[The last few days have been a row of surreal events - liberating the tower and all that had followed that, coming back to confront Roxas and convincing Roxas to come with him rather than to fight, then returning to Hollow Bastion castle... Riku's already had one minor breakdown, when he had discovered that Highwind is still with him, that at least that one companion from the tower has not left his side.
For all that he feels almost mad and utterly separate from the worlds around him, a piece of the puzzle that was bent out of shape and now tries to fit and just can't... in Highwind he has proof. It's really all happened, the worlds had been destroyed and restored again and the only one aware of it in this set is himself. Nobody else knows about the two and a half years that have passed and they wouldn't either by just glancing at Riku - he is back in his original body now, just a little bit smaller and his hair a lot longer than he has taken to wearing it in the tower over the last year - but anyone who knows him a little better just might spot the differences, the shadows in his eyes, now visible that the blindfold is gone, the way his steps have lost the last traces of teenage slouch that had remained and there is absolutely no hiding that his fighting style has changed. He can't hide the year and a half he's been trained by Terra and he'd never want to anyways.
There is purpose in his step and there is purpose to his return to the forests of Twilight Town, he has left Roxas behind in Hollow Bastion so he can think about what he's been told, so that he can make a choice for himself (even if there are only bad choices for him to make probably, even if there really isn't any choice at all because they need Sora to awaken and they are running out of time) and so that Riku can reconnect to someone who needs to be told, who needs to know what had occurred.
Whom he needs to see to figure out what to do next, because Riku has messed up again, has changed everything by refusing to fight Roxas, had done so without planning ahead, and now it's like he's in free fall and without powers except that the worlds won't allow redoes, like the tower did. Oh, he really regrets not asking Naminé for the details of her universe now.
Because now all that's left is hoping he'll be able to find the King where he's last seen him.]
Your Majesty?
More than okay, pal! Just warning you that I may be slow for a bit!
[He'd decided to stay around Twilight Town for some time, since it had sounded like despite the cost that might come, he may have to fulfill his promise to Riku rather soon. Yet, the longer he sat on it, the more it bothered him. There were too many holes in this plan - something that didn't sit right despite there being "no other way" since they were running out of time.
But what's more, he should have seen it in the stars, like Master Yen Sid had taught him, had something happened to his friend. A twinkle, maybe an unexpected blink or fading out if the worst happened. Yet nothing did, and it made him start to wonder.
'Did he find who he was lookin' for? Or did-'
That's when he picked up the sound of grass crunching underneath feet and, realizing he'd crossed his arms as he contemplated things, quickly corrected himself as he spun around. After the last year, he'd gotten used to being on guard, but that voice--]
Riku?
[oh my gosh you're oka-
... The words die out when the mouse-king gets a better look at his longtime pal, squinting. Because pal, last time he saw you you were wearing a blindfold because your eyes couldn't lie.]
What happened? [His tail flicks a little, concern crossing his features.You look like you've lived through a few years, man.]
[Aqua's visit to Kauai was a fun-filled one. The Pelekais made sure the keybearer had a memorable visit, taking her to the beaches while Stitch taught her all about surfing, hula dancing, and the soulful tunes of the King. But nothing lasts forever and Aqua had to leave to go to the next world. Stitch was terribly saddened by this, already considering the blue-haired woman as part of their growing ohana. Upon Lilo's insistence, the little alien decided to prepare a few gifts that Aqua can take on her journey.
When he was finally ready, Stitch gently tugs Aqua's hand to get her attention, nudging it with his furry head.]
[...that's strange. It looks like a little horse but there's a few odd things about her. Like her hair and she's wearing a shirt like a human would. Kind of odd that those things are the bigger concern rather than the horn on her forehead.
The...unicorn is fast asleep and doesn't even have a clue that someone is nearby.]
[It might be better to not ask how he found a way to your world after that hell they went through in the Tower and finally went home. But suffice to say, this Judgement link did find a way to do it.
One of the first things he did upon arriving in Tokyo was actually get a change of clothes. And a haircut. Because that was a much needed thing. So despite his blue eyes, he actually blends in almost perfectly.
He's pretty much minding his own business atm, though he's wondering who it is on this world that he knows. It could really be anyone.]
[Oh, he doesn't just look like it... but they'll go into all of that in a moment or so. Probably.
For now Riku is just too busy dropping down to his knees once he's close enough, his relieve utterly visible as it sweeps most of his strength, most of his resolve to keep from breaking into pieces. He's made it out of the tower in much better condition than some others - he is not the same, but he has never lost sight of who he is, of who he's resolved to become. He's never lost sight of the most important things, even if he hasn't been always able to protect them the way he had wanted to. (The way he should have been able to.)
And yet there are no words to describe just how glad he is to see Mickey alive and well - he's known that he must be, Roxas is too after all, but Mickey is the first true friend of this reality he's seeing since his return. His lips twitch, he's smiling but there is something almost pained to it.]
That's... a very long story.
[So long that Riku doesn't even know where to start or how, even though he's come here with the very intention of telling Mickey, because now that he's actually right before his friend he's feeling uncertain, if he should, if it wouldn't be better to bear this alone. But no, he'll have to tell him some things - he needs his help and he needs to tell someone about it all, and if Riku has any choice then Mickey will always be the first he'll go to.]
[A common place, a common time, and listening to a glorious buffoon speak. Sigh. So much wasted potential, there... Xehanort really doesn't feel like squandering his time in such a fashion, he's heard it all before. Ganondorf is really something of a broken record that gets stuck on its outer ring until it gets the final word. There's better things to do, after all...
And thus he paces down the hall at his normal pace, hands clasped behind his back, pondering what he needed to take care of next.]
[Well, it wasn't like he was expecting it, having already having to dismiss the most major reason why he clung to his parents soon after spotting them for a brief period of time. No one remembered the Tower, no one was ever going to remember or know why he sometimes awoke with a start or had averse reactions to certain things. That was what that time had allotted them, in a time no one remembered...
However when he felt a slight tug, a vague notion of someone wanting to visit in the middle of the night, it almost seemed like a welcomed relief. Dreams of old familiar faces doing the craziest things and the stirrings of a strong bond were always kind, but the sudden nudge from Lucifer made him pause.
What-?
Were it not for knowing that face so well from what he normally treated as a terrible nightmare, he likely would not have noticed so well in the crowd. Thus when he sees him across the street, he takes the crosswalk quickly with the others in an attempt to catch up.]
[Sounds like every Tuesday in this place, to which Yu waves at the opportunity as he passes by for, you know, actually doing things and causing mayhem for the administration. Ganondorf being a broken record and suffering. Yep, sounded accurate.
Though as he went through his daily rounds, there was one face that he didn't expect.]
...Xehanort. [Welp. Sure is glad Alice is being particularly loud today.]
Well. There's someone he hadn't seen in quite some time. The timing is rather curious... but then again, listening in on the pedantic droning of the so-called "Council of Evil" was probably a popular pastime. He wasn't sure why, as it was quite dull. If people wanted to watch posturing they could just practice their diction in a mirror and have it be more useful.
He inclines his head politely at the familiar face. There's no point in being hostile.]
[That it was, and if only for proving that most of the villains in this helltower weren't even interested in acting on their idle threats. Seriously, he was almost missing the chaos that comes with the TV world. At least then he knew what to expect. Here? Not so much unless the word "game" was mentioned.
He nods back, not being remotely hostile, but linefacing all the same wait when was he ever not.]
It has. [Whether it was a good or bad thing... that remained to be seen.] I trust you've been well?
[There was a reason he thought that the Fellowship had more potential... sigh. Too many puppetmaster-wannabes, and not enough people willing to do their own dirty work. Sad, so sad...
Linefaces are fairly par for the course with Xehanort, so he isn't too surprised. They're far too mature to stoop to oozing displeasure at each other no matter how ruffled feathers may be.]
As well as one would expect. [He makes a smaller, casual gesture with one hand.] Dare I ask how the winds of fortune have had us cross paths?
[Alas. He will simply live in the nostalgia of actually having a force on the other side to contend with that wasn't pretentious administrators who have a grasp on the reigns that was far too tight.
At least they have one thing they can agree on.]
Looking out for an idiot redhead who got himself in over his head with someone in there.
[He simply nods to the room where the others are meeting in, sighing.]
[An eyebrow cocks for a brief second before he smiles slightly.]
If he listens to that posturing he deserves what he gets. They're looking for a tool, and anyone who presents themselves will get exploited. Unless of course you're referring to something else... being on the bad side of a group of like-minded boors is rather unfortunate.
Collateral damage... an unfortunate thing. He should be more cautious with his involvement. The unscrupulous do not care a whit about who they involve in their schemes.
[More than likely, they will. Or Mickey will try to get it out of him if he doesn't continually worry even more like he normally does.
Because this reminds him just a bit too much of the time they'd finally caught up to each other in Castle Oblivion - the falling down included, to which he still jumped at slightly. Goodness, now ya got him even more concerned, and for a while he almost mutters his friend's name questioningly because he knows the strength he has within his heart to have kept Ansem at bay for so long...
He shakes the thought from his mind. No, right now it's more important to be there rather than question. Besides, he looks like he could use a hug right now. ...Maybe a hundred, but one and a couple of listening ears would be a good start... right?]
Well, I know I got some time, if ya wanna talk. [He always will have time, so have that there hug.]
[The pained note in Riku's smile disappears as he, too, remembers being in almost the very same position in Castle Oblivion, just as glad not to be alone anymore, to have a companion, another light to guide him through all that darkness around him. A light that is by his side when it counts.
(And now that he remembers Aqua's words from that day so very clearly, he knows that should have been Sora... and yet he's very glad that it isn't, that it's Mickey, who's with him. Because there are some things that Sora won't ever be able to understand, no matter how hard he tries, and even more things that Riku simply doesn't want him to understand.
It makes him think of his double, who never had Naminé and Mickey, like he's had, who had Donald and Goofy and Kairi instead. And even though Riku regrets oh so many things, in the end he is glad about the way things had turned out for himself, that he's never been forced to choose like the other Riku had been. They all have their own burdens to carry, their own battles to fight, their own destiny to follow and somewhere out there in another parallel world, where things had gone just a little differently, there is another Riku who remembers their stay in the Tower of Animus and Riku can only hope that he too has someone that he can trust the way he trust Mickey.)
He exhales slowly before replying to the soft call of his name - "I'm fine." (and he really is all things considered) - and a moment later he is pushing up to his feet again.]
I do. I need to. There are some things that you have to-
[He cuts himself off there with a jerk of his head, he is rushing, he will just start to ramble if he lets his mouth run away with him at this point, they have time and this certainly isn't the best place for the conversation he has in mind.
For all that they are hiding Sora here, Twilight Town isn't a safe world - too close to The World That Never Was, too often visited by the Nobodies and with Roxas on the run and off the Organization's radar while he remained in Hollow Bastion, and the Organization very likely aware of - or at least suspecting - his involvement it was better to be especially careful.
Just where to go... Hollow Bastion is off the list with Roxas there - he's had enough trouble talking to him as is, he doesn't need that to complicate any further - as is the mansion beyond the woods (he will not risk DiZ listening either) and as much as he would like to sit down in the sands of Destiny Islands for a few hours and bask in the comfort of knowing that it isn't just an illusion, that he's home, that has never been an option either.
...But maybe he can have the next best thing, the memory of it. Castle Oblivion is after all another one of those places where people are unlikely to look for him. He doesn't even think as he lifts his left hand to summon a corridor, there is ease and practice to his use his very own darkness, and a sense of composure that Riku is probably not even aware off. The times when he had feared the shadow behind his heart, when he had feared what it could do to his own Darkness are long past to him.]
This probably isn't the best place to talk about it. Fancy a trip?
[Riku looks down at that hand for a moment, hesitating for just that second - there is so much meaning in that gesture, the comfort of friendship... but also the admission of weakness on his part, and that is something Riku has always shied away from, even before he had left the islands.
A lot has changed since, most of all Riku's outlook on his own strength, and his confidence in it, there is a lot that he has learned since, taught by the worlds, taught by the tower, and though it's still hard to admit those moments to others, he knows now that there's no shame in it.
He is smiling again as he takes again, and though he isn't voicing it, Mickey probably can see how thankful he is for this anyways. The worst is yet to come, but he will never not be grateful for the King's support.]
Alright.
[And lead the way he will until they end up standing right before the doors of Castle Oblivion.]
> The boy is there, standing only a few feet away from the shore again, staring right out into the distance. It's almost as if he were expecting something different to happen eventually -- and yet, it never does. Then again, there never really was much to do at a place like the Dark Margin.
> ...
> There doesn't seem to be anyone else around, either.]
[ With the school under way, the students requested the time to visit the beach in celebration. Despite his inability to movie, Charles had agreed. A few hours later they were at the beach in New Jersey. Some elected to stay behind due to their mutant abilities, and he could hardly blame them. He simply felt that the others needed his presence at the beach more than those at home.
So, there Charles sits at the edge of the beach in his wheelchair simply watching with a smile on his face. It's been some time since the confrontation between him and Erik. He knows that it'll come eventually--on the horizon--but for now he is content to simply wait for that future. His students and other mutants need his help now. ]
[It wasn't often she came to the beach, but the weather was just so nice that she couldn't help but want to tag along. Besides, rambunctious teenagers and kids on beach?
Needs more than one supervisor.
Also maybe she's just pretending to sneak up on her old friend. For the lulz.]
You know... I could have helped you move on the sand a little easier.
[ Radiant Garden is the same as always--well, since it the name has been restored and the whole ordeal was over with. They're continuing to rebuild and try to bring back what their world used to be. Except better, Leon thinks. This time there won't be any need for discovering darkness or opening keyholes.
Some days it is insane with everyone nagging for his attention. He'll try to pass it to Cid, but the old man (who isn't that old) just grumps and tells him to deal with it. Aerith tries to help, but sometimes Yuffie is just bouncing off the walls and the three duck kids just nag him for information on when the market will be up so they can expand their business. It's usually the same answer and people are tired of the "...Soon. We've got other things going on." There's not much else he can tell them.
On those days, he goes to the bailey and just swings his gunblade a few times. It helps clear out his head. Not to mention the piece and quiet it brings for a few hours. He has to wonder why he got put in charge of the whole thing, but, there's no real use in complaining. There is plenty of time for facepalming though. ]
[It had been some time since he had been to this world. Back then, he had still not been himself - not really. Those days were long gone, now; made way in time for restoration and rebuilding. And maybe, just maybe, with this newly found power he could help do just that.
But what is ever purposely making his presence known to Sora's friends?
... At least the glint of silver coming from below where Leon stood that did not belong to his gunblade would be easy to see, or the Firaga spell setting one of the very few Heartless that yet lingered in this world. And was that a Keyblade that the youth was wielding?]
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sunset_horizons2013-08-03 11:08 pm
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