The New Me

Chapter 35

A/N: OK! This will probably be my last note, save for one at the very end. I guess there’s a question that keeps popping up, and I keep forgetting/disregarding it. Sora and Riku are NOT gonna have sex. Sorry. NOR had Sora and Leon had sex. This one’s a shonen-ai story. Sorry to be a party pooper…believe me, I would write it, and I have at times had to stop myself from writing it in, but I really don’t think they’d be having sex at this point and time.

However! When I started this, I kind thought of tacking on an epilogue at the end, which would have them having sex….but I vowed to only do it if people liked the story enough for me to finish it and then some. And since including the original reviews and the new ones on this story, it totals over 150, I think I’ll do it.

But there is NO SEX, in the main story…..though there is some groping.

Sora and Riku walked hand in hand to the pier with the others in tow, when they got there, they found that Naminé was right.

“All the boats but your’s are gone…” Sora looked around. Riku nodded. “I guess we could make multiple trips.”

“No way,” Riku crossed his arms, “What about how you got to the island last time? Where’s that raft? It’s big enough for your friends.”

“Why do you need a raft,” Aerith looked at Riku, “Is that really safe?”

“There are no boats that go to Destiny Island, its too small for anything but our hang out.”

“Naminé,” Sora walked over to the blonde, “You come with me and we’ll get and extra raft for Leon and the others.”

As the two walked off, Leon and Riku turned to lock eyes. But before either could say anything, Aerith intervened, “SO,” She cut in between the two, “What do all do on the island?”

“…” Riku looked away from Leon, “We’re trying to build a boat…but mostly we goof off. Sometimes one of the guys will practice with me, or play blitz ball”

Yuffie looked out at the island, “It looks pretty from a distance. There are a lot of trees.”

“Yea, and there’s a special type of tree that grows there…we’ll have to show you.”

“Ok!” Naminé came running up, “We got a raft for us. It’s down by the pier over there.” She pointed down the docks a little.

“Ok then…Sora and I will take my boat, and you all come over on the raft.”

“I think I should go with them,” Riku looked over at Sora who now walked up, “Just to show them were to go.”

“They can see the island.” Riku snapped and jumped down into the boat, “I’m sure Leon and Cloud can row a boat, yes?”

“Yea, we can row,” Cloud decided to answer before Leon could get off a retort.

“Good,” Riku held out his hand. “Come on, Sora.” The brunet looked around before taking Riku’s hand and allowing himself to be pulled into the boat. He sat side ways on Riku’s lap and wrapped his arms around the silver haired boy’s waist. As they pulled away, Sora watched his friends leave the pier to go get on the raft Naminé had acquired for them.

“Remember the last time I sat on your lap?” Sora said absently.

“Yea, you kept squirming,” Riku smirked, “It was…rather interesting.” Sora blushed and muttered a sorry.

The two rowed in silence for a while before Riku started up another conversation. In truth it was one he had been waiting to have all day.

“So…what did Leon and you do while you were in the house?” Sora tensed a bit and buried his face in Riku’s neck.

“…nothing.” He murmured.

“Really?” Riku kept rowing and looking forward, he felt Sora nuzzle his neck and respond with a ‘yes’. “So then, why did you act like you did something?”

“What?”

“When you came out, you were all red….and you’re wearing that dress.” Riku looked down, “The same one you were in when we met. The one you said Leon had given you.”

“…”

“Sora, what happened?” He asked again a little more forcefully.

“Don’t you trust me?” Sora sat up and looked Riku in the face, “If it was anything bad, anything major, don’t you think I’d tell you?”

“I think you’d protect Leon, no matter what happened.” Sora looked down and Riku stopped rowing. The two sat in the boat halfway to Destiny Island, just floating on the water. “Sora,” Riku reached up and stroked his face, “What happened?”

“Riku….I…he…” the words seemed caught in Sora’s throat.

“Did he kiss you?” Riku asked. Sora bit his lip and nodded a little, he felt Riku take in a deep breath. “Did you kiss him back?” Sora didn’t do anything. “Sora? Did you?”

“I told him.” He looked up, “I told him, that you and I were dating. That there was, no way-”

“You kissed him didn’t you?” Riku asked in a flat tone. Sora just stared at him and then looked out at the island in front of them. “…What else did you guys do?”

“Nothing…Riku, please. Just, let it go-”

“Let it go!” Riku jerked his hand, and the ore smacked the water splashing the both of them, “After you threw a fit at me, saying you weren’t going to get back with Leon-”

“I didn’t!” Sora started yelling now too. “I didn’t want him to! He just snuck up on me! He asked me, for one last time…just once more before we part…What was I supposed to do!”

“Tell him to fuck off!”

“Riku….I can’t…Leon is,” Sora looked up apologetically, but he stopped talking.

“What else did he do Sora?” The boy looked confused, “I can tell that there’s more. You wouldn’t be acting like you are if it was just a kiss. A kiss makes you angry, this is…something else.”

Sora shifted on Riku’s lap, “Can I tell you once we get to the island…If they see us sitting out here-”

“I don’t care. Tell me what happened.”

Sora looked down for a moment and leaned forward, “…He…I backed into a wall, and I told him, that I was with you. And, he said you were right, about us not spending time together. That he never really made an effort…So he asked, for a good bye.”

Riku gripped the ores, “What kind of good bye.”

“…”

“Sora?”

“He kissed me…a lot,” the brunets face went red, “And he, uh, his hands…” Sora extend his hands used them to push back Riku’s hair and run them down the sides of his face, down his shoulders and gripped his arms. “Like that.”

“And that’s all?”

“That’s all.” Riku stared at Sora for a moment and started rowing again. “Riku…?”

“You’re lying.” He said flatly. “But if you won’t tell me what Leon did, I’ll ask myself.” They rowed the rest of the way in silence. Once they were within wading distance to the island, Sora jumped out of the boat. The water came up to his knees, but he ran up the shore. Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie watched him go running by, and then watched Riku dock.

“What was that all about, ya?”

“Nothing…” Riku brushed some hair out of his face. “Listen, Naminé’s bringing Sora’s friends over. When Leon gets here, send him to Paopu Island. Got it?” Riku turned around and started to walk off.

“Err, Riku! Wait,” Selphie spoke up, “We need to tell yo-”

“It can wait until after this!” He stormed off. The other three just looked at each other confused.

Sora wasn’t sure why, but his feet carried him up the slight incline of the island. He held his eyes over his hands to stop himself from crying. He couldn’t understand why he was so upset, but he felt the irony of it. In some strange way, he had accomplished his original goal. Riku was pissed with him, he could tell. He had messed up Kairi, he had angered Riku, and he had Leon. But he wasn’t at all happy about it.

He had to remove his hands from his eyes when he felt himself become tangled in vines. He pulled his arms away and realized he was standing in the entrance to the Secret Place. He sniffled a bit and walked in. He placed on hand along the wall as he walked. As he neared the large room at the end, he heard his sniffs echoed…or maybe it was someone else?


When Naminé docked the raft, she looked at the others confused.

“What’s up with Riku and Sora?”

“Oh you saw that, did you?”

“Of course!” Yuffie said angrily, “We were right behind them.”

“Well,” Wakka pointed to the little island, “Riku said he wants Leon to meet him there, which ever one of you that is?”

The others looked at Leon, “Where’s Sora?”

“He ran for the secret place,” Tidus pointed to the vines.

“I’ll get Sora,” Yuffie offered.

“And I’ll talk to Riku,” Leon nearly growled. The two walked away from the group. Cloud and Aerith looked at one another a little worried.

Sora looked into the cave, and to his surprise, he saw Kairi. She was sitting facing the drawing of her and Riku exchanging a Paopu, with her head in her hands, sobbing. At first, he thought about backing up and leaving. But he soon realized that just meant having to face Riku, which he did not want to do. So he stood there for a moment, before taking a step forward.

“K-kairi?” He stammered, and the girl whirled around to look at him. Her face went from blank to angered. Suddenly Sora felt horrified for a repeat of before, but all she did was turn from him.

“Go away!”

“…Kairi? Why are you here?” He took a step forward.

“That’s a dumb question. This is our place, it’s you who doesn’t belong.”

“Kairi,” Sora walked up to her, “Why are you…”

“Because…I’ve lost. I’ve lost my friends, Riku…I’ve lost everything important to me.” She placed a hand on the image before her. “We were never supposed to part.”

“Kairi, I don’t think Riku wants you two to part.”

She turned and glared at him, “How do you know! He wants you, not me! What happens to me is unimportant now that he’s got you!”

“That’s not true.” Sora grabbed her hand, “Didn’t he talk to you that day in court? Didn’t he talk to you after the incident? Hasn’t he asked you to come back? You’re choosing to fuck things up by isolating yourself! You say you want Riku, but you push him away.”

“I push him away because he’s angry with me…” She lowered her head.

“He’s angry because you refuse to try and see any point other than your own! You lie to him, twist things to your point of view, and never let go! Even when you’re at fault, …even if done something to horrible wrong him...you…you still-” Sora stopped talking and looked down. “We still stay stuck in the past.”

Kairi looked up confused, “What did you say?”

“We’re stuck, Kairi…” He looked up at her, “Both of us are stuck in the past.” He pointed to the image on the cave wall, “You’re still trapped in a world, where it was you Riku desired, and I’m trapped in a world where I desired Leon. I told Riku, I wouldn’t be this ‘New Me’ any more…that I’d change back to the old me. Then we wanted everyone else to stay the same as well…but that’s the problem.” He sighed and smiled sadly, “Things change. We change.”

Kairi looked at the image and then at Sora, “If we don’t accept the changes, then we fall apart…If I don’t accept that Riku could love,” she hesitated, “A boy…then he’ll never love me again.”

“And if I don’t learn, that I can’t have Leon, then…I’ll never stop hurting Riku.” He sighed. “I was wrong.”

“We will have to change, won’t we?”

“Just…for the better.” The two looked at each other, and Sora smirked, “The thought of changing, is scary…”

“You don’t know the half of it.” Sora smiled at her. “Um, Sora…thank you.” The looked at her confused. “For what you did in court. You’re probably the reason I’m still on the islands.”

“You’re welcome, Kairi. And thank you.”

“Um?”

“For listening to me this time.” Kairi smiled.

“Don’t get me wrong! I’m still angry with you for lying.”

“Naturally.”

“It’s just…I miss my friends. I miss Riku. So if that means, having to swallow my pride, and putting up with you…then I will.”

The two smiled at each other, but their silence was broken when Sora herd his name being called. He turned around to see Yuffie in the entrance to the cave.

“Sora! There you are!”

“Yuffie?” He stood up. “What’s up?”

“It’s Leon, what else?” She looked behind him, “Who’s this?”

“Um, this is…”

“Kairi.” She stood up and extended her hand, but quickly lowered it when Yuffie’s face turned dark. Sora stepped in front of his friend.

“No, Yuffie, its ok. No need to hurt Kairi.”

“But, Sora!”

“No, Yuffie. It’s ok.” He looked over his shoulder, “Right Kairi?” The red head nodded.

“Fine…” Yuffie crossed her arms. “Anyway, we had better go, before Leon and Riku hurt each other.”

Leon walked onto the little island, a nonchalant look on his face. He spotted Riku sitting on a tree, looking out over the water.

“Why do you want to talk to me?”

“What did you do to my Sora?” Riku jumped down from the tree and glared.

“You’re Sora?” Leon walked up to him, “Funny, I don’t see your name on him. And he doesn’t seem to opposed to the idea of him and I being together.”

“That’s because you’re messing with his head!”

“His head?” Leon crossed his arms, “Well yes I suppose I did.” He smirked at Riku, enjoying the angry look on the boys face. “What’s the matter? Can’t take the taunts you dish out?”

“Shut up,” Riku balled his hands into fist, “I want you to leave Sora alone. When you’re gone it’s just going to be me and him, so cut the bullshit!”

“You’re right. It will just be you and him. Which is why…” Leon walked around Riku, “I had to make sure, I got in my lessons before I left.”

“…Lessons?”

“You did ask what I did with Sora? I’ll tell you.” Leon stopped walking behind Riku and leaned in to whisper to him, ‘I finished what I started that Christmas.’

Riku roared out and turned around to deck Leon in the face, the older teen grabbed his fist and held him at bay.

“I don’t know why you think I’d give up on Sora. I love him, you just want him. There’s a difference.”

“That’s not true! I love Sora! I do! You’re the one who just wants to fuck him!”

Leon shoved Riku back, “Watch you’re mouth. Sora’s better than that.”

“But you…you just said!”

“I know what I said. And I meant it. I made out with Sora in his room. A little more than that even.”

“How much more!?”

“Riku!” The two looked up at the bridge to see Kairi running across. She stopped behind the tree and looked angry at Leon. “Leave him alone!”

“…Its fine. I’m done anyway.” He walked around the tree, eyes locking with Kairi and walking away.

“Hey! Get back her-” Riku stopped as he watched Leon stop on the bridge and look down at Sora.

“…Hey kid.” He smiled. Sora smiled back.

“It was really good bye, wasn’t it?”

“Yea it was.”

Sora looked down at his feet, “I guess you were right. Everyone wants to get out of Traverse Town, my feelings are no different. I have to change, whether I want to or not.”

“Yea…” Leon tilted Sora’s face up to look at him, “But that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.” He kissed Sora on the nose and walked away.

Riku stared, confused and angry. “What…the…hell? Someone want to fill me in!”

Kairi turned around, “Riku, Sora and I came to apologize.”

“That’s right,” Sora walked up, “I came to tell you I’m sorry about Leon. You were right; I still have feelings for him. But I want to get over them…for you. So I won’t protect him anymore, and I won’t run to him any more.”

“And I won’t run from you any more.” Kairi smiled and took Sora’s hand. “We’re going to be…the best ‘New Us-es’ we can be.”

Riku scratched his head, “I thought we were trying not to change?”

“Everyone has to change, Riku.” Sora pointed out, “That’s life. It’s just a matter of changing for the better.”

“I see…” He looked at the two of them and smiled. “So…what now?”

Kairi looked at Sora, “I think I should talk to me dad about the restraining order. It will be hard for us to hang out if were not supposed to be near each other.”

“Is that why I can’t some near you! I thought the judge order that!”

“Nope.” Kairi smiled, “I asked for it.”

“Arg, Kairi,” Riku shook his finger at her. As he did, the rest of the kids pilled onto the bridge. They all watched waiting for a final verdict on what was going on. Riku looked up and hopped up on the tree, “OK! Let’s try this again…Everyone! This is Sora, the new kid!”

“And Naminé!”

“And Naminé,” Riku added and the blond smiled, “Now, I know summers almost gone, but I think with their help, we absolutely build a boa-”

“Oh NO!” Selphie yelled, “We’ll do no such thing!”

“Let’s have a picnic with Sora’s friends!” Riku opened his mouth to protest but was cut off.

“I can get my dad’s mini grill, ya.” He tried to interject again, but the idea gained momentum.

“Can anyone even barbeque?”

“Cloud can!” Sora pointed to Cloud on the other end of the bridge. Riku sighed and gave up on talking.

“Oh yea! A summer barbeque! What a great plan!” Yuffie jumped.

“We can go to the store and by some meat,” Aerith suggested.

“AND,” Everyone looked at Leon, “We need to do it all before ten.”

“Oh right! Sora’s curfew.”

“Ok then! Let’s get going!” Wakka grabbed Tidus, “We’ll get the grill!”

“I’ll get plates and stuff!” Selphie rushed off with Naminé in tow. Aerith walked up to the three and smiled.

“Rushing it a bit aren’t you, Sora?”

“Don’t worry Aerith,” Riku sat down on the tree, “for now, it’s settled…we’ll worry about the details as time goes on. Right guys.”

“Right!”

“Hmph, just like you Riku. Rush, rush, rush!”

“Kairi…” Riku whined.

Aerith took Sora’s hand, “is it ok if I borrow him for shopping?”

“Only if you buy him a dress that he’ll wear just for me.”

“Riku!”

Aerith laughed, “I’ll see what I can do.” And she pulled Sora along. Soon just Kairi and Riku were left on the island.

“So…” Riku leaned back on the tree and watch Kairi draw in the sand. “What changed your mind?”

“Sora did.”

“Really?”

“Yea,” she stood up, “He told me. I had to change, like you did, or I would lose you. And I couldn’t bare for that to happen.”

“…Kairi, you know-”

“I know,” she sighed, “You love Sora. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop loving you.” She walked over and kissed the side of his forehead. Riku rubbed it and smiled.

“Kairi…”

“Yea?” The boy reached up and ripped a Paopu from its resting place.

“Hungry?”