Scene 7 - Awakening


Riku was awake when they returned. He was sitting against the wall next to Sora, still, holding the charm Kairi had made for him. A blush rose to Kairi's cheeks—Less because he found it, and more because she hadn't been able to explain it to him.

He looked up at the sound of their approach, and after a brief glance over all of them, his eyes found Kairi's. "This for me?" he asked, holding up the charm a little. She blushed even harder, and nodded.

"You didn't have to." Riku waited until she was closer to him to discuss it, at least, and lowered his voice, though she doubted it did much. "I wasn't trying to be a grump about Sora's."

It took her a moment to realize what he was talking about. "What? Oh, Riku." She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I meant to make you one. I meant to make all of us one. But, y'know, then the world sort of fell into darkness and I forgot. Literally."

"Oh yeah… right…" Riku cleared his throat. Kairi's eyebrows shot up, recognizing the sound and his shifty glance to mean he was hiding something.

"Riku," she began, very slowly. "Do you know something about—"

"Shouldn't we be worrying about Sora?" he blurted. Kairi scowled at him, but didn't deny it. Forgetting Sora for a year could wait. It certainly wasn't as important as the possibility of losing Sora forever.

She moved to sit on the other side of Sora, grabbing his hand tightly. Riku was very discreet about it, but she saw him move to take Sora's other hand.

"Aw… Sora…" Mickey had come to join them. He sent a glance at something over Kairi's shoulder—Yen Sid, she realized, when she looked up to see. "Is his heart sleeping like Ven's is?"

"No, Mickey, I'm afraid the affliction is not the same."

Kairi wasn't sure what they were talking about, and frankly, didn't care at the moment.

"What can we do for him?" Riku asked. He did not look at Yen Sid, but met Kairi's eye.

"You unlocked the seven Sleeping Keyholes, did you not, Riku?" Yen Sid asked.

Riku nodded. "Yeah, I did."

"Then by doing so, not only did you wake those worlds from their prisons of slumber, you also acquired the power to free a heart from its sleep," Yen Sid continued.

"So I can wake him back up?" Riku's face lit up with shock, and with relief. Kairi let out a breath she'd been holding, as well.

"Wait, but…" Mickey said. "Won't he have to dive back into Sora's sleep? Isn't that… Isn't that dangerous?"

"I cannot say it won't be," Yen Sid admitted.

Kairi shot a worried look—briefly—at Riku, but he did not seem to notice.

"Maybe I should go," Mickey began.

"From the sounds of what Yen Sid's saying, I'm the only one who can," Riku interjected. There was a faint smile on his face, despite the worry in his tone. Kairi wasn't sure if it was leftover relief to hear that Sora would be okay, or if it was smugness. She'd believe either. "Sorry, Mickey… and… and Kairi…" His face fell a little, only to light up again as he got an idea. "Master Yen Sid, could she come as well?"

Yen Sid hesitated for a long moment, but his answer was the one Kairi expected. "I'm afraid not," he said. "For the same reasons Mickey shouldn't."

Kairi sighed. "That's alright." There was no use getting upset about something she couldn't do, after all. Or, that's what she told herself. She was still quite a bit upset, regardless.

"Shouldn't someone stay here to call them back, anyway?" Goofy asked. "In case one of them gets lost? Or… in case Riku gets lost, too, I guess..."

Mickey brightened at the suggestion. He opened his mouth, about to say something, already nodding, but Riku beat him to it.

"Yeah!" Riku said, with a smile. He turned from Goofy back to Kairi. His eyes seemed to gleam. "You can be a light to lead us back."

All Kairi could do was laugh. It was a strange feeling, to be regarded with so much faith, especially concerning something so serious. Riku's smile sparked something in her chest, but she could not say what. "You aren't going to get lost," she told him. She appreciated his sentiment, of course, but she had to tease.

"I might," Riku replied. His eyes burned with a mischievous smile that never reached his lips. "And even if I don't, I'll appreciate your help, anyway. It's always nice to have a light guiding you home, even if you don't need it." The glint of a mischievous smile was replaced by a real one—Kairi wasn't sure she'd seen Riku smile so much in a short span of time in a long while.

"Thanks…" she whispered.

Riku nodded, and got to his feet. She was sure she saw him squeeze Sora's hand before doing so. "I'll guess I'll go wake him up now, huh?" The mischievous glint was back in his eyes. "Though, I have to say, isn't this kind of familiar, Kairi? Him slacking off like this?"

Kairi couldn't help herself. She giggled. For all the worry they'd been feeling minutes ago, it was nice for the mood to be lightening. It was even better that Riku was so at ease. This was the first she'd seen him like this since they'd reunited.

"He did always take a nap instead of gathering supplies for the raft, didn't he?" Kairi agreed. "Or, really, instead of doing anything."

"Exactly! I mean, what kind of Keyblade Master sleeps through his test, anyway?"

"I think you did," Kairi said. It was a struggle to keep the smile off her face.

Riku instantly turned sour. "That's not the point, Kairi."

She only laughed.

"Don't keep him waiting, Riku."

"Yeah! The sooner he's back, the better!" Donald called. His last word broke off as Goofy nudged him, and he instantly put his hands over his beak. Kairi rolled her eyes, but Riku laughed. It was really nice to hear him laugh so openly again.

"We'll be back soon," Riku said.

He summoned his Keyblade and aimed it at Sora. There was a burst of light that surrounded the two of them, and then Riku collapsed. Kairi, who'd been expecting this, caught him on his way down and eased him to the ground. It only took a bit of maneuvering to get him leaning up against the wall again, this time with enough space between him and Sora for her to sit.

Everyone else suddenly lost interest, which Kairi was grateful for. She carefully pressed Riku's charm into his hand, then Sora's into his, closing their fingers around the charms gently. Then she sat herself down between them and grabbed their free hands, squeezing tight.

Kairi wasn't sure how long it had been—only that it'd been long enough for her fingers to start going numb—when Yen Sid sent Donald and Goofy and Lea to go get something. She hadn't been paying attention to what. She was too busy sending good thoughts to Sora and Riku.

It was because of this that she missed the first bit of Mickey and Yen Sid's conversation. When their words finally reached her, she flushed a little with embarrassment. They were discussing the results of the exam, and had probably wanted to do it in private, and yet here she was, eavesdropping.

She probably should've said something to remind them that she was here, but she was too interested in the discussion. So she bit her lip and did her best not to breathe too hard.

"You can't exactly blame Sora for what Xehanort did," Mickey was saying. "Denying him the Mark of Master simply because Xehanort managed to trick him—to trick all of us!"

"That is not entirely why I am considering it," Yen Sid assured him. "While I do think Sora could use some more training when it comes to the darkness in his heart, there is more to it than that. He and Riku are both very young, younger than Aqua and Terra were when they took the Mark. It is not traditional to give out a Mark at this age, and I am merely doing this as a necessity—but I do not think Sora is ready."

"Because he's not old enough?"

"Because he is reckless." Kairi raised her eyebrows, though she could not quite say she disagreed. "I'm not saying that Xehanort could have been stopped if Sora had been more cautious, but he could certainly learn to be a little more careful."

"I guess you're right…" Mickey said, slowly.

"Do you disagree with me?"

"Well, no, if you think—"

Mickey was cut off by Yen Sid's rumbling voice.

"Mickey, the Exam needs two Masters to oversee it, and you are the second. Your opinion has just as much sway as mine has."

"It's hard to say when I couldn't see what was going on in the Sleeping Worlds as well as you could," Mickey argued. Kairi poked her head around Yen Sid's chair, so that she could see them. Thankfully, only Mickey was really in a position to see her, and that was only if he looked.

"Yes, and I am sorry about that," Yen Sid said, nodding his agreement with Mickey's protest. "But you have fought side by side with both Riku and Sora in the past…"

Mickey nodded as well, folding his arms across his chest. "I have…"

Kairi shifted so she wasn't leaning around the chair anymore. It was starting to get uncomfortable.

"If you think we need to do one of the more traditional portions of the exam to be certain…" Yen Sid began.

"Nah, it wouldn't be fair to make them go through that today after everything else they've been through," Mickey said, with a little laugh. "I… I think you're right. Riku definitely deserves to be a Master. And Sora… Well, maybe Sora could use a little more time."

"Are you positive?"

"Uh-huh! If you don't think Sora's ready, then I trust you. I don't think I could be sure myself unless we did do another portion of the exam, and like I said, it wouldn't be fair to ask them to today. Sora will just have to retake the exam when he's older."

"What do you mean by a 'more traditional portion'?" Kairi asked. Then she realized herself, and clapped a hand over her mouth. She waited a few agonizing seconds, though there was no point in pretending like she wasn't here anymore. Finally, she leaned out again so that they could see her, and she them.

Yen Sid looked like he was about to get very angry, but Mickey reached up and put a hand on his arm. "Well, normally, the Mark of Mastery exam isn't given like this," Mickey explained. He didn't sound angry at all. "How it is given depends on the Master, but a very traditional test would be having the participants duel each other, if there's more than one of them, or fight the Master, if no one else is available."

Kairi nodded. It made sense. "Oh," she said.

"Kairi, you should not have been eavesdropping," Yen Sid scolded, now that Mickey was done answering her question.

Kairi shrugged. "Well, it's not exactly my fault you apparently forgot I was here," she said. There wasn't much else to say—she could have apologized for not saying something when they started their discussion, or leaving of her own accord, but she didn't feel like it.

Yen Sid opened his mouth, then paused, considering what she had said. He didn't get the chance to answer, because there was a thump on the door.

"Hey! Could someone open this!" Donald called.

Mickey sent a smile at Kairi and went to open the door. Kairi leaned around the other side of Yen Sid's chair so she could see the door, and more importantly, Donald and Goofy and Lea as they entered. Donald was levitating a stack of chairs with his magic. Goofy and Lea were rolling a table. What they were for, Kairi wasn't sure, but she had to laugh at the thought of Goofy and Lea—Lea particularly—rolling that table up the flight of stairs.

"Over there will do," Yen Sid instructed, pointing to a spot about five feet to Kairi's right.

"I don't see why you couldn't have just magicked this stuff up here," Lea complained, as he helped Goofy get the table in place.

"He didn't want you in the room," Kairi said. She wasn't looking to see if Yen Sid was displeased by her saying so, and frankly, didn't care.

"He let you stay," Lea countered.

Kairi didn't hesitate. "Important Keyblade wielder meeting," she said. She'd been counting on Lea protest like that, and more importantly, ask her why she'd stayed. She didn't want to embarrass Yen Sid, after all.

"I'm a Keyblade wielder," Lea grumbled.

"You can't summon yours yet, can you?"

He scowled at her, but protested no further. Yen Sid said nothing, either, which was a relief.

"What's this stuff for, anyway?" Donald asked, as he set the last chair in place.

"Celebration," Yen Sid replied. With a wave of his arms, a wide assortment of cakes and other sweets appeared on the table. "I believe it was in order, after everything we have all been through."

Donald's eyes were as wide as saucers as he surveyed all of the sweets, and he would've launched himself right at the table had Goofy not caught him. "Don'tcha think we should wait for Sora and Riku to get back?" Goofy asked.

"Aw phooey."

Lea rolled his eyes and dragged one of the chairs away from the table, making himself comfortable in it at the edge of the room.

Kairi sighed and closed her eyes. She was just about to start sending good thoughts to Sora and Riku again when Sora moved. Her heart leapt to her throat, and before she could really react Sora was prying his hand out of hers.

"Gee, Kairi, what's wrong?" He studied her up and down, laughing. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"I, uh—"

"Sora!" both Goofy and Donald shouted.

Sora looked past Kairi and at them, breaking out into a grin, though a confused one. It was so good to see his face moving, to see him awake.

"What, you guys were worried about me too—whoa!" Kairi'd thrown her arms around him, and he laughed, hugging her tightly back. "Well, hi, nice to see you too. I didn't realize I'd been gone so long. What's—oh…" She could not see his face fall, but she could hear it. "That's right…"

Kairi pulled away from him, giving him some space to think. He didn't look at her, but down at his charm instead, running his thumbs over the shells. After a few moments of studying it, or, more likely, turning his thoughts over, he slid it back through his belt and looked up at them all, grinning. "Well, alright, I don't really remember what happened, but it must've been bad, huh?"

"Yes!" Kairi told him, staring in disbelief.

He shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "Whoops?" Before Kairi could say anything else to him he was on his feet and climbing over her and Riku. "Hey! There's cake!"

Kairi gaped after him, though she couldn't quite say she was surprised. A lot had changed over the years, but for the most part, Sora hadn't. "What about Riku?" she asked, as he started dishing himself up a plate of sweets.

"I'm sure he'll be here in a sec! Want some cake?"

"Uhh… no…"

She turned her attention to Riku, and to her surprise, found him shifting and waking up, as well. She sighed in relief, and once sure he was awake enough, hugged him as well. He hugged her back, though quite a bit more hesitantly than Sora had—Sora had only been hesitant at first, then his hug had been as tight as any other. Riku hugged her as if he feared breaking her by squeezing too hard.

"See! I told you Riku would be back soon!" Sora called, around a mouthful of what was probably cake.

"Charming," Kairi mumbled.

"Disgusting," Riku corrected, shaking his head.

"Don't talk with your mouth full!" Donald scolded, reaching over the table and whacking Sora on the arm. Sora apologized, though he didn't wait to swallow before doing so.

Yen Sid cleared his throat loudly. "Now that you two are back, would you care to hear the results of your test?"

"Oh yeah!" Sora kicked over his chair in his haste to get out of it. Riku groaned, though he moved much quicker than he normally did to join Sora in standing before Yen Sid's desk. Kairi got up and stood roughly next to them, though not close enough for it to be considered "improper" or anything. Lea didn't move. Mickey and Donald and Goofy ended up standing by the table.

Yen Sid cleared his throat again.

"You both performed truly admirably," he said, and Sora and Riku exchanged exited glances. "More than anything, I am grateful to have you both back from Xehanort's deception unharmed. I am also deeply sorry, for failing to perceive the danger soon enough, and for throwing you headlong into a perilous test."

Kairi tried not to sigh. It seemed Yen Sid hadn't lost his knack for talking forever.

"However, this experience has revealed many hidden truths," he continued. "We must prepare ourselves for what is in store in the coming clash between us and Xehanort—between light and darkness. I believe we need a new Keyblade Master, one with a new kind of power…"

Sora seemed to be bouncing a little, only barely containing himself. Kairi bit her lip, feeling a little sorry for him, since she knew where this was going. Hopefully he wouldn't take the news too badly.

"Sora and Riku, you both deserve the honor, but only one of you braved the realm of sleep again to unlock the final Keyhole and save a friend. Riku, I name you our new Keyblade Master."

Kairi raised her eyebrows, a little taken aback by the way Yen Sid had decided to phrase that. Then again, perhaps it was best he didn't outright tell Sora he was not passing him because he was reckless. She watched the boys carefully, waiting with baited breath. Riku seemed stunned, and Sora—

He broke out into a grin and threw an arm around Riku's shoulder, pulling him down a little to his level. "Way to go, Riku!" he shouted, with a playful punch to Riku's gut. "I knew you were gonna pass with flying colors!"

"Y-yeah?" Riku didn't sound like he believed it.

Kairi punched him on the shoulder. "Yeah, you big dummy. You passed." He looked at her, then at Sora, then at Yen Sid. Honestly, he looked like he'd be sick.

"This is just so awesome!" Sora was definitely bouncing with his excitement now, and his grin was wide enough to break his face in half.

"Gee, Sora, you're kina acting like it's you that passed!" Goofy laughed.

"I told you Sora still needed practice," Donald added in an exaggerated whisper.

Sora shot a playful glare at him. "Hey!"

"Congratulations, Riku," Mickey said.

"Uh- thanks…" Riku cleared his throat. "Thank you… All of you…"

Kairi reached behind Riku, linking her arm around his back and grabbing at Sora's jacket, pulling him a little closer into the pseudo-hug. They locked eyes around Riku, and through that sort of telepathy you got from knowing someone for so long, arrived on the same idea at the same time. They shared identical grins, each took a deep breath:

"Congratulations, Riku!" they shouted as loud as they could, right in his ears. He cringed and shoved them off of him, and though he pretended to be angry, Kairi could see the faintest smile on his lips.