A/N: Thank you for all your continued support and patience. As always, your feedback is always appreciated.

Red Karat Ring

Chapter 10

Found

Had Sora won their race, Riku would have been obligated to stay the night instead of heading back to the capital island. Yet with night clearly hanging overhead and the stars twinkling as if pinned to a velvet jewelry case, it was looking more and more like Sora was the actual winner.

The group spent the rest of the afternoon lounging around and playing on the beach. Every few hours Sora would go around reapplying sunscreen to his sisters in a continuous effort to keep them from getting sunburned. Despite his best attempts everyone, himself included, now sported a healthy rose complexion. Riku on the other hand had found solace underneath the shade of an umbrella for the better part of the time out on the sands and barely had any color to his pale skin. By the time the sun was setting, rumbling stomachs could be heard. And with night eventually drowning things out, dinner was clearly their next step.

They were walking in their little parade through the darkened grassy fields towards the awaiting mansion. Sora and Riku were in the rear each carrying an exhausted twin in their arms. Sora looked on at the older man with fascination. Penelo was sleeping soundly propped against his chest, his hands holding onto her in such a delicate manner that it roused a sense of surprise in him.

"You do that so well," Sora expressed shifting Selphie in his right arm slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"The way you're holding Penelo."

Riku blinked a few times not comprehending what he had heard. He looked down at the sleeping girl feeling the gentle breathing against his bare skin. "Does it look strange to you?"

Sora shook his head. "No, of course not. What I mean to say is the way you're holding her. It just looks so natural to me. As if it's something you've done many times before."

The realization forced a heavier thump of his heart. Riku glanced at Penelo once more in fear that she may have felt the jolt of his heart with her cheek so carefully pressed to him. Riku did little more than shrug.

"I don't know...perhaps it's just instinct."

Riku, of course, knew why it looked so perfectly natural. He was a father after all. Carrying a child in his arms was something he did since the moment Rue was born. Years of practice had honed his touch and was now incapable of forgetting the feeling of his son's presence.

"Guess that's true..." Sora trailed on. "I think we all have a natural parental instinct. It just comes better to some than others."

Riku just as easily could have come to the same conclusion about Sora. His sister Selphie looked calm resting comfortably in Sora's arms. He knew without out a doubt that while their circumstances were different, their love for their families was unquestionable. It showed clearly.

"Looks like you'll be staying for dinner."

"Sorry to intrude," Riku replied with a grin, "I'm starting to think I actually lost our race earlier today."

"Oh no, there was no doubt over that. You were the clear winner."

"And yet here I still am," Riku continued. "...not that I'm complaining."

Sora's gaze settled on Riku. They exchanged smiles as their journey through the grassy plains finally reached the borders of the gardens. Once again, Riku eyed the rectangular table that sat on its own, bathed in shadow.

"Big brother, we're going to take a bath" Wendy chimed in as they poured into the mansion. She grabbed Belle's hand and the two slipped off towards their respective rooms.

"I'll have dinner ready in an hour so take your time."

"Okay!"

Lulu stood in front of the two with the twins still sleeping in their arms. She moved her head slightly to the side and peered over her shoulder. "I'll take a bath too."

She walked into a hallway and turned towards them. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of red, sparkling in the dim light. She looked at Riku for a split second longer and disappeared.

"I'm really sorry about Lulu," Sora apologized with a sigh. "I don't know what's gotten into her today. I promise you she's not normally this discourteous with people."

Riku shook his head. "I didn't mind, I'm sure she feels having me here is out of place. From the little I know you don't have guests often so I figured she must be unused to people. Especially a stranger like me."

The reality was that it far from true. As a practicing Sorceress, Lulu was already used to the throngs of unfamiliar faces that came to her in need of her services. As the eldest of the girls, her manners and professionalism with clientele were top notch. And even if she wasn't particularly fond of whoever she was doing a reading for, she was smart enough to not let that show. But with Riku, that had been a different story.

"But hey, the other girls really took a liking to you."

Riku gripped Penelo a bit closer and smiled at Sora. "Yeah, they're a great bunch of kids. You're a lucky guy."

Sora suppressed the warmth that threatened to spread over his cheeks. He inhaled and motioned forward. "Let's put Selphie and Penelo down for now. They'll easily sleep until dinner is ready."

"Do you need some help in the kitchen?"

Sora grinned. "It wouldn't go unappreciated, sure."

With the twins safely tucked into their beds, Sora led Riku towards the kitchen. It was as they were traveling the maze of hallways that a door caught Riku's attention. There wasn't anything strange about it, yet he seemed intrigued. He stopped his stride for a moment and faced the hall that led up to it.

"There's nothing interesting that way," Sora's voice echoed.

"Oh, sorry, I'm being nosy."

"Think nothing of it, come on."

The industrial size kitchen was impressive enough to elicit a gasp from Riku. Then again, with the scale of everything else around him, such a sight shouldn't have been surprising at this point.

"Let's see...what to make...what to make."

Sora was muttering out loud as he ventured to the massive refrigerator in search of inspiration. "You're our guest, is there anything you want to have?"

"Oh stop, I'm fine with anything," Riku replied with a laugh, "I'll eat whatever we whip up."

"Hmm, that's no help."

They were still sporting swimsuits and bare chests. The marble underneath Riku's naked feet felt cool as he stood there watching Sora futzing around in the fridge. Sora practically dove head first into the depths of it and buckled backwards with his arms full of ingredients.

"Jeez, let me help you," Riku quickly sped over to grab a hold of some of the things that were toppling over one another, "ever head of making multiple trips?"

"This is nothing. You should see me carrying the laundry baskets at the end of each week."

Riku couldn't help but laugh at this. "They look small, but they go through clothes like water, right?"

"Oh you have no idea," Sora chuckled back finally settling everything he fished out of the fridge onto the center countertop. "I think I spend more time doing laundry than anything else."

"I've been wondering about that," Riku said now that Sora had made mention of chores, "asides from Kimahri, you don't have any help around here. Why do you insist on doing everything yourself?"

Their time on the beach had been spent doing little in the ways of meaningful conversation. Riku had made it known he was aware that there was more to Sora's background early on when they first came down to the private beach. But any further talk had been placed on hold due to their race and then the rest of the afternoon had gotten the best of them. Sora was all too aware that hiding it wasn't an option anymore. "I guess...it was after our parents passed away."

Riku immediately felt his chest clenching and regretted prying. He lifted his hand off the counter in a form of saying Sora had no need to continue, but Sora cut him off. "It's okay, I don't mind talking about it. I promise, I'll explain it to you. Let's get everyone fed and then we can talk. Sound okay?"

Arguing wasn't something Riku would think of doing. "Of course."

Within a few minutes Riku and Sora were busily working away getting dinner ready. Riku filled a large pot up with water and placed a batch of potatoes to boil while Sora poured an assortment of vinegars and sauces into a pan full of beef steaks. He snuck back to the fridge and grabbed a hold of two caramel colored bottles and held them out. "Care for a beer?"

Riku felt his stomach flop at the sight of it, but seeing Sora's blinking eyes anticipating an answer forced him to accept it. "Sure."

Taking a steel bottle opener from out of a drawer, Sora uncapped the beers and held one out to Riku. Sora tipped his head. "Cheers."

"Cheers," Riku replied clinking the length of the bottle with Sora's. He took a small sip and wasn't completely overwhelmed by the same bitterness he experienced not long ago in a bar of downtown Land of Departure. Sora noticed the creasing of Riku's eyes and curled his lip. "Don't like it?"

He scratched at his chest and sighed. "It's not bad, but I'm not a big drinker."

"Then why'd you take it?"

"Hey, I said it wasn't bad," Riku returned with a smirk and proved it by downing half the bottle in one go. He resurfaced taking a long breath. "See?"

"Am I supposed to be impressed?"

Sora covered the beef with plastic wrap and grabbed his beer with a lazy hand. Riku thought he was going to drop it and felt his fingers tense up. Sora mimicked Riku's action and downed more than a half of his beer before setting it on the counter. "Want to see who can out drink who?"

Riku knew that answer before it left his mouth. "No, I'll pass on that."

Sora quickly gave up on the idea and began putting a salad together. Riku carefully drained the water from the pot and dumped the now tender potatoes into an empty bowl.

"Do you have cream?"

"You read my mind," Sora said holding onto a small carton of the aforementioned item. Riku peeled the skins off and chopped the potatoes into chunky cubes while Sora walked over with the butter, salt, and pepper they would then add in. With Riku mashing the potatoes up and Sora firing up the grill and sitting the marinated steaks onto it, they put the finishing touches to dinner. By the time they heard the sounds of shuffling footsteps, things were ready.

"Mmm! It smells good in here!"

The girls made their way past the kitchen doors to the counter and climbed up into their chairs. Riku, who had been putting plates and utensils down for everyone, greeted them with a kind expression. "I helped your brother make dinner, hopefully I didn't ruin it."

Wendy and Belle showed traces of still wet hair from their bath while the twins wiped away at the lingering sluggishness of their nap. Lulu, her hair set in a tight bun, sat at the farthest end of the counter with one of her many dolls next to her in the seat. Riku came around filling everyone's glass with juice and stopped short of Lulu. She looked out of the corner of her eye at him, but didn't offer a word.

"Can I pour you some juice?"

Lulu carefully nodded and moved her empty glass forward a bit. Riku eagerly filled it to the brim and smiled at her. He went back to helping Sora move the rest of the dinner components over to the counter. Lulu grabbed the glass of juice and sipped from it as she eyed his backside. Her sisters all looked to her and followed her gaze.

"Leave it be Lulu," Wendy said in a hushed tone, "Riku is a nice person. We don't have anything to worry about."

"I'm with Wendy," Belle added kicking her feet over her chair.

The twins nodded in unison and returned to chatting between themselves as the food continued to pile before them. Lulu sat back in her seat with her eyes cast downward letting out a sigh. Sora saw her and walked around behind her chair. Bending down he nuzzled the top of her head with his nose. Lulu immediately felt her lips curling into a smile. Sora gripped her shoulders with a gentle touch and breathed in.

"Alright, let's eat!"

With full stomachs and the beginning of the school week the next day, everyone fled to their rooms to work on last minute homework and finish getting cleaned up before bed.

"Good night Riku!"

The twins echoed their farewells and disappeared from the kitchen. Wendy and Belle bowed their heads slightly before thanking him for his company and they too went off. They left Lulu behind, the dark haired girl suddenly fidgeting with the hem of her doll's dress. "Umm..."

Sora was carrying dishes over to the sink as Riku wiped down the counter with a soapy sponge. They heard her almost silent murmur and turned to her. "Lulu, what is it? Is your stomach hurting again?"

He remembered she hadn't been feeling hungry the other day, but she managed to clean her plate this time around thus giving him the impression that she was okay. Lulu shook her head. "No, I'm okay, my tummy is fine." She then directed her blood red eyes at the silver haired man. "Riku..."

She fell silent as she clutched her doll. "I'm very sorry for my behavior today. I have given you a terrible impression of myself and in doing so, a bad example of our family."

There had been only one other child that had ever spoken to him with such a refined manner. For a split second Riku saw an image of Mint overlapping with Lulu before shaking his head. "You don't have to apologize, you have done nothing to make me think any different. You must love your brother very much for you to worry."

Lulu's face flushed a shade on par with her eyes. "Y-yes, my big brother is the most important person in the world to me. No, not just me, my sisters too. We don't get many personal guests here, so I think I was just uncomfortable not knowing what kind of person you may have been."

He looked over to Sora and saw him nodding, realizing Riku was right. Sora walked the short distance to Lulu and plopped down at eye level. "Thank you for doing that. You're a much more mature person than I will ever be."

"That's not true," she giggled back as her expression brightened up, "that would be Belle. She reads more than anyone in the world, and is the smartest. She's more mature than me."

"Well, you're a close second then. Alright Lulu, head onto your room and get ready for bed. I'll come by to wish you good night in a little bit."

Nodding enthusiastically, Lulu sprang out of the kitchen. Sora stood back up and couldn't suppress the smile that covered his face. The pair continued cleaning up until the kitchen once again remained spotless.

"I'm going to tuck the girls in, why don't you head up to my room and take a shower?"

"That'd be great, I'll do just that."

"If you want to a pair of fresh clothes you're welcome to go through my drawers."

"Thanks, I think I'll be fine with what I came with."

With a nod, Sora and Riku left the kitchen with Riku heading back up the spiral staircase to the top floor and Sora into the maze of hallways. Once back in Sora's room he quickly found the black partitions that stemmed from the floor barricading it off from the rest of the space. The unusual tub proved to be a bit confusing at first, but Riku quickly figured it out and soon had a wave of hot water pouring over him. After a few minutes, Riku stopped the flow of water and stood in the concave tub. Glancing down at his ring, Riku shuddered at the sudden coolness of the air.

"What am I doing?"

He had spent the day frolicking around the private island of a perfect stranger. The grandness of everything was still overwhelming to him. Yet Sora and his family had shown him that they were close and obviously cared about one another. The unfamiliarity of being in a new place was less daunting with this warm example of a happy family. It had only been hours really, but Riku had grown fond of them and their willingness to share their time with him. Still, at the end of it all, Riku was still no step closer in finding the person he was searching for.

By the time Sora popped back up over the banister Riku was taking a seat in the open sitting area off to one of the sides of the large space. Dressed back in his khakis and white shirt, he looked over at the tired looking Sora. His pink tinted body seemed to glow beneath the dimly lit ceiling as if he was a human sun radiating its own light. Riku could have sworn there was a halo hanging behind Sora as he walked.

"Did you have any trouble with the shower?"

"Funny you should ask, it was a bit odd, but I managed okay."

Sora sat in a plush white chair opposite of him with a grin. "I didn't like it at first, but it was my mom that thought it would look good with the minimalistic style of my room. So I grew to enjoy it."

"I'm sure she had good taste," Riku replied crossing a leg over the other, "your home looks custom built. She must have had a say in how it was designed."

"How could you tell?"

"I'd be worthless if I couldn't as an architect."

Sora's eyes raised upwards. "Is that right? No wonder you seemed so keen on looking at the rooms closely."

"Yeah, which is why I'm a bit confused too."

Sora leaned forward in his seat. "Why's that?"

Riku thought it over in his mind before speaking. "When you showed me around, I kept noticing that we were going in a circular path. Meaning, we kept going through rooms and hallways that lay on the outer edges of the mansion. I came to the conclusion that there's a space towards the center of the building we deliberately avoided," Riku paused here to form his hands into sharp angles, "like a hexagon or circular dome."

What Riku was referring to, of course, was the Sorceress chambers. He couldn't believe how effortlessly Riku figured out that there was indeed a space he had purposely kept him away from. Gripping his bare knees, Sora let out a yawn. "You're exactly right."

At this Riku offered a triumphant smirk. "I know my stuff."

"Looks like it. Does this mean you're curious to know what's hiding deeper here?"

"I'm sure you have your reasons why we avoided it, I won't argue with you there. But sure. With your home this large and impressive, I am a bit curious."

Sora sat quietly for a moment. He had promised to tell Riku about him and going back on it would only make him look insincere. Grabbing his knees, Sora used the traction to pull himself up. "Then I'll show you."

His hand reached out to Riku beckoning for him. Riku gazed up at Sora's blue eyes accepting the extended hand. Sora then walked over to his dresser and pulled out a long sleeve black shirt before sliding it over his head. "Let's go."

With the back of Sora's head in front of him, the pair descended the stairs and turned in a direction at the base that Riku did not remembering talking earlier. Lights provided clear passage through the hallways until they came to a sturdy looking door. Sora took hold of the knob and twisted it. With a gentle push, the door flung open. Sora stood there, eyes half lidded. "After you."

Once past the door, Riku was standing in a grand open circular room. The temperature was colder than anywhere else in the house and Riku immediately felt the effects of the change. It didn't help that he wasn't wearing shoes either.

"Sorry, I should have asked if you wanted a coat."

"No, I'm alright, this isn't bad."

Sora walked past him and further into the expansive space. The room was well lit in shades of pale light, and as Sora stopped beneath the glass skylights, his body was bathed in glowing moonlight. He looked upwards through the transparent crystal material to see the cloudless skies. Riku, for unknown reasons, couldn't look away from him. This time Riku could literally see a halo surrounding him.

"Is everything okay?"

Sora's words broke Riku from his trancelike state and he stepped closer. "Yeah, I guess I'm just a bit more tired than I thought."

"You're more than welcome to stay here," Sora reminded Riku, "it wouldn't be a problem."

"Let's see how I feel a little later."

"Very well."

Riku joined him in the center of the dome-like space. He had been rather spot on about the structure of the inner dwellings of the mansion, but not of this scale. It was a grand room capable of housing a hundred people with ease. And yet, it was so very empty. He looked around him, noticing the different doors in various styles and colors. He raised a concerned brow at how out of place they appeared in comparison to everything else. Five doors in all were around him.

"Where do these doors lead?"

Sora raised his head back up to the skies. With parted lips, he answered. "The Sorceress chambers."

He could barely swallow. If possible, the room had grown even colder. Riku slowly moved his attention to Sora who was bathed in moonlight. He had heard wrong. "I'm sorry?"

"This is the foyer leading into the Sorceress chambers. As you can see, there are five in all."

Riku looked at him confused before it dawned on him, the flow of his blood like a frenzied river. "Five...no, so you're telling me your sisters-"

"-are all Sorceresses."

Sora lifted a finger and pointed at a plain white door. Riku's eyes followed in the direction Sora was pointing to. "To be precise, with Selphie and Penelo being twins they don't like being apart so they share a chamber. The one with the white door, that's a bit more unique."

Riku counted them again. Again, there were five doors. Sora had five sisters, with two of them sharing a chamber. That meant four were used by them and one was left over. Sora grew closer to Riku. "After the twins were born, my parents had the mansion remodeled to hold this dome. They knew that in time, my sisters would need a space to conduct their practice as proper Sorceresses. What they didn't realize was that Selphie and Penelo would hate any form of being apart. And that's why there's one chamber unaccounted for now."

Sora's expression lay subdued as he talked. There was a hint of sadness that Riku could pick up on as Sora circled around him. "I have to admit Riku, I'm quite ashamed of myself. I invited you here after just meeting you, and I didn't have the decency to properly introduce myself."

Sora, who stood a full head shorter than Riku, stopped in front of him. He offered Riku a slight tilt of his head, as if bowing. With the words all too familiar to him, Sora spoke. "My name is Sora Alexander Hatter, Crown Prince of Destiny Islands..."

Extending a hand, Sora paused and looked into Riku's stark eyes. "...and I am what is known as a failed Sorceress. You see Riku, why would my parents go to the trouble of building a sixth chamber when they knew that there would be no need for it. I am unable to see red threads and so, a failed Sorceress."

Sora's extended hand was still lingering outwards and at this point it was shaking slightly. Riku remained silent but was not unaware of the obvious discomfort Sora was experiencing. He hesitated for a second, but Riku took a step closer and clasped his hands around Sora's. Despite the cold air, Riku's fingers felt warm. Looking down at Sora, Riku attempted an expression of understanding. "It's a pleasure meeting you, Sora."

If Riku hadn't been holding onto his hand, Sora would have buckled backwards. Riku had called him Sora. But what was so strange about calling someone by their given name? Really, there wasn't a thing wrong with that, but to Sora it meant absolutely everything.

"It's nice to meet you too."

He had just revealed his status as a prince and there wasn't a hint of "your highness" in any of Riku's words. Suddenly the fear he had been balling up within him faded away.

"The thing is," Riku continued as he let go of Sora's hand, "I haven't been honest myself."

"Oh..." Sora managed, "I can't imagine what you would need to hide."

"It's nothing that would affect you. I mean, whether I told you or not, it's not your issue." Riku ran his thumb over his left ring finger and could practically feel the warmth from his red ring. "I told you that I was here in Destiny Islands searching for my destined partner. But to be honest, I'm already married."

It was Sora's turn to be confused. "What?"

Riku continued touching the red ring with his thumb. "I have a family, a wife and son back in The Land of Departure. I've been married for eight years and am happy with the life I have."

"I don't understand," Sora said with a furrowed brow. "So you already found the person at the end of your thread? Then why are you here in Destiny Islands?"

Riku let out a long sigh, his silver hair falling over his shoulder. "I told you, I'm looking for my destined partner."

It wasn't making any sense. "I'm sorry Riku, but I don't think it's any clearer to me."

"I'm sure it isn't. Even I'm confused."

Sora brought a hand to the back of his head and scratched at his chocolate colored hair. Riku could tell it was a sign of being utterly perplexed. "So...you're a prince and a Sorceress?"

Sora found himself trying not to laugh. "Yeah, I am. A failure too, remember that."

"I totally get why you had that disguise on yesterday. It's so obvious now."

Mere moments ago they had revealed their most closely guarded secrets. Sora was part of a royal family with not one, but five sisters as Sorceresses. Riku was a married man with a son half a world away from home in search of his destined partner. If that wasn't the most ludicrous sounding scenario, then what was?

Sora looked at Riku with large blue eyes, a laugh escaping him. Riku was in a similar situation where the absurdity of everything had finally gotten to him. The air grew louder with the sound of laughter as the two grown men stood in the middle of the chamber foyer with tears in their eyes. Riku was doubled over holding his stomach as Sora leaned on the balls of his bare feet trying to keep himself upright.

"It's...not really that funny, but I just can't-"

"-stop laughing!"

It carried on for a long time before their sides finally succumbed to pain. They drew shaky breaths as the last bouts of laughter died down and they were now looking at one another calmly.

"I guess I should make some coffee," Sora said matter of fact, "because I don't think we're quite done talking."

"You might be right," Riku said scratching at his cheek, "but seems like I'm no longer the winner of our race today."

"Why's that?" Sora smirked.

Riku dug his hands into his pockets and shrugged. "Because it would appear that I'll be spending the night."

They turned back the way they came and disappeared into the hallways. From the opposite end of the room, from a door that led to a different part of the mansion slightly ajar, five pairs of eyes peeked through."

"I've never seen big brother laugh like that."

"I don't think I've ever seen him look that happy," another voice joined in.

Out in the hallway, the five sisters stood in a ring wearing their pajamas. And unlike their brother, they weren't laughing. If anything, their expressions showed concern. They looked to Lulu, the eldest of the group. Wendy was the first to say anything. "Everyone felt it, right?"

"The cold..." Selphie whispered in a shaky voice, "it was so cold..."

"Now do you guys see why I was insistent on keeping an eye on him? This strange feeling is coming from him," Lulu said reaffirming her original thoughts. "But at least we know that he isn't lying. What he told big brother, that's all true."

They were attuned to people's auras. Like with their brother, they could tell if someone was lying. And despite the uncomfortable feeling that stemmed from Riku, he wasn't being deceptive. Still, nothing was making sense to them.

"That's what I don't understand," Belle chimed in, "how can he be looking for his destined partner if he already has a family? That seems so weird."

"We can't read his thread," Wendy said, "as much as we can see it, we can't read its contents to make sure nothing funny is going on."

"That's not true."

Everyone turned to the youngest girl. Penelo, sporting hunter green pajamas looked at them with stern eyes. "When an offering is made, a Sorceress can then read a person's thread."

"And how are we supposed to do that when he hasn't offered us anything? You're a dummy baby Penelo!"

Selphie's taunt, words that would surely force her sister to retaliate, fell flat. Penelo never lost that firm glint in her eyes. "Yeah he did."

Lulu's eyes went wide when the realization hit her square in the face. During dinner, Riku had filled their glasses with juice. It wasn't a monetary offering, but it was an offering of sorts nonetheless. "Penelo's right, he did make one."

The sisters looked from one to the other, and even Selphie gasped when she understood. Turning an apologetic look to Penelo, Selphie then fell quiet.

"He's going to spend the night. If we can get big brother away from him long enough for one of us to do a reading, then maybe we can learn why we're experiencing this cold feeling," Lulu looked over to Belle. "We can't let Riku know what we're doing once we get him alone so reading his thread will be your job since your method is the least suspicious."

"Got it," Belle said with a heavy nod. "But how are we going to do this? Big brother doesn't look like he's going to be leaving his side at all."

Lulu pursed her natural pouty lips and flicked her finger upwards when the idea came to her. "I'll tell him I left one of my dolls on the beach and he'll go with me to find it. That'll give you plenty of time to do the reading."

"And I'll keep a look out in the gardens to see if big brother comes back quicker than we anticipated," Wendy added to the plan. "If he does, I'll have the twins run back up to tell Belle and she can stop what she's doing."

With a nod of approval on all their parts, the girls proceeded with their plan. Everyone besides Lulu returned to their rooms and waited until the moment Lulu would come back down with Sora. That would be their cue to make their move.

Belle stood at her bedroom door and perked her ears up. After about 15 minutes she could hear Lulu in the hallway.

"Please big brother, she's a new doll and I feel bad about her being out there by herself."

"Lulu, can't it wait until tomorrow?"

"What if it was me down there?"

"I would never leave you behind on the beach."

"See? That's why I feel bad! Please big brother, I promise that I'll be more careful from now on."

Belle had her ear pressed to the wooden grain and could hear the distinct sigh Sora let out.

"Fine, let's go then. But you stay put on the beach. I don't want you anywhere near the water, got it?"

"Got it."

Once the voices and footsteps disappeared that was their cue. Belle flung the door open with a book in hand and met up with Wendy and the twins before shooting in different directions. Wendy trailed after Lulu and Sora and made sure to conceal herself near a bush as she watched them disappear into the grassy fields. Selphie and Penelo stood just inside the back of the mansion ready to hear word from Wendy if she saw anything.

With her sisters in their respective places, Belle quickly worked her way through the halls until she came to the spiral staircase. She traveled upwards and carefully peered over the banister to see Riku sitting in the open living room area. The table in front of him had a few plates set with pastries and cups of coffee. She could feel her heart beating unusually fast, but Belle was determined. Stepping up onto the top floor, she made her presence known. "Hello Riku."

He looked over at the young girl and smiled at her. "Hi Belle, what are you doing up this late?"

She walked closer and shrugged her small shoulders. "I was reading one of my favorite books when I heard Lulu and big brother near my room. Looks like big sister left one of her dolls down on the beach and she can't sleep without it."

"I see, I wondered why she looked so worried when she came to get your brother."

Belle stepped onto a furry carpet that lay underneath the chairs and table and took a seat. "Lulu loves her dolls very much, she can't sleep knowing they're not all with her in her room."

Riku pointed at the pastries on the table, but Belle shook her head. "No thank you, big brother will get mad if we have sweets this late."

The young girl propped the book she carried with her onto her lap. The covers were white, and bore no lettering of any kind. Belle's bright brown eyes traveled up the length of the book and beyond it. She looked to Riku and found what she was searching for. Belle breathed in.

A river of deep red flowed around Riku. A ribbon with no apparent ending encircled him and floated as if being carried by a gentle wind. Belle placed her hand on the cover of her book and carefully opened it. There was nothing but blank pages.

"Read," she whispered to herself. Riku's red thread immediately coiled like a snake and began moving towards Belle. The thread danced and moved until it became a thin, cylindrical shape. It touched the surface of the blank pages, as if the thread had changed into a feathered quill and began writing. Words began to spring up at a rapid pace. Belle had to swiftly turn each page as the writing continued. To Riku, who sat in his seat opposite of her, nothing out of the ordinary was happening. For all he could tell, Belle was simply a fast reader eagerly devouring the fantastic story her book told. And by the look of shock that was now taking a hold of Belle's face, Riku had guessed right.

The moment Belle slammed the book shut, a frenzied voice echoed through the air.

"Please, help!"

Selphie bolted into the top floor and fell over with Penelo right behind her. Their faces were a blubbering mess. Belle was too frozen to react, but Riku immediately shifted from his seat to pick them up. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"No-no! It's-it's not us! You have to-to help-

"-the beach! Please! Something bad happened!"

Through broken sentences and tears, their message was clear enough. Riku didn't waste a second as he flew down the spiral staircase. Remembering the route they took earlier, Riku managed to find the back exit and ran into the darkened gardens. Hanging from above the moon was bright enough to illuminate the ground he ran on, his body gaining more and more speed. Riku's hair was a flurry, whipping back and forth like a wild horse as he ran through the grassy fields. He quickly arrived at the metal railing and stairs that would take him down to the beach bellow. From where he was he couldn't see anything and the deafening sound of the ocean was a clear indicator that the waters were rough. Riku felt his stomach sink.

"No way."

He jumped down the series of steps two, three, even four at a time as he finally met with the cold sands of the beach. A piercing scream met his ears from the direction of the pier. It was Lulu.

Riku ran as best as he could through the unforgiving sands until his feet met with the solid wooden pier. He grew closer to the wailing sounds of the now recognizable girl. Beneath the moonlight, Lulu was on her knees screeching at a spot out in the torrential waters. Riku looked over and could have very well been staring at pitch blackness. He couldn't make out a thing.

"Lulu, Lulu, what's wrong?!"

She wasn't budging. All around them mists of spray harassed them. Lulu was drenched and her once tight bun was now a floppy mess. Not wasting a second, Riku picked her up into his arms and ran towards the beach.

"No! Stop! STOP!" She screamed. "Big brother!"

Riku's heart was on the verge of shattering. The reason why they were so distraught, it dawned on him as clear as daybreak. Sora had been taken by the waves.

"Lulu! Calm down!"

"No! Big brother! Big brother!"

Riku put Lulu down far from the edge of the water and immediately bolted for the pier. He ripped his shirt and flung it off before coming to the end of the wooden planks. Riku scanned the dark waters hoping to find any trace of Sora. With his heartbeat in his throat and ears pounding, Riku was growing desperate. Unbuckling his khakis and discarding those as well, Riku sucked in a breath and plunged into the water. The cold was shocking.

He torpedoed deep into the swells and resurfaced with a coughing fit. Riku swerved around, head turning every which way as he searched with still no traces of Sora. The moonlight was not enough to go by and Riku was now aware of just how insane he was for jumping in without thinking. But he wasn't giving up. Riku continued fighting against the waves, growing further and further away from the beach. The water had chilled him to the point he had grown numb. With every second that passed Riku could feel his strength slipping away. He began swallowing more water and coughing violently at the vile saltiness.

"What am I doing?" He asked himself mentally. "Why did you do this? Why are you here? You put yourself into this situation by leaving your family behind. What will they say? Are you happy now Riku? Was this worth everything?"

Riku felt himself falling. His body was growing heavier and heavier. It was becoming harder to breathe. He could feel the pain that burned in his lungs. Riku extended his hand, fingers reaching for anything that would tell him he would be okay. With his eyes flickering closed, Riku saw a a flash of red.

The color forced his eyes open, his lungs capable of holding onto that last breath for just a bit longer. He looked to his hand and found his ring glowing a violent red and a thread stemming from it shooting outwards into the depths. His heart was being crushed, his eyes were stinging, yet Riku called on every ounce of strength he had and swam towards what awaited him at the end of his thread. The waters were merciless, but his red thread was stronger, it couldn't be broken by the physical assault of the ocean. Riku fell deeper and deeper, the intensity of the glow growing so bright it illuminated his surroundings in a magnificent light. There, connecting to a completed red ring, was Sora.

Riku closed the gap, the fully materialized red threads coiling around them and binding them together. Sora was floating on his back, eyes shut tight. Riku laced his fingers with the younger man and gripped him tight. A sensation unlike anything he felt before coursed through him. It was here, in this very moment between life and death that everything made sense to him. Every worry, every inkling of doubt, was gone. Riku wrapped an arm around Sora's body and with renewed strength, shot upwards to break the surface of the water.

Riku coughed hard, but never let go of Sora. A bright white light a short distance away immediately caught his vision. It grew closer until Riku could make out a large shape. A ship made child's play of the waves and came up to where Riku was. Before he knew it a powerful pair of hands pulled him from the water and up onto the deck of the ship. Riku tumbled a few times with Sora still pressed close to him before coming to a stop. He immediately raised himself up and saw that Sora wasn't breathing.

"Get us back to the island!"

Kimahri with his cat like reflexes retuned to the wheel and began driving them back to the pier. Riku tore through Sora's shirt and began performing compressions. His hands pumped up and down, his motions creating a perfect rhythm as he tried to bring Sora back from a darkened place.

"Sora, wake up, please...breathe for me!"

He moved his hands up towards his face and tilted his chin. Parting Sora's lips and pinching his nose, Riku brought his own to him. Riku hovered with his mouth inches from Sora's. "You can't leave."

Their lips met and Riku exhaled into him. Sora's chest rose slightly. He breathed into him again. Riku followed it up with more chest compressions, switching every other time and hoping for the best. Riku grabbed Sora's hand and held it tightly. He exhaled over and over again. Every second that passed was a second too long. Riku could feel the edges of his eyes growing wet.

"Come on Sora..."

Perhaps it was all the seawater he swallowed that was causing the sudden delusion that appeared before him. Red-orange hair, dressed in a purple dress with high brown boots, the sight of Mint standing at the head of where Sora lay was the last thing he expected to see.

"M-mint?" He said breathlessly.

She smiled at Riku, her red eyes brimming with warmth. "You did it Riku, you found him."

"Wh-what's going on? How are you here?"

Mint bent down, her hand caressing Sora's forehead. "I've always been here. More precisely, I've always been with you."

She reached for Riku and Sora's cupped hands, touching the red ring on their fingers. Mint glanced up at the silver haired man. "I am your red thread. And I'm so happy I was able to lead you to your destined partner."

In a bright array of colorful bubbles, Mint disappeared with a glowing smile. They carried upwards in a column of heavenly light. Riku remained transfixed with his face towards the skies. That's when he heard someone coughing.

Riku leaned closer until his forehead touched with Sora's. He could feel Sora's breath against him. It was a sign that he was very much alive.

"I found you," Riku whispered.

Sora's weak eyes glanced down to see his limp hand clutched in Riku's. A swelling emotion inflated his chest and this time around, he was choking up not because he had been drowning, but because he couldn't control the heaving sob that followed. Sora squeezed his fingers, locking their hands together and two red rings glowing like a beacon in the darkened waters.

Oathkeeper Island. St. Alexander Memorial Hospital-

His middle name was an homage to the winged God Alexander, a holy being important to the kingdom of Destiny Islands. There were many relics and places of worship that paid tribute throughout the more than 10,000 islands that formed the country. Everyone knew of Alexander, yet Sora was the only person that bore his name. After all, a holy name could only be used by a member of the royal family.

The entire top floor of the hospital was quiet and devoid of other patients. The white halls were bleak and lifeless, a notion that one tried not to associate with a place meant for healing. But if one thought clearly about it, what place was better suited to seeing the end of people's lives than a hospital bed?

A constant, low beeping carried from the only room being occupied on this sterile floor. Vast and open, white custom furniture leaning up against equally bright walls. Expansive windows provided a clear view of the capital island and everything it had to offer. Sora, dressed in a creamy yellow gown, looked from his bed into the clear skies. Sora let out a pained breath.

His gown was parted down the length of his front revealing bandages around his chest. Beneath the tightly bound white wrappings was deeply bruised skin. Several of his ribs had been broken from Riku's strong compressions the previous night. Everything that had happened was a mural of chaos, nothing was clear in his foggy mind. Even now, as he stared at the bright red ring on his left hand, Sora was in a state of disbelief. It was all a dream that he would soon find himself waking from only to see the familiar skylights of his top story bedroom. And yet, it wasn't a dream.

He saw his red thread materializing. He saw the person at the end of it clutching him tightly against the darkened background of the open ocean. The red light reflected brilliantly off of Riku's silver hair and illuminated a tear stricken face that peered at him intently. His eyes weren't deceiving him even though he knew he had been deprived of air. They were connected, and everything about it felt just right.

A knock at the door brought him back from that night. "Come in," he replied with a raspiness to his voice. The door slowly opened to reveal Kimahri in his dark colored suit. And in front of him, carrying an array of colorful flowers he recognized all too well, were his sisters. Sora warmly smiled. "Hi there."

They practically sprinted to his bed. The flowers flew through the air and landed on his lap as the girls climbed onto the bed, their movements careful and calculated as they grew closer to him. All of them were once again on the verge of tears, but this time for a reason that didn't stem from fear. They were all happy to see him alive and well.

"Big brother!"

"Calm down, I'm okay," he said through their demure sobs, "a little battered, but I'm okay. I'll be back at the mansion soon cleaning your messes again."

Big eyes and snotty noses met his face. He lifted a hand and rubbed each of their heads as they melted into his touch. Taking a moment to look up, he saw Kimahri standing tall at the entrance of the room. "I owe you my life."

"Do not speak of such things," he replied bowing deeply, "I would gladly give my own life for the sake of this family. But if you allow me the right to be forward, it is not I that you should be saying this to."

He heard the soft footsteps and felt a euphoric rush running through his veins. With eyes of seafoam green surrounded by almost invisible lashes, Riku appeared before him. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail and his attire a lose fitted shirt and pants the same color as Sora's gown. Riku looked to Sora and felt his lips curling. "Hi..."

Sora's own lips mimicked him. "Hi there..."

It was Monday afternoon, another sunny day in Destiny Islands. This warm weather was what welcomed a lone Vanille as she stepped off a gleaming silver plane and into the awaiting lobbies of the airport grounds. With eyes of brilliant jade, she held the look of a poisonous snake.

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