Well, during the last two chapters before I finished 'On Moving, Friends, and Making-Out' I got the idea for this story and decided once the story I just mentioned was finished I would start writing this one. I warn anyone who read my other stories – this one will be more tragic and suspenseful so be warned, you won't be used to me writing in this style. The beginning is like the other way I write but don't get too comfortable. It'll change soon.

Really quick I'm gonna rewrite the summery in full length (I think part of it wouldn't fit): How would you feel if in a monstrous car crash you lost your girlfriend and your best friend ended up in a coma? What about if you couldn't remember the crash itself to know that it wasn't your fault? Sounds terrible doesn't it? Tell that to Sora. (SxK / SxR)

I apologize to Riku-Stalker ahead of time because she will murder me for the very first line of this story… I just know she will. All I can say to you is to please stick with it, it gets better.

I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Starbucks so there you go.

Thank you all and on with the show!

Without You Around

By: princessOFdarkness

"So Sora how was your date last night with Kairi?" Riku asked as he and Sora walked down the beach together for what both thought would be their last time for just the two of them to do so. Kairi had asked Sora to be here boyfriend and Sora had said yes, which for some reason upset Riku even if he wasn't going to let Sora know about it. Riku kept telling himself he was only upset about Kairi and Sora going out because it meant Sora and himself wouldn't have as much alone time together as they were used to, but the simple truth was that Riku cared about Sora in what might be considered more than a friendly way. Not that Riku was going to tell Sora that now that he was dating Kairi of course.

"It was okay I guess. I don't really have anything to compare that to though seeing as it was my first date with anyone but it wasn't a bad way to spend a Saturday night I suppose." Sora laughed lightheartedly as he kicked a small seashell in the path his feet had chosen to take. "I mean, she seemed happy enough I guess and she said she had a really good time when I took her home so I think it went good."

It had been nearly a year since the three of them had returned to Destiny Islands together after all their assorted adventures in other worlds with random people like Leon and Yuffie and Aerith. Sora and Kairi were both now sixteen and able to drive, while Riku was seventeen and taller than ever as Kairi kindly pointed out, not that Sora hadn't noticed that fact for himself. Sora noticed everything when it came to Riku. Sora didn't know why noticed things first when it came to Riku, because Riku was the only person he could do that with. About a week ago Kairi had cut her hair and Sora hadn't noticed at all until Riku had complimented her on it sweetly like he did Everytime someone changed their appearance for better or worse. Riku was just like that Sora had decided – always kind even if the person in question's so called 'improvement' looked worse than the way they had originally looked.

"That sounds good Sora, really great." Riku said calmly as he sat down on the sand to look out over the ocean. Sora stopped walking and sat down close next to him as Riku doodled in the sand with a stick he had found lying at his feet. "So did you kiss her last night when you took her home?"

Riku hoped in his heart that Sora said no. Riku didn't think he could take it if they had kissed last night. Riku had felt so sad and strangely lonely when Sora had told him he and Kairi were dating, but Riku still didn't know why he had felt that way about it. All Riku knew was that one moment he was fine and the next he felt as though his heart were in his throat and preparing to jump out of him. So maybe I care about Sora as more than a friend, Riku told himself as he drew a palm tree in the sand before letting the water whisk it away, maybe I do love Sora and I've just been lying to myself all these years.

"Of course I didn't kiss her, it was our first date." Sora told Riku who immediately felt a million times better than he had a moment ago. "I mean I do like her, but I wasn't about to kiss her on our first date much to her annoyance however. She asked me if I was going to kiss her goodnight and I said no. She got all offended and climbed out of the car and practically ran into her house. I'm just glad my Dad didn't leave for the next business trip that started today until this morning so I could use the car last night for my date."

"That's a good I guess." Riku said slightly unhappily. Ever since Sora's Dad had taken to taking business trips every week to a different town Sora only got the car on week ends which meant if Sora wanted to go anywhere he had to bum a ride. Sora was perfectly happy to ride with Riku, but Kairi insisted that Sora ride with her everywhere and that she go everywhere with him. It was only by Sora telling Kairi that he was planning a surprise for her that she had left Sora ride to the beach with Riku. So they had told a little lie, oh well. It was for a really good cause – the Riku-Sora-alone-boys-time foundation. "At least you got to spend some alone time with Kairi at the movies and at that restaurant you took her to for dinner."

"I guess so." Sora said slowly looking out over the light reflecting off the water so that it shimmered beautifully in the dying light. "I just wish she'd lat off me for a few minutes you know? She acts as though if I'm out of her sight for more than a few minutes I'll have hot and steamy sex with her best friend Selphie or elope with Tidus and Wakka to the Bahamas or something stupid like that. It's like she can't trust me to do anything without her being around."

"So Sora…" Riku said slowly, looking over at Sora's face. It was lit with the dull reddish glow of the sunset before them Sora's face cast half in shadows as he turned to look at Riku. Riku knew the answer to his question before he asked it just by the look on Sora's face. "Are you really happy dating Kairi or are you just pretending to like dating her for her sake?"

"Yeah I am." Sora smiled lightly while still managing to look a bit perplexed as he stared over at Riku. "I think I'm happy anyways."

"You think you are? You mean, you aren't sure if you are or not yet?" Riku asked hopefully. Even if Sora didn't love Riku back and only ditched Kairi so he could ask out say… Selphie or something, it would still make Riku feel better. Anyone would be better for Sora than Kairi or so Riku felt. They had only been dating a week and Kairi had already taken up most of Sora's free time, dragged him along to three chick flicks, made him drive her around everywhere and practically forced him to hand over his class ring so that she could wear it on a chain about her neck while still wearing her own class ring on her finger proudly. Sure, Sora didn't mind doing everything Kairi asked of him, but was it really fair to Sora that Kairi treated him this way?

"Yeah, I mean I'm not sure yet if I like dating her or not." Sora nodded solemnly at Riku. Sora knew he could tell Riku anything at all and Riku would never tell. That was how it had always been. If either of them needed to talk about something they didn't want anyone else to know they went to the other. "I mean, I do care about her but I'm just not sure how deep my feelings are for her just yet. I'd do anything for her of course as I've proven by going to all those annoyingly girly movies and carrying her bags while she shops at the mall but I'm not sure it's love. Is that a bad thing to say about the girl I'm dating?"

"Not at all Sora, if it's really how you feel. But I don't suggest you go up and tell Kairi about it or she might freak out. Then you'd have to deal with the wrath of the red headed demon girl!" Riku laughed as he pushed Sora playfully sideways onto the sand. Sora giggled and threw sand in Riku's face resulting in Riku's fierce attack that ended with Riku picking up Sora like a rag doll and tossing him into the ocean before turning and running away as fast as he could away for the wet and highly agitated Sora.

"Damn it Riku, why did you have to throw me in the ocean today?" Sora grumbled as he walked up the road to his house still dripping wet and shivering in the bitter cold wind that ruffed the tree leaves so they seemed to whisper to him. "I'm so cold! Why did he have to leave me behind? Was he that worried I would try and get him back fro throwing me in the ocean or something stupid like that?"

Sora continued his long walk home down the interstate in the cold and the dim lighting just before the night finally fell down on him like a smothering blanket. The streetlamps flickered into life around him making Sora feel a little better about having to walk home in the dark when he was dripping wet. Sora wished Riku would suddenly drive passed him and stop to let him in the car so he could get home and dry off. But of course Riku didn't come. Instead Sora got the next best thing to Riku coming to pick him up in his water logged opinion.

"Hey Sora, what happened to you?" Kairi asked as he pulled up along side him in her retro powder blue Ford Thunderbird probably on her way to the mall or some other girly hang out of hers and her best friend Selphie's. "Why are you all wet like that?"

"Riku threw me in the ocean." Sora sighed, shivering visibly as he bent at the waist to look into Kairi's car window which was rolled down despite the cold night. "Hey Kairi, do you think you could maybe give me a ride home real quick? It's really cold out here, especially if you're dripping wet like I am."

"Of course Sora, get in the back seat. There's an old fuzzy pink blanket back there I think so you can get warmer faster if you want to use it to cover up." Kairi smiled as Sora smiled back at her gratefully as he clambered into the back seat and under the blanket as Kairi drove her way to his house. "So are you gonna tell me why Riku threw you in the ocean or am I gonna have to ask Riku myself?"

"Oh, Riku threw me in the ocean because…" Sora started quickly, stopping almost as quickly as he had started. Why did Riku throw me in the ocean? I can't remember why we were fighting except that it had to do with Kairi, Sora thought hard as Kairi pulled up in front of his house. What had we been talking about that caused us to start play fighting like that? It was about Kairi, but I can't just tell her 'Oh yeah, we were making fun of you' that would be rude.

It was silent for a moment as Sora thought of what to say to Kairi as she fiddled with the radio trying to find a good station to listen to but Sora couldn't think of anything to say so he decided to just stay silent and see what she did or said to him.

"Well Sora, are you gonna tell me or not? Are you really going to make me call Riku and find out?" Kairi asked a little more harshly than was necessary. Ever since she and Sora had started dating she had been monitoring Sora's time with everyone – including Riku. She didn't like him being alone with someone who wasn't her because she felt like she was out of the loop and didn't really like the feeling too much.

"Sorry Kairi, but I really don't remember why he did it." Sora said as he climbed out of the car and headed for the front door of his house. "You'll just have to ask Riku I guess, bye Kairi!"

"Bye Sora, call me tonight okay?" Kairi called out of the rolled down car window, but sadly Sora had already retreated for the comfortably warm inside his house leaving Kairi to huff privately to herself as she pulled out of Sora's driveway and turned onto the road that led to the mall where she was supposed to be meeting Selphie.

"I hope Sora isn't too mad at me for throwing him in the ocean and then leaving and forcing him to walk home like that." Riku sighed from the sketchpad on his desk as he looked up at the digital alarm clock beside his bed. He was shocked to see it was already ten o'clock at night. It seemed only moments ago that he had walked into his room, set down at his desk with his dinner or left-over reheated pizza and begun on a new sketch of the sunset he had just witnessed with Sora. "Maybe I should call Sora's cell to make sure he's not mad at me."

Riku's parents didn't mind how late he stayed up, how long he talked on the phone or how late he called his friends or how many minutes he wasted on pointless chatter, how many parties he threw in their large basement or out back by the in-ground pool, or even how much money of theirs he spent on things like new clothes or CDs or art supplies form the credit card they had given him for his seventeenth birthday. They loved Riku to death, and as long as his grades were all A's like normal and he wasn't doing anything illegal they were fine with him doing whatever he wanted. How lucky could a teen age boy be to have parents like that?

"Okay… 423-7890." Riku said as he punched in the familiar numbers on his cell phone before putting it to his ear. Riku rarely called anyone but Sora really – sure, other people called him and he talked to them, but it was rare that Riku's finger's ever punched anyone's phone number into his phone but Sora's. Riku swiveled around in slow circles in his desk chair as the phone rang and rang on the other end.

"Hello?" A very sleepy Sora answered with a yawn. "Who is this?"

"It's me sleepyhead!" Riku laughed lightly as he walked over to the window and opened it so the cool wind could blow into the room and ruffle his curtains lightly as he stared over the cleanly cut grass around the concrete walk around the pool. "Did I wake you up or something?"

"No, I was still awake." Sora yawned again as he sat himself down on the edge of the bed. "I was just finishing all that homework that Professor Zexion gave us in Advanced Geometry. You know the assignment that was like five pages long that's due tomorrow? That one, I just finished it like five minutes before you called."

"Are you kidding, I finished that on Monday. Man you're slow." Riku said, pulling off his pants and button up shirt as he lay down in his boxers on the bed slipping under the covers. "How does it take you so long to do the assignments?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN MONDAY!" Sora yelled through the phone causing Riku to wince and pull the phone away from his ear as Sora ranted and raved. "He didn't give us the assignment until Tuesday! How did you have it done on Monday?"

"I asked Professor Zexion for this week's assignment last Friday so I could do it ahead of time." Riku sighed over the phone." That's what I do every Friday. The Professor has actually taken up the habit of taping a list of the assignments on my locker door now so I don't have to ask."

"You're so weird Riku. Who wants to do all their assignments the week before it's due – besides you of course. We're not counting you in this poll of the teenage population because you're too weird to count in this tally." Sora said as he set the phone on speaker and stood on his head as he usually did when he was on the phone with Riku. It helped Sora think, and considering Sora considered Riku extremely more intelligent as him any extra thinking power was a good thing. "I mean really, what do you do with all your free time?"

"I draw and paint and have parties and go to parties and all that stuff." Riku said airily as he yawned. "Damn it Sora, now you got me yawning too!"

"Sorry Riku, I didn't mean to it's just too late to be awake anymore. I'm usually asleep by now." Sora sighed as he climbed into his bed and reached for the lamp to turn it off and slip slowly into the black caress of the night's darkness.

"Hey Sora can you hold on for a second I have a call on my other line." Riku asked Sora who said it was fine. Riku pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at the name that was flashing on the other line. It read: The Heinous Bitch aka Kairi. Riku quickly answered and hung up so that she'd think he had lost the signal or that his phone would die. Riku sighed and flipped back to Sora. "Hey Sora are you still there? It was a wrong number I guess there was no one there."

"I'm still here Riku." Sora yawned hugely again. "So Riku, did you call for an actual reason or just so we could have this pleasant chat about you being weird, wrong numbers, and our Advance Geometry homework like a couple of huge geeks?"

"Oh yeah, I did call for a reason actually." Riku said sitting up in his bed and running his free hand not holding the phone through his phone absentmindedly. The moment of truth had arrived at last. "Hey Sora, you aren't mad at me are you?"

"Mad at you for what?" Sora asked. "What the hell are you talking about? Do you mean throwing me in the ocean or what you said about how I felt right now about Kairi or about calling her 'the red headed demon girl'?"

"All three of them, I guess." Riku said untruthfully. Riku wasn't sorry for what he had said and thought about Kairi in the least bit. He wasn't about to pretend to be sorry about something he felt was true or a correct observation. Especially since Riku was usually right about these things just like he was usually right about what the correct answers were on their homework every night. But if Sora really wants to be with Kairi over me, Riku thought dejectedly, then I'll step aside and let them be together if only because I love Sora. I just want Sora to be as happy as he possibly can be even if it means I'm not going to be the one that's with him. Sora's happiness means everything to me. "So you aren't mad at me at all for any of them?"

"Of course not Riku, I could never be mad at you!" Sora laughed as he felt his eyes sliding shut of their own accord. "Riku I gotta go right now before I fall asleep on you and roll over in my sleep and crush my cell phone and then my parents would kill me and make me pay for it and –"

"I get it Sora, go ahead and hang up." Riku sniggered to himself. Sora always rambled like this when he was super tired after spending half the night on the phone with Riku, something that Riku had noticed fairly quickly after the first few times it had happened when they were younger. So Riku had made up his mind to call Sora almost every night when it was late in the hopes of breaking him of his habit, but it seemed that Riku had only made Sora's rambling problem more pronounced. "See you tomorrow Sora!"

"Wait a second, don't hang up yet Riku." Sora said faintly. Riku didn't hang up. "So are you driving me to school tomorrow since my Dad took my car on his business trip or should I call Kairi? Please say you will so I don't have to listen to Jessica Simpson on the way to school!"

"Of course I will Sora, I'll be there to pick you up at seven so we can drive over to Starbucks and grab a coffee really quick before school okay?" Riku said happily knowing that Sora was probably raising his fists in triumph. When Kairi had been taking Sora to school because of Sora's Dad's need to go out of state and take back the car he had given to Sora because Sora's Dad worked out of his home office Kairi had refused to stop at Starbucks on the grounds that coffee only made him hyper and all that sugar wasn't good for him. She had also said that she didn't care if Sora drank it as long as she didn't have to go with him to get it which meant if Sora wanted to keep his normal routine of having a Starbucks to help him wake up then he had to ride to school with Riku. Which Riku didn't mind in the least bit of course seeing as he loved Starbucks as well and it gave him time to spend with Sora with Kairi hanging on Sora's arm. Seeing Kairi hanging on Sora like she did whenever she was around them made Riku want to vomit on whoever he was around at the time.

"Great! Finally, I'll be able to buy wonderful Starbucks coffee to help me wake up in the morning again!" Sora said happily. "Bye then Riku, good night."

"Night Sora, I'll see you tomorrow." Riku smiled as he hung up the phone and placed it on his bedside table as he switched on his alarm clock so that it would ring in the morning. "Tomorrow's going to be a great day, I just know it!"

That's the first chapter then! Hope you liked it! This chapter was just to set up the main plotlines and all that jazz. The next chapter starts the real important bits of the story and is were all the action starts (which means it will be a really long chapter and defiantly way longer than this one)

Please review and tell me what you think! Until next time!