"Pass the coffee."

"Roxas this was meant to last the whole weekend."

"Axel, I know you have coffee beans in your bag. Don't even try."

Sora rolled his eyes at the redhead and his other. They argued as much as ever, but it was almost flirtatious now. It made him all too aware of the distance that had appeared between Riku and himself since Lea had gotten out of the hospital.

With a sigh, he looked past the arguing pair to Riku who was sorting out their provisions for the trip. He walked over, but even though the tensing shoulders made it clear he'd heard his approach, Riku didn't acknowledge him.

"Do you need a hand?" Sora offered.

"I've pretty much got this. Why don't you collect some firewood for the night?"

He sighed. Firewood duties. "Yeah, okay. I'll be back soon."

He wandered off to the rest of the island. It was mostly palms, but he carried some fronds back to their campsite . And surprise, surprise, there was a pile of chopped wood neatly stacked beside the fire-pit Lea was building in the middle of their campsite. He tossed the fronds down. "Brought you some kindling."

"Thanks, Sora."

They caught fish and baked them in the coals of the fire-pit. They talked and laughed well into the night – and if Lea and Roxas noticed that Sora and Riku didn't actually talk to one another, they didn't say anything about it.

Lea stood up and stretched. "Well. I'm going to bed. Up at dawn for the paopu picking, Riku?"

He nodded. "If we're only staying one day, I'm using as much daylight as I can." He tossed his fish-bones into on the fire. "You all can sleep in as long as you like."

Lea waved him off dismissively. "Shut up, Riku. We're here to help you, not slack off."

He snorted. "Yeah. Sure." I'll see how you really feel when it's time to wake up."

The other three didn't stay awake for much longer than Lea. Riku headed off to one tent with Lea, and the twins went into the other.

Sora had just zipped up his sleeping bag when Roxas turned to him. "So. What's going on between you and Riku?"

He sighed. "I wish I knew. He's being weird with me."

"Is this about Kairi?" Roxas asked.

"It has to be, doesn't it?" He asked, disappointed. "He's got some idea in his head. But he won't talk to me."

"You have to keep trying, Sora," his other said reassuringly. "He loves you."

"I know that," Sora said tiredly. "And he knows I know that. I just wish he would talk to me about what's bothering him."

"Well, he can't escape from you here," Roxas pointed out. "You could circuit the entire island in five minutes."

"… True." He gave a heavy sigh. "I just wish I had something like you and Lea have."

His other snorted at him. "Sora, you'd hate what Axel and I have. No commitment, no definition - we just are what we are. Half the time we don't even like each other."

Sora pulled a face. "That can't be true. You two are made for each other."

Roxas gave a shrug, his face completely indifferent. "Feels like it," he agreed. "Every day. How did he say it…? Like there's a thread tying our hearts together, and it pulls and pulls." He caught himself being melancholy and shook it off. "Anyway - the point is. You know you're not like that. You're a sap, you want the romance crap. Sharing paopu fruit under the stars, making love by candlelight, the-"

"I get it!" Sora shoved at his face. "Shut up, already."

"You just need to talk to him - corner him so he can't get away, and have that conversation he's been avoiding since Axel got out of hospital."

He sighed. "You're right, Ven." He rubbed his head. "I'll talk to him in the morning."

The tent unzipped and Axel stuck his head in. "No time like the present. You were supposed to be done convincing him by now."

Sora flushed in embarrassment. "Oh my god, you were trying to get rid of me so you could sleep with Lea!"

Roxas chuckled. "Well yes," he agreed. "But I still think you need to talk to him. Now, scram. We're going to have sex. You can go wait by the fire until we're done or go sleep in the other tent with Riku."

"Ew ew ew," he clambered up, grabbing his pillow. "Oh my god I'm burning this sleeping bag. Yuuuuck." He hurried out of the tent as Lea slipped in, laughing. But he hesitated before crossing the fire pit over to the second tent. It was a safe distance in terms of noise, but Riku was in there.

He shivered in the cold and stepped towards the tent. Riku looked up when he slipped in, glasses perched on his noise, a book in his hands. He closed it when Sora zipped up the tent flap. "Sexiled?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," he mumbled, pulling a face.

Riku chuckled, shifting over to give Sora room to settle down. "You're not exactly a blushing virgin, Sora."

"It's not a sex thing," Sora said, rolling his eyes as he zipped himself up into Axel's sleeping bag. "It's a 'my other' thing."

"Mm." He slid his glasses off and closed them up in a case. "Goodnight, Sora." He reached up to lift the cover of the lantern and turn out the flame.

"Wait," Sora said, reaching up to hold his wrist still. "Leave it on a minute, Riku."

He froze, his soft blue-green eyes lingering on Sora's tanned skin on his own pale wrist. A moment, and he gave a defeated sigh. He shifted, so their hands were together and their fingers interlocked. "Sora… please." His voice sounded so defeated.

"You're pulling away from me," the brunet murmured, "and I don't know why."

Riku's eyes slipped closed, but he shifted closer to press their foreheads together. "I thought if I didn't get used to being with you again, it wouldn't hurt me so much when it's over."

"Over?" Sora echoed, taking his other hand to hold just as fast. "What do you mean over?"

"We figured it out together," he murmured. "Everything that's happening is because of you and Kairi. Naminé didn't tell us much - it seemed like she was in pain just to tell us what little she could. Whatever is happening around us, in this place, there's one way for it to end. One something between you and her - and everything we've been to each other, everything we feel for each other, it's been in the way. That's why she got rid of me."

Sora's hand squeezed tightly around his. "She said something like that to me once… well before I ever knew anything was strange." He closed his eyes, savouring Riku's warmth. "It's not fair. I don't want to have to choose her over you."

A hand carded through his hair. "It's okay. Me, or the fate of the world? You wouldn't be you if you didn't do the good thing."

"It's hardly the fate of the world," he mumbled. "But it's not fair, all the same."

Sora shifted close, pressing their lips together.

Riku pulled away, just slightly. "When we get back, you know we can't put it off for longer. Things are happening, going wrong. After tomorrow, it's not…"

Sora kissed him again, cutting off the words. The truth. "Then don't cut me off so soon, Riku. If we only have this weekend, then I want it. Please."

One hand slipped from him, and he heard the low zip of a sleeping bag. "Okay. Okay…"

"That's it," Riku said, dropping a final net bag beside the fire. "The last ripe paopu on the island. Quite the haul."

Lea was spinning an over-ripe paopu fruit in his fingers. "I still can't believe you make this much money from a bunch of fruit."

"It's popular with the wedding crowd," Riku replied. "If that hadn't gone over-ripe, one that size would've sold in a shop for two thousand munny."

"Two thousand?" Roxas echoed in disbelief. He cast his eyes over the couple crates they had gathered up.

"Well, it does have to last the whole year," he replied, rolling his eyes. "Before you go sweet on me for the contents of my wallet."

Roxas snorted. "It'll take more than money to make me sweet on you, Dawn."

Riku smirked as he settled next to Sora by the fire. "I'm sure I can learn how to make a good coffee too."

"Oi," Lea complained, glaring at him and putting a possessive arm around Roxas's hip. "I'm good for more than that." Roxas gave a little sly smile and stayed silent. "Right, Rox?" Another silence. "Roxas!"

The twins just laughed. Lea huffed and got to his feet, tossing the fruit at Sora, who fumbled to catch it. "This is for you and Riku. Happy my birthday."

"Aren't we supposed to get you gifts?" Sora asked, holding it in his hands. "Don't you want to share it with Roxas?"

"Blondie and I are tied up enough together as it is, we don't need paopu shit too - or he'll never be rid of me." He waved a hand at them dismissively and headed to the tent. The one originally designed for the twins, but that he and Roxas had shared the night before - and apparently intended to again.

Roxas downed the rest of his coffee and stood up. He gave the two of them an amused grin - "don't stay up too late, then. High tide is just after dawn."

Sora hid his face in embarrassment. Their tent zipped up after Roxas and Sora felt the paopu being taken softly from his hands. "We'll just toss that in the ocean, shall we?" Riku murmured.

Sora uncovered one eye to look at him. "You don't want to share it?" He asked, awkward about how disappointed he sounded.

"Tie our destinies together when we're about to be pulled apart? That seems a bit of cruel joke."

"Does it?" Sora asked, hurt. He shifted closer to him. "I thought… It means we'd still be bound to each other. Even though we can't be together any more."

Riku's fingers stroked over the edge of the star-shaped fruit. "I've never tasted it before, you know? All this time picking and selling it, I have no idea what it's like."

Sora plucked it from his hands. He grasped the leafy top of the fruit and snapped it back, peeling the yellow skin away from the fleshy white insides. "Let's find out together, shall we?"