mermaids & legends [kingdom hearts]
TITLE: Mermaids & Legends
RATING: K+/PG
SUMMARY: Growing up isn't easy, Sora finds. It's full of cooties, scraped knees, Kairi not really being a mermaid and Riku just...being himself. But, he thinks, as long as they're together it doesn't matter.
FANDOM: Kingdom Hearts
OTHER: Riku’s parents - Katashi & Yasu
For Kairi’s parents, Shinju is her mother and Nori Yamadera is her father.
Sora’s parents are Natsuko for the mother and Yuudai Ohira for the dad.
This is part of the Music Box series.
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 | ??????
00
“What are those, Riku?” Sora breathed, clasping Riku’s hand tightly, staring up as the sky exploded and rained down light.
Riku tilted his head up a little more, trying to make sure that he didn’t miss a single flicker of sparks. “They’re shooting stars,” he said quietly, as if any louder would make the sky fall down on them in pretty, fractured pieces. “Momma says that every time that something like this happens, something better happens later.”
Tilting his head to the side with all the curiosity of a small child, Sora moved a little closer and turned back to the sky. “Like what?” he asked finally.
Riku’s eyes were glowing with the brilliant flares as he spoke. “S’what you find out.”
-
Riku glanced around the beach, eyes scanning for a proper hiding spot and grinning when he found it- a patch of mossy rocks half in the water, half out, with the tide steadily rising. Turning back and making sure that Sora was nowhere to be found, he waded into the water, pushing his way through waves and seaweed, his foot getting caught on a piece but easily falling away with a shake of his leg. Sora would never find him all the way out here- he’d never expect it.
Grinning, the boy swam out to the mass of slimy green rocks, hoping his mother wouldn’t kill him for getting all dirty yet again.
“Riiiiku!”
Jerking in shock at Sora having caught up to him so fast, Riku scrambled over the rocks, his toes finding purchase in a dry spot as he skidded over the edge and hid, eyes closed and waiting for Sora to give up.
“Riku! I know you’re out thereeee.”
Snorting with amusement, Riku shifted and tried to find a place where he could sit, opening his eyes and catching sight of an odd looking, pale starfish or creature of some sort. Curious, he gripped a rock carefully, toeing around the area to make sure it wasn’t too slippery, and then letting himself slide down to a half-tide pool, gasping at what he found. It wasn’t a fish at all- it was a body.
“Sora! Sora, come here!” Riku hollered, as loud as he possibly could while fighting to get down to where he could see pale skin and red hair. Distantly, he could hear Sora splashing closer, choosing to swim around the rocks rather than climb up them. Before Sora could blurt out a “found you!” (because he totally hadn’t- Riku’d just yelled where he was, so it didn’t count!) Riku pointed to the body and nudged it with his toes. “I think it’s dead.”
“Eww. Are you sure?” Sora swam up, taking the hand that Riku offered him and coming to stand next to the taller boy, looking down at the body. “I think it’s a girl. But she doesn’t live on our island, does she?”
Riku shook his head, sucking up the urge to wade away (because he really didn’t want to touch a dead body) and pushing the hair away from an equally pale face. “She’s a girl, but what’s she doing out here?’
Drawing in a sharp breath of excitement, Sora scrambled closer and squinted into the murky depths of the ocean. “Hrm.”
Giving the boy a weird look, Riku waited for Sora to stop making odd noises and tell him what he was thinking about. “…What?
“She’s a mermaid!” Sora proclaimed loudly, eyes bright with excitement. “Oh. Wait. She’s not dead, right? Is she breathing?” He nudged her hand with a little worry. “I bet she’d be all pruney if she had legs.”
“What?” Riku asked incredulously, sending the boy a weird look before giving up and tilting his head to the side, poking her again. She didn’t move, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t sleeping or acting like it. “I dunno how to check. It’s your mom that’s the doctor, not mine. Didn’t she teach you something?”
Sora shifted on his feet and tried to recall what his mother did when she was checking on a patient. She placed her fingers somewhere on the person’s neck and said that something was supposed to be beating there- really, the whole idea of someone’s neck moving on its own was kind of gross, but Sora wasn’t about to tell Riku he thought that.
Placing his fingers on her neck, he poked it gingerly and hoped Riku didn’t notice he had no idea what he was doing. Moving her head to the side, Sora yelped when the girl shuddered suddenly, coughing and drawing in a stuttering breath, hardly moving but definitely alive. “Sora, go get your mother or someone out here, we can’t bring her back to shore alone ‘cause we can’t carry her or we’ll drown.” Riku ordered briskly, biting his bottom lip as he noticed that the tide was rising quicker than he realized and if they weren’t quick she would drown. Nodding fiercely, Sora leapt off the edge, swimming back to shore and leaving Riku to try and drag the girl up onto the rocks from where she was slipping back into the water. She had legs, he noted with a vaguely amused noise; Sora would be disappointed.
Tugging her up, he let out a word that he learned from his father but his mother would wash his mouth out with soap if she ever heard him say, as his foot caught. Yelping, he slipped on the slippery rocks, falling hard with the wind knocked out of him. There was a nasty scrape on his leg now and his entire foot was throbbing- he’d probably twisted his ankle. Trying to push it out of his head, he attempted to find a dry spot on the rocks, shivering himself at how cold her skin was- how long had she been in the water, anyway? Was she even breathing still?
As if to answer his thoughts, the girl coughed and shivered, curling up against him, coughs wracking her body and making Riku bite his lip with worry. “Hey, hey are you awake?”
The girl tilted her head up, still pale, her eyes glassy, but at least she was alive. Another shiver and he quickly worked on unzipping his big outer shirt, keeping on the blue and yellow shirt he had on underneath. Wrapping it around her awkwardly, he waited for help to come. The sun was warm on top of the rocks and he could feel that they were warming up slightly, but from the way her skin was heating up almost too much, he guessed that she had a fever. “Hey- you gotta stay awake, ‘kay? Sora’s comin’ with help.” He nudged her hair out of her eyes and shifted them more into the sun. “C’mon, you can’t be sick or they’ll make you drink Sora’s momma’s medicine and it’s gross.”
Blinking pretty violet eyes, she nodded, coughing again and tangling her fingers in his overshirt. In the distance he could see familiar figures making their way closer, the tall, more than welcome forms of Sora’s parents and Riku’s own father coming over- it was all too relieving. Within minutes, Sora’s father had waded through the water and was helping him get the half-awake girl off of the rocks. Riku’s father let out a low whistle at the cut, helping him off of the rocks and taking him back to shore. A crude bandage was wrapped around his leg for the moment, just to stop the bleeding, while Sora’s mother whispered to the little girl, wrapping her in blankets and checking her temperature.
Sora was clinging to his father’s pants, his eyes big and blue in his slightly pale, worried face, wincing at the blood on the sand. The girl was swept up in Sora’s mother’s arms, the older woman speaking in low tones with her husband while Sora made his way over to Riku and toed the sand. “Are you…gonna be okay?” Sora asked quietly, relieved when Riku got to his feet and only grimaced at the pain. Riku’s father patted the brunet on the back, offering a smile.
“He’ll be fine, just a scrape and a twisted ankle. You two need to avoid those rocks out there, okay? You should know that they’re slippery, especially when the tide is coming in.” The man ruffled both boys’ hair and made to pick up his son, only to have Riku pull away with a shake of his head. “It is a miracle that you found her though.”
“I can walk, dad, it’s okay.” Riku said as strongly as he could, because he didn’t want to be treated like a little kid. He’d gotten himself into the mess and he could get himself to his house without having to be carried like a baby.
His father laughed quietly, nodding and starting off, walking slowly enough where he could keep an eye on the boys. Riku was extremely proud, even for his age and he could understand that.
Sora was watching Riku carefully, the silver-haired boy gingerly putting weight on his foot and taking his steps slowly and lightly. “…Hey,” Sora said quietly, placing a hand on Riku’s shoulder. “I can help you so you’re not bein’ carried.”
Riku made a face, but after his leg throbbed painfully, he nodded, wrapping his arm around Sora’s shoulders as Sora slid an arm around his waist and then they were off. The older boy snorted quietly when Sora whispered, “We look like a weird circus.”
“You’re the weird one.”
-
It was slightly crowded in the spare bedroom that Sora’s mother had set aside for guests, what with Riku, Sora, the new girl, and both sets of parents. Sora was perched on the edge of Riku’s bed, holding the bandages and the anesthetic wincing every time another bloodied, dirty cloth was thrown into the trash can. “Sora.” Riku poked the brunet and forced a smile on his face. “It’s lookin’ worse than it actually is. Stop looking like my leg is gone, ‘kay?”
Sora muttered something under his breath, pouting and crossing his arms but thankfully saying nothing more on the subject.
The girl was soundly sleeping now, cheeks pink with fever but with medicine and hot tea in her system at least, and Sora’s mother assured both boys that she would be fine with lots of sleep and a decent meal. Riku was given a cup of tea as well and ordered to drink it down; making a face, he had done so, knowing that it was pain-killing medicine that was worth it in the end if he just forced it down.
Sleepy, warm and in a comfortable bed, Riku snuggled against the pillow and felt Sora do the same, just like they did when they were sleeping over at each other’s houses.
-
“But the question is; how did she even get here?” Yasu questioned, releasing her brunette hair from its bun. Her husband slid an arm around her, both sets of parents in the living room as they discussed the newcomer. “She can’t have come from another island- but that doesn’t explain how she just washed up on shore.”
Riku’s mother shrugged; she was just as confused as the rest of them. After an hour of simply talking, it was decided to go to the mayor and see what was recommended there. It was hardly surprising that both the mayor and his wife immediately offered to take the child in- they didn’t have one of their own and it would be perfect for both sides. All they had to do was wait for her to wake up.
-
The girl woke up nearly an hour later, curled up in blankets, delightfully warm, and distantly she could smell soup and the mouthwatering aroma of fresh bread. Slowly, she pushed the covers away and looked around the pastel blue room, little homey touches making it welcoming even with its unfamiliarity. Only a few feet away she could see two lumps on the bed beside her own; a spiky brunet head peeking out from under the covers, along with a tanned leg hanging over the edge of the bed. Looking around, she drew the covers further around herself and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Briefly, she wondered if she should get out of bed and find out where she was, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she had no idea if this was home or not. She…she couldn’t remember.
“Hello, darling,” a smooth voice said, drawing her out of her slightly panicky thoughts. A slender brunet woman wandered in holding a tray of food and drinks, using her foot to draw the small bedside table to the space between the beds and setting it between them. “You look like you’re feeling better- are you?”
She opened her mouth to speak, only to find that her throat was too scratchy and her mouth was too dry to manage anything other than a croak. The woman made a sympathetic noise, and poured a cup of juice, holding it out to the redhead. Draining it quickly, she curled her legs up under herself, relieved when she found she was able to talk. “Better, yes. Thank you…” Licking her chapped lips, she whispered another thank you as her cup was refilled. “…Where…where am I?”
“Destiny Islands. You were washed up on the rocks in the ocean- the boys over there found you. Do you remember where you’re from?”
Slowly, she shook her head, trying desperately to remember anything about before she woke up only to find her mind blank. “N-no,” she mumbled, feeling her eyes prick with tears. She was in an unfamiliar place, couldn’t remember where she was from and worst of all, knew no one. “I’m sorry.”
The woman shook her head, coming to sit by her on the bed and taking the cup of juice from a trembling hand. “No, no, sweetness, don’t worry about it. It’s okay, you’re safe here. It’s okay if you don’t remember, alright? Do you remember your name?”
Thinking as hard as she could, she nodded slowly. “Kairi. I-I don’t know my last name. I don’t know if I have one.”
From the other bed, there was a rustle of sheets and then Sora sat up, eyes wide and hair wild as he leaned over and shook Riku with excitement. “She’s awake, she’s awake, get uuuup, Riku.”
Kairi drew the covers around herself a little more, shy and nervous around the new people. Thankfully, the woman seemed to understand. “Sora, Riku, this is Kairi. Kairi, Sora and Riku; they’re the ones who found you. Sora is my son- Riku’s parents are out in the living room.” She offered the girl a warm smile.
“It’s…it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Kairi returned unsurely, blinking when the brunet boy slid out of bed and squinted at her, hands on his hips.
“You sure you’re not a mermaid? You don’t talk like u- ow!” Sora yelped, cut off by his mother taking a pillow and smacking him with it, effectively shutting him up. “I’m just sayin’ that she could be a mermaid! Right, Riku?”
Riku sent the younger boy a dry look. “No; she’s got legs, Sora. Not a mermaid.”
Sora scowled at the older boy, but it quickly morphed into a smile as he held out a hand for the shy girl to take. “I’m Sora, remember?”
Slightly taken aback by his outgoing personality, she shook his hand and distantly thought that no, she would never forget someone like him.
----
“Sora? Sora!”
Blue eyes wide with panic, the brunet in question whirled around, searching for a place to hide before Kairi found him. Worrying his bottom lip, he glanced to the right and then to the left, trying to find somewhere that he could hide, somewhere that wasn’t too obvious and that she wouldn’t think of. Houses, trees, more houses, but all of it was too open for him to even think about hiding there, which didn’t leave him many other choices. There! The wooden steps that led up and down to the secondary wall and set of houses had a small space underneath that couldn’t be seen easily; he could hide there. Darting in there as quickly as he could, the brunet curled into a ball and listened intently for any sign of her coming.
“Sora?”
Clapping a hand to his mouth, he stopped himself from gasping out while the footsteps came dangerously close. Something touched the back of his neck, tickling him annoyingly. He reached a hand out and brushed it absently only to come back with a fuzzy, forty-million-legged, vicious, black spider clinging to his hand. Oh m- “Aghhh!” Sora’s voice cracked and without a single thought about the redhead who was still searching for him, he scrambled out of the hiding place, dancing about and swinging his hands to try and hurl the spider away. The spider was flung to the ground and the boy nearly tripped over his huge shoes as he rushed forward to stomp on it with as much force as possible, all the while shuddering and wiping his hands on his shorts. Gross, that thing hand crawled on him and ick.
“…Sora? What happened?” Kairi asked, her head tilted to the side with confusion as he continued jumping on the same spot of ground while waving his hands around. “What are you doing?”
“Grossgrossgross- Kairi!” He jumped and scrambled back, avoiding the hand that she offered him, staring distrustfully at it as if she were diseased. ‘Don’t touch me!”
Confusion contorted her pretty face as she stared at him. “What? Why? Sora, stop being so weird.”
Guilt flooded him, but it was something that had to be done! “Sorry, Kai, but I don’t want to die or have my fingers shrivel up and fall off.” Sora stated, backing away from her slowly, keeping his hands behind his back in case she reached out again.
“…I- what? I don’t want that to happen either,” she said slowly, tilting her head to the side with confusion. “But how will me touching you make you die? I’m not sick!”
Oh geez, she was going to start crying again, Sora realized with growing alarm and dismay. “K-Kairi, I’m sorry! Jin said that girls- they have cooties and boys can’t touch them till they’re twenty and old! So…” he backed away, still shivering from the after effects of the spider crawling on him. “I’ll go talk to you when I’m twenty, okay? An’ then-”
Disbelief was clear on her face as she huffed with annoyance and hurt. “Jin told you that? He’s stupid and even my momma says that you can’t believe a thing that he says! Look, I don’t have cooties,” she reached out once more only to have Sora gasp, jerk away so hard that he nearly fell over and then take off running past and around people. His house would be safe from her, all he had to do was lock the door.
Scrambling past a dog he winced at the angered “woof” and hoped it wouldn’t chase him.
Distantly, he could hear Kairi calling for him to stop and come back, but he didn’t listen, barreling on as quickly as possible, relieved when he saw his house over the crest of the hill he was making his way up. An extra bust of speed- though, he wouldn’t need it as Kairi was never as good at running as he was- and he was over the fence and into the yard. Almost there! He fumbled with the door, making a strangled noise of fear (much like a panicked animal would make at its impending doom) and tried to block out the sounds of the redhead.
The moment the door was open he shot in and slammed it behind him, locking it and then barreling past his mother without an explanation. Up the stairs, to the right, and into his room. Shutting and locking that door too came next, as well as putting a chair up against it and then moving to work on the windows. Sora had snuck out of his room enough times and Kairi had snuck in enough for both to know that his window was easily accessible.
Tape was the only thing that he could find which might stop her from coming in, so with sloppy moves he taped up his window in crisscrossing moves, nodding to himself when he was finished. Was it possible to live by simply running downstairs and grabbing something once a day? All he would have to do is stay in his room for what would be about nine years- they would be twenty then and then the cooties would be gone. Maybe he could get his mother to install a mini-door so that she could slip him food and water and Christmas presents and birthday presents and-
“Sora!”
Shrieking in a decidedly not-manly way, he stumbled over one of his toys and fell flat on his back with a gasp of pain.
“Sora! Sora, open this door and get out here and explain why Kairi is downstairs crying about you being scared of her!”
…Uh-oh. He knew that tone; she was serious now. Groaning, the boy pushed himself up, rubbing his back absently. “Coming, Mom.” Sora sighed heavily, glancing around and snatching his fingerless gloves from a tabletop, staring at the window to freedom and no cooties longingly.
-
He was doomed. It was simple as that, he was just plain doomed. What had he been thinking, going to his house first? Of course his mom would take Kairi’s side, she was a girl and she’d had cooties at one time too! Sure that he was heading to his execution, he shuffled down the stairs and into the living room, where he could hear Kairi sniffling and hiccupping. Teary purple eyes met his, and with another heavy sigh he moved forward. “M’sorry,” he murmured, scuffing one large yellow shoe-clad foot against the wooden floors. “…you don’t really have cooties, do you?”
Blowing her nose, she shook her head. “Stupid. If I did, you would have gotten them already,” she crossed her arms, indignant now. “And Jin told you! Everyone knows he’s dumb as Wakka’s blitzball!”
“I…I’m sorry. I’m stupid.” Flushing with embarrassment, Sora nodded. Everyone did know that Jin was an idiot and secretly, Kairi and Sora had figured that even Jin’s parents knew but wouldn’t ever tell him. From the doorway leading to the kitchen there was a badly muffled laugh; Sora’s mother covered her mouth to keep any more away. “So yeah…friends?”
Sora reached out a gloved hand and laughed when she sighed, tiny fingers working at the straps to pull it off enough to shake his hand. “Of course, silly. Always. An’ I don’t have cooties.”
--
“No way, Kairi,” Sora grinned, ducking down and avoiding the slender hands of the girl. “You are so not putting a chain of flowers on me. “H-hey! Ack, Riku, help!”
Riku sat against a tree, watching as Sora darted away from a snickering Kairi, holding his play sword in front of him as if it would ward off the danger of daisies and whatever that other girly flower was. He watched them play, laughing and joking around, acting like best friends, and he couldn’t halt the jealousy that rose up in him like a roll of sickness that made his stomach turn. He would never admit that he was jealous of the girl, but ever since she had entered their lives three years ago, Sora had been the one spending more and more time with Kairi, and Riku had spent more and more time on his own- if the brunet wanted to spend more time with her, then that was fine. He would give them the room and the time alone.
They had given up fighting each other; now Sora was showing her how to swing the sword like they did, grinning as she dropped it and picking it back up for her. He had taught Sora how to do that and it was only a small, small comfort, really. At the ringing sound of more laughter, Riku moved back, making his way to the Secret Place and away from the two.
-
Sprawled out on his bed, Riku scowled up at the ceiling as if it would answer all of his questions, or as if it was at the very least, the source of all of his problems. The dim glow of the glow-in-the-dark stars he and Sora had pasted all over his ceiling didn’t make him feel any sort of better, but if he blurred his eyes, the lights were almost dizzying and it made him forget his problems for at least a little while. He remembered when he and Sora would just lay on his bed and give imaginary names to all of the stars, making up the people who might have lived there, all just to pass the time. Distantly, he wondered if he was doing that with Kairi now.
Closing his eyes, he could still see the glow vaguely and he was content to just lay there- up until he heard footsteps outside his door and then the slow creak of it opening. Cracking one eye open, he closed it as soon as he saw that it was Kairi outlined in the doorway. “What do you want?” he muttered, throwing an arm over his eyes and hoping she would just leave and go back to Sora.
“…You made Sora really upset,” she said softly, making her way over to his bed and staring down at him with lilac eyes. “He thinks that you hate him.” There was a pause and she cocked her head, her voice and expression sad and quiet. “I think that it’s because you hate me.”
Riku’s eyes shot open at that, and he pushed himself up to regard the little girl in front of him. She was a tiny thing; eight years old to his nine (almost ten) and by far one of the youngest on the Islands. Kairi was a nice person; she tried to be kind and helpful and friends with everyone- just like…Sora. “I don’t hate you,” he finally admitted, crossing his arms and refusing to look at her. “But you two’re spendin’ so much time with each other that-”
“We’re spending so much time together ‘cause Sora thinks that you hate him!” Kairi crossed her arms and glared at him. “He said that you prob’ly thought that you were too cool to play with us anymore and-”
“…He-he said that?” Riku paused, biting his bottom lip and pushing himself up so he was standing. “Where’s he at?”
Kairi offered him a bright smile, taking his larger hand in her own and tugging him toward the door of his room. “On the beach. I told him you’d come, but he didn’t believe me and I was right come on!”
Blinking at the rush of words, he nodded absently and followed her out the door and down the stairs. Easily keeping up with her trotting, he made sure not to leave her behind, and when she tripped, he caught her by the arm and offered her a small smile. Keeping on, they made all the way to the beach, where even in the dim light he could see Sora sprawled out on the sand, pointing his toy sword up at the stars. Kairi pulled him once and then let go, scrambling over to Sora as Riku lagged behind, unsure. “Sora- Sora look, I told you that he’d come!” she pounced on the brunet boy, grinning up at Riku who couldn’t help but smile back. “Everything’s okay now that we’re together, right?”
Sora got to his feet, Kairi’s hand still in his as she reached and took Riku’s hand too. “Yeah. Yeah everything’s alright as long as we’re together.”
-
"Ri, sweetie, come on, breakfast is going to get cold if you don't hurry up," Yasu called up the stairs, laughing as she heard him yell something back in acknowledgement, followed by quick, awkward, thundering footsteps as he rushed down the hallway to the top of the stairs, waving at her. "Took you long enough, did you get lost?"
"Ha-ha, mom, very funny. Watch this, though, okay? If I hold my book bag like this," Riku slipped his arms though the holes so the book bag was on backwards, straddling the large wooden banister with a wide grin. "Ready?"
He was going to kill himself, of that she was sure. Every day he seemed to be trying more stunts and if her hair wasn't silver already she was sure that it would be totally by this point, regardless of what color it was before. "Riku, you're going to kill yourself one of these days and I'm willing to bet that little boy bits don't wash out of the carpet easily." That remark earned her a dirty look from the pre-teen, and then he pushed himself down with a rush of excited laughter, vaulting himself off at just the right moment so that he landed perfectly, arms spread with a final flourish. "Good gods, you insane little boy, you see this? I'm getting gray hair because of your suicidal antics."
Riku rolled his eyes, tugging at his own silver locks once- what did she think he was, stupid? And seriously, again with the over-dramatic lectures? Please, he was twelve, not two. "One, silver already. So that excuse doesn't work anymore on me. Two, did you see that? I was like, "fwoosh" and I landed it flawlessly and-" The rush of words tapered off slowly as aquamarine eyes flickered over the open floor of their living room, listening for another voice that he knew he probably wouldn’t hear.
Yasu seemed to realize what he was listening for and with a heavy sigh; she reached out and tugged on a small amount of his silver hair. “He got called away at midnight along with Kairi’s dad to one of the other islands because a storm hit and they needed some extra help. I don’t know when he’ll be back. He wanted to be here, sweetie, he stayed up all night wrapping presents and planned on being here but things just came up. Come on, we’ll go look on the table and you can open your presents before you go off to school if you’d like. There’s even cake for breakfast but we won’t tell anyone we ate it.” Yasu ruffled her son’s hair and together they headed for the kitchen, Riku sighing quietly.
--
A birthday on the first day of school wasn’t exactly something that Riku liked, but at the same time it did tend to make the whole ordeal a little more bearable. Thankfully, the school was on the mainland where he lived, so all he had to do was walk to the main road, where every year he would meet with Sora and Kairi and their parents too, to wish them a good year at school. Sometimes the other kids would be there- Tidus sometimes dragged Selphie with him to say hello, though it was rare.
“Ri, are you sure that you don’t want to open at least one of the presents before your father gets home? He would want you to at least…” Yasu trailed off, seeing her son shake his head with a smile she was pretty sure was faked. Spooning the last bit of miso soup in her mouth, she propped her chin up and regarded her son with a serious expression. “If you’re sure… How about you have over Sora and Kairi early, before the actual party tonight? We can open a few of your presents then?”
Nodding, Riku stuffed the last bit of rice into his mouth and gulped down the rest of his water a moment after. “’kay.”
Grabbing his backpack, she tossed it to him and reached out to ruffle his hair. “All right then, off we go. Do you have everything? Books, notebooks, pens, pencils, agenda, ruler-“
Riku rolled his eyes, getting in to the passenger side and opening up his bookbag. “All of my books, four notebooks each with different colors for the subjects, pens that are black, red, and blue. Pencils and the agenda. Blue ruler. Bookmarks. I’ve got everything, mom, I’m fine, I promise.”
Nodding, she poked him. “I’m allowed to worry and make sure you have everything, it’s part of being a mom.” With a smile, she started off to the door. “Alright, off we go.”
--
“Mom. Mom. Mom, I’m fine, I promise. I love you too, but-” Riku squirmed away with a halfhearted push, hiding his grin behind a serious look. “Ugh! Mom, the other kids are gonna stare at me."
Kairi grinned, her hand still in her mother’s as she watched both boys try to fend off their own mothers before school. Sora was making a face like he was being killed as his mother brushed her fingers through his messy mop of spiky hair, pressing a kiss to his forehead finally.
“Mom, we’re going to be late!” Sora groaned, relived when she let him go so he could go stand with Kairi. “Okay, okay, okay, okay, can we go yet?”
Kairi’s mother started laughing, turning her attention to an eye-rolling Riku as he stood there. “Please, can we go?”
“Oh no, poor you, what if everyone knows I love you,” Yasu teased, releasing Riku with a final hug and kiss to his forehead. “Look, Sora and Kairi’s parents are doing the same and they haven’t died-”
“Yet!”
She mock-glared at him. “Have fun on your first day and I’ll see you this afternoon.”
“Yeah, love you too, seeyoubye!” Riku pulled away completely and with a final wave he headed to the entrance where other parents were bidding their children a goodbye and good luck.
Hiking up his backpack, Sora sighed heavily. “You’d think that we’re three they way they’re acting,” he said with a dramatic groan. Then, eyes brightening, he grabbed Riku’s hand at the same time as Kairi, nudging him. “And then there’s you who’s twelve. Happy birthday!”
Kairi echoed him, a bright smile on her face. “Mother said that we could give you your presents tonight and that your mom invited us over before the party.”
“Yeah, she said that to me too.” Riku kicked up sand as he walked, trying not to think about his dad being gone so frequently. By the time that they reached the school, however, he had totally forgotten about the morning before as he talked with the other kids on the island, grinning at the wishes of a happy birthday and the like.
-
“Happy biiiirthday to youuuu!”
Sora and Kairi grinned at the group of people, leaning forward and blowing out the mass of candles for their combined birthday cake; half of it was blue and red, the other half white and purple, a mismatched castle made of cake and multicolored frosting. Swirling candles decorated both sides of the castle, twelve on both for both of them- a year before they’re all grown-up and teenagers. Presents were exchanged between the parents, and while the kids went off to play on the beach, their own gift-giving went on.
To Sora, both Riku and Kairi gave a hastily wrapped present. Grinning, he held it up and shook it; it jingled and clinked promisingly. Hastily, he stuck his fingers under the edges and then tore the paper, holding up a silver crown necklace, the sunlight bouncing off of it in a dazzling spray of brightness. “It’s so cool,” he breathed, fingers fumbling to unclasp it and put it around his neck. After the third attempt, Riku took the necklace from him and helped him do it, patting his head when he was done.
Kairi’s present came next, presented by both boys who looked everywhere but where she was standing, waiting for her to open it up. Inside lay a simple silver chain with a pearlescent shell on it, tiny silver beads adorning the sides. Giggling, she turned to both boys, hugging them tightly and pressing kisses to both of their cheeks, her smile widening at how both of them blushed and then made faces as they tried to wipe the kisses away. “Thanks, guys. I’ll keep it on forever and ever.”
A vague smile played on Riku’s lips at the promise. They didn’t have forever, he knew. It was something childish that they clung to, but no, they didn’t have it. And even if they did, would they really want to spend the rest of their lives on this tiny island? Could they be happy with that, really? He ruffled their hair and then turned his attention to the beach. “Do you guys ever think that there’s something else out there?” he asked quietly, a small smile curling his lips when Kairi intertwined their arms and bounced a little on the balls of her feet. “I mean- Kairi, you came from-”
“It doesn’t matter where I came from,” Kairi interrupted softly, smiling warmly when Sora gripped her hand tightly in his larger one. “I like it just fine here. I wouldn’t mind traveling, though.”
“…Let’s make a boat. To leave here and see other places.” Riku turned around, a broad smile on his face. Both Kairi and Sora nodded, the thrill of excitement from the idea of leaving the Islands, making them both giddy. Besides, what was the harm? They would see new things, get to somewhere that had adventure, and they would be together; they were best friends, and there was nothing that would ever make them forget each other.
RATING: K+/PG
SUMMARY: Growing up isn't easy, Sora finds. It's full of cooties, scraped knees, Kairi not really being a mermaid and Riku just...being himself. But, he thinks, as long as they're together it doesn't matter.
FANDOM: Kingdom Hearts
OTHER: Riku’s parents - Katashi & Yasu
For Kairi’s parents, Shinju is her mother and Nori Yamadera is her father.
Sora’s parents are Natsuko for the mother and Yuudai Ohira for the dad.
This is part of the Music Box series.
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 | ??????
00
“What are those, Riku?” Sora breathed, clasping Riku’s hand tightly, staring up as the sky exploded and rained down light.
Riku tilted his head up a little more, trying to make sure that he didn’t miss a single flicker of sparks. “They’re shooting stars,” he said quietly, as if any louder would make the sky fall down on them in pretty, fractured pieces. “Momma says that every time that something like this happens, something better happens later.”
Tilting his head to the side with all the curiosity of a small child, Sora moved a little closer and turned back to the sky. “Like what?” he asked finally.
Riku’s eyes were glowing with the brilliant flares as he spoke. “S’what you find out.”
-
Riku glanced around the beach, eyes scanning for a proper hiding spot and grinning when he found it- a patch of mossy rocks half in the water, half out, with the tide steadily rising. Turning back and making sure that Sora was nowhere to be found, he waded into the water, pushing his way through waves and seaweed, his foot getting caught on a piece but easily falling away with a shake of his leg. Sora would never find him all the way out here- he’d never expect it.
Grinning, the boy swam out to the mass of slimy green rocks, hoping his mother wouldn’t kill him for getting all dirty yet again.
“Riiiiku!”
Jerking in shock at Sora having caught up to him so fast, Riku scrambled over the rocks, his toes finding purchase in a dry spot as he skidded over the edge and hid, eyes closed and waiting for Sora to give up.
“Riku! I know you’re out thereeee.”
Snorting with amusement, Riku shifted and tried to find a place where he could sit, opening his eyes and catching sight of an odd looking, pale starfish or creature of some sort. Curious, he gripped a rock carefully, toeing around the area to make sure it wasn’t too slippery, and then letting himself slide down to a half-tide pool, gasping at what he found. It wasn’t a fish at all- it was a body.
“Sora! Sora, come here!” Riku hollered, as loud as he possibly could while fighting to get down to where he could see pale skin and red hair. Distantly, he could hear Sora splashing closer, choosing to swim around the rocks rather than climb up them. Before Sora could blurt out a “found you!” (because he totally hadn’t- Riku’d just yelled where he was, so it didn’t count!) Riku pointed to the body and nudged it with his toes. “I think it’s dead.”
“Eww. Are you sure?” Sora swam up, taking the hand that Riku offered him and coming to stand next to the taller boy, looking down at the body. “I think it’s a girl. But she doesn’t live on our island, does she?”
Riku shook his head, sucking up the urge to wade away (because he really didn’t want to touch a dead body) and pushing the hair away from an equally pale face. “She’s a girl, but what’s she doing out here?’
Drawing in a sharp breath of excitement, Sora scrambled closer and squinted into the murky depths of the ocean. “Hrm.”
Giving the boy a weird look, Riku waited for Sora to stop making odd noises and tell him what he was thinking about. “…What?
“She’s a mermaid!” Sora proclaimed loudly, eyes bright with excitement. “Oh. Wait. She’s not dead, right? Is she breathing?” He nudged her hand with a little worry. “I bet she’d be all pruney if she had legs.”
“What?” Riku asked incredulously, sending the boy a weird look before giving up and tilting his head to the side, poking her again. She didn’t move, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t sleeping or acting like it. “I dunno how to check. It’s your mom that’s the doctor, not mine. Didn’t she teach you something?”
Sora shifted on his feet and tried to recall what his mother did when she was checking on a patient. She placed her fingers somewhere on the person’s neck and said that something was supposed to be beating there- really, the whole idea of someone’s neck moving on its own was kind of gross, but Sora wasn’t about to tell Riku he thought that.
Placing his fingers on her neck, he poked it gingerly and hoped Riku didn’t notice he had no idea what he was doing. Moving her head to the side, Sora yelped when the girl shuddered suddenly, coughing and drawing in a stuttering breath, hardly moving but definitely alive. “Sora, go get your mother or someone out here, we can’t bring her back to shore alone ‘cause we can’t carry her or we’ll drown.” Riku ordered briskly, biting his bottom lip as he noticed that the tide was rising quicker than he realized and if they weren’t quick she would drown. Nodding fiercely, Sora leapt off the edge, swimming back to shore and leaving Riku to try and drag the girl up onto the rocks from where she was slipping back into the water. She had legs, he noted with a vaguely amused noise; Sora would be disappointed.
Tugging her up, he let out a word that he learned from his father but his mother would wash his mouth out with soap if she ever heard him say, as his foot caught. Yelping, he slipped on the slippery rocks, falling hard with the wind knocked out of him. There was a nasty scrape on his leg now and his entire foot was throbbing- he’d probably twisted his ankle. Trying to push it out of his head, he attempted to find a dry spot on the rocks, shivering himself at how cold her skin was- how long had she been in the water, anyway? Was she even breathing still?
As if to answer his thoughts, the girl coughed and shivered, curling up against him, coughs wracking her body and making Riku bite his lip with worry. “Hey, hey are you awake?”
The girl tilted her head up, still pale, her eyes glassy, but at least she was alive. Another shiver and he quickly worked on unzipping his big outer shirt, keeping on the blue and yellow shirt he had on underneath. Wrapping it around her awkwardly, he waited for help to come. The sun was warm on top of the rocks and he could feel that they were warming up slightly, but from the way her skin was heating up almost too much, he guessed that she had a fever. “Hey- you gotta stay awake, ‘kay? Sora’s comin’ with help.” He nudged her hair out of her eyes and shifted them more into the sun. “C’mon, you can’t be sick or they’ll make you drink Sora’s momma’s medicine and it’s gross.”
Blinking pretty violet eyes, she nodded, coughing again and tangling her fingers in his overshirt. In the distance he could see familiar figures making their way closer, the tall, more than welcome forms of Sora’s parents and Riku’s own father coming over- it was all too relieving. Within minutes, Sora’s father had waded through the water and was helping him get the half-awake girl off of the rocks. Riku’s father let out a low whistle at the cut, helping him off of the rocks and taking him back to shore. A crude bandage was wrapped around his leg for the moment, just to stop the bleeding, while Sora’s mother whispered to the little girl, wrapping her in blankets and checking her temperature.
Sora was clinging to his father’s pants, his eyes big and blue in his slightly pale, worried face, wincing at the blood on the sand. The girl was swept up in Sora’s mother’s arms, the older woman speaking in low tones with her husband while Sora made his way over to Riku and toed the sand. “Are you…gonna be okay?” Sora asked quietly, relieved when Riku got to his feet and only grimaced at the pain. Riku’s father patted the brunet on the back, offering a smile.
“He’ll be fine, just a scrape and a twisted ankle. You two need to avoid those rocks out there, okay? You should know that they’re slippery, especially when the tide is coming in.” The man ruffled both boys’ hair and made to pick up his son, only to have Riku pull away with a shake of his head. “It is a miracle that you found her though.”
“I can walk, dad, it’s okay.” Riku said as strongly as he could, because he didn’t want to be treated like a little kid. He’d gotten himself into the mess and he could get himself to his house without having to be carried like a baby.
His father laughed quietly, nodding and starting off, walking slowly enough where he could keep an eye on the boys. Riku was extremely proud, even for his age and he could understand that.
Sora was watching Riku carefully, the silver-haired boy gingerly putting weight on his foot and taking his steps slowly and lightly. “…Hey,” Sora said quietly, placing a hand on Riku’s shoulder. “I can help you so you’re not bein’ carried.”
Riku made a face, but after his leg throbbed painfully, he nodded, wrapping his arm around Sora’s shoulders as Sora slid an arm around his waist and then they were off. The older boy snorted quietly when Sora whispered, “We look like a weird circus.”
“You’re the weird one.”
-
It was slightly crowded in the spare bedroom that Sora’s mother had set aside for guests, what with Riku, Sora, the new girl, and both sets of parents. Sora was perched on the edge of Riku’s bed, holding the bandages and the anesthetic wincing every time another bloodied, dirty cloth was thrown into the trash can. “Sora.” Riku poked the brunet and forced a smile on his face. “It’s lookin’ worse than it actually is. Stop looking like my leg is gone, ‘kay?”
Sora muttered something under his breath, pouting and crossing his arms but thankfully saying nothing more on the subject.
The girl was soundly sleeping now, cheeks pink with fever but with medicine and hot tea in her system at least, and Sora’s mother assured both boys that she would be fine with lots of sleep and a decent meal. Riku was given a cup of tea as well and ordered to drink it down; making a face, he had done so, knowing that it was pain-killing medicine that was worth it in the end if he just forced it down.
Sleepy, warm and in a comfortable bed, Riku snuggled against the pillow and felt Sora do the same, just like they did when they were sleeping over at each other’s houses.
-
“But the question is; how did she even get here?” Yasu questioned, releasing her brunette hair from its bun. Her husband slid an arm around her, both sets of parents in the living room as they discussed the newcomer. “She can’t have come from another island- but that doesn’t explain how she just washed up on shore.”
Riku’s mother shrugged; she was just as confused as the rest of them. After an hour of simply talking, it was decided to go to the mayor and see what was recommended there. It was hardly surprising that both the mayor and his wife immediately offered to take the child in- they didn’t have one of their own and it would be perfect for both sides. All they had to do was wait for her to wake up.
-
The girl woke up nearly an hour later, curled up in blankets, delightfully warm, and distantly she could smell soup and the mouthwatering aroma of fresh bread. Slowly, she pushed the covers away and looked around the pastel blue room, little homey touches making it welcoming even with its unfamiliarity. Only a few feet away she could see two lumps on the bed beside her own; a spiky brunet head peeking out from under the covers, along with a tanned leg hanging over the edge of the bed. Looking around, she drew the covers further around herself and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Briefly, she wondered if she should get out of bed and find out where she was, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she had no idea if this was home or not. She…she couldn’t remember.
“Hello, darling,” a smooth voice said, drawing her out of her slightly panicky thoughts. A slender brunet woman wandered in holding a tray of food and drinks, using her foot to draw the small bedside table to the space between the beds and setting it between them. “You look like you’re feeling better- are you?”
She opened her mouth to speak, only to find that her throat was too scratchy and her mouth was too dry to manage anything other than a croak. The woman made a sympathetic noise, and poured a cup of juice, holding it out to the redhead. Draining it quickly, she curled her legs up under herself, relieved when she found she was able to talk. “Better, yes. Thank you…” Licking her chapped lips, she whispered another thank you as her cup was refilled. “…Where…where am I?”
“Destiny Islands. You were washed up on the rocks in the ocean- the boys over there found you. Do you remember where you’re from?”
Slowly, she shook her head, trying desperately to remember anything about before she woke up only to find her mind blank. “N-no,” she mumbled, feeling her eyes prick with tears. She was in an unfamiliar place, couldn’t remember where she was from and worst of all, knew no one. “I’m sorry.”
The woman shook her head, coming to sit by her on the bed and taking the cup of juice from a trembling hand. “No, no, sweetness, don’t worry about it. It’s okay, you’re safe here. It’s okay if you don’t remember, alright? Do you remember your name?”
Thinking as hard as she could, she nodded slowly. “Kairi. I-I don’t know my last name. I don’t know if I have one.”
From the other bed, there was a rustle of sheets and then Sora sat up, eyes wide and hair wild as he leaned over and shook Riku with excitement. “She’s awake, she’s awake, get uuuup, Riku.”
Kairi drew the covers around herself a little more, shy and nervous around the new people. Thankfully, the woman seemed to understand. “Sora, Riku, this is Kairi. Kairi, Sora and Riku; they’re the ones who found you. Sora is my son- Riku’s parents are out in the living room.” She offered the girl a warm smile.
“It’s…it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Kairi returned unsurely, blinking when the brunet boy slid out of bed and squinted at her, hands on his hips.
“You sure you’re not a mermaid? You don’t talk like u- ow!” Sora yelped, cut off by his mother taking a pillow and smacking him with it, effectively shutting him up. “I’m just sayin’ that she could be a mermaid! Right, Riku?”
Riku sent the younger boy a dry look. “No; she’s got legs, Sora. Not a mermaid.”
Sora scowled at the older boy, but it quickly morphed into a smile as he held out a hand for the shy girl to take. “I’m Sora, remember?”
Slightly taken aback by his outgoing personality, she shook his hand and distantly thought that no, she would never forget someone like him.
----
“Sora? Sora!”
Blue eyes wide with panic, the brunet in question whirled around, searching for a place to hide before Kairi found him. Worrying his bottom lip, he glanced to the right and then to the left, trying to find somewhere that he could hide, somewhere that wasn’t too obvious and that she wouldn’t think of. Houses, trees, more houses, but all of it was too open for him to even think about hiding there, which didn’t leave him many other choices. There! The wooden steps that led up and down to the secondary wall and set of houses had a small space underneath that couldn’t be seen easily; he could hide there. Darting in there as quickly as he could, the brunet curled into a ball and listened intently for any sign of her coming.
“Sora?”
Clapping a hand to his mouth, he stopped himself from gasping out while the footsteps came dangerously close. Something touched the back of his neck, tickling him annoyingly. He reached a hand out and brushed it absently only to come back with a fuzzy, forty-million-legged, vicious, black spider clinging to his hand. Oh m- “Aghhh!” Sora’s voice cracked and without a single thought about the redhead who was still searching for him, he scrambled out of the hiding place, dancing about and swinging his hands to try and hurl the spider away. The spider was flung to the ground and the boy nearly tripped over his huge shoes as he rushed forward to stomp on it with as much force as possible, all the while shuddering and wiping his hands on his shorts. Gross, that thing hand crawled on him and ick.
“…Sora? What happened?” Kairi asked, her head tilted to the side with confusion as he continued jumping on the same spot of ground while waving his hands around. “What are you doing?”
“Grossgrossgross- Kairi!” He jumped and scrambled back, avoiding the hand that she offered him, staring distrustfully at it as if she were diseased. ‘Don’t touch me!”
Confusion contorted her pretty face as she stared at him. “What? Why? Sora, stop being so weird.”
Guilt flooded him, but it was something that had to be done! “Sorry, Kai, but I don’t want to die or have my fingers shrivel up and fall off.” Sora stated, backing away from her slowly, keeping his hands behind his back in case she reached out again.
“…I- what? I don’t want that to happen either,” she said slowly, tilting her head to the side with confusion. “But how will me touching you make you die? I’m not sick!”
Oh geez, she was going to start crying again, Sora realized with growing alarm and dismay. “K-Kairi, I’m sorry! Jin said that girls- they have cooties and boys can’t touch them till they’re twenty and old! So…” he backed away, still shivering from the after effects of the spider crawling on him. “I’ll go talk to you when I’m twenty, okay? An’ then-”
Disbelief was clear on her face as she huffed with annoyance and hurt. “Jin told you that? He’s stupid and even my momma says that you can’t believe a thing that he says! Look, I don’t have cooties,” she reached out once more only to have Sora gasp, jerk away so hard that he nearly fell over and then take off running past and around people. His house would be safe from her, all he had to do was lock the door.
Scrambling past a dog he winced at the angered “woof” and hoped it wouldn’t chase him.
Distantly, he could hear Kairi calling for him to stop and come back, but he didn’t listen, barreling on as quickly as possible, relieved when he saw his house over the crest of the hill he was making his way up. An extra bust of speed- though, he wouldn’t need it as Kairi was never as good at running as he was- and he was over the fence and into the yard. Almost there! He fumbled with the door, making a strangled noise of fear (much like a panicked animal would make at its impending doom) and tried to block out the sounds of the redhead.
The moment the door was open he shot in and slammed it behind him, locking it and then barreling past his mother without an explanation. Up the stairs, to the right, and into his room. Shutting and locking that door too came next, as well as putting a chair up against it and then moving to work on the windows. Sora had snuck out of his room enough times and Kairi had snuck in enough for both to know that his window was easily accessible.
Tape was the only thing that he could find which might stop her from coming in, so with sloppy moves he taped up his window in crisscrossing moves, nodding to himself when he was finished. Was it possible to live by simply running downstairs and grabbing something once a day? All he would have to do is stay in his room for what would be about nine years- they would be twenty then and then the cooties would be gone. Maybe he could get his mother to install a mini-door so that she could slip him food and water and Christmas presents and birthday presents and-
“Sora!”
Shrieking in a decidedly not-manly way, he stumbled over one of his toys and fell flat on his back with a gasp of pain.
“Sora! Sora, open this door and get out here and explain why Kairi is downstairs crying about you being scared of her!”
…Uh-oh. He knew that tone; she was serious now. Groaning, the boy pushed himself up, rubbing his back absently. “Coming, Mom.” Sora sighed heavily, glancing around and snatching his fingerless gloves from a tabletop, staring at the window to freedom and no cooties longingly.
-
He was doomed. It was simple as that, he was just plain doomed. What had he been thinking, going to his house first? Of course his mom would take Kairi’s side, she was a girl and she’d had cooties at one time too! Sure that he was heading to his execution, he shuffled down the stairs and into the living room, where he could hear Kairi sniffling and hiccupping. Teary purple eyes met his, and with another heavy sigh he moved forward. “M’sorry,” he murmured, scuffing one large yellow shoe-clad foot against the wooden floors. “…you don’t really have cooties, do you?”
Blowing her nose, she shook her head. “Stupid. If I did, you would have gotten them already,” she crossed her arms, indignant now. “And Jin told you! Everyone knows he’s dumb as Wakka’s blitzball!”
“I…I’m sorry. I’m stupid.” Flushing with embarrassment, Sora nodded. Everyone did know that Jin was an idiot and secretly, Kairi and Sora had figured that even Jin’s parents knew but wouldn’t ever tell him. From the doorway leading to the kitchen there was a badly muffled laugh; Sora’s mother covered her mouth to keep any more away. “So yeah…friends?”
Sora reached out a gloved hand and laughed when she sighed, tiny fingers working at the straps to pull it off enough to shake his hand. “Of course, silly. Always. An’ I don’t have cooties.”
--
“No way, Kairi,” Sora grinned, ducking down and avoiding the slender hands of the girl. “You are so not putting a chain of flowers on me. “H-hey! Ack, Riku, help!”
Riku sat against a tree, watching as Sora darted away from a snickering Kairi, holding his play sword in front of him as if it would ward off the danger of daisies and whatever that other girly flower was. He watched them play, laughing and joking around, acting like best friends, and he couldn’t halt the jealousy that rose up in him like a roll of sickness that made his stomach turn. He would never admit that he was jealous of the girl, but ever since she had entered their lives three years ago, Sora had been the one spending more and more time with Kairi, and Riku had spent more and more time on his own- if the brunet wanted to spend more time with her, then that was fine. He would give them the room and the time alone.
They had given up fighting each other; now Sora was showing her how to swing the sword like they did, grinning as she dropped it and picking it back up for her. He had taught Sora how to do that and it was only a small, small comfort, really. At the ringing sound of more laughter, Riku moved back, making his way to the Secret Place and away from the two.
-
Sprawled out on his bed, Riku scowled up at the ceiling as if it would answer all of his questions, or as if it was at the very least, the source of all of his problems. The dim glow of the glow-in-the-dark stars he and Sora had pasted all over his ceiling didn’t make him feel any sort of better, but if he blurred his eyes, the lights were almost dizzying and it made him forget his problems for at least a little while. He remembered when he and Sora would just lay on his bed and give imaginary names to all of the stars, making up the people who might have lived there, all just to pass the time. Distantly, he wondered if he was doing that with Kairi now.
Closing his eyes, he could still see the glow vaguely and he was content to just lay there- up until he heard footsteps outside his door and then the slow creak of it opening. Cracking one eye open, he closed it as soon as he saw that it was Kairi outlined in the doorway. “What do you want?” he muttered, throwing an arm over his eyes and hoping she would just leave and go back to Sora.
“…You made Sora really upset,” she said softly, making her way over to his bed and staring down at him with lilac eyes. “He thinks that you hate him.” There was a pause and she cocked her head, her voice and expression sad and quiet. “I think that it’s because you hate me.”
Riku’s eyes shot open at that, and he pushed himself up to regard the little girl in front of him. She was a tiny thing; eight years old to his nine (almost ten) and by far one of the youngest on the Islands. Kairi was a nice person; she tried to be kind and helpful and friends with everyone- just like…Sora. “I don’t hate you,” he finally admitted, crossing his arms and refusing to look at her. “But you two’re spendin’ so much time with each other that-”
“We’re spending so much time together ‘cause Sora thinks that you hate him!” Kairi crossed her arms and glared at him. “He said that you prob’ly thought that you were too cool to play with us anymore and-”
“…He-he said that?” Riku paused, biting his bottom lip and pushing himself up so he was standing. “Where’s he at?”
Kairi offered him a bright smile, taking his larger hand in her own and tugging him toward the door of his room. “On the beach. I told him you’d come, but he didn’t believe me and I was right come on!”
Blinking at the rush of words, he nodded absently and followed her out the door and down the stairs. Easily keeping up with her trotting, he made sure not to leave her behind, and when she tripped, he caught her by the arm and offered her a small smile. Keeping on, they made all the way to the beach, where even in the dim light he could see Sora sprawled out on the sand, pointing his toy sword up at the stars. Kairi pulled him once and then let go, scrambling over to Sora as Riku lagged behind, unsure. “Sora- Sora look, I told you that he’d come!” she pounced on the brunet boy, grinning up at Riku who couldn’t help but smile back. “Everything’s okay now that we’re together, right?”
Sora got to his feet, Kairi’s hand still in his as she reached and took Riku’s hand too. “Yeah. Yeah everything’s alright as long as we’re together.”
-
"Ri, sweetie, come on, breakfast is going to get cold if you don't hurry up," Yasu called up the stairs, laughing as she heard him yell something back in acknowledgement, followed by quick, awkward, thundering footsteps as he rushed down the hallway to the top of the stairs, waving at her. "Took you long enough, did you get lost?"
"Ha-ha, mom, very funny. Watch this, though, okay? If I hold my book bag like this," Riku slipped his arms though the holes so the book bag was on backwards, straddling the large wooden banister with a wide grin. "Ready?"
He was going to kill himself, of that she was sure. Every day he seemed to be trying more stunts and if her hair wasn't silver already she was sure that it would be totally by this point, regardless of what color it was before. "Riku, you're going to kill yourself one of these days and I'm willing to bet that little boy bits don't wash out of the carpet easily." That remark earned her a dirty look from the pre-teen, and then he pushed himself down with a rush of excited laughter, vaulting himself off at just the right moment so that he landed perfectly, arms spread with a final flourish. "Good gods, you insane little boy, you see this? I'm getting gray hair because of your suicidal antics."
Riku rolled his eyes, tugging at his own silver locks once- what did she think he was, stupid? And seriously, again with the over-dramatic lectures? Please, he was twelve, not two. "One, silver already. So that excuse doesn't work anymore on me. Two, did you see that? I was like, "fwoosh" and I landed it flawlessly and-" The rush of words tapered off slowly as aquamarine eyes flickered over the open floor of their living room, listening for another voice that he knew he probably wouldn’t hear.
Yasu seemed to realize what he was listening for and with a heavy sigh; she reached out and tugged on a small amount of his silver hair. “He got called away at midnight along with Kairi’s dad to one of the other islands because a storm hit and they needed some extra help. I don’t know when he’ll be back. He wanted to be here, sweetie, he stayed up all night wrapping presents and planned on being here but things just came up. Come on, we’ll go look on the table and you can open your presents before you go off to school if you’d like. There’s even cake for breakfast but we won’t tell anyone we ate it.” Yasu ruffled her son’s hair and together they headed for the kitchen, Riku sighing quietly.
--
A birthday on the first day of school wasn’t exactly something that Riku liked, but at the same time it did tend to make the whole ordeal a little more bearable. Thankfully, the school was on the mainland where he lived, so all he had to do was walk to the main road, where every year he would meet with Sora and Kairi and their parents too, to wish them a good year at school. Sometimes the other kids would be there- Tidus sometimes dragged Selphie with him to say hello, though it was rare.
“Ri, are you sure that you don’t want to open at least one of the presents before your father gets home? He would want you to at least…” Yasu trailed off, seeing her son shake his head with a smile she was pretty sure was faked. Spooning the last bit of miso soup in her mouth, she propped her chin up and regarded her son with a serious expression. “If you’re sure… How about you have over Sora and Kairi early, before the actual party tonight? We can open a few of your presents then?”
Nodding, Riku stuffed the last bit of rice into his mouth and gulped down the rest of his water a moment after. “’kay.”
Grabbing his backpack, she tossed it to him and reached out to ruffle his hair. “All right then, off we go. Do you have everything? Books, notebooks, pens, pencils, agenda, ruler-“
Riku rolled his eyes, getting in to the passenger side and opening up his bookbag. “All of my books, four notebooks each with different colors for the subjects, pens that are black, red, and blue. Pencils and the agenda. Blue ruler. Bookmarks. I’ve got everything, mom, I’m fine, I promise.”
Nodding, she poked him. “I’m allowed to worry and make sure you have everything, it’s part of being a mom.” With a smile, she started off to the door. “Alright, off we go.”
--
“Mom. Mom. Mom, I’m fine, I promise. I love you too, but-” Riku squirmed away with a halfhearted push, hiding his grin behind a serious look. “Ugh! Mom, the other kids are gonna stare at me."
Kairi grinned, her hand still in her mother’s as she watched both boys try to fend off their own mothers before school. Sora was making a face like he was being killed as his mother brushed her fingers through his messy mop of spiky hair, pressing a kiss to his forehead finally.
“Mom, we’re going to be late!” Sora groaned, relived when she let him go so he could go stand with Kairi. “Okay, okay, okay, okay, can we go yet?”
Kairi’s mother started laughing, turning her attention to an eye-rolling Riku as he stood there. “Please, can we go?”
“Oh no, poor you, what if everyone knows I love you,” Yasu teased, releasing Riku with a final hug and kiss to his forehead. “Look, Sora and Kairi’s parents are doing the same and they haven’t died-”
“Yet!”
She mock-glared at him. “Have fun on your first day and I’ll see you this afternoon.”
“Yeah, love you too, seeyoubye!” Riku pulled away completely and with a final wave he headed to the entrance where other parents were bidding their children a goodbye and good luck.
Hiking up his backpack, Sora sighed heavily. “You’d think that we’re three they way they’re acting,” he said with a dramatic groan. Then, eyes brightening, he grabbed Riku’s hand at the same time as Kairi, nudging him. “And then there’s you who’s twelve. Happy birthday!”
Kairi echoed him, a bright smile on her face. “Mother said that we could give you your presents tonight and that your mom invited us over before the party.”
“Yeah, she said that to me too.” Riku kicked up sand as he walked, trying not to think about his dad being gone so frequently. By the time that they reached the school, however, he had totally forgotten about the morning before as he talked with the other kids on the island, grinning at the wishes of a happy birthday and the like.
-
“Happy biiiirthday to youuuu!”
Sora and Kairi grinned at the group of people, leaning forward and blowing out the mass of candles for their combined birthday cake; half of it was blue and red, the other half white and purple, a mismatched castle made of cake and multicolored frosting. Swirling candles decorated both sides of the castle, twelve on both for both of them- a year before they’re all grown-up and teenagers. Presents were exchanged between the parents, and while the kids went off to play on the beach, their own gift-giving went on.
To Sora, both Riku and Kairi gave a hastily wrapped present. Grinning, he held it up and shook it; it jingled and clinked promisingly. Hastily, he stuck his fingers under the edges and then tore the paper, holding up a silver crown necklace, the sunlight bouncing off of it in a dazzling spray of brightness. “It’s so cool,” he breathed, fingers fumbling to unclasp it and put it around his neck. After the third attempt, Riku took the necklace from him and helped him do it, patting his head when he was done.
Kairi’s present came next, presented by both boys who looked everywhere but where she was standing, waiting for her to open it up. Inside lay a simple silver chain with a pearlescent shell on it, tiny silver beads adorning the sides. Giggling, she turned to both boys, hugging them tightly and pressing kisses to both of their cheeks, her smile widening at how both of them blushed and then made faces as they tried to wipe the kisses away. “Thanks, guys. I’ll keep it on forever and ever.”
A vague smile played on Riku’s lips at the promise. They didn’t have forever, he knew. It was something childish that they clung to, but no, they didn’t have it. And even if they did, would they really want to spend the rest of their lives on this tiny island? Could they be happy with that, really? He ruffled their hair and then turned his attention to the beach. “Do you guys ever think that there’s something else out there?” he asked quietly, a small smile curling his lips when Kairi intertwined their arms and bounced a little on the balls of her feet. “I mean- Kairi, you came from-”
“It doesn’t matter where I came from,” Kairi interrupted softly, smiling warmly when Sora gripped her hand tightly in his larger one. “I like it just fine here. I wouldn’t mind traveling, though.”
“…Let’s make a boat. To leave here and see other places.” Riku turned around, a broad smile on his face. Both Kairi and Sora nodded, the thrill of excitement from the idea of leaving the Islands, making them both giddy. Besides, what was the harm? They would see new things, get to somewhere that had adventure, and they would be together; they were best friends, and there was nothing that would ever make them forget each other.