Author's Note: I am really sorry this took so long to post; I even had most of it done for the longest time it is just school started up again and I have had so many independent study projects to deal with.

So here is this chapter, nothing really happening, just bringing the plot along. If you are confused about anything, tell me and I will try and fix it or explain or whatever…

Thanks to all of you who reviewed you guys make my day and I get all giddy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

Warning: None really…


Sora was giddy the entire bus ride home. He was sure every single person on that bus thought he was as high as a kite or something. Why was he so giddy? He felt closer to Cloud. They had done something that only people who have feelings for each other do. Well, at least that was the image in Sora's mind. He and Cloud were going to be inseparable now they were boyfriends. Yes, Sora had decided it.

Hopping off the bus, Sora very nearly skipped home; the only thing that stopped him was the thought of the last time he had skipped, when he tripped and scraped his knee badly. He remembered the horrified look Riku gave him as he had showed him the bloody mess that was supposed to be his knee.

Riku…

Sora's mood dropped from ecstatic to seriously depressed in a second… Riku was going to find out about this too… There was no doubt about it. Riku was, well, Riku. No matter how much Sora tried to hide things, Riku always found out. Sora's incapability to lie might not have helped the situation, but even without that, Riku always knew.

There was going to be more yelling and hurtful words, Sora was sure of it. It was unfair, why couldn't Riku just leave him alone. Why did he have to know every tiny thing about the brown haired boy's life? Sora could take care of himself. He didn't need Riku.

Speaking of the devil…

As Sora approached his house a flash of silver caught his eye. Riku was waiting on his porch, well was waiting and was now running towards him. Sora didn't want to deal with him right now. No doubt Riku would smell the cum on his breath and start chastising and yelling at him, calling him a fool and idiot… He didn't want to have to deal with that. He wanted to be happy, carefree, like he had been only moments before. Fuck Riku, he just liked having control over someone else's life and well; Sora wasn't going to let Riku control his life.

"Sora!" Riku called out as he neared the brown haired boy, a look of worry on his features.

Lowering his eyes, Sora just kept walking, planning on avoiding the silver haired male.

"Sora, where were you?" Riku asked, stopping a couple paces in front of his best friend, watching Sora as he continued walking. "Sora, stop." Reaching out his hand, Riku grabbed Sora's arm, stopping him.

Turning slowly to face Riku, Sora lifted his head. "What?"

"Where were you? You weren't at your locker after school, you weren't home…" Riku stated not letting go of Sora's arm yet, in case he started moving again.

"I…" Sora started, wondering what he should say. He knew if he said he was at Cloud's, Riku would flip… "I needed some time alone to think."

"Well, now that you're home… I need to talk to you," Riku stated pointedly.

"Maybe I don't want to talk with you," Sora replied softly, bitterly, before he could catch himself. Sure, he wasn't in the mood to talk to the person who was most likely going to yell at him for even associating with Cloud… but still, they were best friends, and Riku didn't deserve to be treated like that.

Hurt flashed through Riku's eyes for a moment before he dropped his hand. "Sora, I know I acted like a jerk this morning, and …" he trailed off, felling himself being pulled towards Sora's house.

"Let's go talk inside," Sora said emotionlessly as he led them to the door. God, just a few seconds ago he was pissed off at Riku and now he was willingly inviting him into his house. Sora had to wonder if maybe he was a woman with all the mood swings of his.

Both boys remained quiet as Sora led them into his house and up the stairs into his bedroom, away from any curious parents. Once the door was closed behind them, Sora let out a groan and fell onto his bed, his hands fisting in his hair. "Riku, why can't I hate you?" he mumbled into the bedspreads. To Riku's ears, it was a bunch of mumbled sounds, so he ignored it.

"Sora, I wanted to tell you I was… sorry for the way I acted this morning. I was way out of line, especially for school halls," Riku apologized slowly, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

Riku was… apologizing? Like actually apologizing and meaning it? This definitely was a rare occurrence. Maybe he was the chick.

Lifting his head slowly off the bed Sora turned his head to look at the silver haired boy. "Yeah, you were an ass."

Riku sighed, "I am sorry, really I am. I wanted to say so sooner, but you were avoiding me like a plague."

Sora buried his face back into his sheet guiltily before turning his head ever so slightly towards Riku. "I know, I am sorry, it's just you really pissed me off."

"Well, avoiding me didn't solve anything, did it?"

"No, but it gave me time to cool off and think," Sora replied, returning his head to its full sideway position so he could watch Riku.

"What did you think about?" Riku asked, lying down on the bed as well, making himself more comfortable.

It amazed Sora how even though they fought and got angry at each other, they could still just sit down and talk things through comfortably. Of course it took a while to get them in the same room, but at least they eventually got to the talking part.

"Stuff… Riku, you can't try and control my life; saying who I can and can't see. Having you yell at me about not seeing Cloud really didn't make me want to listen to anything you said," Sora replied lightly fiddling with the bed sheets.

"I know Sora, it is just I…." Riku paused and what Sora thought was going to be a small paused dragged on for a couple minutes.

"You?" he prompted.

"I don't want to see you get hurt… and I know Cloud will end up hurting you. During the year I have known Cloud, he has never kept a relationship for longer than two weeks; and I mean a solid relationship. I know you Sora, you would get attached in those two weeks and be devastated when he broke it off with you," Riku explained.

"… You're… you're lying," Sora breathed out harshly, though his voice was barely above a whisper. He wasn't going to believe Cloud was like that. Cloud had feelings for him and wouldn't want to hurt him.

"No, as much as I hate to say it, I'm not. Cloud isn't the perfect man you think he is. Even if now he seems like the perfect gentleman, being nice and loving, that is all going to change. Soon he is going to be rough, demanding and an unbelievable asshole."

"Then why do you still see him? Why don't you take your own advice and never see him again?" Sora questioned, not able to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

"Because I am not looking for an emotional relationship, Cloud's a good fucker, that's all there is to it," Riku replied honestly.

Sora bit his lower lip, trying not to hear his reasoning, his truth.

"Sora," Riku stated softly, a small smile on his lips. "You've got too big of a heart for just sex no strings attached. You are just a big sap," he teased softly, lightly ruffling Sora's spikes.

That caused Sora to release his lip and smile slightly as well. "You don't think that… maybe Cloud changed?"

"No… but if you don't believe me, go back to him and see. I don't want you too, in case you do get hurt, but I want you to believe me," Riku replied quietly. He couldn't believe he just told Sora to go back to Cloud. What if Cloud really had changed? What if he was willing to settle down into a relationship with Sora? Sora would probably never believe him again and they might no longer be friends… Riku wouldn't be able to handle that. Sora had always just been there, without him it would just seem strange.

"I might…" Sora replied, thinking about his experience with Cloud only a short while before. Cloud didn't seem intent to hurt him or anything, maybe Riku was wrong… but he couldn't say anything, Riku didn't know about their little get together.

"Anyways, off this subject… Do you know what Friday is Sora?" Riku asked, seeming to relax into the mattress even more, a small smirk on his lips.

"Uhm… Friday?" Sora replied slowly, looking slightly confused.

Riku shook his head, sighing disappointedly. "I can't believe you Sora, you forgot your own birthday. That isn't like you."

It took a moment for Sora to think of what day Friday was… Holy crap, Riku was right! He was turning eighteen in like four days! "My birthday!" Sora cheered happily. " I completely forgot! I am going to be eighteen! And legal!" he continued yelling, giggling happily as well.

"Yup, which is why I am going to take you out Friday night, as my sort of birthday present to you I guess… and introduce you to the world of drinking and clubbing," Riku stated with a smirk. He had turned eighteen a while back so knew all the 'ropes' and Sora had to admit it would be fun to go out with Riku, not because of anything sexual that might happen, but because they were friends and most often had a good time together. Despite the recent events, there was no one Sora would rather go clubbing with than Riku.

"Really? Aw thanks Riku, it is going to be so fun!" Sora exclaimed, pushing himself up onto his knees and throwing his arms around his best friends neck. "I can't wait!" he added as he let go of Riku.

"I am glad you are so excited," Riku laughed before standing up off the bed. "Well, Sora, I have to head home. I'll see you tomorrow."

With that Riku left Sora's room and showed himself out of the house.

Sora was giddy once again, not only because his birthday was in four days, but because he and Riku seemed to be on better terms and Sora found out Riku was just looking out for him. Sighing happily, Sora decided to take a quick nap, hoping to shorten the time between then and Friday.


Please R&R