[Here's chapter four. Review please!

Also, thank you queerie-me for your nice review. & I'll try to see what changes I can maybe make to the spacing, paragraph alignment, or font that will help to read it better!]

Sora felt more comfortable than he had in a long while. He was warm, in some sort of safe haven. He felt strangely protected. He shifted in his sleep and felt a pair of strong arms holding him in place.

Startled, he willed his exhausted eyes to open. He blinked groggily, trying to focus his vision. He looked down and saw pale, muscular arms wrapped around his small frame. He craned his neck and saw Riku's face, pale, peaceful.

Sora examined his strong-set jaw, the way his lips curved into a thin smile. He resisted the urge to kiss those lips. He didn't know if Riku liked him back. The older teen may have taken care of him, but he didn't dare mistake the feelings for something more.

But then he questioned the arms around him, holding him. His mind felt scrambled. He had no idea what he was going to do once his stay at Riku's was due.

But for now, he would just rest in the moment.

He snuggled closer to Riku, then froze when he heard a muffled voice. "So-ra?"

Riku yawned, his eyes fluttering open. He looked down at Sora in his arms and noticed the boy blush. He smiled softly. "Good morning, sunshine," he said with a smirk. He unwrapped his arms, stretching. Sora scrambled to a sitting position, watching Riku with a nervous eye.

"How's your back?"

"Better."

"Let me see," Riku said, tracing the faint cut lines across Sora's back. Now that all the embedded pieces were gone, the skin was starting to heal.

"Riku?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you," Sora said, blushing. "I don't know what…I would have done-"

Riku raised a hand to stop him. "Say no more. You're my best friend Sora."

Sora thought of the way he had stared at Riku's perfect complexion and suddenly felt ashamed.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Riku tilted his head as Sora's eyes fell downcast.

"Nothing. It's not important. I'm not important."

Shock splayed across Riku's face. "What! Sora, don't you ever say that again! You hear me?" Sora's eyes brimmed with tears. His heart felt numb. "Sora?" Riku stared at him, concern emitting from his eyes.

Sora nodded. "Of course you're important." Riku sighed, leaning back against his bed. Sora sat with his knees to his chest, mindlessly playing with his toes. "Does he tell you things like that?"

Sora bit his lip, concentrating on his big toe. "Sora?"

"Sometimes," he admitted in a meek voice.

He heard Riku punch a pillow behind him. "You can't listen to him, Sora! You can't let him say and do these things to you!" he said in a frustrated voice.

Sora remained where he was, refusing to look at Riku. He heard the boy sigh behind him.

"Sora?" his breath tickled his ear. Sora stiffened.

"Why don't you think you're important?" he asked, ruffling Sora's spikes.

Sora leaned against him, surprised that Riku answered by wrapping his arms around him.

"I-I don't know."

Riku pulled Sora into his arms, his face in close proximity to the boy. Sora could feel his breath on his bottom lip. Riku captured his lips softly, hungrily. Sora gasped, and Riku entered in his mouth, massaging his tongue. He stroked the bruise around Sora's jaw, kissing him as long as his lungs would allow.

He tipped Sora gently on his back, breaking the kiss. Crimson flowed across Sora's cheeks as he opened his eyes. Riku smiled from above him, speaking between light kisses on his forehead, nose, and bruise.

"You're more important to me than anyone else in the world."

He captured his lips again, this time more fiercely, knotting his fingers in Sora's hair. Sora's hands moved shyly around Riku's neck, pulling him in closer. They were less than a breath's length apart. Riku released his lips and Sora gasped, his heart racing. His chest heaved as he gulped in oxygen.

Riku kissed his forehead. "Is that proof enough for you?"

"Y-yes," Sora said in a shaky breath, releasing his arms.

"Good," Satisfied, Riku sat upright in his bed.

Sora was more confused than he had been before. So Riku had kissed him. It was invigorating, inviting. But all he had said was that he was important.

"Come on, Sora. I think we should go visit Kairi. She's probably freaking out over you."

"You said we wouldn't tell her!"

"I know. We won't," Riku assured him, pulling Sora from his bed.

"Then what are we going to tell her?" he asked nervously.

"That when you fell, you hurt yourself more than you thought. Show her your ribs for confirmation, and leave it at that."

"Are you sure?"

Riku nodded.

"But, Riku, I don't have any extra clothes with me."

Riku frowned. "I didn't think about that. You can just wear something of mine."

"Everything you have is too big for me," Sora protested, sitting back on the bed. "I have to go back home. That's the only option I have left."

A dark shadow appeared on Riku's face, his body went rigid. "That's not a good idea."

He paced across his room, thinking hard.

"What other choice do I have?"

"I don't know," Riku growled.

"Riku," Sora started in a small voice, "I can't stay here forever."

Riku stopped pacing; his eyes looked sad. "Sora, I don't want you to get hurt again."

Sora lowered his eyes. "I have to go back. It will be all right. He's not home in the mornings," Sora explained.

"You're not going back by yourself."

Sora smiled to himself. He fingered the sheets with his fingers.

"Well, let's go then," Riku sighed, holding out his hand to Sora. Sora took it and followed Riku out of his room. Riku let go of his hand to open the front door, and Sora instantly missed the touch.

Sora followed Riku's steps, lost in thought. He was brooding over what had happened in such a short amount of time. Just two days ago, he was being beaten, unprotected and unbeknownst to his friends, and now, Sora was traveling alongside Riku after a day of being in his arms.

His fingers tingled and he longed to touch Riku's soft, pale skin.

"Sora, do you need me to carry you again?" Riku asked, chuckling.

Sora looked up and realized he was far behind, lost in his own thoughts. Yes. That's what his mind said. "I'm coming!"

Riku looked at him queerly as he approached. "You seem kind of out of it."

"I was just thinking," Sora said, trying to clear his mind.

"Well, think less and walk more. I want to get this over with."

[I know. I left everyone hanging. It seems that for the time being, a few sweet little kisses are all Sora's going to get. I haven't decided just how far I want them to go, so I would appreciate your thoughts on the storyline so far & any constructive criticism. Chapter 5 is ready, but I have decided to wait a bit before I post it up to make sure that the readers enjoy it so far.]