Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Together In Our World Alone ❯ Fall and rise ( Chapter 5 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

By: BDP

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FIVE: Fall and Rise

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The sound of screeching seagulls in the distance carried over through the opened balcony windows, gently waking the half covered body in the large white bed.

Sora sighed and blinked his eyes open, taking in his nearly naked state and realising with growing regret how sore he was.

Again.

With a low grunt and a moan, he greeted the newly born day.

“Goodmorning, sunshine.”

Sora grumbled something back and turned around in his bed, seeing Riku standing outside in nothing but Japanese style Hakama, basking in the sunlight while practising his kata's. “You look so sexy doing that…”

Riku cracked a smile while concentrating on his breathing.

Sora sat up and held on to his head, silently continuing to observe him even though he felt very nauseous and slightly feverish. He did not remember much of the past night, only that after he and Riku had had their little conversation in the lobby they decided to call it a night and return to the mansion. He wouldn't even ask what must've happened once they got home; the throbbing in his lower back gave enough explanation.

Sora dropped the white covers he had used to cover himself with and wobbled onto his legs, revealing an impish smile as he felt Riku's eyes on his naked body while he awkwardly made his way to their bathroom. “Don't forget to breathe!”

Riku smirked and shook his head. “Why you…!”

The first few drops of lukewarm water hit his forehead and Sora sighed, feeling the effects of whatever it was he had been drinking last night slowly dissipate itself. He reached for his bottle of cinnamon shower oil and a soft sponge, letting his mind drifting towards the words Riku had expressed the night before.

He had talked about marriage again… Oh, he had noticed it alright. He had simply chosen to ignore it. He didn't understand why Riku went on and on about it, he had made himself clear, hadn't he? Was there a marital virus going around, making everyone want to get married all of a sudden?

He sighed again and began to pour the oil onto the sponge so he could begin to latter himself with the now foamy substance.

Stepping into the jet of water again, he closed his eyes and brought his hands up to his face, covering himself with them. “I just don't feel ready…” Sora concluded to himself. It was true; Riku and he got back together but two weeks ago, he still felt like they needed to take things slow. For so long had he built walls around him to protect himself from the hurt Riku had put him through and though most of them had been broken down, there were still a few standing.

It wasn't that he didn't love him anymore, but he was still afraid of getting hurt. He wanted nothing more than to get close to him and have that same bond that they had before, but now he also needed to have that feeling of freedom in the back of his mind just in case things went awry again.

And marriage would take that freedom away in an instant.

Sora turned off the water and leant with his forehead against the tiled wall in front of him. “I'm not ready.”

Riku, who had left the balcony, was now silently watching him from his position in the doorway.

Last night, after they got home from the club, he and Sora had had a little party of their own, to celebrate their new project of having children. Sora had gotten drunk and a little emotional from the party they had had with Kairi and the news of her pregnancy. And somehow, they had ended up having wild and passionate sex until the little hours of the morning.

Now though, he couldn't dismiss the fact that something was up with Sora. He wished he could just talk to him about it, but knowing that there is a problem, doesn't make it easier. Each time he tried to bring it up, Sora would avoid it or become overly touchy. And so, Riku did the only thing he knew he could do; give him the time. Yet now, he would build up the courage to bring it up and confront him to it. He was worried.

Sora turned his head to the side and saw Riku walk in, skin shining softly with a thin layer of sweat. “Sorry, I just finished…”

Riku only gave him a seductive smirk and began to loosen his hakama, making sure that Sora kept his eyes on him as he stepped out of them and threw them to the side. “So? There's room for two or more in there.”

Sora chuckled and took a step back as Riku slid the glass shower door open and stepped in. “Do tell me what it is you actually did to me? I'm sore all over.”

The blond laughed and placed his hands on his lover's hips, pulling him closer. “What I did to you? See, there's misunderstanding nr 1; you jumped on me last night.”

“Eh?” Sora exclaimed, pulling his head back to give him a baffled look. “I did no such—”

“ `God, I can't wait to feel you inside of me, baby… I feel so hot it's like my body's on fire…' ”

“I—” Sora blinked, “Hey! Don't do that, it's embarrassing!”

Riku chuckled, “Just laying down the facts…” He then showed him a bite mark near his left nipple. “And that actually hurt.”

Sora laughed and placed a hand on the small wound. “I was drunk…”

“I know,” Riku whispered back, “and if it weren't for you tying me down on the bed, I wouldn't have taken advantage of it.”

At that Sora raised a sceptic eyebrow. “Now I know that just can't be the truth; you can easily overpower me.”

“Damn.”

The brunet giggled and pressed their lips together. “It's okay, though, I know I'm hard to resist at times.”

“Yeah, poor me…” Riku smiled as he kissed him again.

“Gah… you're making me all dirty again…” Sora giggled in between kisses, “And you smell really bad!”

“How about you rubbing me clean then eh?” Riku grinned and made him turn around against the wall.

“I just told you that I'm sore all over…” Sora protested softly, leaning against the wall with a hand while his eyes fluttered shut at the hands that crept around his hips towards his pelvis. A slithering tongue played against his left earlobe and he moaned, joining the hand that took hold of his awakening erection.

“I don't need to be inside of you…” Riku murmured, “I just need you to feel me… like this, against you…”

“A-Aah…!” Sora breathed, throwing his head back now, feeling how Riku pressed himself up against his back and between his buttocks. “R-Riku…”

“You like it…?”

His head was spinning and his heart was racing in his chest. He couldn't come up with a single coherent phrase as the pleasure coursed through him and right into the apex of his thighs where their joined hands rubbed over his throbbing member. “Mmh…!”

Riku chuckled softly and turned on the water with his right hand, that automatically set itself on lukewarm again. “And now? Are you cooled off enough to answer me, sexy babe?” He gave a few strong jerks and Sora screamed it out again, his trembling breathing echoing against the wet walls.

A loving kiss was pressed against the brunet's left shoulder and Sora turned his head to his, locking their eyes together. Riku fell silent as he watched those crystal-like depths of blue, losing himself into their enchanting beauty.

Sora blushed at his lover intense staring and smiled softly. “Riku…”

The older male hushed him with a deep kiss, and turned him around so he faced him, absorbing any form of protest with his longing lips and tongue. “Riku…” Sora then breathlessly whispered with his eyes closed and in between fervent kisses. “Baby…”

Riku kissed him longingly and then focused his gaze on him questioningly. “You want us to stop?”

Sora smirked at him and brushed a lock of his wet platinum hair behind an ear. “What?” He looked down in between them and raised a questioning eyebrow. “Now?”

Riku chuckled and moved into him for a new kiss while their bodies rubbed against each other. “How about doing it like this…?”

“Y-Yes…a-aah…” Sora breathed, arching his neck at the pleasurable friction generated between them. He grabbed hold of his lover's rear and gave a good squeeze, making Riku give a startled chuckle. “Good…?”

“Very…” Riku grinned back, rolling his hips against his again before moving in for another brush of lips.

Not much later, mingled cries of passion were heard through the large bathroom while the waves of sounds coming from the ocean in the distance flowed inside their bedroom through the opened windows.

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“Hey Riku…?”

They were now lying on their king-size bed, Sora contemplating the pale blue sky through the waving, transparent under curtains while Riku ran the tip of his index the long his spine behind him.

“Yes?” He answered, scooting his naked body closer.

The brunet sighed and closed his eyes, placing a hand on the one that caressed his right hip absently. “About last night…”

Riku stopped in his movements for a second and frowned in silent wonder. “What is it?”

Sora turned around and locked eyes with his lover, gently placing his hand against his handsome features. “There's something I've wanted to ask, but I just couldn't seem to find the proper words and timing…”

Riku smiled reassuringly and rubbed the tip of their noses together affectionately. “You know you can tell me anything, Ange.”

The younger male nodded and smiled. “I know…”

“What is it?” Riku asked again.

Sora took a breath, “Why do you feel like we need to get married?”

Riku fell silent for a couple moments, having been caught off guard with that question. He hadn't expected it for Sora to be the one to bring that topic up, or at least, not this soon.

Did this mean he felt ready?

With a smile, Riku brushed a strand of his sandy brown mane back and let his fingertips caress the contours of his face, admiring the slight tan Sora's skin had already gotten. He decided that he had unconsciously missed that darker skin colour on him, loving how it stood out against his light hair colour and brilliant set of blues.

Way back then he was and today he still is the most beautiful person he has ever laid his eyes upon.

Instincts simply told him that he was the one; his heart eagerly agreed to this and his mind had no choice but to concur.

“Remember when we were kids?” Riku asked, “That day on the play island when we played `House' with Selphie and Kairi.”

Sora needed time to remember it all again, but eventually nodded with a small uncertain frown. “That must've been over a decade ago.”

Riku chuckled and nodded, “I was 10, and you were 9.” He watched him smile as he reminisced and continued,” Kairi wanted for her and me to get married, to pretend to have a wedding.”

“You flatly refused,” Sora giggled.

“Yeah,” he looked at him now, “but you eagerly volunteered to be her husband.”

Sora averted his eyes but kept smiling nonetheless. “I had to do something to console her; you left her at the altar.”

The blond laughed, “Oh really? I'm sure Wakka wouldn't have minded taking over.”

Sora pouted, “Where are you getting at, oh wise storyteller?”

“You once used to harbour that wish inside of you; to one day get married,” Riku said, “you once wanted to. What happened, Sora?” he reached out to touch his face again, expressing his confusion, “What made you change your mind like this? So suddenly?”

A sigh escaped Sora and he turned away from his touch, staring at the sky again. “I thought you knew…You're the reason, Riku."

Although he had dreaded that answer, Riku was still surprised by it. He had been right to consider the damage their last break-up caused into his calculations and now realised more than ever that he had to do whatever he could to restore more of the trust Sora had lost.

Now that Sora had confessed his feelings and thoughts, it made it easier for him to accept the possibility that he perhaps chose to protect his rears just in case their new found bond didn't last and so he could find his way out of it easily and without heavy damage.

"I never imagined we'd come to the point where even you don't see enough hope for our shared future…" Riku quietly spoke, making no apparent effort to hide his sadness.

"No," Sora cast his eyes down and sighed softly, "that's not it—"

"Tell me," Riku whispered, bringing his face close to his again, "is there any sense to all of this? Do you still want it?"

The brunet's eyes shot up to him again and he took his face in his hands. "Yes!" he relentlessly said, "Yes, I do Riku… I still want you and I still love you, but you mustn't forget that you and I are still healing and that before my feelings of insecurity are gone, I can't imagine myself marrying you. I'm not ready." He sniffled and bit his lower lip as he could feel it begin to tremble from his held back tears. "Not yet, Riku."

Taken over by an immense feeling of relief, Riku crawled on top of him and held him close, resting his right cheek on top of his lover's chest. "Oh Sora…"

Sora wrapped his arms around him as well, smiling weakly as one tear found his way down his left cheek. "Don't give up on me, baby…" He shakily whispered, sniffling and kissing the top of Riku's platinum mane. "I need you more than ever now…"

Riku lifted his head up and they locked eyes. "You'll always have me," he said, intertwining his right hand fingers with his left hand ones. "I told you once that you and me—"

"—it's for ever," Sora finished, more tears rolling out of his eyes as he chuckled happily.

"Yeah…" Riku whispered, lowering his lips on his to kiss them cherishingly.

Sora giggled into the kiss and returned it softly, pulling him to him ardently, needing to feel him very close. He wanted to believe in those sweet words again, to feel their meaning sink deep into his heart and drown his imagination with the most vivid dreams of joy and pleasure. He needed for Riku to put that magic on him again and make him fall hard and deep into him, to bring back the childlike innocence that he had lost and to guide him back on the road they once walked together, hand in hand.

"I want to feel it again…" he gasped in between kisses and enticing movements underneath the sheets. Smooth lips caressed their way down his throat and he arched his back, his legs slowly beginning to grow apart with the increasing friction their bodies shared. "Make me feel like before… please… Riku…"

Not wasting more time with foreplay, Riku moved himself on his knees and pulled Sora's hips to his, watching with a hungry eye how the brunet slid over the sheets as he did so and how his lean and erotic frame shivered from the anticipation. He impaled him with one thrust, mingling his grunt with Sora's surprised yelp.

"God…!" Sora whimpered, his body shaking to the increasing strength of Riku's strokes. His fists had taken hold of the sheets on each side of his head and he nearly ripped them apart when the blond buried himself deep within him, hitting his spot continuously with precisely angled thrusts.

Riku made him slide further over the bed as he pulled his hips closer once more, taking half of the covers with him. He took possession of Sora's gasping and moaning mouth and covered it with his own and at the same time pinned his wrist to the bed, ready to go for the last spurt.

The younger male didn't get time for a breather or for getting ready and couldn't do much but scream his pleasure as his lover drove him like there would be no tomorrow. He came once, or maybe twice, he couldn't recall the amount of times, all he knew was that it felt like he was on the brink of releasing every other minute. Riku had taken all control and only the loud thumping of his own heart and his screams and moans vibrated in his ears.

It was only when Riku fell on top of him all sweaty and sticky and utterly spent, that he managed to turn his head to the side to look at his dampened features and to realise that he wouldn't want anyone else to make him feel the way he felt now, because no one compared.

Absolutely no one.

Sora felt like he had been freed from the weight that had been laid on his shoulders. Maybe he would soon feel ready to give himself to him again completely, perhaps he would find that trust in Riku again and then, if things went the right way… there'd be another wedding in the making.

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Long rows of sparkling, glittering and dashing dresses were displayed in the storage of the store.

With eyes nearly watering from the excitement, the young woman walked through them, letting the tip of her fingers go ever so carefully over the precious fabrics, the meticulously pearl beaded flower patterns and other fine materials from which all the dresses were made of.

"I feel like a kid in a candy store…" Kairi whispered as Sora and her followed Selphie to the back of the storage.

"They've kept the dress in stock just for you, Kai," the brunette said with a happy smile, "Heaven knows I've had to fight to keep it here, but I just remembered how much you wanted it the first time you laid your eyes on it."

Kairi and Sora shared an enthusiastic look and the redhead took a step closer as her friend halted near the end of the 3rd row and carefully reached for a neatly wrapped dress from the rack.

"Whoa…" Sora whispered in awe as they got to see the said dress. "It's so beautiful…"

Kairi laughed and brought her hand up to her mouth from the emotions that coursed through her. "Selphie… We saw this dress 6 months ago, how did you ever manage to… oh…" She reached towards the gown and sniffled before embracing her friend.

"Well you know NaminÃ©, right?" Selphie said, letting go of her, "Her aunt owns this place and she got her so far to agree and keep this dress here until you would come and get it."

"I can't believe this…" Kairi whispered, wiping away a few tears, "Why didn't you tell me so before! I was panicking when I couldn't find it anywhere! You knew I was searching for it!"

"Look at it as my gift to you, Kai," Selphie whispered with a giggle as they embraced each other again.

"I could never…!" the redhead whimpered, holding her tightly and kissing her on her left cheek. "Oh my God!"

"Why don't you try it on, Kai?" Sora whispered with a smile of his own, "Let us see how gorgeous you'll look in it!"

Selphie nodded agreeingly and grabbed her by her left arm, "The fitting room is this way!"

Fifteen minutes later, Kairi emerged from the changing room and walked into the mirror chamber in which both Selphie and Sora were waiting.

Like an apparition taken straight out of a romantic fairytale, she stepped onto the small stage in the middle of the room, beaming with happiness in her wedding dress.

"Wakka is the luckiest man on the planet…" Sora said, watching how she blushed cutely and looked down at herself.

Selphie nodded and stood from her chair to help her drag the chapel train onto the platform behind her. "You're so beautiful, Kai…"

The dress, a strapless one, was entirely made out of an ivory coloured satin. A soft pleated chiffon band was featured around the neckline and extended into two flowing tails at the back which, in turn, layered over the chapel train. The bodice was decorated with pearl and bugle beading trailing down to hip level and accented at the tail ends of the train.

"This is the dress I've dreamt of since I was a little girl…" she whispered with an emotive tone of voice, "This is the dress I'm going to get married in."

After they checked the dress in detail for eventual flaws, Kairi changed back into her regular clothes and put the dress back into the storage for safekeeping once they paid for it.

"Alrightie then," Selphie said now that they were outside the bridal store, "some of us still have to go to that evil place where they keep pay cheques." She embraced both Sora and Kairi and quickly stepped to her car, "Call me later, okay? And oh! Sora, how long are you guys staying?"

"Riku got two months and a half off from work, so we'll be here that long," Sora answered with a grin. "Hey, will we see you at the dinner party tonight?"

"Oh… that's tonight?" she said with an apologising smile while opening her driver's door, "I have a date tonight."

"Oooh… with Irvine again?" Kairi teasingly said.

Sora threw her a confused look, "Who's Irvine?"

"Yes, with Irvine!" Selphie replied back with a defensive expression on her face, "I like him and he likes me, so I hope we'll get a step further tonight, so there."

"I'm sensing a tinge of sexual frustration…" Kairi whispered with an innocent grin.

Sora smirked, "He isn't giving you any?"

Selphie sighed and grunted, "I have no idea what is holding him back, but man, a woman got needs too!"

"He'll do it when he feels the time is right, Fee. Give him the time, you said you liked him and that he likes you too," Kairi took out her portable and chuckled, "so just give him the time."

"Yeah," she whispered with a shrug, "we'll see how it'll go tonight."

"Good luck!" Sora wished her as she got into her car.

"Say hi to Riku for me!" she called back and started the engine.

"Ciao bella!" Kairi said with a wave of her free hand and they both watched how Selphie drove away.

"What is it again that she does?" Sora then asked as they were headed towards Kairi's black Land Rover Sport a few meters further.

"She's a PA for a wealthy, local business manager."

Sora winced, "Oh… she just sacrificed her lunch then, didn't she?"

Kairi smiled gently and brought her cell phone to her ear after she had dialled. "Yes, I would like to order a Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki sandwich and a large diet coke under the name of Selphie Tilmitt? Yes, could you please bring it to 89 Balamb Avenue, 27th floor? Alright, thank you." She hung up and gave her friend a wink. "I love her dearly but she needs to eat. I refuse to be the only one getting fat in the upcoming months."

Sora laughed heartedly at that and stepped into the car with her.

As they drove out of the parking lot, neither of them noticed the mysterious black Mercedes following them onto the boulevard.

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The set of keys fell on the kitchen counter after he tossed them on it, walking his way into his darkened apartment.

The rain was bucketing down outside and flashes of lightening made frightening shadows appear on the walls.

With a soft grunt he rubbed over the nape of his neck in the hope of loosening the tense muscles there. He had just driven 4 hours non stop all the way from Crystle to visit his father and he was dead tired now that he finally arrived home, longing for nothing else than the softness of his pillows and mattress.

Roxas didn't even bother to turn on the lights and went straight up his set of stairs and into his room. Once arrived there, he turned on the lights and began stripping down to his boxers as he made his way towards his small bathroom.

Emerging from it after having brushed his teeth, he turned off the lights again and moved to his bed, longing for nothing else than a good night of sleep. However, he noticed, when he looked up, that someone was already sitting on the other side of it, facing away from him.

The lightening then suddenly illuminated a spiky mane of red hair and Roxas took a step back, having recognised the person it belonged to.

The figure slowly began to stand and turned around fully, the sound of moving leather whispering in the air as he walked, drops of water hitting the carpeted floor.

"Don't move. Don't even say anything."

Roxas blinked a few times, taken completely by surprise for a few moments before taking a protesting step forwards. "The fuck are you—"

"No!"

The redhead launched himself to him and dragged him with him onto the floor, just as a deafening sound drummed through the room from the outside and a blinding white beam of light shone straight into the bedroom. It lingered for a few moments and then moved away, letting darkness take over once more.

The hand that had been pressed against his mouth loosened its grip and Roxas squirmed away from his unwanted guest with an angry scowl on his face. "Don't fucking tell me you escaped, Axel!"

"I missed you too," Axel replied sarcastically, dusting off his clothes while sitting himself on the end of the bed.

Roxas grunted and grabbed his pair of jeans that still lay where he had thrown them earlier on the floor, putting them on hastily. "How did you ever manage to find me anyway?!" he whispered, easing a clean shirt over his head before pointing at the window angrily, "And what the hell was that?!"

Axel chuckled quietly and cast a brief look at the darkened window. "A little bird told me you'd be here. And as for that, I don't think it needs to be explained."

"Okay, enough!" Roxas exclaimed, bringing his hands up to his ears, "Get out! Get out right now!"

Axel now stood in his full length and took a step towards him. "I need you to listen to me, Roxas!"

"Did you escape?" The smaller blond asked suspiciously, anger still clearly present in his voice, "'Cuz for as far as I can remember, you still had a long way to go before you were to get out!"

"Ok, that's it," the other male now grabbed him by his shirt and pushed him against a nearby wall. "I need you to listen to me, pumpkin," he whispered against his lips, "there's a very, very bad man out there who's after your ass and I just saved it."

Roxas fell silent at that, eying his former lover with a sceptic stare. "And let me guess, a little fairy told you that this time?"

"Roxas!" Axel growled from between his teeth, needing for him to be serious about what he was telling him. "I'm not joking around with this one! You have to tell me where Masako and his boyfriend went!"

One blond eyebrow rose at that and Roxas pushed Axel off of him. "You're not exactly allowed to know about their whereabouts, you know," he whispered back viciously, "They're far away from you, in any case."

Axel smirked and chuckled sarcastically, walking up to him once more. "Look, you're pissed, I get that. I broke your little heart, fine. But, please, don't go all mister hypocrite on me!"

"A hypocrite?" Roxas jeeringly echoed, crossing his arms over his chest, "Right."

"You seem to care about your little high-class friends now, while two winters ago, you knew about that night on the parking lot, you knew what I had been assigned to do and you fucking stabbed me in the back!"

Roxas still fixed him defiantly, not saying a word.

"The only reason I chose not to say anything was because I…" Axel fell silent as he realised what he was about to say and then shook his head. "But it doesn't matter now, does it?"

Without any sign of emotion on his face, Roxas walked over to the door of his room and opened it. "I want you out of my house."

"Roxas," Axel's tone was now pleading, "You betrayed him too. He's after you now; you have to put yourself to safety."

The blonde's eyes widened themselves at that and he took a step away from the door and turned to him with an accusing finger, "Because YOU led him here, Axel!"

Axel took a calming breath, "Where are Masako and his boyfriend?"

Roxas chuckled humourlessly and let his head fall back as a dark realisation dawned upon him. "He already knows."

Axel took him by his arms and shook him slightly. "What?!" he cried, "Roxas, you told him?"

Roxas rested his saddened sapphire blues on his emerald ones and sighed, looking away again. "I didn't have to… And apparently you don't know about Riku's recent promotion." He took Axel's silence as a confirming sign and looked at him again, "Riku is going to inherit Nobuhiro's Conglomerate as soon as the old man dies… He's followed by the media almost 24/7."

"Roxas!" Axel now had an alarming look on his face, "where?!"

Tears rolled down the younger one's cheeks and he was just about to speak when they heard that distinct sound again, one of a chopper flying right above the bedroom window.

Not wasting another second, Axel grabbed hold of Roxas and they jumped out of the door right when can got thrown through the window glass and began to diffuse a thick gas.

"Axel," Roxas whispered now that they were climbing through the kitchen window to access the fire escape that gave out onto a narrow back alley on the left side of the apartment building.

Axel shut the window behind them and took him by his hand, leading him down the set of stairs from the 5th floor. "I really don't want to hear it right now, Roxas."

"It's too late, and you know it. He probably has his men searching for both of them," Roxas loudly said behind him, trying the overcome the rumbling thunder above them, "He will find us and he'll kill Riku and Sora for locking him up."

"As long as I can keep you safe, I don't really care," the redhead replied.

Roxas gasped at that, "Axel…!"

"But I'm not stupid," he continued. "Now that I told you about what I know, the moment I have you somewhere safe, you'll try and save your friends, right?" He grinned after having cast him a look, "So, in order to have you really saved, I need to help you help them."

"Why?" Roxas breathed now that they had arrived in front of a black car a few streets further, thick drops of water showering over him. "I've done nothing to deserve what you're doing."

Axel turned to him and they stood there in the rain for a few moments when he suddenly bent over and took his face in his hands, kissing him longingly on his lips. "Take that as my reason," he then whispered before letting go of him and running over to the other side of the car to sit himself behind the driver's seat.

Roxas stood as if paralysed, with his wet right hand finger tips running over his kissed lips. "You…?"

"Stop standing there all petrified because of one kiss!" Axel yelled at him from inside the car, opening the passenger seat's door, "We have no time, so get your ass inside!"

Shaking his head and regaining his composure, Roxas quickly jumped into the car, which soon drove off into the obscure and pluvial night.

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“I was wondering where you had gone off to…”

Sora approached Riku standing on one of the balconies of the second floor of the Mansion. “Everyone is waiting for you. Leon and Cloud are already here.”

“I've always dreaded to come back here,” Riku whispered, smiling as he felt the small hands going around his waist and the lips that pressed themselves into the crook of his left shoulder.

Sora closed his eyes and placed his right cheek against Riku's firm bare left shoulder. “Yet you never wished to sell it.”

“I just can't…” he whispered back, his eyes fixed on the tranquil sea the house looked out upon from a high cliff. “Mainly because it'd be a stupid thing to do; I mean we have a private beach down there!”

Sora giggled and looked over his shoulder at the sea and the moon that hung low above its horizon. “As well as a huge and beautiful garden.”

Riku smiled softly and nodded. “But more importantly because this house was my haven of peace for almost 18 years. When my mother died, this place was all I had left of her. My memories of her, they're all here. Even the pain of her passing— it's here I feel close to her the most.” He placed his hands on Sora's holding him. “I couldn't sell it, even if I never came back here after you and I left for DC.”

“You know what? I've always liked this house and how the smell of freshly baked pancakes would fill the kitchen in the morning.” Sora buried his nose into the long mane of his lover's hair and closed his eyes again, swaying back and forth slightly in their embrace and enjoying the refreshing marine breeze that played through the nocturnal air. “And who knows, we might be coming back here again when we're all old and wrinkled,” Sora kissed him in his neck again. “To enjoy a well-deserved retirement.”

Riku chuckled, “you're already thinking about that?”

“Don't you want to grow old with me?” the brunet gently asked, brushing a few silver locks out of his boyfriend's eyes.

“It's not -that- … it's the idea of growing old that is… Look at Ansem…” He made a grimace and Sora giggled.

“If it's any comfort, you'll get there before me,” the younger male grinned, “so you can tell me how it feels.”

“Not funny. And how the hell is that supposed to be comforting?” Riku retorted, smiling at the sound of Sora's laughter.

“It's not supposed to be funny,” Sora said, trying to sound serious while his lips kept forming a grin, “growing old is just a part of life."

Another scowl formed on the other male's face. "It's the end of it, more precisely."

"Come on," Sora took him by his right arm and ushered him out of the room with a giggle. "Time to have that party!"

Riku was about to step out of their bedroom when his cellular vibrated in the back pocket of his pants.

"Masako."

"Mister Riku Masako, you have just been promoted to the overall Chief Executive Officer of the Nobuhiro Conglomerate. A personal helicopter will land shortly on your mansion's property to take you back to the Nobuhiro head office in Destiny city. Please be prepared."

Sora turned to look at Riku with a grin, but soon stopped as he saw the expression of growing distress that took over his lover's face. He knew in an instant what it was that provoked that reaction and could feel tears form behind his eyes. "Riku… he's…?"

Riku swallowed with some difficulty, fighting back the tightening of his throat and closed his eyes. "When…?"

"A few minutes ago, sir. He suffered a cardiac malfunction."

Sora watched with watering eyes how a lonely tear rolled out of Riku's closed right eye and moved in to hug him tightly. "Oh my God…"

"Thank you," and with that the new CEO of Nobuhiro Zaibatsu hung up his phone, holding on to his lover who now wept silently in his arms.

The king is dead.

Long live the king.

__________________________

Thank you. There's really nothing else I can say, except that. Thank you to all of you out there who still back me up on this, you guys know how much time and effort I've put into creating these stories so far.

Thank you for just being there and reading my work.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

ToBeContinued… (I'm not giving up on this yet…)

-BDP-