A/N: Warning: rated M for language and explicit yaoi (boy x boy). Riku x Sora.

Since this is un-beta'd, I ask you to please excuse any minor mistakes. If you find any that I've overlooked, feel free to send me a POLITE PRIVATE MESSAGE telling me what and where they are. It would be greatly appreciated, and I'll correct the errors as soon as possible.

Disclaimer : All characters belong to Square Enix and Disney. They certainly don't belong to me. (Nor do I own any of the dialogue used throughout this fanfic.)

There was nothing in the inky darkness that surrounded him. Absolutely nothing.

He was sitting on the ground, knees tucked up under his chin. I feel so alone, he thought, burying his face in his hands as if to darken the everlasting night. But then a strange, comforting warmth ran over his shivering body. A soft glow seeped through his fingers and he drew his hands away, squinting at the foreign brightness. After spending days wandering through nothing but black without the slightest glimmer of light, this small, floating ball of hope was foreign to him.

The glowing ball illuminated the boy's pale and dirt-streaked skin, his startled green eyes, his disheveled silver hair. Then, with a voice that was neither male nor female yet seemed so familiar, the sphere of light spoke in his mind.

Are you lost?

"I've always been lost."

Then you shall be found.

"No one wants to find me."

The light dimmed slightly as if it was frowning, then brightened again. Do you doubt your friend?

The boy paused before speaking. "I have no friends..."

The light flashed, a blinding blaze that made the boy cry out in alarm and shield his eyes.

This is a lie. The globe paled back to its normal intensity and the silver haired boy looked tentatively at the light once more. You have spent too long in the darkness.

He shook his head and said bitterly, "I belong in the darkness."

The light hovered closer and seemed to caress him with its warmth. No one belongs in the darkness. He will search for you. He will find you.

The boy knew the answer, but asked anyway. Who's 'he'?"

The ball of light began to fade, but before winking out it said quietly, barely more than a whisper, you know. There was a single flash of bright light and the boy heard a familiar, heartbreaking laugh, before he was enveloped in the cold darkness once again.

Riku shot up in his bed, shivering from a cold sweat. He was breathing hard, still caught in the fierce clutch of his recurring dream. He threw the covers off of him and stood on shaky legs. The light from the connecting bathroom was already on, and he made his way to the sink. After Riku'd splashed cold water on his face and dragged the rest of his consciousness back to reality, he leaned against the counter and sighed. He peeled off his damp t-shirt and ran a hand through silver hair.

It's longer than it was back then, he thought absentmindedly. I'm taller too, and much stronger. So why then, if he was so strong, was he unable to sleep at night without a light on? Maybe I'm weaker than I thought, he frowned.

But Riku knew that wasn't true.

He'd done too much, been through to much to ever be considered weak.

He'd had the dream the first time during his solitude in the Realm of Darkness, and had it frequently since then.

Yet somehow, he'd been freed of that endless darkness and had found himself in Castle Oblivion. Ansem still rested in the back of his mind, prowling like a caged panther, urging Riku to unlock the door, trying to convince him it was the only way he could win. Riku had been so confident that he wouldn't have to open the cage, so confident that he could conquer the darkness in his heart, yet his confidence had been steadily chipped away at by Ansem's cruel whispers telling Riku that no matter how hard he tried, shadows of darkness would always linger in him.

It took him a while, but when Riku finally realized that though the darkness was a part of him, it came with the realization that surely it couldn't be all bad. But still, he tried to rid himself of it, and when he figured out he couldn't, he instead used it. His shame was so great he'd worn a blindfold, and though his eyes couldn't lie about the darkness he was using (they couldn't see anything but), he continued to lie to his mind, his heart.

He'd visited countless worlds, battled countless enemies using it. Even now, as he leaned over the sink in his bathroom, the memory of that darkness had remorse and bile rolling in his stomach once again.

All of his thoughts, memories, dreams were making him edgy and gave him a headache. He needed quiet, he needed to be alone. Being alone in his room wasn't enough; he wanted solitude and empty space. He wanted to relax and maybe think a little bit more. He couldn't, nor did he want to do either here.

So Riku slipped off his sleeping shorts and replaced them with a well-loved pair of blue denim jeans. They tended to fall off his hips, so he grabbed the closest belt - black with large, square studs and looped it through, buckled it. The teen shuffled around his room picking up a black, fake zip-up tank, dragging it over his head and layering a white vest with yellow accents. He fished for a pair of clean socks before putting on soft, simple sneakers. Riku slipped a white band over his left wrist before working out the knots in his hair with long bony fingers.

He slipped out of the house, quiet as a shadow.

Riku strolled in the darkness at a leisurely pace with his hands in his pockets. It wasn't completely dark, he mused looking up at the stars, but that pale blue darkness you only get about an hour before the sun shows his face.

The easy way he was walking, headache already subsiding, made him wonder if he could remember whether he'd found walking in darkness this easy years ago. He could remember Maleficent warning him that the heartless consume the careless, and frowned at the memory.

Riku had reached the dock and walked to his family's simple wooden row-boat. As he untied it and stepped in he thought, was I careless? He snorted and answered his own question out loud.

"Of course I was. I was consumed by Ansem, and he's heartless enough..."

Bitterness fueling him, his muscled arms brought the oars out of the water, circled them and dipped back in, pushing with powerful strokes. He slid through the water gracefully, quickly, silently.

"I guess I have to thank Kairi for that one though," he said to himself as the island, only little more than a mile off the mainland drew nearer and he slowed his strokes, simply riding the waves the rest of the way. She saw me, even when I was consumed. The side of his mouth quirked up as the boat bumped against the dock of the island and he hopped out nimbly, tying it to a post with a loose knot. Which is more than I can say for Sora but, then again, he's always been a bit slow.

It had taken the explosion of the machine Ansem the Wise had created to encode Kingdom Hearts, causing countless hearts to rain down to somehow, miraculously cleanse his own. He'd not wanted to believe it but after some encouragement, he'd removed his blindfold and it was his pale hands, his hair that he saw. He looked out of seafoam eyes, not Ansem's amber ones.

The look on Sora's face was a priceless confused. The expression was familiar to Riku; He'd been the one to cause it most of the time.

Riku could clearly remember teasing his naïve friend about the paopu fruit.

Not long before everything went wrong, all they'd been worried about was finishing the raft. It was nearly complete; they only needed a few more supplies. Taking a break from collecting those items, Riku had challenged Sora to a spar. Always ready for a good competition, the brunet had immediately accepted. And Sora had beaten him, much to his utter surprise.

Riku shook his head at the memory as he took off his shoes and socks on the wooden dock and rolled up his jeans a few inches. God, he'd been so irritated! Letting out a light laugh, Riku picked up his shoes with the socks stuffed inside, and jumped off the dock to walk on the shore.

He'd been so irritated, in fact, that he'd climbed the tree which held a yellow, star-shaped fruit. Riku had tossed it to Sora, who'd fumbled with it momentarily, as he'd jumped down and said sharply, "Here. Your prize."

Oh, the look on Sora's face! Riku's irritation was gone and mischief had replaced it. With a shocked expression he'd said, "You don't know the legend of the paopu fruit?"

Sora's nose had wrinkled in confusion. "Paopu fruit?"

Patiently, Riku had explained what it was, and what it did. While Sora was processing this, Riku had nudged the brunet and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. He'd looked pointedly at Kairi, who was walking slowly toward the small dock of the island, then looked back at Sora. The silver teen had waited for Sora's brief glance at the red-head before saying, "C'mon. I know you want to try it." It took him a moment, but when Sora finally caught on, his ears had turned pink with the intensity of his blush. Riku had laughed before running away from his embarrassed friend.

"R-Riku!" he'd sputtered, red as his shorts. Sora had chased after him moments after throwing the paopu fruit in the water.

As Riku plopped down in the sand right in the middle of the beach, he wondered if Sora had ever ended up sharing the star-shaped fruit with their childhood friend. He curled his toes into the gritty shore and jealousy speared through his heart.

Damn it, he'd only teased his friend about the fruit because he'd wanted to share one with Sora! Scowling at the water, Riku wondered if Sora understood that he wanted their destinies forever entwined, not Sora's and Kairi's.

With a snort he thought, nah, probably not... The jealousy spread thicker and hotter when he remembered Sora's thoughtful looks at the paopu tree. Though I don't think he would have had any time to share it with her, Riku mused. Because not two days later, the heartless had come.

Guilt stabbed through jealousy, ripped it to pieces and impaled itself in his heart, the sharpest of blades. He rested his forehead on his knees and was so deep in his memories that he didn't notice the small, wooden row-boat slowly approach the island.

How could he not be guilty? Riku wondered that every single day. After all, it had been he that had opened the door to the darkness.

Curiosity of the door that appeared in the cave when he was a child had followed him through life and grown with each year until he couldn't take it. The need to know was driving him mad.

That night, he'd gone alone to the island and had stood before the door waiting for... something. The storm raged violently outside; thunder crashed, louder than he'd ever heard before. He'd lunged forward, quick as a strike of lightening. He'd touched the door, only touched for there was no handle or knob, and it had flung open wide, the heartless spewing forth, crawling over the ceiling, walls, and floor like countless demons. And Sora and Kairi had remained oblivious as to why the heartless came to their unimportant little island. Riku snorted, as if I would tell them what I'd done.

Riku remembered standing in the midst of all that darkness and bravely claiming he was not afraid. He shook his head at his young stupidity. What a fool I was...

He curled his toes in the sand again, digging deep, trying to bury his feet. But we won in the end; he tried to console himself with the thought. We defeated Xemnas. But he was so buried in regrets that it didn't work. So buried, that he didn't notice the thump of wood against wood, the sound of shoes on the dock.

And then there was all that time with Sora in the Dark Meridian, Riku thought as he lifted his head to gaze across the water with a small smile. He'd still never managed to figure out exactly how Sora had opened the Door to the Light... All that time alone with Sora.

He shook his head. Jesus, he'd almost been driven insane! He'd missed Sora, so much that it surprised him. He'd thought he'd been able to let the boy go after being shut in the Realm of Darkness. He could remember the day down to the number of tears he always denied had fallen from his eyes. The way he felt as he let Sora go still tore at him. He'd let him go for Kairi, he reminded himself time and time again, and the smile he'd given Sora before telling him to take care of her...he thought it had been his last smile, the last time he would ever see Sora's glassy blue eyes, his ridiculously spiky hair, his trembling mouth before the last sliver of light was shut out. Apparently, I was more attached than I thought.

But just because he'd missed the boy that had grown so much in the past years did not give him the right to fantasize, to want to touch, hold forever. It didn't give him the right to have urges to run his pale lips over brown hair, a tanned face. And it certainly didn't give him the right to want to strip the younger boy and—

"What are you smiling about?"

Startled, Riku looked up. He could clearly see the spiky brown hair in the pale light of early morning.

"Nothing," he said quickly. "What are you doing out here this early?"

Sora dropped his shoes on the beach and sat beside Riku, stretching his feet towards the water. "I often come out here in the early morning to think. Plus," he added with a grin at Riku, "it's a great place to watch the sun come up. What's your excuse?"

Riku rested his chin on a knee and stretched his other leg out. The stars were beginning to disappear as the sky became a brighter blue.

"I wanted to be alone."

"Do you still?"

Riku looked at Sora and because he knew if he said yes, the considerate brunet would leave he said, "No. Stay."

With a smile, Sora stood and said, "Okay, C'mon."

He tugged lightly on Riku's vest before picking up his black and yellow sneakers. Riku looked up at him, puzzled, but he lifted his own shoes from the sand and got to his feet.

"Where are we going?" Riku asked as Sora turned around and started walking.

"Up there," Sora pointed to the raised bit of land where the paopu tree stood. "It's the best place to watch the sunrise. All you can see is the sky and water." He smiled as Riku opened the door to the seaside shed and let Sora enter first. They walked in silence up the few stairs and Riku once again opened the door for Sora.

He walked with his hands behind his head, Riku noticed, as he had when they were younger. Riku kept his hands in his pockets and was a few steps behind the brunet. If he used the opportunity to check out his ass...well, no one would ever know. And what a spectacular ass it is, Riku thought and grinned wryly.

"You know," Sora's voice had Riku's gaze snapping up from the boys behind. "I understand that it's difficult. Probably for you most of all." He looked back at his friend with a sad smile. "After everything we've done, everything we've gone through we come back to this island and the normalcy is crushing. Kairi's okay because she didn't do, didn't go through what we did." He shook his head and stepped off the short bridge. He walked to the edge of the circle of land and ran a hand through his spikes, exasperated.

"I mean," he huffed, "my parents can barely leave me alone they're so afraid I'll disappear again. I had to sneak out of my house just to get here." He flopped himself down on the ground, dangled his tan legs over the side. Idly, he played with one of the many silver zippers on his black, baggy shorts. His hair swayed gently in the breeze and his plain red t-shirt seemed plastered to his skin with the push of the wind.

Riku sat down beside his friend and agreed with a thin smile. "I know what you mean. They try to understand, they really try, but they just can't. And everything can't go back to the way it was— I'm a different person now." He frowned before he started speaking again in a softer voice. "I never thought I'd miss the island so much... Funny— there was a time I couldn't wait to get off this rock. And now I'm acting all relieved." He shook his head, baffled.

Sympathetically, Sora laid his hand on Riku's briefly. He drew away and cleared his throat.

"Well," Sora began with a smile at Riku, "some things change, I suppose. But some things will always stay the same. Like the sunrise," he gestured with his hand towards the pale blue horizon. "We've got about..." he tilted his head to the side, "oh, 40 minutes I'd say, before the sky explodes."

Riku's brow shot up. "Explodes? And how do you know how much time we have?"

Sora turned slightly to look at him. "With color. Haven't you ever watched the sun come up?"

Riku shook his head.

"Well," Sora said, clearly surprised. "This'll be your first. And I've watched it often enough to let the colors of the sky tell me what time it is," he added with a smile.

Riku blinked at Sora once, twice, and smiled back.

"I think you'll really enjoy the sunrise." The brunet leaned his head back with a lazy expression and kicked his legs gently.

I'd rather enjoy you, but Riku pushed the thought away.

They spent a few moments in silence. Sora was still swinging his legs with his eyes closed, very relaxed. But Riku's thoughts had returned to darker things. The wind, water, and the sound of Sora's clanking crown necklace were the only noises besides breathing. They were quiet, comforting, normal sounds. He hated that they set his teeth on edge.

He missed the familiar sounds of battle, of steel against steel. He missed the smell of sweat and blood and victory. He missed his goddamn keyblade. He could call Way to the Dawn forth anytime he wanted, but what was the point? There was nothing to fight, and God he wanted to destroy something into oblivion...

Sora cracked open an eye and looked at Riku; he had a scowl plastered on his face and looked tense. The brunet sighed deeply.

"You're sulking again, Riku."

Automatically, Riku said, "I never sulk. I brood."

"What's the difference?"

"Sulking is what girls do. Brooding is manlier." Sora bit back his laughter, grinning instead.

"Well, your brooding is ruining my mood. Can you keep the dark cloud over your head away for a bit longer? The sunrise will be so much prettier without it." He smiled teasingly at the silver-haired teen, yet he couldn't coax out even a twitch of the lips. Sora huffed and pouted.

"Riku, you hung out in the darkness too long." Riku's head whipped around, sending his hair flying. Sora's statement had been suspiciously similar to what the glowing orb had told him in his dream time and time again. "You gotta try to think positive." He nodded his head sharply in affirmation of his statement.

Maybe I should have just stayed in the darkness, Riku thought, lowering his head.

"Do you not know what 'positive' means?"

Riku looked at Sora's irritated expression slightly confused, until he realized he'd spoken out loud. He smiled thinly as an apology and looked down at his feet.

If I had stayed, you'd have forgotten about me soon enough...

Sora's eyes snapped to Riku's face, drawing his gaze. "Dammit, there you go again! Negative, negative, whine, whine, whine! Are you crazy? I went through all that, put myself and my friends in danger countless times; I came all that way because I was LOOKING for YOU!" He dragged a hand through his hair once, twice, obviously agitated. "Christ, Riku," the brunet exclaimed, "I don't think I could forget you even if I tried."

Inwardly Riku swore. He'd spoken out loud again without meaning to. And he didn't whine...but he smiled at Sora's outburst.

"Don't you smile at me," Sora said folding his legs underneath him and leaning towards Riku on all fours. His eyes were sharp, his tone accusatory as he lifted a hand and drilled a finger into Riku's shoulder. "I looked everywhere for you!"

Riku's smile fell and he looked away. "I didn't want you to find me."

"Well why the hell not?" He could have laughed at the indignation in Sora's voice, but it just wasn't in him to do so.

"I was ashamed, Sora! Ashamed of what I'd done, who I'd become... I was ashamed of what I fucking looked like. I didn't want anyone to see me like that, especially not you." He frowned at his friend.

"Do you really think I would have cared what you looked like? I know you, Riku." Sora's expression was one of bewilderment as he leaned back, resting his hands on his knees.

"You thought I was the enemy when you first saw me. You almost attacked me," Riku pointed out.

The brunet waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Details. I would have figured it out sooner or later."

"You were completely oblivious until Kairi told you it was me."

Sora paused, shook his head and said once again, "I would have figured it out sooner or later."

Riku shot a glare at the younger boy and muttered, "I'm betting on later." Sora stuck out his tongue and despite his irritation with the brunet, a smile cracked Riku's stony features at the childish response.

Sora was silent for a moment before he asked in a quiet voice, "Riku?" He folded his legs Indian style.

"What?"

"Why did you use the darkness?"

"I felt like I had to."

"But why?"

"I didn't think I had another choice."

"Why not?"

"I don't know." Riku gritted his teeth.

"Well, why not?"

Riku shot to his feet. "It's not that simple, Sora!"

"Why can't it be?" he demanded, scrambling to his as well.

Pacing quickly in a small circle Riku said, "Because it's just not! It's complicated, and I don't know how to explain something I don't fully understand myself." He scratched the back of his head in aggravation.

"Try," Sora said firmly.

Silver hair swayed as Riku shook his head. "I can't."

"Try," Sora said, more gently this time. He wanted to walk forward and put a hand on Riku's shoulder to soothe, to calm, but he knew that Riku would shake him off. So he stayed still, and waited.

Huffing, Riku dragged a hand down his face and said, "Alright." He paused for a moment, gathering what words he could find, still pacing but slower, more relaxed.

"I already told you I was ashamed, and I was. More than you could ever imagine. I wanted to find you, needed to, but I thought I couldn't. I thought I wasn't strong enough and knew I would need some help. It wasn't the kind of help I wanted," he shrugged and pursed his lips, "first with Maleficent and then with Ansem...but I didn't think there was another way." He took a deep breath. "Hell, Sora, I was terrified out of my mind but I thought it was the only way. I can't even sleep without some form of light on anymore! How cowardly is that? I-" Sora's snort cut off his next sentence.

"You think you're the only one going through this?" He shook his spikes in disbelief. "I feel like I can't trust anyone but you and Kairi because I have no idea if they've been taken over by darkness or not. I can't trust my parents, Riku. My own parents. You think I want those feelings hanging over my head?" His eyes hardened just for a moment.

"And to tell the truth, I haven't used my nightlight since I was seven, but it's plugged in my wall right now. So I don't think it's cowardly. I think it's normal for what we've been through."

Riku shook his head. "You don't understand, Sora. I thought I belonged in the darkness, so I would be okay. " His voice lowered to almost a whisper and Sora had to strain to hear him. "After all... I'm responsible..."

"What?"

"I brought the heartless to the island in the first place." He hung his head.

The words shocked Sora. "I didn't know that," he said just as quietly as Riku's confession.

With a short and bitter laugh, Riku continued. "It's not something I would have told you. Who would want to admit to that? I opened the door to darkness, and I let it swallow me. And to tell the truth...I was jealous of you." He raised his gaze to Sora's.

The brunet wasn't sure why this shocked him more than the news that it was Riku that brought darkness to the island. "What for?"

Riku jerked a shoulder. "I wished I could live life the way you do, just following your heart." Your pure heart..."And I tried to follow mine, but darkness painted it black. And when I followed, it led me deeper, till I couldn't see the way out and gave up."

"Yeah, well," Sora put a hand on his hip, "I've got my share of problems too."

With a dry chuckle Riku said, "Like what?"

"Like..." Sora took a deep breath and locked eyes with his friend, "like wanting to be like you." At Riku's stunned expression he barreled on ahead before losing his nerve. "You were always so strong and tall and brave, and I was this puny little kid that always stood in your shadow. You were better than me at everything. I just never seemed to be able to catch up to you." He smiled weakly.

Riku tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Well there's one advantage to being me... Something you could never imitate."

Sora tilted his head, puzzled. "What's that?"

He smiled softly. "Having you for a friend."

Sora paused and a grin spread over his face. "Then I guess I'm okay the way I am. I've got something you could never imitate too."

Riku returned the grin with a smaller one of his own and looked away. For a moment there was silence between them in the dark morning. When he heard an unintelligible murmur, he turned to Sora and asked, "What did you say?"

The brunet chewed on his lower lip briefly before walking towards Riku. "I said what if I want more than having you as just a friend?"

Riku's eyes widened slightly and he tilted his head. "Sora?" he questioned, but before he could say anything more, the softness of Sora's lips were against his own, a delicious kind of pressure. Before he could close his eyes and give back, Sora pulled away, gasping in horror as he stepped away, covering his mouth with tanned hands.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he said, shaking his head, blushing like mad. "Oh, I'm so stupid!"

"What about Kairi?"

Sora's embarrassment was temporarily forgotten in his confusion. "What about her?"

"I thought you guys had a thing going..."

Puzzled beyond belief he said, "What thing?"

Riku sighed and dropped his head. He looked up again at Sora's blue eyes and waved his hands in between them. "You know, a thing. I thought you guys were together, or at least liked each other."

"What!" Sora laughed, "Oh, no!" He shook his head. "We're just friends."

"But you went after her." Riku narrowed his eyes, trying to piece it all together in his head.

"Of course I did! We're friends. I'm not going to let a friends' heart get taken. Besides, didn't you listen to me earlier?" Sora stepped closer to Riku and locked blue on pale green. "I said I came looking for you."

Riku grinned after a moment. "You cried when you found me."

Sora sputtered before turning his back on Riku, tilting his nose up and jutting out his chin. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Riku stepped closer, grinning wider. "Yeah, you do. You got on your knees for me and blubbered like a baby."

Sora sniffed righteously, prepared to deny till death. "I did— " but Riku spun him around and took him by his indignant chin, chasing any words in Sora's mind away.

Riku rubbed his lips gently on Sora's, small caresses that blurred the brunets' vision and mind. "Yeah," Riku murmured. "You did." And he fused his mouth on Sora's.

Riku didn't mean for the moan to come out, but it slipped into Sora's mouth, thrilling the younger boy into kissing back with enthusiasm. He'd always been energetic and ready for anything. Obviously, he was ready for this as he pushed Riku against a palm tree and ran his hands up and down the pale boy's sides. Down on his hips, high on his shoulders to run up his neck and curl his fingers around silver locks. Riku kept one hand cradling Sora's face, that soft skin that melted with the simplest touch, and the other gripped his hip, fingers flexing with power and possession.

Sora slid the white vest off Riku's shoulders and his hands dived under Riku's black shirt, his mouth opened, eager to taste, to feel the silver boy he was attached to. He moaned softly against Riku's lips. His hands roamed under the black shirt, playing with muscles, reaching around the back to feel strong shoulders and back around the front to play with the waistband of Riku's jeans, all while his mouth worked expertly against Riku's.

Tongues clashed and teeth scraped lips, not so gently. Riku sucked Sora's bottom lip into his mouth and chewed on it tenderly, opening his eyes to see Sora's darken and haze with pleasure. Letting go with a soft, wet pop, the pale lips traveled over Sora's tanned face across the jaw, to toy with his earlobe. He sucked on it gently before scraping his teeth over the edge, tongue playing with the outline of his ear. Sora gasped repeatedly, pressing his body closer to Riku's.

Riku whispered seductively in Sora's ear, his breath coming in labored pants. "How much do you want, Sora?"

Sora's hands were suddenly gone from Riku's chest where they had been brushing curiously across his nipples, to frame Riku's face and bring his gaze back to Sora's.

"I want you," he said huskily with a sultry kiss. "I want everything." A tug on lips with teeth. "I want it all," and he pulled Riku down to the ground with him.

He groaned at Sora's words, instinctively supporting himself on his arms resting on either side of Sora's head, his legs settling between Sora's. One of his legs was stretched out and the other was tucked under him, putting him above the desperate brunet. Fervently, with strained gasps as Riku kissed him breathless, he struggled with the buckle of Riku's belt. His hand would brush across his obvious erection, and regardless of whether Sora did it on purpose or by accident, Riku's muscles tensed with the effort to stay still. He wanted to grind against the boy, buck against his body.

"Never again," Sora hissed, finally getting the thing to cooperate. "Don't ever wear a belt again."

"Okay," Riku agreed breathlessly, his lips cruising down Sora's neck and latching onto the juncture where it met his shoulder, a particularly sensitive spot Sora didn't even know was there, and his shudder encouraged Riku to suck. He felt the belt whip out of the loops, heard it land on the dirt beside them, but was too busy licking, biting, sucking the bronzed neck to really care. He stopped for a moment, leaning back and peeled off the black tank top. Sora followed him in a sitting position and lifted his arms up. With a low chuckle, Riku slid his long and pale fingers under the red hem to bring it up over his head. It fell to the ground by the tank as Riku looked at Sora.

"'Puny little kid' my ass," he muttered taking in every new muscle and crevice, every line and angle of tanned, perfect skin. "Look at you, Sora. Where did this come from?" He squeezed a beautiful bicep teasingly.

Blushing slightly, he said with a sheepish smile, "Well, honestly, some of my keyblades were really heavy. Not to mention all the times I set up tents and climbed vines. Before I knew it, they were just there." He wiggled closer to Riku and whispered as he ran his fingertips up the pale chest in front of him, "But my legs are so much better."

With a sexy and eager grin, Riku unbuttoned Sora's black shorts and unzipped them slowly, putting more pressure than necessary on Sora's arousal, making the boy's mouth hang open slightly and his head fall back with a small groan. He lifted his hips to help Riku get them off, and once they were, he became embarrassed to be only in his boxers. One leg was bent up and the other was spread out flat, Riku between them. He squirmed slightly under Riku's intense gaze locked on his own, but gasped when Riku leaned forward suddenly, resting a hand on his clothed erection. With an impatient growl he gave a short tug and said, "You're right; they are." He removed his hand and ran calloused fingertips down muscular thighs, lean calves. They tightened, tensed under the light touch and made him draw in a breath sharply. When Riku leaned down and kissed the inside of his thigh, his nose being tickled by the hem of black boxers, Sora exhaled deeply.

"Ahh, Riku..." His head tilted back again, his face flushed in embarrassment. Riku made a low humming noise as he sucked gently, his lips vibrating against Sora's sensitive skin. Unconsciously, his bent leg relaxed and they spread slightly, making Riku grin at the easy access. Sora didn't even realize what he was doing to the silver boy; his willing body made Riku's ache with hunger.

"How did you get to be so strong?" Riku asked himself. It was a soft, rhetorical question that Sora heard and because he was so nervous, to keep himself from babbling, he answered.

"Well," Sora breathed as Riku's lips traveled to the other tense thigh, "it was either keep up or be left behind. Like we just didn't have enough time to stop and rest, get our breath back." I can hardly get my breath right now! "We spent all of our time running; running away from heartless, or running towards them." He gasped at a particularly harsh suck and a quiet hum. "And you wouldn't know it by looking at him, but Donald can book it." A low moan escaped his lips at a light nip from Riku. Apparently he ended up babbling anyway. Why was he babbling! Why did he feel like he had to explain? Riku seemed to be enjoying them well enough...

Sora lay back on the ground desperate for air, "Oh, God," the only form of coherent thought in his mind. He couldn't breathe, could barely think, could barely move. Now with the way that Riku scratched his nails none too gently down the backs of his shaking legs. Not with the way Riku's tongue slipped under the the hem of black to tease. Definitely not with the way Riku's skilled mouth closed over the head of Sora's clothed cock, making him arch his back, thrust his hips slightly with need, before Riku came up to kiss Sora fervently.

"You're gorgeous, Sora," the pale boy groaned against the brunet's cheek, as Sora sucked his earlobe into his mouth, chewing gently with his teeth.

"Thanks," he said with a groan of his own. "You're not so bad yourself, from what I can see..." He let go of Riku's ear, took hold of his shoulders and flipped them deftly so Sora was in between Riku's legs. "Let me see the rest."

He kissed Riku, coaxing his tongue into wrestling while a nervous hand worked on the button and zipper of Riku's jeans. The silver haired boy smirked when Sora pulled away, tugging determinedly at the waistband. "Be my guest," he said. His voice was low and raspy with an unusual thickness that spoke of desire, and made Sora shiver and blush as Riku lifted his hips.

The denim came away easily baring long pale legs, just as muscled as Sora's. They tensed and flexed under Sora's scrutinizing gaze. He would never admit that he was nervous, but as Riku sat there panting slightly, watching Sora drag his eyes over his exposed body, there was a short moment when he wanted to stop, wanted to run away from the feelings he had. But then Sora lifted his gaze and smiled at Riku. It was innocent despite their positions, and so bright it seemed to light up the still dark early morning. His blue eyes sparkled with mischief, shone with a feeling he knew Riku wasn't ready to receive out loud yet. But seeing that look in Sora's eyes, understanding it for what it was staggered Riku. And the shock and pleasure he found in knowing he returned it was greater, stronger than any emotion he'd ever felt. It thrilled him to know that they didn't have to speak to tell each other 'I love you'.

It thrilled him almost as much as when Sora slid up his body, fluid as water and licked a long and hard line up the side of his neck to his jaw. "Riku," he said quietly, seductively, "you were pretty good with your mouth..." He licked back down Riku's straining neck to nibble on his clavicle. "Let me show you how good I am with mine." Riku's mouth hung open involuntarily as Sora slithered down his body, catching a stiff nipple in between his teeth, running his tongue over it harshly before trailing that hot, wet tongue down his torso, over quivering muscles, down to the waistband of his boxers. He teased Riku by nudging his tongue just under the band, brushing lightly over the tip of his erection, making him gasp.

His fingers gripped the waistband and he looked up at Riku. "I may have gotten on my knees for you before," he admitted reluctantly, "but I'm on them for you again." With a fire in his eyes he dragged the band down, freeing Riku. "And this time I'll do something more...productive than crying." He gave one long and hard lick from base to tip, as he'd done with Riku's neck before closing his mouth around him.

Riku had to work hard to keep his eyes from crossing as Sora bobbed his head up and down on his throbbing length. "Jesus Christ," he said through gritted teeth.

"You know," Sora said thoughtfully, sucking on the side here and there, "most people just call me Sora." He lapped at the red, angry tip like a cat. "But I guess that's fine too," he smiled, sucking him in deep. Sora's hands were holding Riku's hips down with force. The power excited him, urged him on.

Riku gave a breathless chuckle cut off by a strangled moan as Sora swallowed Riku's cock, still deep in his mouth. "Sora," he moaned quietly, and the fact that it was his name Riku was moaning motivated him to do better. Releasing Riku for a long enough moment to drag the silver boy's boxers off, leaving him pale and naked on the dirt, various articles of clothing lying near them, Sora growled appreciatively at his form. Even in the pale morning he could see the straining muscles in his legs, the cords of his neck visible, his arms trembling with support and breaking control, the flush of his cheeks, the gleam in his eyes. He leaned back down and dragged his teeth along the edges of Riku's shaft, swirling his tongue around the tip and sucking him violently in. A hand came up to lightly massage his sac and Riku bucked up into his mouth with another strangled moan, wanting, craving, needing more. Sora moaned around Riku's member and he gave another strangled cry when Sora sucked harshly at just the swollen head, his hand leaving the sac to stroke what his mouth was not occupying.

Oh, fuck, Riku thought as he bucked into Sora's mouth again. He could feel the brunet grinning and knew that if Sora didn't stop, this would be over before it got to the fun part. And because the thought of being inside Sora's tight, hot ass instead of his tight, hot mouth was so appealing and made him groan, he pushed Sora off of his penis, the younger boy pouting. He pushed Sora down on his back and crawled on top, hands running over his slick body and kissing him desperately.

"I want you," he panted. "I have to have you." He dragged those wretched black boxers down Sora's lanky, tanned limbs until they were gone, ran a hand up his leg to palm his erection while his other hand kneaded the back of Sora's neck. The brunet's long groan was loud and all the invitation Riku needed.

His lips were frantic on Riku's, struggling, fighting for and against pressure. He could feel Riku press himself against Sora's body and wanted more. He jerked his hips to brush erection against erection, making them both moan into each others' mouths. Suddenly, Riku's mouth was gone and fingers were probing at his swollen and abused lips.

"Suck," Riku said, grinding his hips against Sora's again. "Sora, I need you to suck. We haven't got anything else." His eyes were urgent and apologetic. Sora nodded, barely able to think straight as he drew the fingers in his mouth, coating them as he swirled his wet tongue around the digits. He curled his wet muscle around one and then the others to completely cover them in slick saliva, releasing them with a wet pop for Riku's inspection.

Swiftly Riku's hand reached between Sora's legs and he glanced at Sora. His eyes were a darker green than Sora had ever seen, fierce with lust, stormy with desire. He nodded again, silently telling him he was good to go.

"I'm sorry," Riku said quietly and one finger slid around the quivering, tight ring of muscle before entering with difficulty.

Well, that wasn't so bad, Sora thought, wiggling his body around to ease the minor discomfort and get used to the intrusion. The finger slid out and back in again, and had him flushing with pleasure. Not so bad at all.

Then Riku pushed a second finger in along with the first and Sora winced. Maybe not, he thought, grimacing around the pain. Riku leaned forward and tried to distract him by kissing his pursed lips, nibbling on his straining neck. With gentle pushes in and out of the tight body and gentle scissoring, Riku waited until Sora looked relaxed before sliding in a third.

He briefly hated himself for the hiss of pain that left Sora's mouth. "Goddamn, Riku, fuck."

"I know, I know," he said soothingly, kissing his shoulders, reaching his other hand up to stroke him gently, teasingly. "I'm sorry," he leaned his forehead against Sora's sweaty neck and curled his fingers, searching, searching. He moved his hand slowly, hoping, praying to God that they would get through this part, that Sora wouldn't ask him to stop. His fingers stretched and curled until they brushed lightly against an unfamiliar, rougher patch of skin and Riku's hand froze when Sora cried out lightly, jerking up.

"I'm sorry, Sora..." for a moment, Riku wanted to stop himself.

"Don't apologize for that, Christ, do it again."

Riku kissed the boy underneath him fervently as his fingers tried to curl in the exact same way. It took him a moment for him to find it, but when he did, Sora moaning into his mouth and arching into him, trembling against Riku was his delicious prize.

"Riku, oh Riku, God, please." His blue eyes were hazy and had just enough determination in them to make Riku chuckle. He withdrew his hand and Sora whimpered, feeling oddly empty. He wanted that feeling again, that pleasure of heated flesh moving in him.

Slightly embarrassed and regretful that they didn't have anything more sanitary, Riku spit into his open palm, rubbed it over his erection as make-shift lube. I'm carrying it everywhere with me from now on, he thought as he aligned himself with Sora's body. I don't want to break him...

Tanned hands came up to frame his guilty and pale face. "Riku, you better not be thinking of me as fragile, because you know I'm not." At his surprised wince, Sora laughed breathlessly. "I can take a little pain, you know." Lust clouded his blue eyes and made them shine. "Come on Riku. I want you." Sora trailed a hand down his neck, over his chest, around to his back to rest on the swell of his ass. Gentle pressure urged Riku to move forward, the head of his pulsing length swallowed by Sora's body.

Rough fingers dug into Riku's skin at the substantial intrusion. Riku slid forward fairly easily, be it was difficult in other ways for him. Difficult because he knew it hurt Sora; he could see it on his face, feel it in his strained body. Difficult because it was so much more than he ever thought it would be. Indescribable heat, tight heat. God, he just wanted to rock forward, sheath himself completely and move like lightning, while at the same time wanting to drag it out, move slow and drive them both crazy with endless friction.

Finally buried to the hilt, finally, he allowed a sigh to escape. "Sora," Riku said as he brought a shaking hand up to grip his shoulder.

Full—incredibly full was all Sora felt. The intrusion was uncomfortable but it was Riku. They had never been so connected and the thought thrilled him. He lifted his hips slightly and a strangled gasp escaped Riku's lips. He was struggling to hold still, Sora could tell, for his sake. With a knowing smile, Sora felt Riku slide out slightly and press back in by the drop and lift of his hips. It was an encouragement, a plea for Riku to move.

With as gasp of the brunet's name, Riku did, and discomfort quickly lost the battle with pleasure. Riku pulled back and, agonizingly slow, sheathed himself again. Sora was constricting around him in a way his hand had never been able to accomplish.

"So tight," he whispered in awe, rocking back into the boy beneath him again. His hand left Sora's shoulder to dig into the dirt.

Sora arched his back and tried to find Riku's rhythm, lifting his honeyed hips to meet Riku's alabaster ones. Flesh met flesh, groan met groan.

Craving his touch, needing the closeness, Sora snapped his hips up. Riku made an unmanly, high pitched moan, but it was forgotten when Sora whimpered and said, "Riku, please. More. I need more."

Oh my god, was all Riku could manage in his head as he thrust harshly into the boy beneath him, mewls of bliss his reward. Panting, arms trembling, Riku moved powerfully in and out of Sora. Stunned with the heat, the tight passage, Riku leaned down to kiss Sora.

Their tongues mimicked their groins, sliding lewdly in and out of each others' mouths. They kissed wetly and sloppily but it was Sora, and it was Riku, and it was wonderful. Sora sighed against the older boy's lips, whispered his lover's name softly, sweetly. He wrapped his arm around his sweat slicked neck, tangled long fingers in damp silver hair and drew him closer, knowing they would never be close enough. And at this moment, it didn't even matter to him what Riku had done—there was only each other and the brightening sky, and the sea. For this moment, it all belonged to them.

Riku nipped at Sora's lip, slid his soothing tongue over the bite just so he could do it again. A particularly hard jerk of his hips had Sora crying out beneath him, writhing in shocking pleasure. "Again," he'd demanded with lustful eyes. Riku obeyed to the best of his ability.

Fire spread through his veins in hot desire, driving into impending release. He wasn't expecting to last long, and from the way Sora had removed his hand from Riku's neck to reach down and stroke himself, tugging harshly at the engorged, reddish-purple head of his cock, Sora wasn't expecting it either.

But that was alright. Riku placed his hands on Sora's hips and, blindly, Riku snapped against him, propelling himself deep into Sora and pulling the brunet towards him at the same time. The boy was a hot mess beneath him, skin flush, caramel hair messy and sticking to his forehead, breath coming in short little gasps and cries of exertion and pleasure. One hand tightened on Riku's hair, pulling his head back violently, forcing a loud groan from the boy so Sora cold attack the pale, pulsing neck with lips, tongue and teeth. His other hand pulled at the taut skin of his heavy arousal rapidly; it was leaking freely.

"God, Riku. I'm gonna...I'm-!" He cut himself off and howled into Riku's throat as Riku slammed into his prostate once, twice. Sora's hand tightened on his cock and he could see nothing but white, white bliss. He surrounded himself in the pleasure, in Riku and shuddered violently, sticky wetness landing on his chest in hot spurts.

He closed around Riku, choking his length as his opening forced him out and sucked him back in. It was more than he could take.

Riku's hips bucked wildly, bringing him to peak. Sora lay limp underneath him, shuddering from his release and the continuous pleasure from Riku's frantic thrusts.

"Riku," he said quietly, bringing a shaky hand to his lover's face. Riku's thrusts were shallow and jerky; his hands wanted to slip on Sora's sweat-slicked skin so his grip tightened on bronzed hips, bruising Sora but he didn't mind. Riku's mouth hung open slightly, breath leaving him in short gasps as he thought, almost there, so close, so close, almost—

"Sora!" he cried out, eyes wide. THERE. His seafoam eyes locked on Sora's glassy cobalt ones before looking up, out over the water, stunned in pleasure.

And the sun crept up from the horizon, blinding him with the first brilliant rays of orange even as he was blinded by his orgasm. He moaned, long and loud as his rigid body emptied into the trembling boy beneath. Unbelievably weak, he fell beside the brunet, slipping out as he did. Sora whispered his name over and over, soft as the breeze. "Riku, Riku, Riku."

It took him a moment, but when he had enough of his breath back he pushed sticky silver hair off his forehead and said, "You were right. I really, really enjoyed the sunrise." He brushed a fingernail over one of Sora's sensitized nipples and the brunet laughed breathlessly. He grabbed Riku's roaming hand and brought it to his mouth to kiss his fingertips. The sun inched cautiously over the sea, bathing them in gold.

Sora sat up, surprised that his backside didn't hurt anymore than it did, though he supposed he'd be a bit sore later. Riku hadn't exactly been gentle, but he definitely wasn't going to complain. The only pain was a slightly throbbing ache at the small of his back. Sora cracked his knuckles over his head, stretching his arms up with a sigh of pleasure. He grinned cheekily at Riku, who had propped himself up on his elbow and Sora playfully slapped his thigh before scurrying to his feet.

"C'mon!" he cried out joyfully. "Let's go swimming." He ran naked to the edge, turned his head towards Riku and gave him a saucy wink before wiggling his butt and cannon-balling in.

Riku stood slowly, carefully; his knees were still a bit weak. But he walked to the precipice just as Sora popped up out of the water to fling his soaked hair back. He swam close enough to the edge that he could stand in hip deep water, right before a four foot sudden drop."C'mon, Riku!" He waved his arms in invitation. And the laugh that rang out, was the same laugh he heard at the end of his dream every time. That heartbreaking, beautifully free sound staggered him, and Riku had to brace himself on a nearby tree to keep from stumbling back. A moment of recovery was all he needed before a joyous laugh of his own escaped and he backed up a few steps, took a running leap and cannon-balled recklessly into the water, right behind Sora.

The brunet threw his hands up and scrunched his eyes shut in protection from the spray, but when he opened his eyes, he didn't see Riku anywhere.

"Riku?" He walked forward a step in the hip deep water, and would never admit to the girlish shriek that rang out in the early morning sunlight, as Riku appeared behind him with a roar. Sora turned around with a chuckle and placed a hand on his lover's shoulder. The two seemed to sparkle like sunbeams on the water as the sunlight played over the shining drops on their skin.

He leaned close and whispered, "Found you."

With a happy grin, Riku gathered him close, one hand threading through those caramel locks, the other arm wrapping around his lower back, forcing them closer. He pressed his lips to Sora's with an urgency that delighted him. He tasted of a wonderful mixture between salty sea and something that was so utterly Sora. The younger boy snaked an arm around Riku's neck, the other resting gently on a sharp hipbone, grinning into the kiss.

And as they stood connected in the water, slick against each others' bodies, tangled in each others' arms, Riku thought, Yeah. You found me.

A/N: OH. MY. GOD.

FINALLY. I'm done. My very first fanfiction and I am so very, very proud of it. :) I really hope you enjoyed reading this; PLEASE REVIEW. I would love to hear feedback from all of you. :D