Motivation (Riku X Reader)

(For the sake of this insert, let us pretend reader-chan is a keywielder, ‘kay? Okay.) It was a nice, warm day, and you were sitting on the beach, watching the ocean’s waves crash on the shore while eating ice cream (sea-salt ice cream, hahaha). Popping the tasty treat into your mouth for a second, you flipped off your shoes and waded into the water, only deep enough so your ankles were submerged. The water cooled your warm feet and you let out a content sigh.

This was the most homely you had felt in the past couple of days. Recently, you had been questioning your position, the side you were on in general. You had always fought against the Heartless, the Nobodies, and Organization XIII, as you believed in more peace than violence. But a couple weeks ago, while you laying in bed trying to sleep, Zexion, a member of Organization XIII appeared in your room. He said your heart contained just the perfect blend of hatred, sorrow, and self-pity, and that Xemnas wanted you to become a member of the Organization. You knew Zexion to be a natural manipulator, so you tried your best not to believe what he had said, but after letting it sink in for a few weeks, you began to wonder yourself. Were you meant to fight against them, or for them?

Contemplating this took a lot of time, and energy. You almost never had time like this to just relax, which is why you were enjoying it so much. The salty-sweet taste of your ice cream, the cool, wet feel of the ocean, the warm sea breeze, the calming quiet….

“Oh, hi, (Y/N)!” You turned to see Sora, Riku, and Kairi standing in the sand behind you. You gave them a small smile and waved.

“Hi, guys. What brings you all to the beach?” You begin to make your way out of the shallow ocean, walking over to the few friends you’ve made on this almost dull island.

“It’s nice out,” Riku answered, leaning against the lone palm tree. Oh, ever so vague.

“We thought we’d come and relax, spend some time together,” Kairi said, as in to fill in the blanks Riku had left. “It’s nice to see you here!”

“Yeah, you’ve been so distant lately,” added Sora, giving you a slightly worried look. “You alright?”

“Mmhm,” you answered, nodding your head and licking your ice cream. Not the best answer, but what were you going to tell them? ‘Oh, a member of the Organization visited me and now I’m wondering if I should join,’ just wouldn’t cut it.

“Are you sure?” questioned Riku, him staring at you, almost examining you. “Because I’ve known you for a while, and I can tell when you’re lying by now.”

“Yes, Riku, I’m fine!” you lied, taking another stressed lick of your ice cream. You bent down to grab your shoes, carrying them in your free hand. “I should go. I hope to see you guys around.” You quickly rushed past them, making your way onto the street and en route to your home. The pavement was burning, but you’d rather have hot feet than sandy shoes.

Emotions running wild, you tossed your remaining ice cream in the trash and ran a hand through your hair. ‘What the hell am I to do?’ you wondered, sighing to yourself. You had told Zexion that in 2 weeks you would have an answer. He was supposed to come see you again tonight. You had no idea what would happen if you denied, and you weren’t sure if you even wanted to deny.

You weren’t sure what you wanted to do.

You began walking again, playing a little game. You’d see how long you could hop on one foot without it getting too burned. Then, once it was too hot, you’d switch feet. It was a good way to cool your feet down. Suddenly, a call of, “(Y/N)!” rang through your ears. You spun around to see Riku running (or speed walking…) down the street to you.

“Yeah, what is it, Riku?” you asked, hopping from one foot to the other to keep them cold.

“Could you tell me what is wrong with you so I can find a way to help?” He sighed, moving you from the pavement to the grass. “Really, (Y/N), we just want to help.” His offer was tempting, but was it right to tell someone? You thought back to the night. Zexion never said not to tell anyone….

“It’s not something that’s solved so easily…” you said after a few minutes of silence. Riku gave a slight chuckle.

“Nothing is too big a problem for us both,” he said, giving you a reassuring half-smile. “Come on, out with it.”

“Well…” You sighed, took a deep breath, and mentally prepared yourself. “Pleasedon’tbemadatmebutI’mconsideringjoiningtheOrganizationbecauseZexioncametomeacoupleweeksagoandIamsoundureaboutwhoIshouldtrust. Zexionjustseemedtohavesomuchfaithinmeandheshoweredmeinsomanykindwords…” You weren’t sure if he could understand you. Riku stared at you with an annoyed, blank look on his face. He seemed to try and comprehend what you had said, but after he had let it sink in, his expression became more confused, angry, and scared.

“Why would you want to even THINK about joining them?!”

“Zexion said my heart was a perfect blend of hatred, sorrow, and self-pity, and that I was a great fighter.”

“First off, why would you have any reason for self-pity? He’s obviously manipulating you there. You just began to build up hatred, and sorrow, and self-pity after he said that.”

“You don’t know me-”

“Yes, I do, (Y/N). Second, your heart is strong. If it wasn’t, why would you be able to wield your Keyblade? If you had any trace of darkness in there, the Keyblade would reject you. I would know.” You scrunched up your face and crossed your arms.

“I still don’t know, Riku! I’m so confused!” You plopped down onto the grass in a sandy, hot heap. You felt a presence next to you and knew straight away Riku had sat down beside you.

“Sit up.”

“No.”

“Sit up.”

“Why should I?”

“I said so. Sit. Up.” You groaned and pulled your body up into an almost straight form. “Good. Now what do you think you want to do at the moment?”

“I don’t know, this has been established!”

“Think!” You thought, hard. You didn’t want to leave your friends or have to fight against them, but you were still believing Zexion that you would be better off joining the Organization. You told Riku just this. “Listen, (Y/N), you’re a smart girl. And I know that you know you’re better than Organization XIII. I believe in you to make the right choice.” You bit your lip and sighed, looking over at him.

“What if I…. what if I do choose to join the Organization?”

“Then we’ll see each other on the battlefield,” Riku joked, making you laugh a bit. “But in all seriousness, I know you’ll make the right choice. You always do.” You smiled at him and stood, picking your shoes up from the place you dropped them.

“Thanks, Riku. I really do feel better now.” He stood up as well, dusting off his pants.

“Hey, (Y/N)? If you do decide to stay and not join the Organization… do you maybe wanna go get some ice cream or something…?” Was he… asking you out? You giggled and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

“I’d love to.” You smiled at him, him smiling back, then skipped off in the direction of your home.

If that date wasn’t motivation enough for you to stay, you didn’t know what would be.