Sora munched thoughtfully on his pizza. Riku was practically staring at Sora as he ate his food and April was wondering why both teens had such an odd expression on their face. However she decided not to ask and continued to eat her own slice of pizza. It only took the trio eight minutes to polish off the entire pizza. After that April went outside for an after-supper smoke. Riku headed upstairs and Sora followed him. They made their way into Sora's room and Riku closed the door behind them.
"So?" Riku asked. "Have you thought about the kiss?"
"I have…"
"And…?" The older teen braced himself for a negative reply.
"I'll kiss you…that way, but only if you promise to stop if I don't like it."
Riku nodded, "I promise."
"Cross your heart and hope to die?" Sora grinned.
"That too." The silver-haired boy responded with a grin of his own.
Riku held his hand out to Sora and the brunette took a hold of it, allowing his friend to pull him close.
"If we hear my mom coming we have to stop…" Sora murmured.
"Yeah, I know. I don't want to be caught by your mother either. She'd strangle me."
The brunette chuckled softly then leaned up, pressing his lips to Riku's. Riku wrapped his arms around the younger teen's waist and hugged him close. Slowly but surely Riku ran his tongue over Sora's lips. With only a slight blush coloring his cheeks the brunette timidly opened his mouth. Sora blinked. The feeling of Riku's tongue sliding into his mouth was well…odd. However it wasn't unpleasant like he first thought it would be. Feeling a little brave the brunette sent his tongue forward to briefly brush against Riku's. The older boy moaned softly and rubbed his tongue firmly against Sora's. Sora felt like he was running out of breath so he broke the kiss and slowly pulled away. When he discovered that he and Riku's lower lips were joined by a thread of saliva he made a face then chuckled.
"Gross." He laughed, wiping his mouth.
"Was it that bad?" Riku teased, wiping his mouth as well.
"Not the kiss. The by-product." Sora teased back.
"Yeah well that happens sometimes when you plant a wet kiss on someone." The older teen chuckled, messing Sora's hair. "So? How was the actual kiss?"
"Better than I thought it would be. I quite enjoyed it actually."
"Glad I brought it up, huh?"
"M-hm." The brunette smirked, giving Riku another brief kiss.
Riku tightened his hold on Sora's waist again, hugging him. The younger teen wrapped his arms around Riku's neck, returning the embrace.
"I can't wait until we go on our trip…" Riku murmured, planting a kiss on Sora's neck.
"Yeah…" Sora nodded.
The pair heard April enter the house and they shared one more short kiss before breaking apart.
"Want to play some cards?" Sora asked.
Riku nodded and they got Sora's cards out. The boys' timing was perfect. When April checked on them they were quietly playing cards. The woman went downstairs to watch TV afterwards.
"So do you have a map for this journey we're taking?" Sora asked, playing one of his cards.
"No. A map won't help much." Riku replied. "But I do have two compasses, some map paper, and a pen. I'm going to make a map as we sail along."
"Riku…what if there's nothing else out there?"
"Don't worry, Sora. I'm sure there's other islands out there. Besides, we're going to be smart about things. We have food to last us about a week. We'll sail out for half that week and if we don't find anything we'll sail to the closest island and restock. So don't worry, nothing is going to happen to us."
"What about if it storms?" Sora asked, chewing on his lower lip.
"We're prepared and our raft is steady. Also, there hasn't been a bad storm out on the water for nearly eight years. Seriously Sora, you don't have to worry. We're ready for this. Nothing will happen to us."
"Okay…" The brunette nodded. "I trust you."
The pair played cards until late. April hadn't come upstairs yet so Sora went to check on her. The teen found his mother fast asleep on the couch and smiled. He turned the TV off and covered his mother with a blanket. He left one lamp on in case she woke up and turned all the other lights off. Stifling a yawn behind his hand Sora walked back upstairs to find Riku changing for the night. Riku grinned at the slight blush that formed on Sora's cheeks and pulled his sleeping pants on, tying the drawstring. Sora just made a face at his boyfriend then proceeded to change himself. He changed into a pair of shorts and a thin T-shirt then jumped onto the bed. Riku joined him and planted a smooch on his lips before getting under the covers. Sora snuggled under the covers as well and laughed as Riku tickled him.
"Stop, you jerk." He said, gently elbowing Riku in the ribs.
Riku laughed softly and ceased his tickling. He and Sora snuggled together and Riku reached over, turning the bedside light off.
"Goodnight Sora."
Sora yawned, "Night Riku."
The brunette dozed off in a matter of minutes but Riku lay awake and watched the shadows on the ceiling dance.
It's windy outside. That's why the shadows are moving. It's not more of those shadow things… Riku thought, closing his eyes.
Sora made a cute mewling noise and burrowed against Riku more firmly. The silver-haired teen smirked and was soon overcome by sleep.
------------------------
When Riku awoke the next morning it was bright and sunny. The boy kissed the still sleeping Sora on the cheek and got out of bed. He changed into clean clothes then shoved all the clothes he'd brought over into a plastic bag and tied it closed. He could hear April making breakfast downstairs. Yummy smells were drifting up from underneath the door. Riku slung his plastic bag over his shoulder and made his way downstairs.
"Good morning Riku." April greeted him.
"Good morning, April." Riku replied. "Is my mom home yet?"
The woman shook her head, "No but she should be home after breakfast. She phoned a half hour ago saying that they were finishing up all the paper work and getting ready to go."
The teen nodded and set his bag of stuff by the front door.
"Do me a favour and get my son up. The pancakes will be ready soon."
Riku nodded and went back upstairs. Sora was still fast asleep when he entered the brunette's room.
"Sora!" He cried, jumping on the bed.
Sora nearly jumped out of bed and he looked around rapidly. Riku laughed and the brunette finally fully woke up. He glared at his friend.
"Very funny, Riku."
"I thought so. Get dressed and go downstairs. Breakfast will be ready soon."
Riku kissed Sora on the forehead then left the room. Sora shook his head and got out of bed. He changed into clean clothes and stuffed all his dirty ones into his laundry hamper.
"It appears that I need to do my laundry today…" Sora murmured.
With a small sigh the teen went downstairs. Riku was sitting at the table waiting patiently for both Sora and breakfast. As he walked by his mother she grabbed him and placed a kiss on his head.
"Agh! Mom!" Sora laughed, wiggling away from his mother.
"Gotcha." April laughed.
Sora shook his head and sat at the table beside Riku. April finished making breakfast and filled three plates, bringing them to the table.
"Thanks mom." Sora said.
"Yeah thanks, Mrs. Everhart." Riku added.
"You're welcome, boys."
The three people ate in comfortable silence. They were almost finished eating when Riku heard a familiar-sounding car driving up the road.
"Only dad's car rattles like that. Mom is home." Riku said, wiping the syrup from his mouth.
The silver-haired teen shoved the remainder of his breakfast in his mouth and ran outside, taking his bag of stuff with him. April and Sora finished their breakfasts in a more polite manner before heading outside as well. Riku was standing beside the driveway and Lee was just pulling into the driveway. Mileena waved at her oldest son as she passed by him. Riku waved back and watched as his father pulled into the garage. Once he parked Mileena got out of the car and Riku jogged over to her. She hugged him with one arm and opened the car door with the other.
"Hey mom. How do you feel?"
"Better now that I got a decent sleep." Mileena replied. "Were you good, Riku?"
"Yes he was." April replied as she and Sora approached.
Lee got out of the car as well and gave Riku a brief hug. Mileena leaned into the car and took the car seat out. Jiro was strapped into the seat, sleeping soundly. He was dressed in a cute little blue sleeper that Lee had purchased for his son.
"He's so tiny. I can't get over it…" Sora murmured, gently rubbing the baby's hand with his finger.
"They all start out little and cute. Then they grow up into a big nuisance." April teased, messing Sora's hair.
Mileena laughed then invited Sora and his mother in for tea. They accepted the invitation and the group went inside. While Riku went upstairs to put his dirty clothes away Lee showed April the finished nursery and Mileena made tea. Sora sat on the kitchen floor in front of Jiro's car seat. He unstrapped the baby and lifted him out of the chair. Jiro stirred a bit but didn't wake. Sora placed the baby's blanket on him then stood up, Jiro nestled in the crook of his arms.
"You're good with kids, Sora." Mileena said with a smile.
"Thank-you." Sora replied, blushing slightly.
The tea didn't take long to make. Once it was done Mileena took Jiro from Sora and put the baby into his bassinet before wheeling it closer to the kitchen area. Everyone sat at the table and had their tea. Riku looked bored but Sora listened intently while the adults talked. Once they were all done with their drinks April and Sora decided to go home. Riku had planned to go with them and go swimming with Sora but his father had other plans.
"This house needs to be cleaned, Riku. I certainly hope you don't expect your mother to do it." Lee said.
"No." Riku replied. "I don't expect you to help either."
"You must be psychic, boy." His father responded, taking the Windex from the cupboard and handing it to Riku. "I'll be baby proofing the house while your mother and Jiro rest."
"Might want to start with moving those cleaning solvents into a higher cupboard or putting a lock on that one." Riku muttered, wandering off to clean.
-----------------------------
Sora was reading a book on the porch and April was weeding her flower garden when Kairi came up the walk.
"Hi Kairi." Sora smiled.
"Hi." Kairi replied. "Want to come to Destiny Island with me? Everyone else is busy and I want to hunt for some thalassa shells."
"What do you want the shells for?" The brunette asked.
"I want to make a necklace out of them. In the old days, sailors wore thalassa shells. They were supposed to ensure safe voyages."
"Ah, neat. Well just let me ask my mom. If it's okay with her I'll come with you."
Sora put his book down and Kairi stepped aside so he could leave the porch. He walked up to his mother and asked if he could go seashell hunting with Kairi. April said yes and that Sora could borrow her bike if he wanted. While Sora got his mother's bike from the shed Kairi ran home to get her own bike. They met on the street and pedalled to the marina together. They chose to row together in Sora's boat and put it on the water.
"So what is everyone else up to?" Sora asked as he got into the boat.
"Selphie has a dance lesson, Tidus and Wakka are playing in a soccer game, and Riku is cleaning. I got to see Jiro again. He's so cute."
"I know. Mom and I got to see him again this morning."
They each picked up an oar and started rowing.
"What's in the backpack, Kairi?" Sora asked.
"Lunch." The girl replied with a sheepish smile. "I'm afraid it's quite hard to find thalassa shells."
"Yeah." Sora grinned. "We'll probably be on Destiny Island for a good while."
The pair finished their journey to Destiny Island and tied the boat to the dock. Kairi left her backpack in the shade of a tree and the duo took their shoes off before wading into the water. Thalassa shells were plentiful on Destiny Island but they were still a rare find. The shells were small, white, and cone-shaped dappled with pale blue speckles.
"I've collected twelve so far." Kairi said as she walked through the knee-deep water. "I need about twelve more to make the necklace."
Sora nodded and scooped up a handful of sand and shells. He found a shell that looked like a thalassa but upon closer inspection discovered that it had green splotches, not blue speckles. The teen threw the shell back and continued to look. By the time lunch rolled around Sora had found one thalassa shell and Kairi found two. They left the water and Sora sat on the sand while Kairi went to retrieve her backpack from the shade. She sat beside Sora and pulled out two sandwiches, two apples, a bag of cookies, and two apple juice containers. The teen split their lunches up and Sora dug right in.
"I'm starving." He said, taking a big bite out of his sandwich.
"Me too." Kairi replied. "Sea shell hunting is hard work when you're looking for a certain kind."
The pair finished off their sandwiches, apples, and all the cookies in a matter of ten minutes. Afterwards they rested on the sand and slowly sipped their juice while their bodies digested all the food they ate.
"I feel so full now. I made a pig of myself." Kairi giggled.
"Yeah, you did." Sora teased.
The girl laughed and smacked Sora on the shoulder. "Very funny."
As soon as their juice was done and they were done relaxing they put their garbage into Kairi's backpack and went back into the water. Luck was on Sora's side. He found a shell only after being in the water for a few seconds. He pocketed it with the other shell and continued his search. The search was slow going but Sora didn't mind. Searching the water, watching it ripple, was very tranquil and relaxing.
The sun was almost set when Kairi found the final shell that she needed. In all she had found eight of the shells, Sora found four. They waded back to shore and Kairi recounted the shells, making sure she had enough. Once she came up with twelve in total again she got a small plastic baggie out and put the shells inside.
"Want to go sit on Paopu Island and rest a while before we go home?" Sora asked. "I'm kinda tired."
"Yeah me too." Kairi nodded. "That sounds good to me."
The girl slung her backpack over one shoulder and they walked to Paopu Island. Sora sat down on the edge of the island and stretched his arms over his head. Kairi stretched too then sat beside her friend.
"So…I guess we're going on our adventure soon." She said.
Sora nodded, "M-hm."
"You know, Riku has changed."
"What?" Sora blinked. Now that was an odd thing to say. True he noticed a little change in Riku but nothing major.
"Sora, let's take the raft and go-just the two of us!"
Now the brunette was really taken back, "W-what?"
"Just kidding." Kairi replied with a smirk.
Sora frowned slightly. Kairi was acting…weird. "What's gotten into you? You're the one that's changed, Kairi."
"Maybe... You know, I was a little afraid at first, but now I'm ready. No matter where I go or what I see, I know I can always come back here. Right?"
"Yeah, of course!"
"That's good." Kairi nodded. "Sora, don't ever change…"
There was that odd behaviour again. Sora was puzzled. "Huh?"
"I just can't wait. Once we set sail, it'll be great." The girl said, changing the subject.
Sora stared at his friend. This wasn't like Kairi at all. She was acting nervous and jumpy.
"Sora?"
"Yeah?"
"…I really like you…"
The brunette's eyes widened further as Kairi leaned in and kissed him.
Riku tied his boat to the dock and made his way to the beach. Once he'd finished cleaning he'd gone over to Sora's house to see him. It was there that he learned from April that Sora and Kairi had gone seashell hunting. He had taken his bike to the marina and frowned slightly when he saw Kairi's boat there. However he squashed the jealousy down and made his way to Destiny Island. As he walked along the beach Riku looked around for his friends. When he finally spotted them the jealousy flared up again, along with hurt and disbelief. He was kissing her. Sora was kissing Kairi. Riku's stomach knotted and his throat tightened. He wanted to run up there and break them apart but he was overwhelmed with emotion. Without even thinking about it the silver-haired teen turned and ran into the Secret Place.
To be continued…
Final chapter is next. R&R Please :).
