Destinies Intertwined (a Kingdom Hearts Riku X Oc fanfic)

Chapter forty-six: Safety Of A Hidden Truth

Riku sat on the beach, watching the sun set alone that evening. His stomach was churning too much for him to have ice cream, and he'd been too scared to talk to Sora, for fear of losing his friendship as well. "I've made a complete mess... What is WRONG with me?!" Riku held his head in his hands, letting out a long, frustrated groan. "You okay?" "Huh?" He stood up and turned, looking away when he saw who it was. 

"Sora..." 

"Did something happen last night?" "No, i-it's nothing. I'm... gonna go." "Riku, wait--" He walked off, and went to the clocktower. "Hey." A voice said from behind him. "When'd you get here?" "A little while ago. I just... need to think." Axel sat down next to him, and he moved to stand. "Something happen?" "No point in hiding it, I guess. I... did something stupid. I-- I'm just... tired of drama." "Drama?" "Yeah. Friend drama." 

Riku sighed. "Sorry. You probably don't wanna hear about my problems." He said, standing up and turning to leave.

Not that he knew where to go...

"Of course, I'll listen. Friends need to lean on each other every now and then. Got it memorized?" "Right." He started opening up, about what he'd done to Rachel, and his fear of talking to Sora. "Should I tell him? I just..." "Look. No one blames you for what happened yesterday--" "That's 'cause no one knows. Ryan blames me. He didn't say a word on our mission, and Rachel... well, she hasn't come out of her room. Not since we talked last. The way she looked--" A long minute passed in silence. "...It's getting late. I'll try and talk to him tomorrow. See ya." He went back to the island, and went to bed. 

Riku trudged outside the next morning, flopping down on his front porch. He'd been up all night, worrying about what his best friend might think. He heard footsteps, and looked up. "Hey, are you alright?" Sora asked. "Yeah. Couldn't sleep last night." "Me neither, actually." "Huh? Why not?" "I was worried about you. You were acting really strange." "Well, whaddaya know? Listen, Sora... I should've told you this when it happened, but..." 

They went down and sat on the beach, and he told his friend what he'd done, how he'd broken Rachel's heart. "Riku... Why didn't you tell me sooner? Did you think I wouldn't want to be friends anymore?" Riku gave a single, silent nod, not looking at him. "You'll always be... my best friend." 

"Yeah, I know. Anyway... I really want to apologize to Rachel, but she won't come out of her room, so that would mean... talking to Ryan." Sora turned over his shoulder, "Riku-- look." "Huh?" There was Rachel, sitting on her front porch, staring at the ground, just as he had been doing moments before. "You gotta go up and talk to her." "I can't." "But you just said--" "I know. But--" 

"Is something wrong?" They turned. Rachel stood there, looking as miserable as Riku felt. Yet despite that, she seemed concerned. Riku stood up, and turned to leave, but Rachel grabbed his hand. "Wait! Please... Tell me what's wrong." He opened his mouth to say something, but then instinct took over, and he fled. 

Riku sat in the secret place, leaning against the cave wall. He heard footsteps, and stood. "Who's there!?" Someone walked in, and he summoned his Keyblade, but it turned out to be Mickey. He exhaled. "You're a sight for sore eyes. But what are you doing here?" "I came to see you, and saw you run in here. Is something the matter?" He sat back down, and Mickey stood beside him, as he explained everything once more. When he finished, silence reigned, then they chatted for a little while, as Mickey lifted Riku's spirits. They heard footsteps. Riku stood up, looked outside the cave and called out to his friend.

"We're in here."