Hello, everyone! My gosh, Of Love & Thieves got more reviews than I thought it would! Alrighty, anyways, this is the new, and hopefully improved, version of Of Love & Thieves. It took me a really long time to try and make things make sense, but I don't know if I was successful. Are you ready? Let's get started then, shall we?

Disclaimer—I do not own KingdomHearts, FinalFantasy, or any related characters/places.

Warning—shounen-ai

Chapter 1

Destinopolis was charming city, full of houses, shops, and the like. In the center sat the castle, its towers tall and proud. In this castle lived a king, his queen, and their two sons. (Servants and maids lived there too, but they're not really important.)

The eldest son was a noble man with long silver hair and auburn eyes. He was cunning, smart, and skilled in the art of magic. He was muscular, not too heavily built, but just about right. Overall, he was perfect in every way. The youngest in the royal family was a runt. His hair was a mess of chocolate spikes; his eyes were an amazing blue color that changed from navy to sky blue depending on his mood. Most of his skills were average or below, and there really wasn't anything truly special about him, other than the fact that he could make just about anybody smile.

Immediately after you passed through the castle gates, you were in the first district, also known as the nobles' district. Nobles ranging from dukes and duchesses to lords and ladies lived here in large mansions, which were each painted differently with different colors. Many were haughty, but a select few were pleasant.

The second district held all the second-class residents, all the pickpockets, and all the bums. Nearly everyone in this district was greedy. Either that, or they were drunkards. There wasn't one respectable person here.

The third and final district is comprised of shops and stores. Just about anything is sold here at unreasonably high prices.

Our story begins in the first district, the noble's district. It begins with a boy no older than thirteen, a thief. Silently, he walked through the streets, hands in the pockets of his ragged pants. Lords and ladies glared at him as he passed them, dukes and duchesses turned up their noses. He ignored them, snorting as they stared and twittered. He walked straight into the district square. Ladies in frilly dresses were buying gold jewelry, pearls, gems, anything to make them feel wealthier. The thief walked around, stuck his hand out at random times to stealthily take a silver diamond necklace or an emerald studded brooch. The items he took he slid into hidden pockets. He stayed in the square for about ten minutes before slipping away. He sauntered back to the second district where he unveiled his stolen goods and examined each carefully, making sure there weren't any scratches in the gems or the metals.

Little did he know the ladies he had pick-pocketed had noticed their missing jewelry and reported him to the soldiers loitering in the bars.

Soon after he had finished looking over the swiped jewels, the young thief heard the clanking of metal behind him. Glancing back, he spotted two or three guards looking for someone. Most likely him. He pocketed the goods and resumed his walk down the cobbled streets, losing himself in the crowd of people walking to and from the third district. He could hear the guards talking to random people, asking whether or not they saw this thief.

"There are lots of thieves here, sir. Could you try to describe him?" He overheard a villager say sarcastically.

"Uhm, they said he was about this tall. Rags, silver hair, bright eyes."

"Like that guy over there?" The thief froze.

"Huh? Where?" He could feel the guards spot him in the mass of people. Panic gripped him. He could not get caught. So, he did the only thing that came to mind. He ran.

"Hey! Wait! By order of the mighty king, wait!" The thief paid the soldiers no mind. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, which was quite fast. He ran past clumps of people, pushing his way through them or dashing around them. He turned into an alleyway, slowing down just slightly. It so happened that this particular alley led to the next street over. And it also happened that the next street over was teeming with metalheads because of the arrival of the Royal Family.

"Shit." the thief cursed and stopped abruptly.

"Where'd he go!" Looking back over his shoulder, he could see the guards that had been chasing him. God, this is not my day. He glanced around, looking for an escape route, but with all the soldiers around, he couldn't find one. Taking one last look around, he opened the door of a random carriage and hopped inside.

As he closed the door, he heard a gasp behind him.

"Wh-what are you doing in here? You're not supposed to be here." a small accusatory voice trembled. The voice belonged to a boy a little younger than the thief himself. The boy had bright blue eyes and chocolate brown spiky hair. His clothes were made of silk and lace, and dyed several shades of blue. Lace covered the collar, sleeves, and hem of his cotton shirt. Rich stuff.

"Shhh." the thief hushed.

"I-I-I'll call the guards!" the voice warned.

"Will you just shut up?" the ne'er-do-weller of the city snapped, glaring at the boy behind him.

"Hel—umph!" He clamped a hand over the boy's mouth.

"Shut up!" the thief hissed. Shaking, the other boy nodded. Slowly, the bandit removed his dirty, smelly palm.

"Ew. You smell," the boy whispered.

"So what? I don't live a pampered life like those damn princes, okay?"

"Damn prince…? I'm guessing you don't like royalty too much."

"That's right. They've made my life a living hell." The thief settled onto the plush bench opposite the seat the other boy occupied.

"Oh. Well, okay. Erm, what's your name?" The platinum-haired boy stayed silent. "Are you o--?"

"It's Riku," he said shortly.

"Oh, I'm Sora." The other boy replied cheerfully. Riku could feel his smile warm the cramped space of the carriage. "You don't seem like a very happy person, Riku."

"That's because I'm not."

"Well, how come?" Suddenly, the vehicle stopped. A clanking could be heard through the thin wooden door. Riku involuntarily stopped breathing.

"Your Highness, sir. We'd like to check your quarters, sir. There's been a report of a robber on the loose." A muffled voice said loudly.

"There's no one here but me, Tidus." Sora replied casually.

"Very well, Highness. But be careful. I hear this one's quick as a fox." More clanking and the voice stopped speaking. Riku let out his breath and turned on Sora, the prince.

"Why'd you do that?"

"Do what?" Sora asked stupidly.

"Why'd you tell him I wasn't here? I'm the wanted criminal. I could've killed you. Why did you save me?"

"Because I wanted to be the one royal that didn't make your life a living hell." Sora said simply, smiling again. Riku snorted, but deep inside, he was touched by this boy's sincerity. He watched the young prince look out the window. He took in the boy's small frame. Scrawny, but he had the potential to be something better. His body could be like Riku's own, well built, muscular, and down right drool-worthy.

"Hey, the coast is clear! You can go now." Sora exclaimed, startling Riku a little bit.

"Why can't I stay here? They're probably still looking for me outside."

"Well, we're almost out of the second district! The nobles will tell on you if I drop you off there." The nobles will tell on me? What a child.

"Alright, tell me when we reach an empty corner. I'll get out then." Riku sighed.

"Okie dokie artichokie!" Sora said happily, turning back to the window. Minutes passed. The two sat in silence, one looking out the window, and the other looking at the floorboards. Occasionally, Riku would sneak a glance at Sora, just to try and see that dazzling smile one more time before he left. No use, Sora's face was glued to the glass window.

"Now!" he screamed suddenly. Jumping off the bench, Riku opened the wooden door and rolled out, landing neatly on his feet in the alley. "Bye bye, Riku!" Sora waved at him through the window. Unknowingly, Riku waved back. When the carriage disappeared, he stood there, still waving. After a few moments, he realized his arm was moving and stopped it. That kid did something weird to me. I swear to God, he changed me somehow.

Three years later, our skilled thief, Riku, was still out on the streets, stealing from the rich to give to himself. After the little fiasco with the jewelry way back when, the young convict had become more careful, more cautious with his dealings. Of course, he had not been caught again afterwards. But after a while, things get boring just stealing from the rich. So he decided to work during the day and steal at night, when the moon was full. He got a job working at a bar as a waiter/chef. His pay was decent and the owner fancied him so much, she gave him free meals and a room in her house. He was grateful to her. Without a place to crash, he'd be forced to roam the streets again. Roam the streets and get attacked by intoxicated thugs…

"Rikuuuu! Are you up yet?" A loud pounding on his door knocked Riku out of his reverie.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm up." Quickly, he stuffed his head and arms into a shirt, pulled on a pair of pants, and ran a hand through his shoulder blade-length hair.

"Hurry up! You take too long!" Riku pushed open the wooden door, startling the girl on the other side. She squealed and jumped back. "Riku! You almost killed me!"

"I can't kill you with a door, Kairi. I could hurt you, yes, but not kill you." he replied coolly.

"Yeah, well, either way, it would've been painful." the redhead said happily. She turned and bounced down the rickety stairs. Riku followed with less enthusiasm.

When the two reached the bottom of the stairs, Kairi led Riku to the kitchen where he would assist the cook.

"You'd better do a good job today. We're serving the Royal Household!" Kairi warned, waggling her finger at the silver-haired boy.

"Yeah, yeah. When do I not do a good job, Kairi?" Riku shrugged, pulled on a raggedy old apron, and began chopping up carrots.

"You're right. Don't worry about a thing. Just try not to poison the King and Queen, 'kay?"

"Now why would I do a thing like that?" Riku asked, his face presenting a look of pure innocence. Kairi merely snorted, patted Riku on the head, and left the kitchen. The silver-haired part-thief, part-chef resumed his chopping. The main chef came bustling in, crates of fruit in his burly arms. Suddenly, he tripped over his own feet and flew forward. Honestly, he was the definition of "klutz". Grabbing the crates in one arm and the cook in the other, Riku steadied both, placed the crates on the brown tile floor, let the cook lean against the counter, and continued his cutting.

"Thanks." the chef said shortly before expertly peeling apples taken from one of the wooden boxes. Shockingly, the clumsy chef didn't cut himself.

Hours later, there was a knock on old wood. One swift knock was all that was needed for the door to swing open almost immediately. In marched hordes of soldiers, their armor clanking annoyingly as they tried to seat themselves on benches that were almost too weak to carry the weight of the metal. Kairi rolled her eyes at them. Patiently, she waited for the pages to enter and seat themselves. Then came the two princes, one tall and proud, and the other nearly scrawny. And finally, the King and Queen entered, their regal heads placed high in the sky. Curtsying, Kairi flashed them a bright smile and led them to their table nearest the already roaring fireplace.

"What excellent service, is that not so, my king?" the Queen commented, placing her lace napkin in her lap. Her husband merely snorted. Kairi slipped back into the kitchen to get the appetizers.

"Hurry up, you guys! They're already here!" she admonished the cook and Riku, who were sweating profusely after working for three hours straight in a room with one, tiny window. The girl grabbed plates of food and began serving them.

"Just the dessert left to make." the cook muttered, grabbing flour, eggs, and sugar. "Shall we bake a cake?" Riku nodded.

"Yeah, cakes are easy." He began pulling bowls out of cabinets. The chef dumped cups of flour and sugar into one of the larger bowls. Riku broke five eggs expertly with a flick of his wrist into a small bowl. He poured half a cup of oil, one and one-third cups of water, and one teaspoon of vanilla into his egg bowl and whisked away with a fork. Once Riku's mixture was fully blended, he put the eggs, oil, water, and vanilla into the dry ingredients. He mixed the dry and the liquid ingredients to make the cake batter. He sloshed the conglomeration into a pan and stuffed it into the already heated oven. (1)

Meanwhile, the King and Queen picked daintily at their meat, and sipped at their wine. The princes were quiet and they, too, picked at their lunches and took tiny sips of their diluted red wine. The scrawny one squirmed in his seat at times, but after receiving several dark glares from his brother, he stopped. Kairi was at their beck and call, getting everything they wanted from the kitchen.

Finally, the two chefs themselves brought in dessert. It was a three-layer cake with intricate designs on the sides and corners. The top had been layered with fresh fruit and whipped cream, then sprinkled with granulated sugar to make it sparkle in the dim light of the dining room. And sparkle it did. From where the King and Queen were sitting, they could see the general outline of the cake and see its sparkling sides. The youngest prince was licking his lips in anticipation, rubbing his hands together, eager to take a bite of that scrumptious-looking dessert.

Then he glimpsed the chef holding the right side of the delectable treat. Silver hair that shone like the sun, eyes that glittered in any type of light, perfect porcelain features that were different from before, but still basically the same. Light skin that was sweaty now, just like before. It was that thief from three years ago. What was his name?

Carefully, Riku and his companion set the cake down in front of the King and Queen. Backing away slowly, Riku couldn't help but inconspicuously snatch a pearl-encrusted brooch from the younger prince. After all, he looked so out of it, so enraptured by the cake before him. Abruptly, the prince's eyes left the cake and settled on Riku, bright blue orbs boring into him, as if saying, Give that back, I know you took it. Startled, Riku's own eyes widened slightly. He tightened his grip on the pearl brooch he had taken. The young prince's eyes stayed on him while his parents cut equal shares of the cake for the Royal Family.

Suddenly, the prince smiled, a brilliant, dazzling smile, showing off teeth that were as smooth as the pearls in his pin. Riku narrowed his eyes. Where had he seen such a smile? Such a blinding smile could not have been forgotten. Oh, yes. The royal from three years ago. Sora was his name. Pursing his lips, Riku's gaze took in Sora's still slim form. He was still scrawny, but not as scrawny as before.

"Riku, you can go now. Riku?" Kairi waved a hand in Riku's face. She leaned in close to him and whispered, "Stop checking the prince out." There was a smile in her words, but Riku knew once she had said them that he was, indeed, checking the young prince out. Shaking his head, Riku bowed and turned to walk away.

"Oh, wait! Riku!" the young prince called out. He was half-standing, half-sitting in his chair, his arm outstretched to Riku. The thief rotated on his hip, a questioning look written on his face. The same look was mirrored on the rest of the Royal Family. What on earth was their son doing, chatting with a commoner? The prince blushed. "Uhm.. W-when can I see you again?"

The elder prince's silver eyebrow rose in amusement. His father coughed.

"Ahem, I believe I can answer that, Sora." Sora turned to face his father, awaiting his father's decision. It took one word to make Sora start tearing. "Never."

Hurt, Sora excused himself politely, and walked out of the tavern. Brow furrowing in worry, Riku started after him, only to be stopped by the metal-clad knights.

"You heard me, servant," the King said coldly. Flashing him a dirty look, Riku whirled around and sauntered past most of the soldiers before he was stopped again.

"What the hell is this?" he demanded, gesturing at the barricade. "I'm not following your stupid son."

The remaining prince smirked evilly. He glanced at his father, who nodded once slowly. His smirk turned into a malevolent grin. Making his way around the many tables before him, the prince eventually reached Riku, whom of which had been glaring at the platinum-haired royal.

"No, you're not following my brother, but you have something that's his." he said sweetly.

"Something that's his? Like what?" Riku spat, taking a step back when the prince took a step forward. Reaching towards Riku's closed fingers, the prince smiled. It was nothing like his brother's, Riku noticed. It was evil.

"Something like this." The prince pulled Riku's arm out from behind him and pried the fingers open. In the pearly white palm lay a golden brooch studded with pearls as milky as the digits that held them captive. The devious smile still on his lips, the prince took the brooch from Riku's hand and shoved him into the nearest guard, which wasn't too far away.

"Arrest him." the King ordered, his cape billowing behind him as he swept away from the filthy tavern where he had had his luncheon, his wife and child trailing after him.

Kairi, the owner, was speechless. The cook was shaking his head. Both watched as Riku, who was oddly quiet, was taken out of the room.

END CHAPTER 1

I don't think this is the right way to make a cake, so if you use a recipe like that, you won't get a cake, you'll get a mess.

So how was it? Was it okay? Was it bad? I spent a lot of time trying to fix some of kinks in it, and make it more realistic than before. I had been thinking of making this version of Of Love & Thieves really different from the first one, but I decided against it after I read through the vers.2 rough draft a few times.

I'll probably type this story while listening to The Trax, so if it gets sad, blame Typhoon! XD

Btw, The Trax is a Korean rock band. Its lead singer is nicknamed Typhoon, its drummer is Rose, and the two guitarists are called Attack and Xmas. See? Typhoon Rose Attack on Xmas. TRAX :D Yeah, the songs I like from them are quite sad, but really good. So I listen to them a lot

READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! :D