IF YOU HAVEN'T BEAT KH2, DON'T READ ANY FURTHER.

I don't own KH.

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Chapter One- August

Sora stood in front of small home, the setting sun on the suburban middle island of Destiny Islands. The boy sighed, his Keyblade tucked safely at his back, a small note from the king in his hands, regarding everything that had happened. Sora took in a deep breath and walked up the steps to the front door, opening it.

"Mom! I'm home!" yelled Sora, the familiar smell of oranges reaching his nose. A sound from the kitchen on the right caught his attention and a short woman with sandy blonde hair came out, running, her blue-green eyes wide with disbelief.

"Sora!" The women said, as her son took off his shoes at the door. He looked different, older, mature, but his eyes were definitely filled with light of a child. Sora's mother ran up to him and hugged him, as if he were going to leave again.

"Sora! My baby boy…," Cried the mother, her tears slipping onto the fabric of her son's magical clothes. Sora hugged his mother back, noticing some grey hairs streaking the blonde.

Oh mom, I'm so sorry…

Sora's mother held him back to look at him properly, tears still leaking out of her eyes.

"Look at you…all grown up…" Sora's mom hugged him again, tighter. Sora thought the air in his lungs was beginning to dissipate.

"Uh…Mom…You're suffocating me…"

Sora's mom let go, smiling and wiping her tears away. She placed her hands on her hips, grinning.

"Sora! I am going to fix you the best meal on this island! One fit for a king! I want to hear all about where you have been! You go upstairs and change out of those clothes! You look too skinny dear! Did you eat a thing this past year?"

Sora sighed as his mother reentered the kitchen with a new vigor chattering away. Sora walked up the stairs before him and too the first room on the right, opening the door.

Everything was the exact same way it was left one year ago. Sora took the Keyblade out of his belt and smiled at it, leaning in against the wall. Flopping down on the first real bed (his bed) that he had seen in months, Sora smiled contently.

"It's so good…to be home…" Sora sighed again and his eyes closed, his battle worn body taking a well-deserved rest.

Riku walked inside his house, the familiar wet stone smell filling his nostrils. The last time Riku had seen his father was the night before he left…the fight was still vivid in his mind.

"You aren't going anywhere Riku Kurushi Hikari!" screamed the voice of his father.

"Like hell I'm not! I'm going whether you like it or not!" yelled the fifteen year old as thunder clapped outside.

"The raft…" Riku jumped out of the window, landing softly on the ground.

"RIKU GET BACK HERE!"

Riku sighed greatly as he heard his old man come down the stairs noisly.

"Dad…I'm home…"

Riku's father was a big time executive on the main island, but if one could see him now, they would have immediately thought he was some beggar, with his straggly black hair, beard and gaunt aqua eyes.

"Ri…ku?" asked the man, swaying on the spot.

"Yeah, dad, it's me…" Riku sounded less than enthused to see his father like this. The man practically ran over to him, his eyes wild.

"You…" Riku backed away into the door wear they kept their shoes, the smell of alcohol overwhelming his senses.

"Boy…you left and ruined everything…" said the man, growling, "Just like that bitch of a mother you had…Just think you can up and leave without a word, huh?"

Riku glared at the man for saying anything so degrading about his mother. His mother died of an illness when he was just a boy, but when she was alive, she was the best wife and mother she could be, even when it was mostly her son and her.

"You shut up…" Riku said, angrily, "Mom was good to us…she was damned good for marrying a man like you…"

Riku's father yelled and brought clammy hand across his son's face, forcing the boy to fall over clumsily. Riku looked up at the man in shock, holding a hand to his bruising face. Never, in all the times had the two butted heads, had the father hit the son. Maybe it was overwhelming, or maybe it was that Riku knew he didn't have to take it, but the boy got up and stormed out, heading down the dirt path, never looking back at the Hikari household.

"Sora! Dinner's ready!" His mother yelled up the stairs, "Sora?"

Sora stirred awake, rolling over, trying to will his hungry stomach back to sleep. After another loud growl, Sora sat up as his mother opened the bedroom door.

"Sora Kaze! Get up, you lazy bum!"

Sora grinned at his mother, getting up. The minute he started to stretch, he heard a tap on the window. Sora, always the curious one, crawled across the bed and opened the window to see Riku looking up at him, a bruise on the boys face. The minute Sora saw his best friend; he closed the window and ran past his mother, downstairs and out of the house.

Riku walked over to Sora as the boy asked what happened, why wasn't he at home? Wasn't his father happy to see him?

Riku pointed to his face. "Obviously not…"

Sora brought a hand up to the older boy's chin, turning the head gently. Riku felt heat rise to his face as the brunette checked the bruise.

"It's swelling…" Sora muttered, grabbing Riku's hand and dragging him into the house.

"Come on, you're staying with us tonight…" Sora stated, firmly, "Mom will enjoy the company and we've got to get you ice…"

Riku smiled softly. "Thank you, Sora…"

The words fell on deaf ears, as Sora ranted about Riku's father, the fact Riku probably said something he shouldn't have and the fact that Riku needs to keep his mouth shut sometimes, so things like this wouldn't happen.

Upon reaching the inside again, Sora's mother greeted them with a smile, the generous notion forgotten when she saw Riku.

"Riku! What happened!" The woman took the boy's hand from Sora, checking over his face, "Oh Riku, don't tell me you mouthed off to Hikari-san…" Riku smiled sheepishly, glad for the relief he felt in this house.

"I'm sorry, Hana-san," said Riku. The women sighed, smiling at him.

"Well, I've made plenty of food for the both of you…I had a feeling you might be coming over…." Hana began, heading back into the kitchen, Riku in tow, "You know, you both have gotten too skinny! Whoever you were with didn't feed you, did they!"

Sora sighed greatly, looking after the last sliver strand falling into the kitchen. It looked like Riku would be with them for awhile.

It's not fair…Sora thought, gazing up at the ceiling, He's already been through too much…don't make him go through more…

After the affair that Hana Misonai called 'dinner' and the long explanation about what exactly happened to them, the boys were set to the task of trying on clothes. In reality, the task was just set to Sora, who would throw things that were too tight or too short to Riku, who threw them in a trash bag on the floor. Riku sat on the chair at Sora's desk, as the half naked boy pulled on another pair of red shorts.

Riku laughed at Sora again, who looked down to see that the shorts fell to his thigh, much shorter than they had been over a year ago. Sora blushed, taking off the shorts and standing in his black boxers, throwing them at Riku's head.

"Shut up and put that ice pack back on your face," Sora demanded, turning back to his wardrobe, pulling out some white t-shirts. Riku threw the shorts in the 'doesn't fit' pile and lazily put the said ice pack on his sore face.

Sora tried one of the shirts, noticing that it was one thing that did still fit, silently taking it off and throwing it into the pile. Riku noticed that Sora's body was built far more than his black outfit betrayed, taut stomach trimmed of all baby fat. Riku felt a blush come to his face while he stared, not quite understanding why he couldn't stop.

Sora must have noticed, because he got another pair of shorts in the face.

"Stop gawking, you pervert…" Sora said, but his voice lacked any real venom, sounding exasperated, "How's the bruise?"

Riku pulled off the ice pack, tentatively poking his face.

"It's alright, I've had worse…"

Sora looked at him with the utmost sympathy, a look Riku had never seen on him. Sora looked sad, but mostly tired, like the world was never going to get better, no matter how many times he tried to fix it.

"Don't look at me like that…" snapped Riku, sympathy being the last thing he wanted.

Sora sighed a few quiet minutes later, pulling on a previously tried on pair of dark blue shorts and a white shirt, gently yanking out his crown pendant from underneath the cotton.

Riku watched as Sora stuffed the clothes unceremoniously in a trash bag, tying it up, and tossing it out in the hall.

"Alright mom, I have about five pairs of shorts and about ten shirts!"

"I was afraid of that," Hana replied back, "We will just have to go shopping tomorrow! Riku will need some clothes too! He's grown up so much that I'm sure none of his clothes fit!"

Riku felt his face burn again, opening his mouth in protest, but Sora's loud voice beat him to the punch.

"Me too," Sora stated, "He needs clothes if he's going to stay here! Will Dad be at the island tomorrow?"

Hana laughed loudly at Sora's excited tone. Sora's father, Halen Misonai, was a hardworking individual who built the sun panels that collected the energy for the islands. All the power from the islands was from solar energy, and Hikari Industries was the main corporation for collecting energy. In essence, Sora's father worked for Riku's father, but he was very low on the chain.

"We'll see Sora! I think he's staying on the main island for the rest of the week to help build another sun panel!"

Sora's excitement was evident as he said his response, smiling at Riku. The smile left the boy quickly, looking down. The sad look had returned.

"Sora…I'm fine…I hate to have your—" Sora interrupted him. Riku didn't want to be rude, imposing on a family who worked very hard for their money. Even though the Misonai's lived comfortably now, Sora's parents had a child when they were very young, before they were both out of school. Needless to say, Sora's childhood wasn't filled with a lot of presents and gifts. They weren't poor, but they just weren't as rich as some of the other people in the island. Riku didn't want to force himself onto the family, especially since they already let him in their home whenever he came over.

"Riku," Sora started, walking towards him, checking the bruise for himself, "I'm not having you go back there if this is how you are going to come out. I don't care if it was just a small tiff, not about what you said with that attitude of yours. He still hit you. You're his son…and…you don't deserve that."

Riku had never appreciated his best friend more at that moment then his entire life. Sora suddenly seemed so mature, so much older than the grinning kid that had this Sora had taken place of.

When did you grow up…so fast…

Some feeling between them was growing, deep within. Ever since Sora grabbed his hand and practically broke down in front of him, saying he looked for Riku everywhere. Since Sora helped him escape the darkness, since Sora smiled at him and reached out his hand, telling him to come on, it was time to go home.

Sora…all his mind could think about was Sora. Sora looked into his eyes, giving him a quizzical look.

"Stop looking at me like that…" Sora said, making Riku blink, wondering what look he was giving Sora that would make him say that, "It's giving me the creeps…"

Riku smirked, his aqua eyes narrowing, adopting a baby voice. "What, do I cweep wittle Sowa out?"

Sora blushed embarrassingly.

"No!"

Riku laughed when he had an ice pack slammed back on his face, and as Sora stormed out, pouting. The sliver haired boy's laughter died as Sora let out a frustrated cry when his mother started laughing, feeling his stomach being strangely empty, even though he ate a ton for dinner.

What is this feeling?

Sora normally slept so peacefully, but tonight, with Riku in the bed beside him, he found that sleeping was most definitely not coming to him anytime soon. All he could do is stare at the older boy while he slept, moonlight spilling on his pale features from the open window.

The fifteen year old looked over to the window and saw said moon, full as could be. Sora sighed, flopping over; the butterflies in his stomach fluttering around and making it feel strangely empty.

Why…, Sora pleaded to the deity that either really loved him, or loved to make fun of him, why did mom have to fill up the guest room with her teaching stuff? Why did I even suggest we share the bed…?

Sora looked back over to see Riku's eyes half open, staring at him.

"Would you quit moving around so much?" snapped Riku, half asleep, "You could wake up the dead with all that moving…"

Sora had a quip to answer back, but decided that Riku was probably much better at ass-kicking half asleep than he was when he was fully coherent, so he bit his tongue.

"Sorry…"

It was all he could manage before Riku let out a soft mumble and went back to sleep, draping an arm over the brunette.

"So you don't move…" he mumbled, going back to sleep.

Sora felt heat rise up in his entire body, knowing his face was probably the color of that jumpsuit he used to wear. The Keyblade Master tried to move, but fear of getting beat up by a very grumpy Riku was preventing him from really trying. Sora relaxed a bit, looking over at him. The boy realized that he liked the warmth between them, and the fact that Riku was comfortable enough with him to lay in the same bed.

Sora finally sighed and closed his eyes to get some sleep before the shopping day he was quite sure was going to be hell tomorrow. The boy shuffled a bit closer to his friend as a cold ocean breeze blew in.

But only a bit closer…