Hello there! So here's something new -- multiple chapters! I usually tend to stick with one-shots, but I thought I'd give this a try. This was written at the request of gof22... Hopefully you'll like it!
Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts, sadly, does not belong to me... if it did, I wouldn't be writing here. Oh well.
The salty breeze caressed her skin and tossed her hair, the sting in her eyes making her wince and turn away. She stood alone on the beach, watching the sunset as she always did when he used to be gone.
"Kairi."
She looked over her shoulder to see him walking over, hands behind his back, a small smile playing on his face.
"Sora," she called back, waving. She knew she shouldn't, but she did. He never waved back anymore. Just a faraway smile and heart that was equally distant.
He stopped next to her, taking her dainty hand into his own gloved one. The callouses on his fingertips felt good against her skin. She measured up to his shoulder now; they weren't kids, and she wasn't the one that was taller.
"Watching the sunset again?" he mused, his blue eyes focused on the reds and yellows reflected in the clear water.
She nodded and leaned against his body, tilting her head so it would fit into the crook of his neck. It didn't feel the same, though; it used to be perfect, but now it was awkward, like trying to fit two pieces of a puzzle together even though they didn't match.
They stood like that, hand in hand, for what seemed like an eternity to her. She finally looked up at him, when the sky was blanketed in a black tarp speckled with silver and the water was a midnight blue.
"Sora..."
He continued to watch the water. She tugged gently on his arm, pulling him back toward the neighborhood district.
"Sora, it's time to go... let's go get some dinner."
He sighed and let her drag him away, a cold tint to his usually mirth-filled eyes.
Riku was leaning against the cool stone wall of the Secret Place, strumming a guitar and making a lullaby for himself. It was harder to get to sleep now; before he had left the islands, he hadn't been plagued with nightmares of the people he'd killed, the homes he'd destroyed, the places in which he'd let loose destruction.
He heard her quiet footfalls and made no move to stop her.
"Riku!"
She rushed over, but he didn't open his eyes. He just ran his fingertips over the strings of the instrument, nodding in acknowledgement.
He felt her sit down beside him, sighing. Another day, no response.
"How is he?" he asked softly, cracking open an eye to peer at her current state. Her hair was tousled, her eyes weary and tired. She was sleepy, but she had come to talk anyway.
"He's... not the same, Riku."
He saw a hint of moisture gathering in the corner of her eye; she was going to cry again, like she did every time she came to see him.
He stopped playing.
"He'll never be the same," he said, placing his guitar on the dusty floor beside him. He gathered his best friend up in his arms, letting her tire herself out by sobbing.
It had become a routine since they got back.
Sora lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling he had spent so many nights observing.
Why did I hang that there?
Was that my idea, to paint it this color?
How could I have been that naive?
He closed his eyes and saw them, the Nobodies and the Heartless, the life fading from their eyes as he sliced through them. He thought of that girl, Namine, and the boy, Roxas.
Roxas?
He concentrated, trying to find that other half.
"What?"
Sora snapped open his eyes. A boy his age sat on the edge of the bed, transparent as a ghost. The moonlight made his form barely visible. His eyes were the same deep blue as his own, and his hair was a blond hue.
Roxas glared at him, obviously irritated that Sora had called him out again. He had started to give up on seeing Namine ever again; everytime he struggled to free himself, only his Other was there.
"Well, what is it now?"
Sora looked down guiltily.
"Just thinking... you know your friends? You know, from the Organization?"
At this, Roxas perked up.
"...Yeah, what about them?"
"What happened to them... when they died?"
Roxas looked up at the moon; it was a pure, shining white tonight. Stars flickered in the night sky.
"Silly. Just because you have a next life..."
"I don't know, Sora. Maybe they've living a new life."
Read? Review? I don't know, whatever floats your boat. I'll start working on the next chapter soon...
This is rated T for now, but it might change in the future.
'Til next time...
jiv3y