Sora’s Cinderella Story

Disclaimer: All right, all right, you caught me. Kingdom Hearts isn’t mine…

Holy crap, long time no see! I’m so sorry, I’ve just been terrible with updates. I don’t really have any excuses other than school, being out of town, and just plain laziness. Not good excuses, I know. I really need to stop dragging out not updating like this. I hope you guys forgive me.

Reviewers:

Avi den Kanashimi, Kira, Disbanded Matrimony, Vixyfox, po1zenedtear5, Shinigami’s Minion, Xeni-Princess of Shadows, HarasMent3012, princessOFdarkness, SoraKokiri, Angelicbeing510, Namida Kuran, phaz, Ghost of a Rose, KitaraStrife, elichi, flaxon-eyes

Thanks to all the reviewers, you guy’s keep me going.Big thanks to my friend , she has been my muse lately, no joke.

Warning, a little bit of yaoi, not much, towards the end, and a un-betad chapter.

Ch. 3 A Good Day Gone Bad

Once Sora and Riku had gotten back to the house, a meal was waiting on the kitchen table, and Riku had been invited to stay for dinner. He agreed, with Sora’s well being in mind, but was not too comfortable with it, and neither was Sora. This was after all, Sephiroth, a man that both boys didn’t have much respect for; (Riku could easily say he had none at all) some sort of conflict was bound to take place.

The meal ended up being awkward to say the least. But to add to it, it was just the three of them; Kairi and Larxene were out at the time. And for once, Sora was wishing for their presence. (Well…that goes for Larxene, anyway, he never really cared if Kairi was around. She was the nice stepsister)

Oddly enough, Sephiroth seemed willing to try and start a conversation. It was obvious that he was trying to cover up his abusive ways with a caring, thoughtful approach, though. And Riku didn’t fall for it.

“So…boys, is your project coming along well?”

Sora was quick to answer, swallowing up his dried fish in a hurry. “Yes, Papa…we’re almost finished.”

“We just have to add a few more finishing touches,” Riku decided to say, trying to seem oblivious to the man’s ways. He knew Sora would pay dearly if he didn’t.

“Good, good. What are these finishing touches?”

“Just decorative…not much. I actually have the material at my house, and I was wondering if it would be all right if Sora came over to help. He always was better at artsy stuff.” Riku had come up with this plan on the way home, Sora knew nothing about it, or he certainly would’ve objected to Riku saying it. He had never been allowed to go over to anyone’s house on weekdays, and that included Riku’s.

“I thought you went out to get something for it earlier?” Sephiroth asked, quite suspicious now.

“We did…but we forgot about this stuff. I suggested that we add it while we were upstairs. Our teacher always appreciates more decorative and formal looking projects anyway.” He took a small bite of his fish after this, making a distinct face at Sephiroth. It seemed innocent enough, but it was Riku’s face of triumph, knowing he had out-witted someone. He wore it often, being as sharp as he was.

Sephiroth smirked a little, impressed. “Well…in that case, I suppose I can’t refuse. I hope to hear this project is worth an A, though, with all this work you boys are putting into it, I expect nothing less.” He made eye contact with Sora then, it was as if putting his foot down, setting Sora’s standards. Sora knew he would have to get an A, with all the ‘rules’ he was breaking while working on the project. Who knows what Sephiroth would do if he didn’t.

“Yes sir, we will,” the brunet said, sounding nothing less than certain.

Another five minutes passed until both boys were done, having eaten quickly, and not consuming more than one helping. They wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. Sora was looking forward to seeing Mr and Mrs. Suzuki again, they were always so kind to him and never treated him badly; it was almost foreign affection. (coming from parental figures, that is) And Riku just wanted to get the hell out of there before he slipped-up, or said what he thought of Sephiroth, which wouldn’t please the man, obviously.

So having to make their excuse for leaving believable, Riku brought the poster-board along with them, sure to give Sephiroth the finger when they were out the door. A part of him could only hope that he saw it…

On the way, the boys found themselves once again entranced by the beach, the sun had completely set now, though the sky still had hints of pink and orange to it. The stars were out and the moon was half-full, illuminating the island with a small light. Sora always noticed how much more Riku’s hair shined at night, in ways, it reminded him of the moon.

They stood at the same place they were before, the raggedy, old fence that was placed just before the beach. This time, Sora really could smell marshmallows.

“I don’t know about you, Riku, but I could go for some roasted marshmallows right about now,” Sora said in a daze, rubbing at his stomach thoughtfully.

Riku smirked, looking at his friend with amusement twinkling in his eyes. “Let’s do it then.”

“What? But what if Larxene or Sephiroth finds us!?”

The platinum blonde grinned, taking a hold of Sora’s hand and beginning to drag him closer to the beach, the poster board still in hand. “You forget, Sora, I’m here, I’ll protect you!” he said a bit dramatically, pulling Sora close to his side for emphasis. The brunet couldn’t help but laugh; they could be such dorks sometimes.

When they were a bit closer to the beach, the two spotted a familiar pair, a redhead and a blonde, and as they usually were to be found: together. Sora was pretty sure he’d seen them with one another more than he’d seen them apart. They were childhood friends, and well, lovers as of a year ago. Riku and Sora always did suspect a little something more besides friendship in the two anyway. “Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in, Roxy,” The addressed blonde pouted at the nickname, but managed to smile at the two approaching them. “What’s the occasion boys, not too often we see you both out and about on a Friday. Did the bastard finally kick the bucket?”

“Hey, Axel, hey Roxas!” Sora said happily, going over to the two to sit beside them in front of the bonfire. When was the last time he did something like that?

Riku decided to answer Axel’s question. “Pft. We wish.” Sora didn’t say anything to that, not entirely agreeing, but not finding anything offensive about it either. He didn’t wish his stepfather death…he just wished the man would kindly disappear from his life; the same went for Larxene. “No…I just managed to work some of my magic and convinced him to let Sora come over to my place. We’re supposed to be working on our project, but…we couldn’t help but smell roasting marshmallows. Sora would like some…if you’re willing to share.” He was sure to say the last part in a bit of a sad tone, knowing very well that it would make the two feel guilty.

And that it did.

Roxas was quick to rip the bag of marshmallows out of his boyfriend’s grasp and hand it over to Sora, who was shocked beyond all belief. “Take as much as you want,” Roxas said sweetly, punching the redhead’s arm when he was about to protest. He had only gotten a few of them…he hoped Sora wouldn’t eat the whole bag.

“Thanks guys…I can’t remember the last time I had roasted marshmallows, it was back when my mom was still around. Quite a while ago,” Sora happily poked the marshmallows on the stick Axel had offered him; not noticing the sullen faces his friends suddenly wore. He just didn’t seem to realize how pathetic that sounded; being so joyous over a simple pleasure like eating roasted marshmallows. The others easily picked that up for him, though.

“Eat ‘till your heart’s content, buddy.” Axel was the one to say this, having forgotten his earlier craving for the fluffy treats, his guilt for Sora easily dominating it. This didn’t go unnoticed by a certain blonde, who was smiling adoringly at him. Roxas was quite pleased with his boyfriend’s generosity, to say the least. Perhaps that night would bring more than just cuddling…

After Sora had eaten a few marshmallows, he dared to stay and chat with his two friends. It wasn’t easy for him.

He seemed calm enough on the outside, but inside he had this constant paranoia, fearing that his father would catch him at any given moment. Riku caught onto his friend’s thoughts easily, and cut the four boy’s ‘hanging-out-time’ short. They really shouldn’t push their luck; being out of the house was fortune enough.

So Riku told their two friends that they needed to get home soon, coming up with a little white lie so their departure wouldn’t be delayed any longer. He wasn’t sure how much more Sora could take of sitting out there in the open like that. They both said their goodbyes and left the beach silently, almost afraid to speak. It wasn’t awkward, but almost expected silence. Sephiroth could’ve heard their voices, even above the sound of the crashing waves. That’s what Sora seemed to believe, anyway.

The walk over to Riku’s house was a quick one. Sora was practically running there, the ideal of what he was actually doing catching up with him even more it seemed. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what the consequences could be. He didn’t want to, either.

Riku looked ahead at the younger boy sadly, aqua eyes brimming with pity. Sora never seemed to have fun…even when out of that wretched house. Not that he could blame him…that man had scarred him in so many different ways… It couldn’t be helped.

They really needed to get out of there, preferably sooner rather then later. He would just have to come up with something…something thorough. Sora couldn’t afford any more mistakes.

Before Riku knew it, the two of them were standing on his front porch, knocking on the door for one of his parents to answer. And eventually, one of them did: his father.

The man was almost identical to Riku, save for the shorter, shoulder length hair, along with an aging face, and a bit of a buffer, taller build. Besides that…he was an older version of Riku. “Sora? Wow…I don’t think I’ve ever seen you over on a weekday? Special occasion?”

Riku ‘hmphed’. “Yeah. If you call working on a project special.”

“Nice to see you again Mr. Suzuki,” the brunet greeted, his beaming smile in place.

“Nice to see you too, Sora. Well come on in boys, Jane’s cooking up a feast…I’m sure Riku will share a little of it.”

“I think you’re a little confused dad, mom cooks up a feast for your fat ass.”

“Hey, my ass isn’t fat…its drooping… And you’re the growing boy here, not me.” There was a quick change of subject, the other one hitting a soft spot.

“You’re ass is just fine, dear.” A woman a little bit taller than Sora walked into the room suddenly, a sweet smile present. Her silver hair was tied up in a ponytail, as she usually wore it while in the kitchen. If it were down it would reach about mid-back, Riku’s was a bit shorter than hers. Riku had a lot of his mother’s facial features, excluding their eyes. His were teal like his father’s, while his mother’s were a light, baby blue color. She always would say how grateful she was that Riku got his father’s eyes, she found that feature so attractive. “Oh, Sora, its nice to see you today. I hope you’ll stay for dinner, we’ll have plenty.” Sora was hardly one to turn down food.

“I’d love to.” He was practically already drooling. Mrs. Suzuki was such a great cook.

While dinner was cooking, the two teens went to Riku’s room to keep themselves occupied. Sora seemed to be calming down considerably since he was under the care of Riku’s parents; they were such nice people. The two played video games for a bit, but surprisingly grew bored of it. They weren’t in their rightful state of mind for video games, anyway. So instead, they decided to talk for the remainder of their wait.

Sora was the one to start the conversation. “Riku, when do you think we’ll be able to leave this island?” Both boys were lying with their backs to the bed, looking up at Riku’s blank ceiling.

The platinum blonde moved so he was on his side now, his hand propping his head up as he looked down at Sora, his hair spilling into his face. Their eyes met when Sora turned to look at him. “I…really can’t say for sure, Sora. Just know that it’ll be soon. We’ll leave here and never come back. And who knows…if we can, maybe we’ll catch one of the ships that take you to different worlds. I’ll bring money along this time; so don’t worry about getting caught in the act or anything. Sephiroth won’t find us this time.” He would never make that mistake again. They had tried running away before, but when the time came for them to board a ship; they realized that they had no money whatsoever. Of course, they were only eight and nine when they did it. That had been the worst of Sora’s beatings, Riku will never forget the next day (after they had run away) when he saw Sora at school. The sight haunted him to that very day, almost eight years later.

“We could be stowaways…I’ve always wanted to do that!”

“If we’re caught, Sora, they’ll throw us off, or make us work our asses off. I think its better to bring some money with us.”

Sora shrugged, his blue eyes full of mirth, knowing that Riku was right. He usually always was. “Yeah, I guess… It would still be fun to be a stowaway though…” Riku ‘hmphed’ and made himself lay on his back again. A comfortable silence fell upon the room then, and rather unexpectedly, the younger fell asleep, Riku not falling too far behind him. Guess they would have to eat that wonderful meal another time…

On the Main Island, a prince was leaning over the edge of his balcony, looking over at the other island…the one that was so insignificant, yet it intrigued him somehow. He always wondered what it would be like to live a normal life. One that wasn’t so…organized and limited. He couldn’t help but feel incomplete where he was. But…he would endure it, for the sake of his family and carrying on the royal tradition. He was going to be king someday. Shouldn’t that excite him? For some reason, though, it didn’t seem all that appealing. Maybe he really was a spoiled brat in that sense, then.

He was so busy thinking this over; he didn’t hear anyone approach him. He wasn’t at all frightened by them, though. “Whatcha doing out here all by yourself?”

“Not much…just looking at the island across from us…” When did he ever do much?

“Fascinating…see anything interesting?”

“Alright, what is it, Demyx?” He didn’t mean to come across as grumpy or anything, but all that thinking really got him in a fix.

“He wants to stop bothering me about blue tapestries and bother you instead.” Leon hadn’t even known Zexion was there until then.

Demyx gaped at the other and gave him a good whack on the arm, pouting cutely at him. Zexion couldn’t help but smirk. “You meanie, I was supposed to tell him the good news!” he whined very disappointingly. This was supposed to be the highlight of his day and Zexion ruined it! He whacked him once more for good measure before turning his attention to Leon. “Well…I got you the blue tapestries Prince Leon. Is dark blue ok? I thought it would be nice considering the season. Though…red and green were more Christmassy…”

“Dark blue is fine. Thanks, Demyx. I hope it wasn’t too much trouble.” When he had some time to think over what he had asked of Demyx, he realized it was a bit troublesome of him. Maybe he should’ve just picked red or green, they were just tapestries after all.

“No trouble at all, your majesty. Zexy even helped me look for them!”

“That’s Zexion…” God he hated that nickname! That never seemed to register in Demyx’s mind, though.

“Pft, whatever. You’re lucky I even call you that after the way you spoiled my surprise, you jerk!”

“Oh get over it already…it wasn’t that great of a surprise anyway…you big baby.”

“Emo!”

“…I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that. Excuse me, your majesty.” He bowed to Prince Leon before he began exiting the balcony, sulking somewhat as he walked through Leon’s luxurious bedroom. He just needed some rest…it had been a long day and that ‘Emo-crack’ Demyx just pulled did not help at all. It was too bad their rooms were right next to each other, though.

The two left on the balcony watched the teen leave, both sharing that same perplexed, skeptical look. “I think you pissed him off, Demyx,” Leon said bluntly.

Demyx sighed and scratched at the back of his head nervously. Had he really made him that angry over a dumb stereotype? He had deserved it though; he ruined his surprise and called him a baby. Zexion had it coming. But, that didn’t make him feel any less guilty. “Yeah…I did, didn’t I? I better go apologize to him. He hates that nickname more than Zexy, and that’s saying something… Well, see you tomorrow, your majesty.” Like Zexion had, he bowed to Leon and left in a bit of a hurry. He hoped Zexion wouldn’t be too upset with him. Who would play card games with him? An even worse thought came to mind. Who would cuddle with him if he had a nightmare!? The thought hurried him along even more.

Leon watched Demyx leave and couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. Those two were probably the most interesting people in that whole damn castle! If it weren’t for them, he probably would’ve died of boredom a long time ago. If it were possible, that is.

The brunet looked at the island longingly one last time, and while he did so, he came up with an idea. Perhaps he’d pay that island a visit…Demyx and Zexion would come with him of course. It would be nice just to get away for a day, to not be bombarded with boring, royal duties. He was sure his parents wouldn’t mind all that much. The castle could survive a day without him.

He let out a big yawn before turning on his heel and heading for bed. For once, he was looking forward to the next day.

Back at the Suzuki residence, the two adults in the house were discussing something in the kitchen while they fixed up the table. It was something not meant for the two boys’ ears, or else they wouldn’t have been whispering like they were.

“Dear, did you happen to notice Sora’s condition?”

Her husband looked up at her with a puzzled face, placing a dish down as he did so. “You mean the black eye and busted lip?” The Mrs nodded. “Yeah, I noticed. Why?”

“Well…this isn’t the first time I’ve seen him beat up like that. It’s a bit suspicious, if you ask me. Riku never has anything nice to say about that Sephiroth-man after all. And we’ve met him before, and had him over for dinner. He’s a bit…temperamental.”

“Now Jane… Don’t be jumping to conclusions. Sora’s a clumsy kid you know that. Why, I remember back when he knocked down the Christmas tree when he and Riku were playing tag. I could name quite a few incidents, actually…”

“No, no. You’re right…I guess I shouldn’t be so apprehensive. Maybe we’ll bring it up with Riku later and see if he knows something about it. Sora’s his best friend, I’m sure he will.”

“That’s a good idea. Just don’t try and make it out to be child abuse when you ask him about it.”

“I won’t.” She finished putting the last plate down and sighed triumphantly. Finally, finished… Time to get the boys. She walked down the hall, her ponytail swishing back and forth against her shoulder blades as she went. “Riku! Sora! Dinner’s ready come eat!” Mrs. Suzuki hollered down the hallway, but got nothing in response. She ‘hmmed’ to herself as she walked down the hall, deciding to just go in Riku’s room to get them.

She knocked on Riku’s door lightly, saying ‘boys’ as she did so. But still, got nothing. So, she opened up the door, and took a peek inside. What she saw, managed to make her heart fill with warmth and an adoring smile grace her lips.

Riku and Sora were fast asleep; Sora snuggled at Riku’s side, as the elder’s arm drooped around his friend’s back. If she weren’t so scared of waking them up, she would’ve taken countless pictures of them. But, she was, so decided to just implant the picture in her mind instead. She smiled at them one last time, and took the liberty of turning off the light switch before leaving.

However, the sound of the door shutting didn’t go unheard by a certain platinum blonde.

Riku was a very light sleeper.

He blinked his eyes open, trying to adjust to the almost pitch-black of his bedroom. If it weren’t for the moonlight streaming through his drapes, it probably would’ve been. He was about to adjust himself so he would be on his back, but realized he couldn’t due to something lying at his side. Aqua eyes blinked with confusion. Since when did he have something lying next to him on the bed?

It took him a moment to comprehend what, or rather, who it was.

He propped himself up until he was in a crawling position, and looked down to the boy snuggled to his side. A smile quickly made its way on his handsome face. This was a pretty rare occasion. And god…he treasured them so much when they came.

Riku slowly dipped his head down; his long bangs hanging over Sora’s face as he hovered over him. He stopped moving to admire the boy below him, loving the way the moonlight illuminated his beautiful facial features. There was no denying the attraction he felt for the boy, both physically and mentally. But…he felt it wrong to feel so strongly for his best friend, the boy he vowed to protect with his heart and soul…and yet…he couldn’t help himself.

This thought got him moving even closer to the small brunette, his bangs now falling onto Sora’s face in streams. And still, all Sora did was make himself more accessible, moving to lie on his back rather than his side. The position was too much for Riku, with him practically straddling Sora the way he was… If he just moved his legs…there. Now his legs were on either side of Sora. He was straddling him now.

Their noses were touching, and their lips were practically connected. Sora’s breath tingled Riku’s lips in (what Riku thought to be) an arousing manner.

Riku had reached the end of his rope, he couldn’t hold back any longer, despite his mind screaming at him not to do it. He simply couldn’t deny his lust any further.

Moist lips finally connected, in a trying kiss. The elder’s mouth moved along the younger’s, getting Sora’s bottom lip between both of his and daringly sucking on it. It only took a few more moments of this before the petite brunet finally stirred into consciousness.

He woke with a bit of a jolt, startled at the wet, yet warm sensation covering his mouth. He didn’t know what to think of it for a moment, blinking with bewilderment until his vision cleared. When it finally did, he certainly wasn’t feeling any less confused.

“Ri-ku?” he murmured into the kiss, a little scared. Was Riku…kissing him? He felt a nudge at his arm and realized it was Riku’s hand adjusting so it was planted more firmly against the mattress. This frightened him.

Sora sat up in a hurry, but found himself being pushed back down by Riku. It wasn’t rough or anything, but it was enough to get the point across. “Shh…its alright, Sora,” the elder whispered, keeping his hand on Sora’s stomach. He swooped back down for another kiss, sucking and occasionally biting at Sora’s pink lips. It took a moment for Sora’s hormones to kick in, and once they did, he began to shyly respond to Riku’s advances.

But, every move he made, every kiss they shared, Sora felt forced. Yes, Riku was attractive, but did he want to take their friendship to the next level and jeopardize their relationship? It just didn’t seem right.

Sora felt Riku’s mouth move away from his own and start heading towards his throat, leaving a trail of kisses as he went. It wasn’t the only thing moving down, though. Riku’s hand began to slowly move lower on Sora’s stomach, eventually reaching his hipbones and lifting his shirt up to go beneath it. The hand began exploring Sora’s upper half, pausing at his nipples to tease them until they hardened. Once they had, the younger couldn’t help but mewl when Riku skimmed over them again. Even with all this pleasure that seemed to be coursing through him, his stomach was still in an uncomfortable knot from it all.

On the other hand, the platinum blonde was enjoying every bit of it, especially the noises Sora was making. The mere sound of the boy’s moans were causing his pants to grow tight. He smirked a little and began working to make a love mark on the side of Sora’s neck. The brunet kept quiet (excluding the moans that he would make) until he felt the hem of his pants and boxers lifted. His blue eyes widened, a nervousness coming on. Were they really going to go that far?

Riku’s fingers found their way below Sora’s boxers, their touch burning like fire at Sora’s bare skin. All the brunet could do it seemed, was stare at the blank ceiling, confused, but more so scared. What could he possibly do? If he let Riku have his way, would it stop? Would it make things better? He didn’t know what to think, until he felt his personal space violated to the extreme. Sora knew, that it couldn’t continue, so decided to stop it before it went any further.

Sora carefully moved his small hands until they met with Riku’s, warily grasping onto it.

Riku was a little shocked from this action, not quite sure what to make of it. He continued kissing Sora’s neck and kept his hand down Sora’s boxers, until he felt the brunet tug at it. He knew then, to stop.

He pulled away from the brunet, hovering over the boy’s face so their eyes met. Looking into those cerulean eyes, he realized that he had made a big mistake. Sora was scared, and it was all his fault. The fact continuously went through his head, repeating itself nonstop until he felt nauseous.

Sora continued looking up at his friend, watching the elder’s face change numerous times until it settled on a look of horror. It made Sora’s heart leap into his throat. He hadn’t seen Riku like that since the day they tried to escape and were caught.

He didn’t like that face at all.

Shyly, he curled his hand around Riku’s, feeling the way it shook almost uncontrollably in his grasp. And since it didn’t seem to be calming Riku down much, he pulled the hand up until it rested at his mouth, where he placed small, soothing kisses on it. That seemed to do the trick.

The platinum blonde’s face began to relax, and his teal eyes met with Sora’s again, an apologetic, regretful glint to them. Sora gave his best friend’s hand one last kiss before he pulled him down so he was lying on top of him, his head resting in the crook of his neck. He stroked at Riku’s hair, trying his best to let him know that it was ok now, and that they’d somehow get through it. All friendships suffered some hardships after all, and their case was no different.

“I’m so sorry, Sora…” Riku said so sincerely and desperately that Sora almost winced at the tone. Riku’s never this frantic about anything…he must feel really bad about this.

“No…its alright, I was just a little surprised, that’s all.” That was an extreme understatement, but the last thing he wanted was for Riku to feel worse. “Just get some sleep, we’ll talk about it in the morning.”

Riku nodded. “Alright.”

Both were dreading morning’s arrival.

Finally, this is done. Sorry for the wait, this has been ¾’s of the way done for a while now, I was just having some trouble with the ending, not sure exactly how I wanted to take this. I had the basic idea down, just not the smaller details. And to those who are wondering, no, this is not a RiSo fic. There’s obviously hints (or should I say events of it cuz I can’t help myself) but it will be a LeonxSora fic. This was probably the last bit of RiSo in here, so don’t worry.

Next chapter…the anticipated LeonxSora meeting?

Reviews would be nice…