Life is not a Game
by Withered Black Rose

Rating: T

Summary: It's been three years since the Destiny Island trio has returned home and the universe has finally settled down. Sora and the gang have left school and begun their adult lives. But now old love triangles are starting to reappear and a secret that will change all three of their lives forever is about to come out.

Warnings: There are no warnings to speak of...Sora gets a little too close to Riku...All in all, this story very very lightly hints at RikuXSora, so if that offends you, well....You know the drill.

Spoilers: None.

Pairings: RikuXKairi, SoraXKairi, possible RikuXSora

A/N: This story was and is my only straight pairing story, so it's not the best. For some reason, my brain just works better while trying to write Yaoi...*shrug* I know it's not the best and I apologize now.

I'm aware that the end of chapter three is a bit of a cliff-hanger. If you wish for me to continue, I'd be more than happy to. The story branches off after the birth of Lucky though to follow the "new" Destiny Island gang. If you wish to see that story, tell me.

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and its characters do not belong to me. They belong to their inspired creator, Square Enix and Disney. I borrow them without permission, but with great affection. This story is for entertainment purposes only; no money is being made from it.

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"Kairi! Wait! Come back!" A silver haired boy yelled at a red haired girl.

The red head turned and giggled at the boy. "Catch me if you can!" She then turned and ran off.

"Kairi, please don't go! I don't want to lose you again! Come back!" The boy tried to follow after the girl, but his legs were stuck. He struggled against the invisible bonds that held him, but to no avail. He felt a tear slide down his face. "Kairi, come back…" He muttered hopelessly.

"Riku? Riku! Riku, wake up!" A hand slapped his face and he shot up. He looked around and then understood. He had been dreaming. He wiped the sweat from his eyes and looked at the person who had woken him up.

That person was a spiky brown haired boy with big brown eyes. The boy was staring at him with a look of worry on his face. As Riku sat up, the boy sat down on the edge of the bed, never taking his eyes from Riku. Riku blinked.

"Sora, don't you ever blink? You're starting to scare me." Riku's voice was soft with just a bit of a laugh hidden in it.

Sora blinked, and then laughed. "Sorry! I was just really worried about you. You were muttering about Kairi. Were you having a nightmare about the old times?" Sora's expression had been lighthearted when he laughed, but had instantly come back to serious. His voice rang with concern.

Riku looked down. 'It's amazing how much he changed over the year we were apart. He's grown up so much.' Riku looked up at him. "Yeah, I was. I was dreaming about losing her again. I don't think that I-that is, we- could go through that again. It was just too horrible." Riku's voice cracked on the last word. It had been worse then Sora could ever imagine. Riku had gone an incredible length for Kairi and yet received little in return. He had sacrificed everything: his heart, his body, and even his mind. But he had made one fatal flaw: He had trusted Maleficent to keep her promise. It was due to her that he had lost everything. Riku shook his head. 'Why am I thinking about this stuff? I should focus on here and now.' Riku looked at Sora. "How did you know I was dreaming?"

"Well, Kairi sent me to come get you and I was at your door when you started moaning. In the time it took me to get the door open, you were tossing and turning. It was a good thing you got tangled in the blankets, or you would have fallen off the bed. I woke you up after that." Sora looked at him sheepishly.

Riku laughed. "Well, thanks for barging in and waking me up." Then it hit him. Sora had said 'in the time it took him.' What did that mean? He looked up at the brown haired teenager. "What did you mean, 'in the time it took you'?"

Sora looked at him, and then looked down. "I haven't been able to summon the Keyblade recently. I think it realizes that the danger has passed. But honestly? I feel sort of lost without it. I don't want to seem like I'm wishing for danger or anything, but I really want it back. You know?" Sora looked up and he seemed close to tears.

Riku blinked. He knew that feeling all right. It was the same one he had had for the last few years. It had been three years since their battle with Xemnas and their return home. Riku's Road to the Dawn had disappeared almost immediately after the battle; Sora's Kingdom Key had disappeared not too long after. Riku looked down. "Yeah, I know that feeling." He reached across the space between them and hugged Sora.

"So, what did Kairi send you here for?" Riku asked with a smile on his face.

Sora smiled. "She wanted me to come find you and tell you that she had something important to tell you. Yup!" Sora smiled and hopped off the bed. "I'll leave you be so you can dress. See you later Riku!" Sora skipped out of the door.

Riku shook his head. 'He skips…I can't believe him.' Riku thought to himself. He then got up and proceeded to dress and go find Kairi.