This chapter is written from Sora's POV.

Enjoy! We'll find out more about Tidus in the next chapter.

Sora awoke to find himself on the hard ground of Riku's cave, in said lover's arms, with an annoying amount of light and chirping.

"Stupid birds, it's too early to be making noise."

The boy was quite content in Riku's arms to just lay there, nice and warm. He had no particular interest in leaving this spot… ever. Riku was still out cold and didn't respond to any nudging from the boy. Sora decided to wash up in the pond he'd noticed on the way up the hill before his lover woke. In case he took too long, Sora pulled a piece of chalk from his discarded pants and wrote a message on the ground.

Riku,

I smell. BRB. Love Sora.

He wasn't much of a romantic, but that was good enough for Riku (who would have used far more… eloquent language). Knowing that it was still possible, however unlikely to run into some villagers, Sora wore his clothes down to the little pool as a precaution. He washed his hair first, rinsing out pebbles and dirt that had gotten trapped in there. Sleeping in a romantic, secluded cave was great, but one blanket underneath and one above was not exactly comfortable. Next time, there would be a bed or else…

He was so distracted by his own filth and grime, that he didn't notice as Riku snuck in behind him until his arms were around the boy's waist, their bodies pressed close together.

"That wasn't very nice now Sora. Nobody should ever have to wake up alone the night after their honeymoon (for lack of a better term)." He trailed kisses down Sora's neck as the two melted together. Riku was obviously still in a frisky mood, but his lover was quite sore from the previous night's activities… and that hard ass floor.

Sora stopped him with a simple peck on the lips. They stared into each other's eyes and Sora's flashed a twinge of pain. He didn't want to stop, he wanted Riku forever, but his body was screaming not to continue this any further.

"Damn it Sora I told you to tell me if I was too rough! You're too nice for your own good."

"It wasn't anything I couldn't handle…"

"It's not about whether you can take it or not Sora. You shouldn't ever have to feel any pain… that's why it's pleasurable… because it isn't painful."

Sora had no words, so he just hugged close to Riku and the two proceeded to get cleaned up. Sora had wanted Riku to have the honeymoon of his life because the older boy would be heading out to several other worlds on business for the next week or so. The separation was likely to kill them both, but Sora didn't want his lover to regret anything from that one night at least.

"It's time for me to be heading off." Now fully dressed, the two embraced once again with a searing kiss as tears ran down Riku's normally rigid face. He had expected the Paupu to force Sora to match his love for the younger boy, but he hadn't expected it to amplify his own emotions as well. The young couple stood on top of the cliff overlooking the sea for several minutes, neither letting go of the other. It was Sora that pulled away first.

"I guess you'd better get going then. I love you Riku, have a safe trip."

"I'll be back for you Sora. Everytime. I love you too."

Sora woke from a long nap a few hours later with tears still fresh in his eyes. This was worse than any pain he had ever imagined or experienced in all of his adventures. He didn't leave his room the rest of the day.

He woke the next morning still feeling the absence of Riku's departure and wishing even more that he hadn't decided to take that stupid mission for the King. He could at least have postponed it as a gift to the couple, but I guess evil doesn't wait for this type of thing.

After several hours of tossing, Sora gave up going back to sleep and started thinking of nothing but Riku. Somewhere in the process, Tidus' name slipped itself in. They were supposed to meet up a few days prior, but he hadn't shown. He started to think about the events of the previous week with nothing better to occupy his time.

Riku had been gone for almost a year now, in which time, Sora and Tidus had become incredibly close friends. They had sleepovers and watched movies, made fun of Selphie from time-to-time, and enjoyed Sora's mom's five star cooking. She approved of a friend like Tidus over that selfish, over-confident Riku that had haunted her household since early childhood. It was her opinion that he was a bad influence and had never really done anything for Sora's self-esteem issues. Quite frankly, he had never been able to beat Riku in… well, anything and that led to a bit of an inferiority complex for some years.

They never spent time at Tidus' house, saying that he was having issues with his dad, known across the island for being a drunkard. Some days, Sora would find Tidus crying under a palm tree with a fresh bruise on his face or wrist. It was then his job to cheer the crying youth up with an incredibly lame joke, face, or whatever else it took to pull him out of his funk.

The week before, Tidus had told Sora to meet him at their usual spot by the Paupu Tree for an important meeting. He had said that it was more important than life-or-death and he'd punish Sora if he didn't show. The boy spent the rest of his week wondering what it could possibly be about and would only get tickled or picked on if he asked for hints. Sora had been early to the meeting spot so he could set up a trap to pay Tidus back for his shadiness, but someone was even earlier that day.

"Ri… ku…. RIKU!!"

Sora jumped into his arms, giving him the biggest hug of either of their lives. They had always been close that way, but Sora hadn't read any deeper into the situation.

"Sora, I missed you so much. I thought of you almost every day and made it my goal to come back to this island. Back to you."

"Riku… welcome home, I missed you too."

"There was a time where… where… I almost didn't make it. I didn't want to vanish with regrets about my life and what-ifs. The thought of you helped me survive and completing one last dream of mine. Sora, will you share the Paupu with me?"

"Th-The Paupu?! Riku that's for people in love. You aren't… ummm… in love with me… are you?"

"Sora, it binds two people together for all of eternity. The fruit is a way for me to always come back to you no matter what. If you love me, then I will love you in return. If you think of me only as a friend, then we'll be the best friends."

"I… need some time Riku. I'm not ready for all of that."

The boy sat down and stared out across the ocean. Riku was his best friend and he wanted to make him happy right? He wanted Riku to keep coming back right? So this should be a no-brainer, right?

There was several minutes of silence while Sora tried to come up with a way to stall his friend for more time when Riku spoke up again.

"Sora, I'm leaving tomorrow for a little while, I won't know for how long. Please Sora I'm begging you. I promise that I'll never ask you for anything ever again."

"Okay Riku. I'll share it with you."

The rest as they say is history. One bite of the sacred fruit and Sora had eyes only for Riku. He had forgotten that his best friend wasn't always at the center of his every thought. It seemed strange now that he had ever felt differently than he did at this exact moment.

Even stranger, he had completely forgotten about his new best friend Tidus in the process for several days! Why hadn't he come that day? Where was he now? It was very unlike Tidus to be mysteriously absent from his life for this long.

Giving into his curiosity, Sora finally got the energy to get out of bed and actually do something. He would begin the search for Tidus and he wouldn't give up until he found him. Or until Riku came home. Whichever came first.

XD

Please Review… to be continued!