Reflection of the Heart

Extra Warning: By the way, this story may have Spoilers from all three Kingdom Hearts games, from characters to storyline information. Though most of it is changed for my fanfiction.

Reflection of the Heart

Chapter One: Reflection of His Heart

~5:46 P.M., Earlier That Day~

Picking up a tiny rock, he studied it briefly before taking a breath and chucking it through an open window.

It was the evening now, the glowing orange sun was setting just along the horizon, leaving a beautiful pinkish-orange glow in its wake.

He waited patiently, leaning back on the tree he was perched in, one leg swinging lazily off the branch while the other was folded neatly underneath him. His sharp aqua eyes were trained on the same open window, a light sparkle meeting with them once he saw his vision of untamed spikes and glowing sapphire eyes come directly into his view.

Those precious rosy lips broke into a wide smile of the almost feminine like body leaned against the sill of the window. “That hit my head you know.”

He only smirked in response, relishing in the voice that had erupted from the petite boy that leaned forward still and took the end of the branch with delicate fingers. He gave it light shake and the silver haired beauty’s lips broke into a beautiful smile of his own as he laughed, easily steadying himself so that he would not fall.

The boy had the power to lift his soul straight out of hell with the innocence of his laugh. He could sooth even the most corrupted of his thoughts with the naivety of his nature. He could calm any of his rage with just the sweetness held in his voice. And Sora could eclipse all of his darkness with just the light he held in his heart. Sora was his other half–he completed Riku.

As the laughter calmed, Riku found himself lost in an deep blue. All he would ever need–all he had ever truly had–was in that one boy. His best friend. His light. His salvation...

“Riku What are you doing in the tree?” an all too familiar voice giggled. Startled out of his thoughts, Riku nearly fell out of the tree as the red head walked up to stand right beside his angel.
.
In the end, he was hanging by his hands on the branch while the pair in the window laughed at his antics. “Aww, did I scare you?” the girl asked with mock sweetness while the boy at her side snickered. This made the teen glare directly at the red head, his face unreadable though his eyes practically shined with malice.

Damn her. She always managed to ruin everything between himself and his salvation.
“Why are you here?” he asked her matter of factly, ending the laughter somewhat abruptly.

“Huh? What do you mean?” she asked, bewildered.

“It’s a simple question Kairi,” Riku replied, frowning now. She looked at him slightly confused before as if something dawning on her, she returned the favor of his glance and Sora, feeling the tension, laughed suddenly. “Riku, it’s Kairi She practically lives here ”

“I noticed,” he grumbled as he monkey barred his way to the end of the branch and with a small rock to and fro, landed on the sill of Sora’s window with the grace of a cat, causing the pair to stumble backwards to give him room to come in. As he did, he caught sight of gold hidden behind Kairi’s that made him pause. His eyes met with hers briefly, his expression still indecisive. But Riku was by no means stupid. And the girl had better not have what he thought she did hiding behind her back...

“She just came back,” Sora voice replied, breaking through his thoughts. He walked past the duo and plopped down on his bed. Kairi shifted uncomfortably for a moment as she took a look at the golden thing behind her back, sending Riku a look of pure annoyance that she thought he wouldn’t catch before taking a seat at Sora’s computer desk.

He simply ‘hmphed’ before leaning back on the wall, his arms crossing over his chest.

He had to admit, he was getting rather anxious about whether he was right about what she was hiding behind her back. It wasn’t like Kairi to hide things. She practically never needed to, the girl was so honest. But whatever it was, he was certain it as meant for Sora. And more over, she didn’t want Riku involved. This made his frown darken. If she was giving his Sora that stupid fruit...

“...Selphie.”

“What about Selphie?” Riku asked, turning his attention back to Sora who was staring up at him with a raised eyebrow. “I said: Kairi had to have a girl meeting with Selphie. Though why, she won’t tell me ” he spoke louder, looking at the now laughing red head.

“I told you Sora, it’s a secret,” she teased with a wink. “She had to give me something important.”

“Something you can’t show me?” Sora replied, his perfect lips forming into the most adorable pout Riku had ever seen. The teen quickly adverted his eyes so that no one would catch him staring for too long.

“That’s right. Because there is a conspiracy against you and you already know to much,” Kairi teased in a mysterious voice before sticking her tongue out him.

“Fine, be that way Kairi. See if I tell you what you’re getting for your birthday,” Sora replied in a mock sad tone as he got up from his bed and strolled over to the door. “I’m going for chips before I’m jumped by the CIA. Anybody want anything?”

“Sprite please ” Kairi replied happily, her attention fully on Sora. So much so that she wasn’t aware that Riku had snuck up right behind her, trying to figure out a way to get whatever she had hiding from her. He had to know what she was trying to accomplish. What the little brat was giving to his Sora.

The cinnamon haired teen laughed before turning his attention to Riku. “Ku?”

“Hm. Dr. Pepper if you have one,” he replied, causing Kairi to jump slightly and turn her attention to how close he was to her, though she still hide her item well.

“Kay guys, be back in a sec,” Sora smiled before leaving his room in a mild sprint. Riku listened to his fading footfalls before turning his full attention back to the red head that was already staring back at him, a quizzical look on her face.

“What.”

“What, ‘what’ Riku?”

“What’s this?” he replied in a bored tone, snatching the item that Kairi had been hiding straight from the girl and backing away from her.

“Riku ” Kairi shouted angrily as she quickly got to her feet. “Just give that back right now ”

Riku ignored her pleas, taking a good look at what Kairi was trying to keep away from Sora.

‘That desperate Kairi?’ he thought while his aqua eyes narrowed, flaring with malice. He’d known it when he saw the flash of gold but really. What the hell did the girl think she was doing giving such an item to his Sora? If anyone was to give such him a token of the heart, it would be him and only him.

Keeping his face as indifferent as possible, he looked up at Kairi, who now played with her hands nervously as she watched him.

“A Paopu Fruit?” he asked in his silk like voice.

He watched as a light tint of pink hit the younger teens cheeks before she turned away from him, still playing with her hands. “ It was Selphie’s idea,” she explained. “She was giving one to Tidus and she thought...she’d give one to me... to give to someone else.

“Right. I see,” he replied with a hint of coldness before tossing the fruit back toward her. Kairi caught it at the last second, nearly dropping it before she looked up at him with a light frown.

“Be careful Riku I don’t want it to break ”

“Yes, because we all know that the world would cease to spin if anything ever happened to your precious Paopu Fruit,” he retorted coldly.

The pair glared at each other for what seemed like an eternity before finally annoyed by the little exchange, Riku moved across the room, taking a seat on Sora’s bed. He leaned backward, holding himself up by his elbows, never breaking eye contact with Kairi.

“You’re not...jealous are you Riku?” she asked quietly, almost in a fearful tone. Riku fought hard not to make a face and resided himself to smirking before letting go of rather loud scuff of amusement. “Jealous of what Kairi? You?”

“You just seem upset,” Kairi responded. “About me wanting to give the fruit–”

Riku hunched, making the girl quiet down a moment. Silence was good around Kairi. She didn’t have a bad voice. Riku just couldn’t stand to hear it at all times and moods–like now. But alas, all good things had to come to an end.

“Selphie told me what the fruit meant,” she continued, playing with the stem on the fruit nervously. “And I mean, I thought it would be a good idea... before we set off tonight–”

“So you thought you’d give it to Sora,” he finished , his foot tapping impatiently on the floorboard underneath it. He briefly wondered why it had taken so long for Kairi to find out the legend of the Paopu. She’d been on the island just as long as he had: they were both born here.

“Well...”

“Doesn’t matter,” he replied, cutting her off.

She looked up at him, ceasing playing with the stem. “What?”

Riku didn’t reply quickly as he contemplated his words before he spoke them. Perhaps he had no right to stand in the girls way. After all, it wasn’t like he’d told Sora any of his feelings not back when they were younger and didn’t understand them nor now when he was fully aware of what they meant.

But even Riku had to admit one of his...less than pleasing qualities was that he had a habit of being quite possessive. And with Sora, he just felt like he had ever right to be so. After all, it wasn’t Kairi who had found the boy when he’d washed up on shore.

...Okay, he hadn’t either, but he was certainly the first one Selphie told about “a mermaid washing up on shore”. Though it wasn’t a mermaid. Hell, it wasn’t even a fish. Or a girl for that matter. It was an angel.

But in any case, he was the first person the boy saw when he’d awoken from his slumber. The first to befriend the shy, scared boy after he’d learned his soon to be bored existence on this forsaken island. The first to introduce him properly to now regrettably, the red head along with the rest of their circle of friends. The first to see the boy’s beautiful smile, the first to feel the warmth from the embrace of his hug.

Riku’s eyes sharpened as he’d come to his decision. He had been a lot of first for Sora. And he’d be damned if he wasn’t the first to have the boy’s heart.

“Riku ”

He snapped out of his thoughts, glaring up slowly at her. She looked back up him, flustered. “What doesn’t matter Riku? What did you mean by that ”

Riku stared at her a moment longer before closing his eyes, a hint of a smirk tracing over his lips.

“The fruit. It’s just that–a fruit. If you really think giving that to someone will really keep you in that’s person’s life, let alone their heart–well it’s just ridiculous. A pathetic attempt at taking something that never belonged to you in the first place.

He opened his pale pools of aqua locking them on a deep ocean that stared back at him in a hurt fashion. He could see that she’d lowered the fruit slightly. “It doesn’t matter because the fruit means nothing. If you really mean anything to Sora, you don’t have to give him a stupid fruit.”

He watched with almost a perverse pleasure as Kairi opened her mouth to reply but gentle shut it, the fruit hanging dully at her side now as she barely held on to it. Her eyes dropped his gaze, intent at looking at her own lacy sneakers instead. If the girl cried, he was sure he might burst out laughing. He believed only half of what he said however: the fruit was a token of affection to him though–he did believe that one shouldn’t have to depend on it just to keep themselves in someone’s heart. And it seemed that Kairi was trying to do just that.

The silence had become deafening now as he continued to watch the girl who refused to even remotely look at him now.

He didn’t hate Kairi. Really he didn’t–the girl had been his first friend. And his best friend for as long as he could remember. And in a sense, she still was. But Sora was his light–and Kairi was trying to steal that light away from him. And best friend or not, he wouldn’t allow this. . She already had far too much of his attention now–Riku didn’t want to think about what Sora’s reaction to her giving him that stupid fruit would be.

Riku wanted to give himself a chance. He needed that chance. He needed to know if he even had a chance. If he did not–well Kairi could give Sora all the Paopu Fruit she wanted until she was blue in the face.

“Okay, so, we didn’t have any Sprite, but we did have Mountain Dew so I hope that’ll work Kai,” he heard Sora tease in sing song voice, breaking his train of thought. “And Riku, I found a Dr. Pepper, though strangely, someone seems to have opened and already taken a sip out of it.”

Riku rolled his eyes and smirked. Sora was always taking sips out of his drinks. It was just something he’d done ever since they were younger, when the boy snuck a sip of milk from his glass while eating cookies.

His entire mood brightened once he saw the vision of untamed spikes waltzing in the room with a small tray of snacks and three cans of soft drinks. But this ended once Sora took one good look at Kairi after trying to give her her drink.

“Oh come on Kai. Mountain Dew isn’t that bad,” Sora joked but his smile faltered quickly once she realized she wasn’t biting. Even Riku had to admit, the girl did look pathetic.

“Kai? What’s the matter?” The girl didn’t answer and Sora turned his attention to Riku with a bewildered expression. “Ku? What’s the matter with Kairi?”

Riku hunched. “How should I know?” Sora frowned at him in a disbelieving way before both boys jumped at Kairi chucking something clear out of the window in anger, her eyes watering slightly.

Riku raised an eyebrow. What he said wasn’t that bad...

“Kairi?” Sora questioned softly.

“I gotta go,” she sniffled, already making her way to the exit.

“Huh?” Sora replied in surprise as he watched her, Riku doing the same, though not nearly as interested.

“I promised Selphie I’d help her pack before we left,” the red head insisted in a small voice, walking straight out the door.

“Kai ” Sora called, and Riku could tell by his movements he was thinking of going after her. Geez, he hoped not. Just let her go–for once.

He saw Sora pause when the girl stuck her head back through the doorway with the worse fake smile Riku had ever seen.

“See you guys tonight ” she called back in false happiness, giving both boys a small wave before all the boys could hear was her vanishing footfalls and the slam of the front door a few moments later.

Sora continued to stare at the door in total bewilderment while Riku simply laid back on the bed in content.

Finally, he had his angel all to himself.

Or at least, he’d thought he had at the time.
“RIKU ”

He heard the voice echo at him for the fourth time that night. Or perhaps morning was the better term. Despite the darkness that continued to fill the sky, Riku was pretty sure it was some time after twelve.

The silver haired beauty looked down toward the ground, a deep frown etched on his face as he watched Sora–though thankfully alone–beginning his climb up the tree.

He didn’t bother to look up when he felt the weight of the branch shift but he could feel a set of steady eyes on his person.

“Riku, what the hell was that all about?” Sora demanded.

At this, Riku rolled his eyes. “Forgive me Sora. I forgot how ‘wrong’ it is to remotely have anything ‘mean’ to say about poor, defensless, my world should revolve around, Kairi.” he snapped in dry sarcasm.

“Riku,” Sora began in a disapproving tone.

“Don’t start with my Sora,” Riku cut him off, waving his hand in dismissing manner as leaned back on the base of the tree. “I’m not in the mood for this.”

“But I’ve barely said anything ” Sora protested and Riku couldn’t help but think he sounded cute when he pouted.

“You’ve said more than enough and we both know what this is about. It’s always what you’re about now a days, right Sora?” Riku stated bitterly, now looking intently into sapphire eyes head on. He could see a flicker of something cross Sora’s face, but the emotion faded far to fast for even him to catch.

“Riku, I never–wait. What?”

The silver haired teen only narrowed his eyes.

“Riku, what are you talking about?” Sora demanded frustrated. “Don’t talk in riddles. I can barely understand when talk now I don’t like having to think hard unless I have to ”

An attempt to lighten up the mood. It didn’t work. And the cimmamon haired boy knew so as the brief playful smirk quickly faded in a sigh and an annoyed glare. “Come Riku, stop being so stubborn– ”

“I’m not being stubborn Sora,” Riku retorted angrily, taking the boy aback. “Though with all the time you spend with Kairi, I’m surprised you even noticed what I act like Sora.”

Okay...maybe he was acting more like a brat but geez, where did Sora get off judging his actions when he barely paid attention to them in the first place?

Said teen watched a moment longer in slight shock, before frowning in bewilderment again. “What’s that suppose to mean ”

Riku’s eyes narrowed as he gave Sora an annoyed look. The boy wasn’t just naive. He was completely clueless. “Be serious Sora. This is the first time in what? Years that you’ve gone anywhere without your shadow?”

“Riku, I just wasted the rest of the evening with you packing and stuff like, an hour ago ”

“And believe me, the peanut gallery thanks you for wasting a few of your precious moments to spend that time with me,” he replied dryly.

“That’s not what I meant, you know it, and Kairi is not my shadow ” Sora replied defensively.

“Who can tell?” Riku snapped in an accusing tone, sitting up now. “ It’s always just you and Kairi. It’s like I–”

Riku quickly cut himself off, realizing he might blurt out far too much too soon. Not that he had anything loose but this wasn’t the way he wanted to tell Sora. Not in anger. Not while his heart was in pain from knowing his light was so far away from him.

“You know what Sora, I’m done,” Riku sighed, no longer offering Sora his eye contact. He heard a frustrated growl from across the branch.

“You can’t just scream at me, then cut off something important you were going to say then just tell me we’re finished without letting me defend myself Tell me what you were about to say Riku ”

He was met with silence.

“Riku.”

Annoyed.

“. . . .Riku ”

Pouting.

“Damn it Riku ”

Anger.

Riku felt another shift in the branch but didn’t look up, thinking the boy had finally had enough and simply, got down. But this ended when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist in a tackling motion from the side, causing the usually graceful boy to loose his balance and go tumbling clear off the branch...and onto the ground, the upper portion of his body dangling off the edge of the small cliff his tree sat on.

His blazing aqua eyes trained themselves angrily on Sora, who had the nerve to laugh loudly as he sat up but not completely off of Riku. Not that Riku entirely minded, especially since Sora was straddling his waist quite nicely. Stupid naive lights.

“What in the hell was that Sora?” he snapped at him.

“Maybe if you’d stop being so stubborn, I wouldn’t have to resort to such cheap tactics,” Sora replied in triumph.

“Oooh big word,” Riku teased coldly.

Sora didn’t take offense. “I’ve been trying to use one once a day,” he joked, still laughing slightly to himself.

Riku rolled his eyes and sighing, laid back, letting his head hang of the cliff and look down at the water below. Dark. Violent. Cold. Isolated. Alone. It was like it was reflecting his feelings directly back to him. He didn’t seem phased as the ocean seemed to answer, violent waves crashed into the side of the small cliff, leaving a fine mist of water to spray upward and hit his face ever so lightly.

It took a few more moments before Sora’s bell like laughter died down and Riku could feel the brunette shifting his weight on him as he laid perfectly on top of the boy, bringing his face to hang directly over Riku’s. Riku ignored him–and the friction the boy gave him in his lower region.

“I’m really sorry Riku,” Sora replied, cutting him off. “I didn’t mean it, honest. I don’t want you to be upset–I hate when you get upset.”

Riku pondered his words for a moment then frowned. “Sora—you can’t be sorry about something you don’t understand what you did And you can’t promise you didn’t mean it for the same reason.”

“Riku, you just said–” Sora began to whine in aggravation but Riku turned his face away and cut him off with words of his own. “Doesn’t matter.”

And it didn’t right? Even if it did break the very core of his heart to know that Sora would rather spend all his free time, whether it was intimate or not, with someone else? It didn’t have to Kairi–just anyone other than him. He’d always thought of Sora as his light, that he would be the one that could be the keeper of Sora’s heart–or maybe it was simply wishful thinking on the part of a lost soul that needed something to cling to the little goodness he had left within.

He wanted Sora to be something he wasn’t–that he didn’t want to be...
“She’s just my best friend Riku,” Sora replied finally, and Riku took in sharp breath as Sora buried his face in the nook of his neck, nuzzling him slightly just as he had when he was younger. “She’s our best friend. I haven’t meant to spent more time with her at all. I-I thought I was spending time with both you guys. I mean we always hang out together.”

“That’s just it Sora,” Riku replied softly. “ ‘We’ always have to hang out together. It’s either the three of us or the two of you. But why the hell can’t I ever hang out with just Sora anymore? Why does it always have to be about what Kairi wants or what Kairi feels about things? Why the hell do I have to compete for her attention just to get your damn attention? Why can’t it just be you and I, like when we first met?”

Sora didn’t reply. He only shifted his face down to look at Riku’s chest, his arms still wrapped firmly around his neck.. They stayed this way in a heavy silence before Riku finally got up the nerve to say what he’d wanted to all along.

“Why don’t we just leave together Sora,” Riku finished. He watched as the brunette look up at him with sapphire eyes full of bewilderment yet wonder, his breath tickling his right cheek softly. He liked having Sora this close to him...

“What Riku?” he replied.

“Tonight. Let’s get off the island together,” Riku restated in a casual yet soft tone, his eyes now fully trained on the set of blue eyes staring back into his depths.

“But Riku,” Sora began with a small, thoughtful frown. He didn’t finish right away before he uttered. “What about Kai–”

Riku cut off the rest of that stupid sentence with his own bitter laughter as he sat up abruptly, pushing Sora away from his person. He should have known better really. Though ironically, he couldn’t help but have the fleeting thought that maybe Kairi had the right idea earlier. Maybe he should have given Sora a Paopu Fruit, then maybe he could keep the boy’s heart all to himself.

But then again, Riku was in love, not desperately so. He wanted to capture Sora’s heart with his own, not some damnable fruit.

“Never fails, does it?” Riku replied sarcastically as he got to his feet and turning on his heel, stormed off into the darkness of the beach for the second time that night, his hands in his pockets, leaving a guilt ridden Sora in his wake.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author Note:
This chapter was too long so the rest is chapter two. Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing so far and I hope you enjoyed!