A/N: Okay, once more I am updating. This is a bit of an experiment that I have seen used by many other authors. The story-in-a-sentence technique -- basically, there is a mini-story that goes along with each lyric to the song Vindicated by Dashboard Confessional. Some obviously go along with the lyric, some need a bit of interperetation -- some are just me dicking around. Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, nor anything by Dashboard Confessional. I am a sad, sad creature.

Warning: There is implied sexual content -- nothing explict, but still, grain of salt here, people. As always, yaoi-vision is on.

Vindicated

Hope dangles on a string

The first time Riku tied the black strip of cloth over his eyes, he had a gnawing feeling in his gut that he would never have the chance to take it off again.

Like slow spinning redemption

He fought like hell to get where he was, until his hands could barely un-grip a sword handle and he could no longer feel his feet over the numbness crawling up his legs, but what made him different from those before him was that he kept fighting.

Winding in and winding out

Sora stood motionless as he watched the water move in and out across the shoreline, reminding him that each wave was another moment of life that was slipping through his fingers, but all he could do was smile.

The shine of it has caught my eye

As the they laid on the warm sand at sunset, Sora couldn't help but notice how the dying light shone across Riku's hair as it blew gently in the wind; it was better than any sunset could hope to be.

And roped me in, so mesmerizing and so hypnotizing

The first time Sora met Riku, he knew that there would never be another person he'd need to be with more.

I am captivated

Riku wondered why no one else could see the almost blinding light that came from Sora when he held a sword in his hand and wore a smile on his face.

I am vindicated

The task of proving one's worth cannot be measured by how many creatures they defeat or how much glory they receive, but how many souls they save.

I am selfish

More than once, Sora had to fight off the desire to forsake his duties to the Worlds and simply find his best friend.

I am wrong

It took losing his home, his friends, and his way in life to teach Riku that he was fighting a losing battle all along.

I am right, I swear I'm right

Sora held on to his hopes of finding Riku, knowing that if he let doubt cripple him, he's never be able to lift his Keyblade again.

Swear I knew it all along

Even though they hadn't touched in over a year, since the door closed in front of them, when their hands met in The World That Never Was, it felt like they had never been apart.

And I am flawed, but I am cleaning up so well

Sora had always played the role of the young sidekick, but now that he was on his own, he wondered about how Riku could have dealt with the pressure for so long.

I am seeing in me now the things you swore you saw yourself

All you need is one person to believe in you, one person to love you, and that can light the deepest darkness forever.

So clear, like the diamond in your ring

Holding a Keyblade was like holding another part of himself, like holding a missing piece of his heart; it only made sense that Riku could hold it too.

Cut to mirror your intention

Riku had never been scared of anything, until he woke up in another world after the storm, and Sora wasn't beside him.

Oversized and overwhelmed

Although Sora played at being cocky, at having a huge ego, it was only the bravado of a boy who desperately wanted to become a man, thinking that would help him reach his goals sooner.

The shine of which has caught my eye

At the end of the day, when they were alone together on the island, Riku would sometimes catch that glint in Sora's gaze that would have made him blush, if he wasn't so stoic.

And rendered me so isolated, and so motivated

When the door closed and Riku was left to darkness, he need only summon Sora from a memory in his mind, and he was rejuvenated.

I am certain now that I am vindicated

Riku would sometimes wonder how many popsicles it would take in order to make up for baiting Sora into a fight.

So turn up the corners of your lips

For Sora, being a clown was well worth the effort, if he could get Riku's smile to reach his eyes, if only for a moment.

Part them and feel my fingertips

Under the moon and stars, cloaked in the familiar darkness, the two boys knew their secret would be safe with the water and sand.

Trace the moment, fall forever

Ever since he was little, Riku had always had cold hands, so it was a lucky thing that he had Sora to warm them.

Defense is paper thin

Whispered refusals never lasted long when his hands touched exposed skin, and died when a heated mouth followed.

Just one touch and I'll be in

Sometimes they would sit side by side on the long-hanging palm tree, looking out over the water, with their fingers barely touching from where their hands rested, but that small contact was all they needed to know what the other was thinking.

Too deep now to ever swim against the current

It was an unspoken acknowledgment going back as long as either could remember, that they would never need another person as much as they needed one another.

So let me slip away

When Sora had the dream about Riku and the wave, he would always wake up shaking and scared; it was a lucky thing that Riku was there to comfort him.

So let me slip against the current

There were times that the loneliness and the not knowing got so bad that he wanted to quit, but when he thought back on that struggle, he just took Sora's hand.

Like hope dangles on a string

He felt like the prince from Sleeping Beauty, as he laid in wait for Roxas to appear, only he wouldn't get to kiss the princess awake.

Like slow spinning redemption...

Forgiveness is easily lost, but when freely given, makes a person over new.