Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I only borrow its characters for my own nefarious deeds every once in a while…and keep Riku tied up in my closet...but let's keep that quiet. –shifty eyes-

Warnings: Well I assume that you've read the summary and know that this is indeed a yaoi fic, so if you don't like it, then why are you still here? Anyways, there shall be language and (eventually) slightly graphic lemon-y goodness. I tend to not go into explicit details since it makes me blush to no end, but kiddies beware.

oOoOo

Chapter 1: Daylight Robbery

oOoOo

"I'm not afraid of the darkness!"

But it was there, slowly creeping around him, tendrils of nothingness crawling up his skin, seeping into his heart…

No…

Wrapping around his lungs, making it hard to breathe…everything was fading away…but was it disappearing or was it just his vision that was slipping away?

"You see, darkness is the heart's true essence."

No…I won't let it happen…not again…

But it was still consuming him, and he couldn't fight it…when there was nothing left to fight for, how could he? Because he could see now that he didn't deserve any of it…his home…his friends…his light…

"It's Riku. Riku's here…"

The only reason he could ever fight the darkness…his only light…

"I looked for you!"

Please don't take him away from me again…

"I looked everywhere for you!"

Sora.

Riku woke up with a gasp, sitting up abruptly amongst the tangled sheets wrapped around him. His breath was coming in ragged puffs, his skin was clammy and trickling with sweat…He ran a hand through his long silver hair clinging to his forehead and neck in sticky strands, taking deep breaths to calm down.

It was only a dream…

A faint grayish light streamed through the windows, helping his eyes adjust. The darkness was nothing compared to the nightmare, though…nothing compared to the accompanying fear that crept down his spine in chilling prickles…

He glanced over at the small alarm clock sitting on his bedside table, the last of the red digits flickering once as it became 6:32. The boy sighed, throwing off the sheets and swinging his long legs over the side of the bed. He would have to get up soon anyway, and he knew that falling back to sleep was not an option this morning…

His bare feet padded softly on the carpet as he made his way towards the bathroom, where they fell upon cool tiles instead. Riku shut the door behind him and flicked on the light switch, sighing in relief at the sudden brightness filling the enclosed space. He felt like a child almost, comforted by the bright glow of a night light that could somehow chase all fears away.

But it was hard to run from yourself…

He began shedding his dampened clothes, nose wrinkling as he pulled his T-shirt over his head and let it fall to the floor. Then he slid open the shower curtain, slipping inside and turning the faucet, shivering as icy drops of water came in contact with his skin. But it began to warm up, and finally he slid down the wall in content as hot water trickled down him, steam filling the bathroom.

It was hard to remember the feelings of enveloping darkness when he was covered in warmth and light…although he knew that this wouldn't last long. Tonight would be the same, just as every other night had been since they had returned home almost 2 weeks ago.

It had felt almost too good to be true to finally come back, to be reunited with Kairi and Sora. And now he knew that it was…even after Xemnas had been defeated, it didn't mean that his own battle was over…

There would always be darkness lurking somewhere inside him, waiting to take over again…

He would lose him again…

Suddenly Riku slammed his fist angrily into the wall, leaving it pressed into the white tile, trembling.

He was scared.

So scared.

oOoOo

"Morning, Ri-ku!" chirped two voices in unison as the silver-haired boy walked through his front door, clad in his uniform with a book bag slung over one shoulder.

"Hey," he returned with a slightly strained smile, pausing to fumble with the lock before joining his friends.

"Did you sleep well?" Kairi asked in a carefree tone, although he could see that there was genuine concern flickering through her violet eyes.

"Fine," he replied, although it came out rather stiffly. He mentally cursed himself for this as bright azure eyes stared up at him curiously, and lips pulled into a little frown.

"Really? Doesn't look like it to me," Sora said, reaching up to feel the older boy's forehead. "Are you feeling okay?" he questioned, brushing Riku's bangs out of his eyes as he gently placed his cool fingers to Riku's skin, standing on tip-toes to do so.

Riku jerked away from the touch, causing the brunet to fall back onto his heels, startled. "I'm fine," he repeated, avoiding the others' gazes. "Don't worry about me."

Sora opened his mouth to protest, but Kairi reached out to grab his hand, pulling him along with her and murmuring something softly that Riku couldn't make out. The brunet glanced back at him for a moment, but said nothing before turning back towards the redhead.

The silver-haired boy trailed behind them in silence, trying to ignore the prickling feelings of jealousy at the sight of their hands still clasped tightly together. A few days after returning to the island they had both confessed their feelings for each other, feelings he had know had been there all along…but it still hurt, no matter how prepared he had been for this.

He knew that it was the best thing that could happen…no one could make Sora happier than Kairi, and he would do anything to protect that smile…that innocence…he would keep his own feelings locked inside of him forever if that was what he needed to do.

Because he realized now that there had always been something else underlying his friendship with Sora…something that made his heart ache as he watched the couple in front of him chattering away happily together.

Riku wasn't sure exactly how long he had had feelings for the younger boy…he hadn't realized it until they had been reunited, watching Sora collapse onto the ground, holding his hand tightly as he cried, and he had suddenly felt such an overwhelming urge to pull the boy into his arms and never let go…

He squeezed his eyes shut, pushing away the unpleasant recollection of his dream that came with these memories.

"Riku?" came a soft voice, interrupting his thoughts. He opened his eyes to see that they had arrived outside of their school, and both Kairi and Sora were watching him worriedly.

"Hey, Kai…you go on ahead, okay? I'll catch up with you later," the smaller boy said, gently letting go of her hand.

"Alright," she said, sighing in defeat. "See you at lunch, Riku."

"See you," Riku replied, before turning his attention back to Sora, a sense of dread growing in his gut. He couldn't let the younger boy know about his fears…about his feelings…

"Riku…we're best friends, right?" Sora asked suddenly, a pained expression on his face as he looked up at Riku.

"Of course! Sora, what's-?" The older boy began.

"I'm scared, Riku," Sora whispered, cutting him off.

"Of what, Sora?" Riku asked gently, resting a large hand on top of the boy's head. "It's all over…there's nothing to be afraid of anymore." If only he could believe that himself.

"I'm…I'm scared that I'm going to lose you again, Riku!" the brunet choked out, a tear slipping down his cheek. Riku's eyes widened and he dropped his hand, clenching it into a fist at his side.

"Don't be stupid," Riku muttered. "We better get to class." He turned away, joining the groups of students streaming through the gates.

"Riku, wait!" he could hear Sora yell, but by now there was too much in between them to turn back.

oOoOo

"I told you we needed to give him more time!" Kairi murmured as Sora plopped down heavily in the seat next to her, tear stains evident on his cheeks.

"I'm sick of waiting, Kai! He's our friend…we should be helping him, not just letting things play out or whatever! What if we wait too long and he…" Sora stopped, unable to finish the sentence.

Kairi rested a pale hand on top of Sora's, making soothing motions with her fingers. "I know. I…I'm worried too, Sor. It's just…every time we try to talk to him, he pushes us even farther away. I think we need to let him tell us on his own."

"Do you think he will?" Sora asked quietly.

Kairi paused, her fingers coming to a halt on the boy's skin. Then she smiled sadly. "I think he'll tell you."

Sora looked at her curiously, cocking his head to one side. "What do you mean? You're his friend too, Kai."

"I know," she sighed. "But the only reason I am is because of you, Sora. Haven't you noticed? You're the only one he smiles for, at least when it's a real smile."

The brunet furrowed his brow, trying to recall if this was the truth. He knew that Riku never did smile very often around others, but certainly Kairi…?

"He'll come around, Sora," Kairi said, trying to reassure him. "For now, just let him know that you're there for him. He needs you."

oOoOo

An uncomfortable silence hung over their table at lunch, making the brunet shift in his seat. Kairi flashed him warning looks every time he was about to prod Riku further, so to stop himself he ate rapidly, shoving food into his mouth at a speed which made Riku raise an eyebrow in amusement.

Catching this, Sora laughed nervously, grabbing a napkin and wiping his mouth. "So, uh, Riku…" he began, clearing his throat as the redhead narrowed her eyes slightly. "Do you wanna…um…sleep over tonight?"

Chopsticks clattered onto Riku's tray, startling the two on the other side of the table. "I've got a lot of homework tonight," he said quietly.

"Ah, um, but me too, and I could really use your help! So…if you want, I mean…it would be like old times," Sora mumbled. And it was completely genuine, without any ulterior motives to get Riku talking. Suddenly the brunet realized that it had been such a long time since they had just spent time together like best friends, too long. He missed being with Riku before everything had happened, before he had almost lost him… "Please?"

A moment of silence passed as Riku picked up his fallen chopsticks, turning them over in his fingers with a strange expression on his face. "Yeah. Okay."

The redhead smiled softly as Sora grinned in relief and began chattering away about plans for that night. Ever since they had begun to notice the change in Riku's behavior, Sora had been so worried…she just wanted them to go back to normal again. All of them did.

oOoOo

Soft tapping at his window drifted through his lull of sleep, causing Riku to blearily open his eyes, looking around the room in search of the noise. When he discovered the cause of it his eyes shot open, all traces of sleep forgotten as he reached over to unlock his window. He lifted it open quickly, revealing a small brunet crouched on the thick tree branch outside, hiccupping with little sobs.

"Sora!" he hissed, gently pulling his friend inside. "What are you doing here? What's wrong?"

Sora fell onto the bed with a soft "whump", clutching at Riku's shirt with trembling fingers. "R-ri-kuuu," he wailed. "I had a nightmare!"

Riku looked at the boy in disbelief. "Then why didn't you tell your mom and dad?"

Sora sniffled, taking in a deep gulp of air. "B-but, Riku's my bestest friend, and the strongest! You'll protect me, right?"

Riku smiled gently, laying Sora back on the bed. "Yeah. I'll be right here to protect you. Just go to sleep, okay?"

Sora smiled, closing his eyes as the older boy lay down next to him and pulled the blankets over them. "Okay. Goodnight, Riku," he said softly, stifling a yawn.

"Goodnight, Sora."

oOoOo

Author's Notes: Aw, shit XD. Okay if anybody reads For What Reason then I'm really, really, really sorry! I only intended this to be the usual oneshot I do to cure my writer's block, but I ended up really liking it and wanting to make it a full length story. But I have like a super long weekend(5 days! Yay!) next week cuz my school is nice so I promise I'll finish it then and hopefully update this too!

I must say that it's really going to bother me writing SoraxKairi for awhile XP I honestly hate her with a fiery burning passion, but I don't like it when she gets bashed so I'll just hafta write her normally –sighs- Believe me, they won't stay together long though.

Anyways, please tell me what you think so far! Reviews equal love, and if anybody reads my other story then you know that reviewers get shout-outs and cookies, so it's good times for everyone! Whee! I don't know how soon I'll update this cuz I have priorities to finish FWR first but I'll do my best to write them both quickly. :)

Until then,

-Emmy xoxo