Sora: Remember, she only owns the plot! :D

Me: Thank you, Sora -_-

I stayed with Sora and his mom while I looked for a new house to live in. Sora had offered to let me live with him, and it was really hard to turn him down. "Thanks, but I wouldn't want to trouble you and your mom," was my excuse every time he said I could live with him, but he always argued. He'd say, "It's no trouble, really Riku. We'd love for you to stay!" But I had to say no. Staying with him for a while was one thing, but it would just be too weird to actually live with my best friend, who I just happened to have fallen in love with. But even still, it was hard for me to say no. Every time he looked at me with those big blue eyes and cute little smile of his, I just melted. I can't believe I never noticed it before. I guess, deep down, I always knew I liked him in a way best friends shouldn't feel about each other, but I wondered why I was just realizing my feelings for him then. Sure I knew I was gay, but for Sora? So many questions would run through my head, and Sora would sometimes catch me staring into space while I thought about him.

I remember he once said, "Riku, you okay? You've been kinda out of it lately. Oh my gosh are you still mad about your house? I'm so sorry, Ri, I really am. I wish I could make it up to you somehow. I cou-"

"Sora, its fine. Everything's fine, trust me. I'm not upset about my house at all, I never was. I was thinking about moving anyway. I've just had a lot on my mind lately. It's nothing."

"You sure? You know, if you have any problems, you can tell me. I'm all ears!"

"Kay…" Sora smiled one of his breath-taking little half smiles and went off to go find some lunch. I stood where I was and thought for a few minutes. I decided I was going to tell him how I felt. "Sora?" I called to him.

"Yeah?" He answered. Wait, what was I doing? Was I really going to tell him? No, I couldn't. What would he think? Would he be angry with me? Would he even speak to me? Who knows? What if he completely understood? I guess I just had to take the chance. I had to let him know. I couldn't just keep it a secret forever. Okay, now to just figure out what exactly to say. "Uh, Riku? You were going to say something, remember?"

Oh! "Oh yeah," I said, realizing I had spaced out again. "It's nothing. Never mind." Ugh! I was going to tell him! I couldn't believe I chickened out. I really needed to let him know, but I was afraid it would ruin our friendship. I just needed more time to think. Before I knew it, I was running out of the back door, leaving Sora standing confused in the kitchen.

I found myself sitting in a tree in Sora's backyard. I was so stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid Riku! "Why can't you just tell him?" I asked myself, well, more like screamed. "Just say 'Sora, I love you'. Why is something so simple so hard to do?"

I sat up there for what seemed like forever. I actually think I might've dozed off once or twice. It was starting to get dark when Sora came out to find me. "Riku? Riku, I know you're out here. Where are you? Please come back inside, you're starting to worry me." I was worrying Sora? Wow, that was a first. "Please, Riku?"

"Okay fine, you win," I said with a smirk. "I'll come back inside." Sora looked around, obviously not seeing where I was.

"I hear you, but I don't see you. Oh my gosh, Riku! Are you invisible?"

This had me laughing so hard, I almost fell out of my tree. It wasn't just what he said that was funny, but the way he said it and the look on his face. Once I calmed down, I decided I'd give him some help. "Sora," I said, chuckling. "Turn around so you're facing the tree." He looked a bit confused, but did as he was told. As soon as he was facing my hiding place, I jumped down in front of him, making him fall backwards and land on his cute little butt.

"Hey!" Sora exclaimed with a pout. "Rikuuu, what was that for?"

"I dunno," I said, laughing a little. "I guess I just felt like it. You're so cute when you're scared."

"What?"

I realized what I said, and quickly tried to fix it. "Nothing. I said…um…don't…have sex unprepared?" I tried to look as casual as possible while I waited for a reply to my horrible attempt at covering up what I said about him being cute, but I think I just made it worse. 'Don't have sex unprepared'? What was I thinking? Eh, oh well. It was the first thing I thought of.

Sora just stared at me with an expression that said 'WTF?', but he just shrugged and said, "Come on, weirdo, time for dinner." I followed him inside with much relief.

After dinner, Sora and I went into his bedroom to play some video games. We talked about random things and ate loads of candy. "Hey, Sora, why is your hair always so spiky?" I asked him randomly while kicking his butt in some racing game.

"You know, I really have no idea. I think it's natural."

"Natural spikes? You don't use any kind of hair gel?"

"Nope, not at all. But you know, you're the first person to ever ask me that."

"Really? Sweet."

"Yes," apparently it was now Sora's turn to ask me a question. "What about your hair? Is it naturally gray like that?"

"Okay one: Not gray. Silver. There's a difference. Two: No, I don't, but I think Kairi does."

"Really?"

"Yeah, her hair is always redder every time I see her. You should ask her about it sometime."

"Okay, will do. It's your turn for a question."

"I wasn't aware we were taking turns questioning each other's lives," I said. It made Sora laugh a bit. I wanted to know if he liked me like I liked him, so I asked, "So do you like anyone here on good old Destiny Islands?"

"Well, depends on what you mean by like. Do you mean like a friend, or like a girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend," Or boyfriend.

He didn't answer right away, but when he did, he didn't sound very sure. "Um, yeah, actually there is someone I like like that." He was blushing a lot. So cute!

I tried to act really casual when I asked him who it was, "Really? Who?"

"Not telling yet, it's my turn to ask. Riku," he sounded like he was proposing or something. I wish. "Who do you like?"

Jeez, why did he have to make everything so difficult? "Answer my question, and I'll answer yours."

"Okay, fine. It's," Sora started to answer, but stopped.

"It's who?"

"Um, it's…Kairi," Sora confessed. Kairi. I should've known. It's always Kairi with him. Kairi this, Kairi that. Ugh. Oh well, I had to tell him who I like. Great. "So, Riku, who do you like?"

I thought of a plan that may or may not work. I was going to make him guess. "No one of coincidence, just someone I've known for a long time."

"Really? Do I know them?"

"Yeah, you two are really close."

"Um, is it Selpie?"

"Ew. No, of course not. And you know I don't like girls that way, anyway."

"Oh, yeah. Wakka?"

"No." This was going to be harder than I thought.

"Please tell me, Rikuuuu," Sora whined, and brought out the puppy dog face.

Oh no. I couldn't look. Sora's puppy dog face could make anyone give in to him. I turned away and said, "Well, I'm tired! I think I'll go to sleep now." I started pushing Sora off the couch, which was where I slept. "C'mon, Sora, up up up!"

Sora refused to get up, and said, "Riku, its 11:47. Since when do you go to bed before one?"

"Since now. Night!"

"But you haven't answered my question yet," Sora whined as he got up. I quickly got on the couch before he could sit back down, pulled my blanket over my head, and pretended to go to sleep. I heard Sora's footsteps as he made his way over to his bed.

I spent about 5 minutes thinking. I decided I would tell him who I was in love with tomorrow by the paopu tree. "Hey Sora?" Sora grunted, signaling he was still awake and listening to what I was saying. "Meet me by the paopu tree tomorrow at 11:30. I'll answer you then." I didn't get an answer back, but I knew he heard me anyway. I smiled to myself and slowly drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow.

I woke up around 9:45 the next morning. I went downstairs to get a shower, got dressed, had some breakfast, and headed out to the small play island that was home to the paopu tree I was to meet Sora at. By the time I got to the tree, it was 10:47. I had 43 minutes to kill before Sora got there, so I decided to escape the heat for a while by going to the secret place. I hadn't been there since the night the island was swallowed up by the darkness.

I made my way over to the small cave that reminded me so much of the childhood Sora and I had shared. We would play together on the island, slaying all the monsters from the secret place our active little imaginations could think of. Back then, I had Sora all to myself, and together, we had the secret place. It was the one place no one would go to, but us. We could be alone there, and that was just the way I liked it. Riku and Sora. Sora and Riku. Only us. That is, until Kairi came along. I scowled at the thought of the annoying little redhead that took away everything I had, and kept it for herself.

Ever since Sora and I found Kairi washed up on the beach, Sora would hang out with her. Not me. I tried to get my best friend back numerous times, but he would always say; 'Not now Riku, I'm playing with Kairi.' Those words made me angry, and every time he said them, I said something mean back to him. I was filled with jealously and hatred toward Kairi, but through the years, I learned to keep better control of myself.

When I was in the cool air of the secret place, I saw something that truly bothered me: a drawing of Sora and Kairi feeding each other paopu fruit. I hurt so much inside. I went over, and stared at it for five minutes. I finally got sick of looking at it, and picked up a rock. I angrily started to scribble all over Kairi's face in the picture. After a few minutes, you could only see Sora.

Even when I was done destroying the drawing, I still felt immensely angry. I dropped the dull rock I used on the wall of the cave, and searched for one that was razor sharp. I put it on my wrist, and in one swift movement, the sand I was kneeling on was soaked red with my blood. I sliced my wrist over and over again, and stared blankly at what I had done. I only felt one thing: stinging in my arm. I only saw one thing: crimson liquid pouring from my cuts. I only heard one thing: footsteps. Footsteps? Someone was coming. Who? I put on my biggest smile and looked over at the entrance of the cave, only to see the boy I loved standing there, staring in shock. "Hey, Sora," I said, still wearing that stupid grin.

"R-Riku…" Sora started to come toward me. "What did you do?"

"What does it look like I did?" I snapped, my silly grin gone. Sora winced at my words. "I was angry. I was angry and jealous of you and Kairi. I figured you two would be happier without me in the way." I chuckled.

"What do you mean, you idiot?" Sora screamed, tears falling from his beautiful deep sapphire eyes. "You didn't have to go and cut yourself! You're losing so much blood…."

My chuckle turned into an all-out maniac laugh. "I'm going to die, Sora. I want you to finish it. I should've died a long time ago. I'm a horrible person. Worthless. Kill me, Sora!"

"No! Riku, we have to get you to a doctor or something," Sora tried to lift me, but I was too heavy. "Come on!"

"No, I'm staying here. I'm staying here!" I was calm at first, but I soon started screaming. "If you won't finish it, I'll die of blood loss! Just leave me here!" By now, I was crying as well as Sora.

"Riku, please! You're crazy! I care about you. I don't want you to die. You're my best friend, please come with me!"

"No!" I struggled against him. I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay there and bleed to death. I kicked Sora, making him fall to his knees, summoned my keyblade, Way to Dawn, and stabbed myself.

As I slowly died, I smiled at a sobbing Sora. My best friend. The only one I ever loved.

My last words were, "I will always love you."

The next thing I knew –

Yes! EVIL CLIFFHANGER!

It hurt me terribly to write the end of this chapter...but it's not over! :D Yay!