Whoo! I'm back! ...After what, two and bit years now isn't it? Gomen nasai!

I have a promise this time that I swear I'll keep: I will not post a story until it is finished! That way I won't get stuck with half done fics and leave you all mid way and never finish them. I know all too well how annoying that is.

So! Here's a little one-shot for you all, it's set stright after KH1, so, enjoy!

Before the huge, mystical doors were almost pushed closed, Riku gave his life-long friend a brave smile, mouthing two words that he hoped Sora saw before the doors to the heart of their world closed with a resounding bang. 'Love you'

Sora gasped, grabbing at the side of the doors, struggling with all his might to hold them back; he couldn't let Riku be trapped in Kingdom Hearts! Even after everything that'd happened... especially after everything that'd happened... he couldn't leave his friend there... with the darkness that had almost consumed him once before... he couldn't lose him! But even as the brunette's desperate grappling fingers closed around the edge of the door, halting it for a few seconds, he saw King Mickey hold his Keyblade aloft, and the door was wrenched from his grasp, shutting with that noise that would always to Sora symbolize the breaking of his heart...

That had been almost six years ago, and now Sora was poring over the last of the faded documents in the basement of Hollow Bastion. He knew many in the other worlds figured him to be the next Ansem after his cause for light was gone, but Sora knew that wasn't true. They all thought Riku was dead; Sora knew otherwise. Somehow the dishonoring story that Riku had died a soulless minion to the darkness; died along with the one who he allowed to possess him, had gotten round, and Sora was given a new strength by the anger it caused in him; he couldn't allow Riku to be shamed like that!

He threw the pile of papers down onto his small desk and fell back in his chair, tipping his head back to allow now floor-length brunette tresses to cascade over the simple, wooden back. He'd read and re-read every document he could find in this dust-filled castle, and he was bearly closer to his cause.

"You're working yourself too hard, Sora."

Sora cracked an eye open and tipped his head to view the intruder to his space. Leon stood at the foot of the spiral stairs, a wooden tray in one hand, glass in the other. Lazily letting his eyes slip closed again and his head lol back, Sora gave a soft grunt in acknowledgement, receiving a low growl as the tray was dropped down onto his desk. A scattering of papers floated to the floor, and the brunette sighed.

"Least you could do was pick them up."

Just another quiet growl, and receding footfalls as the Gunblader went back to the upper levels of the castle. Only Sora occupied these depths now; they had once been Ansem's secret, but shortly after settling in Hollow Bastion, Sora had claimed them as his private space. No one in the worlds respected the work he now did, slaving over rotten, faded old papers, trying to find a way to rescue the one person who meant the world to him. But it wasn't like they understood that. They all thought he was dead, and they didn't understand the bond between them. Sora wasn't sure if even he did, but he knew now that Riku was becoming a memory more distant with every useless letter of every useless word on these molding sheets, it felt like he was missing a part of him that had been sheltered within him for as long as he could ever remember.

Forgetting the fallen papers for now, Sora fell forward in his chair, picking up one of the sandwiches Leon had bought him and chewing on it thoughtfully; he'd tried every avenue he could think of, and although he could now summon the eerie portholes that had been Riku's transportation during the Heartless war, and could summon the shimmering arches of the world hearts, he was no closer to opening these doors, that was the knowledge that had been eluding him for close on five years now.

He stood then, swallowing the last of his food past a suddenly heavy throat, and moved to the center of the area, into the patterned strip of worn floor tiles that were lit by a filtering of light from somewhere in the darkness of the abyss above him. Darkness surrounded him here, like a thick blanket that warmed his heavy heart in these late days, stretching into the unknown on all sides, but for the one set of stairs to his space. At first it had scared him, but now, it was a comforting strength, and something that pulled him ever closer to his aim.

Muttering the incantation he knew as well as his own name in these times, he pulled the doorway into existence, calmed infinitely by its presence, by the display of what he'd learnt, but at the same time, he felt his being flooded with despair; he was so close, yet so far; could touch the solid panels of his summoning, could sense the world's heart and its infinite power just below his finger tips, yet no matter what he tried, he couldn't reach it.

"Riku…" He took quiet, graceful steps around the apparition, letting soft fingers trail over the slick substance the door was made of, tips following every curve, every side, smooth and flawless as every time it had existed, and just as impenetrable.

A long, tired sigh escaped him, and he banished the door, walking back over to the single desk and chair that was the only furniture in these depths, and gathering the papers Leon had scattered. His eyes skimmed tiredly over the old text, Latin, but it came as easily as English in his practiced ease, and jogged on one word that, in his incessant search for it, had slipped his gaze, or had been checked and discarded, but now, it drew his attention in a force that he'd never before felt.

"Expositus…? To expose… open… make accessible…" His heart jumped at the realization, the translation not seeming real to his ears as he read and re-read the passage below, memorizing the ancient text, once almost dropping the papers from his trembling fingers. Throwing the sheets in the direction of the desk, though not caring when they scattered in the air and slipped to the floor with a rustle like long-forgotten autumn leaves, he moved back to the open space. Summoning his Keyblade, forcing himself a moment of reprieve, closing his eyes, feeling the solid weight of the cool metal in his grip, a sorely missed sensation of true strength surging through him as he finally leveled the key at the structure in front of him, summoned without a thought along with his blade, and carefully recited the incantation. He'd tried so many, why did this one pull at him like this? Why did it make his heart tremble with a long past hope?

"Hoc signum quod traho continuo lux lucis.

gero is pectus pectoris;

ostendo ut is indignus,

vis of occultus obscurum intus."(1)

For a moment he daren't look; the hope, desperation, singing in every cell of his being almost forcing him to his knees. When he opened his eyes, he was sure the moment would be lost, torn from a grasp so needing of this spark of hope, but waiting meant never knowing, and never knowing meant this silent torture would never end. And so slowly, fighting every second of the way, he coaxed his eyes open, and his gaze to focus on the door in front of him.

Still closed.

As he'd always known it would be.

He sighed heavily and turned away, feeling a wave of hopelessness like none he'd felt since those doors closed on part of his very soul, and it was in that moment, the moment before his fragile heart, rebuilt from fragile hope, shattered once again, that the first crack of blinding light filled the space, forcing the darkness to quail and recede in it's wake.

Whipping around, Sora was forced for a second to shield his eyes, too used to the darkness he existed in, but when his frozen brain finally caught up with him, his heart stopped, his breathing stalled, he forgot how to live in that time when he realized, when he finally knew, he'd done it… finally…

"Ri…ku…"

The air seemed harsh to his burning lungs, throat constricted by this emotion that now held him so tightly, his whole being was screaming, but he knew none of the incessant noise within himself, the perfect stillness all he knew in that time when he stared at that pearlescent door, closed for so long, finally open.

"Riku…"

Sora stepped over to the door, each footfall seeming unreal, just as his life in this moment, and reached trembling fingers for the edge, barely daring to touch it, lest it was a vision, a creation of his desperate mind to finally break him, but somewhere in him he knew it was real, and in some corner of his consciousness, he knew that guiding voice, that strong, all-but-forgotten form of the one he was doing all this for, and let his fingers touch ever so lightly against the doorway, open now for him,

"…For Riku…"

It still didn't seem real, but now he was sure it was, he had a new strength now, the end was in sight, his goal was within his reach,

"Just a little more…"

As Sora stepped over the threshold, his heart again skipped a beat, but this time in fear, what if those doors were to close behind him, and lock him away, far away from Riku, where he never stood a chance of seeing him again? But no, it was quiet, still, but far from peaceful. He could feel that restless power, and knew, it was not wise to linger here longer than needed; the heartless would feed on you, your heart your soul, and those weakened would be their first prey. Although Sora didn't like to admit it now, he was weak. Six years buried in a basement, he was almost as weak as the papers which had held his hope of salvation.

Moving back out of that realm, he raised his Keyblade high, but still, even now uncertainty held him in its shackles; what if he couldn't open the door again? What if the incantation was somehow different on the islands? But somehow, as the doors eventually shut, once again shattering Sora's very soul with memories of that day, he knew, he could feel that they would open, this was almost the end of his torture, soon…

"Riku… I'll be there soon Riku…"

Dismissing his Keyblade, he pulled one of the dark portholes into existence, focusing his mind on his destination, Destiny Islands, his old home, where he met Riku, where everything started, and where everything would end.

The first thing that hit him when he stepped from the porthole, was light. Bright light everywhere, burning into his sensitive eyes, again making him shade them, and when he could eventually see, his eyes were met by tens of pairs, filled with a deep hatred and disgust he had never thought could exist, but he must've known this would happen, he was hated universe over now, thought to be another for the cause of darkness, but they didn't understand! They didn't have to and they wouldn't! Their minds were too closed to him, to Riku, to them for them to know what drove him, why it was right! And so they didn't stop him, simply stepped back, some with weapons raised, but still, he was unknown, and they feared that more than they feared what he could do.

By the time he'd reached the beach they'd once played on as children, his heart had taken a few more chips to it's shattered form; where they used to play was in ruins, the tree house hanging in limp, rotten shards, the platform where Tidus always used to train, now covered in old netting and rope, worn by the years and lost from their childhood. There were more houses now, more people, the little island no long belonged to its traditional roots, but to a new branch, and Sora couldn't help but let a unheard sob fall from his lips; so much time had passed, so many things had changed… what if Riku too…?

He shook his head and straightened, his long black coat flapping behind him in the ocean wind, leather trousers clinging to his form and fair skin, bared by the open coat, protesting the sudden heat. The constant breeze blew sand though the mop of hair at his head, the long stands flowing with his coat, three chains slung at his waist jangling quietly as he walked.

But he'd changed too, he knew Riku hadn't forgotten him, he felt it within himself, knew, as he stood at the entrance to the cave they had once feared as children, that Riku was just inside, waiting for him. When they were younger, it had always been Riku who had saved him from trouble, and now it was his turn to repay the favor.

And with that thought giving strength to his weakened form, he strode into the cave, faced the arch inside, and summoned the doorway.

Again he was hesitating. Keyblade held high, what was he waiting for? Why could he not release his soul mate, his love, from that prison? What doubt held him now?

"Ri…ku…"

He once again screwed his eyes shut as he muttered the incantation, forcing his voice steady, pleading silently with every being, every soul, every particle of life that could hear him, that Riku would be safe, that this would work, that they'd be together after these long years of waiting.

The door soundlessly swung open at his bidding, the darkness of the world's heart crawling out around his feet, and after the fog-like darkness had dispelled…

"Riku…?"

A tired, worn figure, tattered shorts clinging to his hips, sat on a single rock of the darkened substance that made this world, hunched with his arms folded on his knees, head resting on his arms. Silver hair flowed as a waterfall over his back, arms, legs…

"Riku?"

A tentative step forward, and the figure glanced up, as though in a daze, eyes hollow with untold horrors, but undeniably alive, and undeniably

"Riku!"

The rest of his steps seemed unreal, but the arms that encircled him, although cool and trembling, were Riku's, none other's, Riku's, real and solid and holding him

"After so long… it's been so long I've been trying… Riku."

Nothing else mattered now as he buried his face into his love's shoulder, fallen to his knees in front of the one that had kept him alive all these years, kept him working towards this moment.

"Riku…"

"…Sora."

And the grip was stronger now, holding him with that old strength, cradling him in this new warmth.

"I love you too Riku… I waited so long…"

Silent tears of joy slipped from his eyes as he gazed up, but he didn't care now, his body was warm, his soul filled with this completeness, his heart content. For the first time in these long years, he was at peace, wrapped in these strong arms.

"Love you too… Sora… I knew you'd come…"

He felt Riku bury his face into his messy tresses, and smiled, a true, happy smile, at ease with himself, at ease with the world, as long as Riku was here with him now, that was all he could ask.

Owari

(1) break this seal and pull forth the light

bear this heart

show to this unworthy

the force of the hidden darkness within