I was gonna put this note at the end of the chapter but it doesn't feel right with how I ended it, kind of feels like it would take away from that ending to immediately jump into an author's note. I just want to say really quick, I know Kairi isn't super present here, and maybe giving up kind of easily. Before anyone jumps on the critique train, the thing is, I never intended for Kairi to stick around more than that. I always knew I wanted her to play a major role in Sora's life, but that was more from a far. I honestly don't even remember what I was originally thinking when I brought her to where Sora lives. And I know that I probably could have cut it from the story entirely, but when I thought it over, it seemed important that I keep it. Kairi is very important for Sora and Riku's growth as characters, and I don't think I'm finished with her role in the story just yet, but I don't want her role to be so big that she becomes more important than she actually is.

I think that's all I have to say on this. Please, go ahead and enjoy the chapter now XD

Riku's eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat. Had he heard that right? Was Sora really asking if he had almost died? Immediately all Riku could think of was when he was a kid, when Sora had…

He shook his head suddenly, he couldn't think about that right now. He tried to think quickly of what to say as he force a smile onto his face.

"Of… Of course not Sora, that thing didn't even have a chance to try and attack you. Besides, Dream Eaters are practically harmless, only the strongest ones can kill you, and that's just by giving you a dream so terrifying that it causes a heart attack. And those Dream Eaters are so rare that-"

"Riku." Sora said firmly, interrupting Riku's ramblings. Riku took a deep breath, looking down at him guiltily.

"When I was a kid Riku..." Sora started softly, sitting up in his bed and throwing his legs over the edge as he pulled at Riku's shirt so he would get down on his knees. Once he was finally on his level, Sora placed his hand on Riku's cheek, rubbing it with his thumb. "When I was a kid, did I almost drown? Did I almost die?"

Riku's eyes slid closed as he let his head drop.

"Yes…" He practically whispered, though Sora still managed to catch his response, and his brows pinched together. "I fucked up… You weren't supposed to… I didn't know, I just-..."

"Hey." Sora said gently, placing his other hand on Riku's cheek and lifting his head so he could look him in the eye. A small smile came to his face as he looked down at him. "It's okay. It's not a big deal, I just wanted to know."

"Is that what it made you dream about? When you almost died?" Sora slowly nodded in response and Riku couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

"I'm sorry. That couldn't have been a good experience." He said, looking off to the side guiltily. He felt it was his fault that Sora had the dream in the first place. It was his job to keep those things away from him, but he had ended up taking a short nap himself since he hadn't sensed any danger. Then he had been suddenly jolted awake by a loud ringing and pain in the back of his skull. He'd nearly jumped out of his skin when he realized what was happening.

"It's okay, I had it a few times before, it just wasn't very clear then. I'm kind of used to it at this point." Sora said as he ran a hand through Riku's hair, hoping to comfort him, but Riku only cringed at his response.

"You shouldn't have to be used to it though, that's not right Sora." Riku said, looking up at him, pain and guilt shining clearly in his eyes. Sora felt a tug in his chest and he leaned forward, pressing his lips to Riku's forehead for a moment. He then moved so his forehead was resting against Riku's and he was looking into his eyes.

"It's fine Riku, I'm not the first person to have a reoccurring nightmare, and I certainly won't be the last. It's not a big deal, so don't worry about it." Riku stared at him for a moment. He seemed… uncertain to say the least, but there wasn't much else Sora could think to say that might clear his conscience.

To say that Riku was just "concerned" after that incident would be an understatement. He was insanely more attentive to me, and he started looking more and more exhausted everyday. I wasn't so sure he was even sleeping anymore, and I was starting to seriously worry myself. It wasn't healthy, he needed to rest, but I wasn't sure how to get him to do that.

I hadn't seen Kairi for a couple days either. All I could figure was that my snapping at her had gotten through to her and she decided to back off. Though, I couldn't help still feeling bad about the way I had spoken to her before. I never had much time to think about the way I had left things with her though, not while Riku was being so reckless…

Sora sighed as he bent over the basket he was working on, he felt drained today, physically and mentally, he just didn't have it in him to keep working right now. For once he felt thankful for the fact that he worked by himself in the largest department in the store. It made it difficult for people to notice when he was slacking off, especially management, who hardly checked on him at this point.

"Hey, are you okay?" Someone said from beside him, and he popped up, looking over to find Kairi standing there, looking at him worriedly. Her long, red hair was pulled over her shoulder in a braid and she was dressed in a pink sundress that came to her knees with flowers embroidered on it.

He blinked in surprise and slowly nodded in response.

"Yeah, I'm alright, just tired." He mumbled, and Kairi slowly nodded in understanding. They quickly fell into an awkward silence, both unsure of what to say next.

"Look, Kairi, I-"

"Sora, I just-" They started at the same time, both blushing a bit and looking away from each other.

"Sorry, you go first." Kairi said, making Sora look back over. She looked uncomfortable.

"No, you should-" He began to say, though Kairi gave him this look, like she was silently telling him to not even try arguing with her right now. So he didn't.

"I just… I wanted to apologize for the other day. I didn't mean to snap at you like that. It's just, you kept pushing me for answers, and I got frustrated and defensive, and I didn't know how else to get my point across." Sora said slowly. It didn't sound like much of an apology in his own opinion, but he wasn't about to apologize for telling the truth.

Kairi smiled at him and shook her head in response. "No, you had every right to bitch me out like that. I hurt you, and I should have realized sooner just how badly I had treated you. That's actually why I came here..." She said, letting out a breathy chuckle as she stepped closer to Sora. "You're right, I don't deserve you, I never did." She let out a broken laugh as she turned her eyes to the floor.

"Kairi that's not-"

"I saw you the other day," She started, interrupting Sora as she quickly looked back up at him, her normally ocean blue eyes now darker, like the night sky, as they bore into him, effectively silencing him. "after you snapped at me. You held that guy so tightly. You looked at him like… like he was your whole world. You looked… happy. After seeing you like that I realized, I can't… I can't take that away from you, it would be selfish to force you back into a relationship and take that happiness away from you. You deserve to be happy Sora. I love you, I always will, which is why I'm going to leave you and that guy alone. So..." She paused and a small, sad smile came to her face as her expression softened. "This is goodbye."

Sora couldn't help but stare at her in shock as she smiled at him. He wasn't expecting any of this, he didn't know how to respond, but as Kairi started to turn away from him so she could leave, he quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Thank you..." He whispered as he felt tears sting his eyes. "Thank you for understanding, and thank you for letting me go... But I don't want you to feel like you have to let go completely. If you want to, I'd like to still be friends with you, Kairi."

Kairi nodded slightly as she let out a bitter laugh. "Of course you do. As always, you're way too nice and way too forgiving Sora."

Sora frowned as he pulled away from the hug, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I mean it Kairi. You're important to me, you're one of my best friends, and I don't want to lose you."

Kairi smiled and placed her hand on Sora's cheek. "I know you do. And I feel the same way, but… I need some time to figure my shit out. So, I don't think you're going to hear from me for a while, if at all." She said before removing his hands from her arms. She smiled widely at him once more as she took a couple steps backwards. "Goodbye Sora."

With that, she walked away, leaving Sora to standing there by himself. He couldn't do anything else, he couldn't stop her, all he could do was watch her go...

"Hey." A slightly familiar voice called from nearby, making Riku look up from his phone in curiosity as he entered the store. Immediately he saw Kairi approaching him.

She brushed her bangs out of her eyes before coming to a stop in front of him, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked him over for a moment. She then huffed and looked off to the side, where the carriages sat by the entrance.

"Kairi." Riku said in greeting as he tucked his phone into his pocket.

"How is it you know my name and I know absolutely nothing about you?" She asked, turning her attention back to Riku, her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked up at him.

Riku shrugged slightly as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Sora's talked about you a lot, but he met me when you and him started having issues. He never had the chance to tell you about me." He said it like it was simple, like it should be obvious, and in retrospect, it should have been that simple, but Kairi didn't look like she was buying it.

She looked like she was scrutinizing him.

"Do you love him? Really love him?" She pressed, stepping closer. He assumed she was trying to look intimidating, but it took a lot more than a 5 foot 3 red head to intimidate Riku. Maybe she would have been if Riku was a normal person rather than an angel. God, if she only knew the things that he had seen, the things that Sora had seen. Things he never should have seen...

Still, Riku put on a stern expression as he nodded slightly. "Yeah, I do. A lot." He responded defensively.

Kairi pursed her lips and nodded slightly in response. "You better take good care of him. And you better not hurt him, or I swear to God I will come back here and kick the ever living shit out of you, you got it?" She stated firmly, eyes narrowing further as she glared up at Riku.

Riku nodded slowly as he stared at her, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Understood." He answered simply, and Kairi brushed past him, heading out of the store.

"Hey." Riku said as he approached Sora. Said male's head snapped up at the sound of Riku's voice. The moment Sora caught sight of him he immediately pulled Riku into a big hug, his body shaking as he tried to not break down in the middle of Walmart.

"Woah, what's wrong?" He questioned worriedly, placing his hand in Sora's hair and rubbing his scalp in a soothing manner.

"I just spoke with Kairi..." Sora said as he let out a slow, shaky breath. Well, Riku couldn't say he didn't see that coming, but he was rather surprised by Sora's reaction at the moment. What had happened while he was gone?

"Okay. Well, why are you all worked up? What did she say?"

"She said… she wanted me to be happy..." Sora answered quietly, trailing off as he pulled away from Riku slightly so he could look up at him. "Riku she… she said goodbye..." His eyes started to tear up at this point and Riku felt his chest tighten at the sight.

"Hey, it's okay Sora, I'm sure it's not permanent." Riku said, hoping it might comfort Sora.

"What if it is though? Just because I don't want to be with her anymore doesn't mean I don't want her in my life. I still care about her Riku, I still..." Sora trailed off as tears started to run down his face and he let out a small sob, burying his face in Riku's chest.

"Sora I… I know you still care about Kairi, but you can't control her, just like she can't control you. You have to let her do what she feels is best for her. Just like you did." He tried to reason, though for a moment it didn't seem like Sora was listening to him as he continued to cry. Given some time though, Sora started to nod slightly in agreement and he began to pull back from Riku, taking a small step backwards as he wiped at his eyes.

"You're right." He said quietly, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "Part of me already knew, I just… I don't think I can imagine my life without Kairi. I've known her for so long, it's just… it's really hard to let go of nearly five years of friendship."

Riku placed one hand on Sora's shoulder as the other cupped his cheek, his thumb rubbing over the soft skin in a soothing manner. "You don't have to completely let go Sora, after all, that was a very important chapter in your life. You just have to accept the fact that it's the end and move onto the next one."

Sora paused for a moment, thinking it over before taking another deep breath and nodding in agreement.

"Okay. Okay..." He responded, though he still looked like he was hurting quite a bit, which made Riku's chest hurt.

"Hey, how about after work you come home with me?" Riku offered, hoping it might cheer him up a bit. He didn't appear to perk up at all, but he slowly nodded his head in agreement.

After finishing what few hours I had left of work and informing my brother that I didn't need a ride home, I headed out with Riku. Once we entered what he called the "Holy Zone" he seemed far more at ease, and I could only assume it was because here he wouldn't have to keep a close eye on me to make sure that I wasn't getting attacked by Heartless or Nobodies or Dream Eaters or whatever the hell else there was.

And if I was to be honest, even I felt relieved. It felt good to not have to be worried that at any moment some random monster could pop up and try to kill him. Though I didn't realize that there were other things, maybe even worse things, that I should have been concerned about. Things that I'm not sure Riku even knew about.

Riku immediately noticed that Sora seemed in a much better mood as they were heading back to his apartment. They were holding hands, fingers intertwined, as Sora swung their hands back and forth, a small smile on his face as he looked around at the run down buildings surrounding them.

He was happy to see that Sora was feeling better for now, but his own good mood didn't last for long. He could feel something in the air, something weird, yet familiar. Then suddenly his arm wasn't swinging anymore, but being pulled backwards. He paused in his next step, raising his brow as he turned to look back at Sora.

He appeared to be frozen in place, his eyes wide and bright as he was looking across the street, a small smile on his face. Riku stared at him in confusion for a moment before two and two finally clicked together and he let out a frustrated huff, dropping his head before slowly turning to look at the person that was now standing before him.

"Hiya Riku." Goofy greeted him.

"Hey Goofy. What's going on?" Riku responded.

"Mickey has news. Told me to come get you, but you look awful tired. And I see you have..." Goofy trailed off as he looked over to Sora, a sad look in his eyes. Riku quickly turned his head away as Goofy looked over the brunet, frozen behind him.

Goofy then turned his attentions back to Riku, a small, sad smile on his face. "You should probably head home and get some rest first. I'll cover for you with Mickey."

Riku looked up in surprise at this, confusion written clear across his face. After a moment though he let out a sigh of relief, and he could feel his whole body relax. He smiled back at Goofy and nodded.

"Thank you Goofy." He said, receiving a wide grin in response.

"Ah-yuck, don't mention it. I'll see ya tomorrow then Riku."

He disappeared after that, and when things unfroze Sora kept walking like nothing had happened. Because to him, nothing had. He stopped though when Riku stumbled, looking over to him curiously.

"What's wrong?" He questioned, though Riku quickly shook his head in response and put on a small smile.

"Nothing, sorry. I guess I just got lost in thought." He answered, making Sora chuckle in response.

"And you call me a space case." He mused before turning on his heel and tugging at Riku's arm. "Come on, I'm starved, I wanna get home and eat."

"Home?" Riku queried, his brow raised and a small smile on his face as he started walking beside Sora once more. Sora blushed brightly at the question, seeming to immediately understand the meaning behind the word.

"I- I didn't mean it like that, I just-!" Sora began to blurt out, though he was suddenly silenced as Riku stopped walking once more, pulling back on Sora's arm just hard enough so he'd stumble backwards into Riku. He easily caught him before grabbing Sora's chin and leaning down to press his lips to Sora's.

After a moment he pulled back slightly, leaving their mouths mere inches apart. "I would love to share a home with you Sora." He said quietly, making Sora blush even brighter. They simply stood there for a moment, staring at each other before Sora quickly pulled away from Riku, turning back around. His face was still burning, but a look of determination swept over his features.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry up and get home!" He announced as he began walking ahead of Riku.

Riku couldn't help but chuckle in response as he watched Sora march down the sidewalk before he followed after his companion at a leisurely pace.

The rest of the walk to his apartment was filled with pouts, snarky smirks (on Riku's part) and demands that Riku walk faster. Though I don't think either of us minded the others shenanigans. In fact, both of us were rather content in that moment. In fact, it seemed right in a way.

And all I could seem to think about, then, and even afterward, was how I wouldn't mind that being our everyday...