Cake and Sympathy [log]
Who: Rikku Mashino [upbeatprincess] and Yuna Meyari [wonderwing]
Where: City streets, then Yuna's house.
When: Monday the 20th, around 1pm.
Summary: Rikku, upset over Roxas, runs into Yuna by a fluke. Sharing of feelings and chocolate cake ensue. ...there's angst, and fluff! Lots of fluff! XD;;
The streets were empty, the warm air buzzing slightly in the dull early morning afternoon. This was soon disturbed however, as a lone girl, still garbed in her school uniform, came running down one of these empty streets, breaking up the calm tweeting of the birds in the trees and the silence of the street, her footfalls heavy as she ran with unrestrained speed. Rikku was not having a good day.
First, she'd gone to school, as she had been told to - by none other than Roxas - but it hadn't worked out. She'd turned off, lost concentration, didn't take anything in, and had wound up crying in front of the class - the last part making her so scared it sent her fleeing out of the school gates in fear. She didn't like anyone to see her cry. Let alone her class. It hadn't helped half of them asked if she'd seen Roxas or not recently. Eventually it had gotten to much, and here she was now.
I shouldn't have run, she thought for a moment, but shook her head. Right now, all she cared about was going home and locking herself up in her room for yet another long week. At least, that was her plan, till she found herself turning a corner, and running straight into someone who had been walking calmly along in the shade provided by the trees. Too late to even stop, Rikku found herself falling backwards onto the floor, intending to run again, but before she did, caught a glimpse of who it was. "Yunie?"
Yuna blinked, getting to her feet slowly. Admittedly, she'd been distracted, walking along completely lost in thought, but suddenly having someone crash into her had certainly snapped her out of it. "Rikku?" she questioned, recognising the voice as she got to her feet and brushed herself off, smoothing out her skirt. Her eyes widened in concern as she noticed Rikku's eyes, bloodshot from crying. "Are you okay?" she immediately questioned, taking a step closer and lightly placing a hand on Rikku's shoulder as a gesture of concern.
"I'm fine.." Rikku lied through her teeth, looking to the floor again, not even caring to stand up. It was obvious from her entire posture that she was lying. Her eyes began to waver again, her face creasing slightly, and a few visible tears fell down her face, which she hurriedly wiped away.
Yuna knelt by her side, clearly unconvinced. "What happened?" she asked in a quiet, sympathetic tone, rummaging in her bag for a moment before passing Rikku a small packet of tissues.
Rikku hesitantly took the packet of tissues, before burying one into her face slightly as more tears came. She didn't want loads of sympathy for this. But she hadn't cried, and spilt it out, to anyone, and she needed to if she ever wanted to get over it. Looking up at Yuna a little, she said really quietly, her voice changing pitch with each word, "It's.. all gone wrong..."
Yuna lightly gripped her shoulder in what she hoped was a comforting manner, still concerned. "What has?" she asked quietly before quickly adding, "It's not too far to my home, we can go back there if you want, I..."
"It's..." Rikku started, stopping, still concerned about the world being against her, and the fact anyone could follow her here from school at any instant. Looking back to Yuna, Rikku smiled slightly despite her sadness, before saying, "... really? You don't mind if I go back with you...?"
"Of course not," Yuna shook her head, smiling and getting to her feet, offering her hand. "We're friends, right...? I was just on my way home anyway."
Rikku stared blankly at Yuna's hand for a few seconds, and with new found optimism took hold of it and jumped back up, but her face told the true story. She was just keeping it down till she got there. "Okay.. I'll tell you when we get there.." she replied, nodding.
"Alright," Yuna agreed, gripping her hand lightly in a supportive gesture and leading the way. "It's only a block or so, I was just returning something..." she fell silent, pointing ahead as they crossed an empty lane. "It's just down at the end." The neighbourhood was idyllic, large trees shading the pavement helping to create a peaceful atmosphere. Judging by the look of the houses, it also had to be at least a moderately wealthy neighbourhood.
Rikku didn't say much at all, letting her feet (well, Yuna) lead her in whatever direction they were going. Her mind was more focused on what she'd tell Yuna - she didn't want to seem like she was overreacting too much, or that it was trivial... finally blinking and paying attention, she noticed they were right at the end of the street in front of Yuna's house. "It's... nice," she commented, unable to come up with anything more creative to say.
"Thanks," she smiled slightly, walking up the path and unlocking the door, leading Rikku inside. She still looked concerned, asking after a moment, "Do you want me to call anyone...? You have a brother, right? I could call him if you want."
"Actually.." Rikku blushed slightly, suddenly feeling embarrassed from actually running away from the school. "I kinda just.. up and left school. I don't.. don't want him to know..." she said, her face sincere, feeling slightly out of place in Yuna's house. It was a lot different than the place she was used to calling home.
"It's okay," Yuna reassured her, leading her into the kitchen, holding up a teabag questioningly before continuing, "What happened, though...?" She couldn't help but be curious; Rikku had always seemed like a happy, upbeat person, something must've made her terribly upset for her to act such a way.
Rikku shook her head at the inquest of tea - she felt if she actually drank anything, she'd feel even more nervous and jumpy than she already was. Actually telling someone about the whole ordeal was a big step... though she did trust Yuna enough to tell her. There was something about the whole thing that made it okay to tell her.
Leaning against the wall and rubbing her left arm, she said quietly, "Something bad... it.. it's over," she said, having a hard time pulling her sentences together to make any sense, the once again blunt statement of 'it's over' taking command.
Yuna was confused to exactly what she was talking about, but it was obviously upsetting her. A relationship, or...? "What's over?" she eventually asked, the underlying concern in her voice clear.
Rikku bit her low lip, gazing around everything in the room but refusing to look at Yuna for a short time, before setting her gaze straight at her, and saying slowly, "... Roxas."
A relationship. Yuna placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly, although she was unsure of exactly how to help. Nothing she said would really make anything better, it was just a matter of time healing the wound. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Come on, you should sit down..."
Rikku nodded gratefully at the suggestion to sit down, wiping some slight tears that were starting to build up again. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this, Yunie... I'm being such a child over it..."
"It's okay, don't worry," Yuna shook her head quickly, guiding her to the lounge. "It's... it's really hard when something like this happens, it's better to be around friends, I think."
"Yeah... I haven't.. been able to tell anyone..." and look at the state you're in, Rikku. You really should have told someone before... shaking her head to block out her thoughts, taking to sitting down neatly in the room, still feeling really out of place there for some unexplained reason.
Yuna sat down next to her, asking quietly, "Do your family know about it?" If it was a situation where all of her friends were in the same circle and they all knew Roxas, it was only logical that she hadn't been able to tell them, but perhaps she could seek comfort from her family. (Of course, Yuna didn't know the first thing about Rikku's family.)
"Brother guessed.." Rikku said slowly. She couldn't talk to Brother about anything like this, since he often took to teasing her or playing it way out of proportion. "... and Pop, he.. I couldn't tell him." And her father was little better. He knew best to keep out of the situation if at all possible.
"I understand," Yuna nodded, falling silent for a moment before questioning softly, "What happened?" Quickly, she added, "If you don't want to talk about it, it's okay, I understand."
Rikku shook her head - she wanted to tell someone - scrap that, she needed to tell someone, for someone to understand where she was coming from, and give her guidance - which was another reason to miss her mother. Moving that thought aside, she said slowly, "He... couldn't... return how I feel..." she said slowly, gazing at the floor.
Yuna wrapped an arm around her, murmuring quietly, "I'm so sorry," before falling silent. This wasn't an area she had much expertise in at all, so all she could do was try to comfort Rikku.
Now the tears were falling again, the circles around her eyes growing darker. She felt comforted by Yuna now, and seemed to gain confidence to keep going. "Even though he hurt me.. even though he had to say he couldn't return my feelings..." she bit her bottom lip, whispering, "I can't.. stop loving him."
"It'll be okay," Yuna offered quietly after a moment's contemplation, hoping that she was saying the right thing. "It... I know it hurts now, but it won't hurt that way forever..."
"I.. I don't know..." Rikku replied. She wasn't trying to be pessimistic - she just couldn't see that far ahead into the future. She'd fallen hard for Roxas, and that hadn't helped. Behind her, was being told she couldn't be loved. Right now, was still feeling depressed and mentally scarred about the whole thing. And several weeks of it made it seem like a never-ending nightmare. "I just had to fall for the wrong guy..." she said slowly, a very slight smile appearing on her face, but it disappeared almost immediately.
Yuna smiled slightly. "I think everyone falls for the wrong guy once," she offered as a weak attempt at humour, giving up on that path quickly and hugging the other girl. Yuna wasn't an overly physically affectionate person normally, but it seemed appropriate for this moment.
Rikku returned Yuna's hug, feeling slightly at peace for the first time in ages, though there was still a lot of barriers to get round. Thinking slightly, she eventually said, "... have you ever fallen for the wrong guy?"
"Yeah," Yuna sounded slightly wistful as she nodded. "We were together for awhile, but... I didn't know him as well as I thought I did." Deciding to just leave it at that, she questioned, "Do you want anything to eat...? I've got chocolate," she smiled.
Rikku could relate, slightly - she thought she'd known him so well, all his quirks, everything, yet she hadn't really known him at all. She pondered over saying something, but was cut off from thinking as Yuna asked her the question. "Chocolate?" she repeated, a small smile creeping up on her face. Chocolate made everything feel better - or, it did for her.
"Chocolate cake," Yuna nodded with a smile. It had been a cooking experiment; one that had gone quite well, she felt, but it was now relegated to sitting in the fridge and waiting to be eaten. "I'll get us a slice each," she offered, standing.
Rikku nodded brightly, clasping her hands together on her knees, forcing out a smile. "Absolutely!" Eating chocolate would make her happy, and... this would be a lot better than sitting at school and moping, at least.
Yuna smiled, relieved that Rikku seemed to be feeling at least a little better. Walking to the kitchen and cutting them each a generous slice of the chocolate cake, she returned a few moments later with a plate in each hand, passing one to Rikku. "I hope it's alright."
Rikku's eyes seemed to regain something similar to their former, pre-emo state, sparkling like stars as she took the plate, nodding cheerfully, sticking her finger promptly into the centre of the gooey filling and proceeding to stick it straight in her mouth - so much for manners, but that was the way to eat cake. "It's good!" she said, looking in awe at Yuna. "Did you make it, Yunie?"
"Yes," Yuna nodded, smiling happily. She herself was slowly cutting off small slivers with her fork and eating them. "You should take the rest of it home if you want, I've already had some and I can always make more."
Still with her finger in her mouth, her smile extended more, if that was even possible. "Really?" she asked, her face questioning, before placing a large chunk in her mouth and chewing it slowly, savouring the flavour. "You don't mind?"
"No, it's fine," Yuna assured her, smiling. The cake had seemed to cheer Rikku up quite a bit, so it was best she kept it. Besides, Yuna could always make more; now that she'd found a food she could actually cook well, she intended to make a lot of it. "I'll wrap it for you, hang on a moment."
Rikku nodded, looking intently at the piece of cake sitting in front of her. "There's no way Brother or Pop are getting hold of this. Nope. None. Well. Maybe a little bit," she said mischievously, but it was more to the cake than to Yuna in particular. Looking up at Yuna, she replied, "Thank you, Yunie."
"It's okay," Yuna laughed softly, offering, "Um, say hello to your family for me, I hope they like the cake. If they get to try any," she added with a mischievous grin.
"I will do. I think..." Rikku leaned back in her seat, crossing her legs slightly and placing a hand under her chin in thought, continuing, ".. they'd be grateful to you for cheering me up some. I am, too."
Yuna smiled. "I'm glad I could help," she replied sincerely, walking into the kitchen and quickly packaging the cake in foil wrap, returning and offering it to Rikku with a warning of, "It's a bit delicate..."
Rikku and delicate things often was a recipe for disaster (as would have been proved otherwise, since she'd jumped up to receive it, almost knocking over and almost dropping the cake on her lap in the process), but she nodded, keeping her eyes focused on taking it and at least be slightly careful, or what she considered as careful. "I think I... will be alright, now, a little," she smiled, and it was genuine, at least. "I think I just needed to get it out. Tell someone."
"I'm sorry I couldn't be more help, I'm... not really that good with relationships," Yuna blushed faintly. "Um, feel free to come by whenever you want to. I'm usually here."
"No, no, you've been a really big help!" Rikku responded, nodding with great enthusiasm. "And I might have to take you up on that offer..." she grinned. "Cakeeee...." she said in a somewhat eerie voice, then turning to giggling slightly from the way she had said it.
Yuna was unable to help laughing at that, smiling broadly and admitting, "It's the only thing I can cook well, so I'll be making more." Yuna was not exactly gifted in the kitchen. "Next time, I can make extras for your brother and father," she added firmly. She didn't want to seem impolite, after all.
Rikku looked around, before saying slowly, "... do you live alone?" It was a bit sudden, but... the place seemed so large, yet it seemed so empty and small at the same time.
"Yes," Yuna nodded, smoothing out her skirt as her smile faded slightly. "Um, sometimes I have friends come and stay with me, but I live alone."
"You don't.. you don't get lonely...?" Rikku asked, her face creasing with slight worry.
"Not really," she lied with a smile, shaking her head. "I see my friends a lot, so it's okay. It's more that this place is a bit too big for one person," she admitted. "I thought of selling it, but my family have lived here for a long time, so..."
Rikku couldn't see through the lie - Yuna's smile looked too genuine, and she only vaguely knew her, so she wouldn't be able to pick it up as easily as with other people. "That's good.. but it's really nice!" she added. "You do a good job taking care for it," she offered.
"Thanks," Yuna's smile was more genuine now as she glanced around, admitting, "It's nice to have people here. I kind of worry it goes unused too much."
Rikku looked thoughtful, hunching up a little to hug her knees. "I guess I.. helped you too, then?"
Yuna smiled, nodding. "Yeah," she answered. "And I'm glad I got someone else to try my cake," she added with a little laugh.
"You should give some to your other friends!" Rikku suggested. "I'm sure they'd like it. Honest."
"I will," Yuna agreed happily. Cloud and Zax, at least, would certainly like it, and perhaps Mr. Kaiba had a dormant sweet tooth. "I could... bring some more to your place, if you want...?"
Rikku's eyes lit up. "I'd love more," she said, before adding, "..if you made any..." she felt a tad embarrassed about being so forward, and looked down at her watch to give her something to do. How... how did it get that late? she thought, surprised. "Maybe I should get going," she said thoughtfully, still looking at the watch.
"I'll make more for you," Yuna promised, not seeming bothered by Rikku's forwardness in the least; in fact, she seemed rather flattered that the other girl had liked her cooking so much. "Um, if you give me your address before you go, I can come by with it," she offered.
Rikku reached into her pocket, pulling out a wad of note paper conveniently there - well, it was her school uniform, she was bound to be carrying stuff like that around. Writing it down slowly and checking it, she ripped off the piece of paper, standing it up and pressing it into Yuna's hands. "Here."
Yuna took the piece of paper, glancing down at it briefly and smiling. "I'll bring some more cake by this week," she declared, seeming quite determined about it. Standing, she added quietly, "If you're feeling upset... come by again, okay? Don't be alone..."
"I will," Rikku promised, picking up the cake she had been given in her hands, making sure she was holding it steady. "I'm glad I ran into you today. I feel like I can stand up and face the world again! Which I've not had in a while.." she admitted. "Again, Yunie... thank you."
"I'm glad I could help," Yuna smiled happily. "It's been nice having company, I think I've missed it lately," she admitted. "I'll see you later this week with more cake, okay?"
"I'm looking forward to it," Rikku nodded, making her way back with Yuna to the front door. "Oh, and.. don't mention to anyone I ran away from school?" she asked nervously.
"I won't," Yuna agreed with a nod. "I promise, I'll keep it secret. But..." she smiled slightly. "You probably shouldn't do anything like that again..."
"Maybe not," Rikku replied with a frown. "I don't think I want to anymore... that is, to keep myself locked up. It's... scary being alone. I want to be around people again," she said, quite content.
"If he's your friend," she said after a moment, sounding thoughtful. "You should talk to him." It wasn't like she had much knowledge of the situation, only knowing what little Rikku had told her, but it seemed like the best course of action. "Not about this, but... don't lose him."
"I'm not going to," Rikku replied, quite quick in her answer. If he was happy, she was going to be happy - she decided that a long time ago, and she had also decided that if he never liked her at all, she'd still look out for him, as she'd done when they first met. "I want to stay friends. I don't want to be enemies."
"Good," Yuna nodded quickly, smiling. Rikku certainly seemed to have resolved her problems; cake was always a helpful catalyst for that. "I'll make some cake for him, too," she decided after a moment's thought, clearly quite happy at the prospect of making cake for virtually everyone Rikku had ever met.
Rikku smiled at that - Yuna really did seem pleased at the fact her cake was a success, and Rikku couldn't help giggling slightly at the thought of Roxas receiving cake from someone he'd never met. "I'm sure he'd like it," she replied after a moment, before fidgeting nervously. "Now, I really better go."
"It was nice seeing you," Yuna smiled warmly, bowing politely after opening the door for her. "Take care of yourself, okay?"
Rikku nodded, stepping out into the sunlit street. "I will. You too, alright?"
"I will," Yuna offered a little wave. "See you later this week!"
Where: City streets, then Yuna's house.
When: Monday the 20th, around 1pm.
Summary: Rikku, upset over Roxas, runs into Yuna by a fluke. Sharing of feelings and chocolate cake ensue. ...there's angst, and fluff! Lots of fluff! XD;;
The streets were empty, the warm air buzzing slightly in the dull early morning afternoon. This was soon disturbed however, as a lone girl, still garbed in her school uniform, came running down one of these empty streets, breaking up the calm tweeting of the birds in the trees and the silence of the street, her footfalls heavy as she ran with unrestrained speed. Rikku was not having a good day.
First, she'd gone to school, as she had been told to - by none other than Roxas - but it hadn't worked out. She'd turned off, lost concentration, didn't take anything in, and had wound up crying in front of the class - the last part making her so scared it sent her fleeing out of the school gates in fear. She didn't like anyone to see her cry. Let alone her class. It hadn't helped half of them asked if she'd seen Roxas or not recently. Eventually it had gotten to much, and here she was now.
I shouldn't have run, she thought for a moment, but shook her head. Right now, all she cared about was going home and locking herself up in her room for yet another long week. At least, that was her plan, till she found herself turning a corner, and running straight into someone who had been walking calmly along in the shade provided by the trees. Too late to even stop, Rikku found herself falling backwards onto the floor, intending to run again, but before she did, caught a glimpse of who it was. "Yunie?"
Yuna blinked, getting to her feet slowly. Admittedly, she'd been distracted, walking along completely lost in thought, but suddenly having someone crash into her had certainly snapped her out of it. "Rikku?" she questioned, recognising the voice as she got to her feet and brushed herself off, smoothing out her skirt. Her eyes widened in concern as she noticed Rikku's eyes, bloodshot from crying. "Are you okay?" she immediately questioned, taking a step closer and lightly placing a hand on Rikku's shoulder as a gesture of concern.
"I'm fine.." Rikku lied through her teeth, looking to the floor again, not even caring to stand up. It was obvious from her entire posture that she was lying. Her eyes began to waver again, her face creasing slightly, and a few visible tears fell down her face, which she hurriedly wiped away.
Yuna knelt by her side, clearly unconvinced. "What happened?" she asked in a quiet, sympathetic tone, rummaging in her bag for a moment before passing Rikku a small packet of tissues.
Rikku hesitantly took the packet of tissues, before burying one into her face slightly as more tears came. She didn't want loads of sympathy for this. But she hadn't cried, and spilt it out, to anyone, and she needed to if she ever wanted to get over it. Looking up at Yuna a little, she said really quietly, her voice changing pitch with each word, "It's.. all gone wrong..."
Yuna lightly gripped her shoulder in what she hoped was a comforting manner, still concerned. "What has?" she asked quietly before quickly adding, "It's not too far to my home, we can go back there if you want, I..."
"It's..." Rikku started, stopping, still concerned about the world being against her, and the fact anyone could follow her here from school at any instant. Looking back to Yuna, Rikku smiled slightly despite her sadness, before saying, "... really? You don't mind if I go back with you...?"
"Of course not," Yuna shook her head, smiling and getting to her feet, offering her hand. "We're friends, right...? I was just on my way home anyway."
Rikku stared blankly at Yuna's hand for a few seconds, and with new found optimism took hold of it and jumped back up, but her face told the true story. She was just keeping it down till she got there. "Okay.. I'll tell you when we get there.." she replied, nodding.
"Alright," Yuna agreed, gripping her hand lightly in a supportive gesture and leading the way. "It's only a block or so, I was just returning something..." she fell silent, pointing ahead as they crossed an empty lane. "It's just down at the end." The neighbourhood was idyllic, large trees shading the pavement helping to create a peaceful atmosphere. Judging by the look of the houses, it also had to be at least a moderately wealthy neighbourhood.
Rikku didn't say much at all, letting her feet (well, Yuna) lead her in whatever direction they were going. Her mind was more focused on what she'd tell Yuna - she didn't want to seem like she was overreacting too much, or that it was trivial... finally blinking and paying attention, she noticed they were right at the end of the street in front of Yuna's house. "It's... nice," she commented, unable to come up with anything more creative to say.
"Thanks," she smiled slightly, walking up the path and unlocking the door, leading Rikku inside. She still looked concerned, asking after a moment, "Do you want me to call anyone...? You have a brother, right? I could call him if you want."
"Actually.." Rikku blushed slightly, suddenly feeling embarrassed from actually running away from the school. "I kinda just.. up and left school. I don't.. don't want him to know..." she said, her face sincere, feeling slightly out of place in Yuna's house. It was a lot different than the place she was used to calling home.
"It's okay," Yuna reassured her, leading her into the kitchen, holding up a teabag questioningly before continuing, "What happened, though...?" She couldn't help but be curious; Rikku had always seemed like a happy, upbeat person, something must've made her terribly upset for her to act such a way.
Rikku shook her head at the inquest of tea - she felt if she actually drank anything, she'd feel even more nervous and jumpy than she already was. Actually telling someone about the whole ordeal was a big step... though she did trust Yuna enough to tell her. There was something about the whole thing that made it okay to tell her.
Leaning against the wall and rubbing her left arm, she said quietly, "Something bad... it.. it's over," she said, having a hard time pulling her sentences together to make any sense, the once again blunt statement of 'it's over' taking command.
Yuna was confused to exactly what she was talking about, but it was obviously upsetting her. A relationship, or...? "What's over?" she eventually asked, the underlying concern in her voice clear.
Rikku bit her low lip, gazing around everything in the room but refusing to look at Yuna for a short time, before setting her gaze straight at her, and saying slowly, "... Roxas."
A relationship. Yuna placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly, although she was unsure of exactly how to help. Nothing she said would really make anything better, it was just a matter of time healing the wound. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Come on, you should sit down..."
Rikku nodded gratefully at the suggestion to sit down, wiping some slight tears that were starting to build up again. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this, Yunie... I'm being such a child over it..."
"It's okay, don't worry," Yuna shook her head quickly, guiding her to the lounge. "It's... it's really hard when something like this happens, it's better to be around friends, I think."
"Yeah... I haven't.. been able to tell anyone..." and look at the state you're in, Rikku. You really should have told someone before... shaking her head to block out her thoughts, taking to sitting down neatly in the room, still feeling really out of place there for some unexplained reason.
Yuna sat down next to her, asking quietly, "Do your family know about it?" If it was a situation where all of her friends were in the same circle and they all knew Roxas, it was only logical that she hadn't been able to tell them, but perhaps she could seek comfort from her family. (Of course, Yuna didn't know the first thing about Rikku's family.)
"Brother guessed.." Rikku said slowly. She couldn't talk to Brother about anything like this, since he often took to teasing her or playing it way out of proportion. "... and Pop, he.. I couldn't tell him." And her father was little better. He knew best to keep out of the situation if at all possible.
"I understand," Yuna nodded, falling silent for a moment before questioning softly, "What happened?" Quickly, she added, "If you don't want to talk about it, it's okay, I understand."
Rikku shook her head - she wanted to tell someone - scrap that, she needed to tell someone, for someone to understand where she was coming from, and give her guidance - which was another reason to miss her mother. Moving that thought aside, she said slowly, "He... couldn't... return how I feel..." she said slowly, gazing at the floor.
Yuna wrapped an arm around her, murmuring quietly, "I'm so sorry," before falling silent. This wasn't an area she had much expertise in at all, so all she could do was try to comfort Rikku.
Now the tears were falling again, the circles around her eyes growing darker. She felt comforted by Yuna now, and seemed to gain confidence to keep going. "Even though he hurt me.. even though he had to say he couldn't return my feelings..." she bit her bottom lip, whispering, "I can't.. stop loving him."
"It'll be okay," Yuna offered quietly after a moment's contemplation, hoping that she was saying the right thing. "It... I know it hurts now, but it won't hurt that way forever..."
"I.. I don't know..." Rikku replied. She wasn't trying to be pessimistic - she just couldn't see that far ahead into the future. She'd fallen hard for Roxas, and that hadn't helped. Behind her, was being told she couldn't be loved. Right now, was still feeling depressed and mentally scarred about the whole thing. And several weeks of it made it seem like a never-ending nightmare. "I just had to fall for the wrong guy..." she said slowly, a very slight smile appearing on her face, but it disappeared almost immediately.
Yuna smiled slightly. "I think everyone falls for the wrong guy once," she offered as a weak attempt at humour, giving up on that path quickly and hugging the other girl. Yuna wasn't an overly physically affectionate person normally, but it seemed appropriate for this moment.
Rikku returned Yuna's hug, feeling slightly at peace for the first time in ages, though there was still a lot of barriers to get round. Thinking slightly, she eventually said, "... have you ever fallen for the wrong guy?"
"Yeah," Yuna sounded slightly wistful as she nodded. "We were together for awhile, but... I didn't know him as well as I thought I did." Deciding to just leave it at that, she questioned, "Do you want anything to eat...? I've got chocolate," she smiled.
Rikku could relate, slightly - she thought she'd known him so well, all his quirks, everything, yet she hadn't really known him at all. She pondered over saying something, but was cut off from thinking as Yuna asked her the question. "Chocolate?" she repeated, a small smile creeping up on her face. Chocolate made everything feel better - or, it did for her.
"Chocolate cake," Yuna nodded with a smile. It had been a cooking experiment; one that had gone quite well, she felt, but it was now relegated to sitting in the fridge and waiting to be eaten. "I'll get us a slice each," she offered, standing.
Rikku nodded brightly, clasping her hands together on her knees, forcing out a smile. "Absolutely!" Eating chocolate would make her happy, and... this would be a lot better than sitting at school and moping, at least.
Yuna smiled, relieved that Rikku seemed to be feeling at least a little better. Walking to the kitchen and cutting them each a generous slice of the chocolate cake, she returned a few moments later with a plate in each hand, passing one to Rikku. "I hope it's alright."
Rikku's eyes seemed to regain something similar to their former, pre-emo state, sparkling like stars as she took the plate, nodding cheerfully, sticking her finger promptly into the centre of the gooey filling and proceeding to stick it straight in her mouth - so much for manners, but that was the way to eat cake. "It's good!" she said, looking in awe at Yuna. "Did you make it, Yunie?"
"Yes," Yuna nodded, smiling happily. She herself was slowly cutting off small slivers with her fork and eating them. "You should take the rest of it home if you want, I've already had some and I can always make more."
Still with her finger in her mouth, her smile extended more, if that was even possible. "Really?" she asked, her face questioning, before placing a large chunk in her mouth and chewing it slowly, savouring the flavour. "You don't mind?"
"No, it's fine," Yuna assured her, smiling. The cake had seemed to cheer Rikku up quite a bit, so it was best she kept it. Besides, Yuna could always make more; now that she'd found a food she could actually cook well, she intended to make a lot of it. "I'll wrap it for you, hang on a moment."
Rikku nodded, looking intently at the piece of cake sitting in front of her. "There's no way Brother or Pop are getting hold of this. Nope. None. Well. Maybe a little bit," she said mischievously, but it was more to the cake than to Yuna in particular. Looking up at Yuna, she replied, "Thank you, Yunie."
"It's okay," Yuna laughed softly, offering, "Um, say hello to your family for me, I hope they like the cake. If they get to try any," she added with a mischievous grin.
"I will do. I think..." Rikku leaned back in her seat, crossing her legs slightly and placing a hand under her chin in thought, continuing, ".. they'd be grateful to you for cheering me up some. I am, too."
Yuna smiled. "I'm glad I could help," she replied sincerely, walking into the kitchen and quickly packaging the cake in foil wrap, returning and offering it to Rikku with a warning of, "It's a bit delicate..."
Rikku and delicate things often was a recipe for disaster (as would have been proved otherwise, since she'd jumped up to receive it, almost knocking over and almost dropping the cake on her lap in the process), but she nodded, keeping her eyes focused on taking it and at least be slightly careful, or what she considered as careful. "I think I... will be alright, now, a little," she smiled, and it was genuine, at least. "I think I just needed to get it out. Tell someone."
"I'm sorry I couldn't be more help, I'm... not really that good with relationships," Yuna blushed faintly. "Um, feel free to come by whenever you want to. I'm usually here."
"No, no, you've been a really big help!" Rikku responded, nodding with great enthusiasm. "And I might have to take you up on that offer..." she grinned. "Cakeeee...." she said in a somewhat eerie voice, then turning to giggling slightly from the way she had said it.
Yuna was unable to help laughing at that, smiling broadly and admitting, "It's the only thing I can cook well, so I'll be making more." Yuna was not exactly gifted in the kitchen. "Next time, I can make extras for your brother and father," she added firmly. She didn't want to seem impolite, after all.
Rikku looked around, before saying slowly, "... do you live alone?" It was a bit sudden, but... the place seemed so large, yet it seemed so empty and small at the same time.
"Yes," Yuna nodded, smoothing out her skirt as her smile faded slightly. "Um, sometimes I have friends come and stay with me, but I live alone."
"You don't.. you don't get lonely...?" Rikku asked, her face creasing with slight worry.
"Not really," she lied with a smile, shaking her head. "I see my friends a lot, so it's okay. It's more that this place is a bit too big for one person," she admitted. "I thought of selling it, but my family have lived here for a long time, so..."
Rikku couldn't see through the lie - Yuna's smile looked too genuine, and she only vaguely knew her, so she wouldn't be able to pick it up as easily as with other people. "That's good.. but it's really nice!" she added. "You do a good job taking care for it," she offered.
"Thanks," Yuna's smile was more genuine now as she glanced around, admitting, "It's nice to have people here. I kind of worry it goes unused too much."
Rikku looked thoughtful, hunching up a little to hug her knees. "I guess I.. helped you too, then?"
Yuna smiled, nodding. "Yeah," she answered. "And I'm glad I got someone else to try my cake," she added with a little laugh.
"You should give some to your other friends!" Rikku suggested. "I'm sure they'd like it. Honest."
"I will," Yuna agreed happily. Cloud and Zax, at least, would certainly like it, and perhaps Mr. Kaiba had a dormant sweet tooth. "I could... bring some more to your place, if you want...?"
Rikku's eyes lit up. "I'd love more," she said, before adding, "..if you made any..." she felt a tad embarrassed about being so forward, and looked down at her watch to give her something to do. How... how did it get that late? she thought, surprised. "Maybe I should get going," she said thoughtfully, still looking at the watch.
"I'll make more for you," Yuna promised, not seeming bothered by Rikku's forwardness in the least; in fact, she seemed rather flattered that the other girl had liked her cooking so much. "Um, if you give me your address before you go, I can come by with it," she offered.
Rikku reached into her pocket, pulling out a wad of note paper conveniently there - well, it was her school uniform, she was bound to be carrying stuff like that around. Writing it down slowly and checking it, she ripped off the piece of paper, standing it up and pressing it into Yuna's hands. "Here."
Yuna took the piece of paper, glancing down at it briefly and smiling. "I'll bring some more cake by this week," she declared, seeming quite determined about it. Standing, she added quietly, "If you're feeling upset... come by again, okay? Don't be alone..."
"I will," Rikku promised, picking up the cake she had been given in her hands, making sure she was holding it steady. "I'm glad I ran into you today. I feel like I can stand up and face the world again! Which I've not had in a while.." she admitted. "Again, Yunie... thank you."
"I'm glad I could help," Yuna smiled happily. "It's been nice having company, I think I've missed it lately," she admitted. "I'll see you later this week with more cake, okay?"
"I'm looking forward to it," Rikku nodded, making her way back with Yuna to the front door. "Oh, and.. don't mention to anyone I ran away from school?" she asked nervously.
"I won't," Yuna agreed with a nod. "I promise, I'll keep it secret. But..." she smiled slightly. "You probably shouldn't do anything like that again..."
"Maybe not," Rikku replied with a frown. "I don't think I want to anymore... that is, to keep myself locked up. It's... scary being alone. I want to be around people again," she said, quite content.
"If he's your friend," she said after a moment, sounding thoughtful. "You should talk to him." It wasn't like she had much knowledge of the situation, only knowing what little Rikku had told her, but it seemed like the best course of action. "Not about this, but... don't lose him."
"I'm not going to," Rikku replied, quite quick in her answer. If he was happy, she was going to be happy - she decided that a long time ago, and she had also decided that if he never liked her at all, she'd still look out for him, as she'd done when they first met. "I want to stay friends. I don't want to be enemies."
"Good," Yuna nodded quickly, smiling. Rikku certainly seemed to have resolved her problems; cake was always a helpful catalyst for that. "I'll make some cake for him, too," she decided after a moment's thought, clearly quite happy at the prospect of making cake for virtually everyone Rikku had ever met.
Rikku smiled at that - Yuna really did seem pleased at the fact her cake was a success, and Rikku couldn't help giggling slightly at the thought of Roxas receiving cake from someone he'd never met. "I'm sure he'd like it," she replied after a moment, before fidgeting nervously. "Now, I really better go."
"It was nice seeing you," Yuna smiled warmly, bowing politely after opening the door for her. "Take care of yourself, okay?"
Rikku nodded, stepping out into the sunlit street. "I will. You too, alright?"
"I will," Yuna offered a little wave. "See you later this week!"