(KH) Only a Lifetime 04/06

[tsukinofaerii]

NC17

Only a Lifetime 04/06
By tsukinofaerii
Beta: shinineko1
Rating: SNAP
Supernatural/Romance
Warnings: Sexual, Disturbing, Violence, Death, Male/Male
Spoilers: No spoilers.
Series: Kingdom Hearts
Pairings: Sora/Riku(Sora)

Summary: Sora's been Riku's best friend since he moved into town three years ago. The week before graduation, Riku finds out Sora has a secret, and it's nothing like he would have ever expected. Complete short story.


This story is a work of transformative fiction, such being defined as a work which incorporates characters and situations which have been created by other authors/artists. No infringement of copyright is intended and no profit is being made from the creation or dissemination of this work. Kingdom Hearts was created and is owned by Tetsuya Nomura and Disney. It is used with respect and admiration for the work.

Note: No Kairi, because I admit to a tendency to bastardize her, and this story just didn't have room for the complications she would entail.

***
"So you're still going out with Sora?" Tidus walked backwards as the ticket line moved forward. A guy in a full-body werewolf costume grumbled as his too-long fur caught on Tidus's spiked wrist brace. "I could have sworn you weren't gay."

"Less than hetero," Riku reminded him. He tuned out the collection of chattering girls in Halloween pancake and faux leather. The second movie of the Nightwitch trilogy was making its debut, and absolutely everyone had arrived days early to get tickets for the first showing. If he hadn't been tricked into being one of those people, Riku would have been disgusted.

"If you like girls, then why...?" The blonde demi-punk seemed completely oblivious to how far his tone carried.

A few people edged casually sideways away from Riku in line, the less publicly-minded openly staring. It prickled his neck, like someone was spying on him. So many people had chosen full-body, elaborate costumes, anyone could be hiding behind all the masks and fur, with almost any weapon they chose. It gave him the creeps. "I guess I like boys too. Mostly Sora." The ticket booth, shiny and lit up with neon lights in the night, came into view as they rounded a bend. "Probably some weird type of bi." His toes curled inward as the man in front of him tread on the tips of his sneakers. "Why did people show in costume to buy tickets? It's not for a week!"

"Who knows. I'm only here 'cause Selphie threatened to feed me to a computer virus." They shuffled forward again. Tidus ignored his blatant attempt to change the subject. "What's buttsex like?"

"TIDUS!"

"Sheesh, calm down." He rolled his eyes. "Where did Loverboy go anyways? He's the fan here. We're just placeholders in line."

"To grab a snack and Selphie." Hopefully not in that order. He still had no idea how Sora had managed that problem, but it hadn't come up. Selphie never mentioned anything in her occasional sneak-attacks on his apartment, so he let it go. Sometimes he wondered, though. "He wouldn't miss this."

"Not in a thousand years." Arms wrapped around him from behind.

Riku's heart almost stopped. "Sora!"

"Aaaaaand were-Selphie!" A bundle of squirming energy and fake-fur hit him in the stomach just as he was turning. Riku almost toppled under the impact, but a woman dressed in the purple leather of the show's heroine caught him by the elbow with a grin. Tidus was worse than useless, too busy laughing too do any good at all.

"There-Selphie!" Sora laughed somewhere in the middle of the mess.

"Here-Selphie!" She piled up around him, squirming so much Riku almost went down. Grumbling, he pulled himself out of the mix, trying to get enough distance to see them. The reek of hair gel and Selphie's vanilla perfume covered the exhaust fumes from the cars that passed by.

"Well? Whaddya think?" The girl and vampire struck their poses. They, like half of the people in line, had put on costumes. From her furry pantyhose to the fake ears stuck atop her head, Selphie looked like nothing more than a werewolf schoolgirl. She'd even styled her brown hair so it covered her real ears. The costume was surprisingly risqué, showing off cleavage Riku hadn't even realized she had.

And Sora... "Sora!"

"What?" Blue eyes crinkled mischievously.

"Your teeth!" The vampire had elected to come as, of all things, a vampire. His hair had been smoothed into a straight mass that fell to his shoulders. It shined like glass, proof of exactly how much hair gel Sora had been forced to use. A poet's shirt and skin-tight slacks showed off both front and back so well Riku was almost jealous from the way women in line were ogling him.

The finishing touch were his teeth, delicate fangs that stood out when he talked. Deep cranberry lipstick only brought more attention to them when he smiled, which he was doing.

"Cool, aren't they?" Reaching up, the vampire casually popped one of his teeth out. "They're expensive, but don't they look realistic?" He put it back in with a soft snap.

"I... Yeah." The silver-haired boy licked his lips. "Very."

"Riku was just complaining that people showed up in costume," Tidus, the tattler, put in. "I think you've got the best ones here."

"Really?" Selphie preened, picking at her fur. Contacts had turned her eyes amber. "I wanted to try them out."

"We really look good?"

"You look great." He did. For all of Sora's short and skinny charm, he pulled off the modern-vampire look well. Riku just wished his shirt hid his chest better. It was distracting. Almost as much as the fangs.

Half a block to the ticket booth, and Riku could still feel people staring at them. Thanks Tidus.

"So what were you talking about?" Selphie bubbled, playing with her pigtails.

If he was going to be outed to a street of strangers, he was going to reap the benefits of it. "Baby-punk here was announcing my bisexuality to the whole block." Grabbing Sora, he reeled him into an embrace. The lack of spikes against his chin felt weird, and Sora's back fit perfectly against his front. "I was just trying to change the subject when you showed up."

"Hey!" the blonde objected. "I wasn't that loud!"

"You were. The people in the ticket booth were staring."

"Isn't it sweet though?" The token girl in their boys' club gushed, bouncing so hard her ears jiggled. "They fell in love and they're going to get married and have lots and lots of little undead werewolf babies and..." Selphie's babble set people around them laughing.

Sora tipped his head to grin sheepishly at Riku. They were so close, Riku could see his mascara and eyeliner. "She's been daydreaming again," he reported. "She said reality won't return her calls."

The girl in question never stopped talking. "And then they turned into witches will all sorts of magical powers and they saved the world from the wicked lord Humplepuff!" She went on to show the dance said witches would do in their saving of the world.

"Lord Humplepuff?" Riku whispered in Sora's ear, sniggering. "Where does she get this stuff?"

"Who knows? But I bet I can distract her." Fangs flashed as Sora grinned. "Hey! Get over here and help me decide on Riku's costume!"

"My what?"
***
"Tell me again why you're doing this?" Sora stretched out his legs to keep up with Riku, concrete jarring his knees with every step. The sunlight was a tight stretch across his skin, a sharp bite that was just past the point of ignorable pain. They'd been out since just after sun-up, and the steady exposure ate at his tolerance levels. The styrofoam cup of ice water he'd bought swished alarmingly as he struggled to keep up.

"Two months before we leave," Riku explained, snagging a "help wanted" flier from a bin. "I want to save a little money before then."

The lunchtime crowd flowed around them, stepping on Sora's feet and ogling Riku's sweat-shined muscles. Wearing a pair of cut-offs, flip-flops and a loose muscle shirt, Riku was a young surfer God come down to play. Even the yellow manila folder filled with applications didn't take away from it. If he hadn't been fighting sunshine and sore feet, Sora would have been slipping in his own drool.

Instead, I'm slipping in other people's. "Why? It's not like your account's closed. You still have your trust fund."

The silver-haired boy chatted up a café cashier and added another application to his folder. "It's not about that."

The vampire scooped an ice cube out of his water and ran it over his face and neck to disguise that he wasn't sweating. "Then what is it about? Masochism? It's hot out here!"

Riku turned around mid-step, almost knocking over a teenage girl in a neon pink bikini top and board shorts. She simpered at his muttered apology, but he barely noticed. Where six hours under the sun had darkened Riku's base tan to an inviting gold, Sora knew it had taken away what little color he had. Memory dawned in green eyes. "Shit, I forgot! How much longer..?"

"'Til I'm the world's largest French fry?" Sora shrugged. "A couple hours, but about an hour before you have to carry me around." He wrinkled his nose as another heavy-duty truck passed. The stench of so many people and businesses hung in his nose, even when he stopped breathing.

"I'm sorry--"

"It's alright." Little tingles shot through him where Riku's hand touched his back. They ducked through the crowd together, Riku's touch guiding him from shady spot to shady spot. "You're not used to thinking about it. Just let me find a light-tight room for a few hours and I'll be fine."

"Is it really bad?" They paused under an awning.

The feeling of blackening from the inside-out faded in the cool shadows as they waited for the light to change. Water from the ice-cube stuck tendrils of his hair to his neck and forehead. A group of emo-goths sulked poignantly across the street, probably sweltering in their black pleather and chains. "It's like a slowly worsening sunburn." Sora kept his voice down. "Kind of. Except the longer I'm out, the deeper it goes."

The light changed. A quick side-step saved Sora from being knocked into traffic by a man in a casual business polo. The step sent him bouncing into Riku, who jammed his knee against a sign pole. The man just glanced back, brown eyes flat, and hurried on his way.

"Bastard," Riku grumbled, rubbing his knee as they raced to beat the end of the light. "Too much of a rush to even apologize."

"It's not worth the blood pressure." They turned down a side-street, leaving foot and vehicle traffic behind. Unfortunately for Sora, it meant leaving behind most of the available shade too.

"You have blood pressure?"

"I bleed, don't I?" The rundown little pawn shops and delis they passed seemed sad and decrepit after the shining chrome and glass of downtown. Heat-haze rising off the concrete made it all unreal, something from a dime-store horror. "Anything with a heartbeat has blood pressure. Usually I have one."

Seemingly lost in thought, Riku laced is fingers behind his head. A breeze from a passing pickup fluttered his bangs. "Every time I think I have you pinned, something like this comes up," he commented. "I'll never know it all, will I?"

Sora shrugged, shoulder muscles taking on a tingling hyper-awareness that boded no good. "Probably not. It's kind of something you have to experience."

"Guess so." An odd note in Riku's voice caught Sora's attention, but the human's sweat-soaked back revealed nothing.

"Riku..."

"Race ya."

"What?" But Riku had already taken off, flip-flops slapping asphalt. "No fair!" The vampire chased after the human under the deadly sun. He'd never be able to catch the other boy without accessing a little supernatural ability, but Sora let it slide.

Sometimes it was nice just to pretend.
***
Keys clattered in a dish. "Leia, I'm home!" Riku winced as Sora's yell carried through the house. In interior was cool and comfortably dark after the shining heat of outside. Sora perked up as soon as they were out of direct sunlight.

"Leia?" The vampire skirted around the square of light let in by the living room curtains.

No answering shout came from within the house.

"Maybe she's out for the day." Riku dropped his precious applications on the coffee table, next to the centerpiece of wire fairies and fake fruit. The room was as horrible-looking as ever. Vampires didn't seem to like change much, even when it was for the better.

"Maybe." Sora didn't sound sure, but he added, "She could be out getting dinner or something..." He headed upstairs, sneakers squeaking on the wooden steps. "You coming? I won't even be able to take an open window for a few hours. Sorry."

Riku followed after him, sweat from their race sticking his shirt to h is chest. "I don't mind. We haven't played God Wars in a while."

Unlike last time they'd gone upstairs, Sora's eyes were normal when he glanced back. "Want to get your butt kicked again?"

"You wish."

For a vampire's lair, there was nothing unusual about Sora's bedroom. He had more than his fair share of books and three sets of heavy drapes that kept out all but the most persistent of light. An old fashioned wardrobe hulked in the corner instead of a closet. Everything else was pure teenager, from the anime posters to the lone sock left abandoned half-way under the bed.

"We'll have to start a new game." Sora slapped on a touch-activated lamp, lighting the room by only the barest amount. "The memory cards are still at your place."

"Sure." Riku perched gingerly on the edge of the bed, trying not to strain his ears. The house was silent, quieter than he was comfortable with. Only Sora fiddling around with the game system and wires made any noise at all. Even his own empty apartment had little sounds.

Watching Sora bounce around the television wasn't much better. "Teenager" and "damned old vampire" weren't easy images to connect. "Why do you do that?"

"Huh?" A blue eye and a set of spikes appeared behind the TV stand. A power cord dangled from his mouth. "Wha?"

"You act like a kid. Why?" At the vampire's uncomprehending look, he elaborated. "I'm mean... You've got everything. You're ancient, rich, undead, good-looking. But you don't act like it."

Sora spit out the power cord and dropped down to plug it in. "You mean, why don't I live in a mansion and act like the world-weary cliché I have every right to be?"

"Something like that, yeah."

"I'm not a cliché." Plastic danced at the ends of cords as he unwound the controllers. "I guess I could have been, but the world's so huge, and it changes all the time. I wanna see it all." His eyes stayed glued to the control pads. "A million years isn't enough time to get bored with it." His hands kept moving, plugging in cords and popping in the disk, though his eyes weren't on the task. "The trick's not to be alone. When you don't have friends and humans are just food and-- food, that's when you go crazy."

It echoed his thoughts. "You keep saying I'm not food."

"You're not!"

"Does it hurt?"

"What?" Sora's eyes were glowing again, lamps behind stained glass. Tendrils of chestnut hair frames his cheeks and pale skin. Crouched on the floor, he looked more like a predator than a parasite.

Heart beating faster, Riku shifted farther onto the edge, remembering the rush of pleasure when Sora just nicked his lip, wondering what more would feel like. "When you bite someone, does it hurt them?"

"No!" Sora seemed to forget the game system altogether. "It..."

"Feels good?" He slipped down to the carpet, mirroring Sora. "Really good, I bet. Like sex?"

Impossibly, Sora's skin grew even paler. He nodded, pupils swallowed by a rush of blue.

Riku crept forward, heart loud in his ears in the deathly quiet house. Thoughts wouldn't come in words, just feelings. Nervous and elated, hope and terror that bit deep into his bones. Hand shaking, he reached out to brush a lock of hair out of Sora's eyes. His skin was icy cold, a shade of white just barely away from being corpse-like.

Sora trembled under the touch, breath coming in ragged pants. "Maybe..." The delicate points of his incisors peeked out as he spoke. "Maybe you should go."

"Bite me."

"That's not funny."

"Who's joking?"

"You're not--"

"I know." Never stopping his soft touches, Riku inched closer. "I'm more than just a meal." A scar behind Sora's ear caught under his fingers, a sudden patch of raised skin that made Sora shiver. "It's part of you. I want to know it all."

"You'll run."

"Never." Daring more than his knotted-up courage could believe, he leaned forward and brushed their lips together. "I'd never leave you." Tidy white fangs pressed against his lower lip as he spoke, tempting him to nick himself, just to see Sora lose control.

Something inhuman and ancient with worry settled in Sora's eyes. He didn't try to pull away, but he didn't lean in either. "Riku..."

Nervous energy thrummed through Riku's veins, anticipation and dread that he might be messing up royally mixing into a spine-tingling cocktail. Chestnut chunks of hair brushed his cheeks and forehead as they sat there, touching only at the lips and fingertips. He could feel Sora's breathing, colder than the air conditioner and harsh on his skin, even though the vampire had already proven he didn't need oxygen.

Making sure never to break eye contact, Riku tipped his head to the side, exposing what he hoped was a vein. "I won't leave. Let me give this to you."

Sora visibly broke, arching closer for a second before freezing, eyes riveted. "This..." His voice trembled, hovering over an accent Riku couldn't recognize. "This is going to be weird."

Victory. "Everything always is with us." A thrill shot through to his toes when Sora smiled, showing his teeth clearly.

Oh God, Riku thought, eyes wide. His teeth turn me on. That's so wrong.

"Are you sure?" The vampire seemed to be holding himself back by a thread. "You haven't even known for a month yet."

"I've known you for three years." He tilted his chin higher, braver than he felt. "Do it."

The slice of teeth into his neck was painful and not, a thin touch of razor-edged pressure buried under heat. Sora's lips fastened at the spot. It was sharp and bright, sensation overlaying sensation that ripped a groan from his throat. Skin that had never seemed important before tingled and tightened with newfound awareness, dragging even the smallest touch into crisp clarity. Hands on his back and cradling his head touched fire all through him. Rough carpet against his bare shins was almost orgasmic all by itself, each fiber its own impression of pleasure. Overwhelming and almost madness, he couldn't keep up with individual feelings. They melted and spun, liquid bliss bringing him crashing down into his own body like he'd never experienced it before.

Riku wasn't sure when Sora left off. He slowly swam back to focused thought as nerve endings stopped relaying every moment in detail. Sometime during everything he'd sunk back on his heels. Sora straddled him across the thighs, forehead dropped to his shoulder as he supported him. He radiated heat, practically burned with it. Riku kissed his neck, the only part he could reach easily.

"Are you alright?" Sora's voice came from somewhere under the silvery fall of Riku's hair, soft and uncertain. His arms shook where they wrapped around his waist. "I tried not to take too much, but--"

"I'm fine." Riku's voice cracked like rusty, unused hinges. Or like he'd just had great sex. "That was... wow."

"Wow?" Sora stiffened. "That all?"

"I'm not running." His voice was smoothing, but it still felt creaky. "How often to you..?"

"Every day." Leaning back, Sora's inspected him with now-human eyes. "No more for you for a few days."

"Three bites and I'm out? Thought that was fake." Riku tried to make a joke out of it, since moving noodle-limp limbs seemed like a bad idea. "Maybe I should start wearing white silk to lure you in. Works in the movies."

"You'd look terrible in a dress." Sora's grin faltered. "But I'm serious about feeding on you. The blood loss isn't much, but you should take at least a little time between donations." He tried to pull away, but Riku's arms around his waist held him close.

"Does this mean I'm a regular meal now?" He fell backwards, pulling Sora with him to the carpet. "Fillet mignon?"

"Riku..."

"I know, I know. Not food." The carpet was rough against his still-sensitive skin, but he much preferred the roughness of Sora's calloused fingertips. "How does 'lover' sound?"

Fingers combed through his hair, spreading the silver out in a fan while Sora squirmed into a more comfortable position. "I think I can stand 'lover'."

"Good, 'cause this is happening again."

Sora's snort turned into a giggle and he tucked his head under Riku's chin. "One bite and you get demanding."

"Your fault."

"Yeah. Mine."
***
No one was more shocked than Sora when Selphie appeared on Riku's doorstep two days later. Her arms were piled high with more stuff than he could name, most of it cloth. The only reason he could identify her through the pile was the distinctive charm bracelet one of the hands wore. "What are you doing here?" He tried to see her around the clothes, to no avail.

There was an impression of a smile. "Riku's costume! This is his place, right? He's here?"

"Er...?" Riku was, in fact, in his bedroom, napping. Shirtless. Being Sora's lunch had left its impression, and the vampire didn't want to wake him when he needed the rest and provided a yummy drawing opportunity all at once. "This really isn't a good time."

"You were having sex?"

"What? No!"

"Then it's the perfect time." With that said, she barged straight past him and dropped her things on the leather couch. "Go get him."

"For what?"

Heart starting in panic, Sora whipped around. Riku lounged against a wall, barefoot and deliciously rumpled. He'd put on a black, high-necked sleeveless top of Sora's that hovered just barely at too-tight. It covered the bite marks at his neck, but was worse than useless elsewhere.

He casually wiped his mouth, relieved not to be drooling.

"We're going to pick your costume!" The brown-haired girl actually bounced. "For the movie!"

"We are?" Riku asked genially, arms crossed. "What if I don't want one?"

"Oh well." Her voice was actually chirpy. "You get one anyways, and Sora can talk you into wearing it. You going to shut the door?"

Sora started, slamming the door with more force than was probably needed. "Are you sure we can't do this later?" he asked, eyes tracing the thin slice of tan that peeked above Riku's waistline. His own pants seemed less roomy than usual.

"Yes." Between her patchwork jeans, paint-spattered top and little-girl smile, Selphie didn't fit the decor at all. She was a Raggedy Anne doll in the middle of porcelain china.

I'm going to miss her.

Before he could start feeling sentimental, she'd dived into her stuff and started tossing it around.

Sora shot a grin at Riku, who was staring horrified at everything she'd brought. "Just give in. It's easier than fighting."

The silver-haired boy shook his head. "I'm not--"

"Dark elf?" Selphie interrupted.

"Huh?"

"Dark elf," she repeated, tossing a pair of pointed ears at Sora. He jammed his back on the doorknob to catch them. "Or Light elf?" Clothes flew all over as she rummaged, pulling up a white dress. It caught on a spiked belt, forcing a brief battle for its freedom.

"No." Eyes narrowed, menacing, Riku glared at the outfit. "I'm not cross-dressing for you amusement."

"But--"

"No!"

"Why not something human?" Feeling the verbal landmines all around, Sora strolled to the couch and started picking through the options. He'd had no idea she owned so many men's clothes. As far as he knew, she was an only child. Her father certainly would never have worn half of what she'd brought. "I don't think Riku wants anything exotic."

"I don't want anything at all."

Selphie crossed her arms, examining Riku with sharp eyes. "He's got the muscles for it."

Something thick and heavy brushed the tips of Sora's fingers. He pulled out a brown leather dog collar. It was battered and scarred, with expired dog tags still attached. "What about this? We can send him as Wyndel."

"Who?" Riku had backed himself into a metaphorical corner, watching them like they'd turn on him any moment. "I'm not going as a slave. Or a fighter."

The white dress fluttered to the wooden floor as Selphie moved to assist Sora in his digging. "He's from book one. Never made it into the movie. He died. Kind of." They examined a shirt, then discarded it.

"He was Saigon's best friend," Sora explained absently. A pair of faux leather pants looked promising, but there was no way they'd take the beating they'd need for the character. "He came back in book two as a villain. He's supposed to show up in this movie. Do you have a pair of jeans we can butcher?"

"Tight jeans?" Selphie added, poking a vest. "But I don't think we have the top."

"Who's Wyndel?" Riku was beginning to look frustrated.

"Ex-slave, ex-fighter. Only human to escape successfully." Sora held up a long coat. He hadn't sewn in decades, but the modifications wouldn't be too much. "We can work with this, and I know he has the boots."

"Hey!" A hollow slap brought his attention back to Riku. The human's teeth were showing in a sharp snarl. He'd slapped the wall. "What if I don't want to wear a costume?"

Sora glanced at Selphie, willing the girl to stay silent. Her face had gone pale, tears trembling at the corners of her eyes. When he looked back at Riku, the other boy's expression had softened.

"I'm sorry." Riku ran his fingers through his hair. "I shouldn't have snapped."

"We should have asked first." The vampire glanced at the coat in his hands. His mind's eye could see Riku in the costume, but... "If you don't want to, you don't have to."

"I just wanted us all to match," Selphie sniffled, eyes watering. "I just finished with Tidus and-- and--"

A wailing girl was not in Sora's plan for the day. Hastily, he dropped the clothing and started patting her on the back. "It's alright, Riku didn't mean to get angry. Right?"

Riku sighed. "Come here Selphie." Together, the two boys hugged her, one on either side. "Just show me what you want me to wear before spending a lot of time on it, okay?"

"So you'll wear a costume?" she asked, nose buried between their shoulders.

"Just promise I get to okay it first."

Sobbing and sniffling turned into a high-pitched squeal of delight in the space of an eye blink. Selphie hugged them both so tightly Sora heard his ribs creak. Riku's face turned purple from the pressure, heating up rapidly next to Sora's cheek.

Just before Sora could start to pry her off, she let go. He lost his balance and had to hold onto Riku to stay upright.

"I'll do the drawing!" She ran to the kitchen, rocking small ceramics in the wake of her passing.

Sora got his feet under him, but Riku stayed leaning. "You okay?"

"Just tired." The taller boy smiled. "She takes it out of you, doesn't she?"

Feet pounded across the floor as Selphie sped by into the hall, dragging a measuring tape like a banner of war. A crash and a loud "oopsie!" followed. Sora couldn't help but start laughing.

"Yeah, she does."
***
Ten minutes after midnight, the shrill ring of the phone snapped Riku out of his RPG-induced game-haze. Slamming the pause-button, he scooped the cordless phone from between the couch cushions. "Hello?"

"Hey." Sora's voice crackled through the line. "Can I come over? Something really weird's going on here."

Game forgotten, Riku kicked his legs up and stretched out on the couch. "What's going on?"

"Leia's still not back, and she won't answer her cell phone."

The worry in Sora's usually light voice made Riku blink. "She's a big-- er, vampire, Sora. I'm sure she can take care of herself."

"No she can't-- that's why she has me!"

"Right." Realizing there had to be more than Sora was letting on, "Grab your things and come over. Tell me about it when you get here." Sensing hesitation, he added, "I have cookies and hot chocolate."

"You're an afterlife-saver."

"Corny bastard. See you soon."

"Bye."

Riku hung up the phone, curiosity and concern gnawing at him. Without bothering to find a save point, he jabbed the power button on the game system. Cocoa was the very next thing on his to-do list. By the time he finished, he figured Sora would have arrived.

The buzzer rang before the milk even started steaming. Sora didn't even wait for him to open the door. He just breezed through with a loaded pack and anxious expression. From the kitchen, Riku watched him collapse face-first on the couch. His spiked hair pointed limply up from within a pile of cushions, resembling an exhausted hedgehog.

Checking the milk and finding it barely warm, Riku strolled out to lean against the kitchen entrance. "You're sure she didn't decide to spend the night out?" The corner of the doorway cut into his shoulder, indenting his flesh until his shifted.

Sora shook his head, still face down. "I haven't seen her for almost two days now."

"You've stayed at my place longer than that." Shifting a strand of silvery hair out of his eyes, Riku tried reassuring the vampire. "Maybe she's with a friend."

The boy on the couch lifted his head. His eyes were red-rimmed. "Leia's barely five-hundred," he explained wearily. "That means she can only take about four hours of sunlight before burning to a crisp. And..." His expression clouded, haunted memories flickering through his eyes. "Something bad happened to her once. She hasn't been the same since; that's why she needs me. I think something really bad happened."

Behind him, the milk hissed in its tea kettle as it began to boil. Riku turned to take it off the stove, asking, "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I can't tell the police, and I'm not a detective. I called some people, but there's nothing I can really do." The backpack dropped to the floor with a thump, metal zippers tinkling against each other. "There's worse things out there than us. For all I know, she could be dead. Really dead, I mean. Non-mobile."

"Don't think it. She's fine."

"I hope so. Cocoa?"

While Riku finished making their mugs, Sora wandered into the little kitchen. He gripped his elbows, holding his stomach tight, hunched in on himself. He was afraid, Riku realized, stirring the chocolate into Sora's favorite mug, the one with the Monty Python bunny. What could be dangerous enough to scare a vampire?

"I'm sorry for bugging you with this."

"I was up anyways." Riku handed the vampire his cocoa. "I don't mind." His own cup was almost too hot to hold, but Sora clung to his like his hands were frozen. "You can crash here as long as you want."

He thought Sora looked at him through his bangs. "You're sure? There's a lot of complications..."

"Hang your curtains over my windows and tell your neighbors your Mom took off to visit family." Sweet, thick cocoa burned his tongue as he sipped, leaving a sensitive rough patch behind it. "Sounds simple to me."

"That's not what I meant." Sora's eyes held heat, restrained promise that didn't vanish when he looked down into his drink.

A shiver wracked its way down Riku's spine that had nothing to do with cold. "I don't think that's even an issue."

"I... Then I accept." The smile is fleeting, shy and hungry. Riku hopes it means what he thinks it does. "Thank you."

The sound of a coffee mug being set on the counter is sharp in the silence between them. Sora took his cup and set it aside, standing so close Riku could breathe deep and touch him. Human warmth seeped out of him, smelling of coffee and skin.

Riku took the breath, wrapping his arms around the vampire's waist to make sure they connected.

The thin t-shirt Sora wore was soft against his bare chest, not hiding the lean muscles under it at all. He pressed Riku against the counter, head pillowed against his shoulder, fingers hooked in the belt loops of his jeans.

"I love you." Sora's breath was right against his neck while they held tight. "I never said it, but I do."

Three thousand years old, Riku reminded himself. How many others..? The thought made his heart ache, because Sora had lost them all. The way he'd lose him one day. "I love you too. No matter what."
***
"Can I come in yet?"

"Not yet!" Laughter bubbled in Sora's throat at Riku's impatience.

"I've seen the drawing!"

"Not the costume! Not yet!" Bits of clothing were scattered at his feet, almost finished pieces held together by pins. They'd returned to Sora's place to leave a note for Leia and to get his things, but Riku's costume was a surprise the vampire had no intention of giving away. He'd seen Selphie's sketches, but the real version was going to be spectacular.

"Why did you even bring me?" the human demanded from the hallway. "Not allowed to help, not allowed to watch... You'd better let me carry something!"

Pieces of cloth and sewing supplies vanished into a bag as fast as Sora could stuff them. "Maybe."

"Bastard!"

"I'm almost done -- then you can help." Worry for Leia ate at the back of his mind, forcing his hands faster. Full grown women didn't vanish completely anymore. And if the worst had happened and someone found out what she was and killed her, Riku was in more danger than he was. "Just stay there a little longer."

A half-modified jacket folded itself neatly into the duffle, pins still holding the new seams together. The stitches weren't as neat as they would have been if he'd been in practice, but they were good enough to last. He hadn't had to sew seriously since the Industrial Revolution, and before that Leia had done most of it for him.

They'd never been friends, but a few centuries of living with a person fostered attachment. I was supposed to protect her. As he laid the boots on top and zipped it up, he took a moment to pray for her. Maybe one of the Gods would take pity on a fledgling vampire, if only for entertainment.

"Can I come in now?"

Sora glanced around the dim room. Seeing nothing of Riku's costume out, he answered, "Sure."

"It's about time." Riku opened the door, then winced as it bounced off the wall. "Sorry."

"No sweat. Help me finish up in here." Lifetimes of grace showed in the way Sora gestured at his game collection. Nature's clumsiness showed in the way he knocked it over. "Crap!"

Riku's low laughter drifted over him, brief and sharp the way only a human could do it. He sat to pick up the mess. "I'll get it."

Sora blushed and started towards the dresser. "Just get the ones you don't have. If this is permanent, we can come back for the rest later." He opened drawers and started tossing things into a different bag.

"What about the books in the attic?" Bright aqua eyes gleamed at him in the darkness of the room. "They've got to come too, right?"

"They go last." A pair of cartoon-themed boxers stayed discreetly in the drawer as Sora finished with the clothes. "They're delicate."

"Ancient, you mean."

"That too." The room was a boyish disaster, but no longer held anything of value. Other than his clothes and games, the rest could wait. At worst, it would be abandoned and burned with the house if he had to leave town suddenly. "You got the games?"

"Right here. Why didn't you tell me you had Moku no Slave?" Riku held up the game in question. On the cover, a green-tinted warrior in leaves and leather was busily annihilating someone with a chainsaw.

"Because it sucks."

"I'll be the judge of that." He placed the game in the backpack with the rest of them. "We done?"

"Just the curtains and upstairs left."

Riku helped him strip the curtains. Three years of occupation hadn't left much in the way of memories. Most of the ones he had were of Riku, and those went with him wherever Riku did. Still, something like loss tugged at his heart. It was never easy to leave.

"Sora?" Riku looked up at him with worried eyes, body framed by the bare window blinds. His hair gleamed like tarnished silver as it caught the lamplight and threw it back, like golden fairies playing hide and seek in the strands. The human held out a hand.

After only a moment's hesitation, Sora took it. This time, he was taking something more important than books with him. "Let's finish this and go home."

( Part 05 )