Always There
The Secret

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the things advertised/used in this fan fiction, or anything in the after note.
I do not own my close and personal friends that I have scattered throughout this fan fiction.
I do, however, own myself, or well, a character based on myself. (Ashy Carter)

Author's Note: Rated mature to be safe as the story develops.
This is my first fan fiction about anything, I hope you enjoy it!
The story is basically a RikuxSora thing, so beware of Yaoi.
The following is dedicated to my best friend in the world, April.

[Update 25 June 2012: I was taking some time to reread this so that I could further brainstorm the next long-awaited chapter and I realized how much writing has developed since the day I first began this fanfiction at the age of 14. I'm about to be 21 now. For those who are new, please bare with the first few chapters. In my opinion, it gets better in style. Thanks for reading!]


"Mommy!" exclaimed 11-year-old Sora as he burst through the kitchen doors.

Sora's mother, Seiya, put down her binoculars and immediately went back to cutting vegetables. Seiya examined her son's face. He looked petrified, almost as if he had seen a ghost.

"What's wrong?" Seiya questioned, worryingly.

"The man on the T.V. made me feel funny..." Sora cried out, almost in tears.

"What do you mean 'feel funny'?" the young boy's mother asked.

Sora blushed, trying to find the right words to describe the feeling. It was times like these he wished he had a father. Well, he had a father... until he was 2 months old and his father left for good. Sora looked back up at his mother, "Um... the man sort of made me get an... uhm... er..." he stuttered.

Seiya looked at her son, knowing exactly what he was trying to say. "I understand, Sora, don't worry so much about it."

Sora's frightened face slowly relaxed as he slightly smiled. "Thanks, Mom!"

Sora ran off, returning back into the other room and plopping himself in front of the television.

When Seiya was sure Sora was occupied with the television again, she picked her binoculars back up and raised them to her eyes. She knew she was spying, but she couldn't help it, the next-door neighbors led such interesting lives. Although the families had never met, Seiya knew a lot about them. From what they had most often for dinner, to what kinds of personalities they had, but most of all she knew that one member of the family was the most 'different' of all...


Riku sat in his living room, alone, and flipped through a magazine. It was one he had discovered underneath his grandmother's bed. Unlike most grandmothers, Riku's was energetic, exciting, and fun. She was also somewhat weird, but Riku loved her for it.

The magazine had helped Riku to find out he was not like the other 12-year-olds. Although, he had not gotten into the whole 'liking girls' thing, he knew he never would. He liked boys. No one knew this, not even his own grandmother, who did not even notice that her Macho Man magazine was missing. This was Riku's secret, one he was never going to reveal until he met the guy of his dreams.

Riku turned the page and stared in awe at the man posing on the page, he was nude, but a black, satin blanket covered his privates.

Click. The front door opened. "Riku! Help me with these bags!" shouted his grandmother.

Riku suddenly shut the magazine, his heart racing. "Um... coming grandma Rayne!" he said instantly, as he hid the magazine and pulled himself together. He ran to the door and took some of the grocery bags out of his grandmother's arms.

"Riku, is something wrong? You look...out of breath," inquired Rayne as she picked up the remaining two bags and followed Riku into the kitchen.

"Nothing is wrong with me, grandma," replied Riku, looking much calmer and like his usual self.

Rayne set down the bags and ruffled Riku's silver hair. "Must have just been me then," she remarked, smiling.

Riku helped Rayne finish putting away groceries, glad that he his grandmother did not interrogate him any longer. After all of the groceries were put away, Rayne decided to go take a nap, leaving Riku alone in the kitchen. Riku walked back into the other room and pulled the magazine out from underneath the couch. He walked downstairs and into his room in the basement, and closed the door behind him.


7 Years Later...

Eighteen-year-old Sora awoke with a start, and glanced over at the clock on his bedside table. "Seven forty-two! Shit, I'm going to be late..." mumbled Sora to himself. He scrambled out of his bed and ran into the bathroom, and jumped into the shower as he ripped off his clothes.

Within minutes, Sora was dressed and ready to go. His first class started at 8:30 A.M. sharp, being in college and all, he could not be late. Sora jumped onto his bike, his bag slung over the handle bars, and pedaled as fast as he could.


Riku parked his car in the campus parking lot and stepped out. He walked to the other side and opened the passenger door, letting his girlfriend, April Genden, out. April stepped out wearing a khaki mini-skirt and a cute red top, a khaki bag over her shoulder. She looked at Riku with her usual smile, and stood on her toes and gave Riku a peck on his cheek. Riku was a whole foot and three inches taller than April. Actually he was very tall in comparison to the other boys in their university.

Riku gave April his usual smirk as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and walked with her through the doors of the college building.


Sora stopped pedaling a few feet away from the bike racks. He was out of breath. He stepped off of the bike and pulled his bicycle lock out of his back, locking the bike in place onto the rack. Sora grabbed his bag from off of the bike handlebars and slung it over his right shoulder.

"Sora!"

Sora looked up to see his best friend, Kairi, running up to him.

"Sora! You're about to be late," said Kairi, grabbing Sora's arm and starting to pull Sora into the building.

"Kairi, I know I'm late, thanks, but you can stop dragging me around like a stuffed bear!" whined Sora.

"If I didn't drag you around, you'd be late everyday," argued Kairi.

Sora knew she was right, but wouldn't admit it.

Kairi and Sora made it into their first class just as the bell rang.


Riku sat in his first class, April in the seat beside him.

"Riku, you seem tense," acknowledged April. She moved up a step on the elevated seats and sat down in the seat behind Riku. April placed her hands upon Riku's shoulders and gently began to soothe and relax him.

"Mmh..."

As soon as the clock ticked on the hour, Professor Lieberman immediately looked up from his work and began the class.

"Good morrow, young scholars," he pronounced in his clear, British accent. He glanced silently upon each and everyone of his students as he checked the class roster.

"Miss Genden! This is an advanced, English literature classroom, not the day spa across town!" He declared, his voice echoing throughout the classroom.

April's cheeks flushed bright red as she quickly took her hands off from Riku's suddenly, stiff shoulders.

Slowly the minutes crept by.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Briiiing! thought Riku to himself as the Professor dismissed the class. He had always preferred the dismissal systems in high school. The bells always signaled for him to wake up and change classes. Now he always had to pay attention to know when this would be, especially since it varied from class to class, day after day.

"Finally!" muttered Riku to himself as he stood up and gathered his things to leave.


Sora picked up his books and exited the history room. Kairi left as well. Sora and Kairi did not share their next class together. Sora's next class was in Agrabah Hall, the English department as it was more commonly referred to. Sora headed to the building and went inside. His classroom was on the second floor.

As Sora walked upstairs, he tripped on one of the steps. Sora's books flew up in the air as he fell forward, expecting to land on the stairs. Instead, he landed on something soft and... warm. The warm, soft something was Riku. His hands to be exact.

"Thanks," said Sora as he straightened himself and then got down to pick up his fallen books.

"No problem, " Riku replied in return in his deep voice.

Riku got down on one knee and helped Sora pick up his books.

"Thanks, " said Sora as he stood back up to his full height.

"Mhm..."

Riku stood as well, a remarkable sight before him. The person he had just assisted had the most dazzling eyes. A bright shade of blue looked back at him.

"Well, thanks again," with that, Sora continued up the stairs and into his English class.

Riku stood still for a moment, then suddenly was snapped back into reality by a call from his best friend.

"Ay, Riku!" proclaimed Squall Leonhart, better known as Leon, from the other side of the hallway. Normally he would not have shouted to get Riku's attention, but seeing as how his best friend was dazed off in Rikuland, he had to get Riku to notice that he was going to be late, somehow.

Leon stood in front of the doors leading outside of the English building waiting for Riku to join him to walk over to one of the science buildings.

Riku walked over to Leon and accompanied him out of the building just before Leon was about to call for him for a third time.


Sora slumped down in his seat. He was bored.

"Hey, Sora, is it?" said someone from behind him.

Sora turned around in his seat and answered, "Yes?"

"Could I borrow a pen? Mine ran out of ink," asked the dark blonde haired girl.

"Yeah, sure," replied Sora as he reached into his bag and pulled out a black ink pen, handing it to the girl.

"Thanks. Oh, and your name is Sora, right?" the girl questioned, fiddling with the pen in her hand.

"Yes, it is," Sora stated.

"Okay, thanks again, Sora. Oh and by the way, my name is April," April pronounced with a smile.

"You're welcome, April," replied Sora, turning back around in his seat.

"Miss Genden! Please pay attention, no talking!" stressed Professor Ula.

April closed her mouth suddenly and looked down, her face redder than ever. That was the second time today.

Later on in the class, a note was passed carefully along to April, from the foreign student, her best friend, Ashy Carter. She opened up the note and saw a funny cartoon drawing of Professor Ula saying 'Miss Genden!' The drawing was a bit detailed and she happened to notice that on the desk drawn behind him, the name plate read, 'Professor Spat Ula'. April could not help but grin.


Riku could not stop thinking about the blue-eyed brunette who had bumped into him in the hallway.

All these years, Riku had known that he was different. He knew he was not like the other men around him. He knew he was gay.

Ever since he had first laid his eyes on the cover of his grandmother's magazine, he knew he liked boys. Sure he currently had a girlfriend, but she was just a part of his act. He had seen so many guys he liked in the last seven years, but had never had the courage to venture out and actually date one. In fact, he had never even had the courage to tell anyone of his secret.

Riku started to doodle on his notebook. He did not realize it for a while, but he was drawing the boy from earlier. He traced his fingers over the hair of the drawing, which sent a chill up his spine.

"Hey, Riku, what's that you're drawing?" mocked Leon from the seat next to him.

Riku's attention suddenly darted back to the classroom as he flipped his notebook over. "Nothing," he blurted out. He realized that the students in the class were now just talking and were just discussing something the professor had prompted them to do until he decided to dismiss them. The class would end soon.

"That wasn't 'nothing'," Leon said casually, air quoting the last word.

"Whatever, Squall," said Riku in his usual tone.

Leon smirked and then turned to talk with someone else, letting Riku be.


Professor Ula dismissed the class a little early and Sora stood up and left. It was time for him to take a lunch break.

Sora walked to the university's outdoor food court. The crowd was much smaller here and Sora did not feel like getting on his bike at this time when the roads were the busiest.

Sora got in one of the small lines and mentally decided what he wanted to eat. His favorite place on campus was the Heartland Ribs mini-restaurant. As messy as the food could be sometimes, he always enjoyed the taste and satisfaction he received from eating there. He also had a thing one of the cashiers, Michael. Although no one knew Sora wasn't straight and Sora always acted straight around everyone beyond Kairi and his mother who both knew his secret, he always had a hard time ignoring a boy he thought was cute. He always found himself acted oddly around the boys and in this case, he always found himself going to get food at the Heartland just so he could see Michael.

As always, Michael greeted Sora with a "How can I help you satisfy your appetite?"

Love me, thought Sora to himself finding himself blushing at such a crazy idea. "Can I have the number two rib special?" he answered as he usually did.

"Coming right up, sir!" Michael answered cheerfully as he picked up a plate and filled it with the food that came with the special. "Six forty-two."

Sora paid for his food and went to get a table. As always, he wished he had more courage to actually talk to Michael beyond placing his order at Heartland.


Riku walked out to the outdoor cafeteria and found his lunch awaiting him in his usual seat. April looked up from her book, smiling. April often went ahead and got Riku's lunch for him if she finished with her class early. She knew what Riku liked and the silver-haired man along with his stomach were always thankful for her thoughtfulness.

"Thanks," Riku said gratefully.

"Glad to do it," April replied.

Riku sat down and quietly began to eat.

"Is something wrong?" April inquired, noticing the unusual silence.

Wrong? Why would something be wrong when everything was just so right. The boy from earlier had yet to leave Riku's usually absent mind.

"Wrong? No, I'm fine," Riku remarked, choosing his words carefully and keeping his eyes on his lunch.

April did not believe him, but decided to let him be.


Sora sighed and set down his fork. Kairi glanced up at him from her lunch. Sora and Kairi were sitting at their usual table near an oak tree near the outdoor food court.

"Something wrong?" she questioned.

"Mmph..." replied Sora, taking a bite of his apple.

"Well?"

"Nothing. Nothing is wrong," Sora answered abruptly.

"But-"

"Nothing."

Sora ended the conversation, just like that. He had left Kairi speechless and after she finished eating and she told Sora that she was going to go spend the rest of her lunch break in the library. Kairi wasn't mad at Sora, she just preferred to let him deal with himself when he decided not to speak to her.

Sora had lied to Kairi. Deep down inside, he felt empty. Something big seemed to be missing from him. It was as though a chunk of his heart was missing and he desperately desired something to fill that space.


Riku stood up to go throw his lunch away. As he walked across the outdoor cafeteria, he noticed someone sitting alone at one of the tables. This certain someone happened to have brown hair. Could it be? The boy that Riku had been practically lusting for since he had bumped into him in the building earlier that day.

Riku stopped in his tracks. Why wouldn't his feet move? Before he knew it, he was standing right behind Sora.

Sora saw a long shadow appear over his lunch tray and turned his head to see who it was.

"Why, hello again," said Sora, surprisingly calmer than ever in front of a boy as handsome as Riku was.

"Um..." Riku stammered before he cleared his throat and replied, "Sorry, hello."

Sora gave Riku a smile. My, this was starting to get awkward.

Riku's heart almost melted at Sora's radiant smile.

"So, um... ?" Sora started, breaking the uncomfortable silence between them, "Do you need something?"

Only you. Riku almost blurted out, but tried to remain as casual as he could be. "No, I just stopped to say uhm... hi. Well, I'll go now, nice talking to you," Riku said quickly, leaving right after.

Sora just smiled a little bit confused and returned to his lunch.

Stupid. Stupid! How could you be such a dunce? Riku's mind was shouting and lecturing him as he returned to his table.

"Riku?" April asked, looking at Riku's odd expression.

Riku snapped his attention back to the real world. "Hm?"

"I thought you went to go throw your lunch tray away," she stated.

"I did, yes," Riku replied, wondering what April's point was.

"Then why is your lunch tray back here again?" April suddenly grinned.

"Oh?" Riku looked down and sure enough, there was his lunch tray, back in front of him. "Oh!" he exclaimed. In the midst of seeing the boy from earlier again, he had totally forgotten why he had been up in the first place.

"I guess I got distracted," Riku said in his usual voice. April nearly melted as usual, how could she hate him with a sexy voice like that?


Author's Notes: Well there you have it, the first installment of "Always There". I hope you enjoyed it! In the next chapter I am looking to finally have Riku and Sora learn each other's names, after all, the relationship wouldn't work as well otherwise.

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