Fan Fiction ❯ Where I'll Return ❯ Forgiveness ( Chapter 4 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Where I'll Return
Part 4: Forgiveness (Revised & Reposted)
A Kingdom Hearts Fanfic
By Meruhesae
Pairings: Riku x Sora
Rating: R
Warnings: Yaoi, shounen-ai, sap, fluff, AU-ish, Riku being a tad naughty. ^_~

DISCLAIMER: Kingdom Hearts belongs to Squaresoft, Disney, Sony, Tetsuya Nomura, the guys in the animation department that do the really cool CG effects, and a partridge in a pear tree.

NOTES: Yay for an all-new Part 4! Yay for nekkie Sora!

On with the show. ^_^

=||=

After Riku managed to get Sora to fall asleep, he just sat on the side of the bed and once again found himself staring at his best friend. Although Sora was far from becoming a man, he wasn't a little boy anymore either. Sora had that youthful masculinity about him that most boys his age possessed, but at the same time he looked so delicate and fragile.

Riku found himself thinking of their younger days, when it was just the two of them, playing on the beach and using the secret cave as their hideout. He smiled as he remembered it, but then sadly wondered if things would ever be that happy between them again. Even if Sora did forgive him and they patched their friendship up, would it ever really be the same? Also, Destiny Island was gone now. After finding out what Maleficent was working for, he knew realistically that there was probably no way they'd ever see their home again.

However, now they had each other again, and he knew as long as it stayed that way, he would be able to endure anything that would come at him. So long as Sora was with him, nothing else mattered.

Watching his friend sleeping peacefully, Riku yawned, and suddenly realized how tired he felt. It had been a long day, and he was more than ready for a good night's sleep. He looked at Sora once more, wondering how he would go about this. Back home, he always changed into a clean pair of boxers before bed, and on nights when it was exceptionally warm he wouldn't wear anything at all. But... could he do that, with Sora being naked as well?

He immediately tossed out the idea of sleeping in his clothes. As much as he liked his outfit, it was just not comfortable enough to sleep in. He undressed until he was down to his boxers, and Riku decided to leave them on. He didn't want Sora to freak out if he woke up and found them both naked in bed. Riku didn't know if that would sit well with the other boy.

Riku turned off the lamp and lay next to Sora, who unconsciously moved closer to him as he slept on. Riku felt his face flush a little bit as he felt Sora's bare chest against his for the first time, feeling the steady pulse of Sora's heartbeat so close to his own. Not able to help himself, Riku pulled the boy closer, throwing one of his legs over both of Sora's. One hand went up to stroke Sora's hair, the other to feel the skin of his back.

He sighed deeply. It was so nice, being able to hold Sora like this, the way he'd always wanted to. For a few moments he just let his fingers play over Sora's back and shoulders, rubbing and massaging them in a gentle manner. Pale blue moonlight filtered in through a skylight in the ceiling, casting just enough light for Sora's face to be visible to him. The hand that had been stroking Sora's back came up to caress his face, and Riku lightly ran his thumb over petal-soft lips that were practically beckoning to him.

Riku groaned, trying to control his desire to kiss his sleeping friend. He had to control himself, kissing Sora without his consent wasn't fair to him.

Yet, at the same time... he might not get another opportunity like this. He had already resolved to tell Sora his true feelings when he got well, and if Sora became uncomfortable with that... he might never get to kiss the boy at all. If Sora rejected him, he would at least know what it felt like to have those lips pressed against his just once, even if Sora hadn't been aware of it...

His mind made up, Riku softly placed his lips over Sora's, letting their lips touch for a few moments before brushing Sora's mouth with a few gentle pecks. It was pure bliss, and Riku only wished Sora were awake and willing, so he could plunge in and taste what he so longed for. Moving away from Sora's lips, he placed a soft kiss on Sora's forehead, then on his cheek, his nose, along his jaw line and down his neck, while his fingers continued to stroke Sora's back.

To his surprise, he felt Sora move even closer to him, almost as if responding. But Sora was still fast asleep, much to Riku's relief. Still, Riku felt his body start to ache for more. He knew he was playing with fire and needed to put it out before it got out of control. He went back to Sora's lips once more, before placing a final kiss on an earlobe and whispering into it.

"Forgive me, Sora, for kissing you without permission."

Somehow, Riku contented himself with just holding Sora for the rest of the night, and he didn't know how much time had passed before he eventually fell asleep with Sora safely in his arms.

=||=

The telltale signs of morning stirred Riku from his sleep, and he opened his eyes slowly, lifting a hand in front of them to block out the light. At first he didn't remember where he was, until he looked down at the warm body wrapped in his arms, sleeping peacefully.

Riku touched his palm to Sora's forehead and sighed in relief. His fever had gone down. It hadn't broken completely, Sora's cheeks were still a bit pink and his body still considerably warm, but at least they had made some progress. Riku wondered if it was the medicine, or the simple fact that he'd taken Sora away from the stupid duck and that dog. Remembering the way Sora had been throwing fits in his sleep when he'd seen him at Traverse Town, Riku realized this was probably the first night of decent rest he'd gotten since being sick.

Suddenly, a knock at the door caught his attention.

"Just a minute," he said, getting out of bed and quickly dressing, then covering up Sora as much as possible. If Kuja saw that he was in bed with a completely naked Sora, he'd never hear the end of the bastard's relentless teasing.

Upon answering the door, he saw that it was indeed Kuja.

"Good morning," he greeted with a bright smile. "Did you sleep well?"

"Fine, thanks. What brings you here so early?"

"Oh, did I wake you? My humblest apologies. I was just concerned about Sora, you see. How is his condition?" Kuja asked.

Riku looked back at the bed, seeing that Kuja's presence hadn't woken Sora. "His fever's gone down, but he still feels a bit warm. Hopefully he'll be more aware and less groggy today."

"That's good. I'm glad to hear it," Kuja said, peeking into the room. "And he slept through the night? No fits?"

"No, he was fine. I was able to make him drink half the potion like you said, so that might have been what helped."

"See, I told you he would get better here, didn't I? No need for doctors when the power of love is at work," Kuja said teasingly.

Riku rolled his eyes as Kuja laughed.

"Come on, loosen up a little. Sora is improving, after all. If he wakes up soon, get him to drink the rest of the potion, and make sure he eats a healthy meal. He's gone almost four days with no food, after all."

"Right. I take it you're going to disappear again?" Riku asked him.

"I do have some personal matters I need to see to, but I will be back later to talk to Sora, if he wakes up by then. I would like to fill him in on Gaia's situation, if that's all right with you."

"It's why you helped me bring him here, right? But just remember that I don't want Sora doing any adventuring until he's got his strength back," Riku reminded him.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Kuja said with a smile. "Well, if you want breakfast, you can call on my servants. Also, did you get the books I sent to you last night?"

"Yeah."

"It would be a good idea if you looked over Gaia's Chronicles. There's lots you can find in there to help familiarize yourself with Gaia." Kuja then smirked mischievously at Riku. "And who knows, maybe once business is taken care of, you and the doll can take a break and go on a little Gaian honeymoon."

"Shut. Up." Riku bit out, annoyed.

Kuja only laughed as he took his leave, and Riku sighed deeply, glad to be rid of the man's presence. Why the hell did he have to say things like that? It wasn't like this was a mutual love between him and Sora.

Realizing he was a little hungry, he used the orb in the room to ask for some breakfast. He just figured he would order a meal for Sora once he woke up, so the boy wouldn't be forced to eat any cold food. When his meal came, the black mage set it on the table and cleared the dinner plates from last night. Riku thanked him, and at Kuja's suggestion he read Gaia's Chronicles while he ate.

Gaia really was a huge world, a big planet with four continents and large bodies of water. He hoped he would get to see as much of it as he could before he left, he'd dreamed of seeing places like this all his life, and now that he had Sora back...

From where he sat, Riku looked over at Sora, still sleeping soundly. He would never forget how it felt kissing those lips, even if Sora hadn't been aware of his actions. Part of him knew it was wrong to take advantage of Sora, but he hadn't regretted it, not one bit. That was why he'd told Sora 'forgive me' instead of 'sorry.' Because the truth was, he wasn't sorry about what he'd done at all.

=||=

Sora knew that he was dreaming. He had to be. Dreaming of Riku's voice, Riku's presence. Riku at his side, Riku speaking softly to him, whispering reassuring words in his ear. Dreaming of soft, warm touches across his skin, sweet kisses on his neck and lips, being wrapped safely in a strong embrace.

Riku was there. Riku hadn't left him.

Yes, it was all a dream... just a dream...

It seemed to play in his mind over and over, for how long, he didn't know. But then, he felt himself being pulled out of it, regaining awareness almost as if his consciousness was slowly returning to him. Yes, it was the familiar feeling of waking up. He groaned in annoyance, knowing that his comforting dreams were about to end, and reality would set in. Although he knew he was waking up, he thought he could still hear Riku's familiar voice call to him.

"Sora?"

Riku... Riku...

"Sora, wake up."

Riku...?

The next thing Sora realized was that he was very warm, and quite comfortable. He probably wouldn't have cared to wake up if not the familiar voice calling to him.

"Sora."

Riku.

Sora's eyes slowly opened, his vision coming into focus as Riku's deep green eyes stared down at him.

"Riku?"

His friend smiled at him. "Yes, Sora. How are you feeling?"

Sora blinked a few times, realizing he wasn't dreaming at all. The aches and stiffness in his limbs proved that. He tried to take in his surroundings. He didn't recognize the room, but he was in a very large, comfortable bed, and Riku...

Riku was really there. With him.

He blinked, confused, and then his eyes widened as he suddenly realized something else.

He was naked!

He jerked up, startled, but Riku held him down. "Stop that. You're in no condition."

"R-Riku... wh-where are my clothes?"

"You're running a fever. I thought you'd sleep more comfortably with them off, and it helped to bring down your temperature quite a bit. Do you feel any better?"

Sora did his best to calm down, but found it difficult. Riku was here with him, but... how?

"Sora? You still look pretty out of it. Maybe you should lie back down," Riku said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I... I'm fine, Riku. I just feel a little weak." Sora was still looking at his friend in confusion, wondering what the hell was going on. Why wasn't he in Traverse Town? Where were Donald and Goofy? Why was he with Riku?

"Well, that's not surprising. You're still pretty warm, and you've been lying down for four days with no food. That's a long time to go without eating, especially for you."

"F-Four days!? I've been asleep for four days!?" Sora cried in disbelief.

"Well, almost four, but not quite. You're not going to be able to do much for a few more days, so just relax until you're completely healed, okay?" Riku told him, a concerned look on his face.

Sora looked around, once again trying to make sense of where he was. "Riku, why am I here? What is this place? And where... where are..."

"Those new friends of yours? Looking for you, probably. But this place is far away from Traverse Town, and buried under quicksand, so I don't think they're going to find you anytime soon. I've no intention of losing you to them again so easily, Sora. Forget about them. You're here with me now, where you belong." Riku paused, and looked downward. His tone suddenly turned soft, almost apologetic. "I... I was so mad at you when I thought you'd betrayed me, Sora. Then I realized... they're the ones doing this to you. They stole you from me once, I won't let them influence you again."

"So basically, you kidnapped me," Sora said in disbelief.

"Believe me, Sora, you needed it. Your mind and body were completely out of it, and you weren't getting better at all with those idiots trying to take care of you. While you've been here you've slept comfortably and your fever has lessened. If you'd stayed with them, you could have died."

Sora's eyes widened. Died? Was I really that sick? Then he remembered those guilty feelings he'd had about leaving Riku behind, and looked down, averting his friend's eyes. "Riku, I... I'm sorry about... all that's happened. We said that we would see other worlds together, and I broke our promise. I'm so sorry, Riku. If you hate me, I understand..."

Riku didn't let him finish and pulled his friend in a tight embrace, surprising the younger boy. After a moment Sora relaxed his body and let Riku hold him, taking it as a reassurance that Riku wasn't angry with him.

"It's not your fault," Riku said softly into his friend's ear. "I know I said some pretty harsh things to you, and I'm sorry, too. I... I just want you back, Sora. If anything were to happen to you... I'd never forgive myself."

"Riku..." Sora sighed in relief, feeling as though a huge weight had been lifted from him. Riku didn't hate him. Riku was still Riku. Best of all, Riku was there. It really wasn't a dream. "Riku, I... I missed you so much."

Riku hugged Sora to him even tighter. "Gods, I missed you too, Sora. Everything's going to be all right. We're together now. No one will ever come between us again."

Sora sighed once more. Although he was happy Riku seemed to have forgiven him, Sora knew that he had a job to do. He had to find a way back to his comrades, but at the same time, he didn't want to leave Riku. Not only, that but they still had to find Kairi...

Wait... Kairi...

He remembered now. While they were trapped in Monstro, Riku had strongly hinted that he knew where Kairi was. Could it be that Riku had already found her?

"Riku... where's Kairi? Can I see her? You found her, didn't you?"

Riku pulled back slightly, and softly pulled a few strands of hair out of Sora's eyes before answering. "She's safe. She's resting in the next room, you can see her when you're up to it. But..." Riku hesitated, biting his lip as his face suddenly turned somber. He wasn't looking forward to telling Sora the state Kairi was in, the poor kid had gone through enough already.

"What is it, Riku? Did... something happen to her?" Sora asked, suddenly feeling worried.

Riku sighed, knowing he had to tell Sora what was going on. "I was dreading having to tell you this, but... I guess I should get it over with. Sora, I... I'm afraid Kairi's lost her heart. She's been in a coma ever since I found her, and she won't wake up."

"What!? You mean she... she..." Sora couldn't finish. His eyes welled up with tears at the thought of their cheerful Kairi falling prey to the Heartless.

The look on Riku's face seemed to echo his thoughts. "Yes. Her heart's gone. I'm sorry, Sora."

"What... what can we do? How can we help her, Riku?" Sora asked, his voice trembling.

"We'll find a way to save her, Sora. Don't worry," Riku assured him. "We'll help each other in this, but not until you're better. I can't have you collapsing on me again."

"But..."

"Sora... don't worry too much about Kairi. You can't do anything for her if you're sick yourself, and besides, she's not in any real danger right now. What I need is for you to get better. So try to relax and focus on that first. Please?" Riku almost pleaded.

Sora let those words sink in, knowing Riku was right. He only nodded, sighing as he looked around him once more. "Okay, Riku. I'll rest, but... you never told me what this place is."

"We're in the home of an... acquaintance of mine." Riku frowned a little bit, really not knowing what to call their host. 'Friend' was too nice a term. "His name is Kuja and he's annoying and loudmouthed, but he's been very generous. If he bothers you, don't worry. He gets easy to ignore after a while." Riku took the bottle of Vaccine potion from the nightstand and handed it to Sora. "Drink the rest of this. It'll help with your fever."

Sora sniffed the contents of the bottle and made a face. "That smells gross."

"I know, but try to drink all of it. I managed to get you to take some last night, and it seemed to help."

Sora didn't remember any of that, but wasn't about to argue. He felt helpless and wanted to get out of this sickly state as soon as possible. Obediently he drank the potion, shutting his eyes tight and making another face. "Yuck. Remind me never to get sick again."

Riku laughed. "Good boy. I'm gonna go check on Kairi now. Anyway, you slept through breakfast and it's just about lunchtime. Do you think you can eat something?"

"Yeah... I am kind of hungry."

"Okay. I'll have some food sent up, and I want you to eat every last bit of it, okay?" Riku said as he playfully ruffled his friend's hair. "Just take it easy, Sora. I'll take care of you."

"Riku... I... thank you," Sora said, looking away as he blushed.

Riku smiled. "You don't have to thank me, Sora. We have to take care of the ones we love, right?"

Sora looked at him in surprise, letting that statement sink in before shyly smiling back. "Yes. You're right. Thanks, Riku."

Grinning, Riku left the room, and Sora took another moment to look around him. He was instantly impressed by the high-class décor, and couldn't remember when he had ever seen a bed that was so huge. This whole bed was only supposed to be for him?

Suddenly, he felt himself flush bright red as he had a thought. If Riku had taken care of him all this time, never leaving his side, then... had Riku slept beside him... while he was naked?

He turned redder, wrapping the sheet tightly around the lower part of his body. Then he sighed and mentally scolded himself.

Get a grip, Sora. What's the big deal if Riku saw you naked? He's a guy, you're a guy. Riku doesn't have anything that you don't. He just wanted to get your fever down, that's all. That's ALL. Nothing more.

And yet, somehow...

The faint memory of Riku placing warm kisses on his lips and soft caresses on his skin, refused to leave his mind.

END PART 4.

As you can see, a bit more Riku/Sora interaction here, and a little less of Kuja. Sorry, can't give the guy ALL the glory here!

Huge thanks go out once more to Uzumaki-sama for pre-reading, and yet again giving me more suggestions to make this fic better. Luv ya, Uzu-chan! *GLOMPIES* And to everyone who has reviewed and emailed me so far, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I implore you, please do so again! ^_^