Author's Ranting: whee another chapter...finally got to write it! (I had this friggin writer's block....grr...)

So...Kairi's out of the way (for now at least) and now it's time for Riku and Sora to confess, right? So... GO RIKU GO! *dances around like a silly cheerleader* ahem...whoops...guess I should stop drinking so much coffee....O_o

Anywayz ignore my random rambling and read the story! ^^

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Sora was hunched over his chair as Riku knocked on his door. He'd just woken up and was a little groggy, it was only five in the morning after all.

"Come in.." he muttered, absently rubbing his eyes while he tried not to fall down from the chair.

Riku entered and smiled, his smile almost blinding Sora. It was brighter than the sun, it was brighter than anything else Sora had seen in his life.

"...what?" The younger boy asked as Riku's smile didn't falter. It was almost a little scary...

The silver-haired plopped down on Sora's bed and twiddled his thumbs, his smile still sending blinding rays.

"Guess what." He said, unable to hold back his good mood.

Sora yawned and shrugged. "What?"

Riku chuckled and shook his head. "I said guess." He could be so difficult. He knew exactly that Sora wasn't good with guessing and especially not when he just woke up. His brain wasn't working yet.

"Come on, Riku..." Sora whined but Riku shook his head. The younger boy pouted, trying to look really angry so Riku would be afraid and tell him what had happened though Riku just chuckled and stuck out his tongue.

"Nah that's not going to work, Sora. You know you're way too cute to look angry."

Sora pouted even more, looking impossibly like an infant and blew out his breath noisily.

"Ok I'll guess....you beat up Tidus until he was crying?" It was a random guess, he wasn't in the mood for thinking. Riku laughed but shook his head.

"You beat up Wakka until he was crying?" He shook his head again.

"Selphie until she was crying?"

Riku frowned. Why did Sora think he had to beat someone up until they were crying to be happy?? Couldn't he have a normal reason to be happy?

"What's with you and beating up people? I'm not like that..."

Sora yawned again and rested his head on the armrest of the chair. He was kind of curled up in the seat, his hands holding on to the armrest while his head lay on them. It was funny how someone could sit like that in a chair and be comfortable with it.

"Then teeeeeellllllll meeee." Sora whined, again sounding like a five year old. His baby blue eyes pleaded at Riku, having that sad puppy look.

The silver-haired sighed and leaned back to lie down on the bed he'd been sitting. His arms over his head, he sighed, contently.

"It talked to Kairi."

Silence.

Sora was still curled up in the chair, not moving. Riku didn't move either. He waited for Sora's response.

After not getting any he sat up again to look at the younger boy.

"...Sora?"

No response.

"Sora? Hey..." He stood and walked over to his friend, poking him slightly.

"Sora? Hello?"

The young boy was snoring again, his lips slightly parted, making Riku shake his head with a smile. He envied Sora for this ability. Sora was always able to sleep, no matter in what situation, he could always fall asleep and sleep like a baby. Unlike Riku who was always the last to fall asleep and the first to wake up.

But he decided that this wasn't a good time for sleep and pushed Sora down from the chair, making him fall to the ground.

"Whoops.." He hadn't intended to make him fall, he just wanted to wake him.

The younger boy didn't seem to mind and continued sleeping on the floor.

"Oh come on that's not funny." Riku muttered and shook Sora slightly. He was having the feeling that Sora just pretended to sleep. It was impossible to sleep like that.

"Sora I'm warning you. If you don't open your eyes right now I'll be forced to..."

He paused to think. Forced to do what?

It was then when he noticed that adorable expression on Sora's face again. He remembered the time he first woke up beside him, seeing that innocent face that always made him smile. If cuteness hurt Sora would be screaming in pain. He was cuteness in person.

Bending down to the sweet lips he placed a little kiss on them, smiling as he pulled away.

And just like in the fairy tales, Sora opened his eyes, smiling at Riku just as though he'd been waiting for this.

"You did that on purpose..." Riku muttered.

Sora gave him his most innocent look and Riku couldn't help but 'awww' like Selphie. ...wait, that's scary...

After Sora was finally fully awake Riku told him what happened between him and Kairi.

"So she isn't going to kill us?" Sora was relieved. He had seen Kairi's anger and didn't want to see it again. But he was worried about her. The sudden understanding was a little weird...was she planning something?

"Don't worry about it. For now we should be safe..and happy." Riku smiled once again and Sora wondered if his cheeks would start to hurt from all the smiling. He also wondered why Riku was so happy about it. Sure, he was happy too but Riku seemed to see more behind this. Sora wondered what it was.

"When did you go to sleep? It's only five in the morning and you're knocking on my door?" He asked in order to find out if there was anything else Riku knew.

The silver-haired shrugged and twiddled his thumbs again.

"I've been out the whole night. Talking to Kairi and then...I was thinking." Riku had been sitting on the Paopu tree the whole night, thinking of a way to tell Sora that he was in love with him. He wasn't sure whether Sora was feeling the same so he didn't know how to make it sound neutral enough to not scare him away and truthfully enough for him to understand what it meant. Since Riku was never able to sleep very long he stayed up the whole night thinking and surprisingly he wasn't tired at all. Maybe it was the tension that kept him awake.

The sudden warmth of another body ripped Riku out of his thoughts and he felt two arms from behind snaking around his waist. The breath of Sora tickled his neck as he felt the younger boy hugging him.

"What were you thinking about?" Sora asked, titling his head to the side so he could see Riku.

His friend turned his head to smile at Sora and gave him a peck on the lips.

"Us."

Sora pulled away and blushed. He then let go of Riku and crawled onto his lap, looking at him questioningly.

"What...do you mean?" He frowned.

Riku sighed. Though he had spent the whole night thinking he hadn't thought of anything good and before he thought he'd get frustrated he walked back to Sora. Maybe he could just tell him and wait for his reaction.

But how would it work? They were just sitting here and should he suddenly say 'I'm in love with you'? Would that make sense? Riku wanted to wait for the right moment.

"Um...I'll tell you later. How about we go out and watch the sunrise?" He suggested and Sora beamed.

"Cool! We could try and catch some fish! They're always near the shore at this time."

Riku chuckled and nodded. Sora was so easily excited. You could make him happy with the silliest little things.

~~~

The whole island was still sleeping except for two boys running along the beach, their footprints leading to the water.

"I bet I can catch more!" Sora called, running towards the water.

Riku smirked and also ran towards the water, much faster than Sora.

"In your dreams!"

They both sprinted towards the sea, Riku still much faster than Sora but only until Sora tackled his friend and they both landed in the water.

"What was that for?" Riku gasped as he tried to get Sora off himself or else they'd drown but Sora just grinned and wrapped his arms around Riku.

"I felt like it." He shrugged and leaned down, intending to kiss Riku but before their lips met a huge wave came and washed them away. Sora grimaced as he gulped down some salt water and Riku smirked. As they crawled out of the water they realized that the wave had washed them to a little cave near the pier. Water drops that dripped down from above fell on Riku's hair making them shimmer and reflect the first rays of the sunlight coming up.

"I never knew there was a cave like this here." Sora murmured, looking around with big eyes. Riku nodded and plopped down on the damp ground, crossing his arms. The younger boy carefully sneaked around, exploring the little cave they'd landed in. He had a strange feeling inside his heart though he had no idea why. He was alone with Riku in a beautiful little cave that nobody knew, the upcoming sun was lightening it step by step... He briefly turned his head to see Riku watching him with a smile. But instead of asking why he was watching Sora grinned and turned back to explore the cave further.

The silver-haired sighed quietly and rubbed his temple. Now could be a good time to tell him. Or not? At least they were alone and nobody could disturb them so it could work.

"Hey look what I've found!" Sora's child-like voice called in excitement.

Riku lazily turned around to find Sora holding something that looked like a flower but it was hard as a rock.

"What do you think this is?" he asked, shoving it into his face.

Riku frowned slightly and thought for a while. He had seen this before...

Sora peered at his friend's face and waited for an answer, Riku was looking like he was thinking so there was definitely something coming out.

But Riku didn't say anything. He just kept frowning as if thinking and Sora pouted slightly, thinking himself. Somehow Sora thought it was familiar, this flower made of stone. He just couldn't remember why he knew it and what it was.

The sun was now fully visible and lightened the cave in a beautiful orange-yellow light, the damp ground reflecting every bit of light making the whole cave twinkle like it was made of diamonds. In the middle sat Sora and Riku. Riku was holding Sora's hand in his while Sora held the flower.

~~~

"Look, look! I found this stone next to the door in the cave!" a five year old Sora was holding a twinkling stone in his hand, showing it to his best friend.

"Wow it looks like a diamond! Can I have it?" Riku asked, his eyes wide in excitement.

Little Sora thought for a while and nodded. "Okay. Here. But only because you are my bestest friend!" Sora grinned.

Riku smiled and nodded.

----

"Sora, remember the stone you gave me?" Three years later Riku and Sora were sitting on the Paopu tree.

"You mean the one from the cave?"

"Yeah. I.." Riku hesitated. But then he dug in his pocket and took out a flower-shaped thing, twinkling in the sunlight.

"I made this for you..." Nine-year-old Riku took Sora's hand and placed the flower shaped stone in his hands.

Sora stared in awe.

"That's...cool..." He stuttered in amazement.

"Don't tell Kairi. I know she is new here and we have to take care of her. But don't show her this. This is just for you and me, okay?"

Sora nodded.

~~~

Riku now remembered what this thing was. He had kept it as a treasure as they were little kids. When Kairi came and Riku started to feel forgotten he made a special present for his friend to remind him that they were still friends. He remembered, he had spent months on making that stone look like a flower and he often got frustrated because it didn't look like he wanted it. But the thought of giving it to Sora made him continue until it was done.

Sora also started to remember. He knew that he had seen the flower before and now he remembered who gave this to him when he was little. Riku had given it to him and because he didn't want Kairi to see it he hid it in a cave. After time he must have forgotten it since he didn't even remember the cave.

Both boys smiled slightly and turned to face each other.

Riku's eyes locked with Sora's, memories of an old friendship flowed through the cave. It was just like then, just like the time they had been kids. Only the two of them and nobody else.

"S-Sora.." Riku began. The younger boy smiled and looked at the flower in his hand.

"Sora...I'm...I think..." Riku stammered out but he forced himself to do it now. Now or never.

"I think I'm in love with you."

Blue eyes immediately flickered up and stared at Riku. The stare was so intense that Riku felt his lungs tighten so that he couldn't breathe anymore. Had it been wrong to tell him?

Sora tensed, Riku could see it, and opened his mouth slightly.

"...w-wha..what?"

Riku sighed and lowered his gaze to face the ground. He felt that lump in his throat that prevented him from breathing and talking, his heart was racing and he bit his lip so hard it almost hurt.

Should he repeat what he'd just said or did Sora just ask because he wished he had misunderstood him? Before his thoughts deepened, his mouth opened again.

"I'm in love with you, Sora."

~Tbc~

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Ending notes: Cliffhanger! *grin* Well at least Riku confessed, eh? And what about Sora??? ...we'll see in the next chapter! Err and sorry this chapter took so long, I just couldn't get anything done... But since it's here now and you hopefully read it....review pleaaaaaase ^_^