The Dance

By: Hitokiri Musei

Rated: K+

Summary: After KH2, contains spoilers for both games. Riku and Sora look back on their adventures both together and apart during the past years. Based loosely on Garth Brooks' 'The Dance.' RikuSora and implied WakkaTidus

I don't own Kingdom Hearts.


The moonlight fell though the window, casting shadows along the floor and the bed that was situated near the open window. The night breeze floated through, stirring the sheer curtains and silvery hair splashed across the white pillow. As the moon's light fell across the pillows dark eyelashes flickered against pale cheeks, and aquamarine eyes slowly opened.

Taking a deep breath of the clean night air, scented with rain, the man stretched languidly. He grew still when the body beside him moved, shifting against the mattress. A smile softened the man's features as he looked down into the features of his lover, highlighted by the moon's silver glow.

He gently swept the brunette strands away from the tanned face, tracing the delicate lines of the other's jaw. Those silky cinnamon colored hairs flowed easily through his fingers, just as soft as his own pearly locks. He wondered often how the other managed to keep his hair in those ridiculous, and yet adorable, spikes while maintaining the texture. Leaning, he placed a soft kiss against that forehead, murmuring to the sleeping figure. "I love you…"

As he pulled back he looked into cerulean eyes that sparkled with love and caring. "Love you too, Riku."

Riku smiled, settling back down on his side on the bed. "Were you awake the whole time Sora?"

The man shook his head. "No, not at all. I woke when you ran your fingers down my jaw. You know I'm ticklish there."

Riku chuckled slightly, repeating his action of a few moments ago and watching as Sora clenched those brilliant eyes shut. "Of course I know, but I can't help myself. I just love to touch you."

Sora moved closer, inserting himself against his muscular lover. "Tease."

Riku grinned. "And proud of it."

With a sigh of happiness Sora closed his eyes, settling his face against the hollow of Riku's throat. "Why did you wake up in the first place Riku? I thought we'd fixed your insomnia a couple years ago."

"We did," the silver-haired man replied. "I was dreaming."

Sora shifted to look at him, his azure eyes concerned. "Dreaming? Of what?"

"Back when we were still traveling. When we were separated. When we were younger." Riku's voice was soft with reminiscence, his turquoise eyes distant.

Sora nodded slightly against Riku's chin. "I understand. I still dream about those days too." He looked back up at the other man. "Do you remember that dance? The one when we were young?"

Riku smiled, closing his eyes. "I don't know if I could forget it Sora. That was the night I realized how beautiful you were, how much I loved you."


Sora's eyes were bright with happiness and mirth as he looked around. Most of his friends were here, as was the rest of the island. Here being the annual Paopu Dance, one that was held every year when the Paopu fruits were just ripe enough to eat. It was a tradition that was meant to let young people get the chance to share a Paopu while out in the moonlit night.

He spotted Wakka and Tidus sitting not far away, talking casually. The boy grinned. He knew what was going on between the two, whether they did or not. He was not quite as clueless as he seemed to be after all.

Looking around for the others of his friends, Sora spotted Kairi not far away, sitting by herself and looking up at the star-lit sky. The dance was held beneath the clear sky, not indoors where it would be crowded.

With a smile gracing his child-like features, the boy made his way towards his redhaired friend. Kairi looked up and saw him in a moment, a smile also flickering across her face. "Sora, you look nice!"

Indeed the boy was more dressed up than normal. His mother had insisted that he wear neat dress pants and a dress shirt, in order to be able to attract some girls. His mom had always wanted him to hook up with someone; she thought that he could use a relationship in his life.

"You too Kairi." Sora returned easily. The girl was in a pale lavender dress that brought out the violet that sparkled in her eyes, a sleeveless long one that hugged her just barely budding female body. Sora continued to look around, and then turned back to meet Kairi's eyes. "Have you seen Riku anywhere? I had to beg him just to come."

Kairi shook her head. "No, not at all. I don't have any idea where he is."

Sora blew out a frustrated breath, stirring the caramel colored strands that lay against his forehead. "Well he said he would…" Sora quit talking as he spotted his older friend not too far away. "Riku!"

Aquamarine eyes met cerulean an instant later as Riku turned at the sound of his name. His eyes widened a bit, and the Riku caught himself, allowing his normal small smirk. "Sora, it's a little strange to see you so dressed up."

The boy rolled his startling eyes. "Mom made me. Said I needed to get a girl."

Some part of Riku deflated at those words, but he said nothing in that aspect, choosing only to chuckle slightly. "Now, why did you want me to come to this, Sora? I really don't see a point in it."

The boy shook his head slightly. "Riku, Riku, Riku… You gotta get out more! This is like, the first year I've ever seen you at the Paopu Dance, and this time it's because I talked you into it! You never do anything, really…" Sora trailed off, scratching at the back of his head. "And, well, I wanted you to come. You're my friend, I like hanging out with you, you know?"

Riku chuckled slightly. "Yea, I get it. Alright then, what do you propose we do Sora?"

That stopped him. Kairi giggled, and then grabbed Sora's hand. "Come on Sora, let's go dance, I like this song!"

Sora shrugged. "Be back in a minute Riku!"

Riku shook his head slightly, but nodded his understanding, choosing to sit down at the table that Kairi had been occupying when he had walked up. He focused on Sora as the boy danced with Kairi beneath the moon, the orb in the sky throwing down light on his boyish features.

'I can't believe I never realized how…beautiful Sora really is…' Riku thought slightly. 'He's really growing up…'

The smile on the boy's face was positively radiant, softening his features, brightening his eyes, and showing off perfect white teeth. Sora was everything to Riku, more than a friend. 'If only I could show him…'

As Sora and Kairi came back to sit down Riku grinned at the younger. "A little out of breath, eh Sora?"

The boy took a deep breath, trying to calm his breathing. "Kairi had to pick a fast song…"

As a slow song came on Riku had an idea spark. He stood, holding out a hand to Sora. "Come."

The boy blinked. "R-Riku?"

Riku rolled his eyes and then grabbed Sora's hand. "Come, dance with me."

Sora protested as he was pulled out onto the dance floor. "But Riku, we're both guys!"

Riku shrugged, placing Sora's hands on his shoulders. "Wakka and Tidus are dancing, they're both guys."

Sora frowned. "But they have something Riku, they have a relationship. We're just buddies." He gave a small squeak as Riku's callused hands descended upon his skinny hips, clasping the younger boy against him.

Sora fell silent as Riku's chin came to rest against the top of his head. Riku had always been taller than him; he was at the perfect height for the older to do this. Sora wondered, later that night as he lay in his bed, if the words he had heard had been imagined or real.

"I wish we could be more…"


"I knew then, that we would probably never be together. You loved her, not me. You would never love me; at least, that's what I told myself. You were so radiant that night, I just couldn't help myself." Riku murmured, shifting his arm around Sora's shoulders and squeezing.

Sora planted a comforting kiss against his lover's collarbone, trying to make him feel better. "But you were wrong, I do love you, and I always will. I was young then, I didn't know what I wanted."

Riku sighed, closing his eyes. "And then I lost you. We were separated for the longest time. And when I met you again, I was so filled with hate and remorse that I thought that you no longer wanted me. I tried to turn my love into hate, but it never really did work. I couldn't do it, in the end.Xehanort took control, forced my hand. I fought him the whole way, but I was weak, I couldn't do it."

Sora shifted, pulling himself up to lay on top of Riku's strong body. "You are not weak, you have never been weak.Xehanort was a wicked twisted Heartless, you can't blame yourself. It doesn't change anything. I still love you, and I always will." Sora's fingers began to twirl the ring that encircled his left ring finger, a habit he had. He would play with the silver and gold band when he was thinking hard, or trying to be serious.

Riku grinned, the way Sora was playing with the band on his finger reminding him. "I know you do. You swore that you would, on our wedding day."

Sora smiled. "And I'll never break that vow." He looked down, a small blush coloring his tan cheeks. "I still remember the day you asked me to marry you. We were so young, I didn't know if it would actually work, I didn't even know if we would actually get married in the end. All I knew was that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you."


"Come on Riku, we can make it!" Sora said stubbornly, pulling Riku's arm over his shoulders and walking away from the mess that had been left behind from their fight. The taller and older boy groaned softly as his wound was aggravated, but continued along with his younger friend.

The light faded, leaving them under a night sky sitting on a beach. Sora looked up at the glowing moon, letting out a sigh of relief. They were both safe, as well as alone.

An instant later lips were meeting, tongues clashing, hands twisting in hair. Sora's teeth clicked painfully against Riku's as they got a little too excited in their frenzy of kissing, and the boy pulled back breathing hard. "Easy Riku, easy…"

Riku's breath was also heavy with both anticipation and from their frantic kissing. "But Sora… I've waited so long…. Wanted to see you… touch you…"

Sora groaned as Riku's fingers gripped him through his dark jeans, his back arching. "Ri…ku…"

"God I love you Sora. I've loved you for so long, since that night under the moon when you danced with me…" Riku breathed against Sora's throat. The pulse beneath his lips jumped. "I wanted to see you so bad through these years, but I just didn't want you to see me like that… Not that way…"

Sora's eyes were wide and shocked as he looked at Riku. "But… this is the first time you've even kissed me, touched me like this. How can you love me already? I… I'm not even… sure…" The boy was silenced as Riku's lips gently caressed his own.

"Do you believe in love at first sight Sora? I do. Because that's how I fell in love with you." Riku murmured into the younger lips. "And if you're not sure, I'll wait. I will wait forever if it means that you will come to me."

Sora's blue eyes were soft and thoughtful as he watched Riku. Reaching out with tentative fingers, the boy touched Riku's pale face, running his fingers through the sweat dampened silver locks. Riku let a sigh escape him as Sora's callused fingers glided over his lips, closing his eyes. Sora's hands were rough and callused from wielding the Keyblade, but the boy loved the feel of them.

"If… If you truly love me… Show me."

Riku's aquamarine eyes flew open, staring in shock into Sora's cerulean orbs. "Are… Are you sure Sora?"

The boy nodded, his caramel colored hair stirring against his forehead. "I think I've decided what I want. When I look at you, Riku, I feel something." Sora's hand rested over his heart, near the crown necklace he always wore. "Something stirs right here. When I'm without you, it hurts. Almost like when Xenmas had me in his grip, trying to take my heart." Sora lifted his eyes, reaching up to place his palm against Riku's cheek, cupping the older's face. "When I lost you, I lost myself. At first I thought it was because I didn't have Kairi. But then I found her. I was happy for a while."

Riku frowned as Sora's eyes flickered away; pushing his face against the younger's hand. "Sora…"

Sora shook his head. "Let me keep going." He focused his bright eyes back on Riku's. "I was happy, but then I realized something. The void was still there. That part of me that had been lost, it was still gone. I didn't have what I truly wanted." Sora sighed. "For the longest time I was in denial. I kept telling myself that I just missed Kairi. I would think of her at the oddest times, like when I saw the Beast dancing with Belle. I saw her then. But later, when I least expected it, I saw you. You, Riku; smiling, dancing with me, holding me." Sora shook himself. "And I realized, you were the key to the part of myself that I was missing. It was you, all along."

Riku slowly reached up, taking Sora's hand in his own. "I missed you a lot Sora. When I first saw you, with Kairi in that place, I was trying to force myself to be happy for you. I wanted to leave, so you could have your time. But Kairi stopped me. And you saw me for who I was. Even though I needed the power of darkness, you made me want to change back to myself, so I could be with you again."

Sora smiled, and Riku was surprised to see the boy's eyes fill with tears, that slowly began to spill over onto his tan cheeks. Riku's aquamarine eyes widened as Sora threw himself into his arms, clasping thin, yet strong arms around Riku's waist. Riku's face softened, and he returned the embrace, holding Sora, allowing the boy to hide tears against his shoulder.

"Shhh, easy Sora, it's alright…" Riku murmured, stroking his fingers along Sora's back and through the short strands of cinnamon hair at the nape of his neck. "I'm here, it's okay now…"

"Love me, Riku…. Love me…"

Riku placed a hand beneath Sora's chin, raising his tear-stained face. Kissing away the tears, Riku pulled Sora closer with an arm around his small waist. Sora responded by shifting his own arms to around Riku's neck, draping them over the taller's shoulders. Their lips meshed, and Riku vowed that he would keep Sora safe from that day on.

Later, with Sora cuddled up to Riku's bare chest and very nearly asleep, Riku kissed his forehead gently. "Sora?"

Blinking sleepy azure eyes, Sora shifted to look up at his silver-haired lover. "Yes Riku?"

"Marry me."

Sora's eyes were suddenly no longer sleepy. Sora sat up, staring down at Riku in shock. "W-What did you say?"

"Marry me Sora. Spend the rest of your life with me." Riku responded, sitting up as well and looking straight into Sora's blue eyes.

Sora looked down, and Riku felt his heart fall. "But… Riku, I'm only 16, you're only 17. How can we get married?"

Riku sighed. "It doesn't matter how old we are, but if you'd rather not…"

Sora gasped, throwing himself against Riku and wrapping his arms tightly around his lover's neck. "Oh no, that's not what I meant Riku, I promise! I'll marry you; it's all that I want to do." Sora pressed kisses all over Riku's face. "That's not what I meant… I'm just worried about what will happen to us. Will we ever get off of this place?"

Riku nodded. "We will. And when we do, we'll get married, get a house, and live somewhere peacefully. No more Heartless, no more fighting."

Sora frowned, reaching for his shirt and pulling it on. Riku did the same, pulling on his clothes as Sora did. "But Riku, the Keyblades won't leave us. The fight is never over. What if the King calls for us?"

"Then we shall go to him. But until then, let's live peacefully, just you and me." Riku responded, standing and offering a hand to Sora.

Buckling his belt, Sora took the hand and stood next to Riku, looking out over the water. "Right. We'll do that…"


"I still can't believe that we're still together." Riku said softly. "And it's been nearly 11 years since we got married."

Sora grinned. "You're almost to your thirties, you know?"

Riku sniffed slightly. "You're jumping the gun, I'm only 28."

Sora laughed slightly, burrowing his head down against Riku's collarbone. "I know, but that's still close enough for me."

Riku snorted, but wrapped an arm around Sora's shoulders anyway. "It amazes me how a 27-year-old can still act like an innocent little kid sometimes."

Sora gave him a cheeky smirk. "Only for you Riku, only for you."

There was silence in the moonlit room as Sora settled his head against Riku's chest, letting out a sigh of content and closing his eyes. Riku simply held him, his lips against that head of spiky hair. "Sora?"

"Yes Riku?"

"I wouldn't change it."

Sora blinked, turning his eyes up to Riku. "What do you mean?"

"If I knew then what I know now, about what would happen, about how we would be separated; or if I could go back, I wouldn't change any of it. As much as I missed you during that time, the time we had because of it was greater still. The time we had apart allowed my heart to grow stronger in its love for you, and it led you to me." Riku smiled gently, brushing back Sora's hair. "So I wouldn't change any of it."

Sora smiled. "Me either."

Riku fingered Sora's wedding band, and then pressed a kiss against it. "I love you Sora."

Sora laid his head against Riku's chest again, closing his eyes in content. "I love you too Riku."


First Kingdom Hearts fic, so be a little easy on me. Thanks for reading, and please review!