052 ✩music box pt 2
Minnie didn’t look anything like the cheerful mouse queen that Sora had first met when he’d helped save the castle. This Minnie was quiet and composed considering what happened, wearing not her fluffy pink and white dress but a simple black and white lace one. The four of them had only picked at their breakfast until Minnie suddenly sighed and drew her eyes up to the bright blue ones of Sora. “I have a request to make of you, Sora.” She glanced at the other two. “All of you, actually.”
“As you know, Mickey was king of this castle as well as being a Keyblade Master which also had a set of responsibilities. He helped keep peace and order in multiple worlds, fighting the Darkness until the time where he and Riku became locked in Kingdom Hearts. His heart was something that the Heartless themselves were thirsting for and instead of being able to get it, they simply infected him in a way. The Darkness eventually just ate away at him enough to the point where he was too weak to go on.” Minnie paused, her fingers fumbling for a tissue to wipe her eyes. “He never got a chance to tell you the…well, the sort of guidelines or precedents that have been passed down since anyone could remember. You’re so young, all of you.”
“We’re supposed to take his place,” Sora whispered, his fingers clenching his napkin tightly. “Or at least I am. I’m the first Keyblade master and it’s my duty to keep it safe, isn’t it.” It wasn’t a question; he knew where this conversation was headed and already knew what his answer would be. It was in that moment that he realized he would have to break the promise he had always spoke so much about- Riku and Kairi would have to return to the Islands, they deserved the life that they had all tried to have and keep. He wouldn’t allow himself to take that away from them.
“You don’t need to answer me now, Sora,” Minnie assured, straightening her shoulders in an attempt to regain control of herself. “I know it’s a tough-”
Before he could try to talk himself out of it, he spoke. “I’ll do it. I’ve already got all of my stuff here; I’ll stay. I want a ride home for-”
“For who?” Kairi and Riku asked at the same time, both staring at their friend as if he’d lost his mind. “You don’t honestly think we’ll let you just leave us, or leave you behind. It’s all or nothing, Sora, remember?”
Sora swallowed hard. Part of him was glad that he would have company because he was human and he liked to be selfish every once in a while. Another part of him wished there was a way to convince them to leave; they wouldn’t be happy here in the castle where they had to dress up and grow older even quicker. They belonged on the beach, playing games and going to sleepovers, not sitting in meetings and trying to fight for their lives all over again.
--
Life in the castle after two weeks and Mickey’s funeral had grown somewhat normal. In the mornings, Sora would go with someone, either to train, to learn proper etiquette, or something equally boring. After that, he would go to lunch with his friends who had done something else that day and then it was back to work.
At night he would arrive to either Riku in his room with Kairi, or both in the redhead’s room. One particular night Sora trudged to his room kicking off his shoes into the corner and instantly curling up on the bed next to where Kairi was sitting with her back against the headboard and her legs stretched out. Riku was sitting next to her, thumbing through his own book and glancing over at hers every once in a while when she laughed. The moment Sora walked in and curled up on the bed without a word, the book Kairi had been reading was dropped on the ground as she wrapped her arms around the brunet teen carefully, combing her fingers through his hair as she tried to figure out what was wrong. Riku had put his own book on the small dresser, his face just as questioning as Kairi’s was. He leaned over and brushed his fingertips across Sora’s cheek, watching Kairi continue her soothing movements of brushing her fingers through the brunet’s hair.
“Sora? Sora, what happened?” Kairi asked, her concern obvious. The strain of this entire setup must have gotten to him, she figured, and the stubborn idiot wouldn’t tell them anything; he always grinned and told them that everything was fine. Evidently it wasn’t.
“Apparently, it’s bad news to hear that there’s a teen taking over the place of Mickey, even if he’s the Keyblade master. Rumors have been going around the worlds that their lives are in the control of a teen in foolish puppy-dog love, or under a spell, with Maleficent’s last knight. They think that he’s holding Kairi prisoner beneath my nose and manipulating the both of us.” Sora growled a curse under his breath and snuggled closer to the two, their warmth comforting. “There’ll be an official coronation to finalize it, in five weeks. Delegates from almost every world will be sent to judge us-me and gods above; I’m not ready for this.” He drew in a deep breath, surprised when he felt the bed shift as Riku got off of it though it was only to walk around it and go to the other side and sit down so he was between them. “What do they expect me to do about this? Donald and Goofy are even acting like they’re worried about this ‘cause they know that everyone is just waiting for me to fail, waiting for me to make a mistake and…”
“Sora, you don’t need to worry, okay?” Kairi assured, making him meet her eyes. The nervous and uncertain look in his eyes made her sigh heavily and try to think about what she was going to say to try and convince him, or at the very least assure him that everything was going to turn out alright. “Everything is going to be fine; you’re the Keyblade’s chosen one. It wouldn’t have chosen you if you weren’t strong enough, remember? You have the strongest heart out of all of us, you’re the original one and we’re here to help you with whatever you end up doing.”
“She’s right,” Riku added confidently, his voice a low murmur of reassurance. As Sora laid there, the comforting feel and smell of his two closest friends all around him, he tried to keep his mind away from the worst case-scenario which was quickly turning into the most possible one.
--
The coronation was probably going to take all day, he was informed. It would begin with the guests all coming in and those who would be staying for the night would be shown their rooms. The invitations had been sent out to all of the worlds, so there was no way of knowing exactly who was or who wasn’t going to show up so almost every one of the rooms was prepared.
There had been the long process of being fitted for new clothes; no matter how much Sora had thought that his normal clothes would do, he was informed that if he were to become royalty then he was to dress like it. Kairi and Riku, Minnie had said with a small smile, would be suffering the same fate. That had earned her a little laugh from the brunet teen, though he instantly quieted when the mouse fitting his clothes poked him in the side and told him to stop moving.
Riku and Kairi were in similar rooms, the former standing still and straight, his face perfectly blank as the quiet rabbit-seamstress he had been assigned worked quickly. Obviously she had been informed of who he was as well from the shy and ginger way she adjusted his clothes, her voice quiet and never meeting his eyes. Somehow, he found he wasn’t able to get angry with her; he’d expected it, because he knew about his reputation and exactly what his name meant to all of the other worlds. She wasn’t as rude as some of the other people here had been, which was a small blessing, but all the same he found that he wished there was something he could do to prove he wasn’t going to suddenly attack them all.
Kairi yelped as a needle poked her in the thigh, laughing quietly when the slender cat squeaked and apologized profusely, staring down at the ground. “It’s okay, really,” the redhead assured, placing a hand on the cat’s shoulder and smiling warmly. “It looks like it’ll be a lovely dress.”
The seamstress’s bright gold eyes widened and then a smile found its way to her face as she continued stitching a line of silvery thread to tie together the silver and purple silk. “I hope the princess finds this to her liking?” She inquired softly.
“Oh, no.” Kairi shook her head and then froze when she realized what that must have sounded like. “Oh! No, I mean, it looks lovely, but don’t call me princess. I hate how everyone does that, it’s just Kairi. But the dress does look amazing.”
The cat nodded, offering a slightly warmer and more confident smile at the girl’s words. “Kairi, then?”
Nodding, the girl stretched her arms up when prompted and smiled at the ceiling, thinking that things might turn out okay after all.
--
Mouth dry, Sora examined Riku carefully, lingering on how the clothes fit him perfectly and hugged every inch of his body. The dark colors suited him perfectly, the contrast from his fair skin and silver hair to the dark colors of his clothes making him seem that much more handsome. “Gods, Riku, you look…” He stepped forward, reaching out to smooth his hands over Riku’s chest, slipping down to hold slender hips. “Yeah. You look amazing.”
A quiet laugh escaped the older teen as he hugged Sora to him, resting his chin on top of spiky hair. “So do you. The blue suits you.” Riku sighed heavily and nuzzled into brown locks. Content to stay there for a long moment, he wondered if he should say anything about what had been circulating around the castle. Chances were that Sora already knew about it, but there was the question of if he didn’t, what would happen when the brunet found out. Sighing again for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, he realized that if Sora found out in a roundabout way from someone else, he would be more irritated that Riku hadn’t told him in the first place. “They’ve given me a new nickname, you know.”
The quiet, almost resigned tone to his friend’s voice made Sora blink and try to pull away a little to see Riku’s face. “Oh really?”
“Yeah.” Riku stroked his fingers up and down Sora’s back, listening to the soft, pleased noise that escaped the shorter teen. “I’m your dark knight. Kairi is your princess and I’ve been dubbed your dark knight.”
Stiffening slightly at the quiet, resentful tone, Sora struggled a little more and placed both of his hands on Riku’s cheeks making them face each other. “Riku.” He shook his head, meeting Riku’s moody blue-green eyes. “Don’t listen to them. Don’t listen to any of them, okay? They aren’t the ones who are making the decisions- it’s my choice to keep you here and-”
Riku’s eyes narrowed at the implied meaning that he didn’t have a choice of if he stayed or went. “Don’t get too comfortable with your position as King, Sora,” he bit out angrily, making to move back. The last thing he needed was for Sora to think that he controlled if they were there or not. It had been a promise but Sora didn’t have a right to act as if he were king over the two of them as well, not when they were friends.
Sora looked startled for a moment, mentally running over what he had just said and then shaking his head quickly. “No, Riku, that’s not what I mean by that; I’m sorry, I should have…” he trailed off. “I know I’m not your master or anything. I was trying to say that they aren’t the ones whose opinions about my friends matter. Dark knight, Keyblade master, castle clown, whatever, you’re still my best friend and you will always be, no matter what some pompous, no-name royalty tries to say.”
Still silent, Riku tried to calm or at the very least, slow down his chaotic thoughts enough to function without getting a headache. He’d always admired that Sora could see only the good in people and that he figured there was a bright side to everything, but at this point he couldn’t help but look at the boy as naïve.
--
Just as expected, there were hundreds of people milling about, offering condolences to the queen and congratulations along with that, to Sora himself. He’d tried his best to meet with at least every group of people scattered about the great hall; he didn’t want to think about what would happen if he didn’t at least make an appearance- someone might take offense to that and it was one more headache he really didn’t need. Kairi had trailed around with him for the first few minutes before going off with a group of girls her own age, all clothed in similar fancy clothes and practically dripping with shiny jewelry.
Riku had followed him just as carefully, every inch the knight he had been dubbed, as he scanned the crowds and kept an eye on Sora while keeping to the least populated areas. There were cautious glances and whispered conversations about him, but he had expected it already so he simply was content to watch as the brunet talked with people, smiling, nodding and generally being as amicable as possible.
A few moments later, Sora moved onto another group of people, starting up yet another conversation that seemed to be going well enough.
Riku took a few more steps, glancing about the room until he found Kairi nodding and smiling politely at something the other girls were laughing about, some of them holding half-full glasses of one of the drinks, others sprawled in some of the chairs. Turning his attention back to his other friend, he blinked when he noticed the forced smile on Sora’s face, along with the careful blankness of his expressive blue eyes. About to make his way forward and see what was wrong, he was stopped by a quick shake of Sora’s head, just enough to let him know Sora didn’t want him to interfere just yet- if at all.
“But the rumors, Sora,” a tall man with brown hair vaguely streaked with gray said. While almost every other person Sora had encountered had spoke to him with some form of respect, be it “Master Sora” or “Keyblade Master”, this man had been blunt and frank, almost mocking in the friendly way he instantly addressed Sora. “You’re so very…young. And while the King’s passing is sudden and a great loss, I hardly, no, excuse me. Do you believe that you are fully…capable, of taking over such a high position? Regardless of if you’ve saved the worlds or not, at heart you are still just a child. A child, who, if the rumors do not deceive me, is consorting with a perhaps…less than desirable company.”
Inwardly bristling at the implications, Sora willed himself to keep at least a tight smile on his lips and a civil tone to his voice. “I assure you, sir, that I understand that I’ve been given a great responsibility.” He let his gaze linger on each person around him to be sure he was understood. “The Magician Donald, the Knight Goofy, and her majesty Queen Minnie all support me. I also have the benefit of two other friends whose opinions, just like the previous others, I trust wholeheartedly.”
The man smiled thinly, tipping his head at that. “Quite a lovely answer, but you seem to have evaded my previous question.” He turned his head briefly, eyes sweeping over the lanky, silver-haired teen. “Maybe I should put it another way. Some of the rumors that have been floating about are…less than desirable, I suppose one might say.”
A short, stout woman with fat jewels on every one of her fingers spoke up, now. “Correct me if I am wrong, but is he not the same one who aided the witch Maleficent in her attempt to gain control of Kingdom Hearts?”
“Forgive me, madam, but please remember that this was in the past and the circumstances were a little more difficult than anyone might imagine. We were all very young and I trust Riku with every inch of my being; I trust him with my life.”
“Admirable, but foolish I think.” Another man spoke up, leaning against one of the tables and swirling his drink around indulgently.
“Still, Sora, you have yet to address my question. Is it true that you are having relations with the knight? A former traitor, at that? And what of your princess, does she know of thes-”
Sora’s jaw was clenched, his entire body tight with tension as he willed himself to not say anything he would later regret. “Sir, I hardly think that my relationship with Kairi or Riku is anything fit for conversation.” He offered a slight bow to all of them. “If you all will excuse me, I have more people to speak with. Thank you for your time.”
As quickly as he could without seeming as if he were running, Sora made his way through the crowd, grateful to get lost in the mass of people. The balcony was mercifully empty as he passed a table and grabbed a glass of simple juice, making his way to the cold air and closing his eyes. Could he really do this? Could he stand all the questioning and veiled smiles? Could-
“Sora?”
Jumping slightly, Sora turned around and then relaxed when he found it was just Riku and Kairi standing there, both of them looking anxious. “Hey,” he greeted lamely, accepting the warm hug from the redhead and smiling when Riku took the glass of juice and set it on the railing so Sora wouldn’t drop it. “How are you two holding up?”
“Half of the girls think that the three of us ‘engage in sexual activities’ every night, and the other half spent the time giggling over one of you two, asking embarrassing questions and cooing at how lucky I am to know you.” Kairi drew back and brushed slender fingers through her curled hair. “I didn’t realize our personal lives were so interesting.”
Riku was still silent, his eyes knowing as he watched Sora drag his hands through his hair and make a strangled noise of annoyance. “It’s almost time for your crowning, you know, and then it’s mostly over.”
Kairi nodded, standing up on the tip of her toes and pressing a gentle kiss to Sora’s lips. “He’s right, Sora, it’s almost over. I’m going to get back inside; my feet are freezing out here.”
Glancing around and seeing no one was there, Sora reached out and lifted a bit of Kairi’s skirt to reveal her feet- no shoes. Giggling quietly, she smacked him and tried to look offended that he had ruined her womanly virtue. “You’re going to catch a cold out here if you stay any longer,” Sora pointed out, gesturing to her bare shoulders. “We’ll meet you inside in a few minutes.”
The redhead nodded, making her way back to the bright lights of the party, pausing at the door and glancing back to the two boys, catching sight of Sora arching his back slightly, his hands tangled in Riku’s silver hair. When a quiet moan met her ears and she caught a hint of tongue between the two, she turned around and headed back to the party after making sure that no one was near or heading toward the balcony.
--
Sora was tense though it was just barely noticeable- those in the crowd wouldn’t have noticed, but being only a foot away from the teen, Riku was acutely aware of it. The moment the crown was placed on his head and the Keyblade was summoned with the dimly glowing golden charm, Sora turned and faced the crowd of nameless, faceless people and forced a smile on his lips, distantly aware of the cheer that went up around them.
Nearly a half hour later, Sora was sliding in through the door into his bedroom where Kairi and Riku already were. Neither one looked too happy and the brunet found he couldn’t blame either of them; it had been too long of a night. “Are you two okay?” He asked, taking the crown off of his head and tossing it onto the bed without a second thought.
“They were like harpies.” Kairi sighed, picking her legs up and curling them under her. “I was just the little island girl who happened to dress like royalty, you know? I’m just tagging along with you two, sleeping behind your backs maybe.”
Feeling inexplicably bitter, Riku picked up the crown and toyed with it absently, hearing Sora struggle out of his new clothes and muttering oaths under his breath. Kairi was sitting in one of the plush chairs in the corner, her hands folded daintily in her lap and wearing her worry as if it were another layer of clothes. Shirtless, Sora turned around and tried to take the crown from Riku, startled when the older boy pulled back, his eyes unreadable. “Ri, what are you doing?”
Glancing from the crown, to Sora’s bright blue eyes, and then to his own black clothes, he laughed quietly, hoping that the almost desperate little gasp at the end wasn’t noticeable. His eyes flashed from his own clothes to Kairi’s then and he sighed heavily, smiling at Sora in a way that had nothing to do with happiness, only holding an almost mocking tilt to his lips. “Here, your majesty,” Riku murmured, placing the crown on Sora’s head, not bothering to nudge it to its proper position when it fell crooked. “Your dark knight bids you and your lady a good night.”
Sora drew in a startled breath, reaching out as if to stop the older boy, only to clench his outstretched hand into a ball and let it fall back to his side. Kairi stood up in a rustle of silk, unsure which teen to go to, her bottom lip drawn in-between her teeth. “Riku- Riku, wait!” Kairi looked back at the brunet teen and scrambled after Riku, her bare feet slapping quietly against the polished marble.
‘Your majesty.’ His mind played those two words over and over in his mind, each time coming from a different person that he had met that night, though none held the loathing and the anger that Riku’s words had held. Perhaps, this was the fate of the Keyblade master, he thought with a choked out noise of anger. “Bastard,” he choked out, unsure of if he was talking to himself or to Riku. Jaw still clenched, Sora reached up and grabbed the crown in his hand, throwing it against the wall as hard as he could. A moment later he was falling to his knees, hating how he felt like he was about to cry as everything fell apart around him.
...and start to feel mortality surround me
I close my eyes and think that I have found me
But life inside the music box ain't easy
The malots hit the gears are always turning
And every one inside the mechanism
Is yearning to get out
Is yearning to get out
Is yearning to get out.
Mermaids and Legends | Hero | Drawings | Best Left Forgotten 1 / 2 | Not Quite Heartless | Down The Rabbit Hole | Erasing Memories | To An End | Things He Would Never Say | Fairytale | Sets of Threes | Music Box 1 / 2 | Mistaken Identity 1 / 2 | ??????
“As you know, Mickey was king of this castle as well as being a Keyblade Master which also had a set of responsibilities. He helped keep peace and order in multiple worlds, fighting the Darkness until the time where he and Riku became locked in Kingdom Hearts. His heart was something that the Heartless themselves were thirsting for and instead of being able to get it, they simply infected him in a way. The Darkness eventually just ate away at him enough to the point where he was too weak to go on.” Minnie paused, her fingers fumbling for a tissue to wipe her eyes. “He never got a chance to tell you the…well, the sort of guidelines or precedents that have been passed down since anyone could remember. You’re so young, all of you.”
“We’re supposed to take his place,” Sora whispered, his fingers clenching his napkin tightly. “Or at least I am. I’m the first Keyblade master and it’s my duty to keep it safe, isn’t it.” It wasn’t a question; he knew where this conversation was headed and already knew what his answer would be. It was in that moment that he realized he would have to break the promise he had always spoke so much about- Riku and Kairi would have to return to the Islands, they deserved the life that they had all tried to have and keep. He wouldn’t allow himself to take that away from them.
“You don’t need to answer me now, Sora,” Minnie assured, straightening her shoulders in an attempt to regain control of herself. “I know it’s a tough-”
Before he could try to talk himself out of it, he spoke. “I’ll do it. I’ve already got all of my stuff here; I’ll stay. I want a ride home for-”
“For who?” Kairi and Riku asked at the same time, both staring at their friend as if he’d lost his mind. “You don’t honestly think we’ll let you just leave us, or leave you behind. It’s all or nothing, Sora, remember?”
Sora swallowed hard. Part of him was glad that he would have company because he was human and he liked to be selfish every once in a while. Another part of him wished there was a way to convince them to leave; they wouldn’t be happy here in the castle where they had to dress up and grow older even quicker. They belonged on the beach, playing games and going to sleepovers, not sitting in meetings and trying to fight for their lives all over again.
--
Life in the castle after two weeks and Mickey’s funeral had grown somewhat normal. In the mornings, Sora would go with someone, either to train, to learn proper etiquette, or something equally boring. After that, he would go to lunch with his friends who had done something else that day and then it was back to work.
At night he would arrive to either Riku in his room with Kairi, or both in the redhead’s room. One particular night Sora trudged to his room kicking off his shoes into the corner and instantly curling up on the bed next to where Kairi was sitting with her back against the headboard and her legs stretched out. Riku was sitting next to her, thumbing through his own book and glancing over at hers every once in a while when she laughed. The moment Sora walked in and curled up on the bed without a word, the book Kairi had been reading was dropped on the ground as she wrapped her arms around the brunet teen carefully, combing her fingers through his hair as she tried to figure out what was wrong. Riku had put his own book on the small dresser, his face just as questioning as Kairi’s was. He leaned over and brushed his fingertips across Sora’s cheek, watching Kairi continue her soothing movements of brushing her fingers through the brunet’s hair.
“Sora? Sora, what happened?” Kairi asked, her concern obvious. The strain of this entire setup must have gotten to him, she figured, and the stubborn idiot wouldn’t tell them anything; he always grinned and told them that everything was fine. Evidently it wasn’t.
“Apparently, it’s bad news to hear that there’s a teen taking over the place of Mickey, even if he’s the Keyblade master. Rumors have been going around the worlds that their lives are in the control of a teen in foolish puppy-dog love, or under a spell, with Maleficent’s last knight. They think that he’s holding Kairi prisoner beneath my nose and manipulating the both of us.” Sora growled a curse under his breath and snuggled closer to the two, their warmth comforting. “There’ll be an official coronation to finalize it, in five weeks. Delegates from almost every world will be sent to judge us-me and gods above; I’m not ready for this.” He drew in a deep breath, surprised when he felt the bed shift as Riku got off of it though it was only to walk around it and go to the other side and sit down so he was between them. “What do they expect me to do about this? Donald and Goofy are even acting like they’re worried about this ‘cause they know that everyone is just waiting for me to fail, waiting for me to make a mistake and…”
“Sora, you don’t need to worry, okay?” Kairi assured, making him meet her eyes. The nervous and uncertain look in his eyes made her sigh heavily and try to think about what she was going to say to try and convince him, or at the very least assure him that everything was going to turn out alright. “Everything is going to be fine; you’re the Keyblade’s chosen one. It wouldn’t have chosen you if you weren’t strong enough, remember? You have the strongest heart out of all of us, you’re the original one and we’re here to help you with whatever you end up doing.”
“She’s right,” Riku added confidently, his voice a low murmur of reassurance. As Sora laid there, the comforting feel and smell of his two closest friends all around him, he tried to keep his mind away from the worst case-scenario which was quickly turning into the most possible one.
--
The coronation was probably going to take all day, he was informed. It would begin with the guests all coming in and those who would be staying for the night would be shown their rooms. The invitations had been sent out to all of the worlds, so there was no way of knowing exactly who was or who wasn’t going to show up so almost every one of the rooms was prepared.
There had been the long process of being fitted for new clothes; no matter how much Sora had thought that his normal clothes would do, he was informed that if he were to become royalty then he was to dress like it. Kairi and Riku, Minnie had said with a small smile, would be suffering the same fate. That had earned her a little laugh from the brunet teen, though he instantly quieted when the mouse fitting his clothes poked him in the side and told him to stop moving.
Riku and Kairi were in similar rooms, the former standing still and straight, his face perfectly blank as the quiet rabbit-seamstress he had been assigned worked quickly. Obviously she had been informed of who he was as well from the shy and ginger way she adjusted his clothes, her voice quiet and never meeting his eyes. Somehow, he found he wasn’t able to get angry with her; he’d expected it, because he knew about his reputation and exactly what his name meant to all of the other worlds. She wasn’t as rude as some of the other people here had been, which was a small blessing, but all the same he found that he wished there was something he could do to prove he wasn’t going to suddenly attack them all.
Kairi yelped as a needle poked her in the thigh, laughing quietly when the slender cat squeaked and apologized profusely, staring down at the ground. “It’s okay, really,” the redhead assured, placing a hand on the cat’s shoulder and smiling warmly. “It looks like it’ll be a lovely dress.”
The seamstress’s bright gold eyes widened and then a smile found its way to her face as she continued stitching a line of silvery thread to tie together the silver and purple silk. “I hope the princess finds this to her liking?” She inquired softly.
“Oh, no.” Kairi shook her head and then froze when she realized what that must have sounded like. “Oh! No, I mean, it looks lovely, but don’t call me princess. I hate how everyone does that, it’s just Kairi. But the dress does look amazing.”
The cat nodded, offering a slightly warmer and more confident smile at the girl’s words. “Kairi, then?”
Nodding, the girl stretched her arms up when prompted and smiled at the ceiling, thinking that things might turn out okay after all.
--
Mouth dry, Sora examined Riku carefully, lingering on how the clothes fit him perfectly and hugged every inch of his body. The dark colors suited him perfectly, the contrast from his fair skin and silver hair to the dark colors of his clothes making him seem that much more handsome. “Gods, Riku, you look…” He stepped forward, reaching out to smooth his hands over Riku’s chest, slipping down to hold slender hips. “Yeah. You look amazing.”
A quiet laugh escaped the older teen as he hugged Sora to him, resting his chin on top of spiky hair. “So do you. The blue suits you.” Riku sighed heavily and nuzzled into brown locks. Content to stay there for a long moment, he wondered if he should say anything about what had been circulating around the castle. Chances were that Sora already knew about it, but there was the question of if he didn’t, what would happen when the brunet found out. Sighing again for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, he realized that if Sora found out in a roundabout way from someone else, he would be more irritated that Riku hadn’t told him in the first place. “They’ve given me a new nickname, you know.”
The quiet, almost resigned tone to his friend’s voice made Sora blink and try to pull away a little to see Riku’s face. “Oh really?”
“Yeah.” Riku stroked his fingers up and down Sora’s back, listening to the soft, pleased noise that escaped the shorter teen. “I’m your dark knight. Kairi is your princess and I’ve been dubbed your dark knight.”
Stiffening slightly at the quiet, resentful tone, Sora struggled a little more and placed both of his hands on Riku’s cheeks making them face each other. “Riku.” He shook his head, meeting Riku’s moody blue-green eyes. “Don’t listen to them. Don’t listen to any of them, okay? They aren’t the ones who are making the decisions- it’s my choice to keep you here and-”
Riku’s eyes narrowed at the implied meaning that he didn’t have a choice of if he stayed or went. “Don’t get too comfortable with your position as King, Sora,” he bit out angrily, making to move back. The last thing he needed was for Sora to think that he controlled if they were there or not. It had been a promise but Sora didn’t have a right to act as if he were king over the two of them as well, not when they were friends.
Sora looked startled for a moment, mentally running over what he had just said and then shaking his head quickly. “No, Riku, that’s not what I mean by that; I’m sorry, I should have…” he trailed off. “I know I’m not your master or anything. I was trying to say that they aren’t the ones whose opinions about my friends matter. Dark knight, Keyblade master, castle clown, whatever, you’re still my best friend and you will always be, no matter what some pompous, no-name royalty tries to say.”
Still silent, Riku tried to calm or at the very least, slow down his chaotic thoughts enough to function without getting a headache. He’d always admired that Sora could see only the good in people and that he figured there was a bright side to everything, but at this point he couldn’t help but look at the boy as naïve.
--
Just as expected, there were hundreds of people milling about, offering condolences to the queen and congratulations along with that, to Sora himself. He’d tried his best to meet with at least every group of people scattered about the great hall; he didn’t want to think about what would happen if he didn’t at least make an appearance- someone might take offense to that and it was one more headache he really didn’t need. Kairi had trailed around with him for the first few minutes before going off with a group of girls her own age, all clothed in similar fancy clothes and practically dripping with shiny jewelry.
Riku had followed him just as carefully, every inch the knight he had been dubbed, as he scanned the crowds and kept an eye on Sora while keeping to the least populated areas. There were cautious glances and whispered conversations about him, but he had expected it already so he simply was content to watch as the brunet talked with people, smiling, nodding and generally being as amicable as possible.
A few moments later, Sora moved onto another group of people, starting up yet another conversation that seemed to be going well enough.
Riku took a few more steps, glancing about the room until he found Kairi nodding and smiling politely at something the other girls were laughing about, some of them holding half-full glasses of one of the drinks, others sprawled in some of the chairs. Turning his attention back to his other friend, he blinked when he noticed the forced smile on Sora’s face, along with the careful blankness of his expressive blue eyes. About to make his way forward and see what was wrong, he was stopped by a quick shake of Sora’s head, just enough to let him know Sora didn’t want him to interfere just yet- if at all.
“But the rumors, Sora,” a tall man with brown hair vaguely streaked with gray said. While almost every other person Sora had encountered had spoke to him with some form of respect, be it “Master Sora” or “Keyblade Master”, this man had been blunt and frank, almost mocking in the friendly way he instantly addressed Sora. “You’re so very…young. And while the King’s passing is sudden and a great loss, I hardly, no, excuse me. Do you believe that you are fully…capable, of taking over such a high position? Regardless of if you’ve saved the worlds or not, at heart you are still just a child. A child, who, if the rumors do not deceive me, is consorting with a perhaps…less than desirable company.”
Inwardly bristling at the implications, Sora willed himself to keep at least a tight smile on his lips and a civil tone to his voice. “I assure you, sir, that I understand that I’ve been given a great responsibility.” He let his gaze linger on each person around him to be sure he was understood. “The Magician Donald, the Knight Goofy, and her majesty Queen Minnie all support me. I also have the benefit of two other friends whose opinions, just like the previous others, I trust wholeheartedly.”
The man smiled thinly, tipping his head at that. “Quite a lovely answer, but you seem to have evaded my previous question.” He turned his head briefly, eyes sweeping over the lanky, silver-haired teen. “Maybe I should put it another way. Some of the rumors that have been floating about are…less than desirable, I suppose one might say.”
A short, stout woman with fat jewels on every one of her fingers spoke up, now. “Correct me if I am wrong, but is he not the same one who aided the witch Maleficent in her attempt to gain control of Kingdom Hearts?”
“Forgive me, madam, but please remember that this was in the past and the circumstances were a little more difficult than anyone might imagine. We were all very young and I trust Riku with every inch of my being; I trust him with my life.”
“Admirable, but foolish I think.” Another man spoke up, leaning against one of the tables and swirling his drink around indulgently.
“Still, Sora, you have yet to address my question. Is it true that you are having relations with the knight? A former traitor, at that? And what of your princess, does she know of thes-”
Sora’s jaw was clenched, his entire body tight with tension as he willed himself to not say anything he would later regret. “Sir, I hardly think that my relationship with Kairi or Riku is anything fit for conversation.” He offered a slight bow to all of them. “If you all will excuse me, I have more people to speak with. Thank you for your time.”
As quickly as he could without seeming as if he were running, Sora made his way through the crowd, grateful to get lost in the mass of people. The balcony was mercifully empty as he passed a table and grabbed a glass of simple juice, making his way to the cold air and closing his eyes. Could he really do this? Could he stand all the questioning and veiled smiles? Could-
“Sora?”
Jumping slightly, Sora turned around and then relaxed when he found it was just Riku and Kairi standing there, both of them looking anxious. “Hey,” he greeted lamely, accepting the warm hug from the redhead and smiling when Riku took the glass of juice and set it on the railing so Sora wouldn’t drop it. “How are you two holding up?”
“Half of the girls think that the three of us ‘engage in sexual activities’ every night, and the other half spent the time giggling over one of you two, asking embarrassing questions and cooing at how lucky I am to know you.” Kairi drew back and brushed slender fingers through her curled hair. “I didn’t realize our personal lives were so interesting.”
Riku was still silent, his eyes knowing as he watched Sora drag his hands through his hair and make a strangled noise of annoyance. “It’s almost time for your crowning, you know, and then it’s mostly over.”
Kairi nodded, standing up on the tip of her toes and pressing a gentle kiss to Sora’s lips. “He’s right, Sora, it’s almost over. I’m going to get back inside; my feet are freezing out here.”
Glancing around and seeing no one was there, Sora reached out and lifted a bit of Kairi’s skirt to reveal her feet- no shoes. Giggling quietly, she smacked him and tried to look offended that he had ruined her womanly virtue. “You’re going to catch a cold out here if you stay any longer,” Sora pointed out, gesturing to her bare shoulders. “We’ll meet you inside in a few minutes.”
The redhead nodded, making her way back to the bright lights of the party, pausing at the door and glancing back to the two boys, catching sight of Sora arching his back slightly, his hands tangled in Riku’s silver hair. When a quiet moan met her ears and she caught a hint of tongue between the two, she turned around and headed back to the party after making sure that no one was near or heading toward the balcony.
--
Sora was tense though it was just barely noticeable- those in the crowd wouldn’t have noticed, but being only a foot away from the teen, Riku was acutely aware of it. The moment the crown was placed on his head and the Keyblade was summoned with the dimly glowing golden charm, Sora turned and faced the crowd of nameless, faceless people and forced a smile on his lips, distantly aware of the cheer that went up around them.
Nearly a half hour later, Sora was sliding in through the door into his bedroom where Kairi and Riku already were. Neither one looked too happy and the brunet found he couldn’t blame either of them; it had been too long of a night. “Are you two okay?” He asked, taking the crown off of his head and tossing it onto the bed without a second thought.
“They were like harpies.” Kairi sighed, picking her legs up and curling them under her. “I was just the little island girl who happened to dress like royalty, you know? I’m just tagging along with you two, sleeping behind your backs maybe.”
Feeling inexplicably bitter, Riku picked up the crown and toyed with it absently, hearing Sora struggle out of his new clothes and muttering oaths under his breath. Kairi was sitting in one of the plush chairs in the corner, her hands folded daintily in her lap and wearing her worry as if it were another layer of clothes. Shirtless, Sora turned around and tried to take the crown from Riku, startled when the older boy pulled back, his eyes unreadable. “Ri, what are you doing?”
Glancing from the crown, to Sora’s bright blue eyes, and then to his own black clothes, he laughed quietly, hoping that the almost desperate little gasp at the end wasn’t noticeable. His eyes flashed from his own clothes to Kairi’s then and he sighed heavily, smiling at Sora in a way that had nothing to do with happiness, only holding an almost mocking tilt to his lips. “Here, your majesty,” Riku murmured, placing the crown on Sora’s head, not bothering to nudge it to its proper position when it fell crooked. “Your dark knight bids you and your lady a good night.”
Sora drew in a startled breath, reaching out as if to stop the older boy, only to clench his outstretched hand into a ball and let it fall back to his side. Kairi stood up in a rustle of silk, unsure which teen to go to, her bottom lip drawn in-between her teeth. “Riku- Riku, wait!” Kairi looked back at the brunet teen and scrambled after Riku, her bare feet slapping quietly against the polished marble.
‘Your majesty.’ His mind played those two words over and over in his mind, each time coming from a different person that he had met that night, though none held the loathing and the anger that Riku’s words had held. Perhaps, this was the fate of the Keyblade master, he thought with a choked out noise of anger. “Bastard,” he choked out, unsure of if he was talking to himself or to Riku. Jaw still clenched, Sora reached up and grabbed the crown in his hand, throwing it against the wall as hard as he could. A moment later he was falling to his knees, hating how he felt like he was about to cry as everything fell apart around him.
...and start to feel mortality surround me
I close my eyes and think that I have found me
But life inside the music box ain't easy
The malots hit the gears are always turning
And every one inside the mechanism
Is yearning to get out
Is yearning to get out
Is yearning to get out.
Mermaids and Legends | Hero | Drawings | Best Left Forgotten 1 / 2 | Not Quite Heartless | Down The Rabbit Hole | Erasing Memories | To An End | Things He Would Never Say | Fairytale | Sets of Threes | Music Box 1 / 2 | Mistaken Identity 1 / 2 | ??????