The stars were just beginning to blink awake above the island, but Kairi barely saw them. She sat at the base of the old paopu tree, head bowed low, her hands gripping the fabric of her skirt so tightly her knuckles had gone white. The world felt too big, too loud, too empty without Sora.

She sensed Riku approaching, but, she didn’t lift her head. She just spoke, her voice rough and hollow.

“Everyone keeps telling me to be patient. To be strong. To believe he’ll come back…” Her breath hitched, a shaky, broken sound. Kairi pressed her hands against her chest like she could hold herself together, but it wasn’t working.

“I’m tired, Riku.” Her words were almost a whisper now, choked and ragged. “I’m tired of pretending I’m okay. Tired of fighting for a tomorrow that feels like it’s slipping further away.” Finally, she lifted her head, and there was no hiding the devastation in her eyes — the way she shook, barely holding herself up.

“I don’t want to do this alone. I can’t,” she said, her voice breaking completely. “If you leave too… I don’t think I’ll survive it.” Without waiting, Kairi reached out — not with hope, not even with strength — but pure, desperate need. A silent, pleading request: stay.

❝ who said anything about a vacation, kid? folks in yer line of work dont have th' luxury t' just take things easy, sadly. ❞ he was well aware of just how important key wielders and their respective tasks were. he was also partially aware of some thing with this particular boy, on account of his composer and watching some encounters in passing (when it interested him).

❝ it ain' about being unsure. it's about learning t' jus' let some things be. fixating on one outcome makes you blind to other possibilities when you dont have th' whole picture. ❞ the ashen teens tone didnt phase him, nor did the skepticism. he was more than accustomed to it. he passes through the guard with ease; shrugging a bit as he went go pick up his to-go cup of coffee he'd brought with him.

❝ if you trust them t' figure it out- then you must be aware they trust you th' same an' to see th' things they don't. you've th' privilege t' see th' world from an angle they can't so close to th' light. you know how to protect yourself an' do right by them. you ought t' broaden yer horizons more rather than fearing staying on th' safe path. ❞ he takes a sip of his coffee for moment, smirking a bit with amusement.

The question tickles a devious giggle out of him.

❝ I'm not jealous of the girls. ❞

He knows the second he descends, he'll be vulnerable to attack.

Not a bad thing, mind you, being manhandled by an object of his affection(?). As long as Riku doesn't touch his hair or his phone (like that last time), everything else is fair game.

He gracefully floats himself down to level ground, unfurls his arms, and dumps his hands into his pockets. Fixing Riku with a smirk, he takes a couple steps forward.

"You're Riku, right? I heard you're serving a self imposed princess penance and I'd like to help by asking for your help."

@tenebrave @piousolus

Send in a ⭐️for a headcanon about our characters.

Riley has asked Aqua to reach her ballroom dancing despite having gleaned the knowledge previously, just so Aqua could teach her personally. For completely normal reasons. Subtle, you know.

(Given what little contact she's had with the rest of that crew, the bench isn't especially deep. So she's guilt-tripped Riku into backing her up -- well, okay, he's in charge of all the violence and most of the work, and by all accounts Aqua isn't lost this time, she's just taking some time on her own. From what little she understands, this backwards realm is essentially infinite, and finding her's as easy as a needle in a haystack. Would be! But synecdoche magic is one of the few Riley knows well - the small affects the big. So with this trinket of Aqua's in hand, finding her wasn’t nearly so difficult as some might think. Eat it, Yen Sid.

Turns out there's none of those little freak guys around -- it's just quiet. A ruined castle, floating in the midnight sea. They find Aqua sitting atop a crumbling tower roof, and preemptively Riley silences Riku's crack about princess charming with a look.

"Oh , come on, riku—if we get lost again, just admit it's your turn to ask for directions this time!"