Riku stood, letting the rain pour down his face.
Letting the wind roll against his body, pushing and waving and surrounding him. Enveloping him.
Freezing him.
Sora shouted ahead of him, urging him to hurry forward against the cold.
He felt at peace, the harsh world helping him prepare for everything else the world had to offer.
The good and the bad, the warm and the cold.
Ansem appeared and wrapped his arm around Riku, smiling maliciously. "I'll keep you warm, sweetheart."
...
Riku woke up in a cold sweat during Geometry. Sora was glancing worriedly at him, but Riku ignored the watchful gaze and attempted to reassert himself into the class. His breathing was uneven and frantic, and he ran once the bell rung.
He couldn't bring himself to wait for Sora, to walk together. His heart thumped loudly in his chest, rushing blood in and out. He was burning hot and freezing cold, every breeze making the difference.
Riku rested his forehead against his cold locker, and he caught a nauseating whiff of a stong perfume. He glanced at the locker number and back to where the smell was coming from, unsure if this was actually his. When had his locker been invaded? Most likely by Sora, the poor sap.
Riku unlocked it and swung the hinges open, and fell to a full assault of the girl's perfume. Riku crinkled his nose and lifted the pink envelope that was emitting the soon-nauseating stench.
"Riku~" was daintily written on the cover, and Riku's eyes watered as he opened the letter. How much stronger could the smell get? He would never be able to get it out of his clothes at this rate.
"Dear Riku,
I know we haven't spoken much, but I find myself thinking of you often. Will you meet me under the school's cherry tree this Friday, at sunset? The view is beautiful.
With Love,
Aerith.
P.S. Please don't mention this letter to anyone, including me. I want to talk about it all on Friday~"
The letter was signed, and Riku rolled his eyes at Sora's horrible attempt at mimicking Aerith's handwriting. He tossed the letter in the trash, deciding not to bother with it. His former headache had expanded with the girly scent, and it was all he could do not to head to the nurse's office.
After all, you had to pass the gym to get there.
...
Yuffie held back tears as Riku tossed Sora's love letter in the garbage. She was a sucker for love stories, and it hurt her heart to see Riku destroy what could be a wonderful relationship.
She had hurried there, awaiting Riku's smiling reaction, but Riku continued to grimace with disgust as time went on.
She would take it upon herself to fix this.
She would make a great friendship into a wonderful romance.
...
Sora wrote with his left hand, hoping for an overall "Riku" effect. He was pretty good, he admitted to himself.
"Aerith.
Meet me under the cherry tree at sunset on Friday. We need to talk.
Riku."
Sora grinned as he left Geometry and passed by Aerith's locker, slipping the letter inside. That look on Riku's face during Geometry? It would be gone by the time he was done screwing with his friends.
Sora could make a habit of this.
...
Aerith grinned at Riku as she caught up to him, walking home. "Yes." Riku looked at her questioningly, and Aerith elaborated. "Yes, I'll see you on Friday." Aerith beamed at him, them twirled and ran home.
Riku's eyes widened. It wasn't from Sora? Was Sora simply the messenger?
Then...
Aerith...
Riku stared as the girl ran from his sight, flouncing cheerily. Could he really go out with her?
He pondered the girl's almost-confession.
...
Sora stared, heartbroken, into the distance. Riku was walking without him? Did Riku know about him leaving the message inside his locker? Was he upset?
Sora didn't know what to do to help mend their friendship.
At the very least, Riku seemed to forget the horrible dream he had during class.
...
Yuffie stared as Riku and Aerith chatted happily, and Sora watched sadly in the distance. Had Riku truly rejected Sora so coldly, not even bothering to explain? She listened to what Aerith mentioned as she ran away, about meeting up.
Friday, at sunset, under the cherry tree?
Yuffie could work with that.
She was the great ninja Yuffie! A few well placed sheets of paper here and there and soon enough, Sora and Riku would be kissing under that tree.
Yuffie blushed as she vivdly imagined what it would look like, then set out to work on her plan.
There was no way she was going to let the two of them stay friends.
She wanted them to be something so much, much more.
...
I'm sorry.