Author's Note: Ack! I suck so much! Can you believe how long this took me! Forgive me, oh good readers, forgive! I hate school, but that's no excuse for me not putting anything up when I still had summer left. I guess cause this is just a filler...but still, I hit so many road blocks with this chapter it's not even funny. I hope its length will make up for its lack of updating. The thing was like 17 pages long!
Warnings: This is a slash/yaoi/boyboy story with multiple pairings, focus on RikuSora. Angst is always fun...maybe a character death on the side, depending on my mood. Expect slight OOCness, because hey, I'm not perfect.
Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own Kingdom Hearts. But I do keep Riku tied up in the closet. His moans make a good muse when I'm writing angst. (evil grin) But the plot is mine. Though the idea for this came from the Secret Ending to KH2...
The Keyblade War
Division Two: Let the Sun Rise
"Walk the path of destiny with purpose and an open heart."
The mutterings began almost instantly. The commoners, who were stunned to see fully-armored Bearers stride in, were whispering and turning to one another. They all knew of the warriors of Twilight Tower, and most had heard stories of the black fighter, Oblivion. But, it was the other Bearers present who were most surprised. All were too in awe to speak.
Leon and Aerith both shared a look of shock from Ansem's side. The lord was standing, a rather unreadable expression had snuck to his face, and he nodded a greeting to the four as they neared the throne.
When they were about ten paces from the steps of the dais, all of them stopped, lined perfectly straight side-by-side. At the very same instant the Bearers of twilight extended their right hand in front of them and then drew their fist to their chest, armor clinking softly in the customary greeting of Twilight Tower's warriors. Then, arm still at their chest, all four bowed slowly.
Lord Ansem knew of the formality of that kingdom, yet it still surprised him to see four unknown people not from his kingdom show him such a sign of respect. His eyes softened and said, "Rise, my guests, you have no need of such gestures here. We welcome you, and our greatly honored by your company." He watched as they straightened, again all at the same time. "I am Lord Ansem the Wise. Radiant Garden gives you its fondest welcome, Bearers of Twilight."
All the gathered watched and listened for their response. The one in black armor was the one to move first, his hands rising to his helm. Sora found himself holding his breath. Would he see silver hair spill from that helmet just as before? Or was this some other Bearer, and Riku truly was not here? If the blue-eyed boy had been more aware, he would have noticed that he was not the only one refusing to breathe. Many of the gathered waited with wide-eyes as the Bearer they had heard so much about removed his helm.
The three other Bearers were also removing their own helms; they had followed the other's lead. But the black warrior drew his off first. Pale skin cloaked in silver locks was revealed, and Leon once again glanced to Aerith. If this truly was the Oblivion, neither expected him to be so young.
Sora had to close his eyes and rub them to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He took a breath and slowly cracked one eye open. His vision cleared and there was the same green-eyed boy he had met three years ago. He turned happily to his brother, and Roxas only smirked and told Sora to pay attention.
Finally, Riku spoke, "We thank you for your welcome." He turned to his right and gestured to the Bearer farthest from him. He was donned in deep crimson armor, small golden flames etched into the gauntlets and breastplate. He wore a black tunic under his armor, only showing in the very few openings around his body, and the long cape trailing behind him was also black with a golden silk underside. "That is Axel the Flametongue, one of the Elite Guard." Axel nodded slightly to Ansem, his red hair falling slightly to his sides as he did.
Riku again gestured, but this time to the man standing to his right, fairly close. This Bearer's armor was a deep blue. Unlike Axel's, his had no patterns carved into the metal. His under tunic was a grey shade, matching his dark grey cape. He turned his blue eyes in Ansem's direction even before Riku introduced him, "The Fenrir, Cloud…a top-ranking Elite Guard." Cloud also bowed his head, although a bit more than Axel had. His hair was short, spiked and a golden color.
Finally, Riku turned to face the female Bearer on his left. Her armor was a beautiful white with a pale blue heart etched into the center of her breastplate. Her tunic was white trimmed in cream while her cape was a pale blue just like the design on her chest. She smiled, blue eyes sparkling and also tipped her head, allowing her blonde locks to tumble over her shoulders. "And this is Namine the Memory Maker, my scribe."
With that, Riku faced Ansem himself, straightened and spoke, "I am Riku the Oblivion, youngest son of the Honored Lord Hojo, brother to the Lord Sephiroth, and acting lord of Twilight Tower." He did not bow.
The murmuring began again, and a few voiced their shocks through audible gasps. One could almost taste the shock collected in the chamber. However, the silver-haired boy seemed unaffected by it all.
Ansem momentarily was at a loss for words. Not only did he never expect the Oblivion to be the son of Lord Hojo, but he also never expected for Twilight Tower to send their own prince on such a mission. The lord quickly recovered from his lapse in dignity, "I had heard of the Lord Sephiroth's disappearance. I did not know you had taken the throne, Lord Riku. In any event, you are very welcome here, my friends."
"And we are honored, Lord Ansem," Riku replied.
"Well, you must be tired from your journey... Leon is you would show the lords to their rooms and Aerith, would you escort the Lady Namine?" Ansem said. Leon and Aerith bowed and stepped forth. The warriors let their straight stances fall and looked around the room. Leon answered Axel's various questions while Cloud remained silent though never far from Riku. Namine and Aerith were the first to leave, the blonde giving a smile and a wave to her male companions.
Riku found himself glancing at the gathered. He was not one for crowds, but he was glad to be inside. The journey between the borders had taken them three days. This was a bit faster than the norm, for they hadn't run into any Nobodies, yet still his body ached for rest. Then Riku's gaze met that of strikingly familiar blue eyes. He smiled.
Sora immediately froze. He had been staring and now he was caught. When Riku smirked at him, he found that he could barely breathe. Did the Bearer actually remember him? Just as Sora willed his heavy feet to take a step, Riku turned away and was ushered out the hall by Leon.
Sora dropped his gaze to the floor with a disappointed sigh. He had meant to go speak with Riku and give him back the bottle he had brought with him. The brunette bit the inside of his cheek and then turned to Roxas. He found his brother wearing a strange expression.
"What's up with you?" he asked.
The look fled from the blonde's face and red appeared on his cheeks. "Huh…what?" Sora laughed and gave him a sly look. "What! Why are you looking at me like that?"
Sora laughed again, "What's with the look? See something you like?"
After smacking his brother for the tease, Roxas said, "No! That stupid red-haired one kept staring at me and winking!"
"Oh, so he sees something he likes," Sora taunted again, which in turn earned him another punch. "Stop hitting me, you stud!" Sora laughed.
"Who's a stud?" they suddenly heard. Both turned to the sound to see that Yuffie and Kairi had walked up behind them.
"Roxas is," Sora grinned to Yuffie who laughed as well. Kairi giggled and Roxas growled. "Alright, geez, I'll be good now, I swear!"
"Isn't it cool?" Yuffie smiled. "There's an actual prince here! Radiant Garden doesn't have a prince! Oh, I wonder what his favorite color is…or his favorite food-"
"Aren't you over-reacting, Yuffie?" Kairi smiled.
Yuffie shook her head, "No! It's not everyday you get to meet a prince." She happily was near jumping and her grin was unbelievably wide. The four laughed again.
"Riku never told me he was a prince…though I suppose it really wasn't the place to have a conversation…" Sora said as he rubbed the back of his head. In truth, he was quite surprised to know that the same Riku who he had met years ago was the heir to the kingdom of twilight. The shock of just seeing Riku again had overpowered that feeling, but now that it had worn away, he was in awe.
"Riku?" Yuffie questioned. "You speak of him so informally. Is he like a friend of yours or something?"
"Ah, no…we just met before," Sora supplied.
"That and my brother is just disrespectful," Roxas smirked. "You really should call him Lord Riku, Sora. It doesn't matter what happened years ago, you could get in trouble." The blonde watched his brother sigh and nod quietly, agreeing for now.
Before Roxas could say anything else, the group noticed that Aerith had returned and was heading toward them. The brown-haired woman smiled as usual in a greeting. "Hey, Aerith," Yuffie smiled as she neared.
"How is everyone?" Aerith smiled back. "I heard you were talking about our visitors. It is exciting, isn't it?"
"Not you too, Lady Aerith," Kairi laughed.
Sora thought for a moment. If Aerith had returned, then the girl she had been escorting was most likely settled in her room. That meant Riku was probably in a room as well. Then out the corner of his eye he caught sight of Leon entering the hall again and speaking to Lord Ansem. He made up his mind, "So, where are they now?"
"Oh, they're in rooms on the seventh floor," Aerith smiled softly again. "They all looked worn. They will probably rest a bit and then join us for the dinner we are holding in their honor."
And with that, Sora took off toward the door, gripping Riku's bottle in his hand. "Sora! Where the hell-" Roxas shouted, and then went wide-eyed. "Hey, you idiot! You can't go up there! Come back!" Sora only looked back with his usual large grin, disappearing out the doorway. With a frustrated growl, his blonde brother ran a hand through his hair and sprinted after him.
The three girls that had been left behind looked between one another in confusion, then broke out in a fit of giggles. Aerith glanced back to where the boys had gone with a small smile. She then excused herself from Yuffie and Kairi, for she had to help with tonight's preparations.
Leon had heard the commotion and turned away from Lord Ansem just in time to see Roxas run after a blur of brown hair. He sighed but Ansem only laughed a bit and patted his back. The Lionheart relented. He supposed if Ansem was accepting of the boy's behavior, he could stand it as well. And refrain from any strangling for now. Though he hoped they wouldn't offend anybody important…like any of their guests from Twilight Tower. With another sigh he followed his lord out of the hall barely hearing Ansem's comment which accused him of sighing much too much.
Roxas had already lost sight of his brother. But he knew the way to the seventh floor staircase. He just hoped he wouldn't run into any guards, and he was almost praying that Sora had, to put an end to his troublemaking behavior and to teach his dear brother a lesson.
Before he knew it, Roxas had reached the stairs. He ran a hand over his face and groaned. Why was he cursed so? The gods must have been laughing when they placed him into this family. With a quick glance around he started up the stairs. His boots made soft clicks each step; the tile was much nicer the higher one got. Roxas sighed, as if he needed one more reminder that someone like him should not be up here.
Upon reaching the seventh floor, Roxas again looked around for any sign of Sora or a castle guard. Finding neither, he took the first left from the stairs, heading quietly in the direction of the guest rooms. The blonde thought he had heard voices, but blamed it on his paranoia. But when he turned the last corner he held back a gasp and quickly fled back around the corner.
After gaining his breath and waiting a moment to see if he had been noticed, Roxas gathered his courage and peeked around the corner. His blue eyes widened when he saw two of the warriors of twilight. They seemed to be talking, so they hadn't noticed him. When he saw that one of them was the redhead that had winked at him, he sprinted down the hall back the way he had come.
"Forget this, Sora's on his own!"
Sora had found the guest rooms easy enough. Though now he had no idea which one Riku was in. He had been vaguely aware Roxas had followed him. But there was no sign of him now, which Sora didn't find all too surprising.
He sighed. Looking back down at the bottle, he wondered if he would ever get to give it back. Sora was so close. Then suddenly he heard a girl's voice from further down the hall and the sound of a door opening. Quickly glancing back and forth for a place to hide, Sora dove behind one of the nearest potted shrubs. The impact made the jar wobble and threatened to fall over. The brunette immediately grabbed the pot to steady it, closing one eye and hoping for the best.
The pot didn't fall, and the girl at the end of the hall hadn't seemed to notice the ruckus. Sora took in a thankful sigh and almost laughed. Peeking around thee pot, spiked hair getting caught between the leaves, he locked eyes on Riku.
The girl's voice he had heard had been that of the young girl Riku had come with, Namine. She and Riku were standing just outside the last door on the right. Sora was close enough to catch a word or two, but the rest was too hard to understand. Namine laughed and Riku smiled; Sora found himself, for no apparent reason, smiling as well.
Namine's voice shook him out of his thoughts; it was getting closer. Sora panicked when he saw that she was coming toward him, Riku already having bid her good-bye. "See you, Riku," she waved back and continued down the hall, right toward Sora.
"This is bad," Sora whispered. "Bad, bad, bad, so bad…" He pushed himself closer to the wall and scooted behind the plant as much as he could. Grabbing a handful of leaves he drew them over his body, trying in vain to hide. Sora closed his eyes when he heard the footsteps come closer, he held his breath…
And nothing happened.
The footsteps continued and a blue eye cracked open to see Namine disappear around the corner. "Holy…that was close." Sora laughed quietly. Although the whole experience had almost given him a heart-attack, at least he knew where Riku's room was now. And so, pulling himself from under the plant, he walked toward the last door.
The whole time a large grin was on his lips. And it was still in place when he knocked. But then, as if just realizing what he was doing, the smile fell and he panicked again. Looking back and forth for an exit, he thought about leaving. All his courage gone, he squeaked audibly when a voice sounded from behind the door.
"Who's there?" it asked.
And Sora felt his voice leave his lips, compelled to answer, "Um…me…?" The blue-eyed boy winced. "Idiot, idiot, idiot," Sora mumbled to himself. And drawing both of his hands to his head, his fists began banging on the sides of his spiky hair. "Stupid! What kind of stupid response is that? Sora, you're an idiot. Id-"
"Well, hello 'me'," he suddenly heard. Sora jerked his face up and stared into those green eyes. He was utterly speechless; his hands in mid-strike held up half way to his skull. Not only was Riku, Riku, standing in front of him after so long of a wait, but Riku was standing in front of him without a shirt. And for some reason, that brought a red tint to Sora's cheeks.
"Um…" Sora stuttered.
"Well, are you gunna stand there all day? Or come in? You had to have come for a reason, right?" Riku smirked as he stepped aside, clearing the way, and heading back into the room. "Hmm, Me?"
Sora followed, obediently, "Um, my name's not-"
"I know," the silver-haired boy smirked again, turning halfway, "Sora the Kingdom."
The brunette went wide-eyed. "You…you remember after all this time?" His voice still had not lost that nervous stutter. And Sora cursed inside at himself for getting so worked up. This was not normal for him. Of course, being invited into a prince's room was not so normal either.
"Three years isn't that long," the smirked remained. Sora found that smirk so comforting, that he finally found his grin again as well. "So, what did you want?"
"Oh," Sora said, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything…" Sora finally noticed that Riku still was wearing his greaves and his armored boots. Though, his under tunic and upper parts of the armor were lying in a pile to the side of the room.
"Not really," Riku replied. "Just changing."
"Oh, well, I'll be quick, I promise," Sora grinned. And Riku nodded in waiting. Sora let out a breath that once again he didn't realize he'd been holding. "I just wanted to give this back to you and to say thank you for what you did that day, my Lord" With that, he held out the small bottle and bowed so that he could no longer see Riku.
For a moment there was nothing but the sound of their breathing. Then Sora heard Riku take a step forward. He drew in a quick breath when he felt a hand wrap around his. Sora looked up to see Riku closing his hands back over the bottle.
"First off," Riku said, "this was a gift. Keep it. Second, you already said thanks. And third, don't ever bow to me again. And don't call me a lord."
"But…"
"I get that enough at home. Here…to you I want to be just Riku. Alright?"
Sora smiled, and Riku removed his hands. To Sora, it now felt as though he lost something. But, he didn't dwell on it. "Alright, but you know that means I consider you a friend now."
"I can't tell if that's a good thing," Riku smirked.
"Hey!" Sora huffed, and then broke out in laughter. Riku followed, although his laugh was quieter.
Riku glanced to the open window. "I think I'd better get ready, you know, the whole fancy dinner and all."
"Oh, right," Sora replied. Then silence crept upon the two, not the comforting silence among close friends but that awkward silence one dreads. Sora looked nervously back and forth. Should he just leave? Was that Riku's way of telling him to go? Wouldn't it be rude to just walk out? The brunette watched a smirk rise on the other's face again.
Sora made a mental note, Riku smirks a lot.
"Well, I guess if you want to watch me undress-" that was all that was needed to send Sora, red-faced, sprinting out the hall. Riku laughed and walked to the doorway.
Sora almost slipped five times on the tile floor, and still he kept going…until he ran face-first into something solid. That something sent him to the hard floor. He looked up and met deep blue eyes, not unlike his own. Sora thought he had seen this man somewhere before, but the blonde's cold glare kept him from thinking properly. It hit him just moments later. It was Cloud, the man Riku had introduced as a high ranking Bearer.
Sora was about to mutter a humble apology, when he heard Riku's voice from down the hall. He turned his head from his position on the floor. "Hey Cloud! Stop glaring!"
Sora laughed as Cloud grunted and walked away. Well, at least he wasn't mad.
As Sora walked back toward his room, he couldn't have a wider grin. The smile was firmly set in place, and his eyes were gleaming. He felt as though a weight had been lifted from him. For the past three years he had wanted to speak with Riku again and now he had, not only that, but made friends with him.
He knew Riku would be busy while he was here, at least for most of the time. He was here on official duty, though Sora couldn't help but wanting to spend some time with his new found friend. Perhaps he could give Riku a tour of the town?
"Sora," a voice called him from his thoughts. He turned to see Aerith smiling and walking toward him. "Oh good, I've been looking for you."
"Hey, Lady Aerith, what's up?" the Kingdom replied.
"Well," she smiled. "Lord Ansem wished for you and your brother to attend tonight's dinner. I came to give you the good news so you can get ready."
"Wha…really?" Sora's blue eyes widened.
Aerith nodded kindly, and then seemed to notice something. "Oh, what's that?" Sora followed her finger to Riku's bottle. He hadn't realized he had still been clutching it in his fingers.
"Oh, this?" Sora gently handed it to her. "It's a gift. Ri… I mean Lord Riku gave it to me."
"He did?" she held it up to the light. "It's very beautiful. Do you know what this is?"
"A bottle…?"
Aerith laughed, a quiet laugh, "Well yes, but do you know what kind of bottle?" When Sora scratched the back of his head then shook it, she explained, "It's an Elixir bottle. I didn't know these still existed since no one knows how to brew them anymore."
"Not even you?" Sora asked, slightly surprised.
"Not even me," the brown-haired woman smiled. "I'm glad you think so highly of me, but there hasn't been a White Mage in Radiant Garden capable enough to make an Elixir in many years. You should ask the Lord Riku, perhaps Twilight Tower's mage can still make them, and I'd like to know."
"I didn't know it was so valuable," he replied as she handed him the bottle.
"Well you better be off," Aerith said. "Make sure you're not late, or Lord Ansem may not invite you next time." Sora gave her his usual grin before saying his good-bye and continuing on his way. Her green eyes followed him for a while longer until they broke away and she walked to her own room, the whole time thinking on the mysterious Elixir.
The dining hall was completely decorated. Just as the entry room had been adorned in the colors of Twilight Tower, so had the walls in this room been neatly decorated in soft grays to welcome the guests. The long table was lined with twelve empty ornate chairs.
Lord Ansem was standing near the head of the table speaking with Leon, Aerith, Cid and Yuffie, all who had changed into new robes that were slightly less formal than the one's they had worn at the welcome ceremony.
Sora, Roxas and Kairi all stood together. It was a surprise they had been invited at all, and each held their tongues, something highly unusual for all of them, in fear of saying something they shouldn't. They could almost taste the air of awkwardness that hung about them.
The doors suddenly were opened by an attendant, letting the four Bearers of twilight enter. Ansem halted his conversation and headed to greet them. "Ah, welcome, welcome guests. I trust your rooms were suitable?"
"Very, my Lord," Riku answered. He was now wearing a grey tunic, symbolic of Twilight Tower's line of royalty. At his side, Namine wore a pale blue dress with white boots, Axel a deep crimson tunic with black detailing and Cloud wore a dark blue robe which hung at his knees.
"I am glad," Ansem replied. "Please take a seat wherever you wish." He gestured to the table behind him.
Everyone moved toward a seat, Ansem sitting at the head. Sora felt a nudge at his shoulder. He turned to meet aqua-colored eyes. "Hey," Riku said. "Mind if I sit by you?" The smirk was back.
"Uh, sure," Sora supplied. And he thought he heard the sound of laughter. But Riku showed no signs of it when blue eyes looked up again. With a small pout he followed Riku to the chairs.
Riku chose the seat to Ansem's left. Sora sat beside him, and in an attempt to escape to escape the red-haired menace, Roxas took the seat next to his brother. But his efforts were in vain when Axel took the seat on his right. Next to him, Kairi sat and gave Roxas an apologetic look for not moving fast enough. Aerith had taken the head opposite Ansem and to her right Namine was pulling out the chair. Leon was at Ansem's right and next to him was Cloud. This gave, much to Sora's discomfort, the blonde a clear path to glare at the brunette. And finally, Cid and Yuffie took the remaining two seats between Namine and Cloud.
Once everyone was settled, Ansem signaled for the servant to bring a round of drinks. "I had hoped you would tell us the situation at Twilight Tower," he turned toward Riku. "I know it is not the most suitable of table-talk, but it would be for the best."
"I understand," the silver-haired boy replied. "There's not much to say, or rather there is a lot to say that is the same news. Twilight Tower has been under attack constantly by Nobody forces the past few months. Our Bearers are running low on stamina."
"Truly, is it that often?" Ansem asked. "Radiant Garden has not seen a Nobody in over a month."
"That's because the few Nobodies that you see are the few that get passed us," Riku said. Sora looked at the lines now visible in his face. He could not even begin to imagine what it must be like to fight everyday. "We are tied to Castle Oblivion by the Gate of the Sinful. Ours is the world that is on the frontlines."
"We usually can handle the numbers, even in the thousands Dusks are still rather weak," Riku continued.
"Dusks?" the blonde lord questioned.
"Yes, the most common form of Nobody. We were forced to name the different types for easy communication."
"There's more than one type of Nobody?" Sora blurted out. Riku nodded. "But they all look the same."
"The one's that get passed us are usually the Dusks. That's why they are the only one's you see here," the Oblivion elaborated. "But there are bigger and stronger Nobodies practically knocking on our doors each day."
"I must say that I am surprised to hear of this," Ansem ran a hand over his beard. "And all this with the Lord Sephiroth's disappearance…has there been any news of your brother?"
"No," Riku sighed. "And I have no idea where he could be at a time like this."
"I give you my deepest gratitude for coming, I know it must be hard leaving now," Ansem smiled kindly.
"I left the place in good hands," Riku brightened a bit. "The sooner this treaty is signed the sooner I won't have to worry."
"True, my friend, true," the lord replied. "Is there any news from Castle Oblivion. The last we have heard was that the former ruler was overthrown, and someone else has taken control."
"Then you haven't heard much. Two people are ruling the kingdom now, one is the son of the former lord and the other a distant relative," the prince explained. "We know little about them, even less of their purpose in killing the former lord. His son was said to be the one to cut him down. His name is Xemnas the Nobody."
"The Nobody?" Sora questioned from Riku's side.
"Yes, his Keyblade has power over the Void, the realm of the Nobodies. They obey his command only. His father used him at the start of the Third War to his benefit. That's why even before he was properly trained as a Bearer, Castle Oblivion had control of the Nobody forces. The other, ironically, is also named Ansem," Riku continued while looking at the aging lord. "His Keyblade is called the Heartless, and is said to have some power over the Door to Darkness. We have reason to believe they want in for some reason."
"Into the Door to Darkness…?" Ansem sighed. "Troublesome news, indeed."
"Yes, but at the moment, it is not Ansem that worries me. Xemnas is no fool, he was considered a genius, and he is the greater threat," Riku replied. "Because at the moment, he controls the Nobodies, and the Nobodies control us."
The food was brought out after that. Ansem patted Riku's shoulder, "Let's stop such unhappy talk for now and enjoy our meal. We will sign the treaty in the morning and hopefully it will damper Xemnas' actions considerably."
"We can only hope."
The talk during the meal was much lighter than it had been before. Ansem and Leon were speaking of the newest Bearers and their training. Yuffie, Cid and the ladies at the end of the table all had a rather animate conversation going as well.
Riku turned to Sora, "So, you must be special getting invited to a fancy dinner and all."
"Huh?" the brunette said with a mouthful of food. Riku laughed as he swallowed. "I'm not special at all," Sora finally said. "I have no idea why I'm here. I'm just an ordinary Bearer."
"Well, there has to be something that makes you special," the green-eyed boy continued. "I mean, Lord Ansem himself invited you to his table. And if he runs this place anything like it's run back home, that means something."
"Well….I don't know," Sora thought aloud. Blue eyes scanned the table briefly and found that Cloud was once again glaring at him. "Um," he said to Riku. "Your friend is glaring at me again."
Riku looked over to Cloud, and laughed, "He always does that. It's fun to make faces at him when he does though. Try it." And with that Riku pulled down his lower eyelid and stuck his tongue out.
Sora almost choked on the food he was chewing. Is this how all princes acted? But, soon he was laughing, glad to get rid of the awkward feeling he had had all night. He took this as his invitation to be himself and pulled his cheeks, making a face out Cloud who made a noise close to a growl.
Suddenly Sora was smacked, "Sora, you idiot! Quit being rude!"
The Kingdom turned to his blonde brother, "I'm not being rude! Riku was doing it too!" Roxas gave him a look, the same look he always gave Sora when he believed him to be lying.
"And who's this?" Riku asked, leaning over slightly so he could see the other.
"Oh, I never introduced you!" Sora rubbed where Roxas had hit him. "This is my younger brother, Roxas."
Roxas seemed to be at a loss for words, he opened his mouth a few times but no words came out. Sora laughed, covering his mouth trying to quiet it, "You look like a fish!"
"Well, pleasure to meet you, Roxas," Riku smirked.
"Hey, Riku," came a new voice. All three turned to face Axel who was grinning from his chair next to Roxas. "You should see how jumpy this one is! Every time I move he jumps like five feet, it's so cute."
"Yeah well, you probably scare him," Riku said. "Hell, if I was sitting that close to you, I'd be scared too…I mean with a face like that…"
Axel snorted and picked up a piece of food as if he was getting ready to throw it. "Hey, Red," Riku smirked. "Behave, I'm enjoying my dinner."
A small laughed sounded from the end of the table, everyone turned to see Namine giggling from behind her palm. "Now boys, don't make me come down there and separate you!"
"Please, Namine," Riku laughed. "You're welcome to."
"What's that supposed to mean!" Axel said, mock-offended.
"My, you are all so close," Aerith suddenly said. The boys hadn't realized most of the table was listening to their conversation rather than continuing with their own. Poor Roxas and Sora turned red while Riku wore yet another smirk.
"Well, the four of us are practically family," Riku said. "Namine's family has been serving the royal family for generations, so even if I am a year her senior, we're basically from the same crib. As for Axel and Cloud, they came to the castle at a young age. We all have grown up together."
"It's good to see even at Twilight Tower there are such happy faces," Ansem smiled. Dinner ended soon after, yet many remained, talking with the newcomers.
Roxas had finally escaped Axel for the time being and was standing near the doors with Sora, Kairi and Namine. Riku had excused himself to make last minute arrangements with Lord Ansem much to Sora's disappointment. And Cloud had followed.
"Man," Roxas sighed. "That had to be the least enjoyable dinner I've ever had!" His eyebrows were drawn together, in what Sora instantly recognize as his usual sign of annoyance.
"Don't say that Roxas," Kairi scolded lightly.
"You have no idea, Kairi! No offense to you, Lady Namine," he stopped briefly to look at her. When she smiled, he continued, "But something about Lord Axel…I can't stand him!"
"Oh, I am sure I'm not that bad," came a voice from behind him. When Roxas felt the weight of a hand on his shoulder, he visibly tensed. "Calm down, Twitchy. I'm a good guy," Axel grinned.
"Excuse me?" Roxas turned sharply, roughly shaking the hand from his shoulder. "What did you just call me?" Roxas puffed his cheeks in anger, causing Sora to snicker from his side earning him a rather hard punch.
While Sora rubbed his arm, Axel said with a grin, "Twitchy…I called you Twitchy. You're so jumpy!"
Before Roxas could retort, Namine stepped in, slapping Axel's arm lightly. "We can't take you anywhere! Quit bothering him. And his name is Roxas."
"What a cute name! Hey Roxy," Axel held out his hand to the blonde, only to have it harshly whacked away.
"Don't call me that! My name is Roxas! Roxas! Do you want me to spell it for you!" Roxas shouted. There was a shocked silence for a moment before Roxas promptly turned on his heels and sprinted out the door.
"Roxas!" Sora called after him.
"Let him go, Sora," Kairi placed a hand on his arm. She then looked over to Namine and Axel. The blonde looked worried, and Axel was stunned. "Don't worry, he'll be okay. Roxas is probably just angry at himself for losing control. He is very concerned with tradition and rules and tries very hard to follow them. Unlike his brother," she gestured to Sora, "who tries to break all of them."
"Hey…" Sora pouted.
"Ah, I see," Namine smiled. "That combined with Axel's antics…well…"
"Hey…" Axel pouted, and the other three laughed.
Sora then took the time to glance over to where Riku had been standing with Lord Ansem. But even when he stood on his toes he could not make out that silver head. "Has anyone seen Riku?"
"Oh, well, I saw Cloud head out those doors a while ago. Perhaps Riku went there as well," Namine pointed.
"Those doors lead to the beach…" Sora drifted off.
"Oh then, I'm sure that's where Riku is," she smiled again. "Riku loves the water. We don't have an ocean, only a small lake, at Twilight Tower and he spends a lot of time at its shore."
"I'm gunna go look for him," Sora announced. "See you, guys!" With a quick wave he headed toward the doors leading out to the beach.
Namine waved back, "It was good to meet you!"
Then both Namine and Kairi turned when they heard mumbling. "What did you say, Axel?" Namine questioned.
"R-O-X-A-S. Roxas. See? I can spell it just fine."
The girls laughed.
Sora stepped out on the beach and looked around. The air was brisk, though not quite cold enough to be called cold, or call for an overcoat. The sun was just about to set, casting an orange glow on the water.
In the distance he could make out the various islands that were littered across the sea. And then he saw a dark silhouette standing near the bridge which lead to one of the smaller isles. Sora could easily see it wasn't Riku but he approached him anyway.
As he came closer, he realized the figure was Cloud. The Fenrir was looking out over the waves toward the small island closest to shore. Following his gaze, Sora caught sight of a silver head of hair leaning against the large, crooked tree.
He grinned and continued on his way. Cloud gave him a distrusting glance, but neither said something nor made a move, so Sora continued passed albeit slightly nervous.
Sora's large boots made the wooden planks creak. Riku did not turn until the brunette had touched the ground of the sandy isle. And even then, he tuned but slightly and gave a small nod.
"Hey," Sora said. "What are you doing out here?"
"Watching the sunset."
"Oh, I guess that's cool," Sora said. "I mean, I guess they can be pretty sometimes."
"I've never seen one," Riku smirked.
"Wha…? How could you have never seen one?"
Riku laughed. Sora hoisted himself up on the tree, so that his feet were dangling. He watched Riku, waiting for him to continue. "You don't know much do you?" he said, and Sora huffed. "The sun never sets where I come from."
"Really?"
"Really. The sun is always like this….stuck halfway in the sky, never setting, never rising. It's always twilight," Riku looked at him.
"So, you don't have night, or day?" Sora was definitely intrigued. "Then how do you know when you go to sleep? Or wake up? Or eat lunch?"
Riku laughed again, "You go to bed when you're tired and eat when you're hungry. You learn. Plus, there is something called a clock. Heard of it?"
"Shut up," Sora pouted, then gave a wide grin. He didn't understand why he felt so good when he was with Riku. He didn't feel the need to hide his true self like he did with Radiant Garden's nobility. He didn't feel like he had to impress him. He just felt good.
"Hey, that Cloud guy…is he like a stalker?" Sora asked.
"No," Riku glanced back to see the blonde standing in the distance and laughed. "He was assigned to be my bodyguard by my father. He takes his job way to seriously. He's a good guy though, I trust him with my life."
"Oh," Sora breathed. Minutes passed and silence drifted upon them.
The sun was now at the horizon, giving the last of its beautiful light over the rolling waves. "It's nice out here," Riku said as he closed his eyes briefly.
Sora found himself nodding along with Riku. He couldn't even imagine must it be like for Riku. This was the first time he had ever seen the ocean. To Sora, the ocean was just the ocean and the sunset, just a sunset. But yes, this, being with Riku, it was nice. "They call this place Destiny Islands," Sora said. "Only the people who live in the castle have access to it."
"Destiny Islands, huh? Seems fitting," Riku replied.
The brunette nodded again. "All lot of people think this place is magical. I mean, see that island over there? That's where the Door to Light is. So, it must be what makes this place so beautiful."
"I don't believe in magic or fairytales…not anymore…"
Sora looked at him. He could easily see that something was on Riku's mind. There was a pain in his eyes that could not be seen unless someone was looking. Still, Sora didn't think it was his place to bring it up. So, instead, he thought he would try to make Riku smile again, or smirk. He liked Riku's smirk.
"Aw, stuff like that is not a fairytale!" Sora grinned. "Like this tree right here," he patted the bark. "This tree has magic in it for real!"
"Oh, and what pray tell is so special about this crooked old tree?" Riku raised a brow and looked up at those shining blue eyes.
"Because this is a Paopu Tree!"
"And what the hell is that?" Riku turned, sling an arm on the bark so he was now completely facing Sora. "I've never heard of that before."
"That's because this one is the only one in the three worlds!" Sora said and stuck out his tongue. "See those fruit?" he pointed to the yellow star-shaped fruit hanging at the top of the tree, safely nestled between the palms. "Those are paopu fruit. And when you share one with somebody else, your destinies become intertwined forever."
"Now that's a stupid fairytale!" Riku turned back around, acting bored. In truth, Sora's story had intrigued him. But he wouldn't say that aloud.
"It's not stupid!"
"So then you're admitting it's a fairytale then?"
"No!" Sora crossed his arms in annoyance.
The silence drifted over them again, but neither seemed to mind. Riku was gazing at the sea, watching the last of the light disappear, and Sora also had turned his attention to the sunset. Neither saw Cloud, who gave a small smile before heading back toward the castle.
After a while, Sora pursed his lips together, although his eyes shone with happiness, "Riku?"
"Yeah?
"You suck."
Author's Note: Geez, this chapter was too horribly long. I dunno... Oh, yeah. My humor, it's the ghey, I know, but hey...hafta keep myself entertained until I reach the juicy romance, ne? (evil grin) Anyways, I would be really happy if you dusted off that review button and sent me something pretty!
