I must say, thank you to all my reviewers, both the frequent and the new, as well as all you who have this story on alert. I wouldn't be continuing this without you guys. 3

Without further delay, I give you a long over-due update. (See the end of it for my usual droning authors notes. And an announcement of sorts.)

Chapter 8

Normalcy was restored to Riku's vitals as the shock of Sora's words was slowly absorbed. His heartbeat slowed as he processed everything going on in his mind. Only seconds ago, he would have given anything to just die, just to avoid the heartbreak. Now, almost of its own free will, he found his mouth opening, forming words; a task that had previous seemed impossible.

"Then stop thinking of me as your best friend."

Why did he have to love him? Why did Sora have to feel the same? Ignorance would have been bliss in this case, but it was to late now. Both boys were painfully aware of the others feelings.

Sora shot him an indecipherable look. "That isn't a solution."

Riku shook his head, disagreeing. "Look, if you only thought of me as a boyfriend, then it wouldn't be so confusing for you. You wouldn't have to worry about what would happen to our friendship if we ever broke up."

"You're forgetting that whole destiny thing. I can't hurt Kairi, how many times do-"

Riku thought for a second, reflecting back to the conversation with Kairi he had with her earlier that day on the beach. He hesitated, wondering if now was the right time to bring this up, painfully aware that it probably wasn't. Before he could stop himself however, it tumbled out of his mouth, regret drenching every word, as it was spoken, unable to reverse them. This was a pinnacle moment for them, but he wasn't sure he was ready.

"She already knows."

Hearing Riku's deep voice, Sora stopped mid-sentence, a slight shadow of annoyance at the interruption falling over his face. Then the full meaning of his words caught him, his features visibly falling. He stared at the silver haired boy in utter disbelief. This was betrayal, totally and completely. What they had was a secret. To willingly share it with the one person he had specifically asked that he didn't, that was betrayal.

How could he? How could he?

Of course, Kairi would have been told. There wasn't even the slightest possibility that she would be kept clueless. He thought he had made it clear enough to Riku that he needed time before that moment. What the two of them had at the moment was a flurry of passion and emotions. Until a real, stable relationship was established; there was no reason to let the world know. He had wanted all three of them to be together, in the same room, when she found out.

He bite his lip for the millionth time that night as his entire image of Riku was flipped around right before his eyes. He had thought Riku had understood how important this was, had trusted him to keep it close to his heart.

Even when they were just friends, he had long ago accepted Riku's obvious over-protectiveness, he had accepted all his flaws, large and small, because he had loved him.

To his dismay, he found his trust in Riku slipping slightly.

How could he?

Dimly, he realised Riku was still talking, clumsily trying to make up for his slip-up.

"Please don't be to mad. I can see why you would be, I know I would be furious but-"

Sora cut him off angrily, "I barely ever, ever, get mad at you," He began, a thousand ways of stating his current thoughts floating around in his mind. Deciding that they were all to long, and he didn't have the patience for such things at the moment, he chose to sum it up with one uncharacteristic statement-

"What the hell, Riku?"

Riku gazed down at his feet, properly ashamed, trying to control his over-active emotions. "I know you didn't want her to find out yet, but it just sorta slipped... and just look at in from my perspective for a second." He pleaded.

"You see me as selfish because I want to be with you, no matter what. I see you as selfish because you want the same thing, but you refuse to tell Kairi. I told her, and I thought about lying to you about it, but you might as well know. I believe you when you say you were doing it for the right reasons, but they were also the wrong ones. "

Things would only be made worse if they hide, as Sora had wanted. He had so much faith in the redheaded girl; he wasn't scared of her reaction. He wasn't insensitive; he knew Kairi would be hurt no matter what happened. Finding out your destiny wasn't going to be fulfilled would do that to anyone. Hiding it from her, letting her continue to think everything was still normal, that was would only cause her more unnecessary pain. Knowing the two most important people in her life kept something so massive would only add to any other emotion she would have.

In a few words, it would make things worse.

He explained this to Sora, trying as hard as possible to put every word in the right place, making sure every sentence and thought connected properly. He finished, still wishing bitterly that they weren't in this situation.

Sora remained quiet for a few minutes, mulling over his words. "You could have just told me that earlier and saved us from this fight, you know that right?"

Slowly, Riku nodded, unable to debate that point.

"You're right, I'll give you that. We've been through a lot together, but I won't lie when I say you've caused me more pain then I expected. I searched for you forever, Riku, and you were always right in front of me, but I didn't know. You have no clue how scared I was that I would never find you. But you were right there, all along, watching me feel that pain."

Opening old wounds was not an appropriate thing to do at the moment. On any other day, Sora would have recognised this. On any other day, he would have been able to control himself. This was Riku, however, and he couldn't hold back what he was feeling. In the heat of the moment, he felt the mask he had built to hide these negative things crumbling to nothing.

"I know you have your reasons, and I think I understand them. I've forgiven you for so much, all because I love you. I guess it's because I've always trusted you. You were right, I should have told Kairi right away. The point is- how can I trust you now? You...I'm really disappointed in you. You basically betrayed me."

'It's to late to just go back to normal now, isn't it?'

Riku shrugged in defeat, a soft sheet of silvery hair flopping uselessly over one emerald eye. His shoulders slumped and he made no move to push it out of his view. For a split second, not for the first time today, Sora could swear he saw Riku's lips tremble. This time however, he felt his own duplicate the motion, and slowly, one by one, tears formed in his eyes. Delicately, they slid down his cheeks, his breath shortening gradually as he tried to control himself.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Riku paused to bite his lip, furious with himself for being so close to tears. Earlier, a part of him hoped to Sora would feel to guilty to fight if he saw him cry. Now he knew it wouldn't matter; the younger boy was probably too angry, to injured, to notice anything.

This scared him. He didn't want to lose Sora for he was undeniably in love, so much so that it hurt. Riku was a man of dignity, of independence, with stubborn opinions and an even stronger mind. This part of him wanted to defend himself, to not be ashamed of what he had done, because it had all been for the right reasons. That was what mattered in the end. That was what kept him strong, kept him from simply breaking down and begging for forgiveness on hands and knees.

He would never be that pathetic.

"I made a mistake. I know that. Stop being so dramatic and get over it. I don't want to fight, but at least I was honest with you about this. Kairi had the right to know. Not telling her right away makes you nearly as selfish as I am. At least I told you. You didn't even tell me about your little conversation with Roxas."

Sora stared, open-mouthed. He had seen Riku be brutally honest before, but he had not expected this in the slightest. A sense of injustice glowered under the desperate pain that had formed his tears. Riku was turning this around so it was his fault!

"I was going to. After I told Roxas."

"Ever think that maybe I would have liked to be a part of that decision? Did you think I couldn't help you with it?" Then, seeing where he was going with this, he changed direction before his words sounded too bitter. "I want to be there for you, Sora. I always want to be there for you, no matter what your problems."

"Well... this was just different, alright? You didn't tell me to tell you about Roxas."

Sora sighed in frustration. He felt personally attacked, as if Riku was trying to pick a fight. Yet at the same time, he could feel Riku trying to blow the whole thing over, brush it off and move on. Only once in his life had he ever wanted to understand, to really understand Riku. As long as they had known each other, he still doubted he would even fully know what made his best friend tick. He was unpredictable, a literal enigma.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realise that was different. That's all right then. Forget I said anything." Riku's voice was drenched in sarcasm.

The tone of his voice not wasted on him, Sora glared at Riku, feeling his anger raising bit by bit.

"You know what? Just forget the whole thing. I'm to selfish to make it work anyway."

For a split second, time hung suspended as the two figures on the beach absorbed the words that had just been spoken. The speaker, realising he had vocalised his thoughts, remained still as he conscientiously began to believe they were true. The honesty of his words lodging firmly in his mind, he focused on the face of the other, morbidly curious to see his reaction. As his mind continued to race, he spoke once more.

"There. Problem solved. No more having to worry about Kairi or anything."

The blue eyes of the spiky-haired boy continued to shine with tears. "That's not funny."

Riku shrugged. "Wasn't trying to be. I made a mistake. It messed things up for you, so I'm sorry, but now you don't have to worry about it anymore."

He turned his back to Sora, studying the last splinters of sunlight on the horizon. "You can be with Kairi, and you can go with Roxas, and you can do whatever you want now. Nothing here tying you down."

Not waiting for a reply, he threw a casual, slightly tense, hand over his shoulder in goodbye and walked up the inclined beach toward the trees without looking back.

Looking back would have ruined his resolve.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Sora felt his body flop down uselessly on the sand beneath him, felt the cool sand in his hair. Dimly, he was aware of Riku's retreating figure. Knew he was walking away... Even that, however, he could not focus on any more. Unable to do anything else at the moment, he stared blankly at the darkened sky far above him. His lips moved as he silently counted the stars appearing. His mind seemed to come to a temporary halt, and he could do nothing but stare until his eyes lost focus, and his tears formed faster, and the world blurred together in to nothing.

Exactly how long he stayed that way, looking but seeing nothing, he did not know. It seemed like a second and an eternity at the same time. If he had cared at the time, he would have known that it couldn't have been more then five minutes between the blank shock and the painful awareness. The night had not gotten any blacker by the time he became aware of his senses again. Riku was only a short distance away, hidden by the trees his was using to support his trembling body. Roxas was a distance down the beach, hidden by the night, waiting and watching.

The only thing Sora knew in that moment however, was that Riku was gone, and anything they had or might have had was severed by Riku's sudden words.

Vaguely, he found himself desperately hoping it had all just been some kind of terrible dream. A small part of him clutched on to the hope that he would wake up, shivering slightly from the nightmare, beads of sweat on his brow, to find himself curled close to Riku, the older boys thick muscled arms wrapped around him protectively. He would describe the terrors his unconscious mind have shown him, then Riku would lovingly promise him his fears were unfounded; for he would never even consider leaving Sora, now that they had found each other.

Along with that, several other thoughts fought amongst themselves for dominance. Riku was a mysterious man, and while he had been the one in the wrong, he had obviously felt justified to be angry. Surely, there was a reasonable explanation for the way he was acting. Surely, now that he was alone with his thoughts, Riku would come to regret the words spoken in the heat of anger. He would take them back, take Sora back.

With this in mind, Sora felt his heart lightening slightly. Riku had always forgiven Sora, the opposite applying to the key-blade wielder. Since childhood, no rift had ever been torn between them that was so big it was unrepairable. With luck, their newly romantic relationship would be no different.

But… what if this was different? What if this time, Riku didn't come back, not necessarily for forgiveness, but because he just plain missed Sora?

What if he had been serious about giving Sora and Kairi their rightful destiny?

The small boy mourned this thought, along with his optimism of the situation, as he stared, enchanted at the sky above him. This was what he wanted. He didn't have to worry about being ashamed and he didn't have to hide. He could fulfill the Paopu's promise to Kairi.

He tried in vain to reassure himself that this way was better. Tried to forget about the dull aching pain in his heart by envisioning his future with Kairi.

Like a long forgotten memory, he found it hard to see. There was nothing without Riku. Nothing. Not anymore, not after this.

Longingly, his mind retraced the memories of the previous two days. Waking up from a dream whose details had slipped from his mind to find Riku. Waking up once again, this time on the shack, to find Riku. Their awkward first kiss, which caused a pale rose blush to spread over his cheeks. The day after that, the beach, and then…then what?

Telling Riku to hide their romance from Kairi, then wandering off alone, leaving them to talk. Wandering off alone, in to the forest.

Quickly, in one smooth, uninterrupted motion, Sora sat up, a sudden current of electricity running through his body.

Roxas!

His anger had caused him to forget what had begun the confrontation. Now calmed down slightly, Sora remembered the slight suspicion he had had of Roxas. He had wondered, without any real understanding of it, if Roxas had planned to make them fight. There was no other clear reason as to why he would tell Riku Sora was going to go find Axel.

At the time, he had passed if off as mere wishful thinking. A vague push that he hoped would convince Sora to come.

"Had he wanted us to fight, all along?" Sora mulled over these spoken words, not immune to the loneliness that they carried in the vast night. Pieces of Roxas' plan began to weld together. He couldn't be certain, be he was pretty sure he knew what the plot had been.

With Sora distraught, heartbroken, and desperate to get away from his problems, the dark blonde nobody had a ready-made escape from Destiny Island.

The worst part, and the true hidden genius of the plan was that it was effective. Already, even knowing it had been set up from the beginning, he found himself tempted.

It was, in large part, thanks to Roxas that the two had fought.

In comparison to the rest of it, that hardly mattered. Stood next to Kairi's knowledge and Rikus' general anger, it was temping to just run away from his problems. Under normal circumstances, this was entirely against the youth's principles. Running never solved anything.

Except…

Sora lazily played with the sand, grasping a handful and watching it run through his fingers like a crude hourglass.

In the several days it would take to either find Axel or give up, it was possible Riku would have cooled down. If Sora stayed, there would be tense confrontations, words would be said without serious consideration or meaning thrown behind him.

Really, the genius of the Nobody's scheme was that it was going to work.

Authors Note: Three things for you this time, bear with me.

This chapter had been sitting on the computer for roughly a week and a half, unfinished. Basically because I didn't (and I'm still not sure I do…) have the brainpower (and I've been busy as hell…) to write something of this calibre. I'm not lying when I tell you these last to chapters have been insanely hard to write. I have a feeling I'm not getting the point, or the emotion, across completely…. Again, I'm not sure if it's paranoia or honest truth. Either or, it's your decision, after all.

Second, I now have a computer in to my room, thanks to a generous donation by one of my friends, (Win '95, YAY! xD) Which means that I will probably be updating at least a little more frequently, now that I don't have to write on the one in my brothers room, or my parents. This is a good thing. Although I am working on another story with said friend, and I have to put some time in to that.

Third, and I probably should have put this first…. I have a need to change the name of this story. Not a trifling, passing need, either. I just don't like it. I've never really been too fond of, honestly. So, I humbly ask you for your suggestions, since I'm quite uncreative. There will be credit and love given where it is due.

That's all. Reviews would be appreciated alot, but I'm sure you knew that.

Yavi.
XOXO