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S A C R I F I C E
x;; Kairiku collection
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oo4 ;; nightmare
It was only expected for the teens to have nightmares after their return to Destiny Islands.
Sometimes she would jolt to life in a cold sweat, breathing horribly labored as she frantically scanned the shadows of her quiet room for glowing eyes or twitching antennas. She would throw her sheets to the ground and turn her arms and legs over and over, looking for scratch marks or mortal wounds that would surely leave a stain on her pillows. She would rub her eyes and face and to make sure everything was still attached – she would dab around her skin for blood or remnants of darkness. She would eventually peer outside her window to make sure the ocean and sky were a normal color, and breathe a sigh of relief while settling back into her bed. There was never an injury that could travel from her dreams to her body, and by the time the sun poked its head over the watery horizon, half of her nightmares would be forgotten and left to pick apart for the next night of sleep.
But Riku wasn't like that. If he had a nightmare, he didn't sleep at all.
She noticed his desperate fatigue a few weeks after they came back. The three of them – Kairi, Riku, and Sora, because they became inseparable – had been traveling to their old Play Island every chance they could get. Sora finished packing up for the day, dropping into his paddle boat and waving a quick goodbye to his friends before setting off for the Main Islands. Kairi wandered the shore collecting last minute Thalassa shells, hoarding them together for a project she'd been meaning to start. Riku sat idly on the dock, seeming to stare at the sunset while he waited for the redhead to climb into her boat. His legs were pulled tightly to his chest, cradled by pale arms, his chin touching his knees while stubborn silver bangs blew relentlessly into his line of vision. By the time Kairi had enough undamaged shells in her hands, Sora was out of sight and likely already at the other island. The teenager smiled proudly to herself while she gently slipped her collection into her boat, lifting the paddle and glancing up at the silent boy.
"Let's go – it's getting late."
She fumbled with the rope connecting her boat to the dock while she waited for an answer – but never got one. Once she had succeeded in getting the first knot out of the cord, she let it fall limply in her palms and stared expectantly at Riku's back. "Did you hear me, Riku?" She accused playfully, though an eyebrow quirked when he only shifted his head a little, refusing to respond again. She sighed and dropped the rope, standing up and placing her hands on her hips. "Riku, are you—"
She stopped abruptly when she realized that her friend wasn't ignoring her – he was asleep.
It was peculiar nonetheless for Riku to choose this moment to get rest, so she worried that he might be sick with a fever. She let her paddle drop noisily to the wooden dock and stepped behind him, crouching to the ground and immediately pressing the back of her hand against his forehead. He jerked, electric blue eyes (that were unhealthily dull) shooting open while his gaze focused on the redhead's troubled frown. He wasn't burning up, but he still had a sickly pasty hue about his skin and contrasting dark circles under his eyes. Now that she was close enough to notice, the sinking sun's orange glow brought out chapped, almost bloody marks on his lips.
"What?" He snapped irritably, blinking away a drowsiness that declined to part.
Hesitantly, she moved her hand away and backed up a few inches. Her frown grew deeper, a tilt of her head defining her confusion in his sudden touchiness. He had been distant after they arrived, yes – but she figured it was normal, not because he had grown a sleeping disorder. "Are you okay?" She said softly, almost in a whisper, as if she were afraid someone else would hear even though they were the only ones left on the island.
He gave a nonchalant shrug, obviously forcing himself to keep his eyes open. "I'm just a little tired."
"You look like you haven't slept in weeks."
He breathed deeply and moved his legs to hang over the side of the dock, brushing locks of silver hair out of his gaze. It took a moment for him to build up a response, and she almost feared that he was falling asleep again. "I haven't," He concluded, tone flat and truthful while he took to staring at their reflections below.
Genuine concern cracked the girl's previous tick of curiosity. Motherly as she was, Kairi placed her hand on his shoulder now, cooing as quietly as before: "What's wrong?" She noticed him tense as she asked her question, and even she could almost feel the headache that was certainly pulsing from his mind. He turned his head slightly farther in the other direction, biting down on his already sore lower lip.
After seconds that seemed like hours, Riku finally admitted to her in a soft mutter: "It sounds stupid, but I'm having nightmares."
Instead of bursting into hurtful laughter like any confessor would have imagined, Kairi continued. "About what?" Not like she didn't have a clue, but as if they were in a therapy meeting, she figured it would be best if he explained; and she was ready to wait until he was ready to talk.
But his next answer came painlessly, like it had been on the tip of his tongue or infesting his mind since the battle with Xemnas. His voice had a bit of a robotic hint to it, and nothing about him seemed Riku at all. It was almost frightening – and maybe even more so that the tortured boy was still viewing harsh memories at night. Out of the three of them, Kairi had always imagined Riku of having the worst time; his explanation only proved that for her. "About the darkness; Xehanort's Heartless, Maleficent, the mistakes I made – how I almost got you and Sora killed when I opened the door." He stopped, gaze flickering from the water to her. She stayed silent, effortlessly locking eyes with him until he finished: "And about losing you again."
The corners of her lips tugged upwards, a soft smile gracing them while she gently shook her head. "You never lost me, Riku," She said comfortingly, "We're always in each other's hearts – right?" He nodded solemnly in response; if they had learned anything over and over again during their journeys, it was that. But it didn't stop the nightmares, no matter how reassuring it was. Timidly, Kairi slipped the hand that was resting on his shoulder around his neck, and pulled him into a sloppy hug. She was sure she felt both of their hearts flutter. But he didn't respond, and she realized after a moment's heartache that it was because he was slipping back into slumber again, head resting lightly on her shoulder while he struggled with consciousness. A small giggle dripped from her vocals as she delicately pushed him off.
"We'll stay here tonight," She offered, "And I'll watch over you while you sleep. I'll make sure you don't have anymore nightmares, okay?" He groggily nodded his reply – rowing back to the other islands seemed like too much, let alone walking three feet to his boat. Eventually, his head was on her lap while she protected him from the darkness; like a mother helping her child back to health, she refused to take her eyes off him for too long, incase something should happen within the seconds of her mind's wandering. They pretended that there was nothing else to the world but this – no outer planets, no darkness, and no other land masses with houses that waited for their children to get back home. Sometimes he hoped that they forgot about Sora, too, but he knew that Kairi would sometimes talk to the brunette about his nightmares, or about his adventures. Still, she saved most of her comforting for the troubled sixteen-year-old, and found that not only could she rid his mind of darkness, but her own as well.
They made a habit of sleeping on the dock at least once a week, for Riku's sake and health – it wasn't comfortable, of course (they both woke up with backaches and headaches and never memories of nightmares), but she figured it was the closest they had ever been. In a cliché way, it might have been the happiest. Needless to say, Kairi took her job as seriously as Sora did the Keyblade; she practically studied him for signs of discomforting dreams, always ready to sooth her unconscious friend back to peace.
She almost started to admire how adorable he looked when he was sleeping calmly – or even when his eyebrows pinched and his breathing quickened at a sight in his mind's eye, he still looked like a lost little boy. Kairi would admit to being frightened the first night of their healing session, as his fears seemed to hit all at once: he bit his lips and crushed his fists so hard that his nails nearly drew blood in his palms. His heart beat in overdrive, which in turn caused hers to do the same – but when she finally began to brush the hair and tiny beads of sweat out of his face while whispering quiet reassurances (its okay, Riku. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere), he calmed and she was finally able to fall into sleep as well. She would probably never admit it, but she had managed to kiss his forehead once or twice during particularly stubborn dreams; it wasn't as if he ever noticed, so she felt no need to pursue their time together past nights on the dock and days with Sora.
Needless to say, Riku started looking more recovered afterwards, even if few took the time to notice his exhaustion. But he knew he would get better when Kairi vowed to help – she always kept her promises.
After she was done being a nurse or a mother (or a lover – but don't tell Riku), she found it utterly refreshing to be uninfected with her own old nightmares; maybe even more so to wake up with wood markings engraved on the side of her face, and Riku only a foot or two away.
She started to realize that, maybe, she wouldn't mind waking up every morning like that.
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a u t h o r s . note ;;
Hum. I notice that these keep getting longer xP
I donno. The ideas I had for this one sounded a bit better in my head, I think o.o; (and there's another cliché at the end for you, Constance. Yay.)
Regardless, thanks agaaain, reviewers and the likes.