Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. All characters go to their respectful owners. I only own this story.

Returning the Favor

You'll help me bring him back, right?

At the time, I had thought nothing of his request and had happily agreed to help him fight Ansem. There was nothing wrong with asking for help when fighting your enemy became too much of a struggle. If Riku needed help returning Ansem to the depths of his mind, I would happily oblige.

I had watched as he fought his own mind over a fear everyone had. I watched as he learned what it meant to be a hero, and what it was about himself that made him so unique. It seemed strange that Riku would ask for help when he seemed to be carrying his own weight fairly well, but I didn't hesitate when the darkness threatened to overwhelm him. He'd asked me to help return Ansem to his rightful place, and I had.

Will you help me bring him back?

Of course Riku wouldn't be able to restore all of Sora's memories by himself. And Sora was my friend too. It would be wrong to turn away when someone needed my help. So I agreed to assist him as he fought to return his best friend to reality. I offered to help him find the Nobody that held the key to Sora's memories, but he refused. So instead I went out in search of Ansem the Wise, hoping he would be able to help us understand the mystery that was the "Nobody." While Riku fought through the ranks of the Organization, trying to get to Xion, I stayed in the mansion's library and read up on all of Ansem's research. I didn't understand why Riku had asked for help with finding Sora's missing memories when he seemed to be finding them fine on his own.

I need help to bring him back.

Riku told me he had returned part of Sora's memory to him, but that there was still one more piece. And that piece, he said, might require him releasing the darkness in his heart in order to get back. So I offered to help make arrangements with the others so that Sora would never find out about his sacrifice. He thanked me, and we stayed up long into the night mapping out what he intended to do. His plans were elaborate and thought through, and I realized then how much Riku had grown from the boy that had helped his best friend shut Kingdom Hearts. He told me exactly how my role would play out in returning Roxas back to his Somebody.

The next time I saw him, he had another's face.

Help me bring him back.

He meant his old body, of course. There was no other option. He knew Sora wouldn't accept him with the face of the enemy where his should have been. I thought it was a bit strange that having his body back meant so much when Sora would take him as he was now, but the pleading in his eyes made me swallow any questions I had for him.

So I spent the next few months looking for Ansem the Wise, hoping his wisdom would be able to help the troubled teen that had done so much. I knew how desperately Riku wished to return to his old life on the beach with his two friends. He had helped me restore my home world; I was more than happy to help him restore his old friendships. I'm not sure how much my searching actually helped, but in the end, I managed to find Ansem the Wise once Riku told me he was in the World That Never Was.

When I saw Riku again, I saw that he had reunited with Sora, even though he still had the appearance of Ansem. But I remembered my promise, and asked Ansem the Wise if there was any way to return Riku's youth to him. I was disappointed to discover that he was uncertain. That just made Riku's appearance after the explosion even more joyous. I was pleased to have been able to grant Riku his final request.

And yet, his eyes were still sad. Despite having conquered the darkness within him and returning to the island, he still distanced himself from everyone. I was no exception, and my many questions about his behavior were brushed off as nothing. No matter how many times I asked to help, he just smiled and said I had done enough.

I didn't feel as though I had done anything, though. Despite the fact that we had been together for over a year, and he had assisted me in restoring balance to the worlds, I felt as though I had only gone along for the ride. He had asked repeatedly for my help, and yet when I offered my input, the job had already been done.

Maybe I should have clarified what it was that he wanted when he had asked for my help.

"I don't know what happened, Kairi," I over heard Sora say one day. "He seemed fine after we defeated Xemnas, but ever since we've gotten back to the island, he's been avoiding us. It's almost like he's a different person now. Like someone took all of the happiness and innocence out of him and put back an empty shell."

My heart filled with sadness at the Keybarer's words, and I realized that I'd never actually completed my side of the bargain; I'd never helped him with the only thing he had ever asked of me. Riku had never asked for help with any of his missions or research. The only thing he had asked for help in finding was the one thing he knew he would never be able to recover on his own: the only thing that mattered most to him. And it was something I wasn't sure I could help him find again.

"I know I can't be selfish after everything he did for us, but I can't help wanting my old friend back. Riku used to be the person I would go to when I needed help, the person who would tell me not to be afraid, the person I could goof off with when I was bored. I wonder what happened to him."

Will you help me bring him back?