Chapter 6

Nearing the end of daylight hours, the sun cast a fiery yellow shadow across the ocean at its feet. The waves of the water rippled it's reflection poetically as they crashed in to the shore, carving out the grainy sand that created the beginning of Destiny Island. Further up the sand, away from the wet grasp of the water, Sora sat with another boy, their fingers intertwined tightly. The boy was whispering sweet words meant only for Sora, words that caused his heart to beat faster, his lips to smile, and his mind to race.

From his view leaning against a tall, thick tree shielding him from the eyes of the two on the beach, Roxas watching, contemplating the situation. Although he had never personally met him, he was sure that the boy with silver hair was Riku. He wouldn't have had to been watching the romance unfold beneath him to understand what they had. Sora's feelings were so intense he could feel them in his own soul. Even if Sora didn't recognize what those emotions were exactly, he did. Sora loved that boy whispering in his ears. Roxas knew not just because he was still partially connected to Sora, but because he remembered having an identical feeling before.

Axel...

Jealousy coursed through him, nearly affecting him physically, nearly causing him to have to sit, just so he didn't lose his balance. It wasn't fair. Sora shouldn't be the only one with the happy ending. What about him and Axel? Didn't they deserve all that? Who was Sora to think that he could get away with what he had done?

Directly or indirectly, it was his fault Axel had disappeared. Not died. Disappeared. Instinct told Roxas that he would know, somehow, in his heart if Axel was really gone. It might have sounded crazy if he had said it out loud, but that's just because anyone who heard it would not understand. He and Axel had that much of a connection. He knew he wasn't imagining it either, knew the sparks between them was not just wishful thinking on his part. He was beginning to see signs of that same love between Sora and Riku.

But what right did they have to be happy? They had everything they needed in the world now. Everything. His meeting with Roxas was probably the furthest thing from Sora's mind right now. He would bet his life on it.

On the other hand, what did the Nobody have? Nothing and no one. He was all alone in the world with nothing left but bitterness, anger and that sharp pain of longing stabbing him constantly. He had never asked for much, and now what he had asked for was taken away from him. Destiny had not been kind to him.

Regret flowed through is body. His last meeting with Axel. Axel had been so angry. Angry because Roxas had forgotten about him. Angry because he had spent so much time trying to find him and when he did he hadn't even remember who he was... They had fought, tears threatening his eyes as he was forced to defend himself from his best friend.

"So you really remember me now? Well... it's to late!"

Given that chance, he would have explained that his memory lose wasn't his fault. Maybe if he had realized how much Axel cared, he never would have left the Organization. He wouldn't have needed to. There was no point in searching for something you already had. He had been so cruel to Axel. So cruelly unaware of his feelings. And now that he knew... now that he understood himself... Axel was gone. He wouldn't be surprised if Axel hated him now. The emotional pain it must have caused. Loving someone so much, but unable to hold them, stripped of the ability to even act on it. All because the one you loved was clueless, wrapped up in himself.

He wished he could apologize. Wished he could explain that he had to search for something to realize he already had it. Now, he had to go searching again. So he could say sorry. So he could be forgiven.

His mind teetered on the borderline of possibilities. In one scenario, Axel would be so ecstatic to see Roxas that he would forgive him and they would be together. Fall in love. In another, darker one, the red-head would hate him and refuse to give him a second chance. This was possible, likely. How could anyone be hurt that much and still find forgiveness? Would he be able to do that, if there positions were reversed?

Yes. He knew he would forgive Axel for anything he did, no matter how terrible.

The prospect of Axel actually having died crossed his mind for the barest of seconds. He pushed it away stubbornly. Axel wasn't dead. He couldn't be. There was nothing without Axel.

What if it really was to late? What if Axel did hate him now? What would be the point in searching for him only to be rejected, as he believed he rightfully deserved? How could his actions be forgiven? What if Axel was happier without him there? Maybe he had found someone who had known about, acknowledged, his feelings? What if he didn't need Roxas in his life anymore?

A tear fell to the ground, slipping from his blue eyes, soaking in to the dirt at his feet. Another one replaced it, following it's predecessor down it's path on his cheek. Annoyed, Roxas wiped it away before it his the ground, refusing to let himself cry. Getting openly emotional over this would only make things more difficult.

What if it was a good thing that Sora had Riku, attaching him to this island, barring him from going? Maybe it was a sign that he should abandon the very idea of searching for Axel. He was a big enough man to admit that he was incapable of doing so by himself. He needed someone with knowledge of the other worlds, knowledge of the preparations needed. Someone who was fearless and competent. Sora was every inch that man. Without him, nothing could take place.

Sora saw what happened to Axel. Roxas has seen it, briefly, when he had first shown Sora his memories in while he was sleeping. Sora had been dreaming of the incident at the time. His vulnerability to the situation was probably the factor that had made showing Sora the memories possible. Not that it mattered. Roxas didn't care about the mechanics of what he had shown Sora. All he cared about was that he had gotten his message across. That Sora understood just how much Axel meant to him.

He would never admit it to another living soul... but part of him had also wanted to guilt Sora in to helping him. He had wanted to play to the good Samaritan in Sora's heart.

And it would have worked, had there not been an unexpected variable in the equation. Riku. He had expected hesitance on his part. Asking him to leave his friends after he had just gotten back home was a huge thing, he knew that. He had hoped that Sora would understand though. Sora knew he would be coming back. It was a simple task. Find Axel. Come back home. No danger involved.

He had long been aware of Sora's feelings for Riku, but he hadn't known it was mutual.

It wasn't fair! Here he was, alone in the middle of a strange island, watching two lovers on the beach like a stalker, wishing he could be with the one he loved. He wasn't asking much of Sora, a few days, maybe a bit more, of his time. But no. He couldn't even get that.

Hot, salty tears of anger were pouring down his cheeks now. He let them, let himself get angry. Opened all the doors he had slammed shut. Let all the pain, fear, hurt, regret, anger flow through him as he tried to think.

He wasn't trying to ruin Sora's life, if that's what he thought. He was happy for him. Honestly, he was. But he needed Sora to be the good person he was and help out the other half of his being. Then he could go back to the island, be with Riku, and everyone could have their happy endings. Because honestly, he was happy they had each other.

Then it hit him.

If Sora hadn't made a final decision yet, Riku may not be aware of the conversation between the two boys earlier. As Sora had decided not to go, he may not even have mentioned it to Riku at all. No doubt however, when he had first seen Riku, it would have been heavy on his mind. He may have even been weighing his words, trying to figure out how to tell his lover he was leaving with Roxas. He would possibly have been acting slightly off. The deduction was common sense. When faced with a decision that might impact the lives of those around, one tends to act strangely.

Assuming Riku was clueless about the situation...

Assuming Sora had made up his mind not to bring it up...

All Roxas had to do was change Sora's mind for him. It was a terrible thing to do. An evil, shady, shallow, despicable act that would in all likelihood earn him a position in the lowest pit of hell intention to even consider. But he had to do it. It wouldn't ruin everything for the two boys. He had a conscience, he wasn't a bad person. Just desperate enough to do things he knew might turn out badly for the ones involved...at his wits end, with no where else to turn.

As wrong as it was, at immoral as it would make him seem, he had to do it.

He had to drive a big enough wedge between them that Sora would want to leave. Just to get away. Wanted to get away so bad that he would leave with his Nobody, even if he hated him.

And there was no avoiding it. After this, Sora would hate Roxas.

With a plot fully formed in his mind, Roxas allowed himself to sink to the ground, leaning his back against the trunk of a tree, waiting. The sun was now beginning it's descent below the horizon. The two boys still lay in each others arms, casting one long, thin shadow on the sand behind them. They seemed to be just talking quietly about idle things that didn't really mattered. Vaguely, Roxas wondered what, but soon realized he was to angry to really care.

His anger had managed to dissipate any feelings of guilt about what he was going to do. He was doing it for the right reasons, so what was there to feel guilty about? If in the end, everything worked out, he would have done nothing wrong.

Tear apart the two lovers for a short amount of time, causing Sora to want to go with Roxas, then they would search. The rest would fall in to place like dominoes. The end justified the means.

While waiting for the opportune moment, he mused over several ways of going about his plan. There were countless approaches to such a scheme. All he had to do was pick his favorite. The one that he felt would be the best to suit his needs. He ran over what he had to say in his head, rehearsing for the opening act. He had to make himself sound a certain way, to act a certain way. To not betray his true intentions. He took a deep breath, reassuring himself that he could pull this off without fault. He had the strategy laid out perfectly in his head. He was ready.

Now all he had to do was wait for a chance to get Riku on his own.

"Hey, Sora?" Riku whispered in to his soft brown hair, "Do you think we should be getting back?"

Sora stirred, opening one eye lazily to look up at him. "I don't wanna move though..." He whined, his tone reminding Riku of a tired little child.

He smiled at this, stroking Sora's hair, again aware of just how adorable the boy in his arms was. How innocent.

"You know... Kairi's going to start missing us soon. I told her I came down here to look for you, but that was a couple hours ago. She's probably worried. "

Groaning slightly at the thought of moving, Sora opened both his eyes, rubbing them tiredly with his fists.

"Mmmm..Okay. Let's go." Sora detached himself from Riku's grasp and stood up, stretching. He offered his hand to Riku, helping him up.

Sora smiled to himself as Riku grasped his hand. He had made the right choice to stay here, he really had. Riku had told him to follow his heart, and without being aware there was even a problem, he had solved it for him. His heart told him that he wanted to be with Riku, even if it meant ruining destiny. His head told him to go with Roxas because being with Riku was wrong, but he was following his heart this time. It had never once lead him astray, so who was he to stop trusting it now. Even if he wasn't making the right choice, he was choosing what made him happy. He was choosing what he truly wanted, even if part of him still thought it wasn't supposed to be like that. Things would work themselves out. He was choosing what he wanted.

He wondered if Roxas would understand that. He would have to. He knew it would probably hurt him, but he would have to understand. He wasn't quite sure why Roxas needed him in the first place. Surely, he could find Axel on his own, right? All that was left to do was explain to Roxas why he couldn't go, wish him good luck, and then the whole thing would be over. Roxas would either find Axel, or realize he was dead. Either way, the boy would finally be put to peace.

A part of him still wanted to help. It would only take a while. A huge part of him wanted to be there for him if Axel really was dead. If that turned out to be the case, he would make sure Roxas knew he was welcome at Destiny Island. Sora was his other half, his shoulder to cry on, should he need one. When he explained to Roxas why he couldn't leave Riku or Kairi, he would make sure he knew that he was there for him, but he was strong enough to go on this mission on his own. It was his mission, after all. Not Sora's.

He was sure Roxas was still somewhere on the island, and that it wouldn't he wouldn't be making himself difficult to find. He should close this before going to bed so he didn't stay up thinking about it all night.

"Riku?" He tugged on his hand, stopping him. "Keep walking, okay? There's something I have to do, and I'll explain later. I'll be up there in a little bit."

Riku turned around, mid-step, to look at him. "Is something wrong?" His eyes shone with worry, his hand not letting go of Sora's.

Sora shook his head, flattered by Riku's obvious concern for him. He stepped forward, standing on the tips of his toes to kiss Riku gently on the lips.

"I'll explain when I get back, so don't worry about me. Just tell Kairi what I told you."

Riku pulled him in to a tight embrace, kissed him on the forehead, then nodded. "Don't stay out to late. You don't want me to have to come find you again, do you?" He added teasingly before pulling away.

Sora smiled flirtatiously. "No, I wouldn't want that at all."

With a wave, they parted, Riku continuing up the beach, Sora heading toward the darkness of the forest.

Roxas watched the two boys part and prepared himself. Even with the sound muted because of the distance between him and them, he had a distinct feeling that he could hear what they were talking about. At least, he could guess at it safely the instant he saw Sora walking toward the forest. Presumably, he was coming to find him and tell him he could forget about finding Axel.

He wasn't going to let that happen tonight, however. Riku was alone. Here was his chance.

He set off at an evenly paced sprint, ducking along the edge of the trees, careful to use the foliage to shield himself for Sora's view. He cut through the underbrush, making his way to Riku. A branch, dry and brittle, snapped off in his wake, leaving a thin red cut on his lower arm. Through the trees, he could see flashed of the setting sun. It's beauty was almost enough to make him pause, just to watch. Still, he ran, promising himself that if he ever found Axel, he would watch the setting sun with him a thousand times.

When he drew level with Riku, he slowed his gait, licking his thumb and wiping the blood from his cut as he did so.

He prayed Sora wasn't aware of his presence. He prayed that the feeling of doubt forming in his mind was unfounded. He prayed this would work out favorably. Briefly, he considered just forgetting about this rotten plan. He had to go through with it though. Time to put his plan to action.

He strolled out of the trees in from of Riku, carefully arranging his face in to a mask of pity. He stuck out his hand, aware that every motion he was performing felt animated.

"Riku."

Startled, Riku looked at him, his eyebrow furrowed.

"Do I know you?" He directed his words bluntly. Riku had never been the type of person to warm up to strangers easily. Especially when said stranger just emerged from a bush where he could have been watching him. One strike against him already. The next was that this man knew is name before they had even met. Even in the most friendly of people, that one always raised suspicion. Basically because it was just creepy.

"Well, not me in particular, but...you know Sora."

Riku raised his eyebrow, crossing his arms. "Look. I'm not in the mood for guessing games. Sneaking around in bushes then just popping up and expecting me to know your name is not a way to get on my good side." His voice dripped with distaste.

Roxas blinked, he hadn't expected Riku to be so blunt. Everything Sora thought about Riku made him seem like a saint, someone who would never say anything rude. He had to admit to himself that he found himself admiring Riku for his honesty. He doubted he could ever be that outright honest with someone he had just met. He suspected a lot of that was connected to Sora's conscience. Still... Riku and Sora were complete opposites. It was amazing they could be friends, never mind lovers.

He shook himself. 'Don't forget what you came here to do. Pissing him off isn't a good way to go about this...'

"Sorry. I'm Roxas."

Riku nodded, unimpressed. Distrust filled his eyes. "Alright. So tell me then, Roxas, why are you here?"

He refused to trust this guy, even if he could clearly feel Sora. If he looked hard enough, he could imagine it was Sora behind those eyes, instead of this Nobody. That didn't atomatically allow him to gain his trust. He didn't like the dreams he had shown Sora. He didn't like that he had hurt Sora by showing them to him. And now he had shown up, unexpected, at their home. Did Sora know he was here?

"I think we should go for a walk, find somewhere to sit down. I've got some things to tell you."

"Whatever you have to say, it can be said just as well right here."

Roxas nodded, praying this would work.

"I talked to Sora today."

Riku grunted, his arms still crossed. "Wow. So did I. Want a medal?"

"I want him to come help me find Axel. It's his fault he's gone to begin with."

Riku's arms dropped, his eyes closed. Slightly confused, he walked toward the forest, leaning against a tree for support. What was going on? Axel was dead. Sora told him what had happened.

"Axel's dead and it's not Sora's fault. What the hell are you talking about?"

Roxas shook his head, looking straight in to Riku's eyes. A slight wind had picked up, combing through Riku's hair, separating the strands.

"Axel isn't dead. I know he's not, and I'm going to look for him. Sora is coming with me."

Riku glared at Roxas coldly. Never mind that he reminded him of the man he loved, he hated this guy right now. He was obviously lying. Sora would have said something if he had really been planning to leave. He wouldn't hide something like this from him. Slowly, piece by piece, Sora's weird behavior at the beach swam back in to his mind. He had seemed so upset about something. Could this be it? Was he really planning to leave?

"He didn't say anything about that to me. He would have."

Roxas repeated the motion of shaking his head. Time to pull out his ace. He hesitated for a second. He was doing something terrible. This could very well ruin things for Sora and Riku. He didn't want that responsibility on his shoulders. He was stuck now, however. Part of him was willing to do anything to find Axel, no matter how low it was. He was desperate enough to listen to that part.

"Sora and I are, basically, the same person. You know that. Sometimes, when I'm close to him, I can feel what he feels. Riku, I think he's leaving because of you."

With that statement, he was gambling. To him, Riku seemed like the type of guy who needed other peoples feelings for him to be reassured. By telling him that he could feel what Sora felt, which wasn't a lie, then telling him that line, it was sure to cast doubt in to his mind. Doubt was good. Doubt would make them fight. Doubt would make Sora leave.

He knew telling Riku that Sora was leaving because of him was an outright lie. Sora loved Riku, that much was obvious. Still, there was some tension in his mind, he didn't have to know his thoughts to see it in his actions. Sora was still hesitant about his new relationship. His feelings probably scared him. Roxas recognized that from his own actions when he had finally understood his feelings for Axel. He would be hesitating.. wondering if he was doing the right thing or not.

He would use that to his advantage.

The rest was all up to Riku...

Riku was gazing at him, a hurt expression clouding his sharp features. "You're joking, right?"

"No. He didn't say it, but I can just tell. He wants to leave so he can figure out things. He's not sure he wants to be with you. That scares him because he cares about you, so he doesn't want to hurt you."

Riku ran a hand through his lustrous hair, trying to tame the wind running through it. There was no mistaking the pained look on his face. Disbelief was still hiding beneath the surface, but Roxas' words had found their mark. They had cut.

He had to be lying. He just had to be. Here it was, his worst fear, starting to manifest itself in front of him. Even the suggestion of Sora not wanted to be with him was breaking his heart.

'No!' He demanded inwardly. He wasn't going to believe it. It wasn't true. No one knew about him and Sora, so how could anyone... but, Roxas did know. Somehow, Roxas knew. Sora wouldn't have told him. He was the one who was so scared of anyone else finding out. To go and tell someone would make him a hypocrite. He reminded himself that Roxas was a part of Sora. What if his words really had some truth to them?

'Calm down. Take a deep breath. Figure this out before jumping to conclusions.'

"Why wouldn't he tell me he was leaving? I was just with him. He would have brought it up."

Roxas was prepared for that question.

"Not if he didn't know how to tell you. I thought I should warn you beforehand. I mean... it may not be anything. You shouldn't worry about it. It's just... I know Sora doesn't want to hurt you, and I could be all wrong, but just in case, I wanted to prepare you. "

"I still don't believe you." Riku managed to muster his coldest voice, sharpening it's edge.

"I came to Sora earlier today, when he was alone in the forest. I told him I wanted to find Axel, and that I needed his help. I can't do it without him, and I have to find Axel. He thought about it for awhile, and then decided he'd come. He didn't say why, exactly, but I could tell he was having some deep thoughts."

There! Riku sighed with relief. Roxas could be totally wrong. Sora was just helping him because he was a good person. It had nothing to do with him not returning his feelings. He knew he would have to talk to Sora. He should have told him what was going on instead of keeping him in the dark. He had to find out what was really going on. He was tired of listening to Roxas' telling him what Sora was thinking. The sooner he found out if he was being lied to, the better.

He pushed himself away from the tree, surprised to find himself still slightly unbalanced on his feet. Steadying himself, he stood tall, ready to leave.

"Alright. Thank you for your concern, but I think I can deal with this myself. For future reference, I'm stronger then you think. I don't need a warning that might not even mean anything, okay? I'm leaving."

Had he done it? Was it just his imagination, or did Riku still seem hurt? From here on out, he wasn't sure what would happen. As long as it lead to them fighting, he didn't even care. It was in fates hands now.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew the chances of such a plan working were so slim that they couldn't be seen when turned sideways. Still, at least there was a chance.

"Riku?"

He spoke to his retreating back, waiting for his full attention before continuing.

"Just remember, if you hold something to tight, it has a tendency to slip away."

Riku ignored his words and kept walking. If there was even a little bit of fact to the conversation he had just had, he would find out now. He had to get everything out in the open before he lost his nerve. He had to find Sora.

A/N: Well.. I feel like a total bitch. Honestly... I've almost made myself hate Roxas. Just remember people, he's desperate. He loves Axel. He's not a bad person. Did I make him a bad person? Am I a bad person for doing this to them? Don't answer that.
Anyway, I've set the deadline for myself for next chapter. It should be finished by Thursday, if not then, it will definitely be up by Sunday. (30 hour Famine on Friday, won't be able to write then or most of Saturday)

So, tell me what you think. Hope I can keep you reading.

-Yavi

xoxo