Without Words

Part 2

Sora awoke in a daze, his mind as scrambled as if it had be wrecked by an earthquake. Slowly but surely his memories from the previous night began to return, and he wrote of the haziness as another symptom of his fading illness. Someone had carried him back to his bed, and for the first time in half a year, he slept without the twisted nightmares he had been plagued by. That temporary relief from those nightmares was similar to how Riku used to always make him feel safe on the darkest of nights, and furthermore the touch of the mystery person had been so familiar to him. Yet he couldn't place it; if it really was Riku, why didn't he stay or speak to him?

These thoughts tumbling around his head made him second guess what actually happened. Perhaps his dreams had taken a different method of torturing him, by presenting hope and proceeding to crush it. If that was the new method of torture his mind brought upon him, it had succeeded in making him feel worse – the usual longing for Riku had intensified, leaving him feeling emptier.

He needed to move. He stood up, his legs feeling stronger than the night before. Instead of wobbling like jelly, he had improved to feeling like he was on stilts. One step at a time, he managed to get close to the door to his chamber, his strength returning to him gradually.

The doors flew open before he could actually reach them. He fumbled and fell backwards upon seeing who had opened them, his heart in his throat. It was none other than his silver haired knight. He blinked with apprehension, afraid that the boy who stood before him might vanish. To Sora's grand relief, he didn't. For the first time in a millennium, their eyes met which prompted a hesitant smile across Riku's face. A smile Sora still wouldn't let himself believe was real.

"I-I... But... You..." Sora stuttered. So it was him last night. He still couldn't piece together why Riku had said nothing, but that didn't matter. For this moment, nothing did except that Riku, in the flesh was standing right in front of him, after so long.

Despite being weak from his illness and falling backwards, Sora managed to jump to his feet enough force to stumble forwards right into Riku's arms. He couldn't complain though, there was no place he'd rather be.

"Riku... You're real..." Sora muttered. He'd find it easier to believe that this was another trick of a nightmare taunting him – letting Riku get so close but not allowing him to touch him. But Riku really wasn't going to disappear this time, not when Sora blinked, not when their eyes met, and not as their skin touched. His fears evaporated and the indescribable feeling of warmth that he got from being around Riku settled, warming his heart as the sun does a cold beach. Sora wrapped his arms around Riku tight, afraid that if he were to let go he'd loose him again. One tear after the next spilled out of his eyes, hastily leaving him weeping into Riku's chest. Every feeling he'd let build up as he lay dying or yearning for Riku spilled out. Through his sobs he barely noticed that Riku, though he had returned the embrace, hadn't uttered a single word.

Eventually, the ongoing quiet only broken by the hollow echoing of his sobs brought Riku's persistent silence to his attention. He pulled back from Riku's embrace, his eyes bloodshot from all the crying. He held Riku's hand in his own, unable to completely let go of him.

"I... Where... Wh-why..." He couldn't get the words out. He had so many questions, and felt pressed to ask them all at once before Riku could leave him again. One at a time, he told himself. After he took a moment to compose himself, he continued with what was most important. "You're not going to leave me again, are you?"

Riku just looked down like he didn't know how to answer. So Sora tried again with a different approach.

"It's okay if you have to... At least you're here now. Can you tell me where you've been, at least...?"

Riku shook his head, then looked up as if trying not to cry. Sora was taken aback, slightly shook – he hadn't seen Riku cry in a long time. To him, Riku was made of steel, unbreakable and unshakable. Every second added to Sora's anxiety over the situation. They were reunited but he wasn't talking, and Riku just looked so sad and guilty. It didn't add up, and he felt that if he asked anymore he might make things worse for Riku. Instead, he turned around and took a deep breath, letting the combined scent of Riku and the fresh sea air from the balcony feet away fill him with confidence. As he turned around, he Riku gave a gigantic smile. It was more authentic than any smile he'd been able to pull since he was first ill, and probably looked ridiculous.

It had the intended effect. Riku smirked before ruffling Sora's hair affectionately as he'd always done. Some of the sadness in the atmosphere lifted. Sora ambushed him by linking arms and towing him towards the exit of the room and down the stairs.

"Breakfast is probably ready, and if it's not, I'm demanding honey cakes and strawberries to celebrate your return!" Sora announced. He half hoped that Riku would tease him for his unwavering sweet tooth, but to no avail.

The dining room was soaked with warm golden light from the overhead chandeliers, and permeated with the smell of the magnificent breakfast that was already laid out – fresh warm bread, biscuits and fruits. Even though it was a meal fit for royalty, Sora found it hard to hide his disappointment that there was a lack of sweeter options. King Irino and Queen Miyu were already seated at the far left of the table that spanned almost the entire room. They didn't seemed shocked to see him dragging in Riku, so Sora figured they already knew of his return. He made a mental note to speak with them later, not that they'd give him much information.

Sora made his way to his usual spot. The typical guests spread throughout the table, and none paid much attention to him except Chancellor Xehanort and his son Vanitas, who gave him their normal glare that made his skin crawl like spiders had infested his body. When they saw Riku, they turned away quicker than they normally did. Sora felt even more grateful to have Riku by his side, and only just resisted the urge to turn around and squish him to death in a hug again.

At his spot, he plonked himself down and motioned for Riku to sit beside him. The silence between them made things awkward but nonetheless Riku's presence was more than welcome. He made Sora feel safer and more at home, something he had lacked the whole time since he'd left. However, after five minutes of listening to chatter everywhere around the table except between him and Riku, Sora began to grow discontent. Even if Riku wasn't talking, he could.

"It's been boring without you, ya know Riku. Lady Kairi would visit sometimes, but that's about all that happened. I can't go anywhere – too long out of bed and I'll get sick, move too fast and I'll fall. Even Flora, Fauna and Merriweather's magic isn't potent enough. I'm not sure how I even recovered this much..." he trailed off.

The illness was supposed to have been fatal... He caught Riku's eye, which was filled with that same sadness from earlier. Sora tried smiling again, but he didn't feel it in his heart, which frustrated him to no end – Riku was back, and all he could do is mope. He held out for this day, but right now he was feeling almost as bad as ever.

Riku must've sense the turmoil of Sora's heart. He reached over and took the younger one's hand with a gentle squeeze. That relaxed Sora enough for him to continue.

"Anyway, you're back. Mum and dad might let me leave the palace now that you're back. You're the only one who they trust to look after me. Maybe we can go to the forest, the beach or the town at least."

Riku nodded with a vague smile forming in the corner of his mouth. Something about that told Sora that Riku had missed hanging out with him as much as he had. They'd have to make up lost time, together.

The scuffling of a chair drew Sora's attention to the head of the table. King Irino was bowing in the traditional way he did before making his exit. As he left, Queen Miyu made her exit behind him. Sora's eyes sparkled in determination – now was the time to get answers, if he could. Scoffing down the rest of his now cold bagel, Sora followed suit after them, tugging Riku along.