Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“Welcome to the wonderful world of Dream Eaters.” 

A blond man strode onto the screen, smiling placidly as he held his hand to his heart, raising his other hand with his palm up.

“I am this region's Dream Eater Professor, Ansem the Wise.” He said, as the white background behind him faded into a gorgeous landscape of tropical islands, pretty white-brick cities bathed in twilight glow, and glittering, beautiful castles. “This world is inhabited by creatures called Dream Eaters. For some people, Dream Eaters are pets and companions for life. Others use them for fights.”

A Yoggy Ram emerged from Ansem’s heart, standing proudly next to him. 

“As for me… I study these magnificent creatures as a profession.” He said. “There are Dream Eaters all around us in this world—within the earth, in the sky, and in the sea.”

The Yoggy Ram snuggled against Ansem, making the man laugh.

“The people who take care of Dream Eaters are called trainers. Tell me, will you become one someday?”

“So, so, will you?” 

“I guess?” 

“What do you mean, you guess?” The boy blew his friend a raspberry as he looked away from the TV, where the man was still talking about Dream Eaters. “You either do or you don’t!”

“That’s not a decision you just jump into, Sora!” The other boy shot back, “This is super important, okay? That kind of decision is stuff that grownups make!” 

Sora pouted, crossing his arms as he looked at his friend, who looked back at him with his own pout of a frown, and crossed arms. 

“But Riku, we’re almost 10! We’re grownups already!”

“You are 7 and I’m 8, Sora, we’re not!” Riku huffed. 

“But Dream Eaters are so cool!” Sora gushed, “Like, just imagine! Us, as Dream Eater trainers, battling! We’d be so cool!”

“Well, I mean,” Riku huffed haughtily, unable to keep himself from grinning slightly at the thought. “It’s not bad, I guess.”

“Right?” Sora giggled, “So let’s do it! Let’s become Dream Eater trainers, and let’s battle someday!”

“Knowing you, you’d keep your Dream Eater cute and squishy.” Riku scoffed, and Sora shook his head.

“No way! I’d have something super cool, like that giant really, really cool one the Champion uses? The—the—”

“Kab Kannon?” Riku asked, suddenly just as excited, now that Sora had mentioned the strongest trainer in the region. “I dunno, his rival’s Ryu Dragon is way cooler.”

“Nuh-uh!” Sora shot back, and they quickly launched into an animated discussion about which Dream Eater was the coolest. 

Behind them, Sora’s mother smiled fondly to herself, before turning back to making sandwiches for the boys with a little laugh.

“Welcome to my lab.” Ansem the Wise said, chuckling slightly as he looked over the three little children standing in front of him, each one as starry-eyed as each other. “The three of you have come here today because you have made the wonderful decision to become Dream Eater trainers.” 

He strode off to his desk, picking up three star-shaped charms, and he could see the way the children held their breaths in anticipation. 

“With that noble goal, I am proud to bestow upon the three of you these charms that will help you begin your journey.” 

He set the charms down on a little glass table in front of the three children, spreading them out to let them see their beautiful, glittering petals of a gorgeous iridescent lustre. 

“Please, take one each. Riku, as the eldest of you three, let’s start with you.” 

Sora watched Riku nod sternly, striding forward to look at the charms on the table. Ansem gently picked one of the charms up, and handed it to him.

“Be very careful, now. Next, we’ll have Kairi.”

Kairi, a little redhead girl, nodded, and as Riku stepped back, she moved forward, looking at the leftover charms. She smiled up at Ansem as he handed her her very own charm.

“Look at you, Kairi.” He hummed. “It suits you.”

“Thanks, Grandpa.” Kairi beamed, and Sora couldn’t help but smile as Ansem chuckled softly. 

“And now, Sora, please take the last Wayfinder.” Ansem said, and Sora nodded, walking up to the table to let Ansem give him the last charm. When they all had their own charms, the three children stood together as Ansem inspected them, nodding to himself.

“Now, I will explain to the three of you the significance of your Wayfinders.” He said, “Wayfinders are made of a mysterious crystal that absorbs a unit of light called Lux. Lux occurs naturally in the world, but obtaining Lux will be much more difficult. To help you begin your journey, your Wayfinders have been charged with just enough Lux to call your first companion.”

Ansem pulled out a Wayfinder of his own from his pocket. “This is my Wayfinder. As you can see, only one of the petals on it is lit brightly. That is because—”

“You have Rammy!” Kairi chirped, and Ansem laughed fondly.

“Yes, quite. I have my own Dream Eater, a Yoggy Ram.” He nodded. “The Lux in your Wayfinders will help you call a Chirithy, a Dream Eater that will eventually grow into your very first Dream Eater.”

Ansem put his Wayfinder back into his pocket. 

“To call a Chirithy, hold your Wayfinder to your heart.” He said, and Sora, Riku, and Kairi did as they were told, pressing their charms to their hearts. “And think of the best dream you’ve ever had. This is to lure the Chirithy close to yourself—Dream Eaters, after all, love eating dreams, and good dreams are Chirithy’s favourite!” 

Sora squeezed his eyes shut, humming as he thought back to his past dreams.

Maybe Chirithy would like that one time Sora dreamt he was in a large machine with a swivelling chair that fired ice cream into cones in time to a song! 

“Excellent job, Kairi, that’s it!” 

Sora cracked an eye open to see that Kairi was already hugging a cute little cat-like Dream Eater that had a cape on its back. He frowned, and closed his eyes again, concentrating harder.

Okay, how about that one time Sora dreamt he was chasing flan-shaped creatures, playing games with them, taking photos, and all sorts of fun stuff, before he gobbled them right up! 

“Riku, my lad, yes!”

Sora jolted, his eyes shooting open to see that Riku had just summoned his own Chirithy, laughing softly as he shook its little paw. His shoulders sagged in dismay as he looked at Ansem, who nodded at him encouragingly.

“Sora, do your best.” He said, and Sora nodded, shutting his eyes to think again.

Okay, this one has to take the cake, right? What about that time Sora dreamed he was on a gummy spaceship powered by smiles, flying through starry nebulae and galaxies, shooting down brightly-coloured enemies while travelling from one gorgeous world to the next?

“Um.” Kairi said quietly, “Nothing’s happening…”

Sora fought the urge to wince.

Chirithy, c’mon! He pleaded. 

Fine, how about that time he dreamed he was in a castle that was basically a theme park, eating sweets to his heart’s content, riding on so many rides that it made his head spin—

“Sora, are you thinking of silly stuff again?” Riku asked, and Sora opened his eyes to pout at Riku as the older boy crossed his arms, cocking his head at him. “Chirithy won’t come to something sugary sweet and silly, you know. Father said that you need to think of something genuinely good in your heart.”

“Well sorry.” Sora pouted. “I don’t think I’m creative enough to dream of something wholesome.”

“How about a memory then?” Kairi asked, and Sora blinked at her. “My grandma told me that sometimes Chirithy will like nice memories instead. They’re sort of like good dreams.”

“A memory…” Sora mumbled, looking at Riku and his Chirithy, at the way stars sparkled in the little Dream Eater’s eyes, and he was brought back to a meteor shower a long, long time ago. 

He looked down at his Wayfinder, and sighed deeply, shutting his eyes again as he thought of that memory.

Starbursts of light in the night sky like glittering gemstones glided across black silk in long, silver streams. A meteor shower was falling on Destiny Islands, the grownups said, and this was it. 

The meteor shower was framed by wide-brimmed leaves of vibrant green, of friendly yellow star-shaped fruit palm trees with muted colours in the darkness of night around them. The horizon stretched out above him with all its glittering, gorgeous wonder, stretching far beyond his vision to a point where the sea held hands with the sky, catching the rainbows of falling stars in her billowing waves as they reflected brilliant, dancing light. 

His eyes welled up with tears as he watched the stars shower down on him, and he could feel a warm, reassuring hand in his as emotion he couldn’t name flowed from his heart, spilling from his eyes.

“What if the stars hit the island?” Sora asked, and he could feel his crown necklace warmly against his heart. 

“Then I’ll protect you, I promise.” Riku replied, squeezing his hand, and that night had been wonderful.

“Sora! Sora, look!”

Sora jolted, and he opened his eyes to see a little Chirithy in his arms. Tears welled up in his eyes when the Chirithy cooed at him, and he looked at the Wayfinder in his hand, the top petal of the star aglow with a gorgeous bright light.

“I did it.” He said quietly, and the Chirithy gave him a smile. “I did it!”

“Professor Ansem said that Chirithies turn into other Dream Eater species eventually, right?” 

“Yeah?” Riku looked up from where he was petting his own Dream Eater, a Komory Bat recently turned. “I mean, look at this little guy.”

“Wingus.” Sora said.

“Wingus.” Riku repeated indulgently. “But yeah, just give it time. Your Chirithy will turn into something, too.” 

“Yeah?” Sora sighed, looking at his Chirithy, who blinked up at him curiously. “Can’t it turn into something now?”

“No, that’s not how that works.” Riku chuckled. “Just give it time. It’ll turn into something eventually.”

Sora pouted down at his Chirithy. “I hope you will, little guy.”

“C’mon, are you even trying?” Riku drawled as Sora brought his Chirithy back into his heart, frowning deeply at Riku. “That’s 10-0. Wingus might turn into something like a Ryu Dragon before your Chirithy turns into something cooler at this rate.”

“It just needs more time,” Sora said, frowning deeply at the dimmed light of his Wayfinder, an indicator that his Dream Eater was fainted. He was going to have to wait for a while before it woke up again. “I’m sure it’ll turn into a different species someday.”

“Sure it will.” Riku scoffed. “Some battler you’re turning out to be.”

“Hey.” Sora frowned. “We’re trying. Not everyone’s a genius like you, Riku.”

“I think you’re the one falling behind, Sora.” Riku replied tartly, and Sora looked at him in appalled shock. “C’mon, giving up already?”

“I’m not giving up, my Chirithy literally can’t battle!”

“And whose fault do you think that is?”

“You’re so—” Sora let out a frustrated growl, throwing his hands up in the air. “I’ll get you next time, I swear!”

“I heard Kairi got her hands on some Lux.” Riku said, and Sora blinked at him in surprise as he shrugged. “Helps that she’s the Professor’s granddaughter, I guess, but she and her Me Me Bunny figured it out. She’s on her way to a second Chirithy at this rate.”

“But Professor Ansem said that a heart has a limit to how many Dream Eaters it can support, right?” Sora asked. “We’re just kids; can Kairi really take on a second Dream Eater?”

“Why not?” Riku scoffed, “She’s way stronger than even you, you know. At least her Chirithy already is something else.”

“Hey.” Sora frowned, but he self-consciously squeezed his Wayfinder, which hung from his shorts’ belt loops, like everyone else his age had. “We’ve been making progress, you know.”

“Oh, yeah?” Riku smirked. “How come I beat you just as easily earlier, then?”

“Ugh, Riku, cut it out.” Sora scowled, crossing his arms as he turned away from him. “You’re just way too crazy about battling.” 

“Oh, hello, boys,” Sora’s mother smiled as she walked by, and Riku and Sora gave her a tired wave each. “Aw, what’s wrong?”

“Riku’s being mean about my Chirithy again.” Sora said before Riku could say anything, and Riku rolled his eyes, lightly elbowing Sora. 

“Oh, sweetie,” Sora’s mother sighed fondly. “Well, I heard from Professor Ansem that Chirithy changing takes time. I’m sure yours is just taking its time.”

“Way too much, if you ask me.” Riku pouted, making Sora’s mother laugh.

“Maybe it just needs a little encouragement.” She shrugged, “Are you two going to Kairi’s Contest performance this weekend?” 

“Oh, right.” Sora blinked. “She signed up for one of those…”

“That’s right, the Junior Division.” Sora’s mother nodded. Since the three of them were still too young to go on their own adventures—Sora still didn’t even have an evolved Chirithy—they still had quite some time to spare before hitting the road. Thankfully, there was a Contest Hall in their hometown, and while the boys weren’t too keen on joining Contest Spectaculars, Kairi was more than happy to try. 

“I dunno, I’m kind of not interested.” Riku snorted.

“Riku, c’mon, she’s our friend.” Sora frowned, crossing his arms, and Riku shrugged. 

“There’s no battling in Contest Spectaculars. You just dance around and look cute.” Riku scoffed, and Sora rolled his eyes, elbowing him sharply. “What?”

“We’re going!” He said, and it was Riku’s turn to pout as Sora’s mother laughed fondly. 

“Come on, Riku, I’m sure Kairi would appreciate the support.” She said encouragingly. “Now, go run along, you two. There’s still a lot of time before the show.”

Riku jumped, lighting up when Sora’s Wayfinder finally lit up again. 

“Just in time!” He huffed, “C’mon, Sora, let’s battle!” 

Sora looked at his mother witheringly, and she smiled at him.

“Go on, then.” She said, and Sora reluctantly nodded, following Riku out of the house, already knowing how the battle was going to end.

In the end, Kairi completely flunked her Contest performance. She didn’t seem too upset, though, still hugging her Me Me Bunny delightedly as she beamed at her friends proudly, her words echoing in the back of Sora’s mind as he lay in bed that night, staring at the ceiling. 

“At least I tried! Who knew Mint and I had two left feet?”

“At least she tried, huh…” Sora mumbled, feeling his Chirithy emerge from his heart, cuddling up next to his chest. He looked down at it, and he smiled slightly. “Hey, do you wanna try Contest performances?”

It cocked its head at him—it wouldn’t know, Sora realised, since it was fainted when he and Riku went to watch Kairi’s performance. 

“I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.” Sora smiled. “I think… I think we should give it a try, yeah?”

Chirithy smiled and nodded, and content with his Dream Eater’s consent, Sora settled down to sleep.

“And that’s it! Sora, you’re a natural at this!”

Sora beamed brightly at Kairi as she gave him enthusiastic applause, nodding alongside Mint as Sora and his Chirithy straightened up next to each other. 

“Maybe you should've tried out for the Contest!” Kairi giggled, hugging her Dream Eater as it nodded enthusiastically. “You would’ve done so much better than me and Mint!”

“Yeah?” Sora laughed sheepishly, and Kairi nodded eagerly. 

“Yeah, you’re gonna be so awesome at this.” She beamed. “So, you said your mom was gonna tell you something?”

“Oh, right.” Sora pouted, looking down at his Chirithy, and he took it by its little paw, helping it turn when it wanted to do a spin. “She mentioned that she had something important to tell me before I left this morning. Wonder what that’s all about.”

“Who knows?” Kairi hummed. “Anyway, wanna try a different routine this time?” 

“Sure!” Sora grinned, but he and Kairi sobered up when Riku approached them, frowning deeply. 

“What are you guys doing?” He asked, sitting down next to Kairi as she and Sora shared nervous looks. “What’s with the faces? Are you up to trouble or something?”

“I, uh,” Kairi began, looking at Mint, who shook its head. “We’re—we’re just hanging out.”

“What, are you finally showing Sora the ropes of battling?” Riku smirked, and that struck a nerve in Sora as he frowned, crossing his arms. “What?”

“Actually, we’re trying out a Contest performance routine.” He said, and Riku stared at him owlishly. “I dunno, I just wanted to try it out. Chirithy seemed interested, too, so…”

“You want to go Contest performing?” Riku asked incredulously, making Sora rear back as the older boy blinked at him. “After all that talk about us getting into Dream Eater battling?” 

“Riku.” Kairi said sternly, “He’s just trying it out, there’s no harm in that!”

“We promised, remember?” Riku bulldozed onwards, “We said we’d battle each other!”

“And we will, I’m just trying something else!” Sora shot back, “Jeez, I can’t just try things out? And honestly, we’re pretty good at this one! Kairi said so!” 

“Oh, so is that it?” Riku snapped, “Giving up already on battling because you can never win against me? That’s why your Chirithy won’t change into anything!” 

“Riku!” Kairi gasped, shooting up onto her feet, scandalised. “That’s not a nice thing to say!”

Sora stared back at Riku, his eyes wide and blurred with tears, and Riku got up onto his feet, unmindful of Kairi as he glared Sora down. 

“Fine, run away from battling.” He growled. “I’ll become the strongest trainer in the region. I’ll beat anyone who battles me, and you’ll never catch up to me. You aren’t even worth being called a rival.”

He turned on his heel and stormed away as Kairi growled in frustration, taking her slipper off to throw it at him. It, of course, didn’t hit Riku, not when he quickly turned a corner to leave, and Kairi had to hop back to her slipper to put it back on, awkwardly balancing on one foot and Mint helping her. She looked back at Sora, her lip caught between her teeth as Sora continued to stare in the direction where Riku left, and she hesitated, unsure of what to say.

“Fine.” Sora said quietly, and Kairi looked at him worriedly. “He wants to leave me alone? Fine.”

“Sora…” Kairi said, reaching out for him, but Sora shook his head, turning away from her touch as he looked down at his Chirithy. “I…”

“I’m going home. Thanks for the help, Kairi.”

He strode away, leaving Kairi behind, watching him leave as her heart sank. By her hip, clipped to a special loop sewed into her skirt, her Wayfinder shimmered gently, as a second petal lit up.

Sora ignored his mother’s worried questions as he made a beeline through his home, heading straight into his room. He locked the door behind himself, launching into bed with a soft sob as he buried his face into his pillow.

“Stupid Riku,” He mumbled as he felt hot, burning tears running down his face. He heard a twinkle beside him, and he sighed deeply as he looked to the side, watching his Chirithy looking at him worriedly. “I’m sorry, little guy. It’s my fault you’re… you’re…” 

Sora burst into tears, burying his face into his pillow again, and his Chirithy whined sadly, patting him gently. 

“No, don’t comfort me,” Sora sobbed, looking up again to see his Chirithy climbing into his lap, gently wiping his tears away with its tiny paws. “I—I—I don’t deserve you, Chirithy, you’re—you’re not getting any stronger, and it’s my f-fault. It’s—it’s my stupid heart, I—I’m just… oh, Chirithy, I’m so sorry.”

Chirithy cooed comfortingly, hugging Sora as he hugged Chirithy close to himself, sniffling as he trembled. 

“The one time I find something we’re good at, it gets ruined,” Sora stammered. “I-I could see it, y-y’know, you—you r-really l-like the dancing thing, right?”

Chirithy nodded.

“Y-yeah, I—I like it too.” Sora laughed sadly. “I—I dunno if we’re built for battling, Chirithy.”

The Dream Eater shrugged, but it patted Sora’s cheeks again.

“You were really good at dancing even as yourself, you know.” Sora mumbled, gently cupping his Chirithy’s head in his hands. “You’re—you’re cute and sweet. You’re fine just the way you are if you wanna stay that way, okay? Don’t listen to Riku and his stupid words.” 

Nevermind that it was because of Riku that he even managed to summon his Chirithy.

The Chirithy cocked its head at Sora, touching his cheek, and Sora could feel its questioning feelings in his heart. 

“Are… are you asking me what kind of Dream Eater I want you to be?” He asked, and Chirithy nodded. “I… uh, well, I… I dunno, really, what about you?”

A wave of comfort and love embraced him, and he smiled sadly past his tears. 

“So… you wanna be warm and comforting. Tubby? Like a Meow Wow?” He asked, and the Chirithy beamed at him, nodding in agreement. “Yeah, that’d be cool. I like those guys. They’re big and cute.” 

Chirithy cooed, cuddling with him, and Sora couldn’t help but laugh softly. 

“In your own time.” He said gently. “No matter what, Chirithy, I’ll be with you.”

A few knocks on the door made the two jump in surprise, and he looked at the door. 

“Um, hello?”

“Sora, sweetie?” His mother’s voice came in through the door. “May I come in?”

“Oh, uh,” Sora stammered, wiping his eyes, “Y-yeah, hang on.”

He hurried out of bed, Chirithy at his heels as he opened the door for his mother, and he looked up at her in surprise. 

“I—I, um, I can explain—”

He cut himself off when his mother surged forward to pull him into a hug, rubbing his back tenderly. 

“Oh, baby, in your own time.” She said, like she always did, patient and considerate to Sora’s feelings as she always was, and Sora felt his eyes prickling again. “It’s okay. Do you want a drink? Let’s have some juice outside?”

“Okay.” Sora mumbled as she pulled away from him, cupping his cheek tenderly with a little smile, and she got up, taking his hand gently to lead him into the kitchen, Sora’s Chirithy in tow. “Can… can Chirithy have a treat?”

“Only one,” His mother replied, “You can get him a Shield Cookie from the jar.”

Sora smiled sheepishly at his mother in thanks, heading to his Chirithy’s jar as his mother poured Sora a glass of orange juice, and a glass of water for herself. Quietly, they settled down together at the dining table, his mother patiently waiting for Sora to finish feeding his Chirithy first before he turned his attention to her, taking a few sheepish sips of his juice. 

“Hi.” She smiled, and Sora smiled at her shyly.

“Hi.” He mumbled back. 

“Do you think Chirithy will be too full for dinner?” She asked, and Sora looked at Chirithy, who smiled up at him sweetly.

“Don’t think so.” Sora replied, and his mother smiled. 

“So,” She began, tapping her nail on her glass of water. “I have something important to tell you. Do you remember that from this morning?”

“I… yeah.” Sora sighed. “Sorry I just hurried outside, I was—I was excited to see Kairi.”

“That’s fine, sweetie.” His mother smiled. “But, okay, so… this important thing. You know I’ve been looking for a nice job, right?” 

Sora nodded slowly.

“I finally got one.” She said, and Sora lit up. “Yeah.”

“Really?”

“Really.” 

“Mom!” Sora cheered, shooting out of his chair to hug her, and she laughed brightly, hugging him back warmly. “I’m so happy for you!”

“Thank you, baby.” His mother sighed happily, kissing his temple. “But… there’s something else.”

“Hm?” Sora pulled away from her, cocking his head.

“We’ll need to move away.” 

Sora stared at her in bewilderment as she sighed, nodding as she stroked his hair.

“I know,” She said, “You have friends here, but we’ll need to move away so I can go to work. Are you alright with this?”

Sora thought back to his disastrous conversation with Riku, and bit his lip.

“Yeah.” He mumbled, turning to look at Chirithy, who was watching them from where it was now perched on Sora’s chair. “I… I’m okay with that.” 

“Okay.” His mother nodded. “I’ll give you some time to say goodbye to your friends.”

“No, it’s okay.” Sora said as he got up, looking at her determinedly, and she blinked at him in surprise as he steeled himself. “Mom, I—I want to tell you something, too.”

“Yeah?” She asked. 

“I…” He looked at Chirithy again, and resolve grew in his heart. “I wanna be a Contest performer.”

His mother’s eyes widened, and Sora nodded. 

“Yeah, okay.” She said after a moment, laughing softly as she nodded. She pressed a kiss to Sora’s forehead as she patted his hair. “Whatever you like, Sora.”

He beamed at her, and unbeknownst to them, a faint glow began to emanate from the second petal on Sora’s Wayfinder. What did catch their attention was a bright, almost blinding light that suddenly flared next to them, and Sora’s mother quickly pulled him into his arms in panic—

Only to realise that there was no danger.

A squeaking meow-bark filled the air. 

No, this was actually quite wonderful. 

Sora pulled away from his mother, lighting up as the light faded, revealing a bright blue Meow Wow standing where his Chirithy once stood, and tears filled his eyes as he looked at his best friend. 

“Ch—Meow Wow?” He asked, and his Dream Eater cooed happily. “Oh, Meow Wow!” 

He rushed forward, hugging his Dream Eater as his mother laughed fondly. 

“See,” She said, and Sora and Meow Wow looked at her. “A little encouragement goes a long way.”

“Yeah,” Sora laughed as his Meow Wow tackled him, happily slobbering all over him as it gave him kisses. “I love you too, Bumpis!” 

“Bumpis!” Sora’s mother laughed, “What a name!”

Bumpis pulled away from him, beaming brightly as its stubby tail wagged happily. 

“You like that?” Sora asked, and Bumpis nodded. “Okay! From now on, it’s you and me against the world, Bumpis! What’d you say?”

The Dream Eater cheered, and the little family was aglow with delight.

They moved away, and Sora got to go on his own adventure, making friends along the way in a region far away from home. His little family of three also grew, as his mother found love again, marrying a man who had three sons of his own. Now, Sora had two older brothers and a little brother. 

He and his brothers grew thick as thieves, all with their own Dream Eaters and ambitions in life, helping and challenging Sora in a way Riku had promised so long ago. 

Over the years, Sora grew and grew as a trainer, making it to the top in the Contests in his region, reaching top rank there, before he grew his resolve to return home. 

Their parents stayed in the distant region—this was a hurdle Sora wanted to overcome himself—but not without some backup.

“Conquering your past, huh?” His older brother snickered past the cigarette-shaped candy between his teeth, expertly styling Sora’s hair behind him. Their gazes met in the mirror of the vanity in front of Sora, and Sora laughed softly. 

“You make it sound so serious, Van.” He said, and his brother shrugged. “Vanitas the drama queen. What will you do if Ven hears you talking like that?”

“Ignore him.” Vanitas replied pointedly, tapping a black-polished nail against Sora’s temple. “Now, hold still. I’m not done yet.”

“Right,” Sora replied, and he let Vanitas continue fiddling with his hair. After a long moment of silence, Sora spoke again. “Though when you put it like that, I think that is what I’m doing.”

Vanitas snorted. “I’m always right.”

Sora laughed at that. 

“Well, whatever you decide to do, it’ll change your life one way or another. I don’t doubt you’ll run into Riku again.” Vanitas continued, “And when that happens…”

“I’m pretty sure we won’t.” Sora replied, “He’s not into Contest performances. Hardly goes out in public. Lives under a rock. I’ll be okay.”

“But if you do run into him?”

“I’ll…” Sora hesitated. “I’ll figure it out.”

Vanitas snorted disbelievingly. 

“Sure you will.”

The Champion would like to see you later.

Sora gripped his head, staring in disbelief at the table in front of him as his heart thundered in his ears, threatening to beat its way out of his ribcage. Next to him Bumpis whined encouragingly, and Sora sighed deeply, hugging his Dream Eater to calm himself down. 

“Guess Van was right.” He mumbled. “What do I do?”

He looked at the large bouquet on the table—courtesy of the Contest Association, where he’d dropped his Contest Ribbon to celebrate with his Dream Eaters. 

“I… I should just… act natural.” Sora said shakily. “We’re both adults. We can figure things out. Sure, I didn’t say goodbye when I moved away, but I can explain that away.”

He held Bumpis’s face in his hands, looking into his Dream Eater’s eyes intently. 

“We can do this, yeah? We can freak him out back, too. It’s only fair.”

Bumpis sniffled, and Sora nodded determinedly. 

“Normal. Natural. I can do that; I’m a celebrity.”

There was a knock on the door, and Sora put Bumpis back into his heart as he cleared his throat. 

“Come in!”

When the door opened, Sora’s resolve was complete, and he perked up as best as he could. 

“Oh, Champion Riku! It’s good to see you.” 

Formal. Impersonal. He can do that. 

“N-nice to meet you.”

Nice to meet you? Sora thought incredulously, and as the conversation progressed, realisation dawned on him. 

He doesn’t remember me.

Left alone to stare at Riku’s phone number, Sora wondered why he decided to be flirty like he did. 

He was supposed to leave it alone—he was supposed to say no, to say he never has—and never will—battle, but there Riku was, a completely different man from the boy that broke his heart over a decade ago, and he didn’t know what to make of it. 

All things considered, Bumpis still loved him, despite everything. Wingus remembered them, too, remembered them so fondly to be openly affectionate, and Sora nearly cried at the thought.

Maybe it was sentiment. Maybe it was hope, clinging to a past that never was. 

Maybe this time, things would turn out differently. 

Someone had to take the initiative, and there was no way Riku was going to. 

It would be like getting a fresh start. A new friend. 

A new, insanely talented, ridiculously handsome friend.

A new, very cute friend who reacted quite delightfully when being flirted with.

Sora sighed deeply, burying his face in his hands. 

“On second thought,” he said to no one, “This is a recipe for disaster.”

Sora had been expecting the disaster to come from him, and not from extraneous forces, like, say, the region’s local evil team, Organisation XIII, who interrupted Sora and Riku’s very public battle for the first time in years. 

Sora could only watch as Riku fell unconscious, and then was grabbed by an Organisation XII grunt using a large poacher’s net. 

“We got him!” They shouted. “Scatter!”

They most certainly did not get him, Sora knew, but soon there was more smoke, making Sora cough, but it was quickly blown away by a large, powerful-looking Halbird. Sora lit up—Riku had a Halbird, he must be—

“Contest Master Sora!” Aqua called, and Sora deflated in disappointment as she emerged from the smoke, petting her Halbird’s side. “Are you alright?”

“Y-yeah,” Sora replied as the smoke cleared, and the crowd began to murmur in shock and confusion. “Can, uh, we need to call this off.”

“Of course.” Aqua nodded sternly. “Stay right there; I’ll get Security to clear out the hall.”

Sora nodded sheepishly, but Aqua was already walking away, barking orders into a radio she held as she left. Sora sighed, but he jumped when he saw a familiar head of red rushing towards him, accompanied by a Me Me Bunny Sora hadn’t seen in a very long time. 

“Sora!” Kairi gasped as Sora lit up, nodding. “Oh, it is you! I should’ve known—I saw the headlines and I thought I was being gaslit!”

She rushed at Sora, hugging him tightly as he hugged her back with a sigh. 

“You actually said yes to battling Riku?” She said, and they pulled apart. “What was he thinking?”

“Nothing, apparently,” Sora mumbled, “He doesn’t remember me.”

“What?” Kairi boggled at him. “After all that time we spent together as kids? Are you kidding me?”

“Yeah, I got nothing, Kairi,” Sora shrugged. “I guess since we were kids and stupid, he must’ve just,” he made a vague gesture, “Not thought about me until he straight up forgot.”

“When I get my hands on him…” Kairi grumbled, just as her fellow Elite Four trainers approached them. 

“Hey, glad to see you’re okay.” Terra said. 

“He’s fine, I told you so,” Roxas drawled, making Sora grin wryly at his little brother. “What?”

“Thanks for worrying about me, Roxas.” Sora deadpanned, earning him a raspberry from the blond. “Is everything okay?” He asked, turning to Terra. 

“Yeah, Aqua’s finishing off emptying the hall. You’re coming with us; we need to talk about what happened, and why would they take Riku.”

“Actually, they were after me.” Sora said, making everyone stop to stare at him in bewilderment. “I… yeah. Let’s get somewhere private. I’ll explain myself there.”

“So,” Mickey said, steepling his fingers together under his chin. “Everybody here says you know why Organisation XIII is after you?”

“Yeah.” Sora sighed, taking his Wayfinder out from under his costume’s jacket. Kairi blinked at it in surprise when she realised that Sora’s Wayfinder had four lit petals. Much to everyone’s bewilderment, one of the petals was lit up in a different shade. 

“Wait, I thought you had three Dream Eaters?” Kairi asked, making Sora laugh sheepishly as he looked at his Wayfinder. 

“I have four.” He said, “I just… don’t let the last one out as much.”

“What’s wrong with it?” Terra asked. 

Sora shared a look with Roxas, who sighed as he leaned back in his seat, making a vague gesture at his brother. 

“Well, you see…” Sora pressed his hand to his heart, holding his other hand out to bring forth a Dream Eater—but not just any Dream Eater, but a Chirithy. The Chirithy looked nothing like what everyone else was used to, however—this Chirithy had purple fur and red eyes, and realisation quickly dawned on Mickey’s features. 

“That’s a Nightmare.” He said faintly, and Sora nodded. “But I thought…”

“Don’t Dream Eaters usually turn into Nightmares as evolved Dream Eaters, not as a Chirithy?” Kairi asked in bewilderment. “Normally, when a person’s heart is too broken or they’re too far gone and evil, that’s when their Dream Eater turns into a Nightmare. There’s no Chirithy that’s just born a Nightmare.”

“This one clearly is, though.” Aqua frowned, sitting back in her seat as she looked at the Nightmare Chirithy, which sat down primly in the middle of the table, watching Sora obediently. “Is it dangerous?”

“No, not this one.” Sora shook his head, holding his hand out to the Chirithy to let it hold his fingers. “It’s tame, very polite. It’s never hurt me, nor any of my family.”

Roxas made a face, but it didn’t seem like he was serious about it.

“Right,” Mickey said slowly. “So… does Professor Ansem know about it?”

“Uh, no,” Sora sighed, “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to talk about this Chirithy, but… well…”

“But for Organisation XIII to be after you because of it, they must know about it.” Aqua frowned. “How do they know, and what’s so special about it?”

“I’m not sure how they know, just that they do.” Sora replied. “And… as far as I know, a Nightmare Chirithy is capable of evolving into some really powerful Nightmares. I’m not just talking about rare Dream Eaters like a Meowjesty, but the giant ones. Like the one that nearly took out Daybreak Town a while back.”

“Oh, dear.” Mickey frowned, shaking his head as the rest of the Elite Four shared nervous looks. “And now they’ve mistakenly taken Riku instead of you.”

“Would they even try to hold him hostage?” Terra asked, “I mean, Riku’s the strongest trainer in the region. Anyone would be an idiot if they tried that.”

“They grabbed Riku instead of my brother, Terra, I won’t be surprised if they’re doing that as we speak.” Roxas drawled. “But I don’t know if they know your connection with him, Sora.”

“You have a connection with him?” Aqua blinked, and Sora winced, nodding. 

“Yeah, uh,” He scratched his cheek awkwardly. “A romantic way of describing it would be that Riku’s the reason I’m who I am today.”

“And the, uh, unromantic way of describing it?” Terra asked.

“There’s a reason why I managed to summon a Nightmare Chirithy,” Sora grinned wryly, “And that’s because of Riku, too.”

“Giving up already on battling because you can never win against me? That’s why your Chirithy won’t change into anything!”

Riku’s voice sounded odd echoing back to himself. When had he said that? Why had he said that, good god? That couldn’t be him, could it? He didn’t say something like that, surely?

“Fine, run away from battling. I’ll become the strongest trainer in the region. I’ll beat anyone who battles me, and you’ll never catch up to me. You aren’t even worth being called a rival.”

A familiar pair of bright blue eyes stared back at him, filled with tears. 

No, he did say something like that. He shouldn’t have, and he knew that the moment he said it. Pride made him stay quiet, made him refuse to apologise, made him move on and forget. 

Pride and insecurity—the fear of losing someone to something else, when a promise had been made years and years ago. 

Promises—Riku remembered a few of those he made. 

“What if the stars hit the island?”

“Then I’ll protect you, I promise.”

To whom did he make those promises to? 

“So let’s do it! Let’s become Dream Eater trainers, and let’s battle someday!”

Their name was right on the tip of his tongue. All he had to do was say it—

Say it—

“Psst! Champion!”

Riku groaned softly, slowly blinking awake to realise he was lying on the floor of a large cage within a decrepit warehouse. He frowned to himself, staring at the ceiling of the cage, but then remembered that he was woken up by a voice. 

He turned to see a black-haired young woman looking at him from behind a pile of crates. Raising an eyebrow at her, he pointed at her, and she nodded, pointing at herself for emphasis. 

“Uh, hi.” Riku said, “Where am I?”

“You’re in an Organisation XIII warehouse,” The young woman explained, “Right now, there’s an emergency meeting to discuss what to do with you, since you’re not exactly who we need right now.”

“And… you’re telling me this… because?”

“Oh, where are my manners?” The young woman huffed, “I’m Xion. International Police; I’m undercover on behalf of my friend Roxas, you know him.”

“Oh?” Riku blinked. “So, wait, Roxas knows something about all this?”

“Yeah,” Xion nodded, “Organisation XIII wants Sora, not you, I’m here to put a stop to those plans. That’s the emergency meeting right now, by the way; there’s a big consensus on using you as a hostage.”

“What, like that will get Sora moving. We’re not that close.” Riku snorted, and Xion stared at him blankly. “What?”

“Seriously?” Xion asked incredulously. “You don’t know?”

“Actually,” Riku hesitated, “Well, uh, Sora’s been dropping hints I can’t quite pick up. Do you know what’s up?”

“You know what, this is none of my business anyway,” Xion sighed. “Sort it out yourself, Champion. Anyway, I need to get you out of here.”

“Right,” Riku scoffed. “I think I can manage, though.”

“Yeah, Roxas did say you were arrogant.” Xion rolled her eyes, making Riku laugh quietly. “I’m sure you can get out of there by yourself, Champion, but you’re not making it out of there quietly. That’s what I’m here for.”

“Fair enough,” Riku shrugged. “Let’s get a move on, Xion.”

“You’re sure you can do this by yourself?” Roxas asked, standing next to Sora as he tied his shoelaces tightly. The brunet was dressed down now in joggers, a hoodie, and trainers, his Wayfinder tucked into his hoodie’s front pocket. “No backup? None at all?”

“Nah,” Sora replied easily, “Besides, you said your friend was in there, right? I won’t be alone, at least.” 

“If you say so.” Roxas sighed. “I know you can kick ass in there, but I’m still gonna stay out here, just in case.”

Sora beamed at him. “Aw, Roxas, you do care!”

“Ven will kill me and hang me to dry in the sun if I won’t,” Roxas replied, smacking Sora’s back. “Now get going.”

“Fine, fine,” Sora rolled his eyes. “Start the timer.”

“You know, you’re just as arrogant as Riku, actually.” Roxas laughed, putting a smirk on Sora’s lips. “You two suit each other just fine!”

“And then, you turn this way, and—”

Xion’s words were cut off with an explosion, and she gasped in shock, her Woeflower squeaking angrily in alarm as Riku yanked her back behind him protectively. 

“Wh-what’s—”

“We’ve got company,” Riku said, releasing his Aura Lion. “Let’s go. On its back, Xion.”

“R-right,” Xion nodded, and they hopped onto the Aura Lion’s back. “This way, kitty!”

The Aura Lion bounded down the corridor, unmindful of Organisation XIII grunts chasing after them with their own Dream Eaters—all Spirits, thankfully, and Riku was relieved they weren’t facing anyone with a Nightmare down.

“Nightmare!” Xion gasped, and Riku regretted thinking about the lack of Nightmares as his Aura Lion came to a stop, snarling threateningly at what was ahead of them. Riku and Xion hopped off the Dream Eater to see a white Ryu Dragon posturing in front of them, hissing as its tail flicked angrily. 

Riku’s frown deepened as Wingus emerged from his heart, hissing angrily at the Ryu Dragon.

“It’s rare.” He murmured to Xion, who nodded nervously. “Who are you?” He asked more loudly, and a young man with dark skin and silver hair walked out from behind the Ryu Dragon, smirking at him. 

“Champion Riku. I’m not surprised you’ve managed to escape.” The young man said. “I am Xehanort. The younger one—I am not my grandfather.”

“Uh… huh.” Riku replied. “Doesn’t ring a bell. You guys must not be interesting enough.”

“How pedestrian, taunting,” Xehanort tutted, “I don’t suppose you’ll simply return to your cell and be a good hostage?”

“Nah, sorry.” Riku drawled. “What do you want with Sora?”

“He has something he owes me.” Xehanort said, and Riku blinked at him. “Oh, you don’t know? And here I thought you were the reason this whole mess ever existed.”

“Me?” Riku asked, looking at Xion, who stared back at him in surprise. “What does he mean?”

“Oh.” Xehanort smirked. “Sora’s decided to keep it from you. Some best friend you turned out to be, hm?”

“Best…” Riku jolted when the Ryu Dragon charged at them, and he dove aside, pulling Xion with him against the wall as he jerked his head at his Aura Lion, who charged forward to meet the Nightmare halfway. “What the hell do you mean?” He called back as the two Dream Eaters struggled together.

“How cruel,” Xehanort said plainly, “You’ve simply gone and forgotten him, have you? No wonder Sora’s Nightmare Chirithy managed to survive. You’re one of a kind, Riku.”

“Nightmare…” Riku’s eyes widened. “He has a Nightmare Chirithy?”

“Oh, yes.” Xehanort nodded, “And it’s all thanks to you.”

“Wh—how?” Riku stammered, and he only had a moment to react when another white Nightmare—a Tyranto Rex—came charging at them from Xehanort’s heart, too, and Xion was quick to summon her Woeflower to block it. 

“I met Sora when he moved away from this region, a few years ago.” Xehanort said, “He told me about a friend of his a long, long time ago—one who made promises he broke, breaking his heart in the process.” 

Riku stared back at Xehanort disbelievingly. “That… that was me?”

Xehanort’s lips widened into a smirk. 

“We met during my day job as a research assistant. I told him I was researching the darkness of Nightmare Dream Eaters, and posed a question—have you ever wondered why to summon a Spirit Chirithy, you need to think of a good dream? Don’t Spirits love bad dreams?” 

“I…” Riku hesitated. “Actually, yeah. I… I’ve wondered that for a while now.”

“Sora was curious, too. So he and I decided to experiment. With Lux he collected, we tried to see what would happen if he summoned a Chirithy with a bad dream or memory.” Xehanort shrugged, and released another Nightmare—a Halbird, that Riku’s own Halbird blocked as it emerged from Riku’s heart. “And he succeeded, thanks to my help. When I asked him about what memory he used, he told me it was one that broke his heart years ago.”

Xehanort pulled his phone out of his pocket, humming as he scrolled through it. 

“Ah, yes, here we go: ‘Giving up already on battling because you can never win against me? That’s why your Chirithy won’t change into anything!’, he said.” Xehanort read his screen boredly, but he was smirking. “And, oh, this one is juicy: ‘Fine, run away from battling. I’ll become the strongest trainer in the region. I’ll beat anyone who battles me, and you’ll never catch up to me. You aren’t even worth being called a rival.’ Wow.”

“I…” Riku looked down. “Did I really… Sora…”

An explosion shook the corridor, and Riku jolted as another Nightmare charged at him—he couldn’t even see what it was with how fast it was moving—and he winced, bracing himself—

When a Meowjesty’s cry filled the air as it dispelled the Nightmare, and a familiar presence appeared in front of him.

“I made it!” Sora grinned, and Riku’s eyes shot open, looking down at Sora as the brunet grinned at him. Riku stared back at him as Sora looked back at Xehanort, his smile dropping into a frown. “Xehanort. Should’ve known.”

“You owe me a Nightmare Chirithy, Sora,” Xehanort smirked, waving his hand, and his Nightmares returned to him. “It’s only right, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, right,” Sora rolled his eyes, “Not this time, buddy.”

He released his Flowbermeow from his heart, shooting his hand forward at Xehanort.

“Mochi, Faith!” 

The Flowbermeow glowed brightly, filling the tiny corridor with light, and Xehanort’s Nightmares hissed in protest. Sora didn’t waste a moment—he grabbed Riku’s wrist and ran in the opposite direction, his Spirits returning to him quickly, and only then did Riku notice the trail of fainted Organisation XIII grunts marking Sora’s route through the base. 

“You—” Riku began, finally catching up and running alongside Sora instead of getting dragged along, and the brunet grinned at him. “You…”

“Yeah?” Sora grinned. 

“I…” Riku shook his head. “C’mon, this is faster.”

He summoned his Aura Lion, and it shimmered into view. He grabbed Sora by his waist, lifting him up onto the Aura Lion, and only then did he remember Xion. 

“W-wait, where’s—”

“I’m right here!” Xion called from behind them, finally catching up, and she sighed tiredly, panting heavily as she rested her hands on her knees. “Jeez, you two run so quickly…”

“Here,” Riku said, summoning his Halbird, and Xion nodded at it. “Fly ahead of us, bud. Sora, let’s go.”

Sora looked off to the side, flustered and embarrassed as Riku climbed onto the Aura Lion, before spurring it onward down the corridor. Soon, they were out of the hideout—and Riku was surprised to see Roxas there, too, talking to Xion. 

“Roxas.” Riku said, and the blond peered at him. “You…”

“Okay, bud, our turn,” Roxas said, summoning his Keeba Tiger. “Aura Dive!”

The Keeba Tiger charged at the entrance to the hideout, attacking rocks and making the entrance collapse, sealing the team inside. 

“We’ll take it from here,” Xion said, giving them a thumbs-up. “I’ve called for backup from the International Police. Nothing’s getting past us.”

Riku heaved a heavy sigh, shaking his head as he turned to Sora, who grinned at him tiredly. 

“Hi.” Sora said. 

“Hi.” Riku replied, and Sora sighed deeply, shaking his head. “So, uh…”

“Let’s head back. Your friends are worried about you.” Sora said, and Riku pursed his lips. “I promise I’ll explain what’s up later. C’mon.”

Somehow Riku couldn’t say no to Sora, and he soon found himself invited into the brunet’s temporary flat in the city, right next to the Concert Hall. He stood there in the doorway awkwardly as Sora busied himself with making tea for himself and Riku.

He didn’t know what to say. Xehanort’s words sounded familiar, and he knew he said them, but he just couldn’t reconcile that it was him who said that, and to Sora, of all people. 

A squeaky meow-bark caught his attention, and Riku realised that Bumpis had come out of Sora’s heart to greet him, stubby tail wagging as it approached him. He smiled sadly, squatting down to pet its head, and he jolted when a memory surged through his mind as it did. 

Two little boys, excitedly talking about a life to come as Dream Eater trainers.

Two little boys, sharing a promise under the blaze of starlight.

Two little boys, rivals, pushing each other to keep training, to do their best.

Two little boys, growing apart, until only one boy was left, lonely and crying into Bumpis’s fur.

“We were friends.” Riku murmured in realisation as his vision cleared, and he looked at Bumpis, who nodded. “You… you were that Chirithy. All those years ago.” 

“Riku, are you talking to Bumpis?”

“I…” Riku straightened up to see Sora smiling at him, gesturing for him to sit at his dining table. “Yeah, sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. He loves people.” Sora nodded, and much to Riku’s surprise, released the Nightmare Chirithy onto the table. “This is what Xehanort was talking about. He helped me get the Lux needed to summon it.”

“And the memory you used was me hurting you that day, right?”

Sora fell quiet, and he looked down at the Nightmare Chirithy. 

“So you do remember me.”

“Only just now.” Riku said sheepishly, and Sora peered at him witheringly. “I mean it. Bumpis showed me its memories. I… I think I understand what happened now.”

“Yeah?” Sora murmured. 

“I… I hurt you that day.” Riku sighed, shaking his head. “I’m sorry. I really am.”

“I mean… we were kids back then. It’s been so long.”

“Yeah, but I knew I said the wrong thing immediately after.” Riku confessed, and Sora blinked at him. “I—I was just… you’re right, we were kids, and we were stupid, and I… I was too proud to admit I was wrong. Too scared and too prideful, insecure about the fact that since you found something that you wanted to do, and it was without me, that I—that I wasn’t important to you.” 

“Seems to me like I’m the one not important to you.”

“I’m sorry. I really am.” Riku sighed deeply. “It’s my fault. All this; like that Nightmare Chirithy. You wouldn’t have summoned it if I didn’t hurt you. And now, Organisation XIII…”

“Yeah, well,” Sora shrugged, gesturing at the Chirithy. “I love him anyway. It’s not his fault he was born like that.”

“I’m glad.” Riku smiled weakly, and Sora smiled back at him. “Hey, uh… sorry I came to you out of the blue like that, asking you to battle and stuff.”

“You always did like battling.” Sora chuckled, and Riku nodded.

“I… if you’ll let me, I’d like to start over.” He said, and Sora stopped, blinking at him. “Let’s… let’s give us another try, I mean. In the end, this all started because I thought—I was falling out of love with battling, actually. Mostly because in the end, it didn’t feel like all this success was worth it.”

“You’re… losing interest?”

“Nothing was pushing me to keep going. And then I saw you.” Riku laughed sheepishly. “I guess, deep in my subconscious, I wanted to reconnect. To find that rival I lost all those years ago.” 

“And what about the friend you lost?”

“I… I’d like him back, too.” Riku admitted. “I… you don’t have to say yes, I just… well…”

Sora regarded him for a long moment, and smiled.

“Tell you what,” He said and Riku cocked his head at him. “Let’s meet for lunch tomorrow. I’ll clear my schedule, you clear yours?”

“Yeah?” Riku smiled slightly, and Sora nodded. “Yeah.”

“It’s a date.” Sora said, and somehow, that sounded really nice.

“That sounds really nice, actually.” Riku said. “I’d like that a lot.”

Unbeknownst to them, the Nightmare Chirithy cocked its head, and the tips of its fur started turning white.