Thanks for the support on this one, guys. The poll is still open and will be until I write the decision. I will say this, most of you who have voted are gonna get your wish.

Please keep up with the reviews. This one's proving harder to write than I thought it would be.

Sora walked beside Riku through the construction site toward the outer section of the castle. Leon had asked Riku earlier if he would be willing to look through some files he had located in the city's computer that no one, not even Tron could access. The suspicion was they were Xehanort's and the hope was since Riku had insight on him he might be able to get into them.

While they always walked closely together, they never held hands or otherwise gave any appearance of being a couple in public. It wasn't very accepted on the Islands and they had just developed the habit everywhere. It felt more natural.

Upon arriving in Ansem's study they quickly realized there was no one else there. A brief search of the corridors to the computer room revealed them just as abandoned. "Huh? Well that's weird."

"Maybe he got held up." Riku shrugged.

"Maybe." Sora sounded doubtful. He turned to the terminal. "Hey, Tron!"

"Greetings, User Sora. How can I help you?"

"Leon hasn't been around, has he?"

"No."

"Humm. Oh, well. Can you pull up those files we weren't able to crack open?"

"Of course." The display clicked on and a rather lengthy list scrolled along the left side. "These are the one's believed to be the apprentice's."

"Thanks, Tron." Sora turned to Riku. "Well, have fun."

"Right." He responded dryly, placing himself before the screen.

After about an hour, Riku was able to figure out the first layer of encryption. There was still no sign of Leon. "This place needs a fucking chair."

"I'll find you one." Sora rubbed Riku's shoulders and ran off.

Riku sighed and continued his work. He was truly grateful for this mind-numbing project. It left his brain no room to think and he felt rather relieved to be standing alone for the moment. He could just relax a little, not worrying about saying or doing something that would only end in disaster.

"Where's Leon?" That voice still did crazy things to his stomach.

"Don't know." He kept his voice as neutral as possible. "He hasn't shown."

After a minute, Riku risked a glance over his shoulder but Cloud was gone. He slapped a hand on the keyboard, earning him a warning from the computer to not do that again. This wasn't going to work. There was no way he could keep this up.

If they stayed much longer, he was going to break.

On his way back with a folding chair, Sora ran into Cloud clearly coming from where he was headed. Something about the man's usually almost emotionless expression was nagging at Sora. He looked sad. "Hey, Cloud."

Cloud merely looked at him as he passed.

Okay, Cloud was obviously in one of his moods. Sora shrugged it off and continued on his way. Upon entering the computer room he paused. Riku had both hands on the console with his head faced down toward the keyboard. He looked worn.

Sora quietly set the chair along the wall. Then he came over and wrapped his wiry arms around Riku's waist. The other stiffened for a moment before relaxing into the hold. They didn't speak but Sora knew he had helped him.

When he let go, Riku managed a little smile at him. "This is really tough."

Something told Sora he wasn't just referring to the computer project. "Just take your time. We're not in a hurry."

Maybe you aren't. Riku only nodded.

"Here." Sora brightened. He hauled the chair over, setting it up just behind Riku.

"Thanks."

A few more hours passed and another layer of encryption was removed. Sora sat on the floor beside Riku, content just watching him. He admired how focused Riku became on anything he did. He was totally attentive to the task at hand, something Sora was never good at. Heck, he was known to get distracted during sex.

"I think my brain's fried." Riku announced, dropping his head in his hands to rub at his temples. "It looks like there's another three layers but I don't think I'll get any further today."

"Well, you got a heck of a lot further than any of us did." Sora stood and took over the temple massage for him. "I wonder what happened to Leon."

"Who knows? Probably got held up with the library project. Didn't they say there was a snag with it?"

"Oh, yeah." Riku was really tense. "Was Cloud here?"

That tension increased a hundred fold. "Why?"

"I saw him on the way back." Sora explained. "He looked kinda sad."

Riku didn't say anything.

Sora frowned. Riku was definitely keeping something from him and it had something to do with Cloud. He had no idea what it could be though. Maybe they'd crossed paths while Cloud was working for Hades. It could just be that each reminded the other of a time they'd rather forget.

"Dinner will be soon." Sora whispered in Riku's ear. "We should probably get going."

Riku nodded agreement. "Hey, Tron? We're done here."

"Yes, User Riku. I shall shut down the terminal. Thank you for your input."

"Bye, Tron." Sora called out as the young couple walked out.

They made their way through narrow streets, again quiet. Sora did his best not to worry but he knew something was terribly wrong. This chasm had formed between Riku and himself and it seemed to be growing by the hour. It pained him deeply to know Riku was withdrawing from him yet again.

He needed Riku and he thought Riku needed him. Riku said he needed him but what if it wasn't true? Maybe this relationship was a mistake, a misunderstanding of intense emotion that they mistook for love. No, that couldn't be it. He loved Riku and Riku loved him. So what was the problem?

"At least we don't have to shower before dinner." Riku mumbled, clearly trying to find something to break the silence.

"Yeah, though I still want to know where Leon's been all day."

"Maybe he decided to take a day off."

"Yeah, right." Sora laughed. "And Yuffie being hyper is just a phase."

Both chuckled and the mood became decidedly better. Neither one liked when there was tension between them. Upon reaching Aerith's, Riku unexpectedly turned Sora toward him and kissed him roughly.

Sora pulled back after and looked at him quizzically. "What was that for?"

"Just felt like it." He took the smaller hand into his and they climbed the few steps into the house.

Kairi was setting the table. She looked up and paused for a second before a big, obviously fake grin crossed her face. "Oh, hey, guys."

The pair had identical frowns. Sora stepped forward intent on helping her. "What's with you?"

"Nothing." She replied, again too enthusiastically. As Sora passed her to get napkins, she narrowed her eyes at Riku. The glare was gone the second Sora looked back her way.

Riku watched her closely as she and Sora finished with the table. Every opportunity she got she shot a glare in his direction. She was positively charming toward Sora.

Riku felt panic rise in his chest. She knew something. She had to. There was no other explanation for her sudden behavior but had did she find out, unless… no, he wouldn't have talked to her about it.

Aerith came out of the kitchen holding a large pot. Apparently, some kind of stew was the menu for tonight. Wait, Aerith. If she had suspected something, she might have confronted Cloud and he knew Cloud couldn't lie to that woman.

This was bad.

"Leon and Cid are going to be late." Aerith tossed the pot holders on the side board. "Anyone seen Cloud?"

"Not since this afternoon." Sora answered.

Aerith and Kairi exchanged looks before glancing at Riku. Oh gods, they both knew.

Yuffie chose that moment to burst through the front door. "I'm here! Where's the food cause I am starved!"

They sat down to dinner which turned out to be jambalaya. Yuffie chattered on not noticing that no one else was listening. The tension was thick enough to slice with the Buster sword. Only Yuffie seemed to be oblivious to it.

As clean up began, Aerith had Yuffie bring containers out to Leon and Cid and asked Sora to help her with dishes. Once they were gone, Kairi whirled on Riku and slapped him.

Riku simply took it. Her small hand didn't do much more that sting but the pain in his chest that flared with it was more than enough to compensate.

"You're a jerk." She hissed, angrier that Riku had ever seen her. She used to yell at him till she was red in the face the first year back on the Island whenever he would disappear for days without word and it would send Sora into a horrible bout of depression. He was unrepentant for leaving then and Sora always stopped her from hitting him beyond the opening slaps.

Somehow this quiet snarl so that Sora wouldn't overhear was much worse.

"How dare you play with Sora's heart like this! Do you even care how much he loves you? How much he's sacrificed for you? My god, Riku, what the hell is wrong with you?"

All he could do was look away.

"And Cloud. Look what you're doing to him! Do you have any idea what it's like for him to see the one he loves flaunt around his new relationship, not even acknowledging the former one? I cannot believe you want this, Riku!"

"I don't!" He nearly shouted. He paused to collect himself. "I don't want this and I'm going to do something about it. Just please give me some time."

"More time won't make it any easier." Kairi argued, placing hands on her hips. "I loved Sora too but I stepped back because I knew he loved you and I believed you loved him."

"I do love him."

"Do you, Riku? Or do you love Cloud because there is obviously something still there between you two and it isn't fair to any of you to keep this hidden."

"I know." Riku slumped. "I know all this Kairi."

"Then bloody fix it!"

Sora walked in and paused to look between the two. "Uh, is everything alright?"

"Yeah," Kairi answered. Riku nodded.

"Okay." He said uncertainly, grabbing the discarded oven mitts and heading back for the kitchen.

The second he was gone, Kairi pointed a finger into Riku's chest. "You tell him everything or I will and if you break his heart so help me, Riku, I will kill you."

She turned and went into the kitchen.