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Sora didn’t think he was going to wake up.
His dreams were this endless pool and he couldn’t remember how to swim. Even if he found his way up, Sora wouldn’t remember how to dream. Every emotion, every face, every memory, they dragged him deeper and deeper until Sora figured that this endless darkness would be his forever.
He didn’t want to let go. He tried to stay strong for everyone—he was strong. He won the fight, but still, he was here. He would stay here. He would just… He would stay. He would… He would fall more. He would miss his friends. He would see his friends here with him. He would…
A warm light.
Sora blinks and pushes himself up. It feels like he’s been sleeping on water. There’s a warm light but he can’t see it. More like he feels it, strumming brightly in his heart. It buzzes with his soft heartbeat and he kicks himself to his feet, nearly careening forward. With a hoarse voice, he calls out, “Hello?”
The light responds with another wave of warmth. Sora nearly moans in relief at the feeling, like it’s hugging him completely. Even if he tried, Sora doesn’t think he could reject this light. His heart wouldn’t let him. Everything feels less like endless darkness, like someone finally pulled him out.
Smiling faintly, Sora steps forward again and again and again. The light is speaking, he thinks, but he can’t make out the words. It feels like an echo, or maybe a whisper tucked directly into his heart. With every step, it feels a lot clearer. He keeps walking until finally, he sees that light. It feels like the sun.
He hears it calling out to him and Sora lets himself fall to the sound of Riku’s voice.
His eyes don’t want to open. He tries to blink the exhaustion from them, but they’re so heavy and he’s so warm. His mind takes a moment to retract, retracing the steps to get here—
Sora shoots up, wincing at the creak in his neck and shouting. Two shouts come from either side of him and before he knows it, Donald and Goofy are wrapping him in a hug.
“You’re awake!” Goofy cheers, holding Sora’s shoulders. Donald’s starting some long rant about how much of an idiot Sora is and how foolish he is and Sora’s not keeping up.
“I’m…awake,” he repeats, looking around. He’s in Yen Sid’s castle… How did he get here?
Sora repeats all the steps in his head. He and Riku had traveled to the past to take their Mark of Mastery and get the power of waking… But it was all a lie and Sora was tricked by Xehanort… Sora was dragged out of his sleep into the World That Never Was and dragged back into his dreams… But now he was here? And—
“Riku!” Sora looks around the room, lightly pushing Donald and Goofy off him. “Where’s Riku?”
Donald and Goofy share a look before pointing right next to Sora. He turns quickly to find Riku slumped against the wall. Sora’s heart drops before he catches the rise and fall of his shoulders. He’s breathing. He’s just asleep. But… Sora’s breathing goes unsteady, watching Riku unconscious. That’s— No, that’s not right. He should be awake. When did he fall asleep? Sora’s the one who fell to Xehanort. Riku he— Riku— Riku—
“You were sleeping ‘gainst him,” Goofy tells him. That answers the creak in his neck but nothing else and Sora looks helplessly at them.
Axel’s the one who answers Sora, across the room. “He went to go wake you up. Was real determined about it, too.”
Turning his body fully to Riku, Sora places a hand on his shoulder, shaking him. “Well, I’m awake now. So why isn’t he?”
“He must be in a dream of his own.” This time, it’s Mickey’s voice. Sora’s only half-listening, head dizzy and chest dropping. His fingers feel numb. “If you’re awake, it means he managed to pull your heart out of its abyss. You went in one way and he went in another—you just came back first.”
It sounds like nonsense. This all sounds like nonsense! This entire test has been nothing but nonsense and Sora squeezes Riku’s shoulder. “He should’ve come back with me. I… I felt him. I could feel him all around me!”
Sora turns to face everyone. Donald and Goofy have stepped back to give him some space, giving him a clear look of where Yen Sid’s moved to stand. Sora addresses him. “Can’t I dive in? Pull him out?”
Please, please, please, please, please, please, please—
“I’m afraid not.” Yen Sid walks over to study Riku and Sora feels a spike of anger that he swallows. We wouldn’t be here in the first place, his mind starts to think before shoving it down. Yen Sid crouches, his robe bunching beneath him, to tilt Riku’s head up. He examines for a moment before gently letting Riku’s head against the wall again. “Riku’s proven himself capable. If any of us attempt to pull him out, we may risk upsetting his way back. All there is is to wait for him to awaken.”
That’s not a good reason. Sora’s not stupid, he knows there’s something Yen Sid is holding back. But as he walks back to his desk, Sora can’t think about his frustration. All he can think about is this panic suddenly clawing at him— Riku’s asleep. Riku’s stuck, went to go save Sora, and now he’s just laying there like, like he’s— Sora can’t even think of the word. He can feel his breathing begin to pick up until a hand settles on his shoulder.
Sora turns, eyes blurry to face Goofy. He’s giving Sora this weird look, though maybe it’s just weird because Sora can’t see straight. “Waiting here isn’t gonna do ya any good.”
“It’s Riku,” Sora helplessly whispers. It’s Riku and he should be awake with me. We should be celebrating passing the test. He should be flaunting his new Master title. He should be here next to me right now. He should be here and he’s asleep and it’s all my fault. One of us is always in danger and it’s been my fault for so long and it’s Riku and he should be awake and, and—
“And he’s always been a lot better at getting outta trouble than you!” Despite his words, Donald gives Sora this soft look. There are too many people in this room, Sora suddenly thinks, and they can’t say what they mean. “He said it’s his job to keep you and your toes. So c’mon.”
Sora doesn’t want to move. Sora looks at Riku’s face. His short hair frames his closed eyes and Sora rarely ever saw him napping. He was always moving. He looks at peace, Sora supposes, and Sora doesn’t feel anything in his heart, so it must mean that Riku’s not in danger. Right? Sora’s bottom lip trembles but he forces a deep breath in.
It takes a lot of strength for Sora to let go of Riku and a lot more strength for him to let Goofy pull him to his feet. Every movement feels like it’s going to send Sora into a fit of tears, memories from not too long ago threatening to suffocate. What it was like not finding Riku or Kairi in any of the worlds. What it was like seeing Riku on the other side of the door. What it was like following around after Riku’s ghost.
Sora only lets himself be pulled away from Riku, though, once Mickey gives Sora a comforting smile and goes to stand next to him. Goofy pulls Sora across the room and every step feels like it’s going to kill Sora, like Riku’s dying, and Riku’s just asleep, but it feels like he’s gone again and—
But Riku’s here.
Riku’s here now.
Axel butts in the conversation Donald and Goofy were having about what they could do to pass the time (because they were too nice to say they just wanted to distract Sora.) “This was a test, yeah? Well, after really crappy tests, it’s always nice to unwind with a party.”
“How responsible,” Donald deadpans before lighting up at the idea. He pulls out his staff and Goofy takes a step back with a yelp.
With a wave of the staff and a few excited words, a circular table adorned with a cloth appears. There are three chairs, three cups of tea, and three little spoons next to it. There’s a large chocolate cake in the middle with a little crown in the middle and a tiered serving tray with treats.
Donald yanks Sora down into his seat before hopping into his own. “Let’s start our party early!”
Goofy’s quick to catch on, taking the free seat and picking up his tea. He blows on it and takes a step before his eyes go comically large, coughing. “Hot!”
“I’m not some second-rate mage who makes cold tea.” Donald rolls his eyes and Sora, despite himself, smiles softly. He tries to turn around and look at Riku, but Donald tugs on his hand. They make eye contact, Sora’s face pitiful, and Donald’s sympathetic.
Behind him, Axel and Yen Sid move to join Mickey by Riku’s side. There’s some shuffling—they must be moving him—but Donald doesn’t let Sora turn to move. With another slight wave of his staff, Donald conjures up some party favors. A party hat and one of those novelty glasses, with a red rim, fake nose, and mustache. He offers it to Sora in silence.
Sora remembers Donald’s words from what feels like a lifetime ago. This ship runs on happy faces.
Sora takes a deep breath.
Riku’s here now.
Riku saved me.
And Riku’s strong. He’s going to be okay.
And when he exhales, he smiles, picking up the favors. He arranges the hat on his head before sliding the glasses on. “How do I look?”
“Like someone we don’t know,” Goofy says, considering it. “Did anyone ever tell ya ya look like someone named Sora?”
Sora places a contemplative hand on his jaw. “Huh, never heard the name.”
He reaches over, going to pick out a sweet. The smile Donald had been giving him would have been a lot more charming if he hadn’t stolen the macaron right from Sora. “Hey!”
“The Sora we know is always bragging about how fast he is. This can’t be him.”
“Aw shucks, Donald, think you’re right.”
Sora lets himself get lost in laughter with Donald and Goofy. Goofy observes the two with only a few comments while taking sips of his tea and burning his tongue a couple of times. Meanwhile, Donald and Sora antagonize each other. More like Donald is antagonizing Sora and pretending he’s not! At one point, he conjures a chair for Axel to sit on and he acts all high and mighty about it like Sora’s just throwing a fit. It’s infuriating and it makes Sora’s chest bubble with joy.
“Hey, Donald! Come on, you’re hogging it all!”
Donald pretends he’s doing no such thing, before finally taking a sip of the tea he made. “Aw, calm down, Sora, and drink your tea.”
Sora looks scandalized at the audacity and Goofy chooses now to comment, holding out his nearly empty cup. “Gawrsh, it sure is yummy.”
The traitor! They’re making Sora look like he’s missing out! And—
“Hey!”
The voice makes Sora stop suddenly. Donald and Goofy stop as well and Sora honestly doesn’t know what they’re doing. They could have switched bodies right now and Sora wouldn’t notice. That warmth, the light that pulled him from the darkness runs through his body and Sora feels every one of those feelings that had tried to suffocate him collapse under the light’s weight. Sora feels— Sora feels— Sora—
Sora pulls the hat and glasses off and turns with a breathless smile. “Riku…”
He runs so fast that he knocks the chair over and he can’t bring himself to care. Jumping onto Riku and wrapping his arms around his shoulders, Sora laughs and laughs and laughs. Riku flails, probably startled by Sora’s movement, and he’s moving, and he’s not slumped against the wall or on the ground, and he’s awake, he’s awake, he’s awake! “You’re safe! Riku!”
Riku’s here now.
Riku’s safe now.
Riku’s with me now.