Shattered Hearts Can Be Healed Again

Chapter 1: Broken

A/N: Thanks Salt, Salli, and Zee for spending four hours on the monstrosity of the original outline with me. I hope you enjoy what I've done with it so far

At the training ground, Riku and Mickey's keyblades collide, and the rapid clang of metal against metal, keyblade against keyblade, rings out.

Mickey can't figure out how a simple sparring match turned so passionate, desperate, but he doesn't back down.

Though, Mickey can't say he's surprised when Riku suddenly halts, red-faced, panting, sweating buckets. He could tell the passion wasn't just a simple competitiveness. It had to be something serious.

Eyes wide, Riku hangs over his knees as he stares at the ground. His heart hurts. It hurts enough to break.

No, not break. It hurts nearly enough to shatter.

"Sora…" He can't get Sora out of his head. His forehead pulses with intense pain. Everything burns as he tries to hold everything in as he always has.

He'll...never feel the same…

Hold it in… Don't let the feelings out.

I've been holding it in for him.

Why...does this affect me so hard…? Why can't I…?

Stop…

Stop.

STOP.

Stop. Thinking.

Riku can't help it. He tries to stop, tries to push everything back into the depths of his heart, but all his feelings for Sora, and all the corresponding anxieties and regrets, burst forth through the dam of his mind, and his heart aches, and aches, and aches.

He can't do this anymore.

He grunts, throwing his keyblade at the ground with all his tired strength, and falls to his knees. He sighs into his hands as sobs wrack his body; his tears plummet to the dry earth. He feels so pathetic.

Throwing a gloved hand up to cover his mouth, Mickey gasps. Rather than putting a hand on Riku's shoulder, kneeling down beside him, or even speaking with the intention of comforting him, he simply stands near him, wishing he knew the best way to help his friend. "Riku…"

~

Back from another mission with Donald and Goofy, Sora springs out the doorway of the Gummi Ship hangar. "Aaaaaah! That was soooo fuuuuuun!"

"It sure was!" Donald agrees.

"Well, gwarsh, I guess that means we have to go back to visit Mowgli and Baloo again sometime!"

"Yeah!" Sora throws a fist in the air, and as it falls back to his side, he begins to hum a tune from the world he returned from as he continues down the hallway with Donald and Goofy. He believes the song is called something like Beer Nests...er, no, maybe...Bear Nesties….

Bare...neceties… Bare… Bare... Bare Necessities!

Riku passes Sora, staring down at the ground, silent, red-faced, and Mickey follows after him, a sad look upon his face.

Sora trails off as he notices Riku, frowning, and he just watches as he and Mickey of them through the doorway to the Gummi Ship hangar. 

Sora starts to reach out in Riku's direction, "Riku...what's…?" but he lets his arm drop back to his side.

He's not alone… The king is there…

Sora turns back to a frowning Donald and Goofy. "What's wrong with Riku?" Sora asks, concerned.