Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts
This one-shot was originally supposed to be just about Sora but as I started writing I thought about Riku and his parents and I just had to include that too so it ended up being a one-shot about both of them.
Home
By: Animeroxsmyworld
It felt strange.
To finally be home after two years jumping from world to world fighting heartless and nobodies…it almost felt like a dream he had had so many times before. Yet here he was, standing on the sandy beach of the small island, the breeze blowing through his hair and Riku and Kairi standing on either side of him.
It felt surreal.
He kept expecting to see Donald or Goofy somewhere in his peripheral but King Mickey had managed to contact Chip and Dale, the two chipmunks managing to drive the gummi ship all the way to the island. And now they were gone. They were on their way to their own world. Donald, Goofy, King Mickey, Chip, Dale, even Jiminy was heading back to where he belonged.
He was going to miss that journal writing cricket strange as that seemed.
"Sora?"
He blinked, pulled from his thoughts.
"Huh?"
Kairi smiled softly as she waited for him to locate her, the redhead standing to his right. He looked dazed, almost confused as he finally found her, blinking as he waited for her to continue.
"What would you like to do now that your back?" She asked though she tilted her eyes up, the question also directed towards the silver haired male who stood on Sora's left. Both male's had fallen so deep into thought, a sombre mood engulfing both of them since their friends had left that Kairi figured it was time to reboot them.
The two slowly looked at each other, the same question running through their mind now that she had brought it up.
What should they do now that they were back?
It was when he looked around, taking in the scenery of the island and letting it register in his mind that the sun was slowly disappearing, night crawling its way over the sky, that Sora realized that he was utterly tired. He didn't think he would be able to do anything more than just sit on the beach and take in the fact that, indeed, he was back.
"I think…I want to…go home."
The words escaped Riku slowly, as if he had thought long and hard about his decision and Sora and Kairi looked up at him soundlessly. Through all the years they had been friends, they had never heard Riku actually want to go home before. Sora had probably met Riku's father maybe four times since the whole time they had been friends and Riku never talked about his parents. It had been Riku who had started the whole going away fiasco with the raft and everything in the first place.
But he wanted to go home?
Home?
Kairi regained herself faster than Sora, a small smile lighting her face. "Of course." Riku nodded, fidgeting as if slowly becoming unsure of his decision while Sora continued to stare, his gaze turning blank as he lost himself to thought.
He could go home?
There was only one rowboat at the island so all three teens had clambered inside, Riku in charge of rowing. Once he started it was as if he had never left, the taller male not even having to think about it as he guided the boat back towards the main docks back on the mainland. The ride was pure silence, a complete contrast to how all three of them had always envisioned their grand reunion on the island to be.
The main dock came into sight and Kairi rose as they neared.
"I got it." She called as she leaned over and grabbed one of the posts that had gotten close to the little boat, leaning so her arm could stretch and touch the post, grabbing hold and managing to drag them towards the dock.
Sora's hands seemed to work on their own accord as he tied the boat to the dock without so much as blinking. There are just some things that you can't forget no matter how out of practice you are.
"Heh." Sora muttered, a smile pulling at his lips as he pulled himself up onto the dock, his gaze going out towards the town that awaited them, the houses and buildings filling his vision. "It still looks the same."
Riku hummed his agreement from behind him while Kairi only shrugged.
"It's only been two years." She pointed out.
It felt like a lifetime to them.
They started down the street toward the main street of the town and the closer they got, the more populated the streets started to get, a few people walking down the street or chatting at a café table. It was startling to realize that most of them were recognizable, though hardly anyone new came to Destiny Islands.
Riku noticed all the familiar faces too. "That's Kai isn't it?" The taller male whispered to Sora as he gestured to a small brunette boy chatting easily away to a tall girl at a café table dressed in a waiter's uniform, apparently working.
"And May." Sora pointed out as he nodded his head towards a short shapely girl walking a dog, giant headphones covering her ears and cutting her away from the rest of society as she turned a corner. She had definitely changed since he had last seen her.
Riku snorted before nudging Sora's shoulder and pointing to a tall lanky boy coming out of a store. "Jay dyed his hair." The brunette looked up and found the lanky boy easily before a loud burst of laughter which he quickly muffled escaped him at seeing his former classmate's rainbow coloured head.
This continued for several more minutes until they reached 'the dreaded corner' as they had nicknamed it back when they were younger. It was given that name because it was the one corner that all three of them had to part separate ways to go home.
Kairi would go left, Riku would go down the middle, and Sora would go right.
Silence hit them.
Kairi fidgeted before glancing at them both. The two keyblade weilders seemed frozen in place, both staring down their own separate paths that would lead them towards their houses.
She really couldn't do anything for them. Not on this matter. They had to face their families on their own, or at least, that's what she knew they would say if she asked them if they wanted her to come along. Out of the three of them, she had the least to worry about when arriving home. She hadn't been gone for as nearly as long as they had, maybe a day or two.
She cleared her throat awkwardly as she took a few steps down the path to the left.
"So…meet here tomorrow at noon?" She offered, the two blinking and looking at her as if she had dragged them from long, worrisome thoughts. Which she probably had.
"Sure."
"Ok."
She nodded before turning and headed towards home, Riku taking a deep breath before walking down the middle road. A moment later Sora copied his example.
Riku wouldn't say he came from a bad family.
No, he would never say that.
But…
His dad liked to spend all his time in the garage working with his tools and building things, hardly ever muttering more than two words to anyone. And this was in his spare time when he was home from work. His mom was a nurse at the hospital, constantly working, always in and out of the house. The few signs that Riku ever got from her that she knew he was alive was a ruffle of the hair and an occasional smile.
He felt like he didn't exist. He once failed a test on purpose to see what they would say but his mother had only ruffled his hair and offered a quick smile as she ran out the door, tugging on her jacket while his dad blinked and said "study".
Maybe that was what had led him to want to run to other worlds. Maybe then they would say something, at least notice something.
Riku shook his head, dislodging the memory as effectively as he could. He didn't want to be thinking about this. He could feel his resolve to return home wavering but he held firm.
He scanned the row of houses until the set of familiar numbers jumped at him and made his stomach twist. He faintly noticed that the lights were on, casting shadows onto the small front porch that bled onto the lawn.
He had never felt so nervous before.
Even when he had to face Ansem he had never felt this nervous.
His hands fisted, his shoulders squaring as he lifted his head and he walked towards the house.
The steps up the porch creaked under his feet and Riku tried not to wince at the sound. It was as if they were protesting his return. It was then that the raised voices began to reach his ears making him freeze on the bottom step.
His life at home had always been quiet, even when his parents were talking. Mom had never once raised her voice at all as far as he could remember and dad's voice had always been quietly gruff.
"-can't believe you!" a woman's voice shrieked, Riku shrinking back at the intensity in his mother's voice. It was so out of place he almost believed he had the wrong house.
"Me? Are you kidding me right now?" His father yelled back. "You're the—"
"Don't you blame this on me! Maybe if you were a bit more understanding and open with people our son wouldn't be GONE RIGHT NOW!"
Riku felt frozen to the ground as the sounds of stomping feet and slamming doors echoed in his ears before the front door slammed open, spilling light down the front porch and onto his awaiting form. He could only watch with wide, disbelieving eyes as his father came storming out of the front door, silver hair lighting up the sky like a flame, and all but lurched himself onto the railing, slamming the front door shut behind him.
Riku waited for several seconds as his father just stared down at his fists propped against the railing, his head bent low while one hand all but choked the life out of the beer bottle in his other hand. Riku had never known his father to drink, he wasn't that type of man.
He waited, but his father never looked up or showed that he knew Riku was there.
Cautiously, almost fearfully, Riku cleared his throat.
His dad's head snapped up and Riku felt a blow pass through him as he noticed the glimmer of unshed tears clinging to his father's eyes. The big man sniffed, wiping his nose on his sleeve as he straightened, scowling as he did so.
"What'd ya want?" He asked gruffly and Riku shuffled. He hadn't expected his parents not to notice him. Then again, he hadn't expected to come back to this either.
He took a step and fidgeted. "Hi dad."
The man's scowl deepened before he slowly scanned Riku over. Riku could see the way His dad's body transformed as realization struck him. His whole body slumped before his face crumpled and a man whom Riku had never seen give much emotion before began to weep, a giant hand coming up to his face.
Then he lifted his head and began to shout.
"RITA! RITA GET OUT HERE!" He shouted, his voice watery before the man stumbled down the steps and wrapped Riku in a hug. The teen didn't know what to do. This had never happened before.
He just stood there.
The front door swung open, light illuminating them once again as a tall blond woman glared into the street.
"What?" She snapped harshly as she took a single step out onto the porch. His dad lifted one hand and beckoned her over without letting go of Riku and she continued to glare as she began to storm over until she caught sight of the matching set of silver hair.
"Oh…my…god…" She breathed, green eyes widening. She took a hesitant step, Riku looking back at her as best as he could from over his father's shoulder. She took another step before her lip wobbled and she too stumbled forward and wrapped her arms around her son.
Silence fell down on them for several seconds before Riku opened his mouth. He should explain shouldn't he? Say something?
"I—" was all he could manage to get out. He couldn't seem to say anything more without a pain pressing against his chest, rising in his throat. He closed his mouth and his parents pulled back. His mom smiled softly, tears making her eyes glitter in the light of the setting sun.
He opened his mouth to try again but this time nothing came out.
"It's alright. You don't have to say anything." She said softly as she ran her hand though his hair like she used to do so long ago. "Sometimes silence is best."
It looked the same, even the beat-up blue truck in the driveway looked the same. Though he really shouldn't be surprised he supposed.
Sora began to walk towards the house and felt anxiety hit him all at once as he began walking up the driveway. When was the last time he had saw his parents? What was the last thing he had said to them? To his dad? His mother? He suddenly felt nauseous at the realization that he couldn't remember. It had to of been his last day on the island right? The day of the storm?
That seemed so long ago.
Two years. He had been gone for two years. How long would he have been gone for if that storm had never come and their raft had worked? He had simply wanted to go on that raft and see other worlds for the thrill of adventure, that and Riku was his best friend and the thing was his idea. His life was ordinary, his mom was an art teacher at the elementary school and his dad worked at the bank. His life on the island was ordinary, and for a kid with his enthusiasm, boring at times.
Sora had definitely gotten an adventure.
His hands began to sweat as he began to near the door, the brunette subconsciously wiping them on his pants.
God, what would they say when they saw him? What would they even think? What would he say?
Before he knew it he was staring at the door and he could suddenly feel his heartbeat like a drum in his chest, fighting against his ribcage for freedom. He swallowed the saliva that built up in mouth and raised his hand to ring the doorbell, only to lower it.
He lived here right? Should he ring the doorbell or go in?
His brow furrowed in confusion as he raised his hand again, lowered it, and raised it.
Finally he raised his hand and rung the bell, the sound echoing throughout the two story house. He waited and felt his anxiety increase like he had never felt before as a light clicked on and rustling emitted from the other side.
The door swung open and Sora felt his mouth go dry.
His mom's tiny figure filled the doorway, short brown hair scraped back in a tiny ponytail and her clothes looking rumpled, exhaustion radiating from her as she rubbed her forehead. She slowly raised her gaze to look at him, as if wishing he hadn't rung her doorbell.
"Can I—" She started before her eyes widened, her words fading as quickly as they had come, her hand falling limply from the doorknob and smacking dully against her thigh. "…Sora…?" She whispered, hazel eyes wide.
"Uh…hi mom." Was all he could think to say.
Tears began to pour down her face as her hands rose in front of her mouth, and Sora couldn't help but panic. He stepped forward, mouth opening in protest when arms were suddenly flung around him.
She sobbed, her shoulders shaking as she embraced him tightly. Despite now being smaller than him, she still managed to envelope him, her face buried in his shoulder as she continued to cry.
Sora felt something inside of him crack and his eyes began to sting.
He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face into her shoulder as well. Standing there, embraced by her warmth, Sora began to cry, his body trembling as a sob of his own echoed through the doorway.
"I'm home."