The sun warmed your skin as the wind tickled your cheeks playfully in soft breaths. Riku walked in the sand beside you as the others treaded along their path ahead, sky blue orbs frequently glancing back to keep track of your form behind them.
"So.." Riku started, his voice trailed into the wind. Your head turned to him as you gave him your undivided attention. He turned his head away from you to gaze at the setting sun to your left, his orbs watching the waves lazily creeping up the sand only to retreat a moment later.
"Have you noticed anything different with Sora?" He asked, shifting his gaze up towards the setting sky.
"No?" You said confused, your eyes wondered back up to the group ahead containing the said subject, only to lock eyes with a certain pair of sky blue orbs. They widened and glanced away quickly.
"Is he okay?" You asked worriedly as you turn back to see Riku watching your face intently. His expression was unreadable as he stares at you.
"Yeah, he's just been acting different..." He trailed off, turning his gaze downward to watch the sand flicking along with his steps deep in thought.
"How so?" You chided, curiosity and concern clouding your observations.
"He's just different when you're around. It's like he's...distracted or something." Riku huffed, his shoulders slumped visibly as he continued on beside you. You saw his well hidden insecurity breaking through his tough exterior, but for what reason, you had no idea. You smiled softly as you accepted him and his worries, reaching for his hand to squeeze it tightly.
"We'll just have to help him focus then!" You chime, an oblivious smile dawning your expression as you squeezed his hand tightly for a second time.
He lifted his eyes, his expression softening.
"Heh, I guess you're right." Aquamarine orbs gazed ahead of you to meet their sky blue opponents silently watching you.
You followed his gaze to see Sora staring at the both of you. His bright eyes darted to look into your own, then down to your intertwined hands. For a second, a brief second, you could have sworn you saw a pang of bitterness resonate within them.
Soft puffs of warm air shifted the loose strands of hair falling over your face, tickling your nose as you slowly came to consciousness. You shifted slightly as you began to wake up, a rock solid body entangling your own as you tried to wake from your sleep. Your eyes jolted open in a panic only to see a soft and pale masculine face, it filled you with a sense of familiarity as you realized the last 24 hours weren't a dream.
You had finally reunited with Riku and Sora.
You smiled softly, relishing in the serenity of observing his peaceful sleeping expression. You lifted your hand to tuck a stray strand of his moon blessed locks behind his ear, he hummed contently and snuggled his face deeper into the pillow, squeezing you snugly against his chest. He mumbled something into the pillow about how 'you can't eat a horse with a fork dummy.'
You laughed softly, careful not to wake him up. Your thoughts drifted to your dream, recalling the moment between the three of you. Recollections jumbled in your head, you had to have imagined that bitterness you saw in Soras eyes. It just didn't make sense, it was a dream after all. Dreams never make sense right?
'Right.' You thought. As if on que, your stomach grumbled angrily signaling the fact that it hasn't really been fed in two days.
'Better get some food..' Your inner mother chimed.
You shifted your weight onto your other side, carefully lifting Riku's arm from its position of wrapping around your waist as you crawled out of bed. You looked back to see him retreat even further into the blankets, nuzzling his face impossibly deeper into his pillow. Could he suffocate himself at this point? A pang of worry shot through you at the thought, you quickly dismissed it as paranoia.
You lifted yourself from the bed and trudged groggily over to his dresser. You quietly pulled open the drawer and shifted through his clothing to find a pair of grey sweats and a tank top to wear. You nimbly pulled the clothing over your form and silently left the room, careful not to wake your slumbering moon lit prince.
The halls echoed as your bare feet padded along the corridor, resonating your path as you explored the mansion. Down the hall to the left, down the stairs, through the entryway to the left. You smelled the food before you heard the soft sizzling of breakfast. The kitchen was close by.
Your feet and sense of smell guided you to the room containing the tantalizing smell of a promised meal. The kitchen. It was beautiful, filled with bright windows on just about every wall, a small nook where a table and a few chairs spread out welcomingly, and your favorite brunette humming to himself as he worked over a pan of temptingly delicious food. You made you way to stand behind him, your head hovering over his shoulder as you chimed in his ear.
"When did you learn how to cook?"
Sora jolted upright, his shoulder bashing into your chin. He quickly moved the pan off the heat as he turned around to see who the intruder was.
"(Y/N!)" His sky blue orbs widened in surprise as a blush spread across his face. His expression quickly turning to concern as he reached for your jaw.
"G-gosh are you okay?" He panicked. "I'm so sorry, are you hurt?" He gabbed your jaw tenderly as he inspected you, tilting your head from left to right in a motherly fashion. "I didn't mean to hurt you (y/n)." He loosened his grip as his lips puckered into a pout upon further inspection of your wound.
His expression was comical, like a puppy that had just been told he was a bad boy. A giggle began bubbling in your stomach, surfacing into a charming laughter as he stood back, a shocked look spreading across his face. You couldn't help it, you started doubling over laughing even harder than before.
"I-I'm fine Sora" You laughed again, interrupting your previous statement. "You didn't hurt me at all ya dingus." You lifted your head up and wiped a cheerful tear from your right eye as you looked at him reassuringly. He lifted his hand to scratch the back of his head oh so characteristically, doubt plaguing his expression as he looked you over.
"I dunno, I bonked you pretty hard there (y/n). Do you need some ice?" He sounded oh so guilty. It was adorable.
Your eyes widened in realization.
"You have ice too?"
He cracked a smile, his laughter filling the room like sunshine on a gloomy day.
"Yeah! We have ice, a garden, clothes, hot water, everything we could hope for!" His expression changed, his brow furrowing. "It's kinda weird actually." His hand dropped from its usual position behind his head, falling to rest on his hip curiously.
"We're still trying to figure all this out, it doesn't really make much sense." He shrugged his shoulders as his hand fell from his hip. "I'm just kinda going with it I guess!" He beamed a contagious smile, you felt yourself reflect one right back at him.
A sense of nostalgia flooded over you, your childhood friend was standing here before you, helping you hold onto the memory of his bright optimistic self. It was almost as if they had never disappeared that night.
Sora's eyes fell to look toward the ground before darting back up to meet your own gaze hesitantly. His right hand lightly clutched into his pajamas nervously.
"Y-you look really good you know." His eyes squeezed shut as he blurted out his word vomit. His tanned hand clinched tighter into his pajama pants.
"You've grown up." He said. His cheeks were dusted with a light pink, and you could have sworn you heard the word 'beautiful' muttered under his breath.
You suddenly come to the realization that the small tanned boy you knew growing up wasn't so small anymore. His frame towered over your own tall one at least a few good inches. You blushed lightly at the realization of your friend becoming a man.
'I wonder what else has grown?' You thought. A blush creeping onto your face at the sudden realization. Sora raised his eyes to look into you, gathering your flustered expression as his eyes widened in realization.
"U-uh!" He fumbled his hands adorably, turning back around to tend to his cooking as his ears turned a tomato red. "I made breakfast!" He turned around and beamed a wide toothed smile at you, trying to make you more comfortable. He wriggled his eyebrows playfully.
"You hungry?"
A quick thought crossed your mind. 'Maybe for more than breakfast.'
You snapped back from your thoughts, ashamed that you would think that way of your childhood friend. Especially when you finally reunited with Riku. A tinge of pink reappeared across your cheeks as you nodded your head shyly. Sora beamed another one of his indisputably perfect smiles at you.
He ushered you over to the table surrounded by bright windows, fixing your plate and proudly serving it with the most heroic pose he could muster. The brunette spun around and made a beeline over to the stove to fix two other plates, bringing it over to unceremoniously plop down next to you with. He dug in ravenously.
You both took a moment to shovel food into your mouths, relishing in the deliciousness. You set your fork down for a moment, relishing in the fullness in your belly. Sora continues chewing the food in his mouth, eyeing you from across the table questionably.
"What?" You ask, a glint if mischievousness in your eyes.
His eyes widen slightly over the act of being caught.
"Nothing." He mumbles with food in his cheek like an adorable hamster, looking to your left.
You wait for the word vomit that you know is coming patiently.
"Y-you just look really pretty is all." He puts another spoonful of sautéed vegetables in his mouth.
A blush creeps across your face as your stomach warms. You notice the broadness in his shoulders, his lightly bulged biceps as he shovels food into his mouth. Had he always been this tan and built? Your mind went into a confused frenzy.
As if on que, your silver haired prince walks in, chiming in a delightful glee.
"Sora, you can cook?"