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Disney Town was always so lively and bright, filled with laughter, chatter, and various exclamations of glee. When they were hosting a party, that was heightened exponentially– especially a birthday party which was exactly the occasion today. Their dear Kairi was turning seventeen, and you could definitely tell she was the birthday girl based on her state of dress. Kairi’s short red hair had purple orchids woven through in vine-like patterns that matched her dark purple tank top with lilac fabric ruffles on the sleeves and over the chest that had all sorts of sparkles. The redhead was wearing white jeans with black boots to go along with it, and over everything she was wearing a sash that stated her position as birthday girl, a tiara, and all sorts of buttons and pins of the birthday variety that Xion and Naminé had enjoyed placing all over her between giggles. Riku had watched in amusement while they had all finished getting ready in one of the living areas of Disney Castle. Now, though, they were all gathered outside having fun. They were in between scheduled activities, allowing everyone to do what they wished. Terra, Aqua, Mickey, Minnie, and Isa were playing some kind of card game while observing everyone else. Donald and Goofy were working with Huey, Dewey, and Louie to make the tallest possible ice cream cone. Yen Sid and Merlin were running tests on the fireworks show they had prepared for later in the evening to ensure there wouldn’t be any hiccups. Kairi was enjoying a friendly dance-off with Lea– Kairi was being backed by Ventus and Naminé while Lea was backed by Roxas and Xion. Xion had originally seemed intent on backing Kairi, but she couldn’t switch her loyalties from one of her first best friends like that. Lea, Roxas, and Xion were inseparable as a trio, after all, especially now that they could all completely accept the fact that they had their own hearts and emotions. It had been an entertaining journey to watch Roxas, Xion, and Naminé figure out what it was like to have their own hearts, even if it had led to a few embarrassing moments of needing to explain societal norms. The sex talk had been uncomfortable for all involved, and no one let Lea forget that he was the one to make the innuendo that started it all. They had grown into themselves, though, and the three were flourishing. Everyone was.
Well, almost everyone.
Riku was sitting alone against the wall of a nearby building in the shade, silently watching everyone else enjoy themselves. He really did want to join in on the fun– he wanted to be able to truly smile with them– but he just couldn’t. All of these bright colors, the laughter, the joy… It all reminded him so much of Sora. Sora who was somewhere unknown, most likely by himself, and far out of Riku’s reach. His dear, sweet, sunshine Sora had been gone for a year and a half, and Riku hadn’t been able to relax much since he disappeared. He still made routine checks once a month to each world they knew of to ask the residents they knew if anyone had any leads on Sora, but it was always answered in the negative. Many of them had said that he was most likely gone permanently and had tried to convince Riku to focus on other things. He knew that they meant well, but he vehemently refused. Even the idea of giving up on Sora made his skin crawl. The only other ones who seemed as certain as him that Sora was even still alive were those who had literally lived in his heart at one point. Even so, it seemed that Kairi, Naminé, Ventus, and Xion were beginning to suspect they had been wrong. Roxas was the only one Riku could talk to without being told to stop looking and just to give up. Roxas had been a lifeline for Riku ever since Sora’s disappearance, and wasn’t that ironic? The person Riku had worked so hard to destroy and return to Sora now was one of the few things keeping the silveret sane.
“I wondered where you went. Thought today was supposed to be a brooding-free day, buddy.”
Speak of the blond devil.
Riku raised aquamarine eyes up to meet sapphire eyes that were so like Sora’s but held a completely different sort of gleam. Roxas was dressed in a black and white checkered button up shirt and black jeans along with grey sneakers. His hair was the same usual mess that was the hallmark of Sora, Roxas, Ventus, and Xion. While he was smirking and had a raised brown eyebrow, Riku could see the concern veiled behind blue. Roxas was always the first to find Riku when the silveret ventured off to be alone and think. Roxas had even spent multiple nights with Riku in either of their rooms, the both of them long having decided that clinging to each other overnight very much beat having panic attacks and waking up alone after hellish nightmares. They had both agreed that it was entirely platonic early on. After all, Roxas had eyes for Xion, and Riku had eyes for Sora. They saw each other more like brothers at this point. Riku was grateful for the blond in ways that he could never truly express.
Riku chuckled, though there was no humor to the sound. “Tried. Didn’t work.” He raised a silver brow at Roxas, his smile not able to hide just how emotionally tired today had already made him. “Thought you were having a dance battle with the others.”
Roxas’s smirk quickly fell away into a frown at the sound and tone. He strode forward and sat beside Riku, pressing their shoulders and legs together. “You could join, too, you know,” he said in a more subdued voice, though he knew that wasn’t the issue. He sighed. “I know parties like this are hard, man, but… It’d probably be better for you if you tried to join instead of sitting by yourself and letting your thoughts wander. You and I both know what that leads to.”
Riku wouldn’t look at him, just staring at the grass in front of his feet. “I can’t. It all reminds me too much of him.”
“Everything reminds you of him,” Roxas huffed bluntly. “You’ve known him for all of your living memory. You can’t think about things from your childhood without thinking of him. That’s something that you’re going to have to deal with until we find him. This isn’t a healthy way to deal with it, Riku.”
“... I know,” Riku sighed. “It’s just hard. Plus… I don’t know, I have a weird feeling. Something is off about today.” The silver teen could feel Roxas’s eyes on him until he felt the blond look away and sigh.
“I know what you mean. I feel it, too. I think the others feel it, too, they’re just choosing not to acknowledge it.” Roxas sounded a bit bitter at that last part. “There’s nothing we can do about it right now, though. We’ll just have to sit around and wait until whatever happens happens, I guess.”
“I don’t like waiting,” Riku grumbled.
Roxas snorted. “No shit.”
They fell into a comfortable silence as they watched everyone gather into the card game the older members of their group had been playing since the dance creww had lost one of their members. They would occasionally get glances from random members of the group, but no one bothered them. Everyone knew better than to approach the two if they had gone off by themselves. Everyone knew why they would go off to the side, and it usually wasn’t a conversation anyone else wanted to join.
“We should probably go back.” Roxas finally broke the silence after a few minutes, pushing himself to his feet and brushing himself off before turning and offering Riku a hand. “C’mon. Maybe kicking ass at whatever they’re playing will make you feel better.”
Riku gave Roxas a small, teasing smile as he took his hand and got to his feet. “You saying you’re going to let me win?”
“Ha! Absolutely fucking not.” Roxas grinned at him. “You wish.” The blond started dragging Riku towards the group, and the silveret was once again reminded just how much Roxas was like Sora while also being so different. The shorter male really did know how to pull him out of his own thoughts just like the brunet he was missing so dearly.
—---
Glittering stars projected on the ceiling of Riku’s temporary bedroom were meant to bring him enough peace to sleep, but the comforting veil of rest seemed to be evading him. He momentarily regretted not taking up Roxas’s offer to stay with him that night, but Riku had seen just how much Xion wanted to cuddle with the blond. As much as Riku would have appreciated the comfort and company, he refused to deprive the two of their precious bonding time. He was certain they would be getting together soon based on how close they were getting, and he did not want to get in the way during this important transitioning period. This was Riku’s problem, not Roxas’s. That didn’t make it easier to deal with, though.
With a growl of frustration, Riku threw off his covers and got to his feet, shuffling to put on a pair of slippers and a fluffy robe before exiting the bedroom and starting down the long, dimly lit hallway. There were plenty of doors hiding his friends away that he was passing in silence. Living and hiding in the darkness for so long had made Riku quite stealthy even by nature. He no longer had to consciously attempt to move quietly. He had been startling people more and more because of it. He was trying to make a habit of announcing his presence, but he wasn’t very fond of it.
Riku descended covered marble stairs once he reached them, finding his way to the ground floor. He approached the entrance to the large courtyard before walking out into the crisp night air. It was a bit more chilly than he had anticipated, but Riku didn’t mind. The slight chill was nice on his skin. Silently, Riku walked alonged stone pathways to sit on a wooden bench. In front of him was a small koi pond with a little waterfall system. The sound of the burbling water was comforting. It wasn’t quite like the tide lapping at the shore, but it was enough to listen to the sounds of water. Of course, that caused his thoughts to drift to Sora. Like Roxas had said, everything made his mind drift to Sora. His fluffy chestnut hair, his glittering sapphire eyes, his soft sunkissed skin, his lithe frame… Riku shook his head to shake the thoughts away. He was more than aware of his feelings for Sora and how they had developed to be far more than emotional, but he tried his hardest not to indulge in the thoughts very often. He wasn’t even entirely sure if Sora liked men, despite Roxas’s insistence that Sora very much was not into women. Even if Sora liked men, that didn’t mean he liked Riku. At least not in that way. Again, Roxas was very sure that Sora was into Riku, but the silveret was hesitant to take his word for it. Roxas was a tease for one thing, and he had also been in a sort of compartment in Sora’s heart. There was no way of knowing if Roxas’s thoughts were factual or not.
Riku let out a long, tortured sigh as he reached up to pull a bit at his hair. That was a very bad habit he had developed. “Why can’t you just come home already…? I need you, Sora…” That wasn’t even entirely an exaggeration. Before Riku had opened that damn door to darkness he’d had no idea just how much he relied on Sora. After that, though, it became glaringly obvious that Sora was an important part of Riku’s life. He’d been there forever, and Riku had never truly needed to experience any level of life without the brunet by his side. Riku had forced that experience upon himself, and he absolutely hated it. He’d gotten him back, though, despite what he’d felt he deserved. Riku had looked forward to winning the war and getting to explore their new lives as wielders together. That hadn’t been how it had gone, though. After the war, Sora had gone off to find Kairi. Riku had been so fucking happy when he saw Sora and Kairi appear on that tree. Riku had really thought it meant they could finally move on from this dark chapter of their lives and fucking enjoy themselves for once. Maybe Riku could really move along the path of forgiving himself and truly making it up to his best friends. That hope and joy had quickly been crushed when Sora vanished into thin air like he had never been there in the first place. Kairi had been near inconsolable after, babbling through sobs about how Sora had said he was sorry and not to look for him since he was certain it wouldn’t turn up anything helpful. They had all searched for months despite that until a good portion of their group began to believe Sora’s words. They had even tried searching Kairi’s heart to see if there were any clues to his whereabouts, but there was nothing to be found. He was just gone. It still hurt Riku’s heart to think about.
Riku froze up a bit when he heard movement on the pavement behind him, but he relaxed figuring it was just Roxas. That boy had a knack for knowing when Riku was stressed and thinking about Sora. “I’m fine, Roxas. You should go back to Xion. You don’t need to worry.”
“... Riku?” came a shaky, disbelieving whisper.
Riku jumped up and whipped around, his aquamarine blown wide as they met confused and fearful sapphire. Riku couldn’t believe his eyes. He reached his hands up to scrub at his eyes before looking again to see that the boy was still there.
“S-Sora?” Riku gasped out. “Y-You… Is it actually you?”
The brunet was right there in front of him, hair still in its spiky mess that was always so damn cute, sunkissed skin paler than it should be, freckles far too noticeable because of tha pale skin, and sapphire blue eyes… Those eyes were staring at Riku in complete shock, horror, and even the slightest hint of fury. He was dressed just as he had been when he disappeared, though his clothes looked slightly more tattered like he had been through some brutal fights. He also looked thinner which was worrying since Sora had always had quite the voracious appetite since they were kids.
After more long beats of silence, Sora didn’t say a thing, so Riku tried again. “S-Sora… Is it… Are you actually here?” He was embarrassed to admit it, but he had hallucinated the boy on a few sleepless nights (where he had gone without sleep for days), but he had slept last night quite well after Kairi pretty much threatened to murder him, bring him back to life, murder him again, and then bring him back to life once more if he didn’t sleep before her party. So, really, he shouldn’t be so exhausted that he’s imagining this sort of thing.
After way too much longer in silence for Sora, the brunet finally spoke, and he sounded utterly wrecked. His voice that was usually so energetic and uninhibited was now quiet, hoarse, and accusatory. None of that sounded right on Sora. “this isn’t real,” he whispered. “I know this isn’t real, so why are you trying to make me think it is?”
“What?” Riku looked at him in complete confusion and worry. Something was wrong, seriously wrong, but he didn’t know what yet. “Sora, I’m not trying to act like anything, I just– gods, if it’s really you, I’e missed you so damn–”
“Don’t use his voice,” Sora hissed, eyes flashing red, and Riku completely froze. What the hell? “This is cruel even for you, Yozora. I stopped fighting you, so why are you still doing this to me?” he asked in that same low, strained whisper from before, almost as if he wasn’t capable of anything louder.
“Who’s Yozora?” Riku felt the need to resummon his Keyblade with the way Sora was glaring at him, but he really didn’t want to come off as a threat here.
“Don’t act stupid,” Sora huffed. “I don’t know how you dug around in my memories to do this, but this is cruel on a whole other level, especially to use Riku.” His voice sounded like it was on the brink of breaking, and Riku just wanted to hug him and assure him everything was fine.
It wasn’t fine, though.
Something was majorly wrong with his best friend. Riku used one of his hands at his side to dig hard into his own leg, feeling the pain and not jolting awake in bed. He didn’t see any dream eaters around, and Komory usually made a point to seek him out if he was in the realm of sleep, so this had to be real. While Riku didn’t want to do anything to startle him, the silveret needed someone else to get the fuck down here in case shit hit the fan. Sora clearly wasn’t in his right mind. Riku reached slowly into his pocket and gripped his gummi phone, getting to the emergency call menu without having to look. They had all practiced this just in case calling without being noticed became necessary. He didn’t care if he was calling Mickey, Roxas, or Kairi (they were the three on his list), any of them would do. He just needed some help. He heard a grumble from the other end, so it was either Roxas or Kairi.
“Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but it’s okay. I don’t know who Yozora is, but he’s not here. It’s just us, Sora. You can breathe.” Riku made sure to say his name so whoever was on the other end knew what was up. He heard a sharp inhale on the other end before Sora gave a dry, humorless laugh.
“Why are you acting like I’m stupid now?” Sora growled. “I know this isn’t real because I physically can’t get back to my reality, and we both know that. I’m stuck in Quadratum forever, and I’ll never see my friends or family again. And you’ll make sure that I don’t have a moment of peace for some reason that you still won’t even fucking tell me.” The brunet spat those last three words, and Riku didn’t think he had ever heard Sora talk like that. Riku did decide that he seriously hated whoever this Yozora guy was, though, for whatever he had done to Sora to have the sweet teen so on edge and distrusting.
“Sora, please,” Riku pleaded, taking a hesitant step forward. Sora took one back, summoning his Keyblade. “It’s really me. Ask me anything, I’ll prove it to you.”
“Bullshit!” Sora shouted, showing that his voice could, in fact, get louder as he raised his blade up in a defensive stance. “If you went through my memories to find the people I’m closest to, that just means you’ll find something to prove who they are, too! I’m not that stupid, even if everybody thinks I am!”
Alright, they would need to come back to that last statement later.
“Sora, I don’t know what else to do to prove to you that this is real. I don’t know where you went or how you got there or back, but you’re safe here. We’re in Disney Castle, one of the safest places in the universe. I just need you to trust me–”
“Sora!” came a shriek from the courtyard entrance behind Sora. Riku looked past the boy to see Kairi there flanked by a good portion of their group. She must have gone banging on doors before running down here once she heard the situation. The brunet whipped around, holding his keyblade even tighter. Riku noticed the boy was angled in a way so he could still see if Riku made any movements. He really was on edge. Riku could both hear and see the gasps and confused sounds coming from their friends. He couldn’t exactly blame them, this was all very strange for Sora. “Sora, what’s wrong?”
Sora suddenly moved to be further in the courtyard so he didn’t have his back to any of them, his glare still present and his grip on his Keyblade white-knuckled and seemingly very painful. “Why are you still insisting on showing me this?! What do you even gain from this other than torturing me?!”
Kairi’s deep blue eyes quickly flicked over to Riku, and Riku had a feeling he was mirroring the panic in them. She was asking him what was going on, but he had no answer. He gave a helpless shrug and turned to keep an eye on Sora. She turned back to him as well. “What are you talking about, Sora? It’s just us–”
“ NO !” he practically roared, whisps of black beginning to seep from his skin. “Stop using their voices! I still don’t know what the fuck you want from me, but this isn’t going to get it!”
“What’s happening?!” Xion cried, moving closer to Roxas and clinging to his arm. They could all practically feel the anguish rolling off of him, so Riku couldn’t imagine being one of the ones who were once within his heart.
“Sora, ya need to relax,” Mickey tried to placate as he stepped forward. He stopped about a meter in front of their friends, not daring to move closer to Sora. “Everything’ll be okay, I promise. Just tell us what’s wrong.”
Sora stared down at him with a mix of anguish, fury, guilt, and a hint of hope. He didn’t seem to be letting that last thing emerge victorious, though. The brunet started backing away, the dark tendrils around him only increasing in number and size. “This isn’t real,” he whispered. “I died. I’m not here. None of you are here.” Now, instead of sounding venomous and filled with vitriol, he sounded more scared and on the brink of panicking. “This isn’t happening. Yozora’s toying with me again, or I’m still locked in that crystal and just dreaming, this isn’t real–”
“Sora, you need to breathe!” Riku said hurriedly, moving to take a few steps towards his best friend. Namine was saying something to the others about struggling to see what he was talking about, but she saw a city, a blur of silver, red, and blue, and a feeling of cold. They would have to analyze that later. “Please–”
“Stay away from me!” Sora shouted, looking at Riku with a frenzied expression that had never been on that face before. “Don’t come near me! I can’t do this–”
“Sora, it’s okay,” Ventus finally tried as he also started to approach, Roxas and Xion close on his heels. Naminé looked like she wanted to follow, but she stayed back as she didn’t have a way to defend herself. “I don’t know what’s happening, but it’s gonna be okay. It’s just us. We’re your friends, and we won’t hurt you.”
Sora’s breathing was shallow and ragged as his eyes rapidly shifted between the different parties slowly approaching him until finally something in him seemed to snap. He screamed, a sound that would probably haunt them all for the rest of their lives, as he fell to his knees and was cloaked in darkness.
Everything on him went black, and inky smoke twisted around and above him. Everyone gasped.
“Rage form!” Donald and Goofy said at the same time, earning confused and shocked looks.
“This has happened before?!” Mickey asked his two closest friends in shock.
“It used to happen when he was really hurt or really mad,” Goofy supplied, watching Sora in worry. “It’s never happened without heartless around, though.”
That just put them all more on edge. Sora wasn’t moving, even if he was still shaking and occasionally twitching in some odd ways. When he lifted his head, Riku knew he would have nightmares. Everything about Sora was black except for blood red eyes that were slowly scanning each of them in a way that made Riku feel exposed and helpless. He realized worriedly that they were all in nightclothes, not battle gear meant to protect them from attacks.
“What does he do when he’s like this?” Roxas asked as he looked at the two with a bit of contempt. “And why did you never mention it?”
Goofy rubbed the back of his neck, and Donald squawked with indignance, crossing his wings over his chest. “We’ve only ever seen it in a fight,” Goofy reiterated. “Though his fighting style gets more reckless and aggressive. He leaves more openings, but he does a lot more damage. It was never an issue and was usually helpful, and Sora said he had it under control, so we thought it was fine.”
That brought Riku no solace and honestly just served to piss him off. These two had watched Sora get cloaked in darkness probably more than once when he most likely felt at some of his lowest points and hadn’t thought to say a word to anyone about it until they all witnessed it. How many times had this happened? Did it hurt Sora? How did Sora just have this much darkness lying around in his heart to manifest as some hyper-powered form?
Slowly, Riku started approaching the boy, and Sora’s eyes immediately trained hard on him. Though they were red, the once-brunet’s eyes were cold and lifeless, watching Riku close the distance between them. When Riku was within ten feet, Sora made a sound between a growl and a hiss and bared his sharpened black teeth at the taller teen. “Hey, no, it’s okay,” Riku tried to console him. He really didn’t want to have to fight Sora, but it might come down to that at this rate. “Please, Sora, it’s really okay. It’s only me.” Once he was within five feet, Sora seemed ready to turn and bolt, so Riku decided this was close enough and dropped down to kneel on one knee. He would still be able to defend himself, but he seemed less imposing this way. “I know you’re freaked out, but it’s okay. You’re not in danger here, Sora. Everyone here is your friend and wants to help keep you safe. You’re not wherever you were before, you’re in Disney Castle like I told you earlier.”
Cold red eyes stared hard at him before Sora move to be on his hands and feet in a strange crouching position before he started stalking slowly towards Riku like some kind of cautious cat. Riku didn’t flinch away, though he was slightly nervous. This was his childhood best friend, but he also wasn’t himself at the moment. Riku knew all too well how differently you could act while under the influence of darkness.
“Riku,” Mickey called quietly, a mix of worry and a warning.
“It’s okay,” Riku tried to assure both his friends and Sora. He knew this was dangerous, but he just needed Sora to calm down.
Once the shadowy form reached him, he sat back on his feet in an awkward crouch and stared at Riku, his eyes now lighting just the slightest bit with curiosity. Riku was examined a couple more times before Sora moved into his personal space. Riku felt his cheeks dust a soft shade of pink, but he knew better than to make any sudden movements.
“I’m right here, Sora,” Riku whispered. “I promise that you’re safe. I’ll make sure nothing happens to you.” Riku glanced up towards the star-filled sky before meeting curious red eyes once more. “If any stars fall down here, I’ll hit them right back into outer space.” Riku could feel tears pricking at the corners of his eyes as he repeated his old promise to his best friend– a promise to protect that he had already turned his back on once. Never again. Sora went completely still, blinking at Riku a few times before recognition flashed in his eyes. The darkness didn’t recede like Riku had hoped, but Sora moved forward to nuzzle into his shoulder, leaning his body completely against Riku. He was cold to the touch, Sora made a sound akin to a purr as he tried to make himself as small as possible against Riku’s chest in their awkward position. Riku hesitated before wrapping his arms securely around him and moving a hand up to run through inky black spikes. “It’s okay… You’re safe now… I’m so sorry I wasn’t with you for so long…” Riku kept his voice low so the others couldn’t hear him, a few of the tears slipping free and falling down into Sora’s hair. The boy looked up at him and tilted his head in confusion before nuzzling one of his cheeks where the tears were, making a sound that seemed like a confused and almost worried… chirp? Riku couldn’t help but give a laugh that was more like a sob at that. Despite the strangeness of it, that was so Sora that it made something in Riku’s heart break. Riku moved to hold him tighter to his chest, burying his face in his hair and starting to sob. Apparently-clawed fingers reached up to grip at the front of his shirt as Sora sat stock still in his arms. The shadowy creature hissed in warning as Mickey approached the two of them but didn’t move to try to escape Riku’s grasp.
“Riku…” Mickey said softly. He had watched the teen go through hell this past year and a half, and he knew that this wasn’t how he had envisioned getting his friend back. Mickey knew how riku felt about Sora. it was so obvious to anyone who paid any attention, really. This must all be very painful for him, especially watching the one he held closest being consumed by darkness in such a way. “We should really take him inside. It’s cold out here, and I don’t want any of you catching colds. Besides, we should really have someone look him over to make sure he’s okay.”
Riku took in a few deep, shuddering breaths before giving a nod to the mouse standing behind him. “Yeah… Yeah, okay.” He picked his head up to examine Sora. “I’m gonna pick you up, okay, Sora?” Ruby red eyes just stared blankly up at him before Sora booped their noses together. Riku blinked in slight surprise before smiling the slightest bit at the boy in front of him. Even when cloakd in pure darkness, Sora was still Sora.
Riku moved his arms to gently pick Sora up, grateful as the boy immediately wrapped his arms and legs around him in a koala-like grip. The silver haired teen settled an arm under his thighs and the other around his waist to hold the smaller boy close. Thankfully Sora wasn’t digging his claws into Riku’s back, though he could feel just how close they were to breaking delicate skin.
Riku got to his feet and turned to face the others as Sora chirped curiously at the movement. The shorter boy didn’t try to turn to look at the others, though, just nuzzling his face into Riku’s shoulder. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the two of them, so many emotions swirling through everyone’s eyes and hearts. He didn’t have any reassurances to offer them. He knew just as much as they did about this situation. The only advantage he had was that Sora seemed to be partial to him.
“You should take him to the medical wing. I’m gonna call Ansem the Wise and Ienzo to come here. I feel bad that it’s so late at night, but this is definitely an emergency,” Mickey instructed as he gave Riku a nod. He seemed to think for a moment before turning to Donald and Goofy. “How long does this usually last?”
“Only as long as a fight,” Donald replied. “Once the enemies are gone, it usually goes away.”
“Do you see any enemies here?” Lea snorted. “‘Cause all I see are a bunch of really concerned friends.”
“Gawrsh…” Goofy scratched the back of his head, looking over towards Sora in concern. “We dunno how this is gonna work this time, then. This is new.”
“More of a reason to get Ansem and Ienzo here quickly, then,” Mickey decided. “I’ll go give ‘em a call. Donald, Goofy, come with me. I want you to tell ‘em everything ya know about this before they get here.” The two he was addressing gave sounds of affirmation, turning to follow their king once Mickey passed them.
“It would probably be best not to crowd him,” Aqua said once the three were gone. “Only a few of us should stay around while he’s like this. He’s unpredictable. While he may be docile now, he’s clearly capable of becoming irritable.”
“I’m not leaving,” Roxas huffed, looking defensive. “I trust you with him, Riku, but he’s my Other. I’m not going anywhere until I know he’s okay.”
“Agreed.” Xion looked determined as she took Roxas’s hand and pulled him to come stand closer to Riku and Sora. Sora turned his head to stare at them with a tilt of his head. He didn’t lash out at them, though, thankfully.
“If you think I’m going anywhere, you’re nuts,” Kairi scoffed as she strode over with her head held high. She walked right up to Riku and Sora, moving behind the silver haired teen so Sora didn’t have to strain to look at her. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but we’re gonna make sure you’re okay.” Sora blinked and chirped at her in confusion which just earned a fond shake of the head from the redhead.
Ventus barely seemed to debate for a moment before trotting over to join the others, moving to stand beside Kairi to look at Sora properly. “You’re probably really freaked out, huh? Don’t worry, though. You’re safe with us. You protected all of us plenty already, so let us keep you safe now, yeah?” Sora swayed side to side a bit at that before setting his chin down heavily on Riku’s shoulder and let out a sound akin to a purr, his ruby eyes drooping slightly. Ventus chuckled at him. “Yeah, I’d be pretty tired after that kind of meltdown, too, Sora.”
Naminé was the last to shuffle over, though she didn’t say anything. She just moved to stand in front of Riku beside Xion, examining Sora with worried eyes. She was clearly still concentrating on trying to get through to Sora’s memories, though it had her shuddering. It was hard to get through to his heart like this.
Xion grinned. “Hey, the Heart Hotel residents are back together properly!” She looked up at Riku and hummed, narrowing her eyes a bit mischievously. “Plus an honorary member, I guess.”
“Oh, please, Riku might as well live in his heart at this point,” Roxas scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Unlike us, he manages to exist inside and outside of it.”
Riku felt heat rise to his cheeks at that, and he glared at Roxas. “Seriously? I don’t think now is the time.”
Roxas smirked. “Oh, but it’s fine for Xion to joke about our Heart Hotel group? I think you’re just embarrassed.”
“Riku’s embarrassment at us talking about his obvious crush aside,” Kairi started, earning a betrayed glare from the silveret, “we should really get inside like Mickey said. I’m freezing my tits off, and we have no idea how Sora’s body handles different temperatures right now.”
“Right,” Riku agreed easily, moving around Roxas, Xion, and Naminé to start towards the entrance. The rest of their friends moved aside to let them by, the small party starting down the dim hall towards the medical wing.
Sora was staring blankly over Riku’s shoulder at the five people trailing close behind them. He couldn’t quite recognize them, but Riku seemed to trust them, and they didn’t smell threatening, so Sora was okay with relaxing into Riku’s hold and just watching them. He had to keep an eye on them just in case they turned out to be enemies or if any enemies tried to come up behind them. He was clearly like this because he was threatened, so he would keep an eye out for whatever had threatened him and his friends.
“While this sucks and is pretty freaky, you gotta admit he looks kinda cool,” Xion piped up. “He usually looks all innocent and squishy. This makes him look all cool and intimidating.”
Kairi’s lips pulled into a frown. “I think I prefer our usual brightly colored Sora, personally. This reminds me too much of the time he became a heartless, and I had to fix him.”
“Don’t think you could do that again now, do you?” Roxas half-joked, giving Kairi a slight grin.
Kairi shook her head. “Nope. This feels different. He’s still definitely dark, but I can still sense the light hidden underneath. You don’t get that with a heartless.”
“Damn,” Roxas huffed, scuffing his toe against the ground as he walked. “Fuck, man, I had really hoped that our reunion with him would be all sappy and tearful and stuff, not whatever this is.”
“Ditto,” Ventus agreed with a sigh. “I always kinda thought we’d have to go on an adventure to some wild new place and find him ourselves if we ever got a lead. What even happened, Riku?”
Riku glanced over his shoulderto find them all staring at him now, and it made him a little uncomfortable, but he understood why. He tensed up slightly which immediately had Sora sitting up straight and bristling. The once-brunet was growling and looking around like he expected something to jump out at them. Riku forced himself to relax and rubbed Sora’s back. “Hey, it’s okay, Sora. We’re all safe. Relax.” Sora turned his head to stare at Riku for a few long moments before huffing and nuzzling into his neck, starting to purr quietly once again. Riku chuckled softly at that, continuing to rub his back. A glance back at the others revealed smirks, grins, and barely-veiled smiles. He rolled his eyes and looked forward again before explaining, “I really don’t know. I went down to the courtyard to get some fresh air since I couldn’t sleep–” He chose to ignore the way Roxas grumbled something about telling him he could stay with him if he’d needed it but noooo– “and sat down at the coy pond. I was thinking about Sora before I heard movement behind me. I assumed it was you, Roxas, so I addressed him that way. When he said my name I realized who it was. He started with his whole thing about how none of this was real. It was pretty much the same as what you all got to see. Hopefully he’ll be able to explain better later.”
“I can’t see what he was talking about,” Naminé finally spoke up. “I’m trying, but it’s like something is blocking me out. I’m not sure if it’s whatever this form is or something else. I won’t know until he’s changed back.”
“that’s okay, Nami, don’t push yourself,” Xion insisted as she moved to wrap her arms around her friend’s shoulders. “We’ll just interrogate him once he’s feeling better.”
“That might take longer than just having him change back, though,” Ventus said quietly, earning glances from the others. “You saw how he was acting. That was nothing like the Sora we know. Something really bad must have been happening. He looked so scared…”
They all fell into a solemn silence at that, all of them mulling over Ventus’s words. He wasn’t wrong. It wasn’t like Sora to get so frenzied and be so distrusting. Sora tended to take things at face value and run with it. Having him so certain that his friends were being used to trick him for whatever reason was very against his usual behavior. Hopefully he would be more willing to talk later and wouldn’t immediately go back to thinking they weren’t real. That would be a hard thing to disprove if he returned to that state of mind.
They didn’t say anything else even once they reached the infirmary. Nobody else was around at the moment, so the group didn’t have to worry about disturbing anyone. Riku sighed in relief at that fact, and Sora seemed to try to copy the sound, earning a chorus of chuckles and giggles. Riku couldn’t help but give a small smile at that. Despite the stressful situation, Sora was still so good at alleviating tension.
Riku moved to a nearby bed and paused. Was putting Sora down safe? Sora had only grown docile once he’d recognized Riku, and recognizing Riku had led straight into Sora pressing as close to him as possible and practically demanding affection. Riku decided that now was not the proper time to analyze that fact.
“Should you even try to put him down?” Roxas questioned, perfectly mirroring Riku’s worries unknowingly. “I mean, he seems pretty hellbent on clinging to you.”
Riku hummed in thought before going to attempt putting Sora down.The spiky haired boy scrambled and made a distressed sound, clinging tighter to Riku and digging his claws into Riku’s shoulders. The silver haired teen hissed and moved to sit down himself with Sora in his lap. “Ow, ow, okay! I won’t put you down, Sora, just stop digging your claws in!” Sora huffed and gave Riku a look, but he removed his claws anyway and snuggled close to Riku’s chest, immediately returning to purring.
“Are you okay?” Kairi asked in worry, scurrying over behind Riku and moving to check the wounds. Sora growled lowly at her when she knelt on the bed and batted her hand away when she went to touch Riku’s shoulder. “Hey! Sora, what the hell? I’m trying to make sure you didn’t hurt him too bad.” Sora just glared at her and continued to growl, seeming on high alert. “Okay, okay, sheesh, you don’t need to get all catty.” She got off the bed and distanced herself by a few paces, looking at Riku in concern.
“It’s okay, Kai,” Riku tried to reassure her while rubbing circles into Sora’s back. He moved a hand up to start combing through spiky locks, causing Sora to melt into the touches. “I don’t think they’re too deep, but you can use a cure spell if you’re worried.”
Roxas was snickering from where he was moving to sit on the bed in front of Riku, smirking at him. “Aww, Riku, he’s all possessive like you, now~”
Riku glared hard at him and held Sora tighter to him as he heard Kairi cast a small cure spell over him, causing Sora to tense up at the green light.
“Exactly,” Roxas deadpanned before rolling his eyes.
Xion giggled at them before skipping to sit next to Roxas, leaning on the blond boy. “He’s kinda like a feral cat like this. It’s cute.”
Kairi plopped down on Xion’s other side, watching her two best friends closely. Sora was making himself comfortable in Riku’s lap, pretty much using the taller boy as a mix between a throne and a pillow. It wasn’t too different from what they used to do as kids before Riku had insisted they were too old for Sora to act that way. He could eat his words now, though, with how much Riku was clearly enjoying lavishing Sora in affection and care. She could almost see them in their smaller forms now, all cuddled up on the couch of Sora’s house, Sora’s mom giggling as she carried in cookies for the three of them. Really, she’s not sure how anyone thought she and Sora would end up together. It was always going to be Riku and Sora. Kairi didn’t mind that, though. She was happy to watch the two of them grow closer. She would always be their number one supporter, no matter what. Though the other four around them might give her a run for her money. Sora’s Heart Hotel Residents were all very dedicated Soriku shippers, as she liked to call it. Riku was never allowed to hear them say that, though. He would probably murder at least one of them if he heard them talking.
Ventus dragged two stools over from nearby so he and Naminé could sit close instead of having to be off to the side on one of the other beds. The two sat down and settled in with the rest of the group, and they all settled into a comfortable silence once more. There wasn’t really anything to say. All they could do was watch Sora who was going between staring at Riku and looking around at all of them.
They were all scared half to death when Sora spoke. Or at least tried to. “S… Sa… afe?” His voice was more of a growl and barely managed to form syllables, but he was clearly trying to say something. He sounded and looked confused, his head on a swivel as he examined the whole room. “Wh-ere… -ight?”
They all glanced between each other before Riku spoke gently. “You’re safe, Sora. There’s no need to fight.”
Sora looked up at him and blinked slowly in confusion. “... en…. Wh-y…?”
“‘Why’, what, Sora?” Kairi probed.
“Donald and Goofy did say he only usually does this if he’s in a fight,” Naminé offered. “He’s probably really confused.”
“Do you think it’s hurting him?” Xion asked in a scandalized whisper.
“I really hope not,” Ventus hummed with a frown.
“Hopefully Ansem and Ienzo get here quickly.” Kairi sounded stressed as she started pulling at the fabric of her pajama pants.
Sora was squirming uncomfortably now, whining in distress. Riku was struggling to keep the smaller male balanced on his legs with how much he was moving around.
“I hate not being able to do anything,” Roxas huffed, hard sapphire eyes filled with agitation though Riku could see it as the mask it was. While Roxas was agitated with the situation, certainly, the blond was more afraid and seemingly guilty. Riku could understand the sentiment, he felt the same way. They had both been certain Sora was out there, after all, but they hadn’t been able to do anything to find him. Having him back now and seeing just how much damage his time away had done was taking a toll on the both of them. This would probably take a toll on everyone involved. Riku was terrified to get the full story, even if he really wanted to know.
“That’s what we’re here for,” came Ienzo’s voice as he and Ansem the Wise came into the room alongside Mickey. Ansem immediately looked intrigued as he caught sight of Sora, but the sentiment was not returned. Sora was immediately wound up like a spring and hissing at the three newcomers, baring his teeth and glaring. Riku held the boy tighter to himself and rubbed his back to try to calm him. “I see now what you meant by cloaked in darkness. I’ve definitely not seen this before from anything but a heartless,” Ienzo noted as he and the others stayed back to just observe.
“He’s certainly exhibiting the more animalistic traits,” Ansem observed, humming thoughtfully. “How was he behaving before we arrived?”
“He was pretty much completely docile,” Kairi explained. “Once Riku got him to calm down earlier he pretty much started acting like a feral cat. He doesn’t like anybody else getting too close, but he hasn’t tried to attack anybody either. He just swatted my hand away when I tried to touch Riku.”
“Interesting,” Ansem responded simply, writing something down in the notepad he was holding. “Anything else of note we should know?”
“He can still talk,” Riku said, though he honestly didn’t feel like cooperating with this. He still wasn’t a huge fan of the scientists, and having Ansem look at Sora like some kind of experiment made him uncomfortable. “And Kairi can still sense his light, so he’s definitely not a heartless.”
“That’s fascinating…” Ienzo mused as he began to approach. Sora was still glaring at him, but he didn’t try to lash out since Riku was holding him so securely. “To be able to cloak oneself in darkness for combat but not fully snuffing out your own light… I’ve never heard of anything like it.”
“What exactly led up to this transformation, again?” Ansem questioned as he moved to follow his apprentice. “He did not arrive this way, correct?”
Everyone’s attention turned to Riku, and the silveret once again found himself extremely uncomfortable. He hated being the center of attention. He knew he was the one who had been there the hole time, but still. Having everyone’s eyes on him made him feel strange.
“He was in hysterics,” Riku started despite his discomfort. “He just kind of appeared out of nowhere and immediately started saying that none of this was real. He refused to believe that he was actually here, saying that he wasn’t able to return to our reality and was stuck in a place called Quadratum, so this all must be some kind of illusion. He–”
“Wait– reality, you say?” Ansem went from milly intrigued to completely invested in what Riku was saying at the mention of reality. “Him saying that he was not in reality would suggest that he was in unreality. While that isn’t unheard of, it is not believed to be possible to travel from unreality to reality. It has never been done within written history at the very least.” The old scientist tapped his pencil against the paper he was hurriedly writing on.
“Hold on, what’s unreality?” Kairi practically demanded, looking curious but also a little afraid. “Are you saying he just didn’t exist for a while?” Xion noticeably tensed up at that. The idea of not existing was a touchy subject for her.
“No, no,” Ansem denied, shaking his head. “Unreality is a plane of existence where light and darkness do not exist, yet life persists nonetheless.”
‘That sounds impossible,” Ventus said, looking confused.
“Hence why we call it unreality,” Ansem agreed. “It is beyond our understanding, though we have seen glimpses of it. It very much exists, though it is far beyond our reach.”
“Such a drastic shift would explain the hysterics,” ienzo mused, finally approaching Riku and Sora’s bedside. Sora had relaxed mostly, but he was still watching Ienzo warily.
“He seemed more freaked out by the idea of a person than the place, though,” Roxas cut in. “He was talking about some guy called Yozora. Said that the guy wouldn’t let him relax. He thought Yozora was toying with him by making some kind of illusion of us.”
“Well, unfortunately there isn’t much we can do with that information,” Ienzo hummed, tilting his head slightly as he watched Sora. “I doubt he would permit me to get any kind of blood sample?” That question was aimed at Riku.
“I wouldn’t suggest trying.” Riku shook his head, holding Sora closer.
“It does not seem that there is much we could do,” Ansem finally said. “If he will not allow us close enough to run tests, we can simply make observations. That does not tend to allow for much in the way of providing aid. All I can say for now is hope that it wears off soon. Donald and Goofy were insistent that it has always dissipated on its own.”
“They also said that it only ever showed up during combat, though,” Roxas huffed. “This is clearly different. We can’t just leave him like this.”
“We don’t seem to have a choice, though,” Mickey finally spoke up from where he was still standing near the door. “All I can say is give him a day or so. If it doesn’t go away, or he gets worse, we can try again.”
Riku frowned, biting a bit at his lower lip. While he didn’t like the idea of leaving Sora like this, Mickey had a point. He had only been like this for about twenty minutes. They needed to give it a bit more time.
“We shall remain for the time being,” Ansem decided, turning to Mickey. “If that is alright, of course.”
“Sure thing!” Mickey agreed easily. “I can get the both of ya set up for the night in two of the spare rooms.Do ya need to do any more observin’ or are we good to go?”
“I don’t believe there is any more we can do at this moment without being able to run proper tests,” Ienzo said with a shake of his head. “We’ll have to hope it goes away on its own or that he relaxed enough to allow us to run tests.”
“Right.” Mickey turned back to the group of teenagers. “Well, fellas, it seems like we’ll all just have ta turn in for the night and hope for the best. We can’t all stay up all night. Besides, it might be best to leave him be with Riku to see if he’ll relax.”
Roxas was the one to show the most distaste for that idea. “We’re seriously just gonna leave this and hope that he’s fine instead of doing something?”
“It’s all we can do,” Riku finally agreed. Roxas looked at him like he was insane. “I don’t like it either. At least this time we know where he is, though. I’ll keep an eye on him, and I can call you if anything changes. I’ll take him to my room and see if I can get him to relax.”
“That was be advisable,” Ansem agreed, giving Riku a nod. “Now, I suggest everyone gets rest. If this is not gone by tomorrow, we may need help sedating him to run a few tests.”
Everyone seemed discomfrted by that. The idea of having to fight Sora enough to pretty much knock him out wasn’t exactly high on the list of everyone’s wants at that moment.
Riku sighed quietly and got to his feet with Sora still in his arms. “We’ll be in my room.” he moved his eyes over their friends. “I know I’m not one to talk, but try to sleep, guys. I’ll make sure he’s okay. Besides, I doubt I’ll be able to sleep with him like this in my room, so I might need you all to be well rested enough to help me tomorrow.”
Roxas gave him a look that Riku easily read as, “bro, we both know you won’t sleep until he’s better no matter how many energy elixirs you have to chug,” and promptly chose to ignore. Instead, Riku just moved passed their friends and headed out the door, Sora churring curiously up at Riku though he didn’t try to get out of his arms. Sora just leaned against him and bumped his forehead under Riku’s chin. He really was like some needy cat which was funny since Sora had always had more dog-like energy.
It didn’t take too long for Riku to get them back into his room, and it felt surreal just how much had changed in the thirty minutes Riku had been out of his room.
Riku kicked off his slippers and paused. He wanted to take off his robe, but that wasn’t possible while he was holding Sora like this. He noticed how transfixed Sora seemed by the projected stars on the ceiling, though, so he was hopeful. Riku moved over to the bed and moved to put Sora down, and the boy thankfully didn’t dig his claws in this time. Instead, he just sat there and stared up at the ceiling, making a strange version of the purring he had been doing earlier. Riku took the chance to take off his robe and put on a different set of pajamas that hadn’t had clawholes put through the sleeves. Once he had, the silveret moved to sit beside Sora on the bed. That seemed to snap the boy out of his stupor, causing the dark creature to immediately move to curl up against Riku’s side and start purring in the more contented way he had earlier. Riku sighed softly and started combing his fingers through Sora’s hair, making the purring intensify a bit.
“This is all so weird,” Riku finally said out loud, earning a glance from ruby red eyes. “I don’t know what I was expecting out of seeing you again, but it wasn’t this. I thought I would have to come save you from something and bring you back home. Instead, you managed to find some way back by acccident, if I had to guess, and made yourself absolutely hysterical in a way I’ve never seen from you before. You honestly kind of scared me, and that’s not an emotion I ever thought I would feel because of you.” Sora chirped at him, and Riku looked down to meet those bright rubies. The silver teen sighed and pulled Sora to be closer to himself, nuzzling into his hair. “Even if this is all weird, and I’m really worried about you, I’m just glad to have you home. I missed you so much, and I was scared I would never see you again.” Riku closed his eyes as tears sprung to his eyes again. “You were gone for so long, and we didn’t have any leads on where you were. Roxas was the only one as certain as me that you were out there.” Riku’s grip tightened on the smaller boy. “I never stopped looking for you. I never would have stopped, either. I would’ve kept looking for you until the day I died, no matter what.”
All of the tension in the dark creature evaporated as Riku spoke, the small boy going limp against Riku. Riku looked at him in worry and confusion. “Sora?” Riku moved his head away to look down at the other when his shoulders started shaking. There were tears in those ruby eyes, and it broke Riku’s heart. “Oh, no, Sora… Don’t cry, it’s okay…”
“Scared…” came Sora’s hoarse, mangled voice. “Want… can’t…”
“Can’t what?” Riku asked quietly, moving a hand up to cup his cheek.
“Normal… hurts… scared…” Sora didn’t seem capable of speaking in regular sentences as he was now back to clinging to Riku. “Riku…”
“Hey, I’m right here. What hurts? I might be able to help,” the silveret offered. He hated seeing Sora so upset. That had always been an immediate off switch/trigger for the boy ever since they were little. If Sora had ever been upset with him, that would immediately make Riku stop what he was doing to check on him. If Sora was upset with someone else, that tended to work as a trigger to get Riku acting very protective and occasionally very possessive. Riku’s first ever suspension in school had been because a kid made fun of Sora, and Riku broke his nose. Riku still didn’t feel bad for it, even with the hindsight of being older.
Sora whimpered and buried his face in Riku’s chest. “Want… want to…. Normal… hurts…”
Riku frowned. “You can’t turn back to normal, and it’s hurting you?” Sora whined and clung tighter to Riku. That was probably as close to a confirmation as Riku was going to get. “I don’t know how to help you…” Riku whispered. He hated this. He hated feeling helpless. He just wanted to make this better. He wanted to help his childhood best friend. He needed to think. Okay, whatever this is was triggered by panic. Sora had been convinced that everything was fake and that he was trapped and alone. It had been born from hysteria and was probably a defense mechanism that brought out his darkness. So, to combat it, logic would dictate needing to make Sora feel safe an assured that everything would be okay. How to do that when he was scared and in pain, though? There wasn’t much he could do while they were here. There wasn’t anything inherently comforting about Disney Castle for Sora, and Riku couldn’t do much more than hold him. Sora needed more than this to bring his light back out, but how–
No, that wasn’t safe. He couldn’t move him like this. Besides, nobody else would agree to that. Would Sora even be able to handle being in a ship right now?
….
“Sora,” Riku started softly. “Where do you want to be right now?”
It seemed to take Sora a while to process that question, but those tear-filled eyes were back on Riku. “... home,” he rasped out. “Want home… warm… Riku…”
That was all he needed to hear. Consequences and logic be damned, Riku was taking the boy home and proving to him that he was safe and far away from Quadratum and Yozora.
Roxas was gonna kill him.
—---
Sneaking Sora outside and to the gummi ship was easier than expected. Everyone had returned to their rooms for the night, and Disney Castle was extremely safe, so there wasn’t much need for guards. Because of this, Riku was easily able to slip into the gummi garage and grab his own ship. He knew that Chip and Dale would probably know the minute he left, but he just needed to be off-world and on his way before they noticed anything. As long as he was already gone, nobody would be able to argue with him. This didn’t seem like the smart option, but Riku was taking a page out of Sora’s book and following his heart. This was what he felt Sora needed, and he was going to do whatever this boy needed him to.
Sora was squirming where Riku had placed in in one of the passenger seats. Thankfully he was no longer insistently clinging to Riku, but he still didn’t seem pleased at being away from him.
“It’s okay, Sor. This is just until we get home, I promise,” Riku soothed as he reached out to comb a hand through his hair. Sora chirped at him and tilted his head before leaning up to try to nip at his hand. Riku pulled away and gave him a look. “Rude,” he hummed before moving to the pilot’s seat. He got the ship out of the garage quietly earlier, but taking off was gonna make sound. He took a deep breath before buckling in and beginning to input their coordinates. He would have just put it on autopilot since the Destiny Islands were within their star maps, but he was prioritizing speed which required manual controls. Putting in the coordinates would just keep him from making a majorly wrong turn if something bad happened.
“Well, here goes nothing,” Riku hummed before taking the wheel and pulling up. Immediately, the ship reacted and lurched into the air before taking off towards the atmosphere. This part always felt so freeing, no matter how many times Riku had used a gummi ship. He loved the feeling of ungrounding himself and blitzing towards the open skies. They broke passed the world barrier in no time, allowing them to finally begin coasting through the stars. Riku glanced back to see Sora staring up at the stars in awe, his squirming finally subsiding so he could put all of his focus on the sky above. Riku smiled a bit at him before turning to pay attention to where they were going. He knew that Sora had always wanted to go on an adventure, just the two of them. This was close enough for the time being. Once this was all settled, though, Riku was going to find a way to let the two of them travel alone together for a while, if that was still something Sora wanted. He knew that there were plenty of worlds that Sora wanted to show him, and he couldn’t wait to see them.
—---
Riku wasn’t surprised when he got the phone call.
Riku pulled the gummi phone from his pocket, noting that it had been about fifteen minutes since they’d left. Riku had put the pedal to the metal, though, so they were far beyond the point of being pulled back. It was Mickey, though Riku was sure he wasn’t alone. Riku debated not answering before deciding that would probably just make his friends more concerned. So, he hit the green button and watched as Mickey, Roxas, and Kairi appeared on the screen. They looked concerned, furious, and amused/curious respectively.
“Where the fuck are you?” Roxas asked instantly, cutting off whatever Mickey had been about to say. “Did you take Sora off-world?”
“Hello to you, too,” Riku sighed, reaching out to set the phone on the dash so he could focus on driving. “I did. I have an idea of how to help him, and I couldn’t do it from the castle. He said this was hurting him, and I think I know how to help.”
“What’re ya plannin’, Riku?” Mickey asked, looking curious and worried. “And is it safe to move him around while he’s like this?”
“I’m using the gummi ship because it’s the safest option. I don’t think we really have a choice. He said he couldn’t change back, so I’m doing what I can to help,” Riku answeredd the second half first. “To answer your first question, I’m taking him home.” At the confused silence from the other three, Riku continued. “Think about it, this happened because he was convinced that he was trapped in another reality all alone while being toyed with and shown something he wanted. That panic made his darkness come out. I figured taking him to the place where he feels the safest and most at home will help show him that this is real and bring his light back out.”
After a few moments of silence, Kairi spoke up,” You plan to take him to the tree?”
Riku nodded. “At least to the play island. I’m gonna try the shore first, then I’ll take him to the tree.”
“And if that doesn’t work?”
“I take him to the secret place.”
“And if that doesn’t work?”
“Then I’m taking him to his house.”
Kairi looked stunned. “What? But what if his parents are home?”
“I go in through a window.”
“... You’re nuts,” Roxas huffed. “I knew I should’ve taken him.”
Kairi punched Roxas’s arm lightly. “You and I both know he would’ve bit you. You may be his other, but Riku is his soulmate.”
Riku choked on air, leaning forward a bit and coughing hard. Sora chirped worriedly at him and squirmed a bit against his seatbelt to try to get to Riku. Riku took in a few gulps of air before looking over his shoulder and reaching out to ruffle Sora’s hair. “It’s okay, Sor, I’m fine. Don’t worry.” the boy seemed unamused but stopped struggling, just huffing at him and looking back up at the sky. Riku turned back to his phone and glared at Kairi. “Well, I need to focus on driving. I’m hoping to be there within a couple hours. I’ll let you know how it goes.”
“I hope you realize I’m punching you for not taking me with you when you get back,” Roxas huffed before walking away from the phone.
“I expect much more than a punch,” Riku conceded before nodding to the other two. “We’ll be okay. I’m keeping an eye on him, and he’s not as on edge as he was earlier. He’s pretty transfixed by the stars, honestly, so it’s helping.”
“Well, if this is what ya think is best, I’ll trust ya,” Mickey decided with a nod. “Be careful not to let anybody see him like this, yeah?”
“Will do,” Riku agreed before reaching out to hang up. Sora made a disappointed sound behind him, causing Riku to chuckle. “Aw, what, am I not enough company for you, now?” Riku acknowledged then that it was weird that he could talk so normally to this darkness version of Sora, but whatever. Darkness version or not, Sora is still Sora, and Riku was going to take care of him.
—---
It was about two hours later when they finally arrived at Destiny Islands. As soon as they were headed towards the play island, Sora was chirping and squirming insistantly in his seat. He clearly recognized where they were, and that was a good sign in Riku’s book. Riku landed them in one of the more hidden areas of the play island before disengaging the engine and getting to his feet. He moved to Sora, smiling softly at him. “You recognize home still, don’t you?” Sora looked up at him and whined, reaching out to try to grab at Riku. Riku chuckled quietly and moved to unbuckle the dark creature who immediately launched himself into his arms, wrapping his arms and legs securely around Riku. Riku caught and held him easily, rocking with him gently for a moment before starting towards the door. He stepped out onto the sand and felt his body relax. It had been too long since he’d come home. He had refused to come back until he had Sora wtih him, despite Kairi’s insistence. Riku was sure that Sora’s mother was going to gut him alive when she found out that they’d been fine and that Riku could’ve come home and said hi, but he would deal with that later. For now, he just headed towards the shore. Sora turned his head to stare out at the waves before squirming away and dropping to the ground, skittering over to the shoreline on his hands and feet in that weird kind of crouch he did. Riku followed closely after him, not wanting to lose track of the boy. It was the middle of the night here, too, so they didn’t have to worry about being caught, but that also meant it would be easier to lose Sora.
Sora skidded to a stop where the water was lapping at the sand, kicking up a bunch of the white sand. He just stayed crouched there, staring out at the rolling waves. Riku walked up behind him and set a hand on his head to keep track of him while looking out at the dark waters. “We were never really allowed to come out here at night… The only real memory I have of being out here at night is…” That had been the night of the storm, the night that Riku made the biggest mistake of his life. The silveret took a deep breath before looking down to Sora who was occasionally twitching but otherwise completely still. “What do you think?”
Sora continued to stare quietly out at the ocean for a few long moments before looking up at Riku. Riku was startled to see that his eyes were a bit more of a violet now, though they were still leaning towards red. “M… ore,” Sora rasped out, reaching up towards Riku. “Need… need more…”
“It’s helping?” Riku asked in an amazed whisper, knowing that he wouldn’t get a real response. He shook his head before starting to walk towards the paopu tree. “C’mon, Sora, this should be the push you need.”
Once he was sure he was following, Riku began to lead Sora out towards the paopu tree. He could hear Sora close behind him as they crossed the bridge over to it, but Sora quickly streaked ahead of him once they were closer to it. Riku watched curiously as Sora used his claws to climb up the tree. Sora reached up and pulled one of the fruits off of its stem before jumping off of the tree. “Sora!” Riku gasped before hurrying forward to catch the plummeting boy. “You can’t just jump like that without warning me,” Riku scolded him as he knelt down so they could both sit in the sand. He eyed the fruit that Sora was holding curiously. “What di you grab that for?”
Sora stared blankly at Riku for a few long moments before digging his claws into the center of it, pulling it perfectly in half just like they were meant to. He held one of the halves out to Riku, staring at him expectantly. Riku felt himself freeze, realizing what Sora was doing.
“Wait, wait–” Riku shook his head in disbelief. “Didn’t you share one with Kairi? Besides, is this really something we should be doing right now? How do I know that you’re making this choice consciously?”
Sora huffed and seemed to pout before waving the half of the star-shaped fruit wildly in front of Riku’s face. He poked it against Riku’s lips and gave Riku a look that he both adored and hated. Those damn puppy dog eyes. It was still just as effective in this form as it was any other time. Riku sighed heavily and took his half, looking at it for a few long moments in his hands before looking up at the creature of darkness before him. Sora was holding his half near his own mouth, watching Riku expectantly. If they were doing this, he was doing it properly. He wasn’t going to let Sora think this was platonic on his end.
“Sora, hold on,” Riku said softly as he reached out to move Sora’s hand away from his mouth. “I don’t know what you want this to be, but I know what I do.” The silveret reached out to take Sora’s free hand in his own, lacing their fingers. Sora blinked at him before tilting his head in confusion. “I can’t see this as a ‘just friends’ kind of thing, Sora,” Riku admitted. “I was really hoping to do this whole confession thing after everything settled down, but I can tell that you’re insistent on this. I won’t let you do this without knowing what I think of it, though.”
“Ri… ku?” Sora’s voice was quiet and lacked the hoarseness from earlier, but it still sounded strained and tired. It was so much more accurate to his usual, though, and that had tears coming to Riku’s eyes.
“This past year without you has been utter hell,” Riku started bluntly. “When I opened that door and opened our world to darkness, I had no idea what I was really doing. When I left your side, I didn’t realize how much it was going to affect me. I didn’t realize how much I needed you– how much I still need you today.”
“Riku…” Sora’s voice sounded a bit stronger now, but Riku didn’t stop.
“You’ve always been there with me, Sora, and I started taking it for granted. I thought you would always be there no matter what I did. When I turned thirteen, I started feeling jealous any time your attention wasn’t only on me. It even made me start resenting kairi at one point. I should’ve known then just how important you were to me, but I pushed it down and didn’t acknowledge it. I convinced myself that I wanted to compete with you– put you in your place. I convinced myself that you were a rival to steal Kairi’s heart from, even though i know now that I never saw her in a romantic sense.”
“Riku,” Sora tried again, voice sounding more full as his eyes were slowly fading back to blue. Still, Riku pressed on, not seeming to notice.
“”When you slept for that whole year, I started to really understand just how much you meant to me,” Riku continued, fighting to speak through a lump in his throat. “I wished every day that you would just open your eyes and say something stupid. All I wanted was to pull you out of that pod and hold you, tell you how sorry I was for ever opening that door and beg you to just take me home with you and have everything go back to normal. Gods, all I wanted was to go back to how things used to be, because that meant that you were safe and happy.”
“Riku,” Sora said firmly, eyes narrowing at Riku as the red completely receded from his eyes.
“When we ended up in the Realm of Darkness, I was ready to accept that fate with you. I had realized by then that I was okay with handling anything as long as I was with you. When Kairi helped us back int othe Realm of Light, I was so excited to be able to let us live more normally again, even if a small part of me was sad to leave the Realm of Darkness since at least there I had you to myself. I’ve gotten passed that now, though. When we took our Mastery exam, though, and I almost lost you again, I couldn’t take it. I should’ve told you how I felt back then, but I kept chickening out. It never felt like the right time. I never thought you would feel the same, anyway, so I kept it to myself.”
“Riku, listen to me–” The color of Sora’s shoes and hands was returning, but Riku was too far in his own head to see.
“Once we were really getting into war preparations and to the actual war, I was fighting while looking forward to taking you and Kairi home. I just wanted things to finally be able to go on a bit more normally. I was worried when you left to find Kairi, but I was so damn happy when you two showed up on that tree. When you disappeared, though, I lost it. I had realized by then just how much I needed you. Gods, Sora, I still need you so badly.”
“Riku–”
“You’re my everything, Sora. You’re my light, my home, my universe. I want to protect you now and for the rest of our lives. I never want to have to wonder where you are or why you’re not waking up ever again. I never want to have to live with the fear that I’ll never get to tell you how much I love you –”
Riku’s frantic, rambling confession was cut off by a non-clawed hand gripping the collar of riku’s shirt and yanking the silveret forward, allowing tan lips to press against pale ones. Riku froze up, his eyes going wide as he finally took in the sight before him. Sora was back to his gorgeous tan skin, fluffy brown hair, and entrancing sapphire eyes that were mostly closed. One of Sora’s now very-human, non-clawed hands was gripping the collar of Riku’s shirt while the other held his half of the paopu fruit. Riku barely had the presence of mind not to drop his own half. Riku couldn’t make himself kiss back with just how frozen and shocked he was, and Sora pulled away before he could really get the chance to kiss back. Sora was smiling softly at him, those sapphire eyes that Riku had missed so dearly sparkling with a warmth that had been absent since his return.
“Sora…” Riku croaked out, the tears finally spilling over and streaking down his cheeks. Sora reached his free hand up to settle against one of Riku’s cheeks, gently brushing a thumb over the tearstreak there.
“I’m right here…” Sora said the words reverently, as if he couldn’t believe what he was saying but was still trying to comfort Riku with them. “It’s okay now… I’m here… And I don’t want this to be a ‘just friends’ thing. It was with Kairi, and she and I both agreed to that, but I don’t want it to be with you. I love you, too. You’re all I could think about while I was in that crystal…” Sora’s eyes got a sort of faraway look in them before he shook his head and held up his half of the star-shaped fruit. “I want to share this with you, Riku. Only with you.”
Riku was silent as he stared at the boy in front of him– the heroic, compassionate, loving, perfect boy in front of him. The tears streaking down his face were purely out of joy now, finally knowing that Sora felt the same way. He didn’t like that he owed Roxas quite the sum of munny, but that was heavily overshadowed by unbridled elation. Riku tossed himself forward to gather Sora in his arms, pulling the boy as close against his body as possible.
“I love you,” Riku whispered as he buried his face into Sora’s hair. “I love you, I love you, I love you…”
Sora laughed softly, and Riku could hear the tears marring the perfect sound. Sora buried his face in Riku’s neck, tears wetting the pale skin there. They sat there crying together for a while longer, trading whispered “i love you”s until Sora finally pulled th slightest bit away to look up at Riku. “C’mon, I wanna share this with you already. I wanna tie my destiny to yours now, just in case this really is a dream…”
“Even if it was a dream, I would be right there with you,” Riku said softly. “I’m your dream eater, remember?”
Sora laughed quietly before grinning up at Riku. Riku could die happy with that image in his mind once more. He moved his half of the fruit up to his lips, watching Riku with gorgeous expectant blue eyes. Riku smiled softly at him and moved the fruit up to his own lips. This was perfect. Everything was perfect. They had a lot to settle, a lot of things to do and see, but this moment was absolute perfection.
They both bit into their own halves of an intertwined destiny.