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He woke to find himself trapped within an endless darkness, swirls of purple and mists of burgundy melded with the ebony backdrop. Muffled voices cried out to him, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. He felt himself panicking, despite the fact he didn’t feel that way internally. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, his body curled in on himself despite the fact he was actually still standing. A voice began stuttering, loud enough to sound as if the words were coming out of his own mouth.
“No… please don’t… I don’t want… leave me alone…”
That voice…
“Sora!” He cried out, but his friend didn’t or couldn’t hear him. The continued sobs and suffering tortured him from his position, a non-existent one. It then hit him, why he was feeling things that didn’t seem to originate from his own body. Why he could hear things as if he were speaking them. Why his own voice was ignored.
He was in a dream. Sora’s dream, to be specific.
A nightmare.
Riku could only watch as the mists and swirls began merging into a solid form, a form of a familiar bald man with golden eyes. Dark lightning began flashing from the highest heights of the abyss, winds began to pick up, creating a miniature tornado within the space. The fake image of Xehanort smirked, holding out a hand with a glowing orb floating atop of it.
“Such a dull, ordinary boy. Small and insignificant. How could the Keyblade choose someone like you?”
Another figure appeared, this time the master of the Mysterious Tower, fully garbed with that long grey beard of his.
“You gave into the darkness so easily, Sora. I am disappointed in you. You do not deserve to be a Keyblade Master, not even after all you have done for the worlds. Nothing you do is worth anything.”
A third figure joined beside them, a figure Riku recognised as the form of Ansem that had possessed him over a year ago.
“How can you save your friends when you aren’t even strong enough to save yourself. Such a pathetic weakling. No wonder the Keyblade wasn’t meant for you.”
Sora’s sobs grew louder, he was no longer verbally trying to stop the torment. Riku, at this point, had enough. He wasn’t going to let Sora suffer any longer. With a yell, he summoned Way To Dawn and used it to cut a single horizontal slash through the figures. It was as if the dream world began glitching, parts vanishing and repeating itself all over the place. Then, everything began to crumble, closing in on them faster yet faster still until…
He woke up…
… And he heard a scream.
Riku jumped out of his bed, and sprinted across the hallway to the guest room that was currently Sora’s in Yen Sid’s Tower. Somehow, Donald and Mickey were still fast asleep after that but, as Riku was about to knock on the door, Goofy poked his head around the doorway of his own room next door.
“Gawrsh, that was some racket,” The Captain of the Disney Castle guard mumbled sleepily, rubbing his eyes with comical motions. “Is Sora okay?”
“I’m checking now,” Riku replied quietly, trying not to wake anyone else up. “Go back to sleep, Goofy. I’ll make sure he’s alright.”
“I’m glad he has someone like you around in his life, Riku,” Goofy smiled. “I’m sure that boy is takin’ too many burdens on his back for him to cope with. At least when you and Kairi are around, it’s like those burdens ain’t an issue anymore.” As he turned to head back to bed, Riku stopped him briefly.
“Wait!” Goofy’s head popped back out into the hallway. “I’m glad you’ve been looking out for him when I wasn’t around.”
“Of course I have,” Goofy laughed as quietly as he could. “Sora kinda reminds me of my own son, Max. I guess once a father, always a father, right? Well then, Good night Riku. Tell Sora that I hope he’s doin’ okay.”
“Will do…” Riku waited until the dog was completely gone before he gently rapped his knuckles against Sora’s door. “Hey, Sora, it’s me. Are you alright?” Even behind the door he could hear raspy breathing and barely hidden sobs. A snotty ‘Yes, don’t worry, just a nightmare’ replied back to him which, obviously, Riku was not going to accept. “No, you’re not. Listen mister, I am coming in whether you like it or not unless you want me to tell Kairi about this.” It was as if he could hear the shudder like it was happening right next to them. After two death defying adventures, Kairi had become a strict mother bear to her two best friends, reminding them about their health and baggering them to tell her what was wrong when they seemed down. Whilst she was doing it with their best interests at heart, bless her for that, Kairi’s sense of motherly love was a bit… how to put it… terrifying.
After a short while, a whisper came through. “Door’s open…”
Riku turned the handle and slowly crept in, closing it behind him to give them some space. Sora looked terrible with bloodshot eyes, hair even more of a mess than usual and pale, trembling skin. Almost immediately, Riku felt a need to pull his friend into a protective hug and tell him everything was going to be fine but he realised that Sora needed some space so just sat down a reasonable distance away from him at the end of his bed.
“I’ll ask again, are you alright?” Riku knew the answer but wanted to hear it in person. “Please answer me truthfully, Sora.”
Sora was silent for a moment before he spoke in a tiny, raspy voice. “Riku, do you think I’m not worthy to be a Keyblade Wielder?”
“Where did that come from?” Riku feigned surprise, remembering everything that was said during the nightmare. “Sora, did you have a bad dream?”
“Well, yes… but how did you?”
“Just a guess…” A small, weak jab to his arm later, with an overdramatic response that got Sora to somewhat smile, Riku answered. “I guess I’m still your Dream Eater somewhat ‘cause I was in your nightmare.” The dulled sapphires stared at his turquoise briefly, before turning their gaze away from him.
“So then you know, right?” Sora curled in on himself, the quilt wrapped around him as a sort of emotional support. “It’s just, after everything… and… well…”
“You don’t think you’re good enough?” Riku finished, his heart breaking at the sight of the nod that he received as an answer. Now it was time to set the record straight. “Okay then, answer me this. Who saved the worlds twice now from the Darkness?” When Sora didn’t answer, Riku pushed harder. “Come on, answer me.”
“Urr… me, I guess?”
“And who single handedly defeated Organisation XIII?”
“Me?”
“Don’t sound so unsure of yourself,” he frowned in Sora’s direction but continued regardless. “And who was the one who saved us both from the Realm of Darkness and destroyed Xemnas after I was badly wounded?”
“That was Kairi’s letter…” Another frown followed. “Oh fine, me.”
“And who was it that saved me when I had let the darkness take control and lost all sense of thought?”
“Me…”
“Yes, Sora, you!” Riku placed his hand on Sora’s shoulders and made direct eye contact. “You’ve done so much more than I ever have! You should have been a Keyblade Master a long time ago! To be honest, Master Yen Sid is speaking a load of bullshit if he thinks you’re not worthy of the title.”
“Riku, language!” Sora wafted at his hand, giggling like a toddler who had caught a sibling saying a swear word.
“You’re just as bad as Kairi, I swear,” he huffed, fake pouting whilst folding his arms in front of his chest which brought about more laughter. “I mean it though, Yen Sid is speaking bullshit if he thinks you’re not Master material and I am. Tomorrow morning, I’m telling him where he can stick his mastership, and it’s where the sun don’t shine!”
“His beard?” The silver haired teen stared at the other and groaned loudly.
“No Sora, up his arse,” Riku tried to stop another ‘language!’ from being thrown at him. “I don’t want to be a Keyblade Master knowing that someone far more experienced and better than me is unable to become one too. I’ll wait for you to be deemed a Master, and then… and ONLY then… will I accept it.”
“I don’t want you wasting an opportunity like that because of me, Riku,” By now, Sora was starting to uncurl, the quilt slipping down from his shoulders. He was starting to look faintly as if he was getting better. “It just sucks that all that training and effort is gone down the drain because of Xehanort…”
“And you’ll get it back and come back even stronger,” Riku gave him a soft smile. “Just like you always do. Then, nothing will be able to defeat you. Even if old Yen Sid won’t acknowledge it, you’re a Keyblade Master to me.”
“Awww, thanks Master Riku!”
“Anytime, Master Sora.” It was then he took a chance and pulled Sora in for a hug, which surprisingly was fully accepted and returned. For what seemed like forever, the two remained wrapped around each other in embrace. It was as if all their issues had washed away, and for that moment, they were just two normal teens basking in each other’s comfort in troubling times. But, that moment wasn’t to last forever, they knew that so regrettably, they let go. “Feeling any better?”
“Yeah, a bit,” Sora gave him one of his trademarked Sunshine Incarnate smiles, which nearly caused Riku to have a heart attack of cuteness. “Thanks for helping me, Riku.”
“Don’t mention it,” he answered, trying to keep his voice from revealing any high pitches. “I know I haven’t been a good friend recently but I want you to know I’m here for you now and always.”
“Okay, I’ll take you up on that,” A loud yawned erupted, causing Riku to laugh and Sora to blush in embarrassment. “Anyways, we better get to sleep…”
“Yeah, yeah. I know how cranky you get if you don’t get your beauty sleep,” Riku dodged the pillow that was thrown at him, laughing. “I get it, Princess. Night!”
“Good night!” Riku closed the door behind him with a smile on his face. He would do whatever he possibly could to keep Sora happy and safe, even if it meant being his Dream Eater for the rest of his life. As he walked to his room, he noticed Goofy hadn’t gone to sleep and poked his head out to see if everything was okay. Riku sent him a thumbs up and mouthed ‘He’s fine!’ which Goofy grinned at and crept over.
“Thanks Riku, I know that meant a lot to him.”
“Well he means a lot to me too,” Riku replied casually. “I’ll do anything to help him, especially with how he’s feeling right now after the incident.”
“That’s great to know,” Goofy chuckled softly. “He really cares a lot ‘bout you too, Riku. He was worried sick about you durin’ the second adventure. To tell you the truth, Donald and I weren’t too happy at you for doing what you were. It was breakin’ him in two not bein’ able to find you.”
“I know that now, I thought I was protecting him by keeping away from him but,” he chuckled weakly. “I now know I was doing more harm than good. I don’t deserve him, honestly.”
“I dunno,” Goofy patted him on the shoulder, turning back towards his room. “If you ask me, I think you both deserve each other.” With that, he returned back to his room, leaving a stunned Riku behind in his wake.
Was that… father figure support?
He shrugged it off returning to his own room and collapsing in his bed. Hopefully, Sora wouldn’t be plagued with any more nightmares for the rest of the night. If he did, Riku was so ready to punch the visions away, especially the ones of baldy Xehanort and Yen Sid. Speaking of that man, he knew exactly who he was going to throw hands with the next morning, for Sora’s honour. With that in mind, Riku happily fell into a peaceful sleep.