"At sunrise, I fight to stay asleep, 'cause I don't wanna leave comfort of this place. 'Cause there's hunger longing to escape frpm the life I live when I'm awake."

- Creed "Higher"

She bent in closer, and kissed him lightly on the cheek, leaving him breathless. He just stared in disbelief at her, and she giggled and grinned with half-closed, sky-blue eyes. All he could think about at that moment were those beautiful eyes, how someone could get lost at sea in those crystal waters if they stared too long. But he didn't care; being with her was like playing with fire, her dark, auburn hair like the embers of his heart that burned with the intensity of a thousand suns for her and her alone. He wanted to get burned, to feel her forbidden heat. How could he not ogle the beauty that sat next to him with her slender legs wrapped around his? A delightful chill ran through his whole body the moment she pressed her lips to his face.

He reached out to touch her flawless, angel face, but found a sense of horror instead, when his hand passed through her head.

"What?"

She began to fade away, her features never letting go of that gorgeous smile like that of a porcelain doll. He tried in vain to grasp her shoulders, but her rapidly fadin image was already gone, just a wisper in a dark place. Then he forgot her face, her voice, her name and watched as the serene setting: the cool beach of The Island, disappear like a puff of smoke that left nothing but endless darkness behind it. So he was alone, in the darkness again like always.

Riku's alarm clock startled him from his deep sleep. He groaned, when he realized that his restful (or rather un-restful) night was over, and he needed to get his ass up for school.

With reluctance, he pushed back the covers and shivered at the sudden cold. Within the next few seconds, the cold was temporarily stifled by the heat of the shower, but it loomed on the other side of the curtain like a hungry predator, just waiting for the curtain to fly back, so it could pounce on him.

Riku rushed out of the shower, threw on his clothes, and checked the clock: 6:45. Perfect timing, he could make it to school on time in fifteen minutes if he ran. He stampeded down the stairs, headed for the door, but was stopped by the sound of his mother's voice.

"Riku?"

He turned to Elaina, who sat on the couch watching the weather.

"Yeah, ma?"

"Baby, don't go out there without a jacket; it's supposed to rain."

"Relax, Mom, I won't melt if I get wet." And then he was out the door before she could protest his wardrobe further.

Riku tugged at the tie around his neck and cursed the school board for deciding that uniforms were a wonderful idea, when it turns out that it was just a pain in the ass. It was required to walk around looking like an uber-nerd becasue a bunch of freshman decided to come to school in their boxers on a dress-up day last October. This year, there were no costumes to celebrate Halloween, just a bunch of ties and dress slacks running around. Damn geniouses.

He did make it before the first bell but just barely. Sora was out front waiting for him looking impatiently at his watch. When the new sophmore noticed his junior friend approaching, he turned his attention away from it with a scowl.

"Jeez, Riku; we're going to be late, you jackass!"

The silver-haired seventeen-year-old didn't pay him any mind. He was too focused on the sun-kissed red-head standing next to Sora text messaging. She only glanced up for a moment and then began to walk away. Riku rushed to her side.

"Hey, wait!"

Sora caught up with them and began to go on about how Riku was inconsiderate, but Riku was watching Kairi out of the corner of his eye. She had pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail, but a few too-short strands hung down around her face and over her eyes, so he couldn't read them. Apparently, she had purchased a new pair of knee-high boots and walked with a slight strut in her step because of the heel. He couldn't help but noticed a new bounce and swing in her hips.

The brunette boy next to him punched him in the arm bringing him out of his beauty-endorsed daze and in the direction of the now annoying boy to his left.

"What?"

"Don't you have to go in the other direction?"

Riku stopped to look around at where he was and realized that he had missed the staircase he was supposed to ascend for first period. Then he turned around without another word and headed to the stairs. As he began to go up, he heard the familiar, and somehow nauseating sound of lips meeting half way in a kiss. Riku felt his stomach turn over because he knew that Sora had leaned in and kissed his girlfriend, Kairi, goodbye until they saw each other again for lunch. He ran up the stairs and pretended like he hadn't heard anything, like running away from it would make it disappear.

Riku had been at this routine since a couple of months ago. His mind drifted back to the contours of her back, the smell of her hair in his face, her steady breathing. He remembered the sweet words he whispered in her ear, the promise to never leave her, to always keep her safe...and warm. But now, that's all it ever was, that moment when they met half way but with more than just their lips. His lips had touch more than Sora's ever had.

He hung his head shamefully. He would never dream of breaking Sora and Kairi apart, but she was just too wonderful, and Riku saw why Sora wouldn't want to lose her. But know one cared if he lost her, and every time Sora and Kairi kissed each other, he watched her drift away. The awkwardness was like a wall that separated him from her and he didn't know how long he could live without her.

Kairi might not have felt a thing after her one-night-stand with him, but Riku's feelings were unmistakable.

He loved her more than anything, more than life, more than the heavens.