Holding Up the River
By Sadie DragonFire
Warning: Eventual yaoi/Boys Love, i.e. boys getting it on with other boys and liking it that way. Also, threesome.
Pairings: Riku/Sora/Kairi, eventually and in theory. Background implications of Roxas/Namine and past Roxas/Axel. All very mild.
Notes: Begins directly after the end of Kingdom Hearts II, sans the epilogue at the end of the credits.
The first day back home was both the most wonderful and the strangest.
After Sora returned Kairi's charm, she dragged him up out of the water and gave him the second-most long-awaited hug of his young life. It was even worth Goofy and Donald's embarrassing "awww"s of approval and Riku's quiet laughter.
And after that, Sora found himself staggering the last few feet out of the surf and falling on his ass in the sand, completely sopping wet and utterly exhausted. He wanted to spend the next month asleep.
Riku collapsed next to him, breathing hard and bent over his wounded side. Whatever burst of strength that had allowed him to swim to shore had clearly faded. Sora leaned back until Riku's arm was pressed between his shoulder blades. He grinned.
Riku and Kairi were here. They were safe and together. He may not have the energy to stand up just then, but he felt like he could fly.
"Are you two going to be able to get home alright?" Mickey asked, leaning in carefully to look at Sora's face.
Sora waved a weary, sand coated hand. "No problem, Your Majesty," he said, "Just give us a minute and we'll be fine!"
Despite his words, he glanced over his shoulder to double-check on his friends. Kairi knelt in the sand across from Riku, a line of concern between her brows as she watched him, but she was still smiling. Sora felt his heart stutter a little, looking at her. Riku had straightened from his bent over position and didn't look pale or anything -- at least not any paler than normal. He caught Sora's eye and smiled reassuringly through a fall of silver hair.
Sora's chest felt too small to contain the swell of feeling that rose inside him. "Just fine," he said and received two nods in agreement.
Mickey pulled away. "Sora," he said, "I can't begin to thank you for what you've done for my Kingdom and for me. You too, Riku, Donald, Goofy. And Kairi did her part, as well. All of the worlds will forever be indebted to you." The King pressed his hand to his chest and bowed.
Sora's heart wrung suddenly, hearing the approaching farewell in Mickey's words. "It was nothing," he said, caught between dismay at the thought of his friends leaving and pleasure at the praise, "I mean, what else could I have done?"
"There is always a choice, Sora," Mickey said, lifting his head, "Between light and darkness, between action and inaction." He spread out each large hand, as if displaying in them the different choices, the different courses of action Sora hadn't even considered. "For someone like you, maybe there is only one path to follow. That isn't true for all of us."
Sora felt Riku become shift behind him, but there was no censor in the King's voice. He sounded fond and proud.
"So no matter what," Mickey continued, "I will always be grateful for what you have done and what you chose to do. But now, the time has come." He turned purposefully away from Sora and the others with a flick of his tail.
Goofy was the first to react. "Gwarsh, Your Majesty, it's not like we have to leave right away," he said, reaching up to scratch behind one big floppy ear. He started a little when Mickey looked at him and he added uncertainly; "Um, I mean, there's no rush is there?"
"Yeah!" Donald said, "We should have a party to celebrate everyone's safe return!" He gave Sora an affectionate swat on the shoulder.
Sora saw the King hesitate. "Well, I suppose..." he said slowly.
"You've been away from home for a long time, haven't you, Mickey?" Riku spoke up suddenly.
The cheer of victory that Sora, Donald, and Goofy had been building up to deflated just as quickly. They all looked down at the ground guiltily when the King nodded in answer to Riku's question. In his delight to be home with his friends, Sora had completely forgotten he wasn't the only one who'd been separated from loved ones because of this journey.
"Oh," Goofy said, "That's right, you must miss Queen Minnie a lot."
"Aww, it's okay," King Mickey said. He turned back to his friends and smiled, but his eyes were anxious and impatient. "We've all been through a lot. There's plenty of time for one party!"
"No, no, no," Sora said, shaking his head even though it made his ears ring, "Riku's right! You should get back home and make sure everyone else is okay first. The pathways are still open, aren't they?" Now it was time for him to feel a little worried. "I mean." He looked between Donald, Goofy, and the King. "We can all still see each other, can't we?"
"Of course!" Mickey said and his laugh came more easily this time, "As long as you have the Keyblade, there's always a way!"
"Well then, get going!" Sora's face broke out into another wide grin. His cheeks were going to fall off if he kept smiling this way.
"And then come back to see us as soon as you can," Kairi spoke up. She blushed when all attention turned her way. "I'd love to get to know you all better. Especially after you helped Sora and Riku so much."
"It would be our pleasure, Miss Kairi," Goofy said. He ambled over to kiss her hand, his giant shoes tearing up great clumps of sand as he went.
Mickey came over as well to share a few whispered words with Riku. Sora was glad for the friendship between the two of them, glad that Riku hadn't been completely alone in the Darkness.
"Aw, phooey." Donald folded his arms and scowled.
Sora bumped the duck with his elbow. "Come on, don't be like that. We'll celebrate another time." When Donald's eyelids just lowered further, Sora added; "You know, I bet Daisy will be happy to see you."
"Daisy!" Donald cried, managing to sound excited and terrified at once, "Come on, Your Majesty, lets go!" He ran to grab his King's arm and drag him away.
"W-whoa, easy Donald!"
"Goodbye, Sora," Goofy said as he followed his two friends. The palace guard sniff loudly. "I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too, Goofy," Sora said, blinking when his vision started to blur again. Jeez, he was going to run out of tears at this rate. "And you too, Donald! Take care of yourself!" he shouted.
Already half-way down the beach, Donald abruptly dropped Mickey's arm and turned to wave. Mickey took the chance to summon his own Keyblade and held it out, calling forth the column of light that would take them to the Gummi ship. He stood back as Donald and Goofy went into the light and vanished.
Looking at Mickey's Keyblade, a sudden surge of premonition twisted Sora's stomach. He scrambled to his feet, Riku making a startled noise at the unexpected motion. "Your Majesty!" Sora shouted.
Mickey paused and peered over his shoulder with one eye.
Something that Riku had said to Xemnas rolled through Sora's thoughts on repeat. "Maybe light and darkness are eternal".
If darkness was eternal, then...
"It's not over, is it?" Sora called.
Mickey stood still for a moment, with no change of expression. Finally, he looked away.
"Get plenty of rest and enjoy yourself," King Mickey said, his words clearly heard despite the distance and the sound of the waves. With that, he stepped into the light and both he and it vanished.
Sora plopped back onto the sand. He stared silently after his departed friends for a long while. Whatever Riku or Kairi were thinking, neither of them gave voice to it.
For Sora, it was all too easy to realize what the King hadn't said.
Enjoy yourself...while you have the chance.
_________________
"Well, I guess that's my cue!"
"Huh?" Sora shook himself out of his reprieve. They'd been sitting in the sun long enough that his skin and much of his clothing had dried, leaving only a few uncomfortably damp spots. Sand had got up his shorts and into his shoes, a unique sensation he had almost forgotten. His eyes still felt tight and wet and his nose was stuffy. Riku had started leaning on him so heavily that his shoulder was aching with the effort of holding him up.
Sora could have happily spent the rest of his life right in that spot.
"Kairi?" he prompted, when she didn't say anything more. He lifted his arm to wipe his eyes, then thought better of it when he remembered he was still sandy and salty from his unexpected plunge into the ocean.
A giggle from in front of him. "Silly." A soft piece of cloth was pushed into his hand. "You two keep resting, I'm going to see if there's a boat we can get back to the main island with."
Sora used the handkerchief to scrub at his face. "Oh, right," he said, feeling stupid. There was more to this world -- to his home world -- than this one little island, after all. It was a weird thought. He was so used to thinking "my island" and seeing in his mind only this tiny place of hot sun and cool foliage and the cry of seagulls, where all his memories of Kairi and Riku were the strongest. "You sure you don't need any help?"
"I think I can handle this on my own, O' Great Keyblade Master."
"Kairi," he said, his face growing hot at her teasing.
She giggled again. "Just relax and let me take care of you for a while. I'll be right back."
Sora lowered the handkerchief and watched her run off to the dock. A sigh escaped him.
"She really does care about you, you know."
Sora jumped. "Jeez, Riku, don't do that to me! I thought you were asleep."
"I was," Riku said and shifted so that Sora was no longer bearing the brunt of his weight. "Sorry," he added, as an afterthought.
Sora shrugged and manfully restrained from rubbing his sore shoulder. "It's okay, you earned it. Feeling any better?" He wished he'd thought to beg a healing potion off of Goofy or Donald before they left.
Riku stretched and seemed to take stock of himself. "A little. I'm going to have one massive bruise, though." He lifted his shirt to exam his side, where Xemnas had struck him. Sora looked over curiously and winced at the swollen, hand-sized, red-and-purple mark staining Riku's pale skin. "Other than this, I should be fine once I get enough sleep. I hope my parents still recognize me. It'd be great to spent a night in a real bed. I haven't slept in one since -- " He broke off and took on a pensive frown.
"Well, if they don't, you can come crash at my place," Sora said, before Riku could fall back into dark memories. Actually, the idea of a sleepover appealed to him. Maybe if he begged, he could convince his parents to let Kairi stay too, and then he wouldn't have to go more than a few feet to find either of his friends. The venture didn't have a high chance of success, though. His parents had never let Kairi stay the night before this happened, it wasn't likely they were going to change their minds just because he'd been gone for ---
Sora frowned. How long has he been gone for, anyway? He'd never really gotten a good idea or straight answer of exactly how long he'd spent asleep, or even how much time he'd spent running around from world to world. Months, at the very least.
"It's going to be weird, being someone's kid again," Riku said.
Sora was kicked out of his pondering. "What do you mean?" He felt Riku shrug.
"I don't know, it's just..."
He went quiet for a long while. Sora amused himself by building a sand castle. The top of his head was getting hot from being out in the sun and he wondered idly if he was going to get a sunburn.
"I always wanted to do things on my own," Riku said at last, into the silence, "And not rely on my parents to help me. All this time, I -- I haven't even really missed them. Now I know what it's like to really be on my own, and -- "
He didn't get the chance finish. Kairi returned at a dead run. Battle-readiness made Sora's heart-rate spike and he was on his feet, Keyblade in hand, before he realized that there was nothing panicked or frightened about Kairi's manner.
"Hey guys!" she called, coming to a stumbling halt before them. Sora quickly banished the Keyblade in the hope that Kairi wouldn't comment on it. She didn't. "There weren't any boats, so I radioed the main island to come get us. I should have figured, but I thought maybe my boat might still been around from before I got kidnapped."
"Wait, there's a radio?" Sora said. That was news to him. Unless his memory really was that spotty. He shot a quick glance toward Riku and thankfully, the other boy seemed as surprised as he was.
Kairi stared at him in confusion and then realization dawned. "That's right, you weren't here. Waka and Tidus got stranded out here one time when the rope on their boat snapped. Since they hadn't told anyone where they were going, they were stuck for almost two days until someone thought to check this place. After that, their parents pressured the mayor to get a radio installed." She pointed behind herself and for the first time, Sora noticed the spindly metal reception tower rising out of the old shack. "Frankly, I'm surprised they didn't put one out here sooner."
Looking at the tower gave Sora a weird feeling. He'd never considered the fact that while he was off on his adventure, ordinary life had gone on without him.
__________________
While waiting for the boat to show up, they knocked down and shared a coconut to tide them over. For the most part, they maintained an easy, contemplative mood without any talking, but occasionally, he'd catch glances from Riku and Kairi that made him feel like they were supposed to be talking about something. It kept making him think of Riku's comment -- "she really does care about you" -- but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what that 'something' was. So he didn't saying anything at all.
The sun had touched the horizon by the time their ride arrived. Even from a distance, Sora recognized the fishing trawler his father worked on. A surge of excitement and anticipation had him on his feet and in the surf, frantically waving down the ship even though he'd been dead tired an hour before. It took another ten minutes for them to pull into the dock.
And then things became less wonderful and got more strange.
When they discussed it afterward, Kairi would respond to Sora's whiny discomfort with a "well, what did you expect?" To which he would pout and refuse to answer. Because the truth was, Sora had expected his return home to go exactly like the times he'd visited his friends on other worlds after being gone for a while. They'd be happy to see him and ask how he was, and then they'd all go on about their business. He'd eat his mother's homemade dinner, get a good night's sleep, and then be racing Riku down the beach the very next morning.
Instead, the people of Destiny Island treated his return like a miracle and coddled him.
Within seconds of charging up the dock to greet the men and women his father had worked with since Sora was an infant, and hopefully to see his father too, Sora found himself bundled up in blanket and tucked against a bulkhead with a mug of a hot cocoa in his hand and a disgruntled Riku wedged in next to him. Kairi had somehow ended up on the other side of the ship and every time Sora tried to extract himself -- either to see her, or to stand on the brow and watch as they pulled into port -- he found himself swiftly maneuvered back into his blanket. Then came the questions. Are you cold, are you hungry, do you feel sick, where have you been, is there anything we can do to help? Once the few -- and frankly, really damn minor -- bruises and burn marks on his arms and legs from his last battle had been noticed, they all got very gentle with him. Like he was not only made of glass, but completely brainless on top of it. They kept trading meaningful, pitying looks over the top of his head.
After five minutes of this treatment, Sora was ready to jump over the side and swim to shore by himself. He bet it took Riku about two minutes to reach the same state. Honestly people, he wasn't a helpless baby!
At least the cocoa was nice. Sora's father wasn't on the ship, since he'd been on vacation this week, but they radioed the shore and Sora was able to chat with him for a few minutes.
"I'm so relieved to know you're safe," his father said and Sora's eyes had threatened to spill over again.
By comparison, the conversation between Riku and his mother was plain miserable. Riku had looked so small and stricken when the woman broke down sobbing over her "baby boy" finally coming home that Sora wanted to rip the handset away and yell at her to stop it, Riku couldn't handle this right now. The captain, thankfully, seemed to realize things were going downhill and cut the transmission short. Riku conjured up the hint of a smile when Sora prodded him later, but it wasn't as warm as it used to be.
Both of Riku's parents, Sora's father, and Kairi's foster family were waiting for them when they at last pulled into port. With some enthusiastic hugs and back pounding and promises that he'd get to see his mother as soon as she returned from the neighboring island in a few hours, Sora's mood improved considerably. The few glances he was able to get of Riku showed that except for looking solemn and reserved, his friend was doing alright too. Unfortunately, Sora's previous plans to set up a sleepover were quickly dashed when he found himself carted off to the local hospital. Riku was too, but then, Riku actually needed the attention. They were completely separated from Kairi in the process.
"I'll come see you tomorrow!" she called after them, waving. Sora waved back frantically until she went out of sight and tried not to feel like he was losing her all over again.
The doctor insisted on a full physical; "you've obviously been through an ordeal, young man, might as well make sure you're still in one piece" she'd said when he protested. Sora could only laugh, telling her that "an ordeal" was putting it mildly. His diagnosis was fatigue, a pulled muscle in his left shoulder, and some bruising that should clear up in a week or two. Otherwise, he was given a clean bill of health to go home.
Riku was still being examined when the doctor finished with Sora.
"Can't we stick around until he's done?" Sora asked when his father made noises about them leaving. The stood together in the small waiting room, which still smelled and felt like a hospital despite the nice pictures on the walls and the plants pushed into the corners. "I want to say goodbye and...we haven't had much time together."
"I haven't had much time with you either," his father said, "Please Sora, you can see your friends later. I want you with me to pick up your mother at the ferry. She'll be so happy."
Sora sighed. It didn't seem fair that after searching everywhere for his friends, he was separated from them almost as soon as they all got home. He wished they'd taken their time instead of contacting family right away.
He shook off the feeling.
"You're right!" he said with as much cheer as he could manage, "Let's go get mom." He turned for the exit and then just as quickly turned back, his shoes squeaking on the linoleum as he ran over to the nurse's station. "Hung on just a minute!"
It took a bit of charming to get a pen and a piece of paper from the nurse at the desk. A little more after that and with a wink, she was promising to give the resulting note to Riku as soon as he got out.
Feeling much better, Sora headed out with his father.
________________
"Sora, I - I swore to myself I wouldn't ask right away but..." His mother's voice trailed off. She fiddled with her cup and gathered her courage. "Where have you been?"
They all sat around the dinning table in his parent's cramped and cluttered kitchen. The sliding glass door was open, letting the evening breezes stir the worn curtains and drain off the last of the day's heat. The air smelled of seaweed, flowers, and home.
Sora covered his mouth to muffle the wholly inappropriate belch that tried to escape. He'd just finished scarfing down the dinner his mother had whipped up for them and to his delight, it was every bit as delicious as he remembered it being.
"I was traveling around other worlds, defeating the Heartless and the Nobodies," he said without hesitation, "And looking for Riku, Kairi, and the King, too. I'm sorry it took me so long to get back. A lot of people were counting on me."
His parents shared a look and Sora suddenly wondered if that'd been the best answer.
"Heartless?" his father asked in an odd tone.
"Nobodies?" his mother said, in the same voice.
Oops.
"Do you remember anything about the night I left?" Sora asked, trying to figure out a way to explain himself.
Aerith had told him once that when the worlds became connected, the inhabitants learned about each other and the Heartless. But Destiny Islands had already been destroyed by then and all the keyholes were locked before it was made whole again. Maybe no one on the islands knew anything.
"There was that terrible storm," his mother said. She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. "It couldn't have lasted more than a few minutes, but several homes were destroyed."
The entire island was destroyed, Sora corrected mentally But that's funny, everything should have gone back to the way it was. Unless the Heartless had caused that damage even before this world got scattered.
"When I couldn't find you in your room, my heart just about stopped. It was that Kairi girl who told us that you gone out to the little island right when the storm hit. She insisted that you were safe and would be back soon, but..."
Her lips compressed down into a thin line.
"We still looked everywhere," Sora's father said, taking over, "The search went on for -- for months. Kairi's always been a good girl, real trustworthy. But her story wasn't, well...there were a lot of holes."
"What did she say?"
His father rubbed the back of his head. "Well. She said you'd been sent to another world when the storm hit. There were even a few other people who had similar stories, claiming they'd been in some kind of in-between place surrounded by all different sorts of...things. Monsters and the like. Sounded pretty crazy, to tell the truth."
Sora flinched. So some of his neighbors remembered their hearts been trapped in the Darkness by Ansem - or rather, Xeonhart's Heartless? He really hoped it wasn't any of his close friends. It must have been terrifying.
"You didn't believe her or them, did you?" Sora asked. He tried to keep the accusation out of his voice, but it hurt to think of Kairi and the others suffering under everyone's doubt. Especially after what they'd been through.
Another shared look.
"It just didn't make any sense, sweetie," his mother said, "There'd been a terrible wind, the power went out, some trees came down, and then the sky was clear. It couldn't have taken more than fifteen minutes. How were we supposed to believe a handful of people insisting that they spent weeks in some sort of 'other' place?"
Sora ran his hands through his hair, still damp from his recent shower. He would have to explain everything; he owed it to his parents and he owed it to everyone else who remembered and had live with doubt. But the thought of verbalizing all he'd been through made his stomach twist. The good parts, the victories large and small, the friendships made, the strange, new worlds explored; those would be a joy to tell. The bad parts... some were so private, so personal and painful, they couldn't be shared with anyone who hadn't been there. Others, he knew, were things no parent wanted to know their child had been through. How was he going to explain himself without either betraying a trust or burdening his parents even further?
Sora squeezed his eyes closed in frustration. He was too tired to think how he was going to handle all of this. Wasn't all the planning, searching, and work supposed to stop when the adventure did?
"Look, can we talk about this later?" He reached across the table to take their hands. "I just want to enjoy being with my family."
Much to his relief, the subject was changed and the rest of the evening was spent in a haze of good company.
______________
Sora wasn't sure what time it was when his yawns finally got him sent to bed. He did know that he spent the next fourteen hours out like a light. Afternoon sunlight was pouring in through his window before he reluctantly dragged himself back to the world of the living.
He untangled himself from his bedsheets and sat up, rubbing his eyes. It was a little eerie looking around his bedroom.
While he was gone, his parents had boxed up all his belonging and stacked them against the walls. Some of the boxes bore daunting notes on them like "charity donations" and "yard sale". Only the bed and a few knickknacks had been left in place. He'd tried to tease his mother about it as she helped him find where his pajamas had been stashed, but she'd gotten so uncomfortable and evasive that he left it alone.
"They probably forgot about me when everyone else did," he said aloud to the nearly empty room. A bittersweet smile curved his mouth. "At least they didn't spend all that time worrying."
The screech of seagulls flying past his window reminded him that his day was wasting.
He slapped himself on the cheeks and bounced to his feet. "Okay! First - clothes! Second - food! And then off to see Riku and Kairi!"
It didn't go quite as planned.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay close to home today?" had been his mother's plaintive plea while he was polishing off a late breakfast.
"Son, we've been worried sick, stick around for a while," had been his father's gruff reprimand.
"Riku's parents missed him too, you know, we should leave them alone to get reacquainted," had been his mother's excuse when Sora suggested a big get-together between the two families. He knew seconds after bringing up Kairi that he wasn't going to make any headway on that subject either.
And that was the end of that.
"It's a pain having a barrier you can't bludgeon your way through, isn't it Sora?" Riku said dryly over the phone a few hours later.
Sora rolled over onto his stomach with a groan. "Shut up, Riku, they're my parents."
He was sprawled out on his bed, phone cradled between his shoulder and his ear. It had taken a family board game and a movie to earn himself some time alone. He was starting to get the uncomfortable suspicion that they didn't trust him. Or at least, didn't trust him not to run off again.
Which was actually pretty astute of them, all things considered.
"I know. That only makes it worse," Riku said, "Because you know you owe it to them to listen."
"Yeah," Sora said with a sigh. He stared at an open box with clothes spilling over the side. Few of his old clothes still fit him. He'd been forced to wear a pair of his father's shorts while the outfit the three Fairies had made for him was being washed. He felt strangely exposed without the magically reinforced fabric to protect him. "How are you holding up?"
There was a pause before Riku answered. "I'm fine."
Sora held the phone away from his ear and scowled at it. Oh yeah, sure, he bought that.
"My parents don't remember the world falling apart," Riku said, his voice tiny over the speaker. Sora tucked the phone back between his head and his shoulder.
"Mine either! In fact -- "
He reiterated the conversation from the night before. Riku remained silent until Sora finished.
"Huh. That explains why Kairi came by to see me instead of you this morning."
"What?!"
"Ow, my ear."
"You hung out with her? That's not fair!" Sora cried. He lurched up into a sitting position. "I haven't even gotten to talk to her today!"
"She and her father dropped by a little after ten," Riku said. His voice became smug. "She brought me cookies."
Sora let out a moan of despair. He'd missed out on visiting with Kairi and eating tasty cookies? The universe officially sucked.
Riku just laughed. It was such a welcome sound that Sora generously decided to forgive Riku for finding his misery funny. "Don't get all worked up, I saved half of them for you. And use your head. If your parents didn't believe Kairi when she told them what happened to you -- "
"They probably don't want her coming around to see me," Sora finished, his mouth pulling into a grim line. "Something about this doesn't seem right. Why would some people remember, but not everyone?"
"I don't know. Maybe their hearts were stronger."
"Could be," Sora said, "It had to have been terrible, but I almost wish my parents did remember or at least believed. It'd make all of this much easier."
"I suppose." Though the phone, he heard the distant sound of Riku's name being called. "I gotta go," Riku said, "More guests coming over." The discomfort Sora had picked up earlier in Riku's voice started to bleed back in.
Sora took a breath.
"I'm fine," his friend repeated, clearly sensing the question Sora had been about to ask, "It's just a little overwhelming. Give Kairi a call as soon as you can."
"I don't need you to tell me that!"
________________
To be continued…