This continues the epic story of Cloud and Riku (ie, getting hitched though that won't happen in this story). There will be two more one shots following this story and then the final arc. Yes, I'm editing it for fix some issues so these notes may seem to contradict a bit for awhile. I also combined the first two chapters.

No, I don't own the characters or the worlds used. The story itself is mine.

Thank you for reading and please review.

Future Strife

"Ugh! That's it. I'm done." This was followed by a long pause. "You said you were fine with him." Another pause followed. "I said if-" Rolling of eyes. "At least he's always honest with me!"

Sora watched Riku pace around in agitation. His silver-haired friend's conversation had become increasingly agitated and apparently had now reached critical hour. Sora was 99.7 % sure he knew what this particular argument was about; and Kairi had been right. He owed her fifty Munny.

"I can't deal with this right now. I'll call later." Riku angrily disconnected and strangled the device. "Why is he so fuckin' difficult?"

Sora sipped on his smoothie. He knew better than to talk while Riku was still fuming. Best give him a few more minutes.

"And he calls me high-maintenance. He's being the stubborn little bitch! It's not like I'm asking him to spend quality time with him or anything!"

Riku was quiet for a few minutes and Sora decided it was all right to speak. "Let me guess, Cloud's really uncomfortable with having Sephiroth actually being involved with the ceremony."

Riku glared at the brunette.

Sora sighed and set his cup down. "Come on, Riku. You had to know this was gonna come up despite what Cloud said."

"I just hoped…" Riku rubbed his forehead. He sat heavily beside his best friend, who graciously handed him his fruit smoothie. "I'm starting to think we should just elope."

"Can two guys do that?"

"I don't know." Riku chuckled lightly. "But it sounds really good right now."

"You know Mom would kill you if you bail out now. Not to mention Yuffie, Aerith, and Tifa."

"Yeah; they're the main reason we're doing this stupid ceremony thing." That was a lie. Riku was secretly ecstatic about this whole thing.

He glanced down and twisted the silver band on his ring finger. When Cloud had decided they were ready to move to the next stage, Riku had actually cried. It had come so unexpectedly; Riku always figured Cloud was scared of commitment due the tragic ends of prior relationships so he was content to be simply 'dating' forever.

Then during Riku's last long visit, Cloud had done the unthinkable. He had taken Riku, along with Sora and Leon, to the hidden falls that Riku had shown him over winter holiday. A brief moment of panic had seized Riku's heart, fearing that Cloud was about to say this was not working for him any more and only brought the others to keep him from wussing out.

...And when that little box had appeared, the tears just sprung. He felt like such a girl but he could not help it. It was the single most romantic moment of his life. He threw his arms around his blonde boyfriend before he even finished his little speech (Riku hadn't even heard the beginning having been too overwhelmed).

They'd had some spectacular sex that night.

"You two will work it out." Sora assured him. "Cloud loves you, and that means he's got to deal with everything about you."

"Yeah, well, you remember how well he dealt with the whole Sephiroth thing in the first place." Riku grumbled, taking a long drink. "This needs rum."

"It's too early for rum." Sora chastised.

"It's never too early. I thought you used to hang with pirates." Riku smirked, leaning forward and resting his arms on his thighs. The moment of levity helped some but now he was back to his original problem. "It'll work out. Somehow…"

"Yeah," Sora nodded emphatically.

"Ugh. I'm supposed to call Seph now. He'll know the second I open my mouth something's up."

Sora shivered. While he had long ago accepted the one (or was it three? It seemed to change count every time he saw him) winged angel as part of Riku's really messed up family; he still kept a fair amount of distance from him. "Yeah, have fun with that."

"What? You're not going to listen in so you can reassure me after?" Riku looked disappointed.

"I'm helping my mom today so you're on your own." He tried not to smile but was not very successful.

"Bastard;" Riku stood, taking Sora's smoothie with him. "Fine; this is mine now. Oh, is Leon still volunteering to help your mom?"

"Yeah; Mom can't wait to meet him." Sora rolled his eyes. "Have fun talking with Sephy."

"You know, I really hate you right now."

"Really...?" Sora teased as he got up. "I dislike you most of the time."

Riku slugged him in the shoulder. "Dinner still on?"

"Yep, at six; Mom will kill you if you're late."

"I won't be. Conversations with my brother never last that long." Sora waved as he left and Riku let his shoulders slump. He turned and headed in the other direction. He would wait until he was safe within his house to call Sephiroth.

It was bad enough that at least a dozen of the Islanders had just heard him arguing with Cloud.

-0—0—

When Riku entered the kitchen, he immediately fell into a chair. "Does everyone go through this insanity?"

"From what I hear, yes." Seiya laughed, handing him a beer. She didn't normally give alcohol to the teenagers that frequented her house but made exceptions on occasions. "Here. Dinner's almost ready."

"I am so looking forward to it." He popped the top and took a long drink. "I swear I'm gonna be an alcoholic by the time this is finished."

Sora walked in and peered over his mom's shoulder. "Is it done yet?"

"Back, Sora." Seiya batted him away. "It's done when it's done now go sit with Riku and make him feel better like a good best friend."

"How'd things go with Sephiroth?" Sora slid into the chair beside Riku. "He didn't try arguing with you too did he?"

"No which is the really annoying part. Seph has been perfectly cooperative about everything. Cloud's just being stubborn."

"Well he is with you."

Riku cuffed him. "Not funny."

Sora grinned but spoke seriously. "It will all work out. You know Cloud better than any of us. Even Leon says Cloud doesn't really mean most of what he's saying."

"I know," Riku ran a hand through his lengthy hair. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Well, on to a brighter subject then." Seiya came to the table, electric wok in hand. She set it down before them and grinned brightly. "What are we doing for your birthday?"

Riku laughed once. "You know, I haven't even thought about that."

"You better start then." The woman settled herself in the chair beside Sora. "Turning eighteen is a major thing."

"Yeah," Sora scooped out a large spoonful of stir-fry. "Cloud no longer has to worry about getting arrested if he comes to visit."

Riku shot him a dirty look and Seiya whapped him in the back of the head. Large blue eyes looked between them as Sora gave them a questioning expression. He shook his head and muttered. "You guys have no sense of humor."

Seiya turned back to Riku, watching her surrogate son take a much smaller portion of food. "You are going to eat more than that."

Riku rolled his eyes. "This is plenty, Seiya. I haven't been hungry but I've been making sure to eat a little throughout the day."

She narrowed her eyes at Riku but nodded and quickly grinned again. She really was almost as bad as her son was. "So, what do you want to do for your birthday?"

"I honestly have no idea." The teen took a bite of food. "I guess I can just get the gang together and we can have a bonfire at the beach or something."

"That sounds fun." Seiya picked at her own food. "Will you invite anyone from Radiant Garden?"

Riku frowned a bit. "I doubt they can take the time. They've already set aside so much for the wedding, I don't want them to fall behind any further."

Sora glanced at his mother and a corner of his lip curled up. Seiya lifted an eyebrow at the brunet and continued talking about what food she should make for the get together. Riku did not notice the exchange and this discussion took up the rest of dinner.

-0—0—

Riku was laughing along with Seiya as Sora tried to explain, yet again, why he could no longer eat shellfish. While they both completely understood his reasoning, if they had befriended a talking crab they would have issue also, it was still fun to pick on him for it. All Seiya could say was it was a good thing Sora never went to a world with walking, talking vegetables.

The silvered teen's phone rang and he stopped chuckling. An odd mix of joy and annoyance crossed his face and the other two would have known who was calling even if they did not recognize the personalized ring tone.

Seiya sent him an encouraging smile as he stood, pulling the phone from his back pocket. He answered as he walked outside to stand on the back steps. "Hey."

"Hey," Cloud replied, his voice soft. There was a pause. "I'm sorry about earlier."

"Uh-huh," Riku sat on the top step and looked up at the stars.

"You're still mad."

He sighed. "I'm not mad, just…"

"I know. I'm trying, Riku. I really am."

Riku smiled tightly. "…And that's the problem. You can't force something like this, and I have no right to try to make you."

"You aren't making me do anything. I want this to work. I want you to be happy."

Pulling his gaze from the sky, Riku cradled the phone against his shoulder and began twisting the ring on his finger. "I am happy, Cloud. I never imagined I could be this happy."

"But it's not perfect."

Riku laughed lightly. "It never will be."

On the other end, Cloud sighed. "I wish it could be."

"We all do, love, but if everything was, then we'd have nothing to aim for in life."

"Hmm…"

"Where are you right now?" The silvered teen asked softly.

"Our spot;" Riku could hear the man's smile; "You?"

"Sora's back porch," Riku replied. "Seiya's bugging me about my birthday."

"I wish I could be there for that."

"It's alright. I really haven't thought too much about it." Riku grinned. "A birthday seems rather insignificant to a wedding."

Cloud made an amused noise. "You are really looking forward to this."

The younger one blew out a breath. "Seiya's a bad influence."

"Right," was the dry response. Cloud chuckled again. "You are going to do something with your friends for your birthday, right?"

"Yeah, we'll probably hit the beach for a bonfire or something."

"That sounds good." Cloud noted. "I should let you go. It's got to be getting late there."

"Not really."

"Uh-huh."

"I miss you." Riku tried not to sound too pathetic. He truly hated all the time he had to spend away from the love of his life. It had gotten so hard to be alone; he had taken to either staying at Sora's or having Sora stay with him.

Cloud's voice was soft. "I do, too. We've only got another month."

"I can't wait."

"Neither can I. I love you."

"Always," Riku returned, smiling. "Make sure you get some sleep."

"That goes for you, too."

"Night."

"Night."

The call disconnected and Riku pulled the phone from his ear to stare at it a moment. He sighed as he folded it, standing up. He pocketed the device and headed back inside.

Sora had been standing in the kitchen doorway and quickly darted out at Riku's appearance. The older teen frowned and glanced at Seiya, who was washing the dishes from dinner. The woman shrugged and gave him a look that clearly read its Sora.

Shrugging to himself, he walked over to stand beside Seiya. Even though she was nearly finished, he quietly asked. "Can I help?"

"No, sweetie;" She smiled, placing a plate in the drying rack. "How was your talk with Cloud? It didn't last very long."

Riku leaned against the counter. "He apologized for earlier."

"Well, of course he did. He loves you."

"I know." He grinned a bit. "He's trying so hard to make me happy and he keeps forgetting that I already am."

Setting the last plate in the rack, Seiya turned toward him. She gave him a serious look. "They'll work it out, Riku."

Riku understood who and what she was talking about; "I know they will."

Sora bounded back into the kitchen. "So what's for dessert?"

Riku snorted. "Don't you have school tomorrow?"

"So?"

"It's almost eleven." Seiya moved toward the pantry. "Have you finished your physic's project?"

Blue eyes widened before Sora smacked his forehead; "Crud! Riku, you have to help me!"

Folding his arms, Riku looked at him from beneath a veil of silver bangs. "Did you even start it?"

"Heh, of course I did!" Sora gave Riku a meaningful look, glancing at his mother. "I just need to finish it up."

Seiya sighed, opening the pantry door. "What are you going to do when Riku isn't here to bail you out next year?"

Pain flitted across Sora's features for a moment. "I don't totally depend on Riku."

Riku felt a twisting in his stomach. He had clearly seen the change in his best friend's expression and his words had held a faint tremor to them. He frowned a touch as concern slowly began to work its way into his mind.

"Of course you don't;" Seiya laughed. She removed a box of toasted rice from the cupboard. "Well, go do your project and maybe I'll bring you both something as a snack."

Sora's eyes lit up. "Like maybe rice squares?"

"You won't know until you get some work done."

"Come on, Ku." The boy darted over and took Riku's hand, pulling him out of the kitchen.

Riku quietly followed Sora. The younger teen paused long enough to find his backpack, which he had thrown into the front room after school, and once it was located, they headed up the narrow staircase to Sora's room. Riku watched Sora carefully as they entered the bedroom.

Inside, Sora tossed his bag on his bed and followed it with himself. He groaned as he fell back on the mattress. "Ugh! I hate physics! What do I even need it for?"

Riku shut the door and sat on the floor. "The principles of physics apply to almost everything you do, Sora. They're also really useful in fighting."

Sora lifted his head. "They are?"

"Yeah, cause and effect and trajectories, they all apply."

The younger teen sat up fully. "Huh, that makes sense. I should totally do my project on that!"

Riku grinned but it was troubled. "That should be easy for you to piece together. Just use your real experiences and apply the different theories to it."

"Yeah!" Sora excitedly dug through his bag and pulled out a thick book and binder. "That should be easy. I just have to remember what each of the theories are and…"

Riku tuned him out reaching with both hands to grip his own calves lightly. Sora's brief expression downstairs would not leave his thoughts. He had known that his entire life was about to change but it was not until that moment it had truly hit him.

"Hey, Sora...?"

The brunet stopped flipping pages and looked down at his best friend. As soon as he saw Riku's light frown, he knew this was going to get serious, "Yeah?"

Riku tilted his head, keeping it angled down. "What are you going to do once I'm gone?"

Sora stared at him a moment. He did not have an answer for that question. Honestly, he had been purposely avoiding the question. Leave it to Riku to force him to think about it.

The brunet shrugged a little. "I haven't really thought about it."

The pair fell silent for a brief span of time.

Sora bit his lip and picked at a thread on his bedspread. "It's gonna be weird not having you here."

"I hate the Islands." Riku stated softly. "For years now, I've simply been waiting to be able to leave and never have to come back. I won't miss this place but… I'm really going to miss here; this house, you and your mom, even the others."

Sora did not want to have this conversation. He laughed uneasily and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, well, you're getting Cloud twenty-four seven plus your brother and all the others instead. You'll be happier there; actually, you already are."

"Yeah, I am. I just didn't realize everything I was giving up in exchange." He suddenly shook out silver hair and forced a smile. He nudged his head toward Sora's books. "If we don't get started, we'll be up all night doing this."

"Right;" Sora returned to his text, turning a few paged before stopping. He flicked his blue eyes at his best friend. "I'm really happy for you, Riku."

"I don't doubt that." The older one replied. "I just… I need to be sure you're all right. I don't want you to think I'm abandoning you."

Sora frowned deeply. "I never thought that, Riku."

This statement seemed to be enough because Riku managed to look at Sora fully, and the faint smile he gave was genuine. Sora smiled back and reluctantly returned to his physics book. This was now officially the last thing he wanted to be doing after that conversation.

It did not take long for Sora to confuse himself completely and Riku had to join him on the bed to explain everything. An hour later, Seiya poked her head in, sighing heavily and placing a place of rice squares on the dresser. She simply told them to try and not be at it all night and left.

The sun was just beginning to rise when they finished.

There was no point trying to sleep by then because Sora would just have to be up again in an hour for school so he gathered some clothes and decided on a long shower to try to revive his body. Riku collected Sora's things and repacked his bag.

Once finished, he stood and stretched. Glancing around the room, he again felt that twisting in his chest. Leaving was going to be a lot harder than he thought.

With a sigh, he picked up Sora's backpack and brought it downstairs with him. He needed some coffee and he might as well make breakfast since he was up. After dropping the bag by the door, he pulled his phone from his pocket and flipped it open.

Cloud's lightly smiling face looked back at him and he grinned. He re-shut the phone and entered the kitchen. Despite how difficult leaving would be, it was completely worth it.