A Second Chance

The Battle of Thebes

I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LONG DELAY.

I swear I didn't forget about this series. It was an emotionally rough month for me, plus I had a hard time making this chapter flow right. I'm still not happy with it (hence why it ends abruptly) but the next chapter will  have all the answers :3

[♥]

[YEN SID'S TOWER]

It had been a few weeks since Riku had become a Keyblade Master. He's spent the time resting in Twilight Town, trying to wrap his mind around the journey he's gone down thus far. From falling to the darkness, to fearing the darkness, to embracing the darkness and becoming a Keyblade Master... It all feels like a dream.

Sora, meanwhile, hadn't been back since failing the Mark of Mastery examination. He was exploring the worlds and licking his wounds, preparing himself for the next step. Riku understood that his friend needed space, but it didn't make him happy.

Finally, one afternoon, Riku is called to meet with Master Yen Sid. As he walks into his study, he finds Mickey standing there next to – of all people – Kairi. Her hair is a little bit longer, and she looks healthier, but it's definitely his old friend. Riku tilts his head in confusion at seeing the girl, and she merely smiles knowingly in response. Riku quietly walks towards the three of them, as they watch him carefully.

"The great battle with Xehanort is almost upon us," Master Yen Sid greets, not willing to ease them into what has to be said. "As you know, we must take action to keep the seven pure lights safe. And thus, we must hasten to assemble the seven guardians of light. It is time to return to our world the three Keyblade wielders we lost over a decade ago. Ventus, Terra, and Aqua must be saved from their sad end, for they have more to achieve."

Riku finds himself looking down at the ground, his lips pursed in an unhappy frown. He had heard stories about them from you, and knew that their disappearances haunted you. Could they really be returned to the light?

"Following their first battle with Xehanort, Ventus' heart refused to awaken, and so Aqua found a safe location to conceal him," Master Yen Sid explains. "But when she set off in search of her other missing friend, Terra, she fell into a place from which there is no return without outside help."

"I saw her," Mickey speaks up as he turns to face Kairi and Riku once he receives a supportive nod from the Master. "In the realm of darkness."

And with that, King Mickey officially shifts Riku's perception about everything he thought he knew. The King tells him about everything he saw in the Realm of Darkness, when he found Aqua and almost brought her to safety years ago. Riku had been there... He was there, when he helped Sora close the door to darkness and willingly walked into the Dark Realm.

And so was Aqua.

He wouldn't be standing here today if it wasn't for Aqua. According to Mickey, a hoard of Heartless had been hurtling right towards him when she ran forward, protecting Riku and sacrificing her freedom in fighting off the monsters. He owed her his life, and he could barely even remember meeting her once on a beach.

His heart hurt. He didn't deserve such treatment.

"She sacrificed herself to save me?" Riku finally asks, his gaze on the ground as his brows furrow before he turns towards Mickey with an angry expression. "Why did you keep it from me for so long?"

"I had to respect her choice," Mickey explains calmly.

"What about us?" Riku continues as his arms fall limply to his side. "You could've given us a choice. We could've gone and helped her! [Name] could have known that her friend was okay..."