It was gym. The requirement for physical activity in the second semester- something that both Riku and Sora now had at the same time. It was gym that would begin to tear Riku's soul apart, with summer slowly approaching.
The stress of running, the endurance required- that was enough for Sora to get bored. Sticky bodies running in circles like sheep were never his thing- he wanted to run freely, to run with a purpose. But with Riku there, by his side, it didn't bother him as much.
"Slow-poke!" Riku smiled as he rushed to gym class with Sora lagging behind, Yuffie giggling at his side. Sora didn't mind the strong, energetic girl. She would be joining them in this class, making jokes and smiling prettily. With both of his friends at his side, he wouldn't mind it that much at all, Sora thought.
The principle stood at the center of the court, his voice booming at the kids on the bleachers. Sora sat with Yuffie on one side and Riku on the other. He smiled- it looked like this was actually going to be a fun class. The principle stood with a blue vest and semi-long brown hair. Sora could never remember the man's name...
"... and so Wakka will not be able to teach this semester's physical education class." Sora's ears perked up. Damn, he had missed something important again, hadn't he? "Your new temporary teacher will be Ansem. As I have reassured your parents with that letter we sent home a week ago, Ansem has amazing credentials. Please welcome him as your new teacher."
A man with flowing white hair and deep orange eyes appraised the crowd as he stepped out and into the court. His eyes landed on Riku as he reached the podium and lowered his lips to it. "It's been wonderful meeting you all. I'm sure we'll have lots of fun." His lips twitched upwardly in a sly smile, staring at Riku.
Sora turned to face Riku. There was that look again. That look of emptiness, of hidden fear. The look of someone standing on the edge of sanity and willing to jump just so that they could be far away from that moment in time, to be free of reality.
Riku's fingers sought out Sora's and he clenched them tightly. His eyes met Sora's and he whispered something, his teeth clenched in pain.
"I finally..." He closed his eyes tightly before opening them again. "I figured out why he was walking along the same path as me that day. He was headed for a job application." The road that Sora and Riku had taken together all that time, the road from Riku's house to Sora's and finally to the school they shared- it was now violated. It was shared with a painful memory. A memory that would now be walking amongst them, a constant reminder of everything Riku had endured.
Sora had begun to dread gym.
But deep down, he knew that it wasn't his right to feel that way. Because he knew that Riku was going to feel so much worse.
It's one thing to try to get over a painful memory. It's another thing to do it while facing the very thing that caused that memory in the first place.
...
I'd like to thank those that have reviewed. You make me smile, and when I do that it's less likely that Riku's going to do something... rash.
Shall we find out what that is, or will you review? :P
(hehe, kidding. Though it does make me glad that people care!)