Chapter 9.5 Keep Me Satisfied

Riku didn't even ask for it. He didn't imply his desires using his eyes. Kairi just did it on her own just like the first time. She wound her arms tenderly around his neck, her fingers ascending into his silky hair. She parted her lips as she moved her face closer to his, fluttered her eyes to a close, felt their noses touching, followed by their lips.

One of Kairi's hands tightened against Riku's metallic locks while the other stroked the nape of his delicately warm neck. Riku melted into Kairi's touches and firmly squeezed against the hourglass dips in her waist, causing her to lightly gasp, but smile beneath her lips.

Two can play at that game. . .

Kairi pushed her tongue hard against his teeth, easily parting them to gain access to his savory tongue. She swirled her tongue around the tip of his, earning a relaxed groan from beneath his throat. Riku took some steps back, the backs of his knees ramming into the stony, cold metal on the mattress. Gripping his shoulders with much exaggerated force, Kairi managed to push him down onto the bed.

Kairi felt in control now that she was atop Riku. Getting a last lick of Riku's heated tongue, she broke the kiss only to lower it to his neck. With expanding eyes and an abrupt gasp to how longingly she sucked onto a single part of his neck, Riku plucked Kairi off by tugging an end of her hair, albeit hard. The girl responded with a loud shriek.

"Ow! Did you have to-" She began before looking at his questionable face and gasped, flushing instantly, "R-Riku! I-I'm. . ." She rolled off of him only to crash onto the floor; after shortly groaning, she rose to her feet and continued, "I didn't mean to do that. . ."

Also a bit red-faced, Riku rose up on his bed, clearing his throat uneasily. "W-Well, I'm sure you, um, had your reasons to. . ." What a stupid thing to say. What "reasons" could there be for that unexpectation?

"No, I just. . .I thought-"

"Thought what?" he asked in a thorny tone.

Kairi bit her lip. "I thought that. . ." What? "You're a better kisser than Sora!" she shouted out of the blue and flew out the room, slamming the door.

Watching her leave in silence, Riku finally exhaled a short, breathy sigh and placed a hand on his forehead, combing it through his sweaty hair. His ill heart fluttered rapidly, but it ached to. That was a first experience with a kiss below the lips, in which Riku figured Sora was a master of. Riku sighed a light, "Why?" and flopped back onto his bed, closing his eyes, imagining what he could've said if he stopped her from leaving.

What urged Kairi to be overthrown by ecstasy?

Kairi barged open the front door, allowing the sudden rush of wind and snow to cool her in and out. A hand lowered to her heart as it felt like bursting inside her chest.

'I'm such an idiot!' she screamed to herself and shook her head. 'Riku probably thinks I'm a-"

She turned to her right to notice her brunette ex lingering against the side wall, his hood draped over his spiky hair, his head looking up into the snowfall that littered over his coat. Why wasn't she smiling at the sight of him like she used to?

"Sora-" She spoke wanting to shout over, but spoke little in regret, then closed her mouth. He appeared as if he didn't want to be bothered, and she didn't have any business with him anymore anyway. . .

Ignoring her urgent thoughts to ask him for company or even a ride home, she entered the parked cab without a second glance. . .

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Hello?"

"Sora? Hey, It's me."

"Kairi? Hey. You're still up?"

Rolling over onto her stomach atop her cushiony mattress, she nodded. "Yep. I can't sleep."

Stifling a yawn, however, mentally spotted her lie. Hoping to wake up fully, Kairi took a large sip of her brewed raspberry-lemon tea and listened to Sora's question: "So, you gonna fill me in on what happened?"

"Where to begin. . .?" she mumbled stallingly, for she knew where. "I just kept at it with convincing Riku that he needs our help to survive this."

Sora's expected response was as simple as an 'm-hm,' but instead, he asked, "Have you tried kissing some sense into him?"

Kairi nearly either spewed or choked on her almost-swallowed tea. Gulping loudly, she spat, "Excuse me?"

"C'mon, Kairi. You're not the only one informed on his condition. Did'ya forget he's also my best friend?"

"Despite the fight?" Kairi challenged, not meaning to sound recoiling or offensive, but triggered Sora's silence. "Sora? I'm sorry. Th-That fight was rough, huh?"

"No," said Sora. "It was hell."

"Oh-" Kairi could barely reply in half-hearted astonishment as Sora continued:

"I've never been. . .so scared of my best friend before. Ansem had him then, Kairi. He had Riku in his clutches and even I couldn't break them." His sigh was jittery, as if he struggled against tears. "I mean, God, my teeth felt so out of place when he socked my in my mouth. I was spitting and rinsing blood for at least a half hour straight. And my nose, heh, it's got a pretty little cast on it. But, you know, these pains will subside. Riku's isn't. He's got pains in his heart, Kairi, and they aren't from Ansem, or the fight. You get it?"

Kairi pretended like she did so it would disallow Sora to rant on. "Yes, I do."

Sora sighed, and Kairi winced as if he'd caught her manipulation. "He loves you, Kairi. Don't doubt that. He'll wait on the edges of the earth until you see it. And don't get me wrong, Kai, you'll see it, too. It's just. . .you. . ." Another sigh. "Well, you know what I mean, right? Yeah. So. . .I'm 'bout to head for bed, my phone's dying."

"Okay. Goodnight, Sora."

"'Night, Kai."

With eyes scrunched tightly, she said as boldly as she could, "I love you."

Pause. Pause. Pause.

"S-Sora?"

"I-I love you, too, Kai."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Kairi woke up after the sun was able to, finding her sleep had vanished. Rubbing her eyes, she turned over to her side to gaze at her analog clock that read 8:26 in neon green. How ironic it was her not be be ready for school when it starts in a mere thirty-four minutes. . .

Instead of readying her backpack of books and papers, she readied her makeup bag with eyeliner and lip gloss before dressing and showering and heading out the door.

Early-bird employees had arrived and were on the job as Kairi drove herself to the hospital doors. Locking the doors of her red vehicle, she entered slowly as there was still ice on the sidewalk, recalling that her head was still sore from yesterday's fall.

'Riku's probably awake this early,' she inferred, trotting down the hall to his room.

She opened the door and entered, first laying eyes on his bed, which was empty of Riku but full of his pulled over and wrinkled sheets. Her ears caught the faint sound of piping hot water running and she concluded that Riku must've been in the shower. After only a brief listen, however the water was shut off. Pausing for a bit, Kairi then decided that now it was best to speak up.

"H-Hello?" she greeted like she was shaking.

"Oh, is that you, Kairi?" Riku, who hadn't come out of the bathroom and was talking from inside, greeted in a fresh, yet baffled voice. "Good. . .morning."

It was 8:59 am, so unlike Kairi to visit. Kairi herself didn't acknowledge why she was here now, she just was- shouldn't Riku be happy about that?

"Good morning Riku," she greeted back, clothing a mellow tone.

"Hey, would you mind doing something for me?" he asked.

"Sure," she chirped volunarily, just now closing the entrance door behind her.

"I set out a pile of clothes to wear- could you get them for me? I forgot to bring 'em in and I think I set them. . ."

Kairi's eyes widened as she listened, but his words began to not register in her head. Her mind began to reel as she began to think that if she gathered his clothes and opened the door to give them to him, she might. . .or he might. . .or might be. . .

"Kairi, are you still there?" asked a concerned Riku from behind the door.

Her heart jumped. "Oh, yes, sorry. What do you want me to do, again?"

"Okay- you know what? You just stand there. . ." the door opened, and out stepped a very much dripping wet Riku with a towel wrapped around his waist, "and I'll get them myself."

Kairi was struck as she watched him go to the far edge of his bed, scoop up his clothes, and trot back into the bathroom, passing her gaze with a 'here they were, stupid' look.

She pressed her palms into the wall behind her to keep herself from falling. Just then, Kairi had thoughts she never endured: the desires to sroke his toned, wet abs and muscles, to bite his hardened nipples, to rub herself against that bulge she saw from underneath the towel.

Those thoughts never, not for the slightest moment in the most intimate moments, have crossed her mind since being with her ex for almost three years.

Riku stepped out of the bathroom, fully dressed in a gray sweater and black jeans, shortly after. Kairi stared at him, her mouth parted, and turned hot pink. Noticing that she didn't return his smile, Riku grew perturbed and asked, "You okay, Kairi?"

She blinked slowly before answering, "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Your face is pretty red. Did you catch a cold out there?"

She shook her head. "I just. . .um, it's kinda hot in here, is all."

Riku found that answer reasonable. "Yeah, guess it would be after taking a shower, huh?"

Kairi suddenly grew redder, but Riku seemed to miss it as he closed the bathroom door.

"Hey, Kairi, I get another day to leave the hospital after a checkup. So, later, do you wanna head somewhere?"

Kairi nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, sure."

"You don't really sound like it," Riku immediately realized, hearing how. . .un-fun. . .she sounded.

She planted a wide grin on her face for him. "I do, Riku! See?" She pointed to her lips as if it had significance. "Maybe we can go ice skating. Sound fun?"

Riku turned away, chuckling at this, stifling his acending laughter with his hand. "Now that's funny."

She glared in his direction. "What is?"

"I recall last winter that you fell on your butt at least fourty times in an hour of ice skating. It hurt you to sit but you had to asist it with Sora's box of frozen ice cream. Which he, of course, ate five servings of. . ."

Kairi winced silently at the hearing of Sora's name. "Will you. . .not mention him, please?"

This obviously made Riku release a grumbling sigh. "Fine, I will. Geez." He seemed to be now telling himself, "Now I can't even bring him up in a converation, huh? Is that guy that much of a heartbreak?"

"I ended our relationship, remember?" she deliberately shouted. "He didn't do anything to. . ." She stopped. Lies. She knew Sora was in the wrong here. Riku didn't even need to imply it either. "I mean, I know what he did to break my- No! I was the one who-"

"Kairi, it wasn't your fault-"

"Shut up! It was my fault I didn't stop him! You know that. . ." She whimpered, the sting in her eyes initiating, and dropped her head to the ground.

Fighting back the urge to "comfort" her with a hug that would only feed his desires, he dove his hands in his pockets for a moment, and reassured her, "Even if you stopped him, it probably wouldn't change the way he felt. It would've caused a huge rift in your friendship if you could only imagine how ashamed he'd be to approach you, knowing you'd only resent him for what he did."

There was a short pause. Kairi's tears welled back down, but sprung back up as she laughed, hard.

Riku grew puzzled, and flushed in deep embarrassment. "What's funny?"

"You! Wha-What you said! It sounded all poetic and stuff! 'You could only imagine. . .' But it was true at the same time! And it was funny!" She continued her giggle-fest until she stopped altogether. "Was that supposed to make me feel better?" Riku didn't answer. "If so, thank you."

He turned to her, beaming a bit. "Well, um, if that's what you wanna call it, then, you're welcome."

As an emphasised thank-you, she stepped towards him, stood on her toes, and pecked him lightly on the lips. She knew she was wrong, so why did she do it all the time?

"What's with you, always doing that?" he asked in a light tone. "I've kissed you only once, but you've kissed me-"

"Three times, counting now." When she saw his astounded face, she blushed. "With Sora, I've kept count only this year. Not that it matters."

Riku set his hand on her shoulder, creating distance between the two. "Each time you were the one in control, it usually got more. . .intense, right? But when I kissed you, you stopped me almost immediately."

"I was nervous," she admitted quietly.

"So was I," he agreed.

"So why did you kiss me back then?"

"You tell me."

She locked her lips at this, flustered. He was the one who wanted a first kiss in the first place- why was he putting her out on the spot?

"Watch," Riku said, getting her attention. "If I kiss you, it's not the same."

"Prove it," she challenged. There was a hint of spice in her voice when she said those words. . .

A challenge was a challenge. His fingers shaking, he placed them on her shoulders; blue and aqua eyes met. "C-Close your eyes," he demanded tensely, if not nervously. And as she did, he slowly joined his lips with hers.

Instantaneously, Kairi began to withdraw from him by stepping back but was stopped by Riku tightening his hold on her shoulders. Kairi surrendered to the flavor of Riku's kiss and she felt like she was swaying into his arms; she drew closer to him until she could hear him breathing.

The room gradually sizzled- Kairi's face felt humid, both her ruby sweater and hair felt sticky- but Kairi seemed to be the only one feeling this way.

Riku barely retracted his lips before Kairi pulled them in again.

Now things were getting ridiculous. She changed her ways so quickly- at first, she wanted nothing to do with how he felt (not like she knew), but now her actions were so untamed that Riku had to order her around and practically step out of character to surpress her lovesick beast. This ecstatic Kairi- the unreal, unknown, new Kairi- wasn't going to fly with what Riku wanted in her.

He only ignited New Kairi's urges by fitting his hands into her waist again. She reached her limit and thrashed her lips into his neck like the night before.

Riku, at first, wanted to push her off, but only found himself exhaustively enjoying this. Thumb-wrestling at his desires to reject her actions, he sighed into the kiss and found himself nibbling hungrily at her ear.

A blush as quick as lightning buzzed to the cooling shell of her ear, but increased her ecstatic actions to masaging her palms along his clothed chest. She could easily trace the packs she'd peeked at recently, declaring that he indeed had a six. Satisfyed at that, she felt Riku deserved a lick to the throat.

Riku was sure his skin felt like jumping out from his body at his best friend's new ambitions. The distance between the two decreased by the seconds as they mauled each other to a wall- much like a recent time ago. Kairi's chest shamelessly heaved against Riku's, an action that poked at him to rebel, but also poked at him down in his jeans.

'I've got him now.'

New Kairi obeyed her every lustful wish.

She stroked up and down his sweating- wet enough- arms.

Her unoccupant hand found an odd job at finding his nipples from underneath his sweater and swirling them hard into her little fingerpads.

She felt a little damp in her lower regions as she grinded her hips into the rigid member.

And those actions plus this unheard-of Kairi equaled a deliberately angered Riku.

"Kairi-" he was past heated and shoved her off him- "stop!"

The push, if not from brute force, caused the tacked mirror to feel victimized, and swung from its tack and skid to the floor.

Old Kairi sprung from the air and back to her own body, staggering and her eyes widening, miscalculating, at first, why she'd been harshly wafted off her feet; it came to grips as she saw how baffled, if not relieved, Riku's crimson face was. She stepped back as if avoiding herself, deeply apologetic. But she could say nothing.

"You should probably. . .just go," Riku ordered, his voice almost too quiet. Kairi only looked at him, then the mirror, cracked in a corner, its frame very loose. He couldn't even touch her in hopes to get her to look at him and answer his inevitable question, "What was that, Kairi?"

"I. . .I thought-."

"We were going to have sex?"

Her swollen lip easily bled as she gnawed at it harshly. Why was that same intimate moment with Sora boomeranging back and clunking her in the back of the head?

Because irony's a bitch.

"You said I should prove to you that who controls the kiss causes a different reaction. And you just wanted to kiss me," Kairi oh-so uselessly protested.

Riku fumed a bit more, turning redder that Kairi believed was possible for him. "Don't you. . .Kairi, you. . .Don't blame me! I just wanted to prove a point! You of all people know that it was you who-"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Riku! I'm sorry I was acting like such a. . .slut, just now. I-I wasn't thinking. I imagined Sora for a brief moment, about the time he almost moved in on me, and I just felt turned on my that." She knew that was a lie. Sora hadn't popped into the picture until Riku's question. But her lie masked itself in truth as she gave Riku the quickest but most apologetic hug as possible. "I'm really sorry."

As Riku's face toned down to its temporarily original pale, he sighed and replied, "I forgive you, Kairi. But. . .really, it's best you'd leave."

Persistent as she was, she assured him, "You know you don't want me to."

"Shouldn't you be at school?" he brought up to oppose her point.

"I'm not going." Assuming he'd ask why, she quickly continued, "I ran late, is all."

"You were avoiding him. You know that."

Kairi shook her head. "Please don't. . .I know, you're right- I didn't want to see him. But what's wrong with that?"

"I'm your cover-up, that's what."

Kairi rose an eyebow. "Excuse me?"

"Your 'ex troubles' only led to you pleadin' to me for comfort- or, at least, it was comfort at first. Now you're just throwing your lips all over me to think that that's what I meant. . .when I told you, 'mean it when you say you love me.'"

She was silent, absorbing this. So whose fault was it, hers? He was wrong, he just had to be.

"It's no wonder I didn't feel much of anything. Hell, I was enough of a dumbass to try and test you like that." That seemed apologetic as could be, and Riku sighed inwardly and sat on his bed. Kairi rooted her feet in place.

'He's my cover-up? I'm throwing my lips around? Who is he to tell me that?' she errupted in her head. 'It's his fault; if he hadn't tried to kiss me the first time, I wouldn't be the one doing it.' She sighed quiet enough for only her to hear. 'But. . .without Riku, I wouldn't have anyone to kiss.'

As the sunrise began to melt the dangling icicles on the gutters, the hour came appropriate for Riku to gain permission to socialize outdoors- and Kairi to do the same.

"These skates feel like they squeeze my feet," Kairi groaned as she tip-toed across the bench at the ice rink.

"You probrably have the laces too tight," Riku suggested, bending over to tie one of his own black ropes, his leg extended in front of him.

"I guess I do," she agreed, sinking down onto the wooden bench and folded her leg so her knee was close to her chin. The seat she intentionally took was directly behind Riku- their backs brushed each other, sending a light entity of shivers down her spine. Perhaps he'd grow nervous or snap at her; he didn't as Kairi shakily looked over her shoulder to see him continue to tie the laces on his other skate. He stood up once finished, looking down in her direction and waiting. "You coming?" he asked. Nervously, she nodded and hastily tied her laces.

The ice glistened from the sunny indoor lights, and of course, the rink sent cold up Kairi's legs. She prayed that she wouldn't fall even once, which seemed unlikely because she hadn't ice-skated in a while. With a moment's notice of her nervousness, Riku slowly and wantingly took hold of her mild hand. Kairi looked up at him warily, but gradually shook it off and accepted his offer with a light squeeze, taking to the ice with much prudence.

Riku very much avoided the stares and goofy smiles he felt upon people who assumed they were a happy couple. The two skated out of sync and didn't look at each other as they continued to hold hands. It felt routine as they did this for a few revolutions around the rink, but a change soon took flight. . .

Kairi's feet wobbled beneath her and she bit her lip, tightened her hand around Riku while waving her other arm frantically in a circle. "A-aah! R-Riku!" she called quite loudly as Riku was only across from her.

"I've gotcha," he said supportively, resting his free arm across her shoulders and easing her up. Kairi blushed at this, embarrassed of nearly falling in front of him, but also at how gentle and loving he smiled at her and how his teeth seemed to glisten in the light. She shyly smiled her thanks and continued to skate around with a tighter hold on his hand; Riku's was still draped over her shoulder as it stroked her cheek and the hair that swept against it.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It was four o' clock when Riku and Kairi exited the rink, grabbed lunch nearby, and took a relaxing walk in the park. The salt on the sidewalk crunched under their feet louder than the cakey snow. The temperature grew a little warmer with the sunlight aiding it, close to fourty degrees. Atop a hill was an alpine and stalky tree that was efortless to climb. A branch extended well enough to be seated upon. As Riku and Kairi sat there, the sun began to set quite early.

"It's so pretty," Kairi acknowedged to the horizon, smiling dreamily.

"Yeah," Riku agreed, leaning his back against the stony bark. "It's been a while since I've gotten a glimpse of that. . ."

Kairi blinked while taking in Riku's words, then turned to him. "A glimpse of what?"

"You smiling so sincerely," he told her, staring into the peachy cotton clouds.

"You, too," she said, smiling wider, poking him in the side playfully. Riku fought back a ticklish giggle and placed his hands in his lap. "I like it when you're smiling."

". . .Thanks," Riku said after some consideration.

In a flash, Riku felt Kairi's head rest on his shoulder. Kairi blushed and squinted her eyes shut, hoping Riku wouldn't reject this. A sheer sign of acceptance was Riku's hand moving up and down her forearm as he leaned his head against hers with a comfortable sigh.

"I'm sorry for being so pushy, Riku. I'm getting over Sora, and it's thanks to you," Kairi said, stroking the back of one of Riku's hands.

"It's not your fault, or his," Riku assured her. "All that matters is that you both are doing what your hearts tell you is best."

"Like spending time with you. And. . ." She lifted her head and captured his tender lips, then resumed to her headrest. ". . .kissing you."

Riku breathed out a nervous laugh that tickled Kairi's forehead. "You're stupid," he muttered into her hair.

"Thanks," Kairi mimicked, and, with a rosy blush and a smile, she nuzzled her head deeper into his shoulder.

added a few new scenes i forgot to add. R&R!