A/N: I went with the short chapter so get all the boring stuff out of the way. It's just to I can get things moving :) Sorry it's such a snooze!
Chapter 2: Adventure
A man pushed through the crowd that had gathered around the fountain in the center of town. He scaled its stone sides and ambled atop the head of the dragon that was graciously filling the structure with a crystal clear water, "You heard me!" he shouted as loud as he could.
Someone in the crowed let out a cry of surprise, someone else pushed her children towards her home. The man stood as tall as he could, his black hair rustling with the wind that had suddenly picked up, "They're assaulting our worlds, what's going to keep them from yours!"
"We have Sora!" someone yelled.
"Yeah! Sora will stop them!"
A roar of murmurs rippled through the crowd like a wave gathering at the edge of the sea. Sora and Riku stood behind a group of worried mothers and fathers, all mulling over what do to with the children. Riku's keyblade disappeared in a burst of tiny silver sparkles and he folded his arms over his chest with a frown, "Let's get inside the castle, I want to see what's going on before we talk about this."
Sora walked through a fading rain of gold and nodded, his expression still stern and worried, "Yeah, good idea."
They walked wordlessly back towards the castle gates, breaking into a run and bounding up the innumerable individual steps they had not so long ago dreaded. Riku and Sora tossed their weight into the heavy doors, the hinges cried out in anguish as they were forced wide open. Their chests heaved as their lungs fought for a decent breath, Sora slouched, overwhelmed by a feeling that he was going to be very sick. His friend took slow breaths in even patterns, his fists clenched tightly straining the leather over his knuckles.
There were figures silhouetted against the large window of the main hall for a moment, their colors and faces slowly came into focus against the awkward sun. Leon, Cloud, Beast, and a grave looking Merlin stood in a semicircle, all looking up towards the door as though they had been rudely interrupted. Sora suspected they had been.
Leon took a few steps towards them, ushering them inside. Some unknown attendant pushed the doors closed and they stepped towards the council of men, "Ansem reports."
"Pardon?" Sora said, raising an eyebrow as he rested a hand lightly on his spinning stomach.
"They took pieces of the Ansem reports." Beast growled. he couldn't help it, it was his curse.
Riku shot Sora a glance, lifting his hands to push his hood down over his shoulders again. He took a few steps into the middle of the room, "Have you heard what they're saying out there?" the men looked away, "Heartless and Nobodies and Dusks. That man on top of the fountain-"
"Harvey," Merlin chimed up, "His name is Harvey Turner. He claims his planet was destroyed by Heartless less than three weeks ago."
"Yes, right, Harvey is parading around telling us everything we've been through is for nothing. What if," Riku hesitated, not wanting to admit the possibility himself, "what if he's not crying wolf."
Cloud turned to look out the window, surveying Hollow Bastion below, "He's scared. Frightened people find company in other frightened people," he turned back to them, "Why do you think the Heartless have any power." It wasn't a question, it was a fact. One they all knew was right.
Sora cleared his throat, "If they took your Ansem reports, I'm sure that's what they took from us," everyone turned to look at him attentively. He felt his cheeks burn, the attention was over the top, "W-well...I'm not sure about Riku, but if what these people claim is true then we have to do something about it."
"What are you suggesting?" Riku knew exactly what he was suggesting.
Sora knew it too, "We go and see. It's the other side of the universe. Everything we've tried to protect has been on one side of the sun. We don't even know what's out there. We don't know who it is or why, if anyone's trying to help those people and their worlds. Riku, we don't even know if they have a door to the light!" It dawned on him that there were other people in the room and he took a step away from his friend.
Merlin nodded, so did everyone else in the room. Riku sighed, staring at the mosaic tiled floor. He wanted the mundane castle life he'd felt he deserved, the adventureless routine that came after risking everything that made him who he was. He had faced countless adversaries, risked his life countless times, infiltrated high security organizations, plunged his body into the very heart of darkness itself. He didn't want to do it again, to hurt himself or his friends again, he just wanted to...to deliver letters.
Sora cleared his throat and Riku jumped slightly, he realized he'd been staring at his palms and looked up. Leon, Merlin, and Beast had left, Cloud stood watching the city. He spoke low, if it weren't for the high ceilings they never would have heard him, "Sometimes someone can experience an event so painful, all they want to do is distance themselves from anything like it," the warrior turned, seemingly talking only to Riku now, "but other times, we need to accept that sometimes we cannot escape our fate." He walked past the two of them, patting Riku's shoulder as he swept up the wide staircase.
The men made eye contact, Riku's eyes brimmed with defeat and he averted his gaze quickly, "If we don't leave now, we'll never leave at all. Get on the ship, I'll contact the king. It's not exactly going to be a joyride of our lives."
Sora bit down hard on his lower lip to keep his grin at bay, his friend already knew how excited he was, but he figured it would be better not to push his luck. This was his duty as prince after all, he was Mickey predecessor. These worlds fell under his umbrella, he needed to protect them as he has everything else so far.
Riku lifted his hood over his head again, shadowing his eyes until they were nothing but tiny glimmering sapphires. He and Sora pressed against the door, letting the eerie orange sunlight pour over their faces, a mixture of resolution and excitement. They hadn't seen the dawn of an adventure together since that fateful day on Destiny Island nearly five years ago, but today they would set foot on this unexplored territory together. Together they would find their thieves and close whatever doors had been opened. Tomorrow was a new day, but he wouldn't be alone.
