Curl Up

AN: So, back with another chapter!! Yay! Sorry it took so long. Last week of classes and all... I've been a little more than preoccupied. Life has literally become the biggest bitch EVAR. So I really do apologize. I hope I haven't lost any loyal fans ^^;;;;





Curl Up

--WestK





"That's a really interesting picture you've got going there."



Sora jumped at the voice, and turned quickly on his heel to find Roxas standing there behind him. "Wh-wha?" escaped his lips as his eyes became wide. Since when could the blonde leave his room and come outside like this?



The brunette didn't get a chance to ask this before Roxas began his explanation, "You and I are the same. There doesn't have to be a mirror in the room for us to see each other face to face like this." He offered a smile to Sora, but there wasn't much humor in it. Something seemed to be tiring him out, and he sat down on the sand in front of the original key-bearer.



The shock still had not worn off even as the silence between them was filled by the gentle chirping of insects in the background. They stared at each other, never breaking eye contact. One set of eyes was calm, while the other set was as wide as ever. It seemed that Sora would never break his gaze, so Roxas looked down to save them both some sort of embarrassment. After biting his lip, the brunette turned back to his work, unsure of what to say.



Roxas picked up for him, filling the void with his voice, "Riku was here, wasn't he?" No answer, "I can always tell. You get more sullen the more you see him around. It's really upsetting." Still nothing. The boy decided to hit him where it hurt, "You know, staying silent like this in front of me is fine, but keeping your tongue in front of the one you love is not helping you two be together. Take my word for it."



Clear blue eyes winced, and he felt the tears coming, but something surprising happened. Pale arms wrapped delicately around his frame from behind, and Sora could feel his nobody's face on his shoulder. His back stiffened in initial shock, but he relaxed into the touch, and even put a hand onto Roxas' after a short period of just standing there.



Still as hesitant as ever, Sora took a deep breath before speaking, "I know you're just looking out for me. And I know your reasoning. But it doesn't matter how much you help me," He turned at that moment, this time hugging Roxas front to front, "Axel's not coming back."



Fingernails dug into the original's back as the blonde resisted shedding tears over those truthful words. In place of crying, he let Sora go and stepped away, putting distance in between them so he could better calm himself down. Then, he simply turned and headed for the exit.



"I'll see you at home. Don't be too late. Mom and Dad won't like that."



Sora nodded at Roxas' retreating form, sure the the blonde could feel the defeat that lingered between them. How could either of them attain what they needed without first breaking their own hearts? The boy wasn't sure he wanted to risk never putting his heart back together again.







Later that night, Sora could hear pebbles hitting his window. In a daze, he sat up and untangled himself from Roxas' arms. He and his nobody had gotten into the habit of holding each other in their sleep. Two lonely hearts would try anything to comfort one another. Roxas barely felt him get up and merely clung to the pillow in Sora's place.



Once at the window, the boy paused, realizing who would surely be at the bottom. As he peeked over the sill though, he was pleasantly surprised by who he saw down below. Long crimson hair blew gently in the wind, and she shivered, probably freezing beneath her little nighty and a sweatshirt. His grin spread across his face at the sight of her, finally happy to see someone else in this world.



"Hey." He whispered, not wanting to wake Roxas. Kairi's head looked up and their eyes met.



She smiled and waved, "Hey yourself. You got a little while to talk?"



Blue eyes cast themselves about his room before moving back to the redhead below, "Sure, we can sit in the kitchen and talk. You'll be quiet enough, right?"



Without even waiting for her answer, he flashed her a smile and slid off the bed. Sliding on a sweatshirt himself, he tiptoed as quietly and swiftly down the hallway as possible. Neither of his parents so much as stirred in their sleep even as he hit almost all the creaks on the staircase. After easing the door open, he and Kairi snuck into the kitchen and sat at the counter with two glasses of water in front of them.



"So what brings you here this late?" Sora began, whispering just loud enough for Kairi to hear.



She only shrugged at first, and wouldn't make eye contact as she said, "Nothing. Just worrying about you, darling. I'm allowed to worry. You've been like a ghost lately."



The brunette bit his bottom lip and rubbed the back of his head, his eyes straying away from her face altogether, "Yeah, I know. I'm... I'm sorry, you know that."



Kairi giggled, "Yes, I know. You don't have to apologize. I know what it's like to get your heart broken. It's happened to me before too, you remember."



Another grin lit up his face as he called back the "old days" into his memory. There was a boy once that Kairi liked, but it was certainly so long ago. They were only just heading into middle school, so they must have all been around twelve years old. The redhead's eyes caught a light, and she fell for the sight almost instantly. Ironically enough though, Sora could not recall his name anymore. His best girlfriend had written it all over everything, but he just disappeared off the face of her notebooks one day and was never spoken of again.



It turned out, even beautiful girls like Kairi got dumped at least once in their lives.



Coming back into reality, Sora realized he had just gone off in a daze for a few minutes while trying to remember that guy's name. His smile was tired as he tried to offer it to Kairi, who placed a hand on top of his. He watched that hand as she began to speak again.



"So, I don't know what Riku thinks, but I'm pretty sure he wouldn't care if you were dying from an incurable disease. He just wants to be with you." It was her time to smile for him, "All he wants is for you to be happy. Preferably with him. But if not with him, at least be happy with someone else. We all just want you to be happy. So whatever is happening with you... just let us know how we can help, what we can do." When Sora's eyes met her own, he saw tears in them, "We all love you."



It was here that Sora realized what he had been doing to his friends. While trying to fix his breaking heart, he had pushed away the ones closest to him, like Kairi. And by pushing them far enough, he was breaking the ties he had with them in his heart. As her first tears fell, he pulled her into a tight embrace and held her there for a long moment, shushing her and stroking her long hair. It didn't take long for her to calm herself back down, but it was heart-breaking all the same to see her cry for him like that.



"I didn't mean to hurt you, Kairi. I'll try not to do it again. Please don't cry for me like that until my funeral, okay?" Sora chuckled at the end, although there wasn't much humor in the statement.



Offering him a watery smile, Kairi was soon on her feet and heading for the door. Another hug was shared between them before Sora closed the door and turned to head back upstairs. But at the top of the stairs, staring down at him, was Roxas. The blonde's gaze held him there, stunned into place.



"You didn't tell her, did you?" Was all he asked, but he answered his own question, "No, I would've been able to tell if you had told her like you told Riku at the beach that time." Sora's shocked expression had him grinning in a friendly manner, "No worries, Sora. I'm not angry with you. I just don't want the world knowing our secrets."



Roxas turned and retreated down the hall back to the bedroom they shared for the time being. A shiver ran down Sora's spine before he put his shoulders back and marched all the way up the stairs and to his room. Being careful not to slam the door, he still tried his hardest to look angry so Roxas would take him seriously.



"It doesn't matter what I told her. Neither of us is helping our situations by clinging to each other for support. How am I supposed to help myself when I won't even help me?" He clenched his fists, but still hadn't raised his voice, "Keeping secrets, hiding, clinging in our sleep... None of this is helping!" Sora sank to the floor, head in his hands, "I can't take this anymore."



Even as Roxas knelt beside him and pat his head, Sora was not ready to just let everything go. He understood that this was not all the blonde's fault, but he was entitled to his anger about this situation. It probably would not have gotten any worse had he listened to his own opinion instead of that of his nobody's. Now he was done hiding in the shadows. Now he was done running away from his feelings.



"I'm going to save us." His teary gaze met Roxas' own, and his eyes looked fiercer than they had in a long time. It was then that the blonde knew Sora would turn things around for the better. And then he would get the happy ending he deserved. "First thing's first: I don't want you sleeping in my bed anymore. If I'm going to be miserable about what is happening to me, not us, but me, than I'm going to be miserable without you being miserable beside me."



Even though these words were harsh, Roxas nodded, a simple smile on his face. He leaned in rather close and kissed Sora on the temple before standing up. "You always have a choice, Sora. I hope you know that."







It had been three long days since Sora spoke to Roxas. After their confrontation in his bedroom that night, the blonde seemed to fade into some kind of mist, and then was gone from sight. Part of the brunette regretted being so harsh, but it could not be helped any longer, he knew that deep down inside. It just hurt not knowing where his nobody was and how he was doing.



There was another regret in there as well: Sora felt like he had depended on Roxas too much for the emotional support he needed. True, Roxas had been through this before, but that did not necessarily mean that he was the expert in heartbreak.



Ocean-blue eyes closed as the tan boy sighed. He opened them once again to the sea in front of him. The waves crashed gently against the pale-white shoreline, creating a darker color as each one receded into the depths again. Even as he sat there, staring off into space with his arms rested on his knees, he could not shake the last look Roxas gave him. It was a mix of defeat and contentment. It made him think long and hard about what he said. Sora analyzed every syllable that escaped his lips that night, hoping he said the right thing.



Was Roxas waiting for him to tell him off?



It certainly appeared that way to the brunette, but he was unsure of how to proceed now. Sure, he could go rushing off to Riku in some sort of attempt to patch things back up, but that approach felt slightly off. Something told him that this whole situation was made more complicated, especially after what happened at Kairi's party that night. It weighed on him so roughly, and appeared so far away from him now, but the rejection was always present. Riku's pained expression never left his mind, and the burn in his chest as he ran away...



A heavy sigh escaped parted lips as he fell back onto the sand in some kind of resignation. Sora dug his feet into the ground and wiggled his bare toes as the sand fell between them. The wind played with his hair as more waves crashed and receded into the depths. This place was relaxing, even though he didn't like a lot of the memories surrounding it. Even as he tried to forget it, his eyes traveled to the island with the Paopu tree, and he replayed in his head the night Riku went into the darkness.







He ran across the bridge, his breath coming in gasps and sweat rolling down his entire body. He was so tired, but he ran. The rain started falling in small droplets, and they felt freezing against his heated skin. What was those things? They rose from the ground like they were emerging from the shadows, and no matter how many times he hit them with his stick-sword, they never took on any damage. But the second they reached for him, they tore at his flesh and clothing like nothing.



Finally, he could see him, standing there, his back to him. He came to a rushed halt, and shouted, "Where's Kairi? I thought she was with you!"



But the boy with the silver hair didn't turn around. He merely stated, emotionless, "The door has opened..."



When Sora questioned this, Riku turned hastily, a crazed look on his face. "The door has opened, Sora! Now we can go to the outside world!" Who was this stranger yelling at him? This was not his Riku. Not the Riku he fell for.



His confusion did not hinder his words, "What are you talking about?! We've gotta find Kairi!"



"Kairi's coming with us!" Said Riku in a harsh tone that made Sora recoil back a bit. What was going on here? "Once we step through, we might not be able to come back." Two sets of eyes looked up to see the huge glowing orb above them. Emotionlessly, Riku continued on, "We may never see our parents again." And then more resolutely, "There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us!"



And then he loudly said the words that would haunt the three of them for their whole journey. These words were what made Sora reach out to him, to try to pull him back, protect him, and protect their happy existence that they had tried to leave. Riku sounded so cold that night. So distant. And it made Sora feel sick to his stomach as he said:



"I am not afraid of the darkness!"



Just like the dream he had earlier that day, Riku extended his hand to Sora, and the wind grew stronger around them. He looked so calm and collected standing there, but the gaze in his cerulean eyes was scaring the brunette.



His fear echoed in his voice as he looked at his friend, "Riku..." Was all he said, but the name held so much meaning. It was like he was trying to tell him to come back, to be normal again, to stop scaring him.



Suddenly, darkness sprouted from the ground around Riku's feet, and Sora knew this was one of those defining moments. It was purple and black and ominous. It looked like ink, but rose like smoke and attached itself to his best friend's body. The brunette rushed forward, but stopped as his feet, too, were beginning to be engulfed by the stuff. Sora glanced down and then back up at his friend, swallowing the lump in his throat before he reached out.



He was so terrified, his hand shook as he reached, and he could feel nothing other than his heart pounding in his chest and the wind rushing through his ears. If he wasn't trying to save Riku from all this, than he would probably faint right there on the spot.



Even as he strained to reach his friend, Riku made no movement to help the situation. He merely stood there and watched Sora struggle. Tears formed in the corners of the brunette's eyes as he stumbled back, falling backwards into the darkness that spread around them. He couldn't reach his best friend, and because of that, they were both to be sucked up by the darkness. And who knew what would become of Kairi now?



And then... light...



Sora jumped up, startled.



He had fallen asleep on the beach, just laying there at the shoreline, and now it was getting dark. Sora rubbed at his eyes as he looked up and down the shoreline. He could see the waves still crashing, but the tide had gone up considerably. One glance at the moon told him that the tide was like this because it was a full moon. Well, at least the light would serve as a temporary light.



"You sleep like a rock, you know." Came from a cool voice behind Sora.



The keyblade master jumped to his feet at the sound and turned, as if the owner of the voice was going to fight him. But it was just his best friend, the one he had been dreaming about all along. Sitting there, cool as a cucumber, was Riku, grinning from ear to ear like a cat.



"I didn't want to wake you up. You looked so peaceful there." And then the grin slowly faded from his face as his gaze moved away from Sora, "But I think you were having a nightmare. You started making faces in your sleep. And you said my name." There was a pause, and he was grinning again, "Or was that a good dream about me?"



Sora couldn't find the words to answer. He felt his mouth hanging open, but was unable to close it. This was not how he wanted to approach Riku again, but it seemed like the situation was out of his hand at the moment. He relaxed a little and let out the breath he was holding, letting his shoulders slump forward. He kicked sand to the side, unsure of how he should proceed. Could he even look Riku in the face anymore?



"He really should stop sleeping outside like that. I keep telling him that he'll get sick." Another voice interjected. The two of them turned to see another figure further down the beach. "But I'm sure you've said the same, Riku. After all," The grin on Roxas' face looked sinister somehow, like he was being cruel in his own way, "the love you have for him is almost more than either of you can stand.



"Right?"





And I don't get this and I know why. You see sometimes things are just beyond control.