Please welcome, chapter two (applause… I hope!)

A special thanks to LoliMochi and Demon-Wolf Bearer for their wonderful reviews. You're what's keeping me going! :D

Note: Edited. Thanks to: my beta, WishingDreamer5

Something to Fight For

Chapter One: First Glance

"Mom, I'm going out to the islands again!" I yell, already beginning to push my boat out into the sea. I remember when my Dad used to take me there, sometimes alone, and sometimes with Sora with me. I remember how we used to laugh, dipping our hands into the cold water, laughing and splashing each other. That one time a fish swam past Sora's hand, brushing it lightly. He screamed, and nearly and nearly tipped the whole boat over in a scramble to get away from the fish. I remember laughing, and Sora trying to act tough.

I miss that.

"Of course you are!" my Mom hollers back, and I can almost see her rolling her eyes, as she washes the dishes in the kitchen. I smile to myself as I jump into the boat. Picking up the oars, I begin rowing gently, in no hurry to get to the islands. Destiny Islands, they're called. I wonder who named them.

For a second I close my eyes, feeling the light breeze across my face, the fresh air that surrounds the water. I love closing my eyes: it lets me see the whole world in a whole different perspective. In a way, I miss my blindfold. But still, I yearn to see my friends' faces every day, and I can't do that when I'm blinded by a strip of black cloth.

I sigh. I've been sighing a lot lately, I realize. I really need to stop doing that.

I stop my boat lightly, reaching the wooden boards that I ran down so many years ago, Sora begging me to tell him the secret. And I find myself smiling again.

Instantly starting to walk towards the Paopu fruit tree as soon as my feet hit land, my white jacket fluttering lazily as the wind picks up, I stuff my hands in my pockets. I look up when I hear Sora call out my name.

"Riku! Battle?"

I know he's holding a wooden sword even before I turn around to look at him. The both of us can wield Keyblades (although mine is a different kind) but we still prefer to use our old time swords, crafted childishly out of wood. We were more than thrilled when we found them leaning against the wall of the small shed, and without a word we both knew we'd rather battle with these.

Just like old times.

Grinning, I grab the small sword I'd discarded in the sand yesterday. I no longer hold it the way I did as a little boy: with both hands. I raise it with one hand, level with my face, the other hand outstretched both defensively and mockingly. It's a weird stance, I know, but it's just the way I work best.

"Why are you so eager to lose?" I provoked him, a laugh echoing off my lips.

"Well, we'll just see who's laughing when I leave you lying in the dust!" Sora snaps back, and he charges at me, small sword high in the air.

I dodge, jumping around him so that suddenly, his back is towards me. His attacks were always so head-on. Mine are swifter and faster.

I raise my sword, ready to strike, when he slips out of the way, whirling around to face me again. Having fought quite a few times since we returned, I'd already expected this, and I'm running at him even before he sets his eyes on me.

"Whoa!" he yells, and he dives out of the way just in time. The momentum causes my sword to fly out of my hand, and I swivel around to register the evil smirk on his face. Well, as evil as Sora can get, anyway.

"Take this!" he yells, and he's so sure that his attack will hit that he doesn't register the prospect that I have somewhere else to go: below. I duck smoothly, rolling out of the way just in time.

His blow strikes the sand where my head just was.

I sprint towards my abandoned sword, and when I flip back around, he's right in front me. We start to circle each other, both of us full of adrenaline, sweaty, but smiling. At the same moment, we launch ourselves at each other, and our swords clash. A few seconds pass as we continue to push against each other, hoping the other will run out of breath before we do. Finally, I laugh. "Let's call it a draw?"

Sora chuckles and pulls back, throwing his sword onto the sand beside his feet and running a hand through his now greasy hair. "Fine."

I laugh at the disappointment in his voice, and soon we're both laughing, our eyes locking every few seconds. This is what I've been missing. And every time we stop, I crave to fight again.

Exhausted, the both of us tumble onto the sand. Silently, we watch the forever-calm waves deposit shells at the coastline. I close my eyes again, enjoying this feeling.

"Hey Riku?"

I don't open my eyes. Sora starts almost all of his questions like that. "Hm?"

"Are you doing…okay?"

My eyes snap open in shock, and I look at his concerned face. He's studying my expression intently, and I can't lie. Not to Sora.

"I'm… alright," I admit, a little reluctantly. But I can never tell him what's really bothering me.

"Is it the darkness?"

His question catches me by surprise, and I laugh as I shake my head. "No, Sora, it's not the darkness. I accepted it. It can't do anything to me anymore."

Relief is evident on his still-childlike features. "That's good." He looks confused again. "Then, what's bothering you?"

I am saved from answering, ironically, by Kairi. She seems to have just arrived, and she's waving at the two of us from her boat. "Sora! Riku!"

Sora grins widely and waves back. I wave back too, but after hesitating for a fraction of a second. No one notices.

"Hey guys!" She plops down onto the sand beside Sora, smiling brightly. She notices our haggard breathing and our perspiring faces. "Fighting again?"

I can tell she already knows the answer. Sora replies anyway. "Yeah."

She tilts her head to the side, her now long red hair forming a curtain around her face. "Who won this time?"

"It was a draw," I state. "So far the score is five to five."

She sighs, exasperated. "When will the two of you realize you're evenly matched?"

"When time ends," I joke, and Sora laughs, Kairi joining in. Sora's laugh is so silly and infectious, that soon enough I'm laughing too, our voices mingling perfectly. It sounds exactly like before, only this time we're all older, and we've been through a lot more.

We've finally seen the outside worlds.

But I doubt we've seen everything. I think there's an eternity of worlds out there, and we could go on exploring, indefinitely, never reaching an end.

The three of us have grown quiet simultaneously, staring at the sun that's beginning to sink. Kairi's eyes are set on the horizon, but Sora's gazing at her, almost absent-mindedly.

"Let's go to the Paopu tree," Kairi says suddenly, looking at us, and Sora looks away quickly, cheeks tinted red.

I stand up. "You two can go for now, I need some time to think."

"About what?" Sora sounds saddened, and I give him a reassuring smile.

"Nothing much. It's fine, you two go ahead."

With some hesitation, the two of them head for the tree while I begin to walk in the opposite direction, head down. I don't want them to worry, but they probably are worrying, anyway. Why do I have to cause everyone so much pain? Is it really that hard for me to be good?

Maybe I was meant to stay in darkness.

I sigh, before biting me lip. Oh great, for the price of losing one habit, I'll adopt another. Wonderful.

Still, I guess I wasn't all that bad. Sora had needed my help, right? I remembered how Xemnas had grabbed him, and all the fear and panic inside me had risen until I pushed it down, freeing him from the Nobody's grasp. We won together…

…right?

I shake my head before realizing that I've ended up on the opposite end of the island. If I'm right, Sora and I had a race here, to determine the name of the raft. Of course, I'd sent him into a frenzy by saying the winner shared a Paopu fruit with Kairi. Had I been joking?

I don't know.

I lean against a wall, staring over the treetops before I notice her.

She's standing on top of the wooden tower, where the zip line starts. I can't tell much from here, but I can make out curly long hair that's a soft shade of brown, a cross between blond and light chestnut, blowing in front of her face. She's wearing what looks like a summer gown that quivers in the wind.

I haven't seen her before. Do I know her? She's never been on Destiny Islands before, that's for sure. Have I seen her in town? Maybe; I don't really hang around there much, so it's definitely a possibility.

She seems to be wavering, raising her hands and letting them down again. Does she intend to use the zip line? Probably. But she looks so… breakable.

I'm about to shout out to her, to stop her from hurting herself when she suddenly leaps into the air, sliding down the zip line and screaming hysterically. Her voice is high-pitched, and yet crazed at the same time. She's laughing by the time she reaches the other end. She turns around, and then catches sight of me, her enjoyment dying instantly. I can't see her expression, but I can tell she's surprised and curious. At the sight of her face, a dozen questions pop into my head and I can't explain why.

Does she know who I am?

Why did she do that?

What is she even doing here?

But, most importantly, who is she?

Done! I'm so proud of this piece!

Anyway, before you start shouting random guesses, the girl is a made-up character, just so you know… LOL. :D
Want to find out who she is?

Then REVIEW!

If you don't want to, that's fine too. But know that it makes me cry at night.

…no, not really. But they're still very much appreciated xD