Author's Notes: It's SoraRiku for a reason. Heed the pairing.
Anyway, this is here because Rosalyn Angel said there wasn't enough SoraRiku here on fanfiction. I said I'd write some, so ta-da! Because she asked and I'm so nice. :D And because she's my wife. Lawlz.
Because the weather never really reflects your mood. And because clichés are so last year.
-
They were the land and sky.
The land would crane its head towards the unreachable sky, as the sky represented all that was not earthbound. All the land wanted was escape.
The sky did not need the land to survive. It could turn away at any given moment, but still the sky remained.
They were separated but still together.
Riku and Sora were on two different paths. Riku was always on his quest for redemption, for a light that he had lost. Sora was always there for Riku to offer his own light for guidance.
They envied each other. They always had.
The land was stable.
Riku was head-strong.
The sky always knew what was right.
Sora was empathetic.
They were not so different, although they were not nearly the same. They complimented each other.
Riku was the leverage. He made sure that Sora's impulsiveness did not get him into trouble.
Sora was in control. He could make Riku fall into darkness and come back into the light.
They were the land and sky.
-
Sora was perched in the paopu tree. His eyes were cast into the horizon, watching the ocean crash against itself from the oncoming storm.
"Sora?"
He sent a short smile towards Riku which the older boy returned. "Yeah, Riku?" he asked curiously.
Riku stopped looking up at the brunet in favor of the darkening sky above them. "Nothing, I'm just making sure you're still up there."
Sora laughed. "I'm not going anywhere."
"I know."
"You're so weird." Sora grinned at Riku before following his gaze to the sky. "So, what are you looking at?"
"The sky," Riku answered softly.
"Yeah, but why?"
"Just making sure it's still there, too."
Sora looked down at Riku in puzzlement. He had an affectionate look on his face, as though Riku really did expect the sky to leave him. "Riku, the sky is always there."
"I know."
Sora hopped off of the tree and peered at Riku. "Are you okay?"
Riku simply smiled in response.
"Well, let's get inside. It's going to pour soon." Sora threw his hands behind his head and awaited acknowledgement from Riku. When that came, he started towards the shack.
"Hey, Sora?" Sora paused and looked at Riku expectantly. "Thanks a lot."
"For what?" he asked, tilting his head.
The rain began. It was light and refreshing at first, but it hurriedly turned heavy.
"Do you mind standing out here a bit longer?" Riku looked wistfully to the sky again, letting the rain slide down his face.
"You want to catch a cold?"
Riku laughed. "No, I missed the rain."
Sora made a soft noise in understanding before moving to stand beside Riku. They remained there in silence as the rain beat against them for a long while. A sudden rumble of thunder brought them back to their senses.
"It's nice out here." Riku looked at Sora, "Don't you think?"
Sora appeared utterly perplexed but attempted a slow nod regardless. "Sure, but can we go inside now?"
"That's fine." Riku smiled kindly and the two of them moved for shelter.
"So," Sora started conversationally as they trudged through the wet sand. "Why did you thank me earlier?"
"For being here—for always being here for me when I need it. It really means a lot to me."
Sora beamed at this and nodded. "I'm always here."
Seeing the proud look on Sora's face lightened Riku's spirit. Sora had an uncanny knack for soothing people, although he never seemed aware of it. His enthusiasm was unmatched and his smiles were contagious.
As they rounded on the shack, Sora abruptly came to a halt. There was a crack in the distance as everything was momentarily illuminated. He was staring into the ocean again, although this time it was a more thoughtful look on his face.
"Riku," he started gently, ignoring the pouring rain. "What are we supposed to do now?"
Riku stopped walking to turn and face Sora. "What do you mean?"
"Are we supposed to stay here now?" Sora shifted his attention to his best friend, searching him for an answer although he knew he would not get one.
"Maybe," Riku answered with a shrug.
"Are you happy?"
He frowned, "I guess."
"No, I mean are you happy?" Sora motioned wildly towards the island around them. "Are you happy being here?"
Riku seemed to understand what Sora meant by this question and averted his gaze elsewhere. "I don't know, Sora."
"You don't have to lie. Tell me if you're not happy."
To Riku, it would have been selfish to tell Sora that he was unhappy. It would make him seem ungrateful to be home, which was not the case at all. The routine was slowly hammering away at his patience, just like it had not so long ago on the very same island. He refused to say this, but somehow he knew that Sora was well aware of this.
"It's nice to be home," Sora announced. "I keep telling myself that. While I was traveling, all I wanted was to come back here, but now that I'm here, I'm starting to miss everything else." He smiled nostalgically, holding out his hand to catch the rain. "I'm really glad that I'm here with you, though."
Riku's lips tugged into a soft smile as he slowly nodded his understanding.
"But you know what? I think we'll be leaving again soon."
"Why do you think that?"
Sora shrugged and stepped closer to Riku. "It's just a feeling I have."
The lightning whipped across the dark sky once more, casting light over the two boys. As quickly as it came, it was gone and replaced by the slamming thunder. The wind slowly began to pick up speed, tousling their hair all around—neither moved towards the shelter.
Watching each other closely, Riku noticed a sudden look of determination cross Sora's face. He said nothing, simply raising a thin brow in question. It took another strike of lightning before Riku realized that Sora was standing a lot closer to him than he had been.
Neither said anything as Sora shyly gave Riku a quick kiss. He waited for a reaction, but all that he received was silence. His mind reeled with all of the negative things that the silence could mean, but he didn't apologize. He wasn't at all sorry.
A tentative smile lit up Riku's face and Sora knew that everything was fine. Slowly, Sora wrapped his arms around Riku and placed his head on his shoulder. "We're in this together, right?"
"Always," Riku quietly agreed.
Smiling, Sora pulled away from the hug and pressed his lips against Riku's. The moment hung heavily in the air before Riku submitted into the kiss. It was hesitant and inexperienced, but Sora did his best to lead it regardless.
Riku tasted like the island. Sora tasted like the rain. And for a fleeting moment, it felt like they were no longer separated by Fate's powerful hand.
They were the land and sky.