Yes, yes, I know. I'm taking forever with this updates. Unfortunately for you all, school and the girlfriend come first.

Reminder, I no own.


Family Relations

"Okay, so we've taken care of just about everyone, right?" Kairi glanced over.

"I think so." Riku frowned thoughtfully. "You said you would pick up Leon's bath kit this evening and we're going to get Aerith's gift before we leave. That should be everyone."

"I hope so," Cloud grumbled softly. Somehow, he had become the group's pack mule. They had been shopping for over an hour and as the number of bags increased, they had all wound up in the blond's hands. Riku and Kairi would dart ahead whenever they came to a location they wanted to look in and impatiently wait for Cloud before going inside.

…And every time he wanted to open his mouth to protest, Riku would smile happily and the words would just disappear. He just could not bring himself to say anything that might ruin the young man's good mood. So, he kept his mouth shut and dealt with being the manual help.

Riku glanced over his shoulder, silver hair catching the bright sunlight. The look he gave him was still jovial but there was a hint of concern in his aqua eyes. "You all right?"

Cloud nodded. "I've gotten used to being the manual labor."

"You know you are infinitely more important than that."

"Yeah," the swordsman chuckled. "Leon says I'm a damn good punching bag, too."

"He does like to take his frustrations out on you," noted Riku. Beside him, Kairi giggled and he flicked his eyes over. "I'm serious! You're going to have to listen to the two of them sometime. I swear, you'd think they hate each other."

"Actually, that doesn't surprise me" The young woman grinned. "Leon is very… determined when it comes to the Restoration and anything that doesn't promote its immediate attention probably bothers the heck out of him."

"That about sums it up." Cloud shifted the bags in his right hand. "I think he yells at Zack almost as much as he does me and Zack works damn hard; he just tends to goof off as much as he works."

"I can't wait to meet him," said Kairi. "Between everything you've said and Aerith's letters, he sounds amazing."

Traitor. Riku shook his head, forcing the thought back. "He's great. Actually, he and Sora are a lot alike."

Cloud nodded in agreement. "Those two are definitely in a class all their own."

"Yeah," Riku slowed a bit so that he could walk beside his lover. When he was within arm's length, he casually reached over and brushed his fingers along the man's jaw. He instantly felt better.

Kairi grinned a little at the display before superficially checking her watch. "Well, it should be about time for you two to head over to Sora's. It's early enough that you can take your time getting there and Riku can show off all of the little places he and Sora used to play."

The silver-haired male made a noise. "You know how long that would take, Kai? The whole island was our playground."

"Guess you better get started then," The auburn-haired female stated easily. They were coming up to a split in the road, both directions leading toward residential areas. "I'll stop by Sassy Girl for that set on my way home and bring it to you tomorrow."

"Great." They reached the split and Riku gave Kairi a tight hug. "Thanks, Kairi, for everything today."

She returned the embrace easily and whispered quietly, "You'll be fine, Riku. You have all the support and love a person can possibly have."

She pulled away and smiled at him before shifting it toward Cloud. "Have fun with Seiya, Cloud. Hopefully, Sora will be able to keep her from getting too crazy."

Cloud paled, his expression becoming uneasy. "Uh, yeah."

She giggled again and waved goodbye before turning and heading down the right path. As she walked away, Riku felt an odd urge to call her back. Suddenly, he had this completely unreasonable fear of being alone with Cloud.

"I'm guessing Sora lives in the opposite direction," Cloud stated. There was a bit of nervous humor in his voice. "Or else Kairi is letting me slowly panic without an audience."

Snorting, Riku turned to face the older man. He again reached up and brushed at Cloud's cheek. "Oh, don't panic. Seiya's great and I know she's going to love you."

"I'm not so much worried about her liking me as I am that she's going to bombard me with questions," countered the blond as the couple began walking the left fork in the road. "Though having her like me is a close second."

"Hey, you should be glad you only have to meet her." Riku focused on keeping his words light. "I can honestly say my parents would not have taken a real liking to you. They may have dealt with you in the end but…"

Cloud frowned, keeping his attention ahead of them. "I'm sure they would have given you hell about me."

"I wouldn't go that far. They definitely would have been more troubled by the age factor than the fact that your also a man," The nearly eighteen-year-old spoke slowly. "Mom would have likely needed a lot of convincing that you weren't some kind of predator and Dad would have been more concerned about if you were going to be able to support me properly."

"Right, so they would have hated me."

"Hate is a strong word." Riku glanced over with faint amusement. "I'd go with severely dislike."

"Uh huh," Cloud muttered flatly. "Probably would always be convinced that wasn't good enough for you."

He is unworthy of you.

Riku shook his head of the voice. "No."

"Well, I guess it doesn't really matter whether they would or not," Cloud stated casually though there was still a slightly troubled quality to the words.

"Yeah." The silvered male leaned over to press his shoulder to Cloud's. He focused on the contact as his mind tried to drift away. "I love you and so do all of the people who matter."

None of them matter, the fools. They are the cause of your discord. Cast them away and free yourself-

"Stop!"

Cloud came to a halt and stared at him. "What?"

Riku closed his eyes and breathed slowly, willing his suddenly rapid pulse to settle. That was the clearest he had heard that voice. It was definitely female and there was some kind of indescribable depth to it, like there was an ancient wisdom behind every word spoken.

"Riku?"

"Sorry," he quietly apologized. He scrambled for an excuse for his outburst but the moment he met Cloud's worried blue eyes, all thought of that left him. With a heavy step, he moved closer and wrapped his arms around the man's neck. "I think…"

Cloud immediately dropped the bags he carried and pulled Riku close. "What, Riku? Whatever it is, we'll fix it."

Cloud's certainty calmed him and he felt safe again in his arms. He was completely himself with no other unwanted sensations, just Cloud's embrace and love. Despite this, fear remained within him and he had the horrible feeling that these random bouts were only the beginning of something he could not attempt to guess at.

"Do you want to go back?" Cloud rubbed lightly at his back. "I'm sure Sora and his mom would understand if we didn't-"

"Oh, no." Riku managed a real smile and pulled away. "I'm fine now and I'll never hear the end of it if Seiya doesn't get her opportunity to thoroughly pick you apart."

Concern still highlighted Cloud's eyes but he returned the smile and nodded. He reluctantly released Riku and moved to retrieve the dropped bags. Riku reached over and took half of them from him, holding them in one hand so that he and Cloud could keep their free hands clasped.

Shooting his boyfriend another smile, he silently prompted him to begin walking again. As they did, he purposely focused his thoughts on the man beside him. Even though he had only been fifteen when they had met, he had somehow known even then that he and Cloud would forever be connected. Something bonded them that Riku could not possibly begin to explain and he found he really did not care to.

All that mattered to him was that he loved Cloud more than mere words could describe.

By the time they reached Sora's small, two-story house, both men had recovered from the earlier episode. They completely ignored the few people that they passed, or rather Riku did. He knew that he was probably coming off as being rude since it was highly likely that a majority of them would remember him but he was not going to risk slipping back into a foul mood because of his homeworld's ignorance about homosexuality.

Cloud's hand was warm and solid in his and his presence was literally wrapped around him like a blanket. He finally felt better than he had in a long time and hoped that just maybe this little vacation was starting to serve its purpose. Cloud's reaffirmation of his dedication had made him believe that he was really going to be okay and he was finally beginning to move past whatever this was that was affecting him.

They climbed the few steps to Sora's front stoop and Cloud visibly tensed. "You sure you want to do this?"

Riku chuckled and tugged the blond to him. Instead of using words, he simply kissed Cloud deeply. He squeezed his hand reassuringly as he did, yet again letting the man know that everything was going to be fine.

"Hey, now." Sora's voice carried through the screen door. "Don't let Mom see you doing that. You might break her brain."

"Oh, nonsense!" A loud female voice drifted from further in. "I want to see my boys happy! Now, Riku, get in here with that man of yours so I can meet him!"

Grinning, Riku opened the door and waved Cloud in. His lover pursed his lips briefly before stepping forward and inside the small house. Riku followed and nudged Cloud to move further in. "Come on, man of mine. Mommy's waiting."

Sora's laughter came from the right where he was sitting in the living room. When Cloud shot him a weak glare, he only laughed harder and stood up. "Get used to it, Cloud. Mom's pretty bossy and she's had both me and Ku trained for a long time."

Sora came and took the bags from the older man then Riku placed both hands on Cloud's shoulders and steered him down the hall. While he did not resist, Cloud clearly was in no hurry to reach their destination. He let Riku push him forward, not offering any help with the task.

They entered the small kitchen and Riku felt a wave of calmness sweep through him. There were so many memories associated with this house, particularly this room. Anytime he had a problem he could not go to his father with, he would end up in this kitchen, sitting at the little table with a large plate of food and talking about it with Seiya, sometimes until early morning. Sora would stay up also but more often than not, it would be just him and Seiya.

"Hello, baby!" He was assaulted by a petite woman with brown hair the exact color of her son's. She threw her arms around Riku's waist and managed to make him stagger. "I'm so glad you're here!"

Cloud had very quickly scrambled away when he caught sight of the female coming toward them from his peripheral vision. From approximately a foot away, he watched Sora's mother enthusiastically hug her surrogate son and smiled us Riku relaxed into it. He knew how much being here meant to the young man.

"Okay, Seiya, need to breathe." When Seiya released him, Riku smiled at her more brightly than he had at anyone in a long time. "I'm glad to be here, too."

Seiya beamed, patting his cheek once before abruptly turning toward Cloud. He visibly tensed as her blue eyes scrutinized him. "And you must be the amazing guy who's completely captured Riku's heart."

Cloud actually blushed at her statement. "I guess I am."

She giggled at the way he said the words and stepped over to give him a brief hug. "Oh, don't worry! The thorough dissecting of your character will be later. For now, both of you sit down at the table. Dinner will be done in a few minutes."

Turning back around, Seiya moved to return to the cooking area. As she passed Riku, she leaned over and whispered loudly, "All of you are right, he is gorgeous!"

Riku grinned and flicked his eyes toward his lover. He did not think Cloud could look any more embarrassed. "Yeah, he is."

"All right, go sit." The woman commanded, heading for the stove. "Sora!"

"I'm here already!" The spiky brunet shouted from the table. "You would have noticed if you weren't gushing on about Riku and Cloud."

"Oh, that wasn't gushing and you know it," Seiya retorted easily. "Now get everyone's drinks."

Sora rolled his eyes in an amused manner and got up as Riku and Cloud sat. "The usual, Ku?"

"Yeah," the older teen replied. He slid into the seat beside Cloud, placing himself between him and where Seiya would be. He figured he should at least attempt to keep Seiya from stressing Cloud out too bad on their first meeting. "What are we eating?"

"Shrimp and scallop ceviche." Seiya informed him, moving the food within a frying pan with a spatula. "Your favorite."

"Ooh," breathed Riku. "Remind me again why I left the Islands?"

"Because as much as you love us and fresh seafood, you were unhappy here." Sora said the words easily as he poured out four glasses of water. In the bottom of each glass were several slices of fruit. "And personally, I can't see Cloud living here at all. The whole tropics thing just doesn't fit."

"Well I did grow up in a small mountain village."

"Oh, I'm sure he would adjust to Island life if he had to." Seiya chuckled. She was plating the food now.

"I'm sure I could." Cloud agreed, reaching over to squeeze Riku's thigh beneath the table. Blue eyes glanced over to meet aqua and the couple exchanged a brief smile.

"Okay, okay, enough of that sappy stuff." Sora placed drinks before Riku an Cloud.

Riku narrowed his eyes at his best friend. "Why does any sign of affection between me and Cloud seem to bother you so much?"

"It doesn't bother me," countered Sora. He turned away to retrieve his and his mother's drinks. "I'm just teasing."

"Well I wish you'd stop it," muttered the older teen. "It's starting to really piss me off."

"Um…okay." Sora flicked his gaze back for a moment. "Sorry."

Riku huffed a breath and focused on the glass before him. Sora could be so difficult and obnoxious. He sometimes wondered why they had remained best friends for so long. When one boiled it down, they had almost nothing in common and it was not like the small brunet had anything to offer him. Even if he was the Keyblade Master, Riku's own power would soon develop into something far greater-

"Here we go!" Seiya carefully balanced four plates on her short arms. As she placed them at the various settings, Sora returned, sliding into his seat and putting down the last two glasses.

"This smells so good, Seiya." Riku picked up his fork to begin eating as Seiya sat. "It's really nice to have a good, homemade meal that I didn't make."

Seiya smiled, flicking her eyes toward Cloud. "You aren't very good in the kitchen, huh?"

"Cloud isn't very good with anything domestic." Riku stated simply. He brought a mouthful of food to his mouth. "

"Ouch." Sora chuckled.

"I never claimed to be any good with that stuff," muttered Cloud with a faint frown. "In fact, I think everyone who knows me warned you before we started living together that running the house was going to be your job."

Riku ignored this as he took his first bite and chewed. After swallowing, he nodded toward his surrogate mother. "This is amazing."

"Thank you, baby," Seiya replied. She was giving him a considering look that he did not like. It was gone after a moment and dinner continued.

Seiya maintained casual conversation as the four ate, most of it directed at Cloud. She asked the man several questions about his childhood and family, which he answered neutrally. Thankfully, she seemed to know when she was touching on a subject he was uncomfortable with and would change her line of query.

Riku felt Sora's attention on him throughout dinner and he slowly grew agitated. A strange mix of annoyance and paranoia worked through him and by the time they were finished eating and Seiya got up to clear the table for dessert, he wanted nothing more to get out of there.

Why was Sora watching him? He was not having one of his episodes he had been experiencing. He felt completely fine, totally himself, since coming to the house. There was no reason for Sora's apparent fixation.

"Riku?"

He blinked and glanced at Seiya. "Yeah?"

"I asked if you wanted papaya or mango."

"Actually," Riku stood. "I don't really want any dessert. I filled up on the ceviche."

"You sure?" Seiya had a worried frown on her face and he felt bad for causing it.

"Yeah, maybe in a few minutes." Riku idly brushed his fingers along Cloud's neck and turned. "I'm going to go out back for a few minutes."

Cloud gave him a questioning look to which he smiled reassuringly. He bent enough to kiss the man's temple before slipping out the backdoor. He paused on the flat concrete of the small patio and turned his face up, closing his eyes and taking a long breath. This was getting ridiculous.

He heard the glass door slide again and sighed. He should have known… "I really don't feel like talking, Sora."

"Well I do." The younger male countered softly. He walked over to stand beside his oldest friend. "Look, Ku, I'm starting to think there's more going on here than you being stressed out."

"It's gotten better."

"Then I'd hate to know what you were like on Radiant Garden."

Riku shot a hard look at Sora. "What?"

"Since you got here, you've been… off. I don't know how else to describe it." Sora shook his head, biting his lower lip in thought. "And I'm not the only one who's noticed. Tidus, Wakka and Selphie noticed it, too.

"But it isn't just that. You get distracted and…" Sora blew out a breath and met Riku's eyes directly. "You've been hearing voices, haven't you?"

Riku automatically wanted to deny it. He wanted to brush off Sora's concern but he knew that would just trouble the spiky brunet further. Sora would know if he flat out lied to him. "I'm not hearing voices, Sora. Yeah, I have been distracted and there are times I can't really focus on what's happening but that's been improving."

"Kairi told me what happened this afternoon."

Riku scowled but he was not surprised. Kairi had said that Sora was the reason she had tagged along with him and Cloud all day. "It was just a minor episode probably brought on by the darkness still in me."

"Do you really think it's just that?"

"What the hell else could it be, Sora?" Riku snapped harshly. "It's either that or I'm going completely insane! Which would you rather it be because I'll tell you right now I'm scared as hell about what's going on in my head but if it is just the darkness I know I can eventually control it!"

Closing his eyes, Riku took a long breath. He had not meant to go off on Sora but now that he had, he felt oddly better. Even though he had partially broken down with Cloud earlier, it was not like this had been. This was the very first time he had really acknowledged what he was feeling and it brought a measure of freedom with it.

Sora was quiet for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was quiet. "What can I do to help you, Riku?"

Riku smiled sadly at the closest thing he had to a brother. "I don't know."

"Well," Sora frowned. "Will you let me know when you do?"

Riku let out a single bark of laughter. "Yeah, you'll be the first to know."

"Eh, I'm okay with second," said Sora, giving Riku a little smile. "I think Cloud's the one who needs to be first."

Hearing the blond's name caused an odd stirring in Riku's chest. It was not the usual mix of love and affection or even the annoyance or frustration he sometimes got with him. This almost felt like a deep rooted hatred… "Yeah, considering we live together."

Sora grinned. "He loves you way more than I think anyone can put words to. I know that he'll do everything he can to help you get through this."

"He already is," assured the silvered teen. With a light air, he threw an arm around Sora's narrow shoulders and steered him toward the sliding glass door. "I think I'm up for dessert now."

"You and Cloud can't use my room."

Riku stopped and stared at Sora with exaggerated shock. "I cannot believe that you think that little of us."

Sora lifted an eyebrow and smirked at him.

In a casual tone, the older male stated. "You're bed's much too small for us."

Sora snorted and chuckling, they re-entered the house.

Cloud and Seiya both looked up as they came in and it was obvious they had been having a serious discussion while the teenagers were outside. Cloud immediately schooled his features, warmth filling his eyes. It took Seiya a bit longer but she smiled brightly and stood back up. "Ready for some sorbet cookie tulips?"

Riku hugged her as they met halfway. "Only if I'm allowed one of each kind."

Laughing, Seiya patted his cheek. "Of course, Riku."

She moved for the kitchen and Riku continued to the table and Cloud. Standing beside him, Riku reached over and trailed his fingers along one of the long spikes that framed his face. He saw the man's silent question and he nodded minutely. This was enough for Cloud and when Riku finally sat, he leaned in and kissed him lightly.

The rest of the evening was peaceful and relaxed. After finishing dessert, they all went outside and took spots around the small patio, Riku practically sitting in Cloud's lap on the short bench opposite the four-person patio table. Sora sat upon the table itself and Seiya took up one of the chairs.

Conversation was easy and often times teasing as Sora and Seiya would tell random stories about Riku as a child. Occasionally, Cloud would offer some small piece from his own youth. By the time the sun was low in the sky and everything was cast in reds, golds and shadow, all sign of earlier trouble was gone.

Riku leaned against Cloud, happy to be with the people he loved most, his family. There were no strange thoughts, no random flares of emotion, only contentment. He truly hoped that this meant he was truly recovering from the troubles he had been having.

Weariness was beginning to blanket him and he involuntarily yawned into Cloud's chest. It had been a long, trying day but he did not want to leave yet. However, all three of the others caught his action and decided that it was time for the couple to leave.

Reluctantly moving for Cloud to stand, Riku let his lover stand him up with a tug of his arm. Sora went back inside first and Seiya shooed Riku and Cloud after him. As Sora went to get their shopping bags from earlier, Seiya began fussing.

"Do you two want some food or anything to take back to the hotel? I'm sure what they have there is excellent but it probably gets expensive."

"We're fine, Seiya." Riku assured her. "When Kairi got us the room, it included all the food and drink we could possibly want. They're taking good care of us there."

"Alright." She worried her lower lip, exactly like Sora did when he was unhappily accepting something. "Well, I know you two only have one more full day here and you probably have a lot of things you still want to do…"

"Actually," Riku glanced at Cloud who nodded slightly. "We don't really have anything planned for tomorrow so if you and the others want to arrange something, that would be fine."

"Really?" She brightened. "How about a trip to the beach? I can bring some things to grill and we could invite everyone."

"Sure," Cloud replied for both of them. "What's a trip to a tropical island without at least one visit to the beach?"

Riku chuckled and reaching back over his shoulder, caressed Cloud's cheek. "Zack would never forgive you if he found out you didn't go."

"He's obsessed with beaches."

"Well, next time you'll just have to bring him and Aerith along." Seiya patted the sides of Riku's cheeks. "All right, you better get going if you're going to catch the next ferry. I'll talk to everyone and make arrangements for tomorrow. Sora will call you with the details."

"Sounds good," confirmed Riku. He heard Sora in the hallway struggling with the bags. "I guess we better rescue Sora, huh?"

"Naw, don't worry about me," the brunet called out. "I totally have this- darn it!"

Lips curled up in amusement, Riku gave Seiya a tight hug. When he stepped back, he nudged Cloud. "Let's get out of here."

--0—0—

They reached the dock with fifteen minutes to spare. While waiting for the ferry, Riku bought a bag of salt water taffy from a boy selling it. The child thanked him several times and ran off. He watched after him for a moment before returning to Cloud.

"I know that kid's older sister," explained the silver-haired young man. "Their parent's never came back after the Heartless and they had to live with an aunt for awhile. She was pretty cruel to them so they ended up running away. Last I heard, they were renting a room above one of the fishing houses."

Cloud nodded. "We saw a lot of that kind of thing after Midgar's destruction."

"I bet." Riku dropped the taffies into one of the shopping bags. "I'm thankful that I got my dad back after, even if it was only for a little while. He may have been distant but at least he was there."

The ferry began boarding and the couple lugged their sacks up the ramp and found seats on the lower level near the back. In the relatively secluded spot, Riku was able to hold onto the blond's hand and rest against his body. That peace had not left him and what he wanted most right now was to get into bed, feel Cloud's arms wrapped around him and sleep.

He dozed off and was awoken a while later by Cloud gently nudging him. The ferry was about to dock at the resort. He smiled and blinked his sleepy aqua eyes. "I've been drifting off a lot on you lately."

"It's alright." His lover squeezed his hand. "We really haven't been sleeping much and when you do, it's usually rather fitful."

That was interesting. "At least I haven't had any nightmares."

"Yes," agreed Cloud. He snuck a kiss to the corner of Riku's mouth. "We'll get some good sleep tonight."

"Kay."

Cloud gathered the bags and smiled down at Riku as he stood. "Come on."

Riku followed him off the transport boat and down the short walk to the hotel. Cloud walked slowly to allow Riku to keep up with him and the teen idly wondered why he was suddenly so exhausted. The day had not been that strenuous; perhaps it was just all the emotion and activity on top of the poor sleep he had been getting.

They reached their room and Riku smiled weakly as he slipped his hand into Cloud's back pocket to retrieve the key from it. He teasingly pinched his boyfriend's ass before gripping the thin plastic and removing it to unlock the door. Cloud gave him a look while waiting for Riku to open the door and chuckled as he passed him into the room.

The couple put the bags in a corner to deal with later and wordlessly got ready for bed. Despite how tired he was, Riku flat out refused to go to sleep without brushing his teeth. It was one of his many little quirks and though it annoyed Cloud sometimes, especially when it interfered with after-sex cuddle time, he never argued with Riku about it.

As Riku took care of business, Cloud turned down the bed covers. When the younger male returned from the bathroom, he crossed the room and draped his arms over his shoulders. "Good day?"

"Absolutely." Blue eyes shined with sincerity. He brushed at Riku's bangs with one hand. "You finally look truly relaxed."

"I feel relaxed."

"Good."

Riku yawned. "And really sleepy."

"Well we can take care of that." Cloud pulled away and began removing Riku's clothing. There was nothing suggestive about it and when he had him stripped down to his boxers, he started on his own clothes. Once they were both unclothed, he took Riku's hand and pulled him to bed.

Riku climbed in, scooting over so that Cloud could follow him in. He gave Cloud a minute to get settled then snuggled up beside him. Cloud's arms were wrapped around him in a warm embrace and he turned his face up to smile at him. "I love you."

Cloud smoothed his hair. "I love you."

Riku closed his eyes and breathed out contently. Warmth and comfort filled him as he drifted to sleep. Things were finally beginning to really get better.

He felt a feather-light touch brush along his cheek and smiled as he nodded off.