The water (or maybe air) brushed past him quickly… Which was a strangely familiar feeling, now that Riku thought about it. As he began to slow down, he opened his eyes…

...and remembered nothing more. Riku sighed as he sat up in bed, groaning at the mostly blocked rays of light. He knew he had dreamt about something important, and yet he couldn't remember one dang thing. This once he wanted to have something interesting to talk about that wouldn't lead to some grand mess for them to clean up.

Of course, that wasn't saying Riku wasn't interested in building the raft and getting off this stupid island. It's just that it was hard work building it, and Sora goofed off every chance he got, even though he was taller and could get to some of the materials and supplies easier than him and Kairi. Riku just wanted something to keep from getting frustrated with the progress.

Riku paused as he got dressed in the early morning light. Sora. It was always Sora.

Sora was always in the middle of something or another and he never seemed to learn his lesson. Riku usually would get wrapped up in it, whether he liked it or not. If he didn't know better he'd think that Sora was the younger one but that wasn't the case here. Of course, Kairi was the one that bailed them out most of the time, being a 'voice of reason'. Supposedly. At least it worked.

Riku grabbed a granola bar and bag he had some sandwiches for lunch in, and slipped out the back door. The sun had only risen about half hour ago so the island would be empty, allowing him to eat in peace.

He had no doubt that would be the last of it he'd get all day.

The trip over to the island was getting easier each year, but rather than make him feel stronger, Riku felt like the world was shrinking. In a few years, how small would this island feel? Will the raft bring them beyond those limits he had glimpsed for the first time all those years ago? Riku took a small bite of his quickly shrinking granola bar.

"Hey Riku! You're here early! Can't wait to work, huh?"

Riku choked loudly and turned around to see the cheerful face of Sora. "Why are you here so early? I thought you'd sleep in considering how hard you have worked in the last few days?" Riku jabbed, irritated that Sora had surprised him so much. Dang it, this was supposed to be his last vestige of peace before...this!

"Well, y'know, it seemed like such a nice day..." Sora turned to face the ocean. "We're almost done with the raft. We might not get to this view too much more."

Riku frowned at Sora's downhearted look. This was going to be an adventure not a death sentence! "Well, we will get to see new views ones we have never seen before! Doesn't that sound even better?"

Sora grinned a little. "Yeah, I guess. I just want to remember this so I can compare them all to it."

Riku smirked. "Well, how about you actually remember to grab your share of supplies today and not just nap all day long?"

"Oh, come on Riku! We still have some time left before the raft's done! And it isn't like I was trying to sleep!"

"But-" Riku froze.

Sora turned around. "Riku?"

"Did you hear that?" Riku looked around pensively, trying to locate the source of his unease.

"Riku, are you trying to scare me? You know that won't work-"

Don't be afraid...

Riku ran as quickly as he could to catch up with the voice. Those words were familiar, and he had to know their meaning.

"Riku?! Why are you running off like that?" Sora called after him, following him toward.

Was it coming from the Secret Place? Riku ducked down and slowed slightly as he tried to fit through the tight cavern. He was close now...

You are the one who will open the door...

Finally in the main cavern, he found nothing but the mysterious door and the drawing they had added over the years. Riku sighed, there was no sign if anyone had been here at all. He walked slowly toward the door, regretting his slow speed. "This door sure is odd."

Sora panted having just caught up. "Is that all you came to see?"

"Well,it certainly is interesting, is it not?"

Sora and Riku swiveled around to face the newcomer. "Where'd you come from?" Riku shot at him.

"Nowhere in particular, I am simply here to see the door," the hooded figure responded dodging the question easily.

Sora frowned. "Why would you want to see that old thing? It doesn't even have a doorknob!"

The figure laughed darkly at them.

Riku grew more frustrated. "Why are you laughing, old man?"

"You do not yet know what lies beyond the door."

Riku jumped, was he actually... "What is behind the door then?"

Was it his imagination, or was he smirking?! "There is so very much to learn. You understand so little."

Riku almost jumped to hit that creepy old man, but Sora held him back. "Well, that doesn't matter!" Sora replied as much to calm him as to refute the figure. "We're gonna learn about it all! Whether you like it or not!"

"Hmph. A meaningless effort. One who knows nothing can understand nothing-"

"How do you know? What do you know about what we know, I think I know more than you!" Riku yelled.

"Yeah!"

"Then open the door. Perhaps you will find what you are looking for behind it."

Riku and Sora both glanced at the door, but the man was gone when they next looked. "Wh- where'd he go?" Sora mumbled.

Riku looked calculatingly at the door, feeling the same as Sora probably was. There was no way he could leave that quickly without them noticing. So how...? "I think this door requires a bit more looking at."

"I'll say..." Sora said slowly. Sora turned to look at him.

Riku nodded in return. They would be coming back here later today. After they got some work done. And speaking of... "Hey Sora, Kairi's probably here by now."

Sora blinked and then gasped loudly. "Oh no, she's gonna think we sleep in! She said she'd make me catch all the fish if I was!"

Riku laughed, all of the pressure from the encounter gone. "Kairi will follow through with that threat, I'm sure of it."

"Aw man, I'm terrible at fishing!" Sora threw up his hands in despair.

"Race ya to the raft, you win and we'll split the fishing." Riku knew he couldn't refuse an offer like that. He would get his revenge for the match yesterday...

"You're on!" Sora grinned as made his way out the last bit of the tunnel, Riku right behind him.

Riku's eyes gleamed from more than the sudden sunshine. Got him! "Let's go!"

The two ran off, Riku with a slight lead. "Come on, that's cheating!"

"You've done the same thing!"

The laughter echoed throughout the now empty cave, that was filled with darkness once more.

The warm colors of the day's end had already mostly faded and the stars were speckled across the sky. The evenings here were beautiful, no matter what Riku might say about the rest of the world. It showed just a glimpse of stars and worlds unseen, coated in a slight warmth from sunset. But the darkness of night time would be here soon, so they needed to hurry if they wanted dinner tonight. "Hey Sora! You ready to go take a look?"

Sora grinned as he got out of his boat. "You better be grateful for this, it was really difficult convincing my mom to come... Also, uh, I think Kairi saw me so she'll be here in a bit." Sora ended sheepishly.

Armed with flashlights, they quickly started heading over to the Secret Place. "Well that's fine," Riku shrugged, "Kairi should be here this really does lead to anything. Otherwise, we could accidentally leave her behind."

Sora's eyes widened a bit. "That'd be terrible!"

Riku smirked in the darkness of the cave they had just entered. "Yeah, I'm sure you especially would hate that."

Riku didn't even need to see Sora's face to know he was blushing. "Th- th- that's not true at all!"

"Right, right, I suppose you don't need that paopu fruit you were talking about after all huh..." Sora had won yet again, unfortunately, in the race earlier and race rematch earlier, so not only had Riku had to catch fish for their supplies, he also had to get a paopu fruit. It was only 2 to 3, Riku would overtake him again soon...

"Well you already gave me it, so..." Sora frowned, and then blushed again. "Wait, what are you making me talk about?!"

"I didn't make you talk about anything, you could have just ignored me after all." Riku turned back around. " Anyway, we're here."

"Right. So, how do you think it opens?" Sora asked going up to the mysterious door.

The sudden footsteps echoed ominously in the cave. "Isn't it obvious? To open a door, you need a key."

Sora turned quickly on his heel. "You again?"

"A key?" Riku paused in mid step. A person from another world, and a key... "Do you mean...?"

Riku could almost feel the smugness coming off this guy in waves. "Open your heart and look for answer."

Sora slumped. "What the heck does that mean...? Hey are you just dodging the question?!"

Open your heart... Riku nodded to himself slightly. It wasn't to hard to at least try, and that old man would just avoid the question for hours, if he had his way. So, Riku focused inward...or at least he tried. "Sora, why are you still yelling?"

"He's a creep!"

"Well can't disagree with you there." Riku sighed inwardly. He still was their biggest lead on how to open this door however. So Riku began to focus again, this time on the image of a key. The dark room seemed to grow brighter, and Riku's arm was suddenly outstretched hold a large key. Riku didn't remember holding out his arm, but the key mattered. "Is this...the key?"

"Good job, now, open the door." They turned and found the hooded figure had disappeared again.

"What a creepy guy…" Sora muttered once more.

Riku and Sora glanced at each other and then looked down at the key. Riku began to smile somewhat without noticing. That really wasn't a dream back then. "So this is the key...it's pretty big."

Sora looked at it with a bit of awe. "Can I hold it?"

Riku gave him a look.

Sora pouted, an expression he really needed to stop using soon. "Pleeease?"

"Fine." Riku held it out, the point (?) towards Sora.

Sora grabbed it slowly with both hands, and stared at it in amazement. "This is incredible, Riku!"

Sora settled the hilt/handle of the key in his hands, and began to swing it around like a sword.

"Hey, be careful with that!" Riku gasped and reached out a hand to Sora. And then with a flash of light, found it back in his hands once more. "Huh. Guess I don't need to worry about anyone stealing it..."

"Hey Riku?" Sora's voice continued cheerfully as if directly ignoring what had just happened.

Riku was immediately suspicious. "Yes?"

"Can I open the door?"

"Eh?"

Sora nodded to his unspoken question. "Yeah, I just wanna try it, it seems...like it'll be cool! Besides you own the giant key, I'm sure you can find your own weird door to open with it!"

Riku looked down. "Well, I feel like its my job to do that though, not you."

Sora tackled Riku. "C'mon, it won't hurt anything, lemme at it!"

"Fine!" Riku snapped, struggling under Sora weight.

"Yes!" Sora grabbed the keyblade, and pointed it at the door. "Alright, door you're going dow-"

The older boy's words were cut off by a sudden glow at the end of the key as a laser shot out of it at a glowing keyhole in front of the door. A loud clicking rung throughout the cavern as all sounds but the flowing waterfall outside and the wind suddenly stopped. The cave suddenly seemed darker than just dusk could bring.

The keyblade reappeared back in Riku's hands, as if sensing the growing unease in his heart. Riku lowered his stance and looked around briefly meeting eyes with Sora. He had no idea what just happened either.

Riku's head shot around sharply. "Is that hissing?"

"What?"

Before they could find out the source, a scream rang sharply against the silence. The two boys knew immediately who that was, and were running before the echoes had even faded. "Kairi!"

AN: Hello this is my first fanfiction on this account, and my first AU. I've been looking forward to writing this for a while, so I'm glad summer is finally here.