When All The Pieces Fall Apart

A Kingdom Hearts Fanfic by Illicit Memory

RikuOC, SoraKai

Summary:

She never expected life to be like this. He never wanted to hurt her. After traveling the worlds with Sora to find Riku and Kairi, can Auri save Riku from himself, or will the darkness completely swallow him?

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Chapter 1: Welcome to Destiny Islands, Estimated Time of Departure?

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Navy eyes stared out over the ocean, watching the sun set. Barefoot feet swung back and forth, hanging off of the edge of the cliff. Ebony hair whipped behind her in the wind, long and sleek. Her hands were placed on either side of her to ascertain she would remain on the cliff and not fall into the water below. Black shorts met a dark blue tank top, hiding her in the ever-fading light. At the sound of the footsteps behind her, her head turned slightly to see who was coming up the path.

"You're out late." It was a masculine voice, belonging to a young man with a head of unruly silver hair that fell to his shoulders and slightly past.

"I could say the same for you, Riku." Auri returned to watching the flaming orb sink below the horizon.

"Sora and Kairi were looking for you earlier. Where were you?" Riku knelt down before sitting next to her.

"Well, I was babysitting Yuna until the afternoon, and after that I was swimming."

"Oh. They wanted to tell you we just have to gather the last of our materials tomorrow, and then we're going to set out."

"Okay."

"Auri…"

"Hm?" She turned her head to the right, looking at him.

"I'm glad you're coming." He smiled.

"Well, I couldn't exactly leave Kairi all by her lonesome with Sora, now could I?" She laughed.

"Hey, I'm going to be there!"

"Naw, they'll probably push you overboard within ten minutes."

"That's not very nice." His voice dropped to a playful growl.

"… Riku? You got that look in your eye again… Ri- Ahhh!" She screamed as the boy pushed her off of the cliff. Twisting in midair, she executed a dive, and when she came up, she yelled up at him. "You better get down here before I get up there, or so help me I'll-…"

"Coming!" Not even bothering to pull his shirt off, he dove down into the water next to her.

She didn't wait for him to come up. Swimming over to the small island coming off the base of the cliff, she sat in the sand. A few moments passed, and she saw no sign of him. "… Riku?" She scanned the water. "Riku?"

He came up behind her in the darkness, a playful grin on his lips.

"..Riku?" She sounded as if she were starting to get worried.

He sat behind her, and slipped up closer to her, his legs on either side of her body. In the darkness, she couldn't see him. He leaned forward, and whispered in her ear. "Boo."

"Ahh-!"She started to scream and then his hand clamped over his mouth.

"Scared you, did I?" He was still whispering in her ear, his breath tickling her.

She shook her head, ridding herself of the silencing hand. "Don't do that ever again! You worried me!"

"I'm sorry." He wrapped his arms around her stomach, pulling her against him.

"You should be…" She blushed at the intimate contact. "And you better promise to never do it again."

"I promise…"

The warmth breath along her neck gave her goose-bumps. "Okay. You're forgiven."

"Can you make me a promise now?"

"Huh? Uh, sure." She leaned to the side slightly, and looked at him. "What is it?"

"Promise me you'll never fall in love with anyone."

"What?"

"Just kidding." He smiled.

"Okay…" Weird… She looked up, watching the moon as it began it's lazy ascent.

"Hmmm. I wonder what it will be like…" He rested his chin on the top of her head.

"What what will be like?"

"Seeing all those different worlds. Meeting people who've never heard of our home."

"It'll be amazing, I guess. I don't know… I'm still sort of afraid… But I've got you, Sora, and Kairi with me, so I guess there's no need to worry." But I still can't get this feeling out of my heart…

"Hmm…" He was about to say more, but he noticed the girl in his arms had nodded off. With a small, sorrowful smile, he unwrapped his arms from around her, and slid from behind her, leaving her to sleep in the sand. Kneeling next to her, he brushed his hand against her cheek.

Standing, he walked away.

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The moon was high when Auri awoke. Blinking, she rubbed her eyes. What the…? Peering at her from a distance of about two feet was a small black creature.

"Gah!" She crawled backwards, sand flying from beneath her. The creature leaped at her, and she grabbed something near her to defend herself.

"A staff?" She looked at the object she held. Indeed, it was a staff, a long staff in the shape of a key. "What the?..." The creature hissed and backed away.

Emboldened, she flipped backwards acrobatically and held the staff in front of her, towards the creature. The creature lunged. She swung, and the creature burst into small green balls. "Eh?..." She touched one of the orbs and it absorbed into her skin. Suddenly she felt a slight bit stronger. "What the heck?"

A roar from above. She spun around, and saw more creatures peering down at her from on top of the cliff. Towards her right, near Sora's house, she saw stairs. Sora was climbing them. Calling his name, she gripped her newfound weapon and dove into the water, swimming rapidly in his direction. (Recall, Screwdivers and other aquatic enemies don't show up until Atlanticus—I think. O.o; )The creatures didn't seem to very much fancy the water. She hit the beach and took off running, batting away any enemies that pounced upon her with her staff.

Once she reached the stairs, she saw the Sora was battling some sort of creature, a large black one with a heart-shaped hole in it's abdomen.

"Sora!" Screaming for him, she saw him batted back by the monster. In the back of her mind, Auron, Wakka, and Lulu's training kicked in. She remembered something they had told her. There was some sort of way to magically aid yourself or an ally by replenishing strength… As she ran up the stairs, quickly covering the distance between the battlers and herself, she remembered. Holding the staff in from of her, she yelled, "Cure!".

Around Sora there glowed a green ambience, then it dissipated. Looking at her, he smiled and spoke. "Thanks Aur!"

"No problem." She saw the weapon in his hand. "A Key… blade?"

"Yeah. I don't remember where I got it. But those things seem to be afraid of it…" He dodged the large creature's fist, plummeting into the ground near him in a bath of darkness. Quickly, he slashed at the wrist, while more small creature's grew up around him. "Umm… A little help?"

Snapped out of her confusion, Aura nodded. Offensive magic… Offensive magic… "Oh! Uh, Fira!" Fire shot out of the tip of her staff, and she aimed at the monster's head, which seemed to be even weaker than it's wrist and legs. The creature began to disappear, and time slowed around them.

"Auri!" Sora pointed out towards their homes when the fight was over. "Look!"

Around them, their world was slowly crumbling. Only one thought flashed through her mind.

"Riku!"

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A/N: Please, tell me if you like it. If not, flames and constructive critism are welcome. If you like it, I will continue. But, either way, REVIEW!