Bring the Rain

Riku x Yuffie

Chapter One: Revelation

“You’re arranged to be married, Riku.”

It was these few, casual words that seemed to strip Riku of whatever happiness he had left. He knew his parents were cold, heartless beings. The young man just didn’t know they were that heartless. The day his life was officially ruined was going about like any other normal day for a rich, spoiled kid: Riku would lounge lazily around his parents’ manor while ordering his maids for simple things like food. Such were the luxuries of being born into a wealthy and rich family. While his parents, Larxene and Xemnas Nil, had worked hard for their money, Riku would have to do very little to no work at all to make a living. He was born rich and he was going to die rich. Once again, automatic rights to all his parents’ money was another luxury of being rich. Instead of going outside to be productive and work, Riku was once again laying on his king sized bed in his oversized room (which could have been considered more likely a suite rather than just a mere bedroom).

Because of his abundant wealth, Riku found it trivial to do little tasks on his own. But he didn’t have to worry about struggling with little tasks. Not only did he have an insanely rich family, live in what had to be the hugest manor in Destiny Islands, and have a suite for a bedroom, but he also had his own personal maid to take care of him when he was feeling too lazy to do so himself. The silver-haired young man peeked one teal eye open, his arms folded comfortably behind his head, and looked around his room for another silver-haired being. And sure enough, standing obediently right by his bed was none other than his favorite maid, Fuu. Riku chuckled to himself and went back to resting his eyes, his small laugh earning him Fuu’s attention.

“I’m thirsty, Fuu,” he said, now wearing his usual arrogant grin. “Get me something to drink, will you?”

Fuu frowned, irked by Riku’s habitual and blunt rudeness. Even when the boy wasn’t trying to come off as rude, he somehow ended up doing just that anyway. Nevertheless, Fuu dismissed the young man’s ill-mannered behavior and give him a quick nod of her head. She sauntered to the door that was slightly ajar in nonchalant strides, slowly making her way from his bed to the door. Discreetly, Riku grinned to himself. That was what he liked best about Fuu. No matter how much of a pain in the butt he was, she never complained. The boy was only grateful his right-hand maid was a woman of very few words. Never had Riku heard Fuu say more than two words at a time. As if her lack of speech wasn’t intimidating enough, but she was also sickly pale, almost like a ghost. His maid was tall and skinny, thus making her quick on her feet when she wanted to be at least. Fuu’s eyes were crimson, the same color of blood. Her short, silver hair the veiled half of her face went perfectly with her menacing appearance. She definitely looked strange in her required maid outfit. Despite all this, Riku still preferred Fuu to any of the other maids in the house.

Just as Fuu was about to reach out for the doorknob, Riku’s bedroom door suddenly flew open with a slender, blonde woman standing in his doorway. Fuu had jumped back in time, staring back at Larxene with a faintly surprised look on her usually deadpanned face. Larxene glanced over at the maid momentarily when she realized she had almost killed the young woman by opening the door to her son’s bedroom at lethal speeds. The silver-haired maid bowed at a ninety-degree angle for Larxene, placing her hands just above her knees.

“Pardon me,” Fuu apologized while keeping her head down.

Larxene waved her hand casually at the girl with the tiniest hint of a smile on her face. “No, no. That’s quite all right,” the blonde woman laughed, her voice light and yet burdensome in Riku’s ears. “Could you leave me and my son alone for a moment, Fuu?”

Riku’s favorite maid gave Larxene a quick nod before leaving through the now widely open door. Swiftly, the blonde woman turned back to her son with a sadistic looking smile stretching across her face. Riku sat up on his bed to meet his mother’s gaze. Standing before him was a slender, blonde woman whose hair was cut short. Larxene’s hair barely reached past nape length, a few strands of her hair brushed back over her head. Her skin was ivory-toned, glowing in the light of Riku’s bedroom. Her blue-green eyes pierced a long and intense stare into Riku. Chuckling to herself, Larxene glided her way over to her son’s bed.

“We have a special guest for you downstairs, Riku,” Larxene chimed with a cat-like smile as she leaned over his bed’s frame. “Do you remember a girl named Naminé Hartless?”

Riku arched an eyebrow, the name not ringing any bells at all. “No…”

“Oh, come now!” Larxene sighed, pouting. “You met her once before when you were just six years old.”

Riku thought back on when he was six, trying to recall any girl named Naminé. He vaguely remembered playing with a platinum blonde-haired girl who had big sapphire eyes and was named Naminé. She had been another rich child that came from a wealthy family. Which would explain why Riku interacted with her. However, the only reason he even spent time with her was because he also remembered both his parents forcing him to play with the girl. Riku looked back up at the blonde woman with a stoic look.

“Yeah, I remember a Naminé,” he admitted. “From a long time ago, anyway.”

“Well,” Larxene chirped, simply beaming. Something about his mother smiling happily struck Riku as odd. “You’re eighteen now, which means you’re of marrying age, correct?”

“I guess…” Suddenly, he didn’t like where this conversation was going.

“Do you remember why we had you meet Naminé when you were just six?” his mother questioned.

“Mom, why are you asking me all this?” Riku exasperated, turning away from his mother by rising up off his bed. The young man stretched his arms above his head, yawning all the while. It was then that Fuu returned to the room, holding a glass of iced tea in her hands. She quietly approached Riku and handed the silver-haired boy his drink. After accepting the tea from Fuu, she retreated out of the room in time to avoid any of Larxene’s mood swings.

“Fine, I’ll just get to the point,” Larxene snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. She watched as Riku began guzzling down the iced tea Fuu gave him. “When you were six, we had you meet Naminé so your father and I could arrange a marriage between the two of you with the girl’s father.”

Upon hearing these exact words, Riku spat out the tea he had in his mouth and spewed it all over the place. The poor boy began coughing violently when he choked on some of his iced tea in the process. All the while, Larxene merely stood back and watched in slight amusement as her son choked and hacked desperately for breath. When he had finally regained normal breathing, Riku whipped his silver head up and sent his mother a look of mix horrification and outrage.

“You two did what?” he demanded in a gasping tone.

Larxene clasped her hands together with a smile etched onto her pale face. The woman remained completely oblivious to her son’s evident horror. “You’re arranged to be married, Riku,” she laughed lightly, the woman’s voice echoing in Riku’s ears like an incessant bell. “Now that both you and Naminé are eighteen, you two can finally wed!”

Riku stared long and hard at his mother, his jaw hanging off its hinges. The silver-haired boy suddenly found it very difficult to breathe normally. While his brain imploded on him in his skull, Larxene stood in front of her son with nothing more than an innocent smile on her face. Riku’s already pale face lost whatever color it had left, the boy being unable to comprehend the words that came out of his mother’s mouth. He was young, rich, and supposed to be single. Now all his wild and insane plans to indulge himself in the freedom of being single were shattered into nothing more than shards of broken dreams. He had known his parents to be on the inhuman side of the spectrum, but this was crossing the line. Now on Riku’s once calm face was an expression of unsuccessfully suppressed outrage.

“I’m… what?” Even with Riku’s mind energized by surging amounts of indignant fury, his voice barely rose above a whisper. As much of an impact the revelation had on him, the young man found himself unable to respond properly.

“Arranged to be married!” The smile-like smirk on Larxene’s face seemed to radiate with oblivious joy.

Riku’s bedroom fell eerily silent as his eye twitched involuntarily. Finally, Larxene noticed her son’s odd silence and could only blink at him in perplexity as her smile fell. Riku stared at his mother with his jaw hanging wide open.

“You both forced me into an arranged marriage?” Riku shouted in disbelieved shock, grabbing handfuls of his long, silver hair. “When I was only six? With a complete stranger?”

“Well, gee, when you put it like that,” Larxene sassed as she crossed her arms and pouted at the eighteen-year-old. “You make it sound like a bad thing.”

“It is a bad thing!” Riku snapped, his eye still twitching. Needless to say, he wasn’t taking the news very well. “I don’t even get a say in this?”

“Well, why would you need a say in it?” his mother asked in genuine confusion. Riku couldn’t help but slap the palm of his hand against his forehead. “You really shouldn’t be complaining. She’s actually quite pretty.”

“That doesn’t matter!” Riku managed to calm himself down, ceasing his mental breakdown. He looked back up at his blonde mother, frowning. “Mom, I don’t even know her. And, come on, I don’t want to get married! Not now anyway.”

“Oh, but you’ll like Naminé,” Larxene giggled with a wave of her hand. Riku recoiled back at the sound of his mother’s laughter, the very noise of it sending uncomfortable tingles up and down his spine. “She also comes from a rich family.”

Riku crossed his arms and stared at his mother with a fierce look. “Is that why you and Dad did this?” he demanded. “Just so I would marry a rich girl for sure?”

“Who else would you marry?” Larxene inquired rhetorically, reverting to her usual annoyed self. She, too, crossed her arms and returned her son’s look with a more defiant one of her own.

“Well, yeah, but still…” Riku’s voice trailed off, unsure how to rebuttal his mother’s statement. Instead of arguing back, he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. He had been raised to believe that; the rich married other rich people just to keep the money rolling in. So it was no wonder he had no idea what to say.

“Come on, now,” Larxene sighed lightly, grabbing Riku’s hand. “Can’t keep Naminé waiting. That would be rude.”

Without so much as another word, Larxene dragged Riku out of his room and down the long, linoleum-tiled hall. He passed by numerous portraits and expensive paintings. Along the way, the two of them ran into several butlers and maids. Every time they passed by them, the maids and butlers would all bow respectfully, most likely hoping for a raise. Larxene whisked Riku down the grand staircase, almost tripping him in the process. Before he had a chance to think about what was taking place, Riku found himself standing in between his mother and father in front of two guests. Blinking, he stared wide-eyed at a cream colored girl standing before him next to a blond man. The girl’s platinum blond hair tumbled over her shoulders in straight tresses, glinting blindingly in the light of the sun that seeped through the lacey curtains. Riku stared dazed into her brilliantly sapphire blue eyes, which were veiled by thick eyelashes. She was slender and rather short, clad in a white dress. The girl currently had her eyes downcast at her sandaled feet, acting like a shy child.

All ready, Riku disliked the girl. Wild and eccentric girls meant more fun to him. However, shy, quiet ones weren’t all his type. He preferred them feisty and frisky. Granted, the girl was gorgeous. But if he had to marry a shy young lady who didn’t even have an ounce of a wild side in her, Riku was going to shoot himself. He quickly glanced over at the blonde girl’s father. He stood tall and robust in front of Riku, the man’s hair a darker shade of blond compared to his daughter’s. His skin was lightly colored, not as pale as the girl’s. The man’s eyes were also a more dull blue color in comparison to his daughter’s. He was also growing a blonde stubbly beard around his chin.

“Good of you to join us, Riku!” Xemnas teased while slapping his son on the back. Riku grunted and stumbled forward, his father unaware of how much strength he actually had.

“This, Riku,” Larxene began introducing, “is Naminé. You remember Naminé, don’t you?”

At the mention of her name, the blonde young lady glanced up from her feet and made eye contact with Riku. She flashed him her tiniest smile and said in a barely audible voice, “It’s nice to meet you, Riku.”

“Hello… Naminé…” Riku resorted to rubbing the back of his neck once more that day, quickly averting his eyes away from the girl. There was no way he wanted to go through with the whole arranged marriage thing. It was nothing personal about Naminé, just that he didn’t want an arranged marriage. She, however, looked like she was in agreement with the whole thing.

“This is Naminé’s father, Luxord Hartless,” Xemnas said while gesturing towards the blond man standing next to Naminé.

“Good to see you again, Riku,” Luxord chuckled with an accent, grabbing the silver-haired boy’s hand and shaking it roughly. Riku forced a grin for the man, his hand now throbbing in pain when he retrieved it back.

The prosperous families were now in the large living room of the Nil manor. Riku sat uncomfortably next to Naminé on one of the overstuffed couches placed about in the living room. Meanwhile, both their parents were discussing details on the two’s wedding. Riku had his head turned away from the blonde, unable to ignore the stare she was piercing into him. He drummed his fingers anxiously against the armrest as conversation starters buzzed around in his cluttered mind. The boy had been with Naminé for almost thirty minutes, and they still remained sitting awkwardly close to each other without so much as exchanging two words with each other. The lack of conversation was starting to get to Riku, unnerving him.

“So, uh, Naminé,” he stammered, finally looking back at the blonde. It was then that he met her chilling stare. Smiling anxiously, he lamely asked, “Do you like… stuff?”

“Yes, I do enjoy stuff.” She flashed him a dainty smile, apparently not using any sort of sarcasm to answer his question. Riku quickly looked away, his smile pained. Not only was she shy, but she also wasn’t snarky. This wasn’t going to be a fun marriage at all.

He directed his nervous grin back at Naminé. “What kind of… stuff?”

“Money, for one,” the blonde chirped in her soft voice, her smile radiating.

“At least we have that in common,” Riku laughed under his breath, running his hand through his hair as he did so. If there was one thing he loved more than women, it was money.

“So, what do you two think?” Luxord spoke up from across the room, sitting with both of Riku’s parents. “When should we have the wedding?”

“As soon as possible, Daddy,” Naminé responded happily, directing her smile from Riku over towards the adults.

“And you, Riku?” Xemnas spoke up from next to his wife, wearing a tired smile on his darkly colored face.

Riku huffed and slumped in his seat, making sure there was a vexed look on his face. “Whatever.”

“Right then!” Larxene laughed airily, dismissing Riku’s forced attitude. “We’ll have the wedding soon, then!”

Riku scoffed discreetly to himself, glancing away from the other rich people in the room. He directed his intense eyes to the palm trees near the window outside. If there was one thing he wasn’t going to do, it was marry a complete stranger he had no affectionate emotions for. While love was trivial to Riku, he wanted to at least marry someone he was in love with. And while he had never before experienced the feeling of love, he could most definitely tell he wasn’t in love with Naminé. He was going to have to get out of this sticky situation somehow. Talking his parents out of it seemed out of the question, especially since they had been planning this for twelve or more so years without letting him know. And convincing Naminé that this wasn’t a good idea also seemed impossible. The girl seemed perfectly fine with the idea of being forced to marry Riku. There was only one way out of this mess, only one thing to do.

Riku was going to have to run away from home.

TO BE CONTINUED…