Riku had gotten home before Kairi. Home… it felt strange. They had some of their basics here in this flat. Clothes, some food, but nothing to really call it home. There wasn't even two bedrooms. Riku slept on the couch since Kairi won the argument about who would get the bedroom. Kairi was stubborn and Riku both admired her for that and resented her for it.
Their small apartment had three rooms. A bedroom, a bathroom and a living room/kitchen. They barely used the kitchen. There were fruits in the fridge and the counter was littered with potion, ether, and elixir bottles both empty and full. The place was a mess. Neither had the time or energy to clean. It was more like a weigh station. Just a place to sleep and clean up after exhausting themselves in another world.
But it still felt more like home than any other place they'd been to. Riku's clothes were scattered across the carpet, the coffee table had the various trophies he'd earned from Coliseum battles and Keychains their friends had given them. Riku didn't have much to his name here in Traverse Town. It didn't come unexpectedly, though. He planned to leave everything behind in Destiny Island when he and Kairi were going to try and leave on that tiny raft.
Riku grew to like this town. He liked to way he could come and go as he pleased and no one really bothered him. He was helping the multiverse and that was a drive to keep him going. If you had told him this was his way of life a little over a year ago, he would have laughed in your face. He was proud of how he grew and the connections he had made and the places he'd been. He couldn't believe he didn't want anything to do with Keyblades or doors or Keyholes in other worlds. He just wanted to explore.
And here he was. Looked to as a leader (behind Kairi who stepped up considerably) and a protector, he wielded his Keyblade with honor.
Riku was sleeping when Kairi came back. Her entrance usually woke him up, being the light sleeper he was. Grunting, he looked up at the girl. She had come back from a mission with Master Aqua and… Sora. The three of them went to retrieve Aqua's friend from some world. Kairi told Riku about it a little. He wasn't too interested in that. He was more interested on how a Keyblade Master was going to help them fight the darkness. If the Master had any ideas, Kairi hadn't shared them.
"Morning, Riku," Kairi greeted as she shed her cropped jacket and kicked off her shoes. Sometimes, Kairi didn't wait to get to her room to peel the funk of battle from her. Her socks and a few assortments of clothes were among Riku's.
"It's…" Riku looked at the wall clock. "Three in the morning. It took you that long to grab some kid?"
"Well, there were some complications." Kairi shrugged. "I'll tell you after I shower. You won't believe the day I had."
Riku took a moment to wake up as the girl went into the bathroom. She was alive and that was all that Riku cared about at the moment. Whatever happened, she made it back in one piece and without tears like so many missions had caused. After he heard the water begin to run, he decided some tea would be nice to drink while the two of them shared mission stories.
He dragged himself to his feet, shuffling over to the stove to prepare the drink. He needed more sleep. Hopefully, nothing would happen within the next hour to stop him from that. Riku yawned over the sink, looking out the window into the perpetually dark town. What he wouldn't give for some free time to check out the expanded fourth and fifth districts. He heard there were a botanical garden and an arena.
He supposed that would create more jobs, which was always good. Their own makeshift government helped to distribute jobs to generate income. While the electricity and water seemed to flow automatically in this town, it was still nice to start building a temporary economy.
When the kettle whistled, there came a knock at the door. Who was that at this time? If it was Cid coming to bother him about the damage sustained to the Gummy ship, he might just flip. Riku took the kettle off the burner before crossing to the door.
Opening it, the person standing before him was the last person he expected, although he probably should have. Sora grinned up at him. He was so happy all the time. So friendly. It made it hard not to like him. Something about him made Riku feel… like it was wrong. Like he shouldn't be here. He wished he could explain why.
"Hey, Riku. Did Kairi go to sleep yet?" Sora asked. Didn't he just spend the whole—what was it—a week?—with her? Time melded together for him. What could he need right at this minute?
Riku debated lying to him and slamming the door in his face. What if it was something important? Riku sighed. "No. She's in the shower."
"Oh, okay," the boy rolled on his heels. He wasn't wearing shoes. Why would he come by without shoes? "I'll come by later then. Sorry for waking you up."
"You didn't, ah," Riku rubbed his forehead. "Come in. She'll be out in a bit."
Sora's eyes brightened as he strode in past Riku when the boy widened the door for him. Riku shut the door behind him, turning back to the counter to offer him tea. Sora accepted, so Riku made three cups. He glanced back at the boy, noting the metal device strapped to his sleeve. It was exactly like the one Kairi left for him.
Riku sat at the tiny rounded table offering for Sora to take a seat. Setting the cups down, he leaned back to look anywhere but at Sora. Be hospitable. Be courteous. Kairi would yell at you if you were rude. At least be decent to the guy who used to be like a brother to you.
Those were the key words: used to. Riku didn't know Sora at all anymore. They were friends since they were born, grew up together, then Sora vanished. Riku was six at the time and completely devastated by it. He spent the next five or so years obsessively investigating what he could about the case, only there was so much you could do when you were ten. He thought he was so grown up then.
He supposed it was because of Sora he wanted to leave Destiny Island. He felt like he needed to expand his reach to find the answers he was looking for. He knew the lady was not from their world and only wanted to find her to make her pay for what she did to his friend.
When everyone else had given up on Sora, Riku had not. Eventually, it wore him down. He gave up. The boy was probably dead somewhere. It hurt, yeah. But he eventually let it all go. He moved on after so long. Why live in the past?
The past caught up to him. And it was awkward. Sora had become such a distant memory yet the other tried to act like it was so fresh. He friendly, as Riku remembered. He smiled as if no time had passed. He laughed. He praised Riku for his skill. Why would he do that? Sora had this… amazing power, yet, he thought what Riku could do was amazing?
Riku watched as Sora tried to sip his tea. He covered his lips, a grin peeking through his fingers. "It's hot." He said as if it were the best thing in the world. Burning your mouth was a good thing? This guy was so weird.
"So, what brings you around?" Riku asked after getting tired of the weird silence. For him it was weird. If Sora felt awkward, he didn't show it.
"Ven woke up," Sora said. Riku didn't quite understand. Was that supposed to mean something important? "Turns out, his heart was hiding out in mine."
Riku furrowed his brow. None of what he said made sense. Riku didn't care enough to ask him to elaborate. He was too tired and maybe a little hungry which meant he didn't want to deal with bull. Maybe he'd ask Kairi later, since it seemed she might understand what was happening, but right now, he didn't think he had the capacity to process it properly.
More silence. The water continued to run. Kairi usually took insanely long showers if she was wired after a mission. This one must have been good. He was happy for her but at the same time wished she'd hurry up so he wouldn't be left alone with Sora.
That was when he realized this was the first time they were alone together.
Kairi, please hurry.
Sora exhaled loudly, leaning against his palm. He frowned at Riku, yet his eyes showed only kindness. It made it hard to be mad at him. He felt guilty even though he was sure he didn't do anything wrong.
"It's okay, you know." Sora quietly. "If you don't like me. I get it."
Oh, damn. Riku felt like a deer caught in the headlights. He couldn't think of anything to say.
"We were kids. You've made more connections. You've changed, I've changed. I get it. But, I want you to know we'll always be on the same side. You fight for the Light, and I do too. So, let's at least work together, okay?" Sora suggested with a half-shrug. "You've got double the amount of Keyblade wielders now and we're all fighting for the same thing. So, I'll back off if you try not to be so weird. Deal?"
He hesitated, taken completely aback by what the other was saying. He felt Riku's discomfort and took it for what it was in stride. He didn't throw a fit, like Riku expected. He didn't get angry and demand why. He didn't try to fight Riku. He didn't hate Riku back. He was… very grown up about it. Unlike Riku.
Riku snorted. That was funny. He only remembered Sora as a child and how pouty he was when he lost and how he got upset with other kids didn't like him. He grew up more than Riku, which was something he did not expect.
Riku held out a hand. "Deal."
Sora grabbed it, shaking it firmly.
This time, the silence was comfortable. Riku sipped his tea when it cooled, Sora following his lead. It felt easier knowing Sora wasn't expecting anything from Riku. They weren't going to pick up where they left off, they weren't going to reminisce on old time, and they weren't going to be best friends again.
For Riku that place was already taken by Kairi. He had long since gotten over his crush on her. After she rejected him, he reevaluated himself and realized why it wouldn't really work out. They just weren't romantically compatible. After actually living with the girl, Riku figured if they became involved, it wouldn't have lasted long. They could spend only so much time together before they got tired of the other's crap. Friends? Yes. They went together very well. They could tell each other everything, even some things Riku would rather not hear. More than friends? The thought repulsed Riku.
"So, you have one of those, too?" Riku pointed to the device on Sora's arm.
Sora nodded. "Yeah. Aqua made them. Didn't you get Kairi's note?"
"Yeah, but, I really don't get what she meant."
Sora laughed. "Go get it, I'll show you how it works."
Riku crossed over to his table to grab the armor. It didn't look like it would protect much more than your shoulder and bicep. Seemed pretty useless to him. He brought it back to Sora who showed him how to put it on. Sora then stood up, holding his hand just above his device.
"Now, watch this. It's really easy."
Sora hit it and was soon engulfed in light. It blinded Riku momentarily. As he tried to blink the spots from his vision, he looked Sora up and down. Oh. Wow. That's what she meant by armor. Riku slammed a fist on the button, feeling cool light wash over him. There they stood in the middle of the room decked in head to toe with armor. It was pretty neat. Riku flexed, twisted, and rotated his arm, amazed at how light and versatile it was. He didn't feel restricted at all.
"Aqua taught Kairi how to make to, so if you need more you'll just have to find the materials."
"Shouldn't be a problem," Riku said, pressing the button again to release the armor. He took the armor off, setting it on the table. Sora released his own armor to sit back down and drink his tea.
Sometime when Sora was showing Riku how to work the armor, Kairi must have made it to her room to change. She walked out, rubbing her hair dry with a blue towel, smiling at the two of them with a knowing smirk. He hated when she gave that smirk. It always made him feel on edge.
"Are you two getting along?" Kairi asked, sitting in the free chair and pulling the full cup of tea close.
"We don't have much choice," Riku huffed. "We don't want to suffer the wrath of Princess Kairi."
If looks could kill, he'd be a bloody mess on the floor. He knew how much she hated that nickname. Well… more like title since they had found out she actually was a princess. It came as a shock to all everyone, yet, nothing had changed between them. She didn't choose to be a princess and she made it very clear. She proved herself to be a warrior. Not quite as good as Riku, but still strong enough to hold her own.
"So, Sora," Kairi turned to him. "What are you doing here?"
"Ven woke up," Sora told her, his voice hinted confused and loss. With her, his tone was more engaging. Riku knew it was because Kairi actually knew what he was talking about.
She grew silent. "But.. his heart was gone. There was nothing within him."
"Like a Nobody?" Riku asked. Was Aqua's friend a Nobody? If so, Riku wasn't so sure about this retrieval mission. If there was a Nobody in their midst, he didn't think he could handle it.
"No," Kairi shook her head. "Like, his heart was just gone. With Nobodies, there's this void, you know? With Ven it was just… hollow. So, he's been sleeping for the past eleven years because of it."
"I still don't exactly understand it myself," Sora chewed his lip. "Ven tried to explain it, but… he's still kind of out of it. His heart was hiding out in mine. His heart connected with his body when I touched him and it just… came out of me." Sora motioned his hands to his chest, bursting out.
"He kind of explained how our hearts connected when I was born because his was fractured. Xehanort pulled all of the darkness from his heart and left broken." Sora shook his head. "He wasn't really keen to explain. He was more concerned about what happened after he lost his heart. He asked where Terra was and I figured he and Aqua could use some time to catch up. So I came down here. I dunno. I just needed to tell someone."
Kairi smiled, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Everything will settle and Ven will tell us what he knows. Don't worry."
Sora squirmed. "I just… I don't know how I could have had another person's heart in mine without knowing it. I thought I had a pretty good handle on it, you know?"
Riku felt bad for the guy. He was lost. He probably felt like he was missing something and didn't know how to take this new discovery.
"The heart has many secrets," Riku said, folding his arms. "What we know doesn't even scratch the surface. We can never hope to know what hides in the heart."
Sora seemed to find some comfort in that. He sighed, leaning back and fiddling with the chain of his zipper. Riku wondered if Sora was jealous of Ven. He and Master Aqua had been together for as long as Sora could remember and now her attention was focused on another.
Nah. Sora didn't seem like the type to get jealous.
"I should have figured," Sora shook his head out. "DiZ used to study the heart, but stopped because it was inhumane."
DiZ? Oh, right. The man that raised Sora.
"Nobody could have guess anything like that could happen," Kairi pointed out. "That's kind of amazing. You are just full of surprises, aren't you?"
Sora shook his head. "Not really. It's you guys that are amazing." He looked between them. "You've been fighting against the darkness. Doing good with the strength you were given. You guys definitely have the right stuff it takes to be a Keyblade Master. I just have a lot of… I don't really know what to call it."
"Heart," Kairi snickered.
"That's not even funny." Riku told her flatly. Riku did not like puns. Especially when Kairi felt the need to use them. Which was a lot. She thought she was real funny and clever. Sora was lucky it went right over his head.
"Okay, so heart things aside, tell me about the unbelievable day you two had." Riku quickly changed the subject before Kairi could make another joke. The two were glad for a change of subject. And, yes, Riku would not have believed the day they had. They went up against three Nobodies? Sure, Aqua and Sora could probably have taken them down, but Kairi? Her? Fight them? And come out victorious? If Sora wasn't going on about how awesome she was and the fact that Kairi never lied, Riku would have called her on her bluff.
He couldn't believe they got away from the Nobodies. Then again, only three of them chased after them. What would have happened if all six attacked?
"Did any of them follow you?" Riku asked. Kairi and Sora looked at each other. Looks like it wasn't something they considered. Riku sighed heavily. They've hidden out pretty well, considering all the enemies they fought against. He didn't think they knew their location quite yet.
"I don't think so," Sora shrugged. "They aren't in my range anyway."
Range. Like he could sense them. How far did his range reach? Was it enough to cover the district? The town? The world? Riku wouldn't be surprised either way. He wondered what else this guy could do and if it could be put to any use. Riku considered it for a moment… maybe he could use Sora to help protect this world.
He just needed to know the extent of it.
I've been super excited to write as Riku! This was a fun chapter.