This story now updates on Archive of Our Own only.

My username and the story title are the same over there. The story is NOT locked to users only so can be viewed without needing an AO3 account. There are more chapters posted there already as well.

Sorry to anyone who is disappointed by this :( but posting here has become quite draining (variety of reasons) and I hope that if you have been enjoying this story you'll check it out over there!

The Sixth Month

Sora was quieter than usual over the next several days. When he wasn't fussing over his still unwell boyfriend, he seemed lost in his thoughts, spending most of his time off into space with a strange, faraway look in his eyes. It wasn't the same as the hollowness of the bad days but, once Riku's head was clear enough for him to notice it, he was concerned.

A few days after his injury he was surprised to wake up and find himself alone. Never having been a morning person, Sora never usually got up before him, even though since his concussion Riku had been sleeping more. Most of his symptoms had passed quickly, but he still found himself more tired than usual, brain apparently still recovering. For the first time in his life, he was oversleeping more than Sora. Still though, this was abnormal.

Before letting himself panic this time, he remembered to check his phone and was glad that he had.

Gone for a run, didn't want to wake you up. Let me know when you're awake, I'm on breakfast! :)

He smiled at the message, but only briefly. Sora had sent it hours ago, it seemed odd he wasn't back yet... He sent a reply, and then sighed as Sora's phone buzzed from on top of his bedside table. Working hard not to jump to the worst conclusions, he dressed quickly and went searching.

Outside he found Kairi already racing through Terra's most recent obstacle course. To his great relief, she pointed down the hill when he asked if she'd seen Sora. She was too out of breath to do more than that, it seemed the battle in San Fransokyo had stoked her enthusiasm for training even more than usual.

He made his way further into the castle grounds and found Sora sitting on the stone bench at the stargazing spot, the same place he had taken them when he first told them about Rage. He seemed lost in thought once again as Riku approached, hunched forward on the bench staring at his right hand. He had raised it up in front of his face, and was slowly curling and uncurling his fingers.

"Hey." He started at Riku's voice, not having heard his footsteps, then smiled at him as he turned.

"Hey!" Riku sat down next to him and he quickly lowered his hand. "How's your head today?"

"Pretty good actually, no headache anymore," he was pleased to report. "What were you doing up so early?"

Sora shrugged. "Dunno, just woke up and couldn't get back to sleep." He stared back out at the mountains again but didn't seem to be really seeing them.

"You OK?"

"Huh? Yeah I'm fine," he grinned up at him, and it looked genuine, but something still seemed off. Riku put a hand on his knee.

"Are you sure? You've been kind of quiet and off in your head the last few days."

Sora's smile faded and he looked down at his knees, brow furrowing slightly. It was only now Riku pointed it out that he realised how absorbed in his thoughts he had been. "Oh, I guess I have..."

"Something on your mind?"

"Yeah, there is... I would have told you already, but I wanted to wait until you were feeling better first." His voice was hesitant, so Riku gave him some time to gather the thoughts that were bothering him. He wasn't sure what he was expecting Sora to say, but it definitely wasn't what came next.

"During that fight, after you got hurt, there was this moment when Rage wanted to take over." Riku's heart skipped a beat as he paused. "I could feel it... but then I just ignored it and didn't let it out. It was exactly like it used to be, I could just choose not to become it."

His melancholic expression puzzled Riku. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"Yeah, it is," he agreed with a small nod, but his expression didn't change. "I was already pretty sure I would be able to stop myself from turning again, and it's great to know for sure. I was really happy at first but it's just..." He trailed off and was quiet for a few moments, staring at his hand as he flexed his fingers into a fist and back again. "It means he's still there. That darkness is still in me."

Riku reached over and took his hand. "We've all got some darkness in us. Trust me, I'm an expert at that." Sora didn't reply. He knew he was right. Aside from the hearts of those few pure lights like Kairi, all hearts had darkness within them. But this stain that Rage had left on him... The darkness that had shredded those ghostly visions of his friends, and had summoned the Unversed that almost ended Riku's life...

When he stayed quiet a little too long Riku squeezed his hand. "It wasn't your fault."

If he hadn't been feeling so awful Sora might have smiled or laughed. Riku was far too good at guessing what he was thinking. "But the darkness that did all that still came from me. That place, or that man, did something to it and made it stronger, but they didn't create it. It came from me."

"They turned it into something else though, something that wasn't you at all."

"Maybe..." His eyes were hollow again. Riku put both his hands around his now and gripped it firmly to pull him back to the present.

"When Ansem took control over me, he latched on to the darkness already in my heart." Sora looked up at him, curious about why he was bringing this up. "Darkness already existed inside me, and I did a lot of things I regret. But at some point, it wasn't my darkness alone anymore. Ansem used what was there, and then made me do things I would have never done... like try to kill you."

Riku's face looked tense to Sora, and he hastened to reassure him. "You know I never blamed you for that right?" he said quickly, for probably the hundredth time. "I always knew that wasn't you."

Riku smiled, pleased he'd fallen into his trap. "Exactly. Just like it wasn't you who did those things in Quadratum."

Sora stared at him without reacting for a few moments, then gave a crooked smile as he realised he'd been tricked. "You and Aqua really like turning my own words against me."

"You do make it pretty easy."

"Hey!"

He bumped his shoulder against him, and Riku chuckled and put an arm around him. "No wonder you still have nightmares about him," Sora mused as he pressed himself against his side.

"Ansem?"

"Yeah. I hear you talk about him in your sleep sometimes."

"Really?" He was surprised by this. He used to have nightmares about that man all the time, reliving the revulsion of his body no longer being his own, waking up and feeling either nauseous and violated, or like he was in the wrong body himself. Sometimes both. But these days they were few and far between, and when they did come they never seemed to last long.

"Yeah, you calm down if I talk to you though." Sora sat up and put a hand on the side of Riku's head, pulling it down gently so he could kiss him on the forehead, "and do that." He gave him a cheeky grin and Riku beamed.

"Thanks." He leant down so they could share a proper kiss. "Maybe I should try that for yours instead of waking you up."

Sora's face darkened and Riku immediately regretted mentioning his dreams. "Nah," he told him quietly, then his face back into his chest. "I think I prefer being woken up before they get really bad, and before I see you and Kairi..." He didn't finish the sentence, but Riku knew what he meant. He squeezed him tightly and thought for a while about how he could distract him from his ruminations. He smiled when an idea came to him and prodded Sora's arm.

"I'm pretty sure you said you would make me breakfast by the way."

Sora brightened up in an instant. "Oh yeah!" He stood up, grabbed Riku's hand, and started pulling him back up to the castle.

Riku grinned to himself. Yep, a good distraction, with no ulterior motives at all.

There were still bad days. Days when he withdrew from everyone. Days when he felt that the cracks would never heal. Days spent certain it was only a matter of time before his pieces would be smashed apart once more. But the good ones came far more often.

The incident in San Fransokyo had a range of different effects on him that were as unexpected as the attack itself had been. He was now dwelling more on Rage than he had in months, and his quieter disposition remained awhile longer. He wasn't sad exactly, but the thought of that dark taint inside him bothered him frequently, pulling his mood down ever so slightly, even on the good days.

But even so, the good days were still good. Some were even great.

A far more positive outcome of the battle with the Metal Troll was suddenly, for the first time in so long, Sora felt strong again. Not as strong as he once had been, but strong nonetheless. It took some of his confidence coming back for him to realise just how much of it he had lost, and just how vulnerable he had been feeling until now.

Before Quadratum, being afraid for his life was something he had only ever experienced in the most dire battles, or during the nightmares that used to be rare. It had been something that faded once the danger had passed. Being gripped by terror with no threat present... that was something he had never felt, and might not have even understood, before. But now he didn't have to be afraid. He could defend himself again. He didn't find himself frozen with fear when Riku or the others weren't by his side. The flashbacks didn't magically disappear, but the improvement was immense.

Baymax had banned both Riku and Sora from any kind of fighting after they returned home. Sora was unimpressed when he was first told he wasn't allowed to train for a full week, but then found it took most of that time for him to recover his energy anyway, and for his arm to stop aching.

Riku was given even stricter instructions. Baymax had made it abundantly clear that he needed to give himself adequate time to recover, even after his symptoms resolved. Apparently, cumulative concussions were not worth the risk, even if his had not been severe. For over two weeks he was benched from any combat. Not being able to do so much as practice was a challenge, but Riku was all too happy to have a break from the usual missions.

It wasn't the best timing though. Heartless activity had been minimal for months, up until the seemingly random attack in San Fransokyo. Over the next few weeks, similar incidents occurred in Monstropolis and Agrabah. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy had already been investigating the potential source of these, and both Aqua and Terra soon joined in.

But, by the time they traced it back to Hades stirring up more trouble in the Underworld, Riku was cleared to join them.

With four masters, as well as Donald, Goofy, and Hercules all together, there was little need for concern. That's what Kairi, Ven, and Sora told themselves at least. Yet another impact of the San Fransokyo attack was Sora's anxieties for Riku being even more intense, and Kairi's were close behind. It had been a long time since anyone had been on a mission as serious as this. The three left behind at the castle were all worried for their friends, and overjoyed when they heard they were on their way back home.

The masters returned from their mission a long four days and nights after leaving (Zeus having forcefully insisted they stay an extra night to enjoy a celebratory feast), and as the castle doors swung shut behind them they jumped as a yell rang out through the hallway.

"RIKU!"

He barely had time to turn before a blur of brown hair, and red and black clothes slammed into him, knocking him off his feet. He just managed to stop himself from falling flat on his back, and wrapped an arm around Sora, laughing with the little air he had left in his lungs. "Hey Sora, I missed you too."

"How come you don't do that to me?" Terra asked Aqua, pointing at the two boys on the floor and grinning at her. She blushed, and gave him a peck on the cheek, a moment before Ven made a running jump and crashed into him as he leapt onto his back.

"TERRA!"

Kairi followed him in, laughing along with Aqua.

Once their reunions were complete, Riku pulled a small stack of letters from his pocket, each addressed to one of them. "Mickey gave us our formal invites for Saturday," he explained as he handed out the blue envelopes. Inside each was a card of the same colour, with a silver outline of Disney Castle printed on it, and details of the Dream Festival, due to start in two days.

"Reckon it will have changed much since the one we went to?" Ven asked, looking up at Terra and Aqua.

"I think it'll be bigger this time, Mickey said Minnie has gone all out since it will be the first one in quite a few years," Terra said.

"Oh yeah, I guess there wasn't much time to organise something like this while Xehanort was still causing trouble..."

"But what about last year?" Sora asked, glancing at each of them. "Wasn't that the first one?" There was an awkward silence, and the others exchanged looks.

"It didn't happen last year either," Riku said, face suddenly glum.

"How come?"

"We were all pretty preoccupied most of that year."

"Too preoccupied for a party like this! How- oh," he dropped his gaze to the floor. Preoccupied looking for him. "Right..."

He sometimes forgot he wasn't the only one who had suffered during that time. His friends had been on this side worried and searching. Afraid as well. He felt a hand on top of his head and looked up at Aqua as she ruffled his hair. "All the more reason to celebrate this year." She smiled at him and his grin returned.

There really was a lot for them all to celebrate this year.

The festival was more than any of them could have imagined.

Everything was decorated with colourful flags and bunting, and balloons filled the sky, held in place by Merlin's magic. The streets were lined with stalls of all kinds, handing out delicious food and selling souvenirs and exciting wares. Not just things from this world either. It seemed Minnie had teamed up with Uncle Scrooge and a huge range of trinkets and beautiful items from many different worlds were on display. Flowers and lanterns from Corona, shells of all shapes and sizes from Atlantica, pottery from Olympus, season-themed crafts from Arendelle, and seafood from the Caribbean.

Sora thought a surprising number of people seemed interested in the Hercules figurines on sale, although maybe stories about him had spread this far. There was even a creepy collection of strange-looking puppets that Sora was sure Jack Skellington must have had a hand in designing.

The selection of rides and attractions had grown immensely in the 11 years since Ventus, Aqua, and Terra's last visit. Both Sora and Riku were reminded strongly of the sleeping world of Pranksters Paradise. Chip and Dale had even managed to construct a roller coaster and Ferris wheel just like the ones they had seen there. The two of them, along with Ven, Xion, Hayner, Kairi, and Roxas raced from ride to ride, determined to try every single one.

Their goal achieved by noon, they all went back to wandering the streets. As they did, Riku and Kairi both noticed Sora walking with his hands behind his head. It was only now that they realised they hadn't seen him do that in a long time. He'd spent so much of the past few months walking with his hands at his sides or deep in his pockets, shoulders often a little hunched, as though trying to make himself smaller. But now he was walking with his chest wide open again, his presence as big as it always had been before he disappeared.

Sora was thrilled when he heard the music start in the evening, and grabbed Kairi's hand to pull her down the street towards it. They'd been sitting on the edge of a fountain together, debating the best ride of the day, but the sound of the band beginning to play in the centre square grandstand immediately pulled Sora's attention away. It sounded just like the music he had danced to with Rapunzel.

"Come on!" he called back as he dragged Kairi towards the sound. "Let's dance!" Her bemused expression was suddenly a wide smile, and she was more than happy to let him pull her along.

Sora paid no attention to the fact that no one else was dancing, all simply watching from the edges of the courtyard and chatting away happily as they listened. Instead he took Kairi's other hand, and led her to the middle of the square and into a spin. Without a crowd around them, he couldn't show her the dance he had learned in Corona, so they improvised. Their laughter rang out almost as loudly as the music.

Across the courtyard, Riku turned as Xion pointed over his shoulder with a wide grin, and beamed at the sight. He watched the two of them happily, laughing as they spun across the courtyard. Kairi looked like she was having the time of her life, and Sora...

He was happy. Delight and a smile on his face. He was beautiful.

Over half a year ago Riku had carried him out of the Gummi ship and up the tower stairs, covered in blood and struggling to breathe. He'd watched helplessly, on the worst day of his life, as Sora teetered on the edge of life and death, so close to disappearing from this world once and for all.

He'd held him through crushing panic and torturous nightmares more times than he could count. He'd seen him on the many days when simply continuing to exist had been so impossibly painful for him. He'd watched him fight with everything he had, for so long, just to survive.

But now, here he was. Overflowing with life and light. Brightening the lives of all those around him, the way he had done all his life. The joy Riku felt seeing him dancing now, knowing that six months ago getting out of bed each morning had taken all of his strength, was indescribable. He would always be in awe of him.

Other people had started joining them now. Riku snickered as Terra pulled a shy looking Aqua out onto the impromptu dance-floor. It was no surprise to those that knew her when within minutes she had captured the attention of everyone who saw her. Terra looked a little clumsy and out of place next to her dancing as gracefully as a ballerina, and now he was the one looking a little shy. Mickey and Minnie were waltzing, and groups of friends were following Sora and Kairi's lead. Despite her nervous hesitance, even Naminè had joined, blushing as Xion took her hand and pulled her along after Hayner, Pence, and Ollette.

Ven was standing nearby with Axel and Roxas, watching Sora and Kairi with an ever so slightly put-out expression. Riku spotted what he thought might be a tinge of jealousy in his eyes as Sora lifted Kairi up as they twirled and she squealed with surprise and glee. Ven's look turned to horror as Axel said something to him Riku couldn't hear and shoved him forward towards the others, into what was quickly becoming a crowd. Riku laughed and watched his friends and the inhabitants of Mickey's kingdom enjoying themselves. Making the most of the relative peace the worlds could now enjoy.

"Riku!"

He turned and saw Sora and Kairi waving at him, gesturing for him to join. He grinned, but held up a hand and shook his head. He was much happier just watching. Sora wasn't having it though and started wading through the other dancers towards him. Riku's grin evaporated as he shook his hands in front of him. He didn't need to try it to know he would be awful at this.

"Sora, no. No way." But he knew that look on Sora's face; he wasn't going to let him escape this.

"Come on Riku!" Sora grabbed his hand and dragged him into the crowd, ignoring his desperate protests.

"I can't dance!"

"Of course you can!" Sora grinned at him. "Just follow my lead." He placed Riku's free hand on his own waist, put a hand on his shoulder, and began guiding him through the steps. Riku felt like a lumbering fool as he stared down at his and Sora's feet, trying to emulate his smooth movements. He was stumbling and blushing deeply already. "Don't look at your feet!" Sora said with a laugh. "Look up at me."

Riku looked at him, and the music from the band faded. Another melody began to play.
One only they could hear.

He didn't know when it happened, but all of a sudden he realised he really was dancing. Maybe not as effortlessly as Sora, but as he followed his lead he found himself moving without thinking, to the familiar sound of their hearts singing in tune.

He was smiling now as well, and Sora was beaming up at him. It took him by surprise when Sora attempted to spin him, and they both laughed when they failed miserably, Sora's aptitude not quite enough to make up for their height difference. It worked much better the other way around, and soon Sora was growing gleefully dizzy as Riku spiralled him around the floor.

Maybe dancing wasn't so bad after all.

They weren't sure how long they danced for, lost in the music and movement, but it came to an abrupt halt.

Sora inhaled sharply and his hand dropped from Riku's shoulder. He pressed it against his chest, screwing his face up in pain. He tripped and might have fallen to the ground if Riku hadn't already had a hand on his waist, and quickly wrapped his arm around him. He held him steady as they waited for the stabbing sensation to pass. A second later Sora relaxed and straightened back up.

"You OK?" Riku asked as the crowd around them continued swaying with the music from the band.

"Yeah, I'm fine now." The pained look was gone from his face and he was smiling again. He put his hand back on Riku's shoulder so they could start dancing again, but Riku reached up and took it in his own.

"Actually, do you want to go find somewhere a little quieter to sit? I think I'm a bit danced out for now."

Sora gave him a nod, knowing he was saying it for both of their sakes. Dancing was brilliant, but right now a bit of quiet sounded good. "Yeah, let's go."

From the roof of the clock tower, they had a perfect view of the festivities. With night setting in the balloons hanging in the air had transformed into brightly coloured lanterns, and were casting a rainbow of lights across the square below, where the dancing continued. Occasionally one with the sun symbol of Corona would float upwards into the night sky.

The crowd had waned a little as presumably some people tired of dancing and began dispersing through the streets again, making last-minute visits to the stalls before they closed, or perhaps retiring for the evening after a long day of celebrations.

"When did you learn to dance?"

"I did some in Corona with Rapunzel, but I never really learnt, I just sort of jumped in."

"Well, you're really good at it."

"Thanks," he laughed. "Admit it, you enjoyed it."

"I guess I did," he conceded. "Today was fun."

"Yeah... it was." Sora stared up into the sky. The stars in this world were so much brighter than the ones he had been trapped staring at a year ago. "I'm happy right now Riku. I'm really, really happy."

Riku wasn't sure when he had last felt so happy himself. So at peace, hearing those words.

"That time after I first got back... These past few months were really hard, but I'm happy right now." Sora turned and looked up at him with his ridiculous grin, watching the light from the lanterns reflected in Riku's eyes. "Thank you so much Riku, I wouldn't have gotten through it without you."

Riku shook his head though. "I can't take credit for that, you're the one who did that. You should be proud."

"I know," Sora said, smiling to himself. "But I still don't think I could have done it alone... Everyone has been so amazing, and I couldn't have done it without you with me. Thank you"

He squeezed his hand and Riku felt his heart squeeze as well as he gazed back at him. It only lasted a moment though, before Sora was distracted.

"Oh yeah! I have something for you!" He twisted around, digging in his pockets, and Riku leaned forward, peering at him curiously and trying to see what he was doing. "Aqua helped me make it." He pulled his hand from his pocket and held it out, offering Riku the metal chain in his palm. "I've never made something like it before so It's not amazing, but I hope you like it!"

Riku stared at it, open-mouthed. He reached out and, as he took in from Sora's hand, saw a small silver charm hanging from the chain. It was the Dream Eater sigil he had once worn on his back.

"For keeping the nightmares away."

Riku gazed down at the necklace in his palm, his mind as blank as it had been in those first few seconds after Sora first kissed him. It was beautiful. "You made this?"

"Yeah, it's kind of cheesy..." He scratched the back of his head, his smile becoming timid and shy. "And I wasn't sure if a necklace would really be your-"

"I love it."

"-thing but, huh?"

Riku looked up from the charm, eyes round with wonder. "I love it."

"Really!" Sora's face lit up.

"It's amazing Sora."

"Put it on! I want to see how it looks!"

It took him a little while as he fiddled with the clasp, not used to fastening a chain like it. As Sora watched him he felt a nervous excitement, and when Riku took his hands away he beamed. Riku tried to look down at it, and even from this awkward angle, he thought it looked perfect. It felt right.

He grinned at Sora as well. He didn't have the words to thank him, so kissed him instead.

They sat on the roof for at least another hour. Once the midnight fireworks were over and the streets below them emptied out, Sora turned to Riku, wondering if maybe it was time to head back to their room in Disney Castle, but Riku didn't notice. He was looking down and playing with his necklace, a contented smile on his face. Sora grinned again.

"You really like it then?"

"Yeah I do," Riku said softly. Then he turned and smirked at him. "I never would have guessed, after this long, that you'd give me one too."

"Huh?" Sora tilted his head at him, confused.

"A charm."

"What do you mean?"

"This of course," Riku reached out and tapped the silver crown hanging around his neck. "I gave you this, what, 12? 13 years ago?"

"What?!"

"Yeah." Riku's smile faded as Sora stared at him, gobsmacked. "You don't remember?"

"I..." Sora looked down at his lap, mind reeling. "I don't remember where I got it..." He raised a hand to the necklace, only just now realising. "When did you give me it?"

"The meteor shower..." An uncomfortable feeling settled in Riku's stomach. "When you were scared that a falling star might hit the island." Had he really forgotten?

"But wasn't- Wait, it can't have been her..." Sora frowned, staring at his knees again as the memories slipped in and out of focus.

"Her?"

"Naminè, I thought I was with her then... but that's not possible. Why did I think it was her?" He remembered Naminè crying, and then smiling at him as she held out a golden star on a chain. But that was wrong. The memory was wrong. He had been the one who was afraid, holding back tears and clutching someone's hand as he watched stars falling from the sky. "You gave it to me that night?"

"Yeah." Riku's voice had become small, mirroring the way he felt. "You were scared and I told you I'd keep you safe... I promised I'd protect you."

He'd always had this thought that part of why Sora wore the charm was it meant something to him, the fact that he had been the one who gave it to him. Even through that awful time when their friendly rivalry had become anything but, he'd thought maybe that promise had meant as much to Sora as it did to him, and that was why he never took it off. Even if he had been too young to remember that night, surely he'd remember he was the one who gave it to him?

"I promised I'd always protect you."

Sora was thinking hard, feeling the different flashes of memory slowly fitting together. That hazy image of Naminè beaming up at him and holding out a star charm began to swim, and an image he didn't know he'd forgotten glowed in his mind. A young Riku, only five or six years old, smiling down at him. There had been a hint of amusement on his face, but it was mostly an expression of affection. The face of someone who cared about him deeply. His eyes had been brimming with fearful tears, but Riku had taken his hand, held a sword to the sky, and made him a promise.

"I'm not sure where I got it," Riku went on. "I'd had it as long as I could remember and it was really precious to me, but you were scared... so I gave it to you. I told you something lame like it would keep you safe."

After Riku had promised he would protect him he'd clung to his hand, too afraid to let him go. Then Riku had dug into his pockets and pulled out a silver chain, with a crown-shaped pendant hanging from it. The one he had always carried with him. And he had given it to him.

A puzzle piece Sora hadn't known he was missing slotted back into place.

"I remember..."

From Riku's expression, it was clear he thought he was just saying this to make him feel better. "No, really! I remember now!" He grasped the crown tightly in his hand and a look of wonder came over his face. "It must have been one of my memories that got messed up, this is the first time I've thought about that night since she put my memories back together." He stared upwards, remembering the sight of meteors raining down. Hundreds of different colours painted across the sky, just like the lanterns floating above them now.

"If a shooting star comes this way, I will protect you. You swore it with a toy sword," and he raised his closed hand above him, just like Riku had pointed the wooden sword at the stars. "And then..." He lowered his hand slowly back to the necklace around his neck. "Then you gave me this, so I'd always remember that promise. That you'd always protect me."

He looked up at Riku again and, despite his enormous grin, his eyes were shining. He really did remember. Riku smiled back at him and nodded. "Yeah, I did."

Sora threw his arms around him, almost knocking him flat as he hugged him. Riku put an arm around him and gave a small laugh, but then stopped, as he realised Sora had started crying into his neck. "You sap," he said with a soft smile in his voice and pulled him on to his lap. But then he frowned as Sora began crying harder, clinging to him desperately. "Hey, what's going on?" he asked, voice suddenly worried, but Sora didn't reply.

He'd spent so much time wishing he had something, anything, of Riku's when they were separated, when he was trapped in that empty city. When he was more alone than ever before. When he was in so much pain. So angry. So miserable. So lost, and so, so alone.
He'd wished for, needed, that connection so badly... and it had been there all along.

He'd been with him all along.

Riku began running his fingers back and forth through his hair, holding on to him as he cried, unable to explain how much this meant to him as he sobbed. His chest was burning in the most wonderful way, full of warmth and joy and wholeness. He was sure for a moment that those cracks in his heart must have healed, as he thought of that promise Riku had made him so long ago. A promise that had been woven throughout their lives.

"I'll always protect you too," he managed to choke through the tears. "I promise."

Riku smiled and kissed his temple. "I know."

Several minutes and many deep breaths later Sora lifted his head from Riku's shoulder, beaming at him with puffy red eyes. "I'm so glad I remember it now." He was bemused when Riku snickered at him.

"You're still a moron for forgetting, although you've never had the best memory."

"Hey, it's not my fault my brain got scrambled!" He pushed him away by the shoulders, glaring grumpily, but smiled again as Riku laughed and pulled him back into his arms.

"I guess I can forgive you then."

Now that they were both free to train again, Riku and Sora had started sparring against each other every day, the same way they had done since they were both old enough to hold a wooden sword. It had taken far longer for Sora to feel comfortable fighting against Riku compared with the other four. The first time he had come close to vomiting after just seconds. But little by little it had become possible. He insisted Riku never let him win, but Riku found himself having to fight harder each day to keep that promise, aside from the days the heart pains struck. They were as frequent as ever, but Sora was sure they hurt a tiny bit less now than they used to.

Riku had always had the upper hand on Sora when it came to strength, and when they were young had far better technique. These days however they were more evenly matched. Sora may not have been as strong, particularly right now, but his battle instincts were honed to near perfection, his moves simultaneously well-planned and spontaneous. That morning Riku didn't hold back for a moment.

Sora whooped as, for the first time, he sent Braveheart flying away through the air. He pointed his Keyblade down at the now disarmed Riku, who was lying on the ground and beaming up at him. "Got ya!"

"Only just."

"Get real!" Sora sat down heavily and flopped back onto the grass beside him, breathing hard but grinning. "What's the score now?" he panted, and Riku laughed.

"No idea, we might need to start a new tally."

"Alright then, 1-0 to me!"

Riku gave his foot a kick. "Nice try, I already won twice today you cheater."

"Well... it starts from now then!"

"Sora! Riku!" They sat up and waved at Kairi as she came jogging down the path from the castle and around the lake towards them, with what looked like a piece of paper in her hand.

"Hey, what's up?" Sora asked as she came to a stop and sat down with them.

"This just arrived for you."

She held out a small envelope to him, with his name written in a curly script on the back. They'd all seen similar letters before, but usually they bore Riku's, Aqua's, or Terra's names on them. It was the first time Yen Sid had sent Sora a summons.

He took it, opened it, and the others peered over his shoulders as he read.

5/3/23 - Chapters 32 and 33 up on Archive of Our Own

Author note: I'm not the one who came up with the theory that Riku was the one who gave Sora his necklace, and that it was during the meteor shower. I learnt about it from blowingoffsteam2 on Tumblr ( steamwhistler2 on twitter) Their master post about the necklace theory is brilliant, highly recommend checking it out.

I have never written anything as god damn fluffy as this chapter before and I make absolutely no apologies, I lost my sanity 10 chapters ago, this shit was meant to be 50k words max how did we get here