She had always been his friend. His friend, first and foremost.
Before she came to the island, Sora only ever wanted to be around Riku, so he was more than a little jealous of this new development. Still, he found himself growing closer to her, too, all the same.
It wasn't her fault that Sora caught feelings. Riku didn't even know why that fact hurt him so much.
He hadn't realized for a long while what he felt for him was the same as what he felt for her.
Is it strange, Riku wondered. He had never seen two boys together in any romantic capacity, so surely, these feelings could only ever be platonic. Familial, even.
It was only during the onset of puberty that he realized, no, that is not what this is.
And he lamented. He regretted the way he was. This could only be some form of darkness, he reasoned, trying to taint me.
There could only ever be something wrong with him.
And so, he distanced himself. If he couldn't completely block out this darkness, then he would at least keep himself from infecting Sora with it.
So he stopped touching the other boy. He stopped talking to him in the same way.
He stopped allowing himself to be close. Instead, he focused only on becoming stronger.
Strong enough to be near you. Strong enough to kill my feelings.
Ever since he met her, he knew he always wanted to be around her. Just like Riku. They would be best friends forever.
Until, somehow, he wanted to be around her even more.
And anyway, Riku has been weird lately. He's more competitive. He always turns everything into a contest.
He wasn't sure what he had done wrong, until he realized that Riku must be trying to impress her. This all started after Kairi arrived here, after all.
That has to be the reason.
So he fought back, losing all the same. He was sure that Kairi would choose the superior of the two.
Why, then, did he never make a move? Odder still, he never tried to be alone with her. If anything, he gave them space.
He could never understand him. Not like he once could, when they could talk about anything.
Sora lost them both that day, as well as his home.
Riku became his enemy, as their games grew into a true battle for Kairi's heart.
That was surely what this had to be.
But, it turned out, Sora had been the winner all along. She had chosen him.
He knew that those feelings were important to him, and yet...
Riku was hurting. He was his best friend, he realized. He sadly realized, all too late.
He had to save him.
And so, he went on a journey. He grew. Sora saw and experienced more things than the trio could have ever dreamt.
All throughout his journey, a nagging thought stuck with him. Through everything, the one he wanted to share these experiences and stories with the most… was Riku.
He shrugged it off. Kairi had been safe on the islands, so of course his mind was on bringing and sharing joy with the person who surely needed it more.
Sora was determined to find Riku and, if he needed it, banish all of his darkness with his light.
After all, whenever he thought of Riku, he had more than enough light to spare.
Sora dreamt of Kairi, and of Riku. Their backdrop, a hazy set of islands in the shifting sun.
Kairi was right next to him, like always. Riku was a bit farther away, but smiling all the same. This had been their configuration ever since Kairi had first arrived, and it felt natural to Sora. He always saw girls closer than boys were, and Kairi made him feel an extra kind of warmth inside.
It was natural.
Kairi moved to kiss Sora suddenly, and in the moments of anticipation, his eyes wandered to him.
What will Riku think? Will this hurt him?
Then their lips connected. Sora wasn't sure how this whole thing was supposed to feel. He supposed he was happy. Thankful that Kairi cared this much about him. Their bond was special. His eyes were about to close.
He vaguely saw dimmed lights falling from the sky around them. Sora caught a glimpse of one right in front of Riku, and happened upon his expression. He wore a smile, like always.
Isn't this a weird situation? Sora wondered. Oh, he realized. I'm dreaming. There's no way Riku would react like that.
And then he thought deeper about it, still vaguely aware of the figment of Kairi's lips still pressed against his. He grimaced, but the figment didn't stop.
Riku… How would he react? It had to involve a groan, sigh or snarky comment. He was sure.
And yet… That didn't seem quite right. Riku always looked like that whenever he and Kairi were closer.
It was then that he realized, as nonsensical as this whole situation was, it was close to reality.
He pushed Kairi away, and stared at Riku helplessly.
"You..." There's no good saying this here. Wake up. He closed his eyes. Wake up.
Realizing it was hopeless, but remembering he was still dreaming, he instead decided that to his immediate left, the world would end.
Then he jumped off the side of the world.