Chapter 10
Riku and Lea remained distant for the remainder of the journey. They made it to the point of safe passage in a day of quiet, tense walking.
Riku had made a point of memorizing the key landmarks of the area, but had left a small token hidden away to make absolutely sure. The realm of Darkness might play tricks on him after all, so best to be safe.
Concealed in a hollow formed beneath the roots of one of the many old, gnarled trees in the area was a simple black stone with the Spirit Dream Eater sigil inscribed on it. It was something Heartless or prying eyes would easily overlook, but to Riku, it had meaning. It was the mark he wore on his back during the Mark of Mastery exam, when he unknowingly acted as a dream eater for Sora. He had adopted it as his personal insignia shortly afterwards, since he felt the symbol of a guardian spirit was more befitting of his current self, not the heartless insignia he used to carry.
"Here it is..." Riku said, pocketing the small stone after he retrieved it. He instructed all three of them to use their keyblades as he did to create a portal large enough to accommodate them. The Moogle, who was not armed in such a manner, instead clung onto Aqua's arm and channeled some of his mana into her. The familiar glow of light encircled all four of them, and soon they vanished, returning to the Realm of Light.
They immediately reappeared in Yen Sid's study, where Sora and the old wizard stood, as though expecting them.
"You're finally back!" Sora exclaimed, throwing himself at Riku and taking him in an embrace strong enough to knock the air out of Riku's lungs.
"Yes, Sora, we're all fine... now... do you mind... I can't... breathe like this!" Sora loosened his grip on his best friend and stood back to get a better look at him.
"But you look so pale though!" He exclaimed. "You finally managed to get some color back after that incident, and now you look like a ghost again!" After that remark, Riku stared indignantly at Lea, who had began to laugh, and turned back to Sora.
"It's a long story..." He told him, to quickly be interrupted by Yen Sid.
"You keep forgetting I have sensory abilities. I know exactly what happened to you. Now, if you don't have any objections, can I have a look? I want to see how well your arm is healing."
Riku gave no protest, quickly taking off his cloak and exposing his arm to Yen Sid. There was almost nothing left to examine, Aqua's ministrations had reduced the wound on Riku's arm to a thin red cut that was healing quickly. Yen Sid looked it over more closely though, making sure all traces of infection had cleared up. He looked up quickly, praising Aqua for her work.
"I see your knowledge of the healing arts has not been neglected, Aqua. You've done a really good job, you might have even prevented the wound from scarring, which is not an easy feat when infection plays a role."
"You would be surprised what kind of techniques I have learned in the time I spent there. I was hoping to one day be able to spread the knowledge on to those in the realm of Light."
"Yes, especially with the upcoming war on our hands, spreading a little knowledge of healing in wilderness situations would be a wise investment. But, we can look to that later. You all must be exhausted from your journey, go and get some rest. Sora, perhaps you could show Aqua where she'll be staying."
XXXXXXXX
Riku faced the spray of a warm shower, lost in his own thoughts. He had retired to his own room as soon as Yen Sid dismissed them, wanting to wash the grime of several days' travel away. Yet the water would not wash away the numerous scars Riku had received since the start of his journey. Each one of them was a memento of the battles he had fought to keep Sora safe.
He would gladly give up his own life protecting him, but sometimes he found himself wondering just what he would leave behind if it came to that. He knew Sora would be heartbroken and would probably not be far behind if Riku died, not even Donald, Goofy, or Kairi could fill the void.
He also knew that he would probably take his own life if he ever lost Sora. He had been through too much for him, and to just lose him after all that, it would feel like he endured all that pain and sorrow for nothing. Sora was his one grip on sanity, his smiling face, his forgiving and supportive nature, it could make Riku forget who he was for awhile, and just be a boy again. Nobody else had that effect on him.
He got out of the shower, dried himself, and dressed, grateful to finally be free of that hot, itchy cloak. Going back to his bedroom, he found that Sora had climbed in his bed and fallen asleep while he was bathing. He always did that after one of them had returned home from a mission, it was a sign of haw badly he missed Riku. He paid no mind to it, deciding to climb in himself. The journey had worn him out, now what he wanted most was a long, deep sleep. He didn't fear nightmares so much when Sora was around, knowing he'd be right there to remind him he was safe and alive if it did happen.
Sora rolled over and clutched Riku to himself like he was a teddy bear shortly after the older boy climbed in the bed. It normally annoyed him whenever Sora did such a thing, but this time, it had a soothing effect on his mind. That nightmare had been lingering in the back of his thoughts for some time now, so the boy's closeness served to confirm the knowledge that he was alive and well.
XXXXXXXX
Aqua was having difficulty with her own thoughts that night. She was grateful to be free of the realm of Darkness, as was the Moogle, who had taken up residence on the shelf of one of Yen Sid's wardrobes. The old wizard had offered him better accommodation, but the Moogle was content with a small but cozy space.
Aqua's thoughts kept drifting to those two boys who were apprentices of Yen Sid. Those two, who she had met as young children on the Destiny Islands just over a decade ago. The older boy, Riku, had been granted the power to use a Keyblade at a tender age. She had been right to believe that one Keyblade was enough between friends. Riku had endured unspeakable horrors, far too many for one who was still so young, and yet, the other boy, Sora, had kept his promise to her. He had stuck with Riku through it all, and had somehow earned the ability to wield a Keyblade of his own.
There was something unusual about Sora as well, something she couldn't explain. It was as though the moment she had seen him after all those years, his heart seemed to react with hers. It was a flash of intense recognition, a call of greeting, like someone she knew was telling her he was ok. She couldn't help but think of Ventus when it happened.
End of Chapter 10