I don't own KH. I do however own my agonizing Riku feels that have been brought to the surface after replaying all the kh games for the millionth time.

Kairi this Kairi that. It's all about her now. She's all he cares about. I remember when it was just the two of us. Playing. Going on adventures. Now she's even coming with us to the outside world.

He sighed as he shifted the log he was carrying. Riku saw the two of them on the beach and went to interrupt them, as Sora was looking a bit too cozy gazing up at her from the sand.

He tossed his log to Sora and inserted himself into the conversation.

"You're just as lazy as he is." He told her in what came out in a teasing manner. She knew better.

"So you noticed" she replied giggling. Riku saw the strained smile on her face.

They separated, gathering their supplies for the trip, and after, sat gazing at the sunset together. Riku talked about his desire to go to the outside world. To get off this small island. Sora seemed lost by his explanation.

"I don't get it." Sora proclaimed.

Since they were extremely young, Riku had felt a bond with Sora. It wasn't until he grew older that he realized he was in love with his best friend. The realization had come from how jealous he was of the way Sora hung around Kairi. He wanted all of Sora's attention on him. He wanted to protect Sora. To hold him and love him. He had never told Sora how he he felt, but with their impending adventure, he felt he had to see if there was a chance Sora did or could love him back. With the overwhelming feeling this would be a final chance to tell Sora just how much he cared, Riku had been trying to find the best method possible to show Sora he was more than just his best friend. His most outright attempt and been when he tried to make his feelings for his closest friend known by tossing Sora one of the islands famous paopu fruits, items of legend and romantic lore.

"If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined. They'll remain a part of each others lives no matter what. C'mon, I know you want to try it." He had continued walking, not turning around. Afraid to see the look on his beloved Sora's face.

"What…What are you talking about…?!" Sora stuttered out.

Feeling upset that he had failed to comprehend the meaning behind his words, he had laughed it off and run away. Sora came to the conclusion it was a joke to fluster him, and discarded the item into the ocean, running after him. The following day, arguing about a name for the raft, Riku proposed a race. As an incentive he once again offered the paopu fruit. As always he played up on the rivalry between him and Sora for Kairi's affection.

Anything to keep those two from being alone. A way to somehow keep Sora's attention at least partially on him.

"Deal? The winner gets to share a paopu with Kairi."

"Wa-Wait a minute!" Sora had turned away seeming shocked and confused by the stakes.

Off they went, racing across the beach and back, Riku had pushed himself hopping from tree to tree as a short cut. The blood pumped through his body as he thought he would be victorious, however he had plummeted down after a misstep on a loose board and lost by mere moments. Seeing Sora pump his fist happily into the air he had felt jealous and upset over all.

Frustrated he played it all off. "Lighten up. It's just a name after all."

Sora, frustrated by his words and had run off to finish collecting supplies for the trip. Riku having already done his share, decided to sit and watch the ocean. He wanted to memorize the feel and smell of the small island, an island he not so secretly hoped he wouldn't see for quite a while. After a while Sora had come up to him. Seeing him struggle for his words Riku sensed this was about sharing a paopu with Kairi. Wanting to deter him from acting on that Riku once again resorted to jokes and teasing.

"Oh the paopu thing? It was a joke. You should have seen your face." His words made Sora close off more, having clearly not been what Sora wanted to hear.

Trying to understand what was wrong Riku had asked, "Are you upset or something? It was only a joke."

Sora simply shrugged then ran off to finish what he needed to take care of.

Riku had walked off as well and walked all across the beach silently saying goodbye to all he had known. He stopped when he saw Sora and Kairi sitting together on the pier. He silently walked over, and as he was about to greet them, he froze as he heard Kairi say, "Sora, let's take the raft and go-just the two of us!"

He felt a life time had passed as he waited for Sora to grow furious with her at the very thought of leaving him behind. He waited for Sora to defend him, to fight for him in his absence. He felt his heart drop as all Sora replied was

"Huh?"

Not being able to bear to listen anymore he turned back and made his way to the final spot. The secret place. A place that had once been for him and Sora. A place that later had also been invaded then taken over by Kairi. He looked at the drawings they had all made as children. Riku froze as he saw the image that had driven him to the silly rivalry in the first place. He remembered how upset he had been when he saw Kairi and Sora had drawn each other.

Now. Now it was so much worse. Riku felt tears sting in his eyes, felt his knees grow weak as he saw what was on the walls. Between the two images was a paopu fruit. A fruit which was being shared between the image of Sora and Kairi. Worse, Sora was the one offering it. Riku felt the emotions he had been bottling up inside finally reach a peak and he had cried. Cried as he realized he had truly lost. Cried for the fact that he was no longer most important to Sora. Cried that they could have left him behind. He cried for his feelings for his closest friend and companion. Sora who was so good and kind. Sora, who always worked hard to impress. Sora who while holding him in the highest regard, he was also jealous of. Sora who's smile could outshine the sun and make him happy no matter what. A smile that was no longer just for him.

As his tears subsided, Riku stood up and wiped his face. He turned to the mysterious door as he heard a voice whisper to him.

The power you seek lies beyond the door. Open it. Do not be afraid of the darkness. Unlock the door to all the worlds you could see.

Riku closed his eyes and wished and commanded the door to open. He felt something inside himself shift as he felt a heavy atmosphere swirling around.

Go

The voice commanded him and he obeyed. He ran out of the secret place to see a dark storm upon the island. He made his way over to the connected small island and stood there and waited. He watched as a swirling mass of darkness was about to descend upon the place he once called home.

He couldn't bring himself to feel bad in any way at what he had brought to this place. If it meant leaving, he was willing to do anything. Anything to escape the pain of the loss of his first love. His first friend who had clearly chosen another. Hearing footsteps behind him he turned and saw Sora running up to him.

"Where's Kairi? I thought she was with you!?"

Kairi again… Always her.

Ignoring his question, he simply replied that the door had opened.

Seeing Sora's confusion, Riku once again exclaimed, "The door has opened! Now we can go to the outside world!"

His eyes were lit up in excitement at the thought of going on a real adventure with his friend. To his dismay, but not all that surprising, Sora was only interested in one thing.

"We've gotta find Kairi!"

In order to move on, Riku had simply snapped in annoyance, "Kairi's coming with us!"

Feeling as if this was his last catch to win over Sora he had tried one last time.

"This may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!"

He held his hand out for Sora to take.

Come with me Sora! Choose me!

"Riku…"

The darkness finally begun to swarm him, Riku didn't move, simply keeping his hand extended praying that Sora would take it. Sora ran towards him, but had been locked in by the darkness. He reached his hand out, but they could not meet. Darkness overtook them both and Riku was lost.

Riku sprang up, startled from his dream. It had felt like an eternity since he had truly allowed himself to even think about his feelings for Sora. It had been so long since he had thought of those days on the islands. They truly seemed like a different time, things then were definitely easier. With Xehenort's impending arrival, they were all training, the seven lights to counter act the 13 darkness.

Between having been inside the sleeping worlds and gaining his Master title, Riku had felt stretched out to the max. He had begun to desperately want to let Sora know how he felt, but he didn't feel it was the right time, or he deserved the relief that would come from getting it off his chest. Despite having made up for all the trouble he had helped bring about on that first adventure, despite having been forgiven by Sora...he felt unworthy. He knew if he really wanted to he could finally confess to Sora how in love with him he was, but from what he saw Sora still had feelings for Kairi, although neither had taken a step forward.

As Riku got ready for a new day of training he pondered the pros and cons of confessing his feelings for Sora sooner rather than later. Being a realistic guy, Riku knew there was a chance that they would not survive their oncoming battle. If he died, he knew he would regret never having said, "I love you" to Sora at least once. He had said it in his actions, and if Sora was a bit sharper, he could have likely picked up the unspoken words, reading between the lines when Riku had essentially confessed-without having actually said those three powerful words.

Love was strong. Love was what had made all their successes possible. Sora's love for his friends had been the key to his victory. Riku's love for Sora, had been what kept him safe, when Riku was working in the shadows to bring him back. Love was what pushed him to the brink in every fight. But love also hurt. Love was what made his heart ache every time he smiled at Kairi or mentioned her. Riku had grown up, no longer consumed by darkness, he did not hate her anymore. He was only human though, so of course he got jealous. He wanted Sora to give a dopey smile when he thought of him, not her. But he also wanted his friend to be happy, even if it was with her and not him.

This is what had been keeping him quietly trapped in his thoughts since getting back from their last adventure. What had most likely brought about that dream last night. He was in quite the dilemma. Should he come clean, just to let Sora know how he really felt. Risk their friendship as it could turn awkward or sour depending on how Sora reacted. Or should he keep quite, never telling Sora how much he wanted him. Take it to his grave so to speak and if they all lived through this, he might one day see Sora and Kairi date, or even marry.

No, Riku wasn't a coward. As he finally arrived at the training field seeing them all working hard, he knew he couldn't keep living a lie. Sora looked over at him and waved. Riku waved back smiling. Yes. He would tell Sora how he felt, and he would accept and deal with the consequences of his actions. Just as he always had.

They trained hard, honing their skills, bringing Lea and Kairi up speed on wielding a Keyblade. They sat down, taking a break. The three good fairies, brought them some cool water to drink and they all were having a good time. Lea was a pretty funny guy. However, Riku wasn't really in the mood for laughter. He took a deep breath.

"Sora."

Sora, still laughing and smiling turned to look at him. As did everyone else. Not wanting anyone to worry, Riku allowed a small smile to grace his face.

"Can I talk to you alone for a second?"

Sora shot up to his feet and stretched, his arms extended above his head. "Sure Riku."

As Riku waited for Sora to make his way over, he briefly caught Kairi's eye. She had a sad smile on her face. She shrugged at him and looked away.

Well she clearly knows where this is going. I don't see why she's worried. There's no way Sora feels like that towards me.

Riku turned away, and he led the two of them fairly far from the others to a secluded spot. They walked side-by-side in silence. Deeming the area good enough, Riku turned to Sora, who had a worried look on his face.

"What's this about Riku? Is something wrong?"

Riku sighed looking down before replying, "No, nothing is wrong. There...There's just something I need to tell you."

Sora placed his hand on his shoulder and smiled gently at him. "You can tell me anything you know."

Riku lifted his arm and took Sora's hand from his shoulder and held it with his own. Sora didn't find this too odd, although he was usually the one to initiate physical contact. "Sora...there's something I've wanted to tell you for a while now. A long time actually. I've been trying to tell you for so long, but I could never bring myself to say it." He paused breathing deeply and sneaking a peek at Sora's face. His smile had faltered and he seemed concerned.

"What is it?"

Riku knew this was it. There would be no turning back after this. A small part of him wanted to bring something random up, but he knew he had to go through with it. It was simple right? All he had to do was come clean and tell Sora, how he felt.

"I...Sora..I-I'm in love with you. I've been in love with you since we were on the island. I'm sorry, I tried to stop it-keep it from ruining or friendship, but I still love you and I wanted to at least say it once. It's okay if you don't love me back I'll-"

Riku was interrupted as he felt a soft pair of lips press against his own. Riku felt like his brain was about to explode. His heart was racing, he was sure it would burst any moment now. Sora pulled away and squeezed his hand.

"I..I love you too. Not as long as you, but I feel the same." Riku was shocked.

"B-But what about Kairi? You've had a crush on her since she showed up!"

Sora blushed and stammered out, "Yeah, well you had a crush on her too!"

Riku scoffed, "No I didn't. I just pretended to so I could keep you away from her." Sora rolled his eyes.
"Okay fine. It doesn't matter anyways because I don't like her like that anymore".

Riku was curious about when his feelings had begun to be returned. "So...when did you start liking me instead?"

"Well...after I knew Kairi was safe on the islands, all my focus was on finding you after you had shut the door with the King. I was so desperate to find you, to see you again. When I finally found you in the Nobody's world...Kairi was there too, and I was happy to see her after so long, but it wasn't the same. We hugged and I was happy, but seeing you. I felt so weak. So happy and relieved you were okay and holding your hand, I felt the happiest ever. Kairi was still my friend, but it felt like more with you."

Riku was touched by Sora's confession. Knowing they had to get back to training he stood up, pulling Sora up as well. They stood there, holding hands.

"Does this mean...we're like...together now?"

Riku smirked, "Are you asking me to be your boyfriend Sora?"

Sora blushed and started to pull away "Not if you're gonna be such a jerk about it!"

Riku pulled him back, and embraced him. He held him close, Sora's head resting on his chest. Despite trying to act cool and calm, Riku knew his heart was giving away just how happy and excited he really was. "I'm sorry for teasing Sora. Yes we're boyfriends now." Sora gave him his silly grin and leaned up to give him a peck on the cheek.

"Good!" With that Sora took his hand and lead them back to the group. They both knew that they wouldn't have a lot of time just for themselves, with all the work that had to be done. Once they had saved the worlds again, they could have peace and be happy together. Just knowing that they finally belonged to one another was enough. They knew they could face whatever fate or Xehenort had in store for them. As long as they were together. They could handle anything.