the price of all that dreams and glitters

He was the chosen one.

Riku knew he was, otherwise the young man wouldn’t have appeared before him and handed him the power of the keyblade.

“...so long as you champion the ones you love.”

Now, Riku had the power, had the strength to protect all those that mattered to him.

(Had the power to protect Sora from the phantoms he saw in his dreams, ones that would swallow his friend whole and never give him back.)

He felt a bit bad that he couldn’t tell Sora about it, because Riku was sure that his friend would have been so ecstatic to know he had become like the heroes they read so much about. But the young man had told him that if he didn’t keep it a secret, the magic would wear off.

Riku didn’t want that. He didn’t want to lose the power to protect Sora.

So when he began to notice a rift forming between him and Sora, Riku figured that it was okay, no matter how much it pained him. For as long as he kept his power a secret, he could still protect Sora, even if he had to do so from a distance.

In the end, he was sure Sora would see past the secret and realize Riku was just trying to keep him safe, keep him from the maws of the creatures he dreamt about.

In the end...it would all be worth it.

For Sora, everything was worth it.

(Even if it hurt like hell.)

They’ll never tell you how hard it was to be a hero. With great power, came great sacrifice and solitude.

He was left to pick up the pieces left behind.

Sora wished that he could go back to the days when things were more simple, when he wasn’t constantly checking over his shoulder to see if another heartless or dusk or whatever it was after his life this time, lurking there, waiting for a moment to catch him by surprise.

(He wished he could stop imagining seeing Riku in everything. He didn’t want to believe Riku was gone, he just wanted to know that his friend was okay.)

He wanted to go back home, but it wouldn’t be the same without Riku. And, knowing Riku the way he did, he wouldn’t come home that easily.

So he pushed aside the homesickness that he felt, tried his best to keep his cheer up around Donald and Goofy—even though he knew he couldn’t fool them all that well—and did his best in putting together all the pieces.

(Sora wanted to sleep again. At least in his dreams, Riku would be there with him and he wouldn’t feel such a terrible aching in his heart.)

What was a hero without people? Nothing more than a fool that proudly placed themself in danger for something as stupid as “desire”.

He didn’t deserve to go home.

He had caused too much grief, too much pain to even think that he had a right to return back to the islands, return back to his friends.

(Return back to Sora. )

But, Riku knew Sora too well, and he knew that his dear—friend? Was that what Sora was to him? He didn’t know anymore, just the fact that his heart ached for the other—wouldn’t leave without him.

Riku tried to steer Sora back to the bigger picture, littering clues here and there, so that once he returned back to the islands, he could finally rest.

(And, maybe Riku also did it because he hoped that the nightmares would end once this was all over.)

Still… Riku wanted to reach out so badly whenever Sora was around. He wanted to hold him, to never let him go and tell him that he was sorry for everything he had done.

(He wanted so badly to tell Sora that he’d always be by his side, no matter the distance.)

But… he couldn’t. No matter how much he longed to be by his friend’s side again, to be near him and hear him laugh in relief… he knew he didn’t deserve it.

Heroes were but fools with nothing in their hearts but love, blinded by hope of a future that may never happen, no matter how hard they wished for it.