Author's Notes: When I finished my last multi-chapter story, a friend of mine told me to take him on another ride. I eventually agreed to write another story for his amusement. This is that story. I'm going back to my sort of AU roots, though not to my fandom roots, and putting this out there. It's a Kingdom Hearts character story, with Kingdom Hearts influences, but the setting and character roles are based much more of off The Last Apprentice.
For those of you that are curious, Riku's role is semi based off of Alice in those books, and Sora's role ( to a lesser degree ) based off of Tom.
I also warn you now, the pairing of this story will eventually be Sora/Riku. Nothing too heavy, but it is my "favorite pairing" from the game series. I didn't write the story based around the pairing itself though, the pairing is a part of the story, the story is not the pairing...I think.
Lastly, this first chapter is written in first person point of view. It is the only chapter that is written like that. It's not my strongest area.
Enjoy!
The years of my childhood have always held the best memories for me. It was such a simple and carefree life, with my parents and my two best friends; Kairi and Riku.
Kairi was always special, she was the only girl in the village that wanted to play with the boys. Where other girls wanted to sit and play dolls, or talk about their future husbands, Kairi liked to run and jump, and she was good at it too, she could always keep up with me, and when she really tried, she could even give Riku a run for his money. One of the things I liked best about her was her smile. She was always smiling, even after her parents died of illness when we were all still very young. I've heard that in towns outside of Destiny, a parentless child would be pushed onto the street, but not here, not Kairi, everyone loved her, and we all relished in taking turns having her in our house. She was never a burden, always a joy.
Riku, on the other hand, was a little different, or maybe a lot different. Kairi was a bit of a tomboy, but she had her soft edge too, not Riku. If it could be climbed, Riku would climb it, just to show that he could. Most of the families in Destiny have been there for generations, but Riku and his mother moved into town when Kairi and I were three, and Riku was four. I remember many a time when Riku's mother would bring of sweets to eat with the biggest smile on her face. I didn't know exactly what a midwife was back then, but that was what Riku's mother did with her time, and I know there are women in Destiny that owe their lives to her. They were outsiders, and I've always known that they were closest with each other, but I never felt like they didn't belong with us. Different wasn't bad, not then.
In my childhood, my life was filled with simple joys, but those joys, and my childhood, ended when I was ten years old. I remember it being right after Kairi's birthday when Squall came to Destiny. Squall's the region's guardian, a person who keeps the creatures of the Dark at bay. They dedicate their lives to fighting the Dark, giving themselves over to the Light, but being a guardian is not something one can do forever. Everyone grows older, and at some point a guardian is expected to find an apprentice. That was what Squall had come to town for, an apprentice.
When he first arrived, I'd fully expected him to pick Riku. My best friend had always had a sort of wanderlust, and being a guardian meant a lot of travel. Not only that, but Riku had always been everything I was not; strong, fast, hard working, and ambitious. I remember the thought of losing my friend had saddened me, but I had also been excited for him, because it would have been everything he could have wanted...
...But Squall chose me, saying I had the Light and the potential "senses" for the job. That surprised me, but what he did after that still shocks me to this day. In all my years, my town had never been attacked by the Dark, to my knowledge we were all fully exposed to the Light, but Squall said otherwise that day. He pointed his finger at Riku and his mother, and he told us that his mother was a witch, a servant of the Dark, and that Riku was a child of the Dark, destined to one day bring great chaos, if he was not stopped here.
I remember desperately pulling at Squall, trying to talk sense into him. This was Riku! This was my friend! He'd never hurt anyone! His mother had saved lives! How could she possibly be evil and dark?! But my pleas fell on deaf ears. Riku somehow got away, but his mother was...not so lucky.
I had left Destiny with tears running down my face, my heart heavy with loss, and the truth is, I've never really forgiven Squall for what he did to Riku and his mother. I think he knows that, but even so he'd been a good master to me, and I can't bring myself to hate him, even for Riku.
It takes seven years to complete a guardian apprenticeship, I was ten then, I'm fifteen now. Just two more years.