The Oath

Chapter Two

Look How They Shine For You

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Riku couldn't, nor did he have the slightest desire, to sleep that night. He held his weary companion in his strong arm once more, watching his lashes flutter in the moonlight that drenched them. This night was too perfect to spoil with sleep. He willed it to stretch for all eternity, to feel Sora's heart beating below his, to hear his mewls and sighs on contentment echo from the depths of his sleep and to feel his baby breaths on his belly… forever.

With the brightening of the darkness came a chill breeze, which frightened Riku from his fascinated stupor. With every care not to wake the younger, he scooped him up against his chest and set him down the other side of the paupu tree to shelter him. The angry metallic buzz that issued from the zip of Riku's Unknown garb rang through the bitter blue of the early morning as he slipped it from his arms and draped it about the form of his friend… his lover… His Sora.

Riku knelt over his lover and smiled at the picture before him. Sora lying on his side in the sand, curled around himself and snug under the worn leather of Riku's coat, cheeks protesting with pretty rose stains against the fresh cold of the morning air.

Sora could feel a wonderful warmth envelope him and gently tug at his waist, before he felt a heat and a rhythmic beat against his back. Yet he couldn't help but shiver when he felt the beautiful tingle that rippled down his spine and to his toes, which followed the bump of a nose and caress of a breath against the nape of his neck. His newly tensed limbs melted back against the sand as that nose ran leisurely up and down his arched neck, absorbing his scent, and then to his ear... he was lulled back to the deepest pits of sleep my the cooing of that angelic voice he knew so well.

It felt like mere moments later that he felt himself truly aware of the cocoon of warmth that had engulfed him. What a beautiful dream he had been immersed in… the best yet. Rather than waking from it… to the bitter morning beyond his sun warmed sandy mattress that he snuggled further into, Sora chose to bask in the afterglow of the night. They had kissed… embraced… and Riku had stayed by his side. He felt safe and he felt loved. His dream self had fallen asleep with his head rested on a leather cushioned shoulder and sunken into yet another layer of consciousness.

…

Kissed? Embraced?

That, he mused, had never happened before. He usually woke before any blissful though fleeting contact had the chance to blossom into anything more. Awoke to find himself alone. Oh the ache in his chest… He should shake away the twisted tease of this dream that slowly shackled him down, grounded within. The sting would only be sharper the longer he indulged. He could, at least, count himself lucky that this time, at least, he knew he was safe and warm, away from the bloody dark ditches of war. He could rest assured that he was snatched from 'Dream-Riku's' warm arms to a new beginning… not to be delivered back into the beating breast of a battle still living. Not fearing the pulse of the ever strengthening darkness that loomed, as always, uncomfortably close, prickling the hairs on his skin up towards it, the cold- no.

No, that was over now.

The trenches drilled in shadow leeched earth amber glowing wickedly midnight dancer scythes wicked poison sharp diabolic kiss death bring death make it end make it over make it die drive them heart thief wicked thief STEALS IT outTEARSforbiddenTEARINGsoulsDAWNdrawsclose-

ITS OVER.

He whimpered and shook, curling his limbs tight to his belly and burying his face in the sand.

Its over its over its over… but it it'll never leave me… will it? He thought grimly, tensing himself against another wave of shaking, limbs tight to his chest, resisting the urge to contort in panic, fighting away the demons-

Its over its over "Shhh, Sora… its gone now… it over, you were dreaming… baby, shh, its over…"

Sora felt himself being pulled up against a chest… a strong arm encircling him from behind, a thumb gently gliding up and down the soft skin of his exposed belly, his shirt had ridden up…He gasped and choked on a sob of surprise.

"Shhh…" He heard, he felt, cooed in his ear, sending ripples along his spine that made his fingers tingle and leg twitch deeper into the sand. Oh please… he prayed silently, please oh please…

"R-Riku…" He found his voice and squeaked.

"Sora." He heard a chuckle, could feel the vibrations of that silken voice fluttering into the warm breeze all around him.

Still Sora refused to open his eyes.

"Too… beautiful. Too perfect…"

"What is?"

"Mm… I'm here… with you." The brunette's fingers found their way round his friends wrist, to grip and ground his soaring spirit. "I've waited so long. I missed you so much I was so scared I wouldn't see you I didn't go a day without thinking about-"

"Good morning, lazy bum. … … I wonder… How long does the paupu taste stain ones lips." Riku interrupted and pondered aloud, kissed Sora firmly on the lips to quell talk of fear and war, to melt again the splinters of ice on the surface of the oceans in his eyes. "We're here now. That's what matters."

"You're right… Hehe." Sora smiled and giggled politely, although he still had not found his feet. Cobwebs of dreams of nightmares true still needed to be shaken from his shoulders.

The silver haired boy sat up smart, perched squarely on the brunette's stomach, releasing his arms to fold his own across his chest. He was that boy again.
"Hmm…" Riku thought allowed, rolling and sucking his own tongue.

"Ee?" Sora squeaked, his eyes bright and alert, hands still above his head as if in subconscious surrender. He knew he was being distracted from his own dark musings… He didn't care.

"The flavour does indeed linger, even now. Or are you naturally insanely sweet, sharp, yet pleasantly creamy and pastely in taste and texture? … I'll have to monitor this situation closely, I intend to find out." He continued to babble nonchalantly, one arm now raised so he could trail a finger thoughtfully around his own lips "A bothersome task… But I must know." He smirked the smirk of a boy with a wooden sword, an unmatched record and not a worry in the world.

"Bothersome!" Came a tiny outraged cry from beneath Riku. "Don't let it be a burden now. I wouldn't want to trouble you! Don't waste your oh-so-precious hours examining me, I'm sure you have much more important things to do!" Sora folded his arms, drew his brow into a tight frown and thrust out his lower lip in a decisive and determined pout. It wavered, trembled…

Soon, both collapsed into giggles and simply lay there in the golden sands, embracing, and admiring, until a loud and complaining –GUUUU- erupted from the mess of limbs. Likely to have originated from the dark depths of Sora's stomach.

Scrunching his eyes and wrinkling his nose, Sora whined "Breeeakfast Rikuuu! Feed me? I'm hungry Riku, feed me! Feed me Rikuuu…" And pawed at the belly of the silver haired boy. He paused a moment and blushed… he cringed inwardly, embarrassed for letting awkwardness melt away so easily. Should… should it really be so simple? No. But he worried himself far, far too much. These things would be dealt with later… now was time to eat!

"Not a bad plan my spiky friend!" Jumping to his feet he ruffled a handful of the brunette spiky that jutted proudly from Sora's head.

The boys gorged of the white flesh and sweet milk of the fattest yellow coconuts they could gather, huddled together in the cradle of shadow thrown town by the afternoon sun. Their skin had forgotten the sunshine and blushed pink at its touch.

One day passed under the palms, under the sun. And another. They grew slowly fatter and quickly sick of their old islands fruits. Content for a moment to be in the glow of one another's love, light and laughter, they explored the island, they paced along the familiar sands as if holy ground. Holding hands and smiling at the horizon. They paused to sit on dusty memories, and laugh about old times, the shadows of friends they had, the things they used to do. The things they did before the sky came falling down that day.

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"Riku?" Sora spoke to the toes, his toes, buried and wiggling in the sand before him.

"Sooora?" Riku questioned, smiling a lopsided smile and flashing concerned eyes at the younger boys tone.

"I think… I think we should go soon. Over the water, to the island I mean… I'm scared though." He rushed out, face stony. He didn't want to look scared… but he wanted to share… wanted to go, to move. Grim curiosity and restlessness were beginning to eat away at Sora.

"Scared of what?"

"What we might find. What we might not."

"You mean who, don't you?"

"Yeah." A thick curtain of silence fell between the two. Their little fingers reaching towards each other, barely touching as they leant back on their hands and swung their legs over the steps leading down to the bay. "Its funny… no ones come to the play island since we arrived. Maybe someone saw me when I went over?"

"… Noones been here for a while." This eared Riku curious blue eyes upon him. "Well… when everyone came here as kids… they'd all sit on the tree. The bark was worn down from all the stress. There were few ripe coconuts and good mushrooms to be had because we'd be constantly harvesting all there was to offer" He smiled and closed his eyes… picturing those beautiful lazy days as he painted them for his friend. "so we didn't have to go home to eat. We could stay here and play and fight and graze all day. But… the trees have been bending under all the fruit. Even the beach, look. Riddled with the pretty shells the girls would all collect, to make necklaces and bracelets and things from… heh. There wouldn't be a one to be had."

"You're still thinking of our friends as kids." Sora smiled as he corrected. "There may not be any kids around into that kinda stuff anymore. Would yooou still be collecting shells Riku? I haven't seen you pick up a single one since you got here!" He stuck his tongue out defiantly and grinned.

"Well no bu- HEY! I'm no girl!"

"Those hips tell me otherwise." Sora poked him.

Laughing and giggling and screaming bloody murder and tickling and wrestling ensured, which of course, ended in poor Sora wriggling and writhing beneath his old friend, nose wrinkled, eyes steaming, laughing hysterically and begging for mercy. Riku assaulted his belly with wiggling fingers and a wolfish grin, till his eyes met puppy dogs… the eyes of poor, kicked, abused puppy dogs.

Drat.

All was lost.

Riku was a sucker for the big blues. It was undeniable. He released his prisoner, who looked decidedly smug at his underhand victory.

oOoOoOo

They held each other close each night hearts and hands and bodies intertwined. On the coldest yet, Riku left the shivering Sora momentarily to fetch wood and build a small fire inside the shack, contained by a circle of stones piled high. Neither of them much desired burning their shelter down after all. They cooked their cold bones in the heat it cast out and in each other's arms, lazy eyes searching one another's faces and fingers slowly learning bodies… each imperfect images of perfection in the other's eyes.

Another night passed much the same.

Then another.

Kissing shyly, sharing memories of the island, their friends. Their fights. Blitzball induced war wounds. Their innocence.

Sora grew increasingly restless, contained within the little dot of land. His voice began to itch in his throat to speak aloud of things darker than the sunshine and the butterflies. Old times long passed by.

It swelled in his chest as days swelled and overflowed into a week… two… Increasingly so as he watched Riku wallow in the lazy flow of life in the little oasis.

He tried once, to raise the subject of kingdom hearts, keyholes and the worlds beyond… he was silenced with a unsettling sir in Riku's eyes. A chuckle of dismissal. A kiss.

He just didn't see, did he? Riku simply did not see all he had done.

Sora had dicided. This was the last, the every last night he would spend on the island. Tomorrow he would find his way to the mainland... he wanted a good life for the boy he loved. For his Riku. But he could not live much longer so suffocated. He would not let his Riku waste away here in the shadows.

In the morning. Sora would grasp his hand and pull him into the light.

He'd show Riku. He just didn't see at all…

"Look how they shine for… you…" Sora whispered to the night. Into the hair of his sleeping lover as he held him close and drifted off to sleep on the waves of his breathing, softly ebbing and flowing. To a sleep without dreams.

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To be continued...

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Obligatory Authors Crap:

Sorry this is so short… there just wasn't much more to say, until next chapter.

I have to say, as I left it so long before updating… I've come to despise the previous chapter XD Too… much… purple talk. I'll have to fix that some day.
Same deal as before, but this time I was feeling lazy… I made Cloud bake the cookies ;

Cloud: If you loved me. You'd kill me now. :holds out tray of freshly baked keyblades, beautifully iced, still warm:

Hush…