!" Riku declared. His face tinged deeper the longer he stood in the spotlight of this humiliation. He spun around without a word and strode down the hall back to his room, with Sora tailing closely behind him.
"Hey, wait! C'mon, Riku, don't be like that!"
"Don't be like what? She made me look like an idiot! Now I have to give it right back to her," he reasoned crossly, his hands thrust in his pockets.
"W-what? But you guys are even now, aren't you?" Sora implored warily.
Riku gave him a snide glower, insulted his friend was taking her side. "I never did anything to her in the first place! She started it! I don't see how one little laugh justifies… justifies this!" He gestured to his clothes, the bee stings, and the tiny remains of birdseed stuck to his shirt. "I've never been so embarrassed in my entire life!"
"She probably figured you could use an ego-shock," the brunette replied nonchalantly.
Riku slammed the door in his face.
A few moments later, Sora heard the bathroom door also slam shut and the shower come crashing on like a waterfall. "Oh boy…" he muttered, thinking of Riku's words of vengeance. He heard light footsteps flutter down the hall, and recognized Kairi's voice as she called out his name.
"Hey, Sora! What happened? Is Riku alright?"
"Yeah, he's fine. But he's angry. He's already talking about getting back at Keiya."
"Of course," Kairi sighed. "Riku can't stand to lose. At this rate, they'll just keep playing tricks on each other until one of them admits they were wrong…"
"I know, you're right. And it looks like they're getting creative," he agreed dismally.
Suddenly, something golden struck the mischievous Keyblade wielder—something dangerous, something he had to try. Sora perked up and took Kairi by the hand with an excited smile.
"I have an idea!"
~…~
Riku watched Keiya's every move like a hawk from his hiding place around the corner. In his hand he held a thin, clear string that ran across the hall, up the wall, and tied onto the edge of a tray that would dump sticky powdered sugar over the unsuspecting victim. Then, just further up, he had attached strips of clear plastic wrap to the doorways, stretching them across the hall in an unseen barrier that would have her flailing for freedom. After that, she would certainly fall, and he would let loose a small colony of ants he'd captured in a glass box. He was sure the sugar would taste so delectable coming from a screaming, kicking, helpless human being tied up in plastic wrap on the floor, terrified and outraged to have bugs crawling over her and plucking the sweet powder off her skin.
C'mon, c'mon, he urged, as if he could mentally induce her to walk into his trap. She was loitering at the kitchen counter, sifting through diagrams and listening to the other girls' prattling at the table. Any second now… Then we'll see who really looks like an idiot.
Suddenly, a feminine voice—Kairi's voice—pierced his concentration. "Ah! Oh, Riku, come here quick! Sora's in trouble!"
Riku's stomach turned. Abandoning his plot, he dropped the rigged string and made a dash into the kitchen. Cold sweat formed on his brow as he thought of all the dreaded possibilities; he could hardly breathe for fear of what tragedy he would find transpiring.
Just as he neared the source of the scream, something slippery threw him off balance. He lost his footing, couldn't skid to a stop, and was sent flying into the kitchen with a muffled yell. Riku crashed right into a paralyzed Keiya, unable to grasp the counter in time to catch himself, and took her down with him as he soared into the long curtain covering the back storm-door. The door was open, and immediately outside, in place of the welcome mat, was a long vat of mud. The couple splashed into the wet, sticky mess with clenched eyes and simultaneous shrieks.
Frozen in time, they stared at each other for a moment, frown to frown, glare to glare, both with mud-stained cheeks, hair, and clothes. Then they heard the sloshing: the subtle sound of earthworms paddling through the earthy soup. Keiya choked on a scream and latched onto Riku's arm with nails like claws. The warrior could only cringe and suck in air.
As if the lights had suddenly been turned on to a surprise, people and laughter came out of nowhere. The entire household peeked out from behind the doorway, and the local kids Riku had been training ran up the hill to gape when they heard the noise. Jun was among them, leading the pack. His face was red and contorted with violent snickers as he jutted a finger toward the duo and announced, "Riku, I thought you were supposed to be good with girls!"
"Shut up!" the older boy flared, though he was drowned out by the crescendo of chortles. As the members of the committee stepped outside one by one to stare, he lowered his head so that his bangs fell in front of his face. Mud slipped through his trembling fists as the humiliation raked deeper into his ego.
"Ha, you fell for it! Look how disgusting you two look!" Sora boasted, hovering over them with a shameless grin. He nudged a bashfully smiling Kairi, who wore a slightly apologetic look, and gave her a high five.
If anger could boil blood, the mud would have melted clean off of Riku's face. Keiya seethed quietly next to him, eyeing the crowd as she would a battalion of enemies.
"You're sick!" Riku condemned. "I was actually worried about you for a second!" He splashed some mud up in his friend's face, but the younger boy wiped it off with a chuckle, unfazed.
"I just figured you could use some help," Sora said with an innocent shrug. "See? You guys are even now. Two for two."
His voice was a growl as he rose from the makeshift bath and tried to shake the dripping, brown mess off his sleeves. "This isn't even! Not even close!"
"Don't worry—the dirt pretty much covers the red in your face," Jun teased from the background.
Riku spun around and delivered a menacing glare over all the giggling schoolboys. "You over-confident—"
"Waah!"
The sound of a hand slicing through the air cut him off, and the feeling of cool splotches of mud splattering against him broke his concentration. All the laughter ceased, replaced by a collective gasp. When the silver-haired warrior looked over to investigate, Sora was lying face-down in the vat, and Keiya was standing over him, her hair splayed freely around her face, her hands poised in a threatening offensive stance. Her shoulders heaved as she took in breath after deep, enraged breath.
Riku watched with wide eyes as she kicked up a wave of mud-coated earthworms squirming and writhing through the liquid earth, and dumped it over the Keyblade wielder's head with a frustrated cry. Immediately, his glower turned into a smirk, and he followed pace, wringing his clothes out over the boy's groaning, listless body until he was satisfied with the mud colored lump on the ground.
"We are not even yet, Sora," he announced determinedly.
He took Keiya's hand with renewed confidence and stepped over Sora to lead her out of the crowd. Her hair swung back and forth, her steps were sharp and precise; she seemed haughty—he couldn't tell if it was a pretense or just her competitive attitude—but she didn't resist his advances. Riku took this as a truce. Without missing a beat, he grabbed Jun's arm in his free hand as they walked and threw him backwards into the mud pile. The sounds of renewed laughter and now different defensive hollers carried on in the background as Riku and Keiya strode away into the forest, hand in hand, minds calculating as one.
~…~
"Are there sharks on Destiny Islands?" Keiya asked nonchalantly.
Riku gave her a curious look that made her serious resolve break into a smile.
She floated over to him with seductive ease, tipping her head back into the water just far enough to tease him with a flash of her outstretched neck. As was her strategy, she brushed her body ever-so-slightly against his each time she moved, just to feel him shudder.
"I'm only kidding, you know."
"Right. I'll be careful not to make you angry…" he vowed distractedly, bringing a hand to her cheek to wipe off a smear of dirt.
Somehow, when he'd pictured the scenario in his head, he'd thought he would be the one making her all flustered and dizzy, but now that she was in a heated, vengeful frame of mind, she had him beat. Forget all the initial shyness; her inhibitions were replaced by thoughts of tripping their spikey-haired devil down several flights of stairs into a pool of egg yolk, replacing all the bottles of shampoo in his bathroom with bleach and green hair dye, planning an elaborate personal ghost haunting after a conveniently timed campfire extravaganza, and—evidently—sharks.
"How about cutting his hair while he's asleep?" she contemplated. "Or… no, that's not enough…"
Riku sighed and stretched his arm across to the rocky edge of the pond, keeping her trapped before him. He subtly leaned into her so that his forehead touched hers and his eyes were all she could see.
"Keiya, I promise you we'll get him back, but for now, don't think about it—think about us," he pleaded, tenderly running a hand up her back to bring her closer. When he kissed her, she returned the motion with a bit of hesitation and failed to raise her hands from where they clung at his chest.
"Stop thinking about it," he murmured knowingly against her lips. Hiding his mischievous grin by reclaiming her lips, he slid his hands to her waist and began tickling that spot he knew so well.
"Riku!" she shrieked, shoving him away through begrudging laughter. "You said you wouldn't do that!"
"I finally have you where I want you, and all you can think about is Sora? I have to do something," he asserted dryly.
Keiya gave a little "hmph" with a toss of her hair and crossed her arms. "Boys and their jealousy issues."
"Girls and their revenge complexes," Riku returned with a raised eyebrow.
"Excuse me? You think I don't know you were planning something for me?"
Riku shrugged and feigned ignorance beneath her challenging stare. "All I'm saying is that instead of focusing on being naked in a hot spring with your boyfriend, you would rather focus on your practical jokes. And on Sora. I'm insulted."
"Oh, you'll live," she replied with a roll of her eyes. She nestled against him, inviting herself into his embrace. She loved the way his heart sped up, how he sensually caressed her skin inch for inch and shivered when her lips touched his chest. "Nothing can damage your ego. Not permanently."
Riku buried his face in her neck. With a hidden simper, he provoked, "Yeah, sometimes I think I'm unbreakable."
He could practically count down the milliseconds until her retaliation, and took pride in his precision. On cue, she looked up and, with a sideways smirk, stated, "Hah, let's not get carried away. I mean, if I really wanted to, I'm sure I could 'break' you."
"Yeah, sure."
"You doubt me?" she demanded slyly.
Riku took her face firmly in his hands and stole her lips in a blazing, hungry kiss, nibbling the rosy petals of flesh, tasting her flavor and the desire on her tongue as she pushed and danced against him. The ripples in the water as the couple swayed filled the lovers' ears with nature's serenity and their own togetherness.
"No, I don't doubt you," he whispered when they parted. "You could break me, if you wanted. You're the only one who could."
She nodded shyly, her face now crimson, absorbing his words with a sense of assurance.
Another kiss, and she went weak at the knees.
His voice was flighty as he panted for air. Holding her still before she could lean back in, he breathed, "But I trust you not to."
"That's more like it," she agreed softly. She entwined her fingers around his hair and fluttered her eyes open to give him an appreciative look. Before he could claim another kiss, however, she tilted her face away and darkened her countenance to a glower.
"Just don't forget it, Riku," she warned playfully.
He cringed. "After hearing what you have in store for Sora, I don't think I can risk forgetting it."
"Oh, that was nothing," she stressed with a mock-sweet smile, sinking an inch into the water. "You wouldn't want to hear the things I'd have in store for you if you did."
She drifted away from him a few centimeters to let her hair flow in waves and patterns on the surface. Her flesh glowed in the moonlight; every contour was illuminated and accentuated, bringing out the beautiful, sweeping lines of her neck and collar. Oh, she was teasing him, was she? Riku's mind clouded with mischievous thoughts.
"Hmm, probably not," he admitted, drawing closer to her, cornering her against the shoreline. "Instead, let me show you what I have in store for you right now…"
Riku couldn't tell how many kisses they shared, how long they splashed and danced in the water, or how many stars burned above them, lighting up their faces and guiding their bodies in a union so passionate and intimately tied to trust. He couldn't tell how long they sat there soaking in the amorous aftermath, washing the leftover mud off of each other's shoulders, backs, arms and legs. He didn't know what teases would await them when they returned to the house in dripping wet clothes, with no towels or means to hide the fierce blushes painted over their cheeks by desire. All he did know was that the night was perfect. Unexpected, briefly humiliating, truly spontaneous, but perfect.
That, and that Sora had something coming—something that possibly involved sharks and a lost limb or two. He only hoped that Wakka and Tidus back home would have some grey fin-shaped props, and that Keiya wouldn't be able to tell the difference. If that plan backfired, well… bees and birds and a little mud would be the least of his problems.
~…~
Author's Note: Today, it's been three years! Thanks for sticking with it this long, especially the people who have been reading since year one. You guys are awesome. Seriously awesome.
I know this chapter isn't technically important, but please leave a review, because I worked really hard on it! Which did you like better, the first bonus chapter or this second one? (Just curious. And you won't offend me, because I wrote them both :-P)
I tried a slightly different style for this chapter—something more informal. I wasn't too concerned with gold plating the sentences or anything this time since it was just for fun. If you noticed it, let me know what you think!
That being said, hope you all enjoyed, and chapter thirty-eight is in progress! There will be forty chapters total.