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It’s not the first time Sora has seen this beach. Oddly, it reminds him of Destiny Islands, the one time he and Riku and Kairi snuck out to the play island in the middle of the night. It doesn’t have the same familiar trees and docks, but the underlying sense of wrongness is similar.
Of course, back then, it was only wrong because they were disobeying their parents. This is the Realm of Darkness. It’s wrong in a much more… insidious way.
“Sora.”
Sora ignores Riku’s voice and stays where he is, standing at the edge of the water and watching it lap against the tips of his sneakers. The last time they were here, he thinks, they stayed a long time. He doesn’t even know how long; time flows differently in the darkness, or so Riku says.
“Sora, you have to go.”
“You know, last time we kinda just sat here and talked,” Sora says, his voice echoing oddly off the emptiness of the surrounding darkness. “Do you know how long we were here?”
Riku sighs. “I don’t know, but it’s not—”
“It seems like, if you spend too much time in the darkness, it could be unhealthy. I mean, look what happened to you the first time.” The words come out of Sora in a rush, and he knows he’s just delaying the inevitable, but it’s better than letting it happen. “And now you’re finally free of Ansem, I mean Xehanort, ’cause he’s given up on you, but if you stay here too long I don’t know if he might get to you again. Like, I got stuck in the darkness for a while and he almost got to me—”
“Sora.”
Sora falls silent, except for his breath coming in fast, shallow gasps.
“There’s nothing you can do about it. I’m stuck here, remember?” Somehow, Riku’s voice doesn’t sound hopeless. In fact, it seems almost light and amused, albeit with a bitter undertone. “But you’ve been here long enough. You need to get back to the light.”
“I don’t want to leave you here alone.”
“I know how the darkness works,” says Riku gently. “I can handle it. Besides, I’ve got you to guide me back once I figure out this whole Vanitas thing.”
“The light of the love in my heart,” Sora whispers, echoing the words Aqua had said to them. “I remember.”
“You’ve got a job to do. And Kairi’s waiting for you—probably getting really impatient.” Riku definitely sounds amused now. “You’re my light, but there’s no point in having one if you’re hiding in the darkness with me.”
“Yeah…” Sora lifts his head to stare blankly across the water, then shakes his head and stands up straight with new resolve. “Yeah. You’ve gotta do your thing here, and I’ve gotta do my thing there. Just—just don’t take too long, all right?”
“As soon as I find Vanitas, I’ll come back to you,” Riku promises.
Sora nods, takes a step into the water. Turns around halfway to give Riku his most brilliant smile. For once, the silver-haired boy gives him a small smile in return. Then Sora faces the ocean again and begins to walk towards the light.