AN - Yesssss. It's finally time for this long-awaited fic to begin! I've been excited to write it for months now, and now that my previous project, Keys to the Kingdom (which you should read by the way, I'm very proud of it) is complete, I can move onto this much shorter, easier project.
So yes, this is an Anastasia AU, where we basically have Sora/Skye as Anastasia/Anya, Riku as Dimitri, Donald and Goofy as Vlad, Kairi as the Dowadger Empress, Xehanort as Rasputin, and so on. It'll take cues from both the movie and the stage musical (which I saw live a few months ago and absoltuely loved it), but it'll also have a KH twist all its own. A few things to keep in mind before we begin:
The worlds aren't all seperate from each other here like they are in canon; the existance of other worlds is widely known and travel between them is very common. Also, as you'd probably expect, Sora is a prince here, of the Destiny Islands, while Kairi is the Princess of Radiant Garden. Ventus, Roxas, Xion, and Vanitas, are all Sora's sibblings, to basically serve as the equivalent to the Romanov siblings, but they do have an expanded role here compared to the movie/musical. Everyone else's roles in the story should be well enough explained in the fic itself.
And with that lengthy explaination out of the way, I think it's time we finally get started! So let's all go... on a journey to the past...
Prologue, Part 1: The Charm
Where does summer go?
I will never know
Summer used to last endlessly
Children all in white,
Running down the sand
To me, to me
There was a time, not very long ago, when the Destiny Islands had been beautiful.
Though a small world, it still shined brightly among so many others dotting the sea of stars. Over the past several decades, the tropical kingdom had risen out of obscurity thanks to its abundant trade and tourism, creating a glowing reputation for the otherwise isolated archipelago. Soon, it was known across almost every world that the Destiny Islands was a place where few went hungry, where few were unhappy. A place that could only be described as nothing less than a paradise.
But like so many others, it was a paradise that was never meant to last.
In the years before the fall, the kingdom's future had been filled with promise. The king and queen had spent much of their reign on strengthening their ties to other worlds, building alliances and connections that they hoped would far outlast them. Their goal was to one day leave their children with a legacy to be proud of, a kingdom that could withstand even the fiercest of storms.
To this end, the royal couple had reached out to Radiant Garden, a powerful and prosperous kingdom that put even the Destiny Islands to shame. Their invitation had been warmly accepted by representatives from the distant city and so the royal family eagerly awaited their arrival.
Or at least, some of them did.
The throne room had been pristinely polished from top to bottom to receive Radiant Garden's royal envoy. The king, queen, and their four sons were dressed in their full regalia to match. They weren't quite sure what to expect from their guests, but years of experience had taught the royal couple a valuable lesson: first impressions were everything when it came to arranging a long-lasting alliance.
"Now, remember, boys," the king paced before his young sons. He wasn't one to get nervous that often, much less let it show. But from the hint of unsteadiness in his tone, his wife could tell he was, even if no one else could. "Be on your best behavior when the princesses arrive. Ventus, I trust that won't be a problem for you." He grinned as he ruffled his eldest son's hair. Ventus grinned back up at his father, eyes filled with admiration. The king returned that smile, though it slipped just the slightest when he caught a pout from one of his younger boys. "Vanitas and Sora, on the other hand…"
"Papa!" Vanitas stomped his foot.
"Oh, you don't mean the "terror twins", do you, dear?" the queen chuckled. Her smile softened when Vanitas scowled back at her with all the annoyance a four year old could muster. "Now don't give me that look, Vanitas. You know the servants have you and your brother pegged." She shifted the baby in her arms. He let out a small, cheerful laugh to echo his mother's. "See? Even Roxas agrees."
"Roxas is just a dumb baby who doesn't know nothing…" Vanitas muttered, crossing his arms.
"Be nice," Ventus nudged his brother, hardly phased by the dirty look the younger prince sent his way.
"Speaking of the 'terror twins', one of them's been awfully quiet this morning..." the king smirked as he looked over to the window. There, his second youngest son had his hands and face pressed to the glass. He didn't even look away when his father placed a hand on his shoulder. "What are you looking for over here, Sora?"
"Somethin' called a 'princess'," Sora said, still keeping his careful watch up. "Mama told me two of 'em were coming here today and I wanna find out what they are!"
After a short second of confusion, the king slipped out a laugh. "Sora, a princess is just like you and your brothers," he explained, guiding the boy away from the window to join the others. "Only instead of little boys, they're little girls. Does that make sense?"
"Mm… yeah, I guess," Sora frowned, disappointed. "So they're just a bunch of girls then? That's boring. I thought they were gonna be somethin' really cool, like a fish nobody's ever seen before. Or even better, a dinosaur!" He let out a roar, bearing his teeth as he playfully pawed at his twin, at least until he was quickly pushed away.
"Ugh, you're so annoying!" Vanitas struggled to hold him at arm's length. But Sora was nothing if not persistent, especially when it came to his surliest brother.
"And you're so boooooring!" Sora groaned, falling back. "You never wanna play with me anymore!"
"That's 'cause playing is for babies," Vanitas turned his nose up. "Like Roxas."
"Well, I would play with Roxas, but he can't even walk yet!" Sora argued. "Ven, after this whole princess thing is done, will you play with me?"
"Aw, sorry, Sora," Ventus rubbed the back of his neck. "I gotta study after this. But… maybe tomorrow, ok?"
"That's what you always say…" Sora muttered, kicking the ground.
His parents exchanged a worried look. They'd been seeing this exchange far too often lately. If any of their boys could be called restless, it was Sora. With far too much energy and time on his hands, the four year old's imagination and excitement had to go somewhere. And without a proper playmate to keep him busy, that meant it often went into causing trouble instead.
He never meant to, of course; Sora was a good kid, kind and friendly to a fault. That's what his parents always contested, even when their staff complained whenever his games or pranks went too far. Ventus used to be the one to keep him in check until his royal studies became more advanced, demanding far more time than they used to of the future king. Vanitas used to play right along with Sora, until he, for whatever reason, decided he was "too mature" for the brother who was younger than him by only a few mere minutes. And of course, Roxas wouldn't be able to keep up with Sora for at least another year or two, leaving him with few other options to occupy his time. A consistent problem for his eternally preoccupied parents and their beleaguered staff alike.
Fortunately for the royal family, a solution to that problem was about to walk right through their doors.
"Ahem, your majesties?" a page poked their head into the room. "Your guests have arrived."
"Ah, good," the king straightened, steadying himself. "See them in."
The page nodded, standing by as the ornate doors fully opened. "Presenting… Crown Princess Kairi and her sister, Princess Naminé of Radiant Garden, as well as their nursemaid and governess, the esteemed Lady Aqua."
Surprisingly, a young woman, just a teenager really, entered, dressed in a regal blue gown that matched her short hair perfectly. Based on that blue, they could only assume this was Lady Aqua. In her arms, a blonde little girl in a white dress was fast asleep, likely exhausted from their long voyage. But then, from behind Aqua's wide skirt, another girl peeked her head out. The prettiest girl Sora had ever seen.
Her bright red hair was tied into a tight bun atop her head, making the pink of her dress and the tiny tiara on her head stand out all the more. Her eyes, large and as blue as the ocean just outside of the castle walls, scanned the room cautiously, until they happened to meet Sora's. He couldn't help but smile at her, and she smiled back.
Funny how that smile was all it took.
Sora didn't really listen as Aqua introduced herself or the girls. He didn't listen as his parents began their usual rehearsed greetings before launching into boring matters of state. He didn't listen to a single word anyone said, until-
"Sora, Vanitas," the queen skimmed her son's shoulders. "Why don't the two of you go say hello to Princess Kairi? She's about the same age as the both of you, you know."
There was an odd, leading edge to what their mother just said that neither boy caught. Her insistence became more obvious when she guided both of them over to where the princess still nervously clung onto her nursemaid's skirt. Aqua smiled down at her, gently nudging her toward the boys in turn. "Well, go on," she encouraged before turning back to her conversation with the king.
The young royals approached each other cautiously, neither side sure of what to make of the other. Kairi quietly took the lead, extending her hand out in a move the twin princes had only just learned to recognize. Vanitas sighed as he took her hand and kissed it, wincing in disgust when he quickly peeled back. Kairi frowned, put off by his less than friendly attitude. At least until Sora stepped forward, completely breaking royal protocol by taking her hand in both of his instead of kissing it.
"Hi! I'm Sora!" he greeted, grinning from ear to ear. "Do you wanna play with me?"
The princess paused, surprised. The adults in the room were all just as caught off guard. Though Aqua and the king shot him a disapproving look, Sora hardly noticed or cared. Instead, he had eyes only for Kairi, just as he had from the moment he first saw her. He only found himself even more captivated by her when she smiled at him all over again.
"Yeah!" she squeezed his hands and he squeezed back. Before she even knew it, she was running after him, their hands still intertwined as he led the way to the throne room's doors.
"C'mon! Let's go down to the beach!" he shouted above his father's protests.
"Sora, wait! You can't just… and they're already gone," the king sighed as the pair slipped out of the room. "What are we going to do with that boy…?"
"Don't worry, dear," the queen patted her husband's shoulder, smiling. "I think Kairi is going to be exactly what Sora has always needed."
"And the alliance?" Aqua asked. She masterfully quieted Naminé's fussing as her nap came to an end thanks to her older sister's noisy exit. The king and queen couldn't help but be impressed by the young woman's talent for balancing caretaking and politics.
"I believe it's clear to see…" the queen moved over to the window. She watched fondly as Sora and Kairi emerged onto the shore surrounding the castle, already taking to the waves to plant the first few seeds of their friendship. And so much more along with it. "That our alliance begins with the very children we're building it for."
Over the next several weeks, the plans were carefully put in place. Not that either Sora or Kairi knew of them. Instead, they spent most of their time together, and they showed no signs of hiding how much they both enjoyed every second of it.
The summer sun was kind to the kids as they sprinted across the shore, waded through the waves, gathered seashells and built sandcastles. When the weather was less favorable, they still found ways to create their own fun, exploring the castle's nooks and crannies, sneaking snacks out of the kitchen under the cook's nose, playing pretend and tag and hide and seek and every other game in between. And whenever their adventures would inevitably wear them out, they'd nap side-by-side, dreaming of all the fun they'd have together when they would next wake.
Whenever Ventus was too busy to play or Vanitas didn't want to, Sora found that Kairi was always ready to spend time with him when few others would. That's exactly why the news that her stay on the islands wasn't permanent proved to be such a crushing blow to the boy. His mother gently explained that Kairi had her own home and kingdom to come back to, that she couldn't stay, no matter how much either of them might want her to. But then, the queen posed a question that Sora had an answer to before it even finished leaving her mouth.
"Would you like Kairi to come ba-"
"Yes!" Sora practically shouted. "Yes! Yes! YES! She's my bestest friend! I want her to come back tomorrow! And every day! Forever!"
"Well… I don't think she'll be able to come back tomorrow…" the queen said with an awkward smile. "But she will be back every summer. You see, Sora… oh, how do I explain this…? You and Kairi are… well, you're betrothed."
"Be-troved?" Sora tiled his head, frowning. "What's that mean, Mama?"
"It means the two of you are going to be married someday," the queen explained, taking her son's hand as she guided him to his room. "And your marriage will unite our kingdom and Radiant Garden. Our people and Kairi's people will be bonded together as one, no matter how different they might be or how many worlds apart they are. Just like you and Kairi will be."
"Married…" Sora repeated, yawning. He'd already stayed up quite a bit past his bedtime to see Kairi and her party off. The emotional toil alone had been enough to all but wipe him out on the spot. "Isn't that what you and Papa are?"
"It's exactly what me and your Papa are," the queen scooped her son into her arms.
The prince yawned again, his eyes starting to grow heavy. "Sounds like… fun. Can me 'n Kairi get married… when she comes next summer?"
"You're… both still a little too young for that," the queen grinned. "But someday, you'll-"
They'd only just crossed into the threshold of his room when she heard Sora's soft snoring against her shoulder. She chuckled to herself as she lowered her son into his bed, tucking him in with a lovingly light kiss on his cheek. "Sweet dreams, my little prince," she said, repeating a saying she'd told him since the day he'd been born. Something special, something between just the two of them. "I love you more than the sun, the moon-"
Even though he was half-asleep, Sora still had it in him to tiredly, happily finish where his mother had left off. "And even the sky…"
The start of each summer would often see an influx of new staff at the castle. The king and queen were known for treating their servants well, housing and feeding them, and paying them a generous wage. On top of that, they'd recently piloted a program to offer work to the island's more vulnerable population, the destitute and homeless, the orphaned and poor. To whoever had nowhere else to go. And, in the wake of his father's sudden death, there was one young boy who fit that description to a tee.
He shuffled anxiously as he stood among the handful of other orphans who had turned up to the castle for work. He already knew he was a good bit younger than the teens and preteens around him, already anticipated that a six year old would be quickly turned away. Still, he wasn't above begging; this was his last chance for some semblance of stability, for something other than the empty future the orphanage would offer him. To make something of himself, just like his father always wanted him to.
A hush fell over the orphans as a young man, only about a year or so older than the oldest among them, strolled into the room. He was accompanied by a much older man, who simply stood by and said nothing, allowing the boy to lead in his stead.
"Um… welcome," his voice cracked a little out of nerves. He shook it off quickly as he glanced back at the older man, who nodded his silent encouragement. "My name is Terra and this," he motioned back to the man. "Is my father, Master Eraqus. We oversee the castle guard and its staff and we're here to, um… assign? Yes, assign your new roles to each of you. So," he pulled himself to his full height, the armor on his shoulders gleaming as he walked down the line of recruits. He doled out jobs for each of the orphans, from kitchen hands to stable boys, before coming to a stop in front of the smallest of the group. He frowned down at the child, confused and concerned as he asked the most obvious question of them all. "Aren't you a little… young to be here?"
"...Maybe," the boy muttered, glancing down. "B-but I can work! I promise, I can! I've been working all sorts of jobs ever since I could walk. My dad taught me how to clean and fix things and even cook! I can-"
"Whoa, slow down there," Terra couldn't help but smile as he knelt down to the boy's level. "What's your name anyway?"
"...Riku," he answered hesitantly.
"Riku, it's nice to meet you," Terra extended his hand for a shake. Riku shyly shook it. "You know, I was around your age when I started working here too. Believe it or not, I know what it's like to be an orphan with no other options to turn to."
"An orphan?" Riku questioned. "But you said he was your-"
"Eraqus is my adopted father," Terra clarified. He glanced back at the man, catching a proud grin for how he was dealing with the unfolding situation. "Anyway, Riku, if you really want a job, and promise not to cause any trouble, then I'm sure we could find a few odds and ends for you to do as an errand boy. How does that sound?"
"It sounds perfect!" Riku practically leapt at the chance. "I-I mean… I'll take it. Thank you, sir."
"No sir for me," Terra chuckled, standing. "At least not until I'm knighted." He tapped the sword at his belt, impressing the younger boy even more. At least until something even more awe-inspiring walked into the room.
"Excuse me?" The entire group turned to see a trio enter the foyer, a finely-dressed woman around Terra's age with two much younger girls holding each of her hands. "We're here to see the royal family. They should be expecting us."
Despite his earlier confidence, Terra froze up, his face flushing red at the sight of the blue-haired woman. She eyed him curiously, waiting for an answer he was unable to give. Still, that didn't mean he wasn't about to try. "Uh… t-they… they're-"
"They're right this way, Lady Aqua," Eraqus fortunately stepped in to save his struggling son. "It's a pleasure to see you and the princesses again."
"The pleasure is all ours," Aqua smiled cordially.
The other orphans all stepped aside, bowing in respect as soon as they realized they were in the presence of visiting royalty. Out of all of them, Riku was the only one to look up, his breath caught in his throat when the older princess passed him by. She didn't so much as even glance his way, and yet he couldn't stop staring at her. Even as she passed through the doors into the throne room, he kept his sights lingering where she'd left. Only to be met with yet another captivating sight when those doors opened again only moments later.
Terra was in the middle of their initiation when the pair rushed through the foyer, the princess from before and a boy about her age. His smile was infectious, to the point that even Riku felt it creeping on the corners of his mouth when they ran by him without a care in the world. He wondered what that must feel like, to be free, to have fun for a change instead of always working nearly every minute of every day.
What must it be like, he wondered, to have a childhood that wasn't taken away far too soon?
Riku very quickly learned that boy he'd seen was one of the princes he now served. The royal family didn't often have the time to venture to the main island to visit their people, as much as they might have wanted to. As a result, very few commoners actually knew what the princes even looked like. Riku couldn't help but think they were missing out each time he spotted Sora from a distance.
He never talked to him, or to Kairi for that matter. As early as his first day, he'd been staunchly warned against speaking to any of the royals without being spoken to first. Still, he caught onto the situation between the pair very quickly thanks to gossip he'd heard from the other staff.
Sora and Kairi were to be married when they were older, a thought that made Riku's heart sink, though he had no idea why. Clearly, they were already extremely close, spending almost every hour of every day together for as long as the summer spanned on. He would sometimes watch them while cleaning windows as they played together on the beach, imagining himself down there right along with them. He'd never had friends before, at least not real ones. So the idea of a friend, of two friends at that, was a pleasant one. Even if he knew it was never meant for him.
Riku could tell they were coming whenever he heard their laughter, warm and wonderful, echo through the halls. He smiled to himself as he scrubbed the floors, his spirits lifted by their presence alone. It was almost enough to make him forget that neither of them even knew he existed at all. Almost.
He started when their laughter suddenly stopped, when a sharp gasp filled the air in its place. Curious, he got up from his cleaning, making sure the coast was clear as he snuck over to where the hallways connected. He peered around the corner to find the royal pair, picking themselves up off the floor. Standing only a few feet away from them, was someone who, even from a distance, made Riku's blood run cold.
He'd heard about this man–Xehanort, if he remembered right–from a few of the other servants. Apparently, he was an old friend of Master Eraqus', who'd worked his way up the ranks of nobility into a recently-vacant spot on the king's council. Despite the king's trust in him however, most of the staff didn't feel the same. Whispers across the castle spoke of a man with devious intent, a cunning interloper who only sought to achieve his own selfish gain. Riku couldn't claim that he understood a word of what they meant, but he knew enough to tell this man was troubling to say the least, and downright frightening to say the most.
Sora and Kairi must have agreed with him, because even their usual zeal seemed to drain straight out of them in the shadow of the towering, elderly man. He scowled down at the pair, his golden eyes piercing as he let out a haughty sneer. "How shameful. Royal children such as yourselves shouldn't be wasting your days running around like the common rabble on the streets. Prince Sora, if your people knew that this is how you choose to behave, so childishly and recklessly, then they'd see you as a disappointment to their kingdom, without a doubt."
Sora said nothing, instead shrinking back under the man's fierce gaze. Kairi, however, was much bolder as she stood in front of her best friend, fixing Xehanort with a glare every bit as harsh as the man's own. "He's not a disappointment. YOU ARE!"
Xehanort didn't even get a chance to react before someone else beat him to it. "Kairi!" Aqua scolded as she arrived just in time to hear her charge and nothing that came before. "I can't believe you would say something so rude! Apologize to Lord Xehanort at once!"
Kairi pouted, but she knew better than to argue with her nursemaid. "I'm sorry…"
"Sorry you're so old!" Sora cut in, riding on a wave of sudden bravery.
From his hiding spot, Riku covered his mouth to stifle a laugh. Aqua and Xehanort, however, were far less amused.
"Honestly, you two," Aqua shook her head. "Lord Xehanort, I apologize. They both know better than to act like this."
"Ah, there's no harm done, my dear," Xehanort threw on a smile. A clearly fake smile. "Children will be children, after all."
"Says the man who just yelled at them for being children…" Riku scoffed to himself.
"Come along, you two," Aqua urged the children to follow her. "Sora, you're lucky I don't tell your father about your behavior, toward one of his own councilmen, no less!"
The handmaiden continued fussing, though Sora paid her little mind. Instead, he spared a glance over his shoulder back at Xehanort, only to catch the stare the old man was sending his way. A stare filled with nothing else than complete and utter hatred.
It would only be a matter of time before that hatred no longer needed to kindle in silence. Before it would burn hot enough to destroy everything–and everyone–in its path.
"What's with the necklace? Kairi asked Sora not too far into their next summer together. This one was already quite a bit different than the first two. By now, Roxas was finally old enough to properly play with the pair, as was Kairi's younger sister, Naminé. Sometimes, they even managed to rope Vanitas in too when he was in one of his less unsavory moods. In a year or so, they'd have yet another playmate join their pack in Sora's new baby sister, Xion. But even with so many others to play with, Sora and Kairi still found the best moments were made solely in each other's company.
So today, they'd given their younger siblings the slip to roam the castle on their own terms. It was only as they were on their way to snatch a few sweets from the kitchen that Kairi noticed the silver crown hanging around Sora's neck. "Oh, this?" he grinned down at the chain-bound charm. "Isn't it cool? My dad gave it to me for my birthday this year. He said something about it being in our family for a really long time? So I guess that means it's pretty important."
"Well, if it's that important, shouldn't he have given it to Ven or Vanitas instead of you?" Kairi elbowed him teasingly.
"Hey! I'm just as important as they are!" Sora protested. "Besides, Ven already got Dad's ring when he turned ten, and Vani didn't want it. So I got it instead."
"So it's just a hand-me-down, then," Kairi smirked. Getting a rise out of Sora was one of her favorite pastimes, so she wasn't about to let any opportunity to do exactly that pass her by.
"It is not." Right on cue, Sora took the bait.
"Is too."
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"Is-"
The argument fell to pieces as soon as Sora blindly bumped into what, at least at a first glance, looked like a walking tower of linens. Those towels went flying, revealing the silver-haired boy who'd been carrying them. Sora drew in a breath to throw out a quick apology… only to hold it in when he caught a proper look at that boy's face and the pair of impossibly bright teal eyes staring back at him.
For a moment, they sat there in a strange sort of silence, both of them in awe at the very sight of the other, for entirely different reasons. At least, until the servant boy remembered his place. And he remembered exactly who he happened to be gawking at.
"Y-your highness!" the boy scrambled to pick up the towels lying at the prince's feet. "I'm so sorry! I should have been more careful! I-"
"Whoa, hey!" Sora interrupted. "It's ok! I should've been watching where I was going instead of arguing with Princess "Doesn't-Know-a-Super-Special-Necklace-Even-It's-Right-In-Font-of-Her." He stuck his tongue out at Kairi, who was more than happy to return the favor. "Here," he turned his attention back to the servant boy. "Let me help you." He leaned down, scooping up a few of the towels. That alone was enough to floor the boy even more than he already was.
"What? No!" he pulled the rags away from Sora, flustered ."I-I mean, you're a prince! You shouldn't be doing work meant for a servant!"
"Eh, it's not that big of a deal," Sora shrugged like it was nothing. "I do chores sometimes; I clean my own room and I help Mom take care of Roxas and Xion. How different is any of that from picking up a few towels?"
"Ugh, c'mon, Sora," Kairi groaned, impatiently standing on the fringes of this exchange. "That kid's got it covered. We're missing out on all those cookies we were gonna get, remember?"
"Just gimme a minute, ok?" Sora frowned back at her. He quickly changed his tune when he handed the last few towels back over to the boy. He'd even folded them every bit as crisp and cleanly as they'd been before they'd fallen. "What's your name anyway?" he asked, his eyes practically aglow with curiosity as he looked up at the slightly older boy.
"Um… i-it's Riku, your highness," he said, bowing a bit.
"Riku," Sora echoed, his smile growing. What he said next, however, was without a doubt the most shocking thing Riku had ever heard. "Do you wanna come play with us?"
"What?" Riku and Kairi asked in almost perfect unison. It was a baffling idea, downright ridiculous really, to blur the lines between royalty and "the help" so carelessly. But as far as Sora was concerned, that line might as well not have even existed in the first place.
"Play with us!" he encouraged, taking the linens in Riku's arms and setting them aside. "We're on our way to the kitchen to get some snacks, and after that, we were gonna go exploring. Did you know there's all sorts of weird old tunnels and super secret doors all over the castle? Kairi and me find new ones all the time and they're-"
"Sora," Kairi suddenly hissed into his ear as she grabbed his arm. "What are you doing? He's just a servant; he can't play with us!"
"...Why can't he?"
"Well, 'cause he's… he's not… we're… uh…" Kairi bit her lip, struggling to come up with a suitable response. "I, um… I guess there's no reason why he can't, but he shouldn't! If any of the grown ups find out, they'll get so mad–at him, and at us!"
"Then we won't tell them," Sora said. "It'll be a secret–just between the three of us. You can keep a secret, can't you, Riku?"
"Um… I guess?" Riku shrugged. For as sudden as this all was, he didn't really know what else to say. All he really did know at that moment was that one of the princes of the Destiny Islands was asking him to play. And like any loyal servant, he didn't have it in him to tell his prince no.
"What about you, Kairi?" Sora held his hand out to her. He broke into a pleading pout when she eyed him warily instead of taking it. "Aw, c'mon. Don't be a tattle-tale! Pleaaaaase keep this a secret? For me?"
"Ugh, you're the worst!" she groaned. Still, she smiled when she placed her hand squarely on top of his. "But fine. I won't tell anyone. Even if I still think we're gonna get in trouble anyway."
"All right!" Sora cheered. "Then let's go have some fun!"
Riku's racing thoughts came to a crashing halt all over again when Sora grabbed his hand and plopped it down on top of his and Kairi's. The first touch between a prince, a princess… and the lonely little servant boy who somehow got lucky enough to be noticed by them both.
They spent the day together. And the day after that. And the day after that.
At first, it happened exactly as it did when they met. They'd run into each other by chance, usually when Riku was taking care of some chore or errand. Then, it would never take long for Sora to convince him to join whatever adventure he and Kairi had planned for the day. It took a bit of convincing for the princess's part; she'd never treated her own servants unkindly, but she'd never formed any genuine friendships with them either. But after a few days, her regal walls began to crumble to the point that she was as comfortable around Riku as Sora was.
And almost as soon as that happened, their fun truly began.
They'd sneak down to the shore in the hours just before sunset, waging splash battles in the waves and searching the shallows for shells and starfish. No longer afraid of the prying eyes from parents or nursemaids or uptight servants, the trio was free to revel in each other's company. Any barriers that once stood between them soon were broken down entirely, replaced by laughter and stories and songs. Alongside their fledgling friendship, they soon began building something else too on that beach: a raft. A raft that would someday take them on grand adventures across the open seas. A raft that would let them be whoever they wanted to be.
It was a secret of course, every bit as much as their friendship itself was. Whenever anyone else was around, Sora and Kairi would act like they'd never even seen Riku before. In turn, he'd treat them with the respect befitting a future king and queen. But in the moments when no one else was looking, they'd spare him a smile, slip him a note, whisper a joke they'd all struggle not to laugh at. If anyone suspected anything, they had no idea. Sora's parents never said a word about it, and Aqua hadn't either. Their siblings were all but oblivious, at least as far as they could tell. Even the most keen of the castle's staff were somehow kept completely out of the loop. So they kept the charade going, all throughout the summer. And even into the next.
Both boys felt Kairi's absence in the months between. But for the first time, they had each other to lean on to fill the space she'd left behind. There were more than a few winter days when the middle prince had all but vanished completely, with servants searching high and low to track him down. The only servant Sora wanted to find him, however, was Riku as they played hide-and-seek in the castle's hidden corridors. They spent mornings sneaking by the cooks with pastries in hand, afternoons chasing each other through the garden's maze of hedges, and nights staring up at the stars from the castle's tallest tower. Little about that routine changed when Kairi eventually, inevitably returned. The only difference was that when they were all together again, they finally felt fully, perfectly whole.
Each day made a memory more magical than the last. And each day left Riku wondering what he'd done to deserve this, to deserve her, to deserve him, to deserve them. Each day left him wondering what they saw in him, why they'd chosen him, why they were so kind to him, why they cared.
And of course, each day left him wondering just how long would it be before it all came crashing to an agonizing end. Just like everything else he'd ever held close to his heart always had.
It was the evening before Kairi was to leave, a painful ritual they'd all grown more than used to at this point. Riku had been held up with chores he couldn't get out of, which left Sora and Kairi on their own. Not that either of them minded. If anything, their already close bond had only blossomed even further since they met Riku. Maybe that's why Kairi had decided tonight was the perfect time to share something with Sora she'd been working on for quite a while now. Something that was meant for him and him alone.
"Come on!" she practically dragged him across the shore. "Hurry up, slowpoke!"
"I'm trying to!" Sora shouted, unable to stifle a laugh. "Where are we going in such a hurry anyway?"
"You'll see," Kairi smirked, refusing to let her secret slip so easily.
On the far side of the island, there was a cave, one that the kids had claimed as their own secret hangout long ago. Its walls were covered in the countless drawings they'd made, each carrying a clear hint of whoever had carved it. As Kairi pulled him inside the cave, Sora suspected it was just for another "cave art" session. Until…
"I made something for you," she turned to him, her voice soft and anxious. "But it's special; really special. You've gotta promise not to tell anyone, ok?"
"Aw, another secret?" Sora heaved a sigh. "Keeping Riku a secret is already so exhausting. Do I really have to-"
"Yes, you do," Kairi cut him off, completely serious. "Now, hold out your hand."
Curious, Sora did as she said, watching as she placed something small and fragile into his palm. Five small pink and yellow seashells had been stitched together using fine, yet sturdy thread. Another cord connected to one of the shells, turning the item into some kind of necklace. At least that's what it looked like to Sora anyway."...What is it?" he held it up to get a better look.
"It's a good luck charm," Kairi explained, softening into a smile. "I made it because I… um… well, I… I want us to always be together, Sora, even when we're far apart. So, I thought that… as long as you have that charm with you, then you'll always have a piece of me."
"But… this isn't a piece of you," Sora pointed out, still not getting it. "It's just a bunch of shells you tied together."
"Ugh," Kairi rolled her eyes. Leave it to Sora to ruin a perfectly sweet and sentimental moment. "Just turn it over."
He did so, finding an inscription carved into the back of the shells in tiny, yet still somehow legible letters: "Together in R.G…?" Sora read, frowning. "What's that mean?"
"Together in Radiant Garden, dummy!" Kairi flicked him on the forehead. "Next summer, I want you to visit me for a change!"
"Really?" Sora gasped, elated at the very idea. He'd never left the islands before, but he'd always dreamed of it. And where better to go first than a place as famously big and beautiful as Radiant Garden? "Oh my gosh, Kairi, that sounds amazing! I'll be there. And I'll find a way to bring Riku too. I promise."
"You better keep that promise or I'll never forgive you!" Kairi proclaimed, clearly joking. Sora laughed as he let her take the charm from him to hang it around his neck. "You'll never forget about me, right, Sora?"
"How could I forget you?" he teased. He turned a touch more serious after taking the light punch Kairi landed on his arm. "You know I won't. Actually…" he looked past her to the cave's exit. "That gives me an idea. C'mon!"
Kairi couldn't keep her curiosity quelled as she followed Sora back onto the beach. He led the way to the tall palm tree they'd often climb with Riku, a tree that never seemed to be that special. At least, not until now. "My mom told me a story," Sora began, pointing up at the star-shaped fruit hanging from the tree's branches. "She said those fruit up there are called paopu, and that if two people share them, then they'll be part of each other's lives forever."
"Whoa…" Kairi whispered, amazed. A tinge of warmth rushed into her cheeks when Sora suddenly took both of her hands in his.
"Kairi, I wanna share a paopu fruit with you!" he said, beaming.
"Oh," her blush deepened. "O-ok. Then… then let's do it!"
"Uh… well, that's kind of the thing…" Sora rubbed the back of his neck. "We can't do it 'till we're older. Mom didn't tell me why, but she made it sound like it was important–like it wouldn't work if we did it when we were too young."
"...Weird," Kairi mused. "But fine. I guess we can wait. That just means we'll have plenty of summers to spend looking forward to it."
"Yeah," Sora warmly agreed, glancing back at the cave. "And until then…"
They went back to the cave, spending the final few fleeting hours of daylight adding a new carving to the many spanning its stone walls. This one was special, however; a simple drawing of the two of them, connected together by two star-shaped fruits. A drawing they both hoped would someday become an even more beautiful reality.
The next day, when the little prince and princess parted ways, they did so not with tears in their eyes, but with smiles on their faces. They hugged, just as they always did, but this time, Kairi leaned in to whisper in Sora's ear: "Don't forget: together in Radiant Garden."
"I won't forget," he assured her brightly, happily. "I promise."
It was a lovely promise, one that should have easily come true in just one year's time. Except…
Except…
There was a time, not long ago, when the Destiny Islands had been beautiful.
Until, all at once, it all fell apart.
I split the prologue in two for tone/length sake. Coming up in part 2... the islands are lost. And a prince is lost along with them... Please make sure to follow/favorite and review! Until next time!