Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts belongs to Disney and a little tiny bit of it belongs to Square-Enix I guess.
A/n: God, this story is so weird. I'm sorry! This chapter fell short of what I was hoping for…
My reviewers, whom I love: Constance Greene, Tatikara, and Tishannia, I'd like to thank you for reminding me why I love writing. I'm sorry if the story feels awkward, I've been going through some depressing stuff lately. But I guess most people who read this won't really care. Anyway, I appreciate your support and I'm trying really hard to make this story a good read.
And to you, walklightwhite, your review seriously made me laugh. For one thing, yes, Sora is removed from the picture, but what you fail to realize is that the story is not over. At no point whatsoever did I even bash on Sora, despite the fact that I am not fond of him. I in fact did not write this story for you, but it makes me proud that it has upset you enough that you felt I needed to hear about it. There are more then enough Sora-loving stories out there for you, so I wonder as to why you even bothered to read this.
Chapter Three
Dull light filtered in through the gaps in the cave wall and the gentle sound of rain echoed around the two teenagers. Riku watched water drip down from the ceiling and add to the pool on the floor. He had moved Kairi to the highest spot in the cave late last night since the water now covered the right side and center of the floor, and had hung her backpack up on a branch. He wasn't really sure why he bothered, since they were both already soaked. The cave offered shelter only from the wind.
Kairi herself was draped haphazardly across his lap, and he moved carefully to slip her off of him and onto the floor. She was finally asleep after listening to the storm rage across their islands all night, and he wasn't sure she hadn't passed out from exhaustion. Crawling slowly from the mouth of the cave, Riku squinted into the muted sunlight and gazed across the island.
Debris lay strewn everywhere and his heart fell at the sight. The dock was gone completely, and the wooden walkway that had once been up above was mangled and broken on the ground. It looked like the end of the world had finally occurred, or a tornado at the very least. Rain fell gently now, and the wind had died. Clouds obscured the usually bright sunlight and it felt like the world was crying.
Riku dug through a pile of debris and found his boat underneath it. He began to drag it towards the water when he heard a small voice behind him. He turned around to find Kairi standing there with a blank look on her face. Her eyes seemed unnaturally dull and she threw herself into his arms. Without a word, she helped him drag the boat back to the water and climbed in with him. He had hoped she wouldn't want to go, but if she felt like she needed to see their home then he would let her.
He paddled the boat steadily across the ocean to the main island. The journey was eerie, as bits of houses and chunks of wood drifted past. There was the occasional debris that looked like it had once been a piece of furniture. Kairi turned away in horror as someone's drowned dog floated by in the water.
Riku grimaced at the sight that stretched out before them. There wasn't a single house within his line of sight that hadn't suffered greatly. The road was littered with debris, anything that could be blown away had been. Most trees had been uprooted and tossed carelessly aside. He looked to the side and watched Kairi pick her way through a pile of mangled wooden beams. She lurched backward.
"Oh my god, Riku." She held a hand over her mouth and turned away. He moved over to where she stood and looked down. A broken body could be seen under the wooden beams, he looked away quickly. He grabbed her hand and lead her away.
Not far down the road they came to what was left of Kairi's house. Her face was blank as she stepped forward and settle down on her knees in front of it. She looked so peaceful, sitting there with her eyes closed. 'She's saying goodbye…' he realized. She quickly stood up and walked away, head lowered. Kairi was silent as she walked past Riku, not even making eye contact with him. He watched her go, knowing it would probably be best not to disturb her when she's like this. She settle several blocks down at a mostly destroyed playground. Kneeling again she slowly began drawing crude pictures in the dust that had settled there.
Riku left her there to mourn and followed the path down to his own home. He stood in front of it for several minutes before picking his way up into the gutted skeleton of his old house. A lot of his things were still there, though thrown violently around the house. Digging in what used to be a closet he found a dust covered backpack. He brushed it off as best he could and then began picking around in the debris for anything he wanted to keep. He found a ripped little photo album under a thick piece of wood and quickly tossed it in his bag.
He couldn't find everything he wanted to salvage, but he found several more sentimental things and some things he figured they might need. When he was finished he went back to Kairi's house to find things for her. He knew for a fact she wouldn't want to do it herself. He dug around where her bed had been overturned and found an old brush set her aunt had given her. Her room was fairly well intact, considering the rest of the house, so it wasn't too difficult to find most of what he was looking for. When he was finished he hurried back to the playground to check on her. She was still kneeling in the dust, but she had finished drawing and was now staring down at it sadly. He rubbed her shoulder as he passed to let her know he wasn't abandoning her.
Jogging carefully through the fallen palm trees he came out near the grocery store. The walls had held up better than the houses, but it was still a serious mess. He looked around cautiously before running over to it and hoisting himself over a pile of ruined materials and down onto the dusty tile inside. He set to work quickly, moving through the aisles to find what he was looking for. The canned food aisle had been demolished, but he found quite a few cans that were still perfectly good. He grabbed enough food to get them through a few days and then began searching for other necessities. On his way out again he stopped by the sporting goods department and dug around in the rubble until he found what he was looking for. Swinging the tent over his shoulder he dug out some more camping supplies and then dashed out of the store before Kairi could get a chance to collect herself and wander off.
She wasn't at the playground when he ran past, and he began to worry. He ran to where they had left their boat, hoping that she would be waiting there for him, but she was no where in sight. He threw the items he had scavenged into his boat and turned around to look for her. Riku jogged back down the street, hoping to see her.
He checked most of the island, but couldn't find her. Cursing, he ran back to the boat and jumped in. He paddled quickly back to their island to see if she had decided to go back. He pulled his supplies out of the boat and tossed them on shore. Dashing quickly around the island, but he knew she wasn't there. He called into the secret place to make sure and when she didn't answer he took his boat back to the main island.
She had been missing for hours by now and he was starting to panic. He'd given up the search, if she wanted to be found she would have come to him by now. He was starving, but too lonely and worried to try eating anything. He had busied himself by collecting more supplies and dragging them back to their island.
It felt odd thinking of the island as being theirs, but who else was here to claim it? That thought made his stomach lurch as he remember the bodies he'd seen everywhere. There weren't many, he supposed a lot of people got swept out to sea when the wind brought in those fierce waves. But he really hoped that they had managed to survive somehow. He'd checked the island pretty thoroughly for any signs of life, mainly for Kairi, but for survivors too. He hadn't found anything to suggest that someone might have lived through the storm. He'd even found a few of his old friends under some piles of rubble and debris. Riku had never felt so helpless in his life.
The sun was sinking lower in the sky and he decided to give up completely. If she wanted to mourn their loss in peace it was none of his business. He retreated back to the small island for the night, making sure to leave a boat clearly visible on the beach for her. To occupy his time until he felt like sleeping, he began the tedious chore of cleaning up the harassed little island. He sorted through the piles of broken and battered wood and separated it between firewood and boards he could use for building.
xxxxxxx
Riku awoke with a start and stared up at the blazing sun. He sat up quickly and looked around him. He had fallen asleep while resting during the cleanup. He was even still holding a hammer he'd taken from the main island. 'Hmm, no sign of Kairi yet.' He hoped she was alright.
Looking down at himself he realized how harassed he looked. His hair fell around him in tangles and his clothes were dirty and stained. He sighed and check to make sure Kairi was no where in sight before slipping out of his thrashed outfit and putting on some swim shorts he'd found. He walked around the side of the island to the water fall and stepped beneath the stream. It felt nice in comparison to the heat from the sun. At least they had plenty of water, this waterfall was fed from an underground spring up above. He washed his hair out and tried to get rid of all the dirt and grime still clinging to his pale skin. Not bothering trying to dry off, he stepped from the flow and shook his hair out before continuing with his work. 'First of all, we're gonna need a fence around that waterfall.' he thought, the amusing image of one of them trying to actually shower in it popping into his head.
It was several hours later that he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and he spun around to look into Kairi's deep blue eyes. She looked miserable, but at the same time very happy to see him. He threw his tools to the side and hugged her tightly.
"I was so worried about you." He murmured, overjoyed that she had finally returned.
"I'm sorry, I just needed to sort everything out. It's not everyday that all the things you know and love disappear." She lowered her gaze, "Well, almost everything." She blushed but gave him a soft kiss on the cheek anyway. She turned away quickly when he gave her a surprised look.
"Look at me, I'm a mess. Did you find any other clothes I could wear?" She smiled brightly at him and he almost winced at how painfully forced it was. She was trying to see the best in the situation, and she was having a hard time with it.
"Yea, I got a lot of stuff from your house. I left it in the cave for you. There's some canned food and an opener and stuff in there, too, in case you're hungry." She smiled a real smile this time and gave him a small thanks before wandering into the cave.
Kairi emerged a few minutes later in a small tank top and shorts, complete with an open can of ravioli clutched in her hand. She munched on it quietly while she watched Riku work building what looked like the start of a shack next to the waterfall. She admired him happily as he worked, the muscles of his back flexing impressively as he lifted and moved materials and hammered them into place.
"You didn't grab me a swimsuit?" She asked in between bites. He nearly dropped the hammer and turned to scowl at her.
"The last time I suggested you wear a swimsuit you hit me. I figured it would be safer to let you find your own!" He said, trying to keep a straight face as she pouted at him.
"Whatever! I don't remember that!" She said accusingly.
"Okay, the next time I'm over there I'll pick up a handkerchief for you to use as a top." Her eyes widened and she growled angrily. She tried to kick sand at him but he just dodged it.
"No seriously, I'm going back over there in a little bit if there's anything you want me to pick up." Riku said as she finished her ravioli and tried to throw the can at him.
She shrugged. "A swimsuit, I won't even hit you. Maybe a blanket or two, I was freezing last night." When he gave her a suspicious look she laughed.
"Oh come on, you're my boyfriend now, remember?" She smiled innocently and walked away down the beach.
Riku stared after her, thinking about what she'd said. So she remembered that and had really been serious. He wondered how serious. He watched as she stood in the surf, letting the small waves wash over her feet. The sun glinted beautifully off of her soft red hair. He felt kind of awkward, thinking of her as being his girlfriend. She belonged to him and she knew that, she had even wanted it. It was so perfect it seemed like something should be wrong.
She glanced back and noticed him watching her. She couldn't help but stare back. He looked like an angel standing there, with his long silver hair flowing in the gentle ocean breeze, the sunlight making his aquamarine eyes sparkle. His posture was absolutely perfect, radiating a sense of peace and security around him. As if he was king of his domain. She supposed he was now, they were the only ones left. The muscles on his chest tensed for a moment and she realized she'd made him uncomfortable. He turned and began rearranging some tools he had been using, setting them on a piece of wood. When he had finished he turned and walked to his boat, pushing it back out over the beach to the water.
"Riku!" Kairi ran forward as he began wading out into the water with the boat. He stopped and looked up at her as she approached.
She flung her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. He hesitated awkwardly before wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her to him. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever experienced, nothing had ever felt so right. Stars exploded behind his eyes as the heat from her perfect lips seeped into him. All at once she broke away and smiled brightly at him. He blushed and gazed down at her dreamily.
"Be careful." She said gently as she walked away again. He nearly fell in his boat as he forced himself to turn around and go.
xxxxxxx
He hadn't been gone very long, mainly he had been looking for a lighter so they could light a fire. He jumped from his tiny boat, a plastic shopping bag clutched in his hand. He had picked up some blankets like Kairi had asked, and pulled them out after dragging the boat to shore. Kairi ran out of the cave to meet him.
"Oh, thank you! She took the blankets from him and ran back into the cave to put them away. When she came back he took the lighters out of the bag and handed it to her. She smiled and retreated into the cave again. He was almost afraid of what could possibly be going on it there.
She returned a few minutes later wearing a plain black bikini. She bounced over to him happily as he tried to resume working and hugged him.
"See? This swimsuit is great, thank you!" He blushed deeply as he felt her bare skin brush against his chest. She couldn't help but notice how red his face had gotten and smirked to herself. She brushed her hand across his stomach muscles as she walked by and watched him flinch. He was just too fun to pick on.
End of Chapter 3 Thanks for reading!