I'd have liked to have posted this earlier, probably by a year or two. Kingdom Hearts has always been one of my favorite franchises with a wide and colorful cast of characters. Riku and Xion are amongst my favorites, especially as a couple. Between fall, school starting back up, that feeling of unease about the future and all, I decided to roll out a little story for the two of them. I hope you all enjoy it!

I do not own anything.

Further We Go

"Ah, so this is where you've been hanging out when you're on break."

Riku didn't look away, he merely chuckled. "You don't really sound surprised."

"Because I'm not, but I am impressed that she hasn't noticed you yet."

"You make it sound like I'd do something ridiculous like get too close and get noticed." The white-haired teenager casually fired back.

His senior crossed his arms and looked down at him with an amused smirk. "You're not exactly the subtle type."

Not one to be outdone, the younger Keyblade master fired back, "Neither are you."

The older warrior laughed at his younger counterpart's on-point retort. Subtly had never been his thing, though given his history, some would have said that was a critical flaw of Terra's. He'd have agreed with them. At least it could be said that he was learning bit by bit. Likewise, he was learning with how to be a tad more…open with the people close to him. His young counterpart had to learn that lesson as well.

So, the question was had he learned enough to be direct enough to tell a girl that he liked her and wanted to spend more time with her? Based on the fact that they were currently hiding out of said girl's view, watching her play soccer, the answer would have been no. One also would have asked Riku why in the hell he didn't just go down there and say hi to Xion.

That one had a couple of different answers, though the one Riku was most likely to give at the moment was that she was currently in gym class. It'd be awkward as hell to literally just drop in unannounced, and with little to no idea what to say either. That would have been embarrassing, more so for Xion than for Riku; the latter could only dread what would happen when they found Sora and he found out about it. And before that, there would be Roxas, Lea, and Isa, none of whom would be too happy with him embarrassing her like that. On top of that he'd catch an earful from Kairi, Namine, and even Aqua. So, in closing, Riku had some good reasons not to just drop in and say hi to the black-haired girl.

He was simply going to wait until after school let out for her, he'd done it before. Sadly, some of those times, he'd been noticed by her other three friends.

Sometimes, it felt like the three former Nobodies were less her friends and more her bodyguards. In truth, Riku actually thought the sentiment was pretty sweet. The four former Organization XIII members had formed something of a close-knit family. That sort of thing was deeply meaningful, and positive in the long run considering the traumas that they'd all endured. On the flipside, that same trauma made them all guarded in a certain way. Riku could understand that, as could Terra.

"So, do you have a date spot picked out?" Spoke the latter.

Riku did a double-take. Swerving his head around, he half-glared at his senior. The male brunette simply chuckled, not at all intimidated by the half-hearted glare. He was able to keep his laughter suppressed as he always could. In the end, as he usually did, Riju just up and sighed in defeated. There were some battles that he'd yet to win. Looking back down at the school students, he wondered if Xion would go on to hold a record with him.

He enjoyed talking with her, and more often than not the feeling was deeply mutual. Talking with her, being with her, Riku felt so happy and at peace around her. It was different from when he was with Kairi or Sora or Namine, there was something more…intimate in what he felt for her. Now romance may not have been Riku's forte, but he was smart enough to realize what was slowly happening to him.

"You know, it's better me before Aqua or Kairi. You know what they'll say to you, especially Kairi." The older Keyblade wielder offered, his tone as polite as could be, yet his eyes were hard and focused. Riku stared into them, feeling the weight of ages bore into his soul. It wasn't the first time that Terra had fixed him with that stare, the look of an older brother to his younger sibling. "If you ask Kairi, she'll tell you what I'm telling you now-don't waste time. Don't hesitate, alright. Sora is going to be found." Saying that with a bit more force seemingly caused gravity itself to intensify. Riku nodded at it, believing the words with all of his heart. "And when we do find him, you're going to have a lot to tell him, right? Plus, hold it over his head that you got a girlfriend before him."

That got a laugh out of Riku, and before long, both Keyblade Masters were laughing. They kept their laughter to minimum though as not to alert the class of students beneath them. If they got too loud, one of them would look to the rooftop and potentially take notice of them. Xion definitely would have noticed them. If it came to that, then Riku knew he'd be on his own.

Getting his laughter under control, he turned his focus back to Xion. She was turning into one hell of a soccer player. Watching her, Riku honestly wondered how good she'd be in a soccer game, or even a thrash ball game. His heart pulsed in excitement at the thought of challenging her to either. Maybe, just maybe she'd be up for one this afternoon if he chose to steal her away.

Steal her away? Seriously? What's wrong with just asking her to hang out? That's all this will be, right? He said in his mind, surprised at how much he was overthinking this. It wasn't like this would be his first time hanging out with Xion. They'd done it before, just the two of them. Those seemingly innocent meetings and get-togethers had been what had led him to developing these feelings for her.

Now, the question was what would he do with them? Leave them be or act on them?

There was a slight cough from his right. Looking back, he saw Terra getting ready to depart. "Just make sure that you make it back on time. Oh, and make sure to show her a good time on the date." The formerly lost Master finished with a smirk. Riku rolled his eyes, but took the words to heart. Terra vanished through a magic portal leaving the white-haired teenager by his lonesome.

Sometimes it felt weird seeing an ordinary portal instead of a Corridor of Darkness. He knew that Terra could use them, as he could. He was sure that Roxas could use them too. They all just preferred not to. There were plenty of other ways of getting around, one of them being on a Keyblade Glider; unfortunately, he'd yet to learn how to turn his into one. He was trying though, and he looked forward to the day that he'd be able to. Standing up and looking down, he pictured himself and Xion atop it.

"Geez, I guess I really have fallen hard for her." The darkness-user mused. His life had been anything but easy, or easy to quantify. Still, in spite of those abnormalities, he was still a young man who was able to experience different emotions. Riku knew he wasn't immune to falling for someone. Hell, his two best friends had fallen for each other; the thought of seeing them together is one of the things that helped fuel his continued search for Sora. "You'd be telling me to get my ass in gear, wouldn't you?" He said looking up to the bright sky that his best friend had been named after. Riku felt like he could hear his best friend's voice shouting at him to make a move, regardless of the consequences.

Seconds later, he faced the consequences of his contemplation. Looking down on a whim, he saw Xion stared straight up at him. It took Riku a few seconds to realize she was looking directly at him. The visual exchange ended with her smiling at him. Warmth fluttered through him and his cheeks burned red. Within the next heartbeat, he stepped back further from the rooftop ledge, making himself nearly invisible to her and the rest of her classmates. From what he could hear, the game had started back up again meaning that Xion's focus on him had indeed been momentary.

Riku knew that was likely his cue to leave.

Even though it wasn't like he was saying goodbye forever, he still felt his heart twist in pain at the thought of leaving Xion. He chuckled as he hadn't said a word to her, only watched her from afar.

"Yeah, she's going to hold this over my head when we meet up in a couple of hours." He mused to himself. Knowing that now was the right time to leave, he still walked back over to the ledge so he could catch a glimpse of Xion. His green eyes immediately found her short-black-haired head. Riku watched her shoot for the goal, and grinned when he saw her make it. "That a girl." The white-haired Keyblade Master whispered before turning his back to the field. His ears rung with the cheers of Xion's classmates, her friends. He made a mental note to congratulate her when he saw her again. Which he hoped would be soon.

If not for his clothes, he might have looked like just another student, albeit not all the students were wearing uniforms. Still, Riku was somewhat aware of how he stood out amongst the crowd. Said crowd were looking at him, especially some of the girls who looked and giggled at him. He ignored their whispers while he wanted for his fellow Keyblade wielder to come down the steps. His wish was granted a minute later.

"Riku!" Xion shouted and waved at him. He held up his hand, giving a casual nod of acknowledgement. She knew that he'd been waiting for her, and she didn't let him wait any longer. As she descended, Riku looked further up and saw a familiar array of faces. Roxas shot him a light smile while Lea burst into barely controlled laughter. If Riku had to guess, the redhead had seen this coming a mile away. Isa gave him a sharp look, silently telling him to watch over her. Sometimes it was hard to think that he was formerly such a high-ranking and cold member of Organization XIII, one who wouldn't hesitate to manipulate and extort almost everyone around him. Lastly, there was Hayner, Pence and Olette. Hayner's eyes widened looking between the two of them, then back to Roxas, who gave him a shrug. Riku's gaze lingered on Olette; she was looking straight at Xion with an ear-to-ear smile. The two girls were having an invisible conversation that Riku wasn't sure he wanted to know of.

At the same time, he couldn't deny that he was slightly curious as to what was said between them. He put those thoughts on the backburner as Xion called his name again.

"I…came to see you. I wanted to…"

"See how I was doing? Hang out together? Like on a date?" She so casually listed off. Riku stayed silent, but the slight pink hue on his face gave Xion the confirmation that she'd been looking for. It was sweet to see. "I'd love to, Riku, in fact, I know just the place! Plus, there's something that I've been wanting to show you!" Her hand slipped into his hands and held it.

There wasn't a lick of hesitation in him as he gripped her head and let her lead the way.

"You've found your way." The Destiny Island native whispered.

To his surprise, his words were heard. "It took me a while, but I finally did it. I think that…everyone loses their way."

"You're probably not wrong." He replied. Riku caught up to her and walked side by side with her. Not a word was said as he felt her lean against his shoulder. The darkness-user welcomed her touch. "Everyone faces pitfalls, I think that's just a part of life. Stumbling and losing your way…can be painful and hard, but everyone can learn to walk again, and get back on the right path."

"I'd say…that's one of the best parts of living. You can especially do all of that with friends at your side, right?" She questioned looking to him. Riku caught a twinkle in her eyes and suddenly remembered that she'd gone to Disney Castle with Kairi. His cheeks turned pink, something that Xion noticed. "I'm happy that I was able to make such good friends…and that they eventually remembered me."

"I'm sorry, Xion." Riku whispered.

She nodded against his shoulder. "You don't have to apologize, Riku." It was a strange thing, to be forgotten about by everyone you knew, then remembered by them. Xion wouldn't say that it was like sleeping. She really did feel like she'd died; then again, it could also be said she'd returned to where she belonged. Her existence had been that of a part of a whole given form. She wasn't supposed to exist, yet she had, and she'd continued to exist after giving up her existence. "Eventually, you all remembered me…which is more than I could have ever asked for. More so than a new life."

"A new life…" The taller Keyblade wielder mused to himself. "You know, when we were growing up on Destiny Islands, I always wondered what lay beyond the ocean. I wanted so much to sail it and see it with my own eyes. What else my life had in store for me. Heh, I guess my wish, in spades."

"I hear that tends to happen a lot. People getting their wishes granted, but things…not quite going as planned."

"Yeah, that's definitely what happened to me. I got the adventure that I'd been hungering for…but it came at a bigger cost than I would have liked." Sorrow lined his voice as he spoke. "The thing about adventure is, it's filled with a lot of things besides just excitement and awe. Sometimes, adventure can include some…"

"Pain and heartbreak? Riku, I…I think those are things that make an adventure a little more meaningful." The black-haired girl offered.

"I agree with you. They're not exactly desirable, but…it's those things that help us grow as people." Xion declared. Riku looked at her and was enraptured by the smile she wore; she truly believed her words. He believed them as well, he knew they were true. "What other adventures do you think await us?"

"I don't know, and that's part of the fun of it." Riku laughed. "You don't know what the future's going to hold, but instead of being scared of it, you just push onward." Her kind laughter made his heart flutter, something he hid behind a cool smile. He liked her, but he wasn't at the level where he was going to start tripping over his own words. As far as Riku was concerned, that was Sora's thing, and potentially Roxas' since he could get a little tongue-tied with Namine. Glancing around at the train station they'd arrived at, his eyes spotted a food stain. "What I can say is that there might be a few snacks in our futures. What do you think?"

"Hmm, a pack of BBQ potato chips to be exact." She happily answered. Breaking from him, she went on ahead to buy two tickets while he went to go get the food. Their train ride wouldn't be any longer than fifteen to twenty minutes, a snack between now and then would have been appreciated.

"Oh, and make sure to show her a good time on the date." The words of his senior Master echoed in his ear as he patiently waited in line. Yeah, it didn't take any sort of magical powers such as the gift of foresight to see into the future. While Terra had wished him like, Riku silently wished the same for his senior.

Stepping onto the train, he laid sight on Xion, patiently waiting for him at their shared seat with the twilight sun illuminating her face. Riku felt his gut tighten and his heart slamming against his chest. If it did so any harder, it might actually cause him to lose his balance.

Nope, nu-huh. Not going to make a fool of yourself in front of her. That's Sora's thing. He repeated to himself while smiling back at her. Riku hadn't exactly planned any of this out, but he was trying to keep some ironclad rules in place. Amongst the most adamant was that he wasn't going to make a fool of himself on this date.

Yeah, a date. That's definitely what this was.

When people talked about a sea of gold, one could have pointed to the beaches of Twilight Town. Sure, the waters weren't actually gold, but they certainly glowed as such, especially during dawn and dusk. For the two Keyblade wielders, they'd arrived during the latter and got to witness the splendor of the sea of gold for themselves.

Both took several minutes to marvel at it in spite of having seen it dozens of times.

For both of them, those times had been different. Xion had witnessed it with friends while Riku often did so alone. He'd done a lot of things alone until he realized that he couldn't keep living life that way; he didn't want to truly live his life that way. What good were infinite worlds when it was just you exploring them by your lonesome?

Their shoes laying side by side on the side, along with her schoolbag. Theft wouldn't be a problem curtsy of the shielding spell around them. Without that worry, the pair were free to walk along the sand, barefoot, and into the water. Both breathed sighs of relief feeling the cool water brush against their feet. Xion basked in the feel of the ankle-waist water, then decided she wanted more. Riku hanged behind to watch her, an amused smirk on his face.

"Girls and their skirts." The green-eyed teenager muttered to himself. It wasn't like he was afraid of getting his pants wet, they'd gotten far worse in the past. Chuckling, he rolled up the cuffs of his pants and ready to go join her.

Splash!

The veteran Keyblade-wielder stared at the former replica. A bemused frown on his face; it only made Xion laugh all the harder.

"To think, I didn't even need magic for that one." She giggled.

Riku took several steps forward, making small waves of his own. "You better start considering it, you're going to need some magic to get another hit on me like that."

"Am I?" Xion challenged. With every step he took toward her, the excitement within her grew. She couldn't contain it and splashed more water at him, or at least tried to. To her amusement, Riku twirled out of the way and kicked up his foot, sending forth a little wave at her. Xion laughed as she jumped to the side as if it were a serious attack.

The pair's splash duel continued in the shores of the beach. Sparkling golden water was thrown and pushed about by their feet and hands. Within minutes, it seemed that Riku's declaration was indeed going to be proven true as he twirled and danced out of the way of almost every move Xion made. It went both ways though as the black-haired girl was just as graceful as him when it came to evasion. He may have scored a few grazing hits, but nothing solid such as what she'd landed on him. Riku was only slight annoyed by that, but overall, he was happy.

Though he didn't mean to, his eyes couldn't help but wonder across the wet portions of Xion's body and uniform. The more they played, the wetter their clothes would no doubt become. Specifically around her chest.

No, no way! You're not doing this! Not today! Come on, it's not like you've never seen her in skimpy clothing before! He grabbed at memories of the last summer and the relaxing vacation that they'd all taken to the beach. Of course, they'd all gone with swimwear. Riku specifically remembered Xion wearing a rather cute jet-black two piece that he found himself unquestionable drawn to; to his greater annoyance, his attraction didn't go unnoticed. But at least it wasn't like he was tripping over his words! It's not like he spent the entire day gawking at her!

Albeit he did enjoy it when they sat together by a beachside campfire.

Beachside fire, The young Keyblade Master thought to himself. His thoughts were brought to an unexpected halt as he saw a blast of water coming at him. Not a simple wave but a blast. Instinct took over causing him to dodge it. That instinct kept on pumping through him as he saw another, larger blast coming his way. Riku just barely dodged that one. He couldn't dodge the next one, which was an out-and-out little tidal wave.

"W-What the-! Gahhh!" His words were literally drowned out as he was forced onto his backside, water splashing all over him then completely embracing him as he fell backward. It all happened so fast he couldn't see or hear anything, all he could do was taste seawater in his mouth. A second later and he was pushing himself upward, water dripping from all over. "X-Xion," he growled in a bemused voice.

"Well, you did say I'd need a little magic to hit you. Bet you're wishing that you hadn't given me that idea now, aren't you?" She was daring him, especially with her twirling her Keyblade. Its bright blue form stood out in stark contrast to the golden sea around them, quite ironic considering its oceanic design and the fact that it bolstered the power of water and ice magic. Quite fitting given its name, Oceanic Memory. Its appearance all but answered the question of what had happened to him.

Truth be told, it was actually a rather beautiful-looking Keyblade. The handguard actually resembled a collection of silvery arrows crisscrossing to create a square that vaguely resembled that of the Kingdom Key wielded by Sora and Roxas. Somewhat matching it was the black handle that she gripped. Rising up from the guard was the blade portion-an elongated wave of bright blue water that glittered with magical energy. At the end lay a whirlpool spiral with a silvery lining that ran down the base of the handguard. Riku's eyes went to the keychain, a sparkling blue seashell that tied the whole thing up.

"Eh, bust out the magic. I'm sure I can take it." He proudly boasted.

"Really?" Xion pressed, her blue eyes twinkling with mischief. Riku knew that look, and hew was ready for it. Xion knew that and she was bouncing on her heels with excitement. Oceanic Memory came to an end, the bladed end pointing down. It came down, stabbing into the water and enchanting it.

Riku was ready for anything, including being lifted up by a giant water spout. He held his smirk and Xion giggled at it. It hadn't been the first airlift he'd had.

"So," he began.

"Prepare to have your mind blown." She proudly boasted holding out her Keyblade.

Nodding in mock acceptance, he readied himself for whatever was about to come next.

That next was Oceanic Memory unfurling into a mass of glowing sea water. Riku's formerly calm eyes bulged as he watched it reshape itself into a broad five-feet form that he instantly recognized. Xion hopped on the newly created surfboard and turned about, taking the water spout with it. Suddenly, Riku's arms flailed as he realized there was nothing supporting him, at least not yet.

"W-Woah!"

"Let's go for a ride!" She shouted, surging forward and grabbing his head.

For someone of a relatively short five-foot-one, Xion had quite a bit of strength to her. At least enough to carry Riku as she rode the magically generated waves. The older boy's legs hung out as he held fast onto Xion. His expression was one of shocked jubilation as he was indeed taken for a ride. Water splashed along his legs and face as Xion glided across the water, which rose up to connect to the base of her surfboard. He looked to her with naked surprise, and awe. She smiled back at him, and winked.

Suddenly, they began to rise upward, the oceanwater carrying them toward the sky. Their speed increased; with each second the dusky orange clouds seemingly grew closer and closer. Riku felt a concentration of magical energy behind him and looked back. At the back of the surfboard magical power was building, then it exploded. He and Xion shot straight up into the sky.

"W-Woaaah!"

"Told you I'd take you for a ride!" Xion shouted just before performing a spin and letting him rise up on his own.

Riku wasn't at all scared, quite the opposite. His heart was bumping with such excitement he could hardly contain it. It somehow magnified as he met Xion's azure blue eyes.

She's…so beautiful. His mystified mind thought. Another second and he would have actually spoken them. That second was filled with Xion taking his head and dragging him onto the surfboard. Within the next heartbeat they were speeding down, crashing into a slope of magically controlled water and surfing along the waves. It took Riku a second, but he quickly found his balance alongside Xion. He enjoyed being so close to her while they both surfed the waves.

"You're incredible, Xion." He whispered, not at all expecting her to hear his words and react to them.

"So are you, Riku." She whispered back. It was clear that she wanted to turn around and look at him, but if she did, she'd lose her balance and they'd both fall into the sea. Riku realized for as much as he kept on telling himself that he wouldn't make a fool of himself on this trip, Xion had been thinking the same.

She'd bedazzled him, which was way more than he ever thought possible. He could be patient in telling her that, and showing her how much he appreciated it. All that could wait until after their ride was finished; Riku wanted to enjoy every second of it alongside Xion.

Befitting its nature, sunsets in Twilight Town took a great dealer longer than normal, except maybe during the winter. That meant that there was quite a lot of time to enjoy the sunset.

Riku knew that Xion wouldn't quite be able to enjoy it to its full length, and neither would he considering that like her, he too had some…homework.

He found it laughable how after everything he'd gone through, he still had the occasional bout of schoolwork to worry about. All things considered, it just meant that Aqua was truly suited for her new role as Chief Keyblade Master. So far, she'd made for one incredible teacher, even to veteran Keyblade wielders like him and Roxas, who simply learned as they went along. Xion had been the same way, though she was in need of the formal education more so than him.

To an extent.

"I can't hold the transformation for any longer than three minutes." She explained as they sat side by side.

"Hey, that's not a bad time limit." Riku offered. "From what I understand, you learned from watching Lea, and he can hold his for about five minutes straight."

"I'm working so I can get close to that timeframe myself."

"You'll get there." He responded with confidence. She looked to him with slight apprehension in her face. "You've already learned how to transform your Keyblade into an alternate form, and you can hold that form. If that isn't an indicator that you're on your way, then I don't know what is."

There was a quiet praise as she looked back out toward the water. Slowly, her lips curved into a smile. "Yeah, you've got a point there. Besides, you haven't even learned how to do it yet, so I'm sure I'm on the right path."

"Hey now." Riku called with a slight glare that only made her giggle. Sighing, he figured he'd let her have that victory over him. Shrugging, he looked to the setting sun, now almost completely sunk beneath the horizon. "Sora took to Keyblade transformations pretty damn well. They suited him a lot."

"Do you…think when we meet him again, he'll probably have some more?" Xion asked. He could tell she was speaking somewhat careful. While they all cared for Sora, the level of love that Riku and Kairi held for him was on a whole other level.

That same love could also be the source of immense pain.

It showed on Riku's face for a brief moment, then he showed that though the pain was great, it wasn't enough to keep him down. "He probably will, and he'll have a blast showing them off. But, so will I." Turning her, he winked, causing Xion to burst into delightful giggles.

"You guys and your competitive nature."

"Hey, comes with being close friends. You might understand one day."

"Maybe." She responded before looking off into the distance with him. "You know, I never thought I'd be able to do that. I never thought that I'd…wield another Keyblade again, much less my own instead of a copy of Roxas', or Sora's."

"That's the beauty of life. You never quite know what it's going to toss at you, only that you've got to make the most of it, every chance that you get." Riku responded.

"…Even if…that life is a second one."

He looked to her, seeing the hidden unease that still lurked within her. It wasn't too strange. At one point, life had been simple, even after becoming involved with the happenings of Keyblades. Nobodies weren't really people, they were empty husks left behind when a person's heart fell to darkness. Some of them may have looked human, but they weren't. They couldn't feel like normal human beings. That thinking had made it so easy to fight Organization XIII.

For Riku, it'd made it easy to go along with DiZ's plans, amoral or potentially immoral as they might have been. Guilt still weighed on him as he still saw much of the mayhem that had plagued Sora and Kairi as being his fault. The former's memories were scattered and mangled and his heart splintered. He needed to retrieve the splinter that had become Roxas. In that guest, he'd met the girl beside him.

It would have been a lie for Riku to say that he wasn't the least bit curious when he saw her. Not exactly physically, but he could still "see" her. He didn't see a replica formed out of memories, he didn't see a Nobody that wasn't truly alive. For whatever reason, he just saw a girl that was scared and unsure of what to do.

Could he have been the light that she needed? It was an absolutely ridiculous to think about. He shouldn't have tried, yet Riku did in his own way.

"Sometimes, we get lucky in getting a second chance at life." He spoke. "Sometimes that chance is…literal." Her eyes widened as she realized he was talking about her, yet he wasn't finished. "Other times…that second chance is a more…figure of speech. Like making a horrible mistake and getting the chance to make up for it. Not everyone can be that lucky, or not everyone even takes that chance, but those that do…we have an obligation to make the most of it."

Slowly, Xion moved her right hand against Riku's. Without any hesitation, he took it, gently gripping hers. He looked down at her and smiled. Xion smiled back, feeling her heart beating a tick faster.

"Yeah…we do." Xion whispered. Yet again, she leaned against his shoulder.

Riku broke the hand hold in favor of outright wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Xion's surprise was quickly replaced by heartfelt joy; the surprise didn't even have time to truly set in. He did so just in time as a cold breeze blew in across the ocean. Thanks to Riku's presence, she hardly felt it. It was ironic as in spite of being attuned to the darkness, he always felt so…warm to her. His presence had been like a flickering light for her, helping her to pick herself up and even given direction. Xion believed it was proof that Riku had truly shaken off the shackles of his inner darkness.

"We've still got a lot to do before we see Sora again." Riku murmured. "If I'm still the same old same old, he'll never let me hear the end of it."

Laughing along with him, Xion reached up and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. "Oh, don't worry. I'll help you get a transformation or two down so you'll be able to show off in front of him."

"Ah, now that's one offer I'll gladly take." Riku stated.

Sometimes when he stared out at the open sea, Riku wondered how far he'd come since he first left Destiny Island. When he looked at his reflection, he sometimes wondered if he truly was the same person he had been when he left. Mentally speaking, he knew he wasn't. Physically speaking, the same could be said in a sense.

Overall, he always arrived at the same conclusion-he had changed, the question was had it been for the better.

Looking at Xion sitting beside him, sharing in his optimism and looking forward to spending more time with him, thinking on the promise he and the others made that they would find Sora and bring him home again, he concluded that yes, he had changed for the better.

But there was still so much more out there for him. Somewhere in the vast sea of worlds, his best friend was probably wondering about. Riku would find him and bring him home, but he wouldn't do so alone. Sora had a group of people waiting for him, searching for him. That same group had bonds amongst them that would ensure they wouldn't get lost as well.

Riku and Xion had one such bond, and they were sure come what may, it would be able to endure the trials that still lay ahead of them.

Fin

So concludes my first Kingdom Hearts story. All things considered, I think it turned out alright, but I'd love to hear your opinion on it. I sure as hell didn't plan it, but today also happens to be the day Sora's made it into Smash so I suppose you can picture him palling around with Cloud, Marth, Mario, Link, Pikachu, and all the other Smash all-stars while this is going on. The trailer brought tears to my eyes and made me proud to be a Kingdom Hearts fan.