Hey guys! I'm back! I'm happy to tell everyone that I've gotten back to this story, which I had discontinued for a while for lack of inspiration and time. Now that it's summer vacation, however, I'm sure I can handle just a little more and I had so many ideas in my head so here I am, again.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to Kingdom Hearts, Disney, or Final Fantasy.

Thanks to: My reviewers, and, my beta: WishingDreamer5

Something to Fight For

Chapter Four: Smile

A memory. Sora's challenging me to a duel, his lively blue eyes full of determination for the tenth time that day. Our wooden swords crash against each other with a familiar tempo. Jump, dodge, roll over, get Sora in the knee. Sora cries out but recovers quickly, aiming for my head. He narrowly misses.

Someone is cheering us on. The red-haired girl screams both our names, her smile as bright as the sun. I become distracted momentarily just as Sora strikes down with his sword. I brace myself, and then…

…The scene dissolves. Now I'm standing behind a white door that is closing. Sora's face appears, guilty, sad, afraid—the emotions are displayed so clearly on his face that I almost crack a joke.

I probably would have if the circumstances had been different.

"Take care of her," I say.

The door closes.

I'm surrounded by total darkness. I raise my hands, thinking, if I can harness this power…

The scene changes again. This time I'm somewhere unfamiliar. I'm standing in an endless black abyss, but this isn't like before. It's eerily quiet; the silence is so thick it's almost tangible.

And I'm not alone. As I peer into the darkness, a figure emerges. She smiles at me warmly, her hazel eyes so radiant that her whole face glows. She holds out her hand. I blink, dumbfounded by her hopeful smile even in these black depths of nothingness.

And then my vivid dream turns into a nightmare.

Tara's face, her very skin, begins to droop, sliding off her skull as if never meant to be there. I draw back suddenly, horrified, as I watch her flesh melt away to reveal only red underneath. She staggers backwards, her hand still outstretched, blood dripping down her fingers. Her eyes bulge before popping right out of their sockets, rolling away to somewhere I can't see. I find myself retreating, my whole body wracked with tremors.

"No," I whisper, as she continues to smile at me, her hollow sockets bleeding, her whole body jerking uncontrollably as her bones begin to tremble, "No!"

I fall forward, pressing my hands against the sides of my head, and scream.

"Riku? Are you alright?" My mom is questioning my pale face as soon as I descend the stairs. She reaches out to ruffle my hair like she's done for years. I jerk away from her almost involuntarily, remembering my dream, and immediately regret it when her eyes begin to water.

"What…"

"I'm okay, Mom," I cut in hastily, trying to sound reassuring, but I can't meet her gaze. I've never been able to lie to my Mom, and even though I've been away for years I know she can still tell.

"Riku… Are you planning on leaving again?"

Her question catches me by surprise, and I'm forced to look into her eyes. They're aqua blue, so much like mine that it scares me. But right now they're full of pain, and the kind of sadness that makes me want to cry. I'm reminded again of the suffering I've caused her, the suffering I've caused both of them.

"N…no… Mom…" The guilt is evident in my voice. But I suppose there's something about mothers that makes them forgive you no matter what you've done. I feel her arms around me, pulling me close, and for a second I give in to her, letting her warm scent fill me up with the emotions I've missed so much.

"I'm sorry," I mumble against her. She shakes her head and squeezes me tighter.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing for bringing it up again," she says softly. She pulls back and studies my face, and I wonder if she sees the remorse in my eyes. She must, but she doesn't comment on it. Instead, she gestures at the table. "Breakfast?"

Anything to make her happy. I nod, sliding into a seat, and try to forget the nightmare.

My efforts are in vain.

I'm not going to the islands today. There's just too much going on inside my head at the moment, and I know they'll notice. Just as it is with my Mom, I can't lie to Sora. Something about his wide blue eyes, so perceptive yet so naïve, makes it impossible to lie to him.

I sigh (it looks like that habit isn't going anywhere) and walk down the edge of the water, unable to stop staring at Destiny Islands. It's too far away for me to really see the love-struck duo, but I bet they're there now, at the Paopu tree. And maybe they're holding hands, or smiling at each other. Sora's face is probably red, like it always is when we're around Kairi. The thought almost makes me smile.

"Riku?"

I cry out and stumble forward, nearly falling. I catch myself just in time and whirl around.

Sora's big blue eyes are staring back at me. He looks confused, concerned and amused, all at the same time.

"What…are you doing here?" I stutter pathetically, failing miserably at trying to regain my composure.

Sora looks at me as if to say, It should be obvious. "You weren't on the islands," he explains anyway, "so I thought I'd come and check on you. You know, to see if you were okay."

"You idiot!" I yell. Sora looks hurt. Great, he's the second person I've tormented within the same hour. I'm like a walking curse.

"Ugh…" I massage my forehead, taking a deep breath before looking at him. "Sora…"

"We're both worried," Sora interrupts quickly, as if trying to prove himself, "You haven't been acting like yourself lately, and I think it's more than just—"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

I'm shouting so loudly that all at once, I'm out of breath. Sora's mouth is hanging open slightly, like he can't believe what just happened.

I can't believe it either.

For a moment I'm too ashamed to look at him. Then—

"Are you okay, Riku?"

I actually laugh, startling the brunet. His lip twitches nervously. Only Sora, I think, wouldn't care that I yelled at him; only Sora would never stop worrying about me, no matter how crazed I become.

"Riku…?"

I shake my head. "I'm not okay," I admit grudgingly, "But…I don't know what's wrong."

"Don't know…?"

I look at him evenly. "I don't. There's just… something feels off…"

Sora stares at me curiously. The anguish that had flickered there for a moment has long faded. "What does?"

I feel tired, suddenly. Exhausted.

"Everything."

Despite my relentless protests, Sora drags me back to the island, where Kairi has been waiting for us, her expression creased with worry.

The guilt is eating me up alive when I realize how much they've been worrying.

More than they should.

"Alright, alright!" I say, holding my hands up in surrender as Sora gives me another small push from behind.

"Riku?" Kairi's voice causes my heart to jump, even if it's just a little. I look away from her, hoping she doesn't see my face flush.

"I'm really fine, guys," I try to tell them. But it's useless. They're both gawking at my face as if I somehow grew a third eye.

"How am I supposed to prove myself to you two?" I ask, exasperated.

They exchange a look.

"Smile," Kairi demands.

I do a double-take. Kairi and Sora nod earnestly. Their expressions are so serious I want to laugh in their faces.

"You want me to…smile," I repeat uncertainly.

"Mm-hmm!" Kairi's pushes her red hair out of her face. "If you can smile naturally, without too much of an effort, you're okay, right?"

If only things were that simple. I stare at her incredulously, but of course, she isn't kidding around.

"Sure," I say resignedly. I take a deep breath and crack a smile.

They stare at me.

"What?" I ask, the smile already gone.

Sora shakes his head, almost sadly. Kairi has her hands clasped together, her eyes wide. She looks…frightened.

"What's wrong, Riku?"

I'm starting to get annoyed with the way these two are acting. I'm fine. It's not like I'm dying, am I? But I can't look into Kairi's eyes without feeling guilty.

I know Sora's going to protest, so I continue before he can speak up. "It's only…a temporary thing… I…" I look towards the door that leads to the back of the island. I can't answer any of their questions; my mind is too preoccupied.

"Listen guys," I tell them, momentarily giving them some of my attention, "Stop worrying, okay? There's nothing wrong. I'm just having a bad day. Now I just need to—"

"Need to what?" Kairi cuts in, something uncharacteristic of her, "Where are you going?"

Sora and I exchange a glance. "To…meet someone…"

Before the ever-curious Kairi can ask who it is I'm meeting, I wave goodbye to the anxious pair and promptly make my way to the back of the islands for the tenth time this week. She hasn't been there ever since the crying incident. I would be embarrassed to admit this to even Sora, but I've been dropping by here quite often in search for her. I have the weirdest feeling when I'm around her, as if something is drawing me towards her. Something…dark.

And I know what darkness feels like.

Just as I expected, she isn't there. I sigh, running a hand through my long hair, and I wonder why I even came back here again. No matter how many times she turns me away, I'm going to keep coming back, aren't I? Because I'm a total idiot.

There shouldn't be any reason I'm drawn to her. I've considered the possibilities. Kairi is the only girl I ever liked. This girl, Tara—she was nothing like Kairi. Then why couldn't I stop thinking about her?

I turn to leave, vowing never to come searching for her again, when a voice stops me.

"Riku?"

Strangely, I instantly recognize the voice as Tara's. I turn around to meet her wide, frantic eyes. "Tara?" Her name sounds surreal on my tongue. "Is…something wrong?"

Tara shakes her head suddenly and gives me a small, wavering smile. "Nothing's wrong. I… I'm sorry about last time." She talks softly, between breaths as if every word has been carefully considered in her head. "I didn't mean to…act the way I did."

I cock my head to the side, regarding her thoughtfully. "Nothing to apologize about. I'm…sure you had your reasons."

Tara obviously hears the skepticism in my voice, judging from her expression. I look towards the water; the view isn't as majestic as it is on the other side of the islands, but there's a certain serenity to the waves. I walk past Tara, down to the water, and from the sound of her measured steps I know she's following me.

We stop at the edge, where the sand meets the water, and for a second I stare out at the horizon, aware of Tara staring at the back of my head.

I turn to look at her. "Can I ask you something, Tara?" It's the second time I'm saying her name out loud, but it feels as if I've been saying it for ages. "About last time?"

Tara tenses visibly, her hazel eyes looking darker for some reason. "I'm not sure…"

"Has someone hurt you?" I ask abruptly, eyes flashing. Her breath catches in her throat and she looks away from me before shaking her head.

I cross my arms. "Do you think I'm going to believe that?"

Tara sighs resignedly, but elaborates. "I…think I know what you're asking me, Riku. You think…you think someone…" she finds difficulty in saying it, so instead she shakes her head again, "No one did anything to me. I was just…having a bad day, that's all."

I almost laugh. That's the excuse I gave Sora and Kairi just a few minutes ago. Does she think she can hide forever behind those lustrous curls? For the moment, however, I drop the uncomfortable subject.

"So, Tara," I begin again, "Tell me about yourself."

"That is the stupidest line ever," she blurts out matter-of-factly.

I stare at her, and for a second she stares back just as intently. The fact that we've only recently met but we're staring daggers at each other doesn't appear to bother either one of us, until Tara breaks her gaze and a slight blush creeps into her cheeks.

I chuckle. "It's like you have two different personalities or something."

She looks at me blankly. "What?"

"The other day…" I pause, remembering that this is what made her cry that day, but think better of it and continue, "When I saw you at the zip line, it looked like you were daring yourself. And when you did use it, you were laughing like crazy." I grin at her pointedly. "But ever since we've started talking all you've been is…mysterious."

The last word pops out of my mouth before I can stop it from doing so. Tara blinks, as if she didn't expect me to open up so quickly—which makes complete sense—but ponders over my words.

"I come across as…mysterious?" She gives me a rare smile. "Does that mean you think I'm hiding something?"

I shrug. "Maybe you are."

Her tone changes from cheerful to bitter swiftly. "Then what's holding you back?"

Alright, so I'm back. This chapter may be shorter than future ones though. Just throwing that out there.

And from here on out, I'll try to update every weekend, probably Sundays, but that could change. Until then, goodbye! And thanks for sticking with me even after such a long gap. Unless you're new. Which is awesome as well xD

~DestinyCrusader