This is really long overdue...it's part of a theme-trade with bjascrubs and TheForsakenShadow, but they uploaded their parts a long time ago and I didn't get to finish mine until recently.

I'm still not very happy with this, it doesn't flow very well in some areas. Still, I've been sitting on this for days so I thought I might as well post it. Enjoy I guess?

(Info: This fic is vaguely set in Sora and Riku's past, before they met Kairi)

Disclaimer: I don't own KH or its characters.

Discovery

"C'mon Sora, hurry up!"

"Aw Riku, you run too fast! Wait up!"

The white-haired boy slowed his pace and turned to look at his friend, who was lazily dragging his feet across the beach. With a sigh, he stopped running and placed his hands on his hips.

"We need to get there today."

Sora groaned and collapsed in a heap upon the sand. "I'm soooo tired…" he yawned, turning over to lie on his back and closing his eyes. When he opened them, Riku was leaning over him, an irritated look on his face.

"Do we have to go? It's so far away…"

The older boy nodded. "We can only take the boat out today." Then, he smirked. "I bet you just don't want to go 'cause you heard it's haunted."

Sora's eyes grew wide and he sat up abruptly. "I'm not scared of anything!" he protested, but his friend maintained his teasing grin. Pouting, he mumbled, "…fine. I'll go."

Finally, Riku held out a hand, which the younger boy grabbed, pulling himself to his feet.

"Okay then, let's go."

Not much later, Sora was regretting his decision.

The two had boarded a row-boat, hoping to take turns at rowing, but he had given up after two minutes, forcing his friend to take the oars. The waves glistened as the morning sun shone down upon the ocean, illuminating a small island in the distance: their destination. Under normal circumstances, the view of the island would have been beautiful. However, the tall trees were also bathed in light, making them cast dark, eerie shadows over the waters surrounding them. Sora noticed this and paled slightly, and his grip on the edges of the boat tightened. Riku merely rolled his eyes and continued to row.

Despite its beauty, the island was uninhabited. The foliage that covered it was too dense to cut down, making it impossible to build homes. No-one from the main island had ever visited it; adults had eventually grown afraid, and parents told their children to stay away. However, when they were younger, the two boys had made a promise to visit the island, and (unfortunately for Sora) Riku was intent on keeping it.

As soon as his feet touched the sand, Sora felt a chill run down his spine. This was the place that had plagued his nightmares for as long as he could remember. He didn't always dream of it, but when he did it was always the same - a shadow spreading rapidly across the sky, billions of glowing eyes, a cloaked figure - and then darkness. It was terrifying, and he shuddered at the memory, wondering why he was here in the first place.

The boy next to him felt differently. For years, Riku had felt drawn to this island, almost as if there was something here waiting for him. He breathed in deeply, taking in the natural scent of the sea and wild foliage. Then, he set off running across the beach, turning around only to yell "Come on Sora, let's look around!"

Sora shook his head, but he knew protesting was futile. He would rather be with Riku than be left behind in a place he feared. Soon enough, he was racing across the sands as well, trying to catch up.

The two continued to run, and with each step Sora felt his anxiety leave him little-by-little. 'Maybe this place isn't so scary after all,' he thought. However, his fear returned suddenly when Riku crashed into something. Or rather, someone.

The figure turned around, surprised. Riku, who had fallen on his back, sat up and shook his head. He then looked up, equally shocked.

"Wakka?!" he exclaimed. "Why are you here?"

"What d'you mean? This is our island," he explained, gesturing to a log behind him, where his friends Tidus and Sephie were sitting. Curious, they got up and walked closer, eyeing Sora and Riku suspiciously.

"You don't think they're here to spy on us, do you Wakka?" Selphie asked him, her tone innocent. Wakka shook his head.

"Nah, they're just exploring. Right, guys?" The two nodded. "We'll let you off this time, but this island is our hang-out. Find somewhere else to play, ya?"

Riku stood up and dusted the sand from his clothes. "This isn't your island. Sora and I can be here as long as we want to. You can't kick us out!"

Tidus stepped forward. "We found it first, so that means it's ours!"

"You're not being fair!" Sora yelled.

"Okay, okay, settle down," Wakka intervened, holding his arms out. "How 'bout we settle this with a little competition? A race? First one 'round the island owns it." Riku and Sora looked at each other and nodded.

"You're on!"

Soon enough, the two teams stood behind a crudely drawn line in the sand, preparing themselves to race. Because their numbers weren't even, Selphie stood at the start line, pouting, her arms crossed. Wakka had insisted that it wouldn't be fair if she competed, since she was a girl. She had taken it with a great sigh, mumbled "No fair…" and reluctantly stood aside.

Tidus shifted his weight from one leg to another, and then looked up at Wakka uncertainly. "You sure about this?" he asked. "It's our island…you're giving it away this easily?"

Wakka chuckled. "C'mon! No-one's ever beaten us at Blitz, and they sure won't be beating us at any old race, ya?"

Nearby, Sora was warming up by jogging on the spot, while Riku simply shook his head and looked on. "You don't need to worry about that," he said. "We're gonna win this easy."

"Okay, ready?" Selphie raised her arm, and both teams took their stances. "Set…GO!"

The boys took off, their feet kicking up tons of sand as they dashed across the beach, eager to outrun each other. It was a single lap around the island, and the first person to return to the start line would win the island for his team. Running, kicking, dodging and rolling – the boys did what they could to prevent the opposite team from winning (after all, it wasn't a serious race).

As they rounded the last turn, Sora was ahead of the group, scrambling to get away from his opponents. Tidus lunged and knocked him down, but Riku took the opportunity and sprinted ahead. The line was in clear view and he grinned, but before he could celebrate his near-victory, a jump rope suddenly came flying at his face. He ducked out of the way just in time, and stood still.

"Where'd that come from?" he wondered aloud, looking around suspiciously. Then, he saw Selphie standing a few feet away. She walked closer and picked up her "weapon".

"I'm not going to let you win that easily!" she grinned, and ran towards him. Riku rolled out of the way and picked up a nearby stick, using it to defend himself. Wakka, Tidus and Sora slowed to a stop as they watched the fight unfold.

"Hey! Let me in on the action too!"Tidus yelled, pulling out a wooden sword from nowhere. Wakka grabbed a Blitzball that was sitting near their old log, and Sora, unsure of what to do, picked up a stick as well. The three of them ran towards Selphie and Riku, eager to join in. The race lay long forgotten as they clashed on the beach, dealing and dodging each others' attacks.

After what seemed like hours, the sun began to set, casting an orange glow over the island and the ocean. The kids collapsed in a heap on the sand, exhausted. When they had finally caught their breath, they began to laugh in unison while rolling around, trying to get up. Once they had calmed down, Selphie stepped forward. "So…I guess it was a tie?" she asked, and the others nodded. "Okay, so we all own the island!" She did a little twirl. Tidus punched the air, and Riku and Sora high-fived each other.

Wakka walked over to them and slapped them both on the back, laughing when he saw their pained expressions. "You guys are all right," he told them. "Come play with us again, ya?"

Sora glanced behind him, where Selphie and Tidus were nodding rapidly in agreement. He then looked up at the palm trees, which suddenly didn't seem as foreboding as they had before. Turning to Riku, he grinned. "We can come back tomorrow, right?"

The white-haired boy smiled back. "Sure."