Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters, nor do I make any money off this story.

AN: So here is the final chapter! Gotta warn you though, it's so fluffy and sappy I almost can't believe I wrote it (I'm more an angst fan now). Thank you to everyone who reviewed, alerted and favorited my story, your comments meant the world to me.

Epilogue

~4 Years Later~

Sora unlocked the front door of his and Riku's house. The couple had moved in not quite six months ago, upgrading to a larger space with an extra bedroom and bigger kitchen. It wasn't a very big or flashy house, but Sora was proud of it. With him working as a veterinary assistant at the town's largest animal clinic while going to college during the evenings to complete his Bachelor's Degree and Riku having taken a job as a bartender at a local night club while going to school during the day, they could afford the higher mortgage payments every month.

Dropping his keys in the glass dish on the table beside the door, Sora set his bookbag down and toed his sneakers off after shutting the door. As soon as it clicked closed their dog Simba, a Golden Retriever/yellow Lab mix, came bounding from the kitchen straight for him. They'd gotten him as a puppy when he was brought in to the clinic as a stray; Sora had instantly fallen in love with the fuzzy puppy and taken him home. Riku wasn't so sure about having a pet at first, but Sora pulled his own 'puppy eyes' on him and he'd relented. Sora had been the one to name the dog; he'd always loved the movie 'The Lion King', and as Simba's fur was almost the same light gold color as the lion Simba's in the movie, Sora had suggested it. Riku had merely snorted in amusement and agreed on the name.

"Hey buddy! Glad to see you too," Sora laughed as the one year old dog jumped up on him, his fluffy tail wagging enthusiastically while his long tongue lolled out the side of his mouth.

"Riku?" he called, only to be answered with silence. Huh, must still be at work. Shrugging to himself, Sora wandered to the phone to check the answering machine for messages. That didn't take long, there were only three messages on it. He skipped the first one; only an annoying call from a telemarketer. The next was from his dad, reminding him of the dinner he and Riku were to attend Friday evening.

The last message was from Riku. "Sorry babe, gotta work late tonight. I'll be home around eleven or so. Love ya, bye." Sora smiled as he listened; he could hear the loud music from the club in the background and voices blending together. The place sounded like it was bouncing, Riku probably having to stay late due to the large crowd.

Heading into the kitchen, Sora took out a bowl of leftover chili and heated it in the microwave. Simba was following close behind, his cold nose nuzzling into Sora's knee. Seeing the food dish was empty, he went to refill it with kibble. While Simba was chomping away at his food, Sora sat at the small center island and waited for his own food to heat up.

He wondered what was so important that his dad needed to remind him about Friday. It had to be big news or else he wouldn't call three days in a row to tell him over and over again to show up. The ding of the microwave jolted him from his thoughts, and getting up he walked to the counter and pulled his dinner out of the appliance. It was only a little past seven p.m., he had not quite four hours until Riku came home.

After finishing eating, he rinsed the bowl out and set it in the dishwasher, then went into the living room. Curling up on the couch, he turned the television on and began flipping through channels, Simba joining him. He found a station and left it there, the volume on low as he wasn't really paying attention. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, his eyes slowly slipping closed (he'd been up since 5:45 that morning as he had to be at work by 6:30), and the next thing he knew he was jerking up as the front door closed softly. Glancing at the clock, he noticed it was about a quarter to midnight.

Riku nudged his shoes off by the door, taking his jacket off and hanging it in the hall closet. He walked over to Sora; he could tell the brunet had just woken up. Riku loved the sleepy, doe-eyed look on Sora's face, his hair mussed from laying his head on the arm of the couch. Leaning down, he gave the smaller man a light kiss and sat beside him on the sofa.

"Sorry for being so late. One of the new guys didn't show up, so I had to stay to cover part of his shift until Wakka could come in; Lulu's gonna be pissed that he had to come in on his night off." Wakka and Lulu had moved in a year ago; Riku had no idea how the two of them, who were complete opposites, managed to stay together so long, especially with Lulu's temper.

Sora nodded tiredly. "S'ok. Have you eaten?" He cuddled up to Riku, the pale-haired man's body heat drawing him closer. It was a bit chilly in the room, the air conditioning vent right above and blowing cold air directly on him.

"I ate earlier. Come on, let's get to bed." Standing, Riku steered Sora towards their bedroom. The short walk down the hallway past the kitchen proved almost too far for Sora as he stumbled a bit, half-asleep as he trailed behind Riku.

Sitting Sora down on the bed, Riku slipped Sora's pants and shirt off before removing his own. Pulling the covers back, he drew Sora with him and both climbed under the comforter. Sora snuggled onto Riku's chest, his favorite position for sleeping.

Just before falling asleep, Sora mumbled, "My dad called again to remind us to show up for dinner Friday. He's getting antsy about it, must be something big." Yawning, Sora settled his head down on Riku's shoulder, missing the sly smirk on Riku's face in the semi-darkness.

x

Pulling up in front of his father's large house, Sora wondered for the umpteenth time what his father was so anxious about for their visit. Riku had been acting weird the last few days as well, seeming to be jumpy and nervous about something. He vowed to find out what was going on with his boyfriend before the weekend was over.

Noticing the other cars in the driveway, Sora glanced over at Riku. "Isn't that your dad's car? And that's Axel's bike; Roxas is here too. I wonder what they're all doing here," he mused. Riku didn't answer, just smiled at Sora before opening his car door and stepping out. Sora followed suit, both men walking up to the front door.

Stepping into the foyer, they saw their collective families gathered in the living room. Cloud was standing beside Sephiroth; the two had married a few years ago, and Cloud had proudly taken Sephiroth's last name as his own, so he was now Cloud Strife-Reardon. The kids had been thrilled, Fuu seemingly the most. She'd actually squealed when told the news, and had gotten so excited when told she could be a bridesmaid.

To Riku's surprise his younger brother Zexion had taken that opportunity to introduce his best friend Marluxia as his boyfriend. The small pink-haired boy had been his date to the wedding, and the two were rarely inseparable these days. Fuu had brought her own boyfriend, a tough-looking blond named Seifer. His green eyes were almost cold to everyone he looked at except when they gazed at Fuu. Yeah, Riku and Zex needed to have a 'chat' with him to set some ground rules for him concerning their baby sister…

Unknowing of his boyfriend's thoughts, Sora caught sight of his cousins and aunt and uncle, along with Roxas' live-in boyfriend. As usual Axel was hard-pressed to keep his hands off Roxas; the blond was constantly slapping his wandering hands away. Axel just grinned and continued his light fondling. Roxas hissed and stomped off to the other end of the couch where they were sitting, drawing his parents' attention to him. Sora giggled at them, earning a glare from his cousin.

"Sora, sweetheart, come help me and Fuu in the kitchen for a moment will you?" his aunt Quistis asked from the kitchen doorway. He left Riku with his family to join his aunt, leaving the other men alone in the room. Once Sora was out of earshot, the males gathered around Riku to take a peek at the small box he pulled out of his pants' pocket.

Opening the small box, Riku revealed a gold band with a thin row of round blue tourmaline(1) set in the middle. The color of the stones matched Sora's eyes perfectly. When Riku had first seen the ring, he'd automatically thought of Sora's eyes. He'd wanted diamonds originally, but when he saw this particular ring he just knew it was the right one.

"Nice ring, Riku. So you gonna pop the question before or after dinner?" Axel quipped.

"Shut up! Quit being a jerk." Roxas hit the redhead upside the head. Axel pouted cutely, holding his head in mock-pain. Roxas ignored him and gathered around Riku with his father and uncle. Zack was laughing at Axel's expression from his place beside his father. Zexion just gave the redhead a blank stare before glancing down at the ring his brother had bought.

Max and Angeal looked the ring over with critical eyes. Angeal smiled at a very nervous Riku, and Max finally nodded in approval. Riku seemed to exhale loudly in relief, shutting the box and tucking it back into his pocket.

What Sora didn't know was that Max had arranged a dinner, per Riku's request, for Riku to propose to his boyfriend. They'd been together for over five years now, living together for four, and Riku wanted to take the next step. And since gay marriage was now legal in California he could marry the brunet.

Riku had another surprise for him. He'd gotten a job at the same law firm Max worked at. The older man had put in a good word for him, and he'd gotten hired on as a paralegal. The job experience would look good on a resume, and it would help when he got into law school next year. That meant he could quit bartending, which also meant no more late nights and being away from Sora. He was excited about it, and couldn't wait to tell Sora the news.

Quistis called them into the dining room, announcing dinner was ready. Riku felt his nerves jump in anticipation as he walked into the elegant dining room and took a seat beside Sora. Sora gave him a questioning look, but Riku simply smiled and took his hand under the table.

The conversation was light as the meal progressed. Riku was so edgy throughout it that he didn't eat much, and Sora wondered if something was wrong. He got worried when the bantering around him stopped as Riku pushed his chair back and kneeled down beside him. Sora was uncomprehending at first, but when he saw the wide grins on the faces around him and watched Riku remove a jeweler's box from his pocket a look of surprise flitted across his features. His breath caught in his throat as Riku took his hand again and began speaking softly.

"Sora, we've been together for so long, and I love you more than I thought possible. Would you do me the honor of marrying me?"

Tears welled up in Sora's eyes before he launched himself at Riku, wrapping his arms around the other man's neck with a huge grin.

"I take it that's a yes?" Riku queried teasingly. Sora chuckled and drew back, getting his first good look at the ring as Riku took it out of its box and slid it on his finger. He admired how the stones sparkled in the light, turning his hand this way and that to get better angles of it. A bright flash startled him, and he glanced up to see his aunt with her camera. Sora smiled widely at the camera, holding his hand up so she could get a good picture of the ring. Riku pulled his chair close to the brunet's so they were side-by-side, his arms around Sora's waist, holding him tightly.

As the excited chatter sounded around them, Sora leaned back into Riku's embrace.

"You know Kairi's wanting a double wedding with us. She went crazy when I told her about proposing to you." She and Tidus were also engaged; their wedding was only two months away.

"Kairi knows already?" Sora sulked a little. He hated being the last to know something, no matter what it was.

"Who do you think was with me when I chose the ring?" Kairi had refused to let him go alone, worried that the silver-haired man would pick some plain little band or something gaudy. But she loved the ring he'd chosen. She'd wanted to be there when Riku proposed but she had to work; she was a tech at the nearby hospital. She was also going to nursing school, working to become an RN.

Sora smiled, his slight irritation gone as he again gazed down at his ring. With his family surrounding him and the love of his life holding him, he felt full of contentment and happiness. He turned his head and kissed Riku lovingly, his heart close to bursting with love for the man he'd soon call his husband. With a grin he pulled back and relaxed against Riku; he didn't think life could get any better.

~End~

1 – I changed the stones from zircons to tourmaline; a reviewer pointed out that Sora's eyes were more sapphire in color and thinking back on it I realized the reviewer was right. So deciding on stones I wanted to use I picked tourmaline; sapphires are used commonly in a lot of stories I read for both KH and Naruto in engagement rings, and blue tourmaline is similar in color to a sapphire (the dark blue tourmaline, not Paraiba as that is an aqua color) yet I've never seen it used for a story, so I thought it fit nicely.