Engraved on his heart is the last time he saw his best friend. Sora's earnestness, his profound sadness and grief, his determination to go and find some way to fix it all. Riku's own faith in Sora... and the frustration.

"I hate it too," he lifts his head, with a smile that's fond, complicated by something he doesn't think has a straightforward name, "But Sora's pulled off the impossible before. He'll come back."

Nudging her against his side with his arm, he glances down at Mary, "Bet he can help find your dad, too."