- parallel -
One-sided SoRiku; standard 'not mine' disclaimer; these oneshots may be set during any of the three games and may include spoilers. This collection is Riku-centric, and is pretty much one-sided. Each 'chapter' is a oneshot, a standalone, but there is a thread connecting them. I may use different tenses or points of view for each one-shot depending on what I think feels right. Reviews and concrit are love; flamers are pointed and laughed at (but I know the difference between harsh concrit and flaming); if you ever just want to chat, feel free to PM me or check my profile for contact info.
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- the door -
The raft is gone.
The place where it stood lies marked by a depression of the sand; between that depression and the sea the sand is disturbed. They dragged the raft to the water and set sail. Water laps up over the trail, swirling over the sand. Beyond that the sea—and beyond that the horizon, stained red, purple, and gold by the sunset. Water rolls over his ankles as he wades out into the ocean, scanning the horizon for the raft…
Nothing.
How could Sora and Kairi leave him behind? Maybe they don't need him. And maybe he doesn't need them, but he doesn't want to face the island without them. So how could they leave him?
Because they have each other.
The sea water pulls away, shrinking from his thighs down to calf level, and ahead he can see the wave forming to wash over him. The water turns inky black, like liquid shadow, ready to swallow him up.
Riku!
Shadow clings to his legs, slowing him, as he turns—and there is Sora, fighting through the water toward him. Sora didn't leave him after all. Riku holds a hand out toward him, watching the way the darkness in the water pulls away from him as he runs—when Sora reaches him, he'll bring the light back.
But the current is too strong. Sora reaches for Riku's hand, their fingertips inches apart, but the black wave presses in against Riku's back, icy and threatening against his skin before it ever crashes down over him. It swallows him… He can feel the darkness all around him, icy cold, creeping in closer. Sora struggles in the water, trying to swim to Riku, and the shadow still strays away from him. If Riku can keep close to Sora… he puts out his hand again, but Sora can't reach. The current drags him away, and the darkness sweeps in.
The cold tendrils spiderweb through his body, but he doesn't struggle. Maybe he forgot, or… he isn't scared. He doesn't feel the clench of fear in his stomach, sure enough… he just feels numb. The darkness isn't so bad.
You aren't afraid? The darkness will consume you… if you let it.
The world spins into focus around him… Stone, white chalk marring its surface, or maybe perfecting it. Riku knows this place well; the chalk drawings bring a familiar warmth back to his heart. Fond memories.
And ahead… a door. The wooden door that can't be opened. A keyhole is blazoned across its surface—Riku has seen it there once before, but it was years ago. He thought he imagined it.
Choose your path wisely. The darkness is more powerful than you know.
That voice. He doesn't know where it's coming from. I'm not afraid. I'm stronger than the darkness. He presses his palm against the lock on the door.
Are you?
A faint click.
Sora's face flickers through his mind, grinning.
You wanted to see other worlds… This voice is different from the other—dry, laced with subtle irony.
The darkness takes Sora's face away.
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- your friendly neighborhood khergasm -
Mmkay, it took me long enough to get off my ass and start this. So. This is Riku's dream at the beginning of Kingdom Hearts. I figure… he had to have had one too, right? Timing is arguable… it could be before or after Sora's, I'm not sure. I'm also not sure how well I like it… I expected the dream to last longer, but this is the way it wanted to come out, so here it is.