~The Epilogue: Yours and Mine, Forever~

Three Years Later

Dear Mom and Dad,

I don't expect you keep this letter, or read it all the way through. I know that, to you guys, I'm dead. But if anything, I wanted to let you know that I am not. I thought that because you said I was a horrible person, doomed to burn in the lowest level of Hell for eternity, I was too lowly to deserve happiness or a life, that it would be better if I were dead. But I, and you guys, were wrong. You probably won't believe me, and I really don't expect you to, but I truly believe that just because I'm gay does not make me a bad person. Love is love, never wrong, no matter who you fall for. I hope one day you guys can agree with me, albeit reluctantly.

Despite all that has happened, I've become someone again, with the help of someone precious to me. I don't expect you to understand, that's not really my point; I just wanted to let you know. I have a place to live, though I am living with someone else. But I'm the one who made that choice; I could've left if I wanted to. I have a nice job with good pay; no one cares about my sexuality here at all. I even go to church. I've been in college for two years now, working on receiving a Therapeutic Massage Certificate and everything else it takes to become a legitimate masseur. I'm actually really good at it; I guess you guys would know best that I don't exactly strive in normal academics.

But anyway, I also wanted to say… that I still love you and sissy, despite what has happened. I hope Dad's business is still thriving and that Mom is still working on her house designs. I hope Sissy's pregnancy went well; I would ask if my niece or nephew is a boy or a girl, but I know I won't receive a reply to this. I hope one day you can find it in your hearts to love me again, despite my homosexuality, but I don't think I'm ever coming back home in Mississippi. I hope you can forgive me for that. I won't say where I am either; just know it's far away from our small hometown, but still in the United States. I'm happy with my life, and I sincerely hope you are too.

Love,
Sora

P.S. If you ever do want to talk to me, my cell number is 745-928-2983.

"Hey, Sora, whatcha writing?" I ask as I walk into the room; my black boots make a constant uncle sound across the wooden floor, just loud enough to remind me to take them off.

After I lean down to remove the footwear, the whirling of a chair's wheels resound through the room. But even more importantly, an angelic voice replies, "Believe it or not, a letter to my parents."

That's new. "When did you decide to write them?" I ask, a little worried. I look up through my silver hair towards my 3-year boyfriend, ignoring the remaining boot on my other foot as I wait for his response.

He shrugs. "I just wanted to tell them some things. For closure, I guess."

"Can I read it?" I really can't help but ask this, as my curiosity has a habit of getting the better of me. When Sora lightly blushes, but nods hesitantly, I take my other boot off quickly and pace across the room to the brunette and the mahogany desk he's currently sitting at. After I steal a quick happy-I'm-home kiss, he hands me the plain, white paper, only marred by his sloppy (but luckily readable) handwriting.

A long moment of silence overcomes the room as I read Kitten's honest words, melting more with every sentence along the page. Only Sora could be as selfless to be willing to forgive his family after all they put him through.

"Is it too much?" he asks as soon as I'm done reading the postscript. I jolt out of my reading-daze, wondering how he knew I had read it all already.

Responding to his question however, I chuckle, handing him back the paper. "Honestly, I think it's perfect. I wouldn't be able to tell you what else to say."

Sora smiles, taking the paper lightly before setting it on the desk. "I'll mail it on the way to work then," he tells me before adding, "Hey, what's the plan for this weekend?"

I contemplate the options we have. "Well," I start, "Roxas and Axel wanted to come over sometime in the next month but they didn't tell me exactly when. I think Roxas is taking his finals soon though, so it might just be Axel; you know they can't study when the other is there."

"You're so right," the brunette agrees, giggling, "Though, I guess we aren't much better either." The way he smirks after that is purely seductive, suggesting that the past might be predicting the near future.

Definitely looking forward to that, I wrap my arms across his chest and place my chin over a spike of his crazy hair. "Oh really? I think it's healthy," I inform him, an amused smirk easing its way onto my face.

"Pshh… you have the testosterone of a 16-year-old, and who has to deal with it? Me. Because of that, I think I get to tell you what's healthy and what isn't," he retorts, leaving my arms in a teasing way. A couple feet away, he opens a mini-fridge, taking out a bottle of tea. When he looks back at me grinning, I pout. "You never complained before…"

A full-out smile graces his features as he walks back, purposely swaying his hips with each step. When he gets close enough, he sets the tea down onto the desk and leans in until his face hovers agonizingly close to mine. "I wasn't complaining," he whispers, his breath ghosting over my face in a way that makes my eyes dilate ever so slightly. But before I know it, he's already abandoned me, sipping the tea that was on the desk casually. Devious little Kitten.

However, I am able to recover quickly. Before he can taunt me further, I chuckle and reply, "Good because…" I let my sentence trail off, fingers lightly stroking his sides, earning an involuntary shiver from his skin. "You're mine tonight," I whisper, voice an octave lower. Just for good measure, I lick my lips implicationally. I inwardly congratulate myself when Sora sucks in a quick breath and holds it, blue eyes wide as they stare into mine. See, I tell him telepathically, two can play this game.

After swallowing almost-nervously, the brunette gathers his bearings again and pushes me away, muttering, "Prick tease. Why am I always yours, and you're never mine?"

Without missing a beat, I reply as casually as I can manage, "I've always been yours."

Alas, my calm tone is betrayed by my face, slightly flushed as I avert my gaze to the floor in an attempt to hide the emotion. The room is silent for several moments and even though I am distracted from embarrassment, I still wonder why this is so. Is Sora that shocked? My question is answered, however, when a shadow covers part of my legs and I look up a little, coming face to face with none other than the brunette. Eyes deep, meaningful, and passionate, he suddenly attacks my lips, catching me off guard by the sudden outburst. But it doesn't take me more than a second to react, pivoting our bodies until he's pinned between my chest and the desk behind him satisfyingly. He gasps lightly at the sudden force, allowing me to deepen the kiss as my tongue sweeps across and in his mouth in an exploring kind of way.

When we part, both of us are rather breathless, his eyes just as dilated as mine. Smirking at my victory, I let him go, noticing immediately how his departure is absolutely reluctant though his facial expression is uncaring.

Right before he leaves the room, he informs me triumphantly, "It's your turn to cook."

Instantly I groan, very familiar in my skills in the kitchen; they are nonexistent, bordering on apocalyptic. "Can we just order Chinese or Pizza? I can't make shit and you know it."

"Buuut… It's really amusing to watch you try," he tells me. I turn to him, fully aware that my eye probably just twitched. He's going to get it if he doesn't watch it!

"Just because you said that, I am ordering Chinese," I retort, striding over to meet him. Mischievously grinning, Sora waltzes into the living room, plopping himself dramatically onto the soft, dark couch as if he owns the place; he might as well. Only moments later does the black television set turn on, soft clicks of the remote creating flickering lights across the floor as the screen changes its pictures. I, however, don't join him in his luxurious lounging; I head straight for the kitchen counter, where I had placed my cell phone down when I got home. As I mindlessly flip open the strong metal-plastic device and press the right buttons- making the little annoying beeping sounds- Sora calls out, "Riku, what day is it today?"

Without looking up or really thinking much about the question, I reply casually, "The 24th. Why?"

I receive no enlightening response, not even a little 'hnn' noise to imply a shrugging gesture, but at first I think absolutely nothing of it, a little distracted by the repetitive sounds emitting from the phone's speakers. As the silence continues, I almost become completely enwrapped in the call, waiting for it to be answered. Of course, that's when Sora finally explains, "…Today makes 1103."

I barely catch the statement due to the cacophony coming from the speaker up close to my ear. Immediately descending my arm away slightly, I ask, "…What?" I understood what he said, but not enough to repeat it or ask a more detailed inquiry.

Luckily, Sora doesn't seem to mind the vague question. "Since Florida. It's been 1103 days."

I am momentarily stunned by the response; so much so that I don't notice the quiet "Hello, this is Chow Ming's Chinese. What would you like the order tonight?" If anything, my arm drops down closer to my side right before I comment as if stunned, "You kept track?"

The tan, glowing skin flushes familiarly under the averted glittering blue eyes, and I realize that he hadn't thought about how odd the counting is until this moment. Nonetheless, his honest nature compels through; his head bobs up and down ever so slightly in confirmation. Whatever plans I had before this moment are thrown to the wind involuntarily. All I can think about now is how lucky and absolutely blessed I am to have this astonishing saint on our couch, keeping track of basically how long we've been together. Although I know there could be other reasons for this habit, I'm still swept away by how much it seems to mean to him- and now I want nothing more to reciprocate.

In the span of less than two seconds, the unimportant object held in my hand is dropped unceremoniously back onto the counter, barely making the mark as my legs hurriedly take the right amount of strides to the couch. Sora's blue orbs widen at the sudden change of motion and mood, body tensing and recoiling- but not protesting- into the corner of the plushy cushions as the over-eager legs of mine either swing over or pull up to straddle the bony, flawless hips below. A small breathless voice interjects, "Riku-" but the rest of the sound is cut off by my kiss, which he returns without an instant of hesitance. However, I don't linger despite the passion. "I-" kiss "Love-" deeper kiss "You," I breathe out, words as honest and sacred as the Bible. Despite his jumbled stuttering following my smooth attack, the beautiful brunette manages to sputter out, "I-I love you too. What did I do?"

Chuckling a little at his oblivious yet delightful response, I mutter back, "Nothing. Just wanted you to know."

Under the circumstances of my forehead resting affectionately on his shoulder, I don't see Sora's skeptical expression- but having been with him for three years, I just know it's there. After planting a small kiss on his collar bone (resulting in a seductive shiver through his body), I lean up again, eyes soft yet maybe a tad bit mischievous as well. Blue orbs rolling up to the ceiling fleetingly, the tan arms from bellow cross stubbornly, surely still thinking about the Chinese dinner I was going to order. Chuckling again slightly before planting a quick kiss on his cheek, I relent/surrender again, slightly frustrated yet undeniably relishing the way Sora has never changed once since the first day we met. Bright, happy, and humble as the Sky, Oblivious to what he means to me, Resistant and seductive (on purpose) all at once, and generally astounding or Amazing; take your pick.

And as for the whipped cream and finishing cherry on top of the already-delicious sundae? He's (as I explained to him earlier) mine, forever.

A/N: Yeah, I ended it in a completely cheesy way. …Really, the whole point of this was to show that they're happy together, still, and that Sora is strong and stable, as he's always meant to be :) For rating's sake, I kept the *ahem* references at a minimum. I've always seen the epilogues as being the 'By the Way' section of the story; it's like the conversation is over, but it's the vital comment that may or may not be necessary at the end lol.

Though, just as a side-note, for a Kingdom Hearts reference, I took the counting thing from 358/2 Days; in the beginning of the game, Roxas is talking about how he holds onto the number of days he's been in the Organization. Although in this story Roxas and Sora are completely different people, I really did think it fit here:) I liked it, but what do you think?

So, this is the end end end of SK. No more updates DX I love ALL of you guys, and thank you for the support throughout the month this has been written :D I gives you my cyber-affection, in a non-stalkerish way (unless you want it to be;)) LOL