my heart's a battleground . . .

"Is this really going to work?" Riku asks, staring at the door. He's in civilian clothing, cargo pants and a shirt and some good sneakers. He has his hair tied back for the day.

"It might rebuff us, or put us in different places." But Riku is never really one to dawdle on possibilities. He likes to just move and act. Figuring they have a better chance when they go this way, Riku grabs onto Sora's arm and opens the door, pulling Sora out and then -

They're out of a store, in a really crowded area. It looks nothing like he's every seen before. There's some sort of giant tv on the top of a building, and strange metallic things that move on wheels, and -

Well. They certainly reached somewhere different.

There's music in his ears, even there's no possible way. He doesn't understan this at all.

Every day streets are crowded with people
Every night streets are jammed with these noise
"Things are so strange, are they real or a dream"
Where am I now, trapped in this city of illusion

Riku is never that antagonistic with the Organization - not anymore. He's been far too busy with DiZ lately to act like a jerk, and definately too inclined to avoid the Castle altogether. But that doesn't mean he doesn't revisit sometimes, either to check the library or keep tabs on their actions.

He just doesn't... take a valid part.

Today is different. Maybe it's because of running into Namine in the bar, or maybe it's his frustration at an argument with DiZ last night. Maybe it's his lack of sleep, maybe it's missing his friends, maybe it's something altogether. In any case, he's pretty annoyed, and in need of an outlet.

Right now, he's sitting in the middle of one of the castle corridors, using Way to the Dawn to carve drawings into the castle wall. It doesn't really work that well - all it really achieves is marks and loud scraping noises - but it's entertaining him. That's clearly enough.

This corridor isn't his only victim. Another hallway's got million of papers scattered all over it. They looked important, so now... they can be less important. Something that served for a kitchen ( do they even need to eat? ) has been trashed up, all the good food taken and the rest of it scattered in interesting ways.

This outlet doesn't involve trying to bait anyone. Not at all.

One satisfactory sounding scrape, and a smirk curls at the edge of his lips.

Riku is a man with a mission, and a boy with allies.

His mission is to find Sora, and a certain ally has lent him some very important information to help him with this fact. It seems that a boy named Roxas has some very special connections to Sora, and finding him will bring him miles towards his goal of making Sora whole.

Riku was never one to miss a chance, and he's spent the past few days just tracking Roxas. He's been very careful about this, and been very quiet - but he knows that his luck will only last so long. You couldn't be in the Organization without being aware of the dangers around you, after all. At least, not if you wanted to keep your life until you got a heart.

But so far, he hasn't been noticed - or so it seems. In any case, Riku hasn't ran into any problems. Soon enough, he'll confront Roxas. But right now, he's content to just gather information.

So. He is in one of the corridors in the shadow realms, lagging far behind the boy he's keeping an eye on. Because that will keep him from being discovered...

Our scene is set in the World That Never Was, sometime in the morning. Or at least, what passes well enough for morning - it's not as if the lighting changes, but it is sometime after people wake up, at least.

The specific setting for this venture is in Namine's Tower, where a dark path is opening. Out of this steps Riku. Today is the day that Riku and Namine have planned to take a trip to another world, and he wanted to come as early as possible. Partially in case they run into any problems, and -- well. Partially because he would just like to spend as much time with her as possible.

He has prepared for the occasion, and this fact is obvious from one glance at him. Riku has taken the trouble to ditch his usual outfit, and get ahold of something nicer. Hanging around Hollow Bastion for a few hours can prove to be a beneficial venture. It earned him some nice slacks, and a white dress shirt. His hair is pulled back into a simple ponytail.

That is not all the preperation he has done. His left hand is hiding somethng behind his back - but what could it possibly be?

"Namine?" he asks, his voice a little hesitant and soft.

Riku is fifteen, and it's the last day of school.

He's down at the beach, having cleared out of the Academy the second the bell went off. No hanging around there for him - he'll be as social as expected during the school year, but now? He's been freed from his captivity!

Every year he has a certain sort of ritual. He used to get in trouble for it when he returned home, but now his parents are used to it. They sort of sigh and shake his head at him.

The ritual involves getting his uniform as dirty as possible, in all the ways he couldn't have dared even a few weeks ago. Not if he was trying to avoid a million demerits, anyway.

This year, his solution is to the problem is to dig a hole in the mud. He's got most of the uniform off, scattered nearby. The only thing that's left is the pants, and a partially buttoned up dress shirt.

He's digging this hole real deep. He'll leave the rest of the clothing in there awhile, and come back to find it later. Like... a time capsule! But far more satisfying.

And if it washes away, all the better. He'd rather not see any of it again. Even if he has to return to school in three months time.

Riku's not sure where he's found himself this time. He'd been continuing his never-ending search for Sora andorand Roxas, but apparently it'd led him off course. The place almost reminds him of the shadow realms - almost.

It's the dark halls of a cave, one which seems to be deep and almost impenetrable. There's mists all around - they occasionally tickle his nose - and there would be a lack of light, if not for the torches. Those are what convinces him that he's not exactly in Kansas anymore. Light would not survive on the other side, after all.

There's strange items in hollow alcoves along the cave wall. Riku can't exactly recognize them, but they do seem to radiate some form of important. One, a sword - another, a helmet. Another, a... dinosaur bone?

Well. In any case, it might be an interesting place to explore, if not for the fact he needed to be elsewhere. But he doesn't just want to cast an exit out, without knowing where he is. That was more dangerous than necessary.

So he starts to walk, a bit. And hope that he runs into someone.

But knowing his luck, he won't find anyone at all.