I can't remember if I did corrections for this chapter or not. Eh…hopefully I did. Sorry if I didn't.

Chapter Fourteen: Sunrise

Sora didn't go back to sleep that night. He stayed awake, watching the sun rise over the sea. It was a very beautiful sight filled with bright colors that were twice as vibrant because of the water reflecting them. Sunrises and sunsets are truly beautiful things, Sora mused to himself. I don't deserve to look at something so pretty when I'm so ugly.

He knew his thoughts were self-pitying and that if he told them to anyone they would reject them venomously. But that's what they were expected to think; they didn't know the truth about him. About what he had let Sephiroth do to him. If they knew, they would hate him, just like Riku.

And Sora wouldn't blame them in the least.

The next morning was a strained one.

Sora had been up before everyone else since he hadn't gone back to sleep after speaking with Riku last night. To say that the other four kids were shocked would be an understatement. Here was the boy who had to be pried from bed every morning with the most extreme methods sitting calmly at the table and staring off into space.

They were amazed.

Kairi shook her head and started for the stove. The others took seats around the kitchen table as well, waiting for breakfast then having to go off to work. "So where's Riku?" Kairi asked as she bustled about making food.

Sora blinked at looked at her, shrugging. "He went out."

"Oh, did he say where he was going?" Kairi pressed.

"No."

"Did he say when he would be back, then?"

"No." Sora stood from his seat and headed to the door.

"Where you going, Sora?" Tidus called after him.

"For a walk," Sora replied absently.

"But what about breakfast?" Selphie exclaimed.

"Not hungry." The door slammed behind him.

The other four were left in silence once Sora had left. Wakka took a breath and shook his head. "First he's up early, then he's refusing food, and Riku's disappeared without saying where. Something's definitely up."

"And we're not going to do anything about it," Kairi said firmly, looking at everyone. "Whatever is going on is between Riku and Sora and probably has to do with whatever happened to them while they were gone." She turned back to cooking. "If things get worse, we'll intervene. But knowing these two, they'll have things patched up before the sun sets."

Riku was training on the beach when Cloud found him. He swung his makeshift wooden sword through air with harsh movements, jabbing hard at an invisible enemy. Sweat ran down his face as Riku turned and twisted with angry moves that were nowhere near as graceful as he usually was. Cloud sighed; so Sora had told him then. Good, he hadn't wanted to do it himself. Without a word, Cloud turned away from the angry teen and walked back to his ship. He had done his part in this little drama and the blonde was certain that if Riku and Sora really were of his people, they would overcome this problem on their own.

He didn't turn around when Riku screamed and threw his fake sword into the ocean.

Sora had come to the beach. He wasn't sure why, since all he wanted to do was be alone and there was always someone at the beach, yet here he was. He had been wandering around his little home for nearly the entire day and it was almost sunset. He would have to go home soon, or else the others would worry. But Sora really didn't think he could face them or Riku right now, which is why he was still wandering aimlessly. Of course, as is usual when you're trying to avoid something, that something always manages to appear when you least want it to.

Riku was sitting on the sand of the beach, staring off at the sea. His eyes were glazed over and Sora knew that look very well from all their years together. It was Riku's serious thought face. Even though he looked completely out-of-it, Sora knew that Riku was thinking very hard about something. He briefly wondered how long his friend had been out here. Not wanting to face him, or interrupt his thoughts, Sora quickly turned and started back in the way he came. Just as he turned, Riku spoke.

"Sora."

Sora froze in his tracks and twisted around to face the other boy. But Riku wasn't looking at him; Sora didn't think he had even realized he was there. He had just spoken his name at random. As Sora watched, Riku curled his legs to his chest and hid his face with a shaky sigh.

He knew he shouldn't go over there. He knew that he was probably the last person Riku wanted to see right now. But Sora just couldn't turn and walk away. Riku rarely ever showed weakness and the times he had, Sora was always there for him. This time it was his fault Riku was upset and that was all the more reason to try and comfort him. With hesitant steps, Sora walked up behind Riku and gently knelt next to him in the sand.

The movement startled Riku and his head shot up. Sora just smiled sadly at him, tears of regret stained his cheeks. They stared at each other for a long moment before Riku reached out and abruptly pulled Sora into his arms. Sora was surprised, but not unhappy with the gesture.

"I'm sorry," Riku whispered into his ear. Sora gently shook his head, pulling away to look at his friend.

"For what? You didn't do anything."

"I did," Riku corrected sadly. "I couldn't do anything to protect you, when I promised that I would always be there. You needed me most and I wasn't there for you."

Sora just shook his head. "But you couldn't control what happened! And the fact that you never gave up on me and did come proves that you never abandoned me."

"But even when I got you back, I knew something was up. You were acting strange and nothing like yourself." He bit his lip and looked away. "I suspected what had happened, from your behavior and things the crew said when they thought I wasn't listening. I knew…I just wanted to ignore it. I wanted act like I had no idea because I didn't know how to handle what happened to you. I don't know how to…to make rape better."

"You can't," Sora replied solemnly. "There's absolutely no, "making rape better." There's accepting it and moving on. But Riku," Sora's eyes filled with tears again. "You don't understand. You can't rape the willing."

"Leon!" Cid hurried up to the deck where Cloud and Leon were talking quietly. The turned from looking at the stars to hear what the older man had to say. "The towns' people just got a message from the neighboring port."

"What is it?" Leon asked.

"The Propel has been sunk, captain. No survivors." Cid reported heavily.

"…Get everyone back to the ship. We're leaving at first light."

"Aye." Cid left to carry out his orders.

"Did you finish everything you needed to here?" Cloud asked, turning to his captain.

"Yes." He glanced over at Cloud. "Either they come tonight or we leave them. We won't be able to return to this place again, Cloud."

The blonde nodded and left. This was his last chance to convince Sora and Riku to join them. He hoped he could, the last thing he wanted was to leave them in the town to die.

"You can't rape the willing."

"What do you mean?" Riku stared at his friend in shock. "Sora, what do you mean by that?"

The brunette sniffed and tried desperately to hold back his tears. "I'm sorry, Riku! I am! But he kept telling me that it was okay. That it didn't matter because I didn't have any special someone waiting for me and…and we were just doing…it for the pleasure! It didn't mean anything, so it was…all right." Riku swallowed hard when Sora paused, but the brunette wasn't finished yet.

"I believed it at the time, because he was…nice. But when he actually um…when he actually did it, I knew he was just lying. It was like a really painful wake up call, you know. I had let myself be fooled because I didn't know what else to do. I was scared and weak and I'm sorry."

"You didn't have anyone special…?" Riku asked slowly, trying to understand.

"Not in a romantic way."

So Sora had been so scared that he had accepted all the lies Sephiroth had told him. It was either that, or he went insane and got hurt fighting back. He didn't have anyone he loved to stop him from hiding the way he had. The brunette had just been protecting himself the best he could in an impossible situation.

"It's still rape, Sora." Riku said after a long moment. He turned Sora's face towards him. "If your mind, body, or heart are against it, then it's a mistake. It wasn't your fault."

He shook his head. "But Riku…"

"It. Wasn't. Your. Fault." He threw his arms around Sora's shoulders and pulled him close to himself. "And as for not having someone to love…" It wasn't the best time to confess, Riku knew. This may even be considered taking advantage of a hurt person. But Riku was going to do everything he could to make sure that if this ever happened again, Sora would have the comfort of knowing someone was waiting for him. He never had to be alone again, because now Sora had Riku and Riku had Sora.

With only the briefest of hesitation, Riku leaned in and kissed the younger boy. His lips were salty from his tears but Riku had never tasted anything more perfect. He couldn't even put into words the wonderful flavor that was wholly Sora. Riku pulled away, not surprised that Sora hadn't responded to the kiss.

"Don't think that again." He finished. "You'll always have me."

Sora just blinked at him. His face scrunched up and more tears fell. With a sob, he buried himself in Riku's arms and cried. His friend just held him close and rubbed his back, whispering kindness in his ear.

Cloud had gone to Sora and Riku's home to talk to them, only to find out from the other kids that they weren't there. They had both left early that morning and no one had seen them since. Cloud had nodded and left. He decided he would check the beach, since that was the last place he had seen Riku and, as everyone was so fond of saying, find Riku and you've found Sora too, even when they're fighting. The blonde was not disappointed as he came up to the two dark figures on the beach.

Riku and Sora sat closely together and Cloud could hear the occasional sniffle from them. They had probably been speaking of what happened over the past few weeks. Cloud would have preferred to leave them alone and give them more time to fully overcome their torments, but he didn't have that luxury. He had until sunrise today to convince Sora and Riku to come with him or else he left them here to die.

Stepping up behind the boys, Cloud cleared his throat, gaining their attention. They turned towards him but made no move to get up. "May I join you?" Cloud asked politely.

Sora frowned at him. "I'm still mad at you for getting involved in my business." The blonde just nodded, he expected nothing less. "But pull up some sand."

Cloud walked around to sit in front of them and gracefully crossed his legs as he sat. "We're leaving as soon as the sun comes up." He told them without preamble.

"Good luck to you then," Riku offered, being sincere. Sora echoed the sentiment.

"Thank you." He glanced at the two boys, taking in how close they were sitting together. "I want you to both to come with us."

Riku and Sora shifted, trading looks. "We're really honored, but this is our home. Our friends and family are all here."

"We can't just leave them," Sora agreed. "I'm sorry, Cloud."

"This is not your home, at least not by birth." The pirate sighed. "I did not want to resort to this, but time has forced me to extremes."

"What are you talking about?" Riku asked.

"All that Leon and I told you about the Destiny Islands is true," he held up his hand to stop their protests. "Whether you believe it or not. I'm going to prove it to you both now."

Sora and Riku traded looks as Cloud stood. He pulled out his dagger from his belt and held the shining blade up. "Riku, hold out your hand." Hesitantly, Riku did so. Cloud grasped it and sliced his palm with one swift movement. Riku hissed and tried to pull his hand back, but Cloud wouldn't let him. Instead, he whispered something and they watched as Riku's cut healed itself perfectly. Sora grabbed his hand and looked at it carefully.

"You…healed it?" He muttered, confused.

"That's about the extent of what I can do with healing," Cloud admitted. "Heal cuts and take away the sting of a bruise. I've never had a talent for healing." He moved away from them again. "And that's mostly because of this." He lifted his clawed hand. The claws themselves looked to be metal and they were only on the top of his hand. "This is something that only proven warriors of my people can get." He flexed his fingers and the metal suddenly expanded, covering his whole hand and his arm up to his elbow. The claws became sharper and longer as well. "They extend when I fight so that I may always have a weapon at me side." He flexed his fingers again and the metal retracted.

"What I show you next is never to be revealed to anyone." Cloud ordered, deadly serious. "Leon already knows of this, so you make speak of it with him, but no one else."

"Speak of what?" Riku whispered in awe, absently rubbing his palm where he had been cut and healed.

Cloud removed his long cape and shirt and closed his eyes. He stood completely still for a few seconds before bending forward, as if in pain. Sora moved towards him, but before he could get more then an inch, Cloud's eyes snapped open. They were completely blue with no white left. His skin looked like it was being stretched off his body and, with a sickening tearing sound, two wings shot from his back.

The wings were large and leathery. They looked like bat wings and spread out as Cloud straightened up. They were pure black with speckles of blood on them from ripping the skin on Cloud's back. Riku and Sora gawked at him and slowly rose to their feet, never once looking away. Cloud was also slightly amused to note that they didn't let go of each other's hands.

"What…?" Riku breathed.

Cloud shook out his wings. "I show very few people these wings, but I needed to do something drastic to get you both to believe me. These wings prove that I am from the Destiny Islands."

"Then…does everyone from there have wings?" Sora asked, confused.

"No. These were something of an…inheritance from my mother." Cloud explained. "Every D.I. gets his or her power by inheriting it from their parents. There are times when a child will develop their own abilities, but that does not happen very often."

"This is impossible," Riku breathed. "How can this…it was all just stories; fairy tales. None of it was real."

"It is real," Cloud said gently, but his voice was firm. "Even if we are believed to be false now, it doesn't matter. The Destiny Islands exist. I am from there and so are the two of you."

Sora sat down hard in the sand, dragging Riku with him. They both had dazed looks on their faces, like their world had just been turned upside down. Cloud supposed that was true; finding out that some make-believe island was real and that you are a native to it could be a little mind-blowing. But it would be all right, he would be there to help the teens through any confusion.

Concentrating, Cloud closed his eyes. His wings folded back under his skin and the skin itself healed, leaving no trace of the wings except for two faint lines on his back. He sat down in front of Sora and Riku and watched them patiently.

"I don't understand any of this," Riku admitted after a time. "How can this be real, and how can you be so sure that we're from the Destiny Islands too?"

"You both have unique abilities," Cloud began. "Riku, I noticed yours when I fought with you and Sora's when he was hurt. He healed abnormally fast."

"He always has…" Riku muttered, realizing how true that statement was. Sora was never one to stay injured long.

"People from the Islands can tell if someone else is from there as well or not," Cloud continued. "I can teach you two how to sense others with special abilities, but since you have never been around anyone of your own kind, save each other, it might be a bit difficult to learn."

"We can learn anything just fine," Sora frowned absentmindedly. A smirk tugged at Cloud's lip. "Cloud…if the Destiny Islands are real, where are they?"

The blonde smiled sadly. "That is a very closely guarded secret. We have hidden away from everyone ever since the loss of our royal families. We tell the location of our home to no one who is not of Destiny Islands origins and we do not bring outsiders to our home. To do so is an extreme crime."

"What kind of crime?" Riku asked.

"Treason. Betrayal." He answered solemnly. "And for a people as loyal as us, that is not something that is forgiven. It's like you two turning on your friends, Kairi and the other three, or them turning on you."

"We would never do that to them! They're our family!" Sora exclaimed.

"And the Destiny Islands are your home."

Sora bit his lip and curled against Riku's shoulder. The silver haired boy wrapped an arm around him as he thought. "So are you going to tell us where it is?"

"I will, because it is your birthright to know your home," Cloud nodded. "The Islands are located past the Straights. Once you pass through them, you travel for three days on Open Ocean and on the fourth day you will see land. The main cities and towns where the Islanders live are in the very heart of the country."

"Wow, paranoid much?" Riku grumbled.

"Like I said, we value our privacy." Cloud smiled.

"The Straights," Sora spoke. "I thought no one knew where those were?"

"Very few people do," Cloud agreed. "There are only two maps in existence that show the way to the Straights and there are none that show a way through them."

"Then what's the point of going there if you can't get past them?" Riku pressed.

"Well, that's where we come in," Cloud admitted. "We are connected to the place we were born and because of that, people from the Destiny Islands can lead others through the Straights safely."

"Like a compass?" Sora piped up. Cloud allowed a small smile.

"I suppose you could say that," he agreed.

"So say all this is true, why do you care so much about us?" Riku asked. "Why do you care if we ever see our home again or find out where we come from?"

The blonde ran a hand though his spiky hair, thinking how best to answer the teen. "It is because we are very loyal to each other. We never turn our backs on our own people. Also," his face took a slightly sheepish expression. "It has been a very long time since I've been around my own people. I left our home in search of adventure and got trapped out here. I want nothing more then to go back."

"You got trapped?" Sora asked, looking at him sadly.

"I used a map to find the straights and entrusted it to some friends. However they were killed and the map was stolen. I've been trying to find it ever since."

"So you're just like us," Sora said sadly. "You can't find your home."

"Then why should we go with you?" Riku demanded. "If you can't even find the way to the Islands, then what's the point of us tagging along?"

"Because I will find the map again," Cloud answered. "In fact we have just found out where it is, which is why we're leaving so quickly." He stared at Riku. "I would also like to teach you both how to use your abilities properly and about our people."

"We'd be leaving Kairi, Wakka, Tidus and Selphie," Sora pointed out. "Would we ever get to see them again?"

"Maybe," Cloud said hesitantly. "But I doubt it."

Sora and Riku looked at each other. They had no desire to leave their family; hell, they had just got back to them mere days ago. But Cloud was offering them what they had always wanted, had always dreamed of. He was showing them the way home. How could they pass it up?

"Will you come with me?"

"…Yes." Riku met his eyes. "We will."

"I can't believe you're leaving," Selphie cried as she stood on the docks near sunrise that morning. "We just got you back."

"You'll all be fine," Riku assured her. "Just stick together and you'll never have any trouble." He pulled the crying girl into a tight hug and messed her hair up lovingly.

"Oh, Selph!" Sora sniffed. "It's not like we'll be gone forever! Screw what anyone else says, we'll be back someday. I promise!"

Tidus walked up behind him and through his arms around Sora's shoulders, pressing his face against his back. "We're holding you to that, Sora. If you take too long, we'll come and hunt you down." His voice cracked as he spoke, but he forcefully held the tears back.

"We'll miss you guys so much," Riku admitted, feeling choked up as well. Shifting Selphie to one side, Riku held his other arm out to Kairi, who stepped into his hold, tears falling down her face. Wakka moved next to Sora and Tidus and the family stood as close together as they could. They all put their hands together in the center of the small circle they'd made.

"We'll see each other again." Riku stated clearly. Kairi and Selphie nodded through their tears and Wakka and Tidus smiled faintly at the promise.

"We've never broken a promise to each other before and we won't start now." Sora added. His face was lined with tears now too, having lost the battle to keep them hidden. "Until next time. I love you Kairi. I love you Wakka. I love you Tidus. I love you Selphie." Riku repeated his words once he'd finished.

"I love you too, Sora. I love you too, Riku." Everyone echoed.

The all hugged each other for a long minute before Riku and Sora stepped away. The two hurried onto the ship where Cloud was waiting and turned to watch their family. As Leon gave the order to set sail, Riku and Sora leaned over the railing and said nothing as the ship got under way. They stayed in the same spot, watching as their family, friends, and home got smaller and smaller.

"Don't look so sad, you two," Yuffie said, stepping up beside them. "You'll be happy with us too."

"Yes, you'll have a wonderful time out on the sea," Aerith agreed, smiling at them.

"It's just hard," Sora explained. "We've searched our entire lives for a home and we had one with those guys, in that town. It's hard to give it all up."

"You can always come back later," Aerith soothed. "We have chores, if you need anything, just call."

"Thanks," Riku nodded and turned back to watching their home get smaller. It was still large on the horizon and Riku noticed absently that if he jumped off the ship now, he could still manage to swim back to the shore.

"Cloud and Leon wanted to talk to you, when you're feeling up to it." Yuffie told the two as she walked away. "See ya."

"Come on, watching it disappear isn't going to change anything," Riku nudged Sora away from the railing and started towards the captain's cabin and their new lives.

Propel: It's a type of flavored water. I thought it was funny to name a ship after bottled water.

A/N: After much wishy-washing, I finally decided to go with this chapter. I wasn't sure because it kinda left me stuck for the next chapter and I'm not too fond of Cloud's telling them about the Destiny Islands. I feel so repetitive.

I will warn everyone now not to expect an update this month. I'm graduating high school in seven days and also turning 18 on the same day. I've got a bunch of parties to go to, not to mention my own. So yeah, don't expect much from me in June.

Woho! Loves to all!