NOTE: This is a fic for the Kingdom Hearts Big Bang event Worlds Connected. You can find every piece of art or fiction in kh-worldsconnected and #worldsconnected (tumblr).

The cover art has been made by deadfreckledboys (tumblr).

"Do you like it?" Riku asked, looking at his friend closely to see his reaction.

"It's sweet… I think," Sora replied, with a puzzled look on his face.

The two kids were sitting next to the bottom of a palm tree, sharing a piece of an exotic star-shaped fruit. They were looking at the ocean, staring at the sun that was slowly hiding behind the horizon. That was their favorite spot on Destiny Islands, their special place on the beach.

"They say that if you eat this fruit with someone you love you will be together forever," Riku explained, he was nervous because he didn't know how Sora would react to what he said. His friend was a very important part of his life, and he always cared too much about him. He hid his hands behind his back, to not show Sora that he was trembling. He always wanted to show his friend a stronger, tougher version of himself. Riku though that Sora needed him to be strong, someone who he could rely on.

"That means you love me?" Sora asked, without second thoughts, without hesitations or even blushing.

Riku looked away from him, the beating of his heart accelerated in just a second. His hands were really wet, and he had to wipe them off on his pants, subtly. He didn't want to show Sora that he was obviously nervous, scared and worried. At the same time.

"You are my best friend! You already know that," Riku said, working hard to avoid stuttering. "I want to be with you forever". He closed his eyes as he spoke.

When he opened his eyes again, Sora was glancing directly at him, with a warm look. Riku always felt at home when he looked at Sora, he felt like he was exactly in the place where he belonged.

Sora started giggling and jumped in his friend's arms to hug him tightly, "I love you too!"

"Let's be friends forever!" Riku exclaimed. His heart was beating as fast as a heart can beat, but it was fine because he could feel Sora's heart beating quickly too.

Then, when there was more night than day the two kids felt a strong quake. In that moment, instead of their limbs, the earth was the one who started trembling.

"Riku! What's that?" Sora's face and attitude changed drastically. Now he was looking scared and lost.

"I d-don't know," Riku couldn't avoid the stutter. The situation was out of his control now, and that scared him.

The waves in the ocean disappeared, and there were no stars on the night sky. Suddenly, the earthquake started to cause cracks on the ground. Some palm trees fell, and the kids stood up and started running.

"Hold my hand!" Riku shouted. "Sora, I need you to hold my hand really tight". He was even more scared than Sora, but at the same time he needed to pretend he knew what they should do or how to fix the situation.

"Riku…" Sora whispered.

"Just run, please, Sora. We have to run," he replied.

"The sea… Is doing a weird thing…" Sora said.

"W-What?" Riku looked back and he saw a huge wave approaching the beach really fast. "We have to go back to the city!"

"Riku… There's no not city to go back to," Sora started crying, while pointing at the end of the beach, where there was supposed to be a path to the city.

"There's a… hole," Riku stated.

"Riku! I don't want to die!" Sora yelled, the tears were falling down his face.

"You are not going to die, silly boy," Riku hugged him, while smiling. He did an excellent job hiding his true emotions from Sora the whole time. But when they were hugging and he knew that Sora couldn't look at him, his face was covered in enough tears to fill up the hole in the ground.

"I love you, Riku," Sora whispered.

"I love you t-" Riku couldn't finish his sentence as a huge wave crashed into the beach and flooded the island in darkness.

…

"We just don't get why you like to hang out with him," one guy was looking at Riku, a bit mad.

"Yeah, he's just a nerd," a girl added.

"I don't really know, he's… nice?" Riku replied to his two friends.

"Listen, dude, you are one of the most popular guys at this high school. Don't screw your reputation up just because you want to be the best friend of a nerd," his friend replied.

"I have a lot of friends who would love to be with you," the girl added. "They are really nice too, and cute. Don't you want a girlfriend?"

Their conversation was interrupted by the bell, and they came back to class. Riku wasn't a great student, but he was popular because he had a tough, mysterious personality, and because he was on the football team. During his classes he usually allowed his mind to drift while looking through the window and he did his best pretending he was listening to the teacher.

He was a bad student, and that was the reason he started hanging out with Sora, one of the most brilliant students on the school. The same reason that made them totally different was the reason that united them.

At the beginning of the semester Riku started failing too many tests, and one of his professors recommended he join a study group or get a tutor. The professor, who knew that Riku's friends were just as bad of students as him decided to introduce Sora to him. At the beginning Riku felt really weird because Sora was younger than him, he was one year below Riku. But after the first study session he felt a connection, or something similar.

He discovered that Sora was actually more interesting than his other friends, and that he was original and unique. The rest of the high school students just copied their friends or TV celebrities, but Sora was different, he had something special.

When the bell rang again, this time to let students know that the classes have finished, Riku took his bag and went straight to the door, without stopping to talk with his friends. He looked at them before leaving the class and they were glaring at him, and whispering to each other. He knew that they didn't approve his friendship with Sora, but he wanted to keep being friends with everyone.

"Hey! How are you doing Captain Silly Face?" Sora yelled when they met in an empty corridor.

"I'm doing fine," Riku replied. He wasn't in the mood for weird nicknames.

Sora started laughing, he was always in a bright mood since he met Riku.

"Why are you always so cheerful," his friend asked.

"That's obvious," he replied, with a mischievous smile. He raised one arm and then pointed dramatically at Riku, "You! You are the reason for my happiness. My friends are my power".

Riku crossed his arms and smiled, before rolling his eyes. He felt fulfilled and loved. But he was still playing the cold guy part.

"If you say so…"

"Of course you are!" Sora exclaimed, and then jumped into his arms, to hug him.

Riku thought that Sora's hugs felt warm, and he didn't know why, but he felt nostalgic. Even though they just met a month before and were barely starting to know each other, he felt like he was home in his friend's arms.

"Let's go home together, Sora," Riku said. Sora nodded, with a huge smile on his face.

The weeks passed quickly and the rainy season started; and like the small clouds that slowly grew bigger, their problems also started to increase until it created a dark and cold storm.

"Let's have a real talk here," Riku's friend was in front of him, looking directly at his eyes with a grave look and without even blinking. They were in the main corridor, but it was empty again because it was late in the afternoon and the other students had already left. Riku was between the lockers and his friend, trapped, and since his friend was taller and bigger than him, he felt threatened.

"What do you want?" Riku asked, looking away from him.

"Do not look away, look at me. Now," his friend ordered. "We are really concerned about you, you know? Since you started hanging out with that little boy you've changed a lot. And we don't like this".

"Why do you care so much about me?" Riku said.

"Because you are a part of our group, and we have been friends since middle school. You can't just leave us for your nerd friend," he said bluntly.

"And what if I keep hanging out with him?" Riku replied, he started to get mad.

"You will have to stop being our friend."

"Fine." He said. "Why would I even want to be friends with someone like you?"

"Wow, dude. You've changed. You were cool before, and now you suck."

"Who cares," Riku replied.

His friend gripped the tie of Riku's uniform very angrily.

"I do. I care. What do you think people will be talking about if you stop being our friend? They will think that this nerd is better than us. And I can't allow that. You have to keep being our friend and not his friend," he shouted.

"What you will do if I don't obey you? Huh?" Riku pushed him.

"How you dare? You are not pushing me again," his friend grabbed Riku by his shoulders and shook him. Riku clenched his fists and glared at his friend. "Do not get angry so fast, my dude. I have something that will make you come back to us."

"What? What could you have to make me want to be with you again?" Riku asked, trying to not yell.

"Pictures. Very interesting pictures," he showed Riku his phone. Riku froze when he saw the photos. He stopped breathing for a moment, he didn't clench his fists anymore. "Yeah. I have pictures of you and that nerd guy kissing. I thought that you hung out with him because you wanted to feel original for a while. But I would've never expected this," his friend started laughing loudly. "Oh Riku, you are gay with this guy. And you kissed him and held his hands. What is your father's reaction going to be when I post your pictures on all your social media?"

Riku didn't replied. He couldn't move.

"Yeah. That's going to be his reaction too, he will have no words for you. You already know how your father is. He would never accept a gay son."

Riku knew that he was right. He wasn't angry anymore. He was just scared.

"You can choose, if you come back with us I will delete every picture and deny every rumor about you. But if you choose him, not only your father, but the whole school will know about this".

Riku sat on the floor, covering his eyes with his hands. Trying to not cry in front of his friend.

"Yeah… You will talk with him tomorrow, on the rooftop. We will be there with you." His friend walked away from him, "and try to not crush his heart in the process," he let an evil laugh come out of him.

The sky was overcast, like Riku's mind. When Riku went to the rooftop Sora was already there, and Riku's friends were hiding behind the stairs, where Sora couldn't see them.

"Hey, Mister Gloomy Face, what's up?" Sora said happily. "Why did you want to meet in a place like this? Are you an anime cliche?"

"Listen… I have to tell you something important." Riku hid his hands behind his back, so Sora wouldn't notice that he was shaking.

"What happened, Riku? You're starting to scare me," Sora said.

"I can't do this anymore".

"Do what? If you mean being scary and gloomy you are right. You shouldn't be like that!" Sora smiled again.

"I can't be your friend anymore."

Sora's heart broke like a mirror falling on the floor. His heart was torn apart into a thousand little pieces and every piece of his heart was a reason why he loved Riku. He couldn't start to name every one of them.

"Riku, don't do this to me," Sora started crying. One Lightning cracked the sky and a deafening thunder cracked Riku's soul. "No one has ever loved me before… Like you…"

Riku clenched his fists so hard that he pressed his nails on the skin of his hands and hurt himself.

"I don't… I don't love you." Riku's friends were laughing at the situation.

Sora couldn't stand still, he sat on the floor and covered his eyes with his hands.

"I have to leave… Now," Riku said. "You can't talk to me again".

"Why? What did I do? What's your problem with me?" Sora shouted, crying his broken soul out.

"Nothing… It's not…" Riku replied, without looking at him.

"Just give me a reason! Why would you leave me?" Sora yelled. The rain started pouring down. "Please, don't leave…"

"I can't…" Riku's friends left the rooftop without being seen by Sora, who was lying on the floor, covering his eyes.

Riku left, and Sora stayed on the floor of the rooftop for hours. He couldn't move, and he didn't care at all about the rain, because his warmth had disappeared and he was even colder than the fiercest storm.

…

Even though Riku was an experienced train traveler he had forgot to book a whole compartment alone for himself. So another person ended up sitting in front of him. And that made him somewhat uncomfortable.

The other person was a brown haired guy, sometimes he smiled for no apparent reason while looking through the window. He never said anything when he entered the compartment, and he never spoke during the travel. So Riku couldn't know how his voice sounded, but he started imagining how his voice could sound.

Maybe it was sweet like a violin, or very adaptable like a piano. And what if his voice was dreamy and light like a flute? Or deep like a bass?

He couldn't really picture (or play) his voice, because he looked young enough to have a childish high pitch voice, and old enough to have a semi-deep voice. He could've been on his early twenties, Riku was sure at least that this guy was a bit younger than him.

While drifting, Riku looked directly at his eyes, and he looked back. They keep staring for a few but intense seconds. The guy blushed, and Riku tried to hide his hands, so he wouldn't know that he was shaking.

Everything about him was dreamy, his hair looked soft even though it was messy and spiky. Riku could imagine how it would be to wander his hands through his silky hair. And how it would be to touch his skin and hold his hands. He could notice that the other guy looked at him for a moment and then smiled. He stared at his smile and he felt a shiver on his neck. That smile was really beautiful. But it wasn't a kind of beauty that you see on a poster or a magazine, it was a warm beauty. He could feel at home when he looked at that smile. He could even feel nostalgic. And he didn't understand why. Obviously he had never meet this person before, but the homesick feeling was there. And he couldn't stop the urge to hug him.

But that would be weird.

In fact, all his thoughts about the other person on the compartment were weird and creepy.

He wanted, needed, even desired to say something to him. But what? And how? Maybe something on the lines of "did you get hurt when you fell from heaven?" He frowned with his eyebrows. That was so stupid! How could he even think about saying something like that? No. It had to be something special, and spontaneous. Something real. Like "hello". Or maybe don't. He was really nervous and his heart was beating quickly while he thought about that guy. Why was he so attracted to a person that he never met before?

He had to say something, and he was about to, but the guy stood up, went next to the door and looked at him, smiling.

"Goodbye, this is my stop," he said. He bowed slightly before leaving forever.

Riku couldn't reply to him because his mind, heart and tongue were a mess. He couldn't articulate sound. He looked from the window how the guy left the train.

His voice wasn't like a flute, or like a bass. His voice wasn't like a violin or a piano, but a whole orchestra. His voice was on so many levels above any music known to mankind. And he lost him forever.

…

"We can't know exactly what is going to happen. We have to wait to see how he develops," a doctor said.

"But we have been waiting for months!" Riku exclaimed. "And each day that passes is worse than the day before."

"I understand… Having your loved one in a coma is not easy," the doctor replied.

"He is my fiancé, we were going to marry this week," Riku replied, a bit angry. "We have to do something else, we can't just wait until some miracle happens".

"I'm afraid this is the only way… Thousands of people have to go through this… And you are not alone. There are several support groups for famil-" Riku interrupted the doctor.

"I don't need a support group. I need him to be with me again," he replied.

"I understand what are you are going through, but I have to leave now to attend other patients. You can stay in this room for as long as you need. I will come to check later, as usual," the doctor said, just before leaving the room.

Riku held Sora's hand, "I know you can hear me! They told me that people suffering from a coma can hear everything."

He stood up and wandered around the room, occasionally looking through the windows at the overcast sky, but he didn't care about the weather because he wasn't going anywhere.

"Why? Why did it have to happen to you? You were always such a… good person. An amazing person. You didn't… deserve this," Riku stopped talking and remained in silence on the sofa.

He felt guilty, it was not directly his fault but he felt the guilt anyways. And every day he wished he were the one on that bed. The day Sora had the traffic accident they were going to go out for dinner. They had spent that whole month planning their wedding, and they needed a day off from responsibilities. Sora wanted to make it even more special, and before the dinner, while Riku was still at home getting dressed, he went to pick up a cake. What he didn't know is that the cake would get spoiled after some drunk driver crashed into him.

Riku went to Sora's bed again, to hold his hand. Even though he was there in bed and unconscious, his hands were still warm. Just one touch of his warm hands and hundreds of memories would bloom each second. A nostalgic feeling flooded that room when he touched or hugged him. How they met, how Sora proposed to him, how they bought their house, and how they started the wedding plans.

Everything that they had lived together was a far-off memory that was like a scattered dream. All the moments they spent together were just scattered dreams that looked like far-off memories. And Riku just wanted to line the pieces up with him.

He started shaking, so he put his hands behind his back. That relaxed him, for some reason he didn't understand.

He couldn't stop crying. His heart was broken and there was nothing left.

"Sora, don't do this to me," he said, crying out loud. "You promised me you would never leave me".

He could hear loud thunder. Seconds after it, lightning cracked the sky. He sat on the floor, covering his eyes with his hands, but he couldn't hide the tears. The rain started pouring down.

"Please, don't leave…"

Riku stayed on the floor of the room, he couldn't move, and he didn't care at all about the cold. The warmth of his life had disappeared and he was even colder than the fiercest storm.

…

"Put him on the third dungeon, that one is almost empty," one guard ordered to another. "Yes, the third one, there's only one boy there".

Two guards were taking Riku to the dungeons of Maleficent's castle; it was dark, wet and it smelled like a place that had never been cleaned.

"And what are we going to do next?" the small guard asked the tall one.

"We are returning to the hall and we will wait for orders. For the time being let the child rot in this cell," the tall guard answered.

They pushed Riku into the cell, closed the lock, and went away.

Riku fell on the floor of the nasty dungeon and when he stood up the world became a bright and cheerful place.

"Sora!" Riku opened his eyes wide, and his jaw dropped. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"R-Riku? Is that you?" Sora smiled and stretched his arms, then jumped into Riku's arms like in the good old days.

"Oh, Sora, I can't believe it's you," Riku was giggling nervously, as he hugged his friend tightly.

"It has been a long time, Riku…" Sora said, he was trying to not cry but he couldn't stop himself.

"I know… I looked for you… Everywhere!" Riku replied, some tears were raining from his happy eyes too.

"There hasn't been a single day that I didn't miss you," Sora replied, and kept hugging his friend.

They stopped hugging and looked at each other's eyes.

"That day… on the beach… I was so scared, Sora, you have no idea," Riku confessed. "I wanted to cry, but I needed to be strong for you".

"I always knew… Riku. You were always there for me. And after our world was destructed I appeared in a huge city, full of people from other worlds, but you weren't there. Then I looked for you since that day," Sora replied, gifting Riku one of the most happy looks he had ever seen. He was so excited to be with Riku again that he had some trouble breathing.

"But I was totally sure that I was going to see you again," Riku replied, touching Sora's cheek gently.

"W-Why? How could you be so sure?" his friend was surprised at his confidence.

Riku looked for Sora's hands and held them tightly without looking away from him. "What were we doing right before that earthquake?" Riku said, grinning.

"We were… That's it! We were eating paopu! And the people who share one paopu together will always be reunited no matter what!" Sora said, he was still crying of with joy. Riku wiped Sora's tears with his hand.

"No more crying, we are together now," Riku hugged Sora again, this time their bodies were really close and he could even feel his heartbeat. Sora's warm arms felt really nostalgic, Riku felt home when hugging him. Riku stopped hugging him and took a step away. He blushed and his limbs started shaking. "Sora…" he hid his hands behind his back, he wanted to look confident. "Sora, when we shared the paopu together I knew that we were going to find each other again, it doesn't matter in which world, or in which future life. But I knew that our hearts would be connected forever. When we were children I already knew that you were the one, the most special person in my life, and now that we are grown-ups I'm really sure of it."

"When I'm with you I feel home, I feel like I lived a thousand lives with you. It may sound strange, but I feel I know you so much even though we have been apart for several years," Sora said.

"I feel the same way too!" Riku replied, excited. He took Sora's hands again.

"Maybe it's because of the paopu?" Sora said, grinning.

"You can bet that the paopu helped, but we were meant to be," Riku replied.

"Actually… Do you remember something else from that night?" Sora said. He blushed and look away from Riku for a moment.

"What?" Riku asked, smiling and looking at Sora's eyes.

"I was the first one to say I love you!" he finally confessed. Riku wrapped his arms around Sora's waist and hugged him really tight, while staring at his warm eyes.

"I don't know how your blue eyes can be so warm," he said. "And yeah, maybe you were the first one to say I love you, but…" Riku's lips were really close to Sora's, and without breaking eye contact, Riku started kissing him. Then he closed his eyes, and he could feel a new level of warmth. And he knew that there was no other place he wanted to be. "I'm the first one to kiss you".

"Woah… Riku…" Sora looked away from Riku.

"What's wrong" Riku asked, worried.

"I wanted to be the first one on for that too!" Sora closed his eyes and softly punched against Riku's chest. Then the both of them started laughing. "You truly are a Captain Silly Face!"

"Eh? What was that nickname?" Riku asked, puzzled.

"I don't know, I just… I just said it. It doesn't matter!" Sora replied.

"Oh… By the way. I'm sorry to be reunited with you in a place like this…" Riku said. "Our first kiss has been in a dirty, smelly dungeon".

"It doesn't matter where it was, what matters is that it was with you, and that there are a lot more to come!" Sora said, before kissing Riku gently on his lips. "Surprise kisses. You'll never see them coming."

"And how are we going to get out of here?" Riku asked.

"About that… While we were separated I discovered that I was the chosen one of the keyblade, and I met some new friends who are fighting against the forces of darkness. So I joined them. But I never stopped looking for you! Visiting a lot of worlds with them was the perfect way to find you. They captured me yesterday, and my friends promised me they were coming to rescue me as soon as they could," Sora explained, quickly and without hesitation.

"Woah. I see you were busy all this time! I'm proud of you!" Riku said. He patted Sora on the head. Sora giggled.

"Sora, your laugh is like the greatest orchestra ever!" Riku exclaimed. Sora kissed him again.

They stood there, in the cell, hugging each other for hours. The floor was a mess and they didn't want to sit there. Then, they heard someone screaming.

"Sora!" A high pitch voice screamed.

"I'm over here!" Sora shouted back.

They heard footsteps running towards their cell. Mickey, Donald and Goofy were on the other side of the bars.

"Move to the side!" Mickey said, while pointing his keyblade to the door of the cell. "I'm going to blow the bars out!"

"That little guy is so hardcore," Riku whispered.

Sora looked at him and whispered back, "he is".

When the two boys were outside their cell, Sora, who had already told his new friends about Riku, introduced them. But they had to hurry because they were in the enemy leader's castle and the current plan was to run.

"Long story short, they want to steal something called Kingdom Hearts, which is like a powerful heart-shaped world, that has the hearts of all worlds… Or something similar," Sora explained to Riku. They were on a beach. At sunset.

"That's really exciting. Are we going to fight them?" Riku asked.

"I don't really know. King Mickey is the one who is preparing the army and he is our main hope. If he needs our help, we will hear from him" Sora replied.

"This beach looks like ours…" Riku said, with a nostalgic tone on his voice.

"Yes… But you told me before! The place doesn't matter, the time doesn't matter. Nothing else matters, only the fact that we are together once again." Sora said. Riku hugged him from behind.

"Can I kiss you every night before sleeping?" Riku asked.

"Maybe I am the one who will kiss you," Sora replied, giggling.

More focused on kissing than fighting, the two boys stayed on that beach for a couple more days, then they traveled everywhere.

It didn't matter where they were, the only thing that mattered was that they were together.