Kingdom Hearts One-shots

01: Perfect Picture / Riku

A/N: Spoilers for all KH games 

"Riku..." I whispered, dragging a finger across the glass of a picture frame. "Where are you?" It had been a few days now since he had left for the Keyblade War, the clash between the seven light and thirteen darknesses. Was he okay..? He and the others promised to return to the islands after it ended. I could only hope that they all were alright and had won the war.

Putting the frame back on the shelf, I take a few steps back and smile. Riku was always there for me, even when we were apart all those years. He was in my heart, and I was in his. As long as we thought of each other, we were never truly apart. All the pictures on the shelves were taken by my parents, memories I loved dearly.

The first picture on the shelf was the four of us, but younger. Sora was on the ground of the sandy beach, while Riku had a triumphant smirk on his face. Kairi and I were sitting on the deck, talking about who knows what. But considering the red hues on my younger self's cheeks, it must have been about Riku. Thinking back on it, I'd had a crush on Riku forever. Even now when I think of him and his emerald blue-green eyes, my heart flutters.

The second picture on the shelf was of us when we were all around fourteen and fifteen years old. Sora and Kairi were arguing over whether the legend of the paopu fruit was real, while Riku and I stood a bit farther from them. The two of us had watched Sora and Kairi bicker for what seemed like hours before we interviewed, claiming they wouldn't know if it were true unless they tried it out themselves. The concept of the idea was a bit impossible; How could you stay in someone's life forever by just sharing a simple piece of fruit? Though, I wouldn't have minded sharing it with Riku.

The third picture was of Kairi and me on our first day of high school. I had complained about the uniform skirt being too short, while Kairi didn't mind at all. She claimed that she liked the style and simply wished Sora was here to see her wear it. I gagged at the thought but wished the two would just come back home. Kairi said when she and the others went across the different worlds, she'd lost her heart. Though her entire story seemed impossible, I believed it. Kairi wasn't one to make this stuff up. She told me Sora and Riku said they were coming back. Sora promised, after all. And since then, I believed her... until she disappeared too.

Luckily, she came back and told me everything she'd seen again. She was imprisoned by some organization and claimed Sora and Riku had defeated them with the weapons and powers they gained from their last adventure. She said they would come back soon, they just needed to find a way back home. Her words were the only leads I had, so I trusted her. And one day when waiting for the two at the shore of the islands, we saw two stars falling down from the sky along with her other friends: Donald, Goofy, and Mickey. Or "King" Mickey.

Sora and Riku fell out of the sky, splashing into the water. I could only open my mouth in awe, they were a lot different than when they left the islands. Sora's voice had matured, and Riku...

"We're home!"

"We're home," The two stated as they looked at Kairi and me.

There was room for one more picture on the shelf, but I wasn't sure what picture should go there. I had other pictures that would do the job nicely, but none of them seemed to fit. And by fit, I meant none of them seemed to belong standing on that shelf. Deciding it could be dealt with tomorrow, I grab my gumi phone from the table and put on my shoes, getting ready to head out to the islands.

When arriving on the islands, I walk onto the sandy beach, the feeling of nostalgia overcoming me. I didn't go to islands much ever since Sora and Riku came back from their long two-year adventure. Kairi and I helped them catch up on their studies, which mostly occurred in my home or hers. Even when the other three went down to the islands, I claimed I had other things to do. After all, the islands felt like a distant memory to me, so coming here after so long... I missed it.

"(y/n)!" Hearing my name being called, I look up from the ground to see Kairi waving her hand in the air towards me. I smiled softly and waved back, treading my feet against the sand towards her.

....

Kairi...! Kairi was back! And If Kairi was back, then-

"(y/n)!" Sora yelled next to Kairi, copying her same wave. Smiling, my feet pick up the pace as I rush over towards them.

"Kairi, Sora!" I smile, stopping in front of them to catch my breath. "When did you guys come back?" I turn around behind them to see a large crowd. "And... who're they?"

"They're our allies from when we fought the war! We just came back a few minutes ago." I nod at Sora's words, scanning the crowd to see if I could find a certain grey-haired boy. "And then we-"

"Sora," Kairi begins, nudging him with her shoulder. Sora and I turn to Kairi with confused expressions on our faces. "I think Aqua and Ventus might need our help."

"Huh? But they-" The brunette is cut off again as Kairi steps on his foot rather harshly.

"I said," Kairi turns to me with a grinning smile. "We need to go, see you later, (y/n)!" Kairi grabs Sora's arm and pulls her in the direction she was leading him, leaving me standing in the same spot confused.

"Huh... well that was...odd," I mumble, tilting my head to the side.

"That's Sora for you." I let out a silent gasp before turning around to see the gray-haired boy I was looking for. "What, missed me?" My shocked expression slowly melts to a neutral one before letting out a large smile.

"Riku...!" I step one foot forward, then hurriedly rush towards the boy, jumping and wrapping my arms around his neck. Riku places his arms around my hip, holding me in the air. I giggle as he lets out a small chuckle, twirling me around in the air. "I'm so glad you're safe! I was so worried, you're-"

"-right here," He places me down on the sandy beach, our arms still wrapped around each other. "I'm here now, (y/n)." The smile on my face simply gets larger as we stare into each other's eyes lovingly. Those emerald eyes of his never fail to amaze me, captivate me. That's why I couldn't help but say exactly what I was thinking.

"I love you." His eyes widen a bit before he lets out a grin.

"I've always loved you, (y/n)." He leans down, eyelids slowly closing. I find myself doing the same as I tilt my head upwards, bracing myself for his lips on mine. Just as his lips touch mine, I hear the sound of a camera going off. It was most likely Sora or Kairi who decided to capture this moment on their phone...

But I couldn't care less about someone taking a picture of this scene. It just gave me the perfect picture to place on my shelf.