You have my permission to beat the ever-living shit out of me. I feel like a horrible author to make you wait an entire month for an update! I was just having a writing slump and got stuck on one part and just couldn't write for a while...in other words I was being lazy, sorry. I have a few concerns about this chapter; I think it's really cute, just there is a cheesy part and I think I might have portrayed Sora a little too childishly in some parts (Sighs). Well, now to thank my reviewers; thank you, Hailey Toison and Infamess, I'm glad you like it and I'm sorry for making you wait! Thanks for your suggestion, DieChan(Whose name makes me think of Dir En Gray), but I already have everything planned, save the small parts that fill up the chapters, and I fear the wrath I will receive for my decision(laughs nervously). And...OMG! YOU! (Glomps Reina-183) I LOVE YOUR RXS STORIES! I don't know why I did that italics thing, it just happened and I stuck with it. You'll be glad to know I didn't do that this time. I personally don't like Kairi, but I think it would be very out of character for Riku or Sora to hate her and there's no one else there to hate her so...I can't bash, and I really don't want to, it would ruin the mood of the story. Of course, can't forget the person who almost reviews my chapters first each time (Glompagas kuramasgirl13) If it weren't for you, none of this would be possible! Just to warn you ahead of time, the next chapter may not come out for a while, I'll try not to make you wait as long as you did for this one. It's just that I have to beat a certain part in the game so I can have my info right(is replaying the game and can't beat a certain someone in Hollow Bastion) and I also have a lot of stuff going on now because I have 3 projects due for school and I'm in the school play as a cast and crew member so I'll be staying after school a lot. I also have to make a notice about the fact that there is kinda big SXR in this chapter, for those of you who don't like that, stop reading. Now, enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 6: What lies ahead

Riku was quite happy where he was and he could have stayed there all day; Sora, on the other hand, was starting to get squirmy, sitting around was just too boring for him. Riku glanced at the boy leaning on his shoulder and sighed. This peaceful moment would be ruined by Sora's inability to sit still for more than five minuets.

"Riku," The younger boy muttered, drawing out the last syllable and looking up into Riku's pale face, "I'm bored." No matter how much he might have wanted to stay the way he was. It wasn't possible for Riku to deny those beautiful, innocent eyes this simple wish. He sighed and looked away, making Sora think he'd made his friend angry. The younger boy frowned, puffing out his lower lip and probing Riku's arm gently, "Please."

"Alright." Riku mumbled as he stood up, surrendering to Sora's begging voice. The younger boy could be so childish sometimes, but that was one of the reasons why he loved him. Yes, that was the only reasonable conclusion; he truly loved Sora and not as a friend or a brother; as a person, as himself. He loved him as Sora. It was the only answer he could find to his question and it suited him just fine.

The younger boy grinned joyously and latched onto Riku's arm as if it were a life line. He jumped up, pulling along the silver-haired attachment with him out of the secret place. They ran on to the beach, Sora still holding on tightly to a very curious Riku's arm. There were a number of ideas running through Riku's head, and he was about to find out what it was Sora was thinking when a shoe passed by his vision in the sand, followed by another, a pair of gloves and a jacket. Riku was suddenly blushing slightly as he realized he was expecting to see the rest of Sora's outfit fly past him on the beach, but instead of his eyes catching clothes, he saw water receding as he advanced towards it. He managed to stop and tear himself from Sora's grip before he got dragged into the sea while the other boy readily jumped into the water.

"Hey! Warn me before you do that." Riku snapped, though not angrily, as he stepped back form the returning waters.

"Well, hurry up, slow poke." Sora whined, kicking water in the silver-haired boy's direction. Riku shied away from the droplets before shooting the other a quick glare. He pulled off his shoes and joined Sora in the water.

"What now?" He muttered with a flat tone. He wasn't quite enjoying himself, just the fact that he was spending time with the object of his recently discovered love. The younger boy put his chin on his balled fist thoughtfully. It seemed like the brown-haired boy couldn't make up his min over what he wanted to so, and Riku had started to make mini waves in the water absently, seemingly entranced by the way the colors mixed when he swirled the sea around his hand.

"I know!" The shout came so suddenly, and so loudly, it almost sent Riku soaring out of the water. He took a deep breath to calm himself, then looked at Sora, a finger pointing to the sky and a big, goofy grin on his face. He was almost afraid to ask."Let's play Choco Bobo."(Their version of Marco Polo. I know...It's lame, but it works better than Marco Polo, right? You're also probably thinking WTF, but bare with me, it results in a good thing.)

Riku sighed, shaking his head. There was that childishness that made Sora who he was again. Riku couldn't help but smile, "Alright, we'll play." He said, as if he didn't really care, but truthfully, playing these childish games made everything almost feel normal again, and being in that kind of atmosphere had even made Riku forget about recent happenings.

"Okay, I'll be it first." Sora proclaimed, turning his back to Riku and clapping his hands over his eyes. The silver-haired boy only got a few seconds to change his position, which he didn't, before Sora was turned back around with his hands removed from his eyes, which were kept closed, and shouting, "Choco!" When his call got no answer he started to move around, shouting out the word a few more unresponsive times. He cracked one eye open, looking around for his target, and when he found it standing in the same spot as before both eyes snapped open and a pout formed on his face, "You cheated, you're supposed to say 'bobo'."

"And you're supposed to keep your eyes closed, so you cheated too." A sly smirk crossed Riku's face as Sora gave him a competitive glare.

"Well, you cheated first, so it's not my fault." The younger boy countered, not willing to lose this fight. Riku just rolled his eyes and shook his head,

"Fine, fine. I'll play fair this time. Start again." Sora gave his friend a wary glance before turning around again. This time, Riku did move, trying to be somewhat quiet while trying to walk through the water, "Choco!" The word rang through the air loud and clear and it made Riku, and his heart, stop in their tracks. He looked over at Sora and sighed, cringing at the thought of having to say that ridiculous word. But he had to, so he did, in a very low and grumbly voice though, "Bobo."

A slightly devious smiled appeared on Sora's face when he heard the word and he reached his arms out, starting towards where he thought the reply to his fall cam from. When Sora was only a couple of feet away from him, Riku moved to the side then started to make his way around the spiky-haired pursuer. He flinched when Sora cried 'Choco', not expecting him to say it when he was so close. He gave himself a few moments to get a little more distance before responding. The younger boy flicked around, lunging at Riku with eyes still tightly shut. The first reaction Riku thought of was to catch Sora, and only after he had the other in his arms did he realize that he was supposed to avoid contact with him. He laughed sheepishly at himself and muttered, "Guess you got me."

Sora looked up at Riku and found that his gaze was caught by the aqua eyes, and once he looked into them, he couldn't look away. And in looking into those orbs of swirling greens and blues, Sora discovered that, even though many people often compared his friend's eyes to the ocean, the two were very different. It was like that saying, a person's eyes are the windows to their souls, and there were many things that Sora could see in Riku's eyes that he could never see in the waters of the ocean.

"What?" The silver-haired boy muttered when Sora's staring had started to feel a little uncomfortable, tilting his head to the side. Suddenly, Sora grabbed at the hair around Riku's face and yanked on it, pulling them together in an awkward and clumsy kiss. If Riku hadn't been in a death grip by his hair, he would have ripped back in astonishment, and now that the tables had turned he knew ho Sora must have felt when he did this to him, and vice versa. Sora pulled away and quickly turned around, tromping through the water trying to escape. Riku was able to recover much faster than Sora had been able to after their first kiss, and when he realized that the spiky-haired boy was trying to get away, he rapidly closed the distance between them in nearly one stride. He grabbed the other's arm and twirled him around, not giving Sora enough time to even look at Riku before their lips were slammed together again. There was a long moment of tension between them, Riku fearing Sora's response, and Sora a little shocked at Riku's own reaction, but they began to relax as the kiss became deeper and more passionate, each little movement speaking the words they couldn't say. The near silence of the island set the perfect mood for the moment, only the gentle waters against the shore, a slight breeze ruffling through the palms, and a lonesome gull cry from time to time. The waves tenderly swayed their bodies allowing them to come together for only a brief moment before teasingly pulling them apart. Needy hands became curious and started to explore the other's body. Riku's hand gently caressed Sora's delicate cheek then swept over his jaw before moving down to his neck while Sora gripped tightly to the silver-haired boy's strong, muscular arms. Without knowing what he was doing, Sora sild his hands down to the other's hips and pulled the two of them closer. His arms wrapped around Riku's waist and then slipped under his shirt, his fingers running gingery along the silver-haired Boy's spine. When his hands reached a middle part of Riku's back he brushed against his skin so lightly it caused the older boy to jump from the sensation. But because Riku jumped it broke their passionate kiss, and they stared at each other blankly for a few short seconds before Sora ripped his hands from Riku's shirt and flipped around, fidgeting nervously and his face flushing a bright pink color. Riku even started to feel the heat growing on his own cheeks. What was he embarrassed about? He thought of a number of answers to that question; it could have been that he had just kissed Sora again, or maybe because he longed for Sora's gentle touch again, it could even be because he felt it was his fault their passionate moment had been shattered. He looked out over the water, noticing that its surface was now orangey-pink and the sun was only a half circle and slowly sinking behind the horizon.

"It's starting to get late." Riku murmured, still unable to avert his gave over to Sora. The younger boy looked over his shoulder, glancing at the other. He had only meant to take a short look, but he couldn't help staring at the healthy glow the setting sun's light seemed to put on Riku's usually pale face and how, even though this silver hair reflected some of the orange and yellow rays at its edges, it still kept its natural blue-grey color. At that moment, he was Sora's belief of perfect beauty. When he finally managed to pull his gaze away he followed Riku's stare to the sunset, only a fourth of the sun peaking over the ocean's edge now. He suddenly felt a pang of sorrow as he stared at the sky; it made him think of Kairi and how she was waiting for them to find her. This sunset reminded him of the one when he last spoke to her on the dock, when she was starting to ast weird. Why did he have to remember her now when he was so...happy?

Something then clutched his hand, and when Sora glanced beside him he found Riku there holding his hand and smiling slightly. Sora tipped his head curiously at his friend's odd look, "Come on." Riku muttered, leading the slightly confused boy along out of the water, across the beach and onto the dock where he sat down, throwing one leg over the edge and the other pulled to his chest as he stared at the sky, "You almost want the whole day without thinking about her, didn't you?"

"How-" Sora was a little startled that Riku knew that he was thinking of Kairi, but for some reason, it didn't really surprise him. He gave a short, half-hearted laugh and sat down, "Yeah, almost." there was only a small sliver of the sun remaining, but Sora couldn't stare at it long enough to watch it completely set; it put a very painful thorn in his heart, so his eyes fell to the glassy surface of the sea.

"I'm worried too," Riku muttered, resting his chin on his knee, "I keep wondering if I'm not as certain as I act. What if I'm wrong? Kairi could be in trouble or worse." He last few words fell in volume as he hugged tighter to his knee and hid his face behind it. Sora didn't know what to say, he wanted to comfort Riku, but he had the same concerns and he didn't want to lie. He hated seeing Riku look so depressed, "I don't think I'll go with you when you go to het Kairi back."

"What-why?" Sora questioned, looking up at the older boy. If Riku wasn't there to help them look they may never find Kairi.

"I...just can't go back there, Sora. There's too many memories, too much evil." He looked up at Sora with an expression of fear and sadness, "What if I lost control again? What if..." his voice fell to little more than a whisper and he looked away from Sora, unable to keep eye contact, "What if I killed you this time?"

A frown creased Sora's face at his friend's forlorn words. He leaned in against Riku and wrapped his arms around the despairing boy, "I trust you. You won't let the darkness go to far, and besides, we have our promises to keep." Riku looked down at Sora and Sora looked up at Riku with a bright smile. The silver-haired boy smiled back slightly and pulled the other boy into a tight embrace, mouthing a silent "thank you". Riku then heard a strange sound that was a mix of a sigh and mumbled words and he pulled Sora away, looking at him oddly. Only after seeing the younger boy blinking sleepily did he realize what the noise was. Sora laughed lightly with a sheepish smile.

"Guess it's been a long day." Riku put his arms around Sora again and pulled him up. Sora stared up at the sky, now getting a few stray stars on it's black background. He smiled and started to walk off the dock, still embracing Riku. The older boy went along with Sora, stumbling a bit at first before getting used to the awkward way they were walking. They walked off the dock and onto the wooden ramp by the secret place. They had to break their embrace to go up the ladder to reach the oddly hollowed tree that formed a convenient little room. Riku smiled lightly as he looked around at the area, remembering when Sora and him used to sit in the doorway of the hollow and stare at the night sky when they were children; there was even a cloth hanging on the wall that they would use on cold nights. Sora sat down next to the doorway and leaned against the tree trunk, resting his hands back behind his head while looking at the numerous stars now littering the sky like dust. Riku sat on the opposite side of the doorway and did the same.

"You remember when we used to come here, our parents would get so mad at us for staying out so late." Sora put an amused tone in his voice at the comment about their parents; he could remember trying to sneak back into the house, only to have a parent flip a light on in the front room and grumble his name in a very unamused, tired, I've-been-worried-sick voices. He'd laugh sheepishly and go to get his lecture. Riku laughed and looked at Sora with an arched brow.

"You'd get in trouble, I could get back into my house without being noticed." Sora rolled his eyes. Somehow, Riku did manage to always go unnoticed, he only got caught once or twice. The older boy sighed and got up, walking into the tree hollow. Sora watched him curiously, tipping his head when the other laid down on the floor and curled up with his eyes closed.

"What are you doing?" Sora asked, getting up and sitting next to his friend. Riku cracked open an eye and glanced at Sora.

"Trying to sleep. You're the one who said he was tired." Riku muttered, closing his eye and returning to his task of trying to fall asleep.

"Oh, right." Sora said, not feeling tired at all now, for some reason. He sighed and laid back, staring at the little bit of sky he could see over the railing and below the doorway. He wished Riku weren't trying to sleep, he was already getting bored, but he would feel guilty if he woke him for his own selfish reasons. He tried to occupy his mind by finding constellations and that lasted all of ten minuets before he struggled to find something to entertain himself. He glanced at Riku and sighed, sitting up and leaning over the silver-haired boy, wondering if he was really asleep, "Riku." He whispered in a sing-songy voice and got no response. He muttered the boy's name again, this time getting an inaudible grumble and a slight flinch. Sora leaned over farther and looked at Riku's face, a little worried by the sorrowful frown creasing it. Suddenly, Riku rolled over and grabbed a hold of Sora's arm, the only thing holding up his weight, and the spiky-haired boy fell on top of the still-sleeping other.

"Hey! Come on, Riku." Sora growled, not realizing that his friend wasn't trying to annoy him. He looked the silver-haired boy in the face with a glare, but it was quickly replaced with a look of worry as he saw that Riku was shaking now and the frown on his face hd only gotten deeper.

"Sora...I'm sorry." The spiky-haired boy stared in shock. Could the guilt of what he had done be haunting Riku, even in his sleep? "Don't leave...please." Riku's voice was so strained and desperate Sora felt like his heart was being ripped out just listening to it. He laid down and stared at Riku's saddening expression before putting his forehead against the silver-haired one's and closing his eyes, muttering, "I'm here."

Riku's shivering stopped and after a few moments his face became clam and almost expressionless, only the slightest hint of a smile on it. Sora found it easy to sleep, now that he was close to Riku, the older boy's steady, even breathing lulling him into a peaceful sleep.


The little house was enjoyably quiet now that the noisy duck and Goofy had gone outside to patrol for Heartless. Aerith and Yuffie didn't stay around, giving the excuse that they needed to tell Leon and Cid about the situation. Merlin sat in his chair looking over a number of scrolls, tomes, and other texts on magic; the current one being a rather large and quite thick book that hid him completely from sight. Sora and Riku were still on the bed and when Merlin tipped the book and looked over it, a slight smirk crossed his face. Over the span of the day the two boys had been fidgeting and muttering, usually incomprehensible words, and the ones that could be understood were the other's name. Now they were pretty close to each other, their foreheads touching and hands clasped together, fingers intertwined in an intricate knot. Sora's face was peaceful and a little childish with his bright smile, Riku's, on the other hand, was almost completely stoic, the only expression possibly visible on his face would be something along the lines of worry or fear, which could be gathered from his slightly twitching, knitted together brows. Merlin's smirk slowly faded. He was concerned, sensing that there would not be an easy, or happy, future for the both of them.