For Loxli as part of the SoRiku Easter Exchange! Prompt was "flower language" and was a treat to write!

Hidden Bloom

by Traversary (fka Uzumaki-sama)

"Lose him again?"

"Wah!"

Sora almost toppled from his perch atop the bailey wall and fumbled to catch his gummi phone. Once it was secure in his hands again, he heaved a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the cobblestone. Chip and Dale had just gotten after him for breaking his last one!

Leon leaned over him with a raised brow as if to ask if he had been interrupting something.

Wow, Sora hadn't even heard him approach! Impressive—since Leon wasn't exactly quiet with those boots, haha. Sora couldn't believe how out of it he was today. Well, it was probably too late to play it off… but he could try!

"Hey Leon!" With a grin, he rubbed his nose and put his phone safely down. "Wasn't expecting anyone out here."

Noticing the bunch of wrapped boxes under Leon's arm and the large bag hanging from his other hand, Sora figured he had been on his way to deliver something—lunches maybe? He thought he smelled food lingering on Leon's clothes.

"Neither was I." His steely gaze focused on the gummi phone resting beside Sora. "It's not like you to drop by without saying hi to anyone."

Oops.

He was right… That wasn't like him at all. But how was he supposed to explain that he had been secretly following Riku and didn't exactly want to be seen?

Folding his arms behind his head, Sora laughed nervously. "Well…"

As Sora trailed off in search of a good excuse, a shadow of a smile tugged at Leon's lips.

Leon adjusted the weight of the bundle under his arm and turned to continue on his way. "If you're looking for Riku, I saw him a few minutes ago with Aerith at her flower cart."

Then he disappeared through the gate below, leaving Sora wondering how he had known.

Was he that transparent? It wasn't like he was always looking for Riku!

Pursing his lips, Sora snatched his phone up. Still on the screen was the message Riku had sent him earlier that day:

Sorry about last night. I know I've been acting weird, but I'll be alright. Just need to clear my head. I'm going out to visit someone… I'll be back tomorrow. Promise.

Sora gripped his phone tighter as he read it for the upteenth time and wondered, once again, what had gotten into his best friend. Why did he need to clear his head? What was he sorry about? Who was he going to visit? Why was it gonna take a whole day? And why was he here at Radiant Garden?

Aaaaahhhh! Sora hated overthinking like this!

He knew one thing for sure, though, and it's that Riku wouldn't want to be followed like he couldn't be trusted. (Sora did trust him—completely and utterly—but he was worried! That's all.)

His fingers hovered over the message again, stalled, as he thought of a dozen different things to reply with. But none of them felt right.

Okay—maybe he needed a different approach. He needed to focus. Sora sucked in a deep breath. Set his jaw. Cleared his mind.

Then stuffed his phone in his pocket.

He could do this!

He hopped to his feet, deciding to pay Aerith a visit.

She was sitting under a parasol next to her flower cart, still enjoying her lunch when Sora approached. When she spotted him, her face lit with a smile-and something else: a kind of understanding. Like she knew something that Sora didn't know.

"Riku didn't mention you were in town, too," she said in greeting. "It's really great to see you, Sora. Were you looking for him?"

"Hi Aerith!" Pausing by her cart, Sora waved hello and then scratched his cheek in confusion. "Why's everyone think I'm looking for him?" Oof, was it written on his face?

A playful hum was the answer she gave him, her smile now teasing as she tilted her head at him. "Somehow I doubt you're here to buy flowers from me, too."

That got his attention. Sora straightened in surprise. "Riku bought flowers?" He leaned forward, eyes wide. "Did he say what for? How many? What kind were they? Do you know where he went?"

Curling a hand over her mouth, she laughed softly at him.

He sagged, hating being teased. "Come on, pleeease?"

She was still laughing as she rose to her feet and straightened her skirt. "Sora, you didn't give me time to answer you before you started to whine!"

Caught somewhere between eager and impatient, he spread his hands at her. "Aerithhhhhh…"

"Alright, alright-" she said, amusement clearly written on her face. She knelt to put her empty lunchbox on a shelf beneath her cart. "He bought seven lilies. He did not say where he was going, but I saw him leave in his armor."

By the time she had risen back to her feet to face him, Sora was already jogging away with a hand lifted in farewell.

"Thanks, Aerith! You're the best!"

Not even surprised, she laughed and waved after him. "Don't be such a stranger, Sora!"

Sora sat aboard his gummi ship, unsure of where to continue his search. Where could Riku have gone after leaving Radiant Garden? And what was he doing with lilies?

What did lilies even mean? They weren't like… roses or anything.

Frowning, he thought back to Belle and Beas-er, Adam!-and the enchanted rose that Adam had been so protective of. Even with his limited knowledge of flowers, Sora knew roses were romantic.

Lilies, though? Hmm.

He tapped his foot as he thought back to all of the important flowers he had encountered in his journeys.

He remembered Rapunzel, while putting a flower crown on his head, telling him about why the sundrop flower was the perfect symbol for her kingdom not only because of its power of rejuvenation-but because it also meant loyalty.

He remembered Mulan, after patiently listening to him talk about his best friend, patting his shoulder and looking him right in the eye as she told him about the cherry blossoms at her family estate, and that the ones that bloom in adversity are the most beautiful of all… whatever that meant!

And he remembered Marluxia…

Shaking his head, Sora squeezed his eyes shut and fought back the feeling of helplessness that rose within him whenever he pictured that scythe and being surrounded in those petals. All those petals… and that voice...

Unthinking, he reached for his gummi phone and called someone.

"Ahyuck! Look who it is!"

Sora released a breath and smiled down at his phone. "Hey Goofy!" As always, his friend answered with the screen too close to his face, so all Sora could see was his snout at first. He laughed a little and rubbed at his own nose. "Is Donald there, too? I missed you guys."

"Whaaaat? It's only been three days, Sora!" came Donald's voice from nearby.

"Gosh, maybe something happened to Riku, and Sora's lonely?"

And there was Mickey. Already assuming this was about Riku…

Face suddenly feeling hot, Sora clutched the phone and floundered for something to say. Why had he called them anyway? Oh man!

He gave a strained laugh. "Oh, you know…."

Donald's eye suddenly appeared on the screen as he tried to push Goofy out of the way. "Sora, did something happen? Riku didn't do anything stupid, did he? Say the word, and I'll-"

"Gawrsh, Sora, your face is as bright and as red as a tomater! Do ya need us to come get ya?"

"No, no-I'm ok!" Sora insisted, half laughing and half embarrassed, though he wasn't sure why. "I actually had a question for you guys."

The screen pulled back so that Sora could see Donald, Goofy, and Mickey all at once. He smiled, glad to see them, and grateful that they were always there when he needed them.

Mickey blinked at him, clearly curious. "Go ahead, Sora. What's on your mind?"

Nervous for some reason, Sora scratched his cheek. "I was wondering… you know how different flowers have different meanings?"

Goofy nodded while Mickey and Donald exchanged looks.

This was promising! Already feeling better about this, Sora asked, "What does a lily stand for?"

He wasn't expecting the three of them to look at each other in confusion. Maybe they had been expecting him to ask something else?

A moment of silence passed, in which Donald shrugged at Mickey, and Mickey momentarily looked disappointed and worried, and then Goofy's face filled the screen again, blocking the others from view.

Goofy smiled at him. "Sora, do ya remember that symbol around Disney Castle that looks like a flower? The one with the three points on it? It's called a fleur-duh-lis!" As he pronounced the word in his thick accent, Sora could imagine Goofy wagging his finger for each syllable.

Sora laughed a little. "Yeah, I think so." Then he sat up in surprise realization. "Wait-that's a lily?"

"Yup!"

"Uh-huh!" he could hear Mickey, and soon Mickey's face filled the screen as Goofy passed the phone to him. "The fleur-de-lis has always been a symbol for royalty, purity, and prosperity!" Mickey laughed, then, looking proud. "We use it everywhere! Why, even back when the three of us were Musketeers!"

Hmm. Sora mulled over the new information, not feeling like it was… right. Maybe Riku hadn't bought them for any meaning? Maybe he was overthinking this…

And… and so what if Riku had bought them for someone! Sora would be happy for that person!

"Gawrsh, Sora, ya sure you're okay, pal?"

Realizing he had been making faces at the phone, Sora focused back on his three friends. "Oh-yeah! Sorry. Just… got a lot on my mind, that's all!" He offered them a winning grin. "Thanks for the answer, guys. That was a lot easier than looking it up in a book or asking Merlin, haha."

Their eyes widened, and Mickey opened his mouth to say something-

But instead, Sora heard Merlin's voice from somewhere in the background.

"Tell that boy that the next time he needs me to rescue him from female squirrels courting him and his nuts, I won't bother! Such impudence! Why, I ought-"

Sora's heart missed a beat but he himself did not. He interrupted Merlin with a panicked: "Aaaahhh I'm sorry Merlin you know I love your lectures please don't be mad I'll see you for our next lesson next Tuesday!" and then hung up.

For a long moment after, he sat in the gummi ship, heart pounding, staring down at his phone as if expecting Merlin to call back or poof into his ship in a huff. So certain that this was going to happen, he actually leapt out of his seat when his phone began to ring.

"WAahhh!"

But it wasn't Merlin calling.

Recognizing the cute icon of his caller, he breathed a sigh of relief and slumped back into his captain's chair. "Thank goodness!"

Heart lifting with joy, he took a moment to steady his voice before he answered the call.

"Kairiiiii~"

Her eyes lit up when she greeted him. "Sora!"

He sat back up in his chair, hoping he didn't look too guilty about what had just happened with Merlin. It was impossible for him to lie to Kairi, and he didn't want to admit what he had just said… or tell her about that squirrel incident… ehehe…

"Hey," he said with a happy grin. "What's up?"

She returned his grin with a teasing smile. "Heehee, did you find Riku?"

What!

"Not you too!" he whined. What was going on? Was everyone in on some big joke? He hadn't even told anyone he'd gone looking for Riku today…

"Me too what?" she laughed, looking amused. "Your face is all red, Sora. I just figured he was with you. You did leave this morning to go find him, riiiiight?"

Judging by her tone of voice, Sora got the impression she already knew the answer or he'd better at least answer correctly or else. She had such a sixth sense about these things.

"Yeah." He lowered his gaze as he thought about how weird Riku had been acting last night. Kairi had been there-he knew she'd understand. She always understood. And… he could always count on her to guide him the right way. Focusing back on her smiling face, he got an idea. "Hey Kairi, you know a lot about flowers, right?"

She curled a hand over her mouth and giggled. "Why, because my keyblade has flowers on it?" But before he could stammer an apologetic reply, she laughed and waved at him. "I'm just teasing! I do!"

Oh, whew! He thought he had said something bad for a second.

With a sheepish laugh, he rubbed his nose. "Ok, I thought so. I remember you saying that your grandma really loved it when you brought her flowers."

"Yeah! She'd talk about the ones I picked and what they all meant." Kairi's smile turned wistful, the way it always did when she talked about her hazy memories from before her life on Destiny Islands. "The daisies and primroses on my keyblade, for instance-I always thought of them as standing for protection and new beginnings. Since, well..." She hesitated, blushing a little, and he waited patiently for her to continue. "Because of the way I was passed the keyblade by Aqua, and also how Riku found it, and what it meant to me that I was able to fight beside you all…" Then she trailed off, her expression warm.

Sora recognized that look. It was the same one Riku gave him whenever they talked about everything they had gone through together. What would he have done without him…?

He clutched his phone a little tighter.

Kairi focused back on Sora, tilting her head. "Why do you ask?"

Right. The flowers. "What are lilies?" he asked. "If flowers all have different meanings." The fleur-de-whatever explanation had been enlightening, and somehow he didn't think that's why Riku had bought them.

There was curiosity in her eyes, but she answered him. "Well, it depends on the color and type of lily, but…" She tapped her lips in thought. "Lilies can mean thank you. They're also known to symbolize stuff like purity and love. Umm… oh! Motherhood, too. And rebirth, I think."

Sora's eyes widened. "Wow, that's a lot." Way more than he had been expecting! How was he supposed to know who or what Riku had bought them for now? "Oh man…"

Seeing his confusion, she giggled a little. "Why do I get a feeling this is still about Riku?"

Was he really that obvious? Unable to fight a pout, Sora gave in to the teasing, knowing Kairi would understand. "All day, people have been teasing me about Riku, like all I do is go looking for him or people expect us to always be together or something! "

"Come on, Sora," she said with a knowing smile. "He's your best friend. You two are attached at the hip! And you get this really adorable look on your face whenever people tease you about him, heehee."

"Do not!" he protested, feeling his cheeks flush in his panic.

"Besides, everyone knows what he means to you!" She lifted a finger and grinned at him. "And vice versa! That's why you're blushing."

Gahhh. He pressed a hand over his warm face.

His mind was spinning. He kept thinking back to the text message and how he had felt when he had seen it this morning. Had he done something wrong? Was Riku upset with him? The way his heart had filled with fear at that thought… He hadn't hesitated; before he knew it, he had gone out looking for Riku without a plan.

"Anyway!" Kairi said cheerfully, to bring him back to the here and now. "I called to help because I'm worried about him, too! About both of you."

Sora uncovered his face, confused. "Wait, why me too?"

She smiled, open and earnest with him. "Because your heart is so big, you fill it with love for so many other people and end up feeling what they're feeling all of the time, so much that you kind of end up not knowing who you are, how you feel, and… not being able to recognize your own worth. You just don't see how important and special you are."

Sora didn't know what to say to that. He swallowed past the knot in this throat and curled a hand over his chest. This feeling inside… it hurt, but it also felt… good?

Seeing that she had gotten through to him, Kairi offered him an understanding look. "In the end, Sora, your greatest strength is being able to follow your heart. Not what other people expect you to do. Ok?"

Drawing in a breath to steady himself, Sora nodded, accepting the advice. She was right. He had spent all day trying to follow clues and figure out what Riku was up to, and he had only gotten more and more confused because of it. He hadn't exactly been letting his heart guide him, not since he had left home.

His heart filled with hope as he thought about the text message and what Riku might have meant behind it. Funny how confusing it all had been a moment before, but he thought he understood it now.

"Thanks, Kairi." He gave her a grateful smile, lucky to have her support. "I feel better. And-I think I know where to find him."

Looking pleased, she tilted her head at him again. "Oh?"

Sora gave a proud chuckle and rubbed his nose.

The Keyblade Graveyard was unchanged since he had last set foot in this wretched place over a year ago. Dust swirled around him as he walked a trail cutting through the sea of countless fallen keyblades and into the ancient labyrinth.

Sora found Riku exactly where he thought he would.

An elegant bouquet of yellow and white lilies rested where Riku's greatest adversary had uttered his final words, and Riku sat alone beside it, staring up at the sky.

Sora wasn't sure why his heart raced as he approached his best friend in his solitude, but he almost felt like he shouldn't interrupt.

He didn't have to.

"Hey Sora."

Sora froze and stood at attention, surprised. Riku wasn't even facing him! How'd he know he was there?

With a small smile, Riku turned to glance up at him without getting up. "I recognized your footsteps. You know you jingle when you walk, right?"

Ohhh. Sora laughed to himself and folded his arms behind his head. "You caught me."

Riku shared his laugh, his eyes lit with amusement. He seemed really happy Sora had shown up, which helped Sora relax. Part of him was relieved Riku was alright; the other part of him was uneasy just being here in this place. But now that Sora saw where Riku was, he understood.

All of Riku's awkwardness, all of Riku's solitary brooding… It had been reminding Sora of how Riku used to be, before their journey had started. Maybe, deep down, Sora had been worried about that… But he trusted Riku more than anyone, and he trusted the growth they had gone through together.

No, something else had to have been bothering Riku.

But here, smiling at him now, Riku seemed to have made peace with whatever that had been.

Sora's heart filled with pride. The way Riku could work through his problems on his own and come out stronger for it, Sora had always been amazed by and bit envious of. Sora felt like he was always needing to rely on someone else to give him a push of inspiration.

As if sensing Sora's discomfort, Riku locked eyes with him and rested a hand on the ground beside him. Sora accepted the offer and moved to sit there with him, settling next to his best friend.

They sat together with the lilies at their feet, the silence between them as comfortable as always. This was one of those things Sora never got tired of; it didn't matter where they were, things always felt like they'd be ok as long as they were together.

When their shoulders touched, Sora realized he had relaxed against Riku without even thinking about it. Riku did not seem to mind. Judging from the smile on his face, he felt just as at home as Sora did.

Sora smiled, too.

He thought through his small adventure today and all of the friends he had spoken to-all of their advice, silent or otherwise, and their protectiveness and helpfulness both-and recalled what Kairi had told him. His own heart was a mystery to him, it was true, but he trusted it. And he trusted this feeling right now, sitting here with Riku.

His best friend was staring off into the distance, lost in his thoughts or memories, probably thinking about the fight that had taken place here where they were sitting. Sora knew who the lilies were for. He studied Riku's calm expression and the quiet determination in his eyes, admiring how far Riku had come, how much he'd grown-from the angry, resentful boy of Hollow Bastion, to the regretful, insecure teen who wandered the darkness, to the calm, poised man sitting here with him.

In a lot of ways, Riku still had a protective shell around his heart, but Sora respected and understood that Riku needed that shell. He'd come out of it a lot lately, seeming far more comfortable being himself than he had been in years. The way he'd goof off with Mickey or come alive when training with Terra or get flustered the moment Aqua complimented him… Or the way he'd team up with Isa, Ven, and Roxas to endlessly pick on Lea… Or how he'd freeze up in embarrassment around Xion or Naminé as they teased him… Or the way he and Kairi could bicker like siblings one moment and collapse into breathless laughter together a moment later.

How he so effortlessly swooped in to any conversation as if he'd been there all along. How he carried himself with purpose, chin held high and shoulders squared. How he never seemed to hesitate when Sora needed his help-or to ask when he needed Sora's.

The way he could exchange whole conversations with Sora through just a glance. How he'd look at Sora with that half smirk, half knowing smile to chase away any sting from his snark. The way his fingers would linger in Sora's hair or on his shoulder or against his arm or hip sometimes when they were messing around and being dorks...

Sora's train of thought trailed off as Riku caught him staring.

Riku smiled at first, but then lifted a brow at him. "Do I have something on my face?"

Not sure how to explain what he had been thinking about, Sora scratched his cheek and laughed a little. What was he supposed to say? Sorry for admiring how cool you are? Or that he had been worrying about him and looking for him all day?

He glanced at the lilies as a breeze rustled their petals.

Finally, he asked.

"Why lilies?"

He looked to Riku, not hiding his curiosity.

For a moment, Riku's eyes widened with surprise. He probably hadn't been expecting such a random question, now that Sora thought about it.

He gazed down at the bouquet, silent a while. There was an intensity to his eyes that reminded Sora of the man whose memory Riku had come to visit.

Between them, Riku's hand slowly clenched into a fist.

And, wordless, Sora rested a hand over it.

The simple gesture helped ease some of the tension in Riku's shoulders, and Sora knew right then that the answer didn't really matter.

The truth was Riku's alone.

Sora was just glad he'd found him and got to be here with him. He'd always be here for him. That was why he had left this morning to find him... This was where he belonged.

He curled his hand against Riku's, who relaxed his fingers beneath his.

Then, with quiet resolve, Riku laced his fingers between his.

"Thanks," he sighed into the wind.

Their eyes met, and Sora knew, without words, what Riku really meant.

Sora breathed in, his heart fluttering at this new understanding.

Then he tightened his hand around Riku's, looked up at the sunset, and smiled.