Chapter Text
Sora could stay here forever.
He'd finally found Riku. They fought side by side and defeated Xemnas together. And now they were here, on an ash-gray beach lit by a cold, dark sun. It wasn’t the sun they were used to, and Kairi wasn’t with them, but this dark beach made Sora feel like he was back at home, watching the sunset from the paopu tree.
The waves lapped at their feet. They'd been sitting there for a while now, just enjoying the sound of the ocean and each other's company. Maybe Sora should be a bit more worried about the possibility of Heartless finding them or something like that. But he couldn't bring himself to care, not when Riku looked so content beside him. The other boy had closed his eyes, a gentle smile on his face — one Sora hadn't seen in years. With a small jolt, he realized just how much he missed that expression. Sora couldn't help but lean into Riku's side a bit more, finally resting his head on the other boy's shoulder. It didn't take long for Riku to do the same, his cheek pressing into Sora's hair.
They stayed like that for a bit, then Riku shifted and gently nudged Sora with his elbow.
“You falling asleep on me?” Riku asked, amused.
Sora nudged him back, sitting up to look at him. “I think I've slept enough for one lifetime, thank you.”
Riku snorted. “Yeah.”
There was a pause as the soft smile slipped from Riku’s face. Sora gave him a questioning look, but Riku refused to meet his gaze.
“Riku?”
“You're not injured or anything, right?”
Riku looked so concerned when he said it that Sora almost laughed. There you are. “No, I'm fine. You kept using up all your magic to heal me, remember? Which was stupid of you, by the way.”
“… I was just being careful.” Riku's face was a little pink, his voice small. He still wouldn't look at Sora though.
“You worry too much sometimes. I had more than enough potions, I almost wasted a few because you kept healing me when I tried to use them.” The laugh Sora held back before burst free, a grin spreading across his face. “But thank you anyway.”
That got Riku to face him again. “As long as you're safe.” The expression he wore was so intense, Sora almost looked away himself at the eye contact. When did Riku get so protective? Well, that wasn’t right. Riku had always been protective. But that was for Kairi before, not me, right? Or maybe it was for Sora sometimes, and he just didn't notice. Which wasn’t good; they were best friends, shouldn’t Sora know these things about Riku? Shouldn’t I remember?
Sora shook his head, then turned to face Riku fully. “What about you?”
Riku was looking at the waves again, but his response came quickly. “I'm fine. Xemnas didn't hit me too hard.”
A frown replaced Sora's grin. “Riku…” It was unfortunately very in character for the other boy to deflect like this, but… Sora remembered how Riku shoved him out of the way, the smell of something burning when Xemnas’s laser met its mark. “You don't have to lie to me, I'm just gonna worry more.”
Riku sighed, still not looking at Sora, his fingers idly digging into the sand beneath them. “You shouldn't waste your magic on me. If something comes our way, you'll need it for yourself. It'll heal on its own anyway.”
But Sora wasn't buying it. He heard the meaning behind Riku's words: I don't deserve your help. “Stop that.” Sora leaned forward to catch the other boy's gaze. “I want to help. I can't convince you to believe me when I say you deserve it. But I know you just want me to worry about you less. The only way that can happen is if you let me help you.”
Those sea-green eyes met his, and Sora’s heart rate picked up. Wait, what? But he was more interested in Riku's response at the moment, so he ignored it. Riku opened and closed his mouth a few times, like he was trying to say something but couldn’t find the words. It was probably just more excuses that he knows wouldn't work on Sora, so he's not saying them. Good.
Eventually, Riku’s face broke into a grin, a short laugh escaping his lips. Sora’s heart responded to that, too, and he briefly wished he could sink into the ground and never return. What the heck? But Riku was speaking again, and Sora realized he’d gotten so distracted by his stupid heart he forgot to listen to his best friend. “Uhh, sorry, what did you say?” He gave Riku a sheepish smile, raising a hand to the back of his neck.
Thankfully, Riku didn’t comment on it. He was laughing again, and wow, Sora missed that, too. “I said, I forgot how stubborn you can be.”
Sora’s embarrassment was quickly replaced by indignation. He poked Riku’s arm in retaliation, biting back a huge grin at the familiar teasing. “Hey! I’m trying to take care of you here!”
But Riku just laughed harder, and it didn’t take long for Sora to join in. He slipped an arm around Riku’s waist, being mindful of his injuries, and Riku’s arm came to rest on his shoulders at the same time. Sora couldn’t help but bask in his best friend’s warmth. I missed this. I missed you. So much.
The hug reminded Sora of the reason they were laughing, and he managed to rein in his giggling enough to tap Riku’s hip. The other boy stiffened for a moment, his own laughter fading into a smile that made Sora’s face grow hot. Riku quirked an eyebrow at his sudden silence, an amused look crossing his face again, and Sora looked away in embarrassment. Focus, Sora!
“Don’t-” Sora’s voice cracked, and the urge to sink into the floor returned with a vengeance. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Don’t think I forgot about healing you!” It was hard to keep a straight face when Riku was still giving him that damn smile. When did that happen?
“I know.” Riku’s voice was light, a bit hoarse from laughter. He hasn’t laughed like that in a while, has he? Sora thought. Riku’s gaze shifted to the ocean at their feet. He didn’t seem to have anything else to say, so Sora tapped his hip again.
“He got your side, right?” Riku nodded. He seemed nervous, but he didn’t flinch away when Sora’s hand slid upwards, then stopped once it found the burn. “Cura.”
A small shiver ran through Riku as the spell took effect. Sora watched him carefully for any signs of discomfort, but Riku just seemed relieved once the green light faded.
“Better?” Sora removed his hand, letting it rest on the ground between them and feeling a bit giddy for some reason.
Riku took a deep breath, pressing a palm against the same spot. The fabric of his black shirt was still singed, but Riku didn’t seem to notice. Or he just didn’t care. “Yeah.” He leaned back on his hands, closing his eyes to listen to the waves again, though his cheeks seemed a little pink this time; from the laughter or something else, Sora wasn’t sure. “Thank you…”
Sora was about to tease the other boy about it, when he noticed something in the corner of his eye. In the water at Riku’s feet, a bottle had floated up, with what looked like a letter in it. Riku must’ve felt it hit him, because he reached down to pick it up before Sora could. He pulled the stopper out of the bottle, followed by the letter.
“What does it say?” Sora leaned into Riku’s space again, trying to read over his shoulder. He thought he recognized the handwriting when Riku unfolded it, but couldn’t make out enough to remember where he’d seen it. Riku read for a moment before handing it to Sora. “I think it’s for you.”
Once the letter was in his hands, it only took a couple lines for Sora to realize who it was from. He could almost hear Kairi’s voice as he read. Leave it to Kairi to get a letter all the way to the realm of darkness, Sora laughed to himself. I hope she’s okay. Right as he reached the end, Riku tapped his shoulder, pointing to something in the water. No, not in the water, on the water. Light poured through a door Sora couldn’t make out, floating just above the surface. Kairi!
Sora scrambled to his feet, offering a hand to help Riku up. “We’ll go together.” I won’t let you stay trapped on the other side this time. Riku smiled softly, accepting Sora’s hand without hesitation. “Yeah.” He didn’t let go once he was standing, so Sora tightened his grip on the other boy’s hand, feeling Riku do the same in response.
And with that, they stepped forward, the water holding steady under their feet as the light surrounded them.
We’re coming home, Kairi…!
—
Riku felt like he was falling. There was no wind, just Sora’s hand still warm in his, and a sensation like the floor had given way beneath his feet. Everything was bright around them.
Then it stopped, and he was standing again. The shift was so sudden he almost lost his balance, a jolt of pain going through his partially healed side, but Sora’s grip on him kept him upright.
Blinking his eyes open, Riku looked around. It took a moment for his vision to adjust, the light still blinding him a bit. As his sight cleared, he could see why.
They were in a hallway, so white it seemed like the whole room was made of light. The floor was marble tile, there were pillars in each corner and along the walls, and at the end of the hall, there was a set of large yellow doors. On either side of the room, there were marble pedestals that looked as if they were supposed to have statues on them at one point, but they were empty now. The room was well-lit, but Riku couldn’t see any light sources. All of it was unsettling, yet familiar…
He shuddered.
We’re in Castle Oblivion.