Warning: Shounen ai. Guys loving on guys. If you've read this far, i'm sure it's pretty obvious.

Disclaimer: They are alas, not mine. I mearly use them to toy and aggitate the hell out of them.

To My Readers:

Through this story, you all have given me nothing but support, kind comments and very sweet remarks. I can't begin to thank you enough for giving me the courage to post my feelings and emotions through these two characters, and still giving me a hand to keep on going dispite how hard it is for me to write at all.

I want to thank each and every one of you, from the bottom of my heart. And I hope you've enjoyed my story. Thanks to all of you, I feel as if I could maybe write another one too. - I'll keep doing my best. And since i'm so attached to Riku and Sora, I might just do a fluff one to make up for the torture of Riku and the neglect of Roxas. I'll make something really fun, I promise! But right now, i'm sick. I had to go to the hospital since my fever was so high. I'm getting better, but this was the best I could do given my situation. I hope you enjoy this, and thank you again!

Faloana

PS: Download "Love at the Gate", Full House ost and listen to it while you read this. - That's what I used to write this. :3

---Body and Blood, Still I Take Your Hand---

-----Chapter Seven - Finale

The tears flowed freely from his grief stricken face, only to follow with the choked breaths of a man in pain as his sea-green eyes watched that of once was the one he loved so dearly. Sora.. Was he truly gone from his life? He couldn't see the shimmer or faint glow of those brilliant baby blue crystal iris', the happy smile surrounding his entire being.. That was Sora.

As Sora stared down at him, gripping Riku's hair even tighter, almost pulling a chunk out of the back of his head, Riku only knelt down, and did something very.. different.

The tears would not stop, and the pain did not leave.. But he smiled. His lips curved upward, in a kind and warm smile, as he slowly raised his arms up, not touching, but offering a warm embrace.

"Sora..." He whispered. Sora just looked confused and jerked Riku's hair back again. Riku winced in pain, but remained as he was. His smile would not damper and his arms would not lower. It brought a shock to Sora's eyes.. What was this guy doing? Was he insane?

"I love you.. Sora.. Please. Take me with you." He whispered again, closing his eyes as if to simply accept his fate. Sora could only stare... What in the world..?

"He loves.. me?" A thought came to his mind, as his grip slowly loosened. As he pulled his hand back, he saw it stained very lightly with drops of red.. blood. Riku's blood. How hard was he gripping him?

His body suddenly froze and everything seemed to stop.. His eyes wide and somewhat scared, he had to force himself to move his arms.. then legs. Everything around him was completely frozen. The waves didn't move.. the breeze didn't exist. The trees.. sand.. and Riku. They were all.. Frozen in time.

"What the hell is this!?" Sora practically screamed, motioning his arms in slight frustration. His fingers clenched when he received no answer, and his anger grew. However just then. the answer he sought came, from a voice much like his own, right behind him.

"This is.. our place." His voice told himself. Sora spun around only to see... Sora! It was like looking into a mirror but.. something was different. While the Sora wearing his angry and spiteful face glared, the Sora he was looking at seemed.. Peaceful. He was smiling, tranquil, as if he'd finally found himself again.

Sora smiled gently, his eyes softening, that same old kindness finally returned to that wonderful boy who brought joy to every ones life so often, without even a second thought.

Dark Sora glared, arching his body, readying himself for battle. He looked pissed.. what was going on!?

"This is our home.." Sora spoke gently, holding a hand out palm up. Inside the hand, a small white feather hovered over it, shining brilliantly where there may have been no light at all. It glowed with a fantasy only children dreamed.. "I've.. come to apologize..." He said quietly, extending his arm to offer the feather to his other half.

"What the hell is this!? I'm not leaving after you ignored me for so long! You'll just go back to the way it was."

"...You are my other me. Just as Roxas is my other self. I can't.. deny either of you anymore... And if I could still.. I don't.. think I would." He took a slow step forward, and another, positioning himself close to himself, the feather in his palm rightly between them, emanating it's gentle light. "...I love you. Both of you. Please.. forgive me. I think it's time.. that we all shared something very special within all of us..."

Dark Sora's face softened slightly from anger to confusion. What was he rambling on about? But.. if this was true. He looked back towards Riku who looked as if he were welcoming a god or angel to take him away on the spot. Those tears...

"He's been watching us, all this time." Sora said, softly taking his other's hand, holding it gently in a warmth that surprised, but relaxed his other half. "Riku.. He's never once wanted to hurt us. He even.. walked away from us.. to keep us from the pain he was afraid of causing us."

"What..?" Dark Sora looked back at his other quickly, his eyes alight with some knowledge he hadn't had before.. So, was that it? The boy he was tormenting, and hurting so badly.. All this time he was the only one who hadn't hurt him. His darkness.. constantly protected him.

"...What have I done..." He whispered, closing his eyes in shame as his head lowered. Though it was only a moment passed before a soft hand left his, and went to his cheek to lift it up again. When he opened his eyes, no malice, no anger or resentment was met with him. This Sora, who he needed to protect from all the spite in the world.. only smiled. He couldn't help it.. maybe it was fate that brought them together like this.. But he returned that smile, and as he did, all around them bright, white feathers lifted from the ground and swirled in a gentle breeze that wasn't there. Neither Sora's gaze left one another, knowingly accepting each other as a whole as the feathers began to engulf them, pulling apart the floor, the sky, the trees, the ocean.. everything. Everything into a bright, white, nothing...

And when all was finished, and the feathers blurred into what seemed like an endless sea of white, his half disappeared, and Sora wrapped his arms around himself with a soft, loving smile. "Welcome home..." He said quietly, purely happy. He felt complete. When there was no 'other' answer, he knew he was, for the first time in a long time, whole.

He lifted his head and opened his eyes, the warmth never leaving his face. He watched before him, a blond boy waving at him from the distance. As Sora began to fade away from his own world, he vaguely heard Roxas' voice, as the blond gave him a wink and a thumbs up. Sora fell backwards, into nothing at all, and slept, blackness overtaking him utterly, those last words, bringing him peace at last.

"Thank you.."

----------------------------------------------------------------

Sora...

A faint brush of his hair.. it felt so nice. The wind.. it was warm and cool at the same time. A gentle embrace of natures calm fingertips.

...Sora...

He smiled a bit, his head turning slightly towards the voice he heard in his head. He liked that voice.. it reminded him of something.. what was it again?

...Hey, wake up.

A soft shake of his shoulders, roused him slightly from his half sleep. As his eyes slowly opened, meeting a blaring sun in a greeting that was more like "HELLO!!!", he sat up quickly when he realized he was passed out on the beach. He looked around quickly, not really understanding his position yet before he heard a laugh. When his eyes turned towards that laugh, he blinked, seeing Riku sitting right next to him with a stupid grin on his face. "...How long were you planning on sleeping, lazy?"

Sora blinked, raising a hand to rub the back of his head, laughing. "Ah, sorry! I guess the sun was really warm today. I couldn't help it."

"Like you ever could." Riku grinned and stood up, brushing off himself before offering Sora a hand up.

Gladly taking the hand, he stood up himself, using his other hand to pad himself off.

"Have a nice dream?"

"Huh? Uh..." He looked up, scratching his cheek lightly in that dumbfounded way he usually did. "Y'know.. I don't think.. I remember it."

"You don't remember your dream? Ah, well it happens a lot. You forget a lot of things you know." Riku said with a laugh.

"Hey!" But before Sora could retort, Riku just laughed again and took off running.

"Race you to my house!" He yelled, waving behind him at his friend.

Sora just gave a sigh and a lopsided grin. Without really realizing it, his fingers rose up to the necklace he wore around his neck. He looked surprised that there was something actually hanging there. He went to take it off, but blinked and stopped, lowering his hands with a soft smile. The feel of it, he knew.. It was Riku's. He watched Riku run a moment before he actually took off to follow his friend...

Some days, you just have to go with it, right? Memories, they come and go. But the important ones.. They'll last even in the darkest corner of your mind for your entire life.

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Life was good. Really good! Sora hadn't had so much fun.. well, maybe before when he was a kid, but this was like a great vacation! Sortta.

Sora remembered very little of the few days he'd apparently spent on the island. And strangely enough, nobody else did either. It was like a portion of his life went missing from other's memories, and a lightly smaller one from Sora's. Still, nobody knew the difference, so no harm right?

Sora found himself having a lot of fun writing back and forth to his parents. Recently it's just felt like they hadn't spoken in ages, and missed each other quite a bit, especially his mother. So they'd been writing constantly back and forth like two kids living across the lake from band camp.

As Sora laid down his letter addressed to his mother and leaned back in his beach chair to watch the palm trees sway back and forth. He was just waiting for Riku to come home with dinner that Sora would prepare for them both, and Kairi's long awaited visit from the city with her three kids. Sora couldn't wait! He loved kids so much.

"Dear Mom, Dad and Little Brother,

I had living arrangements with Riku. I assumed I'd gone back to the island because I was homesick, and big city life just didn't make me happy. I did what I wanted to, and moved back, Riku happily offering me his home upon my return. I also got a new job as a waiter at a local cafe' across the bridge to the mainland. Since mine and Riku's home was originally hand built by Riku's parents, rent wasn't really an option. Still we're two growing men and needed a lot to eat!

Kairi recently had a baby, one of three. She's such a great mother! Despite the divorce she recently went through, she seems so happy with her kids, and even found a really nice guy recently who seems to love kids. Weird thing is, I guess he looks and acts a lot like me! Except he's blond. I forget his name, I'll let you know more when I write again.

Oh right, and the bigger news. Riku and I have decided that we're both ready for something more out of our lives together. Not quite marriage yet, though that's a definite possibility. But he brought home yesterday a wonderful surprise. They're called promise rings. Riku's promised to always be here for me, no matter what, and protect me. And I promised him the same. I really feel so great!

Tidus, Wakka and Selphie are acting weird. Tidus is just walking around in a half daze.. everybody thinks he ate something weird and he's confused about it. Wakka's always watching out for him, and we think he's got a thing for Tidus honestly. Selphie seems content with things lately. She's taken up fishing with Riku, seems to enjoy the hobby. I just can't get into it! It's so.. fishy!

I think that's all the news from our little island. I hope my baby brother is doing well, and I can't wait to see all of you around christmas! Be healthy and well.

Love,

Sora."

He glanced down, his eyes softening at the leaf of panda bear cub stationary bending with the wind, rolling his pen back and forth lightly.

Fin