"That Gummi Ship doesn't look too safe…"

"I've traveled in worse. Trust me…

That'll get me there and back"

It was cloudy that day.

The wind had blown ominous clouds in to cover the beautiful blue skies and the bright sun. Most of the people on Destiny Islands had stayed inside, fearing the heavy rains that those clouds would bring. A light mist had started the moment three people had stepped onto the landing pad of the Gummi Ship, foreboding, more than comforting.

"I don't know, Sora. Maybe you should stay here for another day; let the weather clear up a little. The storm you're going to be caught in…Maybe you should stay."

"The king wants me there in two days. I won't have enough time if I leave tomorrow!"

"I'm still worried."

The mist had turned into a light rain, just before he left. He could tell that you and your other friend were still nervous, so he smiled.

"Look! A rainbow! It means good luck…

I'll be fine!"

You didn't see any rainbow when you looked, but you had forced some semblance of a smile onto your face, and waved back at his blurry figure as the sprinkles became heavier, matting your hair to your face, in front of your eyes. The wind swirled around you and your redheaded friend, sending sheets of rain to further obscure your final vision of him as he slammed the door to the Gummi Ship closed, waving to you from his window that reassuring smile still in place, you're sure.

Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
There's a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby

Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true



Today isn't cloudy. Today is bright and warm and the skies are as blue as his eyes ever were. The wind is warm as it blows your hair out of your face, letting the sun into the dark crevices of your soul as it shines in your eyes. The soft zephyr brings waves lapping gently across the shoreline you stand on, getting sand in your black shoes.

You listen to the sound of it, the waves as the wash against the sand and the sound of the wind breathing across the land. In the distance you can hear the distant sounds of seagulls cawing in the afternoon air, circling the sea looking for food, for shiny treasures, maybe even for him…Closer to you are the sounds of the Islanders, people milling around the fish market for the catch of the day, children splashing in the water, elderly people laughing with each other as they reminisce.

It's a beautiful day.

"Riku, you've been to as many worlds as I have…did you think any of them were prettier than Destiny Islands?"

"They were all prettier than Destiny Islands, all for different reasons. This is home, though. There's no place like home."

Home is a small apartment that you share with your two best friends, two bedrooms, one bathroom, and not really much else. You don't have many things in there—a couch in the living room, a table in the kitchen, two beds in your room and one in her room. That's about it. The flooring is old wood that looks ready to give at any moment, much like the old piers at the other side of the island where no one goes anymore. The walls are dingy gray, and the ceiling is cracked. The roof leaks when it rains. The summer heat permeates throughout the apartment; the insulation is all but disintegrated.

It was like Heaven to you and your best friends though; Heaven in all of it's faded glory.

"This place is great!"

"Sora…it's a dump. This place is falling apart."

"Hey, home is where the heart is."

Some day I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemondrops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me

Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?

If there's no place like home and home is where the heart is, then this place is nothing. Destiny Islands no longer holds a special place in your heart, and it never would again. The weather is nice, the people 

are friendly, and the view is to die for, but its nothing anymore. It's not home. It doesn't even feel like home, because even though the seagulls still caw in the distance, and the people are still milling around the market, and the children are still splashing in the water, while the elderly people reminisce…someone's still not home…

"It's been weeks, Riku. When do you think Sora's coming back?"

He's not.

…someone's never coming home.

You know that, because you felt it. You felt that last few moments, as if you were with him, holding his hand. He never made it to King Mickey's side.


Some day I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemondrops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me

A storm was blowing in. You had smelled it on the wind all day, salty, earthy, deadly scents mixing with the air you breathed. You could see the clouds, dark as night on the horizon. The wind picks up. The ocean swells and shifts, moving angrily in a dance that is known only to it. The air around you turns cold. It beckons you to join it.

It promises you a rainbow.

I'll be fine!

Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?

Out on the ocean in a little boat soaked to the bone in the middle of a storm, rocking and swaying to a rhythm no human could ever dance, you stare at the sky. The sky used to be a symbol. Life is much bigger than you are, and holds grand things just for you to delight in. When King Mickey had said that, you thought of trivial things. Now you think of him…and how he's not there for you to enjoy. Life is much bigger than you are…but it's empty without Sora.

"Do you see the rainbow?"

You startle at the voice, whipping around and smacking your hair to your face to find the owner of the voice that shouldn't be there. He's familiar…but he's not who you're looking for. His hair is shorter, lighter. His facial features are the same, but different. He not who you're looking for, but he's his other half…and he's pointing towards the invisible horizon.



Just as quickly as before, you spin your head around again.

In the middle of the night, through pouring rain and hateful winds… there it is.

"I see the Rainbow," you breathe, your voice full of awe.

Roxas smiles, "You're almost there."

You never see the tidal wave coming at your little boat. You never feel the ocean water as it stings your eyes; the burn of it as you inhale it into your lungs. The ocean swirls around you, currents pulling you under. You're useless against it, because all you can see is that rainbow and you wonder if it's the same rainbow that gave him luck.

If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?

"Welcome home, Riku."

A/N: Well…this so wasn't what I was intending to write…but I like it, amazingly enough! (Smiles)

Please review and tell me what you think.

And by the way if you haven't noticed…I'm like in love with second person. WOW!

InnocentGuilt