Forget-me-Not

Piikkum

Disclaimers – Yadda yadda

Pairings – Sora x Riku

A/N: Well, I honestly wasn't planning to continue writing fanfics. I just wasn't interested anymore, and was really dissatisfied with my writing. ; Whoops, well I came back, whaddaya know. Luckily, I only wrote one chapter of this bloody fic so continuing shouldn't be too big of a problem. I'm still going to stick to the original plot. nod

C H A P T E R T W O – P R O M I S E

The class was quiet, save for the scratch of chalk on the blackboard. Finishing off the last of his words, Squall set the chalk down and turned to face the class. "Hollow Bastion. Can anyone tell me what that is?" The man paused, scanning the roomful of drowsy students. 28 blank faces stared back at him and one was planted face down on the table, asleep. Squall sighed. "Riku, I would appreciate it if you joined the class, for once," he said dryly.

"It was the supposed hideout for the Heartless. Though, the existence of such a stronghold was never proven," the silver-haired boy murmured, getting up just enough to prop his head up with his arm.

Squall blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You asked what Hollow Bastion was. I answered," Riku replied coolly, meeting the teacher's eyes with a tiny smirk on his face.

A ghost of a smile played on Squall's lips. "Well, you're correct, Riku. And while you're at it, why don't you tell us who the Heartless are?"

"Pretty much a band of ruthless murderers. They live to instill fear amongst people, since their targets were almost never found and the few that are found are hopelessly mutilated. All of the targets had been women, and the corpses had a similar wound on the left chest. An empty cavity where the heart had once been. Now, can I go back to sleep?"

The man chuckled. "Very well, Riku. Anyway, the Heartless were not just a bunch of glorified terrorists. They were a cult, a brotherhood of only the most elite of the elite. 154 cases of kidnapping and murderer held against the Heartless and not a singe one of them brought to trial."

The bell rang. Students gathered their belongings quickly and piled towards the door.

"Riku, can I see you for a second?"

The kids quickly emptied out. Squall shut the door, blocking out the chaos of the passing period. He sighed heavily and leaned against door, crossing his arms. "You know what this is going to be about."

"Yeah."

"God damn it, Riku. How many times, in just this week alone, have you slept in my class? You know that I'll put up with this shit, but how many other teachers are going to? You can't afford to get expelled, Riku. You know that. Just quit your job and put more effort into school."

"No. I can't afford to lose my job and YOU know that. YOU know the kind of conditions I have to live with. You know the people I have to support. How the fuck am I supposed to make ends meet sitting at school twiddling my thumbs? Don't give me shit about this. You don't know what it's like."

Squall pursed his lips, masking his emotions to hide how much those words stung. The man never had a son, and Riku, never a real father. Over the years, they had developed a kind of surrogate father-son relationship. Whenever Riku needed help, Squall was there, offering support and advice. And love. He just wasn't ready to get pushed away yet.

"No, I don't know what it's like. I can't force you to do anything you don't want to, Riku. I can only advise you like I've been doing for these past years." He smiled sadly. "Even a hero needs his rest."

The pale boy snorted. "Yeah yeah." Gathering up his things, he headed for the door, pausing only to utter "thanks" to his teacher before walking out.

[#]

The house was still empty by the time Kairi had finished her shower. She glanced up at the clock and frowned. '8:50 and they're still not home…' The slim girl wandered into the kitchen, hands busily wrapping a towel neatly around her wet hair. Double checking the lock on the door, she sighed and lowered herself onto the couch.

She swallowed thickly. These couple of days had run smoothly, despite a growing sense of foreboding that gnawed in her gut. Something was about to happen.

The front door groaned slowly to an open, as if hearing her thoughts. Kairi whipped her head around, staring at the empty doorway. "…Riku? Sora?" she asked tentatively. Silence answered her question. She stood and approached the door cautiously and peered outside. Nothing.

"Who are you looking for, precious?" came a raspy voice behind her. Kairi jumped and tried to turn around. Too slow.

[#]

The night was crisp and quiet, save for an occasional rustle of the October wind. Sora's arm was draped around a content Riku as the two made their way home. Dinner had been nice. Sora had surprised his lover by taking him to his favorite Japanese restaurant. Now, they headed home where a comfortable bed awaited them. A smug smile graced Sora's lips. A fondling session was definitely in order. The stars winked at the pair from the heavens while the moon smiled down knowingly.

They had barely made it to the door before Sora dove in, pressing Riku against the side of the house, planting kisses on the pale neck. The silver-haired boy chuckled, gently pushing Sora back. "Not here. The neighbors are going to complain again." The brunette groaned in frustration. "Bed. Now," he growled, fishing for his keys to open the door.

Sora had only to touch the door as it began to open. The brunette blinked in surprise. "Kairi, you forgot to close the damn door properly," he said, stepping inside. His eyes scanned the empty house as Riku shut the door behind him. "Uh… Kairi?"

"What's wr…" he trailed off, his eyes falling on the damp towel on the floor. Sora could only watch helplessly as his lover paled and stormed off through every room, shouting Kairi's name. "Riku…" Sora's voice wavered with uncertainty. "She's not-"

"Shut up! God…" Riku ran both hands through his hair, gripping it slightly as if wanting to tear it out. "I'm gonna go look for her," he said softly, heading towards the door.

"Riku stop. The hell I'm going to just let you out there by yourself."

"And what the hell do YOU propose to do? Weigh our fucking options over tea and crumpets? While Kairi is god knows where?!" The teen's voice cracked and his anger seemed to melt away, leaving only guilt and grief.

"God damnit… Riku…" Sora whispered, stepping forward to take Riku in a tight embrace. "Look, everything's going to turn out fine. We'll find Kairi, I promise. I just don't want you get hurt in the process."

The ring of Riku's cellphone caused both occupants of the room to jump. With shaking hands, the silver-haired boy answered the phone.

"Kairi?"

"A little bird alerted me of your sister's kidnapping. I've asked my men to scour the city and so far they have found only a lead. I need you to do absolutely nothing. I cannot guarantee your sister's safety should you get in the way." Click.

Riku closed his eyes, wanting to scream in frustration. He felt Sora tighten his embrace; the brunette had obviously overheard the conversation.

"Sora?"

The taller boy slackened his grip, looking down at his lover. "Yeah?"

Riku reached up and kissed him deeply. It wasn't a kiss of passion, or lust. It was one of need. Riku needed Sora's support, he needed Sora to be there when he is about to collapse. Breaking off the kiss, the pale boy buried his face into Sora's chest, choking out, "Don't you ever leave me like that. Don't you ever fucking leave me."

Sora kissed the top of the silken mass of hair, hugging the shivering boy tightly. "Gods, Riku," he whispered. "I promise. I won't ever leave. I promise."

Outside, the stars winked down from the heavens and the moon smiled knowingly.

[to be continued]

A/N: ee That's a bit longer than I planned. Excuse the boringness of this chapter. Hopefully, things will start to kick up in chapters to come.