Sorrow's Promise

Chapter 19

TRIGGER WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER. SEE CENSORED VERSION BELOW THE DOUBLE LINES.

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Two days after we took Xion to Twilight Town, I found out from Roxas that she was back at the Organization. From what he said, though, it didn't sound like she had gone of her own free will. As soon as I told Riku what had happened, he headed straight for Organization XIII's headquarters, but told me when he got back that he knew all along there was nothing he could do. I could tell that he felt incredibly guilty for not bringing her in when we had the chance, even though we both knew he had done it out of compassion.

The days passed without much fanfare for a while after that. Morning training sessions, afternoon missions to keep an eye on the Organization, occasional evenings spent in town, and dinners with Riku.

"Let's not get food from this place again, wherever it was," I told him one evening, looking down at my takeout box with a turned up nose.

I wasn't sure when we had graduated from me sitting on the edge of the bed while he sat on the chair, to both of us sitting cross-legged on the queen-size bed together. Dinner time was one of the most fun and relaxing times of the day, though, and I always looked forward to it, no matter what the food might taste like.

"Yeah, it's...not the greatest," Riku agreed, pushing his food around with his chopsticks. "That's what I get for trying somewhere new."

I laughed. "If I had any more of my money, I'd portal back home and get us something from there on occasion."

"If I had a working kitchen, I'd just make us dinner," Riku countered.

"Wait, you can cook?"

Riku shrugged. "Yeah. I'm not a gourmet chef or anything, but I can make a pretty decent meal."

"I can make a killer pb and j," I offered sarcastically. "Oh, and boxed mac and cheese is my specialty." We laughed together, and I poked at my pasta some more. "I never really had anybody to teach me anything about cooking growing up. Ms. Young wouldn't even let us anywhere near her precious kitchen."

"I pretty much taught myself just by experimenting." Riku paused before continuing. "It was either that, or don't eat some nights."

I looked up at him with concern on my face. "Really?"

"Eh, you know. Mom wasn't around much, working all the time. Most of the time it was just me for dinner." I could tell he was trying to shrug it off, probably wishing he hadn't even said anything.

"What about your dad?" I asked. Riku never talked about his past, so I didn't want to pass up this opportunity to learn more about him.

"Left when I was just a kid."

"I'm sorry," I said quietly.

"Don't be," he replied with a small smile. "We certainly weren't."

The meaning of his words took a second to hit. I swallowed and stared down at my food, not sure what to say. Suddenly his eagerness to leave the islands behind made a whole lot more sense.

"So, what's your hidden talent, then?" Riku asked , changing the subject away from himself. "Besides Keyblade wielding and magic, of course."

I glanced back up with a grin. "Oh, um...I'm a pretty good hairstylist. I mean, if I do say so myself." Reaching forward spontaneously, I pushed his bangs back away from his forehead. I was pleasantly surprised at how soft his hair felt. "I could cut yours if you wanted. It's getting pretty long, you know!"