Silver Lining: Gameplay 2

Author's note: Thanks to Princess of Mirrors for that lengthy comment. I know about Gravitation (And love their songs…) and how "happy" they are. I got caught up with portraying slutty Riku. Gomen if it was out of character but really… who can resist writing about Riku going crazy over Sora? (First attempt at writing slash, hopefully it will get better.) I hope this chapter will explain why Riku suddenly lost his ice prince persona as well as why Sora was so willing to "participate" in the kiss. ^-^ And maybe the story will finally move on with the plot… Oro. 

Now onto the serious bit: If you are not a Sora/ Riku fan, you either stay away or get converted. This piece of fiction is set in an alternate reality/universe. In other words, everything but the characters (they might also be altered) is different from the original Kingdom Heart storyline. Many apologies for naughty thoughts, bad grammar and spelling because I just cannot be bothered to check my work beyond a cursory glance. And since I am sure some people are irritated that I butcher my story with such callousness, I am looking for a nice beta reader to do all the checking for me ^-^.

Disclaimer: None of the KH characters belong to me, they belong to those who spent their youth designing and developing them.

What the hell am I doing? Riku looked towards the black sky of the night. The dark velvet was bleak, with only a sliver of light for a moon. The stars were gone. The darkness reflected the state of Riku's self.

At first, he was outraged with Sora's plea. He would not kill anyone. Even though he could end any mortal life with a simple snap of his fingers, he had vowed never to do it. The rebellious streak within him would not allow him to 'give' anyone what he could not have. If he was not allowed to die, he will not allow anyone else to die either. Selfish? Yes, unless you understood the feeling of not knowing an end. But still, he gave Sora the benefit of the doubt and asked why he thought Riku would kill him. And he answered that he wanted to die.

Riku wanted Sora to disappear then and there.

But Sora did not let him go.

He wanted to be like him.

Innocent Sora wanted to become him.

The irony of the situation caused Riku to snap. The moment his cold lips touched Sora's warm and pliable ones, Riku lost all his senses to Sora.

He had just wanted to give Sora a taste of what was to come. Maybe it would scare him away, but Sora was unfazed after melting under his embrace. Something long-gone returned to his body during that kiss. Riku felt it. He felt human again.

Sora did not run or hide. And the only reason Sora stopped Riku was because Sora did not know his name.

Riku could not deny that kind of innocent seduction and cast away all other thoughts besides trying to get Sora back into his arms again. Sora radiated warmth that heated Riku's frozen emotions. He could not help but long for the sun after being left in the cold for so long.

Now, back under the cold blanket of the night, Riku marveled at his dramatic transformation. He did not know whether to call it stupidity or insanity. He just knew that Sora affected him in a way that he had never felt before. Good or bad, it was not his call.

*

Sora suddenly shivered in his blankets. Not because of the chilling wind that rolled over the night. As a matter of fact, Sora was burning. His face felt hot and if not for the weak lighting, a deep blush could be seen dusted upon his cheeks. Curious blue eyes peered, half hidden from the blankets that were pulled up to his nose, at the silhouette sitting upon a fallen tree trunk like a fallen angel. To Sora, Riku was as beautiful as a seraph but surrounded by a faint aura of darkness because of the lost of hope.

The kiss that they shared kept replaying in Sora's mind and he was baffled by his reaction (or rather lack thereof) to such a "unique" experience. He had only kissed one person and that person had died in his arms. But Sora had never been kissed.

He still could not believe that he had broken down in tears. Somehow or other, being around Riku made Sora reliant. Maybe it was because Sora had never been caught in such a "different" situation or maybe it was because Sora was used to be the one that initiated contact. But then again, Sora had never been kissed by a guy before.

*

Selphie sat on the lowest branches of an old tree curved by years of weathering. She cooed softly (unconsciously) as she observed Riku-sama's silent ponderings. Even though no emotions were carved into his flawless face, Selphie could sensitively sense the slight changes in her master's mood. There was question, followed by anger and passion that died with resignation.

Concern flooded Selphie's little canary heart. She did not know what was really going on between Riku-sama and "Porcupine" head. After this afternoon's episode, Riku-sama decided to travel with Sora on his mission. When Sora innocently repeated his request for her master to be his "teacher", Riku-sama replied with a smile. He declared that as Sora's teacher, Riku-sama wanted to follow Sora until he had finished his quest to deliver the treasure. The rest of the day was spent with Sora chattering, nervously at first, and Riku listening. Or Sora and Selphie bickering over some mundane topic, and Riku listening. Selphie was still sore over the fact that she had lost each argument due to the fact that she was now (temporarily) a canary.  

Titling her little feathery head towards the bundle of blankets staring at her master, Selphie wondered why Sora caused Riku to lose his much favored self-control. Grudgingly, Selphie had to admit that Sora was quite adorable looking, with watery blue eyes that seem to sparkle on a heart-shaped face that often carried a confused expression. But Selphie could sense something in Sora's smile. It was in some ways similar to Riku-sama's but different in a way that Selphie could not explain. Her master's smile was one that she disliked at times as it reflected his cynicism at life, his loss of hope. "Spikey" also wore a smile that seemed to reflect loss. Loss of what, Selphie did not know but she could safely guess that it must have been something or someone important to Sora.

Perhaps that is why both Riku-sama and Sora felt so strongly towards each other.

They both seem to seek something.

And it seems that they found it in each other.

*

Sora's fatigue had finally overcome his curiosity and he fell fast into slumber. Riku, on the other hand, did not feel any lure of sleep. Riku turned and his eyes fell upon Sora's face. He kneeled down next to the sleeping boy and stared transfixed at the creature before him. Noticing Sora's tight grasp on his blankets, Riku realized that Sora was at the mercy of the chilly autumn night. He took off his long black coat and used it to protect Sora from the raw weather. To Riku, his black coat was more of a medium for disguise not for keeping warm. The cold caused the freshly fallen leaves to curl as they are blown about playfully by the wind.

If someone had had his heart frozen into glass and blood cast into ice, then he would not be able to feel the cold. Riku did not feel the cold.