Kairi smiled as she watched Sora and Riku start to gather the wood needed for the raft. Their date of departure for worlds unknown was still a few days away, but there was still some extra construction they needed to take care of if they wanted to make sure of everything they needed. She went over the list she had in her hands one more time. She'd start gathering the supplies tomorrow while Sora got the last of the wood and Riku...
That was a matter that was unresolved. He was one of her best friends, and by far one of the people who mattered most to her, but when it came to how he'd been acting lately, she was worried. He'd been different the closer they got to leaving the world, more anxious, more angry, and more jealous of something between her and Sora that wasn't even there. Deep in her heart, she sensed something wrong, and above all else, she was scared.
As though sensing her thoughts had turned in his direction, Riku had approached her, leaving Sora behind to do the rest of his searching. "You look upset, is there something up with the list?"
She must have been focusing on the list more intently than she thought, or maybe just looked upset, because she sighed and shook her head. "It's not the list. That's all in order, and we'll be ready to set sail tomorrow!"
"Then what's got you so upset like that." Riku sat down on tree next to her, looking at her expectantly for an answer she wasn't sure she was ready to give. "We'll be fine. You, me, and Sora can take on whatever's waiting for us off the island. Sora and I can fight anything and you can make sure we don't leave anything behind."
"It's not that." Kairi clutched the notebook closer to her chest and looked up at Riku. "I'm just...I don't want things to change, that's all."
She didn't want him to change. Not like he was.
He gave her a smirk. "I don't think it's that much different than normal. Sure, we won't be on the islands anymore, but it's a chance to see somewhere exciting and new. A chance to get away from here for however long we want."
Kairi wasn't reassured, but she let it go. "You aren't scared?"
Riku shook his head. "Not really. Even if we can't come back here, nothing will really change." He grinned. "So long as I'm with you and Sora, then I know I'm home."
"I suppose that's true," Kairi said, a small smile forming on her face at the reassurance. "But I'm not just worried about coming back here, I'm worried about you too."
Riku's smirk fell, and instead he wrapped an arm around hers. "Don't worry, no matter what happens, I'll be fine. I can take care of myself."
That's not what I'm worried about... Riku could handle himself, but there was so much more to this.
"Then what is it?" he asked. Realizing she'd spoken out loud and there wasn't anything she could do to hide her concerns, she opened up.
"I'm worried that somethings going to happen, and that when everything's over you won't be you anymore." She spoke up, a little bit stronger. "You're changing Riku, and that's what scares me. I don't want to lose you." He meant too much to her for that.
Riku didn't respond, likely giving what she said some thought. She contemplated taking back her fears, worried for Riku's response. "Riku–"
"It's alright." The response seemed automatic, as though Riku hadn't put any thought into it. "You won't lose me Kairi. I'm not going anywhere, and no matter how much I change, I'm not going to leave you."
If nothing else, Riku believed that about himself. That no matter what, he wouldn't leave her, and if nothing else gave her some reassurance. "Thank you."
"What made you so worried about it?" he asked.
It wasn't something easy to explain. There was his behavior but it was so much more than that, a vague sense of wrong that just seemed to be coming from everywhere, like the world was waiting with baited breath for the inevitable conflict and downfall coming. "Sora hasn't noticed it, but you've been angrier at him."
"What do you mean?" He frowned, then before she could answer he continued. "Sora's still my best friend."
"I know." She didn't doubt that Riku still cared about him. "I just want to make sure that things are okay."
"It's nothing I'm not working out on my own." So there was something, just not something he wanted to tell her. "So you don't have to worry, just keep focusing on building the list of supplies, I'll tell you everything when we finally get off the islands."
"You promise?" Kairi asked. Riku nodded. "Okay, but I'll hold you to it."
Riku laughed in response. "I'm not sure I'd want to back out of this decision anyways."
He stood up off the tree. "If that's all that's got you down, I'm going back to help Sora. He's probably napping on the beach again."
"Wait." Before he could leave, she grabbed his wrist and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you for listening."
Riku turned a bright red, looking at Kairi stunned. "Y-You're welcome."
He left to go help Sora, and while she was less worried than before, she couldn't shake the feeling in her stomach that something bad was still on the horizon, both for Riku and the islands both.
Maybe...it wouldn't hurt to talk to Sora about Riku too.