Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Together In Our World Alone ❯ Big belly blues ( Chapter 4 )

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  < p>FOUR: Big Belly Blues

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"Ladies and gentlemen, we have just arrived at TraverseInternationalAirport. It's a sunny 87 degrees outside and the sky is a perfect blue. For those of you hitting the beach later on today, the water's temperature varies between the 62 and 67 degrees. We hope you enjoy your stay and we thank you for flying with Kingdom airlines."

"Wohoo! Finally, we're out of that plane!"

Sora looked back through the large windows at the small jet they had taken as they walked away from it to go pick up the rest of their luggage. He turned and rearranged the position of the handbag on his right shoulder and made a face. "If we took the ferry, I wouldn't have been sweating like this."

Riku smiled, "The ferry would've taken another hour because it's high season. We got here in less than 30 minutes with the plane."

"When will you just admit that you lost those ferry tickets?"

Riku smirked and shrugged, "I can't admit something I didn't do."

Sora gawked at him. He had secretly known it all along. "You threw them away didn't you?!"

Riku shrugged again, shaking his head. "No. I never bothered buying them."

Sora growled at him. "Baby, you know I hate flying."

"I know, but now you'll get to see Kairi quicker, or won't you?"

Sora huffed and sped up his pace. He then pointed back at him with a threatening finger. "Don't even think I'm letting you off that easily!"

They picked up their luggage and placed the larger suitcases in the trolley, now ready to head towards the arrival's hall.

"Look," Riku pointed as they walked through the archway; "She and Wakka are already waiting for us!"

"You're still a jerk," Sora said.

Soon enough the redheaded girl spotted her life-long friends walking towards her.

"Sora! Riku! Finally!" She exclaimed, running up to them with a happy blush on her face. She hugged Sora tightly and then moved to the blonde. "We were expecting you like two days ago. What happened?"

Sora grinned and turned to him. "Yeah, baby, what happened?"

Riku shot him a glare and then turned to her while shrugging, "Sora miss-booked our flight."

Which was actually true. They were supposed to have taken the ferry three days ago, but when they found out that the tickets Riku allegedly had bought were missing, he proposed to take the plane so they wouldn't lose any extra hours with booking for the next ferry. Sora had been assigned to that task and since he had lacked the time to go to the nearest travel agency to book two tickets for the next flight to Destiny Port, he tried booking them on the internet... with all the known results.

"Why that son of a—" Sora took a breath to calm himself. "Jerk! We wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for you not buying those ferry tickets in the first place...!"

Riku suddenly began whistling a happy tune.

Kairi laughed and helped him with his luggage. "I see you guys fixed things?" She asked softly.

Sora nodded with a smile. "Like I told you two weeks ago over the phone, we compromised and now it's all better."

"I still can't believe he did that to you," She whispered, looking at Riku's back as they all walked towards the exit now.

Sora gave a court nod, "Yeah, well, it's all in the past and I've forgiven him. I would appreciate it if you did too, Kairi." He added when he saw the girl's sceptic stare. "Deep down, he's still the same Riku we grew up with. I just know it."

She wrapped an arm around his waist and nodded reluctantly, "Okay, but I have no idea how you do it, Sora... If I had been you—"

Sora shook his head and smiled, "There was much more to it than what I told you and I'm sure that if I explain the entire story to you, you'll come to understand."

She gave him a suspicious look, "Somehow I feel like you had your revenge on him."

Sora laughed, "Oh yeah. One he's not about to forget anytime soon."

They both laughed and caught Riku's attention, who looked back at them questioningly. "Have the annual Sora-Kairi stupidities started again?"

They stuck their tongues out to him and laughed again, gossiping furiously as they passed him by.

"And I who thought I had left all the rumours behind me."

Wakka grinned, "Why did you think that, man? You're probably even more popular here than you are in the city, ya? I mean everybody knows you come from here. And it's only gotten worse since you had that spread in 'Cosmopolitan'."

Riku groaned and rearranged his sunglasses and his black bucket hat. "How I regret that now." He then watched Sora loading their luggage into the big black Jeep and suddenly thought of something. "But I don't need to worry about a massive attack from females, right? They know I'm already committed, right? To Sora, right?" His voice was slightly getting higher as he kept trying to calm himself with each shake of his friend's head.

Wakka helped Kairi put a large suitcase into the trunk, "I know I don't need to repeat this to you, but, in the future, try and stick to only Sora, not only for his sake, but for yours too. That secretary has a big mouth; the news she slept with you reached local news papers. And people now know you swing both ways."

"I didn't think the news would spread itself so far... I thought only the main isle knew..." Riku closed his eyes, "It was hard enough for Sora to endure the humiliation there... and now here too? I didn't think of that..."

"Hey, Rik, chill, ya?" Wakka whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Our family knows it was but an accident and Sora and you are back together. Just focus on that, ya? You guys have seen worse than this."

“Yeah…” he absent-mindedly whispered back as he watched Kairi and Sora step into the car and sitting themselves on the back seat after they had closed the trunk, still babbling.

“It’s no time to be talking about stuff like that anyways, eh bro?” Riku took place in the passenger's seat and closed his door. “You’re like only marrying the prettiest girl of the Destiny Islands Archipelago—”

“Hey, hold it right there,” Kairi suddenly intervened, flashing him an angry stare. “What do you mean ‘the prettiest girl of the Destiny Islands Archipelago’?”

“Eh?” Riku gave his friend a questioning look only to see the redhead wince silently behind the steering wheel. “Err— I meant uh… the most gorgeous woman in the world?”

“Jerk,” she whispered with a playful smile.

“It’s amazing how we both feel the same about that retarded specimen of the human male…” Sora added with an evil smirk to his boyfriend. “Sometimes I wonder how I got stuck with that.” He then laughed as he saw Riku’s expression of indignation and leant forwards to press a soft kiss on his lips, winking to him as he sat back.

“You got a lot of explaining to do, Blondielocks,” Kairi then added with a more serious look on her face before turning back to Sora.

Riku sighed and turned around in his seat to put his seatbelt on, scratching the back of his head at the slightly embarrassing moment that had just passed. “That was to be expected…”

Wakka gave him a friendly shoulder tap and then started the car. “Hey, she was just worried about the both of you. We all were.”

“Yeah…” Riku smiled softly. “But we’re okay now.”

“That’s good, bro,” Wakka said with a chuckle, keeping his eyes on the road, “‘cuz I wouldn’t have wanted to explain to our families why the wedding would’ve been cancelled, ya?”

“Come on, you can’t be serious,” Riku chuckled back, shaking his head.

“Oh no, we are.”

One silver eyebrow rose in silent surprise.

“Kairi and I would’ve annulled our wedding if you two had split up,” Wakka confirmed his friend. “Kairi said she’d be devastated if that ever was to happen. Said she wouldn’t be able to enjoy the most important day in her life if the people she cared for most weren’t happy themselves.”

Riku turned to look outside his window with a pensive expression on his face. “I had no idea we had that much influence on the wedding.”

“Oh yea…” the redhead said with a grin. “You guys are very important to us…”

“Wakka,” Riku gave him an uncomfortable smile and slightly shook his head. “We don’t want yours and Kairi’s happiness to depend on us…?”

“Don’t worry bro, ya?” Wakka briefly cast him a glance and smirked. “The wedding is just a symbolic ritual, Kairi and me still’d be happy together if you two had chosen to break up. It’s just that there ain’t a point in having a wedding if our best friends aren’t happy in their love lives.”

An understanding smile formed on the silver haired male and he nodded. “But eh— you sure it isn’t just a reason to eventually postpone the wedding again?”

“Yeah, eh…” Wakka turned to look at him briefly again and lowered his voice; “How ‘back together’ are you with Sora?”

Riku laughed.

“No man,” he then said with a loving smile on his face. “I want to marry her. She’s the one for me. I’ve known it ever since I first laid my eyes on her.”

Riku nodded, remembering the many times he had caught Wakka staring at the new auburn haired girl that had then just moved from the vast land to their peaceful island.

Even though his longing gazes didn’t meet the same feelings he hoped for the first few years, it was by chance that their hearts chose to beat for one and other to make the friendship they had already established bloom into a passionate love story.

“I’m glad I’m still alive to witness the day you’ll get married…” Riku joked, earning a crooked smile from his friend.

“Nothing like that happening anytime soon for you guys?” Wakka teased, his eyes rolling up and looking into the rear-view mirror to rest on the laughing brunet sitting in his back seat. “I hear that they’ve approved gay marriage in Xillion.”

“Sora and I aren’t going to…” he answered with a soft reminiscing smile. “We’re fine the way we are.” He rested his eyes on Sora in the rear-view mirror and their gazes met. They smiled at each other before Riku turned to look at the scenery outside his window to hide the unexpected sad gleam his eyes had suddenly gotten.

“We don’t have anything to prove. Not to anyone.”

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H is room still looked the same ever since he last saw it almost 4 years ago.

Well, not entirely the same.

"I don't think I've ever seen it so clean in my whole life," Riku whispered as they stood by the door and placed their bags down.

Sora giggled and stepped in, looking around in nostalgia as every little thing in the room revealed a long lost memory. "Oh my God..." He grinned, now staring at his airboat model.

"Only the bed has changed," Riku noted, pointing towards the corner near the window.

Sora turned his head and noticed the two-persons bed readily placed on the same spot Sora's old one had been. "No more fights over the blanket."

Riku laughed and peeked into the bathroom, "Nothing much has changed in here either."

Sora sat down on the bed and fell back on it. "I'm so glad to be back here."

Riku turned and walked up to the bed before laying himself on top of him. "You know, you were the one who kept whining about how sweaty you were..." He nuzzled his throat and planted a kiss there. "How about reliving some of those cherished memories, hm?"

Sora chuckled and took hold of his head to bring it down for a kiss. "Just so you know, I still haven't forgiven you."

Riku raised an eye brow and smirked. "Show me how mad you are then, huh?"

"Wow, I think I went back in time, because that scene looks strangely familiar to me."

Riku fell face first on the mattress as Sora turned his head to see the person standing by the door.

"Cloud!" The brunet exclaimed and pushed Riku over. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"Hey there Sora," Kairi's brother said with a snow-white smile. "Good to see you too!"

"Hey Cloud," Riku said from his spot on the bed.

"Sorry for interrupting so cruelly, Rik," He replied with a chuckle as he now embraced Sora with his right arm.

"How have you been?" Sora asked, looking him over. "Kairi told me you've recovered more functions in your left arm?"

Cloud showed him his hands and wiggled all of his fingers, though you could see that the left hand fingers went a little slower than the right hand ones. "Yes, it's beginning to re-gain all of its former abilities, though lifting stuff still proves itself to be a little difficult."

"That's good news!" Sora said cheerfully.

Riku stood up and nodded, "You'll have full functions back in no time, I'm sure."

"Yeah, the doctors said so too," he smiled at them. "Leon and I came to help plan the wedding. That is, if it's ever going to take place."

"How many times has it been postponed now?" Riku jokingly said, placing his arms around Sora from behind and pressing a kiss in his neck. "Three-four times?"

"This time it'll stick, you'll see..." Sora soothingly said, leaning back against him. "Otherwise I'll make it stick. I can no longer hear that woman's wedding fantasies."

Cloud laughed, "It's good to see you guys again. I had heard some worrying news concerning you two."

"Well, as you can see," Sora said with a big grin, "there's nothing left to worry about." And to stress that statement he looked up at Riku and they shared a soft kiss.

"Yes, the position I found you in was enough proof as well."

Riku buried his face into Sora's hair and nodded. "And I for one would like to get back into that position..."

A red blush appeared on Sora's cheeks and he chuckled nervously, feeling how Riku was making little thrusts with his hips against him. "Errm... yeah. So, uh, was there something else you needed to tell us?"

Cloud chuckled and averted his eyes, "Just that we're going to 'Oblivion' tonight with the rest of the gang. It’s a little before 10 now, so if you're planning on having the rest of the day ‘off', you know where to find us after 11 o'clock tonight. I'm taking your mother to Castleview Mall for tomorrow's dinner party, Kairi is joining us. Wakka went to practice and Leon is catching up on some sleep because he arrived late last night from Dusk."

Sora only made an agreeing sound as he could no longer trust his own voice now that his body had awakened to Riku's provocative movements behind him.

As soon as the door fell shut behind Cloud, Sora turned around to face Riku with an impish smile on his lips. "Now I remember how easy it was to get you all worked up back in the days..."

Riku smirked and grabbed him by his hips, "And I remember how I once took you," he twirled them around, "against this same wall."

"G-God... Riku..."

With his nimble fingers he unbuttoned the white shirt Sora had on, nearly drooling at the little erected buds that got revealed and the lean muscles of his caramel toned abdomen. Not resisting the urge, he soon moved in for a taste of skin on tongue, capturing one small peak of flesh in between his teeth while his hands slid up his back underneath the loosened fabric of his shirt, holding him to him.

Desire had now long taken command over Sora's body and he held him to him as well, wanting to feel him against his skin as much as possible.

"Baby, hurry..."

Riku slid his hands into Sora's kaki pants and grabbed his twin cheeks in each, adding more friction between their growing arousals. Their lips intertwined in a fervent dance of tongues while clothing steadily began to fall to the floor around them until there was nothing left on them and their naked bodies writhed sensually against the wall next to the bathroom door.

"What if mum comes in...?" Sora suddenly whispered, the thought having crossed his mind. He held back a moan as Riku kissed his way up his throat.

"I'm trying to get laid here and you're asking me about your mum?"

Sora's chuckle soon turned into another moan. Riku lifted his left leg and pressed up closer to him, sending another bolt of electricity up his spine. "How do you want us to explain it if she comes in?"

Riku growled and detached himself from Sora's skin to look at him. "Babe, you're not 17 anymore. I think she knows you're no longer a virgin."

"B-but we-ahh... we sometimes do it 6 times a day..."

Riku chuckled and lifted him up by his hips a little. Sora wrapped his arms and legs around him. "We can find other spots to have our little one-on-ones."

"Hmm..." Sora kissed him, "Got any ideas?"

"The beach," Riku kissed him back, "Our old secret spot, the sea-side shack."

Sora bit back a yell as he now felt Riku's tip pressing up against his entrance. "Baby, please we shouldn't make too much noise, they're still downstairs... I really don't want—"

"Like this?" Riku sheathed himself inside of him with a slow thrust, grinning from ear to ear at the loud whimper his boyfriend let out.

Sora grabbed the back of Riku's head and pulled him to him. "I hate you..." He then softly whimpered, trembling slightly now that he pulled back out. Riku moved in to kiss him and hushed his protest, taking him to that place of sinful pleasure and parent-free bliss.

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Thick drops of water sprouted out of the silver showerhead as Sora set it on 'raindrops' and stepped into the shower.

"What are you waiting for?"

Riku rolled over the bed with a groan. "For you to get back in here..." He said, sitting on the edge of the large bed and flashing him a seductive smile. "Cloud said we had all day."

Sora placed his head underneath the refreshing spray of lukewarm water and turned around to give him a reprimanding look. "You seriously wanted to spend our first day here in bed?"

"What? You don't like the company?" Riku joked and made an amused face in response to Sora's playful pout.

Somewhere in the room he suddenly heard his mobile phone vibrate.

He stood up with a yawn and looked around for his pair of black designer cargo pants. "I'll be right back, babe." Riku said as he found them and began to put them on. He took the black device in his hand and opened it.

"Okay," Sora said from underneath his shower.

"Makoto," Riku spoke as he closed the door to Sora's room behind him.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, Riku?" A familiar voice spoke from the other side of the line.

A smile formed on Riku's lips and he chuckled, "I'm on vacation, you'll always be interrupting something every time you’ll call, Thomas."

The man was clearly amused by that statement. "Then I'll be brief."

"Yes, by all means be."

"Mr. Nobuhiro has arranged for you and Sora to stay at your ancient mansion. This, of course, in regard of your own security."

"The press finally caught on?"

"It seems they've been kept out of the loop so far about your little trip, but I would suggest you move to your old house as soon as possible to avoid possible problems."

Riku sighed and rolled his eyes. This is where being famous sucked ass even more. "How many have there been assigned to me?"

"Four. Two for you and two for Sora. Your first escort will arrive in 20 minutes. They will call, as soon as I hang up, for confirmation. You are still at the Nagakawa residence?"

"Yes. You have my thanks, Thomas."

"Thank Mr Nobuhiro, he is the one looking after his favourite apprentice."

Riku could've sworn to have heard a little bit of contempt in his voice, but decided to shake it off for the time being. He came to the conclusion that it perhaps was better to move to a more secured house now that he thought about all the people in town and the rumours that still roamed around here... There was nothing else to do—

"AAH! Riku!"

"Have a pleasant stay, Riku."

Without much thought Riku murmured a 'thanks' and hung up, hurrying back inside the room. "Sora? Sora, what's going—"

He didn't need to finish his sentence, for outside the room's sole window was a large, black camera and a white flashlight that went off.

Not wasting another minute Riku grabbed Sora who had clad himself in a dressing robe and sheltered him from the flashes as they hurried out of the room.

"Shit!" He cursed underneath his breath, now slamming the door closed. He looked at Sora who was still wet from his shower and gave him an apologising gaze.

"We can't stay here anymore, right?" Sora whispered sadly.

Riku bit his lower lip and shook his head. His phone then rang again and he picked it up, knowing exactly what he was going to say to the person on the other line.

"We need you to be here ASAP."

"Yessir."

Riku then turned to Sora and took him in his arms. "I didn't expect for them to find us that quickly. I'm sorry, ange."

Sora let go of him and shook his head. "I was just surprised, that's all. I knew this would happen eventually." He smiled nervously and quickly buried himself into his arms again.

"There's an escort coming to get us soon for my old house on Dawn Street. They've secured it."

Sora only nodded and Riku could feel a shiver run through his lover's body. "Good thing we didn't unpack yet." He kissed his forehead. "I'll close the curtains so we can go get our luggage and you can get dressed, ok?"

"Okay," Sora whispered, taking position next to the door.

Riku entered and flashes of light exploded from the room, but soon ceased a few moments later.

"Coast is clear."

Sora entered his darkened room and took a breath. "I just hope they'll leave my family alone."

"Don't worry, get dressed," Riku whispered soothingly as he put on his white wife beater top. "I'll make sure of it personally that they leave your parents alone."

Sora put on a clean pair of shorts, his white cargo designer shorts and a sleeveless black top with a hoodie. He searched in his handbag for his large sunglasses, put them on and followed Riku out of his room.

This wasn't the first time, obviously, that this situation had occurred. Although Riku's newly acquired status as a prominent member of DC's jet set had earned him the needless amount of publicity that came along with it, the fuss around him and his 'alternate lifestyle' had quickly died out in a matter of weeks after his first TV-appearance as Nobuhiro Zaibatsu's heir. Sure, there were interviews he had to give now and then and occasional public appearances, but he and Sora had been able to continue on with their lives just fine. At least, the problems they had had in the past few months weren't because of their exposure in the press.

Riku had always valued Sora's ability to withstand the sometimes burning spotlights, but that didn't mean that he would leave him unprotected to prying eyes.

If there was one thing that they valued most as a couple, then it was their privacy. No reporter had ever gotten any question regarding either one's partner answered and so far, no pictures of them in compromising positions had ever been released in the press –not that there weren't any taken, but the Nobuhiro Conglomerate simply had enough power to keep those pictures from ever seeing the light.

So when Sora put his handbag over his shoulder and descended the stairs he knew his family and friends would be safe from the press. He felt bad of course that they now would have to leave his parental house, but he found comfort in knowing that they'd still be able to see each other at the Makoto Mansion and that this small sacrifice was worth it.

He put his handbag on the sofa and walked over to the window to close the blinds.

"We'll have to move the dinner party to the mansion," Sora whispered, peeking through the small shelves of PVC.

"Hey," Riku walked over to him and brushed back a few strands of his damp hair behind an ear. "We're still going to have our romantic weeks here. Nothing has changed."

Sora rose and eyebrow sceptically.

"Apart from the bodyguards then."

"Mum wanted for us to stay here so badly..." Sora then said with a slight pout. "They just had to go and ruin everything."

"As soon as we get at the mansion we'll call her and explain the situation, ange. Don't worry." Riku took him in his arms again and hugged him tightly, breathing in the scent of his hair. "I won't let those picture crazy motherfuckers ruin our stay here."

"This is supposed to be our home!" Sora chimed in, muffled against his chest.

"Yeah, and we won't get chased away because of them." He took off Sora's sunglasses and looked into his blue eyes, now smiling down at him. "You know you mean the world to me, right?"

Sora giggled and nodded. "You mean the world to me too."

Riku took him in his arms again and closed his eyes, pressing a kiss into his neck. This was the best time to tell him what he had heard from Wakka earlier on. "Ange, there's something Wakka said to me earlier that has gotten me worried a little."

Sora frowned from over his shoulder but didn't say anything.

"A local tabloid managed to get an interview with Lanelle, Sora."

Riku could hear Sora gulp.

"How much did she tell?"

"Enough for me to be seen as a double-faced, heartless cheat in your regard," Riku answered in a small voice.

A long breath then escaped the brunet and he held him tighter. "As long as I know what really happened, her side of the story doesn't matter to me and I won't care what anybody says or thinks."

"Sora, but if it causes for you to go through the same amount of humiliation –"

Sora detached himself from him with a reassuring smile. "Haven't you listened to me? I don't care. You're the one I trust, you're the one I love. And what happened between you and her meant nothing." He placed his right hand on Riku’s heart. "This is what I'm truly interested in, not in what some bimbo said."

Riku nodded in determination and moved in to brush the tip of their noses together. "Please tell me you're real and that someone up there must've smiled at me when you walked into my life."

"I love you, Riku." Sora said with a small chuckle, taking his face in his hands.

Riku took a deep breath and pressed their foreheads together. "You have no idea how much I love you too, my angel."

They hugged again and then walked over to the sofa to sit on, hand in hand, when the doorbell went off.

"Time to go?" Sora wondered, standing up again with his handbag.

Riku looked through the peephole and nodded at him. "It's Niki and Toni. Come on."

After having grabbed his own handbag from the floor next to the door, Riku gestured for him to approach and handed him his sunglasses. "On three."

As soon as the door opened, a shower of flashing lights fell upon them and they quickly made their way to the big black vehicle that stood in front of the house.

"You sure know how to pick them," Sora commented as they were now standing in front of the immense car, "You sure you're not royalty of some remote country?"

"Just get in the car," Riku chuckled, shaking his head, "I'm but a humble orphan who came back to his roots."

Sora climbed into the car and sat himself down on the soft leather seats, "When have you ever been humble?"

The blond sat himself across from him and shrugged, "It was worth the try."

Sora laughed and turned around to look through the blinded windows at the small crowd of paparazzi that tried to get to a shot of the couple sitting in the car. “Gosh, they’re like annoying bugs swarming around your head.”

“Too bad we can’t just run them over and squash them.” Riku growled, eying the flashing bulbs of light with an annoyed stare.

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The inhabitants of Dawn Street did not know what hit them when the impressive jet black Hummer drove into their street. Sure, those who lived there had a higher status among the rest of Destiny Port's population and they recognised wealth when they saw it driving down their avenue so early in the afternoon, but everybody knew everybody around here and no one recognised that car.

"Hey Riku, look! It's Mr Ishisu!" Sora pointed at a man sitting on his porch reading the paper.

Riku grinned as he recognised the old grocery store owner who had always looked after him and Sora when they were but little boys.

"He must be enjoying a well-deserved retirement by now… I'm glad to see he's still around."

Nearly all house doors had opened and curious inhabitants were pouring out of them, anxious to see the owners of the big black car that now drove onto the Masako's driveway. All knew the mansion had been vacant for years ever since the last owner died.

"Oh, this is going to be fun," Sora giggled excitedly turning towards the exit of the car.

Riku rolled his eyes, "This is annoying… or rather, it's going to be."

"Oh come on, Riku…"

"No, I'm being serious," he replied, "Half these people abhorred the idea of you and I being together, did you forget?"

Sora tilted his head to the side and gave him a smile, "They can't do anything to you; you're like super famous. Who cares what they think?"

"I don't worry about that, babe," Riku said, "I was worrying about you."

"Why?" the younger male questioned, shrugging.

"I haven't forgotten how they treated us when we came back from DC after that car accident you had."

"Baby, that was 4 years ago," Sora said, "I've moved past that now. I won't care about them if they're still the happy stuck up bunch from before."

The car's door opened.

"And anyways, why worry? I'm with you."

Sora winked back at him and moved towards the exit, his right hand on the doors' handle.

Riku followed him out of the car and into the welcoming sun.

"This way, sir. Hurry."

A crowd of onlookers had begun to form itself around the car, but none could see whom it was the bodyguards were escorting inside the white mansion.

The large entry doors swung open and Sora and Riku where quickly ushered into the breathtaking entrance hall by their guards before the doors got closed and locked again.

Sora looked around himself in awe as he remembered how beautiful Riku’s old house had always been; from the snow white marble floor to the crystal chandelier and the twin set of stairs that led up to the rooms upstairs.

“We’ll have the household staff take care of your luggage, sir,” the big black man named Toni said to Riku.

“Ok, that’s good,” Riku replied with a thankful smile.

“It is important you stay inside, sir, until we’ve finished putting a security parameter around the house,” the bodyguard added.

“Alright.”

Sora looked away from his surroundings and smiled softly at the intimidating, long haired, blonde bodyguard standing behind him. What was his name again…? Oh right… Niki. He averted his gaze and then faced the other man standing in front of him. “Toni? How long will that take?”

The large, bulky man gave him an unknowing expression. “I’m sorry, Sora. Perhaps 2 to 3 hours?”

Riku gave Sora an apologizing look, knowing how much his boyfriend had wanted to go explore his hometown.

“Well,” Sora sighed, “guess it can’t be helped.” He smiled at Toni. “Thanks for getting us here.”

“Always a pleasure,” the man nodded. “We asked the household staff to prepare the rooms on the second floor for your stay. We’ve taken over the apartments on the first floor for better security.”

Sora chuckled and turned to Riku. “Household staff? Like maids and butlers and stuff? You guys turned this place into a hotel!”

“Does it pose a problem?” Toni interjected. “Mister Nobuhiro preferred the thought of his heir having around the clock service.

Riku grinned and looked at Sora. “I like it.”

“Gee, what a surprise!” Sora threw back at him with a smile. He then rolled his eyes and smirked. “So you said second floor, Toni?”

“Yeah, the second.”

“Okay,” Sora turned to the stairs. “Left or right? I wouldn’t want to lose myself here. I remember how huge this place used to be.”

Riku chuckled and turned to the muscled blonde man that stood right from him. “Could you go with him?”

The man nodded sternly and preceded Sora up the stairs. The young brunette gave his boyfriend a wondering look and whispered very softly; “He looks constipated.”

“Just go, I’ll be there in a minute,” Riku smirked, waving him away.

Sora smirked back and followed his bodyguard up the right set of stairs.

___________________________________

Rapid synthesized beats were booming though the large club. Flashlights and laser projections illuminated the dancing crowd and artificial smoke added to the creation of the transparent illusions.

The DJ made one track magically flow into another, creating a heavy bass beat stream of dance music.

With his bottle of Red Bull firmly clasped in one hand and Riku’s in his other, Sora lead him through the sea of people on the dance floor and up the stairs towards the VIP lodges Riku’s entourage had readily prepared for his arrival in club ‘Oblivion’.

The sun had begun to set already by the time they had been fully settled into their private suite at the mansion; it had taken them nearly all afternoon to unpack— that is, if you ignore the little game of ‘tag’ they played in their immense bathroom a few hours ago and the fact that Riku had needed a shower after that, which then, somehow, had resulted in him and Sora blowing bubbles while taking a bath…

They soon spotted a familiar couple in the lounge with whom they had set up to meet.

“Where are Kairi and Wakka?” Sora loudly asked in Cloud’s ear now that they were seated next to each other on the big red couch of their lodge.

Cloud made a movement wit his hand, making Sora understand that they went out for air.

“How was your flight?” Leon asked, offering Riku a glass of iced martini from their private cocktail tray.

“It went well,” Riku answered and took a sip from his drink. “How was your voyage? I heard you came all the way from Dusk?”

Leon nodded. “The autumn/winter collection of Von Aglio Men.”

“Ah yea, I remember now,” Riku said with a smile. “Sora told me you became their new face.”

The tall brunet nodded and smirked. “Your face is one that isn’t unknown to the media either, eh?”

Riku chuckled and placed his drink down. “Ugh, don’t remind me. I came here to find peace from all that crap.”

“Hey!” Sora suddenly exclaimed. “That’s Tidus! Over there!” He pointed in the direction of the blond that was dancing closely with a brunette near the reeling of the first storey a few meters further. Sora raised his bottle to him as their gazes met and Tidus waved back enthusiastically before he gestured him that they’d catch up later. He then turned his attention back on the girl he was with.

“Still the incorrigible player,” Sora smirked as he sat back.

“He’ll be the next one to get married and settle down, you’ll see,” Riku whispered in his ear.

Sora turned to him with a disbelieving smirk and shook his head. “We’d be more likely to get married than him.”

Riku laid his arm around his waist and pulled him closer to press a kiss on Sora’s left temple. “Don’t make it sound like that’s never going to happen.”

“I thought we talked about this…” Sora gave him a soft reprimanding look. “Riku…”

“I just would like for us to still have that option, even if you feel that we don’t need to get married…Call me a big softie, but…” He fell silent and rubbed the tip of their noses together.

Sora rolled his eyes and smiled. “You really are in a romantic mood lately. What kind of a bee stung you?”

“The lovesick one,” he replied. “It woke me up in time to realise that I want to be with you always. No matter what people around us say.”

Sora scooted away from him a little and nervously chuckled. “Yeah, but baby, getting married— that’s straight people stuff,” he said in a disdainful manner.

“And what’s wrong with being straight?”

They both looked up and Kairi stood there, wearing a short, layered, white lace skirt and a white see through lace halter top with a matching white bikini top underneath. On her feet she wore cute, high heeled, golden sandals. She wore her hair, which had been extended to the small of her back and straightened, down and golden earrings adorned her ears.

“In that outfit?” Riku whispered with a played vacant look on his features. “Making gay people wish they were straight…” he then laughed as he received an elbow blow from Sora.

She switched her weight on her left foot and laughed. “Did you guys get here long ago?”

“No,” Sora answered. He then looked at her outfit again and shook his head. “Geez, you seem to be treating Wakka very nicely seen as how nearly non-existent your outfit is.”

Kairi laughed again, “It’s all part of the plan.”

“What plan?”

“The big plan.”

“The big plan,” Sora echoed.

She nodded, “Yup.”

Sora gave her a suspicious look and then crossed his arms over his chest. “I recognise that glow,” he said as he watched her throw her hair back. “You’ve been humping, haven’t you?”

“Is that the only thing you gay people have on your mind?” She retorted with a chuckle, sitting herself next to Riku who sat back when Sora leant towards her from his other side.

“Maybe, but you’re not denying, are you?” Sora said.

Kairi only shrugged and sat back, smiling an incontestably satisfied smile.

“You sleaze…” Sora said with an evil smirk.

“You queer…” She retorted, sticking out her tongue.

“Hussy!”

“Pussy!”

“Girls, girls… there’s enough Riku for everyone!” Riku said, keeping the two friends at a safe distance from each other.

“Are you trying to get her to cheat on Wakka, you jerk?” Sora then asked Riku threateningly with his hands on his hips.

“Did you just call my Sora a girl?” Kairi wondered with a confused look on her face. “How sick are you?!”

Riku blinked and looked at both of their menacing faces. “But— I was only trying to—”

“GET HIM!”

The next thing Riku knew was that Sora was sitting on top of him on the couch and that Kairi was sitting cross-legged next to his head, shooting murderous glances his way.

“Oh man. Riku, what did these crazy honeys do to you?”

Wakka was walking up the stairs to the lodge with two bottles of Bacardi Breezer in his hands.

“You have to get me out of here, bro! They’ve totally lost it, both of them.” Riku said with a grin. “Especially this one,” he pointed at Sora. “I think it’s broke or something.”

“Asshole,” Sora soundlessly said before demounting him and sitting next to him again.

“We thought you were going to sit this one out. We’ve been waiting for quite a while,” Wakka said, sitting down on the spot Kairi had occupied a few moments before. She now sat down on his lap.

“Security measures, man…” Riku apologetically said, shrugging innocently.

“So what’s the big plan?” Sora asked, leaning with his elbows on Riku’s lap and looking at the other couple expectantly.

“Plan?” Wakka whispered with a slight frown.

The young brunet sat up and laid his arms around Riku to lean against him. “The reason why Kairi is glowing like a match stick over there.”

Kairi and Wakka exchanged a meaningful look before turning to their friends again.

Wakka took her right hand and kissed its palm lovingly. “Go ahead, tell them.”

“Okay, but eh…” Kairi whispered, looking around. “I want Cloud to be here to listen to this too, where is he?”

“I saw them on the dance floor earlier,” Riku said. “I’ll go get them.”

Once all of them were re-united Kairi took a breath and stood up from her seat in Wakka lap so she could face all of them. “Ok. So eh, well… I’m just going to say it directly. You guys, I’m pregnant.”

“No. Way…” Sora whispered, his mouth falling open in shock. “Kairi…I—”

“Wow…!” Cloud chuckled, standing. “Are you sure?”

“I received the long awaited phone call from the doctor this afternoon,” Kairi whispered, nodding and bursting into laughter as her brother took her in his arms.

Riku began to clap in his hands and everyone chimed in. “Congratulations!” he wrapped an amicable arm around Wakka’s shoulders. “Wakka is going to be a daddy!”

“It’s the end of the world!” Sora loudly said with a chuckle, standing up to hug his friend. “Oh my God, Kairi… this is a miracle!”

She nodded and wiped away a few tears that had found their way out of her eyes. “It really is…” she whispered over his shoulder. “We had almost given up hope.”

“You’re going to be mama Kairi!” Sora giggled.

“This calls for a toast!” Leon said standing in turn and raising his glass while the others followed suit. He took Cloud by his hand and held him close to him while they held their glass up to Kairi and Wakka.

“To this couple,” he began, “that has been through so much and has found profound happiness.” He then looked at Cloud who smiled back at him and took over.

“May the come of the new baby only reinforce their love and fill their life with joy and more pleasures. To Kairi and Wakka!”

“To Kairi and Wakka!”

They all applauded and congratulated the couple further while the night proceeded and they all found a new reason to celebrate.

“So, I was thinking.”

Kairi sat herself down in the lodge after she and Riku had returned from the dance floor. “Can a child have two god fathers?”

Sora grinned and wrapped his arms around Riku’s neck while he moved his hips to the smooth R&B tune that was playing. “I don’t think it can hurt.”

“I think it can only work in the child’s favour,” Riku added, grinning himself now as he locked eyes with Sora.

“Yeah! Yeah!” Sora chimed in, turning to look at her now. “Presents wise, that is.”

Kairi laughed and placed a hand on her forehead. “Okay, okay you’ve plead your case. So what do you guys say?”

“Wait,” Sora let go of Riku and gave him an over-surprised look. “You want us to be…?” he asked, turning to look at her now. “Oh Kairi, we never saw it coming!”

Riku laughed along with the others and held his boyfriend close again. “Yeah, you see, you really need acting lessons babe.” He rested his smiling gaze on Wakka and Kairi, “We’d be honoured to be your baby’s godfathers, you guys.”

“Thanks, man,” Wakka stood up from his spot next to Kairi and exchanged a handshake with Riku. “We appreciate.”

“Okidokie! This calls for more drinks!” Sora called, letting go of Riku and stepping out of the lodge.

“Where is he going?” Kairi whispered with a frown, “We have our drinks right here.”

“What’s wrong with Sora?” Cloud wondered, having just walked back into the lodge again.

Riku sighed silently and began to walk into the direction he had seen Sora go off to.

He had an idea of what was wrong; he didn’t even blame his friends for not noticing that Sora had been acting pretty strange all evening long.

___________________________________

“Com e with me.”

Sora followed Riku into the lobby and sat down on the black couch in the middle of the cool room.

“I’m sorry.”

Sora sighed and shook his head. “No, Riku. I’m the one who should apologise.”

“If I had known that bringing up the big ‘M’ word would put you off guard that much, I wouldn’t have brought it up.” Riku took him in his arms and kissed the crown of his head.

“You’ve been so wonderful and attentive and I just had to go and be like this…”

Riku shushed him and caressed his hair soothingly. “I understand…”

“I’m trying real hard,” Sora whispered, closing his eyes as he held on to him tightly. “Trying real hard to be happy for her right now, but… God, I hate myself for this…”

Riku looked at him from the corners of his eyes before closing them and looking away in silent disappointment. “A part of you still wishes that she—”

“Please don’t say it!” Sora said in a miniscule voice. “I thought that if she couldn’t— that I would be fine because then she wouldn’t have something that I can’t have… What kind of a friend am I?!”

“A very good one, babe,” Riku whispered in his ear, smiling soothingly at his soft sob. “You know that we can have what they have too…”

Sora fell silent after that. He wanted children, so much. It has been one of his deepest desires and somehow the next logical step in his relationship with Riku. And as he looked into his calm, clear aqua eyes, he knew that nothing would stand in the way of achieving that dream.

“There are plenty possibilities…” Riku whispered against his lips, “And there’s plenty of time…”

“What on earth would I do,” Sora whimpered, closing his eyes, “if you weren’t there to get rid of my insecurities?”

“I love you, ange…” Riku murmured, taking him in another embrace. “I truly, truly do…”

A small frown formed on the older male’s face as he held Sora close. He now wondered if there was another reason why Sora did not want to get married… He had noticed how their conversation had once again deviated from that topic. Beside the arguments Sora gave while laughing nervously, Riku believed that there was something else that restrained him from even considering the idea.

Or maybe it had all been badly timed out…?

He wouldn’t question the love Sora had for him, after all marriage was but a symbolic ritual… it didn’t prove someone loved the one they married.

Riku sighed and re-enforced his embrace, closing his eyes to keep his own insecurities from bubbling up from the depths of his mind.

 ___________________________________

< i>Well, there you have it…? Some of you will probably go ‘WTF’ again, seen as how this is but a filler chapter. Sorry for those of you out there who actually waited for this new chapter to come out, but lately I have been feeling discouraged in writing for this fandom, fearing that maybe my work here isn’t appealing anymore…

I rarely ask for reviews, but people come on, we all know it’s what authors feed upon. And honestly said, I’m tired of the hunger pain.

I’ll try and continue to update this story as much and as fast as I can so I can finish it quickly to move on to maybe better things.

As for the other KH stories that are still in process, well… I’m not planning on making any promises yet, it could be that I decide to give them away to other willing authors or just throw them off my ‘to do’-list.

Bet you’ve never seen me this gloomy eh? Ah well… we’ll see how things will be next time, maybe then I’ll know if I’m wasting our time or not.

ToBeContinued…

< b>-BDP-