Title: Hero

Rating: PG

Pairing: RikuSoraKairi friendship

Summary: As far back as Riku can remember he's always been the hero. Ironically enough, now it's Sora.

Disclaimer: Don't own. Woe!

AN: I'm just cranking these out like whoa. C&C is loved and very welcome- please, please please let me know if this doesn't make sense!

When they were really small, Riku was always a hero.

"Riiikuuuu! Spider! Oh sick, it's huge and it's moving!" Sora shuddered, scrunching even further into a little ball on the other side of the room, one enormous yellow shoe clutched in front of him like a weapon.

Solemnly, because Sora would pout and not talk to him for a while if he laughed, Riku picked up a book and 'squish' the spider is gone and then Sora is grinning, hugging his hero close in thanks.

A few years later, he's still a hero. Sometimes Sora won't fall asleep until the closet is checked twice and sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night, whimpering from a nightmare. Riku shushes him quietly, checks the closet and under the bed, sometimes twice, and then waits until the younger boy falls asleep again.

During "the pre-teen years," as their parents dubbed them, swordfights and playing games always begin and end with Sora and Kairi who needs rescuing- be it from a giant two headed giant who eats little brunette boys or a hungry sea-monster. "Ri-ku! You rescued me!" Sora tackled him to the ground with a wide grin while Kairi looked on, laughing. "Hey! What took so long?"

Someone was shaking him hard, Riku realized dimly, coming back from the memorynightmare. "Riku, Riku, wake up, it's just a dream!" It's Sora, his mind pointed out after a moment of brief confusion. It was Sora and he sounded just like Riku himself felt- scared.

As Riku clutched the younger boy close, slowly relaxing as trembling fingers combed through his sweat-dampened hair, he realized that he had never really been a hero- he'd just stepped in until Sora could take his place- because honestly, Sora was much better, a real hero, and Riku was just tired of pretending.

Part of the Music Box-verse, hooray.