It took a while, but this is the final chapter! Woot! (Minus the bonus chapter, of course, but you're going to have to wait a little longer for that. ^^) Anyway, I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed for this story; it's totally awesome that we made it over 400 reviews! I love you guys.

So thanks to: A-chan, Taryn Eithne, andhearts, FlyingTackle, Shinimegami7, DieChan, infinityinmirrors, Staple Queen, moontide, CloudedMirror89, LiteraryMirage, NarusaS, LoneBoy7, deludedfreak, Mirror and Darkling, Sexy-Tacos-Emo-Waffles, Ultima Phoenix, xLion-Heartx, FlurryDivider, Aindel S. Druida, 73n5Hl, Yunie Tatlin, Tangerine342, Shukakku the adorable raccoon, Reno-is-a-Turk, Silver Butterfly07, calmxbeforexthexstorm, Emerald Moonrose.

Thanks everyone!

(Still taking votes for who should star in the bonus chapter, just so you know. I've gotten great replies so far though, so, thanks for the input!)

O


Chapter 22


He spent the rest of the day on that beach. In his formal suit, the tropical sun was blazing hot but he still wandered up and down that stretch of sand for hours, continuing to walk well after the sun set. His mind was completely twisted about, but every time he tried to clear his mind to try and weigh his options, he returned to only one thought. Namine was gone. There was a fairly good chance that Leon hadn't made it to Destiny Islands. And Sora had chosen to stay in the spirit world, so they weren't together. He wasn't with Sora. And every hour that passed was a much longer stretch of time in the spirit world.

He stopped his pacing only when his feet had gone numb from walking on the sand for so long. His body was sticky with sweat underneath his silk and cotton suit; neat hair now mussed from the sea breeze and sticking to the back of his neck and forehead. His suit pants had been ruined from their dip in the ocean and subsequent covering of sand.

Why hadn't anyone come for him yet? Days must have passed in the spirit world already because of that strange time split. So where the hell were they?

Feet buried in the sand, Riku ran his hands down his face. He took in a deep breath then let his hands fall down to his sides. He was exhausted. And clearly, no one was coming back for him today. Not knowing what else to think, too tired to think, to even begin to speculate what had happened or what he was supposed to do, Riku began to walk home.

The roads were empty. Of course, it had to be at least nine at night. Riku didn't have a watch but with the sun rising and setting in this world he had found that he actually had a relatively good sense of time. This side of Destiny Islands was mostly privately owned, the beach the portal had been on nestled among a large number of estates owned by the island's finest. Like the Jenovan family. The tourist parties, and all of their cars, would be on the opposite side of the island, where all of the hotels and clubs were.

So he enjoyed the quiet walk. He used it to try and quiet his thoughts, to silence his panic. He really wanted to go back to Sora. He had been more than ready to see the light-hearted prince again.

The loss of that opportunity was a terrible feeling.

When he got to his house, he was buzzed in through the gates and trudged up the driveway again. Thought it was night-time and everything was dark, the air was still warm and fragrant from all of the flowers. And it felt safe this time, because he knew that there was no Xemnas or Saix, or any other dangerous spirit he would have to worry about. Now it was just him and his family stuck with a bunch of humans.

The family butler met him at the front door. Riku handed him his suit coat. At the older man's raised eyebrow, Riku chuckled weakly. "Follow me to my bedroom and collect the rest of the suit. I doubt it can be saved but try to send it to dry cleaning anyway."

"Of course, young master." As they were walking up the curving grand staircase, the butler spoke up again, his voice curious now. "Did you forget something in your room?"

Riku glanced back questioningly. "What are you talking about?"

"Master Sephiroth mentioned you and Namine were leaving for the mainland to be trained to command his overseas operations. I had not expected you home so soon."

Riku hummed. So that was the excuse his father had made up. It made sense that he would have had to come up with one, since Namine wasn't here anymore to erase any memories. Thinking fast, he answered the man's questions. "I had a few things I still wanted to talk to Father about, so I stayed on the island the last minute."

"Ah, I see. Very well then, will you be interested in breakfast in the morning then?"

Riku paused for a moment then nodded. "I think so."

"Very good."

When they got to Riku's bedroom the first thing he did was change into his silk pajama pants. A shirt wasn't needed in the tropical, warm night. He passed his dirty suit to the butler than closed his bedroom door with a quiet "goodnight.'

As he got into bed, he found his room almost foreign to him. He hadn't been expecting to stay another night in it; he had already mentally prepared himself never to see it again. But now here he was, lying on his bed and staring up on his ceiling.

It was nearly impossible to get any sleep that night. As he had expected. That's why he had agreed to breakfast in the beginning, because he had known that he would be well-awake for it.

Riku waited until the sun had rose before he pushed himself out of bed and took a long shower in his en suite bathroom. He remembered the last time he had actually thought about the state of his bathroom, how he had wanted to have it completely redesigned. Whether or not his bathroom was high fashion didn't really interest him anymore though. After spending so long in the spirit world without the luxury of warm water and shampoo, he was just content to have working plumbing.

After a long shower to waste time, Riku dried off his hair then got dressed in a casually fashionable outfit. Everything he had in his closet looked good on him, so it wasn't as if he really had to care about that.

His father was the only one at the breakfast table when Riku finally came down for breakfast. Not that that was anything new; generally all of Sephiroth's sons slept in as long as they were allowed. Sephiroth had recovered fully from his fight with Xemnas. So fully, in fact, that it seemed as if he had forgotten the entire event ever happened. He never mentioned the matter, and he looked healthy as ever. Any wounds that he had sustained had completely healed in the few days since the fight or else were well covered by layers of his professional suit.

Sephiroth looked up from his newspaper and coffee when Riku walked into the room. His expression didn't change, there was no surprise in his eyes, but he did set his paper down onto the dining table, gaze fully on his youngest son.

There was a moment of silence, broken only by the scraping of chair against rug as Riku sat down at the table. After a sip of coffee, Sephiroth rumbled. "I suppose something did not go as planned?"

Riku sighed. He accepted a plate of food from the maid as she scurried into the room, waiting until she had left for the kitchen again before replying quietly. "Yeah, something went wrong. Namine just stepped into the portal to make sure it was stable or something and then it just, collapsed. I couldn't step into it in time before it disappeared completely." He bit his lip, poking around at his plate before he sighed again and looked back up. "I waited the rest of the day, but they didn't come."

"That in itself is not so surprising." Sephiroth set his coffee down and laced his fingers together, looking completely the part of the serious businessman. "Portals between dimensions had always been a subject for study in the spirit world. From what I can remember, research showed that portals are random. If your friends have not come for you, it may not be entirely of their choice. The chances of another portal appearing among Destiny Islands would be similar to the chances of lightening striking the same point twice."

"But they could land somewhere else in this world and just travel here to get me, couldn't they?"

"Conceivably."

"And Xemnas and Vexen were able to make that last portal themselves."

"I've never heard of such a thing. No doubt that is one experiment that will not be repeated since the original concept was dreamt up by a madman."

That was the closest Sephiroth had come to referencing Xemnas. Riku frowned. "Then how long am I supposed to wait?"

Sephiorth met his son's gaze, the color of their eyes nearly identical. "Patience, Riku."

Riku snorted and took his first bite of his meal. He should have expected a response like that. But he wasn't used to being patient. Besides, he was Sora's Guardian. Without him, Sora would be without protection. Who knew who many Heartless and dark creatures were still twisting around that castle? Everyone else was busy with taking care of themselves and Sora was just dense enough to get himself into a mess he couldn't handle.

Suddenly feeling sick to his stomach, Riku dropped his fork down onto his plate with an echoing clatter. He didn't even know how his allies were handling those spirits who had been loyal to Xemnas. Marluxia and Vexen might have given themselves up, but what about Xaldin and Larxene? What if they attacked when the others weren't expecting it-?

"Don't concern yourself with worrying about matters outside your control."

At his father's words, Riku lowered his forehead down against his clasped hands after pushing his plate away. His father didn't understand. He couldn't help but be concerned, he was a Guardian…

"Although you have accepted your position as Guardian to the prince, there is nothing you can do about it in this world. Your connection to him should be minimal, at best, so luckily you should be completely free of that bond while the two of you are in separate worlds."

Riku stilled at those words. That's right. He didn't feel that same connection anymore. But…if it wasn't his Guardian instincts, then the strength of his concern terrified him. If he was so in love with Sora that he couldn't eat at the thought of the other being hurt…he was in deep trouble.

Shit. He really wanted to see Sora. He wanted to protect him from everything. He wanted to hold him and never let him go, to kiss him and watch the other's face glow. They had never really gotten a calm moment together, when they weren't worried about their survival. All the small kisses, the touches, the words so far were definitely not enough.

Someone from the spirit world better come for him fast because he was completely, uselessly, too deep in love.

That afternoon, Riku went back to the beach, even though his father said that the portals appeared randomly. He really was at a loss as to what to do; it felt like the purpose had been ripped away from his life. He was supposed to be a normal, rich, teenager again but he had almost forgotten how. The only thing he could think of to do was to come back to this beach.

He would be starting school again tomorrow. Though it seemed to him as if he'd been gone for months, in the reality of this world, he had only missed about two weeks of school. He had thought about arguing against school because he knew he was going to go back to the spirit world soon, that someone would come and get him soon, but had dismissed that thought. He had no idea how long it would be until he could go back to that world. For the reputation of the Jenovan family, he couldn't just drop out of school during his wait time.

At least he was dressed in proper clothes for the beach this time. With a sigh, he sat down on the dry sand, only a few feet away from where the waves were washing up.

He still had some hope that Leon had somehow made it onto Destiny Islands. Though the scarred man hadn't shown up yet, in either lion or human form, it hadn't been too long. Just a few days. When he thought about it hard, there was doubt that the lion had made it to the islands at all. But hey, that hope had kept him going for a little while now. He could hold onto it for a bit longer.

Frowning, Riku clenched his hands experimentally. At least he could still feel that soft tingle of magic. He had that much. He would have to make sure to exercise his magic while he waited though, otherwise he might become rusty. And as Guardian for the Crown Prince, he had to be the best of the best. Even while away from the others, he would continue the training that Cloud started.

Riku wrapped his arms around his legs as he drew them up to his chest. He really wanted to go back to the spirit world.


Two Years Later


Riku closed his laptop as the professor dismissed his class for the day. As he was putting it into his messenger bag he felt a presence approach him and looked up to see two girls walking up to him. Both were the blond, sorority type of girls, well tanned from the beach with bodies build to show off string bikinis. The bolder of the two stepped forward. "So, um, Riku. We were wondering if you had any plans for tonight?"

Riku raised a silver eyebrow, taking the time to remove his reading glasses before he asked cooly. "Why?"

"Well, we were wondering if you would, you know, like to go to the beach tonight? Us and our friends are throwing a huge party, with a bonfire and booze and everything! Having you there would just make everything so much better, you know? Everyone would come then!"

Riku stood up suddenly, cutting the girl off halfway through her speech, his backpack slung over his shoulder. "Not interested. I've got more important things to do than waste my night drunk on the beach."

The girl wasn't taking no for an answer though and latched onto his arm, making the other girl giggle nervously. "Come on, Riku. You have to have fun some time. Its like, what happens if you died tomorrow, you want to live each day to its fullest, right? Besides, you don't have to get totally drunk, no one will pressure you to drink more than a few beers."

Grimacing, Riku shook her off, brows drawn together with irritation. "Are you an idiot? I said no. Ask again and I'll call the police on your party."

As they left the lecture hall, Riku caught sight of Kairi waiting for him outside by a palm tree. When she saw him coming out, she smiled and started to walk over to him. Riku used her to his advantage and separated himself from the other two girls without another word.

The two girls must have had fairly disgruntled expressions because when Kairi reached him her expression was troubled. "I'm sorry. Did I interrupt?"

"Hardly. They were trying to get me to go to some party on the beach."

Kairi relaxed, linking her arm with his as he led her away. "You could have said yes."

"And risk getting caught drinking underage? Please. I wouldn't allow myself to be embarrassed like that."

With a light laugh, Kairi shook her head. "Sometimes it seems as if you really have grown up like your father."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're so serious nowadays." She pursed her lips together. "Ever since, ever since Kadaj died, even before that, you just…changed."

Riku frowned. "Back then you said the change was for the better."

"I know. But, you're just so serious now. It's as if you don't even try to have fun anymore."

Riku couldn't argue with that because it was true. He really didn't bother having fun anymore. The passed two years had been the longest years of his life. He had graduated high school with top grades because after being stuck on Destiny Islands he had focused on his studies. Now he, along with Kairi and others from his high school, was in the most prestigious college on the island chain, and he had definitely changed during that time.

Now nineteen, he was a sophomore and living in a studio apartment near the campus. He had considered living at home, but honestly, though he and his family understood each other more, he still didn't get along well with Yazoo and Loz. He also felt the desire to prove himself to his father, to show that he was an adult who could survive perfectly well without a mansion or butler or maids. That didn't mean that he didn't accept monetary assistance. No, he was too used to high standards to live like an average college student strapped for cash.

But still, moving out was more than any of his older brothers had ever done.

He wouldn't say that he was bitter about having to live so long on Destiny Islands. Honestly, he had been angry for the first few months that no one came for him, but after that, things had just sort of gotten numb. Okay, so he might still be slightly bitter.

He had grudgingly returned to living the life of a human, though he lived it much more seriously than he had before he was sent to the spirit world. His reputation was now that of a serious student, potential heir to his father's business empire despite the fact that he was the youngest. He never went out to parties, never went to clubs. He wasn't an obnoxious snob anymore, but he heard that people still complained about him being too aloof. Though most people thought this meant he stayed holed up in his studio apartment all the time in reality he would often sneak down to the beach to train with his Keyblade.

He could still summon that into his hand at least. And he trained hard with it. At the least, he knew that he wasn't getting rusty, but he hoped that he was getting better. He didn't dare ask his older brothers or father to help him train. He had tried once, and the request had been returned with icy indifference. It seemed as though that everyone else in his family had put the spirit world well behind them.

A tug on his silver hair, which he had pulled into a ponytail for class, brought Riku out of his thoughts. Hissing, he looked down to see Kairi smirking up at him. "What is it?"

"Do you have any plans tonight?"

"In half an hour, my physics lab starts, and that will take three hours. After that, no, I don't have any plans in particular. Why?"

"If you're not going to that party, you should come to my house. My parents won't be home, so we can watch movies as late as we want."

"Sure. That sounds good enough." Though he and Kairi had never dated again after their break-up in the hospital, they had remained close friends. Riku was very grateful for that. As it turned out, he discovered that he had very few true friends. The crowd of people he always had around him during high school had left him after learning that he wasn't going to do anything for them. Some acquaintances, like Tidus and Selphie, seemed genuinely interested in spending time with him, but more often then not if he hung out with anyone, it was Kairi.

Kairi smiled. "Great. I can tell you all about this guy I met in my Psychology class!"

"Looking forward to it…" The sarcasm in his voice was obvious but Kairi only giggled. It was good to see that she had recovered from the break-up at least.

"I'm sure you are. I'll let you go to your next class though. Wouldn't want the great Riku Jenovan to be late!"

Riku shook his head with a small smile as she pulled away. She always added a bit of excitement to his life. But now, as she said, it was time for Physics. Readjusting his messenger bag on his shoulder, he began to saunter toward the science building.

One good thing about going to college in Destiny Islands was that the walk to his classes were always rather enjoyable. He was a little warm in his designer jeans and shirt but that was perfect. He liked the heat, liked feeling warm since his dark magic was such a cold element. Being warm and being in the sun, soaking in the light, it felt good. It was a bittersweet reminder.

He arrived at the science buildings with a few minutes to spare but it was better to be early than late. Riku entered the lab room and took his regular seat at one of the high tables. He was just pulling out his laptop when he felt a slight tingle in the back of his mind.

Riku froze at the sensation, long fingers still holding the laptop halfway out of his messenger bag. After a long moment, he finally shook his head. He imagined things like this all the time; but that wasn't going to distract him from his class.

A few people filed into the room and he tried to compose himself so as not to look bad in front of his fellow students. He was just calming his mind back down when another shock shot through his body, the strength of it forcing him out of his seat, laptop falling out of his hand and onto the table top. He stood shaking for a moment, knowing that his classmates were staring at him.

He knew that feeling. It had been a long time since he had felt it, but his body remembered the sensation. He let out a long breath as his hand lifted to cover his chest, placing it over his heart. It was the same feeling he had had whenever Sora was near. But…why was he feeling it now?

When another shock wracked his body he snapped. Sweeping his laptop into his bag, he threw it over his shoulder then bolted for the exit. He nearly ran into the professor as she came into the classroom, side-stepping her just in time with some muttered excuse. He had to leave. Now. He hadn't felt that sensation in two years and if Sora had finally come to get him then God, he had to find the young prince.

Running out of the building, he paused at the steps leading down to the courtyard, trying to still his very breath to concentrate better. That tingling connection was still in his mind, faint as it was, no more than an itch. But it was there, and if he focused hard enough, he might be able to find its direction.

…There. Directed toward the beach. It was that same connection. He knew it was.

Heart pounding in his chest, he ran for his car. It was his same silver sports car, fully repaired, and it roared to life seconds after he threw his messenger bag on the passenger seat. His movements were frantic as he jerked the car into reverse, the car flying out of the parking lot. Though his college was only a half-hour walk from the beach, he wasn't wasting any time.

His hands were sweaty as he drove, making it difficult to grip his leather steering wheel. What was he going to say to Sora? Would the prince still even look the same? Was Sora still going to return his affections or had he found someone else to take care of him during their separation? After all, it had been many more years in the spirit world, decades, probably. Somehow Sora had managed to live without him. Had he lived happily?

Riku didn't even know how he was going to greet the other boy the first time he saw him. It was a little embarrassing, he had never felt so nervous before. But the embarrassment was met with a giddiness which was equally foreign but much more welcome.

The drive to the beach front lasted only ten minutes. He was shaking by the time he found a parking spot, irritation rolling off of him from the fact that it was so crowded by tourists. Stepping out of his car, he ignored all the looks of awe at his car and appearance. He was used to the stares of admiration because he had been raised in a high-class environment. Instead, he looked around for any sign of spiky brown hair.

He could still feel that connection. It was even stronger now; he could almost feel the Prince's warm aura. Closing his eyes, he dipped into dark magic which he hadn't used for those two years. It took him a few seconds longer than when he had been fighting in the spirit world, but he gathered enough to send it out in a ripple, the same radar technique he had used to find Sora before.

A rush of information came back to him. There were a lot of people, but they were all human. The dock was especially crowded, which made sense considering it featured a sort of boardwalk, but…no light magic. Riku's eyebrows furrowed; where was Sora? He could feel the connection, but, it was still too unstable to actually locate him. In the spirit world, where there was magic floating everywhere, the connection had been much stronger, but here, where the air was devoid of any magic, it was harder to navigate.

But still, he had to look. He knew Sora was there. He could feel it.

He locked his car then headed out for the dock, senses peaked as he searched for Sora. There were hundreds of people and he literally had to push his way through some clusters of tourists, eyes sharp and trained on faces. That connection was still in his head, the same tingling sensation.

There was no sign of Sora on his first search of the dock, but he wove up and down it two more times just to check. Still, no sign of Sora. No one looked like the prince. No one had the right shade of brown hair, or eyes that even slightly rivaled Sora's blue ones. No one shone the same way. It should have been easy to spot a spirit among these humans, they would have even unintentionally shone and would have drawn just as much awed attention as he was now.

After combing the beach around the dock as well, Riku finally walked back up onto the dock and dropped down onto one of the wooden benches. He buried his face into his hands. He had spent the entire afternoon looking for Sora based on a small feeling. He had skipped class and blown off Kairi but nothing had come from it. Maybe the feeling in his mind wasn't at all like he had experienced two years ago. It had been a long time after all; why had he been so certain that it had been the same?

Was he really so desperate to see Sora again that even after two years he would drop everything just at the smallest chance of seeing the prince again?

Yes. He really was that desperate. As bitter as he was for apparently having been forgotten, he could never be angry at Sora. Even if Sora was the one who had decided not to send for him, he would forgive him.

But he couldn't keep acting like this. He would have to put the spirit world behind him if he was going to lead a sane life, otherwise he would never get any peace. His father had managed it somehow and his brothers were on the path of forgetting. After this incident, he knew he would have to resign himself to a life here in the human world. He'd go insane otherwise.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Riku looked up at the quiet question, his fingers carding through his silver bangs as he lifted his head up. A woman was smiling down at him, pretty in her yellow sundress. A small girl was clinging onto her skirt, an ice cream cone in her other hand as she stared up at him curiously.

Riku managed a smile, hoping it looked reassuring as he straightened up. "Yes. I'm fine. Thank you for your concern."

The girl blinked, looking up at the older woman before she looked back to Riku and held out her ice cream cone to him. Riku chuckled at the sight as the woman giggled lightly then shook his head. "No thank you. I think you are enjoying it far more than I would." Somehow ever since he had returned from the spirit world children had been much more tolerable. Maybe it was because their innocent happiness reminded him so much of Sora.

Smiling softly the woman put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Come on. You still want to try some carnival games before we leave, right?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically. The woman gave Riku one last glance but apparently sensing that he didn't need her help, she led the happy girl away. Still smirking, Riku shook his head then rested his forehead against his interlaced hands. He should really get to Kairi's house. Apologize for being late. He'd have to get his homework from his class as well. So much trouble for going out on a stupid whim.

Riku blinked as an ice cream was suddenly pushed under his hands and into his line of vision. Slightly annoyed, knowing it was the little girl again, he sighed. "Look. Thank you, but I don't want any ice cream."

"But you look like you could really use it."

Riku's head snapped up, eyes widening to see a pair of bright blue eyes smiling down at him. It felt like the air was knocked out of him and he could only gape stupidly as Sora himself leaned down over him. The face was a little older and the eyes a little wiser but it was still Sora. Sora's smile widened at Riku's obvious shock then cried out when Riku suddenly grabbed him and pulled him down onto his lap.

Not even caring where the ice cream had gone, Riku grabbed Sora's chin and twisted it toward him, pressing his lips to Sora's soft ones. Sora squeaked against his mouth then after a moment melted in his grasp and kissed him back, wrapping his arms around Riku's shoulders.

When Riku pulled back, Sora was glowing in his arms. Smiling, he pulled Sora's head against his chest to hide the glow from the humans on the dock and to bury his nose in the prince's brown hair, which seemed to have actually lightened a few shades since he had last seen him.

"Sora…."

Riku's voice came out a whisper. It felt as if saying the other's name too loudly would make him disappear. If this was a daydream then he never wanted to come to his senses. He hadn't felt this warm in two years.

His eyes fluttered open when he felt two smaller hands on his face. Sora was crying, trails of tears running down his cheeks as he smiled. Riku frowned, combing his hand through Sora's spikes. "Why are you crying?" He rumbled.

Sora shook his head then buried his face into Riku's shoulder, hands clutching onto Riku's shirt. Riku just held on as well, head spinning. He had Sora in his arms. Adorable, cheerful, loving, Sora. Suddenly a thought came to him and he pulled away, kissing Sora's forehead. His voice was still rough with emotion and he found himself trying not to cry. "How did you get here?"

Sora nuzzled into Riku's neck, the contact sending a shiver down Riku's back. "…Cloud brought me…"

"Cloud?"

"Mm-hmm." Sora shifted, curling up tighter on Riku's lap as he whispered. "I missed you."

Riku pursed his lips then sighed. There was no reason to try and play cool now. "I missed you too."

"Really?"

"Of course. I waited for a long time…"

Sora pulled his head away at this point, eyes showing surprisingly extreme guilt. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry. When Leon came back, and told us that the portal had fractured, and then when Namine came back alone, I was so worried! The portal disappeared and we had to wait for one to open again. Then some things came up but we always were tracking the portals. It took so long for one to appear after that last one had fallen apart!"

Riku frowned but put his finger to Sora's lips. The prince was rambling. As soon as Sora was silenced, Riku switched his finger for another kiss. He was a little irritated to hear that Sora had other things to do that took priority, but he wasn't going to let that ruin this reunion. "…Are you going to take me back with you?"

"You want to come?"

"You sound surprised. Of course I want to come back. I want to be with you. I've already told you that I love you."

Sora blushed, a soft glow shining through the pink. "Then, come back with me. Please. I love you too!" Riku hummed thoughtfully as Sora grabbed onto his shirt again. That's right, Sora had said before that he had loved Riku for a long time. Riku remembered; how could he forget a confession like that?

He startled Sora when he stood up but managed to wrap his arms around the other's waist to keep him from falling over. Though he was still taller than Sora, the prince had definitely grown a few inches. It was a bit of a surprise, but the new height suited his matured face. As they stood up together, Riku realized for the first time that Sora was wearing beach clothes; shorts and a nearly blinding red and yellow pattered shirt. He chuckled smoothly, tugging on the loud shirt. "What are you wearing?"

"I traded some shopkeepers for it for a gold coin I brought! Axel said they would accept gold here. It's so light and airy!"

Riku shook his head. "I think you were cheated out of some good money." Not even the other's noisy outfit could keep him away from draping his arm over Sora's shoulder. The contact, that just felt right. "So, is the portal far?"

"It's a while down the coastline. I love this island though. Everyone's so friendly and it's so warm and sunny! I was absorbing so much light that my magic was all over the place, so I'm glad that there are only humans here. I'd be so annoying otherwise!" So that was why Riku was having a hard time pinpointing Sora's presence. It was saturated all throughout the air.

"We could always stay here for a while then," Riku suggested smoothly.

Sora shook his head with a smile, shyly taking Riku's hand as they left the dock. People were looking at them, but their gazes were warm rather than disgusted. It wasn't rare to see two men together on the islands. "Cloud wouldn't allow it! He's already grumpy at having to come here for so long."

Riku was about to retort when he noticed that there was some commotion going on out in the parking lot. Near his car in fact. Frowning, Riku strode forward to see that the attention was not actually on his car but the giant dog lying in its small shadow, looking wholly displeased. It was Cloud.

Seeing that some people looked concerned, understandable since Cloud was a wolf and not even on a restraining leash, Riku hurried forward and stepped over the furry body to unlock his door. Cloud glared at him, not moving an inch until Riku muttered. "Get in. I can blow cool air on you if you're hot."

Covered in a thick coat of fur, Cloud quickly jumped into the open door, taking his place in the back seat as Sora tentatively peeked inside the vehicle.

Seeing the other's hesitation, Riku smiled. "Come on in. I can take us to where the portal is much quicker than you can walk."

Sora slid into the car, sitting carefully in the car seat as Riku got into the drivers seat. Both he and Cloud stiffened when the car started but after a moment of hearing the rumble of the engine, slowly relaxed. Riku made a mental note not to rev the engine as he pulled onto the main street.

After a moment of thought, he pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket, glancing down to scroll through his contacts before dialing and putting it on speaker phone. Sora stared at it curiously as the sound of ringing filled the car. A moment later, Kairi picked up on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Kairi. It's Riku. I wanted to call to say that I'm going to have to cancel our get together tonight."

"You? Cancel? How come?"

Riku glanced over to Sora, smiling smugly. "Introduce yourself."

Sora blinked then tentatively leaned toward the cell phone. "H-Hello? My name is…Sora Fair." The pause had been an obvious choice to withhold his royal title.

There was a pause before a sudden feminine shriek cut through the silence. "You're Sora? Sora's here?! That Sora, Riku, the same Sora that you told me about?"

"Yeah, Kai."

"You're not leaving now, are you?"

"If things go right I am."

"You'll come to visit me though, right?"

"When I can. I'll do my best, Kai."

"Okay. I understand. Be careful and have fun. I'm really happy for you, Riku! Someday you're going to have to visit and tell me everything, but for now, have a great time!"

"Thanks, Kairi. I'll talk to you later."

After the conversation ended, Riku slid his cell phone shut. Sora waited for a second then asked quietly. "You told someone about me?"

"Just Kairi. She was one of the few good friends I had and I didn't tell her much. All I said was that I had fallen in love with a boy named Sora during the time when I had disappeared and that when Sora came back for me I would probably leave Destiny Islands immediately."

Sora flushed, falling into silence again for a few moments before he asked. "…Do, shouldn't you tell your father that you're coming with us?"

Riku pursed his lips then chuckled low. "I suppose I should. Once we get to the portal, I'll take a few minutes to call him and arrange for my car to be picked up."

"Are you really okay with just leaving like this?"

"I've waited long enough already."

Behind him, Riku heard Cloud let out a quiet snort. Riku ignored the sound, not even taking the time to glance back at the large mass of silver-blond fur in his backseat. He was thankful that Cloud brought Sora back to him but he wasn't enjoying having a chaperone lounging behind them as they spoke. For instance, if Cloud had not been in the backseat, Riku would have used the stoplight they just came to as an opportunity to reach across and kiss Sora again. As it was, he kept on glancing across to the other boy, fingers itching to wrap around the other's body again. But he'd have to wait thanks to Cloud's overbearing stare drilling into the back of his head.

The rest of the ride was quiet but quick, Sora spending most of his time staring out at the tropical scenery and Riku focusing on his one or two word directions. Everything was so surreal at this time; it hadn't quite sunk in that Sora was in his car and that he was going back to the spirit world.

When Sora finally told him to stop, Riku found that they were on the interior of the island, facing one of the largest areas of nature reserve on the island. Nothing but a tangle of trees, flowers, and volcanic rocks scattered under thick, green leaves.

As they got out of the car, Riku stepped to the side to allow Cloud room to jump out then turned to Sora. "We can go after we call my dad, alright?"

Sora nodded, glancing down at Cloud before he smiled back at Riku. "Then I'm going to scout ahead to remember where the portal is. What about you, Cloud?"

Cloud just snorted and shook his head. Clearly the wolf spirit wasn't interested in doing any extra exercise in the heat of the islands. Riku was surprised that he wasn't panting heavily by now, as dogs usually did when they were hot, but Cloud seemed to be resisting if only for dignity's sake.

Sora didn't seem to approve of Cloud's decision to stay behind if the expression on his face said anything, but after a second, he turned and walked into the forest anyway. As Riku lifted the phone to his ear, he wondered why Sora wanted to go on ahead then realized that Sora was probably trying to give him some "alone time" with his father. That was sweet, though unnecessary.

"Good afternoon, you have reached the Jenovan residence." It was the family butler.

"This is Riku. Can I talk to my father?"

"One moment, I will connect you to his study." That was one of the perks of being rich; there were phones everywhere. Riku waited only a second for the line to transfer before his father's deep voice came over the speakers. "Yes?"

"Father, it's me." He took a breath. "Sora's here to pick me up."

"Ah. Very well. I suppose enough time has passed." There was a pause. This really was harder than Riku had expected. It wasn't as if he could hear any emotions in Sephiroth's voice, but still. "Do you need anything before you leave?"

"Not really. I am going to need someone to pick up my car though. We're in the interior of the island, along the eastern border of the larger reserve, just a few miles down the road." He frowned thoughtfully, voice lowering as he murmured. "I want it kept in the garage, and kept up since I'll want to use it when I come back to visit."

"Understood. I'll keep you to your word. Good luck, Riku."

"Yeah, thanks. And thank you, Father, for everything."

He heard his father give a low chuckle and with a final goodbye, he hung up. As he did, he felt a presence against his back. Twisting around, he saw Cloud, fully human, arms crossed, glaring up at him. It was somewhat satisfying to see that he had grown another inch above the wolf spirit, but that clearly wasn't intimidating Cloud.

Frowning, Riku put his hand on his hip. "What?"

"Stop emphasizing how long you seemingly had to suffer here. You don't know what Sora had to go through to come for you."

"What are you talking about?"

Cloud shifted, glancing over Riku's shoulder as if looking for Sora. His voice was quiet, low but indignant. "Sora sacrificed everything for you. The last few years the spirit world has repopulated and demanded that he become King as tradition requires. He has endless meetings and paperwork but he checked daily with Zexion if there was a portal or not. He even tested with manufactured portals again when natural ones failed to appear. He barely slept because he was so worried about you. He hasn't seen you in decades, so don't you dare make him guilty saying that you feel abandoned."

Riku was shocked that Cloud had spoken so much, but when it concerned his half-brother, Cloud had always been overprotective. But, about what Cloud had said…it was true, with the time shift, Sora had been waiting a good deal longer than he had. And Riku had lived an easy enough life, but it sounded as if Sora had been completely overwhelmed.

"Have you finished talking to your father on that box?"

Riku twisted around to see that Sora had stepped out of the bushes. Seeing the prince, no King, walking toward them, Riku walked forward and met him halfway. He took a second, just to look at him. He really was beautiful but Riku only noticed now that he did look more tired than what Riku remembered, more worn and showing the signs of stress.

Sora blinked up at him, tilting his head to the side as Riku reached up to comb his fingers through his spiky hair. "…Riku?"

Riku snapped out of his trance then smiled down at him with his usual confidence. "Come on, let's get going. When we get back to the spirit world I'll be able to help you out with things."

Sora blinked again then smiled. "Alright."

"I love you, you know that, right?"

Grinning, Sora stood up on his tip-toes to kiss Riku's lips. "I know. And I love you too-"

Riku grinned as Cloud suddenly forced his way between the two of them, the man's voice a quiet growl. "Enough of this. Let's head back before any more time passes."

"Jealous?" Riku chirped.

Cloud snorted. "Of your puppy love? I don't think so. Now come on before I leave the two of you behind."

Shaking his head, Riku only smiled as a grinning Sora took his hand and started to follow Cloud into the trees. He had a feeling that his life was going to get very interesting from now on. But the most important thing was that he was going to be with Sora, behind his charge every step of the way. As Guardian he would be the new King's constant shadow, and perhaps he would be something even more as his lover.


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