I'm a week late…::sighs::…I know. I got the ickys from the kids at work and felt like shit all last week, so yeah… I did attempt to work on this, but after I went back and read what I had I realized that sucked all different kinds of ass so I started over. Bleh… Anyway, I apologize soooooo much for being late on this. ::sighs:: I just wasn't able to concentrate on my writing as well I needed to while I was doped up on NyQuil and antibiotics. Good times…

::bows down to my ku:: You were my saviour on this chapter and the beginning of the next…and everyone else should bow down to kuriqa as well 'cause she's the only reason I was able to finally get this chapter out…the only reason I was finally able to get the ending right…the only reason I'm still freakin' sane right now. LoL. You are amazing!! Just another reminder as to why I keep you around. ::glomps:: Just kidding… Aishiteru, ku…

And we're back to Sora's POV now, so be prepared for some anger… He has a right to be angry with Leon, as you all well know…

Anyway…enjoy!!…

WARNINGS: language and mom jokes…lol…

Disclaimer: The characters and worlds of Kingdom Hearts belong to Square Enix and Disney…

"…You come over unannounced
Silence broken by
Your voice in the dark
I need you here, tonight
Just like the ocean
Needs the waves
Fall around me now, like
Stars that shine
And brighten the way
I need you here, tonight
Just like this night
Needs the rain…"

—"The Ocean" Mae…

Chapter Thirteen:
Need You Here Tonight…

"Sora, stop pouting and get your ass over here?"

I shook my head and crossed my arms over my chest in what I knew was a childish act of defiance, but I really didn't care. Leon sighed and glared at me, tapping his foot impatiently on the floor though he kept his arms out for me to hug him. He was standing in front of the door to my hospital room and I had trapped myself in a corner. Roxas and Cloud just sat on my bed and tried their hardest not to laugh at Leon's steadily growing anger.

"Dammit, Sora," Leon grumbled and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What the hell is your problem?"

I narrowed my eyes and laughed coldly. "You're my problem, you asshole!" I shouted.

It seemed that Leon wasn't expecting the answer I gave him. He furrowed his brow and his arms dropped limp to his sides. I think I saw Roxas and Cloud give each other small fives out of the corner of my eye, but then Leon was walking toward me and Cloud had jumped up from the bed to hold his lover back.

"Calm down, Leon," he whispered.

"Why am I your problem, Sora?" Leon shouted as he struggled in Cloud's grasp. "What did I do?!"

I laughed coldly again and rolled my eyes. "Well, for one you blamed Riku for my attempt at suicide, and then you kicked him out of my room. And, just to top it all off, you forbade him to see me. How could you do that to him? To me?"

Leon sighed and closed his eyes. After a couple of deep breaths he opened his eyes again and looked like he was going to say something, but then he turned on his heel and headed for the door.

"You know what?" he muttered. "I don't have time for this. Take care of our idiot brother for me, Roxas. The nurse should be here in a few minutes to check on his wounds and change the bandages."

And then he was gone. Cloud hung back as if he was going to stay, but with a small, apologetic goodbye he ran out of the room to catch up with Leon.

"Asshole," I grumbled and plopped down onto the bed beside Roxas.

He snorted quietly and shook his head. "You shouldn't be so harsh on him. He only did what he thought…"

"…was best for me?" I interrupted. "Yeah, I know. You've told me that a hundred times already. I still can't forgive him for doing that to Riku, though. It wasn't fair."

"Life isn't fair."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't start that again, either."

Roxas laughed and punched me playfully in the arm. I couldn't help but laugh, though my grumpy mood still lingered slightly below the surface. It was so weird now that I knew that Roxas was really my brother. Knowing didn't change anything between us, though. If anything, it only made our bond stronger. It was nice to finally realize why we had had such a strong bond aside from the fact that we were Futago. Or Twin Souls. Or whatever…

Sighing, I laid back on the bed with my hands under my head. "Have you talked to at all Riku today?"

"Yeah," Roxas answered with a laugh. "He can't wait to see you. Axel says that he's practically had to hold the guy's shirt tails all day to keep him from coming here to see you."

I laughed quietly. "I can't wait to see him. There are just…there's just so many things I want to ask him now that I remember. It's driving me insane."

I sighed and closed my eyes as Roxas settled down into the bed beside me. "Don't worry, Sora. You'll get to see him soon."

I shrugged and sighed, letting my thoughts wander. It felt like it had been an eternity since I had last been held in Riku's arms. I really missed the feeling, but I couldn't help but wonder if things were going to change between us since I woke up. I hoped not. I had enjoyed the sense of innocence that was in our relationship before I went into the coma. I didn't want to lose that.

A poke in my stomach brought me back to reality. "Whatcha thinkin' about?" Roxas muttered.

"Your mom," I groaned and rolled over so I was facing away from him. "Now leave me alone."

Roxas laughed and poked me again. "D-d-don't you eva talk about m-m-my momma like dat again," he said in a high pitched voice.

"I'll say whatever I want about your momma, whenever I want to," I said in a voice that mocked his.

He started to fake crying. "I'm gonna tell my momma on you and…and she'll never wanna see you again."

I smirked and shrugged. The opening was too perfect to ignore. "Oh, well. Tell her she was a good fuck, and I'll miss her dearly, but I've had better. Oh, and…" I reached over to the bedside table and handed Roxas the penny that I was on it. "…tell her that's for last night."

I patted his hand playfully and rolled back onto my side. It was silent for a moment or two, but then Roxas exploded in laughter. He laughed and laughed, and wouldn't stop. I groaned and beat my head against the metal bar attached to the side of my bed.

"Dude, you're sick. I'll tell Maho that you appreciate her business, though."

I grumbled a curse under my breath and rolled over so I could glare at him. "You say anything and I'll have to kick your ass."

He rolled his eyes and dropped the penny on my nose. "Yeah, whatever. We both know who would win that fight."

He laughed and stretched out on the bed. I growled, and was about to pounce on him when the door to my room opened and a nurse entered with her arms laden with bandages and antiseptic. Roxas jumped up from the bed and moved to the chair beside it instead.

The nurse kicked the door closed and dropped the things she had carried with her on metal tray with wheels. She pulled the tray over to the bed and took a seat.

"Time to check my wounds?"

She nodded. "Yeah. It won't take long. I just have to make sure that you didn't pull any of the stitches when you woke or anything like that. Then I'll change the bandages and be done."

I nodded and held my left arm out to her. She smiled and peeled the medical tape away from my skin. I had to bite my tongue to keep from whining. Some of the hair on my arm stuck to the tape and was pulled out while she peeled the tape away from my skin. It hurt like a bitch and made tears of pain well up in the corners of my eyes.

The nurse stared at my arm for a couple of seconds after she finally pulled the bandage away from my wrist. It kind of made me worry. Her brow was furrowed and she had a confused look in her eyes.

"Is…everything okay?" I muttered.

She held up a finger and haphazardly put the bandage back over my wrist before beckoning for my right arm. I held it out to her in confusion and tried my hardest to keep my patience while she pulled the large bandage from my wounds.

Once again, she stared at my arm in confusion, but this time she looked up at me with something akin to extreme shock in her eyes.

I opened my mouth to ask what the problem was, but she answered me before I could anything out.

"Your wounds have completely healed, and only your worst ones have left scars behind." She tentatively pressed on the scarred flesh of my wrist. "This…this is…"

"Impossible?" I sighed. Great. Though I had no idea how my wounds had "magically" healed, I had a feeling that it had something to do with my awakening. And now I was probably going to become a lab rat or sideshow or something. I could just see the tabloid headlines. "Sora, the fastest healing person in the world!"

"Well, no, not impossible. Your wounds were already mostly healed and sometimes people get lucky with scars." I sighed and she laughed. "Don't worry. You're not some kind of medical miracle or anything, if that's what you were worried about. It's just…surprising."

I sighed and tried my hardest to act normal, though I knew that my relief was probably written on my face. The nurse laughed and removed the bandages, and I was able to see my wounds for the first time.

The stitches had been removed sometime while I was still asleep, so the damage didn't look as bad as it could have. Though most of the marks from my suicide attempt were gone, I had vertical scars that ran from the middle of my forearm to my wrist. They weren't too wide—only about a centimeter or so across—but to me they were the ugliest things I had ever seen.

I was relieved to see that my scars from cutting hadn't disappeared with everything else. Call me sick or twisted, but I wanted to keep those scars as a reminder of the places I had been and never wanted to return to. Now that I understood things more clearly, my depression was starting to clear away, and I never wanted to have to look it straight in the eye again.

The nurse grabbed a piece of gauze and dabbed it in some kind of cream before she smeared it across my arm. I hissed when it touched my skin. It was cold as ice, but felt surprisingly good. When she was done, she dropped the gauze in the wastebasket and peeled the gloves from her hands.

"Well, Sora. You're all set," she said with a smile. "Doctor Akiko regrets that she couldn't be here to see you off, but she's busy in surgery at the moment."

I nodded and smiled brightly. That meant that I was finally going home! I could have danced for joy, though I didn't. I really didn't feel like getting out of bed.

The nurse left the room for a couple of minutes and returned with a small box for me to pack my things into and a wheelchair. Roxas and I quickly gathered the things Leon had brought for me, and I argued back and forth with the nurse about riding in the wheelchair until Roxas just shoved me into it and dropped my box in my lap.

"I can walk, dammit!" I grumbled.

"It's just standard procedure," the nurse said. "You can walk when we get to the doors."

I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest as I pouted, though the frown disappeared when I saw the sunlight shining beyond the hospital doors. It had been so long since I had been able to get a mouthful of fresh air without someone breathing down my neck. I couldn't wait to get home, to a place I knew with people I knew.

The nurse pushed a button with her foot and the automatic doors opened so she could push me outside. She stopped the wheelchair by the sidewalk so I could get up and smiled at me when I turned to thank her.

"Take care!" she chirruped and waved jovially as Roxas and I made our way to the car.

It was beautiful outside. True, it was cold, but snow dusted the ground and decorated the trees. A gentle breeze was blowing and it turned our noses red while it played with our bangs. It was almost a shame when we climbed into the warm car. I would have loved to walk home, but I didn't want to get sick right after I had just gotten out of the hospital. That would have really sucked.

"Where are we going?" I asked after Roxas had driven for a few minutes.

He shrugged. "To Leon's. I would take you to my house, but Maho will probably go psycho on you, so yeah… Maybe we'll do that later."

I laughed and nodded. "Thank you. I'd rather not deal with your hyperactive mom right now."

"You'd rather deal with a pissy Leon?"

I shrugged. "He's quiet when he's pissed off so at least he'll leave me alone. I hope he does, at least. He'll just piss me off even more if he tries to explain himself on the whole Riku situation."

Roxas snorted and shook his head, but kept silent after that. I reached forward and clicked on the radio so the quiet wouldn't be quite so deafening. With a sigh, I rested my head back against the headrest and closed my eyes, letting the music wash over me.

o-o-o-o-o

Unfortunately, Leon never learned to shut his mouth whenever someone was pissed off at him. "Fuck you" waves were radiating from my body when Roxas and I got home from the hospital, but Leon still followed me around like he thought I was perfectly fine. He tried to ask me those little questions like "How are you feeling?" or "Are you hungry?" or "What's the matter?" and kept trying to ask, even though I was trying my hardest to avoid him like the plague.

Finally, when I had enough of my fill for one day, I turned around to face him and broke. "No, Leon, I'm not fucking okay! I just woke up from a three month coma yesterday to realize that my brother was an asshole who wouldn't even let my boyfriend stay with me while I was sleeping. Just add the fact that I've suddenly remembered an entire past life, and I think even a moron would understand that I'm not okay!"

Leon froze and frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Are you calling me an idiot?" he muttered.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't even try to be cute with me. I'm so pissed at you that I can't even describe how much I hate you right now."

He sighed and dropped his head. "I'm sorry. I was just doing what I thought would be best for you."

I snorted. "If I had a nickel for every time I've heard that today," I grumbled.

"I just don't want him to drag you down like he did last time, Sora," he shouted. "You actually succeeded in killing yourself in the past, and I don't want to risk that again."

"I committed suicide in the past because I was led to believe by a certain someone…" I aimed my meanest glare at him. "…that Riku was dead when he wasn't. I killed myself because I didn't want to be alone anymore. Roxas was dead, Riku was 'dead,' and you had me under such hard watch that I would have never seen Axel again. I was tired of being alone, Leon."

He stopped following me for a moment and blinked. "You weren't alone, Sora. Cloud and I were still there for you."

I laughed coldly. "You mean Cloud was still there for me? You were so busy with your stupid Elder work that you barely spared me a second glance. You can't tell me that you didn't hate me just a little bit for falling in love with a demon. You are one of the ones who agreed to have me exiled, aren't you?"

He shook his head and furrowed his brow. "No, Sora. That wasn't my decision. It was the Source's decision to see you exiled. The other Elders and I had nothing to do with it."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever," I muttered and stomped into my room, slamming and locking the door behind me.

Roxas sighed at me from his spot on the bed. "You enjoy pissing him off too much."

I rolled my eyes and plopped down onto the bed beside him. "No, he's just an asshole and needs to give it up. I refuse to forgive him."

He snorted and pushed himself up so he could sit cross-legged. "And now you're just acting childish. What happened to the emo, yet still kinda happy Sora I remember? I don't like this angry one."

I tried my hardest to glare at him, but fell short. Instead, I dropped my head into my hands and sighed heavily. "I can't help it," I muttered.

Roxas laughed and put a soft hand on my shoulder. "I know that you're confused, but you can't take everything out on Leon. It was a little bit of everyone's fault."

I shrugged. "It's not my fault that he makes it so easy to blame him for everything. It's his fault for always looking like the guilty one. And if he would just stop trying to apologize for every little thing then I wouldn't get so pissed at him."

Silence fell between the two of us for a while after that. I couldn't help but laugh at the fact that Roxas' hand stayed on my shoulder as a constant reminder that he was there for me no matter what happened. In the short time since I had been released home, I don't think Roxas had left me alone. Even when I had been out in the living room arguing with Leon, I had felt the gentle caress of Roxas' mind against mine…always there. And he was always there. Though we were sitting close enough to feel the heat radiating off each other's bodies, I could still feel his mind against mine.

'I'm sorry that this had to happen, Sora. It was so freakin' avoidable. I should have seen the warning signs. I shouldn't have been so…so…damn stupid that night. All the stupid shit I had done in the past was just thrown in your face before I had the chance to actually tell you about it. And Riku and Axel… Stupid. That's all we are. We're idiots who almost killed you.'

I shook my head and tipped my head sideways so my cheek was against his hand. I heard him sigh, and he rested the side of his head against mine.

'You guys didn't do anything wrong, Rox. I'm the one who jumped to conclusions. If anyone has to be stupid, it would be me. I should have given you more credit than I did. I should have stopped and let Riku explain when he'd called for me. It's my fault that all this happened, not yours.'

He laughed. 'And why can't you use that forgiving attitude on our brother? I know that you're angry with him, but can't you see where he was coming from? He'd already lost you once and thought that it was going to happen again.'

'Like I said…I'm stupid…And hey. What happened to that costume anyway? And…those pants?' I visibly flinched at the thought of those stupid pants.

He laughed again and nudged my head playfully with his own. "You are an idiot," he muttered. "But it's why we all love you so much."

I chuckled. "Plus, I'm cute, so the idiocy just goes along with my innocent and naïve demeanor."

Roxas pulled away from me and rolled his eyes. "Innocent and naïve, my ass!" he laughed. "You lost your innocence more than a thousand years ago."

I smiled and shrugged. "It's amazing, the things that will stick with you through time."

Roxas put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close in a small hug. "That it is," he said. "But you gotta stop being so mopy. I've gotta surprise for you."

"A surprise?" I frowned.

He nodded excitedly and smiled. "Yeah, now come on."

He climbed off the bed and went to the window. As quietly as he could, he unlatched the panes and slid up the bottom one. Last but not least, he popped out the screen and set it on the floor behind the desk. When he was finished, he turned to me with a smile and beckoned impatiently.

"Come on! We have to leave before Leon comes storming in here to make sure you're doing alright, or something like that."

I furrowed my brow, but didn't move. Roxas sighed heavily and grabbed onto my hand, pulling me up from the bed and toward the window. He grabbed a jacket and shoved it into my hands on the way across.

"You go first," he said. "I don't want you to close the window and lock me out once I get out there."

I rolled my eyes as I shrugged on the jacket, but did as he said. I stuck my head out first and measured the distance between the window and the ground. It wasn't much, but it wasn't a small fall, either. I could easily break my ankle if I landed the wrong way. I shook my head to expel those thoughts and closed my eyes.

"Go!"

With a heavy sigh, I hefted a leg out the window and boosted my hands on the window sill to help me get up so I was straddling the ledge. Then, with a little luck and patience, I pulled my other leg though the window until I was sitting on the ledge and carefully jumped down to the ground.

Roxas dropped the screen outside on the grass and followed after me. I swear he made the job look a hell of a lot easier than it really was, but that was just how he was. When he was out, he used a cinderblock for leverage to pull the window closed again and used a little mind magic to close the lock inside. Within seconds the screen was back in place, and he was dragging me behind him as he ran away from the apartment complex.

After five minutes or so of running, my legs grew tired and I slowed to a stop. Roxas turned to look at me with a frown on his face. I answered him with a glare.

"Where are we going?" The words came out a little harsher than I had intended. I couldn't help it. My legs hurt and I was confused, so I had the right to be angry at least a little bit.

He smiled and shrugged. "Just somewhere."

I made my glare a bit more threatening. "Where are we going?"

He laughed and patted my head as if he were petting an angry dog. "You'll find out when we get there. It's a surprise remember?"

He started to run again, but I yanked him back. He turned to me with an angry frown.

"We could have already been there by now if it wasn't for you and your pissyness," he grumbled.

"I'm not in the mood for a surprise, Roxas. Just tell me where we're going and I'll happily follow you."

He sighed. "I'm taking you home," he muttered.

I furrowed my brow. "You just dragged me away from home, stupid."

"No!" He shook his head and a new smile lit up his face. "I'm talking about the house where you lived with your mom."

"Do what?!" I yanked my hand out of his and took a few steps back. "Why are you taking me there? Are you stupid? She'll kill me!"

He shook his head again and reached out for my hand, but I pulled away before he could grab me. "She's not there anymore, Sora. No one knows where she is, but she turned the house over to you."

I laughed. "You expect me to believe that she gave me an entire house? The only time she ever gave me anything was when she wanted me to stay quiet about her beatings, and that's pretty much out in the open now." I laughed again. "What in your right mind makes you think that she would give me a house?"

He shrugged. "I dunno," he said sheepishly. "I just heard Leon talking about it with Cloud one day while they were visiting you in the hospital. I wanted to tell you before Leon because… Well, just because I wanted to."

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. "I don't believe you."

He sighed and slumped his shoulders forward. "Then I don't know what to say. Will you at least just come with me? You're acting like I'm going to kill you or something."

"How do I know that you're not?" I asked coolly.

Roxas' eyes widened slightly and he stumbled backwards as if he had been shot. The way that he groped at his chest just added to the effect. "Do you honestly think I would kill you?"

A weird sort of déjà vu floated over me at his words. This argument wasn't the same as the one we had had before, but it was still just as eerie. This was the second time in three months that I had been edgy around Roxas because I didn't know what he was going to do next. Would he really kill me? I couldn't be too sure.

"You do, don't you?" Roxas whispered, tears in his voice. "How could you think that? I would never hurt you, Sora! You're my brother. I would be lost without you."

I sighed and closed my eyes, taking a few seconds to calm myself. "I know, Roxas. It's just… I don't know what to do anymore. Ever since I woke, I feel like I don't know myself. I always thought that it would be the other way around; that I would feel completed when I regained all of my memories, but… That's not how it feels. I only feel like I've lost myself."

"Oh, Sora…" Roxas wrapped his arms around me and sighed. "I know that it's nothing like you expected, but it's a very good thing that you remember."

He let go of me and took a step back, and I couldn't help but smile. He was right. It was nothing like I had expected, but I would much rather live with all of these confusing memories than to go back in time to my life without them.

Out of nowhere, a slight drizzle of rain started to fall and shrouded the world around us in a mist. Roxas laughed at my angry frown and grabbed onto my hand.

"Come on. It's not much further and then we'll be inside."

I nodded and followed behind him reluctantly. As happy as I was that I was going to have a place to live that was away from Leon, I wasn't so sure that I wanted to go back to the place that had given birth to so many painful memories. Even though my mom and I had been living in the house, it had always been an empty shell of the home it had been before Dad had died. I could only imagine what it looked like now.

A shiver rippled through my body as Roxas and I turned onto the familiar street, and I kept my eyes trained on the road until Roxas stopped at the end of my driveway. I slowly lifted my eyes and let them drift over the empty house. It actually didn't look as horrible as I had imagined. The grass had already started to die when I had left, but now it was covered in a thin sheet of snow. The dull off-white paint had a few more chips in it than I last remembered, but it the house still looked like someone lived in it. Even so, I could feel that the air around the house had changed. It was lighter. It almost felt as if the house had gotten rid of an evil demon. It felt like it was…free.

"We're gonna be soaked if we stand out here any longer," Roxas said, nudging my elbow gently. "Let's go inside and start a fire. I bet the house is freezing."

I nodded weakly. I had completely forgotten about the rain in my surprise at the seeing the house, but now it poured down and chilled my body as it ran down the back of my neck. Thankfully, the warm winter jacket that I wore kept out most of the icy water.

I followed Roxas up onto the porch, hesitating to enter the house after he unlocked the door with his mind and stepped inside. It looked so forlorn and empty. It wasn't hard to see that it had been a long time since any kind of love had been shown inside this house.

"It's okay, Sora. I promise."

Roxas held his hand out to me, and I took it gratefully. He helped me get the courage to go into the house and face the place I had avoided since the last time I had been beat by my mom.

A deep chill filled the house, so deep that it even managed to penetrate the layers of my jacket. It didn't surprise me. The heater hadn't been run in the house for more than four months, and a fire hadn't been lit in the hearth for even longer.

Roxas weaved his way into the living room and toward the fireplace. I followed him slowly. Why hadn't someone removed the furniture from the house? Mom had disappeared without a trace long ago, so why hadn't the police taken everything away? It didn't make any sense, but when Roxas managed to finally get a fire started in the hearth, it didn't seem to matter anymore. The light glow of the fire gave the house life, and I already felt warmth flooding over me, even though I knew that there was no way that I could feel it.

Sighing, I unzipped the jacket and pulled it from my shoulders, throwing it over the back of the couch on my way to Roxas' side. He smiled at me and moved so he was resting with his back against the couch.

"Did you ever expect to see this place again?" he muttered.

I shook my head. "No. I really didn't. I actually wish that they had burned it to the ground. There are no more happy memories in this place. Only pain. I wish that it would all just disappear."

I let my eyes skim over the living room, lingering on the photographs that stood in elegant frames on the mantle…on the beautiful dishes that had been a wedding gift to my mother and father in the China cabinet …on the pots of fake flowers that decorated the tables…

Everything seemed like it was taken from a former life of mine, and it really had been. The life I had lived with my mother wasn't the life I lived now. I was a different person since regaining my memories. I couldn't help but entertain the thoughts that maybe I would be able to go back to that life, though. I would give anything to go back the life I had before Dad died…back when everything was still perfect.

I sighed heavily and pulled my knees up to my chest, staring deep into the flames. They were so beautiful. I wondered if I could do some mental magic to make the fire larger so it would engulf the entire house, but leave Roxas and I protected for long enough to get out. I deeply doubted it, and didn't dare to try.

"I have to see Maho," Roxas said, his voice cutting through the silence like a knife as he stood. "I only went home once while you were in the hospital, and you know how she is. She's probably beside herself with worry."

I nodded and moved to stand as well, but he shook his head and smiled sadly.

"This is something that I need to do. There's a lot that I need to say to Maho. Why don't you stay here? I'll be back soon, I promise."

"But…" Did he honestly expect me to want to stay in this house by myself? If there was no reason for me to be here, then I really didn't want to be here. I didn't care that I was going to get the house handed over to me. Hell, I didn't even know if that was the truth. I just didn't want to stay there period.

Roxas shook his head again. "I'll be back," he said with a little more force, and I watched helplessly as he left me behind, only blinking when the sound of the door clicking shut announced his departure.

I wanted to get up and follow him, but I knew that he would only be pissed if I did. Sighing, I turned my eyes back onto the fire and listened to the rain as it misted against the window. There really wasn't much to think about, so I can't say that I lost myself in my thoughts. I just stared and lost myself in the dancing flames in the hearth until my tailbone started to hurt and I stood up to stretch.

It was dark outside when I finally let my legs slowly lead me around the house. I went into the dining room and kitchen, running my fingers delicately over the countertop as I moved. Everything was covered in a thin layer of dust, and my fingers left trails. I looked down at the floor and noticed that I was leaving footprints on the hardwood.

I avoided the staircase. I didn't want to go up to my bedroom unless it was absolutely necessary, mostly because I was afraid of the state it would be in. Last I knew, the carpet was covered in dried blood. Some sick part of me wanted to go up and see if it was in the same neglected state, but the stronger part of me kept me downstairs. My destroyed room wasn't something that I really needed to see.

I don't know why, but the next place my feet carried me to was outside. I didn't have my jacket, so the cold pierced my skin, but I didn't turn and go back inside. Instead, I crossed my porch and slowly walked down the stairs. The mist of rain that had left a shimmering of water on my skin increased with every step that I took, but I ignored it. I walked until I was standing in the center of my front yard and turned my face up to the sky.

The moon was shining bright and full and I could see the stars sparkling, even with the rain. I briefly wondered why it wasn't snowing, but shoved the thought away as quickly as it had come. It sometimes rained in the winter so it didn't really matter.

I dropped to my knees on the ground, hissing quietly as the snow seeped into my jeans and melted against my skin. Why was I still outside? It was freezing and I would definitely get sick if I didn't go in soon, but something with a strong pull kept me outside.

The rain started to fall even harder as I sat on the frozen ground, and it soaked through my shirt and jeans. I still didn't mind. There really were no thoughts running through my head as I sat there. There really wasn't anything for me to think about. The shock of the day hadn't set in yet. Everything still felt so strange to me.

Footsteps crunched in the snow behind me, but I didn't bother to turn and see who was coming up on me. I closed my eyes and turned my face up to the rain, letting it slide down my face.

"S-Sora?"

An immediate shiver rippled through my body at the sound of my name in that oh-so-familiar voice. It was a voice I had been dreaming about, but it had to only be my imagination.

"Sora?"

A hand landed on my shoulder and pulled me out of whatever world I had managed to lose myself in. My eyes snapped open and I was suddenly painfully aware of the rain that was freezing in my hair and on my clothes. I blinked rapidly and shook my head before I turned and looked at the person who stood beside me. I sighed at that beautiful face.

"Riku…"

He smiled and I sighed. He looked even more like an angel than I had ever seen him. He was dressed for the cold and the icy rain dripped from his hair delicately. The way the streetlight behind him glared off his sliver hair gave the image of a halo.

He smiled again and held a hand out to me to help me stand. I took it and, in a flash, my arms were wrapped around him and our lips were locked in a passionate yet chaste kiss.

Riku laughed when we pulled apart. "Oh, I've missed you," he whispered, burying his face in my hair. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too," I muttered and nuzzled my face into his chest.

He laughed again and pulled me tight against him. "You're soaked. Let's get you inside before you get sick or something."

I nodded and let myself be lead back into the house by Riku, half-in and half-out of everything that was going on. Where was Roxas? Hadn't he said that he would be back soon? I didn't know how long it had been since he had left, but I could have sworn that "soon" had already come and gone. And did it really matter? I mean, Riku was here with me now. Now that I wasn't alone, Roxas could take as much time as he needed to talk with Maho.

Riku stopped in the doorway and held me away from him at arms length. He tutted quietly and shook his head.

"Sora, Sora…," he sighed. "Look at you. You're soaked to the bone. You need to change into some different clothes."

He grabbed my hand and started to lead me toward the stairs, but I pulled back, shaking my head when he looked at me in question.

"I don't want to go up there," I explained, pleading with him in my gaze.

He sighed and ran a hand back through his hair. "But you need to change your clothes."

I nodded, but didn't move. Riku sighed and gently tugged on my hand until I followed him into the living room. A violent shiver rippled through my body as the chill finally managed to eat through to my bones.

"You're a mess, Love."

I sighed, but kept my mouth shut. Riku sighed in response and brushed his hands lightly against my body, stopping at my waistline. When his fingers toyed with the button of my jeans, I jumped backwards and looked at him in shock. He laughed out loud and put a hand to his forehead.

"Fine, do it yourself. Either way, you need to change."

I blushed a deep crimson and grabbed the throw blanket from the back of the couch, stalking out of the living room and into the entryway so I could undress in privacy. I peeled my shirt and jeans from my body, but kept my boxers on. I wasn't ready to be completely nude in front of Riku yet. When I was finished, I wrapped my body in the blanket and left my soaked clothes in a pile on the floor beside the door. With a sigh, I pulled the blanket tight around my shoulders and went back into the living room.

Riku was sitting on the floor in front of the fire, prodding it gently with the poker to get a few flames going. I settled down on the floor next to him, not too close but not too far away. I don't know why, but things felt weird between the two of us now that I remembered everything. It wasn't a bad kind of weird, but the air felt heavy. It was almost suffocating.

I shivered and Riku closed the distance between us, wrapping an arm around my shoulders to pull me close against him. I sighed and rested my head on the crook of his shoulder.

"There's a lot that we need to talk about," he finally muttered.

I nodded. "Yeah, but can't we stay like this for just a little while longer?"

He sighed, laughing quietly, almost sadly. "Yeah," he muttered, and I snuggled into his arms. I was happy just to be there with Riku as we watched the burning embers in the hearth and the dancing waves that were cast on the walls from the rain against the window. Even if it was only for a moment, everything in the outside world could wait.

TBC…
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A/N: ::sighs:: I love this ending!! It's so freakin' cliché. In a way, I wish that this was the end of this part of the series… I dunno why. It's not, though, so don't go freaking out on me!! Hehe… There are still three chapters left before the end…

A note on the mom jokes… Sorry for anyone who's not into the whole mom joke thing, but it was sooo hard for me to not throw it in there. It's like a contest between my friends and I to see who can pull the best mom joke, so yeah… You're lucky it wasn't one of our patented "Josh's mom" jokes. LoL… That could have been interesting...

I think that was being stupid again, so I apologize to catwomen47, DaggerForFate, bloodredthunderstorm, and lostlovedeath because I wasn't able to reply before posting this. To everyone who reviewed: you all are great, and I love you! Thanks so much for your support…

Once again, I give my unending thanks to kuriqa for that late night phone conversation on Monday. ::glomps:: You know I love you, babe. 40 days!! Hehe… Yes, I'm already counting down. I can't wait!!…

As always, I apologize for any typos. I had the fun job of editing this chapter at work… But, aside from that, I think that's all I have to say for this chapter…

::glomps everyone:: Until next chapter, adieu…