A/N: Hello, fanfiction universe! I haven't posted in a while, but this was mostly because of dead muses and many traumatic events happening in the span of a few months. Thankfully potential tragedies were avoided, and because of that my muse has been slowly-but surely-returning. This particular fanfiction was something I wrote after watching Kingdom Hearts II videos, and I decided that I would post it here after thinking about it for a while. I am currently in the process of writing another fanfiction for this pair, considering they are one of my all time favorites-and my current OTP to boot. For those who are wondering about DH and OfD, my muse has died for a while, but it will return, most likely once my Kingdom Hearts phase wears down.

Warning: Possible OOCness, shounen-ai.

Pairing: Rixion (Riku/Zexion). Fun note: I just came up with that name combination. It belongs to me, ME!

Notes: In this particular fanfiction, Zexion is seventeen and Riku is eighteen. Also, the beach near the end of the game is a realm of nothingness in this piece. I am unaware what it actually is in the original game, but that is how I interpret it.

World of Light
"The silver moon seemingly out of his grasp, it cursed him for what he had given up on-until they show up right in front of him."

Zexion was unaware of how long he had been staying at the beach which floated between the world of darkness and the world of light. After he was killed by Vexen's puppet, he had found himself lying by the shore, getting salt water splashed into his face. Salt water was a horrible taste to wake up to, but once he did, the former Organization member realized that there was no one else there but himself. No matter how often he searched the shorelines, the only company he had was the glowing moon, seemingly out of his grasp and taunting him that he didn't belong to either world. The Nobody didn't pay attention to his depressing thoughts, deciding that this was his punishment for betraying the Organization. After a while, his days were spent sitting at the shore, absently poking the damp sand with the odd branch that fell off a tree. His thoughts were constantly taken over by the Keyblade Master of Darkness, who, if his numbers were right, would be eighteen now. The last time Zexion saw him, the boy was at the height of his hormonal issues. If he could feel emotions, the schemer knew that he would be amused by the thought of a
sexually frustrated Riku wandering the aimless halls of Castle Oblivion.

They had a brief encounter before, which resulted in the sixth member of shattered Organization XIII protecting the silver haired Keyblade wielder. When they had reunited again, Zexion bluntly stated that the two were enemies, and that nothing would change that. Despite that fact, Riku had given him a necklace of sorts; it was a silver chain with purple colored heart on the end. The Nobody thought that it was terribly cliché, and even mentioned it to the silveret, making a joke that the purple heart would be his "new" one. The teenager had surprised him by saying, "Sure, you can think of it as that."

Despite the fact that Riku had given him the necklace, their paths crossed again as enemies, just as Zexion knew they would. He didn't expect to hold back against fighting Riku, and that he purposely let the Keyblade Master of Darkness win. Despite the fact that they weren't supposed to feel any kind of emotion, Zexion felt pain throughout his body whenever the silveret slashed through his lithe frame as if it was made of paper. What the schemer didn't expect, however, was to feel something similar to heartache whenever Vexen's puppet "disposed" of him. All he could think of was how the cold face of the Riku Replica resembled the face of the actual Riku when he cut through him.

A single tear leaked out of a cerulean eye, made its way down Zexion's cheek, and the Nobody hastily wiped it away. There was no point reminiscing on the past—it was the past and it would stay that way. The one thing it did for the Nobody was make him feel something, perhaps heartache, or horrible. Whichever it was, Zexion accepted it with open arms. It was his fate, he decided, and nothing would change that. His gloved fingers gently traced the purple heart necklace, and a fraction of a smile appeared on his nonchalant features. "Funny how fate works. You think you find someone, but they turn out to be your enemies. A person of light could not love something that does not belong to either world, nor have emotions."

The purple heart let out a faint glow, and Zexion narrowed his eyes in confusion, lifting the charm to examine it. The glow was barely noticeable unless a person looked at it hard enough, but it was there. The Nobody was confused until he heard someone crashing through the bushes and a voice yelling, "Riku, stop!"

Riku…? Zexion thought to himself, shaking his head. The amount of time he spent in nothingness was starting to chip away at his sanity. There was no way that Riku would be in the realm of nothingness. He was a person of light—

"Zexion!" was all the Nobody heard before he was hugged tightly in a warm embrace. Shock passed through the schemer and he was about to struggle before he realized who the scent belonged to. It was the scent of darkness, but the dark smell was being taken over by the smell of light. "I thought—I thought I would never see you again, after…"

The Nobody relaxed into the embrace, and he felt his eyes closing. "Riku. What are you doing in the realm of nothingness?"

"We defeated Xemnas, Sora and I. There was a light, and we ended up on this beach." Riku pulled back, looked into Zexion's eyes, and it was then that the Nobody realized how much the boy he knew in Castle Oblivion matured over two years. The silveret reached for the necklace, and he held the charm gingerly between his thumb and index finger. "I felt this nearby, and at first I was confused—but then I realized I gave it to you two years ago. I, I didn't want to believe it at first, but I followed it, and you were here."

"You defeated the Superior?" Zexion murmured, staring at Riku's fingers. "So, does that mean…"

"There's no one left, except you. You called this the realm of nothingness? How, how long have you been here?"

"Ever since Vexen's puppet "disposed" of me." the Nobody replied blandly, and he was surprised when he saw the Keyblade Master of Darkness' features go from happy to anger in a matter of seconds. "Did I say something to anger you, Riku?"

Riku gently ruffled Zexion's slate blue locks before resting a hand on his cheek. "You "dispose" of trash, such as Xemnas. You are no such thing."

The Nobody felt his face heat up, and he narrowed his eyes at the feeling. "Others would disagree with you, although my face feels warm. Perhaps I became ill from being in this dark realm for so long."

The silveret blinked for a few seconds before he put two fingers against Zexion's neck. The schemer jumped, but offered no other resistance and let Riku feel around his neck. Eventually he felt his fingers hit something there, and it made an instant strange feeling go throughout his body. Riku, however, had his blue eyes wide with shock before a slow grin broke out onto his features. "Zexion, you aren't ill. You have a heart."

A heart, the one thing that they were trying to acquire for so long. Had he finally obtained one? How was it possible? A million questions were running through his mind to the point he didn't notice Riku reach a hand under his cloak and touch his chest until he felt cold, blood slicked fingers on his flesh. Zexion gasped loudly in surprise as the Keyblade Master of Darkness chuckled quietly. "Shh, I'm just feeling your heartbeat."

Zexion closed his eyes, and sure enough, he felt something pounding loudly in his chest. It confused him momentarily before he realized that this was a heart. The organ pounding in his chest, that made him feel so many emotions at once; this was what all of the Nobodies were trying to acquire, and only he was able to. "How? I fail to understand how I obtained one after being banished to the realm of nothingness."

"Perhaps after you came here, you were given a heart. You were always different, Zex." Riku mumbled, a faint blush painting its way across his face. Zexion found that the pink tint fit rather well on the young adult's face. "You protected your enemy. Even… even when we were fighting, I never considered you one of my enemies. It was, just something I had to do. I still regret it to this day." He removed his hand from under Zexion's cloak and ran his fingers through slate hair, and it was then the schemer realized he was covered in injuries. "I'm sorry."

"We may talk about this later. For now, you are injured." the schemer murmured, making Riku sit down before working on his injuries. Through the bushes he saw Sora, the Keyblade Master, watching them with a confused look, but Zexion didn't pay him any attention. "I believe your friends will open a portal for you to return to the world of light. I will patch up your injuries and then you can return."

Once again Riku surprised Zexion by grabbing him and pressing his face into the silveret's shoulder. "I lost you once. I'm never letting you go again, Zexion."

In all honesty, I wish to leave this place. However, neither world is for me now, despite the fact I have a heart. All I'm remembered for is trying to destroy all of the worlds with Kingdom Hearts. The name Organization XIII will prevent me from having a normal life—although this is a fact I have accepted.

"That world is not for me, Riku. Neither world is. I don't belong—"

"Shut up."

Before the schemer had time to reply, his mouth was covered by Riku's. His cerulean eyes widened in shock as the silveret pressed his tongue into his mouth, and then began poking, probing every corner of it. He was taken over with a rush of euphoria to the point he had to cling to Riku's yellow jacket in order to keep his grip on the real world. His eyes slowly closed as he submitted himself to the Keyblade Master of Darkness, letting him guide his every move. Riku wrapped his arms around Zexion's waist, and he in turn wrapped his arms around the silveret's neck. Their kiss seemed to last forever before Riku pulled away, his face flushed and his breaths coming out in light pants. Zexion was the same, although his face was a darker hue than his partners'. "You, are coming, with me, even if, I have to drag, you with me."

"As you wish." Zexion whispered, not needing any further persuasion. Riku stood up and lifted the schemer into his arms, and although Zexion felt like an idiot being carried like a bride, he simply crossed his arms and dealt with it. However, he couldn't help the small smile that came onto his face when the silveret kissed his forehead and the space between his eyes. "Did anyone ever tell you you're a romantic?"

"Mm, in passing." Riku murmured in response, before yelling, "Come out Sora!"

The Keyblade Master jumped out of the bushes, an embarrassed look on his face. "Uh, Riku, he's uh, um..."

"He has a heart. He's no longer a part of Organization XIII, and I'm taking him with us. I value our friendship Sora, I truly do, but I love Zexion. I have for a long time. Please, understand."

Zexion was sure his face mirrored Sora's. After a few seconds of silence, Sora grinned and walked up to the pair. "Ah well. If you have a heart, you sure don't belong to Organization XIII anymore. Be good to my friend, huh?"

"…I suppose." was the schemer's monotonous reply, and he sighed lightly when Riku ruffled his hair.

"There's the door. C'mon, let's get out of here," Riku smiled and leaned his forehead against Zexion's. "and welcome to the world of light, love."

Ending A/N: Yes, this was cheesy. How did Zexion obtain a heart at the end, you ask? My theory that I used was after Ansem the Wise's machine exploded, many hearts were released. One of which drifted into the realm of nothingness, where Zexion was, and it entered him without him noticing until he blushed. It may make no sense since the hearts were originally released in the World that Never Was, but it is a theory that I enjoy, so I am going to stick with it. Any constructive criticism you have, please don't be shy to say it. Sayonara until next time, amigos.