Takes place between Keys to the Kingdom II and Life Goes On.
If there's one thing that can be said of living in and out of the Realm of Darkness for the better part of a year, it's that it really gives one a fuller appreciation of sunrises. The Destiny Islands have always boasted particularly beautiful ones, too. Riku sits at the edge of the play island's dock, content to relax and enjoy what's before him.
His companion, however, is not quite so calm. Sora's feet tap impatiently against the dock, breaking the silver-haired young man's tranquility. Frowning, he opens his mouth to tell the younger boy to chill out for a few seconds. But before he can form the words, Riku stops himself. Perhaps once upon a time he might have admonished the Keybearer, but now…
"So, are we gonna start running here, or are you just going to go back to sleep?" Sora's asks, his voice lighthearted but undoubtedly teasing. "That would be kinda funny, right? You falling asleep like some lazy bum?"
Riku snorts, pushing himself to his feet. Facing Sora, he gives his young friend a fond smile. "I'm sure I would never hear the end of that."
"Nope," the spiky-haired boy replies, hopping off the deck and onto the sand. He giggles upon impact, kicking up a little extra sand with a merry grin. "Just like if you lose this race!"
"Didn't know we were racing," Riku replies as he takes the sensible way down via the stairs.
Sora gives him an odd, bewildered look. "Uh, yeah. Why wouldn't we race, Riku? That's kind of our thing. Y'know, competing?"
"Hm," Riku offers, carefully keeping his expression neutral. If Sora wants to race, then more power to him. "Alright, get ready. Mark, set…"
Before Riku has a chance to say "go", Sora is off and dashing down the beach, laughing. The older boy frowns, gritting his teeth to bite back the insulting reprimand that just sprang to mind. Instead, he only starts to run himself. Putting on all his speed, he manages to catch up within a few seconds.
He looks down, instinctively looking for any weakness he can exploit. It's only when he's in the midst of contemplating a well-timed kick to Sora's rising leg that he pulls his mind away from thoughts of such pettiness. And then a second later, his opponent quite deliberately kicks back a puff of sand. Only quick, honed reactions allow Riku to shield his eyes in time.
"Sora!"
The younger boy just laughs in reply, throwing his head back even as he puts on another burst of speed. Well, Riku suddenly decides, two can play at that game. Grunting, he launches himself straight at Sora's back. They both go down hard in the sand. But that's only the beginning of the struggle, as Sora turns and attempts to elbow Riku in the stomach. He barely dodges, grabbing the younger boy's arm and using his leverage to flip Sora over.
The Keybearer struggles admirably, his other hand coming up at Riku's head. Another easy block, and now Riku has both of Sora's wrists locked down. He slams the younger boy's arms into the sand, looking down at his opponent with fire in his eyes.
Sora squirms underneath him, fighting to break free from the grip. For a long moment Riku watches, before a thought forms in his mind. Suddenly, this whole contest of strength seems unspeakably horrible. Wincing, the silver-haired young man releases his friend, rolling off Sora's chest to sit by him in the sand.
"Whoa, Riku," Sora says sitting up and giving his best friend a tap on the shoulder. "Gave up a little sooner than usual there. Figured I was too tough now to ever say uncle?" For a moment, the elder young man is silent. Long enough to make the Keybearer quite concerned. "Hello? Destiny Islands, calling Riku!"
"Sorry," he apologizes, shaking his head as if snapping out of a dream. He looks at Sora, staring at him with concerned eyes and an expectant look. "I just… For a second there, I couldn't help but think about, y'know. The last time I hurt you. And I didn't want to do it again…"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Sora interrupts, holding up his hands. The look on his face is appropriately serious for the situation, but a hint of amusement lurks underneath. "First, that's a real high opinion of yourself you got there, thinking you can hurt me!"
Riku can't help but laugh at the cocky joke. No matter what the situation, Sora always seems to know how to perfectly pierce the tension with humor.
"And second," he continues, still chuckling a bit at his own gag, "I know you weren't gonna try to hurt me. We were just messing around, Riku. Y'know, a thing friends do?"
Suddenly, all that alarm and worry Riku had been experiencing turns into embarrassment. Of course, once again, he's just being silly. Much like his humor, Sora's heart is never to be underestimated.
"I guess I…" Riku says, shaking his head at his own foolishness. "Maybe I still haven't quite shaken off the Realm of Darkness yet."
"Which is fine!" Sora blurts defensively, holding up his hands. "I know it took a lot out of you, the constant moving and the whole 'Xehanort's Heartless' thing." Smiling, he clasps one hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Take all the time you need until you're back to your old self."
Riku can't help but snort. "I'm not sure I'd want to go that far back. As much as it ticks me off to take shit from Azlyn, I was kind of a dick sometimes."
Sora nods, a little meekly. "Yeah, I guess that's a good point. But, I'm also thinking of something else. Something you said, actually. It was during your whole "hehe evil' thing, but it was true. You always push me Riku, just like I push you."
The silver-haired young man nods, even though he's cringing inside. Reminders of his mistakes tend to do that to him, even if he has moved past them.
"That can be a really good thing, I think," Sora continues, casually leaning back on his elbows. "Sometimes people need a little pushing, or honesty they might not like to hear. Even if it hurts a little, in the long run it can really help. I think it's good to have someone like that in your life, don't you?"
"Yeah," Riku admits. Even after all that talk about not underestimating his young friend, he can't help but marvel at how much he's done exactly that in some ways. "Next time you need a little honest push, you can count on me."
Sora beams at his best friend. "Good."
"Speaking of…" Riku subtly shifts his body, tensing up and getting ready. "Race isn't over yet!" Laughing, the silver-haired young man slaps his palm into the sand, hurling a cloud of it right at his young friend's face. He quickly jumps to his feet, taking off down the path again.
Riku hears Sora behind him, yelling out in frustration. This time, however, he doesn't let himself think that it might mean his best friend will hate him for it.
This took longer than I thought, but I was kinda blocked for awhile. Hopefully now that this is done, the rest will flow out more naturally.
Special PS, you might consider re-reading the epilogue of Keys to the Kingdom II again. I just snuck in a new segment there that helps set up KttK III. I left it out when I initially finished that story because I wasn't sure I would go ahead with my original trilogy-capper idea, but now that I'm full steam ahead on that I figured I should put it in.
Also, in case anybody missed any of my warnings, the KttK III worlds poll is still up, and ends probably after I get out the next chapter of Chain of Memories.