Here is the next chapter! I actually got it up faster than I thought I would! ^_^
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Chapter 8 – Unexpected Truth
For the next few weeks, Riku managed to avoid Sora and I pretty well. After his little threat in the janitor’s closet, I thought I’d never see the end of him. But I guess not. The only time I ever saw him was when I would pass him in the hallways at school. Even then, he always kept his attention somewhere else, which was usually on other girls.
While Riku was off doing God knows what with his new ‘girl friends’, Sora and I had the time of our lives being alone. We were together all the time and showed no shame in our love for each other. Of course, we still hadn’t hit any ‘home runs’, but like I said before, we don’t need that kind of relationship. I could honestly say that things were really starting to get back on track. And I finally felt happy.
So, I guess that’s when I knew things were too good to be true.
Three weeks to the day that Sora and Riku finally arrived home, I was sitting in the local café with Selphie. Sora wasn’t with us because he got grounded for reasons that he wouldn’t tell me. We sat at our usual corner table after school, just like we always did. But for some reason, I felt incredibly irritated and extremely uncomfortable as I listened to Selphie talk about some ‘hot’ guy at school. She was starting to get on my nerves.
“And then he looked at me! Can you believe it?!” she squealed like a five year old. “I think it’s getting somewhere!”
I sat hunched over the small table, the smell of the coffee making my stomach turn. My chin was resting in the heel of my hand as I turned to face her, using all my energy to prevent myself from ringing her neck. “Yea. Getting somewhere. Sure…”
“Hey, are you okay? You look like you’re gonna hurl…” she said, slowly backing away from the table, eyeing me cautiously.
As a matter of fact, I did feel like I was going to. And it had been this way for the past few days. I kept getting this awful queasiness in my stomach, though I never actually got sick.
“No. I’m fine. I just…got to pee...?” I said questionably, suddenly getting the urge to go to the bathroom.
“Well, go. The bathroom is back there,” she said, pointing in its’ direction. I got up, stumbling a bit, and practically ran there. I wasn’t sure why I felt so sick, but all I knew was that I wanted to go home. Everything in this small café – the sounds, the sights, and smells – were making me completely exhausted.
After I was finished, I went back outside and informed Selphie of my leaving. She hugged me tightly and hoped I felt better as we parted our ways towards home. As I very slowly made my way there, I began to think of Sora and Riku. How I wanted to be with Sora, no matter how sick I felt. And how I missed Riku, even if he was angry with me. I still felt so happy to know that they were back home. But I was also depressed to know that they became so distant. Which raises the question – What exactly happened to them while they were away for that whole year?
I still was never given an answer. It made me upset to know that it was kept hidden from me, like the mere fact of knowing could put me in immense danger.
This made me wonder why Riku was so dangerous. I knew that he fell into darkness two years ago, when my heart was taken from me. But I thought he overcame that. Maybe he never did. Or maybe something else happened that I just don’t know about.
That’s when I realized that I didn’t know anything. Everything just didn’t add up and nothing seemed to make any sense anymore. I wanted to know the truth and I was going to find it out, no matter what that meant.
I made a sharp turn down the upcoming street and followed it a few blocks until I reached Sora’s house. I didn’t care how much trouble he was in. I had to talk to him. Besides, his mother loved me. She’d let me speak to him, even for a few minutes.
I rushed down the street, and to my amazement, I saw Sora standing outside, his hands curled in a fist. The sight of him calmed my nerves and my stomach didn’t feel so painful anymore.
“Sora!” I shouted, making my way faster towards him. I smiled brightly and waved, feeling so relieved to see him. But as he turned to face me, I saw a huge gash across his face, blood pouring down his neck.
With a loud gasp, I began to sprint towards him, my heart pounding at the sight of him hurt. “Sora?! What happened? Are you okay?” He quickly nodded and put both hands on my arms, making me notice how they too were covered in blood.
“Kairi, you have to get out of here,” he said, pushing me back.
“No! Not until you tell me what happened,” I shouted, throwing back him arms, not caring how they left blood stains on my shirt. Just then, another voice spoke out, its’ tone weak and tired.
“Yea, Sora. Why don’t you tell her what happened?”
I turned to face a bloody Riku, kneeled down in pain and panting heavily. I dropped my jaw and looked back and forth from Sora, to Riku, and back to Sora again. “Well, someone tell me before you both bleed to death!” I shouted, feeling fed up with all the secrets they were keeping from me.
“Forget it,” Riku said, slowly pushing himself up off the ground. He walked right past me and straight up to Sora, staring down at him with instigating eyes. “Maybe once you become a man you can tell her. And you better do it soon, before someone else comes along.”
He quickly looked over his shoulder and winked at me slyly, turning around to leave. But Sora suddenly jumped in front of him and punched him hard right in the jaw, sending his upper body flying to the side. I shrieked and jumped back, covering my mouth in shock. Then, Sora aggressively pulled at Riku’s shirt and pointed a threatening finger in his face. “If you ever go near her or even think of touching her, you will regret it for the rest of your life.”
When Sora said this, Riku let out a small laugh and looked in my direction, a smirk across his tired face. “How ironic, eh Kairi?” he said, roughly pulling away from Sora’s grasp. Riku then walked past him, bumping hard into his shoulder along the way. As he began to pass me, he gave me a quick glare and smiled again. “Remember what I told you a few weeks ago Kairi? I’m not giving up that easy.”
With that, Riku walked away, my eyes following his every step as they filled with rage and fury. When he was out of sight, I snapped my head in Sora’s direction and walked right up to him. “Sora, please tell me you did not start that fight.”
When he didn’t answer at first, I felt the uncontrollable urge to slap him across the face. So I did. “How could you do that?! You were the one who said we needed to stay away from him! That he was dangerous and could hurt us!”
“You don’t understand, Kairi…” he said, rubbing his still blood stained face.
“Then tell me! Tell me what is going on with you two! Ever since you got here, its’ been impossible for you to stay near him!”
“He just can’t be trusted…”
“Why?! Tell me why, Sora!”
“BECAUSE HE’S A TRAITOR!” he screamed, his face beaming with frustration. “He joined the dark side to kill me! And he probably would have if it wasn’t for you. You don’t know how many times I came so close to dying out there. But each time, I saw your face and you gave me hope. But he…he didn’t care about any of that. He wanted me gone so he could get to you! He’s nothing but a selfish bastard!”
I stared at Sora’s face, seeing that behind the blood and anger, he was speaking the truth. “So…how is he dangerous then?” I asked nervously. But I soon regretted it, for Sora’s words sent an unsettling chill through my body.
“...The darkness. It still lingers in him. It will never leave. As long as he carries his jealousy and hatred for me, he will always be able to use his powers.”
