Here we are… the final chapter to this story… Oh my god, I've actually spent a whole year writing this! Wow… I feel relieved and sad at the same time… I really loved writing this!

This story wouldn't have been here today if it hadn't been for the wonderful Riku/Sora fans all over the world who took their time to read this. I am forever grateful to all the peeps who read, reviewed and gave me support. Domo arigato minna-san! (Bows)

When I started writing this, I honestly didn't know how it was supposed to end, but I knew that I wanted it to have a universal message in it. By the way some of you responded in the reviews, you truly understood what I was trying to say with this fic. Love comes in all sizes and shapes, and it can be beautiful, even though it is experienced by two men. Not a person in the whole world should be able to prevent anyone from loving another. Let those who want to love each other, there is already so much pain and useless violence in the world. Don't take away the only thing that can give hope to this world…

-Blackdiamond Princess 07/28/2005

This is not the revised version yet, I will post the edited chap as soon as I get a hold on my beta!

(To fanfction . net - readers: the final sex-scene has been cut, you can check my bio to know what happened...)

SEVENTEEN : You and me against the world
"I should've been there for you… You mean so much to me, Sora."

After Cloud had gone, Riku had taken Sora's right hand in his again, still not noticing the couple standing at the door opening behind him.

"I promised to take care of you, and that's what I will do…" He took hold of the necklace around his neck, "For as long as I shall live… I can't let you go. My heart," Riku then put Sora's hand on his heart, "wouldn't be able to go on without you. I love you too much." He then sighed again and wiped away a lonely tear from his left cheek, averting his eyes from Sora's swollen and bruised face, "It was you and me against the world… what will that mean if I abandon you? It would not only destroy me, but destroy you and the relationship we build up ever since we were little kids."

A silent tear ran down Mrs Nagakawa's right cheek as she listened to this young adolescent's confessions.

"Our love has been through so many trials… If this is another one of them, then I will do the best I can to make sure we survive… I can't give up now; we've come such a long way…" He fell silent for a brief moment, taking back the control over his emotions, "Your heart is so pure, so honest… your love shines through it so strongly that sometimes I can't help but look at you in awe. You are so beautiful… and I've treated you like dirt…"

Michiko looked up at her husband with teary eyes, silently hoping that those words touched him as much as they touched her, even if they came from a young man in love with their son.

Mr Nagakawa sighed in remorse, averting his eyes from the scene and walking out of the room. She just let him leave, knowing that Riku's words had had their effect on him.

"Please come back to me, Sora… I'm begging you, don't go… don't leave me on my own…" The youth pleaded, laying his head to rest against Sora's right thigh, his eyes closed, letting a last tear escape.

Mrs Nagakawa took a deep breath and then walked over to the bed her unconscious son was lying in, at first simply watching him before feeling another wave of emotion go through her and kneeling next to his face on the left side of the bed.

"Sora honey…?" She softly whispered, brushing a little bit of his hair out of his bruised face in a loving gesture. "Oh my poor darling…"

Riku raised his head from it's position on Sora's thigh and saw Sora's mother talk to her son. He felt even guiltier now that she was here and couldn't put it up to look at her directly.

Michiko softly smiled at the young adolescent while touching Sora's forehead with motherly care, "I'm sure he doesn't blame you… I'm glad you called us…"

Riku sighed softly, "It was the least I could do…"

A brief moment of silence followed that, both of them unsure of what to say to one and other.

"I guess you heard me talking…" Riku softly said, his eyes fixed on Sora's dormant face, his chin now resting on the younger boy's thigh.

"You moved me… you really did, Riku. And even though Sora couldn't hear you; I know that he knows how much you feel for him…" Michiko chuckled briefly and then made the blonde look at her with a soft pull of her right index finger on his chin, "I've always known you very protective of Sora, I've never doubted about the love you had for him and I certainly do not doubt about it now." She then smiled warmly at him and let go, turning her face towards Sora's once again and then towards the inert hand she was holding, "Cloud was right… all the way. We should've thought more about Sora's feelings and the way we would affect him with the decision we took…"

Another moment of reflection had place and they both fell silent, contemplating their own thoughts.

It was in that moment of quiet that Sora let out a sudden sigh and resurfaced from his unconscious state, opening his eyes.

"Mom…?" Was the first thing he whispered, his voice hoarse and shallow, his eyes looking up at the woman in slight disbelieve as the forms of her face slowly appeared more clearer to him.

Michiko turned her head to look at her son and smiled in relief, "Hey honey… You're awake…"

"Where am I?" He whispered softly, trying to sit up, but wincing at the pain that action caused in his chest, "W-what happened?"

"Take it easy, Sora…" Riku whispered, helping him to lie back onto his back on the bed. "You're in a hospital."

"Riku…?" Sora whispered, looking up at him in slight confusion and breathing a little harder from the pain. He then turned his head to his mother, "Hospital…?"

"Easy now, honey…" Michiko softly said, taking her son's left hand, "You had an accident, Riku's been here with you for hours, he—"

"I remember now…" Sora said with an absent look in his eyes, his head turning towards the blonde again, "I got hit by a car…" He whispered and then continued with a trembling voice, "We… we had an argument…"

"Don't worry about that now…" Riku said, shaking his head slightly with a watery smile, "It's all right…"

Sora looked at him with a hesitant gaze before facing his mother again, "Where's dad? I-I need to talk to him…"

"He went out for some air," Michiko said, brushing some of Sora's locks out of his face, "He'll be back soon." She then glanced over at Riku and smiled, "I think the words Riku expressed before really affected him…"

The brunette smiled briefly and squeezed Riku's hand holding his softly, "I'd like to talk to Riku alone, if you don't mind, mom?"

"Sure," the woman whispered, kissing Sora's forehead tenderly, "your father and I will talk to you later, alright?"

"Okay," Sora whispered with a smile, watching his mother exit, "Thank you mom."

She blew him a kiss before closing the door behind her and left the two teenagers in the room.

"Those words you said must've really been good ones if they caused my father to get touched." Sora spoke, pushing himself up a little so he could sit up against the pillows supporting his back.

Riku reached out to help him and then briefly smirked before touching his right cheek hesitantly that wasn't swollen, "I'm so sorry, Sora, I—"

Sora held up his hands to hush him and gave him an apologetic smile, "Before you say anything, I have something to tell you first."

Nodding in understanding, Riku then sat himself on the bed next to Sora and gave him an encouraging smile, even though he was afraid of what he would say next. "Go ahead."

Letting a shaky sigh escape him, the young brunette then looked away and closed his eyes, "You're right…"

Riku waited for an extension of that statement for a few moments, but received none. "I'm right about what, babe?" He asked, wanting to let him know that he still cared deeply about him, hence the use of his nickname.

Chuckling in relieve when he heard his affectionate name, Sora opened his eyes and sighed, "I have terrible mood swings…"

The blonde chuckled back and then took Sora's right hand in his again, "I didn't mean all of the things I told you, Sora… I was just—"

"Irritated? Exasperated by my constant insecurities?" Sora interrupted him, looking down at his sheets with a soft smile and then up to Riku, who had fallen silent. "It's okay, and you had all rights to be…"

"No, that's not true; I shouldn't have gotten so mad with you…" Riku whispered, biting his lower lip and looking away, guilt once again taking the upper hand of his feelings, "You say it so lightly, like it didn't cause you to get hit by that car… I could've got lost you, Sora…"

Sora cupped a hand underneath the adolescent's chin and made him look at him, "But you didn't. Listen to me; I should've got controlled my feelings… I took you for granted; I definitely should have taken count of what you could feel…" He whispered, his eyes piercing into Riku's pained aqua ones, "I can't sit here and watch you take the blame for what has happened to me… It would fill me with resentment and that's absolutely not what I want to feel... towards you or anyone else."

Riku took a deep breath and bit his lips nervously to keep himself from crying again, marvelled the by the beauty of his boyfriend's heart once again. How was it, that he could make the worst of situations look so futile? "I thought… I really believed you would leave me because of…"

"I have chosen to be with you for as long as we still loved each other… through the good and the bad…" Sora whispered, weakly putting his hands on Riku's shoulders, wanting him to come closer to him, "It's only you and me… nothing will stop me from loving you, Riku," His left hand that wasn't connected with medical cords then moved to caress away the remains of the elder teen's previous tears, "Nothing."

Riku smirked, sniffling briefly before pressing his lips against Sora's, pouring out his relief, joy and undying love for his spiky haired brunette.

"Mm-Riku… I'm still in pain…" Sora whimpered as one of Riku's hands moved to embrace him.

"Oh, sorry… the broken ribs…" The blonde whispered apologetically, letting go and sitting himself back on the bed, "That'll take some time to heal…"

"Don't make that face!" Sora giggled tiredly, seeing his boyfriend's displeased expression, "You told me that you love doing things for me, well now you can do everything for me!" He laughed carefully, one hand on his lower left ribs and then sighed, slightly in pain, "You will take care of me?" He then whispered in a more serious manner.

"I will," Riku whispered back, kissing his right hand again. "For the rest of my life…"

Sora smiled, resting his head back against the pillows, "I'd like to go back home to recover…" He then sighed, closing his eyes briefly, his fatigue showing more clearly now, "I know my mother would like that and also because I feel like I haven't taken care of the situation like I should have…"

"It's whatever you want; I'll be there for you as long as you need me to be…" The elder teen replied with determination, brushing a few strands of his boyfriend's hair out of his face.

Sora nodded thankfully, "Thank you, baby. You really don't mind?"

Riku caressed the tip of his nose against Sora's tenderly, "No, I really don't… if it will help you feel better, then you should do this, just follow your heart, I'll be there."

"Thank you so much…" The brunette whispered, placing a hand on Riku's left cheek, "I'm so lucky to have a boyfriend like you…"

"I'm the one who's lucky," Riku murmured, rubbing his other cheek against Sora's crown before pressing a kiss on his forehead, "I love you."

"I know…" Sora whispered back as Riku moved his head to face him and then kissed him amorously on his plump lips, "I love you too… so very much…"

The door to the room opened again, revealing a blonde man with strikes of white in his hair. Seeing his son kissing another man was still a hard reality to accept, but he knew that there would be nothing he would be able to do against it. He had heard and felt the seriousness and sincerity of Riku and Cloud's words, stirring a feeling of guilt deep within him.

Since he had found out about his son's sexual preference, he had kept thinking about where he could've gone wrong with his education. His son being gay incontestably was a proof of his bad parenting… he saw it as his fault and now Sora would suffer those consequences for the rest of his life…

It wasn't until today that he had realised how wrong he had been. His reaction to his son's secretive love was what had made Sora suffer the most… No matter whom Sora wanted as partner, he would need support to build up that relationship. And the primary support and help should come from his parents and family, because they are and always will be the foundation of his life. He could not tell Sora how he was supposed to live his life, nor take decisions for him; he could only support him along the way…And if someone found it in his heart to love his son with so much passion and tenderness, then he must've done something right…right?

A remorseful expression then appeared on his face and he cast a look at his son again before nodding silently and closing the door to go sit in the waiting area where his wife was waiting.

"You look tired already…" Riku then softly whispered, kissing Sora's forehead again, "Do you still want your parents to come in?"

"Yeah," Sora whispered, looking up at him, "I want to talk to them…"

"Ok, I'll be waiting outside…" Riku whispered, giving him a last peck on his nose and then walking to the door. "You're going to be alright."

"I know," Sora smiled at him, looking how he exited and the nestling himself more into the pillows, "Everything is going to be alright."

The stars were shining brightly up in the nocturnal sky, the moon giving her shine to the ocean, making her waves dance in the silver light.

A small fire had been made on the beach were a group of youngsters had gathered, commemorating the end of their last summer together.

Six friends were sitting around the fire they had made, laughing about a joke one of them made, a relaxed and joyful atmosphere hanging around them. Yet there was the idea of a nearing separation that lingered in the back of their minds, school starting over in just two days.

Sora looked at his friends silently from his position in between Riku's legs. It had been almost a month and a half since he had his accident, but sitting up straight without back support still found itself to be painful after a while, hence the reason why Riku was sitting behind him and supporting his back.

The brunette snickered along with the others after one of Tidus' jokes, thinking about how much he would miss his blonde classmate. Granted, Tidus and he had never been as close as he was with Riku, but he was the friend who had always been there when Riku hadn't been around. Sora would have to make new friends now, and he and Tidus wouldn't throw their caps in the air together at graduation like they had promised each other they would or streak at the after party –well, that idea only involved Tidus– or… score the maximum of chicks…

"…and that's why, my beloved friends, you'll never see me settling down for one girl. Monogamy just doesn't work for me, it's too complicated." Tidus said, laughing and taking another drink out of the cool box Kairi had taken along before plopping himself next to Wakka in the sand.

They all laughed again, Tidus' statement somewhat unconventional, but showing exactly how it all worked in the blonde's head.

"In some way, what you're saying kinda makes sense, Ty."

And then there was Selphie. How could one forget hyperactive, freaky Selphie.

Sora groaned in amusement and rolled his eyes up to the sky along with Riku, Wakka and Kairi, who shook their heads jokingly.

The girl had been Kairi's best girlfriend for ages and had had a crush on Sora a couple of years ago when they had first entered their puberty, but has never received reciprocity for those feelings. Sora for a while had thought that the rejection had maybe make her lose some wits, but soon realised that the girl just acted a little eccentrically when it came to making social contacts. He would miss her and her freakish, yet funny ways.

"Thank you, dear." Tidus simply said from above his alcopop.

"You can't be serious, Selph!" Kairi covered her eyes and giggled from her comfortable position in Wakka's lap, "Seriously!"

"But just imagine this; you like this guy, he's so cute, but he has a friend or brother or whatever who is also soo cute, what do you do?" She blabbered, not waiting for an answer from the others but just continuing on, "Do you go for one and leave the other? But he's so cute! You're then faced with a dilemma, right? So what do you do to prevent that? You just choose both of them and have twice as much of fun and no one loses!"

"My god I could fall in love with you right now!" Tidus exclaimed, chuckled and throwing his head back in fake relief and then looking at her with amorous eyes, "If only you could keep that tongue of yours still for just one second!"

This made everyone laugh again and Selphie stuck her tongue out, "That's not what you told me last night, Ty…"

"Woo… Tidus is there something you need to tell us?" Riku snickered, seeing the other blonde's beet red face, "Did someone get laid last night? Finally?"

Tidus glared at him but didn't say anything.

"Looks like I've managed to shut you up," Selphie grinned, pleased of herself and standing up to take herself a drink, "I think this tongue of mine can do miracles, just like last night, isn't that right, Ty?"

Tidus just put his bottle next to him in the sand calmly, dusted himself off and started to get up, "No, don't sit down yet, Selphie darling." He said as he saw her make movements to take a seat next to him, "I need you to do something for me."

"What, my sweet pooh-bear?" Selphie whispered in a honeyed voice, placing a hand on her hip and looking down at him, her slender bare legs underneath her short jean skirt glowing in the light of the fire in front of her.

Sora tried his best to maintain the upcoming giggles. They all knew what was coming next.

"Start runnin'." Tidus whispered, his right leg pushing his body up to stand, "Start runnin'… fast."

Throwing her can of soft drink in the sand next to her in the sand, Selphie turned herself around and started running towards the ocean with a yelp, Tidus not too far behind her.

"It wouldn't surprise me to see the both of them getting together." Sora whispered, shaking his head and pushing himself up to stand, "I'm just sorry for their children."

Kairi laughed, "They really are a treat to humanity, huh?"

Riku snickered at that and watched how his boyfriend returned with a couple of drinks, "When can we expect a birth card from you two?"

"Ahh," Wakka said, "we're not there yet, but it's a good reason to start practising, don't you think?" he spoke towards Kairi who was lying with her head on his right thigh.

The younger redhead chuckled and swatted his right arm before giving Riku an accusing stare, "Thank you for giving him an excuse, Blondielocks!"

"You're welcome, Redhead." Riku said, sipping from his drink. "You've put my bro on hold long enough."

Kairi pouted at that and stuck out her tongue.

"All in due time, Riku. I'm in no rush whatsoever… we have all the time, isn't that right, doll?" Wakka whispered towards his girlfriend with a smile, brushing a few of her auburn strands behind one of her ears lovingly.

"Yeah…" she whispered with a thankful smile, her eyes admiring this young man who had succeeded in conquering her heart with the simple things that made life rich.

"Ouh-ouh! I wanna be godfather! I wanna be godfather!" Sora said, with one hand in the air like an excited student in class, making Kairi laugh.

"I can't promise you anything…?" She then said, looking up at Wakka, who tapped with one of his fingers on the tip of her nose, "We'll see…"

"They're so sweet together…" Sora softly whispered, his head resting on Riku's right shoulder now, "She's happy and that makes me glad."

Riku smiled in agreement, seeing the other couple share a tender kiss, before closing his eyes and directing his lips to the crook of his boyfriend's right shoulder and neck. "She deserves it."

Sora turned himself towards him and threw his arms around his shoulders, "We'll be leaving tomorrow, this time for good and I have absolutely no regrets. I don't think I need to prove to you how much I want this and how much I want to be with you anymore." They shared a brief chuckle of pure happiness, "I'll leave some very important people behind, but the most important of them all will be with me; my best friend, lover and partner. I couldn't ask for more."

"I'll make sure you don't come short of anything," The blonde whispered, kissing him tenderly on his lips, "I'll treasure you for ever."

"I know you will… I have no doubt about that." Sora whispered back, "I love you."

Riku coaxed him to sit in his lap, so Sora's legs wrapped around his back, "I love you too…" He murmured, nuzzling his throat, "You and me… it's going to be great. I promise you."

The brunette held him tighter against him and laughed gleefully, "I thought it didn't get any better?"

"Oh, you disappoint me babe," Riku said, looking him in the eyes with a smile, "With me it only gets better, I thought you knew that by now."

Sora giggled, and then stuck his tongue out, "I forgot… guess you'll need to show me how things can possibly get better…?"

Reinforcing his embrace, Riku chuckled, "And you say that I'm always horny?"

"I just can't help it, baby." Sora murmured back, earning a dose of tickles from his boyfriend, causing him to giggle non-stop. "Ri-ku! S-stop!"

"That's my excuse!" Riku laughed, stopping his attack on Sora's sensitive sides and pulling him back to look at him.

"So you admit that it was an excuse!" Sora giggled, his forehead now resting on the blonde's right shoulder.

"Do I have to answer that?" Riku said, looking everywhere except at his boyfriend.

Sora pouted amusedly and gave him a playful punch on his left shoulder, "You jerk!"

The sound of splashing water and loud, playful outcries filled the night as Tidus and Selphie kept chasing each other in the water, the rolling sounds of the waves adding more nostalgia to those last moments of carefree fun and simple togetherness.

"Let's go now, please…" Sora softly whispered after a brief moment of silence, "I've been patient enough…"

Riku smiled down at him, "You have been a good boy for a whole month now, I must admit." He kissed him lovingly on his lips again, brushing his chocolate tresses back.

Sora nodded with a slight pout on his lips, "Yes I have, and I want my reward now."

"I did promise you this, didn't I?" He said, helping his boyfriend to stand, "I don't break promises."

"I know you don't, you just stall them." The younger boy replied, shaking the sand off the back of his ¾ pants before grinning up at Riku in a prankish manner.

Riku gave him a humourless laugh before bending down and picking up their sandals that were still lying in the sand, "Keep that up and I'll come up with another excuse to make you stop whining."

Sora stuck out his tongue to him and started to walk towards the wet sands, following the shoreline towards the small shack leading to the other side of the island.

"No need to wait up for us, you guys," Riku spoke after he had watched his boyfriend disappear behind the wooden platform of the seaside shack.

"Hey, it's maybe the last time you'll be up here, ya? We get the hint, just go already." Wakka said, chuckling, "We'll see each other tomorrow at the harbour if you have to do 'overtime' tonight."

Kairi laughed and waved him away, "Go, Sora is waiting for ya!"

Riku snickered, turned around and sped off in the direction Sora had gone off to.

"What took you? I was starting to get lonely in here…"

"You wouldn't have started without me, now would you?" Riku chuckled, squeezing the excess water from his platinum mane by pulling it back with both his hands as he stood up from the water he had just emerged from. He took off his now drenched blue tank top, threw it aside into the clear water and watched how the small droplets of water ran down his now exposed torso and passed with his right hand over his abs. With a cheeky smile he looked up at Sora, who was standing on the small beach of their underwater cave, his eyes burning with lust and his moist lower lip caught in between his teeth. His own wet spikes framed his face, his sleeveless shirt clutching to his lithe form, the ¾ pants he wore already unbuttoned.

"You're such a tease, Riku…" Sora whispered as Riku walked up to him slowly, his blue eyes first focused on the thin silver hairline that run from his bellybutton to his most cherished prize, before moving up the well-defined muscles of his abdomen and chest, to finally rest on his lips and eyes as he stopped right in front of him. "I wouldn't even know where to begin…I need you to get me warm…" he took off his shirt with that, throwing it beside them in the sand.

"Hmm…" Riku throatily whispered at the invitation, pulling Sora against him with a hand on his smaller back, and sliding a finger down his tanned and lean torso, "I think you've already started to make it hot in here…"

They caught each other lips briefly, teasingly nipping at the other one's lips, all the while moving themselves further into the small cave and down on the sandy ground.

"I want this so bad…" Sora murmured after Riku had released his lips and slid down his throat, "Nobody can make me crave for sex like you do…"

"Because it's so good?" Riku whispered, licking Sora's throat now and sliding his right hand up his chest to tease his erected nipples.

Sora gasped and then purred, "Because it's so fuckin' good…"

"But you're fuckin' hot, babe." Riku replied, dipping his head to lick the moist skin of Sora's chest, running with his right hand oh-so lightly over the brunette's hips, "And so fuckable…" He said and grinded his groin against his boyfriend's still clothed one to show him how much he wanted him, "You make me so hard… every time… I can't get enough of you…"

"A-ah stop teasing…!" Sora gasped, closing his eyes tightly at the pleasurable amount of friction their pressed groins caused and arched up to him, his small hands grabbing hold of Riku's biceps supporting him on each side "J-just t-take it o-off…"

(Hot stuff! Coming through! Check my bio... you pervs...)

"Do you believe in destiny?"

They were now cuddled up against each other, Sora's head resting on Riku's left shoulder as he watched the shimmering stones on the cavern's ceiling. Riku moved his head slightly and kissed his forehead, his left hand caressing the brunette's hair lovingly.

"I believe that you and I met for a reason." The elder replied, answering his boyfriend's previous question.

Sora smiled and moved so he was now looking down at Riku, "I believe that too… You're my soul mate, Riku, I'll never be able to love another like I love you." He then rested his head down on the blonde's chest and closed his eyes, listening to the steady and comforting heartbeat of his one and only. "You were my first… and I simply know that you'll be my last."

Riku smiled, feeling complete and satisfied with Sora just lying with him, the feeling so simple, yet so genuine and wonderful at the same time.

Both of them spend the night in their secret cave, the heat of their love keeping them warm until the first day of the rest of their lives together began.

Fin?

(Chuckles evilly and bows )Until next time…

-BDP-