(A/N): So yeah... I've always been fascinated about post-apocalyptic stories and how characters react to them. I decided to experiment with the idea of how Sora, Riku, and Kairi would react to a kind of a "post-end of the world" scenario. This is the story of their struggles to come to terms with the fact that the order of the worlds has fallen and, at least for the time being, they're powerless to do anything about it. I've tried to make this first chapter introspective so you can see how/why the characters have changed.

Just a minor warning: this is an OT3 (SoraxRikuxKairi) story, just in case you're offended by that. It probably won't be all that smutty, but it will blatantly be there.

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts... that'd be... Square Enix and Disney, I think? Definitely not property of FrostFromFire, I can tell you that much.

Chapter One: Driftwood

The very existence of these worlds is futile. They will end, and none of us will be remembered.

He fumbled the dry, dead stick in his hand, running his fingers against its wave-smoothed surface, its bleached bark crumbling to the ground as a sturdy grip shattered its structure. A palm unclenched the pathetic driftwood, its splinters crumbling as they fell to the sable ground.

We are merely dust in an ineffable universe.

He closed his eyes, the taste of salt on his pallet. It was in times like this that he could remember the sea… the ocean that had carried his dreams from the brink of despair, guided his aspirations that turned so quickly into nightmares.

The sea… He couldn't remember much from his childhood, but the sea… that had stayed with him through gruesome fights and hopelessly lost battles, through shattered innocence and forgotten memories. As he listened to the gentle waves surge in and out, their nimble fingers sifting though the sand, he could almost feel the sun on his back, the laughs of his friends as they swam playfully among the currents, splashing water at each other in childish games. When they slept at night the moon guarded their small houses, protecting them from the diseases of the world.

"Riku, find Kairi and go! I'll look for Donald, Goofy, and the King!"

"But what if you can't find them? What if you can't get out in time?"

"I will; I promise!"

But the sea that lapped at his feet was different from the one he had known those years before. Once it danced, sang, harmonized with the islands in a cheerful melody. Now it groaned in old age, its ebb cowering at his knees, begging for some kind of release from its dismal prison.

Like every good thing the worlds had ever known, his childhood had ended. These days, with constant, looming clouds steeping over the island's skies, their sad demeanor overshadowing each optimistic thought, it was always night… but without the moon, without stars. Without stars, it was impossible to dream. Without dreams, it was impossible to hope.

"The worlds… have fallen?"

Yes, they were once children. They were children during a time when innocence existed. Now, with the worlds forever cursed in Darkness, extinguishing every light that attempted to fight against its towering force, childhood was merely the shadow of a wistful memory.

"I feel old. Old like a man who's lost hundreds of bloody wars. Like a person who's killed his best friend out of jealousy and rage. And I'm almost… without light. I'm without light, without hope, without the sun and the stars…

"And that's why the only thing I can remember is the sea."

"Stop thinking so much. That's my job."

Sora turned slowly, immediately discerning the familiar voice that rose against the waves. He greeted Riku with a slow wave of his hand, beckoning him forward. He glanced briefly at Sora, coming up behind him and wrapping his arms around his chest. Sora sighed into the embrace, casting his eyes outward at the endless gray waters.

"So what're you moping about this time?" he pestered, unwilling to leave Sora to his thoughts.

Sora smirked slightly. "C'mon, Riku. I don't mope. I'm all 'stupid smiles', remember?"

"Yeah, not anymore…"

His lips turned into an uneasy frown. In all honesty, he had never expected to change, to go from being the simple-hearted, easygoing boy who had believed beyond all doubt that the good of the world would always triumph over Darkness, to the pessimistic, down-to-earth person he was today. But it had happened. With the condition of the worlds, with everything through which he had survived, it was almost destined to happen. He had lost nearly everything he held sacred. His parents and sister had died early in the war, during the first string of attacks. He fought a constant internal battle, telling himself that if he hadn't been at Disney Castle discussing war strategies with the King, he could have saved them. Kairi's father had died in that massacre as well, leaving her terrified, widowed mother to fend for herself. The poor woman died not a month later when Destiny Islands were invaded by Heartless. It was during this siege that Riku's family was targeted; bringing despair upon Keyblade masters was a main goal of their offensive. They killed all but his younger brother, who, at fifteen, decided to join Sora, Riku, and Kairi on their quest to stop the Darkness. He perished within a week.

Nearly everyone on the islands had been killed, their homes demolished, their civilization left in battered ruins. The few survivors banded together, building makeshift cottages like the ones Sora remembered from the play island of his childhood. Their "village", as it had been deemed, consisted of seven houses perched near the edge of the ocean. They were small, dirty hovels, but they offered protection from the rain and the harsh winds of the sea. And his contained the two people about whom he cared the most in the world. That, he believed, was solace enough to love the tiny hamlet.

"Kairi caught a bunch of fish," Riku attempted conversation once more. "We might actually be able to eat a real meal today."

Sora entwined his fingers in the hand at his chest, squeezing encouragingly. "Let's get back. We can't leave her to do all the work on her own."

They walked through the mist shrouded forest, their eyes barely able to discern the worn path. The walk back from Sora's solitary spot on the beach was not a far one, and they managed to wind through the woods in under half an hour. Sora almost smiled as he looked upon their tiny cottage. They had built this civilization (dare he use the word for something so primitive?) from the battered remains of a people who had long ago lost hope for anything more than the will to survive. And sometimes, however rare the occasion, they would actually smile. Smile at him, at his friends, thank them for banding them together and showing that it was possible to survive, even to have fleeting moments of peace and happiness, in a world where Darkness reigned. He was glad of that, and yet for all his gratefulness that at least he had been able to save a few people, he was unable to delve into that happiness.

Kairi smiled widely at them as they unhinged the door from its primitive clasp, letting themselves into the main room of the hut. She sat at their small table, skinning the fish on a flat rock that she used as a primitive cutting board. At their entrance she stood, a wide smile on her face as kissed Riku tenderly before moving to Sora. He closed his eyes at the embrace. Her lips tasted of the sea, like the cool air that rushed in after a storm. A slight hint of pineapple lingered on his breath as they broke away. She smiled again, that wide smile that for two years had been without the once common glimmer in her eyes. But it was of little importance, he supposed; it was unlikely that such a strong hope would ever be reignited in her. Yes, the familiar happiness of comradery would suffice.

"I was thinking we could make kabobs," she said, pointing to the thin cubes of fish she had cut. "Maybe add some salt, coconut, pineapple… You know, a little flavor instead of the same old one-food-per-meal thing we've had going on."

"We can use the batch of salt I made last night," suggested Riku, because these days they didn't have the luxury of buying or finding salt; they had to make it, take a pot of seawater and boil it down until only the sediments were there. It was an annoyingly arduous job, but a bit of spice was a too seldom experienced luxury, and the taste of salt could often be enough to make one want to persevere through the hardships.

"Good idea," Sora agreed. "Why don't we invite over Selphie and Tidus? After all, they shared their shallots a couple weeks ago when we didn't have any food."

"Just as long as she doesn't bring that… instrument," Riku snickered.

"Fat chance," Kairi said disdainfully. "She carries that thing with her everywhere."

Several months beforehand, Selphie had found a strangely shaped log that resembled the shape of a small guitar. Having loved music above all else before the war, she missed it terribly and took it upon herself to construct a makeshift instrument by hollowing it out and attaching wires she had found in the debris. It was one of the most horrendous sounds Sora had ever heard in his life, but sometimes, when it was far away and the sound of waves muffled its obnoxious cacophony, he could almost hear the beautiful tune it was meant to portray. It was during these times that he missed music the most.

Sora shrugged. "Tidus might be able to convince her otherwise… I mean I know Wakka could have, but…"

They rarely talked about Wakka. He had disappeared after the second string of attacks, and none had heard even a whisper of his whereabouts since. Sora suspected he was probably dead, his body blown to pieces or buried under one of the insurmountable piles of rubble left in the old city. But still, the lack of a body always left the smallest shard of hope, however miniscule and misleading it might have been.

They started a small fire in their makeshift, likely structurally unsound chimney and speared the fruits and meat with long sticks, smoking them over the flames. Selphie and Tidus showed up just as they were pulling the kabobs from heat.

"Hey, guys," Tidus greeted, his smile similar to Kairi's. Even his once eternal optimism had been extinguished.

Sora turned to them, sighing in relief. For once in her life, Selphie was sans the horrible guitar.

"You're just in time!" Kairi chirped, setting the skewers on the small table and beckoning the others forward as she sat cross-legged at the low surface.

They enjoyed a peaceful meal, one of the few moments of tranquility that Sora let himself experience. Here he was, talking and reflecting with friends about their lives before that impenetrable Darkness had strangled their existence. They might enjoy this night, feel a bit of the light still left in their hearts, but he knew that by tomorrow their happy reverie would be but a forgotten pastime in a world too ancient for hope.

Well, there's my first chapter. Actually I'd rather think of it as a pilot because I'm not sure if this idea's going to work or not. Kingdom Hearts generally has a lighthearted theme and this definitely... doesn't. So if you can spare a few moments of your time, please let me know what you think!