Title: Sora

Wordcount: 889

Pairing: Riku/Yuffie

Rating: K

Notes: Old friendships stay important forever.

Sora

"So... you and Yuffie, hmm?"

Riku feels a bit sheepish suddenly. The way he says it isn't exactly accusatory, but it sounds skeptical and half-teasing, much like everything else Sora says lately. That's the Riku-tone. That's the tone that Sora takes up to use on him for everything he says.

He knows he kind of deserves it - he wouldn't trust Sora if Sora had done all that shit to him.

Point is, though, he did it to Sora, not vice versa.

And though Sora acts like he's forgiven him, he knows there will always be that shadow of doubt, just like there's that tone of voice.

"Yeah," Riku says, forcing a grin, though inside he feels like flushing and denying it - he's reluctant to appear as anything but cool and awesome, in Sora's eyes - though he doesn't feel embarrassed about his relationship with Yuffie at all. He loves Yuffie. Yuffie's great, she's closer than others, she's incredibly spaced out at times but still down-to-earth when it counts most. He loves her because she's so imperfect and carefree and willing to be optimistic.

Some reasons, really, were why he used to love Sora.

"She's crazy," Sora says with a sort of grin, and the way Riku hears it makes it sound like Sora's egging him on. But they always did that - he isn't sure whether he welcomes good old Sora shoving at his nerves or feels weird about being treated the same way they were when they were kids. Not now, anyway. With everything that's happened, perhaps a bit of change is inevitable.

"Nah, just difficult to control," Riku chuckles, "she's pretty awesome whether she's ricocheting off the walls or not."

"She gave me my first scar," he replies, dragging up the sleeve of his jacket, shoving away the black fabric and colored belts to flaunt a thin white scar, faded and old with time. "At the coliseum, in the tourney. I swear, even after all those Heartless and stuff, she still managed to be the first to leave a lasting mark."

Sora's eyes wander up slowly, and a cheshire-cat grin spreads onto his face. Riku finds it funny how the kid - always shorter than him - is almost surpassing him in height now. But Sora's amused blue eyes do nothing but land on his neck.

"Obviously... she got you too."

Riku brushes his hand to his throat, and chuckles, tugging the collar of his shirt up higher, tugging on the zipper to conceal the mark - his temporary Yuffie mark, one of many he's had over time. She always insists on leaving one - it's her territory, their little inside joke, their little thing.

"Yeah, she did."

They laugh for a bit - like old friends, like the past two years haven't happened. And, really, Riku thinks his relationship - friendship, attachment, tie - with Sora never was lost - just on a slight detour.

Laughter fades. With nothing else to say at the moment - Ansem and possession, clones and betrayed, they are too big, too serious of topics for reunited friends - they stand in silence for a moment. Then, Sora comments again.

"What about Kairi?"

Riku's heard turns to stare at Sora, heart thumping. Kairi. Kairi. He still cared for her, he never stopped caring for her - she was special. Kairi was sweet, Kairi was gentle, Kairi way spunky, she was the type of girl that would play princess to his knight. Princess, he realized some time ago, to Sora's knight.

"She loves you, Sora."

It bothers him to say it - it nags at his heart, it drives him insane inside. But he smiles reassuringly at Sora, giving a flippant wave of his hand, like always. Brush it off, brush it off like nothing. Because it is nothing - nothing he should dwell on, just like Yuffie teaches.

"But Riku–"

"Nah," Riku cuts him off, one hand drifting to rest on his hip, "don't worry about it. It's better this way, anyway. We both are the heroes, we both got the girl in the end."

Sora looks doubtful for a minute, then grins and nods, giving Riku a playful shove, laughing like a lunatic. Riku chuckles, shoving back, and the two race down the hill outside of town, heading back towards Traverse Town's grand gates.

And Riku knows what friendship, while it takes a grand beating sometimes, won't even be smashed to bits - over light, darkness, or girls.