You Only Live Once

[justabignobody]

[Riku doesn't know how long he's been drifting in the endless space of the Lanes Between with nothing but the silver gleam of his magic to shield him from the Darkness, how long it's been since he just narrowly escaped Xehanort's blade, how many seconds, minutes, hours since Highwind-

His side has started bleeding again a while ago and by now Riku has really started to *feel* the effects of this battle on him, minor tears and bruises, the cut splitting his lip, the sheer exhaustion...

(Highwind is gone.)

He. He needs to find a place to heal up and recover, a place that isn't with Sora and Kairi or Roxas and Naminé – he can't risk Xehanort following him to either of them. Mickey... Going to Mickey, to Master Yen Sid... that's an option, probably and maybe safe – or at very least safer, but.

(It's Xehanort. Nowhere is safe right now.)

There is a gleam of light, catching Riku's attention. A door.

It's instinct that guides his arm up, that twists his wrist so that Way to the Dawn falls into his hand, that give just that one push needed to invoke near age-old magic and in the back of his mind he can hear the sound of a lock clicking-

Riku blinks, almost reels back out of the door again, when he finds himself standing in front of a tower.

Possibly, probably the tower.

Right. He's known this place existed, Xion's told him, even if this is the first time he's seeing it himself. It's. As far away from Xehanort – the Xehanort of his worlds - as he can get. More or less safe. Maybe.

Xion hadn't said anything about monsters after all.

(And well. If there are any, well. With a little hope, he'll have a quick death after all. And Highwind won't be alone anymore.)

It takes a while until Riku manages to climb up to the highest floor – thankfully without any monsters jumping him – and by the time he does, his vision is littered with tiny black spots, his breathing shaky, the wound on his side burning and bleeding even as he keeps his right hand against it, as if to hold himself together.

There's so many doors, so many and Riku isn't in any state of mind to tell if he's seeing right or suffering double vision and he doesn't really care, not now. It's. He's gambling, he knows he's gambling – there is no telling what kind of world he'll end up at, but. But. There won't be any Xehanort after him there. Probably.

And with a little luck, he thinks as he steps through the door, he'll find a friendly face.

(Even if that might take a lot more than his luck stats should allow for.)]

Comments

[justabignobody]

[Riku keeps most of his focus on walking rather than on where Xion is taking him – surely, wherever she's taking him will be a safe place. His head snaps up when he hears Suna speaking up, stopping and tensing automatically at the sight of the retrieval unit.

He doesn't quite have the strength to resist when Xion drags him over to her bed though, finally blinking when his legs give out for good once she's forcing him to sit. He just nods when she speaks up, keeping a tired, but wary eye on Suna even knowing that the retrieval unit wouldn't be here if Xion didn't trust it. He can't help closing his eyes once Excalibur comes bouncing along though and far too familiar magic washes over him - now that he's truly safe, the memory, the reality of losing Highwind finally catches up with him for good.

It's been over two years since Ruana gave him Highwind as consolation prize for not surviving Halloween – he remembers how distrustful he had been of the Dream Eater back then, it's almost funny to think now – years in which Highwind had become much more than a price or pet, a friend and partner alike, the one being that Riku had trusted to cover his back.

And Highwind had done just that, right to the very end.

(And at just the thought of that, he can't help a strangled sob, or the tears that escape him. But then, there is no need for him to keep himself together here. Not anymore.)]

[attheclocktower]

[The sob startles her, scares her, because Riku had always been the one who kept things together when she was falling apart. When everything was falling apart. Like after the evil meeting, the one where Ganon had tortured her. After Roxas and Elena left. When they'd nearly died for real.

Now she just needs to do that for him. Cognitively it's an easy concept to grasp, but a lot harder to actually do. Especially when the person you've seen as your older brother is crying.

Something horrible had happened. But what could it have possibly been?

But she can't focus on that now. She can't. Not when Riku's clearly hurting - in more ways than one. One hand quests for some cloth - an old shirt or something probably - that she can use to try to clean the injury with the water bottle Suna gave her, but with the other she wraps her arm around his shoulder bracingly, leaning her head against his.

And instead she tries to fill the silence with... something. Anything, really. He voice is quiet, gentle. At first their just soothing words and reassurances, but soon enough she moves anything she feels might help soothe him somehow - warm memories, hopes and dreams, something to fill the silence. He doesn't have to respond - truthfully she doesn't expect him to. But she is watching to see if it helps at all.

And keeping an eye on that injury. Excalibur seems to be watching too, even as he's hopped up onto Riku's other side and curled up. But she didn't want it to get worse because she was careless or absentminded.]

[justabignobody]

[Riku would have preferred if she never ever had to see him like this – injured, weakened, shattered by the events, so very close to the verge of breaking apart. (He can count the times it's happened on one hand, even with all that's happened in the tower. The last time had been after he'd been forced to watch Sora's death at Ganondorf's hands, unable to do anything but stare horrified at the screen.)

There is no choice though and Xion definitely does belong to the rather small group of people that Riku knows he can allow himself to truly show his weakness to.

He doesn't respond, doesn't really react much beyond the flicker of gratefulness in his eyes when she starts talking, when she fills the silence with words of comfort, when Excalibur curls up at his other side. After a while he lets his head fall against the Dream Eater's fur, eyes falling closed.

Exhaustion spreads through him on more than one level, and now that he's comfortable and safe, he can feel it threaten to draw him into slumber. Still, before he fully drifts off, there is one last thing he needs to say.]

...Thanks.

[For helping. For being here. For not pressing for what happened just yet. He needs her to know that he is grateful for all the above.]

[attheclocktower]

Of course.

[He's clearly drifting, and Xion isn't sure he's able to hear her reply. But the sentiment is still there - he can always count on her, no matter what.

Thankfully, with Excalibur there, Riku's sleep will be nightmare-free. And in the meantime, Xion's done her best to clean up and bandage the nasty injury in his side. Which, once she was able to get a better look at it, raised all kinds of questions as to who or what could have done that. They were questions that would need to wait until Riku woke up, however. It was clear he needed the rest.

It'll be hard to tell that too much time has passed, by the time Riku wakes up. Twilight Town is always perpetually bathing in the golden glow of late afternoon, after all. However, Riku will find Excalibur still curled up next to him. If he observes things a bit more closely around the room in general, he may notice Thalassa in a cat bed on top of some boxes across the room, and - beyond the ragged curtain shielding their spot from observation - Suna and Sunny keeping watch, the former partially absorbed in her book again.

Xion meanwhile, is asleep herself, curled up right next to the bed, her head resting on the mattress as she dozes and her hand holding one of Riku's own. However, if he starts moving about too much, she'll wake quickly enough.]

[justabignobody]

[Riku sleeps dreamless, in a dark place that is far beyond sound or sight or the realities of physical and emotional pain. It takes hours until he starts drifting back, the pain at his side a dull throb that does not want to be ignored any longer. He groans lowly when he starts to waken, his hand drawing away from Xion's as he tries to sit up out of habit; not the best course of action he finds, hissing in pain when he lowers himself back against Excalibur.

It takes a moment until he recognizes where exactly he is, what exactly happened just hours later, how he had ended up with that kind of injury in first-

He grimaces at the memories, grief flashing over his face as Highwind's loss hits yet again.

(His fault, his fault, all of it-)

He lifts himself up again, much more carefully this time, as he lets his gaze drift. Xion is...?]

[attheclocktower]

[Xion is sitting up and rubbing at her eyes, Riku's hand pulling itself out of hers being significant enough movement to wake her. For a second, she blinks at him blearily.]

Riku...? [And then reality reasserts itself behind her eyes, concern chasing sleep away] Ah, careful!

[Her eyes rake over the area where his injury is with some concern. Thankfully it looked alright...

Excalibur meanwhile, turns his head and yips at Riku, wriggling his feet but remaining in place. If Riku finds himself wanting to lay back down, Excalibur will be there. You don't have to push yourself, friend.]

Do you need anything?

[Food? Water? She'll get it for you, Riku, don't you dare try to get it yourself while you're still hurt like this.]

[justabignobody]

[He may not have to, but Riku rarely ever refrains from pushing himself as far as needed, as far as it's possible. ...Not that that's very far right this second anyway. He turns towards Xion, frowning to himself for a second – though he resigns to the fact that he won't be able to move far by himself, not currently.]

I-

[He grimaces again, this time at the dry feeling in his throat – raw and dry and incredibly unpleasant.]

Water, please.

[That first, and then he'll see if his magic has been restored to the point where he can at very least take the edge off that pain at his side (if not speed the healing process along some). And then... and then he'll face the events of the past day, the costs of them, and of course, the consequences.]

[attheclocktower]

[Xion nods once, getting to her feet. She shakes her legs out a little to try to get rid of the pins-and-needles sensation as she walks over to the other side of the room.

There's the sound of shuffling and clattering as she digs through the storage boxes they've been keeping. Within a minute she's back, water bottle in one hand. In the other she has some of the non perishable food and snacks they've gotten stored away, though it's not an adequate substitute for a proper meal and she knows it. Also the granola bars have the unfortunate tendency of reminding her a lot of nutrition bars, though at least there was more flavor and texture to them.

In any case, she kneels back down next to Riku and holds out the water bottle.]

Here.

[justabignobody]

[Riku takes the bottle from her hands with a short, tired nod, opening the bottle and taking a few sips of it. He sighs quietly as the dry feeling in his mouth and throat recedes some at least. He slowly downs the rest of the bottle before setting it down as he glances over to Xion.]

Thanks.

[Again. Not just for the water.

Riku lets his right hand drift to his side, eyes drifting as he probes at his injury. He needs to know just how bad it really is.]