Hello everyone! I'm currently in the process of continuing my other fanfiction titled Darkness, which is another SoRiku pairing. I hit a writers block on that story and this is my attempt to fix it. The setting of this story is in Re:CoM when Sora fights Riku the second time. Hope you enjoy!
The white marble of the castle echoed throughout the halls. Riku, in his Ansem armor, stood before Sora. The words that had just escaped his mouth pierced through Sora like a knife through butter.
"Namine isn't the only person tired of you, I am too!"
Sora had remembered the conversation he had with Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy. If you had forgotten something, it must have not been an important memory. If Riku had forgotten all about how close he and Sora were, does that mean he held no importance to Riku? Sora couldn't help but feel hurt. As his blade smashed against Riku's, Riku couldn't help but notice the look on Sora's face. The look of thought. He quickly shrugged it off and continued to fight, hitting Sora harder than he's ever hit him before. Punches, slashes, kicks, spells, they were all thrown back and forth. Sora couldn't bring it in him to actually hit Riku physically, so it was more of him shoving Riku away when he got close.
Sora's health was low and he didn't have anymore Cure cards. He needed Donald now. He summoned Donald, but with a quickness, Riku broke the attack and swung his sword. Sora tried to jump to dodge the attack, but he wasn't fast enough. Riku's blade sent a wave of thunder to Sora's body and blew him away. Sora fell to the ground and Riku laughed. He saw the chance to finally end this battle and raised his sword to swing it once more.
"STOP!" shouted a voice. Riku stopped and turned to the voice that was coming behind him. A girl with blonde hair looked at Riku with pleading eyes.
"Naminé…" said Riku. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"I should be asking you the same question." Said Namine. She had her notepad clutched to her side. She looked shocked and upset. "Why are you two fighting?!" she asked. "That's not what's supposed to happen!" she said.
"He doesn't need to be here, Naminé. He needs to go back to the islands and protect Kiari. He has no business here." He said. Namine shook her head.
"Can't you see, Riku? He needs you. Kiari too." She said. "Change back into your normal clothes." She demanded. Riku obeyed.
"I couldn't care less if he needed me. He doesn't care about anyone but himself." He said.
"You know that's not true. Come with me, both of you. Let me show you something. It might jog your memory." Said Naminé. Riku hesitated but ended up following her until she turned to Sora, who was still laying on the floor. "Sora, come on. The fight is over." She said with a smile.
No response.
"Sora?" asked Donald. There was a silence that filled the room that was louder than anything they had heard before.
"Is…is he…" Naminé began to speak. Donald and Goofy ran to Sora's side. Riku's heart began to race.
"He's not breathing!" shouted Donald. Naminé and Riku ran to Sora's side. "This is your fault!" shouted Donald to Riku. "All Sora wanted to do was bring you home!" he shouted as tears of rage filled his eyes.
"I…I didn't mean to…I…" stuttered Riku. He didn't know what to think. All of the rage that filled him just moments ago was gone. Sora, his childhood best friend, laid in front of him, clutching onto the last bits of life he had—and it was because of him.
Donald was curing Sora as much as he could. Namine was checking for a pulse. Riku was performing CPR on Sora's chest and Goofy was looking for any type of potion he could find. After Donald had used up all of his energy, and Goofy found no signs of any healing potions, elixirs, or even ethers anywhere. Silence dawned on the group as they realized what was happening.
"He's gone…" said Naminé. Tears fell down her face as she tried to cover her sobs with her hand.
"It can't be! We have to do something!" shouted Donald. Goofy began to cry as he removed his hat in respect. Riku pulled Sora's body close to his, cradling him in his arms. He let out a scream that echoed through the entire castle. Tears ran down his face like rivers.
"Sora…I'm so sorry…I'm sorry…" he repeated over and over, holding the body close to his own.
A black portal opened up and Axel arrived.
"Yo! I heard screaming—" said Axel. He stopped talking once he realized what was happening. His skin jumped. He walked over to Sora's side. "Is he…" said Axel. Naminé sobbed and nodded her head. "R…Roxas…" he muttered under his breath.
Larxene showed up and was a bit shocked herself. "He wasn't supposed to die." She said. Axel gave her a look that made her shut up immediately. More members of the Organization showed up and they all stood quietly. None of them wanted Sora to die. Some had an emotional connection with him like Axel, others thought he was the key to finding Kingdom Hearts, so by Sora dying, the plan was a failure.
Something about the scene made a feeling of remorse appear in every enemy that was in the room. They all realized that all Sora wanted to do was find his friends and keep everyone safe, yet they were all against him in an effort to help themselves.
Riku didn't let Sora go for a second. He was now sobbing quietly as he ran his fingers through Sora's hair. Naminé was trying to stay calm for Donald and Goofy, who were crying very hard.
Some of the Organization members tried to comfort Riku by blaming his actions on Castle Oblivion's effects on his memory. It didn't help.
"There's no use of telling me that." Said Riku. "None of this would have ever happened if I had never given in to the darkness. We would all still be on the islands," he said. Fresh tears fell down his cheeks, "Sora would still be alive!" he exclaimed. The ground began to shake. Everyone began to panic, as they thought the castle was falling apart. Instead, a big blue door emerged from the ground and swung open. A tall, elderly man with a long white beard walked out of the door. He was wearing a blue cloak and a pointy blue hat.
"Y-Yen Sid!" shouted Goofy. Yen Sid did not look happy at all.
"I have had enough of this mess." He said. "Riku!" he shouted. Riku looked up at the man. Yen Sid studied the boy's face. His cheeks stained with tears, his eyes red and filled with regret, his bottom lip quivering. "Give me the boy." He said. Riku shook his head. Yen Sid grabbed Sora's arm and pulled him away from Riku.
"Give him back!" shouted Riku. He attempted to grab Sora back before Goofy stopped him.
"Trust him, Riku. He might be able to help Sora!" said Goofy. Riku was hesitant, but he allowed Yen Sid to help. The wizard laid the boy on the floor and kneeled down next to him. He grabbed Sora's throat and whispered in his ear.
"Breathe, child." He said. Everyone in the room jumped when they heard Sora desperately gasp for air. Riku's heart jumped and his head began to spin. He was on his knees, and he leaned forward, gripping the floor with his hands to keep him from passing out. The sound of Sora's breath piercing through the silence that echoed in the room they were in.
Sora was panicking while trying to get air in. "Work through it, Sora. Focus on your breathing." Said Yen Sid. Sora started to take slow, deep breathes to try and calm himself down.
'I'm…I'm alive…but…how?' thought Sora as he breathed deeply. Tears fell down his face as he tried to calm his anxiety from reaching new heights. Yen Sid's presence held a sense of calm energy that somehow was being transferred to Sora. He could feel Yen Sid's energy helping him calm down. He finally felt his nerves calm down as breathing became easier. He finally took one deep breath that allowed him to catch his breath. He took a sigh of relief and put his hands on his forehead. Yen Sid let go of his throat.
"Sora!" shouted Donald and Goofy. They ran to his side.
"Are you okay?" asked Donald. Sora didn't have the energy to speak, so he just held up a thumbs-up. Naminé couldn't help but release tears of joy when she saw Sora do that.
"Thank goodness…" she said. She looked over at Riku. "Are you okay, Riku?" asked Naminé. Riku hid his face with his bangs as he continued to cry.
"I can't even look at him." He said.
"Now, you know he'll understand. Go talk to him." Said Naminé.
"Where…" Sora began to speak. He took another deep breath. "Where's Riku?" he asked. Donald turned and pointed to Riku. Sora turned his head and saw Riku. He was still on his knees, face down, with his shoulders slightly shaking from the sobs. Sora slowly got up and limped towards Riku. Goofy and Donald ran to help him, but Sora held out his hand, reassuring that he was fine, just weak. Riku didn't notice Sora walking near him until he leaned down in front of him. He jumped at the touch of Sora's hand on his shoulder. "Hey…" said Sora. Riku looked at Sora. He still looked like he was in pain. "Are you alright?" asked Sora. Riku couldn't help but sob at the question. Sora almost died and he was still worried about the man who almost killed him. Riku pulled Sora into a tight embrace and cried into his shoulder. Sora wrapped his arms around Riku.
"I'm so sorry…" said Riku. Sora couldn't help but shed a few tears, too. He still felt a bit betrayed, but he could tell that Riku was back to his normal self again.
"It's okay. I forgive you." Said Sora.
"But…but I did it again…I gave in…" said Riku. Sora ran his fingers through Riku's hair in an effort to calm him down.
"It's okay. We all make mistakes, that's what makes us human. I'm here."
"But if it wasn't for Yen Sid you wouldn't be…" he said.
"Don't think about the what-ifs. What matters is that I'm here and you're awake again." Said Sora. Riku slowly nodded.
After a few moments, they broke the hug.
"Welcome back, Sora." Said Naminé. Sora smiled.
"We've got some catching up to do." Teased Sora. Namine giggled as she wiped a happy tear away.
"Wait, you guys!" shouted Goofy. Everyone in the room looked at Goofy. "Our memories! They're all back!" he exclaimed. Yen Sid nodded.
"Precisely. My assumption would be that a traumatic event such as Sora's death triggered everyone's memories to return. This castle is made from Sora's memories, therefore without him, the castle would crumble." He said. Sora ran to Yen Sid and hugged him.
"I don't know who you are, but thank you for saving me." He said. Yen Sid patted Sora on his head and smiled.
"Just don't do something this stupid again." Said Yen Sid. "How are you feeling?" asked the wizard.
"I'm really tired." Said Yen Sid. Sora jumped as he felt a leathered hand on his shoulder. It was Axel.
"Listen, kid. We're glad to have ya back…" said Axel. Sora smiled, but he didn't know how to feel. Why was Axel suddenly nice to him now?
"What the hell do we do now?" asked Larxene. Vexen turned to her and shrugged.
"We must go back to the castle and talk to Xemnas." He said. The group agreed. Axel turned around before leaving with the rest of the Organization. He smiled at Sora and left the room through the portal.
"Who's Xemnas?" asked Sora.
"You don't need to worry about anything except going home." Said Riku. Sora frowned.
"Riku…I can't go home without you." Said Sora. Riku smiled.
"We're coming with you, Sora." Said Riku. Sora's heart skipped a beat.
"Y-You are?" asked Sora. "You promise?" he asked. Riku's heart broke when he saw tears forming in Sora's eyes. He realized how long he had been fighting for this moment. Riku embraced Sora once again.
"I promise. I won't ever leave you again." He said. Sora nodded into his chest and smiled.
"Alright, let's go home." Said Sora. Yen Sid led them through the door and they all walked in as one big family. Namine couldn't help but keep smiling. She was finally going to a place called home.
At Yen Sid's tower, Riku and Sora sat by the wizard's desk. Naminé, Donald, and Goofy were in the courtyard, waiting for Sora and Riku.
"Riku," spoke Yen Sid. "I hope this was a lesson you will never forget." He said. "I cannot say that the darkness will not come to you later, but you must not give in. No matter how much you think you're better off in the darkness, nothing is stronger than light. This is the second time that something like this has happened, and this is the second time that nothing good came out of it." He said. Riku nodded.
"I understand. I'm sorry." He said. "Thank you for bringing Sora back." Yen Sid nodded.
"Now that you all understand, you must go home and rest, because you will start training with me in two weeks." Said Yen Sid. "I will train you to control your darkness, Riku. As for Sora, I will be training you on how to control your magic. Lessons start at 10AM sharp." He said. The two boys nodded. "When you leave here today, let your hearts be filled with light." Said Yen Sid. "Riku, Sora has fought very hard to find you." He said, "Don't let his hard work go to waste." He added. Riku nodded.
Sora and Riku walked out to the court yard. Riku took a deep breath. He felt like himself again. He was so relieved. They all boarded the Gummi Ship and Riku took a look around.
"This is…different." Said Riku. Sora smiled.
"It's the Gummi Ship! This is how we've gotten to different worlds." Said Sora. Riku smiled at Sora. He could tell that although Sora was so tired, he was proud of his own accomplishments.
"They let you drive this thing?" asked Riku.
"Hey!" shouted Sora. "I drive this thing just fine!" said Sora.
"That's what he wants you to think!" joked Donald. Everyone laughed, including Sora. It was the first laugh they all had together in a while.
"I'll show you how to drive it! Donald, move over!" said Sora.
"No way! You need to rest, Sora!" shouted Donald.
"But!—" objected Sora, but Riku put his arm on Sora's shoulder.
"Donald is right, Sora. You aren't in any condition to be driving anything." Said Riku. Sora frowned. "Listen, once you get better you can fly me to all of your favorite worlds, okay?" asked Riku.
"Deal!" said Sora. They all got situated inside the ship and they were on their way. Sora laid back into his seat and noticed that halfway home Riku was looking out the window, staring at the stars.
"Hey Riku…" asked Sora as the Gummi Ship landed on Destiny Islands. Riku looked over at Sora. The rest of the group began to get out.
"I'll follow you guys, soon. I need to talk to Riku." Said Sora.
"Don't take too long, Kiari is waiting!" said Naminé. Sora nodded and looked at Riku.
"Are you happy?" asked Sora. Riku nodded. "Are you sure?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure. You being alive is enough to keep be happy for a long time." Said Riku. Riku grabbed Sora's hand and squeezed it. "Sora…I really thought you were gone. I can't explain how grateful I am that Master Yen Sid revived you." He said. Riku's voice was cracking. "I'll make it up to you, Sora. I don't know how but I'll figure it out." Said Riku.
"Don't leave me again." Said Sora. Riku winced. "That's how you can make it up to me. Stay here by my side. I need you more than I need anyone else." Said Sora. Riku blushed and nodded.
"Let's go see Kiari." Said Riku with a smile. "And Sora, thank you." He said. Sora nodded.
They jumped out of the Gummi Ship and Kiari was talking to Donald, Goofy and Naminé. Kiari looked up and saw Sora and Riku and ran towards them. She hugged them both and they accepted it with open arms.
"I've missed you two…Sora, are you alright?" asked Kiari.
"Yeah, I'm better now. How are you?" asked Sora.
"I'm good. I've missed you two so much…I'm so happy you guys are back." Said Kiari.
"I'm sorry for leaving you two. If I had stayed then none of this would have ever happened." Said Riku.
"It's okay, Riku. All that matters now is that you're okay and we're together again." Said Kiari. "Now go take a nap or something, I'm sure you two are tired! I'll set up Namine's room!" said Kiari.
Sora immediately taking his shoes off. Riku smiled.
"Are shows not allowed in the house anymore or something?" asked Riku. Sora rolled his eyes.
"It's been too long since I've walked barefoot on the sand." Said Sora with a smile. Riku laughed and started to take his shoes off too. They walked on the warm sand barefoot, taking in every nostalgic feeling in.
"I gotta admit, this feels nice." Said Riku.
They walked side by side across the beach, enjoying each other's company without saying anything.
"You should go rest, Sora." Said Riku. Sora nodded.
"Yeah, you're right. You're gonna be here when I wake up, right?" asked Sora. Riku began to roll his eyes until he realized that Sora was serious.
"Sora…of course I will be. You don't have to worry about that anymore." Said Riku. Sora smiled and nodded.
Riku watched Sora run inside the house and smiled. Being back on the islands made him realize how lucky he was to have the life he did. He had spent so long trying to get rid of it. He had a new respect for his friends. And Sora…well Sora had his heart. He would never admit it, but he needed Sora as much as Sora needed him too. He smiled as a familiar warmth filled his chest.
"I'm home…"