Hey friends!
So, today's chapter is a bit different. It's basically just some paragraphs of character study regarding the way Riku and Sora see each other. And basically the two of them being so utterly in love and soft for each other. I use the sun/moon motif a lot in my writing for these two (I mean look at the title of this whole project lmao) and wanted to scribble something based on it that was sweet and short and wholesome – so here we are!
Specific tags include:
unspecified canon; unspecified setting; character study; established relationship; sun and moon motif; Riku's POV; Sora's POV
Hopefully you enjoy! ^-^
Chapter 5: Quintessence
Riku is like the moon, Sora thinks.
First and foremost, because the moon is gorgeous and so is Riku. Duh! Riku's hair even shares the moon's color. To gaze up at the night sky and find that ball of silvery, pure glow, how can one not feel enamored? Observing the moon never loses its allure, no matter how often you do it, and the same can be said about Riku. There's always a new detail waiting to be found. Sometimes, Sora catches himself actually staring like a dummy, head propped on a hand and a dreamy smile of infatuation on his lips; the rest of the world forgotten in favor of drinking in the sight of Riku just… existing. Watching the way the silver hair perfectly frames his facial features. Watching the soft crease blooming in between Riku's eyebrows whenever he's focusing on something. Watching how his well-defined muscles contract and expand rhythmically as he moves. Watching his chest gently heave with a deeper breath and wanting to lay head there and fall asleep to the sound of Riku's heartbeat.
Just like the moon, Riku is also tranquil and mysterious in his own way. To be fair, when compared to Sora himself, anyone and their mother can be seen as quieter – so it's perhaps no surprise that Sora sees Riku this way. It's more than that, however. Riku is talkative enough, especially when among friends and the people he trusts, but the thing is that he talks with purpose. Whenever he offers a suggestion, it's granted that it'll be a good and fitting one. Whenever he laughs, it's because the motive is truly funny and ingenious. Riku is purposeful, meaningful, wise. He knows where he wants to go and how to get there – most importantly, Riku doesn't lose sight of his way even when clouds of doubt and uncertainty shroud him. Much like the moon sometimes vanishes behind the real clouds, but can always be found again sooner or later. And, much like the moon, Riku never imposes. His presence is stable but serene, at times it even goes unnoticed; yet, when you look for him, he's always there. Maybe this is even a bit unfair, Sora admits, because it clashes with his own recklessness and kind of gives him an excuse to not think before he acts… because he knows for a fact that Riku will be there. Riku will pick up his slack. Riku will catch him if he falls, which, in turn, makes Sora never afraid to take a leap of faith.
On the other hand, Riku shares the moon's solitude, as well. When he was much younger, Sora once asked his mother if the moon wasn't sad for being all alone in the night sky; it was odd to him that, even with so many stars around, none was too close to the moon. And people would look up at the moon, say it's pretty, and then move on. No one ever wondered if the moon needed a hug, more than being adored and worshiped and kept on a pedestal so high up it can't be reached, and this made little Sora upset. Riku is a bit like that, at times; surrounded, but lonely. And this happens, Sora believes, because it's easy for Riku to be hard on himself. Riku always harbors so much compassion to offer to others that, perhaps, it runs out and then there's nothing left for himself. Riku has made some poor choices in the past, it's not like Sora is blind to it; not even Sora is this naïve. Sora knows that those choices brought suffering to others (heck, even to himself and more than once), and one shouldn't ever forget history lest they end up repeating it. It's the guilt of those choices that Riku still shoulders, and it is that guilt that sometimes has him wallowing in loneliness. Struggling to forgive himself, although his loved ones have long since done it. Believing that he's not worthy of that forgiveness, that companionship, that love. The moon has phases and so does Riku; sometimes, just like the new moon, he must withdraw for a little bit before returning to full glow.
Sora's favorite thing about the moon, however, is the way it makes everyone happy so effortlessly. Some people hate rain, and complain all day long about wet clothes and soaking shoes. Other people can't stand the cold instead, they dislike having to dress up in thick layers and still be left with freezing toes and ear tips. There are even people who dislike the heat, who rather shun the bright sunlight and spend the day fanning themselves and melting to a puddle of sweat. The moon, however? No one ever dislikes the moon. The moon shines above and children gather to play, grown-ups gather to chat and exchange stories, poets grow beautifully inspired, lovers hold hands and swear vows of eternal affection. When the moon shines, everyone is happy – and this, more than anything else, is why Riku is like the moon. Whether he realizes it himself or not (more often than not, he doesn't), Riku just has a way to make every situation better; less stressful, less dire, less dangerous, what have you. Riku's mere presence brings serenity, safeness to all others near enough to bask in his silvery light. To Sora, most of all. If Riku is there, then granted everything will be okay no matter what.
At times, Riku speaks of the Darkness he knows he harbors inside; not overtly vile Darkness of the kind that Ansem once sought, Darkness that brings nothing but destruction. Rather, a sense of Darkness having to do with insecurity, doubts, apprehension, even fear. And Sora knows that, at times, Riku implies that this Darkness diminishes him; makes him not as good and not as worthy as the other champions of the Realm of Light. Sora, however, couldn't disagree more. He accepts this side of Riku, just like he accepts any other. There's no good parts nor bad parts to Sora, there is only the whole that is Riku. Would he discard Riku's hair, or one of his hands, or his eyelashes or his nails or the tip of his nose? No! So why should he discard Riku's Darkness? Besides… Darkness isn't necessarily the evil counterpart to Light, Sora thinks. Darkness is, simply, the other side of the same coin. Darkness exists by the other side of Light, not to compete against it – but to complement it.
Light shines the brightest when near Darkness.
And so is the case for himself and Riku, Sora thinks.
Sora is like the sun, Riku thinks.
Is there ever anything more splendid than sunlight? A piece of clothing may be old and worn, a hairstyle may be flat and dull, a basket may be filled with meager fruits with no appeal. When the sun shines on it, however, no matter what it is, it looks immediately more beautiful. Sora is like that as well. He brings out the best on everyone and everyone whose heart he touches becomes brighter, livelier. Everything about Sora is sunny, so to speak. His very skin, unlike Riku's paler complexion, is a shade of golden tan, as if bathed in sunlight. His smile, his laughter, his disposition in general, even his body language; Sora is bright and unguarded, carefree to a fault. Sometimes, Riku is more than content with simply watching Sora being Sora. The way Sora values every little gesture, the way he gets excited about every little thing. That joyful grin that can grow almost too big for the face, the never-ceasing sparkle in the deep blue of his eyes. When he tilts his head in confusion; when he casually shoves his hands at the back of his head. Everything is so genuine, so heartfelt, so intoxicating. Riku wants nothing more than to keep that innocence untainted and protected.
Just like the sun, Sora is also a ball of energy. Or… well. It's true that the boy can act lazy to the point of being infuriating. It's also true that he sleeps like a rock, almost in the same sleep-tier as Aurora and Snow White but without any incantation to justify it; not that Riku would ever mind to kiss him awake, either. Whenever something piques Sora's interest, however? Whenever he's dedicated to something and truly sets his mind to it? Boy, there's no force in heaven nor earth able to stand on his way. Even at a less spectacular level, though, Sora is like a mini-sun. He can speak non-stop for half an hour straight and can never sit still for too long. How many times has Riku heard Donald complain about Sora being unable to focus beyond the span of a few seconds? There is just… so much Sora, inside Sora; so much light, so much brightness. Of course it needs to find a way to come out and shine through, that's the sun's very nature.
On the other hand, Sora shares the sun's violence, as well. Not violence in the sense of causing harm, but violence stemming from intensity. Obstinacy. Tunnel vision, on occasion. Riku likes to joke that he's always been the smarter of the two and, whereas this is no more than loving teasing, it's not necessarily a lie, either. If one takes only the more formal, more traditional definition that intelligence means good grades, then Riku wins this competition by miles. Sora lacks the patience and discipline, if not the motivation, to work his way through complex logical conundrums. His thinking is outside the box, rather than constricted by pre-existing sets of rigid rules. Sora follows his heart, not his brain. Given certain situations, however, he'll be so focused on achieving one single solution that he'll lose sight of the greater picture. That's when Sora burns at his most intense, like a solar flare. That's when he gets violent – intense, obstinate, even blinded by the sheer volume of light he's producing. That's when he needs someone to gently nudge him along back to a milder path; to help him temper this excessive brightness. And isn't this what Riku has been doing, pretty much their entire life?
Riku's favorite thing about the sun, however, is how essential it is. What would be left of the world, without sun? Plants wouldn't grow, animals wouldn't strive, humans would be condemned, all existence would simply be denied. Without sun, there would be only barren land and mounds of lifeless rock. When he was much younger, Riku once asked his father if the sun was like a big candle that somebody lit up and hung up in the sky to give light to everyone. Silly childlike logic, but even nowadays Riku doesn't completely disagree with that metaphor. Because, indeed, some people are like candles – they burn themselves up to give others light and warmth. Sora is exactly like that, and he doesn't even realize it. To him, it's never a big deal. Sora helps not because he's asked to, much less because he expects something out of it, but because he believes a reason is never needed in order to help. Someone needs help, so you just go and help. It's second nature, it's instinct; burning to give others light is something Sora does as naturally as breathing. And, yeah, maybe the world would keep existing, objectively speaking, if Sora was gone; to Riku, however, if he ever was to lose his sunlight, then the world would subjectively end all the same.
At times, Sora burns so bright, so pure, that's it's difficult to look at him. It's too much light; it hurts the eyes, and the visceral reaction is to look away. And this isn't Sora's fault, of course… it's Riku's own problem, Riku believes. He's turned away from Sora in the past, more than once. He might even do it again in the future, who knows. There are moments when Riku's eyes are so accustomed to the dark that light will only serve to make him flinch, scamper back to the narrowest corners of that same dark. And Riku used to believe this was because he felt safe in the dark, because he was afraid of the light, but this isn't true – there's no place where he feels safer than by Sora's side. Riku now understands it's, instead, because he was so afraid of losing that bright, warm light that he would rather not leave the dark at all. Just not take the risk; if you don't risk it, you don't win but you also never lose. And, now, Riku also understands that it doesn't have to be this way; it doesn't have to be one extreme or the other. That he can walk the road in the middle.
After all, shadows are always greatest when next to the light.
And so is the case for himself and Sora, Riku thinks.
Thank you so much for reading!
Theia