Sora jumped up and rushed over to his friend’s side as Riku pushed himself up onto his hands and knees. “Riku!” Sora said again, a grin spreading across his face. Riku sat back on his knees as the others gathered around him. “Wow!” Donald and Goofy said as one. “Riku!” Lily exclaimed happily. Riku perked up at the sound of her voice. Lily doubted he could see her from behind that black blindfold over his eyes. His silvery hair was longer, he was taller, but otherwise he was the Riku they all knew and loved.
He looked blindly around. “Ansem did say anything could happen…” King Mickey pointed out. Riku stood, as did Sora, and they all looked out into the distance. “Riku, you gonna take that off?” Sora asked, referring to the blindfold. “Oh…” Riku reached up and pulled it off. He opened his sea-blue eyes, blinking them as his mouth fell open a little, as if seeing the world for the first time.
“What was that?” Sora wondered out loud. “His eyes couldn’t lie,” King Mickey said as he walked up to them. “Lie?” Sora turned back to his friend and put his hands on his hips. “And just who were you trying to fool? Huh? Huhhh?” “Myself.” Sora playful grin slid off his face. “Riku.. C’mon, man! Why did you try to do so much on your own?” He ran over to where Lily and the others were standing. “You got friends, like us!” A flicker of a smile passed over Riku’s lips as everyone nodded and smiled in agreement.
Riku walked up to Sora. “Have you forgotten? I’ll tell you why. ‘Cause I’m not a total sap like you.” “Say that again!” A whoosh made them all spin around and stare at Kingdom Hearts. It had a gaping pink hole in the center, and wind was visible swirling around it. “Uh-oh!” Donald squawked. They rushed over to the side of the balcony, and below, hundreds upon hundreds of Heartless were making their way towards the castle. “What should we do, Riku?’ Sora asked. “We must defeat Xemnas. He’s the Organization’s last survivor.” “Right!”The group of five turned and Riku swept off his black robe.
He was now wearing purple-ish colored jeans, a black t-shirt with a zipped up zipper, a shorter blue, yellow, and white vest over that, and a pair of sneakers. As the group headed to wherever they needed to be, Lily talked to Riku. “Look at you, all grown up!” she said playfully as they walked across the bridges that instantly appeared as they walked. Riku chuckled. “Same to you. Is that make-up on your eyes?” “Just a bit of mascara.” “Since when did you wear make-up?” “Since my fifteenth birthday, thank you very much.”
“You’re fifteen? Already?” Riku looked vaguely surprised. “Yeah. I guess being in the darkness makes you lose track of your sense of time. It’s been a year since we saw you last, Riku.” “I know. But… I forgot your birthday.” Lily laughed. “Don’t worry about it. You were busy trying to help Sora wake up.” She patted his shoulder in a motherly sort of way. “I completely understand.” Now it was Riku’s turn to laugh.
As they reached the last platform, Lily looked behind her – and gasped. “Sora! Riku!” The two boys turned to see hundreds of Heartless pouring from the dark holes in the walls and heading towards them across the little bridges. “There’s gonna be no end to this!” Riku exclaimed despairingly. “Together we can stop ‘em!” Sora said confidently. Riku chuckled.
Suddenly, a big, fat cat-like thing appeared in front of them – along with Maleficent. A little squeak escaped from Lily’s mouth. She was surprised – and a little frightened – to see that woman there. Sora touched her shoulder lightly and nodded reassuringly when she looked at him. She smiled and nodded back in order to let him know she would be fine. Sora looked a little surprised (and inside, hurt), when she took his hand off her shoulder and let it drop back to his side. But then she took it again and held it in hers, staring straight ahead with a bit of a blush and a smile on her face.
“Be gone from here!” Maleficent commanded. “Leave these creatures to us!” “But there’s no way we can take ‘em all!” her companion protested. “I will be sending them after Xemnas,” Maleficent explained impatiently. “Or, perhaps, you would rather fight them yourself?” The rotund… whatever it was rubbed his chin, apparently thinking hard, the said, “Frankly, my dear, I’d rather…RUN!” “Off with you then!” Maleficent said coldly.
Rotundus stepped back – and spotted King Mickey. “Well, if it ain’t the boat-boy king,” he said. “Time to weigh anchor, Captain Pete!” “What, like ‘abandon ship’? I don’t think so!” “Sora! ‘Your Majesty’! Do not forget – when I’ve destroyed them all, this castle will be mine!” Maleficent reminded them. “Now lookie here,” Pete said to the King. “Opportunities like this don’t come along everyday, ya know.” Then he turned and hurried back to Maleficent’s side. “Bring ‘em on!” And they headed down the bridge together.
“We gotta hurry!” King Mickey exclaimed. “But…” Sora began. “They’re doing what their hearts command. We can’t interfere,” the King insisted. Sora finally relented, and they all walked through the next door together, Sora’s and Lily’s hands still linked.
