-SPOILERS THROUGH THE BEGINNING OF KH II-
|||Chain of Memories & 358/2 Days|||
It's one long year, to say the least.
Longest one Riku's ever known.
The days are painful and drag by, and it's nerve-wracking, watching Namine re-write Sora's memories. At first, Riku was consumed with worry. What if she doesn't get the one when Sora and I got detention for pranking Wakka? What about the time he and I and Kairi snuck out to the island to watch the stars all night because there was supposed to be a meteor shower, only Sora got the date wrong and we ended up alone all night out there in the cold? What happens if she misses one? Will Sora be the same? Will he wake up?
Ansem sends him on tasks, whenever there's something to be done, and Riku just hopes it does something to speed it up, because there's no visual sign of progress. He can't stand this for much longer, can't deal with knowing Sora's trapped in that box, forced asleep—Not that he used to need any encouragement for that, Riku thinks exasperatedly; Sora would fall asleep if you left him alone for five minutes—can't deal with the inescapable knowledge that this is all his fault, if Riku hasn't done that one thing…
It haunts him at night, when he can't sleep, and even when he can it comes to him in nightmares. He'd been aware—if dimly—during his battle with Sora, before the whole Castle of Oblivion and finding-his-way-to-light thing, and although he'd been forced away and not himself, Riku had watched Sora give up his heart for Kairi and the other Princesses of Heart. He'd watched as Sora fell, shattering into pieces like glass, lost to the darkness just as Riku had been—still was, mostly—and sorrow and shame consumes his veins with every reminder of that. He remembers the look on Sora's face when he'd realized Riku was with Maleficent, when Riku had taken the Keyblade, and every night just adds to the guilt tearing him up.
On the days when nothing else is going on, he visits Sora. It's not easy, to know that Sora is stuck there, trapped, because of him, to know that Sora had no real choice in the matter, no real ability to protect himself from this. Sora looks peaceful, but Riku knows he's not—Namine has said that his rest might help repair his memories, but it does nothing to mask the pain of being unmade then made again, does not give Sora rest or peace, won't until the pieces are back in place.
Then comes the heart-stopping day when Riku can't remember Sora's name for a minute, can't place the face of his best friend, doesn't even remember why he's with DiZ and Namine. It takes him a good couple minutes before it comes back to him in jagged bits and pieces, and the guilt and overwhelming desire to see his best friend again, to talk to him, to hit him over the back of his head, fills every part of his being.
Namine just smiles slightly when he rushes to see Sora that day, recognizing the panic in his face.
"I would have warned you," she explains in her soft way, "But it wouldn't have helped. And since you're here, the memories can't be gone from you for long. Everyone else, though, their memories will take a little longer."
Riku was too busy staring at Sora, committing every inch of his face to memory again, afraid of losing the knowledge again, he didn't really respond for a minute. His mind was flying from occurrence to occurrence in his past, trying to see if there were any gaps, to see if there was any childhood memory missing, any thing gone from its place.
"Even if I did forget about him…" Riku questions eventually, "… or about anything that happened before, I wouldn't even realize it was gone… would I?"
Namine's smile slips slightly, and Riku had to repress thoughts of how Kairi had the same expression sometimes. "No…" She replies, almost sorrowfully, almost guiltily. "You wouldn't even know it had ever been there."
"Then how do I know you haven't made me forget other things? Other memories?" The question is accusing, and Riku knew it, but he didn't regret it until he sees hurt flash across Namine's face briefly.
"You don't," She responds simply, after a moment, tone even despite the sadness flickering in her eyes.
"You just have to trust me, I guess." She finishes with a shrug and the ghost of a smile.
Finally, Riku turns to look at her. "I guess so." And surprisingly, he did. He trusted her, even though she could be doing anything to Sora's memories, and Riku could do next to nothing to stop her.
It wasn't a pleasant feeling, but it was one he had to live with until she could get Sora back to normal.
Riku would just wait for that day, wait for him to wake so they could both go back to the islands and to Kairi once again.
It's later that week when DiZ sends him after Roxas.
Sora's memories aren't quite coming back, not quickly enough, DiZ said, and Roxas and some Xion character are to blame. He doesn't get all the particulars, but he doesn't care much. If it helps Sora get his memories back faster, he'll do it. He's committed. He has to help Sora get his memories back.
No matter what it costs him in the process.
~fin~
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A/N: I know this is short, but there's a reason this is a drabble collection; I'm really lazy and never finish anything and my bursts of inspiration rarely last for full-sized fics, to my eternal annoyance.
And since KH is probably my favorite videogame series ever with some of my favorite characters that I never get tired of, there are a lot of drabbles like these lying around my notebooks that will probably never get expanded, so here! Have unsatisfying, short pieces where I usually torture my favorite characters (Mainly Roxas and Sora and occasional interludes with the BBS crew) with lots of angst and maybe some h/c.
Many will be inspired by song lyrics, in which case I will put the lyrics in question at the top of the fic.
Unless otherwise specified, none will really connect with the others, and if it's an AU, I'll mention that at the top too.
IMPORTANT: If you have any requests, please let me know! I'd be happy to write something small for a prompt, though I know it's not likely you'll want to see more of this stuff.
Also, the title is not set in stone just yet. Let me know what you think, if you have any better ideas, please :)
That being said, thank you SO much for reading! Hope you have a wonderful day.
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If there is ANYTHING that you think could be improved, please let me know! This has not been edited by anyone else so I would appreciate your feedback!
Whether or not you let me know what you think, I hope you enjoyed and will stick around for the next time I get around to fixing up a one-shot/drabble.
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And an extra thing to make you more inclined to come back later, A SNEAK PREVIEW FOR DRABBLE #2, DEPARTURE:
"It wouldn't have seemed unusual: a black-cloaked figure of the Organization, striding through the neon-lit streets of the World That Never Was.
But Axel knew it was. He knew that this was no ordinary walk because Roxas didn't even look at him as he passed, sandy blonde head high and purposefully aimed straight ahead."