hoshiko's note: sorry for the delay. personal issues popped up and as i warned, college comes into play. special thanks to Terranei Parker for always reviewing and stuff. means a lot to me. i'd like more reviews though.
this chapter is one of my personal favorites. it's more my normal style. hope u all like it too.
btw: this chapter is heavily influenced by passion/sanctuary and hikari/simple and clean. it's mainly cuz i just rebeat the games for the billionth time and it kind of happened.

Chapter 7

Sora was wondering if his luck would last much longer. Things at school had calmed down; though everyday the poor teen was followed by clubs begging for him to join their team. He had to turn them down. His studies were more important, and he knew his mother would kill him if he explained to her that he had to shove math aside as he went out to hit little balls with sticks. She would probably ground him. It did bother Sora, though, that he couldn't join a team like Riku and the others. Everyone, but him, was involved in some extra curricular activity. Okay, well, cheerleading for Selphie and Kairi wasn't something the brunette considered a sport, but he'd never tell them that. Those pom poms could become dangerous.

Turning over in his bed, Sora looked at his nightstand. It was a simple picture of the entire group of friends taken a few weeks before the island was swallowed in darkness. How different everyone looked shocked Sora. But it was how much he had physically changed that made him go off in his thoughts. Had he ever been that short? Did he really wear those shoes? His hair was still the same, however. That was something not even gravity or water could change. The teen had to chuckle as he looked at Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie. They hadn't changed all that much. Sure they grew and their voices changed, but their personalities were still the same as they were two years ago.

But it was how Kairi and Riku looked that really made Sora think back to how things used to be. Kairi was between the two boys with her hands behind her back smiling with her bright smile. Her hair was shorter and she looked so meek. Something had changed in the redhead. Somewhere along the line of having her heart put in Sora's, being left alone on the island, and being kidnapped again, the girl had shed her old shell. It was nice. Sora always had this feeling in the back of his head that Kairi had always agreed to go with Riku and Sora because it was a normal thing, not because she wanted to.

To Sora, Riku changed the most. While the two sat on the dark beach after defeating Xemnas, they sat in silence. They both had silently agreed to not go into in depth detail of all the battles and ordeals they had undergone. It was probably too painful for Riku. Sora half expected his boyfriend to become reclusive once home, but instead he had returned to his normal self. There was a humble side to him now, however. He could still be cocky in some places like sports and math, but he would never return to his old self.

"People change," Kaze told a young Sora long ago.

"Can they change back?" the boy asked with wide, naive eyes.

"It's pretty hard and most people change because they didn't like who they used to be," Kaze replied. "Soon, you'll change and grow up. It might mean you'll lose some friends along the way, but-"

"What?!" This scared young Sora a lot as he gripped his father's sleeve tightly. He began to dread such a thing ever happening, especially with his two friends. "I don't want to lose Riku and Kairi!"

Kaze chuckled. He ruffled his son's hair tenderly. "That might not mean you will. If you three are true friends, then you'll learn to stay friends no matter what. But who knows what'll happen when you change. You may want to get away from them more than anything or you'll just drift away."

The young Sora crossed his arms and huffed, "I'll never leave Riku and Kairi. We'll always be friends!"

The teenaged Sora had to smile at his memory. He may still be a bit slow on certain aspects and naïve in most areas; however, he still knew he had changed a lot. He felt stronger and a lot more confident. Could the same be said for Riku?

Sora sat up in bed. Something had hit him like ice water. His mind raced with questions that only one person could answer. Without thinking what time it was or the repercussions of what he was going to do, Sora pulled his jacket on and ran down the stairs.

"Sora?" Kaze was sitting in his recliner as his son thundered down the stairs. He muted the television. "Where are you going so late? You have school tomorrow."

Sora tried to stop quickly, but it was hard with socks on a hardwood floor. "Dad, you said people change, right?!"

"Yes…," Kaze replied slowly. He was a little wary of where his son was going with his words. He hoped his words weren't coming back to haunt him or something. He had read that such a thing will eventually happen when a child reaches their teen years. Was now the time? Oh dear…

"Can you change into someone else that you may still not like?" Sora asked. He too was a little unsure of where he was going with his thoughts. They were just spilling out a little too fast. He didn't think he'd run into his dad, but now was probably a good way to clear some things up before going to see Riku.

"Sure you can. We are constantly. You still are," Kaze explained. The father's thoughts drifted to wonder if this was about anything dealing with the two mysterious years. "Why?"

"So Riku can still change!" Sora exclaimed. He rushed to get his shoes.

"Whoa! Son, wait." Now, Kaze understood what was up. He grabbed a hold of Sora's shoulder to make sure the excited boy didn't escape somehow. "Just because you may not like who Riku has become does not mean you have the right to change who he is."

"But I'm worried he's unhappy," Sora said. He looked down at his feet, one with a shoe and one without. "We did some things while on our trip, and he might be hurt about it."

"Then get his mind off of those things," Kaze said. "If Riku wants to talk about these problems then he will eventually, especially with you. Pushing it on himself will make things more complicated. You know better than I do that Riku's a very difficult boy to understand. I've known that since you first brought him home."

"But…" Sora looked down sadly. Suddenly, all of that confidence was washed away by the uneasiness and concern he felt for Riku. "Can I really help him?"

"You have so far," Kaze said. "You really don't remember what Riku was like, do you?"

"What do you mean?" Sora looked up at his dad. How could he not remember how his best friend used to be?

"Well I'm sure to you he was a very different person than how your mother and I saw him. To us, when you left the room, Riku turned into an extremely uncomfortable person. He would become quiet and wouldn't keep eye contact for very long. He looked ready to tear his skin off," Kaze explained.

Sora tried not to laugh, but it escaped through his pursed lips to make an odd farting noise. Kaze raised an eyebrow at the sudden noise. He watched his son start laughing before him.

"That doesn't sound like Riku at all!" Sora bent over holding his stomach. An image of Riku pulling his skin off as he literally became small popped into the teenager's head. "Riku was never that way at all! Not even when we first met!"

"Are you okay?" a voice called.

A young Sora looked up. He was sitting in the sand, crying. The boy standing over him had short platinum blonde hair; it almost looked white. Wait, it was actually silver. That's quite a color he's got there. Not like Sora could say anything since his hair was so unruly that adults scolded him for his hygiene.

Sora looked away with a huff. "I'm just fine…"

"No you're not. You're crying." The boy squatted down next to him. "Did you get hurt?"

Sora didn't reply at first. He then shook his head. "No… I… I just…"

The silver haired boy waited for an explanation. He looked out at the ocean. The boy had seen Sora before around school. The hairdo was what caught the boy's attention.

"You're Sora, right?" the boy asked.

Sora nodded. "And…you're Riku, right?" The young Riku nodded with a bit of a surprised look. "Yeah…I've seen you around school. You're the rich kid, huh?"

Riku twitched. "Uh…yeah…but…" He looked down. "I don't like being called that…"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Sora wiped his eyes. "It's just that's what everyone at school says."

"Yeah, I know," Riku mumbled.

There was a tense silence between them that was broken only by the ocean. Sora shuffled a little bit. He then smiled up at Riku. "I was crying because I got picked on."

"You?" Riku looked over in shock. "I thought you were the popular and well liked kid around school. That's all I see is you with tons of other kids and laughing together."

"So? That doesn't mean I don't have enemies," Sora said.

"Then why did you get picked on?" Riku asked. He was a little surprised to hear these things from a stranger. Even though the two went to the same school and saw each other now and then, they had never spoken to one another.

Sora took a deep breathe. So far Riku had seemed cool. Whoever had said he was snobby was lying. This guy was nice. "You can't laugh…" After Riku assured the little brunette he wouldn't, Sora said, "I can't swim."

The ocean seemed to be laughing back at Sora. The little boy couldn't take that. He jumped up, fists at the ready, and tears brimming. "Yeah! That's right! I can't swim! A boy born on an island can't swim! Laugh all you want! Go ahead! Do it!"

"That's not something to laugh at, though," Riku said. He stood up and looked the boy in the eyes. "I can't ride a bicycle." The silver haired boy shrugged. "It's just the way things are. People are stupid, Sora. Don't listen to them."

Sora's eyes widened. He wasn't sure he could believe what he had just heard. Sure he had a lot of friends, but he knew not one of them would've stood up for him if they knew he couldn't swim. This boy, this strange "snobby" rich kid named Riku, had just made his chest swell with confidence in a matter of seconds.

Riku waded into the water a little bit. He then turned to face Sora and held his hand out an invitation to join him. "Come on. I'll teach you."

"But Sora," Kaze said, snapping his son back out of his memory. Wow, he had been slipping back into memories lately. "People always act different when they're with friends. What your mother and I saw was someone completely different. But Riku has changed a lot. Two years ago we knew he was a cocky and self-confident boy, but now he seems to be reverting back to that nervous child."

Sora clenched his fists. He turned towards the door. "I need to see Riku."

"It's ten at night. Will his parents be okay with that?" Kaze asked. He watched his son put on his other shoe.

Sora smirked over at his father. "I know ways to get in and out without being caught, dad. Weren't you a teenager once?"

Kaze smiled and turned back to his recliner. "See you tomorrow, Sora."

♥

"What…in hell Christ's name are you doing here?" Riku asked as he looked over at his boyfriend.

"How did you know I was here?" Sora asked, surprised. "I hadn't even gotten down off your balcony."

Riku smirked over his shoulder at the other boy. "I have my ways too, you know?"

Sora laughed nervously as he jumped down. He came into his boyfriend's bedroom with his hands behind his head. Even though he was nervous about what to say and where to go with his intention, but so far Riku was okay with the intrusion and the late time. The older teen sat back down at his desk. He was busy with homework, history most likely. That was the only class he had troubles with, but it was a secret Kairi and Sora knew of and no one else. He'd kill anyone else.

"So, what brings you to my place so late?" Riku asked. He smiled over at Sora, a witty remark forming in his mouth. "Did you really miss me that much or is this math related?"

Sora laughed sarcastically while taking his usual spot on the floor, his back against the bed frame. "No…it's…"

Riku turned in his chair. "What? Is something wrong?"

Sensing that Riku might over react if he didn't explain himself clearly, Sora quickly spilled his thoughts. "Do you like who you are right now, Riku?"

Well, that's an ice breaker. Riku stared at the brunette on his floor for a few seconds before he sighed. "It's better than what I used to be. What brought this on?"

"Well, I was just thinking back to how we used to be, and now you're so much different," Sora said quickly. He couldn't look at Riku just yet. Something in the older teen's voice felt like he was either offended or hurt, but probably both. Perhaps this wasn't the best idea Sora had thought of. "I was wondering if you were okay, that's all."

"Just because I'm different doesn't mean I'm unhappy," Riku replied with a smirk. "I have no reason to be upset right now. I'm with you, Kairi's still our friend, school is going along just fine, and my parents are leaving next week, just in time for the dance."

Sora blinked and snapped his head up. "Dance?"

"Yeah. You don't remember?" Sora shook his head making Riku roll his eyes. "I knew you wouldn't."

"Don't change the subject," Sora mumbled as he crossed his arms. So what if he forgot some silly dance at school?

"But what's the point of talking about this, Sora? I'm fine, really," Riku said. He stared at his friend seriously. "Sure, I still think of the things I did and what I could've done differently, but that won't change a thing. What I have now is what I want, and I like it." Riku stood up and went to stand in front of Sora. "We both went through a lot, and yet, we ended on the same conclusions."

"Of what?" Sora asked. He watched as Riku sat down next to him.

"Well, that even though darkness can be scary and stuff at times, it's needed in this world, just like light is," Riku started. "But you learned through your own way that even if you're not always there, that doesn't mean you'll be forgotten. I didn't…really understand that. Because we were always together I had control over knowing you would remember me."

"You thought I'd forget you?" Sora asked.

Riku rolled his eyes. "You didn't pick that up a year ago? I was pretty jealous of Donald and Goofy."

"Oh…oh yeah," Sora mumbled. He chuckled nervously. "But Riku, why did you feel you had to have control of that?"

Riku stared at Sora. He had a look in his eyes asking the boy if he was serious. "You really are slow with these things. And, here I thought I was cold and heartless."

"Riku!" Sora shouted.

"I don't mean literally!" Riku laughed. He pulled Sora into a hug, the brunette's head resting on his chest. "I meant that… I wanted control over it because I wanted control over you. I didn't want to even think that you no longer thought of me and that… all your attention was focused on someone else. You should know that I want you to look only at me."

Sora smiled and sat up so he faced Riku. "I never forgot about you. The entire time, I would wonder if you were here and if I was taking the right step towards seeing you again. I wasn't sure if I'd ever see your face again if I kept looking forward."

Riku looked down with a slight smile and maybe the start of some blush. He would be sure to hide that from Sora, though. That would only make his boyfriend get the upper hand and there was no way he'd let his brunette do that. "After what I did… I wasn't sure…if you ever wanted to see me again… I was such a stupid and- Ow!"

Riku looked over angrily. Sora had just hit the older teen very hard on the top of the head with his fist.

"If you put yourself down I'll keep hitting you!" Sora exclaimed. He crossed his arms and looked at Riku seriously. While sometimes the boy could look downright adorable when angry, but when serious, even Riku could get a little intimidated. "I don't like hearing you always putting yourself down. You're better than that, and I never once thought of in a bad way, so you should stop doing so too."

Sora's expression softened. He cupped Riku's face to make him look him in the eyes. The sneaky teen knew how much the older teen just could not resist the deep blue eyes and the closer they got, the more control Sora suddenly had on the situation over Riku.

"Please stop putting yourself down. It really makes me sad," Sora said softly.

Riku's face flashed red at the tone of Sora's voice. The boy thought curse words at those eyes and that voice, but he had to say something didn't he? "I'm sorry…but I don't see those wonderful qualities, Sora…"

"Well, I do." Sora pecked Riku on the lips. "I've always seen them since you first taught me how to swim to right this very minute. You should listen to me. That's why I'm here. I'm able to see those good qualities of yours that you can't see."

Riku smiled despite himself. It was probably an extremely corny situation, but all relationships needed a corny moment here or there. Suddenly an idea, one of the extreme corny kind, popped into Riku's head. He pet Sora's hair and said just as gently, "Why don't we go on a date this weekend."

That changed the roles of this situation in a heartbeat. Now, Riku was the one in control again. Sora was completely caught off guard. "A…date? Like a real one? But…"

"We've tired to go on them, but something always happens and we can't have time alone," Riku said. "Just the two of us, ya know?"

Sora fiddled with his shirt, suddenly nervous. "But…what would we do on our…date?"

"We'll do something simple, stupid," Riku laughed. "Dinner and a movie; the old reliable pattern."

Sora brightened considerably. "Yeah! Let's go see that new action movie!"

"Oh, thank you!" Riku said with a sigh. Sora titled his head in confusion. He was about to ask what was up when Riku replied first. "I was worried you'd want to see a romantic comedy… The most stereotypical movie anyone could go see on a date."

Sora punched Riku playfully in the stomach. "Oh, thanks! You're making it sound like I'm a girl or something!"

Riku laughed and looked away while rolling his eyes. "Well…!"

"Oh please! You have the long hair and girly features here!" Sora joked. The two began laughing loudly.

"Yeah right! You're the girly one and you know it!" Riku said.

Sora tackled Riku in a playful fight that only two male best friends could get into. "That's not true! I saved the worlds! I can't be girly!"

Riku laughed fully as he began to rough house with Sora. "Kairi helped saved the worlds, and she's a girl!"

"I didn't-"

There was a loud thump and soon footsteps. Sora quickly untangled himself from Riku and ran for the balcony. Riku hurried the boy along and barely managed to make it look like everything was normal as his father stormed into the room.

"What is all that noise, Riku?!" Yama roared.

Riku, now magically holding a magazine while lazily lying on his bed, looked over with a tired look to his face. "Huh? That came from outside. It wasn't in here… It was these kids from school."

Yama went to the balcony causing Riku to jump up in alarm. Had Sora gotten out of the backyard in time? The father looked around out the window and turned back to his son. The teen smirked at his dad, playing it off that everything was okay.

"Get to bed," Yama said as he started to leave.

"Oh, I'm going out on a date with Sora this weekend," Riku said. Yama stopped in his tracks. "I'll make sure we're not caught, okay. If anyone asks, it was just the two of us and we were going to be with Kairi, but she had other plans. I'll be careful."

It was a little while until Yama made to leave again. He didn't say goodnight or anything else. Riku didn't mind. Instead he got up to look at the internet for movie times. He knew that the week would be agonizingly long until Friday showed up. He just hoped to anyone that cared to spare him some humiliation that no one would see him and Sora on their date, or even worse, interrupt them.

Oh, but the worlds were never that kind to these two.