The Moon and the Sun
The shimmering lights that had been set on the night sky varied in strength, but each held its own importance. What those positions were, he did not know. They were almost spies to him; secret agents sent by the sun to watch over the moon. Or, perhaps, the stars were supposed to look after him. The paranoia already evident within his heart was swelling, threatening to burst and spill his soul out of every pore in his body.
His darkness had not completely subsided, had it?
He raked an unsteady hand through his silver hair, sighing somewhat loudly. The tree that he sat upon, though a bit uncomfortable, assured him that he was not asleep just yet. His nightmares had plagued even his waking hours, and the very thought of admitting his depressive thoughts was laughable at best. He had accomplished enough on his own over the two years he had succumbed to the abyss. He could continue alone. Without his friends and the light and the safety that he felt when exposed to it.
Eyes of aquamarine closed tightly, denial seeping through the crevices in the form of tears. Biting his bottom lip sharply, he groaned softly and fought mentally with his heart. Every single night this would happen and nightly, he would lose himself more and more.
He would no longer be the moon if the darkness eclipsed him once more. The moon needed the sun and the sun existed because of the moon.
Where was his sun?
"Riku?"
That voice. That boyish tone that had pulled him from the shadows before was ringing in his ears. Was it next to him? Was that his star; his light; his sun? Was he going to be saved again?
Sheer desperation pried his eyes open. Focusing on the all-too-familiar scenery in front of him, he glanced downwards towards the source of such warmth. The heat that had travelled along with his sun had vanquished the utter numbness that had begun to spread throughout his system. But now, humiliation and anguish filled the void as a spiky haired youth came into view.
"Riku?" he repeated, concerned, and climbed up onto the tree to sit beside him. "Your mom asked me to come out here to find you since you didn't come home. It's pretty late, Riku." He noticed the wet stains on the silver haired teenager's face and frowned sadly. "Riku, what's wrong?"
Riku shook his head silently. He wasn't going to just pour his guts out. That would merely weaken him more than ever! The last problem that he needed to face was something like that.
"Tell me…" the other one whispered, placing a hand on the elder boy's shoulder. "I want to help you, Riku…"
Anger. Rage. Stupidity.
"You can't help every lost cause you find, Sora!" he choked out, swallowing the giant lump that had previously been lodged in his throat. "It's none of your concern anyway."
Sora's cerulean eyes widened greatly in hurt and Riku immediately kicked himself. So idiotic; so full of shit; so evil. He didn't deserve to even be in the brunette's presence let alone become the object of the younger one's pity. Riku could – and, for all that was holy, would – do better solo than with the ominous gloom of guilt and worry that would inevitably hang over him. He needed to block out Sora for both of their safeties.
"B-But… you're my best friend and… w-we've always looked out for each other," stuttered Sora indignantly. "What's making you act like this?"
The sun and the moon. Two opposite entities sharing one sky; one universe; one destiny. Sora and Riku. Light and dark. The savior and the saved.
"The sun," mumbled Riku, gazing down at his fidgeting hands.
"What?"
"The sun! It… No, you're stopping me from losing!" Riku turned and grabbed Sora by the shoulders, giving him a slight shake. "I win against the darkness every night because of you, Sora. I-It's growing and it won't stop!"
Sora stared at Riku for a small while, visibly confused and attempting to comprehend what Riku had just confessed. The boy blinked twice before setting both of his hands on Riku's, smiling softly. "I'm the sun, huh?"
Riku nodded.
"Are you the moon?"
"I suppose…"
"And I keep you from going back to the shadows?"
"… Yes…"
Sora grinned and leaned forward, taking the sixteen-year-old by surprise when he slithered his slender arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight embrace. Riku exhaled contently, allowing the warmness that Sora emanated to become his aura; to penetrate his skin and erupt around his heart; his soul. He brought his own arms around Sora's waist and pulled him closer.
Their hearts beat together as a single rhythm on one drum. The moon and the sun.
And he was stupid to even think that he could continue on without such warmth and kindness and life. Had he been dead before such an angel – because that was what Sora was: a seraph assigned to him like the stars were assigned to the nights – had decided to arrive and rescue him? He thanked the higher-ups in Heaven for such a forgiving; such a trusting; such a perfect friend.
Riku needed Sora to stay in the light…
He could feel his heart pounding in agreement.
"Sora," said Riku gently.
The brown haired adolescent pulled away and cocked his head a little. Without a word, Riku bent down and brushed his lips against the younger boy's; a sweet, chaste kiss fit for an angel. And when Sora returned the gesture, Riku's heart nearly burst with light. Lips moved with lips in a deeper, longer kiss than before and Riku let a smile grace his mouth when they moved away once again. A spindly hand reached out to caress tan flesh tenderly as the moon mumbled to the sun.
"I may be the moon, and you; the sun, but the sun stops the moon from eclipsing. And the moon can stop the sun from falling."