A/N: This is a short drabble I decided to write as a Christmas present for my dear friend T-kun, and I even got the inspiration from her lj avatar. Hope you like it :D
About the story, then. I personally found KH II's ending a bit disappointing, so this is like my vision of "what really happened". It has implied riku/sora and axel/roxas, so if this disturbs you, don't bother. Also, it's pretty angsty.
In Your Eyes
Riku woke up in the middle of the night. He'd been having a dream, but as his sense of time and place returned the dream fled and was soon out of his reach. He was left with an uneasy feeling that it had been something important, yet somehow disturbing; something he wasn't quite sure he wanted to recall.
Riku got out of bed and stood by an open window. A cool, salty wind would blow from the sea and wash over his face. He closed his eyes against it and his brows furrowed in thought. It had been almost a week since their return to Destiny Islands. The fighting, all the pain and suffering was now supposed to be over for good.
It's alright.
It was like they'd gone back in time: everything was just the way it had been back in the day when all of them were but little kids with big dreams. It seemed almost as if nothing bad ever happened.
It's over.
Of course, Riku knew it wasn't. And yet, despite his own wounds of both body and mind, he was so worried of Sora it hurt.
oOo
A few days days ago the light in Sora's eyes had begun to fade, bright cobalt growing dull. At first he'd try and hide it from the others, but soon the sadness weighting down his narrow shoulders could be seen all too clearly.
oOo
Riku pulled on his clothes and went out, feeling the night wrap itself around his body. It felt comforting.
The night before, they'd been walking together by the shore when Sora had suddenly halted, eyes downcast. Riku could see tears falling on the white sand.
He'd reached out to touch Sora.
It had been late: the sun had just set, leaving behind a faint glow of daylight and the lingering warmth in the sand under their feet.
Sora had flinched at the touch as if hurt, and stepped away. When Riku had looked down and clenched the rejected hand into a fist, an apologetic look had come to Sora's teary eyes.
And that instant Riku had felt like he was choking on the feeling.
oOo
Careful not to let his foot slip in the dark, Riku climbed up into the paopu tree. How many times had they been sitting here together? His memories had gotten mixed up, pieces of precious moments, smithereens of time shattered...
...sweet and salty...
...hot sand...
...darkness...
...smiling faces...
...his eyes...
...wet hair...
...the sea.
There was no fitting the pieces together anymore.
oOo
Sora closed his eyes and opened them again. At first there seemed to be almost no difference at all, but soon the darkness around him felt gentle compared to the swirling, hostile depths of his soul. To his right moonlight was pouring in through a window, and although it was completely quiet he could swear he heard the sound of the sea.
Calling for him.
Getting up and clumsily pulling on his pants, he looked out of the window and saw the still waters stretching across the distant horizon.
oOo
Sitting in the paopu tree, Riku saw someone walking on the beach below. Even though Sora was still covered in the shade of the palm trees, Riku recognized him right away. The moment moonlight hit his pale chest and arms, highlighted his dark brown hair with streaks of bright silver, Riku thought his heart missed a beat.
Riku couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight, so he just stayed still in the shadow of the paopu tree.
oOo
The pair of vibrant green eyes haunted Sora.
When he thought back to the very beginning of his journey, Sora could clearly remember his bitter hate for all things spawn from darkness. At first it had been just Heartless, nothing even remotely resembling human beings.
Taking away the ones I love.
The first Nobody Sora had encountered had been Axel, who he'd at the time thought of as nothing more than a monster in disguise. Later on, as Sora had come across other members of the Organization XIII, he'd felt no regret killing them.
How do you kill someone who doesn't even exist?
Ironically enough, Axel had also been the one to finally make Sora doubt his actions.
oOo
Riku realized he'd been holding his breath for a while and slowly exhaled. Sora was now standing in the shallow water, almost as if he couldn't decide whether to go further or turn back. Shivers ran up Riku's spine.
It was like Sora was balancing on the very edge of reality.
To Riku he seemed more fragile than ever.
oOo
Remembering the last time he'd met Axel still caused a burning flame of pain to flare alive in Sora's chest, and the words ringing in his ears wouldn't leave him alone.
"He made me feel like I had a heart."
Upon hearing those words something, no, someone inside him had reached out for Axel's already dissolving body.
How can you love without a heart?
Sora felt like he'd lost his somewhere along the way, and now the only embrace he desperately longed for was that of the sea.
oOo
After hesitating a while, Sora took a few steps further. Riku saw the water now coming up to Sora's waist, and a sudden, cold fear took over him at the sight. He jumped down from the paopu tree and ran down to the beach.
oOo
"SORA!"
Sora jumped, surprised. He then turned to look back at Riku with a horrified look on his face, as if he'd been caught doing something forbidden. Instead of coming back towards the beach he looked away and continued walking deeper. He could tell Riku came running after him from the sound of water splashing, but he couldn't think of anything but getting away.
"Sora, tell me what's wrong."
A pair of strong arms, reaching around his shoulders and holding him in a tight embrace. Sora couldn't hold back his tears anymore, and rolling down his cheeks they disappeared into the sea. Through his violent sobbing Sora managed to whisper, "there's nothing left but pain."
oOo
Riku felt his own eyes sting with tears and quickly buried his face in the crook of Sora's neck. The water they were both now standing in up to their chests was cool, contrasting with the burning heat of Sora's skin against his.
His lips almost touched Sora's ear when he spoke.
"The pain is proof that you still have a heart. How else could you be feeling anything at all?"
oOo
Feeling the grip on his shoulders loosen a bit, Sora spun around to face Riku. How had he known?
"You know nothing about my heart!"
But the words froze on his tongue when he saw it. Because it was there, in Riku's eyes.
The sky.
oOo
The moment their eyes met, the dream he'd had before came back to Riku.
Flashes of green and vivid crimson, a desperate plea.
Riku knew.
"Please. Take care of him."
He would, but not just for Axel.
oOo
Sora felt Riku's arms slide around his waist as Riku held him close. He raised his hands and held Riku's face, water soaking into silver hair. Sora gazed deep into those eyes, as if he couldn't believe it. But it was there, the blue that forgave him everything. Their lips met in a kiss that tasted like salt and rain, and Sora felt someone fall asleep inside him.
Taking away the pain.
In your eyes The Sea
In your eyes The Sky
Crashing down
Together
In an Eternal Session
-fin-