Title: Hero
Rating: PG
Pairing: RikuSoraKairi friendship
Summary: As far back as Riku can remember he's always been the hero. Ironically enough, now it's Sora.
Disclaimer: Don't own. Woe!
AN: I'm just cranking these out like whoa. C&C is loved and very welcome- please, please please let me know if this doesn't make sense!
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When they were really small, Riku was always a hero.
"Riiikuuuu! Spider! Oh sick, it's huge and it's moving!" Sora shuddered, scrunching even further into a little ball on the other side of the room, one enormous yellow shoe clutched in front of him like a weapon.
Solemnly, because Sora would pout and not talk to him for a while if he laughed, Riku picked up a book and 'squish' the spider is gone and then Sora is grinning, hugging his hero close in thanks.
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A few years later, he's still a hero. Sometimes Sora won't fall asleep until the closet is checked twice and sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night, whimpering from a nightmare. Riku shushes him quietly, checks the closet and under the bed, sometimes twice, and then waits until the younger boy falls asleep again.
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During "the pre-teen years," as their parents dubbed them, swordfights and playing games always begin and end with Sora and Kairi who needs rescuing- be it from a giant two headed giant who eats little brunette boys or a hungry sea-monster. "Ri-ku! You rescued me!" Sora tackled him to the ground with a wide grin while Kairi looked on, laughing. "Hey! What took so long?"
-
Someone was shaking him hard, Riku realized dimly, coming back from the memorynightmare. "Riku, Riku, wake up, it's just a dream!" It's Sora, his mind pointed out after a moment of brief confusion. It was Sora and he sounded just like Riku himself felt- scared.
As Riku clutched the younger boy close, slowly relaxing as trembling fingers combed through his sweat-dampened hair, he realized that he had never really been a hero- he'd just stepped in until Sora could take his place- because honestly, Sora was much better, a real hero, and Riku was just tired of pretending.
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Part of the Music Box-verse, hooray.