Chapter Text
Riku's fingers fiddled with the measly change sitting in his pocket. Even the cheapest instant ramen option he’d been relying on exceeded what he could currently afford. He scanned the shelf's selection carefully for a fifth time, and then a sixth. Predictably, nothing changed. He was stalling at this point.
Riku really didn't think his search for Sora would take this long. Or he had at least hoped. The munny he had left home with was all but dried up, and making his own by doing the odd job here and there around Quadratum was harder than he expected. Resources were becoming scarce. He'd have to vacate the motel within the week. And he'd barely found any clues on Sora's whereabouts.
Sighing defeat, Riku grabbed a package of old reliable. Maybe the cashier would have mercy on him. She seemed kind enough.
A few more minutes were spent practicing his sob story speech in the aisle before he mustered the courage to approach the counter.
“Uh, excuse me…”
“I'd like to purchase this.”
Everything within Riku froze.
The package of ramen was taken from his grip by a very familiar hand. One he never thought he'd see again.
“Will that be all today?” asked the innocent cashier, oblivious to the swarm of emotions churning within Riku, leaving him speechless.
That voice again sounded over his shoulder. “Well, Riku?”
Riku didn't bother looking to the man who'd come up behind him when he spoke. He knew who he'd see. "What are you doing here?"
"Paying for your dinner. Could you not distinguish that for yourself?"
That had Riku fully spinning around regardless.
“You know that's not what I mean,” he spit.
Of all the places to see Ansem again, of course it'd be here and now, a time where Riku was again at his lowest. He appeared to have not changed one bit, standing tall and arms crossed with that all too familiar haughtiness. His usual attire had been switched out for a deep-cut, collared coat to combat the muggy weather weighing on the city today, silver hair sleek and glistening with what must've been rain from the drizzle Riku had tried to beat on his way here. Never had he been unnerved by someone appearing so plainly human before him.
Riku thought the man would stay gone this time – really gone. Had even seemed to find peace with that in the moment. Yet here he was, an ever persistent presence tainting Riku's life.
Golden eyes blinked down at him, unbothered by the displayed irritation. “That's not a very nice way to respond to my generous offer. You used to take them with ease.”
When Riku's gaping mouth found nothing to say at his forlorn tone, Ansem gestured over the counter.
“Do you intend to keep this young lady waiting?”
The cashier was indeed awkwardly standing by, giving the two of them a back and forth look that triggered a rising sense of embarrassment. Riku loathe to think what context she may be conjuring up in order to make sense of the squabble before her. He frowned back at Ansem.
“I can pay for myself.”
The other reached out, Riku nearly leaping out of his boots when Ansem's hand dug into the pocket of his jacket to fish out his meager amount of change. He added it to the munny he pulled from his own jacket pocket and slid it across the counter.
“There. Do you feel all grown up now?” Riku hardly had time to discern whether to feel more disrespected or mortified before Ansem was turning back to the cashier. “This will be all.”
Item paid for, the ramen was placed into a plastic bag and handed to Ansem. Riku snatched it before the other could, rudeness be damned, marching out of the convenient store and into the chilly rain, intending to forget the whole interaction. Ansem followed close in step, because of course he would.
“Not even a ‘thank you?’” he called after him.
Riku kept forward. “After you humiliated me like that? No.”
The path was blocked by Ansem outpacing him, Riku forced to stutter a few startled steps backwards. Ansem raised an eyebrow at the hastily created distance.
“And here I expected gratefulness for my favor.” He tsked, the sound scathing to Riku's thinned tolerance. “Unbefitting for a reunion, wouldn't you say?”
As much as Riku didn't want to allow Ansem to get under his skin, he managed it frustratingly well. Maybe it was just the shit day catching up to him. Either way, the man clearly wasn't going to let him leave in peace.
“If you're feeling so chatty, how about you answer my question,” Riku snapped.
“Of why am I here?” Ansem's arms crossed, looking out to the dreary city surroundings. “I should like to know the same. Bested by your hand, I was ready to embrace the end that was to come. Fate seemed to have had other plans and placed me here. Our time apart hasn't been shy of its… harrowing hangups.” He stared off into the neighboring street, the image of a wistful, tired man rather than the brutal Heartless Riku had come to know. “Who were to guess that moving on would prove to be such a difficulty. It appears you have had trouble with as much, too.”
Knowing better than to be swayed purely by an outward act, false or not, Riku didn't allow his suspicion to falter.
“How did you even find me?”
“We've been connected for so long; it's only natural that I sense your presence moving about.”
“Then why have you only now decided to reach out?” he pressed.
“Your distress has heightened. Significantly.”
Riku couldn't deny that. Progress on locating Sora had slowed to a complete halt. On top of being half starved and exhausted to the bone, the lack of results from all of the focus and energy he endlessly spent on hunting down scraps of clues was bound to affect him in the worst of ways. ‘Heightened distress’ was one way to put it. Hope wasn't exactly easy to come by lately.
“Allow me to assist you.” Ansem's offer pulled Riku out of his spiraling thoughts. “But first, let us get out of this rain.”
An arm fell across Riku's shoulders, nudging him back into step. He hadn't even noticed how close Ansem had gotten. He began leading them away down the sidewalk to who knew where before Riku's senses kicked in. He snatched away, stumbling off of the curb in the process and flinging his bag from his grip in his attempt to not face plant into oncoming traffic. Safely back on the sidewalk, he glared at Ansem.
"What makes you think I'd go anywhere with you?"
Ansem retrieved the dropped bag, facing Riku with a steel expression.
“Sora.”
It took everything in Riku not to lose his balance again, the world feeling to have been knocked from under his feet. Once his lungs remembered how to breathe again, he managed a hoarse, surprisingly coherent whisper.
"You know where he is?"
Ansem's answer was to hold out a hand. Presumably for him to take. Riku didn't.
He had fallen for this before. Led away by spoken lies and tantalizing desires he so wished to fulfill – fake promises that stripped him of his morality, and then his entire being. Riku knew firsthand how idiotic it'd be to trust Ansem. To trust him again after all of the suffering he caused due to Riku naively accepting him once before.
But he'd been at this for so long.
Each day that passed strengthened that creeping despair of Sora having been lost for good. The possibility made Riku want to resort to despicable, cowardly things he was ashamed of even thinking about. Keeping to this tireless routine was the final, straining thread that kept his sanity from slipping too far. All of that could change. Ansem knew something. He needed to know what that something was.
He needed Sora.
Ansem turned and continued down the sidewalk, bag still in hand.
Riku followed.
They eventually arrived at a small, two-story building tucked between an alley, Ansem leading the way to the second floor. This must be where he was staying. The inside housed the bare minimum of furniture: a couch, TV, and a tiny dining set within the kitchen area to the left that shared the open space. Veering off to the right was a glass door leading to a tiny balcony. Behind the thin curtain half covering it, Riku could see the slowing drizzle dripping down the doors glass pane, backdropped by the gray city lighting up for the evening. Straight ahead, two more doors that were presumably a bathroom and storage space bordered a single hall that led to what must've been the bedroom.
It wasn't too bad. Definitely an upgrade from Riku's dingy motel room.
“Leave your shoes at the door.”
Riku glanced down at his boots leaving muddy prints in the worn carpet. Ansem's had already been removed and Riku swiftly stepped out of his to place beside the other pair. He straightened again just in time to watch his sacked ramen thud into the kitchen's trash can.
“Hey!”
“It's not too late,” Ansem stated, lining the counter with meat and other fresh ingredients that he pulled from a fully stocked fridge. “Allow me to prepare something for you. You shouldn't be eating that dreck anyway.”
“I didn't follow you up here for dinner,” Riku protested. “I just want whatever information you have about Sora, and then it's back to my room.”
“I'd advise against that.”
Riku continued scanning the living space, not really caring when he asked, “And why exactly is that?’
“It's currently burning.”
Riku stopped. Sidestepping to the couch, he shuffled through the pillows for the TV's remote and turned to the news channel that he frequently stalked for clues in his downtime. Lo and behold, what flashed onto the screen was his motel building, engulfed in raging flames that proved a deftly match for the rescue forces fighting to get it under control.
Riku's hands flew to his damp head, stunned while taking in the scene. “No, wha– All of my stuff… My leads–!”
The clearing of Ansem's throat dragged his attention away from the blaze. The man directed a hand to one of the closed doors in the hall.
Hesitating, Riku stepped in it's direction, unsure of what to expect when pulling it open. The last thing he would've guessed was to see his duffle bag filled with all of his measly belongings, safe and sound. A hasty check confirmed that not a single Sora related note had been lost and Riku slumped in relief.
“It appears you'll be spending the night here,” Ansem spoke somewhere behind him. “And the next few, I'd wager, with that sad amount of munny you displayed back there.”
That fire wasn't an accident. Not with his things punctually removed to be within Ansem's possession beforehand.
Riku stood from his bag, turning a squinted gaze to the man who'd moved from the stove to watch him instead. “What game are you playing?”
“Game?” The smile that pulled at Ansem's lips filled Riku's body with foreboding chills. “Do you not believe that I truly wish to help you out of the pity of my heart?”
“No, I don't.”
Annoyingly, Ansem hummed that distinct sound he hummed when amused by Riku's hostility. “Truth be told, my resurrection here has been rather lonely. If there is anything my heart truly longs for, it is company.” That slimy smile spread wider. “Who better to remedy that than an old companion?”
Riku couldn't stand to listen to this. “I'm getting really sick of my questions being ignored.” He crossed his arms, voice hard and humorless. “Tell me what you know, or I'm walking out the door.”
That got Ansem to drop the jests, expression falling to something more subdued when studying Riku's own serious one.
“...Sora is indeed here. Within the radius of the next four neighboring cities, at least. I can't say which for sure.”
Riku wanted to deflate on the spot. With much difficulty, he ignored the panicked pang in his heart that ran his mouth dry. “Are you saying that he might not even be in Quadratum?”
Ansem pursed his lips, glancing to the ceiling in imaginary thinking.
“Talk, dammit!”
“You know,” Ansem responded, matching Riku's peeved tone, “I'm getting really sick of this attitude you've been giving. Especially when I've been nothing but selfless towards you.”
Ugh. He'd get nowhere like this. Ansem's resolve had Riku backed into a corner. Literally. The other inched closer, backing him into the closet door, awaiting what Riku really didn't want to give.
Not that he had much of a choice. His leads on Sora remained dry. He was broke. And now, homeless. Not to mention, starving like hell. A fresh, hot meal was hard to pass up, Riku eyeing whatever simmered on the stove behind Ansem. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't being enticed by the smell alone.
What other choice was there?
Riku's jaw ached from how tightly his teeth had clenched, forcing it to fall lax.
“...Sorry.”
His apology gained the return of that insufferable grin.
“Not very believable, but I'll accept it.”
It's for Sora, Riku desperately instilled in an effort to not direct a fist to Ansem's smug face. Just until I get what I need to find Sora.
“Now will you tell me what you know?”
“After dinner.” Ansem tilted his head, wrinkling his nose as he looked Riku up and down. “And a shower.”
With no room to argue, Riku relented with a small nod. Ansem turned back for the kitchen and Riku made a beeline to the balcony, suddenly desperate for fresh air. The drizzle had come to stop and he drew in a deep breath, letting the crisp, evening air coat his lungs like it could wash away the awful anxiety screaming at him that this was a drastic mistake.
It wasn't long before Ansem called him to the kitchen, serving him some sort of pasta dish that Riku loathed to admit was pretty damn good. Anything was an upgrade next to weeks of instant ramen and stale crackers. After the less than awkward dinner, Riku grabbed a change of clothes from his bag and jumped into the shower.
When he reexited the bathroom, the apartment had gone completely dark.
Riku stood in the doorway, a second spent contemplating the silence before closing and locking the door. The last thing he was going to do was blindly stumble around to figure out where Ansem had gone.
A clean bathtub wouldn't be the worst place he'd slept.