I claim no ownership of Kingdom Hearts whatsoever. Don't we all wish we did, though…

Summary: Two years after being washed up on the shores of Destiny Islands, Sora has adjusted back into his old life. However, the one person he needs most seems to be only a fading memory… to find the answers, Sora must begin to search his own heart.

Rating- PG-13 (Some innuendo, language)

Text indicates internal thought/dialogue; text in paragraphs usually indicates a dream sequence. (It should be easy enough to differentiate, but just let me know if there's confusion.)

---Chapter One- Lost at Home---

Riku…

The warm sun and fey breeze teased with his hair and caressed his feverish cheeks as he staggered through the sand. To him, the cheerful golden orb in the sky was an oppressive dictator; a reminder of who he had been.

He wanted the moon to return…

The little gusts that kicked up sand were an unwanted presence- a reminder of other people who had gone through his life, there in front of him until he reached out to touch their hands and faces… they had been nothing more than reflections of the past.

Where had all the years gone?

His final destination was an indistinct object far in the distance. All around him, he was a prisoner of the land he was on, the sky that rested above and on top of him, and the endless sea before him. The sea, he must cross it. He knew he had to somehow cross that accursed burden on his heart to get to the other side- to tell the next part of his story.

I need you, Riku…

With a twig in his mouth, he stood at the shoreline and stared. It was the same as always. The water gently lapped at his sore and aching bare feet, while he remained still and waited…

Show me where you are…

"Riku! I-I need you!" His cry echoed once and then the normal silence returned. So smothering and familiar. Forlornly scanning the distant horizon, he could see storm clouds approaching from the east. On the other side, the sun had started to set, casting a bloody hue over the sky while refracting the ocean into a thousand tiny pieces of light.

The dark clouds rolled in and the breeze became a series of gusts, and then a howling wind. He remained where he was and plead with the storm to pick him up and carry him away, anywhere but here. He needed to leave and find his friend.

He needed to know that he was more than a faded reflection.

A particularly fierce blast of wind flung him down onto his back in the sand. He ignored the bits of shell and rock that itched and dug in everywhere as he fought to stand back up, screaming into the wind:

"Riku! I'm coming! Just wait for me, please wait!"

And then the darkness closed in all around him.

---

"SORA! You did it again!" teased Kairi as she helped him free himself from the sheets that he had entangled himself in during the night. Sora said nothing as he was gradually released, not until he was at an awkward angle with Kairi.

"Kairi, if my mom sees us like this…"

"She's gone, silly. It's just you and me today. Besides," she grinned, "it's not like we've never been like this before."

"Yeah, but it's not exactly something I enjoy waking up to…" he gulped as Kairi settled herself just above his groin in a straddle. His nervous eyes locked on to her own playful ones as she slowly leaned in inch-by-inch, until her lips lightly brushed his as she whispered "good morning".

Sora closed the gap and kissed her in reply.

---

"You guys sure are up early! Must not've stayed up too late last night, eh?"

"Wakka, stop insinuating things! Everyone knows they do it in the Seaside Shack!"

"Ooh, Tidus, you're just as bad as Wakka! Kairi, Sora, I'm sorry!" Selphie apologized as she bowed on her other friends' behalves. "They're just too stupid to keep their mouths shut."

Sora and Kairi grinned widely as Tidus and Wakka started to defend themselves. "It's okay, guys. We know you're just feeling lonely because Selphie doesn't like either of you!" jeered Sora.

"Hey man, you got it all wrong!" cried Tidus, brandishing his staff. "Take it back!"

"Who's gonna make me?" he pretended to sneer arrogantly. Kairi simply walked over to join Selphie and let the boys solve their problems in their own way. Sora, meanwhile, was about to be double-teamed by a playfully angry Tidus and a somewhat stung Wakka.

"We are, ya lazy bum! Heads up!"

And so the daily sparring session had begun.

"So Kairi, what's up?" asked Selphie once Sora, Wakka, and Tidus started fighting. She and Kairi had gotten used to this morning ritual a while ago, back when Sora had first started to think of Kairi as more than a friend. The other boys wouldn't let up on him about it, so Sora had decided to teach them a lesson- only, now it was a daily occurrence. The girls would simply chat and gossip a little bit until the boys had finished.

"Oh, not much. But Sora had another bad night I think…"

"Ouch. That's the tenth one in a row, isn't it?"

"Yeah…" Kairi tilted her head back and sighed. "It wasn't so bad when they came about once a month, but now it's gotten to the point that I think he's going to end up choking himself in his sheets or something before they stop on their own. It's unsettling, but I honestly don't think I can help him more than being there when he wakes up…" she closed her eyes and let the gentle island breeze caress her face and lift her shoulder-length auburn hair a little bit. It was such a gorgeous day, so there was no room for concern, not yet…

Selphie sensed that Kairi was trying her best to be happy and not be dragged down by Sora's troubles. "You could always try sleeping with him, you know…"

"Selphie! Not you too!" laughed Kairi. "Do I have to start sparring with you every morning like Sora does to your boy-toys?"

"Ooh, Kairi, that's low! But you know I'd beat you every time," she added with a malicious grin.

"Nu-uh! Sora's been teaching me how to fight!"

"Yeah-uh, because I've been at it for years and you've just started!"

They continued to banter and brag back and forth until Sora staggered up and stood triumphantly in front of them, panting and sporting a goofy grin, his wooden sword back in his belt loop.

"Ah, here is! Sora, tell her- I've been getting a lot better!" insisted Kairi.

"Sure you have! But you've still got a ways to go!"

Selphie smiled and waved goodbye as Kairi chased Sora towards the docks. Tidus and Wakka came and stood on either side of her, and the three of them watched as Sora dove into the clear waters. The small fish in the vicinity scattered as he hit the water, with Kairi not far behind him. Their faces were slightly clouded as the apparently happy couple splashed playfully at each other, temporarily forgetting their worries.

All three knew that they were only avoiding the trouble that was brewing, but none of them had the heart to disrupt the fragile peace of the island.

---

At noon, Sora and Kairi retired to a little nook that was overshadowed by a large rock-ledge and shielded from view by strands of moss and vines. The soft sand was perpetually cool to the touch even on the most brutally hot days because of this, and it also served as a temporary rain shelter if a sudden summer shower happened to visit the Destiny Islands, which was how Kairi had found it almost a year ago- a thunderstorm had started up from out of nowhere, and she and Sora had desperately been searching for shelter when she had noticed a gap in the seemingly impenetrable curtain of lichen and ivy. From then on it had been their special secret place, much like the hidden cave had been when they were younger.

But they had long since out-grown their old childhood haunts.

"Heh, Sora, that was fun! Though my mom's going to think you're abusing me if I keep coming home with all these bruises."

"I keep telling you that you need to be constantly on-guard! If your defense was better, you wouldn't have nearly as many marks!" Sora grinned and poked Kairi in the shoulder. "But you definitely blocked more today than yesterday."

"Ow!" She batted his hand away. "Thanks though."

The two of them remained silent after that and cuddled with each other, watching the shafts of sunlight shift and change lazily through the vines. Occasionally a mild breeze would find its way through and bring the tangy scent of salt from the ocean with it. All around them, a tranquil silence prevailed and seeped into their consciousnesses, causing them to become drowsy with the efforts of their recent workout and the idyllic nature of the afternoon itself.

Just as he felt himself starting to slide back into sleep, Sora felt Kairi gently squeeze his hand. He smiled faintly, but was too far gone to do much else.

"You are the one… who will open the door…"

How many times had he heard that said to him by the mysterious disembodied voice? The simple phrase continually echoed throughout his mind, day in and day out, even though years had passed since his journey had come to an abrupt end.

Sora, remember…

---Flashback---

He had been having another falling dream. It was just like the one that he had had for the past month; he was falling in what he could only assume to be water since he was breathing out bubbles, though he never seemed to have trouble drawing in another breath. A light at some distant point above him illuminated only him and his downward descent, shifting and changing as he continued to fall.

The fact that this was a recurring dream didn't bother Sora much- it was harmless enough. It was the second half that always made him afraid to go to sleep at night.

It invariably started just after he had begun to make out some sort of platform below him. It seemed to reflect the light that illuminated him with bright, rosy colors and sometimes, Sora would get far enough that he could discern a pattern that looked as though it was made of stained glass. His heart would flutter in anticipation- this was almost exactly like the first time, where he had had to leave Destiny Islands to save his friends and other worlds from the terrible power of Ansem. He didn't ever deny to himself that he wouldn't mind doing something like that again.

Though this time around, Sora felt that he'd get Riku back at all costs.

As he grew nearer and nearer to the platform, Sora would always feel himself slowing down. He struggled to continue as he came to a complete stop, then would begin to panic as total darkness closed in all around him when the light from above went out, desperately wishing that he wasn't alone to fight the nameless fear that was eating away at him from unknown and untouched places in his heart.

Sora!

He heard a familiar voice calling him.

Sora, open your eyes!

"RIKU!" he'd yell into to shadows, his eyes flying open.

As soon as he screamed his name, he was standing on a beach not unlike the ones he was used to at Destiny Islands. From there he would begin the long, grueling trek to the shoreline in nothing but shorts and a lightweight t-shirt, neither of which did much to protect him from the blistering sun. If he tried to deviate and go anywhere but towards the ocean, Sora's body would double over and shudder with a great, aching pain. His only choice was to go towards the far-off shoreline, even though he knew it would end badly every time.

As soon as he reached his prescribed destination, the water gently lapping at his feet and soothing the burns from the sand, he would start calling for Riku. Even when the sun set and the storm whipped up, Sora would plead with howling winds and call out for his missing friend. From there, as soon as he was flung on his back, darkness would envelop him again, and he'd awaken shaking and sweating in his bed.

As much as he didn't like having those dreams, he couldn't stop them. They had started two years to the day after Kairi had found him on the beach- a month ago now-, apparently washed up with the tide like driftwood. She had taken him home with the help of Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka, where his mother promptly began to panic. Sora spent the next few days recuperating and trying to figure out what had happened as Kairi visited him daily, filling him in on the news he had missed while he was unconscious, taking care of him, sometimes even bringing things she thought he'd like, such as a water-polished rock that looked as though it had a hidden light in its murky depths. In this way Sora was caught back up to speed with life on Destiny Islands, but some things didn't quite fit as they should have.

No one on the island even so much as remembered the Heartless attack that had destroyed their home, for starters. When Sora's confused and disoriented babble after he first regained consciousness came to the part where the Darkside Heartless destroyed Destiny Islands, Kairi had laughed lightly and dismissed everything as a dream. Sora refused to accept that for a while- he knew without a doubt that it had happened. His entire journey with Goofy and Donald couldn't have been a lie! After he had closed Kingdom Hearts, he, Goofy, and Donald had set out on the long road to find the King and Riku, following Pluto as they went. Along the way they had had quite an adventure in Castle Oblivion… though his memory always got uncharacteristically fuzzy when it came to that part.

Secondly, no one remembered Riku at all. Sora had been struck with disbelief when Kairi told him that she had never heard of him before. He had refuted that, too- Riku had been the one who started the whole thing, really; he had the crazy idea of building a raft and leaving the island to explore for new worlds- but then Kairi started to worry that Sora's head had been hit quite hard before he washed up on the shore.

By the way, did he remember how that had happened?

Sora thought back as hard as he could, but… the earliest memory he could find before waking up in his bed was being surrounded by a bitterly cold darkness. Broken and distorted voices called out to him from all directions, each one claiming to be Riku. Sora had been so lost and so heartbroken at that time… he didn't want to keep going. He had simply laid down where he was and willed himself to forget his pain, floating away into the forgiving darkness.

He told Kairi that no, he couldn't.

After he was allowed to get back up and move around, Sora relied heavily on Kairi to help him to adjust back into his old life, at least until he could figure out where to go next. Several times he tried to jog her memory by mentioning Traverse Town, where she had given him her special good luck charm down in the water way, or how she had appeared before him just after Kingdom Hearts had been closed and all the worlds restored to their rightful places in the sky, but she only worried after him for suffering brain damage. Soon enough he dropped it altogether and focused solely on training himself to be ready for the next time. He felt that whatever had happened, there was still something for him to do.

But his dreams always contained Riku as well as the sense that, even though he was growing accustomed to spending time only with Kairi, he wanted something else. Sora felt incomplete in a deep and very hidden part of his being. He couldn't explain it to Kairi without risking hurting her feelings. Besides, she didn't remember Riku. He, Sora, was the only one who held the memory of their former friend in his heart.

Sora wished that he could reach the platform in the beginning of his dreams. He felt that if he did, then somehow, everything else would fall into place.

Sora… don't ever forget- you are the one who will open the door to the light.

---End Flashback, Begin Dream Sequence in the Present---

Sora inwardly sighed as he tried to squash the hope budding in his chest. It was the same dream again. Falling, slowly rotating as the light shifted all around him in its narrow beam… he let the sigh out and watched the stream of bubbles float back to the surface as he continued his descent into the depths. He could feel a weight of unusual expectancy around him as the platform's outline started to form down below.

"I can't hope," he whispered, "because it's going to be the same."

The light began to illuminate the stained glass, reflecting vivid oranges, yellows, and reds mingled with warm brown and peach tones.

"This is it- I should be stopping right about now."

Almost as soon as he said it, Sora felt himself slowing down. He didn't bother to fight it as his body gradually stopped and hovered above the stain-glassed platform. This was the farthest he had ever gotten before, which made him grin bitterly. He could now easily discern the pattern that the glass made- it was of a beautiful girl in a simple yet elegant yellow dress, her long brown hair partially pulled up. Her eyes were closed as she appeared to be making a wish to a gorgeous red rose in a glass container, some of its petals falling off even though it looked perfectly healthy. There were smaller designs around the border; one resembled an enormous, ferocious beast, one a handsome young man, and some looked like common things one would find in a wealthy mansion- a clock, a candelabra, a fine tea set- with shadows of people in the background. Sora knew who the girl and the beast were- Belle and Beast. He had helped Beast free Belle, his love, from the clutches of Maleficent and Riku at Hollow Bastion.

Sora shuddered with the memory of what had happened at that strange castle. Riku, who had been possessed by Ansem, had fought Sora in front of the Keyhole for Kairi's heart. Sora had won, though it was thanks to the real Riku that all of them had been able to escape… after that, Sora had turned himself into a heartless in order to free Kairi's and the other six Princesses' hearts. Kairi's faith in him had restored him to his former self, but Sora never forgot that it was because of Riku that he had been able to do any of it.

Including locking him and the King inside of Kingdom Hearts.

"D-damn… Riku…"

He started to cry, unable to stop hiding from his pain any longer. His tears didn't mingle with the water he was suspended in- instead, they fell down like tiny diamonds, making little ringing sounds as they hit the glass. Each note was clear and soft, creating a sorrowful and longing melody. Sora's tears fell faster and faster, the song and his own recollections spurring his emotions into a dramatic crescendo.

He started to fall again and was gently flipped upright so that he landed feet-first on the platform. Sora wiped his tears away and the melody ended on an unresolved note, leaving him with an aching melancholy in hi heart. He bowed his head and stood for a while, gathering himself together and making sure that it was indeed real- he had reached his destination at long last… though it seemed far too easy to be much of a good thing…

"Sora…"

Sora whirled around as his heart began to pound in his chest. There was Riku, torn and battered, standing right behind him.

"Riku!" he cried joyfully and made as if to envelop his long-lost friend in a hug, but he was suddenly frozen in place.

"Sora, you've forgotten where you are. You don't remember what happened. You're lost!"

"What! I've been looking for you all this time, having the same exact dream for so long now- I haven't forgotten! I'm on Destiny Islands with Kairi and everyone else, and I know if you come back, then everything will be right again. They'll remember everything! Just, please…"

Riku stepped forward and gently wiped Sora's tears away. "Sora, you're better than this… remember that. Remember that though we're worlds apart, I'm always with you. But you must wake up, Sora. You can't change anything by staying asleep and running away."

"What? Riku, I'm dreaming now, I know, but when I wake up, I'll be with Kairi in our secret place… oh please Riku, just tell me where you are so I can help you! I-I need you!" Sora's voice and eyes plead with all his heart as he tried to make Riku understand. "I don't feel right without you, nothing does! You've got to come back and then I won't be lost any more!"

"Oh Sora, you'd be lost with or without me there…" Riku put his strong arms around Sora and embraced him lovingly. "But you really do have to wake up. You can't keep living in dreams."

"R-Riku!"

Everything faded out but Riku, who pulled back and smiled at him with profound sadness and hope at the same time.

"Take another look from the other side…"

He too faded out and Sora was released. He immediately crumpled and pounded the invisible floor, his emotions too strong for words.

---

Sora's eyes flashed open. He was shaking all over, tears streaming down his face and throat raw. Kairi's face hovered over his with the most frightened expression he had ever seen.

"Oh my god, Sora… you, you're…" she collapsed on top of him and hugged him tightly. "I didn't know what to do! Oh my god, you're okay…"

Sora still couldn't speak, so he instead used his free arm to awkwardly return her embrace and his hand to comb through her hair.

"You fell asleep and I-I just let you go 'cause I know you've been s- so tired lately, and it looked o-okay for a while so I started to drift off too, but… but then you started to cry a-a lot, and I tried to wa-wake you up. You didn't and then s-started screaming, shaking so badly… I didn't kn-know what to do at all… oh, I'm so glad you-you're okay!" she sobbed into his chest.

Sora continued to run his hands through Kairi's hair until she calmed down without saying a word. Outside, through the gaps in the vines, he could see that the setting sun was tinting the sky a bloody red, refracting its own light off the water of the ocean in millions of tiny fragments of rainbow-hued crystals.

A storm was rolling in from the east.

---

A/N: Updating on this will be very sporadic, but I wanted to get it up here. Let me know what you think please!