The Black Cloak
Green Fire
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. If I did, you would know, 'cause there would be a very messed up slashy version out on the market. (
Author's Notes: Oh, boy. Another project started by Green Fire! Yay! I really hope to finish this one, though. Me and Quill always though Riku/Sora would be a good couple. Anyway, I'm sort of messing up the storyline here. What has happened is this: Sora found Kairi, but not Riku. Riku was presumed to be dead, and the Heartless went into hiding. The worlds remain destroyed, so Sora and Kairi are living in Traverse Town until the Heartless return. Btw, sorry if Riku's a bit ooc. (WARNING: Slash)
It wasn't as nice here as they had thought it would be. The roof leaked most of the time and the wind was always finding a way in. But it didn't really matter. The candles in the Synthesizing Shop were all of Moogle kind, so they were always warm. They had each other for warmth as well.
It had been ten years since the Heartless had retreated from all the worlds. They could have easily gone through and sealed all the keyholes, but Sora knew that the Heartless were not gone. No, they were just waiting for the worlds to become unconnected once again. Then they would strike. And besides, even if the worlds were unconnected, nothing would bring back the Destiny Islands.
A tear rolled down Kairi's cheek and landed on Sora's hand. It was a particularly blustery day, and it was cold this night. Sora snuggled closer and took in a breath to speak.
"I'm okay," she answered him before he could ask his question. She turned her head slightly so he could see her smile lightly. "I was just thinking about Riku. Do you think he'll come back?"
"I don't know. I hope so!" Sora said, brushing another tear from her face. Her purple-blue eyes watered slightly as he stroked her cheek.
"It's just that. we all used to be such good friends!" she muttered softly, rolling over so that her short reddish brown hair was in Sora's face. "I miss him."
"So do I. But don't worry about it!" Sora managed to say with difficulty, pushing Kairi's hair out of his mouth. "If anyone can survive out there, it's Riku."
"I hope you're right, Sora." she replied, and soon her breathing became deep and even in her sleep.
Sora quickly looked down at the diamond ring on Kairi's finger. Had he made the right decision in proposing to her? His sea blue eyes then wandered to her sleeping form, so close to the ground on their puny palette in the Synthesizing Shop. His heart melted.
"I'll find us a better life somewhere, Kairi. and I'll make sure you're never uncomfortable again." he whispered, wondering what he meant by that, then rolled over and went to sleep himself.
"Sora, get up! Are you going to work today or what?" A voice woke him by surprise. He opened his eyes slowly to see a fuzzy picture of Kairi leaning over him. She was back to her cheery self, smiling jovially as her little gold pendant tickled Sora's nose. "It's almost twelve o'clock!"
Sora grunted and rolled over, bumping into a wall.
"Excuse me, kupo, but you're in my way," chimed another voice. The voice of one of the Moogles that worked there. Sora rolled back over. Indeed, there was a Moogle, its large pink nose twitching excitedly. Beside it, Kairi stood straight and triumphantly. Outlined in the doorway, there was a tall figure in a black cloak, tapping a long skinny finger against the wooden door frame.
"Alright, alright, I'm getting up," grumbled Sora, getting out of 'bed' and heading for the bathroom. The door locked with a click as he looked into the mirror lazily and tried to brush out his wild brown hair. It stuck up in all directions as he put the brush down. Bah, he had never been able to do anything with it since he was fourteen. Quickly, he brushed his teeth and changed clothes.
"Okay! I'm ready for the day!" he called, bursting out of the bathroom and nearly knocking a poor, defenseless Moogle down as he did. He was wearing his normal outfit, which consisted of a red vest and puffy red knee-length shorts. A blue belt hung about his waist followed by a blue and white short-sleeved open jacket. Gloves and a crown necklace finished off his daily attire as he slipped his feet into a pair of overly large yellow tennis shoes. It was the same outfit he had worn since he was fourteen.
Kairi giggled. The figure in black picked this moment to brush past her to the waiting Moogle. A chill went up Kairi's arms as the figure handed the Moogle ingredients for an item.
"Oh, excuse me." said a low, familiar voice from within the folds of the black cloak. Kairi shook her head, rubbing her arms.
"No, it's always cold in here," she said, chattering. "Don't worry about it. By the way, you seem familiar. Do we know you?"
The figure paused, and then shook its head. "No, I don't think so. My name is Urik."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Kairi replied, smiling. "You reminded me of an old friend."
Urik went back to whatever he was doing and Sora began to study Kairi closely as she was still chattering. Had she seriously thought that that man could be Riku? Well, she hadn't exactly said "Riku", but he knew that that was what she was thinking.
He realized for the first time why she was so cold all of the time. Her outfit was mainly a white tank-top with a purple miniskirt. A black choker hung about her neck along with the golden pendant she never failed to put on. Yellow and black bracelets adorned each arm and a dark purple belt hung about her waist. On top of that, she wore no socks with her white and purple tennis shoes.
"We have got to get you some new clothes!" Sora exclaimed, and Kairi turned to him, a grin on her face that literally went from ear to ear.
"You haven't said that in ten years! I've been wearing this outfit since I was fourteen, you know!" Kairi said, praising and scolding him at the same time. Quickly, she swooped in and gave him a quick kiss as she pranced downstairs.
Sora touched his lips and smiled, wondering why girls loved clothes so much. Shrugging, he climbed downstairs to meet her. He left too soon to see the Urik character tense.
"So, when do you want to go? Wait, that's a stupid question! Come on! If you go now, I can go too!" Sora said as he appeared downstairs. Kairi's smile suddenly disappeared into a disappointed frown.
"Um, Sora? Would you mind if just Aerith and I went shopping?" Kairi asked, unable to look into Sora's eyes as she played with her fingers nervously. Hurt flashed across Sora's face, but he quickly covered it up with a pasted-on smile.
"Of course I don't mind! Here, I'll just give you part of the munny Cid gave me last paycheck. Go have fun!" Sora replied, taking a few of the multi-colored balls out of his pocket and handing them to her. Her smile returned as she quickly kissed him again.
"You're the best, Sora!" Kairi exclaimed, running out the door with a wave of her hand. Sora remained waving for quite some time before slowly sitting down behind the counter of the Item Shop. Kairi was getting more and more distant everyday. A silent tear rolled down his check as he laid his head down on the counter. Didn't she love him anymore?
Sora was much too deep in thought to notice the figure in black at the window, watching him, hiding a pained expression behind folds of deep black fabric.
The day was going very slowly. Sora had not gotten so much as one customer all day until around three, when Urik, the man in black, walked in. Bells chimed above the doorway as the clicking of Urik's boots passed the fireplace and the glass display case.
"Welcome, uh, Urik, did you say you're name was?" Sora said, wiping the last of his tears away and putting on another false smile. "What can I get for you?"
Urik was silent for a few seconds, then bought a few Thunder Rings and turned to leave. Sora could not shake the feeling that he knew this man as he began to head for the door.
"Wait!" Sora cried out suddenly. Urik turned around, a smile concealed by the hooded cloak.
"Yes?" was the reply.
"Are you positive Kairi and I don't know you?" Urik laughed.
"Well, I guess this is a good time. yes, you know me," he answered, still chuckling a bit. He raised a hand and in one fluid motion had pulled his hood down. A shock of long silver hair came tumbling out and a pair of teal blue eyes blinked out at Sora. A smile was on his face. Only one person in the entire universe had a smile like that.
"Riku!" Sora cried, jumping out from behind the counter in surprise. "You're alive!!"
This time, Riku was laughing almost too hard to speak. "How else would I be?" he managed to squeeze in.
"Kairi and I thought you were dead!! Don't scare us like that!! What happened to you, Riku? Tell me everything!!!" Sora said, all in one breath.
"Woah, slow down!" Riku was laughing at him again. "Here, come with me and I'll tell you the whole story."
Sora happily took a few steps toward the door, and then hesitated. "But. I have to run the shop!"
"You won't be getting any customers today," Riku said calmly and pointed out the window. It was snowing, and a few inches had already accumulated on the ground. "Take this so you won't be cold." Riku threw Sora his cloak, which Sora put on gratefully. Underneath it, Riku was wearing his normal clothes, which was a sleeveless yellow and black turtle neck with very puffy blue pants. A very wide black belt matched his black gloves and bracelets. He was very muscle-bound, Sora noticed as he opened the door and a drift of snow blew in.
"Aren't you cold?" Sora asked as they started out into the snow, his breath coming out in icy cold clouds. Riku shook his head.
"I'm used to this sort of weather," he replied, and the two trudged on against a pretty strong wind.
They were sitting in an alleyway when Riku began his tale. He had fallen through an inter-dimensional portal and landed in another world. The queen of the world had helped him find his way around, but unfortunately, he had lost Kairi's and Sora's trails. He had wandered about many, many worlds until finally, he tracked them to Traverse Town.
"Wow, that's quite a tale, Riku! But why did you not tell Kairi who you were, too?" Sora asked, confused. Suddenly, Riku caught Sora by his wrist.
"I've missed you, Sora." Riku whispered, and leaned in close enough for Sora to feel the warmth of his breath on his cheek.
"R-R-Riku. what are you doing?" Sora asked, shaking. Still, Riku held firm to his wrists.
"Shhhh." Riku said softly, and in that moment, Sora felt himself being kissed. It was soft and gentle, and Sora felt the tension leaving Riku's body. But this couldn't happen! He was engaged! Sora turned his head quickly, and Riku let go of his wrists in shock.
"I-I-I'm sorry, Riku, but I'm not like that." Sora whispered, out of breath.
"I see." Riku said, letting go of his wrists and turning his head to the side, the pain and hurt apparent in his eyes. Before Sora could say anything, Riku had picked up and left, disappearing into the shadows as fast as he had arrived. Sora touched his lips. They were tingling, unlike when Kairi kissed him, and for a few minutes, Sora felt a piece of his heart leaving with Riku.
That day, Sora trudged home, still wearing Riku's black cloak. For the next few days, he tried to fake happiness, and he didn't tell Kairi about the episode with Riku. She never asked about the black cloak, mainly because he had hid it as soon as he had gotten home. But almost everyday, Sora found himself sneaking into the bathroom to just hold the cloak. He stroked it and rubbed it against his face. Sometimes he even spoke to it, as if his 'best friend' was still wearing it. He would tell it about the constant fights he and Kairi were always having and try to convince it how beautiful she was when she smiled. He never realized that he was only trying to convince himself that she was the only one.
It was about three weeks since Riku had appeared and disappeared on a cold, windy day when another argument occurred. It was their normal argument, something dreadful about her recklessly spending munny.
"Kairi, how am I supposed to buy us a better house if I don't have enough munny to even feed us?" Sora screamed, his voice becoming hoarse. She stared at him, biting her lip and balling her hands into fists, trying to hold back the rage.
"Sora, sometimes you can just be so stupid!! I'm not the only one spending munny!! What about your new shoes?!" she yelled back equally loud. The paint was beginning to shake off the walls and the frantic squeaks of Moogles came from upstairs. Sora's eyes were beginning to water and Kairi was already openly sobbing.
"They were necessary! It's not my fault if you can't see what's reckless and what's necessary! Maybe I should have never proposed to you." Sora said, and then gasped in realization. He hadn't meant to say that! Honestly!
Kairi collapsed into a heap on the well-washed tile floor. Tears streamed from her eyes. "How could you, Sora?"
He ran. He ran all the way upstairs. The Moogles were hiding, so he didn't bother to go to the bathroom this time. He took Riku's cloak from under his pillow and rubbed it on his face, crying into it.
He didn't know how long he had been sitting there, cradling the cloak in his arms and sobbing miserably. But it had to be a while, as Kairi soon appeared at the doorway, looking down on him.
At first, her smile was warm and forgiving, but that melted when she saw him on the floor with the black cloak. That turned to disgust as he turned to look at her, frightened by the anger on her normally beautiful face.
"There's someone else, isn't there?" she said softly and dangerously. He didn't know how to respond, and the seconds seemed like hours as Sora looked on at Kairi like a deer caught in the headlights. Oh, he had screwed up royally this time.
"Get out!!" she screamed, all rage leaving her body in that one scream. Before he knew what he was doing, Sora had gotten up and was running for the door. As he left, she wrenched the diamond ring off her finger and threw it at him.
"I wish you had never proposed to me!!!!" she cried as the ring hit him in the head. The door creaked slowly closed behind him. Suddenly, he stuck his foot in the door. Putting on the cloak, he spoke.
"Yes, there is someone else," he said softly, letting the door slam closed in one final blow.
The wind picked up as he trudged onward through the snow. The freezing weather was starting to get to him as he reached the second district.
"Riku!" he called out one final time before falling face-forward into the snow. He went numb. The world turned white.
He awoke with the delicious smell of vegetables in his nose. It smelled sort of like his mother's homemade soup. He was warm.
He opened his eyes. He was in a bed, a real bead with muted blue sheets and a fluffed up pillow. All of his clothes were still on him, including the black cloak that he so treasured. It was only then that he began to look around the room.
It was a rather plain room, with dark, earthen colored brown walls and a fireplace with a merry fire crackling in it. A pot hung over the fire and it was from this that the smell was coming from. A few framed paintings lined the wall and a hooked rug was on the ground. But right in front of him was the most important object of all. There, sitting on a chair sleeping, was Riku, laying halfway on the bed for support.
Sora's eyes widened. "Riku!" he cried.
Riku's eyes popped right open as he sat up and looked at Sora. "You're awake." His voice was raspy as if he had been crying for a long time. A pained smile went up on his face. "Feeling alright?"
"I feel much better! Where are we?" Sora asked, tilting his head to the side.
"I fixed up a place under the third district."
"Great! Feels like home!" Sora smiled. Riku remained silent, staring deep into Sora's eyes as if trying to figure something out.
"Why do you let her treat you like that? You should've stood up to her. You were the one who found you guys a place to live, after all. I've been watching a bit," Riku said suddenly. It was Sora's turn to be silent. He bit his lip and thought. Then, with a sigh, he shook his head and smiled.
"I don't know. I'm sure there are others who could treat me better. It's just that. I thought I loved her," Sora said, confused with himself. A faint glimmer of hope appeared in Riku's eyes.
"Thought you loved her?" he asked.
"Yeah. Now it seems that I love someone else," Sora said, trying to drop a few hints. Riku looked down, pain in his eyes again.
"Sora, I wanted to talk to you about the other day. I-I-I really didn't." Riku stammered out. Sora suddenly tuned him out. It was his best friend, the one who he had always looked up to, stammering at him like an idiot! He wouldn't take this!
"Riku, stop talking!" he demanded, slamming his fist down on the bed. Riku's eyes widened in shock and surprise. and confusion.
Before another word was said, Sora leaned him and kissed him: a soft and gentle but passionate kiss. Riku showed no response. In fact, he was whimpering against his lips. Sora pulled back, this time the one to be hurt.
"What's the matter?" he asked. Riku looked him straight in the eyes, and a smile blossomed on his face.
"You caught me by surprise," he answered, and with that he wrapped his arms about Sora and deepened the kiss.
FIN.
Green Fire
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. If I did, you would know, 'cause there would be a very messed up slashy version out on the market. (
Author's Notes: Oh, boy. Another project started by Green Fire! Yay! I really hope to finish this one, though. Me and Quill always though Riku/Sora would be a good couple. Anyway, I'm sort of messing up the storyline here. What has happened is this: Sora found Kairi, but not Riku. Riku was presumed to be dead, and the Heartless went into hiding. The worlds remain destroyed, so Sora and Kairi are living in Traverse Town until the Heartless return. Btw, sorry if Riku's a bit ooc. (WARNING: Slash)
It wasn't as nice here as they had thought it would be. The roof leaked most of the time and the wind was always finding a way in. But it didn't really matter. The candles in the Synthesizing Shop were all of Moogle kind, so they were always warm. They had each other for warmth as well.
It had been ten years since the Heartless had retreated from all the worlds. They could have easily gone through and sealed all the keyholes, but Sora knew that the Heartless were not gone. No, they were just waiting for the worlds to become unconnected once again. Then they would strike. And besides, even if the worlds were unconnected, nothing would bring back the Destiny Islands.
A tear rolled down Kairi's cheek and landed on Sora's hand. It was a particularly blustery day, and it was cold this night. Sora snuggled closer and took in a breath to speak.
"I'm okay," she answered him before he could ask his question. She turned her head slightly so he could see her smile lightly. "I was just thinking about Riku. Do you think he'll come back?"
"I don't know. I hope so!" Sora said, brushing another tear from her face. Her purple-blue eyes watered slightly as he stroked her cheek.
"It's just that. we all used to be such good friends!" she muttered softly, rolling over so that her short reddish brown hair was in Sora's face. "I miss him."
"So do I. But don't worry about it!" Sora managed to say with difficulty, pushing Kairi's hair out of his mouth. "If anyone can survive out there, it's Riku."
"I hope you're right, Sora." she replied, and soon her breathing became deep and even in her sleep.
Sora quickly looked down at the diamond ring on Kairi's finger. Had he made the right decision in proposing to her? His sea blue eyes then wandered to her sleeping form, so close to the ground on their puny palette in the Synthesizing Shop. His heart melted.
"I'll find us a better life somewhere, Kairi. and I'll make sure you're never uncomfortable again." he whispered, wondering what he meant by that, then rolled over and went to sleep himself.
"Sora, get up! Are you going to work today or what?" A voice woke him by surprise. He opened his eyes slowly to see a fuzzy picture of Kairi leaning over him. She was back to her cheery self, smiling jovially as her little gold pendant tickled Sora's nose. "It's almost twelve o'clock!"
Sora grunted and rolled over, bumping into a wall.
"Excuse me, kupo, but you're in my way," chimed another voice. The voice of one of the Moogles that worked there. Sora rolled back over. Indeed, there was a Moogle, its large pink nose twitching excitedly. Beside it, Kairi stood straight and triumphantly. Outlined in the doorway, there was a tall figure in a black cloak, tapping a long skinny finger against the wooden door frame.
"Alright, alright, I'm getting up," grumbled Sora, getting out of 'bed' and heading for the bathroom. The door locked with a click as he looked into the mirror lazily and tried to brush out his wild brown hair. It stuck up in all directions as he put the brush down. Bah, he had never been able to do anything with it since he was fourteen. Quickly, he brushed his teeth and changed clothes.
"Okay! I'm ready for the day!" he called, bursting out of the bathroom and nearly knocking a poor, defenseless Moogle down as he did. He was wearing his normal outfit, which consisted of a red vest and puffy red knee-length shorts. A blue belt hung about his waist followed by a blue and white short-sleeved open jacket. Gloves and a crown necklace finished off his daily attire as he slipped his feet into a pair of overly large yellow tennis shoes. It was the same outfit he had worn since he was fourteen.
Kairi giggled. The figure in black picked this moment to brush past her to the waiting Moogle. A chill went up Kairi's arms as the figure handed the Moogle ingredients for an item.
"Oh, excuse me." said a low, familiar voice from within the folds of the black cloak. Kairi shook her head, rubbing her arms.
"No, it's always cold in here," she said, chattering. "Don't worry about it. By the way, you seem familiar. Do we know you?"
The figure paused, and then shook its head. "No, I don't think so. My name is Urik."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Kairi replied, smiling. "You reminded me of an old friend."
Urik went back to whatever he was doing and Sora began to study Kairi closely as she was still chattering. Had she seriously thought that that man could be Riku? Well, she hadn't exactly said "Riku", but he knew that that was what she was thinking.
He realized for the first time why she was so cold all of the time. Her outfit was mainly a white tank-top with a purple miniskirt. A black choker hung about her neck along with the golden pendant she never failed to put on. Yellow and black bracelets adorned each arm and a dark purple belt hung about her waist. On top of that, she wore no socks with her white and purple tennis shoes.
"We have got to get you some new clothes!" Sora exclaimed, and Kairi turned to him, a grin on her face that literally went from ear to ear.
"You haven't said that in ten years! I've been wearing this outfit since I was fourteen, you know!" Kairi said, praising and scolding him at the same time. Quickly, she swooped in and gave him a quick kiss as she pranced downstairs.
Sora touched his lips and smiled, wondering why girls loved clothes so much. Shrugging, he climbed downstairs to meet her. He left too soon to see the Urik character tense.
"So, when do you want to go? Wait, that's a stupid question! Come on! If you go now, I can go too!" Sora said as he appeared downstairs. Kairi's smile suddenly disappeared into a disappointed frown.
"Um, Sora? Would you mind if just Aerith and I went shopping?" Kairi asked, unable to look into Sora's eyes as she played with her fingers nervously. Hurt flashed across Sora's face, but he quickly covered it up with a pasted-on smile.
"Of course I don't mind! Here, I'll just give you part of the munny Cid gave me last paycheck. Go have fun!" Sora replied, taking a few of the multi-colored balls out of his pocket and handing them to her. Her smile returned as she quickly kissed him again.
"You're the best, Sora!" Kairi exclaimed, running out the door with a wave of her hand. Sora remained waving for quite some time before slowly sitting down behind the counter of the Item Shop. Kairi was getting more and more distant everyday. A silent tear rolled down his check as he laid his head down on the counter. Didn't she love him anymore?
Sora was much too deep in thought to notice the figure in black at the window, watching him, hiding a pained expression behind folds of deep black fabric.
The day was going very slowly. Sora had not gotten so much as one customer all day until around three, when Urik, the man in black, walked in. Bells chimed above the doorway as the clicking of Urik's boots passed the fireplace and the glass display case.
"Welcome, uh, Urik, did you say you're name was?" Sora said, wiping the last of his tears away and putting on another false smile. "What can I get for you?"
Urik was silent for a few seconds, then bought a few Thunder Rings and turned to leave. Sora could not shake the feeling that he knew this man as he began to head for the door.
"Wait!" Sora cried out suddenly. Urik turned around, a smile concealed by the hooded cloak.
"Yes?" was the reply.
"Are you positive Kairi and I don't know you?" Urik laughed.
"Well, I guess this is a good time. yes, you know me," he answered, still chuckling a bit. He raised a hand and in one fluid motion had pulled his hood down. A shock of long silver hair came tumbling out and a pair of teal blue eyes blinked out at Sora. A smile was on his face. Only one person in the entire universe had a smile like that.
"Riku!" Sora cried, jumping out from behind the counter in surprise. "You're alive!!"
This time, Riku was laughing almost too hard to speak. "How else would I be?" he managed to squeeze in.
"Kairi and I thought you were dead!! Don't scare us like that!! What happened to you, Riku? Tell me everything!!!" Sora said, all in one breath.
"Woah, slow down!" Riku was laughing at him again. "Here, come with me and I'll tell you the whole story."
Sora happily took a few steps toward the door, and then hesitated. "But. I have to run the shop!"
"You won't be getting any customers today," Riku said calmly and pointed out the window. It was snowing, and a few inches had already accumulated on the ground. "Take this so you won't be cold." Riku threw Sora his cloak, which Sora put on gratefully. Underneath it, Riku was wearing his normal clothes, which was a sleeveless yellow and black turtle neck with very puffy blue pants. A very wide black belt matched his black gloves and bracelets. He was very muscle-bound, Sora noticed as he opened the door and a drift of snow blew in.
"Aren't you cold?" Sora asked as they started out into the snow, his breath coming out in icy cold clouds. Riku shook his head.
"I'm used to this sort of weather," he replied, and the two trudged on against a pretty strong wind.
They were sitting in an alleyway when Riku began his tale. He had fallen through an inter-dimensional portal and landed in another world. The queen of the world had helped him find his way around, but unfortunately, he had lost Kairi's and Sora's trails. He had wandered about many, many worlds until finally, he tracked them to Traverse Town.
"Wow, that's quite a tale, Riku! But why did you not tell Kairi who you were, too?" Sora asked, confused. Suddenly, Riku caught Sora by his wrist.
"I've missed you, Sora." Riku whispered, and leaned in close enough for Sora to feel the warmth of his breath on his cheek.
"R-R-Riku. what are you doing?" Sora asked, shaking. Still, Riku held firm to his wrists.
"Shhhh." Riku said softly, and in that moment, Sora felt himself being kissed. It was soft and gentle, and Sora felt the tension leaving Riku's body. But this couldn't happen! He was engaged! Sora turned his head quickly, and Riku let go of his wrists in shock.
"I-I-I'm sorry, Riku, but I'm not like that." Sora whispered, out of breath.
"I see." Riku said, letting go of his wrists and turning his head to the side, the pain and hurt apparent in his eyes. Before Sora could say anything, Riku had picked up and left, disappearing into the shadows as fast as he had arrived. Sora touched his lips. They were tingling, unlike when Kairi kissed him, and for a few minutes, Sora felt a piece of his heart leaving with Riku.
That day, Sora trudged home, still wearing Riku's black cloak. For the next few days, he tried to fake happiness, and he didn't tell Kairi about the episode with Riku. She never asked about the black cloak, mainly because he had hid it as soon as he had gotten home. But almost everyday, Sora found himself sneaking into the bathroom to just hold the cloak. He stroked it and rubbed it against his face. Sometimes he even spoke to it, as if his 'best friend' was still wearing it. He would tell it about the constant fights he and Kairi were always having and try to convince it how beautiful she was when she smiled. He never realized that he was only trying to convince himself that she was the only one.
It was about three weeks since Riku had appeared and disappeared on a cold, windy day when another argument occurred. It was their normal argument, something dreadful about her recklessly spending munny.
"Kairi, how am I supposed to buy us a better house if I don't have enough munny to even feed us?" Sora screamed, his voice becoming hoarse. She stared at him, biting her lip and balling her hands into fists, trying to hold back the rage.
"Sora, sometimes you can just be so stupid!! I'm not the only one spending munny!! What about your new shoes?!" she yelled back equally loud. The paint was beginning to shake off the walls and the frantic squeaks of Moogles came from upstairs. Sora's eyes were beginning to water and Kairi was already openly sobbing.
"They were necessary! It's not my fault if you can't see what's reckless and what's necessary! Maybe I should have never proposed to you." Sora said, and then gasped in realization. He hadn't meant to say that! Honestly!
Kairi collapsed into a heap on the well-washed tile floor. Tears streamed from her eyes. "How could you, Sora?"
He ran. He ran all the way upstairs. The Moogles were hiding, so he didn't bother to go to the bathroom this time. He took Riku's cloak from under his pillow and rubbed it on his face, crying into it.
He didn't know how long he had been sitting there, cradling the cloak in his arms and sobbing miserably. But it had to be a while, as Kairi soon appeared at the doorway, looking down on him.
At first, her smile was warm and forgiving, but that melted when she saw him on the floor with the black cloak. That turned to disgust as he turned to look at her, frightened by the anger on her normally beautiful face.
"There's someone else, isn't there?" she said softly and dangerously. He didn't know how to respond, and the seconds seemed like hours as Sora looked on at Kairi like a deer caught in the headlights. Oh, he had screwed up royally this time.
"Get out!!" she screamed, all rage leaving her body in that one scream. Before he knew what he was doing, Sora had gotten up and was running for the door. As he left, she wrenched the diamond ring off her finger and threw it at him.
"I wish you had never proposed to me!!!!" she cried as the ring hit him in the head. The door creaked slowly closed behind him. Suddenly, he stuck his foot in the door. Putting on the cloak, he spoke.
"Yes, there is someone else," he said softly, letting the door slam closed in one final blow.
The wind picked up as he trudged onward through the snow. The freezing weather was starting to get to him as he reached the second district.
"Riku!" he called out one final time before falling face-forward into the snow. He went numb. The world turned white.
He awoke with the delicious smell of vegetables in his nose. It smelled sort of like his mother's homemade soup. He was warm.
He opened his eyes. He was in a bed, a real bead with muted blue sheets and a fluffed up pillow. All of his clothes were still on him, including the black cloak that he so treasured. It was only then that he began to look around the room.
It was a rather plain room, with dark, earthen colored brown walls and a fireplace with a merry fire crackling in it. A pot hung over the fire and it was from this that the smell was coming from. A few framed paintings lined the wall and a hooked rug was on the ground. But right in front of him was the most important object of all. There, sitting on a chair sleeping, was Riku, laying halfway on the bed for support.
Sora's eyes widened. "Riku!" he cried.
Riku's eyes popped right open as he sat up and looked at Sora. "You're awake." His voice was raspy as if he had been crying for a long time. A pained smile went up on his face. "Feeling alright?"
"I feel much better! Where are we?" Sora asked, tilting his head to the side.
"I fixed up a place under the third district."
"Great! Feels like home!" Sora smiled. Riku remained silent, staring deep into Sora's eyes as if trying to figure something out.
"Why do you let her treat you like that? You should've stood up to her. You were the one who found you guys a place to live, after all. I've been watching a bit," Riku said suddenly. It was Sora's turn to be silent. He bit his lip and thought. Then, with a sigh, he shook his head and smiled.
"I don't know. I'm sure there are others who could treat me better. It's just that. I thought I loved her," Sora said, confused with himself. A faint glimmer of hope appeared in Riku's eyes.
"Thought you loved her?" he asked.
"Yeah. Now it seems that I love someone else," Sora said, trying to drop a few hints. Riku looked down, pain in his eyes again.
"Sora, I wanted to talk to you about the other day. I-I-I really didn't." Riku stammered out. Sora suddenly tuned him out. It was his best friend, the one who he had always looked up to, stammering at him like an idiot! He wouldn't take this!
"Riku, stop talking!" he demanded, slamming his fist down on the bed. Riku's eyes widened in shock and surprise. and confusion.
Before another word was said, Sora leaned him and kissed him: a soft and gentle but passionate kiss. Riku showed no response. In fact, he was whimpering against his lips. Sora pulled back, this time the one to be hurt.
"What's the matter?" he asked. Riku looked him straight in the eyes, and a smile blossomed on his face.
"You caught me by surprise," he answered, and with that he wrapped his arms about Sora and deepened the kiss.
FIN.