Atlantica part 2
This is a re-write of chapter 9. If you miss the old version it can be found in a separate story titled Process Works and Deleted Chapters: I Can Only Hold On For So Long. New version now with actual plot!
While Kairi endured her dress fittings, Eric took the boys to one of the castle's many rooms for a dance lesson. The furniture had been cleared from the room, and the rugs rolled up to reveal the polished hardwood floor. A line of mirrors on stands filled the back wall, reflecting the brilliant morning sunlight coming in the high arched windows. He spent the next hour leading them in stepping forward and back, counting out beats and practicing footwork.
Neither boy was very focused, though after this morning Eric wasn't really surprised. Sora's attention kept wandering, and he was constantly missing counts and tripping over his own feet. It was all so unbearably slow. Riku, on the other hand, got everything the first time it was explained. He was almost too effortless, and Eric didn't have any idea what to do with one boy who still hadn't grasped the basics and another who probably could out dance him with little effort. So he made his excuses, told them to practice, and went to go run his kingdom.
By unspoken agreement, the boys went to their own rooms. Sora had no idea what he was going to do to pass the time, but Riku had a very specific plan in mind. Chip and Dale had sent Master Aqua's phone number to him the day before, and now seemed as good a time as any to see what she wanted.
"Hello?" the voice that answered was warm, if a little uncertain. Phones were very, very new technology to the trio from the Realm of Departure.
"Hey, Master Aqua, it's Riku," the silver-haired teen settled back against a nearby wall. "Mickey said you wanted to talk to me?"
"Master Riku! Oh, I'm so glad you called. I have so many things I need to tell you."
Riku shifted weight, frowning at the title. It still sat uncomfortably on his shoulders, even though he knew he'd more than earned it. "Call me Riku," he replied, tone business-like. "What did you need?"
"Oh, in that case, please call me Aqua," she replied, soft voice sounding almost surprised. Then she continued, "Mickey told me that you've been tasked with training your friends, and I thought I could help. So much of what being a Keyblade Master means has been lost."
Riku's eyes widened as he straightened up a bit. He immediately needed to know everything. This world might be quiet, but there was no guarantee that the next one would be. They'd relied too long on strange magic and luck and dangerous powers to keep themselves alive.
"Hello?" Aqua called over the phone and he knew he'd been quiet for too long.
"Sorry, I guess I got lost in thought," he let out a half-hearted chuckle that wasn't terribly convincing. "I'd be happy to learn whatever you're willing to teach me."
"Excellent. Let's get started then. I wanted to begin with some rituals my master taught me."
They spent the next few hours running through exercises to strengthen the body and the heart - stretches and poses and forms like Mickey had taught him, meditation and history and liturgy about light and darkness. Riku sucked it up like a sponge, scribbling notes as fast as he could, constantly reminded that ignorance had cost them far too much already.
Later, after rounding up a wandering Sora, Ariel sat the three teens down in the library. There was a massive amount that went into planning a gala of this size, and she needed to know what they had in mind. It was a party for them, after all, so it made sense to give them as much control over it as she could. She walked them through choosing foods and flowers and decor, music and entertainers and all the rest. As they talked, she took notes on a scroll, occasionally crossing things off as they accomplished them. Finally, they got to the final item on her list.
"Uh, there's just one more thing and then we're done, I promise." She gave the teens a nervous smile. Kairi was sitting patiently, hands on her knees and attention focused on Ariel. Riku was also watching her, though the tilt of his head and slouch of his spine suggested impatience. Sora was staring out the window, playing with his necklace, bouncing his leg, fiddling with his bracers ad infinitum. At Ariel's pause, he glanced back over, seeing if he was missing anything.
"So, humans here have all these dumb rules about how a woman is supposed to behave, and one of those is that women have to be escorted certain places. I don't really understand why, but that's just the way it is." She shrugged, blowing her bangs out of her face with an irritated huff. "That means you three have to pick who's walking Kairi into the ball."
"Why can't I just walk in with both of them?" Kairi interjected.
Ariel bit her lip, looking down for a second before meeting the other girl's eyes. "Well, since they're not your brothers that would get a little confusing, don't you think?"
"Why?"
"Because…" Ariel trailed off, looking for the best way to explain this. "If it's family, it's different but since you're not married whoever you walk in with is your… suitor, basically? And you can't have two."
"Oh…" Kairi replied, blushing. She glanced at Sora, who was carefully trying to stare down the window and look like he didn't care. She'd never seen him go so still in her life.
Riku spoke up, "You should pick, Kairi."
"It's your party," she offered back, glancing at him out of the corners of her eyes, expression dubious.
"Then Sora should escort you in."
They both looked at Sora. His expression was just as uncertain as theirs. For half a second, Kairi was excited about the prospect of them walking in together.
Then he went and ruined it. "You sure, Riku?"
Kairi suddenly wanted to punch him.
"Of course," Riku snorted, giving him a baffled frown.
"Maybe I'll just come in by myself," Kairi muttered, folding her arms and glaring at the opposite wall. Sora lifted a hand and opened his mouth to say something, but then thought better of it and went back to staring out the window.
Ariel gave her a sympathetic frown. "Sorry, Kairi, but you really can't do that."
Kairi huffed, thinking. She worked her jaw, clenching and unclenching, fingernails digging into her skin. Finally, she dropped her arms and spoke with a voice as tight as a coiled spring, "Then I'm walking in with both of them. I'm not picking."
Riku and Sora exchanged a look over her, both startled.
"Really?" they asked, simultaneously, which led to another quick glance between them.
Kairi's jaw was set now, her purple eyes narrowed, daring them to argue. "Yes."
Ariel opened her mouth to argue, and Kairi's gaze snapped over to her. For a second, she stared the older girl down, but then her expression softened. Dropping her head, she glanced at her hands balled up in her lap.
"That's not possible, is it?" she asked.
Ariel weighed her words carefully, "It would be a lot easier for Eric and me if you didn't… but I'm not going to make you. How you walk in is up to the three of you."
Kairi gave her a small smile. "Thank you, Ariel. I just… we started this adventure together." She glanced at both boys as she said, "I want it to stay that way."
She couldn't quite read Riku's expression as she caught his eye, but his eyebrows were furrowed like he was worried about something. Sora looked guilty.
"Are you sure?" he asked her, and as hard as she tried she couldn't hate the fact that he was worried about his friend.
She nodded. "That's what I want." They held each other's gaze for a moment, then he nodded.
"Then that's what I want too. Riku?"
The older boy considered them both. This entire visit, and especially this party, went completely against all the rules Keyblade wielders were supposed to follow. Ariel and Eric were throwing them a huge celebration, and this was the first thing they'd asked for in return. And yet, somehow, he couldn't care about any of that. The only thing that mattered were the two people sitting next to him.
"Fine by me," he said quietly.
"All right then," Ariel said, tone forcibly trying to lighten the mood. She crossed the final thing off of her list. "I think that's enough for now."
The teenagers couldn't agree more.
The three of them fled the room, walking in awkward silence first to Sora's suite a few doors down. He ducked inside while Riku and Kairi made their way back to the north wing of the castle. About halfway there, Kairi couldn't take the quiet anymore.
"That was selfish, wasn't it?"
"A little," Riku shrugged.
Kairi studied the floor.
"Sometimes it's okay to be selfish," he added, surprising her. "Sometimes your heart says something you can't ignore." They glanced at each other, and Kairi gave him a small smile. That warm, shy expression was one of his favorites of hers.
"Thanks, Riku," she said, meaning it. She earned a small smile of her own with that.
They walked quietly until they reached Riku's door. For a beat both of them hesitated, watching each other. Kairi bit her lip. Stepping forward, she gave Riku a quick hug. "Thanks again," she murmured, pulling away. She couldn't meet his eyes. "See you at dinner!" He watched her as she turned and darted away.
The last time she'd hugged him was when she'd come back from the dead.
The stairs felt like they took ages, and by the time Kairi reached her room she was exhausted. She shut the door behind her and leaned on it, staring at the ceiling with one hand clenched around her necklace. What had she just done, exactly?
She felt bad, honestly, for making such a fuss. At the same time, she stood by what she said. And she was furious at Sora… or maybe at herself? I wish Naminé was here to talk about this… That gave her a new thing to feel guilty about. How could she ever ever wish away Naminé's ability to be her own person? She would never want that. Still, she couldn't help missing having someone always around to talk to, someone who was always on her side. Not for the first time, she glanced at the desk in her room. Maybe writing a letter would help sort all of this chaos out. The ceiling certainly didn't have any answers.
She walked to the beautifully carved wooden desk, running her fingers over the delicate shell inlay on its surface. A quick examination of the desk's drawers revealed paper and envelopes, ink and quills, sealing wax and a blank sealing stamp. She pulled out what she needed and took a few minutes to get acquainted with the quill. She'd never written with anything other than a pen or pencil, and it took several sheets of paper just to stop dribbling ink and make letters that looked like letters. The challenge kept her mind busy, soothing out the rougher edges of her emotions.
Now, who to write to? Not stupid Sora, she thought suddenly, angry in a way she didn't even fully understand. She was angry at him for not wanting to escort her and angry at them leaving her behind and angry at herself for proving Sora right when he'd said that she would just get in the way.
Kairi's mind unhelpfully conjured up the memory.
She'd been so excited, talking to Sora in Traverse Town's underground waterway. They could travel together, keep each other safe, and help Riku. Sora's speech about finding a light in the darkness, about how she had saved him, made her feel like she could do anything.
Then he'd turned around and told her she couldn't come.
"I can't help?"
"You'd kind of be in my way."
She had laughed at the time. She hadn't wanted him to see how much he'd hurt her. The worst part was that everything she'd done since then seemed to prove him right. She was angry that even after dying she couldn't seem to learn her lesson - immediately throwing herself into trouble in Zootopia so that the boys had to save her. Even after all her training, Xemnas had still managed to grab her, use her, to hurt Sora.
Kairi wasn't stupid. She knew she had died, and that Sora had broken some sort of rule to get her back. Actions have consequences. None of them knew what Sora's would be.
She was angry about petty things too - that Ariel was older and sweeter and prettier than her. That Sora didn't seem to have trouble dragging a mermaid into battle, but Kairi wasn't strong enough to do the same. She hated that Ariel had red hair, like hers but not, like Lea's but not. She hated that she cared at all. Ariel was married, for crying out loud. She and Eric were adorable and oh god was she jealous of that too? She was, of course she was. After everything, she'd barely gotten Sora to share a paopu with her - they'd never even kissed.
She pushed the thoughts away, gritting her teeth. Not Riku either, she decided after a moment. She didn't know what she would want to say to him yet, but she knew it wouldn't make any more sense then what she would have written to Sora. Naminé? Maybe…
Hey Nami!
Miss you. Hope things are going well. I wanted to talk to you about something that's been bothering me. You remember how
Hi Naminé!
How are things going? Where are you living now? We're in Atlantica - you probably remember it from Sora's memories. The thing is, he's acting all weird and I'm
She paused, quill hovering over the paper before she balled it up and tossed it aside.Okay, so not Naminé. She couldn't seem to voice the thoughts churning through her heart, even in a letter she didn't plan to send. She scooted the two crumpled balls of paper farther to the side. Glancing around the room, her eyes lit on a nearby candelabra's flickering flames. Lea, she decided. For a moment her heart ached, missing him. They'd spent what roughly equaled a year outside of time together, training every single "day", and after all of that he felt like an older brother to her. He'd have some snarky comment to make about the whole situation, something that would make her laugh so that all this anger could go away.
Hey Lea,
How's it going? This world has the stupidest rules. Would you believe that
Hi Lea!
How are you doing? How are Roxas and Xion? Did you know that
Hey Lea,
Boys are stupid and I'm even stupider and
But these didn't work either. She crumpled the letters into balls, the last one so hard she had to chuck it across the room.
So not writing a letter then…
Her gaze wandered to her bedroom door. Maybe a walk would help.
Sora scrambled out of his bedroom window, intending to go swimming or walking or something along the beach. He just knew he couldn't stay still. Eventually, though, his feet took him into town. He wandered along cobbled streets and white plastered walls, ducking in and out of shops and smiling at anyone he saw. People gave him a wide berth - no one knew who he was and his clothes were foreign and strange. Still, anyone he spoke to gathered that he was friendly and harmless enough. He wound up somewhere high, having scaled a building and crossed rooftops without really noticing he was doing it. He thought it was funny, really, that he still had the urge to watch the sunset even though Roxas wasn't with him anymore, even though it wasn't even sunset yet. He sent the other boy a picture of the sky and the ocean waves, but didn't bother waiting for a response. He got back to the castle just in time for dinner, but wasn't particularly hungry. He pushed his food around his plate and tried and failed to listen to what everyone was talking about.
Eventually, they all settled on going to sleep, so he wandered to his room to change and brush his teeth. The blue glow was back, still hovering in the same spot on the horizon. He shut his curtains.
We're sleeping in Riku's room again tonight, Kairi texted him. Is that ok with you?
Sure, he sent back.
You ok? Kairi asked.
Yeah im fine
He was fine, just tired for some dumb reason. And doing everything he could not to think about this afternoon. Not that he could stop thinking about it. What was wrong with him? He hadn't meant it the way it sounded. But then again, what was so wrong with asking a simple question? There was no reason for her to get as mad as she had. But Riku had seemed to agree with her…
He was beginning to resign himself to the fact that he would never stop being a complete idiot.
When he got to Riku's room, the other two practically shooed him into bed, curling up on either side of him without touching. Riku settled with his back to Sora's, while Kairi lay facing him. Her violet eyes searched his, but neither of them said anything.
"I talked to Aqua," Riku spoke into the silence.
"Really?" Sora asked, "Why?"
Riku sat up, looking over at the other two. "Mickey said she wanted to talk to me," he explained, remembering belatedly that Sora hadn't been there for that conversation.
Kairi propped herself up on her elbow. "What did she want to talk about?" she asked.
"Keyblade stuff," he replied, then elaborated, "There's a lot of things I'm supposed to know, now that I'm a Keyblade master, but because she and the others were lost no one could teach me. And, honestly, we could all use it. We have a lot of catching up to do."
"Catching up? Like what?" Sora asked, rolling onto his back and scooting somewhat upright himself.
"Almost everything," Riku admitted, "History and fighting styles, some magic and things about the Keyblade itself. Rituals Keyblade masters in the past came up with to strengthen the body and the heart too. It's a lot."
"So when are we getting started?" Kairi asked, smiling over at him.
He glanced at Sora, then quickly away again, looking off into some middle distance beyond the three of them. "We can rest for a few more days. Besides, we'll have a lot to do to help with the gala. We can start once that's calmed down."
"Right," Sora agreed, whole body relaxing as he nodded his head. Beside him, Kairi frowned between the two boys but didn't disagree. The three of them settled back down, still carefully avoiding touching. Eventually, they succumbed to sleep one by one, but none of them came by it easily.
The next day was the official appointment with the dressmaker. Kairi woke up first, quietly untangling herself from their pile and slipping out of the room unnoticed. Or at least, she thought so. Riku heard her go, but decided to feign sleep. No need for her to worry about why he was already up.
Ariel was waiting for her, along with a bespectacled man in deceptively simple clothes. He was quickly revealed to be the dressmaker and the people with him his assistants. He passed them several large folders filled with swatches of fabric and delicate sketches, the sections marked with silk ribbons. Kairi and Ariel spent ages flipping back and forth, deciding on fabrics and silhouettes, lace and bows and beading, bodices and structural garments and everything in-between. Once their choices had been recorded, the assistants brought out a raised dais for them to stand on so their measurements could be taken.
Kairi went first and found the process even more uncomfortable than alterations with Carlotta. At least the head maid was familiar, not to mention she didn't have to keep secrets from her. Having strangers guide her into position, however gently, made her fidgety and tense. The assistant with the tape tutted under his breath after measuring the circumference of her arms. When the dressmaker saw the measurement written down he remarked, "They do make them sturdy in Atlas, don't they?"
"We train both men and women to be knights in Atlas," Ariel replied demurely, expression almost disinterested, except for the glint in her eyes. "Kairi is one of my kingdom's most promising soldiers."
The dressmaker coughed awkwardly, saying, "Ah, of course. You seem suited to it, miss," in his most placating voice.
"Thank you," Kairi returned, just avoiding sounding like she was saying it through clenched teeth. Ariel caught her eye. Out of the dressmaker's line of sight, she pantomimed him, holding up her hands to represent his spectacles and miming speech with an exaggerated frown. Kairi held in a giggle.
Dropping the act, Ariel asked Kairi, "I haven't spent a lot of time on your island," she fibbed, negotiating around their necessary ruse. 'Would you tell me more about it?"
Kairi smiled at the question, but it took her a moment to answer. "It's small," she started, "But the water is clear, and the beaches are clean and white. The sky is full of seagulls, and sometimes turtles come and lay their eggs on the beach. I live with the mayor on the mainland, but there's a little island just a short boat ride away that my friends and I played on when we were kids. There's this cave that's just ours, and we've scribbled all over its walls with rocks." She smiled fondly.
"Do you still go out there?" Ariel asked, smiling as she imagined the place in her head.
"Sometimes. We haven't had a lot of chances to lately, but we did have a party with all our friends before we left."
"I bet that was fun."
"It was," Kairi agreed, but her face said otherwise. She was still thinking of the conversation she and Sora had then, and what they were celebrating. Then, when no one could find him for hours and hours, the fear that settled into her very core until finally she and Riku had thought to check the secret place. He'd curled up to sleep right under the drawing of them sharing a paopu fruit. She decided to change the subject. "It probably also feels special because I'm not technically from there."
Ariel perked up at this. "Really? I didn't know that."
Kairi nodded. "I'm from a much bigger city far away. When I was little, there was a shipwreck, and I washed up on my island's shore. For the longest time I couldn't remember anything of my past, but I got to go visit my birthplace recently, and a lot of things came back." She was fudging a couple of details, but she hoped Ariel caught the drift.
"Were they good memories?"
"Mostly, and I was really little, so it's not like there were a lot of them. I remembered how I got this necklace," she added, lifting her chin a little since she couldn't gesture to it with her arms. One assistant was measuring her shoulders from the back while another measured the length from her hips to her feet.
Those were the last two things they needed, and they said as much. So Kairi switched places with Ariel, sitting in an overstuffed chair across from her. "What's your favorite memory of home?" she asked the other red-head.
"Hmmm, that's a tough one," Ariel admitted, scrunching her face in thought. "I remember singing with my sisters a lot." Her face took on a sadder expression. "Probably memories of my mother," she said softly.
"I'm sorry all you have are memories," Kairi offered sincerely. "That's one of the few things I can't remember - who my parents were."
"That's awful; I'm so sorry, Kairi."
The Princess of Heart shook her head. "It's okay - you can't really miss them if you don't remember them, can you?" She gave a half-hearted shrug. "The Mayor's taken good care of me - I really can't complain."
"I don't know… I think you can," Ariel mused. "Everyone deserves a family."
"I have one," Kairi said right away, "Sora and Riku and Naminé and Lea - and all our friends really - those are my family."
"Maybe that's what the problem was yesterday? You know, with Sora?"
"Maybe…" she admitted, but her tone was doubtful. She decided to change the subject. "What do you and Eric do for fun?"
Ariel looked back up at the ceiling as she began to list things off, "Well, I've been learning to play a couple instruments, which is amazing. There's so much music here - I've even started composing a little myself. Not that I'm anywhere near as good as Sebastian." She laughed. "Eric's been trying to teach me to play cards, but I'm awful at them. So he goes and plays with the sailors he's friends with sometimes. I've made some friends with a few ladies here too - we go shopping and they've been teaching me things an 'educated woman' should know. It's really fun. What about you?"
"I mean, I like to make things - I'm really good at these woven bracelets from my island. They've been making them for centuries, and I like being a part of a tradition like that. I haven't been able to do much of anything lately, though. I was sent away with Lea to train for that big battle we had." She trailed off, unsure of how much to mention with all these people in the room.
"Lea is the one with hair like mine, right? Kind of like yours too, now that I think of it."
"Yep! Did Sora show you a picture of him?"
Ariel nodded. "After lunch. Those paintings were amazing! I still want to get some done before you three leave."
"I'll make sure we do," Kairi promised.
The dressmaker and his assistants were finished then. They said polite good-byes, leaving with professional haste. Ariel went and flopped in a chair next to Kairi's, sideways as she often did. With an exaggerated grumble, she kicked her fancy heeled shoes off, wiggling her toes. "I hate shoes."
Kairi laughed, shifting to sit more comfortably too. Her skirt was long enough today that she could get away with wearing her boots from the three good fairies. "So what now?" she asked.
"We wait," Ariel replied, "The suit maker will be here for the boys next."
"Did anyone tell them?" Kairi asked, concerned. With their luck, they'd both still be asleep.
Her concern was amusing to Ariel. "Carlotta woke them up in time. Did you three get much sleep last night?" She asked, grinning over her knees.
Kairi blushed. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, though she had some idea what Ariel was alluding to. Not that it made any sense to her. "Of course we did. They just like to sleep in. Well, mostly it's Sora," she added fairly. She tried to ignore the older girl as Ariel started childishly poking Kairi's arm with her big toes.
"You know, I couldn't help but notice all three of you were curled up together yesterday morning…"
"So?" Kairi dodged.
"So? Is there something more going on then just you and Sora here?"
"What?" the younger girl yelped. "What are you even talking about?"
"Well, you didn't seem to mind the attention they were both giving you at breakfast," Ariel pointed out, fluffing her fingers through her hair in an almost disinterested way. "And I mean, Riku's pretty handsome…"
"Aren't you married?" Kairi quipped, frowning at her.
"You're the one who was curled up with both of them!" Ariel shot back, laughing.
"That's not - That wasn't - You're impossible!"
Ariel spread her hands innocently. "I'm just pointing out what I saw, that's all."
Kairi scowled at her. "I like Sora. Riku's just a friend," she said forcefully.
"So nothing's happening between the three of you?" Ariel prodded.
"No!" Kairi shrieked, bright red now. "What are you even hinting at? You don't think we - " She dropped the sentence, too embarrassed to continue, as her hands covered her mouth. She shook her head firmly.
Ariel cackled, trying and failing to hold in her laughter. "All right, all right! I believe you! Sorry, sorry!"
"You have to admit, though," the older girl pointed out, once her laughter had subsided, "you three sharing a bed does seem a little… fishy." Her grin widened at her pun.
Kairi sighed, folding her arms. "You're one to talk," she quipped, making Ariel giggle again. "We just… we sleep better when we're all together," she added, looking down again. She wrapped her arms tighter around herself. "These last two years… we've lost each other so many times. We'd just rather know that we're all okay before we go to sleep, and right when we wake up."
The smile had vanished off the mermaid's face. She leaned over, laying a comforting hand on Kairi's arm. "I'm sorry," she said, sincere. "Sora's talked non-stop about trying to find the two of you, but I never really thought about what that meant. If I lost Eric, or my friends, and I couldn't find them for years… I would never want to let them go either."
Kairi gave her a grateful smile. It was about then that Sora and Riku trailed in. The suit maker and his entourage weren't far behind, and it was Kairi and Ariel's turn to laugh as the boys endured the uncomfortable process of being measured. Then it was time for them to choose between options for fabrics and colors, silhouettes and flourishes, albeit in a much more limited palate than Kairi had to pick from. Riku made his selections quickly, but Sora relied on help from the other three. He ended up settling on an outfit that called back to both Kairi and Riku's choices, with a little bit of Sora flair thrown in.
Lunch followed those appointments, and then Ariel whisked them off in her typical exuberant fashion. They needed to book entertainers and hire craftsmen for the gala as soon as possible. She led them around the city visiting bakers and florists and jewelers, painters and musicians and so many other types of professionals it made the three teenagers' heads spin.
Everyone was happy to see them. Ariel was beloved by her new people, and it was obvious why. She knew everyone's name and their families and she was full of fascinated questions about their work. She loved being shown new projects and techniques. Her curiosity was boundless, and her subjects appreciated her genuine interest in their lives.
They were excited to meet Sora, Riku and Kairi too. No one had met anyone else from Atlas (for obvious reasons) so it was noteworthy to be introduced to the three of them. They hadn't even been in town for an hour before news of their arrival preceded them. A couple of other things preceded them too - mainly rumors about which boy Kairi was romantically involved with. As the day went on, the rumors got more specific and more contradictory, much to everyone's annoyance.
The next few days saw the Keyblade wielders passing through additional dance lessons and meetings with every kind of artisan under the sun. Ariel worked tirelessly with them to plan a lavish party in a short amount of time. Eric helped where he could, but he also had a kingdom to run. Every morning they ate breakfast with the royal couple, and every evening they curled up in Riku's bed to sleep. It was, honestly, the only way they could rest.
That didn't stop the staff from talking, and finally Eric decided something had to be done. It was a week until the party and he couldn't afford the rumors escalating once the guests began to arrive. So he took Sora and Riku horseback riding one evening.
Horses, it turned out, could be added to the list of things Sora wasn't good with. He was too fast, too loud, too much. They snorted and shied under his hands, and the grooms shooed him away when he tried to help tack up the gelding he was going to be riding.
As a rule, Eric took care of his own steed, but he'd asked the stablehands to help his two guests. Neither boy had seen a horse this close before, and were clueless as to how to prepare one to be ridden. At first, both grooms were friendly and patient. Riku took to it like a fish to water, easily befriending his dapple grey mare and impressing the older gentleman helping him.
Sora was left to lean against a stall, trying to stay out of the way.
Riding was at least a little better, though Eric constantly had to remind him, "Hands down. Quietly, you'll spook him. You don't have to pull that hard, Sora, a little goes a long way."
Even Riku was in on it, "Relax, Sora. Trust your horse."
Eventually, he sort of gave up and bumped along on the poor gelding's back, letting the horse wander where it wanted. At least once they were running, things were a little more instinctive. He knew how to hold on with his legs by then, and it wasn't that hard to move with the same rhythm as the horse. He'd ridden flying carpets and Keyblade swarms, what was so hard about this? They galloped along the beach, splashing in and out of the waves until their mounts were sweating and foam fell from their lips.
They dismounted and walked their horses back to the castle, cooling them down along the way. While they walked, Eric decided to broach a sensitive subject.
"I need to ask you both a favor," he began, once they had lapsed into silence. "Ariel is… seen as sort of… unconventional here. She doesn't have the same boundaries as people in my kingdom and, unfortunately, that means a lot of my court looks down on her."
"What can we do to help?" Sora immediately asked.
Eric gave him a considering look. "We've been working hard to repair her kingdom's reputation, and with this gala you'll be representing her, in a way. I know you three are close, and I don't really care what you do in private, but could you maybe keep to your own rooms once our guests are here? The staff are already starting to talk about where you've been sleeping."
Riku immediately understood and turned faintly red. Sora looked between him and Eric, completely lost.
"Huh?" he asked. "What about where we've been sleeping?"
"Sora," Riku began, trying to explain around the lump of embarrassment in his throat, "what else do people do in a bed?"
"So? What does that have to do with…" Sora's brain caught up with his mouth and he turned bright red. "Oh… we weren't - we didn't - it wasn't like that!" he sputtered.
Eric laughed. "I don't care if it was. Wouldn't be the strangest arrangement I'd heard of. Sailors can get very… explicit," he added by way of explanation, running a hand through his hair. "I just don't need anything to make Ariel's reputation worse. So would you both… you know… stick to your own rooms once it's time for the gala?"
"Of course," Riku said immediately, face still faintly flushed, though he did manage to meet Eric's eyes. "It really isn't anything like that."
Eric shrugged. "Like I said, I don't care if it is or it isn't. That's your business."
Sora was too busy reeling to say anything at all.
They made it back to the castle and Sora immediately vanished, mumbling an excuse neither Eric nor Riku quite caught. A groom took care of his horse, while Eric and Riku tended to their own. Eric finished first, and wandered around to see Riku carefully currying sweat and salt out of the mare's coat.
"You know, if I could, I'd let you take her," he said, leaning against the open stall door frame.
"Don't really have anywhere to keep a horse," Riku replied, not looking up.
"I thought as much. Still, she really likes you. You're a natural."
Riku glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. The prince seemed sincere. "Thanks," Riku replied.
"I'm sorry for embarrassing you earlier," Eric went on.
"It's not a big deal."
"Still, I appreciate your understanding."
"If there's something you came to talk to me about, you might as well get it out now," Riku replied, somewhat impatiently.
Eric sighed and walked into the stall, stopping to stand by Riku and stroke the mare's nose. "You know, I wouldn't judge the three of you if that is what was happening," he offered.
"Doesn't matter - it isn't," Riku replied flatly, returning to currying the mare.
"I had an uncle who got up to a lot stranger things than that," Eric offered, "Then there are all the rumors about the Countess of the Eastern Isle. I spent way too much time listening to maids and sailors as a kid," he laughed. "So long as you three are happy, there's nothing wrong with it."
It took a moment for what he was saying to sink in, and when it did, it was like a hatch at the bottom of Riku's skull opened up and all rational thought fell out through it. His whole world tilted on its axis, going sideways and upside-down like a room in Wonderland. The three of them? That was actually possible? The thought was so tantalizing and strange that he couldn't really wrap his mind around it. He looked at Eric, eyebrows furrowed.
Eric held up his hands, misreading the expression. "If that's really not what's happening, that's all right too! I just didn't want you to think Ariel or I thought less of the three of you."
"Oh…" Riku replied, staring back down at his hands. He started to brush the horse again, curry moving in sweeping circles over her short coat. "Do you know anyone else like that?" he heard himself asking. It felt like he was far away, hearing his own voice at a distance.
"Not for sure," Eric admitted, "but there are a lot of rumors about that Countess, Lady Sarahfina, her husband and one of their heads of staff. I take it this isn't common on your world either, is it?"
Riku shook his head. "No. I've never even heard of it before."
"Well," Eric rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "you're lucky to have found them both. Love's hard enough to find one time, let alone twice."
"We're just friends" Riku corrected quietly, studying the delicate splotches of the mare's coat.
"Oh, sorry. I really need to stop assuming things."
"It's all right. Just, let me talk to Kairi about it, okay?"
"Of course. I'll leave you to it." With an awkward nod, Eric scuttled out of the stall, clearly embarrassed about the whole conversation. Riku stayed there a long time, brushing and petting the mare while she shuffled around. Eventually, though, he had to go back for dinner.
Sora took off as soon as the groom took his horse from him. His chest felt tight, like something was squeezing it and he couldn't keep still. He knew he couldn't keep up a smile, so he went looking for somewhere without people and found himself back on the shoreline.
Prince Eric thought they were -
He couldn't even really finish the thought. Thought they were what exactly? All three of them? How did that even work? He didn't want to know.
Okay, actually, he really really did want to know and how badly he wanted to know scared him so much he couldn't even think about it at all.
So Sora went running.
He ran up and down along the shore at a full on sprint, chasing the sound of the waves. The pace forced him to keep breathing, which suddenly was harder than it should have been. He stared out at the water and tried to pretend he was home with Riku and Kairi and that everything was back to normal and that he didn't have these stupid questions rattling around his skull.
Home, it turned out, wasn't a safe thing to think about either. Thoughts of school and the look on his mother's face as she begged him not to leave tumbled through his mind. Sora ran harder, pushing himself until his lungs burned and his eye watered. Even then he didn't stop; it wasn't enough. If he just kept moving maybe all the thoughts would fall right out of the back of his head and he could be himself again. Maybe he could stop thinking about kissing Riku the way he'd been thinking about kissing Kairi.
God, Kairi - what would she even think about this? About the three of them? Wouldn't she just feel betrayed if she knew how he felt about Riku? It was cheating, wasn't it? They weren't officially anything but…
He remembered Riku, standing bravely in the realm of darkness, saying "Take care of her." Then, it had been a promise and an apology and an acquiescence. Now it felt more like an admonishment.
"Take care of her." If Riku wasn't there, Sora would have to be. In a way, he'd been stepping down, away from the roles they'd always taken as kids where he was protector and provider, a solid rock in Kairi's world. Sora had to be that for her now.
It wasn't hard to picture the disgusted look Riku would give him if he voiced this weird desire now.
Sora's mind drifted back over their drawings in the cave and sharing a paopu with Kairi. Bittersweet, like the fruit itself, juice dripping down their chins. He would do anything in the worlds for her. He had done something quite outside the worlds to bring her back. And now he was going to throw it all away? Forget that.
Though, now that he was thinking about it, this did make a few things make more sense. A couple of dreams, for example and why he couldn't stop thinking about seeing Riku shirtless. The smell thing, too. Riku and Kairi had both smelled so good… but thinking about that too hard made him loop back around to what a faithless, greedy moron he was. Why couldn't he just be happy with what he had?
So Sora ran until he threw up.
It surprised him, forcing him to skid to a stop as he doubled over. He vomited out all of the food he'd eaten that day and then some, dry heaving until he wanted to scream with how raw his throat was. Finally, he managed to get enough air to stop. He rinsed his mouth out with salt water - careful not to swallow - and slowly rose to his feet. At least the waves would wash the mess away before someone found it.
The sun was low, dying everything red and orange and oh crap he probably missed dinner. He dug through his pockets for an elixir, then remembered that he'd borrowed these pants from Eric and there wasn't anything in their insignificant pockets. Taking a few steadying breaths, he started jogging back to the castle, gait shambly and hitched with exhaustion.
Miraculously, they were just sitting down to eat when Sora stumbled in, shirt changed and the fringes of his hair still a little damp from hastily washing his face. (Carlotta insisted.) He slipped into the chair on Kairi's right and tried not to look too suspicious even as his fingers drummed on the handles of his silverware and he itched his ankle with his other foot.
Kairi took in the ashy tone on his face and the furrow between his eyes and they way he wouldn't quite look at them and immediately turned to Riku to see if he knew what was going on. Riku wouldn't meet her eyes either, and he wore an expression she hadn't seen since he'd been trapped in a body that wasn't his - like he'd just as easily not exist if he could figure out how to manage it. She reached under the table and caught both of their hands, squeezing tight until they looked at her. She gave them each a reassuring smile, squeezing again and refusing to let go. Sora's palm was clammy, and Riku held very, very still as if he was afraid to touch her.
After a very quiet dinner they all met back up at Riku's rooms. No one was quite brave enough to walk towards the bedroom, so they ended up in his sitting room. Kairi tucked herself in a chair while Riku stood against a wall and Sora perched on the edge of the thick wooden desk.
"What happened while you were with Eric?" Kairi asked straight away. At that question, neither boy was willing to look at her, faces as good as confirming that something was up. But Kairi was patient, and she knew her best friends.
Finally, Riku spoke, "He asked that we not spend time in each other's rooms while the guests are here. He doesn't want people getting the wrong idea, for Ariel's sake." He was impressed that he kept his voice level, since he would have rather pulled out his own teeth than admitted what the prince had talked to them about that day. At least Sora hadn't been around for the worst of it.
Kairi took a second to process exactly what he had just said, then her face flushed. "Oh… Ariel teased me about that too, but she didn't say anything about us not… about it not happening again."
"From what he told me, it's not exactly unheard of on this world," Riku supplied, blank expression fraying at the corners of his eyes and the tension in his jaw.
"He talked to you about it again?" Sora asked, tone dull enough to make both Kairi and Riku shoot him a worried look.
"A little," Riku supplied.
Kairi tried to salvage the conversation, "Well, I mean, at least that's something we can do. It shouldn't be that hard." She was lying, and not even lying well, but no one called her out on it.
Riku decided to test the waters, "They didn't seem to think it was a bad thing, on its own."
"But we can't make Ariel look bad," Sora insisted, loyalty flaring, hands tightening on the edge of the desk.
"Of course not," Riku replied immediately, "I just thought it was strange."
Kairi forced a giggle, covering her mouth, "It is a little bit funny, that they thought we'd be…" She trailed off meaningfully, gesturing vaguely in front of herself.
Sora shrugged, feigning nonchalance by lacing his fingers behind his head. "I think I liked Atlantica better..." He muttered, staring at the ceiling.
"We're not even that old!" Kairi pointed out, ignoring Sora's comment by virtue of not really being able to hear it.
"Ariel's only a year older than Riku, and she's been married for awhile now," Sora replied.
"Less than a year," RIku interjected.
"Does that matter?" Sora fired back, dropping his hands and leaning forward. "She's still… They've still… whatever. Let's talk about something else," he added hastily.
That was preferable for Kairi and Riku too, but suddenly there didn't seem to be anything else to talk about. Silence thickened between the three of them as Sora drummed the desk and Kairi bit her lip and Riku leaned against a wall, staring at the ceiling.
"We're idiots," he said finally.
"Hey! Speak for yourself," Sora demanded. He sounded like he was defending himself, but he'd actually been thinking about Kairi.
Riku shoved off the wall with one shoulder. "I mean, we should have realized that people would talk. It's not like this castle's empty. I should have thought about what it would look like."
"You couldn't have known," Kairi said right away, soothing.
"This isn't Zootopia, or home, where people are just used to us."
His tone made Sora flinch. "Riku…"
"What?" Riku snapped, harsher than he meant to. He seemed to know it too, eyes widening in surprise. Exhaling, he ran a hand through his hair and looked down. "Sorry."
"We're all… embarrassed," Sora offered, "but it's not your fault."
"It was my idea."
"We all agreed to it," Kairi argued.
"Yeah," Sora nodded. "So we'll take the blame together."
Riku glanced between the two of them, then cracked a small smirk. "You two'll be sneaking off on your own soon."
"What?!" Sora yelped, jerking backwards in embarrassment and unbalancing himself to the point where he nearly fell off of the desk.
Kairi laughed, but she was blushing.
Laughing, Riku shook his head. "C'mon, we should get some sleep." He turned and headed towards his bedroom, but then stopped, and glanced over his shoulder at the two of them. Kairi was fiddling with her necklace again, eyebrows furrowed. Sora was staring at the floor, knuckles white against the desk.
Kairi looked up and caught Riku's eyes. "What do you think we should do, Riku?"
"We need sleep," he pointed out.
"But…" Sora interjected, unable to finish the sentence.
"The guests aren't here yet," Riku replied, a knife blade edge hidden under the ice calm of his voice.
"Shouldn't we try to learn to sleep by ourselves then, before they get here?" Kairi asked. Riku merely shrugged. Sora looked between the two of them, but didn't know what to say.
"Tomorrow," Riku finally uttered, tone soft. There was no knife edge here, just the faintest hint of pleading, but it tugged something in his friends' hearts all the same.
"Okay," Sora replied, getting up. Kairi followed suit. When she reached each boy, she took their hands and held on tight.
That night, they drew the heavy canopy around the bed and tied it closed. The darkness settled around them, total and oddly frightening, despite the lack of any real threat.
"Here," Kairi murmured, whisper quiet, and a tiny pearl of light bloomed in her cupped hands. She reached up, sticking it to the top of the canopy. She had to focus a bit to make it stick.
Sora, grinning, cupped his hands together and tried to do the same. It took ages - Kairi made nine more little orbs in the same span of time - but finally a ball of light appeared once he whispered, "Pearl," thinking of Queen Minnie's magic. Kairi had to teach him how to stick it on, and Sora had to use a spoken word to do it right, but it stayed up too.
They started coating the whole perimeter with lights, changing their size and position until they swooped and swirled like strings of beads spaced apart on a necklace.
"Like Christmas lights!" Sora enthused, smiling so his teeth flashed in the glow. "Come on, Riku! Make some with us!"
Riku shook his head, "Nah, I'm fine."
"Why not?" Sora asked, frowning.
"I don't think I can," Riku replied, seemingly unbothered.
Kairi frowned, murmuring, "No, I think you can." She turned to face him and took both of his hands in hers. "You can do it - just focus," she insisted, smiling gently at him.
Riku's heart had just enough time to falter at the look in her eyes before Sora elbowed him in the gut.
"Yeah c'mon, Riku!"
So with a long-suffering sigh, he tried. It didn't take long before a sphere of light appeared in his palms. He was so surprised, it snuffed itself out right away and it took three whole tries to get it back. But once he did, it was easy and soon he was making dimmer stars and sticking them to the canopy ceiling in the shapes of constellations from home. Kairi decided she liked that better and started dimming hers and adding them up there with Riku's. Sora couldn't manage it, but he gathered all of his up into one bigger ball (no more than the size of his fist) and plopped it in the center.
"I made the moon," he explained, grinning. It was a bit too bright still, so Riku made scudding little clouds of darkness that passed over its surface.
"It's perfect," Kairi whispered, face aglow. The boys had to agree. They curled up, still carefully not touching, with Riku in the middle.
"Good night," Kairi murmured, and the boys echoed it back to her. They fell asleep dreaming of home.
Notes:
And here is chapter 9! Again, if you miss the original version it can be found in a seperate work.
Thanks again for reading, and I'll see you all soon! ^_^