This was meant to be much, much longer than it ended up, but I lost inspiration for it. I still liked the idea so I decided to just edit it and rush to the end and make it a one-shot. But because of that, to me at least, it seems exactly that - rushed. Hopefully, though, it is still okay. And I just might end up redoing it again to how I wanted it to be originally. Read and review, please! Reviews are always nice to get, even if they point out something wrong.
disclaimer: i do not own kingdom hearts or anything affiliated with it. the end.
Ever since we got back from our... well, we'll call it a journey, ever since our journey, things have been different. And yet, so much the same. We have fallen into the same routines, only the routines have changed. The three of us have matured, so it seems only natural that things should change. Strangely enough, to everyone else, I seem to have remained much like the old Sora everyone knew, more than Kairi and Riku are like their old selves. And yet, I feel as though I have changed the most. I don't think I've necessarily grown up the most. I'm just different. Need an example? Let's start with Kairi. Before all of this started, she was... my sun. The brightness in my life. I lived to impress her, woke each day to see her smiling face. I loved her. I still am not sure if I was in love with her, but without a doubt, I loved her. She had always been that one person I knew I could count on to make me feel better. Even to calm me down if I was feeling just a little too good. Kairi was someone I could go to for anything, no matter what, and that is often what I did. I really can't explain it, but I needed her.
And then Riku. I loved him, too. But in an entirely different way. I suppose the easiest way to explain that would be there was a definite love/hate thing going on with us. He often infuriated me, especially when it came to Kairi. It was silly, because she loved us both, but we always had to fight for her attention. Or... Maybe I was fighting for his? It was both, I think. You see, Riku, I was positive, was in love with Kairi. Or he at least thought he was. His days seem to revolve around impressing her, even more so than mine did. Somehow, that led to him always wanting to outdo me. Of course, I would continuously rise to the occasion, fighting as hard as I could. I wanted both to impress him, and to show him up. Seemed I rarely did either. But I just had to try. We fought all the time, but we loved each other. And my biggest fear was losing him and Kairi to each other. I didn't know any better back then. Ha, back then. As though I'm thinking ten years into the past, when it was merely a couple. See what I mean? I feel so different.
Onto my point. Since we returned home two months ago, my feelings toward them have changed completely. I still love them both, with all my heart. But Riku is now the one I want to spend most of my time with. I seek solace with him, now, rather than with Kairi. I guess I just feel like maybe... maybe he understands more what I went through. If only a little bit, more. We don't fight anymore. Or at least, not nearly as much, and when we do it's very clear that it's all in good fun. Certainly not to fight for the attention of a girl. Though I do still try to impress him... And I no longer fear that I will lose Kairi to him and him to Kairi. I don't know if he notices, I'm sure he does because I don't hide it, but when the two of us are alone, and things grow silent, I always stare at him. It's something I can't help. What I wouldn't give to see his thought process. I worry. I can't help that either. Because now... Now, I am scared to death that I'm going to lose Riku to the darkness. For good.
An alarm went off. What appeared to be a young man was stirring in his sleep, turning his head and letting out a heavy sigh as he apparently tried to ignore the rude disturbance to his slumber. A set of long fingers reached above his spiky head, closed in an annoyed fist around one corner of a pillow and he made a move as though to either cover his head or bash the contraption that had the audacity to interrupt his dream. But the motive was never known and the boy suddenly sat upright, his sapphire eyes larger than normal and filled with more light than they'd worn in quite some time.
"Riku's birthday!" Sora proclaimed joyously as he hurried out of bed, bolting out of his room. Though he knew his house like the back of his hand, he was still caught off guard by the worn out rug covering the cool hardwood floor, which seemed to feel he was far too excited and had to bring him down. Literally. The poor brunette slid for a second before his feet collided with one wall and he fell backwards, smacking his head against a table that sat against the wall opposite. A loud groan escaped from his lips, which was quite unfortunate for him, since had he been quiet, he would have heard the faint sound of wood wobbling against wood: a not-so-fair warning of the picture frame which came crashing down on Sora's head. "Oww.." He whined, gingerly rubbing the rapidly growing knot on his forehead where his attacker had hit with the most force. "Great, just what I needed." His moaning and moments of self-pity were cut short, however.
"What on earth is all that commo--" And then giggles. "Oh, Sora, honey... What in the world are you doing?" The dazzling clear-blue eyes of his mother were seen hovering right over the boy and he scowled at her, angry that she was teasing him rather than helping him up. 'What am I doing? I was playing a game of Twister with myself here in the middle of the hallway and lost, clearly.' Choosing not to answer her question out loud, he picked up the frame and turned it over, looking at the picture within. It was a shot of Riku, Kairi and himself taken at the beach a few years back. Riku! Sora found a new source of energy and bolted back up to his feet. There was an advantage to knowing the boy since birth and Sora's mother managed to get out of the way in the nick of time, before his head collided with hers. There wasn't even time to make a second attempt at information, so she headed back toward her bedroom, leaving her only child to his shower.
A few hours later, Sora left his house. Some of his energy had dissipated, his entire body was aching from the morning's fiasco, the worst being the throbbing that emanated from the giant lump on his face. He was even more grateful that Riku had begged for his birthday not to be made a big deal this year (of course, the biggest reason was the alone time the two would share together, the thought of which gave Sora a small case of butterflies). Too much excitement had happened recently, and though it all had ended -- he hoped -- months ago, Riku still felt the need for some sense of calm. So, he would spend the morning with his parents -- since it was family tradition to do birthday breakfasts -- then he would spend the afternoon with Kairi, and finally Sora would have his turn to wish the older boy a happy birthday that evening. Purposely, he had chosen to wait until this day to seek out a present worthy of his best friend. He knew the added pressure would make the day fly by. And that it did.
The sun was beginning its decent into the shimmering, blue ocean, and Sora was panicking. He had been to every store he could think of, and hadn't found a single thing that felt right. All he could come up with were a few gag gifts, and that was hardly appropriate this time. It was so unlike the small boy not to know the perfect gift to give a friend. Finally giving up, he headed toward the small island where they planned to meet, his shoulders slumped in defeat.
There was a small pang of... something as he tied his small rowboat to the equally small dock on the familiar island. Maybe it was... mourning. Mourning for the loss of his childhood, of his innocence. Sora hadn't been to this island since the day they had all been reunited for the final time. It was Riku's idea to meet here. With the mood he was in, all the memories that came flooding back seemed to only further depress him. Looking around, he realized Riku wasn't there yet, so he lay on his back against the sand, arms folded behind his head, the waves just barely licking the soles of his shoes as he stared up at the darkening sky, which was just beginning to form the first stars. Trying to clear his mind and relax, he hadn't realized he had started to doze off until he heard a cool, soothing voice from somewhere above him.
"Falling asleep on my birthday? This couldn't possibly be Sora. And what is that thing on your head?" Instantly a tiny smile formed on the younger male's lips and his eyes fluttered open, taking a few seconds to focus on the long silver locks and deep emerald eyes of his friend.
"Hi Riku," Sora said simply as he pushed himself into a sitting position. Though his fingers rose to tenderly brush against the lump on his forehead, he chose not to explain it. Riku promptly sat down next to Sora and both stared off at the ocean in silence. It was how their time together was often spent, mostly just reflecting, though generally there were many stolen glances from the one with sapphire eyes to his jade-eyed friend. They were quiet for a long while before Sora spoke again, turning toward his friend and studying his profile for a second before he said sheepishly, "I'm sorry. I didn't get you anything. I was retarded and waited till today and couldn't find anything good enough." His eyes fell back to the sand, feeling terribly guilty. For some reason not completely known to him at that time, Sora had really wanted to get Riku something completely amazing. It was just suddenly nothing at all seemed good enough for the older boy.
"Don't worry about it. I prefer it this way. It's gift enough just having you here, being able to spend this time alone with you." Sora met Riku's gaze and was filled with warmth. The look he was giving said that he was speaking the truth. Finally, he smiled again, though he also blushed a little at the intensity of the gaze and had to look away for a moment before regaining his senses and turning once more to the birthday boy.
"So, another birthday. Do you feel old now?" Since Riku had turned his attention back to the vast expanse of water, Sora had to peer around him to look him in the face and give the proper effect of vague obnoxiousness. Riku took a second before meeting the smaller boy's gaze and merely shook his head with a small chuckle. Again they fell into silence, and as usual, Sora desperately wondered what his very best friend was thinking. Was he thinking about the darkness or the light? A recent memory, a distant memory? Sora always had the impression something big was going on, because the look in Riku's eyes was always so... intense. And tonight was no different. He had tried to talk about it with Kairi, but she said she never noticed it before, that he wasn't really like that with her, something was always going on so they didn't have time to sit around. At one point in his life, Sora would have been offended and hurt that Riku never seemed to want to do anything with him, but for some reason he didn't quite know, now he couldn't help but feel a little special. Giving up hope of reading the older boy's mind, Sora stared off into the distance as well, reflecting for a few minutes on past birthdays the three had spent together.
"So, what did you do with Kairi?" It was a pointless question, Sora knew pretty well what the girl had planned since she had begged him for weeks to join in on her scheme, and he continuously refused and tried to talk her out of it. But he just felt it was time again for a little conversation, and the question was the first to pop into his head.
Both their attentions remained fixed on the horizon, but Riku still replied. "Exactly what I told her not to do. She had Tidus, Selphie, Wakka and some others over at her house. Lots of decorations, big cake, noise, presents, games, more noise, and to top it all off, a little more noise." He shook his head with a small sigh. "Thanks for staying true to my wishes, this is really nice."
Sora turned to Riku to see that the older friend was looking at him as well, and something in his eyes caused the brunette to blush faintly. Again. "Of course." Sora looked straight ahead again. It had been an easy enough request to obey, because he understood, and it was something he wanted as well. He really wanted to avoid sharing as much of his precious Riku time with anyone else as possible.
And once again silence fell, this time lasting neatly an hour before suddenly Riku got to his feet, brushing the sand off the seat of his navy blue pants. "Come on." Sora just gazed at him in confusion for a few seconds, watching him walk off, but finally he got to his feet and hurried to catch up. He was about to question where they were headed but it didn't take long for Sora to realize. Soon, the spot for all their old sparring matches lay beneath their feet, Sora's pace slowing some as he watched his friend head for the paopu tree and take a seat. The brunette hesitated. A memory was creeping into the back of his mind. Riku, standing in front of him, reaching out, consumed by darkness. Oh how Sora had tried so desperately to grab a hold of his hand. He had to shake his head to clear the painful scene from his thoughts and then ran over to his friend, sitting a little closer than he would have normally. Still in somewhat of a daze, he was only vaguely aware of the actions of his silver-haired friend until said friend had grabbed his hand, placing something in it. "Here."
"What's this?" Sora blinked before looking down at what was placed in his hand. "A paopu fruit?" His voice was laced with confusion. And only half of one at that, as Riku was holding the other half.
"This... this is what I want for my birthday. To share this with you." Sora waited for his companion to explain or otherwise elaborate, but when he instead just turned away and took a bite of the fruit, Sora did the same, too shocked to react any other way. After a few nibbles, it sank in that he was sharing a paopu fruit with Riku, glancing at his friend before finishing his treat with a grin seemingly plastered onto his face.
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The rest of the summer after Riku's birthday passed rather uneventfully. Normally this would have caused the small brunette much dismay, but Sora couldn't have been more relieved. It was going to be weird, being back in school. Even though the two boys had gone through extensive tutoring to catch them up on all the schooling they had missed, it was always one on one at the most in those cases, the norm being independent studying. There weren't hundreds of other students, endless boring teachers and countless periods that stretched on for eternities as nearly everyone waited for some sort of bell to ring, signaling their freedom, if only for the few minutes it took to go to their next cell. But Sora couldn't help but be a little excited, if for no other reason than to gain some sense of normalcy. It was what he needed more than anything to quell his nightmares of Heartless and Nobodies and Riku disappearing into the darkness... Or that's what he thought, of course.
When the first day of school finally came, Sora was dressed and ready to go long before he needed to be, which amused and impressed his mother.
"Don't forget to eat breakfast, dear!" Her call went unheeded as Sora was already racing out the door. Sora wasn't hungry and he wasn't about to listen to yet another lecture from his mother about how much weight he had been losing and how he really should be eating a lot more. 'Growing boys need a lot of food, and I hardly ever see you eat anymore, Sora.' He couldn't help that he didn't have his old appetite, and he'd only lost a few pounds, nothing he felt anyone should be worried about. Though his mom wasn't the only one harping on him. After the trio spent numerous luncheons at which Sora just barely picked at the food he ordered, he often had to hear it from Kairi, too.
Okay, so maybe he had lost more than just a few pounds, but it wasn't his fault! There had just been too much stress and worrying and if he ate too much, he was rushing to the bathroom to throw it all back up anyway, so he figured just nibbling throughout the day was a much better alternative.
Although he would have shown up much earlier than all of his friends, Sora still hurried to get to school, and then just waited on the steps at the front with his sketch pad. Luckily for him, he thought, the summer had prepared him somewhat for all the whispers and stares that he received in waves as more and more students began to show up. A few girls would giggle madly as they called his name and waved, and he would do his best to ignore them, just the same with the haters who assumed he was an arrogant asshole now that he was back from saving all the worlds. 'How come Riku doesn't have to deal with this? He helped. And he's much better-looking than I am, and a much better subject for these people's envy, I wish they would just leave me alone.' It was much worse being surrounded by so many other kids than it was hanging out at the beach, or mall, or a small cafe, and Sora was beginning to rethink his excitement of getting back to school, since it was clear that it wasn't going to be just like normal, at all. In fact, he was pretty sure it would make him think about everything even more. Just as he was contemplating rushing back home and begging his mom to hire back the tutor, Riku stepped up and took a seat next to him. Immediately Sora's heart became lighter and a wide grin stretched his lips across his face, exposing his pearly whites.
"Boy am I glad to see you. Make all these people stop staring!" Sora whined, jutting out his lower lip as he cast a rather pathetic glance around the front steps at all his fellow students.
"Don't let it get to you. Just remember, they all either admire you or want to be you." Another small group of freshman girls walked by, staring and giggling, completely fawning over the short, blue-eyed brunette. "Or they want to devour you like an oversized sea salt ice cream," he continued, warily eyeing the girls.
"Those are the ones that I'm most worried about!" Sora complained, trying his best to hide behind his friend and not look too scandalized. Just then, Kairi showed up as well, instantly going into a story about how great the year was going to be now that they were back and how awful school was without them, and Sora ignored her, packing up his worn sketchbook into his red and black book bag, getting to his feet seconds before the first bell rang its announcement that it was time to head to homeroom.
The first part of the school year dragged on. Sora only survived because after a few weeks, people seemed to tire of gawking and gossiping, or perhaps he was just finally following Riku's advice and ignoring everyone. One Friday at lunch while Kairi and Selphie were busy talking to Tidus and Wakka, Riku and Sora sat quietly, the older quietly munching on some soggy cafeteria fries while the brunette watched, just sort of pushing his food around on his tray. Casting a glance in Kairi's direction to make sure she wasn't paying attention, Sora began tentatively, "Riku... wanna stay over this weekend? Kinda like old times, I miss that." Although the old times he referred to always involved Kairi, Sora just wasn't in the mood for her this time.
Riku seemed to take a few seconds to snap back to the here and now and process his best friend's request before nodding with a small smile, pushing his half-empty tray of what the school called food away from him. "Yeah, definitely. I'll just need to stop by my house and get some stuff, but I can be right over."
The shorter of the two beamed, glad that his friend didn't think the idea beneath him now that they were getting older and actually seemed a little excited about it. Or maybe it was Sora's imagination. Needless to say, the rest of the day lasted an eternity, and almost as though he didn't trust his friend, Sora walked Riku home, waiting for him to get some fresh clothes and other things he would need for a sleepover before they headed for his house. And as always, the trip was made in almost complete silence. It was a wonder the boys didn't get bored with each other. Once at their destination, the boys holed up in Sora's room, settling in and both completing their homework so that the rest of the weekend was free for them. They finished in time for dinner and headed downstairs and into the kitchen, helping Sora's mother set everything up before sitting down for a quiet meal. And of course, Sora just picked at his food, taking small bites which he overchewed. A few minutes in, he felt Riku's eyes on him and he looked up to see the older boy watching him, concern flashing through the aquamarine orbs before they turned down to their owner's own plate. That was enough to make Sora feel a little guilty and he ate about half his meal before the two were excused back up to Sora's room.
"Wanna go up on the roof?" Sora asked, as soon as the door was shut. Riku gave a vague nod as he packed up his schoolwork. It was a common place for the friends to hang out, even in the winter when it was rather cold out, but that was a problem which was easily solved by an abundance of blankets holding their body heat captive. And since it happened to be the beginning of winter, Sora hurried to his closet to gather some spare blankets before heading for his window.
Within minutes, the two friends were resting, closely cuddled, on the rooftop, staring up at the stars. The view wasn't nearly as spectacular from his city home as it was from their island, but it still nearly took his breath away. In this case, the silence wasn't exactly a good thing. The more Sora studied the stars, the more he thought of the other worlds he'd explored and defended. And before he could stop himself -- he and Riku hadn't spoken of the adventures since they got back -- he sparked the conversation.
"Hey... Riku?"
"Hmm?"
"How do you think everyone is doing?"
Riku turned his attention from the glorious skies to the small and innocent yet brave boy beside him, at first not knowing who the younger male was talking about, but once he saw how intensely his eyes were fixated on the distant space, he knew what he meant and shifted a little uncomfortably. "Oh.. I'm sure they're doing just fine, now."
"Have you ever thought about returning? I mean, I don't think it's possible right now, but if it were.. would you?" It was his turn to cast his attention on his friend, gazing at him imploringly, hoping Riku wouldn't catch on to the true depth of his question. Riku hadn't spent much time in the worlds as the Riku who sat beside Sora now. His time had been spent as a much darker counterpart. As a result, he hadn't seen much of the worlds except for in darkness...
After a long hesitation, Riku finally shook his head. "No, I don't think I would. Too many bad memories."
It was the answer Sora had been looking for, and a subtle smile curled at his lips as he once again looked to the stars. "I would. I kind of miss all those friends I made and hope they're doing well. It would be weird going back, just for a visit, though. Know what I mean? I'm not even sure I could manage walking around without clutching a Keyblade tight in my fist." Sora let out a small, nervous chuckle and Riku only made a quiet, noncommital noise to let his younger friend know he was listening, but that he wasn't too keen on joining in on the conversation. The blue-eyed hero took the hint and shut his mouth, going back to keeping his musings of the other worlds to himself. "I kind of miss Kairi. Sometimes it feels weird without her. And a little wrong. I feel a little guilty leaving her out of things lately. Then again, she does seem to prefer spending a lot of time with Tidus."
It was hard for Sora to keep quiet. In the past, this had always been the time when the trio would share gossip, though most of the exchange happened between Sora and Kairi which explained Riku's silence. Realizing he was unlikely to get the older boy to talk much, he gave up and again went back to his silence, deciding that carrying on conversations with himself in his mind was much more effective. Suddenly, Sora felt himself shudder and he realized a great deal of time had passed, it was much later and much colder. Almost as though hearing his thoughts -- or maybe just feeling his friend's sudden shiver -- Riku finally spoke up. "Let's go back inside."
Sora nodded once before hurrying up to help gather the blankets and nimbly climbing back down and crawling through his bedroom window with Riku close behind. The two dressed for bed, in silence of course, and Sora gave a slightly disappointed sigh, for the first time really missing the conversations with the taller boy, even if they were arguing and acting like total prats. But somehow his annoyance was suppressed when Riku tugged the small boy towards the bed, dragging him under the covers and holding him close as he settled down for sleep. "Goodnight, junior hero."
Sora scowled in mock anger, playfully pinching Riku's side, but grateful to have a little of his old friend back, if only for a second. In the brief time they had to catch up after the two defeated Xemnas, Sora had shared his great irritation and hurt at Phil's constant insistence that the three companion's hadn't yet proved themselves to be true heroes. "Goodnight, idiot." And with a fond smile on his lips, Sora snuggled just a little closer to his friend, arms wrapped tight as the two drifted off into dreams together.
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"Sora!" A voice full of sad desperation caused the small brunette to whirl around, his eyes widening as he saw his closest friend on the other side of the small cave hidden on the island. Beyond his friend was a pool of black, tentacle-like protrusions seizing Riku and pulling him deftly into their poisonous hold. With a slightly delayed grasp Sora jumped to his feet and raced towards the struggle, reaching it seconds before the taller boy's fingers disappeared but he was at least able to jump through the portal before it closed entirely.
"Riku? Riku!" The darkness was thick, suffocating him and the silence was deafening - he could hear the blood coursing through every vessel in his body. "...Riku?" For some unknown reason, Sora whispered it this time and suddenly a blinding light surrounded him and the ambient sounds returned. There was an odd sizzling and snapping like static electricity all around him and a quiet shuffling to his left. Whipping around he saw his friend standing in front of another dark portal, casting a devastated glance in Sora's direction as he disappeared once again, this time of his own free-will, Sora's leap into action coming moments too late...
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"Riku! No!" Sora jolted into consciousness, breathing hard as a cold sweat trickled down his spine, causing him to shiver. He glanced down, his eyes still wide with fear, wearing an expression of utmost distress as the figure beside him shifted in his sleep, only partially awakened by his friend's outburst.
"Butumnotdoinothin," Riku mumbled sleepily, eyes fluttering just slightly before he let out a soft sigh and, as far as Sora could tell, falling back into a rather deep sleep, looking peaceful as ever. And beautiful, and absolutely perfect in every way. 'Gods, I love him. I know I do.' The short brunette pouted in annoyance with himself and sat there, staring at his friend for a few minutes. 'Why won't these damn nightmares go away??' As though he thought up a perfectly logical solution, he ground the sleep from his eyes roughly with his fists and then crawled from the bed, careful not to wake Riku. He would just have to deprive himself of sleep. Riku almost woke up this time and Sora didn't want to risk that happening again. He couldn't risk Riku asking questions and then him having to explain his nightmares. His worries...
Sora felt guilty. Riku had proven himself to be stronger than the power of darkness, he had come to Sora when Sora needed him most. But the blue-eyed brunette couldn't help but be convinced that he was having these nightmares because he didn't trust Riku. He did, though, didn't he? With an exasperated sigh, he shot his friend one last glance before taking his tired form downstairs to the kitchen, planning on keeping himself awake with an unhealthy amount of coffee, as strong as he could get it. As soon as a pot was started, Sora sat down at the kitchen table, crossing his arms on the cool surface and resting his head on them, letting out a long, sleepy yawn.
"Sora? Soraaaa!" With a groan the boy stirred, blinking his eyes open and trying to look up at the source of his awakening, only to let out a louder groan of pain caused by the stiffness in his neck. Sleep was a much better answer. Choosing to ignore whoever was bothering him, he squeezed his eyes shut. However, it was clear that that plan of action -- or lack thereof -- was not going to work as the pain in his neck only increased as someone shook him roughly. "Wake up, man, what are you doing out here?"
Finally coming to, Sora realized it was Riku and he gave a sigh of resignation, forcing his body to cooperate and allow him to lift his head, though it was painful. "Couldn't sleep," he lied with a yawn, scratching his cheek and then rubbing his stiff neck. "What time is it?" Yet another yawn as he looked around bleary eyed. It still looked relatively dark.
"Doesn't look like you had much trouble sleeping to me," Riku scoffed, his aquamarine orbs trained on Sora, worry flashing through them. "Not sure, just before dawn, I guess." Sora glanced up at him, wondering why he hadn't bothered to look at a clock. Not that it made a difference, really. His eyes were functioning decently now, and it was clearly still dark. Considering it was the weekend, no matter what the hour it was too early. He glanced longingly at the now-cold coffee and sighed, pushing himself up from the chair and momentarily relieving the pain in his body with a long stretch.
"What are you doing awake, anyway?" His eyes were filled with curiosity and his head tilted a little to the right, mostly due to the stiff neck.
"Wondering where you were. Figured maybe you were in the bathroom but when you didn't return after about twenty minutes I decided to see if you had fallen in." Riku smirked and Sora couldn't help the smile that tugged at his own lips.
"Oh, sorry. No, I just couldn't sleep." Sora shifted his gaze guiltily around the kitchen before finally settling back on the silver-haired teen to see if he had bought it. There was a look of skepticism and he was sure Riku hadn't believed him and his worries were confirmed by the next statement.
"You couldn't sleep, so you... made coffee? You know, Sora, that doesn't help normal people sleep, usually they use that to stay awake. And you were dozing pretty hard on the kitchen table, insomniacs don't normally do things like that."
Sora looked away again, feeling quite uneasy now as he desperately tried to think of an excuse which was much harder in his sleepy state. Luckily for him, though, he was rescued by his equally as groggy and slightly miffed mother.
"What are you boys doing up so early? It's the weekend, I half expected you to still be sleeping by midday." Sora didn't bother answering, knowing his mother wouldn't have paid attention anyway and he merely watched the woman who shuffled her way towards the coffee pot. Sora was the spitting image of his mother, really. She was a very petite woman, much shorter than Sora even, her eyes were the same shape as his, though a few shades lighter, and though mostly because it was the early morning her hair seemed to have the same gravity-defying properties, though it was a few shades darker. But their features were the same... small and slim with hands and feet just a little too big for the rest of their bodies. She was beautiful, though, and Sora had always wondered how she had stayed single nearly his entire life. His father had gone into battle when he was only a couple years old and never returned, so Sora guessed she still held onto the hope that he was out there somewhere, still, and he would return to her any day. He personally didn't believe it was possible, and she denied feeling that way the one time he had brought it up, but he couldn't think of any other reason.
After smelling the coffee in the pot and making a face at how strong it was, the petite woman poured it down the drain and started on a fresh pot, turning to her son once it was brewing. "So, do you boys have any plans for the weekend?"
Sora shrugged noncommitally. They very rarely made plans, just went with the flow, and Sora was too tired to think of ideas anyway. "Just gonna do stuff." He nodded as though that explained everything, then headed up the stairs, taking them two at a time to his bedroom. Sora almost closed the door, not realizing Riku was right behind him, but the taller boy pushed through and closed the door behind himself instead.
"What do you want to do, anyway?" Sora raised his eyebrows at what he thought was a very dumb question, but lost the energy to keep up the look and instead flopped down on his bed.
"Sleep," he groaned, staring up at the ceiling, his eyes burning and body aching. "Just for a couple minutes." Rolling onto his side, Sora curled up into a ball, dozing off dreamlessly, which he was grateful for.
Sora awoke again, unable to sleep any longer from the sun's rays beating down on his face. Feeling much better than he had before, he rubbed the remaining sleep from his eyes and looked around till he saw Riku. The silver-haired boy had clearly showered and dressed and was sitting at Sora's desk reading a book. The older boy had matured so much since they left the islands. His hair looked softer, nice for Sora's fingers to run through. His eyes even more intense and swoon-worthy, his lips so inviting... Yeah, Sora decided that somehow, sometime he had definitely fallen for his best friend. Though he would just have to get over it, because Riku was straight and surely didn't begin to see Sora that way. And Sora didn't even want to risk losing him as a friend. He simply watched the other boy for a few more seconds, a small smile forming on his lips which was quickly washed away as he let his eyes fall to the clock, seeing that nearly five hours had passed since he first fell onto the bed. Sora quickly jumped up to his feet. "How could you let me sleep so late!"
Riku jumped, his rear nearly lifting completely off the chair, and dropped the book he was holding, clearly surprised by his shorter friend's sudden outburst and Sora couldn't help but laugh quietly in embarrassment, calming down immediately. The older boy's eyes were wide and scared but quickly they became filled with mild annoyance and confusuion. "Well, you said you wanted to sleep. You were obviously tired and sleeping so peacefully, I didn't want to disturb you since you needed it."
Sora nodded a few times, grinning his appreciation. "Okay. I'm gonna go shower, then, and afterwards we can go enjoy our weekend." He started for the door. "Oh, and sorry for scaring you." Riku merely smiled warmly in reply and Sora's smile returned before he left the room and headed for the bathroom instead.
About half an hour later, Sora was standing back in his room, clean and dressed in a fresh outfit, tugging on Riku's arm in an attempt to get him to leave the chair his rear-end now seemed to be superglued to. "Riku, come on. We've wasted enough time already today! Let's go!" Finally Riku gave in and he set the book down, his hand still held in Sora's vice-like grip as they headed out of the house. They walked blindly for a few minutes before Sora finally spoke up again. "So, uhm, what do you want to do?"
Riku only thought over the question for a second before he looked at his small friend. "Can we go back to the play island? I don't feel like being around other people and it seems like no one ever goes there anymore." It was true, too. A lot of the kids were growing too old for it, or that was their excuse, refusing to admit they believed what the many others did about the island being cursed now, of a strange darkness kidnapping innocent children.
To Sora, though, that curse felt all too real.
Still, he nodded and smiled brightly up to his friend. "Sure! It will be fun!"
Riku smiled back, also nodding in agreement. "Yeah, fun." They made their way together towards the island, Sora subconsciously remaining closer to Riku than normal, or necessary. It was almost instinctive, something he couldn't have helped even if he were aware he was doing it. Before long, the two young men found themselves laying on the sand which was surprisingly warm for the time of year, watching the clouds pass and talking idly about school and their other friends.
After a while, when a silence had settled, Sora felt his hand being gripped softly by Riku's, the older boy's fingers moving gently against the younger's palm. Sora's heart lept into his throat and his stomach did acrobatics as he slowly turned to his friend, wondering what he wanted.
The expression on Riku's face was soft, with a touch of concern, and Sora narrowed his eyes, about to inquire as to what was wrong before Riku finally spoke up. "What were you dreaming about last night?"
Sora coughed and sputtered, choking a bit on his own saliva, turning a shade of crimson as he tore his hand away from Riku's -- a bit ruefully -- and sat up, wrapping his arms around his legs as he bought his knees up. "I don't remember," he replied dully, but Riku wasn't to be swayed.
"That's not true. You were scared about something and you decided sleeping on the kitchen table was a better solution than staying in bed. So what was it?" There was a pause as Sora tried to think of a lie, some excuse, but Riku caught on. "And tell me the truth, maybe I can help you out."
"I don't think you can. It's no big deal. Just one of those recurring nightmare things." Riku had sat up as well, but moved so his back was to the ocean, sitting a little further down on the shore so he could see Sora's face.
"About...?" He inquired, leaning sideways so the majority of his weight was rested against Sora's legs.
Sora tried hard to avoid it, but he could have had a point. Maybe Riku could help him. Or possibly even getting it off his chest would make him feel better. With a sigh of resignation, Sora let his sad, wide, ocean-blue depths fix on the sea-green orbs of Riku's. The two pairs of eyes complemented each other nicely, now that he thought about it. "Well, they are nightmares about you... and the darkness. You always go back to it, at least once a week I have to relive losing you to the darkness. And you always start off asking for my help, but then you always dive in. Quickly." He didn't bother mentioning that deep down, he was sure that could end up happening. But Riku was his best friend for a reason.
"And you're afraid that it's a foreshadowing of sorts? That it will happen to me again?" The sad, guilty look on Sora's face was confirmation enough. "It won't happen, Sora."
"But how can you be so sure?" His voice betrayed his desperation for reassurance. He needed to know his friend was telling the truth. Though he wasn't sure how putting himself in the other boy's lap -- which was where he now found himself -- would help the fact, but he was calmed and comforted by the feel of Riku's strong hands resting gently at his sides, holding him close.
"The paopu fruit," Riku replied simply, continuing when Sora's eyes communicated that he still didn't understand. "Sora, come on. I thought it was obvious. For all the light, there is an equal amount of darkness. For each darkness, there is a light counterpart." Sora still looked lost and Riku couldn't help the smile that fell on his lips. Sora, feeling as though Riku were teasing him, pouted. "You're my light, Sora. And now our destinies are undoubtedly twisted together. We'll be together, always balancing each other out. As long as I hold on to you, I know I will never give in to the darkness again. Before I thought I needed it, for you, to keep you safe and now I know that isn't true. But I do know that I need you as much as you need me. Shrimp." He had to keep the mood from getting too completely serious.
"Hey!" Sora scowled up at Riku, but the look in the aquamarine eyes caused his features to soften, those butterflies returning as they stared at each other, Riku's hands gently moving to Sora's back, bringing him even closer. Before Sora realized he was the one to close the distance between them, their lips were suddenly touching in a soft, subtle kiss, Sora's eyes closing briefly until he pulled back with a small gasp. "So-sorry..."
Instead of replying, Riku only smiled, bringing a hand up to softly cup his friend's cheek, making sure Sora was okay with it before he closed the distance again in another warm kiss. Sora kissed back, parting his lips and sighing against his friend's, a soft groan of approval escaping his mouth as he felt Riku's tongue sliding against his lower lip. He granted the older boy access to his mouth and the kiss quickly grew more passionate before Sora had to pull away to breathe. With a genuinely happy smile, Sora cupped Riku's face in both hands, pressing their foreheads together as he whispered, "you know, Riku, you're my light, too."