"Peace of Mind" and the general concept of "Peace of Mind" is completely copyright Orin Drake 2006. All characters contained within are owned by Square-Enix and Disney.

Background: Cool, dark fall days do something to me. Plus all of the KH2:FM/ReCOM news and lengthy philosophical conversations I've had recently... oh yeah.

Peace of Mind
by Orin Drake

The universe had no right to saddle two boys with the responsibility of holding it together. Two dreamers, full of wonder and innocence, shown every last horror in the nature of existence--and expected to live with them all.

Guilt. Shame. Heartbreak. Misery. Confusion and aching and longing... So mixed up. Involved in things even world-weary immortals had never seen.

There were snide remarks. "Can't go home again, anyway." Sora might have reacted with a shrugged kind of half-smile in soft disagreement... but Riku, even at his most beaten down, spat a vibrant, "And what happens when you're responsible for your home and everyone you've ever loved being destroyed?"

Not a question easily answered. There were quite a lot of those questions. "What happens to a Nobody who never finds their heart?" was one of Sora's--surprisingly as much Sora's as it was Roxas'. He only gave voice to such a notion on those chill fall nights where loneliness, despite how many people loved and supported him, took hold like a tangible thing. And then, suddenly, so did Riku--he'd always wrap the boy in his arms and find himself without words, throat closing with the sharp pain as he tried to hold back his emotion. Seeing Sora with even the least bit of sadness... it wasn't right. No universe that would do these things to young boys was right.

Kairi had relegated herself to watching. Like some guardian, some archaic temple figure standing above a door to make any would-be intruders think twice before stepping on sacred ground. Admittedly, she could only share so much of what the Keyblade Masters did--and perhaps, as others had danced around but never quite stated, she should be glad for it. Instead, it hurt her more; there was only so much she could say to comfort her best friends before they had to take their leave... and she knew Namine's memories. The horrible things that had happened to the Nobodies in those castles... she could truly only imagine what may have befallen the two boys.

Namine and Roxas found some degree of comfort in one another, but really... it wasn't quite the same. She knew he was missing someone. Maybe multiple someones in different ways--either way, he was missing. Longing. Waiting beneath the surface, constantly wondering. It wasn't that he couldn't find long moments of happiness, it was simply that he hated them sometimes. They were so easily brushed aside.

Even if they all found comfort in one another... that was only one happy ending in a field of remarkably sad ones. Painful, the likes of which no creature of any age or world should ever have to understand. Let alone endure.

The most painful part, though... the thing that remained unspoken and yet lurking over them all... if--and more likely when--their help was asked again, they would not hesitate to do so. At any price, any cost; because no one else should ever endure it. Chalk it up to strong hearts or pitifully loyal determination... but they would lose themselves defending the universe that tried to tear them apart rather than let these things happen to another. Peace of mind... was meant for other people.