Author' Note: Okie…so…after some hardcore pimping on my part, this story finally got a little bit of attention! Wooo! I realize that most of its lack of appeal has to do with the fact that all the characters in the first chapter are originals. Well, here come the good old familiar ones! Enjoy!

Oh, also, there's a slight issue with time that I had to work out. So, I just kind of assumed that the amount of time that passed from the beginning of Kingdom Hearts to the end of Kingdom Hearts 2 (including CoM and the year between its end and KH2's start) was a total of two years. So, deal with it.

The Starfall Exequies

Chapter One: "Stepping Forward"

Sora woke slowly, drifting silently away from his dreams, his eyes fluttering open. As the familiar view of his ceiling came into focus, he sighed contentedly, smiling and snuggling into his blankets. He still hadn't gotten used to home yet; to his bed, his mother, his friends.

He still couldn't let himself get used to home, couldn't shake the seed of worry in the back of his mind. Every step he took was placed on a ground he was sure would crack and melt away into darkness. Every time he turned out the lights he watched the shadows for that too familiar shift of black and those blinking amber orbs – the same amber he was terrified he would see shining behind clear emerald every time he looked into Riku's eyes.

Every time these things happened, whenever doubt curled in the corners of his mind, Sora could almost feel the weight of the Keyblade hover, unseen, between his waiting fingers. It was never there, but he could feel it, knew that it would come if he needed it.

Lately, its presence had been stronger, thrumming with silent warnings and reassurance all at once.

It began with the dreams; dreams of dried, dying fields, littered with the skeletons of countless Keyblades…and those three, strange soldiers.

And then came the King's letter. When Kairi found it, Sora knew. The fight was not over. There was a new threat, new heartless…

And Sora was stuck here, completely unable to act.

Home was nice. It was more than nice. He couldn't have asked for anything more. But he had a duty to uphold. Countless worlds, and even more people, were counting on him. He couldn't just give up and let the stars fade because it was convenient for him.

Growling, Sora rolled out of bed, quickly throwing on some clothes before rushing down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Good morning, sweetie!" his mother crooned happily, placing a messy kiss on his cheek. Two years ago he would have groaned and pushed her away, wincing as he wiped off her kiss.

But now…he just smiled, because, it was different now. It had been, ever since the darkness, and it always would be, even if he hadn't received the King's letter the other day.

"Morning," he murmured back.

"Off to the island again today?"

"Yeah."

"Just be home in time for dinner, okay?" she said, reaching over to ruffle his hair.

Sora nodded, before looking at his mother almost pleadingly and tentatively whispering, "Can Kairi and Riku come for dinner?"

"Of course!" she cried, before sighing and smiling in that soft way that only a mother can. "It seems like forever since I've last seen them. They're good kids. Sora, I'm proud of you and your friends. If the three of you put your minds to it, you can change the world. Remember that."

Before everything, before the darkness, Sora would have rolled his eyes, wondered how a kid like him could ever change the world. Now, he had, even more than his mother could ever know. With that thought, a pang of disappointment wrenched Sora's gut.

His mother didn't know about his fight against the darkness. She couldn't be proud of her son. If she had known, she would have shouted it to the world, beaming with pride.

Or, she would keep it in her heart and smother him, silently worrying about her little boy, never finding a moment's rest as she paced and wrung her hands and grew years older with every passing second.

But when he was gone, she didn't remember him. She would feel some part of herself missing, Kairi had told him as much. She had visited his mother when he was gone, when neither of them remembered him, and had told him that she'd said she felt something missing, but did not, like Kairi, know it was him. That missing piece was just some vague idea. Something that should be but was not. Not someone. Something.

She, his own mother, would forget, again. She would forget how he looked, what he sounded like, his smile…how much he loved her…everything.

But maybe it was better that way.

"You okay, honey?" she asked, eyes narrowed in concern as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah…I'm fine," he murmured distractedly.

"Are you sure? If something's wrong, you can tell me."

"I know, Mom. I'm sure. Everything will be fine."

"Sora…" she chided softly, questioningly.

"I'm fine. I promise," Sora murmured, placing a hand over hers and leaning in to plant a quick kiss on her cheek.

She smiled, that soft mother's smile again, and nodded before pushing him away and laughing.

"Get moving, you! I'm getting sick of your mush," she chirped with a toss of her head and a bright smile.

As he left, Sora laughed, and the sound of it seemed to cheer his mother, though he barely felt it himself. Mostly, he'd laughed for her sake. Laughter had seemed so far away since the King's letter arrived. But she had forgotten it, and would forget again soon.

What did she remember, about those lost years? Kairi remembered what it had been like to forget, but he assumed that Kairi's case was special. After all, she had never truly forgotten him. The others had, she said, but she remembered. She only forgot most of him, like a dream, she'd once told him.

So how did Selphie and Wakka and Tidus, and his mother, how did they explain those lost years, when he was gone?

And why had they remembered Riku, and Kairi?

He still had so many questions about the darkness, questions he was afraid to ask. If he asked, and found answers he would, undoubtedly, find more questions. And if he kept asking those new questions, finding answers, and asking even more questions, wouldn't he…

Wouldn't he end up just like Xehanort?

It wasn't easy, home. Not after everything had changed so very much. Not when he knew it would soon change again, but did not know when, or how to reverse it this time.

Curling his fingers and clenching his jaw, Sora concentrated on the always present, reassuring whisper of the Keyblade. He wrapped his mind around its distant murmurs and pulled at them, beginning to feel the blade take shape.

But his fingers remained empty. The air between them had changed, shifted and cooled, and felt almost solid. Almost.

Not too long ago the Keyblade would have sprung up into his hands instantly, the very material it was made of oozing excitement and eager for the coming fight.

Now, with all of his willpower and strength and desire, he could barely feel it. It just kind of…hung there…trapped between his thoughts and reality, refusing to surface. Or, perhaps, unable to.

That last thought terrified Sora, sending small tremors through his frame.

What would he do if he couldn't use the Keyblade? The worlds would crumble. Stars would fall. Kairi would…

And Riku…

Pouting resolutely, Sora pushed away all thoughts of darkness and lost years and forced himself to get used to being home.

Because, even if there were worlds falling and stars fading, he did not know how to save them.

Not anymore.

"…we might not be able to come back."

Whenever Sora set foot on Paopu Island, he remembered.

"There's no turning back."

He remembered it. Every time. He remembered and he prayed and hoped, every time they locked eyes, every time he crossed that bridge, that this time, he would forget to remember.

"I'm not afraid of the darkness!"

Breathing in deeply, and clenching his fists, setting his mind against dark memories and forcing his lips to spread into a smile he knew was forced, he stepped forward, off of the worn planks and onto the soft sand.

"Riku!" he called, running towards that leaning tree his friend was so fond of. When he was younger, Sora always thought that it was leaning for the sea, reaching out, trying to hold the water.

Silly tree, he would think, it will only slip away.

"Hey," he chirped, clambering to rest next to his friend, who smiled softly at him.

"Take care of her."

That smile…it always made him remember. That smile that had melted Riku's features that day, long, long ago, when the door was closed.

"Mom says to invite you and Kairi over for dinner tonight."

"I'll be there," Riku replied, tossing his head so that his wispy, starlight bangs fell back, revealing his bright eyes. Sora was relieved to find no hint of yellow there, and he wondered when he would be able to look at Riku without worrying about amber.

"She…she told me to remember, that if the three of us put our minds to it, we can change the world."

The silver-haired boy blinked silently at him, his smile saddening ever so slightly.

"She's right," he whispered after a moment.

Sora laughed. Sora laughed and he, maybe, meant it. It was only with Riku that he could laugh like that now.

"Yeah, she is."

"If the world is made of light and darkness…"

Sora turned his head away quickly. He didn't like it when he remembered. Riku could always tell when he was remembering, and Riku…

Well, Riku always seemed saddened by it. Sora knew that the older teen blamed himself for much of what happened, but Sora also knew that he was to blame.

He knew what Riku's reason for turning to the darkness was, and he was that reason.

"We'll be the darkness."

"Riku - "

"Sora, don't," Riku interrupted, placing a hand on Sora's shoulder and smiling at him.

Nodding, Sora smiled back. There was one thing that he remembered at times like these, one thing he remembered and did not want to forget.

It hadn't been so bad, being alone with Riku in the dark realm. The prospect of being there, forever, being the darkness itself…it hadn't seemed so scary, so…wrong…not if Riku was going to be beside him through it all.

"It's always closer than you think."

"I've figured it out," a soft, feminine voice called from the edge of the island. Kairi was standing near the bridge, hands clasped behind her back, a small, forced smile cracking her porcelain skin.

"What?" Sora asked, turning to look at the girl as she moved slowly towards them.

"The letter. The King's letter."

"What about it?" Riku shrugged.

"We need to answer it! We can't go out there by ourselves, we know that. But, if we answer the letter, maybe the King can send someone to get us!"

"What do you mean?" the brunette asked again, pouting to himself.

"The King wrote us a letter, a message in a bottle. Sora, you found my message in the Darkness, didn't you?"

"He did," Riku answered, not bothering to wait for Sora to answer himself.

"So we can assume that the King would get our message, if we sent it out, in a bottle!"

"Hey! Yeah!" Sora cried, bounding off of the tree and clapping his hands together happily.

Finally, something was happening. If this worked, he could fight again. He wouldn't have to worry about his mother and Kairi and Riku…because he'd be doing something about it.

Kairi smiled at him and nodded before her violet eyes were cast downward and her feet dug into the sand.

"Don't…don't leave me behind this time, okay?" she whispered.

"Kairi…"

"I mean it, Sora. You left me last time. Both of you did! I know you're going to say I'm safer here, and I know both of you are going to fight. And…I'm coming with you this time."

"Kairi, there's a reason we'd say that," Riku chided.

"I don't care, Riku!" the girl snapped. "I don't want…I just don't want to be left behind anymore, okay? Is that so much to ask?"

Sora worried his lower lip and cast a glance over at Riku, who shrugged and sighed in defeat.

"Okay, Kairi. You can come this time," the small teen muttered.

"Good," Kairi answered, brushing a lock of auburn hair behind her ear and sniffling.

Sora nodded, and Kairi turned on her heel, promising to meet up with them later and murmuring a soft 'thank you'.

"Sora…" Riku whispered as the two watched their friend disappear into the shack.

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to lose you this time."

The brunette turned, casting a bewildered gaze at the older teen, who was staring resolutely into the sun.

Something in Sora's heart swelled, and he reached out to grab hold of Riku's hand, pressing his thumb into the other's palm.

"I don't want to lose you this time, either."