10 years later….
'How did they make such a mess?' Sky sighed, grabbing another book from the disarray on the library floor.
It was 'Read and Play' Friday, which meant that children from all over the island would come to the library for reading and arts and crafts. And every Friday, without fail, the children would turn the library into a war zone. Books laid haphazardly across the floor and tables were covered in glitter.
'We should really teach them to clean up after themselves,' Sky huffed and began reorganizing.
After the first few Fridays, she thought she would get used to it. While she could have asked Cass for help, Sky figured that she already had enough to deal with. It was only fair that she helped with the clean-up.
Every day for the past 10 years, Sky had been helping Cass run the library. It was the least she could do. Terra hadn't returned and she had nowhere else to go. When Cass brought up the possibility of adoption, Sky enthusiastically agreed and they had been living as a little family ever since. Everything was perfect.
Well… almost perfect.
'These go up here,' Sky noted and grabbed the step-ladder.
As time wore on, Sky was convinced that something bad had happened to Terra, Aqua, and Ven. She was fairly certain they wouldn't leave her alone for this long. Xehanort must have done something. If he could kill Master Eraqus, then the others must be…
'No.' Sky shuddered at the thought. 'They have to be okay.'
She knew that Eraqus had trained them well. They wouldn't lose without putting up a good fight. Even someone as powerful as Xehanort would struggle in a three-on-one fight.
'Maybe they're still dealing with him or-'
"Are you okay?" A voice asked.
Sky jumped, nearly losing her footing on the step-ladder. The book in her hands unceremoniously fell to the ground with a loud thump.
Clad in his usual yellow vest with black and blue jeans, a silver-haired boy leaned against the wall, an amused expression plastered on his face.
"Riku! Don't scare me like that!" Sky exclaimed, shooting him a glare. "How long have you been there?"
Pushing himself off the wall, he walked over to the ladder, stopping short to pick up the dropped book.
"A while," he said, nonchalantly. "Why are you so spacey? Is The Very Hungry Caterpillar that great of a book?"
"Haha very funny," Sky scowled, bending over to snatch back the book. Once filed in its rightful place, she hopped down to grab another stack. "Did you need something? I'm super busy."
"What? I can't steal my best friend away from her chores to hang out?" Riku tilted his head.
"Best friend? You better not let Sora hear that. He might throw a fit," she joked, climbing back up the ladder.
"Oh please," Riku rolled his eyes. "I hung out with Sora and Kairi yesterday. It's like I didn't even exist."
"But they're so cute! They're totally going to get married someday."
"Gross."
"Awwww… are you jealous?" Sky teased.
"What? No. Definitely not," Riku frowned, arms folded across his chest.
"Sora and Kairi are going to get married-"
"Ugh."
"-and they'll leave you to be all bitter and old. Whatever will you do without Sora?" Sky continued, poking fun.
"And you're just going to sit back and watch?" He asked eyebrow raised.
"Of course not. I'll be your emotional support."
"I don't need you."
"Did you not walk into my library to bother me because you're tired of Sora and Kairi ignoring you?"
"…Touché."
"That's what I thought."
Sky laughed and turned back to her books. Nine years ago, Kairi appeared alone on the beach and taken in by the mayor. Sky, Riku, and Sora welcomed her with open arms, and friendships quickly formed. Sora, however, had developed a fondness for her and as the years went by, it became painfully obvious that he had developed a huge crush on her. Though he would never admit it, Sky knew Riku thought the pair was cute too.
'Now we just need them to admit their feelings for each other…' Sky thought.
"Are you almost done?" Riku drawled.
"Do I look like I'm almost done?" Sky gestured to the remaining mess. "Why are you in such a rush? Have somewhere you need to be?"
"Yeah and so do you."
"Why me?"
"Sora wants to talk to us about something," he replied. "He went to find Kairi and I'm supposed to bring you to the beach."
"Well, it's going to be a while," Sky said, walking past him to grab another stack of books. "You can always hang out with the lovebirds and I'll drop by later."
"Ugh. No, I'd rather not," Riku grumbled.
"Or you can help out so I can finish faster," Sky offered.
"…Fine, but you owe me one," he said, grabbing a towel to wipe down tables.
"Yeah, sure…" She rolled her eyes.
An hour, five clean tables, and three full bookcases later, the pair finished cleaning.
"Do you think they'll be mad we took so long?" Sky asked.
"Nah. They probably didn't even notice," Riku replied, peering at the wall clock. "We should get going though."
Sky agreed and led him to the exit. Stretching his arms, Riku let out a strained groan, annoying those they passed by.
"And just where are you two going?" A woman's voice called out.
Pen and clipboard in hand, a woman appeared behind the checkout counter. Her black hair was tied up in a messy ponytail and she wore a floral dress that cut off at the knees. She gave the pair an expectant look, awaiting their answer.
"Oh Cass… we were headed to the beach to meet Sora and Kairi," Sky answered.
"Hmmm," Cass thought, tapping the pen against her chin. "Did you finish cleaning? You know how destructive those kids can get."
"All books have been put away and the tables are clean," Sky replied.
"Well if you're all done…" she stared, then turned to Riku. "Just have her back by 8 PM."
"Will do," Riku acknowledged, inching closer to the door.
"H-hey. I can get back by my-" Sky started.
"I'll bring her back later," Riku called, catching her wrist and practically dragging her out the door.
"Have fun!" Cass' voice faded as they left the building.
The balmy summer air hit Sky as she stumbled out the door. Riku led her down the tree-filled path that led to the beach. Though it was still early afternoon, the streets were quiet. Many people opted to stay inside, avoiding the heat.
The sun was still high in the sky, giving them plenty of time to meet their friends.
"Well aren't you a gentleman," Sky teased, prying her wrist out of Riku's grip.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Riku said, eyes focused on the path ahead.
"You don't have to look after me. I can take care of myself," she said. "Besides, I'm pretty sure I can defend myself in a fight better than you can. What was our score again?" She smiled.
"Whatever," he rolled his eyes. "I promised her I'd get you home. You know I don't break my promises."
"Fine. I'll let it slide this time. But only because you promised," Sky joked.
She knew he would have walked her home regardless of his promise. Despite the arrogant front Riku displayed, he cared deeply for his friends. If anything bad were to happen, he would blame himself for not being there.
The pair continued their walk in comfortable silence. Eventually, the trees thinned out, revealing the vast beach. Sky spotted Sora and Kairi sitting on beach towels closer to the water.
"Hey!" Sora called, furiously waving his arms. "Over here!"
"What took you so long? Did Riku have drag you out of the library again?" Kairi asked as the pair approached.
"Always," Riku applied.
"Hey…" Sky pouted. "I hang out with you guys almost every day. You don't need to drag me anywhere ."
"Oh please," Sora suppressed a laugh. "If someone didn't come get you, you would never see the sun."
"That's not true…"
The three laughed. When she had first arrived on the islands, she would hardly leave the library. It wasn't until Cass locked her out of the library that she started playing with the other children outside.
"Did you have something you wanted to talk about or am I just here for you to make fun of me?" Sky asked, annoyed.
"Hey," Riku nudged her arm. "He's only kidding. Right, Sora?" He gave the spiky-haired boy a pointed look.
"Uh, yeah," Sora said, running his hands through his hair.
"So, why are we here?" Kairi asked. "Not that I don't like hanging out with you, but you said it was important."
"Oh right!" Sora perked up, producing a piece of paper from his pocket.
"We're going to build a raft!" He declared.
None of them were particularly surprised by the idea. Sora often came up with little projects for them, whether it be scavenger hunts or arts and crafts. It made living on the sleepy islands a little more exciting.
"That sounds like fun," Sky said. "But why? We already have boats."
"So we can go to other worlds!"
'Ah, of course,' Sky thought.
For as long as Sky had known Sora and Riku, they both had an obsession with visiting other worlds. The adults chalked it up to childish fantasy as they knew there were no other worlds out there.
Sky knew better, of course. Thought it was only once, she had traveled on The Lanes Between. Travel between worlds was definitely possible but there was an issue with Sora's logic…
"Can you even get to other worlds from the ocean?" Sky questioned. "Wouldn't it make more sense to build-"
"That's a great idea," Riku interjected.
"What?" Sky blinked. While Riku was the more practical one of the bunch, Sky knew he was serious. When other worlds were brought up in conversation, it was like all logic and reason left his brain.
"Oh come on, Sky. We'll never know until we try," Kairi urged.
"I know, but maybe we should think this through."
"You don't think we can do it?" Riku asked.
"I didn't say that. It's just-"
"Pleeeeeaaaassseeee," Sora cut in with huge puppy dog eyes. "We really need your help."
'Ugh… They're never going to listen to me,' Sky pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Fine…" she conceded. "What do we need to do?"
"Well, I figured there was some book in the library that could help us," Sora smiled sheepishly. "And you can Kairi are really good a planning so…"
"So you want to leave the hard part to us?" Sky mumbled.
"Riku and I can do the actual building, you just need to figure out how to build it!"
"Fine," Kairi said, "At least look for materials while we figure something out."
"Got it," Riku said, giving them a thumbs up.
The pair watched as Riku dragged Sora up the path to the forested area of the beach, presumably to look for building materials.
"Those two, I swear…" Kairi sighed and turned to Sky. "Any ideas?"
"Hmmm…. Where to begin?"
"Fish and mushrooms?" Kairi suggested.
Sky nodded, jotting down notes on the paper Sora had given them."Let's not forget freshwater," Sky noted. "I don't think we'll survive long off of ocean water."
"Oh! Put down coconuts too and-" Kairi stopped. "Do you think they're finding the right materials?"
'That's… a good point,' Sky thought. Just because Sora and Riku wanted to build a raft, doesn't mean they knew what they should be looking for.
"I'll look find a book on rafting building and bring it tomorrow," Sky said. "Hopefully they're finding things that will be useful."
"At least we're good at the planning part," Kairi smiled.
"Well, we kind of have to be. Look at who we're dealing with," Sky gestured in Sora and Riku's direction.
"I guess that's true," the auburn-haired girl laughed. "They would be pretty lost without us."
Sky and Kairi had been planning out Sora and Riku's plans for years. Many of their projects would not have been completed if the girls were not there to help them.
"Okay!" Sky exclaimed. "You make a list of essentials we'll need for the trip. I'll find the book and come up with a list of materials to build the raft."
"Sounds like a plan!" Kairi agreed. "We should go find the boys. Who knows what they've been up to."
"Right," Sky nodded and the pair walked further down the beach. Sora and Riku were spotted a fair distance away, locked in fierce combat. Well, as fierce as it could be with wooden swords.
"Hey! I'm gonna assume you two have been looking for things and not slacking off?" Kairi teased as they approached.
"Of course!" Riku replied, knocking Sora to the ground.
"No fair!" Sora pouted, glaring up at him.
"Now the score's 5-0," Riku smiled triumphantly.
In terms of athleticism, Riku was the clear winner. He was taller, stronger, and more agile. He also had a good grasp of combat mechanics.
While not bad at fighting, Sora's weakness lay in dodging and blocking, which Riku used to his advantage.
"Awww don't be mad, Sora. You'll get him next time," Sky held out her hand to help him up. "Besides, Riku's not that great of a fighter."
"Hey!" Riku protested. "Like you're any better!"
"Better than you," Sky sneered. "Pretty sure our score is 13-9."
Sora and Kairi burst into laughter. Though Sky's formal training was short-lived, it was clear that she was the better fighter between the three of them.
"You're never gonna let me live it down, are you?" Riku sighed.
"Nope."
"How did you get so good at fighting, Sky?" Kairi asked. "Are you secretly practicing?"
"She probably learned it from a book," Sora said.
"It's probably just luck…" Riku added.
"I've only ever practiced with you guys. Maybe I'm just naturally talented," she said, shooting Riku a glare.
Sky felt guilty for lying to them, but her promise prevented her from telling the truth. While her Keyblade hadn't appeared, she could still feel the magic from the inheritance ceremony. In the meantime, she had been practicing her swordsmanship and magic every day. In the privacy of her bedroom, she had mastered a few basic spells. And with the boys around, she'd been able to keep up her combat skills.
Some day, she would leave the islands to find Terra, Aqua, and Ven. Maybe then she could start her formal Keyblade training.
"I bet I could take ya!" Sora exclaimed, readying his wooden sword.
"Maybe tomorrow, it's getting kind of late," Sky said, glancing at the ocean's horizon. "Besides, Riku has a promise he needs to keep."
Riku looked away, taking an interest in the ocean waves.
"Awww…" Sora pouted.
"Alright," Kairi giggled, grabbing hold of Sora's arm. "We'll see you two tomorrow!"
Kairi dragged him away, the two of them speaking in hushed tones.
"Well," Riku said, a few paces ahead. "Wouldn't want to keep Cass waiting."
"Hey! Wait!" Sky called, jogging to catch up.
The pair walked in silence, enjoying the coolness of the setting sun. Crickets sand as they walked through the grove of trees.
"Do you really think we'll be able to go to other worlds?" Sky asked hesitantly.
"You don't think we can?" Riku questioned back, glancing at his companion.
"It's not that," Sky started. "It just seems very… impossible."
Riku focused on the path ahead of them, lost in his own thoughts.
She wasn't wrong. Without a Keyblade, travel between other worlds was nearly impossible.
"I mean, since the worlds are in space, shouldn't we build a rocket or something?" She laughed awkwardly.
Sky mentally scolded herself. Exploring other worlds was Riku's dream. She knew traveling by raft probably wouldn't work, but the last thing she wanted was to sound unsupportive.
"Hey," Riku reached out to grasp her arm.
Sky stopped, glancing up at him curiously.
"Do you trust me?" Riku asked.
'Trust?' She thought. The issue was less about trust and more about logistics. She would love to travel the worlds with her friends, but there was only one definite way to do so. 'I guess we can't rule out other possibilities…'
"Of course," Sky answered confidently.
"Then know that we'll get there. Even if it's not by raft, I'll find another way," he assured.
Sky thought for a moment.
"Okay," she smiled. "I'll do my best to help."
Riku relaxed, releasing her.
The pair continued walking in silence, the intensity of their conversation melting away. It wasn't long before they stopped in front of the library doors.
"Do you want to come in? I'm sure Cass would love it if you stayed for dinner,' Sky teased.
"Nah. I better get going. We have a long day tomorrow," Riku said. "Besides, someone has to wake you up in the morning."
"Hey! I can wake myself up!"
"Sure you can. I'll be by at seven," he teased, turning to walk away.
"I can take care of myself!" Sky shouted.
Riku hummed in response and continued walking, not bothering to look back.
"That jerk…" Sky mumbled and walked into the library.
