Sora laid awake for hours after everyone else in the house had gone to sleep (for anyone wondering, Goofy and Donald were allowed to stay in the guest room, Sora's Mother gave them permission). Sora's thoughts drifted between how to tell Kairi he loved her as a sister, how he felt about Riku and how everything had changed.
I guess I'll just have to be honest with Kairi, and tell her I don't love her back. It'll hurt her I guess, but at least I won't be leading her on. She's tough; I know she'll move on quickly enough… Besides, knowing her she won't let something like this get in the way of the friendship we already have. But, I have no idea what is going on with Riku and I.
When I think about Riku, I feel everything I expected to feel about Kairi… what does that mean? I think of Kairi as a sister, and the feelings I have for Riku are stronger than that…does that mean I really love Riku, not Kairi? Well, given what I feel, it makes sense, but I CAN'T love him, he's my best friend. I had no idea these kinds of feelings could develop for another guy… then again I guess it really doesn't matter, guy or girl love IS love after all (Ok, I want to make this perfectly clear, Sora's mother probably never told him anything about homosexuality, he did after all leave the island pretty young… So he is just confused, I am not trying to offend anyone. I myself am bisexual so hating on gays would just be very stupid… I digress)... Will this ruin the friendship? I don't want to risk ruining it by telling him…and if I tell the others, how will they react? Maybe this is something best kept a secret… but not talking about it will drive me crazy… Then again I don't want to mess things up right when they're finally starting to settle down…
Sora finally felt sleep drifting into his conciousness. Finally deciding to keep his feelings for Riku a secret, Sora finally fell asleep as the sun was beginning to rise over the Eastern horizon of the island.
Riku couldn't bring himself to sleep that night; he has far too much on his mind. He laid in his bed, letting his thoughts and the silence and darkness envelop him.
Today was so weird, why did I react to Sora like that, staring at him so creepily… I probably freaked him out. And why the heck was I so happy to hear that Sora didn't like Kairi after all? Honestly, I know it wasn't because it meant Kairi was free… I was more happy to find out Sora was free… I thought I'd want Kairi to be available, not Sora…
When we came back to the island together, and Sora ran ahead to Kairi, I wanted him to come back to me… And when we were fighting Xemnas, and he came so close to killing Sora, I was so angry I could only focus on destroying him to save Sora… just for trying to kill him I wanted him to suffer…
Oh my God… do I love Sora?!
Well, it all adds up, but he's my friend, I can't be with him like that. I want to, but I can't. I doubt he feels the same way anyway; this has to be so unusual… I guess I'll just keep it quiet. I'll just wait it out… maybe I'll get over it…
His thoughts were cut off by his exhaustion telling him to let his body rest. Riku, finally too tired to fight off sleep, fell into a restless sleep.
"Sora! Wake up!"
"Hyuck hyuck, come on Sora, it's already noon!"
Sora forced his eyes open to see Goofy and Donald standing at his bedside, smiling their default, heartwarming smiles.
"Morning guys." Sora forced himself to sit up and stretched as he yawned.
"Why're you so tired?" asked Goofy.
"I didn't sleep well…" Sora replied, still sitting in bed.
"Why not?" Donald looked at him curiously.
"I don't know, just restless I guess," Sora replied absentmindedly.
"Ok, well, Goofy and I are going for a hike with Tidus, we promised we'd take him today." Donald explained.
"That's right, did you want to come too?" Goofy smiled while giving his friend the invitation.
"No thanks, I need to talk to Kairi later," he replied, finally getting out of bed, "another time maybe."
"Sure thing, see ya 'round Sora." With that, Goofy followed Donald out of Sora's room to go meet Tidus.
Once he had privacy, Sora decided now was as good a time as any to talk to Kairi. He got dressed, did his hair in the usual spikes and made his bed, wishing not to incur the wrath of his mother. Once he was ready, he left the house, not bothering to eat before he left.
Sora went to her house, all over the beach, and ended up in the secret place, and she wasn't anywhere to be found. He looked at the wall where he once saw the door that had been opened, and remembered all the things that happened because of it. He was relieved the worlds were safe again, but in a way he was sad. He'd never see any of the friends that he made along the way again…
As he continued around the cave, he looked at all the drawings they had done on the walls and smiled. He missed the days back when everything was simple. The drawings began to bombard him with memories, good and bad, of all the times the trio had spent on Destiny Island.
He was startled out of his reverie by a hand on his shoulder. He immediately turned around to find his face inches away from that of Riku.
"Hey Sora, didn't mean to scare you." Riku was grinning again, the same one that he had the previous day.
"Well, try harder next time. You didn't scare me so much since you showed yourself looking creepy from the darkness." Sora said, for some reason unable to move away from Riku.
"Hey, if I hadn't done that, we'd all still be screwed and you know it." Riku teased Sora back, feeling the rivalry they once shared coming back.
"Yeah, I'm so sure, and it had nothing whatsoever to do with me going through and locking all the worlds with the key blade…" Sora's sarcasm just fueled Riku more, and he was now nose to nose with Sora.
"Don't deny it, you needed my help in that fight with Xemnas, if I hadn't saved your se- I mean sorry ass you would've been killed," Riku tried to cover up his mistake, but even the dense Sora noticed him fumble with his words.
"What did you say?" Sora moved his face back.
"The bit about saving you?"
"You messed up with your words, what were you going to say?" Sora's inquiry was becoming more assertive, and Sora's face lit up with a smirk of his own. Riku took a step back, his face bright red.
"Nothing Sora, I just messed up what I said,"
"You were going to say 'sexy' weren't you? Well, I don't blame you, I do have one fine ass if I do say so myself." Sora laughed, patting his backside in a spanking motion, not getting the implications of Riku finding his backside appealing. Sora continued to tease Riku, but Riku wasn't paying attention, all he knew is that Sora had caught him blurting something to blatantly.
"Shut up Sora!" Riku was starting to get annoyed by Sora teasing him.
"Why don't you make me?" Sora was still teasing, but he had no idea what that simple question would bring on.
"Fine then," Riku replied, grabbing Sora and pulling him closer, "I will." Next thing Sora knew, Riku had his lips firmly pressed against his own.