Drifting
By Avalon Estel
A/N: This is my first Kingdom Hearts fanfic. I just finished the game and thought it was too good for me to leave unacknowledged. Thus, this is my tribute to that wonderful game.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, nor any characters, places, or other related indicia. I make no claims to it. It is the property of Disney Interactive and Squaresoft, respectively. This was not written for profit.
Sora sat in the sand, his bare feet soaking in the gentle tides. The cool ocean water sprayed over his feet, which were tired and hot from running races. The sun shone brightly overhead and cast a glaring light on the ocean. He tilted his head down, letting his wayward chestnut hair shade his eyes from the sun.
"I'm sick of this place," came Riku's voice from beside him. He looked up at the older boy abruptly. Riku did not notice, or if he did, he chose not to acknowledge it. He stared off into the distance. It seemed to Sora that his eyes were trying to see past the unending blue, to pierce the ocean barrier.
Kairi chuckled. "How can you get sick of such a beautiful place?" she asked with a smile.
Sora didn't say anything. Riku had told him that he wanted to leave the Destiny Islands and go see other worlds. He wanted to travel everywhere, do everything.
Riku shook his head. "I'm bored with it all. Nothing ever changes, nothing's ever different. We always do the same thing. I want to do something or go somewhere new!" He stood up and crossed his arms. The sun glinted off of his silver-white hair. "Don't you?" he demanded.
Kairi looked at the sand thoughtfully, wriggling her toes. "I suppose," she said after a while. She smiled. "Yeah, that would be a lot of fun!"
"Maybe we'll go where you came from," Riku said. "Then you could finally see it."
Kairi nodded. After a moment, she said, "But what about our parents?"
Sora and Riku exchanged glances. They hadn't thought about that. Finally, Riku shrugged. "We'll just have to ask them."
"They'll never let us. Not on our own," Sora said, hugging his knees to his chest.
Riku let his arms fall to his sides. "They have to," he said, staring out over the ocean. "They just have to. If I have to stay here, I'll die!"
Sora shifted uncomfortably. He knew Riku was exaggerating, but it bothered him to hear his friend talk so.
"We'll find a way," continued Riku, not noticing his friend's discomfort. "We'll make them let us. I can't stand it. I feel like I'm just drifting in and out of the days, that this whole island is just drifting through nothing, cut off from everything else. I'm tired of drifting."
Kairi stretched her legs and leaned back on her hands. "Well, don't worry about it too much now," she advised. "We don't have a boat. We don't know where we're going. Why, we don't even have a map!"
Riku sighed and dropped onto the warm white sand. "You're right. But I promise I'm getting off this island, and you two can come with me."
Sora nodded. "We will."
Riku ruffled his hair. "I knew I could count on you guys."
"Stop treating me like a baby!" Sora said, punching Riku lightly on the arm.
"Stop whining like one, then," grinned Riku.
The friends sat under the sun while the breezes lifted their hair and carried their laughter into the waves.