A/N: Heeeey. So I wanted to try out of writing exercise where you rewrite a scene or story. This is a rewrite of chapter 4. I hope there's a noticeable amount of improvement in eight years! I like to think there is.
X
Riku's steps are slow and there is a sharp noise, pounding in his head.
The air is crisp and cold as autumn, dust stirs even when his footsteps stop. His breath fogs in the darkness and his chest turns hard as stone and he realizes that the pounding in his head is his heart.
At his feet is Kairi, a neutral smile on her lips, hair wild and spread out on the pavement around her head, like a halo. Nearby is Sora, laid out on his side- he can't see his friend's face. Keyblades in their hands, grip fallen, slipping out of their fingers.
Riku jerks back, his hand raised up to his mouth, trying to resist the urge to vomit. However he can't help the tears and he shakes and shakes and shakes. He wishes this wasn't real. He tries to stand tall but the gravity of the situation pulls him to his knees.
X
His eyes snapped open. They widened in the dark. He heard the cool summer wind blow from the window, curtain flapping soft as a pair of wings.
It was a dream, he told himself, sighing. Though that did little to quell his pounding heart, the dream as vivid as a memory. He was nervous to look down at the bed, everything seemed to stop as he went over Sora's body, limp as he slept. The breath he had been holding released when the young man rolled over, murmuring in his sleep.
"Riku?" He turned to his other side where Kairi was, her lips only visible in the moonlight, tight with concern.
"Just a dream." He shrugged.
The redhead's lips thinned and she took his hand. Their fingers interwove immediately and he squeezed her hand. He reached for Sora's hand too and closed his eyes, thankful for their warmth.