(AUTHOR'S NOTES: This story is now as revised as I can make it, though I would be all too happy to receive opinions on anything else that needs improvement. For the real products of my revision, re-read the battle scene. I would also love opinions on whether I should make this into a chapter fic or just leave it a one-shot. Please R&R. Thanks.)
Home. My home had been gone for around a year, but it was back. I was detained from it for a year longer, though I would prefer to never think again about what kept me away. All I cared about was that, after two long years, I was finally home. Yet it didn't feel like home anymore. As much as I'd dreamed about coming back and how things would not have changed, I found that I was the one that had changed. Destiny Island was no longer my home. I don't know where my home would be.
Anyhow, I chose to stay a little longer after I arrived, but I planned to take my leave soon afterwards. I didn't feel that I could bear to face either of my old friends, former friends actually, and I knew they were here. I could sense their hearts and the strength of those hearts. I had to leave before either one of them found out that I was on this island again.
Quietly, I knelt down near the natural pool, fueled by a small kind of waterfall, of fresh water and dipped my hands into it before splashing a good amount on my face. It felt good to relieve my skin of the blood on it caused by a wound that curved down the left side of my face, barely missing my eye. Beside me, a queer sort of animal was sniffing around. It looked somewhat like a short-legged frog that did not hop. I don't know quite how to describe the breed of Heartless known as a Shadow. That was my sole companion in my life as of that day.
Suddenly, my pet, I called it Maki, started growling, and I turned my head to see what was bothering it. After all, I figured it was just some bird or the like. Instead, I saw a rather familiar pair walking along the beach. The female of the two stopped, I believe she could almost sense someone watching, and her head turned to look straight at me. Honestly, I don't think she recognized me. She did know, however, what kind of creature was beside me. Horror was obvious in those lavender eyes as she latched onto the other with her, a young man a year younger than myself. He looked over at me, staring for a few seconds. Then his eyes widened with both realization and, much to my displeasure, simple recognition.
"Riku!"
Really, I was a little surprised that he had recognized me. I knew I looked different. I had grown a couple of inches since I had last seen him. My outfit was different too. Black boots protected my feet, and my black slacks were a touch tight. My deep violet shirt bore a black Heartless emblem on it, and the marking was outlined in scarlet. The midnight colored jacket I also wore bore the same crest on its left sleeve, though it was black on the interior as well, outlined in white thread. My hair had grown without much attention, so it was shoulder length and filled with dead and split ends. I do believe that only my eyes were the same.
"Sora."
I couldn't help my bitter tone as I addressed my former friend, rival, and my enemy.
He was nearly untouched by the years and his adventure. His brown hair, though well groomed, was still without order, and it sprang every which way. Those same sapphire eyes looked at me with that classical, innocent look. At first, he seemed delighted to see me, and then his expression changed to slight sorrow to see the hostile look I gave him. He was dressed not too differently than when I'd last seen him, though he had grown a bit, and I saw the Keyblade still at his side.
"Riku! We've been so worried about you!" the girl then cried out, grinning from ear to ear. "We thought…" she trailed off. Her auburn hair was longer now, chin length, but her outfit wasn't much different.
It was nice to see that Sora and Kairi hadn't changed, even if I still hated Sora.
"That I was dead?" I asked coldly, smirking just a bit. "No, Maleficent's powers protected me. Of course, nothing is for free. I still owe her something that I'm glad to deliver. I owe her for how good of care she took of me." I honestly believed everything that I was saying. Maleficent had filled my head with thoughts that I took as truth. The idea that she alone cared for me and that my two dear friends had abandoned me had not yet given way. Besides, I was a little jealous. I had done so much for Kairi! I had been the one to find her! And yet, in the end, I was powerless to help her. It had been Sora who had beaten me in the end.
"Riku, she doesn't ca--"
"What does she want?"
Sora was smart to interrupt Kairi there. Telling me I was wrong was never a good thing, and Sora seemed to at least know that. He also wanted to know something that I must give him credit for. He wasn't normally one to know what was most important to ask about. This time, however, he did seem to have his priorities straight.
"A second life," I murmured calmly. I then began to stride forward, and I held out a hand, "Give me the Keyblade, Sora." I knew he wouldn't hand it over, but this was fair warning. Once I ordered, er… asked, him once, I could take it as liberty to attack him to get it. Naturally, he withdrew from me, motioning Kairi off to the side, whispering to her to stay out of the way. I couldn't blame him. I didn't want to see Kairi hurt either. This was simply between he and I. Not her. No.
"I'm not letting you have it!" Sora shouted at me. I expected no less. Naturally he wouldn't hand it over so that I could revive a woman that had put him through all of his quests. I saw a vague change in those dark eyes of his. He'd grown up since last we met… He had become more able to handle things like this. I could vaguely see Kairi out of the corner of my eye. She was nearly in tears to see Sora and I facing off like this. Obviously, Sora was the only one of the two who matured from that quest.
"Have it your way."
With this said, I held out my right hand. In it appeared my faithful sword. The base of it was a deep blue, and it was shaped somewhat like a miniature dragon wing. The blade of it was a dark scarlet, a turquoise stone set into the hilt, and the blade went at a curve in-between prongs of navy colored metal, stretched out slightly. Sora's hold on the Keyblade tightened, and I darted forward.
"Riku, don't!" I heard him say, a pleading undertone to his voice, as my sword met his, both of us applying pressure to knock the other away. He won, and I backed off a foot or two.
"I will have that Keyblade."
I made another slash at him, and blood flowed from his cheek. I paid the price, though, as his weapon caught my left arm, rendering it nearly useless as blood ran down it.
"Riku," Sora's voice invaded my mind, "don't make me do this." Now it was a complete plea, but something else rung in my head. It was another voice, the voice of the one who had saved me from… that… place. Maleficent's voice urged me on. A few more parried occurred, then I became even more serious. So did Sora.
I took another lunge, but his blade was fast enough to block once more. In mock defeat, I began to back away, but then he let down his guard. My chance shone suddenly. I made a feint for his left side, and he moved to block that. Instead, my blade fell on his right shoulder, and he reeled back a little. Suddenly, though, he moved forward, going for the flesh under my right shoulder. Or so I thought. However, when I dodged to the left, I realized that he had changed his mind and struck for the other. Rather than a blow to either shoulder, I felt the metal slide into my chest, missing any instantly fatal area just by mere centimeters. The sand beneath me began to turn red as I fell to my knees.
"Riku!"
Kairi's voice vaguely caught my ears as the Keyblade was pulled out of me and I felt myself slump forward, the loss of blood slowly rendering me unconscious.
"Riku," a soft voice, Sora's, whispered to me as I felt a hand on my cheek brush away some of the blood leaking out of the corner of my mouth. I managed to grasp what was going on long enough to see that I was in the tree house he, Kairi, and I had always played in when we were little. I was lying on something soft. I opened my mouth to try and say something to him, but my strength failed me. Despite a battle of will against it, my world slipped slowly into black once again.
"Riku!" a voice shouted now, and my eyes opened. I was fifteen again. Kairi and Sora were once more fourteen, and they were near me. Kairi was sitting in the sand beside where I was lying down, the rolling waves just missing my feet with their waters. Sora was running over to the two of us with a grin plastered on that cheery face of his.
"We've been waiting for you, you lazy bum," Kairi said with a smile, throwing a small pebble at him. He ducked the rock launched at him before settling in on the other side of me. My right side. I don't know why I remember that, I just do. "We need to start planning our supplies," Kairi suddenly informed us, and I almost laughed at the almost random nature of it.
I was orchestrating our planned departure from this small island. The others were fairly content on our dear little home and just a touch restless. I, however, was desperate to leave. To me, there had to be something more for me than this place. I was not afraid, really, to leave this place and never return.
"Well, we'll need plenty of food," Sora stated with a grin. My eyes examined my blue-eyed friend as he looked at Kairi, those eyes of his lighting up even more as she looked at him with an approving nod. "And water," the boy said, eager to keep the girl's opinion of him high. He really thought a lot of her.
"We need a sail and wood for the actual raft," I added, not about to be outdone by my friend and also slight rival. He figured we were rivals for Kairi's attention, and I did nothing to deter his thoughts from that assumption.
The plans continued to be made while we were unaware of the dark days looming in the near future.
"Sora, he's coming around." My eyes slowly cracked open again to peer into worried lavender ones. Kairi was by my side, and I soon was aware of Sora in the doorway. From what I could see, we were in the tree house we'd always used as a fort when we were kids. Sora had to have brought me here, more than likely on his back. I could only imagine the blood that must have fallen from both he and I on the way up here, though at least he'd been conscious. I could still feel every bit of my tried body protesting my being awake.
"We were worried we'd lost you," he muttered quietly. Why in the world were they worried about me? I'd tried to kill Sora not very long ago. A cool cloth sound my forehead, and my eyes slowly slid closed again. I tried to keep the room in focused, but the image faded into darkness.
"Where is he?" the agitated voice of Kairi muttered after having helped me lug our supplies for our raft to the cove where we set up a type of camp. However, as I had expected, Sora had yet to show up like he'd promised he was going to, on time as he had sworn he'd be,
"Probably fell asleep," I commented quietly. "Shall we go and fetch him?" She nodded a little, and the two of us headed for Sora's house, which wasn't terribly far away. We arrived there in only about ten minutes or so.
In a well-memorized motion, I scaled the wall of the wooden house, heading for the window I knew was Sora's. Carefully, I made my way up towards it. A fall from here, if accidental, would hurt like hell. However, I made it onto the ledge of Sora's window and crouched carefully, getting my balance. Slowly, I began to tap my left index finger on the glass, trying to get the attention of the one inside.
"Riku! What are you doing here?" the young man whispered he was finally coherent. I couldn't help but laugh a little as his eyes widened and he motioned that he'd be down in a minute or two. Carefully, I went back down the house and waited on the ground. My eyes turned up as Sora, now out of his pajamas and in normal clothes, tried to follow my path.
Sora, however, with his less-than-cat-like grace slipped about halfway down and fell right on top of me. We were both sent to the ground, and it turned into a kind of wrestling match between us as we rolled on the sand. Before we knew it, we were in the ocean. We spent about an hour horsing around in the chilly water as Kairi yelled at us, she laughing all the while, to come to land and dry off because we caught cold. Needless to say, we did not get much work done on our ticket off the island that night.
Sora and I, much to Kairi's pleasure, also both took ill for about a week.
"Hold on, Riku."
"Don't leave us now."
The voices were slightly distant, and the room was still as I regained myself once more. Someone was holding my hand. One of my friends. I gave it a small squeeze. Kairi gave a light gasp as I made a pained sound. I vaguely saw my little Maki off in one of the corners as my senses abandoned me yet again.
"Okay, go!"
Kairi's shout of glee sent Sora and I running. Originally the odds of the race had been for the name of our raft and the position of captain. I'd struck a slight chord, however, when I proposed that the winner of this race share a legendary paupa fruit with Kairi.
The legend of the paupa fruit is that when two people share it, their destinies become intertwined, and they will remain a part of each other's lives forever. No matter what.
We ran with all our hearts, Sora and I did, both eager to make it to a set up landmark, a tree with a golden star atop it, and back to the starting position. A section of bridge collapsed as I ran over it, and it took Sora a moment to get over it, having hesitated at the creaking sound. Every muscle in my body strained with the desire to win this race.
I did, indeed, beat Sora back to the spot, but I waved off the final terms of the bet, settling instead for the original ones. Funny how relieved Sora looked when I discarded the idea about sharing one of the fruits with Kairi. Quietly, I watched as he strolled away to get a list from Kairi of our provisions. He didn't realize how much I simply wanted his attention.
I wouldn't have minded sharing a paopa fruit with Sora. I still wouldn't mind it. Not a bit.
"Damn it, Riku… you have to stay awake. Please… don't give in…"
Sora sounded so worried, and I felt a hand curl once more around one of my own as it began to tremble.
"Sora…" I whispered, clutching to that hand around mine in a vain attempt to stop the darkness' new attempt to claim me. Once again, I lost the battle.
"Sora! Sora! Kairi! Help me! Someone!"
The pain was unbearable. I could remember reaching out for Sora's hand. He had been so close, and yet he hadn't been able to take it! I was on my back on a cold surface. At least twenty Shadows were on top of me, ripping at my chest. It hurt so badly. I didn't know it then, but they were trying to rid me of my heart.
"Sora!" I cried again. I had always helped bail Sora out of trouble whenever he had needed me. I needed him now. I needed him so badly. Where was he? He had to come…
"Oh my," a female voice murmured quietly. "Let him be," she snapped slightly, and the creatures attacking me stopped. "You're a friend of Sora's?" she then asked, and I felt myself… almost levitating.
"Yes…" I managed to say, aware of my badly bleeding chest, though this woman was wrapping it slowly. I never bothered to think that it was odd that she knew who Sora was. "And Kairi. Where are they?"
"Kairi?" she murmured quietly, tending my wound and muttering something I couldn't understand. Suddenly, I was back on the ground, but I felt a whole lot better. "Oh, the girl. I can help you find her. As for Sora… he's forgotten you, or at least replaced you, already."
"No! Sora wouldn't do that!"
"Fine, fine. If you will do me a favor or two, I'll take you to him, and then I'll help you find this Kairi you're worried about. If he has replaced you, though, I'll gladly take you in."
"Thank you, miss. I'll help you with whatever you need if you can find my friends. What's your name?"
"Maleficent."
And I, without knowing it, looked up into the face of pure evil. Her black robes come up behind her head, a cloak that was the same color over her, though it was shorter on her neck and turned outward, revealing a purple lining. Yellow eyes peered at me, a headdress on her that resembled demon horns to me. In one of her sickly yellow hands, the long, pointed nails painted blood red, was a bronze staff with a glowing green ball atop it. I was completely unaware, as she helped me up, that I had just been made into a pawn for her.
"Sora!"
I half shouted it as my memory jolted me back to consciousness. My entire body was quivering, and I could barely breathe. However, that cool cloth found my head again, and I felt myself be lifted slightly and set against someone's chest. It had to be Sora. As my head rested into the crook of his neck, his hand went up behind my head. I could almost sense how worried he was about me as my eyes fluttered shut once again.
It was time to see if the darkness would allow me to live or if it would consume me fully.