Saving Grace

by Dlbn

Sora returns home only to have his mother kick him out! Tough, stubborn, and proud as he is, he won't tell anyone and tries to fend for himself. But all that he does leads him to lie upon lie. Who will be there when he and his web of lies fall?

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. Kingdom Hearts is not mine and I don't own anything referenced from the real world. Sorry. Don't sue me. I don't have munny to pay damages either.

Dedication: This story is for Light Within Darkness. We've been friends since ninth grade, I know that seems so far away. But now it's almost over. No more hell known as High School! (And to all of those who know who Light Within Darkness and I are personally, you'll know exactly what I mean. Giggle) So anyway, I'll stop with the mushy shit since I know people want to get to the story and not listen to my rambling. So in closing, I say happy graduation, amiga. Enjoy your boarding and time in college!

Saving Grace

Sora pushed open the door to his home on Destiny Islands. The house was quiet, the noise shaking Sora to the core. He wasn't used to silence anymore. For the past two and a half years, it was all 'fight the heartless' this and 'fight the nobodies' that, traveling the worlds and sealing keyholes, stopping Xehanort's Heartless and then the Organization. There was no silence anymore.

"Hello?" Sora called into the home. "Anyone here?" He waited for a moment. "I'm home!"

"Sora?" A woman's voice wondered.

A young woman, about 30 years of age, came out from another room. She stopped and stared at him, mouth open.

"Hi, mom." Sora greeted after a moment.

She ran to him and hugged him. "Oh, Sora, I knew you'd come home!" She told him. "I knew there was no way you would leave!"

Sora hugged his mother back. "Of course I'm back mom. And Kairi and Riku are too. They came back with me."

"I don't care about them right now." His mother shook her head. "All I care about is you. Are you alright?" She looked him up and down. "And where did you get the clothes? And where did you go? And…and…?"

"Mother, I'm fine." Sora tried not to laugh. "It's a long story, really." He informed with a sigh. "You won't be interested in it, and you probably won't believe most of it anyway."

"Sora, you're my son." She scolded. "I want to know what has happened!"

"Well…" Sora paused and led his mother to the living room couch. "You remember the night we had that horrible storm?"

"The night you went missing." She confirmed, wiping her eyes. "How could I forget?"

"Well, when I went to the island to make sure our rafts were safe, there were a bunch of black creatures that could sink into the ground and hide. I had a stick and hit them with it, but it had no effect at all." He looked at his mother and saw disbelief in her eyes. "I got to the top of the mini-island, where the Seaside Shack is? Riku was up there. He spoke about the darkness coming…and a sword materialized in my hand: The Keyblade. Then the darkness swallowed Riku up. There was this door on the Island, down by the waterfall. When I opened it, I found myself in this weird place with a large black monster. Darkness came from it's hands."

"Sora…" His mother warned. "Don't make up stories. Tell me where you were."

He ignored her. "I destroyed the monster with the Keyblade and found myself in another town. It was there that I met Donald and Goofy, two people who had been searching for someone who could use the Keyblade. It was in that town, Traverse Town, that I met other people whose worlds had been taken over by the darkness." Sora looked at his mother. She didn't look happy that he didn't stop telling her his story. "So Donald, Goofy, and I went on a mission to find their King Mickey, find Riku and Kairi, and stop the darkness. At the heart of it all was a man named Ansem."

"Sora, enough of this!" She stood up. "I don't want to hear anymore of this ridiculous story! I want to know where you were all this time!"

"I'm trying to tell you, mom." He responded softly. "We defeated Ansem and sealed the final Keyhole with Riku and King Mickey's help. Then Donald, Goofy, and I went on together to find King Mickey and Riku. We ended up at a castle run by an Organization consisting of thirteen members: Organization 13. We began to lose all of our memories of our past trips…and I even forgot about Kairi."

"Sora, stop!"

"And she was replaced with thoughts of a girl named Naminé, who had been imprisoned and forced to mess with my memories by Marluxia, one of the treacherous members. The traitors were removed one by one until we got to the end. In order to preserve the memories I still had and to get the old ones back, I went into a year long sleep." Sora continued. He wanted to stop telling her this, but he couldn't. What was wrong with him?

"When I awoke, Donald and Goofy and I continued our quest to find King Mickey and Riku." He went on. "We traveled to more worlds and sealed more Keyholes. We learned that the Organization had been collecting the hearts that were released from destroying the creatures known as Heartless, trying to build one large heart: Kingdom Hearts." He paused. "People died as we went on our travels, taking down the Organization. In their world, The World That Never Was, we were able to confront them. It was there that I found Kairi and Riku. Kairi, Riku, Donald, Goofy, King Mickey and I took down Xemnas, the leader of the Organization. We returned home after that. And now I'm home."

His mother didn't speak for a few moments. "Sora. No more fooling around." She ordered. "Where were you?"

Sora sighed. There was no use in talking to her. "Mother…I'm telling you the truth. I didn't even believe this at first, but it's true."

"Tell me the truth!" She insisted. "Darkness? An Organization? Heartless? Donald and Goofy? Hearts? Keyholes? This can't be right! It can't be true! Don't lie to me!"

Sora stood as well. "I'm not lying!" He insisted. "Here, I'll prove it to you!" He held his arm to the side and formed a fist. The Keyblade formed in his hand, the cold metal becoming more and more familiar as he held it. "This is the Keyblade." He informed, holding it out to her.

She took it from him and turned it over. "It's heavy…" She muttered.

The Keyblade vanished from her hand, making her gasp. It reformed in Sora's grip. "Sorry." Sora told her. "It always comes back to me. I forgot." He looked her in the eyes and released the Keyblade. It vanished. "So now do you believe me?"

"I don't know what you are trying to pull, or how you make that vanish, but I know you're making this up to hide where you were. Why did you leave? Were you that unhappy here?"

"No, I wasn't. I didn't know where that door was going to lead." He paused. "Wait a minute. You have to remember when the Island was swallowed up, don't you? When it was consumed in darkness? Don't you remember that?"

"I remember the storm, but that's it." She insisted. "All of this other stuff is nonsense. Tell me where you were!"

"Fighting the darkness, I swear!" Sora stated.

This wasn't how he had intended this reunion to be.

"Get out." His mother stated suddenly.

"W-What?" Sora wondered. "Are…did…are you kicking me out?"

"Get your stuff and get out. If you're not going to tell me the truth and insist on these lies, I want you out!"

"But mother!"

"Get your stuff and get out!"

Sora blinked. "If…if that's what you want…" He stated. "I'll go, then." He walked towards the stairs that led to the second floor. "Are you sure you…?"

"Get out!"

Sora dodged a flying shoe and scrambled up the stairs.

Sora shivered and rubbed his arms against the cold night air. He had packed a suitcase with some munny he had left over from the odd jobs he preformed in Twilight Town, clothes, a picture or two, and a few things that meant something to him. Where was he going to stay? This wasn't enough munny, no way. He had counted up to about fifty, but he had a couple coins worth ten still in there. Still, not enough. He could always go to a friend's house for the night, but he was too proud to do that. He was the Keyblade Master! He didn't beg for handouts…no matter how much he needed them. Sora knelt down by the entrance to the local park and opened his suitcase. Sora pulled out a longer-sleeved hoodie and put it on to cover his arms. He shut the suitcase and entered the park.

There was no one around, which wasn't a surprise judging by what time it was. He sat down on a bench and ran his fingers through his hair. He knew his story was unbelievable, but he had no idea his mother would kick him out! Now what to do? He had to think. Sora looked up at the sky and stared at the moon. A night guard came over to him.

"Hey, son!" He greeted. "I'm sorry, but the park is closed. The gates are going to shut. You don't want to be locked in, now do you?" He spotted the suitcase. "Where are you off to? Running away from home, perhaps?"

"No, sir." Sora shook his head. "I'm going to a friend's house to spend the night and I wanted to rest. He lives nearly on the other side of the Island. I've been walking for a while."

The man smiled. "Well, I'm sorry that you're tired, son, but you have to go."

Sora stood. "Alright." He agreed reluctantly. Sora left the park and heard the gates shut behind him. Now what?

He kept walking. He wasn't going to go to Riku or Kairi for a place to stay. So where could he go? Sora took the next left, letting his feet lead him wherever they wanted.

Sora found himself in front of a fast food restaurant with an 'Open 24 Hours' sign in the window. Well, it was better the nothing. He pushed open the front door and walked up to the counter. A man stood behind it. His hat sported the restaurant's logo and his uniform looked a little too big for him. He smiled at Sora. "What can I get for you?" He wondered.

Sora dug in his pocket for his munny and looked over the overhead menu. "Um…can I just get a hamburger with ketchup only?" He wondered.

"Coming right up." The man stated. "Yo! Hamburger with just ketchup!" He typed on the register. "Anything to drink?"

"Just a small soda."

The man picked up a small soda cup with one hand and typed on the register with his other hand. "That all?"

"Yeah." Sora nodded.

"Five fifty." The man stated.

Sora pulled his munny from his pocket and sifted through it. He handed the man the money and got a fifty cent piece back.

"Thanks." The man handed Sora his burger.

Sora smiled and took his order. He went over to the soda fountain and put ice and root-beer in his cup. He sat down in one of the booths and unwrapped the burger. He chomped down into the burger and let the flavors cover his tongue. His hunger problem was solved for the time being, but what about a place to stay? He took a drink from his soda and looked at the counter over his cup. The man had gone into the back and there was no one else around. There was probably someone in back making food and someone at the drive through window, but that was it. Sora put his soda back down. He could always hide in the bathroom and sleep on the floor in there. He risked being caught by doing that, but it was a chance he had to take.

After Sora finished his food and his soda, he looked around to make sure there was no one to see him. When he was satisfied and felt alone, he went towards the back. Sora pushed open the bathroom door and was happy to find that it was a one toilet bathroom. It seemed the place wasn't busy enough that it needed more then one stall. He turned around and pressed the lock shut on the door. Sora leaned against one of the walls and put his bag by his feet. Finally. A place to stay for a while. Hopefully, it wouldn't get busy again until day time, so he would be fine for the night. Cheesy music blasted from the speaker above him, but they did nothing to lift his mood. Here he was: Alone, sleeping and hiding out in the bathroom of a restaurant…which looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a long time. He sighed and shut his eyes, letting fatigue take it's toll.

Sora awoke to the sound of someone knocking on the door to the bathroom. He rubbed his eyes and picked up his bag. He flushed the toilet. It was better if he made it seem like he was using it, not hiding out in it. He pretended to wash his hands, but instead fixed his hair, the best he could, in the mirror using the flowing water. When he felt done with his farce, he went to the door and twisted the knob. The lock released and the door opened. He came face to face with the man from the counter the night before.

"Weren't you here last night?" He wondered.

"Yeah." Sora nodded. "I had time to kill before school and I needed to use a bathroom."

"You're wearing the same clothes from last night." The man stated, his smile fading.

"Oh, no, those are different. I have the same outfit in different colors." Sora shrugged.

"Oh, alright." The man smiled. "Well, others need the bathroom, so if you're done…" the man gestured away.

Sora thanked the man and left the restaurant. He looked up at a clock tower built on the bank across the street. 7:45 am. He hadn't thought that place would be busy this early. Ah well.

The bell rang from the school down the road, signaling the start of homeroom. Sora cursed to himself and walked in the direction of the school.

Riku was sitting on the fountain in the school courtyard when Sora arrived. He was sitting sideways with one leg propped up. He was staring into the water. Kairi wasn't with him. Sora ran his fingers through his hair and walked over to join his friend.

"Hey, Riku." Sora greeted.

Riku turned, his bright blue eyes shining with his small smile. "Hey, Sora." He greeted, looking back to the fountain. "You seen Kairi around?"

"No." Sora stated. "I assumed she was with you."

"Well, you can probably tell she isn't." Riku laughed, pushing his silver hair out of his eyes.

"Yeah, I realized that." Sora threw his suitcase to the ground by the fountain and hopped up. He stood next to Riku. "I wonder where she is?"

"Who knows." A shrug. "Probably with Selphie. They were close, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember." Sora answered.

"How did your parents react with you coming home?" Riku wondered.

"Oh, they wondered where I was."

"You told them, then?" Riku looked up at him.

"Well, no. I lied." Sora lied. "I told them I joined the circus for a while." He laughed. "I wanted to 'find myself'."

Riku laughed. "Better then my excuse."

"What was your excuse?"

"That I joined a biker gang to go out and see the world." Riku answered. "Mom said that was something she could see me doing. Dad hasn't come home since I've been gone."

"Oh." Sora paused. "Hey, wait. Aren't we supposed to go to homeroom or the office or something?"

"I did. They said to wait out here." Riku stated. "And that a guide would come to help me out. I was told to wait for you and Kairi so you guys could come with us." Riku looked down at Sora's suitcase. "What up with the suitcase?"

There was no way he could tell Riku what had happened. He had to think of something…fast.

"Oh, we didn't get time to go shopping for a backpack last night." Sora lied. "I had this home, so it was all I had."

A man in a dark suit walked up to them. "Riku? Sora?" He wondered.

They both got off of the fountain. "Yes?" They wondered as one.

"I'm Mr. Callsman. I'm here to give you boys the grand tour…where is Kairi?"

"We don't know." Sora stated.

Kairi ran up to them, waving. "Hey guys!" She greeted. "Sorry I'm late, Sir! My alarm clock didn't go off when it was supposed to."

"No problem." Mr. Callsman smiled. "Now come with me, please."

Sora picked up his suitcase and the three of them followed behind.

Sora stretched as he sat at a table in the school's mess hall. Riku and Kairi were with him, but Mr. Callsman had had a meeting to go to and had left them alone. Sora hungrily spooned his food into his mouth. He hadn't gotten breakfast that morning and that burger from last night did little to fill his stomach. Kairi and Riku watched him suspiciously.

"Hungry?" Riku wondered.

"It can't taste that great, Sora." Kairi laughed.

"I didn't eat breakfast. I left in a rush." Sora answered with another lie.

"Alright…" Riku stated, pushing his food around his plate with his fork.

"Does it taste good?" Kairi wondered, poking at the bluish-gray mass on her plate that was meant to be food.

"Not really, but it's better than nothing." Sora answered.

Well, this took care of how he'd eat lunch everyday…

Silence rang over their table for a moment.

"So I guess you didn't have to worry about a lie to tell your parents, Kairi?" Riku wondered.

"Of course I did." Kairi sighed. "I had to tell the Minderes where I was."

She had come to the island mysteriously one day and lived with the Mayor, Mr. Minderes, and his wife.

"And?" Sora wondered between bites of food.

"I told them I stole a boat cause I wanted to see if there was a way to my home." Kairi stated. "So that I could bring them out to see it."

"They believe you?" Riku wondered.

Kairi nodded. "Of course they did."

"Good." Sora stated. "I told my parents that I joined the circus."

"And I told my mother that I joined a biker gang." Riku laughed. "Good thing they all believed us."

"Yeah, really." Sora muttered in agreement.

He wished his mother believed him. Maybe if his dad had been home, someone would've believed him. Or he'd at least be living at home and not out of one suitcase and a few munny.

"I can't wait to see if anyone else believes us." Kairi giggled.

Sora smiled at her as Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka came over. The three of them sat down. "Hey you three!" Selphie greeted. "Welcome home!"

"Yeah, where've ya been?" Wakka questioned.

"It's been what, a year or so no?" Tidus wondered as well.

"Two and a half." Riku, Kairi, and Sora responded as one.

"Well, however long, it's good to have you back. School was boring without the rest of our Island gang." Selphie smiled.

Wakka attempted to put his fork into his food, only succeeding in breaking it. "Um…" He wondered.

"School food." Riku shrugged. "What are you going to do?"

They all shrugged and tried to eat their lunches in silence.

The only other place Mr. Callsman left Riku, Kairi, and Sora alone was gym class. The coaches had given the trio the standard gym uniforms for the class and had them change. Sora tugged at the bottom of his shorts.

"These are way too small for me." He complained.

Riku nudged him with his elbow. "Looks fine to me." He looked Sora up and down.

Sora flushed and looked away. "Yours fit."

"It would help if you knew what size clothes you wore, Sora." Kairi informed.

"I guess so." Sora muttered.

The coach blew his whistle. "Alright, everyone, listen up!" He ordered. "We're starting our Basketball Unit today. We'll start with a few warm-ups and then move on to playing games. Take two laps around the perimeter of the gymnasium and then do some stretching in the center of the gym. Go!" He blew the whistle again.

Sora, Riku, and Kairi took off with the rest of the class.

"Hey, Wakka! I'll race ya!" Tidus challenged his friend.

"You're on!" Wakka agreed. The two of them sped up faster then the others in an attempt to race.

Sora and Riku looked at each other.

"Let's not and just say we did, alright?" Riku wondered.

"That sounds good to me." Sora nodded.

Tidus and Wakka collided before pushing each other and continuing their race. Kairi giggled.

"Reminds me of two other people I know." She informed.

"Who?" Sora wondered.

Kairi winked and sped up her pace.

"She didn't mean us…did she?" Riku questioned.

"I don't think so." Sora answered.

"You guys had better hope not." A blonde girl informed.

"Why not?" Riku questioned.

"Cause they're gay." She stated. "And if you guys remind her of gay guys, there's a problem."

"No they aren't." Riku argued. "They don't seem it."

"They don't need to seem it for it to be true." A brunette boy answered. "It's true. Believe me."

Riku and Sora exchanged a look.

"Well, it might be true, but who cares?" Riku wondered.

"Yeah. They're our friends." Sora stated. "Their sexuality doesn't make a difference or change anything."

"I guess." A black haired girl answered. "Whatever you say."

Sora and Riku sped up a bit to get away from the other three. "You don't think they're gay, do you?" Sora wondered. "I mean, I don't care, but it's just…hard to imagine. They've been straight as long as we've known them."

They began their second lap.

"But we have been gone for a while." Riku shrugged. "People can change over time, you and I know that better then anyone in this place." He sighed. "I mean, look at me. I went into the darkness and came back in two years."

"And I've grown stronger." Sora agreed.

"Not much smarter, though…" Riku commented.

Sora nudged him, making him stumble into a wall. Riku got his footing and caught up to Sora. "Oh, you're gonna pay for that." He informed.

"Bring it on, Riku." Sora laughed.

"Fine." Riku smirked. "You remember the Island we used to play on? Before the darkness came?"

"Of course."

"Meet me out by the docks. We'll go over tonight and fight with our Keyblades."

Like Sora, Riku was capable of using a Keyblade. Kairi was, too, but she wasn't as experienced with it.

"Deal." Sora agreed. "We'll get Kairi to referee."

"Deal." Riku knocked his knuckles against Sora's as they slowed down to stretch.

After school was over, Sora walked with Kairi down to the docks, where he was going to meet Riku, with his suitcase in hand. He had a plan. After the fight, he'd pretend he had a bit of nostalgia about the Island and wanted to stay a while. Then he'd spend the night in the Secret Place or the Seaside Shack. When morning came around, he'd wake up, go to school, and return to the Island at night. It was flawless…so long as no one knew about it.

"So why are you two doing this?" Kairi wondered, pushing a strand of hair out of her eyes. "I mean, I don't mind it at all, but I'm curious."

"Riku says I'm gonna pay for knocking him into a wall during warm-up laps." Sora stated. "So we're going to fight with the Keyblades."

"The Keyblades?" She seemed surprised. "Are you sure about that? What if someone sees?"

"They won't know they're real." Sora laughed. "Come on, Kairi."

"Well…I guess so." She responded. "Hey, did you hear the news? Tidus and Wakka are…"

"Gay? Yeah, I know."

"Surprise, right? I never would'a guessed." Kairi stated. "It's like how I'd feel if you and Riku turned gay."

"Huh?" Sora wondered.

"He-he. Just kidding!" She giggled.

Sora laughed as they reached the top of the hill. "Hey, there he is."

Riku was standing on the dock with a raft bobbing in the water next to him. Riku had unbuttoned the blazer, which was required for the school uniform, to expose the navy blue shirt underneath. He was pacing back and forth. Sora snickered. Riku never really did have a lot of patience.

"He must've left school early to get here before we did." Kairi stated. "Skipping school again." She sighed. "Just like old times."

"Oh, come on." Sora rolled his eyes. "He's Riku. Did you actually expect him to stay for classes all day? Even I would rather be out here then stuck in there."

"Well, duh, so would I." Kairi giggled. "But we should really follow the rules…"

Sora rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Oh come on. It's not like you've ever skipped class yourself, anyway." Kairi stated.

"Oh, I know." He stated. "But whatever. Come on. Let's run down. He looks like he's been there for a while."

He and Kairi picked up into a run, speeding down the hill. People in the neighborhood greeted them with waves and hellos, but Kairi and Sora only waved back. Within minutes they were at the docks. Riku's eyes sparkled when he saw them.

"I was wondering when you guys were going to get here." Riku greeted.

"We left school after the final bell." Kairi told him, as she and Sora slowed down. "You must've left before us."

"I only had a study hall for a last class." Riku informed. "I didn't want to stay for that." He shook his head.

"Whatever." Sora smiled. "Let's get going."

Riku leaned down and untied the rope holding the raft to the dock. Kairi climbed on and Sora and Riku followed. Sora pushed away from the dock with his foot before he sat down with his friends. The other island wasn't too far off, so they could just float over. If anything were to set them off course, they could just call forth their Keyblades and use them as oars.

The raft made it to the Island's docks within a matter of minutes, with no major problems. Sora and Kairi climbed onto the dock, letting Riku deal with making sure it didn't float off and strand them there. Sora breathed in the salty air and stretched, listening to the sounds from his childhood.

"It feels so good to be back!" He commented. "I missed this place."

"You can say that again." Kairi giggled. "You guys wanna look around before you battle?"

"Why not." Riku shrugged and joined them. "Meet back here in an hour."

Sora and Kairi nodded, walking in opposite directions. Sora jumped from the dock and walked across the beach to the Seaside Shack. He pushed the wooden door open and walked in. When it shut, he set his suitcase down against one wall. The place had enough room for his bigger self to lie down and move about, so he didn't have to worry about space. Sora walked to the stairs and ascended up. He pushed open the door at the top and heard the familiar sound of the roaring ocean waves. The wind tousled his hair as he stood. He walked away from the door and let it shut behind him, making his way across the bridge to the smaller island connected. The palm trees swayed in the breeze and a seagull called overhead. Sora looked over at the beach, trying to see his friends. Kairi was climbing the ladder into the tree house, but he didn't find Riku. When he turned, he found Riku going through the door to the other side of the Island. Sora jumped off and landed on his hands and knees. He walked over to the waterfall and climbed in. He stood close to the waterfall, letting the spray hit him. After a few moments of basking in the sun there, he walked to where the Secret Place was. It was still just a dark hole, but it looked a little small for him to walk through. Sora cleared the brush away anyway and walked in. He had to stoop down a bit, but he managed to get through the tunnel into the cave-like area that formed the Secret Place.

Drawings were etched into the walls of the Secret Place. Sora walked over to the one he and Kairi had done, drawings of each other, and looked down at it. Before he left the Island, he had drawn himself giving Kairi a Paopu fruit. According to theories around the Islands, if two people shared a Paopu fruit, then their destinies would be intertwined.

But a drawing that wasn't familiar to him had been added. It showed Kairi giving him a Paopu fruit as well. Who had done that? Sora ran his hand over it.

"Kairi?" He wondered softly. "Did you do this?"

Knowing Kairi wasn't there and that the rock walls couldn't answer, Sora just stared at the drawing. He compared Kairi's sketch of him to the sketch of the mystery artist. It looked like the style was similar, but that didn't tell him much.

Sora stood and walked around the Secret Place. A man had been there the last time that he was, but that man had been Ansem, and Ansem was deceased now. The golden outline of a door on the back wall wasn't there either, just smooth dark gray rock and stone. Sora hadn't expected it to be. He looked around at all of the other drawings before decided to leave, stooping down and using the tunnel to get back out. The sun hit him and he covered his eyes, momentarily blinded from coming out of pitch black a second before. Kairi was standing down at the bottom of the ledge, looking out at the ocean. Sora quietly crept up behind her and stood. She either sensed someone behind her or saw his shadow, because she spoke.

"It's been so long since we've been here." She stated. "I almost don't remember it. It feels…alien to me."

"I know." Sora responded. He didn't move. "It's like we're seeing this for the first time."

Kairi looked at him over her shoulder and smiled, eyes closed.

"Hey, Kairi, can I ask you something?" Sora wondered.

"Yes?" She turned.

Sora sat down on the ledge next to her. "Do you remember that drawing we made on the wall of the Secret Place when we were younger?"

"Of you and me?" She raised an eyebrow. "Sure I do. Why?"

"Well, I just went into the Secret Place and…the drawing has been altered."

"Altered?" She was flushing.

"You know what I mean."

"The Paopu fruit drawings." She nodded. "I know you did one."

"Well, yeah." He flushed. "Did you do the other one?"

"Another one?" She wondered. "There's only one."

"Kairi, if you didn't know, you would've said 'the Paopu Fruit drawing'. Not 'drawings'." Sora stated. "It was you, wasn't it?"

She sat down with him. "Of course I did." She responded. "I thought that if we shared a Paopu fruit in the drawing, that maybe our destinies would be intertwined somehow." She flushed darker. "It's stupid, I know, but I was hoping."

Sora thought for a moment. "You want our Destinies to be entwined, then?"

"Don't you? You drew the first one, so obviously you do…" She paused. "Unless…it's for another reason."

Sora flushed, knowing what she meant. "Yeah, it was for another reason."

She leaned closer to him. "Sora…?" She wondered.

Sora leaned in as well and didn't answer her. She kissed him. Sora couldn't let his eyes close as they kissed. Something…wasn't right. This…didn't feel like he had thought it would back then. He had imagined fireworks and a spark, not candles going out and nothingness.

Kairi pulled back, a small smile on her face. "Well?" She wondered.

"Um…" Sora paused. How could he let her down gently? "It felt…different then I ever imagined."

She smiled and stood. "I'm going to go for a walk. I'll see you later." She skipped off down the sand.

Sora watched. She took that differently then he thought she would…

He stood and walked towards the ladder that led to the tree-house.

An hour had passed before Sora met Riku and Kairi down on the beach.

"Okay." Kairi stated. "The rules are simple! You fight until you can't fight anymore, or until you fall five times."

"Make it ten." Riku stated. "It wouldn't be fair to Sora if he lost within only a few minutes."

Sora rolled his eyes. "You talk tough, but let's see just how tough you really are." He taunted.

"Alright! Men, draw your Keyblades!"

Riku put his left hand out in a fist and Sora put out his right. Sora's silver Keyblade with the yellow hilt, the Kingdom Key, formed in his hand. Riku's dark Keyblade, Way to Dawn, formed in his hand. Both glistened in the bright sun.

"Let the countdown begin!" Kairi cheered. "Three…"

This was it…the battle to see who was really the strongest.

"Two…"

Sora wouldn't lose to Riku. He couldn't!

"One, go!" Kairi threw her hand up in the air.

For a few moments, Sora and Riku merely circled one another.

"What's the matter?" Riku taunted. "Afraid to attack first!"

"I'm afraid that I'm going to kick your butt!" Sora stated. "If you think you're so good, why don't you strike first?"

"I figure I'd give you a head-start." Riku stated. "If you're brave enough to."

"I'm not afraid." Sora shook his head. "Not after all I've seen."

Riku rolled his eyes. "You think you've seen frightening things? I've seen worse, Sora. I mean, I lived in the Darkness."

"But have you even seen half of the things I've had to fight?" Sora wondered, knowing full well that Riku had not.

"Well…"

"Would one of you just attack already?!" Kairi wondered. "You'll never settle this by talking!"

"She has a point." Sora smirked and rushed foreword. "Huh!" He cried out, thrusting his Keyblade towards Riku.

Riku pulled up his Keyblade quickly and they hit with the loud clank of metal on metal.

"Nice try, Sora." Riku told him. "But I saw it coming."

Riku twisted his arm to get out from under Sora's Kingdom Key. He started to bring Way to Dawn down at Sora's head, but Sora blocked with the Kingdom Key.

"I saw that one coming too." Sora stated dryly. "U-huh!" He forced Riku's arm back.

It continued on like that for a long time. One of them would swing, the other would block. One would move their Keyblade out from underneath the other one and attack. Neither of the boys fell and neither seemed willing to give up. Sweat was rolling down the back of Sora and Riku's necks.

"Alright, alright." Kairi told them. "That's round. Take a break."

"Who won the round?" Sora wondered.

Riku thrust his Keyblade at Sora, knocking him off his feet and onto the sand. "I do." He stated.

"Hey, you cheated!" Sora accused, picking up a fistful of sand and throwing it at Riku.

Riku brushed the sand off. "So?" He wondered. "Someone had to win the round."

Kairi sighed, frustrated. "We don't we call it a tie?" She suggested, sounding annoyed with them. "You're both strong."

Riku and Sora exchanged a glance. They opened their fists and the Keyblades disappeared.

"Fine, draw." Riku stated. He held out his hand to Sora to help him up. "You were gonna give in soon anyway."

"You wish!" Sora answered. He scrambled to his feet, ignoring Riku's outstretched hand.

Riku laughed. "Sure thing, Sora." He looked back to the Island they lived on. "We should all get going."

"Yeah, you're right." Kairi stated. "I don't want to worry the Minderes and make them think I ran off again."

"You guys go." Sora stated. "I'm gonna stay here for a while."

"How in the world do you plan on getting back if we have the boat?" Riku wondered, folding his arms. "We'll wait for you."

"No." Sora argued. "I'll just…stay here for the night, then." He wished he had thought this through more.

"We can't let you stay here alone." Kairi argued. "Either come back with us or we'll stay here with you."

"Just come back for me in the morning." Sora argued. "I'll be fine."

Riku's eyes shown in compassion and worry for his friend. "Sora, this is nuts. You can visit the Island again tomorrow if you miss it so much."

"Well…alright." Sora gave in, already forming another plan in his head. "Let me get my stuff."

He walked back to the Seaside Shack, thinking of his plan. He'd just sneak back to the docks late that night and sail back. It was risky, sure, but it was a chance he had to take. It's not like anyone actually checked the docks every night for rafts, anyway. They were more focused on boats. So he should be safe, at least for a little while. If anyone did see that the raft was missing, they could just assume that the raft wasn't tied tight enough to the docks and that the wind and the waves took it away. Perfect. Sora grabbed his suitcase.

"Sora, come on!" Riku called. "Don't make me come in there and drag you back!"

Sora pushed open the door, knowing Riku was being serious. "Coming!" He called.

Sora ran towards his friends and the docks, the setting sun dying his vision a light orange.

After getting a burger and a soda from the drive through place he had gotten dinner at the night before, Sora walked around his hometown on Destiny Island. He had passed Selphie shopping at the mall and Tidus and Wakka sitting on the fountain in the center of town. Riku and Kairi had gone home to be with their families, so he knew they weren't around. He was alone. A couple of young boys kicked a soccer ball back and forth while a group of kids played hackey-sack. Sora sighed. The only thing he used to do when he was home was fight with wooden swords on the other Island, when he got the chance to go over, and building rafts with Kairi and Riku, planning on trips to see outside worlds.

Sora and Riku had been best friends since preschool, but Kairi hadn't come around until later. Riku and Sora had never thought about leaving their Island home before that. They had been content with using their handmade rafts to Island hop and hanging with their friends, lounging on the sand and swimming in the frigid ocean waters. But when Kairi came around in kindergarten, that changed. They had realized that Kairi's arrival from another place meant that there was a bigger world out there…and they were determined to see it. In the end, that desire to leave had led them to their battles against the darkness and the Heartless.

Sora sighed, thinking about it, as he looked at the sun to decide if it was late enough to go to the Island. The skies were only red and orange from the sunset still, starless, and the sun was still visible. He supposed he wouldn't be seen going, but that was a chance he didn't want to take. Sora pushed open the door to a bookstore and went to the Manga aisle, the aisle he spent most of his time in when he went to the bookstore. He scanned the shelves and found a Manga he hadn't read yet, but still looked interesting.

The bookstore had a café in it, where people were often lounging around and reading books to decide if they were good enough to buy. Sora walked over and took a seat on the barstool at the counter. The waitress smiled at him.

"Hey, Sora." She greeted. "I haven't seen you in a while. Where'd you go?"

"Oh, just traveling on the ocean." Sora shrugged. "Not much to talk about. I didn't find anything interesting."

"Were Kairi and Riku with you? They disappeared around the same time." She started to wipe down the counter with a rag.

"You could say that." Sora stated.

Her smile increased. "Do you want the usual, Sora?"

"Uh…" Sora looked over the menu to find something cheap. He was running low on cash. "I'll just get a muffin."

"What kind?"

"…Chocolate chip?"

"Sure thing." She reached behind her and pulled a muffin from the shelf, not even looking. She put it on a plate and handed it to him.

"Five munny, right?" Sora wondered, looking over the menu again.

"Tell you what." She stated. "Call it a welcome home present. No charge." She winked.

"Uh…thanks." He was surprised as he put his munny away.

"Well, I'd better go and help the other customers." She informed him. "You enjoy the muffin." She looked at his hand. "And the Manga."

He smiled as she left. Sora picked up the muffin and took a bite. Chocolate filled his mouth and he closed his eyes. This was a taste that he hadn't had in a long time. He picked up the Manga and opened it up to the first page.

The last thing Sora remembered was settling into one of the comfy chairs, reading the fifth chapter of his manga, and finishing his muffin. The next thing he remembered was the waitress waking him up.

"It's late, Sora." She told him. "The store's closing."

"Oh." Sora yawned. "Alright. I'll get going." He handed her the Manga. "I don't have the munny for it now."

She held onto it tightly. "I'll put it under the counter for you."

"Uh…thanks." He smiled. "See you tomorrow!"

Sora walked to the front doors and left. It was dark enough now to sneak back to the Island, so he walked in the direction of the docks. No one was out except for a few kids who were running off, most likely home, so he had no reason to fear being caught. Only a few minutes passed before he made it to the docks. The raft was still there. He untied the rope and climbed on. Sora formed a fist and made the Keyblade appear in his palm.

"Oblivion!" Sora stated.

The Kingdom Key Keyblade became another Keyblade: Oblivion. It was dark and didn't have the bright colors to it like the Kingdom Key did. Sora put it in the water and pushed against the ocean floor. He guided the boat t the Island without any trouble and climbed on. He pulled the raft onto the shore and towards the Seaside Shack. It wasn't very big and it was only made out of wood, so he was able to pick it up quite easily. He pushed the Seaside Shack's door open with his rear end. Sora walked in and sat both his suitcase and the raft against the wall. He sighed.

"Well, I guess this is home for now." He told the air. "I'd better go and get some stuff to decorate it with. Not like there's anyone around to attack me. Besides, I've got the Keyblade." He formed a fist and the Kingdom Key appeared. "Good." Sora opened his hand and the blade vanished. He exited the Shack and looked around. There wasn't much on the beach now, other then some seaweed, but he supposed he'd have to make do with what he had. Maybe there was still cloth up in the tree-house. He walked over to the ladder leading up to the tree-house and climbed up.

The tree-house was empty. No cloth or rope. Not even a seashell or a wall drawing. He sighed and left. Sora jumped to the ground and went up the other side of the platforms. This one was bigger. Tidus and Wakka used to hang up there all the time and sometimes practiced sparring. Sora found a couple pieces of cloth in the corner and walked over. He picked them up before leaving for the Seaside Shack.

Sora awoke the next morning to the calls of seagulls outside the Seaside Shack. He sat up, stretched, and yawned before shaking his head and standing. He stretched again and scratched his side. The black watch on his wrist read '6:45 A.M.'. That gave him plenty of time to get ready for school and get to the main Island without anyone seeing him. Good. He went to his suitcase and pulled out a bar of soap before leaving the shack. Sora took a deep breath, taking in the salty air of the ocean. The sun had just begun to rise and the horizon was orange where the sky met with the ocean. It was pretty. But Sora didn't have time for pretty. He stripped down to boxers and left his clothes at the top of the beach. He ran into the water, letting the foamy spray wash over him. He clutched the bar of soap tightly in his hand and held his breath before diving underwater. A school of fish scattered away from him, making mini-waves as they left. Sora chased after a fish until it swam out too far and he was forced to go to the surface for air. Sora gasped in a breath at the water's surface and swam back towards shore. Once shallow enough to be covered mostly by water, but not to the point where he would drown, Sora scrubbed himself down with soap. He washed under his boxers as well before going back underwater and letting everything rinse off. He emerged and walked back to shore. He had to go to school.

Inside the Shack, Sora pulled out a light green t-shirt and jeans and slid them on with a clean, dry, pair of boxers. He stretched again, picked up his suitcase and walked back to the other side of the docks to get the raft. He found it still there, bobbing on the water. Sora untied the rope and climbed on with his suitcase. He made his Oblivion Keyblade form in his hand and used it as an oar. Once back on the mainland, he made the Keyblade vanish, tied the raft to the dock, and climbed onto the docks with his suitcase in hand. Before anyone could see him, Sora ran down towards the school.

Riku was leaning on the water fountain with his arms folded over his chest when Sora got there. Kairi was sitting on the bench reading, probably catching up on homework she was too lazy to do the night before. Riku noticed Sora and smiled his characteristic Riku smile.

"Morning, Sora!" He greeted.

Kairi looked up from her book and stared at him, blushing. "Hi!" She greeted.

Sora wondered why she was flushing until memories of their kiss the day before returned. He flushed as well. "Hey, guys." He responded.

Riku looked between the two of them. "Did something happen between the two of you?" He wondered, sounding a little hurt.

Sora knew he had once liked Kairi, too. Did he still?

"No, nothing." Kairi lied with a shake of her head. Her eyes warned Sora to not say anything.

"Of course nothing happened." Sora responded. "What makes you think that?"

"You're both blushing for one thing." Riku pointed out the obvious. "And Kairi's been very quiet since I got here."

"It must be the sunlight or something." Sora told Riku. "I'm not blushing."

Riku gave him an 'I Don't Believe You' look, but he didn't press the matter. "Hey, listen up." Riku commanded his friends. "My parents want to have a 'Welcome Back Party' for us Friday night. You two in?"

"Sure!" Kairi grinned. "What time?"

"Right after school until Saturday morning." Riku stated. "They want everyone to sleep over since we've all been apart for so long."

"Cool! I'll just have to ask the Minderes." Kairi looked at Sora. "What about you, Sora?"

"My mom won't mind." Sora responded. "She trusts you guys."

"Well, from what we've seen, that might not be a good idea." Riku chuckled.

Sora cracked a smile. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He stated. "But hey, it's not like she knows what we went through."

"What did you guys go through?" Selphie wondered from behind them.

They turned. Selphie stood with Tidus and Wakka, who were hand in hand. "Well?" She wondered.

"Well…" Sora paused. "Uh…that is…uh…"

Luckily, Riku had an answer. "We left remember?" He questioned. "It's hard living without your parents and your friends, since you've been used to it your whole life."

"Yeah." Kairi smiled. "It's hard on a person."

Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie didn't say anything for a moment.

"I guess you're right." Wakka laughed.

"Yeah, I mean, come on." Tidus stated. "No parents telling you what to do and doing everything for you? No friends to hang with? Must've sucked."

"You could say that." Sora stated.

The first warning bell rang and the other kids who were outside began to walk in.

"Let's go." Selphie ordered, taking on a big sister role with her friends.

She led them into the building, but Sora, Riku, and Kairi stayed behind.

"We don't have to hang with Mr. Callsman again, do we?" Sora wondered. "I'm ready to just get back to normal, like how we used to be."

"No, he's gone bothering some other kids for a while." Riku waved a hand. "We only need to see him if we're having a problem. He's only a guidance counselor here."

"How do you know that?" Kairi wondered. "I'm sure he didn't mention that yesterday."

"It isn't that hard to look up files on the school's computer system." Riku stated with a shake of his head.

"Riku, you weren't hacking again, were you?" Sora wondered.

Riku chuckled and walked towards the school. "For me to know and you to find out." He responded.

Kairi and Sora looked at one another. "That's a yes." Kairi informed.

Sora nodded an agreement.

"Come on, you two!" Riku called to them from the school steps. "You're gonna be late if you don't hurry up!"

Kairi and Sora sprinted towards the school as the second warning bell rang.

Art was the only class, other then math, that Sora wasn't too happy with taking. But it was mandatory, so he'd have to deal with it. The teacher had told Riku, Kairi, and Sora not to bother with the current project and do anything they wanted instead: Sculpt, paint, draw…

When Sora asked if filling in all the pages to a coloring book would be okay instead, she had just gave him a look and didn't say anything more. He assumed that was a no. He wasn't like Naminé, whose drawings he had seen in the castle back in Twilight Town, since he had no artistic ability what-so-ever. For the time being, he just doodled on a piece of lined notebook paper. Kairi sat next to him on the left, attempting to sculpt something out of clay, and Riku was drawing on his right, but the drawings weren't the greatest.

"What are you drawing, Sora?" Selphie wondered from across the table.

"Huh?" Sora wondered, looking at his drawing. "Oh, nothing. Just doodling."

"A secret huh?" Selphie winked. "Okay, I get it."

"No, I didn't say it was a…"

"Just let her think that." Wakka instructed. "It's easier then arguing with her." He went back to what he was working on.

"Or ignore her." Tidus stated. "We do that some times."

Selphie nudged him with her elbow. "Kairi? Riku? What are you two making?"

Riku looked at his paper. "Nothing." He growled, picking up a dark blue colored pencil.

"I'm not sure yet." Kairi told Selphie with a smile. "I think it's gonna be a…dog?" She looked at her sculpture. "Maybe a bird?" She looked at it form the side. "I don't know. Sora, what do you think it looks like?"

He looked at it. "Um…don't get mad at me or anything but…a blob of clay…?" He responded.

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it sucks, I know." She muttered.

"No, it's not that…" Sora shook his head. "I just have no…"

"Creativity." Riku offered. "Looks like a building, Kairi."

She looked at it again. "Hm…it does!" She nodded. "Maybe it's…my house? I don't know, I'll think of something."

Sora tried not to laugh at her and upset her.

"So, I heard you were having a party this weekend, Riku." Tidus stated.

"Where'd you hear that from?" Riku wondered.

"Your mother called mine to see if it was okay that I come." Tidus snickered.

"A party, really?" Selphie wondered. "Riku never has parties. Not even birthday parties!"

"No, I remember a birthday party a few years back." Sora shook his head.

"Sora, we were seven." Riku rolled his eyes. "Remember? The ice cream cake melted? That was a long time ago. I don't like birthday parties. I'm too old for one now anyway."

"You're never too old for a party, mon!" Wakka insisted. "I still have birthday parties."

Riku grunted and didn't say anything else about it.

"And I heard it was a sleep over." Tidus carried on.

"Sleepover?" Selphie giggled. "That's not like you either."

"It was my mother's idea, not mine." Riku shook his head. "Believe me." He sighed, annoyed. "You're all invited."

Selphie clapped her hands together. "Awesome!" She squealed. "We haven't done anything together since you left!"

"I know." Riku muttered. "That's why my mom wants to have this stupid thing."

Sora smiled. "Oh come on, Riku." He stated. "I'm sure it won't be that bad."

"Yeah…whatever."

Friday came around quicker then Sora would have expected. The days had seemed to drag since he started living in the streets, but they ended up going by fast overall. Sora and the others waited on the steps of the school's front entrance for Riku to come out so they could go over. Tidus and Wakka leaned against each other on the platform that led to the top step into the school, Selphie and Kairi sat on the steps talking, and Sora sat on top of the brick wall around the platform. He checked his watch. School had ended ten minutes ago. Where in the world was Riku? Just when Sora thought he was about ready to lose it, Riku came out of the building.

"Where have you been?" Sora wondered.

"I had a meeting with the Principal." Riku muttered. "Long story, short notice. Let's go."

The others all stood and followed him out of the school yard.

"So what does your mother have planned?" Sora put an arm on Riku's left shoulder as they walked.

"Just the typical stuff." Riku responded. "Cake, ice cream, old style party games." He looked back at Selphie and Kairi. "And I'm sure they'll come up with some weird girl thing for us to do."

"Yeah, like Spin the Bottle or something like that." Sora commented.

Riku chuckled and Sora couldn't help but join him. "Oh, I can't wait for that." Riku stated between his laughter.

"Me neither." Sora stated. "Maybe Tidus and Wakka will get lucky and the bottle will land on each other." He whispered the last statement so the two lovers couldn't hear him.

Riku chuckled. "Yeah, really." He agreed. "Or maybe Kairi will get lucky and land the bottle on one of us." He raised and lowered his eyebrows. "Are you sure nothing went on between you two?"

"Well…we sort of…kissed…before our little fight and…" Sora flushed. "Nothing more then that. It was a quick 'Good Luck' sort of thing." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, a 'Good Luck, You're Really Gonna Need It' type of deal, right?"

Sora whapped his arm. "Yeah, whatever." He stated. "You say that now, but on the Island, you were eating the power of the Keyblade right from my hands!"

"Oh, sure, from your point of view, yeah." Riku laughed. "From my side, you looked ready to pass out from exhaustion!"

"Sure, sure." Sora laughed. "You wish, buddy."

They laughed. "Man, just like old times, hm?" Riku stated.

"Well, not exactly." Sora looked back at Tidus and Wakka for a second.

"Yeah, true." Riku nodded. "But that's the only real change."

"Friends forever, right?"

"The best." Riku held up his fist, and Sora bumped his knuckles against it.

"Party, here we come!" Selphie cried out from behind them.

Riku and Sora looked back before the group shared a quick laugh.

Riku's mother set a bowl of popcorn on the table in the living room. She looked so much like him. Sora could see Riku in the color of her eyes, the shape of her face, and the smile she gave that made it seem like she constantly had a secret. The only thing he had gotten from his father was his silver hair and a bit of a bad attitude. His parents were still married, but his father lived on another island to work. He didn't come home very often. Riku's mother was still in denial over it, but Riku had come to terms with it.

"So…what are we gonna do now?" Kairi wondered.

"How about a game!" Selphie suggested.

"Sounds like fun!" Riku's mother commented. "I'll be in the kitchen making dinner. If you kids need anything, just give me a holler."

"Sure, mom." Riku waved her off.

She winked and left.

"What game?" Tidus wondered.

"How about Spin the Bottle?" Selphie wondered. "We haven't played that in ages!"

"Called it." Riku whispered to Sora.

Sora snickered.

"I'll go see if Mrs. Raevenclawe has a bottle." Selphie stood and ran off into the kitchen.

The others stared after her.

"Do we really have to?" Tidus wondered. "The only person I want to kiss, kisses me all the time."

"Like this." Wakka kissed him.

Sora threw a piece of candy at them. "Get a room, you two." He ordered. "Save it for the game."

"I can't believe you actually wanna play." Riku told him.

"I don't, but we might as well get it over with."

Selphie returned with a bottle. She sat between Kairi and Wakka, and set the bottle in the middle. "Alright, you guys know the rules." It sounded like an order to remember, not a suggestion. "You have to kiss whoever the bottle lands on, no re-spins, no touching the bottle after it is spun, and the kiss has to last at least a minute." She stated. "Who's going first?" She wondered.

"It's Riku's house, make him do it." Sora ordered.

"Sora's shortest, make him go." Riku counted.

"Riku, I insist!" Sora told him. "The host is supposed to get things going."

"Oh, but you're a guest. Guests always go first." Riku countered.

"No, I'm sure you should go."

"You go."

"You."

"You."

"You."

"You."

"Riku, just go!" Riku's mother called from the kitchen.

Riku grumbled to himself as the others laughed and spun the bottle. The others watched it spin intently. The bottle started to slow down once it reached Tidus and Wakka, but it kept going…then it got slower…and slower…and slower…Sora closed his eyes.

"Come on." He thought. "Make it land on Riku or one of the girls. Don't land on me, don't land on me, don't land on me, don't…"

He heard giggling and opened his eyes. The bottle had landed on…him.

"Aw crap." Sora stated, defeated.

"Oh hell no." Riku shook his head. "I ain't kissing him!"

"You have to!" Selphie countered.

"No way." Riku shook his head.

"I agree with Riku!" Sora held up one finger.

"No way." Selphie shook her head. "Rule one, boys: You must kiss whoever it lands on. No re-spins."

"Just do it and get it over with." Kairi ordered, giggling.

"Well…" Riku looked at Sora and then back at Selphie. "Do we have to keep our eyes open?"

"That wasn't a rule." She shrugged.

"Sora?" Riku looked at his friend.

"If we have to." Sora shrugged.

"Alright." Kairi stated. "Set your watch for a minute, Sora."

Sora looked down at his watch and pressed buttons until it was set for sixty seconds. "It's set." He let Selphie take the watch from him to check it.

"Ready…" Selphie stated.

Here it goes…

"Set…"

I'm gonna have to kiss my best friend…

"Kiss!"

Sora grimaced and closed his eyes, not sure if he or Riku should make the move first. Since Riku was older, he assumed it was Riku's job, but nothing happened.

"I'm not starting the watch until you two kiss." Selphie scolded. "So just do it!"

Sora opened one eye to look to her, but a pair of lips on his made him close his eye. Riku was…he made the first move?

Sora felt a jolt slide through his body when their lips hit. It felt like a bunch of Shadows were dancing around in his stomach with Dusks. It was a whole new sensation that Sora didn't feel before, not even when Kairi kissed him earlier. He had always thought that when he kissed the person he was meant to be with, that he'd feel a spark and hear fireworks…he felt a jolt and heard the pounding of his own heart in his ears instead. He opened one eye to see make sure this was really Riku that he was getting this sensation from. Maybe this was really Kairi or Selphie…no…silver hair hung into the face of the person he was kissing. It was definitely Riku. One bright blue eye looked at Sora with an apology inside it. Sora tried to smile, but Riku's lips impeded the process. When Sora's watch went off, he was both relieved and upset at the same time…he didn't want it to stop. Riku pulled away and wiped at his lips with the back of his hand. Sora snapped out of his stupor a moment later and did the same thing.

"Ew." Sora commented though he was really thinking just the opposite.

Was he…in love with Riku?

The rest of the night went by without a hitch. Sora lay in one of the guest beds, unable to sleep. Tidus and Wakka were in a guest room together, and the girls decided to stay on the pull out sofa-bed in the living room downstairs. Riku was snoring next door, but that wasn't what was keeping the younger boy awake. No matter how many times he closed his eyes or tried to think of other things, the kiss Sora and Riku had shared earlier still was vivid in his mind. Sora stared up at the ceiling fan as it rotated.

"Just think of something else, Sora." Sora told himself. "Like…how good it feels to sleep in a real bed for the first time in a few years." He paused for a minute. "Or about how you can't believe that Tidus and Wakka are together…or about kissing Kairi…or Riku…think about that…no, wait! No, not that!" He groaned.

Kissing Riku was the last thing he wanted to think about. Well…maybe not the last thing, but pretty close. But why did it feel so…right…when they kissed? He was straight and he liked girls, not guys. And he certainly wouldn't fall for his best friend if he did! Would he? No, definitely not. But then again, sometimes he could admit that Riku was kinda cute…

"No!" Sora sat up quickly. He would not think about Riku like that!

The bedroom door opened. "Sora?" It was Riku. "You okay in here?"

"Huh?" Sora wondered, rubbing his eye against the light. "Riku?"

"Yeah, it's me." Riku shut the door. "You okay? I heard you scream."

"Oh, just a nightmare." Sora responded.

"Of?"

"Nothing. It's fading away now." Sora chuckled nervously. "Nothing to worry about."

Riku leaned against the door and folded his arms. He looked down at his arms for a while before he spoke again. "You know, back when I was controlled by the darkness, every moment was like a nightmare." He admitted. "Except for the fact that I could never wake up, you know? It was all dark all the time and I, well…I lost sight of what I really wanted." He sighed.

"Well, that's what you get for having that black ribbon tied around your eyes." Sora muttered.

Riku looked at him and smiled softly. "I'm serious, Sora." He informed.

"So am I."

They both laughed for a moment. Riku recovered first and sighed. "I let the dark consume me."

"But…you're okay now, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Riku paused. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm telling you all of this."

"Because…you needed someone to tell and I just happened to be awake right now?"

Riku laughed. "I guess you're right." He smiled softly. "I'm going back to bed. Goodnight, Sora."

"Night."

Riku opened the door and slid out before shutting it, leaving Sora in complete blackness again. He sighed and lay down. What in the world was Riku trying to say? Eh, who knew? Riku was complicated. Sora closed his eyes and rolled to the side. He should at least try to get some sleep. After a good half an hour of trying to clear his mind, fatigue took its toll.

Riku and the others were sitting at the breakfast nook in Riku's kitchen when Sora woke up and went downstairs. He yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"Morning, Sora!" Mrs. Raevenclawe greeted him. "One egg or two?"

"Um…two, please." Sora responded.

The others slid over in the nook. "Sit down, Sora." Kairi ordered. "Selphie was just telling us a joke from her science class!"

Sora sat down next to Kairi.

"Go ahead, Selphie!" Kairi urged.

"Alright. Well, then Mr. Karevin said 'Is that you Coffin?'." Selphie stated.

The others laughed, but Sora didn't get why. "I guess you had to hear the whole thing, right?" Sora wondered.

Riku rolled his eyes and bonked Sora on the head, reaching across Kairi to do so. "You can be such an idiot sometimes." Riku told him.

"Oh, and you're always a genius?" Sora retorted with a laugh. "Give me a break!"

Riku shoved him lightly. Sora went to fight back, but Mrs. Raevenclawe turned around.

"Boys, no horsing around at the table, please." She ordered.

Riku laughed. "Whatever you say, mom." He took a sip from the glass in front of him.

Tidus passed over a glass and a pitcher of orange juice. "Have a drink, Sora!" Tidus ordered.

"Thanks." Sora poured himself a glass full and took a drink.

"How's breakfast coming, mom?" Riku wondered.

"What are you, mon. Starving?" Wakka questioned.

"Yes."

They all laughed.

"So, did you all have fun last night?" Mrs. Raevenclawe questioned them.

The group agreed. "A lot." Selphie stated. "We got to see Sora and Riku kiss each other."

Mrs. Raevenclawe dropped her spoon and turned to them. "Kiss?" She wondered.

Riku and Sora flushed, avoiding eye contact with each other and Mrs. Raevenclawe.

"Selphie made us play Spin the Bottle." Riku muttered. "It's not like it meant anything."

"To me it did." Sora thought.

"Oh…alright, then." Mrs. Raevenclawe picked up her spoon and turned around to the stove again.

"Why'd you have to go and tell her that, Selphie?" Riku muttered, obviously irritated.

"Oh lighten up. It was just a game." Kairi informed him.

"I know, but…"

"Relax, Riku. It meant nothing, so it's fine." Sora cracked a smile, trying to seem like he meant what he was saying. But deep down…he really didn't believe himself.

After breakfast was over and the others went home, Sora and Riku lounged on the couch watching TV. Kairi had gotten a call to come home, so she had left as well. A commercial came on for an insurance company. The man on the screen had silver hair like Riku, but his eyes were brown.

"Hey," Sora stated, "Your dad."

"Yeah." Riku changed the channel.

Sora looked at him. "What's wrong?" He wondered.

"My dad never comes home or calls or anything." Riku informed. "I don't like seeing his face on TV. It just reminds me of why he's not here."

"Oh." Sora sighed.

It seemed like darkness was still creeping around the corners of Riku's heart, though he was physically free of darkness.

"I'm sorry." He informed.

"Aw, it's alright." Riku shrugged. "I'm doing fine without him. I am a Keyblade master after all."

"Heh, yeah." Sora chuckled. "I guess you've got a point there."

Riku nodded and chuckled. "You know I do!"

Sora laughed. "So…" He wondered slowly. "Have fun last night?"

Riku flushed. "Yeah." He confirmed. "A bit embarrassing, though."

"You can say that again."

"You…uh…enjoy yourself…?"

"Yeah." Sora was flushing as well. "You did, I know that."

Riku nodded. "Right." A pause. "I'm gonna go stir crazy."

"We can go out for a while."

"Sure." Riku smiled. "Why don't you bring your stuff? We'll drop it off at your place."

Sora's heart froze. "N-no, that's fine. I'll come back and get it before I go home."

"You sure?" Riku raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I'm sure. Completely sure."

"Well…alright." Riku stood. "Where to?"

Riku flung a wad of sand at Sora, but he moved out of the way as the sand sailed past.

"What was that for?!" Sora wondered, chucking some sand back at his friend.

"Just because." Riku responded. "You're too uptight lately."

"Uptight?" Sora wondered. "This is the first time we've been home in two years. I'm happy."

"You don't seem happy. You seem depressed." Riku answered. "You're hardly talking, and you've been talking even less since we kissed last night."

"You're imagining things." Sora insisted. "I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes." Sora insisted.

"Alright, alright. I'll let up." Riku stated. "Sea Salt Ice Cream?"

"Uh…" Sora pulled out what little munny he had left in his pocket. It looked like he had enough. "Sure."

Sora walked over to the vendor with Riku. The woman behind the ice cream cart smiled at them. "What color you want, boys?" She wondered.

"I'll take a blue one." Riku told her.

"Red for me." Sora answered.

She handed Sora a bright red ice cream bar and handed Riku a traditional light blue one. "A dollar fifty each, boys."

They handed over the munny and walked off together.

"Man, this stuff tastes good." Riku informed, licking his ice cream bar as they sat on a bench.

"I had some in Radiant Garden." Sora stated. "That Scrooge McDuck guy was making it. Took him a while to get it right, though."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Riku stated. "Where's Radiant Garden and who is this?"

Sora chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Radiant Garden is the real name of Hollow Bastion." He explained. "And Scrooge McDuck is Donald's uncle."

"Oh, alright." Riku responded, though he didn't really seem to care if he knew or not, either way.

"You think we'll be hanging out like this for the rest of our lives?" Sora wondered. "I mean, everything changed when the Door opened, and who's to stop everything from changing again?"

"We are." Riku informed. "You and me and Kairi. We're all Keyblade warriors. I doubt anyone would pick a fight with us."

"Have you forgotten what we've been doing for the past two years?"

Riku chuckled. "I suppose. Why are you asking me this?"

"My nightmare last night was of the three of us drifting apart and going our separate ways."

"That won't happen. We won't let it." Riku shook his head. "Or, at least I won't let it happen. I don't know if you and Kairi can handle something like that."

Sora rolled his eyes again. "Here we go again." He sighed. "Let's just stop harping on each other, alright?"

"Alright, alright." Riku chuckled to himself.

They ate their ice cream in silence for a good five minutes as the waves crashed on the beach in front of them and the seagulls cried out overhead. People came and went along the boardwalk, enjoying what was left of the sunny day. Sora stared down at the watch on his wrist.

"It's getting late." He informed. "We'd better go back to your place so I can get my stuff."

"Alright." Riku stood. "Let's go then. I'll walk you home."

"No!" Sora stood up quickly. "I mean, that's okay. You don't need to worry about me."

"Alright, what's with you?" Riku raised an eyebrow. "You're never this jumpy. Something's up."

"Nothing's up." Sora stated. "I just don't want you to worry about me all the time."

Riku looked him over. Sora shuddered. It was a bit unnerving that Riku was able to pick up on this when the others hadn't. Just how strong was their bond?

"Fine." Riku snorted. "I believe you." He started to walk off in the direction of his house and threw his ice cream stick and wrapper into the trash.

Sora followed suit and they ran down the boardwalk together.

Late that night, after the Manga store had closed for the day and it was dark enough for Sora to go to the island without being seen, Sora darted out from an alley and walked briskly down the road towards the docks again. No one was really out and the streetlights had yet to come on and illuminate the area, so he supposed he'd be fine for the time being. A noise startled him, but he ignored it. Probably just a stray animal or something. Nothing to worry about. He had the Keyblade anyway, should it be someone who was after him.

Once Sora got to the docks, he felt a bit safer in the night. Footsteps followed him onto the dock. Sora stopped and put his suitcase on the raft, the person behind him stopping as well. A few tense moments passed and the person stalking Sora did nothing. Sora soon got tired and made a fist. The Keyblade appeared. He turned quickly and swung.

"Hey, Sora, watch it!" A voice cried out.

Another, familiar Keyblade blocked his. They hit with the loud clank of metal on metal, the sound deafening in Sora's ears. The streetlights came on, temporarily blinding Sora. But he had to see who this was. He looked past the blades into bright aqua eyes and relaxed.

"Riku?" He wondered.

"Man, what's with you?" Riku wondered. "Taking out your Keyblade on anyone who's behind you?"

"When someone's stalking me, I want to defend myself!" Sora pushed back with his sword, making Riku take a step backwards. "What's the big idea sneaking around behind me?!"

"I didn't believe you when you said you were okay. I followed you here after the Manga shop." Riku snorted, letting his Keyblade vanish. "What are you doing here in the middle of the night? Shouldn't you be home?"

"Well…I…I, uh…I…" Sora didn't know what to say. "Maybe." He stated at last.

"So why are you here?"

"I don't know. Sleepwalking, I guess."

"Don't give me that." Riku scolded. "You're fully aware of where you are and what you're doing."

Sora flushed, knowing he was caught. How was he ever going to explain this? "It's a long story, Riku, and…look, it's not important."

"Sora, you're hiding something from me. I know you as well as you know me. What's wrong?"

Riku's eyes shown with concern. The light wind tousled his hair. The light behind Riku illuminated his eyes the right way and reflected shadows from his hair. He looked…tortured…Was he okay?

"You don't look so good either."

"That doesn't answer my question. Stop avoiding it." Riku snapped. "Tell me what's wrong. Please. You're my best friend. I want to help you."

Sora looked down at the raft and opened his hand. The Keyblade vanished. "My mother kicked me out of my house." He informed. "I…I had no where to go, so I've been living in the Seaside Shack for the past few nights."

A long period of silence followed.

"Why didn't you come to me?" Riku wondered softly. "You could've stayed with my mom and me."

"I didn't want to be a hassle."

"You were too proud to…weren't you."

"What…how did…you…I…" Sora was at a loss for words.

"Because I'd be too proud to, and you know we're pretty similar." Riku smiled softly and held out his hand. "Sora, please. Come home with me. You can stay at my house until your mother cools off."

"Riku…I…thank you but…I can't." Sora took a step back. "I can't ask you to put me up. I'll be fine on the other island." He bent down and untied the ropes around the raft. "I promise I'll be okay." Sora climbed on and pushed away from the docks.

After a few moments, he turned back and looked at Riku. The streetlights went off and Riku was no longer visible. Sora sighed and called forth Oblivion. He started to push in the water when he felt the raft shake. He looked back. Riku clung to the edge of the raft. He smiled at Sora.

"If you're going to the island, then I'm going, too." He stated, climbing up. He shook off his hair.

"Riku, I'm fine." Sora groaned. "You belong back on the other island. Go."

"Hey, I don't know if you noticed it or not, but you belong back there too. You've got friends and family who care about you. I'm sure your mother was just overly excited to have you back and wasn't thinking straight. Give her a couple days and…"

"Don't you get it?" Sora turned away. "My mother was in her right mind. She doesn't want me home. And you know why?" He looked back at Riku. "I was an idiot. She asked where I had been and I told her the truth, a simple version of the whole thing."

Riku didn't seem to believe him.

"And she thought I was lying. She couldn't believe me…she wouldn't. And I just kept going on and on and on and I didn't stop when she told me to. I was an idiot and she kicked me out!" He wiped at the tears threatening to fall. "I don't belong back there."

Riku was silent as he let Sora ramble. He didn't say anything as Sora tried to contain himself and wipe away his tears. Finally, Riku wrapped a hand around Sora's wrist. He pulled Sora close to him.

"Sora…" He whispered against Sora's amber hair. "You do belong there, and you know it. You just need somewhere to go. Come home with me, please. I'll give you somewhere to stay. Mom will let you stay as long as you want. She likes you."

Sora cracked a small smile and pulled away. Riku was smiling as well.

"I know that sounds wrong, but I don't mean it like that." Riku chuckled. "Please come home with me? You're not asking, I am. Your pride should be intact. Please?"

Sora sighed and looked back at the island he had called home most of his life, then back to the one he was living on alone.

"Well…I guess it would feel good to sleep in a real bed and be near people…"

"Is that a yes?" Riku sounded expectant.

Sora looked back at him. Riku's eyes were shining from the moonlight. Sora sighed deeply. "I'll stay. Thank you."

Riku smiled softly. "No problem." He called forth his Keyblade and stuck it into the water. Sora pulled his blade back and let it vanish. Riku paddled towards the island.

"I promise." Riku stated. "Everything's gonna be fine. You'll see. You can stay with us as long as you need to and we'll have fun. Like we used to when we'd sleep over at each other's house, or spend the weekend at the Mayor's place with Kairi."

Sora laughed. "You want to play the same games we used to, too?" He wondered. "Like fight with wood sticks and pretend there's a big monster in the closet?"

Riku laughed loudly. "Why use wooden sticks when we have the Keyblades?!" He responded. "And the only monster in the closet would be the Heartless, come back again! But they should be gone for now. At least the Nobodies are."

"Yeah, really." Sora agreed. "I think they were more annoying then the Heartless."

"Oh yeah, like those Berserkers? Man, they just wouldn't let up!"

"And the Assassins?" Sora wondered. "They'd sneak up out of nowhere!"

"Just like the Shadows and the Neo-Shadows."

"Yeah, I know."

They looked at each other again before bursting into laughter.

"I feel like I'm eight again and we're on the other island, looking for a monster in the Secret Place." Riku commented.

Sora giggled. "I know."

They reached the docks, still laughing. Sora grabbed his suitcase and climbed onto the docks as Riku tied up the raft. Riku joined him after a few moments.

"Come on, let's go home."

They walked off in the direction of Riku's house together.

Riku's mother hadn't been too happy to hear that Sora's mother had kicked him out, but Riku and Sora had calmed her down enough so she wouldn't call child services. After dinner, Riku and Sora had rolled out Riku's two sleeping bags in the basement. The basement was almost completely empty, save for the TV and the game table, so they had the whole place to themselves. Riku's mother had thrown Sora's clothes in with the laundry to be washed and Riku let him borrow a pair of blue pajamas. Riku came down the stairs and handed them over.

"They might be a bit big on you, but its better then nothing, right?" Riku wondered.

Sora nodded. "Yeah." He stated. "And Riku…?"

"Yeah?" Riku looked at him.

"Thanks for convincing me to come over."

Riku smiled. "Anytime, buddy." He walked to the staircase and went up.

Sora heard the chain lock side into place before Riku came back. Sora pulled on the pajama bottoms as Riku walked over.

"Riku, man, a little privacy?" Sora wondered.

"We've got the same thing." Riku rolled his eyes.

Sora chuckled. "I know, but still."

"You're not self conscious, are you?" Riku questioned, raising an eyebrow. "You don't really show it."

"I'm not." Sora stated. "I just don't want my best friend seeing me half naked."

Riku flushed. "Sorry."

"It's fine now. You've seen me shirtless before."

Riku shrugged as Sora pulled his shirt over his head. He slid on Riku's pajama top, noticing that Riku was staring.

"You…need something?" Sora wondered slowly.

"Huh? No, just thinking." Riku flushed. "Sorry, was I staring?"

"Only a lot." Sora laughed.

What was Riku thinking about that he had to stare at Sora to think it?

"Sorry." Riku muttered. "So…wanna play Air Hockey or Pool or something?"

"Uh…I guess."

They walked over to the game table together. Riku looked at the instructions attached to the table. "We've got Air Hockey, Pool, Hoops, Foosball…and ping pong…" Riku read the papers.

"I don't care." Sora told him.

Riku smiled. "Ping pong it is."

Sora helped him set up the table for ping pong. "Uh…I don't play this often but…isn't there supposed to be a net to hit over?" Sora wondered.

"I think it's on the shelf over there." Riku pointed. "Can you do that while I set up the score counter?"

"Sure." Sora walked over to a bookshelf with game accessories on it. "Paddles…bucket of balls…" He heard Riku snicker and rolled his eyes. "Cards, cue sticks, rosin…" he spied a white net. "Aha!" Sora picked up the paddles, the ball bucket, and the net before walking back to Riku.

"Damn." Riku cursed. "I need batteries." He looked at Sora. "Put the net in. I'm gonna go look for batteries upstairs."

"Alright." Sora confirmed.

Riku ran up the stairs and Sora heard a 'thump'.

"Ow." Riku complained.

Sora chuckled as the chain lock slid open and Riku left. As he set up the net, he began thinking.

'Riku sure has been acting weird since that kiss last night.' He thought to himself. 'I mean, it was a bit awkward for me, too, and I couldn't sleep, but…you wouldn't think something like that could bother a guy like Riku.' He shrugged. 'I'm sure it's nothing.' He tried to tell himself.

'Maybe he likes you.' Sora's inner voice chuckled.

Sora shook his head to try and get rid of the thought. Riku and him? A couple? Ew. They were both guys! Not to mention they were both straight and loved Kairi. Sora's inner voice really had some sort of mental problem…

The lock slid shut and Riku came back down the stairs, a set of batteries in hand.

"Got um." He informed. "Last ones up there, too." He walked back to the table and stared. "Uh…Sora? The net's all twisted."

"Huh?" Sora looked down to see that the net looked like it had been wrapped around itself a few times. "Sorry." He hadn't really been paying attention to what he was doing as much as what he was thinking.

"It's okay." Riku opened the net on his side and untwisted it before setting it again. He went back to the score counter.

"What color you want?" Sora wondered.

"Blue." Riku answered.

"Red for me then…hey…just like our ice cream."

Riku rolled his eyes. "Funny, huh?" The sarcasm in his voice was unmistakable.

"Whatever, Riku."

Once they finished setting up, Riku took the ball from Sora. "I'll serve."

They went to their respective sides of the table and Riku bounced the ball. He hit it over the net and Sora hit it back. It continued on like that for a few moments before Riku spiked it at the table. It bounced up high and came down towards Sora's head, but he backed up just in time and swung the paddle. The ball rocketed towards Riku and Riku bent backwards, hitting the ball with his paddle. Sora dove after the ball and hit it off the table's edge, falling to the ground. The ball raced towards Riku and he hit it back. But the ball reached Sora just as he was getting back up from his fall.

"Head's up!" Riku called out.

"Huh?" Sora saw the ball and swung his paddle, but he missed and the ball hit him between the eyes. He fell. "Ugh!" he groaned, putting a hand on his face.

"Oh, damn it!" Riku cursed. He joined Sora's side quickly. "You okay, Sora?" He wondered, concerned.

"I'll be fine." Sora removed his hand. "I'm not bleeding, am I?"

"No." Riku shook his head.

"Then I'm fine." Sora stood, but he quickly lost balance and fell to the ground again. He rubbed his rear end. "Ow."

Riku sat next to him. "I'd stay sitting for a bit if I were you." Riku informed. "Sorry. I guess I don't know my own strength."

Sora chuckled. "It's fine." He insisted.

"Maybe we shouldn't play so rough." Riku smirked. "I forgot how delicate you were." He chuckled.

Sora rolled his eyes. "That didn't sound right Riku." He informed.

Riku laughed, but he was flushed. "I know. Sorry, sorry."

They didn't say anything for a moment more. "Okay. I think I can get up now." Sora stood. Riku looked up at him, but he stood when Sora didn't fall over again. "I think that's a point." Sora informed.

"Yeah." Riku agreed. "One, nothing." He hit the red button on his side of the table.

"I meant for me." Sora stated, dryly.

Riku giggled. "Too late now."

"No it ain't." Sora called the Keyblade into his hand.

Riku's eyes went wide. He hit Sora's hand, making it open and the Keyblade vanish. "Are you nuts?" He wondered. "Not in the house!"

"Sorry, sorry." Sora rolled his eyes. "I forgot."

"Yeah, game over." Riku shut off the table.

"Aw, come on, Riku. I've still got some fight left in me!"

"Then how about a game of cards or something? You're obviously still hurt."

"Why are you so worried about me?" Sora wondered, tilting his head to the side. "I'm fine. I know I am."

"No reason." Riku answered. "I just don't want to end up having to drag you to the emergency room." He laughed.

Sora didn't quite get why that was funny, but then again, Riku just plain didn't make sense sometimes. "Alright…"

Riku stopped laughing. "Ahem." He cleared his throat. "Sorry."

"It's…alright…" Sora muttered.

"I don't know why I'm worried about you. Just cause we're best friends, I guess."

"Yeah."

Why did that statement hurt? That was all Sora wanted himself and Riku to be…wasn't it?

"Right?" Riku wondered. "Best friends?"

"Definitely." Sora nodded, swallowing hard.

"Why don't you sound sure of that?" Riku's question was more of a statement.

"I'm sure of it." Sora stated. "I'm just tired, is all. Maybe that's making me sound weird."

"Sora." Riku scolded. "I can read you better then the instructions for setting up the pool table."

"Probably because you were reading the side written in Moogle." Sora commented.

"I know the difference between when you're unsure and when you're tired." Riku went on as though he hadn't heard his friend. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Sora looked away to hide his flush. "I'm fine."

"No you aren't." Riku shook his head. "You're not fine. I know it. You've been acting weird since last night, and I know it's not from living on your own."

Sora didn't say anything for a moment or two.

"Come on, Sora, don't make me beg for an answer. I know I'm right. What's wrong?"

Sora sighed and looked at Riku. Aqua eyes gleamed with knowing and concern.

"Well?" Riku wondered, demanding an answer with his tone.

Sora closed his eyes and sighed. He turned to completely face Riku and kissed him. Riku's body froze and he didn't respond. Sora was about to pull away when strong arms wrapped around his thin frame and pulled him close by the waist. Sora's eyes slid shut at the same instant as Riku's, and Sora wrapped his arms around Riku's neck.

A few moments passed before Sora felt Riku's tongue brush lazily across his bottom lip and pulled away, breathing heavily. They both opened their eyes.

"I…" Sora paused. "I don't want us to be just friends."

Riku smiled softly and kissed the corner of Sora's mouth. "I don't want that either." He informed.

"So…I guess we both want the same thing, right?" Sora paused. "So why don't we…? I mean…if you want to…you know…go out…or something…? I mean…if you want to…cause I'd understand completely if you didn't but…uh…I hope you…"

Riku put one finger over Sora's lips. "Sora." He cautioned him to silence himself. "Stop talking." He closed the gap between them.

Riku and Sora rested at the top of the mini island connected to the island they had played on when they were children. The wind waved through both of their hair as they overlooked the ocean, sitting on the Paopu fruit tree. Sora sat, curled against Riku, who was holding onto him with one arm. Sora yawned.

"I love you, Riku." Sora kissed his cheek.

Riku grasped Sora's chin in his hand and turned his head to face Sora.

"I love you, too." Riku informed, kissing Sora.

They separated after a few moments.

"Ready?" Sora wondered.

Riku stood, letting Sora support himself, and pulled a Paopu fruit down from the branches. He sat next to Sora again and ripped the fruit in half. They each took a piece.

"They say that if two people share a Paopu fruit…" Riku started.

"Their destinies become intertwined." Sora continued.

"Winner gets to share a Paopu fruit…" Riku held his half towards Sora.

"With…" Sora held the other half to Riku.

"Each other."

They spoke at once, plopping their piece of fruit into the other's mouth. Juices spilled over Sora's tongue and slid down the back of his throat. Once, they were both done eating the fruit, they embraced. Sora softly kissed Riku's lips, but Riku applied a bit more pressure as he pressed Sora against the tree, straddling his hips. They split apart. Riku slid a hand up Sora's shirt.

"There are many people." Riku stated.

"And they share the same sky." Sora told him.

"One sky," They spoke together, "one destiny."

END

Dlbn: Well, there you go, Yukaichick! Your very own Soriku story! Yay! (Does a dance) This is the first real Soriku story I've written and I like it! I should experiment more often with it. Lol. Not like that, for all you perverts out there. I know it didn't seem too realistic in the beginning, with what happened with his mother, but the real thing behind the story is this:

Sora's mother has been missing him for so long. There have been no leads into his disappearance, and one day two years later, he comes home with an outrageous story! I wonder what kind of person would respond well to that. I guess it seems a little harsh that she kicks him out, but that's the way it goes. Tell me what you think! You know you want to…

Happy graduation, Light Within Darkness! Different schools, same friendship.
Dlbn
Your friendly neighborhood Psycho Hanyo

Halo by Beyonce

Told my mother about my adventures
And she
Kicked me out the house
And I didn't even
Put up a fight
I just did what
She was saying to
I was too proud to go to
Any of my friends and stay there
But now I can see the light of your halo

I've got my angel now
It's like I've been awakened
Every rule there's
We're breaking
It's the risk that we're taking
I wish I had told you about it sooner

Everyday I'm with you now
I'm surrounded by your embrace
Riku I can see your halo
I know you're my saving grace
If you hadn't convinced me to stay with
You I'd be out in the streets now
Riku I can see your halo
Hope it won't fade away

I can see your halo
Riku
I can sense your Halo
Riku
I can see your halo
Riku
I can sense your Halo
Riku

Hits me like a ray of sun
Burning through the darkest nights
You're the only man that I want
I think I'm addicted to your light
I swore I wouldn't get help
From my friends but I
Know I need you
And no I can't forget

How you saved me from myself
Seems like I've been awakened
Every rule there's
We're breaking
It's the risk that we're taking
I ain't never gonna lie to you again

Everywhere I'm hanging now
I'm surrounded by your embrace
Riku I can see your halo
You know you're my saving grace
You're everything I need and more
It's written all over our hearts
Riku I can feel your halo
Know it won't fade away

I can see your halo
Riku
I can sense your Halo
Riku
I can see your halo
Riku
I can sense your Halo
Riku
I can see your Halo
Riku
I can sense your Halo

Riku's
Halo
Riku's
Halo

Every day I am alive now
I'm surrounded by your embrace
Riku I can see your halo
We know you're my saving grace
You're everything I want and more
It's inscribed into our hearts
Riku I can sense your halo
Know it won't fade away

I can sense your halo
Riku
I can see your Halo
Riku
I can sense your halo
Riku
I can see your Halo
Riku
I can sense your Halo
Riku
I can see your Halo
Riku
I can sense your Halo
Riku
I can see your Halo
Riku