He had left and thought he could just walk back in - that no damage had truly been done. And maybe...just maybe he was right because destiny works all the tangles out in the end.

Destiny is something that Riku knows all about. He knows that it makes sure everything works out in the long run. Even so he can't quite get over his childhood friend and the deep love he has for him. After all the years that one feeling of love has always remained no matter how many relationships he's tried to forge or how many dates he's been on. It would always end the same. He'd never be able to fully enjoy the other person's company; his mind always carrying him back to the days he spent on the island with the one person he truly loves. Which is why he's concluded one thing over the years; he has to make that boy his again.

Not that they were ever a full-fledged couple, but it was never just friends either. Before Riku had to move it was as if they had a silent pact between their hearts and souls; they loved each other. Amongst their friends and family it would appear as they were just very close friends. They had grown up as kids together, it was to be expected. But when they were alone those feelings would morph into so much more that they could barely control themselves. This is why Riku wanted to take things further than "friends".

That is till destiny decided to shove him down a different road, one that didn't involve him being around the one person that meant more than anything to him. Although the plans his parents had made were in the workings for the past few years. They declared one night over dinner that they'd all be moving to Radiant Gardens where his brother, twin brother, was currently studying abroad. The news hit him like a punch to the gut and it'd be safe to say he wasn't happy about it, not that he'd stomp around and throw a fit. No, he'd keep the mask on and act as though nothing is wrong.

He moved without much of a word to anyone. The rumors and news spread like wildfire when he left, just as he thought. But to him that didn't matter, he knew he had to take care of himself. If he couldn't do that much he'd never be able to care for Sora properly. Riku moved with just that intent; study hard, find a good job, and return to Sora in due time. Of course, shortly after that they lost contact between each other. Naturally, he thought this to be his fault. He couldn't bring himself to try and contact the boy, he felt as though he had failed them both.

Loneliness is how it started. Of course plenty of people wanted to be his friends, but he missed the one person he wanted to be with; to hold, to laugh with, to be with him once more. He began to withdraw and stopped socializing. He focused on looking after the little brother he hadn't seen in what felt like forever, even though he tends to taunt the poor boy more than any other. Nonetheless, the task does the job to keep his mind off of the brunet he left behind so suddenly, if only for a little while. His love was renewed when he got a call from a good friend they both have in common, a girl named Kairi. She had been trying to get in touch with him for a while and she had very important news. The second Sora graduated he moved to Twilight Town and began working. From what she told him over the following weeks as he prepared to head out there; the boy had made a friend, as he called the other male, and they were roommates.

Seeing as how his brother and he where out of school as well, Riku made plans to fly out to Twilight Town. Of course to throw his parents and anyone else off his real purpose, he decided to bring his dear brother – falling under the hoax of taking a small vacation before jumping into either further schooling or work. And believe it or not, it worked. In a few short days the two boys were on a Gummi Ship for Twilight Town, ready for Riku to sweep the boy back off his feet.

Or at least it seemed so easy in his head; it would prove to be a little trickier.

(Loving)(Destiny)

"He works at Island Delights at the bar or as a waiter. I'll send you the addresses later. And Riku…?" Silence, signaling for her to continue, "Be gentle okay?"

Riku walks through the dimly lit streets of Twilight Town with his hands shoved into the pockets of his baggy blue pants. His short silver hair falls around his face, blue-green eyes scanning the area as he treads confidently. Making his way for a certain establishment he ignores the looks people give him. A small city like this allows everyone to have at least heard of everyone else and they're interested in the newcomer. Even so he has no problem striding inside of the restaurant that has its doors propped open.

With everything for his stay situated, the last thing on his list is to bring back dinner… and possibly catch a certain brunet while working. On his way to the bar to order he happens to hear a familiar voice. He glances over his shoulder just in time to see a whisper of bright blue eyes and spiky brown hair. Riku spins around immediately, hoping to stop him before he gets to the door, "Sora!"

The eighteen year old slows down to a crawl, just enough for him to look back towards the bar. Their eyes don't get a chance to lock as Sora casts his eyes to the floor. "Hey," is all he mumbles, barely loud enough for Riku to hear with the distance between them. Sora is out the door and just as Riku thinks he should run after him – the waiter grabs his attention.

"How may I help you?"

(Loving)(Destiny)

Throwing the door to his hotel room open, Riku carries in two plastic bags. He kicks the door shut behind him and listens to it as it locks back into place before continuing through the small entry way to reach a large room. Two medium sized beds are freshly dressed in white sheets, contrasting with the textured orange, brown, and red walls and tiled floor. The beds stick out from the wall to the left while to Riku's direct right is a door leading to a bathroom. Beside that are two sliding mirror doors closing off the closet for them to hang their clothes.

Riku merely sighs as he gets to the table in front of both beds, setting the bags down on top. The room is just how it appears when he had left. Their suitcases are beside their respective beds, untouched. The beds have no indentions or signs of use. The only thing out of place is where his brother went. Just as he goes to call for him the bathroom door opens.

Dressed down in a pair of dark blue sweat pants and a gray t-shirt, he's ready for dinner and bed – maybe even dinner in bed. Around his neck is a thick white towel as he continues to dry his rather long, silver hair off on. His own aquamarine eyes lock with Riku's, who raises an eyebrow; a silent question. "I got bored and you were gone for a while. I bet the food's cold too."

Riku turns back to the table, pulling out two medium sized containers. "No one said you had to eat it, especially since you didn't have to pay for it."

"Tch, I told you I would. You're the one-"

"You did. I just took it out of your wallet."

The younger male sits down on the end of his bed, eyeing his container and then his brother. "Did you see him?"

"Yeah…"

"And what happened?"

"We're going to see him tomorrow. Kairi already sent me the address." Riku sits down on one of the two wooden chairs with dull orange cushions. He begins to pick up one of the plastic forks and opens his container when he freezes.

"So he doesn't know we're coming… Don't you think you're going at this too quickly? Hmph and you say I'm the one that jumps in headfirst."

"Repliku-"

Said boy snatches up his own food and utensil, sitting on the bed. "Whatever, I'm just here so you don't have to tell the folks about Sora yet."

Riku sighs, aware that the statement is partially true. He could surely do this on his own, but he'd have to tell Sora something to. What better than being on a vacation with his brother? It was the reason he left Destiny Islands after all and until he can properly confess to Sora, that excuse would have to do. That and until he can find out about that roommate and exactly what he is to Sora – he won't know which direction to take anything.

They fall into silence save for the sounds from other rooms and their munching, settling into not talking until they lay down to go to sleep – both muttering a small 'good night' to each other. Except for Riku, who lies awake, thinking of what he's going to do.

(Loving)(Destiny)

The next morning finds both boys heading straight for Sora's apartment after a small breakfast. Riku wearing baggy jeans and a black, zip-up vest; left open at the collar. The other is somewhat of the opposite; tight dark jeans, white tank top, and a short black jacket. Nonetheless, the twins get quite a few glances as they make their way to the apartment complex Sora is living in. Riku made sure to lay the plan out carefully early this morning.

It's Sora's day off and, from Kairi's knowledge, he'll be home.

Riku, with Repliku right behind him, knocks on the dark red door with the golden twenty-two on it. Instantly, there's a response as Sora calls out to them, "Coming!" The mere sound of his voice sends Riku's heart into his throat – he wants to see the brunet far too badly. The door opens promptly and a large grin on the young man's face melts into a shocked expression, "R…Riku!?" Sora stares at him, completely overcome. "Is that… really you R-Riku?"

"Hey Sora, been a while." From behind him, Repliku rolls his eyes as he stubs the toes of one shoe against his brother's ankle. Riku takes it as a sign to introduce them, when in reality it was a warning from one brother to another – that he said the wrong thing. "This is Repliku, my brother. Repliku, this is Sora."

Quickly moving forward to distract from his brother's inadequacies Repliku grins down at the boy. "I've heard a lot about you, it's nice to finally meet the famous Sora."

The brunet perks up immediately, forgetting temporarily that Riku had left him so suddenly to begin with, "Really?"

"Of course, Riku never shuts up about you!"

By the time he finishes his sentence he's being lightly shoved to the side, Riku sending a glare his way – a silent warning that he's there to be seen and not heard. Sora doesn't notice as he hides the color on his cheeks by turning around, motioning for them to follow. "Come on in, my roommate is in his room so we can stay in the living room."

The room is a dirty white color with wooden floors, the furnishing being dark brown or black. Sora leads the two brothers to sit on the black couch while he sits down in the recliner of the same color. Riku looks towards Sora and goes to ask a question when Sora beats him to it. "You've talked to Kairi, huh?"

Riku nods, "How else would I have found you?"

The brunet lowers his gaze to the floor and it only shatters a part of Riku's confidence – did it truly hurt him that bad?

"So how's Twilight Town compared to Destiny Islands?" Repliku pipes up, breaking the uneasy air.

Sora grins big, the words spilling from his mouth like rainbows disguised as projectile vomit. "It's really great and completely different! I miss the Islands though, all my friends and family – but the people are really friendly. They even have this fighting tourney called Struggle; I'm really tempted to sign up for it!"

"And you have a roommate?" asks Repliku, ignoring the slight glare he gets from Riku for jumping straight to the target.

Even so, Riku watches as the look on Sora's face changes to one that says he's made a friend. Sora stands up slowly, giving a glance towards the hallway that leads to the bedrooms. "Mhm, his name's Vanitas. He showed up to Twilight Town after I did and he needed a place to stay. We've been roommates ever since!" He laughs lightly before moving towards the kitchen, "Do either of you want something to drink?"

"Water is fine," Riku says while Repliku gives a polite, "No thank you."

The second Sora has vanished into the kitchen Riku is up off the couch and following after him. From behind him he can only hear Repliku give a sigh. But Riku has a goal and he won't let anyone stop him now that he has a chance – one fleeting opportunity. He reaches the kitchen just as Sora is pulling a glass from a cabinet. Walking around the table and chairs, Riku stops just behind him.

"Sora…" he says softly, beckoning the boy. The brunet turns around slowly as he sets the glass on the counter. A smile lines his lips and it makes Riku frown – he can't tell if it's a real smile or not. So Riku moves closer, pinning him up against the counter. "I missed you, Sora."

Smiling sheepishly, he looks down rather than up into Riku's eyes. "I missed you too."

"I love you." Is the sudden statement as Riku softly grasps at Sora chin, tilting his head up. Still Sora can't look him in the eyes, setting for glancing off to the side. It hurts Riku, but he can see that his words seem to hurt the boy even more from the way the corners of Sora's eyes glisten. Hoping that his actions will speak louder than his words, the silver-haired boy leans down suddenly and presses their lips together in an act of deep passion.

And Sora doesn't resist, he only melts into the kiss as suddenly they aren't standing in Sora's kitchen in the middle of Twilight Town. In their minds they're back on the beach of their little island, lying on the warm sand as they share a kiss. The raw, unhindered love between them only grew in that one instant and as Riku pulls away; their minds come back to the present. They idle there for a moment as Riku caresses the side of Sora's face, his thumb running along Sora's jaw. In return the brunet grips at the front of Riku's vest, his lips quivering as he goes to say something.

"Would you get off of me!?"

Sora's lips seal tight at the sound from the living room where they had left Repliku, who had been the one yelling. His fingers smooth out against Riku's vest before lightly pushing him away. Hurrying around him, he does his best to not let Riku see the hurt on his face. Riku rushes out after him while taking a deep breath – only to skid to a stop behind Sora in the doorway.

On the couch is Repliku, shoved down against the cushions with a man atop him. Riku sees nothing but the black spiky hair and golden eyes as he rushes over to them. From behind him Sora's mutters something about 'Vanitas' and the man freezes, allowing Riku to grab at his shoulder. Vanitas is shoved backwards, barely hanging onto the back of the couch, as Riku grabs at Repliku's wrist. He drags his twin brother straight for the door as it opens automatically – stopping them for a split second. A young man with spiky blond hair and bright blue eyes charges past them, sparing Riku a 'hi'.

Riku mumbles back in return, "Hey Roxas."

Just as the door shuts is when Roxas gets to Sora, talking quickly, "Hey Sora do you want to go see Axel's band play?"

It doesn't take the two long to get back to where they're staying. And once they do they're both worn from the events. Repliku drops down onto his bed as Riku shuts the door to the hotel. The younger groans, "I hope you at least made some progress."

Not a word is said as Riku sits down on his own bed, lost in thought for a moment. He still can't think clearly. Of course he's sure that Sora still feels the same, that there's no way that him and Vanitas are together. Not with how the latter was with Repliku – and even that makes his blood boil slightly. Slowly he sighs, "He works tonight, only about an hour from now if the schedule Kairi gave me is right."

He stands up suddenly and heads for the door. Repliku shoots upright and goes to stand, "Hey where are you going?"

"You don't have to come."

Repliku hurries over to him, "Like hell I'm staying here bored out of my mind!"

"But you might run into that guy, Vanitas. It'd be safer if you just waited for me."

Catching the sarcasm in his brother's voice, Repliku's brows knit together as he stomps over to him. "I'm not afraid of him, he's harmless!" He stops and Riku glances at him over his shoulder, urging him to continue with what he was saying due to the blush on Repliku's face. "You might need me to bail you out since you're so pathetic."

Riku rolls his eyes as he opens the door. "Whatever you say… Let's go eat and then we'll go find Sora."

(Loving)(Destiny)

The two stride into Island Delights with Repliku moving to sit in a booth near the door. Riku, however, heads straight for the bar where he sees Sora wiping it down. He strides calmly and confidently as he gets up to it, Sora finally looking up and realizing it's him. "Can we talk?"

Sora visibly hesitates but manages to keep the smile on his face, "Uh yeah, I'll meet you out back in just a minute."

Riku walks back out the way he had come in. The second he's outside he heaves a breath, glancing back inside before turning to head for the side of the building. Between Island Delights and it's neighboring vacant building, Riku waits for Sora under the shadow of eaves. The side door to the restaurant opens up and Sora stumbles out, tripping over the cracked concrete step before righting himself and shutting the door. He brushes his hands over himself, having taken off the apron since he would be outside. As he moves towards Riku his body language screams uncomfortable and even has hints of fear – of what, Riku isn't sure

"Why are you here?"

"I'm here for you, Sora."

"But…why?"

Riku steps closer and reaches out for him, but Sora shrugs him off by leaning against the brick wall. "Because I love you," he says calmly – trying to be as gentle as possible.

The brunet gazes up at Riku with nothing but innocent love, "But why not earlier – why now?"

Getting closer, Riku pins Sora to the wall with his own body. One hand comes up to Sora's shoulder while the other lands on his cheek. Riku smiles down at Sora, the act a mixture of happiness and sorrow. "I left to better myself. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to study at a more advanced school. I did it so in the end I could do anything for you." His hand draws closer to Sora's mouth, where his thumb brushes over Sora's bottom lip. "I can't not love you or deny what we shared."

Sora's cheeks tint pink at the memories of them curled against each other, giving one another more than just love and lust – but something much more pure. His words die on his tongue as Riku dips his head down and their lips meet; soft, gentle, like brushing flower petals against ones lips. Riku chuckles before he allows a kiss to happen, "This is all so stupid." Sora swallows hard as Riku leans their foreheads together. "If I had known you moved after I did, I would have tried harder – sooner."

"You just left… left and I was hurt Riku! I didn't know what to do so I did everything I could to try and go after you. But… it was like you didn't want to be found."

"Sora…"

"Kairi found you though…"

Riku pulls away and yanks Sora to him, holding the brunet in his arms as he brings a hand up into Sora's hair. He blinks away any tears that gather at the corners of his eyes and tilts Sora's head back. Leaning down swiftly, he crashes their lips together as he mumbles to him, "I'm sorry…"

(Loving)(Destiny)

The wind caresses their bare arms as they sit together. Riku sits on the curve of the paopu tree with Sora lying along the length of it, his head in Riku's lap. He can't resist as he looks down at Sora's peaceful face, a knot of worry and fear growing in the pit of his stomach, while he brushes his knuckles along the curve of Sora's jaw. The gentle touch stirs Sora from his nap. He brings a hand up to his eyes and rubs at them, slowly sitting up and looking at Riku, his face puckering.

"Riku, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing Sora, everything will be okay."

"I'm not oblivious, I know something's wrong."

Riku sighs, "Don't worry-"

"I will until you tell me! We…I… I love you Riku, which means I want to help you if you're hurting."

The brunet watches as Riku holds onto the bark of the paopu tree, head lowering and allowing the bangs to cover his eyes. "My family is leaving the islands in the morning."

Sora jumps off of the tree and stands in front of Riku, eyes wide but full of courage. "Then you can come stay with me, Mom won't mind."

"I'm leaving the islands in the morning… it's already been decided."

"But… why didn't you tell me? We should have talked about it and figured out a plan. We should have-," Sora stops suddenly and inhales sharply. Something seems to click into place for him and Riku is suddenly worried. The brunet's shoulders slump and he gives a shaky exhale as he backs up, already turning to leave. "Never mind… I mean we're just friends anyway."

Riku sits there, the words slamming into his chest like a pile of bricks. His brain has to reboot before he realizes that Sora is already down to the beach, nearing the docks where their boats are tied. Riku slips off of the paopu tree and dashes for the bridge. Just as he gets to the middle of it he realizes he won't make it if he takes the normal way. So instead he crouches before jumping off the side, bending his legs at just the right moment to absorb the impact as he hits the sand below.

The water rushes up the shore as he dashes for Sora. Just as the boy gets to the dock Riku grabs at his wrist, stopping his tread. "Sora wait, please!"

Sora turns around and shakes his head, yanking his arm away from Riku. The tears in his eyes begin to drip down his cheeks as he pushes Riku back, using that spare time to drop down into his boat and push away from the dock – dropping the rope into the bottom of the boat. Riku struggles to right himself as he dashes to the end of the dock, grabbing ahold of the boat as Sora is paddling away. But Sora is stronger than he looks and Riku has nothing to grab onto for leverage, allowing Sora to paddle harder and slip from his grasp

As the wood leaves his fingers, Riku stumbles forward and just as Sora gets further away he drops into the water. His knees hit the sandy bottom as the water rushes up to his thighs, chilling him even in the warm summer air. He can only stare after Sora as he puts as much distance between them as he can – only able to think that for now maybe this is the best.

(Loving)(Destiny)

Pulling back, Riku looks at Sora with a deep frown on his lips. "I'm sorry I left. I should have said something – sooner, more." His hands slip away from the brunet and down to his hands, holding them loosely. "I was scared that if I did, it'd mean I would be ending it all."

Sora pushes away from him, trying to get away as his heart beats heavy in his chest. "Y-You did that anyway."

The brunet reaches the sidewalk just as Riku grabs his wrist. Both boys stop automatically at the sight of two males. The tall redhead takes a step closer to Sora and in front of the shorter, dark blue haired boy he was walking with. "Sora, everything okay?"

Riku lets Sora go, "You'll never know how sorry I am Sora."

He walks around the small crowd and begins back toward the hotel – completely forgetting that Repliku is sitting inside still. But he can't be bothered with it, he can only keep moving straight for the hotel. His walk is silent and full of hollow thoughts because he only believes he was better off far away from the man he loves. As soon as he's back to the hotel he retrieves his suitcases and opens them out on the bed. In a daze he moves about the room, packing all of his belongings back into the small containers.

It's not until he's practically done that the door to the hotel jiggles before swinging open. By the time it's closing, Repliku stands in the room with Vanitas right behind him. The younger twin looks beyond a little winded, if not slightly frightened. But Riku doesn't question it nor does he get the chance to. Repliku catches his breath immediately, "What are you doing?!"

"We're leaving, so I'm packing."

"You can't leave. Get your ass back down there and tell him you love him! Or are you just a fake? Because you certainly aren't acting like yourself."

Riku narrows his eyes, slamming the top of his suitcase down. "Shut up Repliku, and get him out of here."

From his spot leaning against the door, Vanitas laughs. "From everything Sora told me about you, I thought you were better than this. But I guess you're just a big cry baby."

"What are you even doing here?"

Repliku cuts off both his brother's question and Vanitas' sarcastic remark. "Sora told Vanitas all about you and asked for advice. So Vanitas told him to test you if you ever came back. So if you don't get want to prove this jerk right, you'll get down there and tell him you'll never leave!"

He stands there for a moment, letting it all sink in and register in his brain. But that's all it takes and Vanitas shoves away from the door and Repliku steps to the side. Riku bolts through the hotel as the door swings shut. The time it took him to get to the hotel is cut in half as he makes his way back to the restaurant. And in no time at all he's skidding to a stop in front of the door, doubled over with his hands on his knees as he tries to catch his breath.

Once he straightens up, he opens the door to the restaurant. Not many patrons occupy the front booths save for two young girls beckoning their waiter. Riku watches for a moment as Sora slips around the side of the bar and pulls out a pad and pen, heading straight for them. The smile on the brunet's face masks any other possible emotion as he chats with the two brunettes. Riku slowly moves closer until he's right in front of Sora, where he drops to one knee.

The girls turn their attention to him and so does Sora, but only as Riku grabs at one of his hands – letting the pad and pen drop onto the table. "I'll never let anything get between us again. I want to be with you, Sora."

A blush decorates Sora's cheeks as he smiles. "Stop being so embarrassing and stand up."

Riku chuckles as he stands up, twining his fingers with Sora's as he dips his head down. Their lips brush and Riku reminds himself of where they are. "I'll never leave you again, even if you run away."

Leaning up, Sora presses a kiss to Riku's cheek, "And I'll always welcome you back."

The giggling of the girls seems to bring them both back to reality and Sora blushes further. He goes to push away from Riku only to be pulled closer. Riku holds him close and glances over at the girls before returning his eyes to Sora's. "Would you like to move to Radiant Gardens with me?" Sora nods quickly and before he can back away, Riku captures his lips.

u v u As per a Kiriban Request over on DeviantArt - the second chapter. Enjoy~