The rain fell from the sky, tears from the clouds, plopping into the ocean and against the beach. A low murmur filled the air, the voice of each raindrop as it landed, calling out for a moment before being silenced by the eternal expanse of the ocean. The smell of the salt air mixed with the smell of falling rain, creating a crisp, exotic perfume that filled the air; the tropical scent that couldn't be found anywhere else. It was the hot, humid smell of a tropical paradise. A lone boy stood in the shallows, the water reaching up to his ankles. He wore a pair of black jeans rolled to a bit below his knees, as well as a white tank top, which clung to his skin in the rain. His silver hair glistened with water droplets, each like a small crystal, as he stood, staring out beyond the ocean. Staring at his destiny.
Further up the beach, underneath a palm tree, sat another boy. Normally, this tree would have given him a refreshing shade. Now, it gave him slight shelter from the rain. Still, miniscule drops coated his cinnamon hair, turning it a powdering grey. He watched the other boy who stood in the salty shallows; his friend often did this. The silver-haired boy - Riku - told him that he could see his future beyond the horizon, away from his island home. He said that the horizon made him feel like leaving, like sailing away. Riku wanted to capture that distant horizon, to know the far away mystery. He wanted to leave the memories that had been built on the island. The brunette found it hard to think about that. Maybe he, Sora, was the more emotional of the two. Maybe he put more value in home. Or maybe he just wasn't as adventurous. That's probably why he and Riku made such a good pair.
Earlier that day, the small island had been a bustle of activity. Children ran along the beach, having mock sword fights and playing Blitzball. It was empty now, the other children having taken their rowboats back to the larger island. And now Riku stood there in the water, lost in his own thoughts. Sora doubted that the silver haired boy knew he was there. Riku didn't like being fussed over; he knew that if Kairi or Selphie - their two best friends - were there, they would worry about him standing in the rain. Sora could imagine Kairi tossing Riku concerned looks while Selphie called out that he would catch a cold if he stood there like that. It brought a small smile to Sora's face, an expression that came naturally to the boy. Even Sora didn't know why Riku did it though. But every time it rained, he stood out there in the water, lost in thought. The rain was the catalyst for Riku's longing. Was it because the horizon seemed closer when the rain distorted the world? Or did the calming, alien plops of rain hitting the ocean make Riku think of far away lands, places where the rain came often and drowned out the sun and surf? It seemed to be working though; even Sora's mind began to wander back to long-ago memories; memories that would play in his mind forever.
"You okay?" I grinned, offering a hand.
He waved me off - typical Riku - and picked himself up off the ground, dusting himself off and grinning, "You scared me there. I thought I had actually hurt you, o invincible-one."
"You got lucky," he said, smirking. His wooden sword lay a few yards away, knocked out of his hands a few moments before. He glanced at me, right into my eyes. I stared into those aquamarine irises, emotions raging. My heart beat a bit faster that second, and it seemed like an eternity that we stood like that. It was only a second though. He tried to walk forward, but limped a little, "Must have bruised my leg. . ."
I helped him over to the Papau tree, and we both sat down, watching the sun sink below the horizon in all its blazing glory. It shone through the clouds that were now gathering above us, casting rays of deep purple, orange, and a crimson red over the patches of clear sky that we could still see. We sat there for a long time, until the sun could barely be seen.
"Riku?"
"Yeah?"
"What do you think is out there?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well. You always talk about going somewhere else, beyond the island. I only see ocean. What's waiting out there?"
"There has to be some other world out there. Ours can't be the only one. I mean... isn't it a bit egotistical to think that we're the only people in the universe?"
"So why go there?"
"To see what else is there. To see what other people there are. We can never know how well off we are until we see how things could be different, right?"
"I guess so." We were silent for a few more moments, thinking about what had just been said, "So are you happy now?"
I said the question shyly. Implied was the question I had wanted to ask for a long time now, though I had been too afraid - and was still - to ask it directly. But how would he see that? How could he know the right answer? Riku liked to talk in riddles, and often missed what others meant to say, because he was too busy thinking of the answer to his own question. He contemplated everything; his entire life was an over thought jumble. How could I expect him to give me the answer I had been wanting - longing for - for so long?
"Truthfully?"
"Yeah."
"I wouldn't trade what I have for anything," his answer surprised me right from the start, "and if I'm going to go somewhere else, I'd like to take what I have with me."
"And. . . what do you have Riku?" my heart beat faster still. Riku and I... we had been best friends for so long. But we had never talked this directly. After knowing each other so long - we saw each other literally every day - we could almost communicate silently. Riku was everything to me, and I to him. But we had never needed to say that.
"Do I have you Sora?" He looked right at me, into my eyes. But it felt like he was looking deeper; I felt stripped to my core. He looked hopeful, as though he had just asked for some huge favor and was waiting for an answer. I never regretted my answer.
We woke up a few hours later. We had fallen asleep, stretched in the sand, out fingers laced together. My head was resting lightly on his chest, and I could feel his heart beating below my ear. Riku was warm. The rain had started to fall, lightly sprinkling the entire island with sweet, clear water. I found that, from then on, I liked the rain a lot more.
How long had it been since that day? A year? It didn't seem like it to Riku. He'd never forget Sora's answer. Never had three simple letters thrilled him so much. He had felt energized, yet extremely exhausted at the same time, if that was even possible. And Riku would never let anyone take his Sora away. No matter what, Riku vowed that he would always stand by his love's side. No matter who or what got in the way.
And slowly, Sora's silver haired angel turned. He stepped onto the cool, wet sand and stretched his arms out; they had started to cramp a bit. His aquamarine eyes came to rest on the brunette under the tree, and a light smirk lit up his face. Sora loved that expression. Then again, he loved everything about Riku.
The rain still fell down, blurring the sky; the world seemed a dreamland, and Riku and Sora the lucky two who got to live it. Riku strolled towards the palm tree slowly and casually, watching as Sora stared into the golden sand, drawing small patterns with his finger and smiling. The brunette glanced up, seeing his lover and smiling widely. Riku kneeled down, kissing Sora lightly on the forehead and wrapping an arm around him to hug him close. Sora allowed their lips to meet, closing his eyes and mewling lightly as they kissed.
"Hungry?" Riku offered a small, star-shaped fruit.
"Very," Sora replied, accepting the fruit and breaking off a corner. He brought the piece to his lips, drawing it in and savoring the sweet taste before offering the fruit back to Riku. Sora's lover smiled and accepted, doing the same. They finished the Papau, then sat under the palms, rain still tapping around them. Sora snuggled closer to Riku, and slowly they both drifted off into a blissful sleep. Above them, the last rain drops tapped on the palm fronds, singing them a sweet lullaby. And the tears of the clouds stopped. But they were never tears of sadness. They were tears of joy.