Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to the original story, characters, or plot of Kingdom Hearts. Nor do I own the song "Shadow of the Day" By Linkin Park.

Chapter 3

To Disappear

The vibrations of the wooden sword reverberated through Rikus arms as he collided again with Tidus, their game of swordplay taking on a serious rivalry. The younger teen advanced furiously, frustrated from his unsuccessful onslaught. Riku grinned mischievously, the confident smirk on his face taunting his opponent even more.

The two boys jumped back after clashing swords yet again, the younger blonde leaning over to catch his breath for a moment.

Riku raised a refined sliver brow, a chuckle escaping his lips. "Don't tell me you're already going to admit defeat Tidus." Riku lowered his wooden sword, raising a pale hand to run through his damp silver locks. The smaller boy raised his head, a rebellious smile plastered on his face.

"What're you talking about?" Tidus pointed his sword towards Rikus figure. "I'm not even close!" The smaller boys smile broadened, rushing forward while finishing his sentence. Riku sighed, shaking his head teasingly at the boys' hopeless offence.

The platinum blonde raised his sword, already reading the oncoming attack as if it were written on a page in his favorite book. Riku smirked as his opponents' sword collided with his own. As the full force of the attack approached he stepped to the side causing Tidus to stumble forward. The older boy turned, now facing his opponents unguarded back. Riku advanced forward, smacking the younger boy on the butt with the flat of his sword. Tidus yelped, the force of the playful blow causing him to lose balance and fall off the small island into the crystal ocean water below with a messy 'splash'.

"No fair!" The smaller blonde grumbled as he sat up in the water, raising a hand to rub his wet head. He raised his fist, shaking it as he indirectly declared his surrender. Tidus sloshed around in the water as he attempted to stand, the waves of the ocean constantly attempting to throw him off balance.

Riku walked over to the drop-off of the mini island, glancing down at the drenched boy. The platinum blonde raised a silver brow as he chuckled, raising his hand to rest on his hip victoriously gloating. The older boy leaned over slightly to view his defeated opponent, a smirk growing more apparent on his face.

"Ne ne Tidus, Does this mean you want to go again?" Tidus crossed his arms, furrowing his brows in defiance. Riku chuckled lightly as he watched his friends unspoken response.

The older boy waved his hand towards the surface of the island, encouraging Tidus to join him again. "Come back up here, there's a ladder over there." Riku pointed towards the front of the mini island, gesturing to the said ladder.

Tidus smiled, his loss completely forgotten. "Alright! I'll be up in a sec." Riku stood back up, letting out a sigh into the warm ocean air. Riku smiled as a playful ocean breeze swept across his figure, cooling his hot skin from the previous battle. The blonde gazed at his surroundings, taking in the scenery around him. The soft waves teased the shore constantly with its crystal blue water, the white sand dampening after every short visit. The palms whispered their secrets as the mischievous breeze tussled their leaves playfully, their shadows playing tag on the fine white sand. He laughed lightly as he recalled a memory of racing on the sand with his best friend, who always ended up clumsily tripping over himself.

Riku turned to face the ladder, the younger blondes head appearing over the edge of the island. Tidus gave a grunt as he lifted himself up over the crest, plopping on the ground as he attempted to catch his breath.

"Man, the waves are really strong today." He sprawled his legs out, propping his hands behind him to lean back lazily.

Riku smirked, a taunting expression taking over his features. "Or maybe you're just getting a little bit weaker." Tidus' head snapped towards the older boy. "Oi! No I'm not!" He raised his arm, flexing his slightly noticeable muscle. "You see these guns?" He smiled cockily, leaning over to kiss his arm. "I'm the strongest kid on the whole island!"

Riku chuckled, shaking his head playfully. "I'll let you keep thinking that." The older boy smirked, walking over to lean his back against the slanted Paopu tree trunk.

Tidus puffed out his chest, attempting to appear larger. "What's that supposed to mean?" The younger boy shuffled himself up, begging to walk over to the platinum blonde. "I demand a rematch!" Tidus ran over to his sword near the edge of the island, snatching it off the ground as he prepared his battle stance. Riku smirked as he raised his wooden sword again, motioning the younger boy towards him confidently with his other hand.

Tidus rushed forward, grunting as he made impact with Rikus sword. The younger boy pressed his attack, glaring at Riku as he tried to overpower his opponent with his self-declared strength. Riku held his position effortlessly as Tidus grunted.

"Hn, I thought you said you were the strongest kid on the island?" Riku smirked mischievously, taunting Tidus playfully.

The younger blonde grunted, a sheen of sweat covered his face. "Yeah, I ca-" His statement was interrupted by a voice coming from the shore.

"HEEYYY! WAIT FOR ME!" Tidus' gaze suddenly fixated on something behind Riku, a broad smile taking over his face. The older boy smiled, knowing all too well who that voice belonged to.

Riku took that moment of distraction to his advantage, effortlessly forcing Tidus' attack back. The younger blonde fell back from the offensive attack, landing on his butt in the sand clumsily as his wooden sword flew out of reach. The older teen turned to face the new addition to their duo, a broad smile capturing his features as he saw his best friend.

The brunette leaned over to catch his breath once he reached his two friends, waving a hand in a casual greeting. "Hey 'Ku! Hey Tidus!" The younger blonde jerked his head slightly as a greeting, attempting to appear cool. "Sup."

Riku placed his hand on his hip casually, raising a silver brow in disapproval. "So you finally decided to join us huh?" He gazed at the panting brunette, a smirk playing across his features. "Did you fall asleep under the palm shades again you lazy bum?" The boy raised his head from catching his breath, an adorable pout present on his face.

"No! And I'm not a lazy bum 'Ku" The brunettes lip jutted out as his pout became more apparent, crossing his arms to complete the pose. "Besides! You guys started without me!" He closed his eyes and turned his head to the side, his pout still blatantly obvious. Riku chuckled at his friends antics, secretly adoring the small boys' adorable expression.

Tidus laughed obnoxiously, a cocky smile on his face. "Well the best always goes first!" He raised both hands to rest on his hips in a victorious pose. Riku turned his head towards the younger blonde, raising a challenging silver brow to his friends boast.

"I thought you lost those last two battles?" Tidus' cocky smile faltered as he laughed nervously. "Well, that was-" The brunettes jaw fell slightly as his shoulders slumped in disappointment.

"What? You guys already had two battles without me?" Riku laughed heartily at his friends' expression, the corners of his aquamarine eyes crinkling in amusement. The smaller boy bit his lip glancing between the two boys in front of him. "Well I want to battle 'Ku next!" He eagerly pulled his wooden sword from where it rested in his belt, an enthusiastic grin beaming on his features.

The platinum blonde smirked, raising his wood weapon into a fighting pose. "Well let's see what you got." Tidus chuckled, crossing his arms as he leaned against the upright palm tree near them.

"Well no one has beaten him yet." He sniffed, rubbing his nose in a nonchalant manner. "Do you think you can actually win this time Sor-"

~End of Dream~

Silver lashes fluttered open over aquamarine eyes as Riku awoke, his hand rose to rub his face groggily. 'Another dream of a memory...' He sighed heavily, sleep still present in his body. 'Why is he the only one whose name I can't remember?' The teen ran his hands through his silver locks, reaching his other hand to scratch his abs lazily. A muffled yawn escaped his pale lips as he began to finally wake up, his eyes watering slightly from the motion. The blonde propped himself up on his elbows, giving him a better view of the sky through his barred window. It was sunny out, the beams of sunlight setting the specs of dust aglow in its path.

Riku gazed towards the sky, scattered with playfully tumbling clouds living their life free of any care in the world. He closed his eyes, raising his face to feel the warmth the sun generously provided. A sigh escaped his lips, he longed for the freedom the sky granted. Riku lowered his head, his silver locks dangling over his face. He recalled times when he and his father would sit and watch the clouds for hours, laughing and joking around. Those days were some of his most cherished memories, other than those of his sky blessed beauty of course.

Riku snapped out of his thoughts, the sound hurried footsteps heading towards his door. The blonde tensed, the smallest amount of panic starting to spread into his mind. He pushed himself upright on the bed, the soft jingle of his chained confines voicing their opposition from his movement. The teen hissed lightly as his ankle throbbed slightly, the pain had lessened since the day before.

The blondes' attention snapped to the door as he heard the muffled sound of jingling keys. He paused, waiting to see his step fathers repulsing face appear through the door as it cracked open. His heart raced from the anticipation, the sound resonating in his ears. He stared at the door as it widened, only to be confused by the scene before him.

It was his mother standing in the doorway. 'Why is mom here? Doesn't she know she'll be punished if he finds out?' His stomach turned at the thought of what would be done to his mother from this act, she would surely be beaten. Riku took a moment to take in his mothers' appearance, it had been so long since the last time he had seen her. She had lost weight, her collar bones and shoulders jutted out slightly. Her arms and legs had become a little too thin, and her clothes were beginning to hang from her body. His heart ached at the thought of her having to go through this; she of all people didn't deserve anything close to this treatment. He took a closer look at her features, noticing some bruises peeking out from the hem of her clothes. Riku clenched a fist in frustration, how could he let this happen to his own mother?

He adored his mother; she was an angel that heaven graced Earth the privilege of having. She was not only kind and loving, but was blessed with a breathtaking beauty that could only be described as divine. Now…now she was starving, pale, and beaten. How could this have ever been allowed to happen to her?

Riku gazed at her, both of them frozen from finally seeing each other after so long. She gazed at him, with her all-knowing and compassionate green eyes. Their depths holding a heart made of pure, untainted gold. He saw a shine of tears gathering at the bottom of her lashes, a bright smile spreading across her blessed lips. She raised her dainty hand to cover her mouth in disbelief, her eyes crinkling in joy from seeing her son.

"Riku…" Aerith dropped her hand, nervously looking around before rushing over to embrace her son in a warm motherly hug. She held him tight, stroking his hair as she kissed his forehead. Rikus ankle gave a sharp reminder of his injury when she sat near him, but he paid no mind to this; his mother had come to see him. His beautiful, kind, adoring mother had risked coming to see him. His heart flew, the thought of her actions filling him with warmth. The blonde raised his hand to hug his mother back, gripping her in a tight hold as if she would disappear any moment.

"I'm so sorry darling.." She rested her cheek against his hair, her tears darkening his silver strands where they landed. Aerith slowly pulled away from Riku, grasping his shoulders tightly as she nervously glanced around. Once she surveyed the area an expression of determination captured her features, her eyes holding hidden fear. Aerith sighed, taking a moment to remember her sons appearance. After a moment the woman nodded to herself, as if deciding on something.

"I'm getting you out of here love." A soft smile spread across her features, her sadness hidden behind green pools. "…It's the least I can do after everything that's been done." Riku's eyes widened, disbelief racking his very core. Aerith giggled softly, leaning in to capture him in another hug. The teen was frozen in disbelief, his gaze holding straight ahead towards the frame of the open forgotten door. He notices a large bulky object resting slightly out of view outside his doorway, a promising glint of light shining off it mischievously. Rikus heart skips a beat once the realization of what the object is dawned on him, a suitcase. He was so frozen in disbelief that he didn't realize his mother had pulled back from the embrace; he glanced at her as he noticed she was speaking.

"-nd you never deserved any of this darling. I'm so sorry..I'm so dearly sorry." She wiped a fleeting tear as it escaped the confines of her eye. "I should have gotten you out of here sooner, I should have saved you sooner." She turns her head to rub her eyes free of their tears, a smile blessing her face as she turns towards him again. Riku stares at her, pure adoration filling his gut. Aerith glances down at the chain resting on his injured ankle, her brows furrow as she notices the discoloration in his ankle.

"Is it broken?" She glances up at him, her hand lightly resting on his ankle. Riku shakes his head, glancing at his injury.

"I think it's just a bad sprain," He sighs, slouching his back in exhaustion. "It's healing though." Aerith nods her head, turning slightly to dig in her pocket for a moment. Her face lights up as she grabs onto a small object, eliciting a jingle of protest as she pulled the small item out. Riku glanced at her hand to see a small set of keys, the light playfully shining off their promising features.

"Here, let me see your leg." Aerith reaches over towards his chained ankle, positioning the end of the key at the entrance of his chained confines. His heart swelled as he felt the click confirming the freedom from those damned chains, the open remains falling off of his ankle. Aerith glances at his ankle, her expression as if she were contemplating a problem. She quickly raised herself off of his bed and rushed out the door, pausing at the door way.

"I'll be right back, stay there love." After that Riku lost sight of her, the sound of her footsteps sounding farther and farther away. The blonde sat there frozen, disbelief shocking him to his very core. He was finally getting out, finally leaving. His head snapped to the door way as he heard her come back in holding a brace of some sort. She sat back down on the bed, leaning over towards his abused ankle as she placed the brace along the injury. The blonde gave a soft hiss as the sprain was tightened over his ankle, the straps securing the long piece of hard metal in place. Aerith bit her lip nervously, hurriedly glancing at the watch on her wrist.

"We don't have much time, I'll explain everything in the car." She raises herself off the bed, turning towards him afterwards. "Do you think you can walk?" Riku glances at his ankle, deciding he'd manage whether the pain was too much or not. He nodded his head, bringing his feet off the bed to rest of the floor.

"I'll manage." He inhales deeply as he pushes himself off the bed, the pain of his throbbing ankle causing him to grab onto the bed railing for balance. Aerith frowned slightly as she watched her son struggle. She moved forward, grabbing Rikus arm and resting it over her shoulder. A smile graced her face as she turned to him, the smell of her filling Rikus nose. "Here. Let's work together." She faced forward again, slowly guiding them out of his prison.

They moved at a slow pace, his ankle had been more damaged than he had previously judged. The front door of the house came into their vision after what seemed like an eternity, its existence representing a ray of hope in the teens abused heart. They approached slowly. Aerith leaned forward to twist the knob, opening the portal to freedom.

The sunlight assaulted aquamarine eyes, causing them to water slightly. Riku took a deep breath of fresh air, the scent of life filling him with renewed hope. They made their way over to the silver SUV parked nonchalantly along the driveway, his mother opening the passenger seat for him when they approached the car. She surveyed the area nervously, cautiously watching their surrounding environment as she helped him into the car. Aerith closed the door as soon as Riku was out of harms way, she ran back inside only to reappear a moment later carrying a large suitcase. She rushed over to the back seat to open the door, throwing the heavy object in carelessly. She closed the back door and opened the driver's door to sit in the car; she began positioning the keys to start the vehicle. Aerith paused a moment, taking a shaky deep breath before she turned to face the blonde.

Riku stared at the woman he knew as his mother, her earthly beauty as breathtaking as ever. The sunlight beamed behind her head lighting her auburn hair in a fiery glow, its rays casting a halo behind her silhouette. The boy gazed at the woman in awe, she had always come to his rescue whenever she was able to no matter the burdens she had to go through. He smiled, truly smiled from the deepest part of his soul. He was grateful to have been blessed enough to be born to this astounding woman. Aerith smiled softly, leaning over to kiss her sons forehead before she stared the engine.

They began to pull out of the drive way, the car bumping as they pulled on to the main road. The car sped up to a constant speed as they drove towards the unknown destination, its engine purring a steady rhythm. Riku watched the passing scenery as they sped down the road, the trees and shrubbery flying by in a blur.

Aerith sighed softly as she gripped the steering wheel with one hand, reaching over the hold her sons hand with the other. The teen turned to face her, a questioning look upon his face.

Aerith sighed again before she began to speak. "I bought you a Gummi ship ticket to Destiny Islands." She bit her lip, sneaking a quick glance over at the teen sitting next to her. "In your bag there's enough money to last you for a while…once that runs out you can sell the family jewelry that I packed in there as well. It should leave you with more than enough money for a long time.." Riku stared at her in shock.

"Aren't you coming with me?" The teens heart skipped a beat at this realization, she was going to have to go back…without him. Aerith smiled sadly, knowing all too well this was going to be a challenge to convince her son to leave without her. She knew he loved her dearly, as she did him. She squeezed his hand gently, attempting to comfort him.

"You know as much as I do that Sepheroth would chase us to the ends of the earth, I need to be there to stop him from going after you." Aerith laughed softly, holding back tears. "You know, you remind me so much of your father, Terra. I miss him dearly; he was such a great man." Riku tried to swallow the lump forming in his throat. "Such a strong man.." She quickly wiped away the few escaping tears, returning her hand to the steering wheel quickly after.

"The man I'm sending you to was a good childhood friend of his, his name is Leon." The teen squeezed his mothers' hand tightly, as if he would lose her were he to let go. "He's your god father." Aerith smiled to herself, remembering the times she and her late husband had spent with the man.

"There's a letter in the side pocket of the bag I packed you addressed to him explaining the situation, make sure to give it to him when you arrive. Keep in mind he has no idea you're coming so he might be somewhat unfriendly, but that's just how he generally is." Aerith giggled softly to herself, she knew him well after all. "There's also another slip with his address written on it in the same side pocket, you'll need to find and give that to a cab driver when you land." Riku nodded, it was all he could do. His disbelief of what was happening was surreal, he couldn't believe this was reality…it had to be another dream.

The Gummi port came into view, approaching fast on the left. Aerith turned on her left turn signal and pulled into the platform, the car bouncing as the car entered the Gummi runway. The car came to a stop next to the ramp leading up to the ship, she cut off the engine as she got out removing the bag from the back; the humming of the engine could be heard clearly through the car windows. The attendants walked over, taking the bag off his mothers' hands to place it in the storage compartment of the ship. Riku watches as his mother makes her way over to his door, pulling it open to help him out of the car. She reached her hand out to aide him, holding him tightly as he stepped out of the car and limped over to the ramp of the ship. They paused before the ramp, as if time had stood still for them.

Aerith turned her head to face Riku, smiling softly as she pulled him into a warm hug. "It's about time you found your light again." Riku glanced at her, confused as to what she's talking about. "You know who I'm talking about, you can finally go back to him." She gave an encouraging squeeze, holding back the tears that threatened to spill out. "You can finally see Sora again." The teens heart skipped a beat, his stomach stormed with butterflies at the mention of that name. His mother smiled knowingly, affection shining in her green orbs.

Riku buried his head into her shoulder ashamed, he had forgotten the boys name. "I didn't remember…I couldn't remember his name mom.." Aerith pulled out of the embrace, moving her hand to cup the teens pale cheek.

"But you remember him ne?" Riku nodded slowly, his eyes downcast. She chuckled softly, a sad smile present on her features. "I wouldn't be surprised considering what happened…" Rikus aquamarine eyes snapped back to his mother, questioning her last response. "Your father died protecting the two of you." The teens eyes widened in shock. "But it was never your fault, or his. Your father wanted to protect what was dear to him..and that was you children." Aerith closed her eyes, fighting away tears. "He wanted to protect his light, just as I'm doing now." Aerith leaned forward to kiss her sons forehead, having to stand on her toes slightly from his height. She rubbed her thumb across his cheek, taking one last look at her dearest treasure the world left her. "Now it's time for you to go 'Ku." She embraced him once more, hugging him as only a mother could. Riku wrapped his arms around her and returned the gesture with mirroring affection. Aerith sniffed into his shoulder, he could tell she was trying her best not to cry. He was having a hard time with the lump in his throat himself, the foreboding feeling knotting in his stomach leaving him uneasy.

Sometimes beginnings aren't so simple

"I love you mom." He inhaled her scent one last time, committing it to memory.

"I love you too Riku." She pulled back, smiling brightly as her eyes crinkled with happiness. "Now, it's time for you to go love." She stepped back, clasping her hands elegantly in front of her.

Sometimes good bye's the only way

Riku nodded, knowing this was what she truly wanted. "Right.." He turned to make his way up the ramp, pausing half way. The blonde turned, facing his mothers' single silhouette. "…Be safe mom."

Her smile broadened as she nodded her head. "You as well love."

And the sun will set for you

Riku flashed a raw smile, knowing that he wouldn't be able to see her for a long time; he wanted to leave her with a memory of her son smiling. The teen turned around and made his way through the ship door, limping down the aisle to an open seat on the plane. He sat down on the worn out piece of airline furniture, a soft 'thump' resonating from the impact. He sighed, turning to glance out the window at his mothers' lone figure. She stood there, the suns last rays of the day shining brilliantly behind her.

The sun will set for you

The hum of the Gummi engine began to roar as the ship slowly started to move, her silhouette moving farther into the distance. Riku kept his gaze on her, the shadows of the clouds slowly drifting over the scene before him.

And the shadow of the day

Her form slowly faded out of sight as the ship accelerated into takeoff, the force of gravity attempting to pull him and all occupants of the plane back down to earth. Riku stared out the window towards the fading Earth, falling farther away as they rode into the sky.

Will embrace the world in grey

Riku rested his head against the window exhausted, the rays of sunlight caressing his features in their warmth. His eyelids were heavy, the weight of sleep slowly winning in its effort to close aquamarine pools. The platinum blonde slowly drifted off to sleep, the rays of sunlight setting his moon blessed locks on fire in a storm of brilliant gold.

The teen dozed in a peaceful slumber, unthreatened by the futures promises as the ship flew through a new sky. A sky full of hope.

And the sun will set for you

A/N: Sorry for the long wait on this chapter, I've been way too busy lately!

Sora: "Nenee" *pokes Jordans cheek* "It's because you're going out and partying you slacker!"

Jordan: Hehehe well, I do have an appearance to uphold *scratches back of her head* ^-^

Riku: "Ch' Yeah, like party girl?"

Jordan: -.-'' "Riku…you keep quit. You forget..I have the power to do very…VERY evil things." *laughs evily*

Riku: "…"

Sora: Ohhhhhhh SNAP! She told you! *giggles*

And then Riku proceeds to throw Sora over his shoulder and molest him in the closet.

The end.

So for all of you who are wondering about the appearance of the two, I'll go ahead and provide you with a page from a doujinshi that draws both Sora and Riku Exactly how I adore!

Remove the spaces

Here's a page on DA: http:/ browse. deviantart .com /?qh=§ion=&q=sora+crown+doujinshi#/ d3k5wm7

Here's a Link to Riku: http:/ browse .deviantart. com/ ?q=riku&order=9&offset=72#/dz2xf0

And Another: http:/ browse. deviantart. com/ fanart/ ?q=rikusora&order=9&offset=288#/d15bjsg