Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Together In Our World Alone ❯ When night is darkest, hope is most frail ( Chapter 12 )

 

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12: When night is darkest, hope is most frail (1)

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2 am.

The thing he hated most about arguing with his conscience was that almost every time, his conscience won out.

Sora threw the covers off of him, giving up on sleep and strolling out of the room. He could hear the sound of a TV playing downstairs and briefly hesitated. It didn't surprise him to find Riku still awake because whenever they were together, one never found a restful sleep without the other by his side.

He grunted in annoyance and began his descend, carefully emptying his expression as he went. He planned on walking right past him and getting something out of the refrigerator in the kitchenette, but he found Riku lying on the couch, fast asleep. He looked completely hollowed out and exhausted. And now that he really looked at him, he noticed the small worry lines that creased his forehead where before there hadn't been any, the way his cheekbones stood out more, the dark circles underneath his eyes and the downward curve of his mouth.

Sora felt like crying at the sight. His heart ached to see him like this. He'd known they'd both suffer with the choice he made, but seeing it now right in front of him was too much.

There was so little left of the man Sora once knew and it wounded him deeply to come to this realization.

The TV was showing an old talk show re-run in French. Sora picked up the remote from the small table and turned it off. He slid down onto the carpet carefully and crawled over to Riku's sleeping form. Everything just felt so wrong now that he was here, everything hurt a thousand times more than it used to and he couldn't take it. He couldn't do this with him here.

Sora bit his lower lip to keep it from trembling as he sniffled and moved closer to him, wanting more than anything to get him out of here safe and sound and away from this godforsaken place. He wouldn't be able to survive the pain if they hurt him for real this time.

“You have no idea, Riku,” he whispered, tears rolling out of his eyes. “You don't know what you've gotten yourself into…”

Riku sighed in his sleep.

“I can't lose you again,” he whispered against his lips, eyes closed in silent prayer.

He stood and went to the second bedroom in the back of the apartment, grabbing the duvet off the bed. He kneeled next to him again and covered him with it. He stiffened when Riku turned around on the couch to face the other way. But he didn't wake.

Sighing in silent relief, Sora stood and stared at him. If hurting him was the only way to keep him safe, then he wouldn't hesitate to do so. There was nothing he wouldn't do for Riku's wellbeing.

“Forgive me.”

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Her body trembled on top of his as she came.

Long rivers of ebony cascaded down her pale shoulders, flowing untamed over her skin. Her breasts swayed softly back and forth while she rode her orgasm out, her small mouth open in sinful ecstasy, cherry red lips quivering helplessly in the throes of her passion. Her dark eyelashes fluttered softly against her moist cheeks with every jerky movement of her hips and he continued to watch her move like that, lost in her rapture, like a beautifully fallen angel.

She finally collapsed on him with a drawn out moan and a last gasp.

He chuckled at her and she smirked back. “What?”

Xehanort stroked her hair gently and moved his head to look at hers lying against his chest. “I don't know which one to cancel; my ten o'clock or my eleven o'clock.

Mae Lin smiled and detached herself from him, throwing the covers off her body and landing her feet on the floor. “Hmm, that is a dilemma.” She stood and took a few steps away before glancing over her shoulder sultrily, “Either way, both can be rescheduled whereas my time here cannot.”

He propped himself on one elbow and picked up a black lace bra that lay on the covers beside him. “You make it hard to negotiate,” he said, twirling the bra by one of its straps around his index.

“Wouldn't want to make it too easy for you now…” She smirked at him and pulled her long hair up to pin it in place. She watched him play with her bra for a moment and rolled her eyes playfully at the content smirk on his lips. She then turned and walked into the bathroom, making sure to sway her hips enticingly. Seeing that he was still lying in the large bed with his eyes fixed on her backside she snorted. “So are you joining me, or what?”

He bit his lower lip and grinned back innocently. “I'm sorry, were we already negotiating then?”

She flashed him a seductive smile, “We're always negotiating.”

Later, when he left for his eleven o'clock business meeting, she finished strapping her shoes on and rose from the bed, taking her handbag from where she'd left it. She'd convinced his assistant to give her a couple of extra minutes to make herself decent. Heading for the main office at the other end of the apartments that constituted Xehanort's private chambers, she checked her watch and read a quarter to ten. She walked into the large, sunlit room and sat herself behind the desk. She reached for the mini USB-stick she'd inserted in the back of the open laptop the night before and pulled it out. A soft chime sounded and a message appeared on the screen, telling her that the files had been successfully copied to the drive. She smiled, put on her sunglasses and walked out, calmly making her exit.

Mission accomplished.

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Riku awoke with a start.

Different smells filled the air around him, bringing with them the promise of delicious food. It was morning already.

He rolled over to face the coffee table and found different trays laden with delectable dishes displayed before him.

Sora was looking at him from his position in a corner of the opposite couch.

“Morning,” Riku grunted, sitting up. He then noted the duvet that covered him and paused. He did not remember covering himself last night.

Sora didn't respond and kept on staring at him.

He couldn't keep his heart from feeling elated when thinking about Sora's caring gesture. Riku looked over at his watch nonchalantly and then reached for the coffee can. “I must've dozed off…”

“Why are you still here?”

“To take you back home with me, like I told you last night.”

“Home is where I choose it to be, Riku,” Sora said with a condescending smile. “And I chose here.”

Riku smirked right back. “I'm still getting you out of here, with or without your permission.”

Sora scowled at him and slowly rose to his feet. “You would force me?”

Riku lifted his cup of coffee to his lips to take a sip. “Will you cooperate?”

Sora pressed his lips close and looked away. “Do you really think I'd just let you take me with you?”

Riku stood in turn. “You won't alert anyone.”

“How can you be so sure?” Sora challenged.

“Because I know you want out of here as much as I want you to.”

Sora scoffed and rolled his eyes. “You don't know me as well as you thought you did anymore, Riku. I'm not coming with you.”

“So you keep saying,” he said with a shrug. “But I'm still not convinced that you really want to stay here.”

“I've been forced to change my view on things. This is what I am now and it is what I want.”

Riku chuckled. “Listen to yourself! Is it me you're trying to convince? Or are you trying to convince yourself?”

Sora rolled his eyes. “I have nothing left to prove to anyone,” he said, turning towards the kitchen. He began walking to the counter and took a strawberry out of the fruit basket laid there readily. “If you don't want to believe me, fine. But I'm not going anywhere.” He bit into the juicy fruit and moaned lewdly at its sweet taste. “That reminds me,” he whispered, turning to face Riku again while he licked the juice that ran down the palm of his hand, “this is a great counter to get bent over.” He giggled in a most innocent way and finished the strawberry with a last moan. “We should really try it out sometime.”

Riku looked away, the scene before him so wrong in too many ways. It angered him to see him like this. “Stop it.”

“Stop what, Riku?” Sora asked, his voice all sugary sweet. He reached for a peach this time and slurped up all the juice around his bite before walking over to him, the piece of peach still between his pearly white teeth. He moved closer and pursed his lips, aiming for a kiss.

“Snap out of it!” Riku cried, holding both of Sora's hands in his now to keep him at bay. “This is not you!”

Sora swallowed the peach and licked his lips, expression relaxed. “Are you sure?” he purred. “How can you be? Hell, you've been sending mixed signals since last night; I know I'd be confused…”

Riku gritted his teeth together and looked away.

“Hey now, it's okay,” Sora chuckled, “I get it. I guess I'm just not good enough anymore, right? Wanting me and actually doing me are two different things, especially now that my status has somewhat changed.”

“Stop it, damn it!” he growled from between his teeth, shaking him. “Just fucking stop it!”

The smile did not disappear from Sora's face, but there was a definite glint of triumph in his gaze now. “But we were beginning to have fun…” he whispered, brushing up against him now. “If you only you knew how many times I fantasized that it was you doing me from behind over that counter…”

A sharp shot of arousal coursed up his spine and Riku released a shaky breath. “Fuck…” His body was betraying him and he wanted nothing more than to take what was being offered so willingly, but his mind still registered the immorality of going into his urges and the ensuing repercussions. Right now, he wanted to reclaim Sora. He wanted to take him hard and fast and definitely not in a good way, like an alpha male that would force itself upon its chosen mate. In this current state of events, he was certain that it would only change things for the worse and he knew he was beginning to lose control.

“Riquelle told me to tell you that she'd be at the gallery this afternoon to overlook the shipment she ordered,” he blurted out instead.

Sora stilled in his movements, “What?” All cockiness had vanished from his face and he looked more like someone had thrown a bucket of cold water over his head. “How'd you—”

Riku took a breath, silently smiling in relief, and let go of his hands to put them on each side of his face. “Riquelle is part of the team trying to get you out of here. Roxas is helping too.”

Sora gasped and tried to step back, eyes filled with unmasked fear. “Roxas?” he whispered in horror.

“We were planning on getting you out by the end of the week.” Riku continued with a nod. “There's an entire team counting on us right now.”

Sora then began to fight earnestly against Riku's grip on his face, shaking his head. “You need to go now,” he whispered, backing himself away from him until he hit the refrigerator, breathing rapidly.

“In order for our plan to work, we need your cooperation, babe,” Riku whispered softly, holding his gaze. “Everything has already been set in motion. We can't do this without you.”

“No!” he said with a shake of his head. “I won't help you.”

Riku looked around and then glanced back at him. “Are they listening in on us?”

“No,” Sora whispered, looking away from him. “Just get out.”

Riku watched him for a moment and then reached for a nearby chair to sit on. “I'm not going anywhere until check-out in…” he looked at his watch, “one hour and 14 minutes. So, you either start talking or I make you listen.”

“Because that worked so well in the past,” Sora snarled back.

“Look,” Riku grunted, shooting him an annoyed glare, “obviously you're worrying about what will happen to you or us if we ever get caught plotting behind those bastards' backs. So don't even start yapping about how good you have it here because that look on your face right now tells me the exact opposite.”

Sora bit his tongue and looked away.

“Mixed signals, what a bitch, go figure,” Riku said sarcastically, standing. He placed a hand on his face and turned it to his. “We have a good plan, trust me. It will work.”

“You don't know that!” Sora snapped before he realized it himself, betraying his own desperation. He sighed and placed his face in his hands.

“I do,” Riku calmly replied. He moved in closer and Sora could feel his breath on his skin. “It will work.”

“Shit.” Sora whispered turning his face away from his. He wiped the tears off his face with the back of his hand and reached for a drawer on the other side of the counter, taking out a Marlboro-pack and shaking a smoke and a lighter out. He lit the cigarette and began to smoke it, all the while muttering words under his breath that Riku couldn't make out.

Riku smiled despite the situation, suddenly endeared by his behavior, reminiscent of the way they used to argue and bicker before. “I'm sorry, Sora.”

Sora took a drag and blew the smoke up into the air, one annoyed eye fixed on him. “Here we go…”

“What?” he asked, taken aback.

The brunette sighed and looked at him, “I'm not mad at you for what has happened to me, Riku.”

Riku blinked, surprised. He frowned then, “How can you not be?”

Sora scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Wow, you really know how to make everything about you, don't you?”

“Excuse me?”

“Stop beating yourself up about it, that's all I'm saying.”

“How am I making this all about me?!” Riku demanded, clearly confused.

Sora blew out more smoke before squashing the rest of his cigarette on an empty ashtray nearby. “Ok, never mind,” he offered, smiling at him complacently. “Let's keep the focus on me, then.”

Riku sighed, wondering why in Hell it all had to be so complicated. He wanted his Sora back, the fun loving and caring Sora. Was that so much to ask for?

“You haven't answered me yet.”

“Answered what?”

“We can't do this without you.”

Sora shrugged, feigning indifference unsuccessfully, “Then just go.”

“If I walk out this door right now, you'll never see me again.”

Sora opened his mouth, a snappy remark ready.

“Because,” Riku continued calmly, “you telling me `no' will result in me dying while trying to get you out of here.”

All movement in the younger male's body stopped as he tried to take a steadying breath. “Then don't,” he said, clearly shaken.

Riku flashed him a sad grin. “Don't what? Save you? Don't love you? Stop wanting you?” he'd gotten closer to him again and pinned him against the counter. “Stop my heart from wanting you back into my life so desperately?”

Sora was looking anywhere but at him, trying to escape what was so painstakingly in his face, tears rolling in thick drops, lips trembling. “Please…”

Riku closed his eyes and slowly framed his face with his palms, resting their foreheads together as he said; “Kill me now if you really want me to go; deliver me from the shallow existence your absence has made of my life; because there is nothing, nothing waiting for me past those doors if you don't come with me.”

There was a sob and then their lips were touching and there was deep despair and pain, so much of it in the kiss that everything drowned in it. They could not deny their love, the passion they still had for each other. It was too much and it hurt and frightened them to know what this meant, to want everything back and knowing what that would cost.

Sora was trembling all over in his arms but didn't let go, his grip on his shirt so tight it was sure to rip the fabric. He'd dreamt of this and nothing would take it away from him now, even if it was only for this lost moment in time, he wanted it, god, he need this; he'd fucking deserved it.

Everything, from his smell to the feel of his hair to the taste of his lips, it was all so much better than in his dreams. Never was he to let go of it ever again, he'd sell his soul to keep this safe and the world would burn if anything happened to him again.

Riku broke the kiss and worked Sora's hair back with his hands, taking in every bit of his features, re-imprinting them in his memory. His fingers were trembling, his body aching and he blindly found those cushions of plush rose petals again, drinking the dew off their soft surface without hesitating to drink the sweet nectar hidden in their folds. The fruit bowl fell to the floor along with the peaches, strawberries, grapes and mangos. The ashtray made way for Sora's behind when Riku lifted it upon the black granite of the kitchen counter.

A brief dance of flying clothing ensued, ending with their two writhing bodies half naked on top of each other, trembling together.

Just as Riku moved back to look at him, he noted the many blemishes and scratches that covered Sora body and he halted in his movements.

Sora saw him hesitate and bit his lower lip to keep it from quivering as his eyes filled with tears. “I can't.”

Riku ducked his head and felt like kicking himself. “I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have—”

Sora was really trembling all over now; eyes now full of angst as he looked to the side. “Just hand me my robe, ok?”

“Yeah, sure,” he whispered, a little distracted as he got back off the counter and grabbed the blue bathrobe from the floor. “Here.”

Sora quickly covered his body and got off, tightening his grip on the folds of the robe as he held it close.

“Are you alright?” It was a selfish question, but he needed to know.

The brunette sniffled and ran a hand through his hair, flinching briefly at the hand Riku tentatively placed on his shoulder. “Yeah… I'm fine.”

Riku noted the evasive reaction and his heart clenched together. He wanted to tell him that it'd be alright, that everything would work out fine. It was one thing to say it, another to actually realize it. And now he could only think of those who did this to them and he was taken over by thoughts so dark he feared he'd lose himself in them if he didn't grab on to a semblance of sanity.

“Riku, what are you planning on doing now?”

He returned to reality with a sharp mental snap, now looking into the wide and frightened eyes of the man he'd move heaven and earth for and vowed to himself that never again he'd see that expression in them. But he needed to pace himself and think rationally. He reached into the pocket of his pants and took out the ear studs he placed there earlier and took them out.

“Can you wear these without being asked about them?”

Sora stared at the diamond studs in the palm of his right hand and blinked. “Jewelry?” he asked incredulously, “I have a box full of them in my bathroom in the mansion. They won't bat an eye if I have a pair more or less.”

Riku internally growled when he thought of the provenance of the jewelry and the reason why he'd been given them. He absolutely did not want to be associated with those other men and women who'd courted his services with expensive jewelry.

“No, these emit a constant, concealed and encoded GPS signal so we can pinpoint your location at any time,” he explained, moving in to put them in, but thinking against it, seen as how Sora'd become tense when it came to physical contact. It again made him wonder briefly what in Hell they did to him and how hard it must've been for Sora to work up the walls he hid behind and through which Riku slowly but surely was breaking through.

Sora took the studs and put them in, hiding those beneath his unruly mop of hair when he was done.

“We're planning on getting you out on Saturday.”

“During the Halloween Party?”

Riku nodded and took a calculated breath. “I've tried to… have you for the following three nights, but I'm afraid I can only come and see you tonight and tomorrow.”

Sora smiled, wrapped his arms around himself and shrugged. “He usually gets me for big events; there was nothing you could've done.”

“He?” he was afraid to ask, but did anyway, “Xehanort?”

Sora shook his head and took a shaky breath, “No,” he whispered, “Kadaj.”

Unprecedented rage unfurled within him and he wanted to kill something so bad he almost felt physical pain knowing that he couldn't. Not yet.

“Is he the one who…” he began cautiously, giving Sora's body a once over.

Sora looked away and breathed in slowly, trying to hide his body from him. He shook his head and then fell into silence, eyes staring blindly at the bay. “They'd come in together… but Xehanort would only watch… or give instructions…” his voice sounded from far away as he spoke, his eyes glazed over with shadows from the past. “The first days…” he broke off and swept a shaky hand through his hair. “The first days were the worst…” he nodded to himself as if to conclude and then glanced at the clock hanging above the plasma screen in the living area. “I better get dressed; they'll come for me soon.”

Riku reached out for him and winced when he saw him cringe at the contact. He immediately let go. He didn't dare pushing the topic further. He understood how vulnerable Sora was now and he almost regretted punching down the walls he'd pulled around himself because now he had to send him back into the lion's pit with close to nothing as protection. He felt awkward; he didn't even know what he was going to say now. `Hang in there?' He was sure that if that sounded as bad as it did in his head, it'd suck even more once it was out of it mouth. He couldn't hold him in his arms let alone kiss him without upsetting him further so he settled with a smile and a promise.

“I'll see you tonight.”

A small smile crept up Sora's lips and he nodded. “I'd like that.”

And just like that, hope exuded in him again and he smiled back. “Okay.”

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“You look well rested.”

Sora looked up from his ongoing search after the keys of the gallery in his messenger bag and nearly bumped into Nathan leaning against the door. “Dude,” he said in a miffed tone, “Move your ass, Sasquatch, you're blocking the door.”

“Ooh, someone must've fallen out of bed hard this morning.” Nathan commented teasingly as he moved to give Sora the room he needed to open up the gallery. “He must've been a very demanding client, that Mr. McCoy, to have you this cranky towards me.”

Sora knew the man was fishing for commentary on the events of the past night, so he chose to ignore him and turned the key in its slot a couple of times before pushing the door open. “Shut up.”

Nathan followed him in with a chuckle. “Come on, spill the beans; you look like you've been treated well,” he said looking at his friend as he turned around to de-activate the alarm on the wall on their left. “You're even sporting a healthy blush on your little cheeks.”

Sora shrugged, hiding the actual full on blush on his face by walking away and going to stand behind the counter. “I had an elaborate breakfast before coming here.”

“Yeah, right,” Nathan said, giving him an incredulous stare. “What was on the menu then?”

Sora snorted, amused, “I had an Asian omelet with a fresh salad and an orange juice.”

Nathan huffed, folding his arms over his chest, “You're yanking my chain—”

“And Aeleus stopped by a coffee shop on the way over here and I got myself a cappuccino,” he held up the empty cup he'd been holding and smirked. “That's why I'm twenty minutes late,” he said with glee before adding, “I'm very sorry,” in an unconvincing tone. He then opened the cabinet below the counter desk and took out his books and agenda.

Nathan watched him walk away towards his office on the first floor. “Whoa, Mr. McCoy must be a miracle worker, `cuz that's a miracle right there.”

“Oh come on,” Sora chuckled, turning towards him again, “So I've decided to eat breakfast, big deal. And stop calling him Mr. McCoy.”

Nathan put his hands on his hips scrutinizingly, “Oh? So what am I supposed to call him?”

It wasn't really the name that bothered him, but more the manner in which Nathan said it that just irked Sora. Granted, McCoy wasn't Riku's real name, but it was the identity he went by for now so hearing anyone talk it down the way Nathan did right now, just wasn't acceptable.

“Since when do you care about the clients' names?” Sora asked with a smile and shrug and began to turn away again.

“Since they're prepared to pay for your services on three consecutive days.”

Sora stilled and decided to feign ignorance. “What?”

Nathan walked up to the counter and leant against it, brushing his wavy dark hair behind an ear. “Yeah. Andrew McCoy has reserved you for another two nights,” he informed, his piercing green eyes pinning him in place. “This has never happened before and it worries me a little, to be honest.”

Sora felt his heart pull a little with guilt, but smiled nonetheless. “Why are you worried?” he asked softly.

Nathan looked away and sighed, “I just am. It's not like they don't know how much you suffer with…” he made a wide gesture, “this.” He then shook his head, “I even asked if I couldn't take your place on one night, but…”

Sora looked up at that and realized how much his friend was willing to do to keep him safe. But then again, there was no need to stress how glad he was that Xehanort had refused to switch them.

“You knew that he wouldn't say yes. He prefers watching you or having you for himself,” Sora reminded him. “You're his favorite.”

Nathan snorted.

“But thank you for trying anyway.”

Their eyes met and Sora read that same determination in his eyes that he'd seen two days before. It still sent cold shivers down his spine for some reason.

“You were right though.”

“Eh?”

He smiled to himself and then took a small breath. “Last night was one of the rare ones I spent with a perfect gentleman.”

“Oh?”

Sora nodded and remembered Riku's promise from this morning. “He didn't force me into doing anything.”

“All that money he paid just to have you and he didn't—?”

Sora shook his head with an embarrassed chuckle, “No…”

Nathan still didn't buy it. “And he was perfectly ok with that?”

“Perfectly,” Sora replied, shrugging and hoping that he wasn't actually blushing. “Like I said; a perfect gentleman.”

Nathan snorted, “There is no such thing.”

Sora turned once more and closed his eyes, the events of last night going through his mind. “You'd be surprised.”

Nathan only watched him go up the last of the steps silently, wondering if this new piece of information was as good as it sounded. In their line of work, that wasn't likely.

“Oh, before I forget.”

Nathan looked up at Sora now standing in the door to his office.

“Riquelle Heartly is going to pass by later on. Call me when she does, ok?”

Nathan grunted.

“Be nice to the costumers!” Sora advised with a grin.

The tall brunette grinned wolfishly, “Aren't I always?”

Sora rose an eyebrow, “Would I be asking you to be if you were?” He giggled and then disappeared behind his door.

“I'm always nice,” Nathan muttered to himself before sighing and begrudgingly taking place behind the reception counter to begin ordering the next shipment of artwork for the next exposition and getting through the grueling task of document handling that went with that.

He'd barely begun his first Sudoku raster of that day three hours later, when a petite blonde with big green eyes sauntered into the gallery. She looked around first, her red All Stars squeaking away on the marble floor as she went to the back. He caught himself looking at her cute behind and her beautiful naked legs under the white mini-short she wore. Her red, sleeveless top left one of her shoulders bare and he had to make himself look away from her breasts as she returned to the front with her strawberry blond curls bouncing around her pretty heart-shaped face, coming towards him with a troubled expression.

She had to be the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

“Excuse me,” she said, her French accent barely noticeable, “Could you tell me where I can find Sora?”

Nathan blinked and caught himself again, letting her question register. “You must be Miss Heartly,” he said, voice soft. She looked so much different than the way she did yesterday. Then again, he'd only seen her from a distance. From close by she was absolutely breathtaking.

He smiled at her and watched how she tucked a strand of her hair behind an ear, smiling back and nodding. “I'm Nathan,” he said smoothly, “did you have an appointment with him?”

“Nice to meet you and yes, I have an appointment,” she pushed her large white bag out of the way and then extended her hand to him. “I came to look at the artwork I bought at the exhibition.”

“Oh, you like Matrenkaja?” he said, getting off his chair and moving away from the counter.

“Yes, I do,” she said with a nod.

“She indeed is good,” he replied, nodding. He walked up the stairs. “Let me see if he's in his office, excuse me.”

“Of course,” she whispered, watching him jog up the stairs with an appreciative smile. She shook her head and giggled, reminding herself to focus on the job at hand. Though she had to admit that he was pretty hot and that it'd been so long since she'd had any…

“Now now, Rikka… Calm yourself down, there are plenty of other men in the world for you to lust after. He's probably one of Xehanort's toys anyway…” She sighed and almost groaned. Figures…

“Riquelle.”

She twirled around and looked up. “Sora,” she said, smiling whole heartedly. He looked so much better than he did yesterday.

When Riku returned to the hotel earlier, he'd only flashed a wide smile and she'd known that they'd found each other again and that all went well. Seeing Sora now really warmed her heart, making all the efforts they made so far even more worth it.

“It's so good to see you again,” Sora said, descending the steps rapidly and embracing her lovingly.

She put her arms around him and hugged back.

“You shouldn't have come,” Sora whispered softly in her ear.

She frowned and then let go of him, her smile slightly faltered. Did Riku tell him, then? “It's good to see you too.”

“Nate,” he then called, turning around to the brunette sitting himself back down on his seat behind the counter. “I'm going to be in my office and I'd appreciate it if no one disturbed me.”

He could see the slight pull of his lower lip and the beginning of a scowl on his friend's face and smiled, “Can you make sure I'm not?” he asked sweetly.

Nathan gave him a vile look that said, “Do not fucking forget that I'm only here voluntarily since Emma is sick. I can leave your sorry ass in this creepy-ass store whenever I want.” But instead he said, “You're the boss!”

Sora stuck the tip of his tongue out to him and then turned to the stairs. “Thank you. Shall we?” he asked her, letting her mount the stairs first.

“It was nice meeting you, Miss Heartly!” Nathan said cordially.

“Likewise!” She replied, turning to give him another smile. She continued on after that.

Sora frowned and looked from Riquelle to Nathan questioningly. “What the…?”

Nathan shrugged and mouthed back; “I think I like her!”

Sora rolled his eyes and made a cut it- gesture with his hand before quickly jogging behind Riquelle who had now reached the top of the stairs.

“I think I'm confused,” Riquelle said as the door of the office closed behind her. “I see you're wearing the ear studs.”

“What I meant to say,” Sora began as he sat on the desk with a worried expression, “Is that, people are going to start connecting the dots if you keep coming here.”

“I like the art!” She replied with a satisfied smile. “No, seriously, I do.”

Sora smiled back, but shook his head. “Even Nathan finds it already suspicious that Riku is going to be my client for the next two nights. It's never happened before.”

She approached him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, smiling tenderly. “We've evaluated the risks, Sora.”

“But why? Riku's told me everything that I need to know about the plan, why risk everything by raising the suspicions around Andrew McCoy?”

Riquelle gave him a reprimanding look and a soft smile that said, “Are you sure you don't know the answer?” Instead she said, “Do you have any idea what Riku went through during the past few months? He was dying to see you.”

Sora sighed and closed his eyes. “But it's not worth the—”

“Don't.”

Tears were stinging behind his eyes and he bit his lower lip. “He told me he'd gladly die trying to save me.”

“After living with Riku for these past few weeks it doesn't surprise me. Why are you? You, who's lived with him for years?”

“Because,” he whispered, covering his face with a hand. “He's got me hoping again…”

Her eyebrows shot up at that. “And what's wrong with that?”

“I had lost all hope…” Sora admitted, wiping his cheeks off with the back of his hand, “I'd resigned myself to the reality of my life. If he were to die now, for real, I'd die along with him for sure this time.”

“You love him, that much is clear, so why are you so reticent?”

“I'm not the same person I was before… I—”

“Why do you think he would care about what you did? We all know it wasn't your fault. After everything you've been through there isn't a single person in our team that has a low opinion of you.” She took him in her arms and rested her head on his crown. “After what you've sacrificed, you're definitely worth all the risks.”

Sora sighed, shook his head and wiped his cheeks dry with the back of his hand. “I don't know…”

“Believe it,” Riquelle whispered, nodding. “Riku knows you've been through a lot, he knows that what you both had won't be easy to get back, but he is willing to take the risk. He loves you that much.”

Sora was trembling in her arms and couldn't make himself stop. Just hearing those words caused a flood of held back emotions to erupt and he cried in earnest, his knees giving up on him and dragging her on the floor with him. He suddenly missed Kairi so much, her and her comforting words and gestures. Riquelle somehow reminded him of her and it made the ache in his heart even worse.

“You know what I'm going to do the minute I get the opportunity?”

Sora stilled and sniffled, shaking his head.

“Cut Kadaj's balls off with a blunt knife,” she said softly, stroking his hair and holding him close.

Sora laughed and held her tighter. “Can I help?”

They laughed together some more and held on to each other.

“Hey Sora?” Riquelle whispered after a while, when his crying had subsided. “I know you're scared, but we won't let you down, I promise.”

When she said that, he couldn't help but see Kairi again and he smiled, nodding against her chest.

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In the upcoming chapter we go back in time to have a deeper view of the life Sora led. I'll update as fast as I can.

To be continued in Yet the light of hope is hard to kill (2) …

-BDP-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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