"Inevitable Disillusion"

by Shampoo and Blank

Disclaimer: Yeah, we all know you wish it was ours...

Authors' Commentary: Shampoo again, here to write another chapter! Yea! Go me! Whatever...*Squall pose*

Blank here.. just to say that multiple personality disorder can be a bad, bad thing. ^_~

Chapter 4:

"Don't you ever just want to leave, Sora...? Don't you ever feel trapped here?" Riku's eyes stared at him, staring at Sora, leaving him feeling vulnerable and exposed. Riku had that effect on people...his eyes were colored such a deep jade; they seemed to see right in you and into the darkest depths of your soul. Sora shrugged, he had never felt compelled to leave the island he called his home. Sora was the island, his skin was so tan like the sand he relaxed on, his personality was bubbly and happy, the epitome of an island paradise, his heart was as big as the ocean that surrounded them, and his eyes shone with such a love for all that was around him, one could only compare it to the sun. If someone had tried to create a person to live on the island in perfect harmony, they could not have created someone better than Sora to be that person.

In every way he was light, from his shining smile to his clear depthless blue eyes. Riku leaned in, his dark eyelashes lowering as he cast his gaze downward. His silver, moonlight locks fell forward, covering his face with a shadow to hide his features.

"Sora? Where are you Sora?" Everything slowly grew darker, like the sun was setting on them.

"I can't see you Sora. Its too bright."

"But Riku, I won't be able to see you if it gets dark!"

"Don't worry Sora. I'll guide you in the dark." Riku glanced up, the blindfold covering those jade eyes.

"R-Riku?"

"Don't you want to leave Sora? Join me in the darkness...We can be together again Sora. We can be joined by the darkness. Its hopeless for us to live in the light anymore..." Riku extended a hand to Sora, as the darkness swelled up in pools around his feet, twisting and turning around his ankles.

"Riku!"

Sora sat up straight in bed and looked around him. The whole room seemed dark and shadowy, and unfamiliar.

"Where...where am I?" he wondered, looking around him. He glanced out his window and saw the island out there.

"My room...this is my room..." Sora laughed to himself as he reached over and flicked on the light. Someone, probably his mother, had cleaned up the room. He couldn't believe it when he hadn't recognized his own room. Sora tried to remember how he had ended up in his room anyway. Last thing he remembered was feeling sleepy as while he and Riku had sat together, holding hands.

It had been nothing special, just the two of them sitting there, holding hands. Nothing like they used to do when they got time alone anyway. Sora smiled softly to himself as he remembered the good old days of him and Riku together.

"Finally! We lost her!" Sora looked over his shoulder one last time to check to make sure Kairi wasn't trailing them.

"Told you we would. My plans never fail." Riku retorted haughtily, smirking in his own way.

"Are you saying MY plans always fail then?" Sora asked, pouting and trying to look upset, but keeping his voice in a soft, flirty tone. Riku thought on this for a moment, then grinned and nodded. Sora growled and tackled him, intent on pinning the boy to the ground, but before he had even made contact with Riku it seemed, he was already pinned underneath him.

"See? Your plans always fail..." Riku leaned over and gave Sora a quick, dry peck on the lips.

"If that's what I get for failing, I don't mind..." Sora grinned back, "Sometimes, I wish you and I could just stay like this forever..."

"But then you'd always be the loser on the bottom!"

Sora smiled softly at the memory, wondering if they'd ever be playful and flirty like that again. When Sora had been with Riku earlier, Riku hadn't teased him at all, and Sora felt uncomfortable and awkward. He didn't know what to say to Riku. A part of him wanted to tackle Riku and kiss him with all the passion and longing he had harbored. Then another part of him just wanted to hold Riku until all his pain was gone. But then there was another part, small it may be, that wanted to leave Riku. To accept that he had changed and that they had changed and abandon Riku. Again.

Sora shook off that doubt. He could never abandon his Riku!

...Abandon? Something inside Sora stirred. Kairi had been back three years now, along with Selphie, Tidus, Wakka and the other islanders. Riku had been back for two years now. For a year Kairi had probably said Sora would be back with Riku. And then Sora wasn't.

"What am I doing asleep!? I gotta go say hi to people!" Sora felt guilty for not immediately running to see his mother. She was probably off thinking Sora was dead and here he was, sound asleep in his own bed. Riku had probably snuck him in, it was pretty late and Sora didn't feel like he'd been asleep long. So that means...

"Mom doesn't even know I'm home yet!" Sora tiptoed down the hall and opened his mother's door slightly. She was asleep.

"Mom..." he whispered softly as he stepped all the way in. "Mom, wake up..." Sora called, a little louder this time. His mother stirred and Sora saw her open one sleepy eye, a sparkling cerulean like his own.

"Mom, it's me, Sora." That was the magic words. Sora suddenly found himself caught up in his mother's arms, a position that had embarrassed him his whole life, but now...Sora realized that in his whole journey, he had been so caught up in Riku and Kairi, he hadn't even thought too much of his mother. But now, being back here with her...

"Mom, mommy...sorry I didn't come home right away...I ran into Kairi and Riku..." Sora's mom fell down on her knees and stared her little boy straight in the face.

"Sora, sweetie, its ok...Don't cry sweetie, you're home now...Everyone's home now. Sora, why are you crying?" Sora reached one hand up to his face and felt where it was damp. He hadn't even realized he'd been crying.

"I'm just glad to be home...Everything's back to normal now, except for..." Sora's eyes looked downwards and his thoughts drifted to Riku.

"Riku, right?" She asked. Sora blinked in surprise. His mother had always been really good at reading his mind. "I'd figured you'd already met up with him..." She reached up and wiped away the tears, as Sora nodded at her words.

"He's changed, Sora...you need to take care of him now." She said, smiling softly at him. Sora had never actually told his mother about Riku and his relationship, but she always dropped hints that she knew, and he in turn, dropped hints that she was right. It was a childish game they played, but it could always bring a bright smile to Sora's face. Sora managed a small smile of his own, and nodded at his mother, softly breathing in a scent like light cinnamon, a comforting scent to tell him he was home again.

"Riku's done nothing but ask for you." His mother continued. "Kairi's been taking care of him, but you can see he didn't like that too much. He hasn't spoken once to her, nor to anyone for that matter. I've cooked for him several times, but he tends to have no appetite. Though Sora, in your eyes, I guess he's always going to be the Riku whom you'll look up to..." She sighed faintly, but kept her smile. Sora listened intently, his eyes wide, almost with disbelief.

"Riku's never eaten a lot, Mom...you're just used to kids with my appetite..." Sora said, trying to convince himself to believe the lie that had just slipped through his lips. Sora's mother had practically raised Riku as well, the two were seemingly never apart, and she knew very well that Riku could easily eat just as much as Sora.

"All the same, Sora...watch out for him?" His mother asked. Sora nodded, though in his mind he waved it off as mere nonsense.

Riku doesn't need ME to take care of him...he's perfectly fine on his own...I know he is...He has to be!

~*~To Be Continued...

Sorry for the delay! ^^