The Moon

Disclaimer: Don't own Kingdom Hearts yeah…

Joh: Yeah, this story is a bit confusing so uh don't be mad if you don't get it. I was absolutely exhausted when I wrote this so my train of thought was a bit… strange.

Jessie: At least you weren't hungry.

Joh: Oh indeed.

Warnings: Yaoi, angst, dark-ish Sora (meaning he's kinda OOC), language

0o0o0o0

"I love you."

Sora paused, his head tilting curiously to the side as he straightened slowly, a seashell he had plucked from the sand clutched in his hand. Riku was standing a few feet from him, the hem of his long jeans getting wet from the gentle, lapping waves. "What do you mean?" Sora asked, wading through the water with quiet splashes.

"I love you." His best friend repeated, green eyes wide and anxious.

The brunet hummed softly, studying the shell intently before tossing it back into the waves, no longer interested in it. "How much do you love me?" Sora glanced at Riku, blue eyes shining and burning as bright as the stars above them.

A troubled frown crossed the older boys face, his broad shoulders tensing slightly. He hadn't been expecting this kind of response. "More than I can even describe."

"Even though I'm a guy?"

"Doesn't matter."

"That's an awfully brave thing to say. A lot of people would hate you for admitting that." Sora regarded him with an unreadable expression, his full lips quirking suddenly into a strange smile. "Would you do anything to prove it?" his whisper was soft like the breeze and Riku found his lids fluttering.

"Anything." Riku promised, breathless from the sight of Sora standing in the glimmering water, bathed in silver light.

"Then," Sora tilted his head back, pointing an arm up towards the sky with a dazzling grin across his face. "would you give me the moon?" He turned his bright-eyed gaze back to Riku, lowering his arm so that it was outstretched towards him. He uncurled his fingers, offering his hand to the silver-haired boy.

Riku was silent for a moment before he took a few steps forward and lightly took Sora's hand, tightening his long fingers around it. "Anything." He repeated, drawing slowly closer to the brunet.

Sora laughed then, a pleasant, tinkling sound, before he pushed Riku away. "Then go. Go get me the moon. I won't return your feelings until you do." He laughed again, eyes reflecting the sky.

0o0

Riku spent a whole week of his summer vacation searching the beach for the perfect shell. It was well worth the time though, because once Riku found it he knew he couldn't have asked for anything better. The shell was perfectly round in shape and was so white it nearly glowed. It was exactly what Riku had been looking for.

It took him another three days to carefully drill a small hole into it without cracking the whole piece, and then to find a chain that could string through it. When he was finally done he held it up, the shell dangling from the silver chain. It looked like the moon itself.

Riku gave it to Sora that night, meeting him by the hanging Paopu tree. Sora was sitting on the bent trunk, legs dangling over the dark blue water. He glanced up as Riku approached, head cocking to the side expectantly.

Silently, Riku held out his hand, the necklace coiled in his palm. Sora reached out to take it, his fingers brushing lightly across Riku's knuckles in the process. An almost nauseating anxiety twisted through and down Riku's chest as he watched Sora inspect it carefully, his face too shadowed for Riku to be able to make out an expression of any sort.

Sora pinched the chain between his fingers and held it out, letting the white shell sway through the air. For one heart stopping moment, Riku was sure that Sora was going to drop it into the water below, but the brunet merely let it hang there for a bit before he moved to clip it around his neck.

He turned to Riku, hope flaring through the silver-haired boy at his smile. "It's lovely, Riku." He said softly, fingers reaching up to trace gently across the shell. "But it's not the moon."

And with that simple statement, his hopes were quickly smothered.

0o0

The second time Riku met up with Sora, he had a canvas tucked under one arm. Sora eyed it curiously, stretched out across the wooden planks of the dock with Riku standing over him. The summer sun beamed down, lighting up Sora's hair, making it look almost gold. Sora gazed up at him; a pink tongue darting out to swipe at his lips before he spoke. "You look tired."

Riku blinked, rubbing his shadowed eyes self-consciously. He had been staying up late to work on Sora's moon.

"I haven't been sleeping much." Riku admitted, holding out the canvas.

Sora sat up, turning himself around so that he was facing Riku, legs folded in front of him. The painting was of the moon, a great white orb, hanging in a black sky as it stared down longingly at the lush landscape below it. Sora skimmed his fingers across the intricate swirls and lines of color, a look of almost awe touching his features. Truly, it was a beautiful painting. But when he looked back up at Riku, Riku knew that this wasn't it, this wasn't what Sora wanted.

"Can I keep it?"

"Yeah." Riku replied quietly, just noticing that Sora wasn't wearing the necklace he had made for him.

0o0

By the third time Riku met up with Sora, he was a bit frantic. He was running out of ideas for the Get Sora The Moon project, and in the meantime he had to watch, with a sinking heart, Kairi moving closer and closer to Sora. His Sora.

"What is this?" Sora was sitting at his desk, legs propped up as he studied the rock in his hands. He looked up at Riku who was standing, tense, by his bed. "It's a rock." Sora answered his own question, nose scrunching.

"It's a rock that looks like it could be from the moon." Riku attempted, wincing at how lame his response sounded out loud.

Sora stared at him blankly, tossing the rock up into the air before catching it again. "Uh-huh… I guess if you squint it might look kinda like a moon rock. It's not the moon though."

That's when Riku snapped. He strode forward, slapping a hand down across the surface of Sora's desk, eyes blazing. "Just what the fuck do you expect from me, Sora? What do you want?" he snarled, the last few weeks worth of frustration and hopelessness pouring out and forming the dark scowl across his face.

"I want the moon." Sora said simply, glancing at his window anxiously before leaning forward and capturing Riku's lips.

Riku froze in shock, barely registering the slight rustle as Sora got out of his chair, small hands clutching and tugging at his shirt. As Riku found himself being backed into a wall he snapped out of his thoughts and wrapped his arms tight around Sora's waist, pulling their bodies tight.

The kiss was hot, sloppy, and hungry. Tongues were clashing, teeth were gnawing, and soft, soft lips were pressing firmly against his. Oh God, he was kissing Sora. He was actually kissing Sora and it was everything and nothing like he had imagined. The heat of Sora's small body, the taste of his lips, the feeling of his fingers threading through his long hair, Riku couldn't get enough.

But then it was over, abruptly, as Sora pulled back, cheeks flushed bright. "I want the moon." He repeated, smiling that strange smile again. "But I'm never going to get it."

Riku shook his head, his body still tingling from Sora's touch. "What?"

Sora took a few steps back, away from him. "It's impossible. You can't get me the moon."

Riku heard it then, the words he had been dreading. Sora didn't even need to say it out loud, he knew.

You can't get me the moon and I can't return your feelings.

"It's impossible." Sora was quiet for a moment, looking almost sad before his frown morphed into a small smirk. He slid closer to Riku, a hand reaching out to draw up his side, a fleeting touch. "But you can keep trying." His tone was light, almost innocent as he tickled his fingers across Riku's bare arm.

Riku was the one to pull back this time, his expression torn between anger and heart wrenching pain. "If you don't want me… say so. Just don't… don't play around with me like this."

Sora sighed and moved to lie down on his bed, arms crossed under his head. "Maybe by the time you can figure out how to give me the moon, I'll have enough courage to take it myself." He lifted his head slightly, eyebrows bunched together. "People wouldn't be very happy with me if I did that though."

Riku said nothing; he simply stood there staring at his – but not really his, Sora. The young boy was stretched so invitingly across his rumpled bed sheets, light blue eyes peering up from under dark lashes and bee-stung lips pursing just slightly. Sora's loose shirt was riding up a bit, revealing a small sliver of smooth skin dipping under his baggy shorts. Riku forced himself to shake his head and avert his gaze.

"I don't get you." He said softly, before turning and walking away, leaving the room, and leaving Sora.

0o0

It was only a few days later that Riku saw Sora walking with an arm slung casually around Kairi's slender shoulders, her head tilting towards him as she reached up to gently stroke his hand.

Sora was laughing his perfect laugh as they walked past Riku who had frozen in the middle of the dirt road.

He turned, silver hair flying, as he watched their backs. His chest felt numb and cold and… God he wanted nothing more than to jump into the ocean and drown himself. For even though Sora was touching, kissing, loving Kairi, he still looked beautiful to Riku. The setting sun was spilling bright colors of orange and gold across Sora's smooth face, highlighting the shades of blue in his eyes. He was gorgeous, perfect, and walking farther and farther away from Riku.

Sora turned his head slightly to the side, gaze locking with Riku's. He opened his lovely lips, an almost wistful look in his eyes. He was mouthing something and it took Riku a moment to understand what Sora was saying.

I'll never have the moon.

0o0o0o0

Joh: Well that sucked. Yeah, so this is really confusing, I know. I mostly wrote it for my own enjoyment but uh, Sora does have a reason behind his behavior. I probably didn't make it obvious enough, sorry about that. If you're WTF-ing right now just uh ask me to explain and I'll reply with a… explanation.

Jessie: Lol you're so awkward.

Joh: I know.