Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

Author's note: This story was written for the new official Cloku Day, which Jediempress and I decided needed to be invented after AkuRoku Day and all of those similar pairing days. We used Page of Cup's timeline from the story 100 Steps to Somewhere (with permission) to determine the date. Obviously, this does not take place in my standard universe.

This story is also not one of my better works. Sorry about that, but there are a few reasons why I generally do not write this pairing. I hope that some of you will enjoy it anyway. Thank you for reading.

Cloud stood in the Great Maw, staring at the distant ruins of Hollow Bastion Castle.

It had been a month since the worlds had been returned to their rightful states, which is what informed the residents of Hallow Bastion that the Keybearers had succeeded in closing the door to darkness and defeating Ansem. Presumably, the Keyblade wielders had returned home afterwards, just as Cloud had. Only, they could not be certain because no one had actually met any Keybearers beyond a king from another world, who had informed Leon of the Keyblade, it's wielder, and their importance.

Cloud sighed and continued towards the castle ruins. He had yet to tell any of his friends that he had met and even known a Keybearer, let alone the relationship he had with the fifteen year old.

Leon and the others could recall hearing about a boy named Riku being possessed by Ansem, or rather, whatever remained of their old ruler. While it was odd that they could not recall most of the details about how and when they gained the information, they did recall that they had spoken to one of the Maidens of Purest Heart. The girl also reported that enough of Riku's heart had survived to hold Ansem back in order to give her the time she needed to escape the castle.

Cloud knew of the girl they were speaking of; her name was Kairi, and Riku had mentioned her as well. She was one of the friends Riku had been trying to save. Although he had a feeling the other had been just as, if not more, important to the boy, Cloud could not seem to recall much about the second friend Riku had mentioned.

Dismissing the feeling that he was missing something important in those thoughts, the blonde man returned to his initial concern. If Ansem had possessed Riku and had then been defeated, what happened to Riku afterwards?

The former SOLDIER could only think of three scenarios that might have followed such an event. Either Riku returned to his natural state as the worlds were and returned home with his friends; Riku was trapped in the dark realm, alone, to fight an infinite number of heartless; or Riku had simply been destroyed along with Ansem. While all three left Cloud missing the teen terribly, he could not stand the idea of the boy trapped in the darkness and he did not want to consider the possibility that he was dead. Cloud desperately hoped that the first option was true. Even if they could not be together, at least Riku would be all right.

After all, Kairi had vanished around the time the worlds were restored and Cloud had found himself in Hallow Bastion once again…perhaps everyone simply returned to their home world when the worlds returned to their natural state.

Cloud frowned as he reached the castle ruins. He had never been an optimist. As much as he would like to believe that Riku was home, safe and sound, it just did not feel like the truth.

Azure eyes looked down at the falls, to the last place that he had seen the boy. That had been just before he was going to leave to enter the tournament at the Coliseum on his own, in order to face Sephiroth, and Riku had been concerned. Riku had told Cloud that he loved him for the first time in the mist of a worried rant, and in his desire to assure the boy, Cloud had instigated much more than he had intended to. They had made love for the first, and what was most likely going to be the only, time and it was not until after Cloud had left the boy and was already halfway to the Olympus Coliseum that he realised he had never said he loved Riku.

He regretted that more than anything else now.

"You know…a ledge overlooking a waterfall really isn't the best place to space out like that," commented a young and slightly sarcastic but also tentative voice behind the ex-SOLDIER. "And here I thought you said I didn't have to worry about you…"

Once he recovered from the shock of hearing that voice, Cloud spun around so quickly that he nearly did stumble over the ledge. He balanced himself swiftly and stared at the boy who was standing several feet away. "…Riku?"

At first glance, one would claim that the silver-haired teenager looked exactly the same, save for the odd black coat that he was wearing. However, Cloud noticed right away that the boy looked slightly gaunt and wan, and there were dark marks around his eyes that suggested he had not slept for most of the time they had been separated. There was also a haunted look to his eyes that the man suspected would not be leaving them. "What happened to you…?"

"I-" The turquoise-eyed boy looked uncertain as to what to say. Finally, he bit his lip and looked down at the ground.

Cloud crossed the distance between them as fast as he could and pulled the silvered teen close. He could feel the boy's taunt muscles under the coat, tensed in a way that suggested they had been like that for some time.

Riku began to relax as his arms snaked around the blonde man's waist.

The silver-haired teenager pressed his face into Cloud chest and took a deep breath. "I missed you."

Cloud tightened his grip around the adolescent's waist and stroked the boy's back with his other hand as he tilted his face down to kiss the crown of the boy's head. "I missed you too."

The spiky-haired man loosened his grip slightly and drew his other hand around to lift the boy's chin. Then he stared into the newly haunted eyes for a moment, wondering what had happened to his young lover, before capturing his lips in a fierce kiss.

Riku froze for a moment as his mind seemed to catch up, then he returned the kiss with equal passion.

Several moments later, after they had both calmed, Cloud raised the boy's face and repeated his earlier question. "Riku, what happened? I heard you were…possessed by Ansem."

The silvered teen turned his face away so quickly that Cloud actually checked to make sure he had not just seen something that needed immediate attention. The azure-eyed man spoke again once he was sure his previous statement was what had affected the teen. "Riku, don't… There isn't much you can do about that sort of thing…trust me, I know. You handled it as well as anyone probably could have. You even saved your friends in the end, right?"

Riku looked up at him again; confusion and shame were prominent in his eyes. "How do you know about any of this?"

Cloud tucked a stray strand of the teen's hair behind his ear as he answered. "Some of my friends met Kairi…she told them about it just before everything turned right again."

Hope and worry appeared in the boy's eyes as well. "Where is she?"

"She went home, as far as any of us know." The spiky-haired man placed a hand on the teen's arm. "Why won't you tell me what happened? At least tell me where you've been since everything returned to the way it was. Is Ansem dead?"

The turquoise-eyed boy raised a hand to his chest as he began to turn away. Cloud tightened his grip on the teen's arm to stop him. He waited in growing concern until the boy finally spoke.

"I'm sorry, I-" Riku blinked and swallowed before continuing levelly. That unnerved Cloud more than the earlier reluctance to speak. "My other friend, that king your friend met, and I closed the door to Kingdom Hearts. Mickey, that's the king, and I were locked on the other side…in the darkness."

The blonde man felt as though he had been punched in the stomach. "You've been in the darkness all this time?"

"I got out a few days ago…I'm not sure how." The next words came out guiltily. "My best friend didn't get to go home either though."

Azure eyes blinked. Cloud really hoped the boy was just beating himself up too much. "He didn't…?"

"He became a Heartless," Riku hurried to continue over Cloud's gasp. "He isn't one anymore, but he can't remember anything right now. There's someone who can help him. I need to help him too."

"I understand," The azure-eyed man nodded sadly. "I haven't finished what I need to do either. Do whatever you have to, just…be careful."

"Cloud," The silver-haired teen looked away once more. "I'm not going to be anyone's puppet. I'm making my own choices this time, and I know what I'll have to do, but…"

"But…you're scared," the spiky-haired man finished as he stroked the teen's arm. "If Ansem and Maleficent are gone-"

"They aren't," The teen interrupted. He looked down as he continued, "Maleficent might be, but Ansem…"

Cloud tried to catch the boy's eyes again, without success, "What? Riku…?"

"He still exists in my heart…I can feel him there." The turquoise-eyed boy raised a hand to his chest again.

The ex-SOLDIER tightened his grip again and Riku slowly met his eyes. That haunted look had increased. "You're still holding him back…" He moved one of his hands over the teen's. "When are you leaving?"

"Sooner than I'd like to," Riku was actually staring at Cloud now, and the blonde man did not know what to make of it. "I probably should have gone straight to DiZ, but I wanted to be with you."

"Is DiZ the guy that's helping your friend?" questioned Cloud. "Are you sure you can trust him?"

"That's him," the teen answered with a small nod, "And I don't trust him. I know he wants to help my friend, but I don't know his reasons yet, and I know I'm expendable to him. Once Sora's okay, I'm out of there."

The blonde man sighed…sometimes Riku reminded him of Zack a little too much. He hoped the boy would not meet the same end for his best friend as Cloud's had for him. "Just remember that you're more than a tool to be used by those who think they're better than you."

The turquoise-eyed boy nodded again, still staring at Cloud. "Are you going after Sephiroth again?"

"I'm looking for him, but I don't have to leave this time," The azure-eyed man glanced further into the Dark Depths. "He's come home too."

"Be careful," the adolescent replied softly.

The ex-SOLDIER looked back to find that the boy was still staring at him, as though memorising every aspect of his face. "Why are you staring at me?"

Riku wore a small, sad smile. "I want you to be the last thing I see…"

The spiky-haired man grabbed the boy's arms again, vaguely noting that he was going to be leaving bruises at this point, as his expression returned to the fear and concern he felt before the teen had returned. "What…what do you mean 'the last'…?"

The silver-haired teen held up a strip of thick black cloth. "Why do you always need to see my eyes?"

The blonde man started to answer without truly thinking. "So I can know…oh." Cloud took the strip of cloth and realised it was a blindfold. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to have to use the darkness again." While the boy did look worried, that statement was not accompanied by the fear that Cloud had expected. "I'm going to wear it this time though…and the light too. I can wield both and not succumb to either. I know that now."

"You're still afraid of it," interrupted the blonde man, "But not like you were. I hope you know what you're doing."

"So do I."

Cloud pulled Riku into a tight embrace, which quickly turned into another passionate kiss. Riku returned to staring into the blonde man's eyes when they parted enough to allow it, but this time, Cloud stared back.

"I should get going," Riku commented after a moment. He placed a hand over Cloud's so that he was holding the blindfold as well. "Will you put it on me?"

With an uncomfortable feeling of foreboding, the ex-SOLDIER tied the black cloth over his young lover's eyes. He then pulled some of the teen's hair out from between the cloth and his face in an attempt to make it more comfortable. Cloud had a feeling he was only making himself feel better.

As soon as the azure-eyed man was finished, Riku surprised him by stretching up for another kiss. This one was fast, but just as passionate as the previous one.

"I'll find you after I finish what I need to do here," promised the blonde man.

The silvered teen shook his head sadly, "…Not if I do this right. I'm sorry."

Cloud did not know how to respond to that. He nodded before realising the boy could not see him. Riku spoke again before he could verbalise the reply.

"I have to go," He backed away slightly, looking as though he would like nothing more than to stay. Cloud knew the feeling all too well. "I love you Cloud. I hope I do see you again."

The silvered teen held out an arm and a strange tunnel of darkness opened. The spiky-haired man suddenly understood exactly how Riku had felt the last time they had said goodbye.

"Riku," The boy turned as though he could actually see Cloud. "I love you."

Even blindfolded, the teenager's shock was clear before a pleased smile graced his features.

For the first time that he could remember since the battle against his former General had begun, Cloud began to consider what he wanted once it was over. Looking back at the castle ruins, he decided that seeing the teen smile that way and not having to say goodbye again were at the top of the list.