Chapter Seven: Hikari
A/N: It's the final mix, the climax, what we've all been waiting for. Thank you for reading Simple and Clean. God, this chapter's long! Oh, and remember how I said J.K. Rowling is an amazing writer? See if you can pick up hints about what I mean. There are clues about how this story is going to end everywhere and where I'm gonna pull out a sequel. Also, major characters that you may overlook also have important roles. That's all I'm gonna say about that other than the fact that it's sickening how well I know the wedding matrimony. One last thing: Anyone wonder why Riku gives Sora the paopu fruit at the beginning of the game? I was playing KH with my cousin yesterday and she was the one who pointed it out. O.o (heh heh heh, SquareUnix is so good at that!)
Dedication: To Aysiaella for getting my ass back in gear by threatening to burn me in the eternal flames of hell.
To Every Door Of Darkness...
Sora saw Riku's eyes, the ice blue gems, glareing with hatred and disgust. He eagerly glared back, holding Kairi closer.
"Kairi." He said, kissing her cheek. "I'll be right back."
She smiled and shrugged. "Just be careful. Riku went to get some of his things and I don't feel like playing the referee."
Sora let go of her with a bitter laugh and walked out the door. His eyes met Riku's and he hesitated. "Riku, what are you doing here?" The silver-haired man sighed. "Kairi."
"What about her?" Sora felt his temper rising. "I'm so sick of
excuses, Riku. What do you want?" Exasperated, he turned around to walk away from him. He barely got three steps before Riku snatched his arm and spun him around.
"Riku, I'm warning you. Let me go."
Riku didn't answer. He pulled him outside so Kairi couldn't hear their conversation.
As soon as they got outside, Sora jerked his arm away from Riku's grasp. "Come on, Riku, this isn't-"
"You told me you weren't going to marry her." He interrupted.
Sora glowered at his ex-lover. "Yeah, well things change, people change."
"You haven't changed the way you feel about me."
"Sora's heart skipped a beat. "Even so, your love changed."
Riku's eyes softened and he gently cupped Sora's face, caressing his cheek. "No, it didn't."
For a moment, Sora wanted to believe him. He wanted to believe every word Riku said to him. But the cold hatred that he met before when he entered his room a week ago told him otherwise. "Liar," He pulled away from the silver-haired man, swatting his hand away from his face. "Riku, that's such B.S."
"No, it isn't."
"You're lying to me. I know you are. You've lied to me from the start!"
"Sora, please listen-"
"Shut up!" Sora clasped his ears. "You made me believe that you loved me and then you took it away!" Tears rolled down his cheeks. "I can't trust you anymore."
The expression on Riku's face became hard and stony. He squared his jaw. "I came back here to make sure that you didn't marry her."
"Well, I'm going to." Sora whispered. "So stay out of it."
"Don' worry," Riku said, still glaring at Sora. "I will."
Sora watched as Riku turned on his heel and walked away. But his heart was still pounding with every step Riku took away from him.
Meanwhile, Kairi was in her room again, thinking about Sora and Riku's relationship. She picked up her guitar and sighed out the next lines of her song.
Wish I could prove I love you
But does that mean I have
To walk on water?
Sora walked with Kairi to the café that they worked at, the same place where this whole mess began in the first place. He made sure to be the best future husband he could be, holding her hand as they got there and pushing in her seat for her.
He sat down himself and held her hand across the table. "I'm sorry I haven't been helping much on the wedding planning."
"That's okay," she smiled. "I know you have problems of your own to work out. Besides, I've always wanted to plan a wedding and Aerith, Yuffie and the rest of the princesses have been real supportive."
"Where are we having it?"
"Mickey's castle." She bubbled. "He's so sweet. He said that he wasn't gonna allow a princess to get married just anywhere. It's like getting a royal treatment or something."
Sora sighed. "Well, as long as you're having fun."
"I am." She smiled as the waiter came and ordered her usual white chocolate mocha while Sora just got a regular coffee. She rubbed Sora's palm with her thumb. "I just wish that you and Riku didn't get into a fight around now, you know?"
He didn't answer but looked off into the distance where the steps were. A few weeks ago, Riku came back and descended those stairs.
"It's so weird to think that right there is where Riku came back." Kairi gushed. When Sora looked at her in shock, she just smiled again. "I know when you are thinking about him. You get this look on your face." she stretched her arms over her head. "When we were younger, you would always look up to him like an idol or something. But now, when you think about him, you always have this sad look in your eyes. But that same spark of a worshipper was still there."
When Sora didn't answer, she continued. "Maybe it wasn't worship. Maybe it was love, you know?"
"Kairi." It pained his heart to hear her talk like this, especially since it was so close to the truth.
"I'll stop if you want me to stop." She said. "But tomorrow, I'm going to Leon's apartment to give an invitation."
"Didn't he get his today?"
"Not Leon's invite. Riku's."
She seemed to be studying for his reaction. "Kairi, he's your friend too. If you want to invite him, that's fine by me. Just don't expect me to say anything to him, that's all."
A wave of relief washed over his fiancée. "Thank you, Sora."
Riku got back to Squall's apartment late that night. Squall was watching TV in the dark living room when Riku came through the door, eyes heavy and hair windblown. "Riku, are you okay?" Riku didn't answer him. He crossed the living room and turned off the television. "What are you-" "Squall," he said hoarsely. "Take me away from this reality." Squall stood up and groped for Riku's waist, pulling him close. "What happened?" "Gone. I've lost him forever." "Sora?" "Yeah." Riku relaxed into Squall's hold. Squall drew him in closer, allowing Riku to wrap his arms around the older man tighter. "Squall, release me from the pain." "What do you want me to do?" "Be my Sora for tonight." Squall nodded and nibbled Riku's ear, trying to get a moan out of him. He worked his way up the back of Riku's shirt, tugging it off. He dropped it in its place and grabbed Riku's lifeless hand, dragging him to the bedroom. "Sora," Riku murmured as Squall placed him on the bed, unbuckling his own pants. "Sora, are you there?" "Yes," Squall answered, and he unzipped Riku's jeans. "Please tell me that you aren't marrying Kairi tomorrow." "I'm not." Sora's face was beaming back at him. His hands groped Riku's front and Riku groaned in pleasure. "Promise me." He cried out. "Promise me that you won't leave me." "I won't." Sora pulled down his boxers and pinned him to the bead. Their hips rocked like waves in an ocean as Riku grasped for Sora's waist, keeping steady to the rhythm until he blacked out.
(Author's shameless note: Oh... oh wow... damn... I didn't know that it would be that way!!)
Riku woke up the next day with his legs and arms wrapped around Squall. Cursing his stupidity, he went into the shower and tried to scrub every part of him that felt like Squall's touch feigning to be Sora's. The way his hands groped and his hips grinded was disgusting him. What was worse was his need for it. If Sora wasn't around, he needed Squall to be his replacement and he was his Rinoa.
As he got out of the shower, he grabbed his clothes, hoping to whatever deity was out there that Squall wouldn't wake up. Fortunately he didn't. He was on his way out the bedroom when the doorbell rang.
"Come on, open up! I know you're in there, Riku."
Great. Kairi.
He opened the door. "Hello, what's up?"
"Why did you and Sora get into a fight?"
Damn, she was blunt. "That's really none of your business."
She sighed. "I thought you would say that. Would the fight stop you from coming to our wedding?"
"Yep."
"Oh, it really can't be that bad." She whined. "And we really need you at the wedding! Who's gonna be Sora's best man?!?"
"Are you seriously asking me that question?"
"Well, yeah." Kairi sighed again. "Okay, I'll tell you the truth. I know you like Sora."
Riku's eyebrows shot way up. "What the hell?"
"Come on, I told him too, right before you two had your argument!" Kairi said. "And when I did, it didn't make a difference to him!"
"You told him before we had the fight?"
"Right before."
"And he didn't say... anything else?"
"No, he just smiled and said that he would talk to you about whatever stick up your ass problem that you had!" Kairi growled in frustration. She never spoke this way unless she had to. Now seemed like a good time.
"Well, you still have no idea what the fight was about and you have no idea what you're talking about anyway." He lowered his eyes. "I apparently don't like him anymore. He told me that to my face."
Kairi squared her jaw. She had never been so aggravated in all her life. "We've always looked up to you, Riku, as a friend, as a brother and anything. Whenever we didn't know something, you told us that we would understand when we were older. But you know what? You and Sora have always been having these kinds of fights for some time now, from over a paopu fruit to whatever the hell this was about now!" She grabbed his shoulers, making him face her. "I'm older, Riku, and I still don't understand! I don't understand this and I don't understand you two!" "What are you talking about, Kairi?" Riku was losing his patience. The look in Kairi's eye was one of sheer determination. She released his shoulders. "You're right about me not knowing the fight and what happened." Kairi said, fighting back tears. "But take this invitation to the wedding today, please..."
Sora ran his hand through his hair. He couldn't believe that he was going through with this. Now, dressed from head to toe in a tuxedo he faced the isle watching the ladies in waiting and their escorts walk them down. People from various worlds were inside the castle. 'What would be a better wedding,' they all said, 'than between the Keyblade Master and the Lost Princess?'
Sora had an answer to all of the people he heard say that. Unfortunately, his answer was currently empty.
His heart skipped a beat as Kairi walked down the isle. Her dress was a simple white with flecks of silver. Her hair was down but had a crown of white flowers around it. While others commented on how beautiful the bride looked, Sora couldn't help but realize that her dress was the same color as Riku's hair. Every time he kissed him, that's where his hands always ended up, tangled in Riku's hair.
And that made Sora think about kissing Riku... which didn't help his current situation in the least.
Kairi reached him, smiling as she always did. Her smiles always reminded him of childhood and secrets.
"Hello, everyone." Mickey said, waving to the crowd. Because of his height, they needed an altar so the audience could see him. "We are gathered here today to bear witness to the marriage of Sora and Riku."
"What did you say?" Sora stood up straighter.
Kairi gave him a worried look. "Are you okay?"
"I said the marriage of Sora and Kairi." Mickey laughed. "Look everyone, he's getting pre-marriage jitters."
The audience laughed at Sora's antics. Kairi gave him a warm smile again in the hopes of calming his nerves.
"Like I was saying, we are all here to see Sora and Kairi become one and in unity." Mickey continued. "Is there anyone here who disapproves of this holy binding?"
No one spoke up. Kairi's face actually looked as if it fell for a moment before she held her head high again. Sora reached out for her hand and she bit her lip. Obviously she was just as nervous about this as he was.
Or maybe he was a little more.
"Kairi, do you take Sora to be your lawfully wedding husband, to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in health and in sickness until death do you part?"
"I-I do." Kairi stammered out. Something seemed to be troubling her. "And do you Sora, take Kairi to be your lawfully wedding wife..." As Mickey droned on, Sora let his eyes wander for a moment. He looked at all the faces around him, all giving him their blessing to marry Kairi. Minnie, Daisy, Donald, Cloud, Leon, Yuffie, Aerith... Way in the back, standing with his arms crossed, dressed in black and looking as if he was going to a funeral was Riku. Sora felt his heart literally stop beating as he caught he eyes, those ice blue eyes that enchanted him so many years ago. "Sora?" Kairi gently touched his arm.
Sora looked at Kairi's face, beaming up at him expectantly. "Kairi, I... I can't."
Her face dropped. "What?"
"I'm so sorry, but I can't do this."
The audience was quiet, deafeningly so. But out of all the sounds that he expected to break the silence (all of them coming from Riku), he would have never expected laughter.
Laughter coming from Kairi's mouth, in fact.
She grabbed his arm and ran down the isle, dragging him the whole way. They ran through the halls, Kairi's laughing bouncing off the castle walls and echoing around them. Thinking that she had gone insane, Sora pulled his arm away.
She stopped running and began spinning around in circles until she fell to the floor, dizzy.
"Kairi, I'm gonna get some help."
"No, no, no, Sora, wait!" she said between giggles. "I'm not crazy, I swear!"
"What's gotten into you?"
She gasped for breath and stood up, embracing him in a hug. "It's time for me to tell you the truth."
"What truth?"
"I knew that you loved Riku, I've always known!"
Sora backed away from her smiling face. "What are you talking about?"
"When we were little and I gave you two that paopu fruit, it was in the hopes that you two would realize that you were meant for each other! That's why I was so surprised when you asked me to marry you."
"So why did you do it?" he asked. He didn't know whether to be mad or baffled. "Why did you accept my proposal?"
"Because I knew that you needed someone, something steady at the time. In your mind, you believed Riku was gone forever. But your heart told you otherwise. Your heart said that he was alive, right?"
He couldn't deny that. It was the total truth.
"Listen, Sora." She said, suddenly becoming serious. "I love you, but I'm not in love with you. I was going to be that person that you could lean on until you realized the truth. I saw you and Riku that night on the beach when we went on vacation."
When he made a face, she laughed. "I left before anything happened, don't worry. Anyway, I saw the way he's looked at you since he arrived. A pained expression with a hint of love everytime you walked by. It was maddening but I wasn't going to do anything about it until you realized it yourself."
"The only thing that was really maddening was how great of a friend you are." He embraced her again, a smile on his face. "These past few weeks must have been torture."
"Painfully so." She laughed. "But I wasn't gonna be able to do anything until you realized that things are that simple."
Sora relaxed into her hug. "Now we have to convice Riku."
The now unmarried, unengaged couple got back to their apartment, laughing and acting silly. Kairi, who had nicely given back the wedding dress to the king, donned Sora's spare t-shirt and jeans, both of which were too baggy for her. Sora just went home in his tux since he was too exhausted to care.
Kairi shut the door. "We just got in before the rain."
"I need to take a nap. This has been too long of a day." Sora yawned and headed to the bedroom. Kairi was about to join him when she saw a note by the door.
She picked it up. It was a simple card with no name or address on it. Inside, it read:
I'm traveling; I don't think we'll run into each other again. I'm leaving now so I won't mess up your new life.
There was no signature but Kairi immediately knew who it was. She threw the card down and raced into the town, running down the stairs in the pouring rain. Running from district to district, she finally found him in the Third District, his bag over his shoulder.
"Riku, wait!" She ran toward him and pulled his bag off his shoulders. "Please, just listen to me. Don't walk away; I need to tell you something!"
Riku looked as if he was about to protest then looked at her clothes. "What the hell are you wearing? You look like you fell into a laundry basket!"
"Nevermind that!" she said. "You have to stay! Sora and I aren't married."
"I know; I was there." He sighed. "I was way in the back and Sora saw me before he said no."
Kairi felt as if she was going to rip her hair out. "Don't you see? That's proof that he loves you!"
"Perhaps. But I can't love him."
"Why not?" When Riku didn't answer, she grabbed his shirt. "Riku, please answer me!"
He pushed her off of his shirt and picked up his bag. "Tell Sora that I'm sorry for everything."
"Riku." Across the District like a hoarse whisper, Sora's voice carried to Riku's ears. He turned around to see Sora walking towards him until they were a foot away. "Riku, is it true? Do you love me?"
"I-"
"I love you, Riku." Sora interrupted. "I just wish you could love me."
Riku sighed. "I can't love you because I'm dangerous. I don't want to risk hurting you anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"When I... worked for Ansem, all I could think about was how much I was hurting you. Now, I don't have to worry about him but I still am able to make you cry."
Sora listened, the rain deafening in his ears. Kairi felt as if she couldn't utter a word so she stayed quiet and Riku continued. "When I came back, it was only suppose to be a short stay. I told myself that I would see you and Kairi one more time but I wouldn't stay. If I did, I would probably fall in love with you all over again." He scoffed. "I wasn't expecting love at first sight. I never believed in it. I then grew jealous. Jealous of Kairi for having you. My goal became for you to break it off with her. But when I had you, I wondered if this was because of some stupid piece of fruit six years ago or did I love you? And if I did, would I end up hurting you again? That's why I pushed you away."
Sora looked as if he was going to cry. Riku wanted to kick himself. "See, that's what I mean! It's that face that you make that makes me want to leave. I hate hurting you."
Underneath the tears that he brushed away, Sora smiled and walked closer to him until they were heartbeats away from each other. Sora didn't dare touch him and Riku felt like he would be intruding on the moment if he reached out for him.
Sora looked up at him. "We have to take that chance, Riku."
"I love you, Sora. You're the only person in the world that makes me feel as if I never did anything wrong in my life."
"Then don't let this relationship go." Sora wondered when his knees would buckle. The look that Riku was giving him was raw emotion.
"I love you, Riku."
Riku offered his hand to pull Sora close. Sora looked down at it and shook his head as he slapped it away. He offered his own hand instead. "But you have to trust our love."
"Most definitely." He took Sora's hand and paused. Just before Sora could pull him into himself, Riku jerked his hand, forcing Sora into him. Sora laughed. "You're so playful." "Too playful?" "No." He looked up into Riku's eyes and smiled. Riku bent lower and kissed him. Sora's hands found their way back up into Riku's hair, tangling them into it. Suddenly, they heard a squeal of laughter and pulled away. Kairi was rejoicing and dancing in the rain. Riku embraced Sora again, this time just feeling his body under his fingertips.
Kairi's voice rang out into the District louder than ever:
Hold me
Whatever lies beyond this morning
Is a little later on.
Regardless of warning
The future doesn't scare me at all
Nothing's like before.
A/N: Hold your noses if your sensitive to people talking about sex (like me)
All in all, the trio managed to get everything they could ever want. Kairi was currently on tour with her new single, Simple and Clean (Coughit'sreallyUtadaHikaributwhatevercough) which she dedicated to the boys. Sora and Riku moved out of their former homes respectively and actually got an apartment of their own.
Now, in bed in their first night, Riku wrapped an arm around Sora, who was almost asleep.
"Sora, sleep with me tonight."
"No."
"Why not, it's our first night here!"
Sora turned around and glared at him. "Do you really need to know why I refuse to sleep with you, Riku?"
Riku raised an eyebrow and Sora checked off the list.
"We've only been here for a little less than twenty four hours. Within the first hour of us finishing our packing, you grabbed me and we did it on the living room floor."
Riku nodded. "So?"
"Then, we went out. As soon as we got back, I practically had to sprint up the stairs in order try and escape you."
"True. So what?"
Sora stared at him. "I didn't even make it up the stairs before you tackled me."
Riku grinned. "I remember that."
"And then you grabbed me in the shower." He sighed. "Kairi called. Do you remember what she said?"
"No."
"She said that I deserved some rest because god knows you probably won't quit." Sora thought for a moment. "And then, I was walking in the hallway and you popped out of the closet and pulled me it!"
"Yeah." Riku smiled. "That was a fun one. You really weren't expecting that one."
"The closet, Riku?!?"
"So, we're both out of the closet. Might as well have some fun inside of it again."
Sora tried not to laugh. He was trying to scold his lover after all. "At dinner you purposely got me tipsy with paopu wine."
"Only shared with your one and only." When Sora gave him a face, he blinked. "What? That's what it says on the bottle."
"That's not why I'm glaring at you. Please tell me you remember."
"What, you mean us on the kitchen floor? That's nothing. Plenty of couples do that!"
"...and the dining room table as well, Riku?"
Riku didn't answer. He honestly didn't know.
"And then, I had to get showered again... but did you leave me alone? No. You said something about making sure we had enough quality time together."
"That was only because I thought you'd hit me if I said something about conserving water."
"I probably would have." Sora watched as Riku's arm slinked closer around his waist. "I know that move. That's the You-can't-run-away move."
"No, love, this is the You-won't-fall-out-of-the-bed move." Riku grinned, seductively.
"Riku, we just took showers and I'm too tired. I've never had so much sex in all of my life."
"What, it was only..." he thought for a moment. "Six times..."
"Seven."
"So what, we're young!"
"Where do you get all this energy from?"
"From being playful." He drew Sora in closer. "And you said you didn't mind me being playful."
"No, but there is a line between being playful and being a sex addict."
"...which one will get you to sleep with me tonight."
"...both."
Riku rejoiced and flipped Sora over so he was on his back. "I knew you'd succumb to my powers of persuasion."
"Shut up and sleep with me already."
End Fanfiction!
A/N: That last part, the epilogue, is something that's been playing in my head since chapter five or so. After their first night togetherI wanted to know what they would talk about just before they went to bed. I mean, come on, that was really cute in a slightly perverted way. Heh, it's also because I never write lemons that I wanted to see if I could do this without blushing too hard (Aysia, I nearly had a nosebleed!)
Running Theme: Water was the biggest theme here. Whenever something happened in their favor, they were near water. Like, think about their first kiss, their first night and when they made up, they were in the rain, right?
Kairi: I made her so kickass. I hate reading stories when she's this powderpuff that whines about everything. In the first moments of meeting her in the game, she smacks Sora upside the head. I like the way she is here. All the secrets of the story were contained within this one chick. She knew EVERYTHING FROM THE BEGINNING!
Finally, I want to thank everyone for reading my fic (all completed!) I'm really proud of it (though it does remind me of a soap opera). I can't wait to start the sequel (Because there WILL be a sequel... and it will knock you off your feet) but I have to attend to my other fanfictions first. I love you all and I hope you all liked Simple and Clean!