(no subject)

[schizo-niko.livejournal.com]

Challenge: None (and did the challenge die or something?)
Title: Afraid of the Dark
Word Count: 236
(anything else): No spoilers whatsoever. Written about Riku, and his fear of the darkness because, yes, it does exist.


Afraid of the Dark


Riku remembered something his mom told him a very long time ago, back when everything seemed big and a year may well have been forever.
“Everyone is scared of the dark, even if it’s only a little bit.”
Riku always thought he wasn’t afraid of anything, or perhaps that he shouldn’t have been. After all, he had two best friends to protect. Even at that age he was as simultaneously stubborn and loyal as ever.
Big, brave Riku, however, found that his mother was right—everyone was afraid of the dark (though his own fear was the sole proof of this; to him, he was everyone). In front of Sora, who he knew first hand to be afraid of the dark, Riku was fearless. But in bed at night, staring at the dull ceiling, he would get the creeping feeling up his spine. It was always weird; he got the impression that darkness refused to hurt him, but his fear kept him from controlling it.
Nothing had changed.
He still was afraid of the dark, even when it was all he had, his everything. Fear of the dark, dark is everything. He was afraid of everything. He’d fallen from being the big brave Riku to…this, this slime that had to create imaginary friends to keep him sane, give him a friend’s comfort when his real friends wouldn’t go near. Ha. He’d thought he was protecting them.



Challenge: None
Title: Put to Shame
Word Count: 202
(anything else): Another Riku fic. (Why do I have a fetish for writing Riku fics?) A comparison of the new Riku and the old Riku. No spoilers except for KH2 Riku’s disposition.


Put to Shame


WWORD?
What would the old Riku do?
He’d tough it out, maybe toss a few choice words. He would give his best friends a few punches in between bites of their lunch. In sickness, he’d laugh at them while bringing them flowers. In health, he’d want them near to him, fighting by his side against imaginary foes. In his fantasies, he would take Sora for all he had without a second thought.
His angles were sharper. Mind, body, soul—all three exuded bravery and intensity.
“I’m the big bad on this island.”
But, WWNRD? What would the new Riku do?
He would wait, observe. He would say only what must be said and never, ever, think of hurting his friends again, not after everything that had happened. Even as he suffered he would sacrifice. Sacrifice was second nature now. The foes weren’t imaginary anymore. In his fantasies, he’d wait for a Sora to say, “I’m ready.” Not a finger until then.
New Riku was softer, like the difference between pastel and hot pink. Brave? Heh—more like ‘used to pain; ready for more.’

Maybe the question doesn’t lie in some dumb initials. Perhaps the real question is, who puts who to shame?



(What that last one pretty much means is, the old Riku and new Riku have a lot of conflicting qualities, and it’s hard to tell who is really the ‘better’ Riku. *shrug* I’m crazy, don’t listen to me.)

Hope you like :D