Author's Notes: So, we're on the final two chapters of Part Two. Hold on to your hats, people! It's comin' to an end!
P.S. - Don't think I've been ignoring any certain little Lulu requests...
Chapter 43
"Coming Home"
She was staring at him, and her eyes were hard and angry, and her fists were balled and clenched, the shadow of her twin standing behind her with an uncertain look on her face. He looked behind him, and Riku was there, and the same kind of rage was in his eyes, too—not as fearsome as it had been with Ansem, but still very scary.
Sora looked between the two of them, his hands bound in cuffs. The house didn't look right and there were broken teacups on the floor. The closet was open, and Hayner was staring at them from inside it between the coats. He gave Sora a thumbs-up.
"It's great to be out of the closet!" he insisted. Sora stumbled left and right until he'd fallen on his butt. He heard a slap, and his cheek stung, but he didn't remember being hit. Yet Kairi's hand was raised up in the air, like the sword of a wicked Amazon, ready to strike him again.
"Don't hit him, bitch!" Sora looked up to be level with Riku's face again, and he realized the other had pulled him up and that he was standing again. But Riku's eyes were not fixed on him, they were intently carving holes into Kairi, and she screamed something Sora couldn't remember hearing. It sounded like something along the lines of, "LIAR!" or "CHEATER!". Tears streamed down her face in salty rivers. She looked sad.
Then Kairi tried to say something to Riku, and Riku lashed out with nails as long as Kairi's and scratched her across the face. In reality, this would have left nothing but a stinging across her cheek; but here, the skin was suddenly ripped off and she gave a bloodcurdling scream, clutching at her face and worsening the bloody scratch wounds with her own claws. Behind Kairi, Naminé drew back and cowered, but she looked at Sora with eyes that were understanding and calm.
It's a cat fight, thought Sora.
There was a wound inflicted on Kairi, but Riku's hand bore no blood. His nails were clean. Sora followed behind him as Riku dragged him up the stairs into a part of the house he never remembered seeing. Along the way, a woman with long brown hair smiled at them.
"Welcome home, Riku."
I'm in Riku's house? Sora remembered wondering. He said it aloud, but nobody seemed to hear him. The woman was soon behind them, and as Riku took him into a strange room he wasn't familiar with, she called, "Remember to be gentle with him!"
Riku closed the door behind them. Sora briefly heard himself noting that it was nighttime. Riku turned him around so Sora was facing him, and he said, "Let me get those off for you." Riku somehow removed the cuffs around Sora's wrists; then he took Sora's hands and placed them on his chest. Sora looked up into his eyes, and Riku stared back at him.
"Do you love me, Sora?"
Sora said nothing. He wasn't sure what to say. But Riku smiled at him anyway.
"It's okay. Your expression says it all."
It...does? Sora didn't know now if he was frowning or smiling, but it felt like a little bit of both. He tilted his head, and stood up slightly on his toes to kiss Riku—he was a little taller than he remembered.
Riku kissed him back and drew him into a hug. It was a very passionate kiss. Suddenly there was a jump, and they weren't wearing any clothes. Sora looked down at Riku underneath him, his face flushed red, mouth open as he panted, his eyes glazed and yet not, gazing at him intently as if saying, "You're beautiful." They rolled over, and Sora could hear his own moans as well as Riku's, both of them resonating and building. He felt something fill him, and a great warmth burst in his chest and spread throughout his body, tensing up in one spot and spilling through him all at once. All he remembered was that warmth. His eyes were open the whole time, and Riku was above him, moving up and down, his moans louder than Sora's and making a stronger impression. Sora murmured something to him and felt a centering heat in his groin, making him blush.
Then there was a thump, and he rolled out of bed, which jolted him awake.
Sora gasped and fumbled with the covers before managing to kick them off, and sat up straight. He looked around him, frowning, and then he scratched his head. What a weird dream.
He heard the shower running in the bathroom. Riku must have gotten up before him. The brunet sighed, and stood up to fix the sheets. Right as he was in the middle of doing so, he looked down and noticed a very conspicuous tent between his legs in his boxers. Sora blushed and clapped his hands down over it, moaning. I hate that dream! He grumbled. And it had been with Riku, no less...
Sora groaned and sat down on the edge of the bed, covering his embarrassment with his hands and the sheets. When Riku got out of that shower, he was going to grab it and snatch the cold water. He really, really needed it.
The blond blearily blinked his eyes, squinting at the empty room. He sighed and checked his watch. It was nine o'clock. Must have slept through breakfast. The kids were going to be pretty mad at him for that.
Cloud sighed and nestled under the blankets again. He nudged his head against the pillow, but paused and realized it wasn't as soft as his bed pillows.
That was when he sat up and realized he was on the couch.
...Did I...fall asleep down here? Cloud scratched his head, frowning. Well, it wouldn't be the first time it happened...but hadn't Grievers been sleeping down here? Cloud blinked. He shook his head and winced. Leon! Leon! Call him Leon...
He mumbled something and pushed the blankets off. He was still in his bathrobe, he realized, and the front was more open than he like. He grumbled and fixed it, so that it was properly tied up and closed, and then headed for the kitchen. Bumping into a certain older brunet.
"Ah...! G-Good morning!" He stuttered, laughing with a crooked smile. "I guess I slept in a little, huh?"
Leon shrugged. There was a mug of coffee in his hand from which he sipped idly.
"I, ah...hope I didn't take your spot or anything last night..."
"You dozed off in the chair. I moved you to the couch because I figured it would be more comfortable."
Cloud frowned. "You didn't have to do that..." he tilted his head. "And where did you sleep last night, anyway, after that?"
Again, the brunet shrugged. "I took up the offer with your bed. It was very comfortable, by the way." Cloud blinked at him, and then he rubbed his eyes.
"M...Mmm." He grunted.
Leon paused, and then nudged his head in the direction of the kitchen. "I made a pot of coffee in there. Hope you don't mind. I found the creamer, too."
"Oh, is there any left?" Cloud peered around Leon, covering his mouth as he yawned. Coffee was sounding really good right about now.
"Plenty. Still hot, if you want to get some."
Cloud rubbed his eyes again, sighing. "Sure. Thanks." He let his arm fall, and suddenly the robe slipped, exposing his right shoulder and part of his chest. Cloud and Leon both stared at it for a moment. The blond frowned and fixed it, thinking, Why doesn't this fit me well? My other one fits me just fine.
He walked past Leon, then stopped and turned around. "Oh! By the way, were you awake when the kids got ready for school?"
"Yes," groaned Leon, not sounding too happy about it. "They woke me up. That Seifer kid you talked about took care of it. They were off safe and sound."
Cloud breathed relief. "Good," he murmured. "I didn't mean to sleep in that late..." Must come with being unemployed. I'll probably do that a lot in the future.
"Well, thanks, anyway."
"Sure." Leon said, drinking his coffee as he went to sit down on the couch. Cloud grabbed a mug from one of the cupboards—a mug one of the children had given him a few years ago. It had a childish picture of a ship on it and stick figures waving to the dolphins. The one with spikes of yellow on its head was him, and all the others were the numerous children he cared for. It had been a Father's Day gift. Cloud remembered thinking how nice it would be to go on a cruise when he'd gotten it. He still found him wondering if there would ever be some way he'd be able to go to the Caribbean or something. That would be a nice break...
He felt a little depressed as he made his coffee. He was going to go check his e-mail, and he'd probably find a letter telling him he would receive his stuff on his front doorstep in a few days, or to come pack it up and take it. Not that there was much to take. Cloud's room in the agency had always been pretty empty because he never kept much there. Well, at least I won't have to deal with the elevator anymore. As Cloud stirred the hazelnut creamer into his coffee, the shoulder of his robe slipped again. He groaned and fixed it.
Why doesn't this fit me? He seemed to know the reason for it, but he couldn't think of it...
Then it dawned on him. Cloud blinked as he recalled it clear as day.
Oh, that's right... Sephiroth had given him this robe. He'd mistaken Cloud's clothing size by a slight margin, and it was custom-made. He never really did toss it in the wash to shrink it a little. At the time, he'd been too afraid that he'd ruin it.
Funny...now all he wanted to do was make it too small, so that he wouldn't wear it anymore.
Cloud heard a conversation starting in the other room. "Good morning, Riku."
"Mmrr."
"Morning, Mister Striker!"
"So, Riku, are you ready to go home?"
"...I guess so. Mom said she's waiting for me."
In the living room, Leon nodded approvingly. "We'll leave in an hour. Is that all right with you?"
"Whatever."
"Cloud?" Sora looked into the kitchen. "Good morning! Um, hey, can I use your phone to call my Mom?"
Sipping his coffee, Cloud gestured to the phone in the kitchen. "By all means."
"Thanks!" Sora went for it and dialed his house, hoping his mother wasn't too distraught by now. And maybe he'd call Kairi later, too.
Riku watched him and crossed his arms, frowning.
Maybe it was just him, but he still wasn't comfortable with leaving Sora in his own house.
Hours later after driving, It was four o'clock and Sora and Riku were in front of Tifa's apartment. Leon unbuckled and got out, and Riku and Sora followed. Before they could even make it to the door, out came Tifa, wearing a creamy blue blouse and a long white skirt with a crimped look to it. Riku froze only for a moment before his feet picked up their pace, and he rushed into his mother's open arms with the zeal of a ten-year-old.
Tifa embraced her son and held him tightly.
"Mom," Riku breathed.
"Welcome home, Riku," Tifa sighed, stroking his hair and holding him close. Sora smiled at the sight. He could tell that Riku was happy.
Tifa huffed and held her son at arm's length, looking down at him with a wide smile, teardrop-shaped pearls dangling from her ears. "You won't have to worry anymore, baby. We're going to beat this guy in court. All I have to do is call a lawyer!"
Riku's smile faded. "Mom...are you sure we'll win?"
"What a stupid question! Of course we'll win! I'm going to make sure of it. I'll get us the best lawyer I can find. Oh, and, you won't have to worry about that bastard hurting you." She grinned. "I slapped a restraining order on him. He can't come within one hundred feet of you in a radius."
Riku drew back and waved to the two behind him. "Mom, this is Leon, and Sora."
"I've met Leon before," Tifa said. She glanced at the younger brunet. "Sora, however, I have not." She smiled at him. "I'm Tifa Lockheart."
When she thrust her hand out to him, Sora nodded and took it, and they shook hands. "It's good to meet you, Mrs. Lockheart." He smiled back at her.
"So, you're the one Riku ran off with, eh?"
Sora laughed nervously. "Uh...yeah."
Tifa smirked, bending down a little. "Well, you watch yourself. I'm thinking my boy's more interested in you than he'd like to admit..." she winked at him, and glanced over her shoulder at Riku. "Riiight?"
Riku groaned. "Moooom, cut it out." She laughed and stood up straight.
"Oh, Riku, I have a guest over, I hope you don't mind. I think you'll like her. She's a good friend of mine. Her name is Aeris."
"Someone called?" A woman with lighter brown hair than Tifa's poked her head out. She was wearing a long pink dress and her hair was up in a twisting sort of ponytail. She had a very kind face, and a sweet smile. "You must be Riku," she said, looking at him and nodding. "I'm Aeris..."
"Yeah, Mom told me." She held her hand out to him, and Riku shook it. "It's nice to meet you."
"Well, I won't want to keep you. I know Sora's family must be worried sick."
"We ought to get going," Leon agreed, speaking for the first time. Tifa smiled.
"Hey, Sora, if you need anything—anything at all—you give me and Riku a phone call, okay? Here, I'll give you the number." Tifa went in and fetched a pen and paper, and jotted it down, ripping the paper out of the notepad and handing it to the younger brunet. Sora pocketed it with a thank-you.
"I'm sure Riku would love to hear from you."
Riku suddenly gave Sora a very solemn glance. "Please stay in touch," he said quietly. Sora gave him a reassuring smile.
"How about I call you tomorrow?" he asked. "Maybe in the afternoon if I don't go back to school right away."
The silver-haired teen gazed at him, and still looked rather sad when he nodded. Then they all exchanged goodbyes, and Leon took Sora back to his car to drive him home. Tifa's house was actually not much more than fifteen minutes away...that was the first thing Sora noticed as he gave directions to the streets that led to his cul-de-sac.
The instant Sora got home, and was at the door, Lisa opened it up and screamed joyously, dragging her son into a tight hug. "Soraaa!" she cried, her eyes a little red. She must have been sobbing earlier. "Oh, honey! You're home! Praise the Lord!"
"BIG BROTHERRRR!" Selphie's squeals reverberated upstairs and she stomped down like an elephant before tackling him, while he was still being hugged by his mother. Sora laughed.
"I missed you guys," he said.
"I was so scarrrreeed!" Selphie whined. Lisa showered Sora's face with kisses.
"Oh, my baby! You're okay! I've never been as happy as I am now!" She kissed his lips like a mother does her son. "Don't worry, honey, I'll cook you your favorite meal tonight! I'll run out and get the groceries and we're going to have a big welcome-home meal!"
Sora began to see more faces popping up. His father came in and swept him up into a tighter hug than his mother had given him.
"Sora, you crazy kid! I was worried stiff!"
"I-I'll bet," grunted Sora, laughing as he hugged him back. "I missed you too, Dad." At that point, Lisa rushed up to Leon and began to incessantly thank him for bringing Sora back to them, while Sora was put down on the ground again.
"Hey, Dad, can I call—WHOA!" Sora stumbled as someone with auburn hair tackled him and squeezed him around his middle. Sora grunted. "W-Waah! I'm falling!"
"Sora!"
He blinked. "Kairi?"
Kairi looked up at him with the biggest smile on her face, and she radiated happiness. "I'm so glad you're okay, Sora!" She squeezed him harder and pressed up against him. Sora blushed. He could feel her boobs squishing against his chest. A little overwhelmed by all the hugs, he just returned the love and wrapped his arms around her. But he was smiling all the while.
"When did you get here?" He asked.
"A while ago! We wanted to stay here until you came back!" Kairi shook her head and nuzzled against him. "Oh, Sora, it's a miracle! We were so upset!"
Suddenly Sora got hugged by another female. He had to spread his arms wider to welcome Naminé into the embrace, and he exchanged greetings with her, too. Somewhere in the madness and rejoicing, Leon left without a word, seeing that Sora was busy with his friends and family. Not more than five minutes after that, two certain blonds burst into the room.
"Don't close the door!" Tidus cried, shoving past Lisa and the front door. Sora turned around, and his eyes widened.
"Tidus!"
"My MAN!" cried the blond, running up and wrapping a brotherly arm around Sora and slapping his back. Sora returned it and was laughing now. "Aw man, Sora, I'm SO SORRY! For everything! It's totally my fault! I never should've involved you!"
"Whaddya mean, involved him?" growled Kairi, putting her hands on her hips. Sora smiled crookedly.
"I-It's all right, Kairi." He told her, turning back to Tidus. "I forgive you, Tidus. It wasn't anybody's fault. Nobody could've predicted that."
"You're still not gonna make 'im feel any better!" Snickered Roxas. Tidus glared at him, but he continued. "He's been babbling all about you for the past three weeks. Couldn't stop worryin'. I'll bet his grades probably dropped because he was so busy lookin' out his window wondering when you'd be back." Sora and Roxas grinned at each other, and exchanged high-fives before clashing their forearms together. Something Roxas taught him that was a "secret handshake."
"You're the talk of the school, dude!"
"Yeah, you and Riku both," added Tidus.
"I'm sure." Sora nodded, agreeing with the statement. "So I guess I'll have to settle a lot of rumors when I go back?"
"God, you'd better be ready for it." Tidus groaned. "You're gonna be swamped. You'll be popular for a really long time, I can tell you that much."
Kairi wound her arms around Sora again. Sora frowned for a moment, but he quickly hid it and held her with an arm around her shoulders. Inside his head, though, he was feeling really strange. Suddenly, coming back and being here, he wasn't as comfortable with Kairi. Not that he didn't want to be with her, but he just wasn't feeling...drawn to her...anymore. It felt weird.
"Hot damn! It's a house party in here!"
Sora turned around and gasped, startled. "Holy crap! Hayner!"
The blond grinned and crossed his arms. "How you been, man?"
"I thought you were enrolling for the military!"
"Yeah, well," Hayner rolled his eyes, "Them pricks is nasty an' rude, couldn't stand a minute of 'em. So I decided I'd check in on you instead."
Why did Sora have a feeling that wasn't the total truth? Maybe it was the way Hayner said it. His mind paused.
Wait a sec...Hayner!
Maybe Hayner could help him with something.
Sora grinned and gave Hayner a rough hug, which Hayner returned. "I'm glad to see you again, Hayner. I haven't seen you in forever!"
"Yeah, I know, dejà vu, right?" Before Sora pulled back, though, he whispered to him quickly, "I need to talk to you about something."
Hayner frowned. "When?" he asked.
"Later." Was all Sora said before he drew away and was grinning like he always did.
"Guys," he said, looking at all of them, "It's great to be home."