A/N: Beat KH2. Amazing stuff. Now to complete it OR beat it again in Proud mode for the secret ending! Yay! If ya all were reading my previous author notes, you may remember my mention of the third Kingdom Hearts. I'll say this much. THEY CAN'T LET THAT CLIFFHANGER DROP LIKE THAT! GEEZ!

I know, should be updating Cinderfella. Got some new fanfiction ideas, now, but I need to finish this up first before moving on to another fanfic.

No, this isn't the last chapter, but, yes, we're almost to the end. Sorry for the fast-paced plot hole... unless you want a bunch of filler crap, the story would have moved too quick. You'll see what I mean.

For some related info on this fanfic, refer to the ending author notes. Thanks much.

Disclaimer: ShimaGenki doesn't own it. The rights.

Onward, ho!

Translucent Wings

Chapter 4 - Frozen In Time

Shattered pieces of me lay still
Nothing left in my heart to spill
Whisper to me an intoxicated lullaby
Drink down the pain and kiss me goodnight

Riku, who had been working like a mule on his homework in his room, had fallen asleep at his desk, his head laying on top of a school binder and two textbooks covered in brown paper bags. Sora watched him breathe silently, his shoulders and back gently rising and falling like the waves of the ocean. He fought temptation to touch him, because he knew that if his fingers graced his clothing, he would remember the truth... that Sora's hopes of love was gone.

And that killed him all over again.

Surprised when Riku began to shiver, he concluded that the house must have been cold. He made his way over to the bed and stripped the mattress of its blue quilt and laid it on top of the older boy's trembling body.

A few seconds passed before Riku's body relaxed in its new found warmth. Sadly, all Sora could do was smile, and be happy that Riku could sleep silently. Sora no longer even had the pleasure of dreaming... or even crying.

"Sora, I love you." He would do almost anything to hear that. He would die three thousand more times to hear the three words any person tells their lover. But Riku could never be his lover. He knew that.

A moaning came from under the quilt, and it slipped to the floor as Riku's "bedhead" popped up. "Sora... what time is it?" he asked groggily.

Sora's eyes darted to the alarm clock by the bedside. "Seven thirty-two."

"Aw, geez." He rose to his feet, momentarily standing still to wait for the dizziness to fade. His stomach growled loudly, causing both boys to chuckle. "I slept through dinner... no wonder I'm so hungry." Shuffling to the kitchen, Sora followed behind as he always did.

When Riku was more awake, he became aware of the surroundings around him. His parents were out in the living room watching a movie, which was playing moderately loud. He muttered to Sora as if talking to himself.

He grabbed an microwave dinner in the freezer and stabbed holes in the plastic of the tray as he conversed with his little Casper.

"So... what are your plans for tomorrow?"

"Well, let's see... I don't do church, just not my thing, you know?" Sora nodded. "We'll have the house to ourselves again in the morning, my parents will be gone until one o' clock or so. Then they're forcing me to go to an ice hockey game."

"But isn't ice hockey fun to watch?"

"Yeah, I guess it's not terrible. Sort of boring without a pal along."

Sora dropped his jaw playfully and pointed to himself.

"Which is why you're coming along."

He smiled happily, unseen by the preoccupied Riku, who was shoving the tray in the microwave oven carelessly.

Translucent Wings - Frozen in Time

The next weeks passed by Sora like a minute. Wow, eternity felt like a long, long time already.

Riku, on the other hand, was getting increasingly worried. His friend was constantly quiet and unresponsive to anything that went on. Which, in turn, also produced a twisting in Riku's stomach, a feeling he could not identify.

Spring greeted the county with a blast of snow. Riku, stuck at the house with Sora, sipped hot chocolate in a chair on the back porch. He observed Sora, who was sitting on the edge of the porch... well, the closest to sitting a ghost could do. He looked for signs of why Sora had been so depressed. He came up with nothing.

"Riku," he suddenly said, voice tensely quiet. It was almost a vibranting tone... Riku took a guess that his voice couldn't rattle nervously in his throat for the lack of real physical being. Seconds later, he finished his statement. "What if... we had met under different circumstances?"

"What do you mean?"

"If I hadn't died, and we would have still been at school, would we have met the same way? Would we even be friends?"

"Is that what's been bothering you?"

"What... are you talking about?" Sora spun around. "Just answer the question, first."

"Which one?"

"The one about being my friend."

"Well... who knows? And frankly, who cares?"

Sora pointed to himself. "I do."

"Sora." Closing his eyes momentarily, he rose from his chair and sat down by his friend's side. "Not to sound... horrific in any way, but if we would have never met, I would have never had the pleasure of being friends with you."

"But--"

"The truth is, I was sort of lonely before you came." There was an awkward silence. "I know what you're thinking... that I have so many friends at school, right?" Sora nodded quietly, despite the fact that it had been a rhetorical question. "But... I don't know. There was something empty in me... something I was missing. And then you appeared."

"And I acted like a totally different person."

"Well... you did forget everything. That's understandable."

"You didn't even believe I existed at first, Riku."

He chuckled. "Okay, I admit that. But... I think that I really needed you."

Sora's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah." Trying to gather thoughts, he stalled and took another long sip of warm milk chocolate. "Whatever kind of emptiness was inside me... was filled by you."

The ghost couldn't hide the broad smile that was on his face. "That really means a lot to me... that you told me that."

"Now answer my question. Is that what's been bothering you? Or is it something else?"

Riku was taken aback when Sora suddenly looked away.

"Sora?"

He replied with nothing but silence.

"You remembered more than the crash that day... didn't you?"

Before he could think to stop himself, Sora looked back at Riku. "How did you know that?"

"I figured it out when you stopped talking about it. You were so intent on finding out... and suddenly you want to drop it. So... do you know why you're here?" No reponse as dull eyes looked down. "Sora... don't shut me out."

"I... I can't tell you," he finally replied.

"And why not?"

"Because... it hurts."

"Maybe I can make it better?"

When their eyes met again, Riku would have sworn that his eyes would have been filled with tears had they been blue. But they were gray. Sora's expression strangled Riku inside. "No. I'm sorry."

"Sora..." Riku pleaded. "You're my friend-- no, my best friend. I want to do anything-- I would do anything for you. I--"

"Then let's talk about something else. Look, it's begun to snow again." Sora jerked his head softly away from the porch, and indeed, soft white had begun to fall from the sky. "Angels are watching."

"Snow angels?" Riku asked, trying to make a connection.

Sora shook his head. "Someone once told me once that snowflakes are the downfeathers of angels' wings."

"Who told you that?"

"Kairi."

The silence between the two slowly shifted from awkward to comforting. Riku only wished he could wrap an arm around Sora at a time like this.

Wait, what?

Translucent Wings - Frozen in Time

"Kairi." Kairi had started talking about Sora to people openly. She supposed that if she talked about it more, it would get better, rather than shutting it inside. Hopefully Riku could find out what he needed to know about his friend.

Obviously, telling Kairi that he was now best friends with Sora after he died would get him a one-way ticket to the mental institution. Or at the least, the guidance counselour's office. So, he would tactifully ask questions about Sora and try to find out what sort of "purpose" he may have stayed for.

Good thing Sora wasn't in the mood for school that day, and good thing they were switching rough drafts in English class.

"Yo, Kairi." He waved to the redhead, who looked a little surprised. "Wanna be my partner?"

The expression on her face morphed into a look of disbelief. She nodded quickly and quietly (as Sora did often-- Riku noted how strangely alike they could act) as she grabbed her papers and sat down in the desk next to his. "So, what inspired you to suddenly want to be with me?"

"Actually, I just figured without Sora--" He stumbled on his words. Not a smart way to approach the situation.

She only shrugged. "I know what you're going to say. It's okay, I don't mind. Thanks for thinking of me, though..."

"Sure. So... uh, you wanna swap papers?"

"Oh, right!"

They exchanged, but Riku only scanned it briefly before talking again. "So... do you mind if I ask you about Sora?"

She shifted uncomfortably. "I suppose... not..."

"Was there something wrong with him before the accident?" he asked. "He seemed to be upset... he was quieter than usual."

"He is-- was always quiet. You noticed?"

"Of course I did." "Actually, I'm just a good liar..."

"Well... um, yeah. He was depressed about somebody-- I mean, something."

"You said somebody. Crush?"

"Strong and sincere love interest," she replied bluntly, trying to refocus back on Riku's paper.

"...care to share?"

Kairi narrowed her eyes threateningly. "Why are you so interested all of a sudden?"

"I didn't want to ask before... so I waited until you were comfortable about talking about it."

"Well, I'm never going to be comfortable giving you the answer, so you may as well drop it. Sora's gone anyway, there's no need for concern anyway."

If only she knew.

Love interest. Well, if Kairi knew about it, it couldn't have been her. Or she may have known about it, and felt regret for denying him.

"I think Kairi liked you."

"You... think? Oh, geez..."

"What's wrong? Was there somebody else?...W-what?"

"I--" Sora closed his eyes and shook his head. "Nothing."

No, couldn't have been. Kairi had liked Sora. So then who had Sora liked? And what was that what kept him a ghost? Although, the better question Riku had for himself was...

Why did it hurt him inside when he thought of Sora with someone else?

He shook the thought from his head. Why did he care about who Sora liked? It's not like he wanted him for himself...

He sighed, rubbing his temple in agony. Kairi must have noticed.

"Do you want to know because you already know?" she asked quietly.

"Because... I know what?"

She shook her head. "But how did you find out? Did someone else find out? Did he tell you?"

"Tell me... what?"

She gulped when she looked at him. It was almost as if she were betraying her friend's trust. If Riku insisted so much, then he would get his answer. "Sora had been so upset before the accident because of you."

"Me? What did I do?" Sigh. She rose from the desk and returned to her own seat. "Hey, don't leave me hanging! What did I-- what's this?" She had slipped a folded piece of paper into his hand.

"He gave that to me only an hour before he was gone. You were supposed to receive it the next day... but I never gave it to you because... I couldn't bear it."

He stared upon the enclosed note. "Why not?"

Kairi shook her head. "I couldn't give away Sora's pain."

Silently confused, Riku battled with himself whether or not to open the note. Kairi took her own papers and nodded to him before heading back to her assigned seat. He supposed he was to open it... besides, who knew when Sora would come back? This had been the answer he'd been looking for.

Now, what was it that Sora had been avoiding so well?

Slowly, he unfolded the white paper. When he finally saw words, he began to read, and when he began to read, his eyes got wider.

"I've been watching you for some time now..."

"You're an amazing person. How do you do it?"

"I admire you-- but I wasn't quite sure how to say it without sounding stupid."

"You would keep something a secret if I told you something... strange, wouldn't you?"

"Please meet me in Holloway Park at 4:00 today if you're willing to listen to me."

"Sora."

Not exactly what he was looking for. Sora had obviously wanted to tell him a secret in person, but now he wouldn't say anything. He tucked the note in his pocket and made a mental note not to mention it to him.

Suddenly flustered himself, Riku buried his head in his arms. "If we had met under different circumstances... what did he mean?"

For an unknown reason, the teenager began to cry silently.

He wanted Sora by his side... even these few school hours without him was barely passable.

He needed Sora.

A/N: Terrible place to stop. I know. Sorry.

I'm moving Riku's part a little fast, aren't I? I tried not to-- I filled in a gap of a few weeks of Riku and Sora bonding. Riku doesn't really know how much he cares for Sora, but he's beginning to realize it. I mean, if you think I moved too fast, go ahead and say it. Just don't yell at me for it. I mean, it's not totally unrealistic. ...er... trust me on some personal experience (even though I tend to jump the gun a lot...)

So, I remembered that I should clear this one little thing up... It's a common conception that ghosts stay on Earth to "complete a purpose." Which, is what Sora and Riku first take his situation for. Actually, I did some short researching before I began this fanfic. I found a few sites saying that ghosts come about when a person dies with a high amount of a certain emotion. Which is why Sora's a ghost-- it's his intense pain and love for Riku.

But, just be warned, this fanfic is inaccurate according to that theory. That spirit dominates the ghost and it is evil, feeding off the energies of other people. (Or something.) Didn't like the thought of Sora eating Riku's energy...

Long, but important notes. Geez. Reviews are nice like a bowl of rice or Riku's BUM! x3