Author's apology: This is my first attempt at forcing myself to write even though I am having a complete writer's block. It's never been that bad but I suppose everyone experiences that once in a while
However, I still got to write this... I don't like it much. I was hoping to get out of my slump after the first few paragraphs but it simply doesn't work.
Whatever. Here's the next chapter, not really good, but still. Trying to insert some plot here... don't kill me! it's not as worse as it's gonna seem...
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Sora lay in his bed, thinking about the things that had happened so far. He had been at Riku's place…the biggest palace he had ever seen. Everything there was just awesome, much like Riku himself. Everything there was the total opposite of things here.
Sora rolled over to lie on his stomach. Burying his head in his pillow, he inhaled deeply and tried to imagine Riku's scent. When he concentrated hard enough he could still smell the lingering scent of his cologne…Dreamer it was called. He would never forget that name.
Dreamer. Kairi had given it to him.
Sora tilted his head to the side, resting his cheek against his pillow as he blew out his breath noisily.
What was up with Kairi and Riku? Why couldn't he stop thinking that there was, or at least had been something between them? It seemed everything they did, every little thing, was reason enough to assume they were really close. But then again everything he did with Riku meant even more. It got him wondering whether people assumed things about them, too.
But then he remembered everyone hating Kairi for being Riku's friend. They were all too busy hating and plotting against Kairi to notice that Sora was the one having a special place in Riku's heart.
He stopped in his thoughts. Did he really think he had a special place in Riku's heart? Was it true?
Sora rolled over yet again to lie on his back and crossed his arms behind his head. Staring up at the ceiling, he began to think, frowning and pouting at the same time.
However, when a yawn escaped his lips, he realized how tired he really was; and when he looked at the clock – it said it was already after midnight again – he promptly closed his eyes and drifted. There were still so many things on his mind, especially those things he felt towards Riku and the curiosity about Kairi, but he was simply too tired to care.
He fell asleep.
---
When morning came, Sora was strangely sober. He wasn't tired and groggy as he thought he would be. He wasn't energetic on this particular day, probably because the weather wasn't especially nice either, but he wasn't all that tired.
Riku came to get him as usual, standing in front of his door with an umbrella big enough for two people. He extended his hand with a smile.
Sora smiled back and let himself be pulled under the shelter. The rain was heard sizzling down on them, descending in millions of tiny drops. Riku wrapped his free arm around Sora's waist and pulled him close, leaning in to give him a short kiss on the lips.
"Good morning," he whispered, nuzzling Sora's nose.
The brunet boy blushed and looked down, smiling.
"Morning…" he mumbled before he took a deep breath. Riku watched him in amusement as he pulled away, stepping away from the umbrella to stand in the rain. He spread his arms and spun around once, grinning suddenly.
After that, he shook his head like a puppy, splashing tiny drops into all directions, including Riku's face.
"Didn't get to shower this morning," he cheekily replied to Riku's slightly bemused look. Then he hopped back under the umbrella and firmly took Riku's hand, squeezing it lightly to indicate he was ready to go.
They walked in silence, listening to the sound of rain pattering down on the umbrella. It was beautiful day, Sora suddenly thought. His mood had been rather moderate but now it seemed to rise. He felt Riku entwine their fingers and smiled. However, that wasn't all Riku was doing and Sora squeaked as the silver haired boy leaned in to place a kiss on his neck.
"Wha-wha-what?" he stammered, reaching up to rub the spot that had been kissed. He could feel it tingling where the lips had touched him. He blushed.
Riku shrugged and looked away.
"Just…felt like it," he answered. And that was all. No words were exchanged after that. The boys simply walked and soon the voices of students were audible. They were here.
"Look! It's Riku!" a girl suddenly screamed. It wasn't unusual for her to do it, everyone did. Sora sighed and let go of Riku's hand, knowing the ritual already.
Dozens of fans came rushing to their God and showered him with gifts and squeals and what not. Sora stepped away, subtly standing somewhere in the corner, waiting for the spectacle to end.
"You're amazing," someone suddenly said and Sora turned his head. He saw Kairi smiling at him.
"What do you mean?" he asked, wondering why she always popped out of nowhere and why she was never with those girls – always alone, always there when you needed her.
The girl shrugged her shoulders and turned away to look at Riku. She had this smile on her lips, a smile Sora couldn't understand. He often thought her smile was genuine but there was something sad to it. He wasn't really sure what it meant.
"It's hard to stand in the corner while everyone gets a piece of him, huh?" Kairi murmured, still watching the crazy people around Riku.
Sora followed her gaze. He saw Riku swiftly avoiding their arms, always moving away elegantly so that no one really noticed. In a way, he played with them. Let them believe he actually liked them, let them believe he was the thing they worshipped. A thing. Sora remembered what Riku had said. He thought he was a thing, something people wanted to have.
"He's a good person," Sora mumbled, more to himself than to Kairi. However, the girl seemed to take that as an answer and smiled.
"That's why you're so amazing. You like him so much…and you still manage to step away when they're around."
Sora's head snapped to Kairi. He stared at her as if he finally understood her. His eyes were wide and then he frowned, and then blinked. He seemed confused for a moment and turned away again.
'She…she likes him, doesn't she?' he asked himself. It came to him like a revelation. 'We're…we're the same..…she likes him… but she pretends it's ok when everyone else wants him…' He cast a short glance at her, seeing that strange smile again. It hurt suddenly to look at her. Kairi liked Riku as much as Sora did, didn't she? But he realized that he was spending much more time with Riku than Kairi…was that why she was always alone? Was that the reason her smile was always so sad? And why, he wondered, did it make him so sad to look at her? …
The bell rang.
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The day ended faster than expected. Periods seemed to go by like nothing and suddenly Sora was already standing at the gates, waiting for Riku. They sometimes had to split up, each other them having different lessons but they always waited for each other at the end of the day to go home together.
It was still raining and Sora had no umbrella but he didn't care. He liked the rain as it pattered down on him, soaking him. It always brought back memories of his childhood when he stood in the rain like this. The only thing that bothered him now was that it was slightly colder than he would have liked.
He sighed and leaned against the metal frame of the gate as others passed him to go home.
He hadn't really paid attention to the teachers today, mostly because he had been so deep in thought about Kairi and Riku, but also because Riku had managed to distract him many times. He began to wonder if people actually noticed the things they did, those little gestures like holding hands or those short hugs… No one ever said anything, no one seemed to care. Most people were too set on their hatred for Kairi to notice anything else…
There she was again, Kairi. No matter what he thought, he would always come back to her. She was a mystery to him and it bothered him.
When he looked at the building, he saw her coming out. She was walking alone, as usual. She, too, had no umbrella and she didn't seem to mind. When she saw Sora she smiled and waved, walking past him to leave. Sora turned around to watch her go away and he found himself staring as though he was in a daze. She was always alone. And she didn't seem to mind.
He heard chattering and laughter and turned back to the building where he saw lots of students walking out, talking about this and that. Selphie and Tidus were among them, and another boy with fire red hair. They seemed to be having fun as the redhead put Tidus in a headlock while Selphie cheered.
Riku came strolling behind them, looking bored. As soon as he saw Sora, though, he smiled – and it was that smile that he would only save for Sora. The true smile. Of course he was followed by extremely noisy fans who kept trying to cling to him. However, he managed to get free of every grip and told them to stay away. They did what he said. Most of the fans swooned just because he had talked to them.
When he reached Sora he hugged him, ignoring everyone else around them. He didn't care if anyone saw them. He just wouldn't care.
"Finally get to see you," he murmured, squeezing Sora.
"We saw each other about an hour ago," Sora commented in amusement as Riku pulled away to put up his umbrella.
"Too long," Riku complained, sounding like a little child. Sora smiled.
Together, they walked down the street. Sora held onto Riku's arm even though he was a bit embarrassed to do this. Only girls did that, he thought, trying his best not to blush. However, he wanted the warmth of their closeness, for the weather wasn't exactly nice. It was getting colder and the wind reached a state of iciness sometimes.
"Are you cold?" Riku eventually asked, feeling Sora shiver slightly.
The brunet shook his head. "I'm fine," he lied through chattering teeth, cursing his body for being so weak. Riku didn't seem to be affected by the cold at all…
The silver haired body sighed and pushed him away from his arm. Sora blinked, surprised at first, but then realized Riku was putting his arm around him to pull him close.
"You should wear more…it's getting colder these days," Riku scolded, half sounding like a parent. Not like his own parents because they never said anything like that. It was the servant's job to dress Riku when he didn't do it himself.
"Yeah, yeah…." Sora muttered, not really wanting to admit that he was wrong. So that was it. Riku was wearing more than him… "But I'm really fine," he added, trying to sound believable, which was hard with the chattering teeth.
Riku smiled and pulled him yet a little closer. They continued to walk and passed the convenience store. Suddenly, Sora stopped.
He looked up at Riku and opened his mouth to say something. He needed to get it out, needed to speak his mind. But could he really? And if he did, shouldn't he be asking Kairi this?
However, he didn't say a word. Just turned away again and shrugged, continuing to walk again.
Riku was a little puzzled about that but ignored it until they reached Sora's house.
Sora sneezed and trembled slightly from the cold. Riku put away the umbrella, setting it down at the door and then wrapped his arms fully around Sora, standing under the shelter of the protruded roof. Sora heaved a pleased sigh, comforted by the warmth and surrounded by the beautiful scent he loved so much. It gave him a feeling of being one with Riku when they hugged like that.
"I have to get home, though…" Riku murmured, reluctantly letting go of Sora, who clung to him.
"Can't you stay?" Sora asked, sneezing once again. "I'm cold."
Riku chuckled and patted his friend's head, smirking slightly at him. "You're at home, Sora. You can go change into something warmer or go inside. You don't need me," he explained as though he was talking to a child.
Sora pouted and shook his head. "I do need you!"
Riku raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? What for?" he asked, crossing his arms.
Sora stopped. He suddenly couldn't think of anything good to tell him. He couldn't think of a good thing he needed Riku for. 'That's because I need him period. For everything…' he thought, slumping his shoulders slightly. He couldn't tell Riku that.
The silver haired boy took that as an answer and frowned. So Sora didn't need him?
He shrugged and turned around, picking up his umbrella again. Sora watched him and before he knew what he was doing, he grabbed Riku's hand to turn him around, snaking his arms around his neck to pull him down.
They didn't kiss. Their lips were only a hairbreadth apart but they didn't kiss. Just stayed like that for a while, looking into each other's eyes before closing them. They leaned in but only with their foreheads touching and Riku placed his hands on Sora's waist.
"Has Kairi always been alone?" Sora suddenly asked, still leaning against Riku.
"Yes," Riku simply answered, not understanding what Sora was aiming at.
The brunet pulled away then and rested his head on Riku's shoulder.
"Have you never been with her? So she isn't alone anymore?" he found himself asking without really meaning to.
Riku was silent then. He seemed to be thinking, or maybe he was avoiding to answer, Sora didn't know. Actually, Sora knew nothing anymore. Didn't know why he was asking those questions. Didn't know why he cared so much.
"We've been together…"
Sora's eyes widened; his heart beat faster.
"…alone. We were both… always outsiders. Me, being chased by everyone…and Kairi…simply being herself. She had been like those girls before, or at least she had tried to be one. Then she realized she wasn't like that and became the way she is. Kairi…is nice. She's always been there for me even though I pushed her away…" Riku trailed off. He seemed to be lost in memories now.
"We've never been really close but she was the closest person I had…"
It occurred to Sora that Riku used past tense to speak of his relationship with Kairi.
"But she was never a friend. She wasn't ever something…something like…" Riku pulled away so he could look properly at Sora.
"Like you," he finished, having that adorable sincere and naïve look on his face. He could look so childlike and innocent at times. It was a side no one knew of him, no one but Sora.
Sora cocked his head. "What am I?" he quietly asked, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off his chest. This question had been burning in his heart for so long now. One of those questions that kept spinning in his mind.
Riku turned away. He licked his lips and Sora saw it, saw only that. He couldn't focus on anything but Riku's gestures now. The way his eyes moved around as he kept his head low, or the way he began to twist his hands a bit. Sora could only see that for a moment and then his eyes caught the sight of Riku's lips.
"…friend…" the lips said and he could hear it, too. It came out tentative and helpless. Riku looked up at Sora in anxiety, not knowing whether he had said the right thing. Sure they were friends. Was there anything else they could be?
Sora felt heavy again. If one weight had been lifted off his chest before, another one had appeared now.
His words came out anxiously and timidly but he said it anyway. "Do…Do friends kiss?"
Riku tensed. He looked away quickly, avoiding eye contact at any cost now. Did friends kiss? He wasn't sure. Did friends feel funny when they were around each other? He didn't know. It was his first time! How was he supposed what it was like to have a friend?
Sora sighed. He noticed how troubled Riku suddenly was and he decided that he didn't like that.
"Well…even if they don't…then I guess we're just strange…" he mumbled, slowly reaching out to take Riku's hand.
"Then just let's be really weird friends, how is that? Friends doing stuff that others don't do."
It was the best answer he could think of now. Why do what everyone else did? They could do whatever they wanted.
Riku began to smile eventually and nodded, if only reluctantly.
Then they realized how late it was and Riku had to hurry home before his parents freaked out again.
"I like you a lot…" Riku murmured. He gave Sora a kiss and smiled.
Sora smiled, too and kissed him back. "I know," he cheekily replied, grinning adorably at Riku. "And I like you, too."
They almost forgot that Riku had to go and were already about to hug some more but the watch on Riku's wrist protested. It beeped because he had set a timer when he should be at home. He had to be careful nowadays with his parents. He couldn't afford getting home too late.
Sora heaved an annoyed sigh but nodded as Riku gave him an apologetic look. He turned and waved before he ran off in a hurry.
Sora couldn't understand why he had to be at home all the time. What was he doing all day? He didn't understand how those so-called parents could keep him caged like that all the time.
Sneezing because of the sudden loss of warmth, Sora decided to go in and hide under his blanket. He hated that awful weather anyway so why stay outside.
Not that he hated rain; no, he liked rain. He just hated the cold weather and the wind bruising him with its iciness. The wisest thing to do on such a day was to hop into bed and wrap the blanket around yourself. That, and thinking of Riku...
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At home, things weren't looking too good. Riku came home seeing that there was a lot of noise and ruckus going on. His mother was somewhere ordering maids around and it seemed to be another one of those dinner parties. However, this time, the mistress of the house seemed to be in a very strange mood, changing from happy to frustrated from second to second.
"No! Not into that corner, you idiot! How many times do I have to tell you that the yellow roses stand in the left corner next to the stairs! It's the yellow carnations that go into the right corner!"
Riku rolled his eyes at the absurdity of the topics she yelled about.
"Did you put the canapé on the silver plate?! Didn't I tell you to use the gold plates? And—oh, no no no no! The candles mustn't be lightened yet! You have to wait until the first guests arrives!"
She ran from maid to maid, butler to butler, always complaining about something. But at the same time she seemed happy, ecstatic, if one could say that.
The whole thing seemed strange, though, because today even Riku's father was present and he was ordering people around. It wasn't just a normal dinner party, Riku figured. Something was going on.
Suddenly, he was spotted by his mother and much to his horror, she came to him.
"Riku! There you are! Go and change your clothes, you look awful! I will send you five servants to get your ready for this evening, now go!" She was overly excited and that meant her voice was ten times higher. It was awful to listen to that piercing sound.
"What's going on?" Riku asked only to see his mother running away to scold at yet another person. Why did he have to change? What was going on here? He decided to ask his father and walked towards him.
However, the man was too busy explaining something to a servant that the boy got no chance to say anything. Sighing, Riku trotted towards the stairs to go to his room. He was accompanied by five servants, just like his mother promised.
"What's this about?" he asked those people, people he rarely knew but who worked for him. He wondered if they were the same as always or if the servants switched after time. He couldn't remember their faces so he wouldn't know if that was a new person or the same person who changed his diapers. He inwardly cringed at that thought.
"But Master Riku, aren't you aware of this evening's occasion?" one of the butlers asked.
Riku shrugged. "No?"
They reached his room and went inside. While his clothes were being laid out, a maid explained.
"The mistress has invited every family with a daughter to this banquet. You are going to choose your bride tonight!" the maid excitedly exclaimed only to cover her mouth shortly afterwards. She blushed and uttered a hurried apology for her outburst.
"This is a very special evening for you, Master Riku," she murmured, bowing before him as he was fully dressed in his best clothes. They brushed his hair and Riku found it a bit ridiculous. He wasn't a girl. He let his hair fall freely instead of brushing it. Still, the servants were obligated to do it.
When he was ready he looked at himself in the mirror.
"So this means mom's trying to marry me already?" He shifted in his position, watching his reflection in the mirror.
"Oh, no, Master Riku. The marriage is planned when you reach legal age. But you will be engaged to the chosen girl until that time arrives, so you can get to know each other."
Riku snorted. "Getting to know each other? You mean I'll be engaged to some idiot girl for 6 years and then I have to marry her? Don't I have anything to say about this? When was this planned?" He suddenly lost his temper, thinking of Sora. He wanted to tell him, wanted to complain to him and Sora would make him feel better.
"It has been planned for about a month. Nobody was allowed to tell you. It was supposed to be a surprise."
Riku groaned. Surprise, yeah. Sure. He hated surprises.
"Well, leave me alone now," he muttered, ushering out the servants. He wanted to be alone now. They obeyed and left without another word.
Riku let himself fall onto his bed. So, tonight was his engagement? He snorted. It suddenly reminded him of what his mother had said the day before, about the thing with someone knowing about him and Sora. She said she was going to choose a fiancée for him soon enough. Who could've known that this 'soon' meant 'tonight'?!
He moaned. Curling up into a ball, Riku growled at his misery. Why did it have to be like this? He didn't want to be married to a girl like his mother. He didn't want to be married to a girl, period. Who was thinking of love and marriage at this time, anyway? All he wanted to do was go to school, be with Sora, have fun…be with Sora. He wanted Sora. Not a stupid girl.
Riku sighed. What was it like to be engaged? Did he have to be friends with his fiancée? Probably, yes. But how could he when he didn't even know the person? He couldn't imagine feeling something as strong as the thing he felt for Sora. He just couldn't feel like that for anyone.
A thought entered his mind but he dismissed it quickly because of his ridiculousness. Sora should be his fiancé! This would solve all their problems. They would know what they were to each other. They would be together and no one would say anything against it. This was probably the best thing that could happen…
With the only problem that it wouldn't happen. He couldn't marry a boy. Not that he really wanted to. He wouldn't want to marry Sora because marrying was…marrying was…
Riku groaned. He was 15! Which 15-year old thought of marrying?! This was so stupid…
A knock on the door stopped him from bawling.
"Master Riku, your mother awaits you now," a butler announced. The door was opened and Riku strode out in a sulky fashion, keeping his arms crossed as he walked down the stairs. 'Screw this,' he thought. He didn't want to be here now. He just wanted to curl up and go to sleep. Maybe he would wake up from this nightmare soon…
"Riku, there you are."
He turned his head to see his parents standing at the front door, waiting for the first guest to arrive.
"You stay here. A good host has to greet their guests when they arrive."
He was placed next to the servants, at the big wooden doors. He kept his sulking face to make his point. His father gave him a look, almost seeming as though he understood, whereas his mother completely ignored it.
When the first car was heard parking outside, Riku's heart stopped. This was it. The first guest was arriving, the first family with a potential fiancée.
He felt like throwing up.
– To be continued –
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Ending notes: Yes, you probably want to kill me right now, screaming "WHAT!? RIKU IS GONNA MARRY?!" and stuff like that... he's not REALLY gonna marry, ok? There'll this thing with the fiancèe and all but this is a SoraxRiku fic and it's gonna stay this way... just making it more difficult for the two. But everything that doesn't kill you makes you stronger...and so Sora and Riku will only love each other more...or something.
Whatever. Really, don't hate me for this. It's spicing up things, nothing more. There'll be enough fluff and cute stuff, though. Sora and Riku just scream for that
If I ever get out of this slump, you can expect a nice fluffy chapter following this one.
review please.