Time passed strangely. Riku had returned to the dark realm with his master key, where days were so bleak and timeless. Sora traversed from world to world, gathering ideas and creating wonderful new places for the two of them to go on dates. There had yet to be any other major issues with their overlap despite little things; they were managing at a three-date minimum per night. Excess REM sleep made them both groggy and tired when they woke up, but this just made it easier for them to get to sleep the next night. Goofy and Donald were almost suspicious at Sora's eagerness to head back to the ship every night, but he had the reputation of a heavy sleeper; it shouldn't have come off as out of the ordinary.
A few uneventful, wonderful nights had passed. This night in particular, the two had shared a day in the streets of Paris, walking around Notre Dame hand in hand. The church bells ringing made them dream about the day they would be wed.
"I'm so happy it's a real thing between Masters!" Sora was excitedly telling Riku. "I know that once this is all over, we're probably not going to have to do this as much, but I get that. I'm excited to spend every day with you. Our life together is enough of an adventure for me."
"Waking up next to you would be a dream come true," Riku squeezed Sora's hand.
"Once we stop Xehanort, I'll redo my Mark of Mastery exam, hopefully with Kairi and Lea!" Sora announced. "Then one day we can get engaged and then married. I've never even been to a wedding!"
"Me neither," Riku was grinning, "but we have lots of time to figure it out. We don't have to rush anything."
"Hopefully Master Yen Sid will let us move in with each other, then we can buy a house – we can live wherever you want because whenever I'm with you, I'm home," Sora was starry-eyed. "We can visit worlds together. I'll teach you to drive the gummi ship – it's not hard! I mean, I figured it out."
"Tell me more about our house," Riku was enjoying this fantasy.
"We could live back on Destiny Islands," Sora suggested, "And have a big house with a big backyard. Oh, Riku, we could teach keyblade wielders together! We could open our own school with Kairi! Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
"I'd like that," Riku was head over heels.
Standing the warm street, church bells ringing, Riku couldn't help but notice just how hard it was to his eyes to Sora's sweet, round face, then opening them to the coldness of the Realm of Darkness. This morning in particular, this stark contrast made him especially sad: he was realizing more each passing day how much he wanted to spend every minute with Sora. Things felt kind of hopeless on his part — finding Aqua was proving to be much more daunting than it had first seemed. He wasn't even sure why Mickey had recommended returning to the Realm of Darkness; last time, Riku had nearly been lost on that shore. He would much rather be with Sora, exploring, than here, wandering somewhat aimlessly.
But he put on a brave face, as always, getting himself up, trying his best to be enthusiastic. They ended up back on that same dark shore, fighting the same demon tower that they had last time, but Riku knew his heart was strong. He was fighting for his life, for Sora's, for Aqua's so they would all have a future after this was all over.
When Mickey was absorbed, Riku's confidence began to falter.
When Aqua emerged, cloaked in darkness, he didn't know what to think anymore.
It felt like a nightmare. Everything they'd done was pointless — their guardian of light was lost, they were too late. When the demon tower regrouped, Riku braced himself, ready to give it his all. He used everything he had in the book, but he wasn't strong enough. He was losing, panting, muscles aching, mind racing. How long would it take for everyone to notice the beacon from Mickey's gummi phone was gone? How long would it take Sora to notice if his heart wasn't around anymore? Was he going to fall to darkness again?
He blocked an oncoming attack, the sheer force sending him sliding back along the glassy water, struggling for air. Just like a bad dream, his need ended up showing and it slipped out: "Sora…"
The second he said it, he knew he was stupid. He knew Sora wasn't going to be able to save him from this.
But fate had other things in mind. As the word left his lips, a glistening star expanded on the black sky above him, golden light shining down, catching his eye. From the portal, a familiar silhouette descended into the darkness, rapidly falling, landing beside him and sending water rippling around. Riku's mouth hung open in shock, in relief. Sora straightened up, smiling. "I made it!" he beamed, meeting Riku's eyes.
Face to face like that, it was easy to see how in tune their hearts were. The two of them were coupled, just like their hearts. They didn't need to say a thing, they assume the stance, touched the backs of their hands together, and their magnificent dual blade appeared between them, powerful enough to split the demon tower right down the middle.
It spit the King out, back onto the shore. In a moment of distraction, Riku started to rush toward him, ignoring Aqua revealed as the demon tide diminished. As she started to rush him, fear pulsed and he tried his best to turn, summoning his keyblade in a flash, trying his best to block. There was a collision, a massive splash of cold water. His teeth were ground, eyes clenched. As the water started to settle, Riku was shocked to find Sora in front of him, his blade against Aqua's, defending his life. He was exhausted, and Sora was glowing with confidence. He trusted his boyfriend enough to let him face Aqua, watching proudly as he won. They ended up back on the Destiny Islands, Aqua in the light, his arm on Sora's shoulder and Sora's on his waist.
Riku was exhausted from the battle, unbelievably proud of Sora's newfound strength and ability to arrive at the most pivotal time. With them just seeing each other for their dates, it felt like ages since he'd last watched his boyfriend fight and he could hardly believe just how much progress had been made. They only had a brief chance to talk, since Sora was eager not to stop. Riku knew it was best he return to the Mysterious Tower, but Sora continued off with Aqua who was desperate to wake Ven.
Riku was shocked by how easily they succeeded. He'd been back in his room for an hour or two, soaking his body in his bathtub and lying on a real bed for the first time in weeks. When Yen Sid called them all up to his room, he was taken by surprise, but eagerly put on his battle gear again and ventured upwards.
All of a sudden, they keyblade war was almost upon them. Standing there, it was no longer just Sora and Riku, but all seven of their guardians of light were there. Even being next to Sora was amazing – their hearts were at rest when they were close by. The Master debriefed them on what to expect, and they were dismissed. It was time for one night off before the battle of their lives.
Sora took Riku and Kairi in the gummi ship back to Destiny Islands. How nice it was for the three of them to finally be together again, for Kairi to get to fill them in on how much she'd learned, how excited she was. They arrived at sunset, waves quietly crashing. It felt weird to finally be home, after all these years.
"Do you guys mind if I have a minute alone?" Riku asked. He had some personal demons that needed attention.
"No prob," Kairi grinned, grabbing Sora's hand and eagerly pulling him out towards the crooked tree.
The three of them watched the sun go down and lingered for longer than that as well. Once Riku's head was on straight, he came out to join them, bringing a blanket from the back of the gummi ship as the sky got dark and the three got cold. It was fun, just like old times, each sharing stories and enjoying each other's company.
Eventually, they got tired and Sora took them home. Kairi headed to her room and Sora pretended to head to his, detouring and trailing Riku into his own. They shook off their sandy shoes by Riku's door, noses chilly from the evening air, shedding their overcoats and gloves and belts and lying on Riku's bed.
"Kairi and I shared a Paopu fruit," Sora admitted her suddenly, a guilty little wrinkle on his nose. "I think she kind of feels like she's gonna get left behind when we're done with all this."
Riku was so sure of their relationship, he wasn't even phased. "Sora, I'm not mad. She's my best friend too, obviously I want her in my life as well. It's cute."
"I told her about us too, I hope you don't mind that," Sora cuddled in closer. "I feel like people are starting to catch on. We'll tell everyone after this is all over."
"I can't wait," Riku hugged Sora's chest to his. "All I want are more nights like tonight. It was so nice to be home."
"One more day," Sora leaned back so he could look at Riku's face, look him right in the eye. "Tomorrow night will be so different."
Riku put his hand was in Sora's hair. "You're going to be great."
"You too," Sora smiled. "I mean, you have been time and time again. When have you ever let anyone down?"
Riku didn't want things to get serious, but they were going to be. "Look, I… I'm sorry I was ever jealous of you. You're special, Sora, everyone knows it."
"I dunno," Sora bashfully said. "You think so?"
"There's just something about you," Riku's hand moved to his cheek. "I've never been so confident. I know in my heart that you will always do the right thing."
"I won't let you down," Sora hugged him tight.
"I trust you," Riku spoke into the top of his head. "I love you." The two lingered there as long as possible, a deep union of arms, hearts beating side by side. Eventually, as the night stretched on, Sora dragged himself off to his own bed, knowing that if he stayed, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from doing something he might regret.
