It sounded better when it was only an idea. Albeit I was half-asleep when I thought it all up.

Probably done to hell and back, but I'm an inspired girl who can't let go of the game. All of that enthusiasm had to go somewhere.

Here hoping you enjoy.

o n e

Sora had been a lot more musical than he ever remembered.

Humming, or whistling, or singing in a little voice to himself.

It wasn't odd, by any means. It was unexpected, if anything. But truly, in every aspect, a Sora thing. As if his cheerfulness and his grins had been amplified by a thousand times. It amused him to no end, and sometimes he felt like he would never, ever be able to stop smiling as long as he stayed by Sora's side.

A part of him whispered, timidly, about how he intended to never really leave his side again.

He dismissed it with a mental shake of his hand.

Irritating thoughts that tried to make him think too much, when all he really wanted was to enjoy Sora's presence. Simply, honestly, and fully. All he really wanted was to poke his friend, and bemusedly ask him what's gotten him so singing-like, and watch him grin back at him and tell him about one of his great adventures.

And so he did.

"I took part in a musical!"

"Did you now?" His head tilted to the side, a smile danced on his lips. He was too eager to tell all of his stories, every time. And even though Riku should have been there with him at some of them, even though he antagonized his best friend, Sora was eager to tell him all of them.

Every time.

"Yup! I sang to a whole Kingdom! Under the sea! And Donald – Riku, you should have seen him!" He laughed so good-naturedly.

"Oh, I sure would have liked to see that. I hope the people – er, merpeople? Weren't too offended." He wrinkled his nose playfully. Sora laughed again.

"I think everyone was having too much fun to notice."

Like the two of them were, at that very moment. Alone in a classroom, talking silly things about faraway worlds as the sun shone brightly on the island. And everyone else enjoyed the breeze, and enjoyed clear sky, while the two of them stayed inside the hot building, taking extra classes for all the time they spent away, saving worlds.

Together, even at failing school.

"Do you remember Neverland? Did you see me fly?" His blue eyes were so bright, they were so big and humorous. His arms were folded on Riku's desk and he sat backwards on his chair, and his face was so close to his. Personal space almost meant nothing. Riku was still smiling, laying his cheek against his right palm, when he apologized and said that he wasn't there.

I was too busy taking Kairi away from you.

"We're going back there! I'm going to ask King Mickey! You have to go there and fly, Riku, it's so… I can't describe it!"

Not a single mention of those times of struggle in their friendship. Sometimes he wondered if he tried his best to forget them, or if to him, it mattered nothing anymore. If all of it was too much, or if all of it was too little.

But hard thinking was not something Riku wanted then.

"And how exactly are you going to contact him?" A silver eyebrow raised. "Pigeons?"

"No!" He beamed, thinking himself brilliant. "A message in a bottle!"

Eyes like the Caribbean sea met eyes like the sky.

He thought his friend was as much of a hero as he was naïve.

"You're going to send a message to King Mickey. Through the sea."

Sora huffed. He could feel his breath touch his skin. Too close, he thought for a split second.

He did not move.

"It worked with Kairi."

His voice was lower. It was less enthusiastic, it was less optimistic. Maybe it was too much, he thought. But the pout on his face made him think, maybe it was nothing.

"Right. So you're just going to cross your fingers and hope he answers."

A vibrant nod.

He poked his forehead.

"You're stupid."

"You're mean."

"I'm not mean, I'm realistic."

"You're not realistic, you just like teasing me."

"I wouldn't tease you if you weren't so… teasable."

"That's not even a word!"

"See? You're so bad you're not even in the dictionary."

Sora picked one of his books and hit him on the head with it. He laughed when it didn't hurt a bit. When the teacher arrived, Sora whimpered and attempted to sit on his chair – the right way – as fast as he could. He almost fell in the process. The teacher looked amused, and Riku chuckled behind his hand.

It's like nothing changed at all.

Sora stretched, his arms – longer than he remembered, more muscular than he remembered – high in the air as he offered him a quick sideway grin.

Always a contact.

Or maybe everything has changed.