Safe and Sound [Sora]

strength, to protect what matters

Letting go of guilt wasn't something Riku would ever be good at, no matter how many good deeds he did in an attempt to attone for the betrayal he succumbed to back in the early days of their advanture. He was the one that caused all of it, the one that got them all involved in this mess, and probably the leading cause as to why they were here right now, in this messed up alternate timeline. It was all because of a snowball effect, one that could be traced back to when he allowed Ansem to use him as a power source, to let the master of darkness use him as a vessel and take over all that he did. 

But in the eyes of a very special individual, all of that was perfectly fine, and every single day was a gift. How envious Riku was of that mentality, but he also looked up to it in more ways than one. He would probably never be able to achieve that sort of thing, but.. From what Sora was telling him, he does. Not too far from now, Riku is able to conquer things that the silver-haired teen could never even dream of being able to do... He knew that Sora would never be that of a liar, unlike himself, so there wasn't any reason to distrust him, however -

It's not exactly easy to believe something to great about oneself after so much self hatred.

The two of them had retreated back to the islands, a place that Riku had almost forgotten he could now visit freely. He could come here to relax instead of having to use this as a key point in bringing his best friend back. Now, his best friend was here with him, which was the aspect that he was working towards for what felt like so long. It had been just under a year, and now he was back to his usual self instead of having the appearance of the Heartless that was responsible for this crazy new world.

The two best friends had taken to their usual spot, the crooked-shaped tree that housed so many memories of their times as children. Riku had jumped up to sit on the trunk, helping Sora up with a friendly hand. They had sat there like that for a few moments without saying much to one another, simply looking out at the waves. The nostalgia that was hitting Riku's heart was incredibly bittersweet, but it was strangely beautiful, in an unexpected way. He couldn't help but smile before letting his gaze drop, that usual frown of his becoming visible yet again.

"I.. Never really got to tell you before." He said with a gentle sigh, shifting his eyes over to the brunet sitting next to him. "I'm sorry. For everything." His voice cracked in the midst of those words, just proving how much emotion he was trying to hide. "I, uh.." His eyebrows furrowed for a moment and he began to look back at the waves, averting all means of eye contact with the one he was conversing with.

"I guess I wanted to be great and follow my own path." He stopped. "Like you."    

aeron at thq

Sora

TAGGED: @riku | WORDS: 462 | NOTES: ...

The young Keybearers were home. Well, more home than they had been in the Underworld. Sora always had that feeling of belonging and hope when he was with those he cared for. Riku was special since they had been friends for as long as he could remember. Yes, Kairi was one of his oldest friends as well, but she had joined them later. He could still remember her arriving here and changing their dynamic. It was never a bad thing, ever, but Riku was still different, still special.

The trials the boys had been through were particular to them as well. Kairi was pure, kind, and only needed some of his protection, especially now that she had a Keyblade of her own. Riku needed more attention, different. As the sand shifted beneath his feet he couldn't help but to think of how different his best friends were and the care he needed to give to each individually. He remembered that times they had all spent here, together, apart, with others that had nothing to do with their group. Just over there was where he had run into Roxas and learned about this weird time warp. It was because of his Nobody that Sora hadn't freaked out at finding a younger version of his silver haired friend.

He grinned all the same, taking the offered hand to hop up on the bending tree that provided perfect seating for a sunrise or sunset. He smiled at the scenery. He couldn't look at the beach the same way, yet it always felt just the same. So much happened here and he knew that as long as Riku and Kairi came back to him, this would never change. He sighed contently as the other teen spoke, drawing his attention.

He tilted his head to look at his companion, a small frowning taking place of his smile. Sorry? He was apologizing? That was so unnecessary. He lifted a hand to rest lightly on Riku's shoulder, a mild show of support. Hey, you are great, 'Ku. You don't have to be sorry for anything. You're only seeing one side of the story, He replied quietly. Just as Riku did to him in the Underworld, Sora let his hand drop and bumped his shoulder against the other's. You're really strong, man. Stronger than I could ever be. I've always chased after you, always a few steps behind. I've seen everything. There was a softness in his eyes that spoke to years of admiration. For as much as he tried, as confident as he looked, Sora would always been looking up to his best friend. Riku set the bar and it pushed Sora to do better, to work a little harder and he would never have it any other way.

credit goes to Lunar of GS & THQ

strength, to protect what matters

Why was it that, no matter how many times it was specified that Riku was a royal fuck up, Sora always looked up to him as though he were the best thing since sliced bread? How many times could he mess up before the sweet bundle was able to turn and look the other way, realizing that the darkness-haunted teen wasn't as good as he was cracked up to be?

Riku had this feeling in the pit of his gut that such a thing would never happen. Even if he had showed up telling his best friend that he had straight up killed a man, nothing would change between them. As good of a person as Sora was, he would probably be the first one to jump in the gummi ship and take them to a new place where they would be safe. Together. What was it with this kid?

It was.. So comforting.

Those words of praise and admiration were things that the future keyblade master had always wanted to hear, but also felt that he wasn't deserving of them in the slightest. He narrowed his vision and furrowed his brows a bit, looking down at his thighs, the hand on his shoulder making him feel an acceptance that he longed for more than anything else.

Why.. Was he fighting this so much? Why was Riku thinking it would be best to push Sora way rather than bring him as close as humanly possible?

Was it a form of protection?

"I.. Seriously doubt that. But okay." He smiled gently, glancing at his friend from the side and seeing the look of confidence and the air of certainty that he had going about him. Sora was surely feeling as though he was in the right about all of this, and the brunete had seen what was to happen in the future. Riku hadn't a clue as to how he was capable of all the foretold wonderful things; he was lucky if he could even have a day where something didn't go terribly wrong; now he was being told he's going to obtain the mark of mastery and save literally everyone.

This was a lot.

"I guess I just never got to tell you all of this stuff-" He stopped himself, smiling gently. "Or at least this me hasn't. I'm sure you don't wanna go through that twice." Was it possible for this much self-loathing to be housed inside of one sad existence? Sora had the patience of a God to put up with what Riku dealt out at a consistent pace. The silver-haired teen was well aware of it too, but it wasn't an aspect so easily suppressed, as unfortunate as that was.

"I missed you."
    

aeron at thq

Sora

TAGGED: @riku | WORDS: 540 | NOTES: ...

The shorter Keyblade wielder gave a small sound of consideration. He didn't think Riku really understood where he was coming from. He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he did notice that Sora really got where his self-doubt came from. He didn't know how often seeing the darkness eating away at Riku in the beginning had hurt. He hadn't been sure that he would ever save his silver-haired friend. It made it all the worse when Riku and Kairi so long ago, under Maleficent's thumb. There had been times he had wanted to give up because he didn't think he was strong enough to save his friends. He was just too stubborn to allow that to happen though.

Shifting, Sora threw one leg over the branch so he could face his friend as they sat. You fought of the darkness, Riku. You crawled back out of it into the light. You found someone as sweet as Namine to help you save me. Those are things a good person does, right? True to character, he was not going to let this go easily. He was going to make his best friend realize how good of a person he was. He wasn't even going to use his future to do it. He knew some of it already, the greatness he was destined for. First, they had to get the older teen ready for it.

At least he was a little better prepared for it this time. You haven't been through all this yet though. You aren't a Master yet so that means we'll go through everything as if it were the first time. I'm just a little more ready for it! He chirped, pleased to be that much more useful. He just hoped it wasn't going to take fighting Xemnas and the Organization again. Those guys had been no joke. Flying lances, giant playing cards, and swords made out of beams of light. No thank you. He would happily spare the younger Riku from going through all of that a second time if he could.

He offered a small smile, one that Riku had earned over years of friendship that clearly stated that they would never not be friends. I missed you, too, He answered, knowing that, for him, it hadn't been nearly as long since he had been away from the other boy. However, any time they were separated meant that he missed his friend. Whether it was only a couple of days, a week, or much longer as it was for this Riku, he would rather them be closer in proximity. Soon enough they would need to find their third as well. Just as when they were younger, they would patch together their friendship, then get Kairi.

Sora dropped his gaze to the tree between his legs, trying to think of a way to make sure Riku was a little happier. They were like pieces of a puzzle, or rather a rain cloud. Riku was the cloud, but Sora would always be his silver lining. He would find a way to make things better. Well, the simplest way to bring a smile to his friend's face. Hey! When is the last time you were in a race?

credit goes to Lunar of GS & THQ