WARNING: If you haven't played Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories yet, you'll probably not get this. Yeah....

Current Song Quote: "Lost control again today... "Vanilla Blue" Naked Raygun

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. so please, don't sue. And I swear I haven't kidnapped RIku... YOU HAVE NO PROOF!!

A/N: So yeah, suddenly got his idea into my head. It felt fun. It was fun. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Gah, but I do warn you, there is a little sap in here. Dear gourds, i've written sap! Someone shoot me now....

Falling Star

He sighed slightly, looking up into the dark sky. A few stars twinkled slightly around a crescent moon. The long grass around him waved in the light wind, twisting and swirling. He dropped his gaze to watch the grass swirl. The wind picked up suddenly, a blast pushing past him and sending his silver hair flying about his face. He frowned at it, shaking his head to free it of clinging strands as the wind died down. He sat up, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his chin on them, staring out into the darkness moodily. A bird called out in the distance, a long, low sound that ended in a sudden high pitched note. He jumped slightly, looking into the darkness warily. A moment passed, and another bird called back, this one from somewhere behind him. He glanced back, then turned his gaze to the small figure curled up a few feet from him. The King had fallen asleep almost instantly, and it seemed that even the sudden shriek of a night bird wouldn't wake him.

He smiled slightly, wishing he could sleep so well. He shook his head and turned his gaze back up to the stars. How often had he sat under the stars back home, wishing to see what they were made of? Were they worlds, different from the one he had grown up on? Back then, he would've given anything to travel them, to see them and find out for himself. Back then, he hadn't known what the price could be. It had been such an innocent hope, such an innocent dream, back then. Always, back then.

A flicker in the sky brought him out of his thoughts. A streak of white crossed the sky above him, a line of light that flickered away as it reached the horizon. His breath paused, his eyes widened. It was stupid, he thought. Really, it was... childish. He closed his eyes for a moment, wondering... wondering if falling stars still worked. If faulty wishes could still breathe. The wind picked up again, fluttering his hair about, but he didn't shake it away this time. His eyes were still closed, his face still pointing towards the sky, his thoughts still on the falling star.

"Really, now..."

The voice came from behind, so familiar, and shocked him out of the moment. His eyes snapped open as his breath caught again. Had it worked? Was he imagining it? He went to turn his head, then paused. Stupid, he thought. He'd just been hearing things. He'd wanted it so much that his mind had tricked him, that's all.

"So, you call me, and now you're not even going to say anything? Gee, thanks..."

No. He was definitely not imagining it.

"I'm sorry. You sound like you don't like this..." he said, turning sideways, but still slightly nervous about turning all the way.

"Well, let's see, I was finally able to start falling apart and stop worrying about my full and utter worthlessness and empty heart, but no, its okay. Don't mind the interruption, don't mind being pulled back into the world of living and being forced to breathe and see and feel again." The voice paused, then growled out. "Feelings. Who the fuck thought of feelings? You'd all be so much better off without them, you know?"

"I'm sorry," He grinned slightly, sadly. "If I'd have known... Its just that it gets so hard at night. Its so dark and so full of the unknown. I used to love the unknown, but I'm not so sure anymore. I just feel so alone in the night now... I really don't like feeling so alone, especially on a night like this. Its such a nice night but I still manage to feel alone."

"Hmph..." The voice sounded unconvinced. "So what exactly did you call me here for?"

"Just...I don't know... I didn't even expect it to work..." He chuckled at the impossibility of what had happened.

"After all that's happened, after all you've been through... You can't even believe in something so simple as a wish upon a star?" The voice asked, and he could hear the person turn towards him. He shook his head and sighed.

"I just want to talk. I'm having such a hard time talking lately. And I can't sleep at night as much anymore." He said, glancing for the first time to the side at the figure sitting not far away. The figure sneered, leaning forward.

"Aw, what, are the nightmare's bothering you?" The figure cooed, then laughed. "Fine, you want to talk? We'll talk... tell me, Riku, how's it feel being real? Huh?"

His face darkened, and he looked away.

"Is that all you ever think about?" Riku snapped, suddenly regretting his wish. Stupid, it was stupid. He shouldn't even had tried it.

"Maybe. Maybe sometimes I think about what its like to have a real heart. Maybe sometimes I wonder what its like to have a real life. Maybe..." And here the voice faltered, just for a moment, cracking before continuing. "Maybe sometimes I wonder what its like to have friends."

Riku looked to the side, for the first time meeting those turqouise eyes. He bit his lower lip, thinking that maybe... no, not thinking, feeling... feeling, and now he was sure of it, feeling behind that hard edge those eyes were filled with a kind of despair he'd never know. He felt saddened, his spirits falling even lower than they had been.

"Its nice..." Riku said, his thoughts turning to his friends. His friends, did they still think of him as a friend?

"I'll bet." Turqouise eyes turned cold again as his voice snapped harshly.

"But... but you're real too, aren't you? You're a person..." Riku said, resting his hands in the grass around him.

"Ha! Not even that anymore... no, not even that..." The figure turned away, eyes downcast. "No, now I'm nothing more than ethereal gas, pulled around the fractured fragments of an empty heart. No, not even a person anymore."

"I'm... I'm sorry." Riku said. He thought back to that moment, the moment when his blade had been quicker. He hadn't expected it, and, really, some part of him, some distant, fragmented part of him had hoped that it wouldn't.

"Its not your fault." The voice replied in a defeated tone. Riku turned in surprise. "If I hadn't been so stupid, if... if I hadn't wanted it so bad... I should be apologizing for giving you so much trouble..."

Riku felt a grin creep onto his face. He reached out a hand and gripped the figures shoulder, and those turqouise eyes turned to him in surprise, wariness evident in them as well. Riku laughed, still grinning.

"So what do you say we both agree that at some point in time we had both been idiots and leave that behind?" Riku said, still holding the figures shoulder. The other face frowned, but it looked as if it were fighting a battle, and slowly a small grin appeared. The figure chuckled, then sighed and lowered its head.

"Just think, think what could've been, if we'd only been less stupid..." It said, and Riku sighed, his hand dropping to his side.

"That's how it always is, isn't it? You want something so much you forget to think what would happen beyond yourself." Riku shook his head. "If I could take it all away, I would. But hey, think about, if it hadn't happened, you would've never... you know..."

"What? Been created?" The figure snorted.

"Learned about life..." Riku added.

"And learned to hate it." The figure finished. Riku smirked miscieviously and looked to the side.

"Ah, but at least you admit you learned something." He said.

"Stupid..." The figure replied, but its lips curled in a smile, and those turqouise eyes rose to meet his own. A sadness suddenly appeared in them, and Riku found his own smile slipping away.

"What? What is it?" Riku asked, suddenly afraid.

"It's almost dawn..." The voice whispered. The eyes were so sad, looked so lost. And yet, they were filled with longing, and Riku could almost say he knew what for.

"Riku?" The voice asked quietly, the figure held out a hand.

"Yeah?" Riku said. He could see the horizon behind the figure growing lighter, the black turning instead to a dark blue.

"This... this sounds really corny and sappy and stuff..." The voice said hurriedly, a sad chuckle escaping between the words. "But... just... don't, don't forget me."

Riku stared into those eyes, felt a tightness growing in his chest. He took the hand offered him, gripped it tightly.

"I won't." Riku smiled, seeing the eyes flicker with warmth. "I promise."

The figure smiled too.

"Then you'll never have to feel alone again." The figure said, and reached out its other hand to touch his chest. "Because you won't be, no matter how dark the night. I promise."

A warmth spread through them both, and Riku felt his fear melting away, felt his nervousness disappearing. The horizon was brightening, and with a start he realized his hand felt empty. He looked down with a start and saw the hand in his growing faded. He looked back up into the turqoise eyes, saddened, but the face smiled gently. The light was coming, and the figure faded quickly, but Riku smiled. Another moment, and he was holding nothing in his hand, the sun's first rays lighting his face. He smiled, and put his hand to his chest, feeling the warmth still there. No, he wasn't alone. And he wouldn't be, ever again. No matter how dark the night. He had promised.

Endnotes: So there it is. Such a nice one shot. And no, I won't continue this. I think its cute, sorta. Isn't it cute?
And is it just me, or did I just imply something weird in there? Oo... damn you Pike.

Anyways, I really hope you all liked it. The notes would be wittier but damn I'm tired.

Oh, sorry bout that one bad swear word there. Yeah.... thought that there just might be a slight difference in personalties between them.

Laters, and thanks much,

Zo