Amaya's Note:

This isn't my story. My friend wrote this for fanfiction, so kudos to her! She kinda thinks she made Riku a bit too emo. This is pre-358, and we don't really know what's happened in the game. Tetsuya's not giving out enough info. Garr, enjoy.

i'll be waiting on the other side

Riku lay on his back in Destiny Islands. The worlds were saved, his darkness was gone. But he felt…incomplete. He slid off of his bed, the moonlight gently filtering in through his window as the breeze whipped his long silver hair away from his face. Looking down at the beach, his blue eyes focused on THAT spot. It would always focus on that spot. The images rushed back to him as he desperately tried to push them away. They came regardless. SHE had been sitting on their favorite tree. The one he used to sit in with Sora and Kairi. But that day…. It had gone wrong. They had been expecting Axel. Only to hear Xemnas walking up. Then…. It was done. Xion…. Xion's body lay on the sand and Xemnas gone before Riku could react. Riku had held Xion as she died, her blood staining the sand red…

plip A single tear fell on his hand. He brushed another one off of his cheek. There had to be SOMETHING he could do. What if…. What if she WASN'T absorbed into nothingness? What was it DiZ said? That since she was a unique nobody…. Her death may not include nothingness. There had been a world DiZ had mentioned. Gracey Manor.

Riku grabbed a coat as he walked into the darkness of the night. It would take a while to get to the gummi ship. As he quietly left his house, he stared at the moon for a second.

"One Sky"

"Still thinking about that?" A voice asked. Riku summoned his key blade with a start, but lowered it seeing Sora leaning up against his house, his hands tucked behind his head as he did of old.

"What are you DOING here?" Riku asked incredulously. Sora was dressed in a white muscle shirt and red flannel pants. It looked like he was getting ready to go to bed actually.

"Seeing if I can find my friends' worlds. What are YOU doing?" Sora inquired. Riku looked down at the ground The shadows played over Riku's face while the moon lit up Sora's. Riku finally looked up, though half of his face was still in shadow.

"The same. I'm going for a walk." Sora nodded as Riku disappeared into the night. Sora… what you don't know… what Kairi doesn't know… maybe not even Roxas and Namine know… Do they tell you? When you talk to them… do they mention her? She could still be alive. It would be a quartet then. Now… you don't understand me anymore. She might have been the only one who could.

Quicker then he may have wanted he had arrived. The old, half decaying, mansion loomed up out of the mostly well-kept grounds. He knew the stories. That was why he came. The golden colored bricks on the outside gave off a shimmer of the days heat in the chilly night as Riku ignored both the main entrance and the servant's entrance, and he hopped the fence into the graveyard.

The graveyard was overgrown with weeds and moss. Bare branches tugged at his silver hair, over sized black and yellow shirt, and baggy black pants. Dry twigs crackled underfoot as he picked his way through the maze of gravestones and crypts.

SNAP Riku hid behind a tree as three dark skinned people stomped their way through the graveyard, the tall one kept muttering something about a key and a gypsy. After they passed, Riku continued. Soon Riku arrived in the main part of the graveyard. So, the stories were true. Ghosts DID reside here. In fact, one blue tinted semi transparent ghost sipping tea floated past him right at that moment.

"A liv'un" A knight gasped, looking at him. Riku jumped. It would be odd not to, because the head looking at him, was held in the knight's hand. "That makes four tonight."

"Interesting." Another agreed in a slight British accent. This one was dressed as a gentleman of old, and was cleaning a gun.

"Eh, wassat?" An old ghost, he looked to be at least a hundred, holding a gigantic ear trumpet, dressed in a nightgown, and leaning on a cane, wobbled over. "LOUDER!" A mummy next to him grumbled in what was probably Ancient Egyptian.

"Hey, wait!" That… voice. A new voice that night, but so familiar wafted over the air. A girl ran through the gaveyard to where they were. And dressed completely differently than the other ghost. This one wore jeans that were tight around her hips, but otherwise baggy. Her top was covered by a belly shirt with a Kanji on it and a necklace with the nobody symbol rested on her chest. "I know him. He's here to visit me."

"Is he making final arrangements?" a card player sitting at a table under a dead willow suggested. "Full house." He told his opponent, who threw his hand down in disgust. Xion grinned at Riku.

"Hi. Come on." Xion giggled, and floated away through the trees.

"XION!" Riku yelled as he chased after her. She turned, floating in mid air, smiled, then started to run away for Riku, laughing. Riku gave chase. After about 10 minutes she landed softly on a gravestone while Riku leaned up against it.

"So, what's been going on?" Xion asked. She slid down next to him, looking at him with a cheeky smile. "I see you took off that blindfold." Riku grinned.

"Yeah. Well, Axel and DiZ are dead." Xion looked slightly shook up for a second.

"Oh. I wonder what happened to them…"

"Namine… she told me that she thinks Axel's back to being his somebody. But DiZ… I don't know."

"How is Namine?"

"Fine. Her and Roxas are reunited with their somebodies."

"That's good." There was an awkward silence at the end of the small talk.

"Xion… what IS this place?" Riku asked. He turned to face her, and caught sight of the name on the tombstone. Xion. "Why is your name on the grave?" Xion looked sadly at the ground before turning her face to the moon and answering. While he waited, Riku looked at the objects. A blindfold, a kingdom key keychain, four sea salt ice cream popsicle sticks, a keychain Riku did not recognize, a paopao fruit, a souvenir of Twilight Town's clock, a small lit candle, a sketch book, a black and white wrist band…

"Here… this is for all those who when they die can't be claimed by light, dark, nothing, or Hades. Outcasts." She sighed. In the quiet a song could be heard.

When crypt stones creak and tombstones quake. Riku said nothing to Xion. She mused a bit more before continuing.

"When you arrive… your tombstone appears. And then what appears on it is what you valued in life. Most people here… have given up seeing the afterlife. Or the true after life anyway. So they play at living. Others have given up hope and are just depressed." Her voice grew soft as she continued to talk. "Even others have jobs to do while dead. They would have arrived here anyways." She turned to look at Riku. "I have hope though. Someday… the spell on this manor will end. And then… we get to move on!"

"Xemnas is dead too. I helped avenge you." Riku half growled. Xion looked at him in a bit of shock.

"You didn't need to do THAT." She said. "But thank you anyway." Riku was astonished.

"I though… you would want revenge." Xion shook her head, the edge of her hair a little distorted.

"When you're dead… things like greed, anger and sadness… they don't bother you anymore." She took Riku's hand and started to look at the lines on his palm. She continued to talk, as if she was far away though. "All that matters are what you enjoyed and you died with no regrets. I know NOW I had a heart though… my tomb would be bare otherwise." She dropped Riku's hand and pulled her legs up to her chin. Riku sat next to her in the quiet. The next tomb over had a knife next to it. He slowly reached over and grabbed the knife. Trying to keep her from noticing, he placed the knife with the tip pointing into is chest and took a deep breath.

"OW!" Xion had hit him on the head, and wrested the knife away.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" She was FURIOUS. Her face was a mix of anger and hate. "Why… why do you WANT to die?" Riku didn't answer, just turned his face away. Xion understood though. "Sadness…you miss me that much?" Riku still did not answer. "You… just fake happiness in front of your friends… don't you. Riku…" only the song and the crickets could be heard. She started to cry.

"Xion… don't cry." Xion shook her head.

"It's just…. Is it really that much?" Riku nodded. "Don't. Riku. Don't kill yourself. You still have your life ahead of you."

"You did too."

"But I lost my life by the hand of someone else. It doesn't count. You. Riku. You're better than suicide. Are you THAT selfish."

"I would be here… with you." Xion sadly chuckled.

"You would… but what about you parents? Sora? Kairi? His Majesty?" She grinned at Riku's silence. "You're usually smarter than this too Riku." She ruffled his hair and then rested her chin on his shoulder. "Promise me Riku. You'll live for me?" Tears started to fall down her face. Riku didn't talk for a second. He just took in how close she was.

"I promise." He whispered. A light blossomed in the sky. The graveyard erupted into cheers as a beam of pure light separated and drove down into the mansion. Xion laughed.

"It finally came! The curse is lifted! It's over…" She stood up and clapped. She turned to face Riku. "Don't worry." She started to levitate and she lost some of her defined appearance. "I forgive you for my death." She flew up higher and turned more distinctly into a white ball of energy. "And one day… Riku you'll join me here. But until then… live for me. 'kay?" Riku smiled.

"Okay." Xion's ball flew up higher, mixing with the other ghosts until she could be seen no more. The words he never said before appeared on his lips. "Xion…I love you."