Fan Fiction ❯ Two Halves of A Whole ❯ THAW (4) ( Chapter 4 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: MercuryGoddess 
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 11.03.2003 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.7K | Visits: 444 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 11.03.2003 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.7K | Visits: 444 | Status: Completed
Author Notes: For the people who actually read this story and like it, is it possible for you to recommend this to other people? I really like getting reviews you know! Make me a happy person and read/review! Oh yea, this chapter is dedicated to my first and hopefully not last dedicated reader, Heather Christi! Thank you so much! Guess what? You win more Sora x Riku fluff like you asked!
Disclaimer: If I owned Kingdom Hearts, I would be filthy rich right now!! So, get off my back!!
Warnings: This is a yaoi, or to plainly put it male x male relationships! If you don’t like it, don’t read it!! I don’t want to see flames about this topic because I plainly put my warning here! Also, it's kinda angsty.
Reminder:
"............" Means talking
(............) Means author's notes
*...........* Means an action
~..........~ Means thinking
‘………’ Means past sayings
Two Halves of A Whole
Chapter Four
The night was now in full bloom and it covered the large room with a cloak of darkness. Two figures could be made out in the darkness, sleeping peacefully on the queen-sized bed in each other's arms. The slightly taller boy with long silver locks stirred just a tad, emerging him from his deep sleep. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes groggily, looking around at his surroundings to get his bearings straight. Opening his eyes fully, the young man look to the side of him in a questioning manner. There before his eyes was his best friend, slightly shorter with tangled and rustled up cinnamon brown hair. His face was etched with a sense of peace, and his legs were tangled up with the other boy. Both of his well-tanned arms were wrapped around the awakened young man and the only way you could tell he was alive was the rising and falling of his chest due to his rhythmic breathing.
The silver-haired boy stared in awe, for something as simple as sleeping could make a person look absolutely stunning. He broke his stare and looked down at his watch, pressing a small button on the side to make the light come on. The slick Timex watch displayed '12:20pm' on the screen. He blinked rapidly, wondering when the hell they fell asleep. His eyes widened in realization. ~Where's Kairi?~
Gently removing the younger boy's arms from around his waist, he slowly moved off the bed and walked across the room. He glanced once more at the sleeping figure, then exited the room, walking into the hall. The once lit up hall was now pitch black, causing the newly awakened boy quite a bit of trouble. Finally reaching the banister of the staircase, luckily with no injuries, he walked down them slowly, confusion apparent in his features. The light from the kitchen shined brightly and the sounds of deep-frying some food could be heard. Riku walked slowly towards the kitchen. He reached the end of the hall and watched silently from the corner. A short, petite woman held a black iron frying pan in her hand, shaking it occasionally. Her grayed cinnamon brown hair was placed neatly in a large bun, a large blue rose native to the island in the center, and small golden hoop earrings could be seen dangling from her small ears. She had on a simple sky blue floral patterned dress with matching shoes. The petite woman turned around and looked at Riku for a while. Her face lit up instantaneously, a large bright smile adorning her features. The smile, which looked almost identical to Sora's, brought back good memories. Riku smiled back. ~She is definitely the person Sora got his smile from.~
"Riku, it's so good to have you back from Kingdom Hearts." she said excitedly as she hugged him fiercely.
Riku stiffened momentarily and looked at her in a questioning manner. ~She knows?~
Sora's mother laughed softly, the sound melodious to Riku's ears. "Come sit down, dear. I'll explain everything."
She extended her hand in the direction of the table and smiled once more. Riku walked over to the table and sat down. She followed suit, then folded her hands together, peering at Riku with slightly dulled sapphire eyes. "It all began when I discovered my son missing. I had called him down for dinner earlier and I was starting to get impatient, so I went to him room, prepared to yell at him for taking so long. I searched frantically, but my panicked state didn't allow me to see the window open until it was too late."
She paused as if imaging the whole scene once again. "I called the police while my husband ran outside to check with Kairi's parents. The police searched for you three for hours, but had to give up the search. We were devastated, but Tidus, Selphie and Wakka took it the hardest. None of them did anything for days, not even go to Play Island. They just sat in their homes, resembling voids of emptiness."
Riku cast his piercing sea-green eyes downward. ~I never once thought of how everyone would feel if we left on the raft.~
"A year went by and Tidus, Selphie and Wakka were starting to recover. But everyone still held you three in high esteem. Many were heartbroken and saddened by our 'loss'. One day, I visited Play Island and the 'secret cave', for I had made it a ritual ever since you all turned up missing. There I found Kairi, curled up in a ball, crying silently. Taking her back to the Main Isle, we nursed her back to her physical self, for she was thin and worn, but she was never the same. The happiness in her eyes was forgotten and replaced with dull, emotionless eyes. We would always find her on the beach looking to the sky, tears staining her cheeks as she whispered: 'Sora, you promised to come back. Please come back with Riku.'"
"Two weeks went by and I visited the 'secret place' once more, only to find my son unconscious, bruised and battered. He was unconscious for a week. When he awakened, all of us-Tidus, Wakka, Selphie, Kairi's parents, my husband and I-expected him to explain everything, for Kairi wouldn't say a word about it. But the only thing he did was lock himself in the bathroom, speaking to no one and eating nothing. I tried constantly to figure out the problem, but he would avoid my husband and I every time we did. After a while, we stopped trying. Our innocent son was now exposed to hardships and painful trials that we had no knowledge of and in turn, it transformed our cheerful little boy into a pain-stricken young man, way before his time."
Riku saddened at the thought of a depressed Sora. It just didn't seem possible that the bouncy, cheerful boy he grew up with wouldn't eat or speak to anyone. Riku sighed. ~I hope I never see that.~
Riku looked at Sora's mother, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "The start of high school came two months later, along with Sora's birthday. He finally began to start again, but it still wasn't the same. Even to this day, the smiles that he gave were either half-hearted smiles or completely fake ones. If he was excited about something, he no longer spoke about it with that fiery passion. His appearance changed also. The bright color outfits he used to wear were long gone and were now replaced with black. Everyday, he looked as if he was mourning the death of someone important."
"School began and Sora was obsessively focused on his academics, even on the weekend. He didn't rush to get his homework done to go to Play Island anymore. Instead, he finished his homework then did extra notes and studying just to past the time by. He didn't watch T.V, play videogames or play with his friends. When he did go out, he only sat on the balcony, staring off into space. Until his 15th birthday."
Riku lifted his eyebrow upward. "His 15th birthday?"
Sora's mother nodded her head. "We went to LaserQuest for his birthday and everyone was there, either trying to talk to him or playing laser tag. During the time of his arrival, Kairi had tried her best to do something that they used to do. It cracked his emotionless mask just a bit, but now quite. Well, anyway, when Sora, Kairi, Tidus, Selphie, and I were in a game of laser tag, Selphie and Kairi were competing for a certain prize. You had to hit a certain amount of bull's eye throughout the maze. When I went and aimed to shoot Sora, Kairi jumped in front of him and ended up taking the hit. She was disappointed, but she looked at Sora and smiled, then exited the maze. That was when I saw something flash in his eyes that I haven't seen for a very long time. Love."
The hand sitting on Riku's lap clenched unconsciously as he listened to Sora's mother continued on with the story. "Sora and Kairi started dating two days after his birthday and my son was truly happy. At least for a while. The fire in his eyes started to die again, but he continued to stay with Kairi. I was concerned, so I asked him: 'Are you still in love with Kairi?' and he told me that his heart belonged to someone else."
Riku froze. ~Could he...be in love with me?~
Sora's mother smiled weakly. "He broke down in tears that day and told me everything. About you and the darkness, Kairi being a Princess of Heart, and himself being the Keyblade Master. It was so hard to believe; yet I knew my son would not joke around about something like this in his state. He told me of his emotions, the hardships and things he had to encounter on the journey to where you were. He told me about the betrayal he saw in your eyes every time you encountered each other." She paused, looking deeply into Riku's eyes. "I've always noticed the way my son looked at you, Riku, but I was never prepared to think that when you were locked in Kingdom Hearts, you kept part of my son's heart along with you."
Riku couldn't keep back the audible gasp that escaped his lips. His acute sea-green eyes broadened as the last phrase uttered from Sora's mother's mouth teetered in his mind. ~He...loves me?~
"He...loves me?" Riku murmured, deciding to voice his thoughts.
Sora's mother laughed, grabbing Riku's hand and holding it tightly. "I suspected right away that he was in love with you. As much as I wanted grandchildren and a daughter-in-law, I couldn't help but be overjoyed when he told me that."
Riku stared at Sora's mother, shock and confusion, yet genuine happiness glimmering in his eyes. Sora's mother tightened her grip on Riku's hand. "You're in love with my son, are you not?"
A faint blush tinged Riku's pale cheeks as he found sudden interest in the table. "I am..."
Sora's mother stood up from the table and walked over to Riku. She looked down upon him, her sapphire eyes now lit with a fiery passion of exhilaration and ecstasy. She brought him into a fierce embrace, then kissed him on the forehead. "Tell him," she whispered into his ear. "Show him how much you care."
Taking her words in consideration, Riku pulled away, stood up from the table, then ran down the hall and up the stairs with newfound courage. Sora's mother smiled, then went back to cooking tomorrow's meal.
* * * * * *
"Cloud, make sure we have enough armory and equipment. Aerith, make sure we have enough medical supplies and Yuffie make sure we have food. Not enough for just you, but for the rest of us."
"I don't eat that much, ya meanie!! I mean come on!! I'm the great--"
"Yea, yea, we know. The Great Ninja Yuffie. Are you finished with your pointless squabble?"
"Aerith!! Cloud and Leon are being mean to me!"
"Shh, it's ok Yuffie. Guys..."
"Hmph."
"Whatever."
Three of the four young adults went their separate ways, getting ready to do the task assigned to them. The last one, a chocolate-haired man in leather pants and a tight white shirt, leaned against the wall crossing his arms and legs at the ankles, a stoic expression adorning his features. A jagged scar was encrypted diagonally between his grayish-blue eyes. "SQUALL! Where's the honey mustard?!"
His eyebrow twitched in irritation as he walked over to the kitchen. "It's Leon," he said in a monotonous voice. "And the honey mustard is in the cabinet above the refrigerator."
Yuffie, a petite young woman now in her mid-20s with short black hair and large onyx eyes, frowned at the older man. She stuck her tongue out at him and grabbed a nearby chair. "I knew that! I was testing you!"
Leon rolled his eyes heavenward, then turned around and began to walk towards the door. "I'll going to the Accessory Shop," Leon stated, choosing to ignore Yuffie's comment. "I'll be back in awhile."
"Whatever!" Yuffie said, yelling her new and improved version of Leon's statement. This caused Leon to place his hands on his temples and move them in circular motion as he exited the small house. ~How am I going to stand being in the same gummi ship as that girl?~
* * * * * *
The cold underground cave was eerily bright. The stalagmites and stalactites that littered the cave illuminated an opalescent glow from the crystal droplets of water. The bottom of the cave was a huge lake of murky water. "Guys!" a feminine voice yelled excitedly. "Come look at this."
Three men and two women looked over in the direction of the woman. "What is it, Kikyo? You always have something your excited about and its not even all that great!" a blue-haired man named Mamoru exclaimed.
The woman named Kikyo frowned and crossed her arms. "I'm serious. Now do you want to see it or not?"
One of the women standing next to the men put on a bright smile. "Of course!"
A man with vibrant gold hair and piercing violet eyes let out an exasperated sigh. "Why do you always fall for her tricks, Yuki? You know its fake. She does this all the time."
Yuki smiled brightly. "I have a feeling this is real, Noriyuki."
"Well, whatever. Let's just go." the final man Hiroshima said with irritation in his voice. The group of people headed over to Kikyo, who pointed farther into the cave. "That's where we are going."
They nodded in confirmation as the six of them began to walk farther into the murky depths of the cave. As they went into the cave deeper, the cave began to get brighter and the sound of running water could be heard more and more. They walked down a winding path until finally they stopped, admiration glistening in their eyes. The cave had opened up a lot more, almost similar to a canopy in a rainforest. The cave walls were no longer dirty brown, but icy blue, the stalagmites and stalactites resembling dangerous icicles. A wide crystal blue river separated the cave, its waters rippling and churning with new agitation. The cave now looked like the inside of an aquamarine gemstone and all in all, it was a spectacular sight to the eyes of archeologists.
"Well I'll be damned!" Mamoru said with surprised etched in his features. "Kikyo actually found something big!!"
Kikyo smiled in triumph, walking on the right side of the underground paradise. "I told you it was something big. Does this mean I get to go on more archeological projects with you guys?"
"Sorry dear, but you aren't going to live that long." a silky voice declared full of venom.
The group of archeologists turned to face a black-haired woman with lavender eyes floating above. She had a skin-tight black dress that flared out at the bottom. A weird symbol that glowed sky blue was below her oriental style collar. Noriyuki stepped forward. "Who the hell are you?!"
Celica cackled loudly, causing the men and women before her to wince. "My, is that the way you want to treat the owner of this place?" she said in amusement. "You don't have very good manners. I like that."
Noriyuki's eyes narrowed as he stared at the crazed woman before him. "The owner? I doubt you own a natural landscape like this."
"Oh, but I do." she sneered, not liking her authority being disregarded. "Here's the proof."
She stretched her arms out on each side. Two sky blue balls of energy appeared in both hands, hissing and twitching like the Heartless. She threw them at the walls on either side of the wide river. The balls came in contact with each wall at the same time, casting a blinding white light that caused the archeologists to hold their hands up above their eyes. The light disappeared as fast as it came. Noriyuki was the first to step forward and look, but instantly took a step back in shock at what he saw. Several bodies were encased in the walls with horrifying expressions on their face. The bodies were withered; their eyes open and staring straight in front of them. The face itself seemed frozen in a look of undeniable fear. The rest of the group could only gasp; the rest of their bodies seemed petrified with fright. Celica cackled once more, slowly rising higher. "Yes, show me your fear."
Noriyuki snapped out of his shocked stupor and pulled a gun out from the inside of his jacket. "Tell what you did to this people or I'll kill you."
Celica dissipated from sight and re-appeared right before Noriyuki. "Aren't you a fierce one," she whispered in a seductive tone. She grabbed his chin. "I think I'll keep you."
A pool of darkness appeared below Noriyuki's feet, and formed into tentacles. They wrapped around his wrists and ankles, then slowly dragged him into the pool. "Argh, let me GO! HELP! GUYS PLEASE!!"
The rest of the group could only stare in fright as they watched their friend get captured by this monster. He soon was complete submerged; the only thing left of his was his gun. Finally awakening from her shock, Kikyo ran over to the gun and touched the place where her husband was, tears of hatred and pain filling her eyes. She looked up with new determination and picked up the gun. "Bring him back!!"
She closed her eyes and fired the gun. From that point, time seemed to go in slow down. The group slowly turned their heads up to where Celica was floating. The bullet made its way through the air, heading directly in between Celica's eyes. Her hand lifted up, stopping the bullet in mid-air with only the flick of her wrist. The bullet was then encased in a sky blue aura and slowly changed directions to face Kikyo. Time went back to its normal pace and the bullet headed towards Kikyo with a lightning fast pace. It pierced through her heart cleanly and proceeded to head in the direction of everyone else. With their fright overpowering their rage, the group ran as fast as they could back through the cave. The bullet gave the impression of speeding up and penetrated their hearts as well. The innocent archeologists went down one by one, causing Celica to laugh in delight.
"Why didn't you just steal their hearts?" an irritated voice echoed throughout the cave. Celica smirked evilly and raised the dead bodies with her finger. "I have other plans for them, my dear."
"You need to be focusing on the three Keyblade Masters, Celica," the voice said, aggravated. "Time is running out!"
"Hush now," she hissed. "I want to fight them all at full strength!"
The eerie voice let out a sigh. "That will be your downfall."
"Shut your mouth now! You are in contract with me and you will do as I say. Don't do anything that pertains to the Keyblade Masters. Do I make myself clear?"
"...Clear as water, Celica."
She smiled and started to vanish slowly. "Good."
* * * * * *
Riku reached Sora's room, took a deep breath, then opened the door. Sora was still asleep, a smile embellishing his features. He walked over to the bed and sat down quietly, making sure he didn't wake up Sora. Placing a hand on Sora's cheek, he stoked it idly while watching Sora sleep, something he could definitely get used to. Riku smiled to himself, rememebering the crazy ways Sora would wake him up. Shaving cream, feathers, plugging his nose and mouth, or just the good ole' fashion pounce. He used to get so mad when Sora did anything like that, but deep down he loved it so much. It was the one thing he missed back in Kingdom Hearts. His special wake-up call. Riku smirked and walked down the hall into the bathroom. He quickly opened up the medicine cabinet and pulled out the shaving cream. Silently laughing to himself, Riku headed back into Sora's room, turning on the lights. He ran over to Sora's bed and pounced on his target, spraying shaving cream all over Sora's face. Sora awakened immediately, bringing his hands up to block the onslaught. Riku laughed heartily, still spraying shaving cream all over Sora.
When Sora managed to clear his face momentarily, he glared angrily at Riku. "What the hell is wrong with you? Look at this mess!"
Riku crossed his arms and smirked. "You didn't like my wake up call? I tried to make it as similar to yours as possible."
Sora turned crimson at this statement, and laughed nervously. "I...did used to do this, didn't I?"
The smirk from Riku's face was replaced with a sad smile as he walked over to Sora. "You did it everyday until Kingdom Hearts occurred."
Sora winced unconsciously. "Yea..."
Riku continued to advance in the direction of Sora, smiling weakly. Sora looked at Riku in confusion, which soon turned to panic as Riku came closer to him. "Umm, maybe we should clean this up."
He readied himself to step over the bed, but was stopped when Riku reached out and grabbed his arm. Pulling him into an embrace, he buried himself in Sora's gravity defying hair. "I should be mad at you right now." he mumbled, his face still buried in Sora's hair.
Sora's sapphire blue eyes widened in shock and felt himself getting angry. "And why is that?" he asked, straining to stay calm. Riku lifted his face from Sora's hair and looked him directly in the eyes. "Because you hurt yourself so much because of me."
The shock on Sora's face increased while the anger he felt completely disappeared. Riku continued. "Not talking and eating, not playing...and they were all because of me. You should have known that I will be with you always, no matter where I am."
He cupped Sora's chin with his hand and brought him closer to his face. "You don't derserve to be unhappy, Sora."
Closing the distance, Riku captured Sora's lips with his own. Sora froze on contact, his mind going blurring and his breath quickening. ~Riku...~
Despite Sora not responding, Riku deepened the kiss by tightening his arms around Sora's waist. His tongue trailed across Sora's bottom lip, hoping to gain access into Sora's chamber. To his surprise, the swollen lips parted and a tongue entered his own mouth. Sora wrapped his arms around Riku's neck, kissing him with newfound fervor. Riku kissed back with the same amount of intensity, enjoying every moment. The two parted from lack of air, just basking in each other's presence. "Riku..." Sora mumbled in Riku's shoulder. Riku looked at Sora, who soon lifted his head from the latter's shoulder and watched Riku. "You don't deserve to be unhappy either, Riku."
Sora squeezed Riku tight. "I love you, Riku. I have caused you so much pain and now its my turn to erase that pain."
Riku smirked. "You're not strong enough to hurt me," he said jokingly, "One day you will, but not now."
Sora laughed and started poking Riku in the chest. "I can take you anytime, anywhere punk."
Riku joined in the laughter and put Sora in a headlock. "Oh really? Then bring it on!"
The two boys wrestled with each other, just like old times. Grabbing Sora by the back of his shirt, Riku spun him around quickly and pinned him beneath him. He leaned down and placed a kiss on Sora's lips, a triumph smirk on his face. "I win."
Sora only smirked back, and in a matter of seconds, Riku was pinned beneath Sora. As astonished as he was, Riku could only smiled. "You have grown in your combat techniques, young grasshopper."
Sora laughed, but continued to play along. "Ay, master, you have taught me well."
At the same time, both boys brought their hands together and bowed, earning a hearty laugh from the both of them. Sora rolled off of Riku and laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Riku followed suit, but looked at Sora instead of the ceiling. "I love you, Sora," he said pulling Sora into his arms. "Now and forever."
Sora looked at Riku, smiling brightly. "Promise me you'll never leave me," he said leaning over for a kiss.
"I promise." And with that, Riku sealed the deal with a spellbinding kiss.
* * * * * *
Aww! Isn't that adorable? Now read and review!
~MercuryGoddess~
Disclaimer: If I owned Kingdom Hearts, I would be filthy rich right now!! So, get off my back!!
Warnings: This is a yaoi, or to plainly put it male x male relationships! If you don’t like it, don’t read it!! I don’t want to see flames about this topic because I plainly put my warning here! Also, it's kinda angsty.
Reminder:
"............" Means talking
(............) Means author's notes
*...........* Means an action
~..........~ Means thinking
‘………’ Means past sayings
Two Halves of A Whole
Chapter Four
The night was now in full bloom and it covered the large room with a cloak of darkness. Two figures could be made out in the darkness, sleeping peacefully on the queen-sized bed in each other's arms. The slightly taller boy with long silver locks stirred just a tad, emerging him from his deep sleep. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes groggily, looking around at his surroundings to get his bearings straight. Opening his eyes fully, the young man look to the side of him in a questioning manner. There before his eyes was his best friend, slightly shorter with tangled and rustled up cinnamon brown hair. His face was etched with a sense of peace, and his legs were tangled up with the other boy. Both of his well-tanned arms were wrapped around the awakened young man and the only way you could tell he was alive was the rising and falling of his chest due to his rhythmic breathing.
The silver-haired boy stared in awe, for something as simple as sleeping could make a person look absolutely stunning. He broke his stare and looked down at his watch, pressing a small button on the side to make the light come on. The slick Timex watch displayed '12:20pm' on the screen. He blinked rapidly, wondering when the hell they fell asleep. His eyes widened in realization. ~Where's Kairi?~
Gently removing the younger boy's arms from around his waist, he slowly moved off the bed and walked across the room. He glanced once more at the sleeping figure, then exited the room, walking into the hall. The once lit up hall was now pitch black, causing the newly awakened boy quite a bit of trouble. Finally reaching the banister of the staircase, luckily with no injuries, he walked down them slowly, confusion apparent in his features. The light from the kitchen shined brightly and the sounds of deep-frying some food could be heard. Riku walked slowly towards the kitchen. He reached the end of the hall and watched silently from the corner. A short, petite woman held a black iron frying pan in her hand, shaking it occasionally. Her grayed cinnamon brown hair was placed neatly in a large bun, a large blue rose native to the island in the center, and small golden hoop earrings could be seen dangling from her small ears. She had on a simple sky blue floral patterned dress with matching shoes. The petite woman turned around and looked at Riku for a while. Her face lit up instantaneously, a large bright smile adorning her features. The smile, which looked almost identical to Sora's, brought back good memories. Riku smiled back. ~She is definitely the person Sora got his smile from.~
"Riku, it's so good to have you back from Kingdom Hearts." she said excitedly as she hugged him fiercely.
Riku stiffened momentarily and looked at her in a questioning manner. ~She knows?~
Sora's mother laughed softly, the sound melodious to Riku's ears. "Come sit down, dear. I'll explain everything."
She extended her hand in the direction of the table and smiled once more. Riku walked over to the table and sat down. She followed suit, then folded her hands together, peering at Riku with slightly dulled sapphire eyes. "It all began when I discovered my son missing. I had called him down for dinner earlier and I was starting to get impatient, so I went to him room, prepared to yell at him for taking so long. I searched frantically, but my panicked state didn't allow me to see the window open until it was too late."
She paused as if imaging the whole scene once again. "I called the police while my husband ran outside to check with Kairi's parents. The police searched for you three for hours, but had to give up the search. We were devastated, but Tidus, Selphie and Wakka took it the hardest. None of them did anything for days, not even go to Play Island. They just sat in their homes, resembling voids of emptiness."
Riku cast his piercing sea-green eyes downward. ~I never once thought of how everyone would feel if we left on the raft.~
"A year went by and Tidus, Selphie and Wakka were starting to recover. But everyone still held you three in high esteem. Many were heartbroken and saddened by our 'loss'. One day, I visited Play Island and the 'secret cave', for I had made it a ritual ever since you all turned up missing. There I found Kairi, curled up in a ball, crying silently. Taking her back to the Main Isle, we nursed her back to her physical self, for she was thin and worn, but she was never the same. The happiness in her eyes was forgotten and replaced with dull, emotionless eyes. We would always find her on the beach looking to the sky, tears staining her cheeks as she whispered: 'Sora, you promised to come back. Please come back with Riku.'"
"Two weeks went by and I visited the 'secret place' once more, only to find my son unconscious, bruised and battered. He was unconscious for a week. When he awakened, all of us-Tidus, Wakka, Selphie, Kairi's parents, my husband and I-expected him to explain everything, for Kairi wouldn't say a word about it. But the only thing he did was lock himself in the bathroom, speaking to no one and eating nothing. I tried constantly to figure out the problem, but he would avoid my husband and I every time we did. After a while, we stopped trying. Our innocent son was now exposed to hardships and painful trials that we had no knowledge of and in turn, it transformed our cheerful little boy into a pain-stricken young man, way before his time."
Riku saddened at the thought of a depressed Sora. It just didn't seem possible that the bouncy, cheerful boy he grew up with wouldn't eat or speak to anyone. Riku sighed. ~I hope I never see that.~
Riku looked at Sora's mother, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "The start of high school came two months later, along with Sora's birthday. He finally began to start again, but it still wasn't the same. Even to this day, the smiles that he gave were either half-hearted smiles or completely fake ones. If he was excited about something, he no longer spoke about it with that fiery passion. His appearance changed also. The bright color outfits he used to wear were long gone and were now replaced with black. Everyday, he looked as if he was mourning the death of someone important."
"School began and Sora was obsessively focused on his academics, even on the weekend. He didn't rush to get his homework done to go to Play Island anymore. Instead, he finished his homework then did extra notes and studying just to past the time by. He didn't watch T.V, play videogames or play with his friends. When he did go out, he only sat on the balcony, staring off into space. Until his 15th birthday."
Riku lifted his eyebrow upward. "His 15th birthday?"
Sora's mother nodded her head. "We went to LaserQuest for his birthday and everyone was there, either trying to talk to him or playing laser tag. During the time of his arrival, Kairi had tried her best to do something that they used to do. It cracked his emotionless mask just a bit, but now quite. Well, anyway, when Sora, Kairi, Tidus, Selphie, and I were in a game of laser tag, Selphie and Kairi were competing for a certain prize. You had to hit a certain amount of bull's eye throughout the maze. When I went and aimed to shoot Sora, Kairi jumped in front of him and ended up taking the hit. She was disappointed, but she looked at Sora and smiled, then exited the maze. That was when I saw something flash in his eyes that I haven't seen for a very long time. Love."
The hand sitting on Riku's lap clenched unconsciously as he listened to Sora's mother continued on with the story. "Sora and Kairi started dating two days after his birthday and my son was truly happy. At least for a while. The fire in his eyes started to die again, but he continued to stay with Kairi. I was concerned, so I asked him: 'Are you still in love with Kairi?' and he told me that his heart belonged to someone else."
Riku froze. ~Could he...be in love with me?~
Sora's mother smiled weakly. "He broke down in tears that day and told me everything. About you and the darkness, Kairi being a Princess of Heart, and himself being the Keyblade Master. It was so hard to believe; yet I knew my son would not joke around about something like this in his state. He told me of his emotions, the hardships and things he had to encounter on the journey to where you were. He told me about the betrayal he saw in your eyes every time you encountered each other." She paused, looking deeply into Riku's eyes. "I've always noticed the way my son looked at you, Riku, but I was never prepared to think that when you were locked in Kingdom Hearts, you kept part of my son's heart along with you."
Riku couldn't keep back the audible gasp that escaped his lips. His acute sea-green eyes broadened as the last phrase uttered from Sora's mother's mouth teetered in his mind. ~He...loves me?~
"He...loves me?" Riku murmured, deciding to voice his thoughts.
Sora's mother laughed, grabbing Riku's hand and holding it tightly. "I suspected right away that he was in love with you. As much as I wanted grandchildren and a daughter-in-law, I couldn't help but be overjoyed when he told me that."
Riku stared at Sora's mother, shock and confusion, yet genuine happiness glimmering in his eyes. Sora's mother tightened her grip on Riku's hand. "You're in love with my son, are you not?"
A faint blush tinged Riku's pale cheeks as he found sudden interest in the table. "I am..."
Sora's mother stood up from the table and walked over to Riku. She looked down upon him, her sapphire eyes now lit with a fiery passion of exhilaration and ecstasy. She brought him into a fierce embrace, then kissed him on the forehead. "Tell him," she whispered into his ear. "Show him how much you care."
Taking her words in consideration, Riku pulled away, stood up from the table, then ran down the hall and up the stairs with newfound courage. Sora's mother smiled, then went back to cooking tomorrow's meal.
* * * * * *
"Cloud, make sure we have enough armory and equipment. Aerith, make sure we have enough medical supplies and Yuffie make sure we have food. Not enough for just you, but for the rest of us."
"I don't eat that much, ya meanie!! I mean come on!! I'm the great--"
"Yea, yea, we know. The Great Ninja Yuffie. Are you finished with your pointless squabble?"
"Aerith!! Cloud and Leon are being mean to me!"
"Shh, it's ok Yuffie. Guys..."
"Hmph."
"Whatever."
Three of the four young adults went their separate ways, getting ready to do the task assigned to them. The last one, a chocolate-haired man in leather pants and a tight white shirt, leaned against the wall crossing his arms and legs at the ankles, a stoic expression adorning his features. A jagged scar was encrypted diagonally between his grayish-blue eyes. "SQUALL! Where's the honey mustard?!"
His eyebrow twitched in irritation as he walked over to the kitchen. "It's Leon," he said in a monotonous voice. "And the honey mustard is in the cabinet above the refrigerator."
Yuffie, a petite young woman now in her mid-20s with short black hair and large onyx eyes, frowned at the older man. She stuck her tongue out at him and grabbed a nearby chair. "I knew that! I was testing you!"
Leon rolled his eyes heavenward, then turned around and began to walk towards the door. "I'll going to the Accessory Shop," Leon stated, choosing to ignore Yuffie's comment. "I'll be back in awhile."
"Whatever!" Yuffie said, yelling her new and improved version of Leon's statement. This caused Leon to place his hands on his temples and move them in circular motion as he exited the small house. ~How am I going to stand being in the same gummi ship as that girl?~
* * * * * *
The cold underground cave was eerily bright. The stalagmites and stalactites that littered the cave illuminated an opalescent glow from the crystal droplets of water. The bottom of the cave was a huge lake of murky water. "Guys!" a feminine voice yelled excitedly. "Come look at this."
Three men and two women looked over in the direction of the woman. "What is it, Kikyo? You always have something your excited about and its not even all that great!" a blue-haired man named Mamoru exclaimed.
The woman named Kikyo frowned and crossed her arms. "I'm serious. Now do you want to see it or not?"
One of the women standing next to the men put on a bright smile. "Of course!"
A man with vibrant gold hair and piercing violet eyes let out an exasperated sigh. "Why do you always fall for her tricks, Yuki? You know its fake. She does this all the time."
Yuki smiled brightly. "I have a feeling this is real, Noriyuki."
"Well, whatever. Let's just go." the final man Hiroshima said with irritation in his voice. The group of people headed over to Kikyo, who pointed farther into the cave. "That's where we are going."
They nodded in confirmation as the six of them began to walk farther into the murky depths of the cave. As they went into the cave deeper, the cave began to get brighter and the sound of running water could be heard more and more. They walked down a winding path until finally they stopped, admiration glistening in their eyes. The cave had opened up a lot more, almost similar to a canopy in a rainforest. The cave walls were no longer dirty brown, but icy blue, the stalagmites and stalactites resembling dangerous icicles. A wide crystal blue river separated the cave, its waters rippling and churning with new agitation. The cave now looked like the inside of an aquamarine gemstone and all in all, it was a spectacular sight to the eyes of archeologists.
"Well I'll be damned!" Mamoru said with surprised etched in his features. "Kikyo actually found something big!!"
Kikyo smiled in triumph, walking on the right side of the underground paradise. "I told you it was something big. Does this mean I get to go on more archeological projects with you guys?"
"Sorry dear, but you aren't going to live that long." a silky voice declared full of venom.
The group of archeologists turned to face a black-haired woman with lavender eyes floating above. She had a skin-tight black dress that flared out at the bottom. A weird symbol that glowed sky blue was below her oriental style collar. Noriyuki stepped forward. "Who the hell are you?!"
Celica cackled loudly, causing the men and women before her to wince. "My, is that the way you want to treat the owner of this place?" she said in amusement. "You don't have very good manners. I like that."
Noriyuki's eyes narrowed as he stared at the crazed woman before him. "The owner? I doubt you own a natural landscape like this."
"Oh, but I do." she sneered, not liking her authority being disregarded. "Here's the proof."
She stretched her arms out on each side. Two sky blue balls of energy appeared in both hands, hissing and twitching like the Heartless. She threw them at the walls on either side of the wide river. The balls came in contact with each wall at the same time, casting a blinding white light that caused the archeologists to hold their hands up above their eyes. The light disappeared as fast as it came. Noriyuki was the first to step forward and look, but instantly took a step back in shock at what he saw. Several bodies were encased in the walls with horrifying expressions on their face. The bodies were withered; their eyes open and staring straight in front of them. The face itself seemed frozen in a look of undeniable fear. The rest of the group could only gasp; the rest of their bodies seemed petrified with fright. Celica cackled once more, slowly rising higher. "Yes, show me your fear."
Noriyuki snapped out of his shocked stupor and pulled a gun out from the inside of his jacket. "Tell what you did to this people or I'll kill you."
Celica dissipated from sight and re-appeared right before Noriyuki. "Aren't you a fierce one," she whispered in a seductive tone. She grabbed his chin. "I think I'll keep you."
A pool of darkness appeared below Noriyuki's feet, and formed into tentacles. They wrapped around his wrists and ankles, then slowly dragged him into the pool. "Argh, let me GO! HELP! GUYS PLEASE!!"
The rest of the group could only stare in fright as they watched their friend get captured by this monster. He soon was complete submerged; the only thing left of his was his gun. Finally awakening from her shock, Kikyo ran over to the gun and touched the place where her husband was, tears of hatred and pain filling her eyes. She looked up with new determination and picked up the gun. "Bring him back!!"
She closed her eyes and fired the gun. From that point, time seemed to go in slow down. The group slowly turned their heads up to where Celica was floating. The bullet made its way through the air, heading directly in between Celica's eyes. Her hand lifted up, stopping the bullet in mid-air with only the flick of her wrist. The bullet was then encased in a sky blue aura and slowly changed directions to face Kikyo. Time went back to its normal pace and the bullet headed towards Kikyo with a lightning fast pace. It pierced through her heart cleanly and proceeded to head in the direction of everyone else. With their fright overpowering their rage, the group ran as fast as they could back through the cave. The bullet gave the impression of speeding up and penetrated their hearts as well. The innocent archeologists went down one by one, causing Celica to laugh in delight.
"Why didn't you just steal their hearts?" an irritated voice echoed throughout the cave. Celica smirked evilly and raised the dead bodies with her finger. "I have other plans for them, my dear."
"You need to be focusing on the three Keyblade Masters, Celica," the voice said, aggravated. "Time is running out!"
"Hush now," she hissed. "I want to fight them all at full strength!"
The eerie voice let out a sigh. "That will be your downfall."
"Shut your mouth now! You are in contract with me and you will do as I say. Don't do anything that pertains to the Keyblade Masters. Do I make myself clear?"
"...Clear as water, Celica."
She smiled and started to vanish slowly. "Good."
* * * * * *
Riku reached Sora's room, took a deep breath, then opened the door. Sora was still asleep, a smile embellishing his features. He walked over to the bed and sat down quietly, making sure he didn't wake up Sora. Placing a hand on Sora's cheek, he stoked it idly while watching Sora sleep, something he could definitely get used to. Riku smiled to himself, rememebering the crazy ways Sora would wake him up. Shaving cream, feathers, plugging his nose and mouth, or just the good ole' fashion pounce. He used to get so mad when Sora did anything like that, but deep down he loved it so much. It was the one thing he missed back in Kingdom Hearts. His special wake-up call. Riku smirked and walked down the hall into the bathroom. He quickly opened up the medicine cabinet and pulled out the shaving cream. Silently laughing to himself, Riku headed back into Sora's room, turning on the lights. He ran over to Sora's bed and pounced on his target, spraying shaving cream all over Sora's face. Sora awakened immediately, bringing his hands up to block the onslaught. Riku laughed heartily, still spraying shaving cream all over Sora.
When Sora managed to clear his face momentarily, he glared angrily at Riku. "What the hell is wrong with you? Look at this mess!"
Riku crossed his arms and smirked. "You didn't like my wake up call? I tried to make it as similar to yours as possible."
Sora turned crimson at this statement, and laughed nervously. "I...did used to do this, didn't I?"
The smirk from Riku's face was replaced with a sad smile as he walked over to Sora. "You did it everyday until Kingdom Hearts occurred."
Sora winced unconsciously. "Yea..."
Riku continued to advance in the direction of Sora, smiling weakly. Sora looked at Riku in confusion, which soon turned to panic as Riku came closer to him. "Umm, maybe we should clean this up."
He readied himself to step over the bed, but was stopped when Riku reached out and grabbed his arm. Pulling him into an embrace, he buried himself in Sora's gravity defying hair. "I should be mad at you right now." he mumbled, his face still buried in Sora's hair.
Sora's sapphire blue eyes widened in shock and felt himself getting angry. "And why is that?" he asked, straining to stay calm. Riku lifted his face from Sora's hair and looked him directly in the eyes. "Because you hurt yourself so much because of me."
The shock on Sora's face increased while the anger he felt completely disappeared. Riku continued. "Not talking and eating, not playing...and they were all because of me. You should have known that I will be with you always, no matter where I am."
He cupped Sora's chin with his hand and brought him closer to his face. "You don't derserve to be unhappy, Sora."
Closing the distance, Riku captured Sora's lips with his own. Sora froze on contact, his mind going blurring and his breath quickening. ~Riku...~
Despite Sora not responding, Riku deepened the kiss by tightening his arms around Sora's waist. His tongue trailed across Sora's bottom lip, hoping to gain access into Sora's chamber. To his surprise, the swollen lips parted and a tongue entered his own mouth. Sora wrapped his arms around Riku's neck, kissing him with newfound fervor. Riku kissed back with the same amount of intensity, enjoying every moment. The two parted from lack of air, just basking in each other's presence. "Riku..." Sora mumbled in Riku's shoulder. Riku looked at Sora, who soon lifted his head from the latter's shoulder and watched Riku. "You don't deserve to be unhappy either, Riku."
Sora squeezed Riku tight. "I love you, Riku. I have caused you so much pain and now its my turn to erase that pain."
Riku smirked. "You're not strong enough to hurt me," he said jokingly, "One day you will, but not now."
Sora laughed and started poking Riku in the chest. "I can take you anytime, anywhere punk."
Riku joined in the laughter and put Sora in a headlock. "Oh really? Then bring it on!"
The two boys wrestled with each other, just like old times. Grabbing Sora by the back of his shirt, Riku spun him around quickly and pinned him beneath him. He leaned down and placed a kiss on Sora's lips, a triumph smirk on his face. "I win."
Sora only smirked back, and in a matter of seconds, Riku was pinned beneath Sora. As astonished as he was, Riku could only smiled. "You have grown in your combat techniques, young grasshopper."
Sora laughed, but continued to play along. "Ay, master, you have taught me well."
At the same time, both boys brought their hands together and bowed, earning a hearty laugh from the both of them. Sora rolled off of Riku and laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Riku followed suit, but looked at Sora instead of the ceiling. "I love you, Sora," he said pulling Sora into his arms. "Now and forever."
Sora looked at Riku, smiling brightly. "Promise me you'll never leave me," he said leaning over for a kiss.
"I promise." And with that, Riku sealed the deal with a spellbinding kiss.
* * * * * *
Aww! Isn't that adorable? Now read and review!
~MercuryGoddess~