Sorrow's Promise

Chapter 24

After the kiss, the atmosphere between Riku and me became a bit stiff and stilted for a while. We were both trying to move past it, trying to pretend it didn't happen, but it wasn't working very well. I didn't know how to act around him anymore, knowing that he felt the way he did, and at the same time not knowing how exactly I felt. Dinners were especially bad, but even training had become an issue at times.

"So, when you're about to execute Limit Storm, make sure you..." Riku reached forward as if he was going to adjust my arm, but halted in mid-air and drew his hands back. "Um...just, uh, make sure you keep this arm up above your shoulder. And the other one I usually put here to start, and use it for momentum," he finished, demonstrating with his own arms.

"Uh, yeah...okay." I could tell that Riku had been going out of his way not to get too close to me or touch me in any way, though whether it was for his sake or mine, I wasn't sure. I was grateful for it, regardless, mostly because I had no idea what kind of crazy emotions his touch might set off in my thoroughly confused brain. "And then I just...spin?"

"Right," Riku agreed. "Spin counter-clockwise, and use light magic to release waves of energy."

"Great," I dead-panned. If there was one thing we had determined over the course of my training, it was that I was not the most graceful and coordinated human being ever. Magic I could do, and hacking things with a Keyblade I could do. Spinning and jumping, not so much, at least not without a lot more work.

"Okay, well, here goes nothing," I sighed. Pushing off with one foot, I got in a pretty good spin and could see some blue light beginning to surround me, but I quickly lost my balance and fell right into Riku.

"Whoa!" He caught me under my arms with one of my cheeks plastered against his chest. So much for us not touching, and yep, there went my whole body reacting to it again. "You okay?" Riku asked.

Shoving myself hastily away, I placed a hand on my flushed face. "I'm sorry," I gasped.

"You're fine," Riku assured me, not seeming all that fazed by the encounter. "It'll probably take a few tries..."

"No, I mean, I'm sorry, for...for everything," I interrupted him, flapping my hands. "For what a mess we are right now. We've been acting weird with each other for days now, and I feel like it's all my fault."

Riku shook his head. "I don't like it, either, but if anything, it's my fault. I'm the one who kissed you and made things change between us. If we could go back..."

"No, don't say that. And don't apologize for the kiss. The kiss was...amazing." I froze, unsure of why I had just blurted that out loud. Sure, I had been thinking it over and over again this whole time, but I hadn't intended to actually tell Riku that. "I don't want to go back," I managed to continue. "I just want us to be able to move forward."

"Yeah," Riku agreed, obviously trying his hardest not to grin at my revelation. "Me, too."

"So...let's just focus on this spinning thing, yeah?" I suggested, forcing a smile. I knew very well that focusing was going to continue to be a struggle for the foreseeable future, but I was determined not to let this situation interfere with my training.

When I was alone, however, my thoughts could run wild. I had never stopped to actually consider my feelings for Riku before, but now that I was doing so, I realized there were quite a few signs that I had been ignoring up until now. The way he crossed my mind a million times a day, the happiness that I felt whenever I saw him for the first time in the morning or after being apart from him any other time, the warm sensation in my chest every time he would smile, or the weird desire I would get every once in a while to just pull off that stupid blindfold so I could see those amazing blue eyes again.