Stormy Seas

A KingdomHearts fic, by Tigerhawk.

This story's for Amber, cuz she's cool!

And she also told me to write this....

Oh, and hi Serenity. (waves)

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Riku looked up from his handmade raft, glaring through the rain at the boy who was running up to him. It was his best friend, Sora, the red of his clothes showing up easily against the weather. He was calling Riku's name franticly, pushing against the rain and sand as he struggled to make his way to the edge of the water where Riku was kneeling. Riku looked back to the knot he was trying to tie, his fingers fumbling with the wet rope as he muttered curses under his breath. His emotions were about as mixed up as this weather, threatening to overwhelm him. He had to escape it; he had to get off this island.

"Riku!" Sora had finally caught up to him, but he was gasping for breath and struggled to talk. Riku did not look up from his work, pulling the knot tight with a finale tug, and quickly picked up two other ropes and proceeded to tie them together, pulling up his mast.

Sora tried again.

"Riku! What are you doing? You can't be thinking of going out in weather like this!"

Riku twisted his head around, droplets being thrown from his pale wet hair, but they mixed with the falling rain. He glared up at Sora, whose face was surprisingly close as he had his hands on his knees, and said angrily, "Just stay away from me! Go back to Kairi and the others! I'm sure she's missing you."

Rain flattened Sora's messy brown hair a somewhat, and rain dripped from his hair to Riku's face. As Riku glared up at Sora's stunned look, any feelings of guilt at yelling at Sora he might have had were washed away by his pain and agony of seeing

him. He had wanted to be long gone before Sora got here, so he won't have to look at him ever again.

He turned back to his raft and tugged the next knot tight, jerking his whole body into it. He wanted to be gone from here. He needed to have his memories washed clean.

"Riku!" Sora cried, exasperated, "What did I do?!"

Riku didn't answer right away. He held his hands in front of them, looking at the red welts he was getting from working with the rope so much. The rain was cool against them, soothing. He tried to sort his thoughts, separating them from his tangled emotions. Calming down.

"You kissed her." His voice was quiet, but somehow Sora heard him through the scattered sound of rain.

"How did you know about that?" his voice was laced with surprise.

Riku turned his head back to Sora, his glare practically burning a hole in Sora's face.

"I was going outside to find you, but it seemed you were already preoccupied by Kairi. I didn't want to interrupt or anything." The statement was heavy with sarcasm.

Riku went back to putting things in the trunk that he would need. Need for what? Riku almost didn't even pack any food, for what was the point? He didn't really have a destination in mind; he just had to get away. But then he remembered that he had to last long enough to get far away from the island, and packed a week's worth of food. Sora was silent beside him, and the only sound to be heard was the constant steady beat of that rain.

Finally Sora spoke.

"I didn't kiss her, she kissed me. I wouldn't have kissed her, I know you like her. I just didn't know you liked her this much..." Sora trailed off as he watched Riku stuffed a blanket in the truck, filling it to the brim. Riku put his hands on the lid of the trunk and closed it before the things in it got too wet, then turned to face Sora.

"But you like her, don't you?" Riku's voice was soft, sad. Sora looked confused.

"What?"

"You liked that she kissed you right? But you wont kiss her back when she kisses you because you think I like her?"

"Wait, hold on! Don't you like her? I mean, no I wouldn't have kissed her or anything!" Sora was looking worried and confused. He put a hand to his hair, making it stick up at odd angles, despite the rain.

Riku walked closer and put one knee on the ground, balancing himself with a hand in front of Sora, putting his face right in front of his, speaking clearly and simply.

"Do you love Kairi?"

Sora looked at Riku, stunned by his new change in attitude and this unexpected question. "Um, no?"

Riku studied Sora's expression.

"I don't believe you."

"What?" asked Sora, not believing he had heard him right. Riku looked hard into Sora's eyes, as if he could read something there. All he saw was soft blue eyes, looking back into his own gray ones.

"You're only saying that to try and make me feel better. I want the truth, Sora." The wind was picking up a little, and it blew Riku's shoulder length hair forward, till a strand brushed the sides of Sora's face. The blue-eyed boy started at this, and then said angrily, "That IS the truth!"

"Prove it." Riku needed to know. He had to. He couldn't stay and watch Sora and Kairi look at each other with longing, held back by Sora's loyalty to his best friend. It would just be too much. Was the wind getting even stronger?

Sora's eye's narrowed into a glare as he moved his face closer to Riku's.

"I don't okay?"

Riku was painfully aware of how close Sora was, but what was more painful was the knowledge that Sora probably wasn't even the slightest bit aware of how his face was so close to Riku's, they were practically touching.

"You sure?" Riku was starting to go into a daze looking into Sora's eyes.

"Of course I'm sure." Sora's answer was confident.

"Good... because..." Riku was cut short by a loud clasp of thunder, and the skies were light up with a flash. Sora jumped up, bringing Riku back from his daze.

"Riku, it's getting bad out. We have to go back inside."

Riku glanced at the swirling mass of dark clouds above them and then back at Sora, who was turning away. It was now or never.

"Wait Sora." Sora looked back. "I..."

Flash, BOOM! Again the world was washed a brilliant white for a moment. Sora glanced worriedly at the sky and then back to Riku. "What is it?" he yelled over the sounds of the building storm.

"Sora, I..." Riku looked at Sora's face, being washed by the downpour. The rain dripped like tears down his face. Doubt and insecurity left Riku in an internal battle. But, he had too...

He held out his hand to Sora, standing, as another bolt of lightening exploded in the sky. Sora reached out and grabbed his hand, and Riku pulled him close enough so they could hear each other under the thundering sky.

"Sora, I've got something to tell you."

"It can't wait?" Sora glanced back behind him at the cabin, where they would be safe and dry.

"No." Sora looked back into Riku's serious face. Riku gathered his courage.

Flash, BOOM!

"Sora..." Riku whispered it right into Sora's ear, like a secret. "I love you."

Sora, shocked, stared at Riku with wide eyes.

Riku smiled softly at him, then turned back to his raft. Sora didn't want him. He probably didn't even want him around, now. Riku grabbed a rope that had been pulled lose by the wind and strapped it back in it's proper place, pulled the sail taunt as he did so. The wind filled it to bursting, then snapped it down again. Riku didn't bother to wonder how long he'd last in weather like this.

Suddenly Sora's hand was on Riku's shoulder.

"What...?" said Riku, looking back at Sora's pained face.

"Don't go." said Sora pleadingly.

Now it was Riku who was stunned, and starred at Sora.

"Please..." Sora stepped closer. Was Riku hallucinating? Had the rain done something to his head?

Flash, BOOM! The white light washed everything away, and Riku felt a soft kiss on his lips. The world was back and Sora pulled away, looking at Riku.

Then, still feeling the kiss on his lips, Riku put his hand on the back of Sora's neck and put his own mouth on Sora's. Feelings suppressed for years lifted away, making Riku feel as if he weighted no more then a feather. Riku never wanted that kiss to end but, as another lightening flashed, Sora pulled away.

"Can we go inside now?" he smiled up at Riku, trying to hide a shiver. Rain was wrapped around the both of them, like a curtain cutting them off from the rest of the world.

"Sure." Riku smiled back, and reached for the trunk. He hoisted it up onto his shoulder, and wrapped his other arm around Sora, warming him. As they walked back to the little cabin on the shore, Sora asked, "What about your raft Riku?"

"Oh, I don't need that anymore."

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Authors Note:

Well, I did my first short story! Huzzah! So whatcha think? Yeah, it was a tad sappy... but it was saposta be, so that's okay. Not all my stories will be this sappy, though. And Serenity, stop laughing!!! This is drama, not comedy...

Ahem, yes. I hope you liked it Amber! (more to the point, I hoped you weren't disappointed x.x)

Oh, and if anyone had a problem with the slashy part of this fic, you should ether go read another fic and forget all about this one or get over it. Thank you.

Tigerhawk