Title: Paopu Tree

            Fandom: Kingdom Hearts

            Pairings: little tiny bit Kairi/Sora, Somewhat Riku/Sora.  =o_o;;; all somewhat subtle-ish

            Status: Revised but they are little revisions so it's not much different, for those that read it before.

            Warnings: =o_o= obviously this has some vague boy x boy leanings, uh, don't tell me it's weird in the reviews, I already know…

            Disclaimer: THESE CHARA ARE BELONG TO SQUARE AND DISNEY~! =o_o= Disney needs to let them people in Japan make doujin…

            Descriptions/Short Rant: =o__o= wuut, lookit me, I'm writing!! *is bricked*..
            *cough* anyway, a short explanation on the story.  This of course takes place shortly before the game starts.  The story is real short… It is also my first real fanfic… I have a great big Riku/Sora leaning, but since this is short and rated G it doesn't show it too much.  There is however a vague vague bit of angst, =o_o= it's really quite obviouse where it is. Anyhow, one day I was wandering around school like usual thinking about things when "WHAM!" this scene decided to drop into my head and I decided to write it out… very interesting… Riku tells Sora the story of the paopu tree!

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            "Kairi! See you tomorrow!"  Sora waved to the girl as she turned and waved back.

Riku leaned against one of the trees, watching them thoughtfully.  "You two have fun don't you," Riku teased lightly when Sora finally turned to look at him.

Sora walked by avoiding his eyes and trying to hide a blush.  "So what if we do?  Friends are supposed to have fun right?"

Riku simply nodded as they headed across the bridge to the smaller rise of land.

            A brilliant sunset blazed in the sky.  Just like many others that have graced Destiny Island.  Reds, oranges, and purples tinted everything the light touched.  The colors spill over the two boys sitting at their usual perch on the paopu tree.  Ocean breezes blew by occasionally, to stir them from their own contemplations.  Each one swung his feet idly, absorbing the last rays of the day.

            "Sora," Riku scooted farther up on the tree and reached for a fruit. "Guess what I heard."

            Stirring slightly, Sora gave the boy that now hung half onto the tree a questioning glance. "Hm? What did you hear?"

            Grinning down at Sora, Riku bounced on the tree, making it shake, and causing Sora to cling onto it so as not to fall into the water.  "It's about the paopu fruit," he said as he continued to jostle Sora around.

            Catching onto the tree with his legs Sora planted himself on the tree and then stuck his tongue out at Riku. "What about the paopu?"

            Riku settled back onto the tree, absently taking small bites of the fruit he'd picked.

            "Aren't you not supposed to eat those?" Sora asked, a frown creasing his face.

            "But you never knew why, right?  They aren't poisonous."  Riku laughed and broke off half the fruit and ate it in a single bite. "Anyway, don't you want to know what I found out about them?"

            "You found out why we aren't suppose to eat them?"

            "Yeah, it's a story. Some people believe there are spirits that live in all the elements of the world.  You know, like wind and water and stuff."

            "What does that have to do with not eating paopu?"

            "Just listen.  Anyhow.  Once, way in the past, the Earth spirit was looking up at the sky.  The Earth saw millions of stars twinkling in the sky and was enchanted.  From then on Earth would look up into the sky every night and wish that one of the stars would come down to talk.

Then one night a very bright star appeared.  Earth reached out its arms to that star and the star came.  They talked until morning when the star had to leave.  And from then on the star would come down every night to be with the Earth.  Of course eventually the Earth and the Star fell in love.  But the other stars didn't approve of this meeting, saying that stars are supposed to stay in the sky.  The Earth was heartbroken but told the Star that if it must leave then the Earth promised to look up into the sky every night and talk to it from afar.  But the Star said to the Earth that it would rather disappear than to be apart from the Earth.  So they decided that the Earth would use its power to transform the star into something else, so that they could stay together forever.  And the star became a paopu tree…"

The sun sank lower and blues started to replace the reds and oranges.  The wind picked up, tossing around sweet smells and sounds of the approaching night.

            "….So we're not suppose to eat the fruit cause they're stars?" Sora shook his head, confused.

            Riku smiled to himself and looked out over the water.  "No, they say that the Earth made the paopu tree with special powers, so that if you share a paopu fruit with someone, your destinies become forever intertwined no matter what happens.  That's why you aren't supposed to treat them carelessly."

            "Then what are you eating the paopu for?  You're going to share it with someone?"  The question made it obvious who Sora thought Riku wanted to share the fruit with.

            Quietly Riku studied the brown haired boy.  The air around them seemed to thicken despite the blowing wind.  His smile had dropped away to be replaced by something else that Sora wasn't quite sure of.  Sora leaned away slightly, fidgeting.

For a moment tumultuous green eyes met with nervous blue ones. 

"..…Hmf! why should I share?" Riku popped the rest of the paopu into his mouth and the moment fell away.  He was grinning easily again.  "I'm pretty sure I'm destined to be alone anyway!" He swung hard on the tree and landed on the ground, running off, waving for Sora to follow.

            Sora let out a breath he had unconsciously been holding and watched Riku's retreating form against the stars for a moment before propelling himself into action.  "Wait up Riku!" The boy launched himself off the tree and chased after his laughing friend, wondering why that laugh seemed out of place.

~FIN!~

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XD;; Ahaha, love me or hate me or tell me to write more.  =o_o= Eventually I will anyway…possibly…

10/5/02: =o___o;;; Constructive criticism reviews are scary.  I don't like them much but it's better than people that rant without giving a reason or content.  Thank you Aviy, it helped me find stuff to fix =^__^=.  It wasn't revised the first time you saw it, but I decided to revise it now.  =o_o= And for everyone else that reviewed, THERE SHALL BE MORE! XB;; but quite possibly only one other part under this title.  …And Riku's decision? XD;;; ahaha, he handled it the way he did cause he is friggin ANGSTY! All PESSEMISM! XB;;  I need to let him be happier in my head, it's not really working tho. *throws Sora at him*

XB;; the next part will be coming, just be patient, I still have school work and art I need to handle…