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Post by blazingTactician on Aug 12, 2010 23:07:27 GMT -5
It was near sundown- most of the kids had gone home for the day. With a few obvious exceptions...
Seated upon the bended palm tree, it would have been hard to know what Riku was thinking. His face was blank and appeared calm, but on the inside, conflicting feelings were giving him quite a bit to think about.
The monotony of island life was starting to get to him. No matter how much he tried to vary it up, things just never changed around here. School was even more of a tiresome chore, life at home was boring, and he'd explored this island thoroughly. He wasn't allowed to venture out any further, otherwise he'd be long gone.
There had to be something else out there, beyond the endless blue sea. A place where his skills could REALLY be put to use, rather than just for playfighting with his friends. The teenager stared out at the ocean, as if hoping he could see the desired land on the horizon.
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Post by The Bilby Guy on Aug 12, 2010 23:20:50 GMT -5
 "Yo, Riku!" came a call from behind the silver-hired teen. Only one kid on the island spoke with that particular old-style accent, and even if not few could sound so relaxed while yelling. It was definitely Wakka who had spoken up in an attempt to catch Riku's attention. The redhead strolled calmly over the bridge that connected the tiny raised islet his friend was on to the main island their playground was located on. "Still hanging out over here? It's getting late, mon."
Wakka had already seen the other kids row their little boats back to the main island that their village was located on. Since he and Riku were the oldest of the tight-knit group that had formed between them he always felt responsible for making sure they were alright. Riku didn't seem to express the same concerns, exactly, but then he always seemed to try to act like their leader so that was part of it as far as Wakka was concerned.
"What's keeping ya?"
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Post by blazingTactician on Aug 12, 2010 23:26:27 GMT -5
He raised his head at the sound of the voice. Turning around slightly, a slight glimpse was all he needed to confirm that Wakka had spoken.
He grinned offhandedly at his friend, not replying immediately. Truth be told, he liked Wakka a lot, for being one of the more sensible of the kids. Thanks to Wakka, he didn't really need to manage their younger friends- the redhead seemed eager to take that job.
He shook his head. Such a motherly kid. Though, he got the impression it was intended to be coming from a friend, since they were the oldest of their group.
Riku turned his head back towards the sea. "Oh, this and that. I like the sunset, you know?"
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Post by The Bilby Guy on Aug 12, 2010 23:34:58 GMT -5
Wakka kept his stride until finally he arrived onto the small piece of land that Paopou Trees grew on. Riku was seated on the bent trunk of one right now. Moving around to the far side of the tree Wakka stood next to its roots and looked out over the sea toward the sunset. He smiled at it, hands against his hips. The redhead breathed deep the scent of the salty air before looking over to his friend again.
"It's a nice view," he said, though Wakka's tone implied that he felt Riku was thinking about more than just pretty lights.
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Post by blazingTactician on Aug 12, 2010 23:42:16 GMT -5
Riku inclined his head, looking over at Wakka in a bemused manner. "Alright, so I got more on my mind than the sunset."
He fell silent for a minute or so, staring out to sea. After deciding how to phrase it, he spoke up again. "Doesn't this seem old to you, Wakka? We've known each other for, what, ten years? Every day's been the same. It's only changed a bit since we got older. I don't know about you, but at this point I'd do anything to get off of this cluster of rocks."
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Post by The Bilby Guy on Aug 12, 2010 23:51:57 GMT -5
Wakka couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's words.
"So even Riku himself isn't above acting like a real teenager now and then, ya!?" he asked rhetorically, not taking anything too deep from the silver-haired kid's words. Adolescence was just a part of life no matter what world you lived on. It was only natural for them to feel equally adventurous and rebellious at their age, though with a younger brother to watch out for Wakka usually tried to act at least somewhat mature.
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Post by blazingTactician on Aug 12, 2010 23:54:43 GMT -5
He started, somewhat annoyed at Wakka's reaction. This wasn't just mere adolescence- he'd been feeling this, to an extent, his entire life. He was about to reply angrily, before he thought better of it, knowing his friend had meant well.
"I can't be perfect all the time, you know."
He sighed, closing his eyes. "I just get the feeling that we're missing out, trapped, almost, on this island. There's gotta be something more out there."
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Post by The Bilby Guy on Aug 13, 2010 0:02:33 GMT -5
"Hey, who said you were perfect?" Wakka teased, givign Riku a small shove on his arm. He usually allowed himself to act more like the youngster he was when just with others his own age. The redhead then hopped back and pulled himself up, sitting down on the tree trunk next to Riku.
"Why does there have to be?" Wakka asked, still mostly just riffing his friend's words for the sake of amusement. "What else would there be?"
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Post by blazingTactician on Aug 13, 2010 0:13:12 GMT -5
"I don't even know! But don't you think it's weird that we'll be here our whole lives?" He leaped off the tree, his hands waving in midair as he talked, somewhat agitatedly.
"Nobody ever accomplishes everything. All adults ever do when they grow up is work and raise kids to take their place. What's the point?"
He walked out to the edge of the inlet, pausing for a moment while he considered the horizon. "You've seen what I can do, Wakka. I don't want to just live a normal life, here. I want something new."
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Post by The Bilby Guy on Aug 13, 2010 0:21:57 GMT -5
Wakka watched Riku's little fit while still sitting on the tree. He didn't respond right away, instead reaching up to scratch his head then looking off to the sea again. A few seconds passed before he resumed the conversation properly.
"Riku, you know people have sailed their ships out as far as they can go. If you're looking for another island or another village you won't find one out there," he said simply. "Maybe I don't have your talent but I enjoy life and everything we can do here. I'm not sad that I'm here, ya!?"
Wakka felt almost helpless. Riku seemed to be going into a realm of thought that children probably weren't fully ready to handle, yet the intelligent of which tried to rationalize anyway before they were ready. His friend was surely intelligent.
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Post by blazingTactician on Aug 13, 2010 0:29:31 GMT -5
He fumed silently for a moment, before sighing, his shoulders sagging slightly. "I know, Wakka. Yet I can't help but feel like they must have missed something. There's gotta be something else! We can't be all there is of humanity."
His friend's words cut deep. Riku knew he had a good life- he realized he was crying for the moon, and it brought a guilty feeling into him. In a rare, abashed moment for him, he rubbed the back of his head, muttering.
"Yeah...We could do worse."
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Post by The Bilby Guy on Aug 13, 2010 0:34:54 GMT -5
"Sometimes you have to appreciate what you got, ya!?" Wakka said with a laugh as he came down off the tree to stand by his friend. As much of a companion he might try to be, the redhead wasn't suited for any great philosophical talks. The best he could offer to be was someone to ground Riku back to earth when his head got into the clouds. After all, he was named after the land. He should leave looking to the sky to Sora, except that kid never thought anything far enough ahead to reach ideas of things beyond the island. Funny how that worked out.
"Tell you what, if it will cheer you up, I'll tell you what they missed. There is something out there that we haven't explored, where anything might be," Wakka offered, clapping a hand on Riku's shoulder.
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Post by blazingTactician on Aug 13, 2010 10:12:27 GMT -5
It was funny that Wakka would be the one he'd have this conversation with. He'd wanted to tell Sora- if he was going to go with anyone, it would be him, the closest he had to an equal among the kids.
He perked up at Wakka's words. Could it be true? Did he really know what else was out there? He hurriedly turned towards his friend. "Really!? What is it, Wakka?"
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Post by The Bilby Guy on Aug 13, 2010 12:58:04 GMT -5
The redhead chuckled at Riku's apparent excitement. After dangling a carrot like that in front of him Wakka couldn't let him down now. He turned toward the sea and checked the sunset. it looked like there would still be a fair amount of light left in the day. That was good, but still not ideal. The athlete then turned and walked toward the edge of the islet that faced their village. The others were out of sight by now, probably already home. Also good, wouldn't want some of them trying to tag along since these weren't the best conditions.
"Not the best time of day for it, but I think I can give you the general idea," he finally said. Wakka then moved to the ladder on the outer side of the raised rock platform they were on and began to climb down it toward the water.
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Post by blazingTactician on Aug 13, 2010 13:06:16 GMT -5
A smile grew on Riku's face. Who would have guessed that Wakka had a secret like this up his sleeve? There was definitely more to the simplistic teen than met the eye. It was pretty late, but his parents didn't mind him staying out- he'd often left the island well after dark. A warm feeling crept into his blood- time for an adventure.
Showing off somewhat, he leaped off the inlet, landing with a splash in the water. Floating to the top, he tread water, grinning widely at Wakka. "So where is this mystery place?"
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