To New Readers: Hi, thanks for checking out my fic. Lately I've gotten several complaints about how this story is labeled as Soriku but is a Sokai. I just wanted to let you guys know that although this story DOES start out as Sokai, the main focus is Soriku. Since Sora has feelings for Kairi in the games, I thought it would be more realistic to start out with Sokai and make it a Soriku fic in later chapters. I have nothing against Kairi; I really like her character. I'm just not a fan of the Sokai pairing, and prefer Soriku. So yeah, the Soriku IS there, it just takes a bit of time for it to build up.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

Chapter One

He stared out into the distance as the sun set behind the evening waves, its rays casting brilliant hues of red, gold and yellow onto the pristine water. Leaning against a wry palm tree, its trunk so crooked that part of it lay parallel to the ground, he closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of the calm ocean lapping at the shore.

His eyes snapped open to the sound of an exasperated sigh, a complaint that managed to destroy the serenity of the landscape.

The girl to his left peered around the less distressed of the two young men, meeting the other's eyes with a confused expression.

"Riku, what's wrong?" asked Kairi, keeping her stare until he reluctantly answered.

"It's… nothing, really," he shrugged away the thought, staring back at the sunset.

Sora shook his head. "Oh, c'mon… you actually think we're going to believe that?"

Silence ensued for several minutes, Sora contemplating the nature of Riku's distress.

Clearing his throat, Riku continued. "I'm just… bored. I've been bored for a really long time."

"What are you getting at?" Kairi raised an eyebrow.

"Remember how exciting our lives used to be?" asked Riku nostalgically as he stared into the dimming sky. "It seems so long ago."

"That's because it was," Sora reminded him. "It's been over five years since I woke up, since we were all reunited."

"And not much has happened since then," Riku lamented. "Kairi, do you still have that picture?"

She nodded. "Of course. It's been in my locket since we came back."

She unfastened the heart-shaped necklace from around her neck and handed it to Riku. He opened it and showed the picture to Sora and Kairi, as though they had never seen its contents before. As he looked at it, Sora recognized younger versions of the three friends. He snickered, forgetting how different his appearance had been. He stood in the middle, Riku on his right and Kairi to his left, as they were now. In the photograph he was nearly a head shorter than Riku, though now they had both grown and stood at nearly the same height, both occasionally arguing childishly over who was taller. His hair was mussed and spiky as always. Sora felt his cheeks redden with embarrassment. Had he really been so short and lanky? His eyes shifted to Kairi, her hand clasped in his as she waved with the other. She looked much the same in the picture, though she was now taller and wore her hair past her shoulders.

"Look how happy we were when we got back," she smiled. "We hadn't been home in two years, and even though it meant that one adventure had come to an end, at least we had made it, somehow. At least we were all safe. But now… I think we all miss that life, the unpredictability, never knowing what was coming next, if we would make it out alive…"

Sora crossed his arms across his chest. "So we've all been thinking the same thing. Don't get me wrong, I love Destiny Islands, but I miss going to other worlds. Let's face it: we're not the kind of people who can stand sitting on the beach every weekend for years at a time."

"And yet we have," Riku smirked. "You'd think that over the years, something would have happened on at least one of the worlds. But no one's needed us. That letter from the King those years back just happened to be a concentration of Heartless in Hollow Bastion. I mean, once we allied with Leon and the others, it was no problem."

Kairi snickered softly, covering the laugh with her hand.

"What's so funny?" Sora asked.

"We're actually complaining that we don't have to deal with another end of the world scenario."

"Yeah…" Riku trailed off. "But if another one does happen to pop up, try not to get kidnapped this time."

She stuck out her tongue at Riku's jest. "You know very well that I can fend for myself now. I'm so tired of being seen as the burden, being left behind. If something else happens, we're all in this together, no matter what. Deal?"

"Deal."

"Deal."

"Good. And on that note, I'm going to head home," she hopped up from the tree and leaned close to Sora, giving him a kiss goodbye.

"Do you want me to come over later?" he asked.

"Nah," Kairi frowned. "I have to get up really early to go to the mainland for a job interview… Anyway, bye, you two."

As Kairi walked away, Sora and Riku were quiet for several minutes, staring off into the distance as the sun's last rays melted behind the ocean.

It was Riku who broke the silence. "Do you think we'll ever get off this world again?"

Sora pondered the thought for a minute. "Sure we will. Who knows when the next Organization XIII will show up, or when Maleficent will recruit hoards of Heartless again. It's only a matter of time."

Riku laughed, shaking his head.

"Hey! What's so funny?"

"Only you would be optimistic about the pessimistic."

With that note, Riku stood from his leaning position, waving back as he turned away from the ocean and back toward his home. Sora stood alone, wondering how his life had become so mundane.