Riku's life after all those journeys was normal as anyone else's.
Good grades.
Smiled and laughed with his friends.
Serious and somber when working on assignments.
Whispers behind his back. You know, the usual.
"There's something off about him!"
"That's some pretty long hair, where has he been?"
"He gives me the creeps now!"
He took the words with a straight face, but anyone could see the lingering sadness in his eyes.
He never talked with any other teen on the islands unless Sora was also there. Except Kairi, but even then it was terse.
Without Sora, he flitted to and from classes like a ghost, refusing any kind of small chat with his peers. He'd occasionally stare off into the distance, completely ignoring his surroundings, his expression vacant, hand gripping his pencil or pen. Someone would reach over to snap him out of it, only for Sora to get there first.
"Riku, pay attention." or "Hey, Riku, what do you think the answer is to this one?"; During tests Sora would give his desk a quick tap. There was always a nervous flicker in Sora's cheery demeanor whenever Riku's space-outs happened. Sometimes he'd say "Ansem" or "Xehanort's Heartless" instead of Riku, resulting in some pretty funny looks from other students.
People would ask, they always did ever since the trio came back, but Sora would wave it off. He always brushed the questions away from Riku or Kairi, turning them onto himself instead. But none of them would never answer a question concerning where they had been that whole year they were gone. Never a hint. Normally talkative mouths sealed shut as if to hold back some greater evil than a mere secret.
Soon people were fed up with the trio.
"What weirdos!"
"Ever since they disappeared they've been acting like they're too good for us!"
"I can't believe they still go to that stupid island! Why can't they grow up?"
They took the words, but still felt a longing to tell them. But they couldn't. World Order had to be preserved, that was something King Mickey had told them before he left with Donald and Goofy for Disney Castle.
"Kairi, tell me!" Selphie whined to her one day. Sora and Riku were quietly eating their lunch next to Kairi. "I mean, you'd tell me everything before!"
Sora shook his head, sighing. Riku rolled his eyes. They'd been through this hundreds of times.
Kairi glared at them, then gently told Selphie in a strained voice "I'm sorry, I'd love to tell you, but some things are better left unsaid..."
Selphie turned a vibrant shade of magenta.
"You three think you're so cool don't you? SO amazing that you went... went wherever you vanished off to!" She grabbed her lunch plate "Well here's a wake up call you immature losers!" she dumped the half-eaten cafeteria food all over Kairi.
It was Sora's turn to grow scarlet with wrath.
"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT FOR?" he roared over the cafeteria din, suddenly standing and slamming his hands on the lunch table. The cafeteria grew quiet. It was always a rare spectacle to see Sora this angry. "Kairi won't tell you something, SO WHAT? If you really were friends you'd respect one another's secrets!"
Selphie glared at him, "Well! I guess we aren't friends anymore!" and she walked off in a huff.
Sora's anger faded away, and he gently brushed some spaghetti out of Kairi's hair, a bit of frosted cake off her shoulder. "You okay?" he said with a surprising tenderness. She nodded, but there were a few tears in her eyes.
The cafeteria had resumed its noisy prattling, but it was now filled with gossip on Sora and Selphie's brief, but vehement, fight.
"Man, did you see how pissed Sora was?"
"Oh poor Selphie! She didn't deserve that!"
"See? They think they're so great that they can tell us how friendship works!"
"Seriously, she's just his girlfriend; there was no need for such an outburst when she was asking for it."
Riku had gone into another space-out. His fists were clenched tightly.
"Riku? Riku you okay?" Sora shook his friend's shoulder. Normally, Riku would look placid. Instead his face was scrunched up in anger.
"Ansem you better leave him alone!" Sora hissed.
Riku's fury didn't fade, it became stronger with bits of darkness swirling off his hands.
Sora summoned his Keyblade under the table, hoping no one would notice. "Ansem you let go of him RIGHT NOW."
Riku's face flickered with his usual calm, but then became even more furious.
"They have no right to treat us like that..." he growled, Xehanort's Heartless lending an extra voice. "They have no right to call us immature... They didn't fight countless monsters! They never had to deal with an entire organization of Nobodies out to kill you!"
Sora poked his Keyblade in Riku's side discreetly. "Let him GO, Ansem."
When he realized that Riku wasn't going to snap out of it, he positioned himself in between Riku and Kairi. He knew people were staring now, staring at the weird, gigantic, key-shaped weapon in his hands. He raised it even with his body, with a skill his classmates hadn't seen before.
"Xehanort's Heartless, you let go of my friend right now or I swear you're in for a world of hurt."
A student laughed, "Oh look! They're trying to get more attention! How cute!"
The rest of the students in the room laughed mockingly.
"What is that you're holding Sora? Paper-Maché?"
More side-splitting laughter.
"Quit laughing!" Sora yelled at them, taking action that also hadn't been seen in this normally plucky classmate before."You'll only drive him over the edge! Now get out of here before it gets too dangerous!"
They continued to laugh.
"Oh, so Sora's a hero now?"
"Pu-lease! Since when has Riku ever done anything that bad?"
"Who put those dorks in charge?"
And that's when Riku snapped. He hurled his clenched hands up, and fired several dark blasts from them. "LEAVE US ALONE!"
Sora quickly rolled in front of the desired targets and held his Keyblade to stop them. Most people were screaming now, regretting not listening to Sora.
He only shook his head with an exasperated sigh, readying himself for a fight with a Heartless-possessed Riku.
Again, regrettably.
"See? I warned you idiots..." He then locked blades with Riku, who now wielded his older Keyblade, Soul-Eater.
"Sora!" he growled, mostly using the voice of Xehanort's Heartless, "Get out of the way! They deserve this!"
Sora shoved him off, "Yeah they've been jerks, I know, but that doesn't mean we should hurt them for it!"
Sora and Riku fought. Actually, for real, fought.
One brave student held up his phone to videotape the whole thing. The darkness that seeped off of Riku, Sora's amazing magic and fast attacks. It was baffling to the whole student body.
"What's going on?"
"How has Sora gotten so good?"
"Why is fire coming out of that thing?"
"See? I told you there was something wrong with Riku!"
Kairi rushed into the fray, despite everyone crying against it.
Sora, who was busy trying to oust Riku in a crossing of blades, glanced to see Kairi running towards them. He shoved Riku off in a fearful manner and said "Kairi! Stop!" Kairi veered from Sora to Riku, and grabbed his arm.
"RIKU! STOP IT! Stop it right now! You don't belong in darkness!""
A light drove the darkness off of Riku, Soul-Eater became Way-to-Dawn again in a flurry of small lights.
Riku blinked, the faraway look in his teal eyes fading away. He saw Sora, standing from a battle crouch, cuts all over, a bruise or two.
"Riku-" he began, but Riku cut him off.
"I... I'm..." he said in a shaky whisper, but his throat constricted his words. He looked at the last fragments of darkness that faded away, and easily figured what happened. "I'm..." he choked again, but he couldn't finish his sentence. He squinted his eyes shut and barreled through the crowd that had gathered at the exit.
"Jeez! Thinks he's sorry, huh?"
"What a loser!"
"What a jerk!"
Sora followed, actually able to catch up with his friend now.
"Excuse me!-Coming through!-RIKU! RIKU WAIT UP!"
"Wow! Sora can run now too?"
"Why does he even stick with that...that thing anymore?"
Kairi also followed "Guys! Wait!"
"Wow, what a jerk for leaving his gal!"
"Do they even pay attention to her anymore?"
Sora was feeling winded now. He could catch up with Riku, even tie with him under the right circumstances, but endurance was something that Riku had always excelled over Sora. "Riku! Wait!" he yelled feebly after his friend. Riku looked back briefly, then shook his head, leaped in his boat, and started rowing to their special island.
"ugh... he's so stubborn..." Sora sighed, then got in his own boat and began rowing.
"SORA!" Sora paused, seeing Kairi waving on the shore. "Sora! I'm coming too!"
Sora shook his head "No! You stay!" he motioned for her to stay behind if his voice didn't carry over. He sighed again when he saw her getting in her boat, and resumed rowing.
He docked, then looked for footprints in the sand. Just as he suspected, they were heading to their secret place.
Sora frowned. That wasn't a good thing.
He found Riku pacing in front of a peculiar door that had been there ever since they were born, maybe beyond. It was just wood, no handle or keyhole. But that was because one of the first things Sora had done was seal his home world's Keyhole, the very thing that kept his precious home safe.
Riku had torn out bits of his hair, and was crying now.
"Ugh! I can't believe I let him do that!" He gripped his head like he was going crazy. And for all Sora knew, he was. Sora folded his arms in front of him "Riku, you know that it wasn't your fault." He said sternly. Riku didn't listen. "I could've hurt everyone!"
"No one was hurt you idiot. Cafeteria in shambles, yes, but none injured."
Riku threw his hand to Sora "YOU! You were hurt!"
Sora shook his head and rolled his eyes "I'm used to it, it's nothing much."
"I shouldn't have listened to them-"
"It's hard to ignore when everyone's saying things."
Sora gently grabbed his friend's hand. "No one's hurt, no one's going to treat you any different- not on my watch at least -and you didn't fully give in. There's a lot to be thankful for, Riku."
Riku shook off Sora's grip. "That's it, we… we need to do it…"
Sora scowled, and his grip became firmer. He knew exactly what Riku meant.
"Riku, I am NOT killing you!"
"The darkness got out of hand this time! You know what King Mickey said!"
Sora shook his head. "That was only planned if things got drastic! Only if someone was killed-"
Riku grabbed Sora and shook him mercilessly "I COULD HAVE!" His head lowered, body racking with sobs. "Do you even realize what he was telling me this time?"
"…I thought it was the usual…"
"No, it wasn't the usual. He was telling me that hurting them, killing them, was justified. All thanks to the words spat at us, Selphie dumping her lunch on Kairi, the looks everyone gives us now. I can't believe I listened…"
Sora, taken aback by these words, gently wrapped his arms around Riku.
"It's alright… It's alright…" he whispered, gently patting Riku's back. "I'm such a monster." He spat in return.
"No, you're not a monster, just a guy with problems like everyone else. Remember, I'm always there, Riku. Always there."
Kairi's voice echoed from outside the cave. "SORA! RIKU! Ugh! Where are you guys?" Sora held Riku out at arm's length, and gently held his chin up.
"Come on, self-loathing is it's own kind of darkness. I think it's time you came back to the light."