"We did it Riku!" Sora shouts exuberantly, punching the air. "No more Nobodies for us!"
The older boy can only grimace at his best friend, staring cautiously into the void. "Uh, you might want to rethink that."
Dusks emerge from the swirling pits, dozens from each. The creatures gather together and surround the pair, easily numbering in the hundreds. For Sora, it unfortunately calls to mind the army of Heartless back in Radiant Garden's canyons.
"Well," he says, dropping into his trademark fighting stance, "still, it shouldn't be a problem, right? After Xemnas, this is easy!"
"Sure thing, Sora," Riku replies with a smile, barely holding back a sigh. He draws back to fight, only to cry out. He falls to one knee, free hand clutching his side.
"Riku!" Sora cries, his head swinging down to look at his fallen companion. Seeing the state he's in, the Keybearer frowns. "Riku, are you…?"
"I'm fine!' the young man shouts back, hurtling up into a standing position. Secured on both feet now, he eases back into his combat posture. "It's fine."
Sora opens his mouth to say more, but the Nobodies attack before a single word can escape. The entire horde seems to come down at once, pressing the boys on all sides.
Just as he had against the Heartless pack, Sora lets himself give in to natural instinct. Thoughts and plans will only slow him down, and he knows Riku is thinking the same thing for himself.
The fight is long, grueling, and complicated by both Riku's injuries and the Destiny Islanders' fatigue. Even giving in completely to the flow of the battle barely serves to keep them both aware and alive against this massive attack.
Finally, after another eternity of combat, it ends. The last Dusk flashes out of existence in a burst of silver light. Once again, the void around Sora and Riku is empty and lifeless.
Sora relishes the chance to stop and take an actual deep breath, not merely as prelude to a powerful strike, but to calm himself.
"Aargh!" Riku groans, falling back to his knees. He bends over, clutching at his side. The young man's face is contorted with agony. "Sora…"
"C'mon, Riku!" the boy encourages his downed friend.
"I don't…" Riku shakes his head, flinching against his ongoing pain. "I don't think I'm gonna make it. You'll have to…"
Sora holds up a resolute hand, shaking his head. "Just stop right there, Riku. You're not just gonna give up now, alright? Neither of us are. We're gonna get outta here and find a way home!"
"How can you say that?"
Sora moves to get his shoulders under Riku's arm, grunting as he lifts the older boy to his feet. It isn't easy, but for his best friend, Sora can manage.
"Look where we are!" Riku continues, gesturing with his free hand. "Even if we could go on, where are we supposed to go on to?"
Sora shakes his head, taking the first steps forward. Despite his protests, Riku stumbles along after him.
"Man, Riku," the younger Keybearer chuckles, shaking his head. "You really were hanging out alone in darkness too long. It's got ya all mopey. C'mon, it's better to think positive!"
Riku opens his mouth, a retort on the tip of his tongue. After a moment of thought, he quashes the remark. Sora's right, yet again.
Noticing a small shake of his best friend's head, Sora raises an eyebrow in his direction. "What is it?"
"I was just thinking…" the silver-haired Keybearer sighs. "You know, I always used to think I was better at stuff than you."
"What stuff?"
The older Keyblade wielder shrugs. "Pretty much everything." There's a long pause after Riku's admission, the pair still walking on in the void. "Are you, uh… are you mad about that?"
"Well," Sora says, pausing for a quick chortle. "To be honest, I always figured you were better than me too. Wasn't always fun, but I got used to it. It was something I could rely on, I guess."
Riku's about to say something else, but when he notices his best friend's expression he pauses. Sora looks shocked and bewildered, staring straight ahead. Curious, the silver-haired young man swivels his gaze outward.
It seems as if part of the "wall" up ahead has just begun melting, forming a small portal that funnels in the silvery material that makes up this odd dimension. It looks similar to the others at first, but where they all maintain their size, this portal continues to grow. The light in its center grows too, warmer and brighter.
Sora and Riku exchange looks, and after a few moments the oldest of the pair nods his agreement. The younger makes for the ever-growing swirl of liquid reality, nodding to himself with each step.
They've picked up speed, Riku spurred on by the possible exit. It still pains him to move, but now that he has a goal it seems easier. Especially with Sora holding him up, steadily motivating him forward.
Without hesitation or fear, the boys enter the light at the end of the tunnel.
KH-KH-KH
They arrive on a beach at the edge of an ocean, the starless nighttime sky above making its sand look black. It seems like everything is dark here: the sand, the water, the strange rock formations and boulders scattered around. Even the faraway moon, seemingly floating only inches above the water, appears dark despite its dim glow.
Despite the bleakness of it all, Sora can't help but be calmed by what he hears. The sound of waves crashing against a shoreline, black sand or not, instantly brings home to his mind.
Feeling Riku shift over his supporting shoulders, Sora realizes that now he has a little piece of home by his side, too.
After a contemplative moment, Sora realizes that Riku's shifting is in service of a purpose. Namely, removing himself from Sora's assistance.
"This is the end of the road," he explains, Sora finally allowing him to stand on his own. "I think it's okay for me to walk now. We're at a good place."
Sora isn't so sure he can agree with that assessment. Despite Riku being with him, his heart pines for his home, and all the friends that must be waiting for him there.
The Keybearer finds himself slowly wandering closer to the beach, looking up and down the shore as he goes. Some part of him, Roxas he imagines, is familiar with this strange place. It's not enough to comfort him entirely, but it eases some of the burden.
Suddenly, he feels the water against his shoes, hears the sound of it splashing and lapping. He looks out across the vast sea, silent and thoughtful. What was initially familiar now seems cruel, reminding him of the home it seems he's lost again.
"Maybe it's harder to be positive than I thought," he quietly admits to himself. "Maybe the darkness is getting to me too. I guess I can't just ignore it for…"
His lonely monologue is interrupted by a strangled cry behind him. Spinning on his heel, the spiky-haired boy gasps at the sight of Riku, fallen face down on the sand. Grimacing, he rushes for his friend.
"Ugh," Riku grunts into the ground, pushing himself up with great effort. He hears Sora sliding to the ground next to him, can feel the younger boy's empathetic gaze on him.
"Riku…"
"I'm fine," he says, rising up to his knees. The small act takes a lot of energy, and for a moment he just stares out, catching his breath. "This place is perfect for me, you know. Maybe I should just accept that, and fade back into the dark…"
Sora can't help but groan, quickly choking the sound off. "Riku, you…"
"After all, why are we afraid of the dark?" Riku continues. His tone reminds Sora of a time long ago, discussions on the existence of other worlds. "It isn't the dark itself, not really. It's just what's hiding inside of it."
Thinking on it, Sora can't deny that dark powers did come in handy several times on this journey. Without Riku's lurking, they might not have discovered the digital Twilight Town. And it was Axel's portal that led to the Organization's world. Perhaps, occasionally and in small doses, darkness has its uses.
"But the world is made of light and dark, we can't deny that." Riku smiles, turning to Sora. "So maybe now, we'll be the darkness."
Sora nods slowly, settling back on his haunches. "Yeah." He looks out over the ocean, his earlier melancholy fading into acceptance. "The Realm of Light is safe now. Kairi and the king are there, them and Azlyn and Telary will always have each other… that's all I need to know."
"Sora, I need your help."
The younger Keybearer turns to his friend. That certainly isn't a request he hears often. "Whatever you need, Riku."
"Help me down to the water."
Sora obligingly nods, slinging Riku's arm over his shoulder again and pushing both of them to their feet. Walking downhill to the shore proves easy, and in a minute they're sitting at the very edge of the seemingly unending water. For a long, long time, neither of them says anything. Unknowingly, though, the same thought is on both of their minds.
At least the waves sound the same.
Their silence stretches on, broken only by the constant beat of water upon the shore. It isn't uncomfortable, or awkward. Just two best friends, alone together after so much time spent apart.
"What I said…" Riku mumbles after a few minutes have passed. "About thinking I was better than you."
"Riku, you don't need to…"
"Even though I thought that… Well, I was always kind of jealous of you anyway."
Sora almost flops onto his back, stunned. "Huh?"
The older boy shakes his head. "It was just… The way you were always able to live your life. You always seemed so easy and carefree. I wanted to be like that. To just follow my heart, like you did."
A snort. "Yeah, well, it isn't always so happy-go-lucky. I got my share of problems too, believe me."
"Oh yeah?" Riku tilts his head, one eyebrow raised. "Like what, for example?"
The spiky-haired boy looks away for a moment, gathering courage before he looks back. "Well, I always wanted to be just like you. So cool and strong. It was like you had everything."
"There is one advantage to being me." Riku laughs, smirking. "Something you could never imitate, no matter how hard you tried."
"What's that?"
The smirk stretches out into a genuine smile as Riku looks at his best friend. "Having you as a friend."
"Putting it that way," Sora replies, "I figure I should count myself lucky too. After all, I've got something you could never have too."
Silence returns, both boys leaning back to look up at the starless sky.
They stay quiet even longer this time, until Sora is lightly dozing with his eyes closed. Riku's about to join him, when he feels an unexpected something tap at his shoe. It makes a tinkling noise. Glass then.
Upon feeling another tap, the silver-haired Keybearer looks down to find a glass bottle. Inside the bottle, safely waterproofed with a cork plug, is a rolled up piece of paper. A rather bizarre thing to find, especially in a dark realm.
Curiosity overwhelms Riku, and he leans down to pick the bottle up. He shakes it once, a reflexive urge he can't quell. He'd always been scolded for shaking his wrapped presents at Christmastime.
The rolled up paper by itself holds no clues, so he decides that he might as well unroll it. After all, who else is going to?
The cork comes out with a hollow pop, and Riku turns over the bottle to shake its contents into his hand. After sparing a quick glance to Sora, who's still sleeping soundly, he breaks the seal (a simple heart-shaped sticker) and unravels the paper.
It's a note, written in neat and tidy handwriting. Familiar handwriting at that. He skims it quickly, pausing as he reaches the signed name at the end.
"Sora," he says, nudging his half-conscious friend.
"C'mon, Tel, I just got to sleep," Sora mumbles in reply. "Keep flying the ship, you and Azlyn can wait ten minutes."
"SORA!"
This time Riku doesn't pull his punches. Literally.
"Yargh!" Sora exclaims as he falls back onto the sand. A wave chooses that moment to swoop in, water splashing up into his face. He sits up and angrily swipes at his eyes.
Riku lets his best friend get himself together, but not without muttering a nigh-silent, "Gimme a break."
"Sorry about that," the Keybearer replies with a sheepish grin. "What is it, Riku?"
The silver-haired young man just holds out the letter. "For you."
Puzzled, Sora takes the paper from Riku's hand and begins to read.
"Thinking of you, wherever you are…
We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope that our hearts will blend.
Now I will step forward to realize this wish.
And who knows, starting a new journey may not be so hard.
Or maybe it's already begun.
There are many worlds, but they all share the same sky.
One sky, one Destiny…"
Every line causes Sora's heart and soul, his entire being, to sing out with joy, but it isn't until the end that he discovers why. He gasps, reading the name signed there.
"Kairi!" he proclaims, tears gathering in his eyes as his mouth widens into a warm, wonderful smile. "This is from…"
A light glows in the darkness. It grows and brightens, driving off the dark shore's oppressive gloom. Riku stares at it in awe and wonder, but Sora is still focused on the note in his hand. Kairi's note. Somehow, he knows it was written just for him.
"Sora," Riku says, his voice sounding dim and distant in the young Keybearer's ears. "I know you're pretty engrossed in that letter there, but I really think you need to see this."
Sora heeds his best friend's words, tearing his eyes from Kairi's signature and up into the air before his face. His jaw drops at the sight before him.
The light is no longer an indistinct point, a mere source of illumination. Instead it has formed itself into a tall rectangle, open and inviting. A door.
"The Door to Light," Sora says, unconsciously tightening his fist around Kairi's letter. "It… I…"
He springs to his feet, giddy and free as a child on the last day of school, summer awaiting him. The Door to Line shines in the air, and Sora swears he can feel his heart glowing right along with it.
"C'mon, Riku," he announces to his seated friend, holding out a hand in offering. "It's time to go home. We'll go together."
Riku nods, taking his best friend's hand and relying on Sora's strength to help him rise.
The boys walk forward, their feet scarcely skimming the water as they enter the doorway. White floods their vision, pure Light resonating in every part of their beings.
KH-KH-KH
Two meteors fall through a sunset sky. A nimbus of blue energy surrounds each, not heat from an atmospheric entry, but protection for its cargo. They plummet towards the ocean, landing with two splashes that project water high into the air.
Riku breaks first, always the strongest swimmer between him and Sora. The spiky-haired Keybearer pops up next, shaking water from his brunet hair. He clears his eyes with a swipe, a gorgeous orange sky greeting him as his sight clears. A sky he'd know anywhere.
"Sora!" Kairi's voice calls, the sweetest sound Sora ever has or will hear. He pivots in the water, gasping at the sight before him.
Kairi stands on the shore of the trio's childhood play island, grinning and waving like a madwoman. Sora opens his mouth to call back to her, but the words won't come. That's alright, though. This moment is too beautiful for mere words anyway.
The sound of arms splashing into water breaks the Keyblade wielder from his reverie. Sora follows suit, long vertical sweeps of his arms carrying forward.
Riku may be the stronger swimmer, but whatever's powering Sora forward at the moment doesn't care. He easily outpaces his best friend, heading for the shore he's longed to see for what feels like a lifetime.
Finally his feet hit the soft, shifting ground. The swim turns into a run as he charges forward, only one thought on his mind…
Until he sees Azlyn and Telary. The Disney Castle pair rush into the water with bright, eager grins that easily match Sora's.
Azlyn reaches him first, leaping nearly a foot out of the ocean to wrap her arms around him. The force of the impact of course knocks him off his feet, a great splash rising around him as he falls back into the shallow water.
"Azlyn!" Telary butts in, grabbing his fiancée's arms and wrenching them apart, pushing her away from Sora. "Honestly, you're gonna hurt him."
Without further ado, the wizard drops to his knees and stares intently into his young friend's face. He solemnly holds up three fingers, and Sora has to go cross-eyed to get a good look.
"How many?" Telary demands, shaking his hand for a moment.
"Huh?" is all the Keybearer can get out, rather too stunned to do much else.
But Telary doesn't seem to understand that he is in fact the cause of the shock, immediately reaching out and pulling Sora's eyelids apart. He peers at the blue irises within, like he's searching for gold. Sora vaguely hears laughing in the background, but is far too disoriented to focus on it.
"Tel!" Azlyn admonishes the redheaded wizard, rolling her eyes at his major overreaction.
The wizard immediately realizes that he's going a bit far, letting out a nervous laugh and pulling back. "Uh, sorry Sora. It's just… Well, I just…"
Sora doesn't let him finish, unleashing a boisterous belly laugh and flinging his arms around the older man. Telary's arms wrap around his torso, and within seconds Azlyn joins the embrace.
The trio laugh until they cry.
"Uh, guys?" Kairi's voice suddenly cuts through. The Disney Castle pair pull back, allowing Sora to see her standing over him, an amused expression lighting up her angelic face. With the Destiny Islands' sun streaming down on her, Sora thinks she's never looked more beautiful. "I see how it is now, Sora."
Further back into the ocean, Mickey leaps up into Riku's arms with a hearty laugh. The silver-haired boy laughs right back, wrapping the mouse king up in a hug.
Sora still hasn't said anything to Kairi, lost in her beautiful eyes and shell-shocked in the best way. His mind seems to have gone blank, until his earlier thought returns. Grinning, he reaches into his short's pocket.
When Kairi sees the star-shaped charm he pulls out, the ultimate symbol of their bond and reminder of their eternal promise to always return to one another, she nearly falls to her knees at the sheer, overwhelming joy.
"We're back," Sora states simply, smiling up at the girl he loves with tears in his eyes. Raising his hand, he offers her the charm.
Kairi nods once, tears dropping into the ocean beneath her. "You're home."
Reaching out, she clasps Sora's palm, the charm between them. The promise is fulfilled.
Sora and Kairi. Two hearts, forever bound in one inseparable Destiny.
