1. Holding Hands.
Sora looked up at the hazy sky and watched the sun dip low over the candy-red horizon. His blue eyes squinted against the dimming light of the setting sun. The teen swung his feet back and forth, the heels of sneakers beating a rhythm against the trunk of the paopu tree he sat on. It had been a very long day. After missing a year and a half of school, he was so far behind that he had to spend his entire summer catching up on the missed work. Sora didn't even realize that school had actually started until he saw how crowded the once-empty hallways were. At this point, he didn't recognize anyone at school. If Sora had walked down the hallways two years previous, everyone would have greeted him. Today, no one even bothered to say hello. The only people who spoke to him were his childhood friends. The brown-haired keyblade wielder never got to see even them, considering he used all of his free time catching up on his lost sleep.
Sora sighed, shutting his weary eyes. Honestly speaking, he missed his friends. When was the last time he had seen Riku? The silver-haired teenager had easily caught up with his schoolwork when he had returned. Now, the teen was a year ahead of him in school, so Sora never received time to see him. It felt like Sora's world was falling apart around him. The enemies had been defeated, the heartless destroyed, and the keyholes locked away... Yet, all of the dear friends he had met along his journey had moved on. They went on with their lives while young Sora was still pining for their friendship.
Tears welled up in his sky-colored eyes and a lone drop spilled before he could rub them away. A sob wrecked his chest. Sora tugged up his legs to his chest, resting his chin on top of knees. When would it get better? Would it get better?
"Sora?" The keyblade wielder startled at the voice calling his name. Blue eyes roved over the tall frame of a certain cerulean-eyed teenager. A hiccup fell out of his mouth when he tried to respond. Silver brows furrowed. "What's wrong?" Riku took his usual place beside Sora, wrapping a single arm around the trembling boy. Riku's hands slid over his back and rubbed comfortingly. The feeling sent shivers up Sora's spine and he took a deep, shaking breath to calm himself.
"Just... I feel alone, I g-guess. I never get to see you guys, anymore. It feels like no one wants to be my friend now." Warm arms pulled the brown-haired teen closer to his friend. A chin pressed into the center of his skull and Riku hushed his small sobs with a soothing tone.
"Oh, Sora. I'll always be your friend. We're both just so busy with school that we haven't gotten the chance to see each other. You'll never be alone as long as I'm around." Sora peered up around his bangs to gaze at Riku's trustworthy eyes.
"You promise?" A small smile spread over Riku's face.
"I promise." Riku pulled away, leaving Sora cold. Before Sora could complain, however, Riku held out his hand to him. "Now, let's go. I'll help you with your homework." Sora stared down at the hand reaching out for him for a moment before he smiled. Calloused fingers interlocked with nimble ones. The silver-haired teen tugged the keyblade wielder close. They walked together, hip-to-hip, hand-in-hand, back to the docks. Sora would never, truly, be alone again.
A/N: Day one of ericandy's 30 Day OTP Challenge. I'll post a link to it on my profile!