The Night Within My Eyes

Description: A sequel to Kingdom Hearts II. When a Gummi Ship crashes into Disney Castle, King Mickey calls on Sora and Riku to help a previously unknown world rid itself of some very familiar Heartless. Eventual pairing: RikuxOC, plus some SoraxKairi because they're cute. Rated T because I can't see myself ever writing K.

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and its characters are the property of Square-Enix. But you knew that already.

Two

Riku leaned against a coconut tree with folded arms and watched Sora's reunion with Donald and Goofy in quiet amusement. The pair's enthusiasm had once again knocked Sora into the water, although from the younger boy's laughter, he didn't seem to mind. Riku smiled slightly. At first he had been so jealous of the deep friendship the three had created, but now he knew that those two were no threat to him and Kairi. Sora didn't replace friends with others; his heart was big enough for them all.

Beside him, Kairi giggled. "He's getting soaked. Think we should go rescue him?"

"Nah, he's fine. Let him be." Riku's gaze wandered over the Gummi Ship that had landed half on the beach and half in the water. What had happened at the castle that would cause the King to call them back so abruptly? He closed his eyes and visualized the letter that had arrived only a few days before. He had read it so many times that the words had practically burned themselves into his brain:

Dear Sora, Riku, and Kairi,

I hope this letter finds you well and that you are enjoying our time of peace. Unfortunately, that time may be coming to an end. Disturbing news has been brought to my attention, and I would like to discuss it with the three of you. I am sending Donald and Goofy to escort you to the castle. I ask you to please do me this favor for the sake of our worlds.

Your friend and comrade,

Mickey Mouse

Riku opened his eyes again, his brow furrowed in thought. The King had been vague, as usual. It didn't matter how many times he ran them through his head; he would get no more answers from those words. So, the sooner they left, the sooner they would find out what had happened. He straightened up and advanced on the three standing in the shallows. Kairi followed, confused by what seemed to her to be a sudden action from her quiet friend.

"Hiya, Riku!" Goofy called to him as he approached.

Riku gave him a half-hearted wave in response before turning to his best friend. "So, Sora, are we ready to go?"

"Okay, sure," Sora grinned, but his face fell when Kairi entered his view. He stepped around Riku to address her. "Um, Kairi, I really wish you would stay here. It might be dangerous, and -"

Kairi sighed dramatically and planted her fists on her hips. "Sora, we've been through this already. The King asked for all three of us, so I'm going. End of discussion. Besides," she smiled playfully at him, "if there is any danger, I'll be safest with you. Do I have to remind you that the last time you two went off without me, I ended up spending an uncomfortably long time in a nasty dungeon?"

Sora flinched slightly before he recovered and rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish grin on his open face. Riku swallowed a smile at his involuntary reaction. Kairi had a definite point. Previously, Riku had done what he could to help her escape from Axel, but he had not been able to stop her abduction by Saïx and he had needed Naminé's help to free her. Now, Naminé was gone, and he had lost his powers of darkness. As much as he sympathized with Sora's desire to keep her away from danger, he had to admit that danger had a habit of finding them and the ones they loved.

"Let her come, Sora," he advised. "It's not like you have a choice anyway." Kairi turned to him at that and scrunched up her face in mock-annoyance.

"Yeah," Donald interjected. "Our guest is awfully pretty. Kairi's gonna have to keep an eye on Sora to make sure he behaves, huh, Goofy?" He subsided into a string of sniggers.

"Naw," Goofy replied with a wide grin. "Sora'd never betray Kairi. Not after all he's done for her." Kairi giggled as Sora flushed red. "Anyways," Goofy continued, his voice dropping to a scared whisper, "she looks pretty spooky to me. Her eyes remind me of a Heartless."

"Aw, phooey," Donald grumbled, stomping his foot in anger. "You're no fun."

Riku took a breath to question the two, but thankfully Sora asked for him. "Guest? What guest? Does this have something to do with the King's message? What's going on anyway?"

Donald and Goofy exchanged glances, and Donald shrugged. "We don't know everything either. Let's go, and we'll tell you what we do know on the way."

They all climbed into the Gummi Ship. After a brief spat between Sora and Donald over who would get to drive, involving more than a few flying feathers, the three teens settled into chairs in the back of the cockpit. Goofy turned around in his seat to address them as Donald muttered darkly to himself from the pilot's seat.

"All right then, let's see. It all started about a week ago when this strange Gummi Ship kersplashed down in the middle of the castle garden."

"A strange ship?" Sora interrupted. "Whose was it?"

"We didn't know. And me and Donald still don't know. It looked like it had been all shot up, and the back-end had fallen off. When we opened it up, the two people inside were hurt real bad. They were both un-cud-shush."

"Unconscious!" Donald corrected.

"Yup, and she stayed like that for a while. When she finally woke up, she talked to the King, but he didn't tell us what she said. Only that we hadta come get you."

"Wait a minute," Riku interjected. "You said two people came out of the ship, but then you switched over to just one, this 'she' you've been talking about. What happened to the other one?"

Goofy's entire body sagged, even his hat. "The feller … he didn't make it."

Kairi's hand flew to her mouth. "That's terrible," she gasped. Sora just stared, and even Riku could not hide his surprise. A death in Disney Castle? Had such a thing ever happened before in its entire history? The King's letter suddenly seemed much more serious and ominous than it had previously.

"So basically that's all me and Donald know," Goofy continued, trying to shake off the sadness that had gripped him. "When the girl woke up, she wouldn't talk to nobody but King Mickey, and he wouldn't tell us a thing. Told us to wait until we got you three, and then he'd tell everyone at once. He's been real serious, though, so it can't be good news." He nodded his head sagely.

"Sora," Kairi said softly. "I have a really bad feeling about all of this."

"Yeah," he agreed. Then, he sat up and, turning in his seat, smiled brightly at her. "But it'll be okay. Whatever it is, we can handle it."

His confidence slowly brought a smile to her lips as well, and she reached out and took his hand. He intertwined his fingers with hers and sat back in his seat again, letting their joined hands fall comfortably in the space between them. Kairi leaned back also, happiness tingeing her cheeks a delicate pink.

Riku looked away, fighting in vain against the sorrow that swept over him. Why did it hurt to see them so happy? He had gotten over his crush on Kairi a while ago, so that wasn't the reason. Maybe it was the fact that they were so happy. The two of them had a bond that went far beyond friendship, a promise that even individually they would never be alone. And Riku, who had spent so much time alone in the dark and who had thought he would remain there indefinitely, had no such bond. Oh, he could have had a girlfriend if he wanted to - Selphie would have fallen over herself at the chance to date him - but what Sora and Kairi had was more than just that.

He smiled wryly to himself. Jealous of Sora again, are you? Maybe so. But this time he wouldn't let it affect his loyalty to his friend. And there was always the chance that he would find someone for himself eventually. Although … No, he had already traveled to numerous worlds, and, even though he hadn't had the opportunity to chat up any girls, he had seen enough to know none of them were right for him. Face it, Riku, he thought sadly to himself. The girl for you just doesn't exist.

But then, as he looked over at Sora and Kairi again, talking and laughing lightly together while their linked hands swayed back and forth, he remembered how Sora had smiled at him and told him not to give up hope. "You gotta try and think positive." A small smile crept into Riku's face. All right then, he would try. There were many worlds, after all, and if he had learned anything through his adventures, it was that just about anything could happen.

A/N: I really don't like writing for Donald and Goofy. For one thing, the Grammar Nazi in me goes into convulsions ... twitch ... twitch ...