Hello once again everyone! How have you all been? As usually thank you once again to v.t.7 you are amazing and that review really helped me! And thank you to everyone who keeps reading this story, you are all amazing.

Enjoy!


Sora didn't see Riku for the rest of the weekend, but he had a good feeling that things were finally going to change for the better. He felt with the progress that had been made that night that some balance had been restored to Riku's heart and slowly things were going to be worked out between the three of them.

So that Monday Sora walked to school with a pep in his step, and smile on his face. Nothing was going to get him down today.

He was at his locker when he heard a giggling beside him.

"Hey Kairi! Wonderful day isn't it?

Kairi was smiling and laughing, Sora didn't know how much better his day could get.

"So what's with the goofy grin?" Kairi asked.

Sora sighed happily and shrugged.

"Nothing, it's just a great day. I mean the weather is wonderful, homework has been easy, no real big assignments have been given. I talked to Riku about what's been going on and it looks like everything is going to be okay, how much better can it get." Sora said.

"Wait, you talked to Riku? And it went well? When?" Kairi asked, slightly shocked by the news.

"Oh at the Paopu Festival last weekend. It was really fun, you should have gone." Sora said casually getting some books out of his locker before shutting it.

Kairi blinked, well she didn't expect that answer. She caught up with Sora as he began to walk away.

"I don't think I heard you right. I thought you just said that you got Riku to go to the Paopu Festival. The same festival he said he would never go to, even with us." Kairi asked.

Sora was confused, he didn't understand what the fuss was about.
"Yeah….why?"

Kairi shook her head. Yeah boys were oblivious to the simplist of things.

"No reason…"

Sora shrugged as they walked into their first class together. He looked at the clock, school was about to start and he had yet to see Riku.

"Did you see Riku come into school today?" Sora asked sitting down in his seat.

Kairi shook her head, sitting next to him.

"No...but I'm sure he's okay. You need to relax Sora, Riku doesn't need our continuous watch. Besides you said that you guys made progress, so I would be happy with that."

Sora nodded, he knew today was going to be a good day so he just had to stop worrying.

The day had gone by and once again he had yet to see Riku and worry twisted in his stomach. Now being in the last class of the day, English, if he didn't see Riku now he would officially freak.

There was one minute left before the late bell would ring and Riku had yet to enter. Sora's leg was bouncing up and down like crazy, a hand on his knee stopped it.

"Sora, calm now, Riku will be here." Kairi said. And the door opened just as the bell rang and in stepped Riku. He handed the teacher a note before walking to his seat. He quickly sat down and pulled out his things.

It made Sora feel better that Riku actually had his book bag with him today.

The teacher began his lesson and Sora was going to lean over to Riku when Riku said.

"I was just finishing some assignments I missed, don't worry."

Sora nodded and tried to get a closer look at Riku's face, it looked like he hadn't been sleeping again. But he didn't say anything, he trusted Riku to tell him if anything had happened to him.

Riku stayed behind to hand in some extra work he had and told Sora and Kairi to head to their lockers. He would catch up to them.

Kairi leaned against the locker next to Sora's.

"I told you that you had nothing to worry about, he was just finishing up homework."

Sora nodded, grinning sheepishly.

"I know, I should have listened to you. I guess I just don't want to take any chances."

"If Riku talked to you about what was going on then I trust him. He's going to get better Sora." Kairi said.

Kairi fished something out of her pocket. It was a small yellow crystal. She held it out in the palm of her hand.

"Besides, if we have an emergency, Mickey said to use this and he'll be here in minutes."

Sora nodded, they had things covered. Besides Riku was getting better, they wouldn't needed the crystal.

Suddenly there was a shout from down the hall. Sora and Kairi looked at each other before they sprinted down the hall towards the shouting.

They saw a bunch of kids surrounding two kids in the center. A typical fight. Being behind everyone, Sora and Kairi couldn't see who was fighting.

"What's going on?" Kairi asked a random girl.

"Riku just came out of that classroom and he got a weird look on his face and then tackled the kid and started punching him!"

The girl said.

"The guy didn't even do anything for Riku to attack him...I didn't know someone's eyes could change like that."

Sora's heart fell to his stomach and pushed passed everyone so he could see. And what he saw didn't make him feel any better.

Riku had the guy on the floor, his hand wrapped around the boy's neck, punching him. The guy was reaching for Riku, trying to push him off of him, he couldn't breath. The guy was bloody and looked like he had a broken nose and a busted lip, his left eye didn't look too good either. Blood was on both of their shirts

.

Riku wasn't spotless, his lip was also busted and his nose was also bloody. A couple of his knuckles were split, but the guy he was wailing on was definitely had it worse.

What scared Sora the most was Riku's eyes were gold, and Sora feared that Ansem would soon take hold of Riku once more. He didn't know how but that was how things were looking.

"Riku!" Sora shouted over everyone.

Riku pulled back from the guy and looked at him, his eye's changing back to normal.

The guy Riku was punching took advantage of Riku being distracted and kicked Riku off of him. The boy rolled to his side, gasping for air. Bruises were visible from where Riku's hands were. Riku's attention went back to the guy. But before anymore damage could be done, two teacher broke through the crowd of kids and pulled Riku and the other boy to their feet.

"If anyone else wants a detention I suggest you stay and watch what happens, but if you don't, I would leave."

The teacher paused, waiting for the students to react.

"Now!"

The students slowly dispersed, leaving Sora to stare at Riku. He didn't know what to say. He never knew Riku was violent enough to beat up someone else.

"Come on Sora." Kairi said quietly. She grabbed his hand and tugged him away.

"S-sora!" Riku called out. He didn't know why he did, but he couldn't let Sora walk away without explaining what happened.

Sora shook his head at him, he felt so hurt by Riku's actions. He let Kairi pull him away.

Riku's heart sank, he silently cursed himself for his actions. He screwed up royally this time.

By the time Riku got out of school it was dark out. His parents were still talking to the principal and the other parents. But he had heard enough for one night. They told him that he had attacked the student for no reason, but he heard him insult Sora. He was lucky that the parents weren't going to press charges on him. Although he was told that if he pulled anything like this again, he wouldn't be so lucky.

He looked up at the night sky, he couldn't see as many stars but he could still see enough that the longing to be out there set in. Like when he was a kid, he wanted to get off this island. Away from everyone here. Riku loved his family, but his heart belonged somewhere away from here. Nothing felt right here, it never has.

"So how much trouble are you in?"

Riku looked to his right. Sora! He wanted to smile, but he felt so much shame for what he had done that is was hard to look at Sora. Sora was too good for him, too pure. Riku was too tainted for him. The darkness had too strong of a hold on him for Riku to be worthy of Sora's light.

Riku looked at his feet.

"I have two weeks worth of detention, if I'm lucky. The parents aren't pressing charges on me."

Riku could hear Sora walking closer to him. He wished Sora would have kept his distance. It would be easier on him if Sora just stayed away.

"Why won't you look at me?" Sora asked softly, coming to stand in front of Riku.

"How can you look at me, Sora?"

Riku looked up briefly at Sora before dropping his gaze once more to his feet.

"After what I did today. How are you not furious at me? Everyone else is."

"Because you're my best friend, Riku. You have to know that by now."

Riku still didn't feel any better, he felt like be betrayed Sora again. He felt slim and slightly cold fingers take his hand. Riku looked at Sora.

"How long have you been waiting out here?" Riku asked, rubbing Sora's fingers in an attempt to warm them up.

Sora smiled softly at the attempt.

"Not long, but it was worth it." He looked up at Riku. "Walk to the beach with me?"

Riku looked back as his parents walked out of the school, the principal walking out behind them along with the parents of the kid he beat up.

He looked at Sora and nodded.

"I'd like that."

Sora glanced at Riku's parents, "But your parents…"

Riku shrugged and started walking. "I don't think I can get in much more trouble than I'm already in. Come on."

Sora spared Riku's parents one more look before he followed Riku.

They sat quietly on the beach. Nothing was said, nothing needed to be said. Each boy knew what the other was thinking. Nothing had changed yet everything did change. They couldn't go on acting like it didn't. But they both sat there acting like nothing changed. And that was okay.

The moon sat high in the sky before either moved.

Riku yawned and rubbed his eye's, he was so tired. He hadn't had a good night sleep since he slept over with Sora. His nightmares had been none stop every night. And when he was awake the voice kept bothering him. It kept him so on edge that he couldn't relax. The most sleep he had gotten over the weekend was maybe an hour or two at best.

Riku laid back on the sand. Yellow eyes had been watching them all night, but he knew that they weren't real. No Heartless had made their way back on the island. He still couldn't help but watch them, making sure they didn't come any closer.

Sora watched Riku stare off in the distance. He could tell that Riku wasn't spacing out, he was watching something. Something Sora couldn't see.

"I know they aren't there Sora. But I see them every night. Outside my house, in the corner of my room. I can't sleep, even when I do they are there. In my dreams, ripping my heart out." Riku said monotony. He tore his gaze away from the Heartless, he was so tired.

"Maybe you should stay the night at my house. You know once you're not in trouble." Sora said.

Riku looked at Sora and Sora could see just how tired Riku was. The dark circles under his eye's stuck out painfully against Riku's pale skin.

"I'd like that."


Once more thank you for reading and please please pretty please leave a review. Let me know what you think and where you think that this story might be heading. I love hearing from you all! And we are getting to the end of pre-written chapters so I might have to slow down the updates to once every two weeks, but I hope not. Also I am going to a convention next week so I will probably update earlier next week. Anyways, thank you everyone!