Sora sat on the bed next to his tall pal: Riku. Today was the last day he'd see him for who knows how long and the silver haired man hadn't said one word to him since he waltzed into the room half an hour ago. Kairi was downstairs helping Riku's Mother and Father make lunch in the kitchen. She knew that Sora loved Riku; but he'd never return his feelings. There was no sign or notion that Riku loved him back; according to Kairi. So Sora didn't tell Riku how he felt; and now regretted it. The young man was leaving to live with Paine in the same apartment complex as Yuna and Rikku, who also shared an apartment. The accommodations were temporary until Riku found his own apartment. Once Sora thought maybe Riku loved him back; however he believed it unlikely. And that was when Riku started to talk and hang out with Rikku, Paine and Yuna more often. He even left the island for days to hang out with the girls, Tidus and Wakka at a Bitz Ball match or some other event. Sora remembered the first time when he left. He didn't even tell Sora or Kairi. He just up and left without a word then showed up a week later. The room was laced with tense strings that kept tripping Riku as he was packing his knick knacks. Riku pulled Sora's brain away from his thoughts as he spoke.
"Hey Sora…? Would you like to have this?" He said showing Sora his picture of him and Sora in a childish frame from when they were five at Riku's birthday party.
"B-but…Riku? You…don't want it?" Sora asked and felt the tears welling at the back of his eyes.
"Paine's place isn't very big. I don't want to take anything that's just going to take up space." He said and Sora stood up.
"No. I don't want it. And I don't want you to go either. I want you to stay here with me…and Kairi!" He saved himself from sounding like it was just for him.
"Look Sora. I want to go. I just can't stand it here anymore. And I'm nineteen, honestly. I can take care of myself." Riku said and sat the picture back on his shelf. "Leave it then." He said and packed a smaller picture of Kairi and him in a pocket on the side of his back pack.
"I'm done then. Have fun with Paine, Yuna and Rikku. See you." Sora said forcefully and stomped out of the room and down the hall. He slammed the door as angry tears slid from the corners of his eyes.
"Sora!" Kairi yelled from the living room and trotted halfway through the kitchen.
"Is he okay?" Riku's Mother asked.
"He'll be fine. He's being a baby." Riku said walking down the stairs.
"Did you say anything to hurt his feelings Riku?" Riku's father asked. He knew full well that Sora was in love with his son, as did his wife. They felt sorry for the young brunet.
"Nope. I offered him a picture because I don't want to take it." He said and shrugged. Kairi glanced at him a bit disturbed.
"Was it the picture from your birthday when you were five?!" Kairi asked quickly and Riku nodded.
"Oh…poor Sora. That was his…favorite picture of the two of you. He must think that you're trying to get rid of him Riku." Riku's mother said and her husband put his hand on hers. "He always looks at it in the hall when he walks to your room." She said and squeezed her husband's hand unhappily. How she wished Riku loved Sora like Sora loved him.
"You want lunch?" Kairi said a bit tense to Riku.
"Sure." He said and she pushed a sand which over to Riku. Kairi started to think about the picture and remembered how happy Sora was that day. Riku favored his gift above all that he got. A little set of three Transformer characters. Sure it was the smallest; but Riku loved it and still had one. Sora had another while Kairi had one too. It was in a box of memories she hid under her bed. Deciding to check it out when she got home she watched Riku eat his sand which silently.
Tears streaked rivers down Sora's face as the boy rested in his mother's arms. Her curly brown hair sat in a rough bun at the back of her head as she mumbled calming words into Sora's hair. Sora gripped his little 'Bumble Bee' Transformer figure in his right hand as she held him around the shoulders. She'd grown accustomed to Sora's secret one-sided love pointed at Riku. The boy was so stricken that she was fearing for Sora's future with a broken heart. She sat him on the couch like she did many times before when he was a child. For a moment she pictured her young son on the couch with his little yellow robot toy a few days after Riku's fifth birthday party. The small blue-eyed boy was crying soundlessly with his scraped knee and arm. 'Does it hurt So-kun?' She remembered asking him. His reply was 'No! Riku wouldn't hurt; so I wont either.' He'd been so confident back then. Now he was eighteen, and seemed a broken man. Soon he stopped crying and his flushed face looked ashamed as he wiped his eyes.
Kairi drove Riku to the air port and walked him to his port.
"So I guess this it goodbye…!" She said and wrapped her arms around him.
"Yeah." He said slightly guiltily and imagined Sora at the beach alone. "Take care of him Kairi. He's fragile." Riku said as she let him go. He turned and walked into the gate.
"You have no idea Riku." She said and a single tear slid down her cheek. She jogged out to her car so she could get to Sora's.
Within half an hour she was running up Sora's porch steps and knocked. His mother answered quietly.
"Hello Kairi. He's up in his room. So, Riku's gone?" She asked and sighed as Kairi nodded.
"I can't believe what Riku said when he left. He told me that Sora is fragile and for me to take care of him." She said and Sora's mother smiled.
"Just like Riku. Oblivious." She said and put a hand on Kairi's shoulder. "Even so, however true and oblivious Riku is, you will won't you? Help me care for my son?" She asked and looked at Kairi's sincere stare.
"I promise I will!" She said and Sora's mother wrapped her arms around Kairi. Kairi hugged her back and then Kairi started for the hall.
"Kairi." She said and Kairi turned. "Thank you." She said and Kairi nodded smiling.
"Your welcome!" She said and continued to Sora's messy upstairs room.