Title: A Goodbye For Another Hello

Pairings: RikuxSora

Disclaimer/Warning: I do not own the characters from Kingdom Hearts. All credit for the Kingdom Hearts characters go to Square Enix & Disney.

Rating: T

He left. He's gone. One farewell and he departed himself from my life.
It's better off this way, he says. I'm not sure I have the heart to believe him.
All I had to say was goodbye.

It's not the goodbye that hurts, it's the vivid flashbacks that follow. It makes me yearn just to see him once more. He left with no contact. He left with no hint on where he was to go. He left me with an ache in my heart.

Seeing him go, the one true source of my happiness, was heart wrenching. Whether I would admit to it out loud, I knew I loved him. I loved him so much.

I smile to myself as I reminisce on my most cherished memories of him. His smile. His enthusiasm. His optimistic way of looking at life. His bravery. His sense of humor. He was someone I could call perfect. He was flawless in his own way, whether the rest of the world saw him as I do or didn't.

"Riku.. I have to tell you something." He says quietly as if he's trying to cover up something. Sadness perhaps?

I'm concerned by the serious tone in his usually happy voice, "What is it?"

Then I heard the words I'd never thought I'd hear, "I'm leaving." Those words that I dreaded to hear, especially spoken through those lips.

"What? Why?" I'm almost shocked speechless.

"It-It's just better off this way." He stutters a bit. He's not sure of himself, I can tell.

I stay quiet. What is he thinking? Why am I not making him stay?

"I'm sorry." He turns around, "I really have to go now, goodbye Riku."

I simply reply, "Goodbye." And watch him as he walks away.

I didn't put up a fight with him. I let him go and to this day I wonder why. What would have changed if I didn't let him go? Would he have stayed?

I remember the day he left. I had returned home once we said our goodbyes. On my bed was a envelope addressed to me. I opened the envelope and found two things inside. A letter and the crown necklace I had given him a year ago. I grab the letter and open it with my hands shaking with an unfamiliar feeling of fear and anxiety.

Dear Riku,

By the time you read this, I'll already be gone. I just want you to know that me leaving is not your fault. I've thought long and hard about this, and it's the right decision. I didn't tell you where I am for a reason. I didn't tell anyone where I was leaving to, not even to Kairi.

I may have left you but you know that our hearts are connected, you'll find me there.
I left Destiny Islands for good, and that's the only thing I can say about where I am.

You don't know how hard it was for me to leave you. I tried dozens of times but the feeling of being with you was too strong, I just couldn't do it.

Leaving you was the hardest thing I have ever done. One day you'll find the "good" in our goodbye. I have faith that you will. You'll understand that this was the right choice. This is the destined faith that we must both follow.

Goodbyes hurt more than anything. Especially when you know that you'll never say hello again.
This is one of those times.

I don't know If I'm ever going to be able to come back. Maybe a happy ending doesn't include me and you. Maybe it's you on your own, picking up the pieces and starting over. Freeing yourself up for something better in the future. Maybe the happy ending is just moving on.

Goodbye Riku.

I love you.

I could feel something foreign stinging my eyes. Tears. I was crying. I was one to rarely cry. That moment the emotions were overflowing and I couldn't help myself. The one I loved left me and I did nothing to bring him back.

It's been two years since he walked away from my life. I've thought about him since the day he left.
I wore the crown necklace he gave back to me ever since I received it in that envelope. Everyday I pretended that it was alright, that I was fine but I knew if I said that, it would be a lie.

It hasn't sunk in yet. I'm not sure I want it to hit me fully because I know that when it does, I'll feel pain like nothing I have ever felt before.

I did nothing for two years, but that's going to change. I'm going to look for you. I'm going to search everywhere for you. I'll search until the ends of the worlds, all of them, to find you.

You're mine. I made a mistake to let you go. I could have helped. There could have been another way. I'm the one who is suppose to make you feel better on one of your worst days.

Not everything has a happy ending, but this can't be the end. It's just the beginning. I need to get you back. I need to feel your embrace. I need to feel your warmth. I need you here with me. I drive away your nightmares and you fill me with your light. We are two hearts that beat as one.

I want to see you again. I know that I will. Our hearts are connected just like you said, I may not know where you are, but my heart is the map to yours. I miss those eyes, those blue eyes that held so much compassion and optimism. I miss those lips, those soft lips that I love to give small kisses too. I miss that personality that could make almost anyone turn their frown upside down.

I'm waiting for the day where I find you. You'll probably be shocked that I found you. You might not even want to see me, but I could care less. I'd still hold you like it was our last moment together. I'd never let you slip away again.

I miss you, Sora.

But this isn't a goodbye.

It's just a prelude to another hello.