“Good morning, everyone!” Akira exclaimed.
For whatever reason, Kairi is the only one to acknowledge her existence. The redhead offers a small smile and waver before going back to fiddling with her hands. Sora and Riku sat in the sand, Riku with a stick in his hand. Their heads blocked Akira's view of whatever they were focused on. Akira shuffles closer to Kairi, watching the two in confusion.
“Those two seem a bit distracted… What's going on?” Akira questioned.
Kairi looks at the boys just for a moment. She is curious when seeing the two so closely packed and whispering to each other. Once realizing her curiosity has been piqued, she shakes her head and covers it up. She returns to a blank expression and picks at the sand beneath her nails.
“I try not to get involved with their antics” Kairi states.
Once seeing that Kairi was not going to participate in the conversation any further, Akira shuffles away. The redhead notices Akira approaching the two. She opens her mouth to urge her friend not to proceed, but it is already too late.
“Hey, boys” Akira calls.
She wraps her arms around the two and pulls them close. They look surprised to see her, truly showing how engrossed they were in their task. Akira joins their circle and looks down at the illustration of the raft in the sand. Akira's head drooped when realizing the two seemed to be occupied with a frivolous task.
“What are we talking about?” Akira whispers.
The boys suddenly place their hands on top of Akira's shoulders. The girl raises a brow and looks between the two in confusion. She watched as Riku clenched his hand into a fist, his brows furrowed in frustration.
“We realized that there is something very important that we have been missing…” Riku begins.
Sora nods his head in agreement, a rare serious look on his face. He slowly picks the stick on the ground and draws a circle around the illustration of their raft. The boys simultaneously turn their heads to look at her. Akira looks into their soulless eyes just for a moment before looking back down at the sand. She was beginning to regret not listening to Kairi.
“Do you understand, Akira? Do you know what is missing?” Sora asks.
Akira wants to remain silent, but the two stare expectantly with beady eyes. Akira hesitantly shakes her head no. The boys sigh and shake their heads in disappointment. Riku picks up the stick this time and starts writing something in the sand. Sora dusts the sand off his legs as he stands up. The two appear to be linked, moving and thinking at the same time. As Riku gestures to the drawing in the sand, Sora gestures to the incomplete raft.
“A name for the raft!” they both exclaim.
Akira looks down at the addition to the raft drawing, noticing Riku added the word ‘name’ above. Akira stares blankly at the boys who look a bit too serious as they nod their heads. Akira looks between the two in disbelief, her eyes eventually landing on Riku.
‘Riku likes to pick on Sora for being a bit stupid but… He fails to realize that sometimes they share a single brain cell’ Akira acknowledges.
Sora and Riku ignored her look of bewilderment and continued to converse just like they did before. Sora drags his foot against the sand and moves in a circular motion, releasing the raft illustration from its spherical containment. He plops down beside Riku and crosses his legs. He places his hands over his knees and bends his elbows, lowering his face to the ground.
“Back to what I was saying, I was thinking that Highwind sounded cool. What would you call it, Sora?” Riku asks.
Sora looks at the incomplete raft with narrowed eyes and pursed lips. He takes every little aspect of the raft into account as he examines it. An idea sparked in his mind as he saw the wooden pole which is spiked at the top, similar to a sword. Sora grins as he remembers a story that Riku told him when he was younger.
“Excalibur!” Sora exclaims.
Riku can't help but crack a smile, knowing that Sora's idea was related to him. Riku appeared pleased but his eyes showed little compassion. Sora notices this and narrows his eyes. There was no consensus from the two and so they were ready to fight for their name. Riku was the first to look away, but not to concede, to propose a different idea.
“Hey, how about…” Riku trailed off.
Riku flicks his head to the side momentarily, before looking to Sora with an expectant look on his face. Sora blinks in confusion, his lack of understanding clear. Riku rolls his eyes in one direction, keeping them there before looking back at Sora.
The brunette stared at the silverette with squinted eyes and a scrunched nose. Riku extends his arms in an exaggerated motion, directing Sora in that direction. Sora follows Riku's gestures and turns his head, seeing a tree with a star in the distance. Sora turns back to Riku with a grin.
“The usual?” Sora asks.
He points his index finger to Riku, his thumb sticking out toward himself. Riku makes the same gesture so that his index finger crosses over Sora's. He cracks a smile as well, his grin reflecting Sora's.
“Let's do it!” Riku exclaims.
Riku gets onto his feet and holds his hands out to Sora. Sora takes his hands and jumps back onto his feet. The two appear to be holding back grins as they narrow their eyes at each other, their competitive nature's clear. Akira sighs and smiles as she walks back toward Kairi.
“They're at it again. You know the drill” Akira implies.
Sora and Riku follow Akira as she returns to the redhead’s side. Akira takes a white cloth out of her back pocket while Kairi explains the rules to the boys. She tunes out their conversation, rocking back and forth on her heels, waiting to be addressed.
She randomly zones back in when taking notice of the boys whispering to each other. Kairi walked off to reset the obstacle course from the last time the two competed. Akira could not hear exactly what the two were saying to each other, but she did notice how Riku kept peeking in her direction and Kairi's as she slowly made her way back.
Sora's eyes were looking all over the place as his cheeks turned red, Riku's words clearly teasing him and making him flustered. Their focus returns back to the race as Kairi returns. Akira watches as Sora slaps his cheeks, and appears more determined than before. Her attention is taken away from the boys as Kairi grabs her wrist and pulls her arm into their air, lightly waving the white cloth.
“Okay! On our count!” Kairi exclaims.
Kairi drops Akira's arm as she clasps her hands together, excited for the race. The girls count down from three and as they reach one, Akira swings her arm down, alarming the two to start running. With unnatural speed, Riku leaves Sora in the dust. Akira and Kairi close their eyes and cover their mouths as they cough up the dust.
Once they opened their eyes, Sora was already gone and catching up to Riku. Sora bumped Riku aside and began to climb a wooden structure. Riku lightly glared and ran off to take another path. Akira looks up at Sora in shock as he reaches the zipline.
“Has Sora ever used the zip line before?” Akira inquires.
Kairi shakes her head and the two continue to watch, intrigued by the turn of events. Sora gripped tightly to the handle and took a deep breath in. He kicked himself off the platform and pulled his legs close to his chest as he ziplined to the next platform. Sora was careful when jumping across the treetops, so much that Riku managed to touch the tree before him.
He began to panic once he touched the tree, only to see Riku already returning across the treetops. As Riku takes his time jumping across with great precision, Sora jumps down from the platform with the star tree and runs around. Riku and Sora meet up again, by the broken bridge. The two run beside each other, both determined to beat the other.
As they run across the bridge, Sora notices an unsecure part. Sora touches the plank just a moment before Riku and as the brunette makes it across, the silverette drops into the water with the plank. Sora makes it back with a grin, immediately engulfing Akira into a hug. He places her back down onto her feet as he celebrates his victory.
“Now the score's 1 to 1!” Sora exclaims.
Riku returns with a sour expression on his face. Sora turns to face him and his smile drops when seeing his friend soaked. Riku crosses his arms over his chest and rolls his eyes.
“Man, lighten up. It's just a name after all” Riku states.
Sora appears upset by Riku's words, pouting and balling his hands into fists. Kairi tries to follow after Sora as he storms away, but she is unable to catch up. She sighs as she returns to the raft. Akira frowns when seeing Sora walk away. She walks beside Riku who stares out at the ocean.
“Sora seems upset. What did you say?” Akira asks.
Concern is clearly reflected in her eyes. Riku does not share the same sentiment. He stares off without much of a care in the world. He closes his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest. Sora's reaction did not phase him in the slightest, and he was not taking any accountability.
“I was just messing with him a bit. I said that the winner would share the paopu fruit with whoever they wanted” Riku explains.
This was the second time the paopu fruit was mentioned to her. She remembers the retelling Selphie began the day prior. She expected Selphie to get lost in musings surrounding the myth, but not Riku. She pokes out her head and tilts it to the side curiously.
“Do you believe in that story too?” Akira inquired.
Riku loons at her through narrowed eyes, as though he is assessing what he should and shouldn't tell her. Eventually he sighs and turns away.
“Like I said, I was just messing with him” Riku reiterates.
Akira slightly narrows her eyes, recognizing that Riku did not answer with a yes or no. Riku, taking notice of her creeping suspicion, clears his throat and changes the subject.
“Tomorrow we'll be setting sail to another world. You ready?” Riku questions.
Akira notices how he gave her little room to comment on the last subject. She decides to brush past it and relieve Riku of her probing. As she thinks about the question just asked, she attempts to remember her final thoughts before falling asleep. She looks out to the sea and feels a large pit form in her stomach.
“Honestly? I'm a bit scared…” Akira responds.
She felt a bit embarrassed to admit to her hesitance, especially knowing how long they have been working on the raft. Akira was excited for the adventure, she really was, but she couldn't help but feel some overwhelming dread consume her. She never felt it was necessary to leave the island, she was comfortable there, but that didn't mean she wasn't interested in the idea of a journey.
But no matter her excitement, it always seems to be overpowered by a feeling of fear. Riku can sense all of the thoughts whirring around in her head, plaguing her mind and stressing her out. He places a hand on her shoulder and smiles, trying to put her mind at ease.
“There's no need to. I have everything planned out. I'll protect all of you, no matter what” Riku proclaims.
Akira felt comforted by Riku's confidence. He was determined, determined to escape his confinement and determined to leave in an orderly fashion. She was not used to seeing Riku like this and she can't help but laugh. She smiles and bumps into his side.
“Whatever you say, hot shot” Akira teases.
Riku rolled his eyes and rubbed his arm as Akira skipped away. He stares into her back as she gets further and further away. He turns away when seeing a certain star shaped fruit from the corner of his eye. He approaches the tree bearing the fruit and leans against the trunk. He wonders if he will be able to clear things up with Sora before they all leave. While Riku and Sora are preoccupied, Akira approaches Kairi.
The redhead stood beside the raft, tinkering with something in her hands. Akira looks at the structure, astonished. Kairi flinches and juggles the object in her hands as Akira wraps her arm around her neck. Once the object falls back into the palms of Kairi's hands, she quickly pockets it before it can be seen by Akira. Akira shrugs off the reaction and gestures to the raft with a single hand, the other hand resting on her hip.
“We've really come far, haven't we?” Akira asks, admiring their prized work.
Kairi finally looks at the structure the teens worked so hard to create. A small smile tugs on her lips when remembering when they were still in the early stages of building.
“It feels like just yesterday we had nothing at all” Kairi comments.
Kairi's words put a lot into perspective for her. The reason it felt like little time passed while building was because it was. Despite aspiring to visit other worlds so long ago, the four never put much effort until a week prior.
It felt like they had nothing the day before, because they did have practicality nothing the day before. It was only when Riku convinced the three to start working that progress was made. Akira released a breathy chuckle at the realization. None of this could have been done without Riku's efforts.
“Riku has been working hard” Akira adds.
Akira notices that she has not received an answer, and Kairi is silent. Kairi did not look as proud as she did, instead, she appeared sad, disappointed in a way. Akira thinks to question the redhead but she is not given the chance. When Kairi sees Sora from the corner of her eye, she works up a grin and waves him over. Akira noticed Sora's solemn mood brightened as he saw Kairi.
The two nervously smile and shift their weight as they stand beside each other. Akira tilts her head in confusion, wondering what had made the two start acting so odd. When seeing the look in their eyes, Akira gets an idea of what is going on. She slowly steps aside and sits down in the sand, attempting to tune out the conversation.
“There you are, Sora! Ready to receive your assignment?” Kairi giddily asks.
Kairi was clearly eager to present the task to Sora. Sora did not seem very excited to receive his task of the day but nodded his head. Kairi picks up a piece of paper that was left on the raft by Riku. Kairi mutters the contents of the note to herself before nodding and telling Sora the same.
“Today we collect provisions for our trip! You'll be looking for one seagull egg, three mushrooms, two coconuts, and three fish” Kairi lists.
Kairi gives him the paper to help him remember later. He reads it over a few times, aiming to memorize the required provisions. Akira breaks his focus when tossing him a small empty bottle. When catching the object, Sora peers at it in confusion.
“While you're at it, fill that up with some fresh water” Akira adds.
Akira is surprised when she sees Sora toss the bottle back, the sand cushioning the fall. Akira raises an eyebrow curiously and looks at Sora who is clearly agitated. He crossed his arms over his chest and puffed his cheeks.
“No way! You want to help? You can get the water” Sora retorts.
Sora storms off with the list of provisions, muttering the requirements repeatedly under his breath. She looks at the empty bottle in the ground. In a split second, there is a change. In a flash, the bottle is momentarily filled with a green liquid, before returning back to being empty.
Akira screws her eyes shut and places a hand on her head once it starts to hurt. Similar to the day before, images flash within her mind, images that are difficult to comprehend. The only thing she can clearly make out is Sora placing a bottle of green liquid in his pocket.
She lightly gasps and opens her eyes when recognizing the liquid to be the same one that healed her. She scrambles onto her feet and hisses in pain, the sudden movement putting too much pressure on her injured leg. When feeling better, she attempts to catch up to Sora. Kairi takes notice of Akira walking away from the raft.
“Akira, where are you going?” Kairi questions.
Akira claims that she will return soon and continues with her advances. Kairi shrugs it off and returns to fiddling with the object from earlier. Akira looks all around for Sora as she gallops around the island. Eventually she does find Sora and goes even faster to catch up to him in time. Sora hears her approaching footsteps and stops, slowly turning around.
Unable to stop herself in time, Akira runs into Sora, the collision knocking her down. Sora, caught off guard, drops the net full of fish. Akira catches the net in time and sighs in relief. Sora thanks her and helps her back onto her feet. Akira looks at the partially full bag draped over his shoulder. By appearance alone, Akira could tell that Sora was almost done with his assignment.
Her attention is drawn back to Sora once noticing his face progressively get closer to hers. She shuffles back a few feet to maintain some distance. She clears her throat and swings her arms behind her back, rocking back and forth on her heels. Sora watches her in suspicion, wondering why Akira was acting the way that she was.
“What's up, Akira?” Sora curiously asks.
Akira nervously scratched her cheek as she tried to determine how to question Sora without sounding odd. When noticing something poking out from his pant pocket, she decides to just ask.
“I was just wondering… Is there anything in your pocket?” Akira hesitantly questions.
Sora thinks for a moment. When he is unable to remember, he reaches into his pocket. Once feeling the tips of his fingers touch something cold, he grabs hold of it and takes it out. When seeing the familiar and somewhat comforting glow of the green liquid, Akira opens her hands, ready to grab hold of the bottle. She stops to look Sora in the eyes.
“Do you mind if I take this?” Akira asks again.
Sora looks at the bottle before looking back at Akira. The liquid would be useful to him later on if he were to be injured, but Akira was currently injured at the moment. Sora decides to give the potion to Akira. Akira looks up at him with wide hesitant eyes, making sure that it is okay. When he nods his head, Akira pulls the potion close and cradles it delicately in her hands.
She enthusiastically thanks Sora with a smile, grateful for his generosity. When seeing Akira's smile, he believed that he made the correct decision. Sora turns to enter the Secret Place in hopes of finding his final material. As he walked away, he wondered how Akira knew of the potion in his pocket and whether or not she has any recollection of their ‘dream’.
When Sora walked off, Akira was quick to drench her wounded leg with the portion. She hissed in pain when feeling the liquid seep into her wound and sting from the inside. She watched with intrigue as the lost skin returned, making the wound beneath, hiding it like it was never there. She bends her knee, kicking her leg in and out. When she no longer feels pain, she cheers, throwing her arms into the air.
With so many limbs extended she feels the stretch in her side and remembers the wound she remembered the day prior. She sighed when realizing that she is still not completely healed. She shrugged it off, deciding that this was good enough for now. She looks around thinking of what to do next when she notices a waterfall beside the Secret Place.
“I may as well get the water now too” Akira comments.
She takes off her shoes and enters the hole that fills with the water of the waterfall. She treads carefully, being sure not to scratch her feet on any sharp rocks. As she reaches the other side, she fills up the bottle directly from the source of water. Once it is completely full, she secures the top with a mini cork. When finished with her task, she looks back at the waterfall, the sight and sound of it comforting her.
Her mind suddenly becomes hazy and her sight blurry. A silhouette takes shape within the waterfall. A robed person, their appearance unfamiliar, and features unknown beneath their hood. All that she could make out were the golden eyes staring into her soul. She stumbles back and falls into the water as he raises his arm, reaching out to her.
When she looks up again, she is alone with no robed figure to be seen. She places a hand over her chest, feeling her heart bang violently against it. She raises her other hand to her cheek, feeling a wet trail left behind by a lone tear. She didn't understand why the figure struck so much fear into her. Her head flicks up like a deer in headlights, a sudden chill running down her spine.
She watches as Sora leaves the Secret Place. His eyes were wide in fear, the hairs on his arms raised. He walked away on shaky legs, his skin as pale as a ghost. She turns her head to the Secret Place, wondering what inside could have scared Sora so much. She hears a faint howl from within, a coo that lures her toward the entrance. Akira didn't even realize that she entered the Secret Place until she felt goosebumps form along her arms.
She crossed her arms over each other and rubbed her hands over the goosebumps, seeking her own warmth as comfort. Upon entering the Secret Place, nothing appeared altered, nothing changed. The mysterious door was still shut, the childish drawings still lined the walls, and the mystical feeling surrounding the Secret Place still remained.
Akira smiled as she traced her hand against the walls, looking at the drawings left behind from childish wonder, memories flooding back into her mind. She stopped when coming across an illustration that she did not recognize. A drawing that looked similar to Riku stood beside another young man, looking out to the ocean.
Concerned, Akira follows the wall further and identifies similar illustrations that she never saw prior. In one illustration, Kairi wears a crown on her head, another portrays Sora as a triumphant. The final illustration frightened Akira most. The drawing depicted her drowning in a sea of hearts. Akira narrowed her eyes and looked over each one carefully, trying to make sense of it all.
“This world has been connected”
The hairs on the back of her neck raise when feeling the warm breath against her skin. She turns around with her hands raised in front of her face, ready to punch the person behind her. When she turns around, there is nobody there. She feels a gust of wind come from behind her. She slowly turns back around, only to face the mysterious door.
There was no other place that the wind could have come from, especially when it hit her back directly. She pats her hands along the door, attempting to find some sort of opening. Her curiosity reached its peak. All she wanted was to see what was behind the door. Despite her motivation, she was unable to open the door, no matter her attempts. She sat on the ground, breathlessly staring at the door.
“If you want to open the door and learn the truth, return to this place at twilight”
She groans in annoyance as the voice whispers into her ear. She turns around to look at the person in her company but she is still alone. She pulls herself onto her feet and looks over the Secret Place one last time before walking out. As she finally leaves, the robed figure makes his presence known and watches as she walks away.
“I shall await your arrival, dear sovereign”
Akira rubbed her aching head as she was returning to the raft. Nothing was making sense. Who was speaking to her? Who did she see in the waterfall? And what was the meaning of those illustrations on the wall? Akira finds her mind drifting back to the voice the most.
They appeared so wise, and yet their words were convoluted, they made no sense. They were mysterious and they were careful with what to reveal and what not to reveal. They knew something that she didn't, and they seemed to have a peculiar interest in her.
“I doubt it's a good idea to go, but… do I have any choice?” Akira wonders.
Akira gets lost in her musings as she continues walking back to the raft. Sora leaned against the pole of the raft. Kairi paced around Sora, nervousness radiating off her as she rambled his ear off. Sora is the first to notice Akira approaching. He taps Kairi on the shoulder and she gasps when seeing the girl. Kairi rushes over to her and engulfs her in a hug. Kairi was clearly worried about the girl
“Akira, what took you so long? Do you even know how worried I was?” Kairi expresses.
Akira gave Kairi a few reassuring pats on the back as an awkward attempt to calm her nerves.
“Sorry about that. I was just checking on a few things before our departure” Akira explains.
Despite providing an explanation, Kairi did not seem ready to accept Akira's apology so easily. Akira crossed her arms over her chest and raised a brow. Just from Kairi's body language, Akira could tell that Kairi would not be satisfied without a long-winded explanation.
“Like what?” Kairi questions.
Akira thinks of how to provide Kairi with a sufficient response. She knew Kairi would not believe her if she told the truth, but at the same time, Kairi would only ask her to expand further if she gave a vague response. Akira takes notice of Sora listening in on the conversation, despite him trying not to make it obvious. She attempts to provide Kairi with a reasonable explanation while also hinting Sora of her knowledge.
“You know. Keeping the monsters away, making sure no one else will come here after we leave. Kind of like a safety procedure” Akira elaborates.
Sora jerks his head up when hearing Akira's words. The two make eye contact and Sora quickly catches on. The two were in the same boat, and not only because of their shared dream. The two quickly break eye contact, not wanting to draw any suspicion from Kairi. Luckily, Kairi does not seem to find anything off. She nods her head and accepts Akira's answer. Kairi looks to Sora and notices something dangling from one of the chains on his pants. Her eyes light up at the sight of it and she digs into her pocket.
“Speaking of safety…” Kairi begins.
The redhead presents an ornament with childish glee. Akira cups her hands together to create a space for Kairi to place the ornament. Akira's eyes fill with tears when looking at the item. Kairi used the shells she collected from the beach to create a necklace in the shape of the star.
“These Thalassa shells were used by sailors to ensure a safe voyage. I thought they would be fitting for our journey so… I made these!” Kairi briefly explains.
The shells were different shades but the most prominent colors were red, blue, and pink. Akira appreciated each shade and how they reminded her of her friends. She takes out her purple trinket and places it beside the one Kairi gave her. The two held the same amount of sentimental value. Akira places the purple one back into her pocket and ties the one from Kairi securely into her hair.
“They're charms to help us find each other if we ever get separated. The four of us will always be together” Kairi adds.
Akira looks down at her gift with a smile. Even if it was a superstition and only to keep everyone safe, she appreciated Kairi going out of her way to give her something. Akira thought of what she could give in return and only one thing came to mind. She takes out her camera and places it within Kairi's hands.
Kairi looks panicked with the camera in her hands and immediately tries to hand it back. Akira is quick to close Kairi's hands around the camera and push it back to her chest. Kairi looks extremely guilty for holding the camera, and Akira attempts to ease her concerns.
“I know how much you love the island. This is a small way to keep it with you wherever you go” Akira expresses.
Kairi opens her mouth to say something but Akira places her finger on top, stopping her.
“I'm not the only one who lost my memories, Kairi, you did too. I want you to at least keep these memories with you" Akira explains.
Some of Kairi's concerns seemed to be addressed, but something was still bothering her.
“But what about you? You put all of this time into taking these pictures. Are you going to give them away just like that?” Kairi earnestly questions.
Akira places a hand on top of Kairi's and smiles, attempting to quell any concerns.
“It's like Riku said. This adventure is going to be a new chronicle. This story has already ended, and I want someone else to enjoy what I have” Akira cites.
Kairi no longer responds, leaving Akira to believe that she provided the redhead with a sufficient response. Akira plans to turn away until she notices another charm, made from yellow and blue shells. The colors alone showed that the charm was meant for Riku, the colors matching those on his clothing. Kairi nervously walks to Akira and hands her the other charm.
“It was meant for Riku but…” Kairi began.
She trails off and gives Akira an awkward, goofy smile. Akira understood where Kairi was coming from. She took the charm and pat Kairi over the head to ease her tension and worries. She clasps the charm gingerly in her hands and goes around in search of Riku.
Akira finds him easily, his head of silver hair easy to spot with the setting sun. The girl entered through the shack and climbed up the flight of stairs. As he reaches the top, he is presented behind Riku. She delicately treads over the wooden bridge as she approaches Riku from behind. Riku picks up on the sound of the creaking wood.
He lifts his head to turn around but Akira rushes forward and makes sure that he can not turn to see her. She wraps her arms around his neck, unclasping the charm and pulling it back for him to see. Riku places a hand on his chest, curiously feeling the item Akira placed around his neck.
“What's this?” Riku questions.
He delicately grasps one of the points of the star shape and turns it around, looking at the back and front of the star.
“Kairi made these charms for good luck” Akira explains.
Akira takes a seat on the paopu tree and stares out at the ocean. The two enjoy each other's presence in silence. Riku enjoys the view of the sun setting one last time, the shape being distorted in the ripples of the water. He looks across to Akira for a moment and notices a certain spark gone from her eyes. It was clear that she was lost in thought, but about what, and why was it bothering her so much?
“What's bothering you now?” Riku asks.
Akira breaks away from her thoughts as Riku makes himself heard. She gives a tight smile in acknowledgement before turning back to the ocean. She opens her mouth to respond but stops. She slumps forward and sighs. She intertwines her hands and stares violently at the ground beneath her. Akira takes a deep breath before finally responding.
“I felt so sure about leaving the island until now. Something is different. This doesn't feel… right” Akira expresses.
Ever since her encounter with the voice in the Secret Place, nothing felt right anymore. According to them, the island has been connected to something, this something unknown. Her limited knowledge regarding the subject frightened her. Additionally, there were still those odd illustrations in the Secret Place, ones they did not draw themselves.
Something changed and Akira could feel some impending doom. Riku is not aware of this crisis Akira is having within herself. All he knows is that Akira is still nervous about leaving. He believed it was possible that she was making excuses to make them stay back longer. The thought of that annoyed him, especially when he thought Akira was supporting him and his ideas prior. He attempts to laugh it off as her own anxiety.
“You're probably just getting cold feet, too worried about leaving our friends and family behind” Riku claims.
Akira realizes what Riku is trying to do. Since he does not understand what she has witnessed, he believes that this hesitance stems from nerves, giving rise to past emotions. Akira curls her fingers into the palms of her hands. Akira wants Riku to hear her, to truly listen to her.
“I don't think I'm ready for this change, Riku” Akira admits.
Riku’s eyes widened at her confession. He grabs Akira by her shoulders and lightly shakes her, waiting to hear a different response from her. When nothing is said, he stares at her in disbelief.
“What? We've been planning this forever!” Riku exclaims.
Akira can hear how Riku's voice cracks and she feels upset with herself for making him so distressed. She knew it was best if she wanted to be heard, but she hated to see Riku like this. She takes a deep breath and continues.
“I know that but… I'm just worried” Akira comments.
Akira stops for a moment, looking for permission from Riku to continue. Riku takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, nodding his head. Of course Riku wanted to leave the island, but he wanted to leave with his friends. He would not want to force this on any of them, no matter his insistence.
If there was something really bothering Akira, he wanted to know what it was and why. Akira has the attempt to explain everything, but similar to Kairi, she believes that Riku would not believe what she had to say. All she really had was Sora. With the fear of being waved off again, Akira gives a true worry, one that she has pushed aside for some time.
“We know nothing about what will be out there. Even if we do make it to another world, it may not be all of us together” Akira explains, quick to defend her beliefs.
Riku is quick to respond. Akira wonders if he planned this response or if it was only made to dispel her concerns.
“I swear, I'll get all of us off this island if it's the last thing I do” Riku utters.
Akira could hear the confidence in his tone. He was determined to leave the island. He has been since he was young, more so than anyone else. Akira could not help but wonder why. Only one thought came to mind.
“Do you resent the island?” Akira inquires.
Riku was the only one truly set on leaving. He was the only one who was not content staying on the island. And yet, he would not be satisfied in the outside world without his friends. For whatever reason, the outside world always appealed to Riku, and Akira believed that this appeal caused him to resent the island in return. Akira is slightly surprised when seeing Riku shake his head no.
“Not at all. I love the island, but knowing how much could be out there makes me resent the feeling of containment. This world is too small…” Riku declares.
Despite claiming to have no resentment toward the island, Akira can still sense the anger and hostility in his words. Akira wondered if he just didn't notice it, or if it was even his own. Her fear and worry spikes when remembering the illustration of Riku beside another young man. But who was that man?
“Thank you again, Akira, for this opportunity” Riku expresses his gratitude.
As Riku walks away, she watches him with a sense of bewilderment. She closes her eyes and touches the charm in her hair, praying that misfortune will not be brought to her and her friends. She opens her eyes and gets down from the paopu tree. Her body feels like lead as she drags herself away from the tree and follows Riku.
Just as Akira got to the boats, Sora and Kairi finished their own conversation and walked over from the dock. Sora, Kairi and Riku enter their own boats. Riku pats the back spot of his boat, knowing Akira left hers behind. As they all paddle away from the island, Akira turns back one last time, apprehension overwhelming her.
“You're quiet again. Is there something on your mind?” Riku asks.
Akira shakes her head no, not wanting to worry Riku any longer. Once returning to land, they all say goodnight and return to their homes. Akira and Kairi return together in silence, both seemingly worried about something. Neither address the other about it as they tuck themselves into bed. Akira looks at the time on her digital clock and keeps her eyes wide open. She was watching each minute tick by, impatiently waiting until twilight to return to the Secret Place.