Eep! Sorry! I'm so sorry for the long wait! I simply lacked the time to update this story with my hectic way of life… argh… Gomen nasai again everyone.

But on a side note, thank you for the many reviews I got for the last chap, they made me very happy and encouraged me to continue this. Oh by the way, this story is already 1 year old, OMG… Lolz…

So then, let's pick up where we left our two love birds, shall we?

-Blackdiamond Princess!

9. Stepping stones

New Xillion City, summer 2004

Sunday morning, 2.41 am

His eyes were still shimmering with tears as he blinked once, then twice before finally resting them back on my face. A trembling hand rose up to cup my left cheek and I held it against my skin, bringing it to my lips and kissing its palm lovingly while closing my eyes.

I was sure of what I was doing; I had had the time to think about it thoroughly. I wanted him by my side always.

He approached me and laid his lips on mine softly. I tasted the salty taste of his tears and the sweetness of the kiss, the smooth caress of his fingers on my face, and I wished vividly for him to grant me his presence in my life for ever because I was helplessly drowning into him. Drowning into him and I didn't want to ever resurface.

He let go of me and ran a thumb over my lips as he looked into my eyes. I couldn't be sure of what he was thinking at the time, I couldn't tell what his answer was going to be; he just kept looking at me without saying a word and with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Was that a yes?" I gently asked, biting my lower lip in suspense for his answer, a small nervous smile on my lips.

He chuckled nervously and wiped away a tear rolling down his right cheek hastily, trailing his eyes away from mine. I watched how his cheeks flared up cutely and how his smile grew into a grin. "You still need me to tell you?" He whispered and now looked at me as more tears left his eyes.

I honestly didn't know what to think; my insides felt like one puddle of nervous goo and I couldn't think of anything else than a possible 'yes' or 'no'. Now I know why most men found the proposal the most difficult part of an engagement.

He threw his arms around me and hugged me tightly. "Yes! You silly!" He sobbed.

"Y-yes?" I stammered, not realising for a moment. "You say yes?" I needed the confirmation, just to make really sure he was sure so I could be sure that I wasn't dreaming.

"Yes!" He spoke again, kissing me in my neck this time and giggling.

"Oh Sora!" I breathed out in relief and wrapped my arms around him while he kept laughing. "I love you." I held his face in my hands now, still faintly shaking from all the emotions that had flooded through me just a few moments before. "I love you so much! Thank you!"

He only broke down in laughter again and took me in his arms, spilling more kisses on my head and on my hair. "You should ask me to marry you more often."

I laughed, "I don't think so, I think my heart won't survive the overdose of emotions next time…"

He giggled again and held me close. "You make me so happy, Riku…"

I looked up at him and gently brushed a stray lock of brown hair out of his eyes. "Don't think I'm only doing this because of—" I didn't want him to think that I had asked him to marry me just because of the time he hadn't left to spend with me anymore.

"Shh…" He hushed me with a finger pressed against my lips. "All I need to know is that you wouldn't have asked me if you didn't truly care about me and loved me." He whispered. "That's enough for me to know."

I took his hands in mine and kissed them while still looking at him. "You're so beautiful."

He gently smiled again and bit his lower lip. "I feel beautiful…" He looked at the silver ring glistening on his left hand finger now and pursed his lips in admiration. "It's so shiny…" He said with a grin. I laughed again and he turned his head to me. "I feel like celebrating…"

I quirked an eyebrow with an impish smile. "What did you have in mind, sexy?"

"Ooh…" He whispered, throwing his left leg over my lap so he straddled me now. "Is this one of the advantages of being engaged? You calling me 'sexy'?"

I chuckled up at him and took him by his hips, "Hmm… maybe? There are plenty more advantages tied to the pleasure of becoming my husband."

"There are even more when becoming mine…" Sora whispered against my lips with a seducing smile, his fingers creeping in between us.

I made a low sound in my throat, catching his lips with mine as he took hold of my manhood and applied gentle pressure. "You sexy little kitten…"

He purred and bent down to bite me in the crook of my right shoulder, his tongue sweeping over the skin he had put his teeth in seconds before and I shuddered at the pleasurable shock that went through me. He moaned softly, his right hand still wrapped around my erection, his warm breath playing against me, slowly driving me crazy.

Tranquilly his hand on me moved up and down, making me burry my face in the crook of his right shoulder so I wouldn't let go of the groan of desire that was threatening to tumble off my lips.

With my left hand I was holding him close to me and with my right one I followed the path that went around his waist, slowly, yet surely crawling towards his rear that was still hidden underneath the covers he had wrapped around his hips earlier but that now hung loosely on his back. I slid the fabric gently aside and put my hand in between, caressing the smooth and soft skin there and cupping one cheek and squeezing his warm flesh longingly.

He arched and our erections touched, making it hard for me to keep any sound from escaping my mouth. He then moaned in my throat, his forehead resting against my right shoulder. My hand on his bottom then travelled further, mimicking the same movements from earlier on the other lobe, causing the same reaction.

Sora was breathing more heavily now, moaning and whimpering softly on my skin, adding more virtue to his motions of pressure and release on my manhood while moving his butt cheeks enticingly against my hand.

One finger slipped in between his lobes and I felt him tremble slightly against me, moaning my name. "Don't tease…" He breathed throatily, applying a slightly opened kiss underneath my right ear, sending more chills down my spine and right into my crotch, making it twitch and in a result, making him chuckle deep in his throat.

God he was so sexy.

"You're the one teasing." I murmured back, taking his right ear lobe in between my lips to suckle on it. My index was now drawing small circles around his small entrance and he was pushing back against it almost desperately.

"No, you are…" He moaned and I chuckled.

He moved his head away from my shoulders and kissed me hungrily on my lips, sending the both of us on the bed. "You want to be on top? Again?"

He laughed as he sat up and placed his hands on my hips for balance. "I like this spot." He giggled and wiggled his hips making me bite back a groan at the friction caused.

"I can't guarantee that you'll keep that spot for very long." I throatily whispered, my hands moving to take hold of his hips, coaxing him to put his body in the right position on top of me. I watched as his small upper front teeth dug themselves into his lower lip, catching but a small stroke of flesh in between them, before he letting go, his eyes still hungrily on mine. He then brought his hands flatly up his body, caressing himself, sliding them up over his chest and all the way up into his hair before arching back a little, seemingly enjoying the sensation of my eyes ravishing him as I mentally pounded myself into his tight little body over and over again.

He had given me a great gift, one I knew I had been searching for ever since I lost my virginity so many years ago; the real, deep and durable feeling of really good sex. No, no joke here, I'm being serious. With Sora I could be myself, I could let myself go completely and he would love it. Enjoy it. Drink from the pleasure eagerly and still ask for more.

He would take me to unknown heights, lift me so high and let me fall back into his welcoming and loving arms over and over again. This is going to sound so cliché, but I finally knew what love really meant. That feeling deep in your guts that made you sick when you didn't see the person you loved or the way your heart just beat faster when he laughed, or even when he simply looked at you. It was a constant urge that continuously needed to be satisfied with a touch, a kiss or a meaningful look, a desire to be with that person every single minute of the day, for him to be the first person you see in the morning and the last in the evening. It was the realisation that this person was the one, that he would share your life, your joy and your pain no matter what until that day when life would end and only the memories of this magical feeling you had shared would remain. I didn't need to be convinced that love transcended death; our love was the perfect proof of that.

It would go on for ever.

I sat up and pulled his lips to mine in another hungry kiss, feeling how his hands wrapped around my shoulders and how he positioned himself on me.

"Can we now?" he impatiently breathed against my lips.

(Ya'll know the drill. For the lemon, please go to my bio-page. Thank you.)

New Xillion City, autumn/winter 2004

Friday evening, 6. 21 pm

The lights on the other side of the river were starting to light up one by one, the sun barely gone underneath the horizon and already artificially replaced as the city prepared itself for the bustling night that was ahead.

I watched the many different neon lights flickering up in the street beneath me, people in big coats and scarves walking by the many stores and shop windows thinking no doubt about the holidays up ahead. It wouldn't be long before snow would start falling from the skies, making everything look like a postcard scenery.

A smile crossed my features as I spotted one particular white scarf and a big mass of spiky, sandy brown hair hastily crossing the street in front of the building. I turned away from the window and re-arranged the curtains that hung in front of it before glancing at the clock above the TV and noticing that he was running a little late. There probably was a lot of traffic on his way home from the magazine.

I walked over to our bathroom to go do my hair. He would call when he would enter the house.

I looked at myself in the mirror and couldn't help the smile that started to grow on my lips. Sora and I were now engaged for 4 months and the wedding was for next week. The butterflies that had made of my stomach their permanent living space were fluttering inside of me again and no matter how much I tried, I couldn't ignore the growing nervous feeling in me. Of course, every groom to be felt like this before taking the big step, I was no different. Maybe only in the fact that I was marrying another man. Well, what were details, anyway?

"Riku, I'm home!" I heard Sora call before the door fell shut.

"In the bathroom, babe." I called back, taking the small pot of hair wax from one of the shelves in front of me.

"I'm sorry I'm late." He whispered and I turned to kiss him as he stood behind me. "There was a monstrous traffic jam on Ohalland and St. John's."

"It's alright, we still got some time, but we'll have to hurry a little." I whispered back, turning around again to continue doing my hair. He went into our bedroom and I heard him opening his suitcase we packed together yesterday.

"Leon called earlier." I informed him, deciding to wear my hair in a ponytail after all. "Said that Cloud had gotten hold of that photographer for the pictures and that she'd come to Destiny City the day before the wedding."

"He did? Oh my god, that's so great." Sora walked back into the bathroom, holding a silver necklace with a silver pendant in the form of a crown out to me. He then placed himself in front of me, facing the mirror and I laid the necklace around his neck while he held his hair up a little. Our eyes met in the mirror and he smiled, his right hand touching the small crown on his chest.

I had given him the pendant for his birthday 2 months ago so he could put the bare silver necklace he always wore to its value. "I've always searched for a pendant just like this."

"You told me that." I smiled, brushing my lips against his left cheek. "It suits you, because you are a king, you know?" I pressed a kiss on his soft skin. "You're the king of my heart."

He turned to face me and smiled. "Tell me again why I can't marry you right away?"

I chuckled. "Because we agreed to hold the ceremony with all our friends and beloved ones." I tapped my right index on the tip of his nose. "And because we already sent the invitations a month ago."

He pouted a little, making me chuckle again. "It's becoming more and more difficult to wait with each passing day. I wish we were there already."

"We will be soon enough." I softly spoke back, kissing his lips and tucking a strand of his hair behind an ear. "Soon you'll be my husband, Mr Sora Haruki-Masako."

He closed his eyes and smiled, letting me press another kiss on his forehead. "Yes, very soon, Mr Riku Haruki-Masako."

I took him into an embrace, closing my eyes so I could feel his heart beating against my chest. "I love you, Sora."

"I love you too, mister. So much." He whispered back, his hold on me tightening before we let go of each other. "And not that I don't love these corny moments with you, but we got a plane to catch." He then said excitedly with a grin.

I laughed and nodded. "You're right. Are you all packed?"

"Yup." He said, still grinning. "Are you?"

"Just need to pack my wax and facial supplies." I answered back, taking the said articles from the shelves underneath the mirror while he walked to the door.

He rolled his eyes mockingly and shook his head with a cocky smile. "Top models."

"What 'Top models'!" I retorted with a chuckle. "You mean photographers! Who would take a picture of me if I was ugly?" I walked out of the small room and turned off the light, closing the door before walking into our room and kneeling next to my grey rolling suitcase at the end of our bed. I put all the products in a small bag and added it to the other packed stuff.

Sora laughed, sitting on the bed and holding the receiver of the phone in his left hand. "Well, I wouldn't that's for sure, but I bet your mother would."

My mouth fell open at that blunt answer, but I soon started to chuckle because it held a little bit of truth in it. "Are you talking as the photographer or is this my Sora talking?" I asked throwing rolled up socks to his head. The projectile hit him square on his forehead and he fell over on the bed laughing, still holding the phone.

"As the professional photographer and as myself." He chuckled.

I grunted with a smile and moved to retrieve my rolled up socks from behind the bed. "Just call that damn taxi."

Destiny Islands, winter2004

Friday night, 9. 15 pm, local time

The sound of waves rolling onto the beach created the background music for the family dinner we held on the terrace of the Haruki's second residence, a large villa on a private island in the Destiny Islands Archipelago.

Cloud, Leon, our parents, Kairi, Sephiroth, Sora's friends, Wakka and Tidus and their respective partners; Lulu and Yuna, and my best friends Axel and Roxas were all tilting their champagne glasses up to both Sora and me, all wishing us the best in the future.

I looked at Sora with a grant smile and made him stand up alongside of me, taking his hand. He looked absolutely gorgeous in his white ¾ pants and sleeveless white top. I wanted to show him to the world and shout at the top of my lungs that he was mine and that I loved him above everything.

He was slightly blushing, the tan he had gotten from the constant sun on the islands we had received since our arrival a week ago adding even more to his natural beauty. His hair had gotten a few tints lighter now because of the sun and he even had a few streaks of blond. I never thought that anyone could become even more beautiful than one already was without make up. He was true eye candy and I my eyes dwelled on him more than usual. It was like he was glowing all the time, like his tanned skin had this very thin layer of gold stuck to it.

He was simply breathtaking.

"Ok, umm…" I started, chuckling nervously as I turned to face all the guests sitting the long the table. "Sora and I would like to thank you for answering at our invitation, we're really glad you're here. We really wanted to share our happiness with all of you because you've all contributed to what Sora and I are today."

A few acknowledging murmurs came from the group of people and I looked at Sora again, who gave my hand a light encouraging squeeze.

I took my glass of champagne from the table and rose it up in the air towards Cloud, Leon, Sephiroth and my friends. I saw Sora raise his glass towards them too. "A big thank you goes out to you guys, you've helped me out in so many ways and helped me grow into the man I now am. I will be for ever grateful for all of the support and encouragement you've provided me along the years."

They nodded in acknowledgement and rose their glasses in turn. Next, I turned to Kairi. She started to smile as she saw me looking at her and I rose my glass to her. "Kairi."

She smiled back. "Riku."

I chuckled. "What would I ever have done without your guarding wings and caring gestures? How can I ever repay you for all the things you've done for me and Sora?" I said, watching how she closed her eyes and bent her head with a grin. "You're like my baby sister, one I want to look after and take care of, make sure she's okay. I'm glad that, even after everything you and I have been through, you made a place for me in your heart. I know I'll carry you in my heart, supporting you in every decision you'll make. You're a true dame, in every grand sense of the word, and I'll love you for ever."

She smiled, even though I could see the starters of tears shimmering in the corners of her eyes. She rose her glass in turn and blew me a kiss. I bent my head in acknowledgement and finally turned to my parents.

"Mum, dad…" I started, seeing their cheerful faces looking expectantly up at me. My mother had tears in her eyes as my father took hold of her left hand. "On the day that I moved away from home, I remember you telling me that no matter what happened while I was in the city that you'd always be there for me. I guess, I was just lucky to have parents as understanding as you guys. We all know how much of a pain in the ass I can be at times, yet I always found the door to our house open and welcoming. You guys were always there." I paused and smiled at them." Your support and love have helped me become what I am today. You guys have done a great job so far, I'm a happy young man." I smiled again and they both chuckled. "I've had everything a child could have got asked for while growing up, plus two slightly work-obsessed parents." I chuckled and everyone laughed. "And yet, you've always been ready to listen to my problems, I could always confide in you. I'm grateful you've accepted the way I am now and given me your blessing for what I feel for this young man standing here beside me." I laid my eyes on Sora, only to find his eyes already looking at me with pride. I looked at my parents again, seeing the same pride in their eyes. I smiled and raised my glass to them and Sora did the same. "You are the foundation of my life and more than ever I realise the importance of your presence in my life. And I guess that what I mean to say is that I love you guys, and that I thank you for the man I am today, even though I haven't always met up to your expectations."

They both nodded in recognition with large smiles on their faces and I felt like I was standing on top of the world.

"I want to thank you too, Ryoishi and Michiko, for accepting me in your family through your son and for the support you've given me ever since we first met." Sora humbly whispered, bending his head slightly. I saw my mother smile tenderly at that and wink at me when our eyes met. I think it was the first time in years my mother made me blush then.

Sora then raised his glass. "Well, I'm not going to be as long as Riku here." He scratched the back of his head slightly with a nervous chuckle. "He has almost said everything, but I just would like to add a thank you to my best friends, Wakka and Tidus for their support and for convincing me to go find my luck in the city. As you can see, I did find my luck." He chuckled again and Wakka and Tidus grinned at him. "You guys are the best and you'll always be my dearest of friends."

He then turned to Cloud and Leon and bit his lower lip, smiling brightly at the couple. "Uncle Cloud and Leon. I… wow, I don't even know where to start." He sniffled a little and chuckled. "You've both done so much for me.

Uncle Cloud, you were there for me when I found out that I liked boys more than girls, I will never forget the many encouraging words you spoke to me when I felt like the weight of the world was falling on my shoulders. You've been a source of inspiration for me for so long now, an example for me to follow. I thank the both of you so much for just being who you are."

I raised my glass to the both of them in time with Sora before he turned to face his mother sitting next to my parents. "Mom."

"You're doing very well, sweetie." Kamiko encouraged, taking her son's left hand in her right one.

Sora nodded, on the verge of tears. "I know how hard you've had it ever since dad died, I know how much you wanted for me to be happy, and how much you wanted for me to follow my dreams, no matter what my condition was. I'm so glad I didn't give up all of those times I felt like it, just because I wanted to see your smiling face, wanted to make you proud." Kamiko wiped away a few tears from her cheeks, nodding. "I hope that I am making you proud, mom. I love you so much."

"I love you too, sweetheart. You're making me so proud." She whispered back with a touched smile.

"I would suggest you save your happy tears for tomorrow." Cloud commented, chuckling softly.

Sora chuckled back, nodding, and I reached out to brush away the tears that had found their way down his face. He smiled up at me and I took him in my arms, kissing the crown of his head.

Sora then took my right hand in his left one and led me off the terrace and on the beach. I followed him, knowing that the others would understand that we wanted some time alone.

The moon shone brightly up in the nocturnal sky, casting a silver streak on the surface of the sea.

We walked the long the shoreline, away from the house, hip to hip, not saying anything and just enjoying the sound of the crashing waves on the beach and letting the welcome breeze play with our hair, the imprints of our naked feet in the wet sands getting steadily erased as the waves continuously washed over them.

We sat ourselves at the end of the small wooden dock, our bare feet dangling above the shallow waters of the ocean before us, our eyes gazing dreamingly up at the many starts filling the darkening skies.

A soft breeze blew over us as I leant back and my hands and closed my eyes. I remember thinking how nice it would have got been to grow up on this island, spending days in the warm sun and hours playing in the refreshing waters of the sea.

I had always loved the sea and the liberating feelings it evoked inside of me. My mother used to tell me how inseparable I was from the swimming pools when I was a little kid and how I always loved to swim. Even today, swimming is what I love doing most out of all sports.

My thoughts dwelled on the idea of maybe moving to the Destiny Islands, but I knew that it would be an impossible option for the both of us; because since we both had accepted the jobs offered to us, we were tied to New Xillion. I really thought it was a shame then that I had seen the place where Sora had grown up, but I figured that for holidays and vacations we could always come and pay his mother and family a visit, seen as how Destiny City, the capital, was only three hours away by plane.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Sora whispered softly, bringing me out of my thoughts, his eyes still fixed on the star filled sky. His face then turned towards me and I smiled at him, wondering how he had known that my mind had been wandering off.

"I was thinking about how beautiful it is here and about how much I'd like to come back to spend holidays here."

"That'd be wonderful." He said, smiling back.

I nodded. "Then you wouldn't feel too much separated from your mother and friends."

He made an agreeing sound and looked up at the sky again. "Yeah…"

"Penny for your thoughts?" I asked in turn, catching the growing smile on his lips.

He chuckled soundlessly and leant back on his elbows, turning his head to me. "Have you had any… dreams lately?" He asked, giving me a hesitant, yet questioning look.

I frowned slightly, trying to remember the last time I had 'dreamt', but soon realised that the last time I had taken a trip to the past had been on the night he had been taken into the hospital. "No, not since that night…"

"Yeah, me neither." He whispered back. "Do you think that it means that… we're okay?"

I looked at him for a long moment, thinking about what he said. There was something weird about it all now that he had mentioned it. Not that I wasn't happy to be rid of these strange flash back dreams, but I wouldn't forget about what Sora had said about them. He once told me that these dreams weren't just giving us a peak of what happened in a previous life, but that they were meant to warn us, to keep history from repeating itself. Yet more than half a year had passed now and nothing had happened to us and the dreams had stopped. Did this mean that we were clear?

I ran my hands through his hair comfortingly, brushing the few stray locks out of his face. "We're more than okay now, aren't we? That's what matters, right?"

He smiled and nodded. "Right."

"And if anything was to happen it would have to wait until after the wedding as long as we're aright, okay?"

"Okay."

"Okay." I smiled. "But just for the record, nothing will happen. I won't let it."

"You can never be sure, baby." He whispered, moving himself to crawl over me, his legs straddling my hips and his arms moving around waist, his head resting against my chest.

"No seriously. Nothing will happen." I insisted, balancing myself on my left arm so it now supported both our weights as my right one ran through his hair. "We're getting married for crying out loud, do you want something to happen?" I jokingly added.

"As a matter as a fact, I do." He whispered in an almost offended way, now sitting up and crossing his arms over his chest.

I blinked a few times, not understanding why he was saying something like this for all of a sudden. That is, until he started grinning.

"Riku, you're such a dork! I mean that I want something to happen between us tomorrow!" He giggled, falling against me again and sending us both on the wooden surface.

He was still laughing as he sat there on top of me. "You seriously had me doubting for a second there."

"I know I did." He snickered, kissing me on my lips. "I got you, babe."

"Now you're going to break into a song too?"

He laughed and actually started to sing.

"Stop! Please, it's horrible!" I whispered with a grimace on my face, bringing my fingers into my ears. "Why are you doing this to me?"

He giggled and swatted my arm. "That's mean!"

"You're the one who's mean! Making me hear that horrible song!" I retorted, chuckling at the growing pout on his face.

"You big meanie!"

"Ok, is that your final answer?" I asked him, taking him by his shoulders and pulling him closer to me.

"Yes!" He said decidedly, giving a curt nod. "You're mean!"

"Ok, then let me show you how mean I can get." I planted quick kisses on his lips, altering the angles slightly while I let go of his shoulders and let my hands creep under his white top.

He giggled and tried to stop my hands from going up his smooth back further. "We're not supposed to consummate our love the night before the wedding."

"Who made up that stupid rule?" I murmured back, now kissing one reddening cheek.

"I don't know…" He kissed me back and placed my hands on his hips as he sat up and slightly moved them back and forth against me.

"Probably just to get us hornier for after the wedding…" I replied, sitting up in turn and nipping at the sensitive skin of his throat right underneath his jaw line, making him gasp.

"Baby… I don't think we should…" He then mumbled, arching his neck, my lips still planting soft kisses, my teeth slightly grazing against him.

"Then stop…" I whispered in between kisses.

He moaned slightly and his hands pressed against the back of my head, pressing me closer. "Why don't you stop first…?"

I chuckled. "Because I can't and I don't want to…"

I felt him tugging at the back of my blue shirt and it soon slid over my head, leaving me topless. "Me neither…" He breathed and our lips met in devouring kiss, my hands running up into his hair, his moans vibrating against our lips, our clothes falling all around us.

I remember Sora singing 'Sex on the beach' afterwards, making me laugh in the pale moonlight.

The lights of the beach house in the distance were still on and we put our clothes back on before walking back, hand in hand.

Hoax, winter 1254

Cold was the night, bitter was the solitude that had crept into his heart.

Melancholy had taken the place of grief now; despair now the only thing left, his only companion during the lonely days and nights following the loss of his other half. Everything was but a memory now, those past moments of joy and bliss but a delusion.

He wouldn't be coming back because nothing could bring him back. Never would it be the same anymore. Fate had given and taken, but returned nevermore.

In the comfortable confines of the castle his heart had grown rigid, the endless moments now seeming meaningless and futile. A dark shadow now loomed over his life, killing his dying hope and shattering the remains of his wishful existence like broken glass.

The torment and pain had nestled in his heart and he knew that never again he would rest, for he also knew that for the ache he felt no cure had ever been found.

Even the light that had once brought a small point of comfort in the darkness that had consumed his heart now hurt his restless eyes, the sole candle in his study procuring him no more solace against the ever growing night that kept creeping deeper and deeper inside of him, slowly feeding on his dying heart, taking control of his body.

Goodbye had always been such a hard thing to do, yet it surprised him how easily he walked over to his desk and to what was waiting there for him.The cold blade glistened in the little light, calling him, beguiling him closer.

A drop of blood fell on the letter placed readily on the study, the sharpness of the small blade now confirmed, and the finality of it all now clear.

Cold was the night, bitter his solitude. Yet warm was his smile and red his blood as it spilled on his study room floor…

Saturday morning, 3.48 am

Cold sweat was running down my spine, my eyes wide open as I gasped for air. It was still dark outside and the moon was shining into my bed room. One of my hands instinctively reached for the covers next to me, only to remember that Sora was sleeping in a separate room because of those stupid marital traditions… I sighed and breathed in slowly, trying to calm my heart that was beating like mad and the dizziness that had taken over in my head.

I needed to know if Sora was alright.

My hands were trembling as I reached for my cell phone lying on my bed-side cabinet where I had left it the night before and read 3.50 am. I speed-dialled Sora's number and a few seconds later I got a very sleepy Sora on the other side of the line. I breathed out in relief.

"Mmbaby…? Iz that you…? Wha'z wrong?"

I sighed and smiled softly. "I couldn't stop thinking about you and I wanted to hear your voice…"

"That's so sweet…"

"So I'm just going to let you sleep now and see you tomorrow…"

"'Kay… Love you."

"Love you too, very, very much. Sleep well, kitten."

I heard him smile. "You too, Riku…"

I hung up and placed the phone back on the cabinet.

Why this dream?

Why now of all times?

To be continued…

-BDP-