[021.] Black
Title: Black
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Claim: Cloud/Riku
Theme: [021.] Colour
Word Count: 1,929
Rating: PG
Summary: Everything was nothing; black was everything.
Disclaimer: These get old and rather tiresome after a while, don’t they? Ah, well. Okay, so I don’t own these characters, or worlds, or anything like that. I don’t even have original characters for me to own. All this stuff belongs to people affiliated with Disney and Square Enix. I am not one of these people. I am never one of the people affiliated with a damn thing, and one day, when I am, I will be rich and happy, but until then, nothing. Nada. I am making zero money off this trifle of a story (because saying zero money is even less than no money). I am not making any munny off it, either. So there.
Author’s Note: Since Cloud’s conclusion to the first Kingdom Hearts game was in the last chapter, this is the end of the first game for Riku. Next we’re off to battles with Sephiroth and the rebuilding of Hollow Bastion with Cloud. Riku is off to Chain of Memories come chapter 23.
Everything was nothing, and black was everything.
At least that’s how it seemed to Riku in this cold, quiet place where nothing could be seen or heard; the only thing Riku could make sense of was the stench. It was overwhelming, the smell of darkness that radiated here, even more powerful than the acrid stench that wafted from Ansem’s presence. Here, where the black went on forever and there was no light to be found, Riku wondered where he was, and just how far he’d fallen into darkness this time.
Was he still in his body, sharing the space with Ansem? Had he lost his heart when he used everything he had left to give Kairi and Sora’s companions enough time to run? Where was Sora? Was he alive? Would he ever see them again? Would he ever see Cloud again, and if he didn’t, would Cloud ever know what had happened? Would it just seem like Riku disappeared forever? Was Riku even alive?
It was through these series of questions that Riku realized he could call Cloud’s face to memory, and not just Cloud’s, but Sora’s and Kairi’s, too. He could picture Destiny Islands, his favorite paopu tree, and the faces of his family. Everything was clear again, at least in his own mind, here where the black went on forever. He couldn’t be in his own body anymore-those memories were stolen from him the longer Ansem controlled his limbs, voice, and mind.
The victory-the joy-that accompanied the realization shattered. Where was he? Kairi was awake. Sora was gone. The last time he saw Sora, he had picked up that dark Keyblade with intention of freeing Kairi’s heart. Now, when his thoughts weren’t corrupted and hazy, overrun with darkness, the pieces fit together with ease. He wished they wouldn’t.
Sora was dead; he had to be. Kairi’s heart was within him, and Sora freed it by unlocking his own heart, and probably destroyed that fake Keyblade in the process. The only way he couldn’t be dead after a move like that . . . it was something Riku didn’t want to think about. Sora would be like him, lost in the darkness, heart stolen. Riku wondered if, somewhere, he and Sora both had Heartless versions of themselves, running around, waiting to be killed.
Through all these questions, he took a few steps forward. It was hard to move-like walking through waist-deep water that fought every step. He didn’t know where he was going, and even if he had a destination in mind, he had no idea where he was. He couldn’t see ahead or behind, here in the black, absent of light and color, but the steps he took reassured that he was somewhere-whether alive or dead. It didn’t matter now.
It was better to be here than anywhere else. He destroyed everything-Destiny Islands, led Sora and Kairi right into Ansem’s trap, and look at what he’d done with Cloud. He loved him, allowed himself to be loved, but took every opportunity to talk about himself and everything that was going wrong with him. He expressed his fears, and Cloud was perfect, patient . . . and look at how he was repaid. Riku left him with a promise to call after a lengthy conversation about how he was ordered to kill Sora and had taken the Keyblade.
Look at what he’d done to Sora and Kairi. They could be dead for all he knew, destroyed by Ansem, and that was his fault.
“Sora . . . Kairi . . . I’m sorry . . .” said Riku. It was a relief to hear his own voice, but it floated away into the darkness. Riku shivered. “Is this the world of death?”
Riku took a few more steps, and with each movement, more desperation washed over him. He felt a tug, a pull, and Riku fought against it as he was bathed in light. He had to be alive, existing in some form, and that tug . . . he wouldn’t give in. He ruined things, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t set them right.
“No . . . I can’t disappear yet. Not until I’ve met Sora and Kairi one last time . . .”
“Riku, can you hear me? I’ll be there soon.”
He snapped up. It was a voice Riku didn’t recognize, high-pitched, and Riku looked around. He thought he was here alone.
“Who’s there?” Through the stench, a warm, familiar light filled his heart. Riku recognized it instantly. “Another Keyblade . . .”
“I’ve gotten the Keyblade for this side. I’ve been talking to you all along, but my words were hindered by the darkness covering your heart.”
Riku hung his head. He didn’t know who this voice belonged to, but the warmth of the light and the hope of the Keyblade pushed aside his anxiety. This was not someone to fear; this was someone who could help.
“I don’t know who you are, but-what’s happened to me?”
“Your heart has overcome the darkness, but you couldn’t take back your body. So only your heart was left behind in this dark side where stolen hearts are gathered.”
His heart had overcome the darkness? The desperation faded.
“What should I do?”
“The door of darkness that is soon going to appear . . . In order to close it, two keys and two hearts are needed. Perhaps you, too, like me, came here for that purpose. Maybe it was fate.”
“Fate . . . You know everything, don’t you? If that’s so, I want you to tell me one more thing . . . Are Sora and Kairi safe?”
“You should be able to feel their hearts. How you perceive your friends . . . depends on your own heart.”
Riku closed his eyes and visualized Sora running toward him. Sora was, somehow, alive. He smiled, relief washing over him.
“Thank you.”
~*~
Riku didn’t know how long he waited. The voice said the door to darkness would appear soon, but it felt like years. Time and space seemed to go on forever like the black and nothingness. He didn’t know how long he was here-months, weeks, a year? Had his sixteenth birthday already come and gone? Would he ever escape this place?
Riku assumed that he would not. From what the voice said-that warm voice that spoke truth, honesty, and failed to give him the chills he often felt speaking with Maleficent and Ansem-two hearts and two keys were needed to close the door. The door needed to be closed. Riku hung his head.
Sora would be here. Sora would arrive-alive and well-with his Keyblade, and the door would shut. To close it, though, Riku would need to help, and the voice said he’d bring the Keyblade for their side. He would have to stay behind the door and be strong; weakness in his heart wouldn’t be enough to close the door to darkness.
Things could work out, though. This was how it needed to be done. Riku could see Sora again one more time, and if he got the chance, he could apologize, and ask Sora to carry it back to Kairi. He could set things right by closing the door to darkness, and do his part to keep the Heartless from destroying worlds again. By staying in the dark, if it would help save the worlds, Riku would repent. The worlds, Sora, Kairi, Cloud . . . they could all be safe, and Riku would see to it that they were.
All Riku had to do was stay strong.
~*~
When the door to darkness did appear-impossibly tall and heavy-Riku panicked. The voice still wasn’t here. It amazed him, though, to see that door, cracked open and allowing light to shine in. His eyes ached. His eyes . . .
“Ansem is defeated,” said the voice. Riku turned, realizing it was no longer like moving through sludge. “Your body is yours again. Ansem has released his grip.”
Riku felt the change, now that the voice mentioned it. He touched a hand to his chest. The darkness that surrounded him set in his heart again, not as large as before, but a trace of Ansem remained.
“Will he ever be gone?” said Riku.
“We have to close the door.”
Riku glanced behind him, and his eyes fell upon . . . a mouse? A mouse in clothes. A mouse in clothes bearing a Keyblade.
Sora got a duck and a dog; Riku got a mouse.
“Who are you?”
“My name’s King Mickey of Disney Castle,” said the mouse. A mouse that wore clothes, carried a Keyblade, and was a king? “There will be more time for talking later. First, the door . . .”
Riku nodded. He looked across the sea of Heartless he never knew was there, though he should have with how dark it felt and smelled in here. He ran across them without stopping to worry about where he stepped or what they would do to him after the door closed.
“Come on!” a voice shouted from the other side of the door. Riku smiled and ran faster. Sora needed the help.
“Stop staring and keep pushing,” said Donald. Riku caught sight of the duck as he glanced around the door. “Huh? Hurry!”
“I can’t,” said Sora.
Riku reached a hand around the door and looked through to the other side. Sora caught his eye.
“Don’t give up!” said Riku. “Come on, Sora! Together, we can do it!”
Sora looked at him and nodded.
“Okay.”
He pushed against the door on one side as Riku pulled from the other. It didn’t budge, and Riku started the panic. The Heartless were coming, the darkness multiplying.
“It’s hopeless,” said Donald.
He and Goofy looked through the door again, and this time, a burst of light cut through the dark. Riku glanced back for a second to see King Mickey holding the Keyblade.
“Your majesty!” Donald and Goofy shouted.
“Now, Sora!” said King Mickey. “Let’s close this door for good.”
“Close it, quick,” said Donald.
“But . . .” said Sora. He looked at Riku.
“Don’t worry,” said King Mickey. “There will always be a door to the light.”
“Now!” said Riku. “They’re coming.”
“Donald, Goofy,” said King Mickey, “thank you.”
The door shifted under the weight and started to close. Through the crack, Riku caught Sora’s eyes one last time.
“Take care of her,” said Riku.
Sora nodded, and then the door shut. Riku leaned against it and watched as King Mickey lifted the Keyblade. He pointed it to the doors. They locked and disappeared. Riku fell to his knees, hung his head, and looked across the darkness, but he could no longer see King Mickey. The light was gone.
Sora was gone.
King Mickey said there was always a door to the light, but what if-
He may never see Sora again.
Cloud.
Kairi.
His family.
Would any of them ever know what had really happened? What it had been like? Sora knew where Riku went, but would he ever really know how he got here, or what it was like behind those doors? Would Cloud ever know what happened to him? Would he be missed? The desperation returned, but at least everyone would be safe now, and Riku had helped for a change.
“Don’t worry,” said King Mickey. “Your heart overcame the darkness. You can overcome this dark time, too.”
Riku nodded and stared into black.
( Prompt Table) for previous installments. 021/100 Complete.
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Claim: Cloud/Riku
Theme: [021.] Colour
Word Count: 1,929
Rating: PG
Summary: Everything was nothing; black was everything.
Disclaimer: These get old and rather tiresome after a while, don’t they? Ah, well. Okay, so I don’t own these characters, or worlds, or anything like that. I don’t even have original characters for me to own. All this stuff belongs to people affiliated with Disney and Square Enix. I am not one of these people. I am never one of the people affiliated with a damn thing, and one day, when I am, I will be rich and happy, but until then, nothing. Nada. I am making zero money off this trifle of a story (because saying zero money is even less than no money). I am not making any munny off it, either. So there.
Author’s Note: Since Cloud’s conclusion to the first Kingdom Hearts game was in the last chapter, this is the end of the first game for Riku. Next we’re off to battles with Sephiroth and the rebuilding of Hollow Bastion with Cloud. Riku is off to Chain of Memories come chapter 23.
Everything was nothing, and black was everything.
At least that’s how it seemed to Riku in this cold, quiet place where nothing could be seen or heard; the only thing Riku could make sense of was the stench. It was overwhelming, the smell of darkness that radiated here, even more powerful than the acrid stench that wafted from Ansem’s presence. Here, where the black went on forever and there was no light to be found, Riku wondered where he was, and just how far he’d fallen into darkness this time.
Was he still in his body, sharing the space with Ansem? Had he lost his heart when he used everything he had left to give Kairi and Sora’s companions enough time to run? Where was Sora? Was he alive? Would he ever see them again? Would he ever see Cloud again, and if he didn’t, would Cloud ever know what had happened? Would it just seem like Riku disappeared forever? Was Riku even alive?
It was through these series of questions that Riku realized he could call Cloud’s face to memory, and not just Cloud’s, but Sora’s and Kairi’s, too. He could picture Destiny Islands, his favorite paopu tree, and the faces of his family. Everything was clear again, at least in his own mind, here where the black went on forever. He couldn’t be in his own body anymore-those memories were stolen from him the longer Ansem controlled his limbs, voice, and mind.
The victory-the joy-that accompanied the realization shattered. Where was he? Kairi was awake. Sora was gone. The last time he saw Sora, he had picked up that dark Keyblade with intention of freeing Kairi’s heart. Now, when his thoughts weren’t corrupted and hazy, overrun with darkness, the pieces fit together with ease. He wished they wouldn’t.
Sora was dead; he had to be. Kairi’s heart was within him, and Sora freed it by unlocking his own heart, and probably destroyed that fake Keyblade in the process. The only way he couldn’t be dead after a move like that . . . it was something Riku didn’t want to think about. Sora would be like him, lost in the darkness, heart stolen. Riku wondered if, somewhere, he and Sora both had Heartless versions of themselves, running around, waiting to be killed.
Through all these questions, he took a few steps forward. It was hard to move-like walking through waist-deep water that fought every step. He didn’t know where he was going, and even if he had a destination in mind, he had no idea where he was. He couldn’t see ahead or behind, here in the black, absent of light and color, but the steps he took reassured that he was somewhere-whether alive or dead. It didn’t matter now.
It was better to be here than anywhere else. He destroyed everything-Destiny Islands, led Sora and Kairi right into Ansem’s trap, and look at what he’d done with Cloud. He loved him, allowed himself to be loved, but took every opportunity to talk about himself and everything that was going wrong with him. He expressed his fears, and Cloud was perfect, patient . . . and look at how he was repaid. Riku left him with a promise to call after a lengthy conversation about how he was ordered to kill Sora and had taken the Keyblade.
Look at what he’d done to Sora and Kairi. They could be dead for all he knew, destroyed by Ansem, and that was his fault.
“Sora . . . Kairi . . . I’m sorry . . .” said Riku. It was a relief to hear his own voice, but it floated away into the darkness. Riku shivered. “Is this the world of death?”
Riku took a few more steps, and with each movement, more desperation washed over him. He felt a tug, a pull, and Riku fought against it as he was bathed in light. He had to be alive, existing in some form, and that tug . . . he wouldn’t give in. He ruined things, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t set them right.
“No . . . I can’t disappear yet. Not until I’ve met Sora and Kairi one last time . . .”
“Riku, can you hear me? I’ll be there soon.”
He snapped up. It was a voice Riku didn’t recognize, high-pitched, and Riku looked around. He thought he was here alone.
“Who’s there?” Through the stench, a warm, familiar light filled his heart. Riku recognized it instantly. “Another Keyblade . . .”
“I’ve gotten the Keyblade for this side. I’ve been talking to you all along, but my words were hindered by the darkness covering your heart.”
Riku hung his head. He didn’t know who this voice belonged to, but the warmth of the light and the hope of the Keyblade pushed aside his anxiety. This was not someone to fear; this was someone who could help.
“I don’t know who you are, but-what’s happened to me?”
“Your heart has overcome the darkness, but you couldn’t take back your body. So only your heart was left behind in this dark side where stolen hearts are gathered.”
His heart had overcome the darkness? The desperation faded.
“What should I do?”
“The door of darkness that is soon going to appear . . . In order to close it, two keys and two hearts are needed. Perhaps you, too, like me, came here for that purpose. Maybe it was fate.”
“Fate . . . You know everything, don’t you? If that’s so, I want you to tell me one more thing . . . Are Sora and Kairi safe?”
“You should be able to feel their hearts. How you perceive your friends . . . depends on your own heart.”
Riku closed his eyes and visualized Sora running toward him. Sora was, somehow, alive. He smiled, relief washing over him.
“Thank you.”
~*~
Riku didn’t know how long he waited. The voice said the door to darkness would appear soon, but it felt like years. Time and space seemed to go on forever like the black and nothingness. He didn’t know how long he was here-months, weeks, a year? Had his sixteenth birthday already come and gone? Would he ever escape this place?
Riku assumed that he would not. From what the voice said-that warm voice that spoke truth, honesty, and failed to give him the chills he often felt speaking with Maleficent and Ansem-two hearts and two keys were needed to close the door. The door needed to be closed. Riku hung his head.
Sora would be here. Sora would arrive-alive and well-with his Keyblade, and the door would shut. To close it, though, Riku would need to help, and the voice said he’d bring the Keyblade for their side. He would have to stay behind the door and be strong; weakness in his heart wouldn’t be enough to close the door to darkness.
Things could work out, though. This was how it needed to be done. Riku could see Sora again one more time, and if he got the chance, he could apologize, and ask Sora to carry it back to Kairi. He could set things right by closing the door to darkness, and do his part to keep the Heartless from destroying worlds again. By staying in the dark, if it would help save the worlds, Riku would repent. The worlds, Sora, Kairi, Cloud . . . they could all be safe, and Riku would see to it that they were.
All Riku had to do was stay strong.
~*~
When the door to darkness did appear-impossibly tall and heavy-Riku panicked. The voice still wasn’t here. It amazed him, though, to see that door, cracked open and allowing light to shine in. His eyes ached. His eyes . . .
“Ansem is defeated,” said the voice. Riku turned, realizing it was no longer like moving through sludge. “Your body is yours again. Ansem has released his grip.”
Riku felt the change, now that the voice mentioned it. He touched a hand to his chest. The darkness that surrounded him set in his heart again, not as large as before, but a trace of Ansem remained.
“Will he ever be gone?” said Riku.
“We have to close the door.”
Riku glanced behind him, and his eyes fell upon . . . a mouse? A mouse in clothes. A mouse in clothes bearing a Keyblade.
Sora got a duck and a dog; Riku got a mouse.
“Who are you?”
“My name’s King Mickey of Disney Castle,” said the mouse. A mouse that wore clothes, carried a Keyblade, and was a king? “There will be more time for talking later. First, the door . . .”
Riku nodded. He looked across the sea of Heartless he never knew was there, though he should have with how dark it felt and smelled in here. He ran across them without stopping to worry about where he stepped or what they would do to him after the door closed.
“Come on!” a voice shouted from the other side of the door. Riku smiled and ran faster. Sora needed the help.
“Stop staring and keep pushing,” said Donald. Riku caught sight of the duck as he glanced around the door. “Huh? Hurry!”
“I can’t,” said Sora.
Riku reached a hand around the door and looked through to the other side. Sora caught his eye.
“Don’t give up!” said Riku. “Come on, Sora! Together, we can do it!”
Sora looked at him and nodded.
“Okay.”
He pushed against the door on one side as Riku pulled from the other. It didn’t budge, and Riku started the panic. The Heartless were coming, the darkness multiplying.
“It’s hopeless,” said Donald.
He and Goofy looked through the door again, and this time, a burst of light cut through the dark. Riku glanced back for a second to see King Mickey holding the Keyblade.
“Your majesty!” Donald and Goofy shouted.
“Now, Sora!” said King Mickey. “Let’s close this door for good.”
“Close it, quick,” said Donald.
“But . . .” said Sora. He looked at Riku.
“Don’t worry,” said King Mickey. “There will always be a door to the light.”
“Now!” said Riku. “They’re coming.”
“Donald, Goofy,” said King Mickey, “thank you.”
The door shifted under the weight and started to close. Through the crack, Riku caught Sora’s eyes one last time.
“Take care of her,” said Riku.
Sora nodded, and then the door shut. Riku leaned against it and watched as King Mickey lifted the Keyblade. He pointed it to the doors. They locked and disappeared. Riku fell to his knees, hung his head, and looked across the darkness, but he could no longer see King Mickey. The light was gone.
Sora was gone.
King Mickey said there was always a door to the light, but what if-
He may never see Sora again.
Cloud.
Kairi.
His family.
Would any of them ever know what had really happened? What it had been like? Sora knew where Riku went, but would he ever really know how he got here, or what it was like behind those doors? Would Cloud ever know what happened to him? Would he be missed? The desperation returned, but at least everyone would be safe now, and Riku had helped for a change.
“Don’t worry,” said King Mickey. “Your heart overcame the darkness. You can overcome this dark time, too.”
Riku nodded and stared into black.
( Prompt Table) for previous installments. 021/100 Complete.