Against The Moonlit Skies
Riku brushed silver hair from his brilliant green eyes. The waves crashed on the beach as he sat in the tree. His black tank top lay discarded a few feet away from him on the other end of the branch and he watched the sun slowly setting into the brilliant crystal water.
His thoughts floated away from the island, from the world he was on, away to a world far across the galaxy from him. They floated through star-sytems, and clouds of stardust. They drifted through the winds and into the atmosphere of a world far away, where his other half was.
"Are you thinking of me too?" He whispered to the empty space around him.
"Riku, are you talking to yourself again?" Kairi asked, laughing quietly. Riku was startled and almost fell out of the tree. He cut his eyes at Kairi, then smiled broadly.
"No. Talking to my other half, even though he's not too keen on me at all." Riku scoffed quietly. Kairi laughed softly at her friend, taking a seat in front of him on the tree branch.
"He's not too keen on anyone. At all. Regardless of whoever they are. He's just not a people person. He simply prefers to be alone. That's why you two are perfect for one another." Riku sighed, leaning his head back against the trunk of the tree.
"Please Kairi, we all know that he isn't gay. Cloud tried, what makes you think that I will work? What makes you think that I can change anything?" Riku cried desperately. Kairi frowned as Sora walked towards them, placing his arm around Kairi's waist.
"What are we angsty about now? The same thing we've been angsty about for months now?" Sora mused. Riku glared at his friend and Sora raised his hands in mock-surrender.
"Well buck up a little bit soldier, we're heading to Hollow Bastion. And you're coming along." Sora said. Riku sighed, then stood up, fixing his saggy jeans and various belts before pulling his tight black tank on and sighing.
"Lead the way." He replied. Kairi walked to her old friend, putting her arm around his waist and walking with him. He leaned his head on top of hers.
"Don't worry about it. You never know, he could be trapped deep in the closet. And I just have a feeling about him, that he cares about you. I don't know how I know, but I just do. Maybe it's a female thing." Kairi replied, climbing into the train after Sora. Riku climbed on after her, taking a seat beside her. He then leaned down and laid his head in her lap, sighing. Kairi laughed mildly, running her fingers through Riku's long silver hair. Riku closed his eyes, his black lashes lacing together, and before he knew it, he was sound asleep. Kairi sighed, still playing with his hair. Sora smiled softly at her from across the train.
"He's really got it bad, hasn't he?" Sora asked softly, staring at his friend. Kairi sighed.
"Worse than either of you know." Kairi replied. Sora stared up above her head, out the star shaped window above the seat, and watched the stars passing them quickly.
"I wonder what we'll accomplish." He mused. Kairi hummed her agreement quietly.
"Well, we'll end up breaking one of them. Let's just hope that whoever it is, is strong enough to stand up, and put themselves back together." Kairi replied softly, staring fondly at Riku, who was more like her older brother than anything. She really didn't know what she would do without him. She knew if his heart was broken, it would break her heart too.
"So I guess that means we're hoping that Riku doesn't break." Sora replied quietly, stretching out on his seat. Kairi laughed quietly.
"I guess so."
III
Riku's eyes opened to find Kairi two inches above his nose, smiling down at him. He smiled before yawning loudly and widely, right in her face.
"Your breath is charming right now Riku my love." Kairi replied, sitting up and allowing Riku to do the same.
"I know. I try." He laughed. Kairi laughed with him.
"Let's go. I've been trying to wake you up for five minutes. We're here." Kairi said, taking Riku's hand in hers and heading out of the train. Riku laced his fingers with Kairi's, his personal favorite friend, and shaded his eyes with the other, as the sun was high in the sky and rather bright at Hollow Bastion. When his eyes cleared, he saw that Hollow Bastion was bustling with life, as it had before. He smiled broadly at that, and walked with Kairi to Merlin's where they were meeting Merlin, Aerith, Cid, Yuffie, Cloud, Leon, Sephiroth, Yuna, Rikku, Paine, Tifa and King Mickey. Riku greeted the group with a bright smile as Kairi announced loudly and happily that they were there.
"Hey Riku, come here." Yuffie called, before dragging him to the other side of the room where Cloud, Leon, Sephiroth and Paine stood. Riku stared at the group, then wondered why Yuffie would be dragging him to this particular group. Cloud, Leon, Sephiroth and Paine pretty much created an unofficial angsty-person-club, and Yuffie was a founding member of the unoffical happy-person-club.
"Hey Riku." Cloud greeted, monotonously of course, but greeted nonetheless. Riku raised a hand in greeting.
"I just wanted to show you off. Now I'm taking you away." Yuffie said. Riku shot a glance at Cloud, but he was as clueless as Riku, so Riku merely shrugged, bid a quiet goodbye to the angsty-person-group, and walked off with Yuffie.
"So have you made your mind up? You're giving up?" Yuffie asked as soon as they were out of earshot of the rest of the people in the house. Riku sighed, shoving his hands deep in his pockets.
"We all know he's not gay. Why try fighting a losing battle?" Riku asked quietly, kicking the ground with the toe of his shoes as he walked.
"Because you could win." Yuffie replied obviously. Riku scoffed.
"Yeah, says you and Kairi." He replied softly, leaning up against the stone wall of the bailey overlooking the large valley where they fought the thousand heartless. "What do you two know that I don't?" Riku asked rather seriously. His eyes were set and his jaw was firm. Yuffie sighed, frowning for possibly the first time in her life.
"Because he told me so. He told me about his feelings, and that he was gay. Okay?" Yuffie replied exasperatedly. She'd been through the same argument about a billion times with both of them, and she was tired of it. She'd never spilled either of their feelings to the other, but now, she had to tell the one who would actually make a move.
"What? He actually said that to you?" Riku asked, shock written blatantly all over his face. Yuffie sighed, leaning up against the wall beside Riku.
"Yes, he did. Several times. And I'm frustrated because neither of you will be the men you are. You're both these big strong silent types, and you won't stand up and just admit how you feel for one another. So I'm taking the step neither of you will. He wants you, so just stop being a pussy and do something." Yuffie seethed. She took a deep breath and smiled broadly at Riku.
"M'kay?"
III
Cloud watched Yuffie take Riku away from the group, his blue eyes curious. As soon as Riku and Yuffie were gone, he grabbed Paine and took her out, following Yuffie and Riku, but staying far enough away from them so that they wouldn't notice. Paine sighed.
"Do you think one of them will finally make a move?" Cloud asked Paine. Paine rolled her eyes.
"Well that depends, are you going to marry me?" She asked seriously. Cloud stared at her, shaking his head, just as seriously.
"Then you have your answer." Paine replied. Cloud sighed.
"I'm tired of watching this. I really am. It's killing them both. And they're both too dumb to admit anything. Even to themselves." Cloud replied seriously. Paine soffed.
"They're not dumb. They're stubborn as two mules. Two mules stuck in a box, with one exit, who refuses to go out that same exit, because it means turning around. Riku's ready to admit his sexuality, he already has, but him . . . I'm not sure that stubborn ass will admit anything other than - 'I'm not a people person.' He's not ready for a real relationship." Paine replied, crossing her arms and leaning up against the wall. Cloud sighed, staring up at the sky that was slowly darkening. Streaks of pinks and purples were racing across the sky, meeting a rising darkness that was punched with stars here and there.
"I can't handle this pressure anymore." Cloud sighed, rubbing his forehead. Paine chuckled lightly.
"Sure. I know you wouldn't be too terribly sad if things didn't work right for Riku. I've seen the way you look at him." Paine replied. Cloud blushed lightly.
"Right. Riku doesn't feel that way for me. Regardless that he's gay, I'm not sure he'd want to be with me. We're both huge angst muffins." Cloud replied. Paine arched an eyebrow.
"Angst muffin?" She asked quietly. Cloud shrugged and she sighed. "You've been hanging around Yuna and the other Rikku lately, haven't you?" She asked, piercing him with her red eyes. Cloud suddenly found the wall behind and just above Paine's head extremely interesting.
"I guess that's all the answer I needed." She mused, noting his obvious avoidance of the question.
Yuffie and Riku appeared, Riku looking a little bit lighter, like he'd finally lost a weight off his shoulders, and Yuffie looking as bright and joyful as ever.
"Hello Cloud, Paine. How are you doing?" Riku asked, joinging the two of them. Paine nodded her head and Cloud smiled broadly.
"I'm fine Riku. How are you doing?" Cloud replied. Riku smiled back, a little brokenly, but it was a smile nonetheless.
"I'm good. Well, I'm better anyway. I'm still stuck on what to do." Riku admitted quietly. Paine sighed, standing straight up. She stared Riku straight in the eyes.
"Do you love him?" She asked seriously. Riku blanched.
"Who?" He asked, his automatic reactions kicking in.
"You know who I mean." Paine replied, her eyes still locked with his. Riku sighed, rubbing the back of his neck."Yeah, I guess I do." He replied, somehow feeling lighter with each time he really admitted it. Cloud's semi-smiling face suddenly turned to a frown, his handsome face stony with a hidden pain. Riku caught sight of it, but knew better than to ask. Cloud wouldn't answer anyway. He had come to learn with the unofficial angsty-person-club that if they wanted your help, and opinion, they would ask for it.
"Well, then you know what to do." Paine replied, before taking Cloud by the wing and dragging him back into Merlin's house. Riku walked back to the stone wall of the bailey where he'd been standing with Yuffie. He watched the sky being painted pink and orange, until blackness rose up around him. He sauntered back into the house, his hands in his pockets, his head hung low, his green eyes thoughtful.
"We were about to send out a search party." Aerith laughed quietly. Riku blushed lightly, rubbing the back of his neck again.
"Sorry. I was thinking." He replied, rather lamely at that. Sephiroth scoffed.
"Was it that hard?" He asked, raising a dark eyebrow as his eyes pierced Riku. Riku blushed lightly, but before he could answer, Leon replied.
"He just wanted to be alone. Apparently he had a lot to think about. Don't act like you've never disappeared for hours while you're thinking." Leon replied, his voice normal, though tinged with a bit of coldness, as usual. Riku swallowed harshly, sighing gently.
"Leon's right, I had a lot of things to think about." Sephiroth scoffed, downing the rest of whatever it was that he was drinking. He then bid a silent goodbye to the group and walked out, apparently to go think on something himself. Leon sighed.
"He's drunk. Don't worry about him." He said. Riku sighed, leaning against the table.
"Don't worry. I've got a lot of people disappointed in me right now." Riku replied. Leon nodded, not asking further questions, as there was nothing left he wanted to say, then bid the group the same silent goodbye and disappeared out the door as well. Riku watched Leon go with a sense of bitter detatchment, the same bitter detatchment he'd had as Sephiroth walked out of the door mere moments before Leon. He sighed gently - who was he kidding? He was alone in his love, and therefore, alone in his pain.
"We should be heading home." Sora said, his arm firmly around Kairi's waist. Riku nodded, waved, then headed back to the train.
Somehow he got sidetracked along the way.
III
As Riku passed the dark alleyway, two strong hands grabbed him, pushing him up against the wall of the alley. Riku had no time to react before lips were on his, and hips were tight against his. He didn't have to ask who it was, he knew by the shape of the lips. That's how obsessed he was.
He almost felt consumed by heat, and dreams, when the lips left his.
"Let's go find a quiet place somewhere else. Like . . . the beach?" Said the voice in his ear. He almost melted instantly at the heat against his ear as that oh-so-familiar voice whispered heatedly into him. Riku didn't have the strength to even ask why things were happening so quickly - not that he was disagreeing, on the contrary. He just didn't understand how his dreams were coming true so quickly.
Riku and his dark shadow climbed onto the train, and heated kisses consumed the both of them until they reached the Island, and their feverish caresses carried them the rest of the way to extacy and back.
After heated kisses and whispers, and lustful touches and moans, the two of them lay on the beach, moonlight caressing them gently as Riku ran his hand up and down his new lover's chest. The man beside him was sleeping, his strong chest rising and falling with each breath he took. Riku leaned over, kissing the elder man's cheek gently, gasping quietly when his arms wrapped around him, holding him close. Familiar lips kissed Riku's neck softly and Riku sighed, leaning into the kiss he'd been longing for for so long. He opened his green eyes and stared down at his love.
"What changed your mind?" He asked quietly. The man beneath him shrugged.
"Yuffie and her insistent nagging. And Kairi. And Paine. And Cloud. And you, Riku. You changed my mind. I decided that maybe, just for one person, just once in my life, I could make an exception. So here I am." He replied. Riku smiled broadly, and kissed his love.
He shivered once and his love laughed.
"Let's head inside, shall we?" He offered and Riku agreed gladly. They dressed quickly, then ran inside, holding one another's hands, smiles on their faces for the first time in years.
Kairi and Sora met them at the door. Sora was struggling to hide his smile, and Kairi didn't even try, a broad grin spread silly across her face.
"Riku, you go with Sora. You, stay with me." Kairi directed, and Riku gave his love one last kiss before walking away with Sora, almost gushing about their experience. His elder lover laughed quietly, shaking his head.
"Thank you Kairi. For finally convincing me." He said, smiling down at Kairi. Kairi hugged the man tightly.
"You're welcome. You deserve it." She replied. He laughed once more.
"Thanks. I'm glad you think so." He replied. Kairi scoffed.
"I'm not the only one. We all do. We all want you to be happy." She replied. They could vaguely hear Riku on the other side of the house, gushing about their experience and Kairi laughed, turning back to Riku's new lover.
"He really loves you, you know?" Kairi asked quietly. The man sighed, nodding his head.
"I know. I know. I care about him too. Deeply. It's just . . . hard to adjust. I'm so used to not having to care about anyone but myself. So I know it will be a trying adventure, but . . . I'm willing to take the step." He replied, before heading off to find Riku.
Riku and his love disappeared upstairs into Riku's room, and Sora wrapped his arm around Kairi, before dragging her off to their own room to partake in the joys of being a couple.
And so the moon rose and shone gently on the two loves, exposing their passion in a brilliant sort of glory.
And Riku woke to find himself wrapped in the arms of the man he truly had come to love.
Sephiroth.