Never Come Home

I thought I was fit for a hero. Y'know, the smile, the courage, the wits, the power. Of friendship, I would add. And I had also thought we could never die. That I could live on forever, protecting what mattered most. But everything comes to an end, it seems.

Years will pass, and soon, everyone will forget. What matters the most is remembered the least.

I could hear the angels now, beating their heavenly wings near and far. The white, pure feathers shimmering with radiance as they slowly drifted to the ground. A small beating noise echoes through the empty space...

Or is that just the sound of my heart?

A small tremor shook the realm of darkness, and I felt the dusty soil under my hand jitter as they jumped in response. But no worries. He was with me, and I was with him. We were together. I could hear Roxas in my head, screaming pure hypocrisy at me, to just get up, and grab the bottle from Riku's hand.

Finally, I responded.

Resisting, I let my hands wrap around the cool, glossy surface. But it was empty. Nothing. Who would end an empty bottle out in the middle of nowhere? Much less, the least you could do is go piss in it. "I didn't believe it would ever end this way," Riku said, tugging his feet closer to his chest. The temperature was slowly dropping- or was that just me? I shivered as I wrapped my hands around myself in a tight embrace. But it was cold.

"No," I replied simply. I was surprised at how my tone was so dull, lacking emotion. That was the first sign of weakness. Resistance to emotion. I could almost feel how cold the darkness has been, but my light; no. Our light had been keeping us safe. But it won't last long now. I could feel the slow edging of the darkness, cementing my body to the cold ground. I turned my head to face Riku, who had his eyes closed, and looked as if he was sleeping.

How the heck can he be so peaceful at a time like this?

I thought about all the times I could've died, but miraculously, I didn't. But why now? Funny how life just turns around, taking a curve and heading straight towards your face. I can't resist the darkness. I'm too weak. I'm not strong enough. If I had taken an exam, or some Master training, I could've been ready.

But then again, I would've failed anyway.

"Can't be long now," I said, and Riku nodded. "Yeah," he agreed. We sat in silence for longer than I expected, but the sound of the rising of the tide kept us together. It sounded like home.

The cold feeling rises up to my chest, and for a second, I thought my heart had stopped beating. But my pulse increased, thumping in erratic rates, and I felt blind panic seize me instantly. I didn't want to die. That was the second sign of weakness; Fright. A hero can't be afraid, right? Wrong. I bet Cloud... or maybe Leon has a fear too, right? Maybe.

"So... any regrets?" Riku breathed, and I laid my head back. "Uhh... you go first." "Well, before we left I left a sandwich sitting somewhere in The Castle That Never Was, and my regret is that never got to eat it. Your turn."

The mood lifted a little, but I didn't smile. For some reason, there wasn't any reason to. The cold numbness lingered around at my chin, freezing in place before slowly advancing. But... regrets?

I could think of many.

I wouldn't be able to see Kairi again... or the islands. I was stuck here, in a place I feared, with my best friend. But then in that very moment, I realized something. I never had the chance to tell Riku that I-

"I thought they would be here by now," Kairi muttered to herself. She stood on the sand overlooking the quiet beach... but not a sign of Sora or Riku anywhere. Donald looked down sadly, obviously downhearted. Goofy and the King attempted to cheer the usually foul-tempered duck, but their efforts were in vain.

Kairi sighed, and fiddled with the lump in her pocket. It felt like she forgot something... like she forgot to put the letter in a bottle...

But she smiled, and she turned to face the sea once more, to welcome the friends that will never come home.

A/N: Pointless one-shot is pointless. So, my first story, but I would like to thank Yakusoku-Xion for (forcefully) helping me... a little. But I typed this up. And Sora did die before he finished his thought.