DREAM SHORE
Last I checked I wasn’t rolling in money, so sadly, I don’t own Kingdom Hearts or any of it’s characters. They belong to Square-Enix. I also don’t own the rights to the song “Simple and Clean”, that one belongs to Utada Hikaru. This is just my way of showing my love for a wonderful game and a very pretty song.
Casual Otaku
hamina_hamina@yahoo.com
~When we are older you’ll understand What I meant when I said “No, I don’t think life is quite that simple.”~
Riku opened his eyes as he heard the familiar lyrics floating on the wind. He wasn’t where he’d been before. When he’d closed his eyes he’d been in a city full of contradictions, buildings that had stood over a century ago side by side with modern creations of glass and steel. Neon and plastic next to marble columns and grinning gargoyles. He’d been in tiny room, staring out at the pale crescent moon as he listened to a mouse king snoring lightly in the other bed.
Now, he was laying on a bed of palm fronds on a black sand beach with that same moon hanging swollen and full over the dark water as it lapped at the midnight shore. The entire scene seemed crystal clear yet softened at the edges, reminding him for just a moment of Hollow Bastion. The ghostly castle at the edge of the world where he’d lost himself to a darkness that still dwelled within him.
He couldn’t feel that one’s presence at the moment, and of that he was grateful. He got to his feet and looked around a bit more, before following the lilting voice to it’s source. Riku felt he should have been shocked, but somehow part of him knew the moment he’d opened his eyes what he’d find.
He was larger now, the back and shoulders noticeably broader, legs lean and muscular. He still wasn’t a match for Riku’s own powerful frame, but he was undeniably turning into a man. Gone were the bright red shorts and ridiculous lemon yellow shoes. Now, black clothes hung loose on his body, accented in silvery white. Large palms that he was still growing into were covered in ebony leather. If it weren’t for those familiar sable spikes and the unique weapon hanging at his hip, Riku might not have recognized him. It was almost frightening the changes that had taken place.
“I think I understand now, Riku.” he murmured, back still turned.
Riku tore his eyes away from Sora’s body and tilted his head. “Understand what?”
Sora turned and smiled, but it wasn’t the same sunny smile Riku had known in their youth. This was the smile of one who had seen the world. One who was no longer blind to the fact the world wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine. This smile was...sad.
“What the song means.” Sora replied. “We both listened to it so much back then, but I didn’t know what it meant. Not really. I think I do now though.”
Riku had the strangest urge to back up as his childhood friend descended the rocky outcropping he’d been standing upon and padded towards him. The chain hanging from the keyblade clinked musically against the weapon as he moved, filling the air with a tinkling similar to wind chimes
“We were right when we said it was about love.“ Sora replied. “But, it’s also about life. About light and dark. About want and need. Desire and logic. It really is about us in a way, don’t you think?”
Riku turned his gaze back out to the sea, to the dark waves crashing against an equally dark shore. “This place...it isn’t real is it?” Turquoise eyes turned back to stare into brilliant blue, ocean meeting sky. “I’m dreaming.”
Sora laughed a little, and this to wasn’t the same. This laugh was deeper, richer, and tinged with that same sadness that had tainted his smile. “No...it’s real enough, but I don’t think we’re really here. At least, we’re not here yet. For now, yes, we‘re dreaming.” Sora’s smile softened a little, taking on the same sense of longing that Riku had felt echoed in his own heart since the day the gate between the realm of light and shadow slammed shut between them. “I wanted to see you again, Riku.” the younger boy said. “ I‘ve wanted to see you for so very long, but this was the only way I could. Don’t you see? Here, neither of us are bound by our destinies. Here...I‘m just Sora and you‘re just Riku. There is no Donald, no Goofy. No King Mickey and no Ansem. There isn’t even a Kairi. We have no destiny, here. Here, we can be together just like we used to.”
Riku closed his eyes a moment. “No...not like we used to. We can never go back to what we used to be.”
Sora sighed and Riku realized he could literally feel the cool touch of the sable haired youth’s breath against his cheek. Riku’s eyes snapped open at that and he found Sora had completely closed the distance between them, he was only a heartbeat away, so close Riku could make out each individual eyelash. Sora had always had such lush eyelashes. They were long and thick with a natural curl that most girls would die for.
“You’re right.“ Sora murmured. “It’s not that simple. But, wanting to be with you...that’s easy enough, isn’t it? Please, just give me tonight. We’ll deal with whatever comes next as it happens.”
Riku felt his stomach doing odd little flips at those words. Sora couldn’t possibly understand the silent promise one could find in those words. The younger boy had changed, true, but he couldn’t possible have changed so much to understand that.
“Walk with me, Riku. There’s a secret place here to. We can talk more there.”
Riku felt a small shudder pass through him. There it was again, that subtle hint that there was much, much more behind the invitation than the words themselves revealed. In the real world he would have hesitated. He would have allowed a thousand doubts formed by all that had passed between them to still his feet. [But, this isn’t the real world.] the older boy thought to himself. [The rules don’t apply here.]
The rules didn’t apply there, so Riku took a deep breath...and followed.
~END
Well, that’s it. I may continue it, I may not. A little feedback could make all the difference. *hint, hint* Thanks for reading.
~ BACK TO FICTION ~