:: The Guilt to Be Liquid ::

Kingdom Hearts II

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or any of the Disney and/or Final Fantasy representations within. This story is for entertainment purposes only. No profit is being made of this.

Rating: K+

Pairings: implied Sora/Kairi, Riku+who?

Warnings: SPOILERS for the games

Notes: Apologies this is taking so long. I'm struggling a lot with the next chapter-Disney characters will be making their appearance then! And boy, is it hard writing something you remember so fondly from your childhood, you know? I think I understand why some people don't like writing them in the first place.

In any case, here we go! Critiques and feedback are appreciated.

Chapter Four

And Make Mark-Leaving Space

It was just as Riku said. Nothing had changed at all on their small island. Their friends had miraculously remained or somehow found their way back; though Sora never really figured out where their Destiny Island playmates had gone when the world had vanished nearly two years ago. But, thankfully, they were here and safe.

Only the raft had disappeared, never to be found; not even remnants of the materials he, Kairi, and Riku had painstakingly gathered and assembled. It was frustrating, but still not enough to curb their relief and delight of finally returning home.

Despite that, Sora still found his mind wandering to the adventure. Perhaps it was because, at the moment, it was just he and Riku resting against the bent palm tree, but his thoughts were on the dark beach he and his best friend had ended up on, after the final battle with Xemnas. The letter in the bottle—Kairi's letter—and the light, shining brilliantly in the distance. . . .

"Where do you suppose that light came from?" he mused.

Just as he glanced over, Riku leapt down from his perch upon the bent tree trunk. He closed the distance between them with one step. Wearing a humoring smile, Riku reached out and gave Sora's breastbone a firm tap.

"Here," he said simply.

It hadn't been the answer he had expected, but Riku's choice of works put a smile of his own on Sora's face. Such a suggestion did prove one thing—while the islands may have remained he same, Riku had definitely changed. It was a good thing, a growth of him as a person that warmed Sora's heart to realize.

Though they had all gone through a lot of strife, Riku had undergone the roughest tests and trials. Maybe that was why the difference was most noticeable in him. Sure, he was still a bit arrogant, acted without fully thinking things through (though in that sense, Sora wasn't any better than him), and he still had a tendency to beat himself up over mistakes others saw as easily forgivable. But there was something gentler and wiser about him—something that, though in the subtlest ways, made Sora sometimes feel as though Riku were treating him as someone special. At times it could be annoying, but those annoyances were easily forgotten as Sora recalled just how close they had both been to losing each other.

In the end, they were very lucky.

"Sora! Riku!"

It wasn't Kairi's voice but rather the urgent tone that made Sora start before he turned to find her running at them. She skidded to a stop before them, doubled over to catch her breath, as though she had run a long distance. Sora rested his hands on his knees, leaning forward and asking concernedly, "You okay? What's wrong?"

Still panting, Kairi wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, holding a bottle out with the other. At first Sora didn't understand, but as he took it from her, he noticed the rolled paper tucked inside.

And then he noticed the king's seal.

Curious, he uncorked the bottle and shook the paper out. Water from the mouth of the glass caught the edge of the paper. Sora held the bottle out, and from behind felt Riku take it from him. He unrolled the paper and began to read. Kairi and Riku hovered at his shoulders as he scanned the paper, frowned, and reread it aloud.

Dear Sora and Riku,

It seems peace has not yet been fully restored to all the worlds. A new gate has been breached, and the results have been far worse than we originally anticipated. Perhaps it was my mistake, thinking this gate was too complicated to be opened, and we were clearly wrong to think so.

We humbly request your assistance. Come to the castle as soon as you receive this letter.

Use utmost caution! Strong souls, like strong hearts, are not so easily destroyed.

Beware your dreams.

There was no signature, but another print of the king's seal. No mistaking it; this had come from King Mickey.

"Beware your dreams," he murmured aloud. He had not yet had the chance to ask his friends about it, but now it didn't seem necessary. Roxas had truly spoken to him.

He should have known. Kairi always seemed to speak with Naminé. But it hadn't seemed like something that would happen to him—or rather, Roxas never seemed to have any reason to talk to him; not after deciding Sora was an acceptable Other.

He rolled the paper and turned to face his friends, determination hardening his face. "I don't know what's going on, but," his eyes met Riku's, "we better go."

"I'll go with you."

Startled, Sora promptly forgot about Riku and stared at Kairi. He wasn't sure if he was amazed or disconcerted at her statement.

Kairi seemed to notice, because her face reddened slightly. "I know I'm not the best fighter, but I can't always sit on the sidelines when you go fight. Or Riku," she added quickly, glancing sideways apologetically. Riku gave her a brief smile in return.

Sora folded his arms, frowning down at the sand. He wasn't sure he liked the idea, but at the same time it was . . . sort of exciting. He'd had many adventures in the past, many moments where he had wished Kairi had been there to experience the wonder and adventure with him—learning to fly from Peter Pan, fighting pirates alongside Jack Sparrow, fighting as a lion next to Simba; it had all been one thrilling ride after the other, and Kairi had not been able to enjoy any of that.

He wondered if Riku had ever gotten the chance. Probably not.

"I think it's a good idea," Riku said finally. Sora lifted his eyes from the sand, curious. In response, Riku shrugged. "She can wield a Keyblade as good as either of us." Sora blinked in surprise, before remembering that Kairi had, indeed, fought beside Riku (whom Sora had thought was Ansem's Heartless, at the time) once. That and she did share the same Heart with Sora himself.

Sora watched Kairi shoot Riku a grateful look. And then he decided.

"Okay," he agreed. "We'll all go."

Kairi sighed in relief. Sora couldn't help but smile.

"The only question is how," said Riku. "I can't use the power of the Darkness anymore."

"And the king, Donald, and Goofy took the gummi ship home," Sora recalled.

Silence fell amongst the three for a minute or so. That was how long it took for Sora to look up and realize that Kairi was shifting from foot to foot, looking almost anxious. Now even more concerned than before, he asked, "What is it, Kairi?"

She raised her eyes to his, smiling sheepishly. "Actually . . . there's something you two ought to see."

Sora's jaw dropped. Not quite to the ground, but he knew he was gaping far more than was absolutely necessary. Yet he couldn't find the certain strength within he required to work his muscles to the point he could actually close his mouth like a normal human being.

"Wow," Riku murmured behind them. Sora uttered a wordless sound of agreement.

Kairi began to walk ahead, barely glancing back once before she stepped foot on the wood. "I found it," she said. She wrapped her hand around the post, her fingers just beneath the fastening for the lower half of the sails. "This is our raft. I know it."

"I'd recognize it anywhere," Riku agreed. He nudged Sora, roughly, before walking around him to join the girl. Sora stumbled a bit, and then hurried after them. Riku made it to the raft first, pushing his foot down on it firmly, then standing atop it and jumping up and down. He smirked. "Strong as it was when we made it, too. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was impossible."

At last, the shock ebbed away enough for Sora to grow excited. "Right! This is our raft—and our ticket out of here!" Without waiting for a response, he planted one foot against the side and began to push.

"Whoa!" The raft barely budged before Riku jumped off, placing a hand on Sora's shoulder and yanking him back. Sora yelped. "Hang on. I know the king said to hurry over, but it's not like our provisions survived."

"He's right," Kairi agreed, cautiously stepping off the boat. She reached out and clasped Sora's hand, squeezing. "Let's at least make sure we have some food, first. Just to make sure."

Sora nodded, tilting his head to look at his best friend. He found the expression on Riku's face odd; the elder teen had his eyes fixated on Sora and Kairi's hands, and his mouth was strangely thin. Otherwise, his face was relaxed and peaceful—and that was more alarming than he would have been if he'd appeared angry.

Just as Sora opened his mouth—though he wasn't entirely sure what to say—Riku looked up and flashed a real smile. "I'll grab my fishing pole. Why don't you two see what else we can bring with us?"

Sora's mouth snapped shut.

Kairi seemed unsettled by Riku's reaction as well, but like Sora, she chose not to mention it. "Sure," she agreed amiably.

Relieved to find his voice again, Sora said, "Let's meet back here in an hour."

"Sure thing." Riku turned on his heel and strode off, waving over his shoulder.

Kairi's grip on his hand tightened. Sora had no idea what to make of what had just occurred amongst the three of them, but he also had no time to worry about it. They had a journey to make, and the food wasn't going to gather itself.