This ficlet takes place a year after Sora's disappearance, giving tiny snippets into Riku's stages of grief after losing him. While it does involve other characters, this is focused mainly on Riku's reaction to the whole ordeal and how he copes with it in various ways. In the end, you gotta carry on, but never doubt those things you believe so strongly in with all your heart. 3
Musical accompaniment: Amelee- Isabelle's Lullaby (English Version)
Dark eyes observed a bright horizon, illuminated by a low hanging moon over an endless expanse of ocean. Riku had been here a million times before. Had stood on this beach, had stared out at these waters. The sound of the waves was so familiar that even in a place devoid of light, he had been able to recall them in perfect clarity.
But tonight, something was different. There was an ache, a pain that came from the absence of another constant that had left this place.
Sora wasn't with him.
It had been just under a year since his disappearance after Xehenort's defeat, and the time that had passed in between had been toughest on Riku yet. He had been completely overcome by darkness, his body and mind stolen and shattered until there was barely anything left of him, and yet it couldn't compare to this.
In the beginning, he had tried to convince the others that he could go after Sora. Return him to light, just like Sora had done for him so many times before. Both Mickey and Master Yen Sid had forbade it, repeating Riku's own words that Sora's mind had been made up; he just had to believe that he would return safely. After three months, Riku had had enough with just believing. He had found his way back to the Sleeping realm, traveled to worlds he'd never seen before, and still no Sora. He had sworn to keep the nightmares away, and here he was, laying awake at night with nothing to show for it.
There were some nights when he would visit Sora's home on Destiny Islands. Sora's mother never complained; in fact, she welcomed the boy she'd come to know as her second son into her empty household. It allowed her to return to some normalcy, to talk about by-gone days of the time before the keyblade war, before heartless and nobodies and world hopping. Back when it was just the two of them, racing each other on the island. Riku would sleep in Sora's room, somehow hoping that being there would make him feel closer. He'd scroll through old messages on his gummiphone, pouring over the images and texts that were his only reminder of the epic journey they had had before Sora was spirited away. His thoughts lingered on the last message he'd sent. Sora had never gotten to read it.
Four months passed before Riku pulled himself out of the darkness enough to listen to Yen Sid's advice. Seeing as he had officially been dubbed a keyblade master, it was time for him to take on an apprentice. The worlds may have been safe from the threat of Xehenort, but so long as people had darkness in their hearts, there were always looming shadows. It was oddly fitting that Namine would be his first. She had managed to materialize one not long after her heart found its home within the repilica that Riku's other self had taken. Riku was reluctant at first, but he figured it would keep his mind off things and he still had a promise to fulfill.
She was a quick learner, excelling more in magic than in physical combat. Her keyblade was simple yet elegant—curved and white, with an ornate hilt that wrapped around her hand like the binding of a spiral notepad. On its keychain a star-shaped charm, reminiscent of a papou fruit. Xion would come by to watch and give pointers during most of their sessions. They had become quite close despite everything that had happened. He'd often see them sneaking lingering glances and passing smiles that made his heart tighten for reasons that he buried deeper and deeper every time they surfaced.
One day, the girls approached him with intent expressions, mischief in their eyes.
"You want to visit Destiny Islands?"
Riku hadn't been back to their island since that day and hadn't really intended on returning until a certain someone else was with him.
"Yes! Kairi invited us to come and visit, and it's been more than six months since the last time."
Namine's smile grew softer as she continued.
"Plus, Xion and I are overdue for some good shell collecting."
The faintest twinge of pink could be seen on the edges of the dark-haired girl's cheeks. Xion clasped her hands tighter.
"Kairi misses you, Riku. I know she'd be really happy if you came."
The guilt weighed down on his chest oppressively, threatening to keep him from breathing. Aside from a few letters here and there checking in, he'd all but stopped contact with his childhood friend. The memories were too much, and the wounds in his heart still too sore to try and reconnect, he thought.
Yet he couldn't let them down now. Besides.
Sora wouldn't have wanted anyone to stay sad for his sake.
He let out an extended exhale, finding air despite the pressure, and looked back at the duo. For the first time in a long while, he felt the corners of his mouth form the shape of a grin as he nodded.
Both girls sighed with relief before joining hands, absolutely beaming with delight.
"Great! Meet us with the Gummi ship tomorrow morning, early, okay?" Xion responded, putting her finger to her head much like her dear friend Axel would do, the unvoiced mantra of 'got it memorized' playing in Riku's mind. With that, the girls bid him goodnight and left to prepare.
Still in disbelief at accepting the invitation, Riku managed to wander back to the Mysterious Tower. It had been his main homestead for the past few months. Yen Sid had a seemingly infinite number of rooms that went unused anyway and it made meeting with Namine a whole heck of a lot easier. He entered his relatively barren room, dropping his stuff down at the door and took off his jacket. With a resounding 'plop' he landed, belly first, on his bed with a satisfied huff as his hair fell disheveled around his shoulders.
He hadn't bothered cutting it since the fighting had ended. While Xion had insisted he put it up in a ponytail while he was training Namine, the shaggy locks hung free anywhere else. To be honest, he had missed his long hair. It helped to hide his face, his true emotions, from those he'd interact with. Axel and Roxas occasionally snuck in to watch Namine's training. While the relationship between him and Sora's nobody was difficult to say the least, Roxas had assured Riku he bore no grudge against someone who was willing to do everything in their power to save a friend. He admitted, in a somewhat concerningly serious tone, that he would have done the same.
Riku turned to lay on his side, facing the window, a bit of light sneaking in through the partially parted curtains. The stars were extremely bright tonight, Riku thought, before allowing himself to drift off sleep while they danced together among them.
Xion and Namine were dressed in their beach best, chatting excitedly about all that they would do once they arrived. Riku flew the ship in heavy silence, the realization of his actions finally sinking in just as the world came into view. A friendly face greeted them at the door, but not the one Riku was expecting. Pluto, King Mickey's faithful companion (who had gotten them out of more than a few tough spots) pounced on Riku, barking happily. The girls both laughed before turning to address the person who had appeared in the doorway.
Kairi.
She hadn't changed too much during their time apart. A little taller, a little surer of herself, and yet a little more worn than usual. While she tried not to look surprised by his arrival, he could easily detect the definite sound of astonishment in her voice when she welcomed him.
"Riku! Glad you could make it!"
Her tone was cheerful, but her eyes told another story. She was hurting, like him, but in a different way. In the first week after it happened, they had discussed Sora's disappearance. She'd broken down in tears, blaming herself for his sacrifice, and all Riku could do was hold her, reassurance her that it was Sora's decision, all while fighting back the stinging behind his own eyes. There had been such a sense of finality at his departure, and Kairi could feel it too.
But today was a new day. Things were brighter, the sun was warm, and the ocean waited for no one.
The day seemed to fly by as they spent their time frolicking the sand, playing fetch with Pluto, and stopping their game whenever Xion and Namine found a particularly interesting shell for their collection. Before he knew it, the sun was setting, and they started packing up to head back to Kairi's for the night.
"You go ahead." Riku insisted, offering a dismissive head shake when all three sets of eyes looked to him with concern. "I'll be fine. I just…wanna be alone for a bit."
Xion nodded knowingly and left with Namine, discussing the variety of treasures they'd added today. Kairi lingered only for a moment, reaching out to squeeze Riku's hand in a comforting gesture before following suit.
Dark eyes observed a bright horizon, illuminated by a low hanging moon over an endless expanse of ocean. He stood at the edge of the water, staring out at the waves while the sky above glistened with starlight. Thousands of worlds that had seemed so far away when they were young were now all too well within his reach, reflecting on the water's surface as if to entice him to explore. While he regretted having opened the door to darkness, he could never resent the wonderful times it had allowed him to share. The friends they'd made, the experiences they'd had, even the ones he had trouble remembering. This scene felt all too familiar, relaxing at the end of a journey, even in the darkness, waiting for another adventure to begin.
It was in that moment that Riku saw it.
At first, he thought, it was nothing but a normal shooting star. It wasn't uncommon to see the worlds fall in and out of the realms as they lapsed in and out of the darkness. This, however, was not the case. This star grew brighter as it fell, spiraling downwards at an alarming rate before plummeting into the ocean a few hundred yards out from the sands where Riku stood.
At first, panic set in, Riku summoning his keyblade in defense against this unwanted visitor. It took only the top of those unmistakable pointed locks breaking through the water's surface for his resolve to faulter, his keyblade to vanish, and his heart to soar. Without conscious decision, his legs took him racing through the tide.
He was there.
Sputtering and coughing after his less than graceful landing, but he was there.
Sora.
"Sora…?"
The name was foreign to his lips these days, having avoided saying it for fear those dark thoughts would drown him.
"Sora!"
He called again, with conviction this time, so much so that other boy's head whipped around to face him.
There it was, that smile of his, that Riku had missed every single day for the past year. That he'd missed while they'd been first separated from the islands, when Sora had slept soundly to recover himself, that Riku could recall while he fought back the nightmares. It was the most breathtaking smile Riku had ever seen. It lit up Sora's features, shown in his eyes, and trickled down to his shoulders as he let out a fit of laughter.
In a burst of energy, Sora swam to meet where Riku's legs had him, chest-deep in the shallows. Riku had spanned the distance in an instant, only to pause, hesitant to commit to this miracle, to believe that this dream was a reality. Before he could act, Sora's hands had reached up to take either side of Riku's face and cradle it, pulling him down to press Riku's forehead to his.
"Wow, Riku! Your hair got really long!"
His hair. His HAIR. Sora disappears, seemingly for good, wanders about for a year, and the first thing he mentions is his hair?
"You didn't get any taller though, so that's good! I'm starting to catch up, ya know?"
Riku's heart stirred with a feeling he thought he'd lost forever. It started low, but quickly grew so strong that he couldn't keep it in any longer. Soft at first, but as he leaned into Sora's touch, he laughed fuller and truer than he ever had. Tears streamed down his face, his friend lifting a thumb to wipe them away wordlessly while Riku raised his arms to pull the boy into a tight hug. Surprised by the motion, Sora pulled back for only a second before reaching up to lace his arms around Riku's neck, his hands vanishing in the silvery strands.
"How, Sora?"
Riku's words echoed those he'd asked when Sora had appeared to help him return Aqua to the realm of light. This feeling, the stirring in his heart, was the same that he'd felt back then.
Sora pulled back just enough to gaze up at his best friend, his expression gentle, almost unbearably so.
"I was in a dark place for what felt like forever…It was almost like when I was sleeping during our exam, but without any dreams. Suddenly, I saw this light," he paused, searching Riku face intently, "Your light. And it guided me back home."
The question Riku had posed had merely been hypothetical; he didn't care about the particulars. Sora was here. The light, Sora's light, had been what had guided Riku out of those days in the shadows. It had shielded him while he was alone in the Realm of Darkness, reminded him that there was someone fighting for him on the other side. It had led him towards the road to dawn and now his light had been bright enough to return the favor. These lights were joined together now, and Riku swore that nothing would ever separate them again.
The two stayed there, enveloped by the sound of those familiar waves, until the sun had barely begun to peak up over where the sky met the sea. Riku was taken away from his perfect moment when its rays caused him to squint, Sora finally separating from him to look out to the shore.
"Looks like it's time for breakfast! Which is great, 'cause I'm starved!"
At that, Sora began to leave, only to be caught by Riku's hand as he tenderly stretched out to take his own. Sora half turned back, curious, before he smiled, finding his answer.
Riku gripped Sora's hand tighter as he walked up to stand beside him.
"We'll go together."