paixaorpg | Sleepless We Dream [Complete]

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Sleepless We Dream [Complete]

Character(s): Kovu and Riku. And maybe other characters whose name ends with u.
Content: The two meet. Brooding will likely ensue.
Setting: Jogo da Crianca park
Time: Night, since Riku's a nightowl. During the same time as this thread.
Warnings: IT'S A LION, GET IN THE PARK

Another restless night. The longer he spent in Castle Oblivion, the more often Riku found himself needing to get out and just move. Twice this week already he'd woken up in the middle of the night with his mind racing and the need to just walk. And though he hadn't tried to sleep yet tonight, he wondered if at 5 a.m. he'd wake up again with the need to wander.

He needed quiet. Somewhere to think. Riku missed his island. And with a sigh, he headed to the train station.

After a while Riku found himself leaving Central Station and walking to Jogo da Crianca. A park would be the best bet for what he needed, and at this time of night, it would be especially quiet. After a few minutes, he found a small hill near the edge of the park. There, under a few trees, he sat in the darkness, gazing up through the gaps in the foliage at the dome's stars.

Fake. Just like everything else there.

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Pacing back and forth wasn't Kovu's idea of a good night. Kiara and Simba were talking now, and Timon and Pumbaa were with them. They were going to try to work everything out. So why was Kovu so tense? He couldn't sit still for even a second, much less long enough for them to finish talking.

Finally, he sat on his haunches, and just looked up at the stars. Nothing. Not a single one was familiar. Not to the Outlands...and certainly not to the Pride Lands. He sighed, and brought his gaze down to the fake grass that covered the land here. It might have been hard in the Pride Lands with Simba...but it had really started to feel like home for Kovu, with Kiara there. This Paixao place...everything was fake. Even the stars he'd been looking at didn't shine quite right.

Riku stared out across the park. From his vantage point, he noticed movement. He was pretty certain he wouldn't be seen from where he was now. But that concerned him less than the question of what was moving. Eyes wide in the dim light, he could see the form wasn't human, even at that distance.

And if it wasn't human, it was an outsider like him automatically. Something here that was real. And something that caught Riku's curiosity.

He got up and approached. But as soon as he noticed what it was, he hesitated slightly. A lion. He'd heard plenty about them from Sora. Assuming that this one was even from the same world. The feline was dark, but not lanky, not matching any description Sora had given him.

"Hey," Riku tried. Who knew if he even spoke. "You're not from around here, either."

Edited 2010-08-31 07:55 (UTC)

The voice brought Kovu's head up sharply, followed quickly by his hindquarters so he was on all fours. He was more than a little wary, and brought his shoulders up and head low, ready to pounce. This wasn't a scent he recognized, and that put him even more on edge. He bared his teeth and growled.

"Who are you?" Another growl undercut Kovu's suspicious question. He knew he shouldn't be so tense, but...he wasn't about to let someone interfere with Kiara and Simba. This could be the only chance they were going to get.

The moment the lion growled, Riku instinctively took a step back and took up a ready stance. A few small blue sparks wafted through the air as the youth held back actively summoning his Keyblade out of reflex. Still, he could feel his palm tingle with the power he held just out of reach. Way to the Dawn was ready when he was.

"Riku," he answered with a low voice. The teen craned his neck a little to get a better look at the lion as he took one more step back. "I'm an outsider, just like you."

Kovu backed up a couple steps at the strange lights, and stayed just as tense. "I'm Kovu," he said with a growl. What a weird way to introduce yourself. Why was this guy even talking to him? There had to be dozens of other outsiders here...so out of all of them, why a lion?

Kovu's eyes darted over to where Simba and Kiara should have been, but they were far enough away that they probably couldn't see him either. He looked at the ground, and his shoulders fell as he relaxed a little.

He sighed. "...What do you want," he asked, putting scant effort into looking back up at the biped's face. Hopefully this guy wouldn't be that bad...but Kovu wasn't exactly in the mood for company. He was way too nervous about Kiara.

Riku took a moment to reply, but when he saw Kovu relax his shoulders, he slowly relaxed his own posture. His left thumb gradually found its way back to his pocket. Still, he mentally kept his guard up to ensure he'd be armed immediately, should the need arise.

He followed Kovu's glance and spotted two other lions some distance away. One of them fit the description of Simba pretty well. If the lioness wasn't so young, he might have guessed it was Nala.

"Where I'm from, animals don't exactly talk. And I'm betting you know a friend of a friend." Riku casually leaned against a tree. "...You know a lion named Simba?" He gestured down the way to the other two lions, but there was a degree of hesitance in the motion that hinted at uncertainty.

Kovu cringed at the mention of Simba's name, especially so close to the word "friend." He tried to keep his thoughts from straying to a dark place.

"Yeah, I know him." His voice almost shook a little, and he nearly choked on the words. He took a few deep breaths. "Why...does he matter?"

This was taking a lot more effort than Kovu thought it would. There wasn't any reason to be angry at Simba now, and Kiara was even talking to him, but...he couldn't just throw away those years of training and years of listening to his mother just because he wished he could forget about all of it. He had to keep Simba safe, yeah. He never said anything about getting along with him.

That cringe was not unnoticed. But the reaction was no growl of hatred, but one of stress. There was something up between him and SImba. The question was "what," less out curiosity and more out of making sure he didn't get his head bitten off. Perhaps literally, but he figured lions from the Pridelands would be about as civil as anyone else.

"Because I trust Sora's friends. And because that means I know where you're from. Don't think Sora ever met you, though. Never mentioned you." A large fake root that looked like it was carved from marble stuck up from the ground. Riku took a seat so he'd be more on eye-level. He wasn't comfortable doing so, but perhaps it would ease the tension a little.

With his eyes squeezed tight shut, Kovu sighed again, trying to compose himself. Sora was that guy who'd talked to Kovu on the journals, and who had been do adamant about becoming friends. He'd been the first stranger in Kovu's life--since Kiara had when they were cubs--who had been truly nice to him. Even cheerful...and as weird as it was, Kovu had been finding himself liking the boy's naive persistence. It was a welcome departure from the way everyone had treated Kovu in the Pride Lands.

"We only talked over those communicator things. It wasn't very long ago, either." A few moments passed with Kovu just watching Riku, and the lion was visibly less tense when the hairless monkey sat down on the fake root. "He was...really persistent."

Riku closed his eyes and hummed a soft chuckle. "Persistent. That's Sora all right. Though if it was recent, that's maybe why I didn't hear about you." As he watched the lion closely, he noted Kovu seem to be less on-edge. He mentally nodded to himself. It was easier to relax when something that big wasn't on edge as much. "Sora would make friends with his shoes if he thought he could," Riku smirked. "He's a good guy, though."

Again, Riku found himself staring through the leaves to what few stars he could see. "Nice to know there are other people around that, when they got something on their minds, look at stars. ...Or whatever glow-in-the-dark paint they've got up there."

Edited 2010-09-01 02:16 (UTC)

There were a few words there Kovu had never heard before. He guessed "shoes" were something that shouldn't be able to talk, but he had no idea what glow-in-the-dark paint was supposed to be. Riku was talking about the stars, was that what he meant? Or about how the sky in this big weird cave-thing was fake?

"I was looking at the stars with someone special before I came here. She was telling me something that her father had always said...and I asked a really stupid question. Before we could say anything else, she was gone, and I was in this weird place." Kovu's shoulders, which had been held straight a moment ago, were now drooping, and his tail was limp.

"A lot of people wound up here during times they'd prefer they didn't. I was talking to Sora when a door opened up. That door didn't take us where I hoped it would." Riku looked back from the ceiling to Kovu, whose posture had changed quite a bit. His brows raised a little.

"Wish those stars were real," Riku murmured. He could neither confirm or deny whatever question Kovu had asked was outright stupid, but he figured he'd let it go rather than inquire. The guy looked like he had enough on his plate as it was. "Safe to say you really miss her."

"There are other lions here I'd prefer hadn't wound up here at all." The names "Scar" and "Simba" weren't mentioned, but Kovu wasn't about to say them out loud. Especially since Sora was supposed to be friends with the latter. The lion looked at the ground, and sighed again.

"Huh? Kiara's here, she's over there talking with...Simba." It took a second for Kovu to say Simba's name, and it came out only after something of a pause. "Kiara and I got here at the same time, we only had to find each other."

"Like who?" Riku knew about Simba being here. Boy did he know about Simba, thanks to Sora. Any others he wasn't so sure about. He'd heard of Nala and Scar, but for all Riku knew, other lions had appeared from the Pridelands.

So that isn't Nala, I was right. The pause made Riku wonder about his relations with Simba. However, he knew that pressing would just mean Kovu would close up to him entirely. He'd just have to dance around that a while. "Lucky you arrived at the same time. A lot of people don't know anybody here."

If Kovu was worried about asking something stupid in front of Kiara, she really must be something special to him. "At least you have someone to rely on while you're here. So..." He began, leaning back and crossing his arms. "What's she like then?"

Riku's first question was greeted with a flinch. "No one," Kovu said, without making eye contact. He wasn't about to divulge his world of problems to a hairless monkey he'd just met. Riku probably didn't want to hear them anyway.

It took him a second to think of what he was going to say about Kiara, but the chance to talk about her brightened his mood. "Kiara's...she's great. If it wasn't for her, I..." His voice trailed off again. Kovu quickly turned his back on Riku.

"...Forget it."

Riku didn't comment back, instead just taking in all the meaning of that two-word reply. There was definitely some bad blood there. The best question, though, would be why. Though Riku was never the type to go around trying to get people to kiss and make up, he was certainly smart enough not to try to step on people's tails, as it were.

However, the second Kovu turned his back, Riku raised his brows. That was sudden. He didn't reply immediately, instead reaching up to a low-hanging branch and breaking off a marble twig with leaves of jade. When held up at certain angles, the jade caught the soft light of the gas lamps nicely, leaving a subtle yellow-green light sprawling against the back of his hand. "...Sounds like you've got personal demons to deal with, too."

"Heh, you too?" Kovu looked back at Riku. Despite the laugh, there was no actual amusement in his voice, rather, it was cynical. "I hoped that ending up here would have helped me get away from everything, but nothing's different."

"I wasn't welcome in the Pride Lands," he paused, tensing up. "...And I don't belong here." Kovu figured that much, at least, he could say. And if Riku was Sora's friend too, he had a feeling he'd see much more of the silver-maned biped anyway. Telling him a little...just a little...shouldn't hurt.

"Yeah. I'll leave it at that I've made some mistakes. Some big ones." With that wording it was pretty clear Riku wasn't talking either. "Ending up here doesn't solve anything. I've never been in the Pridelands, but I'm willing to bet this place is more dangerous."

"I won't ask about why you weren't welcome in the Pridelands..." Riku trailed off, giving Kovu and odd look. That wasn't to say he wasn't wondering about it. After all, if he wasn't in the Pridelands, was he in a different world? "...But I'll say no one belongs here."

"I'm starting to figure that out," Kovu said without much enthusiasm. "You don't know of any way to get back, do you?" Why he bothered asking he didn't know, but it was more of a statement than a question. He was pretty sure this guy didn't have any more of an idea than he did.

He was trapped here. With Scar. And with a promise he'd made to Kiara that could prove very hard to keep. If only he had someone to go to. Not for answers, just to listen...but he never did. She was the closest thing to that he'd had his entire life, and he'd spent all that time since he was a cub training to kill one of the most important people she ever had. He sat on his haunches, back still facing Riku, and shut his eyes tight.

He was never going to do that to her...

"No easy way, no," he sighed. "I've been here before, but it's impossible to know what floor we're on." Waaaaait. Riku tilted his head back a little, eyes still on him. He doubted castles were exactly common to even the king of beasts. After a pause, he continued. "How much do you know about this place?"

Riku broke a leaf off the twig and flicked it to the side, leaving one at the very end. He held it over where Simba would be in his line of vision had bushes not obscured them from his seated position. He twirled the twig so it then would be over Kiara. He twisted it back and forth a few times idly before looking back to Kovu again.

"I've only been here for a day, so all I know is that this place is called Paixao, and that somehow there are people here from the past who really aren't supposed to be." The last part was what had caused most of the trouble for Kiara and Kovu since they'd arrived the night before.

And it was the reason Kovu was having so much trouble just letting go of what his mother had wanted him to become.

Riku sighed slightly. This is gonna be rough. "Square one. Got it. ...Guess I'll start with this: my explanation may not make sense. Even where I'm from it's weird."

The teen leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "Humans like me build their homes in layers sometimes.” He demonstrated with flat hands. “Like one rock ledge above the other. We call them floors. We enclose ‘em all so they’re like caves. We call these places buildings.”

“But this building’s enchanted. Don’t ask me how, but each floor is huge. Much larger than it should be. And it doesn’t look like a normal floor, cave or anything. Paixao,” he pointed down, “and the island it’s on is one floor. Find the right path and you can climb to a higher floor. The floor above this one is a town... Think of a town as being like where a pride lives.”

“This ‘building’ we’re in is called Castle Oblivion. One of these floors has an exit, but there are a lot of floors.” Man I hope that made sense.

...That was a lot to take in at once. Kovu was quiet for a second, trying to piece everything together.

"You know what? I'm not even going to try to understand that. I've got more important things to worry about." Kovu wasn't so much dismissing Riku's explanation as trying to keep his head on straight while he figured out what it all meant. And it would be way easier to do that on his own time, when he didn't have the constant thought of Scar breathign down his neck. He had the feeling he'd find out some of this when he went hunting with Simba anyway. Though...thinking of that just made him nervous.

Some of that did help though. At least now Kovu knew what to call those big square rock-things that were everywhere here.

"At least there's a way out."

Riku waited patiently for a reply, knowing he'd just thrown a ton of abstract concepts Kovu's way. His eyelids drooped a little when Kovu gave up trying.

"Baggage. I get that. I can't tell you if it's more important or not. But you need to know something." Riku leaned back again, crossing his arms. His tone was matter-of-fact, but also very grave. "This place is a maze. You and me are just like mice. And there are some really big cats that know this maze pretty well. I don't know what your problems are. But you need to know you've got another one now: We're living in a death trap."

After a slight pause, he added carefully, "I've been in Castle Oblivion before, and lived to remember the tale. I'm willing to help where I can, right now." Riku wasn't willing to fully trust in Kovu, yet, considering he knew not all lions could be trusted. Still, he didn't show either Riku or Simba ill-will, at least outwardly.

...Yeah. That was new. Kovu had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. His whole life had been a death trap. And anything that had a chance to be somewhat safe, his mother had made even more dangerous for him. And even the short amount of time he'd spent in the Pride Lands he'd been constantly on edge, thanks to the fact that Simba--at least, that Simba--really didn't like him.

No...living his life in a death trap didn't surprise him at all. If Riku had been hoping to change Kovu's mind about something, he was going to be disappointed. In fact, the news barely got a visible reaction from Kovu at all, save for a slight droop in his cheeks.

"Sorry if you were trying to surprise me," he said with a hint of cynicism.

Huh. Not the reaction I figured. Riku shrugged a little. "Sounds like you're used to that sort of thing." He broke off the last remaining leaf from the marble twig he held. It fell into the silk grass with a slight rustle.

"My life...wasn't exactly easy." Kovu left it there, and wouldn't be answering further even if Riku asked. He was quiet until he finally turned back around, missing, just by a little, the leaf falling to the grass.

"So, this place isn't what it looks like." He hoped that would change the subject. His past had been brought up enough times tonight already.

There was a subtle nod. Riku had gotten the hint that anything about Kovu he'd have to wait for him to reveal. Every time he'd inquired, Kovu offered a reply so meager the conversation almost starved to death. So he'd just have to be patient, watch and listen for clues, and be ready for when he actually did open up. That was fair. Riku wasn't about to spill his past, either.

The main difference was that this lion seemed to be dominated by his past rather than trying to live in spite of it.

"No, it's not," he replied, glancing up. He'd taken to seeing how many pieces he could break that twig into. It was something for his hands to do. "Everything here is a copy. Fake. Some of it's obvious." Underscoring his statement, Riku dumped the marble twig pieces onto the ground. "Some of it's pretty convincing. Food seems to be real enough, but it wouldn't surprise me if I found out I was eating tofu."

"I figured that much out already," Kovu answered. It didn't take long for a lion's nose to pick up on scents that didn't match, or that were completely missing. He'd noticed that Riku did have a scent, too, unlike all the other humans he'd seen around. And he didn't smell like Beryl, either, so he wasn't a demon. Not that Kovu really knew what a demon was.

"But...what's tofu?"

Riku smiled a little. "Like I said, some of it's obvious. I'll trust that the water's real, though. And just hope that all this time it's been safe to drink, now that I'm thinking on that one..." He looked slightly bothered a few seconds before he shrugged it off.

"Tofu? Tofu is..." The boy blinked a moment. "Hmm. I think it's made from beans. Dad was never a fan, so we never really had it. It's not real meat is the point."

"Right." Probably wasn't worth the bother of questioning further, because Kovu didn't know what beans were supposed to be either. He wondered for a moment what having a dad might have been like, since all he'd ever known was Scar...and that wasn't saying much.

But at the risk of Riku trying to ask him even more questions, Kovu didn't let that thought show. "The water smells normal, if that's what's bothering you." Finally, Kovu turned back around so Riku could see his face again.

Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Riku looked up from another leaf he'd pulled down. "I'm not sure if you can go on just smell." Still, he smiled, barely taking a breath before continuing. "But I'd trust an animal's nose before mine, any day. And mine's pretty good for a human's." However, his ability to smell darkness had diminished since Ansem's Kingdom Hearts Encoder exploded, flushing a large amount of darkness from the youth. Riku couldn't help but be thankful, though. The last thing he needed was that stench overwhelming any and every other scent.

"You know... It's funny, growing up, me and Sora liked to pretend we were animals. He's the only one who ever got to be one."

Kovu looked at Riku with one eyebrow raised. "You pretended to be animals? Why?" He'd never had time to do something like that, not with all Zira's training. He hadn't really known what fun was even supposed to be like until that day in the Pride Lands he'd almost eaten Timon on accident. A small smile broke up some the tension his face had held most of their conversation, but it was brief.

"And how did he do that, anyway? Last time I checked, you were stuck the way you were born." Then again...that made about as much sense as what Riku had been saying earlier, about the whole castle thing.

And Riku looked at Kovu with both brows raised. "...Because it was fun? Why else?" His expression certainly indicated that was the most bizarre question he'd gotten in a while.

"You pretty much are. Magic, though, can change the way you look. Sora had magic clothes, so when he came to the Pridelands, he became a lion." He shrugged. "He seemed pretty thrilled about it. Can't say I blame him."

Edited 2010-09-04 05:21 (UTC)

"...Fun?" This was hardly the second time that Kovu had heard that word, and it wasn't any less weird the second time.

His brow creased when Riku mentioned magic. That wasn't a word he'd ever heard before in his life. "Sora...turned into a lion? Because of his...clothes. Does anything here make any sense at all?"

"...Yeeeeaaaah. You never imagined you were other animals? A bird, maybe? Anything?" Riku certainly wore an odd expression.

"Because of the magic in his clothes," Riku corrected. After a moment he shrugged. "It does to me, but I'm from another world. That's not too weird where I'm from." Riku remained quiet a moment before uncrossing his arms. "...I could give you an example of some magic, if you want a visual aid."

"Let's not. I'm confused enough already." As much as Kovu was curious, his head was still spinning, and he didn't like the feeling.

"Maybe you can show me later. Right now I'm still trying to figure out all the other stuff you've been telling me."

"Hm. Later then." Riku got up and brushed himself off. "Based on the way you were off in your own little world when I came up, I'm betting you've got a lot of stuff to figure out anyway. I'll leave you to it."

As his left thumb went home to his pocket, he continued, "If you ever need answers, I'm on the journals. I'll do what I can." There was a slight gesture that would pass more or less for a wave as he turned. With that, he started to make his way home. He'd have to meet Simba later, but considering the troubles revolving around him right now, that'd have to be another day entirely. And at least he'd learned about another lioness as well.

But there was still a lot to learn about Kovu. For now it was a matter of just waiting it out to see if Kovu would be acquaintance, ally, or something else.

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Sleepless We Dream [Complete]

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