Disclaimer- What I wouldn't give for Riku to be mine.
Because in the end, I find myself liking Riku more than Sora. Tainted Anti Heroes are just my cup of tea.
Kairi is pure and Sora is pure and Riku is the only one eaten up with darkness. And Kairi's a princess and Sora's her knight, and Riku doesn't belong so he fastens his blindfold because their light burns his eyes.
And their both so innocent and he's such a monster. Even Namine is unsullied, and she nearly destroyed them all.
But he can't leave because every time he does, nothing feels right and he's restless and unhappy and even his dreams call him back to a place of paopu fruits and secret caves worried with past hopes and dreams. And he can't stay because he's not fit to walk by their side, he's tainted. And to be honest, feelings of inadequacy have never suited his ego.
Even the sunlight makes his skin crawl, because walking with them on the beach you can practically see
The angelic glow, the light, the purity, the innocence
Rolling off them in ribbons of golden light. And Sora's eyes twinkle just a little too bright, and Riku finds him wanting to pin him to a tree and beat him over and over again with their old wooden swords.
"Look at me!" he wants to scream. "Rip me open and watch the darkness pour out!" And sometimes he wants to and he fingers a knife, because he wants to know what it would look like. Would it splatter the floor in a black puddle like oil, or would it rise to the ceiling in a smoky gray form? Would it smell like sulfur and burn your eyes, or would it dance enchantingly before you, filling your lungs with its intoxicating fumes till you where collapsed on the floor, choking in its cold vise-like grip?
But Sora either ignores Riku's obvious inner turmoil, or maybe he can't see it. But Kairi's there by his side in the darkness, because she's too stubborn to leave him all alone, and he's not sure which is worse.
So he stands on the beach and glares at the ocean, because he's too corrupted to stay and too tired to go. But the waves pull at his feet, and the wind blows him back and he'd be resigned to go with the ocean, if her hand hadn't wrapped around his.
And it's, amusing in a way, to see Kairi in the darkness that Riku buries himself in. Kairi is made of sunlight and sweetness, and it's odd to see her there, belonging in a way that Sora never could and Riku can barely grasp. Because the moonlight lights Kairi up in a way that the sunlight fails to do and the stars fade in the light of her eyes. And even though Riku loves the feel of rain splattering on his shoulders, the feeling of her hand clasping his conquers that instantly.
Rain complements Kairi, and it glistens on her face like tiny faceted jewels. At least, he'd like to think its rain, and he refuses to lean closer and discern raindrop from teardrop.
But she smiles, and he feels his ½ dead heart skip a beat, because she's smiling for him. And try as he does, Riku can't stop loving her, though she'd be better off with her knight than a monster. But that smile is all for him, and everything fades in comparison, because a forced smile from Kairi is better than all the treasures the world contains.
"You're leaving?"
He shrugs, offering her his coat despite it's dampness because where Riku is sensible and stands in the rain with his old Nobody coat, Kairi dances in ice-cold waves of lashing rain in that little pink dress thing.
She hesitates, then accepts, because both of them can see the goose bumps populating her limbs, and the paleness of her skin. And they stand in their silence, with the ocean on their toes, and the wind in their faces and the rain all around, till she asks again. "Well? Are you?"
He shrugs, because he might not leave now, but he will leave soon, but her hand squeezes his and somehow that forces the words out. "Eventually."
She nods, and stares at the sand, and he hugs her awkwardly. "I'll come back."
He can hear the catch in her throat, as she speaks into his chest. "I know." But the tightness in her shoulders fades a little, and he knows that she appreciates the reassurance.
Standing on tiptoes, her lips brush his cheek, and he smiles, though he doubts she can see it in the dark. "I won't be gone long. I'll come back. Soon."
She kisses his right cheek, and he can feel the faint smile that blooms on her face, and she whispers, "I know."
And he thinks that's all, but she's not finished just yet, and her lips press against his, for a mere breath, and the smile is real, and warm, and his. "The Prince always returns to his Princess."
Kairi is pure and Sora is pure and Riku is dark as the night sky. Kairi's a princess, and Sora's her knight in shining armor, but it's Riku who plays the prince and always returns to them both.