Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or worlds within the Kingdom Hearts series. This is just a look into what might have happened if a few of the roles were changed.
When Dawn Will Break
Chapter 1
"Your adventure begins in the dead of night. Your road won't be easy, but the rising sun awaits your journey's end."
Riku opened his eyes to the cobalt sky and the warm glow of the sun. A few wispy clouds hovered overhead; the only interruption to the beauty above. He sat up and gazed out over the pristine turquoise waters around his island home… What was the dream that had awakened him? Or was it a dream at all? Could it have been something else entirely? He stood up and looked around. In the distance, he saw his two best friends, the people who he trusted and cared about more than anyone else; they were being as lazy as he was on the beach across from him, also not working on the raft as they should be. He chuckled under his breath. What am I worried about? It was all just a dream this was reality, and within it, he, Sora and Kairi were about to set out on their epic adventure to find worlds far different from theirs.
But the dream lingered. It had been so strange… a world of darkness where he had many choices to make, choices that he knew would affect his journey to follow. So many choices… and a cryptic message: "But don't be afraid. You hold the mightiest weapon of all. So don't forget; you are the one who will open the door." But what was this door? And why was he going to be the one to open it? Surely this all had to do with the Keyblade.
The Keyblade: the mysterious weapon handed down to him by the strange man from another world; the man had told him to use it to protect his friends, no matter what. Or was that all a dream too? It was hard to say. What he did know was that he could do nothing about it right now. All he could do was continue his day as though everything was normal, like nothing strange had happened. He stood up and picked up the log he had been saving, carrying it over to his friends. Sora was just waking up from a nap and Kairi was standing over him. They were casually chatting.
"Hey Kairi, what was your hometown like?" Sora asked.
"I told you before. I don't remember," Kairi replied.
"Nothing at all?"
She shook her head. "Nothing."
"Do you ever miss it?"
"Not really… but I'd still like to visit."
"Well then let's go!" Sora said enthusiastically.
Riku interrupted. "Aren't you guys forgetting about me?" He laughed, shaking his head. His two friends, obviously crushing on each other, seemed to be forgetting about him these days; but he didn't think much about it. He knew the three of them would always have each other. "Looks like I'm the only one working on the raft. And you're as lazy as he is, Kairi."
"So you noticed," she said, giggling. "Okay, we'll work on it together. I'll race you!"
"What?" Riku and Sora groaned.
"Ready? Go!" Riku and Sora looked at each other and leapt forward, leaving Kairi behind in a trail of dust. Yeah, Riku thought. We'll always be together.
0o0o0
Two days of preparation (and goofing off) had come and passed. It was late evening when the storm came. Riku was sitting on his front porch; he looked out over the water towards the small islet where they so often visited. "The raft!" He stood up, bolting towards the dock; he ignored his mother calling after him, telling him not to go out into the storm. No, he knew that he had to go, to reach the island and save the raft.
When he reached the island, he saw Sora and Kairi's boats docked as well. That wasn't much of a surprise; he would have expected their first instinct to be protecting the raft as well. But this storm was something unusual...
Looking up at the sky, he saw a turbulent orb of darkness above the island. Was this it? Was this the end of this world? Was this what he had been prepared for?
He began his search of the island for his friends. They were somewhere around there; thinking of where to look, he headed towards the small island where he so often trained with Sora. Things were strange all around him. He could feel the world falling apart; he was lost in the surroundings he should know by heart. Strange creatures rose from the ground, but he could not harm them with the wooden sword he carried, so he chose to ignore them as much as possible.
As he crossed the bridge, he saw Sora staring at the sky in the distance. "Sora!" he yelled as he rushed forward.
"This is it, Riku." Sora turned slowly towards him.
"What?"
"This is our only chance. Our chance to get out of here. Our chance to go on a real adventure, like we dreamt about when we were kids! We just have to take it!"
"Sora…" Riku looked at his friend; there was a look of madness in his eyes. Sora was not completely there, that was obvious. "What are you even talking about? Look around you. Look what's happening to our world! This isn't a chance. We have to stop it!"
"Riku," Sora said, shaking his head. "This is our only chance. It's over here. We can't turn back! We just have to go, to get away from this world. We have to make the choice! We can escape, or we can fade away. I want to live. There's no use fighting it!"
Riku shook his head, seeing that there was no getting to his best friend. He was right about one thing, though; this was the end. There was nothing they could do. But he saw Sora slipping away, and he didn't want to let that happen. "What about Kairi?" Riku asked. "We can't just leave her here!"
"She's coming too."
"How can you know that?"
"I have seen it. I have seen what is to come." Sora extended a hand towards Riku. "The darkness is taking over, and I'm not afraid!" Darkness pooled underneath him.
"Sora no!" Riku yelled, reaching out for his friend. But it was too late. The darkness engulfed him and began to climb Riku as well. "No! I have to save my friends!"
In that moment, he saw a burst of light and was back on the bridge. The world continued to fall apart piece by piece, but in his hand was a sword, a shape that he recognized from his childhood. "The Keyblade…" he said quietly. Gripping the weapon tightly, he turned and ran towards the Secret Place, feeling drawn there, fighting the strange creatures to reach his destination.
When he reached the Secret Place, Kairi was standing in the center. "Riku!" she yelled, running up to him. "Where's Sora? I thought he'd be with you!"
Riku shook his head and looked down. "I found him, but he wouldn't listen to me." He sighed. "We have to get out of here!"
Kairi looked shocked and saddened by his words. "Don't worry, Riku. We'll find him!" She tried to smile. "Let's go!"
The pair exited the cave; there was very little left of the island at all. A giant creature loomed overhead; stepping protectively in front of Kairi, Riku summoned his new Keyblade. "I've got this!" he yelled above the wind.
"You aren't the only one!" Kairi replied, drawing a Keyblade of her own. "I can fight too!"
Riku was surprised, but he nodded as he rushed the creature. Soon, a whirlwind surrounded them, pulling the creature into the dark orb above. "Kairi!" Riku yelled, grabbing his friend's hand before grabbing onto a board for dear life.
"Riku!" she yelled in return, holding his hand tightly.
"Don't let go!" he said to her through the din. But the wind was too powerful for them. Their hands separated and they were sent in different directions. He heard Kairi scream as they were pulled into the vortex. After fighting for as long as he could… everything finally faded to black.